What AM I doing after all?

Since it's been a while since I last posted, I thought I'd give an update.

During basement excavation, I took a fancy to a C128 that I'd known was down there for a while, but it only now occurred to me that it could be useful after my dad started it. "Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1977". Wow. It's complete with two 5.25" disk drives and a 1902 monitor which, I've read, is a sight better than the usual monitor found on the 128. I plan to use it for learning very elementary C, just so I can say I know how. That, and it's interesting.

I have not been to any car shows lately, since it simply hasn't been on anyone's mind and Shelby is dirty. Hopefully my dad and I will get it cleaned up and take it to the 4th of July weekend show in the mall parking lot (which is huge, but not smooth enough for burnouts/achieving time-travel velocity. Darn).

Certain individuals (not me) will be of full-license age soon, and an automobile purchase is being considered for this person to use for driving to class and back, as well as a general family vehicle. Some vehicles were ruled out during our search, such as the Mazda3 (lousy MPG), Mazda2 (lousy MPG and scummy sales guys), and the 2012 Hyundai Accent (no road grip during switchback maneuvering). The top two at the moment are the Hyundai Elantra and the Ford Fiesta. Not directly comparable, but the Fiesta is a magenta SES with leather and the works, including the voice command system. The local dealer has had it on their lot forever, and they can't sell it.

In stark contrast, it's getting hard to find any Elantras at all, simply because they sell so well. No specific car is in mind, but it would probably be ordered instead of picked from dealer stock anyway. Nonnegotiable points are an automatic transmission and a visible color (i.e. no silver, no gray, no white, no black). The prospective primary driver hates red on cars, so that's out. This essentially leaves the 2012 Indigo Night, as the equivalent blue for 2011 is too dark.

You can tell we're very specific.

In any event, I can't root for either car. The Elantra is by far the more spacious car, with enough interior room for me to stretch my legs out in the rear seat when the front is pulled forward. It also obtains superior fuel economy, at 29/40 versus 28/38 for the Fiesta in question. It also allows the seats to fold flat, creating a disturbing amount of space. However, the Fiesta is much sportier, and I prefer the interior even with the lack of seat room. I imagine the Fiesta's size might prove to its advantage in city traffic, but the Elantra Limited with the Technology Package has a rearview camera, which could balance that out during parking. Even without the camera, the Elantra's rear visibility is average, whereas with the headrests up, the Fiesta may as well not even have a rear window.

Enough of my ranting, however. One of these days I'll buy a 40-pack of AA batteries and start taking pictures again. Until then, I'll have to sign off.