Random thoughts thread

Recon1342 said:

Why does everyone in a position of fame feel they are authorities on every possible subject under the sun?

I'm sorry, but you get paid to play pretend/chase a ball/sing and dance. I'll listen when I see some credentials...

While sometimes this does lead to comical situations, other times one learns artists'/athletes' hidden depths.  Like that guy from whatever band actually has a degree from Harvard in political science or is an actual astrophysicist or something.  (To name two real world examples)

GM and Toyota were in cahoots in the late '90s and early '00s reskinning Toyota products as GM products and reselling them. Is there a timeline where GM sold a reskinned MR2 Spyder as a Pontiac? Pontiac Banshee? Pontiac Fiero MkII?

In reply to NickD :

I mean, at one point you could get a Chevy Nova with a 4AGE, so why not?

Look up Pontiac Vibe. Squint real hard and imagine with box flares. Wikipedia.org: Pontiac Vibe

In reply to VolvoHeretic :

Then you had the Toyota Voltz. The Matrix wasn't sold in Japan, Toyota instead took the Vibe, removed the Pontiac badges, left the Vibe sheetmetal intact, made it RHD, and sold it in Japan as the Toyota Voltz.

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

Recon1342 said:

Why does everyone in a position of fame feel they are authorities on every possible subject under the sun?

I'm sorry, but you get paid to play pretend/chase a ball/sing and dance. I'll listen when I see some credentials...

While sometimes this does lead to comical situations, other times one learns artists'/athletes' hidden depths.  Like that guy from whatever band actually has a degree from Harvard in political science or is an actual astrophysicist or something.  (To name two real world examples)

 

Kind of like when Peter, Paul and Mary got famous for singing that children's song Puff the Magic Dragon and then proceeded to using their fame promote their position on nuclear weapons during the Cold War with the USSR.  

On the other hand, if Danica McKellar wants to use her credentials as a PhD in Mathematics to encourage more women to go into technical degrees, that's a fair and credible use of her fame.  

In reply to NickD :

TIL. Though why they didn't use the Toyota-centric Matrix sheet metal is entirely lost on me.

When avoiding phishing email and sites, one of the clues IT tells you to watch for is spelling errors. 

Are scammers too cheap to use spellcheck? Or is there some other reason beyond ESL issues?

For example: FeedEx vs FedEx

The more reliable method is closer inspection of the email address, but spelling errors seem prevalent. 

In reply to No Time :

One theory is that scammers deliberately leave a few spelling and grammar errors in their work. Apparently this filters out people less likely to fall for their schemes so they can focus on those who might.

Recon1342 said:

Why does everyone in a position of fame feel they are authorities on every possible subject under the sun?

I'm sorry, but you get paid to play pretend/chase a ball/sing and dance. I'll listen when I see some credentials...

If I had the free time that a lot of them have I'd be reading and learning and become an expert on at least a few things. 

Wally (Forum Supporter) said:

Recon1342 said:

Why does everyone in a position of fame feel they are authorities on every possible subject under the sun?

I'm sorry, but you get paid to play pretend/chase a ball/sing and dance. I'll listen when I see some credentials...

If I had the free time that a lot of them have I'd be reading and learning and become an expert on at least a few things. 

I would as well... a lot of them, though, prefer to lean on their fame and fortune to sway people. Many of them also seem to believe that the plural of anecdote is data.

Jenny McCarthy and her "vaccines cause autism" schtick come to mind. 

What the world really needs is more critical thinkers... but that's an unpopular opinion in quite a few circles.

I don't understand celebrity culture, but the discussion reminds me of this book. He had a pretty good series of TV shows too.

There's something I like to say about critical thinking and schools, but if I say it here it'll cause a E36 M3storm

In reply to DarkMonohue :

That makes sense and seems like a good filter. 

Less random thought, more random observation. 

Drove the truck in today, as a reminder it's a '93 F150.  Same speeds I drive the Miata, longer following distances (of course) but same speeds.

Miata: except for the occasional shiny happy person, no one crowds the back bumper, no one immediately passes when they get up behind me, people get in the right lane when I come up behind them at speed.

Truck: pretty much the opposite.  I have people that ride my ass.  I have to go around anyone sitting in the left lane.  People come up behind me and pass me on the right while I have my blinker on and am getting into the next lane.

It's weird.

If you list your bike/car/whatever for sale and capitalize FIRM in the ad to make sure we get the point, then reduce the price by a grand after three weeks of no action, and leave FIRM in the ad you've lost all credibility, and seriously undermined your ability to sell your bike/car/whatever

In reply to Peabody :

Start low.  Add $100 a week.

In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :

I think a lot of people are struggling with the reality that Covid pricing is over.

On another note, it seems like 17" wheels have been done for a while now. Locally you can't give them away, and the same kind of wheel in 14" is worth more than 17's. Actually, any size is worth more than 17's. I find that odd.

 I wish 17's worked on my cars.

In reply to Peabody :

I drove 6 hours to get a set of 14" wheels because they are so hard to find.  And 14" rally tires don't fit on 16" wheels.

A few weeks ago, someone in Ohio in the garage cleanout thread mentioned scrapping some 14" wheels, I thought "man I really hope those weren't 5x100 because I'd have paid $300 for them, because that seems to be the going rate"

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

In reply to Peabody :

Start low.  Add $100 a week.

 

I do something similar when I get lowball offers. When someone offers 50% of the asking price I respond with a counter offer that's 50% more than my asking price. 

The last gen Trans am, the one that looks like a transformer, will become more collectible, and more expensive than any F body built after the 70's

Peabody said:

The last gen Trans am, the one that looks like a transformer, will become more collectible, and more expensive than any F body built after the 70's

They're already worth more than they ought to be. 4th-gen F-bodies are the biggest piles of E36 M3, and I've driven low-mileage museum pieces. Terrible ergonomics, interiors that fall apart, flimsy chassis, rear end that blows up with a stern glance, and they drive like a dump truck. The LS1 is one of the least desirable LS motors (small bore and can't be overbored too much), the auto trans is a hand grenade with the pin pulled and the spoon released, the only good thing is the 6-speed T56.

In reply to NickD :

I know. 

I wanted a Z28 in the worst way.

About 10 years ago, the first one I drove, a pristine 98, low mileage, built T56, and 4.10 gear, but otherwise stock, was probably the nicest one. It was an older guy who'd spent the money but I don't think ever pushed the car. I went to a dead end road in an industrial area, launched it hard, and ran it through the gears like I was qualifying. That poor guy turned white as a bed sheet, but that car was the right kind of fast. Too bad it drove like a dump truck.

In reply to NickD :

I haven't driven a T56 in an F body that still had usable 2nd or 3rd gear synchros.

This showed up at Rallycross. I love it too much.

Maybe could use a wing, but still cool.