Flat 4 Burble's Blog

4th on the boat

2009-07-07T10:35:00.001-05:00

Wow, it has been a couple of days since the last time I actually blogged on this site and I have to say that I don’t know how the time slipped away. I hope that you had a happy 4th whether you were shooting off fireworks or shooting Spyder paintball guns or whatever. Personally, I was down on a river, so I had to make due with my cool new RC boats. Since I happen to have a couple of them, I would attach firecrackers to the one that was the junkiest and try to sink it. However, I must have had the wrong type of fire crackers because all they did was leave black marks on the boat. Oh well. I guess there’s always next year to try again. One thing that is fun about being on the river during the Fourth is that the fireworks reflect really well off the water. And because it was a nice, calm night, you could see them as plain as if you were looking in some chrome BMW wheels. The river was like glass and it really gave us two fireworks shows to look at. Usually there really isn’t much to do on a boat at night, so we will end up playing cards and because we use a poker chip set, we never have to worry about losing real money. This way, we can bet and raise all we want without making it too difficult on those (I mean me) who don’t have any real money to use. But the boat is fun and you can usually find something to do, but it is always more fun on the Fourth because of the fireworks.

The Mall parking lot

2009-06-26T09:00:00.001-05:00

Every time I go to the mall I am surprised by the number of cars and trucks that have been outfitted with things like Nissan Titan accessories and BMW floor mats (and yes, that means I peek inside the windows). If you are up to it, the next time you happen to visit a place with a bunch of cars, like a mall or a hospital, just take a look at how many of the vehicles have been upgraded with new wheels, or cheap body kits. There is nothing wrong with doing this, but it is just odd that so many people do it. But, I guess that if making their vehicle as personal and unique as possible is what they are all about, then the Mercedes Benz rims that are very bright and chrome are not all that surprising. So if these people are willing to spend the money to make their personal transport so unique, why is it that things like model planes and cars don’t get the same treatment? If you were to go out and purchase a nitro RC car, wouldn’t you want to make it look unique and not have to do what the box dictates? Of course you would, but many of the radio controlled vehicles I see are being driven, flown or floated while wearing the same stickers and paint that came with the box. I can guarantee that when I get my new electric RC planes that I will be at the hobby shop getting some different paint and adding my own custom decals to it. No one will be able to mistake my airplane for anyone else’s.

The week

2009-06-25T08:57:00.002-05:00

Is it just me, or does the week get slower and slower as it rolls ever onward? Monday, to me, goes by so fast it’s like I’m being shot from paint ball guns. And the fact that getting done with work feels like hitting a wall at the same speed doesn’t really help matters.
Tuesday is more like the feeling you get when you have put your whole poker chip set in the pot. You know you have everything on the line so you are just hoping that the right cards fall and that you get a little bit of luck to come your way. Once again, it goes very fast, but it takes a little more time than Monday because you know you have gone past the wall.
Wednesday is the day when the week really begins to slow down. You know that you are halfway through the week by lunch time, and after that, it’s like a Mustang exhaust system revving. You know it just wants to launch itself off that line, but it’s still spinning the tires in anticipation.
Thursday is a long day, but not the longest. If I had to equate it to anything, it would be like the feeling you get when wearing a new Shoei motorcycle helmet. Sure it fits, but it gives you a sensation of tunnel vision for the weekend. You can see it just ahead of you and all of your vision is pointing right toward it; kind of like having blinders on.
And by the time Friday rolls around, the days have slowed to a crawl. The fact that very little actually gets done on this day is just like the RC drift cars that you see sometimes. Sure, they make a lot of noise and look cool, but you know that in reality, they are just not going to do anything all that quickly. And Friday is the same way. It just sits there, being all cool, but it is one of the slowest days of the week.
And then the weekend comes and it goes by like a race car: A full-on BMW performance race car with a man behind the wheel who just had a mix of Red Bull and coffee injected right into his veins. Also the car happens to have two gigantic turbos. That is how fast the weekend goes by. And then Monday invariably rolls around again and the week starts all over.

Car movie binge

2009-06-24T09:12:00.001-05:00

I feel I should explain myself with these last posts. I have been on a bit of a car movie binge as of late. I picked up a copy of Grand Prix on DVD just the other week and am going to watch Speed Racer later tonight (that being the reason it isn’t on my list either way). I also was flipping through the channels and saw Transformers on Cinemax. Technically this isn’t a car movie, but all of the Autobots take the form of vehicles when in public mode (hence their name). So this whole car movie posting thing came about because of the prevalence of car movie on TV or DVD in my house at the moment. By the way, these movies are seriously preventing me from playing with my new RC planes and the air hockey tables, which is how most of my free time is usually spent. Oh well, what can I do about that huh? The fact that I get to watch Speed Racer take on Racer X with all of his air ride technologies and fun gadgets is entertaining enough I suppose.

Car movies not on my first list

2009-06-23T14:23:00.008-05:00

After revealing my top 10 car movies, I thought I would give you some insight as to what some other people suggested that I didn’t originally include. If you are wondering why I didn’t include these originally, it’s either because I think they are stupid, or I haven’t seen them yet, and it’s most likely that I haven’t seen them.

First up is Bullitt. Now I have seen this and I didn’t think it was stupid, but for the most part, the movie is about a cop and only really features a car chase (though a very famous car chase to be sure). Nonetheless, it was not in the final cut because it did not turn my crank as much as some of the other movies on my list did.

Second on the list is Smokey and the Bandit. This movie falls under the “I haven’t seen it AND I think it’s stupid” label. I just don’t need to see a Trans Am driving around to make my life even more pathetic that it is now. If I wanted to see a Trans Am tooling around, I could just go down to the local biker bar and see who forgot their bike (and probably their new Shoei motorcycle helmet as well).
The third movie on the list is Days of Thunder. Not only do I not like NASCAR, I don’t want to sit around and these overblown excuses for race cars go around in circles endlessly when I could be buying and installing quality Acura parts for my car.
Fourth has to be the Sylvester Stallone waste of film stock called Driven. Thank god that Formula One said no to Stallone’s requests to make a film about their sport so that he could go and mess up CART or IRL or whatever he did. This movie made me want to stay home just so that I could rearrange my outdoor patio sets a gazillion times.
Fifth on the list is Redline. This falls under the haven’t seen it category, but I also have to assume that it is crap and only got any exposure because Eddie Griffin crashed an extremely expensive Enzo while attempting to turn a simple corner. Good job buddy!
So there is my worst list. I’m sure that it isn’t complete because, well, there will be many more car movies made and I can guarantee that many of them will be as horrible as having a paintball gun shot straight at your face.

Top Ten Car Movies

2009-06-22T15:05:00.003-05:00

Top 10 car movies – in no particular order

1. Grand Prix – This movie is the most iconic racing movie about Formula One, because it is the most realistic and almost only one out there. The late John Frankenheimer directed this classic and it stands the test of time to watch it even today. Get yourself a big screen and surround sound and turn up the volume for an opening blast through Monaco.

2. Le Mans – This was Steve McQueen’s ultimate movie and he finally got to make it. The racing around Le Mans is spectacular and the scope is wide. Take a trip down the Mulsanne and feel all 200+ mph of it from the comfort of your patio set.

3. The Fast and The Furious – The first movie in the franchise is one of the better ones. From the opening scene that turned a thousand or more civics owners on to the slammed scene to the amazing wheelie in the Charger R/T this whole movie is all about the need for speed and the tuning culture and probably helped to sell a ton of Volkswagen parts.

4. The Italian Job – Unfortunately I cannot speak on the original (but I will see it one day) but the remake did feature some fun new Mini action, the canals of Venice and Charlize Theron J.

5. Gone in 60 Seconds – Another remake and not really a good movie per se, but many of the cars are interesting and it even features the rarely seen Jaguar XJ220 (though much too briefly for me). There’s no way that I would let my XJ220 get stolen if I had one, much less by Nick Cage in a motorcycle helmet.

6. Cars – Pixar strikes gold again in this great movie. There’s great comedy, timing, cars, racing and even some adventurous voice acting work from the likes of Michael Schumacher and Jeremy Clarkson. (For those who want to know, in England, Clarkson is the voice of the manager instead of Jeremy Piven.)

7. Ronin – A chase through Paris sets this thriller apart from the rest. Another John Frankenheimer movie, so you know it has a good car chase scene with real guns and not paintball guns.

8. Blues Brothers – Most people don’t think of cars when the think of the Blues Brothers, but this movie has a ton of crashed cop cars, a genius chase through a mall and a car falling off of the tallest unfinished bridge in the history of the world. A must see.

9. Tokyo Drift – Although it is another Fast and Furious movie, this one is different in the fact that it features drifting instead of just driving fast in a straight line. Hot cars in Tokyo are featured, and the drifting action is fairly realistic.

10. Initial D (TV Show) – If you are a fan of drifting, or of anime, or of Japanese cars, or of all of them, then you should like this show. And even though it is still technically a television show first, there have been two movies made of it. Be sure to find the original copies in Japanese with English subtitles because the dubbed version is no good.

An easy upgrade

2009-06-22T09:03:00.002-05:00

Well, I took my own advice and installed new car accessories over the weekend. How did I do this? Well, first off, I purchased the parts that would specifically fit my car, and most importantly, I made sure to purchase the ones that would be easy to install so I didn’t have to bring my car to a shop and have to pay even more money. So what did I get? Thanks for asking. I got some HID lights for my car to make the headlights brighter at night. I was sick and tired of trying to see at night and have to strain to do so. Not only are my lights brighter, but my car looks more expensive, and I like that. These lights help so much more at night than I ever thought possible. It’s like I don’t even really need to use my brights any more. Very nice and very affordable upgrade. In other news, I just received my motorcycle helmet in the mail. And no, I don’t own a motorcycle, but I wanted it in case I ever take my car to the track…plus I might be getting either a four wheeler or a scooter for around town – I haven’t decided which one yet. I will be keeping this blog updated on that in the future…but for now its off to play with my good old RC helicopter. Until next time.

Small vs. Large

2009-06-19T10:44:00.001-05:00

The saying goes, “There is no replacement for displacement.” But I, for one, don’t necessarily believe it. In this day in age, there are many replacements that you can add to your engine to make up for the displacement issue. In fact, displacement doesn’t always mean big power. Take for example two different cars. The first is a 1979 Renault Formula One car. The engine regulations for that year were such that they chose to run a 1.5 liter engine in the back of the car. Yes, that is tiny. However, the car had a massive turbo strapped to it and developed an eye watering 1500 horsepower in qualifying trim. And yes, you read that correctly, one thousand five hundred horsepower…out of a 1.5 liter engine. By comparison a NASCAR engine from 2004 – 25 years later – produced around 850+ horsepower from a much larger displacement. Of course if you are looking to make more from your already large displacement, there are things like Dodge Charger accessories and Mustang turbo kits to help you out with that. And even though I drive a car with a small engine displacement I know that there are times when my HJC motorcycle helmets come in handy to keep me from experiencing the whiplash that could occur because of my turbo kit. So either replace the displacement or at least up the power with some aftermarket car parts. I think that it is time to officially retire that slogan.

Winter tires and more

2009-06-18T16:16:00.002-05:00

I have just had a revelation. Not only do I love to take my car out on the road, but I love it even more in the winter. My car has All Wheel Drive and that equals impressive handling in all weather conditions, but especially when the white powdery stuff falls from the sky. My only complaint is that I don’t have the perfect tires for the situation. Currently my car is sitting on some Bridgestone all seasons. And while they are not bad by themselves, they are not great for either perfect summer days or snowy winter evenings. Obviously it helps that my car features the permanent AWD, but I am currently looking into getting a new set of rims so that I can run both a dedicated summer and winter performance tire. For the summer ones, I want to go with 17 inch wheels and tires. I was looking at Tire Rack and found the perfect wheels, but the tires are still up for debate. The Sumitomo HTR III is cheap and won a test, but I am still not sure about them. Feel free to suggest other tires. For the winter wheels I would stick with the 16s that are currently on my car and will probably spend the dough to go with Blizzaks or Vredestein winter tires. I hear that Hakkapeliittas are good as well so I might have to check those out.
In other news, one of my other friends recently got his Mustang turbo installed and it is a beast. Of course he wants to race, but I always tell him that I will…if it is raining or snowing. In any other situation his car would eat mine alive. It’s so fast that I have almost felt the need to get out my Bell motorcycle helmets for us to wear. Luckily, it hasn’t come to that yet. Maybe I should race him with my super fast RC cars to see who would win…probably him though. Heck, he’d probably run it over just to get an unfair advantage.

The end of PC gaming

2009-06-18T08:45:00.003-05:00

I guess it doesn’t come as much of a shock to me, but I’ve given up PC gaming. There are a few key reasons for this. 1) I don’t spend a lot of time on my computer, and when I am on it, I like to be blogging or looking at those stupid viral videos everyone sends out to each other. I already have a couple of game consoles (from various eras) and they meet my needs just fine. 2) The screen on my PC is a lowly 15 inches. In fact, it’s a laptop so that is even worse for gaming. My television, on the other hand, is 46 glorious inches of HD quality and even has a small surround sound setup so that I may enjoy better sound. 3) All of the new PC games that come out usually also come out on consoles. This means that I don’t have to spend three or four grand on a dedicated gaming computer to play one or two high end games when they are also on the console that I own. 4) Many of the games that come out on the PC are not things that I like to play. For example, WoW or any other MMORPG or many RTS games are just not things that I like. Sure I may go online and play a game of air hockey on a virtual Sportcraft air hockey table or throw down some personalized poker chips, but that isn’t what real PC gaming is. Either way, I’ve given it up because it costs too much for too little. If I do use my PC for gaming purposes, it is to have it open for a walkthrough or to find Acura parts for my car while I tear up the track in my virtual car in GT4 or GT5 Prologue. Enough ranting though because I’m off to play some more awesome console games on my big TV.

To Tweet, or Not To Tweet

2009-06-17T10:43:00.002-05:00

Well now it seems as though I have a problem. I don’t know how to tweet. That is what it’s called right? It isn’t like “I don’t know how to twitter” or “I don’t twit enough”. I mean, this is my twittering essentially. Isn’t this enough of a forum to let people know what’s going on? If I were to rush out and purchase a new RC plane or poker chip set, everyone would know about it here in a couple of hours. Do I really need to be telling you that I am getting out my wallet and that the clerk looked at me funny and that I’m now walking back to my car and on and on and on. Where does it stop? I’m not signing up for the tweet train and will continue to tell everyone what is going on the old fashioned way…and by that I mean the way that everyone used to do it about a year ago. So behold the blog and watch as I relate about my experiences with Jeep Wrangler accessories and Cadillac parts as the days go by.

Poker on TV

2009-06-17T08:27:00.001-05:00

I was flipping through the channels last night and it surprised me that poker was still being televised. It seems to me that that train had run out of steam back in like 2006 or 2007, but apparently it is still going strong. So strong in fact, that poker chips are in high demand. The reason for this is, of course, that poker is such a universal game that anyone who understands cards can play it. Adding poker chips to the equation just makes the games that more intense because there is actually something to play for other than just pride. Of course, when you run out of chips, you could always put things like your paint ball guns or even Shoei motorcycle helmet in as collateral. Just be sure that you have the cards to back up your bet because those things are nice.

Car Magazines

2009-06-16T13:36:00.002-05:00

I was just perusing my local bookstore over lunch and came to the conclusion that there are far too many car magazines for one person to buy. If I were to purchase every single car magazine that was in the store, it would have ended up costing me close to $200! Maybe more since there are some magazines that come from Britain and charge $11 a pop! What is the deal with this? It wasn't that long ago that these same magazines were only charging $3 or $4 for me to read them. Now, they have almost tripled in price. And I'm not talking of the 1960s or anything like that. It was earlier this decade when the prices were much more reasonable. That seems to be a trend lately. Maybe it's the fact that these magazines rely on so many ad sales, that they can't persuade the same people to sign up any more becasue even that has become more expensive. Advertisements for things like Jeep parts and BMW rims should be on the Internet because that way the companies don't have to pay exhorbitant amounts of cash just to be seen by a couple of thousand people when everyone who is on the Internet could potentially find your site using a browser. Of course, if the prices of the magazines did come down, I would find myself still spending the same amount of money, but getting more for it.

Jeeping in the woods

2009-06-16T11:05:00.000-05:00

Is this the place to discuss all things cars? The Internet I mean. I guess it is because there are so many different car sites all over it that it is hard to find one that is reliable. After searching for a while I came across a Jeep parts store that could supply me with everything I needed. Winches, lift kits, doors; you name it. I have outfitted my ride with a new winch and put a soft top on it for when the weather turns nasty. The soft tops are easier to remove and store than the hard tops. Given that my Jeep can take me anywhere I need to go, I also outfitted my ride with a custom paint ball gun holder because sometimes when you are out in the woods, you just have to let loose with some paintballing. Plus, it keeps the rabbits out of my back yard.

Toys for the family

2009-06-15T14:37:00.001-05:00

I have played with quite a few toys in my lifetime, but none have captivated me quite like my new RC helicopters. Not only are they small and fun, they are actually very economical. Because they are made of materials like plastic and Styrofoam, you don’t have to worry about breaking them because they are easily replaceable. Small children can even learn how to maneuver these in very little time and it will teach them about control and reflexes. Plus, they can learn to do flybys on the dogs and cats in your house – cats really do love to try and catch these! If you are looking for something a little bigger that can get the family motivated to be competitive, try out an air hockey table and see what happens. These tables come in a variety of sizes and price points. Everyone will have more fun with either the helicopters or the air hockey.

2009-06-15T13:26:00.000-05:00

Now my ride is looking sweet. Over the weekend I took the time to order up some tail lights and headlights for my car and I am extremely excited about the prospect of getting them on my car. Not only will the tail lights make the back end look better, but the actual style of the lights is different enough that I’m hoping to have a more unique look. The headlights I kept close to stock, but am expecting them to really make my bulbs shine better because I also picked up HID lights. Plus, the new lights will not be all filmy and yellow…or cracked. Man, my car is going to be looking good. All it needs now is an air ride!

Little Junk Yard Excursion

2009-06-15T10:03:00.001-05:00

If there is one thing in life that I know, it is how to make something out of nothing. For instance, this past weekend I took a walk through a junk yard. Now I know that a junk yard is not the exciting place to be on a weekend, but I was just seeing if there was anything there I could use. I came upon some lights from a 1998 Ford Mustang and they were fairly intact. The rest of the car was a heaping pile of junk, but the lights were clear and didn’t seem to be all that bad. I figured that I could use them to retrofit into my car. Things don’t always work out as they should though and the lights I found ended up not working. Suffice it to say, that is going to be the last time I go to the junk yard to get a good deal on parts for a car. I can find just as good Mustang lights on the Internet for a great price as well and even have different styles to choose from. From now on, I think I’ll stick to the Web to find my next parts because those junk yard headlights were very bad.

That V8 Sound

2009-06-12T13:39:00.002-05:00

I really like the way V8s sound. When they get on the gas and make themselves small on the horizon, it’s great to still be able to hear that vibrating noise as it growls away. One of my favorite sounds is that of a Corvette. Not only do Vettes make a great noise, they look great doing it. Not many cars for that price can say that. And the things that make them tick are Corvette accessories. Things like exhaust pipes, crossover pipes and even headers all fall under the Corvette parts spectrum. This picture is of a car that has some amazing pipes on it. I can only imagine what it must be like to press down the gas pedal and hear that rumble come from the engine and shake the entire car. What I wouldn’t give to have some Corvette accessories like those. If only I had the dough to afford something like that. Oh well, I guess for now there is always the intoxicating rush I get from my gas RC cars.

Spoiling Your Ride

2009-06-11T13:14:00.001-05:00

So you’ve decided that you want to add some more style to the back of your car. A great way to go about doing this would be to add a spoiler. Aftermarket spoilers come in a variety of shapes and sizes and many are custom fitting, meaning that they will be a great addition to your car or truck. With a great new spoiler on the back of your vehicle, you can be sure that your ride will look better than ever.

If you happen to drive a popular model of car or truck, you will find a greater variety of spoilers available for your vehicle. Don’t worry though, because even if yours isn’t the most popular on the road, there are also universal spoilers out there that are made to fit onto the back of any vehicle. If you do opt for a custom fit spoiler, it is best if you get one that will really compliment the style you are going for.

There are really three different styles of spoilers. The first is the trunk lid spoiler. Included in this type are two separate styles. The first style of trunk spoiler is what is commonly referred to as the lip spoiler. This is the type that looks much like a thin strip running across the lid of the trunk and it does not stick up very high. Many people who like a more subtle look are going to love this type of spoiler. The second type that goes right along with that one on the trunk is the high spoiler. These are the ones that are most common because they sit on top of the trunk and are raised in the air. Now depending on how visible you want your vehicle to be, you can get a slightly raised one or a really high one. Another choice that you have with this type is the ability to get a third brake light in the blade of the spoiler or not. The third brake light will add some more safety and a new look to the spoiler.

The third type of spoiler is the roof spoiler. These spoilers can most commonly be seen on minivans and hatchbacks, but they are slowly making their way onto cars as well. When they are installed on a car, they are placed directly above the rear window where the roof meets the glass. Not only will this keep the air flow over the back of the car smooth, it will add a little more shade for the back passengers when the sun is beating down on them. Roof spoilers are also going to cost less than a regular spoiler because they don’t have as much material associated with them.

Again, depending on the type of vehicle you drive, there are many different types and styles of spoilers available for you to choose from. The one that you choose is going to be dependant on the look you want from your car and the price that you are willing to pay. Adding any spoiler is one of the easiest ways to improve the looks of your car or truck easily and cheaply.

Do You Like Air Hockey

2009-06-11T10:47:00.000-05:00

I have to say that air hockey seems to be reserved for little kids. I remember when I was little and I would be at a birthday party at a Circus Circus (remember those...those were around before Chucky Cheese) and my friends and I would put our tokens in the air hockey table and just go at it. We didn't have any concept of physics or of how banking would affect our shots, but because we were little kids, we had fun with it. Now that I am older I can tell you that playing a game of air hockey really brings back memories and is more fun than ever. In fact, I have gone so far as to put an air hockey table simulator on this blog so that whoever visits it can enjoy a game or two.

If you come to find that you are spending way too much time down at the arcade and spending all of your laundry money playing others in the game of air hockey, it may be advisable to actually look into getting one for your home. This is an especially worthwhile improvement if you happen to have little kids around or even if you are just looking to fill some empty space in your recreation room. Plus, the great thing about today's air hockey tables is that they can be used for more than just air hockey. Some of these double or even triple as other game tables. Some of them can be used for pool and also ping pong.

The table pictured here is a little on the professional side, but it can be a great way to have more fun around the house and will provide better entertainment value than some board (should read bored) games. Children are especially drawn to anything that makes noise and the click-clack of the plastic puck, plus the yelling and laughing of fun, will be enough to draw anyone in. I am currently contemplating buying a new air hockey table for my house and think that I might go take a look at them on the Internet.

Hi, I'm new here.

2009-06-11T09:59:00.000-05:00

How's it going? Good I hope. Or not...whatever. This blog is going to be used for stuff, things or just general bits and pieces of stuff that I want to write about. So enjoy...or don't. The choice is up to you.