I recently turned an age where you no longer want to talk about your age. An age where back pain and creaky bones start to set in, but everyone keeps telling you that you’re not that old.
I remember when I was a kid and we got our first microwave and made the switch from black and white television to “living” color. In fact, we held on to our first microwave and color television well into my high school years. I inherited the color TV set for my new room that was built above the garage. I felt almost grown up except for the fact the nearest bathroom was in the house several yards away.
Today, technology like microwaves and digital watches are just a blip on the map compared to the overall rapid pace of technological “gizmo” growth. I’m feeling a bit old because I don’t know what all these things are or why I would even need one.
After the microwave and TV set, I buried my head under a hood for many years and didn’t pay much attention to the world around me unless it had wheels and an engine.
And then came the internet. Al Gore claimed to have invented it and George W. Bush said there was more than one (Internets), but all the same, it was one of the few things that pulled my head out from under a racecar.
During the tech boom of the late ’90s you could buy everything online from dog food to a new house. Sites were set up so quickly and without much thought about how to make money that most went out of business in the first dot.com implosion. I could never figure out how a business plan that didn’t include making a profit was supposed to work in the long run. And as it turns out, neither could anyone else.
Today the Internet and “online” world are as much a part of most younger people’s lives as the digital watch and microwave oven were back in the old days. Many people shop and do research online before they go anywhere in person. Information at your fingertips or mouseclick is what it’s all about today. And having access to the best information is a major business advantage.
This is one of the reasons Engine Builder has decided to switch from its functional, yet black and white, old site to a new and up-to-date “living” color site.
We can help your business grow with quick, seamless access to the information and resources you need to run your shop better. We have taken many of your requests for archived articles and incorporated them into the new site. We now have over 12 years of back issues and articles available to you at a few swipes of a mouse.
We have also introduced community forums where you can talk with and get feedback from other professional engine builders. The Combustion Chamber is the place for you to get technical and business advice as well as help others to find answers to their questions.
The all-new Tech Center section of our Web site features the latest technical articles and bulletins from manufacturers, contributors and associations. It’s a one- stop resource for you, and we are adding more to it all the time.
We also have information on new products that are available to engine builders along with links to their Web sites. And did I mention video? Yes, we have it and can offer up the latest product and technical demonstrations. You can even share your favorite rides, engine builds and videos on the Web site in the User Gallery/Multimedia section.
Overall, the new Web site has been designed with you in mind, and to make it easy for you to contribute to it. I urge you to go online and look for yourself and even set up a profile in the Combustion Chamber Community. As a community member you will be able to upload video and photos, comment on all the the articles, provide your own technical suggestions to other readers as well as participate in the Combustion Chamber Forum.
If you are like me, you want to be convinced that you need all of this new technology. But once you get on board, you’ll find it’s like microwave popcorn and color television – a sweet ride.
