J.E. Sawyer

Well, German is the original language of the song.

that's not you is it? >_ Si.

Happy birthday baby Jesus. http://diogenes-lamp.info/stillenacht.mp3

Fencing's a little more aerobic than golf and curling.

Canada just recognized the legitimacy of gay marriages while still making it clear that a religious clergyman/woman cannot be forced to marry two people of the same sex if it is against their personal beliefs. Meanwhile, the United States can't remove an amended fifty year-old "under God" phrase from its Pledge of Allegiance nor can it take religious icons out of public spaces. gg

Huh? Movies never have rapid camera movements and games always do? Ninja Gaiden on Xbox doesn't have rapid camera movements (in fact, except for cuts, the camera pans in very small amounts during battles usually), but the fact that it runs at 60 fps is clearly beneficial.

A very large number of people can tell the difference between 24 and 30 as well as 30 and 60, especially in a game. One of my co-workers is able to say, definitively, if a game is running at 30 or 60 just by looking at it for a few seconds. http://www.100fps.com/how_many_frames_can_humans_see.htm

:cool:

You can buy older gas or diesel G-Wagens (like many of the ones pictured there) with the same off-road capabilities for $6k-$15k. Like I said, it's only recently that the G-Class got a ton of luxury features stacked on top of its utilitarian chassis.

Well, yes and no. The Hummer H2 is a pretty sad off-road vehicle. The H1s are great. But I'd never say the G-Wagens are "just like" the H2. In fact, a lot of people say that they outperform Hummer H1s off-road. The interior of the G500 has wood and leather, but it's designed for off-road use. The Gs haven't always been this expensive -- only recently and in the U.S.

The ML Mercedes SUVs (junk: http://www.mbusa.com/brand/models/ML500.jsp ) are not to be confused with the G Mercedes SUVs (boss: http://www.mbusa.com/brand/models/G55.jsp ). The G-Class SUVs are based off of the old NATO-spec Gelandwagens. No, I've never owned a FWD car. Gas mileage is probably worse on Torsen/quattro cars than on Haldex AWD cars because Haldex systems only drive the rear wheels when slip is detected on the front. I'd assume it was a diesel. Anyway, I'd be more concerned about the turbos than the engine itself. It's in the new E500 and S500, and it's the best automatic transmission I've driven. It is smooth and relatively smart, but it still bogs on occasion. However, Mercedes gets around that problem in the same way they do with their automatic AMGs: gobs of low-end torque from a high displacment and/or FI engine.

Knees. The vehicles that have most often attempted to plow into my lane without signaling/looking are SUVs. Also, these individuals are frequently on cell phones. Ah, the Jaguar S-Type R. Never before has a 400 horsepower car felt more boring. Quick acceleration, subpar handling, strong brakes, awful seats, and an automatic transmission that's smooth but not intelligent. Try entering and exiting a corner agressively with the S-Type R. It falls a good deal short of amazing. Car manufacturers know full well that the vast majority of SUV owners will never tow anything. Anyone who is serious about towing would get a diesel truck with four-wheel drive capability. The only "SUVs" I really think are decent are the Mercedes-Benz G-Class and the VW Touareg TDI. Well, and Toyota Four Runners and Hummer H1s, I guess. The best "automatic" version of a manual transmission is not, in my opinion, Porsche Tiptronic, BMW Steptronic, or any other torque-converter-possessing transmission that allows user selection of gears. It's nice, but BMW's SMG-2 and SMG-3 or Maserati's Cambiocorsa transmissions are superior. They are manual transmissions with a computer-operated clutch. My fuel economy with both my Audi and VW (quattro Torsen all-wheel drive vs. Haldex front-biased all-wheel drive) was/is worse than it was with my BMW. Then again, the power curve on my cars has also steadily increased under peak horsepower.

You can't really shift manually while holding a cell phone in one hand, a 64 oz. soda in your lap, and a hot dog in the other hand. When you combine that with watching a DVD movie and yelling at kids, we should be lucky that any attention is paid to the basic functions of driving at all.

The torque converter still saps power.

Actually there are now 5-door versions of the R32 in Europe. Also, there are DSG versions (Direct Shift Gearbox, as found in the Audi TT 3.2).

Do you have a G35? No, there's plenty of room up front, but only very small people/midgets/babies/amputees should sit behind me. Even in stop-and-go San Diego traffic, I don't mind. I can't stand automatics anymore.

I like cars. I did not really like my Audi that much. It was okay, but not that much fun to drive. It had a bit more luxury than I really needed, and my monthly payments were high enough that I had to make a frowny face. This evening, I traded in my Audi and bought this black beauty: a 2004 Volkswagen R32. I got the only option available: leather seats. I love it. It has a 250 horsepower 3.2L VR6 engine mated to a six-speed manual transmission. It uses a Haldex (front-biased) all-wheel drive system, but absolutely no torque steer is felt even under heavy driving. The brakes are from a Passat W8, with massive 4-piston calipers. Of course, it has a sport suspension and, as the pictures show, the front seats are manual K

Crossfire invited Jon Stewart onto their show knowing that he absolutely hates their show. When he was on their show, he told them, in no uncertain terms, that he absolutely hates their show. Wow, what a big surprise! Also, at no time during that entire segment did he ever disparage either John Kerry or George Bush. At worst, when asked about which candidate would provide better material, he said that Kerry might be harder because he would have to top the absurdity of the last administration, which was impressive. Overall, though, he said it's the system itself, not any particular candidate, that provides him with the best material. I'm not really sure what your feelings about his partisanship has anything to do with what he said on Crossfire considering the above.

I guess that would be relevant if Jon Stewart was, in any way, attacking Bush or Republicans on the Crossfire segment.

I would also like to add that I am dismayed at the new $3,000,000 debt California will incur by passing Prop. 71.

He supports the War on Drugs and he is opposed to gay marriage (though he supports civil unions). These two things disqualify him from being a liberal in my personal opinion. Being "one of the most liberal" doesn't matter much to me when most Dems and Reps in the Senate are pretty moderate. My shoe is heavier than my watch. In fact, it's the heaviest object on my person right now, but it's not heavy compared to, say, a car.

This suggests that Kerry is a liberal. He is more liberal than Bush, but he is a moderate, overall. Even Bush is moderate on a lot of issues, and really isn't that far right -- especially fiscally. That's why he lost some votes to Badnarik. I voted Libertarian. I want the government to be decentralized. If anyone questions why, I'd like them to look at how the colors spread across the map -- not only on a national level, but on a state level.

If people continue to cast for evil, they can only expect to receive evil.

No, Kerry bears no responsibility. Clearly, Nader must be blamed even though he wasn't on the ballot in a bunch of states and Badnarik and Cobb also took similar amounts of votes.

No, it's my real hair. I shave my head pretty regularly. I just let it grow out for the past two months. After Sunday, I'll shave it again. It never gets so cold in San Diego that a hat can't keep me warm enough.