| Now that's an evening. |
[Apr. 20th, 2009|09:28 pm] |
It was stupid hot in San Francisco today. Mid-80s. (No, there was no humidity but remember that most of the city does not have air conditioners. Nor does it generally need them)
Fortunately, after my run down to the ocean, this was the perfect time to wander up to my roof and enjoy a half bottle of wine while the sun set. That's what it's all about. |
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| Whoa! Shocker! |
[Feb. 17th, 2009|01:51 pm] |
It turns out that changing the day you're going to shut down the analog TV signal 2 weeks before you were supposed to do it is CONFUSING. I'm shocked. Shocked!
Look, it's simple. The people who have not yet dealt with their DTV issues (via whatever) have had something like 4 years to do so. The only way to make them fix their problem is to break their TVs. End of story. Half breaking their TVs isn't going to help. |
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| I have now officially competed in a "motorsport" |
[Dec. 29th, 2008|12:21 am] |
Albeit in a 1965 Chevy Corvair in crap condition with a shift pattern of 1-2-4-3 (double clutching all the way. 2-3 didn't work, but 4-3 and 3-4 both work if you double clutch). Spun it twice, but I don't feel all that bad since I got to watch an Alfa Romeo eat it in my rearview mirror in the same spot as my second spin with an experienced racer at the wheel and there were dozens of spin outs in the location of my first spin (hard left hander coming over the top of a hill where you can't see the turn due to the shape. Apparently even more interesting on a motorcycle).
We won the "Most Likely to Go Home In An Ambulance" Award. Plans for next year are already under way. Think Corveyron! Because 4 carbs begs for 4 turbos! And maybe a working gearbox. |
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| (no subject) |
[Dec. 11th, 2008|11:12 pm] |
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I own a piece of clothing (several actually) that is clearly marked as "help[s] to prevent the need for skin grafts." How many people can say that? |
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| *sigh* |
[Nov. 21st, 2008|12:13 am] |
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So, I'm reading a first drive review of the Pontiac GXP and the reviewer loved it and comments that right when GM starts going out of business they start making good cars. This is, of course, untrue. They've been making good cars for awhile now. Unfortunately, they're called Holdens and they're only sold in the Australian market. The GXP is actually a copy of a Holden (the Holden looks better, but I like chunky cars. Pontiac rounds things out too much these days. They're like Honda---they can't leave a crease alone). |
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| It saddens me deeply... |
[Nov. 19th, 2008|10:03 pm] |
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... that the Audi S3 isn't sold in North America (So far as I know they don't sell 3-door A3 either, which is also sad). |
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| Things that suck and don't suck |
[Oct. 27th, 2008|11:57 pm] |
So, once more, my laptop's hard drive died (I've lost count of the number of drives I've killed over the years. The number is larger than you might hope. I think I just do a lot of HD intensive stuff). Anywho, as a result I'm paranoid. Total number of files lost? Maybe 2, about 35 minutes of computer time.
Things that do not suck:
OS X's Time Machine backup feature. Flawless. Not sure if the Time Capsule stuff is totally sorted yet, but that would be even more flawless since you don't plug it into anything.
Apple's "Genius Bar." They're generally pleasant people to deal with and willing to take me at my word that I actually know what I'm doing. I think the exact quote was "5-7 days? Hell, give me a screwdriver and I'll be out of your hair in 90 seconds." Rather than some bullshit I got "I'll be right back with your drive." 5 minutes later I was out the door. This one is a Fujitsu, hopefully it will fare better than the Seagate it replaces.
Also, my machine was literally one day out of warranty. Turns out Apple are more interested in good customer service and repeat customers (I'm on Mac #5 at this point so it must work) than being dicks about warranty periods. I did sign up for AppleCare since it's transferrable and my machines tend to be in use for a long time (even if not by me). The customer service is more or less why I buy Apple hardware, I don't care if it's more expensive (which it really isn't all things considered these days). |
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| A truly awesome idea |
[Oct. 25th, 2008|12:15 am] |
I don't think I've posted this here before, but I am presently involved in one of the Best Ideas of All Time. Basically, there's this race. It's like the 24 Hours of LeMans except with really crappy cars. I mean really crappy. Astoundingly crappy. Hence it is known as the 24 Hours of LeMons. Our entry is a 1965 Corvair Corsa. A truly magnificent beast. Air cooled boxer 6. Rear engine (mounted WAAAAYYYY out behind the rear tire in the tradition of the Porsche 911). 4 independent carbs (you heard me. 4 separate carbs). Rattle-can black. An interior so rusted you can press your hand through the sheet metal, except then you'll need to go get the lacerations stitched up (tetanus shot not required, it has nothing to do with rust per se. It has a lot to do with deep puncture wounds.). I'm sure Peter is deeply jealous.
Anyway, now that the grid is pretty much set we actually got some press from Jalopnik's LeMons beat reporter. The article is hilarious. The predictions in the comments even more so.
The most amazing part is that the Corvair is a surprisingly attractive car. The convertible Corsa from '65-'67, restored, would make an awesome vintage ride. (The cars look like small a '67-'68 Camaro, which replaced the Corvair). Even the '62-'64 convertible is cool looking, though somewhat lacking in the rear suspension department. |
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| Dear Automakers, |
[Oct. 14th, 2008|10:47 pm] |
Posting teaser shots of facelifts for your trucks is a waste of time. Trucks do not have styling. Trucks will never have styling. Especially these days with the tendency towards full-sized cabs on otherwise small trucks. You might as well just get a four door hatchback and rip off the back.
Also, teaser shots of the Prius are not interesting. The Prius is one of the worst modern cars I've ever driven (If we ever get it working, The Corvair is likely to be a worse car, but at least I'll be able to see). It's a blindspot on wheels. Apparently Toyota aren't going to take it out back and shoot it, but they're going to release a new version which they have teased with a picture of... a switch. Marked "open" and "close." I surmise that it will have doors.
On the other hand, I was a passenger in a Camry hybrid recently and it seemed perfectly reasonable---much higher general build quality than the Prius. Better seats. The control computer is still too high to use effectively, but they've got it in their heads that it should be high so you don't need to move your eyes too far from the windscreen. I would argue that you should put the important bits in the control cluster not on something in the center console so that it's part of the scan you need to have anyway, but that's just me. The rest can live where the radio does in German cars (so that the controls can be operated without having to move your hand too far from the shifter).
Also, kids working on concept cars, please work on concepts that are cool---well styled & functional---not the gimmicky crap you insist on producing. |
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| Still alive |
[Oct. 13th, 2008|11:22 pm] |
Crammed myself into a very tight swimsuit this weekend (similar to, but more durable than the ones you saw people wearing in the Olympics) and competed in my first pure swimming event. I ended up racing the 50m, 100m, 200m & 800m free individual events (I scratched the 400m, the event organizers were offer $1 refunds if we did and I wanted to go eat real food). I also did the 200m free men's relay, the 200m mixed IM relay (free leg) and the 400m mixed IM relay (free leg). It was a short course meters pool. I managed to put down 31.80 for the 50m and 1:08.8 for the 100m, a 2:32 for the 200m and an 11:15 for the 800m, which mostly means I got my ass handed to me since I was racing against real swimmers and we never had to get out of the pool and run around (that would have been AWESOME by the way).
I'm not sure if it was the suit or the fact that I race well, but those times are generally as fast or faster than my short course yards times even taking the dive into account. I suspect it also means I will be working harder in the pool since I'll be able to get away with less "but I'm just a triathlete" sandbaggery.
Now I have goal times for next year. |
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| So... |
[Aug. 7th, 2008|10:45 pm] |
There's a race held in various locales around the country. It's called the 24 Hours of LeMons. No, I didn't spell that incorrectly, the concept is very simple: 1. Get yourself a hoopty. A serious hoopty. Like a $500 hoopty. So hoopty it probably won't survive the race without major engine repairs at the track. 2. Install a roll cage (and a variety of other safety equipment depending on the car). 3. Go racing.
Which is why, apparently, a 1964 Corvair (quoth Jake: "This car has style points coming out of every orifice. Much like Byron at Laguna Seca.") will be coming to live with Team Unsafe At Any Speed for a while. Apparently the thing even mostly of runs, which is good because you can be docked laps for spending extra money on the car. |
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| Grumble |
[Aug. 1st, 2008|09:51 pm] |
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*sigh* Point and shoot cameras are so very disappointing. I feel the need to purchase a DSLR. What are people shooting with these days? I have an old gray market Euro N8008 (aka F801) and a couple of, what were at the time, pretty useful lenses and since the Nikon F-mount hasn't changed since 1977 (and is more-or-less compatible back to 1959) I'd sort of like to stay in the Nikon family. |
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| Oh, for the love of pete. |
[Jun. 17th, 2008|09:59 pm] |
Several things.
1) Seersucker OR high-necked zip-up sweatshirt. Not both. I don't care how expensive your sunglasses are it doesn't look good and it doesn't make sense. Also, the sweatshirt is going to bulge at the waist where the elastic is and make you look fat. I know Seersucker is apparently teh hotzor fabric this summer, but please.
2) I keep reading about microbe-based fuel production, be it hydrogen, petroleum (that was today), ethanol and what have you. Generally speaking, I approve of manipulating yeast and bacteria to do our bidding---we've had them domesticaed in the beer making process for a couple thousand years now. The problem seems to be that none of the labs can scale their bioreactors. Personally, I think they should call some fellows name of Busch and Coors. I hear they know a thing or two about scaling yeast-based industrial processes (despite the bad things I say about the American Light Lager, I will readily admit that it is one of the hardest beers in the world to produce especially at the tolerances achieved by the megabrewers). |
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| I approve |
[May. 31st, 2008|10:23 pm] |
Ah, a Netflix set-top box arrived in the mail today. Set up over our WiFi network took a couple of minutes and getting hooked up to Netflix took another minute. Now, I'm watching stuff that's coming down online. The quality is somewhere between SD and HD cable with quality "2" of 4 from the box (probably due to the WiFi instead of a wired connection). The movie got started in < 2 minutes without a hitch.
Works for me. |
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| Two Things |
[May. 23rd, 2008|10:02 pm] |
1. Driving home the other day there was an Amber Alert. But, the freeway sign was broken so there was, apparently, a Chili Abduction. I wonder how many alarms?
2. I got a packet saying I had qualified for the USAT All-American Honorable Mention in 2007. I didn't even know such a thing existed. Turns out that the top 5% of people in your Age Group qualify for All-American and 5-10% qualify for All-American Honorable Mention. Pretty cool and you get a nifty patch. My teammate Kendall also qualified (we're in the same AG) for AAHM as well.
Sort of makes me want to race more to see if I can break into All-American. |
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| Napa Valley Sprint Tri |
[May. 4th, 2008|09:40 pm] |
Today was the first race of my season, the Napa Valley Sprint Triathlon, which I was mostly just doing because my friend Mel was doing her very first triathlon and I was tagging along. But, hey, why not give it a shot? I figured most of the truly fast ex-pros would be at Wildflower this weekend anyway.
So, off the Lake Barryessa to do a little race. Basically, a super sprint with an 800m swim, 15mi bike and a 4mi run. With the new job I haven't been feeling like I can work out as much so I wasn't sure how things were going to go.
The water was pretty chilly, I doubt it was the claimed 68F but it wasn't cold enough to induce an ice-cream headache so it was probably somewhere in the 60s. The waves were self-seeded and I decided to sandbag in the front of the second wave for a couple of reasons. First, I like being in the chase position. Every time I've led a race I've gotten lost (not that this happens very often) so I have that fear. Second, I wasn't sure how things were going to go.
The swim went pretty well, I didn't post my fastest time ever but it was a pretty standard time for me. Looks like I was 27th fastest with a 12:23+ (fastest being a 10:24+) and 17th of the men. The transition area was uncomfortable in bare feet and I had a bit of trouble with the wetsuit getting caught on my timing chip so it took a good 2:38 to roll through transition, pretty slow.
The last few races I've been experimenting with a new bike strategy that can be summed up as "go hard and don't consciously save anything for the run." This, as you might expect, has really brought my bike times down and I ended passing a bunch of people and was in 7th place at the turnaround (remember, I probably started 3 minutes behind those 7 guys because I was in wave 2). On the way back I managed to pick off two more guys and almost got a third guy from Kain performance, but he blew past me on the last big downhill. This is fine, soon it will be time for the run and his fancy disk wheels can't help him there. He was looking pretty beat up the hills so I wasn't too worried. Overall, I made up some time on the leaders, posting the 2nd fastest overall bike time about two minutes behind the fastest bike time (who I beat by about 10 seconds out of the water).
Through transition again and by the time we were back out on the road I had hopped up into 4th place with 5 & 6 close behind. After the initial transition heaviness we wandered out into the hills. Hills and I have a love hate relationship. I hate doing them, but tend to do well in races that involve climbing some hills. It took 3 miles of the 4 mile course but I was feeling good and reeled in 3rd place. He slipped into my draft and we brought the pace up for the last mile, which was a net downhill and fast. I ended up posting the fastest run time of the day by about 20 seconds.
Overall, I ended up in 2nd place (1st in my age group since the 1st place guy is in his 40s) and feeling pretty good at the end of it all. It's nice to see that my running isn't hurting too much even after gaining about 10lbs over last season by spending so much time on the bike. It's really nice to see my bike times coming down and getting me in a good position for the run course where I can still make up time on similar competitors. Now if I can just get a minute or two off of my swim time, things will be perfect. :-) |
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| Odd |
[May. 2nd, 2008|09:00 pm] |
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I find myself the proud owner of a pair of size 10 Jagermeister flip-flops. Apparently, I am skilled in the stacking of small plastic cups. |
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| Happy Brithday to me. |
[Apr. 11th, 2008|12:25 pm] |
So, it's my birthday. In case I had forgotten, my coworkers had apparently arranged to remind me...
And no, I'm not dressed up. |
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| New TV |
[Apr. 2nd, 2008|11:35 pm] |
The cold war is over and I finally replaced our 13 year old 26" tube TV with a Samsung LNT4066 40" 1080p HDTV. We also upgraded Comcast to HD to take advantage of it.
I still have to calibrate the TV properly for the ambient light levels in the room, but with the upconverting DVD player (it was a deal with the TV, which was also on sale @ Best Buy), DVDs look a whole helluva lot better. At first the screen was WAY too bright and the lights were really blown out. Dropping things down and shifting the colors towards the red a bit seemed to help, especially when it comes to softening the artifacts introduced by the cable. Especially now that they're starting to cram 3 signals into a single QAM channel (which sucks). Happy early birthday to me.
At some point it will be time to investigate virtual surround sound systems since I can no longer be bothered to set up rear speaker systems. Right now they seem to be clustered around the $500 range. |
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