Friday, July 01, 2016
college freshman Joshua Browder has automated the process of contesting parking violations - by creating a computer program which navigates the system for you, and has beaten 160,000 tickets so far, in London and New York
The 19-year-old said he came up with the idea for DoNotPay.co.uk after getting multiple parking tickets in London.
“I didn’t want to pay it, so I become an expert in parking tickets,” he told the New York Post. “I started doing it for friends and family, and then I decided it would be a good school project, so I made the website.”
Mr. Browder, a British student attending Stanford University in California, launched the free service in London last year and expanded it to New York City last month. Drivers who receive parking tickets can upload their information to the site and the lawyer bot will do the rest, the teen said. In the 21 months since the launch, Mr. Browder said, the site has taken on 250,000 cases and won 160,000, giving it a success rate of 64 percent, the Post reported. Most of the tickets end up overturned because of a simple mistake in the ticket or signs, he said.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/jun/29/joshua-browder-stanford-students-robot-lawyer-has-/
Bucket list completed, 80 year old woman
Over the years, Barbara Salazar has zip lined, parasailed, and ridden in a blimp and a hot air balloon.
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/california/80-Year-Old-Woman-Fulfills-Bucket-List-A-Cop-Ride-a-long-384929281.html
The new Mopar Hemi block has been updated, cast with extra-thick cylinder walls, deck surfaces, inner lug bosses for head studs, and lifter bores. That means 60 pounds more than an original piece.
The new Mopar Hemi block has been updated with numerous improvements in oiling and structural integrity based on feedback from Super Stock racers and big name Mopar engine builders.
The only "bad" news: it cosmetically looks nothing like the original casting or even the Mopar Performance Hemi replacement block from 10 years ago, and weighs 60 pounds more.
http://www.hotrod.com/how-to/engine/1603-win-this-hemi-part-1-the-572ci-short-block/
the aftermath of the flooding in Clendenin, Camden, White Sulphur Springs, and a couple other small towns in West Virginia... the photos of David Stephenson
Steep mountains and narrow valleys were the terrain that resulted in the flash floods, fed by a series of storms that hit West Virginia in a phenomenon meteorologists call 'training' because the thunderstorms line up over the same location like the cars of a freight train.
The vicious line of storms dumped "one-in-1,000-year" amounts on the state last week. This "train track" formed June 21st 2016 along a weather boundary between cooler air to the northeast and moist, warm air to the southeast.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2016/06/27/west-virginia-floods-storm-train/86429020/
The only truck that didn't make it out of the Clendenin Fire Department before water filled the building, the working fire trucks were moved to higher ground.
https://www.facebook.com/dtstephensonphoto/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1024987660918156
A small side effect of this disaster is the revealing of politicians to be good or bad, and one example stands out as the worst: Three of the eight counties that have been declared eligible for federal relief are in the state’s Second Congressional District, which is represented by first-term Rep. Alex Mooney.
While he is on an all-expenses paid junket, every other elected official in the federal and state government there is on hand to help, not to mention the thousands of people who are not running for any office.
But what makes Mooney’s absence so notable is that he moved to the state right before the 2014 elections, having run for congress once from New Hampshire and having filed to run from Maryland. Given that he neither voted nor volunteered in the state before running for office in West Virginia, is it surprising that he is unavailable now to pitch in? So, watch out who you vote for http://www.forbes.com/sites/kensilverstein/2016/06/30/are-west-virginias-floods-the-result-of-climate-change-and-a-congressman-gone-awol/#4d3150a86d03
California attorney general subpoenas oil refiners in gas-price probe
California drivers paid pump prices that have been as much as $1.50 higher than the rest of the nation since last summer.
So California state AG Harris has issued subpoenas to oil refiners as part of an investigation into unusually high gasoline prices in California during the last year.
During the Exxon Mobil Torrance outage in February 2015, California refiners reaped record net income, even as gasoline prices were falling elsewhere in the country. Beyond the Torrance outage, critics of the oil companies blamed manipulation of the gasoline market for exacerbating the price increase. 80 million gallons of gas was shipped to China in Sept 2015 http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2015/09/todays-new-refineries-in-california.html
Questions include why an Exxon Mobil ship was not used to deliver gasoline to California as inventories depleted as the Torrance refinery’s production level dropped below 20%.
The Torrance refinery can account for 10% of the state’s refined-gasoline capacity, and 20% of the capacity in Southern California, but rarely does, as the annual shut downs to switch from summer to winter blend and back (no idea why that is necessary when the weather doesn't change in So Cal) and when that isn't causing a shut down, the irregular explosions and break downs, and scheduled maintenance seen to take it down from optimum operation once or twice a year.
Thursday, June 30, 2016
well done new Challenger looking like a perfect descendant of the original era musclecar Barracuda
https://www.facebook.com/MyStealthMode/?fref=photo
It has all the right design cues from the 71, the grill, gills, shaker hood with pins, fog lights, chin spoiler, and billboard
imagine taking a moment in the car parts store to look at the cheap tools, and seeing that your uncles tool design has been ripped off, and now is made in China.
Found on the Garage Journal:
"So I’m in my local O’Reilly Auto Parts store and while waiting on the incompetent parts guy to look up the irrelevant year, make, and model of a part that I was looking for, I peeped something on the “impulse buy” rack that shocked me. A company selling tools under the name of “PowerTorque” had apparently ripped off my great uncle’s wrench design and are now hocking them at O’Reilly."
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=329396
It's the end of an era at Fort Bragg. The last C-130 Hercules cargo plane based at Pope Field has flown away.
The plane left Wednesday for Arizona and the so-called "Boneyard" where the Air Force stores unused aircraft. It's another step in the deactivation of the 440th Airlift Wing at Pope.
http://www.wral.com/end-of-an-era-last-c-130-leaves-north-carolina-s-pope-field/15818562/
While on the topic of the cargo plane, the first Loadmaster to ever strap a load down in a C-130 did it for the Brass at Langley when Lockheed was showing off the new cargo plane.
And he broke their new airplane, he asked the Lockheed engineer for a load spreader.
The guy went into a tirade about how the new C-130 was designed to not need load spreaders.
He changed his mind when the wheels of the Howitzer went through the floor.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=329396
That loadmaster was a remarkable guy by the way, after high school graduation in 1948, James Smith enlisted in the newly created United States Air Force as a Loadmaster Cargo Specialist, rising to the rank of Chief Master Sergeant (E-9) by 1963, thereby becoming the USAF’s youngest E-9 ever.
And, he invented the ratchet strap.
This seems to be the first time I've seen o rings for tires, that are rolled on the rims for sideways movements
Thanks Steve!
The movements of the tree branches in the background prove the video is 2x speed, and there is very very little to suggest these tires car be driven on at freeway speeds, or even safely turn the vehicle at speed without overcomeing the mechanism that allows the orings to roll on the rim.
https://www.inverse.com/article/17727-omni-wheel-william-liddiard-interview
And after seeing this article, the immediate question is why is a London resident showing a car in Canada? Inverse.com says he's from London but Wired.com says he's Canadian and MotorTalk.com says he's both
The dual o rings will have less contact with the ground than normal tires, and I can't see anyone jumping in to buy this.... lots more unsprung weight than a conventional rim and tire, hampering acceleration and braking, and too much electrical consumption to roll those orings sideways. Also, I bet they are useless on frozen slippery snow, ice, and slush
http://www.odditycentral.com/auto/inventor-creates-wheels-that-let-cars-roll-in-any-direction.html
Taxi cab companies have a lot of competition... other than corrupt politicians, what do they have to help them survive this surge of entrepreneurs looking to make an app and profit from other people driving?
Uber Lyft Fasten GetMe
SafeHer Fare Arcade City Sidecar
Flywheel Ruby Ride Shuddle Black Car
Split Gett Car2Go
SafeHer, whose entire reason for existing is to provide safe rides for women, https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2016/06/do-we-really-need-an-all-women-rideshare-in-2016.html
GetMe, which refuses to reveal the identity of its CEO, only exists in las Vegas and 5 cities in Texas is an SOS thing, you can either catch a ride, or have them deliver something. https://www.getme.com/
Arcade City is peer-to-peer and in Texas only http://arcade.city/
Fare is only in Phoenix and Austin, http://www.ridefare.com/
Car2Go is using your credit card to rent a compact little car and drive yourself, using an app to find an available car, in available big city markets, and limited areas of high population, and park the car when you're done with it without parking charges, fuel costs, or annual fees. https://www.car2go.com/US/en/
Things to consider:
Vehicle safety checks... who is verifying the car you'll be riding in has met the DMV standards for driving on public roads (lights, tires, etc)
Background checks on drivers... what has been looked at to see if the driver has criminal or mental health records? Were they simply looked up on Google and Facebook to see if there is anything that red flags them? Or did they get screened in the city, county, and federal criminal systems for arrest records, DUI, sex offender, restraining orders, and so on? Previous work history and references? Taxes and SSN to determine legal resident status? Car insurance records for safe driving or crashes? Speeding tickets? Was the driver fingerprinted and checked through Live Scan?
http://time.com/3595621/uber-lyft-flywheel-sidecar/
http://www.thedrive.com/travel/4220/austin-is-75-more-drunk-since-uber-left-town?xid=hl
http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/2014/05/the-new-taxi-alternatives.html
https://usattravel.wordpress.com/2015/12/26/7-alternatives-to-uber-and-lyft-that-dont-have-surge-pricing/
http://www.thedrive.com/travel/4220/austin-is-75-more-drunk-since-uber-left-town?xid=hl
SafeHer Fare Arcade City Sidecar
Flywheel Ruby Ride Shuddle Black Car
Split Gett Car2Go
SafeHer, whose entire reason for existing is to provide safe rides for women, https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2016/06/do-we-really-need-an-all-women-rideshare-in-2016.html
GetMe, which refuses to reveal the identity of its CEO, only exists in las Vegas and 5 cities in Texas is an SOS thing, you can either catch a ride, or have them deliver something. https://www.getme.com/
Arcade City is peer-to-peer and in Texas only http://arcade.city/
Fare is only in Phoenix and Austin, http://www.ridefare.com/
Car2Go is using your credit card to rent a compact little car and drive yourself, using an app to find an available car, in available big city markets, and limited areas of high population, and park the car when you're done with it without parking charges, fuel costs, or annual fees. https://www.car2go.com/US/en/
Things to consider:
Vehicle safety checks... who is verifying the car you'll be riding in has met the DMV standards for driving on public roads (lights, tires, etc)
Background checks on drivers... what has been looked at to see if the driver has criminal or mental health records? Were they simply looked up on Google and Facebook to see if there is anything that red flags them? Or did they get screened in the city, county, and federal criminal systems for arrest records, DUI, sex offender, restraining orders, and so on? Previous work history and references? Taxes and SSN to determine legal resident status? Car insurance records for safe driving or crashes? Speeding tickets? Was the driver fingerprinted and checked through Live Scan?
http://time.com/3595621/uber-lyft-flywheel-sidecar/
http://www.thedrive.com/travel/4220/austin-is-75-more-drunk-since-uber-left-town?xid=hl
http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/2014/05/the-new-taxi-alternatives.html
https://usattravel.wordpress.com/2015/12/26/7-alternatives-to-uber-and-lyft-that-dont-have-surge-pricing/
http://www.thedrive.com/travel/4220/austin-is-75-more-drunk-since-uber-left-town?xid=hl
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
the T Rex bike
A talented engineer and bicycle fabricator in Portland, Oregon has created a giant rideable Tyrannosaurus rex-shaped dinosaur bike, which he has named Sue.
The 90-pound art bike is about 12 feet long from head to tail, which is apparently the same size as a 12-year-old young adult T. rex. The head is a marionette that can be moved by the rider to mimic the movements of a living dinosaur (its jaw even opens and closes). The arms, which are attached to the pedals, are also movable.
http://blog.craigslist.org/2015/07/02/t-rex-art-bike-for-sale/
Lou Bingham getting his coupe ready for the run on Bonneville in '53 after towing it from San Diego
The fenders, running boards, bumpers, headlights and hub caps have been removed from the car in preparation for running one of the classes on the salt. The radiator has a piece of cardboard taped over it to aid in streamlining. Even with radiator blocked he only ran the car on the race course and never had a problem with the car overheating since he was running it for such a short time. Look at the doors and you'll see the windows rolled down slightly and cardboard taped at the tops of them. Louvers were installed in the cardboard to meet the SCTA rules that coupe interiors be ventilated.
Photos by Spence Murray, who at the time was editor of Rod and Custom, who did an in depth article of Lou's trip called "Destination Bonneville"
Later, Lou owned Bird Rock Mobilgas halfway between LaJolla and Mission Beach
In 1957 SCTA changed the rules which specified "no chop tops", the cars had to be stock height. So Lou made a fiberglass cap that extended the top of his roof by 4" so the top of the car was now stock height. In 1958 the SCTA reversed the roof rules, and the cap was easily, and simply, removed without any bodywork to the roof to comply with one stupid rule only in effect for one race season
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51567&page=39
The Bardahl Special, chassis #363
Commissioned by Andy Granatelli for driver Freddie Agabashian to run in the 1953 Indy 500 this car was a contender for the outright victory, and one of the fastest cars at the speedway that year.
Weighing in at only 1800 lb, sitting on a 96.5-inch wheelbase and powered by a 270 Offy made this a very potent package. Agabashian qualified in second position at a speed of 137.546 mph.
Bill Vukovich started on pole and dominated one of the hottest 500s in history. Agabashian ran strong dogging Vukovich until the 102nd lap - exhausted by the extreme heat - in a year when only five drivers went the distance - he was relieved by Paul Russo. They finished in 2nd place.
For 1954, Granatelli entered the Kurtis for driver Jim Rathmann. In practice the car was very fast, but a qualifying error erased their first attempt with what Granatelli insists would have been the speedways first 140 mph lap.
Rathmann did not raise his hand to signal he was attempting to qualify and his run was not allowed. Granatelli protested the ruling. As the argument went on the engine was kept running and because Granatelli did not want competitors to see his new ram air induction system the hood was not opened which resulted in the engine overheating. The one of a kind 404-hp engine could not be repaired in time to qualify for the race.
Discouraged, Granateli sold the car to Racing Associates who entered the car in the last 500 in 1955. Driven by Cal Niday, the car qualified ninth at 140.302 mph but crashed out of the race on lap 170.
The car was stripped of its mechanical parts and stored for the next 30 years in Southern California. In the mid '80s the car was discovered and a complete restoration began.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51567&page=391
superstition got the best of him, and it cost him in time and money
the fruit delivery company owner paid the equivalent of $100,000 for the license plate with 88888 because the Chinese pronunciation sounds similar to saying the words "getting rich" when pronouncing the number 8.
This truck owner installed the plates June 26th, and the very next day, was rewarded with 8 police stopping him throughout the day because they all believed he had fake illegal license plates.
So, that plan back fired. Each police stop took up about 1/2 hour, and instead of getting work done, and profitting for the day, he spent 4 hours being interrogated by police that didn't believe that he was really so lucky to get this license plate. They even checked his vin and engine serial number... not a good start to a lifetime with these plates.
This has many superstitious Chinese going out of their way to add to their possible good luck by shifting things numerically to get more 8s in a price, or starting at a time with 8s in the time.
For example, the 2008 Olympics in Beijing began at 8:08 on the 8th day of the 8th month.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/peoplesdaily/article-3666081/Driver-splurges-100-000-fortunate-number-plate-truck-stopped-eight-times-one-day-police.html
thanks Steve!
Alaskan bush plane
twin Rotrax 914 turbos (push and pull) with a combined 260hp for redundancy, huge flaps for STOL performance (stall speed of 26mph), bubble cockpit for visibility on rough landings, spaceframe construction and big tyres for ruggedness, and the general dimensions and parts compatibility of a SuperCub.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51567&page=368
Cliff diving Alaska bush pilot style
If it were not for the internet and You Tube, most people would never get to see such a sight. Makes me glad for technology
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