A ticket to ride – Mercedes’ 500 bhp model CLK63 AMG Black Series

On a recent flight, I became aware of this car with an article in the inflight magazine on Continental.   This new AMG is an impressive rig with some minor flaws.  For a production run manufactured (albeit of 700 total) automobile of this heft to achieve zero to 60 in 4.4 seconds is an impressive feat in anyone’s book.  Jordan’s (2nd below) article highlights that we are likely nearing the end of a performance era with oil reaching $100/barrel.

by Eric Tegler (Continental Airlines Magazine, December 2007)

new-black-amg-page-1-of-2.pdf

new-black-amg-page-2-of-2.pdf

Here’s the review by Michael Jordan, Executive Editor, from Edmunds Inside Line.  You can bet he reserved this plum speed fix for himself…..

Your $136,000 Ticket to a Lap at the Nürburgring

“But this is not some big-block muscle car. AMG has built a genuine Mercedes-Benz track car, the kind of street-legal racer we’ve seen in the parking lot of the Nürburgring’s Nordschleife, where a $10.75 ticket entitles you to test your car against the classic racing circuit.”

The next time I’m in Germany, I think I’ll try to get that ticket punched. – S.

P.S. – Two other very notable autos:

2008 SRT10 Dodge Viper Coupe – 600 bhp

http://magazine.continental.com/content3419  

2009 Corvette ZR1 – 620 bhp

http://jalopnik.com/cars/detroit-auto-show/2009-chevrolet-corvette-zr1-revealed-officially-334923.php 

Not Pretty – Indoor Winter Exercise

The long road home (in terms of relative fitness).  I’m using a Kurt Kinetic Cycle Trainer in order to get my daily dose of good exercise. 

This is what a cycle trainer looks like (from a recent cyclocross race at Alpensrose Dairy here in Portland):

 

I’m contemplating putting something up here as a log to ensure that I get on the trainer every day.

 

Recommendations for winter exercise

http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489

Get ready to race!  A pic below from the amateur cyclocross race mentioned above in which our friend Tim competed (his first).

More imagery on the Portland Aerial Tram and Groenig

 (home of the Portland Aerial Tram & wikipedia article plus photo link)

copyright 2008 by Matt Groenig of Portland, OR

On the night the January 5 back-to-back New Hampshire/ABC/Facebook debates – a look back to 2007

A fairly balanced political review from 2007 from Paul Kane of the Washington Post (from Dec. 22nd)

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitol-briefing/2007/12/from_slow_bleed_to_larry_craig.html

With that, let’s look back at 2007 through the eyes of this blog, at what went wrong for both the Democrats and the Republicans, as a way of looking forward to what might come to pass in 2008:

The “Slow Bleed” moment. By mid-February Pelosi brought to the House floor a non-binding resolution that put the House on record opposing Bush’s troop surge of an additional 30,000 or so soldiers into Iraq. Many Republicans expected several dozen from their ranks to break away in what would have been a symbolic vote against the Iraq strategy. Instead, just 48 hours before the vote, the Politico’s John Bresnahan broke a story detailing Rep. John Murtha’s (D-Pa.) plan to force Bush out of Iraq, a strategy that Republicans dubbed the “slow bleed” plan. It was a galvanizing rally cry for the GOP. In the end, just 17 Republicans voted with Democrats against the surge, laying the groundwork for what would become a yearlong frustration for House and Senate Democrats who were stunned by how many Republicans stuck with Bush.

· With Friends Like These. The single greatest success for Democrats in 2007 was likely their oversight investigations in both chambers. From probes of the Pentagon’s handling of the death of NFL star-turned-special forces ace Pat Tillman to those missing White House e-mails of Karl Rove’s, Democrats made the administration take notice. And quite often Republicans were left to shrug their shoulders and agree. The probes of Alberto R. Gonzales’s firings of nine U.S. attorneys in 2006 epitomized the zealous and efficient oversight by House and Senate Judiciary committees. On April 19, the attorney general appeared before the Senate panel to tell his side of the story. It was brutal. He stammered, he dodged, he pleaded ignorance, he pleaded and he pleaded. Finally, Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, the most conservative Senate Republican, told the beleaguered Gonzales he needed to “suffer the consequences” of those prosecutors. “I believe that the best way to put this behind us is your resignation,” he said. Stunningly, it took Gonzales four more months to realize his political capital in Washington was destroyed. He announced his resignation Aug. 27.

· “Expletive you” Immigration Showdown. The Senate devoted almost six weeks of its precious floor time to a tenuously crafted immigration reform compromise, which was backed by Bush, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Reid and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) and spanning the ideological gamut. However, it became apparent the bill was doomed during private meeting McCain attended in mid-May. When a colleague questioned McCain’s commitment to the issue because he’d been away on the presidential campaign trail, the ex-Navy pilot cursed at his colleague and told him he knew more about the issue than anyone else in the room. McCain’s famous temper got the best of him. The immigration bill died in late June amid conservative backlash, and days later McCain’s presidential campaign apparatus unraveled as well, mired in debt and campaign disorder. He’s still in the race, but as a long shot, not the frontrunner.

· Iraq-around-the-clock. On the night of July 17 rolling into the morning of July 18, Reid pulled a stunt to illustrate to the anti-war voters that beating a GOP filibuster on Iraq funding issues was virtually impossible. The chamber debated the issue for 24 straight hours. Reid was unable to pick up GOP support when a vote on the Levin-Reed withdrawal language was held on day two. Like so many votes before and after, McConnell stymied the Democrats. And the anti-war base, judging from its reaction to this week’s award of $70 billion in unrestricted war funds, still does not understand why Reid can’t win on this issue.

· Retirements. In one fell swoop in early August, a group of veteran House Republicans all announced their intentions to resign rather than seek re-election next year, including former Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.). As much as Democrats have had trouble passing legislation, they continue to be in much greater political shape heading into next year because so many GOP veterans in both chambers have vacated seats Democrats now think they can win.

· The money chase. Not only are Republicans facing dire political straits because of retirements, they are also dramatically cash strapped compared to the Democrats. This week’s fundraising reports show the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee holding $31 million in cash, compared to just $2.3 million for the National Republican Congressional Committee. That will allow Democrats to go on the offensive next year.

· The “wide stance” defense. Hold up your hand if you could identify Larry Craig in a police lineup before his arrest and guilty plea for disorderly conduct in a men’s restroom? Now, the Idaho senator is a national laughingstock who refuses to resign. It surely was the you-won’t-believe-this-story of the year. Plus we all get to relive the storyline in Minneapolis at the Republican National Convention, kicking off Sept. 1, 2008 – the one-year anniversary of when Craig first pledged to resign in disgrace!

· Polling peril. In mid-November a Gallup Poll revealed what many inside the Capitol had known for months: that the public’s approval of the Congress was at historically low proportions. All sides of this argument can debate the causes for this low esteem – obstructionist Republicans, weak-kneed Democrats, Bush’s veto-pen intransigence – but the facts are the facts. The public doesn’t like what it saw this year.

· A Whole Lott of Dollars. Nothing may symbolize the state of Congress – the Republican Party, life in the minority and the overall lack of fun these days in the Capitol – more than Trent Lott’s retirement. The Mississippi Republican is not running from scandal, not running from a pending indictment. No, Lott just wants more money now, at 66, because he’s not having fun anymore in the Senate. He’s the first senator to ever leave midterm to become a lobbyist. In his farewell speech, after 35 years in the House and Senate, Lott thanked his colleagues and gave us all a lesson to follow. “I believe whatever you do in your life you should find a way to enjoy it and have fun. I have to say I have had fun in the Senate because I really enjoyed it. That is all there is to it,” he said.

Well, if that’s all there is to it, I hope I’ve measured up to that very standard. This blog, this year, has been fun for me. I hope it’s been fun for you readers as well. And, remember, keep commenting next year. It’s your blog, too. Happy New Year. –pk

By Paul Kane |  December 22, 2007; 8:00 AM ET 
 

From hard left field -

Whatever your political stance, you have to admire the tenacity of ”Tom Tomorrow.”

“2007: An incomplete, subjective, and altogether inadequate Year in Review – Part the First & Part the Second“

 

I’m working on finding a more balanced cartoon for this post as well.  Please let me know if you know of one and the URL.

Saturday Musings from River City

This is a quiet morning for us here in Portland, OR after a late evening over at Patti and Lonnie’s with them, Kaitlin and Hailey before Kaitlin has to go back to Syracuse following her winter break.  Lonnie kindly watched the sleeping kids last night and four of us snuck out to see The Golden Compass.  This a really fun movie with great special effects based on the novel by Philip Pullman.

I thought you might enjoy these photos from The Oregonian (by Ross William Hamilton).

This lazy morning, we watched the excellent documentary by Judy Irving called The Wild Parrots of Telegraphy Hill about the parrots and the life of Mark Bittner.  This is a must see movie for families.

There is a funny segment in the documentary where they show the Vesuvio Cafe in SF whose motto/mantra is “We are itching to get away from Portland, Oregon.”

The big, disappointing news from last evening was that the Dakar Rally has been cancelled due to a threat of terrorism.  The teams from around the world were set to depart from Lisbon, Portugal today.

I have to concur with the analysis below.  I’ve also included the official release from the race organization. 

From Basem’s Motorcycle Blog -

The Dakar Rally is arguably the most grueling offroad competition in the world, a high profile, international event that draws some of the most talented motorcycle riders alive. Unfortunately, the Amaury Sport Association has announced that this year’s Lisbon to Dakar event– which was set to kick off this Saturday– is being canceled.

Citing Al-Qaeda’s murder of four French tourists last month, current political tensions, and direct threats from terrorist organizations, the ASO nonetheless asserts that “The Dakar is a symbol and nothing can destroy symbols.”

Rally organizers are to be applauded for their desire to protect participants, fans and journalists from danger, but it is a sad day when something as good spirited as motorcycle racing is affected by terrorism.

Photo © van Oers J. / KTM
 

Official Release (Communique Officiel de L’Organisation de l’Euromilhões Dakar 2008)

Lisbon, Portugal –  Friday the 4th of January 2008

A.S.O. cancels the 2008 edition of the Dakar rally

After different exchanges with the French government – in particular the Ministry for Foreign Affairs – , and based on their firm recommendations, the organisers of the Dakar have taken the decision to cancel the 2008 edition of the rally, scheduled from the 5th to the 20th of January between Lisbon and Senegal’s capital.

Based on the current international political tension and the murder of four French tourists last 24th of December linked to a branch of Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb, but also and mainly the direct threats launched directly against the race by terrorist organisations, no other decision but the cancellation of the sporting event could be taken by A.S.O.

A.S.O.’s first responsibility is to guarantee the safety of all: that of the populations in the countries visited, of the amateur and professional competitors, of the technical assistance personnel, of the journalists, partners and rally collaborators. A.S.O. therefore reaffirms that the choice of security is not, has never been and will never be a subject of compromise at the heart of the Dakar rally.

A.S.O. condemns the terrorist menace that annihilates a year of hard work, engagement and passion for all the participants and the different actors of the world’s biggest off-road rally. Aware of the huge frustration, especially in Portugal, Morocco, Mauritania and Senegal, and beyond the general disappointment and the huge economical consequences in terms of direct and indirect repercussions for the countries visited, A.S.O. will continue to defend the major values of great sporting events and will carry on its engagement for a durable development through the Actions Dakar, started 5 years ago in sub-Saharan Africa with SOS Sahel International.

The Dakar is a symbol and nothing can destroy symbols. The cancellation of the 2008 edition does not endanger the future of the Dakar. To offer, for 2009 a new adventure to all the off-road rally passionate is a challenge that A.S.O. will take on in the months to come, faithful to its engagement and its passion for sports.

Austin, TX; Portland, OR; San Francisco and Seattle are the Top Blogging Markets  If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.  Portland is the second “bloggiest” city (14%)  in the US behind the Republic of Austin, TX (15%).  The national average of those reading blogs or actually blogging is 8%. Primer on blogging for those of you visiting this as a traditional web site (browsing): Dvorak’s Understanding and Reading a Blog (for beginners) http://www.dvorak.org/blog/primer/blogprimer1.htm Dvorak’s Blogging Primer from PC Magazine http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1863345,00.asp  - Seth   Austin, TX; Portland, OR; San Francisco and Seattle are the Top Blogging Markets http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/10-24-2007/0004689226&EDATE & http://www.marketingcharts.com/interactive/top-blogging-markets-austin-portland-san-francisco-and-seattle-2179/

  "Additionally, Austin, Portland, San Francisco and Seattle are markets with large high-tech economies."     Other Internet behaviors of bloggers suggest an attraction to user generated content. Bloggers are more than three times more likely than all Internet users to download Podcasts, and more than twice as likely to download/watch videos online. Twenty-Five percent of bloggers download or listen to audio clips online as opposed to the 8 percent of all other connected adults.     Bloggers are also adopters of new technology. They are 76 percent more likely than all Internet users to be a part of household that owns a PDA, 54 percent more likely to have an MP3 player and 37 percent more likely to have a satellite radio subscription.     "Bloggers tend to have a different relationship with the Internet than the average user. They are more likely to advantage of its utility for standard household and personal tasks, such as email, shopping and online banking," said Mr. Meo. "Given that they are contributing to the content of the Internet itself, it's not surprising that bloggers are more advanced online than your average Internet user, and more tech savvy overall."     Demographically, bloggers are young and hail from middle class families. They are 66 percent more likely than the national average to be between the ages of 18 and 34. Fifty percent of bloggers are part of a household that has children under 17, as opposed to 41 percent of the total population. Bloggers are 20 percent more likely than the national average to have an annual household income between $50k and $100k per year.     Source: Study Scarborough USA+ 2007 Release 1 (Current Release).  Based on Total Adults. DMA or Designated Market Area is a trademark of Nielsen Media Research                          Scarborough Local Market Analysis:                         Top Local Markets for Bloggers        DMA(R)                                                                  %     Austin, TX                                                             15     Portland, OR                                                           14     San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose, CA                                     13     Seattle/Tacoma, WA                                                     13     Honolulu, HI                                                           12     San Diego, CA                                                          12     Dallas/Fort Worth, TX                                                  11     Columbus, OH                                                           11     Nashville, TN                                                          11     Colorado Springs/Pueblo, CO                                            11     Washington, D.C.                                                       11     Atlanta, GA                                                            10     New York, NY                                                           10     Boston, MA                                                              9     Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN                                                9     Los Angeles, CA                                                         9     Syracuse, NY                                                            9     Detroit, MI                                                             9     Philadelphia, PA                                                        9     Indianapolis, IN                                                        9     Albuquerque/Santa Fe, NM                                                9     Rochester, NY                                                           9     Oklahoma City, OK                                                       9     Albany/Schenectady/Troy, NY                                             9     Houston, TX                                                             9     Richmond/Petersburg, VA                                                 9     Chicago, IL                                                             9     Harrisburg/Lancaster/Lebanon/York, PA                                   9     Providence/New Bedford, RI                                              8     Raleigh/Durham, NC                                                      8     Bakersfield, CA                                                         8     Kansas City, MO                                                         8     Des Moines/Ames, IA                                                     8     Orlando/Daytona Beach/Melbourne, FL                                     8     Salt Lake City, UT                                                      8     Phoenix, AZ                                                             8     Tulsa, OK                                                               8     Baltimore, MD                                                           8     Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville/ Anderson, SC                          8        DMA(R)                                                                  %     Denver , CO                                                             8     Hartford/New Haven, CT                                                  8     Memphis, TN                                                             8     Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo/Battle Creek, MI                                 8     Louisville, KY                                                          8     Lexington, KY                                                           7     Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem,NC                                  7     Sacramento/Stockton/Modesto, CA                                         7     San Antonio, TX                                                         7     Milwaukee, WI                                                           7     Spokane, WA                                                             7     Fort Myers/Naples, FL                                                   7     Toledo, OH                                                              7     Tucson, AZ                                                              7     Green Bay/Appleton, WI                                                  7     Dayton, OH                                                              6     Las Vegas, NV                                                           6     Jacksonville, FL                                                        6     Wichita/Hutchinson, KS                                                  6     Mobile/Pensacola, FL                                                    6     Norfolk/Portsmouth/Newport News, VA                                     6     Little Rock/Pine Bluff, AK                                              6     Tampa/St.Petersburg, FL                                                 6     Cincinnati, OH                                                          6     Miami/Ft.Lauderdale, FL                                                 6     Charleston/Huntington, WV                                               6     Chattanooga, TN                                                         6     El Paso, TX                                                             6     Flint/Saginaw/Bay City, MI                                              6     Knoxville, TN                                                           6     St. Louis, MO                                                           6     Birmingham, AL                                                          5     Charlotte, NC                                                           5     West Palm Beach/Fort Pierce, FL                                         5     Fresno/Visalia, CA                                                      5     Cleveland/Akron, OH                                                     5     Roanoke/Lynchburg, VA                                                   4     Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA                                               4     Buffalo, NY                                                             2     Pittsburgh, PA                                                          2     About Scarborough Research     Scarborough Research, a Media Rating Council (MRC) accredited media and marketing service, (http://www.scarborough.com, info@scarborough.com) measures the lifestyle and shopping patterns, media behaviors, and demographics of American consumers. Products and services include consumer insight studies in 81 Top-Tier Markets, The Multi-Market Study, Scarborough USA+ (a national database), Hispanic studies, and custom research solutions. With more than 30 years of experience, Scarborough measures 2,000 consumer categories and serves a broad client base that includes marketers, advertising agencies, print and electronic media (broadcast and cable television, radio stations) sports teams and leagues, and out-of-home media companies. Surveying more than 220,000 adults annually, Scarborough is a joint venture between Arbitron Inc. (http://www.arbitron.com) and The Nielsen Company (http://www.nielsen.com).     Blogger* -- Adult who has read or contributed to a blog within the past 30 days     Internet Users** -- Adults who have accessed the Internet within the past 30 days      s.server=server() s.channel="news release" s.pageName="news_release_austin, tx; portland, or; san francisco and seattle are the top blogging markets" s.prop2="104" s.prop3="10-24-2007"  /************* DO NOT ALTER ANYTHING BELOW THIS LINE ! **************/  var s_code=s.t();if(s_code)document.write(s_code);  //-->

SOURCE Scarborough Research

Pale Riders on the Long Way Down

As many of you know, I’m passionate about everything on two wheels (bicycling & motorcycling).  As I can’t get my Honda VFR 800i Interceptor out much this winter, I have to watch from the sidelines.  This post covers the Long Way Down expedition/trek (wikipedia post & BBC coverage) & the upcoming start of the Dakar Rally.

 Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman just finished their Long Way Down trip from John O’ Groats, Scotland to Capetown, South Africa.   This follows their incredible adventure in the Long Way Round when they rode from the UK to NYC across Asia and North America.

 Photos at the start of their trip:

http://www.xrv.org.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=17738

Interestingly, “Scottishbiker” who posted these photos has an adaptation of the powerful Book of Revelations verse – ““Behold the pale horse and the man who sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him” as his tag.

I thought those of you not familiar with these would like them.  Also, Boorman has become obsessed with the Dakar Rally (formerly the Paris to Dakar) race and has actually raced in the dangerous event (see Race to Dakar) which the Vatican newspaper calls “the bloody race of irresponsibility.”  There have apparently been 49 deaths in the event in 29 years.

The race starts in just a few days on January 5, 2007 in Lisbon, Portugal and ends in January 20th.  It is possible to track the race in real time.  I’m considering a membership for the month myself.

 

Two Americans, Robby Gordon and Ronn Bailey have recently received a great deal of attention (ex. New York Times article), primarily based on Gordon’s surprising strong finish in 2007 and Bailey’s entering the race primarily with his dollars.

A Primer on the Dakar Rally

The Dakar: guideline and lexicon

The Dakar is an endurance and navigation between Lisbon and Dakar for the cars, trucks, bikes and quads, including 15 stages (video of the route & pdf map)

dakar-2008-route-lisbon-to-dakar-senegal.pdf

The 15 stages:

DATE	START	FINISH	CONNECTION	SPECIAL	CONNECTION	TOTAL
05/01/08	Lisboa	Portimão	104 km	120 km	262 km	486 km
06/01/08	Portimão	Málaga	15 km	60 km	460 km	535 km
07/01/08	Nador	Er Rachidia	182 km	372 km	163 km	717 km
08/01/08	Er Rachidia	Ouarzazate	29 km	356 km	199 km	584 km
09/01/08	Ouarzazate	Guelmim	188 km	498 km	148 km	834 km
10/01/08	Guelmim	Smara	66 km	454 km	105 km	625 km
11/01/08	Smara	Atâr	198 km	619 km	12 km	829 km
12/01/08	Atâr	Nouakchott	44 km	450 km	37 km	531 km
13/01/08	Rest Day
14/01/08	Nouakchott	Nouhadibou	37 km	525 km	86 km	648 km
15/01/08	Nouhadibou	Atâr	111 km	552 km	22 km	685 km
16/01/08	Atâr	Tidjikja	35 km	524 km	133 km	692 km
17/01/08	Tidjikja	Kiffa	131 km	398 km	2 km	531 km
18/01/08	Kiffa	Kiffa	25 km	484 km	6 km	515 km
19/01/08	Kiffa	Saint-Louis	326 km	301 km	130 km	757 km
20/01/08	Saint-Louis	Dakar	239 km	23 km	42 km	304 km
TOTAL			1 730 km	5 736 km	1 807 km	9 273 km

Stage = a course to cover between two cities. It includes a special as well as one or two liaison sections, according to the days.

Special = It is also called a timed section. It’s the portion of a stage, covered on or off course, on which the competitors are timed between two time checks. The time registered on this section will be used to establish the standings.

Liaison = It’s the section, normally on tarmac, used to reach the start of a special and the then the finish bivouac of a stage. It is not timed but the competitors have to cover it in a maximum time.

Bivouac = The meeting point for the competitors of the race or in assistance as well as the members of the organisation and the press. It is always situated at an airport.

Navigation = Unlike for WRC races where the itineraries are marked, the discipline of rally-raid forces the competitors to orientate themselves and find the different CPs and CHs. They are given a road-book at the bivouac at the finish of the previous stage.

Road-book = It’s the document containing the course directions, the cape to follow, the dangers and the distances. The competitors can use their road-book thanks to their trip master.

GPS = Reduced to its simple function as a compass, it can be “unblocked” (with penalties), in other words additional guidance information will appear, if a competitor gets lost. It is also used as an “informer” to control the speed of competitors after every stage.

Iritrack = System transmitting information by satellite, mandatory for all vehicles. It allows a competitor to communicate with the PC (race headquarters) in case of danger and the organisation to know the precise position of a competitor in real time.

Check point (CP) = they are mandatory passages located on the course of the special. The competitors have their check point book posted at each control.

Time checks (CH) = they are located at the start and finish of each liaison and special.

Standings

Scratch = It’s the standing based on the time established by each competitor during a special.

Stage = It’s the standing established after the sum of possible penalties decided by the race officials according to the rule book.

Overall = It is established after adding the times of each stage.

Starts = every day, the bikes followed by the cars and finally the trucks take off according to the order of the previous day’s scratch standing. This common rule however has some exceptions:

• The first Portuguese stage = the bikes take off in the reverse order of their race numbers
• The last stage = the bikes take off in the reverse order of the overall standing
• The trucks = they are mixed with the cars as of the first Mauritanian stage.

Viral Video – The Richter Scales warn of another dotcom bubble burst

This is a good spoof/parody and worth the time to watch the YouTube video.

- S. 

 

The Richter Scales have an online hit with a musical video parody.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-richter24dec24,0,7971272.story?coll=la-home-business

By Jessica Guynn, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
December 24, 2007

SAN FRANCISCO — An offbeat a cappella group composed mostly of computer geeks, the Richter Scales have performed original ditties and pop parodies in relative obscurity for seven years.That is, until three weeks ago, when they released an online video that mocks the latest Internet frenzy sweeping Silicon Valley. “Here Comes Another Bubble,” an original arrangement of Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” pokes fun at the “monster rally all around the valley.” In staccato bursts of words and images, it lampoons the Web industry’s silly buzzwords and business names, pizza-and-beer-fueled engineers, male-dominated launch parties, billion-dollar valuations and mass-scale ego trips.

The musical romp opens with Facebook Inc. investor and board member Peter Thiel declaring, with a straight face, “There’s absolutely no bubble in technology.” Its final lines, “And when we are gone/This will still go on and on and on and on and on and on and on” are interrupted by a loud popping sound.

The clever commentary on the cult of the Silicon Valley start-up was an instant hit, passed along via e-mail and blogged by venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, coders and marketers. It climbed the charts to become YouTube’s top-rated video in its first week with more than 1 million views.

“It’s about the gold-rush spirit of thousands of entrepreneurs who want to try their hand at being the next Larry Page or Sergey Brin,” said Matt Hempey, the 33-year-old PayPal Inc. product manager who wrote the lyrics and arranged the song.

Even those lampooned got a kick out of it. Technology blogger Robert Scoble said he laughed so hard that he sprayed Diet Coke out of his nose. TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington called it an honor to have his cigar-puffing mug gracing the video’s display image.

Not everyone was amused. The video was yanked from the Web after Bay Area photographer Lane Hartwell complained that one of her images was used without credit, sparking a spirited online debate about fair use of copyrighted material. The Richter Scales last week cut a version without her image and listed credits for images they used.

That didn’t appease Hartwell, nor some of the other photographers whose images briefly appear in the video. But so far the new version remains on YouTube and www.richterscales.com.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uV50lUvsXYHempey, who solos on “Here Comes Another Bubble,” said the half-baked business plans, copycat companies and flowing venture capital dollars inspired him to set music to the debate that has flared in the industry: Are we in another high-tech bubble?

He says he sees so many people trying to spin fortunes on broadband and a prayer that it’s deja vu for Silicon Valley.

The 15 members of the Richter Scales belong to a generation shaped by the Internet bust. Seven work for start-ups, four more are at technology companies such as Apple Inc. and Google Inc.

Curtis Chen, a 34-year-old bass singer and Web applications engineer at Google, said it didn’t take long for his co-workers to become fans of the video.

“They really identified with it,” he said. “There are a fair number of people here who worked at start-ups that failed, myself included. They are familiar with what happened the last time around and they can see it happening again, as the video says.”

It was in 2000, during the Internet crash, that the Richter Scales banded together, a group of guys looking to stretch their vocal chords and rekindle the camaraderie of collegiate a cappella. They practiced Thursday nights in the empty offices of one member’s start-up, located in a seedy San Francisco neighborhood next door to a strip club whose motto was “Feel the beauty, touch the magic.”

The group’s experimental, self-directed vibe appealed to its members’ entrepreneurial natures.

A cappella means “in the style of the church” in Italian and is sung without the accompaniment of instruments. But nothing is sacred where the Richter Scales are concerned. They send up Christmas music and Gregorian chants alike with satire and slapstick, performing every six weeks, with two main shows a year. Ranging in age from 25 to 40, the guys bond at weekend retreats, spending as much time talking about their lives as they do writing songs.

They first put their voices to video this summer with a spoof of the sub-prime lending collapse, “Fine Line: Sub-Prime Decline,” which was viewed more than 39,000 times and was mentioned on a handful of blogs. But the viral success of “Here Comes Another Bubble” surprised them.

Heretofore their highlights were singing the national anthem at a San Francisco Giants game, serenading guests at mayoral fundraisers and their own weddings and belting out a few tunes on street corners or in restaurants. (Their second gig was a lively rendition of “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” in the back of a Japanese tourist bus.)

“We perform at all sorts of kooky things where people are not listening to us,” said James Currier, a 40-year-old San Francisco entrepreneur who co-founded the Richter Scales.

But about 200 people recently packed a rented San Francisco church to listen to the group’s annual holiday medley. The Richter Scales, wearing black shirts, blue jeans and Santa hats, joked they were thrilled to see so many “unique visitors” show up for their “user-generated content.”

They performed geek-friendly songs including Brian Rosen’s ode to spam “I Got Mail” (“Now I’ve got new hair, a new physique/I lost twelve pounds in just one week/Yeah I got mail and I got it made”), and Jason Hunter’s digital ballad “E-mail Me Your Love” (“Nothing turns me on like a well-placed emoticon”). Rosen, 36, is a senior software engineer at Pixar Animation Studios and Hunter, 28, is a senior content manager at EBay Inc.

“Seeing as we are a bunch of tech guys, we write what we know,” said Rosen, the Richter Scales’ musical director.

Their first live performance of “Here Comes Another Bubble” brought down the house.

Still, like any bubble-era start-up worth its weight in venture capital funding, the Richter Scales lost money on the gig, as they have on every one since inception.

The much-aired bubble video hasn’t exactly lined their pockets either. They offer it free online, and they’ve sold only eight of their “We Hate A Cappella” CDs as a result of the publicity — about one for every 125,000 viewers. That means 3.5 million people will have to view the video before they recoup the $355 it cost to make it.But they say they were never in it for the fame or fortune.

“I’ve really enjoyed making the valley laugh about something I am intimately familiar with,” said Hempey, who survived a start-up failure or two. “It was a great idea at the right time.”

jessica.guynn@latimes.com

The Gore-Tex Vortex (Why I Hate Perfectville)

A very funny riff on one of the fittest towns in America.

This is especially funny if you are a cyclist.  

Marc Peruzzi is the Editor-in-Chief of Skiing magazine.

- S.  

http://outside.away.com/outside/destinations/200608/best-outside-towns-2006-12.html

Outside Magazine, August 2006

Best Outside Towns 2006
The Gore-Tex Vortex
Think life in America’s favorite outdoor mecca would be dreamy? Careful what you wish for.

By Marc Peruzzi

Intro | Bellingham, WA | New Paltz, NY | Boulder, CO | Sebastopol, CA | Madison, WI | Bend, OR | Asheville, NC | Durango, CO | Truckee, CA | Haleiwa, HI | The Gore-Tex Vortex

So you want to move to Boulder, Colorado, the perennial best town in America for (circle one or all depending upon your level of outsideness) roadies, rock jocks, organic consumers, backcountry skiers, mountain bikers, trail runners, ultrarunners, whitewater boaters, alpinists, credit-card environmentalists, New Agers, sellers of waterproof-breathable canine accessories, and those who support prairie dog emancipation at the expense of baseball fields. It’s a great place to live, because everyone looks and thinks exactly like you.*

Except they’re better than you. Get that straight and you’ll fit in. But you’ll matriculate quicker if you come with some attitude. Pose if you must. It’s the best town in America, for Christ’s/Buddha’s/Ganesh’s/Chris Carmichael’s sake. Step up.

But what’s it like to live here? Well, Boulder exudes a unique blend of over-the-top liberalism and extreme fitness. How to describe it . . . If Lance Armstrong and Amy Goodman had a love child, the prodigy would drive his Audi A4 to Boulder, buy a Maverick to decorate the roof rack, and then not ride the $5,000 bike because he didn’t want to encroach upon mountain lion habitat. Are you feeling the zeitgeist? Some more Boulder color might help:

A Buddhist monk moved into our condo complex. Shaved head, full regalia, real deal. He drives a 30-cylinder pickup truck named after a subarctic ecosystem where trees don’t grow and frost lingers.

Two strangers have said the word excelente to me in the past four months.

My barista (Oh, dear Lord, what’s happening to me?) to a fellow barista: “Cuba is, like, this paradise. Nothing has changed since, like, the fifties. They drive these old cars and play this great music.” Me: “Cuba? They put AIDS patients in concentration camps and throw journalists in jail for printing the truth.” Barista: “Uh, yeah, but the people are so happy down there. Who had the tall rice-milk latte?”

Need more telling details? The Dunkin’ Donuts went out of business, but the oxygen bar next door to the gay-and-lesbian bookstore seems to be doing well. The panhandlers on the Pearl Street Mall sport $70 sandals and pull in upwards of 25 bucks an hour. Did anybody mention that the median sale price of a home here is $525,000? That’s $302,000 more than the national figure. The best don’t come cheap. If that’s too pricey for you, maybe you should check out Burlington or Santa Fe. Oh, right: bad sushi.

OK, that’s all lifestyle stuff that comes with living in a town that has a large contingent of soft-palmed check- of-the-month-clubbers. Could just as easily be Marin County. Buy a meditation table, slap a GO VEGAN! sticker on your roof box, and you’ll blend. You’re here for the fitness pursuits anyway.

Except that’s where Boulder gets weird. In most American towns, outdoor-sports aficionados are part of an elite counterculture minority. Mountain bikers and climbers have cachet. Not so in Boulder. Recreating outdoors is the norm here, and it’s in your face. There’s always some horse-toothed mountain-town equivalent of Laird Hamilton ready to kick your athletic pride through the dirt. Remember the 2005 Tour, when T-Mobile kept attacking Discovery, trying to break Lance? That’s what a casual bike ride is like in Boulder. Strangers attack. Old guys with gray beards and steel bikes attack. Reach for a shot of Gu and even your friends attack. And women: Women always attack—they’re the worst.

Even slow guys like me attack. The other day I was reeling in a pro cyclist on a brutal local climb. My heart rate was near its max, but I was feeling good. I was in the zone. Maybe four years of living in Boulder have paid some fitness dividends, I thought.

Then I figured it out: He’s between intervals, and once his heart rate drops below 65 bpm, he’s gone. At least he said “No offense” before he accelerated.

It doesn’t matter what sport you do; you will suffer similar humiliation. Go nordic skiing in North Boulder Park and two Olympians shout “Track!” from a meter back. Climb the Flatirons only to learn that someone once ascended in Rollerblades. Get Maytagged in a hole while paddling Boulder Creek and a World Cup champion slalom kayaker will toss you a rope bag. Running? Not me, not in Boulder. Boulderites run like gazelles. Fancy yourself a mountaineer? The waiters at Sherpa’s have summited Everest. But at least those guys are nice. If Reinhold Messner himself walked into south Boulder’s mountaineering shop to buy a carabiner, the sales staff would give him attitude. It’s enough to make you revolt against the blue sky (300 sunny days a year), pull down the blinds, and watch NASCAR.

I know what you’re thinking. If you don’t like it, why don’t you get the hell out? I’ll tell you why: It’s pretty damn nice here, actually. I just bought a German automobile—gonna chip it. My four-year-old has attended two birthday parties in climbing gyms—little dude will be free-soloing soon. Maybe it’s the endorphin equivalent of a contact high, but I’ve never been in better shape. The sun is shining. The prairie dogs in the infield are chirping. One more round of whitening strips and my choppers will be gleaming. Everything’s, like, most excelente.

* If your teeth are pearly white and your resting heart rate is below 45 bpm.

Happy New Year

 

Dear Friends, Family and Colleagues,

Happy New 2008 from Portland, Oregon!

 As I’m reaching out to many of you this first working week of the year and I’m going to see many of you at FKOM in the middle of January, I thought I’d provide some gifts of information at the tail end of this holiday season.

Movies (for all you film buffs out there this has been an exceptional year, hence a top 23 rather than 10 is needed) -

In 2007, ‘Top 10′ Doesn’t Do Hollywood Justice by Bob Mondello

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17681443&ft=1&f=1008

Music -

Songs of the Year: 2007’s Best Music

by Stephen Thompson

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17577124&sc=emaf

All Songs Considered Listeners Pick the Year’s Best CDs, From All Songs Considered

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17144780

Nick Lowe’s new album – “At My Age” (Stream below)

http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=17103316&m=17135994

Additional downloads at http://www.yeproc.com/stash using code ATMYAGE

Fresh Air Interview – http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12197655

Levon Helm’s new album – “Dirt Farmer”

Links to more information on Levon Helm including his budding acting career and the new album

http://isenberguncertaintyprinciple.wordpress.com/2008/01/02/tribute-posting-to-levon-helm/

Interview – http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=17103316&m=17135994

Humor – Republishing the Doonesbury comic on the perils of multi-tasking with computers in both academia and business.  Our attention is very fragmented these days to say the least….

Calvin & The Snowmen

http://isenberguncertaintyprinciple.wordpress.com/2007/12/26/winter-humor-with-calvin-hobbes-calvin-and-the-snowmen/

Tribute posting to Levon Helm

I’ve been a fan of The Band for a long time.  I once saw them in a honky tonk in Arkansas in 1993.  In retrospect, I still can’t figure out why they were there playing to a crowd of perhaps 200 people.  I think it was likely just for fun.  This was before Rick Danko died and it was an amazing show.

 I just heard an excellent interview with Levon Helm on Terry Gross’ Fresh Air on NPR.   He has remarkably recovered from throat cancer to not only not have an artificial voicing until, but even to sing again.

  ”Levon Helm Sings Again” 

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17103316

He has also appeared in two recent movies.  I thought I recognized the old man in each and something was nagging at me, but I never hit IMDB.com and YouTube.com to find out.  Find the links below.  BTW, Shooter is a surprisingly good movie if you’ve not seen it.  The Three Burials is powerful, but better known as a good film.

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14WYvLfz_JI&feature=related 

Shooter (2007)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpcB9M7xiPs

 

Levon Helm’s screen bio on IMDB – http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0375629/   

Sites of interest -

http://www.myspace.com/levonhelmstudioshttp://levonhelm.com/