December 2012 - Swadeology

2012 Un-Resolutions – How did I go? How did you go?

Did you make any New Year Resolutions on January 1 this year? If so, how did you go with them?

I made a few Un-Resolutions – things I determined NOT to do in 2012. Let’s see how I went as we count down to 2013.

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I will not buy an iPhone or an iPad. – FAIL.

I did resist the iPhone urge when it came to getting my first smartphone – I bought a Sony-Ericsson Xperia instead. BUT…… I have to confess that I did buy an iPad through the year.

In my defence, there was a genuine need for one as Mrs Swade and I had a project planned, one that would be published on iPad. Therefore we need one of these trendy machines to test the book once it’s ready.

As it happens, that project’s on the backburner and the iPad is only used as an e-reader.

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I will not compromise on the car I buy this year – PASS

I bought my Alfa Romeo GTV6 earlier in the year and in doing so, fulfilled one of my many automotive dreams. It’s been fantastic fun. I know I haven’t written about it much on this site, but last week I took possession of a box full of new video equipment……. 🙂

I intend to avoid compromise when I replace it, too, hopefully towards the later part of 2013.

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I will not submit to the scourge of internet snark – PASS

I’m pretty pleased with the way this website has turned out during 2012. It’s been a trying year in many ways, one that’s involved plenty of forced adjustment in a post-Saab era. I’m pleased to say that I’ve done my best to keep things interesting without pouring snark on anything or anyone and the discussion component of this site has been similarly respectful, even in times when you and I might disagree.

That’s not to say it’s been completely smooth sailing.

I was severely disappointed with the reception my NEVS interview received in certain corners of the internets. It was an honest effort and an honest appraisal and I don’t think it deserved the scorn it received from some. On the other hand, whilst I disagree with many on this site about the value of US gun culture, we still managed a pretty respectful – if occasionally heated – discussion on the issue.

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I will not neglect my family anymore – (Comparative) PASS

I’ve certainly had more family time this year, which has been great. I’m sure that I can still use it better in the future, however.

Maybe it’s an indication of just how absorbed I was in that Saab world that there’s still room for improvement. Or maybe there’s simply always room for improvement.

One to keep working on.

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I will not die – PASS

Well, you’re reading this, right? The Mayans tried, but failed, and I managed to hang around long enough for another circling of the sun.

Actually, there’s more to tell on this one. More time for non-Saaby things has meant I’ve had time to join a gym – an excellent 24-hour gym that’s both reasonably priced and very well equipped. I’m feeling better than I have felt for 5 years or more and am closing in on 10 kilos lost, with a goal for losing at least 10 kilos more.

I’ve still got plenty to do on the health front, but 2012 was a good start.

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So that’s how I did. There’s a lot more to life than that and over all, 2012 has been a year of transition for me. I know it’s been a bit of weird year for others, too, but hopefully it’s been a successful one for you.

How did you go with your goals for 2012 and will you be setting new ones for 2013?

PhoeniX winged

I promised Saab fans one final story for Christmas. Here it is. Don’t ask how it happened because the people who know exactly what happened aren’t saying. But it happened.

PhoeniX was last used in an international capacity at the New York Motor Show in 2011. It stayed in the US for a little while after, attending some press drives of the 9-4x and was then used for some smaller SCNA and dealer events. Following on from that, it was shipped to the UK and when they opened the shipping container in Blighty, this is what they saw.

Saab PhoeniX Concept

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Merry Christmas

It’s Christmas morning here in Australia – Merry Christmas to you all!!

Christmas means a lot of different things to different people and it’s especially so here in Australia. Whilst many of you northern hemisphere types are either having, or dreaming of, a White Christmas, the day itself here in Australia generally means shorts, t-shirt and maybe a big family meal eating outside in the sun.

Whatever Christmas/Festivus-for-the-rest-of-us/Hanukkah means to you, I hope it’s a wonderful day and that you get to spend it with the ones you love.

And after a year of transition and change in 2012, here’s to a better 2013 for everyone.

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One of my favourite Christmas memories in recent years comes from Carols by Candlelight, which is held in Melbourne on Christmas Eve every year and televised live around Australia.

The two guys you’re about to hear are Jimmy Barnes and David Campbell. Jimmy is pure, rolled gold music royalty here in Australia. He was the lead singer of a band called Cold Chisel in the 1970s and 80s and had a successful solo career for a few years after. David Campbell has forged a very successful music career of his own, mostly in theatre.

David Campbell is also Jimmy Barnes’ son.

David was born when Jimmy was quite young, before his rock career took off. The young David grew up with his mother, not really knowing his father at all until much later in life. He knew who he was but he didn’t know him, if you know what I mean. He was also wary of being ‘Jimmy Barnes son’ as an aspiring performer because he wanted to make it on his own merits.

This performance of You’ll Never Walk Alone is spine-tingling not only for the musical duet, but also for the uniting of estranged family. The kiss near the end of the song nearly makes me cry every time I see it.

To me, this is Christmas. I hope you enjoy it. Merry Christmas.

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Saab Festival 2013

A little message that appeared on Facebook overnight on the Saab Car Museum page:

Our small Christmas gift to all Saab-enthusiasts: Saabfestival in Trollhättan, from May 31 to June 2. Mark your calendars! More info will be available on www.saabfestival.se during the winter.

YAY! Great stuff for Saab fans.

If you’ve never visited Trollhattan, the festival is a fantastic time to do so. There are Saabs everywhere, the weather’s usually fantastic, the lasagne at Mamma Mia’s is superb and the sun sets late so you can head down to the canal for a cool tasty beverage.

There’s nothing quite like Sweden in the summer, and Trollhattan during Festival.

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The Datsun 260Z and the Toyota LandCruiser are Japanese, and iconic

I swear on a stack of bibles that this is a genuine, spontaneous result. It’s my first check of the results for this morning after waking up. After seeing that we had a satisfactory number of votes (minimum of 150) I took the screenshot.

It’s our first tie.

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As you can see, it was almost a three-way tie with the Mazda MX-5 finishing just 4 votes behind the two winners.

It seems kind of fitting, in a way. Previous polls have revealed a pretty clear winner but as we nominated and then discussed the nominations, it was clear that there was a reasonable cache of admiration for Japanese vehicles, but there weren’t many people with a real passion for them. This website is more European focused then it comes to cars, so that’s understandable, but I guess it’s just amusing to see the results bear this out.

What we have then, is a popular following for a Japanese classic sports car and a popular following for a Japanese utilitarian vehicle with an exceptional reputation for getting the job done.

As I said, a fitting result.

Thanks to all for your nominations, thoughts and votes.

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Poll: Automotive Icons – Japan

It’s polling time. Step into the booth, draw the curtain and vote for your most iconic Japanese car!

I listed my five nominees a few days ago. They are:

Datsun 260Z
Honda NSX
Subaru Impreza WRX
Mazda MX-5 (Miata)
Toyota Prius

From your nominations, I’ve added the following vehicles to the poll:

Toyota LandCruiser – here in Australia, they used to say you’re either a Patrol man or a Cruiser man. That’s all marketing, of course, but the Cruiser has broken the back of every rough-terrain country in the world. Bernard said this in comments – “As an African friend explained to me in the 1980s, the 60 series wagon is the real-life equivalent of a Ferrari myth: the fastest way to get from point A to point B on four wheels.”
Mazda RX-7 – I included the MX-5 over the RX-7 in my nomations because of the lasting impact it’s had over a prolonged period of time, virtually re-creating a type of car that could have been lost forever. There’s no doubting the appeal of the RX-7, however, and its role as the main user of the Wankel engine has confirmed its place as the car for the rotary anorak. I lusted after one of these in the 80’s. Metallic blue, thanks.
Nissan GT-R – The biggest oversight of my nominations list and for that, I must apologise. I allowed my soft-spot for the 260Z to blind me. An obvious contender because it packs so much punch for the money, has endured for a long period of time and has always been a genuine supercar for the masses.
Honda Civic – it was either this or the Toyota Corolla and Toyota have enough nominations 🙂 . I think Mallthus said it best in comments: “Like the Corolla, it’s become an icon of boredom and mediocrity, but, again like the Corolla, it transformed most peoples’ idea of what a car ought to deliver, day in and day out.”
Toyota 2000GT – I was hesitant about adding this one. Still am. I’m not sure that it’s well known enough to be identified by the average punter as a Japanese car (an icon should be instantly identifiable). Regardless, it’s a magnificent machine and it gathered a lot of nominations, so it’s in.

Your poll is below. Please cast your vote!

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[poll id=”9″]

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Our contenders in pictures:

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National Automotive Icons – Japan

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these polls. The previous ones are at these links – Great Britain, Germany, France, America. The main reason for the delay is that I’ve been dreading the final two – Sweden and Italy. They’re going to be soooooo tough.

Thankfully, we have a safety valve: Japan!

This is no pushover, though. How do you define a Japanese icon? Is it one that interests you, or one that best represents the typical traits of the Japanese automotive industry? It’s an important question because the winner of these polls is important, to me at least.

That brings me to the first car that’s NOT in my nominated 5 vehicles: the Toyota Camry.

Toyota is the biggest car company in the world and the Camry has been the company’s biggest seller in most markets for years now. The Camry would have a rightful argument as a Japanese icon, but I’m not going there. Why? Firstly because it’s boring and icons aren’t supposed to be boring, even if they’re supposed to be typical (which the Camry certainly is). And secondly, because you could argue that the Camry is no longer just a Japanese car. It’s an American car, an Australian car, and multiple other nationalities. OK, maybe you can’t argue that, but it’s not being nominated anyway.

To the 5 cars that ARE being nominated…….

Datsun 260Z

Datsun’s Z Car series began with the 240Z but it’s always been the 260Z and the later 280ZX that caught my eye (there was a 280Z in between, though to my knowledge it wasn’t sold here in Australia). The 280ZX has fallen out of favour with many for being a bit too styled, but the 240 and 260 retain their original charms and in good condition, sell for decent-yet-very-attainable dollars ($10K to $45K here).

The 260Z had a 2.6 litre straight six putting out 160hp driven by a 4-speed manual gearbox. The car was on the market for four years here in Australia so we got the 2+2 seating setup. This was amongst the early Japanese sports cars, the ones that used modern classic sports car interior styling with plenty of gauges to look at, if not quite a lovely, sweeping dashboard.

It was exciting then and a good one is still very exciting to look at now.

Continue reading National Automotive Icons – Japan

A final word from me on the US gun law discussion

This is not a political site and I don’t intend to prolong the talk on US gun laws here, though I do intend to follow what happens closely in my own personal time. I thought it fitting, however, to present a few final thoughts on the issue borne out of the discussion that started yesterday in this post.

Firstly, I want to acknowledge everyone’s input and thank all but one of you for participating in a civil way. I also want to acknowledge that my post was written in the heat of the moment with a fair amount of passion and featured a proposition that is not workable in the real world.

People in the US have guns – a lot of them. The estimate I’ve read this week is that there are around 280 million firearms in the US, with only around 3 million of those in the hands of the military and less than 1 million in the hands of the police (to be fair, the military also have other, more effective hardware at their disposal).

As a few commenters have noted, any legislation made today is going to see a lot of guns being hidden, buried underground for years only to be dug up later on. If change is going to happen then it will need to be founded on cultural change, which is a lot harder to do. It implies a desire on the part of the people themselves to change and as we saw in comments, that doesn’t exist in everyone.

There are a few positions being taken that I honestly can’t understand. I’ve seen these both on this site and elsewhere:

Continue reading A final word from me on the US gun law discussion

Comments

I blacklisted my first Swadeology commenter this evening. Sad, but true.

A few words about comments – what’s OK and what’s not.

This is my personal site. It’s a hobby. I use this website to keep on writing in a post-Saab world because I enjoy the process. I enjoy the chance to catch up with friends in faraway places and have conversations with them on this site, something that I may not be able to do so easily by other means.

This is not a community where I have to try and be inclusive and sway people into behaving in a certain way for the benefit of others. If you act like an ass, you’ll be shown the door.

Most of the time the content is pretty harmless, but sometimes I cover topics that touch some raw nerves, as I did today. If that’s the case, be a little Fonzie. Be cool.

Feel free to agree or disagree with anything I write, but do it in a respectful way. If you want to insult or attack me, you’ll be shown the door (that’s not what happened in this instance).

Feel free to agree or disagree with other people in comments, but do it in a respectful way. If you want to insult or attack other people in comments, you’ll be shown the door (that IS what happened in this instance).

Everyone’s free to read and comment here, but be aware that I care for conduct at this site the same way I care about conduct in my home amongst my family and friends. I won’t put up with someone screaming and ranting any more than you would.

Simple.

Now, back to regular programming…….

Sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong – US gun laws

You all know why I’m writing this now: the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown Connecticut. I’ve never heard of the place but I don’t need to. There are small towns all over America, England, Sweden, China and Australia that are just like it, I’m sure.

I’m probably going to put the noses of a few American friends out of joint with this one. That’s OK. I choose to remain silent every time I hear them talk/write about the virtues of gun ownership and the 2nd Amendment. I don’t argue with them, even though I disagree. I know that it’ll cause a bunfight that no-one will win.

I thought about remaining silent this time, too, but the tragedy in this case is so wretched, so deep and so needless that I felt I had to say something. Put it this way – when considering the do-I or don’t-I question, I felt like I had to come up with a reason more compelling than “it’ll annoy some friends.”

The right to bear arms is guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the US Constitution:

A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

This amendment was passed in 1791 as part of the Bill of Rights. Let me be brief: they should chuck this old, antiquated sucker of law out and only allow firearms in the hands of those who genuinely need them. And in the case of those who claim to need them but are outside law enforcement or the military, they should satisfy a test proving they’re capable of responsibly handling them.

However, owning a gun also requires one to follow standard protocols in handling and keeping it safe. This might avoid an unnecessary events of theft or misuse by kids or others at home. It is also important to keep the working condition of the arm; maintenance is crucial in this process. Following all these safety measures might guarantee that the arms and the owner abided by law and order.

There is absolutely no reason for regular citizens to have guns.

Military? Yes.

Law enforcement? Yes.

National Guard? Yes. Under conditions.

Farmers? Yes. Under conditions.

Sporting Shooters? Yes. Under strict conditions.

Why else do regular citizens need access to guns? And why the hell do they need access to high powered rifles and access to semi-automatic weapons capable of shooting tens or even hundreds of rounds per minute? Why should you be able to buy them over the counter at Wal-Mart, or receive them when you open a bank account or buy a car? It’s just nuts.

Continue reading Sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong – US gun laws