NextStepDesigns | webfluence

NSD blog is back from purgatory

2007-02-11T15:06:00.000-08:00

Hurray!
I was able to recover much of this old blog, for which I am very thankful. For my current blog, please visit my main website at: www.NextStepDesigns.com

Volvo is up for sale

2006-02-19T19:33:00.000-08:00

This is my daily driver. As written earlier, I am merging my Volvo and Montero into one general purpose vehicle. I haven't picked that vehicle yet (leaning towards a Toyota Tundra truck), but I need to sell what I have before I buy the new one.

Link to AutoTrader.com online ad

My Next Vehicle?

2006-02-09T21:49:00.000-08:00

I have two vehicles that I'm looking to sell soon. They are getting a little long in the tooth for me, and having to take them in for maintainence on an increasing basis is becoming inconvenient with my work schedule! So I'm hoping to sell my Montero, and '98 Volvo V70 wagon, and merge them into one "ultimate vehicle" that does everything I need it to, is exciting to drive, cheap to own, and of course, be affordable.

Challenges: I am 6'-7", 280 lbs, and really long between my hip and knee, with a pretty tall torso also. I don't fit in most vehicles. My hobby is RC Slope Soaring, and I regularly need to hold 65" long padded nylon bags with wings, fuselages, and misc radio gear. I frequently travel long distances for glider related events, and quite often go off road. That's the hobby element. My work routine and daily driving amount to about 15,000 miles a year, often in heavy traffic. My commute is around an hour each way, most days. So I want a vehicle that is pleasant to drive on the road, can comfortably accommodate my large frame, and can climb a hill and bumpy loose terrain when necessary.

The Volvo V70 sports wagon holds everything and is really nice to drive to places like Los Banos, Torrey Pines, Pt Fermin, etc...The inline 5 cyclinder is peppy, and returns decent MPG (low 20's average, with a lead foot).

The 1994 Mitsubishi Montero (full size, not the sport), is a total billy goat, and gets 28 mpg with the V6 and 5 speed manual. It's in great shape, and it's paid for, but I just don't quite fit (knees hit the dashboard), and the manual clutch induces leg cramps on trips into LA for work.

Vehicles I've looked at:

Honda Ridgeline: So far, nothing has come close to the Honda Ridgeline for comfort and size (it's HUGE on the inside), and sheer drivability. However, though it's 4x4 system is fine for climbing Vincent (tested!), it lacks ground clearance and just general manly-ness. I feel like a pussy driving one. I did find two companies that make a simple bolt on space that mounts above the independent suspension and provides 2 more inches of clearance, and it will fit 33" tires on 17 rims thus equipped. The Ridgeline has tons of cool features and is really well thought out, like the trunk!, and is a great size for around town driving. However, little things like the wimpy styling and lack of telescoping steering wheel and proper arm rests at my height make this one no bueno for me.

I also drove the new 4x Tacoma with "Double Cab" and the TRD Off Road package. Way manly! Drives fun, plenty of power, tons of ground clearance, but engine noise, tire noise, wind noise, and just too damm much ambient noise makes it tough to consider as a daily driver. Surprisingly, I fit in it, but not great. Had the 120v power adapter in the bed which was great, and the bed is over 6' in length so wing bags will fit. Just too loud though. When you stomp on the V6, it sounds like it's in your lap!

The Nissan Titian was the same way. Pretty quiet cabin, but the engine is tuned up LOUD and the exhaust drones it's way through every radio setting. Also feels like the truck weighs about 8,000 lbs.

Nissan Armada, great truck, I already have one, don't need two...though the more I drive it (it's my wife's company car!), the more I like it. However, I am really hoping for something a bit more mid-size, not a massive full size vehicle like the Armada.

Nissan Frontier/Pathfinder/Xterra are sized for munchkins (without knees)

Mitsu Raider. Too small for me, not enough ground clearance either

F150, feels too big, seats are too soft, rides like a truck, the sides of the bed are too high for even a tall guy like me to reach over, and it's $35,000 for a Ford with very little resale value....

Lincoln Mark LT (F150 based luxury truck). I rented one of these and put about 300 miles on it. I was hoping it would have more street tuned suspension because it was Lincoln's idea of a luxury truck. The interior was actually quite nice, I really liked it. But on the 101 freeway southbound, near Oxnard, the road started to have a mild undulation/pressure ridges at the seams. The truck got so bouncy, that I actually had to stop my cell phone conversation because I wa-S T-alk-ING li-KE th-IS! as I bounced down the road. I have driven that same stretch of road multiple times in my Volvo and also in a Chrysler 300 (rental) and never ever new the road was bumpy. Definitely was the truck. This is yet another reason why I really don't want a big truck!

Dodge Ram, interior is poorly designed and built, rides like a truck. The exterior is now 10 years old (or nearly), and still looks great, really great, but the interior is sad. The gear shift is on the steering column, and in drive, the lever drops to about 1" lower than my kneecap needs to be. Virtually undrivable because of a $3 shift lever. Dumb....

GMC/Chevy interior is poorly designed and built, and too small. They use really poor quality plastics and seat cloth. I don't like touching the truck's interior. It's sorta like that fingernails on the chalkboard feeling...

Chevy Avalance, interior is cramped for something so big, and cheap looking. Rides okay though. Concerned about long term durability and squeaks and rattles.

Jeep likes to put the ignitition key right where your kneecap needs to be. DUMB, and extremely unsafe. Capably vehicles, but you need to be under 6'4" to drive one, even their new Commander, which in reality is much smaller than the commercials make it out to be!

The Toyota Tundra drove very well, quiet, smooth, powerful, even impressive really. Could easily be a daily driver, but not sure how great it would be off road. Not sure if it would have the traction (weight) in the back to climb the steeper path at Parker, or the bottom portion of
Vincent. I very nearly bought one of these last week, with the end of year rebate and stuff. Ultimately, the design is 6 years old now, and is due for a total makeover in 2007 model year (later this fall). I opted to wait, at least for now.... Interestingly, a 4x4 Double Cab SR5 with TRD Off Road package, and 3rd Party leather seating option was cheaper new via the Costco purchase program than most USED Tundras I priced.

The 4Runner was impressive. Had the Tundra's powerful V8, softer ride, and I physically fit in it, sorta. Not bad, I am considering one, if I can find a used 4x4 in silver, without a sunroof (too tall for sunroofs!) Very hard to find one without sunroofs. The interior controls are pretty funky, but you can't argue with the long term value of a Toyota. Design is very dated though. They are great cars, but it's hard to get excited plunking down $35,000 for such a bland vehicle.

Hummer H1/H2/H3 - All three Hummer models are too small for big guys like me. Both the H2 and H3 have this gear shift level that sticks right into your thigh. It's just so damm stupid. And the H1, forget about! Designed for little tiny people without legs is my guess. Still, I hear the H3 actually goes off road fairly well. Too bad no one over 6'-4" can drive one. Plenty of head room, but that darn gear shifter!

BMW X5 - Well, the X5 is off the list. Went for a test drive at lunch the other day. Yes, I physically fit (as in, my knees don't rub the dash, my leg fits under the steering wheel, and my head doesn't stick out of the sunroof, but it's undrivable with the seat in that position. I'm actually behind the B pillar, which would be fine if I didn't have a left arm. But I do happen to have a left arm, though it has no where to go in the X5. Can't even reach the door lever!

Volvo XC90 - Just a bit too small in every dimension for me. I really like them, and they are getting affordable (2003 lease turn in's), but even with the seat mod'ed, I still need a shoe horn height and width-wise. I just don't think I could be comfortable long term in one.

Volkswagen Toureg - Driver's seat does go back extremely far, and the air suspension and torque lockers and so forth make it a great off road vehicle (on par with a Land Rover), and it drives smoothly on the road... but you don't get much for your money. You have to have the fully loaded version to get the off road stuff (does that make sense to ANYBODY?), and you are talking major money. Land Rover kind of money. The Porche Cayenne version is just more money for a less capable (off road) vehicle. But at least it comes with power seats! (the Toureg doesn't, even at $45,000 trim level). It was also too small. I fit, but it was claustrophobic. And no one else could fit in the car with me, which would probably prove to be inconvenient. :-)

Range Rover: terrible gas mileage, and oh yeah, anything newer than 2003 is + $50,000, anything older is a maintenance nightmare. But I love the way they look and drive, and there is no equal when it comes to off road prowlness.

Land Rover LR3. Very capable car, lots of early 2005 models available used, can go anywhere, but again, looks plain, bland, and wimpy. Great head room though :-) Legroom however, is lacking. Even if I modified it and the seat moved back, the center console design would chaff my leg. Ugh!

Discovery: No legroom whatsoever. Only short guys can drive these, or most women I suppose.

Range Rover Sport. My ultimate choice! Drives way better than my Volvo, can tackle terrain like my Montero, maybe even better, and looks great. But they are way outside my budget. Used ones are not available and if they were, would still be way out of my budget.

Kia Sorento EX 4wd - Today I was quite shocked when I sat in the Kia Sorento little SUV. It has about 8" of ground clearance, a 4wd system with what appears to be a locking rear diff, and lo and behold, I fit! It is not the elegant kind of fit I am looking for, but frankly, I'm getting tired of not fitting into anything. The one I drove had over 50,000 miles on it, and was far from fresh. The interior rear seats do fold down, but only offer 59.5" inches of clearance. I need 65"... Also (and many car MFR's do this), the smaller of the spilt rear seats is behind the driver. Since I always have the seat ALL the way back, I can never fold down the smaller half of the split seats. So annoying! The Range Rover Sport of course, has it's smaller pass through folding seat behind the passenger, as God intended it to be.

So there you have it. I have no idea what I'm going to buy next. If I had the money, I would buy the RRsport in a heart beat. But I don't, and I do need a car. So the question becomes, what do I settle for? sigh....

Fun with a Camera Phone

2006-02-07T21:47:00.000-08:00

I've filled my phones memory banks with images from it's petite 1.2mp camera. Time to purge. Here is a sampling:

Self Portrait

Poker night at MVE

Golden Gate fog in the morning - From my hotel in San Francisco

Golden Gate sunrise - From my hotel in San Francisco

Montero for sale!

2006-02-06T12:45:00.000-08:00

After nearly 9 very faithful years, it's time to replace our trusty steed, the mighty Montero.
For sale on Autotrader.com:

YyyyeeeeeessssSSS!

2006-02-05T20:25:00.000-08:00

Enough said...

Holiday Update

2006-01-03T22:06:00.000-08:00

Okay, a little remiss on my recent updates to this blog. Lot's happening over the Holidays. Family visited from afar, my son got a new BMX bike (which we all had to ride, and relive old glories), had great food in good restaurants, experienced the kids school pageants, watched the Rose Parade get DUMPED on with about 3" of wind blown rain, nearly bought a Toyota Tundra truck, but ultimately decided not to just yet, and got $$ for golf lessons. Yeah!

We completed our annual Year End Recap-slash-Holiday Letter. Click here to see the online version. Better hurry, my woodsfamily.cc domain expires on Jan 16, and Register.com doesn't believe that I'm me and won't let me renew it. Major bummer!

My ultimate vacation

2005-12-22T13:35:00.000-08:00

I REALLY want to do this!

Awesome light fixture

2005-12-07T16:13:00.000-08:00

My dream is to design (and live) in a house where this light fixture is appropriate:

A Very Funny DUI

2005-11-27T17:52:00.000-08:00

Drinking and driving is no laughing matter...but this DUI arrest video is hilarious!

My Favorite Photo of the Year

2005-11-25T11:10:00.000-08:00

This is probably my favorite photo of the entire year.... Way to go Mom!

Grandpa Woods holding Dakota David Woods, Thanksgiving Day, 2005

Marital Bliss

2005-11-22T10:20:00.000-08:00

A husband was in big trouble when he forgot his wedding anniversary.

His wife told him, "Tomorrow there better be something in the driveway for me that goes zero to 200 in 2 seconds flat".

The next morning the wife found a small package in the driveway. She opened it and found a brand new bathroom scale.

Funeral arrangements for the husband have been set for Saturday.

Christmas lights to the Max!

2005-11-21T21:48:00.000-08:00

If you haven't seen this yet, you need to. Really.
http://poststuffx.entensity.net/112105/media.php?media=lights.wmv

Turn it up!

Danger to Young Boys Everywhere!

2005-11-06T22:50:00.000-08:00

Beware young men of tommorow. In too few short years, this one will be on the prowl...

Final Report on WTC Towers Released

2005-11-01T08:10:00.000-08:00

On Oct. 26, 2005, William Jeffrey, director of the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), testified before the House Science Committee on the findings and recommendations from NIST’s building and fire safety investigation of the World Trade Center (WTC) disaster on 9/11. At the same time, NIST released the final report of the 3-year investigation into the probable cause(s) of post-impact collapse of the WTC Towers and WTC 7. The report includes the following information:

How impact from jet fuel-laden aircrafts and subsequent fires led to the collapse of the towers.

Whether the fatalities were low or high.

An evaluation of building evacuation and emergency response procedures.

What procedures and practices were used in the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of the towers.

Current building and fire codes, standards, and practices that warrant revision.

http://www.buildings.com/Articles/detail.asp?ArticleID=2781

It's a two wheeled world

2005-10-16T15:23:00.000-07:00

My daughter finally convinced herself to be potty trained. Yay!

Unlike most kids, she did not go through a transition phase. Once she decided that it was worthwhile, she immediately stopped wearing diapers. Even at night. Not a single accident at night either, which I find absolutely amazing. As her reward, we bought her a bicycle as promised. She is incredibly good at riding it already. She is a fantastic athlete. Coaches be warned. Recruiting efforts should start now!

Trevor was feeling a bit put out about how good Megan was doing on her bike. Seems that was just the motivation he needed. We dusted off his unused bicycle, and within a day, he learned how to start, stop, and ride all over the back yard unassisted. Amazing. A great week indeed.

I had to go to San Francisco for the majority of the week, but would talk to Trevor each night and ask if he learned how to ride standing up on the pedals yet. He hadn't. But my wife told me the next day that Trevor started getting up early in the morning and was practicing riding before school. How cool is that!

As of Saturday, he is up on the pedals and able to hill climb. He has achieved mobility, and we have thrown away the diaper pail. Life is good :-)

Golf is Addicting

2005-09-18T18:33:00.000-07:00

Something my father has known for years now, but I'm starting to become a believer. Yes, I've golfed now. Exactly three times, in three tournaments. I've gotten quite good...at picking partners :-) I really like the "Best Ball" format!

My Son the Mad Genius

2005-09-12T23:15:00.000-07:00

Look what Trevor built:

RAID 0 = zero

2005-09-11T17:59:00.000-07:00

My home machine is set up with 3 hard drives. Two of them are high speed 10,000 rpm SATA drives configured in a RAID 0 format. This means that the computer writes 50% of the data to both disks simultaneously. If I have a 100MB file, 50MB would be written to disk 0, with the other 50% written to disk 1. This makes the process of reading and writing the hard drives VERY fast.

But alas, when one of these disks becomes unstable, life gets seriously disrupted. I'm currently in the process of a hard drive failure. It's really annoying. Periodically, my computer will go from running full steam ahead to a black all loss of power screen, in the blink of an eye. When I view the system logs, it tells me that it encountered a bad block of memory.

Then this weekend the system refused to boot up at all. The BIOS would start, but the RAID array controller would start to panic, and report that disk 0 was offline. Thus ending that boot sequence. I kept trying though, perhaps about 50 times. This went on for a while, until I finally called for Tech Support. The nice Hindu Indian sounding woman suggested I tried rebooting. With teeth clenched to prevent a sarcastic comment about rebooting for the nTH time, I pushed the button.

I'll be darned if the thing didn't start right back up again as if nothing had ever happened. The Indian woman spoke English well enough to laugh at me. And then she suggested I do a full backup immediately, and darn it, she's right.

It's always a bit humbling to do a full backup. After about 6 DVD's of data, you begin to wonder, "Do I really need all this crap?"

I hope I never find out.

A lost cause?

2005-08-21T23:46:00.000-07:00

Not too long ago I tried my hand at Graphic Design for a Pastor friend of ours. This does not come easy to me, but I stuck with it. This is what I came up with:

After that, I went on to make a little sample site for him:

Alas, he seems to have gone a different direction. His new site offers a bit of eye candy, but there is very little content, and the code...oh the code. It's ugly, so very ugly. It actually caused my FireFox browser to crash when I clicked on "About Us". Sigh.... I shall pray for him :-)

Great Advice

2005-08-14T15:07:00.000-07:00

Psalm 23 (New King James Version)

¹ The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
² He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
³ He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

Thanks Gideo, for the reminder.

Getting Older

2005-08-07T20:20:00.000-07:00

So my Brother calls to tell me, "Congradulations, you're half way to 70."

Thanks Bro.

We're Back from the Sierra's

2005-08-07T20:04:00.000-07:00

Well, we are back from Mammoth and Yosemite. It was fantastic. 900+ photos to wade through now, and 1657 emails waiting for me.

Here is a teaser:
Mammoth Lakes, CA (Lake Mary)

And here is a shot from Yosemite, somewhere along the trail to the top of Lehmbert Dome.

More coming. Many more.....

Need to update my updates

2005-07-25T18:50:00.000-07:00

Wow, been a little while since my last entry. Life has been fastforwarded again. Every time it looks like I might catch up, God hit's the Turbo button , and zooommmm....life resumes it's normal blurry pace.

I saw "War of the Worlds" not too long ago. Liked it, really depressing though. I would have liked to see the story told from a military or macro-governmental viewpoint. I did not like the fact that no mention of God occurred anywhere, until the very end when Morgan Freeman's voice informs us that God, in His wisdom, created little bugs to protect us from aliens. Hmmm.... I think Carl Sagan's "Contact" with Jodie Foster handled that issue so much more meaningfully.

Also saw "Timeline", stupid! and Coupling - Season One, which we thought was hilarious. If you like NBC's "Friends" and don't mind a bit of vulgarity, Coupling is definitely funny.

I've read a few books in recent weeks. Mostly Gregory Benford and Ben Bova style of science fiction novels, as well as a thoroughly enjoyable new issue of Sharpe's Battles from the brilliant Bernard Cornwell, called "Sharpe's Devil". While somewhat on a B.Cornwell kick, I read his Arthur trilogy, Winter King, Enemy of God, and Excaliber. All highly enjoyable, though somewhat bloody, but in keeping with the era. Bernard Cornwell is a master researcher, and I greatly appreciate his skill and craft at weaving his knowledge into whatever he writes.

Next up: I've been commissioned to work on a new website via NextStepDesigns, and I'm helping to revamp the corporate intranet at my day job, yet again.

But first, we are heading to Mammoth and then to Yosemite for our annual pilgrimage to the High Sierra's.

There, okay Internet, that should keep you for a while. If you find yourself needing more, check out that wacky heather at www.dooce.com. As funny as she is, after reading her site I appreciate my wife that much more :-)

Kristen Graduates!

2005-06-18T20:09:00.000-07:00

Kudos to my little sister for pulling it together and graduating with style:

Geoff took a photo during Kristen's High School graduation that really captivates me. This is an image that I suspect Kristen will dislike, but to me, it captures her essence. In this photo, you see Kristen as she was as a little girl, and as she will be far later in life. I think years from now, she will come to really appreciate this photo...