Cars: Ferrari F12 Berlinetta

Last February I had the opportunity to travel to Greenwich, Connecticut for a special unveiling of the 2013 Ferrari F12 Berlinetta.  It is designed to replace the aging 599 range and debuted to the public at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. 

Visually the F12 completes the inclusion of Ferrari's new design language across the lineup.  It embraces the swept back headlights and dual taillights first seen in the 458 Italia, and the smiley sneer of a grill from the California and the FF.

Inside, the tachometer is directly in front of the driver and the steering wheel features the now commonplace manettino system where all major adjustments are handled by a small knob.  Otherwise the driver focused interior is swathed in leather, carbon fiber, and aluminum. 

The engine is a naturally aspirated 6.3 liter V12 making 730 horsepower.  It was briefly the most powerful Ferrari road car ever until the LaFerrari stripped it of its title a year later.  Zero to sixty happens in 3.1 seconds and the car will go to an alledged top speed of 210 miles per hour.

It is unlikely that Ferrari won't tinker with the F12 at some point in its life.  Patent drawings leaked online suggest that a GTO variant or a race ready XX could be on the horizon.  The Ferrari F12 Berlinetta is a fantastic car that's terrific to drive and beautiful to behold.  Overall, it is worthy to be included among the all time Ferrari greats.

 

     

Pokemon the Series: XY - Initial Thoughts

It's been a while since I wrote something for this blog.  But let's get caught back up.  College content for this blog is over for the foreseeable future.  From now on it will be all about cars, cards, and cartoons.  This first post in this new era will deal with cartoons, in particular, Pokémon.  Last week I had the opportunity to watch the US debut of Pokémon the Movie: Genesect and the Legend Awakened.  It was pretty good all things considered.  I was surprised it was barely more than an hour in length, but then again if it was too long it would ruin the otherwise decent story of people and Pokémon coexisting.  Immediately following the movie was a sneek peek at the first two episodes of Pokémon the Series: XY.  These I was immensely impressed with.  I have been a Pokémon fan since the first episodes of the anime debuted in English in 1998.  I have watched all the episodes of the following seasons hoping that Ash Ketchum will finally win a championship and become a Pokémon Master.  It's been a long road, and I am beginning to doubt that he will ever succeed.  But that doesn't mean that I won't stop watching the episodes.  I'll probably be watching Pokémon with my own children still rooting for Ash.  The Pokémon phenomenon was a huge part of my childhood and I want to remain in the loop.  That will continue with the story told in Pokémon the Series: XY.

The XY series picks up when Ash, Pikachu, and Alexa arrive in the Kalos region, a sort of Japanese version of France.  The city they land in, Lumiose City, is designed to emulate Paris with the city tower reminiscent of the Eiffel Tower.  Alexa soon leaves, and Ash and Pikachu are on their own.  Later in the day they meet some new friends: Clemont, Bonnie, and Professor Sycamore.  All of these characters seem to be alright.  Clemont looks like a young Dr. Octopus with his glasses and arm coming out of his backpack.  Bonnie is Clemont's younger sister and I look forward to seeing how her character develops.  Professor Sycamore is the resident Pokémon researcher, but not much has been elaborated about his character yet other than he is researching Mega Evolution.  Another character introduced is Serena, modeled after the female player character of the X and Y games.  It is implied that she has some past history with Ash and it will be extremely interesting to see how that story unfolds when she joins the group.  Team Rocket is back again with the same goal of capturing Pikachu.  Wobbuffet returns to Team Rocket after being absent from the Unova saga, which can either be a blessing or a curse depending on your point of view.

So far things look like they will be pretty good.  The new characters seem like nice additions to the cast.  Clemont I think will be a better replacement for Brock than Cilan was in the Unova series.  Bonnie is most likely going to be the comic relief of the group, putting in a witty comment here and there and generally tease her brother.  Finally I believe Serena will be the most dynamic female protagonist since May in the Advanced Generation series.  The new sixth generation Pokémon are starting to grow on me.  I was skeptical at the new designs and the idea of Mega Evolution at first.  But after seeing the first two episodes of the anime I am willing to keep an open mind.

I believe Pokémon is on a tear at the moment.  The new anime series is off to a good start and the Pokémon Origins mini series looks fantastic.  I can't wait for it to debut in November.  I have already seen clips from the Japanese version and have come away very impressed.  It should please people who have grown up with the original Red and Blue games while giving newer audiences a taste of the good ol' days.         

Tao of Twitter

One book I had to read for my Media Writing class was The Tao of Twitter by Mark Schaefer.  As someone who has never used Twitter before, this book was extremely helpful.  Schaefer includes many tips for beginners to get the most out of Twitter.  The book begins with a personal story of Schaefer’s where he wrote an innocent tweet “Go Steelers,” which led to a conversation with a friend that in turn led to multiple business relationships networking opportunities for Schaefer and other people in world of marketing.

Schaefer goes on to explain that anyone can have similar experiences with Twitter by making use of three elements.  The first is to make targeted connections.  Surround yourself with people with similar interests.  The second is to provide meaningful content.  By doing these two things together audiences will certainly find you.  The third tip is to provide authentic helpfulness.  Don’t try to sell anything to anybody, human interaction will lead to connections, awareness, and trust.      

Later chapters focus on how to get the most out of Twitter to achieve all three of the elements.  Some are simple dealing with the language of Twitter like re-tweet, “@” signs, and “#” signs.  Another section advises Twitter users on when to Tweet and how often each day.  Other sections cover more advanced concepts such as activity streaming, audience maintenance, and creating brand pages.  Schaefer warns people that Twitter creates a searchable record of your statements.  Like all social media programs, Schaefer advises to be careful what you post.

The Tao of Twitter is a good book for people who want to learn more about the benefits Twitter can provide.  The book is a quick read at only 156 pages with font that is easy on the eyes.  I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking to expand their online presence through Twitter.

Raving About the World Wide Rave

As part of my media writing course I was required to read World Wide Rave by David Meerman Scott.  Having finished the book, I can see why it can be applied to a media studies course.  Throughout the book Scott elaborates on the importance of maintaining a strong social media presence for aspiring entrepreneurs.  Scott is a big proponent of networking in the sense that if you tell a few friends about your product and they tell their friends and so on, you end up having what Scott calls a world wide rave.

The book is divided into chapters each detailing one element which can make a successful world wide rave.  Interspersed within the chapters are stories highlighting someone who was able to use the technique described in the chapter to generate their own rave.  One example is Matthew Zachary who founded I'm Too Young For This!, a cancer foundation dedicated to helping survivors and care providers under the age of 40.  By focusing his efforts on online advocacy, Zachary is able to reach people around the world and his advice and opinions are frequently quoted.  Another example explores how the University of North Dakota was able to increase interest in prospective students by posting aerospace podcasts on iTunes U.  One benefit of applications like iTunes U is that no expensive recording or distribution equipment is required.  The tactic at UND was a success bringing in aerospace students who first found out about the program through podcasts and would not have explored the school otherwise.  There are many examples given from all areas of business showcasing how having a strong social media presence gives people the ability to share their ideas with a global audience.

I recommend that anyone interested in establishing a business or promoting themselves read World Wide Rave.  It is a relatively quick read with short paragraphs and concise chapters.  It can tell readers a lot about the benefits of living in a digital age where millions of potential customers are at any one person's fingertips.   

Micro Fiction

Photo courtesy of Allison Swift Zercher
http://www.snippetsfromsuburbia.com

Today was a bad day.  I woke up in the morning to realize that I had overslept.  The neon alarm clock beside my bed showed 5:00 when I should have risen at four.  Hastily, I scrambled into some clothes and rushed downstairs.  I opened the pantry to see that I was out of cereal.  Not only that, there was no juice in the refrigerator.  I chuckled in a sense of irony realizing that by not having breakfast I was back on schedule for my commute to work.  I went outside to my car.  Overhead the crescent moon appeared bright as it would for a few more hours.  Turning the key I noticed that the engine would not fire.  I tried again to no avail.  The thermometer on the side of my house read four degrees.  I went back into the house to get the keys of my wife’s car.  I would use jumper cables attached to her car to bring my frozen car back to life.  I backed my wife’s car out of the garage and attached the jumper cables.  It was then that I realized that I had pulled into my driveway head in.  There was no way for me to attach the other ends to my car.  I had to push my car backwards to give me enough room to lift the hood.  After much effort I was able to get my car started.  Despite my fury at how late I was going to be for work, I still had the courtesy to re-park my wife’s car in the warm garage for her use.

Traffic was a bit lighter this time in the morning.  I was able to make up some time that I had lost getting my car started.  Suddenly I began to hear an odd noise.  The sound steadily became louder but I couldn’t figure out what it was.  A person driving next to me waved his hand to get my attention.  I looked at him and he pointed down at my front tire.  With a sickening realization I finally understood that one of my tires had burst and the noise was the ragged edge of the tire hitting against the car bodywork.  I raised a hand to thank the man and pulled over to the side of the road.

Thirty minutes later I found myself sitting next to a man in a smelly tow truck.  I took out my phone to tell my boss I would be late for work.  To my dismay I saw that the battery on my phone was dead.  I would have to call my boss from the service garage.  Imagining the tirade I would face when I finally met with my boss, I looked up at the sky and saw that the moon was still there looking like a big white smile against the dark blue sky.  Could this be a sign that the universe was playing some practical joke on me?  I shuddered at that rather unnerving thought.

Cars: 2013 Lexus LS460

I look forward to going to Boston for the New England International Auto Show every year.  Held around the same time as the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the Boston show is a cost effective way for people to explore many new car models without the hassling of dealership salespeople.

I went to the show this year with a challenge in mind.  I recently read in one of my car magazines that Lexus is bringing out a new LS full size luxury sedan.  I remembered reading in another issue how every car enthusiast must at some point sit in an LS and experience the utterly tomb like silence.  Built with the highest quality in the automotive industry, the Lexus has an interior sound level of 36 decibels at idle.  For comparison, a Rolls-Royce costing more than $400,000 has an interior sound level three decibels higher.

Changes for the 2013 LS model line include the new family
spindle grill and the addition of an F SPORT model (above)

I wanted to experience this perceived sense of isolation for myself.  I made my way to the Lexus display and sat myself down in the driver’s seat of a 2013 LS460L.  The tricky part was to make sure that I was alone.  Many people were milling around getting in and out of the car.  Eventually all the doors were shut and I was the only occupant inside.  Immediately I noticed that the voices of the people outside were completely muted.  The only sound I could perceive was the gentle whirring of the air conditioner.  I must have been alone in the car for about an entire minute with hardly anything to hear but my own thoughts.  Soon though, one of the doors was opened and the commotion of the show rushed back in.  In that short time of solitude I understood what the test drivers meant.  It was too bad that I couldn’t drive the car at city and highway conditions to form more solid conclusions.  Nevertheless, I came away feeling glad that I was able to complete one more task on the proverbial car guy to do list.         

Welcome

Good morning and welcome to my new blog.  As the title suggests this blog will deal in the discussion of cars, cards, and cartoons.  These are my interests and I welcome the opportunity to share my thoughts with other people.  I hope readers find my posts informative and thought provoking.