- BMW switching back to tubo M cars (They didn't like the V8 M3's lack of torque?).
- Honda finally going V8 - "You've got to have the right tool for the job. You can't bring a knife to a gun-fight."
Friday, November 28, 2008
Philosophical Oscillations: Honda and BMW on Different Sides of the Wave
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Beta Culture
Ah, we'll just issue a firmware update later if there's a problem.
WSJ: A Car Wreck Made in Washington
As an aside: notwithstanding the obviously retarded jetpooling fiasco, what gives the country's elected officials to be so holier-than-thou with the car companies' leaders? I mean... is the country as a whole doing any better economically than the Big 3?
MADD: Vengeance at Any Cost
Law Firm Sues for Linking To Their Website
- The lawsuit | Exhibits to the complaint
- Offending hyperlinks: #1 | #2
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Awesome Twingo Ad: The Billboard
Too bad we're not cool enough on this side of the pond to show it. :-)
More Nurburgring Talk: G8 GXP 8:30
Just goes to show you the Cobalt SS is the best-kept secret in bang-for-your-buck cars today.
Czech Big Brother Awards
Prague: The fourth-annual Czech Republic Big Brother Awards were announced a few days ago. Quite the list...[Metamorphosis.org via PogoWasRight.org]
Monday, November 24, 2008
The Truth: Skyline GTR vs Porsche GT2 at The Nurburgring
Read Driver's Republic: The Truth.
The Porsche comes out on top, even with the wet conditions encountered during testing. Of note: I was surprised to read about the brake fade on the Skyline... But overall I'm impressed that the GTR managed a 7:56 in the wet. Alas, Driver's Republic did postulate that a Perfect Lap (TM) would only be 10-15 seconds faster.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
iPhone 2.2 Upgrade Fixes, Breaks SMS Preview Privacy: Displays Sender Identity
Apple just "fixed it" yesterday with v2.2. Per Apple:
This update addresses the issue by, in this situation, displaying only a notification that a SMS message has arrived, and not its content.
One problem. Configured just like before: Passcode Lock on, Show SMS Preview off. Unlike the nondescript SMS notification from previous iPhones that just said "new text message," the new notification tells passersby who sent you a message:
![]() | ![]() |
| iPhone 2.2 | iPhone 2.1 Thanks to Karl Kraft |
And as far as I can tell there's no way to turn this off. This new feature privacy bug is going to get some people in serious trouble... ;-)
My suggested fix: add a sub-option under Show SMS Preview for Show SMS Sender.
Update: I have notified Apple of the problem.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Seattle 2008 and My Nissan Skyline GTR Road Test
First, a small disclaimer: It rains a little bit in Seattle. Ok, it rains a lot. Dan’s Skyline was freshly detailed and for sale, and a single raindrop could be disastrous. So, when the weather finally cleared up for a few minutes on Saturday, we took the car out for a short trip. Dan drove first while I played with the
You want a boost gauge? No problem. How about boost mapped against g-force, all historically data logged. Now that’s cool. And you can pick all this stuff in real time. And the graphics really are good enough for Polyphony Digital to associate their name with it.
Speaking of the interior… it’s damn nice. I like that it would piss PETA off. There’s leather everywhere, even up the dash. The rear seats seem like good CD holders and poor ass holders, but that’s the whole point anyway. The fronts seats, on the other hand, are awesome ass holders – truly top notch. The make my Z06 seats feel like ass trays.
Dan points out how good the radio in the GTR, a Bose, is. I’m skeptical, but he turns it up and it actually sounds quite good. Bose builds radios like brokers pick stocks… you never know what you’re gonna get. (The one in the C6 Vette would be improved by a Macdonalds drive-thru speaker. Its predecessor was actually decent.)
We switch drivers. I move the driver’s seat forward about a foot. I try to figure out how to move the thing since there’s no clutch, no putting it in D, nothing… Dan says there’s two modes – manual and auto. I try auto mode first. When you let go of the brake, the car just sits there. You touch the gas, and you feel like the passenger in a manual transmission car, as the invisible man revs the engine to 1500RPM and Honda-style slips the clutch to engage it for you. The invisible man does perfect manual upshifts for you as you continue to drive, but it just feels… odd. Unlike an automatic transmission, these upshifts have a slight delay, and like I said, it feels like you’re in the passenger seat of a manual transmission car.
Then I try manual mode.
Wow. This thing rev matches better than I do. And that’s saying something. And it won’t protest a downshift that puts you at 6000RPM – it’ll happily blip the throttle to almost redline and just sing. It’s delightful to watch the invisible man shift and rev-match for you. You find yourself doing useless upshifts and downshifts, hoping he’ll screw one up but he never does. No wonder these transmissions are blowing up left and right.
The acceleration feels a bit like a strong BPU Supra, although a lot quieter. It sounds kind of like a quiet blender. Once your margarita is ready, it’s time to upshift. Driving this car, my suspicions were confirmed that the 125mph-trapping cars in mags had to be ringers; a C6Z would put a hurt on a Skyline from a roll. Or from a stop if the Skyline owner wanted to preserve his warranty. ;-)
I wish I had more time to drive it and could report on handling impressions. I only drove it through a couple twisties which I took at 8/10ths… I did notice that the Skyline rides significantly rougher than the Z06, a necessary evil for good handling due to its avoirdupois. I’m really looking forward to driving one again, with
Special thanks to Dan and Valerie at VIPImports.com!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Some Good News: Porsche Cayman Finally Gets a Posi!
This means that Porsche's most balanced chassis is finally no longer intentionally handicapped by a limp diff. What's next? A real engine?
Oh, here's some cool 2010 Cayman wallpapers...
Australian Camera Company Profits from Our Hard Times
Class Action Lawsuit for GTR Warranty Claims; Nissan Responds by Discontinuing Launch Control
A member of the North American GTR Owners' Club announced a Class Action lawsuit yesterday against Nissan for "Launch Control /Void Warranty /Transmission Failure."
Nissan responded in a roundabout fashion by telling Edmunds Inside Line that the 2010 Skyline will not have Launch Control. "It's gone," said Nissan at the LA Auto show yesterday. "We just don't want to deal with the warranty nightmare anymore. It'll make the 2009 GT-R really special. It'll be the only R35 with launch control."
This begs the question: now that Nissan has officially admitted to Launch Control's existence as a feature on the 2009, can they still bury their heads in the sand with respect to warranty claims associated with its use?
I'm also looking forward to a redo of the magazine comparo tests next year with the warrantyable sans-LC launches.
Related:
Nissan Reprograms Skyline GTR Launch Control
Anybody who Owns a Porsche... I Suggest You Leave
Nissan GTR Black Box Abused for Warranty Denial
What's the Big Deal with the Skyline GTR's Black Box?
Toronto: Let it Snow
| From Toronto November 2008 |
Quite a change from the US too. Who ever heard of a self-serve Starbucks? Seriously: I asked for a venti red-eye and the guy handed me a venti cup with a shot of espresso. I stared at him oddly for a second and asked: where's the coffee? I was told it was behind me in the self-serve thermoses. Odd.
Click here for the gallery (which will be expanding as I take more pictures...)
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Bringing Shy Nerds Restraining Orders Together
How about some counseling?
[Yahoo! Tech]
Britain Gapples With Role for Islamic Justice
I guess this means all I have to do is create my holy church (yes I do own that domain :-)), and I'm free to abide by my own court system instead of my country's? Cool.
BMW: You Cancelled the Wrong Sedan
See this beautiful sedan on the right? That's the beautiful Concept CS that BMW just decided to cancel. Tragic.On the other hand, they did just refresh the BMW J-Lo, adding even more unnecessary technology, an overly complex turbo engine with not enough power and possibly too much lag, and of course the de rigueur awkward rumpage.
Nice move Muenchies...
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
What a Difference a State Line Makes for Online Liberty
- Duke University stands up to the entertainment industry bullies.
- Meanwhile, neighboring state Tennessee adopts $9.5 Million university anti-piracy measures despite school layoffs.
- Great commentary from the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
MILF Website Hacked and Defaced
The lesson learned here is to think globally before you name your liberation front.
TSA: Close One Loophole, Open Another
Action on Climate Change, and a Rant
- The car is the last symbol of freedom in America. Environmentalists and other control groups have been attacking it as long as I can remember.
- Gas is cheap again. SUVs are aplenty. But the auto industry has been all but destroyed.
- Barack Obama talks of ending our oil addiction; Promises climate change and green jobs.
- Patrick Bedard at Car & Driver gives an excellent counterpoint in his column: Save Energy, Take the Car
Finally, my rants. What is up with all these control freaks nowadays? They're everywhere. Don't smoke in any restaurant I might go to. Don't drink. Don't buy vodka on a Sunday. Don't drive anything that pollutes. Don't have a certain type of sex or another. Don't have an abortion. Don't drive faster than I do. Don't (insert I'm better than you control here).
Get over yourselves. It's just as much my world as it is yours. And by the same token, it's just as much your world as it is mine. So long as you're not infringing on my freedoms, I wouldn't presume to write laws to tell you what to do.
You want clean air? Stay home and get a nice HEPA filter. Outside you never know what you might encounter. Really feel a need to tell others what to do? If you must, multiply and then you can tell your kids what to do. Quit making laws just to restrict other people's freedoms.
Wasn't the whole beauty of this country that we're all different and we respect that? Not that we legislate the lowest common denominator across the board?
Cheers,
Andi
Australia's Administrators: Make Up Your Minds!
This genius thesis is based on this German study on gaming, which basically found a correlation between men who like to speed and men who like to play racing games. They're related - really?! Remember, correlation does not equal causation.
So, Australian police are harping on the old adage that in life, there is no reset button. I would expect a valid argument to be, say, a graph of deaths per mile driven (Y-axis) vs obsession with playing racing games (x-axis). Nothing of the sort. All they provide are some BS statistics of infractions / licenses lost (i.e. proclivity to getting caught speeding). Perhaps the officer who had this brilliant idea should learn to construct a solid argument.
As for the title of this post...
It's a well known fact that speed limits exist only for revenue. It's just another tax. So if the government really did figure out another way to get us to drive faster, they need to shut this idiot up because he may end up hurting revenue with this random witch-hunt.
Related: a recent study shows drivers feel free to ignore speed limits.
Security Theater Inspires Marketplace for TSA Mockery
- Stencils for TSA Communication (can cause trouble)
- Fake-Weapon Suitcases May Not Be Your Friend at Airports
Fun with Graphjam and xkcd

More gold:
Jerry are you listening? (LOL).
And for the best solution to road rage ever, thanks to Autonet's new in-car WiFi, check out xkcd: Road Rage.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
The User Experience: Microsoft Ergonomics Strikes Again
Car2car and Car2infrastructure Communication
How long till the revenue generation zealots discover this new
DWI Simulator Game for Windows Mobile Phones
If Paulson Won't Fix Detroit, Will Steve Jobs Do It?
- Looks Like it Won't Be Paulson to bail out Detroit. At first Paulson was reserving his bailout for the banks that screw us, now the rules have changed and anybody can get some (apply now!).
- But not the automakers. I never thought I'd be rooting for Barney Frank on something. Sigh.
- One guy thinks Steve Jobs should fix Detroit.
- Hmm... Now that I think about it... Apple has $25B in cash... The big three together would only cost about $10B. Wow.
- Plus, judging by his taste in cars, Steve is kind of a car guy...
- Only problem is if Apple buys the big three, they won't have enough money left over to buy Dell anymore.
GPS, PC, and Breathalyzer in One
EFF, ACLU Seek to Overrule Kentucky Judge, Self Appointed Ruler Of The Internet
Update: Arstechnica weighs in.
Autonet In-Car Wi-Fi Didn't Learn From TJX
A True Racer's Spirit
Equifax Wants to Simplify Getting a Fake ID
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Apple is Late to The Cloud Party? Hmm...
Doh: Another iPhone Vuln
Some Stuff I Didn't Have Time to Blog About Either
Auto BiWeek (Get Your Mind Out of the Gutter)
Monday, November 10, 2008
Where's the Outrage for Us Car Guys?
I happened to be watching FoxNews today and I saw a piece on these poor guys that can't reigster their little ecomobiles to drive on Massachusetts roadways. The newsfolks were genuinely concerned about these victims of lawmakers run amok. The 40mph top speed and marginal-at-best safety of these Chinese-made scooters-on-steroids didn't seem to concern the reporters.
The Craigslist Job Part Deux: Nabbed
Craigslist Joins Ebay in Policing Morality
The Genius Behind Steve
Don't Reboot Me Bro
The Episode Finally Airs: Top Gear's ZR1, CTS-V, and Challenger Review
To Those Waiting For Seattle Pics and GTR Review...
Cool Concept Snake-engined Challenger Video
I may be a V8 guy at heart, but this car makes me change my mind. It's bad. It makes you think back to Pulp Fiction. If Dodge builds this car, it should come with Jules' wallet.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Why Did Hamilton Win the Formula One Championship?
Viper Rich Employee Pricing Working Well; ACR Reportedly Sold Out Without It
Fake Call App for the iPhone
What's Going On at GM? Heinricy's Leaving Too?!
- Last month, Corvette chief engineer Tom Wallace unexpectedly announced his retirement.
- A few days ago GM posted another dismal month.
- To add insult to injury, John Heinricy announced his retirement today. (Recall my blog entry, What Would Heinricy Do?). I think John Heinricy's departure marks the end of an era for GM. No more Win on Sunday, Engineer on Monday. What other auto exec could make the decision to send a car to a magazine duel, and then hire himself as the pro driver?
- Now, GM is set to announce "important changes" on Friday. What's going to happen, any guesses? Will they lose the quintessential car guy, Bob Lutz, thus throwing in the towel for good?
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Viper ACR Mini-Review and Track Video
I've been meaning to write a more detailed review, but here is a video of me at a local road course the VCA rented out:
[streetfire.net]
I know I was driving like a pussy, and missed a few apexes. It was my first time tracking the car or driving that course (which is pretty scary in places).
It has a decent amount of understeer. Its not debilitating or anything; off-throttle it rotates nicely and trail-braking can easily get the car loose. When it does step out it tends to snap back, I think because you've often got to be somewhat rough to get the back end out in the first place.
Its really an easy car to drive. The in-cabin shots look like I'm taking a Sunday cruise. Power-oversteer when you aren't cornering hard is downright peaceful. Really the best adjective I can think of to describe it is "tranquil". It doesn't really do anything surprising, except for maybe snapping back a bit hard after getting loose (and that may just be me being used to my C5, which feels like its set up for drifting).
-Grant
The superimposed telemetry in the video is very nice... but I wish the video was actually in-car instead of bumpercam. In-car footage that show's the steering angle lets you see what the driver is doing and the car's yaw angle, de rigueur in my book.
Automating Australia's Battle Against Privacy Porn
"If the project is satisfactorily completed, we would certainly be encouraging its release as widely as possible because it is going to improve policing and services to the community," Sergeant Thomas said.
It gets better: "Particularly for Customs at the border, that sort of stuff is a problem," he said. Professor Valli, who is also head of the university's School of Computer and Information Science, said police required a simple tool that could eliminate the need for highly trained experts to undertake initial profiling of evidence.
They just admitted they want to scan every PC at the border with an automated tool. This isn't a slippery slope -- it's a skydive.
A couple talking points...
- Anybody who understands the technology knows that there is no way to scan for this stuff. None. Well, not unless they've built up a large illegal database of their own of child porn, gave the developers immunity to their own laws, and are using neural networks to match any photographs to the existing database. If that is the case, every police officer, every first responder, every person who has the scanning tools is illegally carrying the exact sort of materials they're searching for on people's computers to make an arrest.
- This is FUD. A way to make arrests, scan equipment, and seize property without probable cause.
(edited) I would also recommend not being guilty. I write from the philosophy of if you're innocent, you still shouldn't have to give up your right to privacy. But being innocent is still a good tenet to fall back on...
[Australian IT via Slashdot]


