1) What are the chances of a rail gun or laser weapons actually being deployed? I know they’ve been testing them for decades, but how close are they really to operational?
They’ll obviously want the hulls laid before Trumps end of watch ( I doubt that happens tbh) however the first of these in full service has gotta be at least a decade (or two, given typical naval turnaround times) out right?
2) The Versa wasn’t an amazing car, but also it never promised to be. It was always the Minimum Viable Car for America, and that was enough. They’ve sold a bunch this past year too. With the Altima making a shocking 2026 comeback, it’s weird they didn’t want to just keep the Versa around as the only car in the US for sale for less than $20k. Nissan could ACTUALLY have a niche to themselves and be decent at it!
They could also slash the price of the “Kicks Play” (incredibly stupid name) to $19,995 and have something of a winner. Willing to bet that’s what they’ll go for after discounts anyway…
3) God Speed to the fella looking for a PT Cruiser. That’s a FASCINATING choice of automobile. It’s been a long, long time since I’ve seen a decent one. I’ll pass any along if I come across them.
Even here in the Automotive Land Time Forgot, and even with all the old people who shouldn’t be driving but still are, I have not seen a PT Cruiser in a long time.
This week I did see an absolutely mint Q45 and a Mazda 6 wagon rolling through Hooterville. Also, there’s a paint-to-sample pearlescent white low mileage 1995 928 for sale at a local Porsha mechanic for the ridiculous price of $130k!
Lots of Boomers with dumb money over here. But the 928 is cool. Some of the old cars I see here are the equivalent of seeing a zebra walking down the street.
The HemiKota and I wish you all a Merry Christmas and happy days this holiday season! https://youtu.be/9a5bV5GBjbk?si=2iPFcJb05CrBagjB (The main purpose of recording this was to capture the exhaust sound before I cut it all apart and redo it this weekend. If anyone is interested in seeing/hearing the result of that please let me know!)
One of my best friends from college has been a machinist in a ship yard for about 6 years now, and he's been busy ever since he started; but I think it's cool to see some new boats with new tech on them coming to an ocean near you! Not a fan of the classification but they could always change it later hahaha
However, I am a fan of the Dodge/Ram turnaround this year, and I hope they stay on this path. Tim K even announced that Dakota will be the name of the upcoming midsize pickup! I'm trying not to get my hopes too high for it though, because my lovely source believes it's going to be a rebadged and lightly reworked Gladiator which I really don't care for. We'll just have to wait and see on that front.
If they make the new Dakota with a sold front axle, recirculating ball steering, and the wrangler’s cabin layout they are dumber than I thought would be possible.
I don't wholly disagree, a new Rampage would be cool (it's already a Rampage in Mexico I think), just saying if the new Dakota was fwd based I'd have to go talk to somebody lol
Since Stellantis is #3 of the Big 3, they’re the ones who will lead the way with cool vehicles because they have to. It surely ain’t going to be GM or Ford.
Here's a suggestion for people who would like to give Jack's book wider exposure. Buy a hardcover version. Hand-carry it to your local public library. Ask to speak to a Librarian (note, they are very status-conscious; Librarians have masters' degrees; book-shelvers don't) about a book you are willing to donate. Because people are loving it!
Offer to donate the book, BUT ONLY IF THEY PROMISE TO ADD IT TO THEIR COLLECTION. I'd go so far as to request that they provide you with a Donor Letter, and that the Donor Letter specify that they have added the book to their collection. You can say you want to show the Donor Letter to Jack.
You want to do all the above because otherwise, their path of least resistance is for a low-level person to mumble perfunctory thanks, and then, after you are gone, put Jack's book in the cart of Library Discards, to be sold for $2 or less. That's what happens to almost all used-book donations.
That is semi-understandable, because most public libraries have outsourced Collections Management to outside contractors. When libraries buy books, they usually buy the books from Library Service Bureaus who add that book to the online system inventory that library participates in.
Putting a self-published book into the Library's electronic systems manually ("Accession") is a chore they might not feel like doing.
If that library does not want to play ball, try a different one.
"the “Golden Fleet” plan, the “Trump-class” battleships"
its all impossibly cringe. its like he saw the uss obama in black ops 2 and was like "yeah i need one named after me"
"helping the US Navy, which is being out-built something like a literal fifty-to-one by China"
arent a big chunk of those chinese ships just fishing trawlers (which are still a massive and persistent threat to marine life) or are they actually well made and threatening warships?
"relocate all important manufacturing capacity to the United States well in advance of said invasion"
obviously its more important to get blacks and felons employed even though it cost the entire chips act to fail and prevent arguably the most important resource on the planet from being made stateside becuase diversity is our strength right
"Two doors, 550 horsepower from the Hurricane"
excited for the aftermarket to turn each of these into 1000hp monsters
"Looking out for a clean PT Cruiser with a 5-speed"
but why that? if you want to teach someone stick just put them in a miata if they fit. easy to work a clutch and shifting is direct plus its fairly hard to stall. the pt cruiser turbo would leave it for dead however
Re chips act dei; I'll take that over critical national security components and fun PC parts being made by a potential enemy. My brother in law is gonna need a real job eventually!
I bet the hurricanes will be a downpipe and email tune away from 700 just like a Q50 or N55 bmw, which would be cool streets still yearn for God's motor (the Hemi)
Merry Christmas to all! My daughter's first car was a five speed Nissan Versa Note — with a lot of Renault influence in the design. She put so many miles on it that the catalytic converter died and I couldn't deal with the repair properly because I was in rehab hospital recovering from a brain bleed. She then had a VW Golf, five speed, that we had to go to Virginia to find. She now has one of the last five speed Mini Coopers. All because her first car was a 1996 Corolla with a five speed. But her grandmother could drive stick shift, her mother could, so these family traditions have to be carried on.
Merry Christmas, glad to see you survived that brain bleed! And hell yeah to the stick shift tradition; it's something we should all try to keep going!
Merry Christmas to Jack and my fellow ACF subscribers.
Merry Christmas, happy new year, Happy Hanukkah, and happy holidays to all!
1) What are the chances of a rail gun or laser weapons actually being deployed? I know they’ve been testing them for decades, but how close are they really to operational?
They’ll obviously want the hulls laid before Trumps end of watch ( I doubt that happens tbh) however the first of these in full service has gotta be at least a decade (or two, given typical naval turnaround times) out right?
2) The Versa wasn’t an amazing car, but also it never promised to be. It was always the Minimum Viable Car for America, and that was enough. They’ve sold a bunch this past year too. With the Altima making a shocking 2026 comeback, it’s weird they didn’t want to just keep the Versa around as the only car in the US for sale for less than $20k. Nissan could ACTUALLY have a niche to themselves and be decent at it!
They could also slash the price of the “Kicks Play” (incredibly stupid name) to $19,995 and have something of a winner. Willing to bet that’s what they’ll go for after discounts anyway…
3) God Speed to the fella looking for a PT Cruiser. That’s a FASCINATING choice of automobile. It’s been a long, long time since I’ve seen a decent one. I’ll pass any along if I come across them.
Even here in the Automotive Land Time Forgot, and even with all the old people who shouldn’t be driving but still are, I have not seen a PT Cruiser in a long time.
This week I did see an absolutely mint Q45 and a Mazda 6 wagon rolling through Hooterville. Also, there’s a paint-to-sample pearlescent white low mileage 1995 928 for sale at a local Porsha mechanic for the ridiculous price of $130k!
IIRC they only made a few dozen of the final year 928s. I’m not surprised it’s going for dumb money.
Lots of Boomers with dumb money over here. But the 928 is cool. Some of the old cars I see here are the equivalent of seeing a zebra walking down the street.
The HemiKota and I wish you all a Merry Christmas and happy days this holiday season! https://youtu.be/9a5bV5GBjbk?si=2iPFcJb05CrBagjB (The main purpose of recording this was to capture the exhaust sound before I cut it all apart and redo it this weekend. If anyone is interested in seeing/hearing the result of that please let me know!)
One of my best friends from college has been a machinist in a ship yard for about 6 years now, and he's been busy ever since he started; but I think it's cool to see some new boats with new tech on them coming to an ocean near you! Not a fan of the classification but they could always change it later hahaha
However, I am a fan of the Dodge/Ram turnaround this year, and I hope they stay on this path. Tim K even announced that Dakota will be the name of the upcoming midsize pickup! I'm trying not to get my hopes too high for it though, because my lovely source believes it's going to be a rebadged and lightly reworked Gladiator which I really don't care for. We'll just have to wait and see on that front.
If they make the new Dakota with a sold front axle, recirculating ball steering, and the wrangler’s cabin layout they are dumber than I thought would be possible.
Yeah it would be an utter travesty. But better than importing the unibody fwd Compass based utes they have in other markets
They should do that AND have the Dakota tbh.
Works well for Ford! And the Maverick still somehow has no real competition.
I don't wholly disagree, a new Rampage would be cool (it's already a Rampage in Mexico I think), just saying if the new Dakota was fwd based I'd have to go talk to somebody lol
Since Stellantis is #3 of the Big 3, they’re the ones who will lead the way with cool vehicles because they have to. It surely ain’t going to be GM or Ford.
"If anyone is interested in seeing/hearing the result of that please let me know!"
i am duh lol
I'm getting a Ronald Reagan 'Star Wars' vibe. Nixon class ship FTW.
Is the V90 dead too? IIRC that one was actually made in Sweden.
Here's a suggestion for people who would like to give Jack's book wider exposure. Buy a hardcover version. Hand-carry it to your local public library. Ask to speak to a Librarian (note, they are very status-conscious; Librarians have masters' degrees; book-shelvers don't) about a book you are willing to donate. Because people are loving it!
Offer to donate the book, BUT ONLY IF THEY PROMISE TO ADD IT TO THEIR COLLECTION. I'd go so far as to request that they provide you with a Donor Letter, and that the Donor Letter specify that they have added the book to their collection. You can say you want to show the Donor Letter to Jack.
You want to do all the above because otherwise, their path of least resistance is for a low-level person to mumble perfunctory thanks, and then, after you are gone, put Jack's book in the cart of Library Discards, to be sold for $2 or less. That's what happens to almost all used-book donations.
That is semi-understandable, because most public libraries have outsourced Collections Management to outside contractors. When libraries buy books, they usually buy the books from Library Service Bureaus who add that book to the online system inventory that library participates in.
Putting a self-published book into the Library's electronic systems manually ("Accession") is a chore they might not feel like doing.
If that library does not want to play ball, try a different one.
Just change the title to Trans Kitty Has Two Mommies and it will be on the stacks of every library in a few weeks.
My favorite is: "Heather Has Two Mullahs."
“Searchlight on my trail
Tonight's the night all systems fail
Hey you good lookin' female
Come here!”
Bustin out of a cell;
A little of the ultra violence and the in and out;
And ROKN;
What a beautiful story.
Merry Xmas to all; hug your loved ones, remember those people and little creatures no longer with us
"the “Golden Fleet” plan, the “Trump-class” battleships"
its all impossibly cringe. its like he saw the uss obama in black ops 2 and was like "yeah i need one named after me"
"helping the US Navy, which is being out-built something like a literal fifty-to-one by China"
arent a big chunk of those chinese ships just fishing trawlers (which are still a massive and persistent threat to marine life) or are they actually well made and threatening warships?
"relocate all important manufacturing capacity to the United States well in advance of said invasion"
obviously its more important to get blacks and felons employed even though it cost the entire chips act to fail and prevent arguably the most important resource on the planet from being made stateside becuase diversity is our strength right
"Two doors, 550 horsepower from the Hurricane"
excited for the aftermarket to turn each of these into 1000hp monsters
"Looking out for a clean PT Cruiser with a 5-speed"
but why that? if you want to teach someone stick just put them in a miata if they fit. easy to work a clutch and shifting is direct plus its fairly hard to stall. the pt cruiser turbo would leave it for dead however
merry christmas to acf!
First paragraph made me legitimately lol
Re chips act dei; I'll take that over critical national security components and fun PC parts being made by a potential enemy. My brother in law is gonna need a real job eventually!
I bet the hurricanes will be a downpipe and email tune away from 700 just like a Q50 or N55 bmw, which would be cool streets still yearn for God's motor (the Hemi)
Merry Christmas to all! My daughter's first car was a five speed Nissan Versa Note — with a lot of Renault influence in the design. She put so many miles on it that the catalytic converter died and I couldn't deal with the repair properly because I was in rehab hospital recovering from a brain bleed. She then had a VW Golf, five speed, that we had to go to Virginia to find. She now has one of the last five speed Mini Coopers. All because her first car was a 1996 Corolla with a five speed. But her grandmother could drive stick shift, her mother could, so these family traditions have to be carried on.
Merry Christmas, glad to see you survived that brain bleed! And hell yeah to the stick shift tradition; it's something we should all try to keep going!
Jack’s Amazon author photo is perfect
Cat ladies everywhere should be swooning over that photo!
He might need security at a book signing.