Shed Some Light

Lighting is a surprisingly controversial topic when modding comes up. There are those who swear by it, but also those who claim it is only for ricers, depending on the mod. Personally, I think it depends on if it's tastefully done or not.

HID's are what I'll cover for this entry. These "high intensity discharge" bulbs are often tagged as the signature of a "ricer" or someone who essentially knows nothing about vehicles but "tricks" them out. However, HID's do have a functional use as well, as if you get the right color temperature, they are brighter than standard halogen bulbs. In most cases however, DIY tuners don't really get them for reasons of practicality. Below is a chart on the temperatures and the colors they omit.

As you can see, the higher the temperature after 6k, there starts to get a blueish tint to the light. 30k is more purple than blue. There are other dfferences as well. The higher the temp on this chart after 6k, the less light is emitted. Also, there is the issue of legality. 10k is about as high as you can go without being pulled over every two seconds in most states, and in others even 8k is too much. These numbers and later are what these "ricer" drivers tend to aim for. This is not to say that these colors do not look good or are stupid; many show cars incorporate them. That is the difference, though. There is a specific, legal use for them then. Ricers don't understand that or don't care and do it anyway.

Often, when they decide to simply do it on a whim, they don't think about what is proper anyway. HID's do not belong in reflector housings, they should be placed in projector housings.

Why this really is significant  is that most newer cars that have projector housings come stock with lower temp HID's installed, many times. Therefore, the cars being swapped have reflector. The effect of this? That rage in your soul when one drives past you at night, blinding you. A proper setup with the proper housings will not do this to you, or your eyes.

Bottom Line? If you are going to install HID lighting, do it for the right reasons then do it right. 

The Value of Social Networking

You hear constantly about the value of social networking, be it through school, your peers, or even the national news. I do believe though that people often take this for granted.

The main reason for this, I believe, is that they think that simply being a member of say, facebook, makes them fully a part of this growing trend. That however, is not the case. Facebook is an outlet, but simply having an account is not what can provide you with the results you need. Partaking of the resources within these networking sites though, is where the real golden egg is at.

How do I know this? I have had my Facebook account for several years now, and had a Myspace before that. I simply used it for friends though, which isn't to say that's a bad thing, but it's surprisingly restrictive, in reality. I at one time had over 700 friends on Facebook. That's what I thought was meant by developing a community. The fact of the matter, however, is that this alone is not enough. If you are simply a member on someone's friend list, you can get lost among the masses. Taking the extra step to become more precise about it though, is where it all can begin.

I started off by joining a few groups, most of which were just friend-related. One of them though, was a group on Facebook for owners of the Tiburon, my car. Hyundai Tiburon Owners is a group that involves people posting about their cars, uploading pictures, advice for fellow owners, links to quality aftermarket or replacement parts, as well as any discounts or deals. It's a great group, and some of the members no longer own a Tiburon but stay on the group to continue to provide input.

The thing is though, not even simply joining a group is enough. I read a lot of posts on that page, but from the moment I made my first post on it, the amount I got out of it exploded. A simple question develops into an entire thread, and some of the advice I procured was excellent. I now post regularly, and plan to continue doing so. The more I do, the more I find I get out of it.

This has carried over into my LinkedIn account. If you don't know what that is, head over to the homepage and sign up. It's a social network for professionals. There aren't any annoying posts about who broke up with who, or spamming of any kind. It's just a solid, useful resource. You don't have to be a total professional to use it though. I simply work at Pizza Hut right now and am using it to seek the advice of and network with more experienced people in the fields that I am interested in.

For example, I joined a group for current or aspiring automotive journalists, where there are a mix of amateurs and professionals. I posted a topic for discussion asking for advice about becoming an Automotive Journalist. The response I have gotten is fantastic. Most of the people responding are people who have years of experience in the field. They are not simply single-sentence posts, either. One was so long that the gentleman who wrote it posted it in his own blog about Corvettes as an actual post! He even mentioned me by name in it, on a blog that has a fairly decent following, unlike this amateur one which I have just started up.

My point is though, at the end of the day, you have to get even more involved in these social media networks if you want to get the most out of them. It can potentially open all kinds of doors for you.