posted by Terence @ 5:04 AM on Thursday, June 18, 2009
I'm always looking for great videos to point people to when they ask me about autocross. The whole concept of amateur auto-racing can be really difficult to explain sometimes, because people automatically picture a completely different kind of racing when I tell them what I like to do on the weekends. Below is a really well-produced video showing some great shots of cars autocrossing:
When I saw that for the first time, I couldn't help but be reminded of the scene in the movie Big [imdb.com], where Tom Hanks' character starts playing on a similar keyboard at FAO Schwartz. Can you believe that movie is 21 years old now?
The next thought that I had was: wow, that looks like the most awesome game of Dance Dance Revolution I have ever seen...
posted by Terence @ 5:04 AM on Wednesday, May 06, 2009
I frequently have the problem where there is music I would be willing to buy, only I can't figure out where to buy it. The latest example is Jem's cover of the song Yellow, which I definitely think is better than the original:
I have no idea what the story is behind this cover. I hope that it will eventually be released so that you can buy it. My guess is that they can't because someone hasn't acquired the rights yet.
posted by Terence @ 5:07 AM on Wednesday, April 29, 2009
I was up at the SAE World Congress [mlive.com] last week. And one of the more exciting things that I got to see was the prototype of the Scuderi split cycle engine prototype. It's the basis of a pneumatic-hybrid engine (as opposed to an electric hybrid engine).
Instead of each cylinder in the engine performing all 4 combustion cycles, the jobs are split between two cylinders. One of the advantages is that when you are coasting or braking, the idling engine can be used to compress air. This compressed air will then be used later during acceleration (saving energy in the process). The following video does a much better explanation.
The great thing about having this video on YouTube is that you can stop and rewind it (whereas at the World Congress, you only had the option of watching it in realtime).
posted by Terence @ 4:48 AM on Monday, April 27, 2009
The following has to be one of the most ridiculous car chases that I have ever seen. Normally, when you see video of a car chase, you expect to see a car traveling at high speeds on a highway, with cops following. The driver in this video decided that "crazy" was the persona that they wanted to portray. And they did it by making U-turns in the middle of the highway so that they were going against traffic, getting out of the vehicle and taunting the cops, and otherwise just being a complete jackass.
Dear driver, maybe the next time you decide to lead a police chase, you will want to do it in a car that doesn't look like its styling was inspired by a whale.
posted by Terence @ 4:56 AM on Thursday, April 23, 2009
Ok, by now, almost everyone has probably heard one of the 911 calls in which someone calls, saying that they are locked in their car because the power door lock button isn't working. The 911 operator tells them that they just have to manually unlock the door by pulling up on the door lock knob. And it seems so ridiculous that someone would have to call 911 before figuring that out. If you haven't heard one of those calls, watch this:
Ok, here's a thought that I had after hearing the call. I have no idea how old the people are in those calls, but let's say that you're 16, you just got your license, and are just starting to drive around on your own. If you're 16, that means that you were born in, what, 1992-3? Isn't it possible that a 16-year-old would have never seen a car without power locks? I mean, even my first car, the pinnacle of automotive engineering known as the 1988 Ford Tempo, had power locks. So, it's conceivable that you might not know what to do if the power door lock button stops functioning (remember, 16-year-olds don't always have the best common sense to begin with). So, those calls might not be as crazy as they sound.
And on a side note, I just got really depressed by the following realization that just occurred to me: being 32 years old, I started driving at about the same time current 16-year-olds were born...
Miss California Carrie Prejean is disappointed she didn't win the Miss USA pageant after her answer to question on gay marriage from blogger Perez Hilton sparked controversy, but says she's proud she stayed true to her beliefs and wouldn't change the response – even though she believes it cost her the crown.
Ok, this has got to be the best thing that ever happened to the Miss USA competition, because I don't think anyone has given a shit about it in years.
Despite the fact that I saw the Miss USA contestants (in full regalia) around town when I was in Las Vegas two weeks ago, I had completely forgotten that it was about to happen. I have no idea what channel it airs on, what day of the week it is broadcast, and before 2 weeks ago, probably could not tell you what month of the year it is held. And I doubt that many other people do, either. Just like the Miss America pageant, it just isn't relevant anymore.
About the only time anyone ever pays attention to beauty pageants is when one of the contestants makes a complete ass out of themselves by doing something like trying to list "suchas" as a country [youtube.com].
Throw this crap off the air, or have the good sense to use this kind of media storm to generate interest BEFORE the show airs.
posted by Terence @ 5:04 AM on Friday, April 17, 2009
One of the stories that has caught the news lately is Honda's latest walking assist robots [techradar.com]. These wearable robotics devices are designed to allow the elderly or disabled to walk.
The first thing that I think of when I hear of wearable robotics is the human exoskeleton designed by Sarcos. The funding came from the military, and the purpose is to allow soldiers to lift more, run faster, etc for longer periods of time without getting tired. Here's a video of a prototype in action:
Of course, a device like that could have a lot of possibilities (such as helping the elderly and disabled, as already mentioned). The trick is to understand the user's intent, especially if they are paralyzed.
And the system has to do it without injuring the user or putting them into danger -- other than debugging, I would imagine the next largest chunk of development time is spent satisfying this requirement. An exoskeleton that is 20x as powerful as the user could easily injure you.
"Clay County Clerk... allegedly provided money to election officers to be distributed by the officers to buy votes and he also instructed officers how to change votes at the voting machine."
Yet another problem with electronic voting machines. As if more arguments had to be made for mandating that these machines produce a paper audit trail.
Kristof bemoans the death of large numbers of newspapers around the country, and attributes these deaths to people seeking out only media that confirms their own pre-existing views and prejudices.
In other words, we're doomed to have crap, sensationalized media, because it's what everyone wants. And if you don't believe that, just look at any TV news source.
One of my friends just got a Go Pro Hero Wide camera, which is a water-proof video camera for under $200 that you can strap to your car or bike helmet. It has a 170-degree view angle. The video quality is pretty decent, but the audio quality is compromised by the water-proof case. Here's a video that he recorded with the camera strapped to the grill of his car:
posted by Terence @ 5:01 AM on Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Ok, I've done a lot of stupid things because of love. I've spent the night sleeping in an Austrian fire escape, ridden on a gnome train past dusty and broken animatronic rats (and if that wasn't bad enough, the tour was being narrated in a language that I don't even speak), etc. But I don't know -- I look like a piker compared to the people in the following videos.
Here's a visually stunning (and heart-breaking) short video on a man building a virtual world for the woman he loves:
And then on the other end of the spectrum, there are videos on people falling in love with inanimate objects. One woman becomes a world champion archer after she falls in love with a bow. I can't tell if this is really non-fiction or a parody.
posted by Terence @ 5:27 AM on Wednesday, March 11, 2009
At this time of year, I always get excited about the start of auto-racing season. The two primary reasons are the auto-racing that I personally participate in and Formula One.
This year, Formula One features a ton of rule changes, from aerodynamics limitations to engine endurance requirements. Some are destined to be a mainstay of Formula One regulations for years to come. Some seem only designed to make the cars uglier and uglier.
To navigate all of the rules changes, there is this exciting video, which I think even non-Formula One fans would enjoy watching:
The Formula One schedule begins on March 29 in Australia!
posted by Terence @ 5:00 AM on Monday, March 02, 2009
Do you remember that episode of The Office, where Michael is coming in under budget, and Oscar has to explain to him (in 2nd grade terms) why coming in under budget is bad? That episode was called The Surplus [tvfanatic.com]. The part that really fascinated me about that episode was not how funny it was to hear an explanation dumbed-down that much, but just how good the dumbed-down explanation was. The explanation was brilliant, and the analogy to a kid's lemonade stand was perfect.
I just saw a dumbed-down explanation of the ongoing credit crisis and economic meltdown, and it's just as good:
posted by Terence @ 5:02 AM on Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Remember the E*Trade commercials during the Superbowl featuring the talking babies? You know, the ones that completely sucked and made you pissed off that you has hushed up your friends who were rudely talking over the commercials? Well, here are some scenes with those babies that are actually funny:
If the embedded video doesn't work, use this link [youtube.com].
posted by Terence @ 5:01 AM on Wednesday, February 11, 2009
A friend recently pointed me out to Professor Walter Lewin and how a bunch of his lectures have been posted to YouTube. He's a very energetic and insightful professor at MIT, who has a knack for making physics exciting with entertaining demonstrations.
For instance, check out this battery that he constructed out of cans and water. It's really more of a static generator (like a Van de Graaff generator [wikipedia.org]) than a battery, but still interesting:
I can't help but think that if there were more lecturers like this, that students nowadays would be more interested in science and technology.
posted by Terence @ 4:55 AM on Monday, February 09, 2009
By now, probably everyone has heard Christian Bale's tantrum on the set of Terminator Salvation [imdb.com]. If you haven't, it's a four-minute long rant from a big movie star who is getting distracted by a Director of Photography adjusting lights and walking around the set. Here it is (and wear headphones so you can hear the dialogue from off-mic):
The thing that gets me about the rant is how Bale's British accent goes in and out. It's not consistent at all. You would expect him to be yelling in his normal voice (which has an accent). But it comes out sounding like an American who is trying to imitate a British accent, and doing it badly. I'm pretty sure that I could imitate that accent at least as well as it sounds in that clip. It's like in the middle of the scene, he realizes that his accent is starting to slip, and he steps it up again.
Of course, he ended up apologizing for it [nydailynews.com] after it leaked out onto the internet. But I'm sure that A-list movie stars throw tantrums all of the time, and it just doesn't get recorded anywhere. And of course, when these things don't leak out, they aren't shamed into apologizing for their adolescent behavior.
posted by Terence @ 4:58 AM on Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Here's something that I learned a while ago and then forgot: you can extend the range of your car's keyless entry remote by holding it against your head [yahoo.com].
posted by Terence @ 4:17 AM on Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Ok, here are some interesting things that I learned recently:
Did you know there are world rankings for aquarium arranging [adana-usa.com]? It is so relaxing just looking at the different pictures of aquariums.
A car show recently did a piece comparing drive-through car washes [brightcove.com], pressure washers and hand washing a car to determine which is best for your car. They specially prepared three identical cars, had each washed a different way, and then examined the paint on each to show how much damage was done by each washing method. The results were really interesting.
posted by Terence @ 5:02 AM on Monday, January 19, 2009
Are you aware of how quickly a dry Christmas tree will go up in flames? Watch this video and see a Christmas tree turned into a flamethrower in about 5 seconds:
If the embedded video doesn't work, use this link.
That's enough to make anyone never want to bring a live tree into their house again, I would think. I had no idea that something could go up in flames so quickly.
posted by Terence @ 5:00 AM on Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Have you ever heard a song that made you want to learn how to play the ukelele? Neither had I, until I saw this cover of Radiohead's "Creep" performed by Amanda Palmer:
If the embedded video doesn't work, use this link [youtube.com].
With each scene that is on the list is an explanation of what makes it so great and a clip of the scene in question.
"Car Crash" is used kind of liberally, since most of the scenes are really chase scenes featuring a series of individual car crashes. But it's hard to argue with the list, given that the scenes are so great. I was riveted, because for the most part, it reminded me of great movie scenes that I had long forgotten about. It's a great read.
Consider Car Crash #6, which came from Bad Boys II, and showed what might happen if a car carrying truck released the cars that it was carrying onto a busy highway:
If the embedded video doesn't work, use this link [youtube.com].
posted by Terence @ 4:59 AM on Wednesday, January 07, 2009
I have heard about goats that faint when they are frightened before. But it was only recently that I thought to look on YouTube to see what they actually do:
If the embedded video doesn't work, use this link [youtube.com].
Fainting goats [wikipedia.org] suffer from a hereditary disorder called Myotonia congenita [wikipedia.org]. According to the article on Fainting Goats:
"A fainting goat is a breed of domestic goat whose muscles freeze for roughly 10 seconds when the goat is startled. Though painless, this generally results in the animal collapsing on its side. The characteristic is caused by a hereditary genetic disorder called myotonia congenita. When startled, younger goats will stiffen and fall over. Older goats learn to spread their legs or lean against something when startled, and often they continue to run about in an awkward, stiff-legged shuffle."
This breed of goat is common to Marshall County, Tennessee.
The above video is hysterically funny, even though it shows the same clip of goats fainting over and over. Even the fifth time I saw the same clip, I still laughed.
posted by Terence @ 7:17 AM on Friday, December 26, 2008
Someone pointed me out to an in-car video from Danny Popp's car (Corvette Z06), as he goes from last to first place in his class at the 2008 NASA Nationals Qualifying Race:
If the embedded video doesn't work, use this link [youtube.com].
There are some really hairy moments throughout the race -- three abreast through turns, passing with almost no room between the cars, cars spinning out right in front of him... It is really exciting to watch.
posted by Terence @ 5:00 AM on Monday, December 15, 2008
What happens if you get chased by bad guys (who are driving a Corvette) through a mall? Watch this and find out [link updated]:
If the embedded video doesn't work, use this link [youtube.com].
That is so much fun to watch. I wonder how they managed to shoot that? No mall owner is going to let a bunch of people drive like crazy people through a mall that potentially has to open to customers the next day. That must have been a set, right? But that was a really elaborate set.
posted by Terence @ 5:00 AM on Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Is browsing YouTube ever not depressing? Here's a video of a dog managing to do what I could never actually accomplish successfully myself -- skateboarding:
I kept expecting the dog to ollie up onto a curb as I watched that video. If the embedded video doesn't work, use this link [youtube.com].
posted by Terence @ 5:00 AM on Thursday, December 04, 2008
Here's something for all of the engineers who read this weblog. Evidently, wind turbines are more complicated than they look. Someone sent me a link to this video of one self-destructing:
If the embedded video doesn't work, use this link [youtube.com].
It turns out that the control systems on those wind turbines are pretty sophisticated. One part of the control systems are the brake controllers, which prevent the turbines from spinning to fast in a storm, etc. When the brakes fail, the turbine spins out of control, with these results.
According to this article [theregister.co.uk], engineers were called out to fix the turbine, but realized they weren't going to be able to fix it before it self-destructed. So, they climbed down and retreated to a safe distance, where they shot the video.
A new device, developed in the UK, almost instantly pinpoints the location of an enemy sniper, allowing effective return fire to occur more quickly. From the article:
"The device... works by isolating the crack of the sniper rifle thanks to four microphones, a GPS system and a powerful microprocessor."
"It takes less than a tenth of a second and provides the results in audio and visual formats. It can even send a grid reference via radio to supporting artillery and aircraft."
Here's a video showing how to use a "controlled" explosion to mount a tire on a rim:
If the embedded video doesn't work, use this link [youtube.com].
"In the late 1970s, it became apparent the small pastic coffee spoons at McDonald's restaurants were being used... to measure and snort powdered cocaine as well as PCP, an animal tranquilizer with hallucinogenic properties..."
"The company reacted to the problem by redesigning the stirrer, replacing the spoon with a flat paddle."
posted by Terence @ 5:00 AM on Thursday, October 23, 2008
This weekend, Heimlich and I will get a real treat. We will get the opportunity to see Greg Pattillo perform. For those of you who aren't familiar with his work, he does this whole freestyle, beatboxing flute thing. It's a lot easier to understand if you just watch one of his videos:
If the embedded video doesn't work, use this link [youtube.com].
I haven't actually seen him perform live before, but the videos make it look like he puts on quite a performance. I'm sure that going back and forth between playing notes on the flute and notes with just his mouth is a lot harder than it looks (and it looks hard). Hopefully, he will live up to the hype.
"Credit-card losses are already taking a bite out of lenders' balance sheets. Bank of America, the nation's second-largest issuer behind JPMorgan, revealed on Oct. 6 that roughly $3 billion of its $184 billion credit-card portfolio has soured, a 50% increase from a year ago..."
"Likewise, American Express (AXP), which caters to wealthier borrowers, upped its provisions for credit-card losses from $810 million to $1.5 billion in the latest quarter, a sign that even upscale consumers are having trouble."
About a year ago, when the stock market really started going down, I pulled almost all of my money out of the market and started buying CDs (thinking this would be the ultimate safe investment). I never imagined that we'd be looking at bank failures a year later. These days, we're looking at silent bank runs [charlotteobserver.com] that can very quickly sink banks. It makes me wonder if a healthy bank could be sunk these days by a media story hinting that it may be in trouble.
posted by Terence @ 4:53 AM on Monday, September 22, 2008
Here are a few interesting links:
Here's a video of NBA star LeBron James getting beaten in a game of horse. Some of the shots are incredible!
If the embedded video doesn't work, use this link [youtube.com]. link via kottke.org.
The Freakonomics Blog has some interesting graphics [nytimes.com], which simplify the explanations of McCain's and Obama's tax plans.
Apparently, under either plan, you will get a tax cut -- unless you are in the top 1%, in which case Obama will make you pay more.
There have been a ton of comments on the new Microsoft ad (the one post-Seinfeld):
As stated by tons of other people, there is no shortage of problems with these ads. But I think that the bottom line is that as long as the product is terrible, having a good marketing campaign for it is, well... like putting lipstick on a pig. *rimshot*
posted by Terence @ 5:17 AM on Tuesday, September 09, 2008
I have mentioned here and there about participating in autocross, which is an amateur form of autoracing that is relatively safe and economical. You are racing against the clock, not wheel to wheel. And whenever I try to explain it to people, I can just tell that what they're imagining doesn't match reality.
Below is a well-produced news segment explaining what autocross is. I need to remember to link to this every time someone asks me to explain autocross.
If the embedded video doesn't work, use this link [racingfilm.com].
posted by Terence @ 5:09 AM on Monday, July 28, 2008
My favorite TV show these days is Top Gear [bbc.co.uk], which I probably have mentioned several times. It's a show for car enthusiasts, where they never stop amazing viewers with the crazy shit they think to do with cars.
Someone recently pointed me out to some segments that I missed. They actually put together a soccer match, where they used cars to kick the ball around:
Those are incredible! Especially where they spin the cars out to hit the ball with the back end of the car. They look like they would have been a ton of fun to shoot.
posted by Terence @ 5:06 AM on Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Here's a video any music fan would love:
It's a hilarious comedy bit about how horrible the part for cello is for Pachelbel's Canon in D. But the payoff at the end is something that anyone familiar with current popular music would love.
And if you're a classical music geek, you will totally identify with this guy.
