Even back then Deuces were highly collectible. Car guys started hoarding them, heeding Mark Twain’s famous advice to “buy land, they’re not making it anymore.” Strangely, though, they did start making Deuces anymore: high demand spawned an entire industry devoted to replica and restoration parts. Body repair panels and replica fiberglass Deuce bodies began appearing in the late 1960s, and are now available from dozens of suppliers, as are reproduction 1932 Ford frames. Recently several companies – such as Brookville Roadster and Dearborn Deuce – have introduced complete steel reproduction bodies. With a big enough budget, today you can make a pretty faithful steel recreation of a real 1932 Ford out of nothing but brand new parts. The paradoxical result is that 1932 Fords are more plentiful today than they were new. A scant 275,000 Fords rolled off the assembly line in 1932; today a greater number of “1932 Fords” are currently registered just in the state of California.
About an hour ago, Detroit was tied with Chicago for the division lead. I clicked over to Fox Sports to watch the box score of their current game against St. Louis, refreshed every thirty seconds (it’s surprising how well you can actually follow the game this way). When I started, they were down 6-4 in the bottom of the ninth. Through the miracle of the Internet (thanks, Al!) I watched them come back and tie it. Then after another scoreless inning, the Tigers won the game in the bottom of the tenth, 7-6 , with an RBI on a double.
In days of yore, they would have lost this game. But this year, they’re playing like a team that could go all the way. I may have to waste much time of my waning life actually following games this season…
It’s not even to the All-Star break yet, and the Tigers have already won more games this year than they did in all of 2003 (this win today was their forty-third). They have the best record in the majors and are leading their division. I’m not a big baseball fan (or sports fan in general) but I do retain a lot of loyalty to the home-town teams of my youth (Tigers, Lions, Woverines). I may actually sit down and watch a few games this year.
On the occasion of Peter Diamandis winning the Heinlein Prize, I thought some of my readers might want to reacquaint (or introduce, if they haven’t had the pleasure) themselves with some of the great man’s books.
And yes, if you’re wondering, I do get a cut (assuming that enough people purchase some to get me to the minimum). Think of it as an alternative means of tipping me, while getting in some good SF.
Lileks reviews the Da Vinci Code (book, not movie). He’s less than impressed. One suspects that he’ll leave the money in his wallet, and save himself the time out of his life that seeing the movie would involve.
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