F-Stop Junkie

When some junkie scumbag decided he'd like my entirely factory Ford stereo, I ended up with a bill for the excess on my insurance claim, and an iPod ready Alpine headunit. (Of th Full Speed Ahead ones, it's not the cheapest and not the expensive one that plays WMAs) It's not perfect by any means, but having used a Griffin iTrip before, it's a lot better in terms of sound quality and not having to retune the damn thing! In terms of usability, it's pluses and minuses... Good points: Steering wheel controls can be used Easy to change tracks, select random and so on without trying to find iPod, take the lock off, watching what you're doing... Navigation easy once you learn how Bad points: Navigation not obvious Short message space on screen makes it hard to choose between tracks/podcasts/playlists that start with the same few letters The Alpine system isn't perfect, but it's pretty good. I'm glad I paid a bit extra to get it, and i'd look for proper integration in the future, not just an aux in on the front. As an aside, would a USB connection work properly with an iPod because of the way it stores files and folders with odd names, and keeps playlist data in a different file?

I did get a story in Sniff Petrol once! Seeing as that's done by the TG script editor, I'm half way there. Sort of. Hmm, just read that back, and it in my head it sounds like Martyn Ashton in Chainspotting going "It's true, he did do that once!" </old school>

Ah, religion, faith, that old can of worms. I have no doubt that _faith_ is a powerful thing, but it depends on the individual. Some people are receptive to it, or even too receptive in the case of cult members and the like, while others are not receptive at all. However everyone has to build a belief structure in life in order to make sense of everything around us. It's what makes us examine ideas and come up with a sense of self Some demand empirical proof, others will tackle wholly theoretical concepts as fact. After all, the bible is the greatest work of fiction ever regarded as fact... My problem with religion are the religions. The idea that this is right, that is wrong, and this is how it is can either be restrictive or a way of absolving the individual of having to find their way through life on their own. I have heard a number of theories about religion as a way of controlling the masses, that somehow a fear of eternal damnation will keep the population on the straight and narrow. This rings true - either as a deterrent against crime or the original self-help book - because it's based very much on symbolism and analogies which can be easily followed by an illiterate population. In these modern times though, there's an overwhelming quantity of faiths, philosophies, ideas and practises that the idea of The religion is an outdated one. So many of the religions have overlapped that they no longer hold a clear separate message. Perhaps the ultimate irony is that many of the faiths intermix that they could almost be interchangeable, so slight are the variations and so strong are the similarities. The problem with religion is the separatist nature of it. The believers against the godless/heathens/gentile, the idea of the one true religion, the devoted who try and outdo others to prove their faith, and the extremists... Ultimately Kevin Smith had it right: Rufus: He still digs humanity, but it bothers Him to see the shit that gets carried out in His name - wars, bigotry, televangelism. But especially the factioning of all the religions. He said humanity took a good idea and, like always, built a belief structure on it. Bethany: Having beliefs isn't good? Rufus: I think it's better to have ideas. You can change an idea. Changing a belief is trickier. Life should malleable and progressive; working from idea to idea permits that. Beliefs anchor you to certain points and limit growth; new ideas can't generate. Life becomes stagnant. My take is that there are elements of the universe outside of our understanding, and possibly things we can never know. The idea of the big bang has very strong supporting evidence, and I accept that it's a very possible theory to the start of the universe. What we don't know is what came before the big bang? Is the Universe a constantly expanding and contracting ball of matter and energy, perpetually regenerating? If so, what started the process? What is beyond the edge of the universe? I'm not looking to science for answers, but then I'm not looking to religion for a definitive answer either. I'm after ideas. However, I think I've finally found proof for creationism, or intellectual design if you happen to have a tendency towards your sister. A lot of things appear to happen by chance, like looking through a sale rack at a clothes shop to find just the one in your size. The Back to the Future setup too, where your Mum and Dad don't meet and your life, well, stops. Why do I now believe that a higher being created the sky and moon and frankfurters? Because Dinosaurs were stupid enough to not be able to adapt to an ice-age, and they decompose to make petrol, and that brings joy to me. Yup, I believe said higher being created animals and destroyed them in order to let me drive cars, shallow? Note, I say higher being. I'm one of those fence sitters that must annoy the Lord so much. I can imagine God with his head in his hands muttering "Have some balls man, either say you do or don't, otherwise I'll make you sit outside the pearly gates, looking through at Neve Campbell and Eliza Dushku enjoying flirty chats in a very warm hot tub, and you can never touch yourself. Mwahahahah" God has a sense of humour? Absolutley. To paraphrase a much better writer than myself, just look at the faces humans make mid-coitus. God isn't the judge of all judges, he's just a guy in a heavenly shed who keeps getting told by Mrs God to stop mucking about with his planets and come and have his tea. Or is God a nerd? He has the ultimate Sims game. He and the other Gods (ummm, okay, this is getting theologically patchy) all logging into wow://heaven.earth.net and taking their little guilds on quests. One of the smaller guilds is launching attacks against the biggest guild of them all who has had the council of elders revolt and make an idiot leader (Okay, now this is getting WoW patchy too). Anyway, one creator made animals that form petrol (woohoo!), they also made the new Subaru Impreza. While Peter Stevens became an instrument of the Lord when it came to pening the first WRC car and inspire the 22B, it seems that the Saviour has no interest in Japanese turbo hatches. Suddenly every Impreza saloon and wagon has had their residuals firmed up. Maybe his Holy Petrolheadedness is responsible for the new M5? Bangle is detirmined to muck up the world of car design, but the M5 has a magical ability to grow on me. My thought process is simple: * God, that new M5 looks like a right dogs dinner. I'd buy the old one, f**k Bangle! * I do like that headlight detail. Works with the bigger wheels and arches. * 507bhp? * Hmmm, it looks awesome in black. Like Batman in middle management. * Oh, an old M5. It's quite... bland. * Crikey, I love the new M5! Maybe God just doesn't like hatchbacks - excluding his short secondment to the post-Escort Ford design office - because the Mitsubishi Evo X looks awesome. Like a Group B rally shark. The Astra VXR though looks forced and contrived, Seat Leon looks oddly rounded (especially from the rear, where the arches look like a girl in overly tight jeans), the new Focus is bland and uninspiring. In fact the few inspirational, divine hatchbacks I can think of ended up on rally stages, Escort RS Cosworth, Lancia Delta Integrale, Citroen Xsara. Maybe not the last one. So in conclusion, God like saloons. Now please open your hymn books at number 173; The Chain by Fleetwood Mac. "Listen to the wind blow, watch the sun rise..."

Five year old MBUK trials article? I'm intreuiged to see where this is going! Nick Larsen has pretty strong views on trials, and I think it's a valuable perspective as someone with an outsiders view. He was the guy who, in a fit of genius, reckoned that trials-forum was one of the best things to happen to trials, and one of the worst...

I had some region killing software on my XP box before, but then reinstalled everything and lost it. What's the easiest way to get around XP DVD region protection without changing the DVD player software I use?

Why do I see the phrase "It's me or the laptop" in your future?

Microsoft put in $150m (for shares which it has since sold), and shortly after the iMac was launched with a Power PC chip (the 68000 you mentioned early, State of the art in the Amiga in what, 88? hasn't been used in a Mac since 94). Since Intel 'fronted' the money to bail out Apple, they must have been very pissed off that their investment didn't pay off for 8 years. Hmm, could the transition to Intel actually have been because the IBM badged G5 was coming to the end of it's development cycle with no major advances on the horizon? No low power chipsets for use in laptops to match Intel's Centrino programme? Requiring millions of dollars in fab upgrades to keep up with Intel, let alone match them? Even - sshhhhh - to give Apple a path to launch OSX for non-Apple hardware to a commodity platform giving them a potential jump in OS market share, if they wish? Keep in mind that in 1997 Microsoft has cash reserves in the order of $15bn. That's not profit, that's just cash they've got stuffed under mattresses and in biscuit tins in Redmond. They spent 1% of their surplus cash on Apple shares (which they then sold at a profit) and provided their software for the Mac. It's not like Microsoft needed help raising the money! Ah, but you say that Microsoft have often been 'at war with Intel'! Well that would make sense, given Microsoft's power to implement features (or not) as they wish, not to mention that until fairly recently all Microsoft code was compiled for Intels, with AMD playing an emulation game. Why would Microsoft favour one chip manufacturer over another, when it could probably just buy both if it wished. So it's worked out well for Microsoft - who have saved potentially one of their biggest challengers if OSX escapes from Apple hardware - Intel - who provided a better product and roadmap than IBM - and Apple who have created a new model for phone handset suppliers, built a working music download service where others failed, and have a brand image that most in the PC sector would kill for.

Rest of the money for what?

So you're guessing? The courts didn't stop Microsoft bailing out Apple, why would they stop Microsoft buying in to - the successful - Intel?

Do you have a source for Microsoft/Billg holding Intel stock?

Yeah, good work! I've never worked out how to take good shots of riders when they're going up something with their back to the camera... Shame too about the Ozonys rider with his arm across his face. Eyes for the prize...

Yeah, top shouter and all round nice guy Clive Gosling started Bikelab in Dorset, which did a lot of spannering and wheel builds for Ashton back in the day.

Hmm, not quite... The problem was a lack of people to help run the site, chase stories, pay for hosting... Submitting a story to a website doesn't really have the same cache for a lot of people when they can post a message on a forum and see the results instantly. The downside of that is the lack of editorial integrity across all the posts as some people will post a rumour, others will ask questions and put up everything needed. It's the difference between a post on here with a picture of a new frame, and a post with a picture, description, price, availability, differences from previous models, etc... Plus on a forum you have to go through the replies, which mean you either have to read several individual posts to get all the information, or you have to wade through people spouting off their opinions (how many times has a photo of a frame been responded to with 'that looks like it'll ride really badly'?) Quite a few people have lamented the loss of Section 7, as it was a well regarded (Well, I think so) source of information. Without people willing to put in the work though, it can't work. ** I should point out that this is an observation of forums generally, not TF specifically. There are a number of people here - including myself - who help run TF, clean up posts, remove bad posts, etc.. However these people don't perform any kind of editorial function.

I can't suggest any bending that would get past what you're supposed to do, but remember how weak the dollar is at the moment, and how cheap stuff is in the US anyway. Work your arse off now, sell anything you can, and double your money on the flight over. If you raise £500 now, that'll be a thousand dollars or more in the US! How long are you going to be out there? Where abouts?

God, making your own pads is *so* two years ago...

Before Austrailia Hamilton was 125-1 to win the championship and about 25-1 to win the first race. I decided against taking both prices as I figured that Hamilton would probably make a big mistake in qually or the race, but put in some great lap time a la Rosberg the year before. Also Hamilton wouldn't be a championship contender as you need to mount your championship campaign early in the year, and by the time he was upto speed, he'd be too far out of the title fight. I was so close to missing out on £1250... Ended up just saving a tenner

Which Orange prototype? Post your desktop picture, and you'll get your answers!

If the fuel in the rig (which is covered in an insulated blanket) is colder than ambient temperature, then the fuel is more dense meaning you can get it into the car quicker (as the volume decreases) and it also creates more power as it lowers the charge temperature and increases the energy density of the fuel going in. Mike Gascoyne reckons the colder fuel in the Williams and BMW would be worth 5-10 bhp.

None whatsoever, as Top Gear is done by BBC Magazines (or BBC publishing, or whatever). Jamie was editor of Metal Hammer for a while, maybe he's just fancied a change? Good writer though...

The £170,000 F430 Scuderia... £170,000 is crazy money, not least for a stripped out, tougher car. What, £100k more than a GT3?? Meh, fantasy land, I'd have two Better than the ugly as sin, £800,000 Lambo Reventon...

Part of your insurance is that the information you give is accurate. If you give false information - say add a couple of years to your age - then your insurance could be invalid, hence no insurance charges. Most insurance companies will just refuse to match a stupidly low quote, but may well offer a very good alternative. Insurance assessors are absolute sods for trying to find any way to not pay out. If someone makes a claim against you, then your insurers will try to not pay. They'll challenge the person claiming, study statements, all sorts. One guy I used to work with was interviewed by an assessor for about half an hour, the same questions coming up again and again trying to catch him out. Same if I fit a performance exhaust and not declare it, you can bet i'd struggle to get a claim through if the car was inspected.

Amen! I had several years on my parents direct line policy, got my own policy and a five year 'no claims' discount - but with some restrictions on what car I could insure. Now paying 350 a year fully comp, with a grand of stereo cover, and absolutley no hassle when my window got smashed. Thing to remember with insurance is you get what you pay for. If you pay peanuts, you can get hassle when you really don't need it. I know the claims my parents have made have been all taken care of without any problems at all.

This is cool, but be careful of the common dodge of parent owner/insurer but young person actually owns the car. A couple of people at uni did this (paying the premium of their parents address) and the insurance assesser told them to get knotted when they pranged it at uni. Not only is this insurance fraud, but also technically driving without insurance, which your insurers would have no hesitation reporting to the fuzz.

Yeah, but you weren't around when he first popped up - Trialskings? Modandstocktrialsriders? - and promised to sponsor every man and his dog, and then sent some people second hand parts, and other people nothing at all. When people started complaining, he threatened them with his American ex-Marine relative lawyer called Drazic. He disappeared pretty quickly. And his spelling was appalling. He claimed dyslexia, but those folk on here who I know have it are some of the best spellers who post. Just annoying, and rubbish, and an arse.

Damn, that's painfully obvious. Okay, okay, easy tiger... No need to be quite so uptight.