Stumbled across an advert for a very, very nice laptop the other day… and now I want one. The Acer 5670 series has some pretty impressive features that simply can’t be beat at that price. Trick Centrino Duo dual core CPU, up to 120GB SATA 5400rpm hard drive, Radeon Mobility X1400 graphics with 128MB of dedicated RAM and 384MB floating cache, a gig of memory (expandable to 2), 15.4 widescreen, slot-loading DVD burner, built-in webcam, a/b/g/ wireless, and the list goes on…
Posted by Ron as Computers at 12:05 AM EST
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It seems a minor thing, really; a parking spot with my name on it shouldn’t be this big a deal. But it is. Now I don’t have to race home each night, only to find that visitor parking is full and that I have to go park across the road in an unguarded lot that has a “no overnight parking” sign. That seriously wasn’t as big a problem in the warmer months, but in the winter it’s just plain irritating.
I actually sleep better at night knowing my car is behind a fence three floors below ground level. I don’t have to worry that when I get up to go to work I will discover it has been towed, stolen, or trashed. This is the car theft capital of Canada (per capita), or so I was told once. And like many urban areas, parking here is at a premium.
Posted by Ron as Fire-in-a-can at 8:33 AM EST
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Look what we have here, a Conservative minority. I called that one.
From the Silver Lining department, the NDP made impressive gains from last time.
Posted by Ron as Politics at 12:13 AM EST
3 Comments »
Someone tried to steal my Stratus tonight. I say tried because after forcing their way in through the driver’s front door, making a big mess of the lock and doorhandle, then smashing the ignition, they failed to get the car started, and left it sitting there with the lights on and th stereo blaring. Nothing was stolen from inside the car either (cellphone, CDs, stereo, etc).
One more reason to unload it.
Posted by Ron as Fire-in-a-can at 10:49 PM EST
3 Comments »
I recently grabbed GT4 from the Superstore’s post holiday sale. It was 5-10$ cheaper there than at EBgames, plus there was a 10$ off promo for any regularly priced game, so I snapped it up.
Wow. Leaps and bounds ahead of GT3 in just about every way. This is a milestone like the original was back in its day. I absolutely love B-Spec mode. In fact, the only thing I don’t like is the music playlist of radio tunes during the races (I hated a good 90% of the songs, and the rest were distracting). I would have preferred classier stuff like what plays during the other parts of the game, but oh well. I disabled the playlist during races, so now there is no problem.
Another neat, new feature is Photo mode. It basically lets you snap magazine-like photos of your car collection with breathtaking real-world scenery as background. Behold:
One of the two cars I’ve aquired thus far: a Nissan 240SX fastback. This is the UK version, as it came equipped with an SR20DET, rather than the KA24DE of the North American model. I have it tuned to about 260hp with a full racing intake/exhaust, stage 1 turbo, racing intercooler, semi-racing suspension, short ratio gearbox, soft sports tires, carbon driveshaft, triple-plate clutch, sports flywheel, engine port polishing, performance chip, 1.5-way LSD and lightening level 2. It runs 14.0 seconds in the quarter mile at 169 km/h, with a 0-100km/h time in the 5-6 second range. It tops out at either 237 or 272 km/h, depending on which gearset I’m using.
Posted by Ron as Fire-in-a-can, Games at 3:14 PM EST
7 Comments »
I’m kinda upset; I just recently found a rust spot on my Stratus, making it officially a beater, or to quote from some DeNiro movie that I can’t recall at the moment, just another “shitbox Dodge.” You have to say it properly though, like a Chicogoan or something. “Shitbahx Dahdge.” It’s a thing.
I’m thinking I’ll get it fixed at a body shop before it spreads and gets worse, then unload the car ASAP. As I may have mentioned before, I’d like to pick up a clean Nissan 240SX, preferably from what’s known as the s13 generation, 1989-1994. Specifically, I’m looking for one 1991 or later, to take advantage of the improved DOHC 16 valve KA24DE engine (versus the SOHC, 12-valve KA24E). There are some decent pictures of S13 240SX here. I’m zeroing in on an S13 because I just prefer the older bodystyle to the newer ones.
I don’t plan anything too crazy as far as modifications go, but who knows, this will be the first car I’ll have owned that has an actual aftermarket. This car has quite a significant one, in fact, so maybe there is a turbo install, or even an SR20DET engine swap in my future.
Posted by Ron as Fire-in-a-can at 11:04 PM EST
4 Comments »
One of the nice things about living here in London is that there are quite a few concerts. Not as many as Toronto, but way more than in the Soo, certainly, and artists of higher calibre, usually. Windsor had a lot more as well, but for the most part, I had to go to Detroit to cash in on it, and that made it not worth my while since I don’t like crossing the border. The US, and Detroit specifically are frightening places to me.
In the end, I passed up seeing Nobuo Uematsu conducting the Detroit Symphony because I didn’t want the hassle of crossing the border. The same reason I didn’t go to the Detroit Auto Show last year. I wanted to, but it just wasn’t worth it.
That brings me to this year, in London. Two great shows coming up: Opeth at a small venue called ‘The Drink’ on February 28. I’ve already got tickets, courtesy of a friend of mine from work (thanks, Dev!). We’re the only two there who seem to appreciate death metal. The second show in question is Nine Inch Nails at the John Labatt Centre in early March. I’ve seen NIN twice before (in 1994 at Molson Park, and again in 1995 at Pine Knob in Michigan), and they put on a good show both times, so I expect this one to be just as good.
Posted by Ron as Music at 9:36 PM EST
2 Comments »
Going merely off of heresay, conjecture, and what I read in the news, I’m making a prediction that we will soon have a Conservative minority government. I hope I’m wrong.
Posted by Ron as Politics at 10:23 AM EST
4 Comments »