12 months? For a car?!?

 

Tesla Model 3 - used w/o permission

I really want my last vehicle purchased - a VW Beetle named George - to be the last one that I buy that uses gasoline. For our purposes when I say "gas", I mean any hydrocarbon fuel (gasoline, diesel). However, the giant, deeply monied auto industry can't find one for me.

Like you didn't see this coming? 

One: No one should give a dealership money for the right to be on a list to consider a car that hasn't been built yet. In video games, that over fat industry has been addicted to pre-order culture for years. It makes no sense to pre order software that is digitally delivered. I admit, in this case, because of ongoing lack of availability, getting your name on the list may matter to you. It may be the only way you can get one. But for me personally, you're not getting a penny from me for a product that only exists in theory. Why should I bear the risk on this? Doesn't matter why. I am not going to.

Two: I need a car. There are 4 drivers and 2 vehicles in my house. And one of them is a very old, very not eco friendly "mini" van.(1) I'm torn by this. There is still a supply chain problem, but I can get a gasoline vehicle in a few weeks. This is OK, if not ideal. And indicates a lack of shift on the supply side to meet demand. Why? Well, I'm not in those board rooms. I'll reserve my Oil Conspiracy Feelings.(3)

Three: Used? That's not a thing. I wish it was. It isn't. I have no problem buying a used vehicle. More than half of the vehicles I have owned have been used. I think a well maintained, used vehicle is an excellent way to avoid paying the "new" premium. If you know someone who has a Model 3 they've grown tired of, throw them my way.

I'm not a supply chain expert. I am a risk management expert. The autos industry has failed to manage a risk. And to appeal to their nature, they are leaving a lot of money on the table.

This is why we can't have nice things.(2)

The Keystone Province and the Political Ship of State

 

A photo of the MB Legislature/Manitoba Legislative Assembly

All right, I'm differently motivated. But that's not why we're here, is it.

We are about 15 months(3) away from an election at the provincial level here in Keystone (1). I've heard a rumor (unconfirmed, don't ask) that the right is about to make a move. This move is one I've been watching for, but I didn't write it down, so, fair ball, it's not mine. 

Fine.

So here's the thing. I've been watching a summary of the data for months, and it reflects a reality that most of us are probably aware of. Even if some of us would never say it out loud. Keeping your chin up, as they say.

The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is going to lose this next election, possibly badly. The result may not end up being an historic loss (or historic win, depending on what colour your glasses are), but it is currently, statistically, a potential major victory for the Manitoba New Democratic Party.

And yes, in spite of having the best chance they have had in essentially 30 years, the Liberal Party (of Manitoba) is not going to "come up the middle". Or the flank. Or really at all. Sorry.(4)

In the meantime the PCMP (that seems cumbersome), has changed captains in an effort to at least give the impression of change. Out with the old. In with the new. This here is a brand new ship.

They then proceeded to attempt to reintroduce a legislative agenda (admittedly revised, watered, and renamed) that essentially signaled a desire to keep the ship moving in the same direction. In the mean time, hospitals are showing strain due to cuts and shortages. Schools are showing strain due to cuts and shortages. Ambulances are showing strain due to cuts and shortages. Roads are showing strain due to cuts and shortages. Mental health systems are showing strain due to cuts and shortages.

In case you need me to say it clearly: austerity is bad for people who don't have wealth. That's a whole different subject, really. Lets not get distracted.

While we've changed captains, we haven't changed crew, or executive, or mission, or even, really, direction. We're still pursuing an agenda of reduced public services - in a province where most people will be surprised to learn they can't afford to buy them themselves (hint: that's why we started doing public services). You think you can afford to pay for an MRI, or at least you figure you'll find the money somehow. You won't.

Importantly, the new captain is NOT NOTICIBLY MORE CHARISMATIC than their predecessor. In fact, they've been a bit of a smelly shoe. You know how it is. You go hiking. You think you're great. You go in to your mate's cottage for tea (or beverage of your choice, no judgment). And you take your shoes off. And you realize, that smell? It's you.

The shoe has started to smell. If you're me, you've been holding your nose for a while now, but you all know how I roll. The rumor(5) is that another change of captains may be in the works. A new pair of shoes (but if you don't change your socks...). A new course? Not unheard of.

My guess is the PCMP Ship (ship of PCMP?) has about 6 months to pull it off. Later than that and we're in the period where you should be presenting and defending your policy, attacking and eroding your competition's legitimacy as an alternative at the same time. Not making introductions (Dear Dougald...). Admittedly, this is a rough guess and not based on any real data. Call it a hunch.

Can they do it? Risky. Very risky.

Can they afford not to? Not unless gobs of people are lying to many different pollsters(2).

JP for 4th VP of the MGEU

Running in an election of any size is hard.

Now, if you're here because you're all "internet savvy" you're probably going to be disappointed. Most of the stuff here is about board games, video games, scifi and what not.

If you dig around enough you may find some political stuff, but it's going to be pretty tame (but don't let me stop you, I could use the page hits!).

Here's the only place you're getting the real low down.

1) Yes, I vote NDP, except that one time for strategy reasons. I'll regret it the rest of my life (the one strategic vote, not the NDP). I'm participating in a labour union. I'm not sure why you would expect anything else. Except politics in Canada can be crazy sometimes.

2) No, I don't think much of right wing politics, trickle down economics, or people who think civil rights aren't worth fighting for.

3) Climate change is a real thing. Science is a real thing.

4) I play mostly Space Marines and Necrons, but I've been known to paint tyranids and orks.

5) I have 4 great kids and a really great, tolerant wife.

6) I've lived in Manitoba my whole life. I've traveled a bit, sometimes far, but never for more than a week or two. Not a fan.

7) Beer, not whiskey.

I'm probably not going to do any more here during this campaign. Honestly, the inter tubes have moved on from blogs for the most part. Check out and follow me on facebook or twitter for the most current stuff.

Corel Draw 12 - Last Great Version

I had been upgraded all the way to X7. I have to say there are a lot of small things about X7 that I like. I never really got attached to the idea of software as a service.

I think it's too much to charge exactly the same amount for renting the software for a year as I would have paid by buying and paying two years worth of rent. Have just looked again. I see the rent is about the same, but full price is over 600. So I can pay 3 years rent, for a product that traditionally has a 2 year life cycle. I expect X9 will release in about 18 Months based on past experience.

But that's not what's really interesting*. I found my 12 install and key. Now one of the reasons I stopped using X5 was because after 5 re-installs, I wasn't able to use my key. So I could pay to unlock the software I "owned" or just upgrade. X7 had just come out, I could get a one year subscription rate for just less than half. Seemed like a good idea at the time. For one thing, now that X8 is out, I can just get that instead. Except now I have to buy another year. And then the one after that. And so on.

12, on the other hand, just installed. In between I've tried to explore "free" options. This is software I use for hobby work, so the less I pay the better. Free (or open source, in this case) isn't even close. I find this disappointing because I use Open Office for office work all the time. And although the Open Office word processor is not as refined as Word, it is very competent. Their vector drawing is rudimentary.

Now back to 12. I know this will come as a surprise, but other than how it interacts with the desktop environment, the main tool box of Corel Draw hasn't really changed that much from 3. Yes there are more tools, and some specific versions come bundled with things you'll never use. 7 or 9 came with a 3d modeling suite. Blender is open source, free and much more complete. For vector drawing, any version that works with your version of OS is probably not that much different than 3. 3 was released around Windows 3.1, so there's a very good chance it won't like Windows 10.

12, on the other hand, was released in the era of Windows XP. The only real drawback with 12 over X3 on is that there was no 64 bit version. I also remember it being unstable on Windows 7 and 8, which I believe may have been my primary motivation for moving to X3.

The real downside is all of my most recent work is now only X7 compatible. It's locked away from me. I suppose, logically this isn't different than paying for my electric bill. I pay that every month and the power keeps flowing. I stop paying and my house descends into the dark ages. On the other hand I don't see software like electricity or water. I don't consume it. It's a tool. Like a hammer, I expect it will be in my toolbox later today, tomorrow or next week. I don't like the idea of having to pay for my hammer every few months so I can keep using it.

On the other hand, if the price was more palatable, you might convince me. Netflix has.

*Of course, if you're not into the nuances of software marketing or how expensive productivity software is, it's really not very interesting at all.