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10 tips for a safe journey behind the wheel (Part 2/2)

-irwintan — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 06:43:41 +0000

Ok, so here’s continuing from my previous post. 5 more tips for a safe journey for drivers.

So far, we’ve covered the following:

Always SIGNAL when you wish to turn or change lanes
Check your blind spot whenever you are shifting out of your lane!
Don’t tailgate (unless necessary)
Don’t hog the road if you’re slow
Don’t slow down too drastically before a speed camera

Now, let’s move on to the next 5…

Tip 6: Stopping your vehicle appropriately

Let’s say you need to stop your vehicle for a short period of time – perhaps to pick up a friend or to drop off a parcel to your family members waiting by the side of the road. First of all, if there are double zig-zag lines along the side of the road, don’t be a smart alec and stop along there. Fines and penalties aside, these lines are painted at the spot for a reason – there might be a blind corner just before the lines, or perhaps the road is simply too narrow. Whatever the reason, abide by the rules and move on to find a suitable location even if it means walking another 100 m extra. It won’t kill you, will it?

Surely these double zig-zag lines are there for a reason? Photo | Picsicio

And in addition, should you really need to stop along the road side (for urgent cases along suitable and appropriately demarcated roads), give an advance warning signal at least 100 m before you stop. Taxi drivers, unfortunately, are the worst at this. They stop as and when they want (which will be elaborated more in Tip 10). Signal early and you might just avoid a curse being hurled at you, or even worse, an accident.

Tip 7: Talking on mobile phone while driving

Yes, I know there has been scientific study that proves that talking on a mobile phone does not affect a driver’s concentration. But unfortunately, many of our drivers are proving this theory wrong. They’re getting themselves into accidents, and even resulting in losing their lives as a result of talking on the phone and not paying attention to their surroundings.

Get a handsfree headset, be it a wired mic-earpiece or a Bluetooth headset. It won’t cost much, and I’m pretty sure your life is worth more than a $83 Plantronics 3XX Bluetooth set, right? Unless you’re on a suicide mission, that is.

Through personal experiences, I must say I’ve noticed drivers who are so engrossed in talking on the phone behind the wheel tend to slow down a lot and will not be able to stay on their lane. They have the tendency to veer off their lanes, causing panic and shock to the cars around them. They’ve never failed to escape my horn and high beam, so, a sub-tip for you: next time you encounter such a driver holding his phone to his ear and chatting away while driving, blare your horn at him. He deserves it.

Tip 8: Heavy Vehicles

Yes yes, I know you’re huge, and you take up a full lane and probably the length of two Mercedes C class sedans. But that does not give you the right to act like the boss of the road. Heavy vehicles (or rather, should I state – vehicles with a speed limit indicator sticker) should ALWAYS stick to the extreme and second left lane of the road. Take a drive along West Coast Highway and you’ll see trailers and trucks zooming past you in the RIGHT LANE as if they’re the Jenson Button of the trailer world. Losers.

Vehicles such as the Renault Kangoo always feel that they are not considered an industry vehicle and tend to take to the right lanes too. They fail to realise or even notice the 70 km/h sticker on their back door, and will take pride in accelerating past you at 100 km/h, only to meet you at the next traffic light. Kangoo owners (or owners of vehicles with similar build), please realise where you stand in terms of vehicle performance and safety. Keep OFF the right lane, before someone gets injured or too frustrated because of you.

The almighty Renault Kangoo that will attempt to impress you by speeding past you. Drivers, please realise you have a 70 km/h sticker at the back of your vehicle. Photo | Way Motor

Tip 9: Turn on your headlamps after 7 pm and use your high beam appropriately

Many drivers fail to turn on their headlamps before 7 am and after 7 pm. This can be accredited to the fact that most sedans now come manufactured with a built-in ‘light-up’ dashboard. This means that unlike the older automobile models whose dashboards will light up only when you flick the light switch, these new cars’ dashboards will remain lighted up once the ignition is started.

The dashboard on the left belongs to the older generation of cars that will only light up when the light switch is flicked. The dash on the right are the ‘light-up’ dashboards that illuminate up once the ignition is started. Photos | What The Tech & Hefel

So drivers, please make it a point to check once the clock hits 7 pm, or anytime when you deem visibility is low. Headlamps are important for you to navigate your way around in the darkness, but they are equally important for the vehicle behind you to have a rough estimate of the distance between his car and YOUR car. Spare a thought for others, and make both your rides a more pleasant one.

Next, I’d like to move on to high beams. There is this minority group of retards on the roads who drive with their high beam on. Yes, you heard me – retards. By regulation of the highway code, high beams are used during low visibility or to serve as a warning for near-collision situations. You do NOT drive with your high beams on. This will cause severe discomfort for the drivers in front of you. Yes you will be able to see better, but the driver in front of you won’t be able to check all his three mirrors due to the blinding light coming from you. Grow up, and be more responsible. Show some sense of courtesy on the road, or don’t drive at all.

Tip 10: Beware of these drivers…

No stereotyping or generalising, but beware of most taxi drivers, female drivers and drivers in sports cars with their ‘zhng-ed’ exhaust that sounds like a thousand cow farts.

Firstly, let me clarify that I’m by no means condemning any of these drivers – there’s just this proportion of them who act as the black sheep in the herd and spoil the image of the entire group in general.

Taxi Drivers

Taxi drivers are notorious for acting like the kings of the road. Most of them think that they’re extremely familiar of the roads after so many years of driving, and tend to speed and cut into lanes. 99% will act complacently and fail to signal before they turn, stopping as and when they wish to…etc etc.

I do agree that in most instances, the passenger is at fault, for most passengers fail to take into account the road conditions and simply demand that the taxi stop as and when they like. Strange that how when they’re not driving (for those drivers taking taxis), they tend to forget all they learn in their highway code.

Taxi drivers need to be educated on the importance of road safety and courtesy, as should their management in responding to complaints and feedback from the general public. For all instances whereby I hear complains being directed into Comfort Delgro regarding their taxi, the standard reply will surface:

“We apologise for the inconvenience caused and the unpleasant incident. Our taxi driver has been counselled and we will continue to monitor his progress. Comfort Delgro stresses excellence… blahblahblah”

So you stress about excellence. Well I don’t give a damn about how you stress about excellence. I care about and care for the safety of other road users and MYSELF. So, taxi drivers, please wake up.

Female Drivers

This may be stereotyping a little but you have to admit that majority of the female drivers out there can’t drive for nuts. They take an average of 3 attempts to park, hog up the right lane, drive with their necks over the steering wheel, stare nowhere but the front of the road, and yet get into most accidents.

I do agree there are some females that are awesome drivers, having met some of them personally. If you’re not confident of driving on a busy road, perhaps you should do some practice on more isolated roads especially along Ubi and Bukit Gombak (near the driving schools). Get yourself familiarised with the roads and the right of ways, before you head out to the major roads and expressways.

Ladies need to build up more confidence when on the road. The standard argument I always meet with is that they are more cautious. I find this bullshit. Yes you are more cautious by driving slowly, as you prevent accidents from happening to YOURSELF because you don’t crash into someone. But, you fail to take into consideration that you’re hogging up the roads behind you, and someone might crash into YOU.

Seriously, does she look like she’s being cautious? I would think it’s over-cautious (: Photo | Courtesy of Internet

This trend will never end, as per the argument that ladies cannot drive. It is a topic that has been debated for ages, and will continue to be. But still, a word of caution, do avoid them and give them a little more space to be more ‘cautious’.

Yes, I do. Photo | The Vinyl Village

Sports Car Drivers

Last but not least, sports car drivers. I’m referring to those ah bengs driving WRX and ‘zhng-ed’ Honda Civics and blast their exhaust every time they meet someone on the road. Supercar drivers behind the wheels of Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Porsches tend to be more refined, coming from the upper class of society.

Unfortunately, these ah bengs have the same mentality as most taxi drivers, thinking that they can outrun everyone and everyone (except Traffic Police). It’s rather funny and ironic when they tailgate you, speed past you upon overtaking, and end up at the same traffic light 500 m down the road. Losers, eh?

I just don’t see the fun in that.

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That concludes my 10 tips for a safe journey behind the wheel. Remember, drive safe, stay happy, and most importantly, alive (:

10 tips for a safe journey behind the wheel (Part 1/2)

-irwintan — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 06:06:16 +0000

As some of you might have known, I was recently involved in an accident along Upper Paya Lebar Road. Unfortunately, although I would still insist I am in the right of way, damages would allow the other party involved to win in the case of an insurance payout. The end result came up to be a very expensive private settlement – a reminder once again to myself and all drivers out there to open your eyes wide.

As such, I’ve decided to come up with a basic tip/guide on road safety, especially for drivers (I will do up one regarding road safety for pedestrians and cyclists later on). These are basic guidelines for each driver and I really hope it would do you some good and prevent further accidents from happening as a result of misjudgment and negligence.

Tip 1: Always SIGNAL when you wish to turn or change lanes

Image | Courtesy of Driving School of Ireland

Unfortunately, this is one regulation that most drivers fail to adhere to, especially when they get complacent after years behind the wheel. Signal, dude, and signal EARLY! Whether you are filtering out of a lane, into a slip-road, or simply turning a corner, SIGNAL. It ain’t that hard to reach other to the right of your steering wheel (left for continental cars) and flick the indicator switch.

Signaling gives you ample time and priority to make your turn safely, as it will give other road users and drivers a clear indication of your intention. Most accidents are caused by the failure to signal and thus, give way. Basic international theory guideline states signaling as early as 100m for safety and space for the drivers behind you to filter out if necessary. Do it!

Tip 2: Check your blind spot whenever you are shifting out of your lane!

Be it turning, filtering or just stopping by the road side, this is extremely relevant to my first tip of signaling. Also, this is the main cause of my accident last week when an awesome lady driver cut into my lane without checking her blind spot, resulting in the accident being viewed as my fault.

Side mirrors are not sufficient when filtering, as there will be the ‘blind spot’ directly by the side of your rear door where the mirror will not cover. The following diagram will show you why.

As you can see in the third image from the left, as the blue car pulls up towards the side of the green car, the rear view and side mirror will not indicate the presence of the car. It can only be spotted if you physically turn your head and check the side of your car. Photo | Canadian Insurance Claim

Tip 3: Don’t tailgate (unless necessary)

Tailgating is one of the major cause of accidents on the roads today – some drivers might be in a hurry, some might just tailgate for the fun of it, and some just want to prove themselves to the rest that they are superior to others (applies specifically to those ah bengs driving WRX thinking they’re some T-Rex on the road HURRRR).

The right lane is stipulated as the lane for overtaking in an emergency – unfortunately, not everybody realises that. There should not be a need to tailgate when on other lanes besides the first, and even so, if the first lane is hogged up, you should check the remaining lanes for the possibility of overtaking.

Tailgating is a dangerous act on the road, and requires absolute precision and extreme caution. It is an act not to be done if you’re those drivers who drive with their right foot on the accelerator and left foot on the brakes, and also not an act if you’re in your first few virgin years of driving. Unless confident and absolutely necessary, don’t tailgate.

Tip 4: Don’t hog the road if you’re slow
Which brings me to my next point – don’t hog the road if you’re slow. The speed limit serves as a maximum speed on the road, but that doesn’t mean you have the right to travel at 50 km/h on the right lane on a 90 km/h expressway.

Sadly to say, and not being sexist, female drivers are mostly the responsible ones for this act of road hogging. Aunties, old uncles and young ladies who are not confident on the right lane of the road, please keep to the extreme left lane or at least the middle lane. Don’t blame us if we speed up behind you and flash our high beams when there’s obviously a huge distance in front of you to the next car, and of course, if you are causing a huge traffic queue behind you.

Tip 5: Don’t slow down too drastically before a speed camera

Most speed cameras in Singapore are tuned to allow at least a 5 km/h excess in speed detection. However, that’s not a reason for you to speed.

Speed camera on highway. Photo | UK Autoblog

But, the presence of a speed camera does not give you the right to slow down drastically. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, take a drive along any expressway with a speed camera and you will realise most motorists slow down way below the speed limit just before the camera, pass it with extreme caution (and I mean extreme), and speed up again 300 m down the road. This is unnecessary. Especially during peak hours, it is unwise to slow down too much for you will be causing unnecessary build up of traffic behind you. Stay at the speed limit, or at most 10 km/h below it, and cruise past the camera. There’s no need to hog the lane at 50 km/h when the limit is at 80.

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Ok, 5 tips is enough for today. I’ve went a little longer than I predicted I would – will be continuing the next 5 tips on road safety for drivers another day.

Drive safe, stay alive and happy.

So, uh... Busy Lately

volkjosh — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 15:01:34 +0000

A night of MST3K started kicked things off a few weeks ago and it all went downhill from there. The Turf Club in St. Paul was the scene of Lady Gaga sightings the night before, and then they went and put on an MST3K night the day after! It was a good time, and a much better viewing experience, not only because I got there early enough to get a decent seat, but also because they held the viewing in the larger upstairs portion of the bar, meaning it was much less hot and stuffy and cramped. The movie on the night was called “Sidehackers” and is a season two episode. While this normally would mean that the whole thing could feel slow and just thrown together, this episode was in color, had decent riffs and a whole lot of horribleness with the movie itself. So all in all, a decent movie for so early in the run.

MST3K at Turf Club - Sidehackers

Sidehackers Playbill

After that, I went to Red Wing for my mom’s birthday. She lives on a houseboat down there, and own a dog. I decided to toss my aviators on the dog and she was really cool looking with them on. Just some shots of the dock and stuff then.

Red Wing Marina

Dog with glasses

Then, on the way back to my place from Red Wing, I hit a milestone that I had been dreading for some time. Yes, my car finally turned over to 100,000 miles. To me, this means that my car is old now and is probably going to die on me at any time. Sure, it’s a Subaru, so it probably won’t, but you just never know. Keeping my fingers crossed that nothing bad happens as I can’t really afford any repairs at this time.

99,999 Miles

100,000 Miles - *Tear*

After that, I went out to a car and plane show in Osceola, Wisconsin called Wings and Wheels. Normally this place has some great cheap books to buy as well, but I was supremely disappointed by the selection that they had. Not only was there nothing that I wanted, the stuff I did want was still almost $20 even after the 50% discount. Oh well, next year. As usual though, the cars did not disappoint. There is always some expensive and unique stuff that shows up here and it’s interesting to see what people think they should include that should actually be at home in their garage as it is not a show car or anything special at all. But that’s what you get with a huge, free car show. Here are some pictures of the cars and a few of the planes, which were interesting as it was the first time in four years of going to this show that I stopped to take a look at them as well.

Wings and Wheels - Toyota MR2

Wings and Wheels - Datsun Drag Car

Wings and Wheels

For the rest of the pictures of the cars, if you care to see them, which I hope you do, but if you don’t it won’t offend me, head over to my other blog at http://www.autopinionsbyvolk.wordpress.com.

Wings and Wheels 2010

volkjosh — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 14:49:04 +0000

Wings and Wheels, the annual event in Osceola, Wisconsin, drew a diverse crowd – as it normally does – and these are just some of the many cars that were there this past Saturday.

Wings and Wheels - Dragster Datsun

Wings and Wheels MR2

Wings and Wheels Whiskey Plates Porsche

Wings and Wheels BMW 3.0 CSL

Wings and Wheels R32 Wagon

Wings and Wheels Ferrari 355

Wings and Wheels 355

Wings and Wheels Tractor Bike

How can you misspell "go"?

BMW

BMW M3

Impreza STi

Ford GT

Ferrari

Dodge Viper

NSX

Lotus

Just dumb. Don't be this person

Audi R8

Mustang GT500

Mustang GT500 - Handicapper with a standard shift? Something's fishy

Plymouth Superbird

BMW

Subaru engine

Shelby Turbo

Wings and Wheels

Subaru Truck

Subaru Sambar

Citroen DS Gang

Cobra

This year was the first time that I took a look at the planes as well, so here those are. I’m not a huge plane buff, but they are interesting to look at up close.

Wings and Wheels

Wings & Wheels - A superb family days entertainment

deachy — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:14:00 +0000

Wings & Wheels - Not just an Airshow - Image with thanks Tony Hart Photography

As its name suggests Wings & Wheels is not just an airshow. It’s a motor show too.

Held over two days the show is jam packed from start to finish with a visual feast of aircraft, cars and motorcycles.

The location of the event has a long and distinguished aviation history and the organisers do their best to honour this past by featuring aircraft that have been developed at the airfield. Until the 1990′s the work carried out at Dunsfold Aerodrome was highly classified and cloaked in secrecy.

The Harrier, developed and tested at Dunsfold Park - Image with thanks Tony Hart Photography

Some of the best of British have been developed and tested at Dunsfold thanks to the Hawker Aircraft Company (today BAE Systems). To name but a small few of the most successful aircraft to come out of Dunsfold are the Hawk (The aircraft of choice of the Red Arrows) and the Harrier famous for its vertical/Short take off and landing capability.

The motor part of the show is organised by Brooklands Museum and the number of cars on display was simply staggering. From vintage and classic cars to modern speed machines to cult production cars.

This Napier Railton was one of the highlights of the motor display at Wings & Wheels thanks to Brooklands Museum - Image with thanks Tony Hart Photography

There were a number of superb cars and motorbikes tearing up and down the runway in between the air display, some at astonishing speeds. In fact I am sure I heard the commentator announce over the PA that some were going over 150 mph. Some very rare and unique vehicles made an appearance. Most notably the Aero-engined Cars. These are cars with aeroplane engines in them. Probably the most famous of these and described in the show souvenir program as a “monster” is the Napier-Railton Special of 1933 from the Brooklands Museum.

At one end of the airfield there was a huge static display of vintage military vehicles (mostly British and American). While at the other end there were a collection of cars and motorbikes from local car clubs. They were all lined up by model. There were Rolls Royce’s, Evo’s, Skyline’s, Mini’s and even Ford Granada’s. Just about every kind of collectible and cult vehicle imaginable. The care and love given to these cars by their proud owners blatantly apparent.

I loved the fact that visitors to the show could get up close to some of the air display aircraft. Not something you can do at most air shows.

Many of the pilots such as the red arrows were mingling with the crowds to the utter delight of many of the younger visitors to the show.

Red Arrows Lands End To John O'Groats

I got talking to the “Blue’s” the red arrows support team of engineers, all serving members of the RAF and who from time to time get to go up with the reds in transit to and from airshows. They were manning a stand to promote a charity bike ride from Lands End to John O’Groats with a difference. The whole route will be on a slightly different steed to their Hawk Aircraft that could make the whole journey in just ten minuets. Complete with their red flying suites the whole team along with four pilots from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, will traverse the route on Red Vespa scooters. Not as challenging as Sam Patterson’s recent intrepid trip on a more traditional and manually powered bicycle, I grant you, but still very quirky and will no doubt raise a small fortune for the Red’s chosen charities RAFBF, Help4Heroes, Whizz-Kidz, fly2help and the Royal Air Forces Association. You can make a £2 donation by texting SCOOTER to 70099. To find out more go to http://www.raf.mod.uk/reds

On the subject of charity’s, what makes Wing’s & Wheels just that little bit more special than the vast majority of other airshows and in my opinion gave it an edge over the rest is the fact that a huge chunk of the proceeds will be donated to some very worthy charities. In fact last year over £19000 was presented to The Surrey Air Ambulance, Brooklands Museum, Help For Heroes and the Cranleigh Hospital Trust. It is hoped at least the same amount will be distributed between these charities again. So big respect to the organisers of Wings & Wheels.

The Red Bull Matadors - Image with thanks Tony Hart Photography

The air display was superb with a tribute to some of the aircraft developed at Dunsfold such as the Hawk, Harrier and Sea Hawk. Other airshow favourites included XH558 Vulcan Bomber, RAF Typhoon and a welcome return to the airshow circuit the Harrier plus lots more. The show marked a special anniversary. It is 50 years since the first vertical flight of a fixed wing aircraft so the Harrier’s appearance was very fitting. There were some unbelievable air displays by the Red Bull Matadors, Gerald Cooper in his CAP232 and Brendon O’Brien’s utterly “bonkers” flying circus. There was a slight delay to the Red Arrows display due to a torrential down pore but they soon took off in formation and the rain did nothing to dampen the enjoyment of the huge crowds who clearly were having a great time.

The Red Arrows get ready to take off at Wings & Wheels - Image with thanks Tony Hart Photography

It was great to see Diane and Rod Carroll in the crowd who won the free tickets in our Wings & Wheels competition. They told me that they really enjoyed the show. I also bumped into dozens of Surrey Heath residents who also commented on what a great show Wings & Wheels was.

Regular readers of this blog may remember my blog series during Farnborough Airshow and the blog entry I did on local wedding photographer Tony Hart. Well Tony agreed to come along to Wings & Wheels and shoot some amazing pictures, some of which have been included in this blog post. Tony Hart is a very gifted photographer and gives some dedicated aviation photographers a run for their money. Where the hell was he when I got married? Tony has posted a Wings & Wheels gallery so make sure you check it out. The images are stunning.

It is difficult to highlight everything that appeared at the show in this blog post, but all in all Wings & Wheels was a fantastic show. I have never been a huge fan of cars but even I enjoyed the motor element to the show. Having been to lots of airshows over the years and I can say with a certain amount of authority that Wings & Wheels offers serious competition to the likes of RIAT and Biggin Hill for the overall experience and the organisers ought to be congratulated for a truly awesome day out for the whole family. For first timers to Wings & Wheels, I am certain it will now become an annual event not to be missed.

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Wings & Wheels 2010 Ticket Winners

deachy — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 20:40:54 +0000

Wings & Wheels 2010

The tickets for Wings & Wheels were drawn yesterday and Tim Porter and Diane Carol are the lucky winners. Congratulations to you both.

Ben, Tim and Dan Porter delighted to be going to Wings & Wheels

Wings & Wheels will be paying specvial tribute to the Harrier and celebrating 50 years since the first vertical take-off, which took place at the aerodrome in October 1960.

Having taken a break from the airshow circuit for four years, the Harrier is back and joining the Show on both days.

Jamie McAllister, Event Director, Wings & Wheels commented “We are extremely proud and very excited to welcome the Harrier back which we know is a firm favourite with our Wings & Wheels visitors.

Dunsfold Aerodrome has an illustrious aviation history and for many years was used as a flight test centre for Harriers and Hawks for the worldwide markets. The Hawk aircraft, flown by the Red Arrows, and most of its components are British made, built and, at one time, delivered from Dunsfold Aerodrome.

Attracting phenomenal crowds of over 25,000 in 2009 with some of the finest aircraft and motoring displays in the UK, Wings & Wheels is not just an Airshow, it’s an exciting weekend of family entertainment.

Brendon O’Brien, the show commentator will be doing something very special at the event and a first at Wings & Wheels by attempting to land his aircraft onto the back of a moving vehicle.

Brendon O'Brien - Will he do it?

Tickets are still on sale for the advanced rate of £16 until 5pm on Saturday 28th and can be purchased from Dunsfold Park Estate Office, Guildford Tourist Office, Horsham Tourist Office, Cranleigh Village Hospital Trust and Brooklands Museum.

The Red Arrows will be headlining this year’s airshow and performing on both days, Sunday 29th and Monday 30th August. Also confirmed in the spectacular 4 hour flying displays are the RAF Typhoon, RAF Hawk (Solo Hawk Jet), RAF Tutor (Solo Training Aircraft), Lynx Helicopter, Blades Aerobatic Display Team, Breitling Wingwalkers, Hawker Hunter (Jet), Hawker Hurricane (WW2), Red Bull Matadors, Aerobatic Glider Display, Tigers Parachute Team and Vulcan Bomber.

The ‘Wheels’ of the show is masterminded by Brooklands Museum who have lined-up an assortment of motoring icons, including Aston Martins, Ferraris, Jaguars, AC Cobras, Lotuses, Porsches, TVRs and the McLaren Mercedes SLR, to entertain the crowds as they demonstrate their speed and power up and down the runway made famous by BBC’s Top Gear.

The two day show is being held over the August Bank Holiday, Sunday 29th and Monday 30th August, at Dunsfold Park near Guildford, Surrey and is open to spectators from 9.00 to 18.00.

Tickets prices remain the same as 2009 and start from: £16 for adults, £5 for under 15’s and £36 for a family. Hospitality packages start at £120 per person. For more information or to book a ticket visit http://www.wingsandwheels.net.

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Twitter - Whats all the noise about?

deachy — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 15:53:41 +0000

Twitter is an incredibly powerful tool if used properly

Twitter is fast becoming the preferred mode of getting information out quickly.

In fact subversive echlons of governments at home and abroad have used it to great effect with propaganda wars. Students in Iran who were uprising against the current government used twitter to organise demonstrations and seemed one step ahead of the authorities who failed in their attempts to block tweets by switching off the mobile phone networks and the internet. Proxy servers where quickly established to circumvent these minor and temporary inconveniences, some claim with the help of the British and American security services.

Twitter is an incredibly powerful tool but some first time users do find it difficult to get to grips with and give up on it. Actually this is exactly what happened to me when I first discovered it but I then found out more and managed to get to grips with it very quickly.

I think where people struggle with twitter is not its complexity but its simplicity. Perhaps people confuse it with Facebook. Its much more simple to use than facebook and I think the best way to describe twitter is the internets version of SMS text messages.

Also just because you have a twitter account does not necessarily mean you have to tweet from that account. I know a lot of people who just use it to follow various people or organisations that they are interested in. For example, if you want to be the first to get breaking news, many journalists have twitter accounts and will tweet about emerging stories that they are working on, sometimes hours before they break. I love Tim Marshall‘s ( Foreign Affairs Editor for Sky News) Twitter for this very reason. Twitter also has a very powerful search tool. So powerful in fact the major search engines such as google, yahoo and bing are tripping over themselves to try and buy the twitter search algorithms.

The Surrey Heath Fires, Camberley Mosque debates and Cedar Lane Car Park have all been local trending topics and some residents and local media outlets have followed my twitter to get the most up to date information. Tony Hart sums up twitter beautifully. “Its great for following really fast changing information”.

Mobile phones are fast becoming the most popular way to surf the internet with Blackberry’s and Iphones developing really neat applications to allow you to use social media such as twitter and facebook on the move. This means more and more people are catching on to the idea of twitter.

Some local charities are starting to use twitter to superb effect. The Phyills Tuckwell Hospice and Surrey/Sussex Air Ambulance have both embraced twitter and are prolific tweeters that I follow avidly. The Organisers of Wings and Wheels are using Twitter to great effect too.

Quite a few people have said to me recently that they have struggled to get to grips with Twitter and as I have said I did too. Here is a superb guide to twitter which I recommend to anyone thinking of giving it a go. You will be up and running with it in no time at all – Mastering Twitter in 10 minutes.

And if you do decide to give twitter a go then don’t forget to follow me at http://twitter.com/DeepcutVillage

Wings & Wheels this Bank Holiday Weekend

deachy — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 14:00:51 +0000

Harrier Test Pilot Duncan Simpson with 2010 Harrier Display Pilot at Wings and Wheels - Image with thanks - Tony Hart Photography

On Wednesday I was invited to the launch of Wings and Wheels, which coincided with a special British anniversary. It is 50 years since the first vertical take off which took place at Dunsfold Aerodrome in 1960. Wings and Wheels marked the event by inviting 82 year old Duncan Simpson who was one of the original test pilots and flew the first production Harrier at Dunsfold Park. I stood next to Duncan while RAF Harrier Display Pilot Flt Lt Steve Kenworthy landed a Harrier at Dunsfold Park. I asked Duncan how he felt to see the Harrier again, to which he said “It certainly brings back some memories”.

Due to its growing success over the last five years Wings & Wheels will now take place over two consecutive days, Sunday 29^th and Monday 30^th August.

Founded to celebrate the long history of British aviation and motoring, the airshow is also staged to raise much-needed funds for deserving local charities. In 2009 some £80,000 was distributed to nominated charities and this year we are hoping to raise even more.

Those benefiting from this year’s show include the Brooklands Museum, Cranleigh Village Hospital Trust, Help for Heroes and Surrey & Sussex Air Ambulance.

All eyes will be lifted towards the skies to see the amazing 4 hour flying display before returning to the ground for an exceptional 1 ½ hour motoring demonstration. The show promises a host of activities and entertainments throughout the day guaranteed to appeal to everyone in the family!

At the launch event I was treated to a helicopter ride around the airfield by pilot Larry Major that gave a very cool (Display Pilot) view of the aerodrome.

A display pilots view of Wings and Wheels. Helicopter ride for Wings and Wheels launch - Image with thanks - Tony Hart Photography

Dunsfold Park is the home of BBC’s Top Gear program and I was also given the opportunity to be driven around the top gear track at frightening speeds in some of the high performance cars that will be on display at the show.

We were also given a “bonkers” Aerobatic display by the Wings and Wheels show commentator Brendon O’Brian. I did not realise at first who Brendon was but when he took off his flying helmet I instantly recognised him as the front man of the Discovery Channel TV show Flight Line. His display was incredible. It really looked as though he was loosing control of the aircraft and it was about to crash but at the last minuet he would recover and go into another “bonkers” manoeuvre.

Brendon O'Brien the Wings and Wheels Show Commentator - Image with thanks - Tony Hart Photography

Wings and Wheels promises to be an incredible show and a family day out not to be missed. There are going to be some show stopping displays from the Red Arrows, The Harrier GR9, and Euro Fighter Typhoon to name but a small few.

The organisors of Wings and Wheels have given me some tickets to give away to our web site visitors. I have 2 tickets for Sunday 29th and 2 tickets for Monday 30th. All adult tickets. On my weekly email news letter I will be sending out details of the competition to win the tickets so make sure if you are not already subscribed to the email list, then do so free here.

Check out more images from the Wings and Wheels event launch at our flickr feed. All images with thanks – Tony Hart Photography.

Tickets are available from the Dunsfold Park Estate Office, near Guildford or online at www.wingsandwheels.net at the special advance booking price of £16 for adults or £36 for a family. Tickets on the day will cost £20 for adults and £45 for a family. Single child tickets (for children aged 5 – 15) will be £5 either in advance or on the day. Children under 5 go free.

[7th SSUE] Part 1: And off we head for China...

-irwintan — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 15:08:45 +0000

Finally, I got myself to start blogging on the China trip rather than procrastinating every single day. And since it’s going to be picture intensive, I’ve decided to do up more of a photo story than a lengthy and wordy ‘essay’ that only scholars and bookworms will read.

The trip will be divided into a few posts, so bear with me as I churn them out by the day! :D

MEANWHILE…

From left: Shi Shi, Xin Ying, Shaoning and Joyce

So on the morning of 12th May, the 13 of us from NTU met our coordinator Joan at Changi T3. The fact that it was 6.30am in the morning was not a comforting one, with most of us only catching a few hours of rest the night before. Nevertheless, check in we did, and we met up with our NUS and SMU counterparts.

Well, unfortunately, while I was saying my goodbyes to my parents and girlfriend (AND TERENCE! Thanks for making your way specially down! :D ), most of my dearest friends disappeared into the transit lounge ahead of us, leaving Ming Da and myself stranded outside. -.- Nice one…

Not having anyone by our sides, we slowly took a stroll into the in-flight terminal. Changi was undoubtedly busy for a weekday morning, but the crowd surprised me as it was only 8 in the morning and there were QUEUES in the duty free shops! What the…

We reached our boarding gate (Gate A12) – catching a glimpse of our plane! And yes, JOAN was late despite the numerous warning she herself issued about ‘HER TIME’ and ‘OUR TIME’. :)

NTU contingent at the boarding gate!

It wasn’t much of a surprise that our plane allocated turned out to be a 777-300ER (9V-SWM), but what surprised me was this…

A NEW UPGRADED 777-300ER! Complete with a ‘revised’ version of KrisWorld (with a much larger screen of course), a dedicated cup holder, A COAT HANGER (see that little knob to the left of the screen?), control stowing compartment, and personalized AV/USB/Ethernet ports! I must say we were lucky to get the SW series of the 300ERs, for sadly, the SY series we flew back on was still on the old face-version (with the blue seats, small KrisWorld, and an entertainment system that takes a hundred years to boot up!)

New interface of KrisWorld
1. Entertainment/Just for Kids: includes movies, games, documentaries…etc
2. Travel: includes description of destination, flight map…etc
3. Learning: I have no freaking idea what is this. What can you possibly learn on board an aircraft!?
4. PC: This is awesome. You can plug in your PC (via the Ethernet port and you can work on-screen!)

Nothing is ever perfect. An aircraft of such perfection and upgraded seats and interiors cannot be 100% luxurious and complete. I found two flaws with the aircraft – here’s one of them:

MOVIES: WHAT KIND OF MOVIE ARE THEY SCREENING ON BOARD? I swear it’s gonna be the most boring collection of movies I’ve ever watched in my life. And what happened to the practice of screening pre-released movies on SQ flights? Shutter Island has been out for ages… sigh… This is just the Movies section… let’s not go to the Documentary section.

And here’s Flaw Number 2:

They called it Braised Fish (with something else that I can’t remember). I call it mashed up fish with terrible sauce.

Seriously, this has got to be the worst meal I’ve ever eaten on board an SQ flight. OK I know I should not be complaining about these trivial matters on board an aircraft especially when the trip has been heavily subsidized, but this is Singapore Airlines we’re talking about. What happened to the Star Alliance reputation? What happened to the ‘Sir/Madam’ for every passenger rule? Sigh… times change I suppose. Perhaps they’re cutting budget on service staff training programs.

Nevertheless, we reached Beijing International Airport (PEK) despite a 45 degrees crosswind landing (I must salute the pilots here!). Once again, SQ gets you safe and sound to your destination (ok this is exactly contradicting from my previous paragraph). And after FORTY (40) minutes of bumpy taxiing, our plane finally parked at one of the parking gates. Yes, that’s how HUGE and GINORMOUS their airport is.

PEK is so huge we had to take a special train to ANOTHER terminal to collect our baggage!

“I can lift your bag with one hand!”

And so, after a slight delay coupled with Starbucks coffee run, we boarded our buses and headed on a 3 hour journey to Tianjin. I’m still wondering why they refused to transit us on another flight to Tianjin (since SQ does not serve Tianjin International) instead of a 3 hour bus ride.

Arrived in Tianjin and I managed to capture this shot of the river and Tianjin Eye in the background. *More updates on the Tianjin Eye coming soon!

Checked into South China Harbour Horizon Hotel and had our dinner there. Not a bad hotel I must say… let the pictures do the talking themselves!

TWO queen sized beds in the hotel room!

Overview of the room (less bathroom) with the working table at the far right corner.

Alright, enough for the first day… Up next: Exploring Tianjin!

*omg it’s 11pm. Gotta crash soon! Ciao!

It's so hard to find a job...

-irwintan — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 10:51:13 +0000

Especially when you have an extremely weird schedule like mine…

June 2010: I’m supposed to re-paint my two rooms and make it look sparkling clean and new. Considering the amount of dust and junk that has been accumulating since before the China trip, I guess it’s time to give it a new coat of paint and a new look. I should stop sleeping on the floor too, although it IS really comfortable. Sigh. That will take up probably the entire month here, considering that it’s already mid-June or CLOSE to mid-June now.

July 2010: Here’s my only free month. :(

August 2010: Preparations for NDP would have started since July, though not affecting my weekdays and Sundays. August would be hectic, especially since we’re gearing up for Singapore’s 45th birthday bash on 9th August (a big-one expected since it’s a Padang year!) and immediately after that, YOG 2010 kicks into action from the 14th to 26th August.

And immediately after that, school starts :(

So, there’s my predicament now. Who would want to employ me for just one month!?

Bores me out staying at home staring at my computer. I’ve been procrastinating too much about painting my rooms and tidying up the place! Need to get to work soon! Sigh.

I need a job (a one-month job if possible :P )…

*edit*: Just heard from Phile that Top Gear‘s new season will be released in late June! A check on Wikipedia reveals the truth:

“As of May 2010, series 15 is currently in production. The first episode of the series will air 27 June on BBC2.”

Hooray! Entertainment once more! And in the words of Jeremy Clarkson,

POWERRRRRRRRRR!!!

Tangled Up in Blue... Corsair Workday May 23, 2010

Drew — Mon, 24 May 2010 05:10:40 +0000

Just a quick update. The Corsair has been packaged up for transport to the Corsairs Over Connecticut Airshow on Memorial Day Weekend. The crew made a quick matter of the whole deal and had the wingless, tailless bird out of the shop and in a plain blue wrapper in under 2 hours, now a record time for getting her moved. Big plans await the project after the show, including a quick revamp of the work area, adding some better routed air lines and making things a little safer. The major work planned will include removing the rear section and breaking the aft cockpit joint. We hope to see you at the airshow at Sikorsky Memorial Airport!

Wings and Wheels - Corsairs over CT Memorial Day Weekend - May 29-30 2010

Drew — Sat, 22 May 2010 04:43:20 +0000

FG-1 CORSAIR/Bu. 67089 SKY BOSS stops by Sikorsky Memorial Airport

While we were finishing up at the shop Thursday we were surprised to hear a Corsair was coming into Sikorsky Memorial Airport.

Sky Boss is a FG1-D based at the American Airpower Museum in Farmingdale, NY. She made a fly in for the PR junket for the Wings & Wheels: Corsairs Over Connecticut show Memorial Day Weekend.

Check our http://www.wingsandwheelsct.org/ for more information!

Wings and Wheels

vroom vroom...

-irwintan — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 13:30:34 +0000

How many times have you looked back and thought about those happy times during your childhood playing your favourite toys or just spamming around doing nothing?

Fortunately, I got that chance not too long ago. Well, for those who don’t know, I acquired a Nissan GTR recently. No, not the real 1:1 GTR that produces 550bhp, but rather, a 1:14 scale remote controlled GTR by RASTAR. It comes with a handy remote with an attached wheel for steering directions, and I must say their replication and attention to detail of the car is remarkable. Windshield wipers, GTR badges on the side vents, interior dashboard and cabin configurations… all to the max!

What’s more enticing, it comes at a reasonable price of only S$39.90!

This sounds more of an advertorial for the toy, but imagine the fun you would have, racing it around and performing stunts. Stunts which most of us will never dare to attempt in real life, and stunts which will perhaps leave damage marks on your chassis of the vehicle. :P

Meanwhile, here’s a snapshot of the front view together with Terence and Phile’s cars!

L-R: Terence’s Honda, Philemon’s Ferrari FXX, my GTR

For those whose fingers are already itching and reaching out into your wallets, hold it! Before I sound like I’m promoting this for RASTAR, here’s 5 reasons on why you SHOULD and SHOULD NOT buy it :)

5 Reasons to buy it:

Ever felt like attempting a handbrake or J-turn but never had the guts to do it? Here’s your chance! (You can’t be in it though, sadly)
Capable of drifts (only when your tires are worn out or you smear powder over it. Alternatively, you can learn from me and attempt countless wheel spins take-off!)
I still find it amazing that it has INDEPENDENT SUSPENSION STRUTS in the front! This means going over an obstacle (low enough to clear the ground clearance of course) and not damaging the car cos the struts will absorb the impact! How awesome is that!
Front and rear lights (pity it ain’t HID)
At 1:14, it is incredibly scaled and replicated to the most minute details, including disc brakes and sat-nav screen in the dashboard! What more can you ask for for 39.90??

5 Reasons NOT to buy it:

Now, here comes the spoilers just in case you’re all set on buying it but still cannot decide if it’s worth it…

It only operates on one frequency (i.e. 27.145Mhz). Like, seriously, how stupid can they get? Did they restrict the frequency just to prevent us from reliving our childhoods again? With only one frequency, you can expect to see a bunch of cars go haywire if all of them are on the same channel!
Being only a model RC car, it holds the same reputation as the real life Japanese cars – they can’t withstand collisions. I have countless scratches on the body of my GTR when it’s barely two weeks old, a premonition similar to the ones you will find in the news reporting that a Honda split into two when involved in an accident. Japanese cars….eeks
It eats a hell lot of electricity. And I mean a LOT. The chassis itself takes 5 AA batteries and the controller, an additional 9-volt charge. Good thing if you have plenty of rechargeable batteries to spare, or if you are hardworking to head down to IKEA or the 1.99 shop to grab some. Bad if you are one of those environmentally friendly guys who refuse to spam batteries like nobody’s business. FYI: My 5 AA batteries lasted me 4 days…. 4 very-intensive-and-fierce days of rolling about.
While we’re on the topic of batteries, the GTR allows you to monitor when it’s going dead. On a low battery level, instead of flashing a light telling you ‘Oi! Please change my batts!’, it crawls. And I swear, it’s slower than an ant. Turning radius will decrease to 0, and you’ll literally get a car heading straight making a beeline for anything in its way despite you yanking the steering wheel.
There are much better competitors! If you’re one that is looking for possibilities to race with others, you might want to consider other RC car brands such as Silverlit (featuring a 1:18 scale if I’m not wrong, tri-band remote technology and variable speed and directional control). Ask Philemon for more details. He recently got one! :D

I’ve a video showcasing the cars racing in a mock ‘drag race’ but apparently wordpress refuses to upload it for me. Next time then…

Grab yours now at any Carrefour, Toys ‘r’ Us or major departmental stores NOW! :D

The incompetency of some drivers...

-irwintan — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 06:42:46 +0000

I’m drifting off to wonderland in the midst of COM 223 – Publication Design. It’s a whole chunk of technical information on Photoshop of which I have already learnt, and the humorous jokes from the lecturers ain’t helping much. I’m feeding on Fisherman’s Friend in a desperate bid to stay awake, but apparently it’s not working either. ARGH.

That aside, I must say most drivers on the roads, especially in Singapore, need to be taught a lesson on how to drive safely and not cause any hazard or accidents. From road hogging (which we always see on the roads without fail), to drifting in and out of lanes unintentionally without the signal indicators on, these actions may be oblivious to the driver but he or she always fail to realize the danger they pose to other road users.

This post was triggered by an unfortunate incident this afternoon as I was heading to NTU from KK Hospital. So luckily for me, a black Audi A4 1.8T decided to be funny and drift into my lane after the traffic light outside Velocity Shopping Centre. He veered toward me at a distance close enough to take out my entire front bumper should I be 5 km/h faster. Undoubtedly, he got a long horn from me and a continuous high beam. What made things worse was, he horned back at me until he turned off a few hundred metres away!

DUDE! Where’s your f*cking brain? You horned at a person when you’re the one in the wrong??

I regret not taking down his number to slam here, but he better pray to all 8 religions that he don’t meet me on the roads again. Cutting into another lane without indication causing an accident / nearly causing an accident is tantamount to a traffic offence under the Road Safety Act from the Traffic Police. These buggers better learn their lesson before I get them arrested on the roads.

They say driving in Singapore is stressful – but I reckon it IS stressful not because of the number of cars on the roads, but rather the nonsense that most drivers on the roads are doing. It’s a wonder how they passed their driving tests.

Totally pissed off…

"The CONCORSO: Celebrating the Art of The Automobile": Mark Your Calendars and Make Your Hotel Reservations NOW to Visit Baltimore September 6-7, 2008

lamborghinibaltimore — Wed, 28 May 2008 18:13:31 +0000

Friends and families of Maserati of Baltimore, M.O.B. Exotics, Lamborghini Baltimore, Maserati of Washington, Ferrari of Washington, and Lamborghini Washington take note! There is a wonderful opportunity coming up this fall to play in traffic with your exotic cars, have a great time, and to raise some money for a very worthy cause–benefiting our soldiers and heroes of the United States Armed Forces through the charitable efforts of the USO.

Saturday September 6th launching from the Maserati of Baltimore location at 1628 York Road in “Lutherville Timonium” [according to most Nav and GPS devices], we’ll be hosting a ROAD RALLY touring the northern Maryland regions and finishing with a touch of magic from Baltimore’s LITTLE ITALY. The exact course is being determined now, but drivers and co-pilots can expect to visit Maryland’s soaring heights and lush county grounds while they wind their way about the lakes and mountains, followed by a brief tour through downtown. Offering a fun rally style for everyone, at the end of the day we’ll be rewarding our most attentive teams with some terrific gift baskets and M.O.B. Exotics Race Fan Boutique prizes and certificates.

On that same day, later that evening Saturday, September 6, speed and travel fans can head over to the Baltimore Washington Airport area to visit the next leg of the weekend events. Aptly titled, “Wings and Wheels”, participants will get an up close and personal look at all kinds of exotic cars, planes, military vehicles, and private jets. With great assistance from BWI and Signature Flight Support, crowds are sure to be “wowed”.

On Sunday, September 7, 2008, we’ll be following through again with a huge CONCORSO event hosted at the POWERPLANT LIVE, making Baltimore’s Inner Harbor an even better looking and sounding venue for car lovers to day or weekend trip for this event. With over 5,000 visitors already expected to attend, you will want to register early to be sure to get your Pit Passes and car placement for this event.

For more information about the events of the day and weekend, please visit the USO CONCORSO link by clicking HERE. We are still actively seeking volunteers and event sponsors to help raise money for the USO, so please… if you are interested in participating let us know. We are also looking for donation items and services for the Silent Auction portion of the event, too, so if you know of a person, business, artist, or restaurant that might want to contribute, we’d love to speak with you. [All donated items, staff time, products or services costs are 100% tax deductible and vouchers will be issued through the USO.]

Read on for more information about the history on the event, excerpted from concorsoforuso.com:

“The Concorso: Celebrating the Art of the Automobile” is proud to announce our fourth annual event and two days of fund raising, parties, music, and food to benefit the USO, supporting our men and women in uniform. The theme this year is Celebrating the Art of the Automobile and will explore the artistic and sculptural forms of the transportation industry. This was formally the Concorso Italia and is still lead by its founders, Jonathan Kendall and Dave Born.

Jonathan Kendall started this event in October of 2005 as a way to raise money to help our community in the Baltimore-Washington area. The first event was attended by about (100) people, (12) cars and a beautiful automotive art display together in Annapolis. 2006 Followed a move to the famous City Dock in Annapolis, (100) people, (25) cars along with Jonathan’s beautiful photographic style of art. In 2007 the event took a huge leap to Little Italy in Baltimore where there were (75) cars and motorcycles, (250) ticket holders, (3000) spectators. For 2008 a plan has been put together to continue to grow the event and to benefit a new worthwhile charity. This year Jonathan and Dave have chosen to work with the USO as the beneficiary.

Saturday, September 6th starts with a fun “Rally” driving event through the Baltimore County, Maryland countryside that ends [winding through] historic Little Italy with an awards ceremony [scheduled for later that afternoon]. Saturday continues with the evening event at the Signature Flight Support “Wings and Wheels” Reception to be held at their modern BWI general aviation facility. Ticket holders will enjoy wonderful assortment of international cuisines, wine and drinks. There will be a silent and live auction to benefit the charities. And the event will feature live entertainment as well as a display of automotive and aircraft art.

Sunday’s event is The Concorso and will be in downtown Baltimore at the Cordish Company’s exciting Power Plant Live located at Market Place and Water Street. Over (100) exotic cars will be on display for the general public to view. There will be a private lounge, Angel’s Rock Bar, where ticket holders will find food and drinks for the afternoon. This will be our formal car judging segment and also include live entertainment, auctions and art displays.

"The CONCORSO: Celebrating the Art of The Automobile": Mark Your Calendars and Make Your Hotel Reservations NOW to Visit Baltimore September 6-7, 2008

Connections Prep — Wed, 28 May 2008 18:13:31 +0000

Friends and families of Maserati of Baltimore, M.O.B. Exotics, Lamborghini Baltimore, Maserati of Wa

"The CONCORSO: Celebrating the Art of The Automobile": Mark Your Calendars and Make Your Hotel Reservations NOW to Visit Baltimore September 6-7, 2008

lamborghinibaltimore — Wed, 28 May 2008 18:13:31 +0000

Read on for more information about the history on the event, excerpted from concorsoforuso.com:

"The CONCORSO: Celebrating the Art of The Automobile": Mark Your Calendars and Make Your Hotel Reservations NOW to Visit Baltimore September 6-7, 2008

Connections Prep — Wed, 28 May 2008 18:13:31 +0000

Saturday September 6th launching from the Maserati of Baltimore location at 1628 York Road in “Lutherville Timonium” [according to most Nav and GPS devices], we’ll be hosting a ROAD RALLY touring the northern Maryland regions and finishing with a touch of magic right back at home from Baltimore’s LITTLE ITALY. The exact course is being determined now, but drivers and co-pilots can expect to visit Maryland’s soaring heights and lush county grounds while they wind their way about the lakes and mountains, returning to the dealership landing spot to have a quick treat from downtown. Offering a fun rally style for everyone, we’ll be rewarding our most attentive teams with some terrific M.O.B. Exotics Race Fan Boutique certificates.

On that same day, later that evening Saturday, September 6, speed and travel fans can head over to the Baltimore Washington Airport Signature Flight Support Terminal area to visit the next leg of the weekend events. Aptly titled, “Wings and Wheels”, participants will get an up close and personal look at all kinds of exotic cars, planes, military vehicles, and private jets. With great assistance from BWI and Signature Flight Support, crowds are sure to be “wowed”. Patrick Moylan, the Signature host, is the gentlemen to meet at this great show!

On Sunday, September 7, 2008, the USO Metro Team will be following through again with a huge CONCORSO event hosted at the POWERPLANT LIVE, making Baltimore’s Inner Harbor an even better looking and sounding venue for car lovers to day or weekend trip for this event. With over 5,000 visitors already expected to attend, you will want to register early to be sure to get your Pit Passes and car placement for this event. As spectators ourselves for this event, we are anxious to see all the cars they have lined up to bring in from car clubs all over the Mid-Atlantic region. We are sure this will be a spectacular “brighter than fireworks” Baltimore event!

For more information about the events of the day and weekend, please visit the USO CONCORSO link by clicking HERE. They are still actively seeking volunteers and event sponsors to help raise money for the USO, so please… if you are interested in participating let them know. As a favor to the event, our staff are also looking for donation items and services for the Silent Auction portion of the event, too. If you know of a person, business, artist, or restaurant that might want to contribute, we’d love to speak with you. [All donated items, staff time, products or services costs are 100% tax deductible and vouchers will be issued through the USO Metro.]

Read on for more information about the history on the event, excerpted from concorsoforuso.com:

Jonathan Kendall started [helping organize car show events] in October of 2005 as a way to raise money to help our community in the Baltimore-Washington area. The first event was attended by about (100) people, (12) cars and a beautiful automotive art display together in Annapolis. 2006 Followed a move to the famous City Dock in Annapolis, (100) people, (25) cars along with Jonathan’s beautiful photographic style of art. In 2007 the event took a huge leap to Little Italy in Baltimore where there were (75) cars and motorcycles, (250) ticket holders, (3000) spectators. This year Jonathan [and partner Dave Born] have chosen to work with the USO as the beneficiary.

Saturday, September 6th starts with a fun “Rally” driving event through the Baltimore County, Maryland countryside… [from Maserati of Baltimore].

Saturday continues with the evening event at the Signature Flight Support “Wings and Wheels” Reception to be held at their modern BWI general aviation facility. Ticket holders will enjoy wonderful assortment of international cuisines, wine and drinks. There will be a silent and live auction to benefit the charities. And the event will feature live entertainment as well as a display of automotive and aircraft art.

"The CONCORSO: Celebrating the Art of The Automobile": Mark Your Calendars and Make Your Hotel Reservations NOW to Visit Baltimore September 6-7, 2008

lamborghinibaltimore — Wed, 28 May 2008 18:13:31 +0000

Saturday September 6th launching from the Maserati of Baltimore location at 1628 York Road in “Lutherville Timonium” [according to most Nav and GPS devices], we’ll be hosting a ROAD RALLY touring the northern Maryland regions and finishing with a touch of magic right back at home from Baltimore’s LITTLE ITALY. The exact course is being determined now, but drivers and co-pilots can expect to visit Maryland’s soaring heights and lush county grounds while they wind their way about the lakes and mountains, returning to the dealership landing spot to have a quick treat from downtown. Offering a fun rally style for everyone, we’ll be rewarding our most attentive teams with some terrific M.O.B. Exotics Race Fan Boutique certificates.

Read on for more information about the history on the event, excerpted from concorsoforuso.com:

Saturday, September 6th starts with a fun “Rally” driving event through the Baltimore County, Maryland countryside… [from Maserati of Baltimore].