Now, I’m sure this report will be dismissed as right-wing propaganda, but it’s hard to argue when you’re simply seeing and hearing real politicians staking out their positions on Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.

Hertz Rental Cars — Terrible customer service

Here’s my email responding to an apology from Hertz Rental Cars:

Your response is unsatisfactory on two counts:

First, I’m surprised that Hertz is not offering me some type of compensation for my troubles. I reserved a car online, but when I arrived the morning of my trip was told that there was no car on the lot, nor any car nearby. This was a huge inconvenience on the morning of a 600-mile trip. Yet, this email simply says that you’re sorry. I’m surprised that you didn’t offer me any gesture of goodwill — not even coupon for 10 percent off future rentals.

Second, I spoke with a Hertz employee who told me my experience was not uncommon. Hertz, I was told, often promises cars to online customers that don’t actually exist in the real world. So, rather than a situation that “can sometimes develop,” this sounds like a systemic problem with your organization.

Sincerely,
Matt J. Duffy

We’ll see if that goes anywhere.

‘Impossible’ drive

Interesting article about a new type of space thruster:

To say that the “Emdrive” (short for “electromagnetic drive”) concept is controversial would be an understatement. According to Roger Shawyer, the British scientist who developed the concept, the drive converts electrical energy into thrust via microwaves, without violating any laws of physics. Many researchers believe otherwise. An article about the Emdrive in New Scientist magazine drew a massive volley of criticism. Scientists not only argued that Shawyer’s work was blatantly impossible, and that his reasoning was flawed. They also said the article should never have been published…

“It is well known that Roger Shawyer’s ‘electromagnetic relativity drive’ violates the law of conservation of momentum, making it simply the latest in a long line of ‘perpetuum mobiles’ that have been proposed and disproved for centuries,” wrote John Costella, an Australian physicist. “His analysis is rubbish and his ‘drive’ impossible.”

Shawyer stands by his theoretical work. His company, Satellite Propulsion Research (SPR), has constructed demonstration engines, which he says produce thrust using a tapering resonant cavity filled with microwaves. He is adamant that this is not a perpetual motion machine, and does not violate the law of conservation of momentum because different reference frames apply to the drive and the waves within it. Shawyer’s big challenge, he says, has been getting people who will actually look into his claims rather than simply dismissing them.

Such extravagant claims are usually associated with self-taught, backyard inventors claiming Einstein got it all wrong. But Shawyer is a scientist who has worked with radar and communication systems and was a program manager at European space company EADS Astrium; his work rests entirely on Einstein being right. The thrust is the result of a relativistic effect and would not occur under simple Newtonian physics.

Looks like the Chinese are going to build one — so, soon we’ll see if it’s rubbish after all.

Guerilla marketing in downtown Atlanta

NY Times — All the news that’s fit to print from anonymous sources

Today’s NY Times takes aim at John McCain’s campaign chief for his alleged role as a lobbyist for Freddie Mac. The McCain campaign takes umbrage with the reporting.

Avoiding a full-on entry into the truthiness of the NY Times account, I will note that the article only quotes one person on the record — Jill Hazelbaker, a spokeswoman for the McCain campaign.

The following quote from the Times article speaks volumes:

The two people with direct knowledge of Freddie Mac’s post-2005 contract with Mr. Davis spoke on condition of anonymity. Four outside consultants — three Democrats and a Republican, also speaking on condition of anonymity — said the arrangement was widely known among people involved in Freddie Mac’s efforts to influence policy makers.

So, the Times spoke to six people and could not convince one of them to go “on the record.”

As the paper’s own ombudsman has said before, anonymous sourcing isn’t good for credibility.

Given their battered image, perhaps The New York Times should hold off on these volatile stories until they can find officials who are willing to emerge from behind the curtain.

Chocolate Rain

So, I first heard this song a few days ago. Since then, I’ve been humming “Chocolate Rain” incessantly. IT’S DRIVING ME CRAZY!

Just thought I’d spread my pain. Click play at your own risk.

Electoral college ‘doomsday’?

Interesting scenario:

On Nov. 5, the presidential election winds up in a electoral-college tie, 269-269, the Democrat-controlled House picks Sen. Barack Obama as president, but the Senate, with former Democrat Joe Lieberman voting with Republicans, deadlocks at 50-50, so Vice President Dick Cheney steps in to break the tie to make Republican Sarah Palin his successor.

“Wow,” said longtime presidential historian Stephen Hess. “Wow, that would be amazing, wouldn’t it?”

Not sure Democrats would use the adjective “amazing.”

$700 billion — that’s a lot of money

Economist Dan Drezner joins a growing chorus of critics suggesting we delay cutting a check for $700 billion to the financial markets. He’s joined by right-leaning Williams Kristol and left-leaning Paul Krugman. So, maybe we should listen to these guys.

Space elevator

Wow. Looks like the Japanese are ready to seriously embark on a space elevator. They say it will be 22,000 miles long. Can that be right? It’s only 180 miles to earth orbit. At 22,000 miles, you’re one-tenth of the way to the moon…

Curtailing federal spending

Great long post from Instapundit on our current federal fiscal crisis:

It seems likely that no matter who is elected President, we’ll see higher taxes. But an awful lot of Americans don’t pay income taxes, or pay only very small amounts — and their numbers will grow under both the Obama and McCain tax plans. Raising top marginal rates won’t affect them. So if we’re to see shared sacrifice, what might that mean? It seems to me that shared sacrifice is not only about some people paying more to the federal government, but also about others taking less. And, yeah, that’ll hurt, but that’s what “sacrifice” is about, right?

There’s some evidence that Obama, at least, is quietly moving toward raising the Social Security retirement age. This is inevitable, and the sooner it happens the better. Adjustments should also be based on the cost of living, rather than wages, which would help keep increases under control.

I agree.

His best suggestion: A 10 percent across-the-board cut for the federal government. Georgia’s been making across-the-board cuts to its government budgets for the last six months. That’s what you do when your revenue decreases — you stop spending so much money. Only our federal government exists in a world where revenues don’t matter.

Perhaps a journalist could actually ask Obama and McCain about their thoughts on ending the deficit and paying off the federal debt.