News Roundup - November 21, 2018: Android Auto!

So one of the things that is missing from my Miata is Android Auto. I had it built in to the Acura system when I had that car and really liked the integration. Unfortunately, Mazda really only started to deliver cars with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as part of the infotainment system with some limited 2018 models and they are expanding for 2019. Definitely behind the curve in my opinion. So today's first article was particularly interesting to me.

News Roundup - November 14, 2018

So over on Google+, I was never a big fan of the Collections feature. Nevertheless, back when I got my Acura earlier this year I set up new collection to share news stories regarding Acuras. Not sure what I'll do with that since I've moved on from Acura, but I do continue to follow some Acura race car drivers and teams - maybe something dedicated just for them (or they could end up here despite being the "wrong" brand). I followed that collection up with a new collection focused primarily on the Miata MX-5, though some general Mazda news gets in there along with Fiat 124 Spider news (since it is essentially an MX-5).

Since starting those, Google has announced they are shuttering Google+ for consumer use in August 2019. So I've been trying to decide what to keep going when that happens and how that will be achieved. This post is my first test of possibly sharing some news items via this blog to try to replace the Miata collection.

A Quick Mabry Mill Run

Top dropped - time to get twisty!

As I write this entry, I realize it has been three months since I got the new Miata MX-5. I recently clipped through the 6,000 mile mark. Mileage has been a bit high as I made a couple trips in October that were a bit long - one to the Nashville, TN area and another to Washington, DC. One of those was planned, the other was on short notice. Overall ownership experience has been mostly positive, although I do have one problem I'll need to do a quick write-up on. I also realized I have at least one story in the queue here and probably two more that I need to add.

Back to this particular entry though. This past weekend an event was held down in the Deal's Gap / Tail of the Dragon area called TougeFest. For those who don't know, Touge is a Japanese word (or at least based on a Japanese word) for "pass" and really refers to mountain passes. Those who enjoy driving the "twisties" know mountain passes are good places to find roads that traverse the gaps between mountain peaks, winding up and down mountainsides. Touge has been adopted to refer to these (often) narrow, twisting mountain roads and the fun that can be found in driving on them. The TougeFest event (from what I can tell) is based on the many car or motorcycle specific events held at the Tail of the Dragon (like MINIs on the Dragon or Miatas At The Gap). TougeFest shifts the focus just a bit to the driver and enjoying the roads, so all vehicles are welcome.