Building a z80 – Backplane (Video)

by | Dec 17, 2024 | LifeSkills, Pastimes, Technology | 154 comments

I asked Glibs if they wanted to see video of me assembling a z80 kit I’d bought. I got a few ‘yes’ responses and no ‘no’ responses, so I went through the trouble of recording a proof of concept to see if it works.

https://rumble.com/v5wirnk-z80-build-part-1-backplane.html

If the Embed doesn’t work for you for whatever reason (wordpress, rumble, work proxy) you can try a direct link here: https://rumble.com/v5wirnk-z80-build-part-1-backplane.html Though a work proxy problem would be a bit harder to get through.

Yes, I know the lighting needs work. Yes, Rumble downscaled my video from the original 1080p. One of these I have a plan to fix. I haven’t figured out how to get Rumble to not downscale.

 

If the Embed doesn’t work for you for whatever reason (wordpress, rumble, work proxy) Or, if you realize going 47 minutes without commenting is a bit much and would like to have the video in a separate tab/window, you can try a direct link here: https://rumble.com/v5wirnk-z80-build-part-1-backplane.html Though a work proxy problem would be a bit harder to get through.

Yes, I know the lighting needs work. Yes, Rumble downscaled my video from the original 1080p. No, I don’t know how to get rid of the black bands WordPress added to the embedded video. One of these I have a plan to fix. I haven’t figured out how to get Rumble to not downscale.

About The Author

UnCivilServant

UnCivilServant

A premature curmudgeon and IT drone at a government agency with a well known dislike of many things popular among the Commentariat. Also fails at shilling Books

154 Comments

  1. UnCivilServant

    Rumble downscaled my video from the original 1080p.

    I did figure out that if I maximized the video, the higher resolution options became available. Including the original resolution.

  2. UnCivilServant

    So, why was the video embedded in the preview but isn’t there anymore?

    • Sean

      Russian hackers.

    • R C Dean

      Maybe if you leave the key in the ignition, something something?

    • Not Adahn

      That happened to me once.

      • PieInTheSky

        but you got better

    • bacon-magic

      Not enough spices.

  3. Sensei

    At least here at work the the embed doesn’t work so the direct link is appreciated!

    I remember having a Commodore 128 the essentially dual booted either 6502 and Commodore OS or Z-80 and CP/M.I ran everything on the Commodore side except a word processor as the Z-80 side a hardware 80 column mode.

    I scrapped it not soon after and bought a NEC V20 8088 clone and have been PC ever since.

    • UnCivilServant

      I figured there would be at least some people who’d need a direct link.

  4. Sean

    What do you intend to do with the finished product?

      • UnCivilServant

        It’s an educational project where I learn about the z80 architecture, and video making.

  5. Sensei

    Interesting. Zilog is now owned by “Littlefuse”.

    Littelfuse, Inc. is an American electronics manufacturing company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.The company primarily produces circuit protection products (fuses) but also manufactures a variety of switches, automotive sensors and, through its subsidiary Zilog, microprocessors.

    I assume bought them for automotive use when more and more systems in autos became digital.

    • UnCivilServant

      I had never heard of littelfuse before.

      Apparently they invented the automotive fuse design I found fascinating as a little kid.

  6. LCDR_Fish

    Suthen – regarding your comments about killing the domestic drone industry – that was exactly what the FAA did with their “licensed pilot” regulation, and others.

    It was called out again in this excellent piece https://www.18theses.com/ that was linked in CDR Salamander’s excellent substack this morning. Not a long read, and very highly recommended.

    • Gustave Lytton

      The infographic style and dynamic page loading is annoying. The incorrect reasoning around why conglomerates fell out of out of favor makes me question the rest.

    • Gustave Lytton

      Also, the idea of a multiyear WWII style conventional slog in a direct conflict with a nuclear armed peer/near peer adversary is absurd. Munitions run out ina couple days? That’s about 72 hours more than needed.

      • Gustave Lytton

        Even WWII was cut short before Operation Olympic.

  7. Evan from Evansville

    This just discovered: UCS has *at least* two pairs of Microprocessor-Assembly Gloves. I hope another is a designated Glove-Handling Glove, hopefully rainbow-colored to encompass all gloves, but knowing UCS, black would technically be *more* all-encompassing, and *more* correct. Perhaps that’s what those black gloves are for.

    Thanks for these. I freely admit: Completely out of my wheelhouse. (I’m jealous.) My bro has been coding for 20+ years, but I don’t recall him ever assembling anything like this, though he does composite ‘build’ his own computers. I wonder what he’d think.

    • UnCivilServant

      Fun fact, the white cotton glove liners make it easier to wear the black nitrile gloves for extended periods because they wick away the sweat that would otherwise accumulate between skin and glove.

      • R C Dean

        So your gloves have gloves?

      • Bobarian LMD

        It’s gloves all the way down.

      • Gender Traitor

        “Look, Ma! No hands!”

      • Not Adahn

        “No mask? No mask?”

      • Not Adahn

        I am currently wearing fingertipless glove liners (knit from monofilament nylon) under my cleanroom nitrile gloves for that very purpose. I don’t see how people spend any length of time in here without them.

    • UnCivilServant

      Hao.

      What have you seasoned the greetings with?

  8. PieInTheSky

    Not enough ASMR

    • UnCivilServant

      I set myself several guidelings when I started.

      First, I would not do a video where I simply record the events and don’t explain them. I hate it when people do that and I’m lost.

      Second, I would try to make as much of the audio a voiceover explaination as I could. Some processes just ran too long and got some fast forward music.

    • pistoffnick (370HSSV)

      Not enough cleavage.

    • UnCivilServant

      Nothing semiconductor related? I thought that was your area of expertise.

      • Not Adahn

        Nothing funny to be had there at the moment.

        Though there is something that 2% of all babies born in Taiwan have at least one parent that works for TSMC, which is disproportionately high.

      • UnCivilServant

        It’s the company’s “future employees” program proving a success.

    • Sensei

      I expect nothing less from Sleepy Joe and my alma mater.

      This happens to be the same school the gave Dr. Jill her doctorate.

      • Not Adahn

        It’s also the school who’s mandatory froshie orientation said “all white people are racist, and no non-white people are racist,”

      • Sensei

        They walked that one back after public shame, litigation and an alumni revolt.

      • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

        “doctorate”

      • Sensei

        Like Dr. Bill Cosby!

      • slumbrew

        I, too, was a Fighting Blue Hen. For a year.

        Newark, DE, is not the sort of metropolis for me, as it turns out.

    • kinnath

      60+ fucking thousand dollars.

      • Tundra

        If you’re gonna drop so much, might as well get one of these:

        https://ineosgrenadier.com/en/us/

        The guy who owns the car wash I use has one. It’s neato.

      • Sensei

        Guy around the block from me owns one.

        I also enjoyed one of the automotive repair channels repairing a brand new one. They forgot to put refrigerant in the AC from the factory. He leak tested it and it was fine. They just neither filled it or tested it.

        Makes sense. It is a Land Rover clone after all.

      • Tundra

        Oh, I’m not saying it will be a good vehicle, just that it’s a lot cooler than the Jeep and probably no worse build-wise.

      • R C Dean

        Looks like those start at $75K, which is significantly more than $60K.

      • JaimeRoberto (carnitas/spicy salsa)

        We are a four car household and we spent less than 60K combined on our cars.

      • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

        OH! I saw one of those on the road in western CO, and could not figure out who made it. And then promptly forgot about it.

      • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

        Mmm… BMW I6… in a 4×4? Hard pass.

        I love me a straight six, but that is a road engine, not built nor designed for the low torque world of off road.

      • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

        “Makes sense. It is a Land Rover clone after all.”

        Discovery clone, maybe. But that is no Series III.

      • Tundra

        Come on, Zwak.

        Take a guess at the percentage of any of those that see serious off-road duty. NTTAWWT, but it’s hardly a consideration for most people. I watched a guy mash the side of his Raptor and it was painful to see.

        I’m seeing a lot of side-by-sides lately, though. If I gaf about off-road I would look seriously at those.

      • slumbrew

        I do really like that the Grenadier is filled with physical switches and not touchscreens.

      • Mojeaux

        We are a four car household and we spent less than 60K combined on our cars.

        Same, probably even including major repairs we’ve had to do. I can’t imagine dropping that much money for a daily driver normal ho-hum car. Even the “luxury” brands look like everything else on the road (aerodynamics is a helluva drug).

        Buy the fucking Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, Bugatti.

      • ron73440

        Take a guess at the percentage of any of those that see serious off-road duty. NTTAWWT, but it’s hardly a consideration for most people. I watched a guy mash the side of his Raptor and it was painful to see.

        TFL YouTube took one off-roading and it seemed fairly competent.

        Although my truck is a 4X4 and the only “off-roading” I do is the occasional muddy dirt road.

      • Tundra

        Ron:

        My

      • Tundra

        Ron:

        My truck has the off-road package, but the fucking thing is so huge it would be useless anyway. Rough roads, deep snow and mud is fine, but you couldn’t do any serious crawling.

      • ron73440

        My truck has the off-road package, but the fucking thing is so huge it would be useless anyway.

        With mine being 6500 pounds and 20-21 feet long, I don’t think it would get very far in a true off road situation.

        Muddy dirt roads and it can go almost anywhere on them.

      • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

        Tundra, it isn’t that most people wont, and for them this is fine. But, I would have zero issue taking my Frontier off road in a hard way if needed. Not that I need it, but I know it can do it.

        Saying that, it also isn’t a Land Rover. And after seeing some of the exploits on the Camel Trophy competition, even a Discovery is no sneeze. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6FZBRgvLkY

      • Tundra

        Zwak:

        Agreed.

        And that video is badass. I wonder how the new Defender will do.

    • Tundra

      Lots of change over there.

      https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/stellantis-swiftly-reshapes-strategy-under-elkann-after-tavares-exit-2024-12-16/

      Stellantis this month swiftly re-hired retired executive Timothy Kuniskis to lead Ram, one of its most important brands.
      Industry analysts have interpreted the decision as a step to improve relations with dealers in the U.S., the group’s profit powerhouse, and reverse Ram’s U.S. sales, which were down 24% this year as of the end of the third quarter.

      Good move.

  9. The Late P Brooks

    What is ASMR?

    • Not Adahn

      Chicks whispering to you and making little clicking noises.

    • Sensei

      Whisper whisper, click click.

      “you don’t want to know”….

    • PieInTheSky

      have you been living under a rock?

    • Mojeaux

      It’s when you get a frisson of sensation going through your skin/body at sound or touch.

      People speaking does not do that to me. Music does it to me, but not the same way someone playing with my hair or grazing their fingertips over my skin feels. It’s not sexual (at least, not for me). It’s just kind of this state of utter bliss. I don’t get body massages anymore. I get head/scalp/neck massages because it’s so awesome.

      This. I would sell my soul for this every day.

  10. The Late P Brooks

    Abnormal

    ABC News’s decision to settle a defamation lawsuit brought by President-elect Trump is sending a chill through the media, with press organizations suggesting it is a major blow.

    “It should not be seen as normal for powerful elected officials to wage legal campaigns against members of the press and their employers,” Caroline Hendrie, executive director of the Society of Professional Journalists, told The Hill on Monday.

    “We are concerned that even the perception that media organizations must offer large payouts to settle legal challenges from public officials will have a chilling effect on the kind of independent and fearless reporting that our nation needs to hold the powerful to account,” she added.

    But news personalities should have a free pass to make slanderous factually incorrect statements about public officials whom they do not like.

    A different article I just read mentioned “malicious intent”. I don’t think Trump’s attorneys would have had much difficulty showing a pattern of animosity and intentional malice on Stepha-whisis’ part.

    • UnCivilServant

      Disney did not want to undergo discovery.

    • Suthenboy

      “It should not be seen as normal for powerful elected officials to wage legal campaigns against members of the press”

      Said without a trace of self-awareness.

    • R C Dean

      “It should not be seen as normal for powerful elected officials to wage legal campaigns against members of the press and their employers,”

      It should also not be seen as normal for powerful media corporation to lie about elected officials.

  11. The Late P Brooks

    Speaking of Stellantis- the new Armada comes with a small displacement high-strung twin turbo V6 instead of a V8. As I looked at the power output numbers, I kept asking myself, “For how long?”

    • Tundra

      Everyone is doing this. My neighbor has a new Landcruiser which has a fucking 4-banger with the “mild hybrid.” Say goodbye to 500K miles.

      • Sensei

        If you are going to be stuck with a hybrid at least its a Toyota hybrid.

      • UnCivilServant

        Unfortunately they Hybridized the Toyota with a Lucas.

      • Tundra

        True, but another neighbor dropped $4500 on a battery control unit or some such bullshit on his Highlander.

        Complexity is no bueno.

  12. The Late P Brooks

    Wait- is Nissan part of Stellantis? I can’t keep track.

    • kinnath

      No

      • kinnath

        Reports are that Nissan is 12 months from bankruptcy.

      • UnCivilServant

        Will they have to sell out to Manchurian?

        (or am I the only one who missed up Nissin with Nissan and Maruchan with Manchurian?)

      • Tundra

        I think that’s a safe assumption.

      • Drake

        I see the Murano convertible around town here in the deep south. Always makes me smile to see a car that absurd.

    • Sean

      Nissan isn’t bankrupt yet?

    • kinnath

      Part of Nissan’s problems are that the Leaf EV is deadmeat, and they don’t have a hybrid.

      If the EV/hybrid market collapses without fedgov subsidies, Nissan could look like geniuses in retrospect.

      But there single biggest problems is that they pretty much cashed sales checks for a decade without refreshing any of the vehicles they sell. So, they are woefully behind all the market leaders.

      Someone will buy a huge chunk of the business (maybe Honda or maybe private equity) and will rejigger the company.

      • Drake

        What happened to the new Z? Why not a fun inexpensive car like the old 200SX?

      • Bobarian LMD

        Also, they put shitty CVTs is all of their passenger vehicles.

      • Bobarian LMD

        Z Car?

        Overpriced and under-performed when compared to others in the segment.

  13. The Late P Brooks

    have you been living under a rock?

    I am a hermit crab, so yes.

  14. UnCivilServant

    I was wondering how annoying my voice was, how distracting the low light levels were, whether people could see what was going on… I know I should keep the action in the camera frame, so I’m working on that.

    • PieInTheSky

      surprisingly the voice was not annoying

      • UnCivilServant

        My perspective is skewed (plus I had to keep listening to it as I edited the darn thing)

    • Suthenboy

      This is why you are not rich UCS. The number one ingredient necessary for becoming an internet video millionaire is being head over heels in love with the sound of your own voice.

  15. Sensei

    BERLIN, Dec 17 (Reuters) – NATO has taken over coordination of Western military aid to Ukraine from the United States as planned, a source said on Tuesday, in a move widely seen as aiming to safeguard the support mechanism against NATO sceptic U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

    The rest of the article is priceless. It shows just how inert NATO is without the US pulling the strings.

    https://www.reuters.com/world/nato-takes-over-coordination-military-aid-kyiv-us-source-says-2024-12-17/

    • Suthenboy

      So, in a panic the globalists are getting as many snouts in the trough as possible before it is too late.
      End the fucking money laundering in Eastern Europe.

    • R C Dean

      Let’s just make killing Russians in Ukraine an official NATO project. What could possibly go wrong?

      • Suthenboy

        If those idiots were not idiots they would just fake the war and beg for more money to ‘save democracy’. Hell, now that I say that maybe that is exactly what they are doing.

  16. The Late P Brooks

    a move widely seen as aiming to safeguard the support mechanism against NATO sceptic U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

    More “Trump-proofing”.

    • Suthenboy

      The authoritarians view is that they can make decrees that are forever set in stone. The nit-wits rarely consider that the next guy can simply issue a decree contrary to that. Trump proof all you want morons.
      One of Trump’s mistake the first time around was paying attention to judges that said he could not undo EO’s issued by his predecessors by EO.
      He should have ignored them….much the way they ignore rulings against them. I am looking at you Hawaii. And you New York. And you Georgia. And….well, I could go on all day like this.

  17. kinnath

    We now have a cybertruck painted flat black in the company parking lot. It’s a stupid looking vehicle.

    I was parked next to a Fisker EV the other day. I almost felt sorry for the poor bastard that bought the thing.

    • Suthenboy

      EV’s – the latest iteration of the perpetual motion machine scam. Blow away all of the smoke and that is what you are left with.

    • ron73440

      Fisker EV

      If there was one in our lot, I would have to call it FISTER ROBOTO.

      • Sensei

        I’m shocked. I Googled the lyrics and it’s in “genuine” Japanese.

        どうもありがと Mr. Roboto
        どうもありがと Mr. Roboto
        また会う日まで
        どうもありがと Mr. Roboto
        秘密を知りたい

        We know what the Bro would call it.

    • Tundra

      There’s a white one rolling around here. I didn’t think it was possible to be uglier than the original.

    • Not Adahn

      That is just asking for a collision.

  18. The Late P Brooks

    Data not same as information

    The FBI and CISA raised the alarm two months after The Wall Street Journal reported that hackers linked to the Chinese government have broken into systems that enable U.S. law enforcement agencies to conduct electronic surveillance operations under the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA).

    “These are for legitimate wiretaps that have been authorized by the courts,” Hong says. But in hackers’ hands, he says, the tools could potentially be used “to surveil communications and metadata for lots of people. And it seems like the [hackers’] focus is primarily Washington, D.C.”

    The FBI says that the attack was far broader than the CALEA system and that the hackers are still accessing telecom networks. The U.S. has been working since late spring to determine the extent of their activities. This month, the Biden administration said at least eight telecommunications infrastructure companies in the U.S., and possibly more, had been broken into by Chinese hackers.

    Mysterious government affiliated “hackers” are burying themselves in random scraps of overwhelmingly useless communications. Assisted in their efforts by our government surveillance projects.

    • R C Dean

      “But in hackers’ hands, he says, the tools could potentially be used “to surveil communications and metadata for lots of people.”

      Not just in hacker’s hands, you know.

  19. grrizzly

    PSA. Never use Venmo.
    If you open the Venmo app and click on a previous transaction, you’ll see all the previous Venmo transactions (but not the amounts) of the other person. Click on one of those transactions and you’ll have all the transactions of the second person and so on. This is insane.

    • slumbrew

      I believe that’s only if you leave the (ridiculous) defaults – it shares transactions publically.

      You can (and should) turn that off, first thing.

      • grrizzly

        I barely used the service. Mostly for cashback. But I had a few meaningful transactions a few months ago.

      • grrizzly

        I changed the privacy settings but my partner can still see my previous transactions, including those not involving him.

      • slumbrew

        I think maybe the privacy settings will apply to new transactions, not old ones. But I don’t use it much myself – mostly paying the dog sitter when we go away.

  20. The Late P Brooks

    Let’s just make killing Russians in Ukraine an official NATO project.

    Are you trying to tell me it isn’t already?

    • R C Dean

      Not officially, as far as I know. Some but not all NATO members are involved, but not (formally) the alliance itself, again as far as I know.

      Well, until now.

  21. Certified Public Asshat

    Only because most people are dumb and don’t mark it as private.

    • Certified Public Asshat

      to grrizzly

  22. The Late P Brooks

    The agencies also want companies to bolster their security practices and work with the government to make their networks harder to compromise.

    “The adversaries we face are tenacious and sophisticated, and working together is the best way to ensure eviction,” the senior FBI official said during the news briefing.

    ” Robust security is a must. Just make sure we get the keys to the back door.”

    • Drake

      Hello? Chevron ruling?

      Fuck you and your made up rules Congress didn’t pass.

    • Sean

      I’m thoroughly content with my current 2 vehicles. We’ll see how I feel when they’re both out of warranty…

      There’s not really anything that I’d be interested in right now anyway.

    • Grumbletarian

      Gosh, I just don’t understand why new vehicles cost $65k or more.

  23. The Late P Brooks

    Just a little late

    If every single driver and passenger on U.S. roads wore their seatbelt, it’s possible that road fatalities could be reduced dramatically. These new regulations won’t have that effect immediately, but as older vehicles age out of the national fleet, the roads will get that little bit safer. Buckle up. It’s the easiest thing you can do to protect yourself out there.

    Nanny knows best.

    • Sean

      I’m all for wearing seatbelts as a driver or passenger and have been for quite many years. You do you.

      • Sensei

        Me too. I just don’t need the bings and bongs.

        I’m old enough to remember as a kid when for one model year only in the 1970s you couldn’t start the car without the seatbelt being buckled. Customers screamed and Congress relented the following year.

      • Tundra

        Yep. I was in a rollover crash and will always wear mine. But I sure as shit don’t want the cops enforcing it.

      • Drake

        I’ll be aggravated if I start getting beeps because I have a suitcase in my back seat.

      • Sean

        Just how much shit is in that suitcase?

      • Sensei

        People with dogs are going to be really happy.

        You may likely be able to turn it off if you have stuff in the back seat, but who knows…

      • Mojeaux

        I don’t like seatbelts. There. I said it.

        If my AD&D insurance policy didn’t mandate I use one to pay out on a claim, I wouldn’t wear one.

      • Bobarian LMD

        Just how much shit is in that suitcase?

        A chopped up human corpse still weighs the same, no matter how you slice it.

  24. Not Adahn

    Pie: did you enjoy Sunday’s music? Was it obscure enough for you, being a euro-whippersnapper?

  25. The Late P Brooks

    Just like a car, only better

    Honda excited enthusiasts when it debuted a sporty two-door concept bearing the legendary Prelude nameplate in 2023. Now, there is real reason to celebrate, as Honda has announced that the Prelude will enter production and reach the U.S. market in late 2025.

    The new Prelude, which will likely debut for the 2026 model year, will mark the sixth generation of the coupe, with the first Prelude emerging way back in 1978. There still aren’t many confirmed details about what to expect from the upcoming Prelude, but we know it will feature a two-motor hybrid powertrain. This will likely be a version of the same excellent hybrid setup currently offered in the Civic, Accord, and CR-V, which feature a 2.0-liter four-cylinder and a pair of electric motors.

    Honda also announced today that the Prelude will come with a “Honda S+ Shift” feature, which is said to “enhance the driving experience” and “deliver maximum levels of driver engagement.” Honda says the feature “maximizes the efficiency” of the engine and motor, allowing for “sharper simulated shifts.”

    Honda’s current hybrid models don’t have a traditional gearbox, instead powering the wheels via a direct-drive system. The drive ratios are fixed, swapping between fully electric, pure gas, and a mix of the two without shifting gears. Still, the cars simulate faux gearchanges, and it sounds like the S+ Shift feature will make these even quicker in a bid to make the Prelude more entertaining to drive.

    “Simulated gearshifts”

    Just what I always wanted. They should incorporate a random missed shift mode, with catastrophic overrevs.

      • Bobarian LMD

        the same excellent hybrid setup currently offered in the Civic, Accord, and CR-V, which feature a 2.0-liter four-cylinder and a pair of electric motors.

        My wife’s CR-V has this set-up, and while it is a great economical set up with great AWD capability, it ain’t fucking sporty… at all.

    • Sean

      Honda also says that the shifts are “coordinated with active sound control,” so expect to hear the rise and fall of revs that you would expect from traditional shifts to be pumped through the speakers.

      Gayer than two oiled up dudes fucking each other.

      • Drake

        No. I don’t want fake engine sounds from a computermobile.

    • Drake

      I had a Prelude and loved it, but… This seems to fake the real things I liked. A smooth manual transmission, a revvy engine, and steering that turned off the assistance above 10mph.

    • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

      Honda, almost like a car…

  26. The Late P Brooks

    Honda also says that the shifts are “coordinated with active sound control,” so expect to hear the rise and fall of revs that you would expect from traditional shifts to be pumped through the speakers.

    Can I choose the 1.5 liter V12 F1 motor soundtrack?

    • Timeloose

      I would choose a 1972 Chevy 5 ton quarry truck effect. Make it sound as shitty as possible right down to the gear whine and 3k redline.

  27. The Late P Brooks

    Surprise

    apanese automakers Nissan Motor and Honda Motor reportedly plan to enter into negotiations for a merger to better compete in the rapidly changing global automotive industry, the Nikkei newspaper reported Tuesday.

    Honda and Nissan are considering operating under a holding company, and soon will sign a memorandum of understanding, according to the report. They also look to eventually bring Mitsubishi Motors, in which Nissan is the top shareholder with a 24% stake, under the holding company.

    ——-

    Automotive consultants and other experts have recently been calling for an increase in mergers and acquisitions to share costs and better compete against rapidly expanding Chinese automakers as well as U.S. all-electric vehicle leader Tesla

    What were we talking about? More mergers will fix the auto industry. We just need a single megamanufacturer partnered up with the one world government.

    • Sensei

      Great let’s see how Nissan can mess up Honda.

      I assume this will end Infinity in the US.

      • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

        Honda, the Stephanopoulos of cars? The disposable buying the legendary?

        Damn, the mighty can fall.

      • Sensei

        I’d forgotten Nissan and Mitsubishi also have light and medium trucking that Honda doesn’t.

      • R.J.

        I am on St. Marten’s today, I drove all over like Crazy Taxi.
        I saw MAN trucks, Saiyang cars, lots of Suziki Jimnys and other odd things like Toyota buses that look like stretched minivans. All very cool.
        Lots of big scooters too.

      • slumbrew

        Ah, nice – I really like St. Martin

      • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

        Yes, Nissan did let its very successful models get a little long in the tooth, but pairing up with the people who have only made one rear wheel drive car which was a rip of of the Miata, have no heavy duty line and, lets all face it, only make disposable cars (100k and they are trash) seems a little foolish.

        Weather the storm, get the stink of Ghosn out of there, ditch the Leaf, and move back into position.

  28. Evan from Evansville

    This not just in: EVery EV EVan sees, EVery day in sEVen papers and EVerywhere else.. Just makes searching my name harder 🙂 All good fun.

    “Evan seven heaven” was used w kids in Korea. Heaven=천국 ‘chun-gook.’ 교회 = “church” gyo-hway’ and is damn handy. Red neon crosses *everywhere*. Damn cool, IMO. Many small ‘churches,’ all in apartment buildings etc, ubiquitous.

    • Evan from Evansville

      Woah. Did I semi-accidentally ‘rock’ a first smiley face? *With unblinking gaze, eyes firmly fixed forward, walks backwards through hedges out of sight*