Nov 19 2024 - EVs vs gasoline cars

 

Norway is the first country to have more fully electric cars than gas cars.   "Norway has long been a standout, with the highest level of EV market share of any country and an aspiration to end sales of new gas cars by 2025. And now, sometime in September 2024, Norway will have more electric cars on its roads than petrol-only vehicles, according to an analysis of Norwegian government data. It set another world record with 94% EV new car market share in August." We are behind by far in Canada.  The transition to EVs is targeted for 2035 in Canada.  In the chart showing all-electric vehicle share, Norway is at the top and Canada is in the bottom 3rd - below the global average of 11 percent - we're at 8 percent and the U.S. is 7 percent. And Ontario is at 6 percent - below the Canadian average.   I expect Norway has already made the shift to EV Repair Shops.  So the experiences can transport over here when we finally get there.   "How many parts are in EV vs ICE? There are only around 20 moving parts in an electric engine, compared with nearly 2,000 in an ICE (internal combustion engine), so your EV will need a lot less maintenance." One article says that as a ballpark figure only, you can expect to pay $4,600 less in repair and maintenance costs over the lifetime of an EV compared to petrol, or $947 less a year. The estimate of repair costs from accidents are considered to be higher.

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July 14 2022 - Garages

 

When did garages get built as part of houses?  It really started in the 1940s when cars replaced horses as transportation. Before that  carriage houses and barns are located separately - when one looks at the older heritage homes in Grimsby that's what is apparent.   Somehow garages brought to mind the  1954 movie, Sabrina with Audrey Hepburn, where the "garage" figures large in the beginning plot of the movie: "Sabrina Fairchild is the young daughter of the Larrabee family's chauffeur, Thomas, and has been in love with David Larrabee all her life. David, a three-times-married non-working playboy, has never paid romantic attention to Sabrina. Since she has lived for years on the Larrabees' Long Island, New York, estate with her father, to him she is still a child. Eavesdropping on a party at the mansion the night before she is to leave to attend the Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris, Sabrina watches, follows, and listens as David entices yet another woman into a dark and vacant indoor tennis court. Distraught, she leaves her father a suicide note and then starts all eight cars in the closed garage in order to kill herself.  She is passing out from the fumes when Linus, David's older brother, opens the door, discovers her,  and carries her back to her quarters above the garage when she does pass out." The plot seems amusing with a nod towards royal family dealings: David's serious older brother, Linus, who runs the family business is relying on David to marry an heiress in order for a crucial merger to take place.  By the 1950s, North Americans became car owners with their garages.   Our own 1950s built house had a breezeway between the house and garage.  Of course, a garage for one car Here's a picture from our trip to Cuba, with Gerry boarding a steam engine.

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June 29 2022 - Most Famous? It's Dwayne

 

How is it that Dwayne Johnson is the most famous person in the world "as of 2022"?  Where was I? Likely looking at news stories rather than entertainment stories.  He shows up in the top 10 in numerous lists.  My cynicism comes into play as these lists are typically the same source that is reproduced over and over. "Dwayne, nicknamed "The Rock" was a WWE champion wrestler earlier and is now an actor and producer. He is one of the greatest professional wrestlers the game has ever witnessed."  (Note the quality of English, grammar, and style of the sentence above). On to  Forbes where he is listed as #4 of highest-paid entertainers and #10 celebrity - the 2022 films are Black Adam and Red Notice.  "One of his popular mannerisms as the character The Rock was to raise one eyebrow up with one down as a taunt to mock his opponents during interviews (this is called The People's Eyebrow)." And how is it that Joe Biden is #2 or Elon Musk #3?  Then comes Jeff Bezos at #4. Down the list at #10 is Justin Bieber who has recently been diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a neurological disorder characterized by facial nerve paralysis.  That is very significant when you compare Johnson's description as  "The Rock" to Bieber's as "Yummy".   It turns out that Justin Bieber is googled more than Jesus.  We know that Jesus is, in fact,  the most famous and known person in the world.  Every religion references him - either for or against.  It is considered that only people in remote places of the planet do not know of him.  But then what is "famous"today?  It shows up for celebrities - entertainers and sports figures.  Not for heads of state, royalty, scientists, writers, and those who made history.  That is famous in the past tense.  So we can wonder where will Dwayne Johnson be in 10 years or 100 years?  What will be famous from 2022? Here's one of our Niagara roads that the Porsche Club travelled on a few years ago.  This seems like a little bit of heaven - a narrow, winding country road lined with trees and fences.  All that summer green.

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Feb 20 2022 - Sold Cars Drifting Away

 

The burning cargo ship in the Atlantic is carrying Porsches, Volkswagens, and Bentleys.  The reports say that there are 1,100 Porsche and 189 Bentley luxury cars. Another article - this one USA Today - says there are 4,000 cars in total.  And what's up for the receiving owners?  The USA Today article shows a tweet from Matt "Park Cars" Farah:  "I just got the call from my dealer.  My car is now adrift, possibly on fire, in the middle of the ocean." Absolutely always, without exception, in an article on cars is the the clicker bait article below:   Grimsby:  Unsold 2020 SUVS are almost being given away.   Today's picture is of dust covered vehicles in the open air.  Wouldn't it have to be an arid region somewhere? Perhaps the desert?  How far from Grimsby will we travel to get our unsold SUV?  Will it come across the ocean? Pinterest has pictures of thousands and thousands of cars "deteriorating in storage lots".  But it is snopes.com that has checked the facts and say that this is false.  Here's whats snopes says: "Although the displayed photographs are real, they are several years old (reflecting conditions that existed back in 2009), and do not depict what is claimed in the accompanying text."  They go on to say: "Even the text in the faux “Unsold Cars” article is misleading: According to The Truth About Cars, “Sheerness is one of the leading ports for the importation of cars to the United Kingdom.” The updated photos showing all those cars in the U.K. aren’t unsold inventory waiting to be shipped; they are the precise opposite — these are cars in the pipeline that dealers have ordered, not a vast graveyard of autos waiting to rust." See the pictures and read the snopes article HERE.  And today in 2022 4,000 car owners who will have to figure out how to get their cars during a car shortage. Here's my version of sand - patterns at the shore in Florida a few  years ago.

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July 20 2021 - The Right Fluff Stuff

 

Why does fabric always shed so much in the dryer? "Well, when clothing is washed, the lint is lifted from the edges of the clothing, however, the water prevents it from being completely removed from the surface of the clothing. When the clothing is transferred to the dryer, this is where the magic happens. The heat from the dryer, along with the tumbling process, exacts these bits of fibers from the surface of clothing. These particles are then collected into the screen of the lint trap." Why is it a muddy, dirty gray? "The reason for the uniformity of color is that when you mix colors at random you end up with a muddy, dark mess. Melt a box of crayons together and you’ll see this for yourself. But when you mix clothes that are mostly blues, grays and blacks — as is typical with most wardrobes — with a smattering of reds, browns and greens, the mess becomes bluish gray every time. Essentially, the contributions of your blue jeans and white athletic socks outweigh those of your favorite red t-shirt." What hobbies can lint be used in? "If you’re feeling really crafty, you can lift a bit from some old wool sweaters you no longer want to wear and make felt.Just soak the sweaters in some hot water, wring them out and place them in the dryer. Thoroughly clean the lint catcher before drying the sweaters and the wool lint you gather will be excellent raw material for homemade felt." "To use lint as a pet bedding option, take it a step further than just putting it into their cages or laying it on the floor. Simple sewing techniques can be used to create pillows or small pet beds for guinea pigs, hamsters, small dogs or even cats! Use the lint as a stuffing for a fleece pillow. This will create an extra warm area for beloved pets!" You can find many more uses and more curious questions HERE Some more shots from the Fun Run Day.

May 28 2021 - I forgot watches

 

I got to wondering if celebrity living involves more than cars, houses, and vacations.   I remembered that key personal item which would likely be number four on the list - watches.  And there are lists of celebrities and their watches.   I couldn't comprehend that Martin Luther King Jr. had a Rolex, likely gifted to him by Rolex.  This is likely as Rolex noted in an advertisement that he wore it when he delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963.  That seems a sad moment for 20th Century advertising.  But it is telling of the 20th Century's elevation of wristwatches to celebrity status.  Watches aren't like cars to the wealthy. Bill Gates skipped the expensive watch experience:  he supposedly wears a $70 Casio. Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg and Tim Cook wear affordable consumer watches.  So the assumption is that cars have a higher ranking of success than watches. There is a long history for the clock/watch.  One article says that the first wristwatch was created in 1812 to fit the wrist of the Queen of Naples. They were worn by women.  Men used pocket watches until the 20th century.  They started to wear wristwatches to allow them to have their hands free - WWI was the defining event that spurred this development. It is clear that cars are higher on the status list than watches. The most expensive watch ever sold at auction: Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A-010, for 31.19 million US dollars in Geneva on November 9, 2019 (by Christie's).  Wikipedia has a long entry on the most expensive cars ever sold.  Number 1 on the list is the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO for US $48,405,000 at auction.  Another entry lists that model was sold for $70,00,000 privately.  In the articles about what rich people buy, cars always shows up.  Watches don't always show up. Gold toilets, private islands, private planes, super yachts - they show up on the lists. Even fossils show up on the lists.  Watches are viewed as "another easy way rich people make their wealth known."   I went looking for car pictures - I remember we visited a car display on Yorkville one year, but I didn't find the pictures.  This picture comes from one of the Porsche Fun Run events a few years ago.

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May 27 2021 - This is the car Bill Gates drives

 

That subject line does spark our curiosity, without doubt.   What is the draw of the famous and celebrities?   ~Will we find out unusual things about them?  Things we can't imagine? What makes us curious about how they live their lives compared to our lives?   ~Will we be on the same wave-length for daily living, or find out how completely differently they live their lives? What makes us think there is something extraordinary about their daily living?   ~Don't we figure there has to be given the attention fans and the media? How do we decide what a normal life is? ~ Aren't we so immersed in the "everyday" that it takes a celebrity's normal day to show us the differences? What are banal things that a person would avoid to do if they were a celebrity? ~ Grocery shopping, laundry, getting gas...are these the things that people consider boring and tedious and want freedom from? These might be questions about celebrity living. I seem to think there are a few top things we are interested in: 1. Cars What are the 15 incredible female celebrity cars?  What are the ten unique celebrity cars? Celebrities and their A-List cars. How many cars does {  },  {  }, and {  } have? 2. Houses Which celebrity has the best house?  Most expensive celebrity homes. 10 celebrity homes on the market right now. 3. Vacations The 13 most popular vacation destinations to spot celebrities. What resorts do celebrities stay at? Celebrities and their vacation homes.     I found this one in the archives of the Photo of the Day - what a lot of great crackle and colour.

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May 9 2021 - Mother's Day Flowers

 

It is Mother's Day and  a traditional day to give flowers. The New York Times Style Magazine has a guide to what they consider the most exciting florists working today - they had an article on this in November with six different cities compared.  The cities in today's article are  Chicago, Miami, Mexico City, Berlin, Seoul and Sydney.   The articles are HERE and HERE. The photography of most flower arrangements make them all look wonderful to me, so I wouldn't be the person to judge who is the best.  They organize them by styles such as unusual, earthy, classic, and so on.  Here's their overview chart, which is itself very artistic.  they categorize bouquet prices - starting at $75, $75 - $150 and starting at $150.  Seems like the price of a restaurant meal.  Some of the arrangements sound like food - Slipper orchid and pomegranate, Anthurium  and lotus pods, wild grape and delphinium.  All lots of fun for a Monday's Day. Is there a top floral designer in the world?  One list has it to be  Leopoldo Gomez is a renowned international floristry teacher, based in Mexico City. He focuses on the use of color and emotions in his work. In 2019, he won a gold medal in the floral competition in Huis Ten Bosch (Japan).  Any of the articles on this topic have extraordinary floral displays.  Here's an example.   All so much fun.  Here's the pretty guide to today's NY Times florists. Isn't that a nice sighting on John Street?  A touring car checking out the orchards earlier in the week. Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Dirty Art

Yesterday we looked at the simplest of shapes.  Today we look at the places where art occurs - simple places, mundane places - our cars. How do car windows intersect with art? We don't think of them as walls where we can hang canvases.  Scott Wade does.  He has become famous for his drawings which are created using the dirt found on car windows.  Being from Texas, there is lots of it there. He's known internationally as The Dirty Cart Artist.  Here is his story on how he began: "I lived on a long, dirt road in Central Texas for over 20 years. Since our cars were always dirty, I would often “doodle” in the dust on the rear windows of our cars. My father was a great amateur cartoonist and I must have picked that up from him, because my natural tendency was always to draw funny faces. I started experimenting with ways to get shading. At first I would use the pads of my fingers and brush very lightly to get “grey” tones. One time I was chewing on a popsicle stick, and I tried using the chewed up end as a brush. I liked the effect, so I started trying paintbrushes, and eventually developed the techniques I use today. Nowadays, I use a rubber “paint-shaper” tool and assorted brushes (and of course my fingers)." His site is http://www.dirtycarart.com  Here are some great examples of his work. There are a lot of people with Scott's creativity and innovation. I took a look for other mediums that people use to create art.  Here's the link - the pictures are essential to the STORY.  What kinds of things have been used to create art?  chewing gum jello garbage plastic carry bags medicine bottles vinyl records discarded lottery tickets pantone paint chips We have a Strasburg Train picture today, and it reminds me that there is 'smoke art'.

Black Fly Blood Feeding

What will we do after the Olympics?  They've taken a fair amount of our attention and time. We can turn to the Listings in Now Online.  Along the top and bottom of NOW's display are advertisements for marijuana creams.  This is the first time I've seen ads for marijuana rather than news articles.  The listing is very long - there are many things to do in Toronto this weekend.  Which ones could take our attention away from the Olympics? The Sinners Choir at The Rex Naked Yoga for Men at Awaken Studio Dancing with Parkinson's Jitterbug Social Black Fly Blood Feeding Evolution at U of T I am curious about the Sinners Choir.  I find that they will be at the Toronto Jazz Festival this year June 22nd - July 1st.  "The Sinners Choir is a trio comprised of three generations of seasoned Toronto sidemen with a deep understanding of a broad spectrum of Roots/Americana, The Sinners Choir have a fresh sound that still pays homage to the music that shaped it". Perhaps more arresting is the headline of the Toronto Entomologists' Association talk by Mateus Pepinelli on Black Fly Blood Feeding Evolution: "Black flies are a generally despised and greatly misunderstood group of insects. Known mostly for their biting abilities, black flies are the remarkable end-product of a long period of evolution. While adult females are generally feared for their bloodsucking activity on birds and mammals, the larvae are important parts of the streams and rivers in which they live". Today's pictures are scenes from Colorado.

The Best of the Best

What is this website Best of the Best? I was looking for the top number 1 'things' and I found this British site,  It is a lottery for winning cars on a weekly basis.  The caption is:  Choose your dream car tickets.  This was started by William Hindmarsh in 1999, who says he loves cars. He grew up around his father's cars - Lotus Elite, Frog Eye Sprite and even an E-Type. There's a dream car winner every week so here's the latest winner story.  "THE STORY As a centre-forward for FC Le Mont in the Swiss football second division, Jorge Reixa knows a thing or two about challenging defenders for headers – which comes in handy when looking at the Dream Car Comp Spot the Ball photos! Jorge has been entering online for a while after seeing BOTB in Gatwick and last week he played for the half-price Ford Mustang GT. Christian was waiting for Jorge in the arrivals hall of Schipol airport earlier this morning with the incredible news that he was the 356th winner, taking him straight down the local Ford dealer to show him his new pride and joy. Jorge was ecstatic, particularly after getting the double delight of £10,000 in cash too - congratulations Jorge!" This is the way one wins: One has to identify the x y coordinates of a ball in a picture.  There is a panel of judges who are experienced football referees and ex-international players who use their expertise to decide where the centre of the ball is.  Game Credit is awarded for doing well in Dream Car Competitions, depending on how close you are to the winning position. It seems complicated, but extremely successful. The site says that  20 million pounds worth of cars have been won since it started.  There's an extensive array of all kinds of cars to be won.  I noticed a McLaren, a Maserati, and an Aston Marton as I scrolled down.   And there are cars with exotic names - a Vuhl, Caterham, and a Radical.  So in my search for the best of the best I seem to have found an example of that very thing. There are amazing things happening around us that are a testament to creativity in action.

Rusty Railroads

There's lots for me to do in a rail yard.  There's equipment with scratches, scrapes and rust of all kinds.  You would think these pictures might be from a visit to a railway like Strasburg or the Durango and Silverton.  These of course are wonderfully detailed scenes from the Sundance Layout.

Vineland Stories in Urban Extractions

These are the stories told by cars in the car wrecker's yard in Vineland Ontario. These Urban Extraction abstracts have bright colours, textures, and shapes.  They tell stories of landscapes, sun rises and pretty summer days.