***My New Car! It's FINALLY here!***

[FoMoJo]

Glad you like it. Samsung Galaxy S8 for the win! 

Seriously?  Nah.

Extra Sensory Perception - a new and improved feature of MBUX. Now I just have to think what I want and if it's in the realm of possibility the system will do it... 

That reminds me of the novel Firefox, about a Soviet era fighter jet that the pilot can control by thought impulses.  Pretty good movie as well.

[cawimmer430]

Why would you ever possibly need to turn ESP off?

It's a little too aggressive with some unexpected and annoying braking maneuvers when it detects whatever. The last time the system annoyed me I was at a light, the light turned green, I accelerate and suddenly the ESP warning light flashes, the front wheels go into full braking mode even though I am on the accelerator pedal. I found that very annoying and dangerous - the traffic behind me wouldn't expect me to brake after accelerating at a green light. I don't even know why the system did that. Since then I turn it off.

Likewise, Lane Assist is just annoying when I get too close to the left side of the fast lane or right side of the slow lane on the Autobahn or country roads. On country roads you're actually supposed to keep far right if you're going slower than the permitted speed (usually 100 km/h) to allow others to pass you. The system just keeps nagging with forced steering wheel vibrations, an alarming beep and a bird's eye view of the car with the left/right half highlighted in an alarming red. That's the reason I turn it off.

The rear Parking Camera has an annoying habit of turning itself on and activating the 360 degree bird's eye park assist when you're in traffic and people or cyclists cross your rear - the rear parking camera underneath the Mercedes trunk star will pop out because it seems to think I am backing into a wall...  Turn off the system from the start and it won't happen. 


So, typical procedure when I start the car...

1) Turn off Start/Stop

2) Turn off Parking Assist Camera

3) Turn off Lane Assist

4) Turn off ESP

[cawimmer430]

Seriously?  Nah.

Totally serious. The S8 has a great camera, which I also leave in HDR mode the whole time. That way you tend to achieve some really almost perfectly exposed images. 

I also like the small aperture effect, which creates blur (visible in the second photo).







But for a camera which takes amazing, high quality day and later afternoon shots, the S8 camera has some really piss poor night snapshot capabilities in poorly light areas (my previous Windows phones had good night snapshot capabilities). The night shots are noisy, understandable since ISO is jacked up, but also mushy and lack detail.

That reminds me of the novel Firefox, about a Soviet era fighter jet that the pilot can control by thought impulses.  Pretty good movie as well.

Great movie with Clint Eastwood IIRC! 

[cawimmer430]

Yay! 


The big winner in the 'Small Family Cars' segment is the latest Mercedes-Benz A-Class. The compact hatchback managed to outscore its main rivals, earning 96 percent, 91 percent and 92 percent in Adult Occupant, Child Occupant and Pedestrian protection, as well as 75 percent in Safety Assist.

Link: https://www.carscoops.com/2018/12/euro-ncap-2018-best-class-cars-announced/

[BimmerM3]

It's a little too aggressive with some unexpected and annoying braking maneuvers when it detects whatever. The last time the system annoyed me I was at a light, the light turned green, I accelerate and suddenly the ESP warning light flashes, the front wheels go into full braking mode even though I am on the accelerator pedal. I found that very annoying and dangerous - the traffic behind me wouldn't expect me to brake after accelerating at a green light. I don't even know why the system did that. Since then I turn it off.

Likewise, Lane Assist is just annoying when I get too close to the left side of the fast lane or right side of the slow lane on the Autobahn or country roads. On country roads you're actually supposed to keep far right if you're going slower than the permitted speed (usually 100 km/h) to allow others to pass you. The system just keeps nagging with forced steering wheel vibrations, an alarming beep and a bird's eye view of the car with the left/right half highlighted in an alarming red. That's the reason I turn it off.

The rear Parking Camera has an annoying habit of turning itself on and activating the 360 degree bird's eye park assist when you're in traffic and people or cyclists cross your rear - the rear parking camera underneath the Mercedes trunk star will pop out because it seems to think I am backing into a wall...  Turn off the system from the start and it won't happen. 


So, typical procedure when I start the car...

1) Turn off Start/Stop

2) Turn off Parking Assist Camera

3) Turn off Lane Assist

4) Turn off ESP

Sounds like junk. You should return it and get a Prius. 

[Laconian]

That simulated depth of field is iffy. The way it's blurring the dash suggests that the dash is curving toward or away from the camera. Obviously neither is the case; the screen is flat planar and being viewed head-on, so the entire surface should be uniformly in focus.

The Pixel does simulated DOF based on a calculated depth map.

[cawimmer430]

Sounds like junk. You should return it and get a Prius. 

Why would I want a Prius when I can get this beauty monstrosity? 

[cawimmer430]

That simulated depth of field is kind of amateurish. The way it's blurring the dash suggests that the dash is curving toward or away from the camera. Obviously neither is the case; the screen is flat planar and being viewed head-on, so the entire surface should be uniformly in focus.

The Pixel does simulated DOF based on a calculated depth map.

It's a simple "artistic effect" on a phone. I like using it when I want the viewer to focus on something particular.

Below the "710" is sharp, and the left foreground is very blurry. It doesn't give you a true say f1.8 effect, but I don't think it looks that awful. 

[Submariner]

Hey Wimmer,

I don't know if you're familiar with it, but how do you take good cell phone camera shots? 

I have an iPhone X.  Occasionally, I take a decent picture, but most of the time they come out looking like balls.  Some people, who at least claim to be photographers, swear by it (at least as phone cameras go), but I'm sure that goes for most flagship phones.  Do you know how to take proper cell phone pictures?

[Raza]

Congratulations, Wimmer! Really good looking car. Those 360 degree parking cameras are pretty amazing, I have to be honest. I rented a Nissan Armada recently, which is bigger than my old apartment, and I was able to park that thing no problem because of those cameras.

[cawimmer430]

Hey Wimmer,

I don't know if you're familiar with it, but how do you take good cell phone camera shots? 

I have an iPhone X.  Occasionally, I take a decent picture, but most of the time they come out looking like balls.  Some people, who at least claim to be photographers, swear by it (at least as phone cameras go), but I'm sure that goes for most flagship phones.  Do you know how to take proper cell phone pictures?

Yo Zach,

Sorry for the late reply.

I'd say in order to achieve good quality cellphone camera shots you need to:

1) know the strengths and weaknesses of your smartphone

and

2) shoot the subject(s) in interesting locations using good quality light (early morning / late afternoon = soft light, soft shadows, emotional atmosphere) and with good framing/composition

So for example, the Samsung Galaxy S8 takes great photos in normal or HDR mode. The focus is quick and sharp, the exposure tends to be very good. Those are its strengths. Weaknesses? Crap picture quality at night in poorly light areas, even with long exposure. It's essentially useless at night.

That's my best advice. The location, lighting and composition is something you will have to decide and create yourself. Go out and experiment.

[cawimmer430]

Congratulations, Wimmer! Really good looking car. Those 360 degree parking cameras are pretty amazing, I have to be honest. I rented a Nissan Armada recently, which is bigger than my old apartment, and I was able to park that thing no problem because of those cameras.

Thank you!

I do appreciate the technology on this car, and the 360-degree parking feature is very useful!

Where have you been? I've noticed your absence!

[cawimmer430]

Received my car tax in the mail a few days ago.

My yearly car tax for the A250 is 180,- Euros.

That's actually fine considering the yearly tax for the BMW was 135,- Euros!

[cawimmer430]

Recently discovered a cool feature in the car; how much accelerator pedal and brake pedal pressure (in percent) you're exerting. Not sure what the point is of this, but hey, it's cool in a silly sort of way.

Love how in the graphic the wheels spin when the car is in motion and stop when the car is not moving. 

[93JC]

Probably an accelerometer showing you roughly how many Gs you're accelerating/decelerating, at some arbitrary "percentage".

[giant_mtb]

Probably an accelerometer showing you roughly how many Gs you're accelerating/decelerating, at some arbitrary "percentage".

Eh?  I'd assume it's the throttle-by-wire system (and brake pedal position sensor of some sort) indicating the pedal's position.  Like a video game.

[CaminoRacer]

Eh?  I'd assume it's the throttle-by-wire system (and brake pedal position sensor of some sort) indicating the pedal's position.  Like a video game.

That was my assumption

[93JC]

I was about to say "I thought of just using the throttle position sensor data, but surely it wouldn't have a 'brake pedal position sensor' that output position that way. Usually it's just a glorified switch that turns the brake lights on and turns the cruise control off."

And then I remember this is a brand-new German car, so it probably does have one. Never mind.

[BimmerM3]

I was about to say "I thought of just using the throttle position sensor data, but surely it wouldn't have a 'brake pedal position sensor' that output position that way. Usually it's just a glorified switch that turns the brake lights on and turns the cruise control off."

And then I remember this is a brand-new German car, so it probably does have one. Never mind.

BMWs have an extra brake light bulb to make it brighter for hard stops, which I assume is determined by brake pressure (as opposed to an accelerometer). IIRC, they started doing that with the E90, so like 2006.

I also wonder if they could extract that info from traction/stability control systems. Not pedal pressure, but fluid pressure in the lines.

[r0tor]

I tried to patent variable pressure sensative brake lights 15 years ago but was already beaten to it... Boo

[Soup DeVille]

I was about to say "I thought of just using the throttle position sensor data, but surely it wouldn't have a 'brake pedal position sensor' that output position that way. Usually it's just a glorified switch that turns the brake lights on and turns the cruise control off."

And then I remember this is a brand-new German car, so it probably does have one. Never mind.

Or a pressure sensor in the brake line.

[Soup DeVille]

I tried to patent variable pressure sensative brake lights 15 years ago but was already beaten to it... Boo

Delphi had a concept Tahoe that did all that in the mid '90s.

[CaminoRacer]

BMWs have an extra brake light bulb to make it brighter for hard stops, which I assume is determined by brake pressure (as opposed to an accelerometer). IIRC, they started doing that with the E90, so like 2006.

I also wonder if they could extract that info from traction/stability control systems. Not pedal pressure, but fluid pressure in the lines.

I first saw that on a new-ish Mini last week. Did a double take because I was like "I thought their brake lights were already on?..."

[r0tor]

I never understood why brake lights aren't variable.  So many traffic jams and accidents are caused by not knowing if the person in front of you is slamming on the brakes, normally on the brakes, or just barely touching the brakes... and the collective guessing chain reacts into an incident

[cawimmer430]

Probably an accelerometer showing you roughly how many Gs you're accelerating/decelerating, at some arbitrary "percentage".

I do have a G-Force meter in the car. It replaces the digital RPM gauge if you activate it.

[r0tor]

I absolutely love my G Meter

[cawimmer430]

I absolutely love my G Meter

I've not been able to properly test it yet.


One day I want to drive to the Nürburgring and just drive a few laps (I think you pay for three laps) for fun and see how that red ball in the center of the G-Force meter will really move!

[r0tor]

Meh... I hit 0.74g in the rain yesterday 

[Eye of the Tiger]

Meh... I hit 0.74g in the rain yesterday 

What did you crash into?

[cawimmer430]

Meh... I hit 0.74g in the rain yesterday 

Nice! 


Here is my G-Force meter...