The Great Reconciliation Undo Or How Bubbha Missed The Blue Dress On His Second Go Round

thebluedress

Disclaimer 1: This post NSFW (for slight reference to certain sex stuff).

Disclaimer 2: “Bubbha” is nickname given Bill Clinton.

There was a moment while listening to Bill Clinton bat an eye when the interviewer asked (out of the blue) about his grand past where I didn’t know whether to LMAO or LOL. But then, suddenly, Clinton’s whiteness was taking a turn for the worst: bright red was beginning to shine through that pickled and scarred bulbous nose.

Wait! When did he get a nose job, I asked my worst-self.

That’s when you know something is up, eh, dear worst-reader. I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen that Clinton red nose before. Anyone who lived through this man making blowjobs dinner table talk in my beloved & missed #Americant should know it, too. In fact, I’d fare to say it’s almost like a new fangled disease and Bill Clinton is the originator.

The angry red nose of über white people disease.

But before I get too far off subject.

What is the cause of Bill Clinton’s nose turning red during a simple interview where he’s actually trying to sell a book he co-wrote with a famous novelist? This nose-phenomenon is not totally unknown to many out there in the world. Reason? The cause of it is either severe embarrassment or less severe anger that begins and ends with… how blood is circulated through the male body. For some, the red nose of über white people disease is an everyday event. Your arteries begin to harden and the pressure in your veins increases. Who can tell what really goes on in the breathing carcass of #Americant males but I can only worst-guess it is akin to other human endeavours, albeit with less socially negative results. With that in mind, let’s get on with the sex, shall we?

Would I be amiss if I didn’t mention sex in a worst-post that tries to deal Bill Clinton? I mean, cum on her already. And while there, I’ve admitted that he’s probably the greatest politician of our time. And ain’t that how this whole thing got started? I mean, other than…

blue dress yes, swallow no

Imagine with me, dear worst-reader, how the whole ordeal came to be. For example, I’m now wondering if, not forgetting the cigar, she invited him in the hallway between the White House offices or if he told her:

Wait. I can’t cum in here, he said.

And I can’t swallow, she said.

In the hallway, then, he commanded and chiefed. And then he added with his zipper down, I can cum on you in the hallway if you don’t swallow.

Indeed. That’s how it came be. I mean, how was it back in the day when we (I) could make things work–down there–at the push of a popped blouse button or the sight of a blue dress. In fact, that last time I took the blue pill I immediately felt the constriction taking place in my non-Cuban little friend. It is indeed a constriction not unlike anger–or, perhaps, embarrassment–and it boils through your body seeking release. This, by-the-buy, is the difference between male and female, don’t you know. Is that, btw, what saves her (in the end)? Is that what keeps humanity’s head–as in give it–all about #metoo swallow or #metoo not swallow? Just blow your goo on my dress?

Ok. Enough worst-sex.

I’m pissed that Bill Clinton is back in the news and this is the only thing that can be talked about. I’m also pissed because he’s back in the news for having co-wrote a novel–which is code for somebody else writing it and he’s putting his name on it and he’ll probably get most of the proceeds from it, etc. Will I read the novel? Of course not. Will I read a review about it? Seems kind of inevitable.

Spoiler alert: It seems to suck, btw.

And yet this ageing and dilapidated white man with ugly bulbous orifice protruding red nose, the single white man that ushered in the era of GOP batt$hittery, is all over the news and he’s not there to be a politician.

Go the fcuk away Clintons!

Bill Clinton lost his $hit the other day when a reporter, IMHO, asked the wrong question about an issue that has nothing to do with the current issue that motivated the question: i.e. the #metoo movement. Obviously, in a world of so-called fake news–it wouldn’t be fake if it weren’t for the likes of Bill Clinton. But this reminded me of everything that is not only bad but also rotten in my beloved #Americant. And it’s all starting to get on my nerves. I mean, how much longer are we gonna have to live what Bill Clinton and his corporate, neoliberal ways that have ushered in #Trump & Co.? Is Clinton and his Frankenstein Monster (the GOP) gonna be around forever battling each other with pitchforks, shovels and tiki torches that spew cum all over us? I mean, since he started the whole thing wouldn’t it also be appropriate if it ended with him? This will not change because of a belated apology to #Americants and their blue-dress queen. Or will it?

Within a few moments after the compelling worst-question, the first thing I thought about was why/how the reporter could attach what Bill Clinton did with/to Monica Lewinsky with the (über) current #metoo movement that’s moved the world because of another president, specifically President Stupid (#Trump), and his entry into the political BJ realm that is GOP (post Reagan) afterbirth.

Wait, I thought. Is there a connection between the consensual activities of Lewinsky/Clinton and the non-consensual activities of Harvey Weinstein & Co.?

After a brief discussion with my better half and a few hours of contemplative worst-thought, I eventually reached an inner consensus–I think. This whole issue is not confusing because I cannot decided whether one abuser is better (or worse) than another abuser. Instead, this is about how to do deal with abusers of power? And so. The question asked of Bill Clinton that initially appealed to male sympathies tucked not too deep underneath my worst-psyche, is a legitimate question. In the end, it’s not about whether Bubbha (Bill) Clinton apologised for consensual misbehaviour with Ms. Lewinsky. Instead it is about whether or not a man of power abused that power. In Clinton’s case it was clear abuse. And then my wife ended the whole issue in my worst-mind with this: He should have just said no.

-Rant on

-T

Link that motivated this post:

Doing What’s Do-Able In Times Of #Trump And Too Much Freedom To Be Stupid

Believing in the power of knowledge has been a worst-mantra of mine for years. That’s probably why it’s so difficult for me to deal with the anti-intellectualism that has overcome my beloved & missed #Americant. I mean, what else could get a man like #Trump so far in this life? Or do you actually believe that intellect has something to do with all this idiocracy and reality-tv nation mis-state-hood? Wait. Did I just kill my own worst-question there? But on that note, I digress. For today’s worst-post deals with my most recent read. That’s right, dear worst-reader. I read this book last night and early this morning and enjoyed it thoroughly. Perhaps you can too–if you can still get it. (Btw, most recent search in online book store from hell shows it to be out of print but available as a used book.) Oh. And before I forget, pay special attention to the captions of two of the pics included above.

Rant on.

-T

PS And no! I’m not the one selling the book used on online books store from hell.

Apple v Pi Or How I Slowly Got My Computing Future On

I tried to become a watch-nut once. Not a real watch-nut, mind you. Of course not. A real watch-nut spends lots of money on watches. Heck, I don’t even like money. Anywho. A watch-nut knows what a complication is. In fact, that’s the only thing that made watches interesting to me. The simpler the complications, the better the watch. That’s why for years I wore a cheap, mechanical watch that within a twenty-four hour period lost at least two minutes of time. But it was a cool watch. Every morning I had to get up and wind it. Which brings me to the worst-subject of the day. As in super expensive and it works or something quite a bit cheaper and maybe, well, it loses two minutes of time a day. You in, dear worst-reader?

As you can see in the confused pics above, I consumed Apple’s #WWDC2018 the other day. Already dislocated from expectations, I was, as usual, disappointed in the show. Long worst-writer, pseudo-technologist, story short: #Apple sucks. The only consolation, as an Apple user, is that Apple will remain the best of the worst for the foreseeable future. That said, I’m not ready to fully go elsewhere for my personal computing needs. Or maybe I am. I’m especially not ready to go iOS. That’s for sure. And that’s what I got out of this year’s WWDC. In other words, if you’re an old-school Mac user like me, it’s probably time to move on or at least get ready to move over rover. That means, iOS is definitely gonna take over fairly soon. And even though the guy with the funny hair and plastic look (pic above of the iPad) claimed that there will be no merge of iOS and MacOS, I don’t believe him. Well, I kinda believe him. I mean, look at him. Compare him to the slimy, filthy ashtray that I refuse to clean behind him. The duschbags running Apple these days are definitely earning their weight in bull$hit. And that’s coming from a guy who has nothing but Apple products in his digital life. Aghast!

In order to prepare myself for the future I’ve been experimenting with what I consider the only true innovation in personal computing hardware in the past twenty years. And when I say personal computing I mean old school stuff as in a keyboard, a monitor and where necessary a mouse. And it doesn’t stop there. I’m also old school because I believe that when I buy a computer, what I do with it after purchase is all up to me. With that in mind, the thing I hate most about iOS and the direction computers are going is the touch screen interface and the fact that that it has exponentially increased the distance between human and the computer and device. Wow. I bet that’s worth a worst-thought or three, eh? Anywho.

Now don’t get me wrong, dear worst-reader. I’m not afraid of change. It’s just that I really do hate tablets. Nomatter how bright, clear and shinny they make those screens, for me there is something awfully wrong with my finger tips hitting a piece of hardened glass in order to interact with the/my digital world. Add to that the closed eco-system these new devices have ushered in to personal computing… at the behest of greed mongering corporations…

The thing to remember to keep in mind while reading this worst-post, dear worst-reader, is that nomatter what Apple does, worst-writer ain’t going to move to tablet computing anytime soon. In fact, so far, it looks like they’re gonna have to pry my dreams of old-school personal computing way of life out of my cold, dead, nightmare hands.

And so…

IMHO the most innovative personal computing product in years is the Raspberry Pi. Since its introduction as a code learning device for young people it has become a viable and versatile computer that has no rivals other than other single board computers, although it’s not quite ready to replace desktop computers. (But it is almost there.) And get this! It costs just under less than 40,-€.  Depending upon use and purpose, total cost of this device is around 100,-€, and that includes audio-boards, power supply and micro-sd cards. Considering what I’ve paid over the years for inevitably obsolete Apple products, that’s pretty impressive. FYI, I currently have three Raspberry Pi’s in full-time use in my house. And there’s this thought: I’m using R-Pis more than any of my Apple digital devices combined, except, maybe, my MacBook. In other worst-words, I’ve replaced what could have been Apple purchases–if Apple weren’t run by duschbags!–with some serious household cost-cutting purchases.

Enough worst-writer anger, though, eh.

One Pi is a Plex media client that has replaced one of my AppleTVs. It’s only a matter of time before another Pi replaces the other AppleTV. My second Pi is an audio streaming device using Volumio and a Hifiberry audio-board. It has 1) replaced iTunes for streaming music in our living room and kitchen and 2) will prevent us from having to buy any of those stupid little speaker thingies everybody and joe is pushing onto the music listening market. Sorry. Let me just put this out there:

Apple HomePod + iTunes + Apple Music + blah blah blah = fcuk you Apple.

That’s right. Finally. I can play my FLAC formatted music collection in its purest form–and with real air-moving speakers. Amen, brother.

The third Pi is the latest device available, the 3B+, and because it has increased ethernet capacity–although still via a bottlenecking USB 2.0 bus–I’ve been testing it as a NAS (network attached storage). Other than a few twerks and quirks here and there, these Pi’s work great and are slowly but surely proving themselves as alternatives to my ageing Apple home infrastructure and, more importantly, my unwillingness to accept Apple’s monopolisation of everything.

On that note, a few words about NAS on the cheap.

As you can see in the large pic above, I’m using a 2010 MacPro as a headless server. In fact, I’ve been using it for almost ten years. It’s where all of my household data is stored and backed-up. Of course, I know it’s time is limited, especially considering what Apple is doing with MacOS. It’s currently running El Capitan and I’m not even gonna bother with Sierra or High Sierra for it or any other OS. What I’d really like to do with it is stop wasting it as a over-energy-consumptive server and re-install Snow Leopard on it and just use it as a awesome desktop computer. Any by-the-buy, the newest MacOS just released, Mojave, won’t run on it at all. Indeed. More obsoletism. And for those interested, I don’t favour going the commercial NAS route i.e. Synology & Co. on account they are just an added complication in something that should be simple, where do I go in the future with my home digital needs they all seem like over priced and over complicated un-neccessities.

The fact that I have to even ask such a question is proof enough that there’s something seriously wrong with the world–or at least Apple’s and its, what I consider, corporate dysfunction. And perhaps this relates to my silly little watch analogy at the beginning of this post because when I heard that the latest Raspberry Pi had increased ethernet speed, albeit not quite gigabyte, I thought it finally time to take the plunge. Indeed. NAS here I cometh–even if you’re off two minutes each day!

Conclusion after about a month of Raspberry Pi NAS testing?

It works but…

Using OpenMediaVault, a 32GB micro-sd card, and a dedicated 5v-3amp micro-USB power supply, and, of course, numerous available HDDs I’ve got lying around–including really, really old USB 2.0 cases–my new cheap NAS is a go-go works great so far. Currently occupying two USB (out of 4) ports I have an old 750GB HDD in a single case that is dedicated to audio. Another dual HDD case that has hardware enabled RAID-0 case and 2x3TB drives in it, gives me a total of 6TB as an experimental backup server. I’m using testing the big drive for shares where I’ll be copying most of what’s on the MacPro to it as an alternative to the MacPro. Btw, the MacPro is a great server but it is obviously wasted in this role. Also, I’m not able to connect any of the Raspberry Pi’s to it unless via a Plex server. Something about Linux file systems and Mac files system not getting along, don’t you know. Anywho.

Hiccups so far mostly occur when I stream music and perform large data transfers. The Pi just doesn’t have enough ethernet/USB to make it all happen. For example. Copying my movie collection, which is about 1.5TB of data, from my MacPro to the big NAS share, the Pi then cannot deliver audio files at the same time. This screws up Volumio quite a bit and has required more than a few restarts and a few frustrating evenings where I was attempting to enjoy music. I’m assuming that these hiccups will decrease once I get all my music, movie and photos copied to the NAS, which is about 4TB total and will take a few days at current i/o bus speeds. And to think I’ve still got two more USB ports on the Pi for more drives… Cool.

Update two days later: All big files have been copied and I’ve had no hiccups with Volumio anymore. Über cool!

In worst-conclusion: So far I’m pleased with the time and effort required to get these Pi’s doing what I want working. And that’s the ticket, along with the price, if anyone wants to free themselves from monopolisation and corporate dysfunction galore. Of course there is a learning curve here. And even though there are forums out there and what feels like a large user base, the Raspberry Pi is not at all like any of the devices that I’m replacing. Obviously AppleTVs worked from the point-of-purchase until Apple makes them obsolete. So I’ve had to do a bit of research, reading and fiddling to get these Raspberry Pi’s to work. Then again, listening to Beethoven through real speakers in FLAC at 24bit streamed from a tiny server in my basement to a device that is hidden, tucked behind books on book shelf in my living room… Fcuk yeah! There is some wow going on in my audio listening pleasure zone, baby. And so. Good ridden monopoly Apple. Hope you choke on your duschbaggery and greed.

Rant on.

-T

PS As far as the two other pictures included in this post, you’re guess is a good as mine. The one with the runners is kinda cool and reminds somehow of Apple’s dysfunction. Yeah, that kid running along the group looks like he’s trying to keep up with his daddy or stop his daddy from running away from his mommy, which is most likely, considering #eurowasteland greed mongering, inevitable. The picture of the smoke stack is Apple, too. Yeah, it’s gotten that big and fat and in the way of seeing a horizon.

Bowing Faithfully To The Makers And Players Of “Just Say No”

Screen Shot 2018-06-02 at 07.25.00

I use to think the saddest part about being poor was the food. That must sound strange considering how much of the planet is desperate for food. Yet considering what some of the richest countries collectively ingest, perhaps it’s not too far fetched to make a comparison between what we eat and what eats us. Or?

fast-food + opiates = #Americant

Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy a greasy burger every once-a-once. But the idear of having to live off that $hit because a burger can cost so little? No thanks. Of course, long past my departure into expatriate-ville, I think I’ve gotten over fast-food–even though there is an unanswered lust every once-a-once. Indeed. Ingesting krapp is my heritage. And boy am I glad I never got into the drugs.

Previous post on similar issue here.

My beloved & missed #Americant is obsessed with ingesting krapp. In fact, it seems to have no end. And it most certainly doesn’t stop with fried burgers and oil soaked potatoes mash. Indeed. The national ingestion obsession is booming. Which brings me to legalised recreational designer drug abuse, baby. Now ain’t that a thang? But is it worse than fast-food? Or can the two be combined? Then again, with the onslaught of current lawsuits pending against greed mongering pharma companies–that looks a lot like the lawsuits against big tobacco–maybe fast-food will come out of this rejuvenated. No. Wait. I’m way off topic.

This is supposed to be a post about recent articles I’ve read concerning #Americant’s ingestion problems. Specifically addiction to serious hardcore drugs that are legally prescribed by doctors. Yet these drugs are no different than the illicit drugs of yesteryore. And that’s the ticket, ain’t it? It’s easy to answer the question of where these drugs come from. It all started illicitly via Asia, South America and, perhaps, in some places Ozzy & Harriet’s back yard. But then a few cocksucking greed mongers got wind of modernity and thought: why do drug lords in shady places get to make all the money off of the land of free to be stupid? Why can’t I make some money off it, too?

What was once illicit is long since legal. And big pharma boys have made a $hit kicking killing off it all. Which means the #Americant Way has won again. So get out there and put on that shinny cape and fly through the sky of your drug induced dreams. And every so often have a stop at some place with golden arches and share a burger with a compatriot. And then sell him some of your surplus opiates. Yeah, baby. Let’s get high while killing the pain of being #Americant.

Rant on.

-T

Links that motivated this post:

The Collusion Illusion Mudpie And Other Ingredients Of The Land Of Free To Be Stupid Cake

Subtitle: Thoughts on recent email exchange with an old friend.

I do not think Trump’s collusion with Russia was about his wanting to be president. It was, though, about the next level of dirty-pool conservatives are willing to play and/or tolerate in order to maintain the(ir) greed $hit show. The greed $hit show, by-the-buy, is what conservatives have been cultivating since Ronald Reagan. Obviously there are multitudes of #Americants that have fallen into a state of über-delusion here, not only for President Stupid and his antics, but also for what it is that Conservatism really represent. Indeed. Sucker born every minute? Americans all are just millionaires down on their luck. Get rich quick, baby. Etc.

And that’s all fine and well. I mean, I managed to get out of the greed $hit show while it was in infancy. And to be honest, even I am surprised at how it’s all developed in both a Orwellian and Huxley way. Which brings me directly to my forever next favourite rant when it comes to #Americant political chaos.

Did you know, dear worst-reader, that #Trump is not upholding and protecting the constitution? I mean, other than pardons and legislative veto, it’s really the only f’n job of the President. But then again, considering the state of #Americant, its lust for reality TV, WWE and, of course, money money money, is anyone really surprised at the state of democracy and the political abomination that it has mustered? With that in mind, after a recent exchange with an old friend (who is a closeted conservative that thinks gallivanting with liberals is something cool), the issue of the current Trump investigation and his collusion with Russians has gotten under my gander.

Above and beyond collusion with Russians regarding the 2016 election, here are the main things that President Stupid is doing in order to further not only his personal get-rich off of suckers presidency but also furthering the Republican greed $hit show galore–and reason enough to investigate the orange, ugly haired, abomination that is President Stupid. My only regret after all this will eventually end is that all the dumba$$ #Americants that enabled this, will walk scott-free enjoying Stupid-Cake forevermore. Or will they?

  • 14th Amendment (citizenship and guarantee of protection under the law)
  • 12th Amendment (the popular vote v. electoral college)
  • 1st Amendment (free speech and religion)
  • 5th Amendment (due process under the law; worst-writer is not sure about this one yet but I’m working on it)
  • Emolument clause (enrichment through his various businesses, family connections, etc.)
  • Pardons (there is a pattern of who is being pardoned)

The constitution was never meant to be an agenda platform, yet conservatives are doing their best to make it just that. I mean, do Angel Gabriel trumpets go off in your inner ear when conservatives and republicans–or #MAGA again again $hitkickers from the flyover states–claim free speech when neo-nazis, racists or religious bigots try to claim foul play when their voices are curbed? Or have you forgotten Charlottsville, VA. and President Stupid’s reaction to it? Or how about watching him speak at one of his so-called rallies? The way this man addresses a horde of mongrel-like automatons all dressed in Walmart made-in-china I’m With Stupid t-shirts has to be Joseph Goebbels’ well-timed grand wet dream. Combine a man like #Trump with the tentacles of the Republican Party and a pretty ugly, history-repeating political machine, I’m worst-guessing a pattern is beginning to emerge.

With that in mind, I have to give credit where it is due. Conservatives have been playing this/their dirty-pool game quite well for quite some time, especially since Ronald Reagan. (That’s right. Nixon didn’t play it well. But that’s a whole nother worst post.) Not only gerrymandering, politics in churches, and of course the projected (as in Freudian projection) of “liberal media” has served this dirty rotten wet-dream game well. All of that, to me, is really why Hillary and Dems lost and are still losing. Dems, as corruptible as they or may not be, just can’t play the $hit show like republicans can. (Heck, as far as I’m concerned, that’s reason enough to never vote anything conservative.) It’s also the reason I resort to generalising all forms of Stupid to explain everything American now, i.e. #Americant. A huuuuuge number of brain washed Americans (The Stupid; #Americants) are oblivious to the manipulation they face every day. But I suppose that would be the hardest thing to convince them of as I can so easily see it being such a far-fetched expat, stilted upon a pedestal of viewing the whole $hit show from thirty-thousand feet, albeit with a huuuuuge telescope to assist my view.

Fail upwards and all will be well.

#MAGA again again. Etc.

Of course, trying to get dirt on Hillary and/or simply making deals, positioning himself to make deals, etc., is what President Stupid (of land of free to be stupid) is all about. Or? And hey, good for him. Good for all you moneyed, greed-mongers. For your payday has come to pass. Yeah, baby. Trump is your payday and I can’t think of anything or anyone more deserving. But before I get too far off this worst-subject…

One of the things that really gets under my skin is how my beloved & missed #Americant has lost touch with liberalism. To me, liberalism is what made America great in the first place. It wasn’t industrialisation, it wasn’t the stock market, it most certainly wasn’t bluejeans, iPhones or the Wright Brothers. No. Liberalism, which is the only political connection to freedom, is why and how America came to be. And yet currently it is in a state of demonisation. So it’s no wonder that a worst-mind like mine can only refer to something that was once so cool as The Land Of Free To Be Stupid or #Americant. Or? Combine that with people who think a “liberal” can be a big-brother (the most conservative Orwellian tool there is) is astonishing. Indeed. That’s what my old friend claimed in our recent email exchange. He claimed that he never thought liberals would be arbiters of Big Brother. He thought it would be the conservatives. Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?

And so, there a lot of people out there that have been persuaded not only to misunderstand Orwell but also to be told what or how to think of or about him. Obviously this is another reason why someone like #Trump was able to get elected even though Hillary got almost 4 million more votes. But don’t get me wrong. Trump definitely won the election. The 12th Amendment and the Constitution worked, i.e. the electoral college worked. Yet there are so many people incapable of truly grasping and understanding what’s become of America that has obviously given way to the likes of Trump… I guess the power of money is the only truth left. And so. Allow me to paraphrase the likes of Mark Twain and any other liberal (as in free minded) person: every American is a millionaire down on his luck and a religious bigot waiting for his/her cocktail of stupidity cake en masse.

Or maybe not.

Rant on.

-T

Links that motivated this post:

Mini Clubman Über Fun And Electric Bike Cheat Galore Or How I Learned To Love A Car Hitch

Subtitle: This Is Not A Review Of A 2017 Mini Clubman.

Sometimes when I’m riding around on my e-bike I hear these voices. At first I didn’t make much of the voices. But then they grew, they increased, and although they never got louder, they became part of life. After having lived among #Eurowastelanders for so long, especially z’Germans, I’m not unaccustomed to these voices, don’t you know. But I am, every once-a-once, surprised by what these voices say. For example. Most recently these voices made rude comments about the bike I’m riding. “Oh, he’s on an e-bike,” someone smirked. Or. “Look. That doesn’t count. It’s an e-bike.” And then there’s my favourite. “Guido, if you buy me an e-bike I’ll fcuk your brains out,” said the Wessie-schlampe to her half Italian pseudo boyfriend as I roared past them at 25km/h. But let’s not weird out too much worst-writing about living in tax them by the pu$$y Europe.

Although in my first e-bike post I made the claim that we gave up our second car so that we could become a single car household, and now we have two cars (again), I did not lie. Even though we’re once again a two-car household–on account my better half did something useful with her recent work slash compensation bonus–this situation is only temporary. After next September we will once again be a single car household. That’s when we are giving up the scam that is German corporate cars via greed mongering leasing companies. In the meantime, I’ve been given the challenge by my better-half to get used to our new vehicle and, more importantly, get it ready to do what it is we need it to do. I’m referring, of course, to our continuing to be not only a single car household but also to rely on our e-bikes for all of our local transportation needs and even some of our longer distance needs. That is, I use my e-bike for almost all my household chores. Whether I’m grocery shopping, picking up packages, or meeting with people in the city, my transportation of choice is my e-bike. Unless, of course, I have to lug around a few cases of beer, water or large amounts dog food for Beckett, our little killer pug. But that’s neither here nor there. Since I just surpassed my first year of e-bike ownership, I can’t say that I’m disappointed in this source of transport. Now that we’ve added a really, really cool Mini Cooper Clubman to the mix–with a friggin hitch–things have only gotten cooler.

Long worst-writing story short, we bought a Mini that has a factory installed hitch. The hitch, btw, is as cool as the Mini. The hitch fits neatly under the boot floor along with the spare tyre. When needed the hitch clicks neatly underneath the rear bumper and is conveniently locked in place. I bought a bike hitch-rack (Westfalia) via an Amazon warehouse deal; most certainly saved 150,-€ there. Secured to the hitch, the bike rack hangs off the back of the Mini as though it was meant to hang nowhere else. In other words, we’ve tested this bike hitch with more than 2000km so far and all I can say is… f’n cool! Although I can see through the rear view mirror of the Mini how the bikes sometimes wobble and shake while on the autobahn, I’m over all my fears that the whole shebang would just drop off while on our way to Croatia (which we’re gonna do next September).

As you can see in the pics (above), not only are the bikes fully integrated as part of the Mini when on the hitch & rack, but there is also the convenience of being able to access the split doors of the Mini, albeit only one at a time. That is, I’ve since learned that in order to access the boot of the Mini in this configuration, one needs to be prepared. First, make sure you pack stuff in the rear that only needs access if you can’g get to what you need through one of the two rear side doors. Remember that this is a six door vehicle. The issue recently came up when I forgot that I had put my wallet in a bike bag in the rear. At a gas station I had to then drop the bikes (see pic above) to get it. Obviously it was no problem. This wouldn’t be so easy, though, if the Mini was fully packed when traveling longer distances. And so. Heed this. Only one of the rear Mini barn doors is accessible with this hitch & rack, so you should pack the car accordingly.

Another cool aspect of this Mini + e-bike rack layout is that when it’s activated the electronic connector of the rack (for the rear lights, blinkers, etc.) responds accordingly. The rear doors no longer respond to remote activation. The rear parking guide also shuts off and the driver is given a fancy signal inside the car saying, basically, when backing up… you’re on your own. Btw, remote activation of rear doors is kinda waaaaaay Mini-cool. That might sound like a bit of blowhard BS by someone that doesn’t own a friggin Mini, but let me tell you: I’ve already been out and about with this vehicle where I had to park it in tight spaces. If you activate those rear doors with the remote and they swing open, anything in their way will be slammed and, worst, the doors will be damaged. So hats off to BMW/Mini folks for getting the rear doors right when the hitch is activated. Now I have to get it right when there’s no hitch.

As far as driving 2000+km with this bike/rack system on a friggin Mini Cooper? At first I was nervous. How can that little hitch hold all this–especially when driving 100+km/h on the German (drive with your brakes) autobahn? The answer: no problem. The hitch is rated at being able to carry much more than two e-bikes. Of course, I remove all excess weight from the bikes before putting them on. The battery is removed. The computers of the bikes are removed. The Abus lock on my R&M Charger GX is also removed. If on longer drives, especially where rain is expected, I also remove the seats and cover any open orifices with God’s tape. I mean, duck-tape. All in all, when emptied, each bike is around 20 kilos. The (Westfalia) rack is rated at being able to carry 60 kilos. Yeah. This is a pretty cool way to carry bikes around–even if they’re e-bikes (that might not deserve to be carried around; but that’s another worst-post).

Rant (and ride safe) on.

-T

When Your Tickle Goes Bling Bling And Your Ears Say Ahhh

It took me a while. And it also took one of my micro-SD cards along with various installs, network wiring configs, a new fancy case and fun, fun, pure listening/audio fun. But before any of that, first things first. I’m finally NAS ready and my R-PI with Hifiberry Amp2 is the bomb! The initial install of OpenMediaVault, which I’m using as my NAS/Share source for my audio library, didn’t actually go all that well. Continuing my tech confusion streak, I made the mistake of tossing the first OMV install on account I found it too complicated. At the least, I wasn’t ready for the OMV interface. So while I proceeded to learn from OMVs website, you know, to get a bit informed about their software and how it works, I re-flashed the SD card back to RasPlex and suddenly the card was broke. At least I think it was broke. It was a 16GB card and after re-flashing it a utility tool informed me it had only 500MB of space. I tried everything. Erase. Partition. Erase and re-format in x-Fat and then in MS-DOS (or what ever’s available via Mac Disk Utility) and nothing happened. There was always only 500MB of space on what was supposed to be a 16GB card. Whaaa? Nomatter. I don’t have time for this. Plus I spent a few hours studying-up on the OMV site and after about two weeks (of casual reading of their doc pages), I was finally ready to give it another go. But then, out of the blue, I decided to support local retailers (as opposed to ordering from you-know-who online retailer from hell!) and jumped on my bike and road off to a local electronic store to buy a new micro-SD card. And get this, dear worst-reader. Would you believe that one of Germania’s largest tech stores doesn’t even carry a micro-SD card smaller than 32GB? Are you serious, I asked one of the store clerks. He informed me that I might have a problem getting such a small card anywhere. Ok. Fine. So I broke down and paid 16,-€ for a 32GB card–4x more capacity than I need for a OMV instal. I biked home, fought with the stupid mass produced packaging to free the card, slid it in the side of my 2015 MacBook Air (i7) and flash, flash, flash. I then proceeded to install the card in the R-PI 3B board. I hooked up ethernet cable and then the 5V 3amp dedicated micro USB power cable. According to OMV one is supposed to be patient as the software goes through the initial install. The readme.txt says I should give it at least forty minutes depending on speed of SD card and internet connection. So I set a timer and went off to be productive elsewhere. After about 36 minutes exactly, I woke up my MacBook Air, searched my network for a new IP address titled “raspberrypi” and… Boom! Long story short. I then hooked up an external 700GB Samsung HDD (which has got to be ten years old; which is also housed in a Icy-Box ext powered case) that has a copy of all my audio files (FLAC and MP3). I set up the network share with Samba and then opened Volumio. Again. Boom! Volumio immediately recognised the share and began indexing my music library. Oddly, Volumio seems to perform better with my music library using a network share. Previously I had the Icy-Box USB drive connected directly to the R-PI’s USB. Although Volumio worked fine with it, there were always hick-ups and duds. My guess is that Volumio wasn’t able to index the directly connected HDD as well as it can when connected by a network share. But that’s just a guess. The thing to remember is that when you have a house full of R-Pi’s, put them to good use. Btw, I’m really digging the R-PI3B+ as my new NAS device. Will be testing it by adding another HDD soon to see how it works as a backup system. And for those interested in how the Hifiberry Amp2 sounds? I’m tickled to-death with it. Together with the R-PI3B it is a fantastic low-cost audio device that delivers incredible audio, especially on high-sounding low-cost speakers like a pair of Pioneer BS22. And btw, even though I have rough beginning with some of this tech-krapp, the end result I’m experiencing is what tech should be all about.

Rant on.

-T