John had done some research for the Monday lunch time walk.
As they strolled the sidewalks through the buildings, John described the basics of the California FastTrak system.
"Here's the deal. The FastTrak box is a transponder that is operating in the 900 megahertz band. There is a battery in the original models -- I didn't think they had one -- the new ones are wired to the car's power."
"900 megahertz ought to sound familiar as it's used for cordless phones. The speed traps do a couple of things. They send a pulse to the transponder and read the reply. The transponders send an account number and the speed of the car. The speed trap then sends that information and the value of the speed limit to a database. Software is there looking for violations and recording location and time information along with the account number."
"The account number is connected to a human and if there is a violation, you get a notice and a fine. If it's a bridge toll, then it just pulls money from your account and if needed will pull money from the credit card attached to the account."
"Now, the amusing part of this is that we can easily tap broadcasts in the 900 megahertz range. That hardware has been around for a long time. It's a frequency dedicated to local communications and standard HAM gear can tune to it."
"What's the next step"" ask Mark.
"We have to do a couple of things. We need some kind of portable recorder to read some messages. The transponder reader passes the data off to another network which provides the connection to the database."
"What are we going to do to the system?" asked Luke. They were looping around Lake Houseman, just off the main cafeteria. It was really a flood control pond. Pond being a generous term. But it provided reeds and some birds and it was rumored to contain a few of the red legged frogs, which were high up the list of endangered Californian species. The walkers would see them dead on the path on occasion, victims of the hot California sun.
"That's the million dollar question. If we can get into the system we can do normal database things, like deleting items and searching, etc. But we can't just erase our speeding tickets. There should be log files that would record deletions and that would lead back to us. And there have to be backups. So they could restore the database if we just destroyed it. No, if we want to make the system obsolete we need a different approach."
Lunch was over as they returned to building 350. They grabbed afternoon beverages from the snack bar and got back to work.
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
Sunday, January 19, 2020
Mark, Luke, John Part 2
John was in his office.
"Got a couple of minutes?" Mark asked.
"Sure," said John.
Luke and Mark walked into the office and closed the door. Doors didn't get closed much in building 350 at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. It was building of labs, but no classified work was done there. Office doors were supposed to be closed if you were not there for security reasons, but otherwise no rules to close them.
"What's on your minds, guys?" asked John.
"We have a little project in mind. But it's not work related and maybe it's not something you want to get into. We need some hardware help and some radio-frequency monitoring," said Mark.
"I can get all the gear needed for that. But what's the problem with the project?" asked John.
"It would be declaring war, just a bit mind you, on the State of California. But it would make things better for the population and Luke and I are bored enough and ready to give it a try," said Mark.
"Wow. Well, I always wanted to see what warfare would be like. Are we talking bullets?"
"No, just some magic dust for a database, but it might do something about the speed traps."
"Why don't we take our usual post lunch walk and discuss this. I'm up for an adventure," said John.
John was in his fifties, like Mark and Luke. They were all settled in their careers and feeling that urge to grab a rifle and head for the hills once while they still could.
On the walk around the lab, Mark and Luke laid out their unhappiness with the speed monitors and what they might be able to do about it. John was all in. Who hadn't been caught by the monitors?
"Ok, I'm in. But if we are going to become felons we probably ought to have some rules about all of this. No talking to spouses, no meeting outside of work. We can take advantage of the lab security and pretty much know that the state can't spy on us. Don't be Googling about the system. When the shit hits the fan, we want no connections to show up. Don't write anything down or toss it into the lab burn bags. Let me look into the echnical specifications and I'll see what's possible.
They agreed to do nothing until John had done his work. The luncheon walks were the norm and they decided to discuss everything then.
"Got a couple of minutes?" Mark asked.
"Sure," said John.
Luke and Mark walked into the office and closed the door. Doors didn't get closed much in building 350 at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. It was building of labs, but no classified work was done there. Office doors were supposed to be closed if you were not there for security reasons, but otherwise no rules to close them.
"What's on your minds, guys?" asked John.
"We have a little project in mind. But it's not work related and maybe it's not something you want to get into. We need some hardware help and some radio-frequency monitoring," said Mark.
"I can get all the gear needed for that. But what's the problem with the project?" asked John.
"It would be declaring war, just a bit mind you, on the State of California. But it would make things better for the population and Luke and I are bored enough and ready to give it a try," said Mark.
"Wow. Well, I always wanted to see what warfare would be like. Are we talking bullets?"
"No, just some magic dust for a database, but it might do something about the speed traps."
"Why don't we take our usual post lunch walk and discuss this. I'm up for an adventure," said John.
John was in his fifties, like Mark and Luke. They were all settled in their careers and feeling that urge to grab a rifle and head for the hills once while they still could.
On the walk around the lab, Mark and Luke laid out their unhappiness with the speed monitors and what they might be able to do about it. John was all in. Who hadn't been caught by the monitors?
"Ok, I'm in. But if we are going to become felons we probably ought to have some rules about all of this. No talking to spouses, no meeting outside of work. We can take advantage of the lab security and pretty much know that the state can't spy on us. Don't be Googling about the system. When the shit hits the fan, we want no connections to show up. Don't write anything down or toss it into the lab burn bags. Let me look into the echnical specifications and I'll see what's possible.
They agreed to do nothing until John had done his work. The luncheon walks were the norm and they decided to discuss everything then.
Saturday, January 18, 2020
The Adventures of Mark, Luke, and John - part 1
"What are you unhappy about?" John asked to the figure stomping past his office door.
Luke stuck his head in the door after a quick u-turn.
"Ah, I got caught in one of the automatic speed traps. Another 20 bucks down the drain," said Luke.
"Well, if you are going to destroy the environment and the safety of the public, you'll have to pay the price," said Mark with a sardonic grin.
"I think that 32 in a 30 zone is not a crime against anyone or anything," said Luke.
The California FastTrack Pass was introduced in the 1990s and by 2020 there were about 2.5 million of them in various cars. The bureaucrats liked the idea of free loans from the taxpayers. Evey Pass required a $40 draw against a credit card. The state didn't let that money sit idle. Of course they didn't invest it, that would be madness. Nope, they did what a modern leftist state would do and that was to spend it on pet projects that would help few peoples, accomplish nothing long term, and enhance nothing but some politician's resume.
This didn't go unnoticed and it soon became the law that every car had to have one. As technology got better a new version of the Pass came out. It contained GPS chips and required connection to a car's electrical system. What the new pass provided was state knowledge of the location of every car. It didn't get used much but there were the odd case where it solved a crime. It was also used in a lot of divorce cases as the data could be opened by court order.
The dark turn came when a bright tech mentioned to his boss that the GPS chips can also report speed with a bit of software updating. The update was required and pretty soon every speed limit sign had the means to read the speed of any car that passed it. The speeding tickets were quite modest to start with, just a dollar per MPH over the limit. But the state was happy and excited to tap this new money stream. The fine per mile over the limit kept going up. There was no speed infraction too small to overlook. Motorists couldn't fight it in court as the electronics were unbiased in theory and numbers were numbers. After a while no one fought them, just allowed the funds to seep from their accounts and tap their credit cards whenever the account balance got too low.
Some smart guys canceled their credit cards. It took no time for that "solution" to be fixed by the state. They knew where the car was, so they just put a wheel boot on it until the account was refunded. They of course, added on $100 for boot installation and removal.
"We could prbably do something about the FastTrack if you were up to it," Mark said.
"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Luke.
"Between you and me and John down the hall, we could probably create some chaos," said Mark. "It would be illegal as hell, but we have the tech to do it."
"Hmm... I'm a bit bored and maybe it's time to do our part to make California free again. What do you have in mind?"
"We get John to get us into the hardware and then you and I do some software mods to their database. We can't just make ourselves immune to tickets, but maybe we create enough problems to force them to become a bit more benevolent," said Mark.
"Let's go talk to John," said Luke.
Luke stuck his head in the door after a quick u-turn.
"Ah, I got caught in one of the automatic speed traps. Another 20 bucks down the drain," said Luke.
"Well, if you are going to destroy the environment and the safety of the public, you'll have to pay the price," said Mark with a sardonic grin.
"I think that 32 in a 30 zone is not a crime against anyone or anything," said Luke.
The California FastTrack Pass was introduced in the 1990s and by 2020 there were about 2.5 million of them in various cars. The bureaucrats liked the idea of free loans from the taxpayers. Evey Pass required a $40 draw against a credit card. The state didn't let that money sit idle. Of course they didn't invest it, that would be madness. Nope, they did what a modern leftist state would do and that was to spend it on pet projects that would help few peoples, accomplish nothing long term, and enhance nothing but some politician's resume.
This didn't go unnoticed and it soon became the law that every car had to have one. As technology got better a new version of the Pass came out. It contained GPS chips and required connection to a car's electrical system. What the new pass provided was state knowledge of the location of every car. It didn't get used much but there were the odd case where it solved a crime. It was also used in a lot of divorce cases as the data could be opened by court order.
The dark turn came when a bright tech mentioned to his boss that the GPS chips can also report speed with a bit of software updating. The update was required and pretty soon every speed limit sign had the means to read the speed of any car that passed it. The speeding tickets were quite modest to start with, just a dollar per MPH over the limit. But the state was happy and excited to tap this new money stream. The fine per mile over the limit kept going up. There was no speed infraction too small to overlook. Motorists couldn't fight it in court as the electronics were unbiased in theory and numbers were numbers. After a while no one fought them, just allowed the funds to seep from their accounts and tap their credit cards whenever the account balance got too low.
Some smart guys canceled their credit cards. It took no time for that "solution" to be fixed by the state. They knew where the car was, so they just put a wheel boot on it until the account was refunded. They of course, added on $100 for boot installation and removal.
"We could prbably do something about the FastTrack if you were up to it," Mark said.
"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Luke.
"Between you and me and John down the hall, we could probably create some chaos," said Mark. "It would be illegal as hell, but we have the tech to do it."
"Hmm... I'm a bit bored and maybe it's time to do our part to make California free again. What do you have in mind?"
"We get John to get us into the hardware and then you and I do some software mods to their database. We can't just make ourselves immune to tickets, but maybe we create enough problems to force them to become a bit more benevolent," said Mark.
"Let's go talk to John," said Luke.
Sunday, January 12, 2020
Back of the Envelope
According to the wags that I look at on YouTube, the entire golf swing takes about one second.
Assume that you shoot 90 as a score and each swing is one second, then over the nominal four hour round, you've spent about one and a half minutes actually hitting the golf ball.
Now let's look at Pickleball. The swing is shorter. I don't have numbers, but let's call it one half a second per shot. The number of shots per game varies a bit, but rallies are about 6 shots or so and if you are playing doubles maybe you get to hit one half of those. So three shots per point. Games are to 11 points, but you need to win a point to get the serve in order to actually tally any score. Let's call a game about 30 points all told. The opponents score something and you score something and then there is all the to and fro to win the serve. So in each game you hit the ball about 90 times. Now you've swung about 1/2 as much, but the same number of strokes.
We see that a single game of pickleball (PB) provides the same amount of action as a full round of golf. A PB game lasts about 10 minutes. We must add that PB requires a lot of bodily movement. You have to get to the net and then there are some side to side movements and then the darned opponents on occasion will force you back from the net with a lob or something and then you claw your way back.
I normally will play PB for two to three hours at a time. Call it 5 games per hour - there are breaks for water and panting. The final answer is that a morning playing PB has the action of 10 to 15 rounds of golf. And a lot more aerobic content.
My back has been a problem the last 10 days and it may require that I will not be able to play golf and PB. It would be an easy decision to choose pickleball.
Assume that you shoot 90 as a score and each swing is one second, then over the nominal four hour round, you've spent about one and a half minutes actually hitting the golf ball.
Now let's look at Pickleball. The swing is shorter. I don't have numbers, but let's call it one half a second per shot. The number of shots per game varies a bit, but rallies are about 6 shots or so and if you are playing doubles maybe you get to hit one half of those. So three shots per point. Games are to 11 points, but you need to win a point to get the serve in order to actually tally any score. Let's call a game about 30 points all told. The opponents score something and you score something and then there is all the to and fro to win the serve. So in each game you hit the ball about 90 times. Now you've swung about 1/2 as much, but the same number of strokes.
We see that a single game of pickleball (PB) provides the same amount of action as a full round of golf. A PB game lasts about 10 minutes. We must add that PB requires a lot of bodily movement. You have to get to the net and then there are some side to side movements and then the darned opponents on occasion will force you back from the net with a lob or something and then you claw your way back.
I normally will play PB for two to three hours at a time. Call it 5 games per hour - there are breaks for water and panting. The final answer is that a morning playing PB has the action of 10 to 15 rounds of golf. And a lot more aerobic content.
My back has been a problem the last 10 days and it may require that I will not be able to play golf and PB. It would be an easy decision to choose pickleball.
Tuesday, January 7, 2020
The Big Mistake
For the last week I've been playing some pickleball and working on my golf game at the driving range.
I've been pretty happy with my progress in both sports. I'm still working on the basics for Pickleball and trying to make a lot of changes to my golf swing.
This has been going well. At the end of the day, I've been tried and there have been the usual back soreness that is gone for the most part by the morning. Barb and I have been doing some routine car maintenance too. I got some products over the holidays and we've been polishing head lights and washing the beasts. We had a lot of black gunk come down from the trees this winter. It needed a strong hand to get it off the paint. Our theory is that it's ash reside from the summer fires that the trees trapped and then released with the winter rains.
My winter car, the VW GTI, asked to go to the service shop. It has not been there for a year. It had all of 3300 miles since the last service, but there are time limits too. To get ready to take it in, I got the summer car out from its hibernation under its cover. Even while it's covered, it still gets dusty and dirty. So it needed a wash too.
So Monday I play pickleball, then go to the range, and then go wash the car. Lots of "bent over" time to wash and wax and dry the car. And thus we come to this morning about 3 am, when my back is a problem. I got up to get some Ibuprofen and I almost can't do it. Standing and walking is a real problem. I take the pills and manage to get back to bed.
In the morning, I hobble down stairs to send a message to my buddies at Wente to tell them I'm not going to meet them in the morning. I start to go back to bed and walking is suddenly a real problem. Perhaps if I spend some time on the couch? Well, I can't get to the coach. It's too low and bending over is not really possible...
It takes a while of holding on to door frames and stair rails to take some pressure off the back and I manage to get back to bed. Getting dressed and going down stairs later that morning was also a trial. Today has been a series of sitting carefully, popping pills and hoping for relief. The good news is that things are getting better and actually, I can't complain about how quickly it's happening. I expect to be ambulatory tomorrow, but no sports for a few more days. And the cars, ha, they are on their own for a bit.
I've been pretty happy with my progress in both sports. I'm still working on the basics for Pickleball and trying to make a lot of changes to my golf swing.
This has been going well. At the end of the day, I've been tried and there have been the usual back soreness that is gone for the most part by the morning. Barb and I have been doing some routine car maintenance too. I got some products over the holidays and we've been polishing head lights and washing the beasts. We had a lot of black gunk come down from the trees this winter. It needed a strong hand to get it off the paint. Our theory is that it's ash reside from the summer fires that the trees trapped and then released with the winter rains.
My winter car, the VW GTI, asked to go to the service shop. It has not been there for a year. It had all of 3300 miles since the last service, but there are time limits too. To get ready to take it in, I got the summer car out from its hibernation under its cover. Even while it's covered, it still gets dusty and dirty. So it needed a wash too.
So Monday I play pickleball, then go to the range, and then go wash the car. Lots of "bent over" time to wash and wax and dry the car. And thus we come to this morning about 3 am, when my back is a problem. I got up to get some Ibuprofen and I almost can't do it. Standing and walking is a real problem. I take the pills and manage to get back to bed.
In the morning, I hobble down stairs to send a message to my buddies at Wente to tell them I'm not going to meet them in the morning. I start to go back to bed and walking is suddenly a real problem. Perhaps if I spend some time on the couch? Well, I can't get to the coach. It's too low and bending over is not really possible...
It takes a while of holding on to door frames and stair rails to take some pressure off the back and I manage to get back to bed. Getting dressed and going down stairs later that morning was also a trial. Today has been a series of sitting carefully, popping pills and hoping for relief. The good news is that things are getting better and actually, I can't complain about how quickly it's happening. I expect to be ambulatory tomorrow, but no sports for a few more days. And the cars, ha, they are on their own for a bit.
Sunday, January 5, 2020
It's a Harsh World
I have three pairs of golf shoes in rotation and they all leak.
I'm not talking about "playing the in the rain leaking," I'm talking about walking in low levels of dew leaking. When one buys golf shoes these days, you want to see if the "water resistant" or "water proof" shoes are covered by any warranty.
The shoes I've mentioned all have a two year waterproof warranty. Now, the average golfer on the street might assume from that, that New Balance or Sketchers might then be eager to provide shoes to get you through the two year period with dry, toasty feet. And that they probably expect that one pair of shoes would last beyond that period.
The back story is that I've claimed leaky shoes from New Balance and they provided a new pair, two actually, as I had bought two pairs and after about 7 months both were leaking. They shipped identical shoes out fairly quickly and I didn't have to return the shoes, which costs about $15, don't ask me how I know that, it's another story.
My feet were once again dry and I used both pairs in rotation, even got some shoe trees to help them stay happy. But it's been another 7 months and my feet are now wrinkly and cold. All the replacement shoes are leaking, including some from Sketchers that about 1 year old.
I contact New Balance and what do I find? Yes, well, as they see it they are liable for only the original shoes and there is no warranty on the replacement shoes as "I didn't buy them." The two year warranty is not a time period in any normal sense and it crashes to a close as soon as the original shoes are replaced.
I was a bit surprised by this, but this policy was also in place at the Sketchers web site -- I knew enough to read the fine print this time around. I'm guessing that I have no recourse at this point. The question becomes then how to minimize the cost of golf shoes. Let's buy a new pair, wear them until they leak. Assuming this is in the warranty period, I claim a replacement. But since the replacement shoes have no warranty, put them on the shelf and buy a new pair.
When the new ones leak, which it seems they always will, make a claim and get the replacement. At this point, hopefully two years out, we have two pairs of new shoes with no warranties. We use them, wear them out, then replace them. That should get me about three and a half years wear for a purchase of two pairs.
Current status: I've purchased some Pumas and Foot Joys. I've started the clock and I'll run with these. Warm and dry for the first few rounds. I've still got the Sketchers to return.
Other news: the car wants to go into the shop. The new golf bag is breaking rivets and still is short a few pockets and what's worse, has the zippers going in the wrong direction -- so if you bend over with the bag on your back, stuff falls out of the pockets unless the zipper is fully closed!
New schedule for January. I'm going to play a lot of pickleball, less golf and make a modest five swing changes! Grip, stance, takeaway, downswing, and left foot pressure. Otherwise, I'm happy with my swing. I'll play pickleball in the morning, have some lunch, then off to the driving range in the afternoon.
I've been on this schedule for about a week and I'm happy with the shift in my attention. I'm getting more interested in the pickleball details and there are a few. It's also more aerobic and physically demanding.
I'm not talking about "playing the in the rain leaking," I'm talking about walking in low levels of dew leaking. When one buys golf shoes these days, you want to see if the "water resistant" or "water proof" shoes are covered by any warranty.
The shoes I've mentioned all have a two year waterproof warranty. Now, the average golfer on the street might assume from that, that New Balance or Sketchers might then be eager to provide shoes to get you through the two year period with dry, toasty feet. And that they probably expect that one pair of shoes would last beyond that period.
The back story is that I've claimed leaky shoes from New Balance and they provided a new pair, two actually, as I had bought two pairs and after about 7 months both were leaking. They shipped identical shoes out fairly quickly and I didn't have to return the shoes, which costs about $15, don't ask me how I know that, it's another story.
My feet were once again dry and I used both pairs in rotation, even got some shoe trees to help them stay happy. But it's been another 7 months and my feet are now wrinkly and cold. All the replacement shoes are leaking, including some from Sketchers that about 1 year old.
I contact New Balance and what do I find? Yes, well, as they see it they are liable for only the original shoes and there is no warranty on the replacement shoes as "I didn't buy them." The two year warranty is not a time period in any normal sense and it crashes to a close as soon as the original shoes are replaced.
I was a bit surprised by this, but this policy was also in place at the Sketchers web site -- I knew enough to read the fine print this time around. I'm guessing that I have no recourse at this point. The question becomes then how to minimize the cost of golf shoes. Let's buy a new pair, wear them until they leak. Assuming this is in the warranty period, I claim a replacement. But since the replacement shoes have no warranty, put them on the shelf and buy a new pair.
When the new ones leak, which it seems they always will, make a claim and get the replacement. At this point, hopefully two years out, we have two pairs of new shoes with no warranties. We use them, wear them out, then replace them. That should get me about three and a half years wear for a purchase of two pairs.
Current status: I've purchased some Pumas and Foot Joys. I've started the clock and I'll run with these. Warm and dry for the first few rounds. I've still got the Sketchers to return.
Other news: the car wants to go into the shop. The new golf bag is breaking rivets and still is short a few pockets and what's worse, has the zippers going in the wrong direction -- so if you bend over with the bag on your back, stuff falls out of the pockets unless the zipper is fully closed!
New schedule for January. I'm going to play a lot of pickleball, less golf and make a modest five swing changes! Grip, stance, takeaway, downswing, and left foot pressure. Otherwise, I'm happy with my swing. I'll play pickleball in the morning, have some lunch, then off to the driving range in the afternoon.
I've been on this schedule for about a week and I'm happy with the shift in my attention. I'm getting more interested in the pickleball details and there are a few. It's also more aerobic and physically demanding.
Friday, January 3, 2020
Recent Inventions
Yes, it's not just the odd poem or limerick that makes up my creative life. With the lack of software development I've got some creative energy left for other things.
One of the earliest items was golf club holder to be used when you have an extra club or two and need to lay them down in a wet fairway. This was fashioned from a piece of deer antler that had a nice fork in it. I added a rod to the bottom of the fork to push into the ground for stability purposes. This came out pretty well. It doesn't weigh much and is flat enough to slide into a front pocket without disturbing well tailored lines.
The new bag I got has too few pockets and I was tucking phone and keys into various places making them hard to find and a general pain. This added to my woes in re this bag -- more details probably later. I found a padded slip case for a tablet computer and with the use of my sewing machine, added some seams and now it has a nice pouch for the phone, one for keys and another for wallet and card case. It folds nicely and tucks into the jacket pocket.
I can hear you, dear reader, wondering about this sewing machine. I saw a YouTube video on a cheap Chinese manual sewing machine that would sew through multiple layers of leather and just about anything else. With the odd projects that crop up, this looked like an ideal tool to have around. I didn't hesitate to order one up. This is a manual machine with a hand crank to make it all work. It is a bit rough more an industrial product than a consumer item, so there was a learning curve and various parts needed some filing and oiling. But that was part of the fun. It's been useful and fun to play with. It's mounted on a board and I clap it to the work bench when I need to use it.
Finally, I have the habit of clipping a towel to my belt loop. In the winter, I've been not wearing shorts but have some pants that don't have a belt loop. So I've been clipping the towel into the waist band. That chewed up the waist and I had to resew (did I mention my nice sewing machine?) the band. So something had to be done. I cut a piece of leather about 5 inches long that ended in a narrow point. I put a grommet through the point and I can tuck the fob into pants and the point with grommet hangs out and allows an easy way to clip the towel. This has worked quite well. The leather has enough texture to keep the towel from pulling the fob out. Got it in one!
There are a couple of other little things, like tethers for the range finder to keep it from falling off the bag and some items to organize the trunk. But the highlights are above.
One of the earliest items was golf club holder to be used when you have an extra club or two and need to lay them down in a wet fairway. This was fashioned from a piece of deer antler that had a nice fork in it. I added a rod to the bottom of the fork to push into the ground for stability purposes. This came out pretty well. It doesn't weigh much and is flat enough to slide into a front pocket without disturbing well tailored lines.
The new bag I got has too few pockets and I was tucking phone and keys into various places making them hard to find and a general pain. This added to my woes in re this bag -- more details probably later. I found a padded slip case for a tablet computer and with the use of my sewing machine, added some seams and now it has a nice pouch for the phone, one for keys and another for wallet and card case. It folds nicely and tucks into the jacket pocket.
I can hear you, dear reader, wondering about this sewing machine. I saw a YouTube video on a cheap Chinese manual sewing machine that would sew through multiple layers of leather and just about anything else. With the odd projects that crop up, this looked like an ideal tool to have around. I didn't hesitate to order one up. This is a manual machine with a hand crank to make it all work. It is a bit rough more an industrial product than a consumer item, so there was a learning curve and various parts needed some filing and oiling. But that was part of the fun. It's been useful and fun to play with. It's mounted on a board and I clap it to the work bench when I need to use it.
Finally, I have the habit of clipping a towel to my belt loop. In the winter, I've been not wearing shorts but have some pants that don't have a belt loop. So I've been clipping the towel into the waist band. That chewed up the waist and I had to resew (did I mention my nice sewing machine?) the band. So something had to be done. I cut a piece of leather about 5 inches long that ended in a narrow point. I put a grommet through the point and I can tuck the fob into pants and the point with grommet hangs out and allows an easy way to clip the towel. This has worked quite well. The leather has enough texture to keep the towel from pulling the fob out. Got it in one!
There are a couple of other little things, like tethers for the range finder to keep it from falling off the bag and some items to organize the trunk. But the highlights are above.
Wednesday, January 1, 2020
New Year, New Plans
In a recent golf outing Phil brought out his camera and a ball analyzer. Well, they are called something else, but it's not coming to me... It will, but it may take a paragraph or two.
The analyzer said that my swing speed with the driver was 84 MPH. On my instruments I see about 10 MPH higher than that. Phil also sent along the video of my swing. Well, guess what, apparently I have no shoulder turn!
This is a problem theoretically. Interestingly I've been hitting the driver well lately. Ah, it's not going far, but it's in the fairway and matching the distances of my homies, so it's not too bad. But with a shoulder turn, it ought to be a bit bolder.
The launch monitor (Ha! there it is!) calculated that I have a 1.52 smash factor (SF). SF is the ratio of ball speed to club speed. If your club speed was 100 MPG and the ball was 100 MPH then the SF is 1.00. I believe the theoretical limit is 1.5, so 100 MPG club speed gets you 150 MPH ball speed. Thus it looks like something is off a bit But we are not talking about less than one percent error.
Here is the plan for a bit: Play pickleball on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings, then a short lunch, let my back recover from the pickleball, then off to the golf range in the afternoons to work on my shoulder turn. I have a launch monitor too and I'll see if I can record some data and see if I can make a change.
Phil and company are usually playing on Tuesday and Thursdays, so I'll be seeing if my golf training will bear any fruit.
The analyzer said that my swing speed with the driver was 84 MPH. On my instruments I see about 10 MPH higher than that. Phil also sent along the video of my swing. Well, guess what, apparently I have no shoulder turn!
This is a problem theoretically. Interestingly I've been hitting the driver well lately. Ah, it's not going far, but it's in the fairway and matching the distances of my homies, so it's not too bad. But with a shoulder turn, it ought to be a bit bolder.
The launch monitor (Ha! there it is!) calculated that I have a 1.52 smash factor (SF). SF is the ratio of ball speed to club speed. If your club speed was 100 MPG and the ball was 100 MPH then the SF is 1.00. I believe the theoretical limit is 1.5, so 100 MPG club speed gets you 150 MPH ball speed. Thus it looks like something is off a bit But we are not talking about less than one percent error.
Here is the plan for a bit: Play pickleball on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings, then a short lunch, let my back recover from the pickleball, then off to the golf range in the afternoons to work on my shoulder turn. I have a launch monitor too and I'll see if I can record some data and see if I can make a change.
Phil and company are usually playing on Tuesday and Thursdays, so I'll be seeing if my golf training will bear any fruit.
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