Haje’s Brain

The book is basically what it says on the cover: Ten-and-a-half short chapters, which together cover a lot of ground. It is not, as you may be led to believe, a book about history, however.

Rather, it is one of those books that somewhat reminds me of those Official Soundtrack albums they keep releasing: “Music composed for, and inspired by, X”. The stories are, in fact, all fiction. But rather than being history, they cleverly become part of history. Or they will do - for anyone who reads the book. It is also obviously inspired by history, in a way that no other book I have ever read is. (more…)

Horsepowers, shiny alloys and the badge on the front of the car are all good and well, but it is of no use if you do not arrive at your destination in one piece. Vehicle safety is very much in the public consciousness - and so it should be: After all, nobody has time to spend time in hospital, or worse.

In the automotive world, the NCAP crash test - NCAP stands for New Car Assessment Program - is the main player. For us in the UK, the Euro NCAP is the most important influence: it tests most of the new car models by subjecting it to the infamous NCAP crash test, in which crash test dummies are placed inside the car, and the vehicle is subjected to various crash tests. (more…)

Quite frequently, when I search for parts for my car on eBay, I come across auctions for power boosting chips promising the world. Based on the description, however, it becomes quite clear what it actually is, and what it does:

you would be buying a Performance Boost Resistor, which would add 5-20 BHP to your engine. it will fit any fuel injected vehicle that has an ECU, but not turbo or diesel models. it takes about 5 minutes to fit, and can be removed without any adverse effect to your engine. so you can put it in your next car.

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In the automotive world, from a consumer’s point of view, a “platform” is a set of characteristics shared between several vehicles.

From a manufacturer’s point of view, it is the other way around: The platform on which a vehicle is built is the fundamental basics on which the rest of the vehicle can be built. This can be compared with building a house: If you build a foundation and then stop building, a skilled architect can turn the building into a whole array of different buildings, limited only by the limitations of the foundation. (more…)

Diesel-fuelled internal combustion engines have traditionally had a big problem with soot particles, and a particulate filter aims to solve this problem. A particulate filter is a device that goes in the exhaust system. They will be mandatory on all new Diesel engines sold in the EU in 2007, when the EU5 emissions regulations kick in.

The interesting bit of this whole malarkey is the Particulate filter - it is so simple, yet rather nifty technology at the same time. (more…)

Volkswagens’ technology labs have come up with another innovation for their VW Golf series: A combination of a supercharger and turbocharger. The SuperTurbo is aimed to be was introduced on the 2006-model of the Golf. (more…)

The Shell Eco-Marathon is a competition in which vehicles take fuel consumption to the extreme - During one of its races, a japanese team, “Fancy Carol” set the current world record of 11,195 Miles Per Gallon (MPG). Compare that to up to 60 MPG in very efficient diesel passenger cars, or as little as 8 MPG in high-powered sportscars.

The Shell Eco-Marathon’s history stretches back over fifty years. A group of Shell scientists based in a research laboratory in Illinois, USA, had a friendly bet to see who could drive their own car furthest on one gallon of fuel. Although they ‘only’ achieved 50 miles per gallon, it was the foundation of today’s prestigious international event. (more…)

The fear of buttons on clothing, known as button phobia or koumpounophobia, is an irrational phobia which is, perhaps surprisingly, a fairly common fear.

Most people who suffer from this phobia are convinced that they are the only ones in the world to suffer from such a strange fear, and they are often teased or taunted by others who do not understand or believe that they are telling the truth. (more…)