Movie Review: Fast & Furious 6

Image courtesy of the Geek News Network and Universal Pictures

Yes, I have actually watched every single Fast & Furious  movie made to date. No, I still cannot believe that there are currently six movies, with a seventh currently in the works. After watching the third one, Tokyo Drift, I thought the franchise was pretty much dead. When the fourth movie, Fast & Furious, came out, I have to admit that I was pretty intrigued. The first one, The Fast and the Furious, was actually pretty good, and bringing the cast of the first movie back together seemed like it could be a fun watch. Two weeks after the movie premiered, my Fiancé and I went to go see the movie. To our pleasant surprise, it was actually really good. The follow up, Fast Five, was also really good. When Fast & Furious 6 was announced, my Fiancé and I agreed that we had to see it. Keep reading to find out what I thought of Fast & Furious 6, and whether or not it is worth a watch for car enthusiasts.

Author's Note: This review will contain movie spoilers. If you have not yet seen the movie, intend to watch it, and hate having movies spoiled, stop reading and click on another one of our great articles to read!

Test Drive: 2013 Ford Focus SE Sedan 6AT

Having never rented a car before during my travels, my first rental car experience was expected to be interesting, yet boring. When I had originally made my reservation with Hertz, I was told I would be getting a Ford Focus or "similar." Upon arriving at the Hertz desk at Sacramento International Airport, I was given the choice of either a Ford Focus sedan or a Nissan Versa. Considering that the Nissan Versa is not even in the same vehicle class as the Ford Focus, I picked the Focus. Come on now, Hertz, I paid you the extra $3.00 to get a larger vehicle, so I expect a vehicle in the correct size class! But alas, this is not a review about Hertz itself.

For those of you that haven't already read my review of the 2013 Ford Focus ST, all you need to know is that I was once very skeptical about Ford's products. The Focus ST changed all that with its amazing performance. But despite the fact that the Focus ST is based on the more pedestrian version of the Focus, I was a bit skeptical about the Focus SE. The Focus has, after all, become a rental car staple. Would I be impressed by this seemingly innocuous people mover?

Editorial: You Know That Magical Stalk to the Left of Your Steering Wheel?

Picture courtesy of Conroy and the Man

"Hey, you there. Yeah, you. You know that magical stalk on the left of your steering wheel? Do you know what it's for? It's called a turn signal. You push it up and the right side blinkers light up. You push it down and the left side blinkers light up. 'Well what is it for' you may ask. Well, it's to let the drivers around you know that you are going to change lanes or make a turn. You know, the other drivers on the road aren't psychic, and we don't know what you're going to do. So please, for the love of all that is holy, USE YOUR DAMN TURN SIGNAL!"

The above is something I have wished I could say to many drivers I have encountered on the road over the years. I have been driving for roughly 10 years now, and six of those have taken place in Los Angeles county and its surrounding areas. In those six years of driving in Los Angeles, I have noticed the lack of turn signal use more and more. Whether this is happening out of sheer laziness or bad driver education, I have yet to figure out. Unfortunately though, turn signal laws in the the state of California are also quite vague, and do not really help.

Long Term Test: 2007 Honda S2000 post #2

Second Update
Current Miles: 60,000

When I first purchased my S2000 back in 2010, I knew it was not going to be the most fuel efficient vehicle I could have picked. My other choice of vehicle, a 2010 Honda Civic Si sedan, would have been far more fuel efficient than the S2000, but due to a temporary production halt on the Civic in 2010, I could not find one for sale at the time. Considering the EPA estimated fuel economy rating of 18mpg city/ 24mpg highway/20mpg combined for the 2007 S2000, I think I'm doing reasonably well. My current combined average is around 20.5mpg, just a little over the EPA combined rating. Prior to installing the Dunlop Direzza Z1 Star Spec tires, this average was actually a bit higher. Since the Dunlop tires are stickier than the Bridgestone Potenza RE050 tires that come standard with the car, I expected a small decrease in my fuel economy. The trade off though is a tire with a higher treadwear rating that will last longer. You can view my fuel economy results here.

Maintenance
How expensive is maintenance on the S2000? Unfortunately, maintaining an S2000 is going to cost more than your average Honda. I tell people it is the price one has to pay for driving a performance vehicle. Luckily, newer S2000s are equipped with the maintenance minder, which lets you know when the car is due in for service. Here is a breakdown of the maintenance minder codes:

Game Review: Real Racing 3 for Android

As much as I love driving and racing in real life, it is not always practical to do so, especially with the cost of gasoline and maintaining a track ready vehicle so high. The simple alternative is to find a good simulator to mollify those needs, and the more portable that experience is, the easier it is for me to get my fix when I need it most. You can therefore imagine that had high hopes when seeing the screenshots for Real Racing 3 in the Google Play Store. The visuals were absolutely impressive for a mobile device and the promise of realistic game play added to the appeal. Throw in a rather impressive and ever growing set of cars to choose from, and it seemed possible that my dreams for the perfect portable racing fix were about to be answered.

Boy was I ever in for a reality check...

Innovation: Moto Parking

Image courtesy of Motorbiker.org

Finding a place to park your motorcycle in some cities is a hassle. Many cities do not provide dedicated motorcycle parking and when they do, it is often not in the most convenient of locations. However, an Italian company is looking to change that for the better in Europe with the innovative MotoParking storage unit. It is essentially a storage locker with a built in chain that can be used to lock a motorcycle. The locker can be used to store protective equipment that motorcyclists need to ride safely. Having these would make parking easier and safer for motorcyclists, perhaps encouraging more people to utilize a motorcycle as their primary form of transportation. Of course, there is a fee to utilize this system, but if I must pay for parking, making it this usable would certainly make me feel better about the cost involved.

While the system is currently only available in Europe, I hope to see US cities adopt this system for their motorcycle street parking spaces and give us motorcyclists a more usable parking system.

Click here to learn more about the MotoParking lockers.

Editorial: Share the Road (Part 2)

As someone who spreads his transportation time between a car, a motorcycle, a bicycle, and his own two feet, I have become increasingly sensitive to the idea of sharing the road. Our current society places the greatest value on motor vehicle transportation, cars in particular, but that does not mean we that drivers should assume they have exclusive rights to the roads. Motorists, motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians are all a part of the transportation make-up of every major city and should all be given due respect and consideration. Unlike many European cities, which have taken measures to dramatically improve the interaction between the various groups using the roads, many US cities are only just starting this process and tempers often flare as compromises are made to meet everyone's needs.

However, every group has to take responsibility for making the road conditions better for all road users.

In this two-part editorial, I want to look at ways to help everyone be better road users and to help drive improved conditions that will hopefully help reduce incidences of road rage, accidents, and make the roads a more pleasant place for everyone.

Today, we will look at motorcyclists and car drivers, considered the top of the US road usage hierarchy. To read about pedestrians and bicyclists, see Part 1 of this editorial.

News: Cell phone carriers unite against texting while driving

Image courtesy of USAToday.com

Distracted driving is becoming ever increasingly problematic as cars get more complex and filled with technology and as our real lives become ever more intertwined with our digital ones. Most people now have some form of touchscreen mobile device that they use on a regular basis, mainly in the form of a smartphone that is with them at all times, including in the car. Many individual cities and counties have taken measures to combat distracted driving by instituting handsfree cellphone laws prohibiting handling of the phones while operating a vehicle. Automakers are also doing their part by offering technologies that allow users to access the most frequently used functions of their phones through voice commands and integration with the car's infotainment system. And now, the big 4 cellphone carriers, have united behind an anti-texting ad campaign to discourage people from texting behind the wheel.

Having been the victim just earlier this week of a distracted driver's inattention, I am encouraged that the cellphone service providers are taking part in this kind of campaign and taking a stand against a habit that is growing into a major problem out on America's highways, especially around urban centers where people's busy lives often force them to need to be connected as often as possible. Distracted driving is a serious matter and is often a contributor to accidents and road rage incidents, so any steps to combat it are steps in the right direction.

Tell us your thoughts on distracted driving or share with us the story of how distracted driving has impacted you in the comments section.

Old vs New: Light Weight RWD Sports Cars (2007 Honda S2000 vs. 2013 Subaru BRZ)

With the recent introduction of the Subaru BRZ/Scion FR-S twins, it would seem that lightweight, rear drive sports cars are making a bit of a come back. What better way to find out if the Subaru/Scion duo did it right by comparing it to another light weight, rear drive sports car? Luckily, I am the proud owner of a slightly older light weight, rear drive sports car, the Honda S2000.

The goal here is not to determine which car is faster, as that would not be a fair fight considering my car out powers the BRZ by a fairly significant amount. My goal in doing this comparison is to find out if Subaru got the lightweight, rear drive formula correct, and to see which of these two cars are more fun to drive.

VS

Editorial: Share the Road (Part 1)

As someone who spreads his transportation time between a car, a motorcycle, a bicycle, and his own two feet, I have become increasingly sensitive to the idea of sharing the road. Our current society places the greatest value on motor vehicle transportation, cars in particular, but that does not mean we that drivers should assume they have exclusive rights to the roads. Motorists, motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians are all a part of the transportation make-up of every major city and should all be given due respect and consideration. Unlike many European cities, which have taken measures to dramatically improve the interaction between the various groups using the roads, many US cities are only just starting this process and tempers often flare as compromises are made to meet everyone's needs. However, every group has to take responsibility for making the road conditions better for all road users.

In this two-part editorial, I want to look at ways to help everyone be better road users and to help drive improved conditions that will hopefully help reduce incidences of road rage, accidents, and make the roads a more pleasant place for everyone.

Today, we will start at the bottom of the perceived road usage hierarchy by looking at pedestrians and cyclists. In next week's follow-up, I will conclude with a look at motorcyclists and car drivers.