Author Archives: Steve Mays
Don’t buy a Honda Element
I’ve been watching a lot of videos about the Honda Element in anticipation of getting one of my own in a couple of weeks. This is not a “how to” video, rather a semi-gushy tribute to the vehicle. Don’t miss the lyrics to the soundtrack.
UPDATE: Fans of the Honda Element have produced songs about the vehicle. I’ve found three so far (Objective Garage)
Box On Wheels
Everything It Has Got
In My Element
AI companies will fail
Following excerpts from an article by Cory Doctorow in The Guardian on January 18, 2026:
“The Al can’t do your job, but an Al salesman can convince your boss to fire you and replace you with an Al that can’t do your job.“
“Al is a bubble and it will burst. Most of the companies will fail. Most of the datacenters will be shuttered or sold for parts.“
The collapse of the Al bubble is going to be ugly. Seven Al companies currently account for more than a third of the stock market, and they endlessly pass around the same $100bn IOU. AI is the asbestos in the walls of our technological society, stuffed there with wild abandon by a finance sector and tech monopolists run amok. We will be excavating it for a generation or more.”
Twenty years on YouTube
I created my YouTube account on February 12, 2006. (It officially launched to the public on December 15, 2005) I’ve uploaded 604 videos in those twenty years. As difficult as it is to believe, YouTube says the channel has 1.13K subscribers. Collectively the videos have been viewed 1,238,880 times. Playlists include:
- Movies & TV
- Learfield
- KBOA
- People (interviews)
- SteveTV (goofy shit)
- Land Rover
- Yard & Garden
- Travel
- Dogs
- Uke Songs
- Screencasts
If someone asked me to describe my channel, I guess I’d say it’s like that cardboard box in the hall closet where you throw old Super 8 movies nobody watches twice. Here’s the description I posted:
Might be easier to explain what my YouTube channel is NOT. I’m not trying to build an audience. I’m not trying to make money. I’m not really trying to “engage.” On that point I should explain why I block most subscribers. In my experience, most just want to use the comments on my videos to spam. (I can’t recall the last time I got a benign or useful comment) When I remember check the NO COMMENTS box when posting a video.
LibraryThing: Legacy Libraries
I started using BookBuddy this past July but still catalog my books in LibraryThing. While tweaking an entry today I noticed I had been given the Vigesimal Veteran badge (awarded to members who have been using the site for more than twenty years).
While I have more than 1,000 books in my LibraryThing catalog, I don’t use many of the features of the site. When I do poke around a bit, I usually discover something interesting, like Legacy Libraries.
Legacy Libraries are the libraries of historical people (as well as a few institutions), entered into LibraryThing by dedicated members working from a variety of sources, including published bibliographies, auction catalogs, library holdings, manuscript lists, wills and probate inventories, and personal inspection of extant copies. The project began with Thomas Jefferson’s library, which a small group of volunteers began cataloging in September 2007.
It always pleases me to discover someone who shares my taste in books. Even more so if that person happens to be famous or noteworthy. Three examples: David Foster Wallace, Walker Percy and Terence McKenna.
