Tuesday, September 6, 2016

And #1 Is

NHL Network Top 50 player countdown Nos. 1-10

1. Patrick Kane, RW, Chicago Blackhawks

The best player in the League right now, according to NHL Network's expert panel, is Kane. He's the reigning Art Ross Trophy winner after he set NHL career highs with 46 goals, 60 assists and 106 points. That performance also earned the three-time Stanley Cup champion his first Hart Trophy as League MVP and first Ted Lindsay Award as most outstanding player as voted by NHL players.

Kane, 27, never has scored fewer than 64 points in a full NHL season since the Blackhawks made him the first pick in the 2007 draft. Entering his 10th season in the League, all with Chicago, he has averaged more than a point per game, with 663 (251 goals, 412 assists) in 658 games, and is sixth on the Blackhawks' all-time scoring list, behind Stan Mikita (1,467 points), Bobby Hull (1,153), Denis Savard (1.096), Steve Larmer (923) and Doug Wilson (779).

Complete list (NHL.com)

This Is A Great Read

How One Soviet Pilot Pulled The Sheet Off The Ghostly MiG-25

The MiG-25 Foxbat was an incredible rat rod of a plane—heavy, big and extraordinarily powerful—and it indirectly led to the development of Western planes like the F-15 Eagle. In the 1970s, the United States Air Force didn’t know much about it, until a Soviet pilot named Viktor Belenko decided to defect and landed one in Hakodate, Japan, 40 years ago today.

The fascinating story of how we learned about the MiG-25, as recounted by the BBC, starts with spy satellite footage that the West picked up, which showed a mysterious new Soviet jet. It had huge wings. It looked fast, from the blurry photographs we had of it. Nobody knew anything about it.

It was, for all intents and purposes, a ghost.

Meanwhile, Soviet citizen and fighter pilot Belenko’s life was falling apart at home, a divorce looming. He also began to question the entirety of the Soviet system, and if the West was really as bad as he’d been told.

After realizing that the huge, new MiG-25 that he was being trained to fly was his ticket out, Belenko started plotting. The day he flew out for training—September 6, 1976—he also had a full tank of fuel and a route.

But it was really in the aftermath of Belenko’s flight that the full implications to hold, as the BBC notes:
Japan only really knew what they were dealing with when the MiG made its surprise landing. The Japanese suddenly found themselves with a defecting pilot – and a fighter jet that had so far evaded Western intelligence agencies. Hakodate’s airport suddenly became a hive of intelligence activity.

The CIA was scarcely able to believe its luck.
(Jalopnik.com)

That's A Good One


(Bits&Pieces.us)

Did You Know - Your Car's Lights


(Bits&Pieces.us)

This Would Make For An Awesome Project Car

Junkyard Gem: 1972 Mercedes-Benz 350 SL


A first-year example of the legendary R107, now discarded.


They May Have Found Bernie's Selling Price

American investors Liberty Media set to purchase F1 for $8.5 billion

According to Autoweek, multiple outlets across Europe confirmed Liberty's purchase, claiming the American company is spending $8.5 billion to take control of the world's top tier of open-wheel racing. Liberty owns multiple communications and entertainment ventures, including the Atlanta Braves baseball team. Autoweek, citing The Sunday Times, said Liberty's acquisition of F1 would be a two-stage affair, with the 85-year-old Ecclestone retaining his position as CEO during phase one. Speaking to Auto Motor und Sport, Ecclestone said, "It is my decision what role I take." But that might only be Bernie's decision in step one – phase two could see Formula E boss Alejandro Agag take the reins.

While it sounds crazy considering his dominance of the sport, Ecclestone told The Sunday Times he'll "say adios" if he isn't a fan of the "noises" coming from Liberty Media. Here's hoping Liberty makes a lot of noise, and soon.

So, what will it mean for F1 if Liberty takes over, aside from everyone's least favorite CEO maybe losing his job? According to ESPN, the US-based Liberty would turn its attention to F1's traditionally weak position in the states, boosting marketing in a bid to raise awareness of the sport. The company has tie-ins with Time Warner, Viacom, and SiriusXM to leverage. But beyond increasing F1's US presence, Liberty Media boss John Malone may centralize the sport's marketing and promotional operations around the globe. Host tracks are generally responsible for promoting races – and keeping F1 in the public consciousness beyond the race weekend. Before we can know for certain what Liberty Media's plans are, the company needs to complete its purchase – expect to hear more on that front soon.

(AutoBlog.com)

This Is True


(BroBible.com)

Why This Number Is Still Important Is Beyond Me

Why zero to 60 mph performance is overrated


In the real world, those times don't apply

In the real world, acceleration is usually done when merging onto a highway or passing someone in the next lane. Neither situation has anything to do with how quickly a car will move from a complete stop. Another part of the problem with 0-60 times is the inconsistencies and inaccuracies that come with manufacturer claims. Tesla, when announcing its Model S P100D, claimed to make the quickest production car on the planet. That led to a debate about what defines a production vehicle. The Ferrari LaFerrari and the Porsche 918 both put down equal 0-60 times, but Tesla claims they don't count because they're low-volume specialty vehicles. Does Tesla have a point? Maybe. Does it really matter? No.

Manufacturer claims can be all over the place. Some are conservative while others flat out lie. Companies will make up all sorts of rules and pseudo-comparisons in order to look good. And they often game the test conditions to pad the stats. This is why independent testing and reporting, like that done by magazines and websites, is so important.

But even then, there are discrepancies. Ever wondered why the 0-60 mph time from publication A is lower than the one from publication B? It's generally not because one has better drivers than the other, especially in today's world of launch control and automatic transmissions. Nor is it due to equipment accuracy, as everyone uses Racelogic VBOX data loggers. The time difference is usually due to the liberal use of a correction factor and the needless application of rollout.  

GTA Just Saved A Bunch Of Money With This Dismissal

Lindsay Lohan's 'GTA V' suit against Rockstar Games dismissed 

The actress had long claimed her likeness was used without her permission for the 'Lacey Jonas' character in-game. 

After a lengthy legal battle against Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar Games' parent company, Lindsay Lohan's case has been dismissed.

The lawsuit revolved around the accusations that Rockstar used Lohan's likeness in Grand Theft Auto V as well as its marketing materials without her permission. The case has been thrown out entirely on the grounds that, essentially, there isn't a law about parodying people in a video game.

An appeals court in Manhattan ruled on the case on Tuesday, stating that Grand Theft Auto V does not fall under the statutory definitions of 'advertising' or 'trade'," explaining that "This video game's unique story, characters, dialogue, and environment, combined with the player's ability to choose how to proceed in the game, render it a work of fiction and satire."

(AutoBlog.com)

How Tight Is Your Circle?


(CavemanCircus.com)