UPDATE: Let me be clear about what I'm saying here. VW could have done what Lotus did with the Elise:


...And made it so there's no secret about where the sensitivity of the gauge changes. On the Elise tach, it's immediately obvious that they're using two different scales; the tick mark density changes, the labels are much closer together, and so on.

VW isn't doing that. They're keeping exactly the same tick marks and labeling, but silently switching scale on you, so unless you're really alert, you won't realize there's any difference between the one region and the other. A lab instrument designed like this would be used primarily for pranks.

And note that Lotus apparently isn't doing the variable-sensitivity tach thing anymore anyway:

( 7 comments )

Are you in the market for a new car? Might I suggest the all new 2011 Audi A8 full-size sedan, that will come loaded, and I mean absolutely loaded, with tech toys (I’m sure thats what Audi calls them) for the German automotive connoisseur. These tech features include, a Google Earth navigation system, a 19-speaker sound system, and an internet connection and WiFi network. That’s right, your car can be connected to the internet.

The internet connection is provided to the car via a UMTS (3G) connection, and the car then spits that out via a WiFi network, perfect for browsing your laptop while going 65 mph down the highway (also, ideally, perfect for browsing the web while a pal drives). The WiFi network’s usefulness doesn’t stop there, as you can use it to wirelessly stream music from your MP3 player to the car’s speakers. No contracts are required for the 3G connection (probably built into the car’s price, similar to the Amazon Kindle and other things of that nature). The car’s navigation system streams satellite pictures from Google Earth, giving you a (theoretical) preview of your surroundings, instead of the bland roads and streets that most GPS systems give you.

UPDATE: And speaking of the S5 and R8... oh God.

( 1 comment )

Pee-wee was shelved after Reubens' July 1991 arrest for indecent exposure in an adult-movie house in Sarasota, Fla., resulting in a small fine. Reubens, now 57, continued to act, playing characters other than Pee-wee, scoring successes as the Penguin's father in "Batman Returns" (1992) and a 1995 Emmy nomination for a recurring guest role on "Murphy Brown." But Pee-wee would ultimately rise again.

"Well, I went back and forth between wanting to do it and not wanting to do (the new stage show)," Reubens said. "I had a producer that was calling me every two months for two years. And every two months, I would change my mind. And then, finally, one day I woke up and decided, 'This is it, I'm coming back.'"

As with the original stage show, the new production spins around Pee-wee's desire to fly. The menagerie of "Playhouse" characters is back, as are some of the original cast members, including Lynne Stewart as Miss Yvonne, John Moody as Mailman Mike and John Paragon as Jambi the Genie.

( 6 comments )