The Segway HT (Human Transport).
Wednesday, March 26, 2003 was a watershed day for me, because I rode a Segway HT for the first time. For those of you who haven’t been paying attention, the Segway is a self-balancing, two-wheeled personal electric transport device. Some people call it a “scooter”, and I used to do the same, until I encountered the device in person. The Segway is to the scooter what a Gulfstream jet is to a paper airplane. Just as the paper plane and the business jet both share the principles of aerodynamics, the Segway shares the characteristics of two wheels with the scooter. And there the similarity ends.
First off, the Segway’s wheels are aligned in a parallel fashion; all scooters have their wheels in-line. Second, the Segway employs 5 solid-state gyroscopes and a very sophisticated on-board computer, which gives the device the ability to not only balance it self, but balance you too, when you step on board. Try that with your razor-type scooter. Or even your Vespa, for that matter.
But before I get too far into the technical aspects of the Segway (and you should visit the Segway website for the real information), let me back up and explain what happened on March 26. I was in Old Town Pasadena, the yuppie restaurant and shopping foci of the San Gabriel Valley, and I saw this guy crossing the street on his Segway. Up to that point, I had only seen the Segway on the web and in magazine articles, so I actually had to do a double take to make sure my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me. The guy (his name is Joe), had accelerated across a crosswalk, and then quickly and smoothly slowed down to roll up the ramp onto the sidewalk. Then he stopped to talk to some pedestrians. Right then, I knew I had to talk to him.
As I approached, I was amazed that he was able to stand completely still, with what seemed like complete balance and control. And then, when his friends moved, or when people walked by, he was able to twist and pivot the Segway effortlessly. Despite the lunchtime crowds, there seemed to be plenty of room on the sidewalk for the Segway and the passing pedestrians, many of whom didn’t even give the unique device a passing glance. Not me, thought; I was entranced!
When I approached Joe, he was extremely friendly and seemed happy to answer any questions I had. He used the Segway to commute to work, and had just returned from a lunchtime errand run to buy dog food. His Segway featured a soft parcel bag on the front, similar to the old wire baskets that were used on older bicycles. He gave me a business card that was basically a FAQ list, and it also listed his website (www.pasadenasegway.com). Joe totally surprised me when I asked him how long it took for him to get so good at maneuvering the Segway….he hopped off and offered me a demonstration ride!
Now, as many of you know, I am an avid motorcyclist, and it’s nothing new for one biker to approach another to compliment or talk about their motorcycle. But it’s a very rare day indeed for a biker to offer a stranger a test ride on their pride and joy. But Joe did so without hesitation. I was floored! I was like a kid at Christmas!
Joe pulled what looked like keys out of his pocket…actually they were encoded magnets, and they were color-coded as well. He briefly explained that they governed the speed and sensitivity of the device. He inserted the black magnet into an opening on top of the “handlebars”, then stepped to the front of the Segway. He adjusted the height of the handlebars for my height (similar to adjusting the height of a microphone stand), then held the bars out for me and told me to take them.
First thing I noticed was that I didn’t have to hold the Segway up. Then Joe told me to put one foot on the platform. No problem. Then just step on board with the other. I did so without a concern in the world…and immediately I started wobbling back and forth. Joe quickly commented that this was normal, and it would stop as soon as I relaxed. So I did, and it did, and….I was balanced on the Segway! It was as if all I had to do was trust it, and it would take care of the hard part. It didn’t feel weird or out of control or anything. It didn’t feel as if I was on the verge of falling over it felt perfectly natural, as if I was standing on solid ground.
Then Joe instructed me to lean forward slightly. I did so, and the Segway started to roll forward. Then he said lean backward; I did, and it stopped. He told me to lean even farther back, which I did and the Segway began to slowly roll backward. We did that two more times. Then Joe told me to twist the left handgrip to the right. When I did that, the Segway pivoted to the right. I then twisted the grip left and pivoted back to my original position. Then he told me to turn right while leaning forward. And by that time I was completely hooked. I wanted to spend the rest of the day playing with that thing!
By the time I got home, I had figured out that the Segway was the answer for my own daily commute to work. I have mentioned before on this site that I live close enough to my office to bike to work, but biking requires specific bike-oriented clothing to be comfortable. A bicycle seat will destroy a pair of dress slacks in a matter of weeks. Plus, my ride home is all uphill…good for exercise, but bad for motivation. The Segway solves that problem entirely. You can ride a Segway wearing a suit, as long as the weather is good. And here in Southern California, good weather is a given.
Yes, the Segway is a viable transportation tool for people like me, who daily commute falls within its rather short 10-mile range. But the Segway costs nearly $5,000 (it’s available at Amazon.com right now) and that’s a hurdle that I cannot overcome at this time, both fiscally and conceptually. Being a motorcyclist, I am well aware that any number of very capable motorcycles can be bought for that amount or less, while providing much greater range and utility. However, the Segway is a revolutionary device because it can do something that no motorcycle or scooter will ever be able to do: it can co-exist on sidewalks and in buildings with people walking. I can ride the Segway from my kitchen at home right up to my desk at work, without ever getting off. The Segway is the closest thing to George Jetson’s spaceship-that-folds-up-into-a-briefcase yet. I gotta have one. I just have to figure out how to get one.
More later…
Paul
Monday, March 31, 2003
Monday, March 24, 2003
Good for Michael Moore.
I went to see “Bowling for Columbine” again on Friday night. What a great movie. And it’s particularly appropriate for this current time of war. So I was quite pleasantly surprised to see that the film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. I masochistically tuned in to watch a little local news last night, and caught the update on the Oscars show, and they showed Moore accepting his award. Apparently, Moore took the opportunity to protest George Bush, and many in the audience booed him! Wow, what a surprise…the way the mainstream media has been playing it, you would have thought that the Oscar audience would be full of bleeding heart Bush bashers. Maybe the Academy planted some pro-War people just to even things out…
More later…
Paul
I went to see “Bowling for Columbine” again on Friday night. What a great movie. And it’s particularly appropriate for this current time of war. So I was quite pleasantly surprised to see that the film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. I masochistically tuned in to watch a little local news last night, and caught the update on the Oscars show, and they showed Moore accepting his award. Apparently, Moore took the opportunity to protest George Bush, and many in the audience booed him! Wow, what a surprise…the way the mainstream media has been playing it, you would have thought that the Oscar audience would be full of bleeding heart Bush bashers. Maybe the Academy planted some pro-War people just to even things out…
More later…
Paul
Tuesday, March 18, 2003
They are either with us or against us.
The State Department has released the list of 30 countries that say that they stand with America in our mission to rid Iraq of Hussein, er, disarm Hussein….I mean, liberate the Iraqi people. These countries are: Afghanistan, Albania, Australia, Azerbaijan, Britain, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Turkey and Uzbekistan. And apparently there are 11 countries that are on are side, but are too shy to admit it in public.
Japan has made it clear that their support only extends to participating in the post-war activities. Um, okay.
There seem to be some notable countries missing, like France and Germany, but that’s old news. What about our northern and southern neighbors Canada and Mexico? What about staunch ally Israel? How about all of South America? Most of Africa? Southeast Asia?
Does it matter that many of our friends and allies disagree with our course? Should it matter?
One thing that stood out, to me, from the president’s speech other night was the closing. He ended the speech by saying “…and may God continue to bless America.” Which is usually a cool thing to say, but this time it seemed to exclude those other countries that choose to stand beside us. It would have been more appropriate to say “…may God continue to bless America and it’s allies” but then that would also signal that we believe God only cares about us, further fueling some Islamic extremist thoughts that this is really a religious war that we’re waging on them.
Oh well, as long as we win, that’s all that matters…
More later…
Paul
The State Department has released the list of 30 countries that say that they stand with America in our mission to rid Iraq of Hussein, er, disarm Hussein….I mean, liberate the Iraqi people. These countries are: Afghanistan, Albania, Australia, Azerbaijan, Britain, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Turkey and Uzbekistan. And apparently there are 11 countries that are on are side, but are too shy to admit it in public.
Japan has made it clear that their support only extends to participating in the post-war activities. Um, okay.
There seem to be some notable countries missing, like France and Germany, but that’s old news. What about our northern and southern neighbors Canada and Mexico? What about staunch ally Israel? How about all of South America? Most of Africa? Southeast Asia?
Does it matter that many of our friends and allies disagree with our course? Should it matter?
One thing that stood out, to me, from the president’s speech other night was the closing. He ended the speech by saying “…and may God continue to bless America.” Which is usually a cool thing to say, but this time it seemed to exclude those other countries that choose to stand beside us. It would have been more appropriate to say “…may God continue to bless America and it’s allies” but then that would also signal that we believe God only cares about us, further fueling some Islamic extremist thoughts that this is really a religious war that we’re waging on them.
Oh well, as long as we win, that’s all that matters…
More later…
Paul
Monday, March 17, 2003
Bush to Hussein: "That Middle Eastern country ain't big enough for the both of us"
The ultimatum has been issued. Hussein has 48 hours to gather up his sons and his stuff and leave Iraq, the country of their birth, to go...where? Who cares? If he doesn't get out of town by sundown (tomorrow), the might U.S. Military is gonna come out guns a'blazin'.
God bless all those involved.
I really hope that this war, this sequel to "Desert Storm", is as short as the first Persian Gulf conflict. But there's a problem: in that first "episode", the objective was to simply oust Iraqi forces from lil' defenseless Kuwait. Now we're taking them on in their home country. What is our objective? Is it to remove Hussein from power? Is it to destroy or confiscate their Weapons of Mass Destruction? The President has talked about "liberating the citizens of Iraq". So does that mean our objective is to change the entire political structure in that country? How will we know if we've won or lost?
What do you think?
The ultimatum has been issued. Hussein has 48 hours to gather up his sons and his stuff and leave Iraq, the country of their birth, to go...where? Who cares? If he doesn't get out of town by sundown (tomorrow), the might U.S. Military is gonna come out guns a'blazin'.
God bless all those involved.
I really hope that this war, this sequel to "Desert Storm", is as short as the first Persian Gulf conflict. But there's a problem: in that first "episode", the objective was to simply oust Iraqi forces from lil' defenseless Kuwait. Now we're taking them on in their home country. What is our objective? Is it to remove Hussein from power? Is it to destroy or confiscate their Weapons of Mass Destruction? The President has talked about "liberating the citizens of Iraq". So does that mean our objective is to change the entire political structure in that country? How will we know if we've won or lost?
What do you think?
Tuesday, March 11, 2003
No means No, even for talented directors.
Okay, I let myself get caught up in the current saga of exiled film director Roman Polanski. I haven’t seen his new film, “The Pianist”, but I hear it’s pretty good. There’s a big brouhaha in Hollywood these days because it the film has been nominated for an Academy Award. Why is Polanski in exile? Because he “sexually abused” a 13-year old girl back in the ‘70’s. I believe the correct term is rape.
The first I heard of this case was an op-ed in the L.A. Times a month or so ago, written by Polanski’s victim, now a woman in her 30’s. In the essay, she pleaded with her readers, and the Academy no doubt, to judge Polanski’s film on its merits and not on his criminal treatment of her from decades ago. At the time, I was impressed. It seems that the young woman has found a way to forgive the director, and was willing to open herself to public attention. I thought she made sense.
I still think she makes sense, but after reading transcripts from the actual trial, thoughtfully reproduced on the Smoking Gun website, what that 13-year old girl described was an adult male forcibly raping her, both vaginally and anally. Rather than face certain prison time (where he would probably be anally raped himself), Polanski fled the country, never to return. He did the crime, but not the time.
What he did was wrong. And he followed it up by running away, another wrong. During this current climate, in which female Air Force cadets are being raped by their classmates and then dismissed from the Academy, what type of signal are we sending if we give Polanski the Oscar? Shame on the Academy for even giving him the nomination.
More later…
Paul
Okay, I let myself get caught up in the current saga of exiled film director Roman Polanski. I haven’t seen his new film, “The Pianist”, but I hear it’s pretty good. There’s a big brouhaha in Hollywood these days because it the film has been nominated for an Academy Award. Why is Polanski in exile? Because he “sexually abused” a 13-year old girl back in the ‘70’s. I believe the correct term is rape.
The first I heard of this case was an op-ed in the L.A. Times a month or so ago, written by Polanski’s victim, now a woman in her 30’s. In the essay, she pleaded with her readers, and the Academy no doubt, to judge Polanski’s film on its merits and not on his criminal treatment of her from decades ago. At the time, I was impressed. It seems that the young woman has found a way to forgive the director, and was willing to open herself to public attention. I thought she made sense.
I still think she makes sense, but after reading transcripts from the actual trial, thoughtfully reproduced on the Smoking Gun website, what that 13-year old girl described was an adult male forcibly raping her, both vaginally and anally. Rather than face certain prison time (where he would probably be anally raped himself), Polanski fled the country, never to return. He did the crime, but not the time.
What he did was wrong. And he followed it up by running away, another wrong. During this current climate, in which female Air Force cadets are being raped by their classmates and then dismissed from the Academy, what type of signal are we sending if we give Polanski the Oscar? Shame on the Academy for even giving him the nomination.
More later…
Paul
Thursday, March 06, 2003
Okay, I sit corrected (part 2).
I just KNEW someone would take issue with my claim that Detroit auto designers are in-bred hicks. I got a call from my good friend Mark from Maryland, who wanted to point out that many of the current American designs are done by Italian and Japanese designers. To which I respond: hey bubba, I don't care WHAT nationality those in-bred hicks are, they need to do better than "fugly" cars like the current Chevy Monte Carlo, the Chevy Malibu, the Buick Regal, the Oldsmobile Aurora, the Dodge Neon, the Ford Taurus...and if I keep going on, I won't get anything else done.
I tell you this, the Italian designers hired by Detroit certainly can't compete with a well-known Italian design house like Pininfarina.
More later...
Paul
I just KNEW someone would take issue with my claim that Detroit auto designers are in-bred hicks. I got a call from my good friend Mark from Maryland, who wanted to point out that many of the current American designs are done by Italian and Japanese designers. To which I respond: hey bubba, I don't care WHAT nationality those in-bred hicks are, they need to do better than "fugly" cars like the current Chevy Monte Carlo, the Chevy Malibu, the Buick Regal, the Oldsmobile Aurora, the Dodge Neon, the Ford Taurus...and if I keep going on, I won't get anything else done.
I tell you this, the Italian designers hired by Detroit certainly can't compete with a well-known Italian design house like Pininfarina.
More later...
Paul
Wednesday, March 05, 2003
Okay, I sit corrected (slightly).
A friend handed me the latest "Road & Track" magazine, and inside there was a pretty spiffy foldout catalog featuring the newest cars from Chrysler, due to arrive at dealers in the summer. The first one featured is the Crossfire, a pretty swoopy coupe that they tout as being "50% American Imagination, 50% German Precision, 100% Passion".
Whatever. How about that name? "Crossfire". Just in time for a war, no? I think it's telling that there's no mention of what type of engine powers this thing. But I will admit...it IS interesting.
I can't say the same thing about the other new Chrysler, the Pacifica. It's a station wagon! And they have the nerve of claiming it provides "the thrill of something totally new." So now the in-bred hick designers are writing the advertising copy, too? It boggles the mind.
More later...
Paul
A friend handed me the latest "Road & Track" magazine, and inside there was a pretty spiffy foldout catalog featuring the newest cars from Chrysler, due to arrive at dealers in the summer. The first one featured is the Crossfire, a pretty swoopy coupe that they tout as being "50% American Imagination, 50% German Precision, 100% Passion".
Whatever. How about that name? "Crossfire". Just in time for a war, no? I think it's telling that there's no mention of what type of engine powers this thing. But I will admit...it IS interesting.
I can't say the same thing about the other new Chrysler, the Pacifica. It's a station wagon! And they have the nerve of claiming it provides "the thrill of something totally new." So now the in-bred hick designers are writing the advertising copy, too? It boggles the mind.
More later...
Paul
Would you buy a car from these men?
Oh, woe to the American Automobile Industry! ‘Scuse me whilst I brush away these crocodile tears. The financial news outlets are reporting that American auto sales are way, way down, and they even went so far as to say that bad news about General Motors in particular is partially responsible for yesterday’s record Dow Jones drop on Wall Street yesterday.
So, what’s the cause of this calamity? The experts are blaming it on war fears in the American consumer, but I call bullshit on that. The same experts note that Honda sales are up in the double digits. Aren’t Honda buyers worried about the war?
The truth is that the most attractive…and thereby best selling…American cars are actually trucks. The Big Three have focused so much on their more profitable pickup truck and SUV markets that they have totally neglected the need to produce decent cars. And the result is that the current crop of American sedans, coupes and sportscars all pretty much suck. This is not a new development, by the way. It’s been bad for a while.
Seriously, when was the last time an American car caught your fancy? The ‘60’s? The problem is that all of the people in charge of styling and design at the American car companies are in-bred hicks (now someone will probably write to ask me what I have against in-bred hicks!). In truth, the last interesting new car launched by any American automaker was Chrysler’s PT Cruiser. When they were new, they were headturners, mostly because they were so different. Now that they’ve been around a while, ho-hum.
Let’s break it down: at Cadillac, GM’s luxury leader, the most sought after vehicle is the Escalade, an overblown redo of the Chevy Suburban. The ‘lade is MUCH more stylish than Caddy’s newest sports sedan, the weirdly angular CTS. CTS? What type of name for a car is that? I think it’s an acronym for “Car That Sucks”. A good friend tells me that it’s really comfortable inside. Really? That’s kind of like putting a barcalounger and a big screen TV in a shotgun shack. Damn in-bred hick stylists.
Remember the Cadillac Catera? That was a mid-sized, supposedly sporty model that for some reason, Cadillac chose to saddle with a duck for a mascot. Calling it “the Caddy that zigs”, they implied that cartoon ducks represent world-class performance. Get it? Neither did anyone else. (Although the American Honda motorcycle racing teams currently use a perpetually pissed-off Woody Woodpecker for a mascot. No one knows why Woody’s so mad.)
On the subject of car names, why can’t Detroit come up with good ones anymore? Chevy has the Cavalier, a cheap, slow econobox. What’s “cavalier” about it? Remember the Chevy Citation? Who wants a car that brings to mind speeding tickets? Of course with the weak engines they put in the Citation, speeding tickets were most unlikely, but owners were often cited with moving violations for driving a butt-ugly car.
Lincoln-Mercury had a car named the “Mystique”, but when you pronounced the name, it sounded like “mistake”. And it must have been one, because they ain’t selling ‘em no more. Now they’re selling a car called the “Marauder”. Lovely name, there. Brings up great images, doesn’t it?
How about the Chevy Celebrity Eurosport? What the hell were they thinking when they named that piece of crap? I can’t even imagine anyone wanting to be seen in a car that carries those name badges. Or the now-forgotten Chevy Beretta. Or Lumina. Or Corsica. These cars were destined for the scrap heap as soon as the ink dried on their designs.
Compare those names to the ones Honda uses: Accord and Civic. These names are words that actually have a related meaning, and these models have now been around for decades, selling successfully. Certainly outselling their American counterparts by embarrassingly large margins.
So now is probably a great time to get a fantastic deal on an American car, but which one is actually worth owning? The only exciting car made by Chevy is the Corvette, and you’d have to be pretty rich to afford feeding a ‘Vette its daily ration of $2.25/gallon premium fuel. A fuel-efficient ride it is most certainly not.
How about Chrysler, or should we say DaimlerChrysler? I was excited to hear about the merger with Mercedes-Benz, but I’ve yet to see any evidence that Chrysler products have improved. Mercedes, however, is going strong, making what are arguably the very best cars in the world. Anyone who disputes this statement simply hasn’t spent much time behind the wheel of one of these fine automobiles. And now you can buy a Benz Sport Coupe for about the price of a loaded Chrysler PT Cruiser Turbo. Talk about a no-brainer.
Dodge is no better. The Intrepid is a decent-looking car, but the ride is wallowy and soft. And the reliability of Dodge products have been very suspect in recent years. The most exciting Dodge is the Viper, but like the Corvette, it has a very limited market because it is really an overpriced toy more than anything else.
Ford is selling a version of their Crown Victoria sedan that’s called the “Sport”. They’ve got to be kidding; what's sporty about a tired 4-door family sedan that weighs two tons? The Crown Vic is the car chosen by police departments around the country as the best car to chase villains in, so I guess the “Sport” version is the model villains will chose to lead those wacky pursuits. In any case, I ain’t buying one. Ford also sells the Focus, a decent little economy car that comes in hatchback, sedan and station wagon flavors. It’s probably the best car they make, and it might be worth buying, but it feels like a cheap rental car to me. Of course, there’s always the classic Mustang and Thunderbird, but even these cars are mere shadows of their former great selves. I’ll pass.
Lincoln has a new model called the LS. Hmmm, like Cadillac’s CTS, I guess those in-bred hicks ran out of vowels. I think it’s an acronym for “Last Shot” and it really is Lincoln’s last shot at trying to capture all of the American consumers who are very happy buying quality cars from Acura, Audi, BMW, Honda, Infiniti, Lexus, Mercedes, Nissan….need I go on?
The cars from Buick, Oldsmobile and Pontiac are not even worth mentioning, Tiger Woods be-damned. These re-badged, overblown Chevys are mostly pathetic, and the concept of actually owning one is pretty sad. Gone are the days when a Cutlass was a cool car, when the Electra actually meant luxury, and a Grand Prix had enough power to get out of its own way. I see these cars with their horrible styling and I have to wonder what happens to young automotive engineers after GM hires them? It must be a combination of having to live near Detroit, and being forced to drive Cavaliers and Grand Ams that must tear the souls out of those wretched fools.
That, and the in-bred hick thing, no doubt.
More later…
Paul
Oh, woe to the American Automobile Industry! ‘Scuse me whilst I brush away these crocodile tears. The financial news outlets are reporting that American auto sales are way, way down, and they even went so far as to say that bad news about General Motors in particular is partially responsible for yesterday’s record Dow Jones drop on Wall Street yesterday.
So, what’s the cause of this calamity? The experts are blaming it on war fears in the American consumer, but I call bullshit on that. The same experts note that Honda sales are up in the double digits. Aren’t Honda buyers worried about the war?
The truth is that the most attractive…and thereby best selling…American cars are actually trucks. The Big Three have focused so much on their more profitable pickup truck and SUV markets that they have totally neglected the need to produce decent cars. And the result is that the current crop of American sedans, coupes and sportscars all pretty much suck. This is not a new development, by the way. It’s been bad for a while.
Seriously, when was the last time an American car caught your fancy? The ‘60’s? The problem is that all of the people in charge of styling and design at the American car companies are in-bred hicks (now someone will probably write to ask me what I have against in-bred hicks!). In truth, the last interesting new car launched by any American automaker was Chrysler’s PT Cruiser. When they were new, they were headturners, mostly because they were so different. Now that they’ve been around a while, ho-hum.
Let’s break it down: at Cadillac, GM’s luxury leader, the most sought after vehicle is the Escalade, an overblown redo of the Chevy Suburban. The ‘lade is MUCH more stylish than Caddy’s newest sports sedan, the weirdly angular CTS. CTS? What type of name for a car is that? I think it’s an acronym for “Car That Sucks”. A good friend tells me that it’s really comfortable inside. Really? That’s kind of like putting a barcalounger and a big screen TV in a shotgun shack. Damn in-bred hick stylists.
Remember the Cadillac Catera? That was a mid-sized, supposedly sporty model that for some reason, Cadillac chose to saddle with a duck for a mascot. Calling it “the Caddy that zigs”, they implied that cartoon ducks represent world-class performance. Get it? Neither did anyone else. (Although the American Honda motorcycle racing teams currently use a perpetually pissed-off Woody Woodpecker for a mascot. No one knows why Woody’s so mad.)
On the subject of car names, why can’t Detroit come up with good ones anymore? Chevy has the Cavalier, a cheap, slow econobox. What’s “cavalier” about it? Remember the Chevy Citation? Who wants a car that brings to mind speeding tickets? Of course with the weak engines they put in the Citation, speeding tickets were most unlikely, but owners were often cited with moving violations for driving a butt-ugly car.
Lincoln-Mercury had a car named the “Mystique”, but when you pronounced the name, it sounded like “mistake”. And it must have been one, because they ain’t selling ‘em no more. Now they’re selling a car called the “Marauder”. Lovely name, there. Brings up great images, doesn’t it?
How about the Chevy Celebrity Eurosport? What the hell were they thinking when they named that piece of crap? I can’t even imagine anyone wanting to be seen in a car that carries those name badges. Or the now-forgotten Chevy Beretta. Or Lumina. Or Corsica. These cars were destined for the scrap heap as soon as the ink dried on their designs.
Compare those names to the ones Honda uses: Accord and Civic. These names are words that actually have a related meaning, and these models have now been around for decades, selling successfully. Certainly outselling their American counterparts by embarrassingly large margins.
So now is probably a great time to get a fantastic deal on an American car, but which one is actually worth owning? The only exciting car made by Chevy is the Corvette, and you’d have to be pretty rich to afford feeding a ‘Vette its daily ration of $2.25/gallon premium fuel. A fuel-efficient ride it is most certainly not.
How about Chrysler, or should we say DaimlerChrysler? I was excited to hear about the merger with Mercedes-Benz, but I’ve yet to see any evidence that Chrysler products have improved. Mercedes, however, is going strong, making what are arguably the very best cars in the world. Anyone who disputes this statement simply hasn’t spent much time behind the wheel of one of these fine automobiles. And now you can buy a Benz Sport Coupe for about the price of a loaded Chrysler PT Cruiser Turbo. Talk about a no-brainer.
Dodge is no better. The Intrepid is a decent-looking car, but the ride is wallowy and soft. And the reliability of Dodge products have been very suspect in recent years. The most exciting Dodge is the Viper, but like the Corvette, it has a very limited market because it is really an overpriced toy more than anything else.
Ford is selling a version of their Crown Victoria sedan that’s called the “Sport”. They’ve got to be kidding; what's sporty about a tired 4-door family sedan that weighs two tons? The Crown Vic is the car chosen by police departments around the country as the best car to chase villains in, so I guess the “Sport” version is the model villains will chose to lead those wacky pursuits. In any case, I ain’t buying one. Ford also sells the Focus, a decent little economy car that comes in hatchback, sedan and station wagon flavors. It’s probably the best car they make, and it might be worth buying, but it feels like a cheap rental car to me. Of course, there’s always the classic Mustang and Thunderbird, but even these cars are mere shadows of their former great selves. I’ll pass.
Lincoln has a new model called the LS. Hmmm, like Cadillac’s CTS, I guess those in-bred hicks ran out of vowels. I think it’s an acronym for “Last Shot” and it really is Lincoln’s last shot at trying to capture all of the American consumers who are very happy buying quality cars from Acura, Audi, BMW, Honda, Infiniti, Lexus, Mercedes, Nissan….need I go on?
The cars from Buick, Oldsmobile and Pontiac are not even worth mentioning, Tiger Woods be-damned. These re-badged, overblown Chevys are mostly pathetic, and the concept of actually owning one is pretty sad. Gone are the days when a Cutlass was a cool car, when the Electra actually meant luxury, and a Grand Prix had enough power to get out of its own way. I see these cars with their horrible styling and I have to wonder what happens to young automotive engineers after GM hires them? It must be a combination of having to live near Detroit, and being forced to drive Cavaliers and Grand Ams that must tear the souls out of those wretched fools.
That, and the in-bred hick thing, no doubt.
More later…
Paul
Monday, March 03, 2003
The Price of Gas (how much is too much?)
I admit, I try to buy the cheapest gas I can find. My Ford Explorer seems to run better on 89 octane, though, so I still have to pay a little extra, no matter where I go. I try to stay away from “no-name” gas stations, and I have found the lowest prices are consistently at ARCO, at least here in my neck of the woods.
That’s as close to a free plug as it’s going to get. Run with it, ARCO!
But the last time I was at the gas station, I paid $2.03/gallon for 89 octane. My tank was just about empty, so I had no choice…at least, that’s what I’m telling myself.
The deal is this: gas is too damn expensive, and the oil companies should be ashamed of their blatant price inflation, War or no War. The only real problem, this time, is that we have to be ready to shoulder a large part of the blame, too. That’s “we”, as in you and me, the average consumer, we who insist on driving cars.
There. I said it.
Let’s start with me: I actually live close enough to work that I could comfortably ride my bicycle and still get there within 30 minutes. And in my little neighborhood, almost all of the most-needed shops (grocery, video rentals, post office) are within easy walking distance. So I could actually give up my car for the better part of the week, and just save it for those times when I need get across town, or escape to the beach.
So it’s possible, but I’m not yet uncomfortable enough with the current gas prices to make those changes. Hey, I walk to the grocery store, but it’s not the best one in the area. The better ones are a 10-minute drive away. And the bike-ride-to-work thing? Getting there is not the problem, but the ride home is 4 miles all uphill. That’s not something I can see myself looking forward to after a long day in the office. Call me a sissy. Hmmm, maybe I’ll trade my 16-miles-per-gallon Explorer in for a 45-miles-per-gallon motorcycle…
But what about you? Are you pissed off at the high price of gas, and are you prepared to do something about it? I guess what I’m getting at is the fact that we, as a Nation, are being pushed to a decision point. We proved to the oil companies for the last few years that we would NOT stop buying gas once it crested the $2/gallon level. But when WILL we push back? $3/gallon? $4? Can you imagine filling up your 13 gallon tank at $5 a gallon? That’s $65!
Realistically, the American oil companies will probably not get that greedy. They’ve got to know that they’ll cause a major consumer uprising if they price gas too high. And the American auto industry is not positioned for a sudden shift in consumer thoughts about the price of gas…their investment in high horsepower, low mileage vehicles would be at risk. I’m not just talking about pickup trucks and SUVs, but all of the sporty luxury sedans that are making upwards of 200hp.
The bottom line is this: we are way overdue for a change in our attitudes about transportation…what it means to us, how important it is, personal versus mass transit, utilitarian versus status symbol. The fact that we’ll pay exorbitant amounts of money just for gasoline means that we’re still in denial about the whole deal. Time to wake up, America.
More later...
Paul
I admit, I try to buy the cheapest gas I can find. My Ford Explorer seems to run better on 89 octane, though, so I still have to pay a little extra, no matter where I go. I try to stay away from “no-name” gas stations, and I have found the lowest prices are consistently at ARCO, at least here in my neck of the woods.
That’s as close to a free plug as it’s going to get. Run with it, ARCO!
But the last time I was at the gas station, I paid $2.03/gallon for 89 octane. My tank was just about empty, so I had no choice…at least, that’s what I’m telling myself.
The deal is this: gas is too damn expensive, and the oil companies should be ashamed of their blatant price inflation, War or no War. The only real problem, this time, is that we have to be ready to shoulder a large part of the blame, too. That’s “we”, as in you and me, the average consumer, we who insist on driving cars.
There. I said it.
Let’s start with me: I actually live close enough to work that I could comfortably ride my bicycle and still get there within 30 minutes. And in my little neighborhood, almost all of the most-needed shops (grocery, video rentals, post office) are within easy walking distance. So I could actually give up my car for the better part of the week, and just save it for those times when I need get across town, or escape to the beach.
So it’s possible, but I’m not yet uncomfortable enough with the current gas prices to make those changes. Hey, I walk to the grocery store, but it’s not the best one in the area. The better ones are a 10-minute drive away. And the bike-ride-to-work thing? Getting there is not the problem, but the ride home is 4 miles all uphill. That’s not something I can see myself looking forward to after a long day in the office. Call me a sissy. Hmmm, maybe I’ll trade my 16-miles-per-gallon Explorer in for a 45-miles-per-gallon motorcycle…
But what about you? Are you pissed off at the high price of gas, and are you prepared to do something about it? I guess what I’m getting at is the fact that we, as a Nation, are being pushed to a decision point. We proved to the oil companies for the last few years that we would NOT stop buying gas once it crested the $2/gallon level. But when WILL we push back? $3/gallon? $4? Can you imagine filling up your 13 gallon tank at $5 a gallon? That’s $65!
Realistically, the American oil companies will probably not get that greedy. They’ve got to know that they’ll cause a major consumer uprising if they price gas too high. And the American auto industry is not positioned for a sudden shift in consumer thoughts about the price of gas…their investment in high horsepower, low mileage vehicles would be at risk. I’m not just talking about pickup trucks and SUVs, but all of the sporty luxury sedans that are making upwards of 200hp.
The bottom line is this: we are way overdue for a change in our attitudes about transportation…what it means to us, how important it is, personal versus mass transit, utilitarian versus status symbol. The fact that we’ll pay exorbitant amounts of money just for gasoline means that we’re still in denial about the whole deal. Time to wake up, America.
More later...
Paul
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