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Showing posts from October, 2012

The Litter Box

" I'd watch an Aaron Sorkin show about people changing cat litter." --Dave The Litter Box INT: Hallway. JIMMY is walking forwards carrying a TRAY OF CAT LITTER in front of him. He is accompanied by LESLIE, a perky Southern blonde; and MICAH, a distinguished middle-aged black man. JIMMY is in the middle of a conversation, which we hear part of as he comes into the frame. JIMMY: So what you're telling me is that the entire litter box changing schedule has been changed? LESLIE: Yes. JIMMY: The entire schedule? LESLIE: Yes. JIMMY: And when did that happen? MICAH: Just now. JIMMY: What do you mean, just now? MICAH: I mean we just changed the entire schedule. JIMMY: But when did you do it? When was there a time when the entire schedule could be changed? LESLIE: At lunch. JIMMY: At lunch? LESLIE: At lunch. JIMMY: As in, today at lunch? LESLIE: Yes. JIMMY: While I was already changing the cat litter, yo...

Is it possible to make money on modified cars?

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This got cut by about two-thirds to make it into print. Also the editor hated it. If you’re thinking about buying and selling modified cars, it’s handy if you’re either a complete genius, or don’t mind losing money. We suppose you could just be super lucky, but if you have that kind of kismet you’ll be too busy getting banned from casinos in Vegas and fending off lingerie models to have time worry about hotrods. First, ask yourself  if you’re looking for bang for your buck in a car you’d like to drive; or is money on the other end your ultimate goal? They can be the same thing, but it’s much easier to have a single goal in mind. Either way, if you take the complete genius route, then you have a two-pronged plan of attack. Figure out what the next big thing is and buy it; and at the same time use your massive mental powers to make yourself love that car, whatever it is. Even if you have picked the right next hot car, and on top of that successfully predicted that peopl...

Why not electrics?

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c. 1900 Roberts Electric, one of the oldest known operating electric cars BoingBoing  science editor Maggie Koerth-Baker writes in The New York Times , It will come as no surprise to hear that only a tiny fraction — less than 1 percent — of cars driving along American roads are fully electric. What might be more surprising is the fact that this wasn’t always the case. In 1900, 34 percent of cars in New York, Boston and Chicago were powered by electric motors. Nearly half had steam engines. What happened? Why do we end up embracing one technology while another, better one struggles or fails? Her thesis is that, "Society shapes the development and use of technology," and we don't necessarily end up with the technology best suited for our needs (ie, VHS vs. Betamax). She doesn't really answer the electric car question, but says, We drive gas-powered cars today for a complex set of reasons, Kirsch says, but not because the internal-combustion engine is inherent...