My Waterloo

A lot of things piss me off, like people who insist on spelling it rediculous, Ben Stiller's comedies, the idea of mullets being cool some day - the list goes on endlessly. However, my biggest tick today happens to be idling vehicles.

Idling longer than 10 seconds uses more fuel and produces more CO2 compared to restarting the engine. But will turning off the vehicle to avoid idling result in higher maintenance costs and extra wear and tear for the starter and battery? Actually, the break-even point to offset any incremental maintenance costs is under 60 seconds. You'll save money on fuel that should more than offset any potential increase in maintenance costs. And your vehicle won't produce unnecessary emissions of CO2, the principle greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.

Here's an article from Natural Resources Canada on Idling Wastes Fuel & Money. Yes, it's Canada and yes, I love Canada and will believe anything they tell me.

While I allowed Lucy and Leila to poo in every crevace of my apartment, I trainspotted into the web and came across some random things, some old and some new.

If you've never heard of Noel Martin, there's no need to feel bad - I had no idea who he was. Fully paralyzed from an attack by a couple of neo-Nazis in Berlin and some years following his wife's death from cancer, Martin decided to call it quits, requesting assisted suicide from a clinic in Switzerland. Although it's dated 2007, this article, Why I Just Can't Go On Living, explains the details fairly well.


BBC broadcaster and comedian Liz Carr, who is also paralyzed (though only partially), sat down with Martin to discuss why he chose his planned premature death. The interview is very awkward, but it's an interesting exchange between two people of similar disabilities with such different views on the world around them.
Because I like stealing so much, I found some interesting things on the moon from A Majority of Two, another blog I'm following. (And loving!) I'll be on the lookout for crazy lunar activity in the next two days. Just follow the link for Majority of Two and read the Thursday, January 22nd entry.