parks

Backstage at the Red Sox's beloved ballpark

BOSTON--On April 12, 1912, after two days of rain, the Boston Red Sox and the New York Highlanders played the first game ever at Fenway Park.

Ninety-eight years later, the ballpark is called--by the Red Sox at least--the most adored in Major League Baseball. It's possible that Chicago Cubs fans might dispute that, given how protective they are of Wrigley Field.

Either way, there's no arguing that Fenway is much loved, and on Thursday, as part of Road Trip 2010, I got a chance to visit the park and see many of the areas that are generally used … Read more

Will giant Optimus Prime battle giant Gundam?

Robot one-upmanship is happening at an alarming pace in East Asia as the Chinese have unveiled a giant Optimus Prime in Beijing, no doubt to counter giant robots recently built by the Japanese. Is a clash of the robo-titans imminent?

The Transformers icon stands nearly 40 feet tall and weighs 6 tons. Fittingly, the head Autobot was fashioned out of recycled car parts such as engines and tires. It took five truckloads of parts to put Prime together.

The colossus dwarfs puny humans at the new Green Dream Park, located northwest of Beijing's "Bird's Nest" National … Read more

Behind the scenes with 'The Wizard of Menlo Park'

WEST ORANGE, N.J.--I have come to the mountaintop of invention.

Today, this is the Thomas Edison National Historic Park, but for decades, it was the laboratory complex where the great innovator and the many people he employed did their work. For a geek, it doesn't get much better than this.

As part of Road Trip 2010, I'm paying a visit to a complex that, when it was fully operational, comprised dozens of buildings and employed hundreds of people. And I have to say that, while I'm no Edison scholar, this was definitely one of the … Read more

A day at Zap: The future of electric fleet cars has arrived

Zap's founder and director of research and development, Gary Starr says the future is here, all we have to do is plug in.

"The Zap approach is to make electric cars more cost effective and more comfortable," Starr said during a tour of the downtown Santa Rosa, Calif. showroom and factory on Monday.

If you're unfamiliar with with Zap's vehicles, don't feel bad. The car maker is right smack in the middle of Sonoma County, a Northern California region more known for its wine than its electric cars.

Truth is, Zap has been the … Read more

New Dodge Viper hits the racetracks this summer

Chrysler combines the Dodge Viper American Club Racer (ACR) and the safety equipment of championship-winning Dodge Viper Competition Coupe, to come up with the Viper ACR-X. The Viper ACR-X is powered by the SRT-developed 8.4-liter V-10 engine, equipped with factory headers and a low-restriction exhaust system, that produces 640 horsepower (40 more than the production model) and 605 lb.-ft. of torque (45 more than the production model).

The new model's suspension also is tuned and upgraded specifically for on-track usage with unique springs, two-way adjustable shocks and adjustable sway bar links. And it has a curb weight … Read more

Facebook page tied to Pakistan ban back up

Update, May 22 at 1:35 PDT: The story has been updated to indicate that the original "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day" Facebook page is back up, with an explanation of its removal.

A Facebook page that led Pakistan to temporarily block the social-networking site reappeared on the social-networking site Saturday morning, two days after it was taken down.

The page promotes "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day," scheduled for Thursday following an American cartoonist's satirical suggestion that people draw images of the prophet to promote free speech.

By Friday, the page no longer appeared on the site. … Read more

Cartoon contest leads Pakistan to shutter Facebook

A Seattle cartoonist's satirical suggestion that Thursday be dubbed "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day" has led to anything but humor in some quarters, particularly Pakistan, which on Wednesday evening shut down Facebook.

An Islamic lawyers association in Lahore, Pakistan, argued that the contest essentially was blasphemous and won a court injunction against the social-networking site on Wednesday. A Facebook page promoting the idea had drawn more than 81,000 members as of 6:30 a.m. PDT Thursday. The cartoonist, Molly Norris, did not create the Facebook page and is actively opposing it.

Facebook will reportedly be shut down … Read more

'Top Gear' tests for best drifting cars

While it has been fun watching Jeremy Clarkson of BBC's "Top Gear" fame test out fantastic rides for a thrill, I figured why not keep the fun going and bring on all the guys from "Top Gear"--Anthony Davidson and The Stig in this instance--as they try to figure out what the best car is for drifting.

In case you didn't know, drifting is "a driving technique and to a motor sport where the driver intentionally oversteers, causing loss of traction in the rear wheels through turns, while maintaining vehicle control and a … Read more

Jeremy Clarkson's Thriller: Maserati Gran Turismo

In Tuesday's blog post, we got a closer look at the supposed ultimate lady thriller automobile, the Maserati Quattroporte, and I figured since we're on the subject, why not go for a thrill ride in a Maserati Gran Turismo? Climb in and let's go for a spin with Jeremy Clarkson of BBC's "Top Gear" fame--and away we go!

This clip comes courtesy of an excerpt from Jeremy Clarkson's Thriller series where he pushes all kinds of fine automobiles such as the Alfa Romeo 8C, the Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 GT, and in this … Read more

Subaru shines on the ice track

Subaru put automotive journalists behind the wheel of the company's latest WRX, WRX STI, and Impreza models at the Subaru Ice Driving Event in Park City, Utah.

The high-altitude event was to highlight Subaru's all-wheel drive on a half-mile track. Subaru's latest models offer rally-style handling in the most extreme road conditions, including the combination of ice, snow, and gravel.