We bought a tree from the Boy Scouts on Saturday and put it up in the hallway that evening; Finn was asking to start decorating it, and so the three of us hung the lights together with some seasonal music playing in the background. After we’d finished the tree and pushed it back into the corner, it was time for Christmas Dance Party:
Walter Soplata passed away quietly on November 8, but he was a legend in the warbird community. A carpenter by trade, he bought and traded decomissioned military aircraft of all types and parked them at his rural Ohio farm. Ranging from a rare Twin Mustang to an entire B-36 fuselage, his collection was unique and eclectic. I hope the airframes in his collection go to good homes.
There is a huge amount of play in my steering, so I read this post with interest. Among the advice:
…have someone turn the steering wheel back and forth while you watch the rag joint and the input and output shafts on the steering box for slop.
There is an adjustment on the steering box. Look for a 5/8 or 11/16 nut usually on the side of the box. It is on a shaft that usually has as screwdriver slot in it. Raise your front end off the ground. Center the wheels. Hold the center shaft while you break loose the nut. Turn the screw in to some resistance. Temporarily tighten the lock nut. Check for play again. If the adjustment is too tight, steering will be stiff at center. If so, back off a little.
…in addition, the correct way is to disconnect the drag link as well. As long as I have dealt with the lash in any Saginaw box, the correct way was just the same as any adjustment. All adjustments are made off-vehicle, so you must, as the books say, remove all preload. Which means pulling the drag link. Make it seem like it is off vehicle. While true final adjustment is made with the steering wheel connected and the gearbox mounted, note that the drag link is not! Also note that a dial indicator and lb-in torque wrench are also used. Inch pound that is, which means there is little room for mistake/carelessness.
Mr. Scout and I have been talking about getting materials together and building a pair of rear bumpers jointly to save on materials and time, and he sent me a link this morning: a write-up on a project from the Binder Planet. The author built it for an 800B but the design could be modified for a Scout II pretty easily, we figure. The part that interests me is the swing-away tire carrier and Hi-Lift jack mounts, which would clear up a ton of space in the back of Peer Pressure.
Here’s an excellent and frightening overview of the global economy from the managing director of an investment company.
The constructive way is to stop making paper and start making things. Replace subprimes, and yes, Treasury bonds with American cars, steel, iPads, airplanes, corn – whatever the world wants that we can make better and/or cheaper. Learn how to compete again. Investments in infrastructure and 21st century education and research, as opposed to 20th century education are mandatory, as is a withdrawal from resource-draining foreign wars….
…Unlike the United Kingdom, where Prime Minister Cameron has championed fiscal conservatism, or even Euroland, which is being forced in the direction of Angela Merkel’s Germanic work ethic, the United States seems to acknowledge no bounds to what it can spend to bolster consumption or how much it can print to support its asset markets.
Jen just sent me this link: Man Arrested In Alleged Bomb Plot In Maryland.
A 21-year-old Muslim convert named Antonio Martinez, of Baltimore, was taken into custody this morning shortly after he allegedly tried to detonate the phony bomb at an armed forces recruiting station in Catonsville, Md., west of Baltimore. Officials close to the case say Martinez was caught in a sting operation.
Why the Taliban be hatin’ on my ‘Ville?
Little did I know that when I parked yesterday morning, I’d be front row center for an interesting event:
→ This is a syndicated post from my Scout weblog. More info here.
At work this afternoon, we heard a multitude of fire engines scrambling across town, and didn’t think much of it until one of my colleagues got an IM from a friend: “Is your building on fire?”
Rushing over to Baltimore Street, we found that several storefronts on the Block (Baltimore’s red light district) were on fire, and that our parking garage had a bird’s eye view of the whole thing. We stood on the roof and watched as every engine in the city put up a ladder and poured water onto the blaze.
Update 12/7/10: My weblog post got tweeted by Mike Lee, and retweeted by the Sun’s social media reporter, which sent a flood of traffic to my Flickr site over the past 24 hours. My boss Sean also sent a link in to the Baltimore Brew, a homespun city-focused news weblog, which linked the plume video.
