Mythbusting: Corvettes are big and heavy

It's not a "muscle car" and it's not heavy just because it is American.

Lotus Exige S                      2,077 lbs
Honda Civic Si                     2,886 lbs
Porsche Boxster S                  2,987 lbs
Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera  2,998 lbs**
Porsche 911 (997) GT2              3,175 lbs
Ferrari F430                       3,196 lbs
Corvette                           3,217 lbs
Nissan Z Nismo                     3,350 lbs
Subaru Impreza WRX STI             3,395 lbs
Dodge Viper SRT10                  3,445 lbs
Ford Mustang GT                    3,450 lbs*
Porsche 911 (997) Turbo            3,494 lbs
BMW M3 (E92)                       3,500 lbs*
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X      3,585 lbs*
Lamborghini Murcielago LP640       3,670 lbs**
Dodge Charger SE                   3,727 lbs
Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano            3,722 lbs
Nissan GT-R                        3,836 lbs*
BMW M5                             4,012 lbs**
Dodge Charger SRT8                 4,160 lbs

Note, all cars listed are model year 2007-2008 (the latter if possible).

* Curb weight not listed by manufacturer.
** Dry weight.

Dishola

How many times have you and your friends had a cool idea and only half implemented it until it fizzled out? How many times have you said to yourself, "Man, I should have stuck with that idea, it would have been really cool if it was done." Well my friend and ex-coworker, Lindsey Simon, did stick it out... and make a really cool website called Dishola.

It really is a cool website. The premise is simple: instead of reviewing entire restaurants, you review only dishes. So if you're in the mood for Pad Thai, you simply search for that and you'll find the highest reviewed Pad Thai dishes in your area.

Reviews by the dish? Bleh, you say... what makes this site special, if at all? It's all in the details. It's 100% integrated with Google Maps. When you search, you'll get a nifty Google Maps interface showing you where the hot dishes are... but even cooler than that is when you are reviewing a dish, it uses a Google API to ensure that you're not making a duplicate of a certain dish (in other words, we want two reviews of a single dish Pad Thai at Madam Mam's, not two reviews of two separate dishes both called Pad Thai at Madam Mam's).

The entire website is like that... very "Web 2.0" as some would say, but without all the super-flashy interface stuff that just gets in the way. It is very community oriented in nature. You have an identity and can find people with similar tastes and share opinions and what not (that's the real Web 2.0, ya know).

The whole operation is top notch. He didn't just make a website and shove it out on the internet to fester. Dishola is constantly keeping things fresh with celebrity dish reviews, video interviews from the nation's top chefs, charity and donation programs.

In short, he's taken an existing, somewhat stale idea and successfully breathed new life into it. Go check it out, I promise it's not like all those other tired food review sites.

Ok.. enough about how awesome the website is... this is my blog and should be about me! So here's my take on the whole thing. I'm massively jealous. He's living every programmer's dream!!! To crank out a cool product that people love using and spawning an active community around it! I want that! I mean seriously, the next best thing would be to create the world's most popular MMORPG single handedly or something.

Also, I have to get something off my chest... I'm a bad friend... I don't use Dishola as often as I should. I've put some thought into why this is and I've determined that it's the same reason why Adam and I needed a bet so our blogs would actually have some content. I hate putting up half assed reviews. See, Adam and I hardly ever posted blog articles because we would constantly revise them and never be happy. We needed a bet just to force ourselves to publish the articles, even if they aren't perfectly witty or deliciously insightful.

I was at Catfish Parlor the other day and I said to Aimee, "Remind me to get a picture of our lightly battered, deliciously fried catfish dinner with jalapeno tartar sauce so I can put it on Dishola." Low and behold, the check came and Aimee "reminded" me... :P

Also, I'm just not that good with words. "Get the Tom Kha soup at Madam Mams, it's really f-ing good." Sigh.

Kudos to a Car Dealership?!

I admit... I'm usually the first to lambaste car dealerships. They seem all too quick to screw you over with voided warranties, ridiculous repair bills, damaging your ride in the repair process and last but not least, joyriding in you precious auto. But I actually had a good experience at Henna Chevrolet of Austin recently.

I had fried my brakes at a recent track event, and was planning on eating the costs and buying $700 worth of brake upgrades, but Aimee, a buddy of mine, and some members of Corvette Forum suggested that I try to get them replaced under warranty by playing dumb to the whole "track event" thing. So I decided to heed that advice... here's how it went...

Day 1

"No no no, not at all... I just take it on some mildly spirited joyrides in hill country, sir. What is this 'track' that you speak of?"
"Well it is a wearable part, a tech is going to have to check it out and see if it's bad enough for warranty repair."

Day 2

"Is it done yet?"
"We need to have another tech look at it."

"Is it done yet?"
"We need to have the head tech look at it and make a decision."

"Is it done yet?"
"We need to have the service manager look at it and make a decision."

Day 3

"Mr. Bottaro... after examining the tire wear and brake wear, it is apparent that this car has been run very hard at a track. (long pause, me sweating bullets) ...but that's ok, it's ok to take this car to the track. The service manager, who is an avid track enthusiast, personally suggests that you upgrade to aftermarket brakes if you continue to track your car like this. That being said, we will repair your brakes under warranty twice before you're on your own."

Ok, first off, I feel like a complete douchebag for lying to the service writer's face about not tracking the car. Second, wow... very cool!

Ninja Gaiden Black

Easily 4 out of 4 stars.

Best action game ever made (until Ninja Gaiden 2 comes out)!!

Pros...

• Incredible fighting engine.
• Spectacular graphics (even today).
• Tons of polish.
• Hard as hell.

Cons...

• Hard as hell.
• It is "last gen" now.
• 3rd person camera control is backwards from most other games and you can't change it.

I first played Ninja Gaiden Black last xmas and beat it in two 12 hour sittings, and it has been my favorite game ever since.

The story is good albeit relatively straight forward: You're a ninja tasked with protecting an ancient sword, some bastard steals it and kills your entire village in the process, you seek vengeance. There are a few plot twists and the game does a decent job at keeping you anxious to find out what happens next.

The graphics are amazing for an Xbox game. Hell, I'd say they are even better than most Xbox 360 games out there. Still, the fact that it isn't "next gen" is a turn off for some people.

What makes this game such a gem is the gameplay. It is phenomenal. Everything is so crisp and precise and the fighting engine is surprisingly deep for an action/adventure game, which actually isn't all that surprising considering this game is brought to you by the makers of the fighting game series Dead or Alive.

The gameplay and fighting are actually a lot like playing a bonafide fighting game. A lot of the moves' and combos' key sequences are taken straight from DOA. Now combine that type of fighting depth with jumping off enemies heads, flipping around like a crazy ass ninja, running on/up walls, and ridiculous super moves. That's what playing the game is like... :)

So you're gunna buy the game and have a blast, kicking ass crazy ninja style like I described above, right? Wrong!! The game is hard as hell. Most of you who attempt to play it will probably have trouble making it to level 2, much less finishing all 16 levels or playing it as gracefully as The Master Ninjas.

Sooo, here's a gameplay video of what it would be like if you actually had the skills to it play it well...

Holy crap, after watching that tribute I was reminded how this game is the greatest game ever made.

Mass Effect

3.5* out of 4 stars. (rating system explained)

Despite it's many flaws, I was actually upset that it was over.

Pros...

• Story is engrossing and intriguing.
• Graphics are outstanding, especially when it comes to character faces.
• Action is as good or better than any other 3rd person shooter out there.
• Combines RPG elements (stats, equipment, level ups, special abilities) with a 3rd person shooter.
• A real sense that the choices you make actually matter.

Cons...

• Low framerate and invasive loading give an overall choppy feel to the game.
• Maybe too much "talking" for some people's tastes.
• Inventory system is horrible.
• Weapon upgrading interface is horrible.
• Side quests are short, repetitive and reuse maps/textures/models.
• Too short.

I had written a big, long review about this game when I discovered this review and realized that I'd just be repeating everything that reviewer said. The short of it is this: the game is riddled with flaws, but we love it anyways. Hell, I'm going to play through it twice even.

My biggest complaint are the side quests. There are two kinds of side quests:

1. The ones that take place in a city or major area of the game.
2. The ones that require you to land on a remote planet to investigate or kill something.

The first type are great, it's the latter that are super repetitive and boring. You'll be able to differentiate between the two pretty quickly. I suggest avoiding the second type and sticking to the first type which will arise naturally if you just follow the main plot of the game.

* I hate straying from my simple 4 discrete star system where a game can get one of only four ratings, but I honestly feel this game warrants an exception for being such a great game that unfortunately has so many flaws.

Merry Christmas to me!

Apparently my car's six track days has taken its toll, as seen by the picture (click for larger image). In case you don't know what you're looking at, there are two nicely cut grooves in my driver side front rotor. The same two grooves are starting on the passenger side, but aren't as deep yet.

What could have caused the brake pads to wear down so quickly (the car only has 5000 miles)? Well for starters, track time is very hard on brakes. Some people claim they can destroy pads in just a single track day! I'm too wet behind the ears for that. I suspect it had to do with my car participating in back to back to back sessions without any cooldown in between (me driving, instructor driving with me, Aimee driving, instructor driving with Aimee).

So now I have to get new pads and rotors, and as long as I'm replacing parts, I might as well "upgrade", right? :D

Here's the shopping list...

• DBA 4000 Series slotted rotors (front) - $349.90
• Hawk HPS brake pads (front) - $102.95
• Hawk HPS brake pads (rear) - $74.95
• StopTech braided stainless steel brake lines (front) - $72.00
• StopTech braided stainless steel brake lines (rear) - $68.00
• ATL Type 200 brake fluid (2L) - $21.98

Grand total... $689.78. Merry xmas to me... sigh... :(

Driving on the Edge

Aimee and I just got back from my second (her first) Driver's Edge event. I'll link to her experience as soon as she writes it.

If you didn't catch my first experience, you can read it here. Most of that post is spent on trying to relate how intense high performance driving on a road course can be. This time was different. I wasn't white knuckled or cringing while barreling into a corner at high speed. Instead I was calm, relaxed, even joking with my instructor while driving... but, the difference is that this time the driving was faster and more "out of control" than before.

I wasn't really out of control of course, I never went off the track or anything. I guess I mean it looks (or would feel) out of control to someone looking at it from the outside. I was comfortable pushing the car past it's limits on practically every corner, which generally means a light, correctable skid. I had gotten past the exhilaration of going fast on a track and was relaxed enough to start feeling the car. I could feel when it was at its limits and I could choose to push it into a slide or back off. Which leads me to my next topic...

I think I figured out my driving style. I don't want to say "reckless" because that implies irresponsibility. Safety is always number one, especially when other cars are nearby. But when I feel it is "safe", I will almost always choose to kick the rear end out and correct for it. I think it's fun. :)

I had 6 major corrections this weekend. By major I mean I was sliding sideways, tires smoking, and I was going off track if I didn't do some pretty big counter steering. The trick to counter steering (IMO) is knowing when to stop it and turn the wheel back to normal. If you hold the counter steer too long, the car will swing around the other way fast and hard. The window of opportunity to stop the counter steer seems to be very very small.

Minor corrections (small skids, aka power induced oversteer) are a normality now... :) The trick is not using the entire track when exiting a corner. Give yourself some margin for error. If you do it right, you'll end up using the entire track anyway.

I have to say I had to best instructor. His name is Mason and he is awesome. I seriously don't think I could have improved this much without him. I really felt like I could understand and execute his instructions... but more importantly, he gave me confidence, which is what I really needed to take it to the next level. He made me feel completely at ease and good about myself, which in turn allowed me to relax, which in turn allowed me to concentrate on "feeling" the car and experimenting. Also, he was really fun. He'd say "awesome!" when I'd almost lose control or "let's do it!" when I'd get my sights on someone.

** NOTE: Please excuse my inaccurate terminology, potentially bad/incorrect advice or complete misunderstanding of a concept. I'm still very much a beginner and am still trying to make sense of all this racing stuff. :)

P.S. I'm solo approved (drive without an instructor) for the blue group! And my instructor said I can be in the yellow group if on a familiar track!! Wow, exciting! I just never really expected to make it to solo driving or the yellow group for that matter!

4 Star Rating System

If you haven't noticed already, I'm quite an avid gamer. Not a fanboy or anything, but I do enjoy a good game on more than a casual level. I also read watch a lot of video game reviews on Gamespot, IGN and XPlay and often think about my personal spin on gaming.

Like I said before, I'm not a fanboy or hardcore game nerd. I have a girlfriend to tend to, a pup that's like a daughter to me, my Corvette to futz around with, a 9-to-8 (as opposed to 9-to-5) job, my personal blog and my software release blog (as in, I write software in my spare time). I'm somewhere between a casual gamer and an MMORPG addict. I'm looking to speak to gamers who fall into this demographic. I also believe this demographic will expand as gaming becomes more mainstream.

I guess this blog post is to announce that I'm going to officially start reviewing video games. I have done a couple of "reviews" already, but I'm going to try to standardize a format and rating system. I'll probably retroactively apply this system to the previous reviews.

I'm going to use a simple 4 star rating system...

1. Bad
2. Mediocre
3. Good
4. Awesome, outstanding, exceptional, go buy it right now.

The format will be a short list of pros and cons followed by in depth discussion of what stood out to me.

Software Released

I "released" my Kate/Pate plugin today via this blog post.

MySpace Sucks, Good Riddance!

God, I hate MySpace. Everything about it sucks...

• Filled with advertisements to the point where the UI breaks down.
• Filled with porn spam.
• UI design is horrific.
• It's ungodly slow.

Mainly it's the UI and the slowness that piss me off about it. It's like I'm looking at a webpage designed by a 12 year old. Combined with constant porn spam, it's just too much... I cancelled my account. No, not "deactivated" or made "hidden", I actually deleted it. As in unrecoverable delete. Fuck you, MySpace.

My wave ratio is up!

I learned about the wave before I even got my Vette, and it's built up so much on Corvette Forum that I was a little disappointed to observe a real world wave return ratio of only about 50%.

I think when one cruises Corvette forums on the internet all the time, he/she tends to forget that the enthusiast community makes up a small portion of the total, real world population. So while nearly 100% of Corvette Forum members "save the wave", they make up a small percentage of actual Corvette owners out on the road.

Anyways, the point of the post is, my wave return ratio is up! Seems I've gotten near 100% return in the past month or so. Heh, feels good to finally be getting some returns instead of looking like a tool and listening to my gf say, "See, nobody cares."

Btw, if anyone read that save-the-wave page that I linked above, I'm definitely a "Topper-Tipper" or a "Two Finger-Flipper." If I were to take a guess, I'd say Mr. Scatterbrain is a "Wiping Swiper." :)

I stole that image of that lovely lady waving from a C5 from Google Images. I hope that's ok with her.

Installing Pate for Kate

Read about it here on my more technical blog.

Moonshine, Austin Tx

I've been meaning to try this place ever since my boss mentioned that it's one of his favorites. It has been well over a year since he mentioned that, and I haven't thought about it since then until Aimee recently brought home some porkchops from there.

I'm not a fan of pork chops unless they are thin grilled Vietnamese style, but these thick ones from Moonshine were pretty good. They are described as "molasses and chili cured (for 24 hours) with an bourbon apple sauce."

Anyways, for whatever reason, me and Aimee [sic] decided to go there on Sat. Let me fill you in on a little background about myself. I hate crowds. I hate loud noises. I hate waiting. I hate "no parking." Aimee knew the only way she'd get me to go to a place downtown on the weekend is if we went early. So we went at 3:45 pm (we were both starving for some reason, so it worked out well).

I liked it. We sat outside on the patio and it wasn't crowded or loud at all. There was music playing, but it was very soft... you had to stop talking to hear it (i.e. perfect in my ears). Our server was very friendly and I had no reservations about giving her my standard 20%.

So here's the rundown...

---

Baked (really? I could have sworn it was fried) Bree with Ancho Pear Chutney and Toast Points

It was good, but not outstanding, IMO. Aimee was craving this standard faire appetizer, so I think it really hit the spot for her.

Broiled Rainbow Trout with Corn Bread Stuffing & Chile Sage Butter

This was recommended by the server (and my boss). It is awesome. It may not sound like it, but it is very rich. We speculate it's from a lot of butter and sugar in the cornbread stuffing. Definitely a dish to recommend and get again.

Crunchy Coated Snapper with Mango Relish, Crab Meat & Basil Pesto

Very good also. We both thoroughly enjoyed it, but it wasn't a show stopper like the trout. I did like that I could taste the red onions on it and the mango was in large slices and fresh and flavorful as well.

Baked Mac and Cheese (side)

Very good. Obviously not like what you would buy in a grocery store, but very rich and creamy instead. The top is browned from the baking.

Seasonal Vegetable Medley

Good. I ate all of mine (and Aimee's too later at home), which is saying a lot for veggies. It included corn, red cabbage and carrots.

Grilled Polenta with Parmesan and Fresh Herbs

Meh, I liked the normal cornbread better.

Harvest Moon Tea (alcoholic drink)

Good. It's pint sized for $6.75, which isn't too bad these days. Be warned, it's pink.

Hard Lemonade

The twist is mint. Aimee loved this and got two of them.

White Chocolate Bread Pudding

I think it was the ice cream that was white chocolate because I couldn't taste any white chocolate in the bread pudding. This was good, but I think at this point in the meal, we just got it to taste because we were so full. We didn't finish it even though it was very good.

---

The meal cost $79. 100% worth it for a "night out" or "date" type of meal.

P.S. The picture shown shows the stuffed trout (rear) that I got and the hard lemonade that Aimee got.

Sony Fanboys... The Devil May Cry You a River

12,000 Sony fanboys have signed an online petition saying they will boycott (as in not purchase) the upcoming Devil May Cry 4 game if Capcom releases it on multiple platforms instead of making it a Sony PS3 exclusive title.

Ok, I can understand if PS3 owners would be upset if Capcom released DMC4 on 360 and not the PS3, but that's not the case. It's being released on all systems so that everyone can play it and be happy.

So fanboys, what's with the "if we can't have it to ourselves, we don't want it at all" mentality? Come on guys, you're not in kindergarten any more... mommy should have taught you how to share by now.

Here's the hilarious part. While everyone is not caring about your stupid plight and enjoying your beloved game, you will either be renegging on your petition pledge or sitting in the corner not playing it because of your own selfishness.

My History of Cars (Part 3)

Finally... the Vette post.

I don't know why it took me so long to finally make this post. I think it's because there is so much, really too much, to say.

Let me start off by saying... I love this thing as much as a human can love an inanimate object. While almost everyone will tell you that buying a new, expensive car is one of the worst financial decisions you can make, I will tell you that it is the best purchase I have ever made, straight up. It's one of those things that brings me enjoyment everyday. I look forward to waking up in the morning just to drive it to work. Before taking the plunge, I thought I would be riddled with guilt and buyer's remorse, but infact, the opposite happened: I love it more and more with each passing day. Even Aimee, who swore she would break up with me if I bought it, loves it. She drives it to her gym, to the grocery store, to the mall, etc. Hehe, I think that's pretty cute hot.

This car is the best bang-for-your-buck sports car, period. I'll probably never own a Ferrari, hell, I'll probably never even own a Porsche 911, but owning this Corvette gives me 80% of the performance of the Ferrari (and 110% of the Porsche) for a tiny fraction of the cost. It is truly an everday, everyman's sports supercar.

I got a 2008 Z51 Coupe. It is rated at 436 hp, but realistically makes about 40 more hp at the rear wheels than a 2005-2007 model. It also uses a different (and better) transmission than the previous model years. Also for the 2008 model year, GM addressed a long standing gripe against the Corvette (numb and poor steering feel) by tweaking and modifying the steering column, which is nice, but I don't necessarily think it's BMW or Porsche caliber yet.

I opted for the HUD, Z51 and dual mode exhaust options. The HUD is pretty cool... it projects driving information (speed, RPM, lateral g-force, etc) onto the windshield, much the same way a jet fighter does. The Z51 package is the track and road racing package which includes a race tuned suspension, oil cooler, power steering fluid cooler and close ratio transmission. The dual mode exhaust is expensive, but worth it... the mufflers have a computer controlled valve in them that opens at 3500 RPM and unleashes that deep American V8 growl... :) Perfect for people like me who typically like to keep a low profile, but still like to cause a raucous on occasion.

The car performs phenomenally on the track, capable of beating high end supercars 3x it's price. I'm not going to lie, the car is way beyond my ability as a driver, but I still love that it can beat the pants off most any other car out there in the hands of someone more competent.

I also love all the extra little things about owning a modern car. I love the keyless, wireless entry and ignition. I never have to take the key fob out of my pocket. The doors "unlock" when in range and "lock" when out of range (actually they don't lock or unlock persay, they simple won't open if the key fob is out of range). HID highlights are awesome; even better, they are automatic (they turn on/off according to how much daylight is present). Memory seats/mirrors are sweet, especially when there are two primary drivers. Telescoping steering wheel, auto exit seat positioning, auto dimming mirrors, completely electric doors and trunk release, XM radio, etc... blah blah, the wireless key fob is awesome. Yeah, I know I already said that, but it's so awesome, that I honestly think every car should be that way.

There is so much more to say about this car (and how I feel about it), but this post is already running long, so I'll just leave you with the standard performance statistics.

• 0 to 60 in 4 seconds flat (2008 model year)
• 1/4th mile in low 12 second range (2008 model year)
• 0.98 lateral g's in the skidpad*

* Holy Jesus, that number is so good, I must provide a source for integrity.

P.S. The roof comes off (completely off, not like a t-top), so I more or less have a convertible whenever I want... how cool is that?? I actually use this feature a ton more than I thought I would. It's very nice.

Biggest Apple Rip Off Yet

I was reading (and agreeing with) someone's gripe over Apple putting a combo drive in their "low end" MacBook when I realized that offence is nothing in comparison to their memory prices.

Recently, Apple quietly upgraded their MacBook lineup, which included officially extending the maximum supported memory to 4 gb. Great! The more the better, especially since I would be using VMware Fusion to run Windows and Linux along side OS X.

Here's the kicker, configuring a MacBook through Apple's online store will cost you $850 for 3 gb of memory. Yes, that's eight hundred and f-ing fifty dollars for a mere 3 gb of memory (remember, the 1st gb is including in the base price).

Let me put this in perspective. You can buy 4 gb of Patriot memory, specifically made for Mac notebooks, from Newegg for only $189. Yes, that's one full gb more for approximately $650 less than what Apple is charging.

Am I the only one outraged?

Godzirra!! (broken Engrish accent)

• 3.8L twin turbo v6
• 473 hp / 433 tq
• super high tech AWD system
• 0-60 in 3.5 secs
• 1/4th mile in 11.7 secs
• 7:38 Nurburgring time
• $70,000 estimated price

For all you out-the-know non-car people, those performance statistics are utterly amazing for that price tag, especially that ring time...

So why do I hate it?? Ok, I don't really "hate" it, but something about it pisses me off. No, it's not the fact that it knocks my beloved American car off it's pedestal. It's not because I want it but can't afford it either. It's because of all the damn hype and PS2-armchair-racers.

God, I've never heard so much hype and smack talk over a car before. From Nissan claiming that they are targeting the half million dollar Porsche Carrera GT, to MotorTrend's latest "Corvette Killer" cover story, to the endless JDM fanboy comments on Autoblog... it has simply ruined the car for me. It's no longer just a new, badass world beater made by Nissan. Now it's some monstrosity used to fuel internet flame wars, power the hype machine, and bring out the insecurities of every lesser sports car owner (like me!*).

There is just too much stigma attached to the car for me to ever consider buying it. It's what every pimply, Gran Turismo playing, Fast and Furious watching teenager has wet dreams about.

Still I have to give credit where credit is due. Those performance stats are incredible, and kudos for Nissan for not reincarnating this "legend" into some flaccid underperformer.

* That ring time is suspicious. For starters, it was made with a preproduction car. Plus Nissan spent like a year with it at the ring. You give me 365 laps around the ring and I'm bound to get one really good one... :P Then there is ubiquitous cut slicks debate, hehe.

Oh, and it looks like a catfish.

I'm dating Uma Thurman.

I don't think a week goes by that my girlfriend Aimee doesn't get told by someone that she looks like Uma Thurman... and that's in normal clothes. You should see her in her Uma Halloween costume! Oh wait, you are. Pretty neat, huh?

I love Uma Thurman as an actress. She's actually one of my favorites. It's her characters... they're all badass. She always plays a take-charge-get-what-she-wants-while-still-being-sexy woman. Kinda like Aimee in real life... :)

A pro photographer happened to be a guest at the same party. He got some really good pics of her as Uma, so stay tuned while we wait for Aimee's flaky friend to get them to us.

Things I Want 1.0

Westinghouse 42" LCD I like to play video games late at night. Aimee has to wake up very early for work. My gaming TV backs up to our bedroom wall. Not good. I need a second high def TV to take upstairs for late night gaming. LG Motorsport Pro Long Tube Headers w/ Cats

They'll add 30-35 rwhp and hopefully add a mean sound too. I don't really need this, I just kind of want them. Maybe I'll wait till my warranty expires. Besides, they are very expensive. Apple MacBook I'm getting a little tired of tinkering with Linux. Really I just want a decent text editor for Ruby/Rail. Is TextMate really worth $1500 though? It doesn't even have an outline view. Apple Mac Mini Might as well get a Mac for home too. :) Apple iPod Nano (classic) Funny thing, I've never actually owned a portable mp3 player (for very long anyways). My car radio has an aux input that I'd like to use. Might as well stay with the Apple theme, right? Am I the only one who doesn't like those new fatty iPod Nanos? External DVD Burner It just makes sense. Burning DVDs isn't a common task for me, especially on multiple computers. What I mean is, most of my DVD burning happens on one computer, so why bother getting a DVD burner for all of my other computers? I do, on occasion, need to burn a DVD on one of those other computers. Also, if I'm going all Mac, I don't want to spring for the Superdrive on all of them... :)

Newsflash: Ricers scared by V8 exhaust note!

Apparently, ricers don't know what a V8 sounds like. According to many V8 owners, revving ricers are quickly shutup when the V8 owner revs back at them.

The story goes like this. Ricer comes up on an unsuspecting V8 and revs at them to entice them into a street race. The V8 owner is way above street racing so tries to ignore the ricer. The ricer persists and finally the V8 owner revs back with his massive V8 engine. Never having heard a V8 before, or possibly not knowing that a Mustang/Camaro/(insert American car here) has a V8, the ricer is so taken aback by the brutal, intimidating sound that he (or she) shuts up and minds his place.

"Well we were at a light and he starts revving his fart muffler(or lack of muffler). well i started to intimidate him with one fast 5000 rpm rev. this was funny (big smile). THAT SHUT HIM UP. (thumbs up)"
http://forums.bradbarnett.net/showthread.php?t=31650

"He revs his engine at me so I rev mine back (B&B Bullets on a C6 A6) and man it was funny. His face looked as if a Frenchman slapped him with a white glove."
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/showthread.php?t=1840663

"So i came down in the stang and did a nice rev which shut him up."
http://www.allfordmustangs.com/forums/kill-stories/46776-does-get-any-better-ricer.html

I have failed to compile a complete collection of quotes, but rest assured, I have heard this same story too many times to count.

So there you have it. Ricers are scared of loud, deep notes and only rev at cars that they expect aren't going to rev back with said loud, deep notes. Also ricers are ignorant of which cars are equipped with V8s producing these notes and often rev at them by mistake.

If you can't detect it, this post is dripping with sarcasm. I think it's ridiculous that these people actually think other people are "scared" of their loud exhaust.

Better Rails Migrations

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Better AppConfig Plugin for Rails

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Nvidia Woes in Linux - (K)ubuntu Feisty

I've been tooling around with Compiz-Fusion in Linux. It's pretty neat, but my old graphics card wasn't up to the task so I bought a cheapo $28 fanless Nvidia GeForce 6200 128 MB AGP. There are some interesting caveats to getting an Nvidia card working in Linux, particularly (K)ubuntu.

If you install the drivers from Nvidia's website (which I suggest because those are always the latest and most up-to-date), you have to disable the module that is packaged in linux-restricted-modules-common:

sudo vim /etc/default/linux-restricted-modules-common DISABLED_MODULES="nv"

Then be sure to remember to delete any files in /lib/linux-restricted-modules/:

sudo rm /lib/linux-restricted-modules/.nvidia_new_installed sudo rm /lib/linux-restricted-modules/.nvidia_legacy_installed

Those hidden files are created if you've ever installed Nvidia drivers from the (K)ubuntu repositories, but for some reason, they are not deleted if you uninstall (as in the case when before you install from Nvidia's website).

Then just run the Nvidia installer, reboot and you should be all set.

Many thanks to adamk in this thread.

The Orange Box Rocks!!

With the disappointment of Halo 3 still in the forefront of my mind (damn thing cost $60), The Orange Box came at a great time to get that bad taste out of my mouth. For those who don't know, The Orange Box is a collection of five Value games (Half Life 2, HL2: Episode One, HL2: Episode Two, Portal and Team Fortress), recently released on Xbox 360. The five games have previously been released for PC some years ago.

I played Half Life 2 on the PC in 2004 and it was awesome then and it's awesome now on the 360! In fact, it puts to shame most 360 games in the graphics department and definitely in the gameplay and fun factor departments.

Unlike Halo 3, Half Life 2 is a very submersive game. The environments are very interactive. The people not only talk, but react to you (try throwing some trash at them). The game won awards for it's ground breaking physics engine. Almost every object in the game can be picked up and thrown around (that gets really fun once you get the gravity gun). The "puzzles" are short, creative and rewarding; they usually show off part of the in-game physics capabilities. The pace of the game is also excellent; the levels never get repetitive or boring.

Speaking of physics, Portal is a trip. I'm not even going to bother explaining, so just watch this embedded video:

I beat Portal in one sitting (2h 50m). It was really fun.

I don't have much interest in Team Fortress. Online, competitive gameplay is too stressful for me.

Half Life 2 easily makes it into my top 5 video game list.

Dyno Tuned the Vette

I got my car dyno tuned at 21st Century Muscle Cars. John Page (the shop owner) is very friendly, accommodating and knowledgable. Kenny K., who did the actual tuning, is extremely friendly and owns his own C6 which he modified (headers, cams, etc) and tuned himself.

I was expecting to dyno at 390 rwhp stock and gain about 5 rwhp from the tune. Instead I dyno'ed very low for an LS3 (364 rwhp) and gained 30 rwhp from the tune. Apparently my LS3 C6 is an anomaly and came from the factory pig rich (AFR for the first dyno run was below 10.0), which accounted for the low horsepower.

Most LS3's are 390 stock and gain 5 from a tune. I was about 365 and gained 30 from the tune. Either way, end result is 395 rwhp... so I shouldn't be too concerned, right? Right??

Btw, for you non car people out there, 395 rwhp means my car makes about 445 horsepower. Hell, let's just call it an even 450... :)

2008 Sub $100,000 Test Drive List

Corvette C6 Z06

Test drive? Hell, I might even own one of these someday.

Porsche 911 Carrera S

I'm not really a Porsche fan. I think they are kind of ugly, somewhat pricey for what you get, and a bit overrated by the magazines. Still, I want to see what all the hoopla is about. Btw, I would have put the 911 GT3 on this list instead, but it is $7,500 over budget.

Lotus Exige S

I will probably never own one of these because they make terrible daily drivers, and I'm not wealthy enough to have a $60k car that is strictly a toy. Still I'd want to test drive one just to see what a true, dedicated track car feels like.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X

What, I can't have a ricer on the list? This car has garnered so much respect from rags, as well as the enthusiast community, over the years that I'm curious to try out it's latest incarnation. Also, I have little experience with AWD cars, so I want to see what that is like.

Honda S2000

Owners seem to love them. I've never heard a bad thing about an S2000 from an owner, instead they rave about them. The car is very high strung with very little torque, so I'm curious to see what makes them so good.

Honda Civic Mugen Type R / RR / Si

This is the car I love to hate. :) How can people call it a sports car? It's FWD for crying out loud! It's chassis' primary design function is that of economy! You can't just take an economy car, slap a bunch of performance parts on it and call it a sports car! Still, it has somewhat of a cult following... that has to count for something, right? I just want to test drive one so that my bashings have more credibility, ha!

Saturn Sky Red Line

I have a weird obsession with this car. I know it's not that great of a performer, but I love it's edgy design. They always catch my eye and it takes me a second or two before I realize what they are. Some would argue that it is a sporty little roadster because it's based off the same platform as the Pontiac Solstice.

Ford Mustang GT500 KR

Though I've kind of lost interest in drag racing, I'm still a Mustang fan. I wanna see what this car has on my previous beast. Also, I have read some articles that say it can keep pace on a road course, though I speculate it's via sheer horsepower.

Is a Mac really worth it?

I've been toying with the idea of getting a Mac for a while now. I'd like both a MacBook as well as a Mac Mini. I'm not a normal computer user, so these would be the upgrades I'd get for each of them:

• 2 gb memory
• 7200 rpm hard drive
• Superdrive (aka a dvd burner)

Both the MacBook and the Mac Mini come with 1 gb of memory via two 512 mb sticks. Guess how many memory slots each one has? You guessed it! If you want to upgrade to 2 gb, you can't reuse any of the memory that originally came with the machines.

You cannot add a Superdrive a la carte. You must order the higher end model of each machine to get it.

The 7200 rpm hard drive is about a $100 aftermarket upgrade.

So all said and done, that $500 Mac Mini is looking more like $800 and that $1100 MacBook is looking like $1500.

Now I can upgrade my current computer to have a much faster Core 2 Duo processor than either of those Macs, along with a video card that easily beats them, for a grand total of $400.

"Yeah, but OS X has the best, most badass, eye candy interface ever!" Ehh. Check out this video of what is going to be included in the default installation of (K)ubuntu Linux (released in 10 days).

So now I gotta ask myself... is TextMate really worth $400 to $1100?

Halo 3... meh.

I got Halo 3 a few days after it was released. I bought it from Gamestop and the clerk there asked me what version I wanted. I kinda just stared at him until he started to explain. There is the normal version which is just the game. Then there is a special "limited edition" which comes in a tin case and cost $10 more. And then there is the "legendary edition" which comes with the pictured helmet and costs $130. I was offended for two reasons:

1. The clerk had the audacity to assume I am a big enough nerd to even consider either special edition, especially the "legendary nerd" edition with the helmet on a stand.
2. That MS is such a money grubbing piece of shit that they are charging over $70 for a plastic helmet which adds nothing to the gaming experience.

I guess that's what really pisses me off about Halo 3. It is so over-hyped and over-marketed that it's a massive success, despite the game actually being mediocre.

How is it mediocre, you ask? Let me rattle off a short list...

• The graphics aren't that great. I feel like I'm looking at a PC video game 5 years ago.
• The character animations are even worse. Their movements are so unnatural and "jagged". Walking up and down stairs, their feet don't properly fit the steps. When people hold their hands up to their faces, you can tell they aren't really touching.
• I can't tell when I'm hitting an enemy. Gears of War had blood spurting and Resident Evil 4 had enemies recoiling in pain. Halo 3 has almost nothing. Same with death animation in Halo 3, very weak. Sometimes I waste ammo on an already dead enemy.
• The gravity hammer is nothing near as cool as the chainsaw bayonet.
• Overall, the weapons aren't very satisfying (especially the shotgun, where is the feeling of brute force??).
• I don't know, it just doesn't have the polish that Gears of War has or Resident Evil 4 had (at the time).

I honestly think MS paid off a lot of reviewers in it's ultimate hype campaign. Check this out though, my friend Adam sent me this review, which I think is pretty good. :)

Holy brake dust, Batman!

Wow. Freaking Jesus, wow.

I drove my car on a road track for the first time last weekend (Sept 15th & 16th). It was with The Driver's Edge which is a non profit (I think) organization that organizes non-timed high performance driving events (HPDEs) at various race tracks all over Texas. I simply call it "racing school" because you have an instructor with you the entire time and they teach you how to drive fast... very fast.

Out of all the things I've done, I'd rank it number 2 behind skydiving for the first time in intensity, excitement and fear. Some people liken it to riding a roller coaster, but I think that's a bad analogy. On a roller coaster, you just sit there, along for a high g-force ride. You're on tracks and you're not going off the tracks. On a road course, the only things keeping you on the track are your wits... and your instructor's commands.

This two day event was quite an eye opener. Most people don't know anything about the physics of driving. They don't know how to load the front suspension before a turn, or how to accelerate through a turn to keep the rear tires planted. They certainly don't know that lifting off the accelerator or hitting the brakes while going around a corner too fast is going to cause the car to go into a spin. That's right, if you're going around a corner too fast and you don't think you're going to make it... give it more gas!

One thing that they kept stressing to us newbies is to breathe. Driving on a road course for the first time can be a harrowing experience, especially if you're driving a 450 hp sport car capable of speeds in excess of 190 mph. It goes against all instinct to keep the gas pedal floored while approaching a 180 degree turn, then at the last possible second, slam on the brakes and pray that you're going to slow down enough to make the turn. When I say "slam" on the brakes, I'm mean you're hitting them so hard that if you didn't have a seat belt on, you're going into the windshield.

The Vette is awesome. It's way too much car (power-wise) for a newbie like myself. Other cars were hitting 80-90 mph at the end of the straight if they were lucky. I was hitting 105 at the middle of the straight (and being too scared to upshift, haha)! I never had to take it out of 3rd gear the entire time on the track. It had more than enough power in 3rd gear alone to scare the living daylights out of me.

Handling-wise it's great also. I'm too wet behind the ears to comment on the numb steering that Vettes are known for, but I did notice that the Vette has tons less body roll that my previous S197 Mustang GT (2005), despite the Mustang's aftermarket Roush suspension.

I'm going to sum up the remaining points of interest since this post is already kind of long...

• Your wheels get completely covered in brake dust.
• After a session on the track (or during), you're not allowed to stop in the grass because your car's headers and brake rotors are so hot that they can start grass fires.
• After a session on the track, you cannot use your parking brake or hold your foot on the brake pedal because your brakes are so hot that the rotors will warp.
• You get used to the sound of tires squealing. In fact, tires squealing becomes the norm rather than the exception.
• As a newbie, your skills are laughable compared to your instructor's. My instructor had people puke and lose control of their bladders while riding with him in his run group (btw, he has a modified 2007 C6 Corvette).
• There is a high probability that you will lose control of the car at high speeds. Well... if you are pushing it and have a high horsepower car anyways.
• I lost control 3 times, the 3rd time at 90 mph and went off track into the grass/dirt. It wasn't even scary because by then I was so used to the speed.

After just one HPDE, I'm addicted. All I think about is going back for more and getting better and faster. Unfortunately, it's an expensive hobby...

Click here for more pictures.

Dustpans are teh suck!

Have you ever noticed that you never get all the dirt off the floor when you finish a sweeping job with a dustpan? I hate dustpans. They are so primitive. Why do people still use technology that was invented millennia ago?

Check out my current sweeping technique. I sweep all the dust, dirt and crap into a corner, then suck I up with a vacuum cleaner (the hose part). It works great and it gets all the dirt.

Throw away your dustpans!!!

Getting PPTP to work with KNetworkManager on Kubuntu 7.04 Fiesty Fawn

I'm blogging this so I don't forget in the future. At the time of this writing, the issues are known and recorded on bugs.launchpad.net, but I'm not sure if they are fixed yet, hence the following steps.

1. sudo aptitude install network-manager-pptp network-manager-gnome
2. restart knetworkmanager
3. When you create a new VPN connection, in step 2 of 2, make sure to select a "Type"!!! It will initially be blank and if you leave it blank when you hit "forward", your connection name will forever be unusable!
4. Restart computer (sorry, I don't know which specific daemon needs to be restarted).

See this pic for the below for what I mean about the blank "Type" select.

If you leave it blank and hit forward, a file will be made using the "Connection Name" you entered in. That file will be corrupt and you won't be able to fix it (via any part of this GUI), so you'll effectively have to start over and use a different connection name.

Here are links to the two bugs concerning these issues:

Bug #74351 VPN connections configure dialog doesn't work on knetworkmanager
Bug #89120 VPN Connection not added...

Useless programmer blogs.

I hate it when dipshit programmers essentially make blog posts repeating what the manual already tells me. For instance, I was looking for how to use sockets with Ruby and came across all these blog posts that told me nothing more than the Ruby manual itself. Hell, most of the posts were just copied and pasted directly from the manual.

This annoys me for various reasons.

• It clutters the internet and makes it more difficult to find actually useful information.
• These dipshits probably do this on purpose so that they can show off their "popular" blog in interviews.
• These dipshits probably get paid more than me because they are "leading the industry with their expertise as displayed in their blogs".

You know what? Next time I'm reading a programming manual online and I have an unanswered question, I'm going to blog the answer to that question, but really the blog is going to be an excerpt from the manual that raised the question in the first place. Then when my blog's popularity skyrockets from other programmers seeking that same answer (to which they'll just find the question again, hehe), I'm going to apply to Google saying, "Look at how many other programmers turn to my blog for guidance. Hire me, I'm multraleet!"

Vietnamese Pork Chops

I eat these all the time in restaurants, so I figured I should learn how to make them in order to save a few bucks. It's very easy anyway.

Ingredients:

• 4 thinly sliced pork chops with bone
• 4 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• some chopped green onion (chives)
• some minced garlic (1-2 tbsp)

Instructions:

1. mix sugar and fix sauce in small bowl
2. mix in garlic, green onion and vegetable oil into fish sauce sugar mixture
3. put pork chops and fish sauce mixture into freezer bag, mix around
4. let marinate for a few hours
5. grill or pan fry pork chops

It's a popular recipe that is repeated more than a few times on the web. Some experimentation might be needed to taylor the salty/sweetness to your individual taste.

My History of Cars (Part 2)

Fast forward a few years. I've graduated from college, been working a couple of years (long enough to not be making chicken scratch anymore) and my Prelude is on its last leg. It had all sorts of problems. The suspension was completely shot, some part of the engine was cracked and was leaking oil onto a belt, it had major trouble idling, and it had a dent that had started to rust. My friends and family convinced me that I was stable enough to take on a car payment, though I was very reluctant to.

I wanted something sporty, but kinda nice... I was thinking G35 Coupe. I test drove one, along with a few other entry level luxury cars, but was left disappointed by their acceleration. This was about the time that the S197 (2005) Mustang was all the rage, so I gave it a try... and I was instantly hooked on American V8's. Also, the price was very right (compared to the entry level luxury cars)... :D

The S197 Mustang is a great car. Most people don't know that because they don't know jack about cars. All they know is stupid stereotypes that they see on TV. Well, here's a brief overview. The S197 is a complete redesign from the ground up. It shares almost nothing with previous generations of Mustang. It's weight distribution is near 50/50, it's chassis is worlds stiffer than previous generations (100% or 50% stiffer, I can't remember), and it has a whopping 300 hp and 320 lb-ft of torque!

I modded the hell outta that car:

• twin screw supercharger (Saleen Series VI)
• all the crap that comes with a supercharger upgrade (injectors, MAF, spark plugs, intake, etc)
• full Roush stage 2 suspension
• 4.10 differential gears
• short throw shifter adapter
• second fuel pump
• Xenon headlights
• CAI (pre supercharger)
• throttle body space (pre supercharger, waste of money)
• two sets of wheels (MB Motorsport VR5S, Body Coddington Smoothie 2)
• big tires BFG KDW2 255 in front and 285 in back
• Borla Stinger (S-Type) axle back exhaust

The car was a beast (420 rwhp / 400 rwtq). Because of the low end torque of the twin screw supercharger, combined with the steep 4.10 gears, traction was a major issue. I could lose traction in 1st gear just by stabbing the gas... without using the clutch! 2nd gear was a gamble too. Because of this, I could never get a decent time in the quarter mile. The best I did was 13.2 seconds. I could have done better with some stickier tires, but then I'd worry about other parts of the drive train breaking (if the tires stick, all that torque has to go somewhere, right?).

And that's what I was always worrying about, things breaking. For you see, when you modify a car, you pretty much throw your warranty out the window. It makes sense. If you add 200 hp to a car via a supercharger, then the engine explodes, why should Ford float the bill?

Regardless, modding is still extremely popular. It allows people to buy "cheap" cars and "cheaply" raise their performance level. For instance, average Joe out-of-college can't usually afford a Porsche, but he can probably afford a 350Z and to mod it to reach Porsche level performance. The big trade off is the warranty (and thus peace of mind).

Peace of mind is worth a lot.

My History of Cars (Part 1)

I'm the kinda kid who grew up on toy cars and racing video games. Yeah, I had the Lamborghini Countach poster on my wall, as well as that Vector poster, ubiquitous to many young kids' rooms. I played the hell out of Gran Turismo 1 and 2, and I still play racing video games today (Forza Motorsport 2 on Xbox 360). As long as I can remember, I've desired fast sport cars.

In college, my mommy bought me a used Honda Prelude Type SH. It was lowered, and had intake and exhaust. At the time, I thought that car was shiznit!! ..but that era was also my rude awakening to 4 banger imports. It's very hard to squeeze power out of such small displacement engines. I distinctly remember saving up enough money for a turbo for the 'lude and asking a well known Houston tuner how fast it would make my car. He said it would maybe shave 1.0 to 1.5 seconds off my quartermile. Haha, ridiculous! A freakin' $5000+ turbo kit, and my car would go from 15.5 seconds to 14.0 seconds. What's the point? Why bother going from really slow to just slow? So I bought a used Honda CBR 600 F3 (a crotchrocket / sport bike) with the money instead.

Ahh how young and naive, I was back then. My perception of the car often greatly exceeded its actual capabilities. Still, I loved that car and got into lots of trouble with it (pulling a 540 on 2222 comes to mind).

VTEC... what a joke. Of course, at the time, I was like every other young ricer who equated VTEC to a sudden large surge of forced induction boost. Hardly. It gives what? 10, maybe 15 lb-ft of torque? Even that is generous.

And yes, I was that ricer with the obnoxious exhaust. How embarrassing in retrospect! To my credit though, at least I didn't have the huge coffee can exhaust. I had the dual DTM style exhaust. It was Tanabe DMT Medallion to be exact. Heh, nothing like loud and slow, eh? Hehe.

Don't get me wrong, I mean no offence to anyone into this kind of stuff. It's just a style that I moved away from and I like to laugh at myself in the past. I respect all kinds of car enthusiasts and modders and think it's great that they are into it, regardless of what "style" they are into.

What's this all about?

Hello all. This is my personal blog. I'm a software developer who has a passion for high performance cars, technology, video games and dogs (err, more like my dog, hehe). So naturally, most of my blogs will be about those topics.

So why did I decide to start blogging? Ehh, to be honest, mostly because one of my good friends started and he kinda talked me into it. Also, I do like the idea of having an online journal.

So what's with the name? It's a play off of said friend's blog Plastic Bits.