March 11, 2026

Neutral

It is pretty rare that I want to put my Leaf's single-speed direct-drive transmission in Neutral. Last time was several years ago; and, at that time, took me a while to find out how to do so. After that, I'd put it in N episodically just so didn't forget how. After a couple of months, quit doing that.

This morning, whilst pondering the shift-puck, I tried. I failed.

I realized that I was simply repeating what I had done the other time — foot on brake, move selector to N — which had led to my having to look it up in the first place. Then remembered that there was a trick. The number TWO kept coming to mind (as it does with some other features of this car).

Decided that meant to move the puck to N twice. NOPE. It being time to go, decided would just look it up when got home.

When I did, read this explanation in the manual:

Slide along the gate while the brake pedal is depressed
After sliding, maintain it in the same position until the vehicle is placed in the N position ...

Had several problems with this. First the shifting puck doesn't really 'slide' it just rocks. N is directly to the left from Park (so no need to 'slide' fore or aft) and what does 'maintain it in the same position' mean?

Reading it for the third time, I suddenly remembered that the puck had to be HELD towards the N, until dash display said car was in N. At which point I also recalled that this was about two seconds.

Couldn't confirm this immediately as car was charging. So — and this is what prompted me to make this post — went to browser on computer and typed in "how to place leaf tran....."

When I reached "tran" the search bar autocompleted with the suggestion "...mission into neutral"

It was nice to know that it was just not me.

Yes, how it is done is to put foot on brake, hold the shift puck towards N for about two seconds.

Overall, it was amusing ... and, at the moment, amusing is good

Also now have a nicely printed plastic label near the shifter. Expect this will bring smiles the next time the car is left for service

March 5, 2026

Focused on Phobias, but is Wonderful Image of Jumping Spider :)

This Arachnid is a Rare Jewel

February 7, 2026

Only seven new petrol-powered cars sold in Norway in January !!

Yes, seven dinoburners out of ~2100 new cars. Progress

Light is starting to break through

"Winter Sun" by contemporary artist Angela Stanton

February 2, 2026

Vermont Sun Dogs (Cloud Appreciation Society image)

Light from the moon can also give rise to such wonderful phenomena. These magical nocturnal lights are called Moon Dogs (paraselenae) named for Selene (the moon), sister of Helios (the sun).

Happy Groundhog Day, or, if it is your tradition, Happy Candlemas

January 19, 2026

Storm Brew -- Cloud Appreciation Society

January 11, 2026

Milk in Bottles (1878) plus later Pasteurization halved the Infant Mortality rate within a few years ꩜

For some reason Britannica has taken to defacing their lede photos/artworks with puerile orange graffiti. Usually, TinEye can find the original undefaced image. Not this time.

I refrain from comment.

January 8, 2026

Why, yes, I would like my sunset pictures to turn out like this :)

January 7, 2026

To rebuild the party, we need to rebuild Art, Knowledge and Science. APOD reminded me of all of this today

For me, this striking image (made by an Italian) showing the deep immensity of space, immediately brought to mind Carl Sagan's book Broca's Brain. The whole APOD image and write up flooded me with hope. Least this is all seeming wayyyy too wooey — raising the question WTF is being posted in the pragmatic Way Forward — am posting here because I think that it is fundamental to recall WHY it is that we need to rebuild, WHAT it is that we actually wish to rebuild.

The image points to the importance of Art, of Knowledge, of Science, of Wonder in creating a World in which we wish to live. To my thought, to focus minutely upon such things as 'we lost because ...' can distract from why people should give a *hit about our party in the first place.

It was the vaguely skull shaped and deeply convoluted image that brought Broca's Brain to mind. It is a wonderful read. The title refers to Paul Broca the French physician who identified a portion of the brain (now called Broca's Area) important in speech. Broca’s own brain is preserved in a jar of formalin in the Musée de l'Homme in Paris.

When visiting the museum, Sagan asked himself how much of the man known as Paul Broca can still be found in this jar. The book is a collection of more or less related essays which, one way or another, tries to answer that question.

Many will be familiar with some of the quotations from this book. Perhaps the most widely known is “I believe that the extraordinary should certainly be pursued. But extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence”

He also made many other observations in the work. Two of my favourites being:

“Anger at queries about our beliefs is the body’s warning signal: here lies unexamined and probably dangerous doctrinal baggage”

“Both Barnum and H. L. Mencken are said to have made the depressing observation that no one ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the American public…But the lack is not in intelligence, which is in plentiful supply; rather, the scarce commodity is systematic training in critical thinking”

We need to regain the ability to think critically. In particular we need to work to help society to regain that ability.

Thus endeth the sermonizing and to confess that the name of the nebula also brought to mind FSM — the Flying Spaghetti Monster

We need to keep moving forward, and we need to remember WHY.

January 3, 2026

Wolf Moon

Came back in from morning walkabout with catz to check on cameras had setup to have another go at catching a Boötid meteor. Yes, do know that this shower is more correctly named the Quadrantids (vide supra) after the ‘extinct’ constellation Quadrans Muralis.

Howsomever, one of our catz is named Boötes (after the Current Constellation where the radiant is) or Boots (when he goes to the Vet) or Baffles for his usual state of apparent confusion or MrB...all depends upon how he's acting. So we think of them as the Boötids

It was as wonderful a walkabout as is possible moving beneath and within the calm, gentle light of the setting moon.

There are many traditional names for a year’s full moons.

We learned this many decades ago one winter at Timberline Lodge (built by the New Deal WPA) from the wall hangings. ‘Wolf Moon’ was given as the name used by (unspecified) Northwest indigenous people. It was said this was because of the incessant night long howling of the hungry wolves of deep winter.

Since then, we’ve an interest in what other cultures may have named these remarkable, repetitive events. Have only ever been able to find Northern Hemisphere names. Even read somewhere that people in the Southern Hemisphere never had particular names for full moon. This seems BS—if anyone knows…

Anyhow, around the Great Lakes the name ‘Cracking Tree Moon’ was used. We never really understood this until a few years ago we had a severe winter storm which overnight coated the trees with inches of ice from freezing rain and then piled snow on top of that.

In the morning there was the LOUD Explosive Cracking of tree branches breaking as they warmed up just a few degrees—tho was still well below freezing—and crashed to the ground. I put on my hard hat, went out (no catz interested in coming with) for walkabout with curiosity and camera.

Soon realized was too dangerous and came back inside by the fire.

I do wish us all—once more—a Newer, Better, New Year

December 31, 2025

Well, we've now had *our* New Year's Eve Party !!