Prove It.

When I moved to Michigan in 2003, I was fascinated by all of the cars covered in black fabric driving around. Later, I learned that we were surrounded by test facilities and proving grounds. Here's a photo story of Detroit Area Test Tracks

quick update

Photos from tonight's Fiesta unveiling are up on our Facebook page. Clicky the link to see facebook page

How to win a free car

If you're in the market for a new car, I have to admit the best shopping experience is winning one. Or at least get to borrow one for 6 months.

Here are some ways to do this:
(Click the photos for the full story)

1. Your car gets run over. The entire event is captured on surveillence camera and posted to YouTube



2. Have your pregnant wife give birth in the back of your car. Then, name the baby after the car.



3. Solve a riddle. Whether you like vampires or Clive Owen, there is a riddle for you. Even if you don't win the car, you might end up with a BMW branded mountain bike.



4. Be at the Ford Fiesta Celebration Event in LA & be a Fiesta Agent. 3 lucky agents will win a car!
If you're not an agent, come to the Celebration anyway. It's free, you get to watch the band Parachute, and meet tons of other people who won a car for 6 months. Maybe their luck will rub off on you...

Secrets of Family Road Trip Bliss

Many of you know that Mandy is the senior editor of online parenting magazine PluggedInParents.com. For her November column, she recently interviewed fellow Fiesta agent Seth Beck on his experience road tripping with the family, and asked him about his secrets to successful, meltdown-free travel.

Click on the photo below to read the full article:

It's here! Our Final Fiesta Movement Video

The guys from Parachute take our Fiesta for a spin around the Michigan Sports Car Club's autocross track. Things get a little out of hand, but they keep it "Under Control."

Enjoy!

Looks Like We Got A Convoy...

Fiestas all across the nation will be hitting the road after Thanksgiving and heading to Los Angeles. It's called the Fiesta Convoy. You in?

Get in the convoy spirit with this classic ditty:

December 1st and 2nd, Fiesta Agents will be attending the L.A. Auto Show to participate in the long-awaited reveal of the 2011 Ford Fiesta. Mass hilarity is sure to ensue. There will be photos. There will be tweets. There will be video. There will be excitement of immense proportions.

On our way there, we'll be stopping by Pops Soda Ranch, as well as Cadillac Ranch. Got any other suggestions for side-of-the-road photo opps?



So if you find yourself on any interstate in the American West, you're sure to spot one of us, cruising along. Honk if you love Fiestas.

Tally ho!


View Fiesta Road Trip in a larger map

Babes Love the Ford Fiesta

Our latest video -- Enjoy!

1-year-old Ele can't stand her car. There's nothing under the hood, and it needs one of those ratty keys. So she trades it in for a new 2011 Ford Fiesta. We think she made the right choice. Don't you?

Babes Love The Ford Fiesta from joelandmandy on Vimeo.

Wanna See Something Sexy?

Then check out our Fiesta Night Display photos:

Click here to view the entire set!

what the Fiesta needs

I stumbled across a news article that Viper (the car alarm people) have released an iphone app that can start your car.

Now that is cool! Can you imagine going car shopping and the salesman being like, oh let me just warm up the car while we have a cup of coffee. What's next, an iphone app that can tap into the backup camera of a vehicle?

From Wired.com:

Remote starters are always a popular holiday gift in Northern climes, so particularly lazy shoppers will be heartened to learn one can be downloaded on iTunes.

The Viper SmartStart from Directed Electronics is an iPhone-compatible remote starter capable of warming up or cooling down a car. Even if you’re not a fan of letting your car idle in a parking lot, Viper says the SmartStart could come in handy for remotely locking or unlocking the doors, popping the trunk or even sounding the car alarm.

The case of the missing manual

We like the Fiesta so much, we sold our regular car. I just couldn't go back to automatic and an SUV. I mean, the handling, the fun of driving a manual subcompact has forced me to rethink what I want in a car. The past few weeks looking at cars has yielded very few results in our price range. In fact, there isn't a manual hatchback that even comes close to the Fiesta in price and fit and finish.

Here's my shortlist to replace the Fiesta:

1. Focus SVT
Drove one and loved it. Problem...most have been destroyed with "upgrades" from Pep Boys or Auto Zone. No thank you.

craigslist.com

2. Mini Cooper
Waiting to test drive. Hard to find one in my price range, the ones that are have sold before I got to them!

3. Mazda Protege 5
Waiting to test drive. Same problem as the Mini...people keep buying them.

4. Honda Civic Hatch
I really wouldn't mind having another Honda. My first was a hand-me-down that served me well. My second was a brand new Element. Will there be a third? Hard to find the hatchback civic that doesn't have racing stickers all over it and gull wing doors:

AutoTrader.com

5. Pontiac Vibe/Toyota Matrix
I did a TON of research on these...liked that they were in the price range, even with the 6 speed manual GT version. But there are problems. First off, I read that the paint jobs on these wasn't good. Didn't know what that meant until we test drove one. It was only 5 years old, but the paint was cheap. Faded, thin, and felt horrible to touch. It didn't help that the one we test drove died in a cloud of stinky fumes. Not joking!

6. Abandon hope for an affordable hatchback. Go back to driving something like the Element. It may not be sporty, but at least I'm goin' down the road knowing I can fold my seats up and carry just about anything!

What would you buy with $5k?

Exciting Updates

There are so many exciting things going on in the Fiesta world! For one, Ford announced that the 2011 Ford Fiesta will be unveiled at the LA Auto Show this December! We're crossing our fingers that we get to attend. Would be a great way to end the program. We've had a B L A S T.

Also, Joel and I will be hanging with the band Parachute this month for our final mission. We'll be making a music video, hanging VIP-style at their show, and we heard Kelly Clarkson will be lurking around there somewhere, too. How cool is that?



We've also truly said goodbye to our Honda Element. Herme was officially sold today. Now we've got cash burning a hole in our pocket. We're in search for a used manual hatchback. A Ford Festiva maybe? Ha!

Oh, and we've got tons of videos headed your way in the next few weeks. Every shred of film we've shot for the past 5 months will be uploaded for your viewing pleasure. Gotta end the Fiesta Movement in style!

Desk Hack Featured on Unplggd!

Not only was our July mission featured on Ikea Hacker, we're also featured on Unplggd, too. Now our mission video has over 3,000 views! Yeah, our desk gets around.

Ikea Mission Featured on Ikea Hacker!

Our July Mission is featured this week on ikeahacker.blogspot.com, the foremost collection of ikea hacks on the web! Thanks to Jules for posting it.

We forgot to post our third Ikea Hack blog which outlines why our desk is ergonomic, so we apologize. It's hard to focus on the blog when you're having way too much taking the Fiesta for a spin.



To make any desk ergonomic, the monitor must be at eye level or slightly below. It must also be 18-22 inches from the eyes. With our design, we can pull the monitor closer depending on the person, and push it back if we need to use the desk surface.



Your back must make full contact with the backrest, and you must sit all the way back in your chair. Your lower back must fit into the curved lumbar support. Tilting back is permitted, as it is better for your back to be fully rested on the back of the chair rather than hunched forward.



Thighs should be parallel to the floor and feet should be flat. My thighs could be a bit more parallel, so I could slip a footrest under to bring my knees up an inch or two. This desk and chair combo is customizable for Joel as well, and he's 6' 3".



When typing, forearms must be parallel to the floor. Keyboard must be at elbow height. Elbows and forearms rest comfortably on the arms of the chair.


And that's about it! You can get even more technical if you want, but these are the specs given to me by my physical therapist. Once I started using this desk, I have not had any back problems. That's worth all the extra effort!

Mission #5: The Search for Buried Treasure

Did you know there was an American king in the 1850's? James Jesse Strang proclaimed himself "king" of his Mormon church when they inhabited Beaver Island, Michigan over 150 years ago. But Strang's rule didn't end with his church. He forced all of the original island inhabitants to submit to his sovereignty or leave. His dictatorship led to his assassination in 1856, leaving behind several rumors of buried treasure, since none of his amassed wealth was ever found.

We decided to head to Beaver Island to search for the buried treasure ourselves. What ensues is a spoof of PBS's popular television show: History Detectives.




http://www.hummhead.com

For more information on Beaver Island:
http://www.beaverbeacon.com

Today at Chili's

So we were at Chili's today. Chillin', as it were, when the waiter came by and gave us crayons and a coloring sheet. Man it's been a long time since I've used crayons. They're so waxy and really horrible for trying to make definite lines. Anyway, the coloring sheet was a pepper you were supposed to color. For a $1 donation to St Jude's, Chili's will hang it on the wall. Here's my entry:



I think I surprised myself.
-Joel

Beaver Island Adventure Part #2

More Beaver Island photos to check out: Beaver Island Adventure Pt. 2

Check out the Mormon Print House where America's only king published his newspaper:



Beaver Island's old jail cells:



...and the home of Protar, the local legend and saint:

Beaver Island Adventure Part #1

Check out the first set of our Beaver Island photos! It is gorgeous there.

Fiesta Test Drive: Power-Shifting and Cornering

Agent Mandy's brother was a bit skeptical about the magic of the Fiesta. He just couldn't take his little sister's word for it. So we gave him the keys and let him tear it up. His reaction is pretty priceless.

You'll also enjoy tasty nuggets from Mandy like, "Was it anything what you thought?" Yup. You can see why her brother thought none too highly of her opinion. But now? He just might be changing his tune.

Thanks, Ford Fiesta!

Mission #4: Fiesta Book Mobile

Social Activism Month!

For our 4th Fiesta Movement Mission, we helped The Friends of the Brighton District Library move their donated books to off-site storage. While that might not sound like much, volunteering like this is a major help to libraries across the country.

Many libraries do not receive enough state funds to operate. They rely on donations and volunteers from the community. The Friends of the Brighton District Library raise more funds each year than The Library receives from the State of Michigan. Without them, The Library could not continue to fund all the wonderful programs and events they provide for local children.

If there is a local library in your heart, take the time to donate your used books, or even your time, to help keep them going strong.

The Ford Fiesta is NOT a Festiva!

When we tell everyone about the new Ford Fiesta, they think we're talking about the Festiva. We don't want you to make the same mistake.

On the left you will find the stunning Ford Fiesta -- on the right is a ratty old Festiva. (Hood scoop gives it a few points.) No comparison!



Just wanted to make that clear.

Gearing up for Mission #4

It's taken us a while to get back in the groove after vacation. Even after working non-stop, we still haven't put a dent in all the things we have to accomplish. And August is almost over! Where on earth did Summer go?

We usually take a trip to Lake Michigan at least once a year. Not so this year. We hope to make it in the next month or two, but time and $$ aren't on our side. This has definitely been a lean year for us -- probably for many of you too. It helps to have free gas for six months. Not to mention the added bonus of FUN on the road. (Seriously, we can't get out of this car without huge grins on our faces!) We hope September and October go by a little slower. We're not looking forward to saying goodbye to the Fiesta. How we wish we had the freedom to drive all over the US, but I guess that's a mission for other agents.

Tomorrow we hit our 4th mission for Social Activism month. We're lending our Fiesta to the Friends of the Brighton Library. We'll be hauling donated books and documenting our adventure. Should be lots of fun.

Haven't taken too many photos lately, but we have a ton of footage we need to edit from the past few weeks. Videos in the works: a few more NASCAR shorts, power-shifting the Fiesta, happy test drivers, fun at the country fair, and more.

We're Back!

Wow, sorry we've been gone for a while. Vacation was great, thanks for asking!

We've got a few new videos up our sleeves, but won't be able to get them up until next week. In the meantime, enjoy a few photos from our jaunt to good ol' Missouri. (Just click the photo below)

Chefs vs. City is Coming

Remember the Food Network taping we were part of back in April with our Fiesta? Well, the show is finally premiering August 7th. We'll let you know when the Chicago episode is on, looks like it's slated for September. Should be a good show!

Click here to find out more: Chefs vs. City

Ikea Hack Part 2 - Cables and Paint

So now that we had our basic pieces, the details were starting to come together. The magazine file boxes have holes in them, which was perfect for running cables through to the devices inside. One magazine file has an external hard drive in it, and the other can be used as a charging station:

That was a pretty good start, but we really don't like having untidy cables running to and fro. We left the back off of our Vika Furusund drawer unit and side-mounted a power strip behind the drawers. Excess cable slack was wrapped around the support bracket we built into the unit. A power brick sits nicely behind the bottom drawer.

To accommodate the wires running from the top of the desk, Joel found an old crash bar from a commercial door in our garage. After he took out the push part, a nice 29" aluminum U channel remained. It even had a few places for screws that worked out great for securing it to the underside of the desk. (Just make sure any screws you use aren't too long so they don't poke through the table top!)

The channel had plenty of room to run all of the cables from the back of the computer, plus he was able to hide the slack inside as well. He cut a few notches to accommodate the cables coming from different angles. It worked perfectly:



You can use a number of different things as a U channel: U-shaped brackets, plastic tubing, etc. Just take a look around your hardware store and see what you can find.

Next, we decided to paint our desk. If you're going to paint, make sure you allow plenty of time for each coat to dry. This is very important if you want your desk to look and feel good. For example, this project took about a week to complete with adequate dry time.

If your desk is already the color/finish you want, skip to Part 3, otherwise, read on!

Start by painting with a good primer. For this project we used Kilz 2. Painting with a primer ensures that all of your pieces will look the same color when you're done. Don't worry if the primer is a little uneven. Just make sure there are no drips at the edges or runs. Let dry overnight.



Next, sand the primer with a fine grit sandpaper. Use a damp cloth to remove any dust, and apply a thin first coat of paint. Let dry overnight.



You'll probably want at least one more coat, and possibly a third depending on how things are looking. Make sure to lightly sand in between coats and use a damp cloth to remove dust. (Ikea furniture tends to need several sandings.)

There's no race here, so remember to apply thin coats of paint since it's easier to control drips and runs. To let the pieces dry, set up a drying station in a dust free, cat free, and friends-who-can't-resist-touching-and-asking-is-it-dry-yet free zone.



Once you are satisfied with the paint job, allow at least 48 hours for the final coat to fully dry and harden before assembling the desk or setting anything on it. Don't let any of the painted pieces touch each other (drawers, doors, etc) since they might be slightly tacky and the paint will bond them together. Our desk took about 3 days before it was no longer tacky!

If you really want to go that extra step, You can apply a clear coat to protect against water marks and spills. I like Minwax Polycrylic Protective Finish. It's water based and fast drying.

So now that our wires are taken care of, and the pieces are all painted and dried, it's time to put the desk together. Check back for Part 3 on how to make your desk ergonomic.

Attack of the Ikea Hack! (MST3K Style)

Our latest video: a time-lapse-esque escapade of Ikea Hackery, with a little Mystery Science Theater 3000 flair. Laugh, cry, poke fun... whatever flips your switch!

Ikea Hack Part 1 - Designing the Desk

For our style and design mission, we decided to fashicate a new desk that would meet our needs. Mandy does a lot of work at the computer, and the lack of ergonomics is starting to take a toll. Here's the first part of our guide to hack several pieces of Ikea furniture.

1. Evaluate what your current desk is lacking. Is it ergonomic? Do you have accessible storage? Is it sturdy? We found our existing desk inadequate in several areas:

- after one year, it was rickety and unstable
- it was not even close to ergonomic
- there was very little workspace
- and while the doors were great at covering up the mess, there wasn't any accessible storage while seated at the desk

Here's a photo of our old desk (complete with cat accessory).
   

We looked at many desks at Ikea, but couldn't find one that met all of our requirements. We decided to come up with our own design.

2. The basic pieces in this hack are still used for their intended purposes (desktop, legs, drawer unit), but we added several details to make the desk our own.

First, I noticed that the keyboard trays that Ikea sells were kind of flimsy. You can make a much better one yourself. All you need is a piece of wood and a sturdy pair of keyboard slides (both available at your local hardware store). Mandy wrapped the wood with leather like vinyl, using a staple gun to tack the material to the underside of the keyboard tray. This turned out great! The texture is so smooth and soft that we don't even need a mouse pad anymore.


The next detail we added was a second tier on the desktop. I really wanted quick access to several items like my firewire drive, and at the same time liked how the raised level looked. Mandy found solid wood magazine file boxes at Ikea (Knuff) that worked out perfectly. The curved edges match the curves of the desk legs.


Check back for Part 2 tomorrow and learn about exciting cable management and how to paint your desk. In Part 3, we'll explore the proper setup for an ergonomic desk. A fun filled time for all ages!

Carl Edwards - Full Length Interview

Those of you who saw our first NASCAR video might like to see our full interview with Carl Edwards. He talks about his first car, why he thinks the Fiesta is a great everyday vehicle, and what kind of race he'd love to do with Matt Kenseth and David Ragan.

NASCAR Video #1

Well, folks, it's finally here, the first NASCAR video in our series. We took our Mac to the Mac store for diagnosis (one great thing about buying a Mac -- tech support is FREE!) and found that the problem was not with our external hard drive. It was a corrupted iPhoto library. Anyone using a Mac knows that the default for importing clips from a digital video camera like a Webbie or Flip is to dump them into iPhoto. You can bypass this, but we didn't since we were using iMovie. Unfortunately, this was where all the hang-ups occurred. We simply pointed iMovie to a new (and empty) iPhoto library and we were off a running. A free solution!

The Film Fund will be an ongoing thing for us personally, since we realize we'll reach the glass ceiling of iMovie eventually. But for now, the crisis has been averted. Thanks to everyone who helped us out: friends, family, social media acquaintances, and Fiesta Movement agents. You all are awesome!

So without further ado, sit back and enjoy our feature presentation:



More videos to come -- full length driver interviews and a tribute to the NASCAR experience.

On Our Way

Thanks to the few of you who have generously donated your time, advice, and a few bucks to our Film Fund so far. We can't thank you enough. We've never asked for help before, and we felt uncomfortable doing so, but it's nice to know there are those out there who will lend a hand when we're struggling.

We're on our way to finding a solution, but no luck yet. Joel no longer thinks our external drive is the problem since it meets all the requirements of Final Cut Express and iMovie. He thinks the problem is our iMac itself, so we'll be taking it to the Mac store tomorrow for diagnosis.

Meanwhile, Mandy's job requires a lot of photo-editing, and she's reduced to working on our 5-year-old laptop. The small screen doesn't yield very professional results. And video editing? Forget about it. We can't even watch YouTube videos on this slug. We're short on money and time, but we've got an abundance of stress. Anyone want some free stress?

Hope to have some good news for you next week. Perhaps even a video or two, and some new photos.

The Film Fund

As you can see, we still haven't posted any videos from our NASCAR event last month. We're really bummed about it, but there is good reason. Or bad reason. However you want to look at it.

First, we had to finish our June mission, which was our trip to Ford Safety Labs. Once that was hammered out, Mandy got to work on the first NASCAR video. After 5 hours of sound and film editing, she decided to take a break. When she came back to iMovie, all editing had been lost. Why? No particular reason. iMovie's "automatic save" feature must have decided to take a break too, resulting in a colossal automatic fail. Mandy took to the couch and drowned her sorrows with repeat showings of The Next Food Network Star, Ruffles, ranch dip, and Mountain Dew.

Fast forward two days later when Mandy gives it another go. Remembering all the fancy editing she did earlier that week, she gives her computer an old fashioned restart, just for good measure, and she's off. The video is looking better than ever. 4 hours into the project, she closes and reopens iMovie to make sure the automatic save is working properly. Glory, glory, it is! So another 4 hours go by and editing is coming to an end. The video is almost finished. She closes and reopens iMovie again because the program is starting to bog down. This is where the hair-pulling begins.

When iMovie restarts, the project has unbelievably and undeniably reverted back to the day before. Even though Mandy made sure the program was saving mid-edit, iMovie went the extra mile and did something miraculous: un-saving what it had previously saved. How is that even possible?

With two full days of work wasted, Mandy tries not to give in to madness. 4th of July weekend was a nice diversion, even though there was much more Food Network Star, Ruffles, ranch dip, and Mountain Dew, but now we're back to the work week. Film editing must be accomplished this month. Mission #3 is fast approaching, besides all the wonderful NASCAR footage waiting to be shown to the world.

We know that Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere are the answers, but where do we find an extra grand lying around the house? We've checked the sofa cushions and under the seats in the Fiesta. No luck. Joel's grandparents used to sew cash into their drapes, but they haven't blessed our curtains.

We did, however, install Final Cut Express. More failure there. Seems both FCE and iMovie have problems using our external hard drive. This week we'll be trying to find time to move photos and music onto the external so our film editing software can use the internal drive. Lots of folks seem to think this should clear up a lot of bugs. Here's hoping.

In the meantime, we've decided to create a Film Fund. We'll be pestering friends and family to donate a few bucks to the cause as we try to scrimp and save for a new Mac and possibly even some professional editing software. Whether or not this Film Fund will succeed, we have no idea. But we do know that our current set up is hindering our creative aspirations. If you'd like to donate, or give any sage advice, please email us: joelandmandy at mac.com

Thanks in advance!

2009 Ford Fiesta Crash Test

Here it is, the long-awaited Mission #2 video!

Notice: This is a Fiesta Movement Mission video, not an actual crash test. To see an actual Ford Fiesta crash test, click HERE.

Ford Safety Labs

Last week, Joel and I got to visit Ford HQ for a personal tour of the crash test facilities. It was an awesome experience. We had no idea the lengths Ford technicians go through to keep us safe. We often find ourselves taking the auto makers for granted, never wondering what goes on behind the scenes, content to purchase a vehicle because it looks pretty, then vowing to never buy a Ford/Honda/Chevy/etc. ever again when something goes wrong. (Which is usually because of something we did, though we'd never admit that, right?)

I know there's no such thing as the perfect car. I know things go wrong: breaks fail (my '88 Ford Taurus), transmissions die (my '87 Ford Escort), and interiors fall to pieces (my '97 Saturn). But we live in a time of mass consumerism -- when something breaks, we don't fix it, we go out and buy a new one. And even if we do try to fix something, many of us choose to save some coin and use a bit of duct tape. We're also inherently stupid beings. Some of us get behind the wheel intoxicated. Some of us eat with both hands, talk on our cell phones, and even text while driving. Others think it's okay to place kids on our laps while we drive... *cough* Britney *cough*

There's not much auto makers can do about these things, but they can try to make their vehicles safe for everyone, not just those of us obeying traffic laws. And that's precisely what Ford is doing. Their restraint technology has gone from "reactive" to "predictive," where vehicle sensors can detect whether or not you're going to be in an accident. We thought that was pretty amazing, and look forward to seeing other auto makers follow suit.

If you'd like to read more about our trip to Ford HQ, check out my blog post on PluggedInParents.com: Ford Motor Company: A Leader in Safety

And take a look at all our photos from the tour: Crash Test Lab Photos

Behind The Scenes

Here are a few photos from behind the scenes at the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at MIS last weekend. To view all the photos, check out our Behind The Scenes at MIS Flickr album.

We got to sit in on the driver/crew chief meeting. Very few people get to do this. Here you can see David Ragan, Greg Biffle, Jack Roush, and Carl Edwards.


Kid Rock was the Grand Marshal.


We even got to sit on top of the UPS Racing pit box.

The National Anthem on Pit Road

Joel and I had the honor of standing on pit road with the drivers and crews during the National Anthem at the MIS Lifelock 400 Sprint Cup race. We stood behind Jeff Gordan and in front of Carl Edwards. Check it out!

NASCAR Photos

Our weekend at the Michigan International Speedway with Ford Racing was amazing. We got to meet all the Roush-Fenway drivers and interview them about the Ford Fiesta, hang out in the garage and pit areas, sit on top of the UPS Racing pit box, and even sit in on the driver/crew chief meeting--things that most lifetime fans will never get the chance to do.

Ford had a win on Saturday with Colin Braun in the NASCAR Truck Series, and had two drivers place in the top 5 during the Sprint Cup race on Sunday.

Currently, our computer is filled with great footage and photographs. We hope to get quite a few videos out of the content and post them within a week or so. We have to work on our Mission #2 video first, but rest assured, you'll get a front row seat to our NASCAR experience.

For photos of all the drivers, check out our Flickr photostream.

With Tim D. from Ford Racing who made it all possible:


Mandy and her mom at the Ford Racing trailer:

Colin Braun Pit Stop

We were hanging out beside Colin Braun's pit crew -- here's a short video of one of his pit stops. He went on to win his first NASCAR Truck Series race. Go Ford Racing!

The Fiesta -- Roomy for the Big Man

Check out what a couple of our friends thought of the Fiesta's voice control.

2010 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

Spotted this beauty in our parking lot over the weekend. Enjoy our semi-spy photos! Click on the image to see the entire photo gallery.