As you've no doubt noticed, I don't reserve my automotive lust for the exotic or the unattainable. I've always believed that even ordinary cars can be lust-worthy, and in fact some of the sweetest gems are those right under one's nose.
Such is the case with the early 1990s Nissan Maxima SE--these cars are everywhere and, on the outside, completely unremarkable. However, get to know one, and you'll be impressed.
In the marketplace, the Nissan Maxima has historically competed against Honda's Accord and Toyota's Camry, but in the early and mid-1990s, the SE edition of the Maxima, with its 190-horsepower V-6, precise 5-speed gearbox, and taut suspension, made it legitimate competition for the BMWs of the world. Nissan called it the "4 Door Sports Car," and that moniker wasn't far off.
I advised a friend to buy a used SE, and during the process, the salesman, in a heroic lapse of judgment, allowed the two of us to leave for an unaccompanied test drive. Halfway through the test, my buddy allowed me to drive so that I could give him feedback.
A Nissan Maxima may look prosaic, but after getting lots of rubber through first gear and second, and another big chirp in third, I'll never again judge it by its stodgy looks. Strong torque, good power, and agile handling--the Maxima SE was a hidden jewel.
These cars are available everywhere, and often for not much money, but they are getting a little long in the tooth. One problem with cars that aren't outwardly very special is that generally little care has been taken of them, and that's certainly a worry here. Still, if I were in the market for an inexpensive family sedan with the ability to prompt a big smile on command, I'd strongly consider a used Maxima SE.
--Chris H.
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Camera manufacturers had their best and brightest out for the PhotoPlus Expo in New York this past weekend. With new top-of-the-line models popping up all over the place at the end of the year, it's never been a better time to be a photographer … as long as you've just won the lottery.
This year, Nikon drew the most interest, as they're poised to release two new advanced cameras and five new professional lenses. The new D3 has become a legend before even being released, and it seemed to live up to the hype. I took a waist-to-head shot of a man at ISO 6400, and you could count his eyelashes with ease. But you can find people lauding its high ISO and showing pictures of the body all over the place. The dingy LCD shot to the left shows off some things that impressed me, and which I hadn't heard much about
It's sharp, contrasty, with great color, bokeh and flare resistance. The only two complaints about this lens are 1) It's expensive ($1,699) and 2) no Vibration Reduction. Still, it's on my wish list.
In addition to what I've said about the new 
At a recent snack-machine vending expo, Kraft Foods, Inc., announced a South Beach Diet-branded snack machine and one that stores cold and frozen items. The South Beach Diet machine offers only items that comply with the diet program such as nuts, low-fat cottage cheese, Crystal Light drinks, and Jell-O sugar-free gelatin snacks. The cold and frozen machine will let you buy garden salads and ice cream sandwiches from the same machine. The machines come with a setting that lets parents limit the amount of any particular item a child can buy with a payment card, and it determines if a student's choices meet U.S. Department of Agriculture requirements for subsidized lunches.
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