Mereja

Author: Serkadis

  • Sony: PS3 Slim could have been smaller

    The PS3 Slim is small and cheap enough as it is, but did you know that Sony actually wanted to make it even smaller? Sony Computer Entertainment’s Masayuki Chatani let Nikkei in on Sony’s scrapped plans for

  • Can Entrepreneurs Drive People Movers to Success?

    Q&A with: Benjamin G. Edelman
    Published: December 14, 2009
    Author: Martha Lagace

    Imagine you’ve arrived for a meeting at a corporate campus. But now you discover that the conference room is in another building a quarter mile away. Sure, you could walk there … but in the rain? Up purrs an automated people mover, a vehicle shaped like a segment of a subway car, big enough to carry solo travelers or small groups. You step inside, press a button for your destination, the door closes, and off you go down a narrow track. Two minutes later—presto, the door opens again and you alight at your destination. You’ve arrived for your meeting on time and fresh as a daisy.

    The concept of personal rapid transport, or PRT for short, has been percolating since the mid-1950s and is finally gaining ground, according to HBS professor Benjamin G. Edelman. Business and communities small and large are increasingly aware of PRT as a “green” solution to multiple transportation problems from (in)convenience to price to congestion, he says.

    The concept is well known—you have likely encountered automated, driverless people movers in cities such as Detroit, amusement parks (Disneyland coined the name PeopleMover for its transport/ride launched in 1967), and numerous airports.

    However, these systems were largely designed to move a large number of people on a fixed schedule along a track from point to point to point. In today’s revival, people movers are downsized into single cars, a lightweight “pod car,” that quickly ferry from one to four passengers with no waiting to a number of possible destinations.

    Grey body yellow doors

    PRT is an innovative approach to short-distance transportation, continues Edelman, whose other research interests include the design of electronic marketplaces.

    “These vehicles travel on an exclusive right of way, typically an elevated guideway, though track can also be installed at or below ground level. A vehicle leaves when passengers are ready, and service is nonstop from origin to destination, with no intermediate stops for others to get on or off.”

    An assistant professor at Harvard Business School, Edelman recently wrote about Vectus, Ltd., a Sweden-based PRT firm, on his Web site; a case study is available from Harvard Business Press. Other firms in the PRT business landscape include Advanced Transport Systems (which won a contract for Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5), 2getthere, and Cabintaxi. In the past decade PRT projects been weighed for sites as diverse as the docklands in Cardiff, Wales; the airport-to-town route of Ciampino, Italy; and the Technical University of Eindhoven, The Netherlands.

    We asked Edelman more about PRT in an e-mail Q&A.

    Martha Lagace: How did you first become interested in PRT systems?

    Ben Edelman: As a longtime user of public transportation, I often wish for more widespread transit links, more frequent services, and faster journeys. Yet I’m shocked by the costs of existing transit systems. At $200 million per mile (the approximate cost of recent subway projects in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.), subways can be tough medicine. And cost aside, subways are no panacea—disruptive construction, limited residential connections, and for many routes, long trips due to line changes and waits between trains.

    Most of the cost of a subway system comes from the guideway—digging tunnels, building stations, laying track. And when you look at that track, it’s usually empty. Every ten minutes a train sweeps by, and then the track lays fallow for nine more minutes. That always struck me as inefficient: We built this expensive track only to leave it vacant most of the time.

    PRT offers a different approach. With much lighter vehicles, the guideway can be proportionally slim—above ground in many areas, with a visual intrusion as small as an elevated bicycle path. Stations can be equally small—even integrated into the side of existing structures, improving convenience while further reducing construction costs. Because service is on demand, passengers need not wait for a vehicle to arrive, and changing lines would be a thing of the past. I had been thinking about some of these concepts independently. Then I was thrilled to learn that implementation is well under way.

    Q: Have you ridden in a PRT? If so, how was it?

    A: I’ve ridden the Vectus test track in Uppsala, Sweden, and I’ve toured the new installation (scheduled to open in 2010) at Heathrow Terminal 5. They’re both impressive: smooth track, elegant vehicles, and a polished user interface.

    Q: In 1972 a PRT was launched at the University of West Virginia in Morgantown, and it continues to operate today. As you write, the concept of PRT is not new; it has been public since the mid-1950s. Since PRT seems a great idea, how do you explain the long gestation? What have been the main obstacles to date?

    A: PRT designers in Morgantown started with the right concepts—small vehicles and on-demand service. But the designers worried about the occasional rush, so they enlarged the vehicles, which required strengthening the track and enlarging the stations, which led to a cost spiral. These days, designers understand the crucial importance of small vehicles to limiting system cost. Another key improvement: Robust computer control is the core of a successful PRT—tracking vehicle locations, knowing who wants to go where, sending appropriate instructions. With modern IT, these tasks are far easier than in the past.

    Morgantown’s system attracted early complaints for its cost and visual intrusion. But Morgantown’s PRT stacks up well against decades of shuttle bus costs—particularly given its speed and reliability advantages. Indeed, Morgantown’s system provides more than 10,000 rides per day, continuing for decades with good reliability.

    Q: What is the potential now for PRTs to “take off,” so to speak? What are the incentives both for PRT businesses and for the public?

    A: Certainly interest in clean technology is an important part of the story here. What would it take to get commuters out of their cars and into public transit? I envision a subway system with stops further apart, so long-haul transit can be faster and more efficient. Then each subway stop enjoys a feeder network of PRT serving businesses and residences with proximity at least as convenient as current bus stops, and a quality of service far above what buses can offer.

    Right now, the field is wide open. Companies with existing transit experience are certainly watching PRT. But the first PRT installations are coming from small companies and entrepreneurs.

    Q: What sorts of hurdles remain?

    A: One challenge is general distrust in the approach. PRT is complicated—numerous small vehicles rather than a few large vehicles, computer control in place of drivers. Simulations say these changes are workable, but some people want to see proof through operational installations. That’s fair—and I’m hopeful that demos will be available in 2010.

    Also uncertain is public response to an elevated guideway. I well know the impact of elevated highways—recall the elevated I-93 in downtown Boston—and I’m no fan of that kind of intrusion. To me, PRT feels quite different from an elevated highway: A bidirectional PRT guideway can be narrower than a single lane of highway, and some PRT guideway designs let light pass through to areas below.

    We accept all kinds of intrusions in our urban environments—buses, highway ramps, traffic lights, telephone poles. I am hopeful that PRT will stack up well—huge benefits relative to the intrusion it asks a community to permit. But a lot depends on public response.

    Q: Might the potential for PRT be greater in countries with good and already-established public transportation infrastructures as compared with, say, the United States, where most citizens like and need their automobiles?

    A: Certainly Americans like cars. Although no one likes traffic jams, shoveling snow in the winter, or paying for parking. With the right combination of price, speed, and convenience, PRT could beat the private automobile. There are already routes that are faster by bicycle than by car, particularly when you consider parking. PRT can widen the gap.

    In the very densest cities—parts of New York City and plenty of cities elsewhere—PRT probably isn’t a great fit. But even small to midsized cities struggle with automobile congestion, particularly since subways and light rail often don’t match their needs. In this spirit, Santa Cruz, California, and Ithaca, New York, are already looking at the benefits of PRT.

    Q: What sorts of questions should managers at Vectus or other PRT businesses ask themselves going forward?

    A: I’m convinced that PRT creates huge value—reducing automobile congestion, and getting passengers to their desired destinations more quickly and more reliably. But how can a system vendor claim a fair share of that value—enough to justify building the system in the first place? One possibility is to seek government funding. That’s not a bad idea—so much transit is government-funded—but it’s a tough requirement for an upstart business.

    Car station

    Another possibility: Build PRT on a corporate or educational campus. The campus owner internalizes benefits, and could pay to build the system. I’m particularly struck by the use of PRT to increase the value of land that might otherwise be viewed as undesirable. Consider a parcel that’s a bit beyond walking distance from the subway, restaurants, and the like. Right now, a developer must accept a dramatically reduced price for that kind of land. But PRT could connect outlying buildings directly to a subway platform and a restaurant district. A PRT-connected outlying building could be a two-minute ride from a subway station a mile away—closer, in terms of time and convenience, than a close-in building just a block from the station. Suddenly the outlying land is as valuable as the close-in land, and the developer can afford to pay for PRT with private funds. It’s an exciting possibility, and I believe it’s workable for a broad class of PRT installations.

    Q: What are you working on next?

    A: These days, online shoppers face deceptive offers that promise discounts (“$10 off your next order”) while they attempt to check out at ordinary retail Web sites. Because an online checkout requires a series of “yes” and “I agree” confirmations, it’s all too easy to press an extra button that purportedly accepts one of these offers, without realizing that the offer actually carries a charge of $15 per month or more. Notably, these offers obtain consumers’ credit card numbers directly from partner sites—playing into consumers’ reasonable but mistaken belief that, if an offer doesn’t request a card number, the service must be free. As a result, a user may enter a billing relationship and face credit card charges without actually providing a card number to the company that posts the charges.

    I analyzed deceptive characteristics of these offers in a statement to the Senate Commerce Committee in November. At present, I’m comparing these practices with applicable rules from Visa, MasterCard, and American Express. Card networks do not let merchants copy customers’ card numbers willy-nilly, so I hope to get these charges removed from the credit card ecosystem.

    Meanwhile, this holiday shopping season users ought to exercise special caution. A link promising extra savings may not be what it seems. Be careful even at trusted sites: Sites as well-known as Buy.com, Expedia, and US Airways all confronted consumers with these deceptive offers.

    To learn more about PRT:

    Advanced Transport Systems, Ltd.

    Vectus PRT

    2getthere

    Cabintaxi

    About the author

    Martha Lagace is the senior editor of HBS Working Knowledge.

  • REPORT: Former Volvo directors and politicians fear sale to BAIC

    Filed under: , ,

    Back in October, Ford anointed China’s Geely Holding Group as its preferred bidder for Swedish Automaker Volvo. The move made perfect sense for Ford, simply because Geely was offering money and the recent happenings in the auto industry proved that, beyond the shadow of a doubt, you can never have too much money. But it should come as a surprise of nobody that there is a significant delegation of past and present members of Volvo management that aren’t all that thrilled with being engulfed by an up and coming Chinese company.

    Sweden news site The Local is reporting that eight former Volvo directors have collaborated on a letter to Ford Chairman Bill Ford Jr. asking the Blue Oval to reconsider a sale to Geely. The letter reportedly states that Geely doesn’t have the technical competence to keep the Swedish automaker going. The letter also allegedly stated that Volvo is concerned about technical details being leaked to Geely — a situation Ford likely wouldn’t be too happy with.

    While past Volvo directors appear to be very concerned about the prospect of Geely taking over the company, current Volvo management is speaking out in favor of the deal. That’s probably a good idea considering the real possibility that the Chinese automaker could soon be the masters of the current management’s future with the safety-oriented automaker. Politicians are getting in on the debate as well, as democrats are reportedly likening ceding control of Volvo to Geely to selling the company to China and to Communism.

    [Source: The Local | Image: Olivier MorinN/Getty/AFP]

    REPORT: Former Volvo directors and politicians fear sale to BAIC originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Exxon: Here’s Why We Just Spent $41 Billlion On Natural Gas

    gas4 Here’s a great example of a company sticking its money where its mouth is.

    This morning, Exxon (XOM) announced that it’s spending $41 billion to acquire XTO Energy (XTO), a major player in natural gas and unconventional shale.

    This announcement comes just a few days after the company made a major presentation about the natural gas, and how its era had arrived.

    So, longsuffering natural gas bulls, your moment may have finally arrived!

    See why here >>

    Join the conversation about this story »

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  • Russia Is The One BRIC Energy Companies Aren’t Interested In

    vladimirputin scratching tbi

    While Chinese, Indian, and Brazilian energy-related investments remain hot, foreign interest in Russia’s energy industry is actually waning.

    It might have something to do with private companies being screwed so many times in the past.

    Oil & Gas Eurasia: Russian oil and gas resources are of decreasing interest to foreign companies, Russian Minister of Natural Resources Yuri Trutnev admits. He now intends to liberalize the foreigners’ access to the Russian resources.

    …

    He believes the lower level of exploration and field investments eventually could lead to “serious problems” for Russia. According to new figures from the Ministry of Natural Resources, the level of hydrocarbon exploration has over the last year dropped ten percent, Newsru.com reports.

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  • Fed may reconsider $500k salary cap for new GM CEO, limit pay for 2nd tier execs

    Filed under: ,

    It’s official: pay czar Kenneth Feinberg’s executive compensation rules for companies yet to return their bailout funds means a cap of $500K for second-tier executives. Importantly, that number represents the total compensation allowed, but only 45 percent of it — $225,000, can be in cold, hard ducats. Stock remuneration must be held or paid out over at least two years, and extracurricular perks like country club memberships and private jet escapades can be valued at no more than $25,000.

    Regarding General Motors, to lure the kind of executive the company seeks it will probably need a bit more flexibility with pay than the rules previously enforced on it by the pay committee. Feinberg said he will look at GM’s compensation proposal when a suitor is located. It would be nigh on impossible to lure that candidate with the come-on, “Fix everything, here’s a million bucks now, you’ll get some Scooby Snacks in 2013, let us know when you’re done, kthxbai.”

    Feinberg appeared to refine his pay re-examination statement, though, citing a case where GM brings someone in “laterally,” not simply chooses from among the ranks. Like him, we all know that “It is vitally important that GM, under the law, be competitive and be able to compete in the automobile marketplace,” especially if we want to get any more of that $30 billion back.

    [Source: Automotive News – sub. req. | Image: Win McNamee/Getty]

    Fed may reconsider $500k salary cap for new GM CEO, limit pay for 2nd tier execs originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 08:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Mega-Merger: Exxon Makes Huge Natural Gas Bet With Acquisition Of XTO Energy For $41 Billion

    natural gas

    How about a huge energy deal to kick off your week. Exxon (XOM) is buying XTO Energy (XTO) for $41 billion.

    It will be a taken as a major bullish signal on natural gas.

    Earlier this month, Exxon made a presentation on how the natural-gas era was set to begin.

    They were serious.

    ——–

    IRVING, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Exxon Mobil Corporation and XTO Energy Inc. announced today an all-stock transaction valued at $41 billion. The agreement, which is subject to XTO stockholder approval and regulatory clearance, will enhance ExxonMobil’s position in the development of unconventional natural gas and oil resources.

    Under the terms of the agreement, approved by the boards of directors of both companies, ExxonMobil has agreed to issue 0.7098 common shares for each common share of XTO. This represents a 25 percent premium to XTO stockholders. The transaction value includes $10 billion of existing XTO debt and is based on the closing share prices of ExxonMobil and XTO on December 11, 2009.

    “We are pleased that ExxonMobil and XTO have reached this agreement,” said Rex W. Tillerson, chairman and chief executive officer of Exxon Mobil Corporation.

    “XTO is a leading U.S. unconventional natural gas producer, with an outstanding resource base, strong technical expertise and highly skilled employees. XTO’s strengths, together with ExxonMobil’s advanced R&D and operational capabilities, global scale and financial capacity, should enable development of additional supplies of unconventional oil and gas resources, benefiting consumers both here in the United States and around the world.”

    Tillerson said the agreement is good news for the United States economy and energy security, as it will enhance opportunities for job creation and investment in the production of America’s own clean-burning natural gas resources.

    XTO’s resource base is the equivalent of 45 trillion cubic feet of gas and includes shale gas, tight gas, coal bed methane and shale oil. These will complement ExxonMobil’s holdings in the United States, Canada, Germany, Poland, Hungary and Argentina.

    Following the transaction closing, ExxonMobil intends to establish a new upstream organization to manage global development and production of unconventional resources, enabling the rapid development and deployment of technologies and operating practices to increase production and maximize resource value. The new organization will be located in Fort Worth, Texas, in XTO’s current offices.

    Bob R. Simpson, chairman and founder of XTO, said that over the company’s 23-year history, XTO has developed technical expertise and has assembled a substantial, high-quality and diverse resource base in producing basins across the United States.

    “XTO has a proven ability to profitably and consistently grow production and reserves in unconventional resources,” said Simpson. “As the world’s leading energy company, ExxonMobil will build on our success and open new opportunities for the development of natural gas and oil resources on a global basis.”

    Tillerson said the agreement is part of an ongoing, disciplined evaluation of timely investment opportunities to create value for shareholders, and to help meet long-term global energy demand growth. The agreement is consistent with ExxonMobil’s business model which is focused on sustainable, long-term value creation.

    Completion of the transaction is expected in the second quarter of 2010. In connection with the transaction, J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. are acting as financial advisors to ExxonMobil and Barclays Capital Inc. and Jefferies & Company Inc. are acting as financial advisors to XTO.

    Join the conversation about this story »

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  • Woman Arrested For Filming Snippets Of ‘New Moon’ May Sue Theater

    The latest in the saga of the young woman, Samantha Tumpach, who was arrested and jailed for two nights because her attempt to film some of her sister’s birthday party at the movies happened to catch a few snippets of the film New Moon, is that Tumpach is now considering suing the theater, even though the charges against her have been dropped. Unfortunately, thanks to the draconian anti-camera laws pushed by the MPAA to punish people for these sorts of things, she might not get very far with such a lawsuit. As Copycense points out, the Illinois law in question basically lets the theater do exactly what it did, even if the circumstances are ridiculous. So, any lawsuit is unlikely to last, though it should lead us to questioning why legislators around the globe have passed similar laws at the behest of the movie industry. There are already perfectly good copyright laws to be used against anyone actually filming a movie for “piracy” purposes. These anti-camcorder laws go above and beyond that, and lead to ridiculous scenarios like this one.

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  • Financial Bubble Spreads To The Phillipines, Where Markets Are Soaring Despite Terrible Economy

    MANILA – The buoyant Philippines’ stock market, which has almost doubled in the past nine months, might suggest a similarly lively economy, yet government stimulus spending is failing to make a dent in the jobless rate, and economic growth is barely showing.

    The Philippine Stock Exchange PSEi Index has surged from below 1,800 in mid-March to over 3,000. Yet 2.9 million Filipinos of working age were unemployed as of July, with the unemployment rate rising to 7.6% that month from 7.4% a year earlier, according to the National Statistics Office. Workforce participation  was at 64.6% against 64.3% for the same period last year.

    The economy is expected barely to grow this year, possibly between 0.8% and 1.8%, before recovering to between 2.6%-3% in 2010.

    “What is recovering is the stock market, mainly the financial sector,” said Rene Ofreneo, a labor and industrial relations expert and executive director of the multi-sectoral Fair Trade Alliance. “Right now, only the call centers are hiring, but even that is not at the rate that was originally projected.”

    Read the whole story at Asia Times Online >>

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  • Google Chrome's New UK Newspaper and Billboard Ad Campaign

    There’s been a lot of hard work put into Google Chrome, and the browser has finally reached a stage where Google is confident it can take over a big share of the market. With beta builds out on all platforms and an extensions gallery now live, it is time for ‘stage two’ of the plan when engineers step aside to let the marketing people do their job.

    It’s not a natural state at Google, one of the most engineering-centered tech company out there, but it’s one we’re seeing more often lately. The last time Google did ‘real-world’ advertising it promoted Apps its enterprise office and collaboration suite, but now it’s pushing Chrome, the browser which is becoming increasingly central to the company’s plans.

    The Next Web spotted a couple of ads from Google’s just launched campaign in the UK and it’s clear that the company hasn’t skimped out. It bought a full page ad in a popular, and free, UK daily. The ad itself epitomizes Google, a mostly blank page with a big Chrome logo and the words “Chrome by Google – A fast, new browser. Made for everyone.” The ad opens up to reveal a list of some of the browser’s strong points. Not exactly revolutionary, but pretty much what you’d expect from Google based on the previous Apps campaign.

    The company is also running a b… (read more)

  • REPORT: Next UAW president to be Ford lead negotiator King

    Filed under: , ,

    Ron Gettelfinger, the United Auto Workers’ (UAW) president during the recent tumult, is moving on from his post, and has thrown his support behind Bob King. King is currently a vice president in the union and manages the relationship with Ford.

    While the outlook is positive for King’s nomination, he’s going to have some reconciliation to do. In the last go-round with Ford, King asked his membership to agree to concessions that took strikes off the table, which the UAW’s rank and file promptly denied. Despite the contention, King has been thought of as Ron Gettelfinger’s replacement for some time, and the union hopes King will be a tougher customer in the throes of negotiation.

    [Source: Wall Street Journal – Sub. Req.]

    REPORT: Next UAW president to be Ford lead negotiator King originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Compacting PET bottles – RUNI SK240 Screw Compactor

    The screw compactor for the greater requirements

    Save space and handling costs through rapid, efficient waste management
    Save energy – no heat required in the process
    Profit from selling for reuse
    Airtight – suitable for compacting dust
    Different configurations for a large number of materials

    Heavy Duty Pre-crusher can be fitted for particularly tough and dense materials.
    The SK240 Screw Compactor compacts various materials, e.g. EPS fish boxes and packaging in the ratio 50:1. This achieves a density of about 270 kg/m³.

    The RUNI SK240 can be fitted with either a 45o hopper or a vertical hopper, depending on the requirement.

    The machine shown here is fitted with a feed hopper designed for manual feeding of fish boxes, etc. Custom solutions are available as required for dust, alu cans, PET bottles etc.

    The machine is fitted with hydraulic/electrically-controlled jaws, which allow it to maintain an almost constant compression pressure.

    Power consumption
    Primary motor 5.5 kW
    Hydraulic pump 0.55 kW
    Pre-crusher motor 1.1 kW or 5.5 kW

    Capacity
    This machine can compact approx. 75 kg of EPS per hour (approx. 110 fish boxes with lids) or 3,000 half-litre PET bottles per hour.

  • From 1nm up to 6µm – New Innovative Particle Size Analyzer VASCO

    Developed in collaboration with the French Institute of Petroleum (IFP), VASCO offers a range of instruments for physical-chemistry analysis dedicated to particle size measurements in concentrated suspensions from 1 nanometer up to a few microns.

    Several options are available for specific applications :
    1. In line measurement cell for real time particle size kinetic analysis,
    2. Optical fiber probe and remote probe cell for harsh environment
    measurements (glove box, explosive atmosphere, aggressive
    solvents,…)

  • Sprott Jumps On Gold ETF Craze With New “Physical Gold” Trust

    mining gold etf

    Fund flows into gold ETFs are out of this world, and now well-known gold bull Eric Sprott is looking to get in on the action.

    Last week, Sprott Asset Management filed an F-1 for a $575 million IPO of a small gold trust called the Sprott Physical Gold Trust (PHYS).

    In the prospectus, Sprott lists a number of advantages of the fund like, a “convenient way to own physical gold bullion” and an “ability to redeem units for physical gold bullion.” 

    All gold ETFs are backed by physical gold, of course, and large investors have redeemed bullion from the like of GLD, but Sprott is really trying to play up the physical aspect — hence the name and the ticker “PHYS” — though arguably that’s mainly marketing

    Read more at Seeking Alpha >

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  • Your Favorite Comics.

    OK Everyone. I know that you have a funny side of you as we know the how being a Diabetic makes us feel, Quite glum and sad too. But we can also laugh at it as well.

    What would be your favorite comic and this is across the board of all medium, Like film, TV, Radio, DVD or any other that is available.

    As for myself I have been influenced with English talent and some American stuff too.
    I like the Monty Python material as John Cleese is a riot!! Love the guy. 😀 Dave Allen is another. Father Ted is another followed buy Vicar of the Dibly and there is many more.
    Then there is Dean Martin with his side kick Jerry Lewis (I think that is spelt correctly :confused:) The Tree Stoogers, Abbot & Costello, Just shoot Me, Mary Tyler More Show as there more that I cannot think just now.

    Links are welcome. :o:D:T

  • Get Ready For Epic Stimulus Spending Out Of China In The Final Couple Weeks Of December

    zhou china chinese

    It’s a common phenomenon in bureacracy. Nobody wants to save anything. If your department didn’t use up its allocated budget for the year, then the message your sending to your superiors is that they needn’t allocate so much to you next year.

    And so at the end of the year, leftover money becomes like a hot potato that you just have to get rid of.

    So expect mammoth spending out of China this month where various towns and local governments are sitting on a huge pile of unspent stimulus money.

    The Telegraph: At the end of November, the Ministry of Finance said that government spending had reached 5.62 trillion yuan, only 74pc of its target of 7.62 trillion yuan for 2009.

    Officials are now concerned that provincial and central government departments will embark on rash attempts to spend the remaining money or face having their budgets cut next year.

    “Compared with last year and with earlier years, the surplus is particularly large this year,” said Yang Zhiyong, a public finance specialist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

    So 26% of the stimulus remains unspent, and all these various authorities have to spend it.

    Remember to adjust that when you’re coming across data that would be affected by this December’s activity.

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  • Greek Finance Minister Comes Out Swinging, Hints At Similarities With US Debt Situation

    greece greek beach mykonos

    With confidence in his country unraveling, the Greek Finance Minister Giorgos Papaconstantinou is doing everything he can to convince investors that his country will make good on its debts.

    If you really want to understand bond vigilantes, or why Bill Clinton aide James Carville once said he wanted to be reincarnated as the bond market, so that he could come back and scare the crap out of people, then look at Greece.

    A socialist government comes in, and two months later it’s forced to talk about its austerity.

    So Papaconstantinou is doing the interview rounds, and he stopped to explain his situation to UK’s The Guardian where he made comments that should resonate well with American readers.

    “Deep-seated structural problems in our society have come to the surface,” he added, referring indirectly to the unrest that has gripped Greece. “That is why we have put so much emphasis on the process of social dialogue and building consensus.”

    Since assuming office two months ago, the socialists had been “truly shocked” at the scale of the economic mismanagement. Under the centre-right New Democracy party, government waste had skyrocketed, with out-of-control recruiting policies, a proliferation of public-sector committees and overpaid heads of state utilities. Ministries approved obscenely high phone and newspaper bills, while senior civil servants had spent lavishly on unnecessary foreign trips, he said.

    “It was as if they regarded the national treasury as the spoils of war and raided it. And there was no single payment authority so the finance minister had no idea who or what was being paid.”

    Gee, a center-right party that blew through the bank after years of economic mis-management? Talk about hitting close to home.

    Obama, of course, has been making similar noises since he came into office, and basically they’re all completely valid, even if his political opponents would like to imagine that heavy spending and debt is something that didn’t exist in the US until January, 2009.

    For now, the US isn’t worrying like Greece — not because we’re in all that better shape — but because of the strength of our currency, and our ability to (seemingly) borrow and print it ad infinitum.

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  • NEW! prism photo sensor KP1650

    Model KP1650 is a prism type photo sensor consisted of an Infra red LED and a photo transistor.

    This sensor has analogue output and wiring is not necessary for prism side. As a series, Shinkoh can provide K1213, KP1430, KP1660, KP3250 as analogue output and KP1850 as digital output.

  • Test software: new version testXpert® II V3.2

    Zwick Roell’s testXpert® sets the standard for intelligent materials testing by providing a uniform operating concept for all applications. It has now been further enhanced by a range of new features, as seen at this year’s testXpo international testing forum (19th-22nd October 2009).

    Operator interface for touch-operation
    The new testXpert® II touch interface provides interactive operation via a PC mounted directly on the testing machine and adjustable for operator comfort. Navigation optimized for touch-PCs combined with efficient parameter input via an integrated alphanumeric panel provide a significant reduction in operator workload, particularly for simple tests.

    Speech output
    The ideal complement to touch-PC operation, testXpert® II speech output actively guides the user through the test sequence. From the start of the test the operator receives all essential information on the test sequence and is actively prompted to any required user actions, such as ‘attach extensometer’, and can also be informed of results determined online. Easily integrated customized texts provide operator prompts for defined actions, even after the test (e.g. guidelines for disposal of specimen remains).

    Fast configuration through intelligent default allocations
    Operation has been greatly simplified for many testXpert® II functions by intelligent, logical default allocations, including generating reports in PDF format with one mouse-click, specimen and series-specific default reports and fully pre-configured export interfaces for Word, Excel, ASCII data export and long-term evaluations. Naturally all default allocations can be quickly and individually matched to customers’ individual requirements.

    Materials testing visualization
    This new function enables a visual record of the test arrangement used for a particular test to be stored via a photograph or video. These images and videos are generated with one click of a button and are administered in their own layout, which is integrated into the Test Program. This provides the user with important information on the required test arrangement, particularly useful when a wide range of test arrangements are in use.

    It is also possible to store specimen-specific images, for example if the failure image is also to be documented. Again, one button click is all that is needed for automatic recording and allocation to the specimen.
    The new version also enables videos from high-speed cameras (as well as from web cameras and camcorders) to be integrated in testXpert® II and synchronized perfectly with the curve graphics.

  • High-Definition Digital Particle Size Analyzer – Saturn DigiSizer II

    Utilizing a state-of-the-art CCD detector containing over three million detector elements, Mie theory, and unique design and data reduction features, the Saturn DigiSizer® II High-Definition Digital Particle Size Analyzer provides an extremely high level of resolution and sensitivity not available in other laser particle sizing systems. Higher resolution gives better information about the sample, providing more accurate results in even the most complex sample types. In addition, the instrument produces fast, detailed results that are repeatable on and reproducible between every Saturn DigiSizer, in every location, all over the world.

    Both organic and inorganic particles can be analyzed and measured over a range of 40 nanometers to 2500 micrometers. The Saturn DigiSizer II includes a complete system for circulating the dispersing liquid/sample mixture through the cell and reservoir, as well as to an external waste container. Features such as fully automated sampling and low-volume sample handling systems make the Saturn DigiSizer ideal for a wide range of production, research, and quality control applications. One multifunction personal computer can control up to two analyzers, each with a liquid sample handler, and two MasterTech 052 Autosamplers, each allowing automatic analysis of up to 18 samples sequentially without further intervention.

    The liquid sample handling unit (LSHU) enables automatic sample handling. Available in two configurations, the standard unit includes a reservoir that is adjustable between 590 to 690 mL of dispersed sample. This model is best suited for samples containing coarse or high-density particles. The low-volume unit includes a reservoir that is adjustable between 100 to 120 mL of dispersed sample and is best suited for analyses where the sample quantity or dispersion liquid is limited, or where the dispersion liquid may be hazardous or not easily disposable. Both sample handlers also allow for connection of an ultrasonic probe to assist in sample dispersion.

    The Saturn DigiSizer II analysis program is designed to operate in the Windows® XP Professional or Windows Vista® Business or Ultimate environment and includes wizards and intuitive screens enabling you to perform system operations quickly and efficiently.