Neanderpundit

that the computer no longer recognizes my fingerprints.

THe print scanner on my computer is set up to scan my right index, right middle, right ring, and left ring, and last night after trying to log in for five minutes I finally gave up and typed my name in. I looked at the scans, and realized it was the new scars that prevented the computer from recognizing me.

I’ll have to rescan and have it get used to me all over again.

Are not designed with beauty in mind, for the most part, though many of them are indeed beautiful, if only by accident. My M1 Carbine is prettier than most, if only by virtue of having a great stock. The lines of a 1911 Swiss rifle, or a Swedish Mauser, or a Springfield 1873 Trapdoor. All of these rifles have a beauty, imparted by their designers, that has transcended their original purpose.

It would be easy to say they contain a soul that more modern firearms do not, but I don’t think that is the case, they are weapons of war designed to be the best at their respective time. If there was an easily moldable material known as Flimflamulite that was readily available at the beginning of firearms manufacture, all stocks would be made of it, and firearms with wood would be looked upon as weird, or “Steampunk”. No, it’s an utter accident that guns had wood stocks, and a lot now don’t, because there are materials other than wood available, and they work very well.

Still:

“This weapon of iron and wood” sort of loses something when you say “This weapon of plastic and aluminum”.

Suppose it gets the job done, but I still like my M1 Carbine.

As much as I loathe working on my own ride that I might make it to work on monday, I often think how much I’d love to build a custom car. The skills are there, from fab and design to build and- well, everything but paint. I’ve often thought I’d love to take something like an old 914 and chop and channel it, make a car with a body about 14″ tall and bulgy fenders to contain the slicks, or even a classic Tbucket or a chopped and channelled Tudor.

I’m certainly not unique in this, there are loads of guys who have made wonderful hotrods, and even the folks who take “regular” cars and make them pretty have a good time with it; partner’s brother Rich is ressurecting a Mustang and doing it right, and I’m mixed between happiness and jealously for him.

I often think in the October of our lives, the Ogwife and I might take weekend car trips around the country in a nice restored or rodded ride, and then I wake up. I think about the work involved in making/keeping such a ride, and then I think of taking those trips in a modern, quiet, air conditioned car with all the amenities, and I decide that this is a better idea. We can more easily purchase and pay for a nice Mustang ragtop and it will always be ready for use, and not require 4 weeks of prep for every weekend of driving.

Yeah, I’m old and tired of fucking around.

Postscript: This came up part because of seeing a piece of the Barrett Jackson auction, part because last weekend I sat down and watched “Tales of the Rat Fink” online; yes, you can now watch the whole movie, and if you’re a car geek, I reccomend it.