Toshi's ride pics thread

[bockner]

Toshi I am fairly well educated but still I gotta ask...HUH? nuerologist? pediatric specialist? strict reseracher? and throwing in the ANOVA tables....finance?

[Toshi]

Toshi I am fairly well educated but still I gotta ask...HUH? nuerologist? pediatric specialist? strict reseracher? and throwing in the ANOVA tables....finance?

4th year med student, slowly going crazy. full time in a lab in the neuropsychiatry imaging group for a bit. autistic children vs. controls vs. developmentally delayed. volumetric analysis of MRI brain data at 3 yrs, 6 yrs, 9 yrs of age in each group. matlab. matrices used to specify contrasts (ie, if you have two groups and you want a t-test you specify a matrix of [1 -1] to compare the two).

thankfully no finance involved! ANOVA is used because we're looking at variance like the financiers, only our variance is in the amount of grey matter at specific locations in the brain.

[Westy]

According to this (http://www.msnbc.com/modules/newsweek/autism_quotient/default.asp) I'm RainMan.

Score = 37

[Toshi]

According to this (http://www.msnbc.com/modules/newsweek/autism_quotient/default.asp) I'm RainMan.

Score = 37

strong work :D

i got a 20 this time, but, then again, i know what the questions are getting at. it's hard to answer them truthfully.

[Westy]

strong work :D

i got a 20

I win!!

[Toshi]

all dressed up for a holiday party. i look pretty asian without glasses, eh

http://toshiclark.com/images/daily/winter%20posing%20-%20december%2015,%202007/Images/IMG_4424.jpg

[.:Jeenyus:.]

i would be willing to bet you look pretty asian with glasses too. :p

awesome thread by the way.

[Toshi]

somehow i think i look less asian with glasses...

http://tjclark.ath.cx/images/miscellaneous/best%20of%20the%20summer%20-%20summer%202003/Thumbs/10.jpg

:D

and thanks.

Crystal had tons of snow today, btw -- cashed in some warren miller free ticket passes that some friends passed my way. unfortunately it still was cascade snow, even if closer to powder than concrete. i hurt.

[MMcG]

How are you liking Seattle Toshi?

[Toshi]

How are you liking Seattle Toshi?

i both love and hate seattle.

seattle pros:

- solid xc biking every which way, with real mountains (attention, east coasters! :D)
- many ski areas nearby: snoqualmie/alpental (50 minutes away), stevens pass (2h), crystal mountain (2h), mt. baker (2.5h), white pass (2.5?)
- vancouver, bc is 3h away (assuming off hours at the border crossing), and whistler is 4.5h in the summer
- natural beauty: puget sound, greenery everywhere, the Olympics on one side, the Cascades on the other, Mt. Rainier, all of which are visible on a clear day from seattle itself
- relaxed culture without going completely to pot: one can wear jeans and a fleece to the seattle symphony without raising an eyebrow, yet the symphony itself is flourishing. people like their arts, and there are a ton of local groups to play in for those not doing it for a living...
- excellent restaurants: see my list here http://www.xanga.com/toshiclark/532781876/seattle-restaurants.html
- good public transit provided that you live in a populated area. i can take a commuter bus from 5 blocks from my [shared] house straight to the business district downtown, to the hospital area ("first hill", or "pill hill" in some circles), or to the university district. light rail from downtown to the airport should be coming in 2009, but as it is it takes me about an hour on two buses to get from my house to the airport, compared to ~30 min on a good day in the car.
- drivers are very polite for the most part, and will let you merge, etc.
- many young and young-ish people actually get outdoors here. REI's flagship is in seattle for good reason, and it's nice to see many other people heading up to ski, to bike, to kayak.
- summer weather is perfect. blue skies, green trees, fresh air.

seattle cons:

- no legal DH in the whole state, basically, unless you head all the way out to the east side (cle elum or spokane, even). Oregon and BC put washington to shame in this regard, and this is a large part of the reason why i stopped dhing when i moved here from portland, oregon.
- traffic is HIDEOUS. in the grand scheme i'm sure it's simply on par with other big cities, but one can easily spend an hour trying to get from one side of the city to the other (especially across the two bridges that span lake washington, splitting seattle from the "east side", redmond/bellevue/kirkland/issaquah). i basically try to never drive during rush hour.
- it does rain, and it does get quite dark and gloomy during the winter. it's basically overcast from december through march: one year we had 99 straight days when it at least drizzled. seasonal affective disorder ("winter blues") is pretty common, and is no joke if you are affected by it.
- ski areas are crowded, and the xc biking trails closer in to town also get a large crowd after work and on weekends.
- there are a bunch of heroin junkies, meth heads, and mentally ill people living on the streets in the downtown/pioneer square area. pioneer square is a place where tourists go in the day, and where college kids go to hook up in clubs at night. i try to stay away after a nasty incident where a junkie broke into my car and stole one of my trumpets...
- housing is quite expensive here. not boston, new york, or bay area levels, but the median home price within seattle proper is $500k nowadays, and living outside the city sets you up for a hair-wrenching commute if you're not careful.

are you considering moving out here MMcG? if so, in what part of town would you work?

[MMcG]

I was just curious as to how you like it. I'm pretty much grounded in CT - which is okay by me.

[Toshi]

i want this, the Aptera Typ-1:

more info, and a projected release date in 2008 (cali only -- i'd make the trip for one :D): http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars/4237853.html?page=1

http://media.popularmechanics.com/images/aptera-1-chassis.jpg

single sided swingarm:

http://media.popularmechanics.com/images/aptera-2-rear-wheel.jpg

drag coefficient of 0.11! (frontal area not specified, but looks low)

http://media.popularmechanics.com/images/aptera-4-doors.jpg

the dashboard of the future, admittedly kind of amateur-set-design-ish:

http://media.popularmechanics.com/images/aptera-5-interior.jpg

15.9 cubic ft of cargo space:

http://media.popularmechanics.com/images/aptera-6-trunk.jpg

plug in to charge:

http://media.popularmechanics.com/images/aptera-10-plug.jpg

and the price:

Fambro says Aptera only needs to sell 300 vehicles to make the company profitable. So far the company has over 580 orders for the $27,000 Typ-1 e and the $30,000 Typ-1 h. Pilot production is set to begin with 30 Typ-1 e vehicles next year, though eventually Aptera expects to build 2000 vehicles annually. Sign us up for a long-term test.

(Typ-1 e is all electric, 120 mile range, Typ-1 h is plug-in series hybrid, 300 mpg quoted. note that in my original post the figures were transposed. at 300 mpg this would be more efficient than an all-electric car, which shouldn't be possible since Li-ion battery packs are more efficient than internal combustion engines/generators, so i think the math is incorrect.)

[Toshi]

for the mathematically minded, here's an excellent lecture by Peter Lu (harvard physics grad student) that ties together Islamic architecture, quasi-crystals (structures with "forbidden" 5-fold symmetry) and Penfield mapping of the plane...

http://media.physics.harvard.edu/video/index.php?id=Peter_Lu_12_03_07.flv

it's actually really accessible, and fascinating material, most of which is presented visually.

also, if anyone is interested in watching (or listening to) an audio or video podcast series of a harvard lecturer doing one of the most highly-rated undergrad courses, on Justice, then PM me and i'll send you a link that you can paste into iTunes.

here's peter lu's homepage btw: http://www.physics.harvard.edu/~plu/

http://www.physics.harvard.edu/~plu/research/islamic_quasicrystal/media/NYTimes_web.png

[Toshi]

i headed up to stevens pass today with more or less the usual microsoft crew, only 5 short days since tiring myself out in the wet, heavy powder at crystal. i should have learned. it was a veritable blizzard on the hill, with what looked to be about 6" falling over the day, as judged by the buildup on my car.

unfortunately, the combination of poor visibility, tired early-season legs, insufficient breakfast, and paltry sleep led me to feel awful to the point that i considered calling it a day at noon. my mood was so foul internally that i actually was mulling over selling my ski gear and renouncing the sport. food and warmth revived me, however, and skiing was redeemed in my eyes after some turns in the powder after lunch.

although the skiing was ultimately good, the real fun began when i returned to my car. it was buried, as was every other car in the lot. even with winter mud + snow rated tires mounted i foresaw little chance of my light, rear wheel drive RX-8 freeing itself from the morass.

i was right.

it took a solid 80 minutes from arriving at the car post-skiing to exiting the parking lot. along the way much pushing, rocking, shoveling, and, ultimately, being towed with a giant hook and rope by the resort's F250 recovery vehicle was undertaken.

i think this may well be both the last time i willingly ski at a resort on a weekend in the height of holiday madness (too many people! agh), and the last time i drive my RX-8 to a ski mountain. hmph.

[Toshi]

yikes.

VW vanagon drivers beware. your vehicle sucks, and if you crash, you will DIE.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPpU5azjCB8&feature=related

[ALEXIS_DH]

According to this (http://www.msnbc.com/modules/newsweek/autism_quotient/default.asp) I'm RainMan.

Score = 37

32... am kinda close...

[Toshi]

although the skiing was ultimately good, the real fun began when i returned to my car. it was buried, as was every other car in the lot. even with winter mud + snow rated tires mounted i foresaw little chance of my light, rear wheel drive RX-8 freeing itself from the morass.

i was right.

it took a solid 80 minutes from arriving at the car post-skiing to exiting the parking lot. along the way much pushing, rocking, shoveling, and, ultimately, being towed with a giant hook and rope by the resort's F250 recovery vehicle was undertaken.

i think this may well be both the last time i willingly ski at a resort on a weekend in the height of holiday madness (too many people! agh), and the last time i drive my RX-8 to a ski mountain. hmph.

now i want an awd hybrid. been reading all day about the ford escape hybrid and the toyota highlander hybrid. it'd be nice for a manufacturer to come out with a hybrid that's designed from the outset as one, has great mileage, has awd, is practical (no sloping rooflines or rear quarter panel beltlines that swoop up for poor visibility).

in all my mulling over of things i also decided that diesel is out. even 2008 models of diesel cars (VW, Mercedes) do HORRIBLY in terms of emissions as rated by the US govt: http://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/

yes, i'm fickle.

:D

[Toshi]

now i want an awd hybrid. been reading all day about the ford escape hybrid and the toyota highlander hybrid. it'd be nice for a manufacturer to come out with a hybrid that's designed from the outset as one, has great mileage, has awd, is practical (no sloping rooflines or rear quarter panel beltlines that swoop up for poor visibility).

in all my mulling over of things i also decided that diesel is out. even 2008 models of diesel cars (VW, Mercedes) do HORRIBLY in terms of emissions as rated by the US govt: http://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/

yes, i'm fickle.

:D

and here's my mental wrapup of all this thought, as posted on my blog:

life as a series of linear equations

i tend to see life as a series of linear equations.

Gheos, a game i picked up a few months ago, involves optimizing multiple variables simultaneously, of wheat, cups, temples, pyramids, armies, and coins. in photography the product of the aperture, shutter speed, and film sensitivity must equal the exposure that a scene's lighting dictates. even the research that i do involves linear algebra, too, in that scans and conditions are laid out as a matrix, and statistical tests are defined by creating a row vector and doing matrix multiplication.

given this tendency, my longstanding obsession with cars, and the unfortunate reality that i can't shut my brain off even when i'd like it to be at rest, it shouldn't surprise anyone in the slightest that the cogs and gears in my head have been spinning of late on the topic of transportation.

it's particularly hard to find an answer to the question of what-car-is-right-for-toshi because what i want out of it is contradictory:

i want something cheap to own, yet have the self-imposed restriction that it meet strict, modern emissions standards, ruling out old and even older cars.
i want something that can hold its own on the racetrack -- literally, no street racing here! -- yet be at home on snowy mountainsides and remote trailheads.
i want something flashy, yet i want it to be discreet.
i want something that's lean and true to its purpose, yet can do it all.
i want something that no one else has, yet i want it to be easy to repair and maintain.
i want something that reduces our dependence on foreign oil, yet doesn't force me to be a martyr.

currently i'm in a Mazda RX-8. it's not particularly cheap to own or insure, is decidedly not at home in the snow, likes to high-center itself on doubletracks, isn't discreet, can't hold much inside or especially in the miniscule trunk, and isn't particularly frugal on the premium blood-oil. on the other hand, it was designed with a singleminded emphasis on being as light as possible, is beautiful, meets the reasonably strict Bin 5 federal emissions standards, handles wonderfully, is sufficiently rare, has a friendly local dealer, and performed admirably even when packed to the gills on the road trip this summer.

unfortunately, the car makes me feel guilty: for shortchanging my outdoor side, having more or less sacrificed skiing and biking on the altar of on-road performance; for driving a car that gets 23 mpg on the freeway on a good day; for driving something "nice" when i should probably be buckling down and preparing to live an ascetic life as an intern, starting out in a new city with jessica.

i'm over that stage that many are stuck at when i mistakenly thought finding the right car would make life itself better. for that matter, substitute any material good for car and you describe a whole host of lost souls above which i like to imagine myself.

on the other hand, that i acknowledge that a car can't fix all of life's ills doesn't mean that i should stop looking for something that fits my needs better. it's just that nothing seems to quite fit. in my head i've gone over a million different alternatives: the Prius would be perfect if awd; the Ford Escape Hybrid's mileage is somewhat disappointing; the Toyota Highlander Hybrid is expensive and thirstier yet; the diesel VWs and Mercedes have horrible emissions if good fuel economy; full electric cars aren't commercially viable yet and aren't suitable for long distances; no major manufacturer sells plug-in hybrids as of this day, let alone one that would satisfy my conflicting desires; electric motorcycles are almost there in terms of their attributes but have the downside of, well, being a motorcycle -- i like my skin, the warmth of the car's heater, not to mention the ability to carry sporting equipment...

it's kind of an odd and trivial thing to be obsessing about, i know, but i don't necessarily choose what my brain will chew on next. that's the downside of being me. suggestions are welcome, by the way, but expect a terse rebuttal to each unless it's something truly novel.

http://toshiclark.com/images/daily/snowbound%20in%20the%20RX-8%20-%20december%203,%202006/Images/IMG_3089.jpg

[Toshi]

i posted the above rant in slightly abridged form on NASIOC's off-topic forum for kicks:

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?p=20539257

nothing's really come of the discussion besides me letting off some steam :D . however, i did come across this subaru concept car from 2006 that looks PERFECT on paper...

http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/2882/picture1mu2.png

[Toshi]

at the link below is a zip file containing the first 4 of 5 parts of Bach BWV 1004, Partita #2 in D minor. the performer is Thomas Zehetmair, and this is from John Stewart's set of CDs that i ripped back during those Mus51 days.

http://download.yousendit.com/30AFC8F070E072AB

also in the archive is a messy set of sheet music for that same music. sorry about the visual clutter -- it was taken from a site that intended to be played on guitar (the sacrilege!).

i find it very satisfying somehow to follow along in the score (does it still count as a score if a single part?), as the later movements are just fast enough to push the limits of my sightreading/"mental sightsinging" ability. i'm not sure how you people who routinely play complex and fast parts on piano and violin stack up in this regard, but it takes much concentration on my part.

[WTGPhoben]

I feel like a broken record, but it's funny how when you have 1000 things to do you forget about everything that doesn't consistently demand your attention...

Toshi, looks like you've been busy both in reality and in your head :). Short response list (pardon the terseness, but I just read a couple months of posts):

-girl: :thumb:
-aptera: nifty. What's your basis for saying that 300mpg is more efficient than the all-electric car? Aptera doesn't post MPG equivalent numbers for the electric version.
-your car: You clearly need more than one car. All purpose vehicles are like triathletes - mediocre at more than one thing. A hybrid or electric car isn't going to be a race car unless it's either A) a crappy hybrid, or B) has a very low range. Batteries are heavy and good race cars aren't. Hybrid is not incompatible with snow/off-road however, so maybe your subie concept is the next addition to the garage. Until you can afford a second ride, I bet your RX would look scary with old-school chains.

My news: made some additions to the stable (to be posted eventually), making a grad school bid, thinking TransRockies again in '08...

We had a crapload of snow here in mid-dec and then it got warm. Was hoping for a deep freeze to enable a little ice riding, but sadly there was no freeze to be had and it looks like we're getting more fresh tomorrow. What a year not to get a ski pass...

[Toshi]

i'm not even sure if chains will fit safely between the wheels and the fenders on my RX-8...

wrt the electric car vs. 300 mpg hybrid mileage claim, it's back of the napkin estimation based off of the tesla white paper. see the table on page 3/10 of this cached version of the white paper (the "real" version is offline for updates):

http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:u0S4-tHUbn8J:www.stanford.edu/group/greendorm/participate/cee124/TeslaReading.pdf+21st+century+electric+car&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us&client=safari

note that if you multiply the prius's "vehicle efficiency" by 5 or 6 you get a well-to-wheel efficiency double or more of that of the tesla. admittedly an Aptera series hybrid isn't a prius that happens to get 6x the mileage, and a Tesla isn't an Aptera all-electric vehicle, but the premise is correct, no?

what kind of grad school are you shooting for? and go skiing! (i did! stevens pass got 11" over 24h, 63" over the week. oh yeah.)

[Toshi]

this is how tokyo manages its traffic:

http://www.kilian-nakamura.com/blog-english/wp-content/tokyo-traffic-control-ce-2.jpg

http://www.kilian-nakamura.com/blog-english/index.php/inside-the-tokyo-traffic-control-center/


The Central Display Board highlights 1,000 intersections, and has 15,154 traffic signals in the system. When traffic jams are detected or reported, the affected area turns from green to red. It also displays traffic accidents and closed streets.

Information is passed on to Tokyoites live through radio reports and 300 traffic information boards on the roadways. To directly influence traffic, it’s possible to manually adjust the signal intervals for 7,000 of the traffic lights, and communicate directly with traffic officers in the field.

[Toshi]

i'm not even sure if chains will fit safely between the wheels and the fenders on my RX-8...

ok, so apparently SAE Class "S" chains will fit on my RX-8 as per the manual. tirechain.com sells a ghetto cable one, but then try to nickel and dime the customer with tensioners sold separately, etc.

instead i think i'll spring for some true chain-type ones. Thule has at least two models that'll fit 225/45/18 tires with Class "S" clearance.

thoughts? will they completely ruin my aluminum wheels? i do have a second set of wheels already for the R-compounds, and both sets are more or less equally scratched.

option 1, $72
http://www.vulcantire.com/cgi-bin/chainsearch.cgi?size=225/45-18&model=100&f=ThuleCB12_l.htm
http://www.vulcantire.com/graphics/ThuleCB12.jpg

option 2, $149 (make that $140 through amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Thule-Super-Premium-Passenger-Chain-100/dp/B000UNLVDM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1199134933&sr=1-1 )
http://www.vulcantire.com/cgi-bin/chainsearch.cgi?size=225/45-18&model=100&f=ThuleCS10_l.htm
http://www.vulcantire.com/graphics/ThuleCS10.jpg

i'm going to go test fit the option 1 chains at a local store whose pricing is competitive this afternoon...

in favor of option 2 is that Thule at least claims that their "special anti-scratch nylon bumpers ... [ensure] that the chains never actually come in contact with [the] wheels". hmm.

http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/stores/auto/detail-page/CS-10snow768.jpg

[gastro]

in favor of option 2 is that Thule at least claims that their "special anti-scratch nylon bumpers ... [ensure] that the chains never actually come in contact with [the] wheels". hmm.

You could selectively apply some Plasti Dip (http://www.plastidip.com/home_solutions/Plasti_Dip) to the perimeter chains as insurance. I've got this stuff on some of my tools and it seems like it'd do the trick.

[Toshi]

thanks for the suggestion, gastro.

i ended up with the second chains... kinda. just as how thule gobbled up sportworks, thule gobbled up the Konig tire chain company. the second design that i posted above is thule's take on Konig's original.

i went to a local "rack 'n road" store yesterday instead of waiting it out on amazon.com. it turned out that the Konig chains were the only one that they had in stock in my car's size, but they listed for $200. a little nudging and i got the manager to mark them down to the $140 amazon.com price for the thule's-via-amazon. (i guess the profit margin on chains is higher than 30%... yikes!)

the Konig ones are nigh-identical to the thules except for the colorscheme, and they actually seem like a pretty awesome design. for example, to hook them up and tension them requires all of three steps, each of which involves matching a colored piece to the same color on the other side, and to remove them requires pulling one lever (on the outside of the wheel!) which causes them to disengage on the backside and fall off immediately.

here's their press release from when they acquired Konig in March 2007: http://www.thuleracks.com/pdf/Thule_Snowchains.pdf



now that my emissions guilt has largely been assuaged and that i will actually be able to take the RX-8 skiing without getting stuck i think it might stick around for a while.

(just for kicks/to waste the dealership's time i test drove a 2008 impreza 2.5i 5 speed wagon and had them appraise my RX-8 and come up with a out the door price. they were ~$2200 over what i would consider fair, not that i would have jumped in any case. the wagon itself seemed pretty roomy in terms of headroom and the back is nice and flat with the new suspension, but it's short enough front-back that skis would intrude up into the driver's elbow area. a ski rack would be necessary imo. it also drove more or less like a 2001 corolla, which is not necessarily a huge negative but not really exciting either.)

[Westy]

Toshi

When your dream of $20 gasoline becomes true I think you should do this to your RX8

http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2008/01/aerocivic_green_modded_ho.html

[Toshi]

Toshi

When your dream of $20 gasoline becomes true I think you should do this to your RX8

http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2008/01/aerocivic_green_modded_ho.html

i saw that elsewhere, and laughed. looks horrid. :D

with regard to his claim of a Cd of 0.17 i also question the accuracy of testing Cd through coastdown and a stopwatch. is the road flat? is the assumption that rolling resistance is constant (invariate with speed) fair? is the stopwatch even marginally accurate? how about the speedometer?

finally, he's a hypermiler, so we can pretty much ignore his mileage claims unless you want to adopt that weird pulse and glide driving style.

[Toshi]

http://www.nanowerk.com/news/id3811_1.jpg

nanotechnology meets art. many more at the link: http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=3811.php

[narlus]

toshi, wtf is this guy talking about? is he on crack, or have i forgotten way too much of my schooling?

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=157341&page=17

[Toshi]

toshi, wtf is this guy talking about? is he on crack, or have i forgotten way too much of my schooling?

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=157341&page=17

which post(s) are you talking about in particular?

[narlus]

the one where he's talking about a full-frame sensor @ f/4 getting 28% more light than a 1.6x crop sensor @ f/2.8

[Toshi]

the one where he's talking about a full-frame sensor @ f/4 getting 28% more light than a 1.6x crop sensor @ f/2.8

he's on crack.

the definition of f-stop is focal length:aperture. this is independent of sensor size, and dictates the intensity of light at any given point within the area onto which it projects its image.

i think he's confused by this: consider two cameras, one with a full-frame sensor and another with a 1.6x crop. to achieve the same field of view you'd require a lens of 1.6x less focal length on the 1.6x crop camera: say 80mm on the full-frame camera and 50mm on the 1.6x crop camera. if you have an aperture of a given diameter then you'd receive more light on the 1.6x crop camera's sensor. however, this is not what he's saying! because the f-stop in this example would be 1.6x higher on the full frame due to the definition of f-stop.

QED.

:D

[Toshi]

i just bought this jacket on steepandcheap.com . woot. er, steepandcheap! heh. just a shade over $100 shipped in any case, not bad for $300 msrp. (i needed a new parka, since my old 2002 era one isn't waterproof any more, even after tek wash and the whole spray 'n dry rigamarole.)

http://images.steepandcheap.com/images/items/large/OAK1660/NEOV.jpg

Description:
When you zip up the Oakley Men's Distractions Jacket, cold and wet can't creep into your mind. This baggy-fit jacket's all-over Primaloft insulation and polar fleece around the core provide lots of warmth, while 15K waterproof material blocks moderate wetness. Oakley integrated Lycra wrist gaiters and a stretch storm skirt to lock out the snow, and lined the half-collar with tricot to keep things irritation-free. The Distractions has a microfiber goggle pocket, a pocket with a headphone port for your iPod, a pass holder, and reverse coil zip pockets for your hands.


my only fear is that it won't fit right. oh well.

[Toshi]

thoughts as I wait in a nice Boston restaurant for people to arrive: in inviting toshi-open solely on facebook I forgot to spell in you, thad and keith. My bad. Thought 2: brown may be even lower on my list of programs than Houston. Shocking. 3: driving through harvard brought back many memories. This place might be really nice with a real job, a car, and a girl who is planning on migrating with me. 4: I'll be on a plane to my next interviews by 4:30 tomorrow and am tied up at tufts/nemc until then. I'll be less spacey if I come out again.

[Barbaton]

thoughts as I wait in a nice Boston restaurant for people to arrive: in inviting toshi-open solely on facebook I forgot to spell in you, thad and keith. My bad. Thought 2: brown may be even lower on my list of programs than Houston. Shocking. 3: driving through harvard brought back many memories. This place might be really nice with a real job, a car, and a girl who is planning on migrating with me. 4: I'll be on a plane to my next interviews by 4:30 tomorrow and am tied up at tufts/nemc until then. I'll be less spacey if I come out again.

Too bad. Would have been good to see you. Let me know when you're here again, or in NYC...

[Toshi]

an update on my travels/why i have not been on teh internets:

brown sucks
tufts/new england med center is rebuilding their program, and it's kinda small. i do like boston, however.
spokane program is nice, but i'd rather be elsewhere... hmph.
OHSU (portland) is fabulous, with the caveat that i'd have to push myself to make sure i stayed up with research and seeing enough cases/working myself hard enough

internships:
portland transitional year would be tough, but portland.
spokane transitional year would be a cakewalk, but spokane.

:D

agahghghagahgahghgh choices

and now i received another 11th hour invitation, so i'm headed out to columbia, missouri next week. my credit card companies love me. so many flights. so many rental cars. so many hotels.

[Toshi]

finally done with interviews. back from columbia, missouri tonight.

had a hellacious two days of traveling: first american delayed my outgoing flight (sea->chitown) for 1h+, causing me to miss my connection, then delayed the 2h later rebooked connection by an additional 2h. then i drove for 2.5h in the middle of the night, heading across missouri. missouri is flat. reminds me of eastern washington.

fast forward past a typical interview day -- UM's rec center is absurdly nice, only odd bit -- and then i get a voicemail: United: "oh, your flight is canceled. we have you booked for tomorrow." not acceptable. grr. another phone call later as i was contemplating changing out of the monkey suit in the rental car and i found myself rebooked on a flight that same day (this afternoon).

the catch: this rebooked flight was to leave all of 3h and 2m after that same phone call, ie, boarding would be 2h 32m in the future. the airport is 147 mi away, a 2h 21m drive via google, and i had to return the rental car, catch a shuttle to the terminal, retrieve a boarding pass, and pass security in those theoretical 11 minutes.

long story short, i made it, ducking through security as the first passengers boarded the plane, but only through driving 10 over the whole way. ugh. i hope to never return if only for the memories of bungled travel plans.

http://toshiclark.com/images/daily/two%20views%20out%20the%20window%20-%20january%2024,%202007/Images/IMG_0035.jpg

http://toshiclark.com/images/daily/two%20views%20out%20the%20window%20-%20january%2024,%202007/Images/IMG_0036.jpg

[Toshi]

today was the first autocross event of the year. it was put on by the UW FSAE team, who was running their 2007 car all day. as the forecast was for snow along with a high of 40 i elected to leave the race tires in the garage and run on 4-season street meats. it probably was the wrong choice, as things dried out nicely.

in any case i ended up 3rd/6th. this was actually ok, since in the western washington sports car club's odd classing structure the two sports car club of america classes B Stock and A Stock are lumped together. normally i don't compete head to head with S2000s or STIs but today they were in my class, and one of each bested me.

next time i think i'll enter the open/pro class where all cars run against each other with their times adjusted for their classes' indices: for example, STIs would have their times multiplied by the A Stock index of 0.842, my RX-8 would have its time multiplied by the B Stock index of 0.832, and a non-S mini cooper would have its time multiplied by the H Stock index of 0.792.

http://www.scca-chicago.com/solo/indexes/rtp2008.html

here's the abovementioned UW FSAE car:

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/3154/img0037pp8.jpg

http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/6981/img0038an4.jpg

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/3076/img0039qt6.jpg

[Toshi]

the view out my front door this morning:

http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/9127/img0040ug7.jpg

[Toshi]

cool built in interior bike rack on the 2009 JDM-spec Subaru Forester:

http://blogs.edmunds.com/.eea17a6/cmd.233/embedded..eea183f

the US version looks quite nice on the outside, too...

http://blogs.edmunds.com/.eea179a/cmd.233/enclosure..eea179b

make it a diesel hybrid that passes emissions and i'll sign up, subaru :D

[Toshi]

the crazy cockpit of the Airbus A380. 360 degree panorama:

http://www.gillesvidal.com/blogpano/cockpit1.htm

make sure to look up at the switch panel on the ceiling, noting the camera built in alongside up there. also note the camera on the tail looking forward on the centermost monitor, and the cupholders. gotta have them.

[stevew]

finally done with interviews. back from columbia, missouri tonight.


I've heard people refer to that state as misery.

Are you really up for living in a bible belt state?

Yeah it's flat. I've driven across Missouri six times.

[Toshi]

i wouldn't consider missouri in general to be a viable place to live, but columbia seemed decent. home of mizzou, it's a college town. has sporadic but present public transit, and at least a smattering of liberal people...

[Toshi]

i logged day 8 of skiing this season yesterday. i'm a bit off my usual pace, but it's been a crazy winter what with the interviews.

the cool thing about going yesterday is that my ski buddy who drove us up picked up a 2004 Audi S4.

pluses: looks awesome, leather, heated Recaros, 6 speed manual, 339 hp, 4.2 liter naturally aspirated V8, awd, ski pass through along with a 40:60 split/folding rear seat, cool polished aluminum outside mirrors that fold back electrically.

minuses: 12/20 mpg via the EPA, 3800 lbs, TINY back seat (smaller than mine in the RX-8!), front-heavy torque split on the awd prior to model year 2008 according to what i've read.

it's a beautiful machine, but i'm glad i don't have to feed it or try to hustle it around an autox course without burning through front tires...

:)

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2003/12/11/174298.1-lg.jpg <-- stock photo -- his is dark grey.

[Toshi]

here are my hands/wrists as imaged last week:

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/5296/wrist1of2qk3.jpg

http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/3613/wrist2of2rj7.jpg

i will donate all my credits at the moment to whoever can point out what's wrong with my left wrist/hand. (it's not serious, but you can definitely see it on the films.)

:)

[narlus]

hey toshi -

my 5D arrived today.

:D


looks like the guy barely used it. for $1620 shipped, i'm <as the brits say> well chuffed.

Cat Power on thursday...can't wait to shoot the very photogenic ms Chan Marshall.

[Toshi]

that's a deal! and i'm doubly envious (via gimages):

http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2006/01/13/cat_narrowweb__300x370,0.jpg

[BIGHITR]

i will donate all my credits at the moment to whoever can point out what's wrong with my left wrist/hand.

Compound fracture. I see a small crack.

[Toshi]

Compound fracture. I see a small crack.

good guess, but no. assuming you mean the area where there is a disruption in the cortex (outer area) near the "knuckle" you're in the right ballpark. no fracture or misalignment is present tho -- the issue is with the form of the bones themselves.

[Toshi]

two cars that i would seriously consider getting in the next few years, assuming i end up somewhere where awd and skiing are both on the table:

1) VW Tiguan

small SUV, pretty lightweight at ~3400 lbs and change for euro-spec models. suspect VW reliability but with a new car warranty might not be soooo bad? beautiful interior, at least as far as color schemes if not plastics.

best of all/why i'm interested: it will come with the 2.0 liter TDI diesel! lace up that to the 6 speed shown in the debut video and make it pass emissions with urea injection or whatever and i'll seriously consider it.

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Features/articleId=121482#6

http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//media/il/features/driving/08.vw.tiguan/08.vw.tiguan.f34.2.500.jpg

http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//media/il/features/driving/08.vw.tiguan/08.vw.tiguan.int.1.500.jpg



2) Subaru Legacy Boxer Diesel

same legacy we know and love/hate, but now with an added twist (ba-dum -- that's a torque joke if unclear :D): subaru is unleashing a 2.0 liter boxer diesel on the world.

from the edmunds writeup below:

The boxer diesel produces 148 horsepower at 3,600 rpm and 258 pound-feet of torque at just 1,800 rpm. The engine is capable of 60.5 mpg.

note that that 60.5 mpg is in Imperial gallons, so that's an even 50 mpg in US parlance. still, 50 mpg! awd! wagon! practical! and, yes, it could even be autocrossed. probably would be dog slow given the 148 hp, but it just needs to be enough to keep me entertained...

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FirstDrives/articleId=124553

http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//media/roadtests/firstdrive/2008/subaru.legacy.turbo.diesel/08.subaru.legacy.td.sedan.f34.2.500.jpg

http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//media/roadtests/firstdrive/2008/subaru.legacy.turbo.diesel/08.subaru.legacy.td.tag.500.jpg

http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//media/roadtests/firstdrive/2008/subaru.legacy.turbo.diesel/08.subaru.legacy.td.eng.2.500.jpg

http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//media/roadtests/firstdrive/2008/subaru.legacy.turbo.diesel/08.subaru.legacy.td.int.500.jpg

[ALEXIS_DH]

hey, i gots me a job at mitsui today.

completely bizarre. walked in the dealership to leave my car (BIG dealership, sells thousands of cars a year, cars come in for service literally every 5 minutes all day, they book 12 service appointments per hour, 400+ employees), talked to the service manager who gave me an interesting lead, then i talked to the shop manager whom i think i impressed, i didnt even know they were hiring when i went... just went for my scheduled 20k miles service... i just started talking about tools with a mechanic and somehow i managed my way to talk about work with the shop manager.... he got me an interview overnight with the CEO of mitsui peru (a company with 100+ billion sales a year worldwide) and the CEO himself hired me on the spot... overstepping all protocol, no HR crap.... the guy just offered me a job on the spot and then i went to HR just to fill out the paperwork..... didnt even had to go thru the usual screening and stuff...

had an interview with the japanese CEO today... geez... am impressed by the japanese work ethos.... havent heard so many wise things in 30 minutes in a long time.

i start on the 18th..... am on a 3 month training route to be a service manager... man, the experience is going to be worth gold once i open up my own shop....

completely surreal and awesome.

[splat]

I've heard people refer to that state as misery.

Are you really up for living in a bible belt state?

Yeah it's flat. I've driven across Missouri six times.

I've driven across it twice , I know its the show me state , I still haven't figured out what they are trying to show me , there is Nothing to see!!

[Toshi]

congrats on the job, alexis. the japanese will rise again! :D

[Toshi]

http://tinyurl.com/yraqpz

phonepix from a day trip to anacortes (one of jessica's students was playing at the regional solo contest).

360 degree qtvr: http://toshiclark.com/images/daily/anacortes%20phonepix%20-%20february%209,%202007/Pages/Anacortes.html

my favorite shot :D

http://toshiclark.com/images/daily/anacortes%20phonepix%20-%20february%209,%202007/Images/IMG_0059.jpg

[Toshi]

the 2nd autocross event of the "slush season" was yesterday. mixed wet/dry on the track, about 45 degrees, gusting 30 mph by my guess.

i sucked. bad. out of four runs, on cold V710s that only got colder because of many timing issues, i spun twice, got completely sideways and out of sorts on a third run, and only got it together for one mid-pack clean run.

ugh. good thing these results don't count towards the regular season. :D

[Toshi]

here's a presentation on a dude with renal cell carcinoma ("kidney cancer") that i whipped up. it's HIPAA compliant, no personally identifiable information, etc. etc.

http://docs.google.com/Presentation?id=dcj96ntp_59gtxp6vdt

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/7710/rccpresentationgoogledoxi4.png (http://docs.google.com/Presentation?id=dcj96ntp_59gtxp6vdt)

note use of Google Docs Presentation. down with microsoft office! :D (i almost exclusively use Google Docs for my word processing/spreadsheet tasks these days. no worrying about thumb drives, backing up, emailing documents to oneself to keep the revision current.)

[Toshi]

inspired by the Lounge coverage of Portland's North American Handmade Bicycle Show i went hunting for city bike information. something with enough storage to be useful, maybe single speed or even belt drive...

http://www.cyclingnews.com/tech/2008/shows/nahmbs08/?id=results/nahmbs083

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2008/tech/shows/nahmbs08/nahmbs083/ANT_townie.jpg

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2008/tech/shows/nahmbs08/nahmbs083/ANT_Townie2.jpg

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2008/tech/shows/nahmbs08/nahmbs083/Pereira_Cycles_Randonneur_full_view.jpg

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2008/tech/shows/nahmbs08/nahmbs083/Sycip_townie.jpg

i've kind of already gone in this direction with the fenders, tough, decidedly non-race armadillo tires, and lighting on my road/commuter bike, but having racks would certainly make getting groceries easier.

ah, something to think about if i end up in portland... :)

[ALEXIS_DH]

havent started work officially, but i went by the shop today from 3 until 6.... got to know the people ill be working with and my office, and got to play around with the software, SAP (jesus, its pretty innefficient IMHO, too many clicks to get things done, although my current job uses a tailored made CRM i beta tested and chipped in some suggestions since its creation, so it kicked ass for me and was extremely efficient for my needs..... so i guess am not used to the flexibility of commercial do-it-all applications.

another few interesting bits.

first, my office has glass walls.... so i can be seen from pretty much 50% of the shop (managers, upper managers and customers all included). my old job had a closed door office where i could take my shoes off, had friends come over, play chess or just crumble over the chair and lean back hands behind the head ridemonkeying... have to get rid of the latter habit, as i´ve noticed myself crumbling over my chair every now and then. i hope the managers didnt catch up on that.... and if they did i need to do some damage repair today.... although am not officially working, still, no good for a first day unoffficial impression....

second. the japanese CEO has an "interesting" personality. i talked to a mechanic who told me he got a $2000 paintjob for his hachiroku as a gift, absolutely free and unrequested (he didnt even ask for it) from Mr. Harada himself.
but the guy is also known for firing people if they sit down at the wait lounge and drink some coffee or soda at the bar usually reserved for clients. let alone using the massage room at the wait room during your lunch break... you´d be gone. or sometimes he goes to the shop himself and stands right next to a mechanic for a whole 10 minutes just to watch him rotate tires and inspect pressure.

third. my training includes working with an accountant veryfing and closing orders, and punching in shop productivity. she is kinda hot.

fourth. today there were 110 cars coming in. shop is open from 8 until 5:30. closes 1 hour for lunch. thats an astonoshing ONE car coming in for service, paint, engine rebuild or something every 4.6 minutes on average for the entire day. and mondays are usually not busy days. thurdays and fridays, the rate can go up as high as one car ever 4 minutes. :eek:

[Toshi]

i'm guessing there will be no workday RM posting from you :D

[Barbaton]

On your RCC dude, do you think that was a de novo neoplasm given the genetic history, or an abnormally long presentation of a previous metastasis from the prostate tumor?

Given the presenting symptoms, why was it so long before they did the CT? At test-happy MGH that would have been that week...


What was wrong with your wrist, btw? Everything looked pretty normal to me other than some variance in the shape, but I don't know what to look for yet. :)

[Toshi]

did you look at the RCC thing this afternoon? i added a bunch of slides and, uh, changed the conclusion. hehe. worth revisiting if you saw the old version.

we don't think it's RCC. looks more hematopoetic, or possibly could be dedifferentiated carcinoma from his old prostate malignancy. he didn't get a CT immediately in the summer since a urinalysis turned up E. coli. they assumed the hematuria was from a urinary tract infection. (given that a CT has about a half percent lifetime risk of malignancy in itself avoiding them is prudent.)

wrist diagnosis: carpal bossing and osteophyte formation. they didn't speculate on why, but it's most likely due to chronic hyperextension due to my lax joints.

[Barbaton]

did you look at the RCC thing this afternoon? i added a bunch of slides and, uh, changed the conclusion. hehe. worth revisiting if you saw the old version.

we don't think it's RCC. looks more hematopoetic, or possibly could be dedifferentiated carcinoma from his old prostate malignancy. he didn't get a CT immediately in the summer since a urinalysis turned up E. coli. they assumed the hematuria was from a urinary tract infection. (given that a CT has about a half percent lifetime risk of malignancy in itself avoiding them is prudent.)

wrist diagnosis: carpal bossing and osteophyte formation. they didn't speculate on why, but it's most likely due to chronic hyperextension due to my lax joints.

I had seen the new version. I guess I missed the conclusion. Looked like you were debating between the two possibilities.

Is waiting on a CT in a 64yr old individual with a previous history of malignant carcinoma and typical symptoms of a kidney tumor prudent for a .005 risk? Strikes me that that trade-off would have been worth it to detect the tumor earlier.

[Toshi]

ya, the conclusion is that we're unsure :D

the dude had no B symptoms (fatigue, weight loss, night sweats) that would have been suggestive of malignancy. he just had hematuria. given his baseline functional status (status post total colectomy with an ileostomy) being conservative probably wasn't such a crazy idea.

[Toshi]

today we visited the heme-path people, and they think it's lymphoma...



on another note, alexis, i have another BTU/gas mileage back of napkin calculation for you to whip out :D

http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=196892

[Toshi]

after immunocytochemistry stains (special stains for markers specific to certain cell types) it looks like teh dude had B cell lymphoma.

Pan-keratin negative ==> not carcinoma, as this is an epithelioid marker

CD45 positive ==> lymphocyte of some kind, either B or T cell as both express this

CD3 negative ==> not a T cell lineage

CD20 positive ==> B cell is the winner

CD99 negative ==> not a primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET), which also looks like small, blue cells on H&E stain

[Toshi]

I'm in Atlanta. Was here to retake step 2 Clinical Skills, the standardized patient test that I failed in July for not being warm and fuzzy enough. I also dined with the lovely odette yousef, undergrad buddy from hro turned NPR affiliate radiojournalist.


Now am headed to los cabos via phoenix to sail with the parents.

Atlanta is a weird place. I now grasp what tom Wolfe was writing about in "a man in full". There are many morbidly obese people here. It is like a heart attack waiting to happen. People also wear really garish clothes. :D

[Toshi]

am in cabo san lucas, posting via free wifi on my dad's laptop. we're going to be crew on one of two america's cup sailboats later today. i'll probably end up being a grinder (grindmonkey?) on a winch. don't know which one yet, but the vessel will be either the 1981 or 1982 new zealand contender... ATVed around on the beach yesterday, soaked in sun today. good times, and ATV-ride pics will be forthcoming next week in order to fulfill this thread's stated promise

:D

newer boats than the ones we'll be on:

http://cache.viewimages.com/xc/1591121.jpg?v=1&c=ViewImages&k=2&d=17A4AD9FDB9CF1939057D9939C83F106F59928559A58E2AF 5A5397277B4DC33E

[ALEXIS_DH]

well, my first week at work (hehe, same dealership whhere i bought and take my car for service).
few interesting bits.

the shop part of the dealership around 95 mechanics, 20 mechanic bosses, 10 heads of service, 2 floor managers and one shop manager. the service shop is split in two, each with its own boss, secretaries and all. the body shop is whole different department (with its own 60 painters/body repairers plus administrative personel).

dealer sells about 20 cars a day, a car comes in for service every 4 minutes on average (not counting cars coming to the body shop which paints enough panels to paints the make equivalent of about 21-23 cars, a day).
its by appointment only, and right now the closest opening is 6 days from now.
hourly rate? a measly S/.119.78 + 19% sales tax.... thats about US$50 per hour per mechanic (thats about 1/3 of a month worth of minimal wage here :eek:). its funny how much one week at this place has changed my view on the car world so much..... japanese efficiency is amazing.

bonus? next month i´ll get my camaro painted (there is friend of mine who has a 1972 challenger who might be convinced into selling it) there.
4 coats of primer, 6 coats of ppg color and 6 coats of clearcoat. god bless employee benefits!!!

[narlus]

am in cabo san lucas, posting via free wifi on my dad's laptop. w

that's funny that we were within 100km of each other; i was w/ my wife and kids visiting her uncle who lives in Todos Santos.

i had a great time, aside from the ~90 minutes described here:
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=456623&highlight=%3Adead%3A

[Toshi]

yikes. makes me glad my camera doesn't have a replaceable focusing screen. wait, it doesn't. :(

heh


thad and keith, here's something that'd interest you: http://tinyurl.com/3bsmw7

CN: MRI-safe robot for neurosurgery. has haptic feedback on the controls, is said to be accurate to within 50 microns. i think this is the future of surgery, provided that the western world doesn't go bankrupt first. :D

(cabo and atlanta pics to come. eventually...)

[Toshi]

a few movies still pending, but here's the damage from my recent trips to atlanta (for step 2 CS) and to cabo (to sail with the parents).

hit up http://tjclark.ath.cx/ for full galleries. some highlights:

my undergrad buddy odette, now a radiojournalist at a npr affiliate in atlanta. apparently that's what an east asian studies degree at harvard is good for ;)

http://toshiclark.com/images/trips/a%20few%20hours%20in%20atlanta%20-%20february%2019,%202008/Images/IMG_4428.jpg

my hairy mug in the same low light:

http://toshiclark.com/images/trips/a%20few%20hours%20in%20atlanta%20-%20february%2019,%202008/Images/IMG_4427.jpg

nice vista:

http://toshiclark.com/images/trips/cabo%20san%20lucas%20-%20february%202008/Images/IMG_4474.jpg

color at a timeshare pitch:

http://toshiclark.com/images/trips/cabo%20san%20lucas%20-%20february%202008/Images/IMG_4475.jpg
http://toshiclark.com/images/trips/cabo%20san%20lucas%20-%20february%202008/Images/IMG_4476.jpg
http://toshiclark.com/images/trips/cabo%20san%20lucas%20-%20february%202008/Images/IMG_4478.jpg

color on the marina

http://toshiclark.com/images/trips/cabo%20san%20lucas%20-%20february%202008/Images/IMG_4440.jpg

can you tell it never rains? (no windows)

http://toshiclark.com/images/trips/cabo%20san%20lucas%20-%20february%202008/Images/IMG_4453.jpg

out on the water. note the seal (?) posing on the small rock in the foreground

http://toshiclark.com/images/trips/cabo%20san%20lucas%20-%20february%202008/Images/IMG_4464.jpg

on ATVs:

http://toshiclark.com/images/trips/cabo%20san%20lucas%20-%20february%202008/Images/IMG_0698.jpg
http://toshiclark.com/images/trips/cabo%20san%20lucas%20-%20february%202008/Images/IMG_0709.jpg

[Toshi]

got some turns in today, but i think this may well be my last ski day of the season. it's starting to get warm, and while the resorts have sufficient snowpack the quality has taken a turn for the worse. today was hideous, east coast style... :(

[Toshi]

at long last the movies:

http://download.yousendit.com/E15EBB0F7AE07A10
http://download.yousendit.com/C1CED2AC3022BF12

one is of me trying to drift the ATV, and the other is of the nice, peaceful beach that we were riding on.

[Toshi]

the battle for supremacy in the car section of toshi's brain continues:

2009 VW Jetta Wagon 4Motion TDI. http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2008/03/geneva-preview-2009-volkswagen-golf.html

awd, low center of gravity, presumably offered with DSG... but get this: 38.6 mpg and a 3300 lb tow rating (!). 0-100 km/h in 12.9 seconds, so roughly as fast as my old 1996 nissan pathfinder.

i would SO rock this thing: slap some roof mounts on for skis, a hitch rack for bikes, and it'd be the ultimate road trip vehicle.

http://bp0.blogger.com/_FoXyvaPSnVk/R8mXoaDQF3I/AAAAAAAAkuw/DC5bNTrYuUM/s400/VWESTGF_158.jpg

http://bp0.blogger.com/_FoXyvaPSnVk/R8mXbaDQF1I/AAAAAAAAkug/d9OyhuX3TaE/s400/VWESTGF_162.jpg



of course, it can be trumped: mercedes has some diesel-electric hybrid models coming out with Li-ion batteries. the S class diesel hybrid gets 43.6 mpg (no word on Imperial or US gallons), and the GLK diesel hybrid racks up "nearly 40 mpg", whatever that means.

http://news.windingroad.com/alternative-propulsion/hybrids/geneva-08-mercedes-benz-vision-glk-bluetec-hybrid/

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1460314

http://news.windingroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/vision_glk_bluetec_hybrid-img_8444.jpg

[Toshi]

this is cool:

http://fundrace.huffingtonpost.com/neighbors.php?type=loc&addr=&zip=98115&search=Search

it shows you who has donated how much to which candidate, and you can search by name or by zip code among other fields.

my neighborhood's tally (seattle, WA 98115):

$14,008 to republicans
$141,334 to democrats

(my personal tally can be found by searching under my name, or under 97459, my official place of residence.)

[narlus]

http://toshiclark.com/images/trips/cabo%20san%20lucas%20-%20february%202008/Images/IMG_4475.jpg

this has a pretty awesome bokeh framing to it.

[Toshi]

thanks. i've certainly gotten my money's worth out of that 135/2L.

[Fool]

2009 VW Jetta Wagon 4Motion TDI. http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2008/03/geneva-preview-2009-volkswagen-golf.html

awd, low center of gravity, presumably offered with DSG... but get this: 38.6 mpg and a 3300 lb tow rating (!). 0-100 km/h in 12.9 seconds, so roughly as fast as my old 1996 nissan pathfinder.

i would SO rock this thing: slap some roof mounts on for skis, a hitch rack for bikes, and it'd be the ultimate road trip vehicle.

http://bp0.blogger.com/_FoXyvaPSnVk/R8mXoaDQF3I/AAAAAAAAkuw/DC5bNTrYuUM/s400/VWESTGF_158.jpg

http://bp0.blogger.com/_FoXyvaPSnVk/R8mXbaDQF1I/AAAAAAAAkug/d9OyhuX3TaE/s400/VWESTGF_162.jpg

Nice. Throw in a stick and I'm all over it.

[Toshi]

[crossposted from the commuter thread but with more content here]

starting on wednesday i'll have horrifically long commute, 42.5 miles from my house to the childrens' hospital in tacoma. map of commute (http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/2347/picture2gv3.png)

i HATE commuting in traffic, not to mention the cost of driving that distance each day, so i'll be hopping on public transit as i am wont to do.

leave house at 4:50 AM, walk 0.3 mi to bus stop
catch bus to the downtown transit tunnel at 4:57 AM, arriving at 5:37 AM
walk 0.2 mi to the commuter rail station
catch 6:10 AM commuter rail to tacoma dome, arriving at 7:10 AM
catch free light rail from tacoma dome to downtown tacoma (runs every 20 minutes until 8 AM, then every 10 minutes)
walk ~1 mile to the hospital or hop a local bus, arriving before 8 in either case
leave house at 5:45 AM, walk 0.3 mi to bus stop
catch bus to the downtown transit tunnel at 5:55 AM, arriving at 6:29 AM
walk a block or two, catch a 6:38 AM commuter bus to tacoma, arriving in downtown at 7:38 AM
walk ~1 mile to the hospital or hop a local bus, arriving before 8 in either case

choices, choices... i think i'll end up taking the bus more often than not because of its superior schedule (i'm doing a reverse commute which means i only have one train time option), but would like to try out the commuter train, the sounder, out of principle.


below are some seattle area mass transit photos. metro transit = seattle and king county, community transit = seattle to points north outside of king county, sound transit = seattle to points south outside of king county. (tacoma is outside of king county.) thanks to my university affiliation i get a $45/quarter pass that's good on any of the above transit systems.

the sounder train, which shares tracks with amtrak:

http://www.trains.com/trn/objects/images/sounder_car.jpg

double decker buses are being rolled out around seattle:

http://www.commtrans.org/Category/NewsAndEvents/DoubleDeckerBus/Bus.jpg

a greyhound-style commuter bus as is used on the tacoma-seattle routes:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a7/SoundTransit_MCI_6.png/220px-SoundTransit_MCI_6.png

an articulated diesel-electric hybrid bus as is found on most routes:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/SoundTransit_DE60LF_6.png/800px-SoundTransit_DE60LF_6.png

new "Tacoma Link" light rail trains that connect downtown Tacoma and the commuter rail/commuter bus station slightly outside of town:

http://www.soundtransit.org/Images/vehicles/Tacoma_Link_Vehicle_01.jpg

final side note: both the Sounder commuter rail train and some articulated diesel commuter buses have free WiFi now... http://www.soundtransit.org/x6083.xml

[binary visions]

A whole new camera kit is on the way. Finally getting my DSLR and not having to give it back to its rightful owner at the end of the day.

I'm giddy with excitement :monkeydance:

[Toshi]

A whole new camera kit is on the way. Finally getting my DSLR and not having to give it back to its rightful owner at the end of the day.

I'm giddy with excitement :monkeydance:

ooh. canon? nikon? pentax? minolta? sony? leica? :D

[binary visions]

Nikon D300
Nikon 300mm f/4
Nikon 18-70 f/3.5-4.5
Nikon 50mm f/1.4
Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Macro
Nikon 1.7x teleconverter

The only good part of having all my dad's cameras stolen :(

[Toshi]

awesome, you went to town. i expect much less chromatic aberration out of this setup ;)

[binary visions]

Yeah, it's funny - the lenses my dad had were worth practically nothing on the market but they were all constant aperture lenses which are very difficult to find (at least in a non-pro grade lens) and replacement value is pretty high.

Original -> Replacement
200mm f/4 -> 300mm f/4
50mm f/1.4 -> 50mm f/1.4
24-70 f/3.5 -> 18-70 f/3.5-4.5
2.0x tcon -> 1.7x tcon

If it were my money I would have gotten a D80 and dropped the 50mm, probably the Tamron as well and replaced it with an extension tube... but it's not my money, so I didn't :monkey:

[Toshi]

thought of the day:

what's the speed at which a given car achieves the best fuel economy? i read (speculation) once that suggested that the lowest speed in which the car could get into its top/longest gear would be ideal, so around 45 mph.

stemming from the above, is this speed different for different cars? furthermore, how does the economy drop off as speed rises?

for example, could it be possible that some cars cruise at 80 mph at close to their maximum efficiency while others fall flat on their faces over 60? how could this information be easily expressed? a chart with fuel economy at 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 mph on flat ground, and the same at a 5% grade?

(i'm enough of a nerd that i started lugging my car more after figuring out how to read brake-specific fuel consumption charts. low rpm + medium-high load == max efficiency. an example is below.)

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/6522/final32vv1.gif

[Toshi]

a few interesting small and/or efficient cars from the Geneva auto show:

Kia Soul concepts
http://img107.imageshack.us/img107/2965/mg9363fm4.jpg
http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/9499/mg9348uj8.jpg

Volvo XC60, based off of the S40 platform (aka the Ford euro-Focus platform that the Mazda3 also calls home). will be available with two diesels in european spec, although whether they'll make it over to the US is up in the air.

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/7266/mg9271tx4.jpg

Mazda2, which also has a diesel variant, and may make it to the US:
http://www.diariomotor.com/imagenes/mazda-2-2008-oficial-0.jpg
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/980/mazda2hatchnd0.jpg

[Toshi]

and, finally, 3 cutaways of the GT-R:

http://news.windingroad.com/photo-gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=36605
http://news.windingroad.com/photo-gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=36602
http://news.windingroad.com/photo-gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=36589

(not inlined since they're 1024 px wide. small version below)

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/2677/mg9106ap9.jpg

[narlus]

If it were my money I would have gotten a D80 and dropped the 50mm, probably the Tamron as well and replaced it with an extension tube... but it's not my money, so I didn't :monkey:


confused...so is the stuff yours, or your dad's and you can use it?

either way, nice gear listing!

[binary visions]

confused...so is the stuff yours, or your dad's and you can use it?

either way, nice gear listing!

It was all of my dad's old Olympus gear, accumulated over probably the last 35-40 years. One of the cameras was in Vietnam with him.

He gave it all to me which is why I was bummed about losing it. So all of it, old and new, was/is mine.

I'll see how the 50mm works out, may end up with the Sigma 30mm instead but I had to be a little careful with the insurance since I didn't want to appear to be a scam artist and it was a couple hundred bucks more.

[Westy]

thought of the day:

what's the speed at which a given car achieves the best fuel economy? i read (speculation) once that suggested that the lowest speed in which the car could get into its top/longest gear would be ideal, so around 45 mph.

stemming from the above, is this speed different for different cars? furthermore, how does the economy drop off as speed rises?

for example, could it be possible that some cars cruise at 80 mph at close to their maximum efficiency while others fall flat on their faces over 60? how could this information be easily expressed? a chart with fuel economy at 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 mph on flat ground, and the same at a 5% grade?

(i'm enough of a nerd that i started lugging my car more after figuring out how to read brake-specific fuel consumption charts. low rpm + medium-high load == max efficiency. an example is below.)

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/6522/final32vv1.gif

I seem to have convinced myself that I like my current situation of having two cars. One nice one, another for hauling dirty bikes, dirty dogs and well I am often dirty. Was thinking about selling the WRX and getting something cheaper like a beat up old pickup. Looking a little further into it if I can find an older used S10 or Ranger with a blown engine and a bit of work I could make an EV conversion for about $8K. With an effective range of 80 or so miles it could cover the majority of my trips and operating costs would be just a few cents per mile.

[narlus]

It was all of my dad's old Olympus gear, accumulated over probably the last 35-40 years. One of the cameras was in Vietnam with him.

He gave it all to me which is why I was bummed about losing it. So all of it, old and new, was/is mine.

I'll see how the 50mm works out, may end up with the Sigma 30mm instead but I had to be a little careful with the insurance since I didn't want to appear to be a scam artist and it was a couple hundred bucks more.

how'd you lose it? and why did you spec the D300?

i am sure you could sell a NIB D300 for close to retail value, if you wanted to get the D80 and more $ for lenses. the sigma 30 is a great lens on a cropper.

[Toshi]

I seem to have convinced myself that I like my current situation of having two cars. One nice one, another for hauling dirty bikes, dirty dogs and well I am often dirty. Was thinking about selling the WRX and getting something cheaper like a beat up old pickup. Looking a little further into it if I can find an older used S10 or Ranger with a blown engine and a bit of work I could make an EV conversion for about $8K. With an effective range of 80 or so miles it could cover the majority of my trips and operating costs would be just a few cents per mile.

why a pickup for the EV conversion? there's a geo metro EV conversion with batteries hanging down below the undercarriage running around my neighborhood...

[Westy]

why a pickup for the EV conversion? there's a geo metro EV conversion with batteries hanging down below the undercarriage running around my neighborhood...

There are a lot more older small pickups available than subcompacts, especially in this part of the country.

I would need something that can do 70 mph. Speed requires voltage which means more batteries. Mounting 10 batteries in a pickup is a no-brainer, much harder in a small car especially for someone with limited fabrication resources.

A transmission really isn't needed for an electric vehicle and just saps energy. Since the axle and differential is separate from the transmission in a RWD vehicle it can be removed and the motor connected directly to the drive shaft.

[Toshi]

fair enough. make sure to post your progress when/if you go ahead with that project.

i foresee biodiesel being a more practical option for me if i end up in the pac nw. there are a TON of places selling B20, B50, B99 out here.

www.pdxbiodiesel.org shows portland's strength in biodiesel stations, and seattle is equally, if not better, represented

[binary visions]

how'd you lose it? and why did you spec the D300?
It was stolen, along with a bunch of other stuff out of my house. Front door was kicked in. :disgust1:

D300 mostly because of the improved high ISO. I didn't really have a "budget" to work with, I had to replace things on a 1:1 basis so I couldn't just skimp on the body and buy an extra lens.

i am sure you could sell a NIB D300 for close to retail value, if you wanted to get the D80 and more $ for lenses. the sigma 30 is a great lens on a cropper.
I've definitely considered that. Most of the stuff arrives today - I will likely keep the D300, since this lens kit is pretty good and covers most of my immediate needs. The D300 has some advantages - the AF system since birds will be one of my chief targets, and the cleaner high ISO. It's certainly a little overkill, but I can grow into it.

We'll see when it gets here ;)

[narlus]

It was stolen, along with a bunch of other stuff out of my house. Front door was kicked in. :disgust1:


damn, when did that happen? that suxors. what else did they steal?


by all accounts the D300 is a cracker of a camera, so i'd probably hang onto that and save for a lens.

[binary visions]

Every piece of electronics in the house. The TV, three digital cameras, two laptops, a desktop, my monitor, some misc. computer parts, a phone...

Most of it was replaceable. I lost a few months worth of pictures that were backed up on a secondary drive but had not made it onto DVD (I was at the end of a backup cycle), but most of the stuff didn't really have any sentimental attachment. Except my dad's camera equipment. Fortunately, they left Jenn's jewelery alone.

Happened a week from this past Friday.

[narlus]

wow, that really sucks. you getting a security system now? was it an isolated event, or where other houses nearby also struck?

thankfully (knock on wood) i've never had a residence broken into, just my car a couple of times.

[binary visions]

One other house was hit a couple months ago but nobody at the same time as we were. Security system is partly installed, I'll be finishing it up tonight... and we got a bunch of ADT stickers off eBay right when it happened, so hopefully that'll discourage any would-be robber. It'll make us a little more comfortable anyway.

Dresser drawers and such were all pulled out, and the other house that was hit a couple months ago had guns stolen, so that's probably what they were looking for. No prints, no witnesses... everyone was at work. Cop wasn't exactly optimistic about finding anything out.

Just did a little playing with the D300... it's a friggin' beast. Probably about as safe as carrying a baseball bat - anyone looks at you funny and you could take their head off.

[Toshi]

my old Pathfinder was broken into three times. Part of my rationale for the WRX was to have a lockable trunk.

I'm on the Sounder commuter rail now btw. It's really similar to Caltrain and is very nice. Much nicer than buses: well lit, roomy, wide aisles, overhead storage, quiet, smooth, less crowded, and room for 6 bikes per car. While most buses now have triple bike racks I have been left in the cold when all spots were taken on rainy days before. The only disappointment is that the WiFi is worse than my iPhone's EDGE. Oh yeah, and no one has come by to check for a ticket or a pass yet?

I approve. (my return commute today: bike, light rail, commuter rail, then diesel electric hybrid bus)

[dan-o]

i foresee biodiesel being a more practical option for me if i end up in the pac nw. there are a TON of places selling B20, B50, B99 out here.

www.pdxbiodiesel.org shows portland's strength in biodiesel stations, and seattle is equally, if not better, represented

Mark me as jealous. There's 1 bio retailer near me but its 10mi out of my daily routine. Hopefully a bio co-op will spring up around here, I burn ~40g/week during the construction season and the wife put the kabosh on a home-brew kit (something about having 100g of diesel below the kids bedrooms...:busted:)

[Westy]

One other house was hit a couple months ago but nobody at the same time as we were. Security system is partly installed, I'll be finishing it up tonight... and we got a bunch of ADT stickers off eBay right when it happened, so hopefully that'll discourage any would-be robber. It'll make us a little more comfortable anyway.

Dresser drawers and such were all pulled out, and the other house that was hit a couple months ago had guns stolen, so that's probably what they were looking for. No prints, no witnesses... everyone was at work. Cop wasn't exactly optimistic about finding anything out.

Just did a little playing with the D300... it's a friggin' beast. Probably about as safe as carrying a baseball bat - anyone looks at you funny and you could take their head off.

Large
Dog

[binary visions]

Large
Dog
Yeah, I know. That's the best security.

Unfortunately, our lives are too swamped right now to really be able to take care of a big dog. At least, to take care of it to my satisfaction which includes regular attended exercise. Plus we're considering moving out of country if I can get a job with an international company... Just not a good time to own a dog, as much as I'd really love to have one.

[Westy]

Yeah, I know. That's the best security.

Unfortunately, our lives are too swamped right now to really be able to take care of a big dog. At least, to take care of it to my satisfaction which includes regular attended exercise. Plus we're considering moving out of country if I can get a job with an international company... Just not a good time to own a dog, as much as I'd really love to have one.

Just put a heavy duty dog lead in the front yard and crap in grass. Neighbors and thieves will think twice about going near your house.

Whole thing sucks by the way. How is Antimony taking it? The experience can be very traumatic well beyond losing some items.

[binary visions]

She's doing very well. A little skittish, of course, but that's to be expected - I thought she would be more scared by the whole thing, but life just goes on and she has been taking it mostly in stride. We rode to and from work together for a week after it happened but other than that she's been pretty calm about it.

[Westy]

She's doing very well. A little skittish, of course, but that's to be expected - I thought she would be more scared by the whole thing, but life just goes on and she has been taking it mostly in stride. We rode to and from work together for a week after it happened but other than that she's been pretty calm about it.


Good to hear.

Now to really dumb down Toshi's thread:
This should help with making the proper lawn ornaments.
http://www.bumperdumper.com/

[binary visions]

That's awesome.

I'm going to buy a rusted out Suburban, put it up on blocks in my yard and install a bumper dumper.

Who would rob a house with that in the yard?

[Westy]

In North Carolina someone would likely steal the Bumper Dumper.

[binary visions]

Toshi's poor thread, it never saw it coming :disgust1:

[Toshi]

a) am on the ferry now after a day of autoxing, day three since the new year. I joined the pro class this season and am floundering. Was sixth out of seventh today, smooth but slow. Time to play some more GT4 and dial in some aggression... ;)

b) I think I'll start an alternative personal transportation thread in the lounge to keep current. Aptera, golf hybrid diesel, diesel motorbikes, stokemonkey, the whole gamut. It will be as much for my amusement as for the edification of the reader :D

[Toshi]

b) I think I'll start an alternative personal transportation thread in the lounge to keep current. Aptera, golf hybrid diesel, diesel motorbikes, stokemonkey, the whole gamut. It will be as much for my amusement as for the edification of the reader :D

http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=198412

as promised. some stuff in there that i haven't posted about elsewhere, too...

[binary visions]

Since a Lounge post will inevitably be greeted with a "Take it to ridefoto, n00b!" I thought I'd post my very first shots from the new camera here... there is a very large local daffodil field that we went to in the gale-force winds yesterday:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/binaryvisions/DSC_0163.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/binaryvisions/DSC_0154.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/binaryvisions/DSC_0209.jpg

[Toshi]

ooh, purdy. are they sharp at 100% crop?

[binary visions]

They are tack sharp. Build quality on this Tamron isn't quite as good as the similar Nikons, but the optics are stellar and the bokeh is outstanding.

[binary visions]

Saturation and sharpness are pretty amazing... it's a whole new world vs. a compact digicam... or, for that matter, any other SLR I've used since I've never had the opportunity to use high end lenses. This little killdeer was running along side my car so I stopped and snapped a shot before he took off:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/binaryvisions/DSC_0218_1.jpg

[Toshi]

nice. shooting RAW/NEF, i hope? let's see some ISO 1600 indoors stuff...

[photosnobharping]careful to not lose shadow detail unless that's the effect you're going for[/harping]

[binary visions]

Haven't done any playing with NEF yet. I will, just haven't gotten there - still kinda feeling out the camera and getting comfortable.

Actually, I didn't notice until after the shot that it was left on spot metering which is why shadow detail was missing. Part of my still settling in with the camera - checking all my settings before I release the shutter :disgust1:

[binary visions]

Quick shot @ ISO1600 per request:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/binaryvisions/DSC_0245.jpg

100% crop:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/binaryvisions/DSC_0245_crop.jpg

[Toshi]

cool, looks fantastic when resized. now switch to NEF and click-balance 'til the cows come home... :thumb:

[Toshi]

i'll be heading out to the fourth autocross of the season tomorrow, the first one that counts! first three were "slush season" practice events.

i currently have 39 runs out of an expected lifespan of ~120 on my race tires. if i go to every local event through june and do a lapping day or two then i should be able to use up the tires before i leave town, allowing me to sell the extra set of OEM wheels they're mounted on for close to what i paid for 'em ($300 + shipping).

what does this matter, you ask?

well, if i end up in portland then autox opportunities will be few and far between: the closest site is in washington near mount st. helens, a solid 2.5 hr drive. i don't foresee myself doing that regularly during residency.

and since the only reason i have the RX-8 is to race it, it would stand to reason that i'd ditch it for something with better fuel economy than its revised-EPA-standards-rated 16 city, 22 hwy mpg.

:rubshandstogetherwithmaniacalgrin:

this could be fun, in addition to the obvious headaches of moving, starting a new job, sleep deprivation, etc.

http://toshiclark.com/images/daily/autocross%20weekend%20-%20labor%20day%202007/Images/IMG_4197.jpg

[ALEXIS_DH]

i'll be heading out to the fourth autocross of the season tomorrow, the first one that counts! first three were "slush season" practice events.

i currently have 39 runs out of an expected lifespan of ~120 on my race tires. if i go to every local event through june and do a lapping day or two then i should be able to use up the tires before i leave town, allowing me to sell the extra set of OEM wheels they're mounted on for close to what i paid for 'em ($300 + shipping).

what does this matter, you ask?

well, if i end up in portland then autox opportunities will be few and far between: the closest site is in washington near mount st. helens, a solid 2.5 hr drive. i don't foresee myself doing that regularly during residency.

and since the only reason i have the RX-8 is to race it, it would stand to reason that i'd ditch it for something with better fuel economy than its revised-EPA-standards-rated 16 city, 22 hwy mpg.

:rubshandstogetherwithmaniacalgrin:

this could be fun, in addition to the obvious headaches of moving, starting a new job, sleep deprivation, etc.

http://toshiclark.com/images/daily/autocross%20weekend%20-%20labor%20day%202007/Images/IMG_4197.jpg

time for a dedicated race car and acompanying trailer?
:pirate2:

[Toshi]

time for a dedicated race car and acompanying trailer?
:pirate2:

maybe some day. in the near future getting a Prius or the like and dropping racing for a few years is much more likely. it all depends on what city we end up in -- if i can live without a car at all for a while that'd be the ultimate.

i did realize today that i would like something even smaller, lighter, and sharper-edged than my RX-8. think ariel atom, although cheaper if possible. (i did pretty well at the event today: won my class in the morning and then picked up an additional 0.7 seconds, albeit with a cone or two, in the afternoon.)

[Toshi]

[crossposted from xanga]

today was quite possibly the worst day in my life.

i had basically no faculty support during the Scramble -- my assigned radiology guy was on the service and ducked out frequently to do barium studies. "page me if you need me"... <--- completely missing the point that the faculty's job during the Scramble is to BE THERE and TALK ON THE PHONE with other schools' faculty types.

ugh.

worse yet, i fumbled around with ERAS for a solid 20 minutes when the Scramble started, putting in the program code instead of the ACGME ID in the search field, yielding no results. (and ERAS was what all the programs wanted -- calling them only yielded a busy tone, a full voicemail box, or a testy sounding person saying to submit info through ERAS, and, no, there was no one i could speak to.)

the net result of this was that i didn't have any spot whatsoever at around 11:30 AM, and was losing hope rapidly. i was basically resigned that i'd be taking an extra year either through expanding (5 yrs for school) or through graduating in june of this year without a spot and working a "normal job" outside medicine for a year while reapplying. needless to say, this would have sucked mightily.

then a small crack appeared in the once-seamless facade of suckiness, and i found out that a preliminary surgery spot had unexpectedly opened up right here at UW. after back and forth bickering about test scores that weren't back yet between the program director and the dean of the medical school i was offered it, and gladly accepted the internship. even if i would have to re-apply to radiology residencies during a tough surgical year it'd be better than nothing.

i considered myself done with the Scramble at this point and left, running errands about town with my cell phone on me... just in case.

the cell phone came in handy: in between picking up junk at sears i ended up having a whirlwind set of three phone calls: one from a program asking for documentation verifying my board scores; a second not 30 minutes later from the radiology department chairman; and a third 15 minutes after that from the residency program director offering me a spot.

i accepted, of course.

thanks to the Scramble i know where i'll be two days before the rest of the non-scrambling medical world:

July 2008-June 2009: University of Washington (Seattle), Preliminary Surgery internship
July 2009-June 2013: Nassau University (Long Island, NY), Diagnostic Radiology residency

(although it worked out fine i would not wish this process on my worst enemy. it's quite possible the worst way to decide one's fate what with the programs not answering their phones or emails, the lack of faculty support here at UW, the sense that options are diminishing by the minute, and the general opacity of the process.)

[Mike B.]

Congrats! Quite the day, can't say I'd ever want to go through anything like it. Friend of mine is 3rd year at (gasp) Yale and already starting to panic about next year given she wants plastic surgery. I guess there are so few spots that you just have to hope and pray.

At least you get to stay in Seattle for another year before going to the commuter hell of LI.

[Toshi]

ooh, what can you tell me about LI? where should i live? can i take the rail everywhere? is it like the great gatsby?

[splat]

one thing I can tell you about LI , Its expensive!!!!

[Toshi]

one thing I can tell you about LI , Its expensive!!!!

i can live in a hovel. it's ok. being 2 hours away from the city should be awesome... ny philharmonic! :)

[Toshi]

here are two really cool music-related things:

1) Melodyne

http://www.synthtopia.com/images/Celemony_Melodyne25.PNG

i'm still not 100% convinced it's legit, or that it'll work with a
variety of musical timbres, but Melodyne claims that they are able to
break up polyphonic recordings (ie, not MIDI) and manipulate the
pitch, volume, and duration of each component note individually. the
video explains it well, and even if you normally shy away from youtube
i'd recommend watching this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFCjv4_jqAY

as the inventor notes this could revolutionize the recording industry.
trumpet player fouled up a note on a take? just drag it to the proper
pitch in melodyne...

2) MySong

http://www.istartedsomething.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/mysong.jpg

In a nutshell, the software records your singing (preferably in tune) through a microphone, and it systematically generates an instrumental accompaniment for your song. The quality is even comparable with a professional accompanist, not to mention the cost and time involved.

http://www.istartedsomething.com/20080229/mysong-microsoft-research-singing-sound-a-lot-better/

(video at the link!)

note the "jazz factor" and "happy factor" sliders, heh

[Mike B.]

Probably want to check with Dante & Ska Todd on more in depth info.

Check the MTA website for info on the LIRR (map here) (http://www.mta.info/lirr/html/lirrmap.htm). I did work on some LIRR cars for overhaul and they were actually much nicer than a lot of the dated cars in the northeast corridor. Don't expect the nicer buses of the Pac NW. If you get back on the mountain bike, there is some riding on LI but you can also hop the ferry to CT for better stuff.

My sister-in-law lived in Montauk and driving the expressway out there was horrible most of the time. Avoid the Jones Beach area on weekends. I seem to remember some nice public beaches in Westhampton.

Make friends with Tiger Woods and his new 65 million dollar mansion.

[Westy]

ooh, what can you tell me about LI? where should i live? can i take the rail everywhere? is it like the great gatsby?

Worst regional accent ever.

[binary visions]

Toshi, I just caught up on all this craziness and wanted to say first off, sorry you had to deal with everything, but congratulations on eventually ending up in your chosen residency (is that the right term? Maybe WITH your chosen residency?).

All I know from Long Island is expensive horse shows and the accompanying opposite ends of the income spectrum: those who make their living around horses and are therefore dirt poor vagabonds, and those who have horses as a hobby, who are filthy rich and sometimes snobby. I used to work the Hampton Classic. A lot of fun, snobs nonwithstanding.

I ate at some exquisite restaurants there. Haven't a clue about any of the names since it was always charity from the wealthy horse owners I made friends with when they realized I had the misfortune of having to work for a living, but rest assured there are some very nice places to eat.

[Fool]

Long Island, huh. Live in the city and reverse commute. East Meadow is in the middle of Nassau County, in the middle of the island (widthwise anyway), far from anything that's nice about LI. Commuting by car is about as bad as it can get anywhere else in the US. The transit system is extensive, however, the LIRR and buses can get you anywhere from the city to the beaches to the tip of Montauk. There's riding to be had, both MTB and road, occasionally the surf gets good if you can stand the cold, Auto-x is alive and well out there (too bad Bridgehamton track shut down, though) and, yes, there is a Long Island Philharmonic Orchestra!

[Fool]

Also, congrats.

[Toshi]

thanks, Fool. i'm not sure if i can get it but there exists limited subsidized/low-cost housing on the med center campus for residents. that might be my best option, no?

forget nightlife -- i want to live cheaply. (plus me and the gf, who is on board for LI, are homebodies who prefer to do stuff during daylight instead.)

[Toshi]

it's amazing how cheap i've gotten in the past few weeks. i blame rising gas prices along with the realization that i'll actually having to start paying (a very small portion of, thanks to hardship provisions) my student loans back. last i checked, before this final quarter's aid was disbursed, they were something like $110,000.

:(

in the grand scheme of things this won't matter a whit, and a lot of it is at a nice, low interest rate (3 and change fixed!), but that's still undeniably a big chunk of money. factor in the inevitable costs of moving, both within seattle in a month or two, and across the country next year, as well as the, uh, costs implied in having my girlfriend move with me, and you can see why i might be feeling a bit skint.

so what am i doing about it?

a) not skiing, even though it's been snowing (!) here in town with much more falling up in the hills. i figure it costs me pretty much $100 each time i head up, what with gas, the ticket itself, and lunch on the mountain.

b) taking the bus or riding EVERYWHERE, even when it's not particularly convenient. this includes both my horrid tacoma-seattle commute last month as well as heading to the VA hospital where i am this month and up north to the girl's place in mukilteo. the VA-mukilteo commute takes 1.5-2.5h+ depending on whether it's during the express/commuter bus hours, but it's free.

c) trying to subsist entirely on food pilfered from the girl's fridge :D or from costco. this includes eating out less when i'm paying, heh.

d) i'm planning on selling the RX-8 in may after racing it as much as possible in april. yes, it would be cheaper to not race it, but i already have and paid for the race tires and will get more use out of them this way than i would get extra money on trying to resell them.

e) whatever i replace the RX-8 with will be cheap, as the assumption would be that i'd ditch it before heading to long island. moving two cars across country doesn't seem practical.

f) when i move out of my current, shared house to next year's digs (somewhere in seattle) i'll try to share a 2 bedroom with a fellow intern, ideally located within 2-3 miles from both of the hospitals that i'll be at. this would eliminate much early morning whining when deciding whether to bike or drive in, and if combined with pay per use parking instead of a permit could ultimately save money.

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/2163/609c3jpgrs5.jpg

living cheaply as possible will be a good exercise since not only will LI be more expensive but the girl may well jump straight to a master's in education program instead of working...

yikes. what have i gotten myself into :monkey:

[Toshi]

two separate bits of "news":

1) i'm starting to wonder whether it would be more practical for the girl and i to have one or two cars in long island. thoughts from the natives? Fool? if two is the answer then i'll shoot for something a bit nicer: something that will still be cheaper outright and cheaper to insure and run than my RX-8, but not a $1500 POS either. (2001 Prius perhaps?)

2) for the next two weeks i am going to attempt to bike commute in every day. while this is usually non-news, it is for these weeks since i'm at the seattle VA med ctr. it's south of town. i live north of town. this will thus involve 12 miles, one drawbridge, two decent hills, and possibly some tears. i figure i should leave about now (6:39 AM) if i'm going to make it comfortably by 8 AM clinic...

:pirate2:

[vtjim]

Growing up on Long Island (albeit farther East than where you'll be) I have to say that owning a second car will be useful, if not necessary.

The wife and I tried it for a while when we were living out in CA and since I had the car most days to go to work she was going stir crazy being unable to get anywhere over a couple blocks away.

[narlus]

Quick shot @ ISO1600 per request:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/binaryvisions/DSC_0245.jpg



canon's not shaking in their boots. :monkeydance:

[narlus]

btw, toshi - congrats! i'd not heard the conclusion of yr residency quest.

[binary visions]

canon's not shaking in their boots. :monkeydance:
No? DPReview disagrees :monkeydance:

Its big problem was the fact that Canon was still a generation ahead in the noise stakes, managing to consistently deliver clean images despite megapixel jumps. With the advent of the D300 however Nikon has conclusively removed this disparity and if anything stepped ahead of Canon
At ISO 800 the DSLR-A700 begins to exhibit some chroma (blotchy color) noise, the cleanest of the remaining three appears to be the D300 followed by the EOS 40D

The D300 is definitely a stop better than the previous generation Nikons and any disparity in a comparison between this and the 40D is at a pixel-peeping level - at least from what I've seen. Not that there's necessarily anything wrong with pixel peeping, but I'd say, in regards to real world results from cropped sensors, the playing field has been decisively leveled. Good things for the consumers, Canon has to again step up, and then Nikon can do the same :D

[Toshi]

Growing up on Long Island (albeit farther East than where you'll be) I have to say that owning a second car will be useful, if not necessary.

The wife and I tried it for a while when we were living out in CA and since I had the car most days to go to work she was going stir crazy being unable to get anywhere over a couple blocks away.

thanks for the advice. i feel more comfortable with a non-beater, too, partly because if i bought a car for $1500 i'd feel obligated to _not_ work on the brakes, exhaust, or in any way pour money into it and ruin its value proposition. :D

btw, toshi - congrats! i'd not heard the conclusion of yr residency quest.

thanks, tim. a quest indeed, which turned out as best as it could given the circumstances (failed standardized pt exam -- got my passing score on the retake 5 days ago so all systems are go, btw).

[Toshi]

for the next two weeks i am going to attempt to bike commute in every day. while this is usually non-news, it is for these weeks since i'm at the seattle VA med ctr. it's south of town. i live north of town. this will thus involve 12 miles, one drawbridge, two decent hills, and possibly some tears. i figure i should leave about now (6:39 AM) if i'm going to make it comfortably by 8 AM clinic...

:pirate2:

so i did this today. was very painful. i'm not sure if i'll do it again, and certainly not for the next two weeks running.

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/7941/picture1vu5.png

note how the mileage markers end after the 21 point (hidden behind the 3). i gave up then and caught the bus back up the hill for the last ~2.5 miles. too many hills. not enough bike lanes. ugh.

[narlus]

The D300 is definitely a stop better than the previous generation Nikons and any disparity in a comparison between this and the 40D is at a pixel-peeping level - at least from what I've seen.

i wasn't comparing it to the 40D...i was comparing it to my (2.5 year old, ancient by digital standards) 5D.

[binary visions]

i wasn't comparing it to the 40D...i was comparing it to my (2.5 year old, ancient by digital standards) 5D.
Ah, well, no comparison then. Sure, the 5D wins. Larger photosites. Laws of physics rule, even as technology attempts to surmount them - the D3 beats it, though, if you want to do a little apples-to-apples comparison ;)

Let me tell you, you will be very happy when Canon decides that it needs to follow Nikon's lead of putting this uber-high resolution LCD on the back. Seems like a small thing, but it's pretty amazing.

[Toshi]

woohoo

did 15.45 miles roundtrip today on the VA commute, with the missing mileage largely in the hills. felt WAY better to do it this way. (plus i hit 33 mph on a fun downhill stretch sans pedaling! might have been more but that's what it read when i glanced down)

[narlus]

Ah, well, no comparison then. Sure, the 5D wins. Larger photosites. Laws of physics rule, even as technology attempts to surmount them - the D3 beats it, though, if you want to do a little apples-to-apples comparison ;)

Let me tell you, you will be very happy when Canon decides that it needs to follow Nikon's lead of putting this uber-high resolution LCD on the back. Seems like a small thing, but it's pretty amazing.

i agree.. i use the LCD quite a bit when shooting live music...i mainly shoot manual now, and the histogram + LCD feedback help me dial settings in. more accuracy in the small jpg displayed can only help me.

btw, for the 5D i paid 1/3 of what a D3 would cost me. ;)

[Toshi]

orchestral brass players often have uncomplicated parts compared to the strings, but are often asked to transpose on the fly. for example, a french horn player might be asked to play a piece written for horn in A on their instrument, which is keyed in F. this ability to transpose music on the fly is not really remarkable, as it's a common task. however, if one isn't good at transposing the "cheater way" to accomplish the task is to write out the part by hand in the new key.

in one of my upcoming concerts my trumpet part is largely in F. normally i'd transpose it on the fly without batting an eye, perhaps even rhyming in the process. unfortunately, it is the worst laid out part i've ever run across. in particular, page turns happen inexplicably in the middle of phrases even when the phrases are flanked by multiple long rests, and the scribe felt it would be a good idea to break up multirests such that bar