We are a frustratingly stubborn society. We hate traffic, but refuse to take advantage of increasing leeway with the ability to work from home, and opt to sit on congested roads instead. It’s a strange thing, especially considering how prevalent cloud computing is, which helps people access information from anywhere with a wireless connection.
An old habit this is, which is hard to break.
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The European automobile market is anything but healthy. Car deliveries decreased 11% in September, meaning the overall market is on pace for an annual drop of 10%; that would be the biggest decline since 1993, the year after the European Monetary System began to erode. Way back in September 1992, Britain withdrew its precious pound sterling from the European Exchange Rate System. Then Italy withdrew. Then there were all sorts of speculative events on other countries’ currencies, and Europe was quickly knee-deep in a recession.
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A mere three months from their July launch, the Chevrolet Sparks’ diminutive presence on U.S. roadways looks like it will be increasing. The Spark was introduced in 18 metropolitan markets over the summer; sales have reached 6,313 so far. That was enough of an initial “spark” to surprise GM executives and dealers. In turn, GM has increased its import order from the plant in Korea that makes the Spark, which supplies the Korean, Indian, and Mexican markets as well. Continue reading →

Counterfeit watches, hand bags and movies are fairly harmless when considering the immediate external physical consequences of these knockoffs. Worst case scenario is you look cheap (or crafty, depending on the judger’s worldview). It’s a victimless crime. Continue reading →

It’s been a long, strange thirty years. One need look no further than Aerosmith to find out what’s happened with America since 1972. The band was signed by Columbia Records that year, hailed as “The Bad Boys from Boston”, and dutifully put out chart-topping blues-based hard rock for a few decades. Continue reading →

August saw Project 64 reach its successful conclusion with a modified Mini Cooper S breaking of the land speed record for a sub 1000cc class at the Bonneville salt flats in Utah. The victory was achieved by a small team of New Zealanders, who have worked on turning the 1964 Mini Cooper 970 S into a vehicle capable of becoming the fastest classic car in its class. With a qualifying run of 142mph, and a subsequent speed of 151mph, an official world record of 146.6mph was used as an average, despite the team making an unofficial third mile run of 158.045mph that could not be tested as the Mini refused to start. Continue reading →

Toyota is no stranger to sizeable recalls; back in 2009 and 2010, the company was forced to recall 10 million vehicles for unintended acceleration due to sticking accelerator pedals and floor mats that trapped those same accelerators. All in all, a terrible combination. Continue reading →