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February 26, 1999

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February

February 26, 1999
Erin's recuperative powers never cease to amaze me. Just yesterday she awoke with the flu, but by evening she was feeling fine. When I get this type of thing, I'm typically laid out for weeks. She goes to bed for a day and that night, she's good to go. As of this morning she was officially back to 100 percent. As I say, amazing.

Congratulations to my friends Dave and Melissa on their purchase of one of those cool blue-and-white G3/300 monsters. I'll have a chance to check it out firsthand tomorrow night when I stop by their place, and I anticipate that I'll be plenty impressed. They also got one of the new 17" Apple monitors, and from what I've seen in the stores the display is excellent, far better than my 19" Princeton EO90. Much fun awaits!

I believe I've arranged my email so that I'll be able to retrieve it from the road during my upcoming Oregon trip. There won't be any web site updates, I'm afraid, but I may post a thing or two at the Davison Club House. (See the Super Menu on the Main page to jump right to it. And remember: you have to be a member to get it. If you're not a member, email me, and I'll issue you an invite.)

February 24, 1999
Took another of my long pensive walks at Rancho San Antonio. It had been a few weeks since I'd been there, and every time I go now it seems as if civilization is encroaching. There are new housing developments springing up all around the park, and I'm sorry to say I find them particularly unattractive in terms of location. It's as if suburbia just can't be stopped.

Truth be told, that sort of unrestrained growth is one of my least favorite things about the Bay Area. There are just too many people and too few opportunities to get away from them. Even at Rancho it's impossible to not meet and greet a fair number of walkers and joggers on the trails. I'm not saying that all this is an inherently bad thing (though it may be), but I do think that it's a difficulty for me given the way my personality is wired. I just need an ability to escape from society every now and again.

You might think, given sentiments like these, that the time would be nigh for me to get the heck out of the Bay Area. And you'd be right to the extent that I'm driving up to Oregon for a few days. This isn't as much a get-away in the sense of leaving society behind as it is an attempt to get our Plymouth Champ out of California and sold to the highest bidder in Oregon. After the Champ's dismal smog-check, the car is now illegal to sell in California and will be illegal to drive in the state as well by the end of the month.

So there's going to be a gap in web site updates until about March 10 or so when you can expect to see a massive flood of news about my journey to Oregon. In the meantime, I hope you'll check out the rest of the web site.

February 23, 1999
Flashed the ROM in my SupraFAX 28.8k modem. For the non-technically inclined among you, this does not involve my wearing a trench coat of any kind. Rather, it's a memory upgrade of sorts which should enable the modem to achieve faster and more reliable connections. There's always a little bit of fear when you flash the ROM of a device because if you screw it up, you can pretty much ruin your peripheral. Happily, everything went fine, and based on my limited testing this afternoon and this evening, the modem is doing great. (This evening I did a QuakeWorld game with my friend Dave and got the best pings—circa 220—that I've ever gotten.)

Spent much of the day doing the federal and state taxes. Yes, we owe money again this year. Unlike last year's dramatic miscalculations, however, this year turned out about what I expected. We rolled over big bucks from our traditional IRAs into Roth IRAs and all that moola is taxable. (By doing it in 1998 we get to spread the tax burden out over the course of four years, however.) So the bottom line: The feds get another $560 and the state gets $120. I guess I'll have to sell the cattle ranch.

Spoke at length with my mechanic, Gary, about the 626. Good news: He thinks that I've solved the water/condensation problem in the trunk. I checked it out this morning, and it was dry, so he may be right. I'm cautiously optimistic.

The bad news: New struts cost a fortune. We're talking $700-$900, and that's a bit more than I anticipated. It's not like the 626 needs them right away, so I've decided to delay this a bit—probably until after France. Gary said the air conditioning—assuming a freon recharge is all the car needs—will likely run about $210. That's $70 a pound, with the Mazda's air conditioning system holding 3 pounds. Gary estimated the cost of converting the system from freon to whatever nonpolluting source they're using nowadays at about $1200. Guess I'll keep polluting.

Suggestions from any of your amateur mechanics out there are always welcome.

February 22, 1999
Drove far and wide checking out a junk yard, a Mazda dealership and a used Mac shop in south San Jose, Sunnyvale, and Palo Alto respectively. The end result of all this bopping about was a lot of car info and an interesting chat with a fellow Mac enthusiast.

The auto wrecking yard—and I must confess to finding those places utterly fascinating—sadly did not have a Mazda 626 with a driver's side sun visor that was any better than what I already have.

I stopped at Sunnyvale Mazda on my way back. New sun visor is $91. New floor mats (they have to be ordered together) are $150. (The parts guy, Jesse, even told me to go to Kragen Auto Parts and save a fortune.) Owner's manual is $40. I ended up not buying anything, though Jesse told me that my key should fit the glove box lock. It tried it again, jiggled it a bit, and hey, whaddya know? Check that off my "to do" list.

Then, just for kicks, I dropped in on Mac Techs International, a used Macintosh sales and service shop. Chatted with Mike about various computer things, and had a generally good time. He'll be on the look out for a Mac IIci '040 accelerator for me. It used to be that those cost upwards of $150. Now they can be had for about $60.

After returning home, I decided to give the 626 a bit of a sponge bath and, more to the point, figure out what was going on with the condensation in the trunk. I opened her up, and sure enough more condensation in back even though today's been rain-free. I took out the spare tire and what do you suppose I found? That's right. A virtual swimming pool's worth of water sloshing around in the spare tire well. I sponged this dry, and cleaned everything up. This all explains the condensation anyway, and thankfully, it had nothing to do with the gas tank.

The question now is: How did that water get there in the first place? I would've suspected a leak in the seal around the trunk, except that the carpet covering for the trunk is dry; the water was only under the spare tire which was under the carpet. The thought that then occurred was that there could a hole somewhere in the spare tire well, but it would seem like that sort of thing would also let the water drain back out. I didn't see evidence of a hole anywhere anyway.

My hope is that the previous owner got some water in there at some point by leaving the trunk open during a carwash or whatever and just never bothered to dry it out. If so, the 626's condensation problem might just be solved.

The 626 heads to the shop tomorrow for three items: (1) the idle is set too low; (2) the front bumper needs some clips to help it attach to the body; and (3) new struts.

I'll also be asking about air conditioning, but I've been doing a little reading on the net and it doesn't sound promising. At minimum, this car needs a freon recharge, and these days that costs big bucks. (The manufacture and importation of freon into the United States was outlawed in 1996.) Most pre-1993 cars used freon in their air conditioning, and it turns out that using freon dumps CFCs (choroflurocarbons) in the atmosphere. Freon, which used to cost about $1 a pound, now can only be replenished from a dwindling legal stockpile. The cost I've heard is about $150 a pound.

The alternative is to convert the car's air conditioning system to run on a less environmentally damaging source. The cost of this conversion runs between $150 and $1000. On the brighter side, did I mention that the car's heater works really well?

I'll be exploring the costs of auto detailing later this week to see if we can give the 626 a nice healthy inner and outer glow without having to pay for a full paint job. Stay tuned.

February 21, 1999
We're now the proud (and I do mean proud!) owners of a dark blue 1986 Mazda 626 DX 4-door sedan. I could start by saying this is the best car I've ever owned, but when all you've owned is a 1981 Plymouth Champ, that's not saying a whole lot. The fact is I love this new car. Now that I've had a couple of days to drive it around I have a more complete picture of what's good and bad about it, and on the whole, the positives far outweigh the negatives.

There's so much here that is good news I hardly know where to start. Improvements over the Champ include: a tilt steering wheel, a driver's side seat that's highly adjustable and which includes improved lumbar support, a two-way rearview mirror, a passenger-side side mirror, a lot of trunk space, split fold-down rear seats for even more trunk space, tinted windows to reduce sun glare, an excellent radio/cassette 4-speaker stereo system, intermittent wipers, 4-doors versus the Champ's 2-doors, child safety locks, and automatic transmission. The Mazda also only has 83,000 miles on it, compared to the Champ's 165,000 or so.

But, as with any car that's 13 years old, there are problems:

One thing that I didn't think I'd like but which I'm really enjoying is the window tinting. The previous owner put this 50 percent window tinting on all the back windows because he doesn't like too much sunlight. As a result, it's literally impossible to see into the back of the car. I find this strangely comforting. It's vaguely like driving a limo.

The Mazda is also peppier in the acceleration than I initially thought. It's only a 93-hp 4-cylinder engine, but it does all right. Yes, it's underpowered by today's standards, but when you've been driving a Champ all your life the Mazda feels like an Indy car.

The 626 handles very well, even though I don't think you have nearly the control of a car with an automatic transmission as you do with a manual. The AT has it's own benefits, of course, with a much easier driver experience in stop-and-go traffic being chief among them.

The driver visibility in the car surprised me. Yes, one sits slightly lower in the car than with the Champ and that does make it a touch harder to know the vehicle's perimeter. But the 626 offers lines of sight comparable to the Champ's, which is to say that the overall visibility out of the car is excellent. As a driver, I value this highly.

In conclusion, let me just say that the 626 is so much more fun to drive than the Champ that I find myself wanting to go places just so I can drive it. I feel like I've been released from jail.

February 17, 1999
Good news on the transportation front. I did a test drive of the 1986 Mazda 626, had my mechanic check it out, and bought it this afternoon. The current owner is having it Smog-Checked today. After that, we'll arrange a transfer once my check clears. I'll be moving my command flag (aka my Apple Computer magnetic decal) to the new flagship once we take delivery.

The entire process of buying a used car has been a very educational one. I don't know that I followed the correct steps (because I'm an automotive novice), but I'll detail what I did and you can draw your own conclusions, good or bad.

First and foremost, Erin and I decided what kind of vehicle we were looking for. The Champ is nothing more than a Point A to Point B jalopy, and while that's fine (not to mention inexpensive), we wanted to step up a little in terms of luxury and car quality. The usage was pretty much same the Champ, which meant trucks, minivans, and SUVs were out. We had no need for a big (or expensive) sedan, and good mileage was at least something of a factor.

Our mechanic Gary recommended mid-80s Honda Accords and Civics as paragons of reliability, and for Erin and me, reliability was a huge issue. I'm sorry to say that this automatically excluded most American-made cars. I'm not trying to make a political statement with that remark; it's just that which the exception of Saturns, Detroit-born vehicles have much worse reliability ratings than their Japanese counterparts.

The twin component for reliability for me was low price. I hate—and I probably can't emphasize that too much—spending money on cars. I've literally saved thousands in car payments by driving that piece of junk Plymouth Champ, and though I'd didn't want to drive another car which was quite so close the wrecking ball, I did not want to spend much money on it either. Erin and I set our budget at $3000 with the idea that we could probably get something reliable in the $1500-$3000 range. Below that, it seemed to us, it was going to be really hit-or-miss, and we didn't want a miss.

We started by reading the automotive classifieds, picking up various "Auto Trader"-style newspapers, and doing online web searches with an eye to the mid-80s Honda under $3000. Found a few, and made some calls. One car had already been sold, but in the other cases, I was forced to leave a message. I can only assume that it is normal for people not to call back if the car has been sold, because without exception I did not receive a return phone call on any of the cars I left messages about. Your mileage may vary (pun intended), but if you're calling on a car and have to leave a message, I wouldn't plan on getting a call back.

We would have continued calling on various cars had it not been for a stroke of good fortune. By the grace of Erin's dad Bernard (thank you!), we received news of a 1986 Mazda 626 for sale by one of his coworkers. The price was in our range, but was this the right car for us? I knew virtually nothing about Mazdas.

I researched all I could online about the car. Microsoft's CarPoint (which I think is very well done—and you all know how I feel about Microsoft in general) dealt with newer cars, and so was of less utility than I expected. Edmund's was similar in it's focus on newer cars. The best source of information I found was CarTalk of National Public Radio Fame which had a fair amount of information and some good links.

The best research by far, however, was at the local public library where I was able to check 1986-era reviews from Consumer Reports and the Consumers Guide. Both periodicals were extraordinarily useful in determining the high- and low-points of the car. (My test drive later confirmed almost all the points in these reviews.)

After determining that car would at least potentially fulfill our requirements, I called the seller and arranged a test drive. The car performed as well as I expected and had a few more amenities than I anticipated. I was convinced that it would be a good car for us. HOWEVER, I absolutely refused to buy it without having my mechanic check it over first. The seller was agreeable, and my mechanic gave it the once-over and provided me the low-down. (And in the process got a customer for life of the car.) He showed me and the seller some pricing information which ultimately dropped the price I paid for the car by $200. Everyone went home happy.

Based on this experience, here's the advice I'd give to other used car buyers:

Look for a specific report on our new 1986 Mazda 626 in a few days.

February 16, 1999
I think I may have located, with help from Erin's dad Bernard, a new car for us. It's a 1986 Mazda 626 sedan (AT, 4dr, 83k miles). I'll be checking it out and talking to my mechanic tomorrow. My library and online research regarding the car came up pretty favorable, so assuming that it's as good as it sounds, we'll have new wheels shortly.

Last night's BMUG (Berkeley Macintosh Users Group) meeting at the Apple campus was different than I expected. It was basically about 35 older guys getting together to shoot the breeze about the Mac followed by product demo, in this case a Metricom rep showing off a wireless modem arrangement. The technical level of the group was very high, and I suspect there are very few Mac questions which one could ask that would prove to be stumpers. The whole thing was rather mellow and low-key, and lacked some of the energy I anticipated, but upon a little reflection, I can definitely see a value to membership. I'll be attending the Stanford Mac Users Group next for a comparison.

February 15, 1999
I played a lot of Tomb Raider II, a cool Indiana Jones-style game. I liked the demo a lot, and though the controls are a bit difficult at times, it's a very playable, very fun game, and a great distraction from the lousy end of the soccer season.

Heavy rotation in the CD player has been Chris Isaak's Heart-Shaped World, only lately replaced by Janet Jackson's janet.

I'm headed to a meeting tonight of the South Bay chapter of the Berkeley Macintosh Users Group (BMUG), the biggest Mac user group in the world, I think. Report on the activities later tonight or tomorrow.

February 13, 1999
Many thanks to Bernard and Liz, Erin's parents, for hosting a b-day get-together for me last night. It was appropriately casual, and mellow atmosphere suited me perfectly.

It was also a good opportunity to divorce myself from really depressing soccer news of the day, which is that we did not qualify for the CCS playoffs despite being 16-5-2 and being ranked #7 in the latest Top 15 CCS poll.

February 12, 1999
Thanks to everyone who wrote, called, emailed, etc. yesterday. That was truly a highlight for me.

The lowlight, I'm sorry to say, is that our landlord also called to raise our rent. While the timing was undeniably poor, what's worse is that he's increasing our rent by 25 percent, which struck both Erin and me as particularly brutal. Why not just give us a notice that says, "Please move out. I hate you."? So now we're looking for a new car and a new place to live.

Ah the joys of 30...

February 11, 1999
Welcome to the third generation of Davison Online! Who could believe that when I started this site that I would still be boring people three years later? Even more to the point, who could believe that people would still be tuning in to willingly be bored? I've yet to determine the meaning of this, but it sure makes me feel good to know that I'm not alone in the universe. Thanks for keeping that hit counter moving, people!

In addition to revising the site, I've added a Genealogy section. Although there are privacy filters around information for some currently living individuals, there will be a good bulk of info available for genealogists who want to look into my family roots.

I've also added pull-down menus to every page for easy navigation around the site. The Main page has a "Super Menu" which lets a viewer get to subsections as well as regular sections. Note that I seem to have bungled the implementation somewhat and many of the menus currently open new windows. This will be fixed shortly.

The Gallery section is also more-or-less off-line at the moment. Thumbnails are available but no larger images.

As many of you know, this particular birthday is the big three-oh, so now, all of a sudden, I've left the 20s behind. That was a strange decade in my life, let me tell you. What's happened in the last 10 years? I graduated from college. I met and married Erin. I started and stopped my own desktop publishing/computer consulting company. Erin and I managed two different apartment complexes. I worked in the fields of human resources, law (specifically mediation), and finance. (Who says a liberal arts major is worthless? Okay, you can put your hands down now.) Erin and I moved to Mountain View, California. I was the head coach or assistant coach for boys soccer at 3 different high schools. I put up and maintained my own web site. I dedicated myself to pursuing my dream of putting out a music album (it's coming, really!). I gained a lot of wisdom about the nature of human beings.

There are two things worth mentioning about that last bit. First is that far too many people live their lives in fear. It doesn't take a whole lot in the way of brains to see that in others, but it can be tricky to recognize it in ourselves. I'm by no means great at this, since emotions and motivations can be subtle things and I'd like to think myself I relatively complex individual. I have gotten better, though, and I think I've reached a point where it's harder for negative external influences to move me.

A more blunt way of saying this is, quite frankly, that I've stopped caring about what a lot of people think. I don't need the fanciest car, the highest paying job, the best house or any of the other status symbols of our society. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Many times the only way to win is not to play the game.

The second bit of wisdom is that, despite what singer Jewel might think, we are most emphatically not "all okay." Some people are severely messed up, and while I'm certain there's a genetic component to some of those cases, much of the time it is from environmental factors. I won't delve into consumerism, materialism, militarism, etc., but I will say that solution to these and many other problems starts with a sense of personal responsibility. Every action—and let me repeat that—every action we take has a moral component to it, however big or small. We need to think about what we do, and we need to accept responsibility when we mess up. Ultimately, the alternative is a society-wide nihlism that will make the Grunge generation look like a bunch of pollyannas.

There. I didn't think that 10 years ago. Now that I've turned old and crotchety, there can be no doubt I'm 30.

February 10, 1999
Brilliant Lancer overtime playoff victory over Serra. Had a victory BBQ afterward at the team captain's house. Excellent food and a lot of fun.

Watched the none-too-bad movie City Slickers starring Billy Crystal. There are a few scriptwriting problems (particularly as far as pacing is concerned), but there's also enough depth and intelligence in this comedy to make it a fine picture. Worth the video rental.

I don't know if I'm going to be able to pull it off in time, but there should be a web site upgrade coming online some time tomorrow. There might be some funkiness while the transition takes place, but with luck I'll have everything in place by the end of the day.

February 6, 1999
I've been able to confirm now that my brother Bret has done the deed and joined the ranks of the Mac faithful with his purchase of a Macintosh Performa 6115CD. This Mac, essentially a Power Mac 6100/60 by another name, isn't particularly speedy, but it is a PowerPC machine so it should be able to run all the latest software (albeit slowly). It's also upgradable to G3 with a $400 card from Sonnet Technology.

As I say, it's not the greatest computer in the world, but Bret got it, an Apple 15" multiscan monitor, mouse, keyboard, and Color StyleWriter 2400 printer for $100. It's hard to say "no" to a deal like that! Personally, I think it's great to have Bret on the Mac bandwagon, and I can't wait to begin helping him soup it up.

The Lancers' first round WCAL playoff victory in Sports.

February 5, 1999
After a couple days at the shop, Rocco Supercar—a beat-up old 1981 Plymouth Champ ("You are what you drive!")—is headed the way of the dodo. In short, despite dumping $300 into a tune-up, the car simply won't pass smog without what amounts to a new engine. Yes, friends, it's time for a new car.

Rocco, who I bought from my friend Helana back in 1991, served admirably since that time. Sure, it was underpowered and not terribly attractive, but it got us from point A to point B while saving us hundreds if not thousands of dollars in what would have been car payments.

Where to go from here? Well, Erin and I will have to put our heads together on this one. In few years, we'll be looking for a good 4-door passenger car and a minivan. Right now, I'm inclined to get the cheapest reliable car we can find—maybe something in a mid-'80s Honda vintage. Call me miserly, but one thing I don't want to do is spend any more money than I have to.

News on the Lancer victory over St. Ignatius in Sports.

February 3, 1999
Many thanks to all those who called or emailed and told me to buck up my Cheerios or something like that. The grey cloud of last week's soccer losses is fading, and surely nothing cuts through the gloom like kind words from family and friends.

I've been sans car since this morning. Ye ol' Plymouth Champ is doing the two-year Smog-Check deal at the mechanic, and, as those of you who have seen the car might suspect, it's failing badly. It's something of a bitter pill to have to pay $500 to fix a car that Blue Books at $150, but what do you do? Driving this jalopy has saved me thousands of dollars in car payments. So I'm trying not to complain too heavily.

I'm sitting here typing away, and the phone rings.

I'm still awaiting confirmation, but there's an off-chance that my brother Bret has taken a giant leap forward and joined the Macintosh community. Details to follow, but if true, I'm proposing we name February 3 a national holiday in his honor.

February 1, 1999
I've finally ditched the "Time to Get Crackin'!" article in the News section since the Project RC5-64 is still less than 5 percent complete, and I'm bored silly trying to convince others to join. If you're interested, the article now resides in the Macintosh section.

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