Whenever there's nice weather, I can't count how many Harleys and sportbikes I see. I do see your point - these aren't everyday commuter machines. Many bikes in the USA do get good fuel economy, but the majority of bikes that I see on a regular basis do not. From what I observe, many people in the USA ride motorcycles as a hobby or a 'fun' way to commute to work, as opposed to other places in the world (definitely in the places I've visited - Greece, Thailand, and the Philippines, and probably many other places) where people ride motorcycles because they're a somewhat economical and practical means of transportation.
The RC51 isn't exactly a monster like a 'busa. Keep in mind it's a V-twin. It's peak power is similar to that of a 750cc inline 4. It's designed to make lots of torque at low RPMs, giving it an advantage on tracks with lots of turns and short straights. I only considered it because I love the sound and a friend was selling one for a good price. Realistically, for the type of riding I'm interested in, a VFR would be better for me. The SV650 is also a possibility.
Ouside of track days, is there any reason for a liter sportbike?
I don't even think liter sportbikes are worthwhile for most people, even on track days. A lot of riders can't even push a 600cc bike to it's limits on the track.
I live in NJ where talking on a phone while driving requires a headset. Since I have been required to use it, I tried it out and found that it's more distracting to use the headset! I bought a headset that's easy to use and doesn't usually fall out, but it's still distracting a difficult to use! The wire gets caught when I turn my head and it's difficult to end calls because I have to reach for the handset. I don't like leaving it in my ear all the time because it blocks out most sound from that ear.
It's much easier to hold the handset and set it down when merging or dealing with something difficult. After several close calls with Jersey drivers (with or without a handset), I made it a point to not talk on the cell phone at all, unless it's extremely urgent. I find myself a much better driver now - I'm more alert and have much more situational awareness, enabling me to detect the idiot who is about to change lanes without signalling and other hazards.
I grew up on the side of a mountain, and just behind my house were large rock walls and some small caves. I remember being 7 or 8 years old playing on the mountain side all day during the summer with my brother and our friends.
Now that I'm starting to think of having kids, I sometimes wonder if my parents were crazy letting my brother and I play there like we did. I've visited those rock walls we used to climb and now I wouldn't even think of touching them without a harness and someone belaying!
Not all motorcycles are good on fuel. In fact most motorcycles in the US aren't much better than a compact car. The little 50cc-250cc bikes are good, but the performance-oriented motorcycles or cruisers (Like Harley-Davidson) are thirsty machines. One bike I considered purchasing, the Honda RC51, gets approx. 28 MPG, which is less than what my midsize car gets! Then again, the RC51 has more horsepower than some cars (~130)!
D'oh! I hate when I see that. I was going to say "You're taking your life into your own hands" and deleted part of it to say what I posted above. It should read "your life is at stake"
If you block a road for more than 5 or 6 seconds in Jersey, while parallel parking, you're taking your life into your hands.
Just driving in NJ, you're life is at stake. I've only been here a year and just last week I learned the hard way when I was hit by a crazed NJ lady (complete with the Jersey accent!)
I've always been good at parallel parking, but I have gotten better since I've lived here. I can fit into spaces less than 12" larger than my truck (compact Toyota pickup). One time it was so tight that I couldn't get the back end off the street, so my brother and I picked it up and slid it into place.
This is one reason why I have no pity for %90 of AIDS patients.
How many of that 90% bracket of AIDS patients who got it through intercourse got it against their will? I hear reports all the time about how in Africa, many women are raped (some even by their own husbands, against their will) and contract AIDS through intercourse they didn't agree to.
Since 1999, I was using a 9" TV/VCR combo. It wasn't until last year when I upgraded to a 20" standard-definition TV.
OK, so maybe not everyone has big screen TVs, but I'm just shocked that when you go into Best Buy or Circuit city, it's difficult to find a regular sized TV (under 32"). It seems the majority of TVs for sale are massive LCD/Plasma/Projection in High Definition, and people who do buy smaller TVs usually get them as a secondary set for their bedrooms or kitchens.
Just about anyone can afford a big screen TV, thanks to the credit offered by Best Buy and Circuit City. (people who can't really afford them still get them)
PS- Hot Dogs at the baseball park are nothing compared to the hot dogs available in Chicago, NY, and New Jersey. Los Angeles has the best street hot dogs - I call them Mexidogs; wrapped in bacon and sizzling on aluminum pans in onions and jalapenos.
When I lived in LA, I went to see movies at the same theatres where they were premiered. I remember seeing X-Men 2 at Grauman's Chinese Theatre and it was a great experience!
I don't believe I've seen this covered on slashdot during these discussions, but this is an example of where technology is good for consumers but bad for some businesses.
Back in the day, theaters were great ways to see movies and provided a unique experience. They had good sound systems and big screens that were much better than the average television sets in peoples homes (remember those bubbly looking 'big screen' TVs enclosed in the wood cabinets?)
Today, everyone has monstrous high quality televisions and sound systems that are in most cases better than many movie theatres. Why should someone pay $80 for a family of four to see a movie if they can buy/rent a cheap DVD to play on their home theatre system that they have so much invested in?
Even if you don't have a fancy home theatre system, a standard definition projection TV with it's built-in speakers often provides and adequate movie viewing experience.
The big theater chains should first blame Hollywood for making a ton of garbage, then they should go after Best Buy and Circuit City who give credit to people so they can buy large TVs and home theater systems.
I grew up in a household with a bunch of guns in an unlocked cabinet, a TV with HBO and everything else, dangerous chemicals under the kitchen sink and in the basement, and a refrigerator with beer in it, yet my brother and I turned out OK. We never had to sneak around behind our parents' backs.
I always respected the limitations my parents placed. My parents never just said NO, rather they explained the reasoning behind their decisions. Many times I disagreed, however I still listened to them. When I was young, they made their authority clear (in a good way) and my brother and I knew that it was best to listen to what they said, and their rules were for our own good.
My brother and I were given a lot of freedom when we were children, however we never abused it. We never had V-chips, iPod volume controls, or locks on every cabinet in my house. I think those things piss kids off even more and make them want to go overboard when they're finally given the freedoms to see/touch/do those 'prohibited' things. We were always taught responsibility. When it came to most things, my parents usually didn't just come out and say no, rather I was free to make my own choices and I would have to suffer the consequences.
Maybe my brother and I were just exceptions, but most people that I associate with are the same way.
The funny thing is people who get caught actually inhaling crap like that don't get punished. Here's an example: some punk who was inhaling cans of computer duster fluid (you know, those big cans with the trigger that are used to blow dust off of your electronics?) was out joyriding while inhaling this crap. He was travelling at a high rate of speed and went out of control crashing over a 10 foot wall and on top of my friend's car.
When the police arrived, he still had the can to his mouth and was still inhaling. They didn't care about that though. He got charged with underage drinking - his BAC was below the limit for being drunk, but because he was under 21 with alcohol in his system, he was charged. The fact that he was inhaling duster fluid didn't matter, despite that being the reason for him going out of control.
When consumers begin to adopt HD-DVD and/or Blu-Ray, most of them will buy the inevitable converters to plug them into their older HDTVs (because they're used to having to buy extra stuff, since they don't understand or don't care about how to do things the way they're engineered), thus incurring the "analog hole" penalty, and either won't notice the difference or won't care.
That reminds me of my parents. When they subscribed to DirecTV, they had their receiver connected to the TV through the analog coax input (having to tune the TV to channel 3 to view their satellite channels). I properly connected it for them using the component inputs and they were impressed with how much the quality improved.
I saw V for Vendetta on opening weekend in a "premium cinema" near where I live.
What city? I'm trying to find a theatre nearby that offers premium seats. For as often as I go to the movies, I'd gladly pay a little more and get nice seats and good sound. One of my favorite cinema experiences was seeing the 2nd Xmen movie at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. When I was living in LA, I would often see a lot of movies at the same theatres wheir their premiers were shown. There are a lot of nice old fashioned theatres in LA that are very well maintained and provide an excellent movie experience.
What does facebook do that it could possibly be worth $750 million dollard (or worse yet, the $2B they think they're worth)?
Usually people buy companies to make more money for themselves. How could Facebook possibly generate enough renevue to reasonably pay off the initial investment?
It's OK now. It appears that they redesigned it a bit. I don't know how to tell if the CSS is loaded or not, but the entire page was a mess even after reloading and clearing the cache several times.
Now if only CNN would do something about making their site work with non-microsoft browsers. It always worked fine, and now just today I went to cnn.com (with firefox) and it's a mess!
I only know of Apple Corps because when I was young and used to listen to my mother's Beatles records, I would see the half-sliced green apple on the label in the center of the record.
Do Beatles CDs use the picture of the apple like the records do?
Can you just buy the US version from a US retailer, or will there be issues with region coding? I have a Philips DVP-642 DVD player and it's region code can be set with a few buttons on the remote.
I'd gladly pay £39 (what is that about $70 USD?) to have the DVDs and not have to watch it on TV littered with ads.
The Z06 has people talking and turns heads, though I haven't sat inside one yet. I would guess you're dead on saying it feels like a plastic bubble. I think most of that has to do with the interior design. For the longest time, American automakers designed their interiors with a ton of plastic and gave it a bubbly feel - big chunky plastic knobs and switches, and thick curvy plastic trim pieces sticking over your lap. Most of the Europeans had it right with clean straight lines and little plastic, and now GM and Ford are finally playing catch-up. The interiors of the Pontiac G6, the new Mustang, the Ford 500, the Ford Fusion, and the F-150 (all cars that I've driven recently) are definitely not your typical chunky American interiors. In fact some of them are nicer looking than what BMW, Audi, and Mercedes offer, however the American car companies still insist on using cheap plastic. I had a Pontiac G6 as a rental recently and I thought the interior was very nice, but the material used was so cheap (both look and feel).
I own a 03 Honda Accord and I think it's one of the best interiors I've ever seen. The look is great and the quality of the materials is excellent - it's certainly not cheap feeling like many Hondas in the past.
When it comes to MOST young people, everyone talks about the WRX STi and the EVO. After being a happy Turbo Eclipse owner, I almost bought an EVO but reality set in and I realized I can do better things with my money than buy (and insure) something that will get me into trouble.
I am eagerly looking forward to an alternative like GBuy (is it really?)
Me too. I have an excellent business idea that will only work if transactions can be accepted for less than $0.30 + 2-3%.
I'll be dealing with a few thousand transactions for items in the $1-$2 range, and unfortunately I don't see any current method of making this work based on transaction fees.
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The RC51 isn't exactly a monster like a 'busa. Keep in mind it's a V-twin. It's peak power is similar to that of a 750cc inline 4. It's designed to make lots of torque at low RPMs, giving it an advantage on tracks with lots of turns and short straights. I only considered it because I love the sound and a friend was selling one for a good price. Realistically, for the type of riding I'm interested in, a VFR would be better for me. The SV650 is also a possibility.
Ouside of track days, is there any reason for a liter sportbike?
I don't even think liter sportbikes are worthwhile for most people, even on track days. A lot of riders can't even push a 600cc bike to it's limits on the track.
It's much easier to hold the handset and set it down when merging or dealing with something difficult. After several close calls with Jersey drivers (with or without a handset), I made it a point to not talk on the cell phone at all, unless it's extremely urgent. I find myself a much better driver now - I'm more alert and have much more situational awareness, enabling me to detect the idiot who is about to change lanes without signalling and other hazards.
Now that I'm starting to think of having kids, I sometimes wonder if my parents were crazy letting my brother and I play there like we did. I've visited those rock walls we used to climb and now I wouldn't even think of touching them without a harness and someone belaying!
Not all motorcycles are good on fuel. In fact most motorcycles in the US aren't much better than a compact car. The little 50cc-250cc bikes are good, but the performance-oriented motorcycles or cruisers (Like Harley-Davidson) are thirsty machines. One bike I considered purchasing, the Honda RC51, gets approx. 28 MPG, which is less than what my midsize car gets! Then again, the RC51 has more horsepower than some cars (~130)!
We all know that every media source is "fair and balanced"...
What exactly does Amnesty International know about Guantanamo Bay?
How many of those dual-boot users running Windows will actually be running licensed versions?
That reminds me, I need to go buy some Google stock right now.
D'oh! I hate when I see that. I was going to say "You're taking your life into your own hands" and deleted part of it to say what I posted above. It should read "your life is at stake"
Just driving in NJ, you're life is at stake. I've only been here a year and just last week I learned the hard way when I was hit by a crazed NJ lady (complete with the Jersey accent!)
I've always been good at parallel parking, but I have gotten better since I've lived here. I can fit into spaces less than 12" larger than my truck (compact Toyota pickup). One time it was so tight that I couldn't get the back end off the street, so my brother and I picked it up and slid it into place.
How many of that 90% bracket of AIDS patients who got it through intercourse got it against their will? I hear reports all the time about how in Africa, many women are raped (some even by their own husbands, against their will) and contract AIDS through intercourse they didn't agree to.
OK, so maybe not everyone has big screen TVs, but I'm just shocked that when you go into Best Buy or Circuit city, it's difficult to find a regular sized TV (under 32"). It seems the majority of TVs for sale are massive LCD/Plasma/Projection in High Definition, and people who do buy smaller TVs usually get them as a secondary set for their bedrooms or kitchens.
Just about anyone can afford a big screen TV, thanks to the credit offered by Best Buy and Circuit City. (people who can't really afford them still get them)
PS- Hot Dogs at the baseball park are nothing compared to the hot dogs available in Chicago, NY, and New Jersey. Los Angeles has the best street hot dogs - I call them Mexidogs; wrapped in bacon and sizzling on aluminum pans in onions and jalapenos.
When I lived in LA, I went to see movies at the same theatres where they were premiered. I remember seeing X-Men 2 at Grauman's Chinese Theatre and it was a great experience!
Back in the day, theaters were great ways to see movies and provided a unique experience. They had good sound systems and big screens that were much better than the average television sets in peoples homes (remember those bubbly looking 'big screen' TVs enclosed in the wood cabinets?)
Today, everyone has monstrous high quality televisions and sound systems that are in most cases better than many movie theatres. Why should someone pay $80 for a family of four to see a movie if they can buy/rent a cheap DVD to play on their home theatre system that they have so much invested in?
Even if you don't have a fancy home theatre system, a standard definition projection TV with it's built-in speakers often provides and adequate movie viewing experience.
The big theater chains should first blame Hollywood for making a ton of garbage, then they should go after Best Buy and Circuit City who give credit to people so they can buy large TVs and home theater systems.
I always respected the limitations my parents placed. My parents never just said NO, rather they explained the reasoning behind their decisions. Many times I disagreed, however I still listened to them. When I was young, they made their authority clear (in a good way) and my brother and I knew that it was best to listen to what they said, and their rules were for our own good.
My brother and I were given a lot of freedom when we were children, however we never abused it. We never had V-chips, iPod volume controls, or locks on every cabinet in my house. I think those things piss kids off even more and make them want to go overboard when they're finally given the freedoms to see/touch/do those 'prohibited' things. We were always taught responsibility. When it came to most things, my parents usually didn't just come out and say no, rather I was free to make my own choices and I would have to suffer the consequences.
Maybe my brother and I were just exceptions, but most people that I associate with are the same way.
The funny thing is people who get caught actually inhaling crap like that don't get punished. Here's an example: some punk who was inhaling cans of computer duster fluid (you know, those big cans with the trigger that are used to blow dust off of your electronics?) was out joyriding while inhaling this crap. He was travelling at a high rate of speed and went out of control crashing over a 10 foot wall and on top of my friend's car. When the police arrived, he still had the can to his mouth and was still inhaling. They didn't care about that though. He got charged with underage drinking - his BAC was below the limit for being drunk, but because he was under 21 with alcohol in his system, he was charged. The fact that he was inhaling duster fluid didn't matter, despite that being the reason for him going out of control.
That reminds me of my parents. When they subscribed to DirecTV, they had their receiver connected to the TV through the analog coax input (having to tune the TV to channel 3 to view their satellite channels). I properly connected it for them using the component inputs and they were impressed with how much the quality improved. I saw V for Vendetta on opening weekend in a "premium cinema" near where I live.
What city? I'm trying to find a theatre nearby that offers premium seats. For as often as I go to the movies, I'd gladly pay a little more and get nice seats and good sound. One of my favorite cinema experiences was seeing the 2nd Xmen movie at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. When I was living in LA, I would often see a lot of movies at the same theatres wheir their premiers were shown. There are a lot of nice old fashioned theatres in LA that are very well maintained and provide an excellent movie experience.
Does that mean the European Technics 1200s emit a 50Hz buzz when the ground is loose, as opposed to the lovely 60Hz buzz that we get?
Usually people buy companies to make more money for themselves. How could Facebook possibly generate enough renevue to reasonably pay off the initial investment?
It's OK now. It appears that they redesigned it a bit. I don't know how to tell if the CSS is loaded or not, but the entire page was a mess even after reloading and clearing the cache several times.
Now if only CNN would do something about making their site work with non-microsoft browsers. It always worked fine, and now just today I went to cnn.com (with firefox) and it's a mess!
Do Beatles CDs use the picture of the apple like the records do?
I'd gladly pay £39 (what is that about $70 USD?) to have the DVDs and not have to watch it on TV littered with ads.
I own a 03 Honda Accord and I think it's one of the best interiors I've ever seen. The look is great and the quality of the materials is excellent - it's certainly not cheap feeling like many Hondas in the past.
When it comes to MOST young people, everyone talks about the WRX STi and the EVO. After being a happy Turbo Eclipse owner, I almost bought an EVO but reality set in and I realized I can do better things with my money than buy (and insure) something that will get me into trouble.
Me too. I have an excellent business idea that will only work if transactions can be accepted for less than $0.30 + 2-3%.
I'll be dealing with a few thousand transactions for items in the $1-$2 range, and unfortunately I don't see any current method of making this work based on transaction fees.