Musings on a replacement car #6

So Sam's bought an i30 and I still really havent looked at one.

Car-Reclassify
2010 – in this year a few things were improved
$10-20,000 – Drive away price
Full Service history – indicating that is was looked after at least a little.
USB and 3.1 Audio inputs – because I don’t have many CDs Although alternatives exist
Automatic – to handle Brisbane (paddleshift pretend manual CVT sounds good)
Hatchback - To better fit my bike and stuff.

Then

• To not hurry because the car should last 10+ years before I decide to replace it
• Primarily Practical
• Scenario 1: Going kitesurfing, need to fit the kiteboard 1450x440mm + bag 800x400x400mm + 1 passenger.
• Scenario 2: Camping, swag 800x400x400mm + clothes 800x400x400mm + esky 300x600x400mm
• Scenario 3: Comfortably drive from Bundaberg to Roma (7h, 600km) without needing to stop other than lunch
• Scenario 4: Do I spend 90% of my time in my care alone?  Like for shopping and when it's raining and I dont want to take my bike.
• Scenario 5: Giving 2 people a lift home from a sojourn, late at night, in the rain, with three PC's in the back, listening to Synthcore orchestral Jazz.
• Aside from the above, Smallish and lighter: so its zippy around corners, as I don’t slow down much for them. Also smaller lighter car is better for parking and economy and power to weight ratio.
• Zoominess / ability-to-take-corners-at-somewhat-unsafe-speeds. Because I’m old enough to know better but young enough to still do it anyway.
• Powerpoint in boot for possible car fridge? Or miscellaneous electronica equipment
• I wonder if I should install a Turbo?

Thus I’ll be looking for…


Mazda3 (SP25) Neo<Maxx Sport<SP20<SP25
Each model improves the car mechanically, so at least a MAXX Sport but an SP25 would be best, these have the engine from the Mazda6 installed. Second place because Levi and Tony bought Mazdas. I beleive the SP models have the engine of the Mazda6 installed.
options on carsguide

Lancer (VRX) ES<LX<VRX<Ralliart<Evolution
Each model improves the car mechanically, so get the level below Ralliart. (Ralliarts hold their value too well) Third place because they are have a really “dated” interior design. I'm not real confident about the differences in the models.
Camparing current specifications
options on carsguide options on carsales

Carsales, both the above cars within 250km of 4670


Swift (Sport)
Only the Sport is under consideration, it’s the 1.6L with full disk breaks and a sport seat. First place because it’s cheaper to run/maintain and I probably wont find one.

Toyota Corola (Ascent)
Ascent, or the Levin SX for nicer seats. mechanically there appears to be no difference.

Kia Creato (Si)
The (SLi) seems to only add trim but I may be wrong. Newer ones can come in a turbo version.

Ford Focus (Trend)
The Trend model has the same motor as the top level Titanium. The Sport has better seats than the Trend, so one of those two.
Drove the 1.6, seems to have a fair bit of go in it byt the transmission took a bit to get used to. I think I'd still prefer the 2
options on Carsales

i30 (1.8L Hatch)
Australia’s best car apparently. The brocure for these is neatly setout. the Active/Eleite/Premium only get better trim.

Impreza (any)
The smallest of the subarus, WRX seems like a good idea but probably out of my price range, apparently the AWD makes the services and maintenance expensive. But they also hold their value extreamly well.

Remembering:
RACQ Running costs
Forum topic #2 I asked about the Lancer Vs Mazda3, lots of people seem to compare these cars.
Forum topic #1 Civic Vs Swift, Prefer the swift but it has flaws.
Decepticon car badge ~$4 
?Bike rack on the boot lid is an alternative to boot space
?ROFLHarris’s Thingy is an alternative sound input and blutooth device, using a FM radio transmitter.
?Potentially add a towbar
?Potentially a 2-Way radio with some walkie talkies
Sassy seat covers
Aftermarket engine immobiliser, for the 5% discount in insurance from RACQ
?Spare key storage outside the car for when I go to the beach and stuff.
Extra electricity plug in the boot. adds the versitility of a fridge or laptop charger

The best place to get car buying advice is from somebody who is also buying a car.

Still Searching
Bundaberg Ross Gray
Bundaberg BMG
Bundaberg Coral Coast
Rockhampton DC Motors
Rockhampton norms
Rockhampton dealmakers
Rockhampton lawrence
Rockhampton Tropical
Gladstone Bill
Gladstone Anderson
Hervy Bay fcmc
Biloela Linemac

Last Rezort font

The Last rezort font Seems pretty cool. Particularly plane 15&16 󰿂􀺴. They are so far out of this world that they are colloquially called the astral planes. It seems that anything you are likely to experience exists within plane0. Plane1 includes things like all the Egyptian hieroglyphs and Emoji.

I wonder how hard it would be to create a new font? I wonder how the files are formatted? Potentially I could handwrite the Latin alphabet and scan it into the computer then save each character individually as a SVG. Because SVG files should be easy to increase in size. It would be bens handwritten font, I wonder if that process could be patented? I should ask Sandy, pretty sure she has reformatted a font before.

If that works a little bit I probably know a couple of people who could contribute their native script. That would be exiting then, to have a Unicode font to use other than MS Mincho/Arial Unicode MS for Жизньμαιじつ.

Musings on a replacement car #5

So over the last 2 weeks I’ve been chatting on the whirlpool forums and driving a few cars.

Honda Civic:
Just felt like a normal car, the engine was quiet.

Swift: GA<GL<RE.2<GLE<Sport
Was a GLE auto, tiny turning circle. Decently fun. I should take it past the “S” bend at Avoca school to see its grip and tilt at 60kph. Also to drive it past a truck to see how it gets buffeted by the wind. Would be much more attractive if an auto didn’t cost $27K, also a bit concerned about the highway capability of a full load and 1.6L engine.

Mazda3: Neo<Maxx Sport<SP20<SP25
Nicest car so far I think. I tried the Neo Hatch. Probably go for a 2010 MAXX Sport if I can find one. It still feels like a large car and I’d probably keep it for a long time. Very flat and stable on the road, still good acceleration from 60-100Kph. Need to confirm when Bluetooth/USB/Aux was introduced.

Lancer: ES<LS<VRX<Ralliart<Evolution
No hatchbacks nearby, drove similar to the Mazda3, in both the car is quiet at slow speeds so most of the road noise must come from the tyres. Drove during the rain and the traction control is a good thing. Possibly no Aux input to the stereo, again need to check. Also this is the car that pushed me into the seat upon accelerating. Not many seem available on the 2nd hand market, possibly due to the 5yr base warranty?

i30:
Haven’t driven it, wins awards and stuff.

The best place to get car buying advice is from somebody who is also buying a car.

Forum topic #2 I asked about the Lancer Vs Mazda3, lots of people seem to compare these cars.
Forum topic #1 Civic Vs Swift, Prefer the swift but it has flaws.
Bike rack on the boot lid is an alternative to boot space
ROFLHarris’s Thingy is an alternative sound input and blutooth device, using a FM radio transmitter.

To recap:

• To not hurry because the car should last 10+ years before I decide to replace it
• USB connection for stereo, to charge and play music (3.1 media jack too) Need to test.
• Primarily Practical
• Scenario 1: Going kitesurfing, need to fit the kiteboard 1450x440mm + bag 800x400x400mm + 1 passenger.
• Scenario 2: Camping, swag 800x400x400mm + clothes 800x400x400mm + esky 300x600x400mm
• Scenario 3: Comfortably drive from Bundaberg to Roma (7h, 600km) without needing to stop other than lunch
• Scenario 4: Do I spend 90% of my time in my care alone?  Like for shopping and when it's raining and I dont want to take my bike.
• Scenario 5: Giving 2 people a lift home from a sojourn, late at night, in the rain, with three PC's in the back, listening to Synthcore orchestral Jazz.
• Aside from the above, Smallish and lighter: so its zippy around corners, as I don’t slow down much for them. Also smaller lighter car is better for parking and economy and power to weight ratio.
• Zoominess / ability-to-take-corners-at-somewhat-unsafe-speeds. Because I’m old enough to know better but young enough to still do it anyway.
• A newish~$20,000 or a MY10 with Service history.
• Auto: now seems like a fine Idea. Had a bit more practice and though it is an achievable skill I don’t feel its necessary. I can use the extra concentration to talk to people and the left hand to drink coffee whilst driving, also avoiding some of the stress of city driving.
• Decepticon car badge ~$4
• Powerpoint in boot for possible car fridge? Or miscellaneous electronica equipment

seems there are currently three possible 2nd hand Lancers: 16-18K (30K for ralliart)
and eleven possible Mazda3's in queensland : 17-24K

twelve new auto swifts 25-27K,
 but three manuals from 2010: 25-19k

The Wizard of ID Sojourns

From last weeks paper.

In the above Wizard of ID pretty much everything is about Жизньμαι:

Rodney, Wiz and Drunk are practicing жизньμαιじつ. Their Ryu contains a table and chairs, I gather they are using a 1D6 and possibly a D20? The King жизньμαιわない or at least he intimates that he disapproves, though I suspect that he may have жизньμαιった before. Generally speaking I жизньμαιわない all of them as I’m only receiving what’s going on in their world and not able to change the course of history at all. I’d say Rodney is focussed in his Жизньμαιっている that he wouldn’t have noticed what King said. Rodney seems to have Жизньμαιう the vessel of a “Marketing Executive” but I can’t tell what the others have Жизньμαιう. All in all a good example of Жизньμαι in something that’s not an E-Sport.

I've reformatted the definitions a little, all now presented as suffixes of жизньμαι

[Noun] Жизньμαι (zhiznmai)
Definition] The symbiotic relationship between the ingame Player Character and the person in Real Life controlling them. Is the abbreviated for the following words and can be further abbreviated to ЖΙじ (zizi).
[Definition] Able to be controlled in this manner, the world must allow this, and the vessel cannot be an NPC.
[Example] The specific act of Жизньμαι as we know it occurs as part of a sojourn in a Ryu where an ad-hoc LAN has been setup.

[Noun] ~じつ (Zhiznmaijitsu)
[Definition] The art of possessing another being in an alternate reality. Particularly an electronic entity, though also including tabletop games and “Chose your own adventure” novels. Performing Жизньμαι.
[Example] My hobbies include Kitesurfing, жизньμαιじつ, dancing and cosplay.
[Antonym] Cosplay

[Adjective][~ing] ~っている (Zhiznma_teiru)
[Definition] Parallel to zhiznmaiing. The state of being when logged in, meditative in RL but focused on your vessel ingame, aware of both realities.
[Example] He was so entranced in Жизньμαιっている the pizza went cold; any interruptions were met with the phrase “Just one more block”

[Adjective] ~う (Zhiznmau)
[Definition] To overpower the will of an electronic vessel or avatar making them the Player Character or Avatar of your choosing. In some instances though, as in Red Alert, the one performing Жизньμαιう remains without a physical presence as an omnipresent authoritative figure.
[Example] What do we do on a sojourn? Well we chose a world and Жизньμαιう some locals, then see what evils we can vanquish.

[Adjective] ~った (Zhiznma_ta)
[Definition] Past tense of zhiznmau.
[Example] Back in the day I жизньμαιった (zhiznma_ta) but no longer, Life got in the way… and gardening.

[Adjective] ~わない (Zhiznmawanai)
[Definition] negative form of жизньμαιう
[Example] I жизньμαιわない (zhiznmawanai), so I can eat pizza, its too much to concentrate on the both at the same time.
[Example] As a general rule of thumb you can’t жизньμαιう a vessel in a movie or song, the interface is one way and you can only receive information. You also жизньμαιわない NPC’s, by their very definition.

[Noun] ~????
[Definition] The equipment required to form the relationship.
[Example] For example Gameboy, Occulas, keyboard, d12.

Musings on a replacement car #4

Still liking the idea of an older car with service history but cant get an auto swift that way.

• To not hurry because the car should last 10+ years before I decide to replace it
• USB connection for stereo, to charge and play music (3.1 media jack too) Need to test.
• Primarily Practical
• Scenario 1: Going kitesurfing, need to fit the kiteboard 1450x440mm + bag 800x400x400mm + 1 passenger.
• Scenario 2: Camping, swag 800x400x400mm + clothes 800x400x400mm + esky 300x600x400mm
• Scenario 3:  Comfortably drive from Bundaberg to Roma (7h, 600km) without needing to stop other than lunch
• Scenario 4: Do I spend 90% of my time in my care alone?  Like for shopping and when it's raining and I dont want to take my bike. May as well be sporty as a motorcycle with a raincover and safer.
• Scenario 5: Giving 2 people a lift home from a sojourn, late at night, in the rain, with three PC's in the back, listening to Synthcore orchestral Jazz.
• Aside from the above, Smallish and lighter: so its zippy around corners, as I don’t slow down much for them. Also smaller lighter car is better for parking and economy and power to weight ratio.
• A newish~$20,000 or a 3yo $10,000 with Service history.
• Auto: now seems like a fine Idea. Had a bit more practice and though it is an achievable skill I don’t feel its necessary. I can use the extra concentration to talk to people and the left hand to drink coffee whilst driving, also avoiding some of the stress of city driving.
• Decepticon car badge ~$4
• Powerpoint in boot for posible carfridge?

New
Suzuki swift sport $26k
other models have 1.4L engine
still on the cards because it is: Small, cheap to run & maintain, KW/kg ratio, decent to drive.
Concerned about: cabable on highway, need to trial fitting my bike in. "P" platers drive them

Mazda 3 Neo $22k
other mazda 3's only have extra trim
Pro: Levi & Tony just got one, mecanics like, everybody has one
Con: larger than swift, less economical


Civic VTI-S $24k
other models and 2013 add more trim.
pro: normal car
con: Normal car

Other:
SX4 is the smallest AWD I have seen
ix35 has a limited edition atm for $30K with heaps of extras.
Found a car choser better than the one on TopGear
i30 seems to win a lot of awards
i30 Diesel 2008 for 12K  kW/kg=0.0608
i30 Petrol 2008 for 12K  kW/kg=0.0763
Lancer sportback 2008 for 12K  kW/kg=0.0844
Mazda 3 MAXX Sport 2005 for 14K  kW/kg=0.0850 
Holden Vectra 2006 for 12K  kW/kg=0.1013 (11L/100k, worse than my current car)
and no I wasnt looking at cars for 12K I searched by year.


[Edit]
So after a bit more of a chat with Eddie, see below. And earlier in the day I had confirmed that my bike doesnt fit into a (2009) swift by about 6cm. Sure I could get roof racks for $300 from Rhino Rack. or for $380 a towbar kit can be installed from TowbarsAustralia I suppose then I would also get the wiring for a power socket in the boot. But then apparently I dont need a towbar per say. Seems here I have a choice of three that attatch to the frame of the hatch, the one that doesnt obsure anything costs $360.
Anyway thats just not going to be neat and is enough of a motivation for me to focus on 2nd hand cars. Though I may be swayed if I can drive an Auto Swift Sport.

Musings on a replacement car #3

Dad made me unsure of what I am after + I test drove a Swift and it was manual, I was focused on that one aspect I didnt notice much else about the car. Seems while I can drive a manual I'm certainly out of practice. Also the bike is nolonger a feature if I have a towbar even if it gets used for nothing else.....

• To not hurry because the car should last 10+ years before I decide to replace it.
• Primarily Practical
• Scenario 1: Going kitesurfing, need to fit the kiteboard 1450x440mm + bag 800x400x400mm + 1 passenger.
• Scenario 2: Camping, swag 800x400x400mm + clothes 800x400x400mm + esky 300x600x400mm
• Scenario 3:  Comfortably drive from Bundaberg to Roma (7h, 600km) without needing to stop other than lunch
• Scenario 4: Do I spend 90% of my time in my care alone?  Like for shopping and when it's raining and I dont want to take my bike. May as well be sporty as a motorcycle with a raincover and safer.
• Scenario 5: Giving 2 people a lift home from a sojourn, late at night, in the rain, with three PC's in the back, listening to Synthcore orchestral Jazz.
• Aside from the above, Smallish and lighter: so its zippy around corners, as I don’t slow down much for them. Also smaller lighter car is better for parking and economy and power to weight ratio.
• USB connection for stereo, to charge and play music (3.1 media jack too)
• A newish~$20,000 or a 3yo $10,000 with Service history.
• Auto: Unless I practice first, too hard to testdrive otherwise.
• Decepticon car badge ~$4

Old Car:
Commodore VR 95 sedan
191,873km
28/11/94
VIN 6H8VRK19HSL780486
3rd owner
Service history
Mag wheels + Spoiler
Auto Petrol
car seems to be worth $2-3k
0.1036 KW/kg (150KW)
0.1381 KW/kg (200KW), no comparison to the following.

Possible new car?
With dads suggestion of no less than a 1.6L engine.
these are 2L and not as economical as the swift
Larger and will fit scenario 1&2 better

HOLDEN CRUZE

0.0788 KW/kg (diesel though)

HONDA CIVIC VTI-S

0.0814 KW/kg

MAZDA 3 NEO

0.0829 KW/kg

MITSUBISHI LANCER ES SPORTBACK

0.0844 KW/kg

KIA CERATO

0.0866 KW/kg

Swift Sport

0.0917 KW/kg

RACQ compares Swift, Fiesta, I20 Active, MICRA

RACQ compares Hyundai Veloster+, Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo, Suzuki Swift Sport
RACQ running cost comparison favours the swift (base) substantially.

So when I found the local Suzuki Dealership
Auto, 5y warranty, 2012 plates
GA     $17,690
GL     $18,690
Ext     $19,690

Sport $26,990 

They didnt have an auto sport for me to drive,  but I did have a ride in one. 

The GLX though, U-turns are very easy, is quick to turn and touch on the accelerator. takes a while to start accelerating then when I'm done felt like it was about to go for it. I didnt think to try the paddleshift pretend-to-be-manual gears. Comfortable enough in the seat though they are better in the Sport. Towbar is still a maybe and i may be able to downgrade the tyres if I like. Also unfortunately there is verry little outward difference between the models.

Al this though is in relation to my commodore, tomorrow I'll try to trial a Civic VTi-S for a modern comparison.

 

Жизньμαιじつ: Related terms

In relation to Жизньμαιじつ

Related terms:

[Adjective] Vessel
[Definition] Those who are or can be ?????. Avatar (As in Skyrim/World of Warcraft.. Typical of chose your own adventure and multiplayer.) Or a NPC as in Tomb Raider/Deus Ex. Typical of plots with cutscenes and storytelling.or just an Omnipresent Authoritive figure ( Black&White, X-COM, Red Alert, Dwarf Fortress)

[Example] What Vessel do you prefer, an avatar you can fully manipulate or a PC who has some free will?

[Noun] 流派 (ryūha)
[Definition] A school or place of residence in which a jitsu is practiced. Generally prefixed by the name of the institution/school.

[Example] I formed the club “Technomancers Sojourn Inc.” because it sounded fun and people didn’t believe that playing computergames was a sport. So I setup Technomancers流派 so me and my friends can practice our skills at Жизньμαιじつ and have business cards and stuff.

[] Sojourn

[Definition] A group activity in an alternate reality. Usually occurring at a temporary Local Area Network with the primary focus of playing E-Sports
[Example] Do we have a Sojourn on this Thursday?

[] Psychosomatic Anoikis

[Definition] Psychosomatic, in relation to medicine and pertaining to both the mind and the body.  A physical disease that has a mental cause.

[Definition] Anoikis, a form of Programmed cell death that occurs when the organelles of a cell become dislodged from their matrix.

[Definition]Together they refer to the interruption to the life of your Vessel that is immediately followed by a Respawn.
[Example]

[Noun] Permadeath

[Definition] An unrecoverable death from which your Vessel cannot respawn. Occasionally perameath can be negated by Save-Loading.

[Example] The enemies don’t get stronger in hardcore mode, but there is permadeath, any slipup will be fatal.

[Verb] respawn

[Definition] To re enter play after getting gilled, also applies to some inanimate objects.
[Example] It’s best to lightup the spawn area, otherwise you risk respawning next to a creeper.

[Noun] LAN

[Definition] Local Area Network: a collection of electronic devices in a small area communicating with each other.

[Example] Your LAN bag should always have a powerboard, spare switch/hub and 2x Ethernet cables because somebody always forgets.

[Noun] E-Sport

[Definition] electronic sport, like a League of Legends Tournament.

[Example]

[] Player Character (PC)

[Definition]
[Example]

[] Non- Player Character (NPC)

[Definition]
[Example]

~Any others? Suggestions of blanks to fill in?