I own a Porsche Boxster and I'm a huge fan of all things Porsche (well, except for their outrageous pricing schemes). I'm not sure that I'm going to buy a Cayman. After all, it's the only coupe that costs more than its convertible counterpart; it is identical to the Boxster convertible version. On the other hand, the Cayman is one of the most beautiful cars I’ve seen and it delivers more power than any Boxster that Porsche has ever sold. The Cayman, like most Porsches, causes a visceral reaction, which leads to loyal owners returning the dealership despite irrationally high pricing. The only thing I don’t like about the Cayman is the name. Caiman is a crocodile; Cayman is an island. The name was meant to sound like Cayenne and Carrera and I don’t think a crocodile was the primary inspiration. I say call a spade a spade and the Cayman should be the Boxster Coupe.

My favorite car of all time is the Porsche Carrera GT. I stood and stared at it forever at the 2004 Detroit Auto Show. How can you not respect this car? After all, the Porsche Carrera GT did set a new Nürburgring record. I was hoping and dreaming that the US market would be flooded with the model and that the price of used Carrera GTs would eventually drop to within my means several years from now. Alas, Carrera GT Production has been cut back due to low demand and safety regulations, confirming that future price drops due to market glut are even less likely to happen.

My wife hasn’t stopped talking about the Lexus 400h. There is no doubt that she wants it to be her next vehicle. The true incremental price of the hybrid version is more than the $3000 to $4000 Lexus initially quoted. How about an entry-level version where the options are actually options and not $6000 standard features? Even with the Lexus RX 400h qualifying for a $2,000 tax deduction, it is still overpriced. A Porsche Cayenne Hybrid would be an interesting alternative, but I’m sure it would be even more overpriced.

I enjoyed a recent story about diesels and hybrids duking it out in a cross-country drive, which shows that diesels can be more fuel-efficient that gas-electric hybrids. Too bad more cars in the US are not available with diesels; maybe the 2007 low-sulfur diesel fuel regulations will convince more European manufacturers to bring over their diesels. Some experts suggest that manufacturers should be investing in both hybrid and diesel technologies. My ideal commuting vehicle would be a crossover vehicle similar to the upcoming Audi Q5 with a diesel or diesel-electric hybrid powertrain.

Since I work for Cummins Incorporated, the original diesel engine company in US, I’m interested in all things diesel. I worked in the Cummins aftermarket engineering group and loved a recent story on "Hot Rod Pick-up", especially the quote"the B-series Cummins makes the most power due to its strength, with the GM Duramax and Ford Powerstroke forced to run a bit less boost." There is no doubt that Cummins B-series in an amazing engine. On a different note, I recently read a blog comment that suggested that Ford owns Cummins. Not that rumor again! It’s so common that there is even a FAQ somewhere on the Cummins home page that states this is not the case.

I attended the F1 USGP in Indianapolis this year. I went through stages of being disappointed by the race, being angry at Michelin, being relieved and forgiving after the rebate announcement, and finally being elated about the return to Indianapolis in 2006. I received my refund check yesterday and I'll be attending the race next year; I've already purchased tickets.

Two weekends ago, I attended my 4th and final CEDIA Expo to see all of the great new home theater gear. I love going because all of the latest gear is there and experts, and even the designers themselves, are often there to display the equipment. Unfortunately, it will probably be my last CEDIA because the show has grown to be too large for the Indy Convention Center. At least there is a convention center expansion planned, but it won't be ready until next decade.

This was the best CEDIA I attended as far as new product goes. It topped CEDIA 2001, where all of the generation 1 720p DLP projectors were debuted. There were multiple products that really caught my eye, starting with the Texas Instruments 1080p DLP demo. This was absolutely the best projector image I've ever seen. I'll definitely be upgrading to one of these in the future, most likely one of the less-expensive single chip versions. The Sony VW100 (a.k.a. Ruby) was also impressive. It's a 1080p LCOS projector that will be shipping before the end of the year and retailing for less that $10k. This projector is going to be great for consumers since it puts downward price pressure on all 1080p projectors, even through I didn't enjoy the image quite as much as the TI 1080p projectors.

I was happy to see an updated Philips Pronto Pro NG 7500. It fixes 2 major problems: the hard buttons being indistinguishable in the dark and the RF base station receiving too much interference from other equipment to function properly. Now, if they would just make a software mod to enable button backlights with the pick-up sensor.

I was very impressed by the Anthem Statement D2 preamp / processor. Having a video processor capable of 1080p upscaling is impressive. Being able to overlay volume and source info over this scaled video makes it a killer feature in my opinion. I'm also very impressed that existing Statement D1 and AVM 20 and AVM 30 owners will be able to upgrade their boxes to incorporate these features. Now if they can just stick to their release schedule. . .

Finally, I really like the new Embassador recliner from Bass Industries. It doesn't look quite as nice as the Executive version, but the extra padding in the back makes it even more comfortable. That, in combination with the height adjustable headrest that rolls forward and the option for electric recline, makes this be best chair on the market. It's way pricey, but the leather is top quality and available in about any color you could want.

Wow!

I've always liked Hootie & the Blowfish, since I first heard them around 1994. At least 3 times since then, I'd considered going to one of their concerts, but never did. Today, finally, I did. I was expecting a great concert. It was, but it was better than that — it was one of the best concerts I've ever attended. I liked the new material, loved the older material, and enjoyed the covers. The band was full of energy and the songs had grown and matured from their album versions. With between 6 and 8 people on stage, the layers of sound and avenues of expression were wider that anything I'd heard from them before. In short, I'm now more of a Hootie fan than ever. I regret all those years of concerts I've missed. Next time the band is anywhere near, I'll be there. As soon as I got home I ordered their latest album Looking for Lucky. I didn't know it was out but I certainly do now. From what I heard at the concert, it could every bit the album Cracked Rearview Mirror was.

The setting itself was great for any concert. 15 minutes from my house, abundant and close parking, great ribs before the show, no seats to mess with in front of the stage, and a great location during the concert near the stage. The weather was perfect. I'll be back next year so long as Hootie is there.

I attended my second Here Come the Mummies show at The Patio in Broadripple. These guys are so much fun. In the past year, the songs have grown into "live performances" rather than "songs from an album".

My favorite song of the night was definitely Ra Ra Ra; the percussion break and solos were much better than any other version I'd heard. My other favorites from their first album (Terrifying Funk From Beyond The Grave) were Believe (in Things You Cannot See), which started the show with mummy march cadence into the building and on to the stage, and Strange.

Songs from their second album (Everlasting Party) that are quickly growing on me are Dirty Minds and, despite myself, Attack of the Wiener Man. If you want to see a bunch of talented musicians in mummy outfits laying down some fun and nasty funk, the Mummies are the only game in town. If you listen closely enough to the lyrics, you may even catch something that is not suggestive. . .