Suckitude: The Legacy of BMW's iDrive

I hate the iDrive in my BMW with a passion. It goes against all common sense. Specifically, a new invention should work the way people think or it becomes a distraction. While you're driving, that's deadly. iDrive is BMW's stupid control-knob which you turn, press, or push/pull in one of four directions to make things happen. My previous vehicle (Acura MDX) had a touch screen so everything is in front of your face. Not on the PASSENGER side of the console. What idiot came up with that?

Why iDrive sucks:
1. Selecting a radio station takes a large number of spins and presses. You can't just "dial" 015 for instance. You dial to Entertainment, then Satellite, then Presets. Or if it's not a preset, you then dial through the entire list. To be helpful, you can select Category, the Rock, and then scroll through the less. Idiotic at best.
2. Dialling the phone encounters the same exact long sequence of events. The thing randomly decides it will or won't work properly with the phone.
3. Navigation, you need to know the address. You cannot look for "Hard Rock" by name. Seriously. I don't know the address of the Hard Rock. So I have to select Navigation, scroll to the correct menu, select Category, then select Entertainment, then select Casino. I assure you I can type Hard Rock faster. Not a choice. Idiots.
5. The voice activation is worthless. I can't say "DIAL" unless I am in the communications menu. Really. So I have to use iDrive to get to the correct menu and THEN say "Dial" -- I kid you not. Worse, even when the address book syncs, it never picks the right name from the list. But wait, there's more. My phone knows that under "First Last" Name there are four phones. Each one has an icon: home, work, mobile, etc. But in iDrive's system, they're all listed as the same so you have to look at EACH one to see which number is stored. Yeah, that helps you keep the eye on the road. Which entry for Dad is his mobile? Horrendous planning. BMW should be shot.

(I like the car. I abhor the iDrive. However I won't get another one when I'm finished with this one. I hate the iDrive that much.)

I am not please hurricane Faye is coming to town. I'll do my shutters tomorrow evening I suppose. I didn't plan on it, but the track is looking for more ominous with the last report.

And Adrian is less reliable than Karen. I'm just going to assume I should always make other plans and then just see him if he's actually available when he says he will be. I think his success to cancellation ratio is well under 50%

WJM is over his first hurdle but the next hurdle is just as bed. I finally got to talk to him at length and he's resigned to the next stage. We all wish him well.

RHPS in one week. Yay.

A Lazy Sunday

First, Robert Lynn Asprin, author of the Myth series of novels as well as the Phule's Company series of novels is dead from natural causes in New Orleans. He died in May in bed whilst reading a Terry Pratchett novel. I just found out when I got my new issue of Locus Magazine.

Second, Adrian is in the doghouse today. After skating it seems his new shoes picked up a large quantity of dog shit. This, alone, is not news. The fact he didn't notice and got in my new car with it, is news. I have used massive amounts of carpet chemicals and, in a few hours, we'll see if you can tell or not, happily you can barely tell there was ever a problem. He's my friend, so murder is probably out of the question. But I figured a little public humiliation will at least make me feel better about cutting the day short to go home and clean up shit stains. However skating and breakfast were fun. And I hope Adrian feels better. I'd hate to kill a sick man.

Third, Erin visited yesterday -- an always fun event. I have given Erin dishes and silverware from my overstock. Yay. If anyone's moving I still have overstock available for a new abode, just ask. I also took her to the office to get hurricane supplies such as lights, batteries, and whatnot. Today she's home awaiting a matters for her new bed which, as of yet, is unused. We also passed a gas station where diesel was $5.39 a gallon -- near the airport of course.

Fourth, I filled out Identity Theft Affidavits for all the credit bureaus today. They'll go out certified return receipt tomorrow.

Fifth, I also have to write I've written my flame of Western Digital and will send that off to them. I am still hating them greatly over my hard drive. Also, I am sending a copy to Apple Computer so they know what kind of shite they sell in their stores. CBL has declined to write a letter indicating what files were on the drive, and I respect their desire. However, a quick perusal of Google has shown me there are massive failures of this drive. They have some sort of QC or design flaw.

Sixth, a special shout-out to Maury who sent me this link about the Room 8 School Cat. I can't tell you why I liked it so much, but I did.

Seventh, I got a copy of my "independent medical evaluation" which is basically accurate but there are some errors. I will be writing have written a correction letter and sending that in as well.

PS: iDrive still sucks ass. I haven't yet written a missive, but I will. Soon. I just have to stop finding new stuff to hate about it. I may never finish. I support the execution of the person who invented it.

Stuff. Fraud. Car. Food. Etc.

1. Thanks to Jay for dinner at PrimeBlue this evening. Never heard of it, but it was a fine meal. Too much food was ordered but we're both at fault.
2. I absolutely am learning to loathe iDrive as it sucks ass. It's clearly the "Microsoft" design philosophy: counter-intuitive at every turn. But I mostly like my car, except for iDrive and Sirius.
3. I am, ONCE AGAIN, the victim of identity theft at my new bank. Same Modus Operandi. Same person. I am not at liberty to disclose how I know this, but he made a mistake. Tomorrow I will be speaking with the FBI. My new bank has been far more helpful than BankAtlantic. They gave me resources, numbers to call, and so forth. This time NO MONEY WAS TAKEN. I caught it quickly. There will be no more posted details at this time. But to the guy doing it: watch your back 'cause you ain't as smart as you think you are.

More Car and More Politics and Scooter

CAR
1. I have insurance. Yay. Tomorrow I begin regular use of my new car. My MDX has been turned in after its inspection (passed just fine).
2. I put the HAT TRK tag on the X5 though it's still technically registered to the MDX. One hopes BMW is making haste with that transfer. (I have a copy of the transfer paperwork with the registration in the meantime.)
3. I have Sirius now instead of XM, something I am not very happy about. I have yet to find a good solution. The Sirius system is integrated into the car so a change isn't very easy. On the plus side, the first year is free. But I'd rather pay for XM but don't want to have to plug in a separate radio.

POLITICS
1. David Higgins was kind enough to make me piss my pants with this link. The idiotic religious right has gone off the deep end. Er, I mean, gone off the deep end AGAIN. Or perhaps I mean STILL off the deep end. Anyway, you gotta love when they corrected Tyson Gay's (the sprinter) name to Tyson Homosexual. Which is also ironic because, well, he's supposedly very conservative. The article, as changed, read in part: Homosexual didn’t get off to a particularly strong start in the first semifinal, but by the halfway mark he had established a comfortable lead. He slowed somewhat over the final 10 meters-nothing like the way-too-soon complete shutdown that almost cost him Saturday. Asked how he felt, Homosexual said: “A little fatigued.” That has to make you pee your pants.
2. My friend Paul started a political blog. I refer you to it at your own peril. At the suggestion of some … to the dismay of others (probably more numerous) … I’ve started a political blog. See, and you thought all my friends were liberal nutjobs. Some are conservative nutjobs. Some are even libertarian nutjobs. But at least they're all nutjobs. Leave a comment if you'd like.

KITTY-CAT
Scooter went in this past Saturday for her bi-monthly blood work.
1. Her kidneys are fine. Yay. This is good news because this is the part they're concerned about. As I mentioned they are just over the line in the red zone. But that's been over six months and though they haven't improved, nor are they likely to, they haven't gotten even one micron worse.
2. Her thyroid has gone wonky again. We are increasing the dose slightly.
3. She's down to 8.3 pounds. I gotta get her to gain weight. I've done everything. I hope increasing her medicine dose helps with this. I can't get her to eat like a pig and she used to be such a professional at it.
4. She now completely hates anything salmon flavoured, so I have to get new Pill Pockets for Donna my pet sitter. Just out of the blue, she decided no more. A very cat thing to do.

Mostly Wall-E (Wall*E) Review

First, a few clarifications about my new car for those asking. It's the 3.0 version of the X5 which is 6 cylinders and not 8. I didn't need the power or the crappy-ass fuel penalty. Secondly, one of the big deciding factors was the all inclusive maintenance that includes absolutely everything except tires. That makes a big difference in total cost of ownership. Figure a few oil changes per year at $29.95 are free, the 15 and 30K services, a few hundred. Some wiper blades, fluids, and so forth. At least two brake jobs, and that's another grand in my pocket. All free.

Second, the report on Wall-E (Wall*E in earlier presentations and actually Wall•E in the film). We started with breakfast at OPH at 1015. I ate light because I knew lunch was coming. Our party of eleven (The Three Higgi, Erin, me, Johhny B, Liz, Timmy, Karen, Evan, Shane) became a party of twelve with the cameo appearance of legend VanMuph. Breakfast was enjoyable. Took a few razzings over the fact I was in my old car and not the new one -- that was due to insurance issues which will be resolved Monday. After eating, we all went to the theatre and got tickets (minus Murph who had a flight to catch) for the 1205 show. Saw some horrific previews (there's a Chihuahua movie coming out that is vapid at best). And then the main event.

This review contains spoilers.

I will say the opening short is better than many FILMS. It's BY FAR the best Pixar short and it was WAY better than Cars, for instance. Very short, short though. Wall•E is a great film, one of the best Pixar films to date, though I still think Ratatouille is the grand champion of all Pixar films. Wall•E is definitely better than Nemo which seems to be everyone else's favourite. We have a story for the ages here. It could be many things but at its heart, it's a love story between Wall•E and Eve. Wall•E has an iPod, sounds like a Mac II when he reboots, and has some very cool personality, all while looking like a cross between ET and Short Circuit. And he lives alone and watches musicals. (Wait, he's not Michael Jackson. I promise.)

Wall•E lives alone on Earth, everyone else having gone to the stars because the planet is overrun with trash. Wall•E and his clones are supposed to clean it up, but except for him, they're all done running. The planet has not been recovered/saved/etc. Then comes Eve who is looking for plant life. Soon, she's leaving the planet only Wall•E has fallen in love and follows her. And until this point the movie is basically dialogue free.

They reach the ship Axiom and the fun begins. The human race has turned into large, sedentary, lazy cows. I mean worse than now, to be accurate. Wall•E and Eve are separated but they eventually find each other and the trip back to Earth begins. The movie gets an A+ for sure.

Afterwards we all went to Cracker Barrel and ate until we were bloated, leaving there nearly at quarter past four. No dinner for me, thanks.

I have a new vehicle

It's here. In my driveway. Parked next to my MDX which I will turn in after I get it inspected Monday (perhaps the idiot will show up this time to do his job).

Special thanks to Adrian who drove to my house at rush hour, picked me up, and drove me all the way down to South Motors to do the deed.

I researched many vehicles over the course of three weeks. I really, really, really, really, really wanted the Range Rover. I miss my old one, desperately. But the bottom line is that it was out of my price range, used too much gas, and wasn't that environmentally friendly. All factors I had to consider. In all other factors (comfort, ride, safety, driveability, features, etc) it was the hands down winner in first place. That and I was nervous that Tata motors just bought it, the third owner (after BMW and then ford).

I ruled out the Nissan and Infiniti pretty quickly. I ruled out the Lexus because the salesman was a prick. I am not an idiot and if you treat me like one, I call you on it, and you persist, please do not act surprised when I tell you that you're a condescending prick and walk out whilst you are still talking.

I really wanted another MDX because it's an ultra-low emissions vehicle, gets decent mileage, and all that stuff. But they ruined the damned car when they redesigned it. The new center console is from hell. The Pilot, which I desperately wanted to like, just lacked a certain something.

I didn't want a BMW as I've never been a fan. But under protest I drove one a few weeks ago, and I really liked it. As you know from previous comments, it moved up the top of my list to second place. And, yes, that's what I got. Space Age Silver with Nevada Grey interior with the Technology Package added as well as running boards (so Grandma can get in and out of the car).

The payments are a little more than I get now. The mileage is similar to my MDX and the cost of ownership is much less. Everything except tires is included. No maintenance costs for three years. Zero. And I bought the tire warranty because as you all know I collect flat tires to the tune of 6 or more per year. (This year being special wherein I had 5 nails in 3 tires on one day.)

It's here. In my driveway. Saturday if any of you want to come see it, call me. I'll be home playing with it all day except between 5 and 6 when I will be at the vet with Scooter for her quarterly checkup. Just give me a call, and come over.

I will not be driving it too far this weekend as it's not entirely insured until Monday due to a small glitch :/

Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting (Panda Review)

Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting
Those kicks were fast as lightning
In fact, it was a little bit frightening
But they fought with expert timing

Thanks to Carl Douglas for that quick excerpt and flashback. We now return you to the present day where I just saw Kung Fu Panda. Today's outing included Dave, Steve, Evelyn, Karen, and Erin -- in addition to myself of course. We met at 9am at the Original Pancake House for breakfast and made it to the theatre just in time for the 10am showing in the Big Theatre.

Jack Black stars as Po The Panda* who works in his father's noodle restaurant but secretly desires to be a Kung Fu star like the Furious Five -- Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey. All of them really don't have much of a role in this film except as cameos for their voice counterparts. Of the lot Jolie stands out as Tigress. Master Shifu, as voiced by Dustin Hoffman, really steals the show as does the villian: Ian McShane's Tai Lung (a snow leopard). Po owns this movie and it's his show except when Shifu is on screen. I really didn't notice the animation which is a testament to how far it's come along. You won't mistake it for "real" but every now and then the animators are clearly trying to knock your socks off.

This is certainly no new modern work of art. But it was better than Ice Age 2 (and 3's coming soon) and way better than Shrek 3. I'm sure there will be a two, but they'd be better off leaving well-enough alone. I enjoyed it and had fun. Take the kids. Etc.

Afterwards, I went home and the car-shopped some more. No real news but it's looking more like the BMW X5 (the v6 version, not the v8) will be the winner. More shopping to come though. This is a decision that ought not be rushed.

* Please remember the Panda is not a bear.