Random Thoughts - Part Deux [NO POLITICS]

[Sapphireho]

Originally Posted by Clipdat

AND Friday?!? Now that just aint right.

Worst thing is I got in at 7:00 this morning and have already finished everything I have to do this week.

[cjd]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

Next, don't actually try to fly it. Power it up and down and get the trims dialed in. Once you have them adjusted, it should practically fly itself.

Only the boring ones fly themselves, though perhaps boring is right in this case. I prefer a mild acro mode for learning... And I have not gotten past that because I haven't put in the time. Can't fly outside here except at the airfield, and even then its a lower ceiling due to O'Hare. Plenty of time now, I should get the toys out. Temps are hovering around zero (F)... Can't work on the car in an unheated garage happily just now.

Whee. @humfrz crashing is part of the learning. And I bet the little ones will pick it up pretty quickly.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by cjd

Only the boring ones fly themselves, though perhaps boring is right in this case. I prefer a mild acro mode for learning... And I have not gotten past that because I haven't put in the time. Can't fly outside here except at the airfield, and even then its a lower ceiling due to O'Hare. Plenty of time now, I should get the toys out. Temps are hovering around zero (F)... Can't work on the car in an unheated garage happily just now.

Whee. @humfrz crashing is part of the learning. And I bet the little ones will pick it up pretty quickly.

Let's hope so ........ if I don't destroy it first, learning how to fly it ......


humfrz

[cjd]

I guess I shouldn't be feeling too bad having to sink some money into building up a new car... I just took a peek at my property tax for the first half of next year, thinking to prepay since I'll be taxed on my taxes next year... It's an estimated value set at 55% of the previous year's amount.

The only good news (I suppose) is that we were successful in having the value reset a little, so the second installment will probably be smaller for 2017, rather than higher (as is typical in the past).

It's also nearly the full amount I would be allowed to deduct... It's getting too expensive to exist again. I predict the return of the system that was in place for much of Europe through the early 1900's, very carefully orchestrated for our own good.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Sapphireho

Worst thing is I got in at 7:00 this morning and have already finished everything I have to do this week.

So, why are you there..?? Why not deal with whatever might come up by remote control...??

Which reminds me of a back-in-the-Army story.

It was a cold winter night, in Germany, and we had been on maneuvers in the German countryside for about two weeks. I was a platoon leader of a mechanized infantry platoon. My platoon sergeant had a great idea. Since he knew the maneuver area real well and the poor company commander was always lost, especially at night, we decided to hold up in a gasthaus (a German tavern) and play the maneuver game on paper (a map).

So, we pulled my command track (M-113 APC) up to the side of the gasthaus and ran the radio wires inside. As the troops warmed up, and ate a hearty hot meal, the platoon sergeant and I “maneuvered” our platoon around the countryside.

Come daybreak we had to move out ……. before the company commander got his bearings.

THE END


humfrz

[Clipdat]

I had to look up that APC.

This one has a TOW launcher! Cool!

[Sapphireho]

Originally Posted by cjd

I guess I shouldn't be feeling too bad having to sink some money into building up a new car... I just took a peek at my property tax for the first half of next year, thinking to prepay since I'll be taxed on my taxes next year... It's an estimated value set at 55% of the previous year's amount.

The only good news (I suppose) is that we were successful in having the value reset a little, so the second installment will probably be smaller for 2017, rather than higher (as is typical in the past).

It's also nearly the full amount I would be allowed to deduct... It's getting too expensive to exist again. I predict the return of the system that was in place for much of Europe through the early 1900's, very carefully orchestrated for our own good.

Could be worse. You could be living in California.

[Sapphireho]

Originally Posted by humfrz

So, why are you there..?? Why not deal with whatever might come up by remote control...??


humfrz

Gubment job. We are Silicon Valley. They have spoke of people "telecommuting" since I started in 1989, but I've never seen anyone outside of executive management given the privilege.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by cjd

Only the boring ones fly themselves, though perhaps boring is right in this case. I prefer a mild acro mode for learning... And I have not gotten past that because I haven't put in the time. Can't fly outside here except at the airfield, and even then its a lower ceiling due to O'Hare. Plenty of time now, I should get the toys out. Temps are hovering around zero (F)... Can't work on the car in an unheated garage happily just now.

Whee. @humfrz crashing is part of the learning. And I bet the little ones will pick it up pretty quickly.

I got into model helicopters just as MEMS gyros hit the mainstream. I prefer the mechanical Bell-Hiller stabilizer over gyros for that very reason.

Still need one for the tail rotor. Without that one the merely challenging becomes impossible.

[cjd]

Originally Posted by Sapphireho

Could be worse. You could be living in California.

It's not quite that bad, but the state being so screwed up here in Illinois has made it interesting in Chicago - we're now basically paying double for quite a bit, since such a substantial portion of the state tax revenue is from the Chicago area, but we don't get the bits back that were in the budget... so the city (and transit, and just about every other service) has had to find ways to make up the shortfall.

Anyhow, turns out it won't help me to prepay anyway. But my tax probably won't go up very much on the new plan.

Oh. And 9.5% tax on the car. Totally forgot it was higher than last time, because I moved. Oh well. $45k BRZ, factory stock (adding in losses I absorbed from the old one). Can't wait to put all the expensive go-fast goodies on it. Should have just gone for ... well, I don't know. Nothing appealing under $150k so not doing that anyway.

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

I got into model helicopters just as MEMS gyros hit the mainstream. I prefer the mechanical Bell-Hiller stabilizer over gyros for that very reason.

Still need one for the tail rotor. Without that one the merely challenging becomes impossible.

Such different animals, though the things you can do with the models is absolutely insane. I was always really interested in the helicopters too, but they're a wee bit more dangerous to fly random places, and don't pack up quite as small (even the small ones). I have a collection of cars too - even thought I'd get into racing them (the stuff I did as a kid in a neighbor's back yard track doesn't count) till the Autocross bug bit again, got a whole setup to do so. Maybe I should sell the car parts and go this route though... Let's see what a season's worth of tires can get me in R/C parts...

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by cjd

Such different animals, though the things you can do with the models is absolutely insane. I was always really interested in the helicopters too, but they're a wee bit more dangerous to fly random places, and don't pack up quite as small (even the small ones).

Flying lawnmowers. Even my little 450 is potentially lethal. I never fly anywhere close to other people or personal property.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

Flying lawnmowers. Even my little 450 is potentially lethal. I never fly anywhere close to other people or personal property.

Ultramaroon trimming his hedge .......??




humfrz

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by humfrz

Ultramaroon trimming his hedge .......??




humfrz

I approve this message.

[cjd]

About 2:15 in... and again around 3:45 on...

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5FqYiZb_5s"]WORLD CHAMPION RC Helicopter pilot Demonstrates his Awesome Skills - YouTube[/ame]