Archive for March, 2008
Aptera Reserved
Sunday, March 30th, 2008
Arthur & I officially are number 1,717 in line to purchase an Aptera. The company announced it had entered the manufacturing stage this past week. Cars are rumored to start shipping to customers by the end of the year.
Arthur and I live in an apartment complex with no way to charge an electric car. We opted for the model that offers a moderate battery capacity and a gasoline electric generator to recharge the battery. The generator extends the range 130-300 miles per gallon. I call this a “smart hybrid”, as opposed to a “basic hybrid” that uses both an electric motor and combustion engine on the powertrain, like the Toyota Prius.
Pricing has not been finalized, but is expected to be around $30,000. We could certainly get a much larger, basic hybrid vehicle for the price. So why buy a funky, two (and a half) passenger, three wheeled, glorified motorcycle? It’s simple. We accept that the Aptera is not a mainstream car. It fits our personal transportation needs as a feature loaded everyday commuter car. Arthur and I will keep my Dodge Neon around for when we need to haul a crew of people or stuff.
Fiscally, the Aptera would require several years and gas prices to double (again…) before becoming economically cheaper than a Toyota Yaris at $14,000 and 32 MPG. This is where Arthur and I feeling morally compelled to put our money where our convictions lie. The Aptera’s carbon footprint is significantly lower than basic hybrids today and the climate crisis requires action now. Fortunately, Arthur and I live in the first state to benefit from the Aptera and we are in a financial position to take action in this manner.
Finally, the car is effin’ awesome. It looks gorgeous and is made in the USA with recycled materials. Expect a video blog sometime in the next few months from our tour of the manufacturing facility. Until then, let this wet your whistle.
What happened to The Ben & Dave Show?
Friday, March 28th, 2008
Just a week after being called “a little hottie” (albeit indirectly) by Ben Harvey1, The Ben and Dave Show on HERE! Networks2 seems to have been cancelled.
I checked the podcast this afternoon to get the latest episode, only to be greeted by a 404.3 I searched Facebook and could no longer find the show’s fan page. I went to YouTube and was told that all of the show’s videos had been removed by the user. I ventured onto (the sleazy) MySpace and saw that the their account had either been cancelled or deleted.
Dave Rubin told me that this, “was just the beginning,” and yet all evidence the show ever existed has been deleted.
Update: 2008/03/30, 6:56 PM: I was able to reach Dave. He told me that the show is “down but not out” and hopefully will be back shortly.
1 See Episode 19 and my wall.
2 I’ve never understood the use of exclamation points in company names. It implies that they are really excited about themselves.
3 Ironically, the error icon in iTunes resembles the HERE! logo.
Classifying Easter
Sunday, March 23rd, 2008I couldn’t agree with Google News more.
Not this time.
Tuesday, March 18th, 2008Barack Obama delivered a speech about racial equality in America today that will be considered historic by history books. (Watch here if you missed it.)
Words on a parchment would not be enough to deliver slaves from bondage, or provide men and women of every color and creed their full rights and obligations as citizens of the United States. What would be needed were Americans in successive generations who were willing to do their part – through protests and struggle, on the streets and in the courts, through a civil war and civil disobedience and always at great risk – to narrow that gap between the promise of our ideals and the reality of their time.
He captured a snapshot of our culture. We are divided as a nation. We feel differently and strongly. However, inclusiveness and equality are the correct answers in this cultural debate. While some may disagree, we cannot “close our ears to the voices of those who still need to be convinced.”
This union may never be perfect, but generation after generation has shown that it can always be perfected. And today, whenever I find myself feeling doubtful or cynical about this possibility, what gives me the most hope is the next generation – the young people whose attitudes and beliefs and openness to change have already made history in this election.
Barack spoke about race today, but he has spoken similarly about the gay community in the past.
His timing is poignant in my life. I was told today that my “lifestyle” might harm my youngest brother by a close family member. This came just a day after learning that another family member surprisingly discounted me vehemently because of my sexuality.
As far as I push people who choose to reject me instead of their own prejudices, I still get hurt. And I still get angry. Days like today make me want to retreat to a “gay ghetto”, as my friend Mark puts it — a cultural bubble of tolerance. Retreat can protect today, but it doesn’t bring reality closer to the ideal.
I’ve fought with the issue of “gay pride” for many years. My sexuality does not define my identity, but it is part of my identity. I don’t want to be proud of myself just for being comfortable with myself as a gay man. However, comments made by family members recently have inspired me to place myself “out there” more for discussion purposes. I want my family to talk about me, my sexuality, and my love for Arthur to confront the issue. Perhaps then they’ll see me as theirs again instead of an object of judgement.
For we have a choice in this country. We can accept a politics that breeds division, and conflict, and cynicism. We can tackle race only as spectacle – as we did in the OJ trial – or in the wake of tragedy, as we did in the aftermath of Katrina – or as fodder for the nightly news. [. . .]
We can do that. But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we’ll be talking about some other distraction. And then another one. And then another one. And nothing will change. That is one option.
Or, at this moment, in this election, we can come together and say, “Not this time.”
