Blake Noble

Happy birthday!

That sounds fine to me. I think I'll work on a handful of banners and bounce the ideas off of you and DF if that's okay. EDIT: It's 5PM and there's no PM? I guess you guys have it under control?

If you still want me to try my hand at it, Olds, just PM me the base graphics and I'll happily work up a few ads. There shouldn't be much going on for the rest of the week over on my end.

I'm either trading the Challenger down to something cheaper as early as next month or buying a beater this spring. The situation is so messy it's hard to write a Reader's Digest version of what's going on. I've looked at a few vehicles over the last few weeks that would be appropriate for either situation: mostly Jeeps, a few trucks, and whatever rear-drive cars I encounter.

Welcome aboard! The Eagle Vision is probably my favorite first-gen LH car. It also seems the spirit of AMC is alive and well in your fleet.

There's a future in it I think, but it's a field that's been swept up in the tornado of advancing technology. There will always be printed media to a certain degree (read: backup), but the future of journalism really is specifically in the mediums of television (it's always a good idea to take a few classes related to broadcasting when you're shooting for a journalism degree) and the internet. I know I personally frequent quite a few blogs during my day, almost regardless of the situation unless I'm at a funeral or working, and that's how I stay up to date on current events. It's that way for a lot of folks. Blogs -- the ones you can take serious and that aren't personal, anyway -- are effectively replacing newspapers, along with e-zines and books that can be downloaded to PDF format which can be printed off. Also, thank the iPad, Kindle, and other tablets for contributing to the death of the holding power of printed media.

If there's one automaker I would actually want to see make a reemergence, it would be AMC. That company, no matter how thick or thin of a budget it had to work with, always managed to be innovative and forward-thinking with a lot of its cars. To think of what they would be doing now if they hadn't been absorbed by Chrysler is sort of depressing. If only AMC didn't neglect it's Rambler cars and loose focus on the core values it set for itself in the late '50s it probably would have grown up to be a strong player in the '70s. If AMC was still a healthy company building quality small cars like it was circa 1958 to 1962 by the time of the '73 Oil Embargo, it would have been the one American automaker that could have really knocked the living $h! out of the Imports. They would still be here today and, chances are, the Camry wouldn't be America's number one sedan.

I'll see what I'm up to Monday and if I'm in the clear I might try to start working on one or two designs. UPDATE: I'm off to a funeral (my great aunt passed away and my mother would like for me to take her) for the next two days, but PM some graphics to work with if you still want me to help.

That Cherokee is gone. Probably all for the best as well. However this popped up. It's a '90 GMC Sierra 4x4 with 140,000 miles for $750 bucks. It's not a Cherokee, but it's cheap enough to be very tempting. Thanks Camino. For the majority, I've got a good feeling about it. Trust me, I know where you're coming from. I studied graphic design for a semester only to drop out because I was unsure about how successful I would be in finding a job in that field locally and how long it would take for me to reap the benefits of that job once I landed it. Having listened to the horror stories of people who managed to graduate from college with a four-year degree only to wind up working at a fast food joint really rattled my nerves. I just can't stand the thought of meeting a fate like that when I'm fighting with everything I have to really make something of myself. If after a semester I decide a journalism major isn't for me, like you I'll probably pursue a minor in it at best and instead focus on a career as a radiologist. I hate appearing to be so scatterbrained about college, but I'm trying to make this all count for something and failure is not an option.

"Where does the Dirt Road Become a Parkway? DD Through Strange Times Pt. 2" Over a month ago, I composed and released the post above to the forums in which I described a few previous events in my life that has ultimately led me to where I am now: out of work, clawing to be let in at the front door of a local college, and paying for a debt that, as time goes on, I really can't afford to have. The situation seems quite bleak, and I suppose I tend to relay a bit of pessimism when I discuss it, but I'm also confident this will all work out one way or another. I've decided to jump for a major in journalism, provided I get accepted for the Spring 2012 semester and my feet stay as warm as they are now. Just in case, though, I'll have my first semester classes set up to where I won't be at a total loss if I decide to change my major. That might seem like uncertainty -- and I won't lie, it is -- but the fact is I do like blathering on, musing, and discussing the facts about topics that interest me. (That's why I've been trying to contribute a few extra news stories to the site recently.) If I have to declare a major to get my foot in the door, I don't have any problem choosing journalism and I'll cast any of my doubt aside if I'm stuck with it as my major. As far as another vehicle is concerned, I'm hung up on another Cherokee. Aside from owners who simply don't want to let theirs go obviously, folks down here seem to have quickly snapped up most of the decently priced Cherokees I've ran into in light of the coming winter mess. I'm sure as soon as March and April hit people will be looking to unload them just in time for tax season however. And that's great and all, but March is still a distant silhouette on the horizon and I don't think my tax returns will be enough to buy me a fair example. Sellers do tend to bloat asking prices for vehicles around tax season, regardless of whether or not their particular vehicle will be in prime demand. Of course, that knowledge only makes me want to scheme of ways to get one cheap. The fact I'm always poking around on Craigslist doesn't help either. That leads me to a listing I found tonight for a cheap '98 Cherokee 4x4 for $600. It's missing a bumper as well as something even bigger than that -- the title. I have a quick and easy way to raise the cash to get it, but I also get the damnedest feeling of deja-vu over the very thought of buying it. I think I may still call the DMV and educate myself about how to get a title for a vehicle purchased without one, but ehhhhh ... We'll see how it works out.

I'm not going to lie, I sort of have the hots for the BRZ. However, I would almost bet that my budget is sadly going to agree more with the sticker price of the Scioyota Fries 86 (or whatever the hell Toyota will call it in the US market).

The interior of the BRZ/GT86 reminds me very faintly of the Porsche 924 and 944 interiors. In fact, there's a peculiar 924/944 vibe to the BRZ/GT in general. I'm not going to lie, I sort of have the hots for the BRZ. However, I would almost bet that my budget is going to agree more with the Scioyota Fries86 (or whatever the hell Toyota will call it in the US market).

I think it looks pretty great. One small tweak I would make, though: increase the recent most articles from three to five and reduce the overall amount of articles on the front page from 11 total down to 9. I think it would clean it up a little more.

I might take a crack at it if I can dedicate the right amount of time to doing it. God knows I have the necessary programs handy that are just going to waste right now. I have a few questions, though, that could benefit anyone else interested: Just to check, these banners would advertise C&G correct? How many banners are needed? How large should they be? Any guidelines as far as graphics, slogans, etc.? Where on the web would these banners appear? That's another question that was on my mind ... Maybe he's over at the LH Forums ...

This should form the basis for the next Cherok -- errr, I mean Liberty: I also liked the original Commander concept from the late '90s.

What you're seeing in the image below the header is the 2013 Subaru BRZ and everything shown is pretty much what you should have been expecting all along. Although it has been slightly toned down, there are very few deviations from the BRZ STi concept shown at the LA Auto Show. In fact, upon close examination nothing much is really all that different from the recently revealed Toyota GT 86, the BRZ's mainstream-badged benefactor. The taillights and headlights have slightly different detailing, the fender vents are enlarged, and the BRZ trades in the GT 86's scowling maw for a faintly Peugeot-esque smile. Like the GT 86, the BRZ's curb weight is 2,662 pounds and the 2.0-liter, 197-hp boxer-four is exactly the same as well, although there are rumors that the BR-Z may eventually get an exclusive, uprated 300-horse version. It doesn't look like any past Subaru, that's for sure. And considering the fact that this Subaru is rear-wheel drive only, it probably won't drive like any past Subaru either. More photos and information will be released soon, so stay tuned. View full article

That's one reason why I haven't owned or considered many compact sedans myself: size and design tends to dampen practicality a bit. For smaller vehicles, a hatch or wagon body style makes more sense. Hmmm ... I can't remember the North American parts content of the Challenger, but I do know most ChryCo models do have it in high percentages. The few Patriots I've checked out were all five-speed, four-wheel drive with either a set of steel rims or 17" alloys. Sticker price was about $19k and none of them lasted very long. Out of the other three vehicles you mentioned, the Terrain would be the only one that I could see myself giving a passing glance to. The Equinox is too much of a soft-roader for my liking and the Escape is just plain boring. I hope GMC does something a little more with the next-generation Terrain. The exterior styling is mostly there, but the rest of the parts and bits are just standard Equinox fare. These days, I find more reasons to support Chrysler than I do GM. With GM it's been too many broken promises, too many missed chances, too few interesting products. Well, you know what you gotta do now.

God I love the Art Deco detailing on that car. (Bonus points for the suicide doors.)

It's good to know that I haven't been the only person around here poking around at the Patriot's front door ...

If this is as cheap or almost as cheap as the current Scion tC, there could very well be one Toyota out there that I won't ignore completely.

A unibody-on-ladder frame design could yield an interesting pickup. Anyway, it's good to know that there's a chance a real, small pickup will be over at the Ram stable and one less American automaker will be handing the market over to Toyota and Nissan. Now if only Ford would wise up ...

It needs a GMC horn badge in place of the SS one, but I like it overall.

Only in Ohio ...

Hmmm ... It's an interesting sleeper car. It's also nice in the sense that, if you ever grew bored with it, you could hunt down a nice A or G-Body roller and do a little transplant surgery.