"The Volkswagen Microbus is a classic - even to those of us born after its time. Arguably unlike the newly remade Beetle, this remake of a VW classic is remarkably true to the original on the outside - but on the inside it is a bio-diesel hybrid stuffed full of high tech gadgetry and eco-friendly innovations."
- Kol Tregaskes
from Bookmarklet
Super cool VW Bus making a comeback...
- Walt Ruppar
First of all, I'll cop to wanting one of these. That being said, Jason is right. This is for rich hippies (who probably aren't hippies at all). The VW microbus became the darling of the Flower Power crowd because it was cheap, easy to repair, and big. You could camp in it. Is there a car today that fits this bill?
- Chris Baskind
wow, you can buy an awful lot of pot with $129,000.
- Thomas Hawk
I don't know a self-respecting hippie that would prefer this over a really nice indoor greenhouse. ;-)
- Chris Baskind
@Chris, Most cars today aren't as simple, but with the wealth of knowledge online, it just takes more time. The minivan/SUV can become a camper van with a few mods. They'll never take the place of the VW, but they're an updated version of the 70s panelvan conversions (hopefully without shag carpeting & a disco-ball).
- Steven Cains
Nope: there will never be anything that simple again. That's not all bad: I can't imagine a 1960s VW Minibus would satisfy *any* federal safety standard these days. You're right. A used minivan might be the closest thing.
- Chris Baskind
Very Cool. You can't drive your house but, you can sleep in your Van !!!
- Eric Logan
Very intriguing. How much steel is in that thing? Chris, that would be my next question after fuel consumption: how safe is this thing? And I agree, when we can go back to making transportation that costs less than a small home, we may have achieved something amazing. ;)
- Melanie Reed
However, I have heard (and I'm not remembering where at the moment) that there has been a movement growing of people seeking alternative housing and substituting things like this as the new "mobile" home.
- Melanie Reed
Everyone is loving this! We should have an FF one and use it to travel to all the FFers around the World (like Pea seems to be doing ;-)). Hehe. :-)
- Kol Tregaskes
cool idea, kol. the ff-stream of this tour would be alltheawe. just imagine the photos.
- esther ♥ ♫
I've owned 5 VWs, two of which were split window vans. I'd love to have another, this is awesome!
- Rick Bucich
from twhirl
I have had more VWs than other cars...starting with a 71 Superbeetle, and a Split Window Microbus. I would LOVE to have something like this.
- Kreg Steppe
Good for grandparents to visit grandchildren and children through the European continent (or another one as well)...nomadism-revival!
- Isabelle Ayel
wow i posted this a while back and now can't seem to find it for some reason. friendfeed's search function really sucks!
- Cee Bee
So after reading this article yesterday, I found myself this evening in front of a local place that specializes in reconditioning old VWs. It was closed, but there's an awesome red and white microbus out front with a For Sale sign on it. Ugly, underpowered -- and probably dangerous, by modern standards. Want. ;-)
- Chris Baskind
Cee, really? I find FF search is pretty good.
- Kol Tregaskes
I love this Mobile...owned a few Vdubs, lived in a VW camper, but this is off the hook..I would become a true nomad with this...
- bcultral
I'd like to have something like this, something small. What do you really need? A bed, perhaps a TV and room for your computer. Then you can live anywhere you like, in theory.
- Kol Tregaskes
Who is this Canadian designer Alexandre Verdier? Seems like he is on Facebook, Linked In but I can't seem to find anything else about him.
- Brian Sullivan
We had a wesvalia built Micro when I was a kid. I loved that thing. It was a little flimsily built; but boy it was perfect for my family of campers and road-tripping warriors. Too bad this one is so pricey
- Bill Rawlinson
totally got a cool idea for new schwag... two items: for new Moms, a friend feed shirt with slots for easy feeding of infants... and for new Pops like Louis, nipple with bottle attachment inserts with one nipple coming out of the first f and the second nipple coming out of the second d... saweet!
- Rob Reed
FF schwag and twins! best picture of the day!
- Sarah Perez
Mega awesome ;) Congratulations to you and your family, like the Friendfeed t-shirt ;)
- Mario Olckers
Tiny... little... eentsy... lumps of yum. There, my estrogen has officially shown itself.
- Carla Thompson
No way - they have FF onesies??? How do I get my hands on one of those?
- Jesse Stay
The Gray family Babies!!!! Sarah and Mathew look sooo cute in your arms! and sooo tiny my goodness!!... still LOL @ Rob's wacky comment..whoa!
- Susan Beebe
She is wonderful, but remember to let her dig in the garden and get dirty, and not just be beautiful, that we sometimes forget with a pretty girl as yours, but you probably already now that :)
- Lars Clausen
Good point Lars, don't let her grow up into a vain skill-free doll because you're so entranced with her beauty. Believe me, I know some of those women, and life gets quite rough around 40.
- anna sauce
"The white doves released during wedding ceremonies are usually not doves at all, but white homing pigeons, which are specially trained by professionals to return home. In fact, when real doves are released, they are unable to survive in the wild and usually die, according to White Dove Release Professionals, an industry group founded in the mid-1990s to provide a list of humane bird releases. Last weekend, dozens of white ringneck doves were discovered cold and huddled in front of the Hall of Science in Flushing, Queens, said animal rescuers who have been trying to round them up."
- John (a.k.a. dendroica)
from Bookmarklet
"Of the estimated 45 or so doves, 18 have been recovered so far, but one died after it was rescued. The rest of the birds remain near the Hall of Science, but were in the trees or otherwise out of reach."
- John (a.k.a. dendroica)
"Homing pigeon releases can run from $200 to $500 depending on where, what conditions and number of birds. “Because people are on a budget, they think, ‘Why should I pay someone to bring birds when I can go to the store and buy them?’” Ms. Dusart said. White doves sell for about $20 apiece in pet stores. “”I feel that every pet shop should either post a notice or have their salespeople ask what the purpose of their purchase is, because these little doves should never be turned loose,” she said."
- John (a.k.a. dendroica)
I'm just amazed that people do this cheesy stuff at weddings.
- cecily
Wow, I genuinely never knew that they're pigeons not doves. Guess you really only learn this if you're sappy and planning a wedding :-P
- CannonGod
from BuddyFeed
Actually the common pigeon species in the US used to be called "Rock Dove" until it was changed to "Rock Pigeon" a few years ago. The common terminology seems to shift based on what the bird is doing. A 'pigeon' on a city street is a 'dove' at a wedding. :-)
- John (a.k.a. dendroica)
@Chaz – I think that is the same incident that inspired the NY Times article.
- John (a.k.a. dendroica)
It's so sad that people think copying what a lot of other people do is romantic and special. Especially since they apparently never bother to look into -why- homing pigeons are expensive and -why- pet store birds are cheap.
- Heather
i didnt mean to bogart your thread, i was just reflecting, the article popped up in my head. i'm sorry if i did, :(
- chaz2b
Not at all – it's right on topic. I just pointed out that the two articles were about the same event.
- John (a.k.a. dendroica)
We really need to think about the consequences of our actions. Poor little birds!
- burdr
"Prohibition creates violence because it drives the drug market underground. This means buyers and sellers cannot resolve their disputes with lawsuits, arbitration or advertising, so they resort to violence instead. Violence was common in the alcohol industry when it was banned during Prohibition, but not before or after. Violence is the norm in illicit gambling markets but not in legal ones. Violence is routine when prostitution is banned but not when it's permitted. Violence results from policies that create black markets, not from the characteristics of the good or activity in question. The only way to reduce violence, therefore, is to legalize drugs. Fortuitously, legalization is the right policy for a slew of other reasons."
- Thomas Hawk
from Bookmarklet
It does seem like more and more people are talking about the legalization issue these days, it seems like there is more pro legalization momentum than there has ever been. Certainly the economic crisis and the taxation argument give the Govt. a powerful incentive to at least consider it.
- Thomas Hawk
I'm from The Netherlands. Legalizing marijuana works perfectly fine here. The biggest reason for the slumbering debate about prohibiting it is to be in line with the rest of Western world, and especially Europe.
- Meryn Stol
If anything can bring about legalized drugs, it's Government greed. It's all about the taxes.
- Robert Hafer
This is the first guest post from reader Trae Blain. You can visit his site at traeblain.com. If you are interested in writing a guest post, just head on over to the contact page In a sea of lifestreaming services, UnHub tries to distinguish itself from the oth...
- Iván Abrego
Sometimes it's not easy to admit that you live in Florida. Last week, our state Senate boldly took the first step toward making it illegal for a person to have intimate relations with an animal. Although such a law might thin the dating pool in certain counties, it should ultimately serve to protect household pets and domestic livestock, which evidently are at far greater risk than most of us had imagined.
- rakontur
On Aug. 28, a Thursday, a 23-year-old schoolteacher from Hamilton Heights named Hannah Emily Upp went for a jog along Riverside Drive. That jog is the last thing that Ms. Upp says she remembers before the deckhands rescued her from the waters of New York Harbor on the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 16. Rumors and speculation abounded about what befell Ms. Upp. She disappeared the day before the start of a new school year at Thurgood Marshall Academy, a Harlem school, where she taught Spanish. She left behind her wallet, her cellphone, her ID and a host of troubling questions. It was as if the city had simply opened wide and swallowed her whole — until she was seen on a security camera at the Midtown Apple store checking her e-mail. Then she vanished again. And then reappeared, not only at the Apple store but also at a Starbucks and several New York Sports Clubs, where news reports said she went to shower.
- Cee Bee
from Bookmarklet
Was she suffering from bipolar disorder? Running away from an overly demanding job? Escaping from a city that can overwhelm even the most resilient? Other questions lingered. Did she forage for food? Where did she sleep? Most baffling of all, how did she survive for so long without money or any identification in one of the world’s busiest and most complex cities? That she was rescued,...
more...
- Cee Bee
That's great! From the article: "Under fire from tens of thousands of users, the social networking site Facebook said early Wednesday it is reverting to its old policy on user information -- for now."
- fshamsi