Cowtown Chronicles

This week: Saying goodbye to The Wreck Room, why downtown drilling is bad for you, and what every well-connected blogger will be doing this Monday.

Okay, you’ll notice a few new things around here starting today. First, there’s obviously the new layout. I decided that the old one had gotten kind of stale, so I switched to a new theme.

Second, I’ve subscribed to FeedBurner for all of the site feeds, including the podcast. You can still subscribe to the podcast in iTunes (and I highly recommend you do), but you can also subscribe directly in whatever podcatching client you choose.

Lastly, I had to kill the embedded player for the podcasts. I don’t know why, but it just stopped working, and unfortunately it stopped at the worst possible time for us. I had to scramble to find a new way to provide the content, and I think the combination of embedding it in the post (so you can listen in your browser) and using FeedBurner/iTunes for the podcast will do the trick.

PLEASE let me know if anything you really liked is broken now. I tried to change as little as possible with how the site actually functions while changing as much as possible to make it work better.

Thanks for reading and listening, we’re glad to have you!

Technorati Tags: blogging, fort worth, personal

Don’t forget bloggers! Tomorrow night, 7PM at The Chat Room Pub. I’m not going to make signs or anything, I’ll just be the big bald guy lurking in some corner with a beer in my hand.

Hope all of you can make it!

Technorati Tags: beer, blogging, fort worth

The Flying Saucer (all 11 of them, in fact) are hosting the national toast to Michael Jackson, this Sunday at 8PM.

Conveniently, Sunday is Texas Pint Nite at the Saucer as well, so anything brewed in Texas is $2.75/pint. (Yes, it’s twenty-five cents more expensive. There’s a hops shortage.)

All proceeds from the toast go the National Parkinson Foundation.

Technorati Tags: beer, charity

You may have noticed that there have been some issues lately with the podcasts. The software I’m using just released a new update, and I’m going to see if that takes care of the issue. If not, then I’m going to have to figure out how to get everything back to where it was before when the podcasts actually worked.

And I wanted to spend today at the Cultural District, but now I’m stuck inside fixing things.

Update:  I can’t figure it out.  I’m going to research alternatives for hosting the podcast tonight.  I’ll keep you updated.

Technorati Tags: blogging, bugs, cultural district

Yesterday I took the day off work to attend the unveiling of the final versions of the Hybrid Yukon and Tahoe SUVs from GM. I promised that I’d write up my driving impressions this morning, but unfortunately my “real” job got in the way. I’ve got a few minutes, so here’s the scoop: (Speaking of scoops, I posted my story about these vehicles last night, and the Star-Telegram had a story in this morning’s paper. Does that count as a scoop?)

I’ll be the first one to tell you that I haven’t driven a vehicle bigger than my Accord since the last time I drove my brother-in-law’s Avalanche, which was probably 3 years ago. I honestly had no preconceived notions of what driving something the size of a Yukon would be like.

I was pleased that getting into it was not the ordeal I expected. The hybrid models ride about an inch lower than the standard models. That’s not a huge amount; Jenna’s aunt Kay would probably still have trouble getting into and out of it, but for the average person it’s not too bad. The driving position is relatively comfortable, but the lack of a telescoping steering wheel made finding the “just right” position something I didn’t have time to do during my short drive around the exterior of Fair Park.

The Yukon doesn’t have a starter button like most of the other hybrids, instead you turn the key the same way that you would on a conventional car. Upon startup there’s no starter noise or activity; the batteries engage, the electrical system starts working, and you’re ready to go. Shifting into drive also doesn’t give the usual “clunk” that anyone who drives an automatic is used to. Since you’re running on the electric motors, it’s simply ready to roll away immediately.

Traffic was heavy inside the fairgrounds because it seemed like EVERYONE was only about half-ready to open for the actual fair, so I got a taste of stop-and-go immediately. The gas engine in the Yukon didn’t even turn on until I got outside the gate of the park and onto the surface streets, and the change from the electric motors to the combustion engine and conventional transmission was only noticeable if you were really looking for it.

I didn’t get the chance to take it on the freeway, but I have to say that I was impressed with how direct the steering seemed. It was nothing like I remember the Avalanche being, which was honestly a little scary it was so vague. I felt like the Yukon would go where I pointed it without me having to make constant corrections to keep it between the lines.

Breaking was pretty solid as well. Since it’s a hybrid, it uses regenerative braking to both stop the vehicle and recharge the batteries. I got to put this to the test when I passed a backhoe (EVERY street around Fair Park is under construction), then had to stop quickly at a red light. I never felt out of control or as if the truck wouldn’t stop. The “feel” of the regenerative brakes is definitely different than that of conventional brakes. Or maybe I’m just used to the good braking system on my Rabbit.

The interior was very luxurious, nice leather seats, good materials on the dash (when will we get over thinking that wood makes a CAR look more “classy”?), and a Bose stereo system with navigation built-in. The nav screen doubled as the feedback area for what the hybrid system was doing. The display is very similar to the Prius’ system, if you’ve seen it.

So, what’s my verdict? I won’t be buying one, that’s for sure. I have absolutely no use for something that big and enclosed. Jenna and I have been discussing getting a truck, which would be much more useful for us than any SUV. However, if I WERE in the market for something like that, it would definitely be on my short list. The city fuel economy is a pretty strong argument for the Yukon or Tahoe over nearly any other full-size SUV.

Technorati Tags: cars, chevy, fair park, GM, state fair

Some of you may have heard that I was invited today to the official unveiling of the production models of the Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon Hybrid models. I realized at some point during the day that this isn’t nearly as big a deal as being invited to drive a pre-production model (which I’ve done before, but that’s another story) of some new car. Really today was a chance for GM to wave the flag and rally the troops in support of a couple of new vehicles which will come out of the Arlington Assembly Plant, and which I’m sure will sell very well here in Texas.

Those of you who come here regularly will know that I’m not a professional journalist. I’m really not much of a professional anything; I’m just a guy, you know? I wasn’t sure what to expect from this whole situation, I just knew that I had a very nice lady e-mailing me and asking me to take some time out of my day to be treated really well by General Motors at Fair Park. How could I turn that offer down? So, I asked people to post questions to the blog for whatever “executive” they trotted out to appease the blogger (and not even an automotive blogger!) from Fort Worth. I was expecting some mid-level division something or other, or maybe a director of engineering or design or whatever.

Imagine my surprise when I got to the display area and Lisa (my host for the day) told me that if I was ready, she’d arrange for me to spend a few minutes with Ed Peper, the General Manager of the Chevrolet Division for GM. Not a General Manager at a dealership, but the General Manager of ALL OF CHEVROLET! I think I rather suavely picked my jaw up off the floor and squeaked something like “sure, I’ve got a few questions,” then proceeded to explain that I’m not a real journalist and I was really afraid that I’d make a total buffoon of myself. Lisa assured me that it’d be fine and that Ed was really easy to talk to, and you know what? It was.

The first question I asked was the only one that I’d really thought about (and I didn’t even have to think much, since it was provided by PeteG in response to my post earlier this week). ”What is GM’s timeline for following Volkswagen’s lead in changing their entire product line to Hybrids?” Ed’s response was that “By the end of this year, GM will have more hybrid models than any other manufacturer. They’re real, and they’re out there now.”

He went on to explain that GM’s philosophy is that there are multiple solutions for improved fuel economy.

Currently they have 8 vehicles which get 30+ MPG on the highway, 1.5 Million cars on the road that can run on E85 Ethanol, and have announced not only the hybrid Tahoe and Yukon models, but also the hybrid Malibu. GM is also testing a hydrogen fuel cell powered version of the Equinox, and an all-electric car announced earlier this year called the Volt.

We discussed the plusses and minuses of the various fuel types and whatnot for a while, then I asked about something that has burned me up since I first started learning about European cars. Every model of Volkswagen sold in Europe has a diesel engine available as an option, the same is true for nearly every Ford. NO US manufacturer offers diesel engines in their mid-sized or small cars in the United States. I asked Ed if GM was planning anything like that. He said that some things are on the drawing boards, but he couldn’t really talk about the plans now. He could tell me, though, that GM will be putting diesel engines into its light trucks starting in calendar year 2009. This means that you won’t have to move up to a 3/4 ton truck just to get a diesel motor.

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting when I got there, but at this point, almost 12 hours later, I still don’t feel like I was “handled” by any means. I feel like everyone I spoke to was there to provide information and make sure that I felt like I was getting enough info. Of course, everyone was trying to position their company and products in the best light possible, but I don’t think it went overboard, definitely not with Lisa or anyone that I spoke to.

Yes, I got to drive one of the new SUVs, and yes I will tell you about it.

Tomorrow. It’s way past my bedtime, so I’ll write up my impressions tomorrow morning.

Technorati Tags: blogging, cars, chevy, fair park, GM

I finished my ride and drive/press conference/auto-show-at-the-fair preview earlier today. I’m still processing it all and I’ll try to have a wrap-up (with pictures!) up tonight.

Yes, PeteG, I DID ask your question, and you’ll probably be surprised to find out who I got to pose it to.
I’m actually posting this from the VW dealership at which I used to work. Why does it take AN HOUR to change the oil in a new VW Rabbit? I’m switching to Amsoil and doing it myself after this, I think.

Technorati Tags: cars, GM, green, state fair

As mentioned in the podcast, Saturday is the Day in the District festival in the Cultural District. (Carol just wrote to tell me that Day in the District was organized locally among the museums and other groups in the District.  It’s just a happy coincidence that it coincides with the Smithsonian’s national effort.)  Apparently this is a nationwide thing, so if you’re not in Fort Worth, go to your local museum and (hopefully) get in for free!

Now that I listen to it again, I didn’t say what day the event actually was. Well, it’s SATURDAY, and you should totally go. (I also said that the Cultural District was east of downtown instead of WEST of downtown where it actually is.)

Technorati Tags: fort worth, museum, cultural district

Okay bloggers, I’ve set the date for the “Blogger Summit” here in Fort Worth. Of course there are no planned special presentations or anything like that, I’d just really like to get everyone together to talk about the stuff we do.

Unless something drastic changes (which will of course be announced here), plan on meeting on Monday, October 1st at 7PM at The Chat Room Pub (I’m not linking to its MySpace page because it’s painful to look at; please finish your REAL site soon!). I see that Pete G. already likes it, so at least he won’t complain about the venue.
Hope to see everyone there, and of course my tens of fans are welcome as well!

Technorati Tags: administrative, blogger summit, fort worth, magnolia, the chat room pub