Thursday, December 04, 2025
what is in this photo is not obvious right away, but it's got a great story from Jackson county Georgia
Zach loaded his tractor up and filled stump holes and ruts, but didn’t need the fourth dirt pile at all, and intended to push it into the woods.
But then found… the tenant who had just leased one of the units at the back had a five year old son. That little dude had turned that last dirt pile into a VERY busy construction site.
But then found… the tenant who had just leased one of the units at the back had a five year old son. That little dude had turned that last dirt pile into a VERY busy construction site.
So, of course, that dirt pile got to stay!
We won't know how happy all the dirty hands and feet have made his mom, but it has sure made me smile!
Keep digging, little man. Hopefully someone sees your joy and teaches you how to use a dozer, excavator, and a back hoe
it's a MIni, built by BMW, to look like a Porsche, so they call it a "Mini Ferrari" concept. What were they drinking?
The MINI Superleggera — or, “Minarri” as it’s sometimes called, was originally scheduled as an “i4,” to slot below the i8.
The car was unveiled at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este in 2014
This doesn't sound like a cool Ukrainian hacker, nope, not one bit... satellites disabled the Porsches... in Russia. My compliments to whoever pulled this off!
Hundreds of Porsches across Russia have been rendered undriveable after a failure in their factory-installed satellite security system
The outage affects all Porsche models and engine types, and any vehicle could potentially lock itself automatically, a Rolf representative told the RBC news website.
don't you just hate it when... the number is too damn long?
82000 tires, Mulistrada’s Achilles ATR Sport 2, are being pulled because the Tire Identification Number is too long
No word on any problem with the tires.
But they are not long for this world. Weird.
They were sold on sites like Discount Tire and Amazon. Dealers will inspect and, as necessary, refund the purchase price of the tire.
The recalled models are only in certain sizes,
245/50ZR20
245/45R17
225/55ZR18
295/25ZR21
205/45ZR17
245/45R17
225/55ZR18
295/25ZR21
205/45ZR17
Two snowplow trucks were stolen from a Troy Michigan shopping plaza just hours before crews were scheduled to clear snow from the 25-acre parking lot... well, they left the keys IN THE TRUCKS so thieves could help themselves. Ain't gonna be an insurance claim.
these guys have way too much crazy going on.... thank you Gary!
Sterling Cooper, Inc on their website, state that they concentrate on activities with an old business idea founded by the Dutch East India company - merchant banking (commonly referred to as investment banking)
Anyway, seems ludicrous to me, just like their website... incorporate for $39? Engulf and devour? This has to be some college student thing
Ummm, ok?
It says they are negotiating the acquisition of an abandoned automobile factory by one of the majors, and planning all plastic body, small sedan, small pick up, and small SUV that is very basic (well, the Miata began that way, so did the Jeep)
Here's where yes, it makes sense to build and market it this way, but would they sell any cars with:
Roll-up windows, no fancy electronics, just old fashioned gas power.
No frills, and staring price of 14k
They have a job opening on Indeed.com https://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=Automotive+Research&start=10&vjk=5a83363bb7f21329
looking for people with extensive design and engineering, to be ground up on this venture, with an equity ownership....
Here's where yes, it makes sense to build and market it this way, but would they sell any cars with:
Roll-up windows, no fancy electronics, just old fashioned gas power.
No frills, and staring price of 14k
Of course, why, would they try the impossible (cheap car, no electronics) that would have to still pass smog, and govt mandated fleet MPG rating... not easy without electronics... when instead, they can simply import Tata small vehicles, or buy Bollinger who went bankrupt this year, or buy the IP of any of the failed or failing companies around the world?
Get past all the start up issues, like engineering and designing, mpg and smog certs.
Anyway, seems ludicrous to me, just like their website... incorporate for $39? Engulf and devour? This has to be some college student thing
Wednesday, December 03, 2025
the 1951 Crosley (a budget roadster from Cincinnati) Le Mans Special, body by Pop Dreyer, was on Bring a Trailer in 2020, at 53k thank you Billy O!
a Stan Mott drawing ( https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/search?q=Stan+Mott+ )
an article appeared in Road and Track in 1958
Schrafft went on to race the car here in the States a few more times, including at the 1952 12 Hours of Sebring, where it finished 14th overall and third in class.
In addition to supplying a letter designating Schrafft and Stiles as Crosley’s official representatives, Crosley agreed to sell the duo a Hotshot at cost and to introduce them to Paul Klotsch, the company’s chief engineer.
Klotsch was also the man responsible for developing Lloyd Taylor’s wartime copper-brazed stamped-sheetmetal stationary four-cylinder engine into the CoBra and later CIBA automotive engines for Crosley, so he knew his way around the potent overhead-camshaft design.
Stock, the 44-cu.in. engines were good for 26.5 horsepower, but Klotsch had a few tricks up his sleeve. From the back stock, he produced a forged military-spec crankshaft. He specified stellate-faced exhaust valves, polished ports, a bump in compression to 9.0, a pair of downdraft Carter carburetors, and a number of aftermarket items, including an Iskendarian camshaft, a Harman and Collins distributor, Braje cam cover and finned aluminum crankcase, Braje header, and low-friction piston rings from Grant. On the dynamometer, the finished engine put out 42 horsepower at 6,000 RPM, but as John Matras wrote for Automobile magazine in 1993, the Isky cam didn’t really come on until 6,400 RPM and the engine was good for 7,500 RPM, so “they would never learn the actual maximum bhp of the little engine.”
After the boat ride to France, Stiles and Schrafft quickly discovered that the stock headlamps were "about as effective as a pair of whale oil lamps,”
They found themselves forced to upgrade the headlamps first, then the generator to power the headlamps. The latter was easier said than done, considering they needed to find a generator that could also turn the water pump off the back of its shaft like the Crosley’s generator did; they chose a Marchal, either not realizing it had non-roller bearings that wouldn’t withstand race conditions or not having a choice but to use it.
It lasted only 40 laps.
At some point, the car lost its original Klotsch-modified engine, replaced with a standard Crosley four-cylinder, and Schrafft replaced the original Crosley transmission and torque tube driveline with a Fiat four-speed and driveshaft.
the studio behind Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, announced a new animated feature and animated series: Carmen, inspired by race car driver Carmen Jorda
She was introduced to motorsport at a young age with cart racing, then raced in GP3, Indy Lights and the Le Mans Series.
It was recently announced that Jorda will be Alpine’s head of F1 Academy to lead female driver mentorship initiatives including supporting Alpine’s F1 Academy entry in 2026.
F1 Academy is a women-only Formula 4 championship series aimed at creating a pipeline for aspiring women drivers. It replaced the W Series for women, which lasted three seasons before shutting down after 2022. "I think the F1 Academy is a great step. It's serious and it's structured and creates a pathway for young women to reach the highest level in motorsport. People won’t be pointing at a girl at the racetrack now."
https://www.johansens.com/inspiration/carmen-jorda-on-travel-sustainability-and-the-perfect-holiday/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmen_Jord%C3%A1
‘Lupin the IIIrd The Movie – The Immortal Bloodline’ comes to theaters in January - English subtitles
Lupin the IIIRD: The Movie – The Immortal Bloodline, the anime icon’s first full feature-length, 2D-animated cinema outing in almost 30 years.
The Department of Veterans Affairs recently announced it has terminated a Biden-Administration mandate to spend $77 million on electric vehicle charging stations at VA facilities. The money will instead be redirected to critical health care construction projects.
No charging stations were built, the money wasn't spent.
I don't know who the hell has an electric car at the VA anyway, if you make more than 60k, I think, you don't qualify for VA medical. Not positive on that number, but it's a lot less than people who buy Teslas.
A "brougham" is primarily a historical horse-drawn carriage and, later, an automobile body style with the driver exposed to the elements, and the passengers in an enclosed compartment, named after Scottish politician and lawyer Henry Brougham. So, why did Ryan aircraft name a plane, the Ryan Brougham?
The Ryan Brougham was a small single-engine airliner produced in the United States in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Its design was reminiscent of the M-1 mailplane first produced by Ryan in 1926, and like it, was a high-wing, strut-braced monoplane of conventional design.
Unlike the M-1, however, the Brougham had a fully enclosed cabin for the pilot and four passengers. The Brougham prototype was derived from the later M-2 and was powered by a 150 hp Hisso engine.
The first production B-1 Brougham was ordered by a local hotel owner, but was delivered instead to well-known pilot Frank Hawks and was named "The Gold
Bug".
Hawks renamed his B-1 "Spirit of San Diego" and flew to Washington with his wife to greet the triumphant Lindbergh. In the ensuing glare of publicity, Hawks was hired by the Ryan Aircraft company to be its official representative.
Another reason for the success of the Brougham was its performance at the 1927 National Air Races in Spokane, Washington where Hawks, who had obtained a contract with Maxwell House Coffee, with the now renamed "Miss Maxwell House" came in first for speed in the Detroit news Air Transport Speed and Efficiency Trophy Race
Charles Lindbergh had come to the factory to examine that first B-1, but had instead ordered a completely new aircraft to his specifications. He used the Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis on his record-breaking transatlantic flight of 1927.
right after the Lindbergh flight the B1 was the best selling plane in the US and this continued until the summer of 1928, when unsold planes began to pile up at San Diego. The company moved to St Louis and finally Detroit.
They even customized the one above, the Pride of Pittsburg, to fly the MGM lion across country in 1927.... it crashed of course. We all know cats love to fly.
Imagine being the pilot, in the plane with a lion, that just crashed.
Imagine being the guys who showed up to the crash site in the canyons... with a lion that is in a plane, that just crashed.
awesome is paying $100 for a machine you want...
and getting 137 dollars in change out of it
Reminds me of the true story of the people that bought furniture at the thrift store. Found a LOT of money in it, as the woman who told her kids to keep the furniture when she died, had put the cash which was their inheritance, IN the sofa, the recliner, the books, the end tables, etc.
The morons gave all the old furniture away because they didn't like old stuff.
Morons.
Morons.
Old people don't trust banks... From 2020 to 2025, a total of 17 banks have failed in the U.S.. The failures occurred as follows: 4 in 2020, 0 in 2021, 0 in 2022, 5 in 2023, 2 in 2024, and 2 in 2025 (as of the latest reports). Plus 5 credit unions
plow driver Alaina Denton is one of twelve plow drivers who work for the NYSDOT between Ray Brook and Keene. She is the only female driver in the crew, a fact that Denton takes pride in.
Snowplowing runs in Denton's family. Her uncle Harry worked for the DOT for nearly 40 years, and her father is still on staff.
"Always double check your mirrors," she said, driving west on Route 73 towards Lake Placid. "You never know when somebody is going to come flying up the middle lane and you’re coming right over because they do like to fly through here.”
During winter storms, the DOT is staffed 24 hours a day. Denton is on the A shift, so she works from 1 am to 1 pm. The B shift covers 1 pm to 1 am.
Years ago, there was a nationwide shortage of plow drivers. Today, the DOT said it does not have any staffing issues. The state employs about 3,500 snow and ice staff who plow about 38,000 lane miles around New York State, not including the thruways.
In the summer, the DOT staff in the Adirondacks remain focused on the roads- they fill potholes, dig ditches, and build culverts. That work has changed as the climate has gotten warmer and wetter.
Winter work has changed as well. There’s been a push to reduce the use of road salt, especially in the Adirondacks, where data shows it's polluting waterways and drinking wells. New technology now helps plow drivers regulate salt much better, including the use of salt brine on the roads before a storm.
The plows are also changing. As Crowningshield explained, they’re now incorporating reactor blades that bolt to the plows.
"They are approximately 12 inches long, they’re individual blades that contour to the road, and it scrapes more of the snow off so you can put less salt out," said Crowningshield.
As she navigated the twists and turns of Cascade Pass at 35 miles an hour, a line of cars formed behind her. Denton said that used to stress her out, "but then I realized- take your time, they can wait. You’re making sure their roadway is safe.”
No amount of plowing can keep roads completely clear of ice and snow, especially during a winter storm, so Denton said drivers, too, need to slow down, give plows room, and don’t pass them, especially not on the right.
Standing ovation for San Diego UPS driver Derrick West for doing some hero work!
75-year-old James Ostermann had been driving his golf cart when the California Highway Patrol says it collided head-on with a truck.
Soon after, a UPS truck with two people inside, delivery driver Derrick West at the wheel, drove past the scene. On the ground was Ostermann, a grandfather and Air Force veteran, was surrounded by a lot of blood. Three people stood nearby.
"Instinctively, I just started taking off my belt," West said, and applied a tourniquet to Ostermann's leg for several minutes before emergency crews arrived, and he was airlifted to a hospital.
Ostermann has since undergone four surgeries. His femoral artery was damaged, and he suffered fractures throughout his body, including his leg, pelvis, and ribs. He is now in stable condition.
Doctors said West had been five minutes from dying of blood loss.
The CHP says no arrests have been made. The other driver wasn't injured, and the investigation is ongoing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DMEg0Ivc2Y news outlet video not embedable.
congrats to former C-130 crew chief Hadi Kamara, who is now a senior at Princeton University, and is one of 36 to receive the Rhodes Scholarship due to his military work
Kamara, 25, had been a C-130 crew chief supporting the 86th Maintenance Squadron at Ramstein Air Base, in August 2021 when word came down that the Germany-based outpost would be receiving thousands of troops and Afghan nationals amid a hasty evacuation.
“But being in Europe, being in Germany at the time of these operations, really made this real for me, and seeing the effects that it had on human beings on the ground made it real for me. And so it became something that I became deeply intrigued by and wanted to learn more about.”
“Even before I joined the military, I always had a kind of inclination toward the international community,” Kamara said. “C-130s… we have locations everywhere, both domestically and internationally, and so being a C-130 crew chief also just gave me access to the most locations to be stationed.”
Princeton’s transfer program, he said, brought the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship to his attention, and by then, he had a clear vision for how he’d want to use it: to pursue a Master’s of Philosophy in international relations, focused on U.S.-Africa policy.
Gary came across a very cool website... open jobs at car museums - The Jobs Boards of the National Association of Automobile Museums - but they are only hiring exec directors, managers, CEO, president.
https://naammuseums.org/jobs-board/
The Petersen is focused on donors and sales. https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/search/?currentJobId=4273552364&keywords=petersen%20automotive%20museum&location=los%20angeles%20ca
Canepa, as always, has a lot of positions to fill... if you live way the hell in the middle of no where between Monterey and San Jose. So... with all the car stuff going on up there... why the hell are they half staffed? They need a whole list of people, I kid you not
Project manager, Engine Builder, Upholsterer, Fab/machinst/welder, Sales, marketing/historian (needs a bachelors) detailer, service tech, paint/body manager,race car techs, Porsche techs.
2 years minimum in every job description, manager jobs require bachelors and 5 years.
I still don't see why they aren't flush, with Monterey just around the bay 40 miles away, and San Fran/San Jose over the hills, 75 miles to San Fran, 32 miles to San Jose.
SEMA has a job listing, for all the corporations in SEMA https://semajobs.com/jobs/ but half the 34 jobs posted, are Canepa.
Tuesday, December 02, 2025
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