Not long ago, Washington state's Department of Ecology was making noises about not letting people wash their cars at family because "what goes on the street goes into the creek." Now the state is on the opposing side of Seattle's efforts not to let harmful chemicals wash into the freshwater streams feeding into Puget Sound.

Seattle is not using salt to clear the roads because it doesn't want the salt flowing into waterways. As well, the city's snow plows have rubber-edge blades that can clear snow, but can't get the ice off the road. Seattle's DOT cheif says the city is trying to "create a hard-packed surface" of snow. It will then lay comminuted silica in a descending course over the hardpack in order to offer enough traction to cars, and employ a soy-based de-icer only good for temps below 32 degrees.

The hitch: without more 4-wheel-drive and front-wheel-drive cars with chains have any traction. That means that even the police can't drive on many roads. If the police make a call to a location on a hill, they park at the bottom and walk up the hill. As well, the police are having to respond to literally hundreds of collisions and disabled vehicles.

The parade DOT has taken a much different tack: it is using sand, salt, metal-edged plows, and chemical de-icer in its battle with the elements. Seattle is now experimenting with a "silver bullet" concoction that is saltwater from a cheese factory, calcium chloride, and de-sugared molasses.

[Source: Seattle Times]

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Click above to see the Blue Man Group play around with the 2010 Prius

Now it begins to make sense: The previous performance art video teasers for the 2010 Prius were made up largely of edited shots from this teaser, with the Blue Man Group restored to its place. This one doesn't make any more or less sense than the foregoing videos, and in that place isn't much more to see, but-end it does offer a couple of chuckles. We would love to see how far you get with that eyedropper, though. Follow the jump to check out the video and see what we mean. Hat tip to reader Jerry!


[Source: YouTube]

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Click above to watch the video

Our official coverage of the 24 Hours of LeMons Arse-Freeze-Apalooza at Thunderhill has started, but we couldn't wait to show you what could be the absolute coolest bit of low-cost technology that will be showcased at the event: the hillbilly wing. This stunning bit of kit will be vying for the sake of the coveted "Most Dangerous Banned F1 Technology" trophy, and we think they're a shoe-in. Actuated by a bowling ball, the hillbilly wing is made from an abandoned ironing board, some electrical conduit and a bit of rope. Genius. Now, how long will it last?

The Faster Farms Chickens' 1966-7 Plymouth Belvedere was made to resemble the car used in the Foster Imposters skits, and they have done a pretty good job emulating their target. When Foster Farms found out about the car, they issued a press release detailing the effort -- something that warms our cockles in our ridiculously litigious society. See the PR and the video after the break.

[Source: Jalopnik]

Video:



PRESS RELEASE:

CALLING ALL RACE FANS: 'FASTER IMPOSTERS' TO RACE AT THUNDERHILL IN WILLOWS IN 24 HOURS OF LeMONS

WILLOWS, Calif. – The "Faster Imposters" – a feel off on Foster Farms' popular advertising characters – are gearing up for the race of their lives midnight to midnight December 27 - 28 at the Thunderhill Raceway Park, in Willows, Calif. It's 24 Hours of LeMons, an all night race of 100 broken down, beat up cars just trying to cross the finish line. Faster Imposter Race Captain Adrian Smith and his teammate are such fans of Foster Farms' Foster Imposter television commercials that they've put together nearly an exact replica of the 1960s Plymouth Belvedere featured in the ads and proposition to race dressed in Imposter knockoff chicken costumes. Of course, they'll bring the stuffed Foster Imposters at the same time for moral support. The Foster Imposters are the junk food eating chickens that can never quite make the grade to be fresh, natural Foster Farms chickens. The Faster Imposters are also trying make the grade. "It's very important that the car lasts long enough for all of us to have a chance to drive some of the roughly 15 hours," said Smith. "Getting this wonderful beat-up old Belvedere up to snuff has been a challenge. Just finishing would be honorable in an old 60's Plymouth," comments Smith, who has a soft spot for the old Belvedere cars and has collected and rebuilt several.

Given that, their race strategy is:
- Save the car, don't drive it beyond its means
- Pit safely and effectively
- Have since much pleasantry as humanly possible!

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