mirror70

How about rallycross? <a href="http://www.cf-cars.com/images/rallyx-bumpercam.mp4">Here</a> is a vid from my bumper cam, unfortunately before I had a working mic.

It's not for a guy whacking a nail into a board. It's for high-level motorsports and aerospace. It's not [as] uncommon [as it should be] for a high-tech fighter plane or turbine engine to have to be disassembled to find a wrench that was left behind. That process is hugely expensive and also quite risky if the missing wrench goes unnoticed. This tool system solves that. It also solves the issue of tracking precision tools with finite lifespans or which need periodic recalibration. In motorsports, you will often have an intern/apprentice-type person doing some mechanical work, and this solution prevents that person from using and damaging tools which he hasn't been qualified on. Combined with assembly procedures, this also potentially saves a lot of time spent finding and selecting tools, because it can do that for you automatically. Useful both in car dealerships and when you find yourself at Le Mans needing to do a gearbox change in 3 minutes or less.

<img src="http://www.coplanlimited.com/fod_tool_management/images/itc1.jpg"> <a href="http://www.coplanlimited.com/fod_tool_management/intelligent_tool_control.htm">Coplan ITC</a> <b>What is it?</b> ITC is a patented electronic, computerised method of tracking and controlling the use of hand tools. It can offer "real time" information to a supervisor on various data such as who accessed a tool box, at what time, what they took or replaced and when the tool box was closed. It is the benchmark system for the Industry and is a must for companies who cannot afford the risk of human error when managing the use of hand tools. <b>How does it work?</b> The tool cabinet is accessed via swipe card, pin number and other available options therefore ITC can report who opened the box at what time. The cabinet automatically locks after a pre-set time. Each hand tool has a precision cut "Smart Cavity" in to which it fits. The Smart Cavity detects the presence or absence of the tool.

Color me a skeptic. If you couldn't hear the turbo from 100yds away, there's no way that car was making 700cHP. The M is a very fun car, but it's no good as a race car. It proved to be such a poor handling car that BMW dropped its factory effort with that car after less than one season. The same characteristics that make it a blast to drive make it horrid as a race car.

Actually, the golfcourse pics look familiar: <img src="http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e111/morningbuzzlumpa/resizedflood4.jpg">

FS: Lakefront property, located right in the water, motivated seller. Cheap!

It's one of my favorites, too. I've been really impressed with Mumm's Napa offerings. They are quite good and well priced. The NH liquor store usually has them for $14-15. They are all much better than Moet's Napa bubbles, imo, which are very temperature sensitive. I've been meaning to try the DVX for about two years now, but it's very hard to find around here (MA) and because MA sucks, I can't buy it online. I'll keep my eyes peeled though. Maybe Marty's can special order it for me? Jack - a good rosé is still good. They're just a bit harder to find. The lower end rosés are usually just devoid of complexity, but the good ones are.... good. The skin also makes them age differently and this is where many rosés find their stride.

I do have some "table bubbles" on hand at all times, too, plus the usual collection of table flats. <img src="http://www.cf-cars.com/images/bubbles/Mumm%20-%20blanc%20de%20noirs%20-%20label.jpg"> <img src="http://www.cf-cars.com/images/bubbles/Mumm%20-%20carte%20classique%20-%20label.jpg"> <img src="http://www.cf-cars.com/images/bubbles/Mumm%20-%20cordon%20rouge%20-%20label.jpg">

If you're doing it right, you don't attach sentimental value to them. The wine really does change with age, so you can see large improvements if you cellar it. The important part that many collectors miss is that it's wine and the reason you keep it is to drink it later - not just to have for the sake of having. The other thing is that with bubbly, there are a LOT of vintage years so it's easier for some people to justify drinking it.

<img src="http://www.cf-cars.com/images/bubbles/Moet%20&%20Chandon%20-%201998%20rose%20-%20label.jpg"> Just added this to my rack. Should be quite drinkable in 3-5 years.

A 3MP CCD actually has a tighter grain than 35mm film. A 6 or 8MP camera far exceeds the detail that 35mm can capture. Slide film is another story. Where the chips currently lag behind film is in dynamic range, but that gap gets closer every day and can mostly be hidden with just a little bit of work in post. Write speed is a bit of a bottleneck, but it's pretty easy to overcome just by adding a buffer. If you stick to JPEG, the 30D (8MP) will shoot at 5fps full-res for 6 seconds, and a D2H (4MP) will do 8fps for 5 seconds. Nikon's successor to the D70/D70s will likely be similar.

$-wise, the Canon-equivalent of the D2H would be either the 5D or the 1D Mk2. The 5D has a full-frame chip and is a pretty awesome body. The 1D Mk2 isn't full frame, but has a feature set which is very close to the D2H (including 8.5fps shooting). The two companies both make excellent gear with products positioned pretty evenly. It's a lot like BMW and Audi: both are great cars that are priced and perform the same, so you can't really go wrong with either. One thing I do prefer with the Nikons over the Canons is the control setup. The two wheels on the Nikons are much easier to operate than the two on the Canon. I really liked the controls on the D70 and am not particularly impressed with those on my 30D. I also like the removable screen protector on the Nikons, which the Canons completely lack (they don't even have a place to attach one). Oh, and damn - that's another excellent shot. I think you've just forced me to add a lens like that to my bag.

No cameras in that price range are full-frame. The Nikons (D70/D70s) and D200 are both 1.5:1, while the Canons (D20/D30) are both 1.6:1. So, with the same length lens, the Nikons actually provide marginally wider angle shots. Both companies make great cameras. The Nikon lenses are superior but the Canon bodies are better than those from Nikon. The general way to pick between the two companies is if you already have Nikon glass, get a Nikon body; if you already have Canon glass, get a Canon body. If you have neither, decide which feature set you'd like since they don't completely overlap. I went with the Canon because I wanted faster continuous shooting and both my brother and a friend have Canons so I could borrow their lenses. That last pic is really neat, btw. Love the fish-eye effect. What lens did you use for that?

I have a 30D, too. Great camera. Just make sure you get a multi-GB CF card for when you shoot sequences. My 1GB card has proven to be far too small for shooting at 5fps. <img src="http://www.cf-cars.com/images/pano%20thumb.jpg"> <img src="http://www.cf-cars.com/images/loaf/Pat%20sequence%20thumb.jpg">

Sugarloaf is still good, especially Gauge and the T bar.

Actually, if you want to go 60mph in 1st in the RX8, you need to go to just shy of 13,000rpm. 1st is 3.76:1 and it has a 4.44:1 rear end, so on the stock 225/45/18 tires, the engine must spin to 12,971rpm to hit 60mph. The TT, while marketed as a sportscar, is actually pretty slow. DSG is nice, but with a heavy turbo-charged AWD car, if you really want the car to take off you're going to have to launch it. You cannot do that with DSG.

There was also a base model (in the US) offered with an anemic 2.8L 190HP V6 which then got bumped to 3.0L and 220HP. The current base model has a 3.2L V6 with 255HP. The biturbo S4 is a typical Audi with regard to reliability. Should be identical to the a4, but with more problematic turbos. I don't know anything about the V8 S4s (04+). The CR reports are an ok guide, but they're far from perfect. For a while, rebadged cars often rated differently, but that seems to have been fixed.

It's you. The A6 can be had with a 250HP biturbo V6, a 300/310HP V8, a 360HP V8 (S6), or a 450HP biturbo V8 (RS6). An A6 with any of those motors will be faster than a quattro TT.

Who did the convertible conversion for him?

Can you give me a better idea of what you are looking for? Most suppliers are somewhat specialized.

How is that an insane deal? It's less than a 10% discount. Woohoo, free sales tax! or something.

Sugarloaf, obviously. Heck of a drive though. How old is he?

Yeah, that's me.

No, I went to Italy with Ferrari and that's where I taught MS everything he knows. That was after I taught Ross Brawn and Jean Todt everything that they know, obviously. No, I don't recall ever being in China nor doing anything with Minardi (or in F1 at all).

Since I'm not cool enough to have a bike of my own, I need to live vicariously through Chad. This is Chad's motorized summer ride (he also has a couple of nice foot-powered bikes): <img src="http://honda.cf-cars.com/bike1.JPG"> big pic: http://honda.cf-cars.com/Awesome%20012.jpg These are two of my previous summer rides. Missing are the 914 I owned for two weeks and the charred and mangled remains of a 512M I was going recover the motor from but ended up selling instead. <img src="http://www.tuckerdogdesign.com/productivity_software/fsae.jpg"> <img src="http://www.cf-cars.com/images/gap-rallyx.jpg"> My current penis-mobile is one of these, with a little extra Go and a little extra Turn: <img src="http://www.scottgraves.net/images/s4_lf_01.jpg">