Heading off to Tokyo in a while... be back on the 3rd so take care everyone.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Ferrari FXX - Michael Schumacher
Vid of Michael Schumacher's unique black Ferrari FXX @ Magny Cours with Zinédine Zidane as passenger.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Crash settled for US$4.5M
The first post on this blog was about a high-profile car crash, and the responsibilities of drivers on trackdays. So it seems 2 years on, the deceased passenger's wife sued everyone, and won. Porsche was named as one of the defendants for creating a "defective car" as it did not have electronic stability control which contributed to the crash.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Tragicomedy
According to the BBC the deputy mayor of Delhi was killed while fending off marauding wild monkeys. The article proposed a solution: "One approach has been to train bands of larger, more ferocious langur monkeys to go after the smaller groups of Rhesus macaques." Whereupon a digg reader commented:
"And then they'll train gorillas to go after the langurs. Pretty soon they'll be dodging [lions] that are fighting rhinos."
Direct to DVD... Animal Planet: The World at War Edition.
"And then they'll train gorillas to go after the langurs. Pretty soon they'll be dodging [lions] that are fighting rhinos."
Direct to DVD... Animal Planet: The World at War Edition.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
353.7 PS at wheels
A returning customer came in yesterday to have a set of GSC stage 1 cams fitted on his Evo 9. To our pleasant surprise they did not give poor vacuum under low loads as would be typical of aftermarket cams with aggressive overlap. This means idle quality is stock-like.
This set of cams is superior in every way to the stock cams; there was no loss in torque, and there was significant increase in power in the entire rev range after 3600 RPM.
After reprogramming the ECU the car eventually made almost 40 PS at wheels more than when it came in at the same boost levels, and on the same petrol.
As a frame of reference, a 2.5L WRX STI with 265 PS at crank does about 210 PS at wheels on this dyno.
Update: Due to the an input error in the dyno's gear ratio calculation, the measured torque is underrated by 5.8%! Horsepower remains the same. The corrected peak torque figure measured at wheels should be 441 Nm @ 4422 RPM.
This set of cams is superior in every way to the stock cams; there was no loss in torque, and there was significant increase in power in the entire rev range after 3600 RPM.
After reprogramming the ECU the car eventually made almost 40 PS at wheels more than when it came in at the same boost levels, and on the same petrol.
As a frame of reference, a 2.5L WRX STI with 265 PS at crank does about 210 PS at wheels on this dyno.
Update: Due to the an input error in the dyno's gear ratio calculation, the measured torque is underrated by 5.8%! Horsepower remains the same. The corrected peak torque figure measured at wheels should be 441 Nm @ 4422 RPM.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Age of the Amateurs
One of the side effects of the explosive growth of the Internet, combined with the powerful functionality of search engines like Google, is the widespread availability of specialized information for a minimum investment of time or money. Taken to an extreme, this has led to the resurgence of the armchair expert.
Today, the ubiquity of software to reprogram one's engine computer is a reality. However the old adage applies: a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.
Recently I had the dubious distinction of having to explain to a testy individual about following advice from dubious sources. This person was trying to rescale the MAF resolution by changing the A/D counts and other related parameters by a fixed factor. However he quickly turned defensive when the obvious was pointed out: there was incomplete information as to whether the MAF sensor would still respond with a linear voltage given the increase in mass airflow. Whereupon this person quickly accused me of being disrespectful, discourteous, sarcastic etc. The typical Singaporean knee-jerk response to someone who holds a differing viewpoint. Possibly because he is now charging $140 per tune, whereas the market rate for a professional tune is anywhere from $500 onwards, with $1000 being the average. i.e. monetary interest in appearing to be correct at all times.
A relevant section from John Mandel's "The Statistical Analysis of Experimental Data" is appropriate:
#####
The methods of statistical analysis are intimately related to the problems of inductive inference: drawing inferences from the particular to the general. R.A. Fisher, one of the founders of the modern science of statistics, has pointed to a basic and most important difference between the results of induction and deduction. In the latter, conclusions based on partial information are always correct, despite the incompleteness of the premises, provided that this partial information itself is correct. For example, the theorem that the sum of the angles of a plane triangle equals to 180 degrees is based on certain postulates of geometry, but it does not necessitate information as to whether the triangle is drawn on paper or on cardboard, or whether it is isosceles or not. If information of this type is subsequently added, it cannot possibly alter the fact expressed by the theorem. On the other hand, inferences drawn by induction from incomplete information may be entirely wrong, even when the information given is entirely correct. For example, if one were given the data of Table 2.1 on the pressure and volume of a fixed mass of gas, one might infer, by induction, that the pressure of a gas is proportional to its volume, a completely erroneous statement.
Table 2.1 Volume-Pressure Relation for Ethylene, an Apparently Proportional Relationship
The error is due, of course, to the fact that another important item of information was omitted, namely that each pair of measurements was obtained at a different temperature, as indicated in Table 2.2. Admittedly this example is artificial and extreme; it was introduced merely to emphasize the basic problem in inductive reasoning: the dependence of inductive inferences not only on the correctness of the data, by also on their completeness. Recognition of the danger of drawing false inferences from incomplete, though correct information has led scientists to a preference for designed experimentation above mere observation of natural phenomena.
Table 2.2 Volume-Pressure-Temperature Relation for Ethylene
#####
Just as one may be inclined to seek medical information on the Internet, it is still prudent to visit a licensed medical practitioner so that one's ailments may be properly diagnosed and treated. Would you let a "doctor" treat you just because he has read some medical books and charges a low fee?
The age of the amateur is upon us.
Today, the ubiquity of software to reprogram one's engine computer is a reality. However the old adage applies: a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.
Recently I had the dubious distinction of having to explain to a testy individual about following advice from dubious sources. This person was trying to rescale the MAF resolution by changing the A/D counts and other related parameters by a fixed factor. However he quickly turned defensive when the obvious was pointed out: there was incomplete information as to whether the MAF sensor would still respond with a linear voltage given the increase in mass airflow. Whereupon this person quickly accused me of being disrespectful, discourteous, sarcastic etc. The typical Singaporean knee-jerk response to someone who holds a differing viewpoint. Possibly because he is now charging $140 per tune, whereas the market rate for a professional tune is anywhere from $500 onwards, with $1000 being the average. i.e. monetary interest in appearing to be correct at all times.
A relevant section from John Mandel's "The Statistical Analysis of Experimental Data" is appropriate:
#####
The methods of statistical analysis are intimately related to the problems of inductive inference: drawing inferences from the particular to the general. R.A. Fisher, one of the founders of the modern science of statistics, has pointed to a basic and most important difference between the results of induction and deduction. In the latter, conclusions based on partial information are always correct, despite the incompleteness of the premises, provided that this partial information itself is correct. For example, the theorem that the sum of the angles of a plane triangle equals to 180 degrees is based on certain postulates of geometry, but it does not necessitate information as to whether the triangle is drawn on paper or on cardboard, or whether it is isosceles or not. If information of this type is subsequently added, it cannot possibly alter the fact expressed by the theorem. On the other hand, inferences drawn by induction from incomplete information may be entirely wrong, even when the information given is entirely correct. For example, if one were given the data of Table 2.1 on the pressure and volume of a fixed mass of gas, one might infer, by induction, that the pressure of a gas is proportional to its volume, a completely erroneous statement.
Table 2.1 Volume-Pressure Relation for Ethylene, an Apparently Proportional Relationship
The error is due, of course, to the fact that another important item of information was omitted, namely that each pair of measurements was obtained at a different temperature, as indicated in Table 2.2. Admittedly this example is artificial and extreme; it was introduced merely to emphasize the basic problem in inductive reasoning: the dependence of inductive inferences not only on the correctness of the data, by also on their completeness. Recognition of the danger of drawing false inferences from incomplete, though correct information has led scientists to a preference for designed experimentation above mere observation of natural phenomena.
Table 2.2 Volume-Pressure-Temperature Relation for Ethylene
#####
Just as one may be inclined to seek medical information on the Internet, it is still prudent to visit a licensed medical practitioner so that one's ailments may be properly diagnosed and treated. Would you let a "doctor" treat you just because he has read some medical books and charges a low fee?
The age of the amateur is upon us.
Howard Jones
Heard a familiar ditty while in an arts & crafts shop with zeenie & ww on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Wondered if it was Howard Jones and the dynamic duo couldn't confirm; can't really blame them cos they would be all of 7 and 5 respectively when the song made its debut. Anyway here it is, still pretty good synth pop after all these years:
Like to get to know you well
Like to get to know you well
Like to get to know you well
So we can be one
We can be one together
Repeat Chorus
Together we can cast away the fear
Together we can wipe away the tear
Together we can strip down the barriers
And be one
Don't wanna talk about the weather
Don't wanna talk about the news
Just wanna get to the real you inside
Repeat Chorus
Don't you think now is the time
We should be feelin'
Just wanna simply say
Won't let you slip away
People wanna talk about the future
Don't wanna linger on the past
Just wanna reach to the real you inside
Forget cold glances and rejections
Leave the things that separate
Build on a trust that we can stand on
Repeat Chorus
Finding all are insecure
Opening the same door
Leaving out a stubborn pride
Seeing from another side
Repeat Chorus
Like to get to know you well
Like to get to know you well
Like to get to know you well
So we can be one
We can be one together
Repeat Chorus
Together we can cast away the fear
Together we can wipe away the tear
Together we can strip down the barriers
And be one
Don't wanna talk about the weather
Don't wanna talk about the news
Just wanna get to the real you inside
Repeat Chorus
Don't you think now is the time
We should be feelin'
Just wanna simply say
Won't let you slip away
People wanna talk about the future
Don't wanna linger on the past
Just wanna reach to the real you inside
Forget cold glances and rejections
Leave the things that separate
Build on a trust that we can stand on
Repeat Chorus
Finding all are insecure
Opening the same door
Leaving out a stubborn pride
Seeing from another side
Repeat Chorus
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
New Supra MkV spotted at Nurburgring
Props to BK who sent me this link... sounds like a V10. Shaun thinks it's either a V10 or an even-fire V6 or I6 without turbo.
Ken: you see the big fat "Play" button? Click on it and the video will play. :)
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