Author: Serkadis

Location services are all the rage right now, at least if you look at the kind of money some are willing to spend on them. Foursquare is the hottest locations service/game/mobile app of the day and, despite still being relatively small, it has under one million users right now, a couple of big venture capital firms want a piece of the action. Bu… (read more)

Article Tags: Willie Soon

PowerPoint slides from Dr. Willie Soon’s Congressional staff briefing held in DC on April 13, 2010.

The paper upon which the briefing was based can be found here: Avoiding Carbon Myopia: 3 Considerations for Policy Makers Concerning Man-Made Carbon Dioxide by Willie Soon & David Legates

Abstract:

In 2007 the Supreme Court commented that “greenhouse gases fit well within the Clean Air Act’s capacious definition of air pollutant.” In this presentation, Dr. Soon will discuss why atmospheric CO2 is not an “air pollutant”. Three points of discussion will be:

(1) CO2 is not an air pollutant,

(2) Ocean acidification claims are exaggerated,

(3) The magical CO2 control knob idea “to save the world” is essentially dead.

Click to download PDF for power point slides from Dr. Willie Soon’s Congressional staff briefing held in DC on April 13, 2010

Source: scienceandpublicpolicy.org

Read in full with comments »   

YouTube has introduced an interesting new tool for channel owners enabling them to post small message updates to their channel. It’s called Channel Bulletins and you can think of it as Twitter for YouTube, but with a narrower focus and a more utilitarian purpose. It enables video publishers to add more details about one of their videos, share … (read more)

Ce este securitatea ?
Inima partidului care bate, bate, bate … (si in caz ca nu v-ati prins, securitatea batea rau !)

Nu poate exista un patrulater cu 3 laturi… (Silviu Somincu, deputat PSM)

Primul rezultat notabil al acestor doi ani este acela ca inca mai guvernam.
(Adrian Nastase, presedinte PDSR – a fost un miracol intr-adevar)

Europa va trebui sa-si adapteze structurile, ca Romania sa se poate integra. (Siliviu Somincu, deputat PSM)

Sint aicea printre noi, in aceasta sala, tineri care au murit in
revolutia din decembrie 1989. (Viorel Catarama, lider PNL …probabil de asta l-au dat afara…)

Acestea sint intrebari care trebuiesc puse celui intrebat. (Sergiu Nicolaescu, senator PDSR – logic,nu?)

Ceea se este dramatic pentru un om ca mine este ca semneaza mai mult decit citeste. (Adrian Nastase, presedinte PDSR … bine macar ca ai citit ceva …)

Dar ce, este neaparata nevoie sa citesti legea ca sa votezi? (Sergiu Nicolaescu, senator PDSR – Corect! Dovada vie este Parlamentul Romaniei)

Lumea se plange ca s’au scumpit toate …
Nu’i adevarat, salariul s’a ieftinit. (nu stiu cine a zis-o…dar a zis-o !)

Trimite si prietenilor:

Related posts:

1. Perle din politica
2. Ghici
3. Glume electorale cu Mircea Geoana

Article Tags: World Temperatures, You could not make it up

Source of image – University of Alabama – Huntsville
A map of the world shows which areas were warmer-than-average (in orange and red) and which areas were cooler-than-average (in blue) in March. Northern Canada and the Arctic recorded temperatures up to 15 degrees Fahrenheit (up to 8.5 degrees Celsius) above average in March. The southeastern USA, along with much of Europe and central Asia, were cooler-than-average.

Although a large chunk of the USA didn’t get in on the warmth in March, the rest of the world sure did.

According to the climate center, the combined global land and ocean average surface temperature in March was 56.3 degrees, which is 1.39 degrees above the 20th-century average of 54.9 degrees. Additionally, the worldwide ocean surface temperature was the highest for any March on record — 1.01 degree above the 20th century average of 60.7 degrees.

Source: usatoday.com

Read in full with comments »   

Article Tags: Newspaper Article

Unafraid, questioning minds are central to the pursuit of truth and democracy

AT Easter, the official Greenpeace website carried a blog written by Gene Hashmi, communications director of its affiliate in India. Hashmi pointed his finger at sceptics who fuelled “spurious debates around false solutions” and concluded with the not too subtle threat: “We know who you are. We know where you live. We know where you work. And we be many but you be few.”

Welcome to a world where the term sceptic has acquired the meaning usually associated with a Dark Age heresy.

Fearing a backlash to a statement that most normal readers would interpret as an incitement to violence, Greenpeace pulled the blog from its site.

It defensively justified its act of self-censorship on the ground that it was very “easy to misconstrue” the statement.

Source: theaustralian.com.au

Read in full with comments »   

Localization and personalization of search results has been a major focus at Google. There isn’t one universal set of relevant results for everyone so it makes sense to customize them based on various factors. Now Google is taking things one step further with a few features which should get you to the results you need no matt… (read more)

The US based, California tuners at ARKYM Aerosport have released a new styling kit for the BMW M3 E90 Sedan and E92 Coupe models. Slammed to the ground, this BMW M3 received a new front spoiler to give it an aggressive look and improve downforce. At the back it features a unique rear bumper with carbon fiber diffuser add-on and aftermarket adjustable muffler tips. The aerodynamic kit for the BMW M3 also includes a rear trunk spoiler to complete the exterior car tuning. All parts from ARKYM Aerosport are made from 2×2 Carbon Weave, which is one of the latest methods available in hi-gloss carbon and smoke matte finishes.

[Source: carsroute]

Source: Fancy Tuning – the latest car tuning news

Toyota Canada has just announced a new recall, unique to the Canadian market due to exclusive floor mats only sold in that country. The floor mats are optional accessories for the 2007-10 Tundra, as well as the 2008-10 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid vehicles.

According to AutoNorth, Toyota Canada has just announced the second recall of the day, following a recall for 270,000 2WD Sienna minivans in Canada, this time for 4,774 units of Toyota’s “tray-type” floor mats.

The floor mats being recalled can pin the accelerator and cause unintended acceleration if unsecured, or improperly installed.

The floor mats were only sold for the 2007-10 Tundra full-size pickup, and 2008-10 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid mid-size SUVs.

References
1. ‘No joke – Toyota Canada issues…’ view
2. ‘Toyota Canada launches another…’ view

Source: Leftlane

The Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, Calif., “opened” Thursday night with a gala Art Deco affair that did splendid justice to the beautiful cars, photos and furniture inside.

Models dressed in period costume with period ‘dos draped themselves over what are arguably the world’s most beautiful Bugattis, Delages, Delahayes, Talbot-Lagos, Voisins and Hispano-Suizas. Similarly clad guests strolled about the perfect period decor, perfect right down to the Art Deco pillars holding up the ecologically friendly roof. There were even geniune French-speaking members of the real Bugatti family in attendance.

In all there are more than 100 of the world’s most beautiful cars strewn throughout the 50,000-square-foot museum. Cars from the Schlumpf collection make up many of the unrestored Bugattis in the hall’s downstairs, while the upstairs area is given over to racing Bugattis laid out on a faux track. The second floor is also where you’ll find Club Bugatti, an intimate den lined with artworks by various members of the early Bugatti family, reminding us that it wasn’t all about Ettore. Even the elevator to the second floor is Art Deco, or is it Machine Age, and had to be lowered into the building by crane through a hole in the roof.

It is one of, if not the greatest tribute to the age ever assembled.

But the date when the public can get in is still not set. The idea is for the museum to be open four days a month starting this spring, according to a press release. That’s precious little comfort to Art Deco fans who are not personal friends of museum founder and man of impeccable taste Peter Mullin. But good things come to those who wait. We will let you know an opening date as soon as we hear. In the meantime, reread The Great Gatsby and see about renting a flapper costume.

For more

Source: Car news, reviews and auto show stories

Taiyo Yuden Introduces World¡¯s First 100¦ÌF in EIA 0805 Size Multilayer Ceramic Capacitor

Uses Advanced Materials Technology and Thin Layer Technology to Achieve Reduction by about 62% of the Company¡¯s Previous Product Size

TOKYO, March 25, 2010 ¡ª Taiyo Yuden Co., Ltd. today announced details of the commercial release of the ¡°AMK212BJ107MG¡± (2.0×1.25×1.25mm), achieving an industry-leading capacitance of 100¦ÌF in an EIA 0805 size multilayer ceramic capacitor. It achieves the same
capacitance and performance of the previous Taiyo Yuden model, the EIA 1206 size ¡°AMK316BJ107ML¡± (3.2×1.6×1.6mm) in just 38% of the earlier volume. The product is optimum for IC power lines in smartphones and other high-performance mobile phones, and in notebook PCs, where steady demand for higher performance and expanded functions is coupled
with demand for more compact size.
With this release, the lineup of multilayer ceramic capacitors with 100¦ÌF capacitance has increased, with rated voltage up to 16V for the EIA 1210 size (3.2×2.5×2.5mm), to 6.3V for the
EIA 1206 size, and to 4V for the EIA 0805 size. This lineup should encourage more product substitution away from electrolytic capacitors. Furthermore, the product, together with compact, high-value products featuring 1¦ÌF capacitance in the EIA 0201 size and 10¦ÌF capacitance in the EIA 0402 size, shows that Taiyo Yuden is actively developing high-end multilayer ceramic capacitors.

Production will commence in March 2010 at the Company¡¯s Tamamura Plant in Gunma Prefecture, Japan at an output pace of 1 million units per month. Sample price is 70 yen per unit.
Technology Background High-performance mobile phones such as smartphones, and notebook PCs, are becoming ever
more compact with increased functions and higher performance. Moreover, such high performance and rich functions need to be incorporated into a limited chassis space. To this end,
the high-value multilayer ceramic capacitor used for the power line also needs to be smaller while also maintaining high performance.
Ever since Taiyo Yuden¡¯s commercialization of a nickel-electrode high-value multilayer ceramic capacitor in 1984, the company has advanced the materials technology of multilayer ceramic capacitors, thin layer technologies, and other technologies to promote ever more compact, higher-value capacitors. The ¡°AMK212BJ107MG¡± is the latest product of this

Cognex today announced In-Sight® Track & Trace, an add-on software package for Cognex In-Sight vision systems. In-Sight Track & Trace delivers a ready-to-deploy data capture and verification solution designed to help pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers achieve unit-level product traceability. In-Sight Track & Trace combines powerful Cognex code reading and verification software with a pre-configured job file and HMI interface that reduces setup time and makes it easy to exchange data with third party systems as needed for a full serialization solution.
“Track and trace solutions are becoming a high priority throughout the health care industry as a means of preventing counterfeit products from entering the supply chain, and for keeping authentic products from being diverted to unauthorized distribution channels and uses,” said Bhaskar Banerjee, Business Unit Manager for Vision Systems at Cognex. “In-Sight Track & Trace provides the industry’s most reliable code reading and verification performance, and because it can be combined with a variety of third party products, users have the flexibility to customize and scale their serialization solutions to best suit their budgets and needs.”
In-Sight Track & Trace is GS1 and FDA 21 CFR Part 11-ready, and can be used with multiple networked In-Sight vision systems to:
• Read 2D and 1D barcodes, including Data Matrix, GS1-128, GS1 DataBar and Pharmacode.
• Verify correct ID code contents, including compliance with the GS1 Healthcare data standard.
• Grade Data Matrix codes during production to detect changes in print quality.
• Verify the accuracy of printed text.
• Detect label misalignment and skew.
Technical controls needed for FDA 21 CFR Part 11 validation are also provided, including secure user authentication and automatic audit trail generation.
In-Sight Track & Trace is easy to configure and operate using a simple touch screen interface. Developers can integrate the Track & Trace interface into a PC-based HMI or custom application using the included Cognex HMI Display Control for .NET. For a ready-to-deploy solution, In-Sight Track & Trace can also be controlled using the Cognex VisionView 700 Operator Interface panel or VisionView PC software.
Compact, all-in-one In-Sight vision systems are typically easier to integrate, maintain and validate for 21 CFR Part 11 compliance than PC-based vision systems, and are available in dozens of models to deliver the performance needed to meet the requirements of any application or packaging line.

To view a software demo and download a product datasheet on In-Sight Track & Trace visit

Not one but two new grades to tackle the extreme demands of titanium milling are now being launched by Sandvik Coromant. Together these grades amount to a new level of reliable long lasting performance. Grades S30T and S40T are available for a variety of CoroMill cutters for face, shoulder, long-edge and high feed milling, plunging, profiling and slot milling.

Grade S30T for speed and tool life
S30T has been developed with productive titanium milling in focus. It combines the properties of micro-grain carbide and a wear resistant PVD coating. This enables very sharp cutting edges that resist fatigue and micro-chipping and result in cutting edges that are preserved for longer times in cut at higher cutting speeds.

Grade S40T for difficult conditions
S40T is developed for difficult conditions. It combines high toughness cemented carbide with a thin CVD coating. The result is a grade that withstands vibrations and other difficult cutting conditions for longer times in cut. The wear is predictable, making the cutting edge gradually duller without breaking.

Contact details for editorial enquiries
Contact: Kent Nordin
Tel: +46 26 266081
Email: [email protected]

Kyle Bylin, over at Hypebot, has an excellent interview with Yan, the manager of the hip hop band Jedi Mind Trick, where he talks about how the band has embraced the internet to become much more successful. The interview is chock full of the type of thing we write about here. For example, on the band’s response to “file sharing”:

For JMT, it has been more of a blessing. Yeah, they’ve lost sales to illegal file sharing just like everyone else, but the efficiency of those file sharing networks has allowed their music to spread across the world in a way that the physical distribution network never achieved.

Those file-sharing networks are definitely part of the reason why JMT can play a show in front of 2,000 kids in Bogota, Colombia or to a similarly-sized crowd in Bucharest, Romania. They may have lost sales, but they have gained new throngs of fans by playing live in places that their music may have never reached without the Internet. With the improvements in digital distribution, the hope is that file sharers will become supporters.

This highlights a really important point that many of the critics to these ideas often miss. They seem to assume a zero sum world, where those who embrace the free distribution of their work are automatically “giving up” sales. But what JMT has discovered is that by accepting this, they’ve build a huge fanbase in places where it wouldn’t have been possible before. As Yan notes later in the interview:

Over the 14 years of their career, the Internet enabled them to take what started as a passionate fan base in say Philly, NYC, Boston, and maybe a few other major cities like Los Angeles and grow that fan base across the world.

Without the Internet, they may have been relegated to a regional phenomenon or maybe a group that plays 10-15 shows a year in major markets. With the help of the Internet, they’ve grown from a regional niche into a worldwide niche with a worldwide fan base. They’re 14 years into their career and there are still cities that they haven’t played where there is a demand to see them play, so they’re very fortunate in that respect.

Yan also shows how the band realized early on that the market had changed and (unlike some others) quickly figured out how to use that changing market to their own advantage:

The internet created an opportunity for them to have their music distributed across the world in a way that physical distribution hadn’t achieved. They recognized that opportunity and seized it by developing their worldwide touring business. In the early years, they took low guarantees to go play for their fans; they were confident that they would draw a crowd and get invited back. Now, those tour dates are the anchor of their business. Between the creative accounting of labels and depleting sales, they knew that they had to develop their touring business if they hoped to carve out a sustainable career. Ironically, in this digital age, artists are looking to the analog experience of playing a show to a crowd of actual human beings as the cornerstone of their businesses.

Furthermore, Yan talks about the importance of connecting with fans, and notes how that’s more important in the long run than how many albums are sold — in part because they know that they will get support via other means:

The rise of the social networks has been a great asset for JMT as well. Those networks have created unprecedented access for fans to artists and vice versa. Our business is a customer service business; we care about how the fans feel about the music. We’re always looking for new ways to interact with the fans, because the fans’ reactions to what JMT is doing musically are a better barometer of their success than SoundScan numbers. For a long time now, we’ve chosen to measure their success in the fans’ passion for the music rather than Billboard chart positions.

Not only that, but Yan also demonstrates how fans like supporting the indie bands and artists that they find. We’ve been hearing from some lately, who claim that no musician will be able to make money in the future because there will just be too much competition. But that assumes, incorrectly, that fans don’t want to support bands — they just need a good reason to buy:

It seems like human nature to root for the underdog. Fans of independent music are typically a different breed of music fan, because they generally have to work to discover you and they’re actively seeking out music rather than waiting for it to be spoon-fed to them through traditional radio, TV, etc. outlets, so when they discover you they wear it like a badge of honor. JMT has fans that send them pictures of themselves with tattoos of JMT’s logo or lyrics — they’re literally wearing the music as a permanent badge of honor. That type of passion isn’t measured by a Billboard chart, but we’re fine with that. We’ve built a business model that exists outside the gates of that hierarchy.

Great interview by Kyle, and it’s great to see yet another band that has this all figured out. In fact, they’ve got it so figured out that they’ve set up an artist management business to help other artists do the same thing as well.

Permalink | Comments | Email This Story

We’re eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Iron Man 2, which will hit theaters on May 7. Audi has just released a new commercial featuring Tony Stark driving and showing off his new convertible R8.

Click here for prices on the 2010 Audi R8.

Check out the commercial after the jump.

Refresher: Power for the Audi R8 Sypder 5.2 FSI quattro comes from a 5.2L FSI direct-injected V10 making 525-hp and a maximum torque of 391 lb-ft. Mated a 6-speed manual (with an available 6-speed R tronic automatic), 0 to 62 mph in 4.1 seconds with a top speed of 194 mph. Fuel-economy comes in at an estimated 16 mpg when mated to manual transmission and 17 mpg when mated to an automatic.

2010 Audi R8 Spyder:

2010 Audi R8 Spyder:

– By: Omar Rana

The House Energy and Commerce Committee and its subcommittee on oversight have asked Toyota to present more information on what causes unintended acceleration of their vehicles. They scheduled a hearing for May 6. Rep. Henry Waxman, D – California, and Rep. Bart Stupak, D – Michigan wrote to Jim Lentz, president and chief operating officer of Toyota Motor Sales USA, asking him to testify.

Lentz was also asked to provide all contracts, correspondence and emails relating to unintended acceleration between Toyota and Exponent, a company hired recently by Toyota to test its vehicles.

Toyota said that it is “more than willing to meet with the committee and discuss the ongoing testing related to our electronic throttle control system, as well as the steps we are taking to improve our quality assurance processes.”

“Nothing is more important to us than the safety and reliability of the vehicles our customers drive,” said Toyota spokesman John Hanson.

– By: Stephen Calogera

Source: Detroit News

With its core employess gone, an insider source close to Infinity Ward says that the Call of Duty studio is now basically “dead” and will continue to crumble as the day goes by.
 
 

The Top Gear crew and James May and Jeremy Clarkson were filming near the top of Eyjafjallajokull, the volcano in Iceland that recently erupted causing massive flight cancellations. The crew was there filming a red Toyota Hilux pickup. They were accompanied by Toyota and a bunch of local scientists that set up a monitoring system before the volcano went bananas.

“The vehicles used for the expedition were prepared by specialist firm Arctic Trucks to the same extreme environment specification as the Hilux used by Jeremy Clarkson and James May for their historic polar expedition,” Toyota UK said in a statement. “With giant low pressure 38-inch tyres, the go-anywhere Hilux had the measure of every challenge in its path as it made its way through ice and snow towards the volcano’s fiery heart.”

Top Gear also had their sarcasm fun at the story saying that May was initially assumed to be “filming a feature for the popular motoring television show, it has since been speculated that May’s purpose was far more devious.”

“It has been scientifically proven that TopGear is responsible for almost every evil in the modern world, so the eruption of a furious tectonic force barely a week after Richard Clarkson’s ‘visit’ can hardly be viewed as mere coincidence,” says media commentator Annalisa Kneejerk.

“We have it on good authority that Jeremy Hammond drove one of his favourite Ferrari gas-guzzlers at 100mph, straight into the main magma chamber, which could quite easily have caused this geological catastrophe. Thankfully I’ve never watched the show.”

Top Gear and Toyota Hilux at Eyjafjallajokull:

– By: Kap Shah

Source: TopGear