My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on January 16, 2009

During a business call this week, a fellow who listens to streaming  radio and knows my interest in Volkswagen TDIs, mention that a station he listens to was holding a sweepstakes offering a  New 2009 VW Jetta TDI Clean Diesel as their grand prize. The station is  KCPW in Santa Monica, California and features “an eclectic mix of music, news, information and cultural program” … yes, its an NPR station.  If you are like me, you’ll at least sign up in hopes your name is drawn!

LISTEN

The All-New 2009 VW Jetta TDI Clean Diesel

Incredible mileage and performance in the same car. Up to 41 miles per gallon* and a ton of torque so you don’t have to sacrifice power to be environmentally friendly.

VW JETTA TDI SWEEPSTAKES ENDS FEB. 28, 2009

*Fuel economy figures for Jetta TDI with automatic transmission: 41mpg combined estimate based on AMCI-certified testing. 29 city/40 hwy mpg based on EPA estimates.  Mileage may vary.

RULES:

2009 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA TDI CLEAN DIESEL SWEEPSTAKES DESCRIPTION, VALUE, START AND END DATE, AND ODDS
Prize Description: 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI; Prize value: $26,880. The sweepstakes start date is 12:00AM on November 17, 2008 and end date is 11:59 PM on February 28, 2009. The odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received.

…

To participate without contribution, hand print your full name, complete address with ZIP Code, date of birth, and day/evening phone numbers with area code on a standard size postcard and mail with the proper postage affixed:

c/o 2009 KCRW WINTER HOLIDAY SWEEPSTAKES
KCRW
1900 Pico Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA 90405

Each postcard enters one sweepstakes. Postcard entries must arrive by 5pm of each sweepstakes’ end date (detailed below). You will be notified only if you win.

Limit one entry per sweepstakes per household.

MORE RULES

Category: Automotive, Volkswagen | 6 Comments »
Tags: diesel, npr, radio, sweepstakes, tdi, volkswagen, vw

Posted By RichC on January 15, 2009

Well this may not classify as a “miracle,” but its about as close as I can imagine. While driving home tonight I “listened” to television coverage of the incredible landing of US Airways Flight 1549 shortly after takeoff. The twin engine Airbus A320 jet had just left LaGuardia Airport enroute to Chalotte NC when it “may” have hit a flock of geese knocking out both engines which required the pilots to make and emergency landing on the Hudson River near Midtown Manhattan. According to reports, all passengers and crew escaped with their lives thanks to the incredible skills demonstated by the pilots. Equally credit need to go to the professionalism of the ‘well trained’ flight attendants as those being rescues offered their accalades. Its not often we praise the those in commercial aviation for a job well done — just incredible.

Emergency first responders in the NYC area were quickly to the scene, as the cold weather and 40-degree water left little time before passengers would start experience hypothermia. Ferry boats headed to the area and U.S. Coast Guard rafts were quickly in the water. Divers pulled passengers from the wings of the plane and rapidly brought them to waiting ambulances.  Again “incredibly” there were no fatalities.

US Airways officials said Thursday it was too soon to determine the cause of the accident.

Category: Aviation | 1 Comment »
Tags: miracle

Posted By RichC on January 15, 2009

So which automotive technology is in our near future? According to an article in Wednesday’s Marketplace section of the WSJ, “Analysts say sales of vehicles with such engines — which deliver greater fuel economy and power than today’s similarly sized gas engines — will far exceed those of hybrids and electrics for years to come.”

This bodes well for those of us who see the advance engine technology in our TDI (Turbo Direct Injection) making it way to more and more vehicles … and not just diesel. Many car companies are at least looking to Direct Injection technology as a way to improve power and efficiency in gasoline engines. According to the forecasting firm CSM Worldwide, projected sales of vehicles using direct injection gas engines is expected  to jump from 585,000 this year to 5,100,000 by 2014. Compare that to plug-in and battery-only vehicles getting all the hot press, and the estimate is that all electric niche vehicles will not even top 10% of the automotive market by the year 2020  (Berger Strategy Consultants).  The forcasting chart offers and interesting look as to what technologies will see the strongest growth in the next 5 years — although I suspect some hybrid and diesel advocate will doubt the relatively flat growth projections?

[smartads]

EDIT: The history of Gasoline Direct Injection:

Direct Gasoline Injection was introduced on production aircraft during WWII, with both German (Daimler Benz) and Soviet (KB Khimavtomatika) designs. The first automotive direct injection system was developed by Bosch, and was introduced by Goliath and Gutbrod in 1952. The 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL, the first sports car to use fuel injection, used direct injection. The Bosch fuel injectors were placed into the bores on the cylinder wall used by the spark plugs in other Mercedes-Benz six-cylinder engines (the spark plugs were relocated to the cylinder head). Later, more mainstream applications of fuel injection favored less expensive indirect injection methods.

Category: Automotive | No Comments »
Tags: direct injection, ev, hybrid, tdi, wsj

Posted By RichC on January 14, 2009

My company’s original office in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio – Photo Jan. 14, 2009

I’m well season in driving to from one corner of Ohio to the other, but today was one of the more uptight trips I’ve  made. In fact, I even checked into the Radisson at 4PM since I no longer wanted to stomp through snow and subject myself to the cold temperatures (it’s currently 11F) .

While driving north on I-71, I counted no less than 20 or so accidents including a nasty looking tanker truck and SUV collision which stopped southbound traffic near Mansfield Ohio. There were icy patches where it was all that one could do to keep the car from going sideways and regular burst of white out making one wonder if the car or truck in front was still on the road? I’m glad the drive is over.

EDIT — 8PM: Out checking the roads and trying a new ‘quick’ restaurant recommended by one of my clients – Baja Fresh. It was a taste change and I actually felt like it “might” have been healthy. Unfortunately I really didn’t like any of their salsa, although the sweet Mango wasn’t bad.

Category: Personal, Photos | 3 Comments »
Tags: baja fresh, driving, ohio, snow, Travel

Posted By RichC on January 13, 2009

1/13/2009 – Wall Street Journal

President George W. Bush held his  final press conference on Monday and was extremely candid while reflecting on his mistakes, yet reminded Americans just how challenging the job of President of the United States is. I wanted to archive the last press conference for posterity sake and  in part because the much criticized President  continued to remain upbeat and cordial to those that may not have always been the same to him. (also testing a Quicktime audio embed below)

Category: Audio, Politics | No Comments »
Tags:

Posted By RichC on January 12, 2009

Autoblog reports on the concept roadster that Volkswagen calls the BlueSport at the Detroit Auto Show this year.

Volkswagen’s Concept BlueSport should go a long way towards making the term “diesel performance” a household name. While it might seem to be an oxymoron to some, seeing it at the Detroit Auto Show, we can tell you that if it reaches production, everyone will be a believer. While officially just a concept for now (and the interior is a dead giveaway this isn’t production-ready), the two-door roadster sports a 2.0-liter turbodiesel four mounted amidships. It puts out 180 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque and pushes just 2,600 pounds via a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Expect a 0-60 of 6.2 seconds and a top speed of 140, all while returning about 35 mpg on the European cycle and upwards of 62 mpg in “Eco” mode.

The BlueSport might look a lot like an Audi TT with a Scirocco nose, but unlike its corporate sibling, the mid-engine layout provides a 45:55 front-to-rear weight distribution. It’s also a tidy package at just over 13 feet in length, with a 96-inch wheelbase, a front track of 58.5 inches and a rear track of 60 inches. So it’s about the same size as the TT, but in reverse. In person it seems much smaller than the Audi and reminds us of the Porsche Boxster more than anything, which isn’t a bad thing. Stylist Walter da Silva explained his design inspiration in great detail for the assembled masses, unfortunately he did it in Italian, without subtitles, so we have no idea what he said. We did understand what Volkswagen Chairman Martin Winterkorn said, and that was that VW is officially committed to growth with cars that will continue to offer maximum excitement with minimum consumption, and the BlueSport is a perfect example of that philosophy. We say build it and bring it, ASAP. Hit the jump for all the details in the press release.

Photo Gallery

Category: Automotive, Volkswagen | 2 Comments »
Tags:

Posted By RichC on January 11, 2009

Edmunds prepare an excellent video review of a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI a couple months ago and thought I would post it here.

Category: Automotive, Volkswagen | No Comments »
Tags: diesel, jetta, tdi, volkswagen

Posted By RichC on January 10, 2009

To be truthful … “no” I’m not really focused on the NFL playoffs this year. I’m not 100% sure that I can pin my lack of enthusiasm on the dismal season of Ohio NFL teams (Bengals and Browns) or the personal distractions in my life, but I haven’t really enjoyed watching professional football this year.

But we are where we are and I’m sure if I focus a bit on the playoffs that I can enjoy the hype as we close in on the Superbowl. Of the eight teams, being an AFC North guy, I’ll probably be mildly cheering for either Baltimore or Pittsburgh — a shameful thought for a Bengals OR a Browns fan.

Category: Sports | 2 Comments »
Tags: football, nfl

Posted By RichC on January 9, 2009

Here’s a biodiesel hybrid vehicle for those who would like to reminisce; one can be had for $129,000 or if you can fore go the solar setup, go ahead and order one for pocketchange: $69,000 USD.
It is a unique vehicle and isn’t just a “woody” — check out Verdier.ca.

Category: Automotive, Biodiesel | 3 Comments »
Tags: biodiesel, microbus, verdier

Posted By RichC on January 8, 2009

It was a nice day to be a Palm user when on Thursday afternoon the company announced their long awaited smartphone with a new operating system (followed on Twitter). The sleek new phone with a sliding QWERTY physical keyboard “looked” to be precisely what many Palm advocates have been waiting for — I’m looking forward to getting my hands on one. For now, I’ll just envy the photos and read the Palm blog posts.

1. Operating system Palm® WebOS™
2. Network specs – G EVDO Rev A
3. Display – 3.1-inch touch screen with a vibrant 24-bit color 320×480 resolution
4. HVGA display
5. Keyboard – Physical QWERTY keyboard
6. Email – Microsoft Outlook® email with Microsoft® Direct Push Technology
7. POP3/IMAP (Yahoo, Gmail, AOL, etc).
8. Messaging – Integrated IM, SMS, and MMS
9. GPS – Built-in GPS
10. Digital camera – 3 megapixel camera with LED flash and extended depth of field
11. Sensors – Ambient light, accelerometer, and proximity
12. Media formats supported – Audio Formats: MP3, AAC, AAC+, AMR, QCELP, WAV
13. Video Formats: MPEG-4, H.263, H.264
14. Image Formats: GIF, Animated GIF, JPEG, PNG, BMP
15. Wireless connectivity – Wi-Fi 802.11b/g with WPA, WPA2, 801.1x authentication
16. Bluetooth® 2.1 + EDR with A2DP stereo Bluetooth support
17. Memory – 8GB of user storage (~7.4GB user available)
18. USB mass storage support
19. Phone as laptop modem
20. Bluetooth tethering
21. Connector – MicroUSB connector with USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
22. Headphone jack – 3.5mm stereo
23. Palm® Touchstone™ charging dock compatible
24. Dimensions – Width: 59.5mm (2.3 inches)
25. Height: 100.5mm (3.9 inches)
26. Thickness: 16.95mm (0.67 inches)
27. Weight – 135 grams (4.76 ounces)

Category: Cellphone | 6 Comments »
Tags: Cellphone, centro, palm, treo