^ I've seen those in a couple of police chase videos. They work great.
Another relatively new tool is the "grappler," a device that snags the rear wheel of suspect vehicle, and pulls it in like a cowboy roping a steer. Mesa, AZ has been using it for a while. It does not solve the problem of high speed chases, but it does provide an alternative to performing a PIT maneuver.
Below I've linked a video directly to the time when the grappler is deployed. It opens in a new window.
Funny thing, just the other weekend I had watched âBack to the Futureâ after not seeing it for about 6 years. What a great movie. There are some pretty stupid moments, my most cringeworthy being the first momentâŚ.
[ rant ]
âWhoa⌠rock-n-roll!â after Marty blew up that giant speaker, having cranked up every dial on the amplifier & controllers. That took some stellar stupidity, not to mention heâd have blown out his hearing or at least suffered tinnitus for the rest of his life. It was such an out-of-place scene that didnât make much sense for setting up Martyâs character.
[ /rant ]
So much worked so well in this movieâhad no idea how close-to-the-bone it was. Stoltz actually looked a bit like Michael J. Fox, with more narrow cheekbones. But itâs amazing how a talented actor can be such a bad fit for a movie. I think maybe it was just where Stoltz was in his personal development. Later, heâd go on to do movies across many genres, including comedies. I wonder if he ever has regrets that he couldnât come up with the right persona for Marty in Back To The Future.
Crispin Glover⌠what a nut! Perfectly cast for that role, despite being so difficult to direct. Itâs no wonder his career floundered for a while after that. Although certainly cemented as a character actor, he has redeemed himself enough where the BTTF director (Zemeckis) would work with him again 22 years later. Crispin has done some pretty good work. Heâs perfect for macabre roles.
The sequels⌠meh. I did like Back To The Future II, simply for the reunion of cast members and the clever reusing of original movie footage. But despite the expanded budget, there was a lot of silliness. Especially the ridiculous cat-mouse chase of the Sports Almanac. Not as good as the first, but still fun. The third? I sort of wish theyâd gone this route for the second BTTF movie. Exploring Doc Brown wouldâve been better than Biff. And I think they couldâve done a little better job with the story to make it fit as a sequel to the first. Interesting to see the Rotten Tomatoes Ratings:
table(table#posts).
| MOVIE | RT score | Audience |
|Back to the Future | 97 | 94 |
|Back to the Future II | 63 |85 |
|Back to the Future III | 80 |78 |
I wouldnât give BTTF-II an 85. Thatâs overly generous. More like between 70~75.
I donât know if there are any Weird Al Yankovic fans here. But apparently he made a movie about himself with Daniel Radcliffe. It sounds pretty good. I think Radcliffe was perfectly cast. The two appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers.
I have a rule about hiking: If a simple trip and fall could kill me, I can't hike there!
So rock climbing is completely out of the question. Respect for those who can do it
Regular Northwest Face of Half Dome
In a process called exfoliation, granite slabs peel off like layers off an onion. The "Thank God Ledge" on Half Dome is a classic example. Sooner or later the whole thing will come down in a huge rock fall.
In 2015, such a fall "altered" pitches 10 and 11 of the "Regular Northwest Face of Half Dome." The Thank God Ledge is pitch 20.
That's a good mental picture. Just like a cartoon character who saws off the limb where he stands, the climber stuffs in a wedge that knocks down his perch! As much as I like the image, however, what really happens is that rain water gets trapped deep in the crevices. When it freezes, it expands with a force that can crack solid granite.
If you get the chance, try hiking the trail to the top of Yosemite Falls. It's brutally steep, but short, only about 3½ miles. The views, of course, are spectacular. The best time to go is spring, while the waterfalls are still flowing.
The trail is generally very safe, but there is a stretch near the top where a sign warns about some of that exfoliation that came down on a hiker (not a climber!) who was killed in a 1996 rock fall. When you look up, you see a whole bunch more that seems ready to let go at any moment. And then you have to traverse underneath it for perhaps a quarter mile!
No worries! No one has been killed there for at least 25 years.
If I were a rich man, I'd make an annual pilgrimage to the Ahwahnee Hotel. Some of the rooms there have a view of Half Dome right out the window. Of course, so do many of the nearby campsites, if you can get a reservation.
