February 2009
36 posts
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Ask Me About My Flux Capacitor (NY Times 04.06.08) →
This is a GREAT article. I spotted it long ago, and have oft thought about it since. Check it.
What Does Bloomberg Have Against Driving?
Tough New York City Law Cracks Down on Idling Cars (AP 02.18.09)
Ramped up efforts to combat automotive idling and, by extension, improve air quality around schools throughout the five boroughs will be seen in NYC over the next several years. While the obvious response to this news is one that acknowledges the benefits of such a crackdown (which are aplenty), I can’t help but wonder if...
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Check Out the Totally RAD Shout-Out Urban Road...
Michele Shapiro gave us a shout-out on her blog, drivelikeawoman.com! Check out the goodness HERE.
Also, take note of the Volo Museum that is mentioned in the DLAW post I linked to; Volo deals collectible autos including cars made famous by Hollywood (i.e., straight from the set to your driveway).
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MARVEL: The Wiesmann Roadster
Does this remind you of something (hint)?
German, of course. How do they do it? How do the Germans so consistently tickle the fibers of my brain that stimulate utter excitement? Take a look at this car. Particularly noteworthy is the Wiesmann Roadster’s interior which is markedly old school with hand-stitched leather, and custom options galore (including pretty magnificent quilted...
Talking While Driving: A History of the Cell Phone... →
Wired Magazine’s From Brick to Slick: A History of Mobile Phones chronicles the evolution of the cell phone and offers a great trip down memory lane: leading us from the 80s’ Motorola DynaTAC 8000X and landing us in today’s iPhone / Blackberry universe.
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"My Maserati Does 185...I Lost My License, Now I...
Having lived in Italy for a brief period of time, it really doesn’t surprise me at all that the folks over at Maserati chose this incredibly cheesy Kim Sanders song, “Let Me Love You,” as the soundtrack for their 2009 Maserati Quattroporte promotional video. In truth, if it were an American car, the choice of an electronica ballad would have been a wretched disaster; but given...
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How to Attract the Opposite Sex: What Your Car...
Jalopnik ran two pretty funny pieces on this topic. To be amused, check these out:
Top Ten: Ten Cars and the Type of Guys They Attract
Top Ten: Ten Cars and the Type of Women They Attract
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Fort Lauderdale Weekend: Flexing Muscle - The 1994...
This past weekend I had occasion to be down in Fort Lauderdale, which meant a happy reunion with my oldest vehicular friend, a lightly driven 1994 teal Chevrolet Z28 Camaro Convertible. The Camaro and I became friends at a time before I could legally drive, when my affection for cars was unwavering yet naïve, with my only real driving experience having been around the track in the IROC go-carts at...
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Rough Seas for General Motors
No more Saturn. What to do about Pontiac? Hummer and Saab for SALE. First Wall Street, now Detroit as the financial tornado continues to reshape corporate America.
Read about it: A Painful Departure for Some G.M. Brands (NY Times)
GM Seeks Up to $30B in Aid, Will Cut 47,000 Jobs (Business Week)
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“Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day, you fritter and waste the...”
– Pink Floyd (Dark Side of the Moon), 1973
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My Drop Top Playlist - February 2009
LIVE from the beach, here are the songs that I most enjoyed listening to while tooling around South Florida this President’s Day weekend:
10) Banquet (Bloc Party) - exploitation of the downbeats in this tune give it an upbeat but anxious sound; the resulting vibe is well matched to the task of zipping around through traffic
9) Under Pressure (Queen & David Bowie) - the speakers will...
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Sometimes the Fashion Magazines Have the Best...
About 20 minutes before my flight last Friday, I found myself in the Laguardia Airport magazine shop. As is typical before a flight, I was a little frenetic and overloaded (computer on one shoulder, overstuffed tote bag on the other shoulder, rolling weekend bag in hand, coat over arm…you get the picture). As I moseyed around the CNBC News Store gathering up magazines, I settled on a few that I...
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THIS YOU GOTTA SEE: The Marriage of My Two...
I came across these photos tonight and was completely wowed. You can probably tell from my writing that I consider most cars, even right off of the assembly line, to possess many of the qualities of high art (though, it goes without saying: some more so than others). These custom designs - which pair artists that I know, revere, and deeply admire with the creations of one of my favorite...
BMW Art Cars - Autoblog →
The photos available at this site are top-notch and definitely worth a peek.
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Sighting: Jaguar XK120
No trip to the Hamptons is complete without at least a few absurd car sightings and while the supply of outrageous cars is less robust in February than it is during the high season, last week’s trip did not disappoint. Saturday morning’s drive through Southampton brought Ferrari and Maserati sightings while passing through Sag Harbor one couldn’t help but notice a green...
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Easthampton Weekend: The Mini Cooper
Easthampton is a June, July, August destination; and that is precisely the reason I jumped at the chance to go there in February. I needed a reprieve from the city and my good friend, JT, was offering it with her invitation to EH.
Four of us set out on Saturday morning. The trip began at 9:45 with some Alice’s Tea Cup scones (about the best I’ve ever tasted) and a 2008 cream-colored, hard-top Mini...
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2010 Porsche 911 GT3
Text Below Comes from Crate.com.
Power + technology = performance. At least it does in the case of the 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 ($112,200; Fall 2009). We’re not talking about computer-style tech though — the new GT3 packs a 3.8-liter flat six that has Porsche’s Variocam system on both the intake and exhaust, enabling 0-60 performance in the 4 second range with 435 hp and a top speed of...
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Watch WATCH THIS. It’s extremely cool in more ways than one and leaves me thinking that American auto makers could stand to learn a thing or two from the Germans (such an original thought, I know)…
WatchSuperbowl XLII: Audi R8
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Superbowl XLIII (Audi A6) vs. Superbowl XLII (Audi...
While I generally enjoy sports, I really have no use for football other than the excuse it provides to drink during the day with friends, wear team paraphernalia, and cheer loudly. So, with no New York teams in last night’s Superbowl, I was far more into the Momofuku pork wraps being served where I was and the Bruce Springstein halftime show (I have a bit of a softspot for Glory Days) than...
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Sweden's uncertain car industry | For sale | The... →
From the Economist.com (1/29/09):
THE Swedish car industry is up for sale. Saab and Volvo are on the block because their owners, General Motors (GM) and Ford respectively, can no longer afford to keep them. But there are important differences. GM may have only weeks to divest itself of Saab, whereas Ford is a slightly less desperate seller.