PLN VI

For this blog post, I want to speak to you about a very important issue that is currently causing the deaths of people all over the world. This month, April, is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. Therefore, I decided to talk about this issue to try to help spread awareness of it's importance. In this day and age, distractions while driving are becoming more and more prevalent as technology increases and becomes more common. There are three different types of distractions while driving. These include visual distractions, cognitive distractions, and manual distractions. Distracted driving is known as "any activity that could divert a person's attention away from the primary task of driving." Even the smallest distractions have the potential to endanger your and your passenger's safety. Some examples of distractions include texting or using a cell phone in any manner, eating or drinking, talking to passengers, personal grooming, reading of any kind, using screens such as navigation, watching videos, as well as adjusting a radio, CD, or MP3 player. Even things like Bluetooth headsets and voice to text are very large distractions and can be deadly, as shown in this article, "Texting." The last type of distraction is of the cognitive sort. This means that even thinking about things, like daydreaming or planning out the weekend, can prove to be very distracting. The number of deaths that involve a distracted driver increases every year. In 2011, 3,331 people were killed in an accident involving a distracted driver. Compared to 3,276 the year before, we can see the growing importance of distracted driving awareness. I hope this article has taught you something about the dangers of distracted driving, and that you also help spread awareness of these dangers throughout the month of April, and for the rest of your life.

Sources

http://www.donttextdrive.com/

http://www.fcc.gov/guides/texting-while-driving

http://www.cdc.gov/Features/dsDistractedDriving/

http://www.nsc.org/safety_road/Distracted_Driving/Pages/DDAM.aspx

http://www.distraction.gov/

PLN V

For this blog post, I have chosen to write about another auto show. This auto show takes place in New York City, NY every year in early April. The show first began in the year 1900 and has been a huge success ever since. This year is the one-hundred and thirteenth anniversary of the New York International Auto Show. The New York International Auto Show is the oldest auto show in North America. Also, the New York International Auto Show is one of the biggest and most well known auto shows in all of North America. The New York International Auto Show has been referred to as the "Geneva Auto Convention of the Western Hemisphere." At this auto show, many new production and concept vehicles are announced and shown to the press as well as the public. Of the many production and concept vehicles announced at this year's New York International Auto Show, there were a select few that clearly stood out. These impressive new cars included the new Subaru WRX, the Jeep Cherokee, the Volkswagen GTI, the Mercedes CLA45 AMG, the Chevrolet Camaro Z28, the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible, and the Jaguar XKR-S GT, all of which are pictured above. All of the designs of these newer models have greatly improved in many ways since the previous models were released. The Subaru WRX is a completely new design, Subaru has changed the entire exterior look of the car to make it look more agressive; also, Subaru modified the engine to make more horsepower and be more economical. The Jeep Cherokee also has a completely new exterior design for 2014, and its transmission has been modified to get better acceleration and be more economical. Also, the new Volkswagen GTI has had very subtle cosmetic changes that can only be noticed by a true fan; furthermore, the engineers have decreased its weight significantly and it now has over 50 more lbs. of torque. The CLA45 AMG is an all new car that is based off of the Mercedes CLA, both of which have yet to be released, the CLA45 AMG is a much more track ready and powerful version of the new car. The Camaro Z28 is famous for being a very agressive and fast machine, and this new edition continues that legacy well with its large increase of horsepower and it agressive styling. The video below includes a tour of the New York International Auto Show. 

Sources

www.autoshowny.com/

http://www.autoblog.com/new-york-auto-show/

http://www.autoweek.com/new-york-auto-show

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/category/auto-shows/2013-new-york-auto-show/

                     

PLN IV

For this post, I have chosen to write about the Geneva Motor Show. The Geneve Motor Show takes place in Geneva, Switzerland every year in March. This year is the 83rd year that this show has occurred. This automobile show is one of the largest and most respected motor shows in the entire world. Many auto manufacturers make new announcements at this show. Manufacturers unveil new cars and features to the public. The auto manufacturers announce both production cars as well as many concepts for future cars. Over 100 new cars were shown at the show just this year. One of the biggest announcements from the show this year is the Ferrari La Ferrari. The La Ferrari has a 800hp combustion engine paired with a 163hp electric engine to make the most efficient hypercar possible. This car was developed by Ferrari and used many of their great technologies from their forumla one racing team to make the best car possible. All of these features combine to propel the car from 0-60 mph in around 2.3 seconds, and gives it a top speed of 220 mph. Another car that was unveiled at this show was the Lamborghini Veneno. The Veneno is much more exclusive than the La Ferrari, only 3 are being produced as aposed to the Ferrari's 500. The 3 Venenos are each being made in a different color, red, green, and white, to represent the colors on the Italian Flag. The Veneno is not as powerful as the La Ferrai, having 740 hp, but it is much more of a collector's piece than a car that will actually see time on the track. The next car that was unveiled at this show was the McLaren P1. The P1 also has the electronic KERS system like the La Ferrari; the McLaren has a 727hp combustion engine paired with a 176hp electric engine totaling 903hp; so this car is a close match for the Ferrari. The 0-60 time of this car has not been released yet, but these cars should be a close match for each other. The La Ferrari and the P1 are long awaited successors of the Ferrari Enzo and the McLaren F1, and they are the new super expensive cars that will be envied by this generation of car lovers.

Sources

Geneva Motor show

Geneva Wikipedia

Veneno Wikipedia

Ferrari vs. Lamborghini

McLaren P1

La Ferrari

Geneva Tour

Geneva Show

                  

Valentines Day Poem

In honor of Valentine's day here is a love poem by June Jordan. I found this poem on poetryfoundation.com.

Poem for My Love

BY JUNE JORDAN

How do we come to be here next to each other                                                                                                              

in the night

Where are the stars that show us to our love    

inevitable

Outside the leaves flame usual in darkness   

and the rain

falls cool and blessed on the holy flesh   

the black men waiting on the corner for   

a womanly mirage

I am amazed by peace

It is this possibility of you

asleep

and breathing in the quiet air

I enjoyed this poem very much. One reason I liked this poem was because of the detailed imagery in it. This poem gives me the image of two young people sitting under the stars in an open field. Also, I like this poem because it asks the question "How do we come to be here next to each other." Also, I like how the author talked about how peaceful the scenery and situation was in the poem. One more thing that I liked about this poem was the way the author talked about the quiet in the air and the serenity of the moment.                                            

PLN 3

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2010-volkswagen-gti-first-drive-review

http://www.topgear.com/uk/volkswagen/golf-gti/verdict

I chose these two articles because they both are a review of the MKVI Volkwagen GTI, which is the car I will be getting in April of this year. Both of these articles state in the beginning that the newest GTI is an improvement from the previous generation that they already loved. Also, both state that it is a more refined driving experience than the previous generations and that it is much more comfortable for daily use because of the new interior which is similar to that of the audi, and because of the new suspension that becomes softer when it is not in sport mode. Also, there is a small upgrade in power in the new generation which both thought improved it greatly, along with the bigger power-band which makes it have a smoother acceleration. The top gear blog post thought that the new one looked a bit too flashy, while the car and driver blog believed that the new body style made it look more race inspired and less like a regular golf. They also both like the new technology in it like the XDS system and the touch screen have. The car and driver blog liked the handling of it, but did not think it was a big change since the previous model, and they did not like the traction control; while top gear thought that it felt much more stable and that it had more traction than the previous model. Overall both of the bloggers liked the car and thought it was a great improvement over the previous generation.

PLN 2

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/the-best-handling-car-in-america-for-less-than-100k-feature

I chose this article because it is very interesting to me to see which cars under 100 thousand dollars have the best handling. This article tested a wide variety of vehicles all with very different features and prices. In this article is was surprised to see that the GTI was listed, I was surprised by this because it is cheaper than many of the others by a wide range, and because it is the car I am getting soon. Also, the article said that even though the GTI has only 200 hp, that it kept up with the other much faster cars around the turns. The second to last car was the Z06 corvette, I was not surprised that this car was featured because of its speed, but I was surprised that it was featured because of the stereotype that american muscle cars can not turn. The next car was the Nissan GTR, I learned that it does not have the handling that I thought it did. I was surprised that it was only just above the corvette because I have heard from other reviews and T.V. shows that it has great handling. The next car was the BMW M3, I was not surprised that it was featured in this test; however, I was surprised that it did not handle as well as I thought it would because I have seen many in action and they seem like great all around cars. After that, was the mazda rx-8, I was surprised at how well this car did for the price that it is, which is less than that of the GTI. The other cars that were the Lotus Elise and the Porsche Boxster I was not surprised about because of their high prices, light weight bodies, and adequate amounts of power.              

Introductory Blog Post

Hi, I am Tyler Hoffman, I am a senior at North Broward Prepatory School. I live in Boca Raton, Florida. The subject that I am interested in is cars. I already know a lot about cars. For a while I have been helping my dad fix our cars, and do basic maintenance on them. Also, I know about many types of cars and their details and specifications from the internet. I have always been interested in cars, motorcycles, and things that go fast in general. I have been interested in cars and the way they looked since I was little, and I have been riding dirt bikes since I was about nine or ten years old. Also, this subject interests me because I hope to buy a much nicer car sometime soon, and would like to know which one is the best for me. I am interested in watching cars race like in rally races, when they race through dirt and snow, and F1 races, which are very fast and very intense. I really began to enjoy cars more when I was around 15 or 16 years old and my relatives started to let me drive their expensive cars.