Stupid Driver Stories

That's good, but it's not quite the same unless I can smell the cordite and feel the concussion - and my stereo isn't that awesome.

Thanks for the recording, it really brings back memories.
 
IceBone said:
This is from my collection, real cannons used, the best I've come across so far:

http://www.phyrefile.com/file/view/FfOCGDLfGlEEdBHs
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Blind_Io said:
That's good, but it's not quite the same unless I can smell the cordite and feel the concussion - and my stereo isn't that awesome.

Thanks for the recording, it really brings back memories.
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The keyword here is dynamic, which means the difference between the volume of the music and the volume of the cannons. Let me illustrate.

First here's a screenshot of the waveform of IceBone's recording. Can you tell where the cannon shots are? Let me give you a hint: There are 16 of them.
5126196003_df8f328a63_o.jpg


Now here's a screenshot of the waveform of the CD I mentioned above. Can you tell where the cannon shots are in this recording from 1979?
5126196559_c261e6ea08_o.jpg


The thing is, that a CD can only contain a certain volume. The nasty part of that last recording is, that if you want to listen to the music in the same volume, as you listen to any other classical recording, you have to turn the volume considerably higher, than you'd usually do. That is fine, little bit of noise in the quieter moments but hey, it's an older recording. All hell breaks loose, though, when you forget to turn down the volume when the cannons start. The 12th is the nastiest one, btw. :mrgreen: My PC speakers with their small subwoofer definitely cannot handle it. Not even at very low volume.

By the way: Those are three different, original cannons from the 19th century of the Fifth Virginia Regiment, recorded from different positions and angles and fired in the courtyard of some college campus in Ohio, I believe (they had some glass damage afterwards, I've read somewhere). The initial "crack" of the cannons is not the tricky part, that's just a very loud impulse around 2000-3000 Hertz. The follow-up echoing boom is the real killer, because it goes down to 6 Hertz and uses the full volume of what a CD can handle.

Sorry for derailing this thread for a moment :)
 
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/me hates loudness wars...

Can you send your version, please? I'd like to have a listen. Although as far as the actual orchestral performance, I like the one I have now the most.
 
It's just a very trivial piece of music, mostly consisting of Russian folk themes and the French national anthem. I don't think any interpretation is really exciting, because the composition isn't. It really is just for the effect of the cannons.
 
Blind_Io said:
No matter how good the stereo, the 1812 will never sound as good as the time I heard it played by an Army band backed up with 155 Howitzers from the field artillery.

Although, such an arrangement would be ideal for dealing with small cars driven by annoying tools with big stereos....
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No argument on either of those
Southeastern Saskatchewan, if you want an actual location. We had a massive snowstorm Monday/Tuesday (as shown above) and now it's sort of melting at mid day and freezing immediately afterwards. It's actually balls.
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Sweet! You think anyone there need UNIX specialists? :)
 
Dear red Chevy van driver,
The next time your inconsiderate ass wants to drive down a 45mph road, at 35, and slowing to 30mph for the slightest bends, please do not be alarmed to find a motorcyclist passing you followed by the an appropriate hand gesture.
 
prizrak said:
No argument on either of those

Sweet! You think anyone there need UNIX specialists? :)
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Possibly? I imagine you'd have to check Regina for that though, pretty sure nobody in my town needs one.
 
RMurray8874 said:
Dear red Chevy van driver,
The next time your inconsiderate ass wants to drive down a 45mph road, at 35, and slowing to 30mph for the slightest bends, please do not be alarmed to find a motorcyclist passing you followed by the an appropriate hand gesture.
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Something similar today, on a twisty B-road stuck behind a 350Z. I'm in a god damn family sedan why the fuck am i faster than a SPORTS CAR!!!!
 
It's Sunday and since most of Tegucigalpa streets are empty I sometimes indulge myself in some fast-ish driving around city streets. Note the streets have almost no traffic, are very wide and I never top 55 MPH so today I'm driving on a 2-lane one way road which ends on a T junction, no cars at all-Going around 40-45 MPH, I'm about to turn onto the corner when I spot this Huge fucking Nissan Patrol driving the wrong way and on the left lane, thankfully there was no other cars around so i braked hard and let her pass, she seemed to have no clue as to what was going on.
 
^Drunk?

Hey stupid shit who jaywalked in front of me this morning. You know who you are. you forced me to slam on my brakes to avoid ragdolling your stupid hipster ass a few dozen yards. I suppose you assumed that all Buicks are driven by old farts who keep to 10 MPH under the speed limit. Well, this one wasn't, and in fact happened to be going the speed limit, which was 35 MPH. With no crosswalk in sight. It was also 8:15 in the morning, in autumn, which meant the sun was directly in my eyes. Do you know what all that adds up to? it means I that had I creamed you, it would have been all your fault, that's what it means. You are damn lucky I wasn't an old fart now that I think of it, because it was my reflexes that fucking saved your ass this morning.

Also while I'm at it, to the soccer mom in the Mercedes SUV, who cut me off entering the freeway, only to slow down to 40 MPH right in front of me to take the very next exit, you can go fuck yourself as well.
 
http://www.beatcalls.com/2010/10/30/car-crash-caused-by-coyote/

Car Crash Caused By Coyote
Posted on October 30, 2010 by admin
IDAHO ? Idaho State Police are investigating a three-vehicle crash caused by a coyote.

The accident happened around 10:30 p.m. on Thursday on westbound Interstate-84 near New Plymouth.

A woman driving in a Ford Focus heading east on I-84 swerved to avoid hitting a coyote and went through the median into the westbound lanes of traffic.

Her vehicle struck the rear axle of a tractor-trailer heading west on I-84.

A second tractor-trailer heading west struck debris in the roadway and was damaged.

No one was injured and police do not believe alcohol was a factor.

Source: Idaho State Police
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Don't swerve, you can't brake effectively, then you go off the road and hit something much more painful.
 
Hey, happened to me. I knew full well not to swerve, but reflexes work faster than knowing.
 
They have Coyotes in Slovenia now? :p

Seriously, it realy is instinct to swerve, that and the fact (and I don't mean to come over all petadweeb here) that you just don't want to pancake an innocent animal, people? meh, cyclists ? meh , busload of handicapped orphans? meh.....all bastards anyway.
But every time I get roadkill I feel miserable for the rest of the day.........


I realy am getting fucking old......
 
That reminds me of watching all sorts of movies where people are getting killed all over the place. The second an animal is harmed, or comes in harms way, everyone flips shit! :lol:

It's so true though.
 
When an animal runs in front of your car you don't think "this animal is small I should not swerve", you think "THING IN FRONT OF CAR! DO NOT HIT IT!" It doesn't matter what it is, hell it could be like a bucket or something rolling out but you will still do that automatically.
 
katwalk said:
When an animal runs in front of your car you don't think "this animal is small I should not swerve", you think "THING IN FRONT OF CAR! DO NOT HIT IT!" It doesn't matter what it is, hell it could be like a bucket or something rolling out but you will still do that automatically.
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I erred in the other direction when a barrel appeared out of nowhere on the highway... I probably could have dodged it but my over-cautiousness earned me a nice dent in my bumper, and a bent radiator bracket.

Then again, I probably could have just as easily messed up an attempt to dodge it and ended up in a ditch.
 
katwalk said:
When an animal runs in front of your car you don't think "this animal is small I should not swerve", you think "THING IN FRONT OF CAR! DO NOT HIT IT!" It doesn't matter what it is, hell it could be like a bucket or something rolling out but you will still do that automatically.
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Speak for yourself - I am very well practiced in instantly evaluating the threat level of things in front of my car. Dogs? Coyotes? Whatever. Just hit the fucking thing. Garbage bin? Slow down and push it or swing gently around - if there's not room, just hit it. Only heavy debris and animals small-deer-and-up qualify for sudden course corrections.
 
EyeMWing said:
Speak for yourself - I am very well practiced in instantly evaluating the threat level of things in front of my car. Dogs? Coyotes? Whatever. Just hit the fucking thing. Garbage bin? Slow down and push it or swing gently around - if there's not room, just hit it. Only heavy debris and animals small-deer-and-up qualify for sudden course corrections.
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Same here, I hit a few things rather than dodge when saw that there wasn't enough room.
 
katwalk said:
When an animal runs in front of your car you don't think "this animal is small I should not swerve", you think "THING IN FRONT OF CAR! DO NOT HIT IT!" It doesn't matter what it is, hell it could be like a bucket or something rolling out but you will still do that automatically.
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Actually I typically stand on the brakes and shout, "Duck, little fella!" at the top of my lungs.

I've spent too much time driving SUVs or driving in snow to swerve. I always brake first to slow things down and then evaluate whether or not to try to maneuver. Sometimes I do swerve but only after slowing down and then releasing the brake.
 
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