A Perfect Getaway – Movie Review

31 August 2009 David Leave a comment

I was pleasantly surprised at how I liked this film. It was interesting, formulaic (one of the amusing parts of the file is that one character is a film writer that basically lays out the plot for the movie, right at the get-go!). But don’t worry, there is plenty of action.

Set in the Hawaiian Islands, the scenery is impressive. Acting was not Academy Award material, but it was not hard to be drawn in. The characters are affable, and there are some less-than-pleasant individuals that are presented. But that’s to be expected in a film about a murder mystery.

Having caught it on the tail end of a double feature with Inglorious Bastards, I was happy to have stayed and watched this film. I liked it more than the first and would have been happy to pay full price for again, some good entertainment.

My recommendation is to go see this for some light film going. Paying full-price won’t disappoint.

automotive

FOR SALE – Mercedes Benz ML430 – $10,500

31 August 2009 David Leave a comment

Again, a tough call to make but consolidation and debt cutting continues. As much as I enjoy the rugged, unstoppable AWD system in these ML’s along with the sweet 4.3L V8 engine, I find that I really only *NEED* one car. So, with the CLK430 being almost owned and still overing me that same V8 enjoyment, the ML is the fat to be trimmed.

ML430 Specifications:

2000 Mercedes-Benz ML430 Specifications
Engine Location	Front
Drive Type	AWD
Price	$45,000.00
Weight	4820 lbs \| 2186.4 kg
Performance
0-60 mph	7.5 seconds.
1/4 Mile	15.8S seconds.
Top Speed	130 mph \| 209.2 km/h
Engine
Engine Configuration	V
Cylinders	8
Aspiration/Induction	Normal
Displacement	4299.00 cc \| 262.3 cu in. \| 4.3 L.
Valvetrain	OHC
Horsepower	268.00 HP (197.2 KW) @ 5600.00 RPM
Torque	325.00 Ft-Lbs (440.7 NM) @ 2700.00 RPM
HP to Weight Ratio	18.0 LB / HP
HP / Liter	62.3 BHP / Liter
Transmission Information
Gears	5
Transmission	Automatic
Dimensions
Cargo Volume	81.20 in
Seating Capacity	4
Exterior
Length	182.601 in \| 4638.1 mm.
Width	72.401 in \| 1839 mm.
Height	71.701 in \| 1821.2 mm.
Wheelbase	111.001 in \| 2819.4 mm.
Tires / Wheels
Tires	255/60R17

Cafe Racer Project, Motorcycles

Last roadblock to Cafe Race project breached

25 August 2009 David 1 Comment

The last road block, or so I hope, was breached yesterday when I located the elusive ‘Arm & Hammer Washing Soda‘ at Fred Meyer. I’d tried all the other local establishments but they seemed to be a little too ‘high faluten’ for something as old-school as ‘Washing Soda‘.

cafe_2259

In parallel with my quest for the chemical, I have been moving along with the body work on the gas tank. It seems to be a never ending process! I have professional body working sanding blocks and papers, and maybe using high quality products is highlighting every little low spot on the tank. At some point I just have to relent and realize this is NOT going to be perfect. I do not have a spray booth, and I can’t use multi-stage paints to get the really professional look. So, maybe a little imperfection will be OK.

This is what it looks like right now after the 5th round of filling and sanding.

cafe_2261

The rest of the low spots on the tank I can live with, but the high-spots where I ground down the mounting studs for the ‘Kawaski’ badge, I won’t leave that way. They will look horrible once the paint is applied. I may have to get in there with the grinder again and make some intentional low spots, fill, sand and move on.

Just fore reference, this is what the badges used to look like on this tank before I started:

cafe_tank_2047

More updates as they happen!

Motorcycles

Amazing urban Trials Riding Skills

23 August 2009 David Leave a comment

Wow.. the first video was interesting, but this.. this was fantastic. Something Europe, looks like Europe.. hard to put my finger on it. Anyhow… this is a shorter but much more engaging clip. Riding on the bridge looked pretty wild!

Motorcycles

Syncronized Motorcycle Riding Team

23 August 2009 David Leave a comment

Not sure what to say or think about this. But, it’s amusing to watch, and they show excellent adherence to timing and speed. It’s impressive, weird, and interesting all at the same time.

Found it on this PNWR thread this morning.

Cafe Racer Project, Motorcycles

A little paint test on the KZ400

23 August 2009 David Leave a comment

Conducted a little paint test over the weekend. Hung up the parts, on a makeshift suspension system and shot some paint.

cafe_2256

One panel, much like the gas tank, is still giving me some trouble. There are pits from the plastic welding that just do not want to fill. I have a new filling/sanding primer I’ll try out on the next round.

Here is a little closer shot of the panel that did work out really nicely. The welding is not visible with the final paint color.

cafe_2258

I know I can achieve the desired result with the other panel, I just need to keep working on it. So far I’m very happy with the paint color choice. But I can tell it will take a lot of work to get a good polished result with this paint.

Enviromentalism, Health, Military, Politics, Technology

Hemp for Victory!

21 August 2009 David Leave a comment

Somehow the conversation at work devolved into us finding this little gem:

Hemp for Victory. 1943 Film by the US Government. It’s 10 min. long, and seems to have been sped up a bit during digitizing. According to the websie where I found this, the film was VERY difficult to locate, and a usable copy was not located until 1976!.

Here it is, hosted on YouTube… at least until someone in the US Government puts a stop to it:

Technology

TOR (The Onoin Router)

20 August 2009 David Leave a comment

So.. looks like I have some reading to do. I have a basic understand of WHY one would use a TOR network. Now I need to educate myself on how it all works. 20 years away from CIS classes makes one a little rusty.

Some links I’ll be checking out:

onion routing definition – computer

A method for anonymous communications over a wide area network such as the Internet. It hides the names of the parties that are communicating as well as the data by encrypting the payload in layers, with a different encryption layer for each hop in the route. Using cooperating proxy routers throughout the network, the initiating onion router, called a “….

Go Online without Getting Snooped: Tor (The Onion Router)

step 1 — How Tor Works
An “onion router” is an Internet site that takes requests for web-pages and passes them onto other onion routers, and on to other onion routers, until one of them finally decides to fetch the page and pass it back through the layers of the onion until it reaches you. The t….

Tor: Overview

Tor is a network of virtual tunnels that allows people and groups to improve their privacy and security on the Internet. It also enables software developers to create new communication tools with built-in privacy features. Tor provides the foundation for a range of applications that allow organ…

Cafe Racer Project, Motorcycles

Cafe 400 – final concept test 1

15 August 2009 David 1 Comment

Despite a wild week at work, I did get a little work done on the KZ.

I have enough general paint supplies to start doing some color / idea testing on the bike. After much deliberation, the first color I am going to try is a very dark green, with light metalic flake. I’m hoping the flake is subtle enough that the bike, does not look like some sort of carnival ride attarction (or worse yet, a Bass Boat).

Test installation of the bars and grips complete, I’m very pleased with both the look and ergonomics!

cafe_2249

It is also time to set down another guide coat, which will be sanded off to find any low spots in the fillers or outstanding dents in the tank. With the coat applied, it provides an excellent preview of what bike’s final look will be, with the dark paint I have selected. Some additional graphics will be added to the tank, but the overall look will be the same.

I don’t hate it.

Motorcycles

SOLD – KTM 950 Adventure S – $8500

15 August 2009 David 1 Comment

Yes, I’m clearing out my stable, consolidating and building a war chest for other acquisitions. Thus, the least ridden of my bikes is up for sale. Motorbyte had some nice things to say about the KTM 950

Bike was fully serviced at 8600 miles by Cliff’s Cycle Center (KTM authorized dealer). That service included:
– new battery
– valve adjustments
– carburetor cleaning and syncing
– recall check and service
– oil and filters

Also done at the same time. New tires front and rear. Also included in purchase are 3 sets of spare tubes. These were originally very difficult to source, but supplies have become more available in the last couple of years. I’ve never had to replace them due to flats. Tubes were replaced with the tires by Cycle Gear, Tacoma.

KTM_1banner

SPECIFICATIONS:

General information
Model:	KTM 950 Adventure S
Year:	2005
Engine and transmission
Displacement:	942 cc
Engine type:	V2
Stroke:	4
Power:	96.55 HP @ 8000 RPM
Torque:	70.1 ft.lbs @ 6000 RPM
Compression:	11.5:1
Bore x stroke:	100.0 x 60.0 mm
Fuel system:	Carburettor. Mikuni BST 40
Gearbox:	6-speed
Transmission type final drive:	Chain
Physical measures
Dry weight:	436.5 lbs.
Seat height:	33.9 inches Note: Factory KTM lowering and confort seat installed (factory orange seat will be included in sale)
Overall height:	37.4 inches
Ground clearance:	10.3 inches
Wheelbase:	61.8 inches
Chassis and dimensions
Frame type:	Tubular chromoly space frame, power-coated
Rake (fork angle):	26.6°
Trail:	4.7 inches
Front suspension:	WP-USD 48 mm
Rear suspension:	WP-PDS suspension strut with hydr. spring preload
Rear suspension travel:	13.2 inches
Speed and acceleration
Power/weight ratio:	0.4876 HP/kg
Other specifications
Fuel capacity:	5.81 gallons
Color options:	Blue/orange

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

Additional Features
Luggage:	Gobi hard sidebags (KTM branding)
GPS:	Garmin GPSmap 76 – hard wired to accessory circuit
Heating:	Gerbing digital heat controller for clothing Hi/Lo/Off selectable heated grips
Other:	High fender conversion kit