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Once upon a time, racing drivers had real personalities and they were about more…

Once upon a time, racing drivers had real personalities and they were about more than just selling stuff for sponsors

As a youngster I was just becoming aware of motorsport in 1976 during the height of the rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda. They were diametrically opposite personalities that often reached the same result, standing at the top of the podium after the race.

If this trailer is any indication of the movie, I'll definitely be going to see it on the big screen. 

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Wrong answer to the patent backlog problem!

Lowering the bar for what can be patented is not the solution to a backlog of applications. The world would be better off with a backlog and fewer high-quality patents than a plethora of bogus patents that should have been rejected. 

Reshared post from +Ars Technica

Study suggests patent office lowered standards to cope with backlog
The “allowance rate” sharply increased during Obama’s first term.

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A visit to Dresden in October 2009 1

In album

When I went to Germany in October 2009 for the media launch of the 6th generation +Volkswagen USA Golf, we had a chance to stroll around central Dresden for a while after our tour of the Glass Factory. 

Just two months before the European part of World War II came to a close in 1945, Allied air forces firebombed the city of Dresden killing as many as 25,000 people. Among the many buildings destroyed was the 18th century Dresden Frauenkirche. The rubble of the Lutheran church remained in place for the next 49 years as an anti-war memorial. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dresden_Frauenkirche#Reconstruction

In 1994, following the reunification of Germany, the huge pile of stones was finally cleared so that the church could be rebuilt. Thousands of the fire-blackened original stones can be seen in the reconstructed shell in contrast to the newer blocks. Elsewhere in central Dresden many other buildings still bear the scorch marks of those fiery days in February 1945. 

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The Jurassic Park T-Rex was a full-size animatronic model!

When Jurassic Park first hit the cinema screens 20 years ago, Pixar was still two years away from releasing Toy Story and Fellowship of the Ring was eight years away. The state of the art for computer generated imaging wasn't yet up to the task of creating the high-resolution digital models needed for such a movie. 

Stan Winston Studios created a full scale animatronic model of the T-Rex using a steel armature actuated by hydraulic systems to achieve the speed and range of motion required for the film.

Watch ‘Jurassic Park’ engineers build the movie’s giant mechanical T. rex
Jurassic Park may have helped revolutionize modern CG animation in movie-making, but out of the 14 minutes of dinosaurs in the movie, only four were completely generated by computers. Practical…

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Volkswagen's remarkable glass factory in Dresden, Germany 2

In album

Back in October 2009, I went to Germany for the media launch drive of the MK VI +Volkswagen USA Golf. As part of the program of driving from Wolfsburg to Berlin, we had a stopover in Dresden where we visited VW's showcase "Glass Factory." This plant is where VW builds its flagship Phaeton luxury sedan.

The Phaeton was a commercial flop when it was briefly sold in the US market in the early part of the last decade, but it has done better in other markets, particularly China.

The plant gets its name from the panes of glass that comprise the bulk of  its exterior and interior walls flooding the assembly line with plenty of natural light. In areas where artificial lighting supplements the sun's rays, the lights are pointed up and reflected off the ceiling for nice diffuse illumination.

The moving line itself and areas adjacent to it are all hardwood. Phaeton customers can visit the factory before the car is built and see samples of all the leather, wood, fabric and paints and select their own custom combinations. Next to the entrance is a smaller version of the parking tower for newly built cars awaiting customer delivery similar to the versions at the headquarters in Wolfsburg. 

The appearance of the facility is so unlike other factories that it regularly plays host to local cultural events including concerts in the lobby area. 

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There are bad ideas, then there is docking dirigibles at the Empire State Buildi… 5

There are bad ideas, then there is docking dirigibles at the Empire State Building!

Can you imagine walking down a gang-plank 1,200 feet above the streets of Manhattan in a wind?

Docking on the Empire State Building
Despite plans for a mooring station, only one airship ever docked at the Empire State Building.

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Mustang Alley at the Woodward Dream Cruise is back again for 2013

Reshared post from +Ford Racing

Mustang Alley at the Woodward Dream Cruise is back again for 2013. Information on how to register is here. 

Mustang Alley 2013
Date, 3/28/2013. Title, Welcome Back. News, Attention all Mustang Alley fans – WE’RE BACK!!!!! Mark your calendars, wax your cars. The 15th annual Mustang Alley will be Saturday August 17th! Last year…

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Why are Republicans that claim to want to minimize government also so intent on intruding… 3

Why are Republicans that claim to want to minimize government also so intent on intruding into American's private lives?

Virginia Gov. Candidate Cuccinelli Defending Law That Forbids Oral Sex
Forget gay marriage. Cuccinelli is still stuck on gay sex.

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Nelson Ireson takes an even more in-depth look at the fallacy of +Tesla Motors new…

Nelson Ireson takes an even more in-depth look at the fallacy of +Tesla Motors new Model S cost claims

Nelson factors in other elements such as the mandatory $600 per year service plan to come up with a much more realistic cost.

Tesla Model S For $500 Per Month? No. Just No.
Elon Musk is putting his money where his mouth is, but it’s actually not much money at all, despite the big mouth. Announced today, a new financing plan makes it possible for buyers to get their hands…

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