nuzzaci - an online journal

The Swedish strife for perfection continues. This time it’s two design students who makes an attempt to turn the alphabet into a modern metric-system-isk thiny.

www.distanceandconversation.com

a funny pilgrim on a crazy crusade
a saucy chaucer, a sorry chapter mislaid
whittled with an exacto knife
plum right through my load bearing wall
I’m horrified now that I could do such a thing
but I thought I heard the singer

I’ve heard those chimes so many other times
but if I gave in,it had to of been
I whupped it out, and destroyed my selfish cocoon
since I gave in, it had to of been

I’m not an optimist, I’m not a realist
I might be a subrealist, but I can’t substantiate
it was bigger than me and I felt like a sick child
dragged by a donkey, through the myrtle

Myrtle is avaliable on the album About to Choke

Via an article on the Top Gear website I found out about the RM Auctions Ferrari auction that was held at Ferrari’s own test track in Fiorano on the 20th of May this year. The auction included 33 classic Ferrari’s. The cheapest got sold for €44.000 (1986 Ferrari 328 GTS), while the 1962 Ferrari 330 TRI/LM Testa Rossa got sold for the record high bid of 6.8 million Euros.

After have stumbled upon these websites, I did a quick search on Google to see if I could find more info on this auction and the 1962 masterpiece.

Turns out that the guys over at Hemmings saw RM Auction as a good excuse to run through the history of twenty different Ferrari’s on their blog!! It stretches from 1953’s 340/375 MM Competition Berlinetta to 2006 599 GTB Fiorano.

Below I have compiled a list with a thumbnail, link and a short excerpt for each car they covered. The list is not meant to replace the original articles, see it as a springboard to the original juicy content; so, don’t thank me — thank the guy’s at Hemmings.

1953 Ferrari 340/375 MM Competition Berlinetta
According to factory records, Ferrari completed 0322 AM in June of 1953 as a 340 MM and immediately sent it to France as a factory entry for the 21st running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 13th. Driven by the Marzotto brothers, Paolo and Giannino, 0322 AM finished fifth overall – the highest place finish for a Ferrari that year.

1953 Ferrari 340 MM Competition Spyder
The first of these Lampredi-engined Ferraris were 3.3-liter cars built in 1950. Two of these 275 S models driven by Alberto Ascari and Luigi Villoresi entered the 1950 Mille Miglia, but dropped out with driveline failures. It was a classic problem – the new engine’s outstanding power and torque simply overwhelmed the existing gearbox and axle.

1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione
The 250 GT SWB Berlinetta is unmistakably Ferrari. It is devoid of superfluous bulk, features or embellishments. It is aerodynamic. The driver’s visibility from the ample greenhouse is good. The corners of the car are tightly wrapped around the wheels. Its gently rounded masses speak unambiguously of potency and power.

1962 Ferrari 330 TRI/LM Testa Rossa Spyder
The Testa Rossa was already a racing success when it was introduced in late 1957 and it went on to a string of victories that are simply too numerous to describe in anything less than a book, and indeed, several have been written. But it was at Le Mans where the Testa Rossa established its reputation.

1963 Ferrari 250 GTE
The 250 GTE was a huge commercial success for Ferrari. Between the introduction at the 1960 Paris Salon and the evolution into models fitted with a four-liter V-12, almost 1,000 cars were built. Although history does not record his opinion, Enzo Ferrari no doubt enjoyed this success as it contributed substantial profits, which he could then allocate to the factory’s increasingly expensive racing efforts.

1965 Ferrari 330 GT 2+2
330s have never been the first choice of the cognoscenti, but the somewhat controversial styling and real GT usability make them about the best bargain you’ll find in 1960s V-12 Ferraris.

1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4
The 275 GTB/4 was unveiled at the Paris Salon in October 1966 and was the first production Ferrari to feature a quadruple camshaft V-12 power unit. Many consider the resulting car to be the finest production Ferrari ever built, combining the thoroughbred mechanical pedigree of its road racing forebears with sufficient creature comforts to make the 275 GTB/4 a superlative grand touring automobile.

1966 Ferrari Dino 206 SP
Lightweight. Aerodynamic. Powerful. The Ferrari 206 SP is the lithe, sinuous, brilliant V-6 son to the V-12 father. It is similar in many respects, but accomplished with conscious differences.

1967 Ferrari 330 GTC
Nothing more clearly shows the evolution of Ferrari into the premier constructor of grand touring automobiles than the 1966 Geneva Auto Show debut of the 330 GTC. Borrowing liberally from many successful Ferrari automobiles, it offered the 4.0-liter engine in a chassis closely patterned after the 275 GTB. Coachwork by Pininfarina combined a gorgeous nose borrowed from the 400 Superamericas with a prominent beltline from the doors back culminating in a tail that clearly paid homage to the 275 GTS.

1969 Ferrari 365 GTC
Ferrari introduced the predecessor to the 365 GTC to the world at the Geneva auto show in 1966. The 330 GTC was a happy marriage of three elements: the chassis of the 275 GTB; the new larger engine from the 330 GT 2+2; and sleek new two seat coachwork penned by Pininfarina.

1970 Ferrari 512 S
Ferrari’s 512 S represented yet another attempt by a manufacturer to take advantage of the homologation rules laid out by the C.S.I. (Commission Sportive International). It was a practice the C.S.I. was trying hard to avoid; manufacturers would build prototype racers, produce them in the required quantities and fit them with lights, horns, and spare tires - all the trappings of a road car. On paper, the 512 S was a car for the average Joe, but in reality, it was the fastest car Ferrari had ever built, capable of more than 235mph.

1971 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Spyder
Ferrari was more than back on their game at the dawn of the 1970s; at a time when other manufacturers were floundering, Ferrari created a modern, hugely capable and appealing car that became an instant superstar, the 1971 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Spyder. Many enthusiasts consider the Ferrari 365 GTB/4 to be the definitive front-engined sportscar, the ultimate example of the traditional grand tourer, and it is undoubtedly a classic design. The open Spyder configuration is a favourite among the world’s Ferraristi, and often mentioned as one of the cars most would like to own.

1983 Ferrari 126 C2B Formula 1 Grand Prix Car
Introduced in 1981, the new 126 was a technological marvel – initially producing 580hp from just 1.5 liters, the new V6 engine was more compact and allowed better aerodynamics. Handling was a challenge that first year, partly because of the boost characteristics of the new engine.

1985 Ferrari 288 GTO
When the FIA introduced new Group B Race and Rally regulations in 1984, Ferrari created a model that looked back to the glory days of their 1962-‘64 250 GT models. The 400 horsepower, twin turbo 288 GTO of 1985 was the result. It benefited from the intensive race and rally experience the Michelotto Company had gained from their successful and active campaign of the Ferrari 308 models.

1986 Ferrari 328 GTS
Introduced at the 1985 Frankfurt Auto Show, Ferrari created the 328 to replace the 308. Although the greenhouse remained unchanged, by smoothing out some of the 308’s more angular lines, Pininfarina managed to modernize the 328 and improve its aerodynamic efficiency. In GTS guise, the vinyl-covered fiberglass roof section was simply carried over from the 308.

1987 Ferrari F40 (prototype)
Something truly unusual, a prototype marking the birth of a car that defines “supercar,� one of the eight known 1987 Ferrari F40 prototypes, chassis 74049.

1992 Ferrari F40 (production)
Introduced in Europe in 1987, Ferrari’s new supercar was a shock to the senses. An engineering tour-de-force, the F40 combined raw-edged radical styling with state-of-the-art technology in engine, body and chassis design.

1997 Ferrari F310B Formula 1 Grand Prix
More than any other carmaker, Ferrari is and always has been a builder of racecars. A glance at the quarter-billion-Euro budget for a single season of F1 gives a glimpse at the scale of their operation, and the point of building street cars for then has always been to finance the racing operation. Maybe that’s why, rather than a flash in the pan, Ferrari comes back again and again, decade after decade, to the podium. Today’s car, their 1997 F310B Formula 1 Grand Prix car, is one that with the help of Michael Schumacher took them to the very peak of the sport once again.

1953 Ferrari 500 F2
The 500 F2, aside from being the first Ferrari not to have a 12-cylinder engine, is remarkable for the way it cleaned up in Grand Prix racing. In 1952-’53, the 500 F2 won an incredible 14 of the 15 races it entered, with 11 of those wins going to Alberto Ascari, giving him the world championship in both years. The 500 F2 was powered by Aurelio Lampredi’s 1,985cc inline four, which used dual overhead camshafts to produce 165hp at 7,000 rpm (bumped to 185hp at 7,500 rpm by 1953).

2006 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano
The Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano represents an artful blend of Ferrari’s famous front-engined V-12s from the past and a great deal of the modern technology found in their road and race cars. It is fitting that Pininfarina, famous for many Ferrari designs, including the famous 365 GTB/4 “Daytona� from which the 599 clearly descends, designed the all-aluminum body. With its long sloping nose and short upswept tail section, Ferrari claims a 200 mph-plus top speed. Aerodynamics certainly help: The vacuum created by the 599 GTB’s lower-side venturis can exceed the car’s lift by over 400 lbs. Meanwhile, the freestanding flying rear buttresses that control the airflow laterally around the 599 GTB’s curved rear glass minimize drag.

Yesterday we atPOKE launched a new project. That, in it self, might not be a blog-worthy piece of news, but this little project includes a GPS device, four web-cams, a field divided into 80 zones, a bull called Derek, some Glastonbury tickets, a tiny sign-up form with an absolutely brilliant cognitive test and a Uniform Resource Locator:www.orange.co.uk/spotthebull/.

More than a handful of new (some new to the world, some new to me) music albums have found their way past me the last couple of weeks. Normally I stumble upon new stuff every other week, so this is a much higher rotation than normal. I haven’t given all of them justice yet, some of the albums have just gone through the wires of my headphones once, but I have gotten a good enough idea to share my highs and lows.

This is the line-up:

1. Favourite Worst Nightmare by Artic Monkeys
2. Volta by Bjork
3. Radiodread by Easy Star All Stars
4. New Moon by Elliott Smith
5. Giant by Herman Düne
6. Ego by Kristoffer Jonazon
7. Latest Version of the Truth by Mustasch
8. Year Zero by Nine Inch Nails
9. Pieces of the People We Love by The Rapture
10. Release the Stars by Rufus Wainwright
11. What if Leaving is a Loving Thing by Sahara Hotnights
12. Our Ill Wills by Shout Out Louds
13. World of it’s Own by Tingsek
14. Sky Blue Sky by Wilco

So, the majority of the albums are OK. Some are more promising (Easy Star All Stars, Wilco, Rufus Wainwright) than others (Sahara Hotnights, Bjork, Kristoffer Jonzon), but none of them are a waste of time.

The biggest disappointment comes naturally from the one with the highest expectations - Year Zero by Nine Inch Nails. Many people hated their previous album — With Teeth, which I had absolutely nothing against what-so-ever. But this one just doesn’t cut it. Trent Reznor is a genius. He has shown that album after album. This is not a work of a genius.

The actual campaign for the album has received quite a lot of press, offline as well as online. I prefer a good album above a good campaign.

But, as I said: the expectations on the album were high. Even if it was a huge disappointment, it still is one of the better albums so far this year. It’s just that the below image, is nothing I associate with a Nine Inch Nails’ album.

The play count clearly shows that the idea of listening to the album is greater then actually listening to the album. Many starts, few finishes.

It’s been almost 4 years since Elliott Smith took his life. So this is not a new album with new material, this is a new album with old unreleased material. Like many other people who have followed Elliott since his early days, I find the old Elliott Smith material is better than the new, and this album is a better last album from a genius as Elliott Smith than From a Basement on the Hill. New Moon is a must buy for everyone.

Joakim Jansson introduced me to Herman Düne a few month ago with a link to the music video ‘I Wish That I Could See You Soon‘. (I actually prefer the unfinished version full of green people before the finished version). It’s a lovely video to a lovely song on a lovely album. I can’t remember the last time an album made me as happy as Giant by Herman Düne.

There is nothing wrong with the actual idea or the execution of the movie over at bringtheloveback.com. It’s well written, funny and well done.

No, the problem is not the message. Nor the delivery. It’s the sender that makes this piece lose all it’s strength.

Microsoft… bringing the love back… with Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions…

It’s going to be really interesting to see how Microsoft is going to bring the love back… with Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions… (seems like the first step is to buy parts of already existing love).

Microsoft. They have embraced the love so well with their Windows, Office…

How would a video illustrating how Microsoft has spread the love to all their customers throughout the years look like?

In sweden we have a saying.
Don’t piss against the wind.

As a christmas present from POKE this year, Simon Ridgwell and I received a Ferrari Experience from Red Letter Days. People who know me know that I’m not only a huge fan of the Scuderia Ferrari (Formula 1 Team), I’m also a huge fan of the the main sponsor of the team: their amazing road cars, and that this present is realistically the closest anyone could get to giving me the perfect present without spending about £100000 (which would be overwhelming, but I wouldn’t turn it down).

It was something special.

As the title implies, I lost my license two days before I was scheduled for my mighty experience. I didn’t lose it on a traffic related incident, rather in a weird “Disappeared Along With My Wallet and Mobile Phone From My Fat While I Was At Home” incident… it is still not resolved (and probably never will). It looks like someone just walked in through the front door and picked them up from the table and left.
When I realised that the wallet was nowhere to be found, I got a cold-sweat whether or not I would be allowed to drive with no physical driving license, just a photocopy of the passport and driving license I sent to the Smile bank when I applied for an account.
It turned out that the people at Donington Park were very relaxed (and understanding) over the fact that I just had a black-and-white copy of my driving license.

Getting there

Since it was a bit of a special day, and since Simon Ridgwell is a proud member of Classic Car Club, he decided to go there in style. We left from Hammersmith at 6.30 and arrived to Donington Park Grand Prix Circuit at 9:14, which gave us about 60 second to sign in — which was plenty, in a Rolls Royce Silver Spirit. To be honest, the gasoholic Rolls Royce probably shares more genes with his cousins at sea (boats) than it’s fellow friends on the road (cars). Smooth ride though.

Introduction

Before we got guided to the track we had a short introduction. It was a brief outline of the day, some rules and some history about the track. Very brief but very helpful. What I didn’t know (and that was a pleasant surprise) was that they actually had a Formula 1 race at Donington Park, the 1993 European Grand Prix, which is mainly remembered for Ayrton Senna’s opening lap.

MINI Copper S

The first step was to learn the track, so we got behind the wheel of a MINI Cooper S for 15 minutes with an instructor. The MINI Copper S was a very pleasant surprise and a very very funny ride.

For me the first step was split into two parts.

1. Learn to change gear with the right hand.
2. Learn the track and drive it race-driver style and not road-driver style.

After the first corners, Redgate, going into Craner Curves, my instructor asked me, very politely, “Nico, have you ever driven a manual?” Obviously I wasn’t doing that great on point A. I told him, “Yeah, just need to get used to the gears”. Around corner 7, McLean’s, still on the first lap, he asked me again, this time with a bit more seriousness in his voice. “Nico”, he said, “are you sure you have driven a manual before?”. Then I just had to give the long explanation that I’m not use to having the gear stick on the left side.

On the third lap going into corner 4, Old Hairpin, I was already making huge progress, and about 3 laps later I was throwing the gears into place (mostly just between 3rd and 4th) and could finally focus on part B — drive the track like a race-driver and not a road-driver.

Towards the end of the session I was doing OK. But I wasn’t like, “get on with it, I know this!”, rather, “can’t I stay in the Mini for another 15 minutes?”

Single-seater

So, going into the single-seater I wasn’t that confident. I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t be able to get the most out of it.

The single-seater had the gear-stick on the right side, which was nice, but what a gear-stick…

The cockpit was tight. And everything was in “race mode”, with that I mean the clutch, the break, the throttle and the gear box were not very polite; they were very stiff and — you know — not very “comfortable” or “forgivable”. It took me four attempts to get the car going. It stalled 4 times. It wasn’t that embarrassing, it was more worrying to what would happen on the actual track…

But once I got going it was just fine. It wasn’t a comfortable ride as in leather seats and classical music (or lovely engine sound), but it was comfortable as in: this thing is stuck to the road. The max speed was (supposed to be) 145mph (234km/h). I don’t know if that was true or not. All the indicators in the car were switched off. On the Strakey’s and Weatcrof Straight it felt like the car had reached it’s full potential, and it didn’t give the sensation of 234km/h… maybe I’m just greedy ;)

Ferrari 360 Moderna

And then it was time for the finale — the Ferrari 360 Moderna. During the day the Ferrari’s had been on the track creating lovely acoustic, and every time they got on the straight you just had to look down towards the end of Weatcrof Straight. I’m sure it’s just a novelty, but the sound of the engine is hypnotising.

Im not unique being a great fan of the Ferrari road cars or the Scuderia — they are very easy to like — but Ferrari, to me, is something unique, and the more this world “evolves” the uniqueness of Ferrari as a brand and idea just grows. It might seem as an easy formula, but they do what they do with great passion, the heart in the right place and for the right reason.

The 360 Moderna had no clutch or gear stick, instead you, in true Formula 1 style, use paddles situated behind the steering wheel to change gear. This was soooo nice. I don’t know whether I would prefer it over a normal gear-stick on the right side (probably not on a race track), but now, sitting on the left — this was just perfect. Now I could focus on listening to my instructor, focusing on the apex and improving my driving.

It was magical.

I have no idea, and to be honest — I don’t care, what top speed I got up too. It didn’t really matter once you were out there. A) Because it did go extremely fast and the car just kept begging for more. B) It was more about getting the whole thing to flow smoothly and letting the engine sing. I actually didn’t look at the dashboard once during my drive.

To me, if somethings gonna be magical, special, unique; it has to have at least two reference points or units. Having a high top speed, being rich, being happy etc and so on, it’s not special or even a hard achievement; it’s when you add a second or third unit to the equation it’s get interesting, special, hard or admirable.

Having just a high top speed is a bit like buying a pair of “nice” and expensive sunglasses and not understanding that it is totally irrelevant how the sunglasses look on the shelf, it’s when they are resting on you nose in-front of you eyes that they should fit. Ironically, the sunglasses mistake is something Italians do all the time.

The biggest disappointment with the Ferrari was the amount of time I got to spend with it. Think we only did four laps.

Lotus Elise

As a bonus, we got 2 laps in a Lotus Elise with a professional race driver. He was good. Very good. Professional.

I wished I got this ride before going into the Ferrari… but I do understand why they give you this treat after. Quite sure that if I drove the same line as he did, today Donington Park would have one less Ferrari.

Finally

Before I post the last photo of me getting out of the Ferrari, I’d like to raise my hat to everyone who works at Donington Park — especially the instructors. Everyone was extremely friendly and helpful. A huge plus and many thumbs up.

And, to be honest, if I was the instructor in the Ferrari sitting next to myself, I wouldn’t have pushed or let me drive as hard, and fast as he did.

The last two years or so I have received this question (title) a few times. More and more people I know are switching to a Mac and more and more people don’t know the answer to this question.

Every time I answer the question i give a different answer depending on who’s asking. There is no right and wrong. It depends what you are after.

This is a short and brief breakdown to get you in the right direction.
In alphabetic order:

• BBEdit, the grandpa of editors. For many years it had the throne.
• Coda, the guy’s who gives us lovely Transmit have recently launched this application in an attempt to optimise the workflow.
• SubEthaEdit, invite people on the network to do the work for you. Innovative. Fun.
• TextMate, is my every day tool. It’s just an amazing sofware and time saver.
• TextWrangler, the free version of BBEdit. Used this for many years. If you are after “just an editor” and don’t want to spend money or have annoying “please buy this product” messages, this is the daddy.
• Xcode, with Apple’s developer package comes a editor. Maybe an overkill, but if you have installed the Developer Tools you already have an editor on you machine.

Hoaa! I’m beginning to feel a bit bad about leaving this weblog with a super-long-and-super-geekie formula one post as a welcome for over a week. But hey, the weather has been all time record great and I have had better things to do:

Besides spending some time with my guitars and loving my new bike, I have changed mobile-phone, been to the cinema, ordered a washing machine, works some on the next version of the welookgoodontv and Social Suicide website, begun to transfer some of my domains to a new host, played some on our new Nintendo Wii etc and so on, you know — general stuff.

I have also started to tidy up a bit around this weblog… after all — it’s been 1 year and 1 day since it launched! So, a small tidy up for the occasion. As you can see, the blue line is gone (when CSS can deal with baseline better I might put it back), the typeface has changed (so now even PC users can read without getting a headache), the line-height is changed. I’m also working on the Tags page, the Archive page, the About page. We’ll see, maybe one day it will be complete.

OOOOOOOO, I almost forgot — Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey, the latest book by my favorite author Chuck Palahniuk, is on it’s way! It’s always a bit special when a new Chuck Palahniuk arrive in the mail box. Now, I really hope this book is getting a bit more like his first books. Haven’t been a huge fan of his latest; they have been ok, but not as good as the first (pre 9/11).

Joakim Jansson is coming to London tomorrow. He’s stopping by to say how amazing the Coachella festival was.

And, it’s bank holiday weekend this weekend! So, Willow and I might jump on a train on Saturday and head over to Bath.

Aaa, time for bed (and I need to tighten the chain on my bike).