Sriracha FAQs

The NYT has a fun piece on Sriracha. My favorite Sriracha moment was getting a hot dog from an Ethiopian vendor's cart near D.C.'s Union Station and the only condiment she had was Sriracha.

CKY

Photo credit: Barron

Oldsmobile Ads With William Shatner And Leonard Nimoy

With all this buzz about Star Trek, here are a few classic ads starring Kirk, Spock, and their daughters.

CKY

Driving the Monaco GP Track In A Regular Car

The most anticipated F1 race is this weekend. Here is a regular Joe driving his Audi 80 2.3E around the "track", facing pedestrians, tourists, traffic, red lights, everything. He does two laps and he never gets above 90 clicks per hour.

Here is Massa's lap last year:

CKY

Cars of St. Pierre and Miquelon

While leafing through the Newfoundland chapter of my Lonely Planet Canada, I found a couple of islands belonging to France. Saint Pierre and Miquelon, population 6,125, consists of mostly Basque and Breton fishermen. It has an interesting history. During WWII, the governor was a Vichy sympathizer and Canada considered invading it because it was rumored to be helping German U-boats.

The above picture, found on flickr, captures the Territorial Collectivity's geographic location perfectly. It's taken outside the treasury building (the people use Euros). That all the vehicles in the picture are blue may be a coincidence, but they may also be official government cars. All the license plates say SPM, for Saint Pierre and Miquelon.

On the left is a Dodge truck, signifying the U.S. influence in the NAFTA countries. The middle car is a Renault Express, signifying that even though this is a remote North Atlantic outpost, France still reigns supreme. To the right is a Pontiac Sunrunner, which is a Canadian version of the Geo/Chevy Tracker.

CKY

Help A South Lebanese Cabbie

My Tajik cabbie just paid back my $25 micro-loan via Kiva. I just loaned the $25 to this chap in south Lebanon. Just look at the patina on that Mercedes W123! I urge all my readers to consider making a small loan. The default rate is almost zero. It's safer than the stock market, and real estate. Plus, you'll feel good about helping make someone's life a little better.

CKY

U2 Spy Plane Chase Cars

The U2 spy plane is very hard to land. It is light, has a huge wingspan, and will float in the air forever. The pilot literally has to stall it when it is close to the ground. Moreover, the plane has to be level or it will tip over and crash. Finally, ground visibility is virtually nil for the pilot.

As such, a chase car is needed to land a U2. In the 1950s, large displacement Ford station wagons, driven by fellow U2 pilots, chased the U2s as they landed. The chase car crew would talk the pilot down safely.

From the 1970s through 1986, El Caminos were used at American bases throughout the world, acting as chase vehicles. From 1986 to the late 90s, specially equipped Mustangs (like the highway patrol cars) were used.

The Chevy Camaro Z28 with the 5.7 liter V8 replaced the Mustang. When they stopped making the Camaro, blue Holden Monaros/Pontiac GTOs became the official chase cars.  Now, white Pontiac G8s are used.

Sources: Ford Mustang SSP and Motor Trend

CKY

Jon Gosselin's New Car: Nissan Nismo 350Z

(Jon & Kate Plus 8) Plus Nismo 350Z Minus Jon

No matter which side you are backing, we can all agree that Jon Gosselin's new car, a Nissan Nismo 350Z, had a lot to do with the current tensions. That is a serious mid-life crisis car for a 32 year old man.

Update 1: Check out Kate's new Land Cruiser here. I'm still trying to confirm that Jon just traded his white Nismo for a black BMW M3. Stay tuned.

Update 2: HERE IS JON'S "NEW" BMW M3.

Update 3: Here is Jon's Porsche SUV.

Update 4: Here is Jon's Mercedes SUV.

Presidential Helicopters

Ever wonder what kind of helicopters our presidents rode in?

Eisenhower, on July 12, 1957, became the first American president to ride in a helicopter. He was in a little United States Air Force Bell UH-13-J. He took it weekly to Camp David or his farm in Gettysburg.

Starting in 1958, the Sikorsky CH-34 Choctaw took over the duty of transporting El Presidente. Here is Kennedy and family climbing aboard one. There is an excellent example of one at the Travis Air Force Base museum.

Starting in 1961, the Sea King VH-3A became the official presidential helicopter. The amazing thing is that variants of the original still act as Marine One. Here's Johnson.

The infamous Nixon shot.

President Ford with a young Bob and Elizabeth Dole.

Jimmy Carter.

Ronnie and Nancy.

George H.W. and Maggie.

Bill Clinton.

George W. leaving on inaugural day, 2009.

Marine One leaving Chicago with the Obamas.

CKY

Tomica Obsession

I think it is safe to say that my fascination with cars started with my first Tomica car. I played with these Japanese versions of Matchbox cars constantly. The Yokohama Sogo store made a pretty yen from my obsession. I think this promotional ad says it all.

My memories were stirred today when I saw Jalopnik's post about a series of stop-action youtube clips featuring Tomica cars. All I have to say is someone has a lot of time on their hands.

CKY

P.S. Here is an official list, with pictures, of every Tomica car made, categorized by year. I am going to work on compiling a list, with pictures, of all the 1970s era Tomica police cars.

Rubber Tracks for Tanks And Armored Personnel Carriers

You know when an idea is so obvious and great that nobody ever thought of it? Rubber tracks for military vehicles is a great example. These are essentially large, tough rubber bands that replace the steel tracks. The Economist recently wrote about the advantages of replacing metal tracks with rubber tracks. Here is the Cliffs Notes version of the advantages.

• less fatigue on occupants
  
• occupants less prone to prickly and numb limbs
  
• occupants' hands do not get tired from grabbing onto safety handles too tightly
• less vibration means less wear and tear, especially to electronics hardware
• amount of time occupant can spend on board increases from 1.5 hours to 10 hours
• weight of suspension can be reduced by 25%
• fuel consumption as a result can be reduced by 30%
• rubber tracks are lighter so they can be wider, thus improving traction in mud and sand
  
• better acceleration and handling (almost as well as wheeled vehicles)
  
• quieter ride means no need for crew to use intercom
• quieter means they can sneak up on enemies easier
• less maintenance: steel tracks need replacement at 400 km versus 3,000 km for rubber
• with increasing number of peacekeeping missions, rubber does not destroy asphalt roads

Canada and Norway are in the process of converting all of their tracked APCs to rubber. Others are following suit. Currently, there is no rubber that is strong and durable enough for full-sized tanks.

CKY