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In: Automotive
With: 1 Comment

After my first Drivers Education weekend, I was hooked.  I loved the opportunity to take my car to a road course and push my own limits (if not those of the car), all while having an instructor in the car with me and not worrying about being faster than anyone else.  I felt safe and had fun, so I was back for a second time. I was not surprised that I remembered the road course completely.  I didn't lose much from my previous time on the track, but it took me until the end of the first day before I was back to where IRead More →

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In: Automotive
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I completed my first Porsche Drivers Education event at the Putnam Park road course this past weekend.  I'd been wanting to do something like this for quite some time, but just never made it happen.  I'm very pleased that I finally did.  The people I met were awesome and the time on the track was probably the most fun I've had in my Boxster in the 8 years I've owned it. At first, I was concerned that I'd feel this strong urge to upgrade my 2.5L Boxster to something more powerful.  I was surprised that the weekend had the exact opposite effect — I wasRead More →

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In: Automotive
With: 5 Comments

I read an article regarding MP3 Player Integration on the SEMA.org site. Here is a direct quote: Ford has plans in the works to protect itself from potential prosecution for being a conduit to illegally downloaded music.  One of Ford’s ideas is a user consent agreement to be used for MP3 playback where car buyers would be required to confirm that the music they are playing in their vehicle was acquired legally. This is yet another example of how out-of-touch Ford (and other domestic car companies) is with consumers, especially those in their 20s and 30s.  They can’t be serious – a waiver regarding myRead More →

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In: Automotive
With: 5 Comments

In preparation for an upcoming road trip, I purchased and installed at PhatNoise PhatBox in my 2004 Infiniti G35 Sedan. Initial impressions: holy crap, this thing is awesome! Why did I wait so long?!? Installation was extremely easy, just plug it into the satellite radio harness and it shows up as a CD changer, controlled directly from the factory head unit. To get it hooked-up and working in the car, total time was about 10 minutes (still need to screw it down though). I know iPods are extremely popular; here’s why I think the PhatNoise blows the iPod away. controlled by the factory head unitRead More →

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In: Automotive, Home Theater
With: 0 Comments

I finally took the first step in getting my music collection back into my car. I used to listen to CD’s all the time when I had my Pioneer 6-disc changer and a bunch of cartridges. However, after my headunit when bad, I had no changer and starting listening more to the radio. Today, I ordered a PhatNoise PhatBox for my Infiniti. If all goes well, I’ll probably get one for my other vehicles as well. I was seriously considering the Omnifi devices (with openfi add-on) because of WiFi synchronization, but decided on the PhatBox because of FLAC support, OEM headunit interface, and voice promptsRead More →

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In: Automotive
With: 4 Comments

I own a Porsche Boxster and I’m a huge fan of all things Porsche (well, except for their outrageous pricing schemes). I’m not sure that I’m going to buy a Cayman. After all, it’s the only coupe that costs more than its convertible counterpart; it is identical to the Boxster convertible version. On the other hand, the Cayman is one of the most beautiful cars I’ve seen and it delivers more power than any Boxster that Porsche has ever sold. The Cayman, like most Porsches, causes a visceral reaction, which leads to loyal owners returning the dealership despite irrationally high pricing. The only thing IRead More →

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In: Automotive
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I guess things have changed since my last post. Michelin has admitted that they made a mistake in designing their tires and has offered refunds to race fans. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. I’ll have no problem buying Michelin tires again and I’ll definitely be at the USGP next year. Too bad this wasn’t the response initially, but Michelin definitely cleaned this up in the best possible manner.Read More →

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In: Automotive, Events & Travel
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I finally have something to talk about that is automotive-related. It started out as the best F1 USGP weekend I’d had. I’ve attended all of the previous races but this was the first year I took advantages of the activities surrounding the race. The police-escorted drive sponsored by Porsche Club of America through downtown was blissful. The drive to the track was effortless. The concourse parking on the unused back straightway of the track was not only convenient but also a display of some of the best road-going sports cars ever produced. The walk to our seats though the winding golf course was pleasant. ThenRead More →

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In: Automotive, Home Theater
With: 2 Comments

I’ve been wanting to purchase a PhatNoise digital music player for a long time. I like that how well it can integrate with an OEM headunit and I really want to be able to listen to my entire music collection during my 45-minute commute to work without messing with Discs. However, I’ve held off purchasing one because they have yet to add the ability to play WMA protected songs; I saw no hope of them every playing iTunes FairPlay protected songs. However, I’ve changed my mind. Goodbye PhatNoise, I never really knew ya. I’ve read of multiple companies (Blitz Safe, Soundgate, Precision Interface Electronics (PIE)Read More →