Death trap mileage
Posted: Thursday, December 20, 2007 5:31 PM by Will Femia
No strong lead today but Hardball is half over so it's time to post what I've got.
In 1987 the Honda Civic got 57mpg. This article explains why that's no longer the case. The short answer is that weight is the enemy of fuel efficiency so if you want to ride in a cramped death trap then you can have great mileage. If you want leg room, trunk room and crash safety (not to mention extra bells and whistles) then you have to pay to haul them around.
Speaking of mileage, I don't understand this one at all. Some states want to set tailpipe standards higher than what the federal government is setting. The EPA says no. The only explanation appears to be that the EPA thinks its standards are good enough. The only thing I can figure is that the EPA has an interest in keeping all the states at the same standard for some reason.
Why Ron Paul fans like him so much. The best part starts at 3:30 when he explains to the news anchor why the question he's being asked is a ridiculous straw man.
The approaching primary elections are bringing a new wave of headlines to remind us of how messed up our election system still is:
You may be sick of this story by now, but CNet interviewed Lane Hartwell, the photographer from the viral video story.
In the new Duke Nukem trailer he lifts weights while smoking a cigar.
Do any of you find diamond ads to be sexist? I'm usually pretty sensitive about that sort of thing but I confess diamond sales never struck me as any more sexist (or generally stupid) as any other ad. The parody ads on this are really funny.
Amazing gallery of eyes - NOTE: If you're like me and you see long links like this and try to pick apart the URL to find the home page or other galleries, you will likely find some nudes, as I did. The page to which I've linked is totally safe, however. But don't let that scare you away from eventually finding time to explore Art Department which is rich with great images.
I've linked to one of these Zero Punctuation video game reviews before but they're really fun. Don't worry if you don't know video games, you'll still enjoy it. NOTE: Colorful language. But he talks so fast anyone who isn't trying to hear what your machine is playing probably won't notice. That can't be said for all of the reviews on the list, however so headphones may be the prudent choice.
The 10 Best Rollercoasters on Earth - The good thing about this report is that each one has a first person YouTube video of a complete circuit on the ride.
Not new but still cool, recipes for chain restaurant food. (No wonder I like that Chevy's salsa, it's full of salt and "liquid smoke."
Speaking of recipes, this was a good one in the Times yesterday: 101 Simple Appetizers in 20 Minutes or Less
10 Ways to Make Your iPod a Better Learning Gadget - Could be titled, "10 better reasons than iTunes to get an iPod."
Cool digital camera built into a scuba mask.
Along with his master list of year-end lists, Rex also publishes an annual list of Best Blogs That You (Maybe) Aren't Reading - We've seen a few of them here at Clicked. I didn't realize Reverse Cowgirl had restarted. A million years ago I was writing about porn blogs and my editor at the time ruled against linking to Reverse Cowgirl given the nature of the content. The blogger, Susannah Breslin, wrote a rant about corporate censorship and the ridiculousness of mentioning her blog but not linking to it and she included a little photoshop rendering of a corporate guy in a business suit with an msnbc.com logo for a face spanking a girl in a school girl skirt with a paddle. Heh.
This guy has made a recreation of posting Craigslist singles ads. That sounds mean but when you read the ads he posts you realize it's almost more like social commentary than prank. And then when you enjoy the responses he shares you won't really care one way or other.
Another New Yorker Commuter click: What will life be like if people stop reading?
Have you seen that Idiocracy movie on HBO yet? That's what I'm imagining.
