I really want a Lotus but decided to test drive some other sports saloons to see if anything can tempt me away from the Lotus
The Mercedes was a good car, but was auto only, felt bulky and you do feel a little isolated from the driving experiance by the electronics
The BMW was a better, but didn't do it for me
Vauxhall's VXR8 is a serious contender to the Lotus and could be considered a practical option in comparison. It is a big car though.... and doesn't even have a sunroof... but could live with that
So what is it to be ???
Ummmm, still not sure actually..... I need to decide in the next few days......
Friday, November 30, 2007
Cars: BMW 335i M Sport (convertible) Test Drive
I am thinking of the Saloon rather than the convertible, but this was the only demo car they had that was similar. They were only able to give it to me for one night, so have driven it 38 miles in the dark (and slightly dank conditions)
First impressions are overall good, with the biggest problem being the seat ! The wrap round padding for the sides is great and makes you feel really dialed in to the car, but found the padding under the top of the thighs a little uncomfortable and slightly disconcerting. I didn't really get time to fiddle with the seating position to see if it could be improved, but made me wonder if I could live with it or not.
The performance seemed to be pretty good and the car felt stuck to the road. I hadn't got used to the dimensions of the car, but did feel fairly confident in placing the car in the road.
Compared to the other cars, it did seem quite compact and low slung. There was plenty of room for the front passengers but no way would you get anyone behind me in the back and the boot was pathetic (but these would only be an issue with the Cabro)
The only other criticism was the heavy steering at low speeds... I don't see the missus being able to manoeuvre the car unless she takes up weight lifting ! (that might be a good thing :-) )
Overall, a good car with a couple of niggles. In all honesty I am prejudice against BMWs (for no rational reason) and this car is not good enough to overcome these feelings.... so will it be the VXR8 or the Elise ?
First impressions are overall good, with the biggest problem being the seat ! The wrap round padding for the sides is great and makes you feel really dialed in to the car, but found the padding under the top of the thighs a little uncomfortable and slightly disconcerting. I didn't really get time to fiddle with the seating position to see if it could be improved, but made me wonder if I could live with it or not.
The performance seemed to be pretty good and the car felt stuck to the road. I hadn't got used to the dimensions of the car, but did feel fairly confident in placing the car in the road.
Compared to the other cars, it did seem quite compact and low slung. There was plenty of room for the front passengers but no way would you get anyone behind me in the back and the boot was pathetic (but these would only be an issue with the Cabro)
The only other criticism was the heavy steering at low speeds... I don't see the missus being able to manoeuvre the car unless she takes up weight lifting ! (that might be a good thing :-) )
Overall, a good car with a couple of niggles. In all honesty I am prejudice against BMWs (for no rational reason) and this car is not good enough to overcome these feelings.... so will it be the VXR8 or the Elise ?
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Cars: Vauxhall VXR8 test drive
Imagine my surprise and delight that I was able to get a Vauxhall VXR8 for a three day test drive, and that my three days also spanned a weekend !
My first impression was that this car is a powerful beast !! but the driving experience was tempered by uncomfortable seats and a HUGE steering wheel (the rim must be at least 2 inches in diameter so very difficult to get a natural feeling grip on the wheel)
The plus points of the car are its obvious power, performance and handling. Looks-wise it is a little bit OTT with the spoiler and meaty looks, but is by no means offensive to view.
On the negative side, the seats and steering wheel are the big put-off, but also suffers a little from a twitchy ride, restricted visibility backwards via the mirrors and also the HUGE A pillars block the forward vision. The indicators/wiper stalks are also reversed from most cars, so is a bit annoying at the moment.
Having said all that, now I have driven the car for a few days and experienced it in various driving conditions, I have finally managed to adjust the seat to find a position that does feel comfortable and have also adjusted my grip on the steering wheel and think I could live with that as well now.
As the other negative issues are all relatively minor and would get used to them over time, I think this car would be a serious contender if I don't get the Lotus ! The wife is not too keen though, finding it noisy and uncomfortable (not compared to a Lotus though :-) )..... so she hopes I like the BMW that I am testing next week !
For me, the VXR8 would likely have been crossed off my list had it only been a normal test drive, but the extended experience shows the car does grow on you over time
My first impression was that this car is a powerful beast !! but the driving experience was tempered by uncomfortable seats and a HUGE steering wheel (the rim must be at least 2 inches in diameter so very difficult to get a natural feeling grip on the wheel)
The plus points of the car are its obvious power, performance and handling. Looks-wise it is a little bit OTT with the spoiler and meaty looks, but is by no means offensive to view.
On the negative side, the seats and steering wheel are the big put-off, but also suffers a little from a twitchy ride, restricted visibility backwards via the mirrors and also the HUGE A pillars block the forward vision. The indicators/wiper stalks are also reversed from most cars, so is a bit annoying at the moment.
Having said all that, now I have driven the car for a few days and experienced it in various driving conditions, I have finally managed to adjust the seat to find a position that does feel comfortable and have also adjusted my grip on the steering wheel and think I could live with that as well now.
As the other negative issues are all relatively minor and would get used to them over time, I think this car would be a serious contender if I don't get the Lotus ! The wife is not too keen though, finding it noisy and uncomfortable (not compared to a Lotus though :-) )..... so she hopes I like the BMW that I am testing next week !
For me, the VXR8 would likely have been crossed off my list had it only been a normal test drive, but the extended experience shows the car does grow on you over time
Friday, November 23, 2007
Cars: Mercedes C350 sport test drive
As I am looking to change my Subaru in March, I am test driving some cars so I can place my order before Xmas for my new car.
First up was the Mercedes C350 Sport which I had for two days
Unfortunately I only got to drive it from home-->Work-Home in the dark on wet roads so couldn't really push it too hard, but got a good feel for it
Being a Merc, it was auto gearbox only, in this case with the flappy paddles as well. The car was about what you expect from a Merc. Refined, comfortable, quiet and a huge amount of power and torque from the silky smooth V6
There were no "faults" with the car as such, other than no manual gear box..... but didn't feel involved and felt the weight/bulk of the car when I did push on down some country roads.
In the end, if it was the only choice of car I had, then I would be happy with it... but am not convinced it is for me
First up was the Mercedes C350 Sport which I had for two days
Unfortunately I only got to drive it from home-->Work-Home in the dark on wet roads so couldn't really push it too hard, but got a good feel for it
Being a Merc, it was auto gearbox only, in this case with the flappy paddles as well. The car was about what you expect from a Merc. Refined, comfortable, quiet and a huge amount of power and torque from the silky smooth V6
There were no "faults" with the car as such, other than no manual gear box..... but didn't feel involved and felt the weight/bulk of the car when I did push on down some country roads.
In the end, if it was the only choice of car I had, then I would be happy with it... but am not convinced it is for me
Computing: Cisco Certified !
I have fancied achieving Cisco Certification for a long time, but only recently could I justify the time and money investment.
It seems I have been studying for years for my Cisco Certification exam (CCENT) , but probably only the last 4 or 5 weeks. I bought three books to read, although in honesty I have only really read "CCENT/CCNA IDNC1 Official Exam Certification Guide" thoroughly (ISBN 1-58720-182-8)
Having read the book, I bought a Cisco CCNA Lab kit from eBay, which consisted of a 1600 Router and 1900 Switch. Unfortunately the switch was useless as it had the old operating system but at least provided me an environment I could use. The Router was good as it allowed me to review and practise the commands.
Luckily I was also able to go on the official Cisco course with Global Knowledge in Wokingham
The course was great as it gave good hands on experience with some "proper" Cisco boxes and also gave the WAN routing as well. It also gave further confidence as the instructor was adamant the exam is based on the courseware rather than the book (the book goes into a lot more detail than the course itself!)
After a week revising after the course I went to the exam. I was feeling a little nervous as the exam itself consists of multiple choice (Which I am used to) but also gives you simulation questions where you have to remember roughly what you need to do and then go and do it ! Most of the multi choice questions were fairly straightforward and felt I knew the answers to most of them. For my first simulation I struggled to remember some of the (very simple) commands to begin with, but used the help and managed to get back on track.... in the end the tasks were quite straightforward but not knowing how many more of these questions to expect, I was worried about running out of time. As it turned out, I only got two more simulation type questions and they were both quick and straightforward, so actually finished with 15 minutes to spare.
On clicking the button to end the exam and get the results, the wait seems interminable (around 30 seconds probably!) but I got the good news that I had passed :-) My score was 909 out of 100 (804 was the passing score) so had actually passed with margin to spare
I am very pleased to have got this first level certification and now hope to take the second stage (ICND2) to achieve the full CCNA certification (then maybe the Firewall Specialist) Of course, this would all be after learning the new Oracle technologies I need to understand, so a busy year or so ahead for me !!
It seems I have been studying for years for my Cisco Certification exam (CCENT) , but probably only the last 4 or 5 weeks. I bought three books to read, although in honesty I have only really read "CCENT/CCNA IDNC1 Official Exam Certification Guide" thoroughly (ISBN 1-58720-182-8)
Having read the book, I bought a Cisco CCNA Lab kit from eBay, which consisted of a 1600 Router and 1900 Switch. Unfortunately the switch was useless as it had the old operating system but at least provided me an environment I could use. The Router was good as it allowed me to review and practise the commands.
Luckily I was also able to go on the official Cisco course with Global Knowledge in Wokingham
The course was great as it gave good hands on experience with some "proper" Cisco boxes and also gave the WAN routing as well. It also gave further confidence as the instructor was adamant the exam is based on the courseware rather than the book (the book goes into a lot more detail than the course itself!)
After a week revising after the course I went to the exam. I was feeling a little nervous as the exam itself consists of multiple choice (Which I am used to) but also gives you simulation questions where you have to remember roughly what you need to do and then go and do it ! Most of the multi choice questions were fairly straightforward and felt I knew the answers to most of them. For my first simulation I struggled to remember some of the (very simple) commands to begin with, but used the help and managed to get back on track.... in the end the tasks were quite straightforward but not knowing how many more of these questions to expect, I was worried about running out of time. As it turned out, I only got two more simulation type questions and they were both quick and straightforward, so actually finished with 15 minutes to spare.
On clicking the button to end the exam and get the results, the wait seems interminable (around 30 seconds probably!) but I got the good news that I had passed :-) My score was 909 out of 100 (804 was the passing score) so had actually passed with margin to spare
I am very pleased to have got this first level certification and now hope to take the second stage (ICND2) to achieve the full CCNA certification (then maybe the Firewall Specialist) Of course, this would all be after learning the new Oracle technologies I need to understand, so a busy year or so ahead for me !!
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Poker: Home tournament : November 2007
Only a quick update today,as being slightly snuffly still from my cold, I dont remember much !
11 players for this increasingly tense tournament. My recent run had me in a good position to take the lead of the championship but my form wasn't great this month. I played quite steady, albeit a little agressive, but with Sean and Bill on my table, there was always a showdown. In the end my raise in early position with KTs on the first hand after the rebuys stopped was my downfall. Sean reraised and bill called all-in which made the decision to fold quite tricky (as both players could have been behind) In the end I did call for another 1000 and the flush draw on the flop made it an easy all in for my remaining chips. Seans pocket KK was a great hand and beat me, but Bill's AT took the main pot and I was first out.
The game was quite close but Alex was soon out then Bill took out two players in one hit to get us down to the final table.
Steve was down to big and small blind when he went all in under the gun, but tripled up. Soon took another couple of big pots and before anyone realised we were down to the final three players. Jon was happy to see Bill out in 3rd, with Steve and Derek having a battle but Dereks chip lead and aggression soon taking the top spot
Jon is favourite to take the top spot, Steve is favorite to take the consistancy prize, but the 2nd place spot is wide open to about half a dozen players, so all to play for in December !
See statgenie for the full analysis
11 players for this increasingly tense tournament. My recent run had me in a good position to take the lead of the championship but my form wasn't great this month. I played quite steady, albeit a little agressive, but with Sean and Bill on my table, there was always a showdown. In the end my raise in early position with KTs on the first hand after the rebuys stopped was my downfall. Sean reraised and bill called all-in which made the decision to fold quite tricky (as both players could have been behind) In the end I did call for another 1000 and the flush draw on the flop made it an easy all in for my remaining chips. Seans pocket KK was a great hand and beat me, but Bill's AT took the main pot and I was first out.
The game was quite close but Alex was soon out then Bill took out two players in one hit to get us down to the final table.
Steve was down to big and small blind when he went all in under the gun, but tripled up. Soon took another couple of big pots and before anyone realised we were down to the final three players. Jon was happy to see Bill out in 3rd, with Steve and Derek having a battle but Dereks chip lead and aggression soon taking the top spot
Jon is favourite to take the top spot, Steve is favorite to take the consistancy prize, but the 2nd place spot is wide open to about half a dozen players, so all to play for in December !
See statgenie for the full analysis
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