Author: chuck goolsbee

Car Photo of the Day: Casual Encounters

I shot this photo as I walked though the paddock at the Pacific Northwest Historics, which happen every year over the 4th of July weekend at Pacific Raceways in Kent, WA. The “NW Historics” are a great place to get up close and personal with old cars, both race and stock. Spectators are free to walk the paddock, which is wonderful… in some ways better than the action on the track! The drivers/owners are usually happy to chat about their cars. You also see some amazing stuff. This 300sl for example. It wasn’t there for the racing, it was just casually parked here between a pickup truck and a multi-million dollar Ferrari.

If you are in the region in early July, I strongly suggest a visit. Unlike similar events in other cities, the NW Historics are very lightly attended and access, parking, etc is rarely a hassle. Admission is cheap and the weather here that time of year is usually quite mild.

The cars are… amazing.

Car Photo of the Day: Well-worn Cat.

This is the nose of a Jaguar XK 120. As you can see it is not a mollycoddled trailer queen. That slight patina lends it an air of authenticity you don’t see in a museum exhibit, or a collector’s “Garage Mahal”.

So no, this is not a posed shot of a buffed to a high gloss car, in a perfectly lit photo studio. This is a car sitting in a parking lot, whose engine is still ticking from the heat coming off it. Raindrops are drying on the bonnet, leaving behind dust and dirt. It smells of oil and dead bugs. It is real.

Enjoy it while it lasts.

A few random car photos for you.

While sifting through some photos for CPotD listings I’ve found a few that don’t quite fit the bill but are interesting enough in their own right to share. Some are good photos, one is just odd subject matter, most are variations on themes I’ve posted before and I’m trying not to repeat in the CPotD category. Enjoy:

Wheels:

I know this wheel is not mine, because it is too clean and the knockoffs aren't banged up to hell.

I honestly can not recall what car this is from. Obviously something unique! (chuck slaps self) Can you ID it? I'd love to know!

This pic has appeared here before. It is that big Green Delahaye. Look, I'm reflected in the hub!
Another wheel from a car I can't recall off the top of my head.

Just some oddball pics:
An Oliver tractor parked behind RPM in Vermont. The Cat engine doesn't quite fit and sort of creates a big bulge through the whole chassis.

A Vietnam-era Jeep, complete with props, at my town's annual car show.

More Photos of that blue/black Chevy truck for Paul, who LOVES old trucks:

amazing paint

Finally, some badges from that Cunningham Coupe from last weekend’s CPotD stumper:

“They are not too big to die, they are too big to survive”

Insightful comments, as always, from the man known as “Bob Cringely“.

I’ve been reading Stephens‘ work for well over 15 years, and have always enjoyed his style, his insight, and his humor. I appreciate his willingness to admit when he’s wrong (which, oftentimes he is) and his accessibility to his audience. We’ve exchanged emails a few times, usually with me calling him a “dipstick” (a legacy term from an old column of his) and correcting an error he’s made on some detail of our industry. He’s always acknowledged the corrections politely and the mistakes rarely, if ever, get repeated.

I like his optimism and his outlook, and really appreciate his comments here about allowing nature to take its course with regard to dying industries, be they financial, or automotive, you’ll note he doesn’t specify.

Intersections of Interest

Occasionally several of my personal and professional interests converge at one point. I enjoy making images. I enjoy telling stories. I enjoy technology. I make my living in the datacenter industry. I enjoy sharing all of these with others.

This week at work is the culmination of over a year’s efforts by my employer, and one of our clients. A medium-scale project is coming to fruition, involving the client, several contractors (Engineers, Mechanical, and Electrical contractors) our Sales & Operations teams, and mostly our Facilities Manager, who as always is able to make things happen timely and with a smile. My job? Capture it all, and present it as yet another example of what we can accomplish for potential clients: We’re flexible. We’re available. We’re here to serve the client’s needs, even if they are “off the price sheet” so to speak.

You can follow along on our Support Blog. First post is here. The second one is here. I’ll be posting again tomorrow with an update, and a wrap up later.

Unintentional laughs from CraigsList

I have several saved searches on CraigsList in my RSS feed that help me land supples and feedstocks for my BioDiesel home brewing. While I sit lazily on my butt, these little technological tidbits ceaselessly scour the “free” section of the Seattle area listings and report their findings back to me. They search for terms such as: Oil, Gallon, Diesel, BioDiesel, and Barrel. The latter is leftover from when I was still building my setup, but I keep it because it provides me with some entertainment and confidence boosting. I see at least 3 posts a month with somebody giving away a “Wheel Barrel”… and for some reason that makes me feel elevated to the “smarter than the average bear” crowd as I would never butcher the language thusly. Besides, my maternal ancestors in Ireland would have never learned to walk upright if it weren’t for the English invention of the wheelbarrow.

Today I opened up my RSS feed to see this headline, which gave a good chuckle for some reason. So while perhaps I am smarter than the average bear, I can still find humor in (very) low places.