Had a thought…

Posted on June 19, 2011 by SJ

By no means is this an original thought, as I’m certain that others have come to the same conclusion…  A couple years ago, I had the opportunity to drive my friend’s electric Mini for a bit around town.  The car handled very well, had gobs of torque, and was just plain fun to drive.  The problem of course with any fully electric car is that they must be frequently recharged, such is the case with the Nissan Leaf which has an approximate 73 mile range according to the EPA and takes 8 hours to fully charge from 0.
My local Price Chopper has an electric vehicle charging station out front, which isn’t a bad thing if your groceries will fit in your electric car and you are there long enough to leech a significant charge off the grid.  Some corporations also have electric charging stations available for those workers who choose to drive on electrons rather than gasoline (yes, I know gasoline has electrons too, everything does).

The problem as I see it is that the electric car in all its glory cannot be used for long road trips – and that’s where the greatest benefit to the US economy would be found.  The economy doesn’t benefit as much from simple trips around town as it does from Americans getting out and exploring the open road – something which has declined over the past 10+ years as fuel prices have gone from reasonable to ridiculous.

Here’s my private industry solution to the range issues of electric vehicles – and it has nothing to do with the government…  Forget charging stations…  What manufacturers such as Nissan need to do is configure their vehicles with easily interchangable battery packs.  See, not only is the process of replacing the entire pack, or individual batteries within the pack a cumbersome task, it can only be done at specific Nissan Leaf dealers.

Forget that.  Tap into the mind of Preston Tucker here.  Engineer the battery pack so that it can be removed and replaced within 10 minutes at any Nissan dealership in the continental US, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Right there, your range goes from 73 miles per trip to… lets drive to Florida and stop every 70 or so miles.  That’s 15 stops on an 1100 mile trip from Warwick, NY to Daytona Beach, Florida.

What happens at every stop?  An opportunity to explore the local scenery of the localities you are briefly visiting.  Take a leak, stretch the legs, see the world.  The local and state economies benefit at each stop by the services and products sold to traveling consumers.

Now if every single automotive manufacturer with an EV option did this – the sales and use of EV’s would explode overnight.  Would it add some cost to the vehicles?  Sure.  Picture an option package which includes free swaps for the life of the vehicles powertrain warranty.

Take this one step further – standardized power supplies for EV’s.  Stop at any dealer and swap it out.  Free at your manufacturer, $15 (approximately 1/6th of the average $90/hr labor rate) at any approved dealer.  Utilize the existing network of auto dealers across the nation, pump more cash into local economies, and all it would take is an investment by each dealer (greatly subsidized by government tax breaks for those manufacturers that utilize standardized EV battery packs) to have charging stations capable of keeping an appropriate number of packs on hand.  Hell, put efficient solar cells on the roofs of these dealerships and its a completely clean and green setup.

For short trips, use available charging stations.  For road trips, use the dealer networks.  Mark my words folks – the first manufacturer to implement quick swap battery packs will be the first to completely dominate the EV market and seriously put a boot in the ass of OPEC.

Demand for gasoline will drop, cost per gallon will drop as supply exceeds demand, and those of us who choose to continue on with our traditional gasoline powered vehicles can do so without spending hundreds of dollars per month.

As new and more efficient power sources emerge – they’ll likely be smaller and lighter than the previous generation – make them compatible or adaptable to the previous generations EV’s.

Anyhow… that was my thought.  Quick swap / standardized battery packs for EV’s that can be changed at any dealership, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

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Duke Nukem Forever = WIN

Posted on June 18, 2011 by SJ

I haven’t read any of the reviews on this game yet, but on release day I picked it up from Steam for $50.  Setting aside the 12 year long drama that took place to release this title – a sequel to Duke Nukem 3D – I like it.

See, I’m tired of the FPS genre altogether.  To get me to play one for more than 20 minutes is an accomplishment, and DNF does that in droves.  It’s lude, crude, irreverent, and could probably make Joe Lieberman’s hemorrhoids flare up like Fat Man over Nagasaki.  Foul language, naked women, blood and guts, pop culture and the endless wit of Duke Nukem rapidly bring me back to the days of repeatedly handing a virtual stripper some digital cash to “shake it baby.”

Have no doubt, Duke is back to chew bubble gum and kick ass.  From the moment the game fires up, you’re hurtled into a battle with a massive boss in a decimated football stadium and it doesn’t slow down from there.  The enemies are challenging, the puzzles are simple yet fun, and it definitely “ups the ante” as far as the modern FPS is concerned.  The game consists of several acts, each consisting of various missions leading up to a major boss battle that generally involves figuring out how to hurt the boss, then hammering the crap out of them while trying to avoid being killed.

No tromping around for hours through dark corridors to solve a mystery, or spending most of your time walking and searching instead of killing – this is a classic FPS along the lines of Serious Sam or Bulletstorm.  Kill or be killed, while enjoying the ample C and D cup scenery.  The best analogy I can come up with for DNF is that it’s like Metallica took a break after the black album, and 12 years later dropped Death Magnetic on our heads without the rampant douchebaggery of blood soaked semen album covers ,the post rehab oil-drum symphony that was St.Anger, or Lars Ulrich’s one man stand against the .  Duke 3D raised eyebrows, pissed off the censors, then came back after a long and drawn out break to raise the bar yet again on just what is possible with a FPS when the developer really doesn’t give a shit what people say beyond providing a GAME that’s actually worth $50!

Ignore the pundits and reviews, try it out – you won’t be disappointed unless you’re a twat.

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Zen, and the art of the close call…

Posted on June 3, 2011 by SJ

Heading home from work today, I’m coming into Florida doing about 40mph, a couple carlengths off the Mitsubishi in front of me…  Up ahead, a UPS truck is waiting to hang a left out of a parking lot, and a tractor trailer is waiting to hang a right into the parking lot.  Then someone decides to do a courtesy stop.  Now normally, this isn’t a problem… but on a Friday afternoon when everyone is heading home from work on a busy road, it’s not too bright.

So the Pontiac stops short, and comes to a complete stop to let the UPS truck out.  The Mitsubishi behind them stops short and slams on the brakes.  I start to emergency stop behind the Mitsu, but I can’t slow fast enough, so I start to veer right and head for the grass, ready to take my first fall.  The Mitsu of course, still can’t stop in time for the Pontiac, so it starts to cut right at the same time I do, cutting me off.  I veer even harder right, into the grass.  After a bit of wobble I manage to slow and stop on the grass…  Mitsu on the grass behind me.  I slowly start to move again and the Mitsu AGAIN starts to cut me off after the Pontiac is already driving past me.

At this point I’m downright irate, so I just get on the gas and head down to turn around in the parking lot, when this jagoff puts his arms up at me like ‘WHAT THE !@#$’ – so I toot the horn, salute him, and continue on my way.

I wasn’t speeding, I wasn’t tailgating, I’ll have to work on my emergency stops a bit I think, but for the sake of all things holy, if there’s someone trying to pull out of your parking lot on a busy road at rush hour, and you have a line of cars behind you, LET THEM WAIT.

Posted in Annoyances, Driving, Motorcycle | Leave a comment

Well wonders never cease…

Posted on May 16, 2011 by SJ

In my ongoing expose of just how many of the drivers in my town are complete and under buffoons, we have the driver of a late 90’s teal Ford Ranger.

I’m heading back to work from a dentist’s appointment when I decide to stop at the Tuscan for a cup of coffee.  Before I make my turn, I activate my blinker and see a mother and daughter on the crosswalk bracing against the heavy rainfall blanketing the area.  I do what I normally do (what everyone should do) and come to a stop so they can cross.  As they begin to cross, another gentleman starts to cross from the opposite side of the road.

Then behind me, I hear a horn and see this nitwit flipping out, waving his hand, cursing at me for stopping, and then I suppose cursing at the people on the crosswalk for daring to hold him up for a whopping 15 seconds.

I’m sure everyone at one point or another has been behind a car at a crosswalk, not realizing why the car ahead of them has stopped, and impatiently honks.  It’s human nature.  But most will invariably let out an ‘oops’ and maybe even duck under their steering wheel out of embarrassment after making such a mistake.  This guy?  I don’t know what his deal was, but congratulations, you are tothemetal.net’s Asshole driver of the day!

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Still worth a chuckle…

Posted on May 13, 2011 by SJ

I’m heading home from PAC computers today after another vapor excursion when a black Dodge Charger R/T proceeds to ride up my ass like a proctologist funded by universal healthcare.  I slow down like I normally do, he backs off a bit.  We just about clear West Milford when he rips out over the double yellow and passes me right before the ambulance squad.  Wouldn’t you know it, there was a speed trap right after it, and in typical fashion – the cop doesn’t pull out.

I continue on my way, not in any rush, when inevitably I catch up to the Charger that is now stuck behind a Jeep with a trailer.  Inside, some shrimp dicked midlife crisis in progress is eyeing his rearview while flicking an analog cigarette out the window, oddly enough not really tailgating the trailer, instead slowing down so I can catch up.   I keep my distance since I’m not a teenager or an asshat, and eventually he ~chuckle~ follows the Jeep down Hoyt Rd… Of course not before stopping, and SLOWLY turning out of my lane to make sure I have to come to a complete stop.

So let me get this straight… you’re in a rush, you catch up to me (as I’m driving the second most pathetic creation ever devised by Chrysler at 5 over the speed limit), tailgate me, pass me illegally when you realize that I’m not going to play any games or speed up because I’m intimidated by the vast singularity hovering mere inches above your driver’s seat, then make a point after I’ve caught up because you’re an overzealous twat by slowing down and taking your sweet ass time to pull out of my way…

God I’m glad I grew up.

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Don’t stop moving… SERIOUSLY.

Posted on May 13, 2011 by SJ

Saw a game deal on Steam so I figured I’d try it… Serious Sam 1 and 2 for $10…  Name sounded familiar, but I’d never tried it.  My tolerance for the FPS genre in general has waned drastically over the years… after all, how many times can you run around and shoot the same shit over and over again before it just gets boring?  I’ve only been playing for about a half hour, and this is the first game I’ve played in YEARS that has actually had me JUMP cos they’re throwing so many enemies at me.  I must have exclaimed “JESUS CHRIST” at least a dozen times as they kept throwing bigger and badder monsters my way.

The graphics aren’t anything to brag about, but the gameplay harkens to the feel of the original Quake, and many other early ID software titles where the goal of the game wasn’t to make some sort of statement, just to survive.

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An Inconvenient Brew

Posted on May 11, 2011 by SJ

After much tooth gnashing, my office finally picked up a Keurig brewer.  I’ve had a Platinum 90 for several years now, it’s loud but reliable (newer models have near silent water pumps).  I love it because after the initial warmup, it will consistently crank out cups of coffee in about 15-20 seconds until the water reservoir runs low.  Refill it, and the steady flow of caffeinated awesomeness continues.

You could imagine my surprise when we started using the new B150 at my office that is directly fed water through a special adapter connected to our water supply – it was slower.  Much slower.  Most cups take over a minute to brew.  It’s frustrating because instead of walking in, getting a cup, and going back to work, you walk in, put in a k-cup, hit brew, and have time to add sweetener and creamer to the coffee – as well as catch up on last night’s box scores – before the coffee starts pouring out.

Being a geek, I was determined to see what was going on, why it was so slow…  From what I discovered, the boiler only holds about 4oz of water at a time.  That’s fine if you want a 4oz cup of coffee, but since most people want at least 10-12 ounces the B150 will pull in the water it needs, then heat it, then brew it.  It’s a horrible design.  Now the B150 on its own has a tank like any other Keurig pot but when you’re getting water straight from the supply – it gets bypassed for the most part.  Some water is pulled into it each time, but its only 4 ounces or so – not much.

It even has a mechanism within the tank so that it can be completely filled – and shut off – by a float switch similar to the ballcock in a toilet tank.  Here comes to most ridiculous part of this system… When the direct supply module is installed, the tank is sealed shut.  You need to remove some screws to actually access it.  I’ve manually filled the reservoir from the same supply – and the result?

Any size, 4oz to 12oz, brews within 10-15 seconds like my nearly 5 year old P90 at home.  Once the tank is empty again, it reverts back to the ridiculously slow method of feeding the boiler directly from the water supply.

I get the point of a direct-plumb kit for these, as if it worked correctly it would be a great convenience.  However, if we add up all the lost time wasted waiting for a cup of coffee to brew per user in a company and multiply that by the number of these direct-plumb kits in circulation – the amount of wasted time is unconscionable.  I went as far as contacting Keurig – they recommended I contact the vendor.  Even on the website advertising the B150, they plug it as being able to brew a new cup every 60 seconds with the direct plumb kit…

That’s not something I’d brag about considering the $50 one I can pick up at Walmart does it in 15 seconds flat.

Posted in Ramblings..., RANT | Leave a comment

Atomizer woes…

Posted on May 11, 2011 by SJ

Probably the biggest frustration there is as far as personal vaporizers (E-Cigarettes for the buzzwordy types) – is the method of actually turning those bottles of tasty nicotine into vapor.  It’s a simple enough concept, the cartridge has wicking material that holds the smoke juice, and the atomizer has a smaller wick that runs across a heating coil.  Hit the button, heat the coil, create wonderful vapor.  Problem is that for the most part I very rarely get consistent vapor across refills.

The stock cartridges I get use wool for wicking material.  This works already for a few fills, but eventually needs to be replaced as it simply stops wicking.  A common replacement is poly-fill (pure polyester, looks like cotton) that you can get at any pet store.  That works well too, for a while.  The one I’ve had the best luck with so far is this blue filter foam for fish tanks by Marineland “Rite Size U.”  Now while I went pretty mad scientist with my 510 carts, using a cut ball point pen spring and the blue foam as a plug – with my Ego vaporizer, the cartridges are about twice the size.

Looking online, there are plenty of really nice videos on how to use the blue foam as a wick, but none were specific to my model of vaporizer.  If I cut the foam at the exact width – it would wick OK but it also left gaps between 2 of the 4 walls of the cartridge, allowing the juice to leak out of the cartridge, flood the atomizer, and get all over the outside of my vaporizer.  If I cut the foam at double the width, and then folded it over so that it completely filled the surface area of the cartridge (looking like a C in the cartridge) – it would absorb the fluid but not wick well at all.

So my latest attempt, I trimmed the wicking material to just long enough to fill the cartridge, but 1.5x as wide as the cartridge… it still fills all the gaps in the cartridge but does not appear to leak, and is wicking very well.

Hopefully this will work consistently as I’m tired of going back and forth between wicking materials, atomizers, cartomizers… etc… LOL

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Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Posted on May 9, 2011 by SJ

Interesting week with the bike.  Last Thursday morning I was getting ready to ride into work, I go to start the bike like I normally do… half choke, neutral, hit the starter… doesn’t start.  Try again, it sputters to life but is running a little rough.  I go to give it more choke and it stalls out.  Alllrighty then!  So I go to start it again, nothing… cranks and cranks, but won’t fire.  Worse ye, I feel the engine jerking a bit like when the timing jumped a tooth about a year ago.  Eventually I run the battery down to the point that it won’t turn over.

I pack my gear in shame into the PT and head to work… get home vowing to get the bike started.  So I hook my portable jump starter up, cranks once and the battery on the portable dies.  Wheel over the PT and hook it up to the bike (generally frowned upon but F it, I wanted to start the bike).  Same thing.  Ok, it has carburetors, maybe I flooded them?  I switch off the fuel supply, turn the bike over a bit to clear the excess fuel out, and try again.

This time I switch it to full choke, hit the starter, and it sputters to life.  Only now I’m hearing a very loud clanking noise from the crankcase.  It took every ounce of energy NOT to let out a violent stream of expletives at this point.  Ok, something is either broken or stuck.  I kill the motor, and remove one of the plug wires (repeating this step on both cylinder to troubleshoot) – same thing.  I call up the mechanic – he’s not there, so I dig into my ‘things I learned from my master mechanic cousin’ and look for some transmission fluid.  All I could find was a new bottle of Prestone power steering fluid.  Same thing pretty much.

Now the oil level was good, but the oil was pretty much black.  I change it every 3k, but not at the start of the season (which I shall do from now on).  It still had a good 1000-1500 miles to go before its next change was due.  I poured in 1/3rd of the bottle and fired the bike up.  The clanking was back but as the new fluid worked its way through the engine, the noise quieted down until the bike appeared to be running normal.

The next day, I drove up to CycleMotion in Middletown to pick up some oil and a filter.  I went with a synthetic blend, in total it cost $50 for everything.  I also grabbed myself a new jacket as my Joe Rocket jacket was falling apart, none of the zippers worked right anymore, and I had burned a hole through the sleeve on the exhaust last summer.  I opted for a Coretech jacket (phenomenal jacket BTW, plenty of pockets, removable liner, as well as flaps for allowing airflow into the jacket while riding).  Lastly, I stopped over at Get In Gear for a can of Seafoam to put into the gas tank.

I’d never done an oil change on the bike before (paid CM $80 to do it last time, and they screwed up by putting in ordinary dino juice instead of the synthetic blend I requested), but it was pretty straight forward.  I just rode the bike up onto a rock so I had enough height to slide the catch pan underneath.  Sure enough, the oil that came out was black as tar.  I put on the new filter, added the new oil, as well as the Seafoam to the gas tank, then let the bike idle for 5 minutes, let it sit again for 5 minutes, then let it idle some more.  It was running like new.  I took it out for a road test, the bike was absolutely alive again.  Considering the state of the oil, I’m almost inclined to think that they never even changed it last time, but I’ll be closely monitoring it over the course of the season to see if it gets dirty so quick again.

I put a good 250 miles on it over the weekend, plenty of power, smooth operation, no quirks whatsoever.  THANK GOD!!! 🙂

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Bulletstorm – Just plain fun.

Posted on May 2, 2011 by SJ

With all the complaints from non-gamer critics before the game arrived on shelves, my interest was only increased in the new shooter that gives you extra points for shooting a target in the balls BEFORE killing them.  Sure, I’d had my fill of first person shooters for the most part – as have many folks I know.  Developers need to add something special to games, a new hook beyond just seeing how many targets you can splatter – that’s been done to death (pun intended).

With Bulletstorm, you’re a mercenary that ends up on a nearly abandoned planet which once hosted a modern civilization.  Everything left behind wants to kill you, from soldiers on the spacecraft you shot down (invariably landing you on this planet in the first place) to the mutant and alien residents who have various ways (beyond just shooting at you) of killing you.  At its heart its a typical first person shooter with very little room for exploration.  Bulletstorm makes up for that by adding hillarious dialogue, wonderfully tasteless kill shots, weapons that not only shoot, but explode, burn, decapitate, and hurtle your enemies off into the nearest object while spinning like a top, and plenty of challenging gameplay.

My favorite weapons are the leash (allowing you to latch on to most enemies and rip them towards you in bullet time), and the drill gun which launches a massive drill bit at the enemy that sends them careening out of control and should they get impaled on something – spins their body into oblivion.  The machine gun is your main weapon, its fairly accurate but pretty boring.  Also of note are the sniper rifle (which allows you to aim the bullet in the last 20 yards of the shot),  pistol (with exploding flairgun attachment), flail gun (launches a pair of grenades joined by a chain at enemies), exploding ball launcher (lobs a massive grenade out that can bounce around or detonate… boring IMHO), and a 4 barrel shotgun that blows bad guys in half at close range.

I’ve beaten it twice so far, likely to go back and beat it again this week.  It’s not a terribly long game, you could probably beat it in 1 or two evenings, but every time I go back I try to find new ways to take out the bad guys, unlock new kill shots, or if I’m so inclined, just leash as many bad guys into cactii and exposed rebar for the ‘voodoo doll’ bonus.  Definitely tons of replay value here, worth every penny.

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