Yup, absolutely, as theboycopeland said, it make’s us angry as well. Unfortunately there is a tendency to then black label every religion as wanting to control your life and cause harm rather than perhaps seeing that it is only a tiny tiny minority of these religions that have perverted it in such a way that it is a complete shadow of what the religion is based on. It is the broad generalisation of ‘religious views’ portrayed in the media that are what makes us (for this purpose us means christians as that is me, but include your religion of choice here) angry. The way in which biblical views on topics are distorted causes huge huge amoutns of pain to both those inside and outside of the church. Going out on a limb here – and I’m sure I’ll get destroyed for this – but taking the views on homesexuals by the christian faith as an example – it is mostly portrayed that if you are a homosexual, you are hated by the church and that every christian wants to try and ‘heal’ you from it. This is unfortunately the position that is shown most often in the media but is almost the complete opposite of what is really felt. I’m not going to lie, personally I do no think that that is what is in Gods best plan for your life, but at the same time it would in literally no way make any difference to the way I approached, responded to and respected you as a person. I would treat you exactly the same as any christian or non-christian friend and would never try to ‘heal’ you from anything. At the end of the day, God loves each person on this planet exactly the same whether they are a christian, muslim, atheist, homosexual, murderer, terrorist, politician, teacher, factory worker, banker, child, adult, whatever and there is nothing that can change that. That last line, in a very rubbish summary, is the christian faith. No more, no less.

Hmm…a random smiley snuck in there…. The first one wasn’t meant to be there!

Sorry but as a Christian I’m also angry at this – it’s not only atheists who get to have an alternative opinion about such matters! I agree that war in the name of religion is unacceptable. More importantly it’s completely adverse to the teaching’s of Jesus. I therefore share your position but would suggest it is more a result of man taking the place of God in our society to gain power than it is a reflection of God’s character.

Agree. Those things you mentioned are utterly utterly horrific and in absolutely no way are justified. But it is not ‘religion’ that has caused those atrocities, but the perversion of religion, bent to the will of those who seek power. Unfortunately this is the case for all major (and minor) world religions as well as atheists, agnostics and anyone else. It’s a cliche, but there will always be those who ‘spoil it for the rest of us’. It is always the bad aspects of religions that get portrayed (as with everything else) – but they are also massive forces for good (and no I am not saying that if you are not a Christian etc that you cannot do good things, that would be utter rubbish), yet this is rarely celebrated.

Just to add in, a major misconception of Christianity is that you must do ‘good works’ to ‘get into heaven’. This is actually the complete opposite of Jesus’ teaching – there is actually NOTHING that ANY of us can do to secure eternal life other than believe and trust in Him. Yes, as Christians we believe it is right to do ‘good things’ but we also now that second to Christ these ill never do anything to change ur future – it is just common sense really to help others and if through :D that we can share a bit of Gods love then great. If not then you know what, I’ll still help out anyway, it does t really affect anything.

Hopefully some of that makes sense! :D

Sorry, double post!! (stupid iPad….). By the way, I also believe the Tacitus documents are accurate if it came across that I didn’t!

Well, take for example the writings of Tacitus (written around the same time as the new testament) which are widely regarded as “correct” and “historically accurate” and yet there are only 2 manuscripts of his works and both date from the 11th century. There are hundreds if not thousands of biblical manuscripts, most of which range from 50 to a couple of hundred years after Jesus death. So yes it is very important.

Well, take for example the writings of Tacitus (written around the same time as the new testament) which are widely regarded as “correct” and “historically accurate” and yet there are only 2 manuscripts of his works and both date from the 11th century. There are hundreds if not thousands of biblical manuscripts, most of which range from 50 to a couple of hundred years after Jesus death. So yes it is very important.

As it seems to be the bible which is under discussion and being quoted by those seeking an authoritative source on both sides, can I just point out that this tract, written in the bronze age by a society of ignorant sheep-herders who had barely got beyond the invention of the wheel, reads exactly like a fiction. It is inconsistent within itself and contains many obvious impossibilities, many of which have been pointed out in previous discussions, but apparently forgotten by those who find it convenient to aid the repetitive nature of their argument.

Which was also written (New Testament – the really important bit) at an age and society where some of the most celebrated scientists and philosophers lived; is written in a way that is completely and utterly different to fiction of the time in its detail and mention of seemingly benign facts (minor actions of people, singular mentions of names, colours of objects etc); has a large number of extremely accurate (to each other) manuscripts from close to the written period (oldest is only around 50-70 years after the death of Jesus); was transcribed into different manuscripts in a society where information was passed on verbatim and so a very high degree of accuracy was maintained (no “Chinese whispers”); and where the majority of the authors of the new testament were actually executed or exiled for their writings so certain of their truth were they.

Just to add to the mix.

Haha, yeah, I have to admit they are slightly stupidly bright. The first time I started the car at night and the car in the space in front of me was lit up I didn’t really think anything of it, assuming that the auto headlights had turned on. Then when I started to pull away, realised it was just the DLRs! I’m pretty sure you can turn them off if you delve into the settings menus enough – might have to look into that tonight…

I’d second a DS3 actually. Just got one myself on the company scheme and it’s a fantastic little car. Handles and goes just as well as any Mini and build quality is just as good – forget Citroens of the past, this one is actually screwed together well! If you are ok with the ‘citroen image’ (and it is a great looking car) then it would be my choice for something cheap, economical and fun. Reliability wise, the engine was co-developed with BMW and is the exact same unit as used in the Mini so good on that front. I’ve yet to see if the electrics live up to Citroen’s reputation but I honestly don’t have any worries about them.

I’ve got the 1.6 Turbo petrol which does about 35-40mpg, but the diesels go up to 70mpg (99g/km model) if you want maximum economy.

iPhone 4S world phone

Yeah, there is now no longer a Verizon (CDMA) iPhone, so any you bought in the states would work well over here or anywhere in the world.

I have a feeling the 4S is a ‘worldwide’ phone in that it can work with any of the different network systems (rather than the separate Verizon ones in the states) – may be wrong on this though.

Yeah, I would probably say the Bluemotion ‘lack of torque’ would be down to a final drive change (haven’t done any work on them so this is all purely speculation). It’s one of the main no-calibration ways you can directly reduce CO2 from the engine so would be a first step for most companies. Unfortunately, everything in the business is tuned for the NEDC cycle (or equivalent for the US, Japan etc), and the aim is to move the engine speed/load into the areas you want. This doesn’t always correspond to areas which mean good driveability in the real world. Although I would hope most OEMs/consultants try as hard as we do not to compromise real world driving.

OK, maybe a bit of crossed wires then – yes, if you could produce more torque then theoretically you could chug along at slightly lower revs which could use less fuel. It’s definitely not the ideal way to go though!

Ahhh that makes sense, bigger pressures = greater efficiency OR more power.

Note the OR, you can’t (practicaly*) go faster and get better economy.

Correct – think of it as pushing the boost up (which generally will increase torque), but then changing the timing so that the total torque remains the same as before you started fiddling, but now the injection is in a better position that all of the fuel can be consumed. Couple that with various other calibration tweaks and you get your increased fuel economy.

5lab, what you are saying above is absolutely 100% correct true (well…95% maybe…), but is not how you would re-calibrate for fuel economy. The engine is not given more torque in order to run in a higher gear – the areas where the engine does run (1000-1800 rev/min in a diesel typically) are simply optimised so that combustion is as effcicient and complete as possible. Other than for pilot injections, which are a fraction of the main pulse, no fuel is added or taken away (I realise this seems paradoxical).

Damn, just wrote a really long answer and it lost it!

The cliffnotes from it are….

There’s some real b***sh1t up there^ But this – “You will be surprised how un-optimised the calibrations on ‘bog standard’ OEM vehicles are.” Really takes the biscuit. Mr speed12 could probably earn millions if he knows how to do it better!

Yes, that is exactly what we (as a consultant to OEMs) do. OEMs only have so much knowledge and skills and so come to companies like ours for the ‘harder’ stuff like emissions, fuel economy etc.

The holding the higher gears thing is, basically, incorrect as well. An economy calibration will optimise very finely the combustion for certain speed/load points which you mostly drive at, but will NOT actually change the main fuelling quantity at any point – otherwise you would change the torque structure of the engine. This sounds ridiculous but is true.

The ECU calibration has maps for pretty much anything you can imagine. There is not just 1 fuel map and 1 boost map etc. Imagine at least 10-20 maps for each parameter that makes torque in some way and you are getting there. The software guides we are given which details the maps in the ECU and how they interact can be up to 77,000 pages long. They are not simple things! This is exactly why companies such as ours exist. Molgrips has done well in his last post to explain it very simply.

have you got a link to their products? the only info google will find suggests the benefits are holding lower gears. If you can knock 20g/km off a car’s rating, surely that would be massively popular in london with folks who are forced to pay 4 figures annually for the congestion charge?

If they want to pay several million pounds for it then they would be more than welcome! We are working directly with OEMs as a consultancy rather than doing private remapping. So yes, what we are doing is at the extreme end of the scale, but was more just to show that it is certainly very possible to do.

It’s the article on the Volvo DRIVe models[/url]

You can definitely remap the manufacturers maps for increased fuel economy – combinations of fuelling, boost, rail pressure, timing and pilot strategy will get you there. It isn’t to do with holding a higher gear for longer but with optimising the combustion so that you are making use of as much of the energy as possible. You will be surprised how un-optimised the calibrations on ‘bog standard’ OEM vehicles are. The company I work for essentially does this for a living and I have personally worked on projects taking vehicles from 120g/km CO2 to 99 or even 95g/km CO2 (g/km CO2 being proportional to fuel consumption), all while sticking within Euro 5/6 emissions limits. If you take those out of the equation then you have a lot of room for manoeuvre.

You should pick up skiing much quicker than snowboarding so will probably get more out of the week. But (and massively biased here), snowboarding is more fun once you get going but it takes longer and you will have a lot of bruises. Worth it though.

Oh, the Demand is a pull-on rather than a full-ziup jacket, but that is why it is so light for the material/design. It’s worth the minor extra bit of faff if you are looking for lightweight, breathable and packable IMO.

Rab Demand I would say. Lightweight (280g), very breathable (eVent fabric) and very packable (it actually comes with a wee stuffsack, so is designed to be mushed into a bag). Works great on and off bike. Properly good jacket and can be had for around £100 if you shop around a bit.

Although a diesel engine should be simpler than a gasoline one, unfortunately current engines have quite a few complex parts which are mainly there for emissions regulation. I wouldn’t say they are any less reliable than a gasoline engine, but parts like HP fuel pumps, EGR valves & coolers, VNT turbos etc are reasonably complex and so are quite expensive. High pressure common rail fuel systems are also taking repairs of that system out of the hands of most DIYers now as they are basically a fix in a clean room or replace job.

On the upside of all this is the best fuel economy you will get, a clean engine and (what I personally think is) the best driving characteristics of the two (i.e. low down torque). For short journeys though, look for small capacity, turbocharged petrol engines – these should get you the best economy and performance for what you are after but with a bit more torque than an small NA petrol.

I have the Montane Jaguar and it is a great and very warm jacket. It is not windproof by any stretch of the imagination, but it is significantly more wind resistant than ‘normal’ fleece. I used it in Northern Sweden back in February over the top of a light fleece and baselayer, in around -25degC conditions and it was plenty warm unless there was a reasonable wind when it lost a bit (but still good). If you are going to mostly wear it under a shell, then it’s a good bet as it’s comfortable and warm and wind resistant enough to cope with not having a shell if it isn’t too windy. A Primaloft (or similar) jacket would be slightly more versatile in that it would be totally windproof and could be used in anything but proper rain without a shell – but aren’t quite as comfortable as a fleece. The Primaloft would probably weigh less than the Jaguar (just).

If you are taking a down jacket for the really cold days, then I’d go for a fleece as it will breathe better under a shell. The Jaguar is a good shout, but it is VERY warm and maybe slightly too much if you wanted to use it in active use. Thermal Pro stuff would be the best bet if you wanted to use the fleece whilst active as it is very breathable, but be aware that the wind resistance of Thermal Pro is essentially zero. With a shell on top it is brilliantly warm. Without, then the slightest breeze will strip all that warmth away.

I seem to always get some bloody awful song stuck in my head and can’t think about much else other than “why am I singin this?”. I remember one ride when it was Auld Lang Syne. Why?!?…….

Euro 6 comes into force in 2014, so you will probably start to see Euro 6 compliant vehicles at the very back end of 2012 and into 2013. NOx emissions are almost a third of Euro 5 and although particulate mass doesn’t change, there is new legislation for the number of soot particles over a certain size (the harmful, smoke making ones) so visible smoke will be reduced again.

Once stricter NOx legislation comes to Europe (Euro 6), the NOx will fall dramatically from current levels and if an SCR (urea) system is used for this then there should be a corresponding drop in soot (and increase in fuel efficiency) as you can greatly reduce the amount of EGR required. Pop a DPF on (current diesels with DPFs are generally well below legislated soot limits) and you have a very, very clean engine.

Sorry – it’s the term we use for petrol at work….don’t know why really – obviously become a bit institutionalised! (trust a bloody engineering company to use a name different to 99% of the country….)

Diesel has a higher energy density than gasoline – so you need less fuel to get an equivalent amount of ‘bang’. The trick though is to get all the energy out of that fuel, which is why it has taken until reasonably recently for diesel engines to fully meet the performance (in terms of drivability, smoothness and power) of gasoline engines.

’ceiling?’

Yeah, I would say that going ‘non-breathable’ to keep the heat in is probably the worst choice.

This isn’t criticising, but what is wrong with just putting a fleece under a breathable jacket? I can 100% assure you that you will be much, much, more comfortable in that than a non-breathable jacket which, as mentioned, will just cause you to get soaking wet from condensation and you will end up even colder (and potentially this is life threatening depending on the weather).

Adidas MiCoach is great if you are aiming towards a target. You can set up a plan and then, whilst you are running (or whatever) it will shout at you to speed up/slow down etc. Worked great for training for my first marathon last year. Hooks up with their excellent website as well so you can see all your stats etc.

Yeha, that’s the idea. It’s probably better in the main compartment so that you get some ventilation between the pack and your back, but if you are brimming the pack with other stuff then it still gives you somewhere to hand a bladder.

Don’t expect it, a significant chunk of their library has yet to be converted despite annoucing it 2 years ago. See here

Ah, hadn’t realised that. Well, you get the option for those tracks that are anyway!

Yeah, works brilliantly – well worth it I reckon. As a premium user you get access to the higher bitrate versions (320kbps) so it will actually sound better as well. Once your signed up you can download to your handset to your hearts content. Streaming it over 3G actually works surprisingly well – I think they make sure it buffers a decent amount so that any signal dropout doesn’t cause an instant loss in music.

Yeah, you’ll absolutely have to get the QR codes for the new injector(s) or else you could get some very rough running. The code gives the ECU the flow corrections required for that particular injector so that a demanded fuel quantity will actually be delivered. The DV6 engine (what you have) also applies small corrections throughout it’s life aa the injector wears and an incorrect QR code can completely bugger these – almost to the point where the engine is indriveable.

The most cofortable I’ve worn is a Gore running wear top (can’t remember the name) – doesn’t feel like you are wearing anything. Having said that I went out for a run the other day in a Rab Aeon tee I usually use as a climbing/walking base layer and it felt pretty much the same and is quite a bit cheaper. That would be my recommendation.

If nothing else, the photography is generally stunning and will keep me entertained even if the articles aren’t too great. Overall though I really like it – good mix of reviewy bits, trip bits and interviews (with interesting people thankfully..). Keep it up I say!

Quite a bit more than the ones above, but my Jawbones with the light sensitive lenses (can’t remember the brand name of the reactive bit…) are amazing. You literally don’t notice them changing, in a good way, between yellow tint in overcast and dark in bright sun. Quick enough for when entering woods etc from bright outdoors. Highly recommended (any Oakleys with those lenses that is)

New Lowepro Photosport bag maybe?

Lowepro Photosport

Ridiculously expensive though…

Not got a Latok, but have a Demand jacket and various Rab stuff. Rab cuts their jackets a lot more ‘athletically’ than Berghaus, so if you aren’t of…erm, ‘trim build’ then I’d possibly go a size up. Fit is great though and the eVent fabric will be more breathable than the performance shell in the Mera. I’d say it’s definitely a good shout – all my Rab kit has worked brilliantly and stood up to a LOT of abuse.