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I don't know which is more terrifying: this water slide or these German's bathing suits. http://gizmodo.com/5013190/insane-water-slide-drops-you-straight-down-through-a-trap-door-flings-you-through-a-loop

I feel like most people in Ohio would have gotten #14 wrong: 14. When you are merging onto the freeway, you should be driving: A. At or near the same speed as the traffic on the freeway B. 5 to 10 miles per hour slower than the traffic on the freeway C. The posted speed limit for traffic on the freeway EDIT: Oh yeah, 95% (I got #14 right)

If you like diners, dives and drive-ins, check out Roadside America: http://www.roadsideamerica.com/location/oh I love that kind of offbeat tourist stuff. As for personal favs: Jungle Jim's, Cincy-nothing can prepare you for wandering around this store for hours. They sell foods that I didn't know existed, at least in the US Cheese Haven, Port Clinton - Heck, all of Port Clinton is nice. Forget going to Put-in-Bay with the drunkards and stay on the mainland. Head over to Mr. Eds and catch a crappy island band. Cheese Haven is a store that only sells cheese. It will be a major disappointment (it's as corny as you think it is), but if you are in the area, you should definitely stop by And you could always check out a neighboring festival (Walleye festival in Port Clinton, May 22-26!): http://www.ofea.org/ Anyways, the phone is ringing, so that's it for now. Maybe some more later. Quick EDIT before I head out the door: Go to any of the Diners and Drive-ins from the TV show, although I didn't check if there were any Ohio places listed: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_dv/article/0,3151,FOOD_29156_5566108,00.html

Yeah, it says the Malibu averaged "nearly" 30mpg in real world test, whatever that means. When I had my TL (270hp v6 5AT), I averaged nearly 29mpg. Some of my friends with 4cyl Accords regularly get 30-34mpg on a tank.

Video from Wired: http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/multimedia/2008/02/ff_seacowboys_video Long but interesting article detailing the rescue effort: http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/magazine/16-03/ff_seacowboys

I thought it was Buy Other Stereo Equipment When g/f's parents were going to get a new system, her dad was considering getting a Bose system. I advised him against it, and then when he talked to the stereo installer, he also did. He ended up with a nice set of Definitives for about the same price as the Blose system.

Sorry should have clarified: GMC lacks a brand identity that correlates well with the categories specified in this survey:safety, quality, value, performance, environmental friendliness, design, and technological innovation. Chevy's trucks can easily be ranked high in value and quality because of their slogan, but not because the trucks are any better or worse than GMC. My point is: you have to take all of these things with a grain of salt because you probably don't know all the details.

And what drives perception? Advertising, not actuality. So people perceive Chevy trucks to be durable ("The longest lasting, something, something, trucks on the road" cue Bob Seger...), but GMC really lacks a brand identity.

A lot of it also has to do with how the surveys are worded and given. What the article is unclear about is that for this particular survey, people were asked to rank their top (3 maybe?) brands in different categories, like safety (Volvo and Honda did well), fuel economy (Toyota and Honda), etc... If a particular company (say, Acura or Audi) is not the top choice in a given category, it won't be rated very high. Does that mean Acuras or Audis are bad cars? Not necessarily, it just means people don't think of them as being leaders. You can believe me when I say that a lot of people are paid a lot of money to create these surveys, and even more people sit around trying to decode the results.

crutchfield sells by the foot, too. They may be mail order, but I've always had great experiences with them.

Until some locality starts shortening the yellows in order to make a buck...thus making the intersection more dangerous. http://www.motorists.org/blog/red-light-cameras/6-cities-that-were-caught-shortening-yellow-light-times-for-profit/

What he said. I'm pretty sure that if the officer fills out the ticket incorrectly, it will not hold up in court. One of my friends got out of a speeding ticket for doing 70 in a 55 because the officer forgot to put the "55" part on the ticket. Even though there is no 70mph limit in OH, the court has no way of knowing if it is a 35mph zone or 65mph zone so it was dismissed.

Explorer/Blazer=body on frame & RWD=high floor, no space top to bottom Element=unibody with tall roof=cavernous interior Seriously, I'm 6'4" and I feel like a midget when I drive one. When you take the rear seats out, the interior volume is simply astounding. When my buddy turned in the lease on his Element, he went out and bought an 89 Suburban to haul stuff. The Burban is longer, but it is actually less useful in a lot of ways because the load floor is so high. (I'm not sure but could you fit a dirt bike upright in a Suburban/Blazer/Explorer?)

The Element is one of those cars that I'm glad one of my friends has, but I would never own one. Short list of things I have seen hauled in an Element (by me or my friend): -full size washer and dryer (together) -full size refrigerator -3 people + full tailgate supplies, including deep fryer, three coolers of booze, tables, chairs, volleyball net and some other crap I'm sure I'm forgetting -tandem bicycle -full size mattress -10 people

PTI: http://youtube.com/watch?v=aBkf9dxiIe8

Apparently QFM 96 had Mayor Coleman on the radio this morning saying that Hillary had chosen him as her running mate! (God help us all)

If that's all it does, then you are lucky. I decided I could live with the DVR NOT DOING WHAT IT IS DESIGNED TO DO (you know, record stuff), but my past 2 DVRs have completely frozen, to the point where they won't even turn on and I can't even watch live TV. I have to unplug the cable from the DVR and directly into my TV. Then it's no digital and no HD! I told TW that I was going to deduct 25% of my payment to them this month since I was without service for a whole week.

No they just have to provide it. But from what I've read, they will still charge to install it. (How hard can it be to insert a stupid card into a cable box?!) Without looking, I think it's $1.95 per card per month. Currently I pay $16/mo. Tivo would be $10+$2+$2 (for two tuners)=$14/mo

Anybody using Tivo with Time Warner digital cable? I am now on my 3rd HD-DVR in less than a year using the service. Time-Warner's DVR is a piece of shit, to say the least, and I am sick of it breaking. Every time it is the same story: we just issued a new software, we are working on the problem, etc... Only TW could scam people into paying them money for something that is so crappy. So am seriously considering getting a Tivo HD with George Bush's $600 and just renting a cable card from TW. The monthly rate would be about the same, just $10 would be going to Tivo instead of TW. Anybody else doing this? Any issues? And I live in an apartment, so I can't switch to WOW or Dish, so don't even bother rubbing salt in my wounds by suggesting it.

Yeah, OEM Honda navigation rules! I had one in my TL and I miss it constantly. Although, I guess $299>$1500. BTW, how is the Garmin? I have been thinking about getting one for the 3.

"Early-bird" tickets went on sale today at $175. Rumors out of Chicago indicate that the third headliner is indeed Rage Against the Machine. Full lineup will be announced April 7th, probably coinciding with a price increase to the "regular" ticket price of $205.

"Who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life? Friends, meet Jon Arbuckle. Let’s laugh and learn with him on a journey deep into the tortured mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness in a quiet American suburb." I literally laughed until I cried at a few of these. It's depressingly funny. http://garfieldminusgarfield.tumblr.com/

Spyshots indicate that the new Z will get a similar treatment for the front lights. FWIW, I kinda like it, it's different. http://www.leftlanenews.com/nissan-370z.html http://forums.freshalloy.com/showthread.php?t=180817

I've run out of gas once in every car I've ever owned (except the 3, so far.) I always think I can push it one more mile, or I'm in a hurry, etc. Then I learn my lesson. Although, to be fair, once I ran out of gas on the way to the gas station.

I sat in one at Detroit and was surprised to find that it is surprisingly roomy on the inside. M-B is claiming that they are safe, but as I read in one magazine, I wouldn't want to be the first one in America to get hit by an H2. Automobile had a good review of it, IIRC: http://www.automobilemag.com/new_and_future_cars/2008/0802_2008_smart_fortwo/index.html