It Was One of You Who Invented the Bleep October 17, 2006January 9, 2017 I know, I know. But I spent much of the day taking credit card contributions (we have an election coming up), so all I can offer is this: GUYS PULLING PLANES Bob Fyfe: ‘You and several other readers seemed to gang up on Joel Wacknov today, pointing out that having thousands of men pulling planes around the tarmac wouldn’t be a practical solution. When I read Joel’s comments, I didn’t believe that he was recommending that men pull commercial jets for the airlines, but rather suggesting that perhaps having an electric motor pull a plane might not be such an impressive feat. Are you so certain that GE or any number of other companies cannot do this same thing? Joel is apparently very knowledgeable in this field. If I’m searching correctly, he has six patents and has won an award for one of his designs. Perhaps rather than mocking his disbelief it would be wise to try to learn more from him as to why he is a non-believer.’ ☞ Thanks, Bob. I was not mocking so much as being playful – or at least that was my intent. For some reason, Boeing felt the demonstration was worth a press release. If it was an easy thing to have done, I’m not sure why they would not just have had GE do it a long time ago. Not to say I am able to judge the merits of any of this – which is why I routinely make a little playful fun of Borealis, too. I bought a bit more at $8 yesterday. I don’t understand motors, but I do (vaguely!) understand what iron ore is, and what $3 million is (the amount an institutional investor put up to help get the Roche Bay reserves to the next step) and what an ‘off-take agreement’ is (under which a British steel company showed serious interest in buying a great deal of that ore if it proves feasible) – so with each $8 Borealis share owning approximately one Roche Bay share (last traded at $14), I figure I’m getting Wheel Tug and the rest more or less ‘for free’ – all the while emphasizing that all this is, without question, VERY speculative (not to mention bizarre), and ONLY for those who can truly afford to lose what they bet. Joel, again: ‘I have no doubt the Chorus Motor pulled the airplane. My point was that it is not a particularly hard thing to do (even a human can do it). I agree that having men, women, or horses pull airplanes is not a great idea. But I do think you can make more money with a rickshaw business than Borealis will make!’ ☞ And it turns out – this is what really hurts – the guy Joel was referring to was not my recently deceased 737-pulling Malaysian, but rather, ‘the Guinness World Record holder David Huxley, who pulled a 747 (much, much heavier than a tiny 737 or 767) on October 15, 1997, in Sydney, Australia.’ AND YOU THOUGHT I HAD NO READERS IN IDAHO JJ Dion: ‘The purpose of this note is to let you know about my partner Bob’s nautical paintings. He retired from Boise-Cascade Corp. a few years ago and got back into his artwork, won a couple of ribbons at local competitions, and had a showing at a local gallery. Since we’ve only just moved from Boise north to the Coeur d’Alene area, his website [is the only practical way for most people to see his work]. So, if you’ve got a few minutes, have a look. There may be something gift-worthy for someone you know with a place by the shore.’ ☞ I don’t know whether I’m more surprised people move north from Boise, or that Idaho has a sea shore. OR READERS WHO CHANGED THE WORLD Richard Factor (on the subject of the FCC and Janet Jackson’s boob, yesterday): ‘I don’t remember if I ever told you that one of your readers (that would be me) invented the digital version of the ‘7-second delay.’ When the ‘wardrobe malfunction’ occurred, we did about a year’s worth of business in a few weeks.’