-Scott
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Digital Imaging...
Gotta love the digital age. MS Digital Imaging isn't PhotoShop, but you can have some fun with it if you're patient...
-Scott
-Scott
Saturday, August 01, 2009
What carbon imprint???
Bit the bullet and picked up the Ezip Mountain Trailz electric assist bicycle this week. It's dirt cheap considering some of the brushless hub motor alternatives out there. I needed something to get me to work and back with out breaking the bank or a sweat. My office is air conditioned but who wants to sit there cool but stinky all day. This should fit the bill nicely. The E chart on the Currie website figured it will pay for itself in fuel savings in roughly 12 weeks. I won't miss the pump at Shell or Mobil one little bit. 6-8 hour trickle charge on the battery pack should cost between 2 and 3 cents per charge. That's right .02-.03
In the box...
Haven't tested the range yet but it's advertised as getting between 15 and 22 miles per charge. The variables of course are the riders weight and how you ride the thing. It has 3 modes of operation. Standard pedal power, That's not going to happen as it weighs about 75 lbs. fully loaded. Pedal Assist mode where the rider pedals but the throttle is kissed to assist on hills and such, and TAG mode. TwistAndGo.. No pedal at all. Just crank the throttle and cruise around town. This mode will of course drain the battery in short order.
Really looking forward to seeing how this unit holds up. My work commute is about 5 miles each way so I don't forsee any problems in the range dept. I hope not anyway. I'll have to call a tow truck if it runs out of juice.
Seems to handle well for being so heavy. The weight is an accumulation of the battery and hardware. It's made with a steel frame and steel = heavy. It also = inexpensive. There were quite a few other offerings in lighter weight units but they ranged in price from 900 to 2000 bucks and more.. This unit was a Wally World purchase at $ 299.00. Just couldn't pass it up..
Here are some assembly shots for you. Took about an hour to put together and read up on the charging system. Basic hand tools were included so it was a snap.
Well, I think everything's there...
Charging up the battery pack...
Rollin' down the street smokin' Endo, Riding on Drive and Juice...
Throttle, Mode button and LED charge indicator lights...
Fully assembled and ready to roll...
Just have to source a headlight and a blinking red taillight for the dawn and dusk rides. Already have a sreaming neon windbreaker for visibility. Should also get a cheap cycle computer to track the mileage. I have about 2200 miles on my real bike. The 2003 GT I-drive 1.0 pictured below. Man I wish the ezip had the GT's weight and handling carachteristics... Oh well, if it did I'm sure they'd want 3K or more for one.
My baby a couple of Summers back...
That's about it for now. I'll update the blog if there is a major catastrophic failure somewhere along the way and/or update it with mileage/performance info as it comes in...
Be well all..
-Scott
Haven't tested the range yet but it's advertised as getting between 15 and 22 miles per charge. The variables of course are the riders weight and how you ride the thing. It has 3 modes of operation. Standard pedal power, That's not going to happen as it weighs about 75 lbs. fully loaded. Pedal Assist mode where the rider pedals but the throttle is kissed to assist on hills and such, and TAG mode. TwistAndGo.. No pedal at all. Just crank the throttle and cruise around town. This mode will of course drain the battery in short order.
Really looking forward to seeing how this unit holds up. My work commute is about 5 miles each way so I don't forsee any problems in the range dept. I hope not anyway. I'll have to call a tow truck if it runs out of juice.
Seems to handle well for being so heavy. The weight is an accumulation of the battery and hardware. It's made with a steel frame and steel = heavy. It also = inexpensive. There were quite a few other offerings in lighter weight units but they ranged in price from 900 to 2000 bucks and more.. This unit was a Wally World purchase at $ 299.00. Just couldn't pass it up..
Here are some assembly shots for you. Took about an hour to put together and read up on the charging system. Basic hand tools were included so it was a snap.
Just have to source a headlight and a blinking red taillight for the dawn and dusk rides. Already have a sreaming neon windbreaker for visibility. Should also get a cheap cycle computer to track the mileage. I have about 2200 miles on my real bike. The 2003 GT I-drive 1.0 pictured below. Man I wish the ezip had the GT's weight and handling carachteristics... Oh well, if it did I'm sure they'd want 3K or more for one.
That's about it for now. I'll update the blog if there is a major catastrophic failure somewhere along the way and/or update it with mileage/performance info as it comes in...
Be well all..
-Scott
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Sausage Fest III - 2009
Wild good time Saturday at the 3rd annual Woodie Johnson Sausage Fest at the Fender Center for the Performing Arts in Corona. A long lost friend and human metronome, Mike Dauer from back in the day invited me and I decided to take him up on it. It’s a fund raiser/Party/ really cool event that’s been growing in scope for well you guessed it, 3 years now. Carnival like atmosphere with of course tons of music. Six bands in all yesterday. The Fender Center provides FREE music education for kids in the area in light of budget cuts for the same in the public school system. It’s a really classy operation. There’s also a great little museum on site with exhibits covering the history of Fender and it’s relationships with a number of artists. Most impressive. You can find out more about the center HERE where you can check out the profiles for Mark and John Cruz.
The only downside of the day was the traffic that had to be dealt with in getting there. Reminded me immediately why I rarely venture from South County. This trip was well worth it. Friends Glenn and Lisa had just returned from 5 days in Vegas and stopped by the festivities even before heading home. I bet they’re wiped out! Glenn has been playing for while now and I made sure he was invited as I knew he would get a kick out of the place. He was not disappointed. He was especially impressed with the opening act which consisted of students at the center. It’s kind of embarrassing at our advanced ages to see youngsters play so well. It also gives us hope that it’s never too late to learn.
Had to mack on a sausage sandwich from one of the event sponsors and namesake Jody Maroni’ Sausage Kingdom. Yummy!!! This could become a staple in my diet very easily. Toured the warehouse and recital room. Tons of guitars on display just about everywhere you go and the recital room is very casual with a lounge type atmosphere. Pretty cool. You can find a clip of the Igniters playing with supporter Paul Rodgers (Free, Bad Co., The Firm, Queen, etc.) yes,…. That Paul Rodgers in that very room HERE. Takes awhile to load so be patient.
Very family and friends oriented event with tons of kids in attendance. It’s all about their exposure to the arts. Mike’s longtime friend and guitarist Mark Kendrick handled the MC’s duties flawlessly between sets and had the kids really into things with the sack race, musical chairs, raffle’s and other games. Good times for sure. The ensemble the Woodie Johnson Band opened things up with 3 tunes before passing off the musical chores to a score of guest artists.
At least two of the band members, Mark, and Cruz are employed at the Fender Custom Shop in Corona. They’ve spent quite a bit of time over the years building and tweaking guitars and consequently are quite accomplished at the playing them. Mark nailed the vocals on the CCR classic Born on the Bayou.
There’s really too much to explain in a blog post so I’m going to throw up some pictures and perhaps a link to the photos once I sort through them… Here’s a few for starters…
Enjoy..
The Showcase Lounge
John "Shreddy" Cruz
Mike "The Clock" Dauer
The Woodie Johnson Band
Mark and Ralph
Axes Galore in the Lobby
Storytelling...
The Killer, Carl Perkins, The Man in Black and The King at the piano
Lenny, SRV Tribute Strat
Poster of EC with Strat Mark built for him
Mark MC'ing with Debbie, Administrative Director of the Center and all around nice gal..
"Ready For Vegas"
Gnarly Stand Up
Very Cool Tex Mex Band
The Tex-Mex band was pretty cool. That guy's stand up bass was painted metalflake gold just like a 60 something Chevy Impala. I love the license plate mounted on it.. Awesome!
Good times for sure !!!!
I'd post some video clips but with this weak butt internet connection up here on the hill
Be well all,
-Scott
The only downside of the day was the traffic that had to be dealt with in getting there. Reminded me immediately why I rarely venture from South County. This trip was well worth it. Friends Glenn and Lisa had just returned from 5 days in Vegas and stopped by the festivities even before heading home. I bet they’re wiped out! Glenn has been playing for while now and I made sure he was invited as I knew he would get a kick out of the place. He was not disappointed. He was especially impressed with the opening act which consisted of students at the center. It’s kind of embarrassing at our advanced ages to see youngsters play so well. It also gives us hope that it’s never too late to learn.
Had to mack on a sausage sandwich from one of the event sponsors and namesake Jody Maroni’ Sausage Kingdom. Yummy!!! This could become a staple in my diet very easily. Toured the warehouse and recital room. Tons of guitars on display just about everywhere you go and the recital room is very casual with a lounge type atmosphere. Pretty cool. You can find a clip of the Igniters playing with supporter Paul Rodgers (Free, Bad Co., The Firm, Queen, etc.) yes,…. That Paul Rodgers in that very room HERE. Takes awhile to load so be patient.
Very family and friends oriented event with tons of kids in attendance. It’s all about their exposure to the arts. Mike’s longtime friend and guitarist Mark Kendrick handled the MC’s duties flawlessly between sets and had the kids really into things with the sack race, musical chairs, raffle’s and other games. Good times for sure. The ensemble the Woodie Johnson Band opened things up with 3 tunes before passing off the musical chores to a score of guest artists.
At least two of the band members, Mark, and Cruz are employed at the Fender Custom Shop in Corona. They’ve spent quite a bit of time over the years building and tweaking guitars and consequently are quite accomplished at the playing them. Mark nailed the vocals on the CCR classic Born on the Bayou.
There’s really too much to explain in a blog post so I’m going to throw up some pictures and perhaps a link to the photos once I sort through them… Here’s a few for starters…
Enjoy..
The Tex-Mex band was pretty cool. That guy's stand up bass was painted metalflake gold just like a 60 something Chevy Impala. I love the license plate mounted on it.. Awesome!
Good times for sure !!!!
I'd post some video clips but with this weak butt internet connection up here on the hill
Be well all,
-Scott
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
10 Megapixels...
Hi all. Been really busy with work and life in general and as such don't get a chance to post much anymore. Dealing with a wee bout of insomnia so here I am... No really big news as of late but I did pick up a new camera recently. Again haven't had too much time to play around with it but did get to experiment with the Macro setting the other morning. June gloom and all there was plenty of dew on the backyard foilage. I still have the 2 megapixel unit with the underwater case for goofing around but with the advances in the digital arena and the prices of cameras and memory being very reasonable I went for an upgrade. So I thought I'd post a couple of shots.. Here you go..
As always, click on the pick for the full size version..
Noisy bird at work monitoring the nest nearby.. Check out the yellow feathers on his or her belly...
Some shrubbery on the hill in the backyard...
The morning mist resulted in this shot...
On the whole I'm pretty happy with this camera. I can't see using the 10MP setting unless I was planning on having a poster made but it's nice having the option. The cam shoots video as well, the coolest part is you can be shooting a viddy and take a still at the same time.. What will they come up with next? Oh yeah, in case you were wondering it's a Canon SX10 IS..
That's it for now. Gotta catch a few winks before work...
Cheers,
-Scott
As always, click on the pick for the full size version..
On the whole I'm pretty happy with this camera. I can't see using the 10MP setting unless I was planning on having a poster made but it's nice having the option. The cam shoots video as well, the coolest part is you can be shooting a viddy and take a still at the same time.. What will they come up with next? Oh yeah, in case you were wondering it's a Canon SX10 IS..
That's it for now. Gotta catch a few winks before work...
Cheers,
-Scott
Friday, January 30, 2009
Catch of the Day...
Pop hit the Jack Pot last week at Irvine Lake and was the proud recipient of a write up not only on the Lake’s website but the site at FishRapNews.com. The first picture I received of it was of the beast laying on the floor of his bass boat. Probably taken with a camera phone and it didn’t really give you the perspective to understand how large this fish actually was. The picture of him standing in front of the lake signage is much more impressive and removes all doubt… Moby Trout weighed in at 16 lbs .08 ounces.. I think we’ll dub him Troutzilla!
Here's a screenshot from FishRap.com...
And the full size shot...
Congrats to Pops..
-Scott
Congrats to Pops..
-Scott
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
