Hot Summer Down Under
January 30, 2009 at 12:03 am | Posted in Fun Outdoors | Leave a commentHere in California, it’s been a normal but dry winter. Skeptics have been using the severe winter weather in the East as proof that global warming isn’t real. However, one effect of global warming may be severe winters and summers. If you look beyond US borders, you’ll see some insanely high temperatures in Australia. 115°F may be normal in a place like Phoenix, but not a coastal city like Melbourne.
Macworld Loot
January 10, 2009 at 9:37 pm | Posted in Fun Outdoors, Macintosh | Leave a commentUnlike last year’s haul, this year was more modest, as Apple and the tanking economy did not put people in a spendthrift mood. Total damage was limited to $75:
For $35, I got a copy of Aaron Hillegass’ Cocoa programming book, another $12 got me the Obama/OSX shirt, and going online to OWC snagged the USB 2.0 drive adapter for $25.
Segway Killer
August 2, 2008 at 1:09 pm | Posted in Fun Outdoors, Technology | Leave a commentLeave it to the Japanese to take an American invention such as the Segway and make it cheaper, smaller, and cool-looking. The best ideas and innovations still come from small American companies but it takes large Japanese conglomerates to make them profitable and available at Walmart:
Let’s Screw America
July 2, 2008 at 9:27 pm | Posted in Fun Outdoors, Politics | Leave a commentChrysler has been advertising their $2.99 gas guarantee on selected models for the first 3 years/36,000 miles. However, a simple economic analysis shows that the deal is a bad one for the consumer, especially when compared to the Prius or other hybrid cars:
Dodge Prius
Caliber
(24 mpg) (48 mpg)
Initial cost *
Fuel Cost *
Maintenance *
Resale Value *
If we compare similarly equipped cars, it reduces the difference in initial cost. Sounds like a Mac/PC debate 
It’s discouraging to see American companies using these sleight-of-hand tactics. Instead of “Let’s Refuel America”, let’s try creating competitive products that addresses many of our problems.
Bike To Work Day
May 15, 2008 at 8:20 pm | Posted in Fun Outdoors | Leave a commentToday was Bike To Work day, and this video taken by some LA bike riders shows that it may be a good idea to allow bicycles on the freeway during rush hour:
Walk Your Life
May 8, 2008 at 7:28 pm | Posted in Fun Outdoors | Leave a commentWith gas prices going higher every day, places within walking distance of amenities become more valuable than neighborhoods where people have to drive their SUV to go from their McMansions to McDonalds. WalkScore.com will help you find places to live in an energy-scarce world.
var ws_address = “700 Laurel St, San Carlos, CA”;
var ws_width = “250″;
Smurfhaus
April 5, 2008 at 9:27 pm | Posted in Fun Outdoors | Leave a commentCame upon this beautiful shade of blue in one of my bike excursions:
The Collapse
December 1, 2007 at 11:14 pm | Posted in Fun Outdoors | Leave a commentSo that’s how Cal commemorates the 25th anniversary of The Play – start the season 5-0 ranked #2 in the BCS and end with a 6-6 record.
The worst thing that can happen to Cal now is to be invited to a bowl game, because I don’t think this team can beat anyone. Losing to two teams (UCLA, Stanford) that themselves lost to Notre Dame in their worst-ever season leaves emotional scars that won’t heal anytime soon. And today’s Big Game showed that mental state trumps physical talent every time.
[Update: The final Pac-10 standings puts Cal in a 7th place tie with WSU and Stanford. Any bowl bid at this time should be considered the first practice game for next season.]
[Update 2: Looks like the Armed Forces Bowl liked Cal's 6-6 overall record instead of Arizona's 5-7, even though AZ finished ahead in the conference. Should make for an interesting game, given the left-wing tradition of Berkeley going up against a military academy.]
The Next Prius?
March 7, 2007 at 5:40 pm | Posted in Fun Outdoors, Technology | Leave a commentMany Prius industrial design elements are present in the Toyota Hybrid X concept car, which should lay to rest claims that the Prius was created only to test hybrid technology before being used in other platforms like the Camry and Highlander. In a sense, the Prius is the iPod of the automotive world.
However, what may be revolutionary about the new design is the impact on manufacturing and assembly. The design seems to have decoupled the frame/chassis from other elements of the car. I can imagine a black box that encompasses the drivetrain, front axles, electronics, controls, and dashboard simply sliding into the front of a chassis; the location of the headlight is very telling. In the back can be a similar module holding the fuel system, battery and rear axles. The car then becomes much simpler to assemble with these basic elements:
- Chassis
- Front/engine module
- Back/fuel module
- Interior
No doubt with their world-class manufacturing capability, this idea will only keep Toyota ahead of the competition.
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