One of the biggest knocks against the Avalon Hill version was that the starting number of Alien Races was small, and the promised expansions never came. Also many of the races that were most popular (but hardest to understand for beginners) were those omitted.

The game is so complex that "house rules" invariably come into play also, making for "regional" differences in the style of gameplay beyond just the inherent variability in "the Game That Breaks Its Own Rules".

The Mayfair Games version (along with the obligatory "More Cosmic Encounter" expansion has far superior playability, but isn't the best build quality. The "ships" are colored cardboard punched discs, and have started to show wear. The cone is doing a little better, but not much. I've actually been trying to figure out how to replace my ships and cone (and maybe even hexes) with something more durable, mimicking those "upgraded" versions of Monopoly, etc. that come with all hardwood boards, etc.

We own a LOT LOT LOT of games, including Card, Board, and otherwise, and Cosmic Encounter is still by-far my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE.

I'm not ashamed to admit that Frigits are one of my favorite toys, I have several sets and I have a special set of magnetic boards up in my home office so I can play all the time.

Don't even have kids yet.

Any of a number of Desert camping trips in an early 70's Westfalia microbus.

The more interesting data would have been to look at who was attempting to control the gun, and who tried to use it for what purpose. I'm sure it would have said a lot about the human condition.

Anyone, and I mean ANYONE who had an email address on Obama's rolls was thanked BEFORE the speech:

[insert subject name here] --

I'm about to head to Grant Park to talk to everyone gathered there, but I wanted to write to you first.

We just made history.

And I don't want you to forget how we did it.

You made history every single day during this campaign -- every day you knocked on doors, made a donation, or talked to your family, friends, and neighbors about why you believe it's time for change.

I want to thank all of you who gave your time, talent, and passion to this campaign.

We have a lot of work to do to get our country back on track, and I'll be in touch soon about what comes next.

But I want to be very clear about one thing...

All of this happened because of you.

Thank you,

Barack

If you didn't get this email, then I guess he didn't really take your money and run, did he.

In all seriousness, I bought my Z3 coupe' because it was the emotional successor to my Mom's '73 240Z that I grew up in.

Dad got the car in the divorce, and its still in the family. Rich black with maroon seats on an otherwise black interior. When I saw my Z3 with the Black/Dream-Red combo, I was immediately 15 years old again, waiting feverishly to be old enough to drive "the Z". I had to have it.

[en.wikipedia.org]

The Subaru topography has a lot of advantages, but one of the main disadvantages is large front overhang. For the front portion of the AWD system, the front wheels must line up with the front portion of the transaxle, which is roughly where the bellhousing is on a traditional longitudinal RWD engine topography. This means the bulk of the engine and its accessories must all be in front of the front wheels. The short nature of the 4 cylinder boxer helps this, but its a fact.

The net result, sadly, is that those renders with their cute short front overhang is not realistic if AWD is in the cards.

For a "performance" brand, I found Pontiac's G8 to be uninspiring and unexciting. Oh yeah, and ugly as feck.

RWD can be a really spectacular feature in a car, but it won't save a car where the bean counters and/or engineers have cleansed the platform of any semblance of driving dynamics.

Got the scoop?

Perhaps having a nicely maintained (and paid for!) older vehicle will be de rigeur. Quality and Durability (should) become bigger factors in evaluating a car choice, eclipsing the latest bling or must-have toys.

More importantly, maybe the nonsense of trading in your 2006 Escalade on a 2008 Escalade will come to an end.

If so, Automakers will have three possible choices:
1) Offer more compelling choices in the affordable end of the market.
2) Offer more significant model or feature updates year over year to compel new purchases.
3) Focus on making their more expensive cars a better long-term investment via renewed focus on quality and durability.

1 and 3 sound like positive possibilities. #2 doesn't excite me too much, but it might be a way to keep cars moving off the lots.

I'm SO doing this next year. The family 240Z hasn't been doing enough touring lately.

How come I never hear about this stuff until right after its over??!?!?

~220kph, so about a buck thirty five. While my wife slept in the passenger seat.

The sad part about it was that on one stretch I got passed like I was standing still by a V12 Mercedes. Dude was going so fast it rocked the Audi on its springs. I slowed down after that.

Domestically, never higher than about 110, except on a track.