maven&meddler

Well, today is, of course, Nevada Day. Right next to Halloween. How perfect is that? If there was ever a state that deserved to have Halloween as it’s state holiday it’s Nevada … the only state with an Extraterrestial Highway.

I’m so proud to live here. Sigh. I’m finishing a perfect martini.

It’s been a BIG week here in Reno. We started out with a videographer from the Vice President’s office, as in Joe Biden, at the office where I work. Yes, indeedy, we are one of those stimulus projects. New jobs, green, all that happy stuff. Actually, it was pretty cool.

Then, on Friday, the day I chose to not be in the office, Channel 8 shows up with Ed Pearce ( my old friend from the Civil Air Patrol/Fossett Search days) to film a Nevada stimulus success story.  Thanks, Ed and Brent. I get a phone call from my leader: “should we go home and change? We’re in Halloween costumes.”

“Hell no”, this is Nevada. (“Ne-vah-duh”) People expect this sort of thing.

And, I’m a PR specialist?

Actually, the piece played pretty good and made us look like a bunch of upandcomers, which we are. Now, if I can just get it off of the Tivo and onto the company blog…

Thank gawd for the young, tech and smart, like Mark ( another one of our stimulus staffers … and under appreciated at that).

Oh, NV Energy has obtained a MOU ( Memorandum of Understanding) from the Western Area Power Authority to build transmission lines so that Nevada can become a net exporter of energy to California and the desert Southwest. Thanks again to Senator Reid for that.

“This is another important step for Nevada.  Building transmission to get renewable energy to urban areas is key to creating more jobs and reenergizing our economy.  NV Energy should be commended for its work in this area,” Reid said. “I’m very pleased to see that the recovery act continues to bring jobs and resources to Nevada.”

And the stimulus funds keep flowing. Stay tuned Nevada.

Do I feel a vibration in the universe where Afghanistan is concerned? Could Obama be ‘getting it’? Maybe all it takes is watching the caskets come off the planes at Dover AFB.

Maybe McChrystal is just a modern day version of General William Westmoreland? I know, he’s not really, but when did a General ever want less? Maybe that’s why our founders insisted on civilian control of the military. I hope Obama asserts that going forward and reduces our presence in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan was the right target in the beginning, but that opportunity was missed by ‘You Know Who’. You can’t put the genie back. He’s wandering around in Pakistan now, and our sons and daughters are dying in the Graveyard of Empires.

Time to put a stop to it. Put 30,000 troops there, heavy with ‘Special Forces’ to take out specific targets and leave those assholes pounding sand in the 16th century.

Whoops. I used bad language again. If the Las Vegas Gleaner can do it … “Then again… Bitchy Little Area Megalomaniac Sheldon Adelson, arguably the richest batshit crazy right-wing extremist in the world…”

Then I can, too.

Healthcare insurance reform gets closer and closer. Democratic Progressives have got their heels dug in firmly this time and aren’t going to let some lame assed version pass on their watch. You gotta luv it.

Here’s the short version and the long version of the House bill. 

But when this is over ( wow, will that be a defining moment for a martini ) we’ve gotta change some rules. Senator Reid will probably get this one squeaked by without a reconciliation vote, but we simply can’t continue to do ‘business as usual’ like this. It’s impossible. It’s time consuming. We’ve got far too much to do that needs doing now. We’ve got to have a real work around, around the ‘Party of No’.

This is just one more reason to retain Senator Harry Reid as Senator from Nevada and Senate Majority Leader. He’s the only one who can get the job done. If we insist. We’ve got to start being insistant and demanding.

Finally, the ever shrinking Reno Gazette-Journal had a good op-ed piece this morning on the dangers of automation in the cockpit.

This has been an on-going topic of much conversation around Rancho Maven - aka the ‘hangar’. I lost a good friend on the side of Mt. Potosi due to cockpit whizbang automation and geewhiz. Capt. Maven fought this for years with the very big airline. It is a real concern.

Quite some years back, aviation’s eyes were focused on Airbus when their geewhiz automation took a brand new airplane with people onboard into the ground at the Paris Airshow. Seems they couldn’t uncouple the autopilot. Airbus Industries still seems to be fully in love with the same type of automation that makes it possible to simply grind along at altitude while bored to tears.

Everybody who flys has missed a ‘call’ from Center or ATC for one reason or another, but a well run cockpit always has one person actively engaged in flying the airplane while the other person takes a nap or a meal. There’s no excuse for otherwise.

As the airlines try to pare down expenses even further, the temptation to pare down the size of crews and rely more heavily on automation will be even greater. It is time for the industry to take stock and, not return to steam gauges and old technology, but create technology that fully engages the human element as an essential component.

Have a safe and satisfying weekend. Enjoy the beautiful fall weather and beauty. Try not to eat too much candy. Leave some for the little monsters.

I’m going to finish “The Lost Symbol” by Dan Brown. I don’t normally care for his work, but this one is giving me a lot to think about despite the thinly drawn characters.

I’ll let myself out.

maven