The differences between people who can and can't drive a stick

From: http://jalopnik.com/

The latest infoporn from Hunch.com delves into the site's proprietary user data system to uncover the characteristics of people who can drive cars with a stick shift vs. those who can't.


The graphic, designed by Column Five Media, shows people who visit Hunch.com apparently know how to drive a stick shift more than the average American driver. Or at least they say they're able to drive a stick.
Either way, here's some of the results from the data about people who claim to be able to handle a stick:

• 69% more likely to have a graduate degree.
• 39% more likely to be married or in a long-term relationship.
• 19% more likely to be extroverts.
• 75% have changed a flat tire.
• 14% more likely to be optimists.
• 27% more likely to consider themselves close to nature.
• 22% more likely to hike, bike, or run at the park.
• They watch the Newshour with Jim Lehrer.
• They watch Face the Nation.
• They watch History Channel.
• They like George Carlin
• They read 1984.
• They read National Geographic.
• They like Trivial Pursuit.
So, if more people knew how to drive a stick, the world would be a better place. The numbers don't lie. Even if the respondents probably did.
See the rest of the data by clicking on the infoporn below:

Click to ENLARGE

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Man creates world's only turbine-powered Batmobile [w/video]

From: http://www.autoblog.com/

By Jeff Glucker

Having a real-life Batmobile in your driveway sounds like a fun idea. Upon closer inspection, however, it's not going to be that exciting. Most often, Batmobile replicas are powered by something like a junkyard-salvaged General Motors 350, featuring an interior reminiscent of a hastily cobbled together 24 Hours of LeMons racer. A man by the name of Casey Putsch decided he wanted a Batmobile to call his own, but he wasn't ready to settle for second-rate.

This particular Putsch is the same man behind Putsch Racing, an outfit that restores, designs and appraises all manner of items automotive. When we said that Casey Putsch wasn't going to settle for a low-rent Batmobile, we meant it. Instead, Putsch has assembled what he says is the only turbine-powered Batmobile in the world.

Under the long hood of Putsch's Batmobile sits a Boeing turboshaft engine plucked from a naval drone helicopter. The power output is rated at 385 horses, which is good for a vehicle that weighs around 2,800 pounds.

Besides the engine upgrade, this Batmobile has an interior that would make Bruce Wayne nod approvingly. That's all you can hope for really, since it's impossible to make Mr. Wayne jealous. Putsch strapped an Apple iPad into the center stack of his super(hero)car, which then acts as his avionics system and also supplies GPS information.

We have footage of Casey Putsch driving his creation available for you after the jump, which is worth it for the sound alone. We also have a handful of photos in the gallery below. Be sure to check out Todd Cooperider's website for more information on this mad machine.

10 Magnificent WTFMobiles

From: http://www.bannedinhollywood.com/

People take pride in their automobiles, which in some cases means they modify their vehicles to reflect their personality, which in some cases means they do everything in their power to make their cars look as retarded as possible.

Me? I love hamburgers, so naturally I modified my car to look like a giant double-double and every time I step on the gas six gallons of thousand island dressing comes out of my exhaust pipe — it gets expensive and my friends don’t really get it but I’m really passionate.

First 3D-Printed Car Hits The Road

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto
from: http://www.treehugger.com/

Credit: Stratasys

The Urbee has been an Automotive X Prize candidate and will be on The Discovery Channel's Canadian flagship Daily Planet. The car, designed by Kor Ecologic of Winnipeg, Canada, is an electric / liquid-fuel hybrid that will get the equivalent of over 200 mpg on the highway and 100 MPG in the city.

But it is also the first car ever to have its entire body printed out on a giant 3D printer.

Credit: Stratasys

According to a press release from Stratasys:

Urbee is the first prototype car ever to have its entire body 3D printed with an additive process. All exterior components - including the glass panel prototypes - were created using Dimension 3D Printers and Fortus 3D Production Systems at Stratasys' digital manufacturing service - RedEye on Demand.

The designers at Kor point out the benefits of Fused Deposition Modelling:

"Our goal in designing it was to be as 'green' as possible throughout the design and manufacturing processes. FDM technology from Stratasys has been central to meeting that objective. FDM lets us eliminate tooling, machining, and handwork, and it brings incredible efficiency when a design change is needed. If you can get to a pilot run without any tooling, you have advantages."

The implications for building prototypes are obvious; you go straight from computer to finished part in a lot less time. But imagine a few years down the road, when everyone might order up the car body of their choice from a catalogue and just bolt it on a standard chassis. Ding the side? Just print up a replacement.

Top 20 Awesome Fictional Cars

By Ben
From: http://gadgets.gunaxin.com/

20

The Mystery Machine

Scooby Doo

This car didn’t really do much but check out the paint job. Can’t top that!

19

The A-Team van

The A-Team

It’s the preferred vehicles for solders of fortune!

18

Christine

Christine

This care isn’t really cool, it’s haunted, but that’s kinda cool so let’s give it a spot.

17

Shaguar

Austin Powers

Yeah baby!

16

Munster’s car

The Munsters

Now you decide – is the Munster’s one better than the Addams family’s?

15

Addams Family car

The Addams Family

14

The Gadgetmobile

Inspector Gadget

Go go gadget car!

13

Bluesmobile

The Blues Brothers

12

Ecto-1

Ghostbusters

I like it because of the alarm sound it makes.

11

The Flintstone’s Car

The Flintstones

For the time, this was an amazing vehicle. Sure, you had to use your feet to use it, but back then, people had stronger leg muscles. And check out the real version:

10

Shag’n Wag’n

Dumb & Dumber

This van can’t do anything special, but it’s made up like a dog, which is perhaps the most creative thing anyone has done to any of these vehicles. Sure, the van in Scooby Doo has a cool paint job, but this… well this is a dog.

9

Herbie

Herbie

Though it’s only a Volkswagon Beatle, he has a mind of his own and is capable of driving himself.

8

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

I mean, look at it. Imagine going to prom in this thing.

7

The General Lee

The Dukes of Hazzard

Because this car can withstand backwoods jumps and routinely outrace cops, it gets a spot on this list. Only if my ‘97 Mercury Mystique could do that.

6

The Homer

The Simpsons

Homer has never worked so hard making anything, and he had all the resources to do it. Sure, it bankrupted his brother’s company, but that’s gotta be one amazing car.

5

Lightning McQueen

Cars

I nearly forgot this one and all the kids who read Gunaxin would’ve called me retarded for the oversight.

4

James Bond’s Aston Martin

James Bond

Just about any one of the Bond cars could’ve made this list but the Aston Martin will represent them all.

3

KITT

Knight Rider

A talking car in an 80s TV series? This is Gunaxin, of course it’s going to be on this list!

2

Batmobile

Batman

There are many variations of the Batmobile, so pick your favorite.

1

DeLorean

Back to the Future

Despite it’s frequent technical difficulties throughout the film, and its need for 1.21 gigawatts of electricity, this bad boy can time travel, which is far more than any of the other vehicles can do, which is why it’s no. 1 on this list.

The Cars of the Playboy Playmates

From: http://jalopnik.com/

Since 1964, Playboy's given a car to every Playmate of the Year. This year, the magazine gave Hope Dworaczyk a BMW S1000RR motorcycle. This exclusive retrospective shows how her bike stacks up against the rest of the Playmate garage.

The tradition of Playboy giving its Playmate of the Year (PMOY) a car to go with the title's customary monetary prize of $100,000 started in 1964. That year, PMOY Donna Michelle won herself a 1964.5 Ford Mustang convertible. It was painted in a shade known as Playmate Pink, and the gift coincided with the launch of the original 'Stang.

Over the years, the cars have ranged from tame vehicles like 2007 PMOY Sara Jean Underwood's Mini Cooper S Convertible to powerful roadsters like 1965 PMOY Jo Collins' Sunbeam Tiger, and serious muscle cars like 1969 PMOY Connie Kreski's Shelby GT500 Fastback — the latter equipped with a 428 Cobra Jet V-8.

1996 PMOY Stacy Sanches has the only 4x4 — a Jeep Wrangler — and at least one unfortunate playmate received a kit car as her prize. Porsche is the most patronized marque, with a whopping eight cars. There are four Jaguars on the list, three Corvettes, and three Shelbys.

Do the girls have any choice in the matter? We know from an interview with 2005 PMOY Tiffany Fallon that she was asked what car she wanted, or at least given options:

When I became Playmate of the Year, Playboy asked me what kind of car I wanted, and I jumped at the chance to get into a Corvette, which I still have. It's a really hot car, and I've only been stopped twice for speeding.

We bet she got out of those tickets.

Where do the cars come from? They're often donated as part of a marketing campaign — as with the original Ford Mustang — and, on other occasions, are purchased by Playboy. Though the playmate doesn't always get to pick the car she's won, she's usually allowed to choose its color. (Playmate Pink stopped being offered as an option after 1975 PMOY Marilyn Lange's Porsche 911S.)

Jalopnik's independent study of PMOY cars yielded a list more complete than the one Playboy itself keeps on file, mostly because the magazine doesn't have a complete record. Playboy was nevertheless invaluable in helping discover a few PMOY cars that we were unable to find or verify. Neither Jalopnik or Playboy was able to find cars for two playmates (1991 and 1994), and it's entirely possible they didn't receive cars at all. (One got a boat!)

That said, we've compiled this — the best gallery ever built of the cars of Playboy's Playmates of the Year.

To see the above gallery on a single page, click here.

If you'd like to read more about Hope Dworaczyk, Playboy's 2010 Playmate of the Year, the magazine's June issue hits newsstands and Playboy.com on Friday, May 14th and includes a first ever 3-D centerfold. More photos of Hope are here.

(Special thanks to Steve Mazeika and Playboy for providing assistance in verifying and completing the PMOY list. All photos copyright Playboy Enterprises unless otherwise noted.)

Send an email to Matt Hardigree, the author of this post, at matt@jalopnik.com.