Light Grenades

Incubus - Light Grenades
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The Car That Parks Itself

The all-new 2006 Lexus LS has been getting a lot of attention lately. I'm sure most people have seen the TV commercial or the printed ad, but most have probably heard of this car by word of mouth. While the bland styling of this particular Lexus will confuse most consumers with the latest offerings from every other automobile manufacturer, this model Lexus features automated parallel parking technology. It's a feature that is currently exclusive to Lexus. It's also a feature that is unnecessary and reconfirms my belief that people should learn how to drive (and PARK) before getting their licenses.

With the MSRP starting at $61,000 for a standard LS , I highly doubt the upper level executive who is driving this car is going to 1) need to pay for a parking spot 2) opt for the $5.00 parallel parking spot over the security and comfort of the $20.00 stall in the parking garage. That is unless the driver is an extremely pompous ass who wants to show off the parallel parking feature of his car.

Maybe the reason I'm so bitter is because it makes parallel parking accessible to more people. Parallel parking is an art in itself--the less number of turns of the steering wheel and the less number of bumper checks separating the Van Gough's from Warhol's. It's a technical skill that is reminiscant of tuning a TV station in with rabbit ears or making a phone call with a rotary phone. Parallel parking used to be about the driver becoming one with the car and one with the road and its surroundings. Unfortunately parallel parking, like everything else in the world, has become a push-button experience.

Atlanta

Taken on the corner of Peachtree and Lenox Blvd

Last week I was sent to Atlanta, GA for a professional training course (work related). While previous training trips have afforded me the opportunity to explore the inner-workings of cities, my explorations of Atlanta were cut short by training sessions lasting nearly 11 hours each day and by homework assignments that required a couple hours of my evening to complete. At the end of the day, I was lucky enough to get to check my e-mail. Until I get to visit Atlanta again, I will remember Atlanta as just a 3-star Sheraton hotel located 5 hours away from home.

On the last day of training I had a few hours to kill before my flight back to Seattle. I’m usually the person who likes to wander around and discover cities on my own, avoiding the “touristy” things that cities offer, but with only a few hours to spare and with no direction, I became a tourist.

The first stop I made when I arrived in downtown Atlanta, besides the tourist information booth, was CNN Center (no cameras allowed on the tour). While on the tour I got to see some of the technologies behind the show including the tele-prompter and the chroma key (green screen). I even got to see some of the Headline News personalities including Robin Meade (Robin & Co.) and Erica Hill. I was really hoping to see Chuck Roberts as he was the face of Headline News as I was growing up. Probably the most surprising thing I learned at the CNN Center was how small the studios and workspaces are. Although it might not seem like it on TV, these shows are literally filmed out of shoeboxes. And yes the people you see in the background during the news are really working.

CNN Center from Olympic Centennial Park

Inside CNN Center

Just a few blocks away from CNN headquarters was the World of Coca-Cola Museum. While it wasn’t as exciting as CNN, I did learn more about Coca-Cola than any one person should ever know. Did you know that worldwide Coca-Cola produces over 400 soft drink varieties? Here in the U.S. only 40 or so make it to the market. While on the tour, we were offered samples of domestic Coke products and the most popular of their foreign brands. Here’s a tip, if you ever find yourself overseas with the opportunity to try the Coca-Cola beverage called Beverly, pass on it. While they wouldn't tell me the recipe for Beverly, I could have swore I tasted mouth wash, tonic water, and a splash of sour milk.

The World of Coca-Cola Museum

Domestic Coke Fountains

Puerto Vallarta 2006

I finally got around to posting the pictures of my recent trip to Puerto Vallarta. They are available in two places:

-the narrated version
-the non-narrated/full-size version

Enjoy!