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Backseat Driver: A Blogger's Apologia

A few weeks ago, my employer, projoCARS.com. which is the auto Web site of The Providence Journal, decided to run my ugly mug on the cover of the projoCARS section. This is apparently an inducement to get people to read my blogs, which are a combination of articles I have found while trolling at various Web sites and which I think are interesting and small comments - like this one - under the cover of Backseat Driver.
This move put the onus on me to ratchet up my blog. I had started writing it about a month ago and at first it was pretty much of an afterthought. I started devoting more time to it, and hopefully more people have started to read it.
But sometimes I feel I let my readers down. This past week, for example, I have been filling in for my editor and so have been preoccupied in putting the projoCARS section out - leaving little time to devote to my blog. Other times, I am out reporting all morning and so get to the blog late.
So this explains why my blog varies in range and depth. Don't expect that to change - it's the nature of the beast, given that I wear a number of hats around here.
And I have another confession to make. I am a nitwit because I have only just discovered how to read your comments and how to respond to them. I am now going through them and answering each one. It will take a bit of time and I will certainly respond to any new ones when they come in.
In the meantime, keep blogging me, even if you want to be rude! It's all part of the dialogue.
Cheers

Posted by   at 11:55 AM to projocars | Permalink | Comments 0

And Gas Saver Makes Three Cars in the Driveway

With gas prices well over $3 a gallon nationwide, many drivers are lining up to buy small cars, but hundreds of thousands of consumers aren’t giving up anything to downsize, according to The New York Times. Instead, they are simply adding pint-size transportation to their driveways, parked alongside their S.U.V. or pickup.

Posted by   at 11:02 AM to Fuel economy , Gas prices , Sales | Permalink | Comments 0

Do trees make it OK to drive an SUV?

If you plant some trees, is it OK to drive an Escalade?
The question isn't as silly as it sounds, according to USA Today. People worried about global warming increasingly are trying to "offset" the carbon dioxide — the leading greenhouse gas — they spew into the atmosphere when they drive, fly or flick on a light. One idea popular with the eco-conscious is to have trees planted for them. You get to keep driving and flying, but those trees are supposed to suck in your trail of carbon.

Posted by   at 10:53 AM to Environment | Permalink | Comments 0

Toyota fixing engine failures in new Tundra truck

Toyota said earlier this week that it has found in a handful of its much-hyped new Tundra pickups a defect that caused the engines to fail, according to USA Today.
Toyota has reports of camshafts breaking in the 5.7-liter V-8 engines of about 20 Tundras so far. The flaw was due to a manufacturing defect by a subcontractor. All of the engines are being replaced.

Posted by   at 10:51 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

Costly convertibles aren't always safest

Test scores released today by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found several affordable convertibles that offer better crash protection than their more expensive competitors, USA Today reports.
Conducting tests on 10 new midsize convertibles for the first time, the institute gave its top scores to two expensive convertibles — the 2007 Saab 9-3 and 2007 Volvo C70. Both vehicles, which start at nearly $40,000, received the highest scores on front, side-impact and rear crash protection tests.

Posted by   at 10:48 AM to Safety | Permalink | Comments 0