Robert Hall

Cool site....any translation of 'Zubehor' (the 'o' has umlauts)?

Very cool video.. the relentless march forward of technology and people figuring out ways to harness it.. It's impressive when I think about the advancements of gadgets, media, etc just in the last 15 years...cell phones have become great little computers, the mainstreaming of computers, high speed internet is ubiquitous, print newspapers a thing of the past (I haven't subscribed to a paper in over 7 years), HD TVs, DVDs, DVRs, CDs to mp3s, etc. I remember going to 'libraries' years ago to research things..haven't done that in many years. Or renting videos/DVDs from Blockbuster..haven't done that since getting Netflix in '00.. Will the next 15 years be as dynamic?

He's in 'Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus' with Deborah Gibson. The trailer is on You Tube, looks to be a classic...(i.e. extremely cheesy disaster movie, looks like the SF/X budget was $5). Thread answer: Volvo (a Volvo 780 coupe was driven into a swimming pool in the last season of Falcon Crest)

Actually, recent research has shown Toyota owners, and specifically Prius owners, are on average, considerably happier and 90% more self-satisfied than the average car buyer, because Toyotas are very reliable, have high resale values, are efficient and help to save the planet.

I'm sure I would.. Yes, it's odd that I never picked it up. Just one of those things. Rob

Shiny happy people driving their Priuses in a happy sun shiny world. Paradise on earth is one message. Another is if you care about the Earth, you will drive a Prius.

This reminds me of an incident last year.. I had a job interview question that asked about chess moves and strategy...I've never played it in my life, said so, and improvised...

That was incompetence on the woman's part. She put the coffee cup between her legs. Coffee cups are supposed to go in a cupholder.

I miss my fall foliage drives in the Colorado high country...I'd go out to Aspen, Telluride, or elsewhere for a weekend jaunt at least 1-2 weekends every year to see the strands of golden aspens quaking in the breeze. Going to go up to N. Az later this month to see how the aspens look here.. Rob

Hmmm...running a firewall w/ really restrictive settings, perhaps?

Forgot about the Atom..that would be a great track day toy, not to mention a surreal commuter car. I'd love to have the ZR1 as a companion to the Ford GT for twisty Ohio backroad driving. Ford GT in white /w dark blue stripes (or dark blue w/ white stripes, or maybe the Gulf colors--lt blue & orange) and the ZR1 in gunmetal gray...

Autoblog Article

Saw a couple interesting vintage GMs this morning. First, a goregous bronze '70 Skylark convertible, tan interior, top down, and 2nd, a bright red '58-59 Chevy Apache longbed fleetside pickup, lowered front suspension, '67 style Chevy Rally wheels, wide ones in back.

Happy Birthday!

Good article. Even though I live the corporate cubicle life that sounds sterile in the article, I do appreciate the experiences I've had working w/ my hands. My late father, who was a suit-and-tie office man his whole career, enjoyed weekend labor on the family 'farm', with an 1859 house to maintain (a lot of work) and 150 acres of land with various buildings, etc. Growing up, esp. after he retired, every summer, he'd keep me from getting bored with many family projects...I learned framing, hanging sheetrock, how to dig 250 ft long trenches and ditches, how to build a septic tank, build a bathroom, lay t-lock shingles, paint a barn, use a plumb bob and a level, bleed brakes, do oil changes on everything from a John Deere tractor to a diesel Escort, remove an engine and transmission, strip an interior, digging up stumps, mowing acres and acres of yard, planting shrubs, trimming trees, growing veggies, grease a Snapper Comet riding mower, etc. All in Ohio heat and humidity. All fascinating memories now. Very different world from my technology-fueled, academic, sububurban and corporate cubicle life over the last 20 years. Sometimes I wonder if I've lost part of my soul in the process.

It seems like the whole 'personal luxury' coupe market, at least those at mainstream brands below $40k or so, has died off. The Solara and Monte Carlo were the last ones, since the Sebring is convertible only now. Can the niche make a comeback? It was still very strong throughout the '80s and petered out in the '90s, at least at Ford and GM... I'm sure there were many reasons as to the decline and ultimate demise of the market segment-- changing demographics and interests of buyers, corporate neglect, corporate distraction w/ the truck & SUV boom of the last 15+ years, etc... Rob

The Toronado was Olds' Riviera counterpart, I believe. The Cutlass Supreme coupe was more Olds' Monte Carlo..

I'm glad I've never had to work in restaurants..I have a number of friends that did it in high school and college. The closest I've come is working the cash register in a college bookstore for a few semesters. I don't like having to directly deal w/ end users/customers.

Sarasota

A Riviera coupe' version of the LaCrosse could be interesting....with it's own unique metal, lower, distinct fascias, frameless door glass, more pronounced sweep spear and rear 'hips', faster roofline maybe..with the G6 gone, GM has no Epsy/Epsy II coupes any more..

I usually do 15-20% unless the service is really bad (-) or outstanding (+). Then there are the gray areas (how much to tip the pizza delivery guy?)--or to tip or not to tip at fast casual places where you order at the counter, fill your own drink, but they bring the food out to you and bus the table--i.e. like Pei Wei's (which I go to fairly often, and tip if I have cash). I always round up to the nearest .50 or .00 total, makes it easier to read in the Money and Mint reports I run at the end of the month..

we in da house now

The DTS is a good looking car, but the MKS has the advantage in cabin tech, interior design, and powertrain (AWD, 6spd tranny, EcoBoost V6).

I'd put the Fusion over the Malibu for the availability of a manual (it's still available, isn't it?). Probably rank the LaCrosse above the Milan, haven't seen one yet. I'd rank the CTS over the MKZ. As far as the full-size models go, I'd take the Taurus over the Impala and the MKS over the DTS. I really like what I've read about the SHO, looking forward to seeing it in person. As far as Chrysler goes, don't care for their mid sizers, but I like their full sizers for their RWD and V8, but not so much their styling.

Seeing them coming in over the city to land at Sky Harbor when driving up I-10 from the south is impressive...at one point when they are over the freeway, from the angle of the road, it looks like they are only 50 feet above 8 lanes of traffic... Rob