Advert: I’ve got an average condition Tag Aquaracer reference number 1014 looking for a new home. Chrono24 tells me an average 1014 runs $1,077. For any reputable, paid ACF subscriber I will sell it for $750 plus shipping. I have the box which is in worse than average condition. No papers. No extra links.
Comment here if you are interested and I am sure jack can connect us.
That's a smoking deal on your Aquaracer. I'm sure it'll find a new home at that price.
Regarding watches (since you brought it up). I've been considering picking up a Zenith Chronomaster Sport in Titanium, but can't get past what I find to be a very distasteful exhibition caseback. I avoid but can usually tolerate clear casebacks, but this one stops me every time.
I would say it’s a good deal. The eBay listing is a complete set with a very nice condition watch. Mine is certainly average. I wore it plenty in college and immediately post but I don’t think it’s left the box in 5 years. I’d like a starter Rolex (the kind that would make most readers here cringe like a silver dial oyster perpetual) and the only way I’ll allow myself such a frivolous purchase (do NOT look at the boxes of CF parts in the garage) is by getting rid of a few things first. Three boxes went to the real real as a start.
air king is my other top option. a very rookie question, is there anything needed for a watch of that vintage that makes ownership any more or less problematic than a newer one?
No issues that I know of. I wear it daily. It loses about 20 seconds a day, if you care. Mine has an acrylic crystal, which is easily polished with a little toothpaste. I've had to do that about once a decade. I had Rolex service it once and should probably do it again. No idea what it costs now; it was $600 maybe 20 years ago and it did not keep time any better when it came back.
As my near vision has worsened over the years, I can no longer see the time in bad light. The lume, if any, is quite dead. Rolex is willing to switch out the hands for me with ones having higher contrast against the silver dial, for example the "Mercedes" hands, but I have refrained so far because I do not want to make the watch ugly.
i am targeting a 90s or 00s build. there are plenty of 60s, 70s, and 80s options in the price range but much like an antique home, i assume there is something gravely wrong with each and every one.
You know, I almost bought a Tudor Ranger based on your recommendation in the Ask Jack: Watch Edition.
Can't do it. Your logic is unimpeachable, but a Tudor is a luxury item, and if I'm gonna burn an unconscionable amount of money on luxury goods I want the very best there is. I guess this just proves you were right when you said the horological enthusiast community is bifurcated into Rolex people and everyone else, and I'm the tasteless sonofabitch in the former category. If I buy a status symbol that motherfucker better speak for itself without excuse; I'm not gonna explain to everyone that it's "just like a Rolex, but half the price." It ain't like utilitarian stuff; for instance, a Maverick 88 12ga is the same gun as a base Mossberg 500 at a fraction of the cost. That's a tool; I'll have the Maverick. The watch? It's fuckin' jewelry, you're buying it for the bling, not the function.
If ever I were to buy a watch that cost over a hundred bucks the Oyster would be it. I haven't got one, because I believe you don't buy a Rolex when you can afford one. You buy a Rolex when you can afford SIX of them, so you won't be pissed at yourself when you inevitably scratch it up.
Torrential rainfall meant that the teams arrived to an underwater racetrack, and had to don their scuba suits. The pumps ran to move water off track and clean up crews removed dirt and debris. An auspicious return after decades of absence. The track suffered some cracking and a sinkhole which were cause for concern.
Practice took place in mixed conditions and saw; shockingly, suprisingly, and stunningly, a pair of Yamahas place directly into qualifying 2! Bez missed out, and succeeded through Q1 to take 2nd position on the grid. Digiantonnio takes pole, Marc Marquez starts from 3rd, Quartararo an impossible-to-believe 4th, Jorge Martin a strong 5th, and Ai Ogura 6th. Aprilia is off to a strong start this season and Jorge Martin, finally recovering after a year wracked with injury, is looking sharp. Bagnaia also made it into Q2 directly, as did Aldeguer who is walking with a significant limp.
There were several early crashes in Q2: Marquez, Acosta, Bagnaia, and Martin which revealed just how poor track conditions were. Usually, early in the season, the riders are not as aggressive and on the limit.
The sprint begins and Digi is a full second clear by lap 2 on his soft rear compound. Marquez settles into second place by lap 3 on a medium rear tire. Quartararo makes a strong start but a front end push sees him tumble down the order as Bez takes third with Jorge Martin close behind in 4th.
Digi looks set to sail into a sprint win until Marquez charges forward and cuts the lead from 1.3s to .7s in the space of two laps. He continues his red hot pace to hunt down Digiantonnio and deny him the victory. Digi takes second, and Jorge Martin manages to take advantage of a Bez mistake for his first podium in over 500 days. Martin, who couldn't move well enough to feed himself a few months ago, is visibly emotional in the cooldown lap. Incredible grit and talent, and a man who deserved the MotoGP championship that he won.
Quartararo manages to hold on to 6th place.
The race had its duration cut short due to issues with the asphalt buckling in one area and a sketchy last minute patch on the sinkhole that formed. Bezecchi rocketed off and quickly assumed the lad. The two top Ducatis duked it out in positions 2 and 3, while Acosta managed a better start and went toe to toe with the Aprilias. Bez would display phenomenal pace and pass the dueling Ducatis to put them in a sandwich between himself and Jorge Martin. Jorge would rapidly gain on the Ducatis as they continued to spar until a move by Digi put both of them off line and Martin roared past. For a time it looked as if he might have the pace to run down Bez, but he would begin physically struggling and fail to catch him.
Further down the order Alex Marquez managed to work his way up to 5th place ahead of Acosta who began to fade around that time. Ogura, a further place down, had the pace to catch and pass Acosta. Then he ran down Alex Marquez and took his position for a 5th place finish.
Marquez and Digi would continue fighting and trading position to the end of the race. Ultimately, Digi wins out with Marquez unwilling to push further and lose all his potential points. Again, it's a long season.
Bez wins handily, Jorge takes second and a second podium, and Digi secures third.
Bez takes 1st in the championship followed by Jorge Martin and Pedro Acosta. Marquez is in a shocking 5th, but this is down to his tire unmounting itself in Thailand.
Great action on a questionable racetrack.
This weekend MotoGP is in America at COTA. I believe the premiere show this time around is the Bagger's World Championship which runs the same weekend.
Jack said I could post a classified item, so here goes! OLD SCHOOL CAR AUDIO AMPS!
It is time for me to finally admit to myself that my days of installing high-end systems in my cars are behind me and sell two old-school high-end sound quality amplifiers.
First up:
A/D/S/ PH15 six-channel amplifier. 300 watts total - 6x50, 3x100 bridged. A/D/S used an RCA-to-XLR type input cable; I have the original and a high-quality reproduction. I’ve also downloaded and printed the original owner’s manual. This amplifier was the highest of high-end car audio back in the day; It was made in either USA or Japan; I’d have to unpack it to confirm. I am the second owner, and I had the amplifier checked out by Todd Ellensberg at Ellensberg Amplifier Service in Oregon. This is the report he emailed me; I can print it out and include it:
"The condition of this amplifier is pristine with no signs of abusive use. All thermal paste is practically new and there is a sample included for you to note the current status. Power supply ripple is less than 100mV with no noise in the output stage. The driver modules are the only items that have a high running temperature but not hot enough to be of concern as long as the input voltage is not excessive. I have zero concerns for the longevity of this amplifier as long as it is used properly within design limits.”
ACF price: $300 plus actual shipping, which would probably be around $50-60 via UPS.
Up next:
Soundstream Reference 405 five-channel amplifier, with full-range channels 1 through 4 converted to full Class A. This is rated at 280 watts total, but Soundstream amps of this era were conservatively rated. Rated output is 4x40 at 4 ohms and 1x120 at 4 ohms, but the subwoofer channel is stable to 1 ohm, at which point it puts out 240 watts. The actual output will be higher; trust me, this will fill just about anything with ample output and superlative sound quality with decent or better speakers. This amplifier was designed to be a one-box solution for a full-range system. Amplifier includes a continuously variable high-pass crossover (60-240 Hz, so you’ll need an external crossover for tweeters, or you could run a set of separates, coaxials, or full-range drivers like the excellent CDT Unity 8) at 12 db/octave and a low pass crossover (30-120 Hz) at 24 db/octave. The crossovers can be bypassed entirely if using external crossovers or a DSP, which is what I'd planned to do. Made in the USA; dates to the early to mid-1990s. I’ve downloaded and printed the original manual, which runs 13 pages and includes system diagrams for pretty much every conceivable speaker layout.
The amplifier is in excellent condition. I bought it from a seller in Japan and immediately sent it to Eric Storer at Eric’s Amplifiers in Georgia. He specializes in Soundstream gear and gave it a complete overhaul - resoldered all the RCA input connectors, reflowed the risers, replaced six rectifiers, replaced all of the switches on the PCB, installed new dust caps and - the icing on the cake - converted channels 1-4 to Class A output. I have the receipt documenting this work. It’ll run hot, so it’ll need some airspace around it, but it’ll sound glorious. You won’t find a nicer one without paying what I paid for the overhaul on top of the purchase price.
ACF price: $400 plus actual shipping, probably around $50-60 via UPS.
I bought these amplifiers when I was pondering an E30, then planned to put one of them in my R129 until I realized that any panel connectors / mounting points would probably turn to dust if I pulled them to install anything. These amps have not seen power since I bought them and are exactly as they arrived from the techs who serviced them.
They’re entirely too large for the Miata, which would require fabricating a custom wiring harness to tie into the OEM system anyway. Time to admit that I’ll probably never use them and send them on to someone who will.
I’m gonna lose money on both of these, but they're too nice to remained packed in boxes sitting on a shelf. Ping me through Jack if interested and we'll get something going.
Back in '99, I'd had my S-10 Xtreme for a week when I was on lunch, out in the parking lot, eating a burrito, when a van pulled up and the driver tried to sell me speakers.
I gave him the stink eye, turned the radio up and yelled, "HEAR THAT? THAT'S GEORGE STRAIT, NOT WU-TANG! GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE!"
Not “never”. There’s a 1940 BMW 328 I've seen at a few local shows, with patent-black paint, a blood red interior, and a few gleaming, period ss badges on the flanks and dash.
My endlessly-mischievous friend Eamon, to the owner: “Beautiful car! [long pause] Is it safe?"
Driving a brand new loaner cayenne right now. Algarve blue is the most interesting color offering. It’s noticeably nicer than the Macan. Pretty quick but laggy on tip in. Probably a $100k sticker on it though. I suspect this has the real leather upgrade. I like the new style headlights. It’s a little sad you can’t get a healthy NA V8 anymore, which wouldn’t have the turbo tip in issues.
It’s a very nice daily driver. But I wouldn’t be able to get over the fact that it’s a mom mobile in my neighborhood. And turns virtually zero heads, if you’re in to that sort of thing. I’d get the Durango if you aren’t brand conscious. Or the grenadier, that’s what I really want.
All its costing me a $7800 service to get a new harmonic balancer, roof seal, 2 tires, washer fluid hose plus the standard service on the 911.
Are you gonna post every single one of my bad decisions in life here, one at a time? I will NEVER eat four Sheetz hotdogs again, even if the total expenditure was $4!
I will take Taco Bell (guilty pleasure, also Canadian Taco Bell and US Taco Bell menu is surprisingly different) over Tim Hortons any day of the week. I brand influencer now...send money.
The franchises are run by Indians, just like in the US all Dunkin Donuts are, but Tim Hortons menu is designed by old Ontario ladies somewhere outside Brampton.
I refuse to go Tim’s anymore, besides the poor quality they thoroughly abuse the temporary foreign worker program. The corporation lobbies the government for more workers constantly. A crime against Canadians seeking employment. Ugh don’t get me started🤬
When I was a very young computer technician I got sent to Esskay Quality Meats in Baltimore (home of Oriole franks) to fix a printer or something. They gave me a plant tour, from which I learned...
I spent two years in college working as a part-time supervisor at a pork plant, usually 2-3 evenings a week covering vacations or just floating when certain production areas had to schedule an extra shift. In winter and spring I was almost always assigned to the hot dog blending area. Basically, the guys I "supervised" blended 10,000 pound batches of the various types of hot dogs to fill a material kanban so that the manufacturing/cooking/packaging lines could run 24/7 getting ready for the spring and summer seasons.
This was the late 1990's and my company did a lot of business with the food service vendors for baseball parks. They had a special "ballpark blend" that was 70% pork trimmings and 30% beef trimmings that we ran a lot. When I say trimmings, I'm talking about the beef and pork that is left over as they trim up the ribs, loins, roasts, and high value retail cuts all handled with the same food safety rules and HACCP procedures. We ground it up and then mixed it in with pure pork fat, so these hot dogs were basically steak and pork roast trimmings mixed with lard.
These were, absolutely, the best hot dogs I have ever tasted. The company store sold them for $2 per dozen, which was amazing for beer parties.
Obviously not a hard and fast rule, but if beef or pork is the top ingredient and the product is from a reputable brand they are probably really good hot dogs and quite "safe" from the lips and assholes trope. The kosher brands of hot dog are especially good from this standpoint.
We made a fair number of cheap hot dogs too. If chicken or turkey is listed as the top ingredient, on the other hand, I would not even use them as pet food. Every time we pulled the cover off one of the pallets of processed chicken or turkey, which was obtained from other companies, the smell was indescribably awful. Basically that material is made by dumping all the poultry carcasses into a giant hydraulic press and squeezing the "meat" off. It looked like baby shit.
Anyway, I still eat hot dogs. I will not enjoy one unless I know it's provenance, though, and I've discretely tossed dogs in the trash at BBQs and parties if I perceive them as poultry-based after a first bite.
I am grateful to have had that experience, and I enjoy "knowing how the sausage is made." And yes, you read that right, we made hot dogs in FIVE TON batches. The blender was an amazing machine, basically the size of a very large concrete mixer. On that same note, feel free to ask me anything more you'd like to know about industrial pork processing.
Braunschweiger. I love a braunschweiger sandwich with a slab of Bermuda onion, hot mustard, and dill pickle; obviously the boutique stuff is fine, but how about the mass-market kind, like John Morrell's?
I love that stuff too, exactly as you described it, on fresh bread. Takes me back to my grandma's kitchen.
First, take a look at the label, make sure that pork liver is the only ingredient and that it was made at a US plant. Second, try to buy from brands that make fresh pork products too.
A brand like John Morrell is good, because they make everything pork. This means that the snack you're enjoying was most likely made from a pig that they sourced, slaughtered, cut, and processed - most likely all in one plant. Food safety is like any complex system, and transporting unfinished fresh ingredients between plants adds an additional handful of potential contamination or failure points to the process.
"We made a fair number of cheap hot dogs too. If chicken or turkey is listed as the top ingredient, on the other hand, I would not even use them as pet food."
My parents think I'm a primadonna and a "foodie" for buying the good hotdogs and not eating their aldi ones because they're gross. Now I know why!
Mechanically separated chicken is ingredient #1. Yuck.
Yeah, I'm told* sometimes the equipment to kill the pig cleanly doesn't work quite right, and it is not good. To me, it's not a reason not to eat meat, but it is a reason to do it right.
Presumably, any of the Ball Park brand stuff at the grocery store is a no-go?
The Nathan’s brand (of Coney Island fame) dogs are almost like Vienna sausages. What’s with that? They don’t even fill the cheapest Kroger bun! Or am I thinking of another brand altogether?
My guess is there’s a movie or other pop-culture reference, or an indication that it’s some obscure reference to “alternative lifestyles,” if you will.
I don’t know how anyone could eat any canned ravioli or spaghetti-Os, for that matter—the smell of that stuff after it’s opened is enough to make you want to 🤮!
The biggest issue is that they need ship builders and they can't get folks who don't smoke weed. It'll be interesting how this plays out. I was just listening to Mike Rowe's interview with Michael Cadenazzi who's in charge of Dod industrial Base.
IF (that’s a big IF), they paid more and relaxed some restrictions you could attract seasoned professionals from the private sector and/or stop losing guys TO the private sector.
Yeah it’s great to train an 18 year old on logistics or to be a Sysadmin, but wouldn’t the military benefit from grabbing a Sysadmin or Supply Chain Director from a big company?
I understand the concept behind having everyone combat ready and all that, but does a guy running software from a desk in SC really need to spend their time on PT Tests?
When I had just started working at the naval shipyard in Bremerton, which at the time (late 60's) was actually building a ship, one of my supervisors was bloviating about Nixon, and I told him that if Nixon got elected there would never be another ship built in a naval shipyard.
Because everyone has to be ready to go to war. If you can't use a gun and fight, then you shouldn't be there.
Storytime: When I was in ROTC (USAF) we had this major who was there doing 'career broadening'. He was 6' 6" or so, totally goofy looking. A bit lanky.
He was, basically an admin kind of guy (or as we called 'em 'shoe clerk'). He sits us down one day (the POC, we're all on Contract, we're going in no matter what, just if you fail you go in as enlisted). And tells us that yeah, he knows we all think he's a shoe clerk, and yeah, he is. BUT.
As a second lieutenant, he's just doing his job, filing papers and suddenly they come in, stick an M16 in his hands, and they send him out into the bush.
It was Vietnam and it was the Tet Offensive and he spent two weeks in the bush in combat. Yup, this goofy looking guy saw combat. Quite a bit.
In the end, everyone in the military is infantry. And if there's fighting going on, you'll be given a gun and sent out there to fight. And you can't say no.
I have no military experience and the last person within my direct line of ancestors who fought in any military conflict did so for the Confederacy, so take my opinion for what it’s worth. I’m looking at this from a practical standpoint but also admit that I’m talking out of my ass here.
We already have tons of support guys who never leave CONUS. Hell, we have drone operators who fit that category. Having everyone “ready” to go to war is an outdated concept when the front-line abroad can be fought from a desk.
I’m not proposing changing anything regarding infantry or guys who’d be even remotely close to the fighting, but it seems foolish to not fill gaps in specialized roles with proficient guys because they aren’t ready for combat in the traditional sense.
Every time things like this have been done in the past (well not every time, but far too many and it always catches up with you) those people end up slaughtered because they end up in combat.
Also, if you are not at least familiar with fighting it's kinda hard to really understand what the fighters are doing, or even give a damn. We've all seen it, where some jackass who doesn't know and doesn't care, does something that ends up getting people on the front killed.
What always bothered me was that they would never tell the guy about how many people died because of him. I always thought they should tell him, give him a pistol with one bullet and tell him to go do the honorable thing. OR ELSE.
You have to understand, this is the business of KILLING PEOPLE. And yes, breaking things. If you aren't prepared to do it yourself, you shouldn't be in the military. Not ever.
I would assume that one wouldn’t enlist unless they intended killing the enemy or enable others to kill on your behalf. That’s kind of the whole point, isn’t it?
I understand the rest of what you’re saying here and obviously can’t speak to why people aren’t held accountable. Again, this is out of my wheelhouse.
Simply put, my perspective is that if the best cryptanalyst is a guy in a wheelchair why wouldn’t we want him if it allows the guys with guns and bombs to be more effective?
i've never understood this 'you've doomed yourself' attitude. that person will never make that mistake again. i can give you a couple examples but the'd take up too much of my time.
I think weed use in the context of actually being in the service is a different issue than weed use to be in civil service or building planes or ships for defense.
The stories of guys fucking shit up because they were stoned are many. You can't do a precision job if you're stoned. That's the biggest problem with weed - too many of the guys who smoke it are total stoners and will show up to work stoned. Alcoholics are just as bad.
I think drug tests are also a bit like running a credit check on someone before giving him a security clearance. If you don't have the self-control to not spend too much money or lay off drugs for a little while, how much can you possibly be trusted?
We have a shared office. I never see the alcoholics taking shots in the hallways but the bathrooms and the elevator stink of weed starting at 8am. I drink more than I should but I don't start off work days with couple screwdrivers. Weekends? Sometimes. Just smoke in your car people. It's 30 feet away.
In theory, everyone is a rifleman. In fact, most people in a war zone never fire a shot in anger. The ratio of support staff to fighters is about 9 to 1. Very, very few REMFS (Rear Echelon Motherfuckers) ever engaged enemy troops, at least in my experience, which is myopic at best. Every war is different but I'm certain that most non-combatants come back with far larger "tales" than those folks who went head to head with an enemy force. There is a huge difference between getting a few mortars one night at a secure base camp versus slugging it out with the bad guys on a daily basis. Inexperienced, incompetent people get others killed. You're much better off with a reduced infantry platoon or company than being augmented with clerk-typists from the division headquarters. That's just the way it is. I was wondering how Lt. Shoe Clerk got to spend two weeks in the bush, and why they would give him an M-16. The rule of thumb, at least in Marine Corps infantry, is if an officer needs an M-16, there should be plenty lying around on the ground. Your job is to lead your unit, and not necessarily be firing a rifle. But, to your very valid point, if you are engaging in fighting, you really don't have the option to opt out.
I honestly don't think most shots are fired in anger. It's just what you do.
As for giving him a rifle and sending them out there, I've heard a lot of stories from other folks over the years who were involved in the Tet Offensive. Some were enlisted, some were officers, and there was fighting everywhere.
Also, 2nd LT admin. He doesn't have a unit to lead. It's the Air Force.
The fact that this guy was Air Force, as you mentioned, makes it even more implausable that he was just sent indiscriminately into the "bush". Without unit integrity, you simply have chaos. When I mentioned shots fired in anger, I was referring to contact with the enemy as opposed to firing your rifle on the range against a cardboard target. Again, my experience is limited to one year but I did participate in some large scale operations that you can Google (Operation Dewey Canyon, Operation Meade River, Operation Garard Bay, Operation Pipestone Canyon, Operation Taylor Common), and I can't thnk of when of a moment our unit didn't fire our weapons in a state of anger and probably fear.
How much more do you think front line guys would despise others if those people could also be fat slobs? I'd think of this like how the football would treat the kicker who doesn't run sprints with the whole team.
the kicker is that they use it to justify hiring illegals or immigrants to do backbreaking work for the lowest possible wage then harangue regular guys who want to get compensated for it
Lazy kids don’t want to work hard at the hard work factory. Soft hands.
No young guy with real skills or a shred of self respect is going to waste time putting in his dues when other options exist. The best way to get promoted is to leave.
I've listened to Mike Rowe quite a bit on this issue. When it comes to trade jobs younger people are being attracted to these fields, it just takes time.
They 100% (I mean, 300% if we’re making numerical comparisons) need to do this.
This also applies for a CPT’s salary which I get includes some housing benefits but that needs to be bigger as well. The only juice on military work is getting the pension (or getting disability) and double dipping in other govt work (secret service best; two pensions at 65) or the real payoff, defense contracting
As we stand here talking about it one realizes the entire edifice is corrupted from inadequate pay. A wiser nation would shut it down and start over
That's not the issue. I work DoD adjacent, and contractors and DoD civil service are having a hard time hiring even white collar workers who make 6 figures because of weed use.
They need welders, fabricators, electricians and all sorts of trade jobs to build ships or tanks or whatever, and weed disqualifies many.
We have the same problem in agriculture. Something about weed that makes the brain lose the meaning of “pre-employment drug screening and ongoing verification.”
Just drink and smoke cigarettes. Every time i partake in anything weed related, i do nothing. Trully a terrible drug. I graduated with honors as a fully functioning alcoholic.
I don't think I've been near a bar fight in the last 15 years. I was at a birthday party on the south side of Chicago when some ruckus broke out. The nice patrons there "Is the white guy ok!"
Mistakes were made, and virtually 100% of them by hyper-scumbag Glenn Youngkin (who did nothing in office for years, then endorsed the worst statewide candidate in VA history)
The VA Republican Party is useless. This should be a purple state up until the NOVA/Richmond areas attain critical mass but republicans want to lose and make horrible decisions
I can't speak to the D side, but the GOP has tapped (and heavily financed and Donald endorsed) a Black, Brooklyn born, Ex-D team finance guy. Desantis has been pretty popular so one would think a smart party would just tap his Lt. for a 'more of the same' message, but no. There is a populist outsider, a Casey-esque bomb thrower running against him in the primary pitching things like banning new datacenters and ownership of single family housing by investment firms. Novelties are divestment in foreign countries and charging OF a 50% sin tax .
What the state GOP is doing rhymes with what went down in VA and what is probably happening in OH.
A guy I know/frequently work against is the former VA GOP Executive Director. Hired when they had majorities everywhere in the Bob McDonnell days, had lost it by the time he got chased out of Richmond. A disheveled drunk, practicing Mormon who attempts (poorly) to hide his major issues from his wife. Has been fired from at least 6 jobs since I met him in 2021. Once lost his job and took up selling antiques on Facebook marketplace. Like one of those inflatable clowns, he always rises back up; is now political consultant to a group of politicians I am opposing. Maybe one of the most truly incompetent people I’ve known.
Colorado perspective from more than a decade ago; my gray-haired boss made a casual remark that we'd have more candidates (for an office job at a corp.) if we didn't test. This was at a company which did, and not only that, there was no going back to the office if we had one drink at a company event outside the office. I mention this because a company a few blocks away in the area had the opposite attitude. The C-suite served the staff bubbly to celebrate.
I miss the Friday evening champagne and lobster buffet at the brokerage firm I used to work at. When they discontinued it after one crash or another, it was barely worth going in to work!
I don't know what a real shipyard worker makes but I remember being stunned a few years ago to learn that guys building Tiara yachts started at about $15/hr. Looks like that is up to $22 now. What kind of work are you getting for that?
One of my brothers got me a job programming the CNC at a granite counter fabrication plant. He is an installer. I'm a bit of a wuss and dislike many of the things he has to do to make a piece fit onsite. He has no patience and could absolutely not sit at a computer clicking a mouse for 8-10 hours a day. However, our jobs suited our skills and personalities fairly well. We humans are not interchangeable. Some of us would prefer being outside doing hard labor even if it meant lower wages in the end.
In our case, since I was new and he had 10 or 12 years of experience at that point, my brother's income was a multiple of what I made sitting at a desk all day. When I moved back up here and worked for the second worst granite company in the world I made basically the same as the installers and fabricators.
It's truly fascinating, and some of my team members have the "no, I've got to be outside" in them and they do it each and every day. God bless them, because the world could (???) presumably live without my paperwork but field technicians will ever be in short supply
Not a particularly good one. Both companies I worked for were led by poor management (the guy who hired me at the first place had a heart attack/stroke combo less than a month after I started, and within 3 months after I left the plant manager hung himself in a hotel room in PA or NY or somewhere, and the two owners were notorious shysters), bad procedures leading to entirely preventable breakage (especially at the second place, the company owner was a salesman who had no idea what he was doing and no patience to teach anyone how to do things the way he wanted them and then when jobs went wrong he looked for any way he could to renege on deals), zero quality control at any level, etc.
The first place I worked did have the benefit of the face of the company being Tia Ling (look her up in private). She was very nice and used heart-shaped post it notes in her interdepartmental communications. I didn't know who she was until some guy on the shop floor recognized her. She left the company soon after.
I’ve said it here before (but nobody will remember, or care)— I’m 65 years old and every vehicle I purchased (for me) has had a clutch pedal. At this point, I think I should keep that record intact. It’s certainly getting harder.
Pretty interested in the Durango 392 for my wife, as the 2018 Odyssey has been reliable but boring. And the driver side sliding door no longer opens apparently due to a stuck latch. Options for replacing the Odyssey that really interest me is a short list, and a $50k v8 SUV takes spot #1.
I had a rental Durango R/T for a few days in 2023 or maybe 2024. It was a great car but there’s no selectable valving in the exhaust so it’s just loud all the time — it droned on the highway and is obnoxiously loud under any load, even low speeds if going up hill. If not for that I’d gladly buy one.
Was it the hemi R/T? The loudness and droning is something to consider. The Wrangler 392 has a muffler valve so you can be quieter when you want, my neighbors appreciate it. We don’t commute, mostly 2-3 mile trips into town for lunch or the store, 15 miles to all the shopping and the occasional trip to the big city 30 miles away.
It was. I think it may be a Durango specific issue (Dodge likely needed to make some choices to hit their price point) because I didn’t notice any droning with the V8 Challengers I was able to rent during the magical time a few years ago when National’s Executive aisle was loaded with them.
Our neighbor has a lifted F-150 with aftermarket BIG BOY EXHAUST that he fires up every morning at 5:30. Once I followed him home and could hear him accelerating (or just maintaining speed) up the hill from more than a half mile back in my nice and quiet CX-9. I have to imagine that the Durango is at least better than that.
It isn't as loud as a SLP Camaro or anything but I hear the 392 in my Charger at all times. I personally like that but it is not an engine that ever really fades into the background.
I’m currently driving a rental spec Durango GT4. Presumably it has the V6; I should look. Its ok, eats up the miles. Tires were kind of crappy in snow. I miss my GC at home.
I am down to two dogs from three as we had our oldest (13.5 year old German Shepherd) put down in early February after she injured her ankle and could no longer get up.
A few people stopped by to say goodbye before the day. Then the vet came day of, the kids were all there, and I washed her body after (she was incontinent for some time before). My son had expressed a desire to anoint her body, having recently heard the telling of the preparation of Jesus Christ's body for burial, and so I let him anoint her forehead. Then a brother-in-law and I moved her to her not-quite-long-enough grave; dug the grave a little longer; and, finally, interred her in the earth.
The dogs are alright. Our "rehomed" dog was not relaxed around the blind old lady (read: aggressive) so she is less on edge. My dog moped for a while after.
The older two kids are still working through some things.
She was my wife's dog, and when we first met the dog greeted me like an old friend. This baffled my not yet girlfriend, but she took it as a big positive auspice.
Would love an in depth piece on this…. There must be some cae / crash safety whizzes amongst the best and brightest… the IIHS results for the Durango vary from marginal/poor to good depending on test.
Reading that Siler thing I got only halfway thru and was puzzled, was this some sort of Jack put-on? this can’t be real, its so vomit inducing and ultra lame. Only to find out it’s presumably real. I can’t imagine writing even a paragraph of that awful drivel.
I like the idea of tolerating _eccentricity_, but of the "Terry Waite driving his MG in the show with the top down" variety. It's frightening how polarized society has become in terms of ideas and values.
Yes; perhaps it wasn't clear that I was trying to DISTINGUISH eccentricity from polarization in values. Perhaps the word I was looking for was ~perversion~.
We live in a society which demonizes ECCENTRICITY while celebrating PERVERSION.
The first part looked like straight up linked-in humblebrag of a desperate job seeker. (or the author's bio at the back of a self-published novel.)
Then those last three paragraphs went totally off the rails and I realized this guy was nuts. Any employer that was half seriously thinking about him as a new hire would immediately changed his mind.
Unless he wants to be brand ambassador for Antifa.
I don't make it a habit of reading, watching, or listening to Wes Siler but the last two things of his I read I left with the impression he was fucking troubled kids. Like teenagers so I guess it's a little better...
I remember when Ford Motor Company said the Maverick small pickup truck was going to be 20 grand, I don’t think Dodge is going to deliver the Durango for less than 64k. I hope I am wrong, but either way, until the mandate for the kill switch is rescinded, I won’t be a customer.
My research today suggests that since the Durango hasn’t changed since the Clinton administration (approximately) you can still just remove the telematics box and kill all the remote BS. I did this right after getting my 2022 Ford Maverick with no ill effects.
Regarding the mandate for the “kill switch.” Does anyone have a citation on that? Federal register probably. I can find no such mandate.
Rulemaking Delays: The NHTSA was originally tasked with issuing a final rule by November 15, 2024, but missed this deadline. As of February 2026, the agency is still "assessing developing technologies" and has not published a finalized standard.
Advert: I’ve got an average condition Tag Aquaracer reference number 1014 looking for a new home. Chrono24 tells me an average 1014 runs $1,077. For any reputable, paid ACF subscriber I will sell it for $750 plus shipping. I have the box which is in worse than average condition. No papers. No extra links.
Comment here if you are interested and I am sure jack can connect us.
Do you have a link to a picture of same model? I typed in the number and got a bunch of different watches.
Right here: https://www.ebay.com/p/10046973130
That's a smoking deal on your Aquaracer. I'm sure it'll find a new home at that price.
Regarding watches (since you brought it up). I've been considering picking up a Zenith Chronomaster Sport in Titanium, but can't get past what I find to be a very distasteful exhibition caseback. I avoid but can usually tolerate clear casebacks, but this one stops me every time.
Is that just me?
I would say it’s a good deal. The eBay listing is a complete set with a very nice condition watch. Mine is certainly average. I wore it plenty in college and immediately post but I don’t think it’s left the box in 5 years. I’d like a starter Rolex (the kind that would make most readers here cringe like a silver dial oyster perpetual) and the only way I’ll allow myself such a frivolous purchase (do NOT look at the boxes of CF parts in the garage) is by getting rid of a few things first. Three boxes went to the real real as a start.
As a long-term owner of an Air-King Date (1970), can recommend. I particularly enjoy wearing a non-flashy Rolex.
air king is my other top option. a very rookie question, is there anything needed for a watch of that vintage that makes ownership any more or less problematic than a newer one?
No issues that I know of. I wear it daily. It loses about 20 seconds a day, if you care. Mine has an acrylic crystal, which is easily polished with a little toothpaste. I've had to do that about once a decade. I had Rolex service it once and should probably do it again. No idea what it costs now; it was $600 maybe 20 years ago and it did not keep time any better when it came back.
As my near vision has worsened over the years, I can no longer see the time in bad light. The lume, if any, is quite dead. Rolex is willing to switch out the hands for me with ones having higher contrast against the silver dial, for example the "Mercedes" hands, but I have refrained so far because I do not want to make the watch ugly.
A Seventies Rolex is a well-made watch but it will need regular servicing and it is unlikely to keep really good time.
A new-era Tudor is better in every way than an old Rolex... except for what it says on the dial.
i am targeting a 90s or 00s build. there are plenty of 60s, 70s, and 80s options in the price range but much like an antique home, i assume there is something gravely wrong with each and every one.
Service costs are often overlooked. My Speedmaster is due, and will be around $1000 now.
Also, second on new Tudor over old Rolex. My BB Pro is a great watch in every way.
You know, I almost bought a Tudor Ranger based on your recommendation in the Ask Jack: Watch Edition.
Can't do it. Your logic is unimpeachable, but a Tudor is a luxury item, and if I'm gonna burn an unconscionable amount of money on luxury goods I want the very best there is. I guess this just proves you were right when you said the horological enthusiast community is bifurcated into Rolex people and everyone else, and I'm the tasteless sonofabitch in the former category. If I buy a status symbol that motherfucker better speak for itself without excuse; I'm not gonna explain to everyone that it's "just like a Rolex, but half the price." It ain't like utilitarian stuff; for instance, a Maverick 88 12ga is the same gun as a base Mossberg 500 at a fraction of the cost. That's a tool; I'll have the Maverick. The watch? It's fuckin' jewelry, you're buying it for the bling, not the function.
That's a nice watch. A real nice watch. I applaud your taste.
If ever I were to buy a watch that cost over a hundred bucks the Oyster would be it. I haven't got one, because I believe you don't buy a Rolex when you can afford one. You buy a Rolex when you can afford SIX of them, so you won't be pissed at yourself when you inevitably scratch it up.
Fuck it. Wear it and beat the shit out of it. Cases polish.
You’re not going to lie on your deathbed thanking God that you kept your Rolex nice so your nephew can pawn it for more money.
That's the correct mentality, of course, and I'd be well-served by adopting it.
smoke em if you got em!
This one?
https://www.jomashop.com/zenith-chronomaster-sport-chronograph-automatic-silver-dial-mens-watch-95-3100-3600-39-m3100.html?utm_content=&utm_term=&gad_campaignid=17417353347
You have to honor your own taste, but I like that rotor, and I love Zeniths.
Yes. That one.
I think I'll get over it quickly experiencing that in person. The Zenith seems to be a better product than other swiss watches in that price range.
Thanks for the comment.
I like it too, but as with my watch with a silver dial, I'd have to put on reading glasses to see what time it is.
MotoGP was in BRAZOOL this past weekend.
Torrential rainfall meant that the teams arrived to an underwater racetrack, and had to don their scuba suits. The pumps ran to move water off track and clean up crews removed dirt and debris. An auspicious return after decades of absence. The track suffered some cracking and a sinkhole which were cause for concern.
Practice took place in mixed conditions and saw; shockingly, suprisingly, and stunningly, a pair of Yamahas place directly into qualifying 2! Bez missed out, and succeeded through Q1 to take 2nd position on the grid. Digiantonnio takes pole, Marc Marquez starts from 3rd, Quartararo an impossible-to-believe 4th, Jorge Martin a strong 5th, and Ai Ogura 6th. Aprilia is off to a strong start this season and Jorge Martin, finally recovering after a year wracked with injury, is looking sharp. Bagnaia also made it into Q2 directly, as did Aldeguer who is walking with a significant limp.
There were several early crashes in Q2: Marquez, Acosta, Bagnaia, and Martin which revealed just how poor track conditions were. Usually, early in the season, the riders are not as aggressive and on the limit.
The sprint begins and Digi is a full second clear by lap 2 on his soft rear compound. Marquez settles into second place by lap 3 on a medium rear tire. Quartararo makes a strong start but a front end push sees him tumble down the order as Bez takes third with Jorge Martin close behind in 4th.
Digi looks set to sail into a sprint win until Marquez charges forward and cuts the lead from 1.3s to .7s in the space of two laps. He continues his red hot pace to hunt down Digiantonnio and deny him the victory. Digi takes second, and Jorge Martin manages to take advantage of a Bez mistake for his first podium in over 500 days. Martin, who couldn't move well enough to feed himself a few months ago, is visibly emotional in the cooldown lap. Incredible grit and talent, and a man who deserved the MotoGP championship that he won.
Quartararo manages to hold on to 6th place.
The race had its duration cut short due to issues with the asphalt buckling in one area and a sketchy last minute patch on the sinkhole that formed. Bezecchi rocketed off and quickly assumed the lad. The two top Ducatis duked it out in positions 2 and 3, while Acosta managed a better start and went toe to toe with the Aprilias. Bez would display phenomenal pace and pass the dueling Ducatis to put them in a sandwich between himself and Jorge Martin. Jorge would rapidly gain on the Ducatis as they continued to spar until a move by Digi put both of them off line and Martin roared past. For a time it looked as if he might have the pace to run down Bez, but he would begin physically struggling and fail to catch him.
Further down the order Alex Marquez managed to work his way up to 5th place ahead of Acosta who began to fade around that time. Ogura, a further place down, had the pace to catch and pass Acosta. Then he ran down Alex Marquez and took his position for a 5th place finish.
Marquez and Digi would continue fighting and trading position to the end of the race. Ultimately, Digi wins out with Marquez unwilling to push further and lose all his potential points. Again, it's a long season.
Bez wins handily, Jorge takes second and a second podium, and Digi secures third.
Bez takes 1st in the championship followed by Jorge Martin and Pedro Acosta. Marquez is in a shocking 5th, but this is down to his tire unmounting itself in Thailand.
Great action on a questionable racetrack.
This weekend MotoGP is in America at COTA. I believe the premiere show this time around is the Bagger's World Championship which runs the same weekend.
Jack said I could post a classified item, so here goes! OLD SCHOOL CAR AUDIO AMPS!
It is time for me to finally admit to myself that my days of installing high-end systems in my cars are behind me and sell two old-school high-end sound quality amplifiers.
First up:
A/D/S/ PH15 six-channel amplifier. 300 watts total - 6x50, 3x100 bridged. A/D/S used an RCA-to-XLR type input cable; I have the original and a high-quality reproduction. I’ve also downloaded and printed the original owner’s manual. This amplifier was the highest of high-end car audio back in the day; It was made in either USA or Japan; I’d have to unpack it to confirm. I am the second owner, and I had the amplifier checked out by Todd Ellensberg at Ellensberg Amplifier Service in Oregon. This is the report he emailed me; I can print it out and include it:
"The condition of this amplifier is pristine with no signs of abusive use. All thermal paste is practically new and there is a sample included for you to note the current status. Power supply ripple is less than 100mV with no noise in the output stage. The driver modules are the only items that have a high running temperature but not hot enough to be of concern as long as the input voltage is not excessive. I have zero concerns for the longevity of this amplifier as long as it is used properly within design limits.”
ACF price: $300 plus actual shipping, which would probably be around $50-60 via UPS.
Up next:
Soundstream Reference 405 five-channel amplifier, with full-range channels 1 through 4 converted to full Class A. This is rated at 280 watts total, but Soundstream amps of this era were conservatively rated. Rated output is 4x40 at 4 ohms and 1x120 at 4 ohms, but the subwoofer channel is stable to 1 ohm, at which point it puts out 240 watts. The actual output will be higher; trust me, this will fill just about anything with ample output and superlative sound quality with decent or better speakers. This amplifier was designed to be a one-box solution for a full-range system. Amplifier includes a continuously variable high-pass crossover (60-240 Hz, so you’ll need an external crossover for tweeters, or you could run a set of separates, coaxials, or full-range drivers like the excellent CDT Unity 8) at 12 db/octave and a low pass crossover (30-120 Hz) at 24 db/octave. The crossovers can be bypassed entirely if using external crossovers or a DSP, which is what I'd planned to do. Made in the USA; dates to the early to mid-1990s. I’ve downloaded and printed the original manual, which runs 13 pages and includes system diagrams for pretty much every conceivable speaker layout.
The amplifier is in excellent condition. I bought it from a seller in Japan and immediately sent it to Eric Storer at Eric’s Amplifiers in Georgia. He specializes in Soundstream gear and gave it a complete overhaul - resoldered all the RCA input connectors, reflowed the risers, replaced six rectifiers, replaced all of the switches on the PCB, installed new dust caps and - the icing on the cake - converted channels 1-4 to Class A output. I have the receipt documenting this work. It’ll run hot, so it’ll need some airspace around it, but it’ll sound glorious. You won’t find a nicer one without paying what I paid for the overhaul on top of the purchase price.
ACF price: $400 plus actual shipping, probably around $50-60 via UPS.
I bought these amplifiers when I was pondering an E30, then planned to put one of them in my R129 until I realized that any panel connectors / mounting points would probably turn to dust if I pulled them to install anything. These amps have not seen power since I bought them and are exactly as they arrived from the techs who serviced them.
They’re entirely too large for the Miata, which would require fabricating a custom wiring harness to tie into the OEM system anyway. Time to admit that I’ll probably never use them and send them on to someone who will.
I’m gonna lose money on both of these, but they're too nice to remained packed in boxes sitting on a shelf. Ping me through Jack if interested and we'll get something going.
Back in '99, I'd had my S-10 Xtreme for a week when I was on lunch, out in the parking lot, eating a burrito, when a van pulled up and the driver tried to sell me speakers.
I gave him the stink eye, turned the radio up and yelled, "HEAR THAT? THAT'S GEORGE STRAIT, NOT WU-TANG! GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE!"
Some guy selling speakers out of a van. I haven’t seen that in a really long time.
That was the only time that ever happened to me.
Weird.
I’ve always wanted to hot rod a pair of those Acoustic Reference “Liquid Cooled” speakers.
lmao
one of these amps and a nice set of speakers - get raw drivers at Madisound or CDT - will make it sound like George is performing on your dashboard...
I'd very much like to chat with you about these. I will ask Jack to get us in touch, or feel free to send me a private message through here.
Mmmmmm……V8.
The Cayenne GTS price is missing a “1” at the front.
Sad but true. I can't believe what they charge for the upper Cayennes. At the price for the Turbo e-Hybrid, you can get a clean 2023 LX570!
That's a lot of money for a tarted up Touareg.
It's the Touareg Super Sport.
yeah why do they never sell german cars with ss badging on them
any more
theres gotta be a reason
Not “never”. There’s a 1940 BMW 328 I've seen at a few local shows, with patent-black paint, a blood red interior, and a few gleaming, period ss badges on the flanks and dash.
My endlessly-mischievous friend Eamon, to the owner: “Beautiful car! [long pause] Is it safe?"
I’m ashamed about not immediately getting the reference!
I really need to schedule that neuropsychological consult!
Driving a brand new loaner cayenne right now. Algarve blue is the most interesting color offering. It’s noticeably nicer than the Macan. Pretty quick but laggy on tip in. Probably a $100k sticker on it though. I suspect this has the real leather upgrade. I like the new style headlights. It’s a little sad you can’t get a healthy NA V8 anymore, which wouldn’t have the turbo tip in issues.
It’s a very nice daily driver. But I wouldn’t be able to get over the fact that it’s a mom mobile in my neighborhood. And turns virtually zero heads, if you’re in to that sort of thing. I’d get the Durango if you aren’t brand conscious. Or the grenadier, that’s what I really want.
All its costing me a $7800 service to get a new harmonic balancer, roof seal, 2 tires, washer fluid hose plus the standard service on the 911.
At Sheetz you can get 2 hot dogs for $2
Are you gonna post every single one of my bad decisions in life here, one at a time? I will NEVER eat four Sheetz hotdogs again, even if the total expenditure was $4!
i like how the sheetz hotdog also describes whats going to happen after you eat the hotdog
Yeah , like Taco Bell is any better / worse......
-Nate
its worse becuase taco bell isnt even cheap any more
the beef soft tacos used to be 89 cents and now its far more
Agreed, that sucks .
It's also bad that the food quality varies so much from store to store, remembering : everything they get is pre measured and frozen .
I just have too many decades of lunch at The Bell, I don't eat there much anymore but have been jonsing for it a while now .
-Nate
I never go to the chain “mexican” places. We have many really good local taco shops around here.
tbh id rather just make it at home with ground beef and spices
i dont need to wonder if its made of donkey ankles or if the guy making it bothered to wash his hands or whatever
Pushing three bucks now.
But that's okay, I eat there for the ambience.
I will take Taco Bell (guilty pleasure, also Canadian Taco Bell and US Taco Bell menu is surprisingly different) over Tim Hortons any day of the week. I brand influencer now...send money.
our menu is different than theirs? odd
anyway tim hortons is totally run by indians so the idea of getting a honey cruller and an ice capp is lost to time. nowadays you just get hepatitis
It's now Singh Hortons. But I'm ok with that...
The franchises are run by Indians, just like in the US all Dunkin Donuts are, but Tim Hortons menu is designed by old Ontario ladies somewhere outside Brampton.
You don’t to taco bell cause you want mexican, you go cause you want taco bell. I could go for q crunch wrap
Not to dump more on the Islamic Republic of Canada, but Tim Hortons is hopeless. Everything tastes like white bread.
I refuse to go Tim’s anymore, besides the poor quality they thoroughly abuse the temporary foreign worker program. The corporation lobbies the government for more workers constantly. A crime against Canadians seeking employment. Ugh don’t get me started🤬
Oh sheetz, i have two phaetons
WELL SAID!
When I was a very young computer technician I got sent to Esskay Quality Meats in Baltimore (home of Oriole franks) to fix a printer or something. They gave me a plant tour, from which I learned...
DON'T EAT HOT DOGS!
Or as an acquaintance once described it: “Mmm! Snout!”
Lips and assholes!
Apparently the latter is a thing now and I'm not talking about hotdogs.
😂😂😂
I spent two years in college working as a part-time supervisor at a pork plant, usually 2-3 evenings a week covering vacations or just floating when certain production areas had to schedule an extra shift. In winter and spring I was almost always assigned to the hot dog blending area. Basically, the guys I "supervised" blended 10,000 pound batches of the various types of hot dogs to fill a material kanban so that the manufacturing/cooking/packaging lines could run 24/7 getting ready for the spring and summer seasons.
This was the late 1990's and my company did a lot of business with the food service vendors for baseball parks. They had a special "ballpark blend" that was 70% pork trimmings and 30% beef trimmings that we ran a lot. When I say trimmings, I'm talking about the beef and pork that is left over as they trim up the ribs, loins, roasts, and high value retail cuts all handled with the same food safety rules and HACCP procedures. We ground it up and then mixed it in with pure pork fat, so these hot dogs were basically steak and pork roast trimmings mixed with lard.
These were, absolutely, the best hot dogs I have ever tasted. The company store sold them for $2 per dozen, which was amazing for beer parties.
Obviously not a hard and fast rule, but if beef or pork is the top ingredient and the product is from a reputable brand they are probably really good hot dogs and quite "safe" from the lips and assholes trope. The kosher brands of hot dog are especially good from this standpoint.
We made a fair number of cheap hot dogs too. If chicken or turkey is listed as the top ingredient, on the other hand, I would not even use them as pet food. Every time we pulled the cover off one of the pallets of processed chicken or turkey, which was obtained from other companies, the smell was indescribably awful. Basically that material is made by dumping all the poultry carcasses into a giant hydraulic press and squeezing the "meat" off. It looked like baby shit.
Anyway, I still eat hot dogs. I will not enjoy one unless I know it's provenance, though, and I've discretely tossed dogs in the trash at BBQs and parties if I perceive them as poultry-based after a first bite.
I am grateful to have had that experience, and I enjoy "knowing how the sausage is made." And yes, you read that right, we made hot dogs in FIVE TON batches. The blender was an amazing machine, basically the size of a very large concrete mixer. On that same note, feel free to ask me anything more you'd like to know about industrial pork processing.
Thank you, great post! If you don't mind non-Kosher dogs, I can recommend McKenzie hot dogs, made in VT since 1907. Family-owned, good people.
Braunschweiger. I love a braunschweiger sandwich with a slab of Bermuda onion, hot mustard, and dill pickle; obviously the boutique stuff is fine, but how about the mass-market kind, like John Morrell's?
I love that stuff too, exactly as you described it, on fresh bread. Takes me back to my grandma's kitchen.
First, take a look at the label, make sure that pork liver is the only ingredient and that it was made at a US plant. Second, try to buy from brands that make fresh pork products too.
A brand like John Morrell is good, because they make everything pork. This means that the snack you're enjoying was most likely made from a pig that they sourced, slaughtered, cut, and processed - most likely all in one plant. Food safety is like any complex system, and transporting unfinished fresh ingredients between plants adds an additional handful of potential contamination or failure points to the process.
Thank you sir, I'll keep eating a pound of that stuff a week--now without reservation!
Now I'm hungry.
"We made a fair number of cheap hot dogs too. If chicken or turkey is listed as the top ingredient, on the other hand, I would not even use them as pet food."
My parents think I'm a primadonna and a "foodie" for buying the good hotdogs and not eating their aldi ones because they're gross. Now I know why!
Mechanically separated chicken is ingredient #1. Yuck.
yeah how dare you not treat your body like a garbage disposal
Im lax in the summer but i am goingto eat some garbage products, they should taste good!
My hot dog factory experience was in 1986. I’m sure much has changed.
My brother-in-law used to work at the Seaboard Farms plant in Guymon, OK. They kill about 20k hogs a day.
He seemed to think it got pretty rough sometimes. but some days were better than others.
Yeah, I'm told* sometimes the equipment to kill the pig cleanly doesn't work quite right, and it is not good. To me, it's not a reason not to eat meat, but it is a reason to do it right.
*NOT by the company in VT I recommended earlier.
Presumably, any of the Ball Park brand stuff at the grocery store is a no-go?
The Nathan’s brand (of Coney Island fame) dogs are almost like Vienna sausages. What’s with that? They don’t even fill the cheapest Kroger bun! Or am I thinking of another brand altogether?
No one wants to admit they ate nine cans of ravioli. I did, and I'm ashamed.
Depends on the time frame: hour, day, week, lifetime.
No it doesn't.
You just wake up and can't look yourself in the mirror.
I believe there is a support group for that.
The can is a giveaway IceAge.
My guess is there’s a movie or other pop-culture reference, or an indication that it’s some obscure reference to “alternative lifestyles,” if you will.
I don’t know how anyone could eat any canned ravioli or spaghetti-Os, for that matter—the smell of that stuff after it’s opened is enough to make you want to 🤮!
The biggest issue is that they need ship builders and they can't get folks who don't smoke weed. It'll be interesting how this plays out. I was just listening to Mike Rowe's interview with Michael Cadenazzi who's in charge of Dod industrial Base.
Well, maybe they need to pay more.
IF (that’s a big IF), they paid more and relaxed some restrictions you could attract seasoned professionals from the private sector and/or stop losing guys TO the private sector.
Yeah it’s great to train an 18 year old on logistics or to be a Sysadmin, but wouldn’t the military benefit from grabbing a Sysadmin or Supply Chain Director from a big company?
I understand the concept behind having everyone combat ready and all that, but does a guy running software from a desk in SC really need to spend their time on PT Tests?
I was presuming he was referring to private shipyards. We stupidly closed most of the government naval shipyards.
BRAC will go down as one of the worst things this country has ever done.
When I had just started working at the naval shipyard in Bremerton, which at the time (late 60's) was actually building a ship, one of my supervisors was bloviating about Nixon, and I told him that if Nixon got elected there would never be another ship built in a naval shipyard.
"Now Bremerton's the city right outside mine
Most girls there are ducks but a few are fine."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTc5aKZj98k
Because everyone has to be ready to go to war. If you can't use a gun and fight, then you shouldn't be there.
Storytime: When I was in ROTC (USAF) we had this major who was there doing 'career broadening'. He was 6' 6" or so, totally goofy looking. A bit lanky.
He was, basically an admin kind of guy (or as we called 'em 'shoe clerk'). He sits us down one day (the POC, we're all on Contract, we're going in no matter what, just if you fail you go in as enlisted). And tells us that yeah, he knows we all think he's a shoe clerk, and yeah, he is. BUT.
As a second lieutenant, he's just doing his job, filing papers and suddenly they come in, stick an M16 in his hands, and they send him out into the bush.
It was Vietnam and it was the Tet Offensive and he spent two weeks in the bush in combat. Yup, this goofy looking guy saw combat. Quite a bit.
In the end, everyone in the military is infantry. And if there's fighting going on, you'll be given a gun and sent out there to fight. And you can't say no.
I have no military experience and the last person within my direct line of ancestors who fought in any military conflict did so for the Confederacy, so take my opinion for what it’s worth. I’m looking at this from a practical standpoint but also admit that I’m talking out of my ass here.
We already have tons of support guys who never leave CONUS. Hell, we have drone operators who fit that category. Having everyone “ready” to go to war is an outdated concept when the front-line abroad can be fought from a desk.
I’m not proposing changing anything regarding infantry or guys who’d be even remotely close to the fighting, but it seems foolish to not fill gaps in specialized roles with proficient guys because they aren’t ready for combat in the traditional sense.
Every time things like this have been done in the past (well not every time, but far too many and it always catches up with you) those people end up slaughtered because they end up in combat.
Also, if you are not at least familiar with fighting it's kinda hard to really understand what the fighters are doing, or even give a damn. We've all seen it, where some jackass who doesn't know and doesn't care, does something that ends up getting people on the front killed.
What always bothered me was that they would never tell the guy about how many people died because of him. I always thought they should tell him, give him a pistol with one bullet and tell him to go do the honorable thing. OR ELSE.
You have to understand, this is the business of KILLING PEOPLE. And yes, breaking things. If you aren't prepared to do it yourself, you shouldn't be in the military. Not ever.
I would assume that one wouldn’t enlist unless they intended killing the enemy or enable others to kill on your behalf. That’s kind of the whole point, isn’t it?
I understand the rest of what you’re saying here and obviously can’t speak to why people aren’t held accountable. Again, this is out of my wheelhouse.
Simply put, my perspective is that if the best cryptanalyst is a guy in a wheelchair why wouldn’t we want him if it allows the guys with guns and bombs to be more effective?
i've never understood this 'you've doomed yourself' attitude. that person will never make that mistake again. i can give you a couple examples but the'd take up too much of my time.
So you're somehow OK with the RSS MOS having less stringent physical, hand-to-hand combat, and marksmanship standards than the SEALs?
https://www.cool.osd.mil/usn/LaDR/rs_e1.pdf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9cTCwezCQM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Flt4cY6CSpM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYA0Qg_6FhA
_THIS_ .
Thank you John .
-Nate
I think weed use in the context of actually being in the service is a different issue than weed use to be in civil service or building planes or ships for defense.
The stories of guys fucking shit up because they were stoned are many. You can't do a precision job if you're stoned. That's the biggest problem with weed - too many of the guys who smoke it are total stoners and will show up to work stoned. Alcoholics are just as bad.
I think drug tests are also a bit like running a credit check on someone before giving him a security clearance. If you don't have the self-control to not spend too much money or lay off drugs for a little while, how much can you possibly be trusted?
We have a shared office. I never see the alcoholics taking shots in the hallways but the bathrooms and the elevator stink of weed starting at 8am. I drink more than I should but I don't start off work days with couple screwdrivers. Weekends? Sometimes. Just smoke in your car people. It's 30 feet away.
Plenty of stories from past wars when the front lines get overrun and suddenly everyone is a real soldier.
In theory, everyone is a rifleman. In fact, most people in a war zone never fire a shot in anger. The ratio of support staff to fighters is about 9 to 1. Very, very few REMFS (Rear Echelon Motherfuckers) ever engaged enemy troops, at least in my experience, which is myopic at best. Every war is different but I'm certain that most non-combatants come back with far larger "tales" than those folks who went head to head with an enemy force. There is a huge difference between getting a few mortars one night at a secure base camp versus slugging it out with the bad guys on a daily basis. Inexperienced, incompetent people get others killed. You're much better off with a reduced infantry platoon or company than being augmented with clerk-typists from the division headquarters. That's just the way it is. I was wondering how Lt. Shoe Clerk got to spend two weeks in the bush, and why they would give him an M-16. The rule of thumb, at least in Marine Corps infantry, is if an officer needs an M-16, there should be plenty lying around on the ground. Your job is to lead your unit, and not necessarily be firing a rifle. But, to your very valid point, if you are engaging in fighting, you really don't have the option to opt out.
I honestly don't think most shots are fired in anger. It's just what you do.
As for giving him a rifle and sending them out there, I've heard a lot of stories from other folks over the years who were involved in the Tet Offensive. Some were enlisted, some were officers, and there was fighting everywhere.
Also, 2nd LT admin. He doesn't have a unit to lead. It's the Air Force.
The fact that this guy was Air Force, as you mentioned, makes it even more implausable that he was just sent indiscriminately into the "bush". Without unit integrity, you simply have chaos. When I mentioned shots fired in anger, I was referring to contact with the enemy as opposed to firing your rifle on the range against a cardboard target. Again, my experience is limited to one year but I did participate in some large scale operations that you can Google (Operation Dewey Canyon, Operation Meade River, Operation Garard Bay, Operation Pipestone Canyon, Operation Taylor Common), and I can't thnk of when of a moment our unit didn't fire our weapons in a state of anger and probably fear.
How much more do you think front line guys would despise others if those people could also be fat slobs? I'd think of this like how the football would treat the kicker who doesn't run sprints with the whole team.
this solves nearly every hiring problem
hate it when the elderly chime in with "well they need to earn their dues" or some nonsense
That type of attitude is partly why the western world has declined at a rapid pace.
The best producers should be rewarded.
the kicker is that they use it to justify hiring illegals or immigrants to do backbreaking work for the lowest possible wage then harangue regular guys who want to get compensated for it
Lazy kids don’t want to work hard at the hard work factory. Soft hands.
No young guy with real skills or a shred of self respect is going to waste time putting in his dues when other options exist. The best way to get promoted is to leave.
i did 35 hours a day 9 days a week in the ball crushing factory for 40 years because im a real man
They ARE.
With more work.
I've listened to Mike Rowe quite a bit on this issue. When it comes to trade jobs younger people are being attracted to these fields, it just takes time.
They 100% (I mean, 300% if we’re making numerical comparisons) need to do this.
This also applies for a CPT’s salary which I get includes some housing benefits but that needs to be bigger as well. The only juice on military work is getting the pension (or getting disability) and double dipping in other govt work (secret service best; two pensions at 65) or the real payoff, defense contracting
As we stand here talking about it one realizes the entire edifice is corrupted from inadequate pay. A wiser nation would shut it down and start over
That's not the issue. I work DoD adjacent, and contractors and DoD civil service are having a hard time hiring even white collar workers who make 6 figures because of weed use.
They need welders, fabricators, electricians and all sorts of trade jobs to build ships or tanks or whatever, and weed disqualifies many.
I'm sorry to be that guy, but how much pay are we talking?
Last I saw #s here they were asking for degreed MechEs or EEs with Lean/SixSig certs in the 130s or lower.
shit sign me up if thats the pay scale
We have the same problem in agriculture. Something about weed that makes the brain lose the meaning of “pre-employment drug screening and ongoing verification.”
Time to stop weeding out those people.
What you did there? I see it.
Just drink and smoke cigarettes. Every time i partake in anything weed related, i do nothing. Trully a terrible drug. I graduated with honors as a fully functioning alcoholic.
Do you go to meetings?
Cause if not, you're not an alcoholic - you're a drunk.
One nice thing though…you don’t see a bunch of stoners starting fights and tearing shit up.
I don't think I've been near a bar fight in the last 15 years. I was at a birthday party on the south side of Chicago when some ruckus broke out. The nice patrons there "Is the white guy ok!"
I am mildly interested in this opportunity but I’d have to live in the butthole of the east coast. Virginias politics just turned very bad.
Politics is only part of it. You should see the list I'm compiling.
I presume that draconian traffic enforcement is on the list!
I'd use words like "imperious" and "predatory" but yes.
Mistakes were made, and virtually 100% of them by hyper-scumbag Glenn Youngkin (who did nothing in office for years, then endorsed the worst statewide candidate in VA history)
An ugly affair
The VA Republican Party is useless. This should be a purple state up until the NOVA/Richmond areas attain critical mass but republicans want to lose and make horrible decisions
Just like in Michigan! It's almost like they're a controlled opposition...
I don't get it. Are they giving these guys millions to take a fall?
Who is taking the cash in exchanging for selling the last best country on earth down the river?
In the West Coast the 'Republicans' make mint taking donations and turning it into 'consultations'
Don’t worry, John James is bound to win an election eventually. After all, he is big helicopter man.
Or effective if you believe what they did was entirely intentional. See also OH and FL. Probably others.
What’s going on in FL? I thought that at least was locked down?
I can't speak to the D side, but the GOP has tapped (and heavily financed and Donald endorsed) a Black, Brooklyn born, Ex-D team finance guy. Desantis has been pretty popular so one would think a smart party would just tap his Lt. for a 'more of the same' message, but no. There is a populist outsider, a Casey-esque bomb thrower running against him in the primary pitching things like banning new datacenters and ownership of single family housing by investment firms. Novelties are divestment in foreign countries and charging OF a 50% sin tax .
What the state GOP is doing rhymes with what went down in VA and what is probably happening in OH.
A guy I know/frequently work against is the former VA GOP Executive Director. Hired when they had majorities everywhere in the Bob McDonnell days, had lost it by the time he got chased out of Richmond. A disheveled drunk, practicing Mormon who attempts (poorly) to hide his major issues from his wife. Has been fired from at least 6 jobs since I met him in 2021. Once lost his job and took up selling antiques on Facebook marketplace. Like one of those inflatable clowns, he always rises back up; is now political consultant to a group of politicians I am opposing. Maybe one of the most truly incompetent people I’ve known.
Colorado perspective from more than a decade ago; my gray-haired boss made a casual remark that we'd have more candidates (for an office job at a corp.) if we didn't test. This was at a company which did, and not only that, there was no going back to the office if we had one drink at a company event outside the office. I mention this because a company a few blocks away in the area had the opposite attitude. The C-suite served the staff bubbly to celebrate.
I miss the Friday evening champagne and lobster buffet at the brokerage firm I used to work at. When they discontinued it after one crash or another, it was barely worth going in to work!
No, the biggest problem shipyards have is the shit pay. It's about a third of what it should be.
I don't know what a real shipyard worker makes but I remember being stunned a few years ago to learn that guys building Tiara yachts started at about $15/hr. Looks like that is up to $22 now. What kind of work are you getting for that?
I literally can't believe how little these guys get paid for what seems like it must be backbreaking work.
Also don't know who would convince themselves to take that job in a shipyard versus other options for similar labor.
One of my brothers got me a job programming the CNC at a granite counter fabrication plant. He is an installer. I'm a bit of a wuss and dislike many of the things he has to do to make a piece fit onsite. He has no patience and could absolutely not sit at a computer clicking a mouse for 8-10 hours a day. However, our jobs suited our skills and personalities fairly well. We humans are not interchangeable. Some of us would prefer being outside doing hard labor even if it meant lower wages in the end.
In our case, since I was new and he had 10 or 12 years of experience at that point, my brother's income was a multiple of what I made sitting at a desk all day. When I moved back up here and worked for the second worst granite company in the world I made basically the same as the installers and fabricators.
It's truly fascinating, and some of my team members have the "no, I've got to be outside" in them and they do it each and every day. God bless them, because the world could (???) presumably live without my paperwork but field technicians will ever be in short supply
Is there a story behind the first- and second-worst granite companies in the world?
Not a particularly good one. Both companies I worked for were led by poor management (the guy who hired me at the first place had a heart attack/stroke combo less than a month after I started, and within 3 months after I left the plant manager hung himself in a hotel room in PA or NY or somewhere, and the two owners were notorious shysters), bad procedures leading to entirely preventable breakage (especially at the second place, the company owner was a salesman who had no idea what he was doing and no patience to teach anyone how to do things the way he wanted them and then when jobs went wrong he looked for any way he could to renege on deals), zero quality control at any level, etc.
The first place I worked did have the benefit of the face of the company being Tia Ling (look her up in private). She was very nice and used heart-shaped post it notes in her interdepartmental communications. I didn't know who she was until some guy on the shop floor recognized her. She left the company soon after.
An SUV, with an automatic— I’ll pass. Thanks.
autos are great for drag racing
from stoplight to dragstrip they do work well
Yep, but they are no fun.
I had an ‘87 notchback 5 liter Mustang (3.08 axle) I drag raced. The manual made me less consistent, but I didn’t care.
agreed on both counts
Brother-in-law had a '91 5.0 manual notch back, i got to borrow it a few times. It was fun!
'88 and '90 fastback 5-sp LX's here. The '90 had a blower on it. Subframe connectors made the cars feel three-quarters the size. Loved them both.
foxbodies and prochargers
like peanut butter and jelly
No need for a tow vehicle?
Nope. And if I did, it would have to be a manual.
I’ve said it here before (but nobody will remember, or care)— I’m 65 years old and every vehicle I purchased (for me) has had a clutch pedal. At this point, I think I should keep that record intact. It’s certainly getting harder.
I have the same streak going! I considered a tow vehicle to be a special case, but maybe I should reconsider.
Never relent!
im in the same boat but you might be on to something there
Siler fat-fingered the l in “flag”.
Hey-O
(::Rim shot!::)
Pretty interested in the Durango 392 for my wife, as the 2018 Odyssey has been reliable but boring. And the driver side sliding door no longer opens apparently due to a stuck latch. Options for replacing the Odyssey that really interest me is a short list, and a $50k v8 SUV takes spot #1.
My brother-in-law drives a Gladiator Rubicon. It would be so fun to have my wife pull up next to him at Sunday family breakfast driving a Durango 392.
And that Rubicon is probably way more expensive.
I had a rental Durango R/T for a few days in 2023 or maybe 2024. It was a great car but there’s no selectable valving in the exhaust so it’s just loud all the time — it droned on the highway and is obnoxiously loud under any load, even low speeds if going up hill. If not for that I’d gladly buy one.
Was it the hemi R/T? The loudness and droning is something to consider. The Wrangler 392 has a muffler valve so you can be quieter when you want, my neighbors appreciate it. We don’t commute, mostly 2-3 mile trips into town for lunch or the store, 15 miles to all the shopping and the occasional trip to the big city 30 miles away.
It was. I think it may be a Durango specific issue (Dodge likely needed to make some choices to hit their price point) because I didn’t notice any droning with the V8 Challengers I was able to rent during the magical time a few years ago when National’s Executive aisle was loaded with them.
Noise cancelling earbuds.
With a hat.
The sound is charming... until it's not.
Our neighbor has a lifted F-150 with aftermarket BIG BOY EXHAUST that he fires up every morning at 5:30. Once I followed him home and could hear him accelerating (or just maintaining speed) up the hill from more than a half mile back in my nice and quiet CX-9. I have to imagine that the Durango is at least better than that.
It isn't as loud as a SLP Camaro or anything but I hear the 392 in my Charger at all times. I personally like that but it is not an engine that ever really fades into the background.
Same for my 300C. It was the loudest car that C/D tested in 2023, apparently.
See Brawndo’s opinion below and make sure to test drive on your commute roads.
I’m currently driving a rental spec Durango GT4. Presumably it has the V6; I should look. Its ok, eats up the miles. Tires were kind of crappy in snow. I miss my GC at home.
saw “needs a corporal” and immediately burst out laughing thinking of Jack as a Corporal O’Reilly type.
ex-PFC Wintergreen.
I had to look that up. Which is now baffling how I never read Catch-22 growing up, as I probably read 2/3’s of the public library as a teen.
Radar O'Reilly?
bingo!
Jack is more of a Sgt. Rizzo.
If i had to drive the family car, a durango sounds great. I do not drive the family car. My dad had a 2002ish durango. It was small inside
Current Durango is plenty big, unless you really need Suburban class space.
This man Scott here has four children and their accoutrements!
As someone in the same boat: you need a Yamato's worth of space.
Aren't there dogs involved, too?
I am down to two dogs from three as we had our oldest (13.5 year old German Shepherd) put down in early February after she injured her ankle and could no longer get up.
A few people stopped by to say goodbye before the day. Then the vet came day of, the kids were all there, and I washed her body after (she was incontinent for some time before). My son had expressed a desire to anoint her body, having recently heard the telling of the preparation of Jesus Christ's body for burial, and so I let him anoint her forehead. Then a brother-in-law and I moved her to her not-quite-long-enough grave; dug the grave a little longer; and, finally, interred her in the earth.
It was shortly after I posted I wondered if it was you with the dogs, but I just couldn't remember clearly.
I am sorry to hear about your senior dog's end. I hope the other two have adapted to the loss as well as they could, as well as your family.
The dogs are alright. Our "rehomed" dog was not relaxed around the blind old lady (read: aggressive) so she is less on edge. My dog moped for a while after.
The older two kids are still working through some things.
Me and Silentsod are basically the same person. You can tell the difference because he's the miniature version of me.
Sorry for your loss man.
Thank you. She was a good girl.
She was my wife's dog, and when we first met the dog greeted me like an old friend. This baffled my not yet girlfriend, but she took it as a big positive auspice.
WE'RE GETTING A PUPPY! So 2 dogs involved soon.
Sheez
The baby is one, literally today, and we thought now is as good a time as any. We've missed not having 2
Yes I’m aware Scott is trying to help avoid the population decline.
Good for you also.
Yes the amount of gear that MUST accompany the kids has gotten absurd.
We haven't gotten there yet but I'm sure it's coming.
But does the Durango have a 2011 crash structure?
Yes. A very good one.
Now I’m curious. I’m of the belief that the only reason to buy a newer car is bc the crash structers keep improving towards F1 levels over the years.
Would love an in depth piece on this…. There must be some cae / crash safety whizzes amongst the best and brightest… the IIHS results for the Durango vary from marginal/poor to good depending on test.
I will try to do some research and come back.
While the F1 cars’ “performance” regresses towards proletarian standards!
The on-boards on the back straight in Shanghai were tragic.
I just want a car that will allow me and my family to walk away from a 150 mph fiery crash
2-3 more formula changes and it’ll be like your local circle track where guys drive faster towing their cars TO the race than they do on track.
Reading that Siler thing I got only halfway thru and was puzzled, was this some sort of Jack put-on? this can’t be real, its so vomit inducing and ultra lame. Only to find out it’s presumably real. I can’t imagine writing even a paragraph of that awful drivel.
I like the idea of tolerating _eccentricity_, but of the "Terry Waite driving his MG in the show with the top down" variety. It's frightening how polarized society has become in terms of ideas and values.
That Siler thing is not “eccentricity”. It’s something pathetic and awful.
He wants to be something or someone, but he isn't.
Yes; perhaps it wasn't clear that I was trying to DISTINGUISH eccentricity from polarization in values. Perhaps the word I was looking for was ~perversion~.
We live in a society which demonizes ECCENTRICITY while celebrating PERVERSION.
The first part looked like straight up linked-in humblebrag of a desperate job seeker. (or the author's bio at the back of a self-published novel.)
Then those last three paragraphs went totally off the rails and I realized this guy was nuts. Any employer that was half seriously thinking about him as a new hire would immediately changed his mind.
Unless he wants to be brand ambassador for Antifa.
'Unless he wants to be brand ambassador for Antifa.'
That would be Siler's dream job, I think, but the Black Bloc has already sent him packing, from what I understand.
I don't make it a habit of reading, watching, or listening to Wes Siler but the last two things of his I read I left with the impression he was fucking troubled kids. Like teenagers so I guess it's a little better...
I first read this as Afeela.
I remember when Ford Motor Company said the Maverick small pickup truck was going to be 20 grand, I don’t think Dodge is going to deliver the Durango for less than 64k. I hope I am wrong, but either way, until the mandate for the kill switch is rescinded, I won’t be a customer.
SHIT I forgot about the kill switches!
It’s law!
Is the kill switch a problem if you unplug the telematics module?
Good question, will the car start and drive as intended with out the telematics module?
Maybe I'm missing something; but I ended up on Dodge's website building a "GT Premium Hemi V8" which looks to have the 392 and it's $50k.
Kinda hurts seeing as I bought new a Ford Explorer Limited a couple years ago as the family hauler for $47k. And it ain't go no Hemi!
I wouldn’t mind be wrong once in a while.
If you're building a GT Durango on the site right now, you're building a 347 (5.7) Hemi.
Ah yes; you're right and there's a huge difference in performance!
i bet a blower still fits on the engine so theres hope
My research today suggests that since the Durango hasn’t changed since the Clinton administration (approximately) you can still just remove the telematics box and kill all the remote BS. I did this right after getting my 2022 Ford Maverick with no ill effects.
Regarding the mandate for the “kill switch.” Does anyone have a citation on that? Federal register probably. I can find no such mandate.
So you can remove all the GPS ad Infor tracking from this vehicle. thats extremely appealing.
What is the procedure.
Kill Switch Search result:
Rulemaking Delays: The NHTSA was originally tasked with issuing a final rule by November 15, 2024, but missed this deadline. As of February 2026, the agency is still "assessing developing technologies" and has not published a finalized standard.