ransom wrote: ...If you add an RSS feed or similar
Yeah that's on the list, under finishing the car, the book, and half a dozen home projects :(
ransom wrote: ...If you add an RSS feed or similar
Yeah that's on the list, under finishing the car, the book, and half a dozen home projects :(
book needs MOAR SUBTITLE! 
And the back cover has even more!
It hit 140+ mph at a track day this weekend. 
Can't wait for vidjers! 
My brother sent me this video from a different car there. Jump to 19:00 :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8CnfEjfo5E
This was the following day and I've watched it a number of times trying to figure out what happened. Mechanical failure? Or, was he trying to dive bomb past the first car? It's a trackday, no passing in turns, no money on the line, nothing. If something went wrong, the idea was that you just drive straight off, through the cones. Hope he was okay.
ABS + looking where you want to go = heading straight for the turn station that he was looking at.
He turned too sharp when entering the corner too fast, got the car sideways, and never recovered.
Now I want to see videos from onboard the Cool Fast Something
Focused on where he wanted to go, and failed to notice the Camaro that was there first until it was too late to punch thru the cones (i.e. already "inside" the Camaro's turn)?
If that was a G37, I wonder if it has the same ice mode ABS issues the 350z has. Also, it looked like he missed the tire wall! Hopefully everyone was OK.
Really looked like he thought there was room to drive inside the tires and headed that way but then realized that was wrong. Instead of just running over the cones he jammed on the brakes and it all went to hell. Good awareness by the Camaro driver by the way.
I honestly don't think that the Camaro driver ever saw him coming, until he crossed right in front of him.
The white car started turning left WAY before the turn proper. That's why it's so hard to believe that it was on purpose.
Back to the Midlana?
The Midlana book is out!
[edited to add more information]
Being self-published means using a Print-On-Demand (POD) service, sort of an automated Kinko's copy center. I use Lulu, the same POD printer used with my previous book, Kimini. An author sends Lulu a manuscript, which they store on a server. When an order comes in, it's printed, bound, boxed, and shipped. It's a decent deal for authors that are unable (or unwilling) to deal with "real" publishers. Once the manuscript is uploaded to Lulu's store front, the process is completely hands-off; Lulu handles sales, shipping, and any customer issues. The downside is that because they aren't printing thousands of copies at a time, the cost per page is a lot higher, but for many writers, that's an acceptable overhead to get a book to market. Also, since Lulu has printers located around the world, your book is automatically printed at a regional facility, including Europe and Australia.
The question comes up, "why can't I buy it on Amazon?" Long story short: book stores don't like dealing with PODs because: 1. Bookstores expect a huge discount, and 2. They expect to be able to return unsold inventory at the end of each month; neither of these conditions work well in the POD ecosystem. The question also comes up, "Can I get an eBook version?" Short answer: not at this time.
There's an appropriate quote by Winston Churchill: “Writing a book is an adventure. To begin with it is a toy and an amusement. Then it becomes a mistress, then it becomes a master, then it becomes a tyrant. The last phase is that just as you are about to be reconciled to your servitude, you kill the monster and fling him to the public.”
Me, I'm going to start on the backlog of home projects!
Did Lulu change their pricing scheme? I only ask because it doesn't match the Kimini book pricing, which is still "in print".
Will an ebook become available through Lulu?
I just ordered mine.
In reply to akamcfly: I think the author sets the pricing. There is discussion on how the price was selected on the Midlana build diary.
akamcfly wrote: Did Lulu change their pricing scheme? I only ask because it doesn't match the Kimini book pricing, which is still "in print". Will an ebook become available through Lulu?
The author sets the price, and I priced it based upon the competition and because it contains a lot more information than the Kimini book.
No eBook for now.
(Edited my post above to note the free shipping discount until 10 Dec.
kb58 wrote: The author sets the price, and I priced it based upon the competition and because it contains a lot more information than the Kimini book. No eBook for now. (Edited my post above to note the free shipping discount until 10 Dec.
Ok, thanks for the info. :)
Lulu is currently running an on-again/off-again 30%-off sale.
A spirited drive through the local hills with friends
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nylxGbH6rKA
The yellow "Lotus" is my brother's LS-3 powered Stalker.
I am bringing back a zombie thread because this thing is still awesome.
Since this thing has a heavy rear engine bias, what is the weight numbers and does it want to swap ends?
Is the book still available? The lulu link says not available..
Yeah it is still available. I got the link from Midlana.com
Forgot all about this thread. In short, about two years ago I blew up my motor chasing down a Porsche GT3 (caught him, too - priceless).
Well, not exactly priceless... it was dang expensive to do Engine V2.0, but it's done and in and now has 430-530hp, depending upon dyno. Yes, yes, I know, I know, but at least once in my life, I wanted to have an insane turbo car and now I do...
Also added new ductwork for the now-top-mounted intercooler.
The irony is that after getting it all done and set up to last on-track, was the realization that my aftermarket gearset can't help. What I mean is, on some tracks such as Autoclub Speedway in Fontana CA, cars regularly run >150mph. Fourth gear - the top ratio in the aftermarket gearset - tops out at about that and I have to shift to the OEM fifth and sixth. Unfortunately, both have proven to be unreliable under boost conditions. This, along with grenading the engine, have let out some of the wind on my sail as far as really high speed events. I'll still be taking it to track events, but probably not Fontana, unless I just go slow...
Which reminds me of a phrase I saw online that's hit pretty close to home:
… a turbo engine is like having a cokehead pornstar girlfriend. There’s going to be unparalleled excitement and thrills, but a lot of unexplainable downtime and a likely violent ending that leaves you broke and insane…
My brother wants me to build something with an LS engine in it...
Lastly, after working on nothing but Kimini and Midlana for what, the last 20 years? I got burnt out and have spent the last year reworking our koi pond. A surprising number of garage tools and techniques transferred straight over. That's nearly done now so I'll start being more active with the car - again.
Oh, and if you're looking to buy the Midlana book, keep a close watch on www.lulu.com because they run a lot of discounts between about now and Christmas, sometimes up to 40% off.
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