[Toshi]

That'd be a good option, too. The goal would be a setup that only has one DA conversion in the chain, and your suggestion of a USB-HDD capable headunit plus a HDD or flash drive would accomplish just that.

I haven't used such a system, mind you, but I imagine that loading up said hard drive with music, making playlists, and navigating to them afterwards would be somewhat difficult since it'd clearly be outside of the iTunes ecosystem. Call me crazy lazy, but it's awfully easy to sync up playlists to an iDevice (like my omnipresent iPhone 4) using iTunes…

 

[HardtailHack]

Yeah fair enough, I find iDevices really hard to use so I don't bother with them.

Searching HDD's varies via HU and I haven't really worked mine out because I am lazy, but I think there are folder optins for different genres or alphabetical searches, I just scroll albums.
Some HU's lie about the digital out from the ipod and do actually as the iPod's on board DAC but I can't remember which company it was.... If you like the iPod way go with that.

You could go to a touchscreen HU and that makes iPod control super easy, I have a Clarion DVD HU somewhere that supposedly does iPod control but Clarion stuff is usually ****(except their flagship CD HU)

 

[Toshi]

Searching HDD's varies via HU and I haven't really worked mine out because I am lazy, but I think there are folder optins for different genres or alphabetical searches, I just scroll albums.

I typically play off of a smart playlist that's generated by matching a genre along with a last-played date prior to, say, the past 6 months. That kind of stuff is easy in iTunes.

Some HU's lie about the digital out from the ipod and do actually as the iPod's on board DAC but I can't remember which company it was.... If you like the iPod way go with that.

Another good point. This is why I was psyched to see this post from Pioneer on Facebook, emphasis mine:

Regarding Apple Lossless, while the DEH-80PRS does not decode ALAC internally, it is possible to store ALAC, uncompressed AIFF or uncompressed WAV files on an iPod and playback through the Pioneer unit. When connected to the DEH-80PRS (and/or practically any of our in-dash products dating back to 2009), the iPod will decode the file internally and then pass the 16/44.1 LPCM to the Pioneer unit via the USB connection. This bypasses the iPod/iPhone internal DAC entirely and in the case of the DEH-80PRS (or the Stage 4 DEX-P99RS), transfers the data directly into the DSP. This provides the benefit of using the familiar iPod interface for music selection, bit-for-bit CD resolution (when using AIFF/WAV) and the ability to bring hundreds of CDs to your car in one device (160GB iPod Classic).

You could go to a touchscreen HU and that makes iPod control super easy, I have a Clarion DVD HU somewhere that supposedly does iPod control but Clarion stuff is usually ****(except their flagship CD HU)

Thus my "option 1" in the original car audio post. The problem appears to be that the touchscreen units, whether App Radios or standard DVD head units, have poorer quality audio-side guts (e.g. 2V preouts, DACs of unknown quality, and no active crossover capability). Plus I like the less flash look of a single DIN unit.

All I want in terms of integration is to bypass the iDevice's DAC, control the system volume via the steering wheel, and navigate playlist tracks via the hard buttons on the head unit. These should all be possible with a Pioneer DEH-80PRS or DEX-P99RS. The harder part is finding a car on which the head unit can be removed without screwing everything else up.



Update: More on this last sentence above: The Acura's Bose system should and will be replaceable in its entirety. For Jessica's EV and my hypothetical future SUV biking/skiing vehicle we'll just live with whatever crap the factory throws at us, as they're both likely to be new/complex enough that the head unit will be inextricably tied to HVAC, etc.

 

[Toshi]

We've come to a new page (130!) and in looking back at the last few dozen posts I can see that things may be confusing to the lay audience, as it were, as lots of things were written, thought better of, edited, and even redacted.



Therefore it's time for a State of the Union recap, so that you all may get up to speed on several of the ongoing threads being spun within my odd brain.

Thread 1: My baby.

My baby remains cute, if I dare say so myself. (I also enjoy taking stereotypical small-depth of field portraits with my 135/2L. Tough luck if you don't like the look, heh.)

So far the time and energy demands of being a new parent have been manageable, and I am a fan of having a good nap with the baby lying on my chest even though such co-sleeping practices have been condemned by the pediatric associations. Sometimes she's fussy unless held, and this way I can get some rest, too.

Thread 2: Car audio.

I discovered the importance of impedance matching for speakers, learned from my initial error(s), and proceeded to patch up the Prius's sound system successfully. I also replaced a tweeter in the Acura after assuming one of them was blown, only to find that the source of distortion lies further upstream, if you will. (It's probably the tape deck aux-in adapter I'm forced to use: the CD changers in both of our long-out-of-warranty cars are broken.)

Therefore, I'm done with screwing around with car audio, for the time being. In about a year I vow to have a "real system" installed in the Acura by a legit car audio shop in Seattle: Speakerlab. This system will be much as below unless I audition a set of three way front speakers at Speakerlab and am just blown away by them.

Thread 3: Garage inhabitants/vehicle choice.

The wife still wants an EV, so an EV is still in the cards as our first purchase once debts are settled in Seattle over the upcoming 9 months or so: likely a RAV4 EV. I also have decided that I'll keep the Acura as my daily driver, and have ruled out Zipcar/car rental for my future biking/skiing/road trip vehicle needs.

Therefore the problem is to find a snow-capable, occasional use vehicle that's both cheap enough to justify keeping around largely undriven, yet remains safe, spacious, and reliable enough to use for road trips with the burgeoning family.

Although there are a million other possible ways to skin this cat, the ultimate choice seems to be between AWD soft roaders (personified by that Forester I test drove recently, or a Highlander/RX if looking at the used market) and "real" 4x4 off roaders replete with low range. Despite all rational signs indicating that a soft roader would be adequate for my needs, they just fail to resonate with me long term.

So I want a "real" 4x4, not surprising given my ongoing love affair with the still-too-pricey Land Cruiser. When one adds in reliability data from Consumer Reports (ie, no Jeeps!), the choice of a 4x4 vehicle becomes surprisingly clear: I should get a 4Runner, not of the impaired-visibility 5th generation (2010+) but rather of the last few years of the 4th generation.

Thus a 2008 or 2009 4Runner in Sport or Limited V8 4x4 trim is my latest, surprisingly reasonable object of desire. Such vehicles should be easily available for sale, reliability for all years of 4Runner is absolutely stellar per CR, it'd have an ample 39.7" (!) of front headroom if I bought one without the optional moonroof, and its only real downside (besides its ubiquity) would be abysmal fuel economy, which in turn wouldn't be a major issue given my anticipated low yearly mileage tally.

I tend to shoot for the moon with my vehicular dreams, trying to optimize this or that to the expense of all else, and as a result often end defending somewhat ridiculous positions. This latest whimsy seems, at least to me, to strike a much better balance between my wants/needs, my budget, and what's available (ie, no unicorns).

Hell, it may even come to fruition.

Maybe. Either way, expect me to write about it.



Update: It turns out that finding a 4Runner without a moonroof is impossible, at least in Sport or Limited trims. They just don't exist. As equipped with a moonroof the 38.3" of headroom wasn't enough for my tastes, and the driving position and visibility were more akin to the 5th gen 4Runner than I'd prefer. See a few posts down for a more complete review/dissection.

 

[Toshi]

Thread 4: the Turner.

The Turner 6 Pack frame I bought from dan-o back in January, iirc, is now almost completely built up. I went with a used, scratched Fox 36 Float RC2, a 2x10 XT drivetrain, and a tubeless wheel/tire setup. The only thing left before I can tool around on it is for me to rebleed the rear disc brake. I'm a bit worried that standover will prove too lofty for my short-ass legs but I'll save final judgment for when I get it on a trail.

The weirdest thing about it visually, besides the low seat post setting in conjunction with the huge frame , has to be the 40 mm stem mated to 800 mm (!) flat bars. I'm going for a low, stretched out cockpit, and figured I might as well spec the widest bars I could find instead of messing around with half measures...

I'll get it photographed soon, possibly tomorrow if the weather cooperates.

Thread 5: Work.

As GMT readers may have noted, my hours since January have been ridiculously lax. This time is supposed to be dedicated to studying for my oral board exam coming up on June 12. This last exam is the final step between me and board certification as a diagnostic radiologist. It's a big deal, in other words.

I certainly could have studied more the past three months, let alone the past four years, yet I am pretty confident that I already know enough (and can recall and talk about it well enough) to pass even today. Lack of panic may be a sign of my own delusion, I suppose…

Anyway, helping Jessica out with the kid (see thread 1, heh) and keeping myself busy with little electronics projects here and there has been my priority. I may post less crap here/shift into higher studying gear later on, but I may end up hypomania-ing away until the end.

Thread 6: Money.

My household continues to hemorrhage money monthly. Part of this is my fault–see the $2,700 I spent over the last three months building up the superfluous-for-NY Turner. Part of it is the baby's doing. Part of it is my wife's utter inability to not buy baby clothes every time she exits the house.

Most of it, however, continues to be the same old story: Eye-watering utility bills + ridiculous rent. So far this (partial) month I've paid over $1,100 to the electric and fuel oil companies, albeit not for just a month's bill for each (3 mo for electric, 6 weeks for fuel oil). This brings us to the final (?) thread:

Thread 7: Exodus from New York.

Our move back to Seattle is set in stone. Car shippers pick up the Acura on June 7. My final oral board exam in Kentucky on June 12. Graduation dinner the night of June 13. Movers pack up our junk on June 14. Movers drive away and Jessica + Mariko fly away on June 15, immediately after which I start driving the Prius cross country. Orientation at UW in Seattle starts June 26, followed quickly by start of real work (7 AM starts?!) on July 1.

These last four years in New York have been a mixed bag. There have been high points, such as finding good musical groups with which to perform, Jessica getting her masters degree from NYU, having the healthy kid, and achieving some limited form of professional success via my iPad prize-winning project back in 2010. There have been many low points, too: money woes, illegal apartment/landlord and tenant woes, critter infestation woes, someone-hit-our-Honda-Fit-while-parked woes, and the general angst inherent when one deals with assholes on a daily basis.

Therefore I'll be pleased to return to the West Coast to open a new chapter. Life will be cheaper for this upcoming year, what with the rent-free shacking up in my mother-in-law's house and the lack of state income tax. Once June 2014 comes I'll finally be done with my decade long professional training, and (assuming I get a job) will make a whole lot more money. Finally, if we stick around Seattle long-term we'll have at least Jessica's family close by, with my parents still marooned down on the Oregon coast, far from everything/everyone.

All of these things are welcome, yet I don't want June to come immediately. Got to finish studying for that exam and enjoying my short "work" days…

 

[Toshi]

A Children's Treasury of me interacting with Mariko in undignified ways:

Via FaceTime while I was away in NJ earlier this month.

Entertaining the spitty baby. Note that she was smiling as I made my goofy face.

 

[Toshi]

I went trail riding today, for the first time since the pair of wintertime/freezing night rides with Thad (barbaton here). No pics as I went solo, not that Thad or I are good about taking photos on rides anyway.

My bike handling skills seem to have survived yet another winter but what little aerobic fitness I possessed pre-winter is long gone. The 29er's cockpit felt weird, prompting me to adjust the bar angle and seat position a few times during the ride.

Post-ride I flipped the stem, took out all spacers, and cut down the steerer properly–should have done all this many moons ago. If it still feels weird after the next ride then the next step will be going to wider and lower bars, perhaps the same Syntace flat 800 mm deal I have on the Turner now. The current bars are 680 mm, low-but-not-zero-rise and none of the other ones lying about in the garage are any wider.

At least the drivetrain was a high point: the Gore sealed derailleur cables were brilliant, making even the Deore or whatever's on the bike shift without hesitation. (I did find out that I cut some of the housing too short, limiting my turning radius to 90 degrees to the left secondary to housing bind. Whoops. I don't want to mess with it while it's working, though…)

 

[Toshi]

What a difference 1.9" makes.

No, this isn't the start of a "that's what she said" joke, but rather yet another vehicle related post of mine. (In other words, this is your cue to tune out if such posts are not your thing.)

Today I test drove a 2007 Toyota 4Runner and a 2003 Lexus GX 470, both of which are based off the Series 120/Land Cruiser Prado platform. Despite this largely shared ancestry I came away liking one and not caring for the other, largely secondary to the aforementioned difference of 1.9"… in headroom. (What other dimension would matter to my short legged, long torso-ed, big-noggin-ed self?)

The 4th generation 4Runner's 38.3" of headroom proved to be inadequate for me. I felt just a tiny bit claustrophobic in it while driving, albeit less so than in the 2010, 5th generation model, and the headliner was about an inch from my skull. This cramped feeling was exacerbated by seat positioning, as Toyota had to resort to basically mounting the driver's seat on the floorpan in order to achieve even that paltry headroom figure. The driving position felt somewhat akin to being in a lifted sports car, if that makes any sense, and this feet-forward attitude did not feel natural to me in a vehicle of the 4Runner's size.

The GX's 40.2" of standard-moonroof-equipped headroom–1.9" greater than in the 4Runner as mentioned in the lede–as well as its greater side glass area made me much more comfortable in it. The particular vehicle that I test drove wasn't the finest specimen, what with a rightward pull, visible interior wear, and stigmata suggestive of a prior-smoking-owner history, but I could nevertheless gather from driving it that the 4.7L V8 powertrain is solid, and it is quieter at speed than the somewhat wind noise-heavy 4Runner.

Aside from the front headroom differences, both the 4Runner and the GX's interiors seemed very reasonably proportioned for two row vehicles. The GX's third row would only be habitable by elementary school gymnasts. Also of note regarding the Lexus's interior were the anachronistic tape deck-equipped and inextricably-multi-function-display-integrated Mark Levinson stereo as well as the dated Generation 2/3 navigation graphics. Our 2006 Prius's Generation 5 navi graphics are worlds better in comparison, and downgrading to an earlier, cruder generation would seem, well, a downgrade.

The long and short of it is that the 4Runner has been booted off the island. Replacing it on "the list" is the GX 470: either as a 2007 model (new that year was Gen 5 navi and aux-in on the still-antiquated stereo) or in 2008-2009 guise (which boasted a further updated interior).

I'd also consider a 2006-2007 LC100/LX 470, as it's not that much bigger or more expensive, but would need to test drive one first to make sure its 1" shorter headroom interior felt airy enough. (A 1st gen Sequoia is too big/long, to preempt that question.)

 

[Toshi]

Another day of good weather, another spin around the local trail network. I even left the hitch rack on so as to be more inclined to log another 9-10 miles tomorrow morning.



The 29er felt better with the front end flip, albeit still a tiny bit short. Also of note is that I'm trying to get away from my 26"-derived "hammer it out in the middle ring" mentality. Such an approach doesn't work well without a good cardiovascular fitness base, especially with the big 29" hoops.

 

[Toshi]

Another rare instance of me being caught in front of the camera. Shot is by my neuroradiology attending, who with his bags of money bought a lovely 85mm f/1.2L lens, thus the lovely bokeh and my blurred badge. (You can also blame him for the crap white balance that makes it look as if I were smoking joints over the lunch hour. )

Someone else on Long Island has the same nickname for their progeny as do Jessica and I. Or is there another reading of this vanity plate? I spotted this coming home from the trailhead this morning. 5 days, 3 trail rides. Not too bad.

 

[Toshi]

Specialized releases an e-bike, the Turbo:

http://turbo.specialized.com/media/



My impression: Looks fabulous. I love the internal cable routing, running the ancillary electronics off a DC-DC converter (presumably), that it's a pedelec (ie, only assists based on power you input vs. twist grip), and the slick details including the magnetic charging connector, lockable battery, and rear through-axle.

On the other hand, my build, while admittedly much less elegant, also boasts about 500% as much power (! yes, really) and nearly twice the battery capacity.

 

[Toshi]

My "Seattle bike" is now complete.

(Well, I still need to rebleed the rear brake and move the pedals over from the 29er, but who's counting?)

Details:

- Effectively new-old-stock 2006-era Turner 6 Pack* frame courtesy of dan-o, size L (!). (* There's some debate whether it's a 6 Pack or an RFX. No one is quite sure, including me.) There's a Fox DHX coil shock on it, in any case
- Fox 36 Float RC2 from around that same era, perhaps a few years later, with 160 mm of air-sprung travel
- 2 x 10 Shimano XT components throughout, including brakes (with big 203 mm rotors!) and hubset. Fancy-pants kidwoo-endorsed Shadow Plus rear derailleur setup, too
- Tubeless rim and tire combination, with Stan's Flow EX rims laced up with double butted Wheelsmith spokes, wrapped in turn by Continental Trail King 2.4" meats
- Assorted WTB, Truvativ, Gore, and Syntace components to finish out the build, including an absolutely ridiculous looking 800 mm width flat bar, as I'm already anticipating that it's going to feel very tippy tall
- 34.2 lbs via the bathroom scale-subtraction method

As pictured the seat height is about right for full extension for my short-of-leg body. I'm not sure if I even have enough exposed seat post to make a dropper worthwhile/possible, heh.

 

[Nick]

Nice bike.


Um ... Large?

 

[Toshi]

I wanted something with a long top tube since I have a long torso. dan-o had a large for sale, and in perusing the specs I saw that there actually was only 0.6" difference in standover spanning the S, M, and L models… so L it is.



Specs for the '05 Six Pack:

Small: 22.5" top tube, 16" seat tube, 4" head tube, 31.4" standover
Medium: 23.4", 18.5", 4", 31.5"
Large: 24.3", 20", 5", 32"

The choice really would have been between a medium and large, but, again, I didn't really have a choice.

 

[Toshi]

Maiden Turner voyage ride report: It rocks.

It's not too long, and indeed I could push the bars a few cm further forward for trail riding purposes. I didn't nut myself on the toptube, even. Compared to the photo I ended up raising the seat about 1.5 or 2 cm to get proper leg extension.

Gearing is about right with the 26 x 36t granny, and Shadow Plus in the back is amazing: so quiet.

The suspension felt good, too, allowing me to flow through some drops that I had to pick my way through on the 29er.

Is it the right bike for the local trails? Of course not, and it sapped my energy more on the climbs. Overall, though, this was about a smooth a shakedown ride as I've ever had with a new build.

 

[Nick]

Sweetness.

I rode an RFX for 10 years. They're awesome bikes.

 

[dan-o]

Awesome, glad to see it's back on the dirt where it belongs.

Those Laser V saddles have huge stack heights. You could likely switch to something like a Flite/Devo/Shadow V etc and find the space for a dropper post with a shorter extension range. I rarely use my dropper for anything beyond 2-3" even though its a 5" model.

 

[stevew]

(You can also blame him for the crap white balance that makes it look as if I were smoking joints over the lunch hour. )

 

[Toshi]

This morning we drove ~75 minutes each way to a dealer to test drive a 2006 LX 470 and 2008 GX 470, both of which were in stock all week. Unfortunately, they took a deposit on the LX last night and didn't inform me until 9:08 AM today, at which time we were already on the road. I didn't answer, of course, so it wasn't until we got there that we found out that we would not be able to drive or look over the LX.

Gah.

At least both Jessica and I got some seat time in the GX. A 2008 with 56k on the clock, it was a much nicer example than the 2003 I'd previously sampled. It had aux-in on the Mark Levinson stereo and much-improved, supra-Prius generation 5 navi graphics (both 2007+ model year features).

Thanks to said aux-in I was able to run through my "audition music" playlist, and I'd be happy enough with the stereo given what I heard: frequency response of stereo + my ears up to 17 kHz, rich midrange (nice sounding Wagner!), good enough staging on my jazz group track, and bass that sounded fine most of the time but got hollow and boomy early on demanding tracks.

Jessica's only real complaints about it from her time behind the wheel were driver's side head check perceived blind spots (not a huge issue given the giant mirror size) and that she had trouble stepping up into it (until she caved in and used the running boards). Oh, she didn't like the "barn door" rear door, either, but we already knew that'd be the case. She didn't invoke the immediate spouse-veto, so that's a plus.

Series 100 Land Cruiser on left, series 120 GX on right

I really wish we'd been able to test the LX or a Land Cruiser side by side with the GX, as originally planned, to see if Jessica's "too large!-o-meter" would have been tripped or not, especially given the LX's/LC's rear hatch (vs. door).

Numbers for reference:

That generation LX is 1.8" shorter in height, 4.3" longer in length, and 2.6" wider. Up front the LX has 1.0" less headroom (0.9" less for the Land Cruiser), 3.5" more hip room, and 4.9" more shoulder room. In the second row it's a similar story, with the LX having 0.9" less headroom but 3.1" more hip and 3.8" shoulder room.

Getting 4.9" extra shoulder room from 2.6" additional width is some packaging feat, and if I don't mind it looking like a box…



Update: After some wrangling it looks as if I'll be able to locally test drive a 2006 LX 470 with 5x,000 miles on the clock the Tuesday after next, ie May 7. The dealer accepted it into inventory this past Saturday but won't have it detailed until later this week, and I "reserved" it until next Tuesday by being the first to return the dealer's voicemail.

 

[Toshi]

Mariko at 3 months (ie, today as it's the 27th):

Spitty baby is spitty

Looking over at her monkey buddy

My helper at work

Ridemonkey's photo resizer really compresses the hell out of the images. Click on 'em to see slightly less artifacty versions.

 

[Toshi]

Question for the peanut gallery:

I have 11 days to cross the country this upcoming June, and my schedule is already constrained a bit such that I only will have an extra day or two beyond what's necessary for doing the drive itself. With this scant extra time should I:

a) Bring the Turner along and try to squeeze in a solitary, mini-epic ride? (Colorado? I'll already be in Denver for a day, visiting the sister + family. Moab?)

b) Leave the bikes on the 18 wheeler and jet down to a national park or two in Utah for photography purposes?

c) Do neither, drive straight through, more or less, and relax in Seattle before starting orientation?

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

a)....

 

[Toshi]

a)....

Duly noted. Perhaps I'll look into whether there's a paid shuttling service anywhere. I don't want to climb all day.

Unrelated Unimog awesomeness. Driving action at 5:38:

 

[Toshi]

A few weeks back I ordered a GS1000 dashcam from Amazon (beware of inferior clones!), inspired by the Russian dashcam users who captured the meteroite strike inadvertently. My initial verdict is that this was a worthwhile purchase.

With time has come wisdom, or at least a better perspective on the quality/lack thereof of my GS1000 dashcam. I ended up ordering a second one, thinking to install it permanently in Jessica's Prius.

Well, I'm returning both of the dashcams post-haste.

Why the change of opinion on the camera given my generally positive initial impressions as above? Well, after just a few weeks of using it camera #1 broke down yesterday, deciding that it'd reboot after 5 seconds of recording and lock me out of the menu system. Resetting it to default firmware settings accomplished nothing other than changing the interface language back to Cyrillic.

Camera #2 arrived today and never had a chance: As befits a cloned-by-definition product its packaging and the camera itself were subtly (and not so subtly) different than the first camera, including the menu structure, firmware, and camera field of view. I'd have overlooked these differences were it not for a final difference, in the material of the suction cup. The second camera's suction cup proved to be so useless that it wouldn't stay attached to the windshield for more than a second or two, so I can't even report whether it worked.

Grumble grumble cheap Chinese crap grumble grumble. At least Amazon's return policy is such that I'll get my money back in full for both, and won't even pay shipping since they're defective…

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

i really like my new job.

i´ve got to play Jeremy Clarkson last week; with a pro filming crew plus an ex rally driver and me, doing the driving.

Got to take a Mazda BT-50 3.2 for a 500-mile spin at very high altitude and sand dunes over 3 days and test is against a rental Toyota Hilux; test included drag racing in dirt, tug of wars, power-sliding to test the traction/stability control, dune jumping, hill climbing and general balls out hooliganism.

fortunately, there were no casualties, besides a couple broken bumpers (approach/departure angle test), a set of burnt brake pads, a transfer case seal (tests in mud/water crossings) and a clutch throwout bearing.

the mazda pulled the toyota twice.

the mazda/ford 3.2 is clearly the truck to beat for this new generation of 1-ton trucks. we´ll see what toyota brings out of the hat for 2015.

 

[Toshi]

Where's the youtube link, eh?

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

Where's the youtube link, eh?

the flim crew says the video will be ready for next week. that picture is from my gopro.

the end-video wont be on youtube.
it will be for internal use only (and private screenings to prospective fleet customers), as to avoid the risk of lawsuits.

 

[Toshi]

1) Rough [ed: Amended] plan of June cross country drive:

Route no longer accurate

June 15: Start driving around noon after movers start on their merry, slow way westward, find motel near Pittsburgh
16: Roll into Cincinnati this afternoon (high school buddy/best man lives there now)
17: Hang out in Cincinnati
18: Drive until about Kansas City, find motel
19: Roll into Denver this evening, hang out with sister + family
20: Hang out with sister + family some more, make futile attempt to meet up with stoney, 'squeeb, shared skittles
21: Drive hard and make it to Boise, ID, stay there with brother in law
22: Drive the rest of the way to Coos Bay
23: Hang out with parents in Coos Bay, have them feed me and such, and pick up original/larger battery for e-bike
24: Drive up to Seattle, yet another all day drive
25: Do nothing at all
26: Orientation day #1 at my new job begins…

Note lack of dedicated biking/national parks days. Just don't have the time for it this trip unless I cut out the Cali jaunt. I really would like to drive the RAV4 EV before potentially buying one early 2014–got burnt once buying the WRX sight unseen, not going to do that again!–and it seems silly to expose the Turner to however many thousand miles of the elements and potential thieves if I'd just ride it for part of one day.

2) Jessica, Mariko, and I just wrapped up our own mini road trip: 950 miles or so down to Norfolk, VA via the Delmarva peninsula and the long-ass Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel(-Bridge-Tunnel-Bridge! 17.6 miles shore to shore!), heading back via DC. We visited friends in VA and family in DC and I took a few photos:

Norfolk friends (both parents were undergrad/music buddies of mine, and she's a professional French horn player now with the Virginia Symphony)

3 and 5 years old, respectively. The youngest, not in this photo, is just shy of 1.

DC relatives. My math professor uncle adores his great-niece, clearly. (My aunt is also a mathematician. Go figure.)

My baby is cute. True story.

3) Immediately after getting back from said DC-VA journey I took a test drive… and now my test driving days (for my own future vehicle) may well be over. More on that in a separate post to follow.

 

[Toshi]

At the ripe old age of 31, I think I'm now officially an old crank.

Although those that know me could surely come up with several dozen reasons why this might be so, the trait that I'm referring to in this post is my preference for older models of vehicles over their newer, revised, and purportedly improved brethren. (Have I mentioned recently that I prefer the second generation Prius to the current, third generation? Well, I do, bah.)

The astute reader/photo gazer will have discerned by this point that I'm talking about the Series 100 (1999-2007) vs. Series 200 (2008-current) Land Cruisers, and their Lexus LX cousins by extension. Said astute reader would be correct.

Indeed, were I in a position to make a "new" vehicle purchase tonight (and were it a less gross color than Sand Dollar Pearl) I'd have come home with the one I test drove. I liked it that much.

Anyway, back to why I'm a crank, or "why do I like the Series 100 better?" Let me list a few of the reasons:

• The Series 100 is less bulbous, with cleaner, more honest looks, especially in I'm-merely-a-Toyota Land Cruiser guise. The spider eyes of the LX leave me ambivalent.
• More headroom! I could even raise the driver's seat a bit and still have sufficient clearance between my head and the moonroof! (In the Series 200 I have about 2 finger-breadth's worth of noggin clearance with the seat fully lowered, which is suboptimal albeit workable.)
• Lower beltline and larger windshield, equating to truly excellent, Subaru Forester-level (heh) outward visibility. (Note that the Series 200 isn't bad in this regard, either, just not as good.)
• Square hood corners that make for easy positioning of the vehicle in one's lane
• Slightly lower perceived h-point than both the Series 200 and the Series 120 Lexus GX, which, in combination with its wider-than-the-GX width, big greenhouse, and square hood made driving it a very comfortable sensation
• Manual, semi-useless 3rd row seats that would be easier to remove and stash in the garage. (The current LX's powered monstrosities are more difficult to remove.)
• Good aftermarket off-road-accessory support via Slee and ARB, among many other vendors
• Cheaper sale price by virtue of being older, with the flip side being that finding low-mileage, well-preserved examples of the breed such as the 51,500 mile, one-owner, sold-from-the-same-dealership-now-reselling-it (!) LX 470 that I drove tonight is/will be that much harder

After this test drive I think the search for my next vehicle is over. It'll be a 2006 or 2007 (*) Series 100, period. (I know I've said this a million times before, but oftentimes that was before having driven the culprit vehicles. At this point I've driven much of the market, seemingly.)

The only questions outstanding are of Land Cruiser (looks better, less social stigma) vs. LX 470 (driver's seat memory, marginally better stereo), and whether to pick a model with or without the fancy but possibly prone-to-future-failure AHC/AVS system.

(* Why stick to 2006-2007 models? I want the 40 horsepower bump that those years received–it'd be quite slow otherwise–and also want LED taillights since taillights' emitted light quality is yet another one of my neuroses. Sticking to those last two years of the series' run would also result in a generally newer/less beat up vehicle, also a plus.)

 

[Toshi]

Latest project that's possibly best left to a professional: auto detailing. I just ordered a bunch of Meguiar's **** from amazon and will attempt to revitalize the paint of the Acura and Prius, currently ailing due to tree-sap, road trip, and bird-**** accumulation.

Update 1:

Link stashed here for reference: http://www.detailedimage.com/Auto-Detailing-Guide/ .

So far I've learned via practice that rubbing alcohol works wonders on tree sap, the Acura has few paint chips but a ton of small, discolored crap embedded in the paint over the years, using the clay bar is hard work, and the Prius has been scratched many times over the years. Scratch-X actually works decently in conjunction with a wool polishing wheel mounted on my electric drill. <-- I know it's taboo, but I'll be damned if I'm going to buy a random orbital buffer for a several-times-per-year chore.

Update 2:

I bought a random orbital buffer, after all. Harbor Freight, picked up locally. Will be returned after this job is done, as it kind of sucks. Apparently dual action is the way to go&#8230;

so I ordered one of those (a dual action) from Harbor Freight(.com, wasn't in the local store) and will similarly return it in a week if I'm non-plussed about its performance.

The Acura's paint really needs a deep scrubbin', and I hope this does the trick.

Some day I'll get around to studying in earnest for this board exam in just over a month. For now, more procrastination. At least I'll get something useful done with this project, in theory.

-----------

Following up on my earlier project-that-failed, of the dashcam(s) that died after a month or so, they're now both en route to amazon/the third party seller for refunds. I instead bought a cheap cradle for the iPhone to use along with my RAM Mount stuff left over from the motorcycle, and will run a $1.99 Carcorder app on it to get my dashcam kicks.

Quality is better than from the "real" dashcams, unsurprisingly, with the tradeoff being lack of ease of use in hauling out the phone each time I hop in the car:

 

[Toshi]

Consumer Reports just rated the Model S very highly, granting it 99/100 points.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2013/07/tesla-model-s-review/index.htm

99/100 is the same score that the 2007-2012 Lexus LS 460 garnered. (Note that I didn't include the 2013 LS, which dropped a few points after adopting the infuriating mouse-driven interface in place of the intuitive touchscreen.)

Even with my positive impression of it from test driving it plus this stellar score from CR I don't think it'll be in my future, even when a $100k purchase is in the cards. Too tight in headroom. I recall from my test drive that tilting my head to the left would cause it to contact the headliner.

Perhaps a Model X, though, perhaps&#8230;

 

[Toshi]

Revisiting the earlier trailer topic: I want a Cricket trailer. I like the size, modern construction, clear thought behind its layout and design, and the NASA connection.

http://www.crickettrailer.com/cricket.html is a jumping off place for specs, etc.

The Cricket Trailer Story

The story begins with a letter to Santa in 1972. A boy in Philadelphia wanted a houseboat. He did not get one. But a fascination with small environments began. These spaces, where the rituals of daily life feel more directly connected to the outside world, captured his imagination.

Fast-forward to 1999. The boy, now an architect and designer, moves to Houston to work at NASA on the International Space Station. He works on the "habitation module" (NASA-speak for the place where astronauts eat, sleep, bathe, relax - their home away from home). He is a "space" architect - mission accomplished. But he wants to design things that will actually get built in his lifetime. He returns to Earth, not sure what will follow.

Enter stage left: Cricket Trailer. The boy becomes a husband and father. He wantes to go on adventures and share his love of camping with his family. He camped extensively growing up and before having children. However, the annual kindergarten campout demonstrated that camping with small children in a tent was not what he (or rather, his wife) had hoped. So, combining his NASA experience with his love of the outdoors, he worked to create an innovative lightweight, compact, and flexible small environment in which to travel and explore the world we live in.

The result is Cricket.

More on the NASA connection: http://spinoff.nasa.gov/Spinoff2012/cg_1.html

&#8220;The RV industry in general makes houses on wheels,&#8221; Finney says. &#8220;We think many people want to&#8212;and should&#8212;leave their house at home.&#8221; The Cricket trailer hits a midway point between camping and home living.

In a NASA-like way, Finney says, the company devised a shorter performance specification for the trailer. It [&#8230;] crafted an aerodynamic shape that is easy to see around and fits into most garages. And as is required of ISS equipment, the Cricket&#8217;s components are readily accessible and fixable. In that sense, &#8220;It&#8217;s more like a mountain bike than a house on wheels,&#8221; Finney says.

Finally, a video tour of it in dire need of a redo with a lavalier mic, better lighting, a rehearsal, and less creepy mannerisms in general by the ex-NASA company founder/architect:

 

[Toshi]

 

[Toshi]

I spent (portions of) the past few days detailing both my wife's 2006 Prius and my 2001 Acura. Both badly needed the attention, especially the older Acura. It's difficult to illustrate the improvement, but here are a few detail shots and before/after shots.

Before = left. Note tree reflection on hood and garage door reflection on roof.

Prius's hood: Ignoring white balance mismatch, note the dominant pollen/crap on the lefthand before image, with the metallic flake under the clearcoat now visible on the right.

Before = left. The Acura's paint was beaten up and nearly devoid of reflections. Afterward it's much improved indeed.

All four wheels of the Acura look like this. My parents can't park! I tried to hit it with a steel wheel but that didn't improve things at all. Plasti-dip or living with it are my options.

Detail of the grime on the Acura's flank pre-detail, with runoff from the rain gutters, rear window, and gas orifice.

Nice shiny flank of Prius post-detail.

Nice, shiny front fender and hood of Acura post-detail.

The Acura, revitalized. Note reflections on flank, hood, and roof.

Products used include a spectrum of Meguiar's lineup:

- Gold Class car wash shampoo + conditioner. Verdict: works ok, dries too fast to avoid window water spotting.
- Clay bar lubricated with Quik Detailer. Verdict: essential for the Acura, but oh so much elbow grease required.
- ScratchX cutting polish applied aggressively with a wool buffing head on my rotary drill. Verdict: creates halos and swirl marks, as expected, but cuts through the grime and can "heal" many minor scratches.
- Ultimate Polish applied with an orange/light cutting pad with a random orbital polisher/sander. Verdict: cures those swirl marks and brings out a nice lustre.
- Gold Class liquid wax applied with a black/finishing pad with the random orbital. Verdict: doesn't add much to the polish but rather shines equally and, with any luck, protects the finish for a few weeks.
- PlastX on the clear plastics (e.g. headlight lenses). Verdict: can't tell if it did anything at all.
- Pure Clarity glass cleaner. Verdict: wipe it off with a clean microfiber and water spots basically disappear. Win.
- Quik Interior Detailer for interior plastics. Verdict: works ok, doesn't look overly glossly a la Armor All. Also doesn't seem to foul up the windows with inadvertent overspray.
- Household rubbing alcohol to clear off tree sap and bird crap. Verdict: magic, and it's already in your cupboard.

Was it worth it? I'd say so. I'm glad that use of the clay bar and polish is recommended but a twice-per-year, as especially the former is a pain in the ass. I can certainly handle a weekly wash and wax, though, if it'll keep the cars from deteriorating to the state to which they had fallen.

 

[Toshi]

2014 Honda Grom

I always dug the Honda Monkey, and now they're releasing a spiritual successor, if you will, in the United States! I'm not sure if I'll ever revert to a motorcycle for commuting purposes, but something tells me this little 12"-wheeled, 29.7" standover beastie could be a riot.



Honda.com's Grom product page has the full scoop. Highlights:

- 125 cc four-stroke, fuel injected thumper
- Four-speed transmission
- 225 lb wet weight!
- 12" wheels and 29.7" standover, as mentioned above

 

[Toshi]

Things I take away from this video:

1) Nico was really smooth, and still is really smooth
2) He almost always places his front wheel down first when landing (except when manualing a section), both in old WC clips and in the current enduro/testing ones
3) Big, wide, low/almost flat handlebars, sorta akin to the ones I have on the Turner now

 

[ebarker9]

2) He almost always places his front wheel down first when landing (except when manualing a section), both in old WC clips and in the current enduro/testing ones

Notice it a lot in this as well:

 

[Toshi]

Back in 2009 I penned the below (excerpted and edited):

with residency and marriage i've had to cut back on the things that i do, as there's only so much time to go around.

things that i'd like to do or learn to do:

- learn how to fly
- learn how to weld and do basic fabrication
- build an ultralight plane

things that i used to do that have been dropped by the wayside:

- biking. i sold my last bike this month, and just don't see myself riding much on long island.

The good news is that in the intervening 4 years between the above post and the present day I've stayed active despite being marooned on Long Island, what with shooting photos, performing music, and riding motorcycles, at least until I lost that bug. I even picked up biking again despite my prior dire prediction, rebuilding my 2008-vintage e-bike with new components, tooling around the local trails on my crap 29er, and most recently building up my Turner "Seattle bike".

I haven't gotten around to pilot training, learning to weld, or building an ultralight, on the other hand. There's only so much one can do with limited time and money. (NB: I did revisit the flying and welding ideas alike in 2011 only to shoot myself down before actually doing anything beyond writing a post or three.)

Well, this particular idea seems to have a two year periodicity, as I'm thinking of flying once again. More on this in the next few posts, which I'm preemptively going to split up since it's a lot of info to digest.

 

[Toshi]

I'm thinking of flying once again.

First off, I'm going to take a test flight with an instructor once I get back to Seattle. Maybe I won't like the noise level or the visibility or whatever and the whole idea will go down the drain.

Assuming I haven't encountered any insurmountable barriers after said test flight, I'm going to drag Jessica to a What's involved in Kit Building workshop in August:

The goal of this seminar is to take you through the entire building process, discuss the relevant FAA rules (in plain English) and to dispel some of the common misconceptions involved in building your own aircraft.

The astute reader will have noted that this workshop is about building a plane. This, in turn, begs the question: Why build a plane? Well, I'm glad you asked.

The obvious first reason would be that I had "build an ultralight" on my 2009 list of things I want to do. I don't recall exactly why I put an ultralight on said list back then, but it turns out that I may have been on to something, due to the twin issues of cost and certification. More on these two issues in the next post(s).

 

[Toshi]

Issue 1 in favor of building a plane: Cost

Planes are expensive, thus renting planes is expensive: try $97/hr for a Cessna 172 from Boeing Field. Although most of these 172s in circulation are old models, a point of reference to their cost is that a new-in-2012 172R with the smaller of two offered engines cost a cool, Lamborghini-rivaling $275,000.

Yikes. One can see why private general aviation has been a largely stagnant field: it's simply expensive.

In 2004, the FAA created a new Sport Pilot license, the holders of which can fly Light Sport Aircraft under VFR conditions. LSAs are defined as follows (excerpted):

- Maximum gross takeoff weight&#8212;1,320 lbs, or 1,430 lbs for seaplanes.
- Maximum stall speed&#8212;51 mph (45 knots) CAS
- Maximum speed in level flight with maximum continuous power (Vh)&#8212;138 mph (120 knots) CAS
- Single or two-seat aircraft only
- Single, reciprocating engine (if powered), including rotary or diesel engines
- Fixed or ground-adjustable propeller
- Unpressurized cabin
- Fixed landing gear, except for an aircraft intended for operation on water or a glider

It's marginally cheaper and easier to get a Light Sport license than a full Private Pilot license, and LSAs should be cheaper&#8230; in theory. The problem is that many of them are still really expensive, in the grand scheme of things.

Example: The Renton airport FBO rents a fairly typical LSA, the Evektor SportStar, and said SportStar runs over $100,000 new. $100k for a sunny-weather only, recreational plane?

Yikes yet again. All hope is not lost, though, because having a Light Sport (or, better yet, a "full" Private Pilot +/- IFR) license allows one to fly aircraft much smaller and cheaper yet: ultralights and "fat ultralights", in particular, which can be bought new for $20k or less in many cases. $20k for a ****s-and-giggles plane to fly for fun under VFR is much more reasonable, IMO.

(NB: One can find some old-ass general aviation planes for under $20k reputedly, but I find that concept kind of scary. I'll gladly rent an old-ass, maintained-and-documented Cessna 172, but to be responsible for a post-WWII era machine? No thanks.)

What's a "fat ultralight", though? You can find out in the next few posts, on certification and plane classing.