Car Runs Over Veteran Harley Rider On Memorial Day ROAD RAGE AGAINST BIKERS

Verstappen Verstopt at Monaco 2016

Verstappen Verstopt! 

Well, the boy wonder lasted the whole of one race and crashed during his second with Red Bull at Monaco this past weekend.

Is it all over, Max?

BBC Lends Helping Hand to Gawker vs Thiel

Paypal founder is 'vindictive comic book villain'.

While the BBC appears to be on the Gawker side out of corporate solidarity (freedom of speech blah blah blah), there is mostly gloom and doom for Gawker (and Jalopnik).

When I started my TTAC Attack Death Watch I didn't realize that Jalopnik might actually pip it at the (death) post.

Fly a MiG 29

Saw this today.

This says, Fly a MIG-29.

I checked MIG-29.RU and there is the site in English.


Автоблог: Полеты на МиГ-29: Полеты во сне и наяву на МиГ-29. Проверил и взаправду есть такой сайт - MIG-29.RU , и цены тоже такие приятные.

Gran Turismo Photo Dump: GT4 2000 Chrysler PT Cruiser

Some moody pictures of the 2000 Chrysler PT Cruiser in GT4 from my Gran Turismo Photo Dump.

Gran Turismo Photo Dump: GT4 2000 Chrysler PT Cruiser: Here is GT4's 2000 Chrysler PT Cruiser. In Taupe Frost Metallic, it is parked here at Fish Market. The Fish Market is probab... Here is GT4's 2000 Chrysler PT Cruiser.

In Taupe Frost Metallic, it is parked here at Fish Market.

The Fish Market is probably the largest seafood market in the world located in Tokyo and is also one of the Photo Travel locations in GT4.

These pictures are moody and Impressionist.

I always make pictures of the PT Cruiser because I think it's the best looking car that came out of the United States ever.

Mechanically, it's basically Chrysler's earlier subcompact - the Neon.

Harebrained Ideas: Musk's Reusable Rocket

Opening a new regular column on my blog called Harebrained.

In this column I will examine various harebrained ideas peddled around (and even bought by some) in the field of transportation or travel.

Today's harebrained idea is Elon Musk's reusable rocket (Tesla next).

Musk's reusable rocket is truly a harebrained idea and here is why.

i) years in development and still not a single successful instance achieved as regards launch AND return to earth AND upright landing, repeat use is never even attempted.

ii) landing parts of rockets is too complicated and expensive even if it ever happens, so far it hasn't happened once, in any case it will negate the cost saving factor of a reusable rocket as opposed to disposable.

iii) the rate of failure in landing rocket stages in such a way so as to make possible their further use as pre-flown rockets will be horrendous, so far the success rate is below zero in about a dozen attempts.

iv) assuming it will be eventually possible to land a rocket stage (booster) sufficiently intact, it will still be impossible to use it in further launches as it will be significantly degraded both mechanically due to impact at original launch and subsequent landing (even if successful) and chemically due to action of extreme temperatures and other environment factors and even the rocket fuel itself. After all, it is re-usability that killed the Nasa Shuttle program after one disintegrated spectacularly on reentry due to degraded heat insulation. If such a re-use is ever attempted in the case of a space rocket it will result in an increased rate of failure and uncertainty of even launching operations, never mind orbital cargo delivery and/or further stage landing.

In a nutshell, the disposable rocket seems a much safer and cheaper concept, rocket stages falling to earth could be collected and utilized for metal.

So today's harebrained was Elon Musk with his reusable rocket idea which will never work*, mark me.

 Elon Musk picture credit: wikipedia.

* It will never work in the sense that, even if Musk ever succeeds completely in landing a rocket stage upright, the rocket part so landed will still be incapable of being reused. And if Musk makes so bold at to attempt to use a pre-flown booster, the rocket will likely fail entirely possibly with disastrous consequences. Good thing is he is not yet thinking about sending humans into space atop his rockets.

Spotted...cars in Moscow: Moscow Food Truck Festival April 2016

 Some Moscow food truck shared from my other blogs.

Went there last year so when I heard of a food truck festival this year and at the same location not far from home, we went there also last Sunday 24.04.2016.

More food trucks. As you will see, many are MB-based trucks, also some Fords and some Danish style sausage wagons.

Something called Sweet Tokyo.

Hell's Pizza... saw them last year.

Gran Turismo Sport Gameplay Trailer Captured on PS4

GT Sport trailer.


Very impressive, however...

Me, I haven't finished with GT4, GT5 and GT6 yet nor do I have a PS4 presently (just PS1, PS2 x 2, PS3 x 2).



Gran Turismo Photo Dump: Gran Turismo Sport Gameplay Trailer Captured on PS...: GT Sport. Looks good, however... Me, I haven't finished with GT4, GT5 and GT6 yet.

Gran Turismo Photo Dump: GT4 1988 Nissan Silvia K's (S13)

GT4 photos are not too bad.

Here are some more from my Gran Turismo Photography blog.

 Gran Turismo Photo Dump: GT4 1988 Nissan Silvia K's (S13): Today's car in my pictures is GT4 rendition of the 1988 Nissan Silvia K's (S13). Hey, two-tone! Who wanted two-tone? I give you...

Today's car in my pictures is GT4 rendition of the 1988 Nissan Silvia K's (S13).

Hey, two-tone! Who wanted two-tone? I give you Warm White Two-Tone on this Silvia.

Parked here at Marunouchi which is a business area typical of Tokyo and is also one of the photo travel locations in Gran Turismo 4.

 "The iconic specialty car that became a smash hit with its sleek coupe style."

This car is the fifth-generation Silvia.

The in-game description goes on to say:

Car Radios: Moscow's Only English Speaking FM Station

Car Messes, Car Stashes, Car Eats and Car also Radios.

Here is a sample of the Moscow FM scene.

That was Capital FM, aka Moscow's Only English-Speaking Station (yanks) - recorded on my car radio.

Gawker Jalopnik Shuts Down Budapest Bureau, Kicks Mate Petrany Out

Gawker Jalopnik (er... whoever) has abruptly shut down its "Budapest Office" and kicked Mate Petrany out without warning, logging them all out of all accounts.

More on that later. pic.twitter.com/hxJ3QaM46E

— Máté Petrány (@petrany) 17 мая 2016 г.

Gawker's Budapest editorial team was fired today, which means I no longer work for the company, meaning @Jalopnik . Thanks.

— Máté Petrány (@petrany) 17 мая 2016 г.

Hey, Jalops, what's going on?

I mean of course Mate Petrany (who?) is quite the pillar of automotive journalism (probably not) but still how about observing the requirements of applicable employment laws and providing required notice, severance pay, etc.? Huh?

Petrany, if I were you I'd sue the bastards for another half million and break their back good.

I also call on all Jalop hacks umm... writers to go on strike or something.

Remember, today Petrany tomorrow you!

Ensemble | The Official 2017 Lincoln MKZ :30 Commercial

Midnight | The Official 2017 Lincoln MKZ :30 Commercial

Shave | The Official 2017 Lincoln MKZ :30 Commercial

Tappan Zee Bridge Tractor Truck Accident

Houston - RoadRage 5/14/16

Gran Turismo Photo Dump: GT4 2004 Chrysler Crossfire

Here is a car for the Sunday night - the 2004 Chrysler Crossfire of GT4.

Wearing a coat of Sapphire Silver Metallic, it has made it to Fremont Street, Las Vegas, and appears to be parked in front of the Fremont Street Casino.

In addition to being a photo travel location in Gran Turismo 4, Fremont Street, Downtown Las Vegas, is where the buildings are said to be covered with over 2 million light bulbs (except they may be all LEDs now).

The Chrysler Crossfire is based on the Mercedes-Benz SLK320 but with a different (and in my opinion, better-looking) body still built by Karmann of Germany.

 Fun fact: it appears the Chrysler Crossfire had bigger wheels at the back.

The only point of difference is that the SLK320's 17-in. front and rear tires were changed to 18-in. for the front and 19-in. for the back.

The rear spoiler is not deployed.

The in-game description of the Chrysler Crossfire taken from GT5.

Photos of a prototype of the Chrysler Crossfire Concept were released to the public at the same time that it was announced that it would be made commercially available.

Since the chassis components were appropriated from the then-affiliated Mercedes-Benz SLK320, the production model was completed only two years later in 2003.

The Crossfire production model was significantly miniaturized to match the SLK chassis, and the front end design was changed to facilitate production efficiency and to accommodate the safety standards of different countries. However, the character line running through the center of the body - the car's identifying mark - and its characteristic rear design were fully retained.

In production, Karmann of Germany who has the expertise in building complex body shapes, and who was located strategically better for supplying parts from Mercedes-Benz, performed the production. The Crossfire became a U.S./German joint production, using German parts and produced in Germany.

Regarding mechanical components, everything from the 214 HP, 3.2-liter/V6 SOHC engine and transmission to the differential gears is exactly the same as the SLK320. The two cars also have a common wheelbase, and the suspension and brakes are also the same. The only point of difference is that the SLK320's 17-in. front and rear tires were changed to 18-in. for the front and 19-in. for the back.

Be that as it may, with its significant improvement in body rigidity and enhanced aerodynamic performance, performance-wise the Crossfire is clearly the superior sports car. A roadster model was also added to the lineup in 2004.

Gran Turismo Photo Dump: GT4 2004 Chrysler Crossfire: Here is a car for the Sunday night - the 2004 Chrysler Crossfire of GT4. Wearing a coat of Sapphire Silver Metallic, it has made it to...

VW Campervan Alternative

Ford Tourneo Custom для любителей далеких путешествий. https://t.co/3GwNpMJk1u #ford #fordrussia #tourneo #custom pic.twitter.com/LXebcFn7U4

— Ford Russia (@FordRussia) May 10, 2016

Cars in Gran Turismo: GT4 2004 DMC DeLorean S2

My summer villa in the swamps has a working PS2 console plus a copy of Gran Turismo 4 (the game that started the car photo thing with its Photo Mode feature), so I can now make some GT4 car pictures, and to start things off - here is the GT4 2004 DMC DeLorean S2.

Wearing a coat of exactly nothing over its stainless steel panels, it is parked here at Grand Canyon.

The Grand Canyon is one of the wonders of the world located in the State of Arizona and is also a photo travel location in GT4.

The 2004 DMC DeLorean is not the original DeLorean but is probably the car built by DMC of Texas using NOS parts, OEM parts and reproduction parts.

Here is what the in-game description says:

After this, the engine inventory of the DMC-12s were shipped from Ireland to the U.S., and passed into the hands of a newborn DMC which would maintenance the Deloreans. This company, responding to the requests and demands of Delorean owners, announced a tuning menu that increased engine power to 197 HP. Deloreans equipped with this engine are known as Series 2.

 

As to why the 2004 DMC DeLorean S2 made it to the Gran Turismo series but the original one didn't is a mystery to me, albeit a low-level one - I am not losing sleep over it. 

Also, note how the original company is not there any more to pay the Gran Turismo developers or something like that.

GT4 pictures turn out better than I expected they would.

Read more about the DMC DeLorean say on wikipedia.

Cars in Gran Turismo: GT5 1989 Nissan Fairlady Z 300 ZX TT 2 Seater (Z32...

Shared from

Cars in Gran Turismo: GT5 1989 Nissan Fairlady Z 300 ZX TT 2 Seater (Z32...: A treat for you today! A Nissan Fairlady Z 300ZX TT 2 Seater (Z32) in my GT5 pictures. Wearing a coat of White Pearl and parked at San ... 

A treat for you today! A Nissan Fairlady Z 300ZX TT 2 Seater (Z32) in my GT5 pictures.

Wearing a coat of White Pearl and parked at San Galgano Abbey.

My Fairlady! No Rex Harrison or Audrey Hepburn in sight... but Paul Newman did drive the earlier Z31 version on the track.

The Fairlady name was/is used only in Japan where it had begun with the Fairlady Z in 1970. Elsewhere it was known as Nissan 300 ZX.

And the Z32 is the second reincarnation of the Nissan 300 ZX, the first being the Z31 which actor Paul Newman drove on a race track.

 

The Z32 itself appeared in 1989.

Nissan however soon hit a black patch and the Z disappeared.

When Carlos Ghosn became president of Nissan, he announced the return of the Z.

However, the new Z looks nothing like the old Z.

The letter "X" in ZX denotes "increasing luxury" the car being not just a sports car but a luxury GT.

Ways to Mess with Car

Here is the theory on how to mess with somebody's car a little.

Suppose there's this local jackass remotely starting a noisy muscle car with a huge fart can exhaust under your window and letting it run for hours or speeding along the quiet back yard roads scaring off little kids and old grannies and even threatening to run them over?

So what do you do if you want to send an anonymous message, nothing too heavy or criminal?

The option that you have is to mess with the car from hell a little. Not enough to cause heavy damage or, God forbid, cause an accident or something, yet enough to be annoying and preferably costly to fix or maybe even rendering the car inoperable for, like, ever.

Let's indulge our fantasies and look at ways to take law(lessness) in own hands vigilante style and mess with the offender's car.

A search of the internet yields many suggestions, some pretty weird and outright criminal, but the following seem to be the most realistic. 

So, whilst not condoning this type of behavior, here goes.

Car areas to target: exhaust (tailpipe), air vents or air intakes, tires, paintwork, windshield and/or head- or taillights, keyhole.

Tailpipe

Stick a potato in the tailpipe, a couple of stones, use a can of insulation foam to block the tailpipe, etc.

This is an old one and it's been suggested the car will eventually stall and/or  fail to run at all. 

But maybe it is an urban myth and nothing will happen.

Also you will have to do it by manipulating with the tailpipe at the risk of being noticed and identified by somebody especially in this day and age of cellphones with cameras. There goes your anonymity.  

Air Vents or Air Intakes

Use the air vents on the hood (if any) or the air intakes at the bottom of windshield to do any of the following: pour milk, urinate in the air intakes, stuff them with small caned fish, etc. Be creative. The result is supposed to be a horrible stench especially in hot temperatures as the stuff begins to rot or (in the case of urine) emanate a huge stink, difficult to clean or get rid off.

The downside is these manipulations are quite obvious and again expose you to risk of being noticed, identified or even caught doing it. 

(Milk can also be poured into the car through the door or trunk lid gaps).

Tires

This is pretty obvious but still effective.

For a milder impact, let the air out of a tire; for more serious consequences, be unafraid to puncture or slash the tires which will be expensive to fix (if at all possible) or to replace. It can be done more or less discreetly by using a surgeon's scalpel or a pricker or something. Important to do it good so the tire is clearly deflated and seen on approach as such so the target doesn't drive away only for the tire to pop at speed with unintended and possibly severe consequences. We don't want that to happen, do we?

Windshield

Brick, spark plug, stone through the windshield - expensive to repair or replace but noisy too, and it will probably set off the car alarm for good measure. To the same category belongs hammer to the head- and/or taillights.

As a more discreet variant I suppose you could use a BB pistol preferably with a silencer to put a few pellets at and/or through the windshield while quietly walking by.

Keyhole

Superglue keyhole. However most cars today have key fob operated central locks so it will probably do nothing.

Paintwork

But the best way still appears to be the humble keying either using a bunch of actual keys or any sharp implement like an old or even new nail. And it also can be done and is frequently done quickly and discretely while walking by as if brushing against the car and better at dusk or night. 

Beware though of car dashcams which have been known to be left in operating mode (for just this kind of emergencies?). For this reason avoid operating in front of the car.

Legal way
The legal way would be to catch the car violating some rules or committing a crime or an offense, like, say, being criminally improperly parked blocking some passage or denying the use of a facility, etc., photograph or video it making sure you get the front and back license plates and then send the stuff to a police department dealing with appropriate violations.
The downside is not all countries have police units dealing with such complaints by citizens, even fewer allow them to do it anonymously, and even where there are such units they will probably do nothing anyway. So it's not recommended for this reason. 

 

ETA:

 

Further ideas from Anarchist's Cookbook, some of these more childish than the others.