Author: Serkadis

Few things are more important to a good economic recovery than positive international trade trends. And on this front, we’ve seen substantial improvement in North American seaborne container trade most recently.

Based on port data compiled by Citi’s Mathey Troy in his latest ‘Port Report’, North American loaded container volumes fell only 0.3% year over year during the current fourth quarter to date. (Shown as ‘4QTD’ below)

This is a huge reversal from the double digit volume declines experienced previously, and indicates that container volumes could deliver year over year growth by the first quarter of 2010.

Many would argue that the trade rebound shown below is supported by government stimulus of titanic proportions. If so, let’s hope it stays afloat on its own.

Get This Delivered To Your Inbox

You can get this dropped in your inbox every afternoon as The Chart Of The Day. It’s simple. It’s convenient. It’s free. All we need is your email address (though we’d love your name and state, too, if you’re willing to share it).  Sign up below!

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• If You Thought The Economy Was Being Inflated By The Stimulus, You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet
• Get Ready For Epic Stimulus Spending Out Of China In The Final Couple Weeks Of December
• Japan Unveils New $80 Billion Stimulus

Lots of people got a good ironic laugh from the news that Microsoft, which has repeatedly complained about “piracy” in China, got caught blatantly copying code from a small startup named Plurk. Microsoft blamed a vendor and shut down the service. Plurk, for its part, got a ton of free publicity, and apparently it doesn’t want to give it up. It’s sent out a statement to lots of media folks (and us) with absolutely nothing of substance, but which says that the company is still considering legal action, while going on and on about how its just a small company that can’t even afford sales people or a marketing person to write this email. And yet, it thinks it wants to distract itself with a lawsuit against Microsoft? If it can’t afford sales people, those lawyers might be a bit costly. Yes, Microsoft copied your code. Time to use that to your advantage, and whining about the legal action you might take doesn’t get anyone else to actually care about your product.

Meanwhile, another provider of similar software (though open sourced), Status.net took a smarter approach. Blaise points out that Status.net put up a blog post telling Microsoft to go right ahead and take its code. After all, it’s open source (and they have a Chinese translation already). That’s what you’re supposed to do.

Permalink | Comments | Email This Story

A panel of the Food and Drug Administration said that the cholesterol-lowering drug Crestor ought to be offered to more people because it could help save lives and prevent heart attacks and strokes even among people who don’t have high cholesterol.

That recommendation is based on the findings of a study funded by drugmaker AstraZeneca involving almost 18,000 people, which found that patients with normal or slightly elevated cholesterol and high levels of C-reactive protein could benefit from taking the drug. C-reactive protein is a marker of inflammation in the body, which could indicate an increased risk of heart disease.

What the study showed

The study found that, among those patients who got the pill instead of a placebo, there was a 44 percent reduction in adverse incidents including death, heart attack and stroke. The research showed a 20 percent reduction in deaths from heart attacks among those who took the pill.

The drug company wants the FDA to approve marketing the drug to a much wider segment of the population. An estimated six million people would fall into the category of having normal cholesterol levels but high C-reactive protein measures. The drug, one of the most expensive in the category of statin drugs on the market — already reached $3.6 billion in sales last year. It’s thought adding these new patients would boost sales by about $500 million a year.

Crestor caveats

The FDA noted, however, that the increase in the number of study participants on the drug who developed diabetes was statistically significant, and 13 people in the study died from gastrointestinal ailments while on the drug. In addition, 18 patients reported being in a confused state while on the drug, compared to four taking the placebo, but it wasn’t thought that was connected to the drug.

Another potential problem with giving people with high C-reactive protein levels but healthy cholesterol a cholesterol-lowering drug is that C-reactive protein is a general measure of inflammation in the body, not a specific measure of heart disease risk. Inflammation could be caused by a host of other health problems. It’s not now a commonly used test, either, but that’s likely to change if the FDA goes ahead with the panel’s recommendation.

(By Sarah E. White for CalorieLab Calorie Counter News)

From the RSS feed of CalorieLab News (REF3076322B7)

Panel says cholesterol drug could help more people

Filed under: Etc., Europe, Videos, Humor

In the beginning, there was a yellow Yugo GV. And when the folks at Vprache Racing cast their eyes over it, they thought it was missing something. So they gave it an 3.5-liter BMW inline six-cylinder transplant and added a turbo besides. And an intercooler mounted on the grille. And a high-rise lift job. Then they took it hooning. And that was the end of the first day.

When that wasn’t enough, they added another turbo and fashioned arches to cover the exposed rubber. And then they took it drag racing. And that was the end of the second day. You can check out videos of the car in both iterations after the jump. It’s fast. And in a yellow Yugo, you’d want to be.

[Sources: Tampa Sports Car Examiner; YouTube]

Continue reading VIDEO: Turbocharged BMW-powered Yugo highboy has us reconsidering the GV

VIDEO: Turbocharged BMW-powered Yugo highboy has us reconsidering the GV originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

The WSJ is reporting that Sony is implementing RealD’s technology in its desire to bring 3D to the mainstream consumer electronics industry in 2010. So as you read that you probably fret and think its going to be some proprietary system only owned by Sony. Fortunately, their agreement isn’t exclusive so other manufacturers can use RealD when they respond and bring competition to Sony’s 3D TV next year. Sony really surprised a lot of people with its bold words for a big 3D product line – they now have a beautifully designed website dedicated to it called “3D Home.”

Don’t worry ladies and gentlemen – the glasses are actually decent looking (at least the ones I have used at trade shows), heavier than the movie theater version and in wraparound style, but I have heard that it won’t be long till designers start making 3D glasses too. Gucci 3D glasses? It’s not as far off as you think.

3D is really a bold gamble by Sony, a company that has been winding a curvy path these last few years, but it could pay off. We have been impressed with RealD’s efforts, and our general short sentence impression is “This is really something that could be incredible for the home.” I must reinforce there is a big difference between it and the plastic glasses most of you have used at the theaters – this is an active shutter system. To read more, check out our various RealD 3D impressions – or our direct, very informative review “Hands On With RealD’s CrystalEyes 4 Active Shutter 3D Glasses, And The Framework For Sony’s 3D Movement.”

Filed under: Car Buying, Crossover, Kia

Pricing for the 2011 Kia Sorento has popped up unannounced on the automaker’s consumer website, and as it turns out, you can drive a base model off the lot with money to spare for a Subway footlong – minus taxes and all that. At $19,995 for the starter model (*plus $795 in destination charges), you’ll get a five-seat unibody crossover with a 2.4-liter four-cylinder and a manual transmission standard. That engine puts out 175 horsepower and 169 pound-feet of torque and is also standard fitment for the uplevel LX and EX models, but the latter two get automatic transmissions.

The top tier model is the EX V6, with a 3.5-liter V6 proffering 276 hp and 248 ft-lb. All of the variants except the base also come in either front-drive or all-wheel drive variants, and there is also a seven-seat version. By the time you get to the grips-at-all-fours EX V6, you’re looking at $28,895.

The Sorento is meant to “significantly increase [Kia’s] share of the utility vehicle market,” and with pricing like that, a good ride and healthy tech specs, it’s got a good shot.

Gallery photos by Jeremy Korzeniewski/ Copyright (C)2009 Weblogs, Inc.
[Source: Kia]

2011 Kia Sorento pricing pops up, starts under $20k* originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Last week, the university of Texas’ regents decided to make Mack Brown the highest paid coach in college athletics by bumping his salary $2M a year to $5M total, running through 2016. This week, the Texas faculty council voted for a resolution declaring the move to be “unseemly and inappropriate” given the current state of the school’s budget. The vote was informal, as not enough members were present for a quorum. Not that it made an ounce of difference.

It goes without saying that Brown’s salary is paid for out of athletic department funds, which is separate from the academic side, and Texas’ department is the highest earning in the nation with over $87M in revenues last year alone. In addition, the department has also donated $6.6M in funds to academics since 2005. Indeed, things are looking up for Mack Brown, and his successor in waiting, Will Mushamp.

But David Hillis, past chair of the council, believes that athletics are “destroying higher education in America”. The amount that it donates to academics is far less than the proportion that research grants donate, by comparison. Hillis believes that this arms race of athletic spending cannot be sustained and that schools like UT are responsible for driving up costs nationwide, and that they can either be part of the problem, or part of the reformation.

Look. Athletics are their own little fiefdom on most campuses. As the old saying goes, basketball pays for itself and football pays for everything else. Is it fair for sport to hold so much sway over these large academic institutions? Probably not, but sway they do hold. Another old saying: “it’s hard to rally around a chemistry exam”. It’s probably best to think of athletics as a little side family business–a profitable one, especially considering that most FBS schools are heavily subsidized by state legislatures.

Would Texas be as successful now under the helm of a coach only compensated half as much as Mack Daddy? That’s debatable, but is it not the same scenario as a CEO of a Fortune 500 company? Maybe the whole boardroom is on auto-pilot or maybe the president is flying the whole ship solo–albeit by the seat of his pants. The important thing is that his ass is on the line. Coaches live and die by performance–unlike so many of these tenured professors sitting in their ivory towers. When was the last time someone reviewed their compensation package as it pertains to how much they actually produce, teach or manage. Hmmmm.

If you believe in free markets, you have to trust that the market will correct itself eventually–assuming that it’s even off. Yes, I think some of these salaries are obscene, but I vote with my wallet. I have chosen not to donate one dime to the athletic department of my alma mater. That doesn’t mean I’m less of a fan, but it does means that their defintion of fiduciaries no longer matches mine.

© fanblogs.com

View the original post or comment on Texas Faculty Upset Over Mack Brown Pay Raise…

Developed to help users take better photographs, image stabilization technology has become increasingly widespread in recent years. With single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras, image stabilization systems can be installed either within the interchangeable lenses or the camera body itself. Sony’s α series digital SLR cameras are equipped with image stabilization functions built into the camera body — referred to as “SteadyShot INSIDE.” With systems that rely on lens-based image stabilization, stabilization may not be supported for all lenses. A key advantage of Sony’s α series digital SLR cameras is that image stabilization is not dependent on the lens. In other words, camera-body based stabilization ensures stabilization for any lens (from wide-angle to telephoto) including previously purchased α lenses.

In digital SLR cameras, image stabilization is based on the sensor-shift method or the lens-shift method (demonstrated in the picture below). α series cameras use the sensor-shift method which stabilizes the image by moving the image sensor inside the camera body. Because the amount of drive required to correct camera shake varies according to the lens, focal-distance data from the lens is required to control the adjustment. With the α series, data is exchanged via the contact points between the body and the lens, enabling the stabilization process to be controlled within the body.

• Sensor-shift Method: Image stabilization is achieved by shifting the image sensor in the direction required to cancel out camera-shake and eliminate the resulting blurring of the image on the sensor.
• Lens-shift Method: Image stabilization is achieved by shifting a corrective lens in the direction required to cancel out movement on the optical axis resulting from camera shake.

The above image is a block diagram of the image stabilization system. The α series image stabilization system (SteadyShot INSIDE) is controlled by a microcomputer, which repeatedly carries out the digital servo processes (described in 1. through 3. below) at a specific frequency.

1. Angular velocity signals from the shake detector (Gyroscope sensor) are amplified in an analog signal processing circuit and converted into digital signals by the control microcomputer. The resulting angular velocity signal input is then converted into shake angle data through signal processing. Information about the focal length of the interchangeable lens is then used to convert the shake angle into shake distances on the image sensor.
2. Positioning signals from the position detector (a magnet that moves in unison with the image sensor and an opposing hall sensor) are amplified in an analog signal processing circuit and converted into digital signals by the control microcomputer.
3. The amount of image sensor movement required is calculated from the amount of shake and the current position. The system then drives the actuators accordingly.

As already stated, α series cameras provide image stabilization by moving the image sensor inside the camera body. Because stabilization performance becomes compromised if there is any motion within the image surface or along the optical axis during the stabilization process, Sony decided to use ultrasonic linear actuators to drive the stabilization system. These ensure that image sensor motion is smooth.

An ultrasonic linear actuator consists of a piezoelectric element (which expands or contracts in response to voltage changes), a shift that fixes the actuator to the piezoelectric element, and a slider through which the image sensor is attached. Because the slider is linked to the telescopic shaft by friction, the movement can be driven without shaking. The piezoelectric element controls the sliding movement of the slider by applying appropriate velocity variations as the slider moves back and forth. In this way, the back and forth motion of the actuator is converted into linear motion by the slider.

The photo shows the actuators actually used in the α700 with an APS-C size image sensor and the α900 with a 35mm full-frame image sensor. The actuator used to drive the full-sized image sensor in the α900 is capable of moving about 1.5 times more mass than the actuator in the APS-C. By developing this new device, Sony was able to create the world’s first 35mm full-frame digital camera with an image stabilization system built into the body.

The image stabilization unit contains two actuators to correct camera-shake in two directions: pitch and yaw. Figure 3 shows the structure of the image stabilization mechanism for a full-sized image sensor.

The image stabilization unit is comprised of various parts (as shown in Figure. 3). The base plate attaches to the camera body and to this base plate the yaw actuator is attached. The actuator is sandwiched between the slider and the cap. A single slider is used for both the yaw and pitch sides. The pitch actuator is incorporated into the image sensor holder and is fully integrated with the slider. This allows it to move freely relative to the camera.

When the image stabilizer is activated, data output from the two hall sensors on the base plate is used to detect the position of the image sensor. Camera-shake detected by the angular velocity sensor is then cancelled out by controlling the direction of motion.

In this basic drive structure, the small size of the drive unit relative to the image sensor supports extremely precise motion without shaking.

Users want digital SLRs that are both highly compact and energy efficient. Sony aims to meet these needs by further enhancing its SteadyShot INSIDE image sensor shift image stabilization system. Key areas requiring improvement include reducing the power consumption of actuators and devices, the scaling down in size of mechanical components, and improving the image sensors. Sony has expertise in all of these areas, including mechanical components, control devices and image sensors and will continue to use its advanced knowledge to create exciting new digital SLRs.

One of the key questions that comes up when you discuss the concept of a world without copyright is “what’s to stop others from just copying that book/DVD/CD etc. and selling it themselves, thus making the money that you could have made.” The answer is that there’s usually a lot preventing it. Filmmaker Nina Paley, a big supporter of culture without relying on copyright, has a great post discussing the “what’s stopping you” question, where she notes that most people simply won’t go through the hassle. However, what’s more interesting is that even if people do start selling your works, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. This is the similar to the discussion we recently had about others making money off of your content. If they’re able to do so, it often suggests some sort of demand that you haven’t met. As Paley notes, it’s free market research:

In general, I would much prefer you bought Sita merch from the Sita Merch Empire than from a CafePress store. Reasons include: I know the Merch Empire merch is high quality, I personally designed and like all the products there, and a much higher % of the money goes to me. CafePress merch tends to be overpriced for the quality, and CafePress takes almost all the profits unless the seller sets prices absurdly high.

That said, Drakar’s store offers Sita merch that doesn’t exist at the Merch Empire. If I offered mugs, mousepads and stickers, he wouldn’t have needed to make a Cafe Press store in the first place. If he actually sells any, it will demonstrate there is demand for such products. Then I can offer the same or similar products at my store. Drakar is essentially providing free market research, as are any other “competitors.” If any of them do exceptionally well, I’ll know what merch I should be selling.

This is why old-school economists say competition is good for businesses. It is. Too bad there’s so little real competition in our supposedly “free market democracy.”

Indeed. This is also why we’ve said time and time again that it’s perfectly fine if you want to copy this blog and try to sell ads against it (or make money some other way). If someone actually figures out something that works well, then that’s useful info to us, and would allow us to then incorporate those findings into our own offering. That’s actually good for everyone…

Permalink | Comments | Email This Story

Feedburner for some unfathomable reason has taken a dislike to our RSS feed, and are no longer updating it.  The Google subsidiary is also completely unresponsive, and the problem has not sorted itself out as hoped.

We are therefore asking our thousands of RSS subscribers to switch to our direct RSS feed at http://wmpoweruser.com/?feed=rss2

The issue highlights basing an important site function on a free service, who therefore makes no promises regarding uptime or service level guarantees. We apologize to our readers who have been inconvenienced, and hope most make the transition without any issue.

Which currencies might have the most to lose should the dollar-bounce continue?

According to Morgan Stanley’s currency team, two major commodity-backed currencies, the Australian Dollar and Brazilian Real, appear particularly overvalued against the dollar right now. 

Morgan Stanley’s Spyros Andreopoulos: BRL remains heavily overvalued against the USD: even if our models are somewhat slow to incorporate the improved fundamental outlook for the currency stemming from the recent oil finds and the China pull, an overvaluation of 34% against the USD suggests that BRL looks stretched at current levels. (The China pull argument may also apply to AUD.)

Even though their valuation is based on rather opaque econometric models likely subject to substantial error, these are at least guidelines:

(Via Morgan Stanley, FX Fair Values, Spyro Andreopoulos, 17 December 2009)

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• How To Hate The Dollar And Short The Gold Hype At The Same Time
• Bernanke: The Dollar Carry Trade Bubble Is Only A Problem If The Economy Gets Weak Again
• China’s Dumping Of The Dollar Has Begun

The bubble has officially been POPPED*, baby!

Roubini was right, gold is a barbarous relic!

*For today, anyway

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Gartman: Here’s How To Go Long Gold In Another Currency
• Gold "Super Spike" Coming In 2010
• Roubini: Here’s Five Reasons The "Barbarous Relic" Gold Is Going To Tank

Within the past hour, shares of Career Education Corp. (CECO) started to plunge more than 10%. Soon after, a heavily-redacted memo from the Department of Education’s Inspector General came out.

The memo questions whether or not the government will continue to provide student aid to colleges accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Government aid is especially important for colleges budgets, especially the for-profit sector. Below, the memo in full:

l13j0006 –

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• How Not To Go From Banking To Law School
• 75% of US High School Graduates Shouldn’t Go To College
• Come On, Is There Really A Devry Grad At Goldman Sachs?

Filed under: Buick

A few months back following the debut of the 2010 LaCrosse, Buick surprised us with the announcement that it would add a third powertrain option to the sedan’s lineup. After launching with a pair of V6 engines, Buick is now getting ready to start offering a LaCrosse CX model with a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine. This is the same direct injected unit that debuted in the new Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain last summer.

When the four-pot LaCrosse goes on sale early in the new year, it will carry a base sticker price of $26,995 (*including delivery). That’s $840 less than what it takes to get the current 3.0-liter V6 powered CX model in your driveway. In addition to the up-front savings, buyers should expect reduced operating costs for the four. Final EPA certification numbers aren’t in yet, but Buick is estimating that the LaCrosse four will net 20 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway. For comparison’s sake, the 3.0-liter is rated at 17/26 mpg city and highway.

The new 2.4-liter LaCrosse is slated to arrive in dealers in the first quarter of 2010. Official details in the presser after the jump.

Photos Copyright (C)2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.
[Source: Buick]

Continue reading Four-cylinder Buick LaCrosse arrives Q1 next year, to be priced from $26,995*

Four-cylinder Buick LaCrosse arrives Q1 next year, to be priced from $26,995* originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

The HTC Touch Pro 2 paired with a pico-projector allows presentations to be given anywhere, including a mud hut.

The Army has been talking again about its Army Knowledge Online portal, which provide worldwide online access to repository of online information, distance-learning tools, e-mail and other resources for 2.6 million Army users. The Web-based service is now part of a broader service known as Defence Knowledge Online.

That effort reached a new milestone in late October with the approval of an initial set of smart phones that, with other pocket-sized accessories, offers a way for soldiers to access the portal. The phones that can access the AKO portal approved for initial fielding are the HTC Ozone, Samsung Epix, Palm Treo Pro and HTC Touch Pro, said Maj. Keith Parker, assistant project manager for Go Mobile AKO/DKO.

The smartphones are paired with a set of accessory devices contained in a solar-powered backpack from Voltaic Systems which include:

• Myvu Solo video goggles, which work as a personal media viewer. Soldiers can privately watch training videos through the goggles and listen to audio through attached ear buds.
• The battery-powered Optoma Pico pocket projector, which is smaller than a cell phone and lets users project full-sized presentations onto any available surface. “You could run it from a mud hut,” Parker said.
• The Celio Redfly companion, a two-pound device that displays whatever is on its companion smart phone on an eight-inch screen with a full QWERTY keyboard. Because the Redfly has no operating system, processor or memory, users can’t save data on it. If it’s lost or falls into enemy territory, there’s no harm done.
• The Planon Printstik, which has a 50-page capacity. The thermal printer is designed for “quick reactionary type things,” Parker said, not publication-quality documents. Even so, Parker said he once left a page in direct sunlight for a week or so, and the print didn’t fade.
• A mini solar charger that folds to about the size of a computer mouse and can charge all of those devices. The charger takes a few hours to fully charge but can run the devices for about eight hours.

"Each piece of the Go Mobile kit has to meet stringent Defense Department information assurance requirements," Parker said. The project is getting ready for its first phase of deployment for garrison training. The next phase will be the tactical environment, which will require hardening of the equipment to military specifications, including both Mil-Std 810-F and Mil-Std 810-G requirements, Parker said.

Good Technology provides the Army with its Good for Government server, which sits behind the firewall in the AKO data center, said John Herrema, chief marketing officer for Good Technology. There it interfaces with AKO’s back-end systems, including its messaging platform and directory infrastructure.

Good also provides a network operations center (NOC), based in a secure cloud environment, that communicates with the AKO users’ mobile devices. The NOC intelligently bridges those two connections — the data center and the mobile devices — so that "you don’t have to open up any inbound ports, so there’s no way an outside hacker can try to connect in," Herrema said.

"The net result of all this is that you have an environment where users can send and receive messages while they are in no way exposed to attack," Herrema said.

The phones were rigorously tested before they received approval, Parker said. Users will be able to buy an approved smart phone and a service plan from their wireless carrier. After completing a specialized registration process, qualified users will then be able to download Go Mobile’s customized software. The middleware for the project was developed by Good Technology, a third-party vendor.

Although it is in the testing phase, the Go Mobile program should be operational by early next year, Parker said.

The program is ultimately about the convergence of smart phones, personal digital assistants and phones, Parker said. He said that when he used to get a PowerPoint slide on his BlackBerry, he would need to wait until he got back to his hotel, home or office to download it. Now he can access it fully via AKO.

“Our goal is to provide enterprise service and ubiquitous access,”  “It’s a portal in your pocket.”

Read more about the initiative at Government Computer News.com

Bank of America may have named its new CEO today, but today it dropped the key $15 a share mark, which it hasn’t since mid-July of 2009.

Not exactly a ringing endorsement Mr. Moynihan.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Stocks Plunge In Final Hour Of Trading
• Andrew Cuomo Vetoed Bank Of America’s Top CEO Choice, So Moynihan Got The Job
• Bank Of America Analyst Discovered In A Closet Passed Out With A Nosebleed