New Website Design (Google Sites)

I'm trying out Google Sites, in an attempt to redesign my website with some more basic templates. The goal is to stop using hand-coded HTML pages, and rely on all of the great free features and plug-ins through Google. More to come later.

Assault on Charlotte Motor Speedway

I figured I already spent enough money this month on a new car, so why not spend Black Friday driving it! The Charlotte Motor Speedway has an annual sale on NASCAR merchandise and opens the track up to anyone with a car and $25 to go out and drive a few laps on the track. A few of us met up with a group of Mazda Miata enthusiasts and did a group of laps together. There were right around 20 Miatas of all ages from Virginia through Georgia all there to take on the track.



In the morning, I had to take a quick photo op with some very cool looking fog hanging over the small lake in Blythewood on the way up to Charlotte. I compiled some of the better portions of the photos and footage from the day. Driving and filming duties were shared by both Brian and Robert Nixon. Had a music track in there, but Youtube won't allow it for copyright reasons so I'll hopefully have some audio on there a little later on. Sorry for the silence. Enjoy!

Final Work on the Miata for the Weekend

As a quick recap, it was pointed out that I failed to mention trading in the Pontiac a couple weeks ago for a 2004 Mazda Miata. After a lot of research and test drives, I found my current car. It's a Mazdaspeed edition which makes it the only Miata to ever get a turbocharger from the factory, increasing its overall power by about 25%. On top of added power, all of the suspension and chassis is up-rated to be more sporty.

Today started out looking good to complete my exterior detailing, but started raining by the time I had finished. Today I used a clay bar, polished and waxed a car for the first time. Got a lot of tiny scratches and swirl marks out of the paint, and now all the water beads up and rolls right off. Looking forward to seeing it in the sunlight tomorrow.



Having a roof over the car wash area at the apartment complex came in handy today. Hopefully next weekend I should have received the cleaner and protectant I ordered online for the cloth convertible top, so it will keep keeping me dry.

iPod Recall

While cleaning out my old emails from the last month I noticed one from Apple which I hadn't previously noticed. There is a recall on the first generation iPod Nano to ensure the batteries used don't explode as they age. Unfortunately, this means I will loose my customized "Brian Nixon Don't Fake the Funk" engraving. Since I still use it 6 years later (which is pretty miraculous for modern technology), I suppose it might be better to not risk having it melt through my pocket one day and trade it in.

Automotive Dentistry and Other Car Care

I've had the Miata for a couple weeks now and I had a list of various basic maintenance items I wanted to take care of, so today I set out for the famous Nixon's Blythewood Garage in Blythewood, South Carolina.

One of the cosmetic modifications the true Miata enthusiasts make is to remove their car's "baby teeth". There are two metal loops attached to the front of the car's frame to help secure it when shipping from Japan and are not very useful for much else. When you look at it head-on, they stick down at an angle that make them look like goofy teeth. It's a simple procedure; reach into the mouth and unbolt them without scraping your knuckles on the inter-cooler. I've tried to show one of the baby teeth sticking out in the photo below, and after removal in the second photo.





Next, I needed to thoroughly clean the carpet. It's in great condition, but after sitting out in it's first rain this week I quickly spotted a disconnected drainage hose in the passenger foot well thanks to a fantastic new aroma. I took this opportunity to remove both seats and clean all the carpet (and attach a metal clamp to hold the hose on from here on out).



...and if "Mazdaspeed" on the back of the car, rear view mirror, tachometer, foot sills, and oil cap, floor mats, and muffler weren't enough to remind you it's the special edition car...



All of the interior was cleaned, teeth extracted, and drainage repaired today. Tomorrow I'll take a shot at the exterior with a wash, polish and wax to finish getting it in top condition.

New Design and Some Great Sketching Inspiration

I've been working on concepts to re-design my website and blog to be a more cohesive style. Hopefully in the coming months, I will develop my website to more reflect the blog design. After checking out some videos at ID Sketching I was inspired to keep working with traditional media and then use the computer to complete any shading and color work. I really love the industrial and product design work on their site. ID Sketching has a great wealth of knowledge for anyone looking to brush up on sketching techniques or just looking to get inspired by other work. It's nice to watch other people complete a drawing from a sketch to really compare techniques and look for other ways to improve my own work.

Below is the ballpoint pen sketch that was scanned in to make the new blog header.

New GPU

After 4 years, my old video card finally died last week. I have been using my old computer for playing streaming video from the internet through the tv for a few months now and it's been very handy.  When it booted up with blotches of purple pixels and wouldn't send any signal a few times, I knew it was time to replace it.  Opting for a cheaper card now that its not my main work computer, I bought a Radeon 5450. The old card was a 3870.  The new card is the smaller one.