Return of the Blog!

Yeah, it's been awhile. Sometimes it's just hard to stay motivated. I'm hoping to do so again. A lot has happened of late, which could partially explain why I've been away, but I'll leave that for another time and stick to the mundane and strange at the moment.

A lot of car news happened on Slashdot. I am something of a self-contained conundrum because I love my car but I hate driving. Well, more accurately, I hate traffic. That's unimportant, though. What is important is the good and the bad.

The good? Massachusetts, which will now be known as the state of awesomeness, wants auto manufactures to pony up the goods. Apparently, some auto manufacturers close off some information necessary to your mom and pop repair shops, which prevents them from being able to repair your car, creating a repair monopoly for the dealer. I say screw that! Dealer prices are way too high as it is, and I'm personally sick of being taken for too much. For instance, my dealer wanted $112 to replace a headlight and the parking light, which I then did for less than $10.

The bad? In Oregon, which will now be known as the state of Mr. douchebag, US Representative Earl Blumenauer wants to mandate that drivers install GPS units in their cars, which will subsequently communicate with roadside RFID units, so that he can tax residents for the miles they drive. Can you see any problems with this? If not, check your vision!

And finally, the strange! Samurai sword home defense! Enjoy!