Metaphorical Search explained and demonstrated by J. Paul Neeley

Search engines became the dynamo of the Internet simply by providing speedy answers to specific questions. Along the way they have been criticized for ruining cocktail parties and heated discussions with a quick authoritative answers that quell idle speculation and flights of rhetoric. Now they provide predictive, associative and metaphorical search. (Visual search still has several kinks to work out according to Mae Anderson writing for The Associated Press.)

Search Engines...
 have been criticized for ruining cocktail parties and heated discussions with a quick authoritative answers that quell idle speculation and flights of rhetoric.

Predictive search begins with the person initiating the search. It takes in account interests of the searcher as revealed in prior Internet use, often re-phrasing or altering the input to provide what it thinks the user wants to know. "I'm Google" is an example of associative search. It and metaphorical search are described by Katie Meier in her initial Sideswipes column for Media Daily News Sept.25. She says, "If you participate in digital culture today, you are being taught to experience the world's information as a visual thing. 'Data is beautiful' is one way we say this. Another is to think about how we experience information on Instagram.

"An image on Instagram contains all sorts of information translated into a visual thing. We know whether to laugh, offer encouragement, reflect on a memory, celebrate, or spread gossip -- all from a single encounter with an image." She says, "The information and images associated with a single Instagram image is what "I'm Google" seeks to provide, revealing patterns that images make when allowed to flow together under different rules than by "definition" of the main thing in the shot." The flowing together of associative images creates a living, evolving search result.

This search process seeks to generate new knowledge by finding connections between different "silos" of fact. An example provided is the relationship between a Formula 1 pit crew and a hospital’s emergency room crew. They have totally different objectives but such similar structures that studying pit crews in action has helped hospitals design better emergency room teams.

Aaron Goldman in a column entitled Googling The Future of Search for Search Insider, sees search fading out when the Internet of Things becomes an everyday (everything) reality. He says, "Indeed, Googling something will take on a much different meaning once the mission of organizing all the world's information and making it universally accessible and useful moves from Web pages to everyday objects."

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Jay Leno’s new "car show" in prime time on CNBC may be a litmus test for the reputed dimming of America’s love of cars. It has the right ingredients: a top, well-liked entertainment name who knows cars with a supporting cast of a hundred or more (his own car collection) and multiple contacts in the celebrity and auto worlds. Other than the lack of a time slot, exact format and unknown budget behind it, "What’s not to like?" One TV critic already found a reason, labeling it, "One Rich Car Guy Talking To Other Rich Car Guys." (Adam Buckman, Television News Daily). Maybe. But will that attract an audience big enough to satisfy CNBC and potential advertisers? Lets hope the show goes after a wider audience - one that appeals to young car enthusiasts who fuel the love affair, as Leno did in his youth.

Automotive News has announced a new newsletter, Cars & Concepts, that every Tuesday "pulls back the curtain on global vehicle launches, concept cars and auto show news." It also includes its latest photo galleries, videos, blogs, and updates to its must-read Future Product Pipeline series. . . .  Vice Media’s creative services division, Virtue, has announced a new editorial online site, Collectively. MediaPost columnist Richard Whitman writes of it,  "another Upworthy-style editorial site filled with idiotic editorial like The Unexpected Father-Daughter Team Making Condoms People Will Love Having Inside Them and This Child Prodigy Traded eCommerce For Orphans And Never Looked Back. But that's not the point. The whole thing is sponsored by founding partners Unilever, Coke, Marks & Spencer, BT Group and Carlsberg along with partners including McDonald's, Microsoft, General Mills, Nestle, Nike, Pepsi, WPP, Philips, Johnson & Johnson and others. But the site promises it will operate with "complete editorial independence." . . . The Wooden Horse reports Vevo the video hosting service, has launched the first of its more than 100 episodes of original programs that cover lifestyle and music. They'll be seen on its website and apps as well as on YouTube. Scott Reich, scott.reich@vevo.com, is Vice President, Programming and Original Content.

The publishers of the Los Angeles Register daily newspaper are abandoning that new road after just five months of publication. . . . The New York Post reports that newspaper insert magazines Parade and Dash, have been sold to Athlon Media Group and will be relocated to Nashville, TN minus most of the editorial staffers on their payrolls. . . . Also from Wooden Horse is word that Vessel, a website slated to launch in November, is telling potential advertisers that its subscribers will get a look at popular short term video before other web destinations such as YouTube.

The happy arrangement between Wild About Cars and the Automotive History Preservation Society that produced a treasure of photos and facts for the WAC website no longer exists. AHPS owned and developed the online digital library. WAC developed, owned, and managed the sophisticated, high-octane, high-storage-capacity web site that could handle the volume and bandwidth required to move large files, and move more than just a few files simultaneously. APHS was granted gratis space on the site in exchange for WAC being able to draw upon the Society’s 240,000 pages/images of material. AHPS president Eric White says, "WAC no longer exists." And as a nonprofit, educational/reference service site, AHPS can’t make money to maintain the site. It does need money to continue building its library and you can contribute to AHPS via PayPal.

For those who are fond of Craigslist and Angie’s, here’s another where a driver in an auto accident can search and compare vetted, verified auto body shops that have immediate availability to repair the Smoosh'd vehicle: www.SmooshVille.com. And for those who want to sell their car themselves, Scot Hall, Executive V.P. of Swapalease.com lists eleven photo faux pas to avoid when posting or advertising your car.

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Yes, no matter how ill advised, brands and consumers are "entering a world of frictionless sharing," Greg Getner, Planning Director at Y&R Chicago, told attendees of OMMA Chicago, Gavin O’Malley reported in MediaPost Raw. He goes on to explain "friction is anything seen as slowing the sharing of information like, say, the time it takes to remove a smartphone from one's pocket." He notes this may not be a virtue, especially for those too quick on the verbal draw.

No matter how much it is decried, Content Marketing is surging. Which means job openings for writers. Mediapost Agency Daily's Steve McClellan reports PR giant Edelman is joining forces with United Talent Agency to create an experiential marketing and branded content firm to be called United Entertainment Group, A DJE Company. The DJE part of the name is a reference to Edelman parent DJE holdings. McClellan also reports that another PR agency, Weber Shandwick, has formed a new agency called Sawmill that will provide content across all media channels. McClellan says, "The move marks a continued blurring of the lines between traditional PR and advertising territories in the digital era." . . .Along those lines is the recent deal between the large ad agency, Leo Burnett, and AOL’s Huffington Post. Joe Mandese quoting in MAD from the press release announcing the deal, "exclusive cooperative approach that promises to transform the relationship between creative agencies and publishers."

Yet another example is Omnicom Media Group's $200 million a year deal with iheartMedia the former Clear Channel network. "It will give the agency access to iHeartMedia's special in-house creative services, including original campaign conceptualization and planning," according to Erik Sass in Media Daily News.

The Internet is turning into one giant billboard, and with essentially all social networks relying on advertising, data mining and selling user data, it can be hard for some people to imagine a better way.

Michael Sebastian writes in Advertising Age that content marketing is expected to do $2 billion in business this year. One of the largest and most successful content providers Sebastian writes about is Contently. Its co-founder and chief creative officer, Shane Snow, is quoted as having 50,000 writers on tap to provide content for its clients. Others in the field are Percolate and NewsCred. . . . A recent NY Times article by Alexandra Alter entitled E-Book Mingles Love and Product Placement reveals how content marketing can build a mixed media multi-channel enterprise. Content marketing’s growth has created a new job title, Content Strategist. The job has come about, according to Steve Kerho in Content Marketing Insider, because, "Consumers are hungry for engaging content and marketers are creating more content than ever before." He concludes his description of the job, which seems very much akin to a newspaper editor's, "A great content strategist sets the foundation, organizes the chaos and coordinates efforts for maximum results". . . . . An entirely different approach is the new social network, Ello, which Catherine Taylor writes in Social Media Insider has just received $5.5 million in funding from venture capitalists for its proposed ad-free network. Ello hopes to make its money without mining its users data or selling ads. They plan an app store for users to personalize the service. Taylor quotes Ello founder Paul Budnitz, "The Internet is turning into one giant billboard, and with essentially all social networks relying on advertising, data mining and selling user data, it can be hard for some people to imagine a better way."

Also for Social Media Daily, Erik Sass describes three other new nets that he terms, "New Social Nets for Your Brain. They are NewHive, Niume and Brainly." . . . Bloomberg News reports AT&T said in a filing, "About 2 million U.S. cars are using its wireless network either through wholesale or retail contracts." Some 500,000 were added in the third quarter alone. Bloomberg adds AT&T sees Internet-connected cars as a $1 billion sales opportunity. . . . Last, Sass provides the good news from a recent Harris Poll, "Americans Sick Of Gossip, Sports In News Coverage, Want More Substance."

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Telematics Update reports, "Microsoft updated its search engine last week with real-time parking data from ParkMe, which allows users to seamlessly find nearby parking, check real time availability, and pre-pay for parking spaces across the globe. Additionally, ParkMe displays locations and parking information such as rates, hours of operation, occupancy, entry points and payment types. . . . Bold Ride is asking its followers to vote for the Boldest Ride of The Year. The web site regularly provides juicy shots of cars most of its audience will never drive. So that likely means the best photo will win among the 10 cars nominated for consideration. They include Lamborghini Huracan, Porsche Macan, Dodge Charger Hellcat and a Chevrolet Corvette Z06.

Here is a look provided by AutoWeek of one bold ride that wasn’t included - the Asterion, a plug-in hybrid revealed by Lamborghini at the Paris Auto Show.

The Car Buzzard blog recently celebrated its 1000 article since founder John Matras started out to catalogue and index all car reviews. That proved more than daunting so he settled for a steady diet of car reviews and occasional quirky news items proffered by him and his flock of Buzzard associates. In keeping with its off-beat style each "buzzard" described what he or she would drive that was powered by less than 1,000cc. The Oct. 9 Car Buzzard blog contains the choices of Nick Yost, BJ. Killeen, Ron Moorhead, David Boldt and Matras.

The inventive Bret Berk, who seems to find an outlet for every auto-related story idea he comes up with or an auto angle to a good deal of his daily adventures, offers an impressive look on Yahoo Autos of the Porsche 918 Spyder factory. . . . And, if you’d like some humorous auto-related video, check out the new Fiat 500 teaser ad Blue Pill on Youtube.

Michael Martinez writes in The Detroit News, "Gas-saving stop-start systems, which turn off the engine when the vehicle isn't moving and restart it when the brake pedal is released, will be standard on more cars and trucks than ever before — whether drivers like it or not." The demand for higher mpg ratings will make it happen. He reports auto industry analysts say the technology can improve gas mileage from 3.5 per cent to 10 to 15 percent in heavy, stop-and-go traffic and quotes Paul Seredynski, Ford's manager of global powertrain technology communications, "About 10 years from now, there won't be a (new) vehicle that doesn't have stop-start."

And, by that time, you may be able to print your own car. Arizona company, Local Motors using 3-D printing has developed a working car called the Strati, which it says will be available to the public next year for a price between $18,000 and $30,000. (Click here to watch video) Local Motors' also offers to help you build a car of your design in a mini-manufacturing site near you. They make it sound easy. . . . But they don’t promise you’ll come anywhere close to the list of the most expensive cars ever sold at auction, as provided by Mark Gittelman, classic cars expert for About.Com. Not surprisingly, Ferrari currently holds seven of the top ten spots on the list. Heading it is this 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Berlinetta that went for $38.1 million during this year’s Monterey Classic Car Week.

SEMA has been awarded a Federal Grant to help boost exports of American-made automotive aftermarket products and accessories. It will fund a new yearly fact-finding and sales mission to Russia; working with government officials to seek pro-industry regulations that allow U.S. products equal market access; and organizing overseas vehicle measuring sessions in key emerging markets.

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Mazda will hold its 2014 Club Racer Shootout for a $75,000 prize Dec. 2 at California’s Buttonwillow Raceway Park. Each year the shootout determines a winner from as many as 20 club racers who have won a recognized championship over a minimum number of competitors. Each of them submits a presentation and video that is reviewed and scored by a team of motorsports and marketing professionals. From those proposals, the finalists will be selected and advance to the winner-take-all shootout. The $75,000 covers the cost of the winner campaigning at the pro level in 2015.

More than 125 vehicle builders and car customizers have been entered into the first-ever SEMA Battle of the Builders™ competition taking place at SEMA Ignited, Friday, November 7, 2014. In a twist, editors from leading automotive magazines will name the top ten finalists and those ten finalists will then judge one another and vote to determine who will be named the ultimate winner in the 2014 SEMA Battle of the Builders.

Aaron Gold of About Cars provides photos and copy for the 13 scariest cars to drive as determined, apparently, by popular opinion. Among them: The Shelby Cobra, Volkswagen Beatle, Suzuki Samurai, and Dodge Viper. Check them all out at: 13 Scariest Cars

Lawyers who won a 12 million dollar verdict for their client, a teenage girl who became a paraplegic when injured in a 30- mph crash while riding in the center rear seat of a car equipped with only a lap belt, sent Autowriters.com a press release, hoping, we trust, to warn others of a lap-belt only restraint. New cars are now required by federal safety standards to be equipped with rear center seat lap-shoulder belts. The press release deems older models that do not have them "ticking time bombs."

The Bold Ride of Oct. 14 provides a, "Who’d of thunk it" video of a drag race between a McLaren, Porshce 918 and a Ducati motorcycle. . . . . Classic Motorsports Magazine promises "thousands of dollars" worth of prizes thanks to partners like Battery Tender, Chubb Collector Car Insurance, CRC Industries and Eastwood to winners of their "Show Us Your Shop" contest. For more information check: Shop Contest . . .Bill Noon provides a highly readable and detailed provenance of a 1972 Abarth Osella SE 021 Sports Racer he’ll sell for $175,000. Contact him at billnoon@symbolicmotors.com.

For racing something less unique, Jay Lam has posted the 2015 race schedule for the LeMons series. He notes, “Stuff like sprint races, additional Concours d'LeMons shows, and so on will pop up later, but this should get you started: Event Results."

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The Beach Boys' Mike Love, Keith Crain Chairman of Crain Communications, publisher of Automotive News, AutoWeek and many other titles, and Jim Farley, EVP of Ford’s Global Marketing, were honored by the Petersen Automobile Museum's annual benefit gala that this year marked the closing of the museum for a major renovation lasting into late 2015. Terry Karges, executive director of the museum also announced two new strategic partnerships; one with Xbox for a simulation room where museum visitors can experience legendary racing circuits behind the wheel of of state-of-the-art Forza Motorsport simulators. The other is with Belkin International’s Linksys brand that will provide museum visitors state-of-the-art networking, WI-FI and a 21st century seamless experience where accessing data, social network posting and other online activities from mobile devices.

The Automotive News World Congress in Detroit January 13-14 has secured some of the industry’s very top names for its annual gathering in conjunction with the North American International Auto Show. Among them: CEOs Mary Barra, GM, Joe Eberhardt, Jaguar Land Rover, Sergio Marchionne, Fiat Chrysler and Elon Musk, Tesla. . . . Nominees for the 2015 North American Car and Truck of the Year are being considered by a panel of veteran auto journalists from the U.S. and Canada. Winners will be announced at the NAIAS in January.

The Hispanic Motor Press Awards named 10 judges to choose the best top ten cars for the Hispanic family. For more details: Hispanicmpa@gmail.com  . . . The International Motor Press Association (IMPA) named Ken Gross and Peter Harholdt winners of the 2014 Ken Purdy Award for excellence in automotive journalism. The duo won for their book Sensuous Steel: Art Deco Automobiles. The book was produced to accompany an exhibit of Art Deco-styled cars at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts in Nashville, Tenn. It combines Harholdt’s studio photos of the featured cars with Gross’s automotive-historical pieces and an essay on the emergence of Art Deco as a recognized style of expression, all edited and compiled by Gross.

Dan Gurney is the second person to receive the Edison-Ford Medal presented by the Henry Ford Museum to recognize individuals who "fully leverage the creative, innovative and entrepreneurial spirit that resides in every one of us." Gurney is being honored for his contributions to motor sports through his outstanding performance as a racecar driver here and abroad and his leadership in the design and construction of winning racecars. The first winner of an Edison-Ford Medal was Edwards Demings, the champion of statistical process control in auto manufacturing.

Among winners in The Texas Auto Writers Association’s 2014 Excellence In Craft Competition are: Derek Shiekhi, Austin American Statesman; Steve Wheeler, Baton Route Advocate and Jeff Yip, Houston Chronicle. The annual competition honors TAWA members work in several categories: Spanish-Language Newspapers; Magazines; Radio and the Internet. For a complete list of winners in all categories check: www.texasautowriters.org . . . Porsche and GMC were named 2014’s most ideal vehicles in the annual AutoPacific, Inc. survey that this year reached 92,000 new vehicle owners across all major manufacturers. Information on the survey and listing of the various category winners can be found at http://www.autopacific.com

The Southern California Chapter of the Society of Automotive Historians named "LandSpeed" Louise Ann Noeth the winner of the 2014 James Valentine Memorial Award. Her entry entitled " Counting Down to a Century of Speed" appeared in the October 2013 issue of the GoodGuys Gazette. The 18-page feature encapsulates 100 years of land speed racing on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah and earned her "Excellence in Automotive Historical Research," in the periodicals category.

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SOUTHEAST

SAMA Co-founder Ron Beasley filed this report: Formula auto racing will return to the streets of downtown Miami early next year, but residents will not be complaining about the noise because the race cars will all be powered by electric engines. Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado convened a news conference on the shore of Biscayne Bay at the Perez Art Gallery and told an overflow gathering of city and county officials, automotive media, civic leaders and downtown residents that the FIA Formula E Championship – the world’s first fully electric auto racing series – will stage one of 11 international races in Miami next year on March 14.

Admiring the sleek Qualcomm Formula E race car on display at the news conference are (l-r) Miami Commissioner Willy Gort, Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado, Commissioner Mark Sarnoff, Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag and Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau President/CEO Bill Talbert.

Race course for the Miami ePrix.

Classic Motorsports has named BMW the featured marquee at the 2015 Mitty to be held at Road Atlanta April 24-26. More than 300 cars are expected to compete on the track in races sanctioned by Historic Sportscar Racine during the event presented by Hagerty. For tickets: www.hsrtickets.com and more information www.classicmotorsports.net.

MIDWEST

Results of Consumer Reports annual reliability survey were revealed at a luncheon meeting of the Automotive Press Association in Detroit, Oct. 27. Asian brands claimed seven of the top spots led by Lexus and Toyota for the second straight year. Buick was the only domestic brand in the top ten. . . . The Detroit Press Club celebrated its one-year revival with an Octoberfest at a local Biergarten featuring an Oompah Band and a selection of Teutonic brews.

WEST COAST

Brian Douglas, writing in the new slick magazine, SV, reports the Silicon Valley boasts more than a dozen automotive research centers with ten of them representing major auto companies. Included are Volkswagen, Hyundai, Ford, GM, Tesla, BMW, Honda, Toyota, Mercedes Benz and Nissan. The Western Automotive Journalists (WAJ) joined with the Connected Car Conferences (C3) recently to stage a daylong conference featuring six panels made up experts from these research centers. as well as "techies" from Google, Bosch, Delphi, Intel, Cisco, Nvidia and QNX . . . . The City of Malibu, CA and a local car dealer have joined to Launch a "Malibu Cars and Coffee" car ogling the first and third Sunday mornings of every month at Malibu Bluffs Park, just a short scenic ride from L.A. . . . .While the Petersen Automotive Museum is closed for a major renovation now underway, a number of cars from its collection, some of them available to the public for the first time, will be displayed at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, CA until May 1, 2015. They will be shown in three galleries: one for cars driven by heads of state, which will be open through Nov. 1, 2015. It includes Juan and Eva Peron’s 1938 Packard and Pope John Paul II’s 1998 Cadillac Papal Parade Phaeton. Another gallery is for cars driven by Hollywood stars or made famous by a movie, including Steve McQueen’s 1956 XKSS and one of Elvis' cars, complete with bullet holes. The third gallery has historic cars including a 1913 Mercer Raceabout and a 1981 gold-plated Delorean DMC.

Finalists for the "Green Car of The Year" are: Audi A3 TDI, BMW I 3, Chevrolet Impala BI-Fuel, Honda Fit and VW Golf. Leaders in the environmental and energy fields and entertainer auto enthusiast, Jay Leno, will select the winner. Green Car Journal editor and publisher Ron Cogan will announce the winner at the L.A. Auto Show, Nov 20. Also to be announced at the show on Nov. 19 will be the Innovative Vehicle of the Year (IVY) awards as voted by members of MPG. Six cars priced at $30,000 or under and seven cars above that figure have been nominated. For more information on the IVY program and the nominees, go to MPG 2014 Vehicle of the Year. And for a complete schedule of the L.A. Auto Show’s press events go here. It also includes the Nov. 18 Connected Car Expo schedule of panels and press interviews with leading automotive and other authorities in the field.

TEXAS

Sixty auto writers drove 75 vehicles on and off road for two days (Oct. 9-10) at the Knibbe Ranch outside San Antonio to choose this year’s Truck of Texas. Michael Marrs, president of TAWA, said the organization had a record number of vehicles on hand for its auto writer members to evaluate. They named the Ford F-150 "Truck of Texas" and Ford as the "Truck Line of Texas." The 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee won "SUV of Texas" and the 2015 Lincoln MKC the "CUV of Texas." Ironically, the Steel Market Development Institute sponsored this year’s truck rodeo.

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The end of the Sunday auto section in the New York Times is not a good sign. Autowriters.com has not read nor seen anything from the Times about this but Facebook postings by people who should know say it is so. What follows ties right in. . . . According to Research Brief a recent study conducted by ComScore for the Newspaper Association of America, "Breaking News is Digital for 80% of Internet Users." Some 30% of the billion or so Facebook users get their news from that portal and the number is growing thanks to Facebook News Feed. The News Feed represents a way for publishers to make more money from their journalistic enterprise - particularly with its mobile app created for smaller screens- but, as the NY Times David Carr points out, publishers fear going that route could mean losing control of the content they produce.

"I guess that’s my hard-news editorial philosophy: Embrace nerds, evangelize normals, keep your soul."

What kind of online content to produce if they don’t turn to a Facebook or other mass distributor remains a dilemma? Kaila Colbin describes it in her Online Spin Column. "Revenues from any kind of decent journalism -- independent, nuanced, thorough, thoughtful -- are on the decline, largely because that kind of content will never be as popular as pictures of cats sitting awkwardly. Where the eyeballs go, so too goes the money, and publishers are forced further and further into the business of schlock content, expressly manufactured to shock and awe." She says the answer to the dilemma is, "People who see the current system for what it is, and are able to envision and communicate a new way."

Derek Thompson, Senior editor of The Atlantic told the staff of Capital New York in a 30-second interview: "Making serious news interesting without cheapening it is hard. Full stop. When I’m writing a story about, say, student debt, I sort of imagine three audiences: First, nerds, the audience that knows it wants to read about student debt; second, normals, the audience that doesn’t yet know it wants to read about student debt but is vaguely curious about stuff, and third, others, the audience that really doesn’t give a hoot.

"If I write a boring headline, I might get the nerds, but I'll lose everybody else. If I write a syrupy headline — Is Student Debt Killing You, Literally Right Now??? — I might get all three groups to click, but my soul will rot. If I write a Goldilocks headline, not too boring but not too surgary, I keep my nerd audience, attract more normals, and keep my soul. So I guess that’s my hard-news editorial philosophy: Embrace nerds, evangelize normals, keep your soul."

An article sent along by Keith Griffin entitled: "Influence Vs Expertise: Which Is More Valuable" supports Thompson's approach and is good news for auto journalists. Written by Patrick Coffee for MediaBistro’s PR News, it offers the definitions: Influence is how someone reacts to your status, while Expertise is how someone responds to your knowledge. Expertise is judged by how much and how often a person writes in-depth about a topic, and how many readers share what he or she writes. In this framework at least, auto journalists have far more value as communicators than do auto enthusiasts. . . . David Fish, however, favors emotion over expertise in his article for Marketing Daily, When Emotion Trumps Rationality (And That's OK). He writes, "For most regular people, driving a car is not just about speed, or efficiency or even luxury features. It’s about experiences that make people passionate…and maybe a little bit irrational." Fish is making a case for putting more emotion into auto advertising and possibly with cause.

Influence is how someone reacts to your status, while Expertise is how someone responds to your knowledge. Expertise is judged by how much and how often a person writes in-depth about a topic, and how many readers share what he or she writes.

Karl Greenberg reports for Marketing Daily, "According to a new study by C+R Research, commissioned by Cars.com, TV spots, radio and direct are the least trustworthy or helpful sources of information, and therefore the least likely to drive consideration." What was helpful, the study found were, "manufacturer Web sites, expert review sites, independent research sites, search engines, newspaper Web sites and previous experience with the vehicle." Expert reviews also scored high in a study by Nielsen, commissioned by inPowered entitled The Role of the Consumer in the Decision Making Process, as reported by the Center for Market Research. The Center's report is entitled: Expert Content Is Best Influencer in Purchase Funnel. That also speaks well for the role of the auto journalist.

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Simon Sproule forsake his post as Tesla’s vice president of communications in order to join fellow Brit and former Nissan colleague Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer as that company’s chief marketing officer. . . . Chances are somewhat better than 50-50 that you’ll renew your former Source Interlink email contact by switching to first initial last name@enthusiastnetwork.com. Those that bounce presumably are no longer with TEN which embraces the media company’s automotive titles and platforms. . . . Autowriters.com will publish the locations of those that moved on as they are received. For starters, Steve Turner is now at SVT Performance, editorturner@stvperformance.com and Marc Christ, is now editor at Mustang Driver, mcrist@mustangdriver.com . . . Another domain name change switches all former PCG Campbell email addresses to PacificCommunicationsGroup.com . . . . Stuart Bourdon now edits Off Road Extreme. His email is sbourdon@powerautomedia.com . . . Jim Walczak is writing for The Fun Times Guide for Jeeping and can be reached at Jim.Walczak@gmail.com  . . . Ron Sessions moves from Online Editor at Car and Driver to Editorial Director for Autosessions Media, autosessions@sbcglobal.net  . . .Javier Moto is the new Editor-In-Chief of Autoproyecto.com which, as founder and CEO Camilo Alfaro reminds us, "is an in-market Spanish language automotive enthusiast Website with over 8 million monthly page-views."

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Glenn F. Campbell
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Tom Magliozzi – The older brother of the well-loved, Click and Clack siblings that made NPR and Car Talk a fun place to visit on Saturday mornings. His ready laughter and quick wit that helped build an audience of millions for their show, even in re-runs.

Ben Bradlee – To  Autowriters.com's knowledge Bradlee never covered, wrote or edited anything automotive. He did, however, remind the nation of journalism’s important role and inspired thousands to select J-schools for their education. For those interested, Ron Beasley sent along some mostly printable zingers from the feisty former Washington Post / Executive Editor.

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Better Road Test of EVs

Hi,

Zane Binder here, I'm the auto tester (not just a guy who describes cars) for McClatchy Newspapers and Scripps-Howard. A tip: over the years I've driven numerous electric cars both at press roundups and my usual one week test period. The result: lots of towing bills. These cars are just like an electric bulb running on batteries ... the faster you go the quicker you'll need a tow truck.

Example: I lived just over the line (less than a mile) from the LA County /Riverside line in LA. Keeping up with traffic at 70-75 MPH on the 91 freeway drained the batteries amazingly fast, just allowing me to limp into work with less than "one bar" remaining on the battery charge gauge (I was driving a GM EV1).

The last few miles I had to drive at 50 MPH or less (work was 40 miles from home). Despite this I have NEVER seen a road test with an all-electric vehicle driven all the time at freeway speeds! I believe this isn't an oversight, though many of the auto writers I know are either brain dead or zombie-like creatures sent to Earth to enslave us as cats do (does anyone know what cats are good for?).

Anyway, I'd like to see a TRUE road test under the conditions mentioned above (it took 16 hours to fully recharge the EV1). I liked the car itself but its "range" was dismal. Perhaps you could mention this in your newsletter as a necessary test parameter... many of the people who get cars are bankers, lawyers, "guests" and many others who know nothing about cars.

Regards,
Zane Binder
opossum@ix.netcom.com

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SEPTEMBER ISSUE PRAISE

Hi Glenn,

This newsletter is jam-packed with great content. Thank you for the time and effort you dedicate to it. I shared gems from it with several people (with attribution)!

Joyfully,

Sue
Sue Elliott
Chief Joy Officer
Inspire Profits Inc.
www.InspireProfits.com

Glen:

Another great newsletter. I was happy to see that an old friend, Alex Fedorek, is now heading up Mitsubishi PR. Many folks don't know that, even though he was the PR guy at Subaru, he had a hand in designing the Subaru Baja.

Russ Dodge
profdodge@aol.com

Glenn,

It was with great surprise that I first saw Mr. Babbage's picture in your newsletter (which I read avidly each week -- you do us all a great service) today, and then -- wondering why you would have included my newest favorite historical figure -- read the column to discover that you had included a mention of me, coupled with some research on your own about Babbage and the engine, with a nice link to the CHM as a bonus. All of this, I guess, from my update to my linkedin page.

Thank you so much; this was a real treat. Babbage and computer history are a little out of our mainstream -- although I encountered both this spring when I was at the CHM scouting it for our WAJ Future Cars conference next month, and didn't leave until I had signed up for volunteer training.

But everyone says the best way to keep your mind alert is by learning new things, and so I guess spending the summer learning a totally new set of things will dial my mental odometer back a few miles at least.

All the best and thanks,

Gary

Gary Anderson
Editor-in-Chief, The Star Magazine
Mercedes-Benz Club of America

MOON MULLINS

So sorry to read of the passing of "Moon". I had great respect for him.

Thanks for keeping me in the loop with the newsletter.

Hope you are doing well.

Ernie

ERNIE SAXTON COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
Public Relations, Sponsorship Consultant Journalist - Event Announcer - Public Speaker
Esaxton144@aol.com

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Send your rants, raves, questions and suggestions to: talktous@autowriters.com

Please note: all correspondence sent to autowriters.com may be used for publication at the Editors' discretion unless you state otherwise.

Michael Knab is ready to send race fans a print of "The Champions" celebrating the 1970 victory at Riverside Raceway by Parnelli Jones driving a Trans-Am Boss 302 Mustang. For prices and a look at many of the other works available at Legacy Art Gallery, click on www.automotive-art.com

* * *

Mike Martin will discuss his book, "USRRC, A record of the United States Road Racing Championship 1963-1968" at the International Motor Racing Research Center in Watkins Glen on Nov. 8. The Center Conversations talk is free and open to all.

* * *

David Bull writes in praise of Champion Racing, A Little Bit of Magic by David Tremayne. With copy by the veteran motorsports writer and 403 color and black and white photos, the book recounts the story of Florida-based Champion Racing that won five American LeMan championships between 2004 and 2008 and won the 24 Hours of Le Mans outright in 2005. Hardcover, 472 pages, $130.00. Bull also writes, "Geoffrey Goldberg's Lancia and De Virgilio: At The Center" has received a steady stream of rave reviews from top automotive publications." For more information, images, and orders, please visit www.bullpublishing.com. You can also order by calling 602-852-9500, or toll-free at (800) 831-1758

* * *

Veteran auto journalist James Flammang offers some valuable tips gleaned over 30 years covering the used-car business in his latest tome. He says, “Within Tirekicking Used Car Buyer’s Guide, consumers will find plenty of information to help find the right car, for an acceptable price. We’ll see how vehicle history reports and certified pre-owned programs help reduce the risk. Dealers and salespeople, too, can find useful advice on working with today’s knowledgeable customers. To order and for more information: jflammang@tirekick.com

* * *

For those interested in old time car ads, Mitch Frumkin posts ads from Vintage Car’s collection at vintageadoftheweek.com  while there you can test your auto knowledge in quizzes posted there or find out about the Herreshoff, built from 1909-14.

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North American regional automotive press associations provide information and background not easily found elsewhere. If they are too distant for you to attend their meetings, belonging usually gives you access to transcripts or reports of these events and other benefits.

AARWBA
American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association, Inc.

Norma "Dusty" Brandel
President, Exec. Director
dusty@aarwba.org
www.aarwba.org

AJAC
Automobile Journalists Association of Canada

www.ajac.ca

APA
Automotive Press Association
Detroit, MI

Mark Phelan, President
www.autopressassociation.org

ARPA
American Racing Press Association

Stan Clinton, President
stanclintonarpa@aol.com
americanracingpress.com

EMPA

Eastern Motorsports Press Association
Ballston Spa, NY

Ron Hedger, President
www.empa.org

GAAMA

Greater Atlanta Automotive Media Association
Atlanta, GA

Davis Adams, President
www.gaama.org

IMPA
International Motor Press Association
NYC, NY

Dave Kiley, President
davidjkiley@yahoo.com
www.impa.org

MAMA

Midwest Automotive Media Association
Chicago, IL

Kirk Bell, President
www.mamaonline.org

MPG
Motor Press Guild
Los Angeles, CA

Joni Gray, President
motorpressguild.org

NEMPA
New England Motor Press Association
Boston, MA

Craig Fitzgerald, President
www.nempa.org

NWAPA
Northwest Automotive Press Association
Portland, OR

Nik Miles, President
nik.j.miles@gmail.com
www.nwapa.org

PAPA
Phoenix Automotive Press Association
Phoenix, AZ

Cathy Droz, President
drozadgal@aol.com
phoenixautopress.org

RMAP
Rocky Mountain Automotive Press
Denver, CO

Andre Smirnov, President
www.rmapmedia.com
info@rmapmedia.com

SAMA
Southern Automotive Media Association
Miami FL

Bill Adam, President
www.samaonline.org  

SEAMO
Southeast Automotive Media Organization
Charlotte, NC

southeastautomedia.org

TAWA
Texas Auto Writers Association

Michael Marrs
michael.marrs@txann.com
www.TexasAutoWriters.org

TWNA
Truck Writers of North America

Tom Kelley, Executive Director
tom.kelley@deadlinefactory.com
www.twna.org

WAJ
Western Automotive Journalists
San Francisco, CA

Brian Douglas
www.waj.org

WAPA
Washington Automotive Press Association
Washington, D.C.

Melanie Batenchuk, President www.washautopress.org

"Neural networking and cognitive computing will close the gaps, resulting in machines that can do more than suggest the top choices in a decision. They will actually make the decision."

Rob Enderle, When Computers Get a Right Brain, TechNewsWorld, Tech Buzz

"AI (Artificial Intelligence) is probably our biggest existential threat. With artificial intelligence we are summoning the demon," indicating that it might not be possible to control it.

Elon Musk, in a speech to students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The challenge for fact-checkers, it seems, is to make the facts as fun to share as the myths they seek to replace.

Brendan Nyhan, assistant professor of government at Dartmouth College, Why Rumors Outrace the Truth Online, NY Times

"I don’t know what it will look like when the advertising industry collapses in on itself, when its gravitational pull exceeds its own mass and it can no longer maintain structural integrity. But I suspect we’re going to find out."

Kaila Colbin, The Nature Of Advertising Heralds Its Own Implosion, Online Spin

By way of smartphone "senses," if you will, our devices will hear (via microphones), see (via cameras), touch (via multi-touch screen), and locate (GPS + Magnetometer), becoming even more specific to individual consumers.

Sal Candela, How iPhone 6 Sensors Will Change Mobile Advertising, Mobile Insider

The New York Post will go all digital "when 80 percent of [the Post's] circulation [is] reading the paper digitally. It'll take time."

Rupert Murdoch, Capital New York Interview

"Native = Complete Bullshit.
When these native executions are actually encountered by consumers however, their heartbeats race higher as they are flushed with the feeling of being cheated."

Ari Rosenberg, Can You Smell That? Publishing Insider

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