Just like it says, Popcorn Shorts is about the kind of things we think are really interesting, but don’t really need a large article to explain them. From the sublime to the ridiculous, check in here for crunchy bits of info you’ll love to munch. By the way, much (but not all) of our delicious Popcorn comes from articles we’ve posted on our Facebook page. If you’re on Facebook, please stop by and “Like” us and we’ll keep a fairly-constant-but-not-frequent-enough-to-be-annoying stream of these coming to your virtual door!
How to Mess With Nazis
Americans have been looking for ways to make newly resurgent Nazis crawl back under their rocks, and a look at what we did the first time we dealt with this problem could be useful. In 1944 the CIA (the OSS back then) created a booklet for citizens of enemy countries and occupied areas to fight the Nazis in their everyday lives. From business managers to telephone operators, they had advice for everyone. For example people in organizations should “attempt to make the committees as large and bureaucratic as possible”, and “hold conferences when there is more critical work to be done”. We’ve linked to the first article we saw on this, but you can read the original de-classified OSS document here.
Time’s Runs Out For Solar on Dec 31
If you’ve been thinking about solar power for your home or business, you need to finish thinking very quickly because many of Oregon’s most generous solar energy credits are about to expire. The Oregon residential solar tax credit goes away on Dec 31, and incentives from the Energy Trust of Oregon may shrink even faster. One of our guys just stopped procrastinating and used GreenLight Solar to put solar on his home. He picked them because they could do roofing and solar in the same project, as well as handling all the nasty tax and incentve paperwork. He had a great experience! There are lots of solar installers you could consider, but that’s the point… stop considering, and pick one before Dec 31!
Return To The Oregon Trail
Over 65 million people died on the Oregon Trail. Not on the Oregon Trail of the 1800’s, but on the Oregon Trail computer game. The 1971 game sold over 65 million copies and was inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame in 2016. Our Technician Andrew G. told us about a reboot from TravelOregon in which you load up the station wagon for a road trip around the state. Will you be a yoga teacher or a winemaker? Stock up on artisanal coffee or snow chains? Most importantly, what will your tombstone say? Kick back for some 8-bit fun with Travel Oregon: The Game, take a wagon train down memory lane with the original Oregon Trail game, or (just for fun) try the ORGAN Trail zombie version. Good luck, duck!
You Don’t Drive The Worst Car Ever. Here’s Proof.
Do you think you drive the worst car ever made? You don’t. Check out this video of a test drive of a 1951 Hoffmann. A couple lines from the review… When the Lane Motor Museum staff was asked to list the worst cars ever made, “…Only one car received a unanimous vote: the 1951 Hoffmann.” “…A general shape seemingly designed with either a gleeful disregard or outright contempt for both the human form and the laws of physics.” “…Every possible design decision made on this car is somehow the absolute worst decision you could make.” When you can’t afford a new car, a fresh tank of schaudenfraude can sometimes help.
