Entries Tagged 'hybrid' ↓
April 22nd, 2006 — Blogging, Entertainment, Fun, The coming apocalypse, Thinking, gas, hybrid
Its been a while since I posted anything, but rather than just give the usual “Oh, I’m so busy, I’ll write more later” type of post, I thought I would just jot down some little things that I’ve given some thought to recently.
I recently put up my 200th post. I didn’t realize that until the other day while I was looking at something else. I think that’s kinda neat, because when I started this whole blogging thing, I thought it was a little bit goofy, kinda like Doogie Howser writing in his computer journal. (Was Doogie the first blogger???) Anyways, I’m impressed that I’ve been able to come up with 200 things to write about over the last two years or so.
Speaking of the blog and all of the posts, the spammers have really been visiting me a lot lately. I’ve had to turn up the spam filters, so if you post something and you’ve never posted here before, it will have to be approved (by me) before it gets posted. If I was getting spammed for product that at least had something to do with the posts they were posted to, that would be one thing, but the volume and types of spam I’ve been seeing are just getting crazy!
I might be doing a guest blog or two on a friend’s blog in the coming week! That’s pretty cool, so I’m going to have to thing up something really interesting to post there. More on that as the week rolls on.
I am so glad the lab for the class I am taking this semester ends next week. I’m so tired of it.
I’m reading the illustrated version of the Da Vinci Code, and I’ve got to say that it is so cool to read about some work of art or building and the look over at the next page and see a picture of it. It really brings the book to life. I’m not an art/architecture/France/Paris buff, so having the pictures there helps me visualize the story better. So far I’m liking the book, and I’m curious to see how the movie turns out.
I’m also reading “Micro-ISV: From Vision to Reality”. There’s a lot of good info in that book if you are interested in starting a one-man software shop.
And finally, with the spikes in the price of oil these past few weeks it makes me laugh to see/hear people say that rising gas prices don’t effect them because (Insert whatever reason here). I guess those folks don’t realize that the rising price also affects the cost of food (How is it delivered? - By gas powered vehicles. What is it wrapped in? -Plastics made from petroleum products.) and other things. My prediction is rising gas prices will cause the price of everything to rise. That’s gonna suck.
Hopefully this will convince people to change some habits (like driving enormous cars when a smaller more economical car will do just fine). Although it kills me to see news reports claiming that Hybrid Cars aren’t worth the extra cost. Yeah, I guess spending a little bit extra (especially since you’re probably financing the car already) to make sure you use less gas and emit few emissions is asking a lot. But hey, don’t forget to get the extra warranty, the spinners for your rims, the deluxe interior package, the satellite radio, the sun roof, and the leather seats. Because those features are important ya know. (In case anyone didn’t pick up on it, that was sarcasm. It is much more important in my opinion to have a ecologically friendly vehicle that might save you from filling up your tank as often than it is to have a bunch of extras that are flashy but in the end don’t do much.)
And in the immortal words of Forrest Gump: “That’s all I have to say about that.” Have a great day!
November 18th, 2005 — Blogging, Cars, The coming apocalypse, Web, hybrid
Lately google has been sending a lot of hits my way (for some reason I was the #5 refrence for sudoku strategy because of this post). A while ago I had written about getting better gas mileage (see here and here) but those pages are getting next to no hits, which struck me as odd seeing how gas is still fairly high these days.
A closer look revealed that I misspelled “mileage” about 20 times. D’oh! If anyone was looking for “milage” tips, they probably would have been flooding onto this blog…
September 28th, 2005 — Blogging, Cars, Technology, The coming apocalypse, gas, hybrid
In my post yesterday I gave two ways to increase your gas mileage in your car right now. It turns out that you can affect your mileage by the way you drive. Below are today’s two tips for the road.
- Don’t slam on the brakes, coat to a stop if you can.
Think about it, if you are coming up on a stop sign, why would you keep pressing the gas until you had to stop? Not only are you burning gas you don’t need to (why would you accelerate to get to a place you need to stop?), but you are also wearing out your brakes faster. Plus, I’m convinced there is a connection between slamming the brakes and slamming the gas.
- Don’t be afraid to go the speed limit. Slow and steady wins the race.
This one is hard to do, but it is very true. Don’t go 80mph just because you can, try to stick to the speed limit. Most cars are setup to run efficiently at a certain speed, which is probably somewhere between 55 and 65 mph. But no matter what speed you drive at, try to keep your speed constant, that’s where a big fuel savings comes from. Every time you have to speed up you are burning more gas. Plus by driving at the speed limit, you are more likely to be going the same speed as the people around you (which hopefully would help in the event of an accident).
I hope you are finding these tips useful. If you have any you’d like to contribute, please feel free to put them in the comments below.
September 27th, 2005 — Blogging, Cars, Technology, The coming apocalypse, gas, hybrid
I bought a Honda Civic Hybrid this year, partly because I’ve always been fascinated with fuel economy. I’ve been keeping a notebook in my car to track my mileage (yes, I am a dork like that) for my last two cars and I’ve noticed something. You don’t have to drive a hybrid car to get good gas mileage.
The reason I say this is because people seem to think that just because you drive a gas-electric hybrid that is advertised to get 48mpg you automatically get 48mpg. This is not the case. Your driving habits will get you to that 48mpg, not the car by itself. The first 2 months I had my car I was getting in the low 40’s. Then I discovered two tips that increased the milage to 45 mpg. By watching other drivers in traffic I’ve learned that its not what we drive necessarily (but still, please don’t drive a big SUV unless you really have a need to), but how we drive.
Here are two important tips to getting better mileage:
- Don’t slam on the gas.
When you are at a stop light and it turns green, there is no need to floor it. All you are doing is burning gas. Use a slow steady acceleration to get up to speed. Plus if you are in the city, more than likely you are going to need to stop again soon, so why are you racing to get to the next light?
- Keep your tires properly inflated.
Doing this increased my car’s fuel efficiency from the low 40’s to the mid 40’s. It turns out most people don’t have their tires inflated to the car manufacturer’s specs. Having your tires at the right pressure helps the car run better by not only increasing your milage, but also allowing you to grip the road better (for cornering, etc.)
I hope you find these tips useful, I’ve got a few more that I’ll be posting over the next few days, so check back soon! Also, if you have some tips, feel free to leave them in the comments section below.