They’ve Gotten Cheaper

EV’s, that is.  Because not many people want one anymore.  But I did after driving this one.  You see, Renfield the Younger is beginning to learn to drive this summer.  The Renfield fleet consisted of two manuals and one automatic.  So we needed another automatic.  Mrs. Renfield led the vehicle search with my input, as she would likely be the main driver.  We looked at ICE cars in a designated price range; mostly hybrids due to her current vehicle (the main family car) being a thirsty guzzler.  The best vehicles were very good and reliable, but decidedly ho-hum and overpriced: everyone wants a hybrid right now.  Wait times are very common, and you don’t get much negotiation leverage when the car isn’t on the lot with the dealer eager to see it drive out.  So one day Mrs. Renfield checked out a Mustang Mach E, mostly because she thought it looked cool. She really liked it.  I wasn’t in favor at first, but when I drove it I was mightily impressed. My main concern was depreciation, but the price was good.

ICE manuals are still my four-wheeled drugs of choice, but I’ve never driven an ICE automatic that I enjoy as much as this EV.  Precise steering, agile handling, slightly bumpy ride like a sports car, but not jarring.  Plenty of power and great acceleration.  Smooth power delivery.  Was this purchase an error?  Ask me in a year or two.  Some kinks in the earlier generation seem to have been ironed out.  We shall see.

I swear I’m not trying to turn this blog into “look what I just bought” Facebook nonsense.  I just posted about it because we’ve discussed EV’s here before.  I’m still of the opinion that the attempted EV transition via government fiat was a lousy idea driven by politics, not reality.  The current infrastructure cannot support mass adoption.  Almost everyone owning one of these will also need an ICE car.  And I have no idea how a non-homeowner could get by with one due to charging access, or lack thereof.

Guillermo Got His Teeth Fixed!

And I’m super-excited to see his take on Frankenstein, apparently something he’s wanted to do for years. Even if it sucks, it’ll be gorgeous. Available on Netflix November 7, you monstrous bastards!

Oh, and if you haven’t checked out his Cabinet of Curiosities from a few years ago (also on Netflix), you definitely should.

More AI Fun

These AI exposes popped up in my feed this week. The blatantly cynical fakery is actually pretty funny.  I also like the Goonies shirt.

Apparently gullible music lovers trend Christian. 

The existence of AI music doesn’t bother me.  To my ears, much of the generic, auto-tuned, committee-written pop music of the past 20 years sounds like AI anyway, so why not?  Music is  strictly utilitarian for many people, something to have in the background while working.  Or to soothe them after work.  Or to fill the air at some god awful party.  If AI works for them, that’s their business.

Of course there’s an ethical issue with the fake charity, but I can’t get very worked up over that either.  That kind of crime requires enablers. Caveat emptor.

 

I’m Not Impressed

This goes absolutely nowhere.  I think AI will end up being just another tool.  Many young people already prefer older music, and I think that will continue the more artificial music becomes.

One Of These Days I’m Going To Cut You Into Little Pieces

I’m in! Incidentally, regarding “One of These Days” …

The vocals were recorded through a ring modulator, with [Nick] Mason singing in a falsetto voice and then slowed down to create an eerie effect (some compare it to the Daleks from Doctor Who, which makes the song’s usage of the show’s theme adequate). It was aimed at Sir Jimmy Young, the then BBC Radio 1 and Radio 2 DJ whom the band supposedly disliked because of his tendency to babble. During early 1970s concerts, they sometimes played a sound collage of clips from Young’s radio show that was edited to sound completely nonsensical, thus figuratively “cutting him into little pieces.”

Apologies for my recent blargh absence. Work is kicking my ass on the daily.