David Hingtgen

I finally created a Live account, as it was easiest to just register everything at once so I could send my address, track my system repair, etc. There must be a lot more people on Live than I thought, as I was going for some fairly obscure aviation and game-related gamer tags. Eventually had to settle for "Xenogears Id". Would have preferred Xenogears-Id, but no hyphens allowed. I refuse to "compromise" with numbers tacked on etc. (I was pretty surprised Opiomorph was taken---Opiomorphus might have been open but I thought of it too late---plus the name has too strong of a biblical connotation)

A few people think Mrs Petrelli's power is something along the lines of "persuasion" since people always seem to agree with her whenever she's done speaking (and she seems to always be able to convince people/change their mind)----but we've already seen that with Eden. Though I'll admit that's what my first guess was. I doubt they'd "duplicate" Eden's power. But of course, Peter and Sylar have intentionally similar powers.

The Super Crusader hit 2.6 on fixed ramps with a heck of a lot less thrust, and was expected to hit 2.9 with a production engine. That's what sleekness can do. Variable ramps are not as great as they are made out to be. They increase efficiency, and are worth a bit of power----they're what made the Concorde BARELY economical, and get that last .1 Mach from the F-14 and F-15. But they're really not worth the weight and maintenance hassle---the Tornado has had them removed/disabled for years. Like most all things in aviation, the lack of variable ramps can be made up by having MORE ENGINE POWER. And the YF-23 certainly has plenty. (Heck, if the GE-F120 went into production they'd probably be 42,000lbs+ now) Plus its incredible sleekness and area-ruling, even greater than that of the Super Crusader. If variable ramps were needed to go fast, the Super Crusader couldn't out-run the F-14 and F-15. All a variable ramp does is reduce the shockwave in the inlet from one big energy-sucking acute wave, to multiple weaker oblique ones. Because supersonic air going into an engine WILL slow down to subsonic speed, making your standard mach-cone shockwave in the process. Formation of that shockwave requires energy taken from the air in the intake, which means less energy the engine can use to produce thrust. The F-16/18/22/23 all have "brute force" intakes---one big shockwave at the lip, and they accept the energy loss penalty in the intake. The F-4/14/15/Flanker have multiple ramps to slow down the air in several gradual stages to have small weak shockwaves, to have a smaller energy loss---but pay for it increased weight.

Not to mention that no plane has a launch *pad* for an AMRAAM. There's plenty of planes they could have written into that line instead of the stealth. "Eagle" "Viper" "Falcon" "Hornet" "Tornado" etc.

I'm trying to figure out his plate. OBTSHW?

Umm, what? The YF-23 can't fold its stabs. Anyways, replying to F-ZeroOne: Nope, still unknown. Simply "1.6+ supercruise, 1.8+ max". It certainly could easily exceed Mach 2, some people like to toss out Mach 3---which I wouldn't totally rule out. But personally I'd put the highest possible max at 2.7 or 2.8 due to sheer heat issues. Going Mach 3 is "the next level" for aircraft materials, and there's almost no way they'd have designed it for that. I'd probably say most likely it's in the 2.4 to 2.6 range---a bit slower to a bit faster than an F-15. The acceleration rate is anecdotally known: At mil throttle, it'll easily out-accelerate an F-16 using full burner. I suspect its transonic acceleration would be even better, as if you look at it carefully---I think the YF-23 may be the most area-ruled plane ever built.

Note that there's generally two types of kill markings on combat planes: The pilot's and the plane's. In the real world, pilots don't get to fly "their" plane all that often. Their own kill marks go on "their" plane, but the plane that actually got the kill (regardless of whose it was and who was flying it) also gets a marking. Generally, pilot's markings are flags or national insignia, but plane's markings are silhouettes or stars. So if you see a plane with 2 stars on the nose, it means THAT PLANE shot down 2 other planes---maybe 1 pilot did it on a single mission 20 years ago, or 2 different pilots each got one each, a week ago and yesterday. And you could find planes that have a collection of swastikas, DPRK, and NVAF markings for kills, if the pilot flew in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam.

I was waiting for someone to say it sucked, I just didn't want to be first.

Well, I've moved from "email" to "please call us" via Xbox support. My console is now 10 months old, so it should be within warranty, but they've changed which 360's get which warranty so often I have no idea really. Will call them tonight probably. (After Heroes)

Bah, nothing compared to http://www.votepetrelli.com/ You can even buy campaign buttons and mugs there!

Yup. Big difference between what's possible, and what actually exists. Want a good example? DC-10. Originally designed for 2-4-2 8-abreast seating. Nice and comfy. That lasted for about a year. For 99% of its operational life it was 2-5-2 9-abreast. And know what the charter carriers have? 3-4-3, 10-abreast. FYI, the 747 was originally 9-abreast, though you mainly see 3-4-3 10-abreast. The A320 is notably more comfy than a 727/37/57 because the A320 was designed for 3-3 and is actually operated at 3-3, as there's no way to get 3-4 inside. The Boeing narrowbodies, having inherited the 707 fuselage width (which was originally designed for 2-2 first class in the entire plane) can only grudgingly accomodate 3-3 in coach. 2-3 was the designed "coach alternative" for those airlines which basically weren't Pan Am or TWA and couldn't fill the entire plane with 1st class seats.

If there's no air cover, and the cops don't have anyone positioned ahead---it's pretty easy to lose a Crown Vic I'd say. They've apparently made no effort to set up a spike strip or road block etc. Honestly, to them it's just "stolen property"---he's not an escaped convict or murderer. They don't want to risk too much I'd guess.

If I could, I'd leave it at version 1.0000000, but certain games demand newer versions and auto-update. And it seems mine just plain didn't like the one Oblivion came with.

Anyone following the stolen Bullitt Mustang in Orlando saga? It's spreading across the forums like wildfire: http://www.corral.net/forums/showthread.php?t=914685 http://www.svtperformance.com/forums/showthread.php?t=389063 The short version: A heavily modded Mustang was stolen, and the thief kept it instead of chopping it and is out drag racing it! Has been spotted several times, but he's outrun the cops at least once, if not twice. They're sending Crown Vics after it...

Went to see Shrek, but didn't get the trailer.

My 360 just started acting up tonight, emailed MS, will see what happens. Basically: for the past few months (ever after installing an "update") it's had issues with FMV. No problems loading polys and textures, but it sure doesn't like playing back FMV from the disc. But today I start up DOA4, and it pauses for a moment like it always does during the FMV Team Ninja logo----but then it stops cold. Spools down and the system goes dead slient, and goes to a black screen. Resets itself, and spools back up--and picks up right where it left off in the FMV, as if nothing ever happened. And I know it's my 360, and not the disc, as I've tried a few of my brothers's games which are fine on his, but the FMV acts up on mine. The latest update (snagged from OXM disc) didn't help the situation, and may have made it worse. It's gone from "FMV minor stuttering" to "coming to a complete halt during FMV playback".

6, wow. Sigh---with NO color at all on the F-22, can't tell which squadron(s) they're from.

Never ever read Youtube comments. Makes life better. Especially since half of them are stupid chainmail things.

How not to refuel a jet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGMlriUTab4 How not to refuel a helicopter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2fSjHghubc

I haven't seen or heard about any other colored waxes at all. As for the clay---do you mean the Ice liquid clay bar? Saw a few posts---apparently it does work OK, it's just only for light claying---for the people who clay often and there's not much to remove. Not a semi-annual heavy "get the rail dust off" claying.

Alien machines trying to blend into modern America as closely as possible. If SS is trying to disguise himself as a normal F-22, having bright blue exhaust really gives it away that he's different. Same for Prime---if he pulls into a truck stop sounding like that, every trucker's going to go "WTF was that?"

Ok, I'll refine it: Prime doesn't sound like a semi at all. And Starscream's afterburners are colored like no jet that I know of. It's not those specific types, it's those general types of vehicles. I mean, if Prime sounded like a Model T it'd be a bit more obvious to people that something was wrong, but it's the same general idea of "not even in the right categroy".

They still say "MH-3" instead of MH-53. Who wants to bet they never fix that in the final film? Also, when Prime pulls up and stops---that is nothing like what a 379's brakes sound like. Trust me. That sounds more like a Super Soaker exhausting its last puff of air pressure... And SS still has blue afterburners in jet mode (wrong) yet seems to have perfect orange-yellow ones when transforming or in bot mode. Still, overall I have to admit--the movie looks better with every new second of footage I see.

I do have to worry about dead pixels, as there are DS Lites that have them, including recently-bought Navy ones. I have bought other Nintendo portables that had them. They're out there, and I'm just unlucky enough to have experienced them first-hand.

A bit OT but there's literally nowhere else to check: I'm *really* trying to find some of Turtle Wax's (I know) Color Cure polish. AKA "the colored wax with the lipstick thing on the bottle". In silver. Apparently they stopped making silver (and several other colors) a few months ago, and *every* place online is out of it, as are all the places around here. And the few bottles that pop up on ebay are going for like 40 bucks a bottle. If anyone should happen to spy a bottle of the silver at their local parts place, I will gladly pay, as I can't find it anywhere.