Dear Mr. Man Points,
As traffic around town has steadily worsened and
as sciatica pains shoot down my ass, I find I’ve lost my urge to pump a clutch
pedal during my two-hour traffic-filled commute. I’ve therefore opted for an
automatic transmission. Does this violate the Male Code?
Spare me your
pathetic excuses for getting an
automatic transmission, you Pillsbury Dough Boy. Few
things in life feel more manly than zooming around town in a sporty car with a
six-speed manual gear box, which in effect is a very empowering experience. It
makes a man feel “one with the car,” it allows him to feel the engine’s power
in ways that are not possible with the automatic, it affords him the pleasure
of the low-end torque as he shifts from first to second gear and beyond, and
most importantly it affirms to his male brethren that he refuses to compromise
his car’s performance for nebbish convenience.
Loathsome philistines can’t be bothered with the masculine experience of shifting
gears. The convenience and ease of an automatic compromises speed and “car
connectedness.” As a result, it wastes the potential thrill of the BMW M5 or
the Infiniti G37 coupe or the super charged Mini Cooper. What kind of man makes
this compromise? An emasculated one. A man could be driving around town in his
six-speed manual BMW M5, and as such he could be swinging breathtakingly huge
elephant testicles. But pathetically, he opts to drive the same car, in the
diminished automatic version, which renders his testicles sun-dried Brussels
sprouts.
Moreover, a man
who surrenders to the automatic version casts doubts on other aspects of his
character. Does he squat when he pees? Does he scream falsetto during a
surprise encounter with a spider? Does he cringe while gutting a trout?
Therefore, a man’s
purchases a sport car with the automatic transmission, featuring “Agitronic
Paddles,” which allow him to “shift” without a clutch, does not appease the
contempt of his male friends who have told him repeatedly that in middle-age he
must get a “fun” car, an automobile that generates adrenaline and heightened
states of masculinity. To show their displeasure, they will not even come over
to see his brand new seventy-thousand-dollar automobile. Let’s face it, when a
man buys a new car, one of the purchase’s greatest pleasures is the opportunity
to show off the car to his male friends, to watch them gawk at it, to envy him,
to ask him questions about its specs, to “inspire” them to buy the same car,
and to feel the power that such influence wields.
But a man who has
“ruined” his car by opting for the automatic is now a pariah, a Judas of Male
Society. Therefore, you should be warned that no matter how many good reasons
you come up with for getting the automatic—you can’t eat a breakfast burrito
and talk on your cell phone while shifting gears, your herniated disc makes it
too painful to press down on the clutch through city traffic, the stop-and-go
traffic is so horrendous that in ninety percent of your driving you can’t even
get out of second gear and as such you feel “like a caged animal,” that being
trapped in second gear causes road rage and a seething dyspepsia that
counteracts the alleged advantages of manual shifting—you will not receive any
sympathy. For a man in middle age with the resources to buy his dream car is
expected to get it in a manual and no excuses in the world will save him from
losing Man Points.
from the grundig 750 yahoo group:
For those who do not read Chinese here is a summary of what is being said in the post.
Since they built the first unit in Oct 2007 they have made a serious effort listen to the feedback from the radio enthusiasts who participated in the trial. They have made ten different versions and sent them out to different places and environment to test the S2000's reception capabilities. About a month ago they have decided to use alloy metal knobs and add a 455Khz IF output......for DIY external sync detector, DSP tuner and DRM demodulation
The first batch of the real production is in progress and if everything is on track they should be able to deliver the first shipment soon. The first shipment will be only be available in 3 mayor cities in south China and some radio enthusiasts who participated in the trials. This will enable them to better track and discover any further issues that may not have surfaced so far.