Jonathan Fry

Pride of York Ferry

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Fry) — Fri, 09 May 2008 01:59:00 +0000

Now the weather is improving Debbie and I have been out and about with the camera again. We decided to pop along to King George Dock in Kingston upon Hull and watch the P&O Ferries vessel Pride of York leave the dock on its journey across the North Sea to Zeebrugge in Belgium.

When the Pride of York is in Hull it spends the day moored in King George Dock which isn't accessible to the public. It enters and leaves the dock via a lock and watching this large passenger carry vessel travel through the lock is well worth the time taken to watch it - about an hour.

The Pride of York ferry used to be called the Norsea before North Sea Ferries were taken over by P&O Ferries and the ferry was subsequently renamed in line with P&O's corporate naming policy. The Pride of York ferry is assigned to the Hull - Zeebrugge - Hull route and carries passengers, cars and cargo. Many of the passengers are taking a P&O mini cruise as Debbie and I have done in the past.

The Pride of York has a sister vessel which is on the same route called the Pride of Bruge, previously named Norsun.

We took a lot of photos as the ferry travelled through the lock and out into the River Humber. I have merged these photographs into a short video sequence which you can watch below.

If you're interested in making a visit to King George Dock to watch any of the ferries leave and you're not sure where you should be you can use the embedded map below to get directions.

View Larger Map

Willerby Earthquake

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Fry) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 01:08:00 +0000

Between 12.55am and 1.00am this morning I was sat at my desk working when it started to shake.

According to Sky News there was an earthquake covering a great deal of the country.

I went downstairs and then outside to be greeted by a few other local residents who were also looking for the cause of the shaking.

That's the first earthquake I've experienced in 38 years!

Update:

It looks like the earthquake was centred 30 miles south of Kingston upon Hull. The following link has all the details.

Magnitude 4.7 - ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM

I've Heard It All Before!

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Fry) — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 02:48:00 +0000

"Piss off back to your posh area and isn't it time you proposed so I can get rid of her?". Not what you expect from your future father-in-law but he'd had a couple of cans apparently and I'm used to making allowances for Ian. It's not his fault I tell myself regularly, he was born like it according to Debbie's mum Ellen. At least you've got your sense of humour Ian, you're going to need it for the wedding speech!

But it's not just Ian giving me grief at the moment, it's every one of my mates without exception, my mate's wives' including Rachael, who like Debbie is a red head but with an extra dose of fire, and even Debbie herself.

So Ian, knowing full well that you'll read this, as will everybody else I know, I'd like to remind you of a few things.

I know exactly when I'm proposing to Debbie, it's in my diary. You know too, as do all my mates.
You're paying. As such you need time to save up. Debbie wants a massive wedding, this will involve plenty of saving! Serve you right for having a big family!
Getting engaged will involve an engagement party. I need to negotiate a venue for this which I will do when I have the time. We like parties!
I also need to go out and buy an engagement ring. This involves the type of shopping I absolutely hate so I need to motivate myself. Shame you can't get them in Maplin's!
Even though Debbie knows I'm going to ask her she doesn't know when and I'd like to keep it that way. If she finds out I'll change the date by at least 6 months.
The longer I leave it the more desperate you all become!

So don't panic, everything is under control and I have a plan! The plan involves running like hell as quickly as possible in the opposite direction to you lot.

I'd also like to say a quick thank you to Steve and Mandy directly and Steve and Sue indirectly for inviting us both to some of the best nights out we've had in ages.

Debbie's quite a party girl but when she'd prefer to cancel a girlie night out with her mates rather than missing one of your gatherings it speaks volumes.

Us Two

I'd had a few!

She'd had a few!

Smoking Ban - A Reminder

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Fry) — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 03:42:00 +0000

As you're probably aware I enjoy participating in the perfectly legal and enjoyable pass time of having a cigarette or two. By doing so I'm contributing to the NHS, schools, public transport and Iraq through the 89% tax charged on each packet I buy.

Like most smokers I've never encouraged anybody to start smoking or to continue smoking and that includes inhaling the smoke which emits from the end of my cigarettes; the door's always open and they are always welcome to leave.

As is normal with this Labour government the advertising surrounding the smoking ban is a complete fabrication of the truth and if you're standing next to me when I'm smoking you won't drop dead or get lung cancer. In fact if you want a dangerous dose of Benzine then don't smoke a cigarette, just pop along to your local service station and fill your car with petrol. This Labour government and its past and current leadership couldn't tell the truth to save their worthless lives.

Unlike many people who drink or take illegal drugs I wont kill you if I'm behind the wheel of a car, I won't mug you to obtain the funds to continue my habit, I won't start a mass street brawl after a night out smoking, I won't attack NHS staff if I need medical treatment as a result of smoking and I won't beat Debbie when I get home after having a few cigarettes.

I often refer to this once great country as Illegal England. Under Blair it's now illegal to do just about anything. Our civil liberties have been eroded to such a point as you seriously risk being arrested or labelled something horrible just for having an opinion which differs from Blair's mates.

It reminds me sometimes of Nazi Germany where there was a socially engineered super class. Presently in England if you're too fat or you smoke you are very likely to have treatment denied to you on the NHS. Soon we'll be expected to carry identity cards and we'll get arrested if we dare speak our views. Get worried, get very worried.

And all of this whilst having even more of our powers taken away and sent across the English Channel to Brussels by Tony Blair who has the bare faced cheek to lie about that too.

I've got some news for Tony, a self proclaimed religious man. Well over 100,000 people have died in Iraq because of your lies and deceit. You believe in Heaven and Hell by virtue of your religion. You'll be judged and I'm confident you'll be going straight down to Hell. If I was religious, and that's something I will never be, I'd be praying right now to have you sent there as soon as possible.

The smoking ban is now in force in England and as a result I'm exercising my legal human right to have a cigarette whenever I please. Therefore I reserve the right to only go where I am able to exercise my legal right to smoke without being treated like a second class citizen. If I can't smoke when I get there then there's a good chance I won't even bother setting off. If you need me to come to you then I ask that you provide me with a suitable place to smoke or you're free to come to me, your choice. This does not apply to Debbie who is free to do as she wishes.

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Flooding in Willerby, East Yorkshire

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Fry) — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 20:18:00 +0000

I've lived in Willerby, East Riding of Yorkshire for over 30 years. Willerby lies on highish ground compared to Kingston upon Hull and therefore I thought we were immune to flooding. How wrong I was!

A torrent of water, coming from higher ground, worked its way down Kingston Road and entered many of the side streets, including mine seeking out lower ground. For much of today the road and many gardens have been under water. Fortunately the house was not affected but a few neighbours have spent most of the day bailing out their gardens and patios to prevent the water entering their houses.

As far as this area goes the torrent is now a slow flow and the road is now visible. Recent reports on Sky News suggest that there are motorists on stranded in their vehicles on the A63.

A quick thank you goes to the owner of the Cottage Fires van who lives down the street. He blocked the road behind my car using his van to prevent cars driving down the already flooded street as the resulting wake from the vehicles was making the situation worse. Unfortunately a handful of idiots decided to drive down the pavement to avoid the road block. I really hope they got home to flooded houses.

Fry Family Genealogy Wiki

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Fry) — Sat, 26 May 2007 15:30:00 +0000

Today I've launched the beta version of the Fry Family Genealogy Wiki. The Wiki is the first part of a new portal system I'm currently developing codenamed Project FryGen.

Project FryGen was conceived from weaknesses I've experienced whilst carrying out my own family history research. Many one-name family history resources suffer because they are often fragmented, do not benefit from modern software solutions and don't have the backing of expert web developers and web servers. In a lot of cases they are expanded personal projects containing an amazing amount of valuable data which is difficult to navigate and search and therefore of reduced value than otherwise would be the case if the same data was available through a better interface.

The Fry Family Genealogy Wiki is a central collaborative database of information provided and edited by researchers who are also involved in Fry family research; people just like you and me.

This wiki is very flexible and allows information on just about any relevant subject to be entered and categorised in minutes. That information becomes immediately searchable by other researchers both through this wiki and through most major search engines such as Google.

The wiki will remain in beta for the next 60 days while I tweak the settings and address any support issues.

I'd therefore like to invite anybody who is carrying out Fry research to join me on the wiki and help build an invaluable family history research resource for the benefit of all.

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Fry Family Genealogy

MISSING: Madeleine McCann

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Fry) — Thu, 17 May 2007 15:56:00 +0000

Madeleine McCann was born 4 years ago. She has one brother Sean and a sister Amelie. She lives with her family in Rothley, Leicestershire.

Her father comes from Glasgow and has 3 sisters, Patricia, Jacqueline and Phil, and a brother John. Madeleine's Grandmother, Eileen lives in Glasgow. Her other grandparents, Sue and Brian live in Liverpool.

Both sides of the family are very close and all are working in different ways to try and help in the search for Madeleine.

Phil, who resides in Ullapool and is a teacher, has asked that the heartfelt thanks of the whole family be passed to everyone who has helped in the search so far. She said "There have been so many messages of support and prayers from people all over the world. We (the family) are overwhelmed with your assistance. The media people have been wonderful and so helpful in making everyone aware of our plight. Madeleine’s family are so grateful to you all. Please keep Madeleine in your thoughts and prayers. We pray that she will be returned to us safe and well."

Help find Madeleine - Click here to Download the poster

The Official Website to find Madeleine McCann

Scallywag Porscha Fry

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Fry) — Wed, 09 May 2007 09:00:00 +0000

Another sad announcement I'm afraid. Our amazing white Persian cat 'Scallywag' Porscha has died this morning (Wednesday) after a short illness.

Porscha was truly amazing and not only to look at. She had a fantastic personality, loving nature and remarkable human traits. Mum says that Porscha was the best alarm clock and bed warmer anybody could wish for. Mum should know, Porscha spent more time in mum's bed than she did!

Porscha was due to celebrate her 13th birthday next month but didn't quite make it. We thought she would live forever, well that was the hope anyway but it wasn't to be.

Porscha is now resting in one of her favourite places in the garden, next to the catnip plant, close to her great uncle 'Scallywag' Tuppence Halfpenny (Tuppie for short) who died thirteen years ago on his fourteenth birthday.

Porscha is survived by her sister 'Scallywag' Sophie who must be missing Porscha like crazy, but rest assured she's been well looked after.

Sophie, the poor dear, isn't quite all there in the head department. She was the runt of the litter and had to be hand reared and even though she's nearly thirteen still needs hand feeding and acts like a kitten most of the time.

Porscha is sadly missed but will never be forgotten.

Kevin "BoBo" Watson 1959-2007

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Fry) — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 08:21:00 +0000

When my mobile phone rung at 5.20am on January 3rd and the display said BoBo Calling I thought the worst. Before I even pressed the answer button I was trying to work out whether his car wouldn't start, he'd broken down or somebody had broken into it. I was awake but nodding off and I wasn't really with it.

I expected to hear jolly BoBo breaking the news that his car was poorly but instead it was the sister of BoBo's wife Patsy, giving me the terrible news of BoBo's passing at 12.30am that morning. The news didn't sink in then and it still hasn't now.

I don't know how long I've known BoBo but a rough guess puts it around ten years. BoBo didn't have many friends, his funeral yesterday proved that. He'd have expected a handful of people to turn up but instead the chapel which holds over 200 was full to bursting point with no standing room left and there was more people outside than there was inside. These 500+ mourners prove once and for all just how short of friends BoBo really was.

Stood over my shoulder during the service in the entrance to the chapel (that's as close as we could get inside, and we were the lucky ones) was a reporter from the Hull Daily Mail taking short-hand notes about the service. Outside was a Hull Daily Mail photographer recording the event. Such was BoBo's popularity that he was given a page three write up in Thursday's edition following a massive amount of memorial announcements placed in the newspaper since his death.

Kev was a big man in every sense of the word. Big in stature, big on personality, big on wind-ups and big on memories. At his funeral he didn't walk alone and he will never be forgotten by all the people whose lives he touched.

BoBo is survived by his wife Patsy and children Lyndsey, Kevin, Rebecca, Joe, Tom and grandson Declan.

They have no reason to fear the future, I have a feeling they are going to be well looked after by all of Kev's friends, including this one.

I'll leave the last word to BoBo in the way of a photo of the great man himself.

Rest in peace mate, we're missing you already.

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They Really Should Know Better

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Fry) — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 05:20:00 +0000

I've been around long enough to have seen some eye opening events in the motor trade. Some were minor and some were damn right dangerous. Some revealed a lack of competence, some pure laziness and a number revealed the mechanic just hadn't moved with the times, unlike automotive technology.

When you pay good money to have your vehicle repaired by a professional mechanic you expect the repair work to be completed correctly and in accordance with the recommendations published by the vehicle's manufacturer or following industry standards which more or less amount to the same thing.

Behind the closed doors of a workshop you have no way of knowing if your vehicle is been maintained and repaired correctly. Unless you're there and watching the repairs being carried out and you are a professional mechanic yourself (in which case you'd be doing the repairs yourself) then you only have the repairer's word that the repairs were carried out correctly, and let's face it, who actually asks before they pay the bill?

But does it really matter? Yes it does.

Vehicle manufacturers spend hundreds of millions of pounds every year carrying out research and development to calculate the optimum settings for each vehicle they produce. They don't do it for the fun of it. They wont spend one penny more than necessary so the fact that they are willing to spend these millions speaks for itself.

There's no magic formula, guess work is 100% inaccurate and you can't make it up as you go along. Only expensive and time consuming research and testing can formulate the correct settings for each model derivative.

If the manufacturer gets it wrong or the repairer doesn't follow the manufacturer's recommendations then vehicle safety, performance and life expectancy will be reduced.

It's 50% unless the manufacturer says otherwise

A number of years ago I was in a garage in Hull talking to the owner about a problem he was having with one of his customer's car. At the time he was replacing the engine coolant on another vehicle and prior to my arrival he had drained the cooling system and had just replaced the bottom hose as I walked in.

While I was chatting to him he proceeded to measure out 1.5 litres of antifreeze and added this to the expansion bottle then filled the engine up with tap water from a watering can. This vehicle I knew had a cooling system capacity of 10 litres and therefore required 5 litres of antifreeze to comply with Ford's published recommendations.

I asked him why he had only added 1.5 litres of antifreeze. His answer showed a complete lack of understanding of modern cooling system additives and engines.

He told me he had read on the back of a bottle of antifreeze than a concentration of 15% antifreeze (85% water) would protect the vehicle's engine down to -8 Celsius. That's adequate he said, it rarely gets colder than -8.

Well he was as wrong about the temperature as he was about using only 15% antifreeze.

Modern engine cooling system additives, often referred to as antifreeze, perform far more functions than just preventing the water in the engine from freezing. Here's a list of the most important properties of antifreeze.

Reduces the freezing point of the fluid in the cooling system.
Increases the boiling point of the fluid in the cooling system.
Reduces corrosion in engine and cooling system components.
Reduces lime scale build up in the cooling system.
Reduces foaming.
Lubricates the water pump and thermostat.

The most important of these properties is corrosion prevention. When you have water, electricity and acidic compounds circulating in a metal engine you have the optimum environment for metal corrosion. This corrosion causes engine damage leading to failure, head gasket failure, reduced heat transfer and premature failure of cooling system components such as the water pump.

By adding only 1.5 litres of antifreeze the corrosion inhibiting additives in the new mix would quickly have become saturated by the corrosion already present in the engine and at 15% concentration there would be insufficient to prevent corrosion occurring. Should the vehicle's owner then have added water to top up the system this concentration would fall even lower.

The loser here is the vehicle's owner who would have left thinking their car was protected for the next couple of years but who faced an expensive engine repair when when the corrosion had caused enough internal engine damage. As for the garage owner, he will have been paid, no doubt the same amount as the job could have been done properly for and will benefit from his own incompetence when the vehicle returns for a new head gasket in future months.

One size doesn't fit all

As my late father used to say, it's bad when your car wont start but it's a disaster when it wont stop. Even if you neglect everything else you need good tyres and good brakes.

If you look through the handbook for your vehicle you'll see just how many combinations of tyre sizes are fitted to your vehicle across the different trim levels. Now look at the tyre pressure chart and you'll see this reflected in the different tyre pressure recommendations too.

As I mentioned earlier in this article, vehicle manufacturers spend a small fortune calculating the correct tyre size and pressure for each model and trim level, in this case in close collaboration with tyre manufacturers They don't do it for kicks.

There isn't a 'one size fits all' guide to correct tyre pressures. Every model and trim level combination is different and it's different for a reason.

I've lost count of how many times I've heard a mechanic tell me "A few pounds per square inch (PSI) wont make any noticeable different to the performance or safety of a vehicle".

Wrong, and dangerously so.

And it still makes me cringe every time I see a mechanic pick up a tyre inflator and without any regard for the correct pressures proceeds to inflate all the tyres to his own randomly generated idea of the correct pressure. Never mind the hundreds of thousands of pounds of research and development which has gone into publishing the correct tyre pressures, every vehicle gets 30PSI in every tyre because that's the way it is.

What the mechanic wont tell you is that he wont be driving the vehicle when it leaves the road due to insufficient tyre grip and kills or seriously injures the occupants.

And the cause is pure bone idle laziness because all workshops have the manufacturer's recommended tyre pressures in their technical data resources. But that involves opening a book and reading the correct, and well indexed page to find them.

I've just looked up the correct tyre pressures for a Vauxhall Corsa. In fact this happens to be the most popular Corsa model on the British roads today. I'm not providing details here of the trim level, tyre size or the vehicle's age in case somebody decides to use these in the belief they are correct for their car.

This specific model's tyre pressures are 31PSi for the front tyres and 23 PSI for the rear tyres. Why have Vauxhall listed these pressures down to an increment of 1PSI? Why haven't they rounded down the front tyre pressures to 30PSI and rounded up the rear tyre pressures to 25PSI? The answer is both simple and obvious.

During Vauxhall's extensive research and development testing of this vehicle they will have tried every combination of tyre size and pressure possible and they found that there were noticeable benefits to vehicle handling, tyre wear, tyre temperature, grip, water dispersal and driver comfort by having the front tyre pressures set at 31PSI and not 30PSI and the rears at 23PSI and not 24 or 25PSI.

And if you watch Formula One racing like I do you'll see this in action at every race. You can see for yourself drivers entering the pits to have their tyre pressures adjusted, but not by 1PSI, by a fraction of a PSI because in Formula One racing even 0.25PSI can change the handling characteristics of the racing car.

If it's 23PSI it's 23PSI for a reason. And the reason is vehicle safety because you only get one chance at getting it right.

It's 2007 and it's a spark plug

Automotive technology has moved on at a dramatic rate in previous decades but unfortunately some areas of the motor trade, and here I'm quite specific, some of the teaching fraternity, haven't.

Back when wheels had wooden rims and ignition coils were housed in glass jars the component installed in an engine to ignite the fuel and air mixture was called a sparking plug.

Now wheel rims are made of complex alloys and each cylinder has it's own ignition coil (Coil per Plug) and the component used to ignite the fuel and air mixture is called a spark plug.

But don't take my word for it. I am unable to find one vehicle or engine manufacturer or one spark(ing) plug manufacturer who calls this component a sparking plug. Go and have a look yourself at NGK, Champion and Nippon, the biggest names in spark plugs and the world leaders and not a mention of the term sparking plugs.

So why do those responsible for educating the mechanics of the future not concede that terminology has moved on? Because for a lot of them they are totally detached from the modern motor industry. For a large number of them the only contact with the modern motor trade is their annual visit for an MOT test. For a small few it's the inside of a car showroom when they are selecting their brand new car.

When inside their warm and politically correct classrooms they are stuck with their outdated text books, a million miles away from the world they will eventually release their students into. They follow the teaching guidelines of examination bodies who are often equally detached from modern day life. A good example of this was an exam question which was presented to a student as part of his online examination.

Q. Where would you expect to to see a head pipe installed in an exhaust system?
A. What on earth is a head pipe?

The classrooms are filled with students who either shouldn't be there or don't want to be there, each has a price on his head amounting to thousands of pounds a year in government funding and the doors are wide open ensuring the maximum revenue benefit for the College rather than the highest quality trainees for the motor industry.

This country is screaming out for plumbers and builders but the motor vehicle teaching facilities are at bursting point whilst workshop employment is in decline.

And when these students don't make the grade at examination time you make sure you revise the questions with them 5 minutes before the retest, conveniently leaving the revision on the board, to ensure targets are met and results based government funding is achieved.

And I've seen it done first hand.

As an old head of department said to me and a group of others once. "If they (students) don't want to be here then get rid of them". I'd go further, a lot of those doing the teaching aren't fit for purpose and don't want to be there and the college's should be more proactive in getting rid of them.

Keywords:
Auto Autos Automotive Automobile Automobiles Antifreeze Car Cars Coolant Education Garage Mechanic Spark Plug Safety Teaching Tyre Tyres Vehicle Vehicles Workshop United Kingdom UK

VW Polo Reliability Issue

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Fry) — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 21:26:00 +0000

I've come across an interesting video today which was described in an article by the Manchester Evening News.

The video highlights the numerous problems experienced by the owner of a Volkswagen Polo TDi which he purchased new in June 2004. During the 10 months he owned the vehicle he had to return it to the selling dealer's, Smith Knight Fay, eight times with new and reoccurring faults.

You can watch the video for yourself below. It's worth noting that the video isn't of the highest quality and Mr Ashton, the vehicle's owner and publisher of the video isn't the world's best presenter but he makes a valuable contribution.

If you believe everything the marketing people want you to believe then you'll think that Volkswagen motor cars are exceptionally reliable, this just isn't the case.

Article Link: What Car? Reveals UK's Most Reliable Cars

I posted some research by What Car? magazine back in August 2005. The What Car? reliability survey compares actual warranty claims rates for more than 31,000 cars covered by Warranty Direct (0800 731 7001, www.warrantydirect.co.uk,) in the last two years.

The research is clear. In August 2005 no Volkswagen model featured in the top ten most reliable models and Volkswagen featured only 15th in the table of most reliable manufacturers. I've just checked What Car?'s latest reliability table and Volkswagen now feature at 17th place, a drop of two places in a year. Skoda and Seat, another two marques owned by Volkswagen are shown as even less reliable at 18th and 21st places respectively. Audi, once bosom buddies with Volkswagen, appear in 22nd place which is an improvement on 28th place in 2005.

Those of us who have spent long enough in the motor trade know about the realities of vehicle reliability. After all, we are diagnosing and repairing a large range of vehicles on a daily basis. From my experience, Volkswagen performance does not meet the expectations of the owners, expectations which originate from the marketing spin incorporated in multi-million pound advertising campaigns. If you tell the public something enough times they'll eventually start to believe it. Fact and reality however are far more effective tools than spin and once that reality hits home it can leave a nasty taste in the mouth.

The moral of the story is, do your research and don't ever believe what you read, see or hear in an advertisement.

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My Pain and Suffering

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Fry) — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 02:45:00 +0000

Today, the 20th October, 2006 is our second anniversary. It was two years ago today that I met Debbie for the first time at the Hull Megabowl on St. Andrew's Quay. Sadly, the Megabowl is no longer here but Debbie is and by heck do I know about it.

Following two years of daily pain, suffering and torture I feel the need to seek some redress so I'm going to post a series of photos taken over the past two years to show just what I've had to put up with.

And the future isn't bright. It looks like I'm stuck with Debbie for at least the next 40 years. I just don't seem to be able to shake her off and the constant talk of wedding bells everywhere I go is deafening! Yes Ellen, Sue, Rachael and Patsy I am deaf!!

So Debra, now it's my turn to show the world what I have had to put up with for the last two years and gain some sympathy from the many visitors my web site receives.

That said, I love her to bits and wouldn't have it any other way!

Can anybody see a pattern? Enough said!!

Chinchilla Cam

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Fry) — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 00:21:00 +0000

Debbie's given me one of my birthday presents a few weeks early and I've put it to good use.

I've replaced my Street Cam with the new web cam and moved the older, but more suitable, web cam upstairs and attached it to the outside of Chilly's cage.

So, now we've got a Chinchilla Cam to go with the Office Cam and Street Cam.

(Click the image to view the live web cam)

You may not see a great deal if it's dark or if he's eating (His food bowl is at the top of the cage out of sight) but keep checking back and it wont be long before you see him running around his cage.

Our Chilly the Chinchilla Photo Gallery contains some of the latest photos of him at work, rest and play.

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European Hydrogen Infrastructure Outlined

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Fry) — Sat, 30 Sep 2006 03:44:00 +0000

This article has been written by Jonathan Fry exclusively for auto4you.co.uk.

Despite the daily announcements from individual organisations detailing technological advancements in fuel cell technology, it’s been commonly known for some time that there’s an insufficient supply of hydrogen on the world market to power this up and coming green revolution.

There’s also increasing concern that precious time is being lost because major players in the market are not working together which is wasting research and development (R&D) opportunities and slowing the overall development cycle of a technology which could reduce, if not eliminate our dependence on fossil fuels in the future.

Following an announcement today (29th September, 2006) the situation is set to improve as energy companies Shell Hydrogen B.V. and Total France, together with the vehicle manufacturers BMW Group, DaimlerChrysler AG, Ford Motor Company, General Motors Europe AG, MAN Nutzfahrzeuge AG and Volkswagen AG announce their joint approach to advance hydrogen as a fuel for road transport in Europe.

Hydrogen and fuel cell technology will bring significant change in the way the world produces and uses energy. While the public and private sectors already agreed that so-called Lighthouse Projects, integrating all aspects of hydrogen production, distribution and use, are the necessary next step, the group of energy companies and vehicle manufacturers believe that now is the time to move forward. In a common position paper, the companies have defined a near and mid term action plan to pave the way for the introduction of hydrogen-based mobility in Europe.

Quite clearly there is an intrinsic link between the companies producing hydrogen, those distributing it and vehicle manufacturers who develop the fuel cells to use it. Together, these companies are convinced that a joint approach will advance the development of the technology required for future commercially available hydrogen vehicles including the corresponding refuelling infrastructure whilst reducing overall R&D costs for each member of the partnership.

Each company continues to pursue its own specific timelines but the group has commonly identified key phases over the next decade, comprising continuous technology development and cost reduction, pre-commercial technology refinement and market preparation, with commercialisation of hydrogen powered vehicles potentially starting around 2015.

The companies have identified a number of criteria for the implementation of Lighthouse Projects in Europe. A key priority moving forward is to concentrate efforts on a focused region for passenger cars, leveraging all resources in order to maximize learning. Based on these requirements, the group sees these Lighthouse Projects initially rolling out in Berlin for cars and city buses, and in additional selected cities and regions for city buses. All lessons learned will be shared across all regions, as will continuing education and outreach.

Implementing next steps requires contributions from all public and private stakeholders involved in hydrogen and fuel cell technology.

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Chilly the Chinchilla

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Fry) — Sat, 23 Sep 2006 20:41:00 +0000

Debbie and I would like to present Chilly, our new furry friend.

Last Thursday night we were both invited to Mike and Rachael's for a drink, nothing unusual there. The difference being that this time we were introduced to Chinchilla the Chinchilla.

Chinchilla was owned by Mike's son Dan. Dan was due to start his freshers' week the following Monday as he embarked on a 4 year degree course at Hull University.

Dan was moving into the Halls of Residence and as such couldn't take Chinchilla with him. Rachael, quite naturally, has better things to do than entertaining Chinchilla 24/7 and it was mentioned that Dan was looking for a new home for his cute and furry friend.

Well, what was I supposed to do? I could tell Debbie had fallen in love with him the minute she took hold of the little monster and I'm quite partial to a bit of fluff now and then! So it was to be, Chinchilla had found a new home and Debbie had a grin on her face wider than a Cheshire Cat's!

Today marked the arrival of Chinchilla, his cage, wheel, food, unusual chewing habits and a new name. We thought long and hard about what to call the little feller and came up with Chilly.

So we'd both like to take this opportunity to introduce Chilly and welcome him to his new home where he'll be kept in the lap of luxury, waited on hand and foot and pampered in a fashion that would be the envy of any Premiership footballer's wife.

And the camera's been working overtime capturing Chilly and Debbie enjoying each others company.

Chilly and Debbie falling to sleep

Fast Asleep

Chilly trying to escape again!

UPDATE (16/10/2006):
We've installed a Chinchilla Cam. You can read more about it here.

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Fry Family Genealogy

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Fry) — Fri, 24 Feb 2006 22:36:00 +0000

After a couple of years looking for a suitable domain name for my Fry Family History web site I'm pleased to announce I have bought the fry-family.com domain name after it became available earlier this week.

The new domain name will prove to be the perfect identity for what I hope will be an expanding and popular web site detailing not only my own family tree but those of my extended family and others researching the Fry surname around the world.

So, if you're a Fry, where ever you may be, pop along to www.fry-family.com and have a look. If you would like to see your family genealogy included on the site there's a contact link at the bottom of the page. Feel free to register yourself with the site and send me a message and I'll do my best to guide you through adding your own family tree.

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Fry Family Genealogy Wiki

Legendary Caterhams Go Under the Hammer

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Fry) — Thu, 16 Feb 2006 21:45:00 +0000

Never ones to follow tradition, British sportscar manufacturer, Caterham, are to auction a selection of their most celebrated used Sevens (20-27th February).

In order to make room for a flurry of part exchanges arriving in March, the company has chosen to take the somewhat unusual step of putting some of its more exotic pre-owned models under the hammer.

Just twelve unique examples will be sold off during the weeklong auction. Highlights include the Superlight R500 that famously smashed the 0-100mph-0 world record in a time of 11.44 seconds (2002) and a special edition Autosport 50th Anniversary 133bhp Roadsport – one of only 9 built.

However, pride of place for motorsport enthusiasts will surely go to the all-conquering Nürburgring Superlight R400 racecar from 2002.

The ultra-reliable lightweight sportscar left a litany of Italian, Japanese and German supercar muscle in its wake to not only win its class around the fearsome Nordschleife, but finish 11th overall from a list of 200 starters. So demonstrably quicker than its rivals, Caterham were subsequently banned from defending the title - being deemed ‘too fast to race’ by organisers.

Lining up alongside these performance legends is a wide selection of road and track Caterhams, plus one very special vehicle powered by gravity alone - the soapbox derby car the firm entered into the famous 2003 Red Bull Soap Box Challenge!

In traditional auctioneering fashion, the company will host a ‘preview day’ on Saturday February 18th at its Caterham showroom for interested parties to take a closer look at the assembled ‘lots’. Bidding, either by phone or email, starts in earnest on Monday February 20th running for seven days.

For more information about the auction or to register to bid see www.caterham.co.uk/auction or call Caterham Cars on 01883 333700.

Multimedia:

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Ascari Takes to the Catwalk with Attitude

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Fry) — Thu, 16 Feb 2006 21:35:00 +0000

As the beautiful people of the world ready themselves for this year’s London Fashion Week, there’s more than one model guaranteed to steal the limelight. Stylish, sleek and effortlessly graceful, the stunning KZ1 supercar from Ascari will be on hand to provide gold card transport to models from Attitude Model Management.

Opening its doors in spring 2005, the London based model agency is already responsible for some of the brightest faces on the international fashion scene. With London Fashion Week promising to be one of their biggest outings to date, a scene stealing arrival was needed. In the £235,000 supercar, they’re guaranteed just that.

The vision of Dutchman Klaas Zwart, the Ascari KZ1 even offers customers their own touch of couture. With an endless choice of colour schemes and bespoke leather interior, the Ascari offers a blank canvas on which to tattoo your innermost spirituality. It's up to you what boxes you tick, the configuration you go for and the size of the statement you wish to make.

Taking place between the 14th and 19th February at the National History Museum, London Fashion Week will play host to over fifty trend setting designers, with many more at exhibitions throughout the capital. For more information visit www.londonfashionweek.co.uk

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Upgraded Bosch ABS Goes into Production

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Fry) — Thu, 16 Feb 2006 21:12:00 +0000

Bosch has started producing a new up rated version of its Antilock Braking System (ABS). The unit is 20% smaller, lighter, quieter and more efficient in operation than previous versions. The new Bosch ABS 8.1 unit has also succeeded in further reducing braking distances, particularly on slippery surfaces, and produces less brake pedal vibrations. "This new version meets the objectives of the OEMs for a greater reduction in weight and installation space of every single unit" explains Klaus Meder, vice president development of the Bosch Division Chassis Systems Control.

The main improvement with the new ABS 8.1 unit is a more efficient control loop for the return pump motor, the speed of which can now be adjusted according to the driving position. This improvement has allowed engineers to use a smaller electric motor, the decisive factor in achieving a downsizing of the unit. The pump and valve triggering were also optimized during the course of the product’s development. In its most compact version, the box volume of the hydraulic unit and add-on ECU now falls below the one litre mark and weighs only 1.4 kilograms.

The variable speed control provides a further reduction in pedal vibrations and noise. Bosch engineers have also succeeded in noticeably suppressing the intensity of the high- frequency noise from the unit. The result is improvement in driver and passenger in-vehicle comfort and convenience.

On wet, snow or icy road conditions ABS 8.1 reduces stopping distance even further and because the new pump unit consumes less power than previous units, the system will not drain the vehicle’s electrical systems.

Bosch was the first supplier worldwide to offer an electronically controlled, mass-produced antilock braking system. It was first installed in 1978 in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class followed shortly after by the BMW 7-Series. Since its introduction, Bosch has produced and delivered over 130 million brake control systems with the ABS function to OEM’s all over the world.

Research Material:
The Bosch Group is a leading global manufacturer of automotive and industrial technology, consumer goods, and building technology. In fiscal 2004, some 242,000 employees generated sales of €40 billion. Set up in Stuttgart in 1886 by Robert Bosch (1861-1942) as "Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering," the Bosch Group today comprises a manufacturing, sales, and after-sales service network of some 260 subsidiaries and more than 10,000 service centres in over 130 countries.

The special ownership structure of the Bosch Group guarantees its financial independence and entrepreneurial freedom. It makes it possible for the company to undertake significant up-front investments in the safeguarding of its future, as well as to do justice to its social responsibility in a manner reflective of the spirit and will of its founder. The charitable foundation, Robert Bosch Stiftung, holds 92% of the shares of Robert Bosch GmbH. The entrepreneurial ownership functions are carried out by Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG.

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Think Once, Think Twice, Think Bike

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Fry) — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 08:11:00 +0000

To mark the IAM's 50th anniversary this year I will be providing 50 tips to improve your driving, courtesy of the IAM. The fifth one is below.

Ask most drivers if they feel safe in their car, and the answer is invariably yes. We are surrounded by metal, with all the latest technology built in to safeguard us if the worst happens.

Add the heater on icy days and our favourite CD and that sense of complacency is complete. Has that "safe" vehicle lulled us into a false sense of security?

We should really drive as though that airbag was a metal spike, pointing out of the wheel at our chest.

Then we would have a sense of vulnerability - which is how most motorcyclists feel, with good reason.

The first three-year review of the Government's casualty reduction targets (in 2003) confirmed that motorcyclists continue to be disproportionately represented in casualty statistics. In fact, at that time biker casualty figures were the only ones going in the wrong direction.

Despite a welcome drop in overall casualties in 2004 (compared to 2003) bikers - who represent just one per cent of road users - still accounted for 17% of fatalities. With 585 bikers killed and 6,063 seriously injured in 2004, there is no room for complacency - and bringing the figures down is a top priority for the DfT's THINK! campaign.

But the most recent figures show that 73 per cent of all crashes involving a two-wheeled motor vehicle also involved a car.
The most common cause of motorcycle crashes is a 'right of way violation'. Data gathered by police investigators shows the majority of these incidents occur at T-junctions and it is usually the motorist - rather than the biker - who is at fault. There is a phrase used to sum these up: "Sorry Mate, I didn't See You". These SMIDSY crashes happen despite the fact the motorcyclist should be in clear view.

Always take a second look at junctions before you pull out. Be aware of the so-called "A" posts on your vehicle. They divide the windscreen from the side window and can conceal an on-coming bike, although they are only narrow. That bike may or may not have its headlight on. But it is not as big as, or the same shape as, a bus or a car, and so it is very easy to miss it at first glance.

As the old slogan used to put it: Think Once, Think Twice, Think Bike.

For further information and other driving tips, visit the IAM website at iam.org.uk

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Happy Birthday Ford Fiesta

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Fry) — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 21:10:00 +0000

When Ford launched its Fiesta in 1976 it hoped to create a new best-seller in the UK market – but instead it created an automotive icon that would not only redefine the city car market forever, but also capture the hearts and minds of a whole generation of youthful customers.

With an entry-level price of just £1,856, the Fiesta arrived at time when the UK economy was dramatically shrinking, and it instantly satisfied the nation's desire for affordable fun motoring – a passion that has continued for 30 years and 3.2 million sales in the UK alone.

That’s enough Ford Fiestas, if stacked on top of each other would reach higher than 500 Mount Everests. Parked bumper to bumper, the queue would stretch from London to Bali.

"The popularity of the Fiesta is defined by its amazing sales success," said Steve Hood, Ford of Britain's Marketing Director. "It's been in the top 10 best selling cars in Britain since 1977 – a feat unmatched by any other car. In 1990, 1991 and 1996 to 1998 the Fiesta was Britain's best selling car outright, and in its best-ever year, 1987, over 150,000 Fiesta models were sold in Britain," he added.

In 1976 the average weekly wage was around £70, income tax was 35 per cent and inflation soared to 17 per cent. It was the year of punk, economic austerity and Star Trek. Personal computers, MP3 players, mobile phones and the internet remained the dreams of scientists.

The Ford Fiesta made its UK debut during the famously long, hot summer of '76 to immediate acclaim. Yet nobody imagined it would remain the nation's favourite small car into the following century.

Ford's first front-wheel-drive car, the original Ford Fiesta quickly established a reputation for excellent driving characteristics, generous interior space and value for money. It was soon unchallenged as the UK's best-selling car.

Today, 30 years on, with a 14.2 per cent segment share (full year 2005), the Fiesta remains the UK's most popular choice among private 'retail' customers in the supermini sector. With annual sales of almost 84,000, Fiesta also ranks as the fifth overall best-selling car in the UK.

So what else has changed in 30 years? Though the term "eco" meant little in 1976, the Fiesta's impressive fuel economy and low emissions were already making a significant environmental contribution, well before such performance became a requirement. However, today's ultra-clean and environmentally friendly Fiesta puts the first models into perspective.

It would, for example, take 50 new Fiestas to produce the same toxic emissions as a single Mk I in 1976. Unlike the original Fiesta, the current version is 85 per cent recyclable, too. And while the Mk I was notably economical for its era, it could hardly have matched the ability of the current Ford Fiesta to travel the 650 miles from London to Inverness on a single tank of fuel.

The 2006 Ford Fiesta is available as a three- or five-door hatchback, in a range of Style, Zetec, Ghia, S and ST variants as well as the Fusion MPV. Buyers can choose from 1.25, 1.4, 1.6 and 2.0-litre petrol and 1.4- and 1.6-litre turbo-diesel versions.

Hi-tech features that would have seemed like science fiction back in 1976 include Bluetooth, voice control, satellite navigation and Automatic Temperature Control (ATC). The design has been revised inside and out, and a vibrant new palette of colours provided for body and trim.

Fiesta Timeline:

1973 Project Bobcat - Fiesta under development.
1976 Mk I launched in 1.0- and 1.1-litre Ghia form.
1978 Fiesta wins British Design Council Efficiency Award.
1979 Millionth Fiesta built for worldwide sales. Special sporty version enters Monte Carlo Rally - this would become the XR2
1983 Mk II launched with fifth gear. 1.6 litre diesel becomes first in class.
1984 First Fiesta runs on lead-free petrol.
1987 Best sales year just under 154,000 Fiesta were sold in Britain
1989 Mk III launched with anti-lock brakes and lean-burn engines.
1990 135PS RS Turbo launched
1994 Driver airbags standard.
1995 Mk IV launched with Zetec engines. Dual airbags standard.
2002 Five-door version of sixth generation Fiesta launched.
2003 Three-door version
2005 150PS Fiesta ST launched – most powerful to date
2006 MK VII launched with voice activation and Bluetooth