Author: Serkadis

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Ford, Australia

Even though Ford honcho Alan Mulally was seriously smitten by the company’s Aussie Falcon G-Series, doubts about the car’s future were presaged nearly a year-and-a-half ago as Ford built momentum behind the “One Ford” program. That initiative focused on the rationalization of platforms, so multiplel vehicles sold around the world could share underpinnings and save the Blue Oval some bucks. But with new fuel mileage requirements, the fate of the rear-wheel drive Falcon began to grow dark.

Things weren’t helped at the Detroit Auto Show, were Mulally said “The best thing for Ford is to bring our scale and volume” to bear on the market and the balance sheet, and that manufacturers engaged in the complexities of different platforms for different markets, “can’t compete with the global companies, and Ford’s going to be a powerhouse globally.”

The front-wheel drive Taurus platform is the one being mooted as the foundation of the next Falcon, and the idea of a FWD Falcon is practically Galilean heresy to Aussie enthusiasts. The popular sedan’s redesign doesn’t begin until next year in view of a 2014 market date so Mulally has a year to make a decision – and Aussies have a year to sway him. If the next Falcon is FWD, a compensation prize could be the Australian division helping to engineer the Mustang platform. Thanks to everyone for the tips!

[Source: Drive.com.au]

Will Ford discontinue the Australian-made Falcon? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Jan 2010 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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According to news sources in Denver, where the City Council voted to regulate medical marijuana dispensaries, more applications have been received for licenses for selling pot than there are Starbucks coffee shops in the entire state, 390 versus 208. Fun with numbers…

“God Loves Mortgage Bankers.” Maybe that could be an MBAA bumper sticker at the next convention. Especially smaller mortgage companies, whose owners tend to be optimistic and which is very fortunate. But it seems that there is a disconnect going on in the industry between many smaller companies’ projections for their own volumes and profit margins for 2010, and the industry-wide projections. Every large investor has production projections that range from $1 trillion to about $1.5 trillion for 2010. The MBAA came out yesterday with a projection that residential mortgage originations will drop 40% this year to the lowest level in a decade: $1.28 trillion down from $2.11 trillion in 2009. They expect purchases to rise slightly to $776 billion from $742 billion in 2009 but expect refinances dropping to $502 billion this year from $1.372 trillion last year. Yet many smaller companies are expecting to increase their production: “My company funded 15 loans per month on average, but since then we’ve hired 5 more agents, so we expect to do 25 loans per month…” Let’s keep our fingers crossed!

Maybe they’ll have some help: last week mortgage applications in the U.S. rose 14%, with refinancing up 22% and purchases up .8%. Slightly lower rates last week helped, of course, and apps for refinancing were back up to 71.5% of all applications.

Uh-oh. Let’s hope that you don’t find your company on this list, put out by HUD and consisting of companies that are under investigation for excessive claims. http://portal.hud.gov, click on “Press Room”, “Press Releases” and then “HUD INSPECTOR GENERAL PROBES MORTGAGE COMPANIES WITH SIGNIFICANT CLAIM RATES”.

At least our Treasury Department is making some coin. The department had a $46 billion profit last year – heck, I wish that I get my taxes done as quickly as they calculated that! Of course, you couldn’t lose owning Treasury debt, mortgaged-backed and agency securities.

more news on Suntrust, Guild Mortgage, US Bank wholesale, Wells wholesale, penalizing TARP banks, China, rates, and joke of the day … <<< CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE

We’ve known since August that Toshiba was working to rule the roost when it came to voluminous and speedy SDXC storage, and at CES it took the time to beat its chest again, indicating that its new 64GB SDXC cards have started shipping in samples, putting them on a crash-course with card slots sometime this spring. The 64GB cards offer 60MB/s reads and 32MB/s writes, which should be enough to keep up with the Jonses, and the company’s upcoming 32 and 16GB SDHC should be dropping about the same time. Toshiba is claiming this is the world’s first 64GB model, but we’re only interested in retail releases, and Panasonic and its February-bound offering might have something to say about who gets there first. The race is on.

Toshiba demonstrates 64GB SDXC, pledges spring release originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jan 2010 10:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Should you be lusting after some of that Core i7 oomph but have a distaste for the large thermal and physical footprint of desktops, you’ll want to hear more from Congatec. A relative unknown hailing from Germany, the outfit has just announced its BM57 small form factor setup, which looks to be ideal for homebrew HTPC enthusiasts — primarily because its i7-620M CPU is both powerful (up to 3.33GHz with Turbo Boost) and relatively easy to cool (35W TDP, including chip-integrated graphics). The kit is able to support up to 8GB of dual-channel DDR3, as well as drive two video outputs concurrently. Choices include HDMI, DisplayPort and VGA, leading to some tantalizingly versatile possibilities for the creative self-builder. Prices are not yet available, but the BM57 will be demonstrated at the International Gaming Expo in London at the end of this month.

Congatec BM57 fits mobile Core i7 onto tiny mobo originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jan 2010 09:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There comes a time when you have to stop chasing performance and start making good for the environmental damage you’ve caused — or do you? NEC’s latest Mate desktop offers 30% boosted efficiency over previous models despite offering better performance with Core i5 or i7 processors, consuming just 23 watts thanks to a redesigned motherboard and the use of SSD. It also features greater use of recyclable components and a shell composed of environmentally friendly yet flame-retardant plastic — important when your power supplies have been known for their explosive personalities. NEC is also announcing the new VersaPro VD laptop (pictured after the break), similarly equipped with Intel’s latest, and offering a new software tool for tracking energy consumption to “increase user awareness of energy saving.” Knowing is half the battle, friends.

Continue reading NEC’s new Mate ME desktop is 30% more efficient, 75% more recyclable, 100% less flammable

NEC’s new Mate ME desktop is 30% more efficient, 75% more recyclable, 100% less flammable originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jan 2010 09:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Article Tags: ClimateGate, Video Link

Harrisburg, Pa. – The debate over global warming has raged across the planet, but the epicenter the past few months has been Penn State, where a researcher is accused of fraud and perpetuating a hoax. He and the school are now feeling the heat.

Penn State professor Michael Mann is globally known for his research on global warming. His work concludes that temperatures rose in the 20th century largely because of man. But recently released private e-mails suggest Mann – the researcher – overstated the impact of man – the species – on climate change, and then tried to cover it up.

“The e-mails suggest that he has bullied critics, he has destroyed data, that he has engaged in behavior not becoming of a true academic in pursuit of accuracy and truth,” said Matt Brouillette of the Conservative Commonwealth Foundation. He’s called for lawmakers to independently investigate Mann before enacting policies partially based on his research.

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Source: whtm.com

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Wyclef Jean is asking friends and fans to pray for the people of his native Haiti after the island was hit by deadly earthquake on Tuesday. The magnitude 7.0 quake slammed into the impoverished Caribbean island, toppling buildings in the capital Port-au-Prince, burying residents in rubble and causing many deaths and injuries. Reports suggest the triple quake caused the collapse of buildings, including a hospital, which tumbled into a ravine.

Death tolls are expected to reach into the thousands. The former Fugees star is requesting assistance for survivors of the quake that struck near the capital yesterday afternoon.

“Haiti today faced a natural disaster of unprecedented proportion, an earthquake unlike anything the country has ever experienced,” Wyclef began in a release this evening. “The magnitude 7.0 earthquake — and several very strong aftershocks — struck only 10 miles from Port-au-Prince. I cannot stress enough what a human disaster this is, and idle hands will only make this tragedy worse. The over 2 million people in Port-au-Prince tonight face catastrophe alone. We must act now,” the “Gone ‘Til November” rapper continued.

“President Obama has already said that the U.S. stands ‘ready to assist’ the Haitian people. The U.S. Military is the only group trained and prepared to offer that assistance immediately. They must do so as soon as possible. The international community must also rise to the occasion and help the Haitian people in every way possible.”

Those who would like to help with the Quake Relief Efforts, may donate $5 to the Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund by texting “Yele” to 501501 (the amount will be charged to the person’s cell phone bill) or or can visit www.Yele.org and click “Donate.”

Other celebrities took to their Twitter accounts, urging their followers to help.

– “Yele haiti now for the disaster. Please do all that you can. Please,” Lindsay Lohan Tweeted early Wednesday morning. “Anyone that may be listening’s attentionCall 1884074747 State Dept for Haitian Relief….Please help them… I know I will as much as I can.”

– “Places where we stood weeks ago are now rubble. I’m gutted. Please keep spreading the word. Thank you to those who are donating! You are saving lives by the minute,” Olivia Wilde Tweeted.

– “Hold the ppl of Haiti/surrounding islands in your heart and prayers tonight,” actress Taraji P. Henson implored to fans.

Twitter continues to make the headlines all over the world in the mainstream media, much more so than Facebook despite being several times smaller. But for the past few months, it looked like the media attention wasn’t correlating to actual usage, and user growth has been stalling since summer, according to most analytics firms. Many have wondered why Twitter is … (read more)

Amid rumors that there’s going to be tension between the Ferrari drivers prior to the start of the 2010 season – with Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso having some history together since the 2007 season – team principal Stefano Domenicali once again insisted that this is hardly the case.

Not only that, but the Italian official actually told the media present at the Madonna di Campiglio ski resort in northern Italy (for the annual Ferrari presentation event Wrooom) that the atmosphere within th… (read more)

On Friday I’ll be in LA at Mahalo headquarters at 1pm making a guest appearance on Jason Calacanis’s This Week In Startups show.  I told Jason I’d be happy to discuss whatever he wanted to which I hope includes the Open Angel Forum, Startup Visa, Abolishing Software Patents, and all kinds of fun things around entrepreneurship and venture capital.  Conversations with Jason are never dull so I expect this one to be spicy hot on top of the typical chocolately goodness.

I figured I should do a few Mahalo searches in advance so I looked up Brad Feld, Foundry Group, Sarah Palin, and “How To Cheat on Rock Band”.  I then poked around on Mahalo Answers and Mahalo Tasks to see if I could earn any M$.  So – at least I can now answer Jason’s question “have you played with Mahalo lately.”

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Alfa Romeo, Fiat

We were getting amped up for Alfa Romeo‘s return to the U.S. and the chance to drive Breras and Guilietta’s on our favorite roads, and then Fiat head Sergio Marchionne delivers what they call a “smackdown” at the Detroit Auto Show. According to Autocar, Marchionne says that Fiat has to show it can sell enough cars in America to make the enterprise worthwhile on its own, which we take to mean he’s not content with Alfa being a critically loved but money-losing division of a profitable conglomerate. If Alfa can’t prove the worth of flying to America, then it will stay grounded in Europe. We have but one word to say to this news: maledizione!

[Source: Autocar]

Report: Alfa Romeo’s U.S. launch delayed originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Jan 2010 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] on Jan. 8 delivered the last of four KC-767 aerial refueling tankers to the Japan Ministry of Defense, completing one of the International Tanker team’s most significant milestones.Boeing’s partner on the Japan Tanker program, Itochu Corp., handed over the KC-767 advanced tanker to Japan Ministry of Defense officials.

Assigned to the 1st Airlift Wing of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force at Komaki Air Base, it is the third consecutive KC-767 tanker to be delivered to Boeing’s Japan customer within the contracted schedule and budget.

“Providing Japan with the fourth and final KC-767 tanker on-schedule and on-cost, as we did the previous two KC-767s, means a great deal to our company and our relationship with this important customer,” said Dennis Muilenburg, president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security.

“Because of these tankers, Japan now has the capability to perform vital self-defense, refueling and airlift missions. Also, when necessary, it possesses the capability to perform critical humanitarian and disaster-relief missions across the Pacific region and beyond using the KC-767.”

“We are proud to have been a partner in the successful delivery and implementation of the KC-767 aerial refueling tanker into the Japan Air Self-Defense Force,” said Greg Kasagawa, executive officer and COO of the Aerospace and Industrial Systems Division of Itochu Corp.

“The fleet of tankers is playing a significant and key role in the strategic self-defense needs of Japan.”

The fourth tanker flew to Japan on Dec. 20 from Boeing’s tanker modification facility in Wichita, Kan. The KC-767 is a military derivative of the proven 767-200ER commercial widebody airplane built at Boeing’s commercial production facilities in Everett, Wash.

Boeing delivered the first three KC-767 tankers to Japan in February 2008, March 2008 and March 2009.

The Japan KC-767 fleet is currently undergoing Operational Evaluation by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, a process that should be completed early this year. The fleet achieved Initial Operational Capability (IOC) in March 2009.

The tanker has an open architecture cockpit and is configured with the advanced Boeing air refueling boom and the associated Remote Aerial Refueling Operator (RARO) II system.

Japan selected the convertible freighter configuration, allowing it to carry cargo or passengers while maintaining its primary role as an aerial tanker. With a convertible freighter interior, the Japan tanker can be rapidly converted from all-passenger to all-cargo configurations.

Boeing also is on contract to deliver four KC-767s to the Italian Air Force. Three of the four tankers are in flight test, with the fourth airplane still being modified.

About Boeing Defense, Space & Security

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is one of the world’s largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world’s largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft.

Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a $32 billion business with 70,000 employees worldwide.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Felix Sanchez, 562-593-0106
Boeing International Tanker Programs
[email protected]

Mitsuko Takahashi, +813-5223-2025
BDS Japan Communications
[email protected]

If you haven’t yet purchased Valve’s Orange Box (which any semi-serious gamer should own just out of principle), now’s probably a good time to do so. It’s available for $12.90 until Friday.

The collection comes on DVD and features Half Life 2, Half Life 2: Episode One, Half Life 2: Episode Two, Portal, and Team Fortress 2. The Orange Box normally sells for around $30 and up. If anything, just buy it and keep it on your bookshelf or desk so when other computer people come over, nobody will steal your stuff.

That’s the code between Orange Box owners: No stealing other Orange Box owners’ stuff.

Half-Life 2- The Orange Box for PC [GoGamer.com via FatWallet]

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According to 24/7 Wall St., shares sold short in Citigroup (C) spiked 36% to 381 million from December 15th to December 31st. Short interest in Apple (AAPL) soared 34%.

Apple shares have annhilated their share of shorts in the past, while Citi is a complete rollercoaster that could either make you rich or destitute in a week. These are some bold bets.

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See Also:

• Apple's App Store Has Lost $450 Million To Piracy
• Citi: Market Panic Is Finally Dead And Gone
• Echoes Of Dubai As Saudi Prince Shifts Citi Shares To Prop Up Kingdom Holdings

LG is expecting Android to help boost sales and grow their smart phone numbers for the coming year.  Although not quite as heavily as Motorola, LG is betting on Android to get them into a double-digit share of the smart phones sold worldwide this year. 

LG is slated to unveil roughly 20 smartphones this year, with better than half of them based on Android.  Oddly enough, this contradicts the deal signed last year where LG said Windows Mobile would be the primary OS for smartphones.  Not that we’re complaining.

Source: Reuters

Ok. Let’s get this out of the way. Jaron Lanier, Wired coverboy of the early years for his virtual reality work (which was often more hype than reality anyway), has written a book. And it’s one of those books that helps prove Douglas Adams’ famous statement (paraphrased…) that every tech around by the time you’re born is “normal,” new technology that is invented before you’re thirty is cool and new and anything that gets invented after you’re thirty is “against the natural order of things and the beginning of the end of civilization as we know it.” It’s worth pointing out that Lanier turned 30 in 1990, just before the web came about. And, boy, does he hate the web. And the book is all about how much he really hates the web because it’s new and different and against the natural order of things and the beginning of the end of civilization as we know it. And since he’s Jaron Lanier and since he hates the internet (even though he’s published ridiculous essays making these same points that were debunked ages ago), the press is writing about him and have been for the last month or so, meaning that lots of people keep submitting stories, like the recent NY Times article all about Lanier’s hatred for the internet.

Honestly, it’s difficult to see why it’s worthwhile to waste too much time responding to arguments that were debunked ages ago, but just to run through a few of them quickly:

• Lanier falsely believes in the idea of “lock-in” with technology (the claim that the VCR beat Betamax despite being worse and that QWERTY beat Dvorak despite being worse due to “lock-in”) is why the internet is so screwed up today. Except, of course the classic examples of lock-in were shown years ago to be false. The VCR beat Betamax because it was better at what people wanted (the ability to record a lot on a single tape). QWERTY is no worse than Dvorak.
• Lanier pulls out Nick Carr’s tired and silly claim that people doing user-generated content are “sharecroppers.” This ignores that the whole reason they use those sites is that they get value in return. It fails to realize the non-monetary reasons why people use those sites.
• Lanier thinks that the “answer” to file sharing online is to rearchitect the internet for micropayments. Again, this shows a fundamental misunderstanding of both economics and psychology. People hate micropayments and they’re incredibly inefficient from an economic standpoint. It also shrinks the market of ideas and holds back communication.
• Lanier argues that the market for “creative people” is shrinking. Apparently he hasn’t read any of the recent studies that have shown that every aspect of the music business has grown — except for the business selling plastic discs.
• Most amusing of all, he argues that “artificial scarcities… allow the economy to function.” He even admits that they are artificial scarcities, but still thinks they’re a good thing. Again, this seems to be a fundamental misunderstanding of economics. It’s hard to talk logically to someone who thinks that having less of a resource is somehow good for the economy.

The list goes on, but at some point it’s just not worth bothering with responding point by point. Lanier’s trying to sell a book, and it’s yet another in a long line of people who don’t like the newfangled thing the kids are using because he doesn’t understand it. The fact is, it doesn’t matter. The internet is a huge success because people actually like the way it works and they get tons of value out of it, even if it’s not the value Lanier wanted. No one’s going to change the architecture of the internet. No one’s going to suddenly figure out a way to make micropayments work where they don’t make sense. So consider this my post on Lanier’s book, and let’s just move on and ignore all the other silly news stories about it, and they’ll fade away quickly just like his book.

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from corporate media, 13 January 2010: “Israel is developing an army of robotic fighting machines that offers a window onto the potential future of warfare… In 10 to 15 years, one-third of Israel’s military machines will be unmanned, predicts Giora Katz, vice president of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd., one of Israel’s leading weapons manufacturers…”  more

from corporate media, 13 January 2010: “Israel is developing an army of robotic fighting machines that offers a window onto the potential future of warfare… In 10 to 15 years, one-third of Israel’s military machines will be unmanned, predicts Giora Katz, vice president of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd., one of Israel’s leading weapons manufacturers…”  more