Pittsburgh Light Up Night 2012

Pittsburgh's Light Up night is November 16th, 5-10 pm. This unique all Pittsburgh Celebration is full of free entertainment for the whole family.

Come join us all in the magical light up night, with fireworks, live music, food vendors, and much more.


For more information visit      downtownpittsburgh.com/

Fall Safety Fair

No plans for Sunday afternoon? Learn about safety awareness and injury prevention, plus enjoy food, games and entertainment at the Fall Safety Fair! The event is FREE and will take place at Kohl’s in Cranberry from 1-3 pm! We hope to see you there!

Pittsburgh's Classifieds board for the Hispanic community

PittLatino has recently launched to aid the Hispanic community of Pittsburgh find jobs, locate housing, events, services and more in a web portal that is aimed at the latinos in the area.

Pittlatino.com is available in spanish and english as well as other languages thanks to it's built in google translator widget.

Pitt Latino welcomes both spanish and english speakers - check them out by visiting the link below.

www.pittlatino.com

Salsa Dance Classes - Pittsburgh

Join after class at the Cabaret at Theater Square for salsa dancing: Basic dance lesson 10pm and social dancing with DJ Jeff 10:30pm to 1:30am!
Cabaret at Theater Square 655 Penn Ave (7th&Penn) Pittsburgh, PA 15222.

Laurel Highliands Harvest Festival

New iPhone 5 specs, details and release dates

As introduced by Apple earlier this morning, the following are the highlights of their press release for the new iPhone 5 and IOS 6

• Fast 4G LTE data connection
• 20 percent lighter than 4S
• 18 percent thinner
• Available on Verizon/Sprint/ATT
• 4-inch display (up from 3.5 inches)
• 1136x640 pixel resolution (up from 960x640)
• Processor and graphics are 2x faster (new A6 chip)
• Battery: will "exceed battery life of the iPhone 4s." 8 hours talk time, 225 hours standby.
• Camera: 8 megapixel, 3264x2448 resolution, f/2.4 aperture, panorama feature, 1080p HD video, front-facing Facetime camera updated (720p) and face detection, improved mics and speakers.
• New smaller connector called Lightning. 8 pin, reversible (adaptor available for current connector).
• Prices start at $199 for 16GB model.
• Pre-orders start Sept. 14. Shipping starts Sept. 21 in US, Canada, and several other countries.

How does it stack up against the competition

Screen Size
Galaxy Note II - 5.5 inches, 1280 x 720, 267ppi
Galaxy S III - 4.8 inches, 1280 x 720, 306 ppi
Motorola RAZR HD - 4.7 inches, 1280 x 720, 312ppi
Lumia 920 - 4.5 inches, 1280 x 728, 332 ppi
iPhone 5 - 4 inches, 1136 x 640, 326ppi

Operating system 
Galaxy Note II - Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
Motorola RAZR HD - Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
Galaxy S III - Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
Lumia 920 - Windows Phone 8
iPhone 5 - iOS 6

Cameras
Lumia 920 - 8.7 megapixels (rear), 1.3 megapixels (front)
Galaxy Note II - 8.0 megapixels (rear), 1.9 megapixels (front)
Galaxy S III - 8.0 megapixels (rear), 1.9 megapixels (front)
Motorola RAZR HD - 8.0 megapixels (rear), 1.3 megapixels (front)
iPhone 5 - 8.0 megapixels (rear), 1.2 megapixels (front)

Battery
Galaxy Note II - 3,100mAh (No official stats given)
Motorola Razr HD - 2,530 mAh (10 hr video playback, 6hr web browsing, 6hr GPS usage)
Galaxy S III - 2,100 mAh (No official stats given)
Lumia 920 - 2,000 mAh (10hr 3G talk time, 67hr music playback, 6hr video playback)
iPhone 5 - (8hr 3G/LTE talk time, 10hr web browsing via wifi)

Size 
Galaxy S III - 70.6 x 136.6 x 8.6 mm, 133g
Motorola RAZR HD - 67.9 x 131.9 x 8.4 mm, 146g
Galaxy Note II - 80.5 x 151.1 x 9.4 mm, 180g
Lumia 920 - 70.8 x 130.3 x 10.7 mm, 185g
iPhone 5 - 58.6 x 123.8 x 7.6 mm, 112g

Pittsburgh's own dating site

Pittsburgh now has it's own dating site - SocialPitt

Have you tried those other matchmaking sites and just couldn't find anyone local in your area, well SocialPitt was created with that in mind, from Pittsburgh and for Pittsburgh Social Pitt hosts single people from the area and matches them with other singles looking for friendship or relationships.  Socialpitt.com also has built in chat and video chat among it's features.

Give it a try at - www.socialpitt.com

Far From It - the book by Robert Himler and Amy Sangster

Best money I've ever spent! This truly is an amazing book. The writing style of the book made it easy to read and I flew through it. I feel it was a good length and packed a ton of useful information. Not to mention you're paying for an exclusive forum membership. The fact that it costs money to access this forum means you will most likely have a better user experience as opposed to a forum anyone can join for free.

The book has also motivated me to go ahead and start on my project rather than waiting till I "know" everything. Considering I have lots of the skills I need already I might as well start work.

I am going to recommend this book to anyone who I think could benefit from it. I really do believe it is worth every penny.

Visit their website at Far From It

Best 250cc beginner motorcycle

he 250cc motorcycle market has finally opened up in the Western hemisphere. In North America, where the Ninja seemed to sit at the top of the 250cc sportbike throne all alone, it now faces challenges from  Honda's new CBR-250R. If you're looking for a 250cc cruiser, the only one available in Canada or the USA we'd recommend is theKYMCO Venox, but if sportbike motorcycles are your thing, here's a comparison of acceleration, speeds, braking and fuel economy from Popular Mechanics:

Kawasaki Ninja 250R

0-60mph (secs)........ 7.23 sec (-0.62)
40-70mph (secs)...... 6.66 sec (-1.18)
1/4mile..................... 15.56 sec @ 82.5 mph (-0.55 sec, + 4.9 mph)
60-0 braking............ 129 ft (+7.4)
Overall fuel economy 59.7 mpg (+11.7)

Honda CBR 250R

0-60mph (secs)......... 7.85 sec (+0.62)
40-70mph (secs)....... 7.84 sec (+1.18)
1/4mile...................... 16.11 sec @ 77.6 mph (-0.55 sec, + 4.9 mph)
60-0 braking.............. 121.6 ft (-7.4)
Overall fuel economy 71.4 mpg (-11.7

Beginners guide to first bike purchase

What do I need to know purchasing my first motorcycle?
What size is right for me?
Should I buy a new or used bike?
Do I need to use safety equipment?
Do I need to go to school?
power....


What do I need to know when I purchase my first motorcycle?

What is the right size bike for me?
Forget what you've seen on video games, TV shows, and perusing www.signal12.ws All that stuff takes literal years of practicing AFTER mastering riding the bike. Motorcycles are inherently dangerous, and can seriously hurt you if you overdo it. In order to ride, you must learn your limits, and the limits of your bike, in that order. So forget the GSXR1000, R1, CBR954R, or ZX9R. Be assured that anything with "R" in it is probably not a good idea. If you're an average-big person, (<250lbs, <6'5") a 600 is probably where you want to start (meaning E and F models, not R and F4I models). If you're making the conversion from a cruiser/traditional style motorcycle to a sportbike, then a 750 is not out of the question either. Different bikes sit different ways. The Katana, for example, is a little taller than the Ninja at rider height. The YZF600 is a bit narrower than both. Here are a few guidlines you may want to keep in mind when you purchase your motorcycle. Feel free to print this out and take it with you for reference.


Sit on the bike. How does it feel?
Lean the bike from side to side, putting considerable weight on your legs. Ensure you can right the bike if it gets past the center point. Have the salesman or, if you purchase used from an individual, the seller and a friend help you.
Most dealerships won't let you test ride the motorcycle for insurance reasons. But you can push it around. Forward, backward, turn the handlebars and push it through a turn, back it through a turn, make sure you can manually move the motorcycle while sitting astride it.
Sit on the bike, in riding position, with the kickstand or centerstand down.
Is this comfortable? Can you squeeze the clutch and brake lever with no problem?
Can you lift and depress the shifter, and depress the brake with no trouble?
Can you ride in position without activating the brake light?
Can you twist the throttle without causing pain?
From what you'd assume the position you'll be riding is, can you press the engine kill switch?
Are you in too tight of a position to put your feet down quickly if need be?
Can you reach and put the kickstand down without any trouble?



Should I buy a new or used bike?
Unless you have hordes of money lying around, and you don't feel compelled to send it to the website owner, or myself, it would be strongly, STRONGLY reccommended that you buy a second hand motorcycle. The main reason is you are more than likely going to fall at some point or another. When this occurs, (and don't think it won't, because when you least expect it, you'll be rubber-side up wondering what happened) replacing parts on new bikes are ridiculously expensive. They are expensive enough on used bikes, but it's much easier to find them in a junkyard. Sportbikes are not as quick to recover from a fall as cruisers and traditional style motorcycles are. Sportbikes have plastic fairings that break easily, wide, flat gas tanks that dent easily, and unprotected engine casings and covers that are easily cracked or broken. Some of these can render your motorcycle unrideable. All of these are expensive to repair or replace. As a general rule, the bigger, badder, faster, and flashier motorcycles are more expensive to replace parts off of. If you buy a motorcycle that is at least 5 years old, you can be assured that you won't lose a whole lot of money if you total it, you'll be able to find parts for it fairly easily, and you won't feel like you've broken the bank buying it. New bikes can cost you upwards of $5,000.00, which is a lot for a vehicle that you're almost certain you're going to crash on. Also, another pro to this, bikes, once they reach a certain age, retain their value. Look through the neighborhood cycle trader, or classified ads and see for yourself: At about the 5-7 year mark, sportbikes go to the same price. For example, right now, 2002, you can buy a 1995 GSX750F Katana for roughly $2,500.00 You can also buy a 1992 GSX750F Katana for about the same price. Or a 1993 ZX7R for close to the same price. $2,000.00 is about the base price on used sport bikes. They get cheaper, yes, but advice on buying and getting the best deal will be for another session.

Some points to consider when buying a used, or new motorcycle

Assuming you are even reading this, you can use the internet. USE IT TO YOUR ADVANTAGE!!!!
Check prices at any various site online. www.edmunds.com or www.kbb.com are places to look.
If you have to buy new, check MSRP on it. This can be obtained from the manufacturer's website.
See what other people are selling them for. www.traderonline.com has plenty of used motorcycles to compare prices to.
Don't spend more than you can afford to lose
INSURE IT!!!!! Motorcycle theft is, unfortunately, very easy. Insurance will often help recoup losses



Do I need safety equipment?
YES!!!!!!! I mention this fourth, but it is in NO way the least important of the topics you need to keep in mind. This is the stuff that makes the difference between getting injured or killed, and you getting back up to ride another day. You may think you'll be careful, or you'll never get hurt, but according to NHTSA (National Highway and Transportation Safety Administration)

An unhelmeted motorcyclist is 40 percent more likely to incur a fatal head injury and 15 percent more likely to incur a nonfatal injury than a helmeted motorcyclist when involved in a crash.
NHTSA estimates that motorcycle helmets reduce the likelihood of a fatality by 29 percent in a crash.
Motorcycle helmets are 67 percent effective in preventing brain injuries.
Unhelmeted motorcyclists involved in crashes were three times more likely to suffer brain injury than those using helmets.
A study conducted at the University of Southern California, which analyzed 3,600 traffic crash reports covering motorcycle crashes, concluded that helmet use was the single most important factor governing survival in motorcycle crashes.
A 1994 study by the National Public Services Research Institute concluded that wearing motorcycle helmets does not restrict a rider's ability to hear auditory signals or see a vehicle in an adjacent lane.
All motorcycle helmets sold in the United States are required to meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 218, the performance standard which establishes the minimum level of protection helmets must afford each user.
These statistics are for helmets only. There are many other parts of your body that can be injured by not being properly dressed. Asphalt, and the surroundings of a road are very hazardous, and one can expect to lose skin as well as appendages if not properly covered. The high end body armour is best of course, and can be had at your local motorcycle dealer, but better than nothing is tough pants, such as denim, touch jackets, such as denim, and sturdy gloves. The can mean the difference between picking your motorcycle back up and trying again, or waiting for the ambulance to get stitched up, to wait for another day. I can not, nor anybody on this site can, stress the importance of proper safety equipment enough.

If you want some more information on getting deader, faster, consult The Hurt Report at www.thehurtreport.com


Do I need to go to school?
Without a doubt. ake an accredited motorcycle safety course, such as one offered by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. If you're in the military, they are free, and it's a waste not to do it. There is a lot of useful information in the course, and it's very helpful to day-to-day riding. At first it may seem silly, all the chair demonstrations, and how to start you bike, and so on, but when it comes down to it, and somebody's pulled out in front of you, or cut you off, or you blow a tire, the training you recieve there could be worth your bike, your person or your life. Take the course! It's well worth it!



power....
I mentioned this softly, because sportbike riders, like guitarists, are peacocks. Love to show off. Want the biggest, baddest, and best there is. Most powerful. Well, phooey. That's not necessary, but what IS necessary is a bike with enough grunt to move you around. While you don't want a monstrously powered Hayabusa, you may not want a little Ninja 250 if you weigh in around 250. Too little power can be just as dangerous for a large build person. Be sure the motorcycle has adequate power to pull you around. Here again, this is why it's better to buy a used bike. Most people who you purchase used bikes from will let you take them for a test ride provided you agree to either purchase the bike, or repair any damage you do to it. Make sure you can pull out into traffic. Be sure you won't get ran over at a redlight. Your life is depending on this motorcycle, there's no cage around you to protect you, so treat it as such! Don't take this decision too lightly.



Get all these straight, a lot of them you can figure out before you go shopping, and set to work. Don't be in a hurry to buy the first motorcycle out there, take you time, get something you'll like, and enjoy it. It's all good, and it's all in fun! These suggestions are intended to better help you make your decision on buying a motorcycle. The author of this informative page, nor the owners or conrtibutors to this site in anyway accept any responsibility for a wrong decision made as a result of this information. The information contained on this page was compiled by Joshua Hasty, (aka Doc Rock) from opinions taken from various known, expirienced riders on this board, and should be treated as exactly that. And remember, an ounce of expirience, an ounce of preparation, is worth a ton of ambition, a ton of repairs.

jQuery

jQuery is not a language, but it is a well written JavaScript code. As quoted on official jQuery website, "it is a fast and concise JavaScript Library that simplifies HTML document traversing, event handling, animating, and Ajax interactions for rapid web development."

It was released in January 2006 at BarCamp NYC by John Resig.

jQuery is very compact and well written JavaScript code that increases the productivity of the developer by enabling them to achieve critical UI functionality by writing very small amount of code.
It helps to improve the performance of the application
It helps to develop most browser compatible web page
It helps to implement UI related critical functionality without writing hundreds of lines of codes
It is fast
It is extensible – jQuery can be extended to implement customized behavior

Other advantages of jQuery are:
No need to learn fresh new syntaxes to use jQuery, knowing simple JavaScript syntax is enough
Simple and cleaner code, no need to write several lines of codes to achieve complex functionality

Ruby on Rails

Ruby on Rails, often shortened to Rails, is an open source full-stack web application framework for the Ruby programming language. Ruby on Rails is not to be confused with Ruby, which is a general-purpose programming language, on which Ruby on Rails runs. Ruby itself existed for more than 10 years before the first release of Ruby on Rails. Rails is a full-stack framework, meaning that it gives the Web developer the full ability to gather information from the web server, talking to or querying the database, and template rendering out of the box. As a result, Rails features a routing system that is independent of the Web server.

Javascript

Some thoughts on JavaScript



I don’t know about you, but I grew up doing image rollovers in JS and other groundbreaking “dhtml” stuff. Since then CSS has evolved, web standards and browsers have evolved, and things are much much nicer than before.

One thing that is starting to change is the way we fundamentally approach javascript. Not simply the recent popularity of libraries such as jQuery, allowing us to literally “change the way we write javascript”, but also there’s now much more awareness of the power that javascript has, and we’re doing more mission-critical stuff with JS. We’re moving from favouring simple procedural snippets of javascript that add twinkles to the page to fully object oriented JS applications, exporting great swathes of functionality away from the servers and onto the client.

This is a great thing. In fact it’s little short of a miracle; the servers are running faster and so are the clients! There seems to be no trade-off; by deeply integrating JavaScript into our web applications we’ve gained speed at both ends!

Harleys Vs Crotch Rockets

OK I've been stewing over this post and this subject for a long time, but figured it's about time to get some of the collective forum involved.

Why is it that Harley owners act "holier than thou" and spend a good portion of their time "hating" on super/sportbike owners?

First let me preface by saying that there are several Harley's in my friend/family circle, and from that I know that not ALL are a$holes.

But I constantly hear Harley riders talking down on sportbikes, refusing to ride with guys who ride them, not showing courtesy on the road to us, and in general not being friendly.

Other than 19 year old testosterone filled college kids on rockets, Harley riders are some of the biggest breakers of motorcycle "rules" that there are. (No gear, excessive noise/speed, drunk driving, etc.)

Yet everybody looks down on sportbikers.

JotForm

JotForm is the first web based WYSIWYG form builder. Its intuitive drag and drop user interface makes form building a breeze. Using JotForm, you can create forms, integrate them to your site and receive responses by email.

JotForm is developed mainly for webmasters, but anybody with an Internet connection can use it. JotForm is WYSIWYG, so you can still make web forms without any web design or HTML experience. Since JotForm is hosted on our servers, there are no requirements.


JotForm is completely free for Basic usage. You can create forms, integrate them into your site, and collect submissions from your users without any cost.

You have two choices to receive form submissions. You can receive them instantly by email, or you can log into your JotForm account periodically and view/download all submissions. To receive submissions as e-mail alerts, log into your JotForm account, choose the form you would like to receive submissions for and click on "Edit" button. On the "Form Editor" screen for your form, you will see a "Email Alerts" button, click on that customize your emails.

Audiotool is a powerful online music production studio right in your browser.

It gives you the freedom to use new-tech and vintage inspired music devices that you may already be familiar with. All crafted with lots of details.

You can create melodies using the amazing Pulverisateur synthesizer or go completely crazy with the Rasselbock. Audiotool lets you create your own sounds by wiring more than fourteen different effects together with one of their three drum machines or synthesizers. There are endless possibilities. Audiotool also features a professional sequencer to automate your songs and create complex arrangements.

When you are done making a track, share it with the community and remix someone else's work. Or simply download your own song and put it on your MP3 player.

What do steering dampers do?

Under some operating conditions, motorcycles suffer from oscillation problems. This has been established through usage and through measurement programmes. Corresponding theory is well established. The main lateral oscillations are weave and wobble. In straight running, the weave mode is well damped at moderate
speeds, but becomes less so as the speed increases. Motorcycle natural frequency rises from zero at very low speed to somewhere in the range 2−4Hz, depending on the mass and size of the bike, the lowest frequencies corresponding
to the heaviest motorcycles. The only properly documented wobble oscillations involve moderate speeds, although there are many anecdotal accounts of wobble at high speeds. Theoretical results indicate that the torsional stiffness of the
motorcycle frame at the steering head determines whether a machine will be prone to wobbling at medium speeds (compliant frame), or at high speeds (stiff frame). The frequency of the mode does not vary much with speed, being governed primarily by the mechanical trail, the front tyre cornering stiffness and the front frame steer inertia.It is normally in the range 6 − 9Hz. Stiff framed machines, being prone to wobbling at high speed, often depend on
a steering damper for satisfactory wobble mode damping.
Normally, however, a steering damper will destabilize 

the

high speed weave. In cornering, the above lateral modes

MSF Class finally

Been taking my MSF class finally, i went to it last Thursday, Saturday and Sunday and again this week. Thursday's classes are held in the classroom where we are presented with a few videos as well as written material. Saturday and Sunday are range days; We are given little 250 cc bikes to practice an assorted variety of tests in order to prepare for the practical test that's going to take place this Sunday. The course provided you with a work book and we pretty much went over the book. It was extremely helpful seeing that I had never touched a motorcycle before. I can honestly say that i love this stuff i couldnt get enough of it.  Tomorrow is my last riding session and then we take the test. I hope i pass so i can get my license, wish me luck!

What kind of motorcycle do you ride?

Shit, this question again. Not that I’m tired of answering it. I just don’t know how. “What kind of motorcycle do you ride?”

It shouldn’t be complicated, but the answer is always awkward. I ride a 2008 Kawasaki Ninja 250.

“Oh a Ninja, like a crotch rocket.”

Well, no.

Most folk don’t know bikes. Most know “Ninja” means pulling a wheelie between freeway traffic lanes at 90 mph. Most know “Harley,” “sport bike” and “dirt bike,” and my motorcycle doesn’t neatly fit into any of those categories.


It has fairings like a sport bike but the seating position is upright, making it more of a stan… Abort the conversation! It’s gone all wrong, she’s not impressed!

It’s a good thing I’m already married.

I need to find a better answer to the question. It comes up at parties, in line for groceries, at the office, and invariably my answer ruins conversation instead of sparking it. Motorcycles should be cool talk, not weird.

My answer needs to be concise, but not necessarily exact. It needs to be true without fussing about complete.

I ride a red one sometimes a pink one.

   

New Helmet

Call it a stereotype or not, but everyone knows that women love shoes.  They can go to the store to get Milk for the week and somehow come home with the milk + a new pair of shoes.  Well, having recently joined the 2 wheeled community I can say that I am now becoming part of a new stereotype. Bikers love helmets. 

In one of my early posts I had mentioned that one of my purchases were the AFX -FX90 helmet.  Since then, I have purchased 2 new helmets.  One is the Bell Vortex Attack in Red and my newest one, the Icon Alliance in Rubatone.

Icon Alliance:

I love this helmet, it's light, it's comfortable and it vents a lot of air, it can be a little noisy sometimes, the wind noise makes a sound like an airplane, sometimes I forget and after a while I wonder why there are planes flying over me at all times and then I remember it's the helmet. Other than that, I highly recommend it!

Bell Vortex Attack

The Attack,  what can I say?.. look at this thing!!  it's sexy!!  At first I thought the star on the side looked a little too superhero-ish, but I then found out that the design is in honor to our military. Love it!

This helmet is fantastic, it is a little bit heavier than the Icon Alliance but it is also Snell certified. 

Everything about this helmet feels good, great quality, great fitment, lots of airflow, and it just looks nice!

I can't wait for Christmas, now I know exactly what I want! :)

2011 Kawasaki ZX-10R Ninja - First Impressions

Traction control has now become the new buzzword among sportbikes. If your latest and greatest sporting flagship doesn’t have it, chances are that the buying public is going to wonder where your company stands technologically. And yet, at the same time, there’s also a growing contingent that wonder if this electronic nannying is really what they want in their sportbike. They don’t want a system that constantly intrudes and reminds them that something else is also controlling the motorcycle.

The current OEM traction control systems available are undoubtedly excellent systems with a wide range of adjustability. They are able to react to a power-induced loss of rear tire grip with incredible speed and accuracy.

The only issue is that—although adjustable for the level of intervention—the systems are based on a set table of parameters once traction levels are determined to be past the limit. In other words, only when a set limit is reached does the system activate, and then it just pulls back power until tire grip (or a preset amount of tire slip) is restored.

This is where the new 2011 Kawasaki ZX-10R and its new S-KTRC system distinguishes itself from previous TC setups. Instead of only reacting to tire slip when it occurs, the ZX-10R’s TC analyzes numerous factors including throttle position (plus the rate of opening), wheel speeds, engine rpm (plus rate of change), gear position, and speed to actually sense and begin formulating a plan of various mapping scenarios before tire slip occurs. And then once tire slippage does occur, the S-KTRC system continues analyzing all parameters every five milliseconds and adapting its mapping strategy in order to maintain or even increase acceleration (which often means a certain amount of tire slip is ideal)—making it a true racing-developed TC system that can actually predict traction loss and proactively adapt its maps according to conditions.

ALL-NEW NINJA

But the new ZX-10R isn’t just all about the S-KTRC setup. “Forget everything you remember about the old ZX-10Rs of the past; the 2010 ZX-10R Ninja is all-new from the ground up,” said Karl Edmondson, Kawasaki Motor Corp U.S.A. product manager.

Without becoming overly involved in the technical features of the new Ninja’s engine and chassis (look to the print magazine for all the details, which are pretty extensive and help explain why the Kawasaki performs as well as it does), a brief overview of the powerplant shows that the bore and stroke remain the same as the previous unit—but that’s about it. Interestingly, the design brief was for more power overall, but without any “more midrange torque than is necessary” in order to provide a smooth, linear powerband that would provide more usable, smoother power to encourage earlier and higher throttle application for more time spent at full throttle.

The engine features more aggressive cams actuating 1mm-larger intake valves, with the cylinder head sporting new intake and exhaust porting, and lighter pistons pushing a higher 13.0:1 compression ratio. The crankshaft drives a new secondary counterbalancer, and is positioned slightly higher in relation to the main output shaft for better mass centralization. A new cassette transmission permits gear ratio changes (seven different accessory gearsets will be available) without draining the engine oil.

Up top, the repositioned ram-air intake duct (closer to the highest point of pressure on the fairing nose) funnels into a larger airbox/air filter setup. The new Keihin TTK47 fuel injection system sports larger 47mm throttle bodies (versus the old 43mm units). Down below, exhaust gases are cleaned up courtesy of a 2.6-pound-lighter system sporting a larger stainless steel under-engine chamber equipped with dual 300-cell catalyzers.

The all-new aluminum twin-spar frame shifts weight bias forward slightly with a 0.5-degree steeper rake (but longer trail) combined with a 20mm-longer swingarm. Showa’s BPF (Big Piston Fork) makes its way to the ZX-10R after debuting on the ZX-6R in ’09, with the rear shock mounted in a horizontal fashion above the swingarm with a reverse linkage. New three-spoke wheels are lighter, and the front brake calipers are slightly changed, with all four pistons measuring 30mm (instead of the previous staggered 32/30mm setup).

The usage of wheel speed sensors has also allowed Kawasaki to develop its new KIBS (Kawasaki Intelligent Braking System), claimed to be the world’s smallest and lightest ABS unit at just six pounds—with 2.3 pounds of that weight coming from the larger battery required to power the unit. Besides monitoring wheel speeds, the KIBS also analyzes brake system hydraulic pressure, throttle position, gear selection, engine rpm, and clutch actuation to decide how much and when to intervene at each wheel. The system is claimed to be able to detect rear wheel lift under aggressive braking without the use of gyro sensors; and its cycling rate is much quicker than conventional ABS, leading to better brake feel and feedback when the system is active. Unfortunately, Kawasaki had no ABS models at the press launch, so a review will have to wait until we get our hands on one for a full test.

All told, the new ZX-10R has a claimed curb weight (fully topped off with fuel and all fluids) of 437 pounds, which would put it right in the ballpark with the Honda CBR1000RR, current flyweight of the class. The ZX-10R ABS model scales in at 443 pounds wet. 

SMART TRACTION CONTROL

Even though claimed power figures are slightly higher for the 2010 model, the new ZX-10R in stock form doesn’t really feel any faster than the previous version, which can surely be attributed to the more stringent EPA noise and emissions tests that have forced the manufacturers to keep their top-end power levels in check (of course, it’s not as if the previous ZX-10R was a slug…). Another reason is that the new ZX-10R’s powerband is smoother, without the in-your-face upper midrange hit of the previous generation that always gave the impression of serious steam.

The S-KTRC is adjustable to three levels, as well as being turned off. Level 3 is meant for low traction (wet) conditions, so it was too intrusive on a dry racetrack—although we’d like to see how it behaves in those conditions. Level 2, however, was very transparent; it seemingly allows the same amount of wheelspin as the “Race” setting on the BMW S 1000 RR, while simultaneously providing more drive. In fact, it’s this transparency where the S-KTRC system excels; instead of coarsely reigning in power to the point that the bike either isn’t giving you the power you want when you ask for it or the tire ends up going into a spin-grip-spin series of gyrations, the Kawasaki simply continues smoothly driving forward even with the rear tire spinning and hung out slightly. The power reduction is so subtle that often the only way you can tell is by the bar graph that displays the intervention level on the bottom of the dashboard’s LCD panel.

While the amount of tire slip Level 2 permits is fairly high, the intervention threshold of Level 1 is basically experts-only. You really have to be aggressive with the throttle and spin the tire in order to activate the system, and because of its high threshold, the system is not idiot-proof. Grab a handful of throttle and spin the tire while cranked over at maximum lean in a slow corner, and the system will let the tire slip continue to the point that if the rider backs out of the throttle instead of picking the bike up onto the fat part of the tire, the resulting sudden gain in traction will upset the chassis enough to possibly put the rider on his head.

We also tried the ZX-10R with the S-KTRC system turned off, and found its powerband to be amiable enough that in the right hands, spinning the tire off corners can be accomplished with confidence and ease. And the Kawasaki’s acceleration was just as fierce, showing that the traction control system was indeed very transparent and non-intrusive in most riding conditions.

The S-KTRC is sophisticated enough to detect and reign in power wheelies, again without the use of a gyro sensor. In Level 2, the system worked well for the most part, pulling back just enough power to keep the bike accelerating, instead of abruptly cutting power and slamming the front end back down as with the BMW when running in all but its top-level Slick mode. In Level 1 though, the S-KTRC was fairly hands-off, leaving the job of dealing with wheelies to the rider.

The ZX-10R also has three Power Modes: Full power, Variable middle power, and Low power. Full power mode is as the name suggests; Variable middle power is said to provide 75 percent of full power output with a milder power curve, “although full power can be accessed depending on the throttle’s rate of change,” and Low power only allows 60 percent of maximum. Full power provided crisp throttle response without being abrupt, while the Variable middle power setting provided a softer response that would probably work well on the street and tighter canyons—but on the track, it was a bit too lazy. And Low power was just, well, too low to be useful in our opinion.

Overall handling was excellent, with a very neutral steering response at any lean angle, unlike the slightly top-heavy feel of the previous generation model. The relaxed steering geometry provided better stability at a very small cost to steering effort and quickness, although the new ZX-10R was definitely easier to transition from full lean on one side to the other through Road Atlanta’s switchbacks than the previous model; the work at mass centralization obviously paid off here. Brakes are basically like the previous generation: excellent, with superb power, feel, and feedback, and a very linear response that allowed you to bleed off the tremendous speed generated by the Kawasaki with confidence and ease.

Usually we loathe bar graph tachometers for the simple reason that they are difficult to read at a glance, but we’ll make an exception here for the new ZX-10R. The Kawasaki’s bar graph tachometer is a very bright LED unit (instead of the poorly contrasting LCDs of the others) that can be programmed to flash at the desired shift point. The LED display automatically adjusts for ambient light, and it’s easy to notice the whole bar graph flashing even in bright daylight conditions.

ANOTHER STEP UP 

Even without its superb traction control system, the new ZX-10R would still be a very impressive machine. But the addition of the S-KTRC takes the Kawasaki to a whole new level.

The 2011 ZX-10R demonstrates that today’s rider aids are not fail-safe devices, nor do they magically make mediocre riders into good ones. And as the S-KTRC demonstrates, they can be transparent enough that they aren’t the annoying electronic nanny that many fear. They only serve as a safety net that can give more people the potential to approach and learn the upper half of a modern literbike’s vast performance envelope.

And the S-KTRC system alone makes the new ZX-10R easily worth the $13,799 sticker price ($14,799 for the ABS model).

Read more: http://blogs.sportrider.com/6706132/featured-sport-bikes/2011-kawasaki-zx-10r-review-first-impression-new-generation-ninja/index.html#ixzz1y0HSU2Ub

Using CSS to style pages

For our week 4 assignment we had to use CSS to style our Index.html page.  While I have used CSS before in other courses, I must admit that I never liked working with it.  I do understand how it is easier to edit a website and everything else but it's just not my cup of tea. 

Found this on google images while searching for customized coffee cups and thought it was appropriate for this week's assignment :)

Effect of the Internet and Web on the media.

New communication technology, including accessible online publishing software and evolving mobile device technology, means that citizens have the potential to observe and report more immediately than traditional media outlets do. Swarms of amateur online journalists are putting this technology to use, on open publishing sites such as Indymedia and on countless weblogs, adding a grassroots dimension to the media landscape. Bloggers and other amateur journalists are scooping mainstream news outlets as well as pointing out errors in mainstream articles, while people who’ve been made subjects of news articles are responding online, posting supplementary information to provide context and counterpoints. Increasingly, the public is turning to online sources for news, reflecting growing trust in alternative media.

While some traditional news outlets are reacting with fear and uncertainty, many are adopting open publishing features to their own online versions. The Guardian and other mainstream media outlets have added blogs to their sites. The BBC’s web site posts reader’s photos, and other sites solicit and use reader-contributed content. Mainstream news outlets are increasingly scanning blogs and other online sources for leads on news items, and some are hiring journalists from the blogging ranks. Journalists are blogging live from courtrooms, from Baghdad, and elsewhere, allowing them to post frequent updates in near real-time.

As the public turns toward participatory forms of online journalism, and as mainstream news outlets adopt more of those interactive features in their online versions, the media environment is shifting, slowly and incrementally, away from the broadcast model where the few communicate to the many, toward a more inclusive model in which publics and audiences also have voices.

Video of Kevlar protected Riding Jeans

The following video illustrates the advantages of wearing Kevlar protected jeans or pants in the event of an off bike experience.

Kevlar Motorcycle Pants

Kevlar Riding pants are designed to truly allow the rider to dress nice, but still be protected. The Khakis are still motorcycle specific pants, but do not look like it. Everything, including the roomy fit to the soft, yet heavy duty cotton used is designed help you enjoy the ride. The Sliders Kevlar 4.0 Khaki Motorcycle Riding Pants are made a very soft, yet very durable cotton that is backed in the critical areas by Dupont Kevlar. So if you happen to go down in your Sliders Kevlar 4.0 Motorcycle Riding Pants the cotton will hold up well, but it you wear through that the Kevlar adds significant protection AND keep the pants from just tearing apart like a normal pair of pants would. 


 

The most significant additional is the adjustable armor pockets on the knees. You can now order Optional CE Approved Armor for your Kevlar Khaki Pants. The armor can be positioned at 3 different spots to accommodate most riders leg length. After all, what good is armor if it is not in the right spot. 

Sliders® Kevlar 4.0 Motorcycle Riding Pants give you the look of a regular pair of pants, but the benefit of Dupont Kevlar protection on all the CRITICAL areas. Thats right the same material used in Bullet proof vests. Don't settle for just any pants, get Sliders® with genuine Dupont Kevlar Protection. Dupont KEVLAR® is weight for weight five times stronger than steel, DuPont KEVLAR® is a must in high performance applications from spacecraft to automobiles, from skis to motorcycle apparel, boots and gloves. 

Motorcycle gear protection

I never realized how expensive motorcycle gear was.  The list of stuff you need is extensive but none the less it's needed.

Here's what I recently ordered from revzilla.com

Helmet - FX-90

Gloves - Teknic Chicane

Jacket - Teknic Supervent

Next in the list will be some Kevlar pants with CE knee protection.

To ride or not to ride.

As you know by know  I recently picked up a motorcycle and have been riding around the area. 

It has been an amazing experience, it truly gives you a feeling of freedom, you don't really need to know where you're going, just get on it and go.

I have thought about this whole notion of becoming a rider and sometimes I think it may not be my thing, that now I have experienced the feeling I should give it up and be safe and not risk my life on a motorcycle. There are plenty of people out there that have ruined their lives as well as their families because of a motorcycle accident and I don't want to be part of the statistics. At the same time I think to myself, why should I give up on this idea because of the misfortune of others?  

I don't know what will be the case, I haven't decided that yet but what I know is that if I keep riding a bike I will need to get some good protective gear in the event I have an off bike experience... More about this in my next post.

Sport Bike

I just recently purchased a sport bike, I'm not sure how the idea came up but one day I just really had the "want" to learn how to ride a motorcycle. I have ridden pedal bikes before and always enjoyed going downhills but dreaded the way back up the hill and always wished it had a motor so I wouldn't have to pedal going uphills. I decided to go with a smaller engine bike considering it would be my first experience at riding a motorcycle. The bike is a ninja 250R, and I actually took it out for the first time yesterday and it was an indescribable feeling of freedom and excitement at the same time. I was surprised at how stable you feel on a motorcycle, even when you take turns it just feels like the bike just wants to stay in an upright position.

I am excited to get more time on this bike, especially during the summer and become more experienced with it. Have any of you ever ridden a motorcycle? Any tips or experiences?