Slow Rainy End

Well the Christmas Blizzard of 2009 made it's mark in more than one place. From North Dakota all the way over to Wisconsin and down to Texas this storm made it's mark. Over in the Stillwater, MN the storm started out with over 6 inches of snow then it turned over to rain, which melted and now is freezing. Looking for more information on the weather side check out weather.gov

So it begins

I have a web cam capturing video but my current router I'm using will not allow me to stream it so I'll be posting videos on youtube of the storm as it progresses.

-DK

Christmas Storm

Christmas is just around the corner and in the upper Midwest threat of a winter storm is just on the horizon. There are a few ways to follow this storm.


http://www.crh.noaa.gov/news/display_cmsstory.php?wfo=mpx&storyid=44963&source=0

http://mesowest.utah.edu/index.html

and Clarus

I'll have some pictures and video of the storm if it does materialize as forecasted.

Australian Transportation Accident Commission 20 years of Commercials Montage

If a group wanted to drive home the point for Drunk Driving, the Australian Transportation Accident Commission hits a critical nerve with their commercials. They drive home the point very well by incorporating different consequences a driver can experience if they choose to drive drunk. This is NOT for the faint of heart. About half way through it gets very graphic, and it's a eye opener. Please don't Drink and Drive!

-DK

Car Tech

A few days ago I had posed the question what kind of technology people like to see in a automobile. That was somewhat of a bias question posed to people already driving, but it's still fair game. So what kinds of car tech usually like to see. After living w/ out ABS and traction control those even though not necessary are nice to have even though I do usually turn off traction control. I have been becoming a bigger fan of stability control over time but it's one of those technologies I can live without. Cruise control also makes it high on my list since I usually am traveling over 300+ miles when I do make a trip back to visit my family. Looking more in the cabin, A2DP compatible stereos along with automatic climate control are up there. Well from a 1-10 list see below.

1. ABS
2. Traction Control
3. Cruise Control
4. Duel Clutch Transmissions
5. Outside Temperature
6. A2DP stereo
7. Automatic Climate Control
8. Rear back up camera
9. Fuel Economy read out Average and Instant
10. Heated Side Mirrors

It's not really a glamorous list like it could extend to with some more modern technology, but it's a few items I do like to see in a car.

-DK

What is "The Long Winding Road"?

For anyone who really ends up falling upon this site you probably are wondering, “What’s the point.” There are thousands of car blogs on the internet, some better than others and some update far more frequently than others do. So what's the point of this blog? The Long Winding Road is a really best described as an insight into how weather affects one of the increasing forms of transportation in the world. The automobile and the roadways they populate. This will also blend technology found in classics, modern, and future cars by discussing the advantages of some technologies along with their sometimes-cloudy disadvantages. At times, I'll add my insight in from personal experiences and I might diverge into different topics. Take it for what it's worth; you might learn something you never knew. My Pen Name is DK and I want to welcome you to The Long Winding Road.

-DK

What tech do you want in a car?

Like it or not automobiles are starting to become more and more en-warped in technology. Evolving from the old horseless buggies to the modern sedans, cars are rapidly becoming the canvas for extravagant "car tech."  Seat belts, to airbags, to even laser guided cruise control to tell the car to speed up or even come to a stop are just some items that fill safety tech. A/C, to voice command, to even cars that can park itself are a few items that float up with creature comfort technology. The list could go on almost forever if you look at the option lists on a newer vehicle.

So what do you consider important tech in a car? If you ask 20 people you'll get 20 different answers, so I want to poll my readers what do you think?

-DK

P.S. I'll chime in a few days from now w/ my list of car tech I like to see on cars.

Random Question 1

Random question... ok not completely random, but you could argue it... anyway...


What car fits your personality the best?

I'm not looking for your favorite car I'm looking at what car do you think best fits with your personality/driving style/tastes for a better description of it.

For example my favorite car is a 1988 Ford Thunderbird Turbo-coupe, but a car that fits my personality would more be along the lines of a Lincoln Mark VIII or Lincoln LS.

Why we needed to learn that...

This may come across as a tad depressing, but it shows the facts. In a study from 1995-2005 found that each year on average there were over 1,500,000 (1.5 million) crashes that occurred during "poor weather" conditions in the U.S.. These "Weather Related" crashes are those that occur in the presence of adverse weather and/or slick pavement. Along with those weather related crashes over 690,000 people were injured and just under 7,400 were killed per year. Some of the nitty-gritty includes that 1,170,000 (75%) of those crashes took place when the roads were wet. 168,400 (11%) of the crashes took place during snowy or slushy road conditions.  If you want some more information check out the url.

Information taken from the:
Federal Highway Administration, Road Weather Management Program. How Do Weather Events Impact Roads? www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/Weather/q1_roadimpact.htm Access November 23, 2009.

The sad part about all of this is, most people don't realize the magnitude that weather has on the roadways. About once a day (at least) you'll hear there was a accident on the road and someone was either injured or killed. I can remember times when a big snow storm would go through back in the twin cities and the traffic reporter would say there were over 100 accidents on the roadways. When you really take in the numbers it just starts to make you think. It usually hits home when a family member or friend is in one of those accidents.

Just a few things to ponder...

-DK

Drivers ed... Do we need to learn that?

Take a step back for a second and think. What did you really learn in drivers ed? For some of you that might be somewhat fresh in your mind and others, well that was a long time ago in a galaxy far away(JK). I'll admit a fair amount of time has passes since my time sitting in the classroom or behind the wheel of the horridly fake simulators. So what about driver ed? During your time in the classroom you become familiar with the interior of a car, basic driving skills, and also learn a few what to do if this goes or that goes out. Then you also learn what to do if the road has water on it, ice (depending on where you live), snow, etc. In other words you probably learned that your driving style changes with changing road conditions.

Well why do driving ed instructors teach that? Should it really matter how you drive in different kinds of weather events? Aren't cars/trucks/SUV's loaded with enough technology to keep any car on the road no matter what the conditions.

I'll give you my view in a few days, but I want to hear your side should young people still learn how to drive in different weather conditions or is that a thing of the past if so why?

The 13th Day

By going w/ the title itself, I would probably bet that most people would label this as a horror movie. Actually, it's far from it, "The 13th Day" is a remake of the "Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima" (1952) movie. Looking at it from an artistic view the movie is primarily in black and white, although does incorporate color in select scenes throughout. That in mind and considering what was going on during 1917 around the world (WWI, etc). The removal of color was extremely fitting and added depth to the movie. The characters seemed believable overall and at times, you couldn't help but feel for the three children and their families during the events leading up to the October 13, 1917 (the miracle of the sun). Comparing the original movie to the remake, it’s like comparing night vs. day. If you’re looking for a fun and uplifting movie the original “Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima" is the one to see. If you want, a movie that will make something stir in you spiritually, similar to the "Passion of Christ". "The 13th Day" is the movie to see. It's overall an extremely moving piece that holds true to the events that occurred in Fatima and I would recommend any person to experience. As much as people will try to blow off the events that happened there, there is documented evidence (photos) and around an estimated 70,000 people witnessed the miracle of the sun.

If you get the chance check out the website http://www.the13thday.com/  and make sure to check out the trailer. :-)

-Edit I found a short clip from online about the prophecy Mary reveled to the children. Warning it gets a little graphic at the end.

-DK

Starting over

A few twists and turns finally caused me to delete the original version of this blog we'll see what happens to this version.

Best Regards,

DK