By the time I got to work in Germany back in the mid 90’s Trabbants were very rare and pretty much frowned upon due to the fact that they were too slow for autobahns, seriously polluting and the bodyshell, whilst made of papier mache and fibreglass wont bio-degrade, well, thats Germany for you. Still, seriously iconic wheels mister.

Hmm, nobody has yet made any U2 or Bono references so shall I be the first?

🙂

the 2011 race was probably the most chilled out and fun race that I’ve ever done with the huge added bonus of some super dry dusty trails and a huge amount of tight twisty fast singletrack. The whole event has a realy nice, friendly, grassroots racing vibe.

If its like that in 2012 it’ll be awesome, if its like the quagmire 2010 race it’ll be, er, interesting…

Go on, enter, you know it makes sense 😉

In april someone famous got married, cant for the life of me remember who though…oh, you know, bloke who wears a hat that lets in the rain…anyway, as none of us were invited to the wedding we all took advantage of this fact and went cycling instead. Indeed, lots of us took a few days off and this caused some kind of problem with the overdraft.

You can fit so called “xenon” bulbs in normal halogen car lamps, these have a higher light output and as far as I am aware are fully legal. They do make a difference compared to normal halogen bulbs but they can have a far shorter lifespan (1000-1500hrs compared to 5000-10000hrs). They are nowhere near as good as a proper OEM Xenon system however, you are looking at about 8-10% improvement in light output. OEM Xenon systems meanwhile have a far higher light output than these and give a whiter light, the “Xenon” style halogen bulbs are tinted blue to mimic this but it isnt quite the same.

You can get aftermarket HID xenon lamps for cars and bikes…however, these are illegal to use on road…your car can fail its MOT and if you are stopped by the Police they can nick you for having them (if they actually notice). An HID car lamp is about 40% brighter than a Halogen and, if its a 35W system or higher as most are, needs to have an auto leveling system and headlamp washers to prevent light glare to other road users. There are some new 25W systems ( as on the new Focus) which dont need these as they are lower power.

There are a lot of aftermarket cheapo HID kits now available from China (you can get these on Ebay BTW…they tend to be branded as Hella, Valeo etc but, er, aren’t)…these work (well, kinda sort of) but can have some rather “interesting” effects on your cars ECU, we’ve had lots of reports of cars having, for example, the windscreen wipers going off when the lights are switched on due to crosstalk. Oh, they are also not ECE or DOT approved so are, of course, Illegal…there have been some fires as well…well, you pays your money and makes your choice.

This will be a bit irrelevent soon as a lot of the car manufacturers are going to full LED systems in the next decade.

Geez I know far too much about this having spent the last 4 years designing these things… 😯

Ditto for the Alpkit Gamma. Far more robust than my old Petzl Tikka plus that died during the 2010 D2D (to be fair, I nearly did too that night 🙂 )

why would you expect everyone to know that it isn’t?

er, well, ignoring all the obvious ones, maybe because of the distinct lack of explosions, en masse three-way shootouts, general ultra violence, hints at gratuitious $ex and car chases in the trailer? 🙂

Also the fact that it didnt star Jason Statham, Matt Damon, Jet Li, Bruce Willis or Vin Diesel…

Or indeed Megan Fox. 😉

Strangest encounter when out Night Riding?

I saw Ming The Merciless a few years back…

Yes, that is him, those are fireworks and he is dressed as a nurse… 😯

Gaffer tape’ll fix that 😉

Both sides of the river are a mix of quiet lanes and short-ish bridleways (plus a selection of trails of varying degrees of cheekyness) but there is definately some good trails that can get you in a loop from Dartmouth to Dittisham and back. Over the other side of the river I can reccommend the trails of my youth: Hillhead to Mansands and Higher Brixham (Penhill lane, Mansands Lane and around Southdown…all short but sweet)

“Everything in the universe has a perfectly rational explanation, with the possible exception of Little Jimmy Osmond”

from Red Dwarf.

Im just wondering if they will be finished and in for christmas… 😀

Usually providing you make sure a car is regularly and correctly serviced and not canned they can last a very long time and achieve very high mileages. The big issue is really making sure the oil is topped up and the oil and oil filters are changed at the correct intervals as if you dont you end up with a lot of internal wear issues, also if they engine uses timing chains instead of belts they last a lot longer. If a car has spent a lot of its life on motorways then they really are not being mechanically stressed at all. its the low milage cars that tend to get issues, my local garage told me of one car managing only 60miles from new before requiring a new clutch… (and yes, it was an OAP driver too…)

The other issue that you’ve got to remember is that our viewpoint onto the expanding universe is also moving: we are not viewing the big bang from a static position (this is a core part of Relativity). IIRC The big bang theories also include periods of accelerating expansion (very) shortly after the initial bing bang.

Baggy Shorts or Lycra?

well I dont care either way as its really a matter of personal taste. Just remember that its not an either/or question… you all have an alternative….

More to the point, If the Lunar landings were faked and filmed in a studio in 1969, why did “Battle Beyond The Stars”, done in 1980, look so utterly cr@p?

Argument closed.

Right, now thats sorted can we please start looking for Lord Lucan 😛

BTW, if I was an astronaut on the moon, before leaving I would have at least had the good sense to write “Hello Mum :)” or better “disprove THIS!” on the ground in very big letters using the lunar rover…

finished this:

Really good fun with gratuitous iPhone controlled dirigible UAV and Ekranoplan content.

now trying to actually finish this:

as its nearly 1000 pages long and Ive still got the next two equally weighty sequels to get through afterwards…more maths, chemistry, physics, politics, religion and trade history than my art college educated brain can really handle…plus some good old fashioned pox-riddled swashbuckling for good measure 🙂

Nope, you never see mountain bikers anywhere near Lewes…
🙂

Ditto all the comments above, Loads of good riding to be had, lots of classic South Downs trails, some very good forest singletrack close by in Stanmer (Brighton) and Friston (between Seaford and Eastbourne) and a good local mountain biking scene courtesy of SussexMuddy@rse and BrightonMTB.

SussexMuddy@rse[/url]

Decathlon do some reasonable bivvy kit. I use a decathlon Tarp that did need a bit of additional work to customise it as it didnt have enough eyelets. Decathlon also do a bivvy bag too though I have no idea of how well its made.

The alpkit gear is good, all seems to be of the no-frills but works very well variety. Hunka bivvy bags are good value, well made, pack down small and are highly reccomended. The sleeping bags are good too.

Small stoves are probably the big issue, I use a Primus Eta packlite stove that is flippin brilliant but maybe a little bit pricy if you are just starting out bivvying, MSR pocket rockets are cheaper and can be got for about £20-£30 from Millets (a bit of a faff if its windy) just avoid the cheapo solid fuel stoves as they are, frankly, rubbish.

Otherwise, get a Hunka bivvy bag and any ok-ish sleeping bag, some good warm clothing a big thermos of tea or soup and a clear weather forecast and you’re sorted 🙂

That was a good fun course 🙂 Actually that was a very well organised and chilled out event. Big thanks to all who made it happen.

Petes grey (or is it light blue?) bike seemed to be pretty speedy too, thanks for saying hi as you overtook me 🙂

all I need to do is get a bit (well, alot) fitter 😉

Ive got a G2 and its very very good, picture and image-wise there is little (if anything) to choose between it and a GF2 but I felt the G2 was better to hold: its a bit more weighty and has a better side grip, also if you use the macro lens its better balanced than a GF2. Touchscreen is surprisingly useful particularly the “nice tap to choose your point of interest focus point” feature. The digital veiwfinder is very useful too.

The G2 is probably a bit too big to take with you on bike rides unless you have a good small camera bag that can fit inside or onto your camelbak. If ultimate portability and pocketability is an issue get the GF2.

Dony worry about micro 4/3rds lens issues, get the panasonic macro lens and the awesome 20mm pancake lens and your pretty much sorted for most situations.

Of which log do you speak Jim, its not “that” log is it? If you are going out second does that mean I get to do the first lap blind so it can all be a “nice” surprise? 🙂

Oh, and in defence of Woodsman, that colour is a very british classic car light blue (think circa 1953 with a subtle hint of battleship and ration book)

Best comment after last years general election came from Jack Dee:

“as for Nigel Farrage, his campaign never really got off the ground”

Managed to do my second bivvy trip with the missus and some friends on the South Downs last weekend…yes, we southerners do Bivvying too 🙂 Tarp, Bivvy bag (Alpkit Hunka), sleeping mat (slim airic) stove and spork all work well, Just need to sort out a lighter more packable sleeping bag for Autumn/Spring.

Nothing really beats getting up in the morning, having a coffee and bacon butty and riding or hiking off some hills to home just as everyone else is riding on to them.

Its exactly like concorde, a great achievement but with hindsight, completely the wrong thing at the wrong time.

The new rockets and spacecraft (HLLV, CEV, Falcon/Dragon, The Sierra Nevada shuttle and Blue Origin new shepherd) coming up in the next five years or so are going to be less cool but far more useful with the added bonus of getting us out of earth orbit and doing some manned exploration again.

it should be exactly the same (all diesel is refined to a minimum standard) To be honest the van could simply have been a bit caned and be a bit overdue for a service/tlc so may be burning oil, check the oil level in the engine…

Turbo seals failing equals lots of lovely white smoke (is it particularly foggy in your rear view mirror? does everyone following have their lights on? :-)) and a major loss of power.

The Wombles…Still keepin it real after all these years 🙂

Yes, the mouse mat slips off the armrest of the sofa.Now get on and edit that Afan/Brechfa video 😀

TBH the three options you’ve suggested will possibly struggle a bit on HD editing and playback at full screen.

Have a look at : http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/acer-aspire-5552-942429/review

Reading the review it doesnt look like it will really cope with HD editing.

Yo need to look for a decent Core i3 or better processor (I dont really know what the equivalent AMD ones area though) and a bit more Ram and most importantly video card ram as you will be shunting a lot of data round. Actually it might be worth having a look on Dell website or similar and seeing what you can spec up.

Getting something pretty good for under £500 is not impossible but you are probably better off steering clear of Sainsburys or Tescos stock as they tend to just sell very basic machines.

Oh, and dont try taking your laptop apart on the living room carpet again… 😉

try using this: http://www.malwarebytes.org/products/malwarebytes_free

just stayed in Longnor here http://www.merrilgrovecottages.net/ v. nice, and thoroughly reccomended.

Its a bit out in the sticks but that a good thing as there are a couple of good routes v close in Hollinsclough/Chrome hill and Wildboarclough (with some very rocky descents and climbs), within easy striking distance of the trails near Buxton, Goyt Valley, Bakewell and Matlock, Ladybower is approx 30-40mins drive away (I think, never managed to get there though) and a stonking good pub (the Packhorse) about 4 miles away at Crowdecote 🙂

Singletrack is a bit hidden in west sussex but it is out there and its pretty good too.

There are good trails on Kingley vale plus a pretty good DH(ish) trail, QECP has some built trails and some hidden singletrack too.

The trails on Whiteways: TBH the trails in the Denture are not that cheeky and the main singletrack run is pretty well known by allthough there are some new trails that are both a bit hidden and are bedding in nicely now..bit difficult to explain where they are though) Eartham and Rewell Wood north of Fontwell and Arundel. Some corking trails over at Glatting Beacon too. A bit further east there are some good trails on the north side of the downs above Steyning and some really good singletrack near Brighton at Stanmer.

Otherwise, lots of ace downland and woodland bridleways that are all legal and good for big rides and long days out.

Oh, and there is the Goodwood spring challenge mountain bike race on the goodwood estate next month (april 17th) 🙂

The reactors all automatically shut down when the earthquake hit yesterday, the issue has been that the reactor core is still hot and needs to be cooled (by water) and the coolant systems and backups failed.

Before anyone starts thinking that this is another Chernobyl you need to remember that that power plant had no containment structure around the reactor (no one in the west or japan builds reactors like this because it is fundamentally very dangerous, well, actually its mind bendingly stupid) and the graphite core actually caught fire and exploded, destroying the whole reactor. From what I can see of the images and what the experts seem to be saying is that the Japanese reactor looks to be still ok (ie, intact and not leaking as otherwise you’d see a very large release of radioactive material) but its outer building that surrounds the containment building has been badly damaged by a hydrogen/oxygen gas explosion when they were trying to vent pressurised water/steam from the reactor coolant circuit.

Still, not good though.

You can also get to see these two has beens… 😉

And a lot of evidence of some, er, events that happened in 1945…

yes, those are machine gun bullet holes..

A great city to wander around, interesting mix of old and new and a lot of bizarre eastern bloc architecture.

Hmm, oddly enough if you look at the figures one place manages to outdo both China (by a factor of about 3) and the US (by about 15%) on GDP and economic power…

Anyone guess where that could be?

Answer:

Europe.

Actually the systems to record your driving exist and are available: they are used to show how you are driving and how to tailor your car use to be more fuel efficient.

A lot of high spec cars now have some level of adaptive cruise control that uses forward radar to auto adjust the cars speed to traffic so it will automatically accelerate and decelelerate. Self parking systems are also available on a lot of modern cars as its a realatively simple step on from reverse parking sensors. We are very close (ie a few years off) to going to a cloudsourced system of RFID chips on vehicles so your car “knows” where other vehicles are in relation and being able to avoid colisions. TBH, I think we are unlikely to be actually driving cars on motorways in 20 years time, they will be on full or partial autopilot (google the DARPA urban challenge)…before anyone starts complaining about safety, if youve been on a plane in the last 10 years or so it was probably flying on full autopilot from take off to after it landed!

I have a Mount Vision. I dont have a beard 🙂

TBH I never quite worked out what the whole beard issue was…”as if the chin is the window into the soul”

Brian cox: awesome Physicist and populariser of science, and he was rather good in “The Bourne Identity” too 🙂

There are some good places to see and a few things that will (hopefully…) keep a 4yr old interested, just remember thta you will be driving for quite a while as everything is quite well spaced out but as soon as you are off the main routes (there are no proper motorways and very few dual carriageways) you will be on very quiet roads and you can go at good slower meandering pace.

Christchurch is a nice city to wonder round, it did get a bit knocked around in teh earthquake back in September though.
Kaikoura (about 70-80 miles north of Christchurch), good place to see Dolphins, Sperm Wales and Seals.
The area round Picton is supposed to be very pretty
Hanmer springs is worth a detour: small thermal springs resort, there is also wild water rafting and the ubiquitous bungee jumping.
The western coast of the country is very quiet with amazing scenery, the main tourist areas are Franz Josef and Fox glaciers.
Wanaka (check out the Puzzling World therefor your 4yr old) is worth a visit as its a smaller quieter version of Queenstown (v popular but if you are going to go heli biking anywhere, this is place to do it 8) )
The southern Fjordland area can be accessed from Queenstown too.
Finally a good area to stop of in briefly is Omaru as there is a penguin colony there.

Hope this helps

You’ll get a v. slight drop in economy during the winter because the diesel has anti freezing/clogging additives in it. Other than that you’re probably using more heaters/aircon/lights/heated rr screen (all use energy taken from the engine) and the engine needs spend longer to warm up to operating temperature.

On the plus side if the engine has an intercooler this doesnt need to work as hard as the cold air is denser and so the turbo can run a bit more efficiently. Probably doesnt make up for other issues, just reduces the impact a bit.