BMW

via the tipline:

Cam, I’m a long time reader of both yours and the Wellington based Discovery Channel’s Travel writer David Farrar Blogs. However I’ve been concerned about his foray into the world of Top Gear presenter as he writes rave reviews about BMW’s offerings.

I also noticed that his quiz’s which feature on the blog often are political, where he boasts of getting all 12 out of 10 right in nanoseconds. Where as most of us Kiwis have difficulty finding Wellington on Google maps, little alone understanding if Jim Bolger or David Lange is the current Prime Minister.

However, I found this quiz that will prove he knows very little about the automotive world.  Read more »

A great use of Social Media here

Last week, a Jalopnik reader posed a challenge to the automobile-enthusiast site, as he wanted someone to design a custom car per his four-year old nephew Eli’s instructions.

His uncle wrote:

Last night my 4-year-old … nephew Eli and I had a serious conversation about the car he wants to build. I know there are a lot of talented artists out there in the Jalopnik [community], and I would like to ask them all if they would consider drawing up their “Artist’s Concept []” of the car according to the carefully considered specifications he came up with.   Read more »

With more and more people using social media it is becoming increasingly frequent that people get the arse card from work because of intemperate comments on Facebook or Twitter.

In the US the National labour Relations Board has said you have a right to have a sook, but there are some boundaries you need to keep within.

The right of workers to get together and moan about their bosses has been enshrined in U.S. law ever since 1935, when President Roosevelt signed the landmark National Labor Relations Act. The heart of the statute, known as Section 7, guarantees employees the right to organize, collectively bargain, and ”engage in other concerted activities” for their “mutual aid and protection.” That basically means you’ve got permission to whine about management at a bar without getting canned.

These days, that right also extends to the (often whiny) free-for-all that is social media. In a series of reports and rulings this year, the National Labor Relations Board clarified that you are indeed entitled to log onto Facebook or Twitter and gripe about your employer without facing retribution.

There is one case that helps explain it all:  Read more »

Regan from Throng blogs about the crass attempt by DraftFCB to free load off bloggers. They are one of the worst offenders to this sort of tactic.

David Farrar also keeps on pimping for them though because they are the ones who gave him a free trip to Queenstown and a free X5 for a weekend as well as an outing for some chick he is trying to run one up.

But then when you have bloggers like David who are flipping it up for free why wouldn’t you take advantage of them. This is the same problem not dissimilar to the prostitution industry in some town around NZ. Namely ,that it is difficult for the prostitutes to get paid because the enthusiastic amateurs are flipping it up for free.

Campbell Live ran a fluff piece on Monday night about a dog being able to drive a car under the guise of the SPCA pimping unwanted dogs as pets.

Over the last week, big budget advertising and PR company Draft FCB have been begging bloggers and media to talk up their “SPCA” campaign and tune in to watch the dogs on Campbell Live. The reality is it wasn’t an SPCA campaign at all.

Watch your X Range closely down there in Queenstown.

Look what happened last July.

ᔥ Sydney Morning Herald

Only in America could you sue for getting a woody while riding a motorbike. SOme people actually take drugs for long lasting erections and this guy wants to sue for it?

A Californian motorcycle enthusiast has taken legal action after a bike seat gave him long lasting erections.

Straight from the “only in America” files comes this – a Californian man is suing BMW North America over a seat that gave him a severe case of priapism (A persistent, lasting erection) that has lasted for 20 months.

Henry Wolf claims his 1993 BMW motorcycle, or more specifically the bike’s “ridge-like” seat, gave him a “severe case of priapism” when he took it for a four-hour ride on May 1, 2010, according to the Courthouse News Service.

Wolf is suing BMW North America and the seat’s manufacturer, Corbin-Pacific, in a product liability lawsuit in the California Superior Court in San Francisco, claiming the “negligent design, manufacture and/or installation of the seat” has caused the painful condition.

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Narrow, “banana” style seats similar to the one reportedly fitted to Wolf’s motorcycle have been associated with problems such as genital numbness and even erectile dysfunction, however Wolf’s case is the first known to tackle the opposite side of the problem.

The court notes state the Wolf “has been experiencing continuing problems since his motorcycle ride” including “substantial emotional and mental anguish” and the inability to engage in sexual activity.

ᔥ Mashable

The BMW i8 Spyder hybrid concept car has been caught on video. It certainly isn’t a gay Prius.

The folks at Bimmerpost have managed to get a hold of the fully functioning BMW i8 Spyder and drive it on the road in several scenarios, including a daytime drive on a parking lot and a night drive on the road.

The footage is of excellent quality, and the car (unsurprisingly) looks and sounds amazing. The fact that it looks fully road-ready probably means BMW will soon show it in the flesh to the general public, perhaps even at the upcoming New York Auto Show.

BMW i8 Spyder is an electric-gas hybrid, powered by a 96 kW/131 hp engine on the front, and a 164 kW/223 hp gasoline engine in the back. It goes from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5 seconds and consumes 3 liters per 100 km (62 miles) on average, with 30 kilometres (19 miles) of autonomy on electric power alone.

Check out the rest of the videos, which include detailed exterior and interior shots, here.

via the tipline

I have blogged before about Peter Goodfellow crassly trying to imitate a minister or diplomat. Just to recap, Goodfellow bought one of the ex-ministerial limousines and then went and purchased a flag and pole to fly on the guard like some sort of African dignatory.

This afternoon this video was sent to the tipline. What a pretentious, cheap arse twat..