Golden Age

This is just a quick one to share my happiness at the current crop of automotive super- and hyper-cars. 


Pagani are on the cusp of unleashing their Huayra, but some are unwilling to forget the Zonda. The 760 RS is the very latest in an even more limited series of run-out Zondas. This one came from a series of requests from Zonda R owners who wanted one for the road. 


Pagani cannot seem to put the Zonda to rest, with demand for more and more limited-run specials - it's not so bad seeing at the cars are delicious! 


Here is a video by my favourite road-tester-for-things-I-cannot-afford, EVO's Harry Metcalfe - a road test for real enthusiasts.


(Written while listening to Mainstream Media podcast by DJ Brian Greene)

The significance of J

Amazing. Astonishing. Epic. Gob-smacking. Magnificent. Shocking. Stunning. Wonderful. These are some of the words used by motoring journalists to describe the one-of-a-kind Lamborghini Aventador J. None such words were uttered in my head. When presented with something so pure and special, something that is the epitome of "hypercar", my mind whispered "wow" accompanied by a longing to see it in the carbon fibre. The only thing which eclipsed this was my desire to drive it, heightened by the imaginary journey conjured up in my head.I had seen rumours online, but didn't dare hope that something so wild would be actually built! But, if anyone would do such a thing, the boys and girls in Sant'Agata would.

So, what is the significance of the letter J? That single-letter appendage means rather a lot. From every angle the J oozes an aggression that is orders of magnitude above any other car. This is the new top dog in hypercar royalty.

The "normal" Aventador is not a subtle car, but alongside the J it looks positively Amish. Anyone would recognise they are related, but every aspect of the J is more aggressive, more intimidating, more beautiful. I love it!


Based on the Aventador chassis, it has the same mechanical bits, which means the J is the perfect compliment to the Lamborghinis wild new V12. No roof, no windscreen, lots of noise.


The letter J (or "Jota" when pronounced in Spanish) is a appendage borne by only a single other Lamborghini in history, the Miura P400 Jota - a reference to Appendix J of the FIA handbook with which it aimed to comply.


The J is like an object created purely to thrill and turn-on. From the rear-view mirror that rakishly rises from where the windscreen would start, to the divided cockpit (the aero reference more at home here than anywhere else I think) split by a continuity from front-to-rear, forged composite details (seats, and show number plate for the eagle-eyed among you), to the exposed carbon fibre lattice over the engine.


I could rattle on for some time, but to fully feel the longing I harbour, you need to indulge in the pictures. I am an avid fan of EVO magazine, so here is their picture gallery. I strongly urge that you make a tea/coffee, have a beer/glass of wine and soak in the details.


(Written while listening to Mainstream Media podcast by DJ Brian Greene)

In Our Time: Conductivity and Superconductivity

In Our Time is a podcast series with Melvyn Bragg on BBC Radio 4. It is a series which is aimed at the inquisitive individual, and features topics ranging from physics to philosophy, literature to the living world. I highly recommend it, especially those on the subject of maths/physics.

Today, I was catching up on my podcasts and came across this gem: Conductivity and Superconductivity. This is a very nice walk-through of the topic from the early discoveries of the property right up to today's cutting edge devices. This is absolutely perfect for students studying the topic, especially how it follows the technology's progression in terms of time.

(Written while listening to IOT Podcast, Conductivity and Superconductivity)

Making a Bit of Noise

It's been too long since I sat on the business side of a drum kit. But I am glad to report that last Saturday, I went to a friends practice room to see if I could still cut the mustard.

Before my move to Sheffield, I played drums quite often. I even taught a cool little dude how to play! Final year in college conspired against my drumming, and the move to Sheffield put a stop to it altogether. One call to accept a previous offer from a colleague, and we were away!

I am gonna keep it short: you don't forget, you just lose the edge. Looking forward to sharpening up though...

(Written while listening to Incubus - Make Yourself)

A Mothers Gift

Inheritance is a curious thing. According to most folk who know my family, I am a younger version of my father. I have been fighting this all my life, disagreeing with the masses. I have recently realised, however, that there might be some element of truth in it. 


People say we have the same mannerisms, the same need to think everything through, to fix things, and our desire to prevent rather than cure. To expand on the latter, I find myself prone to this now that I am king of the castle. It pains me to say this by the way. 


My mother often semi-joked that she had little influence on my traits. I beg to differ, mother. You see, my mother has worn glasses all her life. On her last eye exam, she was declared worse off than before. So much so that the optometrist said there was no point forking out for fancy lenses for both eyes. Why? Because she was too blind in one eye for two to be of any use. True story.


I recently had an eye exam. I was overdue by about 6 months, noticed an increased dependence on my existing glasses, and had been getting dull headaches for about 3 weeks. My mother will be glad to know that I did get something from my her. My new glasses are stronger than before, so much stronger that the first few days saw me stumbling around the city.


So, thanks Mam, I did get something: your eyesight.


(Written while listening to Hypnotic Brass Ensemble - The Heritage EP)

King of the Castle

In January, I moved to Sheffield, England with my girlfriend to start the New Job. This brought about a vast amount of changes to what I knew as my life: new job (all but one of the employees were new to me; new technical area); new country; cohabitating with my girlfriend; not living in my parents house anymore; leaving my friends, family and dog behind.


So, what's it like being the king of the castle? It's great! But, there are two sides to every coin. This is probably the freshest start I will have in my life, the one where most things change in one fell swoop.


I can come and go as I please (well, kind of!), know for a fact that if I leave my shoes in the middle of the sitting room floor there they shall remain until I find a more suitable location for them, I can use the toilet with the door open, the apartment is filled with food I like, the bed need not be dressed, and the dishes need not be washed.


The thing is, the above that involve not doing something (dishes, washing-up) are always done. It is strange, when I lived with my parents, I rarely had a desire to do either; cleaning and tidying was something done to save someone else doing it, or, more often than not, to avoid an ear-bashing or being frowned upon.


Being the king changes things. I find it difficult to leave the kitchen in a mess after a meal, or the bed undressed, or the floors unclean. My shoes are nearly always put straight away, and the door of the toilet nearly always closed. My parents were like this, and I never understood why it was such an issue; I always thought that if it was done half as often it would still be fine. Now, I take more pleasure from seeing and knowing my castle is clean and tidy than I ever thought possible. It is more therapeutic than I could have imagined; lazing watching telly is something that is more enjoyable knowing in the back of your mind that the castle is as it should be. I didn't expect this to happen when I became king. I am becoming my Father. Oh dear.


There are flies in this monarchical ointment though: you have to pay for everything. Electricty is not the wonderfully free resource it once was, nor is the right to stay in the castle. Chores must be done by me (or, mostly, by my girlfriend). The right to watch televeision is also an expense, as is the right to be hydrated and fed. Being king is expensive!


Do I like being king? Of course, the upsides out-weight the downs. It is a totally new experience for me (all of those listed above), an experience I enjoy. Unfortunetely - or fortunately - I travel quite a bit in the New Job (check out where using the location links at the bottom of each post), so I don't get to spend a whole heap of time there. But, that's for another post.


(Written while sitting on the casing of a very large gearbox, in a factory near Chengzhou, China, listening to the machines whirr)

Impossible Photography

Impossible Photography


I have always appreciated the ability of artists to convey a message in a new way, or approaching a topic from a new perspective. I also love TED talks. The most recent one I have seen - Impossible Photography - explores a topic related to traditional photography, but which relies more heavily on the perception of realism. 


Erik Johannson uses perceptive, psychological, and editing trickery to combine traditional photographs to produce images which we know are impossible, but which we can't help but think are not.


I would strongly advise watching this for anyone inclined toward photography (or art in general), psychology, creative approaches, or even the curious individual; here is the link


(Written while listening to Hospital Podcast 166 with Chris Goss by London Elektricity).