Eclectic Bytes

Saturday, February 17, 2018

Elon Musk's Falcon Heavy rocket launches successfully

The mammoth vehicle - the most powerful since the shuttle system - lifted clear of its pad without incident to soar high over the Atlantic Ocean.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-42969020

Monday, December 25, 2017

My thoughts on the 2017 Toyota RAV4 AWD XLE Crossover

I have been using the 2017 Toyota RAV4 XLE AWD Crossover for some time now and I will put down my experience with it here.

The car comes is 4 variants namely: LE, XLE SE, and Limited and Platinum. All variants available in both FWD (front-wheel drive) and AWD (all-wheel drive).

I will quickly get into the features below.

Engine, Drive and Performance

It has a 2.5L L4 DOHC 16V engine. The transmission is automatic on a rack and pinion steering. The AWD variant has Anti-lock Braking System on all 4 wheels.

Fuel

The vehicle takes regular unleaded gasoline in a 15.9-gallon (60 L) fuel tank. The rate city mileage is 22 miles/gallon while for highways it 28 miles/gallon.

Dimensions, Interior and Comfort

Form outside, the overall height, length and width is 67.10 x 183.50 x 72.60 inches. The interior feels roomy with enough legroom and headroom. The interior space has been intelligently carved out by the designers.

Instrument Cluster

The instrument cluster displays status and warnings for the following conditions:

Brake system warning
Engine malfunction indicator
SRS airbags warning
ABS warning
Power steering warning
Slip indicator
Seat belt reminders for driver, passenger and rear passengers
Low fuel level warning
PCS (Pre-collision System) warning
LDA (Lane Departure Alert) warning
Tire pressure warning

The instrument cluster displays the following status indicators:

Shift position
Turn sign
Headlight
Headlight high beam
Automatic High Beam (AHB)
Fog light
Tail light
Cruise control
Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC)
Cruise control SET
Vehicle Stability Control (VSC)
SPORT mode
ECO mode
Eco Driving
All-wheel Drive (AWD)
Blind-spot Monitor (BSM)
Ice warning

Cargo Space

With about 38 cubic feet, there is plenty of cargo space to easily fit enough luggage for long vacations.

Smart Key System

The vehicle is equipped with a smart key system wherein it can detect signals from the transponder chip that are built into the key assembly. With this system, while the key in on you, you can do key-less entry and start the engine.

The power backdoor also allows touchless opening with a gesture of the leg.

Multimedia & Navigation

The infotainment console comes with Toyota Entune Audio Plus along with a Global Positioning System-based (GPS) navigation system for mapping services.

Among other things, the infotainment console is integrated with a CD player, USB-port, Bluetooth connectivity, radio, navigation, phone weather services, a GPS-adjusted clock and voice prompts. The Bluetooth connectivity supports profiles for hands-free audio, phone book contacts, phone messages, connected navigation and audio player.

The startup and screen-off images can be customized with your own JPEG images that can be uploaded by using a USB drive.

There is a disc slot to insert 4.7 in. CD-DA Audio CDs or MP3/WMA/AAC audio discs.

The Bluetooth connectivity, in my experience, has mostly been seamless and hassle-free. The audio transmission quality is good without much loss in audio quality.

The Radio Tuner can play transmissions from XM Satellite Radio, AM and FM with support for playing HD Radio (HDR) signals where available. You can store radio 36 radio stations as preset in the Station List. The Station List automatically categorizes the radio stations into gores like Classical, Country, Easy Listening, News, etc. While playing FM stations, the system can display text information for stations that broadcast text information via the Radio Broadcast Data Systems (RBDS).

The Satellite Radio works with a subscription to XM Satellite Radio (XM) via SiriusXM.

Audio can also be played via the USB slot by using a USB memory device loaded with MP3/WMA/AAC audio files. The screen can display album art and ID3 or WMA tag information if the audio files are properly tagged.

The audio system can connect to Apple products like the iPod and iPhone.

The Entune Audio Plus displays weather conditions from information received via HD Radio. The information is pretty useful if you are located in regions which experience extreme weather conditions.

The Traffic Map can show traffic conditions on top of a map based on your location.

The Rear View Monitoring System shows up on the display when the shift level is set to reverse (R). Guidelines are displayed to assist while reversing the vehicle. This has a wide coverage and I have never experienced any accidental bumps due to non-coverage so the margin of error should be quite less.

Safety

Toyota Safety Sense P (TSS-P) driver assist system

The RAV4 XLE has a Toyota Safety Sense P (TSS-P) driver assist system that has the following technologies. Toyota currently bundles Safety Sense in most of the cars sold in the US - including Yaris, Highlander, Sienna, Prius, Avalon, Sequoia, Corolla, Camry, C-HR, Tundra, Tacoma, Land Cruiser and RAV4 - and has a dedicated website here:

Pre-Collision with Pedestrian Detection (PCS w/PD): This feature uses the front-grille-mounted radar and the in-vehicle camera to provide an audio/visual warning when the system predicts a frontal collision. When you brake, it provides addition force through its Brake Assist program. I have seen this get activated in a few instances and is also helpful to check your speed at times. It also provides Automatic Emergency Braking which I have not experienced.
Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist (LDA w/SA): This feature uses the in-vehicle camera to provide audio alert when your vehicle unintentionally drifts out of the lane and sightly manages the steering to help bring it back in the lane. This only works when you are driving at a speed of 32 mph or faster. I have always driven with this feature activated and found it very useful.
Automatic High Beams (AHB): When activated, it uses the in-vehicle camera to automatically turn on the high beams when certain conditions are met - like headlights of oncoming vehicles, taillights of vehicles in front and overall light in the environment. To my surprise, this is almost always right in its prediction and provides appropriate amount of light.
Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC): This feature lets you maintain a preset speed if there is no vehicle in front. It uses a front-grille-mounted radar and the in-vehicle camera and when it detects a vehicle in front it controls the speed based on the distance and speed of the other vehicle. This has been the most useful feature for me specially on highways.

Other safety systems

Other safety features that the RAV4 XLE came with are these:

Airbags: The vehicle is equipped with 8 SRS airbags
Traction Control (TRAC)
Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD)
Enhanced Vehicle Stability Control (VSC)
Brake Assist (BA)
Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)
Smart Stop Technology (SST)

Safety Rating

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has rated the 2017 Toyota RAV4 AWD with 5-star overall safety rating based on crash tests. Details on their official website are here.

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has included the 2017 Toyota RAV4 in its Top Safety Pick+ for 2017 in the Small SUVs category. Details on their official website are here.

Warranty

The vehicle comes with a standard warranty that covers:

The basic warranty covers 36 months or 36,000 miles, whichever occurs first
The powertrain and restraint systems are covered for 60 months or 60,000 miles, whichever occurs first
The corrosion perforation is covered for 60 months regardless of mileage

Conclusion

Update 2022-04-28: After about 4 and 46,782 miles, the ride is still comfortable. The balance always felt steady and it has also been through some tricky maneuvers which it has handled gracefully. With a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, the power feels modest, but that has worked well for me. After all the drives in the cities and highways, the overall average shows as 23.6 MPG. The ABS has functioned very efficiently for me during the cold winters with loads of black ice on the roads.

I am leaving some more of my Toyota shots below.

The press release of the vehicle is here.

Thursday, December 14, 2017

F.C.C. Repeals Net Neutrality Rules

The Federal Communications Commission scrapped the so-called net neutrality regulations that prohibited broadband providers from blocking websites or charging for higher-quality service or certain content. The federal government will also no longer regulate high-speed internet delivery as if it were a utility, like phone service.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/14/technology/net-neutrality-repeal-vote.html

Music I'm listening to in 2017

Here is a quick log of the music albums that I have been listening to this year.

Sleeping In The Nothing / Kelly Osbourne
Purono Guitar / Anjan Dutt
Mayabini / Amit Kumar
Shenanigans / Green Day
Kabhi Aansoo, Kabhi Khushboo, Kabhi Naghma / Pankaj Udhas and Sadhana Sargam
On Air / Alan Parsons
The Beatles / The Beatles
The Sweet Escape / Gwen Stefani
The Pinkprint / Nicki Minaj
Abbey Road / The Beatles
Khwab / Pankaj Udhas
God's Problem Child / Willie Nelson
1989 / Taylor Swift
Mati'Swar / Dohar
The Austin Sessions (Expanded Edition) / Kris Kristofferson
Piya Basanti / Ustad Sultan Khan & Chitra
1039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours / Green Day
The Joshua Tree / U2
Someday (I Will Understand) EP / Britney Spears
The Fall of a Rebel Angel / Enigma
From A Room: Volume 1 / Chris Stapleton
Revival / Selena Gomez
The Marshall Mathers LP / Eminem
Jhora Somoyer Gaan / Moheener Ghoraguli
The Ultimate Collection / Black Sabbath
(What's The Story) Morning Glory? / Oasis
Juju / Chandrabindoo
÷ ("Divide") / Ed Sheeran
1967 (Sunshine Tomorrow) / The Beach Boys
Purple Rain / Prince and the Revolution
Nightflight to Venus / Boney M.
Hulabila / Chandrabindoo
Greatest Hits of All Times: Remix '89 / Boney M
Let It Die / Feist
Breathe In. Breathe Out. / Hilary Duff
Cornell 5.8.77 / Grateful Dead
Breakfast In the Field / Michael Hedges
Volume One / She & Him
Chaw / Chandrabindoo
Black & White Night 30 / Roy Orbison
The Authorized Bang Collection / Van Morrison
Jungle Rules / French Montana
25 / Adele
Definitely Maybe / Oasis
Title / Meghan Trainor
Younger Now / Miley Cyrus

Sunday, November 5, 2017

Paradise Papers leak reveals secrets of the world elite's hidden wealth

The material, which has come from two offshore service providers and the company registries of 19 tax havens, was obtained by the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung and shared by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists with partners including the Guardian, the BBC and the New York Times. The project has been called the Paradise Papers.

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/nov/05/paradise-papers-leak-reveals-secrets-of-world-elites-hidden-wealth

Monday, February 27, 2017

Indian Content on Google Home

After you have got hold of that new toy they call Google Home, you probably start wondering "does it play regional content?" This article attempts to uncover ways to do just that.

Been trying to figure out ways to make the Google Home speaker play online radio content from India and this is what you discover - it can play some Indian radio channels via TuneIn and iHeartRadio. You can, for example, call out Hey Google and tell it to fire up any of these online radio stations playing news, music and other content in Indian languages. Here is a non-exhaustive list of online radio that streams Indian content ranging from news to commentary to music.

Hey Google, play Red FM: plays 93.1 Red FM Vancouver streamed over TuneIn. This Canadian radio station is broadcast from the Metro Vancouver region of British Columbia and the majority of its programming is in Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu languages.
Hey Google, play Radio Mirchi: plays Mirchi FM Online that is streamed over TuneIn. This Indian radio station is broadcast from Suva, Fiji and the majority of its programming is in the Hindi language playing Bollywood and other Indian music. This broadcast is mostly unreliable - more often the playback fails.
Hey Google, play Big FM Kolkata: attempts to play 92.7 Big FM streamed over iHeartRadio but fails.
Hey Google, play Radio City Hindi: plays online Radio City Hindi streamed over TuneIn. This Indian radio station is broadcast from Mumbai and the majority of its programming is in the Hindi language. This channel gives you a flavor of Radio City 91.1 FM online, with mood-mapped Bollywood music, stories from Love Guru and the oh-so hilarious Babber Sher.
Hey Google, play Radio City Hindi Classics: plays Radio City Hindi Classics streamed over TuneIn. This Indian radio station is broadcast from Mumbai and the majority of its programming is in the Hindi language featuring all-time favorite classics of Hindi Cinema’s legendary artists.
Hey Google, play Radio City Bollywood Mix: plays Radio City Bollywood Mix streamed over TuneIn. This Indian radio station is broadcast from Mumbai and the majority of its programming is in the Hindi language featuring select covers, mixes, recreations and much more of favorite Bollywood songs from across the globe.
Hey Google, play Radio City Tamil: plays Radio City Tamil streamed over TuneIn. This Indian radio station is broadcast from Mumbai and the majority of its programming is in the Tamil language featuring the finest picks of Tamil contemporary songs peppered with humor capsules & the iconic Radio City Love Guru.
Hey Google, play Radio City Malayalam: plays Radio City Malayalam streamed over TuneIn. This Indian radio station is broadcast from Mumbai and the majority of its programming is in the Malayalam language featuring blend of contemporary and classic hits.
Hey Google, play Radio City Kannada: plays a radio station from Google Play Music called College Bound - though you would expect it to play Radio City Kannada streamed over TuneIn. This Indian radio station is broadcast from Mumbai and the majority of its programming is in the Kannada language presenting the best of Bangalore.
Hey Google, play Radio City Gujarati: plays Radio City Gujarati streamed over TuneIn. This Indian radio station is broadcast from Mumbai and the majority of its programming is in the Gujarati language featuring a blend of devotional, lok sangeet, garba and Gujarati film music streaming all day long.
Hey Google, play Radio City Marathi: plays Radio City Marathi streamed over TuneIn. This Indian radio station is broadcast from Mumbai and the majority of its programming is in the Marathi language featuring retro music across a wide range of film, devotional and folk compositions, all-day long.
Hey Google, play Radio City Premaloka: plays Radio City Premaloka streamed over TuneIn. This Indian radio station is broadcast from Mumbai and the majority of its programming is in the Kannada language featuring love songs with the soothing voice of Love Guru, all through the day, all throughout the year.
Hey Google, play Radio City Freedom: plays Radio City Freedom streamed over TuneIn. This Indian radio station is broadcast from Mumbai and the majority of its programming is in the Hindi language featuring the best of indie music from across genres straight out of the Indian sub-continent.
Hey Google, play Radio City Electronica: plays Radio City Electronica streamed over TuneIn. This Indian radio station is broadcast from Mumbai and the majority of its programming is in the Hindi language featuring Indie Electronic music 24x7 - Dubstep, House, Chillout, Drum & Bass, Ambient, Trance & more.
Hey Google, play Radio City Metal: plays Radio City Metal streamed over TuneIn. This Indian radio station is broadcast from Mumbai and the majority of its programming is in the Hindi language featuring non-stop Indian metal songs from the biggest bands in the Indian metal underground.
Hey Google, play Radio City Fusion: plays Radio City Fusion streamed over TuneIn. This Indian radio station is broadcast from Mumbai and the majority of its programming is in the Hindi language featuring carefully curated, non-stop contemporary Indian folk fusion songs across languages.
Hey Google, play Suno 1024: plays Suno 102.4 FM streamed over TuneIn. This Indian radio station is broadcast from Dubai, United Arab Emirates and the majority of its programming is in the Hindi language featuring Bollywood and other Indian music.

Some of these streaming services are not always too reliable, though they work most of the times.

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Music I'm listening to in 2016