Solara wind

I own a 2004 Toyota Solara coupe. I have been generally happy with the car but had not done much long distance driving. Recently I have noticed an annoying problem. When cruising at highway speeds there is sometimes intrusive wind noise. It sounds like the driver's window is slightly open. I think this is happening when there is a crosswind at the wrong angle. There doesn't seem to be a problem in still air. So car designers please test your creations at an angle in the wind tunnel as well as straight on.

Petty Theft

I recently traveled to Baltimore . I stayed in a Holiday Inn. While reviewing the charges on my credit card I noted an unexpected charge for $3 which turned out to be for using a bottled water which had been left in the room. This is the sort of petty fee which expensive hotels are notorious for. I have doubts the profit is worth the ill will they generate.

Blogging will be sporadic for a while.

Siding

My condo is part of a complex in which each building contains 4 or 6 two story units in a row. The buildings have wooden siding which periodically needs to be stained. As part of the process any bad siding boards are replaced. The top picture shows this process in October 2000. The second picture shows the same building currently. In both cases the white boards are siding that has just been replaced. As can be seen the siding does not seem to be very durable which increases the maintenance expense. Part of my complex (and all of a neighboring complex) got tired of this and replaced all the wooden siding with vinyl. This is expensive but might be worth it in the long run if it reduces upkeep.

Taken Polygraph

Tuesday afternoon I drove down to Baltimore for the polygraph test required for my security clearance. The drive took about 4 hours with only minor traffic delays. A reservation had been made for me in a hotel near the facility which does the exams.

The exam itself was scheduled for 11:30 Wednesday. You aren't told immediately if you have passed. However the exam appeared to go smoothly and only lasted about 90 minutes which I gather is a good sign.

I have some doubts about effectiveness. I won't detail my reasons as this might help someone beat the exam which I have no particular interest in doing. And the process does have a certain sobering effect as it emphasizes that the government takes security very seriously. Something to consider before accepting any job offers which may be forthcoming.

The drive back took a bit longer as I stopped once for food and gas and also ran into some traffic delays. Still I was back by 7pm.

Killer trains

In the course of defending the safety record of trains in light of the recent DC Metro fatal accident Matthew Yglesias gets carried away and states:

... On a typical day, of course, the United States has zero train-related fatalities.

This is not true because it does not take into account people hit by trains, a common omission when people talk about how safe trains are. According to this in 2008 there were 716 fatal incidents (killing 794 people) involving trains. In just one of these were passengers (24) killed. Trains are very safe for passengers. They are less safe overall.

Lake Peekskill

The streets around Lake Peekskill are a bit confusing. I got lost a couple of times on Sunday driving to an address I had been to before. Hopefully driving to Baltimore will be less complicated.

Thrillers

I recently read "Scarecrow", "Wicked Prey" and "Road Dogs" the latest books by thriller writers Michael Connelly , John Sandford and Elmore Leonard respectively. All three writers are prolific and I have enjoyed many of their past books. I would rank Sandford first, Leonard second and Connolly third with their latest books in the same order. I wouldn't claim these books are great literature but if you enjoy entertaining stories about cops and criminals these authors are worth a try.