I return to the Intarweb

[elspethdixon]

Finally home again after almost a month of travelling. First, my family and I went to Mid-Ohio Vintage Motorcycle Days, a series of motorcycle races and other events held every year at about the same time as Otakon (explaining why I've never been to Otakon despite it's being one of the largest cons on the east coast and only a couple hours drive away).

My Dad raced pretty well, nobody I knew personally crashed, and I've got two articles lined up for The Classic Motorcycle that I should be working on now instead of updating this journal.

Then we went straight from Ohio to Virginia Beach, where we spent several days with my Mom's extended family. Also enjoyable, though the ocean was flat as a millpond until the day we left and we didn't get to surf. I saw figliaperduta and we watched PotC II together.

Then I came home, swapped one set of luggage for another, and took the train to NY to spend about half a week with pixyofthestyx. She took me to a renfaire and showed me numerous shiny media products. We also watched PotC II, and ran into the best Jack Sparrow cosplayer I've ever seen at the renfaire, complete with the walk, the voice, and his own Jar of Dirt.

No, no more of Gunslinger has been written, but we've "opened up a dialogue" over it, and we've still got the 13 chapter outline. also an outline for a ten-book celtic fantasy cycle with canon yaoi and a catboy

In other news, my grandmother's house briefly had a snake living in the upstairs toilet. My Dad has killed it, but not before it scarred my already snake-phobic sister for life.

Comments

[pinkdormouse.livejournal.com]

Ooh! Just the person I need to talk to!

Methanol or ethanol plus nitrous as motorcycle fuel in my Young Adult Novel -- how insane can I get? Setting is around 2050, but the timeline diverged from ours in the early 80's when Argentina retained the Malvinas resulting in Margaret Thatcher losing the next General Election to Tony Benn. Then there was a big biochemical disaster, London got wiped out and Britain formed an alliance with Scandinavia and the newly democratic USSR.

But yeah, futuristic military brats with an over-powered motorbike having adventures somewhere in Yorkshire. They're distracting me from RAF officers who might actually be spies in late 80's Oxford, but I'll get back to that in good time.

Any input you might have would be muchly appreciated, ta!

[elspethdixon.livejournal.com]

I'd go for ethanol. There are already some bikes (speedway bikes with small 50-250cc engines, mostly) that use it for fuel. It smells different from normal exhaust, almost sweet, and it also burns a very pale blue, so the flames from a crash can be invisible.

There are also synthetic oil substitutes that can be used in some engines, though most racing organizations ban them because they are harder to clean off an asphalt track and therefore pose a hazard to other riders.

And I'm not completely sure, but I think methanol/ethanol can corrode some engine parts if used longterm--the FAA won't certify its use in small airplanes.

Some kinds of older motorcycles, such as ones with two-stroke engines, which run on gasoline mixed with oil, can't run on anything non-petrolium based, so I'd guess the engines and fuel systems on the future bikes would have to be designed to burn methanol/ethanol in particular. Perhaps vintage gasoline-burning motorcycles are vehicles reserved for the rich, or for future!nations with antiquated emmissions standards?

[pinkdormouse.livejournal.com]

Brilliant stuff, thanks. That's exactly the kind of detail I need. Specialised engine won't be a problem for this bike, although it may make it more of a rarity than I was planning for it to be. But that's all to the good.

Thanks again.

[blukitten.livejournal.com]

You were in NY?? :(