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17721. judithathome - 12/8/2005 12:21:41 AM This city is in crisis mode...28 degrees and icy streets. Anything going on tonight has been canceled, citywide. We are SUCH wusses here in Texas.
Heard from her a few months ago but not recently, Lab. 17722. arkymalarky - 12/8/2005 2:07:39 AM The trouble about getting some local or on-line friends to participate here is that they ask too many questions about the Moties. Since they know you, they want to know the same particulars about the rest of us and I am not willing to give information about any of us.
I've never seen that at all. Lots of the early Fray people had connections as friends or family, and no telling how many lurked. My dad's the one who first clued me into the Fray, in fact. I've told everyone I've invited about the dynamic here, including Bro and Mose, who've both posted here but haven't gotten into it like I have--I think mostly due to our size and how long we've known eachother. Unfortunately, when things were very volatile I couldn't get people to participate, and usually didn't bother to ask.
I love the Mote like it is, but I'd love to see people come in here, too. I think the only real way without being linked to a high-traffic site is to invite people we know. But like any small community, if you give yourself a chance to warm up to it and for them to include you, it's a great thing. Most people just don't pursue it that far, or they're more attracted to places with more excitement and more people--if they're forum-types at all.
I've had a friend or two post once or twice in the past, and I've invited several to read it, especially when something was discussed that I knew they'd be interested in. IRL I routinely refer to friends and things said "in my forum"--which all my friends and family understand is The Mote.
And when Judith's here, she routinely calls me "Arky," whoever we happen to be around. ;-)
17723. arkymalarky - 12/8/2005 2:10:40 AM Ice and snow are two different things, and ice on these roads is very treacherous. In fact, one of our state legislators has recently been through a very unpleasant lawsuit because a few years ago he slid into a car that had already slid off the road, killing the three people who were in it. I never heard how things came out, but I will not drive on ice. 17724. arkymalarky - 12/8/2005 2:11:25 AM Snow, on the other hand, is very fun. Unfortunately we rarely have it in this part of the state. 17725. jayackroyd - 12/8/2005 2:12:34 AM That's funny because I occasionally get email from jexster, with his IRL name attached, but I still think of him as "jex." 17726. arkymalarky - 12/8/2005 2:16:31 AM Hey Lab! Hate I missed you before you headed out. Hope you have a great voyage. 17727. jayackroyd - 12/8/2005 2:17:16 AM Ice and snow
Just heading back home to Maine for T-Day, and had a few moments when the road was apparently clear, but very slippery. This ABS stuff actually works. It's routine, if you've grown up with slippery roads to test them when it's safe to do so. I did, at one point, and felt the brake pedal chattering under my foot. "Whoa," said I, "15 MPH just started looking better."
17728. arkymalarky - 12/8/2005 2:18:29 AM I'm the same way about all the people here, but I rarely see them irl except for Judith and I don't do much email. 17729. wonkers2 - 12/8/2005 2:39:22 AM Yeah, but Arky, in contrast to some of us, you hardly ever post anything that would embarrass you to see on the front page of the local paper. 17730. judithathome - 12/8/2005 2:45:30 AM Oh Jay...was it the famous black ice of Maine? Add the frost heaves, too. ;-) 17731. arkymalarky - 12/8/2005 2:45:31 AM Hmmm. Well, I try to keep in mind that it's a public forum with free and open speech, for the most part, but we maintain a level of privacy that's important, and I don't invite anyone and everyone, though pretty much everyone knows I'm a long-time participant in an online forum. I always explain to those I do invite how things work here, and I invite people I think would enjoy it. Most people really aren't very interested, which isn't about us. They're not into forums at all. 17732. judithathome - 12/8/2005 2:45:59 AM Arky, are you getting any of this mess we're having? 17733. arkymalarky - 12/8/2005 2:47:41 AM We're supposed to, but I don't know if we are yet. Before dark it was cloudy and looked like stuff was on the way, but nothing was falling yet. Bob's outside now, so I should get a report when he gets back from his walk.
Yes, the man has finally gone round the bend. 17734. jayackroyd - 12/8/2005 3:56:47 AM Yeah, judith, I think there was some black ice going on. One reason one tests the road is because of the risk of apparently clear roads that are in fact treacherous. 17735. wonkers2 - 12/8/2005 3:59:34 AM The new cars are much better on ice than they used to be. 17736. jayackroyd - 12/8/2005 5:02:07 AM Yeah, wonk, the car was borrowed, and so I was being especially careful. Hitting the brake, even carefully, even provisionally, kicked in the ABS response, which worked great.
I still slowed down; f=ma is unchanged by brakes that don't let you skid. But it was an interesting illustration. 17737. alistairconnor - 12/8/2005 11:36:55 AM I know of nothing more terrifying than the unexpected and complete loss of control when you hit ice at, say, 30 mph on a twisty country road. I manage to do it to myself about every couple of years, and it's mildly surprising I haven't had an accident yet.
I've never had ABS, but I'm thinking that it must be of minimal use when you can't steer? Or does it actually give you some steerage traction? 17738. jayackroyd - 12/8/2005 2:35:58 PM It prevents a skid. It implements that "pump the brakes" thing you were taught in tenths of seconds. So you never lock the wheels. That doesn't mean your braking distance is shortened, of course. f=ma is unchanged. But it does mean you don't do 360 (or, as I once did on the Maine Turnpike, an 820).
There was an interesting article about the dangers of SUVs a while ago. One danger, this writer claimed, is that the combination of four wheel drive and ABS makes the driver feel like he can stop more quickly than he in fact can. Because you can stay straight and stop straight, the driver tends to think you can stop short too. But the cars (m) are a lot heavier than your ordinary sedan, so have a long stopping distance. 17739. jayackroyd - 12/8/2005 2:37:22 PM 2.5*360=720+180=900.
There, that's what I meant. 17740. Magoseph - 12/8/2005 2:48:12 PM Hello--It was -8°F when I arose, now it is -2°F and we'll have snow again this afternoon, but at least it'll be warmer than yesterday.
The DIL and I had our hair cut by our favorite guy who moved to a chic place he was very proud to show us. We had a nice lunch at a new Italian restaurant where we first fortified ourselves with a couple of Bocce Ball drinks. The Italian waiter couldn’t understand a word I said and neither could I understand him, so the DIL did the translating.
We had fun shopping as always—K is the right person you’d want with you for this task. She knows where to buy the best thing at a good price. Altogether, it was a very satisfying late morning and early afternoon, except for one thing—on the way back, I had to drive for 30 minutes in a single file at the speed of a turtle.
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