We Don't Catch The Smart Ones

West County Detention Facility

Main Detention Center

Jalopnik reported a story from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel about a man who attempted to car-jack a 350Z in the jail parking lot, after being released from jail on his misdemeanor charge for trespassing. Now, the inmate is looking at a felony.

He was caught because he didn't know how to drive a manual transmission. Wow! We don't catch the smart ones.

See more from the linked sites above.

***I do have a public service announcement.*** If you live near the jail (I know some people who do), realize inmates being released may want to return to the jail. You may just provide them the means needed to return. Maybe an inmate didn't learn his/her lesson and wants to commit another crime. Whatever the case may be, be cautious around the facility. And here are some signs to watch for: hitch hikers, people carrying a big plastic bag, anyone walking away from the jail and towards Bell or Atwood, people cashing jail issued checks at area liquor stores, and finally, people you would not want your kids to talk to or take candy from (that should pretty much cover most people).

Be safe out there. It's a hard world full of scary people and situations.

Ah, And Now I Can Never Get One

This guy is more than insane, like The Auto Prophet said. He is a fool.
http://view.break.com/473168 - Watch more free videos Where are the cops when you need them, right? Seriously, my problem with these idiots are the innocent lives put at risk. I know there are people who would still react to save the bikers from an accident, and end up hurting themselves or others. This is just stupid. They had some bike handling talent but still not the right settings for the stunts and speed. Moving cars with human lives should not be used as replacements for orange cones on a closed track or course.

Band Dork!

I was in the band. I played the saxophone and was even the drum major my 8th grade year. I entered high school and joined for my freshman year. Then it happened. I realized all the "cool" kids were no longer in the band. What happened? Why didn't I get the memo about band being for the dorks?

I ended up quiting after my freshman year. I played in a keyboard class my sophomore year with a couple of nerdy friends. We were actually the most talented 3 in the class, writing original music and performing in front of the class. Jon, one of my fellow dorks, even wrote sequenced music on a keyboard that was good enough, I thought, for us to have a musical future. We would have been like our favorite band, Depeche Mode. I would have been the lead singer, in my mind, because I had the best voice. And Jon would have been like Martin L. Gore, the real talent of Depeche Mode, writing most of the songs and singing the incredible harmonies.

But to the point of this post. If the band was cool enough to carry weapons, like this pirate-like gun made from a clarinet...
...maybe people wouldn't have picked on the band's members so often. Of course, it would need to shot real bullets so people wouldn't use the band instrument turned firearm as a jumping off point for more jokes and punishment. I mean, think about it. If you are a goofy looking awkward kid, with a silly looking pirate gun you made in your basement using your personal soldering gun and some small hand tools you use to build your models, you better have loaded that puppy with some high caliber ammo to ward off the school's bullies and popular crowd. At least be able to fire a few warning shots to scare off those jerks. Right? Right? Penny throwing losers! (no bad memories here.)

So, the next time you are laughing at the large tuba player playing the "um-pah, um-pah" bass line as he waddles across the field, or you think to yourself, "How does that girl play the flute with her braces and massive head gear?", think twice about how far you take your teasing, because the clarinet section might be "packing heat."

Story from Gizmodo.

DEWmocracy?

I've been seeing emails about the DEWmocracy event coming this summer. I've ignored them until now. Mountain Dew has released this video that made me pay attention to the upcoming flavor challenge. I'm a little excited and a little nervous about the new flavors. MD has scored with some new flavors and struck out with others. The Code Red and Live Wire flavors are awesome. The Halo 3 flavor was gross. I will, of course, give my opinion of the flavors when they come out. Watch for more entries on MD's DEWmocracy.

Game It Up 3!!!

The last time I really played a game, I used my laptop with all its greatness at the time. Check out the stats on my machine here. Now, gaming platforms, such as the PS3 and computers build for current gaming, don't just have a graphics card, they also use a card called a "physics card." This card manages just that, the physics of the games. Now game writing companies can take advantage of that card as well as the most recent graphics cards. They can now write programs that interact with the environment of the game. For example, this video for a new game from Lucas Arts called "The Force Unleashed" shows how the games writers are using the physics card to cause enemies and objects to react and interact with the player's character and the environment of the game. Watch the video for a better explanation and visual examples from this game, coming soon. This makes me want to go out and buy a PS3. Yeah, that's the best of the consoles. Blu-Ray and all. Plus, the game doesn't look like it will be coming to computer.

32 Years Ago Today

Well, It's March 19th, two days after my birthday. And every single year on this day, two days after my birthday, the same this has happened. Dan Ray of the famed "The Unexpressed Advantage" celebrates his birthday.

So Dan, Happy Birthday. Here's the same pictures I used before of you. I don't have any others.

When You Spend Billions on R&D...Nevermind, Just Enjoy This

So I wanted to use this clip with some sort of reference to the whole Auto Industry really doing a poor job as of late. With most of them posting losses, and the big 3 in the US talking of major financial problems, I thought it would be fun to reference this clip with how they are building cars (with major flaws). But really, I just wanted to show another funny clip from Family Guy that references Star Wars. If you didn't see the Blue Harvest episode of Family Guy, you need to.

Was R2D2 a Windows or Mac Based Android?

Was R2D2 a Windows or a Mac based Android? Family Guy thinks he may have been Windows based, based off this clip. This is my first attempt at using my new Hulu account. Ted's been talking about it so I signed up too.

St. Patrick's Day the Veggie Tale Way

Why not?

It's St. Patrick's Day, That Means It's My Birthday

Yeah, 32yrs old today. Nothing exciting. The picture of the Chicago River dyed green is cool.

Follow Up To: "My Dad Had One of These"

I think my dad had one of these too. In 1980 the Datsun 210 was getting 31city/43hwy MPG? Really? And now, Nissan's Versa only claims 27/33 at best. Again, where are the technological advances we should see after 28 years? The 210 started at $3749. The Versa starts at $12,710. That's a $8,961 increase over 28 years. In percentage that's roughly a little over 3.57%. Again, I think I did my math right. I used cross multiplying. Would that be right?

Pepsi, Where Are The Glass Bottles?

I'm a member of both the Pepsi and Mountain Dew online news letters. I saw that Mountain Dew was introducing a new "art project" painted on a newly shaped "vessel" of Mountain Dew. Because I'm a believer that beverages taste better out of glass than aluminum, I naturally saw the shape of the new "vessel" and thought, "this is Pepsi's chance to introduce a line of their products, housed in glass."

Last night I finally found a few of the Green Label Art edition Mountain Dews at a convenience store near my house. I was excited until I flicked one, confirming what I really did suspected all along. It's a bottle shaped aluminum can, with a pry off top. LAME!

Why is Coca-Cola the one that has the bottles? Maybe it's because their soda already tastes so bad the classic glass bottles help sell that nasty tasting stuff. Why doesn't Pepsi Co. offer glass bottles? I, for one, would buy them over cans even if they were more expensive.

I'm a connoisseur of soda. Once, I won a contest where Pepsi, Coca-Cola, RC Cola, and PC Cola (Lucky Grocery's store brand at the time) were all placed in different cups, hiding their identity. I was so good, I was able to tell all four apart and name what brand they were. (Thanks to my parents, PC Cola was the cheap stuff we had at home most of the time). Also, I used to drink 64 ounces of soda every day. A chain taco joint, okay Taco Bell, did business with one of my previous employers. Employees of the Bell would hook me up with huge discounts on food and free refills of my 64oz. PITCHER. Taco Bell was owned by Pepsi Co. at the time and my refills were Mountain Dew, Pepsi, or Wild Cherry Pepsi. 64oz.? Yeah, that's a half gallon, folks. And, yes, I gained a few pounds. I lost 30 of them in the academy by completely removing soda from my diet for 6 months. Man, those were horrible times.

Anyway, all that to say: I'm not at all impressed with the Green Label Art project that Pepsi's Mountain Dew Brand is "Dewing." It's still a can. There is still that metallic taste left in the beverage. The only pure tasting sodas these days are from a fountain. And even that is not perfect. If a restaurant doesn't clean the machine, set the proper mix ratio, set the right temperature, purify the water properly, and so on, you will have a different experience at each place. Taco Tree in Auburn, California (either location) has the perfect mix for both Pepsi and Mountain Dew. I've always had the best experiences drinking Pepsi products from Taco Tree. Thanks to a meticulous owner, they have the best mixed soda in all of Northern California; at least all of Nor Cal I've been to.

Here's another note about Pepsi: They lost the Baja Fresh contract. Guess who that hurts. Did you say everyone? That's correct. Pepsi loses sales. Baja Fresh loses my sales. And I don't get my Baja or Pepsi fill. (Do I sound conceded because I said everyone?) And Baja Fresh was pretty good at mixing the product.

Red Robin, same thing. One server did run to the gas station across the parking lot and bought a 6 pack of Pepsi for my friends and me. We told her it was a horrible thing Red Robin did by switching to Coca-Cola products. She was an understanding supporter of the Pepsi People's cause and ran out and purchased the six pack. That was HUGE. So was her tip!

So to conclude...

Dear Pepsi,

Please produce a line of Pepsi products bottled in glass. I suggest the glass bottles be replicas of the classics for marketing purposes. I also suggest bottling your entire line of products. From Pepsi to Mountain Dew to Mug Root Beer, all your beverages would taste better from a glass bottle. Please do this soon, as the Coca-Cola fans are laughing at you for not doing this with the Green Label Art. I'm a Pepsi fan and I'm disappointed in the projects miss guided bottles.

Also, since you're reading this, bring back Crystal Pepsi. That was good stuff. Yeah, it was different, but I liked it and so did most Pepsi fans I talk to.

I will remain a fan regardless of your decision in these matters. I will find you in error if you don't follow my suggestions for classic glass bottles for the whole line and re-introduction of the classic Crystal Pepsi, but I will still love you more than any other soda company.

Yours truly,

Jimmy the Gun


P.S.

Here are some reminder pictures.

Modbook - "MacBook Tablet"

I've heard Apple Inc. has no desire to produce a tablet style computer. That's where Axiotron's Modbook comes in. There are mixed emotions in the tech world about the tablet format computer and it's usefulness. But Mahalo Daily did a video on the Modbook and made it look pretty cool. I think the GPS with Google Maps function would be the coolest feature; a navigation system with a full screen and actual satellite view.

Another Song - No I Didn't Write It

My dad played this song for my sister and I when we were growing up. I don't remember all the words but thought it'd be funny so I posted. I don't know the name so I called it Grandpa's Farm. My dad cut off his left pointer finger a few months back and probably can't play the song as well as he used to, so I thought I'd record it. Somethin' ta do.

If Star Wars Was Created 20 Years Earlier

Crunch Gear posted this and my son danced to the music. I love Star Wars and Dean Martin so I thought it would be a good edition to the site. I think my favorite part is the credit for Harrison Ford. Reading about the inspiration the creator had for the reworked opening credits, I saw the name Saul Bass. According to Wikipedia, Saul Bass was a graphic designer and Academy Award-winning filmmaker, but he is best known for his design on animated motion picture title sequences, which is thought of as the best such work ever seen. They also created him with the design of the 6th generation AT&T Logo. Crunch Gear calls in the Death Star logo. And now this entry has come full circle.

Sure the Roads Are Safer...But Come On!

It was March 17, 1992. I turned 16 and walked into the DMV. I took a written test and a driving test. I remember getting a 99% on the driving test but I don't remember the written. All I truly cared about was the fact that I walked out of there with my driver's license. (RABBIT Trail: Did you know the California DMV calls it a "Driver License?" Note there is no possession on the word "Driver.")

Now I'm about to turn 32 years old and I'm shocked. The various blogs I read on automotive news are all posting articles about the reduction in 16 year olds getting their driver's licenses. What is the world coming to?

For me, this was so important. My mom said I worked harder for this then she had ever seen. I lined up my driver's education classes, called the insurance company, setup the DMV test, got a job to pay for the expenses, and only needed Mom's help to get me to the DMV on the 17th. I drove home, newly licensed.

I drove my parents 1976 VW Diesel Rabbit. They drove their 1987 Taurus. I had the better car. HAHAHAHAHA. Here's a picture of what it looked like. This isn't mine but it's close.

So according to the articles, some of the reasons for the drop in 16 years getting there driver's licenses has to do with the lack of public school driver's ed, more strict driving laws for the youngsters, and increased insurance rates. Over the last decade, a 14% drop in teens getting there DLs has been reported by the Federal Highway Administration. In 2006, only 29.8% of 16 year olds got them.

So, sure the roads are safer without these crazy "chillins" behind the wheel of mommy's car, but come on! What is wrong with these kids? I was so passionate about getting my license I went out and got a job. And I still claim I can make a pizza better than most. And I still believe I am a great driver. When you're 16, you go out there and push the limits of the vehicle to see what it can do. I was able to use those learned skills in my EVOC (Emergency Vehicle Operations Course) classes in the police academy. Ask my partner from the academy, I caught the rabbit car, I impressed my instructor, and I scared my partner several times with my mad driving skills.

It's a sad day when today's teens are more interested in other things, rather than driving a car. Video games, cell phones, computers, TV, all of it pales in comparison to driving the open roads of our great country. Of course, Placer County should spend some of its money on improving the quality of those roads, but it's still great to drive.

Bullitt Chase, Ford Honors with 2008 Edition

This is a ten minute clip from the movie Bullitt, known mainly for this chase scene.

This movie won some awards, like an Oscar for best film editing, and other sound and editing awards. Made in 1968, the movie, remembered for this chase scene between a 1968 Ford Mustang GT Fastback and a 1968 Dodge Charger R/T, has long been idolized by car enthusiasts. The 1998 movie Ronin is the most recent movie to have a chase scene comparable to that of Bullitt.

Ford has a 2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt model that takes many design and look cues from the GT model in the movie.

More pictures here.

El Camino of Assie-land (And Then I Start Rambling)

They still have an El Camino in Australia made by Holden called the Ute. Here's an ad showing the history of the Ute. The Chevrolet El Camino, which was built from 1959-87 (with a break from 60-64), was GM's response to Ford's Ranchero. Although the popularity of the El Camino carried it on for nearly 8 more years beyond the Ranchero, we haven't seen a newly designed El Camino here in the USA since the late 80s. The Aussies; however, have both the GM owned Holden Ute and the Ford Falcon (new name for the Ranchero) today. There is some buzz on the automotive blogs that GM may introduce an El Camino based off the Ute platform here in the USA, but don't hold your breath. Automakers don't bring the popular cars of other countries here because they don't think they will do well. That must be why all the foreign cars do so poorly. Wait, isn't Toyota on top now? Can you say bitter? I'm not really interested in the Ute myself but I do think American Automakers are making decisions that don't fit the pulse of automotive fans here in the USA. Ford and GM both have excellent vehicles they produce and sell in other countries, which are appealing to Americans too. This concept of "World Cars" would probably work if automakers focused there research more on what is hot and what's not. There are probably several problems that I don't know about, like: the unions, differing opinions within the corporations, poor data gathering, self glorifying designers, old school thinking (like Ford and their desire to name all cars with "F" and all SUVs with "E" in the USA). I think there should be more avenues for consumers to give input on what they are looking for. With the Internet this should be easy. Heck, if you read a few blogs and automotive magazines, you'd see what's available in other countries and what's missing here. If you think about it, why do we still have cars with problems like roominess, fuel economy, power, handling, beauty, safety. Why are all the American Automakers losing money every year when this is the county with the most advanced, most wealthy, most wide spread, self indulged, EVERYTHING? How can the automakers RIGHT HERE be so out of touch with the desires of the people RIGHT HERE? Why is it the foreign automakers are out selling, out designing, out EVERYTHINGing the American Automakers? It's sad really. Henry Ford is often thought of as the "Father of the Automobile" (I know there is some debate on this), and Ford is now known for poor quality vehicles. I could talk for hours about the first and last Ford my parents bought (Taurus) and how it killed my parents' bank account. It was a pile of.....it was horrible. And now Ford renames the Five-Hundred to "Taurus". They are so out of touch that they think the Five-Hundred did poorly because of the name? NO! READ A BLOG OR MAGAZINE, FORD! You'll see that it's a boring design, it had a gutless engine, and it's front wheel drive. The Taurus name did nothing to help. And the engine upgrade, done with the name change, wasn't enough to offset the stigma associated with the name "Taurus". At least "Five-Hundred" started with an "F". Haha. Give me an Toyota or Honda so I know I'll see 200K miles. Give me an Audi or BMW so I can love to drive the roads of this HUGE country. Give me my VW Golf with 167,000+ miles and great handling, fuel economy, comfort, sound system, design, etc. so I can know I purchased an inexpensive vehicle that has fulfilled so many of my desires. Sure it's a little small, but it does so much extra that I forget about it's stature (yeah, okay and it's color, jerk). It's blue. Stop calling it purple. Wow. What happened here. I really just lost track of the point of this blog. I need to add a subtitle to this blog. I'm a ramblin' man.

USA GOOD. Venezuela NOT.

This is another reason the United States of America is the best country in the world. We have control devices that help maintain our selfish impulses to go first. The only thing that stops a person in Caracas, Venezuela is a bigger vehicle. Take note of the pedestrians. There's one person that is almost sandwiched between a car and a motorcycle. How no one is killed in this clip is a mystery to me. Yeah, it is sped up a bit but it's still a crazy nightmare of traffic.

FMG-9, More Than Meets The Eye

Ted found this video for me. It's pretty cool. This would never be a legal gun for anyone to carry, at least in California. But it's a cool "transformer-esque" concept. And it's based off a Glock. Sweet. Thanks Ted.