HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: curtis@achilles.ctd.anl.gov (Jeffrey S. Curtis)
Subject: Re: Laser Detectors - How do they work?
Organization: Argonne National Laboratory
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1992 14:58:07 GMT

In article <1992Jul22.193241.13603@stiatl.salestech.com>, cbm@stiatl.salestech.com (Chris Medders) writes:
|> I read on the net a couple of months ago that either Motor Trend, Car & Driver,
|> or Road & Track tested the new laser gun and was able to elude it completely
|> *twice* !  Again, this was a couple of months ago & I'm not sure of the 
|> magazine (May or June issue, 1992) but the test car was painted black, the
|> chrome had been covered with black electrical tape (& all other "shiny" 
|> surfaces), and the lights (head & tail) were covered.  This reportedly left
|> only the wheels/rear-view mirrors to target which gave false readings.  If
|> anyone else remembers reading this article, please add your comments...

I was the one who posted the information on that.  It was taken from
Car & Driver, May 1992 issue (if I recall correctly).  Almost everything
you said is accurate; I'm not so sure about the wheel/rear-view mirrors
giving a false reading part, but can't remember the article entirely.

Jeff
--
       Jeffrey S. Curtis         | Internet: curtis@anl.gov
Computing and Telecommunications | BITnet:   curtis at anlvm
  Argonne National Laboratory    | X.400:    /PN=Jeffrey.Curtis/O=olivia
        +1 708/252-5031          |           /PRMD=anl/ADMD= /C=US/
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: kenny@osf.org (Kenneth Crudup)
Subject: Re: Who gets to buy a sports car?
Organization: Open Software Foundation
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 03:07:31 GMT

In article <367FoB10w165w@major.panix.com> dos@major.panix.com
(Dave O'Shea) writes:
>They couldn't figure out a name, and someone slammed their hand on a 
>keyboard in frustration: h2f5T asdfX4% XR4Ti #r&H5. Lo and behold.

:-)

-- 
Kenneth R. Crudup, Contractor, OSF DCE QA
OSF, 11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142	+1 617 621 7306
kenny@osf.osf.org			OSF has nothing to do with this post.
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: jimf@centerline.com (Jim Frost)
Subject: Re: how much insurance increases
Organization: CenterLine Software, Inc.
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 20:36:27 GMT

mb7s@fermi.clas.Virginia.EDU (Mikhail  Boukhny) writes:
>P.S. Are there any ways to influence the decision of insurance company.

You can usually drop the insurance rate by upping the deductable.
That of course has drawbacks.

About the only other way I know to influence your insurance rates is
to switch to a different company because they generally set rates
based on predetermined tables (or state regulations in MA, which means
that even switching companies doesn't get you anything).  Different
companies may use different tables so their rates can differ but I've
never heard of anyone striking a bargain with an insurance company.
Remember that insurance is usually mandatory so it's a seller's
market....

jim frost
jimf@centerline.com
From: moudgill@cs.cornell.edu (Mayan Moudgill)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
Subject: Yet another ticket question...
Date: 22 Jul 92 21:43:11 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Cornell Univ. CS Dept, Ithaca NY 14853

I have some questions about how to go about fighting a ticket, and
I'd like to ask the collective wisdom of the net :)
I'd really, really appreciate some advice.

I was recently given a ticket for 59 in a 40 on a highway in NY.
I don't usually speed more than speed limit + 5-8.
On that day (because of weather conditions), I'm certain I wasn't doing that,
so I decided to fight the ticket. I mailed in the usual form, asking for
a written deposition. What I got back told be zip more than the actual
ticket. It said the deponent had clocked me doing 59 in a 40 at so and so
place in car with so and so licence plate. And that was it. It said it
was a "simplified" form.
    Is there some way of getting more info prior to the trial?

One of the reasons why I am *SURE* I was nowhere near that speed (or even
over the speed limit) was that visibility was down to 15-20m due to fog.
    Could fog interfere with radar readings?

Also, the place where I was stopped was in the middle of the village, in a
30 mile zone. The nearest 40 mile zone is about .5 miles down the road.
There are several roads between that point and where I was stopped,
including an alternate to the highway I was on.
    Could he have clocked somebody else, missed him, and got me?

I'm still waiting on my trial date.
    What should I know about what happens at the trial?

There are supposed to be some self-help books on the subject of defending
oneself in such a situation.
    Can somebody reccomend a good one?

Thanks a lot,
:)
Mayan
(moudgill@cs.cornell.edu)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: jimb@access.digex.com (Jim Brooking)
Subject: Re: Safe Driving
Organization: National Commitee to Keep Slower Traffic Right
Distribution: ca
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1992 14:58:51 GMT

In article <1992Jul24.154246.4427@Celestial.COM> bill@Celestial.COM (Bill Campbell) writes:
>In <1992Jul21.045845.9203@informix.com> aland@informix.com (Colonel Panic) writes:
>
>:Exactly which cars are these?  Air resistance is the chief culprit in
>:mileage decrease at high speed.  I seriously doubt that any car has been
>:proven to get better mileage at 65-80 than 55.  Do you have any research 
>:that backs this claim?
>
>I used to work on a Lotus Elan that got it's best gas mileage at
>80MPH.  It had a Broadspeed prepared BDA Cosworth that put out
>about 215HP at 8,500 RPM on the dyno.  It wouldn't run well at
>all below 3,500 which was well over 70MPH in top gear.  This was
>your basic F2 engine -- steel crank, dry sump, good exhaust
>system dumping into a muffler that had almost no effect.  This
>was the fastest ``street'' machine I've ever driven.
>
>Bill

>SPEED COSTS MONEY -- HOW FAST DO YOU WANT TO GO?
                      ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^   FAST!  8^)

I thought this up recently.  Think of yourself trying to push a large
heavy object.  It's harder to push it slowly than to pick up some
speed and push it.  Wouldn't the same be true of an engine?  I.E.,
once you overcome friction and get some inertia going, your engine
has to work less.  Physics people?  What about it?


--
jimb@access.digex.com  | (Cage) 1991 323se     ZCP-710   |     Comus Road
Merry Land (MD) U.S.A. | (Bike) 1986 GSXR750    (sold)   |     ClarksBURG
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Riding with your feet on the passenger pegs places your body at the perfect
angle for maximum penetration into the frames of most automobiles!  X^(
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: jimf@centerline.com (Jim Frost)
Subject: Re: Who gets to buy a sports car?
Organization: CenterLine Software, Inc.
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 17:09:33 GMT

naze@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Daniel J Naze) writes:
>>>>> Nope-- the Sentra is much too nice a car for anyone who doesn't
>>>>> appreciate cars-- the bottom of the line ought to be a Hyundai Excel
>>>>> (or similiarly-unpowered car)
>>>>
>>>>I resent that!  Getting an Excel up to 70 does make you appreciative.
>>> 
>>> Yeah, of the long downgrade :-)
>>> 
>>And the tailwind...
>>

>  Have any of you people ever driven an excel??????? [...]
>The car cruises easily and quietly at 75 mph(EVEN WITH A HEADWIND) and 
>still delivers 38 mpg.

I have.  You're right, it'll do 75mph without a lot of problems
(except that it's rather skittish).  It will be straining at 85 and I
never managed to get it to 90 -- maybe I just wasn't patient enough.
I drove two different model years -- 85 and 88 I think -- and both
exhibited identical performance.

At 80mph the car was *not* solid and I didn't like driving it that
fast although that's my preferred highway speed.

jim frost
jimf@centerline.com
From: sar1952@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu (Steven A Rubin)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
Subject: Re: Insurance (Geico) Questions
Keywords: Comprehensive Claims
Date: 31 Jul 92 20:31:45 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: HAC - Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore

This is GEICO's way of telling you that they don't like to pay out
claims.  They can't legally raise your rates or drop you for no
reason, so they just like to use these little scare tactics to make
you feel like you are a horribe driver and that they are doing you a
big favor by taking your money.

This would be a great time to switch to another insurance company.
Actually, any time is a great time to switch from GEICO so someone
else!
After you do switch, I would send SleazeCo a letter telling them just
why you switched and how much you hate their company.  If you need
help with this, I will be glad to assisst you.
From: macman+@pitt.edu (Dennis H Lippert)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
Subject: Re: Minivan Maniacs
Date: 24 Jul 92 16:14:58 GMT
Organization: University of Pittsburgh

In article <1992Jul19.231211.15909@wuecl.wustl.edu> c31002wb@jezebel.wustl.edu (William Burris) writes:

>I also found that the cruise control won't lock-in above 85 mph - actually,
>it will lock-in at 90mph but will drop back to 85 mph for some reason.
>FYI, the speedometer goes up to 130 mph on the Caravan - why that is I
>have no idea.

That's for those of us who have the non-grand version with the 4-cylinder
Turbo.  On the auto trans it'll hit 90 in second (3-speed) so 130 might
not be *too* far-fetched.

For the record, our 1984 2.2 5-speed Voyager could do over 100... the
turbo's got 50% more horses (albiet, speed gobbles those horses *real*
fast...)

And yes, the turbos are noticeably quicker than even the 3.3 V6 vans.
-- 
===============================================================================
Dennis Lippert - macman@unix.cis.pitt.edu
The "Mac Maniac" operator at the Hillman Research Lab - Univ. of Pittsburgh
- all comments are mine, don't use them without proper identification.
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: khan@mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu (Scott Coleman)
Subject: Re: Men and Women drivers :-)
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Sat, 25 Jul 1992 14:25:09 GMT

dan@Ingres.COM (Daniel J. Dick) writes:

>A year or so ago, if we were driving along peacefully and saw an arrogant
>idiot tailgating, racing, and pushing someone around on the freeway, I would
>tantellize and irritate the person mercilessly, get him to tailgate me,
>slow down until he turned on his bright lights, turn my center mirror to shine
>his light back into his eyes for a minute or two, and then blow him away on
>the straight away.  Then I would let him catch up just before a curve and
>watch him move as though he were going to pass me, and then I would blow him
>away in the curve, but only enough to keep him chasing me until the point
>where I had previously seen cops hide out, and then I would slow down just
>before that point and watch him zoom ahead.  And, my wife cheered me on.

Highway vigilantes are the lowest form of life. :-(

--
Scott Coleman                                                    tmkk@uiuc.edu

Free Advice: It is inadvisable to read Bush's lips at an official banquet.
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: wcscses2@alfred.carleton.ca (Geoff Hamer)
Subject: Re: Laser Detectors - How do they work?
Organization: Carleton University
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 15:54:43 GMT

In <1992Jul20.203036.1149@r-node.gts.org> singh@r-node.gts.org (Rajendra Singh) writes:

>Hi:

>The local law enforcement agencies around here are currently testing
>these laser speed detection devices, and I wanted to know how they work.
>Can someone shed some light on the subject PLEASE?

>How much does one cost?  I don't suppose they make a laser and radar
>detector in one they?

>Raj

Laser speed detectors work on the same principles as a regular radar
detector.. after all light is just a radio signal at a much higher
frequency. The biggest difference is that a laser speed detector can
be aimed at one single car among a group. This cannot be done with a
radar detector because the radio signal isn't in a narrow beam.

The advantage to a police officer is that he/she can now know exactly
which car he/she is timing. With radar the gun only gives the speed of
the vehicle with the largest radar profile.

The disadvantage to the driver is that since the laser beam is very
narrow and cannot travel a great distance there is no "stray"
radiation to be detected. If you were able to build a Laser-detector
it would only be able to tell you when your specific car is being
targeted... this of course is too late. The only way I can figure you
might be able to battle such a system is if you had a high strength
infra-red light (the current laser systems use infra-red lasers)
source hidden in the grill of your car. This sourse could be used to
'jam' the relected IR signal. (incidently, there are such systems on
the market for existing radar technology)

One more plus, these systems are VERY expensive at this time.
Therefore there aren't many states and provinces using it. This is
bound to change in the near future.

          _
          Geoff
From: vail@tegra.COM (Johnathan Vail)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
Subject: Re: Radio interference with radar units
Date: 21 Jul 92 18:06:26 GMT
Followup-To: rec.autos.driving
Organization: Tegra, Inc., Billerica, MA
In-reply-to: njs@scifi.uucp's message of 21 Jul 92 02:36:40 GMT


In article <1992Jul21.023640.3979@scifi.uucp> njs@scifi.uucp (Nicholas J. Simicich) writes:

   A friend of mine was doing 45 in a 45 zone the other day, while
   talking on his ham radio.

   Next thing he knows, he has been pulled over for 59 in a 45.  He
   firmly believes he wasn't speeding (I've ridden with this guy, he
   typically drives the speed limit) and I believe him.

   He has heard of cases where radar evidence has been thrown out of
   court due to interference from vehicles which were broadcasting at the
   time they were clocked, on CB radios.  He feels that if radars can be
   fooled by a 5 watt CB, they are likely to get pushed around by 50
   watts of 2 meter.

   Does anyone know any specifics?  If so, please mail me at the below
   addresses. 

First ask these questions:

Are you %100 sure you weren't speeding?

Was there other factors that may have led to an erroneous reading?
Things like other traffic before or behind, etc.


I know someone who did beat a speeding ticket on just this point.
Apparently some of the radar units use an IF that falls right into the
amateur 2 meter band.  He was able to show mathematically how the
frequency he was using would show an apparent doppler shift.  He was
also using a lot of power at the time.

In his case his professional credentionals were enough to be
convincing in court.  In your friend's case is he going to be able
to show his case convincingly?  Remember that you may be innocent
until proven guilty but radar and the cop's word are generally
accepted as evidence so that puts the ball back in your court.

good luck, jv



"Fickt nicht mit der Raketemensch!"
 _____
|     | Johnathan Vail     vail@tegra.com     (508) 663-7435
|Tegra| jv@n1dxg.ampr.org    N1DXG@448.625-(WorldNet)
 -----  MEMBER: League for Programming Freedom (league@prep.ai.mit.edu)


Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: mds8539@tamuts.tamu.edu (Michael David Slater         )
Subject: Re: Minivan Maniacs
Organization: ~/lib/organization
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1992 21:45:16 GMT

In article <1992Jul30.165857.5214@wuecl.wustl.edu> c31002wb@jezebel.wustl.edu (William Burris) writes:
>
>
>Well I guess I should point out that I only travel at such idiotic speeds
>when the road is clear of traffic.  This is usually traveling late at night/
>early in the morning or on rarely used stretches of  highway where there 
>isn't a town for hundreds of miles.  I think putting my own life at risk is
>my choice (albeit stupid but...) but endangering the lifes of other motorists
>is not my right.

Oh Joy... Once again another fool who feels he is quite omnipotent, and
possesses driving abilities similar to the Bionic Man.  Is your reaction
time so developed that you can split-second avoid any dangers your 
telescopic, night-vision eyes, illuminated with trillion-candlewatt beams
somehow happen to miss.  Lord knows there are _never_ broken down cars
or wrecks half-on, half-off the road, or any of a number of utterly
unpredictable dangers lurking ahead.

Citizen Burris you are eminently wrong when you say you are putting only
yourself at risk driving, for no reason, like a hellion.  Don't bother
replying to this message with a series of poor, lukewarm delimiters on
your original post ["...but I drive like that etc.. etc... when..."]
I don't buy it and it is complete rubbish.

         
M. David Slater.
From: behanna@phoenix.syl.nj.nec.com (Chris BeHanna)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
Subject: Re: Insurance (Geico) Questions
Keywords: Comprehensive Claims
Date: 30 Jul 92 16:58:00 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: NEC Systems Laboratory, Inc.

In article <59314@mimsy.umd.edu> jsw@umiacs.umd.edu (Jeff Webber) writes:
>Today I recieved a letter from Geico.  They were pointing out
>that Geico likes to insure safe drivers.  They pointed out that
>we have made several claims recently that were all considered
>not our fault.   They then said that we should still consider
>our driving habits.   
>
>Now my main questions are:
>
>	Is this some kind of warning from Geico that they are
>	going to drop us?
>
>	Is this some kind of warning that they are going to raise
>	our rates?
>
>	What driving habits can I change?  Its not my fault that
>	the citys (especially D.C.) are turning into war zones.

	Take this to mean that GEICO insurance is exactly the fascist,
neo-nazi, profiteering organization that many of us know it to be.  GEICO has
been behind several anti-motorist movements in the past few years, notably:

	o superbike ban

	o mandatory speed governors

	o (probably) photo radar

	Want to strike back?  Join the NMA.

Later,
-- 
Chris BeHanna		DoD# 114      1983 Harley-Davidson FXWG Wide Glide
behanna@syl.nj.nec.com	              1984 Dodge Omni GLH (well, almost)

Disclaimer:  Now why would NEC agree with any of this anyway?
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: mb7s@fermi.clas.Virginia.EDU (Mikhail  Boukhny)
Subject: how much insurance increases?
Organization: University of Virginia
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1992 22:21:20 GMT

Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: bill@Celestial.COM (Bill Campbell)
Subject: Re: Safe Driving
Organization: Celestial Software, Mercer Island, WA
Distribution: ca
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1992 15:42:46 GMT

In <1992Jul21.045845.9203@informix.com> aland@informix.com (Colonel Panic) writes:

:Exactly which cars are these?  Air resistance is the chief culprit in
:mileage decrease at high speed.  I seriously doubt that any car has been
:proven to get better mileage at 65-80 than 55.  Do you have any research 
:that backs this claim?

I used to work on a Lotus Elan that got it's best gas mileage at
80MPH.  It had a Broadspeed prepared BDA Cosworth that put out
about 215HP at 8,500 RPM on the dyno.  It wouldn't run well at
all below 3,500 which was well over 70MPH in top gear.  This was
your basic F2 engine -- steel crank, dry sump, good exhaust
system dumping into a muffler that had almost no effect.  This
was the fastest ``street'' machine I've ever driven.

Bill
-- 
INTERNET:  bill@Celestial.COM   Bill Campbell; Celestial Software
UUCP:   ...!thebes!camco!bill   6641 East Mercer Way
             uunet!camco!bill   Mercer Island, WA 98040; (206) 947-5591
SPEED COSTS MONEY -- HOW FAST DO YOU WANT TO GO?
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving

Re: Hot & drive

Amen to oil check. High RPM sustained operation will give you DIFFERENT
consumption rates than around town. Be very, very suspicious until you
know your use rate. (1 qt in 1000 miles is perfectly normal btw)

In addition to good hoses, belts and fresh coolant, get the radiator cap
pressure tested to ensure it holds the proper pressure.

When shutting down at a rest stop, run the engine at fast idle for a 
minute or two to equalize temps in the engine. Activate the heater for
a small shot of cooler water to help cooldown.

When night driving, if your windshield is picking up lots of bugs, so i
is your radiator. Brush them off every morning. Better yet, use a bug screen
but beware of the added cooling restriction.

I like to play with a scanner while driving....

Ron
Xref: sparky rec.autos.driving:4514 rec.motorcycles:24116
From: whs70@dancer.uucp (22501-sohl)
Subject: Re: Officers breaking the law (was Re: Another lying police incedent)
Reply-To: whs70@dancer.UUCP ()
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 92 17:25:25 GMT

In article <1992Jul23.161106.19731@watson.ibm.com> tomevans@ralvmm.vnet.ibm.com writes:
>> >The "problem" is that the police officer was also speeding, and did not
>> >get a speeding citation.  I have changed the subject heading for this
>> >post, since it wasn't a "lying police incident" in actuality.  Yes, I
>> >was speeding, and I got a ticket.  That's not the problem.
>> >
>> >The reason why I was making "an issue of his being in front of" me was
>> >because he was *speeing himself*.  ...
>>
>SO WHAT? Cops (when on duty) are allowed to speed in the performance of their
>duty, whether in marked or unmarked cars. They are also allow to carry loaded
>guns, which for most of us is illegal. Undercover cops carry concealed weapons,
>speed, and probably many other things that are illegal for the rest of us.
>Even when I cop is off-duty, he can (suppose to?) carry a gun, I don't think
>it would take much for him to get out of any ticket, he can say "I saw a
>suspicious vehicle speeding, I was following it to check it out".
>Tom

Well Tom, I'm an elected official in my home town and as far as
I'm concerned the cops should only exceed the speed limit if they
have the appropriate lights and sirens going.  Being a cop does NOT
give them an unlimited license to drive any speed they want.

Likewise, I too get very annoyed when I see patrol cars routinely
driving at 80+ mph on interstates when I know they are just 
"cruising."  The cops should be model drivers not the cowboys that too many
of them are.  The ones that really get me are when you see a local
municipal cop driving on the interstates (probably on business, but
not in a jurisdictional mode as that's the province of the state cops)
driving at 75 or 80 with total disregard for the laws you and I must
abide by.

Lastly, the gun analogy is bogus as they are by virtue of their
positions "authorized" to always carry the gun.  No such blanket
authorization exists to drive above the speed limits without a just cause.

Standard Disclaimer- Any opinions, etc. are mine and NOT my employer's.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bill Sohl (K2UNK) BELLCORE (Bell Communications Research, Inc.)
Morristown, NJ             email via UUCP      bcr!dancer!whs70
201-829-2879 Weekdays      email via Internet  whs70@dancer.cc.bellcore.com

Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: singh@r-node.gts.org (Rajendra Singh)
Subject: Re: Z Car vs. M3
Organization: R-node Public Access UNIX System (416-249-5366) 24hrs.
Date: Sat, 25 Jul 1992 20:11:25 GMT

In article <92205.153323JMARTIN@wuvmd.wustl.edu> JMARTIN@WUVMD writes:

>Questions: 1) Which car is the better value / driving fun?:
>
>1990 - 91 Nissan 300Z or  1988 - 87  BMW M3
>
>I like the outside appeal and styling of both , I just want the most
>fun and value for my $$.

For fun and styling, I would go with the Z!  From the two cars you listed
I would say you had a bad experience with North American cars.  If not,
why don't you consider the Dodge Stealth?

Raj