a map of the remote and unpopulated areas... where it's more than mile to reach the closest road.

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1613825026772866&set=pb.100044361527327.-2207520000

just how big a plane the P-47 was is more easily understood with this comparison (thank you Kim!)

The amount General Motors spent on its defunct Cruise robotaxi:

https://x.com/SawyerMerritt/status/1997299069363085321

https://fordauthority.com/2025/12/ford-rival-gm-spent-boatloads-of-cash-on-robotaxi-efforts

Pretty cool AMC stuff I found on the 1970 AMC Trans Am Javelin Registry Database

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10161307116671799&set=pcb.544321031909072

With a total length of 48.5 miles, the Los Angeles Metro A Line’s new four-station addition makes it the longest of its kind in the world, and links 19 nearby college campuses.

https://secretlosangeles.com/la-metro-a-line-extension-college-campuses/

 

Las Vegas Metro PD has run the stats on the deadliest intersections in Vegas, it's no surprise that 2 are on Charlestown, and 2 are on Decatur... the 12 intersections identified as the deadliest over the last three years.

1) Charleston Blvd & Decatur Blvd
2) Flamingo Rd & Rainbow Rd
3) Charleston Blvd & Hualapai Way
4) Blue Diamond Rd & Arville St
5) Tropicana Ave & Decatur Blvd
6) Flamingo Rd & Arville St
7) Boulder Hwy between Sahara Ave & Karen Ave
8) Flamingo Rd & Pecos Rd
9) Flamingo Rd & Maryland Pkwy
10) Las Vegas Blvd & Cheyenne Ave
11) Washington Ave & Nellis Blvd
12) Las Vegas Blvd & Cashman Ctr

There were 160 deaths in Metro’s area last year, 108 deaths on the roads so far this year.

https://www.fox5vegas.com/2025/09/03/metro-targets-12-most-dangerous-intersections-with-special-enforcement/

what French street signs meant

 https://www.flickr.com/photos/taffeta/albums/72157635401185030/with/9680215069

and see https://www.flickr.com/photos/taffeta/albums/72157629876714215/with/7103607709

1955 https://www.flickr.com/photos/taffeta/albums/72157623556488584/with/4406943647

https://www.flickr.com/photos/taffeta/5935333528/in/album-72157621063523905/

Over the past few years, Ford has issued more recalls than any other automotive manufacturer

Ford has issued a total of 82 recalls in 2025 thus far, just a few days before the conclusion of the first half of the year. 

Unfortunately for The Blue Oval, that number is light years ahead of second-place Forest River, a recreational vehicle maker that has issued 19 recalls, as well as the rest of the pack. Volkswagen Group and Chrysler are tied for third place with 15 recalls each, followed by Mercedes-Benz (13), Honda (12), General Motors (12)

https://fordauthority.com/2025/06/ford-to-finish-h1-2025-with-more-recalls-than-next-five-automakers/#google_vignette

The Solomon Curve shows you're more likely to crash driving below the traffic flow than slightly above it. Slower speeds disrupt the rhythm and increase conflict points.

 
The Solomon curve is a graphical representation of the collision rate of automobiles as a function of their speed compared to the average vehicle speed on the same road. The curve was based on research conducted by David Solomon in the late 1950s and published in 1964

In a landmark study of speed and crashes involving 10,000 drivers on 600 miles (970 kilometers) of rural highways, Solomon (1964) found a relationship between vehicle speed and crash incidence that is illustrated by a U–shaped curve. Crash rates were lowest for travel speeds near the mean speed of traffic, and increased with greater deviations above and below the mean.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon_curve

https://www.cazbike.org/brush-up-on-the-solomon-curve/

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/98154/speed.cfm

I'd never heard of the Solomon Curve until just now, so I'm posting it right now... and I've never heard of   “Stannard’s Law” which states “drivers tend to explain their traffic accidents by reporting circumstances of lowest culpability compatible with credibility (Aronoff, 1971)”

stats and info on road conditions in the USA

 

when money is given at the federal level, oftentimes there are regulations on where that money can be placed, and states must invest those funds in areas that will allow them to maximize their use so no federal money is "left on the table." Rural roads often do not see federal revenue, and therefore, their conditions are left poor and their safety standards are not at the same level our interstates are in as well.

https://www.wcvb.com/article/us-rough-roads-data-investigation/64989688

The available Amtrak routes included in the California Rail Pass, which costs $159 and allows a full seven days of train travel in the state over a 21-day period.

https://www-dailymail-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/yourmoney/consumer/article-14264633/amp/travel-length-california-little-known-travel-hack.html

the same company that owns Holley bought Dinan

Holley's portfolio includes leading brands such as Holley, Sniper EFI, MSD, Accel, Diablosport, Superchips, Edge, and Hooker Blackheart

 https://dinancars.co.uk/blog/dinan-parent-company-acquires-holley-performance/

I believe this is known as the Law of Diminishing Returns, and the application of it to traveling at car speeds, and how speeding at reckless speeds doesn't seriously improve your arrival time

thanks Bruce! 

a map of the least travelled roads, in each state (the lowest annual average daily traffic) the red stars are considered the most scenic

the list of the 5 roads with the least amount of traffic is no surprise:

#5. South Dakota. State Route 73 (255 miles, from Lemmon, on the North Dakota state line, to Martin, on the Nebraska state line). AADT: 556.

#4. Nevada. State Route 360 (23 miles, from Dyer to Mina). AADT: 517.

#3. Montana. State Route 19 (21 miles, from Grass Range to Roy). AADT: 489.

#2. North Dakota. State Route 24 (211 miles, from Fort Yates to Solen). AADT: 242.

#1. Alaska. State Route 11 (414 miles, from Fairbanks to Deadhorse). AADT: 196.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/least-traffic-roads-usa

hard to believe infographics are still so damn effective at getting the point across.

 https://www.eastidahonews.com/2024/07/a-massive-80-year-old-steam-engine-will-travel-through-eastern-idaho-next-week/

history and evolution of wheels

 

https://www.team-bhp.com/news/pics-visit-payana-vintage-car-museum-mysuru

what ever I did to get 10x as much traffic today as yesterday... is a mystery

the Yesterday count of 15645 versus today so far of 163058? Wow! 

A decade ago there was an app that showed you were all your traffic was coming from, but after that company had been putting that on for a decade, they folded, as they hadn't made a going profit with it yet. So, now I have no way to see where traffic is coming from and why. 

That had been a really great way of looking at what sites referred people my way, and I would then look through their content to see what they did and what we had in common to interest readers. Then, thinking it would be great to send some traffic their way in appreciation, I'd post the things on their site and let all of you know where else you can find cool stuff 

J.D. Power’s recently released 2024 U.S. Customer Service Index Study shows what brand's dealerships are the worst, and most despised, among all the truck makers. I expected these results

 

the brands that feel most confidant that they'll have return customers, no matter how horribly they are treated, do the least to do the customer service job right.

Notice that Jeep, Honda, and Rivian aren't in this survey

A history of the Ford tailgate, a century (ish) from 1925 to 2025 as it was adapted and improved on

go to https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2023/11/13/from-the-ford-heritage-vault--a-century-of-tailgate-innovation.html  for the full show

Interesting stuff... 1961, "grain tight" and one handed close and lock feature. 1966, the Magic Doorgate

price of gas over the past 24 months (sure as hell not California prices) and price of oil over the past 6 months

https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/weekly/

https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/crude-oil