I’m in “sync” with Alan Macey and the minority when he says, “we find joy in those fleeting moments between ratios; the crescendo of rpm, the gentle click of the gate, the building inertia in our chest as the drivetrain becomes whole again.” Let’s save the manual transmission!
No matter how tightly the clutch, stick-shift enthusiasts can’t reverse trend toward cars with automatic transmission.
In November 2012, Salvador Alvarenga went fishing off the coast of Mexico. Two days later, a storm hit and he made a desperate SOS. It was the last anyone heard from him – for 438 days. This is his story
I took “Brenda’s” car on its first road trip this week without asking while making calls in NE Ohio – whoops?!?! It sure was an enjoyable car to drive … too bad it replaces her 1998 Toyota Rav4 and not my 2006 Honda Pilot.
Jealously aside, I was anxious to see just what kind of fuel economy this 2010 BMW X5 35d would return … finished the trip at about 24.8 according to the trip computer (will be checking the manual numbers on the next fill). So far it’s not going to hit 30 mpg, but “maybe” I’ll be able to figure out how to get it above 26 mpg (the top for my 1982 Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel that I often drive in good weather) … but the driving performance is way better than I expected – nice!
It was an exciting night watching the Cincinnati Bengals host the Cleveland Browns on CBS's Thursday Night Football. We call it “the battle for Ohio” and the game pits my TWO home teams against each other (we lived 13 years in Cleveland). This year it is more important than ever for the Bengals as they are having a great season and the best start in their franchise history.
The game started with Cincinnati taking an early but only modest lead and going into the second half up by only 4 points. Still the Bengals looked better and relatively mistake free — their Achilles heel. By the end of the 3rd quarter, Cincinnati extended their lead by adding 3 more points with a combination of short passes and a solid running game.
Then we come to the 4th quarter … and the best team started to really shine. I felt bad for the Cleveland Browns and their fans as they really looked as they didn't belong on the same field. Both the offense and defense for Cincinnati dominated giving the Bengals another win keeping their season undefeated at 8-0. Final score was CIN 31 – CLE 10. On both sides of the ball, the Bengals look like they are for real this year.
Over the last couple years, my son-in-law and I have been slowly upgrading our home light bulbs with varied LEDs. For both of us it has been an experiment in getting the most satisfactory bulbs for the least number of dollars … unfortunately that usually means ordering a box from China in bulk (gambling with quality).
One “small” 110v E27 bulb I bought has been a favorite and has been performing beautifully … and they were inexpensive ($2-$3 ea). The small LED uses 5 watts and casts a warm enough (2800-3000K), yet bright enough light to rival the previous 25-40 watt incandescent light bulbs they replaced. I use them in our 5 outside garage lights where they are near perfect and run dusk til dawn. I use one in my office just a background light to leave on 24/7. On the boat, I have a 110v over the chart table light that is my favorite for reading and sitting at the desk staying cool … and consuming minimal amps is a plus. Still the many 12 volt DC only lights are more efficient in the long run rather than running off the inverter.
We recently replace our old Kitchenaid refrigerator with a new Samsung frig and before sending the old to the recycling heap, I took the LED bulbs that I replaced out of it noting one wasn’t working. Before tossing, I was curious what made this little guy my favorite and cut it apart to take a look (above). Nothing special … but I would buy them again IF I could find this exact ceramic based bulb.
Keystone XL Pipeline: not a beer. It’s a major oil pipeline project that would carry a LOT of crude oil from Canada to Texas. It’s also a major political headache. The GOP and oil companies say it would create US jobs and reduce North American reliance on Mideast oil. Democrats and environmental groups say ‘ever heard of oil spills? Or global warming?’ It’s up to President Obama to give the final OK on the project, but he’s been taking his sweet time (think: his entire presidency) deciding whether or not to give the green light.
When there is blood in the water, it’s a feeding frenzy. Just as we Volkswagen diesel advocates were thinking “maybe” the company would come up with a fix … then the second shoe dropped. This news includes more diesel vehicles, this time the 6-cylinder TDIs adding Audi and Porsche diesel SUVs. According to earlier comments, “a Volkswagen spokesman said the auto maker doesn’t plan to halt sales of the affected models as it did with the 482,000 diesel-powered vehicles.” As Yogi Berra would say, “it ain’t over till it’s over.”
Volkswagen installed defeat devices aimed at manipulating U.S. emissions tests on thousands of additional diesel-powered vehicles, the EPA said, widening the scandal at the German auto maker.
The EPA said its recent tests found Volkswagen installed devices aimed at manipulating U.S. pollution tests in some Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche diesel-powered vehicles. The regulator said the vehicles had increased nitrogen-oxide emissions up to nine times the allowable standard.
“VW has once again failed its obligation to comply with the law that protects clean air for all Americans,” said Cynthia Giles, the EPA’s associate administrator of enforcement and compliance assurance, in a conference call.
A Volkswagen spokesman disputed the EPA’s findings, saying the auto maker didn’t install emissions-test evading software on any of the newly identified vehicles. “It is a permissible software,” he said, adding: “What’s at issue here is clear: Does the U.S. want competition in the American market or not?”
This should have been a weekend working on autumn chores like raking leaves or closing the pool, but instead I tinkered around in the garage (and “on” the garage) onSaturday while the weather was “so-so” and then watched football on Sunday when the weather was nice. The excuse I'm using is that the Cincinnati Bengals were playing the Pittsburgh Steelers. It is always an intense game and this weekend it was exactly that … although both teams made way too many mistakes. In the end the low score was a 16 -10 win for the Bengals keeping them 7-0 and undefeated. How games against the Steelers make fans uptight in Cincinnati (or for that matter, Cleveland — I'm still a Browns fan). Hm … Thursday night should be interesting with the battle for Ohio on Thursday Night Football.
Even though we've had plenty of frost and cool weather, the grass still looks green and humble looking rose bushes are still blooming around the house. Seems strange to see new flowering roses in November?
I don't recall why I used the phrase “pay through the nose” this past week, but this sounds about right …
Instead of fighting the invaders, some English kings preferred to pay the Vikings to leave them in peace. These payments were called 'Danegeld' (meaning 'Dane debt' or Dane payment). The Vikings collected tribute in other countries too. In Ireland in the 9th century they imposed a tax and slit the noses of anyone unwilling or unable to pay, and that is the origin of the English phrase 'to pay through the nose' meaning to pay an excessive price. LINK
