I’ve been going through my archives and finding some interesting projects from my past. While in college I developed an Atari 2600 ROM that was hacked from the Space Invaders game. It replaces the sprites with Linux and Microsoft derivatives. It’s a hoot to play and it’s totally free. You can download the ROM as well as view videos of the game in action at the Linux Wars site I made for the project back then. You will need an Atari 2600 emulator like Stella to run the game.
While in college I lived in an apartment building that the basement always flooded. Sometimes the sump would take care of it, other times not so much. Since I’m a nice guy I was constantly checking the basement during wet weather so that the Landlord didn’t have to. To make my life easier, I designed and then built this alarm. I used two pieces of copper wire for the electrodes, about 1 inch apart from each other. When the two electrodes are submersed in water, the 2n3904 transistor “sees” the resistance and closes it’s gate turning the buzzer on alerting the inhabitants of the watery basement situation.
Easy to Build 9v Water Alarm, v1.1
Note: I tinned them with solder to keep them from corroding. Worked great for the couple years I was there and still working now as far as I know. Original version was designed in 2007, v1.1 adds a switch so you can turn it off when you get into the basement to fix the situation.
I’ll start by saying this, my brother has told me before that I “do more research on a tape measure than the average person does when buying a new car.” While this is probably true (in fact, I’ve looked into it and I think it is), I don’t find any problem with it.
I’ve been interested in motorcycles for years now and despite never owning a street-legal one (I did have a project ’82 Yamaha XS400 for a couple years that never made it on the road), I know a good deal about bikes. I also know what I like in a bike, at least as far as styling and tech specs are concerned. I’m a big fan of the “standard” style bikes. Things like the British bikes of the 50’s and 60’s as well as the Japanese UJM’s that were popular during the 70’s and 80’s. I want a bike capable of comfortably holding 60mph all day long, top speed of at least 75mph and ideally returning at least 70mpg. I’m a huge fan of the air cooled parallel twin if not for anything else than I love the look and sound of them. The perfect bike for me would utilize an air cooled 400cc fuel injected twin with a 5 speed transmission, chain drive and alloy wheels all mounted on a lightweight standard style frame netting a top speed of 85mph and consuming a measly 75mpg. So far as I know, such a beast does not exist. So, today we look at the two bikes that come closest. Oddly enough, both are of British origin and both run fuel injected air cooled engines.
2011 Triumph Bonneville SE
2011 Triumph Bonneville SE
Pros:
* Great looking curvy bike
* Classic air cooled twin with great looks and sound
* Alloy wheels
* Tachometer
Cons:
* Less mpg than I’d like (average seems to be 50mpg)
* More expensive than I’d like even though many are now made in Thailand – you still pay “Made in the UK” dollars with MSRP of $8,699 in the USA
2011 Royal Enfield G5 Classic
2011 Royal Enfield G5 Classic
Pros:
* Single cylinder reliability (half as many moving parts as a twin)
* Super mpg averaging 75mpg for most individuals
* Good looking basic bike
* Comes with a kick starter alongside the electric start!
* Hand made in India (a very interesting country with a bright future ahead of itself)
* Cheap way to get a really cool bike, MSRP of $5,995 in USA
Cons:
* Wire spoked wheels requiring tubes in the tires
* Single cylinder engine (sound isn’t at all as cool as a twin)
* Quality control seems to be an issue on some bikes, although dealer and company support is said to be excellent
Due to these reasons I believe the G5 makes much more sense for me if I was to be looking at a new bike. However, either one would make an excellent steed.
My body is in the moment,
But I’m still in the future.
My head is right here,
But its also elsewhere.
My heart is beating in my chest,
But its dangerously close to the edge.
My brain is in my head,
But my mind isn’t all there.
My body is in the present,
But I’m living in the future.
– JR 2011
I’m working on a new theme for the site, it’s actually almost done. I need a new banner for the top of it as well as tweaking a few colors and then it’s ready for launch. This will be the first time thatraymond.com has seen full color…should be a new and interesting experience I’m sure.
