HiWire

And now for something newer - Non Stop Pop (100.7 FM from GTA V):

Television - Marquee Moon (1977)

Talk Talk - It's My Life (40th anniversary)

The Darkness – The Last of Our Kind (2015) Back story on the album cover art: https://www.thecurrent.org/feature/2015/10/17/golden-valley-baby-stars-on-the-cover-of-new-album-by-the-darkness

Happy Birthday!

Thanks, everyone!

Happy Birthday!

Ontario Knife Company is closing... Founded in 1889, Ontario Knife Company is closing its factory in Franklinville, New York and selling the brand to Blue Ridge Knives (a knife distributor). 56 employees are out of work and this was one of the last knife factories in the US. Of their designs, some of the most famous were the RAT (Randall's Adventure and Training) series of survival knives and the M7 / M9 bayonets for the US military. Sadly, Ontario was struggling financially in the past few years and they downgraded their steel from 1095 to 1075 in some of their mainstay designs to cut costs.

I just checked reviews of the Beatles Stereo box set from 2009... some reviewers were complaining about the stereo mixing, and there was the new Giles Martin mix in 2022. Maybe I'm glad I waited this long to get the Beatles albums. I can see from searching online that the other albums haven't received this special remastering treatment yet, either. It's a little crazy looking at the various way this album is packaged and priced in 2023. You can also get the Japanese SHM release from Universal Japan.

Dream Weaver

It's so gross when plastics and other materials degrade when you keep something for a long time. I still have an old, cheap APS camera with film rolls I need to finish. Have fun shooting! 📸

I think Pan Am desperately wanted to be a female Mad Men in the skies in 2011... with a bit of Catch Me If You Can. They threw a lot of money at the show, but one of the reviewers mentioned it might have done better with the streaming services than network TV, due to the potentially adult nature of the storylines. I haven't seen the whole season... wasn't sure if this episode was available to help promote Barbie or for something else.

Pan Am

Happy Birthday!

American Born Chinese (Disney+)

The Tourists (1979) Never available on Compact Disc. Yes, that's Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart.

Techmoan tries the CD / CD booklet as wall art:

Johnny Jewel: Windswept Some background music from Twin Peaks: The Return

DPReview is saved!

Happy Birthday!

It turns out the Burning Bridges album wasn't available on CD until 2012 (and people say it's compressed)... this US release version sounds decent: https://youtu.be/ISUy4KuDP1A

Naked Eyes – Promises, Promises

I've been watching the Fujifilm X-Series cameras for years... the new X-S20 and the older X-T30 II are the kind of cameras at the top of my list. 📷

Congrats on the '91 NA Miata. She's a beauty! Dedicated track rats usually modify the suspension (tires!), brakes, and cooling first before touching the powerplant. The Miata has huge aftermarket support and a bunch of official Spec Miata racing series as well as decades of excellence in grassroots racing. If I was going to tinker on one (with some money), I'd get the older 2016-2018 MX-5 RF, as Mazda increased engine power in the 2019 onwards cars. Upgrading to forced induction and coilovers would increase speed and flatten the body motion Mazda engineered into the ND MX-5 suspension. The MX-5 RF is generally considered a hard top at least for lapping days, so you wouldn't need to install a roll bar or cage until reaching higher levels of competition.

But it's also great, as it allows you to use the full power of the engine and drivetrain when you can (i.e., full pedal travel). I think Mazda kept the basic power of the Miata engine the same for very good reasons (yes, they released the turbo Mazdaspeed in 2004-2005), because it works for the chassis and the intent of the car. Fun, but not overpowered like modern sports cars. People have certainly increased engine power in the Miata with turbos, superchargers, and engine swaps (including rotary engines), but it's important to be mindful of the overall balance of the drivetrain... putting a 500 horsepower engine in a stock Miata is just asking for trouble. A few competitors have risen to challenge the Miata, but none of them beats the Miata at its brief: an inexpensive, reliable sports car for everyone (Miata Is Always The Answer). The Toyota GR86 / Subaru BRZ is certainly a great coupe, adding passenger space and practicality, but it lacks the reliability and fuel economy of the Miata. Likewise with hot hatches like the Honda Civic Type R, Hyundai Elantra N, Volkswagen Golf R, Subaru WRX (sedan), and Toyota GR Corolla... they are fast and fun, but not rear-wheel-drive like the Miata, Ford Mustang, and Chevrolet Camaro (heavier cars).