RichC | March 31, 2006
In a bipartisan vote, Ohio Senate Republicans and Democrats passed a version of “Jessica’s Law,” which mandates prison terms of 25 years to life for the rape of a child under 13. The bill which heads to the house also includes 15 years to life for the attempted rape of a minor and mandatory prison […]
RichC | March 31, 2006
How much would you pay for this ‘keyboard?’ Nope that’s not quite enough. Ebay has it listed for a few more dollars than you were thinking. ($19K?) 🙂 This item is priced for true collectors and most likely wealthy ones with an interested in items from World World II and Nazi Germany. Its and Enigma […]
RichC | March 29, 2006
The President has his work cut out for him in gaining national acceptance for a new US energy plan. Almost everyone is talking about energy these days, particularly oil since the barrel price has steadied in the mid- $60 per barrel range and gasoline at the pump is about $2.50/gallon nationally. (Wednesday, March 29, 2006, […]
RichC | March 29, 2006
There was an excellent program on public television’s NOVA Tuesday night detailing the DARPA Challenge that I mentioned back in October of 2005. I’ve included the intro video clip below, but the program is well worth watching as it introduces the different teams, individuals and strategies. Considering none of the ‘driverless’ vehicles went farther than […]
RichC | March 28, 2006
Jeff, a good friend of mine had the gall to send back a few photos while skiing in Canadian Rockies today … then follow up with a phone call asking if he should dine on steak or seafood tonight. I recommend steak and hope you choke on it! 🙂 Not only am I stuck in […]
RichC | March 27, 2006
This patent/technology story was too much for me to pass on. It is amazing what strange things people will work to patent and most likely promote pretty well. In this particular Samsung patent application, the cell phone is equipped with a perfume sprayer that release an odor at the appropriate time. I’ll not go into […]
RichC | March 26, 2006
I’ve waited a week to post my concerns about the sport of rugby which is growing quickly in the United States. (far more popular in other countries) My son is a sophomore and this is his first year on the team which is comprised of students from a couple different local high schools. Rugby is […]
RichC | March 25, 2006
I’ve been wanted to comment on one of the leading electric motor companies in the US — WaveCrest Laboratories in Rochester Hills, Michigan. Wavecrest is primarily known in the hybrid technology area by producing a high performance electric wheel. I’m not sure if anyone else as called it that, but the their brushless, high output […]
RichC | March 23, 2006
Used the Slingbox tonight to share a little Oreilly Factor and the goings on in Ohio with Judge John Connor and the Dayton Daily News.
RichC | March 22, 2006
RichC | March 21, 2006
Volkswagen is one of those companies that seems to get a tad ‘edgy’ in it advertising campaigns. From the “Vee-Dub” and “German Engineering, ya-man” ads mentioned a couple weeks ago, to the latest Hispanic targeting ads featuring the cartoon mouse ‘Speedy Gonzalez.’ I posted a comment a week or so ago on the CinciTDI group […]
RichC | March 20, 2006
Tom and Ray Magliozzi host a radio program (and newspaper column) called CarTalk and it has been an entertainment mainstay for National Public Radio listeners for many years. Last month they inflamed a few biodiesel nuts (including myself) by making an incorrect comment regarding biodiesel by assuming it was the same thing as virgin or […]
RichC | March 19, 2006
Not only does diesel reign supreme in efficiency when hauling loads down American highways and rails, but now looks to be able to dominate on American racetracks as well. (see “Backstretch Motorsports“) The #02 Audi’s R10 TDI diesel ‘torqued’ to a top finish and a new track record yesterday at Sebring in Florida after the […]
RichC | March 18, 2006
I’m an Engadget fan and a Treo cell phone admirer, but when Kirk Sutherland submitted his entry for his working Birthday Cake Treo 650 there was little competition. Nice job Kirk! This past month the ‘gadget’ reporting website Engadget decided to give away presents for their 2nd birthday. Toward the end of the daily giveaways, […]
RichC | March 17, 2006
I took advantage of warm oil after a long drive tonight to do an oil extraction (change) in my Volkswagen Jetta TDI tonight. I thought I would included a photo of a couple of appropriate filters with the plastic oil dam inside since I happened to have both the OEM VW brand (from the dealership) […]
RichC | March 16, 2006
A fellow Volkwagen TDI driver emailed me a question about my fuel mileage, and in particular if I “noticed a change in MPG when I switched to the Sprint 520s? What about smoke?” He’s talking about the fuel injectors that I originally put in my Volkswagen Jetta TDI to increase performance. I answered basically “No” […]
RichC | March 15, 2006
What’s wrong with this Mercedes Benz marketing video? (click here to view) Maybe its just me, but I’m not sure this was the best dressed choice for the national marketing of the brand new Mercedes Benz GL-class vehicle. For as much as Mercedes Benz spends on marketing and developing a premium corporate image, I felt […]
RichC | March 14, 2006
NASA’s Stardust space capsule returned to earth on January 15, 2006, after investigating the Comet Wild 2. It captured particles of dust from the comets tail in a special strong but lightweight gel. Most of us were taught that comets were ice, dust and gas, but scientists gathered at the Johnson Space Center in Houston […]
RichC | March 13, 2006
The EAA284 chapter meeting was at Red Stewart Airfield yesterday, March 12th, after a drenching evening of rain, which continues today. The grass strip was absolutely soaked yet a T-craft and Cub successfully ‘rutted’ down the runway and sprayed their way into the air. (from the care of the runway perspective, I didn’t think it […]
RichC | March 11, 2006
I’m sure by now everyone has heard the story about the Ferrari Enzo that crashed along the Pacific Coast Highway in late February, but thought I would include a rather amusing video clip of a European Ferrari crash at the end of this post. The story that was told by the ‘alleged’ passenger and car […]
RichC | March 10, 2006
Thursday afternoon Dubai Ports World pledged that it would transfer operation of six U.S. port terminals to a U.S. entity settling at least some of the “exuberant” behavior of many Americans and our representatives. President Bush and his administration said this should settle a political firestorm surrounding the deal. Perhaps as my previous post commented, […]
RichC | March 9, 2006
The 2006 TDIClub and CinciTDI DVD is nearly ready to ship. The ‘teaser’ video clip is being posted here before being sent to the groups video pages. This is primarily to test the H.264 recorded ‘teaser’ clip in hopes to get a little feedback. Most Quicktime 7.0 users with relatively fast computers shouldn’t have problems […]
RichC | March 8, 2006
A few weeks ago, I made the comment that we need to be careful as to the signals we are sending to allies around the world in restricting what allies are permitted to operate companies in the US. My concern was that when we restrict business ownership based on prejudice, jumping to the conclusion that […]
RichC | March 8, 2006
A friend of mine spotted this switch on one of the forums he visits, and I thought was worth a post. Actually it segues into a pet peeve of mine, that of people confusing the ‘no conversion biodiesel’ alternative with just ‘straight’ (SVO) or ‘waste’ (WVO) conversions. A quick comparison between what I call biodiesel […]
RichC | March 7, 2006
The Loremo isn’t due out until 2009 according to Gerhard Heilmaier, but this radical new sports car is making many in the automotive engineering world turn their heads. The Loremo is designed to be a low resistance vehicle and offers efficiency beating most anything on the road while remaining stylish and sporty. Most economy models […]
RichC | March 6, 2006
Do we need to petition our community for a “hitching post” at the local Caribou Coffee Shop in West Chester, Ohio? How does that saying go … “the more things change (and they certainly have in our community!), the more they stay the same.” Seeing people on horseback trotting around Liberty Township was probably commonplace […]
RichC | March 5, 2006
Volkswagen purchased the Bugatti name in 1998 and in September of 2005 announced that it would begin producing a limited number of extrodinary sports cars costing well over a million dollars each. (and there’s a waiting list to buy them!) After announcing the chosen name ‘Veyron’ at the Tokyo auto show in 1999, the engineering […]
RichC | March 4, 2006
I received an email from a regular reader suggesting that my last couple of posts were “too serious” and left him a little “glum.” He mentioned that he liked the funny video clips (they can be found elsewhere on the web, btw) and that I should sporadically add a few more. “Glum?” Hmm … maybe??? […]
RichC | March 3, 2006
I’m taking a moment to make a quick entry tonight to close out an earlier post about potential shutdown of the RIM Blackberry device. Both business and government have been concerned as millions rely on their wireless ‘push’ email device. Research In Motion (Rim) settled their ongoing legal battle today with a $612.5 million dollar […]
RichC | March 3, 2006
I’m reluctant to post a message before hearing from Citgo Petroleum Corporation on an email making its way around the internet that generates strong emotions from most I’ve shown it too. (see posted email at the end of this post) The company (Citgo) is owned by PDV America, Inc., an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of […]
RichC | March 2, 2006
Its all about marketing and timing. General Motors is off and running after gaining support for its “Live Green, Go Yellow” marketing blitz when President Bush used the bully pulpit to promote alternative fuels like ethanol. If this solution sounds too good to be true … it is because at this moment it is. Let’s […]
RichC | March 1, 2006
For those of us interested in diesel powered small cars, we enjoy the exposure the RallyVW team gives to not only to our Volkswagen TDIs, but biodiesel as well. The 2006 Rally-America season is preparing for the third race of the season as the end of February marks a finish to the 100 Acre Wood […]