Name the day, I had many.
The only one that stuck with me was car racing. I was watching F1 in the 60’s.
Name the day, I had many.
The only one that stuck with me was car racing. I was watching F1 in the 60’s.
Feminism and it’s costs
At 63, This Woman Finally Sees What Years of Belittling Men Cost Her – She’s alone and bitter
How Women Have Led to the Erasure of Women – That’s what you get for putting women in charge
Parenting
Proof that liberals make the crappiest parents on earth… – I just liked the headline. It’s what you’d expect.
Cars
57 Delivery Miles, 1 of 120 Produced for the U.S. Market
Father And Son Sports Legands
The 17 Most Successful Father-Son Duos In Pro Sports History
Gator Fight
Terrifying Fight Between Two Alligators In Florida Spills Into Woman’s Screened-In Porch: Watch
Travel
CEO Of Major Airline Wants To Ban Time-Honored Tradition Of Crushing Drinks At Airport Bars In The Morning – taking all the fun out of flying
Climate Hoax
Al Gore Warns of Impending Global… Cooling! I guess global warming didn’t work out, so he had to change tactics. He’s up there with P.T. Barnum for Circus acts
UN Climate Panel Quietly Admits Its Doomsday Climate Scenarios Were ‘Implausible’
Driverless Cars
7 Times Driverless Waymo Taxis Caused Chaos By Driving The Wrong Way Into Traffic
Cars
This Junkyard Datsun 240Z Now Has a Dodge Viper V10 Engine
Air Travel
Southwest to Limit Passengers to 1 Portable Charger on Flights
Delta Air hikes checked baggage fees as jet fuel prices soar
Climate Hoax
The Legacy of Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” 20 Years Later – He was lying then, and it’s proven now
Europe’s Climate Policy Forces Industry Into Retreat; Even Its Critics Are Folding
China/Iran
Trump upends China’s lucrative sanctioned oil import scheme after Iran, Venezuela interventions
Charlies Angel’s
Kate Jackson, Jaclyn Smith and Cheryl Ladd reunite for ‘Charlie’s Angels’ 50th anniversary – life is tough on girls looks.
NFL
As NFL embraces streaming, poll finds overwhelming pushback – the fans are only going to take so much. It’s like Disney pricing the Tragic Kindom out of bounds of the middle class. They forgot who their audience is. Plus, the streaming sucks.
Captain Obvious
‘Psychiatric morbidity’: New study confirms switching genders deteriorates your mental health – they don’t know who they are, but they want to be the other one, thinking it will make them feel better. Guess that didn’t turn out well now did it?
Hollywood
Death Of Hollywood In Two Charts – can’t happen soon enough.
Masters
Ranking All 18 Holes At Augusta National Golf Club For The Masters
Is Hillary Mad At them? I’m sure it’s just a coincidence
‘Something Dark is Going On’: Nine Top-Level Scientists Die or Go Missing in Past Year
Face it, She’s a slut
Cars
2026 Ram 1500 America 250 Limited Edition Trucks Go Full Red, White, and Blue
Travel Sucks
NASCAR is Wrestling now, fake
Bubba Wallace Admits Who He Is Before Going on a Wrecking Spree
Couldn’t Happen to A Better Person
Zuckerberg’s $20 Billion Wipeout: Meta Court Losses Spark ‘Big Tobacco’ Fears – face it, he’s not really helped people if he could make money.
I guess The Muslims Got Spain Back
Spain closes its airspace to U.S. aircraft involved in Operation Epic Fury – cross them off the list of countries we need to help
No Kings Financiers
We now have a list of the NO KINGS financiers… – Forking traitors.
Climage Change was an expensive hoax
$2 Trillion Later, The Green Revolution Collapsed: How Chasing Weather Power Bankrupted the Grid and Cost the World $40 Trillion in Growth – Al Gore got rich. All he had to do was lie.
Sick People
SHOCK VIDEO: Man exposes himself, rubs his genitals on woman at Whole Foods store – of course it was California and of course it was at Whole Foods.
Sports
Ranking The 9 Best Days In Sports – What about Memorial Day, the greatest day in racing?
EV’s Economic lost
Energy
Energy Expert: Germany’s Nuclear Phaseout Was A “500 Billion Euro Mistake”
Democrats against deportation
186 Democrats vote against deporting foreigners who defrauded America…
Destroying the Amazon
Arabs
Saudis Unite Arab World Against Iran: Trust “Has Completely Been Shattered” – Well, I’d be pissed too if they bombed my country. Iran is desparate
Baseball Food
Ranking The 8 Best New MLB Ballpark Foods Being Served Up During The 2026 Season – YMMV
Disgusting
Woman Starts EMDR Therapy After Drinking An Energy Drink—With A Dead Animal Inside – I think the moral of the story is leave the energy drinks alone
Portland
Portland Begs for Government Action as Homelessness Jumps 35%…it’s a shithole and probably broken so badly that it can’t be saved.
Democrats
Democrats Vote Against Bill to Deport Illegal Aliens Who Commit Welfare Fraud – no real Americans will vote for their platform anymore
Cars
16 Miles, Supercharged 6.2L/1,025 HP V-8, Automatic
Men Farting
Bill Gates
Dan Bongino: What Bill Gates Just Said Out Loud ‘Scares the Hell Out of Me’
Cheating Whores
Cars
Muslim dog hate
The Muslim Dog Hate Scandal – Screw the Muslims, dogs are better and kill a lot less, oh and they actually love you.
The 15 Second Generation
How Covid Created the 15 Second Generation – maybe that’s why Gen z has a lower IQ than previous generations for the first time
Olympics
The 14 Countries To Ever Be Banned From The Olympics And Why
The Destruction Of NYC
Mamdani’s Budget ‘Ultimatum’: State-led 2% tax on millionaires or city-mandated 9.5% property tax hike – it’s going downhill fast
Washington DC
Raw Sewage is Literally Flowing Through Washington, D.C. as National Media Ignores It… – as opposed to just the regular politician sewage
Climate Hoax
Renewables Catastrophically Expensive
Winter Storm Fern Proved Coal Is Still the Power Grid’s Reliable Backbone
Fraternity Hazing
Wild Video Of Iowa Fraternity Hazing Ritual Hits The Internet; Gets Compared To The Movie ‘Weapons’ – I was in one, but had I to do it over again, no way would I do it. I took no meaningful relationships into life from this experience.
Obama
We now know what happened when Obama found out Trump won in 2016: He cried… Fucking pussy
Racing
EVERY TIME THE DAYTONA 500 CHAMPION ONLY LED A SINGLE LAP
Thought for the day
Gyno-fascism is not about defending a physical country, but rather defending an abstract idea, no point other than to inflict endless torment in an effort to gain attention. Of course, it never ends. The ruling class is now a needy girlfriend with a personality disorder, demanding we drop everything to hear about her day.
California
Cars And Climate Hoax
Vermont Taxpayers Paid $8 Million for Electric Buses That Can’t Run In the Cold – who thought this was a good idea? Oh right, Joe Biden
Covid and MAHA
Proof at Last That Excess Deaths Are Caused by Covid “Vaccines” – It’s not like we don’t all know it. It’s just that those who didn’t get jabbed don’t have to worry about this.
AOC
AOC Facing Ridicule After Series of Embarrassing Gaffes on World Stage – Stupid is as stupid does – Forrest Gump
Olympics
French Hockey Player Kicked Off Olympic Team For Fighting Now Facing Criminal Charges After Dirty History Comes Back To Haunt Him – I’m surprised that a Frenchman wanted to fight. They usually just surrender
Olympic Skier Recalls ‘Female Version’ Of Weird Ski Jumping Scandal Involving Enlarged Equipment – She was wearing a wonderbra
Why Dutch Skater Jutta Leerdam Could Bank Extra $1 Million After Gold Medal Win – showing her Nike sports bra
Baseball
Ranking The 13 Highest-Paid MLB Players Of The 2026 Season – all of that scratch for playing a kids game
Women can’t get along, even in NASCAR
Female NASCAR Drivers Turn Against Natalie Decker Amid Latest Controversies
Epstein – Obama prostitution scandal
The Obama Administration’s Prostitution Scandal And the Ruemmler-Epstein Connection
NYC
NYC Mayor to State: Avoid Crisis by Raising Taxes – The absolute wrong thing to do and he does it every time. Liberal white women voted this asshole in
Football
Dolphins releasing star receiver Tyreek Hill in major roster cuts – but I think he still counts 50 million against the salary cap.
The End of White People
Peter Brimelow on the Invasion of America, Who’s Behind It, and How Long Until Total Collapse…
Disney
Sixth Dead Body Found at Disney World in Less Than Three Months
Health
A Core Cancer Therapy Is Being Ignored: Research Shows Fasting Exploits Cancer Cells’ Fatal Flaw
NIL Money
Who Are The Most Expensive Players In The College Football Transfer Portal By Position
Fantasy Football/Competitive Eating
Fantasy Football Punishment Nightmare: Bro Must Eat Hot Dogs For Every Meal Until He Matches Joey Chestnut’s Record – 71 is a lot of dogs
FAFO
Hilton Drops Minneapolis Hotel That Lied About Immigration Agent Ban
NASCAR Commissioner Resigns Over Texts Revealed in Michael Jordan Antitrust Trial
Russia
Retired Russian Col. Gen.: Everything in Russia Is In Bad Shape – like before the fall of the USSR
For The No Kings Crowd
ICYMI: GOP Sen Claims Biden FBI Placed ‘Innocent Americans’ Under Surveillance, Including Catholic Teacher – They actually did what they accused Trump of maybe doing
Vacation Shitholes
The 39 Countries Where You Can’t Vacation in 2026 – They have one obvious thing in common and being a shithole is not it. People are trying escape from these places, not go to visit.
Feminists
Campus Sexual Violence Rate Closer to 1%, Not 25%, Study Suggests – it doesn’t fit their all men bad narrative though. Once again, liberal women are one of our biggest problems
Cars
A Real Petty Blue 1972 Plymouth Road Runner Survivor Just Hit the Market
2027 Dodge Charger Hellcat V-8 Is a Return to Form Worth Waiting For
The Theft of Taxpayer money and misuse by Government
Three Examples of the “Theft Industrial Complex” in 2025 – with stuff like this happening, we’ll never balance the budget or stay a great nation
Sports
The 13 Richest Athletic Departments In College Sports Valued At More Than $1 Billion
The 12 Most Impactful Transfers In College Football History
Avengers Doomsday
Professor X, Magneto And Cyclops Return In Epic, World-Ending Teaser For ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ – so the woke movies failed and now they are bringing back the real heros’s. The real Captain America (Steve Rogers), Thor and a bunch of other white guys who made billions because the movies were good.
Energy and the Climate Hoax
Analysis: Don’t blame AI’s data centers for rising rates: ‘Electricity prices are rising fastest in states pursuing green energy policies, including California, Massachusetts, & New York’ – so much for the Green New Deal. It’s the same thing for prices in the EU for countries that fell for the Climate Hoax
U.S. Seizes Venezuela-Linked Oil Tanker in North Atlantic – Got it. less for Hezbollah, the bad guys
Las Vegas Hotels
‘Security Knows This’: Worker Cautions Against Staying At Iconic Las Vegas Hotel. Then He Reveals Chilling Reason Why – It’s a freaking dump. It’s been a dump since the 80’s when some of my colleagues had to stay there.
Cars
Crazy Dirt Racing Crash At Tulsa Shootout Ends With Car Lodged In Dumpster After Jumping Fence – Hey, you pay for entertainment, you might as well get some
Twin-Turbocharged 6.4L V-8, Automatic
Climate Hoax
Financial Times: ‘Climate policy suffers blistering setbacks in 2025’ – ‘US retreat much worse & faster than expected in 2nd Trump admin’ – I’m laughing at the Euroweenies and the Climatards who bought into this. They were either stupid enough to believe it, or smart enough to grab as much cash on the scam before it imploded for lack of facts or substance. Al Gore got famous for a few years, but He’ll be looked on by history as a dickhead Don Quixote chasing Windmills.
Travel
Flu Is Rising Rapidly, Driven by a New Variant – I admit to being a germaphobe. I wipe down the seat, armrests, and everything I might have to touch. Actually, I’d rather not get on a plane. God forbid I stay in a hotel room where the people did whatever right before me and the hotel staff gave it the half-assed wiped down at best before I check in.
No wonder the flu is spreading. Wash your hands at least. People are disgusting.
Proof of Daycare Fraud
‘Learing’ Center Finally Fixes Misspelled Sign
Harvard, Ground Zero For DEI Failure
DIE Forced Harvard to Teach Remedial Math – They let in people who not only can’t pay for it, they can’t read, write or do math either. What an embarrassment
Top 10 Media Hoaxes of 2025
Here Are the 10 Biggest Media Hoaxes of 2025 – really, just pick any 10 stories about Trump. That will do the same thing. They are all the same and all just as biased.
Travel
Top Bucket List Destinations for 2026 – maybe for some people.
Health
Study Finds That Common Dry Cleaning Chemical Tetrachloroethylene Linked to Severe and Potentially Fatal Liver Damage – all of those clean clothes killing people
China Spying
‘Wreak havoc’: U.S. nuclear bomber fleet shares fence with trailer park linked to Chinese intel-tied fraudster – No, they aren’t spying, they’re just running a trailer park
Islam Practices
Muslim Preacher Says Americans Are So Uncivilized and Backward That They Use Toilet Paper – back to 600 AD we go by starting in NYC and Minnesota. Stop it now so we don’t have to have a Gates of Vienna.
Obamacare
The Obamacare Secret at the Heart of the Shutdown: Insurers Made Billions at Taxpayer Expense – Lies, lies, lies from the start. It was always about the money and socialism, not healthcare.
Doctor Lays It Out So Clearly: Barry’s Affordable Care Act Was the Biggest Shakedown In US History…
Illegals
If You Move the Third World to the First World, Eventually We Become the Third World – Look at the UK, Rapes in Sweden, Germany Economy. Stop it at NYC now before it ruins the US.
Quantum Computing
Space: The Final Frontier – A financial opportunity for a technology searching for money.
Quantinuum Makes Another Milestone On Commercial Quantum Roadmap – Who has the advantage?
Media (and Lying, but then I repeat myself)
Trump may squeeze the boobs at the Beeb – Anti-Americanism at its’ best
Another How Woke and Feminism is ruining everything they touch.
Born Perfect: The Girlboss and the Death of Growth… – From ruining Star Wars to businesses. Why Luke Skywalker had to suffer to become a hero. Men had to learn to lead the hard way and this shows why the lessons have to be learned. You can’t just DEI your way to be a leader. 2 of my 3 worst managers were girls. They made life this difficult.
Double Standard for the Elite
“Clinton Corruption Files” – Bondi, Patel Give Congress New Evidence Detailing Clinton Foundation Corruption – They clearly not only broke the law, but mocked others. They’ll also get away with it. It’s like they have evidence on others that is blackmail.
Academia
The Dirty Secret Behind America’s “Best and Brightest”: The Foreign Cheating Scandal Academia Won’t Touch – Cheating in Ivy League schools, I’m shocked
Illegals
‘If you move the third world to the first world, eventually we become the third world’ – Look at Germany, Sweden and the UK.
Cars
One of 48 Original Ford GT40 Mk1 going to Auction at Mecum in Spring.

TV
Disney/ESPN Losing $30 Million/Week Amid YouTube TV Blackout, According To Industry Expert – And I’m missing Jeopardy and Football. At least I can see F1 on F1TV because the BBC coverage is on ESPN, and it sucks.
Sports
The 5 Times A College Basketball National Title Was Won On A Buzzer Beater Or Last-Second Shot
I’ll be taking a Father/Son trip for a few days, so posting will be slow.
I’ve scheduled most of the usuals already, with at least one best of (tune in to see what), so there should be a post each day.
If I do put something up, you can take shots at where we went. It’s one of our shared passions. We’ve gone through fishing, hunting, Karate, and this together over the years.
I usually introvert out and try not to go to stuff with people, but spending some of the little time I have left with my son makes it worth it to do.
It’s not like what I post changes the world, but I hope it brings some diversion from life from time to time.
Oh, and bad guys who think my abode is free to raid, there is a special surprise for you if you try.
From hybrid hypercars to high-output EVs, the amount of horsepower that today’s cars can generate is truly impressive.
In this infographic, we rank the 20 most powerful cars of 2025, spanning gasoline, hybrid, and fully electric powertrains.
The data for this ranking comes from Motor1. It details the horsepower, pricing, and origins of the most extreme production vehicles available in 2025.
While price tags often run into the millions, some surprising entries challenge the notion that power always comes with exclusivity.
| Brand | Model Name | Type | Horsepower | Price ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇸🇪 Koenigsegg | Gemera | Hybrid | 2,300 | $1,700,000 |
| 🇭🇷 Rimac | Nevera R | EV | 2,107 | $2,500,000 |
| 🇯🇵 Aspark | Owl | EV | 1,984 | $3,100,000 |
| 🇬🇧 Lotus | Evija | EV | 1,972 | $2,300,000 |
| 🇮🇹 Pininfarina | Battista | EV | 1,900 | $2,200,000 |
| 🇮🇹 Pininfarina | B95 | EV | 1,877 | $4,800,000 |
| 🇺🇸 Hennessey | Venom F5 | Gas | 1,817 | $1,800,000 |
| 🇫🇷 Bugatti | Tourbillon | Hybrid | 1,775 | $4,000,000 |
| 🇸🇪 Koenigsegg | CC850 | Gas | 1,385 | $3,700,000 |
| 🇺🇸 SSC | Tuatara | Gas | 1,350 | $1,900,000 |
| 🇺🇸 Czinger | 21C VMax | Gas | 1,350 | $2,000,000 |
| 🇬🇧 McLaren | W1 | Hybrid | 1,258 | $2,100,000 |
| 🇺🇸 Chevrolet | Corvette ZR1X | Hybrid | 1,250 | TBA |
| 🇺🇸 Lucid | Air Sapphire | EV | 1,234 | $251,000 |
| 🇮🇹 Ferrari | F80 | Hybrid | 1,184 | $3,900,000 |
| 🇬🇧 Aston Martin | Valkyrie | Hybrid | 1,160 | $3,500,000 |
| 🇺🇸 Chevrolet | Corvette ZR1 | Gas | 1,064 | $178,000 |
| 🇩🇪 Mercedes | AMG One | Hybrid | 1,063 | $2,700,000 |
| 🇺🇸 Rivian | R1T Quad | EV | 1,025 | TBA |
| 🇺🇸 Tesla | Model S Plaid | EV | 1,020 | $102,000 |
Nothing like the sound of a big V-8 to shock your back molars. It’s a great sound
Are there any activities or hobbies you’ve outgrown or lost interest in over time?
Just about every damn one of them. Girlfriends too.
I was infatuated with boats as a kid. I wound up owning two and was glad to unload both of them.
I played Tennis in college, playing and practicing every day for years, and don’t even bother turning on Wimbledon anymore.
I fished (see the boats) for decades every week and haven’t wet a line in years. I caught thousands of fish
I did martial arts for decades, but that fell by the wayside also.
I hunted for years until I decided not to kill anymore unless it was life or death. My house has trophies on the wall from many hunts, but there won’t be anymore.
I biked in group rides competitively multiple times a week for years and even though I ride for exercise, I do it alone now about once a week, just to stay healthy and to get away.
It was the same with all the girlfriends I had before being married. They lasted until I realized who they presented themselves to be to win me over wasn’t who they were, and it was over.
Hell, I don’t even want to see my extended family unless I have to. I keep them at arm’s length as much as I can to not have the stories of my childhood replayed for the 1000th time.
What all of these had in common was that I conquered them. The thrill of victory was over and there were no more dragons to slay. When the passion was gone, so was I.
Now, I try not to get small-talked to death and most of the stuff I do are solo sports.
About the only things that remained in my life were golf, auto racing, reading, and bible study. The rest faded away due to a lack of passion.
Such is life. I try to stay to myself. I compartmentalized the things in the past and write about them occasionally, mostly to myself.
I’ve become more introverted in life and my enjoyment comes from within and time alone rather than in groups. Hell, I have to face people from my past this week and I can’t say I’m excited about that either.
My truck is automatic, but I learned to double clutch on an old car with a crashbox. My son’s sports car has a 6 speed that I drive for fun when I can.
Here they are….
Remember when nearly every car had a stick? Sadly, manual transmissions aren’t as popular as they used to be. Automakers have phased out their six-speeds over the years as fewer customers crave the ol’ do-it-yourself shifter.
But don’t worry, it’s not all doom and gloom.
There are nearly 30 cars you can still buy with a manual transmission in 2025. The options range from sports cars and sports sedans to SUVs—and even a truck. With many iconic models ditching their manuals for the new year, we’re happy to see that there are still survivors out there. Stay strong.

Porsches, BMW’s, Mustang, Acura, Jeeps and more. This post is for car people.
BTW, who knows what a crashbox is or drove one??
What is your all time favorite automobile?
This is the easiest one for me to answer. It’s the Porsche 917. It’s one of the few cars that was the star of a movie (that wasn’t a cartoon).

I first saw it at the 24 hours of Daytona in 1970.
It was the first time I’d seen a car go over 200MPH in person in my life and I was a pre-teen at the time.
It would go on to dominate 2 different series of racing. It’s what got me fully hooked on endurance racing.
Here is the car on NASCAR turn 4 at well over 200 driven by my then favorite driver, Jo Siffert.

People responded to Ferrari bragging about its commitment to ‘diversity and inclusivity’ by pointing out that the luxury car manufacturer forces customers to pass a ‘social status’ background check just to be able to buy a Ferrari.
Awkward.
In the wake of the Jaguar farce, when the heritage brand launched a new commercial featuring androgynous models, thereby alienating their core customer base, Ferrari appears to have said, “Hold my beer!”
It started with a post on X in which Ferrari boasted of its, “Commitment to equality, equity, and inclusion by endorsing the new Diversity and Inclusion Charter alongside @F1 and the @fia.”
However, that “inclusivity” doesn’t appear to extend to its own potential customers.
As Nick Sortor points out, Ferrari conducts exhaustive background checks on anyone who wants to buy one of their higher end vehicles to “ensure they fit the mold of the brand and its desired image.”
“Family background, social status and additional affiliations,” are also scrutinized before Ferrari will even consider taking your cash.
That doesn’t sound very inclusive!
“Nothing says “inclusivity” like requiring background checks and “social status checks” for ENTIRE FAMILIES before they’re allowed to purchase your cars,” commented Sortor.
Those cars breathe testosterone and Alpha male. This shit started as soon as they hired Lewis Hamilton as an F1 driver and he brought that diversity shit which brings down everything it touches.
I’ve always loved Ferrari, but will have a hard time liking a company with these principles. Grow a set and be the company Enzo created.
Look what it did to Bud Light and now Jaguar
Who wants to hear an electric Ferrari?
“… the ideological vision has failed. We need to acknowledge that …”
Italy Seeks Reversal of EU’s 2035 Combustion Engine Ban
By Alberto BrambillaSeptember 07, 2024 at 11:45AM EDT
Bloomberg) — Italian officials said the European Union’s plan to ban sales of new internal combustion engines from 2035 should be reviewed.
“The ban must be changed,” Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin said on the sidelines of the Ambrosetti Forum in Cernobbio, on the shores of Italy’s Lake Como, on Saturday.
Pichetto Fratin called the decision by the EU “absurd,” and dictated by an “ideological vision” along with a state-controlled approach to policy-making within the bloc. The plan needs changing in order to reflect different market realities amid the European auto industry’s slowdown, he added.
Industry Minister Adolfo Urso also backed a change, urging the incoming European Commission to anticipate the review of the plan to early 2025, from 2026. “In an uncertain landscape which is affecting German automotive industry, clarity is needed to not let the European industry collapse,” Urso said in Cernobbio.
These greentards are delusional. Carbon and petroleum are not the danger they claim, nor is electricity the panacea they propose
It’s not the panacea they are leading us to believe. Give me a V-8, a diesel, or better yet, a V-12
I’ve been playing with ChatGPT looking to find either holes in the system or it going woke on me. It looks like I found both.
It’s still GIGO (garbage in, garbage out). The stuff I asked it is readily available online so I knew the answers before I asked it. I do this to try and catch it and the biased people behind it.

I’d had it with NASCAR for being woke and chasing away its’ fanbase. First it was banning the Confederate Flag, then country music and then DEI. So I asked it some questions. It wouldn’t even try to answer the obvious.
Me: how much did NASCAR TV ratings go down after banning the confederate flag?
ChatGPT
As of my last knowledge update in January 2022, I don’t have specific data on the long-term impact of NASCAR’s decision to ban the Confederate flag on TV ratings. NASCAR announced the ban on displaying the Confederate flag at its events in June 2020, as part of its commitment to fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment.
It’s important to note that accurately attributing changes in TV ratings to a specific event or policy decision can be challenging due to the influence of various factors. TV ratings can be affected by race outcomes, changes in the competitive landscape, economic conditions, overall interest in the sport, and other variables.
For the most up-to-date information on NASCAR TV ratings and any potential trends related to the ban on the Confederate flag or other factors, it’s recommended to check recent reports from reliable sources, including sports media outlets and television rating agencies. The impact of such decisions on viewership can also be subjective, and opinions on these matters may vary.
Me: how much did NASCAR TV ratings go down when they went woke?
ChatGPT
As of my last knowledge update in January 2022, I don’t have specific data on NASCAR TV ratings related to any perceived shift in the organization’s approach or actions being characterized as “going woke.” It’s important to note that discussions around sports organizations and their viewership ratings can be complex, influenced by various factors, and opinions on the reasons for changes in ratings can differ.
The term “going woke” generally refers to actions taken by organizations to address social justice issues or adopt more inclusive policies. However, the impact on TV ratings can be influenced by a range of factors, including changes in the competitive landscape, viewer demographics, overall interest in the sport, economic conditions, and more.
For the most up-to-date and accurate information on NASCAR TV ratings, especially any changes associated with specific initiatives or shifts in approach, it’s recommended to check recent reports from reliable sources, including sports media outlets, NASCAR itself, or television rating agencies.
Please note that opinions on the relationship between sports organizations addressing social issues and changes in TV ratings can vary, and discussions on this topic can be nuanced and subjective.
Me: how much did NASCAR TV ratings go down from the Bubba Wallace issue (I already looked up that it did go down a lot)
ChatGPT
As of my last knowledge update in January 2022, I don’t have specific data on the long-term impact of the Bubba Wallace incident on NASCAR TV ratings. The incident in question refers to the discovery of a noose in Bubba Wallace’s garage stall at Talladega Superspeedway in June 2020. It was initially investigated as a potential hate crime but later determined to be a garage door pull rope.
The incident received significant media attention and sparked discussions about race and diversity within the sport. However, accurately measuring the impact on TV ratings is complex, as multiple factors can influence viewership.
NASCAR experienced a mix of challenges and opportunities during the 2020 season, including the COVID-19 pandemic, schedule changes, and efforts to address racial and social justice issues. While there were reports of increased interest and attention to NASCAR during certain periods of the season, the long-term impact on TV ratings can be influenced by various factors.
For the most up-to-date information on NASCAR TV ratings and any potential trends related to the Bubba Wallace incident or other factors, it is recommended to check recent reports from reliable sources, including sports media outlets and television rating agencies. Keep in mind that assessing the impact of specific events on TV ratings can be subjective and may involve analyzing data over time.
2023 marked Disney’s 100th anniversary of making movie magic.
It also marked a disastrous year at the box office.
Out of eight major theatrical releases from Disney this year, seven of them significantly underperformed with audiences not just in the U.S. but overseas as well.
A look back at the rough year for the House of Mouse:
One of the most popular film franchises in the 21st century has been the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ever since 2008’s “Iron Man,” Disney’s catalog of superheroes and the stars that play them drove tens of millions of Americans into theaters. That wasn’t the case with two out of the three Marvel flicks released in 2023.
The first was in February with “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.” Despite an all-star cast including Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer and Bill Murray, the $200 million-priced film earned only $215 million domestically and $476 million worldwide, far short of the $600 million it needed to break even on its theatrical run, according to Variety. That’s less than the $519 million worldwide earnings from the first “Ant-Man” film in 2015 and the $623 million the second installment earned in 2018 (not adjusted for inflation).
“The Marvels,” however, opened to just $46 million and may not even reach $100 million domestically (its total gross so far is less than $90 million domestically and roughly $200 million worldwide), making it the lowest-grossing Marvel film in the entire franchise and putting it in box office disaster territory, given its reported $274 million budget.
I was a super hero fan and a Star Wars fan. Disney, courtesy of Kathleen Kennedy made them woke and terrible. Ultimately, the are all but unwatchable. It’s going to be a long time before I can see good movies again. Men, and white’s are not the villains every time. Captain America was a hero since WWII, even he is going woke in the new rendition.
I will probably see Ferrari though. I’d own one if I had some F/U money come my way.
What else. How are you ever going to eat all of that?
Why would you want to ride in a Ferrari when you can command such a beast around the roads? It would be like having the most beautiful girl in the world and not sleep with her.

At least the company headquartered in Maranello announced they won’t pollute the sanctity of their driving machines with this feature.
They caved to e-fuels, but the essence of the prancing horse will stay intact.
Self-driving Ferraris are not for us, Ferrari chief executive Ferrari Benedetto Vigna said Monday. “Lifestyle business is immportant for us,” Vigna said. “It allows us to expand links with our community.”
Vigna also welcomed plans to exempt cars that run on e-fuels from the European Union’s planned 2035 phase-out of new combustion engine vehicles as they will give the luxury carmaker “greater freedom” on its power systems.
COMBUSTION ENGINE EXCEPTION
The European Union and Germany have reached a deal allowing new cars powered by combustion engines (ICE) to be sold beyond the 2035 deadline, or 2036 for so-called small volume manufacturers like Ferrari, if they run on carbon-neutral e-fuels.
“The good news for us as a company is that on top of electric cars, we’ll also be able to go on with our internal combustion engines ones,” Vigna told a Reuters Newsmaker event.
“This decision is very interesting for us because it allows ICEs to go beyond 2036,” he added.
Ferrari, which is renowned for its powerful petrol engines, is already producing plug-in hybrid cars and has promised its first full-electric vehicle for 2025.
However, Ferrari, which sold over 13,200 cars in 2022, has never provided a roadmap for going all electric.
Presenting its new business plan last year, Ferrari said fully electric and hybrid models would make up 80% of those in its range by 2030, while 20% would still be powered by internal combustion engines.
“This does not change,” Vigna said. “We don’t want to tell clients which car to use. We want to make three kinds of propulsion available for them – hybrid, electric and ICE – and they will chose.”
SPENDING UNCHANGED
Vigna reassured investors that the company’s investment plans would not be affected by combustion engines getting an extended life, as Ferrari had already “embedded” this scenario in its business plan.
“The figure I gave (last year) – 4.4 billion euros ($4.7 billion) for capex in the 2022-2026 period – it’s enough for us to go ahead with electrification and also with ICEs which are compatible with e-fuels,” he said.
Vigna said Ferrari’s upcoming electric model would be “a unique car” but would not be drawn on details, adding that “keeping secret is part of the recipe.”
He added it was wrong to assume that specific forms of propulsion would match specific models in the future. Fuels are a mean to provide the performance expected from a Ferrari car, he said.
He said that the price of e-fuels, or synthetic fuels, was likely to come down as they are developed in coming years.
“They’re a new technology, and like for all new technologies they have time to become cheaper,” he said. ($1 = 0.9279 euros)
A great sport has been overtaken by the environmentalists saying this is the future of clean energy and the usual word salad to prove their point. They have created some of the most cutting edge technology and speed you can possibly do. It was at the cost of fun, enjoyment of the car and the rush you get from all of your senses.

Before I get to the facts below, everyone likes the sound of a screaming V-12,10 or even 8 over a hybrid car. You can hear them before you see them and the noise and smell enhance your senses of excitement.
It’s not going to happen though, but here’s why it should:
The electric car’s biggest disadvantage on greenhouse gas emissions is the production of an EV battery, which requires energy-intensive mining and processing, and generates twice as much carbon emissions as the manufacture of an internal combustion engine. This means that the EV starts off with a bigger carbon footprint than a gasoline-powered car when it rolls off the assembly line and takes time to catch up to a gasoline-powered car.
One of the big unknowns is whether EV batteries will have to be replaced. While the EV industry says battery technology is improving so that degradation is limited, if that assurance proves overly optimistic and auto warranties have to replace expensive battery packs, the new battery would create a second carbon footprint that the EV would have to work off over time, partially erasing the promised greenhouse-gas benefits.
With governments now in the business of mandating electric vehicles, the battery challenge assumes a global scale. The majority of lithium-ion batteries are produced in China, where most electricity comes from coal-burning power plants.
The process of mining critical minerals is sometimes described in language that evokes strip mining and fracking, an inconvenient truth that is beginning to attract notice. “Electric cars and renewable energy may not be as green as they appear,” a 2021 New York Times article noted. “Production of raw materials like lithium, cobalt and nickel that are essential to these technologies are often ruinous to land, water, wildlife and people.” The Times has also warned that with global demand for electric vehicles projected to grow sixfold by 2030, “the dirty origins of this otherwise promising green industry have become a looming crisis.”
All of these CO2 metrics could come into play in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s recently proposed rule that would require publicly traded companies to disclose the greenhouse gas emissions they produce directly, as well emissions produced indirectly through their supply chains around the world. While the implications aren’t clear yet, the new rule could standardize CO2 disclosures and transparency on EV carbon impacts, but some say that such calculations are nearly impossible for global contractors, and automakers would have to rely on the same kinds of estimates and modeling that are used now. Echoing a common concern, EV battery maker Nikola Corp. told the SEC that “some climate data is not readily available, complete, or definitive.”
As a result of these uncertainties, many consumers don’t understand the complexity of these analyses and may assume that their electric cars are literally zero-emissions, or that what matters most is that EVs are better for the environment and the precise degree is not that important.
more….
EV advocates are optimistic that in the coming decades electric cars will become cleaner as power grids are “decarbonized” and the industrialized world reduces its reliance on CO2-spewing fossil fuels, primarily coal and natural gas. Exactly how much cleaner is not easy to pinpoint. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, about 60% of the nation’s electricity was generated from coal and gas in 2021. In its Annual Energy Outlook, the agency projects those two fossil fuels will generate 44% of U.S. electricity by 2050.
But those percentages can be misleading. Even as the relative fuel proportions change over time, overall electricity demand is going up, so the total amount of fossil fuels actually burned in the mid-21st century goes down by only about 5%, according to EIA estimates. Future greenhouse gas emissions will depend on the number of EVs on the road and how electricity is generated, and those forecasts swing wildly. The EIA forecasts a mere 18.9 million EVs on U.S. roads in 2050, which is very conservative compared with advocacy group EVAdoption’s prediction of more than 25 million EVs on U.S. roads by 2030, only eight years away. BloombergNEF forecasts 125 million EVs on U.S. roads in 2040, up from 1.61 million at the end of last year, which would constitute about half the cars in this country.
“They’re making these forecasts that are basically licking your finger and sticking it up in the air,” David Rapson, a professor of energy economics at the University of California, Davis, who analyzes electric vehicle policy, said about California forecasts, which also applies more broadly. “Nobody knows what’s going to happen.”
Back to me.
Don’t try to tell me racing a hybrid is environmentally helpful when you fly around the world in many private and cargo jets each F1 weekend. Hauling the freight to one race is the pollution (carbon is not pollution) of all the cars in every race.
Cut us some slack and put real engines that we can hear coming, building our excitement.
Even the greenie drivers loved it when Fernando Alonso drove his championship winning Renault to some exhibition laps. They miss the sound also.
It’s not a step backwards, rather a step in the right direction.

This is Jo Siffert at Daytona in 1970 in a Gulf Porsche 917. Out of all of the versions of this dominating car, this was both my favorite and my first encounter with it. He was my favorite driver and died too young.
It was the first time I’d seen a car go over 200 MPH in person. I was young, so it was impressive.
I was already a Porschefile by this point, but that day cemented it home.
I’ve seen them race many times, but I was with my Dad that day and it still is memorable for me.
Later, the car was the star of the movie Le Mans. Steve McQueen was in the movie, the king of cool, but the car outshone him.
Some call it the greatest sports car ever, and for those of us who have seen it race, we understand why.
After all…..this is the greatest line ever in a car movie.


Perhaps the greatest sports car ever built and the star of a movie with Steve McQueen, this car was so dominant that it got banned not once but twice. It is recognized by most aficionados as one of the top cars in any list of the greatest cars.
It’s longevity, reputation and star appeal are it’s own, and enough to hold up to the King of Cool.
“If one does not fail at times, then one has not challenged himself.” -Ferdinand Porsche
People need to overcome challenges and problems in life. They are handed to us everyday whether or not we want them. That is just life and maintaining the balance that humans require.
To get ahead, you must step out, take a risk, use your talents and sometimes you won’t succeed. When you do, you get a sense of satisfaction from overcoming or in the case of Dr. Porsche, you start an iconic car company.
“Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.” (Sign hanging in Einstein’s office at Princeton)
“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” – Dale Carnegie
Robert Frost – “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.”
arrêtez de ramer, tu attaques la falaise. (You can stop rowing now, you’re on the beach)
It is easy to lose one’s perspective in a mass of details. – Bible Study Fellowship
Failure is but a paragraph in the book of each human life. It is the pages that follow that ultimately define us
Laurence J. Peter – “An economist is an expert who will know tomorrow why the things he predicted yesterday didn’t happen today.”
“Racing is Life. Everything before and after is just waiting.” Steve McQueen from the movie LeMans
Albert Einstein open original article “Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former
Joseph Heller -“The enemy is anybody who’s going to get you killed, no matter which side he’s on.”
Sidney J. Harris – “A cynic is not merely one who reads bitter lessons from the past, he is one who is prematurely disappointed in the future.”
Abba Eban-“History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives.”
When you win, say nothing, when you lose, say less. -Paul Brown
You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them. -Michael Jordan
Every game is an opportunity to measure yourself against your own potential. -Bud Wilkinson
Excellence is not a singular act but a habit. You are what you do repeatedly. -Shaquille O’Neal
“Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.” Winston Churchill, as quoted in The New American Newspeak Dictionary (2005) by Adrian Krieg, p. 96
Rudeness is a weak person’s imitation of strength
Oscar Wilde
“What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.”
Losers quit when they’re tired. Winners quit when they’ve won
370H-SSV-0773H – read upside down
I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race [is] not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.
For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so [are] the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.– Ecclesiastes 9:11,12 —
“Meetings are indispensable when you don’t want to do anything.” – John Kenneth Galbraith
If guns kill people, then pens misspell words, cars make people drive drunk, forks make you fat, and TVs make you watch porn.
Listen to people. If they are worth talking to, they are worth listening to first.
You can’t change what happens to you in life. All you can change is how you deal with it.
I think I’m emotionally constipated because I haven’t given a Rats Rump in days.
Liberalism: Moochers electing looters to steal from producers
Political Correctness – A term used by whiny wussies that need stuff sugar coated
“The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.” -Albert Einstein
“I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him.” Abraham Lincoln
A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within – Ariel Durant
“Blessed is the man who, having nothing to say, abstains from giving wordy evidence of the fact.” – George Eliot
But isn’t it always that way with liberals? The only time they seem to make any sense at all is when they’re drunk or you are.
-Burt Prelutsky
Ya gotta be tough if your gonna be stupid.
“Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rapidly promoted by mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a piece of crap by the clean end.”
Laurence J. Peteropen
“Against logic there is no armor like ignorance.”
“Never judge a book by its movie.”
“Liberals are very broadminded: they are always willing to give careful consideration to both sides of the same side.”
Ronald Reagan – “The government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.”
Douglas Adams – “Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.”
Ronald Reagan – “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.'”
Mark Twain – “Suppose you were an idiot and suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.”
Frank Zappa – “Communism doesn’t work because people like to own stuff.”
Peter Drucker – “So much of what we call management consists in making it difficult for people to work.”
Michael Crichton – “Whenever you hear the consensus of scientists agrees on something or other, reach for your wallet, because you’re being had.”
Thomas Sowell – “Much of the social history of the Western world over the past three decades has involved replacing what worked with what sounded good.”
Vince Lombardi – “If winning isn’t everything, why do they keep score?”
Ronald Reagan – “Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first.”
“Thanking Obama for killing Osama bin Laden is like going into McDonald’s and thanking Clown Ronald McDonald for the hamburger. The person cooking the burger should get the credit, not the Clown. It was the intelligence gained by the previous administration that found him.”
And you sir are weak! Unwilling and unable to look evil in the eye and deal with it! – Jack Bauer
“If one does not fail at times, then one has not challenged himself.” -Ferdinand Porsche
You won’t get this if you don’t follow F1 and you don’t understand the Finnish people. He is a completely different person off camera and is really making fun of life on screen by not being a TV persona.
The reality is nobody really buys one for green reasons, nor do they care about gas mileage or any of that nonsense.
It turns out that owning a Porsche is Environmentally friendly. Well, that’s one way to justify it.
Says Porsche:
Stuttgart. Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, is supporting the generation of renewable energy. The manufacturer of sporty premium vehicles is making a 40,000-square-meter area on the roof top of its central spare parts warehouse in Sachsenheim (Baden-Wuerttemberg) available to the firm Goldbeck Solar GmbH, Hirschberg an der Berg-
strasse, in order to install and operate approximately 8,500 photovoltaic modules there. The system has a nominal output of two megawatts. The electricity will be fed into the grid of the energy provider E&W Eichwald GmbH, Bietigheim-Bissingen.
Well, if that isn’t enough, take this…
I was complaining discussing my travails with podcast alley and getting non itunes podcasts to my iPod. I’m happy to report that I found Juice off of sourceforge.net.
I’m feeling pretty good about it as I’m now getting feeds off of podcast alley, ipodder, podcast pickle and others with ease. Moreover, I’m pretty glad I went outside of my comfort zone and got what I needed to work. I’m equally happy I got it off of sourceforge.
Now, it’s time for a couple of sporting events that interest me. The Tour de France and the 24 hours of LeMans which until I just typed this, I didn’t realize the French connection. I hope there is a good podcast.
If not, there is always RadioLeMans which comes out of the UK of all places, and is quite good coverage. In fact, now that I’m really getting off topic, I find that auto racing coverage is usually best out of the UK. My favorite racing podcast is the chequered flag from BBC radio 5 Live.
All attention for me from now till June 4th is on RSDC in Orlando. We have the next edition of the show blog by execs and analysts (we were the first IBM group to try this last year), we have podcasts. We’ll have the first IBM blogger meetup (see below). So it’s heads down and get the work done which includes all the announcement prep and analyst briefing.
Except that it’s memorial day and I’m going fishing . There is the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indy 500, the Coca Cola 600, all which have to be watched. I’m also going down early to see my Mom for the first time since my Dad’s funeral and I get to fish with a good friend on the Indian River Lagoon.
I also have a ton of followups from analyst briefings, reports and other IBM issues that have to be handled before I leave.
So I’m laser focused on all things RSDC right now with no distractions
This weekend is the Grand Prix of Monaco. A principality barely a mile long, but a tax free haven that sports more millionaires per square inch than perhaps anywhere in the world. It also has fantastic history and equally good names for corners. Nothing against Nascar 3 or Indy 1, but Mirabeau, Beau Rivage and Sainte Devote exude emotion from a race fan that has seen decades of mano-a-mano on this course. Nancy, there is better shopping here than anywhere you’ve been 😉
Most F1 courses have 100 kilometers of run off at turns for screw-ups or crashes. One wrong move here and it’s into the concrete wall, roughly a few hundred thousand to a few million dollars per wreck.

SOFTWARE SUPREME
There are also more computers in this cramped place and more lines of software code and specialty chips than most data centers. They can monitor a sixteenth of a pound of tire pressure from across the city as it inflates due to stress of improper setup. Budgets approach $1 billion including full computer car design, wind tunnel testing at 1/4 scale, aerodynamics and communications capability that rival all but a few countries.
So I wonder, how is it that when they hit a bump between Casino and Mirabeau at over 100 MPH that would knock your fillings out, these cars which are moving software machines don’t miss a beat. For sure they’re not powered by Window’s because there is no Ctrl-Alt-Del in the cockpit. I wonder if the teams consider uploading viruses to the launch control of their competitors? Symantec? Norton? no way.
I also wonder if there is a PHP script that monitors the traction control preventing wheel spin at 19,000 RPM’s? Is there a Perl script that handles shifting at close to a millionth of a second which is the reality of a F1 gearbox? Are the software programmers actually more valuable than mechanics, or are they the mechanics of the future? It’s likely the Unix center of the universe.
If you think I’m going to be worrying about software while cars scream through the streets of Monte Carlo, with scenery like million Euro yachts and beautiful women in the harbor….
get a life.
When I first got my iPod, I thought I’d be listening to my favorite songs and knew that I’d be looking at video’s which I still do. What I didn’t realize was that I’d quickly get addicted to some podcasts.
Before I got it, I made some off the cuff remarks that I’d listen to the Tour de France updates on the plane and technology updates. The part about the Tour is true, when it comes up later this year. I tried listening to a few technology podcasts and quickly found that it was both a lot like being at work, and most of the quality was in the 90% of Sturgeon’s Law.
I quickly went to my old and new interests, those being racing and the show 24 and found lots of other stuff I follow like Karate. Three different Formula 1 podcasts and 2.5 24 podcasts (one is not consistent) and many others come through constantly for me.
Now to the point of this blog. I was listening to The Chequered Flag by BBC Five Live this morning in the gym, and there was an unbelievably good description by a journalist riding in a DTM Mercedes drive by current series leader Bernd Schneider, on one of the most famous stretches of road you can race on, the Nordschleife in Nuerburg Germany located in the Eifel mountains. 
Tearing through the track at 200 mph, getting airborne, the tail of the car almost losing grip and incredible g-forces. I was jazzed, and this is what podcasting should do for you, get you involved and entertained. It’s worth a listen and it’s the podcast from 5/6/06 if you want to get it. It’ll make the hair on the back of your neck stick up and rip the tag off your shirt.
I get that if you are in college you can download the professor’s lecture if you missed class or need to re-listen, but Puleeze….spare me, blasting through the Karussell or hearing about organic chemistry 411, which one would you rather listen to? For me, I listen to the 10% of quality podcasting Sturgeon talked about that I’ve filtered through to get what I want.And yes, I pedaled much faster during the lap which is 14 miles, 170 bends and breathtaking.
I sit hear blogging on Sunday afternoon while watching the Bassmasters Championship , later today I’m going to be watching NASCAR. I find this press release on my RSS feeder where I track both (to my employer, I only check these after work, I’m busy with only analyst relations issues 100% of the time): Racing Car Industry and Pro Fishing Have One Thing in Common — Fresh Fish TV about a new Fishing channel.
Great, all I need is another channel, but heck, last week on my – You know you’re a Redneck Calendar was if you tape fishing shows….which is what I’m watching as I type (ok it’s TIVO, but I was at church).
The killer was this line in the press release, “One thing the producer’s of the Fresh Fish TV show realized is that fishing market demographics are very much the same as NASCAR.” They go on to state that the fishing industry is a 41 billion dollar industry. I don’t know the facts on NASCAR, but I’m betting it’s twice that. That’s more than a lot of countries.
Let’s see, here’s a list of some demographics between the two, I wonder if you can draw any conclusions here.
Fishing is the largest participant sport there is with over 45 million fishermen (not sexist, a woman is a fisherman also), Racing had 19 of the top 20 spectator events last year.
Both take place outside
Both are predominantly Southern oriented
Both are family oriented
Both fan bases are patriotic
Both fan bases are loyal to country
Both fan bases are loyal to sponsors
Most fisherman like to hunt
Most race fans like to hunt
Both handle a GPS with the ease of a fork
Bar-b-que is a staple
Both understand meteorology and know how weather affects performance
Both like big motors that go fast
Both could survive without a grocery store
Both drink a lot of beer (not the drivers, at least when they are doing their job)
Sponsors are crucial
They know how to make big money (some discount these two as a redneck crowd, but the winner of today’s tournament picks up $500 thousand for winning, another $1-2 mil in sponsorship, Jimmy Johnson won $2.4 million for the Daytona 500 last week, not chump change).
Fishing TV ratings are on the increase
Racing TV ratings are not only on the increase, but are passing most other sports (advertisers are not lost on this fact at all)
Fishing competitors are fan friendly (no fights in the crowd or dissing the fans)
Racing competitors are fan friendly
So they find that there’s a similarity between the demographics? How could that be?

Fond memories of childhood for me included going to Sports Car Races with my Dad. The first one he took me to was the 24 Hours of Daytona, which takes place this weekend.
Twice around the clock at breakneck speed testing both man and machine. As the preparation begins with the morning of the race, it really means that teams will be awake close to 40 hours straight to keep the cars running, fueled, mechanically maintained and ready for accidents or emergencies. This race kicks off the racing season which gives me endless TiVo delight.
Dad isn’t gone, but his memory is fading, so I’ll be the one with the memories of our time together while I watch as much of the race as I can.
Being a staunch Porsche fan, I’m thrilled that a Porsche powered car is on the pole, the first time since 1990. Porsche has 20 victories in this race, most of any manufacturer by a wide margin. They used to have an ad saying “Racing, the ultimate proof – Porsche”. We’ll see this weekend.
I got a lot of comments on theDoug Heintzman bloggerview and the Asia Pacific IBM analyst relations are number one, so I thought I should bring things back down to reality lest anybody confuse me with someone who knows what they are doing.
Since plagiarism is a form of flattery, I took this idea from Grady Booch who reads a lot also. I always have about five or more books going at any time so I thought I’d post the current ones, lest anyone think I was getting too interesting.
Porsche Prototype Era 1964-1973 in Photographs by Bill Oursler, I love cars and history, and this let’s me relive my childhood, teens and early twenties regarding testosterone cars and incredible German engineering.
Sports Racing Cars by Anthony Pritchard, more history, more testosterone, this time going back to 1923 and covering all great sports cars.
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell (the author of the Tipping Point). A great discussion of Thin Slicing to make decisions on people and things. I’m reading this to write Not All Geeks are Wimps,Part II.
The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History by Thomas E. Woods Jr. Ph.D., so I can learn what really happened, not what they taught in public school.
The Siege of Rabaul by Henry Sakaida, about the pacific theater from the Japanese point of view as warriors in WWII.
The World of Byzantium by Professor Kenneth W. Harl, Tulane University. The fall of Rome and the beginnings of the Eastern and Western Empires. It’s a university course that teaches how we got from then to now in Europe, Middle East, Africa and parts of Asia.
The Battle for the Beginning by John MacArthur, mostly about creationism and evolutionism, seems to be a hot topic these days.
The five love languages by Gary Chapman. It’s about marriage and how to communicate to your mate in his/her “language”.
How to Bring Your Children to Christ by Ray Comfort. You never can read enough on how to raise kids, they don’t come with a manual when they are born.
I didn’t work. In fact, I went to Florida to see family and enjoy the time off.
I also had one of my best days of fishing in a long time recording 10 good Redfish and sighting many more at Mosquito Lagoon. You’ll notice from my clothes that it was cold that day starting in the 30’s with wind. But it’s a good thing we decided to go. We had the whole place to ourselves with the fish cooperating.

I caught fish just like these for 6 hours and had the time of my life. The picture on the right is Brad Stine, the guide who took me. Give him a call at 386-566-6823 and he’ll put you on fish.
Then I enjoyed a Thanksgiving dinner with my whole family. We haven’t been together for various reasons (mostly travel and living in different cities) for a long time.
After dinner, I got to take a drive in my brother in law’s Porsche GT3. It’s a red rocket that will do 196 mph and stop on a dime, then give you 9 cents change. I won’t say how fast we went, but it was in mid triple digits….what a rush.
Thanks Geoff for the ride of my life.
Today, I attended the 40th anniversary of RTP at the IBM site. There was a band playing music from the 60’s (On the Boardwalk, Sugar Sugar, My Cherie Amour) and food at 60’s prices. Here’s the advertisement for it:
On Thursday, September 22, IBM in the Triangle Area will observe the 40th Anniversary of its groundbreaking for the IBM RTP site. To celebrate this anniversary, we have an exciting event planned for all IBM employees in the building 002 courtyard from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Come enjoy a special, “1960’s prices,” luncheon menu, free IBM birthday cake, the finals of our IBM karaoke contest, a classic car show, skits and much, much more.
One of my favorite parts was the Gilligan’s Island event. 3 people were in rafts and the crowd got to shoot water balloons from bungee cords at least 50 yards away. I think one balloon made into a raft. One balloon went off target into the hot dog line. I would have shot them at the biggest crowd I could have found to watch them scatter like roaches in the morning when the lights turn on.
40 years is a long time. I read today that Tech companies rated RTP as the best place to have a company. I think it was woods or pasture 41 years ago. Now it has more Ph.D’s then almost anywhere else given the proximaty to Duke, UNC Chapel Hill, NC State and Wake Forest. Here’s the link to the story.
http://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/2800957p-9243923c.html
So where did I fit in? I was in the car show. When I was 7, my dad bought this car.
It was his pride and joy. He willed it to me once he no longer could drive. I have kept it up in his memory and have entered it into car shows with good results. I’ve blogged about my Dad already and his WWII contributions:
There were other cars at the event.
Chris Bannister – 1967 Chevrolet Camaro
David Bannister – 1967 Chevrolet Camaro
David Brower – 1958 BMW Isetta 300 Deluxe
George Kavelak – 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle Super Sport
Clifford Meyers – 1966 VW Beetle
Mike Petersen – 1966 Dodge Coronet 500
The Coronet and the Chevelle SS had 427 and 426 cc engines (that’s 7 whopping liters), real get up and go. Good ole American grunt.
If you read the internet jokes that get passed around, one of them is why it’s great to be a guy. On this list is….you get to play with toys all your life. Today is a prime example, and yes is it great.
I’ll leave you with the text on the sign that I had made, which I use when showing the car.
1964 PORSCHE 356C
This car is kept in Historical condition. It was delivered in 1964 to its owner, my father who drove it for 38 years. The one and only mechanic to service this car until 2002 was originally employed by the Porsche factory until his relocation to Florida. This same mechanic also helped the factory racing team at the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring in the preparation of legendary racers such as the Carrera 6, 910, 907, and 908.
It was given to me in 2002 and is kept in it’s original condition to honor the people who built this car, the mechanic that kept it in proper condition and my father.
Not really Paris, but Magny-Cours and a lot of other places Formula 1 visits.
For the first time since 1983, an American, Scott Speed is in what some call the most prestigious series in racing. I’m a huge F1 fan for any number of reasons. First of all, I love auto racing. Combine that with my love of technology and you see how Formula 1 fits in. These cars are the most sophisticated machinery you can drive. A lot of technology that is on our cars comes from the cutting edge development you find in F1. They’re more like computers on wheels. To give an example, the average car rev’s at around 3000-6000 RPM. F1 cars race at 19.000 RPM, staggering.
What else I like is that it’s international. I love America as much as (and much more than) a lot of folks and am proud to say so. But I’ve traveled and know that the world has a lot to offer, and I appreciate and enjoy most other countries. Formula 1 is on most continents from Asia to Europe to the America’s. There are fans rabid for their drivers, cars and sponsors from each country.
So it’s great to have an American complete the international equation, a home team for me. The closest I’ve had until now is Juan Pablo Montoya from Columbia who lives in the states. I’ll still pull for Juan Pablo also.
Speed (what a great name for a driver) will race for Red Bull , formerly the Jaguar F1 Team.
There have been 2 American F1 champions, Phil Hill in 1961 for Ferrari and Mario Andretti in 1978 for Lotus. Hey, there were no Americans winning the Tour de France either until Greg Lemond. Then it inspired some guy from Texas to lead 5 Americans in the top 17 in this year’s TDF while he was capturing his 7th straight tour.
Could it be the same in F1?
So I went to the Regional Extreme demolition derby with my son tonight. It was an overdose of cultural input.
The people watching was the best part, until the derby began. It was a sea of camouflage, Dale Jr. phones and tatoo’s….with a below normal count of teeth. It was a redneck’s dream for girls. Most were wearing clothes analogous to packing 10 pounds of manure in a 5 pound bag.
As for the rest of the audience, smoking was required, and most worked in construction or at a garage repairing cars. Weldon Welding sponsored many of the cars. The funniest part was when a Nextel walkie talkie went off, 50 people went for their phone…me too.
But when the race began, all was forgotton and all eyes and cheers were focused on cars smashing each other until only one was left running. In other words, spectacular.
All this heat, smoke, bugs, and to top it off, we were there too, and had a great time. Father and son