Gear Reviews, Tech & Photography
Last week we had some extremely cold weather in Nebraska. My garage is pretty well insulated but I sometimes get ice on the window. When I came home from work I noticed some very large crystals had formed. The neighbors side house light provided the light. I posted this to the Nebraska Through The Lens group on Facebook not expecting much and was blown away. In 15 minues I had 100 likes, in 24 hours just at 500 likes and quite a few comments.
The roommate and I drove to Des Moines, IA to see The Glitch Mob on a Thursday afternoon. The venue was different, much like a big community center. They had about half of it marked off with a big curtain for the concert. Parking was great though about 15 feet from the front door and free. The Glitch Mob (Soundcloud) sounded great during the entire show. I was worried that with just the 2 large stacks of PA speakers on either side it would not be loud enough but it was. Sound quality was not up to Bassnectar level but still better than most concerts. Lighting was pretty good for a small venue too. The controllers they were using to que the sounds were pretty cool. All touch screen based, with segmented areas it would be interesting to know more about them. Behind the large turbine looking props were digital drums/triggers too. Summary I would drive 3 hours to see The Glitch Mob again, especially for a $20 ticket. I may come back and post a little video if there is interest please leave a comment below.
Love him or hate him, Skrillex is a a pretty big name in modern music. I am admittedly not the biggest fan but decided to go to support a bigger show like this in Lincoln. It was unique because they closed down a intersection in downtown Lincoln and had the concert outside in the streets. Weather ended up being clear but pretty cool for early October. Opening acts were a few local DJ’s that did a good job and then Waka Flacka Flame who played a lot of his older rap songs and had a lot of stage energy to get people going. Skrillex came on and played a lot of his bigger songs but also a lot of mashups from others. I had pretty mixed feelings about it expecting some more of his original content. We did get to hear a exclusive to a new song he did say.
The concert was not physically setup very well which this combined with the crowed kind of ruined it for me to a degree. The front of the stage was about even with where the crosswalk would be, and the sound booth was set across the interesection just past the other crosswalk. This left very just the middle of the middle of the intersection for people who wanted to be directly in front of the stage where the best viewpoint, best sound, and best lights were. There were just too many people for this, and that left people spilling over the sides where sound and lights deteriorated a lot. There were also beer carts in the major walkways forcing people further into these pinch points to get from one side to the other. The crowed was more rude and rough than I have experienced in a while, even with a large police presence. You expect some of this but not to this extent. The next day the comments in the local newspaper’s online article was a great laugh with people complaining about noise for blocks etc. The promoters did a good job of announcing the show in advance and it ended at the reasonable time of 11pm sharp. I hope they can continue to offer this type of outdoor show in the future and make some improvements in setup and layout.
All photos taken with a Samsung Note 2.
Arctic Monkeys With Royal Blood
It was nice to go to a Rock Show again. The Harrah’s casino is a pretty good venu. It was the first smoke free concert I have been too indoor or out. Sound quality was good, not great. Royal Blood was my surprise of the show, having never heard of them I became a fan and had to grab their album when I got home. Arctic Monkeys put on a good show, focused most on their music playing song after song.
Katy Perry
I wasn’t originally planning to go to this one but got a ticket at the last minute. While not the biggest Katy Perry fan I left the show very impressed. Seats were great at midcourt since the stage was a big triangle and went to just over midcourt. This show was a huge production, over 15 trucks brought in tons of lights, screens, moving floor sections, props, and fireworks. Sound quality in the PBA is really great, although bring your earplugs, it’s loud. You really forget about how many hit’s Katy Perry has had and she sang them all.
The Tesla Model S is kind of the halo “electric” car at the moment, and it really breaks the mold of a stereotypical electric car. It is fast, sexy, and super high tech, yet drives almost normally. Being a car enthusiast, I had previously driven the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt locally; but with so few Tesla showrooms and service centers in the country, it’s hard to have the opportunity to drive a Tesla, especially in Nebraska.
I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to test drive a Tesla Model S on May 3, 2014 in Omaha, Nebraska. I had spotted a post on the Tesla Facebook page saying they were taking reservations for a test drive, so I signed up. They called me the next day and confirmed.
They had 4 cars on display in the corner of a parking lot. All were the P85 variant (the big battery model), and some had quite a few options, so sticker prices ranged from about $80k-$107k. Quite a few people were hanging around the car that was charging while a Tesla employee answered questions. Having read several reviews of the car and watching several videos of it, I had quite a bit of knowledge to draw from for my test drive.
My time slot came up and I scanned my drivers license, typed in a little info on an ipad and went for a test drive. The car is so quiet that in a somewhat crowded environment, people kept walking behind the car when we were trying to back out of the parking spot. Their mouths kind of dropped open when they saw this car come at them silently.
Acceleration – Instant torque is addicting. Really addicting. The acceleration in the Model S is so smooth and linear. It definitely pushes you back into the seat in a very satisfying way. Its speed and power are deceiving because of how quiet it is. In a gasoline powered car the engine gives you an indication of the speed you’re going; the S doesn’t have that, so it was very easy to go faster than the law says you should. It would be interesting to see if Model S owners get more speeding tickets because of it. I can verify that traction control is pretty effective too. When you give the S a lot of acceleration off the line, the traction control will come in and make sure you keep things on the road and straight; it does give the sensation of wiggling around a little though. It was fun. Because the Model S has no transmission or torque converter like in an automatic transmission, the car doesn’t creep along at low speeds. Tesla has added this creep mode as a software mode if you miss it. It takes a little getting use to in non creep mode.
Brakes – The Model S brake feel was nice and linear under normal street driving. Tesla has taken an interesting approach, giving you the option of a maximum regeneration mode or a low regeneration mode. It’s a simple setting on the 17” touchscreen center console. In the low generation mode, the car will coast much like a normal car with an automatic transmission with low drag. The downside of this is that it will generate much less energy to put back into the batteries and extend range. In maximum generation mode when off the accelerator it feels much more like you have downshifted on a car with a manual transmission. The feeling of drag is increased quite a bit. It’s essentially using electric motors as an engine brake by using the electric motor to generate electricity.. It takes a little getting used to since you don’t have to touch the brakes nearly as much in city driving. For instance, when coming down a hill, instead of coasting down the hill you actually may have to just use the lightest input on the accelerator to maintain speed. The benefits of this is it’s extend range optimally. Tesla says that this also greatly decreases brake rotor and pad wear because you’re not using them as much to slow the relatively heavy car.
Steering/Suspension – The Model S is the safest car on the road, and part of that has to do with how stiff the chassis is. That stiffness really adds to the sportiness of the car. The suspension is stiff, but well damped so it’s not harsh, but also not “Lexus” smooth. I would call it european inspired suspension. The car corners pretty flat, and in normal street driving hides its weight pretty well, I thought. That stiffness also made the car feel really solid and well built. Our test car (829 miles on the odometer) had no squeaks or shudders. It would be interesting to compare a model with the sport suspension option. The steering was a nice weight and some road feel feedback.
The 17” touch screen that serves as the cars center console and main control unit for all configurable things in the car really is the top interior feature. The large screen and first HD backup camera that can optionally be used when driving were great. The layout and navigation were really logical and intuitive of the controls and options. The UI was fast, and the cas a web browser build in to search for anything or read a website. Navigation was by Google Maps so it was great and always updated. The only driving control I was hunting around for was to put it in park (I will blame wanting to continue the test drive, I think it probably had enough range left to make it back home 🙂 )
For what the car cost, the seats should have been better. After visiting the BMW Welt in Germany my benchmark is admittedly a bit high when it comes to seats though. The Model S I drove had the standard seats, and while stylish, they lacked some adjustability and didn’t have enough side bolstering to match the car’s performance. With approximately a 300 mile range, you’re not as likely to be in one without a break as long as you would in a diesel or gas European luxury sedan in the same price range. The flat floor (no transmission tunnel) was really nice, and made the middle rear seat much more useable. Someone who is tall might have problems sitting in the back seat without hitting their head on the roof. The interior design was minimal but nice. The design of the door handles are by far my favorite interior design feature. I didn’t care for the dark gray walnut wood trim on the dash, and would have probably prefered a carbon fiber or dark, warmer wood color.
The key of the car is pretty cool, as you would expect. It’s a fob and there is no traditional key. It’s actually a Hot Wheels sized model of the Model S in black that is a bit more streamlined. Touching the model (key) on the trunk for a second or two will pop the trunk. Walk up to the car with the key in your pocket and the door handles automatically come out and it unlocks. The car is always on and ready to drive; sitting in the driver’s seat and putting your foot on the brake to put it into drive is all you need to do, no push button start or turning of a key. There is also no shutting it off, you touch the button for park and get out, the car locks and shuts off itself.
Coming into the test drive the car was already sitting on a pedestal. My test drive was short but for the most part it met and exceeded expectations. For me the standouts were the acceleration, large center console screen, general technology, and its sexy lines. It’s an expensive car, and for most people it probably would not be your only car unless you had access to something with more range for long trips. That will change as electric charging, especially the Tesla Super Charging stations, becomes more common. For me it would be a great daily driver: fast, sexy, super safe, and minimal day to day costs. The main barrier right now for most is the cost. It’s still quite an expensive car. Tesla is rumored to be coming out with a less expensive smaller 3 series competitor that will be more affordable for the masses. By that time they should have a more robust charging network too. That will be more of a revolution for the masses. Until then, the Model S is a great example of how good an electric car can be made, especially in the USA. It makes a few sacrifices and has some great benefits.
Pretty Lights came to Lincoln on November 15th as part of his Analog Future Tour. Unlike other electronic artists, this show had real live musicians playing along with Pretty Lights. The keyboards and horn players were pretty cool. This was a more laid back show in comparison to Bassnectar but this is to be expected. It was a long show at over 3 hours of music playing. I enjoyed it for sure. All photos and video below were taken with my Samsung Galaxy Note 2.
I took the photo below at the Nebraska vs Michigan State football game on November 16th in Lincoln, NE with my Samsung Note 2. I used the new HDR feature of #Snapseed to edit the photo, and I posted it to Twitter. Later that night I had a few people tweet me saying that my photo made the big screen at the Nebraska Volleyball game. Pretty cool!
I am a fan of European cars, so to drive a lap on the Nürburgring has been on my bucket list for a while. On a recent vacation I was able to tick this one off on the list. For those that don’t know, the Nürburgring is one of the most famous, complex racetracks in the world. It is 13 miles long, and has 73 corners, many off camber. The track elevation changes often, and a dense forest runs on both sides of the track. All of these complexities earned it the nickname of “Green Hell” in 1968 after British racing legend Jackie Stewart won the German Grand Prix there and coined the term. Today the track is used by automotive manufacturers from around the world to test their cars and fine tune suspension, as well as set lap times for bragging rights. Most of the time the track is open (for a fee) to the general public to to lap their road legal vehicles.
I did lots of research online about what I needed to know before going to the track, how best to approach it, and what car to rent. I learned many european rental companies will ban the driver for life if the standard rental cars are taken on the track (GPS verified). Too many burned up brakes and worn out tires. Many forums suggested renting from RentRaceCar.com, and they happened to have a car that fit my needs. I choose a VW Sorocco Cup+. It was advertised as beginner friendly, it had a DSG gearbox, and had 2 seats so I could take a passenger. The car had a stock 220hp motor, Bilstein suspension, semi-slick tires, racing brakes, and a half rollcage. It was perfect.
Before coming to the track, the internet suggested I practiced on a simulator. I was very lucky to find a friend who let me borrow his PS3 for a few weeks to practice the track. (Thanks Frank!) It made a huge difference. While I didn’t have the track memorized, I at least recognized all of it and knew what to expect in the tricky parts. Gran Turismo 5 did a good job of representing the track. There were differences though. In real life the track was pretty narrow and the elevation changes were much greater than I expected.
Early on a Saturday morning we set off for the track, driving from Cologne, Germany. The weather ended up being perfect: sunny, 55 degrees, and low winds. When we got to the track it had just opened for the day, and was still a bit damp with dew and fall leaves. I filled out the minimal paperwork, was briefed on operating the car, and rules of the track. After that I was handed the keys, and off I went for my first lap.
I rented the car for 2 hours, and did a total of 4 laps. My first lap was by myself, no one in my family wanted to be a passenger and I was ok with that. Since this was my first track driving experience, on one of the most complex tracks in the world, and the track being damp in some corners I took things pretty cautiously. On the track you keep to the right, and signal with your right side blinker to let faster traffic pass on the left. Keeping a constant eye on your mirrors became pretty important. The first lap went without a problem, I was surprised when my mom said she wanted to be the first passenger. I never expected it, but I said yes as long as she didn’t say anything. Her lap was pretty exciting as an Aston Martin passed us in a corner and nearly ran into us. Eventually the entire family went on a lap as a passenger. Traffic did increase a lot as the morning went on and the track dried out. I was glad we got there early. On the track, you encounter just about every type of car imaginable. On the same lap I passed a Porsche 911 GT3 briefly, and got passed by a Chrysler Town and Country minivan. There were lots of 911s, and M3s that were pushing hard. In addition to sports cars, there were 7 Series, SUV’s and even compact cars packed full of people making laps. The famous karussell lives up to it’s reputation, definitely fun.
Below is one of my laps from the ring. Remember this was my first time on a track and the track was damp. To me it looks pretty slow to what I remember.
The paddock was truly a car lovers delight. We pulled up in our rented Hyundai i40 estate. Parking next to us almost immediately was a modified 997 Porsche GT3. After my first lap on the other side parked next to the Hyundai was a new Aston Martin with a lady in the passenger seat, dressed the part to be in an Aston. There was also an Aston Martin club from France that was at the track for the day. The Porsche 911s and BMW M3s in the lot were too numerous to count: new, old, stock and modified were all represented. There were also a handful of Ferrari F430s, a 612, and a couple of Lamborghinis. The BMW Ring Taxi M5s were also making lots of laps too. On the more rare side of things, there was a Mercedes Mclaren SLR with duct tape, and a newer Radical getting lots of attention. I could have spent a long time taking photos of all the comings and going. We did meet family from Florida who was in the military at the track doing laps. One of their children was lucky enough to get a flying fast lap from someone in the lot who overheard. It sounded amazing.
I am so grateful for having the opportunity to be in the area and visit the track. It really was the highlight of my trip. I would recommend it to anyone who had a love for cars and wants to drive on a track. If you have any questions leave a comment below and I will do my best to answer them.
On Friday, October 27, 2013 I was able to go see @Bassnectar in concert at Pershing in Lincoln. Having enjoyed Bassnectar for awhile and hearing about his great live shows, it was exciting to see it come to my home town. The show had some really unique things, and in total it was great. The sound was unbelievable.
Security
The security to the show was nearly as extensive as at an airport. They required everyone to take everything out of pockets, have a pat down (not as invasive as an airport), and lift up your shirt to look at the waistband. Despite this, they allowed sealed water bottles in (they took the caps at the door) and bags after looking in them as well. My observation while waiting in line was this caused a lot of people to consume anything they were hoping to get into the show before going in. This did cut down a lot on substance use inside the concert, but of course the concert still smelled like an EDM concert.
Koan Sound
Usually opening acts don’t get much attention, Koan Sounds was the opposite of that. They got the crowd going and were a surprise for me. Being from the UK, their music was a bit different and more like a club. I am definitely going to check them out.
Bassnectar/The Sound
Bassnectar’s set was over 2 hours of constant music and dancing. He had 1 giant screen behind him supported with 4 smaller pillar boards on the sides. The video was very colorful and synced to songs. Some were random fractal designs, others were moving video or stylized bits from music videos.
The music was a great selection of new and old Bassnectar. One of the things I like about Bassnectar’s music is it incorporates pieces from lots of styles of music, and this showed in what he played. It was similar to some of his recent mixtapes. It’s the Bassnectar we know and expect to hear.
The sound quality was unbelievably clear and dangerously loud. It brought new meaning to “feel the music”. I had read a little on the Meyer Sound system being used. I thought some of it was hype, but the system lived up to its reputation. Never before have I been to any concert that was as loud, but super clear, as this one was. You could feel the music in your body way more than you typically would at a rock show. As a long time follower of Bassnectar on twitter, I knew that he recommended ear plugs; I was very glad I had my Etymotic Research ER20 in my pocket. These are unique in that they evenly block volume in sound without distortion or changing pitch. They make it so you can talk to someone near you without yelling. My guess is this was the loudest and most bass heavy concert that the old Pershing building had ever seen.
All photos below were taken with my Note 2.
