Robert Hall

Speaking of manually entering data, the aviation project I worked on a couple of years ago was to take daily updates to airport/etc chart data from the FAA and automate the process of getting it into databases that are used by applications for avionic nav systems and the production of paper charts. I was amazed how much of the process is/was still heavily manual entry, considering how many data points for all the runways, airports, navigation features, etc in the world there are...pretty complex stuff.

I haven't... I've seen it, but haven't used it. I haven't done much w/ PHP, Python, LISP, VB or any of the scripting languages, mostly have stayed in the Java (not Javascript) OO programming realm, working in insurance, banking, telecom, and aviation related enterprise applications...lots of back end server side design and development, not much GUI or Web front end work. About the only scripting language I've dabbled with in recent years is Ruby.

I've worked extensively as a developer/architect in enterprise applications this decade w/ various versions of Oracle, DB2, and SQL Server. I'd rather work w/ Oracle than the others. DB2 has a lot of issues... But for small web apps, I've been liking MySQL quite a bit.. It's going to be very interesting the next few years to see what happens since Oracle bought Sun, and Sun's Java technology has been my main area of expertise the last 13 years... I've been getting into Ruby on Rails and other technologies the last couple years, but JEE development is still my main thing....

I've been using the Chrome browser since it first became public, like it alot, moreso than Firefox or Safari. I'll be looking forward to giving the Chrome OS a spin when it eventually comes out. I've got a mix of OSes on different machines at home, from XP and Vista to Linux, Solaris, and Mac OS X...each has their positives and negatives. At work, I use XP.

It's the GM car and CUV brand that fits between Chevy and Cadillac. The middle brand. i.e. Pontiac+Saturn+ old Buick = new Buick?

GM fan GM enthusiasts Chevrolet Impala Chevrolet Caprice Chevrolet Silverado Chevrolet Tahoe Chevrolet Suburban Chevrolet Cobalt Chevrolet Cavalier Chevrolet Avalanche Chevrolet Express Chevrolet Corvette Chevrolet Cruze Chevrolet Aveo Chevy Impala Chevy Caprice Chevy Silverado Chevy Tahoe Chevy Suburban Chevy Cobalt Chevy Cavalier Chevy Avalanche Chevy Express Chevy Corvette Chevy Cruze Chevy Aveo Pontiac G3 Pontiac G5 Pontiac G6 Pontiac G8 Pontiac Grand Prix Pontiac Montana Pontiac Torrent Pontiac Solstice Pontiac Excitement! Chevy Aveo Cadillac CTS Cadillac CTS-v Cadillac DTS Cadillac STS Cadillac Escalade Oldsmobile Cutlass Buick LaCrosse Buick Lucerne Buick Enclave Buick Regal Saturn Vue Saturn Astra Saturn Aura Saturn Outlook Saturn Sky GMC Acadia GMC Terrain GMC Sierra GMC Sierra HD GMC Sierra Denali GMC Yukon GMC Yukon Denali GMC Envoy GMC Topkick GMC Savana HUMMER H1 HUMMER H2 HUMMER H3 HUMMER H3T Something like this? Search term pairs?

One of the worst misapplications of a hood scoop I've seen is a '69 Mustang Mach 1 scoop (complete w/ 351 badges) on a gold Chrysler 300M.. Also had a '69-70 Mustang style rear spoiler. WTF?????? Such application of parts to a car shows a complete obliviousness to brand correctness and history...if you are going to put vintage style parts on a modern Chrysler, at least use something Mopar.

Another cheezy fad from the late '80s that still is seen a bit today are the tinted headlight and taillight covers. Often the same folks that like the huge windshield logos. Another one that wasn't mentioned are ground affects and other body kits. Most non-factory ones look so cheesy.

This took me way back to way back when...my first Internet experiences were w/ CompuServe, age 13, 1983. I didn't have a computer then, but one of my buddies in jnr. high did, and a bunch of us used to go over to his house and go online. I didn't get my own internet access until college in '88. article: CompuServe article

No doubt...something like that is like a blank canvas to build as you want. Cool that you are putting a Buick engine in it. I have some ideas for a project car w/ an engine swap I'd love to build, alas no space, no time, no mechanical skill.

Looks sharp. There is probably more than enough of space in the back for a few 4 to 20 lb dogs...which works for me.

I couldn't see myself doing an engine swap unless I had a blown engine. I've seen countless Fox body Mustangs with heavily modded engines, or other engines swapped in--460s, 4.6 DOHCs, etc. Even Chevy motors (blastphemy!). But how many '87s are out there like mine---one owner, excellent condition, original engine, original paint, original interior, under 65k miles? Other than routine maintenance, I'm not going to change a thing...same w/ my '69, been in one family for 40 years now, original engine, but fully restored....both cars came to me from my late father, so they have a lot of sentimental value to me.

Here's something the gamers on here might find interesting: $17500 for very rare game cartridge Think $60 video games are too expensive? You won't hear any argument from us, but you might from JJ Hendricks, a collector who just paid a clinically insane $17,500 for an obscure NES game from 1990. The game in question is an ultra-rare, gold-colored version of Nintendo World Championships, a cartridge specially produced for use in a Nintendo-sponsored gaming contest. According to Wikipedia only 26 were created, and Hendricks calls it the "Holy Grail" of video game collectors. The game itself has a time limit of just 6 minutes and 21 seconds and consists of three short segments from other NES games: Super Mario Bros., Tetris, and Rad Racer. Players are scored according to their performance in each game, and their scores are totaled once the time limit expires. Doesn't sound too riveting to us, but then somehow we doubt Hendricks is in it for the gameplay. And while $17,500 might seem a bit much for a collection of ones and zeroes, Hendricks actually got a bargain: the game was originally listed on eBay for a cool $25,000. Edit: D'oh. I should have posted this to the "Off Topic" sub forum, but I keep forgetting it's there...my bad.

Ya..that's why I kept my Mustang GT at home safe and warm and had non-fancy cars in college, from an '83 Caprice to an '86 Mustang LX (4cyl) to an '88 Bronco II during my 9 years of higher ed.... college (4 yrs) and grad school (5 yrs)... Rob

Cool...I like the old Darts, Valiants, Dusters, and Demons. My older brother's only foray into Mopar ownership was a triple green '71 Dart Swinger 2dr ht, w/ slant 6. Had it around 1979, when he had a '71 Ford custom van and a '75 Firebird Formula. He's had 50 some cars over the 43 years...

Yes, with Pontiac and Saturn out of the picture, Chevy and Buick will have to share the load to support Avis, Enterprise and other customers in the midsize FWD market.

Saw a gorgeous Mexico blue mid '70s 911 on the way back from SD yesterday..saw it 4 times, at a gas station, rest stop, and twice on the freeway. Saw a white G8 GT, a red G8 GT, a silver new Camaro, a black new Camaro.. several '10 Mustangs as well.

I guess GM decided they needed a cheaper filler model to take the place of the G6 and Aura above the Malibu, maybe for fleets? Buick has to now bridge the gap between Chevy and Buick that Pontiac and Saturn previously filled.

Haven't seen one in person, but what I've noticed from the pics, esp. ones with people standing next to it, is how high the front fender top edge is, reminds me of the Ford Five Hundred/Taurus/etc.... I stood beside one of those on a lot, seems quite tall. Definitely quite a departure from lower, longer wider of Buicks of yore.

Had a good weekend at the beach...didn't get too sunburned. Drive over and back was uneventful, saw a variety of interesting cars. Going to go get in the pool now and relax.

I'd be happy w/ a '10 Camaro SS in Vedoro Green w/ black interior.

Meh. There was nothing in Cadillac forum, so I thought I had a scoop. Oh well. This 'NewsFeeder' guy reminds me of NinetyEightRegency back in the day, who used to post all the day's automotive news early in the AM.

To be built in Oshawa along w/ the Insignia based Regal and an Epsilon II based Impala. Meh...more dull FWD sedans, same old, same old for GM. Autoblog story

On the way over to the beach today (yes, I bought my laptop on vacation), I saw a variety of interesting cars.. a '63 Falcon wagon, primer gray, white roof w/ surface rust, red steel wheels. 3 '10 Camaros, all SSes, one bright red, one silver, one black. Sweet. dark gray G8 GT. A black late '80s IROC-Z in original, worn out condition, faded paint, sagging headliner, '80s style red AZ plate, and a driver that looked about 50 with...a mullet. Talk about living the stereotype. Windows down, AC probably not working. A yellow C6 Z06. A very clean (older paint w/ some fade on the decklid) silver blue '65 Mustang coupe, 289, white vinyl top. Several '10 Mustangs, a couple V6s and a few GTs.. a black '10 MKZ, looks good w/ the Olds-style grille like MKS.

Found this in the Hemmings eWeekly newsletter.. One for the Rust Belt See, what goes around really does come around. Word comes to us of Mack Trucks Inc.’s plans to move its highway truck production from its New River Valley plant in Virginia to that traditional stronghold of the Bulldog (and classic vehicles in general), Macungie, Pennsylvania. The big rigs will be built alongside construction and trash trucks that are already assembled in Macungie, in a factory that’s nearly across the street from the onetime Mack museum in the same town. It’s a reversal of the timeworn practice of shifting such manufacturing jobs to the South. The New River Valley plant, incidentally, will keep producing Volvo trucks, Mack now being an operating unit of Volvo Group. - By Jim Donnelly