Yearly Archives: 2014


I just finished the last novel from

I just finished the last novel from +Daniel Suarez and it's definitely worth a read or listen

The tale begins by posing a variant of the question "Just because we can do something, should we?" From there, this thriller quickly evolves with multiple twists as it becomes clear that this is more of a treatise on the nature of humanity (as opposed to being human, which is something else entirely) and sentience. 

Although the story is entirely different from his earlier books Daemon and Freedom, Suarez again tackles the problem of how society changes in a era of rapidly changing technology. Suarez has a tremendous talent for writing science fiction or more accurately speculative fiction, that is set in the time we live in with technology that is just far enough ahead and tied to our own reality to be plausible. 

If you opt for the audio book, Jeff Gurner again narrates and does a fantastic job. 

If you like a story that makes you think, read or listen to Influx. ?

Influx – Kindle edition by Daniel Suarez. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Influx.


This is not exactly what comes to mind when I think of a restomod Ford Mustang

This is not exactly what comes to mind when I think of a restomod Ford Mustang

On the other hand, it will probably outrun a +Tesla Motors Model S at the drag strip. It just won't go much further than that quarter mile.?

John Wayland wants to build 10-second vintage Mustangs, and he wants them to use electric motors.


Ypsilanti, Michigan has a long history with the automotive industry that is celebrated at a wonderful little museum in Depot Town

Ypsilanti, Michigan has a long history with the automotive industry that is celebrated at a wonderful little museum in Depot Town

https://goo.gl/maps/tnPPj 

The Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum is also the last working Hudson dealer in the world and is well worth a visit if you're in the area. ?

The Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum announced a partnership this week that will make the location of its museum the home to the National Hudson Motor Car Company Museum on the very ground where a Hudson dealership once stood for nearly 25 years.


Two of the original three 1965 Ford Shelby Mustang GT350 prototypes will be on hand at Mid America Shelby and Ford Nationals this weekend

Two of the original three 1965 Ford Shelby Mustang GT350 prototypes will be on hand at Mid America Shelby and Ford Nationals this weekend

The story behind these cars is pretty cool, especially the street car owned by Mark Hovander. 

https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/features/original-shelby-gt350-mustang-prototypes.html

TWO OF THE ORIGINAL SHELBY GT350 MUSTANG PROTOTYPES TO MEET UP IN TULSA, OKLAHOMA
More than three decades after taping a full-page ad ripped from a 1965 car magazine above his bunk on an Alaskan crab boat, Mark Hovander is touring the country this year with the same Ford Shelby GT350 Mustang pictured on that page.

Hovander and his crosstown friend John Atzbach are big fans of the first-generation Shelby Mustang, and between them they own two of the three original prototypes. As Mustang enthusiasts across the country and around the world celebrate 50 years of their favorite pony car, Hovander and Atzbach are bringing their cars to nine different events in 2014, including this weekend’s 40th annual Mid America Ford and Shelby Nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Hovander’s car bears Shelby serial number SFM5S003, while Atzbach owns SFM5R003. Those numbers identify the cars as two of the three original prototypes used by Shelby American to develop the road-going and racing versions of the GT350.

“In 1980, I went up to Alaska to work on a crab fishing boat to earn some money in order to buy a 1965 GT350,” said Hovander. “Since space was limited, we were only allowed one duffel bag. I was a huge Shelby Mustang fan, so in addition to my clothes, I brought an ad for the GT350 that I had ripped out of an old Shelby American magazine.

1965_Shelby_GT350_prototype_5R002_5S003_Amelia_Island_3_14_6
“I figured this would give me inspiration during the 20-hour workdays, but little did I know that nearly 30 years later I would own the very car pictured in that ad.”

In mid-1964, about the time that the first of what would eventually be more than 9 million customers were driving away from Ford dealerships in the original Mustang, the home office called in Carroll Shelby and his team to help establish some serious performance credentials for the car. Shelby and Ford agreed to develop a high-performance version of Mustang that would compete in the Sports Car Club of America’s B-production class beginning in 1965.

To qualify, Shelby would have to get at least 100 production street cars ready by Jan. 1, 1965, with chassis and suspension upgrades that could not be changed for the race cars.

Three white K-code 1965 Mustang fastbacks with the stock Hi-Po 271-horsepower, 289-cubic-inch V8 engine were delivered from the San Jose, California assembly plant to the Shelby American shop in Venice. One car was meant to be used for development of the street-legal GT350, while the other two were prototypes for the GT350 competition version. These R models, as they are referred to today, were set up to battle against the Jaguar XK-E and 327-cubic-inch V8-powered Chevrolet Corvette.

The street car was actually the first of the GT350 line, but a mix-up in stamping the VIN tags meant it actually got serial number 5S003 (S for street), while the race cars got 5R001 and 5R002 (R for racing). This would later cause more confusion and affect the history of 5S003.

Original Shelby GT350 Mustang Prototypes
By the early 2000s, Hovander had owned several Boss 302 and Shelby Mustang models, while also helping the then-owner of 5S003 with some extensive research on the history of the car. It turned out that in 1979, because of modifications by the original owner in 1965, 5S003 was thought to have originally been a race car, and it was restored as an R model and used for vintage competition for the next 13 years.

“In part, the confusion was fueled by production records that were missing until they were discovered in Carroll Shelby’s attic in the mid-1980s,” said Hovander. “After 5R002 was rediscovered in Monterrey, Mexico, and the original Ford and Shelby serial numbers were verified from old records, we realized 5S003 was never supposed to be a factory R model.”

After its successful racing career that included a debut victory in the hands of the late Ken Miles at Green Valley, Texas on Feb. 14, 1965, 5R002 eventually wound up in Monterrey. Following a two-year search, Mark Gillett of Dallas located the race car in 1989, purchased it and brought it back to Texas. Some years later, it was sold to Steve Volk, owner of the Shelby American Collection museum in Boulder, Colorado.

“I’ve owned 20 Mustangs including a variety of Boss and Shelby models over the years, but 5R002 was at the top of my wish list,” said Atzbach. “I thought it was a pipe dream because it was in a museum, but when I heard Steve Volk was selling it in early 2010, I quickly made a deal and bought it.”

Atzbach currently owns 11 Shelby Mustangs, a 1970 Boss 302 and 1970 Boss 429. He loves the Shelbys for the aesthetic design, the performance and the great early racing history.

Original Shelby GT350 Mustang Prototypes
After determining 5S003 was in fact supposed to be the very first street-legal GT350, Hovander sold another restored GT350 to Atzbach and bought 5S003. He intended to eventually restore it to the condition it was in when it was first introduced to the public in early 1965 – the way it appeared in that factory ad.

After driving the car for about a year and putting more than 2,000 miles on it the first summer, Hovander decided it was time to start the restoration. Bringing it back to its original prototype condition meant tracking down a lot of nearly 50-year-old parts, and there were some interesting discoveries uncovered along the way.

Atzbach and Hovander decided they wanted to have the restoration of both SFM5R002 and 5S003 completed in time for the celebration of 50 years of Mustang in April 2014 so the cars could be displayed together. Jim Wicks, founder of the Mid America Ford and Shelby Nationals meet became involved in the restoration process of the two historic Shelbys.

Paint supplier PPG provided the actual formula for the white finish the cars were sprayed with in 1964, and both cars were refinished from the same batch, thus ensuring they would be identical when placed next to each other. John Brown of Thoroughbred Restorations in Oklahoma City performed the restoration of the R model, 5R002, and final assembly of the street prototype, 5S003. Both cars were finished side-by-side, to ensure consistency.

5R002 was restored back to the way it looked when Miles drove it to that first victory. Hovander’s car looks just as it did when Shelby American designer Peter Brock drove it during the advertising photo shoot along Coldwater Canyon in Beverly Hills, California. To save time and give the appearance that more than one car had been built; 5S003 was equipped with the standard Kelsey-Hayes stamped-steel wheels on the driver’s side and a pair of prototype Cragar cast-aluminum wheels on the passenger side.

Original Shelby GT350 Mustang Prototypes
Only three of the original prototype Cragar wheels were located during restoration, and two of them are on the passenger side of 5S003 today, with a pair of steelies on the driver’s side.

After an exhaustive search earlier this year, Atzbach reached out to Ford Motor Company Archives hoping to find original photos of the two prototypes. In early June, Archives Manager Dean Weber located a box of negatives from that 1965 advertising photo shoot of 5S003 that had previously been unidentified. Those historically significant photos have been scanned and shared with Hovander and Atzbach.

“I love the whole history of Shelby American – the cars that were built there, but most importantly, the people who created them,” said Atzbach. “These were and are some of the brightest, most energetic, talented people out there. I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know many of the original Shelby American employees who are still with us today, and I can only say great things about them.”

Atzbach and Hovander debuted their restored cars together in March 2014 at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance in Florida, then again at the Mustang 50-year celebration at Charlotte Motor Speedway in April. After the Mid America meet, they will appear at six more events this year.

After the tour, Hovander plans to remove some of the original parts like the 50-year-old Goodyear tires, spark plugs, radiator hoses and air filter, installing some modern reproduction equivalents. After breaking in the engine properly, he plans to carefully put a few miles on his GT350. Hovander has written extensively about the original development of the GT350 on his site, http://1965gt350mustang.com/history.html.

What about the other Shelby factory team GT350-R model, SFM5R001? It resides in a private, undisclosed location somewhere and has not been seen publicly in years. Ford and Mustang fans everywhere thank John Atzbach and Mark Hovander for sharing their passion with the world.?


once again science shows us that complexity of the world around us defies simplistic solutions

once again science shows us that complexity of the world around us defies simplistic solutions ?

What if at the very beginning stages of development you absorbed your twin’s cells? You’d be twins—a phenomenon called a chimera. Would you suddenly feel extra special because you are really more than just one person? Threatened and confused about your identity? These are not just hypothetical questions. Some people…


Sure it's a cat food commercial, but to anyone that has ever had it's both true and entertaining and it's got Ze Frank narrating so it must be good

Sure it's a cat food commercial, but to anyone that has ever had it's both true and entertaining and it's got Ze Frank narrating so it must be good?

Cats everywhere are promising big changes for a taste of wet cat food. What will your cat do? Tell u


I'm not a fan or football of the University of Michigan, but what their current athletic director has done is just ridiculous

I'm not a fan or football of the University of Michigan, but what their current athletic director has done is just ridiculous

During the more than 20 years I've lived in the Ann Arbor area, I've always made a point of avoiding the area near the stadium on football Saturdays in the fall so I don't get stuck in traffic. Thanks to John Brandon, that might not be so much of a problem going forward.

Brandon's incredibly tone-deaf policy changes have all been about money, not maximizing the experience for students and fans. This quote really sums up how utterly ignorant Brandon is: 

“You’re a 17 to 18-year-old kid watching the largest crowd in the history of college football with airplanes flying over and Beyonce introducing your halftime show? That’s a pretty powerful message about what Michigan is all about, and that’s our job to send that message.”

Yes, it's a powerful message and Brandon has sent it loud and clear. But it's also absolutely the wrong message to be sending. Students have been told they don't matter to U-M and they are now staying away from games in droves. 

I highly recommend that anyone that is a college football fan read this and consider not spending money on football tickets and merchandise.?

Last week, Michigan Athletics admitted student football ticket sales are down —from about 21,000 two years ago to just 13,000 this fall. How’d Michigan


Over the years Apple and especially Steve Jobs were renowned for putting on remarkably polished keynotes and demos

Over the years Apple and especially Steve Jobs were renowned for putting on remarkably polished keynotes and demos

But it wasn't always that way.  There have been a surprising number of flubs over the years including one that came several years after this compilation was assembled when Jobs tried to demonstrate something with an iPhone on a saturated wifi network and had to ask people turn off their devices.?

Some of Steve Jobs’ more humbling keynote moments…