My Trophy Car

Easter – not only a caloric religious holiday but also the time of the New York International Auto Show. I’ve been going for many years although it isn’t one of the really important events car buffs don’t want to miss. But it’s as good as it gets around here, so why not? Five years ago I decided to try out my new digital camera on the occasion, and I submitted a few pictures to a German car website (also new at the time) named Carspotting. And would you know it? One of my pictures shot to #1 of the most viewed pictures and has since stayed there with over 300,000 views and counting. Counting, but counting slow because in all honesty I don’t think the site is doing so well. But that’s besides the point.

The trophy picture? Here it is – a “bumblebee” yellow Chevrolet Camaro. Which might surprise you as it surprised me. Neither is the picture special in any way, nor is the car something people take much notice of over here. Which goes to prove that Germany’s romantic relationship with the American Way of Life is still alive and well. A relationship frequently expressed through admiration combined with a shaking of the head. Hard to explain, but it’s there.

So what is the picture I liked best? Here it is: a detail of the then also new Audi R8 (yes, five years ago, time flies…) which I thought combined the white car with the red background in a great way. Oddly, the website has a second scale of “most voted for” pictures, and it emerged on that scale just a year ago. I believe this scale doesn’t even take into account whether people like or dislike an image, it just counts the votes. But what the heck. Seeing it there made me happier than topping the other list – I remember waiting forever to get a clean shot the way I wanted it with all the people there.

I have now decided to never look at this website again – it made me happy while it lasted but, like the Camaro, it’s getting stale and it is time to move on. So while this blog has no deeper meaning or message than this it will serve me as reminder of my decision. The blog, and the repeat I did on the Audi. Five years later and it’s still looking pretty hot, don’t you think?

Apple vs Microsoft – College Kid meets Manager

If you have been using Microsoft products (Windows, Office etc.) for a long time like I have then you will have accrued similar grudges. Grudges about stuff that didn’t work right, mostly. Stuff like insanely long boot times, blue screens, cryptic error messages and such. What did it for me was Microsoft’s failure to acknowledge the mobile world in time. I was probably among the first (and few) people to try Windows Mobile back at the beginning of this century (does that make me sound old?). It was a disaster, also because the hardware wasn’t ready for it, crashed quite frequently and had only sporadic reception. So after an era of PDAs (if that means anything to you) I skipped future iterations of Windows Mobile by using Android once it emerged, only to find myself struggling with third party software to synchronize my calendar, address book, to-dos, notes and such. Plus the smart phone I bought (Samsung) was buggy which became even less bearable when the manufacturer didn’t care about my problems (where have we heard that recently?). So in summer last year I bit the Apple, and was promptly evicted from the paradise I didn’t know I lived in.

Apple products, as you may have experienced by yourself already, are very nice to look at. Aesthetically designed, sleek, shiny, and all around cool. Given my mix of travel and office time I decided for a lightweight MacBook Air which I combined with a Thunderbolt display, keyboard and mouse, plus an iPhone. Listing every single detail I had issues with would make this blog the longest I’ve ever written, so I will try to summarize. If you are pondering a switch then feel free to connect with me, and I’ll be more specific.

Hardware

There is a gap between the perceived quality of the hardware and the actual quality. My first iPhone had several issues causing it to fail altogether after some time. My second one works fine. The standard Bluetooth keyboard is flimsy and, like the mouse, devours batteries. The MacBook air will neither connect to a projector without an adapter nor is it easy (or inexpensive) to find a remote control that will handle PowerPoint presentations. Plugging in memory sticks will produce random results ranging from “unable to read” to “read only”, and you get a stern-screened message if you unplug any such device without ejecting it beforehand. All these features are things I rely on at conferences and meetings which I do a lot of. And I couldn’t.

On the upside, provided that you’ve bought into the Apple culture with an iPod, iPhone and such being able to just connect them to anything in the house is fun. Since Apple products have uniform connectors (ignoring their recent move to a new format for now) it is easy for manufacturers of cars, stereos etc to provide connectivity. Other phone makers are on the move to standardization but it will take a few more years for this to be reflected in the market.

Software

On the software side, customers seem to have accepted that what Apple makes is crap. So they buy third party programs to overcome whatever shortcoming they experience. I went with many of the default applications in the beginning and have to say I enjoyed how seamlessly they synchronized between phone and computer, something I had issues with all along while trying to get Outlook to talk to my Android phone. In today’s world with Windows 8 running on both sides this is of course not an issue anymore. The Apple standard apps (calendar, address book and notes) are indeed pretty basic but I managed.  Not having widgets on phone nor computer anymore was odd. The MacBook has an extra screen designed to hold widgets but I always found that lame and ended up not using it.

I kept using MS Office (except for Outlook) and after 9 months of trying I still have a hard time remembering all those keyboard shortcuts which can be hidden under either  ”control”, “option” or “command”. There are some context menus but they are a lot less useful than in the Windows versions. A rather big issue was file organization: in default mode, Apple’s “Finder” will list the entire contents of a folder alphabetically – including subfolders. In Windows Explorer, subfolders are always listed first which makes finding a document quite simple. On the Mac, you can switch to “by type” mode but that will also group the rest of the files by type. My file names are combinations of Project Name / Date / File Description and I don’t discriminate by the software they were created in. Which forced me to adjust to the software rather than the other way around. Last not least, MS Access will not run on a Mac, and the performance of FileMaker Pro – which I bought and tried – is no match for it. Since nobody else in the business world uses FileMaker in the first place I was forced to run MS Access on a separate machine on my desk. Not good.

My biggest quarrel was, however, the way in which every single program’s top level menu is placed on top of the screen rather than staying with the program window. So to access specific features you have to look in places outside of the program – if you work on two screens like me this may easily mean that the feature you’re looking for is on the other screen. I’ll never get my head around that.

I still maintain that iTunes is the worst piece of software ever written but I’ll leave this topic out since it wasn’t part of my current Apple experience.

I could go on for hours about minor things; what often happens is that someone will come along and say: “did you try this?”, hop in a circle three times, and it’s done. But I just expect things to be more obvious and intuitive, especially from the inventor of the iPod. The single most important reason I can think of for buying Apple hardware is the available support from the many stores you find all over the country, and in fact all around the world. As it turns out, however, they’ll help you only so far before asking for more money. And since it’s Apple you don’t really have anywhere else to go to.

With all that said I still have no regrets having tried – while having used Microsoft powered products since DOS 6.0 checking out a Mac had always been on my bucket list. So now it’s out of my system and I am going back with a great sigh of relief. And the residual value of my Apple gear will easily cover the cost of my new equipment.

My BMW ActiveE – The Final Chapter

Probably the most unusual car I have driven in my life. One of those cars you like not despite its flaws, but because of them. Not having much trunk space, for instance. Not being able to go everywhere you want. Not having a lot of interior room either. Not getting the advertised range out of it, a little over 80 miles vs 100 miles as it were. I liked it a lot, and I am sad to see it go. But it had to go. It had to go because this last flaw turned from an “oh well” flaw into an “OMG” flaw in recent months when temperatures came down. Our low point was 76 miles at one time and the general consensus among Electronauts is that doing more than 70 miles means pushing it in this weather.

My second, equally sad experience was that the ActiveE “field trial” seems to be a rather poorly managed program. BMW gave its customers an online forum for discussions but the really interesting things happen in the customer-driven Facebook group, as I found out just recently. Communication from BMW is limited to gimmicks, video sessions with happy Electronauts and glances at future products while there is little to no feedback on the project itself, the mysterious “software updates” they make or any kind of incremental improvement going into our cars. Au contraire, when my first breakdown occurred, instead of getting sympathy I got a very German answer: Ve tested se car. It does 80 miles so suck it up! (I am paraphrasing of course, including the exclamation mark). When I challenged the author to prove it I heard nothing but the chirping of crickets.

“Electronauts” are the most hardcore fans of the BMW brand. They are pioneers, they are mavens and they are definitely avid communicators. Many have blogs that amplify the message, and they have all gladly invested in this project.   Being asked “How is the ‘Kaputt’?” (which happened to me) is not nice when this is your personality profile, and you feel left alone with your problems.

This project is marking the brand’s third attempt of creating an image of environmental conscience in recent history. First there was the “Hydrogen 7″ that has yet to go anywhere; then came the “Active Hybrids” failing to perform better than their standard counterparts, and now there is the electric car program which is on it’s way into a very uncertain future - “Mission Impossible” was probably a bad omen. To this day, the TechSpecs on the web promise a range of 100 miles and safe trips from my home town to Philadelphia or Scranton that will never happen. Yes, there is fine print like in ads for weight loss products saying “results may vary”, but come on – that’s not what you tell an M5 buyer about horsepower either. It is this perception of a particular attitude that makes it so hard to believe future iterations of this concept will be any different. Why not be honest, why not admit to the flaws? The myth might have suffered, but the trust would have remained.

It is important to know that other “Electronauts” have different emotions about the experience. Most notably Tom Moloughney who just wrote a very interesting summary of his first year in his ActiveE. I am bringing this up to put my rant into perspective: there are people for whom the Active E makes a lot of sense. But note that Tom uses his car to commute from A to B and back every day – same purpose, same distance, with a charging station at each end. This is what the car was built for. And it’s what it does best.

Bottom line? Like Tom Moloughney I am convinced that electric cars are the future. Check out Tom’s earlier blog on how he added photovoltaic cells to the roof of his house for maximum effect. Local / decentralized energy production is a critical component for these cars to make sense. I predict that in 10-20 years from now homes will have their own fuel cells for energy production (which is where fuel cells belong – wrong idea for a car). The loss of power in transport will be near zero equalling additional “free” energy. I can also confirm Tom’s calculation of fuel expenses: the direct cost of my ActiveE was about 1/3 of what a gasoline powered car would have cost. A recent study in Germany also indicates that – despite of having to replace the main battery after 5-8 years – the overall cost of maintenance of electric cars is about 30% lower compared to a conventional vehicle; mainly due to the absence of moving engine and transmission parts and the use of kinetic energy recovery breaking systems. I still think there should be 4 motors, one at each wheel, batteries in the bottom, Tesla style, to refine the idea and to address the torque issues but that’s a topic for another day. So stay tuned for my next electric car adventure (although this may take a while…).

The End of School Shootings

Another tragedy… and while people are grieving and consoling each other one thing is for certain: it will happen again. Those who go beyond grieving, and others with an agenda, are already discussing “why” with the same conclusions as always. Conclusions that never change anything. Tragedies like this happen everywhere in the world, but nowhere do they appear to happen as frequently as in the United States. So the question is indeed: what differentiates this country from the others where school shootings are extremely rare?

Guns and video games are prime suspects. It’s true, Americans are as much in love with their guns as Germans are with speed-limit free autobahns, so no politician will touch the second amendment any time soon. But I’d have to go with Michael Moore who, in “Bowling for Columbine”, discovered that Canadians own an equally large per-capita amount of guns, and they don’t go on killing sprees.

Do computer games desensitize? I’ve played them for decades and the answer is a resounding “no”. Most people (and kids, for that matter) can handle the difference between life and fiction very well. On top, it would seem like kids in Asia spend even more time in front of such games without noticeable effect to their social behavior (except that playing these games isn’t a social activity) so that’s not the answer either.

Neither disarming the country nor banning violent computer games will resolve the issue; nor are they attainable goals to begin with. So what is the solution? I strongly believe that the answer lies in the country’s acceptance of violence as a means of conflict resolution. Violence in all areas of life outside the house; an economic system where the winner takes it all, Monopoly style; a political system built on military dominance and bullying; a movie industry thinking forever of news disasters, villains, and heroes; and a public under 24/7 surveillance by ever-present authorities, too numerous to even know them all. To reconcile all this, the only bastion for a child is family. Family, a refuge of unconditional love, trust and freedom from physical harm. Alas, as German criminologist Christian Pfeiffer reports in the “Neue Presse” newspaper, only 15% of children in the USA grow up without physical punishment or violence. For comparison, this number is 64% in Germany (still shamefully low, I thought) and 80-90% in Scandinavia. Psychologists and criminologists all over Europe have discovered that experiences of violent behavior are directly correlated to the acceptance of violence in a person’s later adult life.

If that’s indeed established then the answer would be for this country to put its best psychologists to work, send them around the world to study other countries, and then have them lay out a master plan for non-violence on all levels of society, and to eliminate the presence of violence in families. It’s not a quick fix, in fact it may take generations, but I am quite sure it’s the answer. We can not bring the innocent victims back to life and we can’t save those who will die next year, but maybe we can save one of them, and then two the year after…. If you want to harvest fruit, plant a tree you must. Let’s do it! And of course there is a simple thing almost anyone can do to make a change today: if you’ve been hurting your kids for whatever reason, stop doing so right now. There is always a smarter way.

BMW Active E – E for Empty?

Last week, BMW gave their chosen ActiveE customers a glance at their next generation “electric” vehicles. At an event in New York City the company presented their latest prototypes of the i3 and i8 which they say will be sold as an entirely separate sub brand, much like their “M” cars. I didn’t quite make it in time but my son did, and after listening to what he learned I am glad I didn’t waste my time.

BMW presented both their i3 4-door hatchback and the i8 sports car which will be available as a coupe and a roadster starting 2014. Typically, prototypes like the “Vision” they showed off at various car shows around the world for the past 2 years get toned down and become more practical over time. The i3 and i8, however, are evolving into objects that are borderline goofy, and that don’t even qualify as electric cars. I consider them to be complete failures, and I am very disappointed in my favorite car maker. Here is why:

Unlike Tesla, for example, who keep pushing the envelope in terms of range, BMW have apparently resigned and turned towards covering up their lack of innovation by going all flashy on the outside. I’ll come to that later. Fact of the matter is that my ActiveE never lived up to its 100 mile range as advertised, and only the biggest enthusiasts still care bringing their numbers up to that level. Truth is that if you drive the car like a BMW is meant to be driven, you’ll end up with a little over 80 miles in range.

On paper, 80 miles gets me everywhere I want in terms of short distance destinations. Alas, there is the weather: if its hot you need the air conditioner which depletes the battery; if its cold the battery range drops just because of that; and if it rains the tires find more resistance, and the range goes down. Since there always IS weather out there in real life I have to build a safety cushion into my travel plans, rendering the vehicle almost obsolete.

I realize the Active E is sort of a prototype so I am prepared to forgive (see my previous blogs). What I don’t see happening is an evolutionary process, a gradual improvement in the car’s performance based on user experience, which is what we all signed up for. Au contraire, the new i3 now appears to have the exact same performance data as the Active E; 80-100 miles per charge. Yes, there are two more doors, and there appears to be more interior space. But BMW claim the car is also lighter than the Active E so this doesn’t count as an excuse. Instead, they are offering a range extender (at a surcharge, I am sure) that will give you the peace of mind not to get stranded. This turns the i3 into a Chevy Volt competitor and makes it pretty lame in my book.

So what about the i8? When I first saw it in “Mission Impossible” I immediately wanted one, even after accepting that the cool windshield touch-screen computer was fictional, and that you can’t really drive that fast downtown Mumbai. So what has it become after all those years? A car capable of going 20 miles electric after which a “real” engine kicks in. A car featuring two backup transportation devices (scooters) in back, a car running on tires reminding me of my Toyota Prius. I am sure one of their doctors will explain to us why this doesn’t compromise roadholding and cornering at all. Common sense and five years in a Prius say it does.

Which brings us to appearances: both cars still yell “Look at me!” – the Active E does that in a – comparatively – more subdued way and I have gotten used to the occasional question from fellow motorists. The i3 and i8 are, however, sure to draw a crowd and – similar the Active E – they are built with BMW’s self promotion in mind, not a view to customer preferences. To the company’s credit they did announce more color choices so let’s wait for this detail to be released. Maybe it’s just me, but if someone wants me to promote their product they should pay me for doing so. BMW are counting on their stedfast enthusiasts to pay, and then go out to do their PR. The “Electronaut” welcome kit even included little cards you could hand out to people you met on the road, pointing them to  more information on the car online. Seriously….

I won’t go into color choices since tastes differ, so I’ll just say that subjectively the bright white and blue exterior clashes with the brown interior big time as far as I am concerned. I understand the cows used to make the seats were fed organic food only, and they died happy, but still. Again, I trust there will be choices eventually.

Why the rant? If you haven’t noticed, dear makers of BMW, I like your cars and I care about your brand. I’ve driven BMWs for most of my life and I want to continue doing so. But first there was Bangle and then you started taking strange turns towards poseur cars with engine noise coming from the stereo rather than the exhaust; you are losing your edge on technology by giving the world hybrid cars that you cover under the “i” mantle – what other company does this preface remind me more of than yours? Please wake up, please give your true enthusiasts the cars they want again, and please stop the theatrics. If what I see isn’t what I get then I may not want it anymore in future.

The Gold Vending Machine – a closer look

What to do in Las Vegas when you’re not into gambling? Dive into history! The part of town that started it all is now called the “Freemont Street Experience”. I won’t go into details of the curved roof which is a half-mile screen featuring rock bands every full hour. One of the older casinos around is the “Golden Nugget” where – they claim – the largest golden nugget ever found is on display; a cool 875 troy ounces of gold and well worth seeing.

Opposite of the display we spotted an actual gold vending machine. I blogged about them earlier but so far had never seen one. So what are they like? First impressions first: design and purpose are perfectly aligned: the machine looks and feels solid and golden.

There are two parts to the machine: the actual “business” space and an information panel. Let’s start with the latter: the panel tells you exactly what brands you will get, and who you are getting them from. Given the amount of money involved in each transaction providing this level of detail is crucial. The machines are built and operated by a German company named Ex Oriente Lux AG, a name leaving room for imagination as to its origin and meaning. Alas, their website is http://www.gold-to-go.com which then ruins everything. Both are valid ways to go but I wish they had decided to be consistent on one.

The information panel also tells you the products inside are provided by Credit Suisse and Heraeus, both very credible names in the industry. But then the fine print: “and other producers” leaving all options open again, and softening the promise. I wish they wouldn’t do that.

I am also curious if customers might be deterred by the German customer service number. What if the wrong product comes out, or if any other problem occurs during a transaction? Why is there no domestic customer service available?

Now to the main space which is where you buy products. A great combination of product images and actual samples on display, illuminated individually corresponding to your selection. Current prices are directly on the button so there is no ambiguity. I didn’t go as far as to buy anything so I cannot report about my checkout experience. But it seems like there is great ease of buying an item, the controls are very intuitive.

Bottom line: after having seen the machine I love the business model even more, and I wonder if the company should not deploy the machines more rapidly to high-end shopping malls and other places where people with money go more frequently, and in more familiar environments than amusement areas where neighboring buildings offer “Beef, Booze, Broads”, or airports where the TSA might ask you unpleasant questions regarding the nature of your purchase.

On their website, the company is offering tons of news clips, links, pictures and such, but I was unable to find an annual report that might answer my next question: are they making any money? Ex Oriente Lux is a publicly traded company so reports should become available at some point (or maybe they are, and I overlooked them) so let’s see how they do. At any rate, I love the idea, it’s a German company…. so I wish them tons of good luck with their business model. And I promise, next time I see a machine I’ll buy something.

Life as an Electronaut – My ActiveE

Shame on me – I don’t even deserve that title, and I call myself German. Last weekend was the first time I could actually sit down and look at what other ActiveE owners were doing on the BMW sponsored online forum. Not only did I miss out on a gathering of Electronauts, I was also completely ignorant of all the enthusiasm my fellow Electronauts profess by discussing every aspect of the car, trying to outdo each other in highest mileage driven, longest distance per charge and so on. So what, in absence of all the excitement, has my life been like?

I really miss my trunk. No surprise, but the ActiveE is a single-purpose car clashing with my multi-faceted life. Driving an ActiveE IS a sacrifice in a number of ways. But I knew that, I agreed, so I’ll stop whining. Still wish they’d chosen an X5 as the base vehicle.

Other than my fellow Electronauts I am playing it safe: Anything above 80 miles total driving distance is out. I have neither the time nor the curiosity to look for charging stations elsewhere – my car can not dictate or slow down my daily schedule. Its purpose is to serve me, not the other way round. So sorry, my fellow Electronauts, I truly admire your enthusiasm, but I am not playing.

On the upside, I’ve never been so much at the center of attention (on public roads) as I am now. I frequently get the “thumbs up” from other drivers ranging from commercial vans to exotic sports cars. Takes some getting used to – at first I kept asking myself “Do I know you?”, but it’s all just part of my day by now. I wonder if I will miss this one day – would you? Alas, with great bling comes great responsibility: what are the odds of me dissolving into the crowd like my grey Prius did (no, I don’t want it back)? What are the odds of people remembering exactly who just misbehaved (allegedly…), speeded, went through a “Jersey Yellow” light and such? It may be paranoia but I am actually driving more consciously now, knowing that I am probably not going to wiggle my way out of any incident like that.

So it’s a social event, mostly:

• The security lady at the gate of a parking lot I frequently use making it a point of keeping the prime spot reserved for me so she can enjoy the view (letting her sit in the car once probably helped);
• The valet forgetting to take his tip because he was temporarily enjoying his job a lot;
• The fellow at the car wash exit taking periodical abuse (in Spanish, luckily) from his coworkers because he still hasn’t figured out how to start the car (subsequent cars pile up surprisingly quickly, I noticed);
• Other drivers taking pictures, honking their horns or telling me at stop lights how much they wanted to get this car.

It would be wrong to say that I am not having fun driving my ActiveE. I like the stereo, the feeling of sitting in a “real” car again after my Prius Years, but mostly the sensation of the electric drive with little noise and little need for using the break pedal. In fact, I have a feeling I don’t want to go back to a gasoline powered car – ever. So I guess I’ll continue to be the “everyday Electronaut” who goes about doing the things he used to, minus the gas.