Author: Serkadis

Filed under: Etc., Videos, Canada

Google may have grounded its Street View fleet, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t still plenty to see on the search engine giant’s most immersive of online tools. We’ve recently brought you news of the Street View team taking to the Woodward Dream Cruise, the Lotus test track and Laguna Seca, to name just a few. But as the proprietors of countless unsecured networks can tell you, Google’s reach extends far beyond pavement.

In the ramp-up to the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, just a few months ago, Google strapped its cameras to snowmobiles to map out the extensive winter sport playground at Whistler. Still feeling the Olympic fever? Planning a trip to Canada’s West Coast? Just plain curious? Check it out in the video after the jump.

[Source: Google]

Continue reading Google Street View takes to the slopes of Whistler [w/video + map]

Google Street View takes to the slopes of Whistler [w/video + map] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 May 2010 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Renault

Renault–Nissan and Daimler recently announced a strategic alliance that promised technology and facility sharing that could result in the saving of over $1 billion per year. We’ll have to wait a while before we can see any parts or factory sharing, but that isn’t stopping the rumormill from running rampant.

The latest tease comes courtesy of Japanese enthusiast rag Best Car, which claims that the Infiniti M and G will share a common platform architecture with the Mercedes E-Class. The move would make sense from a money-saving perspective, as Infiniti could save hundreds of millions of dollars in development costs. Daimler could reap huge sums of savings through increased economies of scale, while likely receiving funding from Renault-Nissan to help pay for the costs of developing the architecture. The two companies are reportedly also looking into sharing engines, factory space in the U.S. and possibly even commercial vans.

But while it makes sense for Daimler to share the E-Class platform with Infiniti from a cash standpoint, we’re taking this bit of news with a healthy dose of skepticism. Infiniti already has an excellent rear-wheel drive platform and there’s a good chance that it’s cheaper to build. But then again, if Daimler and Renault-Nissan are truly serious about saving over $1 billion per year, these are exactly the kinds of parts-sharing agreements that will help them reach their cost-saving goals.

[Source: Pistonheads]

Report: Next Infiniti M and G to share platform with Mercedes-Benz E Class? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 May 2010 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

By far the most pessimistic take on the oil spill comes from oil guru Matthew Simmons, who was on The Dylan Ratigan Show this afternoon. His warning: There may be no way to stop the leak, and it could take 9000 days (over 24 years) for the gusher to end, while we wait for the well to simply run out. Simmons comes in around the 7 minute mark.

And check out: sickening pictures of oil entering the marshes >

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Join the conversation about this story »

It’s not often you hear of a copyright claim concerning a text that was supposedly written more than 2,500 years ago. The Hollywood Reporter has the news that Wayne Dyer, a “self-help” guru, has been sued for copyright infringement for using text from “Tao Te Ching: A New English Version,” by Stephen Mitchell, in his own book. But, of course, if the Tao Te Ching is from two plus millennia ago, what’s the copyright claim? Well, it turns out that Mitchell is now claiming that his new English version is very new indeed. So new that it’s not actually a translation at all, but more or less his own version of what he thought the Tao Te Ching really meant:

As a result, “rather than provide a literal translation, the book embodies language that conveys Mitchell’s version of Lao-tzu’s meaning and the spirit of his teaching,” the complaint says. “Accordingly, Mitchell’s book is a highly original work.”

If true, there certainly could be a new copyright on the work, though it does seem a bit odd to rewrite it, and then still call it the Tao Te Ching. Basically, it looks like Mitchell wants the best of both worlds. To be able to pretend his version is the ancient version when it works for marketing purposes, but then to consider a brand new work when it comes to copyright.

Permalink | Comments | Email This Story

Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Specialty

Nearly four years after its debut, New Zealand-based Hulme Supercars has finally opened up the order books for the CanAm, but if you want one, you had better move fast. Hulme will build only 20 examples of the CanAm and they are going on a first come, first serve basis. To get on the order list, prospective customers will have to submit a £10,000 fully refundable deposit (that’s around $14,400 at current exchange rates). Production of the CanAm won’t start until the fall of 2011 and Hulme will hold a private showing and test drive sometime before the 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Hulme will put the deposits in a trust account that will be returned for any prospective customers that decide to cancel. For those that decide to take delivery, the $700,000+ purchase price includes two business class tickets to Auckland, New Zealand for final fitting of the car and some local driving time. Once the customer is satisfied, the car will get shipped to its final destination.

[Source: Hulme Supercars]

Continue reading Hulme CanAm now available for order – Hurry, just 20 available

Hulme CanAm now available for order – Hurry, just 20 available originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 May 2010 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

After surging by as much as 2% at one point, markets collapsed in the final moments of the day, a session that will prove very dispiriting for the bulls.

But first, the scoreboard:

Dow: -70 (below 10,000!)
S&P 500: -6.2
NASDAQ: -15.07

And now, the key stories.

• Once again, the see-saw market is the story of the day. Stocks were up very big early, following a good overnight session, and then collapsed in the final hour. The whole day felt like yesterday, but in reverse. Bulls who were hoping that a rising market would become the new norm on days with little news will be sorely disappointed. See 10 key economic indicators that are already rolling over here >

• Once again, Europe had to go and spoil the party. First, there was a report that Greece is already trying to renegotiate its big bailout (specifically, that it’s trying to get out of promised pension cuts), and second there was a report that China has put its holdings of Eurozone bonds on review. See everyone who would be saved by the Euro bailout here >

• BP’s “Top Kill” began at 2:00 PM ET, though we won’t know for awhile whether the attempt to fill the leaking well with mud will work. It could take anywhere from 10 hours to two days to see results.

• New home sales came in well above expectations, providing a nice lift homebuilders early on, but the number is still influenced by the homebuyer tax credit. The next wave of housing data will provide a nice look at post-hangover information.

• Commodities painted a mixed picture. Gold moved higher, showing it was not falling victim to a flight to liquidity. Oil was up nicely, as well, while, copper and palladium were both down.

Join the conversation about this story »

Tron: Evolution, like many games of the season, is expected to make its appearance in the forthcoming E3 2010. Talking about the game through this interview is Game Director Darren Hedges, who tells us the little things

The famous TV host and judge of American Idol, Ellen DeGeneres founded a record label just to sign Greyson Chance, 12 years old artist from Edmond (Oklahoma) who became famous on YouTube singing “Paparazzi” by Lady GaGa.

The presenter, Ellen announced on her own program, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” that she decided to start new projects in the world of music with the intention of finding new talent. This has created a new label called “Eleveneleven” and, as explained, has its first customer, Greyson Chance small boy who, like many others, through the Internet portal YouTube unveiled to the world its talent. The label is being created in partnership with Telepictures Productions, while Guy Oseary, Madonna’s agent, and Troy Carter, Lady Gaga agent, also signed for Chance as agents.

The presenter first saw him in a Youtube video which featured a piano playing of Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” for a musical festival at his school. The video had such an impact in the U.S. (has more than 20 million views), Ellen invited Chance as a special guest of the program on May 13. The young artist has also published two original songs on YouTube, entitled “Stars” and “Broken Hearts.”

During the broadcast of the program where DeGeneres broke the news of his sponsorship, Greyson Chance said he thinks it’s amazing what is going on and that seems crazy to think that 30 million people could be looking at him in that very moment.

Related posts:

1. Watch Greyson Michael Chance playing “Paparazzi” by Lady Gaga
2. Greyson Chance Performs at ‘Ellen’ and Chats With Lady Gaga!
3. Greyson Michael Chance: The Child Prodigy

Filed under: Concept Cars, Videos, Crossover, Mini

Mini is reportedly seriously considering creating a production version of the Beachcomber concept that debuted at this year’s Detroit Auto Show. The Beachcomber was produced as a Mini Moke-inspired preview of the Countryman crossover that debuted in Geneva, but the concept left the doors and roof behind to create what looked like the offspring of a Jeep Wrangler and the iconic British small car.

Mini SVP for brand management Dr. Wolfgang Armbrecht acknowledged that the response to the concept was so strong that BMW is now looking at the business case for this open-sided variant. If Mini does proceed with the Moke/Beachcomber that would bring the lineup to seven models, including the upcoming coupe and roadster variants. A production version would probably come with removable doors and a folding fabric roof. We wouldn’t expect to see this one appear until at least 2012 or 2013 at the earliest, if then, but in the meantime, make the jump to see Dr. Armbrecht and designer Gert Hildebrand discuss the Beachcomber concept.

[Source: AutoExpress]

Continue reading Rumormill: Beachcomber-based Mini Moke may get the greenlight [w/video]

Rumormill: Beachcomber-based Mini Moke may get the greenlight [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 May 2010 14:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

When he’s not busy managing Square Enix and replying to a bazillion questions on Twitter, Yoichi Wada plays games too and not just their games. The Square Enix CEO recently played Heavy Rain, and he enjoyed

BMW announced that its most fuel-efficient and greenest 3-Series ever completed a record-breaking journey from the UK to Munich and back on one tank of gas. Fueled up and ready to go at the Channel Tunnel, the new 2010 BMW 320d EfficientDynamics sedan made it to Munich and back – a total of 1,013 miles on a single tank of fuel.

The BMW 320d EfficientDynamics was piloted by Tom Ford (of Fifth Gear) who averaged a combined figure of 57 mpg and CO2 emissions of only 109g/km. On his way to Munich, Tom was achieving a 63 mpg and said that he didn’t hit below 54 mpg the entire trip.

Click here to get prices on the 2011 BMW 335d.

“I was prepared for this car to fail in the real world, I was wrong,” Tom said. “Although I did try and be careful and drive in a feather-footed manner, I did cruise at a reasonable 65ish mph on the autoroutes and autobahns, so faster than the usual economy run pace.”

The 2010 BMW 320d EfficientDynamics is powered by a 2.0L 4-cylinder turbocharged diesel making 163-hp with a maximum torque of 265 lb-ft. Mated to a 6-speed manual, the BMW 320d EfficientDynamics can go from 0-62 mph in 8.2 seconds with a top speed of 140 mph.

2010 BMW 320d EfficientDynamics:

– By: Omar Rana

Once again, the euro is getting smashed, as it’s below $1.22

There are two stories roiling markets.

1) There’s the report that Greece may already be trying to renege on the austerity measures it agreed to as part of the big three-year bailout.. That’s a bad sign.

2) There’s an FT report about China possibly reviewing its Euro bond holdings. Frankly we’re skeptical on that last one. The last thing China needs is for the Euro to weaken more, and put its Europe-dependent exporters at a further disadvantage.

Join the conversation about this story »

We’ve discussed how the fashion industry is an excellent example of how a creative industry can thrive and be highly competitive and innovative without copyright many times before. In fact, way back in 2003, we noted that there was much that the entertainment industry could learn from the fashion industry. Since then, we’ve seen academic research highlighting how much of the success in the industry was due to the lack of copyright, because it helped spur continuous innovation, rather than letting someone rest on their laurels. On top of that, it also helped segment the market, speed diffusion, build out trends and actually increase the reputation of top designers.

Given all that, we could never understand why some top designers (though, certainly certainly not all) are so desperate to get a special copyright on fashion, despite the suggestions it would actually stifle the market quite a bit. They’ve been relying on highly questionable research from a lawyer, which doesn’t stand up to the most basic economic analysis.

However, there are folks who are pointing out how important the lack of copyright protection is in the fashion industry. Peter Tanham points us to a recently posted TED talk by Johanna Blakely about how the fashion industry thrives without copyright:

It’s definitely a good introduction to the topic, and also has a good response to the claims that copyrights on designs work in other parts of the world (Blakely shows that’s not really true, and that problems with the way the laws are implemented elsewhere shows that they’re almost never used).

The thing that disappointed me about the presentation, frankly, is that while it’s titled: “Lessons from fashion’s free culture” Blakely never really gets that deeply into the lessons. She does talk about a few other areas of creative endeavors where copyright is not allowed for the most part (recipes, cars, furniture, etc.) and has an amusing slide that compares the revenue generated in industries with copyright and those not protected by copyright (the “not protected by copyright” part vastly outweighs the “protected by copyright” side). I’d like to see that slide in a bit more detail, because, while amusing, it threatens to fall into the same trap as the recent Chamber of Commerce report that tries to claim the exact opposite. It says that copyright protected industries contribute a lot more to the economy than non-covered industries. In both cases, though, I fear that there’s some cherry-picking of data and questionable classifications.

I do think that there’s a ton to learn from industries like the fashion industry — including suggestions on ways those lessons can be applied to industries like music and movies. Hopefully we’ll start seeing a deeper analysis on that soon.

Permalink | Comments | Email This Story

Ever played Cops and Robbers when you were little? No? You totally missed out. Fortunately, modern gaming permits that what your childhood lacked, they’ll deliver in fancy coded thingamajigs called video games. For Kane & Lynch 2:

Filed under: Spy Photos, Hybrid, Sedan, Volkswagen, Diesel

The clearest images yet of the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta have turned up ahead of the compact sedan’s launch this fall. Like the latest MK VI Golf, the Jetta is expected to be built on an updated version of the MK V platform, although the sedan is believed to be slightly longer and wider. This will allow it to be more competitive against the Chevrolet Cruze and next generation Ford Focus.

Under the hood, the 2.0-liter TDI diesel will carry over, but the unloved 2.5-liter inline-five will probably be replaced by a 1.4-liter TSI inline-four. The TSI is a direct injected and turbocharged gasoline engine already available in Europe with several versions from 120 to 180 horsepower being offered.

A hybrid version of the Jetta will join the lineup in 2012 with a full electric version rumored in 2013. The current Jetta Sportwagen, sold as the Golf Variant in Europe, will continue unchanged for at least several more years after getting the MK VI Golf nose and interior for 2010.

[Source: AutoExpress]

Spy Shots: 2011 Volkswagen Jetta ready for its closeup originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 May 2010 14:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

U.S. authorities investigating whether the tactics used by Apple to remain a world leader in Internet music sales involved any abuse of its dominant position, reports today, “The New York Times.”

The New York daily added that the Department of Justice U.S. investigates Apple to know whether he tried to prevent certain exclusive agreements of Amazon, its largest competitor in this sector.

The investigation,  is in a preliminary stage and might stay there, has led the Justice Department staff to ask several record companies to clarify whether Apple has used practices that could violate the rules of free competition.

Specifically, it investigates whether Apple pressured record companies not to participate in the campaign of Amazon “MP3 Daily Deal” with the company that distributes a day before its official release certain songs, and if threatened to criminalize the distribution of their products in their online store, iTunes.

The iTunes store, was established in 2003, and became the largest U.S. online music store, with a market share of almost 70% and more than 10,000 million songs sold, thanks largely to its popular iPod, and iPhone iTouch, from which users can buy directly from iTunes.

Amazon is the second largest online music store in this country but only has a market share of 8%, giving Apple a dominant position which could be abused, the newspaper said, without citing its sources. Worldwide, iTunes, which also sells applications, movies, television programs and even electronic books, also is the largest online music store, with a market share of 26.7%, according to the NPD Group audit.

Related posts:

1. Apple to Shut Down Lala: No More Lala Online Music Service!
2. HP Hopes Smartphones Will Sell Better Than Palm Brand
3. Amazon Developed Free Kindle App For iPad, iPhone and Mac Users

Are the bulls about to blow it again?

Right now it looks like it. At one point the Dow was up triple digits.

Join the conversation about this story »

Yes – when we grow up we want a garage just like Jay Leno’s. Leno recently had the chance to get behind the 2011 Ford Mustang GT and seemed really impressed by the new GT (as he should be).

Click here to get prices on the 2011 Ford Mustang.

Hit the jump for the video.

Refresher: The 2011 Ford Mustang GT is powered by a 5.0L 4-valve Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing (Ti-VCT) V8 engine producion 412-hp with a peak torque of 390 lb-ft. Transmission choices include a 6-speed automatic and a 6-speed manual. The 6-speed automatic helps deliver an estimated fuel-economy of 17/25 mpg (city/highway).

2011 Ford Mustang GT:

Jay Leno’s Garage: 2011 Ford Mustang GT:

2011 Ford Mustang GT:

– By: Omar Rana

Here’s another great chart from Doug Short (dshort.com), the master of overlaying markets on top of each other.

Short explains:

Here is a new overlay of five world markets since March 9, 2009. The start date is arbitrary: The S&P 500 hit a low on March 9th, the Nikkei 225 on March 10th, the DAX on March 6th, the FTSE on March 3rd, and the Hang Seng 4.4 months earlier on October 27, 2008. However, by aligning on the same day, we get a better sense of the present-day synchronous behavior of the markets than if we align the lows.

You almost have to feel sorry for Japan, the world’s biggest loser, once again.

Join the conversation about this story »

Filed under: Coupe, Hybrid, Japan, Tokyo Motor Show, Toyota

If a report from Japan’s Best Car is to be believed, Toyota will delay the release of the FT-86 from 2011 to 2013.

The reasons behind the delay are varied, and include a different design direction, the economic slowdown and possibly a revised powertrain strategy that could include some kind of hybrid motivation.

As reported previously, the original FT-86 concept was just that – a design study – and Toyota is apparently second-guessing the styling of the coupe before it reaches production. Additionally, ToMoCo is reportedly gauging the success of the Honda CR-Z, which could influence the final drivetrain specs of the FT-86. If that means a hybrid powerplant is in the cards, we’re not totally heartbroken, but if Toyota decides to remake the coupe as a front-driver, consider our dreams officially dashed. Regardless, the next iteration of the FT-86 is slated to debut at the Tokyo Motor Show at the end of 2011.

[Source: Best Car via 7Tune]

Report: Toyota FT-86 delayed until 2013, hybrid under consideration originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 May 2010 13:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments