Americans like White, the world likes Silver in new Color Popularity Report

Americans like White, the world likes Silver in new Color Popularity Report: "

Filed under: Car Buying

DuPont has released its annual Color Popularity Report, and for the first time has converged data from across the globe to create a worldwide report on how we, as a species, prefer our cars to be colored. OK, maybe that's a bit hyperbolic, but the new worldwide report confirms that Black, Silver and White reign supreme regardless of borders. The three colors are tightly packed in North America, where White is most popular at 17.8 percent with Black (17 percent) and Silver (16.8 percent) not far behind. Europeans, however, like the sleek look of Black at 27 percent compared to Silver at 19.9 percent and White falling pretty far behind at 10.2 percent. Different regions like different colors, but these three remain at or near the top across the board.



Who knows why car buyers the world over seem averse to all the colors of the rainbow. Not us. While we dig a nice metallic Silver, other colors like Red, Blue and even shades of Green have a way of teasing out a car's personality better than the grayscale stuff. If you were shopping for a new car (or are), what colors are at the top of your list? We've included a poll below to see if our audience thinks anything like a DuPont customer.

View Poll

[Source: DuPont]

Continue reading Americans like White, the world likes Silver in new Color Popularity Report

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Porsche Factory Tour c. 1972

Porsche Factory Tour c. 1972: "

Chances are if I am going to buy an expensive sports car it would be a Porsche. Ferraris and Lambos are just too flashy for me. Not to say that a Porsche isn’t flashy, but there is a difference — at least in my mind. I will say that if the money was there I would defy everything I just said and buy a Bugatti Veyron, mainly because of this video. Porsche has just remained so consistent over the years that you can’t not love them. Give me a GT2 and i’ll be happy. Give me a GT2 in Bavaria and I will be really happy. Seeing as the days of ripping up the road in some expensive German engineering are still to come, I’ll (we’ll) have to settle for this 914 farm circa 1972. All of these images came from this gallery and show the quaint production of 1970s Porsches being made in Germany by workers wearing overalls. Sports cars and factory photos? Sign me up. More after the jump.

All photos via cinelliguy.

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Fifth Gear Loop the Loop

Fifth Gear Loop the Loop: "

Replicating the clasic Hot Wheels set, Fifth Gear TV attempts to perform a full 360 degree loop in a full size car.

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Cop Car Tires Slashed Near Heavily-Ticketed Shopping Center

Cop Car Tires Slashed Near Heavily-Ticketed Shopping Center: "

This shaky surveillance video shows an unidentified man brazenly slashing the tires of three NYPD Parking Enforcement cars in broad daylight on Monday in Parkchester. (It was either very windy out, or the surveillance cam was afraid it would be slashed next, because it can't stop trembling!) The cars were parked outside a Bronx parking enforcement headquarters near the Westchester Square shopping district, were merchants say parking ticket blitzes are driving away their shoppers.

'It's killing us,' says Marco Rossetti, co-owner of Frank and Joe's Deli in Westchester Square. He tells the Daily News, 'It's wrong, but I can understand his frustration. Truthfully, we're not given a chance. Their office is located directly above us. The agents come down 10, 15 at a time, stand in front of my store. People that pull over don't get a second to stop.' And John Bonizio, president of the Association of the Merchants and Business Professionals of Westchester Square, says, 'I'm not surprised that frustration would run that high, and that people would attempt to lash back out at enforcement in an improper manner.'

Of course, it's unclear whether the perp in this instance was retaliating over parking tickets, but this isn't the first time the vehicles have been targeted. About a year ago, vandals started breaking windshields of NYPD. Parking Enforcement cars parked in the area. Police are currently looking for a black man of medium build who sped away in a gray mini van, presumably with a stack of unpaid parking tickets spilling out of his glove box.

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Video: Wrecking Ball Smashes Van

Video: Wrecking Ball Smashes Van: "

It's no Man Getting Hit By Football, but this video of a Dodge van getting smashed by a wrecking ball is probably worth ten of your seconds, depending on what you've got going on today. While there is some debate as to the origins of the video—one YouTube commenter astutely declares, "has to be fake i live in nyc and I would have heard about this shit in the news and on the front of the ny post"—we're pretty sure this looks like a filmed stunt for a movie, or maybe a viral marketing ad. If so, you're welcome Astroboy!

Below, a photo from the scene sent by 'NineDaves,' who tells us: 'It's on 25th and Park, filming about a month ago, a movie called THE OTHER GUYS. Here's a shot of the cast filming there. If you zoom in, you'll see Sammy Jackson and The Rock.'

Courtesy NineDaves

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How’s Your Driving? Check Your Fingers

How’s Your Driving? Check Your Fingers: "

From an intriguing new study, titled (spoiler alert!) “Digit ratio (2D:4D) is associated with traffic violations for male frequent car drivers,” by Andreas Schwerdtfeger, Regina Heimsa, and Johannes Heera, published in the current Accident Analysis and Prevention, which examines so-called “digit ratio” in the context of driving.

What’s digit ratio, you ask?

The ratio of the finger length of the index finger (2D) relative to the ring finger (4D) (2D:4D; digit ratio) represents a putative marker of prenatal hormone exposure. Specifically, the length of the fourth finger (ring finger) seems to be affected more strongly by testosterone exposure during fetal development, whereas the length of the second (index) finger seems to be more closely related to prenatal estrogen exposure (Manning, 2002). There is evidence for the hypothesis that digit ratio is related to prenatal androgens such that higher testosterone relative to estrogen exposure is associated with a lower digit ratio (e.g., [Brown et al., 2002a], [Brown et al., 2002b], [Lutchmaya et al., 2004] and [Ökten et al., 2002]). This association seems to be influenced by the action of the Homebox (so-called Hox) genes, which control differentiation of digits and the urogenital system including testes and ovaries (e.g., Kondo et al., 1997 T. Kondo, J. Zakany, J.W. Innis and D. Duboule, Of fingers, toes and penises, Nature 390 (1997), p. 29. Full Text via CrossRef | View Record in Scopus | Cited By in Scopus (125)[Kondo et al., 1997] and [Pauls et al., 2006]). Indeed, males have been found to exhibit a lower digit ratio (i.e., relatively shorter index finger length than ring finger length) than females, reflecting a preponderance of ontogenetic testosterone over estrogen exposure. This difference has been found to emerge during fetal development, to be fixed by the 13th intrauterine week, and to remain stable thereafter ([Garn et al., 1975], [Manning, 2002] and [Trivers et al., 2006]). Thus, digit ratio represents a promising variable for examining organizational effects on the developing brain (e.g., Manning, 2002).

The study looked at a group of German drivers (who worked in sales, it seems, and drove a lot).

It was found that digit ratio was a robust predictor of penalty point entries, even after controlling for other relevant demographic and personality variables. A more masculinized digit ratio (relatively longer ring finger than index finger) was related to more traffic violations. Hence, this result extends previous findings in showing that organizational effects of prenatal androgens might increase not only financial risk-taking behavior (e.g., [Apicella et al., 2008], Coates et al., 2009 J.M. Coates, M. Gurnell and A. Rustichini, Second-to-fourth digit ratio predicts success among high-frequency financial traders, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 106 (2009), pp. 623–628. Full Text via CrossRef | View Record in Scopus | Cited By in Scopus (6)[Coates et al., 2009] and [van Honk et al., 2004]), but also traffic-related risk behavior in later life, thus enhancing the probability of being prosecuted for traffic infringements. A closer look at the data suggests that a 0.01-point decrease in digit ratio is accompanied by about the same amount of increase in penalty points as is the increase in annual mileage of approximately 20,000 km. Moreover, digit ratio was a more robust predictor of penalty points than years licensed. Taken together, the findings suggest that gonadal hormone exposure in utero might increase traffic violations in later life, in addition to already established risk factors.

Could insurance companies start offering short-finger discounts?

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Drive a Car with Your iPhone [DIY]

Drive a Car with Your iPhone [DIY]: "

A lot of people have been impressed with how you can find an app for everything. What about driving your car? With this (very) ambitious DIY project you can drive a car with your iPhone.

Why use your iPhone as merely an accessory to your car? You can flat out control it with this crazy DIY modification. Check out the video below to see how the mad scientists at Waterloo Labs modified a car—definitely not their daily mode of transport—to be controlled by an iPhone.

Check out their web site at the link below to see additional videos, as well as all the schematics and part lists you need to complete your iphone-remote controlled car—and, of course, if you build one, we definitely want some pics and video. Assuming you're not in the car while you're shooting them.

Drive a Car with Your iPhone [via Make]

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Arden Wohl Failed Her Driving Test

Arden Wohl Failed Her Driving Test: "

Name: Arden Wohl

Age: 26

Neighborhood: West Village

Occupation: I make films and I am going to Culinary School to study classic pastry arts



Who's your favorite New Yorker, living or dead, real or fictional?

Stefan Bondell. He is a living painter.



What's the best meal you've eaten in New York?

That is a hard one! Either the Jungle Curry at Sripraphai in Queens or the squid 'pasta' from WD~50.



In one sentence, what do you actually do all day in your job?

I shoot footage, write, and cook.

Would you still live here on a $35,000 salary?

Of course. I love New York so much.



What's the last thing you saw on Broadway?

Hair — Karole Armitage does the choreography.



Do you give money to panhandlers?

Yes.



What's your drink?

Soda water and bitters with lime.



How often do you prepare your own meals?

Every day.



What's your favorite medication?

The nitrous oxide they give you at the dentist.



What's hanging above your sofa?

A Hanna Liden photograph.



How much is too much to spend on a haircut?

I don't have a 'haircut,' so for me no more than $60. Some people may need to spend more if it is very complicated.



When's bedtime?

These days it is midnight.



Which do you prefer, the old Times Square or the new Times Square?

Have you ever seen the documentary Doing Time in Times Square?



What do you think of Donald Trump?

He's aware of the media in a very modern way.



What do you hate most about living in New York?

The cold. I have lived here all of my life and it just keeps getting worse for me!



Who is your mortal enemy?

I don't have an enemy that I know of.



When's the last time you drove a car?

When I failed my road test.



How has the Wall Street crash affected you?

I stopped drinking alcohol!!!



Times, Post, or Daily News?

Times.



Where do you go to be alone?

The Hudson River.



What makes someone a New Yorker?

Being able to survive here.

Arden Wohl is an honorary chairman for Tibet House U.S.’s 7th Annual Benefit Auction, happening next Wednesday at Christie’s.

Read more posts by Vanita Salisbury

Filed Under: 21 questions, arden wohl

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