Kevin: November 2005 Archives

Ever since the movie Ronan*, I've really appreciated the look and finish of Audi's larger chassis 8 series automobiles. While large sedans by comparison, I think they are very well proportioned and easy on the eyes.

Some tuner has taken that vision to a whole new level -- by taking the aluminum body of an A8, stripping away all of the clear coat and polishing what's left to a mirror finish. The results are beautiful, but are probably more suited to the dreary coasts of England than the sun blasted sands of Dubai.

* The car in Ronan was an Audi S8

One of the little known benefits of working where I do is that I work with Ronald McDonald's wife. Seriously. I'll skip over the details about how her last name isn't McDonald (or his, for that matter) and just tell you that we had a great time the other day when the Ronald-mobile stopped in at Schrader's for a meet-and-greet with his clownship, Hale and Addi.

True to form, we did partake of lunch at McDonald's after our time with Ronald so I guess the marketing works! The boys and girls at the elementary school where he was headed next apparently did not have the same luck. No doubt they had fun anyways.

Thanks for the pics, Ronald!

UPDATE: I've added an album here of pictures from our time with Ronald.

Not that I'm in the market for an exercise bike right now, but if I were this one looks like it would be awesome! The same site ranks it #1 on its list of recumbent exercise bikes, which I guess is probably good since they likely know more about these things than I. The real surpize for me was the name: Reebok. Didn't know that they were into making (more likely licensing) anything but shoes and apparel...

Anyways, here are the specs:

Heart Rate Monitor

The RB 450 comes with an EKG pulse grip. An easy and convenient way to measure your heart rate by just placing your hands on the crossbar to get an accurate heart rate readout

Silent Magnetic Resistance

A smooth and frictionless resistance system that allows you to adjust your workout intensity according to your target specific goals

Workout Programs

8 PreSet Programs: 6 Smart Programs, 2 Pulse Driven. The RB450 offers workout programs designed to motivate and provide the ultimate in fitness technology. The RB450 offers entertaining programs and 2 heart rate programs that allow you to workout in your desired pulse range

Time readout

Displays the amount of time that you have been riding

Calories burned readout

Shows the number of energy calories that were burned

Resistance readout

Shows the level of resistance you are riding against

Pulse readout

Keeps track of your heart rate for training in your target heart rate zone

Adjustable seat

The adjustable feature allows you to customize your pedaling position for optimal comfort

Bottle holder included

Reebok's advanced Club-Tech Console delivers motivation and allows you to control your workout. 2 LED windows provide feedback of Speed, Time, Distance, Calories, Pulse, and Resistance Level. The 5 x 8 workout profile matrix allows you to track your progress. The two LED windows makes your workout feedback easy to read. You can easily control workout intensity, check your pulse rate and track the digital feedback of your workout. The RB 450 features self-generating electronics and eight preprogrammed workouts

The Reebok RB450 recumbent also comes with an adjustable "CoolAire Workout Fan". Keep cool while you exercise with this built-in workout fan. Since the fan is built into the bike, there�s no need to attach and reattach it, and the fan adjusts to accommodate a variety of users. Whatever your exercise regime, you can enjoy this convenient way to cool off

Dual position handlebars

Two sets of handlebars allow you to ride with your hands by your sides or in front. The contoured handlebars feature durable foam for added workout comfort

I'm going to have to see if some store in Fort Wayne has one of these things!

I had a conversation today with a gentleman whose mother owns some property surrounding the intersection of two state roads -- one a four-lane limited-access type and the other a conventional two-lane road. The question that comes up, which is quite common, is 'how much is it worth?'

The reason they need to ask isn't because these folks don't know what land is going for in the area; they do. When I first met these folks it was just last week at an auction for land just down the road from theirs. The bare land tracts there were a good barometer for general unimproved land values in the area. To a certain extent you can extrapolate the values across different-but-similar tracts of land to satisfy the question. Realtors and appraisers do this all the time in the form of comps -- comparable sales.

The reason they need to ask the question is because when land is making the transition from one 'best use' to another, looking at either use individually can make for a confusing picture. The land in question has historically had its best use centered around agricultural practice. It's good 'ole farmland. Due to the development of the transportation infrastructure it may now have merit in a commercial or residential use. From the sellers perspective, there are pros and cons to such a transition. Most relevant is that a commercial buyer (developer) would generally see the acquisition cost of the real estate as a smaller percentage of the overall project budget for improvements at a location and therefore might be able to offer a premium price. The downside is that finding those strong commercial buyers generally takes more time. As such, taking transitional properties to auction will flush all of the commercial buyers in the current market into auction at the risk of missing the bigger fish entering the market down the road. So it really is then a matter of priorities.

Is a bird in the hand worth two in the bush?