Author: Serkadis

Because camera companies can only unveil point-and-shoot in groups four or more, Samsung’s just announced a quintet of scene stealers. Let’s go down the list, shall we? The 12.2 megapixel TL105 and 14.2 megapixel TL110 ultra-slims sport a 0.65-inch frame, 2.7-inch LCD, 720p 30fps H.264 video recording, some image effects, and a 4x / 5x optical zoom, respectively. Those will be available next month, with no price tag mentioned in the presser. The 12.2 megapixel SL630 claims all the other features but with a 28mm wide-angle lens, and only 640 x 480 AVI video recording — that one’s coming in March. Also coming in March are the 12-megapixel HZ30W and HZ35W, successors to the HZ10W / HZ15W and both with a wide-angle 24mm Schneider lens and 15x optical zoom. The pair does 720p 30fps H.264 video recording, but only the HZ35W can claim a 3-inch AMOLED screen and GPS geo-tagging. All the pics below and press releases after the break. World, you have our promise that if we ever own a camera company, we’ll be sure to release less than three models in any given month.

Continue reading Samsung unleashes slew of new HZ, TL, and SL-series cameras

Samsung unleashes slew of new HZ, TL, and SL-series cameras originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Jan 2010 20:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Next time you’re out at Lady Gaga tribute concert, leave the crowd speechless with your very own “Pop Music Will Never Be Low Brow” glasses. All it takes to give off that “Creative Director of Polaroid” vibe is just the touch of your hand, two keychain digital picture frames, and some garage glamorous sunglasses you don’t mind seeing seeing destroyed. Love the shades, baby? You won’t be able to see straight anymore — the frames aren’t transparent, so keep that in mind when choreographing. DIY instructions via the source link, video example after the break. Spandex one-piece recommended, but we’d advise against Heartbeats earphones.

Continue reading DIY Lady Gaga ‘Pop Music’ shades: so magical, you’d be so fantastical

DIY Lady Gaga ‘Pop Music’ shades: so magical, you’d be so fantastical originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Jan 2010 20:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VCs have, for the most part, steered clear of education startups, save for a few areas where consumers are willing to open their wallets — things like standardized test prep and language learning. However, Lightspeed Venture Partners thinks it’s found a goldmine in nurse training. Today, the firm announced an $8 million round for IL-based Orbis Education, which helps universities web-enable their nursing programs, reduce their per-student costs and meet the country’s growing need for medical professionals.

As Congress hashes out a plan to expand medical coverage, the country’s demand for nurses is skyrocketing. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that by the year 2016, nearly 600,000 new nursing positions need to be created. That means schools must graduate 90% more nurses per year. However, universities are poorly incentivized to increase their nursing graduation rates, since such programs are 2 to 3 times as costly as other subjects, but universities can’t charge that kind of multiple for tuition. Restrictions on the student-to-instructor ratio can be as stringent as 8 to 1 for clinical programs. That, in part, is why 100,000-150,000 qualified applicants are turned away from nursing schools every year, despite the shortage, according to Orbis CEO Dan Briggs.

To help schools reduce costs and accept more applicants, Orbis replaces the brick-and-mortar classroom with the laptop. Theory courses are taught by university faculty via interactive online classes that include threaded discussions, real-time webcasts, projects, assignments and proctored exams. Students can complete the online courses according their own schedules, and hands-on clinical preparation is taught by appointed university faculty assigned to work directly with students.

So far, Orbis has partnered with San Diego State University, the University of Oklahoma, Marian University, Sharp HealthCare, St. Vincent Health, and Glendale Adventist Medical Center. The company plans to use the investment to expand into states with the most acute nursing shortages. California, where Orbis already operates, is in the worst shape; other targets include Texas, Florida, and Arizona.

Lightspeed Principal Andrew Chung, who led the investment and specializes in online education, said that most other education verticals are already saturated — disciplines where classroom instruction constitutes the bulk of the educational experience (history, psychology, math) are covered by the University of Pheonix and similar online schools. However, programs that require large amounts of hands-on time “in-the-field” need the technology it takes to integrate apprentice-style education with theory courses. “This is kind of the last frontier,” Chung said, but he did add that adjacent verticals like medtech and x-ray training are still ripe for investment.

Orbis is headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind.

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Social shopping site Kaboodle, which was acquired by Hearst Interactive Group in 2007 for $30 million or so, is re-launching its site to upgrade its product-discovery engine that allows online shoppers to discover, search for, browse, and interact with the more than six million products.

Kaboodle is a free social bookmarking service and search product that allows you to discover and share e-commerce content. With the re-launch and re-design of the site, Kaboodle is becoming less content centric and more real-time and product and people centric.

The new version of the product-discovery engine allows online shoppers to search and discover products along according to normal search terms, but also according to popularity amongst other shoppers in the Kaboodle community and consumers. The platform has upgraded search to be real-time and lets users see products that are most popular right now based on specific filters, such as items from a specific store, within a specific category, related items, and more. For example, a user can see what are the most popular items being searched on Nordstrom.com.

Kaboodle’s bookmarklet functionality that allows users to add products from anywhere on the Web is staying the same, but the site has made it easier for retailers to incorporate the bookmarklet on their own sites. Manish Chandra, co-founder of Kaboodle, says that the site will continue to make real-time improvements in the coming year, hoping to the go-to destination for product discovery and sharing. Chandra says the site has over 1 million registered users and is seeing 8 million unique visitors per month, according to comScore. Launched in 2005, Kaboodle faces competition from ThisNext, Like.com and Sugar’s ShopStyle.

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We always hear from people that certain types of digital content can’t come up with scarce “reasons to buy,” and yet we always seem to hear of new and creative ways that it’s being done anyway. Back in December we wrote about how the TV sitcom It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia had turned ridiculous on-air products into the real thing and they were selling quite well. Now, PrometheeFeu points out that the popular ABC TV show Castle has come out with a real book supposedly by the lead character in the show, who (in the TV show) is a professional writer. Not only that, but the book itself has hit the NY Times best seller list. Now, it’s not entirely clear who wrote the book (when asked, the producers of the show insist that it was the character in the program), but the book has gotten decent reviews and ABC is pitching the book on its website (including free chapter downloads). One assumes that ABC likely gets a cut of the sales as well. It’s yet another neat attempt to combine an infinite good with a scarce one to make that scarce one more valuable. I would imagine that the book wouldn’t sell nearly as well if it hadn’t been tied to such a TV program.

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Filed under: Coupe, Performance, BMW, Luxury

Now that BMW has replaced the twin-turbo 335i with the new twin-scroll, direct injection model, the question everyone’s been asking – and by everyone, we mean Bimmer fanatics – is what will happen to the outgoing N44 engine? The new N55 produces the same power and the same torque, but with a flatter curve that makes the grunt more accessible. Yet as every BMW tuner knows, the outgoing N44 has more potential. So the answer, according to reports, is BMW’s plan to offer a new model dubbed the 335is.

Like the almost-an-M Z4 sDrive35is that debuted at the Detroit Auto Show last week, the new 335is is tipped to get a revised version of the twin-turbo inline-six, producing 340 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque (with overboost unleashing 369 lb-ft). Coupled with an M-Sport appearance package with a blacked-out grille and matching mirrors, and a choice of either six-speed manual or (for the first time outside of the M range) seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox and you’re looking at the hottest dreiwagen this side of an M3. The run from 0 to 60 is expected to be dispatched in five seconds flat, with a top speed limited to 149 mph instead of 130.

The best part, however, is that – according to reports and some leaked documents – the 335is is slated to launch in the North American market before being considered for anywhere else. Finally some payback for all those hot European models we’ve been longing for from the opposite shore.

[Source: Autocar, E90Post]

Report: BMW to launch 335iS coupe to slot in above new 335i, below M3 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Auctions, Ford

John Dillinger’s 1930 Ford Model A – Click above for high-res image gallery

If you saw Michael Mann’s Public Enemies, the car above may look familiar. It isn’t just the same model that the notorious John Dillinger used to escape The Law in one of the most daring shootouts in American history – it’s the actual car. And the same one used in the movie.

After robbing banks across the country, Dillinger and his gang took refuge in the Little Bohemia Lodge in Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin, on April 22, 1934. When the proprietors alerted law enforcement to their presence, the FBI – led by the legendary Melvin Purvis – arrived on the scene and shot the place up. Dillinger, along with two of his cronies, escaped out the windows into the woods nearby before stumbling upon Robert Johnson driving the Ford Model A coupe you see here. They commandeered the car and the driver along with it, and escaped to Minnesota as Dillinger smashed the rear window and opened fire with his tommy-gun at pursuing law enforcement.

The bullet-ridden car remained in the possession of the Dillinger family for decades until it was carefully and faithfully restored by the producers of Public Enenies for use in the scene depicting the historic chase. Now the coupe will be up for auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, by Barrett-Jackson. Follow the jump for the full story in the press release, and check out the images in the gallery below.

[Source: Barrett-Jackson]

Continue reading Dillinger’s 1930 Ford Model A getaway car up for auction at Barrett-Jackson

Dillinger’s 1930 Ford Model A getaway car up for auction at Barrett-Jackson originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: 2010 Nissan Sentra SE-R is a tall order

The Nissan Sentra occupies an odd space in America’s C-segment. It’s not the fastest, the prettiest or the most well-appointed compact sedan, but it’s reasonable MSRP and range of options has kept Nissan in the picture. But does the SE-R have what it takes to justify it’s higher sticker? We find out.

2011 Ford Mustang pricing to start from $22,995?

Pricing for the 2011 Ford Mustang has leaked out, and even with an extra 100 horsepower available from either the V6 or V8, the damage to your wallet has been kept to a minimum.

Officially Official: Honda releases photos and specs on HSV-010

The NSX may be dead, but Honda’s ready to field its V8-powered predecessor in this year’s SuperGT GT500 class. What are the specs and what can we expect when the HSV-010 debuts in May? We take a closer look.

Also of interest:

• Ferrari prices the 458 Italia for the UK from £169,545
• Audi A1 to take on the white roof with multi-color options [w/video]
• Toyota Supra comes to TAS dressed in 1967 Mustang duds
• Recall issued for potential brake failure on 2010 Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep vehicles
• Mercedes C-Class cabrio to follow C-Class coupe?

Browse our archive of Daily U-Turn posts or subscribe to the RSS feed

Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 1.18.10 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There are so many cameras out there that I just don’t see the point in reporting every time someone changes their lineup by adding one “x” to the optical zoom or subtracting a millimeter from the case size. I’m opting not to write up Samsung’s latest cameras because of the simple fact that there is nothing interesting about them. Furthermore, the PR company in charge of promoting them has locked the press releases inside >100MB files containing insanely high-resolution images.

We’re actually taking a post-CES day off here at CG and I’ll be damned if I’m going to spend half an hour extracting the relevant information from a few breathless 4000-word press releases and resizing 20-megapixel images just so our poor readers can be bored to tears by the lack of compelling features. Want to know which camera to buy? Here you go.

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Filed under: Hardware, Humor, PowerMac G5

Cult of Mac comes up with yet another classic re-use of an old Mac: they posted about this PowerMac G5 sidepanel that’s been turned into an office space Nerf basketball backboard. The cardboard setup apparently broke down, so they replaced it with this Apple logo-labeled sidepanel from an old PowerMac G5 that had been turned into parts. Beautiful!

Of course you should always recycle any old Macs you aren’t using any more, and Apple has an official program set up for just that. But I would rather reuse a computer for something like this: simple, functional, and pretty darn ingenious.

TUAWPowerMac panel reused as Nerf backboard originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acest articol/post contine un atac energetic.Iesiti cat mai puteti.Run for your life !!!
Odata cu mult asteptata sesiune vine si stresul.Pe langa stres apare si o lipsa acuta de timp,si deci,o rupere subita de realitate,totul fiind ocupat de examene,proiecte,colocvii de laborator si bineinteles in caz ca nu v-ati prins… PROIECTE.

Aprind televizorul ieri si ce sa vad : Flacara mov in dreapta,atacuri energetice in stanga. Am inceput sa ma gandesc : “Sesiunea asta in sfirsit ma afecteaza” “Atatia ani de proiecte,examene,restante isi fac efectul” “Am inceput sa o iau razna”,“A inceput lumea sa o ia razna”…
Curiozitatea mea trebuie satisfacuta !!! Si asa am inceput sa descopar epopeea flacarii mov si aventurile atacurilor energetice.
Nu mi-as fi dat seama niciodata ca prestatia jalnica a domnului Geoana se datoreaza unui lucru asa de puternic si misterios…Atacurile energetice! Ultima frontiera. Imperiul contraataca !!!

Dupa cum ne-a spus si doamna Geoana,maestrul jedai (jedi in StarWars) Basescu,si-a angajat mai multi parapsihologi (WTF?!?) cu scopul de a-l “constipa” (simptom al “atacului enegetic”) pe contracandidatul sau ! Sotul ei pare mai mereu “constipat”,asa ca inclin sa-I dau dreptate.
Oare tot un “atac” sa-l fi facut pe Geoana sa topaie ca un cretin pe scena,in noaptea alegerilor ?
Oare la asta se refereau psd-istii cand spuneau ca in ziua alegerilor se va intrerupe curentul in mai multe sectii ?
Acum stim! Acum avem raspunsul la toate problemele. Flacara violet si atacurile energetice sunt de vina. Cineva sa sune la 0TV (zero teve).Elodia va trebui sa mai astepte.O descoperim altadata.

Schimb canalul.Dintr-o greseala cosmica ajung pe mai sus amintitul post si ce sa vada ochii mei ? Titlu mare : “Prima intalnire a prim-ministrului Emil Boc cu telespectatorii romani din acest an”.Genial !
Deci :

1.Geoana a pierdut alegerile si a sarit ca un “cretinel” pe scena datorita atacurilor energetice ! Cineva sa-l sune pe Bivolaru! Tragem o hora,un cerculet de ala,piramida soarelui,aducem vreun obelisc (adica menhir,daca nu stiti ce inseamna obelisc! Nu stiti ce inseamna menhir ?!? OFFF!),vreo spirala energetica ceva,ca sa-l scapam pe Geoana!
Voi realizati ca Geoana este presedintele SENATULUI si ca era fie PRESEDINTE ???
De abia acum imi dau seama ! Asta a fost presedinte.O noapte ce-I drept ! Flacara mov s-a stins repede !

2.Ghise a fost atacat energetic ! Dupa cum arata,nu ma mira ! Saracul e distrus energetic.Daca nu energetic,atunci sigur mental ! Asta face parte din Parlamentul Romaniei ?!? Si daca stau bine sa ma gandesc,a mai fost si primarul Brasovului …
Ascultati-l ! Merita :

3.Sotia lui Geoana !!! Nu pot sa zic nimic ! As vrea. Sincer ! Dar nu pot ! Cred ca sunt atacat energetic sau ceva. Imi vin prea multe prostii in cap.

4. Boc da ochii pentru prima oara cu telespectatorii romani pe 0Tv ; Mai e ceva de zis?
Tara moare,baba se piaptana si Boc merge la OTV. Mai pe scurt,definitia Romaniei.

Si acum intrebarile zilei > Ati fost vreodata atacati energetic ? Ati vazut vreodata flacara mov ? Daca da,atunci dati un telefon la sediu PSD si cereti o adeziune . Partidul intotdeauna cauta membrii noi !

Related posts:

1. Candidatii
2. Glume electorale cu Mircea Geoana
3. Dezbaterea
4. Anunt de angajare
5. Campania electorala
6. Scrisoare de intentie
7. Geoana
8. Flori de tei
9. HI5-ul
10. Gestul

This year the overall Sony corporation moves up from 8th place to 7th in the annual Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics, tying with Motorola and Samsung with the same overall score of 5.1. It gains a point for reporting absolute cuts in greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions, down 17 percent over the 8 year period of 2000-2008. Renewable energy now accounts for 8 percent of the total amount of energy purchased globally each year, up from 2.5 percent a year ago. Sony also scores points for disclosing externally verified greenhouse gas emissions from its own operations. On the energy efficiency of its products, Sony reports that 75 percent of VAIO PCs released between April and August 2009 meet the latest ES requirements. The AC adapter released in FY2009 meets Energy Star v2.0 standards. All new models of TV’s released in the US comply with the latest Energy Star standards, and 78 percent exceed it by 15 percent or more.

Sony does relatively well on chemicals, but loses points on the stricter C1 criterion, which now requires companies to not only have a chemicals policy informed by the precautionary principle, but also to show support for bans on PVC vinyl plastic and brominated/chlorinated flame retardants (BFRs/CFRs) during the revision of the EU’s RoHS Directive (Restriction of Hazardous Substances in electronics), Sony’s chemicals score is boosted by having models on the market that are partially free of PVC and BFRs, including many models of the VAIO PC, video recorders, Walkman, camcorders and digital camera models. It still needs to set a timeline for eliminating all phthalates, beryllium copper and antimony and its compounds.

On waste issues, Sony’s score is boosted for reporting use of some 17,000 tons recycled plastics annually in various products, representing 10 percent of all plastics used in the 2008 financial year. Almost 90 percent of the recycled plastic was post-consumer, and not the less challenging post-industrial (factory scraps). It reports a recycling rate of 58 percent based on past sales of TVs and PCs, but this information is only for Japan and separate data need to be reported for TVs and PCs. Sony scores relatively poorly for its voluntary take-back and recycling of the e-waste generated by its branded products, as there is little voluntary take-back and recycling in non-OECD countries.

Greenpeace offered a really great PDF with this information and graphs, which you can see below in a handy image (click to enlarge) or download the PDF for click able links and more information.

We will be covering Sony Ericsson in a separate post, which scored a much higher rating of 6.9.

Here’s the skinny from The Wall Street Journal: major publishing company HarperCollins is in talks with Apple about bringing e-books to the oft-rumored, still-unconfirmed tablet that’s expected to be the focus of its January 27th event. The article also states that other publishing companies have been in talks with Cupertino HQ. That jibes with what we’ve heard through the grapevine, specifically with Time Inc. property Sports Illustrated, and fits comfortably well with the New York Times conjecture from earlier today. E-book readers are all the rage these days, but like we said just after CES, we’d wager the future of the medium integrated into slates to provide rich, color multimedia presentations. Seems someone might be sharing in our perspective, but of course, this is just one of many, many, many Apple rumors we expect to see in the buildup to next week.

WSJ: Apple and HarperCollins negotiating e-book deal for tablet originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Considering that Bobby Kotick and Activision acquired Blizzard and parent company Vivendi for nearly $19 billion just over a year ago, it seems more than safe to say that Activision felt that Blizzard was a very valuable asset. But Kotick, Activision’s CEO, didn’t always feel that way about the Warcraft developer — back in 1995, he was taken aback when he heard that the company was being acquired for $7 million, even going so far as to call the deal “insane.”

Kotick revealed his reaction in the February issue of Game Informer. He describes a meal he had with Davidson & Associates in 1995 where he found out that they had acquired Blizzard for a cool $7 million:

That year Activision probably had 60 million in revenues. They said they paid seven million dollars for Blizzard. I’m like ‘Are you out of your minds? They’re like a contract developer! They have Warcraft but what else do they have? You paid SEVEN million! That’s insane!

I was talking to [Blizzard founder] Mike Morhaime the other day and I said, ‘You know, I could have bought you for seven million and instead it was seven billion.’ [Laughs] He said, ‘Yeah, could you imagine if I had just held out for the seven billion instead of the seven million?’

Blizzard fans are undoubtedly thanking their lucky stars that Kotick didn’t grab hold of Blizzard before they had time to develop Diablo, StarCraft, or World of Warcraft. Kotick has, if nothing else, developed the perception that he and Activision care about nothing more than profitability, even at the expense of quality and excessive franchise milking. Regardless of whether or not that’s true, it’s probably for the best that Blizzard — a developer known for taking its time and releasing games only when they believe them to be ready — fell into the hands that it did back in 1995.

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The family of an Illinois National Guard soldier believes he was wrongly accused of possessing child pornography by a friend he had recently argued with.

Rodney and Terri Miller told the Galesburg Register-Mail that their son, Specialist Billy Miller, had a falling out with a friend Afghanistan, and the friend subsequently reported seeing inappropriate pictures on Billy Miller’s laptop.

The Millers showed the Register-Mail text messages from soldiers in Billy MIller’s unit that suggested he was the victim of a personal vendetta. Miller’s parents insist the charges stem from innocent snapshots of a 4-year-old relative in a swimsuit. “I can’t believe that the Army’s doing this to our son; it’s unbelievable,” Rodney Miller said from his home in Galesburg, about 55 miles south of Davenport, Iowa.

“The Army and the government’s telling us more or less that it’s none of our business.”

The Army has charged Miller with possession of child pornography and a related charge of failure to obey an order that troops in Afghanistan not possess pornography.

Army spokesman Lt. Mary J. Pekas declined to discuss details of the case or evidence against Miller. She said the charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Miller’s unit returned to Illinois in August, according to the National Guard, but the Army said he remains in Afghanistan, awaiting the end of his case and possible court martial.

“Spec. Miller is currently on active duty and assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Co., 82nd Airborne Division, pending the conclusion of the investigation and any potential legal proceedings,” the Army’s media center in Bagram, Afghanistan, said in a brief, unsigned e-mail statement.

Rodney Miller said the Army won’t discuss the case with the family. But he said his son has told him the charges stem from a handful of photos of the girl that the soldier’s mother e-mailed to ease his homesickness.

The pictures show the girl in a swimsuit playing in a pool and sitting on Billy Miller’s pickup truck, according to the family. A small portion of one of the girl’s buttocks is visible in one, Rodney Miller said.

Billy Miller, a mechanic in civilian life, was part of the Illinois Army National Guard’s 33rd Infantry Brigade. About 3,000 members of the brigade went to Afghanistan in late 2008 and returned home last year.

The Millers say their son became close to the little girl after she was diagnosed with a serious illness while her own father was away for military training. The pictures were taken by Terri Miller and the girl’s mother at the girl’s birthday party last summer, Rodney Miller said.

The Army said any legal proceedings will happen in Afghanistan, but Rodney Miller hopes for some way to have his son tried in the United States if it comes to that. Anyone from his National Guard unit who can testify on his behalf isn’t in Afghanistan, Miller
said.

“If they court martial him in Afghanistan, he will be absolutely on his own,” he said.

– Associated Press

Read the original article from Tribune News Services.

GM will be selling the Chevrolet Volt later this year for a price tag in the low $30,000’s, and turn a profit on each car, according to chairman and CEO Ed Whitacre, Jr. The large lithium-ion battery packs contribute greatly to the car being a rather expensive one to produce, and had had made the starting price a point of concern.

In 2007 vice-chairman Bob Lutz had thrown out a goal of under $30,000, and that number was later adjusted to reflect a concern of higher production costs. Since that time however, Congress has passed legislation that will give initial Volt buyers a $7500 tax credit, and media speculation has thrown out figures as high as $40k.

Whitacre settled these concerns in an interview with gm-volt.com as well as the rumor that the first generation will be sold at a loss. “We’re not in business to lose money,…We did enough of that already.” said Whitacre. The Volt “is going to sell in the low 30s,” he added. “We’ll get a margin on that.”

Click here for more news on the Chevrolet Volt.

2011 Chevrolet Volt:

– By: Stephen Calogera

Source: gm-volt.com

Texas, US | Eccentric Homes

Many people loved the 60s TV show “The Munsters” the kind of lower class version of The Adam’s Family, but few loved them as much as Charles and Sandra McKee.

Charles and Sandra McKee have spent the last nine or so years turning their Victorian home into a nearly perfect replica of the famous 60s sitcom Munster mansion. Even the address is the same, as just as in the television series ‘The Munsters’, this replica is located on 1313 Mockingbird Lane. However instead of being located in the fictional ‘Mockingbird Heights,’ this house was built in Waxahachie, Texas.

Since a blueprint to the Munster family home never existed, the McKee’s watched all 70 episodes of the show in order to create their own floor-plan. Luckily for them, not every room in the house was shown, allowing for a few personal non-Munster rooms. Every room featured in the TV show is present in the new incarnation, even the coffin shaped phone booth. The very first sight when entering the mansion is the large oak staircase which housed the Munster’s fire-breathing pet. Amazingly, the stairs even lift up to reveal said incendiary friend.

Currently the house is only available for touring during October and its annual Halloween charity fund raising event, but costs nothing to see. There are plans to open the house up for more frequent tours in the future. Cast members of the original show often attend the fundraiser, Al Lewis (Grandpa), Butch Patrick (Eddie), and Pat Priest (Marilyn) have all been guests of 1313 Mockingbird Lane.

Appearing almost exactly as the set house did on television, the only difference is that this Texan version appears newer. The ultimate goal of the McKees, however, is for the house to look just as it did in the show. The exterior is to be painted darker, aged, and distressed in order to achieve the decayed look of the original Munster Mansion. With a little more age and dust, the two homes should be nearly indistinguishable.