30/09/09

[Caravan Ray]

Tsunami due to hit Taranaki in about 2 hours. I can see the ocean from my office, but there is a pretty big swell already, so we might not notice the extra bit. I'm pretty glad this will be coming from the north east. My house is very close to the ocean. A tsunami generated in the Tasman Sea would be a bit of a worry. Haven't heard much news from Samoa yet. Sounded like a pretty big quake.

[roymond]

Best of luck with that. Hope it doesn't affect you directly, but the Samoa reports were initially pretty scary. Haven't heard any updates though.

[Billy's Little Trip]

I can see the ocean from my office

You barstid!

Oh, and hope it all goes swell.

[Caravan Ray]

Well, you can pretty much see the ocean from almost everywhere in New Plymouth.

A 40cm tsunami hit the north-east corner of the North Island a few hours ago. It won't be noticed here in Taranaki.

It may be interesting to see what the tsunami will do to the central Pacific atolls. There is a full moon about 4 days away, so the tides will be relatively high. And the weather report says Tarawa has a thunderstorm today. Hope it doessn't hit at high tide. 40cm wave + high tide + storm swell would be bad.

[jack]

this is nuts!!

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[big crouton]

A 40cm tsunami hit the north-east corner of the North Island a few hours ago. It won't be noticed here in Taranaki.

Is it just me, or does a 40cm tsunami really not sound all that bad? That's not much more than a foot. Granted, that's enough water to soak your shoes and the lower half of your pants, but I can't see it causing too much damage other than the inconvenience of wet footwear.

I'm sure I'm missing something here though.

[fluffy]

40cm in the middle of the ocean = fucking enormous when it hits land.

drc: I'm still thinking of buying a motor scooter. Craigslist is full of things that seem like scams or poor quality, but the various local dealers charge way more than I'm willing to pay. Anyone have any advice?

[EDIT] Meh, one of the more compelling reasons to get a scooter turns out to have been a misunderstanding on my part - in California, what most people call a 'scooter' the DMV calls a 'motor-driven cycle' which is in the same class as 'motorcycle' as far as bureaucratic/administrative bullcrap goes. I don't feel like getting a motorcycle license or dealing with DMV registration or whatever. But what the DMV classifies as a 'scooter' is weenie and wouldn't be capable of doing the basics of what I want a scooter for (namely going up hills and doing at least a little bit of cargo hauling and generally making my commute faster or at least more pleasant). Maybe I'll just get an e-bike (although those may be classified as a 'moped;' it's hard to tell).

[Billy's Little Trip]

Fluffy, go buy a good old cycle trader. To hell with Craig's List. CL is a joke these days. Physically buy the cycle trader. People have to pay to place an add, so they are all legit and very local.

[fluffy]

Turns out even a power assist on a bike requires a motorcycle license on California. Wtf

[Caravan Ray]

Pedal harder you lazy bastard

[Billy's Little Trip]

Turns out even a power assist on a bike requires a motorcycle license on California. Wtf

But they are rated in different classes. Mopeds are easy.

[fluffy]

Yeah but if I'm going to stand in line at the DMV to get a motorcycle endorsement I'd might as well go all the way for an M1.

[Bjam]

fluffy.

I just had a vision of you just cruising California on a Harley.

doooooo iiiiiiiiiiiit.

(I've always wanted a motorcycle[BMW R1200RT, please!], but I'm terrified enough of American car drivers when I'm driving my big ol' truck, that if I was on a motorcycle I'd be petrified.)

[fluffy]

oh god not a harley I fucking hate those things

whenever one goes by I just want to yell "GET A MUFFLER" but I know they wouldn't be able to hear me anyway

[Caravan Ray]

A 40cm tsunami hit the north-east corner of the North Island a few hours ago. It won't be noticed here in Taranaki.

Is it just me, or does a 40cm tsunami really not sound all that bad? That's not much more than a foot. Granted, that's enough water to soak your shoes and the lower half of your pants, but I can't see it causing too much damage other than the inconvenience of wet footwear.

I'm sure I'm missing something here though.

Like Fluffy said sort of - it's all about wavelengths. A normal wind generated wave may have a wavelength in the tens or hundreds of metres. A tsunami has a wavelength of hundreds of kilometres. When a wave with a small amplitude and long wavelength hits shallower water - wavelength decreases and amplitude increases.

However - that 40cm quoted in the media probably refers to the build up height of the wave as it reached NZ - and you are right - 40cm is pretty much bugger all (tsunamis do travel differently to normal ocean waves - but it is still bugger all) In NZ it is bugger all.

However - the scenario I was concerned about was a 40cm wave hitting one of the atolls in Kiribati or Tuvalu. I used to live in Kiribati - most of the main island Tarawa is about 1m above sea level. When it is high tide on a spring tide - the atolls get very small. If there is low atmospheric pressure when it is high tide - the atolls get very small indeed. Add a 40cm tsunami - we are talking disaster. Not just from the force of the wave itself - but inundation of an atoll means that the fresh water lens beneath the sand is contaminated. A population of about 20,000 may suddenly have no fresh water. And where there is plumbing - raw sewage in the streets. There is no high ground to escape to on an atoll.

But - I have heard no news of this - they must have been lucky this time

[Rabid Garfunkel]

@Fluffy: Yah, anything 50cc & under would be pretty much worthless in SF. Aggressive traffic all around you + up them hills + rider ain't gonna get you more than 15-20 mph with the throttle all the way open. Stressful on both you and the scoot.

There's got to be a scooter rental place around you could taste test at? The Peoples are pretty weak in the performance/price ratio, though riders do like having the larger wheels.

Keep your eyes open for a Bajaj Chetak, they're pretty much indestructible (250cc, manual transmission). No longer in production, alas (circa 2005). The VW Bug of the scooter world, and way more reasonable than the Vespas & Lambrettas.

Dude, the M tests are a piece of cake, both written & riding. Whenever I have to test to renew my licenses, for some reason I never pass the auto the first time, but the motorcycle's a slam dunk. Go figure. And you all let me drive in 2008, heh.

[fluffy]

I'm not at all worried about a test, I just don't like dealing with bureaucracy (which is why it took me two years to finally get around to getting my California license to begin with).