7.24.2006

Race Results 7/21

Chris Krueger came out to the track this past Friday and I was glad to have the extra hands. The alternator on the back-up car needed to be changed, piece of cake, not problems, until we went to test it. Chris was "driving" and started the car which ran for about a minute, then died. Cranks over strong won't start. Gas? yeah probably ran out. We threw 2.5 gallons of gas in the tank, same situation cranks strong won't start.

30-45 minutes later with some added brain power it was determined that the gas pick-up was a couple inches above the level of fuel. You're guess is as good as mine as to how it got up there. We pushed it back down into to the gas and she fired right up.

In the race the car died right off of the line. Started it right back up and took off a straight-away behind everyone else. I caught the last car, Jug Hur, who thought he was all alone and was therefore using the whole track. I finaly got up alongside him and the car in front of him Andy Ward spun and collected me. I got back running and caught up with George Wachuta (Wa-koot-ah) when I went around the outside of him he came up the track and hit me unintentionally. That left me in 5th place out of seven cars. Not ideal but, not bad given events. Next Friday I will be back on the pole position, just try to stop me.

7.18.2006

YouTube.com sued for copyright infringment

Wow, am I timely or what. After I started reading up on the legality of youTube.com as I prepared to upload a production, YouTube.com is being sued for copyright infringement.

7.17.2006

Japanese Game Show Segment - Silent Library

This video was introduced to me in an article discussing the apparently blatant copyright infringement endorsed by the YouTube.com video sharing model.

Trying not to laugh I watched at work but ultimately had to share with my co-workers why I was busting a gut.

Enjoy!

What no picture?

CNNSI.com reports via AP that J.R. Todd has become the first African-American to win a NHRA(National Hot Rod Association) Top Fuel Event.

He caught a break in his semifinal race with Hillary Will, when Will's parachute inadvertently opened in the final 30 yards with Will holding the lead.


Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. ;)

All joking aside I find the lack of a photograph with this article silly. Here's a photo of young J.R. Todd from 2004. If I can find a photo why can't the Associate Press?

7.16.2006

Columbus 151 Speedway Race Report

From the Columbus 151 Speedway Press Release:

In back up action, Jim Remsik, Jr dominated the field as he drove away from the pack at the drop of the green en route to the impressive win. He was followed by Jug Her in second and Ryan Oetzel in third.

7.15.2006

Racing Results 7/14/06

With starting mid-season I don't have many points in the season standings. Point totals are what determine the starting order which placed me on the front row for my second week of racing.

Earlier in the evening the street tires that came with the car were removed and replaced with eight-inch racing slicks. Officials allowed a couple laps of practice at intermission and the car felt good enough.

The back-up car Dad had inherited started on the front row, was not passed, and finished a half lap ahead of any other competitors. The victory scored me $30 and the most elaborate trophy I have received from Columbus 151 Speedway. The special event that afforded the trophy was the Dick Moore Memorial an homage to the former track owner.

7.14.2006

A funny thing happened at lunch ...

We were eating at the Roadkill Cafe in Seligman, AZ when about 55 people walked in the door. We thought, Tour Bus? No, PT Cruiser Owners Club. There were two more parked behind me in this shot. Jen (my wife) and I noticed that Chrysler seems to be a very popular brand in the Southwest.

7.12.2006

Online Poker Anyone?

I've been playing poker online for play money. Texas Hold'em as you might have guessed. I was turned on to a new site called DoylesRoom.net. This site is endorsed by Doyle Brunson and you can play against him and a few other poker celebrities at the play money tables.

What I like about Doyle's Room is the nice clean interface, ease of use and overall air of professionalism. I've played on PokerStars.net and PartyPoker.net and both seem to draw an obnoxious bunch who go "all-in" on every hand. The clientele at Doyle's Room just seems to be a step above.

There is also a wealth of information to learn rules, strategies and techniques.

7.08.2006

Bloggables ...

An actual conversation:

Jen: Moose crossing next 10 miles (noting the yellow road sign with a picture of moose on it)
Jim: Is that a moose or an elk?
Jim & Jen: DEER! (bolting from under the sign right in front of us)


In this part of Arizona they have elk on the interstate


The Grand Canyon is impressive, we didn't spend alot of time there and the overcast skies made our pre-dawn trip less worthwhile as sunrise was basically behind a big sheet. I would definitely come back and go down into the canyon.


Interstate speed limit in Arizona is 75 MPH. Backroads state highways (like US51/12&18 are 65)


It's surprisingly cold here and still rainy. The high temp has been 75-ish. It was a bad idea to only pack sandals.

7.07.2006

Good Morning?

We just got up and are on our way to the Grand Canyon's South Rim. I have no idea what time it is, between time zone changes and trying to figure out what time zone Arizona is in we got a little confused. We were up about 2 hours ago and decided that was too early.

It's still dark out. But, that's what we were looking for to capture the canyon at sunrise after missing sunset.

Later.

7.06.2006

The southwest is so .... Wet?



We're safe and sound in Flagstaff, AZ. Bonuses on this trip to date:
* Free High Speed Internet at our hotel.
* The path from Las Vegas to Arizona crosses the Hoover Dam, pictured above.

Downsides:
* Rain
* Rain
* Rain
* We missed our stop at the Grand Canyon tonight. We're are going dark and early tomorrow morning.

It's crazy how much rain we've seen, about 4 hours into our drive it finally quit. The only other reprieve we were a party to was just across the Arizona border for about 5 minutes. Might not have internet access the rest of the weekend. We'll see.

7.03.2006

7.01.2006

Racing Results 6/30/2006

Right Rear 3/4 View

There she is, the new Back-Up car. She saw the track for the first time in approximately 10 years last night. I started in the pole position (first car on the front row) and wound up fifth out of nine cars. There is some tweaking to do on the car to make it handle better but, I think the most improvement will come from taking the rust out of the driver. :)

It was definitely fun to be back on the track.

Update:
Ha! I nearly forgot about this... I was filling in as the press release writer this week which meant I had to take notes of the feature events, including the race before the Back-Ups. After that race I ran to the car and started getting buckled in, as I pulled out on to the track I was still putting on my helmet. I drove out forward and assumed my spot on the front row. When the car hit reverse it stalled, I saw the flag man raising the flag to start the race and I turned the ignition. *turn over* *turn over* *turn over* *turn over* The flag fell and the car started at the exact same time. Thank goodness the previous owner had removed the neutral safety switch which allowed the car to start "in gear".