Joe Elliott

            On the occasion of the semi-legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado and full legalization in Uruguay, this much review of some "basics":

                        * If you are a secular sort, or believe in heaven, hell, and judgment but think adults should each be free to go to hell in our own ways, then recreational drug use is a matter not of community morality but public policy, which translates into harm reduction in terms of public health and safety. If you believe otherwise, stop here, puritan, 'cause the rest of what I have to say will just tick you off.

                        * Smoking is physically harmful and should be discouraged; hence, the smoking of marijuana should be discouraged as bad in itself and as a gateway drug to nicotine. Banning smoking, however, would be a very harmful prohibition; so all smoking should continue to be discouraged in the manner of current law, policies, and taxation. Fortunately, relatively few people want to smoke marijuana to smoke but smoke in order to get high — which can be done pretty safely. (And "pretty safely" is all that's required: many things worth doing are worth taking some risks to do, e.g., SCUBA diving and pub-crawls.)

                        * For those into an "organic/Whole Foods" approach to life, marijuana can be made into tea and baked into foods more wholesome than brownies. To the best of my knowledge, no research has ever correlated lung cancer with the literal cuisine part of what has colloquially been called "Rasta cuisine."

                        * For an organic chemistry approach, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) can be readily and reliably extracted from cannabis, certified for strength and effectiveness by the FDA, and sold in measured doses in "State Stores" and/or by licensed private enterprises.

                        * Recognizing alcohol and tobacco as drugs, and food sugars as "food-drugs," leads to recognizing most human cultures as drug cultures of one variety or another (human alcohol use is very ancient and very widespread). Part of raising kids in drug cultures — i.e., most societies — includes introducing them to the cultural drugs of choice. US states and localities need cautious experiments in getting parents to again teach their kids how to "drink" (i.e., imbibe ethyl alcohol for its psychoactive effects) and responsibly use THC delivery systems other than smoking.

            It's really very simple people: normal behavior over human history has included getting high. So let's expand the armistice in "The War on Drugs"; those "wars" have become far too literal and have produced a net surplus of casualties. We need legalization and sensible regulation.

            That would be moral, and prudent.

This 1975 O 309 D camper (3093821002525252) is said to have 13 years of maintenance and repair records totaling more than $11,000, and though not perfect sounds like a decent candidate for an easy, partial restoration. Its drivetrain is pretty interesting and consists of a 3,8 liter turbo diesel four and 5-speed manual with 3-speed secondary gearbox in tandem. It’s said to have plenty of power to easily climb mountain roads or tow a trailer. and a long list of recent work is detailed in the ad. Find it here on eBay in Port Townsend, Washington for $14,950 OBO.

everyone else gets online

This 1980 Fiat 131 has been given a quality Abarth Rally treatment. Fitted with a tuned 2 liter Lampredi twin cam said to be good for 175 HP at the crank, it’s probably very rapid and undoubtedly makes a beautiful noise. The seller claims no expense has been spared in its build, and the level of preparation and quality of workmanship on display are fantastic. Find it here on Rally 24 in Portugal for 115k euros (~$155,549 today).

Along with the Delta Integrale and E30 M3 we’ve always thought these flared Mirafiori’s are some of the best-looking competition boxes ever built. This one shows good panel fit and fresh, clean, white paint, and though we appreciate the builder’s relative restraint we think it’d be even better without the few Pirelli and Carello markings. It looks fantastically mean with a face full of lights, foursquare stance, and massive rally flaps. We’d drive it even if it ran a stock single cam and automatic. Thankfully that’s not the case.

The cabin is immaculate and beautifully built, with a crackle finish black sheet metal dash and neatly installed fuses, toggles, and gauges. Something about a nicely equipped race car dash turns us into excited ten year olds, and we just want to flick every switch and push every button this one has to play with. Period correct high back chairs are fitted with harnesses, and though not pictured we imagine they’re tethered to the neatly fitted full cage. A long, windy shift lever sprouts from the biggest leather boot we’ve ever seen, and it’s obvious the car’s seen very little use since completion based on the cleanliness of the bare floors.

The engine bay is clean and shows a similar high level of finish to the rest of the car, though we’d swap out the bright blue plug wires and rad hose for black items, then strip the velocity stacks back to bare metal. The firewall mounted ABARTH badge needs to go as well. Otherwise we have no complaints other than the fact we can’t hear it rev out–there’s mention of a dyno video but unfortunately no link. An Abarth 5-speed, Bilstein-equipped coilovers, and locked diff are the only other mechanical specs given, and the car is sold with some unspecified spare parts.

We want to drive the wheels off this buzzing little box of frenetic revs and oversteer in a mixed tarmac/dirt setting, but wonder if we’d be able to hold back tears the first time it sustained gravel rash. Best to get out there and get it sideways in the gravel ASAP before losing the nerve. If the new owner has trouble committing to the task we’ll be glad to help.

Between the nested quotation marks and the quotation marks around nothing, I really think this brings unnecessary quotation marks to a whole new level. Thanks Lane.

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Take a pic of radiation? There's an app for that

Late last year, an app called GammaPix garnered some media attention as a kind of low-cost geiger counter. Now, a US test lab has confirmed that yes, smartphone cameras can detect radiation.…

A couple years ago, I reviewed typographer-lawyer Matthew Butterick’s book, Typography for Lawyers. It “isn’t just for lawyers,” I said then, “it’s for anyone who cares about how text looks in print or on the Web.”

Now Butterick has web-published a new book on typography for a general audience, Butterick’s Practical Typography. It covers the same subject, but without directives specific to the legal profession.

This time it’s not a print book. It’s not an e-book, either. It was created and coded by Butterick himself specifically for the Web. You can read it through like a book, but it’s set up as an easy reference guide, with links to font basics, font recommendations, text formatting, sample documents, etc. For those in a hurry, there’s a “Typography in Ten Minutes” section.

The book is freeware, but you can kick the author some compensation for his work through the website.

I love type. I’ve read many bookis on the subject. Butterick’s are by far the clearest and most useful of them all.

-- Russ Mitchell

Butterick’s Practical Typography
Free

Sample Excerpts:

Criticizing Helvetica is one of the fa­vorite pas­times of ty­pog­ra­phers: It’s bland. It’s overused. It’s in­apt for most projects. All true statements.

Yet they sort of miss the point. It’s like criticizing Star Wars be­cause the vi­su­al effects are un­re­al­is­tic. Or be­cause the di­a­logue is wood­en. Or be­cause the plot is pinched from The Hidden Fortress. All true state­ments. But so what? It’s still Star Wars. And like Star Wars, Helvetica will be with us for the fore­see­able future.

Should you use Helvetica? Look, I like Helvetica. Though most­ly in the rear-view mir­ror. Today, we have bet­ter op­tions. For Helvetica diehards, there is neue haas grotesk, a love­ly re­vival of the orig­i­nal Helvetica de­sign. Others can try a font that’s neu­tral with­out be­ing dull, like my own concourse, or the ex­cel­lent new atlas. Even good old frutiger would be an improvement.

And don’t wor­ry—no mat­ter which al­ter­na­tive you choose, Helvetica will still be with us.

*

The hyphen (-) is the small­est of these marks. It has three uses.

1. A hy­phen ap­pears at the end of a line when a word breaks onto the next line. These hy­phens are added and re­moved au­to­mat­i­cal­ly by the automatic hyphenation in your word proces­sor or web browser.

2. Some mul­ti­part words are spelled with a hyphen (top­sy-turvy, cost-effective, bric-a-brac). But a prefix is not typ­i­cal­ly fol­lowed with a hyphen (nonprofit, not non-profit).

3. A hy­phen is used in phrasal adjectives (view­er-sup­port­ed ra­dio, dog-and-pony show, high-school grades) to en­sure clar­i­ty. Nonprofessional writ­ers of­ten omit these hy­phens. As a pro­fes­sion­al writer, you should not.

For in­stance, con­sid­er the un­hy­phen­at­ed phrase five dol­lar bills. Is five the quan­ti­ty of dol­lar bills, or are the bills each worth five dollars? As writ­ten, it sug­gests the for­mer. If you mean the lat­ter, then you’d write five-dol­lar bills.

After decades of big promises, false starts, and meager infrastructure, the first hydrogen fuel cell vehicle will go on sale in the United States next year. It's coming from Toyota, which promises a range of 300 miles and a fill-up ...

When Delta flight 2014 departs Minneapolis for Atlanta later today, it'll mark the last commercial passenger flight for a DC-9 aircraft.

Cars, buses, and rogue pedestrians are all conspiring against cyclists in congested cities. It's something that designer Norman Foster -- an avid rider -- wants to alleviate with a dedicated biking highway built above London's rail lines.

This 1974 Steyr Puch Pinzgauer 710M is said to be in exceptional condition with 50,000 miles. The Mattracks it wears are both very cool and very expensive–the seller claims they’re worth $35,000 on their own. These things are nearly unstoppable off-road with wheels, and in the right terrain we can only imagine these tracks improving its capabilities. It looks nice in photos but unfortunately no interior or engine shots are included. Find it here on eBay in Marathon, Florida for $27,500 OBO.

Atlanta's public transit authority has begun installing $10,000 urine detectors to try and stop people from relieving themselves in subway elevators.

This Peugeot 504 pick-up has been restored from either an 1982 or ’90 model, though we’re not sure as the Dutch to English translation isn’t great. Though most European made 504 variants ended production in 1983, trucks continued to roll of the line for another decade afterwards. The finished product looks great, and it’s clear by the many photos documenting the rebuild process a lot of time and money was invested to bring it to this point. Find it here at Peugeot Automobiles Karel Verhoeven in Haaren, Netherlands for 16,950 euros (~$23,113 today).

According to the translated text and based on what we can see in the gallery a lot of panels have been replaced, and headlights, turn signals, bumper, and other trim are also said to be all-new. The truck was originally sky blue, but the navy it currently wears looks great. We miss when pick-ups used to have the make’s name stamped into the tailgate, and it’s both unusual and very cool to see PEUGEOT emblazoned in caps across the back. The wood bed isn’t OEM, but looks good and sounds like the product of a high quality job.

Caramel leather looks great in combo with the dark blue exterior, and is a tasteful upgrade over factory cloth upholstery. Carpeting, switchgear, door panels, and the dash all look pretty much new, and we weren’t previously aware VDO made head units like the CD deck fitted here. By truck standards the shift lever is relatively short and reflects its car-based roots. It’s all very basic inside with manual windows and locks, but that’s just the way we like our trucks anyway.

A 2,300 CC diesel four sends power rearwards through a 5-speed gearbox which is said to have been offered only on later examples–we couldn’t find exactly when they became available, and there in may lie the trucks true age. Any Peugeot experts care to chime in here? The engine bay is extra clean, and looks as if very few kilometers have been travelled since completion. Ditto underneath the body. Discs, calipers, pads, shoes and tires are all fresh, and we’re sure that’s a heavily abbreviated list.

At this price and level of finish it’s certain that the little truck’s days of hard labor are far behind it, but with all the charm it has to offer it should still easily earn its keep as a weekend toy or occasional grocery-getter. We’d love to see it Stateside, and depending on its real model year that may already be a possibility.

After much deliberation, a controversial streetcar project will move forward in Cincinnati. It's a major step for the city, and for advocates of expanded urban public transit.

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An Australian gearhead and his equally nutty friend in Romania made all our childhood dreams come true by building an amazing hot rod out of Legos. It actually runs -- on air -- and the fact that it isn't any ...

The good news: the world has standardized on mini- and micro-USB. The bad news: the cables are too long for your day bag. This minimalist 3-in-1 connector combines a mini-USB, micro-USB, and an iPhone 30-pin adapter in a single gadget. As simple as possible, but no simpler, this is the cable Einstein would have carried. I’ve had mine for a year and use it every day.

-- Meng Wong

Innergie Magic Cable Trio
$15

Available from Amazon

Bungling bandits liable to have sustained fatal rad dose in truck snatch blunder

Mexican troops have recovered a stolen shipment of radioactive Cobalt-60 isotope, abandoned by truck thieves who face the risk of a slow lingering death from radiation poisoning.…

Norev’s 1/18-scale replica of the Fiat 500 Giardiniera stands out as one of the best-detailed 500 scale models manufactured to date. The fact that they chose to reproduce a Giardiniera, the wagon variant of the 500, adds to the model’s desirability because 1/18 and similarly-sized 1/16 500 sedans have been replicated countless times over the years by companies like Solido, Bburago, Welly and Minichamps.

Norev has gone above and beyond in packing the Giardiniera with life-like details and the switches on the dashboard, the fuel lines coming from the tank, the marks on the speedometer and even the springs that hold up the front hood in the real car are all accounted for. The rear seatback folds down like in the real car and the trunk floor flips open to reveal the engine but it does not stay up by itself.

No model is perfect and the 500 Giardiniera has its share of defects. The most annoying bit is undeniably the roof, which is inexplicably made out of a piece of plastic that is poorly integrated into the metal bodywork, giving the wagon an overly tall silhouette. Additionally, like most 1/18-scale Norev models of the era the Giardiniera is very fragile and even picking it up and moving it around to take photos is a nerve-racking experience

The blue Giardiniera was introduced several years ago and the car has since been re-released in red with an open soft top and white with a closed soft top. Finding one in a model store is hit or miss but most online retailers should carry at least one of the three version.

A Georgia man was lead out of his house in handcuffs for the absolutely heinous crime of plugging his EV in without asking permission. The reprehensible reprobate absconded with an entire nickel's worth of juice.

This 1984 Volvo 240 started life as a wagon and was converted into a pick-up about 15 years ago. It’s done very well and we like how the rear window is a fully integrated former tailgate that has retained the former wagon tailgate wiper. The seller says it runs great, burns no oil and gets 26 MPG. It looks clean in and out and benefits from new tires. We’d be tempted to swap in a manual but otherwise this cool little truck is near perfect as-is. Find it here on Craigslist in Salado, Texas for $4,250.

I’ve been using Dorot’s frozen garlic, basil, ginger, and cilantro cubes in my cooking for a little over a year, after discovering them in my local Trader Joe’s. Now I don’t need to keep buying a garlic bulb or piece of ginger root every other week, after the unused portion (which is most of it) has lost its freshness. The cubes are conveniently sized (example: one cube = one clove), already minced, and last forever in the freezer. And I can’t tell the difference in most recipes from fresh.

-- Loren Bast

Dorot Frozen Herb Cubes
About $2 per 20-cube tray

This 1983 Audi Quattro was built by the Audi Sport factory to be a rally car, and has seen plenty of high-speed work over thirty years, including the Mount Washington Hillclimb and many SCCA rallies. It seems to have been reconditioned over the last few years by the seller, an Audi marque specialist, and thus should be nearly ready to hit the stages. A massive spares package is included, too. Short of a SWB Sport Quattro or Mouton car, this is the holy grail for Audi rally fans. Find it here on eBay in West Shokan, New York. Special thanks to BaT reader Tim M. for this submission!

This car is one of the cars campaigned by Bruno Kreibich throughout the ’80s in various rallies throughout North America. Some interesting history is available here, via an owner of a sister car. This example looks wonderful, with the massive box flares over the wide tires and Speedline wheels, and the big rear wing/oil cooler combo. Much of the bodywork is lightweight carbon/Kevlar, and you can see the bare weave easily on the underside of the trunklid.

Inside, it’s all business. The tweed-covered Recaro seats look unusually comfortable compared to modern racing shells. The navigator-accessible Halda rally computer will be invaluable for any TSD events the new owner chooses to enter.

It seems that the early 10V engine is fitted to this Quattro, rather than the later 20 valve unit. Though with period tuning, it likely puts out around 300hp–plenty for scaring the neighbors. The suspension and drivetrain have been toughened for the rigors of rallying, as evidenced by the well-scarred skidplate.

There are some truly iconic cars from the world of rallying: cars such as the original Mini Cooper, the Escort Mexico, Lancia Delta EVO, and the Subaru WRX. This Audi Quattro is another legend from the era of big boost and big budgets. The sound of a turbocharged Audi 5, chirping through the wastegates, is alone worth the price of admission.

I don’t own a Unimat yet, but have had the pleasure of borrowing a ’70s model for small projects from time to time. I’ve used it on metal, wood, and plastic.

It’s a miniature wonder tool, made in Austria. It transforms from a lathe, to a drill press, to a mill, and back again. The older model looks a bit like a home sewing machine and has similar dimensions. You can whip this thing out on a desk and start machining stuff.

It’s relatively inexpensive, especially compared to the larger individual machines that it imitates. I’ve created many smaller parts on a Bridgeport that could have been completed on a Unimat. Of course there are limitations on speed, power, and precision, but for certain projects it’s the perfect fit.

I’ve never used the newer black & red model that looks like it’s made from 80/20 beam, so I can’t speak to them. But the older ones are well crafted. They have the feel of a fine watch crossed with a classic kitchen appliance. The parts are solid and hefty. The motor is beefy. The design is simple and precise. A real joy to touch and work with.

For me the ultimate combo is a Unimat coupled with a 3D printer. Subtractive and additive making without leaving the office chair means maximum iterations on protoypes while still having the computer nearby for research or CAD’ing.

Unimat demonstration from Dustin Firebaugh on Vimeo.

-- Aaron Nipper

[Here's a video of Aaron's Unimat in action - Mark Frauenfelder]

Unimat Mini Lathe
Out of production since 1977
Check eBay for models and prices

We’ve been posting the coolest cars for sale anywhere in the world since long before the launch of BaT Auctions in July of 2014. With 11+ years of vehicles in the BaT Archives there are thousands of these features to revisit, and while they might not be for sale any more, it’s always fun to look at, read about, and discuss these interesting old listings.

-BaT

From 11/17/2013:

This 1980 Ferrari 308 GTB (chassis F106AB*28817) has been converted to historic Group 4 rally spec. In addition to looking absolutely, jaw-droppingly awesome it’s sold with full FIA papers and is said to be ready to race. The Lancia works inspired Alitalia livery shown here wasn’t ever actually used by any of the original Group 4 308’s, but nonetheless seems 200% appropriate. It’s been built, prepped, and now, offered for sale by a Finnish firm known for their very high standards. Find it here at Mäkelä Auto-Tuning in Kannus, Finland.

Lancia Stratos wheels have always been among the best designs ever made in our opinion, and they might look even better in this context. Wearing fat, fast tarmac spec rubber, they fill beautifully formed arch flares to perfection. A purposeful, long-travel ride height and giant, obnoxious mud flaps add to the car’s magnetic presence and outsized personality. The big light pod in front is another highlight in a car riddled with them.

Arguably, things get even better inside. A full-width, custom made sheet metal dash wears a lovely black crackle finish and is scattered like buckshot with well-labeled toggles, gauges, fuses, push buttons, and pull switches. A digital rally timer and deep dish suede covered wheel complete the dash, while door panels are clothed simply in black felt with rudimentary pulls and a single electric window switch per side. The pedal box assembly resembles a work of art, and we’re thrilled to see a standard looking open gated shifter and black plastic knob. Race seats with harnesses and a beefy looking roll cage help keep things safe.

The engine bay looks immaculately detailed, and it’s a pleasure to see the little quad cam, flat plane crank V8 unimpeded by the ugly fuel injection hardware later cars wore. We highly recommend scrolling through the MAT’s full photo set – the levels of craftsmanship and attention to detail shown are stunning. We’re positive it’d be a stunning drive, too, but looks entirely too nice to get dirty or risk smacking into a granite wall during the kind of flat-out driving  it’s been built for. Egged on by the wonderful noise it surely makes, we’d get over this feeling, but it wouldn’t be easy.

It’s hard not to be enthusiastic like an excited middle schooler about this car – this is us playing it cool. Really, there’s nothing to be said here that isn’t said better by a truly inspiring set of 50 photos in the ad itself. Go stare at them for a bit, it’s a great show.

I have carried my Just One Club Card around since 2006. This free site allows you to consolidate up to eight different bar-coded store loyalty cards into a single card that you can print out. Just enter the bar-code numbers in the form and select the store from a pull down menu, and click the “Create your Card” button. Instead of carrying around a bunch of cards in my wallet or key chain, I now have all of them on a thin piece of paper that I’ve laminated with packing tape.

Every time I whip it out to make a purchase it never fails to get a comment from the cashier about what a good idea it is.

-- Jason Tan

[The FAQ section of the website has a template for a folder with a cut-out window so you can slide the appropriate bar code into view for the scanner at the store you are visiting. Also, the "Create your Card" button is hard to find -- it's between two banner ads at the bottom of the page. -- Mark Frauenfelder]

Just One Club Card
Free

This NSU Ro80 is said to be all-original with only 46k miles on the clock. The year isn’t mentioned, but they were built between 1967 and 1977. One of the most innovative and forward-thinking cars ever made, they were unfortunately plagued with problems stemming from their Wankel engine, warranty claims for which eventually sank NSU. It’s too bad this one is RHD, but otherwise it’s likely one of the nicest left in the world. Find it here at Rotechniks in Berkshire, England for 6,995 GBP (~$11,136 today).