MORNING
In a sign of the times, here’s a vehicle called the “Scoot Coupe” in downtown Hollywood. Essentially a three-wheel golf cart, this tadpole design comes with two motor options, 50cc and 150cc. The small motor does not have to be licensed, so this must be the larger. It tops out at 45 mph and gets over 60 mpg. Other than the passenger seat, there is minimal space to carry anything. A 500cc version is projected with a retractable top.
It certainly gets attention, but that wears off. To a bicycle rider, 45 mph seems fast, to a car owner it drags. So, don’t take it on the freeway already, duh. Apparently the roll bars will survive a tumble. The 50cc/30mph version rents for $25 per hour, so you can bet they drive the snot out of it. Steering is by handlebar with customary motorcycle controls. Downside it the price tag of $6,500. It will be a while before that can compete with a good used two-seat Stingray.ASP or Active Server Pages are back in focus. This is the computer code that allows web pages (html) to interact with the server they are stored upon. My study version is in Win98, but I’m having a far easier time grasping the material than from a few recent books that I swear are written by Arts majors (like that Thau! Guy). I still can’t figure out where people, such as Twitter, figure out what is NOT already on the Internet. Do they live on-line until the thought hits them?
NOON
I know the Internet needs an intelligent search engine based on compound words, yet I cannot find a single reference on how these engines are created. My guess is they are ordinary web crawlers that build up a huge database of what is where. The search acts on the database rather than the web—and it is not rocket surgery to have a database prioritize keywords.
But let me explain something. To the chance observer, it might look like I’m constantly “failing”, always giving up on projects. Arduino, drum box, javascript, train rides, you name it. The reality is that I’m the type that believes in research before commitment--what actually happened is I changed gears and you didn't notice. For me to examine ASP several times over a period of years is analogous to the person who repeatedly reads a dictionary or a Bible without apparent results. Each time I get back to a reference book, it is complicated material that I am delving into far deeper each time.
Shall we say I now know the process by which C-list is hiding their source code. They are burying it inside object classes, which contain a property called “methods” that emulate subroutines, but are not visible to a browser. Measure/countermeasure. Once you know why and how, you know where, etc. And each time you post to C-list, you are indeed interacting with their server. And no server is perfect. What you call a password, I call a Boolean expression that evaluates to TRUE. I will say again, the best way to treat persons like me is as an exception to the rules, whether you like it or not. Not the only way, just the best way.
NIGHT
Last, I read about some guy cheating in a bicycle race. Of course, I had to look that up. Turns out it is possible thanks to a device called a Gruber. Stay with me here. You know that axle that goes through your bicycle frame to hold the pedals? Well, you take the axle out and replace it with a worm gear mechanism. Cannot be detected easily.
Then, you remove the bicycle seat, and the Gruber electric motor slips down the hollow tube to engage the new axle. Replace the seat, and the whole assembly is practically invisible. The motor boosts the pedaling power for up to 1-1/2 hours. There are some complicated specs, but I calculate it translates an extra 4 mph for the same rider exertion.
The accused bike racer (Fabian Cancellara) won some kind of tournament when he was 48 years old, which is automatically suspect. I saw photographs of him crossing the finish line well ahead of the swarm. I could not see any evidence of the battery pack. There are no clues where he concealed it other than the fact he was Swiss and wearing Spandex. Get it? Swiss and wearing Spandex?
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