Star Wars… Yay!

Posted on September 12, 2015 by michaeldekock

Now, I just read that Star Wars Episode VIII will begin filming this month in Skellige Michael, Ireland. Apparently people thought it was a reshoot for a scene because the ending of Episode VII coincides with the beginning of VIII. I did not know this as I’m not one of those people who went and looked at all the leaked photos and stuff. The only leaked photo I saw was on of J.J. Abrams standing in front of an X-Wing.

All of the leaked stuff came up on my Facebook Wall as I ‘follow’ many Star Wars related pages, but even before they started filming Episode VII, I decided I wasn’t going to look at leaks. This is because I want to experience the feeling Starwarsians had in 1980 and 1983 when they went to the cinemas for The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. The feeling of excitement and concern, not knowing what to expect from this instalment of your favourite interplanetary adventure series.

I had this sort of feeling only with one movie. When we went to watch The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, I didn’t expect much. I mean, the trailer looked good, but it is a Ben Stiller film. So it was either serious to the point of being boring, or it would be inappropriate to the point of walking out of the cinema. Much to my surprise, it was brilliant! The story is very well done, the visuals are magnificent and the musical score comes very close to John Williams or Hans Zimmer. I will no doubt tip my hat to Ben Stiller if I ever meet him.

But anyway, I am a guy who has only seen the Star Wars movies once, apart from Episode II and V (and instantly fell in love with them), and who also quite likes the prequel trilogy because the special effects are better and I love the Clone Wars to bits. However because of this, I cannot judge or comment of Starwarsian matters. Heck, I will probably be cast into a pit with Jabba’s rancor just for saying these things…

The Green Glory

Posted on September 7, 2015 by michaeldekock

Today I am sad. Well happy, but sad too.

Recently I saw the new Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Legacy Edition in all its green glory. It is a magnificent machine. Absolutely ridiculous, but awesome!

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I am immensely happy that it exists, but sad that it will be the last of its kind (apart from some American automobile manufacturers’ models). I say this because as you might or might not know, it has one of the best engines ever created at its heart – the M156 Naturally Aspirated 6.2L V8. The Germans don’t do N/A anymore – only Volkswagen does with their 1.2l to 2.0l, but they are slow. BMW phased out N/A engines with the 5.0l V10 from the E60 M5. Audi was never really big fans of N/A engines, – just the 4.2l V8 and now the 5.2l V10, both of which was and still is in the R8.

As a South African, I am extremely honoured that the only ten Legacy Editions made their way to SA. I don’t know if it’s because we are biggest fans of the C63, whether it has to do with emissions regulations or if Mercedes just decided it was a good idea. I don’t know and I don’t care. I’m just honoured.

I love that car. In some ways even more than the SLS (for you who don’t know me personally, the SLS is my favourite car in all its gull winged awesomeness). Yes the SLS looks beautiful from any angle, but the C63 Legacy is probably Mercedes’ last ‘F**k you!’ model to the law people who oppose big, stupendous, ways of taking the kids to school in a plume of smoke…

Life an’ Stuff

Posted on August 13, 2015 by michaeldekock

People always say “I need a life” or “Life sucks”. We simply don’t know all that we have. We take everything for granted. What they don’t understand is that everything is a gift. Waking up in the morning, getting coffee, having friends, me sitting in a car whilst writing this… Everything is a gift – even if you don’t realise it. It’s all there! People just don’t know how to see it and make it work.

Now, I’m not one of those people going on and on about how special life is, because it is annoying, but life is a gift that must be cherished. It mustn’t be wasted on unnecessary things like following Kanye West or any of the Kardashians for that matter. Having interests are good, but being ‘interested’ in things just because it’s the ‘in’ thing, isn’t a real interest. It’s called, ‘trying to be cool’.

If you really want to be cool, just be yourself. Whether you are a rugby player, doctor, actor or a colossal nerd! Just be yourself. People appreciate it when you are yourself. They get to meet the real you and understand you. Trying to be someone else is just a waste of time and quite possibly, money

Now go out. Live, love and most importantly, have fun!

Mattering

Posted on March 11, 2015 by michaeldekock

I just finished reading John Green’s ‘An Abundance of Katherines’ and I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but I also figured out the mattering thing Colin was going on about. I also had a ‘eureka!’ moment when I figured it out.

It happened in either the fifth or seventh month of our stay here in Cairo. I was watching the evening news and yet another story about Edward Snowden came up. I thought to myself, ‘How on earth had a NSA analyst become so widely talked about? I mean, here you have this low down dude, who leaked some high-up stuff onto the internet and now he’s all the news talks about.’ It’s quite amazing how the world media can go on and on and on about things.

Anyway, back to mattering. Let’s take the American Presidents. Each one goes down in history because he was the leader of the ‘free world’, but each is also remembered by something else he did. Washington was the first, Lincoln ended slavery, Kennedy was assassinated and Obama is the first black. Granted, they are high-up in the chain of people that will be remembered, but what about the low-end? Snowden is now famous (or infamous) as the person who leaked.

My theory is this; Normal people like you and me will be forgotten. It’s inevitable. We will remain in the thoughts of the people who were close to us and we will linger on social media, but that’s it. What we as normal plebs can do to be remembered needs to be spectacular. Something like writing literature like Shakespeare (please no) or making movies like Meryl Streep (although that would be difficult to achieve her level of accomplishments). That way we can remain somewhere in someone’s mind and then we won’t be forgotten.

Disclaimer: This is all very materialistic and quite frankly a bit depressing and pathetic, but it’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while now. My father has achieved that and my mother is strongly on her way there whilst I sit here and write this blog.

Quote

Posted on February 17, 2015 by michaeldekock

Is a hippopotamus a hippopotamus or just a really cool opotamus?

~ Mitch Hedberg

I have a problem with the new Ferrari 488 GTB

Posted on February 17, 2015 by michaeldekock

I have a problem with the new Ferrari 488 GTB.

With Ferrari’s of old, the name shows what engine and how many cylinders it has. In the case of the 458, it’s a 4.5L V8, 458. Same with the 308 GTS, 3.0L V8. Easy. Now, the new 488 has a 3902cc V8. When I heard that I was a bit confused because Ferrari said that they will put a smaller engine in the new car because of emission regulations and stuff like that that makes us petrolheads very angry and sad.

Anyway, the new car now has a 3.9L Bi-Turbo V8. Which, in my mind, would be the 398 GTB. It makes more sense than 488, where the only true number is the second eight. I did a quick internet search for why Ferrari decided on 488, but not even their own website can tell me.

Now the power. It has 492KW and 760NM of torque. It’s well and all, but that causes another problem. My favourite few cars include the Ferrari 458, Mercedes SLS, Porsche 911 Turbo S, Lamborghini Gallardo, Audi R8, Lexus LFA, Aston Martin DBS, Jaguar XKR-S and most of their variants. All those cars have between 380 and 430 KW, which is ‘tame’ enough to not be scary.

The problem is that this new car is too powerful. With that much power, it puts the 488 in the Aventador’s category. And that makes me sad.

As some of you might know, my favourite car of all time is the Mercedes SLS. But since last year, it was discontinued. I was pretty upset. The DBS, LFA and Gallardo died out. Of them, only the Gallardo got a successor that I don’t really like. Some other cars changed too, which I don’t like. There is something wrong with the way the Huracan looks. It’s like mini Aventador, but without the Lambo soul.

All that’s left from that category now is the Jaguar, Audi and Porsche. The SLS’s successor, the AMG GT, is pretty and all, but it doesn’t fit.

Back to the 488. I wouldn’t mind for one at all because let’s face it, it’s a Ferrari. But I also wouldn’t mind to have the 458 Speciale Aperta…

War & Peace

Posted on February 10, 2015 by michaeldekock

In the last five or six thousand years that humans have walked this planet (evolutionists, please feel free to keep your opinions to yourselves), only 268 years has been spent at ‘peace’ and then it has only been bits and pieces. The rest is filled with war, famine, disease and other pretty gruesome things. What does that say about us humans?

It could all have been averted, if we weren’t so greedy. I recently watched the movie Watchmen. Now for everyone who hasn’t seen it, I won’t spoil it. It is a really good example of what is wrong with this world. It is about a dystopia so concerned with war that they forget that peace is just a decision away. But no, everyone wants to have the best and most advanced weapons and armour that can repair itself.

I find that wrong. Life is not about who has the most money or fame or whatever. All that can easily be taken away. Life is about making a lasting impression. Scientists contribute to society in the form of discoveries, artists by their music, paintings, sculptures etc. and actors and actresses by the roles they play of people who had a lasting influence. The list goes on and on and on.

The only way that I can see us changing as a species is if we individually decide to change the world for the better. But at the current rate of descent, I honestly cannot see that happening.

Technological Progress

Posted on October 19, 2014 by michaeldekock

I want to talk about technology. Over the past few years, technological progress has increased by quite a margin, compared to 50 years ago. We are able to talk to someone on the other side of the planet and it is as if they are sitting next to you. It is incredible!

Sometimes though, I wonder, how much more technologically advanced we can get. There is this game, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, where humans get dramatically altered. It started out all well and true, with a disabled scientist wanting to be able to walk again. So he engineered prosthesis that embeds itself in his nervous system. It didn’t take and he remained a cripple for the rest of his life. But he didn’t give up. He created more advanced prosthesis for other disabled people and created a multi-million dollar company.

Unfortunately, someone thought, “Hmm, why do only disabled people get to have augments?” And that is what I am afraid of – normal people being forced to get high-tech gadgets and stuff they do not need, or want.

Anyway, for us ‘normal people’, we can only wait and see where technology takes us. The fact that I typed this post on my PlayStation 4 both intrigues me and scares me…

Ho to Become a Motoring Journalist

Posted on July 10, 2014 by michaeldekock

I absolutely love cars since I can remember. My mom told me to get other interests too, because she said I would bore people if that was the only topic I could talk about. Then she changed her mind and told me to look for a career involving cars, seeing that it is my passion and that she wants me to do something that makes me happy to go to work one day. So, I started thinking and one morning, when I was about 11, I told her that I was 51% sure that I would want to become a motoring journalist.

Lately I am rethinking my choice, but I would still love to do something involving cars – if it is full time or just as a hobby. Here are a few thoughts about becoming a motoring journalist.

Probably the best known TV motoring journalists today are those three musketeers from the BBC’s Top Gear. For the past ten years and 19 seasons, Jeremy Clarkson, James May, Richard Hammond and The Stig entertained us with their adventures and mischief. Together they had set the standard for motoring journalism on TV. They not only test cars, but push motoring journalism’s boundaries past the limits. (Ask the poor BBC boss!)

They crash cars for fun and sometimes do very thorough road tests – involving stupid questions, like: Can you fit an eel next to very reactive sodium cubes in the bookt of a KIA? Or Can you fit Cienna miller into the glove compartment of a Skoda? Yes, I know.

They – or rather Jeremy – also gets in trouble a lot for saying what he thinks, without thinking about the repercussions and then get fined. But all in all, they are the most entertaining lot in the motoring world today.

Not Every Car Enthusiast can become a Motoring Journalist

Fortunately or unfortunately, not every motoring journalist will end up being a TV celebrity. So, for the rest there is the less glamorous, but still very satisfying option of the printed media. There are hundreds of car publications to work for all over the world. A few examples are car and Driver, Top Gear Magazine, Top Car, Car, Rides, Classic Car etc. Here you see only a few examples of car magazines from different countries.

Another option in motoring journalism is blogging. There are many blogs available on the Internet.

These few sites are a good start: www.carmagblog.co.za, www.carblog.co.za, www.celebritycarsblog.com.

What skills do you need to become a motoring journalist?

To become a motoring journalist, you must at least have some important skills:

o A love of cars and/or motorbikes and/or other vehicles is a necessity.

o Secondly you must have a wide and in depth knowledge of the subject.

o And of course, it would help if you can write.

o (If you have ambitions to become a TV journalist, you’ll have to acquire some communication skills.)

Study journalism at a local university or internationally at a school of journalism.

Find work in the industry at either a newspaper or a magazine and then work your way up – who knows, maybe you will take over Jeremy Clarkson’s job one day when the BBC finally decides to kick him out! LOL!

In the Mean Time…

Read articles in motoring blogs and magazines to increase your knowledge and to learn how articles are written.
Read as many different magazines as possible to get different journalists’ views on different aspects of motoring.
Improve your writing skills by doing courses, writing regularly (or join my mom’s Writing Club).
Visit car shows or expo’s whenever you can.
Start you own blog. This will help you write regularly and it will also help you to get your name and views out there. This will also count in your favour when you apply for university.

The Future of Motoring

Posted on March 14, 2014 by michaeldekock

As we all know, the futuristic vision of motoring normally shows adventurous, spontaneous and all out happy people driving the electric equivalent of a Lada Niva, i.e. a Nissan Leaf, that silly little Peugeot thing and the G-Wizz . I personally think that is not the future for motoring enthusiasts. Well, if it were, then all motoring enthusiasts would say, “Bugger this!”, jump off a cliff and scream “YOLO!!!”

I think the company which has the correct idea for the future car is Fisker, especially with the Karma. They haven’t got it 100% right, but they’re onto something. The idea of having an electric motor as the main propulsion component is excellent. The way the Fisker works (if I got this right and I think I do) is with an electric motor at the rear axle, a bunch of batteries in the middle and a 2.0L turbo at the front. You plug it in your wall socket and it charges just like a phone. Easy. Or, you don’t even have to plug it in. You can just put petrol in it, but the engine doesn’t power the wheels. Instead, the engine charges the batteries, which in turn power the wheels. It is a brilliant system (apart from all the trouble Fisker has with the suppliers, fires and technical difficulties).

There is only one problem. When, not if, all the oil runs out, you’ll be stuck with this heavy lump of unused metal under the bonnet formerly called an ‘engine’. Then one day you can tell your grandchildren about this thing that used to power your car that also made this (sometimes) beautiful, intoxicating sound – not what granny drives now that makes this digital noise to keep her from falling asleep. I’ve gone completely off topic now…

Ummmm… oh yes, the ‘engine’. If you replace the ‘engine’ in the Fisker to, let’s say, a hydrogen fuel cell in the Honda FCX Clarity, then it can work as normal. People will go to a ‘HydroStation’ instead of a ‘Petrol Station’ and the world can continue as if nothing ever happened (well not really, but you get my point). I mean, hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe. When we run out of hydrogen, then someone else can just copy and paste this blog and correct the vehicles and technologies of their time. Off topic again…

The best things about electric cars are the specs. All the power and all the torque are there from the second you ‘start’ the electric motor until the second you ‘turn it off’. It is awesome! I can only imagine driving something like the Mercedes-Benz SLS ElectricDrive around the Nürburgring. Or even a hyper-hybrid (just thought that word up) like the Porsche 918 Spyder, or the Ferrari with the stupid name, or the McLaren P1 (a company which should really revise their naming strategy).

Then you get to the bad things. The worst thing about them is that they will wipe out the manual gearbox. I can’t imagine a world without the manual car. I see it as a horrible, miserable place where gearshift hands and left legs are the most bored body parts the universe will ever see. Another thing is the range. And the sound. And the looks (Nissan Leaf). And the irritating fact that you bought an electric car!!!

Michael De Kock is (obviously) a car enthusiast, avid reader and movie lover who have the goal to know (at least) a little bit about (almost) everything.