When I first started learning Japanese, I said "I'll learn to speak, not read. You can romanize the text, so it's fine."
Then I learned romanizing the text doesn't work. Then I thought "I just won't learn kanji. Hiragana has all the sounds."
Then I realized that Japanese is both one of the worst languages on earth to learn, but arguably the greatest language on earth for puns. Kanji is necessary because every word has a dozen homophones that would make it unintelligible in hiragana only.
Mike Relja, a retiree in his late 70s, received an unexpected job offer from NASA about a month ago.
The assignment: Help put a former NASA-operated Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird back in the air after a nearly 27-year hiatus.
https://t.co/qhpYD99Pt7
@NASA@LockheedMartin
#SkunkWorks #Blackbird #SR71A
Imagine being B.F. Goodrich rep and getting a call from NASA or the Skunk Works:
"Ever hear about the crazy aluminum-infused tires you guys built for us for the SR-71 Blackbird? No? Ok... Well, here's the wikpedia entry on the plane. Yeah... We need more of them."
Na MŚ w kolarstwie wystartował masażysta kadry Słowacji🇸🇰. Awaryjnie pojechał za kontuzjowanych kolarzy, by nie kraj nie stracił rankingowych pkt.
Utrzymał się w peletonie przez ponad 100km
Vladimir Kovacik był kolarzem, ale ostatni raz ścigał się w 2017.
The Car That Literally Broke the Regulations 🦅🏎️.
Meet the Toyota Eagle MkIII, one of the most dominant and terrifyingly fast prototype race cars to ever touch a track.
Built by Dan Gurney’s legendary All American Racers (AAR) team, this machine absolutely pulverized the competition in the IMSA GTP championship between 1991 and 1993.
Here is why this car is an absolute icon:
* Pure Domination: It won 21 out of the 27 races it entered. Even crazier? It went on a 17-race winning streak, remaining completely undefeated for over a year.
* 4-Cylinder Monster: You’d think a car this fast had a massive V8 or V12, but it was actually powered by a heavily turbocharged 2.1-liter inline-4 Toyota engine. It pushed around 800 hp in race trim, but cracked over 1,000 hp during qualifying.
* The Category Killer: The Eagle MkIII was so highly advanced and generated so much downforce that rivals like Nissan, Jaguar, and Porsche simply couldn't keep up. They eventually pulled out of the championship because competing became too expensive, forcing IMSA to cancel the entire GTP class at the end of 1993.
Driven to back-to-back championships by Juan Manuel Fangio II, the Eagle MkIII remains the ultimate testament to what happens when engineers are given total creative freedom.
#Toyota #IMSA #MotorsportHistory #VintageRacing