SEMA 2009 – Viper SmartStart iPhone App for remote start

SEMA 2009 – Interview with Tire Rack’s VP, Matt Edmonds

Let There Be Tiny Light – 12V Spotlight

If there is one thing the cub scouts taught me, it’s always be prepared. A close second; neckwear sucks. I didn’t like the bandana thing then, and I can’t stand wearing ties now. Clothing aside, one of the best ways to prepare for anything is always make sure you can see. A good flashlight is invaluable in any situation after sundown and even in daylight when you are trying to find the nut you dropped down into the engine compartment while on the side of the road changing a blown coil.

I have carried a Maglite flashlight in all my cars since I started driving. Some cars, like my 911, have an ideal location for storing one. Most cars however do not and you end up with the thing rolling around, thunking back and forth battering your trunk liner in turns. You can either bolt down your maglight, or find an alternative. We found these small LED rechargeable flashlights from 12V Spotlight and haven’t been in the dark since.

Kyosho Dnano Micro Radio Controlled Race Cars – Perfect For A Tabletop GP

When I was a kid, if you wanted automotive entertainment you were stuck with either sliding Hot Wheels around on plastic tracks or if you were super lucky, you had a slot car track. Slot car tracks were great, cars stuck running a single line that you could make go slower or faster. Yeah, no steering, no strategy, just faster or slower, it was the equivalent of an automotive true or false test.

Kids today have it better, as do immature adults. Kyosho, the company you remember from your teenage years for making sweet 1/10th scale RC cars, is now making fully functional 1/43rd scale RC cars. These aren’t those ten-dollar micro RC cars they sell in electronics stores that barely work. These are proportionally controlled hobby quality vehicles. You can turn a little or lot, you can accelerate hard or just cruise or anywhere in between for that matter. Dnano cars will be sold as complete kits with the controller and everything you need to race. Cars will also be sold separately as will the bodies that are collectible by themselves as models.

2009 RCX Show – Coverage of the Radio Controlled Expo in Pomona California

I have no problem being referred to, or even referring to myself as a car geek. It’s a title I wear with pride. I recently discovered just how big a car geek I am by attending the annual RCX show held at the LA County Fairgrounds in Pomona California. Billed as the wildest radio controlled expo in the world I brushed up on my scale knowledge and headed to the show.

This is supposed to be the biggest show on the West Coast, which made us think it was going to be huge. Perhaps we are jaded from shows like SEMA and CES for full-scale cars, but we found this rather disappointing. SEMA takes a week to fully explore; RCX took about two hours, not counting the flying demos and some racing.