Da Snuz?

Do you hit the snooze button on your alarm clock?

How many Times do you hit snooze?

When you hesitate before hitting snooze, are you being lazy?

Does your lazyness overpower the necessity to turn off the insesent alarm clock noise?

Or are you one of those people who set an alarm but always wake up 2 minutes before it goes off?

Sony DSC-H1

I've been wanting a digital cammera pretty bad and I've been thinking I'll get one real soon with my tax refund.

I'm leaning towards quality over portability. I was at Best Buy yesterday and messed with a bunch of the display models. I was also looking here. At the Sony Cybershot DSC-H1. It's a 5.1 Megapixel camera with 12x Optical/2x Digital Zoom. It comes with the SLR look - which I like beacause although I dont need the performance of an SLR I like the way they're balanced. The only down side I see here is the memory card format... it uses "memory sticks" which run around $60 for a one gig-er

What I really need is a means to justify spending $420 on something thats a want and not a need (ie. rent or food). Post up comments with opinions.

My PS2 has ice on it...

The fan on our PS2 (slimline) started making a lot of noise. I have yet to open it up to figure out exactly why but it sounds like a bad bearing or that the fan has come into some interference. The PS2 seems to have a temperature control unit on it that modulates the small fan within 3 settings (off, low, and high) as necessary. On high, the fan is loud enough to make hearing the TV a problem. What we’ve been doing is placing an ice pack on the underside of the PS2 before we turn it on – this keeps it cool enough so that the fan never even turns on.

I did some research into the power consumption of the thing. The original PS2 consumed approx. 79 watts vs. the new model at approx. 45 watts. In addition to the lower power rating, the new model uses an external power supply/converter – I’d imagine that this means the new unit generates only half the amount of heat on the inside of the console. While the fan in the new unit is much smaller, and moves less air we’ve never had a problem with the PS2 overheating. That said it does get a little warm…

I've never been the type to simply replace an OEM part with another OEM part so I’ve devised a scheme to insure the proper cooling of the otherwise very small, very slim PS2. Currently Leif and I are debating retuning it under warrenty or doing something (i.e. over clocking the processor) to justify a major cooling upgrade.

Stay tuned here for a few sketches on the current cooling upgrade plan. Also, if any one can comment on overclocking the PS2 processor that'ld be neat.

Edit: here's plan A (note the use of blue LED glowing fan). I was thinking I could get away with using the machine shop at school to make that fan shroud/cover thing. I'd think a solid block of abs plastic or some urethan would be easy to machine and when painted black with the same side mouldings/slits would match the look of the origonal PS2 casing.

This could be the death of me...

http://kamtec.co.uk/products.php?prod_cat=10

... or my savings account at least.

Also, THIS IS THE NUTS!

Spring Brake Laziness and Post Mortem Craziness

Last week was Spring Brake. I made it a point to take a brake from the usual hustle and bustle of college life. This included tedious tasks such as homework or work in general, keeping up with my usual internet-ing and lastly showering.

I spent the greater part of the beginning of the week catching up on everything Grand Tourismo. I managed to complete two 24hr endurance races as well as most of the One Make races. During this time the only reason I left the house was to buy more beer. My reclusive behavior seemed warranted for three reasons: (1) I was drinking and not driving, (2) the Play Station sucks at playing it self – I had to be there to keep it company, and (3) turns out I’m severely allergic to outside (namely Mulberry Trees) in the month of March. I’m currently just over 80% completion in the game.

In the later of the week Chels and I took the C to Phoenix. The proper 3 letter abbreviation for Phoenix is PHX. The lesser known and equally correct 4 letter abbreviation for Phoenix is PHNX. Saturday night we hit a UB40 concert. It was held outside in the parking lot of a very smoky casino off hwy 87. The very British white guys that make up UB40 do in fact play what is classified to be “reggae music.”

The first thing they said after their first song was:

“Cheerio, how ya’ll doing out there tonight. Right-o, but you know once the spoties come on we cant see you so we need you to do more than dancing out there, we also need you to sing along.“ Who’s dancing?

Immediately following the above statement was this trifler:

“Here’s one most of you probably wont know off our first album.” And you want us to sing what now?

Chels’ Dad latter mentioned that he probably never should have seen them in concert because now all of his fond Reggae, Rasta memories of singing along with Red-Red Wine are now shattered with images of Gay British dancers who chew gum while they sing up on stage.

Now that school is back in full force I'm busier than ever. Hence the bit about carziness in the title. I've got to get my grad school app in at NMSU; get off my ass and start applying for jobs just in case grad school doesnt work out; keep up with all the usual school work; prep 100+ thermocouple samples by tomorrow; finish (read start) a report on thermocouple inhomogenity testing/calibration; and do the usually weekly homework grading. At some point I'll try to find time to sleep and eat something, oh and cruise the Vortex.

Calling In

On the way to class yesterday morning I was redirected and told to go back in the other direction by a man wearing a Kevlar vest and holding a rather large shot gun. Not knowing what was up I took a detour in order to make it to my class - It was important to make sure I turned in my homework that took me all of 10 hours to complete (fucking homework). I got there just in time to sit down when the fire alarms in the Math building went off. I was then directed to evacuate with the others to a large park away from the building near the center of campus. No one had any real clue as to what was going on. After some deliberation as to whether or not the teacher was going to hold class in the park we were told by some official that we wouldn’t be allowed to return into the building(s) until 12:30. The teacher then kindly handed back the tests, collected the homework, and dismissed us from standing near her in the park – we went back to standing in the park, now slightly more dispersed.

According to KTSM-TV News Channel 9 of El Paso someone called the President's office at 8 in the morning and said there was a bomb inside one of the libraries and that it would explode at 9:30. Also supposedly the FBI is on campus investigating the threat; because someone called the Las Cruces Sun-News about the bomb threat with references to Al-Queda. Freaky.

I highly doubt there was any kind real threat yesterday. Most likely it was meant to be some sort of prank with the intention of starting spring break early. The fact that someone would do such a thing as a college student is sickening to me. School officials have reported that if a student is to blame he/she would be either put on suspension or expelled – oooooh, intense! Seriously if the person that called this in is caught he/she should be punished to a far greater extent than expulsion from the university. We’re talking full on Afghanistan military retribution.

Risking innocent lives through terrorism/pranks either for personal or political gain is selfish, unjust and thick headed, it’s just downright uncalled for. The person that called in this treat was bluffing as no bombs were found but even still through the course of evacuation someone could have been hurt. I for one was extremely inconvenienced – a crime punishable by death.

More Fast

This is a cool little game based off the VW GTI "Make Friends With Your Fast" ad campaign. My best time was 35.944 to solve all 4 puzzles.

Check it!

First Gold Star Award

erg/home/what_the_fuck.htm gives the first ever gold star to Jaime for most returns in a single post... even though he forgot "That guy minded when I farted in the elevator."

VW + Google

Mein Auto ist verloren, wenn nur ich ein dreidimensionales Führer des Weges hatte... Yeah Google!

New in car nav system by Volkswagen, Google and nVidia based on Google Earth, read more here.

Into the Wind, Up A Mountain

Saturday morning Leif and I hiked Tortugas Mountain, or as it is better known: “A Mountain” (the A stands for Aggie). We took a well-traveled trail that scaled the west side to the top where there are a few cell/radio towers and a small observatory.

The mountain itself is made up of entirely too sharp limestone that feels way to hard and sharp to actually be limestone. It sits on at the east edge of Las Cruces and is mostly undeveloped land. But the small mountain is no pristine wilderness. The aforementioned antennas sprout from the top and are accompanied by rows of temporary metal buildings. There look to be a number of abandoned strip mines down the south side. Finally, the typical New Mexico dessert bullet-pitted trash litters the lower slopes, bigger trails and summit.

So after Leif and I got to the top we downed a few beers to alleviate the onset of altitude sickness, tired muscles, hunger, dehydration, and immense wind burns from the grueling near vertical climb, we decided that it would be “Way hurting if we went down the same way we came up, dude.” And so naturally we abandoned the very vertical path on the west side for a much more vertical path less traveled on the north face.

Not long after we began our decent we ran in to a real life mountain Goat, three actually – one larger mommy goat and two smaller baby goats. The mom was wearing a red dog-type collar that took away from the majestic experience of spotting wild life in the wild. We starred at them from a distance while I cursed and swore to by a camera with my upcoming tax return. When they spotted us they darted up an outcropping and out of sight. It was neat, “Weeee, look at ‘em go!” By the way, a group of goats is called a tribe, a tribe of goats.

Before it was over we managed to spook a herd of Mule Dear. It was flat out amazing how well they camouflaged into their surroundings, if they weren’t moving or smiling their evil grins you couldn’t tell them apart from the rocks.

I’d like to add that the south face if freaking rough, like it was no joke, it was pretty stupid to have gone down that route off the trail. I cut and bruised a shin, and Leif got pinned with a slurry of cactus needles on a multitude of occasions and almost fell from a rock slide. It definitely wouldn’t have been cool to get seriously hurt up there. Seriously though where’s the adventure in worrying about getting hurt?

Turbos R Kool!

I just ordered the Kinetics turbo kit, is what I would be saying if I had 3 grand laying around. At any rate it’s on the wish list. The stage I kit includes:

- Rotomaster (Kinetic Motorsport Custom Spec) T3/T4 Oil Cooled Turbocharger (500hp Capable)
- Kinetic Motorsport VR6 Manifold
- TiAL 38mm Wastegate
- 2.5" Stainless Steel Downpipe
- 3" Stainless Steel Intake
- Braided Oil Lines and Oil Pan with fittings
- Reuseable Air Filter
- Kinetic Motorsport Silicone Hoses and Stainless Steel Clamps
- 36# Injectors
- C2 Motorsports Chip Software

Stage I runs 6psi of boost with out an intercooler. Kinetics says they dynoed the kit at 245WHP (up from what is it supposed to be 174 crank) on a stock VR6 with 94 octane fuel and a 3" cat-back exhaust. It’s priced at $2,650 a sum that I would consider a reasonable price to pay for reliable, tuned and tested, aftermarket performance, but admittedly steep on the current budget.

That said there also the kit for the Corrado from HPA motorsports that’s the bees knees that includes a 3.2L Twin Turbo pumping out ~500bhp. The kit includes installation and the addition of AWD for a meager $14k over the price of the Kinetics kit. Now that the stuff dreams are made of.

Once the Corrado goes turbo I’ll definitely pick up one of these stickers for my passenger side visor… It’s bloody mandatory for crying out loud. It reads: "Warning, This vehicle is equipped with Turbo. Due to possible breathing problems under heavy acceleration, females are required to remove all tight or restrictive clothing for their safety."

Ahhhhh, So Cute.

He’s got his Fathers Compression Ratio - but that 15 degrees between cylinder banks is just like his Mother.

Call in Your Order To Save Time

Last night Chelsie called for two reasons. The first reason was to let me know that she was on her way over. We both had tests this morning and we were going to study together. Cool.

The second reason why she called in advance was to make sure I had coffee brewed for her when she got there. I have no problem obliging to these kinds favors, but seriously I’m not running a fast-food-carry-out-call-ahead coffee business!

I gave her a lot of shit about it when she showed up almost 45 minutes latter.

“Where have you been, your order’s been ready for 45 minutes now.”
“You know, your coffee is getting hot sitting there.”
“So, the coffee’s been ready for about 45 minutes now…”

And the clincher:

“It’s a good thing it was ready when you got here.”

I shut up after a flip-flop whizzed past my head and almost knocked over my water onto my keyboard.

Cop-out Post

I've got a huge math test tomorrow morning that I'm studying for.

So all I've got is: Dan saw a Smart in Washington. And I'm curious to see if/how his "Trackback" thing works and if Blogger has this service active.

Edit: Turns out Blogger does not support Trackback, rather it does support backlinks... It's essentually the same thing as far as I can tell but it's still going to be interesting to see how compatable it is with dev/null.

Veggie Crackers

The question as to whether or not vegetarians are allowed to eat animal crackers has been brought up. The definitive answer is Yes, but not if you’re Vegan as it seems the standard version contains eggs/milk.

There are however Vegan crackers/cookies available as well as special vegan gummy bears at your local Whole Foods of Hippy Mart. (I’m a big fan of the gummy bears – I think their better than “regular” gummy bears.)

FNMEs: Flatulent Non-Meat Eaters

Chelsie is a vegetarian; so are my parents; so am I (well mostly, ok not really at all, I would be if it weren’t so inconvenient at parties and restaurants). Vegetarians or as I like to call ‘em, Flatulent Non-Meat Eaters (and as abbreviated: FNMEs), are ahead of their time – soon after the nuclear winter that kills all the cows everyone will have to adapt to their diet of greens and veggie-yummies. So on the subject of FNMEs and their gas… I found these quotes on the web:

“I have a few vegetarian friends. Um, they tend to fart a lot.”

“I'm a vegetarian so farting is a way of life for me.”

That said and despite my personal experience, I haven’t been able to find any scientific evidence that suggests FNMEs fart more than meat eaters. In fact there is lots of evidence to the contrary; that vegetarians fart just as often as meat eaters. The truth it seems is that your flatulence is most contributed to the amount of intestinal enzymes that reside in your body and their activity.

Fermented food produces different types of fumes, some of which smell. Flatulence contains odorless gases, such as nitrogen, carbon dioxide, oxygen, and methane, but it also contains hydrogen sulfide, which causes the smell. If you have not noticed by now, some of the aforementioned fumes are flammable, like methane and oxygen, so if you didn’t see it on Myth Busters, there’s your proof - you can light your farts on fire.

So why do Chelsie’s farts smell like roses and mine smell like ass? How much odor is produced is the only part that depends on your diet. The gases from FNMEs do not tend to smell as much because vegetables produce less hydrogen sulfide.

That said there are always exceptions. Apples, apricots, beans, bran, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, peaches, and soybeans are all on the list of things that make you smell.

If you’ve made it this far I’d like to apologize for a lack of a proper conclusion paragraph and recommend you check out the following links for additional (and some repeat) information on the subject of flatulence.

http://www.askmen.com/
http://www.howstuffworks.com/
http://www.gicare.com/
http://www.endlessadventures.com/

My Holly Pants

All of my pants have holes in them. It seems that the holes propagate in typical locations on both the front and back side of any pair. I’ve devised the following diagrams for purpose of illustration and explanation of the problem areas.
1. The Knees: This one’s not too hard to explain, what happens is the front around the knees tends to deteriorate slowly over the course of the pant lifetime. And then one day I bend wrong or sit down too quickly and my knee goes right through. The holes around the knees always start small and propagate into very large frilled looking gapping monsters. I currently have two pairs in standard wear rotation with holes in the knees. These are my least favorite type of holes.

2. Rear Left Side Above the Pocket: This is possible the most mysterious location for re-occurring holes. My only speculation as to why I get holes here are my slouched seating habits – I tend to sit more on my tailbone than on my butt. I currently have two pairs of pants and two pairs of boxers in standard wear rotation with holes in the rear left side above the pocket. I don’t mind these holes too much but try to make it a point not to wear both the pants and the boxers with holes in this location at the same time.

3. Rear Right Pocket: I always put my wallet in this pocket, and as a result of the number of maxed out credit cards I carry my wallet can be a little bulky sometimes. This is a pretty big problem because I don’t really feel comfortable wearing my wallet in another pocket and if the hole get to big I could potentially loose my wallet (and God forbid any one should try to use those credit cards – think of over draft fees!). I currently have two pairs in standard wear rotation with a hole in the back pocket, at this point however only one of them is large enough to loose a wallet.

4. Rear Heel Cuff: I used to think this looked cool and remember taking a file to a new pair of pants back in high school to simulate these types of holes. Now days however I need only wait a number of weeks for these things to start showing up. Currently almost all of my pants have damage in this area. The only time I really mind when damage happens to pants here is on my “dress” pants.

Army Green Windows

More "Euro on Shirt Action"

The origonals took hours in photoshop and a whole lot of trial an error. I've got it down to ~30 minutes and 5 or 6 layers. I called around for screen printing costs and it's basically impossible to go that route because there are a few to many colors envolved. I'm going to give Kinkos a call though to see what they charge. If I go the Kinkos route I might as well just post/email Hi-Res versions for others to take to thier local Kinkos.

Here's my rendition of an E36 M3 (per request):

The World Needs More VW T-Shirts

Some idea's for some t-shirts. My attempt at simplifying the lines and using a minimal amount of color areas to represent the cars. The Rabbit only uses 3 colors, The mkIV uses 4. I was thinking put 'em large an on the front of a shirt... Leif says he'd prefer the back of a shirt for these larger designs.

Next on the queue:
1. Corrado
2. Maybe an M3 or some other BMW
3. mk1 Jetta
Any Requests?
(Serious T-shirt requests need to send money of a yet to be determined amount)