For Kicks
by Dick Francis
Daniel Roke, Australian who established a stud farm to raise orphaned siblings, accepts undercover stable lad job from the Earl of October, investigating steeplechase doping in England.
This one is more like a crime/mystery story. It slowly ramps up to a short action sequence before ending. And it looks like the character is on for further books.
Vector W8 (1989)
Wedge Car # 14
The Vector W8 is a sports car produced by American automobile manufacturer Vector Aeromotive Corporation from 1989 to 1993. It was designed by company founder and chief designer Gerald Wiegert with refinements by Vector’s head of engineering David Kostka.
The W8 was the production version of the Vector W2 prototype that the company demonstrated throughout the 1980s.
Engine 6.0 L Rodeck twin-turbocharged V8[3]
Transmission 3-speed General Motors Turbo-Hydramatic 425 automatic
Wheelbase 2.62m
Length 4.37m
Width 1.93m
Height 1.08m
Curb weight 1,506kg
The Bubble is a 2022 American comedy film directed by Judd Apatow from a screenplay co-written with Pam Brady. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Karen Gillan, Iris Apatow, Fred Armisen, Maria Bakalova, David Duchovny, Keegan-Michael Key, Leslie Mann, Kate McKinnon, Pedro Pascal, Guz Khan and Peter Serafinowicz.
Well that was a waste of time. I managed to get half way through before giving up. Some people made it through to the end:
Where everyone gets in touch with their feelings, saves the universe and goes off with a self-satisfied grim on their face.
What a waste. It was if the writers wanted to remake the first Star Trek film (V’Ger) in the genre of a soap opera.
Star Trek Discovery 4.11 Rosetta
Now, near the end of the story Burnham decides to visit a dead planet near the hyperfield which may be the home-world of Species 10-C.
All they find there are their emotions.
Book and Tarka sneak Discovery. Tarka takes engineer Jett Reno hostage in the process.
Blimey, this has got to be the most boring episode yet. Despite the stakes, the pressure and tension that should be present, it feels like a Sunday outing.
This seems to be due to the excessive exposition and directing.
Star Trek Discovery 4.10 The Galactic Barrier
Book and Tarka need programmable anti-matter to make it through the barrier themselves and travel to a stash of it that Tarka has in an abandoned prison where he was once held.
Now the thin plot is stretched even more with flashback scenes that stretch for a significant portion of the episode. The only reason seems to be to establish empathy for Tarka and explain his motivations.
Star Trek Discovery 4.09 Rubicon
In which our heroes take a bomb to destroy the DMA, saving billions of lives in the future.
However they are perused by ‘Mary Jane’ Burnham and crew. Stamets finds more information that suggests the DMA is just a controller for a mining operation.
Even when Discovery plays chicken with Book, they persist. Unfortunately Book listens to Burhman and lets his feelings get in the way.
It’s up to Tarka to launch the device and destroy the alien invader. However a new DMA appears in the same location soon after. Oh well, off to make another bomb.
Alternative summaries are available
Star Trek: Discovery 4.08 0 All In
Finally, Star Trek Discovery gets to NZ on Demand.
Taking up where we left off… (destroying the DMA)
Tarka needs isolynium to complete his weapon and Burnham knows which black market dealer Book will try to get it from.
So it’s off to a set somewhere between Blade Runner and a dump. Of course Michael will find Book and rivalry will ensue.
For no reason, apart from ‘I’m not doing much in the series’, officer Joann Owosekun (Oyin Oladejo) gets put in a ring to fight for money.
Meanwhile, Book and Michael decide to settle with a card game. Book wins the game and claims the isolynium, but not before Burnham plants a tracker on it.
Guess what, although this place is outside Starfleet jurisdiction, it still means the characters have to treat the smugglers and thieves with respect and play thier games. They should have just turned up with a big gun !
Odin
Odin is a 24-voice polyphonic free synthesizer. It covers basses, leads and effects.
And emulations of analog filters like the Moog-ladder or the Korg-35.
So I put together six tracks just using this synth.
Dome Zero 1978
Wedge Car # 13
The Dome Zero was a prototype sports car from DOME Co. Ltd that was exhibited at the 48th Geneva Auto Show in 1978.
The Dome project was started by Minoru Hayashi in 1975, with the goal of producing sports cars using knowledge gained from auto racing.
The Zero was their first production road car and Dome planned to produce a limited number for sale in Japan. Despite multiple prototypes, the Zero was never approved by regulatory bodies for sale in Japan or overseas. As a result, the project was not commercially viable and the Zero never entered series production.
It was rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout with a chassis of square-section steel tube. It used a 2.8L Nissan L28E SOHC straight-six engine producing 107 kW (also used in the Datsun 280Z and 280ZX)
With a weight of 920 kg, the Dome Zero offered a power-to-weight ratio that matched contemporary Porsche models.
The prototype also incorporated a ZF 5-speed transmission, independent double-wishbone suspension and four-wheel disk brakes, mounted inboard at the rear.