Lamborghini on a Wall

"I want to stencil some tire marks on the wall," he said. "Seriously."

Tired of the maintenance, Newport Beach resident Richard Moriarty decided to hang his '74 Lamborghini Countach (license plate "FAASST") on the wall of his new home. In order to do so, architect Fleetwood Joiner included a skylight designed to fit the exotic sports car in the $2 million home. With the assist of a 70-ton crane the entire move was completed in an hour.

In addition, the car's engine was removed and displayed as part of a coffee table.

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Motorcity Myth

The $70 per hour US autoworker is a myth: "average wages for workers at Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors were just $28 per hour as of 2007." And the actual wage gap between the Big Three (GM, Ford, and Chrysler) and their Japanese competitors isn't actually that significant. So where did the 7-0 figure come from?

Analysts came up with it by including the cost of all employer-provided benefits--namely, health insurance and pensions--and then dividing by the number of workers. The result, they found, was that benefits for Big Three cost about $42 per hour, per employee. Add that to the wages--again, $28 per hour--and you get the $70 figure. Voila.

Except ... notice something weird about this calculation? It's not as if each active worker is getting health benefits and pensions worth $42 per hour. That would come to nearly twice his or her wages. (Talk about gold-plated coverage!) Instead, each active worker is getting benefits equal only to a fraction of that--probably around $10 per hour, according to estimates from the International Motor Vehicle Program. The number only gets to $70 an hour if you include the cost of benefits for retirees--in other words, the cost of benefits for other people.

Read rest here.

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Possible New Presidential Whip

Our president-elect's new ride may soon be this heavily armored Cadillac that was caught in the wild being tested.

Style-wise, we can see bits and pieces from a few different Cadillac models. Xenon headlights from the Escalade adorn the front while the rear seems to have some STS parts. We can also see holders on the top of the front fenders where two small American flags would traditionally go. The doors on this limo are absolutely astounding. We'd guess they are at least 20 centimeters (8 inches) thick!

That's what she said! Hi-HO!

In all seriousness, this Cadillac better come strong with the front mounted dual machine guns, oil slicks, smoke screens, and surface to air missiles. Oh wait, I'm thinking of Spy Hunter.

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Lotus Exige by Eric Haze

My immediate thought when I saw Eric Haze's interpretation of a Lotus Exige, which was rolled out at the Manhattan Classic Car Club recently, was the following:

Colander, (kŭl'ən-dər, kŏl'-)

...a type of sieve used in cooking for separating liquids and solids. It is much like a strainer. It is conventionally made of a light metal, such as aluminium or thinly rolled stainless steel, although it is not uncommon for it to be made of plastic.

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Mega Camper

I'm going to ride out the end of times or the zombie t-virus epidemic in this aggressive camper. It ain't your old man's Winnebago.

This will cost you roughly $670,000.

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Concept Ship

I like the hood ornament on this concept ship by Marco Mazzoni:

Concept Ship

One of my favorite websites, which appeals to my inner geek, is Concept Ships which displays mind-blowing creations by various artists depicting ships of the future. I really like the subtly of this one by Chris Thunig:

Public Service Announcement: Avoid this Molester Van

This van is just asking to be the mascot of To Catch a Predator.

As A Day in the Life of warned, "Kids, stay away from this van." No doubt.

Relatedly:

There's also this crucial importance distinction.

Double-Decker Buses are Back in NYC

The MTA will be running a 30 day trial run of double-decker buses in New York City.

Beginning on Thursday, the 13-foot-tall, 45-foot-long, 81-seat bus will alternate service on local and express bus routes: BxM3 from Yonkers to Manhattan, the X17J between Staten Island and Manhattan, the M15 limited on First and Second Avenues, and possibly the M5 along Fifth Avenue (if the tree pruning along the bus lane goes well).

Great. Note sarcasm.

What I've learned from the obnoxious double-decker tour buses that crowd around my office's block is that this just means New York City will see more bus billboards that will now be twice as large with advertisements for upcoming movies or invitations to go visit Tulum or Paris.

Hey MTA: Less novelty distractions and focus instead on installing digital service signs announcing the ETA for trains in all the subway platforms, and finishing the 2nd Avenue subway line. Kthnxby.