Yes, my 19 mile one-way commute today netted me a whopping 66.2 Miles Per Gallon with my 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid! Ok, so I don't drive necessarily "fast". As a matter of fact, I usually drive in the right lane at around 5 MPH under the speed limit, only speeding up when people behind me get close.
But hey, I'm in no hurry. I think this will be my first tank that lasts over 500 miles. And it's only an 11.9 gallon tank, so it really goes a long way.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Saturday, October 22, 2005
H.Y.B.R.I.D. - How You Bypass Rising International Dependency
The point of a hybrid is not simply economics, even though it does make a difference. Those of us who buy into the hybrid technology are not necessarily trying to save money on gas. We are buying into the future. We are supporting the research and development of cleaner fuels and less emissions. Maybe the current hybrids aren't perfect, but they will keep getting better. And if no one buys into the technology first, it will never get developed.
So are hybrids a farce? Not the big 3 (Civic, Prius, and Insight). Others are using hybrid technology to increase performance rather than improve efficiency (Accord, Ford SUV, etc). Those may be a "farce" but they still do get slightly better mileage than their regular counterparts (like 1-5MPG better - not much).
As for batteries, yes they may be an issue...but we just don't know right now. They are rated to last the lifetime of the car. All we can do is believe that and hope for the best. But it shouldn't be the reason not to buy into hybrid technology. And I am not overly concerned with resale value as I plan to keep this car as long as I can. It's a Civic. It'll last.
Yes, I paid a premium over the regular Civic ($22k vs. $19k) and I may not see that exact amount returned to me in gas savings...or maybe I will. Only time will tell. But that's not the true reason to jump on the hybrid bandwagon. It's about caring about what our current vehicles are doing to our environment...it's about reducing our dependency on foreign oils...it's about supporting the development of newer cleaner fuel alternatives.
Support change. Support environmentally consciuous technologies. Support Earth.
So are hybrids a farce? Not the big 3 (Civic, Prius, and Insight). Others are using hybrid technology to increase performance rather than improve efficiency (Accord, Ford SUV, etc). Those may be a "farce" but they still do get slightly better mileage than their regular counterparts (like 1-5MPG better - not much).
As for batteries, yes they may be an issue...but we just don't know right now. They are rated to last the lifetime of the car. All we can do is believe that and hope for the best. But it shouldn't be the reason not to buy into hybrid technology. And I am not overly concerned with resale value as I plan to keep this car as long as I can. It's a Civic. It'll last.
Yes, I paid a premium over the regular Civic ($22k vs. $19k) and I may not see that exact amount returned to me in gas savings...or maybe I will. Only time will tell. But that's not the true reason to jump on the hybrid bandwagon. It's about caring about what our current vehicles are doing to our environment...it's about reducing our dependency on foreign oils...it's about supporting the development of newer cleaner fuel alternatives.
Support change. Support environmentally consciuous technologies. Support Earth.
Why high gas prices don't bother me
I recently bought a 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid, and I couldn't be happier. You may notice at the top of my blog page, there is a banner image that shows my current Miles Per Gallon. This is done through a web site called Greenhybrid.com. Every time I get gasoline, I make a note of how many gallons I put in, and how many miles I drove. Then I enter that info on their site, and this image is automatically generated for me to use as a signature, or anywhere else. It averages all the tanks I enter into the site.
Keep an eye on that number...it is climbing up rapidly! Since I moved to San Jose, my commute to work has increased from 4 miles to 19 miles, mostly highway driving. This has boosted my average round trip MPG from low to mid 40's to upper 50's! Yes, I use more gas daily, but I am using it way more efficiently.
From home to work I now typically get 58-60 miles per gallon. It drops to around 56 by the time I get home, but I can live with that!
Keep an eye on that number...it is climbing up rapidly! Since I moved to San Jose, my commute to work has increased from 4 miles to 19 miles, mostly highway driving. This has boosted my average round trip MPG from low to mid 40's to upper 50's! Yes, I use more gas daily, but I am using it way more efficiently.
From home to work I now typically get 58-60 miles per gallon. It drops to around 56 by the time I get home, but I can live with that!
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Church of Reality recognized by IRS
The IRS has recognized the Church of Reality as a religion. What is the Church of Reality? Here's a quote from their site: The Church of Reality is a religion based on the practice of Realism, believing in everything that is real. Our motto is, "If it's real, we believe in it." Since no one knows all of reality, the Church of Reality is about the pursuit of reality the way it really is. We commit to being intellectually honest with ourselves and with others so that we can cut through the mythology. We want to know about the way things really are in the real world.
Well, at least it's not a religion based on unknowns and fiction, like many other religions in the world. But it's still a "religion", which to me means it's a man-made organization of like-minded individuals who grasp on to an idea about man's creation/evolution/existence.
Personally, religion is a farce to me. What one person believes about how we got here is his/her business. I am more of an atheist than anything else, and by that I mean I do not believe in any one organized religion that explains why we are here or how we got here. Is there a god? Who knows. I actually hope there is not. I don't bow down or worship anyone or anything but life itself. If anything, I am my own god because I am at the center of my own belief system.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Get LinkedIn!
LinkedIn is a cool site for building your network of colleagues, references, friends, etc. You get linked to their friends, and so on, and so on. Great for job hunting, or keeping track of professionals in your industry!
Sunday, October 16, 2005
Les Paul goes digital!
The Gibson Digital Guitar is a genuine Gibson Les Paul, with all of the features and capabilities of a traditional Les Paul, with revolutionary digital technology. Plug in an Ethernet cable and get digital control over each string! Now THIS is the perfect combo for geeky musicians!
Move complete
Well, the move is complete and we are now living out of boxes. Comcast came out and hooked me back up, so I can get online once again.
Our two cats, Artemis and Kramer, were a bit traumatized by the whole experience, but they seem to be settling in now. All in all, it was a very smooth move.
Our two cats, Artemis and Kramer, were a bit traumatized by the whole experience, but they seem to be settling in now. All in all, it was a very smooth move.
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
The move begins...
The pool table gets packed. Priorities! Actually, that's someone else's pool table in the van. The pool table movers are still taking ours apart.
We got it!
Yes, the house is now officially and legally ours! So how much do you think I can get for my left kidney?
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
UFO sightings mapped by Google Maps
BoingBoing reports on how UFOMaps.com uses Google Maps to map UFO sightings from the National UFO Reporting Center.
agámi Systems press release
Our press release hit the wires this morning, so now it's official! The agámi information servers (AIS) are now available...think storage on steroids! Here's a preview:
AGÁMI SYSTEMS SHIPS INDUSTRY-LEADING 500 MEGABYTE PER SECOND THROUGHPUT PERFORMANCE INFORMATION SERVER WITH ENTERPRISE-CLASS FEATURES AND RELIABILITY FOR UNDER $25,000
GAINS WIDE INDUSTRY ACCEPTANCE
SUNNYVALE, Calif. - October 11, 2005 - agámi Systems Inc., a leading developer of next-generation information server solutions, announced today that shipments have begun of their first in a family of agámi information servers (AIS). The AIS 3000 series represents a major advancement in network attached storage (NAS) and provides customers with tremendous improvements in functionality, increased performance and capacity, and simplified management with dramatically reduced cost of ownership...
[Download PDF of entire press release]
GAINS WIDE INDUSTRY ACCEPTANCE
SUNNYVALE, Calif. - October 11, 2005 - agámi Systems Inc., a leading developer of next-generation information server solutions, announced today that shipments have begun of their first in a family of agámi information servers (AIS). The AIS 3000 series represents a major advancement in network attached storage (NAS) and provides customers with tremendous improvements in functionality, increased performance and capacity, and simplified management with dramatically reduced cost of ownership...
[Download PDF of entire press release]
Monday, October 10, 2005
The Closing
Tomorrow, Tuesday, October 11, 2005, is the day my wife and I become first time home owners. It still doesn't seem real, but buying a house in Silicon Valley wasn't as painful as we had originally expected. Of course, it will be difficult living life with one less arm and one less leg.
Sunday, October 09, 2005
Electric guitar with FireWire
Gizmodo reports on this intriguing new guitar! For us musicians who love technology and are always looking to combine our two passions, this just may be the ticket!
Datel Launches 4GB Hard Drive for PSP
Gizmodo writes about a very interesting piece of technology for Sony Playstation Portable users (of which I am one). How about a 4GB hard drive AND battery pack? Sweet!
Saturday, October 08, 2005
"Name that metaverse"
Second Life is getting some serious press, this time on C|Net's news.com. Just passing it along!
Friday, October 07, 2005
Google RSS Reader in Beta!
Yes, the ubiquitous web whores known as Google have done it again! This time with an interesting web-based news/RSS feed reader. Is there anything these guys won't tackle?
Check it out...and by the way, the URL for this blog's RSS feed is http://ecaggiani.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Too many cooks? Open Source vs Commercial Part 2
(This is part 2 of my post titled Too many cooks? Open Source vs Commercial Part 1)
So why do most Silicon Valley people hate Microsoft? I mean, the vast majority of all home computers in the world are running some version of Windows. So they must be doing something right...right?
As I have come to find out, big business is a good thing...until it gets TOO big. At least that's what people here seem to be telling me. Too much power in too few hands is a dangerous thing. Monopoly bad. Competition good. Microsoft bad. Anyone competing with Microsoft good.
There may be some truth to these statements. But it seems to be more of a religious argument than anything else. Why else would people have used Netscape 4 (worst browser EVER) instead of Internet Explorer 4? The bottom line is that there will always be die hards in both camps.
In any case, the open source movement is spurred on by the likes of Microsoft. Passionate people looking for alternatives go against commercial conventions and release basically FREE software worked on by other like-minded programmers all pulling together for the same cause. Sounds good! And in some cases, it is good. But in other cases, it can truly be a mess.
I use many tools in my job...many are open source, many are commercial
Use the best tool for the job. That's easy to say, a lot harder to do. In many cases, the best tool may be a ridiculously expensive piece of software that only corporations can afford to purchase. I've seriously seen software aimed at the corporate world sell for tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Enter the open source alternatives. You may be lacking a few features, or installations may be awkward or cumbersome, but heck, it's free!
So why not opt for the alternative every time? Support, for one. Many open source programs don't offer professional support. Sure, there are plenty of online discussion forums that can provide help, but that's never a guarantee. Also, with open source, since there is no true governing body except the programmers that write the software, there is no guarantee that the product will keep getting updated at all. The programmers could all decide they are bored with the project, and you're up the proverbial creek.
..........TO BE CONTINUED...........
So why do most Silicon Valley people hate Microsoft? I mean, the vast majority of all home computers in the world are running some version of Windows. So they must be doing something right...right?
As I have come to find out, big business is a good thing...until it gets TOO big. At least that's what people here seem to be telling me. Too much power in too few hands is a dangerous thing. Monopoly bad. Competition good. Microsoft bad. Anyone competing with Microsoft good.
There may be some truth to these statements. But it seems to be more of a religious argument than anything else. Why else would people have used Netscape 4 (worst browser EVER) instead of Internet Explorer 4? The bottom line is that there will always be die hards in both camps.
In any case, the open source movement is spurred on by the likes of Microsoft. Passionate people looking for alternatives go against commercial conventions and release basically FREE software worked on by other like-minded programmers all pulling together for the same cause. Sounds good! And in some cases, it is good. But in other cases, it can truly be a mess.
I use many tools in my job...many are open source, many are commercial
Use the best tool for the job. That's easy to say, a lot harder to do. In many cases, the best tool may be a ridiculously expensive piece of software that only corporations can afford to purchase. I've seriously seen software aimed at the corporate world sell for tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Enter the open source alternatives. You may be lacking a few features, or installations may be awkward or cumbersome, but heck, it's free!
So why not opt for the alternative every time? Support, for one. Many open source programs don't offer professional support. Sure, there are plenty of online discussion forums that can provide help, but that's never a guarantee. Also, with open source, since there is no true governing body except the programmers that write the software, there is no guarantee that the product will keep getting updated at all. The programmers could all decide they are bored with the project, and you're up the proverbial creek.
..........TO BE CONTINUED...........
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