Tuesday, January 10, 2006

We Interrupt this blog for a very important announcement [Updated]

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Will the new Civic Hybrid beat the Prius in MPG?
Posted Sep 4th 2005 12:30PM by John Neff
Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative

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While perusing TCC's reports on the new Civics from Honda, we noticed a paragraph tucked away under the heading "The Hybrid" in which Honda says the Civic Hybrid will get 43.6 mpg in real-world driving, a number it claims will best the Prius's rate of 42.5 mpg. Of course, these are Honda's numbers, although TCC verified that an editorially owned Prius gets around 42 real-world mpg.

The EPA rates the Prius at 60 mpg city/51 hwy, while the new Civic Hybrid clocks in at 50 mpg city/50 hwy. Unlike the previous gen Civic Hybrid, this one received a whole slew of new hardware to help it conserve more fuel, including the ability to operate in battery-only mode like the Prius and regenerative braking that’s 170% more efficient. You can bet we’ll be monitoring the sales of the Civic Hybrid as compared to those of the Prius as soon as the numbers start rolling in.

Updated --> Now back to your irregularly scheduled blog. Been sleeping out on the deck like a beggar because the air conditioning was really exascerbating my cold and it's automated and you can't get to the plug to pull it out of the wall and there is no way to turn it off and the reception wouldn't turn it off for me. So because I've been sick for so long I am now very rushed to do the Whitsundays 3 day/3 night boat cruise on a racing boat - get to help put up the sail, too. Free scuba dive included in the package I bought. Won't be doing the scuba dive because persons with Pneumothorax (collapsed lung) are strongly advised against it and Queensland as the stricted scuba laws. Then it's off to Fraser Island to tool around in a 4x4 jeep which I hear is lots of fun. The first tour where we won't be babysitted. They give 11 people a 4x4 to go exploring the island on their own for three days, each person sharing the driving.

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Been taking a multi vitamin to help me get better. It's one of those natural ones so it's got like ginseng and ginko-biloba and I was really amazed at my ability to remember peoples' names! Even other people were impressed. Cause usually I hear a name and then I've lost it not five seconds later. Finished reading the first Harry Potter book while waiting to get well. Feel a little better today which is why I risked booking the boat for Friday (today is Thursday.) It hasn't been all that bad lounging around being sick. Have had company by other people in the dorm most of the time. Greg left yesterday who I was travelling with for a week. He's the guy I had the Mt. Sorrow adventure with in Cape Tribulation up north. Good lad. We had a good time.

Every night at the hostel bar there is a different activity they have going where people can sign up to win some cash like. Most of them require you being a girl, such as the jelly wrestling and wet t-shirt competition, but guys are allowed to sign up for the poll dancing. There's also a foam part where I guess the whole room gets filled with foam and well, I'm not exactly sure how that one goes. Last night was a wet t-shirt competition good for $500. Basically it consisted of ladies getting on stage, having water poured on their chests wearing ripped white garments meant to pass as t-shirts and then strut their stuff on stage where most of them completely removed their shirts and half of them went as far as to drop their drawers as well. Not bad for $5 admission. You would have thought some of the girls were strippers the way they worked it. So, yeah, there are worse places to get laid up in while recovering from the other kind of travel bug.

Pixagogo direct photo link The girl on the right won and the girl on the left was runner up. The voting was done via a decibel reader. The audience had to make as much noise as possible for the girl they thought should win and the one with the highest decibel reading was then chosen as the winner. It was a tie at 112 decibels until the MC told those who were cheering for both girls (like me and the english guy I was with) to only vote for one. 113 to 112 was the final score. Heh, why do I feel like I shouldn't be posting this.

Met a cool english chap from south London who has been keeping me company these lay-low days in paradise. He was trying to find a job on a boat and finally landed one today after stressing about as to where and what he was going to do for work. The guys that Greg and I got a ride down with to Airlie beach from Cairns were locals to Airlie Beach and were just having a 5 day getaway up north to Cape Tribulation. Very nice blokes, put Greg and I up in a tent that they were travelling with. So, yeah, I've got both travel bugs and while the nasty one I feel is finally leaving me I'm afraid I feel another 6 weeks in Australia is warranted before I'd feel really ready to leave, but I am looking forward to seeing the baby and snow and skiing!

I'm in Airlie Beach which is on the east coast of Australia about 800 miles north of Sydney.

I fly out of Auckland on January 25th at 7:40pm and arrive 12 hours later in Los Angeles at 10:30am on January 25th. Put that in your pipe and smoke it. (yeah, I can't quite work out how that works.)


Moose Zanecchia, Moose said...


The hybrids are better than gas, for sure, but a scam in a half for any half brainer!

It's still gasoline, and a Prius that can't go further than seekonk to the airport on EV mode (electric only) gives me avid doubts about this "battery integration"




The Intrepid Dr. Root said...

There are little hatchbacks here in Australia like that Corolla I rented that get way better mileage than the hybrids. But they're not nearly as clean as the Hybrids. If other cars were as clean as Hybrids they'd get significantly worse gas mileage. The cleaner fuel burns, the faster it burns, so the Hybrids are still a significant step in the right direction.

almost there pregnant woman said...

Jason, I love your real passion for the hybrid. And of course you are quite well read on the matter. Anyways, it's great to get a sense of where you will be in the next two weeks. "Not bad old chap" as Ben would say. Well I am certainly closer to birth. Shawn had a dream the baby would come the 19-21st, somewhere in there. And Mom says full moons also bring babies, so tomorrow which is already today for you is the 14th, a full moon! I've had a few contractions but nothing consistent, but definitely more activity today then in days past. Exciting. It is hard to wait, so today I spent time just letting go of the expectation of when the baby will come. Just got to let the baby have his/her timing. And not get impatient.

Well can't wait to see how the sailing went as well as the 4x4ing. Sounds like a blast.
Love you.
P.S Not a bad place to lay low and regroup.
Love Illona

John Root said...

Dear Uncle Jason!
Illona had Annasophia this morning at 10:03 after 16 hours of labor. All is well, long baby, looks more like Paulo than Illona. Thats all I know now.
Congratulations to Uncle Jason.

wangdangdoodle said...


congrats illona; hope you're feeling well.

and congrats jake: "uncle jake strikes again!" starring jason root as uncle jake.

hope you're feeling better and festooned with flatulence, if you will.

been extremely unseasonably warm here and everything has melted and it's now muddy and crappy. the river flooded again, but it's already sort of receded.

big news from the berks!

peace out, matey.


Daniel Schmolze said...

Congrats Illona, that's great news!

Chester, you're gonna have to work on your avuncular demeanor, lest wee Annasophia become corrupted by your bacchanalian, wet T-shirt-contest-viewing ways.

Looking forward to seeing you again my lad, but I fear the shock of the frozen North may prove too much for your sickly, beer-battered frame. Oh well, at least there's a vibrant social scene in Great Barrington.


The Intrepid Dr. Root said...

Wow, I wasn't expecting to get that news so soon! Congratulations big sister! Well, I'll be back on the west coast in ten days time to see the baby! Umm... thanks for the congratulations guys, but uhh... I didn't do anything. If anything I should be congratulating mom and pop for becoming grandparents! Wow, how about that.

Well, I often say I don't want to come home but I have a lot to look forward to! Friends and new family. It will be weird to be home again, but nice. I am not to worried about the cold unless there will be no snow on the ground. Sad to hear of the January thaw but I suppose it's just typical winter in the Berkshires. Hopefully things will have returned to normal by the time I'm back home.

Congratulations again, Illona!

--the Intrepid Uncle Root.