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September 30, 2003

Car News and More Fixed Riding

Well, we've found ourselves a car -- a 1994 Volvo 850 GLT. It's got a bit over 100,000 miles (that's about one third of a Volvo's lifespan), new tyres, and complete service records (a bonus, since now I know it just got a new timing belt and brake calipers). It's priced perfectly for us, so now it's just a matter of the dealer accepting the Subaru as a trade-in. That's harder than it sounds, since they will owe us at the end of the transaction. If this doesn't work out, we're just suck it up with the baby seat/coupe combination, as I've grown weary of the poor service of the used car industry.

The fixed gear bicycle adventures continue. Today I hit the milestone of only using the brakes on the trip down Stanton Avenue -- everywhere else (including red lights) I was able to come to a stop with just back pressure on the pedals. If I feel comfortable enough by week's end, I may take off the rear brake over the weekend....

September 29, 2003

Bitter Irony

So I just went to Salon to check the latest headlines and columns, and since I don't have a subscription to the site, I deal with the ads for a free day pass. Interestingly, today's ad was the newest Cadillac SUV. Is Salon selling out for the almighty dollar? I mean, didn't they run this piece decrying the gas guzzling machines? I realize that the editors try to give at least a somewhat balanced perspective on issues, but if anyone doesn't think Salon is left-leaning should either get their eyes checked or take a political science intro course.

This reminds me of Slashdot running Microsoft ads.....

September 26, 2003

Look, Ma! All Fixed!

This morning was my first adventured with fixed gear bike riding (I got my new wheel last week, and my track cog yesterday. First, I didn't die -- I didn't even crash. It was a big easier to get used than expected, though I couldn't just trackstand on a dime like I could when I was freewheelin' (generally I could make it all the way to work without taking my feet off the pedals). I took it slow and steady down Stanton Avenue, using a combination of back-pressure and my brakes to keep my speed (and pedal revolutions) to a sane level. I'd like to work up to having just a front brake on the bike, but I think that will take some time before I'm comfortable enough at back-pressure coming down Stanton.....

September 22, 2003

The Slow Death of Libertarianism

Reason has an interesting article about the libertarian response to the war in Iraq. I must admit, I'm bit surprised that the neo-conservative "war brings peace" ideology has permeated some libertarian thought, especially given the amount of money Bush is asking for the war.

One positive note, though. Scroll down the page to the response from Ivan Eland -- it's a well-argued anti-war perspective that notes one of the nasty by-products of the Reagan-era fights against communism, the Taliban and Al Queda. Interestingly, the other pro-war supporters who mention Reagan's battles against the spread of communism do note that there were some "regrettable side effects" but the fall of communism was apparently worth the creation of a terrorist regime that was responsible for the attacks within American borders.

News and Notes

Not the most exciting weekend, but...where to begin, where to begin...

The used car hunt continues. We test drove a bunch of cars on Saturday, and we really liked a 1989 Volvo 240 sedan. It's quite a tank, but Jen said it handled pretty well. It's a cool, off-white color, and the interior was in good shape. Unfortunately, I think the dealer wants a bit much for it. We also found a 1995 Volvo 850 sedan and 1994 Audi 90 sedan in Oakland. Both seem to be really good deals, but we didn't have the opportunity to test drive those cars yet. To further confuse us, I talked to my dad, and he said he knows a dealer who could probably find a car for us. That might be a good thing, since this guy won't sell us a dud.....

The family went bouldering at Coopers yesterday. The weather was a bit of disappointment -- warm and humid, but we still had a good time. I managed to find a new project -- a short, hard problem the boy wonder put up a few years ago -- and I could actually imagine doing the moves.

If you haven't looked at the home page lately, there are some new photos of the boy

September 19, 2003

Now, Something Completely Different

Public BSODs (Blue Screens of Death)

Subversion

This is going to be quite a rant, so if you're not interested in reading about the intersection of theology and politics, and why some conservatives are a bit brain-dead, there's nothing to see here, move along. By the way, I'd use MoveableType's extended entry system, but I doubt the template for it is set up, so the entry would look terrible....

Anyway....

I've become a regular reader of King Kaufman's daily sports column on Salon. A few weeks ago, he commented about Rush Limbaugh's new gig on ESPN's Sunday Countdown football show. Nothing terribly negative, just the same sort of thing you heard when Dennis Miller got the gig on Monday Night Football. Well, the Freeper got wind that someone had something negative to say about their mouthpiece, and someone started a little discussion about it. The discussion begins around a fairly innocuous comment by King ("Football is nothing like life"), but as conservatives, someone had to claim that because of that comment, Kaufman is a limp, pencil-necked liberal.

But even that didn't bother me much. I mean, I like what Kaufman writes, but I don't know him, and I'm not going to be upset if someone verbally assaults him. But one comment did anger me. A lot.

Jesus: "Those who are not with us are against us."

Kaufman would probably have trouble with that one, too. Unlike Kaufman and modern Europeans, Jesus saw things in terms of black and white, and advocated a straight path. Too simplistic for the sophisticates.

First, what exactly does the quote from Christ have to do with the discussion at hand? Suddenly, because Kaufman believes that football doesn't mirror life, not only is he a pinko-communist, he's also anti-God. The second part of the comment angered me too, but the poster had this to say as well:

Football used to be like life used to be...The best man for the job...hard work and preparation pay off in the end...

But now football is quickly becoming too much like life has become under liberalism...quotas, affirmative action hiring policies, the United Way...

Ahh, yes, the good old days.

Now, here's where the theology starts. After much thought and time spent looking over the New Testament, I've come to the conclusion (along with many other folks) that Jesus was a subversive. The very basis for His coming was to complete the old covenant established with the Jews, and begin the new covenant, which moved faith in God away from the law (the Ten Commandments) and toward grace and redemption (but that's another discussion). The Jewish leaders were waiting for a messiah who would come with military might and defeat the Roman empire and return the Promised Land to God's people, but instead, the messiah came as a humble carpenter who taught peace and love. Jesus was, in many ways, everything many Jews weren't waiting for. And what he taught went against the rigid law these people were fighting to protect.

That said, I'm going to make an assumption about what this poster believes about Christianity. Obviously, he/she believes that hard work is a mark of the Christian (which I don't necessarily disagree with). But this is taken further -- if you're not for hard work, and the best man winning, you're obviously a liberal, and therefore not a true Christian. Hmmm. So Christ only rewards people that work hard, right? Hmmm.

First, how about Luke 23:32-43. Hanging from the cross, a thief crucified next to Jesus asks Christ to remember him. Jesus' response? It wasn't "too bad fella, you had your chance. You think you're getting away with this?". It was:

"Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise."

To recap, a convicted criminal asks Jesus to remember him (he doesn't even specifically ask for forgiveness) and Jesus says you will be with me heaven. That could be the most subversive passage in the Bible. Jesus' action flies in the face of the Old Testament law (which would have the man put to death) and it flies in the face of the leadership of the day.

How about another example? Perhaps Matthew 9:1-8. Jesus heals a paralytic. Let's put this into a bit of context first.

The typical conservative doesn't like welfare or government assistance because they are free handouts. There are no strings attached. You could a single parent receiving welfare, and you could be the best parent trying to make it with little, or you could be a crack addict who doesn't know your kids' names, but you still get the money. Conservatives just can't handle that. But take a look at this passage. No where does the writer say the paralytic was a man of faith (though it does say the people who brought him were). No where does it say that the paralytic was trying really hard to live a normal life, or that he refused help from people because he didn't think that was right. Jesus tells the man his sins are forgiven, but the teachers of the law don't like this, and claim he is blaspheming. Jesus' response? He heals the paralytic and goes on His way. No-strings-attached forgiveness. Now, there are cases where Jesus added "and sin no more" (the story of the adultress comes to mind), but even then, the gospel writer never checks up the woman to be sure she's doing what she's supposed to. Her sins are still forgiven at that point.

In both cases, Jesus subverts the old law, and shows what love really is. And the powers that were saw it as subversion -- Jesus was everything they didn't believe in. And personally, I think many conservatives would see Jesus as a pinko communist if he walked the earth today -- a person helping the underprivledged, asking nothing in return. Going back to the original Freeper post "If you're not with us, you're against" -- Jesus came to put aside the old way ("how life used to be...") and teach a new way. If you're not for Christ, you're against Him.

September 18, 2003

Rally News

The latest news from the WRC is that the Hyundai WRC team will take a "break" at the conclusion of the 2003 season. The team has been cash-strapped since last year, limiting testing and development for the Accent. The team is currently in last place in the manufacturer's championship standings, 10 points behind Skoda (and Hyundai should be glad Skoda introduced the Fabia, or else they'd be even further in the hole). This leaves Armin Schwarz without a seat for next season, as Freddy Loix had already left the team to sign with Peugeot. Hyundai plans to return to the WRC in 2006 with a limited program.

With this news, there is currently one drive open among the works teams -- Mitsubishi. They've signed Gilles Panizzi for next year, but the second seat is still open, and there are plenty of drivers looking for a team.

The Passion, Again

Slate has an interesting article about Mel Gibson's The Passion discussing the potential anti-Semitism of the film. I think the author does a pretty good job of discussing the issues, and I don't disagree with his conclusions, so I'll just provide the link and keep me mouth shut.

September 17, 2003

Now I've Gone and Done It

Well, it's finally happened. After much soul-searching and googling, I've finally purchased a new, fixed-gear rear wheel for the trusty commuter bike. The initial plan was to use the existing rim and buy new spokes a fixed hub from the good people at the Harris Cyclery, then bribe Dave with a case of beer to rebuild it, but I found this on eBay. The hub isn't quite as good as I would have purchased, but the whole kit and kaboodle still cost less than building one up from scratch. I've still got to get a track cog for it, but in less than a week I'll be risking life and limb riding a fixie down Stanton Avenue!

Promises, Promises

I was just reading Newsweek during lunch and saw this election campaign quote from George W. Bush, our president and commander-in-chief:

“Maybe I’m missing something here,” he said. “I mean we’re going to have kind of a nation-building corps from America? Absolutely not. Our military is meant to fight and win war…The mission needs to be clear and the exit strategy obvious.”

*Sigh*

Not Again

Judge Moore: Move Ten Commandments to the Capitol

Words fail me. First, here's what Paul has to say about the Ten Commandments in Colossians 2:14-15:

He forgave us all our sins, 14having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.

The written code is the law in the Ten Commandments.

And how about Hebrews 8:13:

13By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.

"This covenant" is the covenant established by Christ, and the "first one" is the covenant established with the Old Testament people of Israel, as defined in the Ten Commandments.

While we aren't to forget about the Ten Commandments, they are not the governing rules of a Christians life. Christ distilled them to:

"Love God, and love your neighbor."

So if Moore wants his momument, he should at least argue the case correctly...they are not the mark of a Christian government, but they could serve as a bit of history.

September 16, 2003

The Party Pooper

Hummm. Looks like hurricane Isabel is going to ruin any climbing for this weekend. Yeesh. Enough of this terrible wet weather on the weekends!

Saab 9000s

Just got back from a test drive of 1992 Saab 9000s (1992 2.3l 4cyl 5 speed). I was pleasantly surprised on how "sporty" the car felt. The dealer is in Homestead, and the saleswoman took me on a little circuit of open backroads -- lots of hills and curves to really test the car. It wasn't quite as peppy as the Subaru, but it was still quite impressive, even in the corners with crappy all-season tyres. I wonder if all the squealing and hard breaking made the saleswoman a bit nervous?

We're going to look at another Saab later this week, and we should make our decision soon. Another salesman was a bit surprised that we'd want to sell a 2000 Impreza RS with 46,000 miles for an old Saab. I told him to try and manipulate a child/car seat combination in a two door coupe.....

September 15, 2003

Weekend Update

The family and our friend Greg tried to go bouldering this weekend, but we foiled by the weather. We made to Coopers Rock, and even got a couple of problems in before the rains came, but alas, it wasn't to be. The weather looks promising for next weekend though...

The car hunt continues. Before Saturday, we had narrowed the search down to a 1989 Volvo 740 Turbo Sedan, and 1992 Volvo 940 Turbo Wagon (that's an Estate for you Brits). But then I saw a couple of early 90s Saabs online and got very interested. The Saabs are just as reliable as the Volvos, and it will be far easier to find a manual transmission. So now, we have to look at a 1992 Saab 9000S and a 1993 9000S. Decisions decisions....

September 12, 2003

Rally News

Next year's team line-ups became a bit clearer today as Citroen signed Carlos Sainz to their second Xsara for next season, effectively leaving Colin McRae without a drive for next season. There are no longer any major works teams seats open for next season (with the FIA drivers rules in effect), so Colin will be faced with joining a second tier team (Hyundai, Skoda, or Mitsubishi) or trying to finance a third car on one of the major teams (McRae would basically pay for the right to drive a WRC-spec car, and he could not score manufacturers point for that team).

There may or may not be a drive open at Skoda, as Didier Auriol has to decide whether or not rejoin the Czech team next season, but with the new Fabia, it is expected that Auriol will resign to help with development. Hyundai may end up resigning Freddy Loix after manufacturers were limited to two cars per rally soon after Loix took the third seat for Peugeot. Mitsubishi has yet to settle on a second driver to join Gilles Panizzi, but this has got to be tempted for McRae. Though the start of the season could rough for Mitsubishi, things could get better very quickly, and suddenly the team could become a threat in the manufacturers championship given Panizzi skills on tarmac.

September 11, 2003

Shocking News....Really

Chong gets 9 months in prison for bong sales.

The last line is worth repeating:

Chong will be allowed to self-report to prison.

Doug Sees the Darndest Things

Words fail me.

SCO, Again

In case you don't really follow this (which you probably shouldn't, since it's incredibly silly), SCO CEO Darl McBride wrote this error-filled open letter to the open source community. And, of course, the open source community responded. The response is thoughtful and concise, but I've got one question to all these folks who have made it their life's purpose to fight SCO in the media. Who are you writing to?

If you're writing for just the media, well, that's very noble of you. And I'm sure that you may, in fact, change some people's minds about SCO. But I suspect that most people, unless they are employees of Microsoft or SCO shareholders, understand that SCO is completely out of their collective mind.

And if you're writing directly to the folks at SCO, well, you're wasting your time. Do you really think you're going to change Darl McBride's mind on the subject? Do you really believe he'll read an article by ESR and think "Wow! These guys are right. I'm going to drop this lawsuit immediately!"?

Some level of defense from the open source community should be expected. But this is too much. At this point, you're not furthering your cause. Let SCO run out of steam, and let the courts tell them to pound salt.

September 10, 2003

Huh?

For the sake of all humanity, I hope this is Photoshopped.

September 09, 2003

Big Rally News

The FIA, the governing body of the World Rally Championship, passed a handful of changes to the general format and structure of WRC rallies. These changes will go into effect next season. Here's a short list:

1. Expanding the calendar to 16 rallies, instead of 14. Added are Rally Mexico and Rally Japan, both gravel events.
2. Factory teams may only enter two cars in each rally, and both cars will count toward manufacturers championship points.
3. The traditional recce's (reconnaissance runs on the rallies' stages to make pacenotes) during gravel events will be changed to a Mille Piste format.

First, before I comment on the first two, here's an explanation of the third change. Typically, for a gravel event, a driver and co-driver will recce each stage in a road car at slow speed, either creating pacenotes for newer stages, or polishing pacenotes for stages that have been used in the past. Then, the morning before the stages are run, each team has a "gravel crew" that drives the day's stages, confirming pacenotes, and noting any changes in the surface due to either the shakedown, weather, or other recces. The Mille Piste format changes two elements. First, the teams will recce the stages in their rally cars. Second, gravel crews will be eliminated, thereby removing any confirmations on pacenotes.

The FIA's reasoning behind this change was purely economics: teams would not have to hire gravel crews, and they would not have bring recce cars to each event. But the teams and drivers are not happy about this, primarily for safety reasons. The gravel crews provide a bit of security, confirming pacenotes, and making changes to them if necessary. The drivers (and co-drivers) also have issues with recce'ing stages in their WRCs. Why? Take a look at a photo of a WRC from the front. Note how you can barely see the co-driver's head. Kinda hard to take good pacenotes when you can't see the road. The co-driver's seat is basically bolted to the floor to lower the center of gravity of the car. Richard Burns' co-driver, Robert Reid, also pointed out how it would be write notes in the cramped interior of a Peugeot 206.

The two car rule will leave a few drivers out of work for next season, most notable at this point, Freddy Loix. Loix just inked a deal with Peugeot to drive a third factory car in gravel events next season, but now, he's out of work. But, we should have quite a manufacturer's championship next season....the Peugeot juggernaut is being dismantled, Citroen, Subaru, and Ford all have legimate shots at the championship.

And for the record...the extra rallies are a good thing, bringing a rally to North America, and another rally to the Pacific.

September 08, 2003

News and Notes

Just some random bits to start off the week....

Seb started gymnastics today. Not full-on, parrallel bars gymnastics, but lil' baby gymnastics....rolling around, becoming aware of his arms and legs. Jen said he dug it, though he was a bit overstimulated by everything going on.

We're closing on a new/used car. We've got our eyes on a 1993 Volvo 940 SE wagon. I know, a wagon, how sad. But, but, but....it is a turbo, though only an automatic (try finding a manual, I dare you). Leather interior and a CD player, too. I'd like to take a look at the service records, just to be sure it won't fall apart on us, and we'll have to haggle over a trade-in price for the Impreza, but soon we'll be cruzin' in a yuppy family-mobile. I wish we could keep the Impreza, but wow, is it a pain to only have two doors.

September 07, 2003

Rally Australia -- Solberg Wins

Petter Solberg won his third career rally (and second this season) today, beating Sebastien Loeb by nearly thirty seconds. Loeb held the lead overnight going into the last day of rallying, and Solberg and Loeb split the first two stages, exchanging the lead, but then the rains began to fall. Solberg retook the lead, but just barely, on the day's third stage, then he capitalized on a bad tyre choice by Loeb on the last stage, and further extended his lead. Richard Burns took a comfortable third place, maintaining his lead in the championship, followed by Colin McRae, Carlos Sainz, and Tommi Makinen. Solberg now holds second place in the driver's championship, tied with Carlos Sainz, and Loeb is only three points behind them in third place. It should be interesting end to the season, with Loeb obviously favored to do well in mad scramble of three tarmac rallies over the next month, setting up what could be a dramatic Rally Great Britain to end the season.

A few observations/remarks:
1. Both Skoda Fabias finished the rally, with Gardenmeister and Auriol taking 12th and 13th, and setting some top ten stage times. This is great news for the team, and should further boost the development of the new Fabia.
2. If it's a rainy gravel rally, Pirellis are the tyres of choice. Only Subaru still uses the Italian tyres (every other team is shod with Michelins), and looking back over the past few years, when the going gets messy, Subaru has done well: two consecutive Rally GBs, this year's Rally Australia, plus the messy win by Ford (using Pirellis) in the 2001 Rally Portugal).
3. Both Citroen and Subaru have to pleased with their WRC development. Up until this rally, the Focus was the car to beat, but it wasn't fast enough to compensate for Markko Martin's lack of experience. Both the Xsara and the Impreza were quite quick, taking all but a few stage wins. The Peugeot 206 doesn't seem so untouchable anymore either.
4. An exciting month is coming up, with three tarmac rallies over the span of four weeks. Gilles Panizzi has been quiet so far this season, but expect to see his name in the headlines quite soon. Loeb could run away with the title if he runs well...he's already proven to be a man to beat on the sealed surfaces.....

September 06, 2003

Rally Australia -- Day 2

Not much news from day 2 of Rally Australia. Rally leader Seb Loeb and second place driver Petter Solberg took four stage wins each, and Loeb holds a slim, slim 5 second lead going into the final day (which, for those us in the Western Hemisphere, starts in five minutes). Solberg is still the favourite to win however -- his experience, combined with the wet forecast, gives him an advantage over Loeb, who up to this point was known as a tarmac specialist. Loeb must be thinking a bit about Solberg's performace last month in Finland -- entering the final day a little over five seconds behind Richard Burns, and driving like a man possessed (he bent his gas pedal) to overtake Burns for second place. It should be an exciting day.

The only real bit of news was Markko Martin being excluded (read disqualified for adjusting the weight of his Focus illegally by using a rock to wedge his space wheel in place after a strap broke. Martin gives up fourth place, moving Colin McRae into fourth and Tommi Makinen into fifth.

September 05, 2003

Rally Australia - Day 1

Ahh, the great thing about the Rally Australia? I can write up the results of Friday's stages on Friday morning, because they happened yesterday. Go figure.

Anyway, it's been a busy day down under, with a tight race for the lead. Sebastien Loeb (running only his second Rally Australia), Petter Solberg, and Marcus Gronholm had distanced themselves from the rest of pack, with Gronholm holding a ten second lead by the second service stop. Loeb and Solberg were trading stage wins to chip away at Gronholm's lead, but Marcus managed to stay close. Then on SS8, it went all wrong for Gronholm, as he spun his 206 into a ditch and lost 15 minutes. No matter how quick Gronholm is, he's lost the rally, and more and likely, the championship, unless he has a stunning run on the tarmac events. More and more this season is looking like Gronholm's last title defence in 2001, when he only finished a handful of rallies.

Richard Burns is holding down third place, but he's nearly thirty seconds off the pace, though he is playing the role of gravel sweeper running first on the road. He should be faster tomorrow, and he should be able to claw back into contention. Tommi Makinen is driving well, holding fourth place ahead of Markko Martin and Carlos Sainz. So far, it's been good news for Skoda, as Didier Auriol holds ninth place overall.

It should be another exciting battle over the weekend between Solberg and Burns, the future teammates. The big question is, can Seb Loeb overcome his inexperience and fight for his first gravel victory.

Update
At the end of the first day of rallying, Seb Loeb has a slim 3.9 second lead over Petter Solberg, and Richard Burns is nearly 40 seconds adrift. Tommi Makinen is putting in a fantasic performance, another 20 seconds behind Burns. Markko Martin currently holds fifth, ahead of the rest of the Citroen team of Colin McRae and Carlos Sainz. Even if Sainz and McRae simply hold their spots, it will be enough for Citroen to overtake Peugeot in the maker's championship.

Biggest news of the day? Marcus Gronholm doesn't show up for the start of SS10. After putting his 206 in a ditch, Gronholm was nearly 20 minutes off the pace, and did not want to continue. Peugeot told him to finish the stage, but obviously Marcus won the debate, and his championship defence is in serious jeopardy.

Solberg played it calm at the end of the day, saying that the real racing would start tomorrow. After his effort in Finland, it's obvious that he knows how to push the pace. Unless Burns can really turn up the heat, I expect this will be Solberg's rally.

September 04, 2003

Iraq -- Quagmire?

Good to know that the President and his administration are going to explain to us why exactly we're in Iraq, and what their plan is. This only six months too late. And here's an interesting quote:

Bush promised a "campaign style" drive to bolster public support in which "we're going to say exactly why we're in Iraq," the aide said.

Better late than never, right?

September 03, 2003

More SCO Madness

SCO, in yet another incredible move in their claims about intellectual property in the Linux kernel, will be sending invoices to companies currently using any flavour of Linux. SCO's claim is, of course, that since they believe the Linux kernel contains their IP, these companies owe them licensing fees for that property. Let the class action lawsuits begin!

This is, in fact, illegal. You cannot invoice a company for something that you did not directly provide to them. Note that this sort of thing is actually listed on the national fraud alert website.

Will they never learn?

September 02, 2003

Rally Australia Preview

The World Rally Championship heads to the other side of the world this weekend for the Rally Australia. Another popular rally with the drivers, Australia features narrow, tree-lined roads covered with ball bearing-like gravel that makes running early a distinct disadvantage. The rally happens a bit earlier this season (during the Australian winter rather than spring), so the roads could be a bit wetter than usual, which could negate the disadvantage of running first.

Much has happened since Finland as far as how the top tier teams will look for next season. Richard Burns has signed with Subaru (again), and he hopes to end his time at Peugeot with a driver's championship. The strangest bit of news from the Peugeot camp is the signing of Harri Rovanpera as the second driver for next year. Rovanpera has never had a full factory drive with Peugeot, but he's won a few rallies, making him impossible to keep as a third driver. But Peugeot decided not wait to see what Colin McRae or Carlos Sainz would be doing next season and signed Rovanpera. To me, this sounds like Marcus Gronholm doesn't like sharing the team with another championship contender (like Burns), so perhaps he demanded that Peugeot sign Rovanpera, a driver who can be counted on for manufacturers points, but who won't challenge for the driver's championship. Peugeot will be Gronholm's team next year.

Here's the team-by-team breakdown for the event:

Peugeot
Gronholm has won the last three rallies in Australia, and he'll be gunning for another this year. This could be his last chance to take a bit out of Richard Burns' lead in the driver's championship, as three tarmac rallies follow. Burns will be pushing as well, trying to extend his lead, though he'll be hampered by starting first on Friday, sweeping the road for the rest of the field. I expect that one of them won't make it to the end of rally -- the stakes are high, and they'll both be pushing.

Subaru
Little known fact: Petter Solberg has been the hottest driver since the spring. He's scored 25 points since Greece, better than Burns, Gronholm, and Markko Martin. If he drives well here, he could be in the hunt for the championship by the time the Rally GB rolls around in November. I expect Solberg with give another measured, quick drive for Subaru, and he should compete for at least a spot on the podium. Tommi Makinen is hanging up his helmet at the end of the season, but he'll be looking go out on a positive note. The Impreza hasn't been kind to Tommi in his two years with Subaru, but when it is, Tommi is still as quick as everyone else. If all goes well, Makinen should compete for a top 5 finish.

Ford
The Focus has been the fastest car in the championship since the spring. Expect that trend to continue. Markko Martin, the second best driver since Greece (with 24 points) should be a force in Australia, even with his limited experience with the event. Francois Duval's only goal is to finish the rally. After breaking team orders, taking a few risks in Finland, and crashing out, Duval has been in hot water with Ford management. He's got to get his Focus to finishing ramp on Sunday, or else he may be looking for a new drive next year.

Citroen
Colin McRae and Carlos Sainz are fighting for the second Xsara for next season. Who will it be? McRae needs a good result, just to spark interest for next season. Sainz should be ready to pick up the pieces should Gronholm or Burns falter this weekend, and improve his standing in the championship. Seb Loeb should be quick as well, and Citroen should take the lead in the manufacturer's championship.

Skoda
This rally was almost a wash for Skoda -- Didier Auriol had shoulder surgery, and Toni Gardenmeister was injured in a hockey (?) accident. But the good news both drivers will be fit to start the rally. It's critical that at least one of the new Fabias reach the finish ramp, just for the experience. I do expect the Fabia to set at least one top ten stage time though, even if both cars retire.

Hyundai
Freddy Loix got some good news this month, signing with Peugeot to drive their third car next season. The Accent has suffered from a lack of testing this season, and Loix and Armin Schwarz have struggled. I'd expect both cars to finish, and perhaps Loix could finish in the manufacturers points.

My Picks
1. Markko Martin
2. Petter Solberg
3. Richard Burns
4. Carlos Sainz
5. Tommi Makinen

Helpful Hint: CVS

Maintaining a CVS repository on a Linux machine? Here's a helpful hint to be sure that newly added files maintain the proper group permissions in the repository (so users can checkout and commit files without error). Once you've set yp your repository:

[brianj@brianj /usr/local/cvsroot]$ chmod g+s .