How the Batmobile "works"

A How Stuff Works article all about the new Batmobile.

I want one. :)

Wil Wheaton interview over on /dot

It's right here for your perusal.
I've personally read his books and I love them - he's a geek - I'm a geek. It's nice company.

Google Earth

I can't run this on my old laptop here at work.. but it looks interesting! :)

Michelin Tweel

Here's a Google images link to Michelin's new "Tweel". A tyre/wheel combination that requires no air and can never go flat. It's being developed for the building/military industries but may yet prove valuable in the automotive industry as well. It looks wacky - and it is. I doubt the "dub" boys would like these to replace their 24 inch spinners. :)

Empire Strikes Back re-written

(Shamelessly stolen from MIG)
Yes, the end of the Empire Strikes Back is to be rewritten to fit in with the new trilogy. The new ending is as follows:

INT: BESPIN GANTRY - MOMENTS LATER:

(A furious lightsaber duel is underway. DARTH VADER is backing LUKE
SKYWALKER towards the end of the gantry. A quick move by Vader chops
off Luke's hand. It goes spinning off into the ventilation shaft. Luke
backs away. He looks around, but realizes there's nowhere to go but straight down.)

Darth Vader : Obi Wan never told you what happened to your father.
Luke : He told me enough! He told me you killed him!
Darth Vader : No, Luke... I am your father!
Luke : No! It's not true! It's impossible.
Darth Vader : Search your feelings... you know it to be true...
Luke : NO!
Darth Vader : Yes, it is true... and you know what else? You know that brass droid of yours?
Luke : Threepio?
Darth Vader : Yes... Threepio... I built him... when I was only 7 years old...
Luke : No...
Darth Vader : Seven years old! And what have you done? Look at
yourself, no lightsaber, no hand, no job, and couldn't even levitate your own ship out of the swamp...
Luke : I destroyed your precious Death Star!
Darth Vader : When you were 20! When I was 10, I single-handedly
destroyed a Trade Federation Droid Control ship!
Luke : Well, it's not my fault...
Darth Vader : Oh, here we go... "Poor me... my father never gave me
what I wanted for my birthday... boo hoo, my daddy's the Dark Lord of the Sith...waahhh wahhh!"
Luke : Shut up...
Darth Vader : You're a slacker! By the time I was your age, I had
exterminated the Jedi knights!
Luke : I used to race my T-16 through Beggar's Canyon!
Darth Vader : Oh, for the love of the Emperor... 10 years old, winner
of the Boonta Eve Open... Only human to ever fly a Pod Racer... right here baby!
Darth Vader : And by your age I'd gotten my girlfriend pregnant... older woman too, and ex queen. And you?? WTF you want to bone your sister?? you're one sicko kid!
(Luke looks down the shaft. Takes a step towards it.)
Darth Vader : I was wrong... You're not my kid... I don't know whose
you are, but you sure ain't mine...
(Luke takes a step off the platform, hesitates, then plunges down
the shaft... Darth Vader looks after him.)
Darth Vader : Get a haircut!

Long time, no post

Partial laziness on my part and also because time most flies by when you're busy - or having fun - or just sat around doing nothing.
Firstly, a rather disturbing Mario cartoon from VGCats... that link will change next Monday so click "Back" if it's been updated. .
Secondly, my 911 is fixed! Yey! Oh.. you want to know what was wrong with it? Um. Yeah, sure.
It wasn't much - a fault fuel gauge meant I couldn't really drive her about as I never knew when it'd just stop. So I rewired the sender and I'm good to go (a break down in the wiring somewhere). Also, after Mrs. Focus bounced off my rear bumper I was enjoying the passenger side tail pipe making contact with my bumper and melting it (plus it looked rubbish). I removed the exhaust and remounted it and it's fine now. So I'm happily pottering around in that now.
I also did a couple of jobs on the Calibra and that's almost ready to be washed in time for Billing. Nearly.
Lastly, the Clio's exhaust is blowing. Yeh. So I have to sort that out now too. Woo.

I made 55 in WoW and am halfway to 56. I'm hoping I can make 60 soonish. Captastic.

Si and I also visited Goodwood's Festival of Speed last Friday. Brilliant day out (and just left before the heavens opened) and even enjoyed the S-Class copping it. I have pics uploaded, I just need to make a page up (it's only GM.. but meh).

Later!

50th Anniversay Porsche "Club"

I had to post this.
It's colour is a personal taste thing, but the 381bhp is to everyone's taste. That's the most powerful N/A 911 to date. At $99k it's not that expensive either (probably £99k though.. which is!).
It looks great. I want. ;)

Remember the 3DFX?

And the ability to run twin cards?

Well it's back in force with both ATi's Crossfire and NVidia's SLi systems.
Check out The Register for current news and reviews on both products... crazy!

Next "Skyline".. no, wait.. "Infinity".. or.. "GT-R".. ah sod it.

It's a VWVortex thread but it has pics.. so, who knows what the next one will be. Or when. Or if it'll even be sold here (as..?). lol.

Star Wars Photoshopping

I'll let the website do the talking. :)

Monopoly Live

It's an odd GPS-based online game to celebrate the release of the (expensive) updated game (millions rather than tens of pounds..). Have a look.. and stuff.

I love VGCats

Indeed, it rocks. Now there is a game of the Splinter cell comic. Heh. Cool.

DJ's wife sells his Esprit for 50p

News story, and Ebay auction. Classic.

Walltop

Like a laptop, only on the wall.

Superdickery

This is a great site showing all the odd, weird and wonderful stuff that's been in comics over the years. Worth a gander.

Daft

So it's "Summer", which means only one thing. We're British, so we're gonna moan.
It's too cold in the winter, too hot in the summer - and this weekend was no exception. I loved it - sweat 'n all. I know why it is, it's because it's never "one thing" in this bloody country. Except wet.

So this weekend I went down and saw Gem - very nice it was too (if brief). She's now finished her exams and will home at the beginning of July. Hopefully I'm going to take her away during the summer - a bit of an early 21st :) Can't wait to have her back either way.

I made 54 in WoW and joined the "Sacred Legion".. reminds me, I should sign up on their site. Anyway, should mean end game content will open up for myself, Dean et al. Good of me wasn't it? Heh... I see Si has joined up too - I can only guess Dean got him in. He needs to power level (as Dean found out - Maral is too low at 52) to make use of the Guild. But that will happen!

Happened upon this today. Mad.

New F1 rules

Today the FIA announced that they would make public the proposed changes to the regulations for the 2008 Formula One World Championship. The following is a the second part of a press release from the sports governing body, the FIA.

Some suggested objectives
We have prepared a first draft of the 2008 rules with the following objectives:


the rate of increase in performance of the cars should not exceed the rate of improvement in measures to protect the public, marshals and competitors;
the rules and the means of enforcing them should be clear so that everyone competes on the same basis;
the rules and methods of enforcement must be sufficiently flexible to deal with unforeseen technical innovation;
costs should be contained in order to (i) decrease the likelihood of a manufacturer leaving after poor results (ii) enable a private team to be competitive without the support of a major manufacturer and (iii) reduce the performance deficit of the less well-funded teams;
expensive technology which is invisible to the public and known only to a tiny band of specialist engineers should be eliminated where possible;
expensive materials or designs should not be used as a substitute for good engineering;
driver aids should be eliminated as far as possible. In particular the use of electronic devices should not be allowed to replace driver skills;
downforce should be drastically reduced and “mechanical” grip increased substantially for closer racing.



This, then, has been our approach to 2008. Criticism, constructive or otherwise, is welcome. All comments received during the July consultation period will be carefully considered when the FIA technical department finalises its proposals, which it will do in consultation with those teams and race organisers which have indicated their intention to participate in the Formula One World Championship from 2008 onwards. We will also take full account of the results of the FIA/AMD survey of public opinion. Once finalised and approved by the World Motor Sport Council and FIA General Assembly, the rules must be published before the end of 2005 as required by the Concorde Agreement. Thereafter the 2008 technical regulations cannot be changed without the agreement of everyone concerned.

Changes for 2009 will still require two years’ notice (ie publication before 31.12.2006). Thereafter notice of changes which affect the design of the car (sporting or technical) will be announced no later than 30 June to come into force for the next-but- one season (ie a change for 2010 will be announced before 30.6.2008).

Summary of the main changes proposed for 2008

ENGINES

All components of the engine will be controlled by an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) which has been manufactured by an FIA designated supplier to an agreed specification
The ECU may only be used with FIA approved software and may only be connected to the control system wiring loom, sensors and actuators as specified by the FIA
All control sensors, actuators and FIA monitoring sensors will be specified and homologated by the FIA
The control system wiring loom connectivity will be specified by the FIA
A 3 litre V10 engine will remain an option for teams unable to obtain a 2.4 litre V8, but subject to similar strict performance limitations as in 2006 and 2007

Reasons

to eliminate the use of driver aids such as traction control
as teams will not be able to develop their own ECUs, expenditure on electronics will be considerably reduced
to allow the FIA to check testing mileage and other elements
to keep engine costs low for the smaller independent teams

GEARBOXES

All cars will be fitted with gear ratios, final drive ratios and differentials which have been manufactured by an FIA designated supplier to an agreed specification
Gear changing will only be permitted by the use of a manually operated mechanical linkage to the gearbox
Clutches will only be operated via a foot pedal connected mechanically to a release mechanism

Reasons

to restore control over the clutch and gear changing to the driver
the use of standard gearbox internals will result in a very significant reduction in expenditure

BODYWORK

Downforce will be reduced to approximately 10% of current levels
Drag will be maintained at current levels
Overall car width will be increased
By stipulating maximum and minimum dimensions cars will be “cleaned up” with devices such as barge boards, flip ups, winglets and other small add on parts removed
Total advertising area on the car to remain unchanged

Reasons

to reduce the reliance upon downforce as a means of improving performance
by increasing mechanical grip the likelihood of one car being able to follow another closely in corners, and hence be in an attacking position at the end of the following straight, will be increased
eliminating winglets, bargeboards, etc, will reduce costs as well as the danger of debris on the circuits
drag should remain unchanged in order to ensure straight line speeds do not increase significantly

WHEELS AND TYRES

Tyres will be supplied by one manufacturer appointed by the FIA after an invitation to tender. Such an appointment will be conditional upon :
a suitable supplier being available ;
a suitable system to ensure tyre testing is carried out in an equitable manner ;
no team being disadvantaged by the appointment of a single supplier (detailed regulations will be written to ensure this would not be the case) ;
there being no legal impediments during the process of appointing a supplier
Slick tyres will be introduced for use in dry weather
Lower profile tyres will be introduced
Significantly larger wheels with minimum and maximum sizes stipulated for front and rear will be permitted
Tyre blankets and other heating devices will be prohibited
All tyre regulations will reside in the Technical Regulations

Reasons

a single supplier would allow a bigger safety margin
the absence of competitive tyre testing would reduce costs
as relatively small differences in tyre compound and construction can have a significant effect on lap times, a single tyre supplier would simply ensure that no team would be adversely affected by being contracted to the “wrong” supplier
slick tyres would be re-introduced as a part of the low- downforce and high-mechanical-grip package
lower profile tyres would be introduced in order to give the wheels and tyres a more modern look and also permit more freedom on brakes and suspension
a ban on tyre heating devices would eliminate this significant but unnecessary expenditure

CHASSIS

The minimum height of the centre of gravity of the chassis will be specified
The minimum weight for a chassis will be specified
Energy of all impact tests will be increased
Loads for all static tests will be increased
Side intrusion test requirements will be increased
Ballast will be reduced to minimal levels

Reasons

to ensure that weight is distributed throughout the chassis
the centre of gravity requirement should result in less pure ballast being used, the minimum weight will have to be achieved by the construction of a stronger chassis
by raising the impact test speeds, the static load criteria on structures such as roll hoops and increasing the penetration resistance, drivers will be even better protected than they are at present

BRAKES

All cars will be fitted with brake discs, pads and callipers which have been manufactured by an FIA designated supplier to an agreed specification

Reason

to reduce the cost of continual development of new materials and designs, the FIA specified products will be designed to work on all types of track and last an entire Grand Prix weekend

DATA ACQUISITION AND TELEMETRY

With specific exceptions, any data acquisition system, telemetry system or associated sensors additional to those associated with the ECU will be physically separate and completely isolated from the control electronics
Pit to car telemetry will be prohibited

Reasons

to ensure that any data acquisition system used by a team cannot interfere with the FIA specified ECU and sensors
to ensure teams are unable to send messages to a car and potentially affect its performance

MATERIALS

Limitations, similar to those within the 2006 engine regulations, will be imposed on all parts of the car

Reason

costs will be reduced as research into exotic materials will be unnecessary

STARTER

All cars will be equipped with a driver operated starter which is capable of starting the car without outside assistance a minimum number of times

Reasons

to simplify the operation of starting a car, at present it is massively complex
to give the driver a chance of starting a car unaided in the event of it stopping on the track
to reduce the number of personnel needed at an Event and hence reduce costs

NOTICE OF CHANGE

Notice periods for changing the rules will be related to the effect (if any) of a change on the design of a car rather than an artificial distinction between “sporting” and “technical” regulations. There will no longer be a distinction between changes to the engine, transmission or chassis.

Reason

to ensure that changes may be made to the regulations in a timely and more realistic way

SPARE CARS

Spare cars will be prohibited, i.e. no team may have more than two built-up cars available at an Event at any one time. Spare chassis will be permitted but precisely what constitutes a car in this context will be clearly defined

Reason

by taking one car less to races teams will be able to save considerable sums of money as, apart from the cost of the car itself, fewer personnel will be needed

TESTING

Testing will be limited to 30000km per team between 1st January and 31st December, subject to a single tyre supplier being appointed

Reason

To reduce the enormous amounts of money currently being spent on testing

CAR ACQUISITION

Teams will be free to buy a complete car or any part of a car from another constructor
How constructor’s points are to be allocated will be clearly defined after further discussion

Reason

to enable a team to buy a complete car, or any part of a car, from another constructor. As a result teams will be able to save considerable sums of money on the design and development of their cars.

E.A.
Source FIA

Ooh blimey

It's Friday already. I don't really know where the week has gone (but I do know I need a few hours sleep).
It's been a busy one too - the evenings have been a scrabble for work and WoW (I'm on a mission to cap level 60 within a month.. with a +1 bonus for being an uber g33k) and that meant logging on to WoW at midnight last night and staying on until 2am... without caffine. hehe.

I have plans.
The Calibra is not yet finished. However, I have plans. I've already asked some questions and checked some prices. I'm hoping I can get a hand with these... plans.
More on that later. :)

I still can't get through to the woman that hit me in the 911. So I guess I'll have to push it through insurance (the damage done does not warrant a claim though). A shame really - but what else can I do? Hmm.. maybe ask the insurance company to chase them?

The "Foo" has arrived. The album (so far) is fantastic and I recommend anyone to go out and make the purchase. I'm awaiting Jamiroquai's new one now.

Thank god it's Friday - see Gemma tomorrow! (It's been a LONG month).

Triumph the insult dog at the MJ trial

It's not in good taste. Nor does it reflect any opinion I may or may not have.
It IS funny though.
See it here.

Tuesday (Two day)

Well I watched the "trial" live last night and saw MJ get cleared. Odd really as I didn't expect anything else (it was on in the background). Good to know it was on all 10 counts.
What next for Peter Pan though? Is this the beginning of the end for him or will he come back stronger than ever with a new record? Only time will tell.

I managed a tiny, insignificant amount of XP in WoW last night. I didn't have the energy to do any thing of value (or length). Maybe I'll do a quest tonight.. maybe I'll sleep. lol

Gemma has finished her penultimate exam today. One to go!

Adam, a friend through CC (he bought my black turbo) has just written his 16v off. See the damage here. Nice work.. he's fine though, except for a bruised ego.

Si, last weekend, had his second Zap Cats event. The engine went "pop" (his words) on lap one or race one. So he became a girl (his words) and managed a few races. One day I'll go watch them complete a race..