The VW Generation (Virtual Worlds)

My sixteen year old son is an avid player of World of Warcraft. His character has reached the highest levels and he spends much of his time helping and advising others. That’s interesting. Even more interesting is the cross over between this virtual world and the real world. Tom is arguably a member of the generation after the Facebook generation, and as such he uses World of Warcraft not just as a game, but as a meeting place with his friends. It’s in the virtual world that this new generation (the Virtual World generation) make their real world social arrangements. The cross over is seamless and entirely natural. My guess is that as Second Life and other virtual worlds become more accessible, both through an improvement in the way they are coded and as a result of increased computer power and faster broadband speeds, we’ll see more of this. Now, if only I could remember where I left my avatar……..

Track Days

I’ve booked myself and the Tiger on an evening track day at Brands Hatch on 17^th July. Quite a few things to do before then, although I’ve found out the new lighter wheels are having to be made and may not be ready in time. I also need to get the new Green Stuff brake pads fitted soon as they’ll need at least 100 bedding down miles before going out onto the track. I’ll be using 17^th July as a testing day prior to a full day session in August, by which time hopefully the car will be fully set up. I've also decided not to bother messing with the exhaust to get it within noise limits for tracks day, but to have one custom made to my specification. I've specified a 97db limit, polished stainless and re-packable so that I can make it louder, or quieter, as I need to. Powerspeed will be doing the work and it's being fitted a couple of days before the first track day.

IBF24

I took part in IBF24 over the past couple of days. A 24 hour global (follow the sun) online intranet conference. What a great idea. People joined from all over the world - over 700 people attended the conference, from 16 countries, saving tonnes of CO2. It was highly interactive fun and didn’t involve me sitting in airports for hours. Let’s hope it catches on.

Blending Again

How many social networks should I belong to? Just one with everything mixed in, or should I belong to several depending on which role (or where my head is) at any one time? I think it will depend upon the individual and the way corporate organisations react to the blended lifestyle. Some people are comfortable already with work and personal being mixed, others are less so. I suspect it's all moving in a blended direction though. Interestingly, my emails are not blended, but that's because of my company’s email policy - in particular an Intranet/Internet use policy which implies I can get the sack for time wasting if I over do it. This will need to be challenged at some point, because in a new blended world it may not be reasonable for people to have to maintain two 'connections' (work and private) when work and private has become so blended. For example, do I fall foul of the internet misuse policy if I spend two hours in the evening surfing in my personal capacity, before doing another two hours work prior to going to bed? Or do I only fall foul of the policy if those two hours are between 9 and 5? I certainly think company policies will need to be reviewed in the light of all these changes.

New Toy 3

I’ve been busy assembling parts for a rainy weekend’s work on the car. I’ve also had it rolling road tuned. And noise tested. Jobs to do include installing a pair of shiny chrome wing mirrors, some new exhaust wrap in the engine bay, an exhaust heat shield to prevent me burning my leg when I get out, fabricate a stainless steel heat shield for the alternator in place of the crude aluminium one there at the moment, and fabricate an aeroscreen which can go on in place of the windscreen for track days. I also need to make up supports for the trumpet socks on the carbs. When the car is revved, the carbs are sucking in so much air the socks are also getting sucked in and there is a danger they could work loose and get sucked right into the engine.

Then car is running really sweet since it was tuned. The technician recorded it at 170 bhp at 6,000 rpm, and still rising. That’s pretty powerful in a 650kg car! He has advised me to run it on Super Unleaded fuel though, which I’ll do as soon the tank is empty - and that won’t take long at 18mpg from a 6 gallon tank! The same day it was tuned I took it down to Brands Hatch to be noise tested. It came out at 104.4db at 4,500 rpm. That makes it within limits for day time track days, but not evening ones. However, I have now got an additional baffle that goes in the tail pipe that reduces the noise by up to 10db (at the expense of power) which should make it legal for evening events if I ever decide to do one.

I’m still waiting on a date for the new roll bar fitting though. Come on Tiger!

I made it!

Last Sunday I successfully completed the London to Brighton bike ride in aid of the British Heart Foundation. First off, thanks to all those who sponsored me – it’s a great cause and they need every penny they can get. You can find out more about how they use the money here.

The day was great. Perfect weather – very little wind, sunny, but not too hot. A great crowd of people (27,000 of us) and a great atmosphere. Exceptional organisation and great support from local people along the route. I completed the course in 3 hours and 50 minutes. Although the first few miles were quite slow due to stop start progress through traffic, once we hit the country lanes things moved much more freely.

It was great to see people on tandems, Choppers, roller blades and in fancy dress.

The highlight? Reaching the top of Ditchling Beacon – I was one of the few who rode all the way – and taking in the amazing views across the Sussex countryside.

Will I do it again? Definitely. I may even put a team together for next year.

Getting ready for Sunday

The London to Brighton bike ride is fast approaching. Just 2 days to go. I’ve been dithering over which bike to use. Should I go on the road bike, which is faster but which is harder in traffic because the brakes are not so good and I’m still getting used to stopping and starting with cleats on? Or should I go with the hybrid/commuter bike, which is a little slower but much better in traffic as I sit more upright and have better visibility? It also has much better brakes (V-brakes) and toe clips on the pedals which are considerably easier in stop-start traffic.

On balance, not knowing what 27,000 cycles going in the same direction at the same time actually feels like I think I’ll err on the side of caution and go with the hybrid bike. Next decision is what to take. Looks like rain, so my waterproof jacket will be a must, plus a couple of water bottles, phone and roadside repair kit. Maybe also a spare pair of socks and a dry shirt would be a good idea. I think that’s probably all.

If you’re doing the ride, good luck and do look out for me. I’ll be the confused one wearing number 16640, starting from Clapham at 8.00am.