James Raia

Articles by James Raia

A guide to styling and making Dispatch your own

Dispatch is a Magazine style blog for your new website. Each of its features have been designed and built using GeneratePress and WP Show Posts. As expected of a Flint Skin Site it uses Custom CSS. At over 350 lines it is recommended, but not necessary, to move the Additional CSS to a Child Theme style sheet. So lets get onto making it your own. WP Show Posts Without WP Show Posts plugin, this Site wouldn’t exist. Another awesome product from Tom Usborne, WP Show Posts does exactly what the title says. Anywhere and everywhere in the case of Dispatch. So much so there is a dedicated page to explain its uses here. Social Icons – Desktop The Lightweight Social

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56, Distracted driving now includes ‘Netflixiing’

Laura Adams knows as much as about distracted driving as anyone. But her knowledge isn’t from experiences as a driver or passenger. She’s as an analyst who studies statistics and is shocked at what the numbers reveal. Adams, based in Austin, Texas, works for DriversEd.com. The online driving school and driving safety resource headquartered in Oakland recently released the results of its inaugural initiative detailing drivers’ habits. Bruce Aldrich and James Raia interview Laura in the week’s episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), distracted driving “Is any activity that diverts attention from driving, including talking or texting on your phone, eating and drinking, talking to people in your vehicle, fiddling with the stereo, entertainment or navigation system.

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#55, Farewell manual transmissions except in collectibles

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:45 — 36.7MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreChris Warren, sales manager for Premier Financial Services in Florida, knows the vintage car market well. He works for the prominent national company that for more than 20 years has provided financing for previously owned exotic, vintage and luxury cars. What Warren has observed is an increasing renaissance among purists who want to buy vehicles with manual transmissions. Warren is our guest on Episode 55 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss the automotive industry and the increasing lack of manual transmissions in new vehicles and the increasing importance of manual transmissions in collectible cars. “It’s interesting with the

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Ford Mustang Bullitt GT Coupe honors film’s 50th anniversary

Celebrating anniversaries is a thing in the automotive world. Ford and Chevrolet are particularly active in marketing the milestones of their cars and trucks, the F-150 pick-up to the Corvette. Ford has celebrated its Mustang several times, and it’s doing so again with its 2019 Mustang Bullitt GT Coupe. The accolades are based on a 10-minute movie clip in 1968 often cited as the best car chase scene in cinema history. The film stars Steve McQueen as Lt. Frank Bullitt, thus the name of the movie. He chases bad guys, including the famous sequence on the hilly streets of San Francisco when he’s driving 1968 Ford Mustang 390 GT 2+2 Fastback. McQueen did most of his stunts, further building the

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#54, Sacramento designer digs her 1986 Jeep Wagoneer

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:34 — 35.1MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreKerrie Kelly knows style. She owns a design company and works in a home office worthy of recognition in an upscale home decor magazine. Kelly also knows what style she likes in her automobiles. She and her husband own a BMW sedan, but it’s a 1986 Chrysler Jeep Wagoneer she prefers to drive. The Sacramento businesswoman, formerly employed by fashion mogul Ralph Lauren, is our guest on Episode #54 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss Kelly’s passion for her 32-year Jeep Wagoneer, and what she and her husband did to renovate the vehicle. We hear the story of

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Hooks – Custom Theme Elements

Dispatch uses a few Hook Elements to create some Custom Elements in the site. All of them provide dynamic output and should not require any changes to their content. For more info on the Hooke Element read here: https://docs.generatepress.com/article/hooks-element-overview/ Custom Post Navigation Adding a custom featured image post navigation at the foot of all posts. Please note: that the Post Navigation is disabled in the Customizer as it is not required. Secondary Navigation This hook calls the Secondary Navigation and displays below the header / header element. It also uses Display Rules so it is excluded from All Posts. Please note: the Secondary Navigation Location in the Customizer is set to No Navigation. WPSP Open Wrapper & WPSP Close Wrapper

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Page and Post Heroes

Page Heroes are those big bold images and headlines you find at the top of your posts and pages. They sit just below the Site Header and added using the Header Element module, when activated provides the Elements menu in Dashboard > Appearance > Elements Dispatch has two Header Elements in place. But you can add as many as you need. Magazine Grid – Home Page Combined with the WP Show Posts plugin this header creates a 5 post card grid. Very few settings are required. These are the main points: Hero Content: WP Show Posts Short code Element Classes: wpsp-grid wpsp-card This creates the grid and styles the cards Padding: Zero padding Makes the grid fill the hero Display

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How to change the Custom Colors

Changing Colors in Dispatch are mainly done via the Theme Customizer. Certain elements such as Page Heros are controlled within the Header Element and are covered in that article. There are a few colors that are controlled by CSS. The rules for them are found in the Customizer > Additional CSS: Primary Navigation Hairline Border above desktop navigation .main-navigation .inside-navigation { border-top: 0.5px solid #d4d7d8; } Menu item underline on hover .main-navigation ul li:after { background-color: #000; } Navigation Search .navigation-search.nav-search-active { background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.95); top: 100%; } Buttons All of the colors are controlled via the customizer. However the button border inherits the color of the font. This is set by this CSS: button, html input, input, input, a.button, a.button:visited,

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Style Guide

Heading One H1 Heading Two H2 Heading Three H3 Heading Four H4 Heading Five H5 Heading Six H6 Font: Playfair Playfair is a transitional design. In the European Enlightenment in the late 18th century, broad nib quills were replaced by pointed steel pens as the popular writing tool of the day. Together with developments in printing technology, ink, and paper making, it became to print letterforms of high contrast and delicate hairlines that were increasingly detached from the written letterforms. This design lends itself to this period, and while it is not a revival of any particular design, it takes influence from the designs of John Baskerville and from ‘Scotch Roman’ designs. Being a Display (large size) design in the

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Episode 53, New cars ‘mobile attack spaces on wheels’

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:03 — 28.9MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreSteve Povolny is head of the Advanced Threat Research Lab at McAfee in Hillsboro, Oregon. He’s not a fearmonger, but he has concerns about the increasing dilemma of cyber attacks on vehicles. Povolony, who uses the term “mobile attack space on wheels” to discuss the predicament, is our guest on episode #53 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss the quickly evolving and potentially catastrophic phenomenon in a wide-ranging session. Povolny doesn’t speak with a suggestion of an imminent driving apocalypse, but consider his opening remarks: “In the last few years alone, we’ve seen a pretty significant move in

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Monterey Peninsula great for car events and gouging

The Monterey Peninsula is among the country’s most popular travel destinations, particularly for automotive enthusiasts. It’s a hub for car shows, competitions and special events — the Concours d’Elegance to the return of IndyCar racing in 2019. Enthusiasts and collectors from around the world flood the area, notably during Classic Car Week in August and at the end of September at the Rennsport vintage Porsche weekend at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. But new and vintage cars and motorcycle races are held throughout the year. Public and private automotive museums and a rental company specializing in exotics get plenty of business. There’s a gallery specializing in automotive art in Carmel, a race driving school in Salinas and a healthy corps of

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2018 Honda Accord shines with sporty new design

Now in its early 40s, the Honda Accord for 2018 launches the ever-popular sedan’s 10th generation. It’s redesigned inside and outside is nearly unrecognizable from most other years’ offerings. Once pedestrian in style and strictly family oriented, the Accord has morphed into a four-door sports car with sedan leanings. It has a new turbo-charged engine with 252 horsepower and a 10-speed automatic transmission. It’s the same transmission offered in the 2018 Honda Odyssey. Honda has also upgraded standard technology. The new infotainment center has Android Auto, Apple Carplay and wireless phone charging. There’s also head-up display, built-in Wifi and ventilated cooling seats. The new stealth-oriented exterior design projects a European flair. Additional standard equipment, includes: Dual-zone automatic climate control, Bluetooth,

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Episode 52, Car driver Joey Hand talks racing, family

Joey Hand is among the country’s most versatile race car drivers. He’s competed as a solo driver on more than a half-dozen series through the years, the American LeMans Series to Formula BMW and Toyota Atlantic to Star Mazda. Like his father, Hand began his career in kart racing. Hand’s son is now the family’s third generation in racing and is also involved in kart racing. Hand, 39, from Sacramento, currently a Ford Factory driver, is our guest on Episode 52 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss with Hand his versatile victories in the 24-Hour of LeMans, Rolex 24 at Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring. We also discuss Hand’s current successful season and

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Website publisher shares RV horror stories on Facebook

Chuck Woodbury, editor and publisher of RVTtavel.com, the leading website for all things related to the RV lifestyle, was our guest in February on Episode 25 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Woodbury discusses many areas of the RV industry, a lack of quality control to the increasing number of people forced to leave their homes in expensive metropolitan areas around the country and now nomads in Woodbury, who has traveled throughout the world in an RV for many years, is an advocate for more regulations and watchdog programs for RV buyers. He believes the industry is ripe with shoddy manufacturing, and it needs more qualified repair technicians. Horror stories abound in the RV industry, which is why Woodbury and his

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Ferrari, Duesenberg combine for $70 million auction records

Rare cars selling for high prices is nothing new at Classic Car Week on the Monterey Peninsula. But several records were set this year, including a 1962 Ferrari becoming the most expensive car ever sold at auction and a 1935 Duesenberg becoming the most expensive American car ever sold at auction. The Ferrari 250 GTO, sold at RM Sotheby’s on August 25 as part of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, fetched $48.4 million. The 1935 Duesenberg SSJ formerly owned by Gary Cooper sold for $22 million at the Gooding & Co. Pebble Beach auction. It was also the most valuable pre-war car ever sold at auction. The two records helped catapult total sales for the collectible car auctions to about $368 million, a 12 percent

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2018 Toyota RAV4 retains tradition as top-selling SUV

Now in its 22nd year, the Toyota RAV4 was the first compact sport utility vehicle introduced in the United States. It debuted in 1996 with its acronym meaning “Recreational Activity Vehicle: 4-wheel drive.” The all-wheel-drive designation remains optional. And it’s part of the reason the RAV4 has remained so popular throughout its tenure. Its versatility, variety of trims levels and optional equipment are different than many carmakers whose trims levels are only slightly tweaked. With a few exceptions, sales of the RAV4 has increased every year, with 2017 its best-selling edition with 407,594 units sold, including more than 50,000 hybrid models. The 2018 edition is the sixth year of the current generation, so the sales increase may halt as Toyota

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