Author: Serkadis

California announces Expo 2010Biofuels WatchImperial Valley is considered to be a prime location for biofuel production. It has nearly 500000 acres of the most productive farms which could be used to …

Filed under: Budget, Minivan/Van, Misc. Auto Shows, India, Tata

Visit New Delhi and you’ll be overwhelmed by the number of motorized trikes hustling and bustling through the city proper. They’re practically the official vehicle of India because of their low cost, ease of maintenance and small size. But just as Tata is trying to revolutionize the world of budget motoring with the Nano, the Indian automaker wants to offer another form of urban transport to replace the much-loved trike. The Tata Magic Iris is it.

We don’t have exact dimensions, but as you can see in the pics, it’s small – the wheelbase isn’t much longer than a baseball bat and the wheels max out at 12 inches (10-inch hoops are standard). Nestled within the steel five-seater (two in front and three out back) is a 611cc, water-cooled diesel churning out a 11 horsepower, allowing the diminutive box to hit a maximum speed of 34 mph. While its specs aren’t about to set the world on fire, it’s considerably more versatile than the trike it aims to replace. Tata hasn’t announced pricing yet, but expect the Magic Iris to come in well below $2,000 when it hits Indian roads later this year.

[Source: IndianAutosBlog | Live Images: Shrawan Raja]

Auto Expo 2010: Tata Magic Iris is ready to take on the trike originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

On Oct. 28, 2009, Federal Bureau of Investigation K-9 Freddy lost his life in the line of duty. Freddy will be returned home to Quantico, Virginia.

A memorial will be held at Quantico and Freddy’s name will be added to a memorial wall.

Freddy was a Belgian Malinois. Freddy was born on February 17, 2007 and entered on duty with the FBI on September 8, 2008. In the line of duty, Freddy gave his life for his team.

He will be missed by his FBI family.

Anyone who wishes to send a card to Freddy’s team members, please send them to the address below and they will be forwarded to the team:

Freddy’s Team
c/o FBI
477 Michigan Avenue, 26th Floor
Detroit, Michigan 48226

Anyone wishing to donate money to a K-9 Law Enforcement Memorial in the memory of Freddy:

FBI Agents Association
Attn: K9 Fund-Freddy
PO Box 12650
Arlington, VA 22219

I’m sure we all remember the famous commercial that features a senior citizen who fell down and shouting out that she has “fallen and can’t get up!” We all laughed, snickered and mimicked that commercial but how many times does that happen in real life? Too many. I have had first hand experience with a family member who this happened too and its not funny. Wellcore System is a Mobile Personal Emergency Response System product for seniors that utilizes motion detection and advanced pattern recognition to determine if in fact a loved one has fallen.  The Wellcore system came to fruition because the people behind this device where concerned and wanted to keep in touch with loved ones and monitor their activity if they got hurt. The Wellcore system is so much more than just a monitoring system. Seniors can carry around with them a Wellcore Personal Activity Monitor and as long as they have a cellphone that is compatible with the system – loved ones can be notified if they fall or have something happen to them when they are out. You can monitor them online and a GPS map similar to google maps will pinpoint exactly where they have fallen in their apartment, home, or street. If you just want to say ‘Hi’ you can send a quick message to the Wellcore base unit and they will receive the message upon return. The Wellcore System offers automatic fall detection, online monitoring, and text-to-speech messaging and they have recently signed a distribution partnership with firstSTREET. The Wellcore System is probably one of the more advanced wellness electronic products for seniors I have seen thus far in a few years. The Wellcore System will be available for pre-orders and will retail for $199 and the monthly monitoring service will cost $49.95.

The Wellcore product provides seniors and caregivers with a superior solution for wellness and safety offering the following benefits:

* Detects falls automatically and sends help in an emergency. Wellcore distinguishes falls from other types of motion with unprecedented accuracy—all without having to press a button.  When a fall is automatically detected, a Wellcore specialist contacts the wearer to assess the level of urgency.  If an emergency is determined or there is no response, Wellcore sends emergency services and alerts designated caregivers and family. The button can also be pressed at any time to initiate the same immediate response.
* Asks to be worn when forgotten. When forgotten, Wellcore sends friendly reminders through the base unit, asking to be worn, and a notification appears on the online dashboard.  If the sensor is left unworn for an extended period of time, an email message is sent to a designated caregiver or family member.
* Monitors activity and provides an online dashboard for at-a-glance reassurance. Accessible 24/7, a password-protected dashboard tracks motion and learns daily patterns over time, highlighting significant changes when they occur.  The dashboard also displays notifications and alerts concerning everyday activity and safety.
* Delivers messages to stay connected. Text messages created on the online dashboard are converted to voice and played on the base unit, similar to voice messages on an answering machine.
* Protects on the go-not just at home for a safe, active lifestyle. When paired with a Wellcore-compatible cell phone, Wellcore allows 24/7 protection anywhere within the cell phone’s coverage range.  When a fall is detected, the cell phone summons emergency responders to the exact location of the fall using the cell phone’s GPS, and caregivers are alerted.
* Innovative design. Made of brushed aluminum, the Wellcore device and base unit feature contemporary design from one of the world’s most renowned industrial designers, Dr. Hartmut Esslinger, founder frog design. Unlike other Personal Emergency Response devices, the Wellcore solution is stylish as well as waterproof.

While there are rumors of a “technological monster (qjnet/nintendo-ds/digital-foundry-nintendo-nvidia-deal-is-true-psp2-is-a-technological-monster.html)” in the form of the PSP2, Nintendo has a monster of handheld of its own in the works. They’re not about to let a possible PSP2 dominate the

This is hardly a new issue, but an LA Times review of three new netbooks once again brings up Microsoft’s odd limitations on netbooks, in which the company will only sell its operating system to be put on underpowered netbooks, with the belief that this will somehow “protect” its other markets. Those sorts of claims tend to have a way of backfiring — and I’m a bit surprised that we haven’t seen more alternatively-powered netbooks. Yes, there are a bunch of Linux netbooks on the market (and the original netbooks were Linux-based) but Microsoft machines have since taken over the market. It’s encouraging to see companies like Lenovo now pushing much more powerful netbooks using a Linux-based OS, but I’m still trying to figure out Microsoft’s reasoning. If the fear is that it will somehow cannibalize Microsoft’s market for more powerful OSes on more powerful machines, it’s difficult to see how ceding the market to others will help.

Permalink | Comments | Email This Story

Since all of the geeks around the world are focused on the 2010 CES show going on right now in Las Vegas, General Motors decided to catch some attention from the smartphone market with a new app that will allow Chevrolet Volt owners to connect and control their vehicle functions and OnStar features remotely.

Using either a Droid by Motorola, Apple iPhone and Blackberry Storm, Volt owners with the new app can: display charge status, access the “Charge Now feature or schedule future charging times, display the percentage of battery charge and range level, send text or email notifications for charge reminders, display the mpg, remotely start the Volt to pre-condition the interior temperature of the vehicle and see the mpg, EV miles and miles driven from their last trip.

The OnStart Mobile Application will be available for Volt owners when it goes on sale later this year. Pricing for the Volt has yet to be announced.

Click here for more news on the Chevrolet Volt.

Click through for a video promo and the press release.

2011 Chevrolet Volt:

2011 Chevrolet Volt:

Press Release:

Chevrolet and OnStar Give Volt Owners 24/7 Connection and Control via Wireless Smartphone Application

– Chevrolet Volt First Electric Vehicle to Demonstrate Wireless Smartphone Application
– Volt showcases technology beyond the battery with OnStar Mobile Application
– OnStar created a mobile application for Volt that provides drivers custom services and added control
– Charging Volt is easy, convenient and efficient with OnStar Mobile Application technology

LAS VEGAS – Chevrolet and OnStar unveiled the auto industry’s first working smartphone application that will allow Chevrolet Volt owners 24/7 connection and control of vehicle functions and OnStar features remotely.

OnStar’s Mobile Application allows drivers to communicate with their Volt from Droid by Motorola, Apple iPhone and Blackberry Storm smartphones. It uses a real-time data connection to perform tasks from setting the charge time to unlocking the doors.

The Chevrolet Volt OnStar smartphone application is designed to enhance the overall Volt ownership experience with interaction and control never offered before on any electric vehicle. The application:

– displays charge status – plugged in or not, and voltage (120V or 240V)
– provides flexibility to “Charge Now” or schedule charge timing
– displays percentage of battery charge level, electric and total ranges
– allows owner to manually set grid-friendly charge mode for off-peak times when electricity rates are lowest
– sends text or email notifications for charge reminders, interruptions and full charge
– displays miles per gallon, electric only miles, and odometer readings
– shows miles per gallon, EV miles and miles driven for last trip and lifetime
– remotely start the vehicle to pre-condition the interior temperature

“The Chevrolet Volt ushers in a new era of automotive technology and calls for a new level of connectivity and control,” said Walt Dorfstatter, president, OnStar. “Nearly 6 million vehicles on the road today use OnStar to stay connected, and our new smartphone app will make that even easier for Volt drivers.”

OnStar’s real-time data connection also helps drivers maximize the environmental benefits of owning a Volt, even when not in the vehicle. The application’s intuitive Charge Status feature simplifies setting the charge time. Rather than using battery power, the application allows owners to start the Volt remotely to pre-condition the interior temperature using power from the grid. This preserves the battery charge for driving without gasoline.

When a charge command is activated, the Volt owner will receive a confirmation message on the application alerting the owner that a command has been successfully sent to the vehicle. If in view of the Volt, a green LED charge light on the dash will indicate the charge state.

Traditional OnStar features such as door lock, unlock and remote horn and lights – which have typically been accessible only through a call into the OnStar call center – will now be available via the application.

OnStar Mobile was developed from the ground-up by engineers in the OnStar EV Lab. In addition to this work, the team is leveraging OnStar’s connectivity to the vehicle to gather real-time data about development models of the Volt as they are tested. OnStar engineers then share this real-time data with the Volt engineering team to speed the development process and help ensure quality at the start of production.

Demonstration applications for the Motorola Droid and Blackberry Storm will be available at OnStarMobileDemo.com beginning 10 p.m., EST, January 5. The demonstration application for the Apple iPhone will be available on the iTunes store on January 6.

Volt’s OnStar mobile application will also be available on a mobile browser for other internet-capable phones. Volt drivers can also view and manage vehicle systems and commands from the vehicle, the internet or through a monthly OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics e-mail.

Volt owners can opt-in to receive a monthly OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics e-mail report with diagnostics on the unique characteristics of an electric vehicle with extended range, as well as the maintenance information current OnStar subscribers receive. OnStar will also provide the connection for the Volt owner website, which will allow many of the same capabilities as the mobile application along with more in depth information on the vehicle’s history.

The OnStar subscription for the Chevrolet Volt will also include the safety, security and peace of mind services currently available to OnStar’s subscribers including Automatic Crash Response, Turn-by-Turn Navigation, Hands-Free Calling and Stolen Vehicle Assistance.

The Volt is an electric vehicle with extended-range capability. It is designed to drive up to 40 miles on electricity without using gasoline or producing tailpipe emissions. When the Volt’s lithium-ion battery is depleted of energy, an engine/generator seamlessly operates to extend the total driving range to about 300 miles before refueling or stopping to recharge the battery.

OnStar Mobile Application will be available for Volt owners at launch. Production for the Volt is scheduled to begin in late 2010. Pricing has not been announced

– By: Kap Shah

Tareq and Michaele Salahi weren’t the only uninvited guests that showed up at the White House State Dinner in November.

On Monday, the Secret Service announced that a third crasher made it through security. His name was withheld by officials, but The Washington Post quoted a congressional source who identified the man as Carlos Allen, a 39-year-old DC party promoter who runs an event space in the Washington suburb of Mount Pleasant, Md.

“He’s not a gate crasher,” Allen’s attorney, Scott Bolden, said in an interview Tuesday with FOX 5. “He’s an entrepreneur. He received an invite. He believed that invite was official. I’ve never been invited to the White House but it looked pretty official to me….”

Nordic Windpower's two-bladed N1000 turbine.

Nordic Windpower, a Berkeley, Calif., developer of low cost two-blade turbines, has raised $38 million in a third round of funding led by Khosla Ventures. Other investors included New Enterprise Associates, Novus Energy Partners and Impax Asset Management, an existing investor.

Other participants included I2BF Management and Pulsar Energy Capital. The company has closed three funding rounds since 2007, raising capital from Goldman Sachs International and NBT AS, among others.

The company plans to use the cash to scale the manufacturing and distribution of its one megawatt, N1000 wind turbines.

In July Nordic secured a $16 million Department of Energy loan guarantee, which it plans to use to expand a wind turbine assembly factory in Pocatello, Idaho.

Wade Roush wrote:

Bedford Funding, a White Plains, NY-based private equity fund, has purchased PeopleClick, a Raleigh, NC-based maker of software for employee recruitment and human resources management, for $100 million, and, according to a press announcement released yesterday, and plans to merge it with Waltham, MA-based rival Authoria, which it purchased last year for $63 million. The combined company, to be called Peopleclick Authoria and led by Bedford managing partner Charles Jones, will count nearly 60 of the Fortune 100 among its clients, according to the announcement. Waltham, MA-based Charles River Ventures was among Peopleclick’s original investors, according to a report in Dow Jones VentureWire.

Comments | Reprints | Share:  

 
 
 

Miley Cyrus is speaking out in the name of body art. The Hannah Montana star, who turned 17 in November, had the words “Just Breathe” etched below her heart in her mother’s handwriting last year. The first snaps of the ink sparked debate between fans of the starlet and their parents, particularly since several U.S. states forbid those under the age of 18 from getting inked.

For her part, Miles insists she didn’t get the tattoo on a whim; it’s a tribute to a dear friend who died of cystic fibrosis in 2007, and her grandfathers who both succumbed to lung cancer, says the star. The once clean-cut and often controversial singer/actress hardly felt the pain of the needle as she had her first tattoo inked because she was concentrating on the people who inspired it in the first place.

“It really doesn’t hurt if you’re thinking about the meaning. I could never get a meaningless tattoo, but I think that if you’re doing something that’s important, that’s significant in your life, it takes some of the pain away,” she tells the February issue of Harper’s Bazaar. “It reminds me not to take things for granted. I mean breathing – that was something none of them could do, the most basic thing. And I put it near my heart, because that is where they will always be.”

The private employment sector lost 84,000 jobs for December.

The Street was expecting a number around 75k, so while it’s not good news, the spread is at least tight.

Below, the release in full:

ADP:  According to today’s ADP National Employment Report®, private sector employment decreased by 84,000 in December. The ADP National Employment Report, created by Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP®), in partnership with Macroeconomic Advisers, LLC, is derived from actual payroll data and measures the change in total nonfarm private employment each month.

Nonfarm Private Employment Highlights — December Report:
 — Total employment:             -84,000
 — Small businesses*             -25,000
 — Medium businesses**           -25,000
 — Large businesses***           -34,000
 — Goods-producing sector:       -96,000
 — Service-providing sector:     +12,000
Addendum:
 — Manufacturing industry:       -43,000
* Small businesses represent payrolls with 1-49 employees
** Medium businesses represent payrolls with 50-499 employees
*** Large businesses represent payrolls with more than 499 employees

According to Joel Prakken, Chairman of Macroeconomic Advisers, LLC, “Nonfarm private employment decreased 84,000 from November to December 2009 on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to the ADP National Employment Report. The December employment decline was the smallest since March of 2008. Employment losses are now rapidly diminishing and, if recent trends continue, private employment will begin rising within the next few months.”

Prakken added, “December’s ADP Report estimates nonfarm private employment in the service-providing sector increased by 12,000, the largest increase since January of 2008. However, this employment growth was not enough to offset continued losses in the goods-producing sector. Employment in the goods-producing sector declined 96,000, with employment in the manufacturing sector dropping 43,000.”

“Large businesses, defined as those with 500 or more workers, saw employment decline by 34,000, while medium-size businesses with between 50 and 499 workers declined 25,000. Employment among small-size businesses, defined as those with fewer than 50 workers, declined 25,000,” said Prakken.

Prakken went on to say, “In December, construction employment dropped 52,000. This was its thirty-fifth consecutive monthly decline, and brings the total decline in construction jobs since the peak in January 2007 to 1,777,000. Employment in the financial services sector dropped 12,000.”

The matched sample used to develop the ADP National Employment Report was derived from ADP data, which during the twelve month period through December 2009, averaged over 360,000 U.S. business clients and represented over 22 million U.S. employees. This approximately represents the size of the matched sample used this month.

Small Business Highlights — December Report:

Due to the important contribution small businesses make to economic growth, employment data that is specific to businesses with fewer than 50 employees will be reported in the ADP Small Business Report® each month. The ADP Small Business Report is a subset of the ADP National Employment Report.

—  Total small business employment: -25,000
—  Goods-producing sector: -36,000 small business jobs
—  Service-providing sector: +11,000 small business jobs
   

Private employment among small businesses decreased by 25,000 in December, according to the ADP Small Business Report released today. Additional information about small business employment, including charts on monthly job growth and employment levels, along with historical data, is available at http://www.smallbusinessreport.adp.com.

“Employment among small-size businesses, defined as those with fewer than 50 workers, declined 25,000 in December. However, small business employment within the service-providing sector increased by 11,000 during December. If recent trends continue, private employment will begin rising within the next few months,” said Joel Prakken.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• 15 Ways To Blow Your Job Interview
• NYC Foreclosures Surge, As Unemployment Goes Into The Teens In Several Neighborhoods
• Detroit’s Unemployment Nears 50%

Each year, Sea Shepherd sends ships to Antarctica to try to stop the Japanese fleet killing whales under the guise of scientific research. The clash took place near Commonwealth Bay in Antarctica.

Paul Watson, who founded the organisation and is captain of the ship Steve Irwin, said: ‘The Japanese whalers have now escalated this conflict very violently. If they think that our remaining two ships will retreat from the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary in the face of their extremism, they will be mistaken.’

The Ady Gil was a new acquisition for Sea Shepherd in November last year. Previously named Earthrace, the US$1.5m catamaran holds the world record for the fastest circumnavigation of the globe.

The Japanese fisheries agency said this was the fourth time this season that the activists had obstructed the whaler’s operations.
Obviously, there are a whole bunch of questions as how a boat as fast as the Ady Gil could be surprised — and not get the hell out of the way. But furthermore,the Japanese should be held accountable for ramming a much smaller vessel — and putting human lives in great danger in the process. This appears to have been a full-on collision — not some accidental sideswipe. They should be prepared for a great deal of international outrage with this one.
According to reports at abc.net.au, that was when Japanese whaling ship, Shonan Maru 2, just deliberately rammed into it. Spokesman Chris Aultman, who is a helicopter pilot for the group, says that no crew members were hurt in the incident but the boat is destroyed.

Lacky Maclean, who is the first mate of the Sea Shepherd’s ship, the Steve Irwin, said that the bow of Ady Gil was just cut off in the attack. A spokesman for Japan’s Fisheries Agency, which oversees Japan’s whaling program, says that it’s investigating the incident.

Related posts:

1. Sea Shepherd, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society Each year, Sea Shepherd sends ships to Antarctica to try…
2. Ady Gil Boat, Ady Gil Boat 2010 Each year, Sea Shepherd sends ships to Antarctica to try…
3. Radiance Of The Seas Radiance of the Seas begins the season with 12 short…

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

German carmaker Volkswagen increased the BlueMotion range in the UK, with a new petrol engine version. According to the carmaker, the 1.4-liter TSI 122 hp BlueMotion Technology Eos model can be ordered, in both S and SE trims, for £20,695 and £21,795 RRP on the road, respectively.

This entry-level engine addition to the Eos is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox and is able to produce 122 hp and 147 lbs ft of torque. Just like the other models in the Volkswagen BlueMotion range, b… (read more)

Email overload is an increasingly frequent problem. When dealing with hundreds of emails every day, at some point people just give up and start deleting them or marking them as read in bulk. You won’t miss much of the emails that you skip this way, but more than a couple may prove important or from someone close. A lot of people realize this problem, but few are doing anything about it, even the biggest players. One company that is making the right moves is Yahoo albeit rather small ones. Yahoo is announcing that Yahoo Mail is about to get a couple of neat features, which have been in testing, that will make it more social, but also easier to retrieve the email that is the most important to you.

“With the new welcome page – ‘What’s New’ – you can now easily find the important mail from those who matter most. In addition, you can now get updates from people you’re close to,” Yahoo announced. “And from the Inbox and folders, you can filter your mail to see just the mail from your contacts or connections… [S]hortly, these great new features will be added to everyone’s ‘What’s New’ page.”

The first big new feature enables users to get a quick overview of the emails they received from their friends and family in their Contacts li… (read more)