Author: Serkadis

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Crossover, Hyundai

Hyundai just took the wraps off their all new 2010 Tucson CUV. A right-sized (i.e. compact) crossover designed in Frankfurt, Germany – as opposed to the California designed Sonata we saw yesterday – but still uses Hyundai’s new design language, the oddly named Fluidic Sculpture. Like the Sonata, the new bigger-yet-lighter Tuscon (61 pounds, to be precise) has been designed to convey a sense of motion. Of course, whether they succeeded or not is up to the beholder’s eye.

Hyundai feels that the compact CUV market is growing (as does the rest of the industry), however the small crossover buyer is changing. Used to be that when people shopped for say a Tucson, it was because they couldn’t afford an Excursion. No more. The new small CUV buyer expects a higher level of comfort and refinement from their little truck-like rides. If what Hyundai’s peddling proves true, the Tucson’s impressive list of standard bells and/or whistles fits this projected market to a tee (see the press release for the full lowdown).

The most impressive Tuscon attribute is in likelihood its frugal MPG rating. 23 miles per gallon in the city, 31 at highway speeds. In addition to the slight weight reduction, the Tucson achieves these numbers via innovations such as a switch away from parasitic hydraulic power-steering in favor of an electric system. There’s also an all new six-speed automatic that uses 62 fewer parts than the outgoing five-speed. Interestingly, the new slusher is built fully in house by Hyundai.

The engine of course contributes to the good-for-a-CUV mileage. The new Tucson comes with a 2.4-liter Theta II four-cylinder that produces 176 hp and 168 lb-ft of torque. You will notice that the Tucson does not come with the more powerful Gasoline Direct-Injection (GDI) Theta II that ships with the new Sonata. We asked Hyundai if a future iteration of the Tucson (say the 2011) would in fact receive the GDI motor. “That’s a logical conclusion.”

We also asked if the turbocharged GDI motor would make it into the Tuscon. “It would fit.” We then asked if we’ll see a hybrid version as the new Sonata will eventually show up in gas-electric guise. “No comment.” Then after a pause, “We all have to get to 35.5 mpg.” Finally, we asked if we’d see an all-electric version of the Tucson. We received another “No comment,” but Hyundai North America President and CEO John Krafcik did state that they will be selling an electric car in the States. As to when, “Not next year.” Read the press release, after the jump.

Continue reading LA 2009: Bye-bye boxy, hello 2010 Hyundai Tucson

LA 2009: Bye-bye boxy, hello 2010 Hyundai Tucson originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 18:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

A bunch of folks have submitted the story of Henrik Anderson, a Danish man who ripped a bunch of DVDs for personal storage, and then turned himself in, noting that even though Danish law says it’s okay to make a backup copy of content for private purposes, it also forbids circumvention of DRM, such as the DRM found on DVDs. We had avoided posting anything on the story until the Danish group responded, and while it missed the original deadline, it has now stated that it will not go after Anderson, so long as he’s only using the content for private use:

The main purpose of the rule is to ensure against abuse of films and music being illegally copied and distributed further. The Association of Danish Videodistributors certainly have no interest in suing consumers who like you have purchased legitimate products — quite the contrary.

Of course, if that were true, then wouldn’t the Danish Antipiratgruppen push to change the anti-circumvention law that makes this particular process illegal? After all, shouldn’t they stand behind what they claim?

Permalink | Comments | Email This Story

Gran Turismo 5 is still quite a while away, good thing Polyphony Digital managed to work up something good as a reprieve. On December 17th, the Gran Turismo 5 Time Trial Challenge will be available for download

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Hatchback, Mitsubishi, Specialty, Electric

While Mitsubishi didn’t unveil any new vehicles at the LA Auto Show today, company president Osamu Masuko did announce the latest step in his company’s plan to bring plug-in vehicles to North America. The vehicle – well, one of them – is an all-electric i-MiEV plastered with Best Buy’s Geek Squad logo. The electronics giant will start using them in January (after they’re shown off at CES) at some Geek Squad locations in California. Details have not yet been totally worked out, but the Geek EVs will start with a fleet of four vehicles and then expand and rotate to other stores over the course of three years. Most likely, the i-MiEVs will be doled out in pairs and the probable early cities where these vehicles will make house calls include Chicago, New York, Portland and San Francisco.

Best Buy plans to use the i-MiEVs just like any other fleet car, with the exception that they will be right-hand drive. Best Buy’s Senior Vice President of emerging business, Rick Rommel, told AutoblogGreen that the idea is to learn “how these will fit into a Geek’s daily life.” The plug-in vehicle tests with Geek Squad are unrelated to how select West Coast Best Buy stores are selling electric bikes. That said, Rommel admits that the key thing is that Best Buy likes to conduct new experiments, and these EVs fit into that general concept.

Live photos copyright (C)2009 Sebastian Blanco / Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading Best Buy Geek Squads to start testing Mitsubishi i-MiEV

Best Buy Geek Squads to start testing Mitsubishi i-MiEV originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

If one were to read Engadget or Gizmodo, one would get the impression using a Windows Mobile phones was a form of cruel and  unusual torture which left every device carrying the OS at a disadvantage.

The latest release of Consumer Report’s Wireless survey, which polled more than 50 000 users in many US cities, seems to put a lie to this belief.  While the ubiquitous iPhone scored first with 74/100, the Windows Mobile powered HTC Touch Pro 2 scored a very respectable 71/100, while the HTC Imagio and  Samsung Omnia took up a strong third place with 70/100.

The Palm Pre, often held up a  model of what Windows Mobile should be, failed to score very well at all, and the very successful Blackberry scored the lowest amongst smartphone, with the BlackBerry 8830 for Verizon, the BlackBerry Curve 8330 and BlackBerry Pearl 8130 for Sprint all pretty much leaving their owners unsatisfied.

Now all of this does not mean Windows Mobile does not have room to improve, but often the OS does not get credit for the great strengths it does have, especially compared to its competitors. Examples include the UI, which is often called dated, but is miles ahead of the awful imitation of DOS which is the Blackberry OS or the breath of applications, which while not 100 000, have more diversity than the iPhone, and certainly far exceeds that on the Pre. Examples abound, but as this survey clearly shows, Windows Mobile does not deserve to be bashed to the degree it is currently.

Do you feel Windows Mobile is getting a bad rap unfairly?  Let us know in the comments.

I HAVE BEEN CHOSEN TO TEST THE NEW PRODUCT FROM BETANCOURT – THEIR PREWORKOUT ANDRORUSH CHEWIES.

HERE IS THE LINK

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=120738531

 

I ALSO HAVE RECEIVE A GREAT WEALTH OF PRODUCTS FROM DR. DENNIS SANDLER M.D MYHERBALSUPPLEMENT.COM (NOT THROUGH THE FORUMS, THIS WAS A PERSONAL CONTACT) WHICH I WILL BE TESTING UPON COMPLETION AND WILL LET YOU KNOW HOW THAT GOES. THESE PRODUCTS LOOK AMAZING!! AND CANT WAIT TO GIVE YOU THE GREAT INSIGHT ON THEM. AS FOR NOW BETANCOURT IS MY MAIN FOCUS! KEEP ON THE LOOKOUT GREAT THINGS COMING. DOUBLE T SPORTS GLUTACENE REVIEW AS WELL SINCE I WON A FREE BOTTLE THEY DID A GIVEAWAY OF 250. AND I WONT PALO ALTO LABS ANABOLIC EDGE BOTTLE GIVEAWAY (THESE ARE NOT LOGGED THINGS BUT I WILL PROVIDE REVIEWS AFTER COMPLETING OTHERS AS TO NOT AFFECT ANY PRODUCT RESULTS.)  NEW VIDEO TONIGHT, SORRY I HAVE BEEN SICK SO ITS BEEN HARD TO DO EVERYTHING I ALSO HAVE QUESTIONS WILL BE ANSWERED ALONG WITH PICTURES. LOOKING TONIGHT AROUND 10 EASTERN TIME

Filed under: Safety, Technology

We’ve got the stoplights in our neighborhood timed pretty well, but it’s pretty painful when you’re at a foreign intersection and have absolutely no idea when the light will turn green. We shift our vehicle into Neutral and give our left foot a break at a stoplight that we know is long, but at uncharted lights, we occasionally keep our clutch foot to the floor.

One designer by the name of Damjan Stankovic decided we should wait no longer, so he designed an innovative-looking “Eko” stoplight that offers an easy to read indicator that shows how much time the light has until it turns green. The idea has some merit. If you want to conserve fuel and reduce CO2 emissions, you could turn off your engine during truly long lights. (We wouldn’t, but you could). If drivers were able to see the light from far away, they could also let off the accelerator early and save a little strain on the brakes. We can think of one big issue, though: drivers trying to time the turn from red to green.

What do you think? Would a red light timer be a good thing, or would it be a recipe for disaster? Give us your take in ‘Comments.’ Thanks for the tips, Spyros and Jared!

[Source: Yanko Design]

Ready, Set, Go! Clever stoplight concept counts down to green originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

In September, before Sony officially launched its PSP Minis line of games, Sony Europe’s Zeno Colaco hinted at the possibility of popular Minis titles making

 

The Rich Are Getting Richer and the Poor Are Getting Richer; The Good Old Days Are Now –
Chart 1 … shows the percentage of all U.S. households owning various household appliances in 1971 and 2005, and the percentage of poor households (below the official poverty line) owning those appliances in 2005. The data show a significant improvement in living standards between 1971 and 2005 

Chart 2 … In other words, to purchase those 11 basic household appliances in 1973 would have taken … 3.4 months working full-time at the average hourly wage in 1973. To purchase those same eleven appliances in 2009 would have only taken … 1.1 months.   Mark Perry’s Carpe Diem Blog

————

Get Ready for Half a Recovery – by GRETCHEN MORGENSON – … Mr. Shepherdson’s 2 percent estimate for gross domestic product growth next year is roughly half what he would normally expect for a solid economic recovery. And a crucial reason is the fact that bad assets on personal and institutional balance sheets are the equivalent of a ball and chain strapped to the economy, he says. … – NY Times

————

A treatise on inflation – Consumer-driven Deflation? Not Even Close – Paco Ahlgren – Ahlgren Multiverse Blog 
…
So this brings us to four final questions (as well as their answers, which I am thrilled to provide at no extra charge):
1.     If the Fed is going to (attempt to) hold down long-term rates by using printed money to buy Treasuries, isn’t that going to cause downward pressure on the value of the currency? (Yes!)
2.     And as the dollar loses value, won’t U.S. creditors be reluctant to loan us more money – or even to hold existing American debt? (Yes!)
3.     And won’t that necessarily mean rising interest rates? (Yes!)
4.     So how, exactly, is that going to keep long-term Treasury rates lower? (It won’t!)
————

Japan facing harsh realities of deflation – It may sound like a wonderful concept – you wake up every morning and things are a bit cheaper than before. Your money is worth just a bit more. And that is (sort of) the situation in Japan currently. The chart below shows Japan’s negative inflation rate. – Sober Look Blog

Filed under: Concept Cars, LA Auto Show, Coupe, Hybrid, Sedan, Performance, Crossover, BMW, Luxury

BMW took advantage of California’s proclivity for greenwashing to give its ActiveHybrid models their North American debuts at the LA Auto Show. Just for good measure they also brought along the incredible Vision Efficient Dynamics sustainable supercar concept. While we know a great deal about BMW’s first true hybrid, the X6 ActiveHybrid, from our first drive, we still had to admire its incredible combination of horsepower and technology, even if the mileage isn’t really spectacular enough to warrant a truly green halo.

The BMW 7 Series ActiveHybrid is a mild hybrid with the electric motor filling one of three roles while in motion. It alternates between being a motivator, a generator and a booster depending on load and demand. It can go 37 mph on the motor alone, it gets 20% better overall mileage than the straight gas engine, and it does the 0-60 trot in just 4.7 seconds thanks to its 455 horsepower and 515 lb-ft of torque. BMW’s Peter Miles did add one bit of information to the Active 7 equation when he announced pricing. The regular wheelbase model will start at $103,125 while the long-wheelbase “L” model will start at $107,025.

The last car in the BMW eco show was the Vision concept. And never before has the phrase, “last but not least,” been more appropriate. This thing looks like it could have come out of Minority Report, yet it has so much real world promise. We’ll never see this car in production, of course, but don’t be surprised to see many of its elements in future BMW models. We’re still trying to decide whether we’d take this or the swoopy e-tron concept next door at Audi’s stand, but why not have both?

Check out our gallery of live shots from LA by clicking below, or the official 7 Series pricing press release after the jump.

[Source: BMW]

Continue reading LA 2009: BMW ActiveHybrids get North American debut; 7 Series model priced from $103,125

LA 2009: BMW ActiveHybrids get North American debut; 7 Series model priced from $103,125 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Even China — which is obviously embarking on a long term plan to dump dollars, and move its reserves into hard assets — is unnerved by the surge in gold.

Telegraph: Hu Xiaolian, the vice-governor of the central bank, said Beijing would not buy gold indiscriminately.

“We must keep in mind the long-term effects when considering what to use as our reserves,” she said. “We must watch out for bubbles forming on certain assets and be careful in those areas.”

China announced this year that it had quietly doubled its gold reserves to 1,054 tonnes, the world’s fifth largest holding. India has also joined the rush, gobbling up half the IMF’s gold sale.

Gold dipped modestly today, though it remains above $1200.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Goldman: Gold’s Headed To $1450
• Here’s The Real Peak In Gold
• Amazing: John Paulson Makes $50 Million In Five Weeks On A Gold Trade (DGC)

 

 

Because of a snafu at our email vendor, 5 posts were not included in yesterday’s email digest.  Here they are if you wish to check them out:

Market Related: Paolo Pelligrini MUST READ, Krugman on Taxing Speculators, Another Lost Decade?

Political Influence and Government: Foodstamps Interactive Chart, Geithner Yields, Bernanke, AEI on GSEs, Triparty Reverse Repos, PPIP Private Label MBS, Jim Rogers on Geithner

Pick of the Day – 2 incredible charts – For Subprime, is it Deja Vu all over again? – By Paul Jackson 

RESPA sites; Lend America gone; Conjecture on Fed commercial mortgage program

The Garrett, Watts Report (The party, after you left, Dec. 2009)

===== 

As always you can read everything at http://mortgagenewsclips.com/  plus the site’s Google search makes a great research tool for the thousands of mortgage related posts and articles there.

How many EA Sports titles are there on your holiday wishlist? For those, the publisher launches its own EA Sports DebitSmart Visa Prepaid Card (my, that’s a long name) designed specifically for use with all EA Sports

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Sedan, Crossover, Ford, Volvo

Hold onto your hats folks, because while magazine award ceremonies appear to be just about finished, the auto show trophies are just starting to be handed out. This time, it’s the International Car of the Year at the LA Auto Show, and we’ve got two winners from within the Ford empire. The Ford Taurus took top car honors while the Volvo XC60 won as the best truck. Both vehicles have been well received by the press and early returns from customers appear to be positive, too. While the Taurus is outselling its bland and unexciting predecessor, the XC60 has helped Volvo achieve six consecutive months of year-over-year sales increases.

ICOTY creator and executive producer Courtney Caldwell claims that the winners aren’t chosen based on performance, but instead on how the vehicles “reflect our personalities, lifestyles and self-image and how well the automaker achieves that goal through the design and marketing of the vehicle.” Uh-huh. And while the ICoTY award isn’t exactly one of the big-name trophies for the mantle, a win is a win, and both Ford and Volvo are proud recipients of the accolades. Hit the jump to read over the press releases from Ford and Volvo.

[Sources: Ford, Volvo]

Continue reading LA 2009: Ford Taurus and Volvo XC60 named International Car and Truck of the Year

LA 2009: Ford Taurus and Volvo XC60 named International Car and Truck of the Year originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Misrepresentations of truth

Editor, The Times:

Regarding the editorial “President Obama asks a war-weary nation for time, resources,” [Seattletimes.com, Editorials/Opinion, Dec. 1] why does it state we are war weary?

What about them?

Ending our occupation isn’t about the American people and our stamina, it’s about the Afghans placing their trust in democracy and participating in its success, something they cannot be expected to do while our president misrepresents the truth about our shared history and current methods of occupation.

During his West Point speech, President Obama made two specific and glaring misrepresentations. First, he described the Taliban as having seized control of Afghanistan after it was ravaged by years of Soviet occupation and civil war, and after the attention of America and our friends had turned elsewhere.

While the Taliban, specifically, may not be as old as the fundamentalists’ grip in Afghanistan, the condition of repressive fundamentalism was indeed catalyzed by the U.S. before the Soviet invasion. All parties are in the know here. To suggest that we are blameless in the current balance of power is indulgent and disrespectful.

Secondly, Obama decried the practice of torture and touted the closing of Guantánamo, but he didn’t mention the Bagram facility, where prisoners are unable to bring evidence and witnesses to rebut allegations in their own defense. To brag about one while failing to mention the other is an obvious misrepresentation of the truth.

The Afghans already live with the prospect of being arbitrarily apprehended and maimed by armed militias roving the countryside. If neither group is bound by laws grounded in the protection of the people, they have no reason to risk their lives investing in the permanence of our models of governance.

— Mary Gross, Seattle

Family put all law-abiding citizens in danger

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s disdain for the separation of church and state has come back to bite him, as well it should [“Political death blow for Huckabee?,” News, Dec. 1].

I wish Huckabee would stop exhibiting his capacity for forgiveness and Christian charity by inflicting vicious criminals on the rest of society.

The friends and family of Maurice Clemmons were doing everything they could to keep a person who had just murdered four police officers in cold blood back out on the streets to potentially kill again.

If prosecutors can prove these people in fact lent assistance to this killer, they deserve serious punishment for their crimes. I have no idea how these people can justify their actions. They put every law-abiding citizen in danger, and should be called to account.

— Steve Alberts, Vashon

Lone officer a hero, could have been another victim

As a former police officer, I and many others insist that every single individual who assisted Maurice Clemmons after he gunned down four officers in Lakewood be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law [“Those who aided cop killer deserve full weight of the law,” Opinion, Lynne K. Varner editorial column, Dec. 2].

I understand three or more people who helped Clemmons have been arrested for rendering criminal assistance in Pierce County. I believe that charge is insufficient on its face.

Everyone involved should be charged as an accomplice in this case with appropriate sentences varying from the death penalty to life in prison, as an example to everyone.

There is no excuse whatsoever for anyone helping Clemmons after what he did was plastered all over every TV screen in Puget Sound.

What about the Seattle police officer who single-handedly took on Clemmons? He was working alone without backup and could have met the same fate as the officers in Lakewood. If he had been killed, his murder would have also been on the backs of the friends and neighbors of Clemmons who helped him escape after the shooting.

— Bob Clark, Monroe

Released prisoners should shack up with the parole board

The tragic death of four Lakewood police officers is exacerbated by the early release of the alleged murderer [“Persuasive appeal helped Clemmons win clemency,” News, Dec. 1].

Doubtless some prisoners truly rue their crimes, and are ready to rejoin society.

But let’s envision a system where parole board members take direct responsibility for any person to whom they give early release. Let’s have the released prisoner live in a parole board member’s home for the first month.

Would a parole board member with children be willing to have a released pedophile or rapist living in their home? Let them visibly demonstrate their belief in the reformation of a prisoner. If not, then why are these boards releasing such people early to prey on society again?

And let’s not forget defense lawyers through a similar program. If their client gets off on a serious charge, let the client live in the lawyer’s house for a while. We might see the conviction rate of dangerous people increase, instead of them getting off on legal technicalities dredged up by the defense.

— Roel Hurkens, Victoria, B.C.

Voters should hold local judge accountable

While I think former Gov. Mike Huckabee should be held accountable, what about the local judge who overruled another judge’s determination not to grant bail and granted Maurice Clemmons the ability to go out and murder [“Person of interest let out of Pierce County Jail one week ago,” page one, Nov. 30]?

The state judiciary is allowed to hide behind sentencing guidelines instead of them determining the sentencing, thus making them accountable to no one. Here is a perfect example of why they should be held accountable. The decision this judge made had serious consequences to the detriment of four officers, their families and their community.

Who will hold them accountable? The voters. The voters should know who this judge is so if the electorate chooses, he can be fired.

There was every reason to deny bail to Clemmons: He was a three-striker, he demonstrated violence toward police and family members (i.e. sexual assault) and he had violent and unpredictable outbursts.

Arkansas blew it and the Washington state judiciary system blew it.

— Sam Granato, Yakima

Blame resides right here, in Washington state

Let’s talk about the Washington criminal-justice system, or the lack of it.

I am shocked The Seattle Times is talking more about the Arkansas parole granted to Maurice Clemmons than it is about Washington state’s failures. He was released from custody here just days ago.

He was released from custody here despite an outstanding fugitive felony warrant from Arkansas. He was released from custody here despite seven additional felony charges in Washington state. He was facing a child-rape charge committed against a 12-year-old relative. He was facing a life sentence in this state’s three-strikes law if convicted of the child-rape charge.

Why is our state granting bail to a person charged with child rape? Who was the judge who granted this bail after it was previously denied by another judge?

The ultimate blame here is not with Arkansas or former Gov. Mike Huckabee. It is with our own Washington state judicial system. Let’s place the blame where it belongs. Clemmons was being held in our system on eight felony charges.

— Ronald Czarnecki, Everett

John Obeidin points us to the news that The Dallas News has basically wiped away the standard “church” and “state” separation of journalists and ad sales and has reorganized such that editorial and journalism positions now report to ad sales managers (nicely renamed “general managers”). Of course, historically, newspapers have always been clear to separate the two. There’s no reason why this needs to be the case, but it can certainly raise questions about the objectivity of the reporting.

Of course, it’s interesting that this is happening just days after those new FTC guidelines on making it clear if content is somehow sponsored. So, will the Dallas News now need to be more clear about its advertising partners, since the paper is now admitting that its editorial content will now be closely tied to its advertising relationships?

Permalink | Comments | Email This Story

Officers white, criminals black

The horrific shooting of four Lakewood police officers on Nov. 29 is an act that saddens us all, and that must be responded to the full extent of the law.

There is justice to be served, grief to be processed, anger to be vented. Unfortunately, this incident is being used by some to justify their racist ideology [“Manhunt creates unease for black men,” News, Dec. 1], rather than to question a criminal-justice system that obviously needs fixing.

The facts of the situation are polarizing: The officers are all white, the suspect African American. The unfortunate result is that a segment of the white community is using this incident to cast guilt upon a wide group of African Americans.

If you have spent any time monitoring comments on the Internet, reactions posted to newspaper stories, if you listen to talk radio, there is a deep streak of racism that flows at opportunities such as this. Many of these comments call for a vigilante approach to justice, casting any young African-American male as a prime suspect, especially if he is wearing a hoody.

No good can come from this — only more hate and more violence — only this time against innocent people who in no way are responsible for this horrible crime.

The community candlelight vigil held in Tacoma the night of the murders drew a diverse group of mourners and supporters who represented the racial and cultural diversity of our community. We are all coping with this tragedy together. We must respond to this tragedy by recognizing the racism that is reawakened in response, and by having the courage to name it and stand against it as a community united in peace and justice for all.

— Cheryl Cobbs, Seattle

African-American community will continue to build bridges

During the formative years of the Lakewood Police Department, the Lakewood African-American Police Advisory Committee (LAAPAC), worked hard to build bridges between the African-American community and the Lakewood Police Department.

Through the years we were successful. I have to hold on to the fact that we made a difference that is still around in the community and the department.

Today, my heart is heavy for the families, friends and co-workers of the four officers slain in cold blood. As the former chair of the LAAPAC, I add my heartfelt condolences to the many they have and will receive.

I have faith that the Lakewood Police Department will continue to be fair. I stand behind our police department 100 percent. Thank you for all you do to keep our community safe. We will continue to build bridges and we will work hard to heal the wounds left open by a hideous act of violence.

— Julius W. Brown Jr., Lakewood