Mechanic's Tale: The Flushing of America

While we're on the subject of automobiles, I just read this article by David Flint that was very interesting. It's a warning to consumers (and shop owners) regarding the constant push of today's repair shops towards fluid "flushing". Seems that much of the time these recommendations have a lot more to do with newer technology making them easy money than about any actual needs of your vehicle. The author suggests that this is "Just a Nightline away from scandal."

Hmmmm...reminds me, I think I have an oil change due. Driving 500 miles a week will do that to a car. I'm not looking forward to >$3 a gallon gasoline.

Careful what you ask for, Chevy!

Recently, Chevrolet asked consumers from the Internet community to create some ads for it's new SUV. I don't think they were expecting results quite like this.



Of course, Chevy's pulled most of these "offensive" ads, so lots of people have been posting theirs on YouTube. Check out lots more of these (sometimes) funny parody ads. Here are a few of my favorites:

Consumer Driven Ad, Yo
What Would Jesus Drive?
SUV God

BTW...I actually have several friends/family members who drive these monsters...so no offense, guys. Views expressed in these videos do not necessarily represent the opinions of this site...etc...etc...blah, blah.

Kid-Friendly Web Sites

Last year, when Griffin was first really "getting" the computer, I wanted to set up something really simple that he could use by himself, if he wanted...a place that he could explore on his own without feeling like he needed help all the time. I quickly whipped up this Kid-Friendly startup page in Notepad and set it as the start page for the browser on his computer. Before long, he was playing games, listening to songs and having a great time. Of course he was very proud of himself that he could do so much of this without assistance.

Anyway...I keep adding things to this page, at his request, and it keeps growing. The subject matter varies, from kid's websites to stop-action animation to zoo webcams to optical illusions. I've kept things in the original order I added them, because now he seems to be progressing to slightly more complex websites. The first dozen or so links are to sites that have very good interfaces for children who do not yet read, which is relatively rare out there. In fact, it surprised me how many really bad "educational" sites were out there. It took me quite a bit of searching and real-world child-testing to find some that were worth adding. These days, Griffin thinks there's a .COM for everything..."Daddy, can I go to cheesy macaroni.com?". The thing is, most of the time, there really is a site for whatever he's asking about.

So, if you have a young one, say from 3-6 yrs old...feel free to point them to this page and let 'em loose. It may require a little guidance in the beginning, but before long, they'll be surfing solo and you'll have the Egg Song permanently etched into your brain.

Let me know if you run into any dead links or problems.

Dream Theater Play Sold Out Show at Radio City Music Hall

I guess when your favorite band can sell out Radio City Music Hall, they can't be all bad. For the final show of their 20th Anniversary Tour in support of their latest album Octavarium, Dream Theater played for over 3 hours to a packed crowd. Joining them during a portion of the show was a 20+ piece orchestra. Audio and Camera crews were present and there will be a CD and DVD released soon.

Over the years, I've taken a lot of crap for my somewhat fanatical admiration of this progressive-metal band. But, I'm really proud to see them still making fantastic new music, gaining recognition for their talents and enjoying themselves all the while. Love 'em or hate 'em...you have to respect them for following their own path and continuing to succeed without any radio or television airplay whatsoever. They are some of the hardest working musicians out there. Plus, they are all 5 really decent people on top of that. So, for those of you who asked surprised "You mean, they're still together? Have they done anything since Pull Me Under?"....uh...yes and YES!!

The setlist for the final show was as follows:

01. The Root of All Evil
02. I Walk Beside You
03. Another Won
04. Afterlife
05. Under a Glass Moon
06. Innocence Faded
07. Raise the Knife
08. The Spirit Carries On
~~~intermission~~~
09. Overture
10. About to Crash
11. War inside My Head
12. The Test That Stumped Them All
13. Goodnight Kiss
14. Solitary Shell
15. About to Crash (reprise)
16. Losing Time / Grand Finale
17. Vacant
18. The Answer Lies Within
19. Sacrificed Sons
20. Octavarium
~~~encore~~~
21. Metropolis Pt. I

Note: The second set and encore featured the 20+ piece orchestra


Mike Portnoy, Dream Theater's drummer and "spokesman" said earlier today

"Without going into too much detail (I promised myself and my family some rest and time away from the computer), I have to THANK all of you in attendance last night at Radio City Music Hall for helping to make last night's show one of the most incredible evenings of my life.

"Of the hundreds of shows (maybe thousands at this point?) that we've done through the years, never before have I been moved on stage as much as I was last night. There were several points in the night where I was literally brought to tears by the power and emotion in the air.

"I just wanted to thank our AMAZING fans from all over the world that helped make last night so electric and magical from start to finish....you guys were the ULTIMATE audience last night!

We always dreamed of playing with an orchestra one day and last night's performance surpassed my wildest expectations. Jamshied Sharifi (our beloved arranger & conductor) and the incredible musicians behind us rose to the occasion and lifted our music to a whole new orgasmic level.

I cannot wait to share this evening with all of you that weren't able to attend via the upcoming DVD and CD sets that I will be working on in the coming months. (No rest for the wicked...or at least me!)

I truly believe last night was the PINNACLE of our 20-year career thus far and an incredible ending to the latest chapter in DREAM THEATER history.

How the hell will we top it???????????

Give me some time, and I'll think of something!"