Random thought... a great name for a Country Music band...
The Huntsville Hitchhikers
I hate Country Music so why I thought of a name for one is beyond me. If you live in Texas you'll know that Huntsville is located between Houston and the DFW area. It's the site of the state prison. As you drive by it on the Interstate you'll notice signs reading "Don't Pickup Hitchhikers" since they could be escaped prisoners. That why the name works so well. It's got a Texas insider thing going for it and refers to outlaws... a popular theme in some Country Music.
Sorry you didn't think of it first Simon Cowell.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Abby - My Brain is Getting Mad !!!
My impatient daughter told me today...
"Hurry up Daddy!! You're making my brain mad!!!"
And you won't like it when her brain gets angry.
"Hurry up Daddy!! You're making my brain mad!!!"
And you won't like it when her brain gets angry.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Lightning Pics at last
No matter how hard I try I can never seem to get the really cool lightning pictures you see the pros get. A line of thunderstorms from an approaching cold front brought lightning to the DFW area Monday evening, 9/21/2009. These are the best pictures I was able to take from our bedroom window using an older Nikon D70s set to fast action mode, manual focus.
Probably my favorite for the simple fact that it's crisp, well lit, and framed pretty well...
Kinda weak. Maybe a little Photoshop would help it...
Should have been aiming more towards the East...
The blurriness was caused by rain on the window glass...
A nice HUGE bolt. Cool little ball of lightning thing on the right side there...
Another favorite. Crisp and long. Could have been brighter...
Probably my favorite for the simple fact that it's crisp, well lit, and framed pretty well...
Kinda weak. Maybe a little Photoshop would help it...
Should have been aiming more towards the East...
The blurriness was caused by rain on the window glass...
A nice HUGE bolt. Cool little ball of lightning thing on the right side there...
Another favorite. Crisp and long. Could have been brighter...
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Washer and Dryer
Whoo-Hoo! Got a modern washer and dryer for a steal. The old washer was developing a slow leak. Glad it's out of our house!
Monday, August 3, 2009
Young Jezza Beatbox
I'm a big fan of the British TV show "Top Gear". It's simply the best TV show on the air in the world and I don't think that's exaggerating. The lead host is a guy by the name of Jeremy Clarkson, aka "Jezza". Below is an entertaining rap video created from pieces of Jeeza on Top Gear. I found the link in an Autoblog posting.
All I can say is "POWER SLIDE!, POWER SLIDE!, POWER SLIDE!, POWER SLIDE!, POWER SLIDE!,..."
So turn up the volume and enjoy...
All I can say is "POWER SLIDE!, POWER SLIDE!, POWER SLIDE!, POWER SLIDE!, POWER SLIDE!,..."
So turn up the volume and enjoy...
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Movie Math - The Unborn
The Unborn =
The Grudge + The Exorcist + (a pinch of Hellboy)
The writer and director of this movie talking to each other, "Creepy little kid that's always showing up in photos, mirrors, and in dark corners of your room... CHECK. An ancient curse that possesses people in its attempt to get back into this world... CHECK. Hum, needs just a little something more.... I GOT IT! NAZI's!! It's needs some Nazi's!!"
I rate movies according to what the movie was intended on doing, what was its purpose? For example, if I'm watching a comedy I should be laughing. If it's an action/adventure flick, I should walk away saying "WOW!". And if it's a horror flick like The Unborn, I should be scared. Mind you I don't really get scared watching movies. It's just a movie. The Dentist being the exception. That's one scary movie! DAMN YOU, CORBIN BERNSEN!! But I digress, overall I was found The Unborn to be "scary" enough. Maybe I was in just the right mood while watching it. So it earns my praise for being a spooky/scary movie. But the plot is a total wreck! At times it felt like just like a collection of scary images with nothing to link them together. Kinda like walking thru a haunted house.
SPOILER ALERT: The plot... Girl goes to eye doctor, finds out she's a twin, finds out she's Jewish, finds out there's an ancient spirit released by the Nazi's after her, now knows why mom killed herself, and then finds a Rabbi to do an exorcist (which up to this point I thought exorcisms were only Catholic thing, who knew?!). But even with this train wreck of a plot... sure bet there's going to be a sequel.
Total = I've seen alot more scarier movies with better plots but this one gets at least some points for pretty good special effects.
Sequel = Likely
The Grudge + The Exorcist + (a pinch of Hellboy)
The writer and director of this movie talking to each other, "Creepy little kid that's always showing up in photos, mirrors, and in dark corners of your room... CHECK. An ancient curse that possesses people in its attempt to get back into this world... CHECK. Hum, needs just a little something more.... I GOT IT! NAZI's!! It's needs some Nazi's!!"
I rate movies according to what the movie was intended on doing, what was its purpose? For example, if I'm watching a comedy I should be laughing. If it's an action/adventure flick, I should walk away saying "WOW!". And if it's a horror flick like The Unborn, I should be scared. Mind you I don't really get scared watching movies. It's just a movie. The Dentist being the exception. That's one scary movie! DAMN YOU, CORBIN BERNSEN!! But I digress, overall I was found The Unborn to be "scary" enough. Maybe I was in just the right mood while watching it. So it earns my praise for being a spooky/scary movie. But the plot is a total wreck! At times it felt like just like a collection of scary images with nothing to link them together. Kinda like walking thru a haunted house.
SPOILER ALERT: The plot... Girl goes to eye doctor, finds out she's a twin, finds out she's Jewish, finds out there's an ancient spirit released by the Nazi's after her, now knows why mom killed herself, and then finds a Rabbi to do an exorcist (which up to this point I thought exorcisms were only Catholic thing, who knew?!). But even with this train wreck of a plot... sure bet there's going to be a sequel.
Total = I've seen alot more scarier movies with better plots but this one gets at least some points for pretty good special effects.
Sequel = Likely
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Movie Math - Push
Push =
The TV show Heroes in movie form
People with special powers, some using them for good and some for bad, are being chased by a secret government organization known in this movie as "The Division".
Total = If you're a Heroes fan you could probably dig this movie. Everyone else may say "meh". It kept my attention but not much else to say about it.
Sequel possibility = Likely
The TV show Heroes in movie form
People with special powers, some using them for good and some for bad, are being chased by a secret government organization known in this movie as "The Division".
Total = If you're a Heroes fan you could probably dig this movie. Everyone else may say "meh". It kept my attention but not much else to say about it.
Sequel possibility = Likely
Monday, June 29, 2009
Movie Math - Wanted
Wanted =
Shoot 'Em Up + The Matrix + Underworld
'Shoot em Up' for the gun play, 'The Matrix' for the "you are The One, it's your destiny" plot-line, and 'Underworld' for the sexy-female-shooting-a-big-gun-and-the-guy-not-knowing-what-the-hell-is-happening theme.
Total = Unbelievable stunts, goofy catch-phrases, and LOTS of gun play. Not a totally bad movie but could have been much better.
Shoot 'Em Up + The Matrix + Underworld
'Shoot em Up' for the gun play, 'The Matrix' for the "you are The One, it's your destiny" plot-line, and 'Underworld' for the sexy-female-shooting-a-big-gun-and-the-guy-not-knowing-what-the-hell-is-happening theme.
Total = Unbelievable stunts, goofy catch-phrases, and LOTS of gun play. Not a totally bad movie but could have been much better.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Movie Math - Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen =
( Transformers * BLOCKBUSTER MULTIPIER ) / SEQUEL
So here's how I came up with the math for this one. A movie that everyones WANTS to see is multiplied by the fact it's a summer blockbuster. Meaning LOTS of explosions, fast action, girls, and witty comeback lines spoken by the lead characters as they shoot at the bad guys. I'm dividing that by the fact it's a sequel and we all know in most cases sequels SUCK.
Total Sum = It's OK. Suprised by the language in this PG-13 film. The fast camera shots made me dizzy as do most Michael Bay films do to me.
( Transformers * BLOCKBUSTER MULTIPIER ) / SEQUEL
So here's how I came up with the math for this one. A movie that everyones WANTS to see is multiplied by the fact it's a summer blockbuster. Meaning LOTS of explosions, fast action, girls, and witty comeback lines spoken by the lead characters as they shoot at the bad guys. I'm dividing that by the fact it's a sequel and we all know in most cases sequels SUCK.
Total Sum = It's OK. Suprised by the language in this PG-13 film. The fast camera shots made me dizzy as do most Michael Bay films do to me.
Movie Math - The Hangover
Hollywood is out of ideas. So many of the movies coming out now are rehashes of the same old formula. So here's yet ANOTHER feature I'll start here... Movie Math. Instead of writing up a review of a movie I've watched, I'll just post the math formula the movie studio used to come up with the concept for it. You, the reader, can decide if the sum is worth your time or money.
The first movie... The Hangover =
Dude, Where's My Car? + Very Bad Things + (1/16 Go)
Total sum = Liked it. Funny.
The first movie... The Hangover =
Dude, Where's My Car? + Very Bad Things + (1/16 Go)
Total sum = Liked it. Funny.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Abby - This is My Life
How 'bout another new segment with quotes from my daughter. Sometimes I forget the memorable quotes from the girl so I'll try to document them here.
As I was walking around the house from the backyard to the front, I was trying to get Abby to follow me. "Come on", I said to her. She didn't want to come. She wanted to stay in the backyard and play but I had work to do and couldn't let her alone in the backyard. She started to follow me and after a loud sigh she says sadly, "This is my life".
Four is such a hard age to be.
As I was walking around the house from the backyard to the front, I was trying to get Abby to follow me. "Come on", I said to her. She didn't want to come. She wanted to stay in the backyard and play but I had work to do and couldn't let her alone in the backyard. She started to follow me and after a loud sigh she says sadly, "This is my life".
Four is such a hard age to be.
Future - Hybrid Powertrains
OK, let me try something new here on my blog.
I read ALOT of technical articles. Websites like Slashdot, Inventorspot, Engadget, Gizmodo, etc, you name it I read alot. Often I see trends in what we'll be buying or using in the future. So I'd like to start a thread on here called "Future..." in which I point out a future trend that will effect us all. I may end up being right or I may be way off base but at least you'll hear it first.
My first "prediction"... hybrid powertrains. What are those you ask? Basically, the method by which diesel locomotives have been running on since they were invented. An internal combustion engine drives a generator. The electricity from the generator then powers an electric motor that's connected to the wheels. It's just that simple.
Now why is that a big deal? In many of the world's vehicles be they a motorcycle, car, trailer truck, farm tractor, or whatever they most all get propelled by the same method. You have an engine which the driver throttles the speed throughout a range of RPM's. Then using a transmission this range of RPM's can be multiplied to provide either alot of power in the form of torque at low speed (ie - a trailer truck with a diesel) or great speed at high RPM's (ie - a sports bike or F1 race car). You have to pick one or the other depending on what you're trying to build. A racecar isn't going to be a good choice at pulling your boat out of the lake and a diesel F350 isn't going to make it to 150+ MPH. Transmissions suck power themselves. The other main concern is generally, internal combustion engines make torque at a narrow band of their RPM's. This power falls off when the engine is running slower or faster. Alot of this is dependent on the design of the intake, combustion chamber, and exhaust among many other factors. It's impossible to design an engine that a totally flat power curve across its RPM range. That's where electric motors come in. Electric motors generate their maximum torque from 0 RPM up to whatever their maximum RPM is for any particular model. This works great for trains. There's no way a train could be built like a car or truck is now with a traditional transmission. Just trying to get it to move out of the station would burn up a clutch into a mass of molten metal. Being electric, motors also have the advantage of being extremely controllable when it comes to RPM speed. Even the best gas engine has a delay between when you press the gas petal making the combination of opening valves or squirting fuel injectors start doing work to make the power you requested.
But electric motors have a big downside... they run on electricity. Battery technology just isn't there yet to provide the "juice" for the power and distance we all want our vehicles to go. It's getting there but not quite yet. And then there's the chicken and egg situation of not having a place to plug in your electric car. Until we have a system of "gas stations" providing extension cords and cars which can take a full charge in 5 minutes, electric only cars aren't where it's at.
That's where generators come in. The idea is again simple... You have a basic electric car, it's got a set of batteries and those power the electric motors that power the wheels. Depending on the vehicle's task there may or may not be a need to have a simple transmission between the motor and the wheels. Of course the batteries will run down so you either plug it in to your house every night or bring along an electric generator that runs on gasoline to charge the batteries. And what do you have?... A Chevy Volt.
That's it folks. It's called a "serial hybrid" in that the power flows to the wheels through a series... gas engine to battery to electric motor to wheels. A Chevy Volt is basically designed like a diesel powered train but with a set of batteries so the gas powered engine can shut off when not needed. Or you can think of it like a Tesla sports car but with a little emergency style generator in the trunk for when the batteries die.
Other companies are making cars in which electric motors ASSIST the gas engines which are still connected directly to wheels via a traditional transmission setup. These are called "parallel hybrids" because the engine and motor work in parallel together. Toyota Prius I'm looking at you. These work fine but still have the inefficiency of the gas engine.
Why do I think the Chevy Volt is a sign of things to come? Because other vehicles are being designed with the diesel train style powertrains. For example, Catapillar has announced their D7E model. Yes, a hybrid bulldozer. Protecting the enviroment while bulldozing it over. Gotta love the irony. And ya heard it here first.
I read ALOT of technical articles. Websites like Slashdot, Inventorspot, Engadget, Gizmodo, etc, you name it I read alot. Often I see trends in what we'll be buying or using in the future. So I'd like to start a thread on here called "Future..." in which I point out a future trend that will effect us all. I may end up being right or I may be way off base but at least you'll hear it first.
My first "prediction"... hybrid powertrains. What are those you ask? Basically, the method by which diesel locomotives have been running on since they were invented. An internal combustion engine drives a generator. The electricity from the generator then powers an electric motor that's connected to the wheels. It's just that simple.
Now why is that a big deal? In many of the world's vehicles be they a motorcycle, car, trailer truck, farm tractor, or whatever they most all get propelled by the same method. You have an engine which the driver throttles the speed throughout a range of RPM's. Then using a transmission this range of RPM's can be multiplied to provide either alot of power in the form of torque at low speed (ie - a trailer truck with a diesel) or great speed at high RPM's (ie - a sports bike or F1 race car). You have to pick one or the other depending on what you're trying to build. A racecar isn't going to be a good choice at pulling your boat out of the lake and a diesel F350 isn't going to make it to 150+ MPH. Transmissions suck power themselves. The other main concern is generally, internal combustion engines make torque at a narrow band of their RPM's. This power falls off when the engine is running slower or faster. Alot of this is dependent on the design of the intake, combustion chamber, and exhaust among many other factors. It's impossible to design an engine that a totally flat power curve across its RPM range. That's where electric motors come in. Electric motors generate their maximum torque from 0 RPM up to whatever their maximum RPM is for any particular model. This works great for trains. There's no way a train could be built like a car or truck is now with a traditional transmission. Just trying to get it to move out of the station would burn up a clutch into a mass of molten metal. Being electric, motors also have the advantage of being extremely controllable when it comes to RPM speed. Even the best gas engine has a delay between when you press the gas petal making the combination of opening valves or squirting fuel injectors start doing work to make the power you requested.
But electric motors have a big downside... they run on electricity. Battery technology just isn't there yet to provide the "juice" for the power and distance we all want our vehicles to go. It's getting there but not quite yet. And then there's the chicken and egg situation of not having a place to plug in your electric car. Until we have a system of "gas stations" providing extension cords and cars which can take a full charge in 5 minutes, electric only cars aren't where it's at.
That's where generators come in. The idea is again simple... You have a basic electric car, it's got a set of batteries and those power the electric motors that power the wheels. Depending on the vehicle's task there may or may not be a need to have a simple transmission between the motor and the wheels. Of course the batteries will run down so you either plug it in to your house every night or bring along an electric generator that runs on gasoline to charge the batteries. And what do you have?... A Chevy Volt.
That's it folks. It's called a "serial hybrid" in that the power flows to the wheels through a series... gas engine to battery to electric motor to wheels. A Chevy Volt is basically designed like a diesel powered train but with a set of batteries so the gas powered engine can shut off when not needed. Or you can think of it like a Tesla sports car but with a little emergency style generator in the trunk for when the batteries die.
Other companies are making cars in which electric motors ASSIST the gas engines which are still connected directly to wheels via a traditional transmission setup. These are called "parallel hybrids" because the engine and motor work in parallel together. Toyota Prius I'm looking at you. These work fine but still have the inefficiency of the gas engine.
Why do I think the Chevy Volt is a sign of things to come? Because other vehicles are being designed with the diesel train style powertrains. For example, Catapillar has announced their D7E model. Yes, a hybrid bulldozer. Protecting the enviroment while bulldozing it over. Gotta love the irony. And ya heard it here first.
Friday, June 26, 2009
The Minibike
I stopped at a yard sale this morning after dropping Abby off at school and bought this...
The rear brake lever is broken, there's a micro-sized crack in the front rim, and the plastic bodywork is broken. But it runs! It has a single two-cycle engine and must be something in the order of only 25 to 50cc. It sounds like a loud leaf blower at full throttle and it's able to haul my butt up and down the street at a max of 10 MPH. I was laughing my a$$ off all the way. All for only $30 !!
No, Abby won't be riding it since she doesn't even know how to ride a bike yet.
The rear brake lever is broken, there's a micro-sized crack in the front rim, and the plastic bodywork is broken. But it runs! It has a single two-cycle engine and must be something in the order of only 25 to 50cc. It sounds like a loud leaf blower at full throttle and it's able to haul my butt up and down the street at a max of 10 MPH. I was laughing my a$$ off all the way. All for only $30 !!
No, Abby won't be riding it since she doesn't even know how to ride a bike yet.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
New Corbin Stinger
The UPS guy delivered my Corbin Stinger seat today! I bought it off of eBay from a guy in Phoenix. Pretty cheap I might add. My short test ride this afternoon proved to me that it'll offer a bit more back support. The seat cushion also felt better but I felt more of every bump in the road if that makes sense.
Anyway, the styling difference alone is noticeable. Check out the before and after...
BEFORE
AFTER
I LIKE IT!
Anyway, the styling difference alone is noticeable. Check out the before and after...
BEFORE
AFTER
I LIKE IT!
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Lots of Rain
Nearly 2 inch per hour rains yesterday overwhelmed the drainage ability of our backyard...
Sunday, April 5, 2009
My 1st Trip to a NASCAR Race
Saturday April 4th was my first trip to a NASCAR race. I was glad I prepared for the event that was louder than you could ever imagine. I wore my shooting earmuffs over a set of Walkman-style earplugs. I programmed some frequencies I found on the web into the police scanner and luckily some of them were the correct ones. I listened to Carl Edwards (#60) for most of the race although I did switch over to #29 and #18 later on. The camo hat was me blending in with the crowd. ;-)
We had awesome seats. They were located down near turn one. As the race started the sun went behind the stadium so the sun didn't beat down on us. At the beginning they lined up trucks on the track...
...and used them to take the drivers on a parade lap. The drivers rode in the bed of the pickups.
This is my attempt to use my Olympus 770SW point-and-shoot camera, set to it's maximum optical zoom setting, and aim it through a pair of binoculars. The pic didn't come out as bad as I thought it would. It's of some of the officials looking over the pace car, a new Chevy Camaro...
Another camera/binocular mashup. This one showing the where the drivers left the stage and hopped in the trucks for their parade lap...
Here's a video showing the track. The lady singing and the fiddle player made it a good time to try out the hearing protection! ;-)
But afterwards they had a lady who won a radio contest sing the National Anthem. She was much better. Please forgive the "Mr Shakey-cam" I had especially in the beginning of the video. Watch the video until at least 2 minutes into it for the fly-over.
There were no big wrecks during the race just a spinout and one guy sliding into a wall. Here's a video showing the cars as they restart after a caution...
The winner was Kyle Busch (#18). Here's the pic of him crossing the finish line...
And here's a picture of him passing by our seats seconds later...
I've gotta say I had fun. I may very well try attending another NASCAR race in the future. Imagine that!
We had awesome seats. They were located down near turn one. As the race started the sun went behind the stadium so the sun didn't beat down on us. At the beginning they lined up trucks on the track...
...and used them to take the drivers on a parade lap. The drivers rode in the bed of the pickups.
This is my attempt to use my Olympus 770SW point-and-shoot camera, set to it's maximum optical zoom setting, and aim it through a pair of binoculars. The pic didn't come out as bad as I thought it would. It's of some of the officials looking over the pace car, a new Chevy Camaro...
Another camera/binocular mashup. This one showing the where the drivers left the stage and hopped in the trucks for their parade lap...
Here's a video showing the track. The lady singing and the fiddle player made it a good time to try out the hearing protection! ;-)
But afterwards they had a lady who won a radio contest sing the National Anthem. She was much better. Please forgive the "Mr Shakey-cam" I had especially in the beginning of the video. Watch the video until at least 2 minutes into it for the fly-over.
There were no big wrecks during the race just a spinout and one guy sliding into a wall. Here's a video showing the cars as they restart after a caution...
The winner was Kyle Busch (#18). Here's the pic of him crossing the finish line...
And here's a picture of him passing by our seats seconds later...
I've gotta say I had fun. I may very well try attending another NASCAR race in the future. Imagine that!
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Why Chrysler? WHY?!!
I have a saying, "Ya can't say the name Chrysler without the word cry."
The 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee we own is our beater vehicle. It hauls mulch back from Lowe's, carries a Christmas tree home, and does all the other dirty work we don't want the Honda Pilot to do. Several months ago I started getting a "rear lamp failure" message. I thought it was the license plate light but after replacing that bulb I still got the message. This week I noticed it was actually a small side marker light on the right rear that was the problem. I replaced it, all good now.
But the other day the left turn signal started blinking really fast and after I turned the signal off the indicator lamp on the dash glowed at half brightness. ANOTHER blown bulb! Yep, front turn signal. No problem I thought, I'll get a new one. The owner's manual says it's a type 1295NA. I went to Walmart, didn't have them. I went to PepBoys, their computer shows that it was indeed a 1295NA I needed but that they didn't stock it. It looks like that bulb might be a discontinued model.
So I surfed the web and found someone mentioned on a forum to use either a 3497 or 1196NA. The 1196NA will work and costs $3 but it would still have that fast flash. The 3497 would work also but costs $8. I couldn't see the difference in the wattage of the 2 bulbs so I bought the cheaper one. Yep, it flashes fast now but at least I have a turn signal.
Gotta love Chrysler!
The 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee we own is our beater vehicle. It hauls mulch back from Lowe's, carries a Christmas tree home, and does all the other dirty work we don't want the Honda Pilot to do. Several months ago I started getting a "rear lamp failure" message. I thought it was the license plate light but after replacing that bulb I still got the message. This week I noticed it was actually a small side marker light on the right rear that was the problem. I replaced it, all good now.
But the other day the left turn signal started blinking really fast and after I turned the signal off the indicator lamp on the dash glowed at half brightness. ANOTHER blown bulb! Yep, front turn signal. No problem I thought, I'll get a new one. The owner's manual says it's a type 1295NA. I went to Walmart, didn't have them. I went to PepBoys, their computer shows that it was indeed a 1295NA I needed but that they didn't stock it. It looks like that bulb might be a discontinued model.
So I surfed the web and found someone mentioned on a forum to use either a 3497 or 1196NA. The 1196NA will work and costs $3 but it would still have that fast flash. The 3497 would work also but costs $8. I couldn't see the difference in the wattage of the 2 bulbs so I bought the cheaper one. Yep, it flashes fast now but at least I have a turn signal.
Gotta love Chrysler!
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