Ferrari’s new California convertible isn’t exactly the most aggressive looking car to ever come off of the Maranello assembly line, but for drivers that are looking for hard top convenience with hard edged looks, Edo Competition is more than happy to take over from where the Italians left off.
Features include a bump in horsepower and torque thanks to a remapped ECU and a pair of high-flow cats, a set of custom rims, and the ability to trick out the suspension and the interior if you should find the stock options unsatisfying.
By Edo standards, this job isn’t made of the most aggressive modifications on the planet, but when you’re starting with a canvas as flawless as the Ferrari California, it’s hard to do much to perfection.
What does it take to create a tiny, man-made star that will trigger a thermonuclear reaction inside of a laboratory?
How about a laser that concentrates 1,000 times the electric generating power of the entire United States into one-billionth of a second.
Not impressive enough for you?
Then how about this: The resulting explosion should produce 10 times the amount of energy used to create it, or more than 10,000 times the electric generating power of the United States!
The structure that will house this experiment, which is located in the National Ignition Facility in Livermore, California, covers an area roughly the size of three football fields, and the infrared laser that will cause the explosion will travel through almost a mile of lenses, mirrors and amplifiers in order to create a beam that will be 10 billion (yes, with a b) times more powerful than a standard household light bulb.
Let’s just hope they’ve got some bright minds working on this project, because otherwise we could bite off more than we can chew with our own man-made star.
Though it might look a little funky from the front, it’s all business from the back and sides.
Ferrari just announced the “hugely versatile, innovation-packed GT Maranello” they’re calling the Ferrari California. (Take that, other states!)
Featuring 8-cylinders of mid-front mounted Grand Tourer power, it’s exclusively a convertible with a folding hard top for when you’re ready to mess up the ‘do.
Specs?
0 – 100 km/h in less than 4.0 seconds, 7-speed dual clutch transmission, multilink rear suspension, F1-Trac traction control system, Brembo brakes, carbon-ceramic discs, etc. Basically, if you want it in a sports car, then it’s there.
To me, the front looks a little bubbly, and the wheels don’t do anything for me, but the back looks pretty good with single tail lights and vertical exhaust, and the side looks pretty good as well with classic proportions, so maybe this prancing horse will grow on me soon enough.
Look for it at Ferrari dealerships and country clubs near you.
I watched two fantastic (and fantastically different) documentaries this weekend, so I’ve decided to make this post a hybrid review of both.
First, there was The Bridge, a morbid (and controversial) yet fascinating look at those that decide to end their lives by jumping off of the Golden Gate Bridge.
For a year, director Eric Steel aimed his cameras at the majestic and iconic bridge, capturing nearly two-dozen suicides and an equally high number of prevented or failed attempts. Switching between long, beautiful shots of the bridge and close, almost biographical shots of those teetering on the edge of life, it juxtaposes the two sides of the bridge perfectly, and you find yourself engulfed by a landmark with a personality all its own.
The Bridge also features interviews with the friends, family, and loved ones of each jumper, and attempts to explain the story and the history of those featured. You slowly begin to understand a little bit of what each person was going through, and you can see their affect on those around them.
And then they jump.
If the thought of watching someone end his or her life in front of an unknown eye disturbs you, then this film is definitely not for you; but if you’re interested in trying to understand what someone goes through at the lowest of lows, then I can’t think of a better way to do it.
Second, there was King of King: A Fistful of Quarters, a humorous and touching look at those that have decided to dedicate a part of their lives to becoming the best in the world at their classic video game of choice.
The two “stars” are the perfect poster children for a hobby that only a select few find excitement in. Steve Wiebe, the family man who sits in his garage and games away while his family stands by and supports his quest, goes against Billy Mitchell, the long haired hot sauce salesman who has held the title for over twenty years, yet struggles to live up to the crown that he has placed upon his own head.
Though a film about video game records doesn’t exactly sound like an attention grabber, this film manages to capture the heart and soul of each gamer through interviews and over the shoulders in a way that draws you in and makes you a part of the action. You feel for the two men and their quest (along with the handful of supporting characters), and you begin to understand how these games can become a symbol of something more than just the record.
Apparently, the city of Santa Ana, California wants parents to know that if it looks like a tagger, and it quacks like a tagger, then it must be a tagger, because they put together one of the most obvious guides for parents that I’ve ever seen.
If your kid leaves the house with a backpack full [...]
The first is Gibson and Boo Boo, the world’s tallest and the world’s smallest dog, meeting for the first time in Sacramento, California for Guinness World Records Day, 2007. On his hind legs, Gibson stands at over 7 feet tall, while Boo Boo checks in at just [...]
First, there was The Bridge, a morbid (and controversial) yet fascinating look at those that decide to end their lives by jumping off of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Second, there was 
