Last Harry Potter Book Pre-Order

Amazon has opened pre-ordering for the the final chapter in the Harry Potter saga, and is offering up a pretty good deal, $18.89 for the hardcover which will list at $34.99, and $39.00 for the Deluxe edition which will list at $65.00. What's the difference? Well previous Deluxe Editions have had slipcases, special art on the endpapers, and a poster. Amazon doesn't give any detail as to what it'll entail for this volume, so the Dragon is guessing these details haven't been nailed down yet.
But at $19, well that's about the price of what the trade paper will be, so the Dragon will placing an order for that one for his lovely lady-friend.

(In the spirit of full disclosure, yes, the Dragon is an Amazon affiliate, and the miniscule cut he receives from any sales offa these links will go towards improving and upkeeping this site.)

Some Scooter News, Most of it Genuine

Philadelphia Scooters: 2007- Year of the Scooter!

Yes, yes I've been amiss on the scooter news lately, and will be summarily smacked on the talons soon.

LML gearing up to start manufacturing again has metal bodied, 2-stroke, manual tranny scooter fans all in a tizzy that Genuine might be able to bring some more Stellas back into the states. Well, it would be nice, but the Dragon isn't holding his breath just as of yet.
Still Genuine isn't resting on it's laurels. Nope, they've got some cool things going on for 2007.

First off the 2007 125cc Buddy's. Phil of Pride of Cleveland Scooters had this to say over on Modern Buddy about improvements for this year:

The Headlight is now MUCH bigger and houses an honest to God halogen bulb. There is a cool 12 volt power plug exactly where I put the one I rigged up for my GPS when I ran the Loop. The tail / stop light is now an array of LED's that is at least 3 times as bright as the original. The bad news: The price is now $2599 (up $100) For my money...it's $100 well spent.

Genuine's site calls that 12 volt power plug a cell phone charger, though I imagine there will be a lot of new Buddy owners getting creative (like Phil) with GPS units and stereos.

Also on the horizon for the Buddy line, is a special edition "Series Italia," a two-tone green 125cc with white wall tires in case you're gonna cruise the miracle mile. Pretty... (Hmm... the Pride of Cleveland Genuine page also has an image of an all red Buddy, with the 2007 improvements listed, that says "stay tuned for the Cherry Bomb"... another special edition, perhaps?)

Philadelphia Scooters' blog also mentions that the long awaited 110cc 2-stroke Genuine Rattler should be coming out this year. I really like the looks of this scooter, but the 50cc (restricted) model just seemed a little under-powered. A 110cc model could really be a scoot to be reckoned with.

In other Genuine news, the company has some marketing/partnership deals lined up for the Black Cat scooter with (of course) Black Cat Fireworks, and the AMA Flat Track Championships.

Stop the Escalation in Iraq

Stop the Escalation in Iraq

Wes Clark has put this new ad from Vote Vets on his MySpace page. Powerful stuff.

Steampunk... Lightsabers?

Steampunk Lightsabers

Um... Why does this tickle me and make my brain hurt at the same time? Somehow I both want one, and want to hide my head in shame for the impulse. Generation X should be stepping up to the plate right now, as the first generation to grow up fully indoctrinated into the digital lifestyle, and leading the world. I mean think about it, we're full adults now, old enough to run for Senate and the presidency, and a lot of us have a little prosperity, skill, and connections from that dot com thingee a few years back. (Not me, of course, but I'm generalizing.) We are the perfect bridge generation between the boomers and Generation Y, or whatever they are called, because while we are fully fluent in computers, cell phones, and the like, we still remember the analog world, and a time when you could (or at least our dads and uncles could) actually work on your own car.

Instead, we make and buy steampunk lightsabers...

Still, they're pretty freaking cool...

more about the top one here

and the bottom one here

Vespa Touring

Vespa Touring

Ok, I can't rant about touring without reminding folks that not can you tour on a scooter, there are some definite upsides to the endeavor. Check this collection of articles from Scooter Lounge if you don't believe me.

Sisters are Touring it for Themselves

Sisters are Touring it for Themselves

If you are stuck inside your home and a cage by the fickle nature of weather and mechanical issues, now is great time to live vicariously through the adventures of others. Old Bags on Bikes, is a site documenting six ladies grand tour of North America on Harleys. As they say, "3 countries, 31 states, 31 days."
It's a fun and inspiring read.

B.B. King released from Hospital

B.B. King released from Hospital

Oh, Thank God!

When I heard that Mr. King had been hospitalized recently, I got a little scared. He's not a young man, and diabetes can be rough at any age. Plus we all know that the Blues are God's favorite type of music...

Blues legend BB King has been discharged from hospital in Texas after a bout of flu, and his management says he is "back to his old self".
The 81-year-old had a fever after contracting flu and was admitted to the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston on Friday.
He had to cancel two concerts in the city, but will now play as scheduled in Fort Worth, Texas on Tuesday.
King, who is diabetic, was reported to be otherwise in good health. ...
King was "feeling fabulous", she said.