NYC Journal

We have the grandson and we have to take him to the doctor later. Oh-well.

I expect a set of Maxxis Minion DHF 2.5 wide tires for the Fat Chance Yo Eddy. This bike is getting mucho evil. I can see using this bike to conquer parts of Blue Mountain Preserve which is only 2 blocks away. The way I ride a mountain bike is basically strength training. Seems like my friend AJ is becoming a mentor of sorts. He sold me the Yo Eddy for $800.00 when the bike is worth about $2.5K.

How crazy is that? AJ said he knows I won’t sell or flip the bike.

Cal
 
Morning Devil Cal,

New 8x10 Kodak Basket Line Installed 1 by Nokton48, on Flickr

I have decided to finally set up by Kodak 8x10 Hard Rubber Tanks, with floating lids, and Kodak Film Baskets. I can do 18 8x10's in a run, or 48 sheets of 4x5. Or 18 rolls of 120 film in a go. I think I will start with Replenished D23 as a starter. I have 500 sheets of 8x10 HRU, as well as multiple boxes of various 8x10 films. I just bought a fresh box of Arista 200 8x10 (On Sale) which I think is FOMA 200. Also I have an 8x10 Kodak Hard Rubber Wash Tank, it is in the front right, hooked up well and running great. The fibreglass green sink came from a printing company used for $40. The long yellow sink I had 3D printed, it is for containing 55 Gallon Drums. Great as a darkroom sink, I paid a bit over $100 with shipping. Worth every penny.
 
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Devil Dan,

Of course your darkroom has mucho “you suck factor.” I’m so jealous: lots of space, tall ceilings, and all top gear.

I too have Kodak 3 1/2 gallon hard rubber tanks to exploit. The darkroom I’m designing will be long and skinny. I have these 2 inch thick rigid panels that have a radiant barrier on both sides that are an R-12. If I offset 1/2 or 3/8 plywood I think I could devise my own Structural Insulated Panels. That would be modular and easily screwed together.

Pretty much I could create a sealed envelope to mitigate dust. I only have 7 foot ceilings.
Nokton48 said:
Morning Devil Cal,

New 8x10 Kodak Basket Line Installed 1 by Nokton48, on Flickr

I have decided to finally set up by Kodak 8x10 Hard Rubber Tanks, with floating lids, and Kodak Film Baskets. I can do 18 8x10's in a run, or 48 sheets of 4x5. Or 18 rolls of 120 film in a go. I think I will start with Replenished D23 as a starter. I have 500 sheets of 8x10 HRU, as well as multiple boxes of various 8x10 films. I just bought a fresh box of Arista 200 8x10 (On Sale) which I think is FOMA 200. Also I have an 8x10 Kodak Hard Rubber Wash Tank, it is in the front right, hooked up well and running great. The fibreglass green sink came from a printing company used for $40. The long yellow sink I had 3D printed, it is for containing 55 Gallon Drums. Great as a darkroom sink, I paid a bit over $100 with shipping. Worth every penny.
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The only thing I might have over your 120 capabilities is I have 24 reel capability. Ha-ha. LOL.

I also found these rare 2x3 or 2 1/4x3 1/4 singe sheet film holders. I bought a large lot. I have 10 Graphmatics for mucho single sheet medium format shooting using my Baby Linhofs.

I think if I exploit what I already have that an old man shooting vintage/retro medium format cameras has a lot of style and makes a statement.

Perhaps for small format I’ll do digital and continue to print big to annoy people. I get a lot of pleasure by annoying people LOL.

Then again I have a reputation for shooting a lot and there’s nothing wrong with bulk loading Kodak 5222 and developing in Diafine.

I’m sure me having a darkroom and my digital studio set up again with my “Jersey Barrier” (Epson 7800 24 inch wide floor standing printer) and doing what I do with Piezography is the standard to meet/beat.

Cal
 
I can do 36 rolls of XX in replenished D23 in one go, I have enough reels. I want 9x12cm and 13x18cm Film Hangers, also some 18x24cm ones, for my European cameras and holders. And of course for 70mm!
 
Devil Dan,

I don’t have your 135 capabilities, but the cool thing with using “Slacker’s Brew” (Diafine) is that I can do mixed tanks of 135 and 120 because the times remain the same. The other bonus is that Diafine is Panthermic, meaning as long as my solutions are above 20 degrees C (68 degrees F) the developer temperature is not critical.

My Slacker’s Brew has a long shelf life, gets better with age and use, and does not require replenishment. Now you know why I call it Slacker’s Brew.

Diafine is a compensating developer, and one of the tricks is always-always overexpose. The Part “A” is basically just a soak, and developing only happens with Part “B.” The highlights are never blown because the highlights only retain so much part “A,” strong extended blacks are there, and by minimizing agitation a full midrange gets produced.

Basically Part “B” activates the Part “A” that got soaked in, and that is when development begins.

I tend to shoot like a large format shooter, where I optimize at time of exposure, and I want negatives that are easy to print that basically I can just straight print.

BTW Diafine works well with 5222 (my favorite), Tri-X, and Acros. With the first version Acros there is no reciprocy failure, and pretty much Diafine along with Acros is kinda unbeatable for bulb exposures and shooting at night. Expect wonderful mids under brutal high contrast lighting like when shooting at night.

Understand that a lot of detail is held in the mids, and pretty much 120 could be mistaken for large format, and 135 for medium format.

I found with Diafine minimizing agitation increases the mids by limiting contrast. Pretty much I try to emulate stand development with nice fluffy highlights, deep shadows and blacks, along with a very full midrange.

Know that I use this effect of expanded dynamic range in my digital printing. The look is of HDR but I’m shooting film. Kinda crazy.

I almost forgot: I get 400 ASA with 5222; 650 ASA with Tri-X; and I shoot Acros at bay-speed. Across has a longer time, but 5222 amnd Tri-X use the same times. No need for other films.

With Rollie 400 I found out it work best at lower than box speeds. Needs to be very generous with exposure. This is a cheap 70mm film that I did a lot of experimenting with in 120. I have mucho Linhof Cine backs for shooting mucho exposures without reloading.

BTW I would love to have a washer like you have. I need one

Cal
 
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Calzone said:
Nightlight,

During the Covid Lockdown we all suffered isolation. The idea is to have a safe space for having a voice, platform, and nothing crazy like Social Media.
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That is an enriching idea. Congrats on your journey so far, sounds like an interesting path full of achievements. I'll keep reading.
 
I mounted a set of 2.5 inch wide Maxxis Minions on the Fat Chance Yo Eddy. Mucho aggressive and looks mighty boss. The look is big-time evil.

I have to play with the bead seat on the rear wheel. There is some rubbing on both sides of the chain stays that is ever so slight that I need to get rid of. The tire when trued up to the rim should allow enough clearance. All I need to do is pressure down and manipulate the tire seat. EZ-PZ.

A 2.5 wide tire on a 26 inch mountain bike is not so common. 2.35 generally is the max on the rear. I’m being tricky and using basically two front tires for front and rear.

The bike gained about a pound and now weighs in at 24 pounds. Not too porky. The fat tires though will revive some cushion and mucho traction. Because I only weight 152 pounds I should be able to run pretty low pressures in the tires.

I also bought a new pro cable set to do some maintenance. I’ll also service the sticky shifters with old dried grease so they don’t get hung up and stuck.

Maybe Thursday or Friday I can get a ride in at Blue Mountain as a field trial. I feel I won’t be so underbiked on the technical terrain. Now that it is winter it is time to head into the woods.

The grandson is already a baby biker. Only 15 months old he already is a big eater too. I roasted half a chicken and showed it to him fresh off the grill. Fresh Rosemary was used over a coat of olive oil.

He B-lined to his high chair and tried to climb into it by himself. Also he is drawn to Maggie’s Yo Betty, and my Yo Eddy, and of course he wants to ride his red tricycle all the time. He already is turning into a hard core biker where eating and biking are the only important things to live for. He seems a lot less interested in his other toys, and pretty much his bike is his clear favorite.

I figured out that I could create temporary blocked pedals out of a section of 4x4 and drilling out the center. This would allow me to use the clip hardware that is OEM from 1977 and then be able to replace the original pedals when he grows a bit taller.

I don’t want him to be like his sister who is 9, does not know how to ride a two wheeler, and prefers riding a scooter. I’m grooming her brother, and he seems to be in love with biking.

Cal
 
I centered the rear tire better. No rubbing now, but not perfect. I think If I drop the pressure again and go for a short ride things will settle where they need to be. There is still some wobble, but no rubbing.

These Maxxis Minions have huge side knobs and all the knobs are kinda big. The cornering is kinda great according to reviews and this is a long standing rated best front tire ever, but they are heavy and on the burly side. Oh well.

Some riders like to ride the same tires front and back for the same ride characteristics and feel. They say as a rear tire that the braking isn’t as great as some tires specifically designed for the rear where most of the weight is carried.

I have always run the same tires front and rear, except for the Arrow Racing tire I use for the steel IBIS.

I guess I’m in the camp that runs the same tires front and rear.

Interesting to note that the Maxxis Minion in a 2.5 inch width is actually 26 3/4’ers inch in diameter. The Schwable Rocket Rons I had mounted have a 2.35 width, but are a full 27 inches in diameter.

The good with the Rocket Rons are that they are kinda light in weight and are designed as racing tires with a low rolling resistance, but the bad is that the knobs are not so big and aggressive and they are not so long wearing.

The Maxxis Minions are heavy, they are wide for big time traction and Cush, and their best feature is they turn as if on rails.

I think for Blue Mountain with all the rocks, roots and technical sections like rock gardens the wider heavier tire wins. On a less technical trail I think I would go with the Rocket Rons.

I’m kinda stoked having a fatter tire bike that will offer more cush and traction.

I’m kinda in love with the Yo Eddy.

Cal
 
The world is not that big. I checked my E-mail and someone called Jake who I met at a TED Talk Mid Atlantic event perhaps 7-8 years ago decided to ask me about how I am doing.

He had one of my cards I hand made that is actually a small print. I used a rubber stamp kit from Staples on the back for my contact information.

In the E-mail was a picture of this black man who was kinda cracked out and in our face in Harlem. I was with our friend John when we were confronted by this guy. We kinda learned we were in the wrong place at the wrong time and the Trevor Martin verdict just came out. That Jerk Zimmerman killed a kid and got away with shooting and killing him in Florida using a “Stand your ground” self defense law. We were way uptown in Harlem.

So this sky high guy kinda goes after John in a verbal attack. After a while I decide to shoot a sequence of 4 shots, one of the shots has just John’s fingers pointing at this angry guy like a gun, while the angry guy has his fingers in a similar gesture like a gun except he is kinda close to kissing his pointing finger in a manner that suggests “SHUT UP.”

Lots of tension and to top it off this hostile dude is wearing a black T-shirt that has a Phasor as from Star Trek with a statement “Don’t Phase Me Bro.”

Pretty much if you study the shot there are three guns. Then there is the finger pointing. You only see John’s hand, but you pick up on the racial tension. Almost like a real gun fight.

Oh I’m such a drama queen…

Anyways Jake is an engineer and motivational speaker. I don’t really remember very much about that TED Talk weekend where “Maggie” did a TED Talk. Pretty much you have about 11 minutes to speak and say something.

Another case of “I was just minding my own business…”

When was the last time someone contacted you out of the blue?

Strange, but true.

Cal
 
Calzone said:
I looked at an Audi RS5. What a car, but $90K and figure $100K with tax.
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Ahhh, memories.
Cal, I had an '03 RS6 Avant (wagon). One of the fastest station wagons Ive ever seen. 4.2 v8 turbo. Beast of a car.
Only had it for about a year, not sure why I sold it.
 
Fidel,

A RS6 Avant is mighty cool. It has major “you suck factor.”

At this level of either RS or “S” you also need a spare set of rims so you can have winter tires and summer tires.

Pretty much my A4 is just a compact car with some “executive” luxury that now I can’t live without. The heated leather seats have me spoiled.

My friend Cris the guitar builder has an Audi RS Avant likely from that era of yours. The former owner is a lawyer who’s father is a famous fine art painter. Bill wanted a new Porsche and the dealer gave a low ball offer on the RS Avant. Ended up my friend Cris ended up with the wagon as part of a trade/barter deal.

I like the performance that the 2 liter turbo has with the small body, but the car is a bit small. The back seat is really only big enough for children or very small adults. A S5 or RS5 is a better size for an old man.

I use this Techron fuel system cleaner once a month. It is an octane booster. Of course I have to use premium gas anyways, and I buy Mobil premium all the time for the detergent actions. Cheap gas and fuel injection is a bad idea to me. My old German mechanic taught me about using this additive to prevent clogging.

The Audi’s computer advances the timing for me, and pretty much it feels like a much more powerful car. It accelerates and pulls very aggressively, and when I use the Techron on a long highway trip I get 31 miles a gallon doing 70-75 MPH sustained, even in rolling hills upstate.

Anyways for touring a RS5 would be mighty cool. The A4 would be my “beater.”

I’m still excited about my 1966 Chevy C-10 longbed Fleetside. Snarky Joe’s idea of just getting the head overhauled has legs, and pretty much it would remain a barn find that is all OEM 1966 that would be just a local driver. The condition and lovely patina comes no better.

Needs a new wooden bed restoration, a patina preserving wax, and pretty much a head turner. The weight of a camper organically saged the OEM springs and oddly the front and rear tires are reversed to counter a kinda reverse rake that generally on a Chevy truck has a 2 inch rise in the back.

A front disc brake conversion would counter the reverse rake with drop spindles to either eliminate any rake or reintroduce a rather minor one. My idea would be to keep the factory OEM narrow steel wheels and ”dog-dish” hub caps. This would align with running skinny non low profile tires that would be period correct.

Pretty much, “If you want o stand out, don’t do what everyone else is doing,” meaning slamming the truck lower; using low profile wheelers and tires; converting a long bed to a short bed; and all the expensive trends that are in the truck magazines.

People are trying too hard to be cool and different, but they end up being like formulas that turn out to be all the same and rather boring.

I recognize that I have a truck that is now mucho rare that car buffs call a “survivor,” meaning a a vehicle that is factory correct, original, period correct, and hardly modified or updated. My truck has a lot of value added to the right person that wants to restore a truck because it does not need to be un-modded or un-hot-rodded.

Nothing wrong with having a mighty cool plan “B” and having cash sitting in the bank. Plan “B” is a complete upgrade and replacement of the entire drivetrain with all new Chevy truck crate motor (a 350 4-bolt with a 400 cubic inch crank for a 383 cubic inch displacement for high torque), a brand new T-56 close ration 4-speed with two overdrives, and a high performance rear end with upgraded disc brakes.

The turnkey motor and tranny is about $20K and that includes clutch, linkage and all the factory parts needed for an engineered clean installation. Figure about $4K-$5K for the new performance rear end with disc brakes.

On this resto-mod the wheels and tires would get updated, and the front brakes upgraded to mucho big rotors and six piston calipers. Add in a new aluminum radiator and electric fans for cooling. An A/C install.

Plan “B” is not only cooler than a new truck, but also is cost effective and less money than buying a bloated new truck.

I also know that my initial Plan “A” of just a local driver means I kinda have an investment that I could wheel or deal to raise cash. It still would be a barn find that remains a survivor. My plan “B” is a mighty strong pitch to the right buyer. I kinda know that my truck is pretty much a hard asset and a store of wealth.

Know that the full suspension and steering has been overhauled/replaced already. This was a lot of money that the previous own spent.

When the time is right, I’ll move forward.

Cal
 
I’m thinking that if a “soft” landing happens to the U.S. economy that pretty much I will coin the term “Inflation-Hangover” will occur. Pretty much the high inflated prices don’t correct and become lower, and pretty much high prices remain stagnating the economy to an extent. I’m kinda spinning off the term “stagflation.”

The low November jobs report indicates an economic slowdown and a cooling economy. Energy prices are low because of less demand from China despite wars and disruptions. How much of the low energy prices is due to a mild fall and so far a mild winter?

I’m not wanting a hard landing just to lower pricing and an economic “reset,” but I can realize and see how drastic the differences will be between either a hard or soft landing and it’s effect on inflation has a meaningful difference.

On the radar is debt difficulties that could explode into a crisis at any time, not only here, but also in China.

Another question is does the second largest economy matter? (China)

Bad policy upon mucho bad policy has been compounding in China for decades, and they have yet to experience a real recession. It will be mighty rude when the shoe drops. Eventually a collapse on a scale we have never-ever experienced could happen.

There is also an oversupply of housing in China and deflation. Two other big signs of trouble. What I’m saying is that China has at least three big problems, and likely the worst is the absence of “good-will” and foreign investment, a fourth big problem.

Even the Belt and Road programs have become massive blunders that fostered “ill-will” with saddling developing countries with debt with shoddy infrastructure projects that are already obsolete or falling apart. Some are so bad that they are or never will be operational. Total blunders.

So how isolated will the world be with a collapsing China? My guess is a country like Germany might suffer more than the U.S., and because the German economy is a hub of sorts for Europe, Europe might suffer the most pain, or perhaps more than the U.S.

I kinda also say that the U.S. housing market with a soft landing that prices and the housing shortage might remain intact for at least a decade or more. Pretty much a “hangover” effect that becomes a real problem for a persistent lower outcome of economic growth for an extended and perhaps unprecedented period of time.

Underbuilding since 2007-2008 is a period of 15 years, so pretty much 15 years of overbuilding I can’t see happening to catch up with demand. Then compound this with all the mortgages and refi’s that locked in people into their present homes that effectively makes the housing shortage worse.

Full disclosure: “Maggie” and I enjoy a 30 year mortgage that is well below 3% near the record low. Why would we ever sell?

Also if you look at the long-term interest rates of housing over periods of decades know and realize that the average interest rate on a 30 year mortgage is actually 7.49%. The headlines today that say “record high” interest rates pretty much is an inflated lie.

BTW like the winning of the Cold War, pretty much the U.S. destroyed the USSR economy by “overspending.” Ronald Ray-Gun doubled our defense spending from 2.5% to 5% at a time when the Soviet economy was only one trillion dollars and here in the U.S. the economy was three trillion GDP. Pretty much they went bankrupt.

Now consider the crazy binge the U.S. has enjoyed, the decades of what Greenspan called “Disinflation” where cheap goods from China bolster standard of livings even though wages stagnated through those decades. Globalization was the infrastructure that allowed prolonged sideways lateral movement for most Americans despite the decades of stagnant wages.

I kinda find it ironic is that yet again by elevated spending we here in the U.S. kinda destroyed an enemy economically by destroying their economy. I kinda see China is already in a death spiral, and that it was its own worse enemy. Compounded bad policy after bad policy.

Here in the U.S. we are not free from bad policy and debt problems, you have to consider that we so far have not been as dumb as China, but bad policy is bad policy.

Cal
 
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I graduated High School in 1976.

In 1973-1974 saw what double digit inflation was about, and double digit unemployment.

After high school it was difficult even getting a minimum wage job.

The FED under Paul Volker during the Carter administration purposely killed the economy. It caused Jimmy Carter the re-election and loss of a second term, and then Ronald Ray-Gun became President.

I would say that Ronald Ray-Gun benefited greatly by the reset and collapse that resulted from crazy-crazy interest rate hikes. I would even say Bush (the father) and Clinton enjoyed the prosperity.

I thought Reaganomics was a bad idea and was evil.

Without a hard reset pretty much I have seen enough that I believe a soft reset will cause inflation to kinda linger with a prevailing danger. A soft landing is not free from risk is what I’m saying.

Pretty much a soft landing is just a Spackle-Job. Lately the layers of Spackle have been pretty thick, think 2007-2008 and even more recently all the stimulus from the Covid lock-down/pandemic, and you have to wonder when structural integrity gets compromised.

Cal
 
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Cal,
Prices never go down. Well let's hope not because the devil is at the door if they do. It just that wages etc. adjust to the new 'normal'...
Joe
 
Joe,

During the credit crisis prices did decline. People were unloading treasures and heirlooms for no money in 2007-2008.

Deflation does happen when there is an oversupply. Pretty much stuff is sold on sale. Prices get cut drastically.

Oil prices are down even though OPEC+ is trying to curtail supply. Meanwhile the U.S. is ramping up supply and filling any gaps to basically keep the market flooded with oil. I think Texas oil futures broke below $70.00 a barrel today.

Prices do decline…

The normal for decades was stagnant wages. “Disinflation” meaning cheap Chinese goods and pretty much stuff sold at Walmart somewhat maintained the American standard of living. Wages never really adjusted for the bottom 80%.

The only adjustment to normal really was the “protected-class” meaning the upper top 20% of incomes increased. By my definition the Protected-Class are the segment of the population that is the investment class that are not living paycheck to paycheck. These are the people that have the incomes to multiply and profit.

This adjustment is how incomes are divided and the disparity of wealth that exists today. Don’t forget wages have been more or less stagnant for over 2 decades.

In China what is happening is deflation, a debt crisis that has yet to unfold, and a massive oversupply. Pretty much caused by some very-very bad policies. Oh Iforgot a real estate crisis, oh and a lack of foreign investment with capitol outflows.

There is an expression: ”When the U.S. economy sneezes, the world catches a cold.” Pretty much if we go into a recession it takes down others.

The question is the Chinese economy big enough to have that kind of influence on the rest of the world? I think it will profoundly effect Germany because it has an export economy, and China is their biggest trading partner.

Here in the U.S. our number one trading partner is now Mexico. China is now second.

When Germany goes into recession it effects the rest of Europe because it’s economy is so big.

I don’t see any way out for China but a downward spiral. The devil is at their door… Pretty much a crisis is sometime in the future.

By definition ”deflation is oversupply.”

You are right that there will be hell to pay if prices collapse. My posts are eyes wide open: in China things are not good; and I’m on high alert on the ripple effects around the world. Things could get messier in Europe when and if China goes into it’s first recession in decades.

Cal
 
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Joe,

Understood.

BTW at my Trader Joe’s I can buy a dozen large white eggs (no hormones/no antibiotics) for $1.49. This sale is all the time. Pretty much it is a “loss-leader” that gets people like me in the store. They of course make their money on other products that I buy.

Elsewhere a dozen eggs is $5.00 a dozen here in New York.

In China it seems like self inflicted wounds and dying of a thousand cuts.

How many bad policies can China make? History will mark a short “Second Cold War.”

Oh-well, another destroyed economy…

Cal
 
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