Messages

51

Living Room / Re: Show us a picture of your.. CAR!!!

« on: August 04, 2013, 08:25 PM »

Stuffage Deleted

-Stoic Joker (August 04, 2013, 11:51 AM)

  Sorry Stoic, but because of a focus problem with my browser, I can't keep all the quotes and edit.

  I see where your coming from on the tech, but one big difference between Aussie cars or any other country for that matter, in the U.S. there's that dumbass Pollution Control laws that makes the manufacturers add on all kinds of crap to the engines that degrade horsepower and economy.  California is even worse with their pollution control pumps that eat up more energy.  What's sad is with these pollution control devices not only using more energy, but changing one type of poison to another plus adding a buttload of money onto the price of the car.
  Take that nice n fast Mustang with it's 35 mpg, remove all the pollution control crap from it, and watch it gain anywhere from 20 to 40 horsepower.

  Now for Caddies, I used to have a red 1962 Cadillac De Ville that had a 525 CI engine.  It was basically an aircraft carrier that got like 12 miles to the gallon.  Of course if it had the modern day pollution controls it wouldn't get but about 8 mpg.

  I also had a 1967 Mustang GTA (Which means with an automatic tranny) with the 289 HiPo and factory Keystone Classics.  My god that thing was beautiful, Midnight Blue, and very fast too.    When I didn't have my foot in the carburetor I was getting around 22 mpg.

52

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« on: August 04, 2013, 07:23 PM »

A DEA officer stopped at a ranch in East Texas, and talked with an old rancher. He told the rancher, “I need to inspect your ranch for illegally grown drugs.”

The rancher said, “Okay, but don’t go in that field over there.....”, as he pointed out a distant location.

The DEA officer verbally exploded, saying, “Mister, I have the authority of the Federal Government with me!”

Reaching into his rear pants pocket, he removed his badge and proudly displayed it to the rancher.

“See this badge? This badge means I am allowed to go wherever I wish....on ANY land! No questions asked or answers given! Have I made myself clear? Do you understand?”

The rancher nodded politely, apologized and went about his chores.

A short time later, the old rancher heard loud screams, looked up and saw the DEA officer running for his life chased by the rancher’s enormous Santa Gertrudis bull.

With every step the bull was gaining ground on the officer, and it seemed likely that the officer would be gruesomely gored before he reached safety. The man was clearly terrified.

The rancher threw down his tools, ran to the fence and yelled at the top of his lungs — “Your badge! Show him your badge!”

53

Living Room / Re: Internet Speed Test

« on: August 03, 2013, 08:25 PM »

As usual, 10 gigs....

-Tinman57 (August 03, 2013, 06:48 PM)

Per month?   

-skwire (August 03, 2013, 07:22 PM)

  Yeah.  No big deal because even if I did use my allowance, throttling me back half way and I'm still on a fast internet connection.   

54

Living Room / Re: New software obfuscation method - possible end to need for SW patents?

« on: August 03, 2013, 08:18 PM »

  First thing I thought about was how this was going to affect your computers performance.  I would think this would eat up a lot more CPU cycles, but then again, I'm no programmer.   

55

Living Room / Re: Slower Planes And Charging For Bathrooms

« on: August 03, 2013, 08:06 PM »

It used to be that diesel would develop 'flocks' (the Dutch term is 'vlokken') that could get stuck inside an engine, fuel-lines etc. Older diesel engines were not too happy about that.

Diesel can be treated and it hardly happens anymore in the Dutch climate. However, After seeing the outside temperature of minus 80 degrees Celsius when I sat inside a commercial airliner at 30.000 feet, going 800 kilometers an hour...I think that the 'flock' problem with diesel returns and will be very hard to fix at these temperatures.

Now I didn't know that jet fuel and diesel were alike. Never too late to learn something new  

-Shades (August 02, 2013, 10:57 PM)

  I would imagine that the engineers that are working on those diesel aircraft engines know all these little details and have figured out what to do about it, like heated fuel lines or fuel additives.

56

Living Room / Re: Show us a picture of your.. CAR!!!

« on: August 03, 2013, 08:02 PM »

That's a myth, and a damn sad one at that.

-Stoic Joker (August 02, 2013, 09:49 PM)

  Sorry, you can't argue with physics.  It's a scientific known that you can only get X amount of power out of a gallon of gasoline.  Most of the energy in a car is wasted in the form of heat, then there's friction and other factors (a bunch of factors).  Sure you can use a lot of technology and get superb power and economy, but just look at the price of those Mustangs and you'll figure out why they cost so damned much.  (BTW, I just sold a 70 Boss 351 Mustang).  So most car manufacturors either go for fuel economy or power.  Then they put out one or two that has both but at one hell of an expensive price tag, the tech cost money.

  Take a look at the cage that surrounds the Elio, your not going to get crunched unless someone hits you at an extremely high speed.  Even a tank will come apart if something hits it fast enough.  I've been hit on my bike too, in fact, that's why I no longer have my GSXR 1100, some 15 year old teeny-bopper gal ran over me, and I do mean OVER ME.  I had the tire imprints on my ass to prove it.  Sorry, but I'll take the cage over nothing any day.

  My GSXR was geared low, I think first gear had the highest ratio of all the gears, up to 60 mph.  Seconds gear only got me up to 90.

  I've had performance cars all my life, mostly 70 Mustangs.  I also have a heavy foot, I don't take five minutes to get up to 60 like most grandpa's.  lol  In fact, I hate getting behind those slow ass grandpa's, which is why I bought a turbocharged performance car, very little patience.   

  The only reason the Elio is classified as a motorcycle is because it only has 3 wheels.  It's actually a motorcycle/car hybrid, which makes it that much more unusual, and good looking at the same time.  If you read Elio's biography, you'll see the idea behind the Elio is a car that gets ultimate gas mileage and can be afforded by all, can even be bought with a credit card.  I can afford just about anything I want, but I fell in love with the Elio for it's style and super gas mileage to top it off.  If I should decide that I want more umph out of it, I'll just slap on a turbocharger.....   

57

Living Room / Re: Internet Speed Test

« on: August 03, 2013, 06:48 PM »

Great speeds. Are there data caps?

-40hz (August 02, 2013, 08:49 PM)

  As usual, 10 gigs....

58

Living Room / Re: Slower Planes And Charging For Bathrooms

« on: August 02, 2013, 09:07 PM »

Sorry, I can't let this one slip by...jet engines are by definition rotory engines, are they not?

Ok, serious now. Diesel develops small 'clouds' of substance when it is really cold. On high altitudes it is actually really really cold. Diesel in liquid form is a good fuel, solid not so much. I had once a subaru car with rotary engine. That car was neither fast or fuel efficient. A rotary engine is a piece of technology where theory never meets practice, i'm afraid.

-Shades (August 02, 2013, 06:26 PM)

  No no, jet engines and rotary engines are two different animals.  Rotary engines are more closely related to piston engines, but instead of pistons it has chambers, 3 to be exact, and are ignited with spark plugs just like a piston engine.  They're pretty neat engines that put out a lot of torque.  Back in the 70's when they first appeared in Mazda's they were a hit, but apparently there was too many problems with them, they wore out too fast.  I never knew they came out in Subaru's.

  Jet engines put out contrails at high altitude, so I don't know how diesel would be any different.  Diesel and JP5 jet fuel are pretty closely related.  With modifications you can run JP5 in a diesel engine and visa-versa, but jet fuel has a little more bang to it than diesel.  I have never heard of solid diesel, you'll have to clue me in on that one. 

59

Living Room / Re: Worth Reading: Trevor Pott's editorial on NSA PRISM and its real ramifications

« on: August 02, 2013, 08:25 PM »

  Obama ran on the "We Want Change" theme.  Well, we got change alright....   

-Tinman57 (August 02, 2013, 04:55 PM)

Actually, we didn't.  That was pretty much the point IMO.  He's pretty much the same as W in the ways that count, and has continued the programs of his predecessor.

-wraith808 (August 02, 2013, 06:14 PM)

Oh no, we got change alright.  More money spent than any president ever, national deficit doubled... blah blah blah.  But you still have to read in the sarcasm in that post....   

60

Living Room / Re: Show us a picture of your.. CAR!!!

« on: August 02, 2013, 08:15 PM »

Um... I hate to be harsh, but... a 1970 Dodge Challenger would do 0-60 in 7.0. So for something that is classified as a motorcycle ... That is slow.

-Stoic Joker (August 02, 2013, 06:09 PM)

  Physics being what they are, you have a choice between economy or speed.  The Elio is built for super economy, safety and reliability.  Even then, a 2010 Harley Sportster 883 Iron, which is a performance bike, does 0 -60 in 6.6 seconds.  The Elio is only 3 seconds slower and get's about 33 more MPG.
Now lets add some more facts:
  Inside an Elio on a 105 degree day the temp will be, well...how cold do you want it to be?  Just set the dial on the temp knob.  On a motorcycle, 105 degrees + ever how much engine heat your getting.
  In an Elio, get hit from the side or back.  Front and/or side airbags deploy and the steel cage protects you.  Motorcycle..... you go "Crunch".
  An Elio in the winter, say 17 degrees F.  How warm do you want it inside the Elio?  Just set the heat dial.  Motorcycle......17 degrees F.  Your privates are now turning blue.
  In an Elio, pouring down rain outside.  Inside the Elio, nice dry and warm.  Motorcycle.... wet and cold, even with wet weather gear.
  The list could go on and on, not to mention not having to wear a helmet, but I think you get the picture.....

  I've been on bikes all my life.  My last motorcycle was a Suzuki GSXR1100G with a Vance & Hines Stage 3 Kit and V&H Competition Only exhaust.  It did 0 - 60 in 1.9 seconds in first gear and had a top end of 160 mph.  I've wanted another bike and came close to buying a Harley several times.  But because of my disability I would probably dump the bike as soon as I came to a stop.  Then I was going to buy a Can-Am 3 wheeler, don't have to worry about dropping it, but then have to put up with the weather conditions, and with the drugs I'm on I don't do heat very well, to the point of throwing up and going in shock.
  Then my step-dad, that lives close to the Elio factory, called and told me about the Elio.  I started digging into all the info and fell in love.  Now I'm just waiting for mine to roll out of the factory, FULLY LOADED!

61

Living Room / JavaScript And Timing Attacks Steal Browser Data

« on: August 02, 2013, 07:28 PM »

JavaScript and Timing Attacks Used to Steal Browser Data
Security researchers have been warning about the weaknesses and issues with JavaScript and iframes for years now, but the problem goes far deeper than even many of them thought. A researcher in the U.K. has developed a new technique that uses a combination of JavaScript-based timing attacks and other tactics to read any information he wants from a targeted user's browser and sites the victim is logged into. The attack works on all of the major browsers and researchers say there's no simple fix to prevent it.

http://threatpost.co...-browser-data/101559

62

Living Room / Microsoft Accuses Microsoft Of Copyright Infringement!

« on: August 02, 2013, 07:26 PM »

Microsoft accuses Microsoft of copyright infringement, asks Google to scrub search links

07.29.2013 9:09 AM

It sounds like an amusing anecdote, but Microsoft's attempt to take down Microsoft.com websites signals a deeper problem with DMCA takedown requests.

http://www.pcworld.c...ub-search-links.html

63

Living Room / Re: Show us a picture of your.. CAR!!!

« on: August 02, 2013, 05:03 PM »

Thanks for that... I'm checking it out... but I think I'm all in.

-wraith808 (August 01, 2013, 08:46 PM)

  Oh yeah, I'm ALL IN with the non-refundable $1000.  Now for the hard part, waiting for it to come off the assembly-line.....   

-Tinman57 (August 02, 2013, 03:43 PM)

The only two things I still have to research are the maintenance/parts and acceleration.  If they're in high demand and your car needs a part... are you going to be able to get it?  Are there going to be mechanics certified to work on it, or how easy/hard is it to work on?  Especially with those exposed wheel mounts.  And they mention top speed... but not acceleration...

-wraith808 (August 02, 2013, 04:01 PM)

  There will be Elio distributors just about everywhere like the ATV distributors are.  In fact, you can contact Elio to be a distributor yourself.  Even during the first part of their manufactor, you can get parts through the factory in Shreveport, Louisiana where they're being made.

64

Living Room / Re: Worth Reading: Trevor Pott's editorial on NSA PRISM and its real ramifications

« on: August 02, 2013, 04:55 PM »

  Obama ran on the "We Want Change" theme.  Well, we got change alright....   

65

Living Room / Re: Slower Planes And Charging For Bathrooms

« on: August 02, 2013, 04:28 PM »

@Tinman:
As you are/used to be an air force guy...I read once that it might be a good idea to put more effort in putting turboprop planes back into the air.

Energy-wise this technology could be made a lot less wasteful than current jet engine tech. As it currently stands the two technologies match each other.

Besides this, commercial airliners fly as slow as they can get away with already for years now, to keep fuel costs down. Almost negating the advantage a jet has over a turboprop (speed).

From that article I understood that using similar maintenance procedures/intervals for turboprops as is done for jets, current turboprop tech is as reliable and almost as fast current jets fly, but a lot cheaper with fuel.

I keep saying article, but it could also have been a paper or case-study...

-Shades (August 02, 2013, 08:43 AM)

  While turbo-props do have much better gas mileage, they'll never be nearly as fast as a jet engine.  I've read over the years how they were testing diesel aircraft engines (piston) that use bio-fuel, but I haven't kept up with the technology and don't know if it's in the plans or not.  Perhaps now that they're trying to save so much fuel, the piston diesel engines will become a reality.  Another thing they've been testing is rotary engines.  They claim more power with better economy over the turbo-props.  But if they're anything like the old Mazda rotary engines, the upkeep will be a major factor.
  I really do need to catch up on which direction the industry is taking, but they change their minds about as much as my ex-wife.... soooooo   

66

Living Room / Re: Show us a picture of your.. CAR!!!

« on: August 02, 2013, 03:43 PM »

Thanks for that... I'm checking it out... but I think I'm all in.

-wraith808 (August 01, 2013, 08:46 PM)

  Oh yeah, I'm ALL IN with the non-refundable $1000.  Now for the hard part, waiting for it to come off the assembly-line.....   

67

Living Room / Re: TSA Accepts Money For Hands-Off Screening

« on: August 02, 2013, 03:38 PM »

Maybe I should have put a smiley there, sorry.
Probably no amount of idiocy from the TSA would be particularly surprising to most people, given the TSA's past performance.

-IainB (August 02, 2013, 02:42 AM)

  No smiley necessary, I knew where you were coming from.     Perhaps I should have put a smiley in there myself.   

68

Living Room / Re: SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps Specification Set and Ready for Development

« on: August 02, 2013, 03:03 PM »

  It's all just to get you to spend more money on "upgrades".  They do it with every piece of hardware on the market.  They'll sell you a piece of hardware that they claim is the fastest, and then 8 months later will come out with something that's 10 times faster that they've had in the making even while selling the older hardware.  Rinse, repeat = more money.
  I'm one of those folks that won't upgrade as soon as something comes to market.  I'll patiently wait a while for either the price to come down to a reasonable amount, fixes to the hardware/drivers or the "New" upgrade hits the market.  Saved a butt-load of money that way.....

69

Living Room / Internet Speed Test

« on: August 02, 2013, 02:56 PM »

  I just got my internet upgraded less than an hour ago.  So far I'm quite impressed, this Hughes HT1100 Generation 4 modem is quite impressive.  I ran it through several bandwidth speed test from 4 different websites and I'm getting the equivalent of a T2 connection!!!.....

Average speed 13.4 Mbps download and 631 Kbps upload
Max speed 24.9 Mbps download and 7.9 Mbps upload

  This is a big jump from my old 1 Mbps system, so I'm a happy puppy at this time....     Now for some much needed surfing....   

70

Living Room / Slower Planes And Charging For Bathrooms

« on: August 01, 2013, 08:13 PM »

  Forget the flying slower part, the biggest story is considering charging to use the bathroom and standing-only tickets.  Perhaps they will revisit this idea when people start using the complimentary barf bags for urinals.... Standing-only tickets will NEVER HAPPEN with current FAA rules.

Ryanair's latest money-saving scheme: slower planes
Ryanair bets you won't mind spending two extra minutes on their planes.

http://www.smartplan...-slower-planes/25399

71

Living Room / Re: Knight to queen's bishop 3 - Snowden charged with espionage.

« on: August 01, 2013, 08:07 PM »

Video to see:

- ECYM

EVERY CALL YOU MAKE

Every call you make
And every thought you take
Every truth you break, every right you take
They are watching you

Every text each day
Every word you say
Every sound you play, and saved this day
They are watching you

Oh, can't you see
You must submit to me?
And make no mistake
With every thought you take
Oh, With every call you make

Every friend you make
Every line you break
Every nick you fake, every name you create
They are watching you

Today, Snowden's gone without a trace
They are busy inventing an espionage case
He's got four LapTops which can't be replaced
They keep begging Snowden, Snowden please
Snowden Please

Oh, can't you see
They belong to me?
Now N. S. A. aches
With every thought he takes
With every call you make

Every point he makes
Every lie he breaks
Every truth he awakes, make no mistake
They are watching you

Every plan you make, every call you make
Oh, they are watching you
They are watching you
They are watching you
They are watching you

http://www.youtube.c.../watch?v=loSlVXtZj8s

72

Living Room / XKeyscore Has Nearly Limitless Access

« on: August 01, 2013, 08:05 PM »

NSA's XKeyscore program has nearly limitless access to all Internet activity
07.31.2013 8:34 AM

Newly unveiled NSA program from Edward Snowden shows how authorities have access to nearly all Internet activity including emails, browsing history, and even Facebook chats.

http://www.pcworld.c...ternet-activity.html

73

Living Room / Re: What the future may hold for all of Amercia will soon be seen in Oakland, CA

« on: August 01, 2013, 07:59 PM »

  You know, it's strange, but Oakland has always had bad laws passed over the years, they're in the news quite a lot with controversial issues.  I don't know what kind of people live there, but if I were one of them I'd be looking for another place to live.....

-Tinman57 (August 01, 2013, 03:36 PM)

Funny you should say that. Ive always thought Oakland CA's government and police force had a certain penchant for doing the "bad as I wanna be" shtick. Almost like they're trying to court attention by behaving like some ill mannered child would.
  

-40hz (August 01, 2013, 03:49 PM)

  Yeah, back in the 70's and 80's they were real rebel rousers.     But they totally reversed tactics from the 90's on.

74

Living Room / Re: Show us a picture of your.. CAR!!!

« on: August 01, 2013, 07:40 PM »

  Guess I can show you my latest endeaver, a 2014 Elio.  2 seats (front and rear), A/C, Electric windows, Disc brakes, Front and side airbags, Stereo system, 3 cylinder engine, Automatic Transmission, and more.  Gets 84 MPG and has a top end of 104 mph.

75

Living Room / Re: Couple Visited by Feds After Google Search for Backpacks and Pressure Cookers

« on: August 01, 2013, 04:33 PM »

  All the fools people that say they don't care because they're not doing anything illegal should read this....