Olympic Ski Jump -- For Tires

Have you ever wondered what kind of tire performs the best?  You can go to Tire Rack or Consumer Reports to find that information. 

But what if you want your tires to win a gold medal at the next winter Olympics in the ski jump competition?  What kind of tire would you choose?  As luck would have it, we have your information right here.  

Another public service from Caught at the Curb! 

Jalopnik: Japan fixed this quake-damaged road in just six days

Japan fixed this quake-damaged road in just six days:
From Jalopnik

Amazing....just amazing.  Why can't we do that over here in the US??

REAL-TIME RADIATION MONITORS IN JAPAN and the US

Real-Time Geiger counter webcams to monitor radiations levels in Japan.  I'm adding more as I find them, so check back often. 

Note:  Normal range is usually under 60 CPM. Over 130 is not good.
100 CPM is equivalent to 1 microsievert or 0.1 millirem.

NOTE:  Many of the sites linked below, especially the ones on UStream, are run by private individuals and may not have proper calibrations.   They should be used as reference only.

Sites marked "***" are still active as of Dec. 2012

JAPAN: (due to rolling blackouts, some sites may be offline temporarily) 
Otaku Radiation Level Japan Live: Otaku Radiation Japan
Tokyo Radiation Level Japan Live: Tokyo Radiation Japan Live
Chiba Geiger Counter Radiation Level Japan Live: Chiba Geiger Counter Live
*** Hino City updating graph: Hino City Graphing
Tokyo, Japan: Geiger_counter@TOKYO
Yokohama, Japan: Yokohama Radiation
EXCELLENT interactive map:  Target map (click, zoom, appears to be current)
*** Another good interactive map:  Japanese gov. site (I think)

USA: 
Santa Monica, California:  EnviroReporter
USA Radiation levels: Radiation Network  
USA Radiation level map: Blackcatsystems 
EPA's USA radiation map: RadNet map (click on the bubbles for info)




Please don't forget to check out the rest of the blog while you're here!  

8.9 EARTHQUAKE STRIKES JAPAN

From CNN

At 5:46 UTC (2:46pm local time), a massive 8.9 earthquake hit Japan about 230 miles NE of Tokyo.  Several aftershocks ranging between 6.0 and 7.1 have also hit within an hour of the big one.  The devastation is, as you would expect, horrendous, and the reports are only now starting to come in.  The resulting tsunamis have also taken their toll.  Please consider helping when the time comes. 

What do Japanese rednecks drive?

There is a streak of redneck in all of us, and rednecks need trucks, but what are you going to do if you live in Japan?  The cities are crowded, gas is expensive, parts are hard to get, and it's hard to import older American iron there.

Fear not, there is a solution from a company called Blow.  Get your online translators warmed up...the site is in Japanese.