| Author | Message | ||
     Fullpower  |
string theory gives me wood- in 11 dimensions. no, wait, thong theory, thats what i meant. (Message edited by fullpower on January 04, 2005) | ||
| Fullpower |
the dual nature of light, sort of like the dual nature of Buell. at an idle it shakes like a cammed up sportster. healed hard over, open throttle on tight pavement it mimics a well sorted ducati. parked on the street, people just ask "what is it?" | ||
| Pilot |
Paul Mate the Goodies are touring and will be in Brisbane in March I think.No I am not going but a person I know and her husband are. Is the box connected yet? | ||
| Bartimus  |
Aaron, Thanks a bunch for your enlightenment towards the forcewinder dilemma. I followed the link, and it is truly an eye opener. I'll make the mods as described. Thanks again for your input, and your expertise in this field. you da man!  | ||
| Sandblast  |
Maybe if we talk about string theory long enough we can learn to change the vibration speeds of things, and then we wont have to learn how to avoid paint bubbles when we want to change the color of our gas tanks... | ||
| Choptop  |
wait a second.... a PhD saying that light isnt affected by gravity? uhhhhh, wrong-o. where did he get his PhD? Tinker-Toy Tech? | ||
| Slaughter  |
Light is not affected by gravity as much as it's affected by levity  | ||
| Choptop |
Schrodinger's Cat by Steve Martin is even better. | ||
| Sarodude |
It looks like I've gotta travel to Toronto in a couple of weeks - probably starting on the evening of the 18th. My return date will depend on what I feel like doing after thing wrap up on the 20th. Thinking of swinging down by NY after business is done. Anyone around Toronto or NY or ? wanna hook up for some gab & grub? -Saro (Message edited by sarodude on January 05, 2005) | ||
| Henrik  |
Saro; I'm always up for a bite to eat and a beer. Shoot me a mail off line. Henrik | ||
| Court |
>>>Saro; I'm always up for a bite to eat and a beer. Shoot me a mail off line. Contact my social scheduling agent ,the Great Dane. | ||
| Road_thing  |
Saro: Beware of dining with Court and Henrik, unless you happen to enjoy dumpster-diving!  rt | ||
| Court |
Wiat!...that's unfair and unkind. Henrik and I have taken great pains to take you to some of the finest dumpsters in America! Just look at the "snack stand" behind this CityX! Saro....c'mon....you know you wanna see Gotham with guides from Denmark and Kansas!  | ||
| Sarodude |
Denmark & Kansas... Didn't really consider that. Don't know what to think anymore. Part of me is afraid. Part of me is curious. OK, both parts are now scared. The first question that comes to mind: If I decide that there's no place like home, do I have to be wearing wooden shoes when I click my heels? -Saro | ||
| Court |
>>>>If I decide that there's no place like home, do I have to be wearing wooden shoes when I click my heels? Here's the gig geek-boy...WHAT you are wearing while eating pickled BBQ is of little consequence. By the way...for "risk" bonus points, time your trip to coincide with Road Things and we'll show you things you ain't 'ever seen in California! | ||
| Road_thing |
do I have to be wearing wooden shoes when I click my heels? Shoe material is irrelevant, but they have to be covered with rubies! No firm date on my semi-annual pilgrimage to the Big Apple. Late Jan/early Feb is as close as I can get, but judging from Saro's itinerary, it could happen. Notify Homeland Security... rt edited for speling... (Message edited by road_thing on January 05, 2005) | ||
| Road_thing |
Oh, by the way, notice the parking job on Court's bike? Notice the signs on the pole? A thinking person will make an extrapolation regarding Mr. Canfield's respect for traffic laws from those two data points. Remind me to tell you sometime... rt Gawd, he's got me doing it! | ||
| Blake |
If he left the City Cross idling it may not have been stopped, but doing the Buell shuffle.  | ||
| Josh_  |
RT, make it early March and we'll see you there. | ||
| Captpete  |
I thought y’all might be interested in reading this first-hand report of the experiences of some acquaintences of mine who survived the recent tsunami. They are (were?) a cruising family, Merle, Mary, and their daughter, Crystal, who were living aboard their sailing yacht at the Harbor of Refuge when I first arrived on Guam last March. Their vessel had been holed and sunk by a typhoon here in Guam, and they were finishing the repairs when I met them. Two or three months later, the repairs were complete, and I attended their bon voyage party there at the HOR, and along with many others wished them safe passage as they headed out for the Philippines and points beyond. They were anchored off a beach in Thailand when the recent tsunami struck. Here is Merle’s account of their miraculous survival. (Note: Merle’s wife, Mary, is a firey Irish woman who works as a midwife.) P. Aloha, Please forgive us for not writing sooner, but a computer or a phone has been hard to come by in the last few days. I have started to write several times only to have the power go out, or a mad rush to high ground as another wave was one the way. Of course that hasn’t happened, but the water has been very different these last few days. Everyone in this part of the world is a bit gun shy. I find myself constantly looking over my shoulder. So here is our story: The day after Christmas started as a beautiful morning in Thailand. We were anchored off of one of the most popular beaches in the country, Railay. It sits on a small peninsula close to the town of Krabi, the only way to the beaches here are by boat. There were hundreds of tourists and longtail boats in this area. Just to explain, the longtail is a wood vessel that everyone travels to and from in this part of the world. It holds anywhere from ten to twenty people. One of Crystal’s presents this Christmas was a rock climbing course. Very popular in this area. She was excited to get going, and we took her ashore at around 0830. Full of excitement and equipment we made our way to the other side of the peninsula to get her started. That is the east side, about a kilometer from the west side. Tir na n-Og was anchored on the west side. Mary and I were actually looking forward to breakfast together, alone on the beach. Not often are we able to spend time alone, away from our teenage daughter. I know Crystal felt the same about her old, boring parents. After breakfast we headed back to the boat, but first decided to stop at the local Internet caf?and check email. It had not been working for the past two days, but this morning we were able to get through. Just as we connected, people started to scream and run across the beach. Mary thought a bomb had gone off, or some act of terrorism. The caf?was on the beach, and once we looked towards the water we saw the reason for the panic. It’s amazing how the brain works, and even more amazing how fast it works. My first thought was we were at Waimea Bay on the north shore of Hawaii. Instantly I knew that wasn’t the case, and when I came back to Krabi, it had to be a tsunami. It was a sight that we will never ever forget. A monstrous wall of water was heading towards us at an amazing speed. I have to admit after all those sheer moments of terror in my life I was frozen in fear. What to do? Run, get the dinghy and try and make it to the boat, help all the people in the water, oh my God, Crystal! The next thing I remember is Mary screaming Tir na n-Og, not again, not again, this can’t be happening. At that moment, an eight to ten meter wave broke over our home smashing her on her port side and burying her under water. We both just stood there in utter shock. To lose our boat for the second time in as many years just couldn’t be happening. Unbelievable, she came back up. There might be hope. Screaming a short distance away caught our attention. We looked at the waters edge to see close to a fifty people, some in kayaks, sitting or laying on the ocean floor. The entire bay had drained. Mary screamed we have to help these people. As I started for the waters edge, the second wave, just as massive, hit Tir na n-Og. She was slammed, again on her port side and engulfed in water. How could it be possible to survive this? The energy of these waves was colossal, and we could see in the distance, another was on the way. That was the last we saw of the boat, for instantly we knew we had to leave. Hundreds of things went through my mind in seconds, or less. How could we help these people in the water, or the ones on the boats? In my peripheral vision I saw four or five longtails with people flying out of them swallowed by white water. The scene was surreal, indescribable. The water was coming fast. There was nothing to do at this point but run, the realization hit Mary and myself at the same time. Crystal!! The boat, or anything else at this point was insignificant. Where was our daughter? As we raced from the beach the thoughts of not being together were overwhelming. There hasn’t been many times in the past sixteen years that we have been separated. Looking over my shoulder, I saw complete panic. People and longtails were crashing into buildings, trees, and each other. One of my thoughts was on the people I had seen only minutes earlier in the water. I knew many were now dead. And my beautiful, just turned sixteen year old daughter, where was she? No matter what, we had to get to her. She had to be alive. We were literally running for our lives. Hundreds of people were scattering for high ground. Where was our daughter? The wall she was climbing was on the beach. It was a bit more protected than the west side where the waves actually hit, but the surge was ponderous and still coming. As we were running towards our daughter, people from that side were coming our way. This was not a good sign. The trip to the east beach took what seemed to be a thousand years. When we arrived the water was high, and many parts of the beach were under. Wading through waist high water that was rushing towards shore, we finally came to the spot we had left Crystal. Screaming her name, and whistling, we got no response. This just couldn’t be happening. Then from up the steep wall of limestone she called back. Mom, dad, up here! The relief was incredible, but short lived, for we had to move. We were alive, and together but still far from being out of harms way. For some reason at this point we thought of heading back to the west side and getting to Tir na n-Og. As we approached the beach, hundreds more people came rushing our way screaming that more waves were coming. As I looked out through the carnage towards the water I saw another wave heading our way. This one was as big, and it was roaring at us at incredible speed. Mothers! They are amazing. I heard Mary yelling to Crystal that she was to keep running as fast and as far as she could, no matter what happens to her. Hundreds of people were moving to high ground, and there was only one place to go. When we finally arrived at this spot, about sixty meters high, we found ourselves exhausted, drained physically and mentally. The thoughts of what just happened overwhelmed us. Standing on this one spot we embraced each other in a three-way hug and broke down in tears. For all of us to be alive and together knowing all the death we had just seen around us was something that we cannot put into words. Everyone on the peninsula began making their way to this one spot, and some were hurt. The Irishwoman along with a few more went into action doing what they could with what they had to work with, which wasn’t much, mostly trying to make the injured comfortable, cleaning cuts, splinting broken bones, and in many cases, just holding hands. The horror stories started to unfold. So much tragedy mixed with so many miracles. One family tossed from a longtail just off the beach being split apart in seconds, the daughter and father swept into a hotel room a hundred yards inland, and then, just when they thought they were safe, the room filled with water. She pulled her badly injured father to safety. Hours later they found her husband, and mother. A miracle to be sure. Another husband whose leg was almost ripped off, his wife hurt worse than he, and they lost their six-year old twin daughters. Still not found four days later. We have subsequently heard hundreds more of these stories. It was hard to bear, feeling guilty that we were all alive. Feeling guilty about thinking if our boat was still there. The day was very long. The tension on that hill was overbearing. Ten times the word came not to leave the safety of our little world as more tsunamis were on the way. Around three in the afternoon people started yelling that another wave was on the horizon. Sure enough there was one in view. It only lasted a few minutes, but it managed to triple the tension. At four or five that evening some helicopters arrived to medivac the more seriously injured from our land locked area. We made our way to the beach with trepidation to see if Tir na n-Og had survived another natural disaster. As we looked through the rubble of buildings and fallen trees, there she was, still floating. The beach was totaled. Everything was flattened and destroyed. There didn’t seem to be a hope that our inflatable would make it through the mess, but there it was inside the Internet caf?that we had run from hours earlier. The only reason it survived, we think, is because it was surrounded by four or five longtails smashed to bits and protecting it from all the debris. Now we could make our way out in the dinghy, up to this we thought we would have to swim as every boat on the beach was destroyed. A few guys helped us lift the dinghy to the waters edge. When we sat her down in ankle deep water, another surge rushed in up to our waists, and then back out much further than before. The tension of the day with more reported waves approaching, and the way the water was acting was too much for everyone. People again headed inland and back to high ground, us included. We would wait again to go to our beloved boat. It was the longest night of our lives, and at this point we had no idea of the devastation elsewhere. Some facilities did manage to serve some food, and it was some of the best warm beer I had ever swallowed, but there wasn’t much sleep for any of us that night. All night I kept wondering what could have happened to Tir na n-Og. All the hatches were closed, so maybe some water got in, but surely not much. Some through the dorades no doubt, the chimney things on the cabin top to allow air in. Most likely one of the three lockers in the cockpit let some water in, but not that much. For sure the cockpit cushions are gone, big deal we needed new ones anyhow. As we approached Tir na n-Og the next morning we were very hopeful, after all, she was floating. The closer we came to her the bigger the lump in my throat became. Everything on deck was gone. Some of it still hanging on over the side but destroyed. The dodger, bimini, and lee cloths ripped to shreds. The chimneys ripped from the cabin top. The only thing remaining was the life raft. The middle hatch was shattered. When we saw that, we expected the worst, and it was. I just couldn’t believe this had happened again for the second time in two years, almost to the day. Below was a wreck. Everything broken, dishes, glasses, floorboards everywhere, everything once again soaked with salt water. We all just looked at each other tears welling in our eyes, and we thanked God once again we were all together and alive. If possible we had to move the boat. It was just too tense at this spot in the shallow water we were in. The engine was full of salt water, so that was our first task. If we could get that going we could move. I pulled the injectors, sucked water from the oil pan, put it all back together, and crossed my fingers. Old Mr. Westerbeke who has now been submerged twice in salt water sputtered a few times then roared to life. What a relief! Thanks again Sam. We moved the rest of the day to one of the only places in the area not destroyed, a marina at the north east side of •••••• island. At present we are trying to save some items, but I’m afraid our hearts aren’t in it this time. I’m sure all of you have seen more of the devastation, as we have no TV. It is a miracle to have been in the middle of the biggest natural disaster the world has ever seen and to have survived. We haven’t heard how the yachting community has fared yet, but we do know that boats and lives have been lost. Many fellow cruisers here have yet to hear from friends, we included. We do know that two marinas in Langkawi, Talaga Harbor and Rebak Marina, suffered major damage, and many boats were lost. Mary has said she has gone to sea on Tir na n-Og for the last time, and Crystal seems to agree. They think the boat has tried to commit suicide twice, and was nice enough not to include us in her demise. They don’t want to give her another chance; I guess I can’t blame them. Everyday, as the horror stories reach us, and the death toll rises, the damage to our home seems very insignificant. In the last few days we have managed to bring the boat back to a livable condition, but by no means is she seaworthy. We do have good water, and the small local restaurant close by has great Thai food, and plenty of cold beer. In the next few days we plan to check in with the local hospital, and various other places to see if we can lend a hand. Other than that we just aren’t sure what lies ahead. We are thinking about giving up this boat thing for a while and getting back into skydiving. I think it will be safer. Mary, Crystal and I want to thank you all for your good thoughts and prayers, and all the offers of help. Our lives have been radically changed in the last few days, but we are so very thankful to be together and alive. | ||
| Ethanr  |
Mikej->Can someone explain to me how a 1203cc bike getting 50mpg can produce more harmful emissions than an SUV with a 3500cc+ sized engine getting less than 20mpg? Yes. It's not a "pollutants per gallon" issue, but one per mile. A vehicle can burn less fuel per mile and yet not burn the fuel as cleanly. A primo example was the old VW Bug. It got phenomenal gas mileage but burned dirty. One of the reasons they pulled it from the US market but continued to make it in Europe, Mexico, etc. was that it became too hard to make it meet emissions here. They replaced it with the Rabbit, which did. We did a chalkboard lab on it in one of my thermo or chemistry classes but that was almost 20 years ago so I don't recall the details. Catalytic converters aren't the only thing getting Japanese bikes through our current emissions laws, though they might be a significant contributor for IL4s. My '97 Valk (flat 6, stock exhaust replaced with glasspacks) registered just a quarter of the emissions of a friend's new (2003?) stock Heritage Softtail. I haven't seen scores for XBs so I can't compare. | ||
| Sarodude |
Sir Constructinator- A leather thong it is, then. Got some serious running about to do in the next couple of weeks but I'll drop everyone a note regarding more specific days / times. Incidentally, what are the options with regard to getting to / from Toronto? That will play greatly in my planning. -Saro | ||
| Davegess |
Mikej->Can someone explain to me how a 1203cc bike getting 50mpg can produce more harmful emissions than an SUV with a 3500cc+ sized engine getting less than 20mpg? Ethanr has hit the nail on head. it not how much gas you burn but how clean you burn it. The modern car, and even an SUV which might be classed as a light truck, burns very cleanly. Bikes are very far behind this curve. It would be nice if the makers would clean them up without the gov telling them to but unless the vast majority of bike buyers was asking for it it would not happen. I can't see the 600 sportbike buyer saying "I think I'll buy the Honda, it may be slower than the Kawi but it is cleaner". Aint gonna happen. The bike does have the advantage of not putting in many miles so they have been given slack because the total contribution to pollution is low but with it getting tougher to clean up the cars any more and bike sales climbing they are a target. Of course your ten year old lawn mower puts out more pollution in an hour than your car does in a month and my old two stroke snowblower probably puts out more that all the cars on my block! And it has really low consumption of gas. | ||
| Mikej  |
Good thing I have bicycles, they help to offset my own 2-stroke snowblower I fired up last night and will do again tonight. | ||
| Charlieboy6649  |
Another good example is this. Diesel motors have gotten a bad rap for being dirty engines. The new tractors on our freeways are CLEANER than our gasoline powered vehicles... I read an article in a trucker rag available at most truckstops that had a spread on it... It all had to do with how completely the fuel burned and aftertreatment... | ||
| Ebear  |
To anybody planning on attending Laguna Seca this year for the MotoGP races there is a thread on Quick Board about track changes....  (Message edited by ebear on January 07, 2005) | ||
| Midknyte |
Who enjoyed the penguin batting last week? There's more twisted goodness!   http://gprime.net/game/ylympics/ | ||
| Swampy  |
If you guys want to experience pollution firsthand, simply fill a 3 lb. metal coffee can about 1/3 with gas and touch it off. Make sure you do it outside and away from anything you care about. It doesn't explode, but gives off a warm yellow light for about 20 minutes. A friend of mine loves to wake me up once or twice a summer, usually just after I fall into deep sleep. I don't know why the neighbors haven't called the cops. | ||
| Loki  |
Finally back on the web at the house. | ||
| Bluzm2  |
Hey Loki! Good to see you back again. (From home anyway...) Brad |
