KELVIN SMITH LIBRARY

Entries for February 2005

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Escape Hybrid Update

Still enjoying the driving of this thing. This morning my in dash display indicates that I'm getting an average of 30.8 MPG. WooHOO! That's a more than 3 MPG better than the best actual MPG achieved by professional driver reviewers. Just goes to show you that you can manage to NOT slam your foot to the floor you can really improve your mileage. Also, sticking to the speed limit (most of the time) has been a huge influence.

The interesting thing about sticking to the speed limit has been that even with my drive down I-71 to 480 and Great Northern Boulevard the speed reduction from between 75 to 80 MPH down to 60 to 65 MPH has not increased my commute time by anything appreciable. I've noticed that when people fly by me I usually catch up to them at the next light. So all of these people are putting effort into getting themselves up to 70 MPH only to sit and wait for me at the next stop. I spend much less time sitting and waiting and the additional travel time is meaningless.

Where've you been?

bold the states you've been to, underline the states you've lived in and italicize the state you're in now...

Alabama / Alaska / Arizona / Arkansas / California / Colorado / Connecticut / Delaware / Florida / Georgia / Hawaii / Idaho / Illinois / Indiana / Iowa / Kansas / Kentucky / Louisiana / Maine / Maryland / Massachusetts / Michigan / Minnesota / Mississippi / Missouri / Montana / Nebraska / Nevada / New Hampshire / New Jersey / New Mexico / New York / North Carolina / North Dakota / Ohio / Oklahoma / Oregon / Pennsylvania / Rhode Island / South Carolina / South Dakota / Tennessee / Texas / Utah / Vermont / Virginia / Washington / West Virginia / Wisconsin / Wyoming / Washington D.C /

Go HERE to have a form generate the HTML for you.

Find your inner hero.

My Inner Hero - Wizard!

There are many types of magic, but all require a sharp mind and a cool head. There is no puzzle I can't solve, no problem I can't think my way out of. When you feel confused or uncertain, you can always rely on me to untangle the knots and put everything back in order for you.



How about you? Click here to find your own inner hero.

Escape Hybrid Update

Well, I put the first tank full of gas into the new hybrid and here are the results (knowing that I started with a full tank).

10.999 gallons used over 337 miles for an average of 30.639 MPG. The in-dash display indicated that I was 77 miles from empty when I pulled up to the pump. The same indicator stated that I was 460 miles from empty after refueling so I can anticipate something in the range of 400 to 460 miles per full tank before I limp to the next filling station at up to 30 mph on the electrical system.

Orbitz stupid license terms

Chalk one up for the folks the lawyers who came up with Orbitz stupid license terms. Follow the link and scroll down to item number 6. Or, just read it here:

Continue reading "Orbitz stupid license terms"

Lovin' the new hybrid

This last Saturday (05-Feb-05) we went to the dealer and picked up our new 2005 Escape Hybrid. These are few and far between in Ohio for a couple of reasons. 1) Ford just started releasing them to Ohio dealers this month and 2) in order to give preference to hot hybrid markets like California and Oregon each Ford dealer in Ohio is being allotted exactly 1 of these.

[EDIT]Pix now available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/47328264@N00/sets/116393/[/EDIT]

Ours is 'Titanium Green' and the only options we went for were the cargo cover and the 110 volt AC outlet. I've been driving this thing for nearly a week now and am getting something over 28.5 MPG. I say "something over" because they start the counter at 0 MPG and you have to drive enough to establish a significant history for that reading to be meaningful.

Continue reading "Lovin' the new hybrid"

What flavor are you?

This one sounds a lot dirtier than it really is.

I am Vanilla Flavoured. I am one of the most popular flavours in the world. Subtle and smooth, I go reasonably with anyone, and rarely do anything to offend. I can be expected to be blending in in society. What Flavour Are You?

Funds that trade like stocks

Just so I don't lose track of these...

These are Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) that can be bought into just like you buy shares of Ford (F), or Safeway (SWY).

Name	Ticker	Index Tracked
Spiders	SPY	S&P 500 Index
Mid-cap Spiders	MDY	S&P Mid-cap Index
Diamonds	DIA	Dow Jones Industrials
Cubes	AMEX:QQQ NASDAQ:QQQQ	NASDAQ 100
WEBS Japan	EWJ	MSCI Japan Index
iShares Lehman 20+ Year Bonds	TLT	Lehman Treasury Bond Index
Vanguard Extended Market VIPERs	VXF	Wilshire 4500
Vanguard 500	VFINX	Vanguard 500 Index

Sunni leaders continue to baffle

If anybody can possibly explain this to me in a rational way I would be most grateful. Sunni leaders in Iraq are, and have been strongly opposed to the presence of foreign troops on Iraq soil. They also encouraged the wholesale boycott of the recent election process in Iraq. Now, (BBC News story) they protest that the election results are illegitimate because so few Sunni participated, despite opposing proclamations by non-U.S. representatives from the United Nations and other international bodies.

Continue reading "Sunni leaders continue to baffle"

How to make a proper Jack and Coke

Yeah, I know, it's just another alcoholic recipe but, how can you possibly expect to explain to your grandchildren how you had fun at college if you didn't get completely drunk off your ass at least once?

INGREDIENTS:
6 cubes of ice
8 ounces Jack Daniels
One can Coke Classic
One lime

DIRECTIONS:
Fill two glasses with three ice cubes each. Pour four ounces of Jack Daniels into one glass, four ounces into another. Squeeze one half of lime into each glass. Leave the Coke Classic unopened on countertop, as the Coke Classic will only hinder restorative powers of the whiskey.

Drink with your lover, friend, anyone-but-your-sorry-lonely-ass-self, whomever. Repeat as necessary.