Sean's Blog

Toyota: Moving Forward, But Not Fast Enough

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:35:08 -0500

I commute 80 miles a day to and from work, and I can tell you for a fact that most Toyota drivers (and most drivers of any vehicle, for that matter) struggle to find the gas pedal. And unfortunately, I’ve yet to be behind a Toyota exhibiting any of this unintended acceleration crap that’s constantly being talked about (“New at 11, your Toyota may kill you!”).

Kidding aside, every day I’m amazed at the incompetence of the American driver. I’m no world traveler, but it’s fairly common knowledge that it’s much more difficult to get a driver’s license in Europe because you actually have to know how to drive to get a license there. In America, we care about how many feet from a fire hydrant you can park, and what a big red octagonal sign means. But understeer or oversteer? Actually practicing controlling a skid, instead of just reading about it? Knowing that you can shift into neutral if your gas pedal magically finds itself glued to the floor? How about turning the car off when that happens? Americans seem to want a computer to do all of this for them, and that’s the problem. Machine intelligence is no substitute for a lack of the human variety, however scarce it may be in certain instances and situations.

Maybe Toyota really does have a problem, and maybe they don’t. Even if they do, it’s a secondary concern to how bad the typical American driver is. And guess which one is going to be addressed…

1. If this had happened to me when I was 16, I’d have the...

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 10:54:17 -0500

1. If this had happened to me when I was 16, I’d have the rear tires spinning as I went out the driveway sideways, leaving everyone standing there—and I’m not even a fan of the car.

2. This kid apparently has far more self-restraint than I had when I was 16, but this still doesn’t strike me as a great idea. Ideally, this is the last we’ll hear of this story (i.e., no accidents or whatever), but I still suspect the dad will be replacing the rear tires in about 1,000 miles or so.

3. I was a spoiled child, but when I turned 16, I didn’t get a car as a present. I had to get a job, and then pay for my first car myself. It made me appreciate it that much more. There’s something to be said for that, and—assuming I have kids—I wouldn’t get them anything near that nice, even if I had the money. But that’s just me.

No, it’s not a logical layout for a car (to preempt a...

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:35:11 -0500

No, it’s not a logical layout for a car (to preempt a certain comment bound to be made by Casey — strange timing there), but I’ll be damned if the slope nose isn’t a gorgeous car. I’m pretty sure I’d rather drive a 951-era 944 (or later, a 968), but looks wise, this has it beat.

If—well, when—you lose control of these earlier 911s, the general consensus seems to be that you’ll either crash or shit yourself. Perhaps both.

I feel far worse for the car than I do the driver. I love the...

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:21:00 -0500

I feel far worse for the car than I do the driver. I love the E36 M3 (and the stock wheels) almost as much as I love the E30 M3.

Bah, and Break throws in a 30 second ad beforehand. You can just go here instead.

OS X Server Virtualized? Why?

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 12:03:30 -0500

OS X Server Virtualized? Why?:

Does anyone actually use OS X Server in a capacity when they’d want to virtualize it? I’m not knocking OS X Server—I think it can be quite useful for small businesses without much in the way of IT expertise, actually. But most anything where virtualization comes into play involves scaling, and that almost always means Linux, Solaris, or maybe Windows. But certainly not OS X Server.

IT Darwinism

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:51:41 -0500

IT Darwinism:

If you claim to be a “hacker,” and you don’t understand what 127.0.0.1 is, this is what results. It’s almost too stupid to be true, but then again, what’s the saying? Genius has a limit, but stupidity has no such handicap?

Tiger Woods Announces Return To Sex

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 20:48:50 -0500

Tiger Woods Announces Return To Sex:

Proving once again that The Onion is comedy gold…

Coolest. Intro. Ever. I think I still have this on some tapes....

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 11:24:00 -0500

Coolest. Intro. Ever. I think I still have this on some tapes. Beta tapes. Yes, seriously. No, I’m not that old. The good part starts at 45 seconds in, hah.

1000 Days. Yay.

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 10:56:37 -0500

Well, 1001 days, really. On my home firewall, which has been pretty well locked down:

[elbles@socrates ~]$ uptime

10:43:07 up 1001 days, 1:24, 1 user, load average: 0.00, 0.00, 0.00

Whenever this guy dies, this is what’ll replace it.

goldenrat1o: notthatkindagay: switchblades: therealestsocksint...

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 10:47:32 -0500

goldenrat1o:

notthatkindagay:

switchblades:

therealestsocksinthegame:dustinc85:astronaught:

“In my family we think laughing is good. My parents raised me to have a sense of humor and to live a normal life. My mother did not carry me around under her arm like a loaf of French bread the way former Governor Palin carries her son Trig around looking for sympathy and votes.”

-Andrea Fay Friedman, voice actress played the character depicted as having Down syndrome on the recent episode of Family Guy. Of special significance, Friedman herself has Down syndrome. (via NYT)

If You're Going To College, Be Smart. Go In State.

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 20:21:21 -0500

If You're Going To College, Be Smart. Go In State.:

This example is a bit more extreme than most, but as a fairly recent college graduate, and as someone who was (once?) stupid enough to waste a substantial deal of money to go to a not-terribly-great, out-of-state school, trust me when I say it’s not worth the money. If you’re not going to an Ivy or an otherwise elite (MIT, et cetera) school, you’re so much better off going to an in-state school, or even community college.

AWD Sucks. Especially In The Snow.

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:06:43 -0500

Now, before you say, “this guy is friggin’ nuts,” let me explain. AWD is great: it’ll get you going in many situations where the same tires on a FWD or RWD car will leave you sitting and waiting for AAA or a plow truck. But, at the same time, AWD offers little or no benefits in turning, braking, or in moving drivers of FWD or RWD cars out of your way when you get going too quickly for road conditions.

The worst part about AWD, in my book, is the false sense of confidence that it gives people (myself included, on occasion). I can remember a time when I was in high school where I was driving down a curvy, steep hill on a snowy day, in my good old RWD car with summer tires. I had a 4WD Blazer in front of me, and of course, he was going at a pretty good clip. I got to the bottom of the hill long after he did, but I did so on the road, whereas he was in a ditch.

Because of all this, I’ve decided that I’d rather have a RWD car with snows or all-seasons than a AWD with the same. Sure, I wouldn’t be able to get going in more than a few inches of snow, but:

1. It’s not often that I’m going to see more than a few inches of snow and need to be somewhere (VPNs rule).

2. I’d rather feel comfortable in my abilities to brake and corner being comparable to my abilities to go.

3. A RWD car is going to oversteer if you give it too much gas in a corner. An AWD car? Ask your center differential while you’re in the corner.

I’d get an AWD car again, but it wouldn’t be my first choice, and it’s most certainly not the end-all be-all solution for winter driving that way too many people think it is. I’m sure I’ll be reminded of this tomorrow morning…

merlin: luckyshirt: Pumped about the Super Bowl party. Go...

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 23:10:09 -0500

merlin:

luckyshirt:

Pumped about the Super Bowl party.

Go Lakers!

Pretty close to my sentiments, really. And any fan of the Flyers is a friend of mine. I would have much rather watched a Flyers practice than the Super Bowl this year (The Who’s halftime show aside)…

Finally, A Good Sounding Stock Car Stereo

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 23:06:47 -0500

In just about every car I’ve owned or been in, I’ve found myself completely and utterly disappointed by the sound systems manufacturers put in their cars—even the expensive “upgrades.” Honestly, it amazes me that people can think these systems sound even remotely decent, though I suppose all it takes with modern music is a preponderance of bass (not to sound too terribly pretentious or anything). Whether it says Bose, Harmon/Kardon, Rockford Fosgate, or anything else, if it came from the factory, it generally sucks hard.

Because of that, I’ve always put in aftermarket stereos. My first car had an Alpine head unit, with CDT components, a Boston Acoustics subwoofer (not to provide the boom-boom-boom, but rather to complement the exemplary midranges and highs of the CDTs), and outboard amplifiers for each. My current car has that same Alpine head unit, and upgraded CDT component speakers, but I’ve always been too lazy to throw the rest of the components in. And since I’ve been looking to get a new car, I naturally started to think about the stereo that I’d have in it.

This past weekend, I ordered my new car (a Volkswagen GTI), and while I thought the “premium” sound system would be a disappointment, I gave it a try anyway, and I’m glad I did. It’s truly the best sounding stock stereo I’ve ever heard; the mids and highs are incredibly clear and detailed (though the soundstage is a bit higher than is ideal), and the lows are quite good as well. Could someone do better in the aftermarket? Sure, with lots of money and time to tear the car apart and put it back together. Since I’m slowly making the transition to the Real World™, I don’t really feel like taking an entire weekend to do that anymore. And the number of people who could tell the difference are few and far between anyway. In short, VW did a great job of partnering with Dynaudio to provide a stock stereo even an audiophile could appreciate. They’re certainly the first manufacturer that I can be as kind to, as far as audio is concerned…

2010 Volkswagen GTI / Candy White / Titan Black Leather /...

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 17:58:20 -0500

2010 Volkswagen GTI / Candy White / Titan Black Leather / Autobahn Package / Bi-Xenon Headlights / Dynaudio Sound System / 6-speed manual.

Unfortunately, this isn’t my own car, as I’m waiting for the folks in Wolfsburg to build it. It’s going to be a painful three months…

The Grammy's: Nails on a Chalkboard

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 22:01:08 -0500

I just so happened to overhear a version of Fleetwood Mac’s “Rhiannon” from another room in the house, so naturally, I put it on to see who was singing, and if they were any good. And there I saw it: Taylor Swift and Stevie Nicks singing that song. Stevie Nicks could sing that song better long after she’s dead than that talentless Taylor Swift could do in her “prime.” So please Taylor, for the love of God and all things acoustic, stop the miserable singing and stick to being the eye-candy some (i.e., not me) consider you to be.

If you happened to make the mistake of sitting through that terrible performance, I highly recommend this version of “Rhiannon” to correct your hearing and overall opinion of the song (and Stevie Nicks, for that matter).

…speaking of the MR2.

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 01:06:19 -0500

…speaking of the MR2.

My dad had one of these when I was a kid. I still think...

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 01:01:46 -0500

My dad had one of these when I was a kid. I still think it’s one of the best looking cars (if not the best looking car) of its era. It’s one of those cars I can safely add to my “when I have space and a little extra money” list, thanks to them being relatively cheap these days, along with the second-generation Toyota MR2.

goldenrat1o: lindsaydinkins: iammattjordan: (via...

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:49:57 -0500

goldenrat1o:

lindsaydinkins:

iammattjordan:

(via lovegifs)

Today.

True facts.

LOL

No matter how bad an Apple product may be, there will always be someone actually doing what’s illustrated here…

Uh, Yeah.

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 21:56:43 -0500

Uh, Yeah.:

…and people wonder why I have a hard time looking at used cars.