January 24, 2008
Upgrades
I finally upgraded the hard drive in my MacBook Pro. Turns out it wasn't all that difficult. The screws are precision (all twenty-three of them) so they came out and went back in without too much fuss. I used SuperDuper! to clone my 100 Gb SATA internal to a new 250 Gb SATA (using an external NexStar 3 case), and I booted the MBP with the new drive before buttoning up the machine (just to make sure). Everything was cool except for Lil' Snitch, which complained about a rule change -- I think it was from changing the hard drive name.
Now instead of 3.98 Gb free, I have 149.88 Gb. Much better!
I'm going to use the 100 Gb drive as Anne's Time Machine backup disc when I install Leopard on her Mac.
I also got the Garmin C320 GPS and Beltronics V955 radar detector hardwired into the Rabbit (Caerbannog) at Circuit City today. It only cost $25 plus tax! They did an excellent job and now I have no cables running anywhere in the cabin. Park Cities is saying my monster mats aren't in yet ... so I probably won't have them until I do the whole license plate/splash guard install visit. Almost got the new car fully rigged.
Posted by Steven at 02:09 AM | Comments (1)
January 21, 2008
Peterloo the Killer Rabbit (Peterloo of Caerbannog)
Alanna gets her driver's license this week, so it's time for a third car...
This weekend I wrestled a Rabbit-S from Park Cities VW. Alanna will drive my Golf TDI, with the occasional access to the Rabbit (but not to school - the extra $50 parking sticker and the high risk of a fender-bender make it too volatile a locale for her to drive the new car there). I duplicated the GPS, iPod interface and radar detector from the Golf in the Rabbit, so she has these capabilities (and so I won't have to shuffle equipment if I drive the Golf).
The Rabbit is the new name for what was the VW Golf in the US. This car does not have the TDI diesel engine I have in our two other V-Dubs, and it only gets 25 MPG in mixed highway and city driving (the Golf TDI has averaged 40 MPG for 109k miles), but the 170 HP engine and six-speed automatic are a joy to drive on the highway. The lower mileage is not really more expensive as gasoline is 60ยข cheaper (per gallon) in McKinney than diesel fuel. I estimate the Rabbit will cost $250/year more to fuel than the Golf.
The Rabbit is the next generation VW in the same class that my Golf is, and it offers many new features (great and small) over the previous generation. Some examples:
- All power window controls feature fully automatic modes (only the front windows do this on the Golf)
- An iPod input jack in the glove box (I had to purchase a CD-head unit input device for the Golf)
- Temperature gauge in center console (my Passat Wagon had this)
- 12v port placement in cargo area prevents cargo from abrading the plug
- MP3 CD/six-disc changer with ten speaker sound has FM/XM song title display and other information (but it's not VW's Monsoon sound)
- Anti-slip system (ASR)
- Turn signal auto-blinks three times if not fully engaged (for lane change indication)
- Rear seats have center pulldown divider, full dual cup holders and map lights, and individual air vents (Golf only has cigarette ashtray)
- Driver's seat has six-way motorized control and lumbar adjustment
- Automatic transmission boasts six speeds, dual clutch, Tiptronic paddle shift, and "sport" shift mode that increases the car's responsiveness
- Heated front seats with contoured side-bolsters and head rests
- Bought the car with "lifetime tires" warranty that guarantees new tires when any one tire reaches the tread wearbars (3/32nd inch)
- Tire pressure warning system
- Cruise control indicator only illuminates when cruise is engaged (on Golf, it lights when cruise control is enabled)
- Cup holders moved to center console in front seats (pop out cup holders in Golf obscure radio controls)
- Sirius Satellite radio
- Speedometer reading matches GPS (all other cars read 2-3 MPH faster than GPS)
Alanna wants to call the new car "Peterloo", an obscure joke name from an incident in the Boyd Band last year, whereas I want to call it the "Killer Rabbit" (Caerbannog from Monty Python and the Holy Grail). We've agreed to name it "Peterloo the Killer Rabbit". Naming things is important. "It's got a vicious streak a mile wide!" Yes, it does!
Posted by Steven at 03:08 PM | Comments (2)
August 07, 2007
Old Mazda Ads
Found these gems on YouTube:
Does anyone remember the radar sign on Rt. 7 in Schenectady that Ogen always tried to fool into thinking he and the car he was tailgating were just one long car? Ah, good times!
This Just In
Mazda is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the rotary engine (RE) commercial vehicle. I was driving them twenty-four years ago myself.
Posted by Steven at 10:37 PM | Comments (0)