Backtalk 3/4/2010

March 2, 2010
A day without sunshine is like night.

Thoughts for the day
1.) A day without sunshine is like night.

2.) On the other hand you have different fingers.

3.) 42.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot.

4.) 99% of lawyers give the rest a bad name.

5.) Remember, half the people you know are below average.

6.) He who laughs last, thinks slowest.

7.) Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.

8.) The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in the trap.

9.) Support bacteria. They’re the only culture most people have.

10.) A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

11.) Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.

12.) If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.

13.) How many of you believe in psychokinesis? Raise my hand.

14.) Okay, so what’s the speed of dark?

15.) When everything is coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane.

16.) Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.

17.) How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?

18.) Eagles may soar, but weasels don’t get sucked into jet engines.

19.) What happens if you get scared half to death, twice?

20.) Why do psychics have to ask you your name?

21.) Inside every older person is a younger person wondering, “What the heck happened?”

22.) Just remember — if the world didn’t suck, we would all fall off.

23.) Light travels faster than sound. That’s why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

24.) Life isn’t like a box of chocolates. It’s more like a jar of jalapenos.

25.) What you do today might burn you tomorrow.

Mana La Solar racer on display
John Paul Mitchell Systems, the well-known hair-care products company, has donated its 1988 World Solar Challenge racer, the Mana La, to the Petersen Automotive Museum.

Built in Hawaii in 1987 by a team of environmental philanthropists including founders John Paul DeJoria and Paul Mitchell, the Mana La is powered by electricity generated when light strikes the photovoltaic cells that cover most of the car’s body. The innovative vehicle’s arched-wing was both aerodynamically efficient — harnessing the winds power to help propel it forward — and allowed solar cells to be placed to maximize energy output regardless of the sun’s position. These features let the ultralightweight racer reach a top speed of 85 mph, which made it a strong competitor in the 1988 World Solar Challenge, a 3,000-km race from Darwin to Adelaide, Australia.

Currently, the Mana La is in a single vehicle exhibit called, “What Will They Think of Next?” The exhibit ties the Museum’s first-floor Streetscape (a walk-through diorama of California’s rich automotive history) together with the Alternative Power Gallery. The Museum’s Alternative Power Gallery also includes other “green” vehicles such as the 1996 GM EV1, the 1963 Chrysler Turbine, and others powered by electricity, solar, fuel cells, steam, wood, and coal. Check out the Museum’s Web site at www.petersen.org.

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