fro and the cowboy monkey

I think I mentioned it before, but I like the idea of Tumblr. Just catching those thoughts. It appeals to the stream-of-consciousness blogging that I occassionally do.

After lining up to go to Batemans Bay and navigate for the nicest guy you'll meet, Matty T, it all fell in a heap. The car broke down, the gearbox made awful noises, it was poo. Matty Drove it down from Canberra to Batemans Bay and back on the Friday night ot put miles on the new engine, gearbox and diff before using them in anger on the Saturday. At least, that was the plan, until the ignition system started failing, and then the hens-teeth Option 1 gearbox started getting noisier and noisier.

So I got to spend a weekend at home with my wife, which was actually a pleasant change. Not that I was real keen on rallying that day anyway... I got the bad ju-ju, and I don't know why. My head really just wasn't in the right place.

I was surfing through Tim Bray's blog, and came across this gem:

Understanding Engineers: Feasibility

I love the way language is contextual, both socially and technically.

So, I recently saw a blog entry by Tim Bray, and felt obliged to reply. Which led me to thinking.

I grew up reading Street Machine magazine and Fast Fours and Rotaries. I saw the evolution of modification from "Fit larger engine/fit larger carburettor/fit larger diff" to the age of fuel injection, turbos, aftermarket computers and electronic boost control. Initially there was concern that the technology would take away from the ability for backyard mechanics to modify their vehicles. But as we've seen over the last 30 years, it's actually allowed a lot more freedom. Sure, there's also a lot of scope to get it wrong, but there always has been.

The new age of the Hybrid opens up that door once more. Or should thatbe, even more? With a lot of talk around the Prius surrounding it's firmware updates, surely it's a matter of time before there's an "OpenCar" that allows for geek-hoons to hack their own vehicle features, or maybe sacrifice some of those features some of the time for performance?

And what about those who will add extra capacitors for short-term performance boost for the fastest low-emission quarter-mile? Higher capacity, lighter weight batteries? Superconductor or high-energy wound motors for extra power?

The future is half-open, not half-closed. The only uncertainty that puts me ill at ease also poses a question: Will there ever be a rat-rod Prii?

Looks like Naomi and I will be heading over to Rally Malaysia in a couple of weeks time, to look after Clocks and timing for the event and provide technical support. I'm excited to get the opportunity, and a little apprehensive. I mostly just want to get it right, having not been solo in this sort of role before.

In the interim, I'm off to the Bay Stages Rally in Bateman's Bay this weekend to navigate for Matt Thompson in his dad's Datsun Stanza. Haven't navigated in a while either, so it could be an experience!