Author Archives: f2x

Facts Don’t Exist

I would really like to get an electric car. Presently I own two vehicles, a gas guzzling SUV from 2002 and a rusty sedan from 1997, neither of which is getting any prettier. Since their fuel and maintenance cost less than a car payment, I keep them.

Recently my dad disputed my assertion that when you do not factor in the price of the vehicle, EV’s (electric vehicles) were cheaper to operate than ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles. He didn’t think that was true and that the only way to change his mind would be if he owned an EV to see for himself… a condition that could never be satisfied because he would never buy or lease an EV on principle.

It doesn’t take a lot of Googling to learn that the Kilowatt per mile costs only a tiny fraction of what even the most efficient ICE cars can achieve in miles per gallon, but that’s not good enough for my dad. He has finally walled his mind up on the matter. The subject is too political for him. All the information on the internet is “fake news” and “hoaxes”. EV’s are part of a “liberal agenda”, and that’s that!

Of course it is true that if you compare the cost of a new EV to a comparably equipped ICE vehicle, the cost difference will likely be more than the ICE vehicle’s fuel cost over the next ten years. So I’ll concede that EV’s do not actually save you money under the current pricing conditions.

Another problem I have with EV’s is that the auto manufacturers do everything possible to make their EV’s unfamiliar and unacceptable to people who like their ICE cars. The typical driver doesn’t want to operate a “concept car” for their daily commute. They want something familiar, comfortable, safe, and dependable.

There’s no technical reason that EV’s could not be made to look and operate like their ICE brethren, so why is it that automakers willfully keep a viable alternative as the least-appealing option to the average consumer?

(Insert OPEC conspiracy here)

Kudos

Thanks to Glenn and maybe George. I don’t know why I bother, but here’s our submission page and my email: flush2x@gmail.com.

“Electricity is really just organized lightning” ― George Carlin

Pax,

-f2x

A Trip to the E.R.

Nobody panic. I’m OK… But… I need to see a cardiologist.

After exhibiting all the classic symptoms, my employer called an ambulance and made me go to the E.R. this past week.

It turns out that people my age, who are overweight and have a family history of heart problems, will likely have heart problems themselves. I do not get to be the exception.

The good news is that it was not a heart attack. I’m still being strongly urged to make an appointment for a stress test, and I’ll probably want to get one of those angiograms as well. More than likely I’ll end up with one of those “stints” used to make sure the blood keeps flowing like it should.

Fortunately, middle age male cardiac problems aren’t the death sentence they once were. You get your stint, watch your diet, get some exercise, and go back to work.

With any luck, I probably will not even mention this again.

Kudos

Blah, blah, blah… Thanks Glenn. Blah, blah, blah… Check out our submission page. Blah, blah, blah… email jokes to flush2x@gmail.com.

“Buy books. Unlike high calorie food, they don’t give heart attacks.” ― Tanushree Podder

Pax,

-f2x