More from California: Tim Kardos's Austin Mini

How about another quick round of photoblogging from California, this time on my friend Tim Kardos's Austin Mini?

Tim brought his Austin Mini to work Friday, and gave me a bit of a tour. It was fun to see it again, since I remembered it from when he first got it. That was well before I entered the world of British car ownership, but knowing somebody who had picked up a classic British car successfully was certainly one of the influences that led me to my MGB.

The Mini's 1.3L four-cylinder engine, certainly a corporate cousin of my MGB's 1.8L engine. There are some interesting differences. Tim still has the original dual SU carburetors, and the engine is transverse-mounted because the Mini is front-wheel drive. That causes the radiator to be over on the side, not facing front, and can lead to a bit of an overheating challenge. Still, in a car this small and light, a zippy 1.3L motor moves it along quite nicely

The "Does a big lummox fit?" test. The answer is "Yes, mostly." The headroom wasn't too bad, but the legroom was a bit tight. Overall, though, better than you'd expect.

One of the fun things that I'd forgotten about Tim's Mini is that it was originally an Italian car. So all of the labels on the dials and dash are in Italian.

And away goes Tim! It was great to see another cool classic British car still on the road, though I don't suppose I'll be able to persuade him to drive it out to Michigan for this year's "Battle of the Brits."



Photos for our Facebook holdout

Somebody among our little group of Patio Boat blog followers refuses to join Facebook. So when I sent her a link to the photos of my current little work trip to California, she couldn't see them at all.

So for her, and anybody else holding on to the last shreds of his or her social media independence, here are a few photos from the non-work portion of my trip to California.

I've been staying with my Aunt Carol and Uncle Joe in Berkeley this week.  They have a very nice house up in the hills.  For the first few days I stayed in the house, then this week I've been staying in the guest apartment over the garage:

I'm not lonely up here. The deer come to visit.

Here's a photo of the main house and its historical marker.

Sunset view of Mount Tam across the Bay.

This is Joe with Nell. She's a black English Lab puppy, and one of the sweetest, best natured puppies I've ever met. So why does she have the muzzle? Sadly, she was bitten by a pit bull a couple of weeks ago and pretty badly wounded with a broken jaw. She had to have some pretty extensive surgery. Then she got an infection in the wound, so she had to have another surgery today. Tonight she's in both the muzzle and the Cone of Shame.  Hopefully this time everything will heal okay.

Last Saturday my friends Tim and Jennifer Kardos hosted a little "Welcome John Back to California" shindig. Okay, the truth is that it the occasion was mostly an excuse for Tim to clear out the dribs and drabs that cluttered up his Scotch shelf.  But the Scotch was tasty and the companionship delightful:

Jeff Harm. You'd have a slightly mysterious smile, too, if you'd had that much Scotch.

The Patio Boat's faithful Indy Colts haiku correspondent, Mary Campbell-Droze, with her husband Jerry.

Your humble photoblogger. The guy in the background pointing at me and laughing is Mark Berger. He's not blurry because he's out of focus. He's blurry because he drank even more Scotch than Harm.

And finally....

... the California coast, just South of Half Moon Bay.

And that's it from Berkeley.  What I really should have here is a Russian dashcam (TM) for my daily commute across the Bay to the office in Belmont. There's a lot of crazy stuff on those highways, and it seems to have gotten crazier every year. I miss a lot of things about California sometimes. But that commute? Never.

No Comet, But a Lovely Sunset

As some of you know, and some of you may have deduced, the silence on the Patio Boat blog does indeed mean that I injured another finger playing rugby. So, while I take it easy on the typing to let my lacerated left index finger heal, I thought I'd pass along a bit of photoblogging.

On Friday Monique and I took Katie the Beagle down to a road end on Wolverine Lake to see Comet Pan-STARRS. We utterly failed to find the comet, but we did catch a lovely sunset, instead.

Enjoy!

The Rosetta Stone of Blog Spam!

So, this turned up for Monique this morning in the comments on her Marketsize blog. Apparently one of the world's semi-automated spammers failed to explain to a new spammer that you're supposed to pick and choose from their Template o'Spam, not cut and paste the entire thing directly into a comments field.  And, yes, for those who aren't aware of the practice, there are companies that hire out this sort of commenting -- generally at a very low rate in places like India and the Phillipines -- to try to get their links past various spam filters, which have gotten pretty good in most of the blog world.

If you blog at all, I'm sure you've seen some of these comments in your comments section.

There are many great comments below, but the Irony Champion of 2013 is this:

{Howdy|Hi there|Hi|Hello}, i read your blog {occasionally|from time to time} and i own a similar one and i was just {wondering|curious} if you get a lot of spam {comments|responses|feedback|remarks}? If so how do you {prevent|reduce|stop|protect against} it, any plugin or anything you can {advise|suggest|recommend}? I get so much lately it’s driving me {mad|insane|crazy} so any {assistance|help|support} is very much appreciated.


To give this question the sincere response it deserves, I say simply that I keep the spammers away by deleting spammy comments like that one. (I suppose I also cleverly keep the spammers away by keeping my readership incredibly low: a half-dozen family members, three friends, and an old lady who lives with 53 cats in a shack in Eastern Oregon. But that sort of low-readership strategy isn't for everybody.)

For best effect, I recommend reading the whole long list in the voice of a hardcore poetry slam contestant with a bit of a driving beat behind it.  Maybe even with a bit of the music from Eminen's "Stan" to accompany you since the cumulative effect is rather like being stalked by an obsessed and crazed spammer.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you The Rosetta Stone of Blog Spam!

Enjoy!



-------

{I have|I’ve} been {surfing|browsing} online more than {three|3|2|4} hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours. {It’s|It is} pretty worth enough for me.
{In my opinion|Personally|In my view}, if all {webmasters|site owners|website owners|web owners} and bloggers made good content as you did, the {internet|net|web} will be {much more|a lot more} useful than ever before.
|
I {couldn’t|could not} {resist|refrain from} commenting. {Very well|Perfectly|Well|Exceptionally well} written!
|
{I will|I’ll} {right away|immediately} {take hold of|grab|clutch|grasp|seize|snatch}
your {rss|rss feed} as I {can not|can’t} {in finding|find|to find} your {email|e-mail} subscription {link|hyperlink} or {newsletter|e-newsletter} service. Do {you have|you’ve} any?
{Please|Kindly} {allow|permit|let} me {realize|recognize|understand|recognise|know} {so that|in
order that} I {may just|may|could} subscribe.
Thanks.
|
{It is|It’s} {appropriate|perfect|the best} time to make some plans for the future and {it is|it’s} time to be happy. {I have|I’ve} read this post and if I could I {want to|wish to|desire to} suggest you {few|some} interesting things or {advice|suggestions|tips}. {Perhaps|Maybe} you {could|can} write next articles referring to this article. I {want to|wish to|desire to} read {more|even more} things about it!
|
{It is|It’s} {appropriate|perfect|the best} time to make {a few|some} plans for {the future|the longer term|the long run} and {it is|it’s} time to be happy. {I have|I’ve} {read|learn} this post|submit|publish|put up} and if I {may just|may|could} I {want to|wish to|desire to} {suggest|recommend|counsel} you {few|some} {interesting|fascinating|attention-grabbing} {things|issues} or {advice|suggestions|tips}.
{Perhaps|Maybe} you {could|can} write {next|subsequent} articles {relating to|referring to|regarding}this article. I {want to|wish to|desire to} {read|learn} {more|even more} {things|issues}
{approximately|about} it!
|
{I have|I’ve} been {surfing|browsing} {online|on-line} {more than|greater than} {three|3} hours {these days|nowadays|today|lately|as of late}, {yet|but} I {never|by no means} {found|discovered} any {interesting|fascinating|attention-grabbing} article like yours. {It’s|It is}
{lovely|pretty|beautiful} {worth|value|price} {enough|sufficient} for me.
|
{In my opinion|Personally|In my view}, if all {webmasters|site owners|website owners|web owners} and bloggers made {just right|good|excellent} {content|content material} as {you did|you probably did}, the {internet|net|web} {will be|shall be|might be|will probably be|can be|will
likely be} {much more|a lot more} {useful|helpful} than ever before.
|
Ahaa, its {nice|pleasant|good|fastidious} {discussion|conversation|dialogue} {regarding|concerning|about|on the topic of} this {article|post|piece of writing|paragraph} {here|at this place} at this {blog|weblog|webpage|website|web site}, I have read all that, so {now|at this time} me also commenting {here|at this place}.
|
I am sure this {article|post|piece of writing|paragraph} has touched all the internet {users|people|viewers|visitors}, its really really {nice|pleasant|good|fastidious} {article|post|piece of writing|paragraph} on building up new {blog|weblog|webpage|website|web site}.
|
Wow, this {article|post|piece of writing|paragraph} is {nice|pleasant|good|fastidious}, my {sister|younger sister} is analyzing {such|these|these kinds of} things, {so|thus|therefore} I
am going to {tell|inform|let know|convey} her.
|
{Saved as a favorite|bookmarked!!}, {I really like|I like|I love} {your blog|your site|your
web site|your website}!
|
Way cool! Some {very|extremely} valid points! I appreciate you {writing this|penning this}
{article|post|write-up} {and the|and also the|plus the} rest of the {site is|website is} {also very|extremely|very|also really|really} good.
|
Hi, {I do believe|I do think} {this is an excellent|this is a great} {blog|website|web
site|site}. I stumbledupon it  {I will|I am going to|I’m going to|I may} {come back|return|revisit} {once again|yet again} {since I|since i have} {bookmarked|book marked|book-marked|saved as a favorite} it. Money and freedom {is the best|is the greatest} way to change, may you be rich and continue to {help|guide} {other people|others}.
|
Woah! I’m really {loving|enjoying|digging} the template/theme of this {site|website|blog}.
It’s simple, yet effective. A lot of times it’s {very hard|very difficult|challenging|tough|difficult|hard} to get that “perfect balance” between {superb usability|user friendliness|usability} and {visual appearance|visual appeal|appearance}.
|
I must say {that you’ve|you have|you’ve} done a {awesome|amazing|very good|superb|fantastic|excellent|great} job with this.
{In addition|Additionally|Also}, the blog loads {very|extremely|super} {fast|quick}
for me on {Safari|Internet explorer|Chrome|Opera|Firefox}.
{Superb|Exceptional|Outstanding|Excellent} Blog!
|
These are {really|actually|in fact|truly|genuinely} {great|enormous|impressive|wonderful|fantastic} ideas in {regarding|concerning|about|on the topic of} blogging.
|
You have touched some {nice|pleasant|good|fastidious} {points|factors|things} here.
Any way keep up wrinting.
|
{I love|I really like|I enjoy|I like|Everyone loves} what you guys {are|are
usually|tend to be} up too. {This sort of|This type of|Such|This kind of} clever work and {exposure|coverage|reporting}! Keep up the {superb|terrific|very good|great|good|awesome|fantastic|excellent|amazing|wonderful} works guys I’ve {incorporated||added|included} you guys to {|my|our||my personal|my own} blogroll.
|
{Howdy|Hi there|Hey there|Hi|Hello|Hey}! Someone in my {Myspace|Facebook} group shared this {site|website} with us so I came to {give it a look|look it over|take a look|check it out}. I’m definitely {enjoying|loving} the information.
I’m {book-marking|bookmarking} and will be tweeting this to my followers! {Terrific|Wonderful|Great|Fantastic|Outstanding|Exceptional|Superb|Excellent} blog and {wonderful|terrific|brilliant|amazing|great|excellent|fantastic|outstanding|superb} {style and design|design and style|design}.
|
{I love|I really like|I enjoy|I like|Everyone loves} what you guys {are|are usually|tend to be} up too. {This sort of|This type of|Such|This kind of} clever work and {exposure|coverage|reporting}! Keep up the {superb|terrific|very good|great|good|awesome|fantastic|excellent|amazing|wonderful} works guys I’ve {incorporated|added|included} you guys to {|my|our|my personal|my own} blogroll.
|
{Howdy|Hi there|Hey there|Hi|Hello|Hey} would you mind {stating|sharing} which blog platform you’re {working with|using}? I’m {looking|planning|going} to start my own blog {in the near future|soon} but I’m having a {tough|difficult|hard} time {making a decision|selecting|choosing|deciding} between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and Drupal. The reason I ask is because your {design and style|design|layout} seems different then most blogs and I’m looking for something {completely unique|unique}.
P.S {My apologies|Apologies|Sorry} for {getting|being} off-topic but I had to ask!
|
{Howdy|Hi there|Hi|Hey there|Hello|Hey} would you mind letting me know which {webhost|hosting company|web host} you’re {utilizing|working with|using}? I’ve loaded your blog in 3 {completely different|different} {internet browsers|web browsers|browsers} and I must say this blog loads a lot {quicker|faster} then most. Can you {suggest|recommend} a good {internet hosting|web hosting|hosting} provider at a {honest|reasonable|fair} price?
{Thanks a lot|Kudos|Cheers|Thank you|Many thanks|Thanks}, I appreciate it!
|
{I love|I really like|I like|Everyone loves} it {when people|when individuals|when folks|whenever people} {come together|get together} and share {opinions|thoughts|views|ideas}.
Great {blog|website|site}, {keep it up|continue the good work|stick with it}!
|
Thank you for the {auspicious|good} writeup. It in fact was a amusement account it.
Look advanced to {far|more} added agreeable from you!
{By the way|However}, how {can|could} we communicate?
|
{Howdy|Hi there|Hey there|Hello|Hey} just wanted to give you a quick heads up.
The {text|words} in your {content|post|article} seem to be running off the screen in {Ie|Internet explorer|Chrome|Firefox|Safari|Opera}.
I’m not sure if this is a {format|formatting} issue or something to do with {web browser|internet browser|browser} compatibility but I {thought|figured} I’d post to let you know. The {style and design|design and style|layout|design} look great though!
Hope you get the {problem|issue} {solved|resolved|fixed} soon.
{Kudos|Cheers|Many thanks|Thanks}
|
This is a topic {that is|that’s|which is} {close to|near to} my heart… {Cheers|Many thanks|Best wishes|Take care|Thank you}! {Where|Exactly where} are your contact details though?
|
It’s very {easy|simple|trouble-free|straightforward|effortless} to find out any {topic|matter} on {net|web} as compared to {books|textbooks}, as I found this {article|post|piece of writing|paragraph} at this {website|web site|site|web page}.
|
Does your {site|website|blog} have a contact page?
I’m having {a tough time|problems|trouble} locating it but, I’d like to
{send|shoot} you an {e-mail|email}. I’ve got some {creative ideas|recommendations|suggestions|ideas} for your blog you might be interested in hearing. Either way, great {site|website|blog} and I look forward to seeing it {develop|improve|expand|grow} over time.
|
{Hola|Hey there|Hi|Hello|Greetings}! I’ve been {following|reading} your {site|web site|website|weblog|blog} for {a long time|a while|some time} now and finally got the {bravery|courage} to go ahead and give you a shout out from {New Caney|Kingwood|Huffman|Porter|Houston|Dallas|Austin|Lubbock|Humble|Atascocita}
{Tx|Texas}! Just wanted to {tell you|mention|say} keep up the {fantastic|excellent|great|good} {job|work}!
|
Greetings from {Idaho|Carolina|Ohio|Colorado|Florida|Los angeles|California}!
I’m {bored to tears|bored to death|bored} at work so I decided to {check out|browse} your {site|website|blog} on my iphone during lunch break. I {enjoy|really like|love} the {knowledge|info|information} you {present|provide} here and can’t wait to take a look when I get home. I’m {shocked|amazed|surprised} at how {quick|fast} your blog loaded on my {mobile|cell phone|phone} .. I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G .. {Anyhow|Anyways}, {awesome|amazing|very good|superb|good|wonderful|fantastic|excellent|great} {site|blog}!
|
Its {like you|such as you} {read|learn} my {mind|thoughts}!
You {seem|appear} {to understand|to know|to grasp} {so much|a lot} {approximately|about} this, {like you|such as you} wrote the {book|e-book|guide|ebook|e book} in it or something. {I think|I feel|I believe} {that you|that you simply|that you just} {could|can} do with {some|a few} {%|p.c.|percent} to {force|pressure|drive|power} the message {house|home} {a bit|a little bit}, {however|but} {other than|instead of} that, {this is|that is} {great|wonderful|fantastic|magnificent|excellent} blog. {A great|An excellent|A fantastic} read. {I’ll|I will} {definitely|certainly} be back.
|
I visited {multiple|many|several|various} {websites|sites|web sites|web pages|blogs} {but|except|however} the audio {quality|feature} for audio songs {current|present|existing} at this {website|web site|site|web page} is {really|actually|in fact|truly|genuinely} {marvelous|wonderful|excellent|fabulous|superb}.
|
{Howdy|Hi there|Hi|Hello}, i read your blog {occasionally|from time to time} and i own a similar one and i was just {wondering|curious} if you get a lot of spam {comments|responses|feedback|remarks}? If so how do you {prevent|reduce|stop|protect against} it, any plugin or anything you can {advise|suggest|recommend}? I get so much lately it’s driving me {mad|insane|crazy} so any {assistance|help|support} is very much appreciated.
|
Greetings! {Very helpful|Very useful} advice {within this|in this particular} {article|post}! {It is the|It’s the} little changes {that make|which will make|that produce|that will make} {the biggest|the largest|the greatest|the most important|the most significant} changes. {Thanks a lot|Thanks|Many thanks} for sharing!
|
{I really|I truly|I seriously|I absolutely} love {your blog|your site|your website}.. {Very nice|Excellent|Pleasant|Great} colors & theme. Did you {create|develop|make|build} {this website|this site|this web site|this amazing site} yourself? Please reply back as I’m {looking to|trying to|planning to|wanting to|hoping to|attempting to} create {my own|my very own|my own personal} {blog|website|site} and {would like to|want to|would love to} {know|learn|find out} where you got this from or {what the|exactly what the|just what the} theme {is called|is named}. {Thanks|Many thanks|Thank you|Cheers|Appreciate it|Kudos}!
|
{Hi there|Hello there|Howdy}! This {post|article|blog post} {couldn’t|could not} be written {any better|much better}! {Reading through|Looking at|Going through|Looking through} this {post|article} reminds me of my previous roommate! He {always|constantly|continually} kept {talking about|preaching about} this. {I will|I’ll|I am going to|I most certainly will} {forward|send} {this article|this information|this post} to him. {Pretty sure|Fairly certain} {he will|he’ll|he’s going to} {have a good|have a very good|have a great} read. {Thank you for|Thanks for|Many thanks for|I appreciate you for} sharing!
|
{Wow|Whoa|Incredible|Amazing}! This blog looks {exactly|just} like my old one! It’s on a {completely|entirely|totally} different {topic|subject} but it has pretty much the same {layout|page layout} and design. {Excellent|Wonderful|Great|Outstanding|Superb} choice of colors!|
{There is|There’s} {definately|certainly} {a lot to|a great deal to} {know about|learn about|find out about} this {subject|topic|issue}. {I like|I love|I really like} {all the|all of the} points {you made|you’ve made|you have made}.
|
{You made|You’ve made|You have made} some {decent|good|really good} points there. I {looked|checked} {on the internet|on the web|on the net} {for more info|for more information|to find out more|to learn more|for additional information} about the issue and found {most individuals|most people} will go along with your views on {this website|this site|this web site}.
|
{Hi|Hello|Hi there|What’s up}, I {log on to|check|read} your {new stuff|blogs|blog} {regularly|like every week|daily|on a regular basis}. Your {story-telling|writing|humoristic} style is {awesome|witty}, keep {doing what you’re doing|up the good work|it up}!
|
I {simply|just} {could not|couldn’t} {leave|depart|go away} your {site|web site|website} {prior to|before} suggesting that I {really|extremely|actually} {enjoyed|loved} {the standard|the usual} {information|info} {a person|an individual} {supply|provide} {for your|on your|in your|to your} {visitors|guests}? Is {going to|gonna} be {back|again} {frequently|regularly|incessantly|steadily|ceaselessly|often|continuously} {in order to|to} {check up on|check out|inspect|investigate cross-check} new posts
|
{I wanted|I needed|I want to|I need to} to thank you for this {great|excellent|fantastic|wonderful|good|very good} read!! I {definitely|certainly|absolutely} {enjoyed|loved} every {little bit of|bit of} it. {I have|I’ve got|I have got} you {bookmarked|book marked|book-marked|saved as a favorite} {to check out|to look at} new {stuff you|things you} post…
|
{Hi|Hello|Hi there|What’s up}, just wanted to {mention|say|tell you}, I {enjoyed|liked|loved} this {article|post|blog post}. It was {inspiring|funny|practical|helpful}. Keep on posting!
|
I {{leave|drop|{write|create}} a {comment|leave a response}|drop a {comment|leave a response}|{comment|leave a response}} {each time|when|whenever} I {appreciate|like|especially enjoy} a {post|article} on a {site|{blog|website}|site|website} or {I have|if I have} something to {add|contribute|valuable to contribute} {to the discussion|to the conversation}. {It is|Usually it is|Usually it’s|It’s} {a result of|triggered by|caused by} the {passion|fire|sincerness} {communicated|displayed} in the {post|article} I {read|looked at|browsed}. And {on|after} this {post|article}

The newly privatized Statistical Abstract of the United States: or, interesting Wal-Mart quality check on Aisle 949.

So, after the feds cut the funding from the Census Department for the print version of the Statistical Abstract of the United States a couple of years ago, it was announced with great fanfare that this wouldn’t be a problem because the assembly and sales of the print version would be privatized. I admit my inner publishing geek was a wee bit skeptical of this turn of events. But my practical governmental cost reduction side was interested to see how it would all turn out.

So, today Monique picked up what she thought would be her new copy of StatAb today, a 2012-2013 version from a company named Skyhorse Publishing that at the time she searched for a copy she could oddly enough only find through Wal-Mart online. (It looks as if it is now also available via Amazon and Skyhorse's own site.)

Since I – like all right-thinking people everywhere – judge a reference book by the subject access granted by its index, I decided to peruse the index to see what it looked like.  But I had a bit of difficulty finding the index.  So, assuming I was missing it somewhere among the appendixes, I went to the table of contents:

Ah, page 949.  Okay, let’s go to page 949 … page 949 … well, here’s page 948, and … it’s the last page of the book.

Yeah. They omitted the index and published the book without it.

In fact, it looks like all Skyhorse did was to pull the PDFs of the Census Bureau edition off the Census Bureau's website, slap their own copyright on it, and then publish it ... without the freaking index. Presumably they secured the rights through the Census Department, and if so it means that they couldn't even be bothered to include an index they got for free.

I mourn for future generations.

P.S. It looks as if the new 2013 hardcover edition from ProQuest is now on Amazon for just $179, a wee price increase over the $25 per edition of the Census Bureau's version. All hail the wonders and cost savings of privatization!

The 2013 North American International Auto Show

My old friend Bryan Anderson was in town, so hauled him down to the auto show Friday evening because ... well, the list of entertainment options in Detroit in January is always a bit thin.

Thanks to a bit of snow and some gnarled rush-hour traffic on Friday evening we didn't actually get down to Cobo Hall until much later than we had expected to arrive. So we only had an hour and fifteen minutes before it closed up for the night. The auto show is huge, so really all we did was sprint around trying to check out as many fun cars as possible before we got thrown out. We tried to get a lot of photos of Bryan with race cars because his son likes car racing, so the whole thing sort of devolved into a sprint from race car to race car for a while. There wasn't a lot of sitting in cars, trucks got short shrift in favor of sports cars, and we didn't visit my alternative energy amigos down in the basement at all.  

Still, it was a lot of fun and we got a few cool photos, so here goes...

First, a quick stop with the Honda Indy car. We look really red in these pictures.

The only thing I wanted to look at for sure was the new 2014 Corvette Stingray that Chevrolet unveiled at this show. From the initial photos they released I didn't know if I'd like it much, but it really looked great in person. I liked it a lot more than I expected to, alas for my wallet at some date in the far-flung future.

I pretend to fiddle with the Corvette's aluminum frame. More interestingly, check out the new 2014 Covertte Stingray tacked up on the wall over my head.

 2014 Corvette Stingray (with wall-gripping traction!)

 Bryan and I plotting to buy new Corvettes.

Uh-oh, Monique caught us plotting.

 2014 Corvette Stingray.

 Monique self-portrait in auto-show mirrored ceiling.

Bryan with Toyota race cars.

 Bryan laughs as I mock him for buying the minivan so unhip that it occupies the farthest back corner of the entire auto show. (Actually, it looked like a pretty nice ride. But don't tell him I said that.)

So, this was cool. Toyota had a display that would take your picture and display it on this giant vehicle-like display.

Maserati trident.

 Ferrari prancing pony.

 The sweet Ferrari that comes with that prancing pony emblem.

 Monique with a Porsche 911 Cabriolet.

 BMW Z4.

 I try to teach Bryan how to be a proper Vanna White for the nifty BMW i8 hybrid sports concept car.

Bryan in a Smart car.

 Smart concept car.

  Mercedes SLS AMG.

 Monique checks out the Mercedes-Benz 250 SLK. She allowed as how it might not look terrible in our driveway.

This Bentley may have a 628 hp engine and a top speed of a bazillion mph, but it doesn't have two little tea trays that fold-down from the back of the front seats. There's just a single tray between the two back-seat passengers. Does this mean I have to share my Grey Poupon with my fellow back-seat passenger? I give it an epic fail. For $328,000 I don't want to have to share my tea tray, damn it.

The new Jaguar F-Type. Not sure why, but I didn't like the look as much as I expected to, sort of the opposite of the new Corvette. I should probably test drive it and the new Corvette a few dozen times apiece to figure out where I really stand on each.

 Bryan with the Cadillac race car.

 Ford Mustang EcoBoost race car.

 I was truly impressed with the retro look of this brand new Ford pickup truck. It really looks like something from the 1950s.

This sort of wreckage is undoubtedly the result of a terrible accident while they were setting up the displays. You'd think they'd tip it back on all four wheels and tow it off, but I reckon they must not have gotten around to it yet.

Monique and Bryan checking out the Red Bull Formula One race car.

Acura NSX concept car.

And let's see ... what else is there to say? Not much, really. Monique noticed that Lincoln had some sort of flower scent working in their display area. Which was nice I guess, but we thought the cars they had to show looked kind of bland.  I didn't get to check out the Jeeps or Dodges, which was too bad, but them's the breaks when you're running around like mad. I regret not getting down to the basement because there are usually truly interesting new technologies kicking around down there. And I wish I'd had a bit more time to look in depth at a few cars that really interested me.

But all-in-all for a 75-minute tour of the auto show we saw a lot more than I expected to see. Definitely a great diversion on a snowy Friday night in Detroit.