Author: Serkadis

Shakespeare said, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” That statement already applies to the normal womenfolk we see everyday, and it’s even more terrifying when the woman in question is a dominatrix witch with sentient

There’s been a lot of discussion about the carnage at the small business level, where credit is not so freely available.

Without credit, small businesses die on the vine, and without small businesses, job creation is impossible.

Today’s chart comes from data from DiscoverCard Small Business Watch. Each month they ask their clients how fearful they are of cash flow issues. While the number is a bit jumpy, you can see it’s been on a clear uptrend all year, with November right near the worst of it.

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Filed under: Coupe, Hybrid, Performance, Japan, Nissan, Rumormill

Japan’s Best Car magazine seems to be on a little bit of a hybrid high lately. Just a couple of weeks ago, the publication ran a story stating that Toyota is planning to revive its beloved MR2 nameplate with a new hybrid roadster. Now they’re reporting that the Nissan GT-R will also gain a gas-electric drivetrain in its next iteration.

According to the report, the R36-generation GT-R will supplement its 440-horsepower gasoline engine – down from the current twin-turbo V6’s 480 – with an electric motor worth about 160 galloping horses, for an overall equivalent of 600. That’s a whole lot of power, and if the reports prove to be accurate, Porsche won’t be the only one looking in the rear-view mirror when it comes along.

[Source: Best Car via 4WheelsNews.com]

Rumormill: Next generation Nissan GT-R to go hybrid originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mexico, North America | Ghost Towns

On February 20th 1943 a new volcano began to rise from a cornfield, erupting and slowly consuming two villages in lava and ash. As Paricutin volcano erupted, it is said that two miles away the San Juan Parangaricutiro church bells danced as the ground rumbled and the lava began to flow.

It took a year for the lava to reach and melt the rock of the cemetery walls around this small church finally flowing over the graves leaving the church tower and alter untouched. The Paricutin volcano continued to erupt for another eight years but the small church withstood it all.

Luckily, the townspeople evacuated long before the lava reached the town, and no one was killed. They quickly began building a new church the Nuevo San Juan Paragaricutiro in a near by area unaffected by the eruption.

Today, the original San Juan Parangaricutiro church still stands tall, halfway buried in solidified lava rock, with the massive cinder cone of Paricutin looming in the background. It is all that remains of the previous village. Climbing over the volcanic rock to see the church that survived the catastrophe has become a tourist attraction and a major source of revenue for the region.

STREAMTEK Adjustable Air Amplifiers NO SHIMS!

The STREAMTEK Adjustable Air Amplifier for safe, quiet, efficient ventilation, blow-off, air conveying, without any moving parts or electricity.

The Adjustable Air Amplifiers do major air handling jobs with a small amount of compressed air! Use them open or ducted, the same way you would use a vacuum system, blower, or fan, to handle fumes, dusts, or granular, stringy material. Output is fully adjustable without tools or air-wasting shims, making set-up a breeze. 4 sizes available in Aluminum, 4 sizes in Stainless Steel (Type 303), and 2 Hi-Temperature Stainless Steel (Type 316).

Size EX43 = 0.27 EUR
Size EX65 = 0.34 EUR
Size EX83 = 0.46 EUR
Size EX104 = 0.69 EUR

Introducing new clamping handles with new ergonomic design, robust construction and lowest price on the market. Our size EX83, EX65 are the best sellers for the quality, design and price.

We are also capable to make any other part for much lower cost.
We are offering direct factory prices from our warehouse in Czech Republic.
We are looking for smart direct buyers and resellers worldwide.
Please, visit our web page www.elementrix.net to see the range of our products and feel free to ask for the quotation.

The 2010 generation of Cobra™ petrol drill and breakers by Atlas Copco meet the stricter requirements of exhaust emission set by the US based Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), known as having one of the strictest emission control programs worldwide.

Cobra TT

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Phase 2 of the Exhaust emission standards for small non-road engines of the EPA and it´s EU equivalent, EG 97/68/EG with amendment 2002/88/EG constitute a reduction of hydrocarbon (HC) and NOx emissions and are probably the most demanding in the history of environmental regularities. Compared to previous generation of Cobra™ machines, the emission of hydrocarbons has been reduced by approximately 50 percent.

Featuring improved carburettor and filter systems and redesigned and fine tuned noise reduction system, including a catalytic element, the new generation of Cobra™ petrol drill and breakers meets the requirement for exhaust emissions demanded by the stricter emission limits.

The new generation of Cobra™ petrol breakers is easy to start. All models feature an electronic ignition, choke and a re-designed tank cap. Cobra™ Pro and TT additionally contain a decompression valve. An optional guide roller is available for Cobra™ Combi to make it easy to pull downwards to start the machine when it is positioned high in relation to the operator.

Long lifetime and easy service is achieved through a high capacity air filter, even for large quantities of dust. The filter is easy to access for fast servicing.

Atlas Copco is a world leading provider of industrial productivity solutions. The products and services range from compressed air and gas equipment, generators, construction and mining equipment, industrial tools and assembly systems, to related aftermarket and rental. In close cooperation with customers and business partners and with more than 130 years of experience, Atlas Copco innovates for superior productivity. Headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, the Group´s global reach spans more than 160 markets. In 2007, Atlas Copco had 33 000 employees and revenues of BSEK 63, (BEUR 6.7). Learn more on http://www.atlascopco.com/.

Atlas Copco Construction Tools is a division of the Construction and Mining Technique business area. The company is a leading supplier of hydraulic, pneumatic and petrol-driven breakers and drills and of hydraulic breakers and silent demolition tools attached to carrier units. The products are marketed under the brand name Atlas Copco. The equipment is fabricated in Sweden, Germany, India, Bulgaria, China and South Africa and sold via a woldwide operating sales and service organization.

With the new blueglobe TRI®, PFLITSCH is offering for the first time an EMC cable gland that sets standards in terms of shield bonding and dampening values – precisely for applications with high-grade double shielding.

For years, PFLITSCH cable glands with the UNI IRIS® annular spring have been proving their value in applications where conventional EMC cable glands reach their limits. The new EMC solution blueglobe TRI® with the triangular contact spring offers even more and combines outstanding HF dampening values and easy assembly with the other system characteristics of blueglobe that are clearly above the EN standard 50 626. This new EMC variant initially comes in the sizes M16 to M32 for cable diameters from 7 to 25 mm. Planned are types between M12 and M80 in brass and stainless steel.

Once the sheathing is uncovered, the cable can be simply pushed through the blueglobe TRI®, whereby the triangular spring reliably encompasses the sheathing straightaway without the pressure screw having to be tightened up. With conventional EMC cable glands, on the other hand, there is the risk of exercising mechanical pressure on the sheathing when the sealing is pressed, which may lead to changes in the shielding effect. blueglobe TRI® attains dampening values of 80 dB up to (or at) 100 MHz and in the frequency range up to 2,5 GHz with values of 50 dB minimum. Because of the configuration of the spring catching in the meshwork while dismounting it is impossible.

blueglobe`s unique concept with the spherical sealing insert is already setting standards: Compared to conventional products, these cable glands attain maximum clamping ranges, maximum tightness of up to IP68 and the best strain relief – with simultaneously gentle sealing not irreversibly constricting the cable. In the two types M25 and M32, for example, all cable diameters from 25 to 34 mm can be securely sealed, while conventional glands need up to 4 sizes. This reduces the outlay for ordering and storage right up to assembly and spare-parts procurement.

With this unit, you can easily assess the current quality of your frying oil. The precise measurement technique of the new food oil sensor CapSens5000 will reduce your consumption costs for frying oil significantly and makes the customer feel good. With this food oil sensor you can measure cold and hot oils at every stage of the frying process.

Successful automation of joining processes where room is at a premium and joining stations closely spaced requires particularly slender modules. Kistler developed its electromechanical NC joining module Type 2152B… for applications such as press fitting valve seat rings and valve guides.

Its specialized housing construction makes it particularly rigid despite being very compact. Its special shape and a center distance of just 70 mm allows very close spacing of neighboring stations on an assembly line. A special high-precision guide also helps minimize the amount of space required for mounting. The center distance can be reduced even further by pressing eccentrically within the permissible range. Several electromechanical NC joining modules NCFS Type 2152B… can be assembled into a single joining station. This allows faster throughput by avoiding the usual need to synchronize several assembly stations.

The integral piezoelectric force sensor in the robust housing of the NC joining module NCFS gives a choice of two predefined measuring ranges of 15 and 25 kN. The stroke of 350 mm allows even deep end points to be reached effortlessly. The high speed of up to 250 mm/s offers a quick idle stroke and hence short machine cycle despite long feed travels. The fact that both tensile and compression forces are available as standard leaves considerable machine design freedom.

DMF-P A300 NCF force-displacement monitoring system Type 4734A… makes use of different tolerance windows to evaluate the force-displacement curves of virtually any application. It allows analysis of all four quadrants). In addition to the conventional tolerance windows, dynamic windows for evaluation on the basis of the maximum position achieved, windows for evaluating the gradient, the change in gradient, point-by-point and the mechanical work (integral of the curve), are available as standard. The system already has an Ethernet interface as standard. This permits easy connection to existing process and measurement acquisition systems via I-P.M. or the certified Q-DAS® protocol. Comprehensive documentation of the curve and associated setpoints and actual values is also possible.

NC Compact firmware (Type 2159A…) loaded into the servo controller is ideal for force-displacement evaluation of standard joining processes with a simple documentation function. For very modest capital and installation costs it facilitates integration into existing user control environments.

Dayton, Ohio — Fast and highly flexible, Motoman’s new 6-axis MA1400 “Master Arc” welding robot significantly increases uptime by integrating the torch into the upper arm. Available in floor-, wall- or ceiling mounted configurations and ideal for high-density layouts, the space-saving MA1400 robot increases productivity due to its cutting-edge SIGMA V motor control technology.

The MA1400 robot has a 3 kg (6.6 lb) payload, 1,434 mm (56.5″) horizontal reach, 2,511 mm (98.9”) vertical reach and ±0.08 mm (±0.003″) repeatability. Its integrated through-the-arm torch cabling eliminates cable interference, simplifies programming and reduces cable wear. Power cable and welding utilities (gas and air hoses) can be routed through the robot base. The MA1400 is perfectly suited for use in high-density workcells with multiple robots working in close proximity, as well as for applications that require access to parts in tight spots or those with potential interference from fixtures.

The MA1400 robot uses Motoman’s dynamic, next-generation DX100 controller that features patented multiple robot control technology to easily handle multiple tasks and control up to eight robots (72 axes), I/O devices, and communication protocols. Featuring a robust PC architecture with unmatched memory capacity, the DX100 uses a Windows® CE programming pendant with color touch screen. The energy-saving DX100 controller features faster processing speeds for smoother interpolation, advanced robot arm motion, built-in collision avoidance, quicker I/O response and accelerated Ethernet communication. Its extensive I/O suite includes integral PLC and HMI pendant displays, 2,048 I/O and a graphical ladder editor that can provide system level control. The DX100 controller supports all major fieldbus networks. It is compliant to ANSI/RIA 15.06-1999 and other relevant ISO and CSA safety standards.

www.motoman.com

Filed under: Concept Cars, Geneva Motor Show, Crossover, Aston Martin, Luxury

Aston Martin Lagonda Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

Aston Martin is used to success. Its road cars are some of the most coveted in all of auto-dom, and its race cars have mastered Le Mans like Yo-Yo Ma has the cello. This year’s planned rebirth of Lagonda, however, didn’t go as well.

The oddball crossover concept that debuted at Geneva earlier this year was received with such ire that the company yanked it after the first day, before the public could ever see it… save through our camera lenses. So you can imagine the surprise when the Lagonda Concept popped up again on the Aston Martin media website, complete with a new batch of photos.

We’ve placed said photos of the Mercedes GL-based concept in the gallery below – complete with some very strange interior trim – for your browsing “pleasure,” if you can call it that. But we can’t help but wonder what Gaydon’s up to.

[Source: Aston Martin via eGMCarTech]

Pics Aplenty: Aston Martin revisits much derided Lagonda Concept originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, people have asked in the past how Google and Microsoft’s search engines are really all that different from some of the file sharing search engines, and now we’ve finally got a lawsuit to at least explore some of that. It’s not a major label, but a small indie blues label called Blues Destiny is suing Google and Microsoft along with RapidShare. At issue, of course, is that people are uploading Blues Destiny music to RapidShare, and searches via Google and Microsoft can find them. As Eric Goldman notes in the writeup linked above, the label isn’t particularly clear in what it’s upset about, so he believes the real issue isn’t even that Google and Microsoft link people to RapidShare, but that it finds other sites that then link to RapidShare. That seems like many degrees removed from actually infringing — and it’s difficult to even see a clear claim for “inducing” infringement. Goldman also notes that the lawsuit is complicated by Blues Destiny’s imprecision and vagueness in a series of (increasingly exasperated) takedown notices, which is coupled with Google not complying — but potentially that is due to the failure of Blue Destiny to properly state what needed to be taken down. Either way, it’s difficult to see how either Google or Microsoft is going to be found liable here, but the lawsuit is still worth watching, given the questions about where the fine line is drawn between just being a search engine and being a contributory infringer.

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Seems water’s just an update away from seeping into Mdeia Molecule’s LittleBigPlanet, as suggested by a list of new trophies uncovered by the folks at PS3Trophies.org. Hit the jump for the list.