Skip to content

Social

  • View CarltonBale’s profile on Facebook
  • View CarltonBale’s profile on Twitter
  • View carlton.bale’s profile on Instagram
  • View CarltonBale’s profile on LinkedIn
  • View cgbale’s profile on YouTube
Carlton Bale .com

My experiences with cars, tech and home automation

Primary Navigation Menu
Menu
  • Home
  • About Me
    • About This Website
    • Resume
    • Timeline
  • Cars
    • Acura Integra
    • Infiniti G35 6MT Sedan
    • Porsche Boxster
      • Porsche Boxster Audio Upgrade
      • Porsche Boxster Repairs
      • Porsche Boxster Upgrades
  • Contact
  • Gear
  • Home Theater
    • Equipment Mini-Reviews
    • Home Theater Calculator: Viewing Distance, Screen Size
    • Philips Pronto Remote Controls
    • Dish Network IR Upfit
    • Dish Network Remote Control Guide
    • JVC D-VHS Mods
  • Other Interests
    • Cavaliers
    • Scuba
    • DMB

Automotive (Page 2)

Automotive-related projects and thoughts on vehicles that I own or would like to own.

My First Porsche DE

2006-06-19
By: Carlton Bale
In: Automotive
With: 0 Comments

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 →

Ford is so Out-of-Touch: Waiver to Listen to MP3s?

2006-06-15
By: Carlton Bale
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 →

PhatNoise PhatBox: Initial Impressions

2005-11-05
By: Carlton Bale
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 →

Music in my car. . .

2005-10-19
By: Carlton Bale
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 →

Some general automotive commentary

2005-09-24
By: Carlton Bale
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 →

Michelin is Forgiven

2005-06-30
By: Carlton Bale
In: Automotive
With: 0 Comments

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 →

USGP: Mad at Michelin

2005-06-20
By: Carlton Bale
In: Automotive, Events & Travel
With: 0 Comments

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 →

Apple iPod versus PhatNoise

2004-08-30
By: Carlton Bale
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 →

Posts navigation

Previous 1 2

Categories

  • Automotive
  • Concerts
  • Entertainment
  • Events & Travel
  • Home Theater
  • Life Reflections
  • MBA
  • MBA China Trip
  • Reviews
  • Tech
  • Triathlon
  • Web
  • Wordpress

Social

  • View CarltonBale’s profile on Facebook
  • View CarltonBale’s profile on Twitter
  • View Carlton.Bale’s profile on Instagram
  • View CarltonBale’s profile on LinkedIn
  • View cgbale’s profile on YouTube
Carlton Bale

Carlton Bale

View Full Profile →

  • 1080p Does Matter - Here's When (Screen Size vs. Viewing Distance vs. Resolution)
    1080p Does Matter - Here's When (Screen Size vs. Viewing Distance vs. Resolution)
  • Shimano Ultegra and Dura-Ace Di2 Electronic Shifting - Everything You Need to Know
    Shimano Ultegra and Dura-Ace Di2 Electronic Shifting - Everything You Need to Know
  • Home Theater Calculator: Viewing Distance, Screen Size
    Home Theater Calculator: Viewing Distance, Screen Size
  • Western Digital My Book - Opening the Case - Removing the Drive
    Western Digital My Book - Opening the Case - Removing the Drive
  • 4K Resolution Does Matter - Here's When
    4K Resolution Does Matter - Here's When
  • Audi S4/S5/S6/S7 S-tronic DSG Transmission Fluid Change Details
    Audi S4/S5/S6/S7 S-tronic DSG Transmission Fluid Change Details
  • Home Theater Room Acoustic Design Tips
    Home Theater Room Acoustic Design Tips
  • How to Alias a Domain Name or Sub Domain to Amazon S3
    How to Alias a Domain Name or Sub Domain to Amazon S3
  • Ultimate Home Theater Subwoofer Designs
    Ultimate Home Theater Subwoofer Designs
  • How to Fix Netflix Connection Problems
    How to Fix Netflix Connection Problems

© 1996 - 2021 Carlton Bale
Some external links are affiliate links that help fund the site. All opinions are my own.