An affinity

My cousin popped into town rather unexpectedly last week. By this I mean I had no idea she was going to be here until she was here! This is par for the course for this cousin but do we get a choice in our relatives?

Tune out the negative connotation of that last sentence please.

It should also be said that "in town" means within reasonable driving distance. In this case, Tampa to Orlando. So I tell my boss that a relative popped in and I want the day off.

Now cue Friday, the day of, and I'm eventually off. Things start going bad right out of the gate. Not far out from the pad, the AC packs up. That's no small deal here in Florida either. Especially considering we are talking about the height of summer. Good thing I had an extra shirt in the car becuase it was hot! It doesn't help that I sat in traffic going through Tampa in what was absolutely sweltering conditions. May as well turn up the music and be glad you're alive.

I stopped somewhere about 3/4's of the way there to get some water and call my cousin. I left her a message and decided to have some lunch where I was there (needed to kill some time), which was no more then a greasy spoon truck stop with gnarly food, hairy big guys that spend all day long behind the wheel, and an adorable waitress that seemed way out of place with this sea of junkfood muching human bears.

I'm eventually off and into the Kissime area. I've spotted the Nicklelodeon Hotel and head for the lobby. No answer on the phone or via text so after sitting there for 30 minutes, I head out looking for a bookstore to blow some more time. May as well.

Of course, I just can't get away from mis-fortune. 1 mile down the road and the temp on my car has shot for the moon. Eventually getting into a parking spot and popping the hood provides a curious picture. The coolant overflow bottle is blown up like a ballon?!?! What the heck is that all about right? By this time, there are some really dark thoughts knocking around my head. I check the oil and at least it still looks like oil. I slowly release pressure from the cooling system then pour in some cold water, zip the system up, and head back out on my trek. Now everything is fine which just makes it all the more strange.

After questing around Kissime based on bunk directions I get a call from the point of this trip and head back The Nick. Sitting in the lobby, I start wondering just how different she's going to look from the last time I saw here. Her being Vanessa. I was terrorfied I wouldn't recognize her. But no, she is just as gorgeous. Even behind the gigantic black framed glasses, it was that face.

My cousing Vanessa is THE BOMB!!! I don't know why but I just dig her like no other. We just hang out and it's all good and all that easy.

And on top of all that, her kids are absolutely beautiful. I was so smitten by Alex and was very close to taking her back home with me. A perfect blend of 'Nessa and Vernon (her husband who is cool and mellow as h311!) with a rich and dark complexion unlike 'Nessa and I with our milk chocolate hues. The youngest girl, CC, has the amazingly subtle and exquisite features.

And boy could those kids raise hell! When they started throwing rocks at one of the windows at Friday's, I about died. LOL.

But what I was really looking forward too was when everyone else knocked off for the night and I could have 'Nessa to myself. I hadn't got to spend any alone face time with her in 15 years. Remembering now how I felt, I can't believe I let it go that long.

And that's something that has to change a bit. My aunt and uncles are less then 8 hours drive away and cool as ice in addition to being real characters. Everytime I get to see them I'm reminded of just how bitchin of a family I come from! All the coolest things a group of people could have. Beauty, intensity, hilarity, kindness, and unconditional love.

Leaving that evening was hard. I got three hugs out of the deal tho so I'm not complaining. But I also had the best drive home ever. It was 2 in the morning and had cooled off. The stereo worked and the turbo was as faithful as ever. The temps stayed reasonable so you could say there was nothing to spoil the after glow of the visit.

It's funny how good of a decision it was to just ignore the problems and conditions knowing that it would end up being more then worth it. I was so worth the trouble and will still be worth the trouble of the work I'm about to get into to fix the blown headgasket that was the cause of so many problems on the trip.

Thanx 'Nessa

I've never been one for binds. Or at least less and less everyday. But a bind nonetheless is here.

Once again I am multiply engaged! A furball with two immediate threats and a deep yearning for a distant and greying objective. But let's let the truth be known shall we. I am The Brown Bear and I'm playing with these guys. But for each target, the nature of the play is different and in time, they'll both be splashed in their own unique way. But until that time, let's just manuever. Let's bring one in close and put distance on the other. Let's confound the intent of one and trap the manuevering of the other with an embrace of concern.

There will be no kills from this engagement.

But alas, my dearest objective is WINCHESTER, BINGO, and RTB to a place I know not. I miss her, my fellow Saint and embracemate, our feet on deck on the Oriskany.

Did yet more screwing around with the T04E 50 trim map and came up with the below.

There are now two new points and a plot as well.

• The yellow point represents a boost ceiling of 24psi and 86% VE.
  
• The blue point is 26psi and 86% VE.
  
• The light blue area represents an efficiency range of 76%.
  
• The green area is 78%!
  

The plot is a very wild and generous guess of where I would be in terms of efficiency at various points in the rev range starting at 2500 and going to 6200 RPM for a redblock. That plot suggests that the unit spools relatively quickly but that's something I really have no idea of until the unit is on the car and spinning. There are others running very similar setups but I yet have no data from someone running the same Cosworth hotside / T04E combo that we are talking about here.

Another thing about that plot line is it's suggestion or hint that if I spool faster then the guesses I've made, I could well be into surge land. Let's hope tat's not the case.

I just can believe how good of a setup these T04E 50 trim units are. Look at the size or combined areas of the 78% and 76% regions. That's absolutely huge!

Wow! T04E 50 trims rock!

After banging my head for a while and doing more math then I've done in some time, I'm forced to see the wisdom of what various others have been telling me about the 50 trim compressors. I've been hoping that I'll be able to realize my goal of 300 HP at the wheels with 20psi at the lest. Based on VE and PR calculations and laying this information over the top of a T04E 50 trim compressor map, I get some awesome results. Below is the point if I decide that I want to shift at 5500 rpm and 20 psi.

That's fantastic!

Now I really suspect my goal will be realized based on what others are doing out there with the same heads without porting and using the stock valve sizes. One freind of mine hit 320 at the wheels at 26psi with no mods to the head (as mentioned) other then an IPD turbo cam.

I state the above as comparison to what it is I'm running. The same 530 head, but ported, polished, grooved, and running 38mm exhaust (as opposed to 35mm) valves. The other difference is a V cam. That said, I should have superior flow potential through the head then he does, not to mention I'm using a far more efficient cold side then he (T04E 60 trim). This greater flow capability is the first reason I am hoping I won't need more then 20psi. But if that's the case, it's no big deal to turn it up a tad right?

OTOH, I could make an absolute boost ceiling of 20psi and just live with the results whatever they are. In this way, I can stay with OE pistons and ensure a bit less stress on the bottom end.

Yeah, I may just have to give that idea some serious consideration. :-)

G.O.W.! Started and finished in two days.

There is a reason I don't buy video games anymore.

Friday night, after writing code all day and being at work for a bit more then 8 hours, I decide to head downstairs into the break room and play the game I'd been excited about playing for some time.

Gears Of Wars.



We've actually had this game in the building as long as I've worked here but for some reason when I first played it, I just couldn't gel with the 3rd person POV, not to mention those blasted controllers. I'm a PC guy! Controls for games should be with a mouse and keyboard in my opinion.

Anyway, I guess I decided to stick it out Friday night. I started sometime around 10:15 and just got busy. Time passed and Locust died. Suddenly, there is this beeping sound that I thought was the building alarm going off. An alarm that shouldn't have been set in the first place right? Well after running around trying to get down to the bottom of this, I realize it's the alarm clock ON MY PHONE! iT WAS 5:30 AM!!!!

There is a reason I don't buy video games anymore.

Seeing it was 5:30, I decided to go home. Of course, when Monday came around, I headed back to the break room to play some more. The level/checkpoint/act that I picked back up on was the very last of the game. As it turns out, I pretty much knocked over the entire game in a single evening. Wow!

Now that's kinda nice as I now won't find myself dreaming about re-immersing back into the G.O.W. world all day long while I should be hackin' out code. It's done and the urge to spend serious hours at the controls are gone. of course, that's not to imply that heading back down and doing a little blasting still isnt' fun. It is! Especially when I can go back to my favorite fights and engage.

Ultimately, the G.O.W. world is amazingly beautiful. Even the wreckage of the civilization they are fighting to preserve is staggering in it's beauty.

Or is it just the graphics?

Whatever the case, it's amazing! The level of detail is stunning. The effect of distance is emotive. Walking through and fighting in courtyards and gardens with absolutely incredible lighting effects is just downright bitchin'! Even running with your mates and listening to their ridiculous banter is too damn cool (tho Baird will throw down with the best of 'em, he needs to stop whining!).

The level of dread wasn't as high as I expected at times, tho it was there. It wasn't like the original Doom or Half Life, much less Doom III (which scared the hell out of EVERYBODY), but you certainly felt your tension level rise when the Boomers showed up or wrenches(?) rushed you in the middle of a reload.

So what is/are the coolest thing(s) about Gears? How you use cover and the blind fire. It's awesome to take cover behind something and just stick your weapon out and pull the trigger. Great for keeping Locust noggins down while your boys advance. You can even chuck grenades over too! And once you get the hang of using the A button to dive, run, and take and slide into cover, you are good as gold.

Best weapon? Sniper rifle by far! Not as useful for general throwing down, but there are times when it's scope and one hit one kill glorly is going to make the going a lot easier.

So yeah, I'm glad I knocked it out. It was like a good movie that I was part of living.

Drawbacks? Yeah, there is a big one. Why did they have to make Marcus so terminally macho. Where was the anger about being in prison for nothing for 14 years? Where was the anger about seeing everything destroyed by the Locust? You did see glimpses of emotion at times (like when Raam killed the Lt), but it's not enough. Showing Marcus to be more complex then a collection of cheesy Duke Nukem one liners would have paid big for those that aren't so apt to become immersed in a story line.

Hair splitting aside, G.O.W. II is now highly anticipated.

Oh Grace, please let me go!

I'm STILL at work! At least I'm about to leave. The problem right now is that it's too hard to get up. I've knocked over a ton of code today and this project is lookin' mad toite yo! LOL!

Another problem is that same old problem that is very good at grabbing me from time to time. Music! "So who is it this time", you're asking?



That's Grace Valhalla. It's essentially Ambient Electronica. And it's rockin'! Music in the vien of Juno Reactor and Orbital. She's using some awesome sounds too. Some of that stuff reminds me of my old Yamaha TG-33 tone generator. A good deal of it's rather warm and analog sounding. Good stuff.

Of course, I've just restarted 'Empty' on the "Peak" album. Man, this isn't helping my exit from the building one bit.

Anyway, she deserves notice if you're into that kind of thing. Check her out at one (or both) of the below links.

Myspace
Jamendo

And make a point of checking out Jamendo. Too many good artists there to ignore.

Vicki Butler-Henderson

I'm so in love with this girl it's ridiculous. I'd love to have a girl that can drive like this. Besides, it would be nice to have some that giggles with me when the back hangs out and the engine starts singing.



She's certainly prettier then Jezza eh?