S T O N E M A N S . I N F O

My favorite #1 hip hop song of all time

2012-02-09T18:56:00.001-04:00

The Tower of Silence

2012-02-07T20:17:00.002-04:00

"Fuck Passengers" Metro Transit Goes on Strike

2012-01-31T23:21:00.000-04:00

Transit workers want to come out as Al Pacino in Scarface but instead they appear as fools. Just wait until the managers start driving the buses.

On my 8-track

2012-01-30T21:51:00.001-04:00

Drunk Driver Plows into Lake, Woman Dies

2012-01-28T19:45:00.000-04:00

An impaired driver in a Suzuki Samurai plowed into a lake. A woman passenger died but the man survived.

Windsor District RCMP said the 911 call came at approximately 9 p.m.
"Our members arrived on scene and determined that there was one person in the vehicle that hadn't gotten out, later determined to be a female passenger who unfortunately was pronounced dead at the Hants Community Hospital in Windsor," said Const. George Cameron.
"As far as we can tell so far, the vehicle had been down a small lane."
The driver of the SUV was arrested and he's expected to be charged with impaired driving causing death.

Far East Movement

2012-01-25T22:58:00.000-04:00

Catchy song.

Meanwhile, in the Bronx....

2012-01-25T19:50:00.000-04:00

25 Arthur street to be rubble

2012-01-19T18:30:00.000-04:00

The loading machines have already started ripping apart the burned out shell of 25 Arthur Street, much to the dismay of some tenants who have not been allowed back in to retrieve their personal items. A structural building engineer has ruled that due to the water soaked gypsum and such, it would be a hazard to venture into the building and get any items not destroyed by fire or water. Who knows if they plan on re-building at this site, it may be sold to a developer who could make expensive condos on the shoreline. Since I lived there for 10 years and only moved out last August, I feel really bad for the people that lost their items there. Although the building is a real old nasty mould-infested trap, it holds memories for me.

Atari 2600 AD

2012-01-15T10:08:00.002-04:00

I still have one, with original box + 6 games in original box.

How I roll

2012-01-14T21:38:00.001-04:00

Snow! Accidents! Carmageddon!

2012-01-12T19:31:00.001-04:00

To celebrate the nasty winter weather which I love so much, I've decided to start up a video!

My anthem for 2012

2012-01-10T21:51:00.001-04:00

Kitty a.k.a. "L.D. - Little Doses"

2012-01-07T15:17:00.001-04:00

Pedophile Bishop Lahey Gets Out of Jail

2012-01-05T22:35:00.000-04:00

LOCK UP THIS MOTHERFUCKING PEDO AND THROW AWAY THE KEYS!

So Lahey is a free man today, but with conditions. He will be onparole for two years. He had to give a DNA sample and he will be on thesex offenders registry for the next 20 years. He is to stay away fromdaycares, swimming pools and anywhere else children gather. And he mustallow his computer(s) to be searched by police at their discretion.

Lahey stepped down as bishop of the diocese in September 2009, before the charges against him became public. His resignation also came just weeks after he announced a $15-million settlement between the diocese and dozens of victims who had been sexually abused as children by priests.
comments from cbc readers.

Bruce Mega Mix

2012-01-05T20:07:00.000-04:00

Ohhhhh NooOOooooOOoooo........

Woman, 28, Dies after hitting snow plow

2012-01-05T18:00:00.000-04:00

A 28 year old woman from Lunenburg County is dead after being hit by a snow plow.

Sums up my day.

2012-01-03T23:41:00.001-04:00

25 Arthur Street Fire - Jan 2, 2012

2012-01-02T20:07:00.001-04:00

Nobody is allowed into the building. The structure is compromised and may collapse at any time. You can see the full extent of the damage to the upper 2 floors of the south side. Notice the stairs have collapsed into a heap on top of the 2nd floor landing. I have no idea what is keeping the south part of the building standing.

I used to live right at that 2nd level balcony on the corner closest to that telephone pole.

January 1, 2012

2012-01-01T19:42:00.000-04:00

Some videos I took of the 25 Arthur Street fire that displaced 75 residence and destroyed millions of dollars worth of infrastructure and 1M contents. truly sad.

2011 in Review

2011-12-31T23:09:00.000-04:00

* George died (RIP)
* Kitty 1 died (my cat)
* Returned leased Subaru, bought Nissan Altima (used)
* Moved from Dartmouth to Halifax
* Went to Winnipeg in November (cold, then warm!)
* No snow in the maritimes
* Got kitty 2 (new cat)
* Still employed (knock on wood!)
* 25 Arthur street burned down (my old apartment :(

2012:

*More blog posts
*More test drives
* Lots of new cat photos
* Maybe a new domain name

Have a safe new year. Don't drink and drive.

Fire Destroys 25 Arthur Street

2011-12-31T17:24:00.001-04:00


Note: The date is actually Dec 31, 2011, NOT 2008.


4th floor completely burnt and gone.

In a sad note, the building I lived in for 10 years has been destroyed by a fire. I moved myself, g/f, and her mom & I out of there last August and we moved to Halifax. We've only been in halifax for 6 months. Today I find out a couple of people we know have lost everything, and they did NOT have any insurance. I know, incredible when you think that insurance only costs $220 per year (or $20 per month).

Below are some pictures I took today. Really sad. I ran into some of the people I knew down there, they're staying with sons, daughters, and friends. Disregard the date on the pictures - since I lost my old Fuji last month I had to use an older Pentax I had. Apparently the fire was started by welding that was being done on the outside of the balconies. Morons.

He Watches

2011-12-30T23:05:00.000-04:00

WTF

2011-12-29T21:20:00.003-04:00

A&W Grandma Prime Rib Burger - Horrible

2011-12-27T14:23:00.002-04:00

Do you crave prime rib? Can't afford it? No problem. A&W has you covered with the $4 prime rib burger. Only trouble is, you'll be gagging when you eat this thing. To begin, it's a small burger with little toppings except for one pickle, caramelized (burnt) onions, nasty mayonnaise and some other unknown spices. There are no tomatoes. There is no lettuce. Only a shrunken, greasy burger that is so saturated with fat you might think it was cooked in a deep fryer.

And after wasting $20 on three burgers, three fries, I had to throw out the two burgers and three fries. I ate the burger but only barely, and even then, I'm reaching for the industrial strength tums. (You'll need it for the massive heartburn later on).

And to that I will never, ever buy food from A&W again. I'm done. In fact I can say without hesitation that I have given up McDonalds and A&W for life. Its nasty "food" (if you want to call it that).

Merry Xmas 2011

2011-12-23T20:46:00.001-04:00

And please don't drink and drive. No matter what - call a cab or just stay home and get blasted.

Damn this song is catchy.

2011-12-22T23:15:00.000-04:00

At 330 million views on YouTube, no bloody wonder.

Have a safe Christmas!

2011-12-21T23:14:00.000-04:00

Happy Holidays

2011-12-10T19:42:00.001-04:00

From Coca Cola!

14 Days Until Christmas

2011-12-10T19:04:00.001-04:00

So what?!

Not in a very cheery xmas mood. It's depressing. I think of all the people I knew who died, and think, shit... it sucks.

Don't drink and drive. There was a really bad accident today on lacewood and dunbrack street. A Pontaic Sunfire got t-boned by a Hyundai Elantra and wound up taking out a signal lamp. I don't know if the driver was injured but it looked really bad. Police cornered off Lacewood and traffic was backed up for miles.

Absolutely no snow up here. None. +8 C and it's the warmest december I can remember.

Cameraman Drives thru Winnipeg

2011-12-04T19:10:00.001-04:00

Friday Drive from WpgCameraMan on Vimeo.

Christmas in Halifax

2011-12-03T14:13:00.001-04:00

Oh Baby!

2011-12-02T20:46:00.001-04:00

Winnipeg Trip Recap 2011

2011-11-30T15:55:00.001-04:00

Seven Eleven and Mac's Slurpee Logs

Incredibly, the weather has been fairly cold since arriving in Winnipeg onNovember 16th. In fact the temperature dropped to a bone chilling -22C on thevery night I arrived. The new airport in Winnipeg is very nice. The interiordesign is interesting, blue nean circles in the ceiling, wide open spaces andnew shops.

Seven Eleven's interior of its stores has not changed much since my lastvisit in September 2010. The only new addition I could see was the iced coffeedispenser and new assortment of shitty hot dogs and crispy deep fried hot dogs.The lottery tickets and beef jerky displays still dominate the register area.Out front the newspapers and other dailies are stacked neatly in metal frames.

On to the slurpees. The machines, typically made by Taylor manufacturing,had it's variety of flavors on display. I'll try to recall from memory whatthey are, and not their exact "display names" as they are completelyunrelated.

Coca Cola

Pepsi

Cream Soda

Cream Soda Light (30% less calories - a new flavor here)

Sprite

Orange Crush

Grape

Lime

Doctor Pepper (my favorite)

Crystal Lite Berry (diet)

Mac's convenience stores has pretty well the same type of machines. Theonly difference is the serving size - the xtra large is slightly smaller than7-11's 40 oz big cup. I would say the cup is about 36 ounces, not a hugedifference or deal between them. A mac's drink costs about $2.11 taxes includedwith a new cup. A refill is slightly less expensive at $1.66 and in my opinion,a rip off. The flavors from memory are:

Coca Cola

Pepsi

Barq's root beer (not bad)

Banana (this flavor is only at Mac's and has been for over 10 years now)

Sprite

Blue Raspberry (horrendous, blue, and nasty)

Orange

Cream Soda (same flavor as 7-11 btw)

Buying other stuff like chips and candy bars are insanely expensive. Althoughto Mac's credit they did offer two Twix bars for $1.79, this exception is notthe normal cost. Expect to pay $2.25 per bag of chips and $1.75 per candy bar.

So far as of November 21 I've had about half a dozen slurpees. Not bad.Usually I have twice that amount at this time. But a few things has changed since a year ago. Namely a goodfriend of mine was diagnosed with Diabetes. He has since lost 25 pounds and hadto make radical changes to his diet: No bread, no potatoes, no sugar, slurpees,pop, and lots of walking. The second factor is I don't have a car to drive anywhere since the neighborsacross the road hit the old dodge that was in the parking lot and it was thenwritten off by Autopac. Having no car seriously sucks. Last year I had borrowedmy brothers old white Dodge Van, nicknamed the "Bang Bus". That oldvan didn't last long after I left and he got rid of it when he discovered theamount of repairs needed to get it safetied for the next year.

And a word about driving out here during the winter. You really do needwinter tires out here. I was riding around with my brother in his company'sChevy HHR wagon and it did not have any winter tires. Spinning wheels, endlessdelays in stopping, it was all very annoying and potentially dangerous. My buddywho has a Toyota Corolla with winter tires, has none of those problems. The cartakes off and stops relatively safely and without much fuss. It does spin outevery now and then as the road surface gets polished into snow ice, but for themost part driving out here takes patience and common sense.

November 22

My man Manjeeb at Mac’s hooked me up with a 7-11re-fill and only charged me a measly $1.11 taxes included. I am averaging twoslurpees a day in order to not give my kidneys and blood sugarsdiabetes-induced coma.

Nov 27.

Refills at Macs are on average $1.66 plus tax. Itcosts the same as 7-11. The guy who sold me the refill for $1.11 under-chargedme.

The weather has been warmer than usual inNovember and even broke a daytime high record of +9C. Haven’t been able toreally travel much around since I have no car. Except power walking and cyclingon a mountain bike, it has been relying on friends and family.

November 23, 2011

Hooked up with my good friend Cameraman andStalker & we decided to cruise around with a police radio scanner and tryto capture some footage. A few interesting calls came into the police radio.One of them involved a black BMW which had been stolen and the perp was drivingthe wrong way on a major 1-way street.

We eventually came upon the scene where theperson abandoned the BMW in a parking lot and took off on foot. We shot somevideo and took photos. A policeman came by and tapped on our window, asking howwe found out about the call. He heard the police scanner and gave a warning….Keep the scanner off if you’re around the police. Apparently it is against thelaw to have a police scanner ON in your vehicle. I have no idea why. Weappreciated the low key warning. A CBC van was nearby and was also recordingthe scene. Cameraman’s Panasonic HDTV camcorder was excellent but heavy. It hadall the bells and whistles you could ask for. One of the biggest pains I foundusing the thing was not the gadgets but the weight of the camera. Unless youhave a strap or shoulder mount, it’s a real pain to hold the camera up with onearm and shoot video. We snaked through the city streets trying to find an MVAbut could not find any calls like that. We did encounter many asshole drivers,including one minivan who decided it was perfectly legal to cut us off anddrive around us to get around a city bus. This is a completely illegal move. Wealso had the usual complaints of drivers: No turn-signals, erratic lane-changes,and tail gating.

I tried to perform an interview from the back ofthe Ford Escape by shouting to the ladies on the street “Excuse me ladies howabout the comment about the warm weather?” but I got cut off by Cameramanputting up my WINDOW and getting the HDTV camera caught in the damn thing! Heis so touchy about that. A little bit of side history:

The last time I performed an impromptu-streetinterview was when I lived in Calgary and I shot video from the passenger side.But to be perfectly honest I was recording prostitutes on the street and theystarted throwing pennies at his truck. I kind of got them pissed off for somereason. But that was in 1997. We quickly took off before they could damage hisold Honda CR-V.

The weather was also +8 C today and sunny, instark contrast to Halifax’s 15-30 cm of snow that was being dumped at -6degrees C. (And they were under a winter snowfall warning). Tomorrow should bealso a really warm day of +8. It’s been very unseasonably warm here since Iarrived in Winnipeg. The temperature here is usually hovering at around -8 to-15 degrees C.

Nov 28

I had on average two slurpees a day since Iarrived in Winnipeg on November 16. Except today I had one at Mac’s, then oneat 7-11, then a final “nightcap” slurpee at Mac’s. My man Darweej at Mac’scharged me full buck sixty-six for a refill. I also bought two twix bars for$1.75 each. Whenever we eventually move back west, I won’t be consuming thismany Slurpee’s. I would be a diabetic if I consumed this many drinks.

Nov 29

A really bad day. The moen faucet that my friendsand I repaired last week in the kitchen decided to stop working for the hotwater. I suspect a rubber gasket had worked its way up and started to block theholes for the hot outlet. Those faucets are really tough to assemble because ofthe fine tolerances and the shitty instruction sheets that are given. The photocopied instructions lack the detail needed to really understand how it’s puttogether. I should have taken photos of the faucet before putting it backtogether. At any rate, I decided to ride to Home Depot and buy a cheap kitchenfaucet for $29. On my way to Home Depot I took photos of the old apartmentblock I lived in on Beliveau Road. They had stripped the outer part of thebuildings and interior and were re-doing the entire blocks. I had put my FujiS700 camera in my right pocket but did not tighten the zipper. I ended uplosing my camera as it bounced out of my pocket on the way home. I went back onthe mountain bike and attempted to retrace my steps but could not find it.Someone had likely picked the camera up as soon as I dropped it. A shamereally, I had bought that camera in Winnipeg almost 4 years ago for about $200at Futureshop. I was lucky in that I copied most of my photos from the camerato the laptop. But I still lost about 40 photos. I left the information withthe Winnipeg Police on the rare chance that someone turns it in.

Nov 30

It was a rush to the airport and no time to getone last slurpee. No problem, I have had so many slurpees this past two weeksit doesn’t matter that I had one last night. It was sad to leave family andfriends. I hope to be back sooner in the summer time so I can spend somequality time with my nephew and niece. Vacations go too short.

Warm in Winnipeg

2011-11-28T19:10:00.001-04:00

+8 a few days ago and +3 today!
A few shots from around the city.

Heading to Winnipeg

2011-11-15T16:16:00.001-04:00

This blog will be a bit slow over the next few weeks as I head to my home town. I won't have ready access to the Internet as i'll be using a friends 'net sporatically. To celebrate my vacation from the internet, I'll post a recent picture I found on reddit/r/wtf that shows a bus after they hit something (a deer?) on the highway. Really nasty.

2014 Chevy Corvette ZR1

2011-11-14T15:19:00.001-04:00

Source: Jalopnik.com

Everything is a Remix

2011-11-13T21:15:00.001-04:00

Everything Is A Remix: THE MATRIX from robgwilson.com on Vimeo.

Oh indeed

2011-11-13T18:42:00.001-04:00

Don't Trust a restaurant's "Tip Calculator"

2011-11-12T13:22:00.001-04:00

Because it's a SCAM!

Super Dog

2011-11-11T22:06:00.001-04:00

Veteran's Day

2011-11-10T22:55:00.001-04:00

In Flanders Fields and Other Poems (a 1919 collection of poems by John McCrae)

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
      Between the crosses, row on row,
   That mark our place; and in the sky
   The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
   Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
         In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
   The torch; be yours to hold it high.
   If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
         In Flanders fields.

Fuck Everything About This

2011-11-08T22:53:00.003-04:00

Slurpees

2011-11-05T19:06:00.001-03:00

From Wikipedia:

Machines to make frozen beverages were invented by Omar Knedlik in the late 1950s. The idea for a slushed ice drink came when Knedlik's soda fountain broke down, forcing him to put his sodas in a freezer to stay cool, which caused them to become slushy. Many people loved them, which gave him the idea to make a machine to help make a "slushy". When it became incredibly popular, Knedlik hired artist Ruth E. Taylor, to create a marketing name and logo for his invention. She came up with ICEE and designed the original logo, which is still used today. Early prototypes for the machine made use of an automobile air conditioning unit. In 1965, 7-Eleven began a licensing deal with The ICEE Company to sell the product under certain conditions. Two of these were, first, that 7-Eleven must use a different name for the product, and second, that the company was only allowed to sell the product in 7-Eleven locations in the U.S., a non-compete clause ensuring the two drinks never went head to head for distribution rights. 7-Eleven then sold the product that in 1967 became known as the "Slurpee" (for the sound made when drinking them). The term was coined by Bob Stanford, a 7-Eleven agency director.
The Slurpee machine has a separate spout for each flavor at the front of a tumbler or freezer, where patrons pour their own Slurpees, whatever the flavor. When Slurpees were first introduced, the dispensing machine was located behind the counter, and the clerk on duty would be tasked with dispensing the product. Common flavors are frozen Coke, Mountain Dew, and cherry, but new flavors are introduced regularly. In the Slurpee's early history, flavors rotated much more frequently than they do currently.
---
Having grown up on Slurpees in the west, I can tell you that they are not the healthiest drinks you can have. First, they're loaded with sugar and usually artificial flavors and colors. But sometimes you can get diet drinks which offset that somewhat. My addiction began in the 1980's when I was growing up. Back then you could get a Slurpee from 7-Eleven for about 59 cents or so. Now the drinks cost $1.99 or more, depending on the size & if you're buying a new cup. What makes the Slurpee special is the unique taste and icy consistency. It's a refreshing drink and the flavors range from Blue Raspberry, Banana, Orange Crush, Coca Cola, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, Sprite, Grape, and even strange flavors like "Chocolate Coffee".

The real magic of pouring your slurpee is choosing your own 'combination' of flavors. Some die hards like to stick to one flavor. Other people will choose the 'Swamp Water' method and pour every flavor into the cup, usually resulting in the most disgusting drink you'll ever have. I'll list some of my own favorite combinations:

Dr. Pepper, Sprite, Coca Cola or Pepsi
Coca Cola, Sprite, and Orange Crush
Diet Pepsi, Dr. Pepper
Sprite, Grape, and Dr. Pepper
Cherry and Sprite
Blue Raspberry and Sprite
Banana, Orange, and Sprite

In the upcoming days I'll be writing more about Slurpees and how it influenced my years growing up in Winnipeg. Seven Eleven was a regular hang-out spot for kids after school.

Guilty !

2011-11-04T20:52:00.001-03:00

Say Hello to Cuddles

2011-11-01T21:59:00.002-03:00

5 months old kitten, male.

And yes, from the SPCA, rescued recently, fixed, and super-cuddly!

My Halloween Pumpkin 2011

2011-10-30T20:37:00.001-03:00

6 Months in - The Torch Sucks Donkey Balls

2011-10-28T16:26:00.004-03:00

The BlackBerry Torch, with it's full-screen touch interface and sliding keyboard, looking like an appealing phone at the time. Until I actually started using this phone, I found out how horrendous it really is.
First, the processor is so underpowered for this phone that there is severe lag in navigating windows and exiting applications. Using the browser is akin to the Chinese Water Torture test. It is so slow and tedius, and when you connect to a web site, most of the time you don't get any data returned at all. The phone is 3G, but the data rates I'm getting from Telus would indicate sub-par dialup (14.4 kbps). I tried in vain to search for some information using the blackberry web browser but gave up after 15 minutes of even trying to get a response back from my search query. I picked up my apple iPod touch and found the search results in seconds.

I have never hated a device so much as this. When you make phone calls or if you receive phone calls, the touch screen activates when you put the phone to your face. Any slight movement causes your caller to either be placed on hold or put on speaker phone. Multiple times per call. After a while you give up making phone calls and use only the speaker phone.

The applications available for the blackberry aren't the best. Some games - if you can call them that, run so slowly on this underpowered piece of crap that I wonder if the device is emulating another machine to play them. My previous Virgin Mobile phone could play games better than this piece of shit. And that phone was worth $50 new, not the $600 that Telus charges if you buy the phone without a contract.

I would have ditched this phone months ago but it's through work. So I don't have a choice as to what device I can use. Sadly I would have accepted the much superior iphone over this. Hell, at this point I would have even accepted a Windows 8 phone, or maybe the Samsung Galaxy 2 with Android OS on it. I can't explain the level of frustration of having to reboot your device after ANY application is removed. And it takes over FIVE MINUTES for the blackberry to boot up! I know! I timed it!

RIM needs to begin releasing quality hardware and software. This sub-par hardware and software is wearing thin, thin on casual users and thin on business users. Having a 3 day outage for blackberry mail is simply unacceptable for any business. I feel sorry for people buying these phones. With most hardware now having dual-core and graphics acellerators, the blackberry hardware is so far behind the curve you're better off buying a cheap phone from Walmart. At least then you'll have a phone that can competently show you a menu tree without pausing or putting your callers on random hold or speaker phone settings.

After 6 agonizing months with this phone I can say without any doubt or hesitation it is simply the worst phone I have ever used in my life.

Welcome to Libya!

2011-10-27T22:28:00.003-03:00

Post 800: Awesome Wallpaper

2011-10-25T20:33:00.003-03:00

Guess the movie.

I get pulled over at 4:50 am by the cops

2011-10-22T17:41:00.001-03:00

When you get older sometimes your mind isn't as good as it once was. Sadly my girlfriends mother has been acting a bit strange lately. No sleep, up all the time, stating she can see people that don't exist, hears strange noises, claims the blankets are wet (they aren't), etc. So after 3 solid months of this we cracked because of no sleep. We took her into emergency and asked the doctors to run tests. So far they believe it's stress and also maybe early stage Alzheimers disease. I feel pretty bad because she doesn't know she's doing this half the time. It can be stressful for everyone because if she can't sleep then you won't sleep.

So one night this week after going to the hospital I was driving home, it was close to 4:50 in the morning. Going up Bayer's road in Halifax, the speed limit is 50 km/hour. I think I was going a bit quick - maybe 60 km/hour. Not too fast. The road is artificially low for speed limits anyway. It should really be 80 km/hour all the way up that street.

So anyway behind me a cop car lights up and I pull over. I knew it. He came up to the car and asked me if I was drinking. I said "No officer...I'm stone cold sober". He believed me (I was) and asked if I knew I was speeding. I admitted it and apologized. Honestly, I'm not going to argue with someone at 4:50 in the morning. All I wanted to do was go to bed that night. He let me off with a warning. Usually speeding tickets start at $175 so I made off easy.

I still believe the sole purpose of speeding tickets is to fund the police organization. In Calgary it's known that police officers all have ticket quotas of the month. If you don't make your quota, you'll never get promoted. So my advice when getting pulled over by a police officer? Don't be rude, be nice, and take a chill pill. If you give him/her attitude it will only encourage that person to write you an expensive ticket.

Speaking of odd. A friend of mine got pulled over by the RCMP recently. He was speeding and doing burnouts in his jeep. I have no idea how he got off with a warning. But I'll say this: Instead of a ticket, the officer actually gave him his card and asked him if ever he went out fishing or wanted to have a beer, to call him. I really believe this guy was trying to pick up my colleague ! Awkward moment !!

Hyundai 2011 Test Drive Event

2011-10-22T17:16:00.000-03:00

I went to the 2011 Hyundai event at Mic Mac Mall today. A friend of mine ( merlinrpm @ twitter) was one of the test drive instructors for the course. This course was not as challenging as the VW one I went to a few months ago. The track was slower and that's ok with me. Any photo in the line up here you can click on to get a larger view. I test drove all of the vehicles. I won't describe every vehicle because each vehicle drove so similarly to the next. The only vehicles I found major differences in are the Accent, Veloster, and Hyundai Sonata Hybrid.

The Accent was at best a mediocre drive through the track. Uninspiring performance with a sedate automatic transmission, it was forgettable. The Veloster, although it had a manual 6-speed transmission, was likely the major car at the track event. It is no performance car. Period. The car needs more power. The brakes are great. I was surprised to find it riding on 18 inch wheels. There is absolutely zero rear seat visibility in this car. Climbing into the back.... unless you're 4 feet tall - forget it. The staff at Hyundai were friendly though. After driving at least 2 cars you are given 2 free movie passes, a 2GB Cruizer USB drive, and a Lanyard. So I'm a schwag whore. Another car I really didn't like was the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. I braked so hard through the ending course I swore the battery pack was going to fly through the rear trunk and through the windshield. I had to laugh when the on screen graphics showed leaves swirling around the car, meaning it was in "Eco mode". I asked my buddy at the track "Where's the Jeremy Clarkson button?". He showed me how to turn off the traction control and Eco mode. It made little difference in performance.

Another beef I have with these new cars is the ridiculous need to use stop/start buttons for the ignition key. All cars except the Hyundai Accent had these annoying things. Why do car manufacturers think this is a good thing to have? I hate them. I want a little more control on my car than a stupid push button to start it.

And that's it. Enjoy my home made photography.

My Current Wallpaper

2011-10-21T23:48:00.003-03:00

Click for full resolution image (1920x1080)

Checkmate Athiests!

2011-10-20T22:34:00.000-03:00

Bahahahaahahahaha.. Too funny.

Irving Wins Huge Contract for Nova Scotia

2011-10-19T23:24:00.000-03:00

Irving Ship Builders has won a massive $25 billion (!) dollar contract with the Federal Government of Canada to build a large variety of military and non-military vessels. This contract is going to go for about 30 years and will bring in about 800 million dollars to Nova Scotia EACH YEAR and create at least 8,000 to 15,000 jobs. The net result is a huge positive for this dwindling province's population and could spark a re-emergence of people coming back to their homes.

As the draw to go back east increases, you'll see the demand for employees in the west also increase. At which I will keep a cautious eye. Maybe one day we'll return back to Alberta - Calgary specifically. You never know !

1992 Flashback

2011-10-18T21:36:00.000-03:00

Back in 1992 I lived in Winnipeg, Manitoba. I had just moved out from home to an apartment I shared with some guy who was on welfare - what was his name? Marc. Some weird guy. But I was desperate for my own place, and the rent was cheap, we split the $440 a month rent in half, including the utilities. I remember exactly what I was working as back then because I had just finished my 5 month job as a disabled van taxi driver (a horrible experience I'll share in coming months). I was desperate for work. Fresh out of School (Red River Community College with Domestic Electronics), there were NO jobs anywhere in Winnipeg. I took what I could get to get out of the taxi shit: A gas attendant on a full-serve Mohawk gas station. The work was hard as hell and the weather was cruelly cold. I remember working in the frigid Manitoba winters in -30 below celsius. It was so cold my gloves would freeze up. The boss was great, he would let you do pretty much anything as long as you weren't obviously slacking.

Unfortunately they had a terrible method of keeping money secure. In between the drops to the safe the money would be temporarily stuffed in envelopes and put into a file cabinet. This wasn't a great idea. The night shift guy ended up stealing $400 of our shift money and used it to pay for his years car insurance. We could never prove he did it but "somehow" he managed to get his car registered one day after the money went missing. My boss took the money out of my vacation pay - half of it. The other half he took off the other guy who was working with me.

When you make $5.00 per hour $200 is a hell of a lot of money. My pay check came to $385 per two weeks, after tax. It was barely enough to get by, if that. I worked at Mohawk for about 9 months, finally getting a job at a local casino for almost three times the wage of my gas station job. I was ecstatic. I had beaten out 4,000 other job applicants. Roughly two months after working there I moved out into my own place, thankful for the shitty jobs and to say that yes, I have worked really crappy jobs and I know what it means to do hard work. Hard work in the cold. Hard work in the heat. Hard work when you're bored as fuck. Some customers were just plain nice, others were sociopaths. One guy almost threw a punch at me when I told him to have a nice day. But to be honest I was a bit sarcastic, but only because the guy was a total fuckwad with my other co-worker. I regret not hitting him over the head with a tire iron. But I digress.

Inoffensive Joke

2011-10-17T21:29:00.003-03:00

Caranuba Wax? Never again.

2011-10-16T21:59:00.000-03:00

Using Mother's Caranuba wax on my car is sheer hell. The wax doesn't glaze up. You have to rub furiously in order to get rid of any unpolished wax. I thought turtle wax was bad; although the shine is great, and water beads, without using an electric polisher? Fuck that. I can't think of a worse torture to perform. Have you seen The Karate Kid? No, not the shitty film that was re-made last year. I mean the one with Ralph Macchio. Wax on, Wax off, Danielson. Indeed, I was waxing off all afternoon.

Never again.

Dog Found

2011-10-16T10:21:00.000-03:00

Winnipeg Bound

2011-10-08T12:58:00.001-03:00

Going back home in November to visit friends and family. I'm really looking forward to it. I haven't been home since September 2010. Unfortunately I won't have access to a car so I'm going to try my luck on the internet and see if someone is willing to rent one out to me for cheap. I really doubt it's possible, but, you never know. I can't afford to rent a car for 2 weeks, the cost is prohibitive.

The weather out here has been interesting. Halifax dropped down to +1C a few nights in a row now, and meanwhile out west (Winnipeg) the temperature hit +30C - a new record for them. The fall colors are changing and you can see the leaves dropping down everywhere around me.

The old Altima is running fine. I need to replace the lower steering column as the universal join on it is getting loose from wear. The car needs a coolant flush and changing of the thermostat-something I'm going to take care of next weekend (hopefully).

Stormwatch: Ophelia is Level 4 Hurricane!

2011-10-01T22:41:00.002-03:00

If that storm moves dead north then I am in deep shit.

The Squirrel

2011-09-27T20:30:00.002-03:00

We usually keep our 2nd floor apartment balcony door open during the warm afternoons. Because we're on the 2nd floor we never usually get anything bug unwelcome bugs and house flies. But imagine our surprise today when leaving a baloney sandwich on the coffee table in the living room. This big red squirrel was caught munching on the baloney as we came back into the living room. It was a surreal moment. The squirrel, caught, unsure what to do, just stared back while in mid-bite. We tried to chase him out but he ended up going towards the hallway to a bedroom. We quickly cut him off and he bounced back onto the balcony. But this squirrel wasn't going anywhere. We went to the balcony and we caught the little fucker sitting right on the padded chair on our balcony. He jumped on the table to get a good look at us.... then we closed the balcony door a little bit and he ran down to take one last peek at the sandwich that was still in the living room. It was almost like this little guy was domesticated! He bounced from the balcony down to the ground. Amazing.

Ophelia, Would you please fuck off?

2011-09-23T20:51:00.004-03:00

2011-09-21T23:16:00.000-03:00

I'm posting this entire post using an Ubutnu VMWARE image on my machine. I wanted to see how well it runs on my quad core athlon. So far, it's been running with very low cpu utilization. I'm impressed as to how easy it installed. Sadly, it stil lacks many features found in Windows 7 that I take for granted.

I might use this image as my surf box, just to protect my main system from compromises.

Stay tuned.

1.5 million dollar Ferrari gets ruined at Targa Rally

2011-09-16T20:08:00.001-03:00

Driver hits a patch of gravel, loses contact, slides through barrier and into the Atlantic Ocean during the NewFoundland Targa rally. Ferrari ruined.

Motor Trend 11-Supercar Race!

2011-09-12T20:27:00.003-03:00

And guess who the winner is?

StormWatch: Hurricane Maria

2011-09-11T16:04:00.002-03:00

9/11 - 10 Years Ago

2011-09-09T22:24:00.001-03:00

I remember 9/11 clearly. I had just moved to Halifax from Calgary and was working at a new company. Back then the internet wasn't as huge as it is today. I heard odd rumours that planes had hit the World Trade Center towers. We tried to stream from CNN but it was over-loaded. My team went to a coffee shop and watched in horror as we saw recorded videos of the planes hitting the buildings. Then news of the Pentagon was hit, followed by a final plane that went down in the fields.

Gut-wrenching and sick to watch, those next few years were difficult to view, even remotely from where I lived. But slowly people rebuilt their lives. The image of hate and man's inhumanity to man is ever present. There are no depths to psychotic terrorists and religious zealots which will go to kill another human being. It has to be one of the lowest points of humanity, right down on the same level as Word War 2 and the German concentration camps like Auschwitz. Rending and killing people at base level and without regret or thought. It's unthinkable but in all honesty, we're a savage race. Given the choice to kill for sport or none, people will choose to kill. It's just the wiring of humanity. But is it? Besides fantasizing about being given the job of torturing the highjackers or Bin Laden until the end of time (I'd do it in a second), there's really not much to gain about doing revenge.

Why did 9/11 happen?

Because there are some really sick, fucking evil people in this world.

Did America deserve it?

Of course not. Nobody deserves this, not even the crazy anti-us people in the world.

Was there a cover-up? Was it a demolition planned by Israel and the US?

No and No. There is no evidence of a cover-up and no explosives were ever found. Ground zero was searched extensively and the only thing that was found was remnants of Boeing 747 jet air plane parts, building material, and organic compounds that were once people. That is all.

How can we protect our selves from another attack?

We simply cannot prevent ALL terrorist attacks everywhere and everytime. It's just not physically and financially possible. But what we can do is each one of us begin learning about the people that hate us. Begin learning about their tactics, how they operate, how you can observe without being observed. Would you know how to report suspicious behavior? What would qualify as "suspicious" behavior over "weird" ? The Israeli TSA's have a great way of screening passengers. They ask questions and observe body language for lying and avoidance. They are very good at what they do. They have to be. Israel is #1 on the terrorist target list in the modern world. They are the hardest targets to infiltrate and destroy. They know exactly how terrorists operate simply because they live close proximity to their enemies and have decades of knowing how to work, detect, and use information. America and Canada are decades behind Israel. We know it. They know it. I just hope the governments act before it's too late.

I pray for 9/11 victims and their families. God help you all.

StormWatch: Hurricane Katia

2011-09-05T19:15:00.001-03:00

Tim Hortons to Ditch Small Size

2011-09-04T16:27:00.002-03:00

I heard rumours that Tim Hortons will be killing off the Small beverage sizes for all their product lines. They'll be performing move up; as follows:

* Mediums will be the new small
* Larges will be the mediums
* Extra large (old) will be the new large
* Extra larges will move to 24 ounces (up by 4 ounces)

No Timmies in Nova Scotia have switched yet. I'm mystified why this is so. Perhaps they are waiting to use up their cup stock? So why exactly is Tim Hortons doing this? To compete with the other beverage juggarnaut: Starbucks.

StormWatch: Hurricane Katia Approaches

2011-09-03T20:24:00.001-03:00

StormWatch: Hurricane Katia Approaches

2011-09-03T09:59:00.001-03:00

Not sure how far this track will go. But I am watching it closely.

James May Drives the GT-R

2011-09-01T21:49:00.001-03:00

Road Story from Cameraman

2011-09-01T08:35:00.000-03:00

A good friend of mine in Winnipeg sent this in the other day and asked me to post it. Here we go!
--
Was coming yesterday, about 6:45pm. I cross the Norwood Bridge into my stomping grounds, St.Boniface. All is fine with my World. I'm in far left lane, there are 3. Coming up to Santa Lucia pizza..notice a red Olds is pulling into the street. I'm ahead of everyone, and I glance in the mirror thinking that car is gonna stop right across a lane or two of oncoming traffic when he realizes what he's doing.

But no.. he doesn't stop.. he pulls right out, and is now coming at me as I'm passing him. He's for sure not turning his wheel and is going to hit me. Lay on horn, hit brakes .. I feel a slight thump. Could have been the ABS kicked in, or the truck shifting somehow.. anyways, we're now side by side, I've got a 2ft curb on my left that I'm about to ride up on, and he's ... maybe an inch to my right... My lane gives way to a left-turn, so I've got some breathing room there now. All this time the old dude in the Olds is looking ahead, 1,000 yard stare, off in his own world.

We get to the next intersection, red light, both stop. I roll the window down and start yelling at him "WTF, idiot! Pull over and lets check for damage" ... his window is up, looking right ahead.. no emotion, no reaction.. Honk some more..doesn't flinch. Thinking he's drunk or stoned on prescription meds, he's not reacting to this situation properly... I figure I'll shadow him a while, get his plate, see if he's weaving.. if I need to call 911 on this guy or not.

Light still red, he suddenly turns right onto Eugenie, but I can't do the same over 2 lanes.. so wait for the green, then see him on Walmer heading towards Lyndale. Catch up to him at Lyndale, grab the plate, follow him down Lyndale to Poulin Drive & St.Mary's. I'm hoping he'll stop.. no.. he heads into the very active Marion/Goulet/St.Mary's intersection against traffic, almost gets t-boned on both sides of the wide street, last I saw was him heading North along the Norwood Bridge.

I called the Police non-emergency line, gave them the info.. was bang on with the year of the car, a 1995 Olds '88. Police came by later that night to look at the truck.. there was no damage.. said they'll go talk to the old coot.

So as I'm heading to bed, it dawns on me that maybe the initial pulling out on the street was just a mistake, a momentary lack of focus, and the rest of this guy's behavior was that of someone on the receiving end of road rage. Was he really zoned out or just too terrified to look at me? Was he meandering recklessly through city streets or trying to get away in fear for his life?

But grow up, eh? Of course someone's gonna honk and yell at you if you pull shit like this. To say that is justification for fearing to stop and exchange details.. bull shit. Don't have to behave like this. Look over, mouth "I'm sorry!" something.. until then I'll assume you shouldn't be behind the wheel and I'll take reasonable means to get your plate and ensure you don't kill someone.

Taste Review of Coca Cola from 1986

2011-08-30T20:20:00.001-03:00

StormWatch: Hurricane Irene

2011-08-27T11:43:00.002-03:00

Some parts of Atlantic Canada (Nova Scotia, PEI) should be spared.

Why I Quit Google+

2011-08-26T21:59:00.002-03:00

When friends at work told me they had invites to the new 'social' Google network, I jumped at the chance to join in. Why not? I remember the halcyon days of my Facebook and Linkedin years. God, the early times were good. I remember connecting with old friends, people I had forgotten about years ago, and sure I never played any games on Facebook, it quickly became more annoying than anything.

For facebook, I got extremely annoyed that every wall notification of every "friend" I had was posted on my page. And I couldn't reduce it - other than actually removing the wall. So I did that. And in doing so I decided to remove each piece of facebook until I found there was absolutely nothing worth having in the profile. I took the step of not only deleting my account, but contacting Facebook Support and officially requesting to have my identity removed from their database, permanently. You can do that, but it requires opening an official "support" ticket. Two weeks later I recieved confirmation that my account had indeed been purged.

And Linkedin. At first it appeared to be this wonderful tool of business contacts and ex-colleagues from years ago. Good times, right? But what if ex-girlfriends begin contacting you, or, worse yet, collection agencies or enemies? And again, I stripped off every useless piece of Linkedin and quickly decided the only people having value in this relationship was Linkedin. They owned the data. They owned your information. They made the money. By selling your personal information you've sold your soul.

Finally, Google+. Sure, I made circles and put my 9 contacts into the circle list. I don't have alot of friends. I have two friends in fact and they both live in another province. Although I have friends at work I don't hang around with them. They don't invite me over for dinner. And I don't do the same. That's perfect for me. I deleted my posts and posted more stuff. People would +1 them and I would wonder what really is the point of this interface? I then cleaned out every post and deleted all my circles. The last straw the broke the camels back was when I found out Google+ requires you to use your real first and last name. Listen, I don't want people to be using my real name in any social network. And with that I deleted my profile from Google+ completely.

And to be completely honest: Do I want my friends to know I regularly troll on Reddit and make outrageous comments? Not really.

Tired of Google+ already? Here are the steps to delete your account:

Sign in to Google+ in a desktop browser.
Click your full name (or email address) in the Google+ bar at the top of the screen.
Click Account settings.
Click the Account overview tab.
Click Delete profile and remove associated social features.
Confirm your choice.

This is a permanent change, and cannot be undone. If you re-join Google+ in the future, your previously-entered information will not be present.
This does not change any of your other Google services tied to the account. Everything will be as it was before you joined Google+.

StormWatch: Hurricane Irene

2011-08-26T20:21:00.002-03:00

Current tracks from NOAA and StormPulse show it moving west and north, skirting away from Nova Scotia and plowing into South Carolina and NEW YORK CITY ! If you're in NYC, take cover. The storm is going to hit on Sunday at 12PM. God speed folks !

And meanwhile in Libya....

StormWatch: Hurricane Irene

2011-08-25T22:50:00.005-03:00

Storm is H3 and weakening. Hopefully it will go nowhere near Nova Scotia.

StormWatch: Hurricane Irene H3

2011-08-24T20:20:00.001-03:00

Stormpulse and NOAA are tracking dangerous storm very closely. Looks like I'll be in for an exciting Monday or Tuesday next week. Hopefully nothing serious, but you never know with the weather. Official transcript below as of 5pm EST.

DISCUSSION AND 48-HOUR OUTLOOK
------------------------------
AT 500 PM EDT...2100 UTC...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE IRENE WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 23.1 NORTH...LONGITUDE 74.7 WEST. IRENE IS MOVING
TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 12 MPH...19 KM/H...AND THIS GENERAL MOTION
IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT.  A TURN TOWARD THE
NORTH-NORTHWEST AND THEN NORTH ARE EXPECTED THURSDAY AND THURSDAY
NIGHT.  ON THE FORECAST TRACK...THE CORE OF IRENE WILL MOVE ACROSS
THE SOUTHEASTERN AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS TONIGHT AND OVER THE
NORTHWESTERN BAHAMAS ON THURSDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 120 MPH...195 KM/H...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS.  IRENE IS A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON
SCALE.  SOME ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT
DAY OR SO AND IRENE COULD BECOME A CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE BY
THURSDAY.

IRENE IS A LARGE TROPICAL CYCLONE. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND
OUTWARD UP TO 60 MILES...95 KM...FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL
STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 230 MILES...370 KM. A WIND
GUST TO 60 MPH...95 KM/H WAS RECENTLY REPORTED AT GREAT EXUMA IN
THE BAHAMAS.

ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE WAS 954 MB...28.17 INCHES.


HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND
----------------------
WIND...HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE OCCURRING OVER PORTIONS OF THE
SOUTHEASTERN BAHAMAS.  TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE TO
SPREAD OVER THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS...WITH HURRICANE CONDITIONS
EXPECTED BY TONIGHT.  TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED IN THE
NORTHWESTERN BAHAMAS BY LATE TONIGHT...WITH HURRICANE CONDITIONS
EXPECTED ON THURSDAY.

STORM SURGE...IN AREAS OF ONSHORE WINDS NEAR THE CENTER OF
IRENE...AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS STORM SURGE WILL RAISE WATER LEVELS
BY AS MUCH AS 7 TO 11 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS OVER THE
BAHAMAS.  NEAR THE COAST...THE SURGE WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE
AND DANGEROUS WAVES.

RAINFALL...IRENE IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE ADDITIONAL RAINFALL
ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES ACROSS HISPANIOLA WITH ISOLATED
MAXIMUM STORM TOTAL AMOUNTS OF 15 INCHES POSSIBLE.  THESE RAINS
COULD CAUSE LIFE-THREATENING FLASH FLOODS AND MUD SLIDES IN AREAS
OF STEEP TERRAIN.  RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 12 INCHES ARE
EXPECTED IN THE BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.

SURF...SWELLS GENERATED BY IRENE WILL BEGIN AFFECTING PORTIONS OF
THE COAST OF THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES ON THURSDAY.  THESE
SWELLS ARE EXPECTED TO CAUSE LIFE-THREATENING SURF AND RIP CURRENT
CONDITIONS.  PLEASE CONSULT PRODUCTS FROM YOUR LOCAL WEATHER
OFFICE.

STORMWATCH! Hurricane Irene

2011-08-23T21:29:00.000-03:00

The US and Canadian East Coast is under a Storm Watch. Every time a major storm enters my area I post notes on what tracks I can get from various weather news sites. Here's one from StormPulse.com

Cadillac Ciel Concept Car

2011-08-20T13:37:00.001-03:00

2011 Fiat 500 Review

2011-08-13T17:41:00.002-03:00

Today I decided to test drive a car I had been thinking about for a long time now. Ever since Fiat purchased Chrysler last year, the Fiat 500 was the one car I knew would tempt me back to the Chrysler brand name. And so I decided to visit an unnamed dealership on the Bedford Highway in Halifax. At first I wasn't sure if the dealership was even open at all. I could not spot a single customer or sales person on the lot. Getting into the store confirmed this was a new dealership and that yes, they were open until 6PM today. I met a nice salesman who immediately agreed to let me test drive the popular Fiat 500.

I had to first decide on the 5-speed automatic or 6-speed automatic version. I decided on the Sport 6-speed because I wanted the ability to shift gears at will. The salesman handed me the car keys after photocopying my drivers license. It would be an unaccompanied test drive - very surprising actually. The Fiat 500 starts at $15995 Canadian. With that you get a tiny 4-cylinder engine that puts out 101 bhp and around 80-ft pounds of torque. The engine is only 1.4 liters and consumes only 5.1L per 100km/hour (55MPG equivalent).

Included with the base model is a 5 speed manual transmission. The dealership did not have any manual transmission cars available. All base models come with power windows, door locks, and mirrors. It has an AM/FM/CD/MP3 stereo with 6 speakers, electronic stability control, 4-wheel ABS, tire pressure monitoring system, 7-airbags, projector headlamps, color-keyed body moldings, and 15-inch wheels with wheel covers.

Up the price to $18500 and you get the sport model - the one I drove. With that you get 16-inch aluminum wheels, red brake calipers, sport suspension, 6-speed automatic with manual shift option, fog lamps, rear spoiler, A/C, leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls, sport cloth seats, cruise control, side sill ground effects, chrome shift knob, blue&me hands free, over-head passenger assist handle, and aspheric driver exterior mirror.

Up the price to $19500 and you get all of the above and also leather-faced seating, 15-inch cast aluminum wheels (??) auto climate control, glass panoramic roof, chrome shift knob, bright belt moldings, SIRIUS satellite radio, security alarm, 6-speaker BOSE audio system with subwoofer, and auto-dimming rear view mirror.

With that out of the way I'll describe how it was to drive. While not a speed demon, the car is exceptionally fun to drive. When left in sport mode, I found the car sped up the steering wheel feedback and held on to the gears longer and resulted in a much more whiny engine sound. The car is tiny, the smallest car I have driven except for the SMART car. How does this compare to the SMART car? This car is actually a car, while I could call the SMART car an overly-designed golf cart. While the SMART car struggles up hills and has an anemic engine and tractor-like gear change. The Fiat 500 has excellent power and crisp gear changes. I felt like I was in control of this vehicle at all times. While 1st gear is ridiculously low, you could easily spin the wheels on this car without much effort. (Albeit, it is slow compared to my 2005 Nissan Altima which does have 175 bhp compared to the Fiat's 101 bhp).

The driving position and seating was excellent. Although the seats were manual to control, they were very comfortable and provided lumbar (!!) support which was adjustable. Lumbar adjustable seating in an micro-compact car. My only complaint was the speedometer. If you look you'll see the rising tachometer alongside the same track as the speedometer. Not a great design. The information panel tells you everything you need to know about the car.

The steering was very tight and moved the car quickly with little effort. I never used the steering wheel audio controls, which I found a bit too small for my fingers. The stereo controls on the dashboard are not the greatest. Using push buttons to control the volume and sound and tuning is inefficient. I would have preferred knobs. the HVAC controls are good. The window switches are located on the center stack right next to the shift lever.

Although I believe you can fit four people in this car, I did not attempt to get into the back seat. Like any micro car, you have to be a midget or a small person to enjoy the rear seating arrangement. The glossy interior of the dashboard is a throwback to the 1950's style. It's carbon-fiber inspired look looks remarkably well done. The dust that this interior will collect over the years will readily be apparent to any owner.

What's even more interesting is that you can use a blank USB thumb drive to keep track of your driving history and CO2 emissions. Fiat has a program that you can download and track and compete online with other people around the world to see who is using the least amount of CO2. I found that interesting. The engine is so tiny that when you compare it to the size of the battery only then will you understand how small it is.

With the two windows down and starting the car up, there is a touch of boomyness to the exhaust. I stopped into the gas station and paid for $2 of regular unleaded as the gasoline gauge light went on when I left the dealership. Although the salesman told me there would be more than enough gasoline in the car, I remember running out of gas in the past and don't trust idiot lights. You won't be a speed light warrior in this car. It moves you from point a to b pretty efficiently.

The rear seats fold down flat and you have an enormous amount of moving potential in this micro car. Outside and in, this is a cute car. Women who used to drive things like the Mini Cooper will be flocking to these cars. Is it better than say a Hyundai Accent or Kia RIO? In a way, yes. Although both Accent and Rio have more horsepower (I can't believe I am writing this), the Fiat 500 seems to have a higher feeling of refinement than either the Rio or Accent.

Hard braking tests proved this car can handle emergency stops without much fuss. Most drivers should consider purchasing the manual transmission model or wait until next year when the Fiat 500 Abarth becomes available with a 160 bhp turbo-charged engine. And unlike the SMART car, this little thing can move quick enough to get up to highway speeds without necessitating the need to create a living will.

The ricey-like red brakes will appeal to the younger crowd. I find cars like these will capture a mixed market of buyers: The young, middle-aged, and senior citizens who want to be 'hip' with the crowd. You'll certainly seem hip driving the car, and although it could be called a "girls car", there is no shame in driving this car when it only consumes a little over 5.1 liters per 100 kilometers.

Who's laughing now?

VW 2011 Free Drive in Halifax

2011-08-06T13:41:00.003-03:00

I drove a variety of vehicles today. My thoughts on the cars:

2011 VW Jetta 2.5 (Gas)

Nice car. Excellent speed through the turns and good braking providing the vehicle has 4-wheel DISC brakes. The 2.5L engine puts power down efficiently and I had no problems keeping the car where I wanted to go. I should say that almost every car had leather and every option available, including a GPS (not that you'd need it on the track).

2011 VW Golf 2.5 (Gas)

Similar driving experience to the Jetta. A bit more room inside and although a smaller car, I could not tell the difference between the Golf and the Jetta, since they had the same engine and transmission.

2011 VW Tiguan AWD (Gas)

I noticed right away the difference in this vehicle, due to the all wheel drive (90% front, 10% rear, as needed). It sapped the power from the engine and gave a more gradual response to acceleration. The handling characteristics of the larger vehicle was very good. It didn't lumber through turns and the tight curvy areas of the track. The braking was good and although heavier than all the other vehicles, it stopped quick enough for me.

2011 GTI (Turbo)

A hot hatch with really big tires and a loud dual-exhaust. People lined up 10 deep to drive it. My favorite was the 2-door which came very well appointed inside. The seats were extra supportive in the lateral and lumbar. The suspension was super-tight and the braking was superior to all of the vehicles. The turn-in speed was very good, but what surprised me was how similar the 2011 Golf TDI drove in comparison to this car. While the GTI had 220 bhp and about 180 ft-pounds of torque, the Golf TDI had about 160 bhp and 240 ft-pounds of torque. As my friend Jason from Atlantic Motor Sports said: "It's the horsepower that sells and the torque that propels". And indeed he was so right.

My driving faults were fairly large. I tended to hammer the gas and let off during the tight turns. I later on learned through instruction from Jason that I was to "Keep the gas STEADY and use that steering wheel". Such helpful advice indeed. My last run was my best in the GTI, and I hope I didn't scare anyone who was co-piloting with me. I am fairly sure that my quickest lap would have been the slowest lap of any of the driving instructors.

I have one big fault though. I really enjoyed drifting through the corners. Jason chastised me for doing this and I have to admit, I drive like Jeremy Clarkson most of the time on that track. ALL gas. HAMMER down lads. When you allow such grip to loose the tires you are really LOSING SPEED. It's not a drift contest but a track event. Nobody was timed though.

In spite of the loud music blaring at the event coupled with dubious strangers, I think it was a wonderful event. And by dubious I mean the people who were talking behind me about how marvelous their gas mileage was in the VW Golf and Jetta TDI's. I mean come on folks, clearly these people are planted amongst the crowd to generate enthusiasm about the brand.

Instead it made me lament the fact that I no longer drove an all-wheel-drive Subaru anymore. I no longer had any driving excitement day to day. I longed for the manual transmission, after remembering myself cursing it in gridlock I fondly think about the times I had total control of my car. Apparently VW will be putting the in-cockpit video of me driving in a few days. I'll see if I want to put that up. I'm not that very good of a track driver. (Although I like to think I am). My racing lines need major refinement.

Thanks VW for the lovely afternoon of tire shredding.

Smart ED Electric Car

2011-08-05T23:07:00.000-03:00

Great news! The new Smart ED (Erectile Dysfunction?) Electric edition is here! Yes!
Just when you thought this car could not get any worse. It's gone completely electric and is insufferably as slow as a 1979 Chevy Chevette, posting 0-60 times in the range of 22 seconds.

With a top speed limited to 63 miles per hour, this vehicle is not suited at all for highway use.
Could you imagine paying $600 per month for this garbage?

VEHICLE TYPE: rear-motor, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 3-door hatchback

PRICE AS TESTED: $599/month
plus $2500 down (48-month lease only)

MOTOR TYPE: DC permanent-magnet, 40 hp, 89 lb-ft

TRANSMISSION: 1-speed direct drive

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 73.5 in Length: 106.1 in
Width: 61.4 in Height: 60.7 in
Curb weight: 2077 lb

TEST RESULTS:
Zero to 60 mph: 23.4 sec
Street start, 5–60 mph: 23 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 22.2 sec @ 59 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 63 mph
Braking, 60–0 mph: 131 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad*: 0.69 g

Snake Bus

2011-08-05T22:27:00.002-03:00

The Old Wrecker

2011-08-05T12:13:00.002-03:00

Nova Scotia Running out of Gasoline

2011-08-02T20:03:00.002-03:00

Since the Dartmouth refinery closed down early due to a lightning strike a few weeks ago, gasoline out here is getting scarce in some areas of Nova Scotia.

Found this in my apartment garbage bin.

2011-08-01T01:26:00.000-03:00

* Water pump - $50
* Zalman water blocks $100
* Fan controller, tubing, radiator, two fans, reservoir $150
* Antec P182 case $150

$450 worth of gear thrown in the garbage. I took it and put my PC in there. No water cooling yet.

Video Cave

2011-07-31T01:15:00.001-03:00

I have been setting up my pc / video cave slowly. I have the WD TV Live! and my Athlon X4 Quad Core in a MASSIVE tower case that I found in my apartments garbage bin. It's an Antec P182 case. It came with a massive waterblock cooling kit. I'm not installing the cooling kit yet.

In the mean time I have been watching this HBO series:

Each episode has a narration done by an inmate in a wheel chair. Prison is a brutal place. The opening session a man gets gang raped over a pool table.

Through each season you see a few of the characters change they way they deal with their problems. Some turn to religion, others to violence, and others, drugs (or "tits" as it's called in Oz).

The prisoners in Oz reside in the "Emerald City" or "M-City". It is a special housing unit setup for prisoners who are behaving good and have earned it.

Although the series is only 6-seasons long, each episode has a theme and you can be damned sure that someone gets shanked or raped or killed by someone else in this bloody, brutal fictitious prison.

I'm almost finished season 6 - the last season. So far it looks really awesome.

Expensive Car Accident

2011-07-28T07:19:00.001-03:00

When in Monte Carlo, everything is done in style. And that includes crashing your car.
This was the moment when a woman driver caused a £700,000 five-car pile-up as her Bentley collided with a Mercedes, Ferrari, Porsche and Aston Martin.
Disaster struck as the hapless blonde negotiated the traffic around the Place du Casino in her £250,000 Bentley Azure.
The driver of a white Mercedes S Class worth £75,000 was the first victim as the 2.7-ton Bentley scraped down the side of it before ploughing into a £143,000 black Ferrari F430.

The Shining: Analysis of Impossible Rooms

2011-07-25T21:42:00.001-03:00

Great Idea

2011-07-22T21:08:00.001-03:00

Post Move, Maintenance

2011-07-16T21:43:00.002-03:00

Oil changes are expensive. The oil, lube, and filter at Canadian tire costs $52 taxes in. This is the $39.99 special they have. Of course they tried to talk me into the useless transmission flush and some other misc. bullshit. (They wanted to try and charge me $288). Fuck no. No way.

I'm getting my left inner tie rod replaced next Tuesday. The car drives loose. The tie rod cost me $99 at Canadian tire. I have a shop off Gottingen street that is going to replace it for about $115. I still have to get the front end aligned after that. Fuck.

Running cars are expensive.

Living in Dartmouth

2011-07-10T18:29:00.004-03:00

A few insightful posts about living in Dartmouth:

* It's not as dangerous as everybody says it is. People are generally very friendly and helpful. There are certain areas of Dartmouth you should never ever go alone in:

- North Dartmouth, near the bridges. Full of hookers and drug dealers

- North Preston, anywhere. Full of drug dealers, hookers, and thieves.

- Downtown Dartmouth, at night it's no-mans land. Drug dealers and thugs.

The roads are long and winding. The speed limit is set artificially low - 50 km/hour. At times you'll think this is ridiculous as most other people drive under that speed limit. I been here 10 years and I still get enraged when someone doesn't go the speed limit. It's just so un-fucking-believable.

So how does it compare to Calgary, or Winnipeg?

It doesn't. Both cities are far more advanced than Halifax and offer a tremendous difference in opportunities compared to the available jobs. There's just not enough jobs here for anyone to stay reasonably secure. Seasonally, you can't beat the weather. Much cooler and less hot than the west, Halifax has a much milder climate.

There are fewer aggressive drivers here. You won't see many tailgaters until you reach Halifax. The people here drive at speed or faster - what I'm used to. I have been in Halifax for a little over a week now, and I can say there is a huge difference compared to Dartmouth:

* I am much closer to major stores like Wal-Mart, Sobeys, Superstore, etc. (within 4 minutes).
* I am in the vicinity of no less than 6 Tim Hortons stores within 5 minutes of where I live
* The grocery store here is open 24 hours a day (what a huge plus)
* I no longer need to drive 10km to visit wal-mart or CostCo. They're 5 minutes away now.

The building garbage, however, is something left to be desired. The storage facilities below are much smaller than I'm used to. While you have to sort the garbage, the containers are really tiny compared to the number of people staying in the building (38 suites). I have to say, living in a richer neighborhood, I have so far found 1 video game (Battlefield 2). Someone also threw out some old Xbox 360 controllers and an old Compaq Raid assembly. I kept the video game but passed on the hardware. It was too old.

So far, so good.

Actual Poster in Halifax

2011-07-07T22:31:00.001-03:00

I found this nailed to a telephone pole today. I had to take it and show it, because you would not believe it.

Audi R8 in Halifax

2011-07-06T21:28:00.002-03:00

This car costs $186,000 Canadian dollars for the V8 version. The V-10 is $70,000 more.

Where I been?

2011-07-03T23:47:00.001-03:00

Moving!

On Friday I moved from Dartmouth to Halifax. I have too much stuff. Still removing crap from apartment #2, apartment #1 is empty now. The new apartment is looking good with boxes everywhere.

My GPS tried to kill me today. It kept trying to shut off when I was driving - the worst time ever. I tried to use the GPS in the blackberry but it's essentially useless. You press the icon for the GPS and it does nothing. The map function on the blackberry torch is pretty much a non-application. It does nothing.

What's in Spock's Scanner?

2011-06-26T00:59:00.001-03:00

Part 1.

Part 2.

I Drew This in 1999

2011-06-23T21:18:00.000-03:00

What do you think?

How I Roll

2011-06-21T22:13:00.002-03:00

What's in my 8-track player this week?