The Miracle Carburetor story should have died with the advent of fuel injection. It was borderline believable when all cars had carbs, because, sure, there was always the possibility of making a better one.

The daytime running lights issue doesn't bother me much. Modern DRLs are at least as bright as a lot of the tired, age-fogged headlights still rolling around out there. Someone equipped with such DRLs forgetting to turn on their headlights is only increasing their own chances of hitting a stationary object - they're…

Maybe it's obvious to you, Mr. Expert Starred Commenter, but I'm completely baffled by how comments sort on this website. Also, I probably didn't reload the page immediately before responding, so I could easily have missed a few comments. I offer my sincerest apologies and hope I never have to question your…

Autogyros are really quite safe, with proper pilot training. Their big limitation is that you can't do anything that causes zero or negative G-force or bad things happen. That's not actually a huge limitation, as plenty of conventional airplanes lose engine lubrication if they go negative, and helicopters generally…

Easy - with an off-center weight. The wheels are all carrying a weight inside, mounted at the top. When you bump it the weight falls and causes the wheel to roll up the ramp.

I'm quite sure I'll have trouble finding the reference to back this up, but I'm equally sure he's actually written before on the volatility of his own opinions. Basically, unless the column and the show occur in the same week, Clarkson sharing a different opinion in the two formats is meaningless, because he's prone…

@stephdumas: Even basic automatics have gotten to the point where they can match a manual for efficiency. Sequential and dual-clutch options are faster on a track. The only thing a three-pedal car has going for it these days is driver involvement and fun.

@danio3834: Have you forgotten what site you're posting on? What's wrong with "It's fun" as a justification?

@rotaryfreakjoe: Because they're about twice as efficient as jet engines when you're designing a plane for use at low(er) speeds and altitudes.

Response retracted. Post above must be based on no-longer-available thread on G8 forums.

@verdegrrl: Don't get you started on hydrogen? Why, has someone managed to convince you that hydrogen is a fuel source? It's not. It's an energy carrier, just like a battery, and like a battery, you have to put more energy in than you get out. Nobody who is serious about the technology will tell you any…

The little one is most definitely AWD. The majority of on-road RC cars are, because human reflexes can't keep up with a RWD car 18 inches long with the inertia of a flea (perhaps surprisingly, off-road RC cars are more likely to be RWD than on-road ones; they're manageable thanks to soft, understeery suspensions and…

@DrunkenMessiah: You seem to have confused yourself. A barrel roll and a corkscrew are the same thing, and that's exactly what the Boeing test pilot did. A simple aileron roll is the level maneuver which requires a plane to be stressed and equipped for inverted flight.

@UDMan: In what way, exactly, is it retarded to measure NOx emissions rather than CO2 emissions?

@Brad: Yeah, I think "approachable" is the big issue they've got. Booth babes aren't. What's the point in chatting one up? They're not there to get a date, they're there to look pretty. You don't actually talk to them, any more than you talk to the signs around the car.

@dculberson: You're looking at this wrong. Its purpose is nothing like that of a conventional supercharger. It's much more like the hybrid system in the original Honda Insight. The car is equipped with a tiny little engine which provides excellent economy but nowhere near enough power for most people. Then, in…

@Bluegoose: I've heard about this tactic before, and I can't understand how it works. You refuse to return my keys, I'm calling the police (or at least threatening to). I'm sure as hell not buying a car from you after you've tried to steal my current one.

@FiddlingWhileJimRomeBurns: Yes, I can see how you might say that.

@nhubbell84: The Power Lap Times are, in truth, pretty close to meaningless. The temperature, track condition, wind, air density, and precipitation aren't held constant, so laps take place under widely varying conditions. I think changing drivers is going to change the lap times far less than changing some of those…