Go Zorbing

October 27th, 2006
Posted by Travoli in General Comments
I can’t think of much that would be more fun than getting into a big air-filled plastic ball and rolling around over water …or downtown. From Wikipedia: "Zorbing is a recreational activity which emerged in the late 20th century. It involves rolling down an incline in an inflatable, usually transparent, double-hulled sphere made from PVC." This reminds me of rolling down hills in the middle of tractor tire innertubes. Of course, this takes it to another level entirely. The problem is that Zorb is based in New Zealand.  Although featured on many TV shows, there really aren’t many places to try them in the States.  Austin Texas is home to Zorb USA, but they aren’t offering rides yet. Oh wait, from the official Zorb site: "News from the all new Zorb Site in Pigeon Forge, Smoky Mountains USA, is construction is going well. With a major amount of the earthworks done and a large part of building construction being started, the Zorb Smoky Mountains site should be operational in early 2007." Too bad you can’t buy them for personal use anywhere. Although, not sure where the average Joe would put a 33 foot 200lb. Zorb.

Stupid Protest Signs

October 27th, 2006
Posted by Travoli in General Comments

Stupid Protest Signs!

Cassius 1999 Video: It’s Eye Candy.

October 23rd, 2006
Posted by Travoli in General Comments
Here’s a classic music video from a time when they had style. I’m a big fan of the combination of real and drawn footage, color schemes, and crazy action. Gotta love the drawn arrows racing the motorcycles around the track and the creepy Cassius guy running around randomly. Goes perfectly with the groovy tune

Ultrasonic Wars Between Kids and Adults

October 23rd, 2006
Posted by Travoli in General Comments
Had your hearing checked recently? It’s about time. Go to the ultrasonic ringtones website and see how high you can hear.  This all started with the Mosquito kid repellant project. Basically, humans lose some high-end frequency hearing as they age. Compound Security Systems decided to build an ultrasonic kid repellant based on that science. Now old folks can keep neighborhood kids off their lawn for good.

Enter genius thinking and ultrasonic ringtones are born.  Same technology, but in reverse. Adults aren’t going to be able to hear kids’ phones ring. The highest I could hear was 14.9kHz. Their test results said I’m a 30 something.  I’m suprised it’s not worse considering my previous lawncare career and car stereo habits. Warning: Sounds May Cause Headaches!

Kindergarten Jackass

October 19th, 2006
Posted by Travoli in General Comments
Das Kintergarten Jackass! Those crazy Germans.  Great spoof.

Modding the Noble M400 before Delivery

October 19th, 2006
Posted by Travoli in General Comments
I spoke with my chid’s the Noble’s engine installer today.  Super nice guy, very informative. Anyway, I’ve decided to get two mods out of the way during install.  The car will now be prepped with a larger 3 inch thick core intercooler (vs 2 inch stock) and HKS Super Sequential blowoff valve. The larger rae intercooler will allow me to drive longer and harder in hot temperatures while keeping the motor’s intake air temperature down. That means the computer won’t have to retard the engine’s timing and rob power on hot days. The blow off valve serves two purposes. First, some background: Hit the gas and the turbo forces air into the motor. Close the throttle and you’ve got pressurized air with nowhere to go. Well, that isn’t exactly true.  It just puts backpressure on the turbo itself, slowing and stressing it. So the turbos lifespan is shortened and you lose some boost during shifts. The Blow off valve (BOV) lets the trapped pressure escape when the throttle is slammed shut. The turbos keep spinning and feel none of the backpressure. That is the first purpose.  The second?  It sounds cool.

Sounds like the car will be ready for delivery at the end of next week (26th maybe). Motor is in, turbos on. currently he is running coolant lines, wiring the ECU and getting ready to fire the motor.

Another Blog has Begun, MillionsDaily.com

October 19th, 2006
Posted by Travoli in General Comments
Yo check dis. Good friend and industrial designer Nick has started a Wordpress blog called Millions Daily. An insider informant tells me that Nick is going to post information on making money, and also incriminating pictures of his friends. John dressed as a pirate and drunk shenannigans? Check. Who doesn’t want to see that stuff posted on a public site? Alright Nick, I see you have one post up.  Now, entertain us!

Nuclear North Korea

October 9th, 2006
Posted by Travoli in General Comments
Welcome to the nuclear club, North Korea.

EVERYBODY PANIC!

Fastest Stupid Car Ever

October 4th, 2006
Posted by Travoli in Video
Top Gear did a review of the fastest stupid car ever.  Check out the race between a shed, boat, couch, and dumpster.  Why isn’t there a racing bed?

Super Mario Brothers Race, should be an Olympic sport.

October 4th, 2006
Posted by Travoli in Video
Super Mario Brothers is only a 6 minute game. Check out this race to kill Bowser in front of a live crowd. With Kenny Loggins playing even. These guys have amazing skill. It doesn’t get any closer than this! I wonder how many hours it took to become this proficient at SMB.
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