I currently drive an X-reg Ford Puma and am now looking for a replacement. I've really enjoyed the Puma, it handles well, has nice pick up and as a 2+2 can carry 4 people over moderate distances. It has swallowed enough camping gear to take me and a friend to music festivals and has regularly slogged around the M25.
However the time has come to think about something else as the Puma is getting on.
What I've been looking has been some kind of successor to the Puma; another sporty coupe that fits well with my life. The trouble is that Ford no longer seems to have cars of that kind available to buy. I'd be forced to choose between one of the Ka or Focus range or end up with a barge.
I ended up casting my eyes further afield and there seemed to be three major choices:
BMW z4 Coupe
Nissan 350Z
Audi TT (New model)
By process of elimination I ended up at the Audi TT, allegedly the handling was massively improved in the new model, it was a 2+2 and can definitely shift. The reviewers had suggested that the 2.0T was nicer handling than the 3.2 quattro, so that was the one that I asked to test drive.
An old friend of mine had asked to come along on the test drive and so, having picked him up a little late, I roared on to the garage.
On arrival we spotted the new and old TT models sat side by side. It was very interesting to compare them. At first blush they looked very similar. The face of the car had obviously changed. The headlights and grille were definitely 'new Audi' and had given it a more aggressive look. The two other obvious changes had occurred at the back of the car with the introduction of a pop-up rear spoiler (my friend and I were both a little dubious - something else to go wrong) and the roofline had shifted back where it met the boot lid.
On further inspection it became clear that the new model was a little wider and a little longer. While most of the distinctive creases and curves remained, they had been subtly altered.
On entering the dealership, I was greeted by our friendly salesman Matt who had cheerfully ignored my request to test the new 2.0T and had lined me up with the 3.2 quattro. At least it had the S-Tronic gearbox so I could happily play with flappy-paddles.
The salesman took us out of the showroom and then out of town with me in the passenger seat and my friend in the back. It was obvious that the +2 seats were not much use at all except for headless people and contortionists. The roofline meant that any adult sitting in the seats had to bend their neck very uncomfortably. It was possible to provide survivable leg room.
Sat in the front passenger seat, I was able to look around the cabin. In basic trim there was quite a lot of basic plastic and, while the build quality was good, I did not much like it. The controls were very well laid out and the seats were extremely comfortable.
The noise in the interior was very pleasant - a nice V6 rumble, pleasantly audible but not overpowering.
Once we had left town I exchanged places with the salesman and prepared myself to drive the car. Fortunately the test drive took in several roads that I had often driven before in a number of cars so I was able to concentrate on the feel of the car and not on the route.
I started off with the S-Tronic box in automatic mode and attempted to pull away. Not having driven an automatic for a while I flubbed the basics - I forgot to put it in drive. Having sorted that out (and remembering to put my foot on the brake) I gently lifted my foot off the brake to see if the car would creep in automatic mode - it did. The indicator stalk on the left was used and I went to pull away. Carefully keeping my left foot out of play I manage a relatively clean pull away and quickly accelerated up to 60. The gearbox was almost unnoticeable, the only sign that gears were being changed was the change in exhaust note.
Rapidly reaching the first corner - a long right hander suitable for 60 miles an hour I simply steered around it. The steering was light but surprisingly communicative. A few hundred yards later I was coming up behind another road user and the road was about to drop away a long way down to a sharp left turn. I deliberately slowed to open up a gap between me and the car in front and let engine braking open up a good gap so that I could come down the hill at speed and take the left hander quite fast. The left hander was dispatched with no fuss. Once again I was coming up behind a small queue of cars so I eased back and followed them. I noticed that it was possible to occasionally wrong-foot the automatic and end up in a less than perfect gear on exiting the corner.
After a little pleasant gentle driving we reached a round about and fortunately the drive took us away from the other cars and onto a lovely half mile of road where I was able to plant my foot and see what would happen. The car took off and I felt that my kidneys were making intimate conversation with the seat. Half way down the road is a right hand bend which rises to a crest half way. The car handled this with ease and dropped down to join the dual carriageway back into town. Joining was no hassle, the only thing that I had to do was make sure that I did not accelerate too much.
On the way back into town I got the salesman to talk me through the gearbox and paddles and I had a pleasant time trying them out. Very neat, very easy. Move the gear stick left to be able to use it to push up and down through the gears, back right for automatic. The paddles worked at any time and could override the choice of the automatic. If I were to get the car I would probably use the paddles almost exclusively.
The final part of the test drive involved me coming up a long hill with a patch of road at the bottom that always manages to unsettle two wheel drive cars. I used the accelerator aggressively and the quattro system worked perfectly. There was no wriggle or squirm and the car accelerated up the hill again. At the top of the hill I got out and sat in the +2 seats, of that the less said the better.
Climbing thankfully out at the showroom I sat down with the salesman and went through the options and colours. The deposit was only to be £1000 and I was sorely tempted to buy then and there. The car was very handsome, the handling impeccable, the engine intoxicating and the gearbox nearly perfect.
I think that I probably shall get a TT despite the cramped rear passenger accomodation. The boot is large and the car is a very good compromise.
I may just need to invest in a guillotine.
September 26, 2006
September 15, 2006
Dulce de Leche
Despite my grandparents living in Argentina, my mother was born in Uruguay as they did not want her to be conscripted if she were a boy. As I understand it the Argentines are not always well liked in South America so my mother is often quite firm on the fact that she was born Uruguayan.
Despite largely growing up in England I was exposed to a fair chunk of another culture for which I will always be grateful. A significant part of that is South American cuisine. Dulce de Leche (Milk Jam) is one of the elements of South American cooking that plays no small part in a number of my family's stories.
The recipe for Dulce de Leche is deceptively simple:
Simply place all the ingredients into a thick pan over a low heat and cook until the mixture turns a medium caramel brown and thickens, stirring occasionally. This can take anything up to an hour and a half.
The resulting concoction can be eaten with a spoon, used in cake and pastry fillings or just spread on bread.
A rather more simple way of preparing it (not without its own risks) is to boil a can of sweetened condensed milk for 2 and a half hours. Remember to keep an eye on it and top up the water if necessary. Do not open the can in any circumstance until it has had a chance to cool. If the can starts bulging while cooking take it off the heat immediately and stand well back.
The Dulce de Leche produced in this way tends to be a little coarser and less flavoursome.
An english cousin was shown the simple recipe once but unfortunately forgot that it was cooking. 6 hours later the pan had boiled dry and the can had exploded spraying hot metal and hot overcooked Dulce de Leche everywhere. As it was my mother's kitchen and it still smelled of Dulce de Leche 3 months later she was less than pleased.
Another time a very old friend of my mother's was living in the States and started to crave real Dulce de Leche - just like grandmother used to make. She had been using the condensed milk recipe but this time it just wasn't good enough.
She called her Argentine friend in the next town, who after some deliberation said 'No I don't have a recipe for it, but if you take a tin of sweetened condensed milk...'.
My mother's friend then called an Argentine friend in the next county, who said, after some thought, 'Well if you take a tin of sweetened condensed milk...'.
Calls were placed to assorted Argentine friends throughout the Eastern Seaboard. Who without exception replied: 'I don't know the proper recipe but if you take a tin of...'.
My mother's friend not being one to give up without a fight said to herself 'Right, I'll call up the Argentine Embassy in Washington D.C.'.
The operator receiving her call was more than a little surprised by her request and had to reply that she didn't know but if my mother's friend would hold then the operator would ask around in the embassy.
Twenty minutes passed and the operator returned to the call.
'Well I asked everybody, even the Ambassador's chef and the Ambassador's wife and none of them had the recipe, but if you take a tin of...'.
A few weeks after, my mother received a letter from her friend telling this story and my mother was able to send back her own grandmother's recipe as I have recorded above.
Despite largely growing up in England I was exposed to a fair chunk of another culture for which I will always be grateful. A significant part of that is South American cuisine. Dulce de Leche (Milk Jam) is one of the elements of South American cooking that plays no small part in a number of my family's stories.
The recipe for Dulce de Leche is deceptively simple:
- Two cups of milk.
- One cup of sugar.
- A pinch of cream of Tartar.
- Vanilla.
Simply place all the ingredients into a thick pan over a low heat and cook until the mixture turns a medium caramel brown and thickens, stirring occasionally. This can take anything up to an hour and a half.
The resulting concoction can be eaten with a spoon, used in cake and pastry fillings or just spread on bread.
A rather more simple way of preparing it (not without its own risks) is to boil a can of sweetened condensed milk for 2 and a half hours. Remember to keep an eye on it and top up the water if necessary. Do not open the can in any circumstance until it has had a chance to cool. If the can starts bulging while cooking take it off the heat immediately and stand well back.
The Dulce de Leche produced in this way tends to be a little coarser and less flavoursome.
An english cousin was shown the simple recipe once but unfortunately forgot that it was cooking. 6 hours later the pan had boiled dry and the can had exploded spraying hot metal and hot overcooked Dulce de Leche everywhere. As it was my mother's kitchen and it still smelled of Dulce de Leche 3 months later she was less than pleased.
Another time a very old friend of my mother's was living in the States and started to crave real Dulce de Leche - just like grandmother used to make. She had been using the condensed milk recipe but this time it just wasn't good enough.
She called her Argentine friend in the next town, who after some deliberation said 'No I don't have a recipe for it, but if you take a tin of sweetened condensed milk...'.
My mother's friend then called an Argentine friend in the next county, who said, after some thought, 'Well if you take a tin of sweetened condensed milk...'.
Calls were placed to assorted Argentine friends throughout the Eastern Seaboard. Who without exception replied: 'I don't know the proper recipe but if you take a tin of...'.
My mother's friend not being one to give up without a fight said to herself 'Right, I'll call up the Argentine Embassy in Washington D.C.'.
The operator receiving her call was more than a little surprised by her request and had to reply that she didn't know but if my mother's friend would hold then the operator would ask around in the embassy.
Twenty minutes passed and the operator returned to the call.
'Well I asked everybody, even the Ambassador's chef and the Ambassador's wife and none of them had the recipe, but if you take a tin of...'.
A few weeks after, my mother received a letter from her friend telling this story and my mother was able to send back her own grandmother's recipe as I have recorded above.
September 13, 2006
Extension Points
This entry is dedicated to Hardev who came up and ever so politely reminded me that it has been some weeks since my last one.
I've been accumulating topics and do have a few things that I want to talk about so here is one.
A classic refrain in the IT business is 'future proofing', a dangerous and terrible thing. All too often I have sat through requirements and design meetings where people sit and try to anticipate all future ways in which the software could be used. If you ever find yourself in such a meeting, either take it over and talk about 'extension points' or run (don't walk) for the nearest exit and wait for the bloated mess that results to collapse in on itself.
An extension point is an abstraction that allows the easy extension of application behaviour by using patterns such as decorator, factory, strategy etc. Unfortunately as I've already discussed many moons ago, abstractions do make it more difficult to comprehend the code; this means that just adding extension points do have a cost. I find that the extension points that are likely to be used in the future are the ones that are 'sympathetic' to the thrust of the functionality.
In the end extension points should fall naturally out of the design process, however they can be used as a good argument to use against the 'future proofers'.
I've been accumulating topics and do have a few things that I want to talk about so here is one.
A classic refrain in the IT business is 'future proofing', a dangerous and terrible thing. All too often I have sat through requirements and design meetings where people sit and try to anticipate all future ways in which the software could be used. If you ever find yourself in such a meeting, either take it over and talk about 'extension points' or run (don't walk) for the nearest exit and wait for the bloated mess that results to collapse in on itself.
An extension point is an abstraction that allows the easy extension of application behaviour by using patterns such as decorator, factory, strategy etc. Unfortunately as I've already discussed many moons ago, abstractions do make it more difficult to comprehend the code; this means that just adding extension points do have a cost. I find that the extension points that are likely to be used in the future are the ones that are 'sympathetic' to the thrust of the functionality.
In the end extension points should fall naturally out of the design process, however they can be used as a good argument to use against the 'future proofers'.
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