* Posts by Rick Berry

23 publicly visible posts • joined 15 Aug 2007

There's data in your dashboard, so liberate it from Big Auto's grasp

Rick Berry

RossTech VCDS

The Volkswagen community has known this for years. Uwe Ross of www.ross-tech.com reversed engineered the Bosch controllers used by VWs, Audis, Seats, Skodas, etc. and developed his line of VCDS diagnostic cables. They do more than just report a generic code like most OBD-II cables. Well worth a look and the money.

Apple Watch RIPPED APART, its GUTS EXPOSED to hungry Vultures

Rick Berry

Not a Family Heirloom

In a few short years, these watches will be completely inoperative. A bit further down the road, the battery will start to corrode and completely dissolve the innards. Meanwhile, the 100+ year old gold pocket watches left to me by my grandfather will still be running and keeping accurate time.

LOHAN's Plucky Playmonaut touches down at Spaceport America

Rick Berry

Fast Food Recommendation

You must stop at the Blake's Lotaburger chain. Order a hamburger and make sure to ask for the green chile sauce. Definitely worth it.

Also, take a trip over to the White Sands Desert on the other side of the mountains.

London Blitz bomb web map a hit-and-miss affair

Rick Berry

V1 Survey

One of the odder things I have come across was a set of reports on each V1 strike in the London area. Quite fascinating to read. Each report had a hand drawn map, descriptions of the buildings, surrounding area, damage, and casualties (to include even the pets).

Why James Bond's Aston Martin Top Trumps the rest

Rick Berry

Yes, the DB5 is the quintessential James Bond car. but, how could you not mention the Ford Mustang Mach 1 in Diamonds are Forever? for a more complete listing - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_James_Bond_vehicles

And the latest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize is ... the EU?

Rick Berry
FAIL

"The award is worth approximately £747,000 or $1.2m, so those of our readers who are EU citizens can presumably expect a draft for approximately 0.15 pence or equivalent as soon as Brussels cashes its award cheque."

And along with each check for .15 pence, expect a bill for one euro to cover the bureaucracy needed to mail out the .15 pence checks and process the bills.

Reg readers serve up bacon sarnie amuse-bouche

Rick Berry
Happy

Chicken and Pig

The difference between the pig's and chicken's contribution to the bacon sarnie? The chicken was involved and the pig was committed.

GAGA prepares to munch some organic rug

Rick Berry
Meh

The blade is only part of the equation for a mulching lawnmower. The shape of the mower chassis has a large effect on how the grass blades are lifted, cut, and chopped.

Ohio cops taze naked marathoneer

Rick Berry

Probably lives with his parents...

35 years old and he was using a pair of shorts borrowed from his father? Ewwwwwwwwww... He deserved to be tazed for that alone.

NZ woman pays motorised tribute to A RYAN 1

Rick Berry
Thumb Up

I like this one...

My favorite plate that slipped through the censors was "FTHEM" on this license plate http://www.dmv.state.va.us/exec/vehicle/splates/info.asp?idnm=TERRM

Avro Vulcan - The Owners' Workshop Manual

Rick Berry

It's an assembly, not a part...

Actually, the part you would need would only cost a couple of quid. The problem would be that the only way to get it would be to buy it as an "assembly" for ten grand...

Guinness to hit three quid a pint

Rick Berry
FAIL

No, it won't

"The news comes as the government's health committee has suggested a minimum alcohol retail price of 50p per unit - an attempt to stop supermarkets punting cheap booze and fuelling the UK's binge-drinking epidemic.

This minimum would, the report suggests, save 3,000 lives a year while helping to boost the UK's pub trade."

If they do that, lists will quickly appear on the internet about which bottle of booze gives you the most alcohol per serving for the lowest cost...

National Rail website buried ahead of snow storm

Rick Berry
FAIL

Snowstorm? What Snowstorm?

The boys out at East Anglia are predicting sunny and 15+ degrees C. outside. Of course, they destroyed their original data and are using their super accurate computer prediction model instead...

Booze and breasts combined, finally

Rick Berry

Warm Beer?

I thought you Brits liked your beer warm.. Oh wait, that's because Lucas makes your refrigerators ;)

Besuited cubicle monkey trashes office

Rick Berry
Thumb Down

Staged

It's gotta be staged. Who uses CRTs anymore?

US town tells Street View to push off

Rick Berry

It also helps to have money...

Take a look at "Billionaires' Row" (the place where obama belittled Americans behind closed doors...) in San Francisco. There are a lot of gaps in the street views that just can't be explained other than "money talks."

DOJ blesses XM/Sirius marriage

Rick Berry
Unhappy

Ala Carte...

Interesting little caveat in the PDF about ala carte pricing - "*Available only for subscribers using next generation receivers who select channels via the Internet."

WTF is a next gen receiver? Sounds like those of us who have factory receivers in our cars are probably SOL and are stuck paying full price...

US airline pilot pops a cap in cockpit

Rick Berry
Joke

Goldfinger...

Well apparently he did not pierce the cabin. Otherwise, as we all know from the James Bond films, he would have been sucked out like Goldfinger...

Remembering the Coleco Adam

Rick Berry

The Expansion Version Failed Too...

I actually owned two of the expansion version (supply your own colecovision). The first I bought, and the second was a replacement for the first. I ended up returning the second one too for a refund. The tape drive had a terrible heat problem. It would get so hot that you could not touch it.

DHS building handheld lobster spy-beam scanners

Rick Berry

If only...

If only they had something like this on the Death Star. Then they would have found those pesky rebels hiding under the floor of the captured ship.

UK police can now force you to reveal decryption keys

Rick Berry

How about this password

What about changing your password to the phrase "F*ck off I forgot my password"

Stolen satnav guides thieves to owner's home

Rick Berry

It does not matter...

All the thief has to do is pull out the vehicle registration and/or the insurance papers that the owner is required by law to keep in the vehicle. Either document has enough information to lead the thief home.

And let's not forget about all those folks who keep garage door openers in their cars...

Carphone Warehouse salesman dies in car boot

Rick Berry

Wouldn't have happened in North America...

All late model sedans in North America are required to have a "New Jersey Door Handle" (think Sopranos...) in the trunk to prevent such an incident as this from happening. In my VW Passat, the handle even glows in the dark. Models made for the European market are not required to have one.