Mine does too, but only for the first 5-15 minutes, or until the battery is depleated. Then the engine must run to keep the battery charge above "minium". Turn on the electrically powered A/C and you can shorten that time subtantially.
The whole point of the Prius is Emissions. Fuel ecomony is a very nice side benefit. The TDI burning diesel or even bio-diesel will have much higher CO2 and NOx emissions than the Prius.
On a different note, I average 52-55mpg in my Prius in my commute, which is higher than the reported average.
While the RHCE is distro-centric, it is certainly one of the more highly regarded. Unlike some certs (MCSE), the RHCE exam is not a (and now no longer even includes) multiple choice test - a test for which one can easily obtain brain-dumps and/or cram for. Instead, the RHCE is lab based. In a lab based exam, you must demonstrate actual knowledge and/or experience with the topics at hand - or at least the intuition and ability to use the tools w/ the provided docs.
I've got an RHCE from Red Hat 7.3 which is now "non-current". I do plan to re-certify under Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 even though my present company doesn't use Red Hat (erm, sorry, PNAEL), but its CentOS clone. I find most of the information garnered from the courses and/or exam can still apply to other distros with some modification, though some topics are still somewhat Red Hat technology centric (Kickstart/Anaconda, various GUI tools).
Overall, I think if you can pass the RHCE, you've indirectly demonstrated a general working knowledge of Linux administration as well. Some of the topics I've learned in the RHCE process have helped me settle into other distros as well (i.e. Gentoo, SuSE)
If you're ambitious, and have lots of money to spend, by all means go for the LPI and other certs as well.
I'm sure MS doesn't as much care if a starup knocks it out because today's mindset is to buy out the startup, and hence (legally) acquiring the intellectual property and any associated patents.
If it were possible, I'd forefit the 36 mile commute each way across the "Valley of the Sun" and a comparable raise if said raise would be the difference in fuel costs.
Then again, I drive a hybrid, and only spend $75/mo on gas. However, the 1.5-2+ hours spent driving each day, compared to spending it w/ my kids doesn't (or shouldn't) have a price.
However, given the hands on nature of server builds and that the data center's proximity to our office, telecommuting 5 days a week would be impractical. The raise would have to be pretty small to make up for it I suppose.
Knife blades are considered a weapon at just about any length now-a-days. I've gotten through a couple times, but if they see it on your belt, they make you ditch it.
I've carried the same Gerber (MultiPlier 600 Pro Scout Needle nose) on my belt for over 5 years now. In it's life, I've managed to snap a portion of the smallest screwdriver, and nick the wire cutter blade on the pliars to the point where it doesn't open freely. The belt case is worn, the velcro is disintegrating and the case is wearing a hole through the bottom. The inside is coming apart.
However, I still use it almost daily, and only remove it where it's not allowed (theme parks, flights, etc.).
I considered sending it in for repair, but the "warranty" stipulations require a proof of purchase, which I never had as it was a gift. I'm sure a Dremel w/ a file tip could repair the cutter to a usable state, and the small screwdriver still works okay, albeit a bit crooked and jagged.
Will it stand up to anything? No. But do they last? I'd say so.
Yes - a 12-18 month release cycle. For enterprises deploying linux - I couldn't fathom considering Fedora Core - it becomes legacy much too quickly. For admins where importance on keeping patched to avoid exploits, this is very important.
Fedora Legacy has done an okay job at keeping up with some of these, however Red Hat seems a bit more responsive w/ their Enterprise line.
About 10 years ago, back in my high school PC newbie days (I was great with Apple/Mac's at the time), I had a Packard Bell 486 computer. In return for maintaining a classroom network, I had a teacher who couldn't pay me w/ money, but could buy me parts for my PC. I took advantage of the situation, and had her buy me 16MB of RAM and 256kb of SRAM (socketed) to add some L2 cache, which at the time was worth well over $1000. RAM was obvious for me, slotted, and I had inserted 30 pin SIMMS many a times in the Macs at school. However, socketed SRAM was a new beast. Not knowing that the SRAM *was* directional, and not knowing that them dimple indicated pin 1, I put every single piece in backward, then proceeded to power on the machine. Nothing happened on the screen, and then I happened to touch the SRAM to make sure it was seated - only to discover that it got hot enough for my fingers to leave permenant fingerprints in the plastic (as well as burning my fingers). Of course, being young and of not alot of money, and knowing that I had spent my entire college savings to date on that computer, I freaked out. Fortunately, I was able to take out the SRAM pieces and the computer did power back on w/o a hitch, but I was out $700+ in SRAM chips. I tried putting them in "the other way", and still no dice - they were fried.
On the same day, I also happened to put my floppy power cable on upside down when putting things back together, switching the 5 ans 12V lines.
I was young, and thankful for understanding warranties on both parts. The memory company replaced the memory even though it was my error, and Packard Bell replaced my floppy drive under warranty, again even though it was my fault.
Since the worst I've done is hot swap IDE cables, PS/2 keyboards and mice, shifted/reseated PCI cards with the machine on, and occasionally powered down a hard drive w/ the machine on via a power cable. I've also shorted the 4 pin case speaker terminals on a motherboard once or twice, only to get a nice arc on the screwdriver.
My company goes 50/50 for my Cable Modem access. Every month I get a check for $19.98 after I submit my bill. I figure that's reasonable since we also use the connection for personal and spousal business use.
Upgrading doesn't seem to have problems - I upgraded my dual boot XP/FC1 box to FC2 yesterday as well, no issues.
My understanding is the issues lie when the partition table is edited. Upgrading generally doesn't modify the partition table.
There are also reports of people who don't have problems - it depends in the end on the BIOS. Some say using LBA on your drives solves the problem as well vs. the default Auto (CHS).
My other negative reaction is, if I'm in the middle of nowhere and it dies, or I go to start it and it just doesn't work... then what? I can do a lot to get a conventional vehicle back on the road. With this thing it either works or you are done.
1. Roadside assistances comes standard during the warranty period. 2. It's a Toyota - when's the last time you had a Toyota break down? Any Toyota I've ever had or been involved with has just ran and ran and ran....
And of course, there's the Prius. One of my neighbours has one and it looks a hell of a lot less ugly in person than it appears in photos. Although I'd still not want one because my main reaction is: worst cockpit & instrumentation ever. Not only do I hate the center-mounted gauges, I think they're extremely dangerous not being in front of the driver:
Unlike the 2001-2003 versions, the 2004 doesn't use center mounted displays for the critical things. Spedo, fuel, transmission, critical idiot lights, etc. are straight in front of the driver. They appear "deeper", however because they're reflective. That does great for keeping the eyes more focused to the road, as your eyes don't need to refocus "as much" between the two locations. The other, less important "idiot" lights, however, do sprawl out toward the center - but being less important, that's well, erm, less important.
Toyota Prius Engine Safety in the Event of an Accident
For Immediate Release
(05/04/2004) Torrance, CA
The Toyota Prius gas-electric hybrid vehicle has many safeguards to help ensure safe operation for drivers and protection of emergency response professionals in the event of an accident. The high voltage batteries are contained in an extremely strong protective case located in a portion of the vehicle very unlikely to be penetrated in a collision. Drivetrain management computers continuously monitor all system functions performing hundreds of tests each minute. In the event an abnormal condition is detected, all high voltage circuits are disabled and high voltage is contained inside the protective case.
Further, two safety mechanisms are in place that shut off the engine and disconnect high voltage if an airbag is deployed or if there is a sudden deceleration indicative of an accident. High voltage cables and components are heavily insulated, shielded, isolated and the cables are painted bright orange for easy identification. The controller box is a sealed unit and has warning labels.
To reassure emergency response professionals when the Prius was introduced in 2000, Toyota placed advertisements in trade publications and sent letters to industry organizations announcing the availability and dissemination of Emergency Response Guides. Today, all Emergency Response Guides for Toyota's alternative fuel vehicles, including Prius, RAV 4 EV, CNG Camry and Highlander Fuel Cell Hybrid are available at Toyota's technical information web site and Toyota continues to advertise in appropriate professional publications.
Electrically driven Toyota vehicles like the Prius, RAV 4 EV and e.com have been available in the U.S. since 1998. Like all vehicles, they can be involved in emergency situations. They have established a good track record for electrical safety and we are not aware of a battery case breach or any personal injury in the U.S. related to hybrid or EV electrical systems.
# # #
Contact:
Toyota Product News
Apparently Toyota is pretty protective of it's technology.
Um, no - the system will be identical to the Prius - only more voltage.
In the case of the 4wd model, you'll find electric motors in both the front and rear, along with the gasoline engine up front. The battery will still be in the back end though.
In any case, wires are routed underneath along the frame rails - not through the doors or top pillars. And each side of the circuit is generally done in different locations of the car to prevent someone from cutting through both + and - cables at the same time. In a severe wreck, even if one of the two battery lines were to be exposed/cut/etc., the rescue person would most likely be okay. This is a DC battery and unless you had both wires open and created a clean path from - to +, there's little chance of anyone becoming electrocuted. And even if such a rare event were to occur, there's a fuse in the battery that will blow as soon as the short occurs. AND - if the fuse doesn't blow, the moment the battery shorts - one or more of the individual modules (which run at about 7.2 volts) would most likely melt or whatnot and open the circuit.
There is no acid in Nickel Metal Hydride - it's a alkaline base. You must throw acid on it to neutralize it.
Read:
http://techinfo.toyota.com/public/main/2ndprius. pd f
for more info.
Personally I think this article is a bunch of crap. Then again, I own two Prius, and have read all the pertinent docs to understand that Toyota has designed one hell of a car - including many failsafes to prevent injury to rescue workers in the event of an accident. The author simply hasn't done the research to understand what the real risks are.
I'm guessing this is limited due to the 4 speed Tranny more than body/weight/horsepower.
Hacked 2004 Prius
on
Hack Your Ride
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
I've "hacked" my 2004 Prius so to speak to include the EV Button which comes stock on the Japaneese and some European versions of the car. The American version not only doesn't have the button, but doesn't even have the wiring harness present to do this. Someone was able to figure out which pin on the engine computer triggers this function, and we took it from there. While some of us used the factory button imported from Japan, others have wired it using Radio Shack parts, or into the headlight flasher or the cruise control button as well for a more stealthy appearance.
This purpose of this buttion button is to allow the driver to force the car into electric-only mode for short distances at speeds under 55km/hr (34mph). This is great for sneaking home at night in close quarters, saving gas till you back out of the driveway, or for sneaking up on the old ladies in mall parking lots before laying on the horn.
If you could plug the car in, you'd even have a short range EV car. Now if only they had a button to improve gas mileage while making it do 0-60 in 4 seconds.
I'm currently a Linux Systems Adminisrator with a 2yr degree + a cert with 8-9 years IT experience who makes an upper-mid 5 figure US$ income. I have a friend who's a successful fleet car sales manager for a popular Toyota dealer who makes $250k+ US easily, but busts her rear with long hours and little vacation or weekends to do so. She's asked me multiple times to come join her team since I seem to be a walking trivia book of car knowledge, especially with Toyota's hybrid line.
Pros: Money. Her laziest guy brings in over $90k US/yr. Others average 120-150k/yr easy.
Selling a product I like and believe in.
Products sell themselves.
Consume (user) ignorance is exploitable instead of a frustration.
Did I mention the money?
Cons: I've never done sales before.
Long Hours
No weekends
Giving up marriage to the penguin.
Risk falling behind in tech skills due to lessened exposure
Honestly, I enjoy - in some sick twisted way - being a sysadmin. Perhaps when I hit my next mid-life crisis, or get really money hungry, or the IT market falls dead, I'll consider the change. At least it's an option.
Which in the end, doesn't stop a frivilous lawsuit.
A disclaimer nowadays is only an effort to inform.
It's kinda like license agreements. Who reads em? Most just "accept" and move on. Same will happen w/ the parking.
The Prius Navigation system already has a disclaimer that you agree to operate the system safely and not while driving. Most of us simply press I Agree to move on to w/o reading anymore. It's most of those people who also sue.
Then again, I'm not most people and am not going to sue Toyota if I crash because I'm mapping. But will the guy I hit in front of me? They never read the disclaimer, however.
Slashdot Mirror
Mine does too, but only for the first 5-15 minutes, or until the battery is depleated. Then the engine must run to keep the battery charge above "minium". Turn on the electrically powered A/C and you can shorten that time subtantially.
The whole point of the Prius is Emissions. Fuel ecomony is a very nice side benefit. The TDI burning diesel or even bio-diesel will have much higher CO2 and NOx emissions than the Prius.
On a different note, I average 52-55mpg in my Prius in my commute, which is higher than the reported average.
While the RHCE is distro-centric, it is certainly one of the more highly regarded. Unlike some certs (MCSE), the RHCE exam is not a (and now no longer even includes) multiple choice test - a test for which one can easily obtain brain-dumps and/or cram for. Instead, the RHCE is lab based. In a lab based exam, you must demonstrate actual knowledge and/or experience with the topics at hand - or at least the intuition and ability to use the tools w/ the provided docs.
I've got an RHCE from Red Hat 7.3 which is now "non-current". I do plan to re-certify under Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 even though my present company doesn't use Red Hat (erm, sorry, PNAEL), but its CentOS clone. I find most of the information garnered from the courses and/or exam can still apply to other distros with some modification, though some topics are still somewhat Red Hat technology centric (Kickstart/Anaconda, various GUI tools).
Overall, I think if you can pass the RHCE, you've indirectly demonstrated a general working knowledge of Linux administration as well. Some of the topics I've learned in the RHCE process have helped me settle into other distros as well (i.e. Gentoo, SuSE)
If you're ambitious, and have lots of money to spend, by all means go for the LPI and other certs as well.
I'm sure MS doesn't as much care if a starup knocks it out because today's mindset is to buy out the startup, and hence (legally) acquiring the intellectual property and any associated patents.
If it were possible, I'd forefit the 36 mile commute each way across the "Valley of the Sun" and a comparable raise if said raise would be the difference in fuel costs.
Then again, I drive a hybrid, and only spend $75/mo on gas. However, the 1.5-2+ hours spent driving each day, compared to spending it w/ my kids doesn't (or shouldn't) have a price.
However, given the hands on nature of server builds and that the data center's proximity to our office, telecommuting 5 days a week would be impractical. The raise would have to be pretty small to make up for it I suppose.
Only because we as humans are generally used to incandescent lighting.
Knife blades are considered a weapon at just about any length now-a-days. I've gotten through a couple times, but if they see it on your belt, they make you ditch it.
I've carried the same Gerber (MultiPlier 600 Pro Scout Needle nose) on my belt for over 5 years now. In it's life, I've managed to snap a portion of the smallest screwdriver, and nick the wire cutter blade on the pliars to the point where it doesn't open freely. The belt case is worn, the velcro is disintegrating and the case is wearing a hole through the bottom. The inside is coming apart.
However, I still use it almost daily, and only remove it where it's not allowed (theme parks, flights, etc.).
I considered sending it in for repair, but the "warranty" stipulations require a proof of purchase, which I never had as it was a gift. I'm sure a Dremel w/ a file tip could repair the cutter to a usable state, and the small screwdriver still works okay, albeit a bit crooked and jagged.
Will it stand up to anything? No. But do they last? I'd say so.
Yes - a 12-18 month release cycle. For enterprises deploying linux - I couldn't fathom considering Fedora Core - it becomes legacy much too quickly. For admins where importance on keeping patched to avoid exploits, this is very important.
Fedora Legacy has done an okay job at keeping up with some of these, however Red Hat seems a bit more responsive w/ their Enterprise line.
If a tennis ball were perfectly elastic, it would loose no energy and would bounce to the same height each time.
Only in a vacum my friend. Air resistance plays a part in the energy loss as well.
About 10 years ago, back in my high school PC newbie days (I was great with Apple/Mac's at the time), I had a Packard Bell 486 computer. In return for maintaining a classroom network, I had a teacher who couldn't pay me w/ money, but could buy me parts for my PC. I took advantage of the situation, and had her buy me 16MB of RAM and 256kb of SRAM (socketed) to add some L2 cache, which at the time was worth well over $1000. RAM was obvious for me, slotted, and I had inserted 30 pin SIMMS many a times in the Macs at school. However, socketed SRAM was a new beast. Not knowing that the SRAM *was* directional, and not knowing that them dimple indicated pin 1, I put every single piece in backward, then proceeded to power on the machine. Nothing happened on the screen, and then I happened to touch the SRAM to make sure it was seated - only to discover that it got hot enough for my fingers to leave permenant fingerprints in the plastic (as well as burning my fingers). Of course, being young and of not alot of money, and knowing that I had spent my entire college savings to date on that computer, I freaked out. Fortunately, I was able to take out the SRAM pieces and the computer did power back on w/o a hitch, but I was out $700+ in SRAM chips. I tried putting them in "the other way", and still no dice - they were fried.
On the same day, I also happened to put my floppy power cable on upside down when putting things back together, switching the 5 ans 12V lines.
I was young, and thankful for understanding warranties on both parts. The memory company replaced the memory even though it was my error, and Packard Bell replaced my floppy drive under warranty, again even though it was my fault.
Since the worst I've done is hot swap IDE cables, PS/2 keyboards and mice, shifted/reseated PCI cards with the machine on, and occasionally powered down a hard drive w/ the machine on via a power cable. I've also shorted the 4 pin case speaker terminals on a motherboard once or twice, only to get a nice arc on the screwdriver.
Live and learn.
My company goes 50/50 for my Cable Modem access. Every month I get a check for $19.98 after I submit my bill. I figure that's reasonable since we also use the connection for personal and spousal business use.
Just watching all of the AC's reply to this with email addresses is hillarious. How many spmamers want to flood these accounts today? :-)
Upgrading doesn't seem to have problems - I upgraded my dual boot XP/FC1 box to FC2 yesterday as well, no issues.
My understanding is the issues lie when the partition table is edited. Upgrading generally doesn't modify the partition table.
There are also reports of people who don't have problems - it depends in the end on the BIOS. Some say using LBA on your drives solves the problem as well vs. the default Auto (CHS).
Whether CO2 is an issue is debatable. Many have shown that it's a greenhouse gas and does contribute to "global warming".
Look at temp trends over the past 50 years, it seems we're already on our way there.
My other negative reaction is, if I'm in the middle of nowhere and it dies, or I go to start it and it just doesn't work... then what? I can do a lot to get a conventional vehicle back on the road. With this thing it either works or you are done.
1. Roadside assistances comes standard during the warranty period.
2. It's a Toyota - when's the last time you had a Toyota break down? Any Toyota I've ever had or been involved with has just ran and ran and ran....
Unlike the 2001-2003 versions, the 2004 doesn't use center mounted displays for the critical things. Spedo, fuel, transmission, critical idiot lights, etc. are straight in front of the driver. They appear "deeper", however because they're reflective. That does great for keeping the eyes more focused to the road, as your eyes don't need to refocus "as much" between the two locations. The other, less important "idiot" lights, however, do sprawl out toward the center - but being less important, that's well, erm, less important.
Toyota isn't taking this one sitting down.
Toyota Press Release
Toyota Prius Engine Safety in the Event of an Accident
For Immediate Release
(05/04/2004) Torrance, CA
The Toyota Prius gas-electric hybrid vehicle has many safeguards to help ensure safe operation for drivers and protection of emergency response professionals in the event of an accident. The high voltage batteries are contained in an extremely strong protective case located in a portion of the vehicle very unlikely to be penetrated in a collision. Drivetrain management computers continuously monitor all system functions performing hundreds of tests each minute. In the event an abnormal condition is detected, all high voltage circuits are disabled and high voltage is contained inside the protective case.
Further, two safety mechanisms are in place that shut off the engine and disconnect high voltage if an airbag is deployed or if there is a sudden deceleration indicative of an accident. High voltage cables and components are heavily insulated, shielded, isolated and the cables are painted bright orange for easy identification. The controller box is a sealed unit and has warning labels.
To reassure emergency response professionals when the Prius was introduced in 2000, Toyota placed advertisements in trade publications and sent letters to industry organizations announcing the availability and dissemination of Emergency Response Guides. Today, all Emergency Response Guides for Toyota's alternative fuel vehicles, including Prius, RAV 4 EV, CNG Camry and Highlander Fuel Cell Hybrid are available at Toyota's technical information web site and Toyota continues to advertise in appropriate professional publications.
Electrically driven Toyota vehicles like the Prius, RAV 4 EV and e.com have been available in the U.S. since 1998. Like all vehicles, they can be involved in emergency situations. They have established a good track record for electrical safety and we are not aware of a battery case breach or any personal injury in the U.S. related to hybrid or EV electrical systems.
# # #
Contact:
Toyota Product News
Apparently Toyota is pretty protective of it's technology.
Um, no - the system will be identical to the Prius - only more voltage.
In the case of the 4wd model, you'll find electric motors in both the front and rear, along with the gasoline engine up front. The battery will still be in the back end though.
In any case, wires are routed underneath along the frame rails - not through the doors or top pillars. And each side of the circuit is generally done in different locations of the car to prevent someone from cutting through both + and - cables at the same time. In a severe wreck, even if one of the two battery lines were to be exposed/cut/etc., the rescue person would most likely be okay. This is a DC battery and unless you had both wires open and created a clean path from - to +, there's little chance of anyone becoming electrocuted. And even if such a rare event were to occur, there's a fuse in the battery that will blow as soon as the short occurs. AND - if the fuse doesn't blow, the moment the battery shorts - one or more of the individual modules (which run at about 7.2 volts) would most likely melt or whatnot and open the circuit.
Read what Toyota has posted here:
http://techinfo.toyota.com/public/main/erg.html
You'll hopefully feel more at ease about the car.
There is no acid in Nickel Metal Hydride - it's a alkaline base. You must throw acid on it to neutralize it.
. pd f
Read:
http://techinfo.toyota.com/public/main/2ndprius
for more info.
Personally I think this article is a bunch of crap. Then again, I own two Prius, and have read all the pertinent docs to understand that Toyota has designed one hell of a car - including many failsafes to prevent injury to rescue workers in the event of an accident. The author simply hasn't done the research to understand what the real risks are.
I'm guessing this is limited due to the 4 speed Tranny more than body/weight/horsepower.
I've "hacked" my 2004 Prius so to speak to include the EV Button which comes stock on the Japaneese and some European versions of the car. The American version not only doesn't have the button, but doesn't even have the wiring harness present to do this. Someone was able to figure out which pin on the engine computer triggers this function, and we took it from there. While some of us used the factory button imported from Japan, others have wired it using Radio Shack parts, or into the headlight flasher or the cruise control button as well for a more stealthy appearance.
This purpose of this buttion button is to allow the driver to force the car into electric-only mode for short distances at speeds under 55km/hr (34mph). This is great for sneaking home at night in close quarters, saving gas till you back out of the driveway, or for sneaking up on the old ladies in mall parking lots before laying on the horn.
If you could plug the car in, you'd even have a short range EV car. Now if only they had a button to improve gas mileage while making it do 0-60 in 4 seconds.
I'm currently a Linux Systems Adminisrator with a 2yr degree + a cert with 8-9 years IT experience who makes an upper-mid 5 figure US$ income. I have a friend who's a successful fleet car sales manager for a popular Toyota dealer who makes $250k+ US easily, but busts her rear with long hours and little vacation or weekends to do so. She's asked me multiple times to come join her team since I seem to be a walking trivia book of car knowledge, especially with Toyota's hybrid line.
Pros: Money. Her laziest guy brings in over $90k US/yr. Others average 120-150k/yr easy.
Selling a product I like and believe in.
Products sell themselves.
Consume (user) ignorance is exploitable instead of a frustration.
Did I mention the money?
Cons: I've never done sales before.
Long Hours
No weekends
Giving up marriage to the penguin.
Risk falling behind in tech skills due to lessened exposure
Honestly, I enjoy - in some sick twisted way - being a sysadmin. Perhaps when I hit my next mid-life crisis, or get really money hungry, or the IT market falls dead, I'll consider the change. At least it's an option.
Not just sugar water, caffeinated sugar water! That's why it continues to sell - our kids are addicted.
Which in the end, doesn't stop a frivilous lawsuit.
A disclaimer nowadays is only an effort to inform.
It's kinda like license agreements. Who reads em? Most just "accept" and move on. Same will happen w/ the parking.
The Prius Navigation system already has a disclaimer that you agree to operate the system safely and not while driving. Most of us simply press I Agree to move on to w/o reading anymore. It's most of those people who also sue.
Then again, I'm not most people and am not going to sue Toyota if I crash because I'm mapping. But will the guy I hit in front of me? They never read the disclaimer, however.