Monday, November 19th, 2007
Blogger takes Honda’s $10m hydrogen fuel cell FCX Clarity for a test drive
What would you do if Honda handed you the keys to a $10 million car that emits only water vapor? Everything legal, that’s what. Read AutoblogGreen’s first in-depth review of a car some lucky people will be able to lease next summer. When will the rest of us get to drive a hydrogen car?
Broadband speeds days numbered?
Enjoy your speedy broadband Web access while you can. The Web will start to slow down as early as 2010, as use of interactive and video-intensive services overwhelms local cable, phone and wireless Internet providers
Think Recycling Computers Is A Good Thing? Think Again
Most people think they’re helping the earth when they recycle their old computers, televisions and cell phones. But chances are they’re contributing to a global trade in electronic trash that endangers workers and pollutes the environment overseas
Is AMD Doomed?
Can a $622M dollar cash infusion plus reasonably profitable GPUs give AMD enough breathing room to prove its gamble on true quad core was a good one? The jury is still out, but the portents are not very encouraging. The tech world really needs a scrappy, nimble CPU company like AMD, just like it needs a scrappy, cool computer company like Apple.
Why Car Salesmen Think its Okay to Screw you, And what you can do about it!
This is a good article on common arguments a car salesman may throw at you during the buying process. Very informative, kind of funny, but SO true!
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Posted in Current Events, Internet, Websites | 1 Comment »
Thursday, November 15th, 2007
I have been beating myself up over this. I flip flop more than…some politicians I know of.
Just the other day, I came to the realization that I am a boring human being. The reason I keep considering what type of car I want next is because I have never bought a brand new car before. Also, I am trying to bust out of that boring, computer guy persona. I know I shouldn’t care what people think, and I really don’t think I do. As all the ladies say, “I am doing it for myself.”
I dabbled a bit with the thought of getting a Toyota Camry Hybrid. Then, I started noticing way too many Camrys on the road. Then, I thought a BMW 5 series would be really cool. After a little research, that car seems to make the least sense possible. I want to break out of nerdhood, but I don’t want to be a fool. The car does have all-wheel drive, which is a huge plus, but dealers are few and far between. This becomes an issue when one of the big perks of getting that car is the fact that they offer four years of maintenance for free. I can’t even bring my current car down the road for an oil change, and I think I am going to drive a car 90 miles (round trip) a few times a year? Probably not. Also, I learned that the BMW requires premium unleaded gasoline. I am really cheap when it comes to gas, so I don’t think that’s going to work for me.
I am slowly arriving at the conclusion that I am going to get an upgrade of what I currently drive, but with GPS. I have to admit, I have been admiring the 2008 Honda Accord V6 from afar. Honda seems to have a lot of nice technology in their vehicles and they are pretty comfortable. I should know, my last three cars have been Hondas. The only thing wrong with this car is that it doesn’t come with all wheel drive. I guess we can get around this by getting Laura’s next car with all wheel drive. We’ll see.
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Posted in Automotive | 1 Comment »
Saturday, October 6th, 2007
Earlier this week, I bought two new car stereos…one for Laura and one for me. The Sirius satellite receiver I got for her a few years ago is pooping out, so I decided to upgrade her with a satellite ready deck and a new satellite tuner. I still need to order the tuner, so she will get the install next week.
I needed to get a new radio because I got some audio books and “learn Spanish” CDs for my birthday. My car radio only had a tape deck. The stereo I chose to purchase was a great deal at $109 from Circuit City. It is a Pioneer DEH-P2900MP. I read the reveiws and they were good. Everyone agreed that the sound is great, but the stereo is hard to figure out. When Laura learns how to work it, she can teach me. I’m no dummy.
Anyway, as I sat in my car this morning, looking at the job at hand, I had absolutely no idea where to begin. I found two little screws underneath the big plastic thing and took them out. Boy, that didn’t do much. Everything was still firmly in place. I ran inside and jumped on the internet and found this great webpage called, “Honda Accord installation of a Car radio Pioneer DEHP835.” This, my friends, helped.
Strangely enough, the fact that I took those screws out was correct, but the secret was behind the clock. I had to pull the clock out (which was tight) and take out the screw behind it. There is no way to do this without a little bit of damage to the plastic. I have a few minor marks. With that out, I pulled off the entire plastic piece.
I was pretty proud of myself. I sat there and thought about how good of a job I was doing. I even bought the correct wiring harness for this car and stereo. Back in the day, I would’ve just cut the old harness plug off and used a lot of electrical tape. What a mess. These days, I am much more refined.
I mounted the stereo in it’s holder and looked at the new wiring harness. “Boy, that’s weird,” I said. “It doesn’t look like the correct plug.” I got on the phone with Circuit City and discovered that there was one more piece I needed for my specific car. I thought I had already taken care of that. Guess not.
I drove down to Circuit City in Middletown and picked up the plug. Gee, $40 for the two harnesses. That’s just to get the damn thing hooked up to the car. They really know how to get you. Oh well. They only had one in stock and didn’t have the tuner for Laura, so I was out of luck there. Still have to order them online.
So yes, there are two pieces to the wiring harness. Once they were plugged in and the antenna was set, mounting the stereo was easy. I did that and then plugged the rest of the electrical stuff back into the big plastic piece. I snapped that back into place and things looked pretty good.
I turned the stereo on to see how it sounded. Wow, I was impressed. Great sound, but I still don’t know how it works. That’s ok, I suppose I will learn soon enough.
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Posted in Automotive, Entertainment | 3 Comments »
Sunday, September 24th, 2006
It was about time I saw my family again. My sister, Laurie, planned a camping trip for all of us. My family was to meet at the Staunton Verona KOA Campground in Virginia.
Since I was coming from New York and I really hate driving across the George Washington Bridge (I have had enough of that), I decided to take Interstate 84 west to Rt. 81 south all the way to Virginia. 81 is a much more scenic route and I enjoy the openness of it more.
I was cruising, just minding my own business…and right when I crossed the Mason-Dixon Line, I happened to look to my left. Wham. What in the world was that?
Don’t ya love people? I am not sure what I was more curious about…the trike looking thing or the trailer. Thinking back, I am really glad I got this picture. I knew it would have a good use someday.
I arrived at the campground in my 89 Honda Accord just in time. It was about to blow up. That car had a strange problem with idling at around 3,000RPM when the engine got hot. I remember I was going out on the town once in Atlanta, GA when I got stuck in traffic. The engine started running hot so I decided to slow it down by putting on the AC. What in the world was I thinking? AC just makes the engine hotter. I had to pull over on the side of the highway and roll down the ramp with the car off, just to get some air running through the radiator.
Ok, back to business. I arrived at the campground to find a delightful setup. You really never know what you are going to get at a campground if you haven’t been there before. You can ask the people at the desk over the phone, but they will just tell you what you want to hear. “Does it have a lot of trees?” “Oh sure, we have tons of them! (10 miles away) This one was good.
They offered lots of little cabins for those who are scared to sleep in the woods (my parents) and tent sites for the brave ones (me). The cabins were probably better because you could lock your stuff up and go have fun for the day. I slept in the tent and seem to remember a nice tilt to the ground. I kept rolling to one side all night. Overall, I had a good night’s sleep.
It was great to see the kids again…Connor, Courtney and Jeffrey. Little people with a lot of energy and a lot of running around. Can you see them in this photo? Hint: look behind the trees.
One thing about this campground is very unique. Rabbits. Rabbits everywhere. Hundreds of them. I guess they keep having babies. What they say is true…I suppose.
If you are going to own a campground, you need something to pull people in. Something like a lake, a river, being close to town or…a WATERFALL!!!
There was a really cool river and a waterfall. Here is what you do: Hike upstream about a mile. Then, throw your tube in the river, jump and land in it. Get everyone else to do the same thing at about the same time. Have some fun floating down the river nice and slow to end up at the waterfall. You have to be sure to pull yourself under the water so you get freaked out a little bit by the weight of the water. This is critical. Finally, you get someone to throw you a rope and pull you back to shore. That part is optional. You can probably stand up and walk back, but my father likes to use rope. After you are good and tired from doing that a few times, go back and cook up some veggie burgers on a nice campfire.
All in all, this was a great campground and I would go back. It’s very close, if not in the Shenandoah Valley, which is beautiful unto itself.
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Posted in Family & Friends, Travels | 1 Comment »
