tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32510483545242076182011-12-31T20:43:33.705+01:00Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.comBlogger781100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-28386081637845747502011-12-27T14:20:00.004+01:002011-12-31T20:26:33.215+01:00

This is my first post in 2011. Wow, I guess I don't come here often anymore. I made a resolution to get into social networking for 2011, and that's what it seems like has happened. I joined Facebook, set up a Twitter account, set up LinkedIn account, have the necessary Skype account for video calls with family, due to being oversees, and got involved in FourSquare.How did my 2011 social

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-16466200450066704942010-11-13T00:19:00.002+01:002010-11-13T00:32:20.833+01:00

We're in our house, and almost all the boxes are unpacked. Living room is set up so that the projector projects onto the front window blind, which is white, so at night it actually shows through to the outside. I'm not really sure what the neighbors think, but no one's complained yet.Just bought a white 2005 Volvo V50 Summum, 2.4i 5 cylinder with manual. That 5 cylinder sounds really sweet in

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-84981366645628420372010-06-02T21:50:00.002+02:002010-06-02T21:56:09.749+02:00

Right now, at the Grand Winston Hotel where we are staying, I'm close enought to walk to work. Yep, walk. Only takes me about 15-20 minutes. Walking to work; it's such a foreign concept to me, as an American. I'm used to driving everywhere. My first job location out of college had me driving 75 miles one way to work. I lost over 2 hours each day during that commute. Now I walk to work.

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-88585656782181003482010-05-30T16:57:00.001+02:002010-05-30T16:57:42.504+02:00

IMG_0193 Originally uploaded by mechanicaldan1 Andrew is nine months old today, and has been successfully rolling around for some time now, and being able to get into a sitting position without assistance. He's been able to push/crawl backwards. With some stacking cups to motivate him, Andrew crawled for the first time today; repeatedly! Dena was reading through one of the baby

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-52263494872062937452010-05-30T13:34:00.001+02:002010-05-30T13:34:12.185+02:00

IMAG0068 Originally uploaded by mechanicaldan1 I had a train set growing up that was on a 4' x 8' sheet of plywood in our basement in Widconsin. It wasn't anything special, but I would look through model railroading magazines and dream of having a huge complex track layout with a big roundhouse for all the trains. Well, my first train trip in continental Europe landed me in Paris at the

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-34300284533117235302010-01-05T23:04:00.001+01:002010-01-05T23:04:45.908+01:00

SAM_0727 Originally uploaded by mechanicaldan1 So it's a couple of days into the new year and new decade, and Andrew is just over 4 months old. It's just incredible how quickly he's growing, and how his motor skills are improving. It'll be a couple years until his motorcycle skills start improving. :)So what will 2010 bring? For my son, it will be a lot of firsts; sitting up, crawling

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-52572484754196152062009-10-06T23:10:00.004+02:002009-10-06T23:42:13.216+02:00

Life seems to be passing so quickly; people around me, places, just zooming by. I pause, and take a brief moment to think about my life, reflecting about where the time has gone and the distance I've covered. Wow, I'm 35, maybe this is the onset of an early midlife crisis? Happily married, beautiful new baby boy, successful career, but something suddenly feels different, lost. I feel empty.

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-90187935098584323882009-09-19T01:12:00.001+02:002009-09-19T01:15:41.018+02:00

With upgrading the photography gear, I’ve also learned that not all memory is created equal. There’s a lot more to it than just size. In particular, SD (Secure Digital) cards in SD, miniSD, and microSD card sizes come with different speed ratings. The speed is important for photos and videos as it needs to be fast enough that the memory card can be written to without the camera stalling or

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-58852178025563034532009-09-19T00:20:00.000+02:002009-09-19T00:27:13.016+02:00

With over 6000 pictures taken on my Sony DSC-P8 digital camera, it’s had a very long life. I bought it in 2003, and it’s lived with a 256 MB memory stick the entire time. It’s a 3.2 megapixel, with a tiny little 1.5” LCD screen on the back and a view finder to look through. It’s worked well, but my one complaint the whole time I’ve owned it is that unless you hold it really, REALLY still the

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-65311154823540334522009-09-18T23:22:00.001+02:002009-09-18T23:22:19.845+02:00

Andrew_Stirling_30_Aug_2009 Originally uploaded by mechanicaldan1 Please welcome Andrew Stirling to the world. He was born on Sunday, 30 August 2009. He weighed in at 10 lbs, 8 oz and just under 23 inches long. Yes, I know this post is almost 3 weeks late, but a lot has happened. Dena required a transverse C section because only his head and one shoulder would come out, so they needed

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-19225303867232002312009-08-22T00:37:00.002+02:002009-08-22T00:56:31.965+02:00

Wow, I just looked at the date of my last post, which was almost a year ago. I guess the newness of moving to Scotland had started to wear off at that point. There have been plenty of times that I've meant to post on here, but truth be told, I was just too lazy, and a tiny bit sick of being behind a computer, as I am for most of my work day.I'll give a nod to Joy for prompting this post. It's

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-39154037829329337642008-09-28T19:01:00.002+02:002008-09-28T19:07:58.663+02:00

I downloaded Google's Chrome internet browser and it's been really sweet for a first attempt. Overall, I like the layout and have become an instant fan. It's definitely FAST!!! It loads so much faster than Internet Explorer 6, and you can surf faster also. If you take the time to read the Google Chrome comic book, you'll get an understanding of why.My one big complaint has been that I could

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-74952240922846497272008-08-24T18:41:00.002+02:002008-08-24T19:11:38.049+02:00

As you may know, I've been really bad about not posting anything for a few months. There have been things goind on, so here's some highlights. I went back to the US for couple weeks at the end of June, Dena and I took a weekend trip to Paris the first weekend of July, then two weeks of vacation in France mid July, and then a weekend trip to London the first weekend of August. I have lots of

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-43235189773426243892008-05-14T21:45:00.002+02:002008-05-14T22:37:43.171+02:00

It took three years, a LOT of work, and a lawsuit to finally make the U.S. Department of the Interior make a decision on whether polar bears are at risk due to climate change. One day before they HAD to make a decision, polar bears have been listed as THREATENED, which is the first step before becoming endangered. Read the official release from the U.S. DOI.I hope that history will look back

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-42554442617479327852008-05-03T22:37:00.002+02:002008-05-03T22:52:07.627+02:00

Wow, time flies by when you're working your ass off. It's almost hard to believe that Dena and I have been in Scotland for a year now. We spent the first 3 months in temporary housing and numerous rental cars. Then, we bought a couple of motorcycles, happily moved into a great house in a nice neighborhood, and picked up our BWM. I started travelling for work, and Dena spent time making our

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-87729665566594374412008-04-09T22:21:00.002+02:002008-04-09T22:55:34.457+02:00

OK, internet TV has been around for a while in some form or another, but at least from my perspective there hasn't been any well know and organized software to watch TV on your computer while connected to the internet. Now there is. Adobe has just released, what else Adobe TV on their new Adobe Media Player software, and just like the PDF viewer, the software is free for Windows and Mac OS!The

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-22678332496245550182008-03-16T15:01:00.001+01:002008-03-16T15:01:26.244+01:00

Dan's cake - Step 4 Originally uploaded by mechanicaldan1 Yep, I'm now 33. I'd like to thank my lovely wife for the yummy birthday cake.My birthday celebration started on the 12th of Feb while I was in Holland. I went to a Chinese restaurant with some co-workers. The dishes seemed to take a while to come out, but when they did, the explaination may have been due to the elaborately

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-39176908273518545272008-01-28T19:59:00.000+01:002008-01-28T20:25:34.781+01:00

What a fun surprise to go to my favorite search engine and see the Google logo made of Lego bricks! The mouseover said "50th Anniversary of LEGO brick", so I had to do a little surfing. It's actually 50 years since the patent was filed, so I looked up the LEGO patent.I was a huge Legomaniac when I was younger. More of a Legomaniac than Zach. I started with just a few bricks when I was around

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-53245651021830180662008-01-27T19:23:00.001+01:002008-01-27T19:40:30.831+01:00

I've added a section regarding the books I've read over the last few months. I'm not a fast reader, as you can see by the length of the list. Our library is finally set up, and I have plenty of books to read now that Dena's and my book collections are together.An Inconvenient Truth really helped bring some light to the ongoing global warming issue. Being an engineer, I wish there was more data

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-38272457387635756712008-01-27T18:52:00.001+01:002008-01-27T19:23:13.110+01:00

This weekend was the end of week 6 after my back surgery, and I didn't need to take any Ibuprofen during the waking hours of both days. There was still a little pain in my back and my right calf, but very mild. I did take some Ibuprofen so I could sleep comfortably. I'm finally starting to see the benefits of the surgery! It's so nice to finally get a taste of normalcy. It was 55 F today in

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-20318064757137635952008-01-20T23:07:00.000+01:002008-01-20T23:10:35.072+01:00

Well, it looks like I was just a little behind regarding my idea for a diesel technology news based website, DieselForcaset.com It's OK, now I can enjoy it without all the hard work. :)

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-46931661139346176652008-01-17T21:56:00.000+01:002008-01-17T22:50:40.316+01:00

Over the last couple days I've once again been considering a little online business on the side. Right before I moved to Scotland, I had been the middleman between and Aprilia dealership and Formula SAE teams selling them crate engines. It was pretty sweet as I made $150 for each sale. I ended up selling 8 engines in a matter of about 5 months and all I had to do was post on a forum and then

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-60247481055332832152008-01-14T12:56:00.000+01:002008-01-14T13:08:45.306+01:00

It was early Saturday morning when I crept upstairs into our office. I was still half asleep when I attacked.....the filing cabinet and it's dreaded paper monster!!! I've been putting off organizing it for about a year and half now. Papers have usually just ended up in piles on the floor. When I need something, I just dig through the pile. There is about 4 inches of old bank statements that

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-19535299542058667792008-01-06T23:38:00.000+01:002008-01-06T23:50:20.642+01:00

Dena and I are in Atlanta waiting to catch our flight back to the UK. This flight is a day late due to yesterday's flight being cancelled. I really don't like flying. Mostly, I don't like the lack of control I have over when and where I go somewhere. There seem to be more and more delays, overbookings, strikes, etc. Direct flights are usually fine, but anything with a connecting flight

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-68144959741556077902007-12-23T20:06:00.000+01:002007-12-23T20:14:24.405+01:00

Today is the fifth day after having laser back surgery to remove a bulging L5-S1 disc in my back. Overall, I'm feeling pretty good. Taking into account that this was major back surgery, I'm doing really well. I do notice some pain in my right leg yet, which is a little disappointing, but I just have to remind myself that everything is still healing. I try to remind myself by putting things in

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-58301499133347215172007-11-11T16:46:00.001+01:002007-11-11T16:46:29.996+01:00

IMAGE_103 Originally uploaded by mechanicaldan1 Here are a few pictures of the trip to Pau, France that Dena and I took. She has a lot more photos, and they'll be better too. My pictures were taken with my fixed focus mobile phone camera. It was also Halloween the day before we arrived, so that should explain the funny picture of me. Oh yeah, and there was alcohol involved.Here's the

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-80155549182972588002007-11-11T16:41:00.001+01:002007-11-11T16:41:18.335+01:00

IMAGE_097 Originally uploaded by mechanicaldan1 I am still alive, I've just been crazy busy with work. I've been flying all over. I was going to be in Pau, France for a week, and we were flying through Paris, so Dena came along with me. It was really nice to have her along, especially when she showed me around Paris and I had a free translator. We had about 10 hours from when we

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-87974849822487120812007-10-03T15:04:00.000+02:002007-10-03T15:10:11.804+02:00

It's been nice to be home for a little while, after the wirlwind tour of Europe that I had been on. I spent Sunday in the garage working on the Ducati. The clip-ons that I ordered had come in weeks ago. They are really nice, quality pieces. Unfortunately, they aren't a perfect fit, so I've been having to add some shims under the clutch and brake perch to make them fit without hitting the

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-78622688486169503412007-09-19T21:23:00.000+02:002007-09-19T21:29:40.895+02:00

Patents sure take a long time. I originally came up with my idea for a new down hole tool back in 2005, and the application has now officially been published! If you're at all interested, you can view it here. There is a view Images button to see the pictures, but you'll have to download some software to do it. If you want, click on the Images button, and then click on Help. Then you'll have

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-86845361095547846292007-09-19T17:13:00.001+02:002007-09-19T17:18:15.926+02:00

IMAGE_046 Originally uploaded by mechanicaldan1 What a crazy couply of weeks. Last night I drove from Stavanger to Krisitiansand. My first roadrip in Norway, and I didn't get lost. The drive was absolutely beautiful. It took about 3.5 hours to get here. The road wound along the coast. It's not that far in distance, but the road was so windy that I was struggling to maintain 60 KPH.

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-41033453651830686552007-09-15T21:36:00.000+02:002007-09-15T21:49:31.770+02:00

My previous post got my mind running in a bunch of directions. I ended up registering on YouTube and up loading an old FSAE video of me driving after returning from our 2004 competition.It's still being processed at the time of this post, but here's the VIDEOAnd then, due to having Legos on the brain, I seached for Lego on YouTube. There are some funny videos. Here's one that caught my eye. I

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-68818580480493921542007-09-15T13:38:00.001+02:002007-09-15T13:53:09.394+02:00

IMAGE_019 Originally uploaded by mechanicaldan1 I flew to Copenhagen on Friday to visit with a customer. On the taxi ride to the office, I quickly fell in love with the city. The variety of architecture was just stunning! There are so many more colors and variety of buildings compared to Aberdeen. My hotel reservatation was right the part of the city center called "the Square", which

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-9986223445751841332007-09-10T21:45:00.000+02:002007-09-10T21:50:40.056+02:00

Been working lots. I'll be going to Copenhagen, Denmark on Friday for a meeting, flying home Saturday morning, then Stavanger, Norway on Sunday for some internal training, then driving to Kristiansand, Norway on Tuesday night to give a presentation on Wednesday, then flying to Bukarest, Romania on Thursday for a meeting on Friday, and then flying home. Yep, I'm officially a jet setter.

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-60450267089656308202007-09-06T21:07:00.000+02:002007-09-06T21:52:07.075+02:00

I'm addicted to caffeine. It's not a bad thing, unless you move to a foreign country where they don't sell your favorite caffeinated beverage that you've been addicted to since high school. You become like a junkie, trying new products to get your "fix". Yeah, not having Mountain Dew over here troubled me for about the first 2 months. I was trying to like coffee, then tried tea. I could get

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-77357878713135783442007-08-28T21:35:00.001+02:002007-08-28T21:35:31.086+02:00

IMAGE_009 Originally uploaded by mechanicaldan1 ...you might almost get into a car accident. I've been over in Norway for almost a week now on business, and was riding with a co-worker on the way to dinner to meet some customers, when we almost got hit by a car. It was close. We were in the middle of a rounabout, when this black VW Golf enters the roundabout and just about slams into

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-28310055480298115172007-08-19T14:14:00.000+02:002007-08-19T14:28:06.376+02:00

I thought I would try to make it a little more enticing for people to come and visit by adding a section that has hyperlinks to things to do around Aberdeen and Scotland. Dena and I will hopefully be able to get out and see more of Scotland as our house gets settled. We've been spending most of our weekends organizing the house, doing housework, or doing yardwork. I want to get out and see

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-5166573917738477612007-08-15T22:44:00.001+02:002007-08-15T23:05:41.050+02:00

DSC03744 Originally uploaded by mechanicaldan1 What a great day it's been! It's just one of those days where the karma planets are aligned and everything goes your way. Today was simulateously one of those days for both Dena and I. My day started with a great ride to work on my motorcycle. There was an issue at work, but things all worked out by noon. Our collosal plle of cardboard

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-53136847123226518132007-08-13T14:05:00.000+02:002007-08-15T22:33:03.246+02:00

On Friday, I brought my rear rim from my Kawasaki in and had a brand new Pirelli Dragon Corsa III rear tire installed. The III is for the three different compounds of rubber. The center is a harder compound than the edges, so I should get longer mileage, and still have really sticky edges when I'm leaned over. The weather has definately gotten better, and it's sunny more often, but still very

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-46258003414103521512007-08-08T00:13:00.001+02:002007-08-08T00:13:55.237+02:00

DSC03719 Originally uploaded by mechanicaldan1 I finally took the time to take a few pictures of my Kawasaki. I've always liked the blue. Overall the bike is pretty decent. The rims lips are polished, there is an undertail cover and a painted rear fender. I have a blue windshield to install and an anodized blue slip-on exhaust as soon as I can get the broken bolt out of the hole. I

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-52944389197326108432007-08-07T23:57:00.001+02:002007-08-07T23:57:49.484+02:00

chrome Originally uploaded by mechanicaldan1 I was sent a link to these photos from a co-workers. I've saved the Adventure on as my current background. There's just something about seeing a brand new GSX-R in a foot of water. Most of the pictures came from http://www.mac-pac.org/temp/motivation.html Have a laugh as you read through all 24 pictures. Enjoy.

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-22026275274730764562007-08-06T09:48:00.000+02:002007-08-06T10:25:46.844+02:00

Wow, what a fantastic ride to work this morning. It was raining, a bit cool, and traffic was backed up for miles. Normally, in the states, this would not have been a good ride, but here, in Scotland, where I can legally lane split and ride in between cars and trucks made it a AWESOME ride. I had a grin on my face from ear to ear. Oh, and it gets better. Many times, cars will actually move

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-16768940526503852202007-08-02T13:46:00.000+02:002007-08-02T13:49:58.552+02:00

Blogger added a new poll feature, so I'm going to try it out. I wanted to know how often people check my blog. I probably need to write more for you to read more. I'll work on that.I've been putting a lot of hours in at work, which probably isn't surprising, considering I was brought over here to help increase business.

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-17348372727465126582007-07-26T13:35:00.001+02:002007-07-26T13:46:21.981+02:00

We finally have insurance on our motorcycles, so Dena and I went for a short ride. This is the first time we've ridden the motorcycles. We just shoved them in the back of the van when we bought them, without riding them. First impressions are that the Ducati rides wonderfully. The suspension and brakes are top notch. The motor is very torquey and does not like to be revved. It's taking Dena

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-12257064346981876312007-07-22T23:38:00.001+02:002007-07-22T23:50:56.280+02:00

DSC03650 Originally uploaded by mechanicaldan1 Dena snapped some pictures of the roses in our front yard. Our roses are red, pink, yellow, and orange. They add some much needed color to the gray and green of Aberdeen. The grass in the backyard is growing quickly due to all the rain.We finally have an internet connection at home! We streamed some KRVS on Saturday. It was so nice to

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-41990497625692566802007-07-16T14:08:00.000+02:002007-07-16T14:21:31.202+02:00

We finally moved into our new house in Aberdeen. The lease was written that we have the house for a year and then it goes in to month-by-month payments. Hopefully the owners, who moved to London, will be there for 2-3 years also, so that we don't have to move a second time while we're in Scotland.The house is really nice, and we love it more and more as we spend time in it. It really was the

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-18687990190416140752007-07-09T22:36:00.001+02:002007-07-09T22:39:31.222+02:00

IMAGE_005 Originally uploaded by mechanicaldan1 What a long and crazy weekend! One week ago, Dena and I were simply looking at bikes online, and a week later we now own two of them. Dena wanted a Ducati, and after a few searches of Ebay and Bike Trader, we found a nice '98 Ducati 600 SuperSport in yellow that she liked, but it was 350 miles away. I bid on a '98 Kawasaki ZX-9R on Ebay

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-58811507268456487732007-07-07T00:31:00.000+02:002007-07-07T00:42:11.736+02:00

It's been a crazy week. Suddenly, after a few weeks of not much happening, everything is now happening at once. I bid on a motorcycle on E-bay and won it, but someone else picked up the bike. So, I bid on another bike and won it, and talked to the seller personally so that he wouldn't sell it to another person. Then, we've also spotted a motorcycle for Dena. So, we've been planning a road

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-68943750619330514072007-07-02T13:36:00.000+02:002007-07-02T13:46:41.546+02:00

It's official that the BMW 1-series is coming to the US. The US version will be a coupe, not a hatchback, and it will have the 2 biggest gasoline engines, not the diesels. An Autoblog article covers the release pretty well. Apparently the 3-series was getting too big, and there was a need for a little sports coupe reminent of the 2002. So, bring over the 1-series, and hopefully it'll be a big

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-21842573892450742222007-07-01T22:32:00.000+02:002007-07-01T23:49:04.285+02:00

iAdmit that the iPhone is cool. I couldn't help but share a little happiness with the guy in the photo from a Forbes article. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then I think it's the best one I've seen regarding the iPhone mania. I do hope Apple has a lot of success. I think this huge reaction to a mobile phone points to a turning point in mobile technology. Do I want one? Simple

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-37204576160322655202007-06-26T00:01:00.001+02:002007-06-26T00:01:28.556+02:00

Aberdeen 036 Originally uploaded by mechanicaldan1 Dena and I took a walk around our neighborhood and down Union St. to blow off some steam. The temporary accomodations are starting to get to us. We're expected as much, knowing that it was going to be stressful completely uprooting and moving to a foreign country. I'm sure glad that we have less than two weeks until we get to move into

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-66533777126198095572007-06-13T23:58:00.000+02:002007-06-14T00:05:31.633+02:00

I'm really looking forward to getting our BMW 1-series. I've been in contact with a couple dealers, and have been trying to figure out where to go on the internet to get the dealer cost for a car. Well after brousing the forum on babybmw.net I found someone refering people to broadspeed.com to find out how much they could have saved. I checked it out, and yep, it's what I was looking for.

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-48466535317881591722007-06-12T00:11:00.001+02:002007-06-12T00:11:38.339+02:00

DSC03467 Originally uploaded by mechanicaldan1 Dena and I took another short road trip. This time we headed south out of town on A92. We decided to take a trip along the coast. It was overcast, but still beautiful. We stopped a few times to enjoy the scenery and take some pictures. Enjoy.

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-88864844060402777522007-06-08T09:53:00.001+02:002007-06-08T09:59:52.851+02:00

Yep, wireless electricity, being dubbed "WiTricity" by the MIT scientists. Very cool stuff.MIT Team Powers Light Bulb Without WiresMIT WiTricity Press Release

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-64050137810543201572007-06-06T20:49:00.000+02:002007-06-06T22:17:03.318+02:00

The techie in me is really excited. Yesterday, HTC, maker of many mobile phones and PDAs for numerous mobile phone services announced a direct competitor to the Apple iPhone, and it's available NOW. Well, it's available in the UK and Europe now, and will be available in the US later this year. Apple's iPhone is set to be released at the very end of June in the US, and then become available in

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-21137584492248998992007-06-06T18:50:00.000+02:002007-06-06T18:53:30.624+02:00

I just had to post my wife's comments from a recent email, as they are pretty damn funny. Enjoy."Life for the most part has been business as usual, with Dan working and fantasizing over the BMW catalogues and me being awe-struck by some-or-other British behavior that tickles me. I refuse to write another yawning epic like last week (you’re welcome!); instead, here are the things I found

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-67504748624467609912007-06-05T13:36:00.001+02:002007-06-05T13:36:47.906+02:00

Image001 Originally uploaded by mechanicaldan1 It seemed a little bit like home in Wisconsin. While flying in, I was able to look out the window because the weather was really nice. After landing, I was quite surprised to find out it that was 28°C, which translates to 82°F. In addition to a lot of water and the rolling hills, I noticed that there is a lot more color with the buildings

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-82179651694968016232007-06-03T00:11:00.000+02:002007-06-03T00:49:07.862+02:00

I've got a growing interest in world history and religion. I'm not sure really where the two interests come from, but I can point to a few things. Regarding my religious interest is the fact that I haven't been to church in quite a while, but still pray regularly. Another fact is that living in Louisiana brought me in contact with lots of Catholics, a few Buddhists, and I just had a diverse

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-59310497285216138552007-05-27T13:58:00.001+02:002007-05-27T14:03:06.001+02:00

lost along A944 012 small Originally uploaded by mechanicaldan1 I've finally taken the time to set up a photo album. I've added the link to the album on the right hand side above my profile. The sweet thing I just found out is that Flickr allows me to click on an individual picture in my album and then blog it. Awesome! So, this is the first test.I've started adding some more pictures

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-6785542345161690592007-05-23T13:42:00.000+02:002007-05-24T21:54:47.864+02:00

I'd be able to get a little better feel for everyone's reaction to the rising price of gas in the US, if I were actually in the US, but I can't so I have been following gas prices at www.automotive.com/gas-prices If you want to save some pennies, you can enter your zip code to find the cheapest gas station near you. Now, the interesting thing is that the price of gasoline has been pretty stable

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-12747084729586305962007-05-18T11:15:00.000+02:002007-05-18T11:43:38.948+02:00

We're still looking for that magical residence to call home. We'll have seen over 30 homes in the last 2 weeks (I've actually seen 8 less than Dena) by the end of today. It's exhausting. I don't think our criteria is all that picky, but we'll be renting, so we can't really make major changes if we don't like a bathroom or a kitchen. I will say that we've found some nice properties, but there

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-28734181303920818732007-05-11T23:09:00.000+02:002007-05-12T00:07:00.803+02:00

Dena and I have spent most of this week looking for a permanent place to live. It's not an easy search. We only annoyed each other a few times, and have still not died in a car accident. Horray!We have a defined housing allowance, and we're finding that most of the houses/apartments (or flats as they are called here) are either cheap and small, or big and out of our budget. We're also finding

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-11086769046054167142007-05-06T23:05:00.000+02:002007-05-06T23:41:22.535+02:00

It's late, so this is going to be a short post. I have a bunch of pictures to post, but I'm also considering an online photo album of some kind. If anyone has a suggestion, feel free to comment. I think Google now has one.Dena and I had big plans for Saturday, but apparently our bodies aren't quite on local time. Our plans were to have breakfast at the hotel cafe, try to get Dena a mobile

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-16917584074125119052007-05-04T23:01:00.000+02:002007-05-04T23:03:22.466+02:00

The Isle of Mann TT race is less than 1 month away. We haven't done any research regarding going, so we'll see if we end up there this year. Without bikes, probably not.

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-84660466286974930892007-05-04T22:13:00.000+02:002007-05-04T22:53:04.191+02:00

We arrived in Aberdeen on time and OK. The flights weren't too bad, although we did have to scramble to get through customs in London. I'm really surprised we made it, due to the fact that we had less than an hour. It was pretty crazy running through the airport trying to find a gate in an airport that we had never been.So, I suppose many of you want to know what's different over here. It's

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-77554234123230709532007-04-28T16:52:00.000+02:002007-04-28T17:10:41.737+02:00

April has been really crazy. On April 1, I still wasn't sure exactly when I was moving to Scotland, and then everything came at once. I officially accepted my new job which I start in a couple of days. We fly out on Monday, April 30th and arrive in Aberdeen, Scotland on May 1st. I start my first day of work the next day. Dena and I had a long list of things to take care of which included getting

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-89307209182803570782007-04-04T04:01:00.000+02:002007-04-04T04:14:13.588+02:00

It's now official, the Little Red Racecar has been sold. I'm going to miss it, at least until I have something to replace it with. Dena still has her VW Cabrio, but it's just not the same.Lots has been happening regarding our move to Scotland. I'm working with the HR department to try to get everything on the long checklist of items taken care of. Realistically, we'll probably be getting on a

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-8142796629123387072007-03-28T03:07:00.000+02:002007-03-28T03:29:11.220+02:00

I think I might be turning into a grumpy old man. I was heating up some dinner tonight when the doorbell rings. I stroll over expecting to see one of the neighborhood kids, when I see an older gentlemen holding a clipboard. I know it's going to be long Presidential election process, but this soon? "Hi, I'm so and so representing so and so who is trying to get speed bumps installed along the

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-43885283478280069272007-03-26T04:57:00.000+02:002007-03-26T05:30:16.323+02:00

I'm finally starting to feel better, and it's amazing how much more energy and motivation I have. It's been almost 3 months since I had an MRI that showed that I had a herniated disk in my lower back. I believe an extended mountain bike ride with a co-worker started the fire in my back, but the bonfire had been building for years of slouching and bad posture habits. After 6 weeks of physical

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-91492299401847749682007-03-09T04:17:00.000+01:002007-03-09T04:31:38.815+01:00

Well, I'm about 95% sure at this point that Dena and I will be moving to Aberdeen, Scotland. Ah yes, the land of castles, lochs, whiskey, and learning to drive on the wrong side of the road. It's a biker's paridise, when the weather is nice. I'm getting really excited. I'll be going over on a 3 year work assignment to support the UK, Norway, Kazahkstan, and other parts of Europe.

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-57723152001156280852007-03-09T03:53:00.000+01:002007-03-09T04:15:57.663+01:00

My Christmas and birthday gift finally arrived today! I've been needing a tool chest for the top of my tool box for a while, as it's pretty much overstuffed. Now all I need to do is take a Saturday and organize everything. I'm at a point that I can pretty much fix any automotive or motorcycle related repair. :) It's pretty nice. I feel a little bad about not posting much over the last month,

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-62771916356412936912007-02-14T06:55:00.000+01:002007-03-26T05:22:14.560+02:00

Yep, it's my birthday today. It was a pretty good day. I'd like to thank my roommate Shane for the wonderful birthday art.

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-29538109725488863542007-01-25T21:21:00.000+01:002007-01-25T21:56:17.082+01:00

Recognition is a good start if there is going to be a change in the way we do things in the US. I listened intently to the President's State of the Union address, and I was very excited when he specifically mentioned biodiesel, ethanol, wind and solar energies. I'm also glad he mentioned trying to improve fuel economy standards in cars. I wish he would have said trucks and SUVs would get

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-34944331002391319832007-01-18T16:22:00.000+01:002007-01-18T17:29:23.405+01:00

Lots happening at the end of January. President Bush will make his State of the Union address for the first time in front of a Democratic controlled House and Senate. I'm looking forward to what he has to say about renewable energy.I've been following the increase in wind energy, ethanol, and biodiesel on a couple different websites and blogs since leaving college. I know some of my interest in

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-51502114814643811332007-01-12T19:28:00.000+01:002007-01-12T20:09:10.104+01:00

I must admit that I've been an Apple fan for years, but Microsoft's dominance over compatible software has kept me a loyal Microsoft user. I've never been into music as much as most people around me. As I was finishing college, the iPod appeared on the scene. I saw my fellow classmates displaying them proudly in the computer labs. Would I get one? No. I've never had a large music collection,

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-12441853119998645782007-01-02T19:33:00.000+01:002007-01-23T05:54:08.294+01:00

I ended up spending New Year's Eve in Jackson Square in New Orleans with friends. I had a great time. It seems as though many of us will be hoping that '07 brings us all a little luck, as we look forward to many of us having changes take place regarding work and our lives.The older I get the more I really cherish spending time with friends during an activity. Although we spent a lot of the time

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-81891248291787146342006-12-27T17:43:00.000+01:002007-01-23T05:32:29.944+01:00

So, the check engine light finally comes on, and after nothing really changes regarding how it runs, I pretty much assume it's an oxygen sensor. I took it to a local Honda dealership to have the code read, and yes they say I need an oxygen sensor for only $284. Well, thanks, but not thanks. I asked if they would install the oxygen sensor if I got one. They will, but no warrenty. I don't really

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-54642216759024924532006-12-27T17:38:00.000+01:002006-12-27T17:42:59.614+01:00

A little history about the '94 Honda Civic EX I bought in August 2004 with 218,000 miles.

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251048354524207618.post-33077143433591540082006-12-22T21:52:00.000+01:002007-04-28T17:45:32.106+02:00

Dan's first post!

Mechanicaldanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232883069663688418noreply@blogger.com0