Odds ‘n Sods:

John T. mentioned that political maverick H. Ross Perot has launched a new web site. It is a convenient all-in-one place to access charts showing our national economic predicament.

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Reader “PJ” said that he found an interesting Wikipedia page on refrigeration not requiring Freon: The Einstein Refrigerator.

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Rudy R. notes that the government of Mexico has decided to freeze prices on 150 foods until December 31st. “Companies agreed to hold prices steady for cooking oil, tortillas, flour, tomato sauce, canned soups and tuna, beans, chili sauces and other staples of the Mexican table.” The history of price freezes is that they spawn shortages and economic chaos. Count on it in Mexico, especially if the price freeze period is extended beyond the end of 2008.

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Robert V. recommended this piece over at Wired: Gallery: 10 Best Apocalyptic Vehicles . OBTW, the Wired writer correctly identified Max’s car from The Road Warrior as a highly-modified Australian Ford Falcon (XB GT). The car is often misidentified as a modified AMC Javelin because of its distinctive pug-ugly AMC door handles. (There were apparently some body parts from other cars used in the body work. It was a bit of a Franken-car.)

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“There are two kinds of discontent in this world: the discontent that works, and the discontent that wrings it’s hands. The first gets what it wants, and the second loses what it has. There’s no cure for the first but success; and there’s no cure at all for the second.” – Gordon Graham (as quoted in Elbert Hubbard’s “Scrap Book“, 1923)