audi a4 dome light rattle

As it turns out it isn't the dome light that rattles so bad--it is the piece of plastic right behind it that covers the built in microphones (for the bluetooth that I don't have).
It's not actually that hard to take the whole thing apart but the steps at audiworld helped. I took the whole assembly apart which made it easy to snap the rattling mic cover off. I then stuck some double-sided tape (the puffy stuff for mounting pictures to frames) on the inside and re-assembled. Hopefully this fix will last longer than the dealer's did.

competition for government contracts

Competition for services is different that competition for goods
After hearing about that no government contract should be awarded sole source and that no contract should be cost-plus I have been thinking about what that might look like. The problem is competition for government contracts is not like competition in a normal marketplace. Most contracts aren't for widgets that are being built and the government is trying to buy a few--it is for a service. So it should be thought of more like hiring a home contractor or a doctor. Have you ever tried to get a fixed price contract with your doctor? Do you shop for a different doctor every time you feel sick?

I am not saying that all contracts should be sole source or that fixed price contracts are bad. I do find the lack of depth in the public conversation to be frustrating.

My wife is way smart (programmable thermostats)

A while back my wife and I were discussing how a programmable thermostat can save energy (money). I fell into the trap of thinking that it took just as much energy to heat back up as was saved while the house was cooling. She pointed out that savings is not while cooling down or heating up but while the house is sitting at the cooler temperature. In almost exactly the same words the Department of Energy says the same thing. She claims she's not a physicist--just that she studied physics--but I don't think I believe her, she thinks like a scientist, a super smart one.

I love you T.