Saturday, July 05, 2014

CHP punching woman on the 1-10, for walking on the freeway. I guaran damn tee you that cops do not report treating people this way, unless they are caught on camera doing it


Police say that the woman needed to be restrained and was endangering herself and motorists by walking on a busy road in the west of Los Angeles.

above via http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-28178238



So, like I've said before, record every interaction you have with cops, and any you witness where they are abusing their job... as they certainly will always get away with such astonishingly illegal behavior unless we catch the violators on film and get them kicked off the police force.

Imagine for a moment how many times that cop has sat through police brutality training, and beat up other perpatrators, who are "innocent until proven guilty" I believe the legal phrase is, and taken justice into his own hands/fists to punish/condemn/sentence people for anything he's felt they've done wrong.

I bet you, all of you, that the California Governor, the California Highway Patrol Chief of Police, and this particular officers supervisor and department had does and says nothing about this.


The news had this to say: 
The California Highway Patrol has vowed to carry out a thorough investigation after a video emerged of one of its officers repeatedly punching a pinned down woman on the side of a Los Angeles freeway.

The woman had been walking on Interstate 10 west of downtown Los Angeles, endangering herself and people in traffic, and the officer was trying to restrain her, CHP Assistant Chief Chris O'Quinn said at a news conference. O'Quinn said the woman had begun walking off the freeway but returned when the confrontation occurred.

The video shows the woman struggling and trying to sit up while the officer punches her in the face and head until an off-duty law enforcement officer appears and helps him handcuff her.

Passing Driver David Diaz recorded the Tuesday incident and provided it to media outlets including The Associated Press. He told the AP in a phone interview Friday that he arrived as the woman was walking off the freeway. He said she turned around only after the officer shouted something to her.

"He agitated the situation more than helped it," said Diaz, who started filming soon after.

The officer is on administrative leave while the patrol investigates. He has not been identified.

The video caught the attention of local civil rights leaders, who expressed shock and outrage at their own news conference.

Friday, July 04, 2014

I can only guess that this is a tour bus of sorts, replacing the open sampan, as the door says Hawaii


Found on http://yuripasholok.livejournal.com/

I'm guessing it's a 1960 Chrysler Windsor limo

few people paint their cars as a protest to war anymore

the Ford Turbine tractor trailer

Before the environment was considered, junkyard cars were sometimes used to shore up river shores and walls



In Nebraska, this was done in the 60's to stop this area from washing out.
Found on http://www.carsinbarns.com/

genius is seeing what everyone else sees, and thinking what no one else has to solve a common problem



Because every damn presta valve has annoyed us at one time or another when we needed to inflate it, and it's this simple to use the dust cap to adapt a presta to a standard valve

Found on http://www.bikehacks.com/bikehacks/2014/01/the-most-amazing-presta-valve-adapter-ever.html

Well written article about commuters having an illogical problem with bicyclists

put in perspective of how drivers treat people biking vs people using crutches, it is quite a brilliant look into social interaction http://www.bikehacks.com/bikehacks/2014/01/commuter-psychology.html

zip ties... good to have in your car, on your motorcycle, or bicycle

you simply never know when you might be in need of a fastener or binder

Another smart garage innovation, using your bike rack and an inexpensive trailer hitch

why invent a new bike lock, when such cut resistant and pick proof solutions already exist, like leg irons

DIY workbench from scrap lumber

I think a bike shop would be much cooler with customer seating like this


I can't recall where I found this photo

repurposing old bike handles, good idea

Thursday, July 03, 2014

The most expensive motorcycle sold at auction, 1910 Winchester, $580,000


Found on http://thevintagent.blogspot.com.br/2014/04/the-worlds-most-expensive-motorcycle-or.html

Winchester, the legendary name in American guns, and for a very short while (1909-11) sold motorcycles under its badge, using single-cylinder Marsh-Metz engines. The Winchester was clutchless with a flat belt direct-drive, and a total-loss battery ignition; motorcycling at its most basic, yet still selling for a very expensive $160.

 Apparently around 200 Winchesters were produced under contract by the Edwin F Merry company in San Francisco,

elephant races


I don't recall where I found this

Buicks visual identification guide, 1904-1949

Salvador Dali, on the 10th floor, with a Harley... in Paris

"Unbroken" a movie of the life story of Louis Zamperini, Olympian, bombardier shot down in the Pacific, and prisoner of war in Japan



 Laura Hillenbrand wrote Unbroken over the course of 7 years, and 70+ interviews, the biography of an extraordinary U.S. Army Air Force officer, Louie Zamperini, who was shot down over the Pacific, chased by sharks while floating for more than a month on a raft, and imprisoned in a hellish Japanese POW camp. Amazingly, the guy survived it all and lived to 93. Before the war, he was a track start that set a record in the 1936 Olympics

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20440835,00.html

Zamperini was a world-class distance runner by the time he graduated from Torrance High School. His athleticism won him a track scholarship to USC, and at 19 years old, a spot on the 1936 US Olympic team.
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2014/07/03/louis-zamperini-1936-olympian-world-war-ii-pow-dies-at-97/

Wednesday, July 02, 2014

another of the modeling with Mopars photo shoots from 1969/70

Jeremy Irons and the XK 120 he ran at the Mille Miglia

passing other people on 3 wheels in a Monte Carlo, while dirt track racing

stats about the recalls from GM

According to TheDetroitBureau.com, via  http://www.autoblog.com/2014/07/01/yearly-auto-recall-record-demolished-in-6-months/   the US recall total has hit 39.85-million vehicles to surpass the previous record of 33.01 million in 2004.

Perhaps more surprising, with over 26 million repairs pending, it's still quite possibly that GM could recall more vehicles by the end of the year than the 27.96-million unit total of the entire US auto industry last year.

For a full look at GM vehicles recalled: http://www.autoblog.com/2014/06/30/gm-recalling-8-million-cars-ignition-problems-official/


7,610,862 vehicles in North America being recalled for unintended ignition key rotation. 6,805,679 are in the United States.

1997-2005 Chevrolet Malibu
1998-2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue
1999-2004 Oldsmobile Alero
1999-2005 Pontiac Grand Am
2000-2005 Chevrolet Impala
2000-2005 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
2004-2008 Pontiac Grand Prix

A second group of vehicles* are being recalled for a slightly different ignition key rotation issue (more details below). 616,179 of these vehicles are in North America, with 554,328 found in the United States.

2004-2006 Cadillac SRX
2003-2014 Cadillac CTS

Additionally 20,134 North American vehicles are being recalled because "insulation on the engine block heater power cord (if equipped) may become damaged during very cold conditions." 2,990 of these vehicles are in the United States.

2011-2014 Chevrolet Cruze
2012-2014 Chevrolet Sonic
2013-2014 Chevrolet Trax
2013-2014 Buick Encore
2013-2014 Buick Verano

117 vehicles in North America "may not have had a 'Superhold' joint fastener torqued to specification at the assembly plant." 106 of these vehicles are in the US.

2014 Chevrolet Camaro
2014 Chevrolet Impala
2014 Buick Regal
2014 Cadillac XTS

12,002 vehicles in North America are being recalled because "an overload in the feed may cause the underhood fusible link to melt due to electrical overload, resulting in potential smoke or flames that could damage the electrical center cover and/or the nearby wiring harness conduit." 9,371 of the affected vehicles are in the US.

2007-2011 Chevrolet Silverado HD (with auxiliary battery)
2007-2011 GMC Sierra HD (with auxiliary battery)

Finally, 188,705 SUVs in North America are being recalled due to "a possible electrical short in the driver's door module that could disable the power door lock and window switches and, in rare cases, overheat the module." Here, 181,984 of these vehicles are in the US.

2005-2007 Buick Ranier
2005-2007 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
2005-2007 GMC Envoy
2005-2007 Isuzu Ascender
2005-2007 Saab 9-7X
2006 Chevrolet TrailBlazer EXT
2006 GMC Envoy XL

American made vehicles, not many any more with more than 75% parts and assembly in the USA

Ford's F150 took #1,
General Motors scored a win at number seven, with the Chevrolet Corvette,
Chrysler squeaked in at number ten, with the Dodge Viper.

Outside of those three vehicles, Toyota and Honda dominate the top ten.

Found on http://www.autoblog.com/2014/06/30/fewest-vehicles-ever-most-american-survey-study/

33 years later, a stolen Corvette is returned to it's owner

George Talley, a 71-year-old Detroit man was informed by AAA and the Michigan State Police that his stolen Chevrolet Corvette had been found... after 33 years in Hattiesburg, MS.

That's when General Motors Executive Vice President Mark Reuss heard the story on a local news station, and offered to have the car shipped back to Detroit so Talley could be reunited with it.

http://www.autoblog.com/2014/07/01/gm-reunites-corvette-owner-car-stolen-33-years-ago-video/

parking.. the newest cause of social unrest. We're fed up with parking tickets!

In LA, activists are now seeking to cap non-public safety related parking fines at $23.

 Activists in Keene, New Hampshire, are fighting for more than just a decreased financial penalty; they want parking fines eliminated altogether. Although there is free parking in Keene after 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, and all day on Sunday, libertarian activists involved in the Free Keene campaign are not satisfied. To demonstrate their discontent, they are feeding expired meters before tickets can be issued, and have allegedly prevented the city from issuing more than 4,000 parking tickets since 2009.

In other areas, like Detroit, the city actually spends more money issuing parking fines than it does from collecting them. And almost half of the Motor City’s 3,400 parking meters don't work on any given day, further complicating parking governance.

http://theweek.com/article/index/263406/do-americans-have-the-right-to-free-parking  via http://www.autoblog.com/2014/07/02/free-parking-right-read-this/

it's uncommon to see Forest Service, Forest Ranger, and Coast Guard vehicles




and just showing such uncommon vehicles is reason enough to show them for me. That the last is a fire truck is pretty cool

Found on http://truquetructruk.tumblr.com/

Roush is building the Google driverless cars

Google contracted with Roush to build prototypes of fully autonomous vehicles, in which two people sit abreast in the tiny pod-shaped car, which has a flexible windshield for safety and is topped by a spinning cone that helps navigation. The electric vehicles, unveiled in May, are limited to a maximum speed of 25 miles per hour and do away with several decades-long constants in motoring: the steering wheel, brake pedal and accelerator pedal.

http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2014/07/01/333213.htm

But here is the strangest thing... these prototypes are being built without crumple zones, because Google is not half as smart as they think they are, and figures it has designed a car that will avoid collisions.

Those of us who drive cars, and not live in a bubble, realize it's not you who causes or avoids every possible collision on the roads, it's the rest of the vehicles in your area, roughly 50 yards in every direction around you, more, the faster they or you are moving

what does women's softball games no one wants to watch have to do with the NHRA drag race qualifying?

ESPN has to air and equal amount of womens sports no one wants to watch in order to get the contract to air NCAA football that is in high demand, and broadcasts the softball games right before NHRA qualifying, and because the softball games are live, and ESPN won't cut away from a live event, the NHRA coverage is often delayed or cut off until the softball games are over.

A meritocracy is not what gets your sport broadcast. Title IX legalities do.

Autoweek magazine, June 23rd issue, page 50, 2nd paragraph 

Tuesday, July 01, 2014

license plate genius

unreal... someone noticed that their rim is exactly the starfish shape, and did this

C. G. Mayer... inventor of the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile, 1952

whether a chance photo, or staged, it's kinda cool

the National Coach Museum of Lisbon Portugal





above image from Wikimedia


Above image from http://www.culturaltravelguide.com/2012/06

and you can do the virtual tour as well at http://en.museudoscoches.pt/

This museum is one of a kind. It houses the greatest world collection of royal coaches, dating from 17th Century to late 19th Century. The building itself is a “must see”, since it is in the old Royal Riding Arena of Belem Palace.

The most thorough and impressive gallery though, is from Cinla's website, Love is Speed: http://loveisspeed.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-national-coach-museum-is-located-in.html

helmet of the day

one ATM I won't trust, the portable type

hills trials look rougher than I thought

flight delayed due to premature slide deployment

interesting innovation in lawn mowers... taking up less space in the shed or garage



Found in Mens Journal magazine

photo by Bob Schmitt


Somedays... you wonder about people with walls. 

Lucille has been converted to gif... for fans of Cool Hand Luke