Author: Serkadis

Google and video bandwidth reducer On2 Technologies have amended their merger agreement that was originally announced in August. At that time, the search engine said it would be acquiring the company for $166 million.

Now the deal is being revisited to address On2’s value. Since Google’s stock has gone up since August, the company will provide additional cash per share to its investors. According to Google:

Under the revised terms, each outstanding share of On2 common stock will receive 0.0010 of a share of Google Class A Common Stock for each share of On2 common stock, as previously announced by On2 and Google, plus an additional $0.15 per share in cash consideration.

There’s speculation that Google’s decision to increase its share price and final offer is motivated by the possibility of another company scooping up On2. In particular, comments on various message boards suggest that Oracle’s newly acquired Sun Microsystems and On2 could be a good fit. These speculations could be on target, especially considering that several investor groups have attempted to sue On2 after the Google acquisition was announced. They felt the company didn’t “shop around” enough for a buyer and sold at a discount.

Regardless, On2’s board of directors has approved the amended merger — since Google has made it clear this will be its final offer — and has asked its shareholders to approve the proposal during a special meeting on Feb. 17.

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After a couple of years on the market, Ford says its Sync car voice control technology has been a smash hit. Now the car company will use the system to add Wi-Fi and apps to your car.

Thanks to the new additions, you’ll be able to get everything from Mapquest driving directions to Twitter to Pandora Internet radio in your car.

Alan Mulally, chief executive of the American car maker, said in his keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics Show that the Sync technology has been critical in the sale of Ford vehicles. In surveys, 32 percent of buyers said that Sync was important or critical in their decisions to buy a Ford vehicle. Ford hit its target of selling a million vehicles with Sync last May, Mulally said. About 81 percent of customers are satisfied with Sync and 77 percent would recommend it. Sync is a $395 option on many vehicles and is now sold on 70 percent of Ford’s new vehicle sales.

Microsoft developed Sync, working closely with Ford. Sync lets you control a car’s electronics with your voice. You can use it to dial a cell phone call with your voice. You can switch channels on a radio or change songs on an iPod with voice commands. And you can access a web browser with full Wi-Fi connectivity while the car is in park.

One of the key areas where Sync pays off, and where Ford is investing more research, is in minimizing driver distraction. In Ford’s Virttrex driving simulation center, drivers take tests on driving in Ford vehicles. With Sync, they can select a song on an iPod in 4.9 seconds and their eyes never leave the road. Changing a song on a handheld device can take 30.3 seconds and the driver’s eyes leave the road multiple times.

Among the popular features built into Sync are getting traffic information and 911 assist. Ford’s cars also have high-tech features such as blind-spot information system, cross-traffic warnings, and active park assist to make it easy to parallel park.

The good thing about Sync is it is a software platform that can be continually improved. The idea is to keep the car company moving at Silicon Valley speed, Mulally said.

The company is racing ahead with a new improved version of Sync and other dashboard changes. The new cars will have thumb wheel controls on the steering wheel and colorful LCD displays for its dashboards, dubbed myFord touch, with new touchscreen technologies and no mechanical knobs. The new Ford Edge will have myFord Touch this year, and 80 percent of models will have it in the next five years. The cars will have music jacks, universal serial bus ports, SD memory cards slots and other ways to connection electronics.

You can use the big eight-inch touchscreen to control your phone, or use your voice to do so. You can also use it to navigate, get travel data such as nearby fuel stations, check traffic or view vehicle maintenance information. Ford has its own appstore to add new apps to the Sync service. That’s how you can add apps such as Pandora, Stitcher or Twitter.

You will be able to beam in content via the Ford Service Delivery Network, with data downloads including things like Mapquest maps, local directories, sports scores and traffic information. With Mapquest, you can find directions on a computer and then send them to your car wirelessly via Sync. This “send to Sync” feature is pretty cool.

You can also use a song “tagging” feature to identify songs that you hear on the radio, and you can use Sync to record satellite radio shows and play them back when you want them. You can also send text message replies by voice, choosing from among 15 different pre-created responses.

Check out our CES 2010 coverage.

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Cool news for music geeks: Songza Media has launched a new internet radio service it is calling Songza Sets. Free to use, it organizes songs into playlists created by actual humans (”music curators” who work for Songza) — similar to the lists users compile on sites like eMusic and Amazon, only it uses them to drive new music discovery.

“There is an abundance of good music online, but a lack of high-quality music programming,” said the company’s Peter Asbill in the announcement. “With Songza Sets, we aim to offer that excellent listening experience –the kind that is original, relevant, informative, and thematic, but pleasantly unpredictable. In order to do this, we ask our curators to roll up their sleeves, filter through all the music out there, and thoughtfully create interesting programming.”

Songza’s “expert team of music curators” creates the playlists, and they’ve kicked off Sets with some interesting choices. So far, there are three categories: Mainstream Pop, American Roots, and Independent, with a total of about 34 set lists to choose from. Example playlists include Murder Ballads, Truck Driving Honky Tonk, Grunge Before Nirvana, and Independent Women. Each set list contains 12 songs. Unfortunately, you can’t preview a set list before listening, but the song choices are intriguing and the accompanying text is informative.

The user interface is also pretty snazzy, and the site, like Songza.fm itself, looks pretty Web 2.0 savvy. On the other hand, how Web 2.0 can it be if there’s no user-generated content? Songza is clearly betting on the value its “curators” will provide, but the site would arguably be more compelling if everyone could create playlists. Add that capability and Songza might successfully bring out the Pitchfork-wielding hipster contingent — a key to success these days.

Along with Songza Sets, the company is releasing a new custom radio offering called Songza Radio. The problem is that it looks a lot like Pandora. You create a new station by entering the name of an artist, and you hear tracks from other artists that have a similar style. Users also have the ability to give Songza’s choices a thumbs-up or thumbs-down. So, of the two new services, Songza Sets seems to have a more distinctive and original flair.

The company, which launched in 2007, made a statement with its smart and simple integration of streaming music from around the web, augmented with YouTube video content.  But it hasn’t garnered much market share in the years since its release. Perhaps Songza Sets and Songza Radio will make it a tougher competitor in an arena dominated by Pandora and Last.fm.

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What Google unveiled this week was not just a device, the Nexus One, but a vision for the way phones should be bought and sold.

Andy Rubin, who became Google’s mobile chief after it acquired his startup Android, said he sees a future where people buy phones the way they purchase digital cameras. They’ll do it primarily online and use the web and word of mouth to research different models, instead of in a carrier’s store and with a two-year service contract.

The way phones have been sold in the past — with a subsidized device and that pesky contract — has partially been a prison of our own making. With price expectations anchored at $200 or less, consumers balked at paying the upfront cost of a high-end phone at between $400 and 600. Apple initially tried to woo people off that model when it launched the iPhone, but the company quickly reverted to the older pricing structure.

The problem with that model is that pure competition on service quality and pricing suffers when customers are trapped in two-year contracts. It incentivizes carriers to focus on getting exclusive hardware and spend hundreds of millions of dollars on brick-and-mortar stores and expensive marketing campaigns over improving the coverage and quality of the network. The U.S. has Byzantine pricing schemes compared to other countries. Americans pay twice for every call — a charge for the caller and the receiver and sensible pay-as-you-go models common in Europe and Asia are few and far between.

Google is taking another crack at trying to break the legacy pricing model, but with baby steps. You can either buy a phone unlocked or choose a subsidized price paired with a two-year contract from a mobile operator. As of this point, only T-Mobile is on board, with Verizon coming on in the spring. With the Nexus One, Google says its keeping its sales strategy “pure and simple.” As of now, there won’t be models in physical retail stores. You’ll have to look at it on-line or have the good fortune of having a friend who has one. Although for now Google’s online store will just have the Nexus One and presumably future Nexus models, a longer-term implication is that the company could sell other types of hardware, perhaps even Chrome OS netbooks, online.

All of these moves are far from what’s needed to reshape the way we buy phones. The concept of buying unlocked phones then choosing a carrier isn’t particularly novel. It’s just that a company with the brand weight and technical expertise Google carries hasn’t done it yet with multiple carriers in tow. For it to work, enough consumers would have to vote with their dollars in Google’s store to show that’s the way they want to buy phones. The other two major carriers, AT&T and Sprint-Nextel, might need to jump in with proper monthly pricing plans for the phone as well. Or more imaginatively, if the search giant really wanted to remake the system, it could buy cellular bandwidth and offer its own data network, with Google Voice obviating the need for any traditional calling plan. Or maybe we could dream that in the distant future, it could apply its Googly “free” model and offer an ad-supported phone.

We talked to several carriers to get their thoughts. T-Mobile’s subsidized Nexus One price is a $179, with a $79.99 monthly fee. Verizon hasn’t yet to disclose its pricing details, according to the carrier’s spokesman Jeffrey Nelson. If (for whatever reason) you want to be on AT&T’s network over Verizon’s, AT&T spokesman Rolf Gatlin says Nexus One owners can buy the unlocked phone, then purchase a data plan for $30 a month, plus their choice of voice plans based on the number of minutes per month. That data plan rate is month-to-month, not a contract rate.

It’s hard to break bad habits though. The old model persists — yesterday T-Mobile said it’s getting the HD2, an HTC Windows Mobile-based phone exclusively, while AT&T said that some devices in its new slate of Android-based phones will have some exclusivity as well.

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The Arc keyboard, debuted by Microsoft at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas today, updates the stodgy PS/2 keyboard with a slim, light, gracefully curved aesthetic. The keyboard weighs under a pound and is designed to be usable both on a desk and in your lap on the couch.

Instead of cables, the Arc comes with a tiny wireless USB adapter that stows in the keyboard’s underbelly. There’s a matching Arc mouse, too, that folds up to half its size for travel.

Best Buy has exclusive dibs on the Arc for its launch on February 21st. Best Buy’s price: $59.95 for the keyboard, $49.95 for the mouse.

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Sony announced that it will open the “Sony 3D Technology Center,” located at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California, to train and nurture a community of experts in the rapidly growing market of 3D entertainment. The announcement was made today at the Consumer Electronics Show by Sir Howard Stringer, Chairman, CEO and President of Sony Corporation. The new center will offer professionals from across the industry a hands-on opportunity to learn more about the techniques and equipment used to create top-quality 3D productions of all kinds – including sports, movies, television and games. The center will also feature Sony’s top-of-the-line business and professional products, which are widely used in capturing, manipulating and displaying 3D productions.

“Our mission is to support the spread of high quality 3D throughout the marketplace,” said Chris Cookson, President of Sony Pictures Technologies, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Chief Officer of the Sony 3D Technology Center, Sony Corporation of America. “Modern technologies and techniques can create much more natural and realistic 3D than most people had experienced in years past, so we have an interest in helping the industry as a whole seize this opportunity to give audiences really great 3D experiences. People must reliably and consistently be able to enjoy what is presented in 3D for it to gain acceptance in the long term.”

“Making 3D is easy, but making good 3D is hard,” said Buzz Hays, Senior Vice President of the Sony 3D Technology Center, Sony Corporation of America. “I’ve had the pleasure of making 3D movies with Hollywood’s true pioneers over the last five years, and I am excited to dedicate my time fully to sharing what we’ve learned as this medium makes its way toward primetime.”

Sony Pictures Digital Productions studio Imageworks has been a leader in both 3D animation and live-action 3D conversion. Imageworks has produced more recent 3D movies than any other studio. Sony Pictures Releasing International has released multiple 3D films for the studio including Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation’s September 2009 3D release of “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs” which has earned more than $200 million dollars to date in worldwide box office ticket sales.

The 3D Technology Center is scheduled to open in February 2010.

Weighing less then a pound, the Arc Keyboard practically floats on your lap. The designers created this with the intention of having it blend in with your other household items. It’s design is taken particularly from light fixtures and flatware. With the a domed shape, it should rest comfortably on one’s lap. This is a gold star for minimalist design. Available at Best Buy starting in February for  $59.95. Details here.

Twenty Percent of Workers Plan to Switch Careers/Fields in the Next Two Years

Recent improvements in the economy may have some workers preparing to move to a new job in the new year, with nearly one-in-five workers (19 percent) reporting they plan to leave their current job in 2010 to find a new one.

Nine percent said they plan to leave in 2011. This is according to CareerBuilder’s latest survey conducted between Nov. 5 and Nov. 23, 2009, among more than 5,200 workers.

Many employers were forced to make some tough business decisions in 2009, and may be pushing workers to make some difficult decisions as well.

One-in-ten workers (12 percent) whose companies cut benefits or perks said they would stay at their current jobs for six months or less, while 27 percent of workers who did not receive a raise or promotion in 2009 said they would leave their current positions in less than a year if they did not receive either.

Nearly one-in-five (18 percent) workers who experienced pay cuts said they are willing to stay at their current jobs for only six months or less.

“Many of the decisions employers made last year were designed to preserve the health of their businesses and many survived because of them,” said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources for CareerBuilder.

“In some cases, workers were affected by the cost cutting measures and job satisfaction levels suffered. For example, 61 percent of employees said they were satisfied at their jobs last year – down from 70 percent in 2008.

Employers should take workers’ pulses early on in the new year. That way, they can be aware of the issues that may affect their staff’s performance, retention rates and overall happiness on the job in the coming months.”

Looking at the key factors that influence job satisfaction and company loyalty, workers reported the following:

Pay – Fifty-seven percent of workers did not receive a raise last year, up sharply from 35 percent in 2008. Of those that did receive raises, 28 percent were given an increase of 3 percent or less. Seventy-one percent of workers did not receive a bonus.

To help make ends meet in 2009, 8 percent of workers took on a second job. Nearly one-in-five (19 percent) plan to find a second job in 2010 to supplement their main paycheck.

Career Advancement – Twenty-eight percent of workers are dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with the career advancement opportunities provided by their current employers. Ninety percent of workers did not receive a promotion in 2009, while nearly a quarter (23 percent) felt that they were overlooked.

Switching Industries – Twenty percent of workers said they plan to switch careers/fields in the next two years. The top reasons for switching careers include wanting to pursue a more interesting line of work (67 percent), higher pay (54 percent), more career advancement (41 percent) and increased stability (36 percent).

To learn new skills, 12 percent said they would head back to school to make themselves more marketable in the new year.

Work/Life Balance – Nearly one-quarter (23 percent) of workers said they are dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with their work/life balance. This is up from 18 percent who said the same last year.

Training/Learning – Twenty-six percent of workers are dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with training and learning opportunities provided by their current employers.

Leadership Ratings – Nearly a quarter (23 percent) of workers rate their corporate leaders as poor as very poor. Workers cited an inability to address employee morale (35 percent), not enough transparency (30 percent) and major changes are made without warning (28 percent) as their main concerns with senior leadership.

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive© on behalf of CareerBuilder.com among 5,231 U.S. workers (employed full-time; not self-employed; non-government) ages 18 and over between Nov. 5 and Nov. 23, 2009 (percentages for some questions are based on a subset, based on their responses to certain questions).

With a pure probability sample of 5,231 one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- 1.35 percentage points. Sampling error for data from sub-samples is higher and varies.

About CareerBuilder®

CareerBuilder is the global leader in human capital solutions, helping companies target and attract their most important asset – their people. Its online career site, CareerBuilder.com®, is the largest in the United States with more than 23 million unique visitors, 1 million jobs and 32 million resumes.

CareerBuilder works with the world’s top employers, providing resources for everything from employment branding and data analysis.

More than 9,000 Web sites, including 140 newspapers and broadband portals such as MSN and AOL, feature CareerBuilder’s proprietary job search technology on their career sites.

Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI), Tribune Company, The McClatchy Company (NYSE: MNI) and Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT), CareerBuilder and its subsidiaries operate in the United States, Europe, Canada and Asia.

For more information, please visit careerbuilder.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Allison Nawoj, 773-527-2437
[email protected]
twitter.com/CareerBuilderP

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Safety, Videos, Humor

Click above to watch the video after the jump

We don’t know about you, but we’re a bit tired of the dangling cans trailing the wedding limo – however, even we know this isn’t the answer. Judging by this video, one (apparently intoxicated) gentleman thinks the tradition needs to go a step further, and it doesn’t even have to be your wedding day to do it.

Hit the jump to watch in-car dash-cam police footage of what appears to be an old Chevrolet S10 Blazer or GMC Jimmy with some odd cargo at the end of its tow rope. We’re not sure whether the driver was trying to steal the Coca-Cola machine, or whether he somehow got a very robust power cord tangled up in his truck and just tried to drive away. Either way, we’re thinking that this guy must have had one heck of a New Year’s.

[Source: YouTube via Failblog]

Continue reading Video: Wedding gone wrong? Instead of dangling cans behind car, drunk drags vending machine

Video: Wedding gone wrong? Instead of dangling cans behind car, drunk drags vending machine originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 07 Jan 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tori Spelling will spill the beans on everything from tabloid rumors about her weight and marriage to her rocky relationship with socialite mom Candy in her forthcoming third book, tentatively titled terriTORI.

“I love sharing my stories and experiences with people and connecting to them on both a humorous and emotional level,” the actress and daughter of late television icon Aaron Spelling told PEOPLE Thursday.

Besides opening up about her often troubled relationship with her mother, Tori, now 36,also plans to reveal what life is like as a Hollywood mother of 2.

“With two kids it’s hard to find down time to write so I often write during their nap time,” Spelling says. “Whenever something happens that makes me laugh or if I remember something in the middle of the night that I want to share, I jot the experience down.”

terriTORI debuts this June. The socialite’s previous books, sTORI Telling and Mommywood, both appeared on The New York Times Best Seller’s List.

Last night, during his keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer showed off a prototype for a new HP Slate computer running on Windows 7. It was supposed to be an Apple-stealing moment and it was Microsoft’s moment, which is probably why Hewlett-Packard has not yet publicly mentioned that it is working on another tablet/slate computer that is running on Android. You know, Google’s mobile operating system.

HP did announce an Android-powered netbook yesterday, but that has a keyboard. A source who has seen a prototype of HP’s Android Slate says it looks just like the Windows-powered one Ballmer held last night (see image below), maybe a little smaller. “It is almost identical in every respect to the one he showed off except for the OS,” says my source.

And that, my friends, could be all the difference in the world. Already, developers have created more than 10,000 apps for Android mobile phones, and the launch of the Nexus One will keep pushing the OS into more and more hands. These apps might have to be modified for a tablet, but it shouldn’t be too much of a stretch. Already, a number of Android tablets are on the way from Archos, Dell, and Notion Ink. It looks like you can add HP to that list.

The bigger question that all of these Android tablets raise is what about Chrome OS? Maybe these are just stop-gaps until the Chrome Netbooks and Tablets are ready for the market.

What would you rather buy, an HP Slate that runs on Windows 7 or one that runs on Android?

(The video below is a sneak peek at the Windows HP Slate, which is where the image above is taken from):

Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors

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Durante los últimos meses se han visto numerosas noticias tanto en la televisión como en internet sobre los piratas somalíes que asolan las costas de África, ahora la industria automovilística se ha cruzado en su camino y es que estos individuos han asaltado un carguero en donde se transportaban 2.400 coches de Hyundai y Kia.

Este carguero con nombre “Asian Glory” se dirijia a Arabia Saudita después de partir desde Corea del Sur, transportando 2.405 coches. Aunque no todos son de las marcas coreanas antes nombradas, ya que hay aproximadamente 15 de ellos que son Mercedes-Benz.

Por desgracia, los 25 miembros de la tripulación también han quedado en poder de los piratas. Además, tanto Hyundai como Kia no se han preocupado mucho por este suceso ya que todos los coches ya estaban pagados y asegurados. La responsabilidad ahora parece que será del distribuidor de los vehículos, encargado de transportarlos a sus puntos de venta, una compañía llamada Eukor Car Carriers Inc.

Related posts:

1. Hyundai-Kia presentará un motor diésel híbrido próximamente
2. Hyundai ix35, publicadas las primeras imágenes
3. Hyundai Equus Limousine listo para ser comercializado

Getting the racing world to take electric cars seriously will go a long way towards acceptance by the general public as a whole. And electric cars have a lot going for them in that regard. Few moving parts, lots of torque, and all of that power is available at 0 RPM’s.

A British company called Westfield Sportscars, who builds kit cars designed for track racing, is dipping their toes into the water of electrified sports cars. They plan to produce the iRacer, a lightweight, rear-wheel drive electric race car with an asphalt tearing 730 ft-lbs of torque. Sounds vicious.

Read more of this story »

What’s better then a stereo system that runs of your docked iPod? One that runs two of them at the same time of course! The JVC UX-F3 and the NX-D2 both have that capability. Both have a smooth glossy finish on the outside and an icy blue illumination touch panel.

Another day, another special-edition Subaru Impreza WRX STI. The Japanese automaker announced today that it has launched the new Subaru Impreza R205 in Japan. Based on the Impreza WRX STI, the R205 features enhanced driving performance with exclusive equipment making full use of performance parts from the “WRX STI spec C” model.

The engine on the R205 has been modified with a specially tuned ECU that increases output to 316-hp with a maximum torque of 319 lb-ft. SI-DRIVE (SUBARU Intelligent Drive) is also available to suit driving style in any driving condition.

Body modifications include a black R205 front grille, STI designed front under spoiler, STI designed side STI garnish, STI designed rear under spoiler, STI designed rear spoiler and R205 badges on front grille and rear gate.

Prices start at 4,510,000 Yen ($48,413 USD).

Subaru Impreza WRX STI R205:

Press Release:

STI to introduce the Subaru Impreza “R205″

Tokyo, January 7, 2010 – Subaru Tecnica International Inc. (STI)* is pleased to announce the launch of the Subaru Impreza “R205″, a special performance version. The model will go on sale today through Subaru dealerships in Japan.

Based on the Impreza WRX STI, the R205 enhanced the sheer driving performance it shares with former special performance models, such as the “S203″ and the “S204″, developed by STI. The R205 is the top performance model of the WRX STI. It features new and exclusive equipment and makes full use of specially designed features and performance parts of the “WRX STI spec C” model, the sporty performance model launched 2009. The “R” of R205 stands for “Road Sport”.

Most efforts focused on refining handling performance by adopting STI tuned dampers, coil springs, flexible type strut tower bar, flexible type lower arm stiffener of front suspension, and Bridgestone’s specially designed RE070 tyres. Thus the R205 ideally balances agile driving and confident driveability by enhancing a linear steering response and excellent road-holding capability. This is exactly the distinctive ride quality that STI is pursuing as its vehicle development theme, “strength and nimbleness” driving. The R205 offers enhanced total driving control not only in city driving on the road or winding road but also in sporty driving at the circuit.

In addition, STI carried out verification tests of selected performance parts of the R205 through the participation of the 2009 Nurburgring 24-hour race with an Impreza WRX STI. Making full use of this precious race-track experience at Nurburgring – in which any road condition is condensed – STI successfully completed the model in order to offer sheer excitement and unique driving feeling as a distinctive “Road Sport Model”.

The R205 delivers an increased 235kW (320PS) of maximum output, and 431N.m (44.0kg.m) by adopting the exclusively designed turbocharger with ball bearings for the turbine axle bearing, specially tuned ECU (Engine Control Unit), and the sport muffler with lowered back pressure exhaust. SI-DRIVE (SUBARU Intelligent Drive) is also available to neatly suit driving style in any driving situation at driver’s command.

The front under spoiler, newly developed rear under spoiler, and the black rear spoiler improve aerodynamics. Exclusively designed 18-inch alloy wheels, specially colored front grille and side STI garnish accentuate its uniqueness.

Subaru Impreza R205
Major equipment of Subaru Impreza R205

Mechanism:

* STI tuned inverted strut and coil springs for front suspension
* STI tuned damper and coil springs for rear suspension
* “Brembo” 6-pot brake caliper with STI silver logo and 18-inch grooved rotors for front brake
* “Brembo” 4-pot brake caliper with STI silver logo and 18-inch grooved rotors for rear brake
* STI designed 18-inch cast aluminum wheels
* Bridgestone specially designed “POTENZA RE070″ (245/40R18) tyres
* STI designed flexible type front strut tower bar
* STI designed flexible type lower arm stiffener of front suspension
* R205 ECU (Engine Control Unit)
* R205 exhaust pipe
* R205 twin scroll turbocharger with flexible type ball bearings for the turbine axle bearing
* R205 sport muffler with lowered back pressure exhaust
* R205 front stabilizer

Interior:

* R205 side sill plate
* R205 serial number plate

Exterior:

* R205 front grille (black)
* STI designed front under spoiler
* STI designed side STI garnish (black metallic)
* STI designed rear under spoiler
* STI designed rear spoiler (black)
* R205 badges on front grille and rear gate

Others:

* The planed production is limited to 400 units
* MSRP; 4,510,000 JP Yen (without tax)

Major specifications:
Engine type; Horizontally-Opposed 4-cylinder DOHC 16-valve turbocharged engine
Displacement; 1,994 cc
Transmission; 6 speed manual transmission
Maximum output; 235kW (320PS)/6,400 rpm
Maximum torque; 431Nm (44.0kg.m)/4,000 rpm -Overall length X width X height; 4,415 X 1,795 X 1,465 mm

– By: Omar Rana

What happens to a building designed as a science experiment on sustainable habitats after 25 years? It slowly but surely falls apart. Sustainability exists only under two support models: total reliance on nature and high-technology-high-maintenance. Biosphere 2 was a case for the latter, and is swiftly being reclaimed by the former model. Although the Fulleresque skeleton seems to be holding up nicely, the carefully cultivated plantlife succumbed to the desert environment. Keep that in mind if you’re launching yourself on a 250kiloton asteroid for a 1,000 year journey a la Charles Stross.

A new white paper from CCH provides in-depth analysis of the securities, derivatives, corporate governance, systemic risk and dissolution authority components of the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, passed by the House in December.

CCH is part of Wolters Kluwer Law & Business, a leading provider of research information and software solutions in key specialty areas for legal and business professionals (business.cch.com).

To read the special new report, House Passes Historic Securities, Derivatives and Systemic Risk Reforms: HR 4173, click here, or visit cch.com/press/news/CCHWhitePaperHR4173.pdf.

“This bill would be the most significant reform of the U.S. financial system since the New Deal of the 1930s,” said white paper author and CCH Principal Securities Analyst Jim Hamilton, JD.

The legislation would create a Financial Services Oversight Council to monitor systemically significant financial institutions, counterparties and potential threats to the financial system.

This ensures that there is no place to hide by closing loopholes, improving consolidated supervision and establishing robust regulatory oversight.

The measure also would provide for the orderly wind-down of failing firms that are systemically significant, ending the notion of “too big to fail.”

By dissolving these firms, the Act would end them and avoid more taxpayer bailouts. The bill also offers robust consumer protections and reforms.

It puts the regulation of consumer protection on a level playing field with the regulation of safety and soundness of financial institutions.

It would create an independent agency focused solely on writing meaningful consumer protection standards and keeping watch over predatory practices that some lenders have shown a propensity to pursue.

Moreover, the legislation increases transparency and accountability by establishing, for the first time, a regulatory system for the over-the-counter derivatives market.

Under the new regime, most derivative trades will take place on exchanges or through clearinghouses. Other important aspects of the bill include the registration of hedge funds and the doubling of SEC funding to hire more experts and investigators.

Investor protection is substantially strengthened. Also, the regulation of credit rating agencies is enhanced under a new regime supervised by the SEC.

A federal insurance office is created to gather information, mitigate systemic risk and provide for insurance expertise to the federal government.

The legislation passed by the House is different from the proposal issued by the Senate Banking Committee last year.

A conference committee will likely have to iron out any differences, assuming that the Senate proposal is passed by the full body.

For More Information

Members of the press interested in speaking with CCH securities and banking law experts should contact: Leslie Bonacum at 1-847-267-7153, [email protected]; or Neil Allen at 1-847-267-2179, [email protected].

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If you believe the ads, we live in a squalid hotbed of menacing microbes. Evil germs are everywhere and out to get us – especially the innocent, well-dressed children playing nearby. The smart ones among us, the marketers tell us, navigate this ominous world armed with the right sanitizing defense. Even the grimiest restroom, the ad images show, can become as innocuous as a sparkling, surgery-ready space if we only have the security of hand sanitizer. Yes, the power of the imagination…

Sure, the marketing gurus make their buck by coaxing rampant, misplaced fear in the populace. (Funny how we don’t seem as terrified by a “Biggie” order of French fries as we do our own door knobs.) However, let’s put aside the cautionary ads and look at the facts. Sales have risen some 70% since last year. Part of it is the whole H1N1 alarm, but it’s a general trend as well. Even if the craze isn’t warranted, what about more moderate use of the products? Do these things even work? Do they really keep us healthier? Are we breeding so-called “superbugs” every time we use a squirt or spray? As always, let’s break it down.

The vast majority of hand sanitizers out there are alcohol based (like Purell) with one or more of the typical n-propanol, isopropanol or ethanol. To be effective, they contain anywhere from 60-90% alcohol. The alcohol “kills” (i.e. deactivates) the germs but requires the full drying time to do so. Additionally, sanitizers offer some ongoing, residual protection by making the skin surface inhospitable for bacteria and viruses. Ethanol-based sanitizers do a better job at killing certain viruses like the norovirus. Natural sanitizers like CleanWell use extracts from herbs (thyme being one) with inherent antiseptic properties and show effectiveness rates similar to chemical-based products (PDF Press Release).

Next, are you less likely to get the cold or flu if you use them regularly? Research suggests that college dorm residents (PDF) and elementary students given instruction and ready access to hand sanitizers show fewer overall infections and absentee rates than control groups. (It’s worth noting that the elementary school students used an herbal, alcohol-free sanitizer.) One randomized cross-over comparison of traditional hand-washing measures versus sanitizer use in an elementary school showed similar effectiveness in reducing absenteeism.

What are the cons of these products? Although alcohol-based sanitizers appear to be easier on the skin than soap and water washing, some people react to the products. Aside from the alcohol itself, other ingredients can be suspect, particularly the fragrances used in some formulas. There’s also some concern about the use of ethanol-based sanitizers, particularly on children. A safety review out last year suggested additional research was necessary to confirm topical safety for regular use products. Herbal-based sanitizers don’t dry hands as much as alcohol-based products, and they’re generally viewed as safe options across the board. One up and coming category I’d definitely recommend skipping is the silver nanoparticle sanitizer. The research shows too many risks to make these products worthwhile by a long shot.

As for the risk of encouraging “superbugs,” the whole of the research suggests that sanitizers are in the clear. The real culprit here is triclosan (PDF), an anti-bacterial ingredient found in everything from anti-bacterial soaps to mouthwash to lunch boxes to running shoes (look for the “microban” label). It’s a potent endocrine-disruptor. If you have a choice of washing with a triclosan-based soap or using a regular hand sanitizer, I’d go with the sanitizer – hands down. (Sorry – couldn’t resist.)

Personally, I don’t think sanitizers are necessary for normal, everyday circumstances, but I don’t see too much harm in them, particularly the natural herb-based brands. Maintaining a strong immune system and using good old soap and water are your best defenses. That old advice about not rubbing your eyes, nose or mouth was right on as well. A study published this fall linked nearly one third of flu risk to participants’ hand to face contact. If you’re traveling and worry you might not have access to a washroom, I don’t see a problem with taking along a bottle of natural sanitizer. At worst, it’s simply an unnecessary measure. At best, it might give you some peace of mind. And, of course, if you’re the one who’s sick and you want to exercise some extra precaution/courtesy, go ahead and use it as a backup to hand washing when you need to. All that said, I fear that hand sanitizers represent a growing trend to sterilize anything and everything when sometimes all we need is a little dirt, dust and dishevelment.

But let me turn it over to all of you. Do you use sanitizers on an occasional or regular basis? Do you skip them altogether? Let me know what you think. Thanks for reading.

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