Cars peaked around 2005. This is the model year of my Subaru Forester STI (SG9). The best and coolest car ever made. 350 hp,  1500 kg (3300 lbs), frameless side windows, ultimate performance (including offroad), driver-focused interior, sub-5s 0-100km/h acceleration, unbelievable handling.

The dashboard is driver-focused too with clean instruments panel featuring central tachometer and all distractors moved away. The other controls are just three well know knobs for ventilation (fan direction, fan speed, temperature).

Then I have a 2-din aftermarket radio unit with capacitive touch and wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. It also has tons of other functions including a CD/DVD player but I don't use them. Android Auto / Apple CarPlay is all that is needed these days. OK maybe an FM receiver for some old schoolers.

As I travel a lot, I drive many rental cars too. The problem they all indicate is the car industry got drunk with semi/automated driver assistance subsystems and computerized screens. Last week I was driving a Golf 8 in Germany. Hats off for the ICE engine performance: 4l/100km (~60mpg). But otherwise the car was very complicated and was doing all it could to distract me as the driver.

There was a continuous stream of notifications flowing from the dashboard. And I earned countless badges on the way, manifested by colorful icons popping up on the instruments panel and on the huge glowing LCD screen in the center console. All that time every couple of minutes it was also reminding me to keep eyes on the road (which I did). The driver monitoring system seemed simply too aggressive: when joining a main road at an intersection you need to look through the side window for the incoming traffic. The computer beeping at you does not help. And I did not dare to change the airflow through the cooling vents, as it could cause me ending up in a ditch.

Compare this to the Saab night mode. Pure calmness and focus instead of the everlasting cacophony of beeps, bells, popups, options, updates, warnings etc.

The car industry has gone astray. They drown drivers in digital slop fully distracting and isolating them from the most important parts - the car and the road.

A new species of sea slug has been named after Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha to mark his performance against Spain at the World Cup.

Sardi’s Peruvian Chicken is continuing its expansion in Frederick County with the opening of its second location in the county this weekend.

The restaurant announced it will officially open its newest location at 5722 Buckeystown Pike in Frederick on Sunday, July 12. The new restaurant joins Sardi’s existing Frederick County location at 50 N. McCain Drive.

Sardi’s Pollo A La Brasa was founded in 2008 by Montgomery County cousins Phil E. Sardelis and Phil G. Sardelis. Despite their Greek heritage, the cousins shared a passion for Peruvian cuisine and set out to create a family-friendly restaurant centered around authentic, freshly prepared dishes.

The first Sardi’s opened in Beltsville during the summer of 2008 and quickly became known for its traditional pollo a la brasa, the signature Peruvian rotisserie chicken that originated in Lima in the 1950s. To ensure authenticity, the founders traveled to Peru to recruit experienced chefs.

Since then, Sardi’s has grown into a regional chain serving millions of customers each year with locations throughout Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. The company emphasizes fresh, locally sourced ingredients, traditional Peruvian recipes, and community involvement, including the Sardi’s Scholarship established in honor of co-founder Phil G. Sardelis.

The restaurant’s most recent Montgomery County expansion came with the opening of its fourth county location at 5290 Randolph Road in Loehmann’s Plaza, replacing Toosso Pakistani Kitchen in the former Boston Market space. That restaurant joined Sardi’s existing Montgomery County locations in Gaithersburg, Olney, and Takoma Park.

A start-up company has permission to try its plan to bounce solar rays onto the dark side of Earth, turning night to day for a three-mile-wide patch.

One of Maryland’s highest-ranked pizzerias is preparing to open its first location outside of Baltimore.

According to WBAL, Angeli’s Pizzeria of Little Italy plans to open a second restaurant in Ellicott City at 10039 National Baltimore Pike, Suite C. The new location recently received approval for a liquor license, and owner Cuneyt “Juniet” Ozturk told Howard County liquor board commissioners that the restaurant is expected to open within the next two months.

The 1,500SF restaurant will replace River House Pizza Co. in the Forest Green shopping center along U.S. Route 40. River House Pizza recently relocated to Ellicott City’s Main Street, taking over the former home of Tersiguel’s French Country Restaurant, which closed in December after 50 years.

The expansion comes as Angeli’s continues to earn national recognition. Earlier this year, the restaurant climbed from No. 47 to No. 44 on the prestigious 50 Top Pizza USA rankings, while Gaithersburg’s Inferno Pizzeria Napoletana moved up from No. 21 to No. 20.

Based in Paestum, Italy, near Naples, 50 Top Pizza is considered one of the world’s most respected pizza rankings. The organization relies on anonymous inspectors who pay for every meal themselves to ensure unbiased evaluations.

Angeli’s first appeared on the list in 2025 and has continued to build its reputation in Baltimore’s Little Italy. The restaurant’s story began in New Orleans in 1986 before the family eventually relocated to Baltimore. After Hurricane Katrina devastated the original restaurant, the family revived the concept in Baltimore, bringing its recipes and neighborhood atmosphere to Little Italy.

In addition to its placement on the 50 Top Pizza rankings, Angeli’s was named Maryland’s best New York-style pizza by The Washington Post last year. The Ellicott City restaurant will mark the first expansion outside of Baltimore for the family-owned pizzeria.

The Duke of Sussex has returned to the UK, but his first day of engagements was overshadowed by his defeat in court.