Mobile post sent by AMurphy40 using Utterli.  Replies.
]]> http://amurphy1985.wordpress.com/2008/11/20/61/feed/ 0 amurphy1985 reply-count http://amurphy1985.wordpress.com/2008/05/16/editor-and-publisher-conference-2008-in-video/ http://amurphy1985.wordpress.com/2008/05/16/editor-and-publisher-conference-2008-in-video/#comments Fri, 16 May 2008 00:58:42 +0000 amurphy1985 http://amurphy1985.wordpress.com/?p=60 ]]> Here Brian Colbert of ESPN and Alice Kim of MTV networks discuss mobile content.

Alice Kim is the V.P. of Digital Distribution for MTV Networks, and spoke about the potential for mobile content for MTV,

   ” It’s amazing that the video comes across as it does. We feel that getting content on your cell phone is one of the things that appeals most to our key demographic. It’s all about interactivity- it’s about making them (the user) feel they can affect the content.”

It was fascinating to be able to hear the plans for mobile only broadcasts from some of the biggest, “hippest” networks in the world.

They seem to all have exciting plans for new, original broadcasts for mobile only, as well as revamping old shows to fit better into the mobile platform.

Brain Colbert, Director of Mobile Advertising Sales for ESPN, spoke about the network’s upcoming plans for a new, 10 minute version of their most popular show: SportsCenter.

He told a story about how he was working out at the gym, and watching the game.

Instead of being late for dinner, or missing the game entirely, he was able to complete his workout, and watch the remainder from his cell phone on the cab ride home.  

This was all possible due to the new live mobile broadcasts of sporting events that will be offered in increasing numbers by ESPN over the coming months.

Broadcasts are expected to include, but not be limited to, NBA Basketball, NCAA Basketball, Nascar, and other related events.

Please see post below for exclusive audio of my one-on-one interview with Brian Colbert.

Mobile post sent by AMurphy40 using Utterz.  Replies.  mp3

Drive around the streets of Las Vegas at night, and you wont have any trouble finding behavior which falls under this definition.

It not simply the traditional “drag race”- where racers speed from stoplight to stoplight- these impromptu races are taking place on highways, back-roads, and even in residential areas.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration- a government non-profit which gathers accident related statistics- reports that fatal crashes involving street racing are six times more likely to involve vehicles traveling over 65 mph than fatal crashes not involving street racing.

Street racing has been glamorized in popular culture for years, which many point to as being one of the main causes in an ongoing problem.

 Most recently the “Fast and the Furious” (2001-2007) and many video games such as Rockstar’s “Street Racing Syndicate” (2007) have shown that street racing still appeals to youngsters as a form of entertainment.

It is nothing new, resonably popular in the 70′s were movies such as “Vanishing Point” (1971) and “Two Lane Blacktop” (1971) that glamorized the street racing culture.

These new films take these exhibitions of speed to a new level, and as technology has increased and highways have gotten more crowded, even more deadly if attempted in reality.

In 2001, the NHTSA reported that street racing was a factor in 135 fatal crashes nationwide.

In same year, sixteen deaths were reported in the San Diego area alone.

This was enough for the public to stand up and take notice, and new ordinances were passed making penalties for street racing much harsher.

California’s ordinance’s were perhaps the most severe, where anyone found participating in a street race was subject to having there car seized.

That was only the beginning, as the owner was then made to watch as their pride and joy was reduced to scrap metal.

California was not alone, as Oklahoma implemented an ordinance which allowed vehicle seized in illegal street races to be auctioned off to the highest bidder at a government auction.

In 2002 Texas also took notice, where participants in illegal street races face up to six months in jail and a $2,000 fine. In Nevada, street racers face similar fines and jail sentences. Even spectators can face up to a $500 fine.

Nationally, it seemed that something was being done about this problem becoming so dangerous to the public, and it was.

It seemed that this “crack down” was having a definite positive affect, reducing street racing related fatalities in 2003 to where they were in 1999, at 76.

This success would be short lived, as in 2006 the NHTSA reported 151 street racing fatalities. This was up from 112 in 2005.

These new ordinances are now being dropped, in California police are no longer able to seize cars for longer than 24 hours unless the owner is facing a felony offence, let alone crush them.

This recent increase is nearly a 35 percent jump, which is enough to alarm many when confronted with the information, but the national spotlight is not on the issue as it is was in 2001.

The problem is no longer getting the major media attention that it was when street racing fatalities jumped almost 100 percent- from 1999 to 2001.

I decided to get in touch with the grassroots of legal racing, the Las Vegas Chapter of the SCCA, or Sports Car Club of America. The Club has over 112 regional groups nationwide, including in Las Vegas.

I was able to speak with one of the Regional Directors of the Las Vegas chapter of the SCCA, Russ Baumeister, at at local autocross event on the subject of illegal street racing,

“These events are so inclusive, I really don’t even understand why someone would have to race on the street. I suppose it comes down to us not really getting the word out enough, or being able to get the word out enough. I mean, we all love fast cars out here, or we wouldn’t even be here. That is a given, but when there are places you can go fast safely and on closed course, why would you ever street race again? I wish everyone knew about these events we are putting on, because no one I know in this club street races. No one. Like I said, why would you?”

After seeing the fun that these local racers have, it is hard not to agree with him.

I was stunned as we were led out onto the flightpath, past rows of F-16 and other fighter jets, onto the actual Nellis AFB tarmac, where the racecourse was set up ready to go.

 
It was quite a spectacle, but what struck me the most was the diversity in age and background in the club.

Attending one of these events and seeing the diverse group of participants, the universal camaraderie amongst racers, and how smoothly the event ran overall was truly impressive.

There were 60 year old men giving driving tips to teenagers, and the teens were all too happy to listen and learn. In turn, they would help out with doing a tire change.

One of the youngest participants was 19 year old Jesse Montez, driving his pride and joy Mitsubishi Lancer Evo. I got his thoughts on street racing in Las Vegas,

“I have seen a few of my friends doing things I would call street racing, and it is scary man. I mean, I have seen people nearly miss fatal accidents, and I have lost a couple of friends in car accidents I think could’ve been avoided. People need to be able to release that urge to go fast, that “need for speed” everyone talks about, and this is where you can do it. Everyone needs to be out here, and I tell everyone I know to come out here. It is safe, and hell, it is a lot of fun.”

The ability to race legally provides a great outlet for lovers of horsepower to use their performance cars in a safe environment.

Everyone I spoke with (like Montez) universally agreed- if you can race safely and legally- why risk death and imprisonment with illegal street racing?

 Las Vegas actually is a leading city in providing legal, sanctioned racing of all types, and is a model for other cities in this regard.

The “Midnight Mayhem” drag racing program at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is also open to the public, and costs only $10 to race for the night.

Does having all of these inclusive racing programs available in Las Vegas reduce the number of street racers, and thus make the valley’s roadways safer?

In many ways, the answer is yes.

Nevada had a total of 432 traffic fatalities in 2004, with a population close to 2.5 million. Of these, only 27 involved what police term “reckless endangerment” behind the wheel.  

South Carolina, in the same year, recorded 1,286 traffic fatalities, with a population that was nearly the same, at 2.9 million. Of these, 154 involved “reckless endangerment” behind the wheel. 

Metrolina Speedway, the biggest racetrack in South Carolina, is located just outside of Charleston- the biggest city in the state. When contacted about racing open to public participation, the track coordinater responded to me with this statement,

“While we are working on creating a program that allows public participation, our current insurance regulations prevent us from doing so.”

When pressed for specifics on when this might occur, the track official (who wouldn’t provide his name) was not at liberty to discuss any details.

I was curious to see if Law Enforcement in the Valley felt street racing was a problem in our area.

Las Vegas Metro Sgt. Bill Castle has been on patrol for 6 years, and was able to give some insight into how much of a problem street racing is locally,

“I have seen a lot of what I would term “aggressive driving” in our area (Las Vegas), but not much in the way of a real organized racing scene. Not, at least, like it is depicted in the movies. More of what I have seen are people performing what we would call ”exhibitions of speed” on the highway, or on local roads- most of which are pretty spontaneous. That is to say, most of the “races” I have seen are more impulsive than the organized depicitions you see in all the movies. And honestly, I haven’t really seen a whole lot of that, even.”

I was struck by how law enforcement’s experience of street racing in Las Vegas could differ so greatly to what we are presented with by Hollywood. It would seem that while street racing may be prevalent in other areas, Las Vegas is doing an excellent job at attacking this problem on many fronts.

Not only are the police aware of the issues of street racing, and have created stiffer penalties against it (see above), but local organizations exist to facilitate racer’s urge to go fast.

The combination of these two things could be instrumental in reducing the number of high speed fatalities (over 65 mph) that occur on our roadways to levels that rival a state with half our population.

When speaking to local racers and law enforcement, the main thing they agree on is that street racing is not a huge problem in our County, and the numbers do reflect this.

Whether or not this is directly related to the number of available places for legal racing is unclear, but what is clear is the relative safety of our streets, and the distinct lack of street racers in Clark County.

Perhaps everything in Las Vegas really is fast, easy, and- best of all- legal.

There were several means that California used in their increased efforts, including increased patrols and new legislation developed with street racing specifically in mind.

The most notable was new legislation that allowed cars that were used in illegal street races to be seized by law enforcement, impounded, and then auctioned off to the highest bidder at a government auction.

Ontario, CA was the first city to scrap these new laws in what looks to be the eventual elimination of these new, harsher penalties.

Recently, the California State Supreme Court ruled that California law pre-empts local entities from enacting such legislation.

Many local officals say they lost a powerful tool in the fight against street racing,

Ontario police Detective Jeff Higbee, who launched the city’s anti-illegal racing task force in 2005, said,

“I know from talking to guys out on the street, in racing and even in the schools, that was definitely a deterrent for them.”

While this may be a speed bump in the road to eventually eliminating street racing, police are still ramping up patrol efforts in Ontario and other California cities where street racing is an ongoing problem.

Additionally, police can still impound a vehicle caught engaged in an illegal street race for up to 30 days, and force the driver to pay up to a $1,500 fine.

However, at this point, the potentially hazardous driver is back on the streets- and in the same vehicle.

Time will tell whether or not a month of walking, and a $1,500 dollar dent in the checking account is enough to dissuade these would-be racers from making the same mistake again.

At this point the city is working on passing new legislation, named Bill 1724, which would allow the city to auction off the vehicles of those with facing their second racing offense.

The bill is scheduled to be brought before the Ontario Public Safety Committee this Tuesday.

One has to wonder whether the city is in for a lengthy legal battle between the State Supreme Court and the City government, as city officials and local law enforcement believe strongly in the effectiveness of this legislation.

This would allow me to report on my experiences with various businesses in the Las Vegas area that I had to deal with in order to accomplish my goal of getting the most, performance wise, out of this Camaro.   

There are certainly a multitude of options when it comes to getting work done on your vehicle in Las Vegas, but if you want a shop that specializes in performance, your selection narrows considerably.

Choosing a shop that does “performance” work, specifically, is important if you are looking to get the most out of your vehicle.

Here are is a small list of shops in the Valley which specialize in this type of work:

My goal is to try out as many of these shops as I can, with the ultimate to goal being to locate the best places to go for performance in Las Vegas.

If you bring your car to most “normal” repair shops, or to a dealership, they are not necessarily concerned with, or trained in, getting the most “performance” out of your vehicle.

A performance shop will be more familiar with the aftermarket parts available today designed to modify your vehicle.

They will also usually have relationships established with the manufacturers of these parts and will be able to get the parts needed- saving you the hassle of having to locate and order parts yourself.

For the more ”mechanically inclined” among us, ordering the parts directly and installing them yourself can be an attractive option. 

Aftermarket parts warehouses such as Summit Racing Equipment, JEGS and other offer a significant discount on parts, free shipping, and have access to basically everything aftermarket under the sun.

This includes everything from exhausts, clutches, body panels, interior parts, engines, wheels and tires, and any normal maintainence item needed as well.  

With this discount comes the knowledge that you could well have to spend hours bloodying your knuckles in the driveway (or garage if you’re lucky).

This is due to the fact that most performance shops frown upon customers bringing in their own parts.

This in naturally the way the shop makes a bit of profit, and also whoever is performing the installation likes to have the knowledge that all the parts are there, and are correct for the vehicle. 

Being a product of modern times, the advertisements for 99 cent cheeseburgers and french fries immediately came to mind.

Given approximately $3.25 per day, this would be enough coin for 3 double cheeseburgers at McDonald’s, and the tax.

That’s a lot of food, for not so much money.

However, what this food actually gives you nutritionally is a different story.

44o calories is what one of these meaty devils will set you back- not so bad if this is all one has to eat in a day.

The fat content is what is what should drive us away from these foods: 23 grams of fat in one double cheeseburger.

Eat two, and you’ve already consumed over twice the amount of fat and saturated fat that the average human being is supposed to intake in one day.

This is not exactly the heart healthy solution.

So what can be done, if one wants to live to see their 35th birthday- and not be broke?

Denny’s would seem like a decent option for breakfast- you can get a full Grand Slam breakfast for $3.99.

Until you consider that there are half a days calories and a full days serving of fat on a single plate.

It would seem that the grocery store is the only place to seek refuge, and maybe find some healthy alternatives.

There are a few things one can do- a box of whole wheat pasta is $1.29- but without sauce it wont taste very good.

Fruit is always a good option, but one cannot survive of apples and bananas alone- and the price often fluctuates with the time of year.

Obesity is obviously a huge problem in this country- and I can see why. All of the cheapest foods are also those that contain the most empty calories, and least nutritional value.

The classic Peanut butter and Jelly sandwich was an option I found most appealing for the money.

Wheat bread will run you $1.89, with a large jar of Welch’s grape jelly coming in at $2.35, and Jiff peanut butter at $1.29 (on sale).

While not exactly enjoyable- this could feed an adult for a few days without significantly increasing ones risk of heart disease.

Try throwing a few slices of banana on the PB and J for a little variation and increased nutritional value.

However, this will also put an increased dent in ones budget- a half dozen fresh ones costing between two and three dollars- depending on the quality and where you shop.

Specifically, the new car that rolled out at the New York Auto Show yesterday had one major difference: a clutch pedal.

Previously MOPAR had issued a statement that the new Challenger would only be available with an automatic transmission until midway through the 2009 model-year. This statement included both the R\T (performance) and S\E (base) models.

However, the good folks at Dodge rolled out a car yesterday that upon first glance looks the same- but on closer inspection sports a clutch pedal!

The designers at Dodge even did their best to make MOPAR purists happy- going to the lengths of including an updated version of the famed old school “pistol grip” shifter (see above).

There are so many little touches throughout the car that harken back to the “glory days” of muscle cars, it evokes real memories of the original car to anyone that has experienced it’s beauty.

Just the prospect of being able to slide into a leather bucket seat, fire up a big Hemi, and row the gears with a real pistol grip shifter is enough to nearly bring a tear to any car enthusiast’s eye.

Of course the similarities between the Challenger of the 70′s and the 2009 model is really only skin deep: and this is a very good thing.

The specifics on the new car’s drivetrain point to the car being even more exciting to drive than it is to look at.

The R/T’s powerplant will be the standard 5.7 litre 345 hp Hemi V-8, plenty of power to put a smile on anyone’s face.

The SR/T will sport a bored out (6.1 litre) version of the Hemi.

This motor will include a different (more aggressive) camshaft, improved cylinder heads, and bigger intake and exhaust.

All these changes boost power output to a whopping 425 horsepower- enough to change that smile into a terrified, twisted scowl.

Indeed, with a 6 speed Tremec transmission (with obligatory pistol grip shifter), the new Challenger SR\T should be enough car to make anyone feel like Kowalski in the 70′s cult classic Vanishing Point.

There is a definite trend of American auto manufacturers bringing back models from the so called “muscle car” era.

The Ford Mustang was the first to strike, with the newest incarnation of their perennial favorite sharing distinctive styling cues with the 69-70 models. 

The Chevrolet Camaro followed suit, restyling to look a lot like the 68-69 models- often considered the most attractive and disireable by car enthusiasts (see post below).

Now MOPAR is re-entering the fight with a performance, rear wheel drive, v-8 throwback coupe from their past: The Challenger.

Hopefully this is a sign of the Big Three making a comeback- and if we are lucky they will be bringing the muscle car “wars” of the late 60′s and early 70′s with them.