Summertime, and updates.
It’s offically the summertime, just past the solstice. Long days, hay being cut, sunny weather, and t-shirts. Girls with skimpy clothing. Light outside at 10pm. Nontilucent clouds once it gets past civil twilight, and a fantastic recent display of them.
Edinburgh
I was on a short break in Edinburgh recently, taking advantage of the fact that Sarah was over there for a conference in Heriot-Watt. I stayed in the King James Thistle hotel on Leigh St. Great architecture in the town, great summer atmosphere, and strange locals – especially the oilrig electrician that liked to eat anything..
Audi wiper motor :/
Unfortunately my Audi’s wiper motor is having issues and the wipers have a habit of freezing in mid-wipe. Probably due to the water building up in the battery compartment – I’m an idiot for not keeping an eye on this. Time to clean out the drain holes and replace a dodgy motor..
MR2
We bought the MR2 from George a month ago, and it’s a lovely car. Red, targa-roofed, and 2.0 of 4 cylinders giving about 160 bhp in a 1 tonne body – gives lots of fun! Also a real looker – you have to like poppy-uppy lights ;)
I’ve started ‘sorting’ it, with a few little fixes and tweaks here and there:
- improving the speakers and the stereo,
- making the foglight work again (though I have to re-aim it down a little bit),
- waxing the car a bit to stop the lightening of the paintwork,
- adding an induction kit for a bit of extra noise under acceleration,
- Fixing the aerial allowing it to go up and down again!
- Brighter white LED park lights
Future ideas:
- Quad light conversion with 4300k HID dip setup and decent halogen fulls,
- 3000k HID foglights,
- 50% tint allround,
- Bright red under-car neons ;)
There’s a timing belt due in a few thousand miles, and I’m considering some engine work while the block is out for the belt/tensioner and water pump replacement. Possibly some valvespring replacements to allow higher revs, maybe a higher lift and longer duration pair of camshafts, and maybe even some forged higher-compression pistons for a bit more power. Maybe even adding in a tuned tubular manifold and a proper quiet tuned exhaust. A stroker kit would be a bit too much though, as would a piggyback ECU. That’s just too pricey.
All in all, it’ll be kept pretty much stock, as the cost of doing things will be too much. It’s a future classic and I hope I’ll be having fun in it as a driver and a passenger for some time to come.
IRMA proving they are idiots..
http://blog.blacknight.com/irma-threatens-irish-isps.html
Yep, lets show our ignorance in technical matters by blanket-bombing FUD-filled letters to entities that cannot perform what they are said to be able to within that letter. Blacknight are not an ISP, so IRMA shouldn’t have sent them a letter…
Gran Canaria – Anniversary!
To celebrate our being together for the past 5 (yes – FIVE) wonderful years, myself and Sarah are temporarily heading to a warmer clime for a few days soon. Puerto Rico, the Gloria Palace Amadores **** and hopefully a little bit of sunshine.
Rest and relaxation, a few Mojitos by the pool, a trip to the centre of the island, a visit to Las Palmas, Carrefour, Maspalomas dunes, are all on the plan.
I’m really looking forwards to this!
I love secrets!
Yes, it’s great knowing a secret sometimes
Roll on September 11th or so, in 2009 when all will be revealed….
Rant titles
I’ve been accused in the past of having ‘favourite’ rants – so here are a few of the titles of the common ones :)
- Microsoft and how their business practices make for bad products, making more work for me.
- Microsoft and how they make it so hard to interoperate with, even with non-core items .
- Apple and the attempt to control such things as iPhone jailbreaking. My phone, my choice.
- EULAs and how they are absolutely meaningless.
- RIAA and *stupid* business methods, and their perversion of justice.
- MPAA being idiots with filesharing. It’s free advertising you muppets.
- Attempts to restrict free access to the Net – see Eircom rolling over for IRMA.
- Fianna Fáil and their continuing to drive this country into the ground (again), taking a lot of value with them. Get out of the way and stop being part of the problem!
- Road cameras in private hands – <sarcasm>Yep, this will make the roads safer <\sarcasm>. Be more precise about the blackspots..
- The state of the roads in the country, you’d swear we haven’t had a cent to put towards infrastructure recently (see previous rant about Fianna Fáil)
- The overuse of txtspk or IRC abbreviations in out-of-context situations e.g. web forums.
There are a few essays’ worth of stuff there, for another time perhaps..
Clutch :(
My car decided to throw its springs out of the Dual Mass Flywheel, making me a poor boy.
It’s the first time that the car has let me down, but I can’t complain. The extra torque that the engine delivers coupled with the 143k miles on the clock didn’t help. The car did give me warning that it would go with some squeaking and some strange clanking on under and overrun, and fun sounds at idle.
I was overtaking a car and a slow articulated truck when it went *clunk* leaving me to idle down in speed, and gentlpull over at the Ballydine bar between Ennis and Crusheen. I got recovered with my comprehensive insurance to the house in Galway, and Dave with Mike’s trailer was really nice and brought my car to Bansha where it was fixed.. €1000 lighter, I’m happy to havethe car back.
Now to investigate that little clunk from front right…
New years!
Not the standard new year’s celebrations. Myself and Sarah were up in Achill for the new year, staying Chez Hayes. The rest of the usual crew made it up too, staying in holiday homes at the foot of Sliabh Mór.
There was cycling done, up the Deserted village path and back, and from Chez Hayes via Sliabh Mór holiday Homes to Keem Bay. Then a bit of a climb to the coastguard station at the top of the hill to the west, back down and cycling to Keel and Chez Hayes again for a quick coffee. Still looking for more punishment, it was up to the deserted vilalge and up to the top of that track and back again. Legs were not happy, the body was though..
A day off and rest followed.
A hike was suggested by DaveBrady, to start at the deserted village and climb to Croaghaun, at the western end of the island. The Trooper dropped us off at the bog road, and we trekked across frozen bog along the spine of the island, and heading for the large seacliffs. The air temp was about -5, and the winds were 40+ km/h.. from the east! Ready to blow us over hte 600m high cliffs if we weren’t careful. Most of the party turned back at the cloudbase, as those wearing jeans weren’t dealing well with the cold at all. That left myself, John and DaveT to yomp up the last little bit, through the screaming cloiuds to reach the top in good form. We caught back up to the others, though DaveBrady and wench were on a time pressure, so they headed off ahead. I learned the advantage of the Quechua trekking pants over a helly-hansen thermal layer but thermal underpants are the way of the future in the future..