Author: Serkadis

Pumping out 430-hp, the Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport runs a 0-60 mph time in less than 4 seconds – and that may be very impressive to most out there but tuner GeigerCars thinks it can do better. Meet the 2010 GeigerCars Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport.

Power has been increased from 430-hp to a total of 588-hp with a maximum torque of 544 lb-ft. While GeigerCars doesn’t confirm exact 0-60 mph numbers (says its less than 4 seconds), it says that top speed has been increased to a whopping 209 mph.

Living in Europe, the 2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport will cost you 66,900 Euros ($89,140 USD), but GeigerCars performance upgrades will run you back an additional 16,450 Euros ($21,918 USD) and 2,800 Euros ($3,730 USD) for a modified transmission ratio.

Click through for the press release.

GeigerCars 2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport:

GeigerCars.de GmbH – Corvette Grand Sport

The name “Grand Sport” is entrenched in the racing history of the Chevrolet Corvette. Now, for the 2010 model year, there is a new edition that evokes memories of the racecars of the seventies – and Geigercars.de has already given these rockets an additional performance upgrade.

With the LS3 V8 under the bonnet, and the corresponding 430 hp and 575 Nm in torque, the Grand Sport is certainly not short of legs when it leaves the factory. But why be satisfied with production line performance, when tuning specialist Geigercars.de can give you something more? Thanks to the Munich pros, a supercharger with a fat 2.3 litres capacity sits on top of the eight-cylinder engine, which itself exhibits a volume of 6.2 litres. The result is a growth in the power of the Corvette to an immense 588 hp at 6,490 rpm, and torque of 738 Nm at 4,030 rpm. This ultimate sports car negotiates the sprint to 100 km/h in less than four seconds from contact, and it’s not until reaching 337 km/h that the Geigercars.de rocket is forced to relent to wind resistance.

The Grand Sport impresses both aesthetically and technically, with wider front and rear fenders with additional vents, to accommodate the larger brakes of the sister model Z06 with its 355 mm, six-cylinder discs at the front axle, and 340 mm, four-cylinder discs at the rear. The front diffuser and larger rear spoiler are also borrowed from the engineers of the Corvette Z06. Sway bars, shock absorbers and springs have also been overhauled in addition to the six-speed transmission, while a dry sump oil system and differential cooler are also on board. The battery of the Grand Sport has been relocated to the rear. Optimum road contact is guaranteed by the 18 and 19 inch light alloy rims, with 275/35 and imposing 325/30 tyres.

Special factory-installed emblems on the front fenders, and not least the special graphics applied by Geigercars.de to the fenders, bonnet and boot lid, draw even the untrained eye to the character of this very special elite athlete – and underline that certain something about the entire project perfectly.

Technical specifications – Geigercars.de Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport

Engine: 6.2 litre V8
Output: 588 hp at 6,490 rpm
Torque: 738 N m at 4,030 rpm
Top speed: 337 km/h
Supercharger with 2.3 litre capacity and 0.6 bar charging pressure
Transmission: Six-speed manual transmission (5th and 6th gears modified)
Light alloy wheels – 18 inch front / 19 inch rear
Tyres: 275/35 ZR18 front / 325/30 ZR19 rear
Base model: EUR 66,900
Performance upgrade: EUR 16,450
Modified transmission ratio: EUR 2,800

The volcano crisis shut down European air traffic for a week, and as you can imagine a lot of stocks were murdered. A report from Data Explorers details the carnage (via FT Alphaville).

First of all, short selling exploded for airlines and logistics companies. For instance: funds sold 6% of shares in Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) and 1% of shares for tour group Go-Ahead (GOG).

As the same time, shorts ran screaming from cars, trains, and hotels, since these were industries which benefited. For example, investors added shares in Hertz Global (HTZ) and Accor SA.

 

So far it all seems predictable.

Yet the report also found unintuitive patterns, like a bullish move for one airline. Air France (AFLYY) sailed through the crisis by increasing flights from Madrid. Investors also poured into British Sky Broadcasting (BSY), hoping that the disaster would increase TV ratings.

Oddly, among the losers were marine transport and pharmaceutical companies. Data Explorers did not specify how these industries were related to the volcano, perhaps it was just noise.

While long-term effects of the volcano are unknown, and could be substantial if eruptions continue, any contrarian worth his or her salt should pick through the wreckage. You can see more from Data Explorer here.

Don’t miss: 20 Winners And Losers From The Volcano Crisis

Join the conversation about this story »

Two things I love are sleeping and data collection. Now, thanks to a new iPhone app, I can do both at once.

Sleep Cycle uses the accelerometer in the iPhone to record vibrations in your mattress caused by you moving in the night. In this way it acts as an actigraph, keeping a record of your body movement, which in this context reflects how deeply you are asleep.

Here is the data from my last night’s kip. As you can see I show a fairly typical pattern: sleeping deeper in the first half of the night, compared to the second half, and having alternating patterns of deep and light sleep (although I seem to cycle through the stages of sleep every hour, rather than the typically quoted every one and a half hours).

The app also has an alarm which promises to wake you up during a lighter stage of sleep, so saving you the unpleasant sensation of being woken by your alarm from deep sleep. I’ve yet to try this out but it sounds like a good thing, as long as avoiding the jarring sensation is worth forgoing the extra minutes shut-eye!

Link: to the Sleepcycle app

Environmental News Network: An oil drilling rig that had burned for 36 hours in the Gulf of Mexico sank on Thursday as hopes dimmed for 11 missing workers and the risk of a major oil spill loomed, officials said.

The fire went out as the Deepwater Horizon, operated by Transocean Ltd, sank below the surface at 10:21 a.m. CDT (1521 GMT), about 42 miles off the Louisiana coast.

The rig was drilling BP Plc’s Macondo project with 126 workers on board when it was ripped by an explosion and fire on Tuesday night. Some 115 workers escaped, including 17 helicoptered to New Orleans area hospitals with injuries.

Search and rescue operations turned up two empty lifeboats, and officials cited dim hopes that the 11 workers missing since the blast about 10 p.m. CDT Tuesday night would be rescued.

“We do continue with search and rescue activities,” the 8th District Coast Guard Commander Rear Admiral Mary Landry said. “As time passes, however, the probability of success in locating the 11 missing persons decreases.”

Transocean, based in Zug, Switzerland and the world’s largest offshore drilling contractor, said some of the missing may not have been able to escape the rig.

“Based on reports of crew members, at the time of the incident, they believe they may have been on board and not able to evacuate,” said Adrian Rose, a vice president of Transocean.

U.S. lawmakers called for the Coast Guard and Minerals Management Service to investigate the incident.

“It is critical that these agencies examine what went wrong and the environmental impact this incident has created,” said Sen. Mary Landrieu, Louisiana Democrat.

The explosion comes almost three weeks after President Barack Obama unveiled plans for a limited expansion of U.S. offshore oil and gas drilling.

It was unclear whether the rig sank to the bottom in about 5,000 feet of water, or how much oil still flowed or had spilled from the well, officials said.

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About a year ago, in 2009 Shell Oil started injecting nitrogen into their gasoline. According to Shell, “Nitrogen is a key element of the active cleaning molecule in the new fuel, making it significantly more stable at higher temperatures common in modern engines, such as direct fuel-injection gasoline engines.”

But, this leads me to the question of doesn’t this enrichment lead to more nitrous oxide coming out the tailpipe? Now this laughing gas (N2O) is no laughing matter as it is also one of the greenhouse gases contributing to global warming.

So, a company called ACTA SpA is taking a different approach by injecting hydrogen into diesel fuel to help long haul truck drivers increase mileage by 17-percent. This hydrogen injection unit pays for itself in 6 months and not only will it cut down on fuel consumption (thereby greenhouse gases) but it will save money at the pump as well.

According to ACTA about its new hydrogen injection unit, “The tests took place in Verona at Car Diesel S.p.A., one of the largest independent test centres for fuel consumption and engine performance in Northern Italy. A new Volvo earth mover truck, fitted with a 7.2-litre capacity, 280HP engine (D7E280), compliant with Euro 5 emission standards, was tested at 80-percent of its power with hydrogen gas injected to enrich the fuel, and the fuel consumption was compared to the same test conditions without hydrogen injection.

“The Company estimates that the reduction achieved in consumption represents a net fuel saving of over €6,000 per annum for an average long-distance HGV, which would represent a payback period of only six months, based upon Acta’s anticipated commercial pricing for this system. These results are an important technical validation of the data obtained by the Company in its own laboratory, in a previous independent engine performance test, and in road tests.”

Unlike many emerging technology companies, ACTA is starting to see a profit on its hydrogen generators which are being used to both produce and store renewable energy on a large scale and to help diesel trucks attain higher mileage.

Sure there will be skeptics to this new technology. But, validation from independent lab tests from a center with an excellent reputation is a good start where even a denier will find a hard time in quibbling with the results.

Late last year, we created a presentation on some of the greatest trades of all time. It featured men who had achieved billions of dollars through their financial aptitude, brilliant investment strategies, and some luck.

However, with every winning trade comes a loss to another party, and today we focus on… the losers.

Here are the individuals and institutions that lost hundreds of millions, to billions, of dollars. All by letting one group or individual gamble with their money.

Be it excessive leverage, poor decision-making, or outright illegal activity, this is a story of epic failure.

See The Worst Trades Of All Time ->

Robert Citron: The man who brought California to its knees with 292% leverage.

In 1994, Robert Citron was Treasurer-Tax Collector and the only Democrat to hold office in Orange County, California. Through a series of highly-levered deals that included repo agreements and floating rate notes, Citron was able to at one point achieve leverage of 292%. The funds he managed were worth around $8 billion and if interest rates went up, he stood to lose big time due to his collateral which consisted almost primarily of US Treasury bonds.

Well guess what? Interest rates rose and as a result, Citron lost Orange County lost a boatload of money. From Wikipedia:

“The county’s finances were not suspect until February 1994. The Federal Reserve Bank began to raise US interest rates, causing many securities in Orange County’s investment pools to fall in value. As a result, dealers were requesting extra margin payments from Orange County. These extra margin payments were funded in part by another bond issue made by Orange County; the size of that bond issue was $600 million. However, this fix proved to be only temporary. In December 1994, Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB) realized what was going on and blocked the “rolling over” of $1.25 billion in repos (“rollover” essentially means issuing of another repo when the previous one ends, but, at the new prevailing interest rate).

At that point Orange County was left with no recourse other than to file for bankruptcy.”

Jerome Kerviel: Derivatives arbitrage totaling over $60 billion

Kerviel made headlines last year as the trader at “a french bank,” which ended up being Societe Generale, He lost approximately $6.5 billion just like Leeson and others in this list through arbitrage of equity derivatives. Unauthorized trades totaled as high as $66.7 billion. Kerviel was ultimately charged with creating fraudulent documents and making attacks on an automated system.

Nick Leeson: Wiped out the world’s oldest bank, Barings

Leeson is most likely the most popular guy on the list. He started his career trading derivatives at Barings Bank and was eventually moved to Singapore where he enjoyed a lavish lifestyle and made plenty of money. That is, because he hid mounting losses in a special account known as the “five eights” account. He was eventually caught and sentenced to five years in a Singaporean prison where he acquired cancer and his wife left him.

Tim Geithner: Plowed $6.6 billion into a dead, unpopular automaker

Consider this: when was the last time Chrysler made a car you would actually buy? I’m dead serious. Who buys a new Chrysler, excluding the Jeep brand? Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner must not have thought of this when he wrote Chrysler a check for $6.6 billion to keep the company afloat via a new company.

This isn’t the first time Chrysler has needed help. In 1979, then-President Jimmy Carter approved a $1.5 billion loan package for the automaker called the Chrysler Corporation Loan Guarantee.

Since 2009, Chrysler has yet to fully recover and continues to be a money-losing business. Kyle Bass once said that this country needs to consolidate its auto industry. There is no longer room for three major players and perhaps, not even two. Ford will stick around, but it remains to be seen if Chrysler and GM can survive despite their divine intervention.

John Rusnak: Lost $691 million and thousands of jobs trading FX

Rusnak was a currency trader at Allfirst Bank who placed bets he couldn’t handle. He was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison for bank fraud and lost Allfirst a total of $691 million. As a result, Allfirst was sold by parent company AIB Group to M&T Bank. Over 1000 employees lost their jobs as a result of the case.

Joseph Jett: The hacker who lost it all

After GE purchased investment firm Kidder Peabody, it ended up finding out the company was more trouble than it was worth. Joe Jett, an MIT and Harvard Business School graduate, worked for Kidder in its fixed income department. He exploited a weak computer system to emulate trades to appear as if he was making sums of money. He appeared to have made $264 million when in reality, he had $75 million in losses that he covered up.

After becoming a rising star in the company, he was fired for reportedly causing over $250 million in losses according to then-GE CEO Jack Welch. As a result, the SEC charged him with record-keeping violations and ordered him to forfeit $8.2 million in bonus pay in addition to a $200,000 fine.

John Meriwether: The hedge fund that almost blew up the entire global economy.

This story is one that’s appeared in many a book about finance. It goes something like this:

Back in 1998, John Meriwether’s hedge fund, Long-Term Capital Management, had levered up 100:1 on Russian bonds. Russia defaulted and as a result, the fund lost $4.8 billion in a matter of months. A consortium of Wall Street banks was brought together by the New York Fed in order to bail out the hedge fund and save the economy. Firms like Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse were all forced to post hundreds of millions of dollars to keep the firm afloat. Over $1.9 billion in principal was completely wiped out, making Meriwether the laughing stock of The Street.

Yasuo Hamanaka: Attempted to corner the copper market and lost

This Japanese copper trader used to be employed by the Sumitomo Corporation, which was one of the larger trading firms in Japan. Back in 1996, Mr. Hamanaka attempted to corner the copper market and was unsuccessful. At stake? $1.8 billion in authorized trading with losses as high as $2.6 billion. He was sentenced to eight years in prison and was released in 2005.

Andy Fastow: Enron’s CFO Cooks The Books, Funnels Money, And Cheats His Way To Riches

The downfall of Enron will forever be known as one of the greatest crimes (and tricks) in modern finance. As Enron’s Chief Financial Officer, Fastow was responsible for unloading balance sheet debt into special investment vehicles, including the famous JLM and Raptor vehicles. He also set up off shore entities, directed traders on how they should make money, and lied to investors all in the name of Enron.

When the government went after Enron, he was able to cop a plea agreement that required him to serve a maximum 10-year prison sentence and forfeit $23.8 million in assets. He got six years and is awaiting release in 2011. His losses? Billions of dollars, wiping out shareholders completely, and costing thousands their jobs.

Peter Young: 80,000 investors get cheated

Young was a fund manager at Deutsche Morgan Grenfell (DMG) and had access to quite a bit of capital. He was known for making big, speculative bets in European markets. He set up shell companies so that he could circumvent financial regulation and place big bets on specific companies. After these bets, regulators came looking for answers and trading was shut down temporarily. Parent company Deutsche Bank was forced to offer DMG a $300 million cash infusion, only to have $400 million withdrawn from its funds in the ensuing weeks.

DMG was forced to pay a $1 million fine and investors profits were cut short after the bank announced to 80,000 investors that money was lost due to trading irregularities. Together, the three European funds Young managed were worth a combined $2.5 billion.

Bernard Madoff: The greatest Ponzi scheme of all time

You know the story by now, so let’s review:

• Former head of NASDAQ starts up Madoff Securities in mid-1980s.
• For years showed investors great returns, told them to keep their money in the fund.
• Turned out he didn’t have anywhere near as much money in the fund as he claimed he did, bilked investors out of billions when it was discovered he was running a Ponzi scheme.
• Goes to jail for the rest of his life, assets and cash divested to claimants in case.
• New York Post has a field day with its headlines.

David Lee: An explosive natural gas play

Lee, a natural gas trader for Bank of Montreal, ended up losing his bank $237 million due to his trading in natgas derivatives. He originally lost up to $853 million using a scheme to disguise his losses – a recurring theme in our presentation.

According to Reuters, it went down like this:
“Lee overvalued the positions on BMO’s books by regularly recording inflated values that were then purportedly validated by Optionable Inc,” the SEC suit said.

It said the three Optionable traders “schemed with Lee to have Optionable simply rubber-stamp whatever inflated values Lee recorded.”

Love stories on the underbelly of Wall Street? Then check out…

10 Awesome Tales of Wall Street Excess ->

Join the conversation about this story »

Hyundai today unveiled the new 2011 Verna at the 2010 Beijing Motor Show. The subcompact model, known as the Accent in other places of the world, gets a Sonata influenced design with a sloping roofline that gives it a more dynamic and sportier look – heck, it looks a lot better than the current model.

Powertrain choices (in China) include two new Gamma gasoline engines with multiport fuel-injection. The base Verna is powered by a 1.4L engine making 106-hp and 100 lb-ft of torque. When mated to a 5-speed manual, the base Verna can return 41.2 mpg (in U.S. terms). The second powertrain choice includes a 1.6L 4-cylinder making 121-hp and 114 lb-ft of torque. It will only come with a 4-speed automatic transmission.

The 2011 Verna will be produced at Hyundai’s Beijing plant starting July and will go on sale in the second half of this year. Hyundai will launch it in the Chinese market first, then introduce it to other regions.

2011 Hyundai Verna (Accent):

Press Release:

Hyundai Unveils All-New Verna at Beijing Show

– All-new Verna is Hyundai’s 3rd China-exclusive model
– Hyundai holds world premier in China

(Beijing, China) Hyundai Motor Co. staged the world-premiere of its all-new Verna at the 2010 Beijing Automotive Exhibition today. With its eye-catching sloping roofline, the new sub-compact, Hyundai’s third China-exclusive model, projects a coupe-like dynamic image that is at once sporty, stately and futuristic.

Developed over a five-year period expressively for the Chinese market, product planners conducted exhaustive market research of Chinese consumer tastes and trends to ensure every detail meets local requirements. Built on an all-new platform at the company’s highly automated plant in Beijing, Verna is targeted at China’s strategically important C1 segment and fully reflects Hyundai’s philosophy of quality.

“Today is a really special day for us, not only because we’re launching a new car, but because it’s one of the very few times we’ve done a world-premiere outside of Korea: And we chose to do it right here in China because it’s our way of recognizing how important our Chinese customers are to us,” Euisun Chung, Vice Chairman of Hyundai Motor said today at the Beijing auto show.

“In 2009 we posted a 94 percent Y-o-Y growth in China and have sold over 2 million cars since arriving in 2002. We are not losing any momentum, continuing to expand our lineup in China with our most stylish and advanced models like the all-new Verna and our compact SUV “ix35.”

To minimize fuel consumption without sacrificing performance, Verna is powered by the new generation Gamma gasoline engine, featuring multiport fuel injection. Verna delivers best-in-class fuel economy, in keeping with Hyundai’s pledge to be the industry’s eco-leader. And it fully satisfies China’s Step 3 fuel economy regulations — two years ahead of schedule.

Featuring all-aluminium construction for weight-saving, the 1.6L DOHC Gamma delivers 90.4Kw@6300rpm and 155Nm of peak torque @ 4200rpm through a smooth-shifting four-speed automatic transmission.

For cost-conscious car buyers, the base Verna is offered with the 1.4L DOHC edition of the Gamma which puts out 78.7Kw@6300rpm and 135.4Nm@5000rpm and comes with the choice of a five-speed manual gearbox or four-speed automatic. Fuel economy is rated 5.7ℓ/100km with the manual; 6.2ℓ/100km with the automatic (1.4L with Fuel Economy Package).

Such impressive performance was made possible by a variety of enhancements to the engine including Continuously Variable Valve Timing, a smart alternator and air conditioning compressor plus the adoption of motor-driven power steering.

Verna hugs the ground with a new low-floor platform and a sloping roofline both of which contribute to Verna’s impressive aerodynamics and superior fuel economy.

Special ultra-high tensile strength steel has been applied to the car to enhance the overall stiffness of the body structure for superior crash protection: Verna achieves best-in-class safety, aiming to satisfy the CNCAP 5★ rating. Thanks to the highly rigid body, the suspension is more securely anchored thus enhancing ride and handling characteristics and eliminating vibration and booming noise.

Verna’s wheelbase—longest-in-class—and its low overall height, give it extra stability and a very stylish look but without incurring a penalty in cabin size. In fact, the overall cabin dimensions are bigger than any rivals. And the trunk, measuring a spacious 454L can easily accommodate as many as four golf bags plus three small tote bags. So not only does it look great, but it’s very practical.

The Verna will be built at the company’s highly automated Beijing plant from July and will go on sale in the second half of this year. Hyundai will launch it in the Chinese market first, then gradually introduce it to other regions.

– By: Kap Shah

YouTube is turning five (again) today. While the video site’s official birthday is in February, the very first video was uploaded to YouTube on April 23rd, 2005. At the time, the site was still in private beta and the 18-second clip features YouTube founder Jawed Karim, at the San Diego Zoo. The clip, dubbed “Me at the zoo,” … (read more)

Está sendo apresentado no Salão de Pequim a criação da montadora chinesa BAW (Beijing Auto Work), o C60, sedan inspirado no Saab 9-3 com algumas pequenas mudanças na carroceria. O carro é muito parecido com o 9-3, mas tem um porém.

Não devemos dizer que esse carro é mais um “clone do Saab 9-3″, porque há um tempo atrás, a GM vendeu os direitos intelectuais desse veículo para a companhia BAIC (Beijing Automotive Industry Holdings Co.), empresa parceira da BAW e que passaram a integrar as tecnologias (e formas) adquiridas em seus carros.

Parece que as intenções de comercializar o C60 poderão começar em 2011, com um modelo 1.8 a gasolina nas versões turbo e aspirado. Outro carro que será apresentado vai ser a geração anterior do Saab 9-5, feita pela BAW. Mais informações serão ditas em breve.

Imagens do Sedan Chinês

Via | Carscoop

Earlier this year, we wrote about Vision Media TV, a company that appeared to be participating in a questionable game of convincing non-profit organizations to pay tens of thousands of dollars to be featured in a television program with broadcaster Hugh Downs that would appear on “public television.” The implication is that these shows will air on PBS, but that’s not the case. In fact, PBS has a warning on its website telling people it’s not associated with these offerings at all. We’ve even been approached by similar offerings (though, not involving Hugh Downs — and the one where we were approached involved getting an “award” for “best small business” or something similar). About a year and a half ago, the NY Times wrote an article trashing Vision Media TV. The company insisted that the article was false and defamatory but, tellingly, chose not to sue.

Instead, it later sued the small site 800notes.com, because some people there had written negatively about Vision Media TV in explaining who was calling from Vision Media’s phone number. Paul Alan Levy, from Public Citizen, who is defending 800Notes, also found himself targeted, after Vision Media sought to bar him from posting public documents about the case on Public Citizen’s website — an attempt that failed. Of course, it did help Levy find more info about the company, including that similar pitches have come from differently named companies, using the same address as Vision Media TV, that pitched (instead of Hugh Downs), Walter Cronkite and Mike Douglas — both of whom ended up suing the company, claiming they were misled by the company.

Levy says he’s asked Vision Media why it never sued the NY Times over its article, and the company’s lawyer responded “I should have,” but supposedly the statute of limitations had already passed. Well, now Levy is pointing out that Vision Media has a second chance to sue a big media player, since NPR just did a devastating takedown of Vision Media TV and its practices:

“They are selling something that they generally cannot deliver,” says Garry Denny, program director of Wisconsin Public Television and a past president of the professional association of programming officials for PBS member stations. “In fact, they are probably not carried by any public television station around the country.”

Officials at PBS and at PBS member stations in California, Colorado, Kentucky, New York, South Carolina and Virginia were all aware of the Hugh Downs spots. Yet not one knew of a concrete instance in which the spots featuring Downs appeared on their stations or those of others. PBS and its member stations say they adhere to guidelines banning marketing programming paid for by subjects of the programs.

To be fair, the article and Vision Media point out that the videos can be useful as marketing materials or infomercials even if they don’t appear on public television — but the whole pitch involving Hugh Downs is where things get questionable. His contract only lets him be involved if the stuff is on public television, and the marketing focuses on Downs involvement, even if that’s unlikely to happen for most organizations who pay up — which certainly suggests misleading marketing:

According to both Downs’ agent and Vision Media’s Miller, the retired anchor’s contract limits his involvement to public television. Yet for many people approached by Vision Media’s cold-calling pitchmen, he’s by far the strongest selling point.

One of the firms recently pitched is Portland, Maine-based Putney Inc., which develops generic drugs for pets. “Hugh Downs! I know that name,” said Jean Hoffman, Putney’s CEO. “We were of course pretty excited, pretty interested, and pretty eager to cooperate.”

It seemed like a splendid opportunity, until Hoffman and her colleagues started to bore in on the details. “They send the signal that they’re doing a story” as journalists, Hoffman said. “Then, they try to sell us what under questioning was revealed to be advertising.”

Others, who did buy into the videos, claim that the pitch about public television was what got them interested in the first place:

Robert Biggins is past president of the funeral director trade group and owner of a funeral home in Rockland, Mass. He said Vision Media’s promise of a presence on public television and the involvement of Downs were crucial.

“He brings a credibility in reporting,” Biggins said. “I felt that dealing with an organization that he’s so intimately involved in gave us the opportunity to share our message, and to do so in a warm and gracious manner.”

If their spots did not air on public television, Biggins said, “That would be a serious concern.”

The National Funeral Directors Association provided NPR with a copy of the contract it signed with Vision Media. The association paid $22,900 in 2007 for the production of different versions of the spot, plus an additional $3,000 as a “location fee” — presumably for travel costs. The contract and additional material from Patrick Wilson of American Artists, the segments’ distributor, stated the “estimated reach is over 40 million households” on public television stations. The brochure also suggests the spots will reach 84 million households nationwide on cable — the overwhelming majority of all homes subscribing to cable television.

So, if Vision Media’s lawyer said he wished he had sued the NY Times over a very similar article from a couple years ago, will he now sue NPR? Or is it easier to focus on small sites with much smaller budgets?

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Starcraft 2 Patch 9 change logs and undocumented changes

Battle.net 2.0 has been reset and finally, the profile reset bug has (supposedly) been fixed. Immortal has been nerfed, Infestor skills has been tweaked. A beta version of […]

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Many luxury automakers are catering to the Chinese market at this year’s 2010 Beijing Motor Show with special-edition models made just for China. Following Bentley’s move yesterday, Lamborghini announced today that it will show the Murcielago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce China Limited Edition.

“Automobili Lamborghini’s strong performance at the 2010 Beijing Auto Show and its launch of a special edition of the flagship Murcielago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce exclusively for the Chinese market underscore our unwavering commitment to China and the development of a super sports car culture here,” said Stephan Winkelmann, President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. “Last year, Automobili Lamborghini achieved 11 percent growth in China. At the beginning of this week on 20th of April, we have launched our seventh Automobili Lamborghini China dealership in Shenzhen. The inauguration of our eighth showroom in Xiamen will come soon.”

The Lamborghini Murcielago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce China Limited Edition will be limited to just 10 units and will feature an orange stripe, “symbolizing the strength of an erupting volcano.” on the flat gray painted carbon shell. Each of the 10 model holds a numeration badge with the name of its owner.

Power for the Lamborghini Murcielago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce comes from a 6.5L V12 producing 670-hp and a peak torque of 487 lb-ft. 0 to 62 mph comes in 3.2 seconds with a top speed of 212 mph.

Make the jump for the press release for more details.

Lamborghini Murcielago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce China Limited Edition:

Press Release:

Lamborghini presents Murciélago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce China Limited Edition in Beijing

Italian super sports carmaker Lamborghini surprised audiences at the 2010 Beijing Auto Show with a highly exclusive edition of the Murciélago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce. The Chinese Edition is limited to not more than ten numbered cars and will be offered to the growing group of sports cars collectors in China only. Furthermore the Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera celebrated its Asian premiere on the Beijing auto show.

Murciélago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce China Limited Edition

Limited to only ten cars worldwide, the special edition Murciélago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce is designed and manufactured exclusively for China’s most discriminating super sports car enthusiasts. An orange stripe, symbolising the strength of an erupting volcano, decorates the flat grey painted carbon shell of the Murciélago. Every model holds a numeration badge with the name of its owner.

The Lamborghini Murciélago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce is one of the most fascinating super sports cars of all times. The exceptionally purist and even more extreme top model – the Murciélago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce – is even more powerful, lighter and faster than the Murciélago LP 640. With the output of the 6.5 liter V12 increased to 670 hp and a weight reduction of 100 kg (220 lbs), the Murciélago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce boasts a power-to-weight ratio of 2.3 kg (5.1 lbs) per hp. It vaults itself from zero to 100 km/h in just 3,2 seconds and hits top speed at 342 km/h.

With its outstanding performance, razor-sharp precision and exceptional high-speed stability, the Lamborghini Murciélago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce is the ultimate performance car for advanced sports car drivers. In order to achieve the substantial weight reduction of 100 kilograms (220 lbs), the Murciélago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce was extensively reworked and redeveloped in virtually every aspect – from chassis to engine and transmission, right through to the interior. The increase in engine output from 640 to 670 hp is the result of optimized valve timing and a reworked intake system. The significantly modified aerodynamics with substantially increased downforce brings considerable improvement to vehicle stability at very high speeds. The large “Aeropack Wing” and its added downforce give a top speed of 337 km/h (209 mph).

Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera

The Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera is the new top model of the Gallardo line. Its “superlight” name describes a high-performance driving machine with a true sporting character and an automotive high-performance athlete. In comparison to the already slimmed-down Gallardo LP 560-4 the weight of the Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera could be reduced 70 Kilograms. So the dry weight of the new Sant’Agata Superleggera is just 1,340 kilogram – a new benchmark in the very exclusive market of extreme super sports cars.

The use of carbon fibre for external and internal components is heavily contributing to the weight reduction of the Superleggera. This carbon-composite material is ideal for super sports cars, combining weight reduction with improved technical characteristics. Reduced weight optimises the driving performance and correspondingly reduces CO2 emissions. For many years Lamborghini has lead the way in the use of carbon fibre and is now increasing its advantage even further.

The 5,2 litre V10 engine output of the new Superleggera is 419kW (570 hp). The power-to-weight ratio of this new top model amounts to only 2,35 Kilogram per hp and guarantees a breathtaking driving performance. The Superleggera accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.4 seconds sprints to 200 km/h only 10.2 seconds later, ultimately reaching 325 km/h. The gasoline direct injection engine “Inezione Diretta Stratifica” achieves an impressive efficiency: fuel consumption and CO2 emissions dropped 20.5 percent in comparison to the previous model.

Lamborghini shows strong performance in China Market

The booming Chinese automobile market has matured and created a culture in which the brand of the raging bulls has taken root. In 2009, Automobili Lamborghini delivered 80 new cars to People’s Republic, achieving 11 percent year-on-year growth. With six dealerships in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Hangzhou and Hong Kong, Lamborghini unveiled a new dealership in Shenzhen this week. Another Showroom in Xiamen will soon follow.

– By: Omar Rana

Earlier this year, Tesla Motors and Panasonic announced today that they will collaborate to develop next-generation battery cells for use in electric-vehicles.

Today Tesla officials visited the Japanese electronic giant in Suminoe, Japan and toured the company’s new lithium-ion battery cell manufacturing facility. Panasonic Energy Company President Naoto Noguchi presented Tesla Chief Technology Officer JB Straubel with the first production lithium-ion cells manufactured at the new facility.

“These cutting-edge Panasonic batteries will combine with Tesla’s battery pack technology to produce the highest-energy density EV battery packs in the world,” said Straubel.

The Suminoe factory will start producing 3.1Ah battery cells, the highest energy density cells available in the market. The facility will produce more than 300 million cells per year.

– By: Kap Shah

Mozilla is working on integrating features that would normally be part of a web service directly into the browser. One example of this is the Firefox Contacts add-on, which creates a sort of local and integrated address book by pulling contact data from various sources either online or from local address books. The project … (read more)

O mercado chinês está crescendo cada vez mais, e este é o momento dos maiores fabricantes de carros apresentarem os seus novos modelos no Salão do Automóvel de Pequim, que se iniciou no último dia 20 e vai até o próximo dia 28.

Uma das maiores (literalmente) atrações do evento esse ano é o clone do Rolls-Royce, o CA7600L da Geely. O carro tem quase seis metros de comprimento e chega a ser maior que o Rolls-Royce Phantom, com um estilo dos anos 50 em sua parte frontal.

Algumas outras atrações ocidentais são a Ferrari 599, e outros carros interessantes, como o Lexus RX Style S6 e o Mercedes SL-style S8. Outras estrelas do evento são os conceitos, entre eles podemos citar o britânico MG Zero, e o elétrico Roewe E1. Recentemente, um carro que foi comentado foi o Volkswagen Phaeton, visto com maiores detalhes nesse post. Fiquem com algumas imagens do evento e durante o dia acompanhe maiores informações.

Imagens do evento

Via | Autocar.uk

Filed under: Etc.

Let’s face it, watch fans: few of the supposedly automotive-inspired timepieces out on the market bear much automotive inspiration beyond a logo or maybe the odd design flourish. But this is something else.

Upon announcing its licensing agreement with Formula One Management last month, Swiss watchmaker Hublot revealed the monochromatic F1 King watch, which by and large followed the same rules as everyone else: slap a logo on there and call it a day. But that was just a stopgap measure until this piece came along.

Called the F1 King Power, this watch is crammed with racing-inspired design features, from the ceramic bezel made to look like an F1 brake disc to the chronograph push-buttons styled after an F1 steering wheel’s to the rubber-coated Nomex wrist-strap. The case is made of satin-finish zirconium with PVD-coated titanium components, packing the HUB 4100 automatic chronograph movement with a tungsten-carbide rotor and a 42-hour power reserve. Now that’s more like it.

The watch was unveiled this past weekend in Shanghai during the Chinese Grand Prix. You can view photos from the event in the gallery below and read the details in the press release after the jump.

[Source: Hublot]

Continue reading Hublot reveals F1 King Power watch during Chinese Grand Prix

Hublot reveals F1 King Power watch during Chinese Grand Prix originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Apr 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Going through the system update the other day, Sony told us that the new firmware added Trophy-sorting features, as well as preparation for 3D gaming. Add this to the list of what Sony does to