McLaren 720S First Impressions (6 years too late)

Last week, I wasn't planning on stopping by my local dealer, McLaren NJ, on my way home from a morning drive. I caught up with Michael and Tevyn, who was shocked to hear that I had never driven a 720S (or any P14 car) and immediately offered a test drive. Only a fool would reject such an offer…

We hopped in a CPO 720S coupe with around 3k miles on the odometer and off we went!

720S specific comments:

• The coupe door cutout helps a lot with ingress/egress. For some reason, I did not open the door enough on my way out and hit my head. Oh, the irony…
• The visibility is INCREDIBLE. The two biggest changes I noticed compared to a P13 (570 platform) car are thinner A-pillars and a lot more rear visibility, thanks to the C-pillar glass.
• My hot take is that the door roof cutouts plus the C-pillar glass are reasons to get the coupe over the spider.
  
• The steering wheel has this lovely metal trim. I also really liked that this car had the small and clicky metal paddles instead of the longer carbon fiber paddles.
• For some reason, this car was not equipped with an electrically adjustable steering column.
• The sofas are still rock hard. Seat controls are still at the front of the seat on the side near the center console.
• Steering heft feels approximately the same as a 570S/570GT, which is lighter than that of a 600LT or Artura.
• As with Artura, steering+chassis seems to have filtered the smaller road imperfections, i.e. higher signal-to-noise ratio. This made the ride feel significantly more refined, but less exciting for my taste.
• The trick hydraulic suspension really does wonders for ride comfort. I'd rate the ride in comfort mode about as well as that of a Lexus ES!
• Carbon brakes bite _hard_.
• I'm not sure how to describe, but the engine note under acceleration is less "aggressive" than that of the 570/P13 car.
• No engine drone at highway cruising speeds!
• I distinctly remember being disappointed by this during my (preproduction) Artura test drive back in June 2022 and Tevyn said that production cars don't drone.
• The surround view parking camera is mediocre. The mirror video stream stitching is not cohesive with the front and rear cameras’.
• Tevyn told me that the surround view camera is much better in the 750S. I forgot to try it when I drove the Artura a couple years ago.

McLaren Artura First Impressions

 I was invited to test drive the Artura on 22 Jun. Thanks to McLaren NJ for hosting!

Artura specific comments:

• Hybrid is very nice, in particular for stop-and-go. However, comfort mode holds EV mode for longer than my taste, leading to an impression of a lethargic car, especially when accelerating past 20mph (first mistake I made during the test drive).
• Same great hydraulic steering rack with the heft of a 600LT's. Honestly the heft surprised me, as I expected a more "daily drivable" car to bias towards lighter steering.
• Steering+chassis seems to have filtered the smaller road imperfections, i.e. higher signal-to-noise ratio. This made the ride feel significantly more refined, but less exciting for my taste.
• V6 sound is tuned towards the lower octaves, as can be heard from various YouTube videos.
• The sofas are softer than those in the 570 series, but not as plush as those in the GT.
• The sofas don't go as far forward as expected, i.e. I had to slouch to be able to fully rest my foot on the dead pedal. If I were ordering a car, I would get the Clubsport seats with lumbar: I sat in these in the dummy car and thought they provided me the best seating position of any car that I have tried.
• The seat controls have been moved to the side of the seat, consistent with the rest of the industry, and a departure from those in previous McLarens. I think new clients will highly welcome this change. See photo below!
  
• Braking is indeed purely mechanical. The carbon brakes bite _hard_, as expected.
• Rearward visibility is good, though not great like in the 720S coupe. I think the rear window is a bit larger than that of the 570S's.
• Heard motor whine when accelerating at highway speeds, but no turbo whistle (at ~4k rpm).
• Front lift works a couple seconds faster than that of the 570 series. You still to turn the car on (not just accessory mode), but the engine does not need to turn on to use the lift.
• Engine still drones when cruising at ~1800rpm in 8th gear (~70mph).
• I guess the new infotainment and CarPlay is nice.

Other:

• I still prefer the short metal shift paddles to the carbon shift paddles.

tl;dr Artura is too soft and refined for my tastes; my parents would like it. Looking forward to the LT version (and also the GT4 race car)!

McLaren 600LT Spider First Impressions

Author's note: This test drive was done in April 2019, but I have been procrastinating with publishing this post. In any case, enjoy!

I had the opportunity to drive a 2020 McLaren 600LT Spider at McLaren of San Francisco! I never got a chance to test drive a 600LT couple since their debut last year, nor have I gotten a chance to test drive a 570S Spider that I so dear wanted once upon a time. Unfortunately, the test drive happened during mid-day on a weekday, which wasn't the best time to tour back roads.

600LT specific comments:

• No creep! This is important to me because I struggle with chauffeur braking in automatic transmission cars. On that note, I also appreciate that Tesla provides a no-creep option.
• Same great hydraulic steering is considerably heavier than in the 570S and 570GT, especially in "track" handling mode.
• The gunshot/whip crack downshifts are not a lie. They are incredible to experience with the top down.
• No flames were to be seen during mild street driving in daylight :-(
• I feel like the LT cars have stiffer (or just solid) engine mounts. I felt a massage from the seat while sitting at a red light.
• No comment on the upgraded brakes; they were fine for street use. No comment on comparing the upgraded system from the 720S to the normal ceramics on the 570S or to the steel brakes in the 570GT.
• No comment on the lighter weight. Need to hit the back roads or track…
• No comment on downforce from its cute little fixed wing. Definitely need to push a bit on the track for that.
• The normal power seats didn't go as far forward in this 600LT as I thought they would. Speaking of normal power seats…
• This test car didn't have the critically-acclaimed Senna seats! I think that the dealer has a second demo Spider with the Senna seats. I hope I can take that car for a proper spin!

Yes, this is my normal seating position. Marvel at the amount of space behind the seat!

Other:

• I preferred the short metal shift paddles over the extended carbon fibre paddles. Something about the metallic clink when I tap my fingernails on the paddles that's lacking with the carbon paddles…
• Having experienced the 720S Spider roof mechanism, the legacy system in the 600LT Spider feels slow as I put the top down prior to leaving the dealer.
• Sport Series Spider cars: the high shelf provides little rearward visibility regardless of roof position. (but who needs to see what's behind them in a supercar??)
• 2018 and later Sport Series cars: Backup camera is in the instrument cluster screen. To me, it's harder to use in conjunction with the rearview mirror than the postage stamp display in the centre screen in the 2016/2017 cars.
• Chicane Effect is Chicane Grey with orange metallic flakes:

I really want to do a proper test drive in the back roads with little traffic, and in a car with the Senna seats. This will almost certainly need to happen on a Saturday morning shortly after the showroom opens at 9a!

How I would spec this car: pretty barebones. The only "must-haves" I think are the Senna seats, as well as small practical items such as the soft-close doors, front lift, and battery charger. Skip the visual carbon exterior (the standard palladium pieces are actually painted carbon fibre pieces), skip the carbon interior, skip the leather, skip the audio…

• Colour of my choice. These days, I'm feeling MSO Amethyst Black, ever since having seen a Senna in this colour during Car Week last year.
• Standard 10 spoke wheels.
• Soft close doors.
• Standard Alcantara interior. Maybe splurge for the orange "By McLaren" Alcantara interior if I'm feeling lucky…
• Senna seats, regular fit.
• Front lift.
• Battery charger.

Before driving this car, I used to think that the 600LT coupe is the car to get because of the possibility of the roof scoop (for the uninitiated, it makes for an unique soundtrack). However, that's available in any LT coupe, and the uniqueness of the top-firing exhaust in the 600LT cars is most accentuated by a convertible, which was confirmed by this short drive. Therefore the 600LT Spider is now my pick of the two.

[1] Neoprufrok, Roof scoop noises. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rte0WJjJIgU
[2] Vehicle Virgins, 600LT delivery. https://youtu.be/-XqaoHCWuK0?t=936

thank u, next

2018 was crazy. May 2019 kick it up another notch!

tl;dr of What does it take to become a Ferrari VIP?

tl;dr Spend money while building a mutually beneficial relationship.

Here is the acronym presented in the video which describes the four ways of building that relationship:

L - loyalty: within a brand, stick with a dealer.
O - options: almost pure profit for dealers and factory.
V - volume: buy lots of cars; if the dealer needs to move a particular model, do not say no!
E - events: attend events, such as hospitality, racing schools, etc.

Ford Focus First Impressions

I had the opportunity to drive a MkIII Ford Focus SE hatchback during a short trip to Long Island, NY. I was surprised by how much car one can get for not very much money these days. Here are some impressions of the car.

• The steering is very light. One can easily tell it is electrically assisted, rather than hydraulically assisted like my 911's steering. It filters almost all imperfections of the road. I didn't take the car on any back roads so didn't get to feel the steering in a more lively setting.
• The dry dual-clutch transmission was atrocious. Its default programming is very lazy, so I found myself in sport mode while not cruising. The interaction with brake input is very strange: on application of the brakes, it first coasts (declutches), then lazily rev matches, if at all. My manual driving is much smoother than this computer!
• Brakes seemed fine.
• The mooing noise of the engine and exhaust was unbearable, especially under load.
• The car felt pretty nimble. Body roll wasn't terrible.

Lotus Evora First Impressions

I had the opportunity to drive a 2010 Lotus Evora at Jaguar of San Jose. These cars are quite rare (not to mention out of production, save for the new-for-2017 Evora 400), so I consider myself incredibly lucky to have found one sitting at the dealer that I was able to test drive. Here are some impressions of the car.

• I can barely push the clutch all the way in with the seat in the frontmost position.
• Massive B/C pillar blind spot.
• Short brake pedal travel.
• Light clutch. Acceptable clutch engage feel, though nearly stalled the car on a couple occasions.
• Shifter is complete trash! Felt like stirring very thick soup/jello. Known as a vague shifter. Putting shifter in gear is not crisp. Supposedly 2012+ shifter cables make the shifter feel better.
• Lift gearshift collar for reverse.
• Hard to heel and toe on first try for street use due to short brake pedal travel and sloppy gearshift.
• Heavy steering that transmits every single road detail.
• Good engine note, especially 5k and above.
• Sit low to the ground and bucket seats really give a sense of transmitting information from the chassis.
• Car was nicely planted and felt balanced in an onramp. I didn't push hard at all to reach any limits. I would have loved to take the car on some back roads or to an autocross course.
• Makes the [Porsche 911] 997 feel incredibly insulated!

I love this car so much that if the vague shifter was fixed, then I would seriously consider one of these. Reviews indicate that the Evora 400 has a delightful shifter, so that's super tempting!

The Stradman's Lamborghini

A young, car loving youtuber released some statistics about his Lamborghini ownership. I felt that summarizing the video in writing will potentially be useful to me or for others interested in this subject.

If I recall correctly, the youtuber was 26 when he bought this car in late 2015 for $110k. I think that's a fair price for a Gallardo with the manual transmission (at least a $15k premium in the used market), a good looking color scheme (orange), low-ish miles (under 10k), and single owner. I can believe that a well-cared E-gear (automatic) car costs $95k with everything else constant. The cars around $80k generally have more than 15k miles and are almost certainly E-gears.

His 6-month insurance premium is $972.66. Being over 25 certainly helps.

He claims his average mileage is 14.7mpg over the past 8k miles that he has driven. While laughable, at least he is enamored with driving the car and doesn't live in an area with a high gas tax.

He paid $2573.43 for his first (probably 15k) maintenance. Also laughable, and painful!

McLaren 570S First Impressions

I went to McLaren San Francisco yesterday to drive the 570S. Alessandro, the sales manager, first drove the car to give an overview and then we swapped for some behind the wheel time.

Here are some observations:

• Palladium exterior looks great — carbon exterior trim not necessary
• Car has marginally easier ingress/egress — I’m only 5’3” so I don’t notice as much as tall people!
• Soft close is either/or — nice, but I don’t feel a must have
• Standard seat felt like sitting on leather wrapped concrete
• Power seat controls still unusable without practice; would get the manual seats
• Interior trim in palladium is decent — practical benefit of carbon interior is extended paddles?
• Unparalleled forward visibility; apparently the front windscreen has been enlarged, necessitating a second windshield wiper (boo! the single wiper of the 650S and 12C looks so cool)
• Track mode suspension really stiff
• Car is really willing to turn
• Turbocharger whistle loud around 5k RPM
• Sports exhaust not necessary

Then I got behind the wheel and drove the car on a mix of highway, the twisty backroads of Palo Alto, and local roads back to the dealer:

• Flying buttress impedes rear visibility for lane changes
• Steering is precise, fast, but barely any bumps felt through steering
• Car is very nimble
• Brake pedal does not have much travel. This apparently is normal in cars with carbon ceramic brakes.
• Throttle has a lot of travel. I didn't realize this when I initially adjusted my seating position, so when Alessandro kept egging me on to push the car, I was embarrassed that my seat was too far back for me to floor the car.
• Power delivery is more linear than the 650S, which I drove late last year. So when the turbos start spinning, you don't feel an insane push.
• In full auto mode, the gearbox will shift depending on your throttle usage. The car was very eager to get to 7th gear when I was simply cruising on the highway (75mph is around 2500rpm). During mildly spirited driving, the car would shift around 4000rpm.
• Belies its size while driving (it's 4 inches wider than my 911)
• Didn’t try B&W sound; 8 speaker audio system is standard in 570S; 4 speaker is for 540C
• Front lift will clear almost all ramps, still need to proceed slowly
• Silver exhaust looks disgusting after ~1k of use without cleaning
• Frunk smaller than that of 997 frunk
• MSO defined/bespoke options open to any clients, unlike Porsche's PTS program

The upcoming 570 GT will be like the Porsche Cayman; a deck extends above engine as a storage shelf. The rear glass hatch will slope and be openable, like 997 targa, but will open from side instead of roof. The car will be shown at the Geneva Auto Show next month.

The 570S Spider demo will arrive mid 2017 the earliest, though I heard from another cleaning lady that her dealership will have one in January of 2017. That seems incredibly optimistic to me, but we'll see.

Car Mods III

After my first track weekend, I've learned a bunch about driving and a few things about mods. I'll start with mods since the list is shorter:

One of my instructors had a 991 C2S with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s (R-compound tires, or semi-slicks). He claimed he could easily do 2:08s, which is about on pace with a 997.1 GT3 RS. I'm sure he was also running track brake pads, since R-compounds generate more heat than street tires. If I went this route, then my upgrade path would look like:

1. Brake pads
2. 19" rims
3. Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s

*

The unfortunate thing about the Pilot Sport Cup 2s is that Michelin does not make them for my 18" rims (235/40 front, 265/40 rear), but they are available for the 19" rims (235/40 front, 295 or 305/35 rear). Then that's at least $1k for the rims, and $2k for a set of tires after tax. I also looked into Pirelli's P-Zero Trofeo Rs, which are available for my 18" rims and cost only $1.4k a set after tax. As for functional differences between the two tires, the Michelins offer less peak grip at 1.6g vs 1.8g, but the transition to sliding is more gradual at the limit than the Trofeo Rs. As for practical considerations, the Michelin has more treadwear, and has a reasonably long life expectancy. It is classified in a lower penalty group in autocross car classification.

*

I had one last track day this season with Hooked on Driving (HoD) at Thunderhill again. I improved my exit speeds on average, and greatly improved my entry speeds on T10 and T11. Overall, I was able to cut my best time by 6 seconds down to 2:21.xx. A huge difference between the Porsche Club (PCA) and HoD is that HoD puts turn-in and apex landmark cones on the track, while PCA doesn't. I agree with PCA that cones should not be present so that drivers develop their own references instead of relying on a temporary object that can get knocked out of position. However, they're really helpful and reinforced several of the turn-in points for me.

Carrying more speed through turns means that I'm falling out of my seat more and more and devote more energy to bracing myself. In particular, my left leg was super sore by the end of the day from standing on the dead pedal in turns. I've been researching various aftermarket race seats, specifically the halo-style seats (wraparound head support). Fitment is done mostly by hip width, so the driver is held securely in place, even with a standard seatbelt. A decent seat is also only $1k, and can be swapped into another car if I choose to run another vehicle.

I think I'll stick with the 3-mile Thunderhill course for next season, and explore other local tracks for the 2017 season, and at the earliest, the end of 2016 season. At my HoD day, I ran with their B group  (intermediate) for two sessions with my instructor, and felt pretty comfortable. I'm running at a mid-pack or slightly below median pace. With a bit more practice, I should be high B by the end of 2016, perhaps low C. For now, I'm hesitant about point-by passing nearly everywhere because it sounds scary, and am afraid that other people in the run group will dislike my conservative point-bys.

As for brake pads, I don't see any reason to upgrade. The car has 0.5g of deceleration during hard braking, and I haven't had any heat issues yet. Given that I won't upgrade the engine power anytime soon (car is plenty fast), I won't need more braking force to compensate. Same for rotors -- larger rotors in theory can better dissipate heat due to more surface area, and lots of heat may cause rotor warping, which also hasn't happened yet.

I will keep the suspension stock as well for the upcoming season. When I get better at discerning different adjustments, I'll consider adding a GT3 sway bar and adjusting camber/toe.

*

That's all for now. Here's to a safe and fun 2017 season!

"I'm a car guy and it was a dream of mine."

So, how do young'uns (~new college grads) afford supercars?

As one involved in the local car scene, I've seen some number of folks around the same age as I who have pretty nice cars. Two weekends ago, I was at the Cars and Coffee at Santana Row and saw a guy who has a new BMW i8, which nominally lists for $135,xxx before taxes, fees, and dealer markup.

Consider the average new-grad (with well-off parents, so no student debt) who gets an offer at a big tech company, say, Hooli. The typical full time offer is $100,000 base salary, $15,000 sign-on cash bonus, an estimated $33,000 (63 shares) equity bonus paid at the end of the first year, and a projected $15,000 year-end cash bonus. Take home from the salary after tax and with the tax refund is around $75,000. Bonuses are taxed differently (roughly 50%), so that's approximately $16,000 from equity and $15,000 from cash bonuses. Since the tax refund, equity, and year-end bonuses are not received until the ~end of year 1, we only have $67,500 after tax with which to work, or approximately $5,625 each month.

As for costs, let's assume we live in Silicon Valley. We will garage our supercar, and apartments with garages don't come cheap. To cut costs, we'll split a 2-bedroom with a roommate, which should run around $4,000/month including bills, so $2,000/month each. Since Hooli provides free food (albeit not the best), we only need to cover meals on weekends. Assuming we eat $100/weekend, that's $400/month. Car insurance will probably run $350/month [1]. Amortized maintenance is about $250/month, though some makes such as BMW provide free maintenance. If we assume an average of 15,000 miles driven per year, 15mpg, and $3.75/gal, then that's $3750 in gas per year, or $312 per month. So far, we have $2313/month remaining.

For the BMW i8, which lists at $135,xxx, BMW quotes a lease of around $1,7xx/month for 3 years/30,000 miles with a $7,500 down payment (but before any incentives -- governmental, in this case). Add taxes and fees, that $1,7xx balloons to approximately $2,000/month, which leaves around $300/month for miscellaneous, or maybe even savings!

Other exotics in this price range (≤ $125,xxx), as of Aug 2015:

• Various Porsche 911 Carreras
• Jaguar F-type R
• Maserati GranTurismo
• Audi R8 V8
• Various used Aston Martins
• Various used Bentleys
• Used Ferrari California or 430
• Used Lamborghini Gallardo
• Used Audi R8 V10
• and more.

*

Now, let us expand our population to include those with student loans. The MIT Student Financial Services department reports that 40% of students have a loan, 32% are tuition-free, and 28% paid some tuition but didn't take out loans. The average cumulative debt for a student who graduated in 2012 is $20,800, so assuming that it grows at 6% yearly, would make approximately $26,500 for a student graduating in 2016. So we must resolve that before indulging.

The average new grad who gets a full-time offer at Hooli usually received an internship in the year preceding. These pay around $7,000/month now, which makes $21,000 for the summer. After 40% taxes and deductions, that's around $12,600. Add back a 15% tax refund, and your total is $15,750.

The sophomore year internship is usually less glamorous, if anything. These pay around $5,000/month now, which makes $15,000 for the summer. After the same tax calculation and adding the tax refund, your total is $11,250.

*

Now, the effective income from these two internships is barely enough to cover the average student loan. What about some less common ways to earn income?

• Getting an on-campus job (i.e. research, tech support, teaching assistant) or externship during the semester or during winter break
• Finishing your degree in fewer than 4 years, and maybe starting work early
• Running an independent consulting firm given solid background knowledge
• Tutoring other students at your college or at a nearby college
• Contracting for a `sharing economy` company, e.g. ride-sharing, Handy, Fiverr, TaskRabbit
• Collecting donations or subscriptions from running a popular twitch.tv stream or Youtube channel
• Trading (on more than just the equity markets)

*

There you have it: this is how a new grad can afford an exotic.

[1] http://www.car-insurance.com/price-07/2015-bmw-i8-14316-base_4wd_2_dr_coupe_i3-insurance-quote.html

[2] https://due.mit.edu/news/2012/undergraduate-student-debt-mit

Car mods II

Just kidding!

My Porsche-tracking friend says to keep my car mostly stock (with the exception of higher temperature brake fluid) and instead mod a track-focused vehicle, if necessary.

That's not going to happen for a while as:

• The GT3 markets for all generations are extremely hot right now (waiting for bids to go away).
• The GT4 just hit the market.

If I do choose to pursue driving education as a hobby, I would splurge for a 991 GT3 or RS for the robot transmission and chassis improvements. Here's to hoping the Rennsport division at Stuttgart will keep producing naturally aspirated GT3s!

Also, Ultraviolet is undeniably a cool color:

I also heard through the grapevine that (1) the new power height-adjustable bucket seats aren't swappable and that (2) dealers actively discourage customers from ordering cars with buckets, so finding one with buckets at a reasonable price sounds challenging. The problem with the current non-height adjustable buckets is that they sit too closely to the floor for me so as to obstruct my outward vision. I've also been actively researching how to raise the seat height with different side brackets.

*

Of course, these upgrades are predicated on demonstrable improvement measured at events. Currently I'm just running with PCA. I might consider Hooked on Driving when I have more experience.

*

As always, tips, tricks, and anecdotes are welcome!

Car mods (future planning)

Jotting down notes about what to do about the car after I get sufficient track and autocross (AX) experience. I'm planning on sticking with the rear engine platform for the near future -- sorry mid-engine friends! Mostly basing my trajectory on that of my friend edmack:

0. Brake fluid

I'm going to Thunderhill raceway in a couple of weeks and Willows, CA is going to be extremely (perhaps unbearably warm), so high temperature brake fluid will probably be good.

N.B. What happens if your brake fluid is rated at too low of a temperature? After sufficient runs, your brake fluid will start to boil and then your brakes will not work, as in pressing or stomping on the pedal does nothing.

1. Brake pads

Probably Pagids. I hear this name frequently, if only from personal recommendations and the Panorama advertisements.

2. Big brake kit

Since I plan on sticking with 18" rims, mostly for the sake of cheaper tires, I can use at most 355mm front rotors (though I think I need to check the clearance of the caliper with the inside of the rim) and something smaller in the rear (maybe 332s?), if at all. Also I plan on using slotted rotors as opposed to drilled to decrease the chance of cracking.

My current brake pads are still barely worn (I'm pretty sure they're 8 years old!!!) so I might be able to get enough track experience to get the BBK with the upgraded pads; one must replace pads and rotors simultaneously.

3. R-compounds

Will probably go with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s for street comfort, longevity, and performance. I plan on keeping the car street-legal for the near future.

4. Suspension

I'm new to various suspension geometries and parameters so will need to do a lot of research. I hear that the 911 (rear engine) platform tends to understeer because physics. Most of the weight is at the rear, so entering turns at sufficiently high speeds will cause the car to understeer.

5. GT3???

Now I'm just kidding myself (until I get a garage and more disposable income)!!!

*

As always, tips, tricks, and anecdotes are welcome!

Someday…

Status dump, Dec 4 - Dec 18

About two weeks' worth of statii:

`good enough` does not get ferraris ;__;

This one has quite a comprehensive backstory on mediocrity and niche contests/organizations that I may or may not get around to posting.

"what's life without a ferrari? very 99.9% :("

I think I thought about this when I discovered the site www.jamesedition.com.

"…intended owner is going through a divorce and can’t take delivery [of a $300k Lamborghini]." :(((

Saddest work email I've seen yet.

"Not too many bookworm types in fast Italian cars."

Found while leisurely reading www.ferrarichat.com.

On Nice Things

A comment that resonated with me deeply while reading FerrariChat:

I am by nature an introvert. I have a difficult time with the attention my 360 garners. I live in SW Michigan so there isn't a lot of serious wealth (not that I'm seriously wealthy by any means) and a Ferrari really sticks out. I dread gas stations. But I have a lot for anything engineered with such beauty and efficiency. Hence my attraction to Swiss watches as well. Just interests I have that I don't particularly care to share with others (I am not complaining and I would never snub anyone interested in my car; it just makes me uncomfortable). --campbell360

Being a Real Person®, Part I of Many

It sure has been a while since I've blogged (about anything!), so this post will be an end to such hiatus. I have a bunch of drafts on various technical shenanigans, but haven't found time to write in the middle of relocating.

Moving was pretty darn stressful. Because I am a Terrible Person and procrastinated, I felt pressured to liquidate a bunch of computer parts at the last minute. I was not pleased that I had to make aggressive price cuts to increase liquidity. At least I sold all of my GPUs I bought for mining, because those would have been worthless now. Having movers to repack and ship was convenient, so everything settled down after they came and did their thing.

My main hobby is taking care of Bud, my Porsche 911, who I bought near the beginning of my senior year :3 (yeah internship money~~~) [1] Driving Bud is a huge blast; I'm getting into advanced stick shift techniques, such as rev-matching my downshifts. I'm still no good at heel-toeing, but that's okay since I'm still learning! One piece of advice I got was to practice by nudging the throttle at a stop light while my foot is on the brake.

I should note that babying Bud is pretty expensive: I got Bud waxed and washed upon delivery ($120) and then a wash and leather conditioning two months later ($80). Most recently B&R Racing did an outstanding job repairing the curbed wheel (completely my fault for being a n00b); that'll be $350 please. On my list of future repairs is replacing the alternator, since the car is really slow to crank from a warm engine, and that's $1500 (thankfully including labor and tax). That said, slow starts aren't a big deal now that I don't stall the car at every other red light.

Carrying responsibilities of a Real Person seems not too hard for now. I don't have much of a life outside of work, which is quite relaxing, so I have plenty of time to do chores and run errands. Because driving Bud is such a blast, I look forward to commuting and getting grocery and shuttling friends to and from the airport and what not.

That said, I do avoid doing some chores, like vacuuming, which I've delegated to the wonderful Roomba. It's not only convenient, but also highly amusing to watch.

On being a woman in CS/technology/STEM, I figured I'll comment a bit since this is much of the rage in the tech industry right now. I have yet to be discriminated against (ever since my middle school misfortunes -- and that was by my female peers). Maybe I'm just socially inept and don't know when my colleagues/classmates/friends are disrespectful toward me or my female peers. There definitely are way fewer females in the teams I'm on and work with, which might be solved by targeted recruiting at women in CS/tech groups, getting and retaining younger females (middle/high school aged) into STEM, reworking social constructs, etc etc.

On that note, as a former USACO (competitive programming) participant, I'm disappointed by the lack of females in the upper divisions (silver, gold, and camp, but camp really is not relevant at this stage). [2] The competitive math scene is better, probably because of more participation and exposure at schools.

[1] My parents paid for my MIT tuition (~3.75 years since I took a light load last term). I will hopefully continue this tradition and hopefully buy my parents a Ferrari someday :3 As for internships, I did something every summer (3x) and every January (4x). All in all, I had a decent surplus after buying the 911. Do math! Make informed decisions!

[2] That said, this year has been extraordinary in that a girl qualified for the invitational camp, but sadly did not represent the US at the international level. This rare event happens once several years; hell, qualifying for the gold division (which I did) isn't even a yearly occurrence. Perhaps I should start mailing high school teachers about it.

Dream Come True

Can I help you?
Yeah. Do you have the new 911?
Yeah. It's right over here.

Do you want to get in?
Really?
Sure.

Exhales

Do you have a business card?
Sure
Thanks.

I'll see you in about 20 years.

It's a funny thing about a Porsche. There's the moment you know you want one. There's the moment you first own one. And for the truly afflicted, there's the decade or two that passes in between.

Only took about 11 years!

Porsche 918 Configurator LIVE!

The most expensive car whose price is shown in an online configurator is...the Porsche 918 Spyder! And to add further insult, all 918 examples have been pre-ordered.

Here's to hoping I'll have a chance to drive one of these bad boys!

San Francisco

Immediately after my internship, I flew to San Francisco for a short one-week vacation to chillax while I still had the chance.

Jet lag produces excellent morning photos

I made a day trip to south bay to visit Apple. I had lunch with my mentor and then went for coffee with a few others on the iOS team.

The reason I chose to go to south bay on this day is that Apple organized a small auto show at one of the campuses. I got to see a number of supercars and classics.

AC Cobra

McLaren MP4-12C air vent

Wings of freedom

Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera mirror cap

AC Cobra Coupe

Salute

McLaren MP4-12C mirror cap

McLaren MP4-12C engine

McLaren MP4-12C door opened

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG front emblem

The most intriguing supercars were the McLaren MP4-12C and the Mercedes SLS. I may just have a thing for door mechanisms, but I gotta say, scissor doors are the coolest. I think they intrigue me because I don't have a clear picture of where the hinge mechanism is mounted -- there's no obvious flat edge on which the door pivots like in traditional doors (leftmost edge) or gullwings (topmost edge).

I'm not too versed on classic cars, but I did recognize the BMW 2002! Oh, the things I learn from playing Forza 4. There were also a bunch of Cobras and a Porsche 356 Speedster in British racing green.

Automobiles aside, staying in San Francisco, specifically SoMa (South of Market for non-natives), was quite pleasant. Compared to the Tenderloin, where I stayed for an on-site interview. The surrounding area was decently clean (I would say not as clean as the loop in Chicago) and had plenty of attractions. Namely, the Apple store was only five minutes away by foot. :) Plenty of restaurants were close by, including Chinatown. (Aside/funny story: we went to a dim sum place for lunch, and I was awed when our waiter computed our bill (including tax!) in his head. I joked that I would never be able to work there.) We also walked along the piers and went to Ghiradelli Park one afternoon.

That said, rent in San Francisco is laughably expensive, to say the least. It turns out that rent for a one bedroom corner unit in a relatively nice location is $4k/month. To put this in perspective, a two bedroom/two bathroom unit in the penthouse tower in Chicago is $3.2k/month. One would think that high rent and high income taxes would be sufficiently large deterrents.

But inexplicably, I think that I will be sucked into this vortex known as the Bay Area.