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Update: The Ann Arbor News covered the Lego Sumo Event. Read all about it.

Sumobot6 was held at the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum this past Saturday. This was my first attempt at building a sumo robot… I sure learned a lot. (Such as “What it’s like to be beaten by a six-year-old.”) I did pretty well too. The concept of my robot (named “YellowStreak”) was simple: move fast, run away. Photos will be available on the SumoBot6 site as well as the Lego Robotics Group of Ann Arbor site. I was resposible for video work at the event. If all goes well I should have something put together by the end of the year.

Gina and I visited Parmenter’s Northville Cider Mill on Sunday. The mill is on a beautiful plot of land a few minutes from our house. Uncluttered by “attractions” and rides, the trip was relaxing and enjoyable. We bought the usual cider mill fare, as well as some wine (very tasty), and of course cider (which we used to make Alton Brown’s “Apple Mac and Cheese“). [Local Link to Recipie]

- Duane

Last weekend, Glenn returned to Mid-Ohio with Gina and I in tow. He finished mid-field both days. The competition was was impressive… as was their equipment. Glenn expressed that he learned a lot about the course and logged his fastest time to-date. The paddock area was full of semi, fancy trailers, and very nicely painted and prepped racecars. A few of the big-money cars spotted include a Viper GT-R, a couple of SRT-4s (Chris, of Rogerbox “fame,” works for the team that preps these), a nice Porsche GT-4, a Camaro GT-1, a 350Z GT-2, as well as a flock of Vettes and Formulas.

I re-enrolled at Wayne State. Classes began last week. I have a handful of classes that I have to complete to get my degree, so I figured it’s now or never. So far, it has proven to be difficult to leave work in time to make it downtown. I hope the life-consuming projects at work don’t conflict too much with the workload at school. Fun.

- Duane

Voice Over IP is big. The geriatric Bells of the world are wetting themselves. Everyone is using VOIP or Cellular networks. Either the dinosaurs grow some feathers and wings, or they’ll be gone within a decade.

Ted has dedicated an entire website to Mac-oriented VOIP solutions. (Ted is working on a book for O’Reilly, and has a blog with some good thoughts on the future of VOIP.) I just wish that Gina had 1.) internet access and 2.) Skype while in Montana…

- Duane

Gina is away at a neuroscience conference in a resort in Montana. They meet in small groups, talk about very small things (neurons, blood cells, etc.) for a few hours, then hit the sauna. I hear the meals aren’t so good, though. I’ve promised to keep a photo-journal of my week alone. If safe, I’ll post it up for all to see.

My calendars are in sync… as are my contact lists and bookmarks. From Entourage (Outlook) to iCal, to Palm Pilot, to cell phone. iSync keeps it that way. This is the first solution that really works. Although .Mac is required for work-to-home synchronization, it’s worth the $8 per month. Not to mention the backup software, email, and other goodies you get as part of .Mac.

- Duane

Early today, I competed in another autocross at the Pontiac Silverdome. After completing the modifications to my car a few weeks ago, I changed classes (from STX to TSM). First, I’d like to say that I drove badly. I didn’t plan my run very well. I should have memorized the course. Also, I have crappy tires. There’s a reason that nobody in STX or TSM uses Goodyear tires in the dry. After a few thousand miles they’ve lost all of their competitive grip (pretty normal for a road tire). In the rain, they’re still excellent (compared to the standard Kuhmo and Falken selection). Lastly, my suspension (50,000 miles of use, still stock) is tired. Everyone in both STX and TSM have upgraded at least their springs. I bounced around the course today like I was driving a moon buggy.

So where does this go? This was the last autocross that I planned to participate in (for the year). Someday I would like to get into SCCA Club racing (road courses)… preferably in a Spec Miata. My master plan was to find a used 1994-1997 Miata that needed some love. Slowly build a Spec while simultaneously using it to autocross. A complication to that plan is that Gina and I are planning to move soon, and I’ll be returning to Wayne State this fall. Not a ton of free time in that plan.

I’ll have to consider getting dedicated autocross tires (and wheels) and possibly upgrading part of my suspension… or holding off and go with the Miata plan. Right now I’m leaning towards option 2… there’s a lot to consider over the next 6 months. I’ll start by examining my car to make sure the suspension slop isn’t due to equipment failure or wheel misalignment.

- Duane