Is there anything Ken Block can't do?

Twenty-four hours ago, I had not heard of Ken Block. Then I saw this video:



This gymkhana video is one of those life changing events where you promise yourself, "One day, I WILL DRIVE a rally car." To this day, the most exciting street going experience I have ever had was in an Evolution IX MR. I love that car and can not imagine how much fun it would be on dirt or and abandoned airfield! There are a couple rally schools on the East Coast (FL and New England). I would like to hear from someone who has been to one of those schools.

Then I remember I saw this guy get 2nd at X-Games XIII in 2007! I posted these pics & video in one of my first blog posts.

I own a couple items of DC shoes apparel, but picked them up by chance at Ross.

KEN BLOCK is involved with everything. He is a co-founder of DC shoes, a Rally driver and probably playing an important role in Obama's transition team. If this guy is an investment genius, he could give my all-time hero, Jim Rogers, a run for his money!

BMW's Performance Steering Wheel- Unnecessary but Cool. Kind of...

I recently stumbled across this piece of kit: The BMW Performance Steering Wheel

Unfortunately, there is a small part of me that would like to play out the role of Robert Kubica and have this thing in my M3. Why? I already have a pretty good command of shifting prior to redline. I have a stopwatch on my OBC. Here is the Wheel in action:

I really don't know what to say about this thing. It costs over $1,000. Doesn't make your car any faster, and is most likely a pain in the ass to install. It definitely falls into the all show and no go category.

Well, the Alcantara grips would be nice, and who doesn't need an extra gadget in their car to take their mind off driving?

I am just sad to see BMW straying further from their brand identity of The Ultimate Driving Machine. This Steering wheel is cool, but it doesn't DO anything. It seems like BMW is all about show these days. Whether it is 300+ hp cars (show) without LSD's to handle the go, or the universally hated iDrive interface. It seems like Chris Bangel has been such a distraction at the company when they started flame surfacing that they have forgotten how to kick ass.

Don't get me wrong. The 335i still seems to be far above its competion (aside from the G37 which I have not had the opportunity to drive). BUT the G37 comes with an LSD and that is not even an option on the 335i. Unfortunately, I don't think three quarters of today's BMW driver's even know what an LSD is, nor would they be willing to shell out $500-$1000 for the option. They are more interested in getting the vinyl interior so they can make the monthly lease payment... Are those days over with today's economy?

Car Alarms, Really??

A typical day begins around 5:30AM with my neighbor's dog barking, I wake up and eventually drift back to sleep. The dog will bark several more times and THEN the car alarm goes off. I get up, shower, dress and head out to the garage. I get in my car, still a bit groggy and turn the ignition. My car roars to life and another car in my apartment's garage starts blaring its horn. This happens every morning all three cars are in the garage. (Acoustics seem to prevent it from happening if only the alarm car and my car are in the garage. My car does not really roar to life as it has a stock exhaust and is not an Nissan G37 or 350Z.)

Why, in this day and age of cell phones, GPS and Obama, do I have to put up with this noise pollution? It wouldn't be nearly as bad if the owners felt a wave of embarrassment flow over them as they scrambled to shut the alarm off as quickly as possible. They don't. They never do. They JUST DON'T CARE. AND they don't seem to be in complete control of their thief deterring system. I repeatedly hear the woman across the street activate and de-activate her alarm several times in sucession

I am flummoxed that in this day and age of noise restrictions for motorcycles and everything else, I still have to listen to car alarms. I want change! Obama, please ticket owners with offending car alarms! Well, I guess I should ask my Beach Community for change before Obama...(note the Drudge Report flashing light!)

Saturn V Rocket Turns 41!

I stumbled upon this post today about the anniversary of the rocket that took the US to the moon. This find derailed my productive morning and sent me straight to the YouTube to find more clips of the Saturn V in action. I also poked around Wikipedia and learned more about the program:

Apollo IV was the first Saturn V flight- "Gus" Grissom, Ed White and Roger B. Chaffee were all killed during a test that was later re-named Apollo I. Purdue has buildings named after Grissom and Chaffee.

Apollo XI- The first Moon Mission:


Fantastic High Speed Camera Footage:


Real-Time Footage from the gantry:


Apollo XII- Was hit by lightening after lift-off. Here is a video of the firepit:


Skylab 1- Mission using the Saturn V to put Skylab into orbit. I remember going to see the back-up Skylab in the Smithsonian Air & Space museum.

Soviet N1- The Soviets couldn't get their moon mission off the ground (literally). They built an N1 rocket that was far more powerful than the Saturn V, but had trouble getting all 30 rocket engines to work together. They had four launches and all four ended in an explosion shortly after launch. Here is an interesting video of the N1:




I remember watching the first Space Shuttle launch on TV as well as the shock of hearing about the Challenger disaster while I was at school during a library trip. I have always been in awe of the space program and what it took to build these rockets. NASA and the space program is probably a large part of what interested me in engineering as a child (unfortunately, it did nothing to keep me interested in engineering).

It is amazing all 13 Saturn V missions were successful. The Space Shuttle has shown us how dangerous manned space travel is to this day.

It's What I Like: Warm Nuts in Business Class

OK, I am not really sure what this book is about, but I am here to tell you how much I love the warm nuts in Business class. I was a very accomplished traveler before I had the opportunity to experience Business class during a trip Japan a couple years ago. The seats are nice and the food is palatable, but the unexpected: A ceramic cup of warm, salty nuts?? Who thought this one up? It sounds as if I am just throwing the innuendos around, but I am serious!

Did the same mind that brought us Clamato think up warm nuts(encourage you to click the Clamato link as it has an exciting Latin theme song and possibly its own dance)?

A more important question, Now that I have had warm nuts, how can I ever go back to room temperature nuts? Bars just aren't the same these days.

DC, Thanks for the Memories

David Coulthard, F1's fourth highest points earner behind Senna, Prost & Schumacher retired this weekend in a wild Brazilian Grand Prix. He showed a few sparks of greatness at Red Bull, but I will always remember him at McLaren, paired with Mika Häkkinen.

He was one of the only drivers of his era to take the fight to Schumacher, as shown in this 2000 French GP video:



Coulthard had the coolest name, helmet and accent on the F1 grid throughout his career. He was my favorite driver for a number of years and I always hoped he would be able to win the World Championship.

ROCK THE VOTE: Slingbox for Android, NOW!

I imagine you were as shocked as I was that Google didn't take the bull by the horns and come out swinging with its Android App Market. What better way to arrive on the scene than offer something Apple has put the kibosh on? Apple likely sees Slingbox as a threat to Apple TV or their rumored DVR efforts.

Sling has already shown a "Proof of Concept" at the WWDC (well actually in a back alley next to a Starbucks).


The question is, Why wouldn't Google "encourage" Sling to come to the Android platform?

Enough with the speculation, Tell Sling yourselves! Vote on their feedback forum. There are currently only 12 votes for Android versus 228 for iPhone. Make a difference! ROCK THE VOTE!
11/19/08 Update: There are now 255 votes for SlingPlayer on the Android platform! It is the 3rd ranked idea! Sling has yet to review the idea, but I did have a visit today from an IP inside Google Corp! Hopefully they will push Sling into action!

11/3/08 Update: You have moved the needle! There are currently 84 votes on the Sling feedback forum for Android support. They have not started to review the idea, but it is the #6 idea and has been the top "hot" idea for the past couple days. Sling.com is still in beta and will launch soon. Please keep voting for Android Slingbox support. If you have a beta account, please login when you vote.

THANKS!