(Source: ayegurl, via that911)
“Growing up, one of my favorite books was Automobiles of the Future by Irwin Stambler. Written in the 60s, it imagined the automobile in the 80s, 90s, and even the new millenium. The book was a window to a strange parallel dimension, where everything inside was a streamlined, pastel version of reality. Its pages held promise, for the future of automobiles was about more than spark plugs and oil filters, it was the story of man’s struggle to better himself. At the same time, it was very naive and simplified the world of tomorrow to a utopia that answered all of the problems facing their society. It never considered the possibility that the future would have its own set of obstacles to overcome. But that was its biggest appeal to me, to see the ways our society had advanced so far from their wildest dreams, yet fallen short on its fundamental ideals.” — Jon Wong of ISO50, in a great piece about his creation of the Explorers of Tomorrow book. I’m consistently inspired and amazed by the quality of the stuff on ISO50. It is a marvel for the eyes, ears and brain. The Stambler book can be found on Amazon and eBay.
I love settling in for these long distance races with all manner of televisions and computer screens at my disposal, like some all-knowing war commander. In reality I am just watching like the wide-eyed fan I am while Andrea rolls her eyes.
Here’s how I’ll manage the 24 Hours of Daytona race this weekend. (BTW, if you’re unfamiliar with the race, read this piece by Sam Posey. This year marks the 50th running of the event.)
Start time: Saturday, January 28, 3:30PM Eastern standard time
TV coverage explained: Speed (TV): 3:30PM - 11PM, then SpeedTV.com until 9AM, then Speed (TV) until 3:30 checkered flag. All times Eastern.
Live streams:
Timing and scoring:
Other useful stuff:
2011 info, just to keep in mind:
Some people find time to stop and smell the roses, but I prefer the cars. With that, I am happy to announce we’re shipping the public beta version of Carmagnum. What is Carmagnum? See a car, take a photo. If you’ve ever taken a picture of a car on the street to share with a friend, you’ve already “used” Carmagnum. It’s as simple as that.
This bizarre pleasure used to be a solitary obsession of mine. Then came Facebook, where I started sharing photos of cars with my friends. But soon enough, Facebook wasn’t really comprised of my friends at all. One day my mom’s accountant friended me on Facebook and I realized it was all my fault. As Yogi Berra said, “Nobody goes there anymore…it’s too crowded.” Certainly for the automotive part of my life that became true. My ongoing obsession with second-generation Golfs and GTIs started to fade from Facebook.
Thus, Carmagnum. Right now our little project is web-based but you can upload your photos in a mobile way via email. We hope to have a full featured app for you to use down the road, when we can afford it. Until then I invite you to check it out. Carmagnum is the place to talk about the cars you see with people who actually care.
Carmagnum is a joint effort from Nate Luzod, Sean Lyons, Kevin English and yours truly. I hope you enjoy it. We built it in Michigan, California and Hawaii throughout 2011.
(Below, some of my favorite shots I’ve seen on Carmagnum from some of our users:)
Lance Henderstein, Daihatsu Hijet in Japan
Alex Nunez, GMC truck in NYC
James Morse, Chevrolet Chevette in Northern Michigan
Colin O’Donnell, Datsun 1600 in Los Angeles
Adam Morath, DMC-12 in Ypsilanti:
Nate Luzod, Ferrari paranoia in Toronto:
Seyth Miersma, frankenstein Nissan Z in Portland:
My own, the bed of a Chevrolet El Camino in San Francisco:
Steve Ewing, Honda CRX Si in Michigan:
My old pal Nate Luzod moved to Hawaii a few months ago and all he has to show for it is this incredibly infectious smile. Photo by his wife, the lovely thereafterish.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” — MLK