The RDX has one of the most refined lodges in the luxury compact SUVs class. It’s loaded up with for the most part great materials, and reviewers state that even its negligible plastics have a decent feel. Acura’s little turbocharged motor doesn’t deliver amazing increasing speed, it’s responsive and talkative when nudged. We can look past its flighty brake-pedal feedback and awkward programmed transmission because of sharp guiding and other fun loving driving properties. https://preview.redd.it/msw9p7sfupj51.jpg?width=236&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4c10cc2fb1103aa77805152463dbc54c3a7a7ccb
Over 4000 NBA players were born in the United States, none are from Vermont. Let's look at the others. *Edit/extra info at the bottom* Alabama (87 players) All-Time: Charles Barkley (Leeds) - 22.1/11.7/3.9 (1984-2000) - The Round Mound of Rebound, the 1992-93 MVP, NBA analyst Charles Barkley finished his illustrious career as an 11 time All Star and currently is 6th in all time offensive rebounds, 20th in total rebounds, and 31st in points. Active: DeMarcus Cousins (Mobile) - 21.0/10.8/3.2 (2011- ) - DeMarcus Cousins was one of the best offensive big men in the league during his prime. Unfortunately, due to multiple serious injuries has struggled to get back on the court the past few years but is currently playing for the Houston Rockets. ----- Alaska (1 player) Only: Mario Chalmers (Anchorage) - 8.9/2.5/3.7 (2008-2018) - Famously a member of the Big 4 in Miami, Mario Chalmers won two championships starting for the Heat. He is still playing pro basketball in Greece. ----- Arizona (17 players) All-Time: Sean Elliot (Tucson) - 14.2/4.3/2.6 (1990-2001) - Two-time All-Star for the Spurs, Sean Elliot's number 32 jersey was retired in 2005. After his first all-star season he was traded by the Spurs for Dennis Rodman, averaged 12 points, and traded back the next season where he became an all-star again the season afterwards. Active: Marvin Bagley III (Tempe) -14.6/7.6/1.0 (2018- ) - Most famous for being drafted before a superstar and getting injured. I swear he's pretty good, I think. ----- Arkansas (54 players) All-Time: Scottie Pippen (Hamburg) - 16.1/6.4/5.2 (1988-2004) - The ultimate Robin, one of the best perimeter defenders ever, and a 6-time champion Scottie Pippen remains as the most underrated player of all time, well maybe not anymore. Active: Mike Conley (Fayetteville) -14.9/3.0/5.7 (2008- ) - One of the most common answers to "Who is the best player to never be an All-Star?" Mike Conley was the starting point guard for the Grit and Grind Grizzlies and currently seems to be having another comeback season on the Utah Jazz. ----- California (416 players) All-Time and Active: Kawhi Leonard (Los Angeles) - 18.8/6.4/2.8 (2012- ) - The most populous state in the nation guarantees a tough choice and disagreement, but I'm going with Kawhi Leonard. The two-time Finals MVP and two-time DPOY was one of the best perimeter defenders in NBA history during defensive prime and is one the best players in the league today. ----- Colorado (19 players) All-Time: Chauncey Billups (Denver) - 15.2/2.9/5.4 (1998-2014) - One of the most famous "late-bloomers" in the NBA, the two-way guard is most famous for his 2004 Finals MVP. Billups made five all-star teams in a row after becoming a champion and had his number 1 jersey retired by the Detroit Pistons. Active: Derrick White (Parker) - 9.7/3.2/3.4 (2018- ) - With his current injury, there are technically no actively playing NBA players from Colorado. Anyways, White is one the Spurs collection of up-and-coming young guards. ----- Connecticut (37 players) All-Time: Calvin Murphy (Norwalk) - 17.9/2.1/4.4 (1971-1983) - The shortest Hall of Famer (5'9) and world-class baton twirler, Calvin Murphy was only a one time all-star but did lead the Rockets in all-time scoring before Olajuwon. Active: Kris Dunn (New London) - 8.3/3.3/4.2 (2017- ) - A defensive specialist who was recently signed by the Atlanta Hawks, Dunn is currently out for ankle surgery but it seems only a matter of time (or rather minutes) before he makes an all-defense team. ----- Delaware (9 players) All-Time: Walt Hazzard/Mahdi Abdul-Rahman (Wilmington) - 12.6/3.0/4.9 (1965-1974) - Hazzard was a one time all-star in his career, notably averaging 24 points a game on the first team of the Seattle Supersonics. Active: Donte DiVincenzo (Newark) - 10.1/3.9/2.5 (2018- ) - The best young player in Milwaukee, the Big Ragu looks to have, once again, sacrificed 2p% for 3p% this season after a good defensive season last year. ----- District of Columbia (73 players) All-Time and Active: Kevin Durant - 27.1/7.1/4.1 (2008- ) - Another tough decision but I went with my gut/recency bias and chose Kevin Durant. 2013-14 MVP, 2x Finals MVP, 4x Scoring Champion, Durant is simply one the best scorers to ever play in the NBA. He currently looks to be starting another amazing season after missing a year with a torn achilles. ---- Florida (118 players) All-Time: David Robinson (Key West) - 21.1/10.6/2.5 (1989-2003) - Coming out the gates with All-NBA and All-Defense selections as a rookie, Robinson was instantly one of the best in the NBA. The Admiral is also part of an exclusive club of players who won both an MVP and DPOY. He also also he has a better moustache than Ewing and Olajuwon. Active: Trevor Ariza (Miami) - 10.5/4.8/2.2 (2005- ) - The most traded player in NBA history Trevor Ariza will most likely be remembered for his time as the starting small forward on the 65-17 Houston Rockets team and as being one the best 3&D players in the league during his prime. ----- Georgia (133 players) All-Time and Active: Dwight Howard (Atlanta) - 16.6/12.2/1.4 (2004- ) - Superman Dwight Howard was undoubtedly the best center in the league during his prime. The 3x DPOY lead the Orlando Magic to their 2nd Finals Appearance in 2009 and then went to, like, a lot of different teams. ----- Hawaii (2 players) All-Time: Cedric Ceballos (Maui) - 14.3/5.3/1.2 (1990-2001) - Ceballos was a one time all-star for the Lakers in the mid-nineties where he had back to back 21 points per game seasons. He appeared with Shawn Marion on the Amazing Race in 2018 where they were eliminated 4th. ----- Idaho (5 players) All-Time: Luke Ridnour (Coeur d'Alene) - 9.3/2.3/4.5 (2003-2015) - Luke Ridnour was a solid point guard for 12 years. The year before he retired, he was traded four times in six days. (Magic > Grizzlies > Hornets > Thunder >Raptors > Waived) ----- Illinois (288 players) All-Time: Dwyane Wade (Chicago) - 22.0/4.7/5.4 (2003-2019) - Flash was a thirteen time All-Star and had eight All-NBA selections. Wade is most remembered for his time has a member of the big three in Miami, but his all-time finals performance in 2006 is what puts him in the greatest shooting guard conversation. Active: Anthony Davis (Chicago) - 21.3/9.0/3.4 (2012- ) - Anthony Davis is coming off his first championship win and is the best center in the league despite playing power forward. Consistently one of the best players on both ends of the floor, Davis is a leading candidate for Defensive Player of Year, again. ----- Indiana (155 players) All-Time: Larry Bird (West Baden) - 24.3/10.0/6.3 (1979-1992) - Easily one of the greatest of all time. Larry Bird was consistently amazing throughout his unfortunately brief prime. One of three people to win three MVP awards in a row and the best player on the of the greatest teams of all-time in the 1986 Celtics. He the only person in the NBA to win MVP, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the Year. Active: Gordon Hayward (Indianapolis) - 15.4/4.4/3.5 (2010- ) - After becoming an all-star for Utah, Gordon Hayward signed a massive deal with Boston in free agency where he snapped his leg 5 minutes into his first game in green. After a few more freak injuries, Hayward looks to be back to all-star form in Charlotte. ----- Iowa (23 players) All-Time and Active: Harrison Barnes (Ames) - 13.7/4.9/1.7 (2012- ) - The original tall guy on Golden State's death lineup, Barnes would win a championship with the Warriors in 2015 and started on the 73-9 team. He currently plays forward for the Sacramento Kings. Last season Barnes was more efficient in the post than Davis and Towns. ----- Kansas (36 players) All-Time: Alvan Adams (Lawrence) - 14.1/7.0/4.1 (1975-1988) - The Oklahoma Kid, Alvan Adams, became an all-star and lead the Suns to the finals in his rookie year. He spent his entire career in Phoenix and still works there as the Sun's VP for Facility Management. Active: Willie Cauley-Stein (Spearville) - 9.5/6.3/1.6 (2015- ) - Currently the third most famous center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2015 Willie added Stein to his last name after his mother and made his nickname, Trill, his new middle name. ----- Kentucky (113 players) All-Time: Wes Unseld (Louisville) - 10.8/14.0/3.9 (1968-1981) - Wes Unseld won both MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same year, one of two people to do so. The Big U stayed with the Bullets for his entire career and last worked as an assistant coach, head coach, vice president, and general manager for the team. Active: Rajon Rondo (Louisville) - 10.2/4.7/8.2 (2006- ). Rondo was very suddenly pushed into the spotlight as the 24-58 team he first played for became the championship favorite over one offseason. Rondo would later go on to win two championships, have four All-Star and All-Defense appearances, and lead the league in assists per game three times. ----- Louisiana (121 players) All-Time: Bill Russell (Monroe) - 15.1/22.5/4.3 (1956-1969) - He won ELEVEN championships what do you want. Active: Paul Millsap (Monroe) - 13.9/7.3/2.2 (2006- ) - Paul Millsap became a four-time all-star after signing with the Atlanta Hawks and was an important member for the 60-win team in 2015. Underrated in the all-time second round picks discussion. ----- Maine (2 players) All-Time and Active: Duncan Robinson (York) - 14.8/3.9/1.7 (2018- ) - One of the Miami Heat's breakout undrafted players last year. Duncan Robinson looks to be on track to becoming one of the best three-point specialists in the NBA, shooting 44% last season. He also shot 65% on 2 pointers. ----- Maryland (74 players) All-Time: Sam Cassell (Baltimore) - 15.7/3.2/6.0 (1993-2008) - Sam Cassell was another late bloomer winning his first All-Star appearance and All-NBA selection in 2004 at age 34. The three-time champion came into the league with the 1994 Houston Rockets and retired with the 2008 Boston Celtics. Active: Victor Oladipo (Silver Spring) - 17.4/4.6/3.9 (2013- ) - Oladipo broke out in the 2017-18 season winning Most Improved Player along with his first All-Star, All-Defense, and All-NBA selections. Since that season he has been dealing with injuries but has very recently been traded to the Houston Rockets. ----- Massachusetts (45 players) All-Time: Bill Laimbeer (Boston) - 12.9/9.7/2.0 (1980-1993) - In the eighties Laimbeer was one of the most infamous players in the league as he and the Bad Boy Pistons won two championships. An early stretch 5, in 1989-1990 he shot 36% from 3 on a team high two attempts a game. The three-time all-star has also won three WNBA championships and two WNBA Coach of the Year Awards. Active: Michael Carter-Williams (Hamilton) - 10.3/4.4/4.3 (2013- ) - His NBA debut was 22 points, 7 rebounds, 12 assists, and 9 steals. Unfortunately, MCW has never quite reached that level of hype or performance again. ----- Michigan (158 players) All-Time: Magic Johnson (Lansing) - 19.5/7.2/11.2 (1979-1991 1996) - The greatest point guard of all time despite a tragically shortened career. Awards: 12x All-Star, 10x All-NBA, 3x MVP, 5x Champion, 3x FMVP. Lead the league in assists four times and steals twice. P4P best smile. Active: Draymond Green (Saginaw) - 8.9/6.9/5.0 (2012- ) - One of the most versatile defenders ever, one of the best passing big men ever, one of the shortest big men ever. Green was one of the key pieces of the Warriors dynasty that won three championships in five consecutive finals appearances. In that time, he won DPOY and made 3 All-Star teams, 2 All-NBA teams, and 5 All-Defensive teams. ----- Minnesota (60 players) All-Time: Kevin McHale (Hibbing) - 17.9/7.3/1.7 (1980-93) - McHale started his career as one the best sixth men of all time before taking his spot in the starting lineup and developed into one of the best power forwards of all-time. He won three championships and had seven all-star selections as a career Celtic. Active: Tyus Jones (Burnsville) - 5.7/1.6/3.6 (2015- ) - A solid two-way point guard for the Memphis Grizzlies, Tyus Jones holds the record for the highest assist to turnover ratio in a season from his 2018-19 season with 6.9:1. ----- Mississippi (92 players) All-Time: Spencer Haywood (Silver City) - 20.3/10.3/1.8 (1969-1970 (ABA) 1971-1980 1981-1983) - Haywood won ABA MVP and ROY in 1970 averaging 30 points and 19.5 rebounds, leading the league in both categories. In the NBA he was a five All-Star and made the All-NBA team four times. Active: Rodney Hood (Meridian) - 12.1/2.8/1.9 (2014- ) - Rodney Hood has been a solid offensive 2/3 since coming into the league. He is coming back from an achilles tear suffered last season. ----- Missouri (69 players) All-Time and Active: Jayson Tatum (St Louis) - 17.7/6.0/2.3 (2017- ) - Too early? Jayson Tatum looks to be a superstar two-way forward for the Boston Celtics, making an All-NBA team in his third season as well as leading the team to the ECF. Tatum finished second in all-time rookie playoff points with 351, only a single point behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. ----- Montana (11 players) All-Time: Mike Lewis (Missoula) - 12.1/11.9/3.0 (1968-1974) - Drafted by the Celtics but only ever played in the ABA, his career was cut short by an achilles injury. His basketball reference page says he was a two-time all-star but only shows one star. ----- Nebraska (14 players) All-Time: Bob Boozer (Omaha) - 14.8/8.1/1.4 (1960-1971) - One time all-star for the Bulls 1967-68 and went out with a championship with the Bucks. Not related to Carlos. ----- Nevada (12 Players) All-Time: Ricky Davis (Las Vegas) - 13.5/3.5/3.3 (1999-2010) - Nicknamed Wrong Rim Ricky, he most notably averaged 20 points a game on the Cavs team that drafted Lebron. Active: Troy Brown Jr (Las Vegas) - 7.6/4.3/2.1 (2018- ) - Young small forward for the Wizards, showed improvement in his sophomore season but he seen reduced minutes in his third season so far. ----- New Hampshire (1 player) Only: Matt Bonner (Concord) - 5.8/3.0/0.7 (2004- 2016) - Longtime backup big man for the Spurs where he won two championships. Assumed to still be searching for the Hoagie Grail. ----- New Jersey (143 players) All-Time: Shaquille O'Neal (Newark) - 23.7/10.9/2.5 (1992-2011) - THE MOST DOMINANT BIG MAN IN NBA HISTORY. Four rings, fifteen time All-Star, fourteen time All-NBA, 2000 MVP. Currently hanging out with Tony the Tiger. Active: Karl-Anthony Towns (Edison) - 22.7/11.8/2.8 (2015- ) - Had to choose between him and Bam, so not sure about this one. Either way, KAT is going to be best shooting big man of all time. Currently dealing with health issues, hopefully he comes back strong. ----- New Mexico (7 players) All-Time: Bill Bridges (Hobbs) - 11.9/11.9/2.8 (1963-1975) - Was a three time All-Star, two time All-Defense, and won a championship in 1975 with the Warriors. Not a lot of information about the guy unfortunately. ----- New York (411 players) All-Time: Michael Jordan (Brooklyn) - 30.1/6.2/5.3 (1984-1993 1995-1998 2001-2003) - Its between him and Abdul-Jabbar. The most common GOAT answer. Jordan led the league in scoring ten times, five MVPs, six championships. Most important person in basketball history other than maybe Naismith and Stern. Active: Carmelo Anthony (Brooklyn) - 23.4/6.5/2.9 (2003- ) - Ten time All-Star, six time All-NBA, lead the league in scoring in 2012-13, one of the faces of 21st century basketball. Only player to win every rookie of the month award and not win rookie of the year. Currently coming off the bench for Portland. ----- North Carolina (139 players) All-Time and Active: Chris Paul (Winston-Salem) - 18.4/4.5/9.5 (2005- ) - One of the greatest point guards ever. Kinda bored of listing awards, he has simply been great and an absolute game-changer since day one. Will finish top 5 in assists and steals. ----- North Dakota (6 players) All-Time and Active: Doug McDermott (Grand Forks) - 8.4/2.2/0.9 (2014- ) - Dougie McBuckets has been an automatic three-point shooter since his sophomore season and judging by Korver's and Kerr's careers, he has quite a few years to go. ----- Ohio (195 players) All-Time and Active: Lebron James (Akron) - 27.0/7.4/7.4 (2003- ) - The other GOAT guy. Still arguably the best player in the NBA at 36. You've heard it all. Ten finals appearances, four rings, 16 time All-Star and All-NBA (most first team selections too), four-time MVP. Also, shoutout to Steph Curry, best shooter ever. ----- Oklahoma (48 players) All-Time and Active: Blake Griffin (Oklahoma City) - 21.5/8.8/4.4 (2010- ) - One of the best highlight reels in the sport. Started out as a super explosive rookie all-star and later transitioned into becoming one of the most well-rounded players in the league. Had injury problems throughout his career and it seems they finally took him down a peg these past couple of seasons. ----- Oregon (32 players) All-Time: A.C. Green (Portland) - 9.6/7.4/1.1 (1985-2001) - The power forward for late period Showtime. Won three championships as a Laker, one time All-Star and All-Defense. Played 1192 consecutive games and only missed 3 total games in his career. Active: Domantas Sabonis (Portland) - 12.5/8.2/2.7 (2016- ) - Carrying on the Sabonis legacy by becoming one the best big men in league, combining passing and post play while also adding some three-point attempts recently. Already an all-star in fourth season and has a bright future. ----- Pennsylvania (239 players) All-Time: Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia) - 30.1/22.9/4.4 (1959-1973) - Wilt has lots of awards and most of the NBA records. Kobe is also one the greatest of all time with five championships and is arguably the best scorer of the 21st century but isn't eligible for the list. Active: Kyle Lowry (Philadelphia) - 14.8/4.3/6.2 (2006- ) - One of the best two-way point guards of this decade. Six time all-star and a championship along with one of the cutest bromances. Literally drew 2 charges in the last minute of the all-star game how do you not love this guy. ----- Rhode Island (10 players) All-Time: Marvin Barnes (Providence) - 16.0/9.1/2.1 (1974-1976 (ABA) 1976-1980) - ABA rookie of year and two time all-star. There is a story that when a flight was scheduled to arrive before it departure time (going from eastern time to central time), he refused to board due to this and rented a car instead stating "I ain't getting in no damn time machine." ----- South Carolina (46 players) All-Time: Kevin Garnett (Greenville) - 17.8/10.0/3.7 (1995-2016) - Arguably the best American-born power forward. Another player to win both DPOY and MVP in his career, Garnett also was a 15x All-Star, 9x All-NBA, and 12x All-Defense. The best player in Timberwolves history and the first in Minnesota's lineage of star big men named K. Active: Khris Middleton (Charleston) - 16.5/4.7/5.4 (2012- ) - Middleton is a star 2/3 for the Milwaukee Bucks. Coming off his second all-star appearance, the two-way wing is still seeking to become the ninth member of the 50/40/90 club in the NBA. ----- South Dakota (5 players) All-Time: Mike Miller (Mitchell) - 10.6/4.2/2.6 (2000-2017) - Long-time 3pt specialist, Mike Miller, is notable for having won Rookie of The Year in 2000; considered one of the weakest draft classes of the modern era. Miller also won Sixth Man of the Year in 2005-06 and two championships with the Heatles. He once owned a crab-eating macaque. ----- Tennessee (95 players) All-Time: Oscar Robertson (Charlotte) - 25.7/7.5/9.5 (1960-1974) - Oscar Robertson is the all-time leader in triple-doubles as well as the first person to average a triple double for a season. An all-time great guard, Robertson struggled to carry the Cincinnati Royals past the first round but was later able to win a championship with the Bucks in 1971. Active: Lou Williams (Memphis) - 14.4/2.3/3.4 (2005- ) - The record-tying three-time Sixth Man of the Year is one of the best scorers off the bench in NBA history. A late bloomer, Williams had arguably his best seasons in his early thirties but is currently facing reduced minutes on the LA Clippers this season. ----- Texas (193 players) All-Time: Chris Bosh (Dallas) - 19.2/8.5/2.0 (2003-2016) - The tale of a career we saw the almost the entire prime of, but not quite enough of to leave no questions about the extent of his legacy. Chris Bosh was a two-time champion and eleven time All-Star but only ever made one All-NBA team. Active: LaMarcus Aldridge (Dallas) - 19.5/8.3/2.0 (2006- ) - The hall of very good guy. One of the best big men in the league for almost a decade straight for Portland and San Antonio. Aldridge was the star acquisition that catapulted the 2015-16 Spurs to 67 wins and the unfortunate distinction of one the best teams to never win a championship. ----- Utah (26 players) All-Time: Tom Chambers (Ogden) - 18.1/6.1/2.1 (1981-1995 1997) - Tom Chambers was a four time All-Star and had two All-NBA selections. Famously the first ever unrestricted free agent, he joined the Phoenix Suns, the first team to send him an offer. Active: John Collins (Layton) - 16.2/8.8/1.6 (2017- ) - John Collins is a crazy efficient 23 year old power forward coming off two 20/10 seasons. Despite his potential, he seems having a down year on a good then not so good Atlanta Hawks team. ----- Vermont (0 players) ----- Virginia (82 players) All-Time: Moses Malone (Petersburg) - 20.3/12.3/1.3 (1974-1976 (ABA) 1976-1994) - The best undrafted player in NBA history and will probably remain so for a very long time. Over his career he was a three-time MVP, one-time champion, and had thirteen all-star appearances. In his rookie year in the NBA he played six minutes in Buffalo before being traded for two first round picks, preventing a trio of McAdoo, Malone, and Dantley. Active: Jeremy Lamb (Henrico) - 10.5/3.7/1.6 (2012- ) - Lamb had a bit of a breakout year in Charlotte during the 2018-19 season when he started most of the games he played for the first time in his career. Currently a member of the Indiana Pacers, Lamb is recovering from a major knee injury sustained last year. ----- Washington (64 players) All-Time: John Stockton (Spokane)- 13.5/2.7/10.5 (1984-2003) - John Stockton is the all-time leader in assists and steal and look to remain so for a very long time as well. His almost insurmountable lead on the assist record comes from him leading the league in total assists nine times in a row, as well as only missing 14 games out of a possible 1518. Active: Zach LaVine (Renton) - 18.0/3.7/3.7 (2014- ) - LaVine has been on the cusp of an all-star appearance these past couple years and looks to be in the hunt again this year as he continues to be a versatile offensive wing. Someone sign Isaiah Thomas. ----- West Virginia (28 players) All-Time: Jerry West (Chelyan) - 27.0/5.8/6.7 (1960-1974) - The Logo himself, Jerry West was an All-Star every season of his 14-year career along with 12 All-NBA selections. While West was one of the faces of the 1960s, he didn't win a championship until 1972, thanks bill. West went on to have a successful career as an executive, currently working for the LA Clippers. ----- Wisconsin (65 Players) All-Time: Latrell Sprewell (Milwaukee) - 18.3/4.1/4.0 (1992-2005) - Sprewell was a four time All-Star and made the first team All-NBA and second team All-Defense in his second season. In 1997 was suspended for the 82 games, later shortened to 68 games, good for second longest in NBA history. Active: Tyler Herro (Milwaukee) - 14.1/4.5/2.4 (2019- ) - A young prospect for the Miami Heat and although he had a good rookie year (a good start to his second season), he has so far been defined by his 37 point performance in the ECF last season. ----- Wyoming (7 players) All-Time and Active: James Johnson (Cheyenne) - 8.0/3.6/2.1 (2009- ) - Johnson is a versatile journeyman big man who currently plays for the Dallas Mavericks after being traded three times in 2020. Has a 20-0 record in kickboxing. ----- So that's my list, if you think I should add anything, clean up a paragraph, or spot some mistakes let me know. Sourced from basketball reference, nba.com, and wikipedia ***** EDIT: Should've specified a few things first:
"Active" is meant to be the active player with the best overall career rather than the best this season
I went with where someone was born based off their wikipedia and basketball reference page. I ignored where people spent most of their childhood/lives for the sake of simplicity on my part.
FAQ: Bill Russell was born in Louisiana, Jordan was born in NY, Kevin Love was born in California, Kyrie Irving was born in Australia, and Carlos Boozer was born in Germany. Kevin Durant was born in a DC hospital and thus on the pages I checked he is listed as from DC, oh also DC isn't in Maryland or Virginia, its different.
I forgot about Jimmy Butler in Texas (;_;)
----- US Virgin Islands (3 players) All-Time: Tim Duncan - 19.0/10.8/3.0 (1997-2016) - Tim Duncan , much like Spurs teammate David Robinson, was instantly one of the best players in the league winning FMVP in his second season. Over the rest of his career he won 5 championships, 2 MVPs, 15x All-Star and All-NBA including the oldest All-NBA first team selection at 36. He was a record breaking 15x All-Defense and is often considered the second best defender in NBA history despite not winning a DPOY. ----- Puerto Rico (8 players) All-Time: JJ Barea - 8.9/2.1/3.9 (2006-2020) - Longtime Maverick and fan favorite point guard JJ Barea won a championship in Dallas in 2011. He was still an effective scorer into his thirties scoring 10+ points per game in his age 31-34 seasons despite limited appearances. ***** did you know mark eaton is the only multi-time dpoy winner to not win it consecutively
AN: I'm back from my seven day ban (Which was entirely justified). To those that don't know, after I posted the story up on Amazon, I was informed that Kindle Unlimited requires that the story be posted nowhere else. I had assumed that applied only to selling via other publishers, not the free novel. That was not the case. Hence my rapidly pulling down the story from everywhere in a panic, lest I get my amazon account banned, and my dream of authorhood killed in the cradle. That was not why I recieved a ban from HFY for seven days. I recieved the ban, because as I pulled the story, I left the Amazon link up. That was a violation of rule seven of the subreddit, which says that any link must be accompanied by 350 words of OC content. A rule I broke nineteen times in ten minutes. Either way, that is behind us now, and I've put my time to good use setting up a patreon and building up a backlog of chapters. So without further ado, here's book two, which will be posted up until such time that the book is published, at which point it will be pulled like book one to conform with Amazon, and we will start again with book three. I'm also sitting at number ten on Space Fleet Sci-Fi right now on the top one hundred list, so I just wanted to thank everyone that bought a copy or left a review. You guys rock! “Alright ladies, shut up and sit down,” Tisi called over the hubbub of conversation. To be honest, it was kind of ridiculous that she needed to ask at all, given that she was the captain, and thus the crew should have been jumping up to salute her with obedient silence the moment she entered the ship’s small cafeteria/lounge area. Unfortunately for her, captaining a tiny picket ship like the Whisker didn’t carry that kind of prestige. More to the point, it was difficult to maintain any kind of professional distance when you were in tight confines with the same group of seven people for weeks at a time. Fortunately, the group of layabouts she was saddled with were still obedient enough. While they weren’t quite as prompt as she might have liked, the conversation did fall away, allowing her to speak. “Glider, Rocket, you hearing me up there?” She asked. “Loud and clear, captain.” The ship’s intercom squawked overhead. “Good,” she nodded. Between those two on the bridge and the five before her, the entire crew was present. “As I’m sure you’ve all already heard, we’ll be getting a replacement for Batna when we next pull into port.” All around her she saw people nod, though the one who did so most vigorously was Kernathu. Which wasn’t all that surprising given that the poor girl had been running double duty to compensate for the missing member of their complement. To be honest, it was kind of ridiculous that the Whisker had launched at all without a full crew, but then again, she supposed that was just a natural consequence of being posted to Gurathu. It was about as backwater a posting as one could get without literally manning a weather station on an ocean world. “Please tell me it’s not another Rakiri,” Someone groused from the back. “It’s already bad enough that I’m picking Yaro’s hair out of the drain every other night.” To her left, the crew’s sole Rakiri crewmate just chuffed in amusement, the furry bipedal woman more amused than offended by the insinuation. “Forget a Rakiri, I’d kill for another Halkem,” Scales muttered, the aristocratic grey skinned woman running a hand over the eponymous black scales that ran run up and down her forearms. “A lower caste of course. It’s been forever since my scales received a proper buffing.” “I offered to help,” her fellow marine offered. Scales gave the muscular Shil’vati sitting next to her a cool-eyed glance. “Yes, and you nearly de-scaled me in the process.” Assisse just shrugged, as if to say ‘at least I tried’. Tisi coughed, before Scales could respond and allow the crew’s odd couple to get into yet another argument. “Well, before I have to listen to anymore suggestions as to what you do and don’t want in the latest member of our security contingent, how about I just tell you?” The crew fell dutifully silent. Sighing, Tisi continued. “They won’t be a Rakiri, Halkem or even a Shil’vati. We’re getting a Human.” She’d been expecting it, but it was still kind of surprising how still everyone went. You could have heard a pin drop in the ensuing silence. Even Cerilla looked a little interested. Then the questions came all at once. Tisi didn’t even try to decipher the deluge of blurted words from about half the crew. Instead, she slammed a fist onto a nearby table. “Quiet,” she hissed, silencing them all instantly as she scowled. Sighing, she collected herself. As her eyes roamed over the room, she noted with some contentment that most of the crew looked at least a little sheepish about their outburst. As they should, she thought. For all that their circumstances allowed for a little laxity in military protocol, this was still a military ship and she was still the captain. They were all well-behaved enough on-planet, but sometimes when they were out in space all of them needed a reminder of what she represented. She was the captain. Her word was law, and all of them were expected to give her rank the respect it deserved. Content to let the matter lie now that they’d all been reminded of that fact, she continued. “Yes, they are male.” She answered, figuring it was best to get it over with. It was fortunate for her that she’d just reminded them all to behave with some decorum, because she had a feeling that if she hadn’t, she’d be listening to them all whooping and jeering right now. Kernathu in particular looked about to explode from joy, and even Cerilla looked interested despite her self-proclaimed disinterest in men. Of course, there’s disinterest and then there’s disinterest, Tisi thought. Lots of girls liked to get into relationships devoid of males, but few enough would pass up an opportunity to ‘try one’ if it came up. It was a rare one that abstained entirely. Of course, from every indication she’d seen, Tisi was pretty sure that Cerilla was one of those rare women. Her gut instinct was that the chief medical officer’s current interest was entirely professional rather than romantic or sexual. The same could not be said for the rest of her crew however. “Alright, all of you get your heads out of the gutters,” the captain instructed, before the – thus far – silent excitement could reach a fever pitch. Not that she could particularly blame them. Even out on a backwater like Gurathu, where weeks could pass between messenger ship circuits, they’d all heard about the Imperium’s latest acquisition. Tisi was pretty sure that half of it was Turox shit, but then again, even if only a fraction of what she’d heard about the humans was true… well, she could understand what all the hype was about. Not that she intended to do anything about it when their newest crewmate arrived. She knew some captains liked to play that part of the noble in the parlor, but Tisi was better than that. Her only relationship with the newcomer would be professional. …well, unless he offered. She had standards, but she wasn’t dead after all. Snapping her mind away from that line of thought, she fixed the motley crew in front of her with a stern eye. “Now I don’t need to remind you – but I will anyway,” she began. “We’re an Imperial Naval Vessel. That means you are expected to treat our newest crewmate the same way you treat anyone else.” She’d gotten a very sternly worded memo with pretty much those exact same words in addition to her newest crewmate’s dossier. “The last thing the navy wants is another scandal like the Iron Tooth,” she said, which served to put a significant damper on the party-like atmosphere that had been developing. Which it should. The Iron Tooth incident had been a black mark on the reputation of the navy as a whole, and while those women were now all in military prison, the effect of the scandal on male recruitment rates was still being felt two years later. Still, at least it had brought a number of new rules and regulations into being for active-duty ships. She knew some members of the military chafed under them, but to her thinking they were just good sense. “We aren’t a band of Periphery pirates,” Tisi said, echoing her own thoughts. “We’re here to do a job, not just indulge our own whims.” The crew as a whole nodded, even Assisse, prompting Tisi to smile with pride. Her crew might not have been the most disciplined bunch in this part of the galaxy, but when push came to shove, they were all good people. ----------------------- Shil’vati, as a race, were predisposed to high temperature conditions. Many of their earliest civilizations had cropped up around the tropical climates of Shil’s equator. Unfortunately for Assisse, Gurathu was anything but warm. It was a frigid ice ball of a world, filled with mountains so large it made the ones back home look like a kid’s sandcastle by comparison. Sure, the main-colony had been set up in a valley between two of those mountains, keeping it more or less sheltered from the frigid winds of world, but that didn’t make the freezing temperature any less oppressive to her senses as she and the Captain stepped out of their car and onto the busy streets just outside the space port. “Ma’am, why am I here?” Asisse asked, as she locked the vehicle and the two started making their way toward the nearby building. A task made marginally harder by the crowds of furry Rakiri colonists that made up an overwhelming majority of Gurathu’s population. Just last week the space port had been a ghost town. Today that wasn’t the case though. With a large cargo ship coming in, the place had filled up with natives hoping to load up or receive things. “Upset that I’m taking you away from your away time with Scales, sergeant?” the Captain teased as they strode past two brown coated furry aliens arguing loudly with a tired looking Shil’vati customs officer. If they were still in space Assisse would have rolled her eyes at her superior’s comment. They were on-planet though, so she refrained, keeping her features studiously neutral. That was part of the strange dichotomy the crew of the Whisker shared. It was an old joke anyway. For all that the crew liked to joke that the pair of them bickered like two rival wives in a marriage unit, they weren’t together. They were just friends. Which ironically was less than a lot of girls in the services were. While the reputation for girls ‘enjoying each other’s company’ while out on deployment was a pretty gross exaggeration, it was a stereotype that held some truth. Assisse and Scales had never done anything of the sort though. They were just friends who liked to bicker. “Not at all, ma’am,” Assisse drawled dutifully. Tisi hummed thoughtfully as they flashed their credentials at the Shil’vati militia guarding the terminal entrance to the new arrival. “I assumed that as the leader of our little Marine contingent, you’d be interested in seeing our newest arrival first hand.” Assisse shrugged. She wasn’t too bothered to be honest. Whether she saw him today or a week from now, when the Whisker set off for patrol again, didn’t really matter. It wasn’t like she could send him back if she didn’t like him for whatever reason. Ignoring the fact that she was pretty sure the crew would mutiny if they didn’t get the human, it would be weeks before the next message ship came through, and they would be out on patrol before that happened. “Apparently our newest addition is some kind of tactical savant,” the Captain continued, ignorant of her thoughts. “Managed to take on an entire company of Interior elites with just two other recruits during a training exercise.” “…How?” Assisse asked skeptically. On a purely practical level, she was pretty sure three recruits didn’t have enough ammo to gun down that many of the opposition. Tisi shrugged. “That, my dossier didn’t say. Probably some kind of guerilla thing. You’ve heard how humans are.” Assisse nodded warily. Everyone had heard the stories about the latest race to be added to the Imperial fold. Specifically, the fact that they had a fifty/fifty gender ratio and that the males were just as randy as women. That wasn’t what Tisi was referring to. Earth wasn’t all that dangerous. Ignoring the myriad other advantages the Imperium held over the native population, the fact was that most of the native’s weapons couldn’t penetrate through Shil’vati armor. That made being out on patrol a whole lot less of a daunting prospect. That didn’t mean it was totally without risk. What the aliens apparently lacked in weapons acumen, they surely made up for in tenacity and creativity. The number of homemade ‘rail-guns’ that had been popping up in recent weeks was proof enough of that. Crude, sparse and slow to fire as those weapons were, they’d destroyed the assurance of many a patrolwoman that their armor was proof against anything the natives could throw at them. The place was still considered a pretty sweet posting compared to the likes of the Periphery - practically a vacation, even - but it seemed that with each passing month the number of injuries and casualties amongst the occupation force grew rather than diminished. Which was the opposite of what was supposed to happen. The numbers were beyond middling to the Imperium, but it was still a worrying trend. “Here we are,” Tisi said as they passed through another checkpoint and back out onto the recently swept open tarmac of the landing pad. Personally, Assisse would have preferred to stay in the heated building and watch through the viewing port, but she knew better than to voice that opinion. That they’d be standing outside waiting for the ship to arrive had been a foregone conclusion anyway. As her slightly blue snow-tanned complexion could attest, the captain liked to take every opportunity she could to be out in the open air while they were on planet. It was almost as if she was compensating for all the time they spent in the cramped confines of the ship. Well, that wasn’t strictly fair. The Whisker was actually pretty spacious for a picket ship, with a fairly large number of amenities for its small size. Of course, all the amenities in the world couldn’t distract from the fact that it was a limited area, and that the crew spent weeks, and occasionally months, stuck there. So, she supposed she could forgive the captain’s need to stand out in the freezing Gurathu air. Even if Assisse was pretty sure the tips of her ears were beginning to form icicles. “Anything else I should know, ma’am?” she asked as they peered out into the great blue sky above. “He’s a boot.” Assisse glanced at the woman next to her. “I figured as much, ma’am. Being human and all.” Tisi determinedly kept her eyes on the sky. “No sergeant, I meant basic boot.” That made the marine pause. “No vocational, ma’am?” She asked slowly. “No.” Now Assisse was fully staring at her superior. “With all due respect ma’am, what the hell?” Basic training was called that for a reason. It instilled all the basics that any member of the military might need. That was the key word in that statement: Basics. Vocational training was where actual skills were developed. Engineers, chefs, medics, hell, even your average riflewoman needed more advanced training to truly be considered competent in their chosen role. Advanced unit tactics, sweeping and clearing, how to call in orbital support, jump-pack operation… The list went on and on. All skills that were needed for a team to be able to function correctly during an operation. Empress, it only got worse on a small picket ship like the Whisker. The ship’s small complement meant most members had multiple roles. Assisse herself was entirely capable of filling in as a medical assistant should it be required, and Scales was an assistant chef. “I was lead to understand – as was the rest of the crew – that our newest member would be filling in for Bant,” she gritted out, not needing to state that Kernathu would be devastated. The young mechanic was running herself ragged keeping the ship running without aid. The rest of the crew tried to pitch in where they could, but they just didn’t have the skills to be truly useful. The captain frowned, no doubt thinking the same thing. “I don’t like it much either.” She allowed. “Orders are orders though. Between us, it’s obvious that something funny is going on here.” Assisse scowled. She knew exactly what that meant. Politics. The word felt foul on her tongue. She’d thought having a posting on the ass end of nowhere would get her away from all the politicking of back home. She supposed it just went to show that wherever the Imperium went, politics followed. The nobility were pathologically incapable of keeping their noses out of anything. The captain being the notable exception of course. She was a fine no-nonsense leader, but even she had her moments where that ingrained aristocratic instinct kicked in. Though it was unfair, Assise couldn’t help but wonder if this was one of those occasions. If the captain was accepting this human as part of some plot back home. “It’s not all bad,” the woman continued, completely ignorant to the Sergeant’s thoughts. “Apparently he was going to university on his homeworld. Part of the uplift program to familiarize the humans with our tech so that they can finally start contributing.” She paused. “He was only part way through the course before he, uh, signed up, but that should give him enough of a foundation to be of use. I’m sure Kernathu will get some use out of him.” Assisse privately doubted that. Still, it wasn’t her department. Her only concern was how decent he’d be in a firefight. Not that she expected to be in one, but that was neither here nor there. Searching merchant ships for contraband was already tedious enough without worrying if one of her underlings was going to shoot his foot off. “There it is,” Tisi pointed. Assisse glanced up, and sure enough there was a blot in the sky above. It started small at first, but as the minutes passed, it only grew in size. Soon enough she could make out individual details. The Grinshaw’s Maw was built in the style of most Shil’vati ships. Which was to say that it was essentially a brick with a set of oversize engines strapped to the back. The cargo ship was even uglier than most. Where most warships would have at least had a sleek array of laser pods running across the ship, this one had but one, mounted to the front. Instead of holding weapons, the sides of the ship bulged out awkwardly to make room for the vessel’s expanded cargo holds. As she watched it continue to grow as it got closer, she couldn’t help but marvel at the sight. Nothing that big and cumbersome looking should have been able to move through atmosphere. Nor should it have been so quiet while doing so. Nearly twice the size of the massive super-cargo ships that used to ply Shil’s southern oceans, the thing’s engines should have been blazing away in an attempt to just keep the massive construct in the air. Instead, they were all but silent, only occasionally releasing a small puff as the ship corrected its course. “Anti-gravity tech can be a real mindfuck,” she murmured, ignoring the way the Captain looked away from the ship to send her an amused glance. Kernathu had tried to explain it to her once, but it had all come out as gibberish to Assisse’s ears. Like, what the fuck was a ‘graviton’ and why was it only sometimes a wave? She had no clue, and she’d long since given up trying to understand. Finally, the ship touched down with a clunk. Then a second clunk as the anti-grav field turned off and the full weight off the ship dropped onto the landing struts. The cargo gates opened with a whirring noise, and massive heavy-duty ramps slid down. Almost immediately cargo vehicles and exo’s began striding out to the behemoth, to begin the gargantuan task of unloading its cargo, before reloading it with exports from Gurathu. “Shall we go see the latest addition to our little ‘family’?” Tisi said, a hint of genuine excitement peeking through her expression. Assisse once more resisted the urge to roll her eyes. For all that the captain played the role of the no-nonsense officer, sometimes it was easy to see the excitable young woman that lay beneath. As evidenced by the fact that they were boarding the ship, rather than heading back inside to wait in the passenger terminal. Instead of doing that, Assisse did what all enlisted throughout history did when saddled with an excitable officer. She grunted and grudgingly followed after her superior. First / Next Another three chapters are also available on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/bluefishcake We also have a (surprisingly) active Discord where and I and a few other authors like to hang out:https://discord.gg/RctHFucHaq
MVIS: Shiny Laser Go Pew ⚡ No But Seriously They Are Gonna Take Over The LiDAR Industry
So, the day has come, and MicroVision's market cap is finally big enough so that you won't get banned for mentioning it on WSB. But what is it? Why have they seen an 800%+ increase in three months? Where are they headed? Allow me to explain. About Them MicroVision, Inc. (MVIS) makes futuristic-as-fuck laser technology that's used in self driving cars and augmented reality headsets. This already sets them apart from a major competitors like Velodyne (VLDR), which focuses solely on LiDAR for self driving cars. Sumit Sharma, the CEO, was head of operations at Google's Project GLASS and has worked to map hardware development at Motorola, also worked at Jawbone. Source Why have they been increasing 800% in three months while similar companies in the same sector see a fraction of that gain? Because their tech is much more advanced than the competition, and they were (are) criminally undervalued. The reason they're so undervalued is because the first thing hedge funds see when they research a potential investment is the balance sheet, and on paper MVIS looks like shit. (Low assets, high liabilities) Even I saw the movement back in December, did some research, and was like "Wtf is this? I need to get puts" But once you do research into their product, who their customers are, and the future of the industry that they are involved in, you see that MicroVision is a turnaround story similar to that of Plug Power; both are 90's futuristic companies that people got way too excited about in 2000, have struggled to make it to 2020, but now are about to finally have their heyday. And they got a $13 million equity facility (loan) in December that greatly improved their balance sheet, making them appeal to institutions, and bringing Vanguard and Blackrock to invest in MVIS days later. I actually had a hedge fund manager tell me that MVIS was doomed to run out of cash in Q1 2020, but if they secured funds then they would have a lot of potential. I go over that in the comments. MVIS (left) vs PLUG (right) 1990's until present Anyways, what is this "much more advanced" technology? I'll just let this chart do the talking: The MicroVision Consumer LIDAR being compared here isn't even their model designed for self-driving cars, that will be coming in April. The resolution it can take as input/second, the points per second, is key when it comes to how clearly the LiDAR sensor can see, how accurately it can identify what it is seeing, and how quickly it can react. That chart is from 2 years ago and still the best resolution Velodyne can provide today is only 4,800,000 pps in their most advanced model, the "Alpha Prime"
3D Lidar Data Points Generated 2- Single Return Mode: ~ 2,400,000 points per second- Dual Return Mode: ~ 4,800,000 points per second.
VLDR has not publicly announced a price for their Alpha Prime yet, but historically their top of the line devices cost $75,000. I have seen unsourced numbers of the Alpha Prime costing $100,000. That was last year, will probably be brought down to be more reasonable for automakers to purchase. They did announce a $500 model called the Velarray H800 in November, but the only thing they said about its pps resolution is that its "outstanding"... lol. As for Luminar (LAZR), they will launch the new model "Iris" in 2022, which will cost about $1,000: (the same price as MicroVision's device to be revealed in April). It will also only operate at 10Hz. This is similar to playing a racing game at 10FPS. If you know anything about video games, you know that this is unplayable.
Iris will cost less than $1,000 per unit for production vehicles seeking serious autonomy, and for $500 you can get a more limited version for more limited purposes like driver assistance, or ADAS. Luminar says Iris is 'slated to launch commercially on production vehicles beginning in 2022,' but that doesn't mean necessarily that it's shipping to customers right now. The company is negotiating more than a billion dollars in contracts at present, a representative told me, and 2022 would be the earliest that vehicles with Iris could be made available.
A lengthy post has been make comparing Luminar's resolutions with MicroVision's, which was not easy to calculate because Luminar said their resolution was "300dpi/spdeg", a statistic that is incomprehensible for shareholders because its not the common specification of millions (3D) points per second. Here's the math, I sum it all up at the bottom:
Luminar's Hydra claims resolution of "up to 200 points per square degree" and a FOV of 120° x 30° (degrees). (and 300 points for Iris, the one coming in 2022.) However, the vertical FOV can be configured from 1° to 30° , which likely explains the use of "up to" in the resolution numbers. Generally, as FOV expands, resolution shrinks, assuming a constant pixel stream. This is why Alex Kipman made such a big deal about MSFT maintaining resolution in Hololens 2(YT links aren't allowed apparently) while expanding FOV because it required more pixels to do so. Specifically, regarding Luminar, is 200 points per square degree available when FOV is at the maximum 120° x 30°? Or is it available only at a lesser FOV such as, for example, 120° x 5°? The use of "up to" suggests the latter. Even assuming 200 points per square degree at 120° x 30° is available, which is not conceded given the stated "up to", that would yield a total resolution of 720,000 points. MVIS claims capacity in excess of 20M points per second. At a resolution of 720,000 points, Luminar would require a frame rate of 27.7 Hz to equal 20M points per second. Luminar's specs do not suggest that its technology is capable of such a high frame rate at this resolution. This is not surprising given it does not use MEMS micromirrors but something more "mechanical" including, as per a recent patent, spindles and a drive belt (1) At video time 19:56, Luminar compares the specs of its Iris product to industry requirements. The graphic reveals that Luminar's 2022 production lidar, Iris, will support resolution of 300 points per square degree at 10 Hz. Assuming that resolution applies to the entire FOV of 120 x 30 degrees and not just a portion of the FOV, that would imply a points per second value of 120 x 30 x 300 x 10 Hz = 10.8M points per second. If the 300 points/ sq. deg applies only to a smaller FOV, the points per second figure would be proportionally smaller. Microvision claims 20M points per second for its current MEMS lidar. The company also advises that its technology is capable of more than 20M points/sec.
TLDR: The best case scenario for Luminar is that their 2022 model will have 10.8 million pps, but in reality its probably much lower than that because of FOV configurations, careful wording by press releases, and Hz limitations. Additional Interesting insight on Luminar and their tech lagging behind is in the comments, this post is long enough already. Again the MicroVision Consumer LIDAR (specifications) being used for comparison here isn't even their model designed for self-driving cars. Their device specialized for cars, the "1st gen Long Range LiDAR (LRL) Sensor", will be coming in April.
We expect our 1st generation LRL Sensor to have range of at least 250 meters and the highest resolution at range of any lidar with 340 vertical lines up to 250 meters, 568 vertical lines up to 120 meters and 944 vertical lines up to 60 meters. This equatesto 520 points per square degree.
(For those who read the math on LAZR, notice he doesn't say up to) It testing is successful, the 1st Generation LRL Sensor will be able to calculate velocity of objects relative to itself, and be able to be used in Level 3 and Level 4 self-driving applications
Our LRL Sensor will also output velocity of moving objects relative to an ego vehicle across our dynamic field of view in real-time 30 Hz sensor output. This sensor would accelerate development of Level 3 (L3) autonomous safety and Level 4 (L4) autonomous driving features that are important to potential customers and interested parties.
What is Level 3 and Level 4 autonomous driving? https://preview.redd.it/n4c8831l9dh61.png?width=848&format=png&auto=webp&s=0652984c72da3159b53a4fc4058c9d9e33cc6b05 Level 1 is feet off, level 2 is hands off, level 3 is eyes off, level 4 is mind off, and level 5 is full passenger (you can sit in the back). So basically, they have that 2045 technology today, while everyone else is trying to play catch-up. How is it so advanced? It all lies in the high resolution of the laser sensors.
I've seen MVIS's LiDAR in action at a shareholder meeting. It can recognize people. This has been described on MicroVision's conference calls, and has been described with significant additional safety and convenience features. This could identify individual people Can distinguish between pets and people (or YOUR pet and the neighbors pet) Can distinguish between normal behaviors and strange things that could be of concern Could save face-scans of intruders and allow intruders to be identified later Source
LiDAR is the only sensor that gives you resolution at range: the ability to get very fine and very accurate detection of objects in space.
that's why Teslas use radar systems in addition to their cameras, still not good enough to prevent fatalities on the road using Tesla's "full self-driving" software. Also, cameras struggle with light glare, weather, and 3D imaging, while LiDAR fixes all those issues. The main advantage of cameras are their resolution, and MicroVision is bridging the gap. So, will testing be successful?
We expect the capability of our LRL Sensor to meet or exceed OEM requirements, based on technology we have scaled multiple times over the last decade, as being a very strong strategic advantage. (Same source)
This product has been getting fine tuned for years and I am personally confident that they will be able to outperform in their testing. Demonstration(YT links aren't allowed apparently) of their consumer LiDAR product from 2018 (make sure your quality is all the way up). Growing Industry The self-driving cars market is expected to reach 220.44 billion dollars by 2025. This includes taxi, civil, public transport, heavy duty trucks, ride shares, and ride hail (UBER - 72 B mkt cap) applications. Traffic Accidents in the US aloneCost 871 Billion A Year, even just yesterday there was an insane pileup on the I-35W highway in Texas that killed 6, injured 36, and damaged 133 vehicles. Not only self-driven cars need LiDAR. In a few years, as soon as MicroVision's 1st Gen LRL is available, LiDAR systems will certainly become mandatory for (still) human-controlled cars to avoid collisions. This tech could become as revolutionary and successful as airbags. Airbags are a 37.3 billion dollar industry. If only 10% of the cars produced annually contain four Microvision LRL systems, this will result in a volume of 364 million units in ten years. (9.1 million cars * 4 modules * 10 years) And this is a conservative calculation, both a higher market share, more cars produced, and more modules per car are conceivable. At least 4 LRL devices will be necessary to establish a \"circle of safety.\" Augmented Reality The Hololens 2 is an example of a Virtual Reality Device (VRD) manufactured by Microsoft that uses MicroVision MEMS Laser Scanning display modules inside. NASA & Lockeed Martin using Hololens (Video)(YT links aren't allowed apparently)
'When a technician puts on the Hololens, they instantly see the work instruction, instead of having to go through stacks of rectangular data, whether its paper or another form of a screen'... 'We see a reduction in cost, increases in quality'... 'What we've found is we can take an 8 hour activity and reduce it down to 45 minutes'... 'We haven't had a single error that's been documented'...
This new GPS system comes equipped with an augmented reality heads-up-display (HUD) that attaches directly to your sun visor. This laser-projected GPS micro-display, developed in collaboration with MicroVision, makes it appear that your route directions show directly on top of the road, letting you keep your eyes on the road at the same time.
Cook was asked about what he expects to be the biggest tech developments in the next five to 10 years. Cook’s response made it clear that he sees augmented reality as the future, calling it the “next big thing.”
While attending a trauma call in the early stages of the pandemic, Mr Kinross noticed that 29 people were working in close proximity. He realized the established way of working would have to change dramatically.
The technician is then linked with a Mercedes-Benz specialist working remotely who can see what the tech sees and communicate in real-time -- manipulating the holographic information with annotations, highlighting areas of focus, pointing at things in the real world and presenting documents and service manuals.
In the next few years, business verticals will be possible in the markets for smart glasses (Video)(YT links aren't allowed apparently) and projections with touchless input(YT links aren't allowed apparently) and gesture control. For example, an eyewear company could develop the smallest and lightest smart glasses device on the market using the chip in that smart glasses video.
In the MicroVision Augmented Reality video, for example, we share a potential module design using our existing MEMS technology platform that could offer the lightest, smallest in volume, low power module with up to 40 degrees field of view packaged into eye wear that resembles frames currently accepted in the market. I believe one could see how our module in the design example would be compelling for a mass-market product.Source
Patents MicroVision has 484 patents granted and pending. This was enough to get them on the Ocean Tomo 300 Patent Value Index. What is that you ask?
The Ocean Tomo 300® Patent Value Index includes the top value companies of the broad- market Ocean Tomo 300® Patent Index, as determined by the price-to-book ratio, and is diversified across market capitalization. It is the industry’s first value index based on the value of intellectual property and represents a portfolio of 60 companies with the highest innovation ratio (i.e., patent maintenance value relative to book value). Source
This index also outperforms the Russel 1000 and the S&P 500. Their intellectual property includes in-house developed custom MEMS, custom optics, proprietary digital and analog silicon chips, embedded real-time firmware and software, manufacturing processes, custom automation and strategic partnerships that allow them to operate in a sleek model. MicroVision patents and products therefore serve many future markets:
Whoever has the MicroVision technology may be able to eliminate the competition or demand license fees from them. Or the other way around: Whoever does not buy the technology can be excluded from markets. Therefore, bidding competition may arise to gain access to the market. Whoever has the best LiDAR system for cars will also be able to supply other components and software to car manufacturers. The car manufacturer who has the best LiDAR system has a big advantage over the competition. All Notable Competition: Velodyne LiDAR, Luminar, Sense Photonics, Robosense, Valeo, SureStar MicroVision: founded in 1993 Velodyne Lidar VLDR: founded in 1983, but as a subwoofer company 😂 and only got into LiDAR in 2005 LAZR: founded in 2012 Non-Public: Valeo: Founded in 1998 Robosense: Founded in 2014 SureStar: Founded in 2005 Basically, MVIS is all these other companies' daddy. They have been working on LiDAR for almost 30 years and it shows, just imagine what they will be able to develop in a few years with more funding. https://preview.redd.it/eh5csdcz9dh61.png?width=1600&format=png&auto=webp&s=068fe6f5508e693ace5c6c56d4d2a5d9294836fb Insider Activity MicroVision is very transparent with its inner workings of the company, you can easily reach out to them on their website under "Investors." One of many conferences held with Vice President David Westgor, investor relations manager Dave Allen, and investors of MVIS revealed:
As to the employee incentive plan, Steve Holt made the point that in his 7 years of experience (I think it was) with MVIS, NO EMPLOYEE had actually ever cashed out in the money options.
Case in point, on December 1s, 2020, the day after she joined the team, Judith Curran was paid with 3 million dollars worth of $3 calls expiring in 2022, and she has not cashed out. On Yahoo it reports that the last insider sale was in 2014. Institutional Investments For reasons stated earlier, institutions have been late to the game on this one, but now are starting to get on the rocket ship before it takes off. MVIS is now the largest holding in the S&P Kensho Moonshots Index, (KMOONP), which is literally an ETF of stocks that are going go the moon 🌙 . Blackrock purchased 2.44 million shares on December 31, 2020. Vanguard purchased 6.61 million shares on the same day. Recent Events MVIS's stagnation really started to break on December 1st 2020, with MVIS when former Ford Executive Judith Curran was added to MVIS's board of directors.
Curran is an accomplished senior automotive executive with over 30 years of experience in vehicle program, engineering and technology leadership. Curran has a strong record of leading innovation at Ford Motor Company where she served in a number of executive positions including Director of Technology Strategy, where she developed the cross-vehicle global strategy for key new technologies including assisted driving, infotainment, new electrical architectures, and connectivity.
Doesn't take a genius to figure out they were about to ride the EV wave, and were appointing the right people to be poised to do so. Eight days later on December 8th 2020, the US Congress approved approximately $700M for the roll-out of IVAS in 2021. 7 days after that on December 15th, MVIS broke $4 for the first time in nine years. December 29, 2020: MicroVision Announces $13 Million At-the-Market Equity Facility (this is huge for improving balance sheet and attracting hedge funds/institutional ownership)
So far, our team remains on track to complete our Long Range Lidar sensor sample in April 2021. We believe this financing will further solidify our balance sheet as we remain committed to pursuing strategic alternatives and establishing value for our shareholders,” said Sumit Sharma, MicroVision Chief Executive Officer. “We expect a stronger balance sheet will provide the Company with runway through 2021 and into the first quarter of 2022 to enable us to continue development of our lidar sensor while pursuing strategic alternatives,” said Steve Holt, MicroVision Chief Financial Officer.
December 31: Vanguard adds 6.6 million shares, Blackrock adds adds 2.4. January 20, 2021: Apple CEO Tim Cook says Augmented Reality is the "Next Big Thing." Feb 2, 2021 YooToob stock analyst Deadnsyde covers(YT links aren't allowed apparently) MVIS, causing the beginning of a large breakout past $8. Feb 4: MicroVision granted patent (WSB bot is blocking source from being posted- thinks it contains a ticker), essentially lidar on a chip, this patent in particular is huge. (solid state lidar) Feb 10: Cramer mentions MVIS, says LIDAR is one of three battlegrounds for EV competition. Feb 10 after hours: MVIS announces Progress on Automotive Long Range LiDAR, saying “We expect MicroVision’s Long Range Lidar Sensor, (LRL Sensor) which has been in development for over two years, to meet or exceed requirements established by OEMs for autonomous safety and autonomous driving features,” said Sumit Sharma, Chief Executive Officer of MicroVision. Feb 11: Volkswagen and Microsoft team up on automated driving (potential for MVIS to get involved). Talent at MicroVision Sumit Sharma became the CEO in February of 2020, he is a mechanical engineer that has been with MVIS for five years after having been the head of operations at Google Project Glass, and working for Motorola and Jawbone. Dr. Mark Spitzer is on the board of directors having previously worked at Google X, Darpa, Kopin and having founded Myvu and Photonic Glass. Judy Curran joined the board this year after spending 30 years at Ford, where she was the Director of Technical Strategy. She is also the Head of Global Automotive Strategy for Ansys, a simulation software company that works with ADAS systems. Technical analysis Resistance at 46.75, 123. 39, and 204. 23, could turn to supports. Moving Average Analysis: On February 28, 2020, Market Cap of PLUG was 1.32B, on this date the 120 day MA touches the 8y moving average. 11 months later, PLUG has a market cap of 33.79B, an increase of 2459%. On September 3, 2020, Market Cap of MVIS was 0.21B, on this date 120 day MA touches the 8y moving average. 5 months later, MVIS has a market cap of 2.77B an increase of 1219%. 6 months forward price target: $34.348B Conclusion/Valuation/TLDR LAZR is currently valued at 12.22B VLDR at 3.92B MVIS at 2.77B MicroVision offers a quantitatively much higher performance product than both of its competitor companies. Because of their lack of focus on augmented reality technologies, competitors are not likely to have a future in the markets of smart glasses, healthcare, engineering, military equipment, GPS safety, entertainment, and interactive projectors. They are involved in an industry that is currently at an inflection point, due to grow massively in the near future. Their high number of extremely advanced patents will bring in significant revenue for the company in the coming years. I have never seen a company with such low insider selling, that the last case of a sale was in 2014. Institutional investors are piling in as MicroVision's balance sheet improves and they near the April LRL sensor test date, which has a high likelihood of being a success. I think this stock should currently be valued at 20 Billion dollars, taking all of this into account, and expect it to rise drastically over the next few years. This is not financial advice, I am not a financial advisor, do your own research before believing some retard on the internet. Positions: 300 shares, $19 call 5/21, $20 call 3/19, $31 call 2/19(FD), $28 call 2/19, $24 call 2/19.
Since The Weeknd is performing at the Super Bowl Halftime show, I thought it’d be nice to post a little guide to his discography for anyone interested in looking to do a deep dive into his work. I would’ve posted this the day of the event, but I assume that some people would probably like to go through it over the weekend. This shares a direct overview of his released material, talking about his career and the background of the music, the videos, the meanings and all. I’ve written this from a pop perspective, keeping in mind that his history might be fairly new for general pop fans. I also go into the storyline of the red suit character, if your interested in catching up on that narrative before the Halftime show (which will continue the story), I’ve listed the chronological order below followed by an explanation of that narrative. I wanna be clear that the interpretations/theories are not conclusive. Abel rarely shares the metaphors or meanings behind his music. This is based on widely based on fan discussion/mutual interpretation. Fans can feel free to expand on anything in the comments. It is important to know about Abel's backstory to get a certain perspective of where he’s coming from, especially when discussing the songs that deal with substance abuse. These recent articles cover his early years really well and share an up-to-date point of view of his success. Variety 2020 Billboard 2021 - Also a good source for getting to know his team. So, an essential TL;DR is this: Abel Tesfaye came from a broken home, he was born to Ethiopian immigrant parents who split up when Tesfaye was less than seven. He then lived with his mother and grandmother, only rarely seeing his father but having a nice impression of him. His drug addiction started as soon as he was a high schooler, he turned to shoplifting to pay for this need of various substances. Soon he dropped out of high school, leaving his home the same weekend, which would later inspire his stage name, The Weeknd. The name is reference/homage to the weekend his life changed. Quick side note, I didn’t think this post would nearly reach the character limit. So I’ve cut out excess detail and lists of producers (with the exception of After Hours since we’re in that era). Table of contents
XO.
House of Balloons.
Thursday.
Echoes of Silence.
Trilogy.
Kiss Land.
King of the Fall.
Beauty Behind The Madness.
Starboy.
My Dear Melancholy.
After Hours.
XO.
XO is the record label that The Weeknd and co. created in order to publish the first mixtape (House of Balloons) and the ones that would follow afterwards. XO has a lot of meanings that have to do with what went into the music and what still goes into it. XO is what the fans call themselves, popularly with the phrase XO Till We OD (shortened to XOTWOD); another way of saying “we’re ride or die for The Weeknd and his team.” While some argue that it could mean anything since there isn’t clear meaning to it, fans continue to associate the abbreviation with ecstasy (X) and oxycontin (O). That definition stems from XOTWOD, fans assume it’s true because of the team’s history of drug usage. While others take it as it’s classical definition “hugs and kisses” because of the consistent lyrical nature of The Weeknd’s songs. Overtime the definition of XO is simply known as: the fans, the crew, and the label. The Weeknd is more than just one person, he comes with XO. For the sake of clarity in this writeup, I’m going to refer to his crew as XO and the fans as “the fans.” XO still serves as a record label, the current roster is The Weeknd, Belly, Nav, and Black Atlass. It remains The Weeknd’s record label and was his first label before becoming a subsidiary of Republic Records. Throughout his career, The Weeknd has worked with Illangelo, a Canadian producer who’s work the fans adore. Carlo “Illangelo” Montagnese was one of main the producers on The Weeknd’s Trilogy, he’s credited on each track. The fan base claims his work to be some of the most notable artistry in The Weeknd’s discography. Their work together continued with Beauty Behind The Madness, Illangelo worked on seven tracks for that album. He then returned for After Hours working on another seven tracks. DaHeala, another Canadian producer, is another significant factor in The Weeknd’s music. Jason “DaHeala” Quenneville worked as lead producer on Kiss Land. He returned to work on six tracks for The Weeknd’s Beauty Behind The Madness, including the hit Earned It. DaHeala returned as a writer for six of the songs on Starboy. Then DaHeala worked on nine After Hours tracks, and worked as the only producewriter alongside The Weeknd for bonus tracks Missed You and Final Lullaby.
This is a happy house. We’re happy here. (House of Balloons/Glass Table Girls)
One of the most iconic title tracks of all time. House of Balloons is about a lifestyle of drugs, sex, and partying; all in effort to drown out self-doubt. It comes from a place of wanting to make it big while doing what you can to survive, all while pretending everything’s alright. The mixtape describes various sorts of women, how they’ve had impacted the life of someone who’s already down on his luck. Fans often refer to House of Balloons as The Weeknd’s best work. The mixtape was the first introduction the world got of XO, and it was one hell of a way to make an impression. It’s personal for the fans and Abel because it’s the only piece of work known to be based on his life. At the end of the day he’s a songwriter, with many of his albums he creates scenarios and world that he likes to explore through the music. But House of Balloons is known to be based entirely on his life. It remains The Weeknd’s most critically acclaimed work. House of Balloons was crafted through the influences of Hip-Hip/Indie-Rock with the main focus on R&B. Through the genius of Ilangelo, the record was—and is—mesmerizing capturing the essence of a lifestyle that The Weeknd described as “anti-everything.” House of Balloons assisted The Weeknd in gaining the attention of Republic Records, which would then host The Weeknd’s own label XO. Though hesitant at first, XO decided to partner with Republic after the co-founding brothers Monte and Avery Lipman kept coming back to Toronto solely for The Weeknd. House of Balloons received three videos, The Knowing, Wicked Games and Twenty Eight. The Knowing was the very first video The Weeknd made, so of course it’d be something other-worldly; it essentially reflects the song itself but in a sci-fi setting. Twenty Eight represents Abel’s life after fame but also his remorse of letting captivating women into his life. Fun fact— House of Balloons is an actual place in Toronto, it was where him and his crew lived after he dropped out of high school. They’d host parties, call girls, do drugs, and to make it less depressing they’d fill it with balloons.
Thursday consists of the same themes as HoB; sex and drugs. But there’s a twist, he’s in a semi-relationship with this girl Valerie. She’s the only one on his mind, even though they meet only one day of the week, any guesses on what day that could be? Through The Weeknd’s phenomenal voice and the insane production, we’re also presented with this story of a toxic relationship where Valerie used to have the upper hand but she no longer does when she falls for The Weeknd. While Thursday isn’t entirely about the relationship of The Weeknd and Valerie, it consists of reflections to Abel’s life after the release of House of Balloons. The song Rolling Stone notably has a double meaning, in which Abel asks his fans if they’ll stick with him when he gets mainstream appeal and decides to change his sound. The track Valerie wasn’t on the original release of Thursday, it added when Trilogy was released. Ending the mixtape with Heaven or Las Vegas meant that The Weeknd’s actions with and without Valerie were a result of his fatherless childhood, making him push anyone away. That meaning behind Thursday doesn’t change when Valerie is added to the track list, it just means that both want the toxic relationship back. The Zone (feat. Drake) was the first feature The Weeknd had on any of his work, the video for it was released in November of 2012. Rolling Stone had also received a video in October of 2012. Both were directed by The Weeknd and reflect the two different aspects of Thursday. The Zone has Valerie living it up in the House of Balloons. And Rolling Stone has The Weeknd doing a photoshoot for Trilogy, reflective of the song itself. Fun Fact— the female voice heard in Lonely Star is The Weeknd’s, he pitched his voice to make it sound like a woman’s.
Laisse tomber les filles. Un jour c'est toi qu'on laissera. [Leave the girls alone. One day it’ll be you they will leave.] (Montreal)
Out of a dark introductory into the early life of The Weeknd, Echoes of Silence is the darkest work of his Trilogy. Let’s be honest the story here isn’t entirely ethical at times but makes for one hell of a mixtape. Similar to Thursday, Echoes of Silence follows a storyline. After accumulating success, The Weeknd gains the attention of various women. There was this one woman (D.D.) who he liked but she initially rejected him (Montreal). The woman came back to him for his fame status and evidently fell in love with him (Outside), but now that he’s got the upper hand he treats him like a groupie (XO/The Host) and lets... bad things happen to her; she’s gotta pass a test before she can get with him. This test is either drugs or his crew (Initiation). He ultimately tells this woman that he’s not exactly longterm-relationship material, perhaps because her love is temporary (Same Old Song), because he’s Next. With the end of Echoes of Silence (originally ending on the title track) the listener is left to wonder why The Weeknd left her if he’d simply want her to stay. As a side note— Initiation should not be condoned. It remains true that The Weeknd is a songwriter and the progression of time has changed perspectives. But a song that makes such suggestions as Initiation should not be ethically/morally claimed or celebrated. The mixtape follows The Weeknd’s lifestyle after he’s gained all this success, he’s still the same person but now he’s gotten everything he wanted. Some tracks such as The Fall continue to emphasize his journey into stardom and his acceptance of fame being temporary. With the added Till Dawn (Here Comes The Sun), The Weeknd acknowledges the changes in his life, realizing that the old lifestyle is no longer there for him or his past lovers. Echoes of Silence is known as an underrated gem of The Weeknd’s discography, it’s well received by fans and critically acclaimed but often brushed under the rug in discussion of his work. A lot of fans and casual listeners play the mixtapes through Trilogy rather than their respective albums. This often leads to people not playing EoS either at all or only the first few tracks, this is predominantly due to the nature of the compilation being nearly three hours long. Fun fact— D.D. is a cover of Michael Jackson’s iconic Dirty Diana. Fans have named the woman in Echoes of Silence Diana because of this track. Various theories argue that the mixtape itself is based on the Dirty Diana itself with exaggerations of the truth, or whether or not it’s a story The Weeknd crafted based on the song.
Trilogy is a compilation of The Weeknd’s mixtapes, House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence. These three mixtapes were released 3-4 months apart from one another for free digital download in 2011, they gained quite a lot of attention from various industry executives. Prior to the release of Trilogy, The Weeknd featured on Drake’s Take Care with Crew Love. The song was Abel’s first exposure to a Rap crowd/Rap fans, more people began listening to his music after the release of Take Care. The Weeknd then featured on Wiz Khalifa’s Remember You, which served as the second single off Wiz Khalifa’s O.N.I.F.C. Following those two releases, The Weeknd released Wicked Games as the first single off Trilogy. Trilogy was formed after The Weeknd came under Republic Records’ management. The compilation album reached a debut/peak position of 4 on the Billboard 200 while reaching number one on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It’s a well received album with the highlight said to be House of Balloons, which arguably went on to influence various sorts of R&B music of the 2010s. Videos for Trilogy
I went from starin' at the same four walls for 21 years. To seein' the whole world in just 12 months. (Kiss Land)
Kiss Land is based on The Weeknd’s tour life. Visiting unfamiliar places gave Abel horror movie vibes. A guy who used to own the city (Toronto) he lived in is now a small fish in the ocean of the entire world. The Weeknd’s first studio album was a great introduction into the sound he would soon get well acquainted with. While continuing the R&B sound with the essence of Dark Wave, the album explores emptiness and regret throughout the lyrics—or what pop fans could categorize as dark pop—. The Japanese aesthetic used for various videos and the single covers/booklet reflects the themes of feeling overwhelmed by such a loud world that there’s no point in being if you don’t belong. The album explores the real-world and the women in it as well as regrets regarding past actions, namely letting go of women who could’ve been the one in Adaptation. The Weeknd attempts to find that satisfaction in other women and past lovers, but accidentally falls for a sex worker in Belong To The World. With Wanderlust he accepts and expresses that love in the modern world isn’t entirely possible. While continuing to tour the world he enjoys these new experiences with XO (Live For feat. Drake), as well as the new women in his life (Kiss Land). And when he’s back home, he accepts the loss of the relationship he cherished. Kiss Land debuted and peaked at number two on the Billboard 200. It was fairly acclaimed but gained a massive cult following. There were four videos for made for the album, the title track, Belong To the World, Live For (feat. Drake), and Pretty. Those four songs received interesting visuals that kept up with their respective themes while Belong To the World/Kiss Land got visuals that matched the aesthetic of the album. To this day fans ask Abel for a part two to the horror-movie-inspired album after he said it’s the only album he would have a sequel for. Videos for Kiss Land Fun Fact— The video for Kiss Land on YouTube is an extremely edited version of the actual video shot for the song. The directors cut further explores the erotic-horror themes if the album.
Driving by the streets we used to walk through like a triumph. (King of the Fall)
These next few song were released between the Kiss Land and Beauty Behind the Madness era. Some fans would classify them as part of the Beauty Behind the Madness era—I’d say the same tbh—but they stand apart on the basis of success and acclaim. It’s a transition between The Weeknd being an underrated R&B musician to being a mainstream artist with massive recognition and appreciation. The first of these four songs is King of the Fall. A fan favourite and a standout in The Weeknd’s discography. This is one of The Weeknd’s few Rap tracks, it gained a lot of attention within the Rap sphere. It was the way in which XO would announce that they’ve made it, little did they know that this was just the start. Prior to the release of Beauty Behind the Madness (BBTM), The Weeknd gained mainstream attention. The Weeknd’s exposure to mainstream music was uphill, it wasn’t overnight. The first taste of BBTM came from Often, a song that reflected the themes of sex that Abel was known for. The track was released more than a year before BBTM’s release and had made it onto the trackless unlike King of the Fall. Slowly but surely The Weeknd gained exposure, his main sources of exposure were through a collaboration and a soundtrack. Most pop fans heard about The Weeknd through his hit collaboration with Ariana Grande, Love Me Harder. The collab was made through Republic when The Weeknd said he wanted more than what he had gotten through Kiss Land. Ariana and Abel had formed a real bond cough The Hills cough, their bond assisted the song in becoming a memorable hit for both artists. Love Me Harder was a top ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Later that year, The Weeknd was featured on the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack with Earned It, as well as Where You Belong. Earned It became a massive hit peaking at 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and receiving an Oscar nomination for The Weeknd; a massive milestone for XO. Earned It kept up with Abel’s signature lyrics but the production differed heavily from the sort of R&B he was known for. Videos from that era
I'm that ***** with the hair singin' 'bout poppin' pills, fuckin' bitches, livin' life so trill. (Tell Your Friends)
Following the success of Love Me Harder and Earned It, the Beauty Behind the Madness era began with The Hills. This was The Weeknd’s first number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Along with the video, The Hills became an addictive classic. The production and lyrics mirror a mature version of the sound that was originally found on Trilogy. It was truly in keeping with The Weeknd’s character, the only difference was his haircut. Next came Can’t Feel My Face, a Max Martin production that differed greatly from anything The Weeknd put out in the past. In past songs, Abel had expressed his fear of losing his following if he went mainstream simultaneously asking his fans if they’d stay. He repeats that sentiment in the Can’t Feel My Face video. The sound has changed, the lyrics stay the same but now he’s a pop-star. The song became a hit as it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. With this massive bop previous fans still stayed, The Weeknd becoming a pop singer didn’t at all alter his image or sound; he mastered it. In The Night and Acquainted were released as singles on the same day, the were the only singles to come after the release of Beauty Behind The Madness. The former received a music video treatment that followed the theme of the song itself while also starring Abel’s girlfriend at the time, Bella Hadid. Acquainted was robbed of a video even though Abel had shown off the fact that a video was in development; the song kept in the tone of The Weeknd’s work prior to BBTM. Beauty Behind the Madness captures a Hollywood-based reality that The Weeknd came to understand: the dark aspects of your life will continue to follow you wherever you are. Real Life, Losers (feat. Labrinth), Tell Your Friends, Dark Times (feat. Ed Sheeran), and Prisoner (feat. Lana Del Rey) all capture a nihilistic view of a dream achieved. Most of the videos of Beauty Behind The Madness have a mysterious white man. He’s featured in The Hills, Can’t Feel My Face, and Tell Your Friends. That man represents the devil. Throughout his journey in those videos, (The Hills) Abel runs into the devil after his car crash, (Can’t Feel My Face) he’s at the club then lights him on fire. The significance behind the fire could be selling his soul to the devil, BBTM is about Hollywood and a popular Hollywood myth is that celebrities sell their souls to the devil in exchange for fame. So in the Can’t Feel My Face video, Abel changes his sound to Pop (from R&B) thus leaving his signature sound in order to become famous, everyone starts enjoying his music once he’s sold his soul. Then we see The Weeknd burying himself in Tell Your Friends, perhaps leaving the old Abel behind after the deal with the devil. However, instead of thanking the devil, Abel takes his revenge and shoots him. But wait, there’s more! The album trailer for BBTM features the devil burning a billboard with The Weeknd’s face on it, revealing Beauty Behind The Madness. HOWEVER, the final cut for the video features the devil being arrested while The Weeknd watches. This is a more realistic form of karma that the devil gets. Videos for BBTM
If I could, I'd trade it all, trade it for a halo. And she said that she'll pray for me, I said, "It's too late for me.” (Ordinary Life)
After the massive success of Beauty Behind the Madness, there was a lot of hype around what The Weeknd would do next; evidently he decided to explore Pop. The fandom he had gained wasn’t entirely based in the Pop sphere, his fans consisted of general Rap fans, but Starboy attracted the Pop audience. Initially, most of his older fans couldn’t get behind Starboy, it differed greatly from the previous sound. It was crazy to think that the guy who made Trilogy managed to make such a Pop-centric album. But this was Abel expressing his versatility. Since this is where most pop fans found out about Abel’s work and became fans I won’t talk too much about the singles, rather more about the album itself. His work with Daft Punk cemented this album in an efficient mix between Pop and R&B, where Beauty Behind the Madness was more R&B with Pop, Starboy was considered Pop with R&B. Beyond the genres, Starboy explores two evident themes. One being his life with fame and recognition. The next being his love life in Hollywood, this aspect of the album came from his relationship with Bella Hadid which ended after the release of the album. The cross became the symbol for that era and appeared in the album’s photoshoot as well as the videos. There was never any conclusive word on the use of the cross but there are various theories about it, something to note is that Abel was raised Christian, it could perhaps be a reflection of his past. The cross he uses to destroy his accolades (Starboy video) is assisting him rather than something that’s holding him back. Abel’s upbringing was rough but now he’s celebrating it rather than feeling bad for himself. The cross continues to come up in the Party Monster video, this time it’s in the party house he’s making his way through. Then it shows up in the video for Reminder, this time in the form of his merch, the people wearing it are perhaps representative of his fans. Then we see it in the False Alarm video, both Abel and the girl are wearing it; the notable thing being that Abel holds his cross up before dying. Then in the brilliant video for Secrets, after giving up on the girl he’s with he leaves the building to find a giant cross. And finally in the I Feel It Coming video, The Weeknd sports a shiny cross necklace, and Daft Punk find it years and years after Abel froze. The videos tell us that the cross is an evident piece of his story. This could mean that his past will always be with him, no matter what sort of fame he’s experiencing he’ll always be who he once was. Also, I’m gonna take this moment to once again the genius that is the Secrets (both the song and the video). Yes it’s my favourite song/video off of Starboy but it’s so underrated. Videos for Starboy, Secrets video bottom right Fun Fact— Most demos of the tracks on Starboy weren’t as pop as they became, they started off R&B but became pop after production.
They said our love is just a game, I don't care what they say. But I'ma drink the pain away, I'll be back to my old ways. (Privilege)
Oof (but in a good way, this whole thing is a bop). For this one I’m gonna talk extensively about The Weeknd’s relationships, which personally feels really invasive but it’s but it’s essential when talking about these sad boy anthems. Beyond that I’d just like to state that though they are part of the narrative both Bella Hadid and Selena Gomez deserve respect/privacy. So when it comes to Pop music fans I think it’s safe to say that we all know a lot about this one. My Dear Melancholy (MDM) came after the very public relationship of The Weeknd and Selena Gomez. However it’s not just about Selena, some songs reflect his relationship with Bella Hadid (whom he got back with a month after MDM’s release). My Dear Melancholy consists with The Weeknd’s exploration/mastery of merging Pop and R&B together. The EP was praised by fans for its lyrics and production, many went on to theorize that it was his most personal project since House of Balloons. The EP was the shortest album to reach number one on the Billboard 200. My Dear Melancholy and fan conspiracies; name a better duo. The first theory being that the EP is entirely about Selena Gomez which wasn’t too much of a mystery since the lyric “I almost cut a piece of myself for your life” exists. Not only did MDM come after Abel’s relationship with Selena Gomez but also after his relationship with Bella Hadid. As far as fans were aware those two relationships were the most important relationships Abel had ever been in. In theory, the songs about Bella and Selena can be categorized. Call Out My Name, Try Me, and Privilege are likely about Selena. Wasted Times, and Hurt You are likely about Bella. Leaving I Was Never There to act as an introspective look into The Weeknd’s life, basically making him hop back on his vices for comfort. Another popular theory was that My Dear Melancholy was the first of another trilogy. This rumour was widely believed due to the comma at the end of the title on the album cover. But the fans soon gained a real reason to believe this theory, since the CEO of XO (the record label), Sal had liked an Instagram post that featured the cover and alleged date. Since Trilogy is a fan favourite this conspiracy spread like wild fire, so much so that fake titles and covers were made. The name of this trilogy would be: (1)My Dear Melancholy, (2)We’re Alone Together, (3)Abel. Only one song served as a single for the EP. Call Out My Name was released nearly two months prior to the actual release of the album, it debuted/peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100. The mysterious video captures The Weeknd in various atmospheric places that reflect the tone of the EP, a haunting yet unexplained reality that the listener is to reflect on. From the cover, to the music, to the video, to lyrics, My Dear Melancholy is an introspective reflection of heartbreak. Call out my name video
After Hours comes after success but references two lows in The Weeknd’s life. The album welcomes darkness and leads the listener towards a dead-end. The Weeknd’s past two albums (Beauty Behind The Madness and Starboy) ended on hopeful notes, they left the listener with a sense of hope but all hope his lost with After Hours. Fans compare After Hours to House of Balloons—a rare occurrence considering House of Balloons’ acclaim—arguing that both albums are on the same level. Debate continues on whether or not both albums are on the same caliber. The belief that After Hours stems from reality does a lot to help its side of the argument. The era began with Mercedes-Benz commercial that featured Blinding Lights, that was our first taste of the everlasting bop. Heartless was premiered on an episode of Memento Mori hours before its release on the 27 of November (2019), Blinding Lights was released two days later. Both videos were as brain melting as promised and the served as the tip of the iceberg. After Hours was released nine days after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, there was a massive risk in releasing an album that would not have a lot of promotion after it’s release (other than magazine coverage). There was no telling whether or not people would pay attention to the album during the height of the fear surrounding the pandemic, but it was a massive success. After Hours debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, with singles Heartless and Blinding Lights topping the Billboard Hot 100. The album is layered with haunting productions that remains predominantly R&B but dives deep into Pop with some of the tracks. Max Martin produced the massive hit Blinding Lights as well as In Your Eyes, Save Your Tears, Hardest to Love, and Scared to Live which samples Elton John’s Your Song. Other notable producers include Metro Boomin who worked on the hit Heartless as well as Escape from LA, Faith, and Until I Bleed Out. With Kevin Parker on the interlude Repeat After Me. Beyond the production are the narrative driven lyrics. In theory the album references two significant events in Abel’s life, his second breakup with Bella Hadid and his arrest in Las Vegas. The latter was due to his misbehaviour; in January 2015 he punched a cop in Vegas, lmao. Which means that After Hours is a recollection of The Weeknd’s first few years in LA. He merges the concept of his breakup with the idea of being an upcoming star, feeling free in the city of lights all while diving deep into the meaninglessness of those lights. While After Hours starts with loneliness and a second chance it leads up to Abel returning to his vices of lust. In Alone Again his loneliness caught up to him and he’s asking for a second chance. He acknowledges his mistakes and situation in Too Late/Hardest to Love, in Scared to Live his ex then returns to him for a second time. He remembers his past ways in Snowchild and the way in which it lead to better days, but where do you go after such highs? In Escape From LA he faces the superficial reality of Hollywood, glad that he got that he got back with his ex, while continuing to question if it’s worth it. But he fucks up the second chance when she pulls up to the studio. Who is she? Much like the other mysteries surrounding The Weeknd’s music, we may never know. Is it all more of The Weeknd’s songwriting ability or is it driven by reality? Fans found a merge between the two to be more accurate, After Hours is about heartbreak and a return to the vices that held The Weeknd back. Heartless is when The Weeknd is once again back to his ways, he may have been in a serious relationship but after throwing that away he spirals back to the way he once was. It’s sad but it’s one hell of a song. Speaking of brilliant songs, Faith is when Abel admits that he’s back on his vices, he states that he needs his ex back with him till the end; he’s back to self-loathing. So when he says he’s blinded by the lights, there’s two meanings to it. The Faith outro tells us that he’s in a car with flashing lights, a cop car (as confirmed by Abel) to be exact. Then Blinding Lights tells us that while he’s watching the bright lights of Vegas pass him by he calls out for the girl that he regrets losing. That is the peak of the After Hours narrative. He’s behaving badly over the loss of the girl he loved and is now at the worst position trying to find her and gain her trust for a third time. Following Blinding Lights is In Your Eyes, this is where The Weeknd vows not to judge her; he can see right through her but will never do anything to make her upset. Does this mean their back together? Not exactly. Save Your Tears details a sort of moving-on that The Weeknd isn’t ready for but tries to help her move on, blind to his own inability to move on. Does it work? Not really. Repeat After Me (Interlude) shows that he’s still trying to convince himself that he’s unfazed by the loss of a meaningful relationship. Then you hear a true masterpiece. The title track is a spiral into true regret and an apology for his actions, he admits that his ex girlfriend is the only reason he lives. In a dark lonely city she’s the only one keeping him sane. But his pleas fail, Until I Bleed Out is when The Weeknd no longer wants her in his life so much so that he wants to erase his memory of anything related to her. The bonus tracks then echo the final sentiment. It’s one sad ass album, ain’t it. But here’s where the Red Suit Character comes in. Shoutout to the makeup department The album isn’t the only narrative to follow with After Hours. The videos for the album follow their own sort of narrative. The story follows an unnamed guy that goes by “red suit character” according to The Weeknd. There’s a lot of confusion and endless theories surrounding this character’s story, after The Weeknd confirmed that it’s about a decent into Hollywood culture it makes more sense… kind of. I’m gonna discuss the storyline without talking about the movies that have influenced it, this way the focus remains on the character. The order of these videos is Heartless / Blinding Lights / Blinding Lights (Live on Kimmel)* / After Hours short film / In Your Eyes / Until I Bleed Out / Snowchild / Too Late / Live at AMAs* / Save Your Tears *Though all live performances could count as part of the narrative, these one relate directly with the videos that follow. He’s is first seen in Vegas with Metro Boomin (Heartless), intoxicated on various substances. He dives deeper into his high until he licks a frog, after that he faces the true effects of this high. He’s frightened by the result and runs far away from Vegas. (Blinding Lights) He’s then found in LA, where he’s dancing in the street, hypnotized by the singer, beat up by guards, and races past all those bright lights in his Benz. Ultimately realizing the shallowness of the Los Angeles fantasy. (Blinding Lights Live on Kimmel) We then find him performing Blinding Lights live, while he attempts to find more reason in within the madness city; he couldn’t find it on the streets so he goes to the stage. (After Hours short film) Even then there’s no meaning to anything in the city, he mindlessly wanders into the depth of the subway where he’s dragged by the reality of it all and ends up possessed. (In Your Eyes) After being possessed he chases the woman whose boyfriend he just murdered, she runs into a club falls deeper into the After Hours fantasy, in a successful attempt to defend herself she beheads the red suit character and dances all over LA with his head, iconic behaviour. (Until I Bleed Out) Then in an ethereal dreamscape, red suit character finds himself in a House of Balloons. He’s trying to escape, but the people there keep pulling him in; he’s getting higher while observing Glass Table Girls. He spirals into the antarctic, the other side of the world. From Heatless to this point in his story, his vices lead him back to the lowest point in Abel’s life. Is it Hell, Heaven or Las Vegas? (Snowchild) He relives his career up until the point where his story began. Considering he’s dead, his life basically flashed before his eyes. (Too Late) LA girls find the red suit character’s head and live their best life. They wanna have sex with him so they find the best boy parts by calling up a stripper who could be the body. The stitch the head up with the body and do what they want. But now he’s brought back to life. (Live at AMAs) He’s had work done… He went in to get his nose fixed and the doctor said “you sure that’s all you want?” The red suit character’s face is healing while he tries to celebrate his life on top of a bridge. (Save Your Tears) Surrounded by a masked cult he debut’s his new face. Do they like it? Are they impressed? Not instantly, their masks translate no expression so how’s he to know? Is any of this worth it? Nope red suit character continues to die inside. He finds a maskless girl in the crowd, she’s lively unlike the rest; but even then, nothing on the inside nothing on the outside. He wants death again, somehow a second chance with this city is still pointless. He tries to kill himself via the girl and himself but it’s all a facade; theatrics. His story continues but that’s all we know so far. The videos make a lot of film references. This post by explain these references very well, as well as past album references here (part one) and here (part two). After Hours is inspired by a lot of movies, since Abel is in fact a cinephile. The main movies that inspired the aesthetic and storytelling are believed to be Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), Casino (1995), Joker (2019), Uncut Gems (2020), and After Hours (1985). The album tells two sad narratives but remains one of The Weeknd’s best works yet. He’s expanded his videography and enhanced the interest of people who casually enjoy his music and of course his fans. But the era isn’t over, by the time this is posted his Super Bowl Halftime show is yet to happen. And it’ll continue the red suit character’s story. Videos for After Hours (so far) Fun Fact—The Heartless video features a reference to Thursday. When he’s trying to run from Vegas, a sign behind him flashes “Heartless / Heaven or Las Vegas.” This could be a reference to Abel running from his past, after all Heartless is about him returning to his vices.
END.
Thank you for reading this, again, I didn’t realize it would end up being this long. But I hope this this served as a nice refresher for any fans who wanted to revisit Abel’s work before the Super Bowl. And I really hope that anyone interested in getting into his music finds this helpful. Once again, the theories/interpretations mentioned aren’t conclusive, they’re widely based on fan discussion/mutual interpretation. Due to the character limit I couldn’t add too links to the albums, so here are some artist links. Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | The Weeknd’s Shop | Tidal | Genius
Daytona 500: Why Does It Matter? - r/Formula1 Editorial Team
By Phillip Barton (u/museproducer) and Matt 'Trumpets' Ragsdale (u/mattpt55) Starting with this one, the Editorial Team will offer some features also in audio format. You can find this one here in the voice of the authors. If you rather download it, you can do so following this link. Before we begin, we need to give a special thank you to the moderators at NASCAR. They joined us in this project and have been ever willing to help us with information on rules and unique facts about the race, and answering our questions about the sport as a whole. And we would be remiss to not give a special thank you to u/the_colbeast, whose seemingly endless vault of information about NASCAR has been invaluable to us for this weekend and hopefully for many to come in the future. Thank you so much, and we hope to have further collaborations with you all in the future!
Intro
The Daytona 500 is one of the most famous races in motorsports. It is held in the same way as the Indianapolis 500, Monaco Grand Prix, Bathurst 1000, or 24 Hours of Le Mans for many fans. And yet, for most F1 fans, it is hard to look at the Daytona 500 and think of it as being in the same league as a Formula 1 Grand Prix at tracks like Spa or Silverstone. In Formula 1, cars are made to be as lightweight as possible, made of mostly composite materials. In NASCAR, cars are still made with a steel tube chassis covered with a mixture of carbon fibekevlar and fiberglass body panels. While a Formula 1 car is powered by a V6 hybrid power unit with around 1000 hp depending on the power unit manufacturer, in NASCAR they are still using the throaty carbureted V8 made by Toyota, Ford or Chevy (depending on the team), with an output of about 750 hp. Ed. note: apologies for the slip up here - we got our history and current day wires crossed. A Formula 1 car is typically developed from before the start of the season onward, with changing aero parts on the car occurring regularly sometimes from race to race or even from session to session. In NASCAR, the body of the cars stay relatively the same, with different aero packages required depending on the track as mandated by NASCAR’s governing body. And that is just the differences in the cars. So what then is the allure for an F1 fan to watch the Daytona 500? As far as things are concerned these are two very different sports under the wide umbrella that is motorsport as a whole. Formula 1’s fanbase is even seen to be of a very different culture, with international reach and an image of being a wealthy gentleman's sport, whereas NASCAR comes off as a more simplistic, blue-collar sport with roots tied to the United States of America alone. Yet Formula 1 drivers have appeared in NASCAR stock cars for decades. What follows is an attempt to convince you, a Formula 1 fan, to give this race a shot. To accomplish that, we will have to go back to before the first Daytona 500. Back to a time before the existence of the Daytona International Speedway even, when stock cars were raced on the sandy beaches of Daytona, instead of the asphalt speedway we know today.
Daytona’s History
From the Beginning to the End of the Petty Era
The Daytona 500 heralds the start of the NASCAR season and, as with most races, it can trace its origin back to a place, Daytona Beach, a man (Bill France Sr.) and a date (December 14, 1947), when the idea of NASCAR was first conceived at the Streamline Hotel. Bill France had the meeting because, as a driver, he was getting increasingly tired of shady promoters bogarting the prize money after races ended. He realized, much like Bernie Ecclestone would do much later in F1, that if he organized the teams and drivers, they would be able to control (or at least influence) their destiny. By the time the meeting took place, however, stock car racing was very much an established regional thing, with its mythic origins reaching back to the roots of Prohibition (which for those who are not from the USA, was a shocking time between 1920 and 1933 when all alcohol was illegal – not that it mattered, as the country drank more than ever). In an effort to keep the Roaring Twenties parties going, illegal stills would produce an alcohol know locally in the South as moonshine, which intrepid drivers (also known as bootleggers) would then take from isolated mountain tops in the Appalachian Mountains down to more populated regions, usually at a high rate of speed and often being chased by the local constabulary as well. This obviously started an arms race between the police and the bootleggers, leading to both sides searching for ever-increasing performance, either to reach their delivery points with minimal interference or to apprehend the law-breakers. Once Prohibition was over, this should have been the end of bootlegging and the need for fast cars, right? Nothing of the sort happened. The bootleggers were now in the business of evading taxes and drivers had a new weapon: the Ford V-8 engine, which in a fit of cosmic irony was invented by a teetotaller, Henry Ford. He had even banned his workers from drinking, but ultimately he helped give rise to a sport that floated to prominence on the backs of rivers of whiskey. For it turns out, not being satisfied with risking imminent death in a blaze of high proof glory while being chased at insane speeds down back roads, bootleggers began having contests to see whose car was fastest. By the late 1930s, these were beginning to be regular occurrences that would draw crowds and by the time Bill France got around to organizing NASCAR a decade later, there were already purpose built venues for the racing of said cars. If, perchance, you were to be racing at Daytona International Speedway in the 500, and you had the mental capacity, at close to 200 mph (320 kph) and running inches from your competitors, to glance up, you would see the words "World Center of Racing" plastered across the top of the grandstands as you crossed the finish line. A bold claim to be sure, but one rooted in reality if one travels far enough back in time, to the turn of the previous century. The start of Daytona as a race venue goes back to 1902, when a race between Ransom Olds, founder of Oldsmobile and Alexander Winston, founder of Winston Motor Works, staged a race on the hard packed sands. The width of the beach, 500 feet, and the length, 27 miles, made it perfect for land speed record attempts. Fifteen were made, culminating with Sir Malcolm Campbell (there was an ongoing rivalry between British and USA drivers), who in 1935 did a 276.82 mph (445 kph) run. On a beach... In addition to the land speed record attempts, 13 other organized races were held on the beach, and when the clubhouse was built close to the Daytona portion of the beach, the name stuck. In 1936, the city of Daytona chucked up a purse, and hired Sig Haugdahl to design a course and organize the event. Sig used the road that ran parallel to the beach, A1A, to make a 3.2 mile circuit. Although the race was a disaster, with the city losing money and the race having to be red flagged due to the course becoming undriveable, the following year the Elks Club was willing to give it a go, although they too lost money and decided that perhaps race promotion was better left to the experts. Which is where Bill France stepped in. In 1938, his first year organizing the race, the race at Daytona made money for the first time. The second time, he made even more (US$20,000 to be exact) and, despite being a competitive driver, it began to become increasingly obvious which side of the bread his butter was on. World War II interrupted his run of success, but once NASCAR was formed two years after the war was over, it began to sanction the races on the beach as stock cars were becoming an increasingly popular attraction. By 1953, France knew that the venue was beginning to limit what he could achieve and thus the plans for the current track were born. The old Road Course was used for the last time in 1958 and, in 1959, the event moved to the brand new 2.5 mile tri-oval super speedway for the inaugural Daytona 500. That first race did not disappoint the roughly 41,000 fans gathered either, with a 3-wide finish that took 3 days to decide as Lee Petty crossed the line with Johnny Beauchamp and Joe Weatherly. Beauchamp was declared victor, but Petty protested and after 3 days and reference to a newsreel of the finish, Petty was announced as the actual winner. In later years, Petty would opine that France knew he had won and had done it on purpose, to generate publicity for the race. The following year, the race was won by Junior Johnson, who managed the feat despite being in a car that was nearly 22 mph down on top speed. After noticing in practice that he could trail a faster car without losing time, he also realized he could "slingshot" by the faster car as well. He used this tactic to win the race and this innovation was rapidly copied by other drivers leading to the sophisticated use of drafting, still in vogue to this day with modern drivers on all superspeedway races. The 1962 race was won by Fireball Roberts, and it was the third straight year he had started on pole. That win also was the second in a row for team owner and legendary mechanic Smokey Yunick, which made him the first owner to win the race more than once. Smokey was also legendary for dancing on the head of a regulation, a trait shared by many F1 legends. So much so that he was often referred to as the American Colin Chapman, though looking at the dates it could well have swung the other way. Perhaps the most talked about episode of his creative interpretations of regulations was his 1966 car driven by Curtis Turner. It was so much faster that everyone knew he was cheating, but no one could figure out how. Eventually, it was discovered that the roof had been lowered and modified, the windows had been altered and the floor raised, allowing him to lower the car and making it effectively 7/8 the aerodynamic profile of an actual stock car. This quite naturally led to some rapid rewriting of the scrutineering procedures. Smokey was also renowned for his expertise with fuel systems: at one race, after installing 11 feet of extra tubing to add 5 gallons of extra fuel capacity, NASCAR officials pulled the fuel tank for inspection as they were suspicious and told him they had 9 items he needed to fix before the race. His response was "better make it ten" as he started the car sans fuel tank and drove it back to the pits. He also used a basketball in the fuel tank that was inflated when capacity was checked and deflated when the car was fueled for the race. Smokey's mindset was perhaps best illustrated by a quote from his autobiography "All those other guys were cheatin' ten times worse than us, so it was just self-defense". In 1964, Richard Petty (nicknamed "The King") stood atop the podium for the first time in the history of the Daytona 500, the start of the winningest run in the history of the race and at the beginnings of a career that also saw him win more races than any driver in NASCAR ever. At the end of it all he would tally 200 victories, 123 poles, and 7 Daytona 500 wins, along with 27 wins in one season, 1,027 starts and 10 consecutive wins, all of them records, in a career that has yet to be approached by any driver since. It was 1963 that put him on the map in NASCAR, running a Plymouth with a Hemi engine. The engine was so dominant that he crushed the 1964 Daytona; not only did he win, leading 184 of the 200 laps, but NASCAR promptly banned the engine for the following season, leading to a boycott of NASCAR by Chrysler. The 1966 season was set to be the last hoorah of the so-called Generation 1 cars. They were nothing more than a stock frame and body, with the doors strapped shut and a heavy-duty rear axle to keep the car from flipping. That season saw Petty become the first driver to win the Daytona 500 two times. This time round was much less of a walk over for The King as he had to come from 2 laps down after tire troubles early to retake the lead on lap 113 before going on to win by more than a full lap, the work by his pit crew crucial to his victory. The following season, with the debut of the Generation 2 cars, teams could now use a modified frame. Even though that would be the year Petty would go on to notch his 27 wins (a season record), it would be an upstart and the only non-American ever to win the 500 (by birth at least): Mario Andretti. The race that year featured 36 lead changes and 54 laps of yellow flag running. Innes Ireland, who had just raced his last season in F1 the previous year, also took part that year (he finished in 27th place, out of 50 participants). Petty would not win again until 1971, and despite the long shadow he cast over NASCAR for well over two decades, other names rose to prominence during his dry spell at the 500. Cale and LeeRoy Yarbrough (amazingly unrelated to one another) would notch 5 wins between them, with LeeRoy winning 1 and Cale 4. Bobby Allison would eventually rack up 3 wins at Daytona, while his brother would play a pivotal role in Petty's 1979 win. In 1974, the race was shortened to 450 miles as a result of the oil crisis (Petty winning that one as well), but it was back to the full 500 miles the following year. In 1977, Janet Guthrie became the first woman to start the 500, going from 39th to 12th. She would finish 11th in 1980, her third and final run at the 500, while also becoming the first woman to qualify and race in the Indy 500 later that year, also racing in it 3 times, with a best result of 9th in 1978 (driving with a fractured wrist no less). But for long-time fans of the 500, two years stand out as pivotal in the '70s: 1976 and 1979. The 1976 race was an epic, featuring a lengthy duel between Richard Petty and David Pearson. On the final lap, Pearson made the pass on Petty and led down the backstretch, but Petty attempted an overtake into Turn 3 but failed to clear Pearson. The resulting contact sent both into the wall and then into the infield grass, both coming to rest just yards from the finish. Pearson managed to restart and cross the line for the win while Petty, with an assist from his quick-thinking pit crew pushed the car across the line to finish 2nd. In 1979,the race would thrust the Daytona 500 and NASCAR into the national spotlight, and in many ways gave both the race and the sport the reputation that they carry to this day. CBS (one of the three major TV networks at the time) had just signed an agreement to broadcast NASCAR and the Daytona 500 was to be the first race carried live, lights to flag, on USA television. In addition, a major snowstorm had blanketed the Northeast, ensuring a large audience for this first of its kind broadcast. A large storm had drenched the track the night before, and as Ken Squier and David Hobbs settled in the booth, the first 15 laps were run under the green and yellow flag conditions to help dry the track. An early lap contretemps saw Donnie Allison take out both Cale Yarbrough and his brother Bobby. All managed to carry on, but they had lost laps to the leaders sorting the damage and it would take Donnie until Lap 178 to reclaim the lead, with Yarbrough again close behind him and chasing. On the final lap, Yarbrough attempted to slingshot as Allison came down to block him. Neither driver would give way and the inevitable contact sent Yarbrough's inside wheels onto the turf. He lost control of his car and came back onto the track, hitting Allison's car, the pair winding up in the outside wall of Turn 3 before sliding down the banking and into the infield as a surprised, and no doubt delighted, Richard Petty came through to notch his 6th win of the iconic race. While Petty celebrated, Bobby Allison had pulled alongside the stranded drivers to offer his brother a ride back to the pits, and Yarbrough, who evidently felt that the early race contact had cost him the victory and was not happy with the outcome of his late move either, started jawing with Bobby and then proceeded to smack Allison in the face with his helmet. This brought Donnie into the melee. He grabbed Yarbrough and pulled him away from the car as Bobby exited the car and started swinging. The whole thing was topped off by a marshal tackling Yarbrough and both Allisons to the ground, snippets of the confrontation broadcast live to a massive TV audience. The next day, the race was a topic of national conversation and, just as with the original race, it was the kind of controversy that guaranteed a large and ever-growing audience for the sport. Both drivers naturally blamed the other for the accident but both wound up being fined and placed on probation by NASCAR for the incident. After that, the trajectory of NASCAR and the Daytona 500 in particular, as a national and eventually international event was set. Petty would go on to win his 7th and final 500 in 1981, the first year of Generation 3 cars, but his long reign as The King was entering its twilight as the pressure from below became ever greater and the years took their toll. He would go on to claim his final win in 1984 at Daytona, not at the 500, but at the Firecracker 400, and he finished his racing career, which began in 1958, at the end of the 1992 season at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Dale Earnhardt to Modern Era
As Petty’s career waned to its eventual end, another driver started capturing the first glimpses of the spotlight, ironically in that very same infamous ‘79 Daytona 500 win for Petty. He even led the race for a few laps before finishing 8th, which was a marvelous result for his first time at Daytona. It was to be just the opening salvo of a career that became one of the staples of USA racing, long since his tragic death. His name is both loved and hated within the NASCAR community, but there is no denying it accelerated the series’ rise in popularity. His skillful but aggressive driving style made him a force to be reckoned with on the track and earned him many enemies on and off it. And who might you ask that be? Dale “The Intimidator” Earnhardt. Although he would match Petty in NASCAR championships, his record at Daytona was less than spectacular. Eventually, the 500 was considered a cursed race for Earnhardt, but while he was unable to dominate at Daytona, other names from his era had a better time there. The 1980s saw the debut of the Generation 3 cars, which were the first time the NASCAR cars would no longer be “stock”. Finally, the sport had outgrew the possibility of buying the winning car from Sunday. Ford started the aero wars when the nose on the Thunderbird did not match the one sold to customers. GM responded with a limited run “bubble back window” on their Pontiac Grand Prix and Chevy Monte Carlo, and the eventual rise of Buick’s Regal Grand National (whose homologation special is considered a bit of a collector's car with the unique edge of being a V6 turbo unlike its NASCAR counterpart). The Generation 3 cars’ performance and wheelbase were set during this era, with the wheelbase of 110 inches holding up to this day. In the early 80s, the manufacturers were focusing on fuel efficiency and smaller cars were desirable. Daytona during the 80s had a star-studded cast, many of them repeat winners. Petty won his last Daytona 500 in 1981, Cale Yarbourogh added two more wins to his Daytona tally, and Bill Elliot (aka Million Dollar Bill or Awesome Bill from Dawsonville) and Bobby Allison also collected 2 Daytona wins each. You might be wondering what engineering was like during the 80s? Formula 1 was exiting its era of ground effect cars to welcome the turbo engines while NASCAR was seeing its own explosion of importance of aerodynamics. This led to the cars seeing speeds never before seen in NASCAR, with cars now going over 200 mph. After an accident on a different speedway led NASCAR’s insurers to tell the series to slow the cars down, the restrictor plate was introduced in 1988. This restrictor plate reduces the amount of air that can be allowed into the engines, reducing the power and, consequently, the car’s top speed. It was used until 2019, with a “tapered spacer” taking its place since (and doing the exact same thing). By the 80s a new trend started: families racing on track. But, unlike in Formula 1, where we rarely see family members going head to head, NASCAR had no such limitations. In the first 500 with restrictor plates in place, the winner was the driver whose accident the prior year led to the implementation of the plates: Bobby Allison. And who finished in 2nd place, sharing the podium with Bobby? Davey Allison, his son. Sadly, both of Bobby’s race driving sons were killed in the early 90s. Davey died as a result of injuries sustained in a helicopter crash in July 1993, while Clifford was killed during practice for a race at Michigan International Speedway in August 1992. They were 32 and 27, respectively. The 1988 win is still the record for oldest driver to win the Daytona 500: Bobby was 50 years old. But during the late 80s another war was mounting. Much like the Bridgestone vs Michelin tire wars of the early 2000s in Formula 1, a war between Goodyear and Hoosier was underway. Initially, in 1988, it seemed to be a blip in the radar, but it quickly spiralled out of control as both tire manufacturers did their best to combat the tire failings that plagued that season. At the start of 1989, Goodyear brought a new tire that was supposed to take over the entire grid. But it too failed, and it failed in a spectacular way, as the reigning champion Bill Elliot and Dale Earnhardt both suffered tire blowouts leading into the Daytona 500. That led drivers to stock up on Hoosier tires as insurance, as teams were not tied to a particular supplier. The eventual winner, Darrel Waltrip, won on Hoosiers, but that would be the last glory for the company. Goodyear refined their tire and that spelled the end of the war. It was a David versus Goliath fight, however, as Hoosiers was a 16-person outfit, while Goodyear had thousands. Then the 90s arrived and, with that, another generation of NASCAR cars. Now, the “stock” cars were not even using the body panels of the cars they supposedly represented. They were stock cars only in name, as teams hit the wind tunnel to grab as much performance as possible since their engines were no longer a consistently reliable source of performance for the cars. The advances did not happen instantly, of course, but as teams slowly sought areas where they could bend and extend the lines, performance gains were found everywhere, including now running fiberglass noses, tails, and bumpers in a bid to save weight. It was during this era of NASCAR that Earnhardt finally won at Daytona. It is crazy to think that a 7-time champion needed nearly 20 years to achieve a victory in one of the series’ most prestigious races, but that is what happened. In 1998, the curse was finally broken, and Dale finally stood at the top of the podium. It is hard to imagine a winner who was happier to finally conquer their white whale. That joy, sadly, would not last long. As the 2000s started, Daytona would be where the last chapter in The Intimidator’s storied career would be written. While his son Dale Jr. fought for the win in the 2001 Daytona 500, Dale Sr. collided with Sterling Marlin and Ken Schrader in the final lap, the #3 car hitting the outside wall while Schrader impacted it on the side. The violence of the crash would cause a basilar skull fracture, and Earnhardt would be pronounced dead shortly thereafter. Many NASCAR figures compared his death to Ayrton Senna’s in 1994, with a few drivers commenting that they were young racing fans when Senna passed and comparing the impact of Earnhardt’s death to the Brazilian’s at Imola. For many fans of Earnhardt, just as with Senna’s, his death meant that the sport would lose a legion of viewers, with some commenting that Dale Sr.’s passing would kill NASCAR. The loss of a towering figure such as Earnhardt would obviously lead to changes and one of the most important ones was that the HANS device would now be mandatory. An era of NASCAR was over, but the sport would live on, just as Formula 1 did after that dreaded weekend in Imola. The team that carries the Earnhardt name would finish 1-2 in the 2001 race and, following Dale Sr.’s passing, the Earnhardt team would continue to do well at Daytona, especially with the Generation 4 car. Michael Waltrip would win at Daytona an additional time in 2003, followed by Dale Jr. winning an emotional victory in 2004. The following season, Jeff Gordon won his 3rd Daytona 500, while Jimmy Johnson won the next one in 2006. For 2007, a new generation of NASCAR race car was unveiled. Unlike its predecessors, the so-called “Car of Tomorrow” took the sport into a whole new direction. The emphasis was on driver safety and as a result a common chassis and body was developed for the cars, leading it into more of a spec series than ever before. An even more exciting development was the arrival of Juan Pablo Montoya. Montoya had been racing previously in IndyCar and decided to give NASCAR a shot. One might wish that his Daytona record was one of glory, but unfortunately it is perhaps one that might be considered embarrassing. He would race in the 500 seven times, with a best result of 6th in 2011 (with Earnhardt Racing). The 2007 cars saw service until 2012, when they were replaced by the Generation 6 cars, which are in their last year of use in NASCAR. When the Generation 6 cars debuted in 2013, the series also introduced a special set of rules for the Daytona 500 and the other superspeedway tracks. With the start of stage racing in 2017, the sport definitely changed from what had been the standard for NASCAR and the 500, with some fans complaining that the races have been a bit too convoluted, leading to a downturn in viewership. But when the “Great American Race” is on, you can count on the fans turning their TVs on on Sunday. This year will not be different.
Rules & FAQ
Just like every motorsport series, NASCAR has a mountain of regulations to govern every contest. But in order to understand what you are watching, the most important thing to know is that NASCAR runs basically on 3 different types of track, Oval, Road and Superspeedway. The Daytona 500 falls into that third category and what sets it apart is not just the ridiculous top speeds but the fact that the cars can essentially run flat out. Because of it, managing the draft becomes essential to doing well at the race. Anyone that ever watched the Tour de France or any other bike race has seen the riders in a single or double file line during a race and that is basically the idea for the superspeedways. At Daytona, the cars will do the same thing, and falling off the leading pack can be the end of a race, as cars can sometimes go 3 to 5 seconds faster while drafting than by themselves. A single misstep could see you lose 30+ places, and it is often called a freight train when it happens. Another frequent tactic with the draft is dropping back just a bit from the car ahead and accelerating into the draft, so you can exit a corner with a massive speed advantage, called a slingshot. Running side by side slows cars down as there is also a side draft, so cars from the same manufacturers will usually work together during the race. Pitstops are crucial, just like in Formula 1, and drivers will always want to get them done during yellow flags if possible. A full stop for tires and fuel will take just 10-12 seconds, but even so teams will sometimes skip changing some tires, usually leaving the left tires in place to save time. Despite that, under green flag running, there is an undercut potential, especially if new tires are taken and your competitors tires are old and worn. Often cars of the same manufacturer will pit together so they can work together on pit exit. One big difference to F1 is that, under yellow flags, the gaps are closed first before the pitlane is opened, with lapped cars usually being waved around before the track goes green. These days, NASCAR races are run in 3 stages (at Daytona, they will be 65, 65 and 70 laps), with the top 10 drivers at the end of each stage getting points in addition to those awarded at the end of the race. The end of each stage features a yellow flag period where the field is reassembled and, in the absence of other carnage, all the drivers will likely want to pit. But large numbers of cars in the pits at the same time can also breed disaster and the pit window being around 40 laps should mean varied strategy, especially as dropping as little as two tenths of a second can cost you double-digit positions during a crowded pitstop. Now we get to the fun stuff, qualifying. And by fun, I mean complicated. The first session of qualifying is a single timed lap and the two fastest times of the session start in the first two positions for the race. The next day, all the odd numbered finishers compete in Duel 1, a 60 lap race that sets the order for the inside line at the start while Duel 2, featuring the even numbered finishers from the single lap session, sets the order for the outside line. Non-charter teams (meaning teams that are not guaranteed a spot in the race) also get two spots from single lap qualifying and two more in the Duels which will bring the field up to 40 starters. Lastly, a quick word about the remarkably confusing number of series. If it is a Cup race, that is like F1, while Xfinity is akin to F2, Camping World Truck to F3, and anything beyond that would be the equivalent of F4 and its regional variants. Drivers can (and will) compete in more than one series based on sponsorship and results. If you are looking for someone to keep an eye on, Denny Hamlin might be worth watching as he will be attempting to become the only person to ever win three 500s back to back.
F1 Ties
While not many drivers have appeared on both F1 and NASCAR grids, many Formula 1 drivers have given it a go. And it seems that, as the years go on, more drivers express interest in NASCAR. In the modern era Lewis Hamilton and Tony Stewart have traded cars, and Fernando Alonso has ventured the possibility of driving for a NASCAR team in the future. But that is only scratching the surface of the ties between the two racing series. In the past, four F1 drivers took a chance in NASCAR. Jim Clark, Mario Andretti, Jochen Rindt, and Innes Ireland all took part in NASCAR races, but only Andretti and Ireland raced at Daytona, with Andretti being the only Formula 1 driver to win the Daytona 500. Jacques Villeneuve, Kimi Räikkönen, the aforementioned Juan Pablo Montoya, and Scott Speed all have tried their hand at NASCAR. Despite the skills of these drivers, two of which were champions in Formula 1, their results are not impressive. Juan Pablo Montoya, who has had the longest running career in NASCAR, only managed a best championship finish of 17th and a 6th at Daytona. Finally, Haas owner Gene has a NASCAR team, currently jointly owning Stewart-Haas Racing with Tony Stewart. The team has won the championship twice (2011 with Stewart and 2014 with Kevin Harvick) and had Max Papis (7 F1 starts with Footwork in 1995) drive for one race in 2008. In 2019 co-owner Tony Stewart took Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean for laps around CotA, which the former F1 Haas drivers seemed to enjoy quite a bit. For the 2021 season, Stewart-Haas Racing will race four Ford Mustang GTs, #4 for Kevin Harvick, #10 for Aric Almirola, #14 for Chase Briscoe, and #41 for Cole Custer. Between drivers, there is a lot of respect between the series. Hamilton and Stewart’s car swap was the most recent one, but on the day Senna died, Dale Earnhardt used his winning press conference to offer condolences to Senna’s family and, during a yellow flag, the track observed one minute of silence in honor of Ayrton. And, how can we not mention the reason for Daniel Ricciardo running with the number 3. That was Dale Sr.’s number and Ricciardo has shown not only a great love for the series but a lot of admiration for Dale Earnhardt's skills as a driver. Finally, after this year NASCAR will change their cars quite dramatically. The 4-speed manual will be retired in favor of a 6-speed sequential and, although the engines will remain as they are, the Generation 7 cars have been designed with a hybrid system in mind (with much of the same howling seen in Formula 1 currently going on in NASCAR circles about noise, etc.) and it seems to be a given that they will eventually be hybrids. Will the hardware updates be enough to entice drivers from Formula 1 to try their hand in NASCAR one day? Only time will tell.
Conclusion
Tomorrow, a thundering herd of V8 monsters will be unleashed at Daytona. If any of this sparked your curiosity, tune in to the 500 and experience the thrill of stock car racing. Do you miss racing and need something to fill the void until Formula 1 starts? Do you crave intense racing, bumper to bumper action from start to finish? Do you want to witness cars in fierce on-track battles where any mistake is a catastrophe? Do you perhaps wish for a chance to sit down and see a driver win who did not start on the front row to win the race? Well, this is your chance. And this is not just some random race. This is a storied event, with roaring engines, squealing tires, and drivers using all their ability to coax unwilling machines to do their bidding, all for one shared dream: to stand on the top step of the podium and rain champagne down on their team. Join us for the live race discussion at NASCAR and let us see what this 500 brings. We would like to thank Daniel Gilligan for our intro/outro and Dan Dectis for the theme song. Daniel (u/DAGilligan) is an actor based in London and you can reach him via PM or through the Formula1 moderation team. He is also the lead commentator for frseries, the Formula1 and F1Game official F1 2020 racing experience. You can watch live races (and previous race replays) on the FRS Twitch channel. Dan (u/mulsanne) is a multi-instrument artist based in San Francisco and his latest album, Covert Overtures, is available through Bandcamp.
The best car companies in the world sell a range of vehicles like sedans, hatchbacks, SUVs, trucks, buses etc. Top Car Brands by Revenue. The list of top car brands in the world include Toyota, Volkswagen, Daimler, GM followed by Ford, Honda, SAIC, BMW etc. Here is a list of the top 10 car brands in the world 2020. 10. Nissan Motor Best Cars and Top 10 Lists. By KBB Editors. February 2, 2021. Facebook. Twitter. Linkedin. Email. It seems every new vehicle we drive is both more powerful and more fuel-efficient than its ... Here is the list of the top 10 Best Cars in the world today. The following cars are listed according to their quality, drivability, features, and value—not necessarily on price alone. Because when it comes to the best, price isn’t always the most trustworthy indicator. Top 10 Best Cars in The World Market Today. 10. Aston Martin Vanquish Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport / Z06. Base Price: $66,590–$80,590 Horsepower: 460–650 hp 0–60 mph: 3.0–3.9 sec EPA: 17–19 combined mpg. Corvettes don't suffer traffic gladly, and that's ... Best Cars of the Year: These Are the Top 2021 Vehicles in Our Rankings. A new vehicle is a great way to start the new year, so to help out we’ve taken a close look at our rankings to figure out the best new cars and SUVs for 2021. If you’re shopping for a new car, you’ve come to the right place. Top Gear's top 15 electric cars. ... recommendable, and ready for a new dawn in the small car world.” ... Not that roomy, not quite the best to drive. And the e-208 has those same flaws. A hunter’s glory would lie primarily in the thrill of the chase and not necessarily in the capture. Race car drivers of the highest of specs in terms of the motor industry has tried and tested the world’s finest in automobiles, however being privileged to be behind the steering wheel of one the world’s best police cars grants a police officer has the license to speed which would mean ... Find out which 2021 cars come out on top in our Car Rankings. Read professional reviews, view safety and reliability ratings, and find the best local prices. Ford is an American car manufacturer belonging to the top ten car companies from all over the world. With a history of 113 years in producing exquisite vehicles that impress users with their design and utmost functionality, the Ford Motor Company has an unsurprising brand value of $20.24 billion. This best car in the world is a shear work of beauty and you would love driving this car around. Other people are checking Top 10 Biggest Mall in the World. 2). Mazda MX 5. The car is not just a wonder to be included in best car in the world but also one of the best selling cars too with a two-seater feature.
Here are the Top 10 Best Cars in The World. Aston Martin Vanquish SSC Ultimate Aero Maybach Landaulet Porsche Carrera GT Pagani Zonda C12 F Enzo Ferrari Lamborghini Reventon Bugatti Veyron McLaren ... Top 10 Famous Most of the Most#Car #Expensive#SportsCar#Vehicles#BestCarEver Ranking of world's largest world's countries by car (motor vehicle) productionFigures include passenger cars, light commercial vehicles, minibuses, trucks, b... Welcome to the '' TOP 10 Fastest Cars 2020 '' video! I listed cars from companies like buagtti, koenigsegg and hennessey. I hope you'll enjoy it and if you d... Hi In This Video I will show you the top 10 best car manufacturers in the world top 10 best car manufacturers in the world - top 10 best-selling cars in the ... Here are the top 10 most luxurious cars on the market right now.Stunning design, unrivaled refinement, and surprising performance; in today's video, we are l... Top 10 Most INSANE Cars IN THE WORLD!Subscribe to never miss a Top 5 here:http://bit.ly/250D2N9Top 10 CRAZIEST Backyard Waterslides IN THE WORLD!https://www.... In today's video, you are going to admire 10 of the most luxurious cars in the world, as of 2020.Whether you’re a businessman who likes to cruise around in s... From Jay Leno's Garage to the Royal Auto Gallery in Abu Dhabi, these are the best car collections in the world that I have ever visited! From amazing venues,... Welcome to the '10 Best cars line-up of 2020' video! In this video you'll see cars from companies like Porsche, McLaren, Chevrolet, Pininfarina, Ferrari, Lot...
