Yesterday I had a very adrenaline-pumped afternoon as my street came within inches of flames from the silverado canyon fire. All morning and afternoon we were in what seemed like war zone as “thumpers” flew overhead dumping water on the fire and firetrucks from all over orange county came to assist against the blaze that threatened several hundred homes in the middle of Foothill Ranch, CA. For a good few hours Esternay Dr was the front line defense against it with 10-15 firetrucks and dozens of firefighters running up and down the street. The afternoon reached a climactic moment as my neighbor’s backyard caught fire and flames reached over the top of his home. While we were convinced his home was done for, the fire crew (along with my dad) moved in quickly to save the home and guide the fire back down the small valley it traveled through. Check out the following video clip my friend Chris McDonald took from my driveway!
I was extremely impressed by the firefighters’ speed in dealing with the fire. The neighborhood is very thankful and minutes after the save, children were giving the firefighters cold water and snack bars for their journey as they continue to battle the blaze today.
The LA times wrote an article today called Street racing takes on a deadly new form where the author talks about a new form of street racing called “Cutting the gap” in which drivers try to play a sort of “chicken” with the other driver(s) to see how tough they really are.
Detectives said they are increasingly seeing a particularly dangerous form of racing, called “cutting the gap” — impromptu speed contests in which racers weave in and out of traffic.
“It’s a game of chicken — like a real-life video game,” said Det. David Millan of the Los Angeles Police Department. “They are driving souped up vehicles where their skills don’t match the cars.”
I agree that street racing is very bad and people who engage in it deserve to be locked up. I however, do not agree with the reasoning used by authorities and this journalist as to who does it and why. The video game reason is totally not true. Maybe for 10 year olds who like to re-enact their video games in real life. Street racers, obviously, are not 10 years old. In addition, I’m not sure where they are getting this data but I have never met anyone that is influenced by their video games, especially car ones. I think what the problem is is an overdose of testosterone from puberty and an under-dose of responsibility. You got these kids that have been driving for 1 to 4 years that don’t read the news and think they are invincible. They aren’t mentally developed to think ahead enough that “this guy next to be revving his engine could lead to a deadly accident”. That’s the last thing in their mind. They get caught in a situation they don’t have the self control to back out of, whether it be peer pressure or the need to be the winner. Again, I am not agreeing with their choice or pardoning them in any way but come on people. These aren’t kids hooked on a real life video game. It’s like the whole ADHD problem where people think drugs or counseling is what they need to “calm down”. These kids need to be taught responsibility and how to make good choices in certain situations.
Furthermore, let’s talk some about the whole “souped up” thing. I dont know about you but I see more “stock” cars street racing than “souped up” ones. A lot of cars are coming with fast acceleration right out of the factory and they will out accelerate the average “souped up” 4 cylinder. How many BMWs or Nissan Altimas have you seen blasting past you on the freeway at 100+? In my life there are a handful of times when I remember actually seeing modified cars race on the street. It’s almost taboo in the car scene to be a street racer. If you’re one nowadays few people want to associate with you. At least that’s what I have seen in the 5+ years i’ve been involved in the import aftermarket scene.
So what we have now is police actively looking for cars that fit their “street racer” description equipped with “street racer” parts driven by “street racers” when they aren’t even looking for the right guy. A lot of innocent hobbyists end up getting hassled when all they wanted was a cool looking or sounding car. My car looks modified but I have never street raced anyone yet I get treated as if I do it every day (another long story). Is it fair? Is 100 deaths a year worth all this trouble when we have drunk drivers out there every day risking our lives? Why aren’t their cars crushed?
Today I saw an Article on ZDnet about “Why Windows users won’t switch to Mac” that references another blog where the author lists eight reasons why. The article goes on to comment on how Apple’s famed co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs “preaches” to Apple fans via Apple expos that consists of no holds barred Microsoft OS bashing. In addition, the article goes on to mention Apple PCs are expensive (which they are) and to “show [the author] a $500 Mac” like can be found in the PC category. Below is my response to his article:
Preaching to the converted is an effective technique for Apple for many reasons. Jobs has an Apple devotee army at his disposal, why not utilize them for marketing? In today’s age traditional forms of marketing are losing their effectiveness, referral marketing is the most credible and believable. What better way than have everyone tell their friends how great Apple is and how crappy Microsoft is. Jobs isn’t stupid, he knows exactly this. For as long as I remember Apple users are the ones that have always made all the noise. There’s something about being an underdog that creates cohesiveness and tons of energy that if channeled correctly is a formidable force as we area seeing from the Apple camp.
Oh, and I wanted to comment that *there is* a $500 Apple called the Mac Mini. It’s more like $600 but you get the idea. It’s not bad either except for the integrated video processor.
One last thing I wanted to comment on is that most everything on the apple can be done on the PC. Photoshop, Illustrator, Premier and all the software that Apple users pride themselves in are just as good on the PC. Where the value comes from Apples OS is the Unix platform, near virus immunity, and Apples air-tight lock on peripherals they endorse with the product that work solidly every time.
I’m in no way against Apple or Mac computers. I’ve actually been looking at them to purchase one. I was thinking about getting an iPhone until Steve Jobs announced there will be a newer, faster one out soon.
After much debate about having time for computer gaming in my life (other than some occasional WoW), I finally broke down and bought Counter Strike: Source. I used to be really in to the original Counter Strike, spending up to 5 hours in one night playing with my friends at e-Cyberdeck internet cafe in Irvine.
Well, after spending the last few nights playing CS:S I’m happy to report the game-play is nearly identical to the CS 1.6 I remember from over 4 years ago but with better graphics and physics. Valve did a great job capturing the original CS after the not so impressive CS: Condition Zero. Even though I suck and have trouble getting more kills than deaths, there’s something about this game that is just so fun. Most people would think you’re crazy to play round after round of the same map for 3 hours, but ask the millions of other people that own the most successful multi player first-person shooter ever!
