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We recently discovered the incredible phenomenon of NASCAR-themed romance fiction, stories filled with passion and grease and beautiful people being driven swiftly to ecstasy and Victory Lane alike. What follows is a brief selection from one such tale.[Deadspin]
Back in the 60s, astronauts had to compete with monkeys to make their way into space. Today, NASA and GM have developed a new trainable, expendable crew member. Its name is Robonaut2.
[Gizmodo]
Usually car companies talk about how awesome their cars are. Since recalling millions of its vehicles, Toyota has had to persuade people their vehicles won't kill them. Today, they bought newspaper ads throughout the country to try to do this.
[Gawker]
Here's what I learned about stock car racing last night: It requires a lot of shuttle runs, garage floors are never dirty, and the people who do it live in gigantic stainless steel kitchens (which are also never dirty.)
[Deadspin]
Stop the madness! Rumor has it, the new Mad Max film, which features Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron, will be half CG animation. Which is the exact opposite of what a gritty post-apocalyptic film should be.
[io9]
Researchers have developed a way to boost the naturally-occurring oils in tobacco, increasing its potential for use as a biofuel. Big tobacco plus big oil? What could possibly go wrong?
[io9]
Cobra Electronics has expanded its line of radar detectors with the world's first touchscreen models, which will let you know of upcoming radar and speed cameras. They've also got the first model for under $200, which unfortch isn't touchscreen.
[Gizmodo]
This bridge in Siberia is wobbly, narrow, long, and really high above the water. How anyone crosses this bridge without completely losing control of their bowels is beyond me. So let's see someone cross it!
[Gawker.TV]
Nearly a third of Detroit's homes are vacant, and along with the residences, the city's stately hotels and cultural centers have been abandoned as well, falling into dramatic disrepair, their grand ruins still showing the promises of a once-booming city.
[io9]
When a UK electric rail was disabled by the snow and cold, 100 passengers were left stranded. Until a Tornado came and whisked them home. That is, the steam engine named Tornado, built with 1940s tech. Speed isn't everything. [BBC]
[Gizmodo]
A working cable car would be just the thing to help your modified action figure ornaments travel up the Christmas tree. I mean, the tree is like Everest to them. [Walmart via OhGizmo]
[Gizmodo]
Lexus commercials be damned— women love getting cars for Christmas, no matter what brand they are! Here are sixteen different women receiving sixteen different cars and expressing a myriad of emotion (surprise, confusion, happiness) in sixteen different ways.
[Gawker.TV]
We get a massive amount of tips in our inbox each week. Some are pretty interesting, but don't get published for one reason or another. (NSFW and NOT SAFE FOR CHRISTMAS.)[Deadspin]
Crazy Uncle Tony's got a beachfront home, priced to move! These deals won't come around again, so act now! He'll even throw in a brand new Porsche! So do we have ourselves a deal, or what?
[Deadspin]
It's a 25,000 dollar Neiman Marcus cupcake automobile, and it's customizable! There are wheels, icing, a throttle, sprinkles, and most importantly a hat. Look at Dave go!
[Gawker.TV]
Some people have useful talents like juggling fire, or playing the keytar at a bus terminal for money. This guy has been touched by a beautiful angel with his ability to turn raspberries into car engines.
[Gawker.TV]
What do you get when you combine millionaire playboy Bruce Wayne with his superhero alter-ego, Batman? The stretch limo Batmobile, that's what.
[Gizmodo]
When Nate Heagy heard that the Google Street View team was coming to his town, he quickly hatched a plan to promote his band: He would stalk out the Street View van until he managed to get his picture taken.
[Gizmodo]
In an early Mad Men episode, Roger Sterling is asked what women want. "Who cares?" he replies. But the Sixties advertising revolution — invoking Freudian-influenced research — did care. And even more so when it came to what men wanted.
[Jezebel]
The car's come a long way since Ford started mass production 100 years ago, but science fiction takes transportation even further. Here are six scenarios for the future of driving, and the real-life developments that could make them happen.
[io9]
Washington Post columnist Anne Applebaum is A) married to a high-ranking Polish politician, and B) critical of Russia's shady government, which makes it—in the most general way—kind of alarming that her car blew up yesterday. [Update: She's okay!]
[Gawker]
Do you know what are terrifying? Forklifts. Check out our collection of the Most Disastrous Forklift Fails and understand the irony of dumb forklift operators who wear hardhats — there's nothing there to protect!
[Gawker.TV]
The vice president's motorcade was in a midtown Manhattan crash last night, their third in one week (three means trend), one of which caused a fatality.
[Gawker]
Just read an article about a truck that drives around Las Vegas with a stripper dancing in it, and boy are my preconceived notions about that place tired (from being completely confirmed.) Whatever happens in Vegas, is ridiculous in Vegas.
[Gawker]
We're glad that Congress has made progress on improving America's broken health care system, but let's not lose perspective. At least we don't need full-fledged ambulance reform, too!
[Gawker.TV]
While some science fiction fans like to dress as their favorite character, some handy fans prefer to dress up their cars as incredibly detailed replicas of movie machines. We take a look at the futuristic vehicles on the road today.
[io9]
You may think that your GPS has a superior attitude now, but imagine if you could see its expression as you take a wrong turn for the seventh time. A new "driving companion" adds a little personality to your directions.
More »
The Way We Live Now: In a new way. Which is not to imply it's a worse way. It's just new, and different. Corporate America hasn't been doing so well. They need...a "new deal," if you will.
[Gawker]
This "piss poor excuse of an ad" has been banned in England. The billboard, which reads "Nice Headlamps: What do you look for in a car?" was judged to be offensive, and many agree, frankly kind of lazy. [Adrants, Copyranter]
[Jezebel]
EA's casual installment of the Need for Speed franchise is coming to the Wii next month, and we've got a first look at the colorful car lineup for Need for Speed: Nitro.
[Kotaku]
People bitching about TomTom's $100 iPhone navigation app can either a) bitch louder or b) download MotionX GPS Drive by Fullpower. It's $3 per month or $25 per year, and it works just fine.
[Gizmodo]
What is our billionaire Mayor-for-life up to, today? Oh, he has some great ideas for parking! He will make it so easy to park in New York, if you just give him one more term. Parking will be his legacy.
[Gawker]
First shown at WWDC, the free app can extend reservations, browse available models, and find your car—on a map, or by honking the horn remotely. It's a polished effort, but you still can't forget your Zipcard. Here's why:
[Gizmodo]
Note to gas station employees: When describing a customer in writing, maybe go with something a little more nuanced than "black lady big fat." Especially when you know someone's going to hand her the paper you wrote that on. [UPI]
[Jezebel]
This August, Gran Turismo designer Kazunori Yamauchi did more than drive on Germany's famed Nurburgring, he finished won the VLN race— his third race and first in an actual racing car. But what does this mean for Gran Turismo?
[Kotaku]
Turns out that the revolution of personal transportation vehicles will be televised after all. Plans have been announced to make a reality show out of the contest to win the Automotive X Prize.
[io9]
In Japan, they take custom carsseriously. Just look at some of these! A Buddhist priest spent $110,000 creating a car with gullwings, scissor doors and a splithood. Oh, and then there's the $280,000 Batman van.
[Gizmodo]
The Legend of Neil musical episode has finally been released, featuring the whole cast breaking out in song — including Felicia Day's sex-crazed flasher fairy from season one. It's probably NSFW.
[io9]
Huge infusions of money would seem to have helped Tesla Motors: the electric-car startup has escaped a bitter lawsuit from founder Martin Eberhard and finally sited a power-train factory — and that's just this week. But other fights loom.
[Gawker]
This is the new path to success: quit Wall Street, drive a cab, and then make it big in the TV business. Are you listening, laid off derivatives traders? It works!
[Gawker]
Here's a photo of an Argentine rally driver running into a herd of wild horses somewhere in the Patagonian hills. One of them had to be put down. This is basically a metaphor for the industrial revolution.
[Deadspin]
The Krupp's Bagger 228 is more than meets the eye. It is the world's largest digging machine, and it moves! If Michael Bay hasn't already ordered it up for the screenplay, he's not doing his job. [Gawker]
Don't worry, the sea god was uninjured when his Escalade plowed into another car in downtown Baltimore. But let's not forget he's already on probation for a DUI...[WJZ]
[Deadspin]
A tipster in Los Angeles just sent us this picture, snapped from his car on Los Feliz Blvd., right up the street from Scientology's Mission of Los Feliz. So, who was driving the car?
[Gawker]
The U.S. government's Cash for Clunkers rebate program is popular with both consumers and headline writers, but some cars might not be worth trading in under its guidelines. Time suggests five things to think about before handing over your keys.
[Lifehacker]
Facesquatters beware: Facebook is coming for you. The social network rolled out short usernames less than two months ago, now it's starting to revoke the ones it doesn't like.
[Gawker]
Times have changed: in my day, the consequences of taking a car on a joyride because you don't want to attend church were a lot more Biblical than a trip to NYC, national TV exposure and four days without videogames.
[Jezebel]
NASCAR's Jeremy Mayfield is being sued by his stepmother, Lisa, for "slanderous, false and defamatory statements" she says he made about her. You mean the murdering whore thing? Wait ... you were upset about?
[Deadspin]
One of the good things about being a parent is that, during the summer, you're fully justified in eating all the goddamn ice cream you want.
[Deadspin]
You may remember the light cycle footage with the big reveal from last year's Comic Con. Well, Disney has released the footage at last — see the bearded Bridges glory!
[io9]
What's the one thing better than fast cars? Fast cars...with hot babes in the front seat. Especially babes like Madison Welch, who makes a cameo appearance on this Sunday's episode of British car show "Top Gear."
[Fleshbot] [NSFW]
Oldskool curbside racial profiling is so last century (last season?) As Tracy Morgan explained on Letterman last night, nowadays, the premier transportation problem facing Lamborghini-owning African-American males is being mistaken for the taxi drivers who used to pass them by.
[Jezebel]
You know you've done things while driving besides driving. Old ppl at the Times would like you to know: it's bad, shame on you, and you should play our video game to see how good at it you are.
[Gawker]
As noted last night, NASCAR says that Jeremy Mayfield failed another drug test, but he has fired back with even more outrageous countercharges—like implying NASCAR's chairman is on drugs and flat-out accusing his stepmother of murdering his father.
[Deadspin]
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and how many of you drive to work each morning without any pizza in your stomach? This travesty shall be amended!
[Gizmodo]
As it lurches toward us, metal gears clanking and whirring like Larry King at a mixer, early reviews of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallencome trickling in. The word? Basically it's loud and garish and, worst of all, not fun.
[Gawker]
This is Joanna Angel. This is her Escalade, which was recently stolen. If you see it, please alert Joanna! (For more pictures of the car (and the girl), mosey on over here). (twitter.com)
[Fleshbot] [NSFW]
Prior to E3 2009, Gran Turismo for the PSP was largely considered vaporware, a driving simulation that felt like little more than a five-year-old announcement. But Gran Turismo is real—and it's coming to the PlayStation Portable this October.
[Kotaku]
In typical Fox News fashion, when we asked a Fox News writer how a Central Park cyclist ended up being dragged on the hood of his SUV for four blocks, he blamed the victim, calling the biker a "vigilante."
[Gawker]
A new schlock-peddler has appeared on the infomercial scene. This one's trying to sell you a pill that will give you vampire "powers" (read: sexual prowess) without the side-effects of crisping in sunlight or getting severe lacerations from a silver bracelet.
[BloodCopy]
Ferrari's limited-edition 510-horsepower 16M convertible comes packaged with a limited-edition iPod touch of its own. The touch is loaded with Ferrari-related videos and music as well as, bizarrely, Ferrari engine noises.
[Gizmodo]
After our vampire jesus fish post from last week, we went in search of other vampire-esque auto embellishments. Guess what we found? Fangs!
[BloodCopy]
A tipster sent in this photo of a curious car adornment on the back of a normal-looking soccer-mom SUV that was parked in the parking lot of the Garden State Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey.
[BloodCopy]
Today Glenn Beck, Fox News' maniacal dildo, had GM CEO Fritz Henderson on his show. Beck attempted to rope Henderson into his anti-governmentalism, even mocking Obama's "yes we can" slogan along the way, but failed.
[Gawker]
A mysterious video of a Tesla investor talking about a rumored investment in the company has popped up on YouTube. Valleywag has identified the blabbermouth: Victor Morgenstern, chairman of a Chicago private-equity fund.
[Gawker]
Awwwwwwww. Google is just so gosh darn cute sometimes. Like today. They have the little yellow Google Streetview guy walking around with his mom. Happy Mother's Day!
More »
#holidayshopping
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![Man Builds Mustang Out Of Lamborghini, World Goes "Huh?"](http://cache-03.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/12/2010/02/126x100_stangallardo_1_01.jpg "Man Builds Mustang Out Of Lamborghini, World Goes "Huh?"")
