This weekend I accomplished a preventative maintenance goal for my 1999 M3. With the help of a fellow enthusiast and E36 M3 owner, I replaced most of my cooling system with new parts. The cooling system on many modern BMWs is a known weak point. Most of the problems arise from using plastic where metal […]
Earlier this week I published a post on how much privacy users give up for phone apps. In my case, I was downloading the TweetCaster app for Android. After reviewing the company privacy statement I still wasn’t clear on whether location tracking could be turned off. So I emailed that question to OneLouder, the developers […]
WINE & DINE COLUMN My latest Wine and Dine column was published by WashingtonExec yesterday. It focuses on the Neighborhood Restaurant Group, which operates a number of quality restaurants in this area. The location Gabriele and I enjoyed most recently was Columbia Firehouse in Old Town Alexandria. I also discuss an excellent Pinot Noir we […]
I’m on record saying there needs to be more transparency around the current online business model. In most cases, cool and useful tools are available free or at low cost, in exchange for personal information about the user. I discussed this in my post about the supercookie debate, one of my best read posts last […]
Tuesday night I attended a networking event for leaders of communications firms in DC. It was sponsored by the Public Relations Society of America, National Capital Chapter and hosted by Ketchum PR. It was interesting to have some many executives from a very competitive industry in one room. The Capitol Communicator covered the gathering, and […]
Last year I wrote a post about a special warranty that covers what BMW calls Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicles, or SULEVs. These cars were built with a special, fully integrated fuel tank and fuel filter to reduce accidental emissions to the atmosphere, and can’t be repaired without huge expense. Here’s a service bulletin from […]
Gabriele and I recently enjoyed Cafe Caturra, located near the intersection of Mount Vernon Avenue and South Glebe Road in Arlington. This section of town is often called Arlandria and doesn’t have many interesting places to eat. Cafe Caturra gives the area a nice and versatile neighborhood restaurant. The operative word when you walk in […]
This weekend I replaced the sway bar links on my E39 M5. This is a well known issue with the M5, the links can break over time. Since I was replacing one, I went ahead and replaced both the left and right side links and the rubber bushings inside them. Sway bars reduce body roll […]
As any communications professional knows, having the right day-to-day account contact is vital. Hopefully he or she has some comms experience, understands the objectives of the engagement and has the authority to make decisions when necessary to keep things moving. You also want someone who will let others inside the company know about the success […]
BMW of North America is having a strong sales year in 2012. The Year to Date (YTD) sales numbers are out and total sales of BMW cars and trucks (excluding Mini) are up 11.3 percent. Here’s all the detail from BMW Blog. This chart details sales by BMW model: These numbers provided me two takeaways. […]
My guest post on CommPro.biz last week – Stop Pillorying PR: Let’s Call Out Crappy Reporting for a Change – seems to have connected with readers. It’s received 17 comments to date, with many sharing my view that reporting standards have really declined in the past few years. However, I also received a public rebuke from […]
This weekend I tackled a problem I’d put off addressing for some time. The cruise control had stopped working on my 1999 BMW M3 a few months ago, but it’s a feature I rarely use. The car doesn’t go on long trips, so this wasn’t an urgent DIY project. On the other hand, I want […]