"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
07/09/2019 at 11:38 • Filed to: None
7
36|
"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
07/09/2019 at 11:38 • Filed to: None | 7
| 36 |
Perot, right, with pilot J.W. Coburn. (Bettman/Corbis)
Born on June 27, 1930 in Texarkana, Texas, Ross Perot is best known as a billionaire businessman and twice-unsuccessful third-party presidential candidate. But Perot entered the annals of aviation history in 1981 when he took part in a world record circumnavigation of the globe by helicopter. In an effort to beat Australian Dick Smith, who had started his own attempt at a round-the-world helicopter flight, Perot purchased a stock
!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!
for $750,000, christened it
Spirit of Texas
, and modified the helicopter to hold more fuel, deployable pontoons, and upgraded navigational equipment. With pilot J.W. Coburn, the pair set out from Dallas on September 1 and made 56 refueling stops while crossing 26 countries and flying 26,000 miles before returning to Dallas. One stop was made aboard a container ship in 15-foot seas and 40 mph winds since Russia would not allow the team to land in the Soviet Union. Perot also paid for a
!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!
and crew to support the flight. The circumnavigation took a total of 246 flight hours at an average ground speed of 117 mph, and an overall average of 35 mph, setting a world record for flight time in a helicopter. The
Spirit of Texas
now resides at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.
(National Air and Space Museum)
davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
> ttyymmnn
07/09/2019 at 11:48 |
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Got almost 20% of the popular vote. Wish we had a independent 3rd candidate who could do that (or better) next year!
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ttyymmnn
> davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
07/09/2019 at 11:51 |
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He was no fan of NAFTA, either. Remember the “ giant sucking sound ?”
MonkeePuzzle
> ttyymmnn
07/09/2019 at 11:54 |
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the livery is so gloriously orange and brown and cream!
WilliamsSW
> davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
07/09/2019 at 11:57 |
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Probably could have done better with a better running mate choice, too...
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davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
> ttyymmnn
07/09/2019 at 12:02 |
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I was 14, so not quite as in-tune as I am now. =)
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ttyymmnn
> MonkeePuzzle
07/09/2019 at 12:06 |
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Because 1981. Could be a bit of the lighting, too.
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ttyymmnn
> davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
07/09/2019 at 12:07 |
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I was in graduate school.....
For Sweden
> ttyymmnn
07/09/2019 at 12:14 |
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Libertarians have the most exciting ways of burni ng fortunes
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davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
> ttyymmnn
07/09/2019 at 12:15 |
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I don’t miss being 14, but I did really enjoy years 5-7 of college (not grad school - ha!).
vondon302
> ttyymmnn
07/09/2019 at 12:16 |
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Hell of a life.
RIP
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vondon302
> davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
07/09/2019 at 12:19 |
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After him the Dems and GOP got together and made it almost impossible for a third party to run.
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ttyymmnn
> davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
07/09/2019 at 12:20 |
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My undergrad was 5 years, but I started at one school with no idea what I wanted to do, then transferred to a better school to study music. Then three years of grad school, and even more getting a doctorate. Except for a year off working, I was in college from 1984-1999.
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ttyymmnn
> vondon302
07/09/2019 at 12:20 |
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Indeed.
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davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
> vondon302
07/09/2019 at 12:22 |
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SAD!
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davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
> ttyymmnn
07/09/2019 at 12:27 |
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That’s a lot! I spent 3 years chasing an engineering degree (I knew it was the wrong path after 1), one more year at the same school taking basic classes to ease transfer (and waiting for Mrs. addiction to graduate), 3 years after transferring getting my graphic design degree, and then went back many years later for a graduate level certificate in GIS.
My brother, who’s 11 years older than me, is currently working on his doctorate.
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ttyymmnn
> davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
07/09/2019 at 12:46 |
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I have played trumpet since 4th grade (1974!), but gave it up in high school. I had wanted to go into cartography, but didn’t get accepted to the two schools I applied to because my HS grades sucked. So I went to the local uni and just started taking classes, and they started throwing money at me to play in the band, pep band, etc. After a year and a half spent realizing that I sucked at math and science, and then realizing that all I could do was play trumpet, I decided to do that. I still think I would have been very happy as a cartographer, but I was in love with the old hand-drawn maps, and I probably would not enjoy modern computer cartography as much.
facw
> ttyymmnn
07/09/2019 at 12:46 |
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Flat taxes are a bad idea!
MattHurting
> ttyymmnn
07/09/2019 at 12:57 |
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My degree is in Geography and specialization in Cartography. I did that for years, then was tasked as a Project Manager. I would rather be making maps again.
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ttyymmnn
> MattHurting
07/09/2019 at 13:04 |
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My degree is in Geography and specialization in Cartography.
That was my original plan. And being a manager sucks. When I was in grad school, I worked at Kinkos and ran the big production machines. I was really good at it. Then they made me a shift supervisor. I still ran the machines, but I also had to deal with employees, and that flat out sucked.
DipodomysDeserti
> For Sweden
07/09/2019 at 13:46 |
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By running for president as moderates?
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davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
> ttyymmnn
07/09/2019 at 13:49 |
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We’ve talked maps some before. Happy that the trumpet worked out so well for you, but I think you should consider making maps as a hobby sometime. I think you’d enjoy it! If you love the handwork aspect of old maps, you could always add labels or illustrations by hand after you print your base map. https://www.esri.com/en-us/arcgis/products/arcgis-for-personal-use
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For Sweden
> DipodomysDeserti
07/09/2019 at 13:57 |
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Mr. Ban NAFTA was not a moderate
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ttyymmnn
> davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
07/09/2019 at 14:00 |
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I came to cartography after doing drafting and surveying work in high school. And I had already fallen in love with the war maps in my WWII history books. Nowadays, I scratch my itch for precision and drafting and that sort of thing by typesetting music. There is a very similar attention to detail and minutiae in it.
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davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
> ttyymmnn
07/09/2019 at 14:13 |
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Loved drafting in HS and surveying was an early class in college. National Geographic definitely gave me the bug as a kid. Graphic design - especially logo design - fulfills a similar role for me (I haven’t done enough in recent months & years).
My kids are just now starting piano lessons (at 12 & 10). A little late maybe, but they have a great teacher and I’m really glad they’re enjoying it, and that they’ll learn to read music - and maybe even write some!
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ttyymmnn
> davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
07/09/2019 at 14:20 |
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Never too late to start. Even if they don’t turn into concert pianists, there is important higher-level brain stuff going on there, processing, coordination, all of it. I wish I could play piano. I had to pass a certain level of proficiency to get my degree, but it was minimal. The piano is the fundamental instrument of all musicians, like the typewriter (keyboard) for the businessman. Nowadays, everybody should be able to type.
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DipodomysDeserti
> For Sweden
07/09/2019 at 14:51 |
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Of course. Noted Libertarians Barak Obama and Hillary Clinton have also come out in opposition to NAFTA over the years.
And in true Libertarian fashion, Perot supported an assault weapons ban and federally subsidized abortions.
Guy could have ran for the Democratic nomination in ‘08.
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For Sweden
> DipodomysDeserti
07/09/2019 at 14:52 |
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They also had bad opinions on NAFTA, yes.
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DipodomysDeserti
> For Sweden
07/09/2019 at 15:02 |
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Libertarian views, apparently. I was only a wee guy then, but I thought ‘90s Libertarians got in shootouts with the FBI and blew up federal buildings.
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davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
> ttyymmnn
07/09/2019 at 15:31 |
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Never too late to start. =)
It definitely is a great skill to nurture. My dad was a fantastic pianist & organist, and I took lessons for many years, and got quite good as a kid, but then lost pretty much everything. I have a good ear, and I can plunk out some melodies here and there, but I n eed to get back into it.
I like equating it with the keyboard. Wouldn’t it be great if all students learned how to read music and play the piano as well as they learn to type?
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ttyymmnn
> davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
07/09/2019 at 15:38 |
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Never too late to start. =)
My favorite example of this comes from tennis coach and TV presenter Vic Braden. He used to say, “If you start playing tennis at age 60, the USTA has a tournament for players 80 and over. That means you have 20 years to practice.”
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davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
> ttyymmnn
07/09/2019 at 15:46 |
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That’s great. I also need to get back into playing tennis...
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ttyymmnn
> davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
07/09/2019 at 16:58 |
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I was always better at racquetball. It’s easier when it doesn’t matter as much where you hit the ball.
ranwhenparked
> vondon302
07/09/2019 at 19:42 |
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Nowadays, the only way to run as a 3rd party candidate is to join one of the major parties and try to hijack their primary, eg Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders.
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ranwhenparked
> For Sweden
07/09/2019 at 19:44 |
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Before NAFTA was enacted, I don’t know that that was an extremist view. It wasn’t the status quo yet, and there was a lot of skepticism from both poles of the political spectrum, although mainstream politicians were pretty much universal in support.
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ranwhenparked
> ttyymmnn
07/09/2019 at 19:49 |
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For a car connection, he sold Electronic Data Systems to General Motors in a friendly takeover and gained a seat on GM’s board as a result, becoming one of the company’s largest individual shareholders. It was part of Roger Smith’s efforts to improve GM’s technological capabilities while also developing new non-automotive revenue streams. But, Perot clashed repeatedly with Smith over what he (and Michael Moore, and almost every other sentient being on the planet) recognized as Smith’s complete and total mismanagement and ineptitude that was putting GM on a path to bankruptcy. Perot eventually resigned his seat, cashed out his shares, and started up a new c ompany, Perot Systems, to compete with his old one.
wafflesnfalafel
> ttyymmnn
07/09/2019 at 23:01 |
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one damn proactive guy -