Reinforcements [s]

I had quite a few visitors this weekend. The main project - other than good times - was resupporting the deck.


1. Remove every other post.


2. Grind away rusted rebar previously used to align posts.


3. Drill the concrete for the new anchors, 5/8" or 3/4" or something.


4. Fill the hole with epoxy and sink the bolt, allow to set overnight.


5. Torque the u-brackets to the concrete, level the new posts and bolt them with 1/2" galvanized hardware.


6. Mime strange things.


7. Raise sagging parts of the structure as necessary.


8. Drill and bolt the tops of the posts.


9. Start over with the opposite sides.



So a moisture barrier is pretty important. The next step will be to skirt the new posts in brick to make the assembly more visually appealing.

Buying a hammer drill for the job was not exactly a feather in my cap, but it defintely made short work of the concrete - about a minute to sink the length of the bit. My newfound ability to anchor to concrete opens possibilities in the difficult pursuit of a pool enclosure. I need a means to deflect falling leaves from the southernmost few feet of the pool. The pool vac handles them just fine, but I dislike cleaning the filter every few days.

Traditional pool covers will simply dump the leaves and such into the water when they are folded or rolled up, so an above-water solution is ideal. I'd considered a canopy, though not many can accomodate the 12' width of the pool. Such a structure would have the benefit of providing shade in addition to leaf protection. Anything with a roof and walls is an asset to use of the pool heater, though I wouldn't want the area permanently enclosed.

Being able to affix something to the concrete around the pool means I could do something that resembles a pergola, but with the potential for a roof and/or walls. This would look better than a canopy and provide a platform for great things ranging from outdoor lighting to volleyball net posts.

This weekend's roll call:


Benhen.


Catherine (sp?).


Pops.


Bear.


Jes.


Kim.


Me.


Patrick Swayze Jon.


Ted.


Oops.


So that's an ostrich egg, slated for scrambling tomorrow morning.



The final presentation for photo is Wednesday, so I've printed a few more things. Here are some film shots from the March 7 autocross.

More milestones [s]

There was a scnax event this weekend. I stopped by to shoot a couple rolls and a few megs. The contact sheets are looking promising, we'll see if there's anything I can use for the final.







Replacing the deck supports is upcoming. I snagged some redwood for the task, though it kinda led to a ydiw moment.



Oh well, the posts are painted, as is the rest of the backyard. Cheers to that. Once I haul away the last wall of the sauna it'll look okay - save for the halfway landscaping.



I'm pleased to announce my new ethics services program, called Equal Cup. Clients of Equal Cup will be given the exclusive opportunity to purchase Starbucks offsets in order to reduce their impact on society. These offsets can be earmarked for any competing chain or a local establishment and I will personally see to it that every offset cup is thoroughly enjoyed.

And I was pretty happy about Watchmen. I suppose there's a glass ceiling to crediting any adaptation simply because it's not an original work. But the production was so faithful and detailed that I'd say it did great justice to the original media.

A lack of focus [s]

Truth: variable focus is complete rubbish. Stop using it, everyone. Anonymous Cohort 1 was about 50/50 for having cars in focus at the last autocross. Anonymous Cohort 2 shot yesterday and was about 30/70. More than one person in my photo class have presented photos completely out of focus.

Then I picked up Ted's camera and, being unfamiliar with Canons, left it on fully automatic. I guess their firmware developers think the background is most important. Oh well.


Matt's Mazdaspeed 6.


The vr.


Bill Corbett, Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy doing live commentary on Plan 9 from Outer Space. Well, this was the intro skit.


The street. Jon, Mike, and Ted in the foreground. Ugh.


Mike turned around briefly. Yes yes I have no shame.


We wouldn't have been happier had the Packers won the Super Bowl.

Spoken this weekend:
'Welcome to last year.' Apparently Liar's Club is gone. Colon-dash-open paren.
'How long do you go to jail for statch?' Yeahhh.
'I do what I can. And in the least biased manner possible.' Says someone completely dead to me.

Jack Murphy parking lot [s]

Yesterday was autocross.



I got a little sloppy on the charting. Oh well, it's all there. Getting so many runs was a real feather in our cap. Jon was testing the limits of traction, or so I noticed when I rode with him. Sliding off course was a real black eye for me on the first two runs. Erik peaked early, Ian improved until his tires stopped gripping. He's got some nasty chunks missing.

Most times were in the 63-65 range. The other SD SOLO photographer was happy with the 61 he ran in his rx8, a stock Vette managed a 56, and the karts were pulling low 50s.

Key lessons learned:

• Off camber corners are significant.
• Racier tire setups don't give much warning before breaking loose.
• Skillful driving and r-compounds are a good substitute for being short on power.
  

The results of the April event, for comparison.


White Lambda was definitely pushing the Ac around. For more photos of the event, including Jon with a cone in his wheel well, check my blog-dedicated flickr.


Yes folks, that wheel is off the ground.

Major cwnage [s]

Erik and Ian did autocross training.

Crossed up [s]

Today was autocross. Here are some pretty pictures courtesy Connie and Ted.


Jon in the RSX(-S) coming out of the first chicane into the fast left.


Christine: 'Jon drives like an old man. The oldest brother still holds the title for reckless driving.'
I have a feeling this directly corresponds to the controllability of our respective vehicles. Jon has a light fwd car, I have a heavy awd car, Ted has a heavier rwd car. But I'll test this hypothesis in May - provided Jon doesn't put his car in a lake trying to get to Country Kitchen Buffet.


Erik in the 240sx right out the gate.


Connie: 'Ian's car felt a lot lighter than the vr4. The vr4 felt lower, like it had a lower center of gravity. I really wanted to ride in Erik's cause it had so much smoke, it woulda been a good ride. Jon doesn't have smoke.'
I'll be rerouting my exhaust from the turbos to the wheel wells.


Ian in the STi with Ty calling the turns, handling the gps, and deciding on radio stations.


Connie: 'Spinning out is way more fun than being in a car that is controlled. The first ride I had with Ian, that was the best, that was when he spun out on the first turn and took out like half the cones and missed half the course. That was the best ride.'
'I'm surprised Ian spun out, because I heard awd doesn't spin out.'


The vr4 through the first chicane.


Connie: 'You could feel the weight of the vr4 being thrown around.'

Like any worthwhile activity, this event produced numbers begging to be analyzed. The data is as impure as can be; there is no accounting for tagged cones, cooldown time in the grid, and other such inconsistencies rightfully ignored because the event was a practice.

But like all good analyses, the proper mixture of sketchy telemetry and unfounded inference can bootstrap you to a solid conclusion.

Notable sources of variation that may benefit future autocross efforts:

• We ran in the first group having walked part of the track so course knowledge started at nil.
• Marked improvement for the afternoon runs 7-12 can be attributed to track familiarity gained from the first runs, working the course, and doing ridealongs.
• The tarmac was much warmer for the latter session.
• Turnaround time between runs was nearly ten minutes in the morning, closer to two minutes in the afternoon.
• In the afternoon we were accompanied by individuals who often use phrases such as 'Balls to the wall.', 'My 5-series could...', and 'Slam it slam it slam it.' Not that any of us would succumb to peer pressure.
• Tire characteristics varied widely among cars. Erik even switched his out at lunch.
  

And though the color of his curve fit indicates otherwise, Erik was the one among us with prior scnax experience. And it's pretty easy to tell based on his solid first run and:

Standard Deviation (seconds)
E: 1.61. Speaking purely, lap times will approach and asymptote with diminishing returns. Erik's pretty far along this path. Sway bars and tires will certainly shift the curve downward, and maybe give him a little more to work on.
I: 3.98. The number fits the flatness of the curve; he started out a much better driver than the rest of us.
C: 5.61. The plot suggest I have some work to do and it definitely felt that way on the track.
J: 4.35. It looks like had he continued with fun runs, Jon would have broken 70 pretty quickly.


Jon says competitive driving is so divine.

Postgame discussions:

E:
Don't you just sleep better knowing that if you die before morning [ed: I didn't die before morning], at least you can say you have executed a four-wheeled power slide in your 320hp dream car? Doesn't the 15-year old playing GT1 on PS1 in the back of your conscious finally rest easy now that one of life's major goals has been achieved? It's sort of like coming back from surfing double-ohs last winter at Scripps.
My favorite outcome was what Jon took away.

E: So, what did you think?
J: I feel sooo much better about driving on the street now. I know how to recover if I slide. I can control it.

I mean that says it all. One less Sigalert for the morning commuters because Jon will not be the one getting a body massage from the guardrail when he hits that gravel patch in the middle of the onramp. And he's not scared of the top third of the tach anymore. Even if he never fancies himself a gearhead, at least he's not among the ignorant, and has more cred than 3/4 of the RSX(S!) drivers out there.
For next time, I suggest different run groups so we can get ridealongs/crew for each other/throw things at your friend as they pass while working the course.

C:
In the end, it was nice to hear the birds on all four corners of my car chirp in unison, if not wayyyyy before they would have with the Kumhos. I can see why an awd road car can get away with two lsds when a rally car cannot.
That long left is on the list with the first turn on a wave, first knee on the ground, maybe something involving a girl but probably not. Oh mitzvahs! And now I get to change oil just like in GT3!!!
Next time:

• Yes different run groups. Allows ridealongs and I can shoot when I'm not on track. I'll bring my stash of smoke balls.
• Ty. He lit up the kart track like a true Italian, it'd be a lot of fun to send Slash's 1400 lb through a tight autox course. Especially if he got these and these.
  
• First person to knock down a cone has to pick up our lunch order. This includes cones in the parking lot and ice cream cones.
• Sleepover beforehand featuring a speed movie and video gamery. Maybe some practice photography.
• Wagers, maybe older vs. younger brothers. For instance we compute our rank versus other cars of the same make and model. Whoever is lower buys boba. Say E is the first ranked 240sx and I am the third ranked vr4. Jon and Ian would have to average above second rank among Imprezas and Integras to win.
  

E:
You get a lot less chirping when you switch to a lo-pro from an all-season. My canary never let me know the traction was giving out until too late on the Kumhos, although they were ultimately faster than the all seasons. I haven’t committed to the R’s yet, but damn it’s tempting – I want to do 3-wheel turns!
Funny, you ended up being the fastest vr4 there your first time out and I ended up as the slowest 240 out there even with my experience.

C:
Sure I may have been the fastest vr4, but all the gto drivers were total noobs. The 240 kids were seasoned professionals.