The New Car Dilemma

Alright.  I own a 2006 Honda Odyssey minivan.  It is awesome for carting teenagers around, putting stuff in and it’s generally a comfortable ride.  At this point in time, with gas prices around $3.50/gallon, a 20 mpg lack of fuel efficiency and a 25 minute commute each way to work (without traffic… at 6am), I think it’s time to get a very efficient ‘commuter car’.

The dilemma is multi-fold.  What to do with my Odyssey (fully paid for, 100K+ miles, tons of space), and more importantly, what car should I buy?  The first thought was to keep the Odyssey for ‘carting’ stuff around (like teenagers and kayaks) and get a small, fun, fuel efficient car for commuting and running around town (a grocery getter).

The first car that I was attracted to was a Smart ForTwo. I have a friend at work with one, and it’s a surprisingly ‘big’ car.  I fit in the car easily.  It’s made by Mercedes Benz and drives like a German car (very tight).  It’s also available in a convertible version (cheapest convertible on the market), which speaks to a high ‘fun’ factor in driving.  The car gets around 40 mpg, so it is no slouch in the mileage department.

If I wasn’t such a research nerd, the story would end there.  I would own a Smart car and probably be a happy camper.  However, I looked at the market and now I’m confused.

To be complete, I included four other cars to compare to the Smart Car.

[1] The Volkswagen Golf TDI – A very nice vehicle with a reliable diesel engine, giving excellent gas mileage.  The problem with the Golf is that it’s too damn expensive, coming in over $28,000 with an average mpg of 36 (epa rating used as a basis of comparison.. YRMV).  The Golf slid quickly off the list.

[2] The Honda Fit – I love Hondas. Period. Given a choice, I tend to be a loyal Honda customer.  I’ve had great luck with Hondas and I also really like the look and feel of the Fit.  At an average mpg of 30, the Fit is the worst in terms of gas mileage of the vehicles I’m looking at, sliding it down to the bottom of the list.

[3] The Smart ForTwo Cabriolet – As mentioned above, this way cute car started this discussion and was the basis of comparison.  Hitting close to 40 mpg and a price tag around $20K, the Smart car hits on all three of its cylinders.  The problem is space.  I have two daughters that I need to cart around on occasion and having to swap out cars to do my chauffer services could be problematic.

[4] The Scion iQ – Scion is the European Toyota line rebranded for the US.  This car compares VERY nicely to the Smart car.  It has the same mpg as the Smart car plus has a back seat for carrying 1.5 additional passengers (the driver’s seat is too far back to have room for anyone other than a baby or a legless midget).  The Scion iQ drives like a much bigger car, but is nimble like the Smart Car.  If I were to stop the comparison here, I think the decision would be easy.  I’d be in the Scion.  It’s a VERY nice car at a $16K price tag.

[5] The Toyota Prius C Four – The Prius has evolved and this ‘little’ version of the traditional hybrid is a wonderful little car.  First of all, it has an average of 50 mpg, with space for 5 adults and groceries.  At a price of a little over $23K, this is a very cost effective hybrid.  The drive is smooth and quiet, with lots of shiny tech on the dashboard. 

Right now, the decision is between the Prius and the iQ.  You can quantify the difference between the Scion and the Toyota with the gas mileage, space, sun roof, drivability, and tech. I think that I'm decided on keeping the Odyssey for occasional use, but trading in the minivan could enter into the equation as well, but for the sake of argument, let's take that off the table.  The bottom line is that all of the above vehicles are affordable.

I’m very confounded at this point and keep flip-flopping between the iQ and the Prius.  The iQ is probably more ‘fun’ to drive and a more unique vehicle, but honestly they both have plusses and minuses that keep me confused.  In terms of gas mileage, the 10 mpg more that the Prius gives equates to only about $30 in savings per month over the iQ, so the decision can’t be based on mileage alone.

Therefore, like all major decisions of grand importance (insert sarcastic look here), I go to the internet for input.  What do you all think?

How to find the +10 to all stats Datacron in SWtOR

I want to give the preliminary steps that you need to find the plus ten to all stats datacron for empire players.  I'll follow up later with the rest, but here is what you need to start:

1) Go to Axiel Park in Corellia:

2) Just South of the zoo, you will find what says 'Artifact' on your tooltip:

3) Take the crystal and now go to Alderaan and take a speeder to Outpost Talarn:

4) Hop on your speeder and find Lain-Ricie at the location listed:

5) Buy the MGGS.  It's unique.  You can only have one, but you can trade it.

6) Go back to the fleet and travel to the Ziost Shadow and go to the Bridge Deck.

7) From there, go to the elevator that is circled.  Go up to the museum. (to be finished later).

Diet Jihadists

I’m currently completing the first pulse of a diet strategy that aims at putting me somewhere near a bit overweight for my frame, rather than outright obese.  During this journey it has become apparent to me that diet is akin to religion in this world we live in.  Something as personal as the fuel that we power our bodies probably does merit the status of cult in the grand scheme of things, but as with all such endeavors, it is best to lead through example and not through preaching.

We are inundated with the mantra to eat less and exercise more.  That is the key to a healthy life.  And while this may be true for those that are less than 20 pounds overweight, for the rest of us, the layers of psychosis associated with being overweight outstrip the sense of that simple mantra.  For the rest of us, we need to break a destructive cycle, build positive habits, and learn to move again before we can even approach the ‘eat less/move more’ paradigm.

Truly the ‘eat less/move more’ ideal is over simplified.  In reality, exercise only builds stamina and muscle tone and does not a lot for weight loss, other than gobble up a small amount of calories.  Eating less is also an over simplification.  You need to eat an appropriately balanced diet that is consistent with your level of mobility and age.

Let me start with diet.  The Western diet is packed full of simple carbohydrates.  Ignore fast food for a minute, and go to any restaurant and try and find a meal that doesn’t contain a sauce, a grain, or a glaze.  Our bodies respond to this load by producing insulin to trigger our cells to absorb sugars from the blood.  As more and more insulin is produced, our cells become, over time, resistant to the effects of the hormone and we reach a state where sugar balance becomes precarious and metabolism shifts to focus on breaking down that sugar for fuel in preference to other fuels that we ingest.  In other words, our bodies become dependent on carbohydrates.  This is very similar to drug addiction, and should be a key indication for therapy.

Well, we don’t want to be told that we are addicts or that there is something wrong with us, but at the same time we are hammered with a society that places value on the anorexic look and shuns those who are overweight.  At the same time, we live in a world where a Big Mac cost the same as a head of broccoli. 

We are told to move more and that will cure our ills.  Again, that is an oversimplification.  Until you can move, it is hard for someone to move more.  People who are overweight have a number of issues that need to be addressed before they can move more.  I have torn menisci in both knees and arthritis in my lower back and both feet.  Asking me to move more three months ago was akin to a water boarding session, but now that I’m 65 pounds lighter, the prospect of exercise is a much more welcome undertaking.  Exercise is important, but you need to be able to exercise before its utility can be realized.  Your diet needs to be under control before exercise can be of any benefit.

So, why am I writing any of this?  I was reading about the diet that I am currently on and came across some articles that put it down on the basis of it not being ‘balanced’.  I’ve also run across some friends that roll their eyes (friends in the less than 20 lb. category) when I talk about the benefits of what I’m trying to achieve with just diet alone (although it is hard to deny that 65 lbs. in 3 months is anything but significant).  You see shows out there like ‘The Biggest Loser’ that focus on torturing people with exercise, but ignore the ‘boring’ but more important aspect of diet regulation.

Being a food addict who was brought up in a thoroughly Western culture, my biggest problem was my utter dependence on carbs.  I needed to break that cycle and re-learn how to build balance into my meals.  I needed to learn that I didn’t need to starve myself, but rather change my focus on the types of food that I ate.  I needed to rely on science rather than dogma. 

I’m weaning myself off of my current diet onto a maintenance plan for 6-8 months.  Then I will go on the diet again to ‘pulse’ myself down another 20 – 30 lbs.  At that point I will be comfortable with just being overweight, active, and ultimately healthy.

The Old Republic

Just when I thought I was out, they drag me back in (thanks Gatling). So, I’m a couple months into playing Star Wars: The Old Republic, and I must say that I’m having fun.  I’m also surprised that Jill is having a great time too.  Seeing as I have my Sith Assassin dutifully farming dailies and I have a stable of alts, spanning all the classes within the Imperial Empire (my legacy even expands to the Republic as well), I thought I’d spend a few bytes giving my evaluation of the game and the associated classes.

Overall, I think that Bioware did a good job of bringing the Star Wars universe to life.  The addition of voice acting and animations to questing gives you a personal investment in your character that you really didn’t get in other MMOs.  The game is more casual as MMOs go and that’s not a bad thing.  Also, crafting is interesting (now, only if they would make it useful).  The bottom line is that I’m having a lot of fun and think that SWtOR is a good waste of time.  I also like the fact that you can get ‘orange’ armor at lower levels and use that armor throughout the game by upgrading mods/enhancements/armor.  That way you can keep the same look on your character throughout much of the game.

The game also lets you collect 5 ‘companions’ during your journey.  I really enjoy having a NPC that complements my skills and can help me solo any quest line if I so desire.  I’ve also been having more fun in PVP than I thought I’d be having.  There are some very well written companions, and some that, well, could stand to be re-tooled.  My favorites are; Mako (the first Bounty Hunter companion, a cute, plucky healer companion that you’ll use for the entire game), Blizz (the Bounty Hunter’s Jawa companion.. oh so cool), Vette (the Warrior’s first companion, a spunky Twi’lek with some of the best writing for a companion), Andronikos Revel (a pirate companion for the Assassin class, voiced by Steve Blum, who is in countless anime series… Which Hunter Robin, GTO, and Cowboy Bebop to name a few).

The classes are interesting.  My main is a tank spec’d Assassin, and I really do enjoy that class.  Where else can you have a light armor tank that totally survives at his/her job.  As a side note, you can get a full set of light ‘orange’ armor at level 14 for the Sith Inquisitor lines (Sorcerer and Assassin).  If you have a female character then she can wear a steel bikini for the majority of the game (Imperial Dancer’s Outfit).

Okay, so here’s my thumbnail on each class:

Sith Inquisitor:

Assassin – A solid class that can spec tank or dps.  Currently, the tank spec is probably superior.   Think of this class as the Ret Paladin in WoW, but with stealth and better tanking skills.

Sorcerer – The primary healer class (debatable, since other classes have healing trees) in the game.  All in all, a good ranged dps or healer.

Sith Warrior:

Juggernaut – Jill just started up a Jug and is loving it.  Gatling’s main is a Jug and he enjoys that class as well.  This is your basic heavy armor tank.  They also have a dps line.  Really it’s a solid class.

Marauder – This is a pure dps fighter class, limited to medium armor.  I found it a little squishy, but honestly haven’t given it a fair shakedown.  My Marauder is stuck as my Auction House mule.

Bounty Hunter:

Mercenary – I love my Merc.  She is a runnin’ gunnin’ death machine.  Any class with a skill called ‘Death From Above’ has got to be good.  She does great in PVP and has solid dps for a heavy armor class.  Mercs also have a healing tree, so they can be effective healers as well.

Powertech – Jill is playing a Powertech and they seem solid as well.  They call them a ‘ranged tank’ which sounds weird, but kind of works.

Imperial Agent:

Sniper – Jill’s main is a Sniper and I’ve spent many an hour trying to keep her alive.  The Sniper is the squishiest class in the game.  They have a very high dps potential, but that dps depends on setting up and preparing for the situation.  The agent story line is awesome though, but this class does need some work.

Operative – The Operative is more like the classic rogue than any other class, although it does have a healing line to make it one of the more effective healers in the game.  I think the Operative is more versatile than the Sniper because it doesn’t rely on the ‘cover’ mechanic that the Sniper does.  It’s more of a run around and stab things class, which makes it very good for PVP.

The Republic classes are essentially the same ones as the Empire, but put in different clothes.  At any rate, I’ve prattled on enough.  If you are interested in playing, come over to the dark side on the Darth Brandon server.  We are in the guild Fear Machine with our mains.  Look for Hastur (me), Rhysta (Jill), or Gatling (Jim) and say hi :)  You can also find me on my stable full of Alts (all named after Great Old Ones) under the R’leyeh Legacy. 

The Killer Virus Movie

It seems like movies have inspired words in this blog lately.  The movie Contagion was destined to cause a reaction from the first time that I saw the trailer.  This movie hits a little close to home in that it involves a killer virus and a bunch of epidemiologists.  Being an epidemiologist and knowing a bunch of CDC EIS officers, I must be a little nit-picky about this movie.  Otherwise, the producers did get a lot of things right.

From the trailer, you get the impression that there is some kind of sub-plot involving an intentional release of a nasty virus that causes devastation throughout the world, but that is not the case.  Actually, that would have made the movie a little more believable.  As it stands, the virus is supposedly an extra virulent strain of Nipah that originated in a bat and somehow infected a single pig, where the virus failed to infect other pigs, and went straight to Gwyneth Paltrow.  Yes, this is a thinly veiled attempt to talk about Influenza virus without implicating Influenza.  The origin, or ‘day 1’ scenario that this movie paints is not really believable.  If such a virus existed, then pig farmers, abattoir workers and the chef handling the pig would all have contracted the virus long before the unsuspecting tourist.

Okay, so let’s forget about the whole origin of the virus and assume that it exists and causes badness on a scale depicted by this movie.  If the supposed patient 0 was spreading virus at a Hong Kong casino then there were at least two plane loads of exposure that wasn’t accounted for at the start.  In other words, there would have been many more cases by the time that Gwyneth Paltrow’s character dies.

The other thing that bothers me is that the State Department of Public Health (in this case Minnesota) was treated as a bunch of moronic bureaucrats, when in fact; they are educated epidemiologists and not in need of pages of exposition by the main characters.   The whole government response to this outbreak seems uncoordinated.  In most cases, I believe that there would have been more done to get in front of things. 

If the virus burns through the population as fast as all that, then why are public services not totally disrupted?  Apparently in the world the movie paints, you have looting at grocery stores, no trash pickup, but you still have electricity, cable, internet, and cell phone service.  Additionally, once the virus burns through an area, those left behind should be assumed to have some degree of immunity, so the whole sub plot with the WHO worker who was kidnapped in order to secure vaccine for a village in the epicenter of the outbreak makes little sense.

What does make sense from this movie?  It does show how quickly we can get behind an outbreak and does give a worst case scenario to a government response.  The movie touches on some issues such as the speed at which we can respond to a novel virus and the misinformation and potential profiteering that could accompany such an outbreak.

For me, the devil is in the details, and it’s much easier for me to dismiss something where a few nit-picky facts are wrong than a total suspension of belief (i.e., a virus from outer space, a la Andromeda Strain).  Are we prone to such a disease outbreak?  Sure, but there will be signs and mini-outbreaks before it explodes as a pandemic.  The more terrifying plot that isn’t explored by this movie is that we are more likely to ignore the threat of a newly emerging virus than to totally be blindsided by a virus that latches on to one international traveler.

Sex Religion and Politics

I’m posting this a couple of days after seeing the latest film by Kevin Smith called Red State.  I plan on rambling on a bit, so if you want to cut to the chase, just see this movie.  It’s a fun ride.  There, got that out of the way so I wouldn’t bury the lead. 

I’ll start off by saying that I am a fan of Kevin Smith.  He’s one of the more interesting celebrities out there right now.  He’s kind of an anti-celebrity.  Yes, he made his mark as an independent(ish) film maker, with Clerks, Chasing Amy, and Dogma, but he’s also first and foremost a storyteller.  Kevin Smith has an amazing ability to take a simple topic and run off with a 20 to 30 minute cognate and entertaining stream of consciousness that never seems to lose focus.  Say what you will about the man, but he is truly gifted as a storyteller.  He is also a P.T. Barnum of our time.  He has found innovative ways to market to and profit from a niche audience.  This is not a slacker/stoner who slides by on his past laurels.  He is a smart businessman and entertainer who is not content with established norms.

I say all this to lead up to the movie Red State, a film that will more than likely turn many people off, but ultimately speaks well to the world we live in.  Red State is tagged as a horror film, but it really isn’t.  It’s the kind of film that really can’t be pigeon holed.  It’s more like a big graphic novel with moving pictures and sound.  I say that because the movie is lean.  It is cut to the bone and only offers the basic information that we need to move forward with.  Personally, I would have liked more, but I understand and appreciate the approach to this film. 

Smith took the three things that you don’t talk about in polite conversation; sex, politics, and religion and he wove them together as a snapshot of how America feels right now.  The story has foul mouthed teenagers, fanatical zealots, and a dysfunctional government all coexisting in a world that is a sum of all of those perceptions. 

It’s good when a film can expose our world as grayer than just black and white.  The only problem I see is that the people who should see this film won’t or they will be turned off by the language, which is foul by some standards (but appropriate in this context). 

We live in a world where Muslims are vilified as extremists, but many fail to see that all belief systems have the zealous extremists.  Christianity has a long tradition of killing those who don’t believe, but extremism goes beyond the caricature. 

Any belief system that refuses to acknowledge another person’s point of view is toxic and can morph into sociopathic behavior.  The key is to not try and forcibly impose your belief system on people that don’t want to accept that version of reality.  A much better approach, one espoused by a radical by the name of Jesus (pronounced hey-zeus if you want to sound more subversive), is to lead by example.  If your life and your actions are inspirational, then others may want to emulate those beliefs.

It’s very simple really.  This world would be a much better place if people stopped worrying about what other people are doing and worried more about what they were doing.  I entered the middle of a conversation at work yesterday when the first thing that I heard from the doorway was that this country was moving more toward socialism and away from free enterprise.  I was dumbfounded.  We live in an adult society, but people are being conditioned to think in terms of black and white (I blame FOX news, and the 24 hour news cycle, but that’s fodder for another rant).  Why can’t people realize that there are some things that work well in a free enterprise system and others that are more effectively managed in the public sector. 

This immediately brought up health care as an issue.  My contention is that since insurance companies are out to make a profit, that health care is more effectively managed by a public sector that does not have a monetary motive.  Our current system is in denial.  We treat millions of people for free in emergency rooms around this country and subsidize that cost with higher insurance premiums.  We have a whole segment of the population that relies on ‘socialized medicine’ known as Medicare, but many of those people don’t see the hypocrisy in defending the currently broken system.

At any rate I’m rambling.  See what watching a provocative movie will do for you?  It makes you actually think and talk about issues that you would rather not discuss in polite conversation.  Yeah, you could look at Red State as a crude thriller, but it at least made me want to extend my blog with this wall of text, so I’ll give Mr. Smith some credit for that. 

Stranded on a Desert Island

What 13 songs would I be stranded on a desert island with and remain sane?  Certainly not ‘Friday’ or anything by Justin Bieber.  When I posed this question to myself on a sleep deprived drive this morning, I selected the following songs:

Peter Gabriel - Solsbury Hill

Peter Gabriel has always represented artistry in music to me.  His approach to craft songs has more often than not given a beautiful sonic landscape in his works.  Solsbury Hill has always spoken to me as the perfect song about change and transition.

Midnight Oil - In The Valley

Midnight Oil is a longtime favorite band.  Peter Garrett has always had such a unique voice and the band had a very clean guitar sound.  Their themes of environment and social conscious also struck close to home with me.  I love this song the best in that it paints a great scene and speaks to family and country and past.

Porcupine Tree - Lazarus

Porcupine Tree proves to me that good progressive music still lives.  Like a blend of Pink Floyd and King Crimson, Porcupine Tree has a wonderful sonic landscape.  Lazarus is a haunting song that I can find something new in every time I listen to it.

Adele - Rolling In The Deep

Adele has proven to me that popular music isn’t devoid of true artistry.  Listening to Adele, I have hope that there is still creativity left in this world.  Rolling in the Deep is strong and beautiful and I can’t believe that it made it to popular radio.

Electric Six - Germans In Mexico

Electric Six takes off in this age where The Tubes landed in the 80s.  Their music is hit or miss as a whole, but their good songs are great and the emotion and theatricality is wonderful.  I could list a few Electric Six songs, but the one I tend to listen to most is Germans in Mexico, however, it is followed closely by Naked Pictures of your Mother.

The Who - Love Reign O'er Me

The Who are masters of the rock anthem.  Where others (*cough* Journey *cough* ) may be pretenders, The Who bring the power.  Those other bands are like Toyotas with a set of ‘truck nuts’ hanging from them, while The Who doesn’t need to advertise.  Love Reign O’er Me is the climax from Quadraphenia, one of the best albums made… ever.

The Beatles - Come Together / Dear Prudence / Cry Baby Cry [Music VIdeo]

The Beatles were the first band I loved.  Not much more can be said, other than there will probably never be another.  They made complex music seem simple.  This medley about says it all.

The Rolling Stones - Respectable

The Stones need to be lumped in with The Beatles and The Who as three of Rocks premiere acts.  There are so many good Stones songs, but there are also a good number of bad ones.  The best run were the Mick Taylor years.  Respectable is from Some Girls, probably the best Ron Wood album.  I love the cadence of this song.

Jethro Tull - Skating Away on the Thin Ice of a New Day

My friend Larry and I try to see Tull whenever they tour this area.  They are another band from the late 60s that evolved and had a truly unique feel, even though they moved through a variety of rock styles.  This song has always been a favorite.

Chris Isaak "Baby did a bad bad thing"

Chris Isaak is fun and smart.  His music is like country surfer rock.  It pays homage to Elvis, Roy Orbison, and has a catchy almost rock-a-billy theme.  I love seeing Chris in concert and know that I will be entertained by him.  I settled on this song because some of his others weren’t well represented on YouTube, but really there’s no settling.  Babby is an awesome song.

NEIL YOUNG & Crazy Horse - Like A Hurricane (Live Rust)

Neil is a true North American artist.  He has grown and evolved since the late 60s and still entertains.  He can be so soft and sweet and then rock the house.  Like a Hurricane about says it all, but if I were on a desert island, Neil’s catalogue would be all I need to survive.

Steely Dan - Pretzel Logic

I love the bluesy Jazzy sound of Steely Dan.  They wrote smart, fun songs.  Their musicianship was always at the forefront.  Pretzel Logic is a song I could listen to on a repeating loop and not get tired of… well, almost… but it is that good.

Brian Eno - By This River

Brian Eno was another artist who wasn’t afraid to challenge musical boundaries.  What many forget when they think of Eno is that he also is a very good song writer.  By This River is one of the most sensitive songs I’ve heard.  I love it’s tone and feel.

Alright, there you have it.  A good baker’s dozen of my favorite songs.  There are more to be sure.  David Bowie’s Queen Bitch and Simon and Garfunkle’s The Sounds of Silence make honorable mention.  Anyway, that’s what I get for an early morning, pre-coffee thought.