a gthing science project

Posted by Sam at May 24th, 2007

When I open up the door to my gas cap, there is a large sticker on the inside that says “Premium Fuel only.” But do I really need premium fuel? There are some out there who believe that premium fuel is a conspiracy to get the weak minded to buy more expensive gas. Certainly, there are a lot of websites that back this claim up.

First we have to define the word “necessary.” Do we mean premium gas is necessary or my engine will blow up? Or do we mean premium gas is necessary for optimal performance of your car?

The first question, is premium gasoline necessary for protecting your engine? The answer is probably not.

An octane rating measures the fuel’s resistance to ignition. So, I higher octane gas takes longer to ignite than a lower octane gas. If timed right, this later ignition can equal more compression in your cylinder, which translates to more power to your wheels.

So what happens if I put low octane gas in my car? As expected, the fuel will ignite early (this is called pre-ignition) and cause the engine to knock (aka ping). The knock sounds like a little pinging sound like a bit of metal smacking against the engine block. What is actually happening is that the gas is igniting from the center of the chamber from the spark plug, but also igniting from the outside of the chamber by itself before the first flame ignites all the fuel. So you get two explosions instead of one, a lot more pressure than the chamber is designed for, and you wear out your engine.

Modern cars are just as susceptible to knocking as old cars, but their advanced computers have protection built in. A knock sensor will listen for pinging and automatically adjust the timing in the engine to accommodate. Your engine may knock a little bit, but your computer will correct and no damage will be done to your vehicle.

Sometimes the timing cannot fixed by the car and you will get knocking anyway. My last car had a problem with pre-detonation that the computer couldn’t fix and was only mildly helped by using higher octane fuel. I’ve also ridden is several cars with pre-ignition problems that the computer can’t fix for whatever reason. But that’s besides the point.

So, back to our original question. If high octane fuel necessary? If by necessary you mean “necessary for the engine to operate” the answer is no. You engine will operate fine on just about any commercial octane you put in it.

So why the different choices? Why would you ever pay for high octane?

Remember how I said the engine adjusts itself? Well it was tuned a certain way to begin with for a reason. Remember advanced timing = higher compression = more power? So when you de-tune your engine, you’re getting less compression, and therefore less power. If this wasn’t true, there would be no reason for advanced timing in the first place.

On a car like mine, according to car and driver, using low octane fuel will cost me ~10hp. If I wanted my car to perform like a Honda Civic, I would have just bought a Honda Civic.

I have a friend who runs something like 130 octane in his car on the track. He could tell you all about the benefits of high octane fuel. Anyone who drives on the track will tell you the same thing. No rational bugatti Varion driver would put low octane fuel in their car (in fact, they wouldn’t even use high octane - they’re in a class all their own - more like 111-118 octane).

So, back to the original question: Is high octane fuel necessary? If by necessary you mean necessary for you car to run at optimal performance than the answer is yes.

Of course, that only applies to you if you drive a car that says it needs high octane fuel. Putting high octane in a regular old car isn’t going to improve performance, and in fact you will end up just wasting your money and probably getting less performance due to the fuel igniting too late in the cycle.

So, the final answer - is it necessary? I guess it depends on what you want. If you want to get what you paid for out of your sports car, than yes, use premium. If you want it to run like a Civic, then you don’t need to worry about ruining your engine by running low octane in it.

Posted by Sam at May 23rd, 2007

I went to the allergist today. A fun time was had by all. After talking to the doctor, he thought it would be a good idea to do some testing.

If you’ve never been to an allergist, then you’re really missing out. The test consists of a nurse writing (in my case) 42 numbers down three rows on my back. Then, next to each number they prick the skin and leave an allergen there.

42 allergens.

The allergens include things like trees, grass, weeds, different kinds of animals, mold, etc. Being given one shot is not fun, let alone 42.

After they give you the shots, you are told to sit there lying on your stomach for 15 or 20 minutes. The nurse told me to take a nap.

A nap sounded nice, except that my back was stinging like a thousand red hot needles shot from the eye of the volcanic mouth of a weed-eating dog who shoots bees out if his mouth when he barks and lasers come out of his eyes when he looks at you and also his claws are digging into you at the same time and also you’re allergic to him.

Okay, it wasn’t quite THAT bad, but a nap was completely out of the question.

I could not scratch at the various lumps that were now forming on my back, I just had to sit there. After a while, the doctor came back in with the nurse and started reading off the numbers. Every allergen is rated on a scale of 0 to 4 and a “p” is added if it’s especially bad. At least that was the system as near as I could tell.

So out of the 42 allergens, about 35 of them were a 4p. A few were two, and a couple of zeroes. Needless to say, my back looked like a mine field when they were done.

I asked if they gave complimentary back scratchers with the exam but no such luck was had. They didn’t even put any anti-itch creme on it or anything.

Here is a picture I snapped in the waiting room after they told me to put my shirt back on.

The rightmost row is trees, the second row is grasses, weeds, etc. The last row is cats (4p) dogs (2), and mold (2).

So the doctor said they would mix together a shot filled with all the stuff I’m allergic to and inject it in to me. That sounds like certain death, but apparently they do it all the time.

If I get shots for 5 years, there is some chance that my allergies will go away. Horay!

Posted by Sam at May 22nd, 2007

I was able to get my notebook laser etched at the Maker Faire for free! Check it out:

Posted by Sam at May 18th, 2007

For those of you not familiar with the concept of “pulling a code” it involves hooking up a little hand-held computer to your car and pushing one button and waiting about 2 milliseconds. The code pops up and tells you what is wrong with your car.

Anywhere in the universe, you can get this done for free at your local Checker or Autozone. Everywhere in the Universe except the backwards state of California. Apparently car computer codes are a highly guarded secret out here. This was my experience.

Checker (Called Krager’s out here): Said they would charge me $40 to pull the code. The guy explained that he had to pay himself back for the $1000 machine he bought to pull codes. I asked him why they charge in California and not in the rest of the country and he said “Well, they probably just want you to buy an air sensor or something.” Ya, I thought that was the point. If it’s my air sensor that is messed up, I want me to buy one, too. It’s an auto parts store … ?

Firestone: $40 “pull the code fee” + $90 diagnostic fee. I didn’t believe the girl at the desk and explained once again that I just needed the code pulled, nothing else. Just hook up to my ODBII port (it’s not even covered) and push the little button on the sensor. She was sure though, yes, that process would cost me $130 for some reason.

Autozone: Autozone charges you $160 to “borrow” the ODBII sensor from their store to take into their parking lot. Then after they pull the code, they will refund your money back, thus tying up $160 on your credit card for several days. I asked if I could just leave my ID, or keys, or phone and explained I was traveling and gave her the sob story. She relented and said I could use the code reader, then informed me they didn’t have one. Sweet, thanks.

What’s worse is that if you want to call around and ask if various places will pull a code for you, you’ll just get a bunch of people who speak spanish or indian or french or something. Nobody around here even speaks enough english to tell you if they can pull a code.

So, in conclusion California sucks.

Posted by Sam at May 17th, 2007

Jake, Jon, and I left late (let’s be honest: as expected) Wednesday evening for the Maker Faire in San Francisco. We are driving my WRX which is also the project we are showing at the faire.

We left around 7pm and headed up to Salt Lake to catch I-80 west. On the way up I was cruising about 100 mph at one point and noticed a cop coming up fast behind me. He wasn’t in my lane, but in the lane next to me. I thought he was going to pass at first, but as soon as he got up next to me he slowed down and paced me.

The cop flashed his lights and chirped his siren. I didn’t know exactly what he wanted me to do - don’t cops usually pull you over from behind? I looked over at him and he and his partner just looked over at me and made gestures which I read to be equivalent of saying “WTF are you doing?!”

I gave them a cheesy “don’t kill me smile” and geared down, allowing them to pass on. I don’t know why they didn’t pull me over, but I don’t care - it was awesome.

We stopped in some small town to try to get a motel room but the place was full (although the kind lady at the desk offered the front lounge couches). It seemed a biker gang was coming through and had filled up the rooms. I did spot this awesome bike while there (yes, there is a bike under there somewhere).

If you can’t afford a chopper, this is the next best
form of customization.

We made it all the way to Winnemucca, Nevada, which Jake figures to be the half way point to San Francisco. We found a cheap motel here (The Winner Hotel!) and are just winding down to go to bed. Long day tomorrow.

Posted by Sam at May 15th, 2007

Those of you reading from Utah or familiar with mormons will appreciate this:
The Traffic is True!

Posted by Sam at May 14th, 2007

Jake and I are busy working away on my carputer to get it ready for the Maker Faire in San Francisco this week.

There’s still a lot to do. In fact, before Wednesday evening we need to troubleshoot the software, design a new front end for the interface, fix the bluetooth integration, finish installing the MFC anywhere (see below), wire some USB ports to the front, install a remote starter (yikes!), design a custom front end for viewing traffic cameras around Utah, and if we get around to it include a webcam and hard drive dock in the front. That’s a lot of work to be done!

I am happy to say, however, that we have mostly installed the MFC anywhere unit from connect2car. Let me tell you, this thing is cool. Basically, it allows me to see and control my car from anywhere via the internet. I can see my car on a map, see it’s recent locations, see it’s status (engine on, RPMs, alarm, etc.) and control functions like starting and stopping the engine, locking and unlocking the doors, and pretty much anything else I can think of.

Another cool thing is that if my alarm goes off, I am immediately sent a text message telling me so. If my car were ever stolen, I would be able to call the police and tell them exactly where it is. When the cops get there I could cut the engine and lock the doors, ensuring my car doesn’t get involved in a chase and the thief doesn’t get away. Pretty awesome, eh?

There’s my car on the map showing me where it is right now (that’s my work). Down in the bottom left hand corner is the icon that shows me where the nearest cell phone tower is. So if the GPS ever stopped working, I would at least be able to see the general location based on the cell phone tower that is in use.

This is the interface for sending commands to my car. I can customize the commands. So for example instead of flashing lights, I could make the windows roll up or whatever.

I still have a bit more to do on the installation, and need to completely install the remote starter still. Look for a complete write up on the install and features on DIY:happy.

Posted by Sam at May 12th, 2007

Steve and Jake got ultra-moded tonight. While discussing the physics behind walking over red-hot coals, I mentioned that the principle that keeps you safe is similar to the physics behind being able to put liquid nitrogen in your mouth or being able to put your hand in molten lead and not get burned.

Everyone jumped on this and said there is no way you could put your hand in molten lead and not get burned. I said you get your hand a little wet, dip it in and you will be fine.

Steve started making up some scientific theory about how the atoms are vibrating too fast and lead is too dense to blah blah blah. He was very sure of himself as if he had just read it out of a book. Jake thought it would not be possible either, because other metals are capable of vaporizing human flesh.

Everyone had a great time making fun of me. “Oh yea,” they said, “let’s go dip our hands in hot lava and we won’t be burned!” “I’ve put my hand in hot cheese and been burned!” Hahaha, Sam is such an idiot.

And everyone like to point out how much I love to argue. You know what, I don’t love to argue, people love to say and defend idiotic points they know nothing about around me and say I’m stupid if I don’t admit they are right.

Well, too bad for Steve and Jake, turns out you CAN put your hand in molten lead. When I showed them it was true, they were suddenly not so interested in telling me I was wrong anymore. Except Steve, who seemed to want to say I was wrong even in the face of evidence.

Go see the modedation here and vote it up!

Why would I just make something up like being able to put your hand in molten lead if I didn’t actually know what I was talking about?

Posted by Sam at May 12th, 2007

Here is what you see when you type in an invalid domain address when connected to my network.

(Click for a larger image)

Notice the clever “Moted” sign and the personalized note from me.

Posted by Sam at May 7th, 2007

I have a problem with some of the iLife apps that ship with OS X on Macs. I must first mention that they’re great apps compared to the competition. iTunes is vastly superior to Windows Media Player, iMovie and Windows movie maker can’t even be compared on the same plain, and Windows doesn’t even ship with something like iPhoto or Garage Band.

My main complaint is the database-driven nature of iTunes and iPhoto. By default, when you import new media, the program creates a copy of the file in it’s own little directory somewhere. So you effectively have two copies of the same file on your hard drive. One in the lame iTunes directory, and one wherever you decided to put it. This can result in duplicates in iTunes if you don’t maintain the delicate balance it tries to keep.

You can, however turn this behavior off. Basically untick both these options.

iTunes still keeps your music listed in a database, and doesn’t show you the contents of your directories directly, so you’re still going to have to do some upkeep on your library and you’ll still get duplicates and broken links when you move files around. Lame.

The other thing that is confusing is adding new music to your library. There are basically a bunch of ways of doing this, apparently. You can simply open an audio file with iTunes and it will be added, you can click and drag files onto the iTunes icon or into the iTunes window, or you can add song manually through the menu.

Yea, just click there on “import…” and you’re ready to go. Wait, on second thought, click “add to library…” - wait, which is it?

The options there are confusing to users who don’t know the different between adding to library and importing. It could be simpler.

My next complaint with iTunes is the interface. I grew up with winamp, and am firmly within their design school of thought. A full winamp setup will take up 20% of the width of your screen, with a playlist window that can be moved or adjusted to show as much as you want. When you want things small and out of the way, you can double click the top bar and the whole thing turns into a super-mini media player that you can hide easily in some corner of your screen.

iTunes, by contrast, is a big ugly window where you either get all or nothing. You either have to look at a full wide playlist and list of files along with the media controls and other crap or you can go into mini mode and just have the media controls.

But the controls, and remember that media control is what this is supposed to be about, suck in both the full sized and mini version. The little bar to drag around where in the song you are playing is to small to be useful, and you just don’t get many options or any way to see a playlist and find a song you want to listen to.

It’s right crap.

There are free alternatives, of course. Here are a few along with a short review. This is by no means comprehensive.

VLC - Very good barebones media player. It reminds me the most of hoe I had winamp arranged - media controls at the top, playlist below and thin. I don’t need my media player to take up my entire desktop. VLC is better for movies than it is for music, but it does support playlists and I like how it keeps everything organized like I have it organized in my file system.

Songbird - Songbird is billed as a multi-platform iTunes replacement. Although I think it has a better look than iTunes, it still maintains the “take-up-your-window” mentality. There was talk of skinning support a while back, but I haven’t seen any more on it. Pretty decent player, but nothing to write home about. Songbird also supports plugins which is cool. I think they’re trying to be the Firefox of media players.

macamp lite x - This is a winamp clone for osx. Good little control bar and some decent features. No longer supported. It is a PowerPC app, so it runs in rosetta on newer macs. Good effort but not enough to hook me.

Audion - Audio is a media player by my favorite mac developer, panic. It is an old project and doesn’t show the same quality as their newer apps, but it’s a decent media player nonetheless. It features media editing capabilities which is pretty handy. It also supports skins, making it probably the closest thing to winamp for mac. This player is in my #1 spot to take over my iTunes.

Winamp - I mention winamp because you can actually run it in OS X using crossover. Since this is not a free solution I will say no more.

If you want to stay with iTunes, I will mention one more piece of software that you should check out. You control: tunes is probably the best app for iTunes since sliced bread. You can keep iTunes hidden (cmd+h) and let you control manage everything right from your menu bar. I’ve been using it for a few days and it’s great. Highly customizable, handy, and gets rid of the annoying iTunes interface. Everything is accessible from right there in your menu bar.

I am usually a menu bar minimalist as I equate it to the “tray” in windows which can quickly fill up with useless and annoying apps and take up space. I think you control is worth it though, and you can actually define how much space it takes up and how it presents itself. If you want you can stick all or part of the control behind a drop down menu. If I stick with iTunes, it will be because of this app.