We went up the river and came back one short

Sub-title: I love consumer electronics but hate seeing people get "Sucka'd" 

My blog really aims to save enthusiasts money by persuading them to try alternate solutions instead of dropping a lot of money on something that can be had for much cheaper. I've stressed before that so many things in the racing and motorsports world are overpriced. A little bit of ingenuity and willingness to experiment can save you a lot of money, which in turn you can spend on more seat time! 

Another way of expressing the above sentiment is saying "willingness to risk throwing away your money." If you are familiar with automotive technologies you can really hedge that risk by wasting immense amounts of time doing research. This is really bad especially if you and your parents spend thousands and thousands of dollars (and borrowed dollars) to put yourself through graduate school and you don't pay attention to the oh-so-expensive lecture because you are doing said research.

That is why I love it when I lose something or something gets destroyed. This past weekend I went to the springs to float around on my tube, relax, and toss out a fishing lure from it. It was my feeble attempt to combine a girlfriend activity and my kayak fishing past-time. I decided to take my cell phone with me; I had a habit of doing that in my kayak adventures for emergency situations. I double-bagged it in zip-loc bags.

Well, the bags failed and my phone is toast. It sat in water for a few hours. I dehydrated it and everything, but it doesn't work at all. My phone numbers are gone, but my track data is saved on my hard drive and my memory card. Crap. I have important phone numbers in my phone that I am sure is not on my SIM card. But I do really need a new phone.

I found out that the software I use to log my data now supports cell phone internal accelerometers. And I've found a bunch of low-cost 10hz GPS receiver options, including some dedicated standalone options. Nice! So I guess my phone will have bluetooth and an internal accelerometer. Once I put all this together, I will make a post on how YOU can save money also!

I'd like to make a statement here; when I feature products, I do not plan on mentioning any company names except for the ones of the products I am featuring. For example, with this data-logging post I will not mention companies that re-badge existing receivers and tack on a hefty price, or companies that make comparable pro-grade hardware and software that low-level consumers like us do not need. Whether in the hands of a sucka or a serious professional, those products have their own place in the market and I appreciate any additional market entity because competition breeds better and cheaper products. Plus, I will be in need of a career after one more year; not a good time to be pissing off manufacturers :)