Author: Serkadis

Creaform has produced a short animated film featuring a full-size 3D scan model of the Inukshuk that served as inspiration to the creator of the logo for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.
Olympic fever has long been burning from coast to coast to coast, and Creaform staff had it bad. Last December, a scanning team made the trip to Vancouver and paid a visit to the Inukshuk standing on English Bay, near Stanley Park, and scanned the entire 6-metre-tall stone statue using 2 of the VIUscan, the Handyscan 3D laser scanner that acquires both geometry and texture.
Jérôme Baillargeon, a member of the 2-man scanning team, was impressed: “Only when I was a few centimetres away from this symbol did I realize what it truly means. It was because of honourable age-old values, very different from those prevailing nowadays, that people built such structures.”
Once scanning was complete, computer graphics artists worked with the 3D scan model to put it in context. “I wanted to show the origin of the symbol by showing winter and the lifestyle of the indigenous people,” said Louis-Philippe Gendron, Artistic Director on the project. “I wanted to emphasize the importance of forests in Canada, the enormous trees, the importance of nature and its central position in the indigenous cultures.”
According to Maxime Davignon, Project Manager, “The main steps in this project were to first scan the statue in 3D, to retouch the topology so that we would be able to make it move, and then to create a short animation film that would explain the origins of the logo.”
Scanning the Inukshuk was made easy by the versatility and portability of the Handyscan 3D laser scanner used, although it did involve an aerial platform to reach the uppermost features. The cold weather on English Bay was also quite a challenge for the scanning team. The Creaform team has experience using textured 3D scan models for multimedia animations, so retouching the topology and animating the 3D scan model was a fun way to flex those muscles.
The team first thought of this project when they came across the CBC Website article about the winner of the contest to design the Vancouver 2010 logo.

The idea of using man-in-the-middle attacks to spy on encrypted conversations is hardly new, but there hasn’t been a really thorough discussion of the likelihood of its use against SSL connections (the encrypted connections you see in your web browser on https sites, such as online banking sites, with the little lock shown in the corner of your browser). A new paper highlights not only how this works, but also how there’s a company selling the technology to governments to use. Of course, to make it work and be an effective man in the middle, you need a certificate authority to grant you a fake certificate — but there are some fears that gov’ts could do this by force or by trickery — and hackers could certainly do it by trickery. The Wired article above quotes people at both GoDaddy and VeriSign insisting that they’ve never issued fake certificates to the gov’t, but it is suspicious that a company is selling a device to gov’ts to do exactly this. The real problem is in the basic implementation of SSL, which right now involves too much blind trust. Apparently, the EFF is working with some security researchers to make some suggestions on ways that this could be fixed.

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I know people can be attached to their device, but this is just ridiculous. I never thought someone with go as far as paying for a headset that physically attaches your device to your head.

The guys at Engadget had a chance to try out the new Bluetooth replacement and they are giving it the thumbs up. They say its comfortable, cheap, and easy to use. Well I think its a waste of time, and just one more thing that is not needed in a world that is already crowded with pretty geeky stuff, for example this headset can be called geeky beyond believe, but cool. 

The use of a Bluetooth is to make having a phone call not get in your way, keep your brain safe from the wireless waves, and for some businessmen… look good. This new thing does 1/3 of those, and that does not really make the $14 price tag worth it when you could have a retro headset for $30.

Would you wear this?

We’re not exactly sure what to make of this. It certainly looks like it’s a legitimate gameplay trailer, but then it was found in the user-made videos at GameTrailers. Could this really be a leaked trailer for

Mr. Chairman, today the Federal Reserve finds itself in an unprecedented and unenviable position. It has boosted the monetary base by nearly $1.5 trillion since September of 2008. Excess bank reserves remain at historically high levels, and the Fed’s balance sheet has ballooned to over $2 trillion. If the Fed pulls this excess liquidity out of the system, it risks collapsing banks who rely on this newly created money to boost their balance sheets. However if the Fed fails to pull this excess liquidity out of the system we risk hyperinflation.

The Federal Reserve has never had such an inflated balance sheet, nor has it ever pumped up the monetary base by such a large amount. During the belt-tightening years of the late 1970s and early 1980s, both the balance sheet and the monetary base continued to expand during a severe recession. We have to look back to the 1920s and 1930s before we see the Fed lowering the monetary base, and even then the Fed lowered the base only by 16%. What we are talking about now is a 60% lowering of the monetary base in order to return to pre-crisis levels. That is a major decrease in the monetary base and, if it is undertaken once these excess reserves have begun to enter the system, it could undermine the viability of banks and lead to the collapse of the financial system that the Fed sought to avoid.

What the Federal Reserve still fails to realize is that intervention in the economy is always harmful. Unlike the late French economist, Frederic Bastiat, the Fed only sees what is seen, the superficial results of its policies, and not what is unseen, the effects of its monetary intervention throughout the economy. Monetary inflation leads to malinvestment and causes the boom phase of the business cycle. Once the malinvestment is realized the bust phase occurs, and these malinvested resources need to be liquidated in order for the economy to recover. But the Fed actively works to prevent this liquidation and does everything in its power to continue inflating in order to prolong the boom. The first act of intervention begets the second and subsequent interventions, each bigger than the first, as each economic bust gets larger and more severe.

The idea that a handful of brilliant minds can somehow steer the economy is fatal to economic growth and stability. The Soviet Union’s economy failed because of its central planning, and the United States economy will suffer the same fate if we continue down the path toward more centralized control. We need to return to sound money, bring back free markets, and rein in the Fed.

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Continueing their Spring break road trip through Kansas, the Lady Hawks softball squad dropped both ends of a double header to Allen County Community College (Iola, Kansas), 10-0 and 10-2.

Harper was held to one hit from Becky Koeune in the opening game shutout defeat. Harper mustered only 3 hits while being shutout. Pitcher Samantha Calandra took the loss and is 0-2.

In the second game, Harper scored 2 runs on 5 hits, but committed 6 errors. Stephanie Fausher had a triple, Katrina Grande had 2 singles Alyssa Collins and Paige Hoppie each had a single. Chelsea Mora took was the losing pitcher and evened her record at 1-1.

The Lady Hawks (2-4) ride in search of El Dorado for a double header with Butler County Community College on Thursday.

BAFTA Fellowship Awardee and Nintendo big boss Shigeru Miyamoto has conceded that 2009 was not what they would consider to be a successful year for Nintendo, this despite being a consistent topnotcher in monthly hardware sales charts.
 
 
 

The Discreet Window [ishback.com] is a window blind that provides visual feedback for a home-office environment about a user’s work activity. As an ambient display, The Discreet Window acts as a membrane that communicates the work intensity to both the home-office space and the outside. The more the user works, the less light is coming inside the room. Thus, the less visual contact there is between both sides of the window.

In practice, this means that when the shade is all the way open, one has not been working, and vice versa. The graphing function then shows the historical data. Most of the current tools of self-monitoring provide intrusive alerts, bringing the risk of disturbing the optimal work pattern of the individual. Instead, the same information has more attractiveness and influence to the user when presented to him on demand as a summary over time.

More information also at Cargo Collective. Via Networked Blogs.

Angels Flight

Historic funicular railway, believed to be the shortest railroad in the world

After nine years of having to huff and puff up the steep steps of Bunker Hill, Los Angeles pedestrians can relax now that the historic funicular railway, Angels Flight, has reopened its landmark rail line to the public.
Established in 1901, the Angels Flight railway has carried millions of Angelenos up and down the steep incline of Bunker Hill. Though the 315-foot trip only lasts thirty seconds, it is believed that Angels Flight has carried more passengers per mile than any other railway in the world, making it not only the shortest in length, but also the most traveled.
Despite its popularity, the Angels Flight line has faced its fair share of setbacks. The original railway was forced to close in 1969 as the surrounding area faced heavy commercialization. The famous orange trolley carts were kept in storage for twenty-seven years until the line reopened in 1996 – this time, just half a block south from the original site.
For the most part, the railway suffered few technical malfunctions until 2001, when a serious accident killed one passenger and seriously injured a few others. The National Transportation Safety Board deemed a “design failure” as the cause, and the historic line remained closed for the following nine years.
Today, the counterbalanced cars have been repaired and restored to their original state. Visitors can experience the famous funicular again, and still for the modest fee of 25 cents per ride.

Read more about Angels Flight on Atlas Obscura…

Category: Inspired Inventions, Retro-Tech
Location: Los Angeles, California, US
Edited by: anhie, Dylan

New Jersey drivers under the age of 21 are already exposed to a number of more laws than their over 21 counterparts, and now it just got easier for law-enforcement to identify them. The state is now requiring a red reflective decal be attached to their license plates to identify their age status. ‘Kyleigh’s Law’, as it is called, is named after 16 year old Kyleigh D’Alessio, who was killed in a car accident.

The decals can be bought for $4.00 from any DMV starting on April 12, and must be affixed to vehicles driven by youngsters on May 1. The decals are removable and do transfer between cars. For those who attempt to remove or forego the decal, a $100 fine will be assessed.

The primary function of the decal is to enable law-enforcement to easier spot drivers under the age of 21, as they are subject to certain rules that limit the amount of passengers allowed, and the hours during which the car may be driven.

– By: Stephen Calogera

Source: NJ Online (via AutoBlog)

President Obama wasn’t even one year into his term when Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty made his initial foray last December to the first-in-the-nation primary state. Thursday night he returned for a second time, fueling speculation that he’ll run for president in 2012.

Speaking exclusively to Fox News, Pawlenty said, “I’ve been going to lots of different states trying to help candidates in 2010 get elected so we can get this country back on a prosperous, hopefully job growing better path than what we’re seeing out of Washington now. But as to the future in 2012 I haven’t made any decisions yet.”

A December poll by the University of New Hampshire found Pawlenty has little name recognition in the state. Hoping to boost his visibility the two term governor delivered the keynote address at the Manchester Republican Committee’s Lincoln-Reagan Day Dinner.

The crowd of 250 people gave Pawlenty a standing ovation when he took the podium, and he quickly questioned the direction the Obama administration is moving the country. “Our current leadership of this country, the so called progressives … Now they use that term like they’re forward leaning. They imply through the term that they’re progressive, looking into the future. But what they’re really doing is trying to contrast the 21st century challenges of America with these solutions from Eastern Europe from a century ago and they don’t work.”

The 49-year old republican is a fiscal conservative and said the government’s finances and huge deficit are endangering the nation’s stability. “Our nation, our beloved United States of America goes around the world, tin cup in hand and asks places like communist China, asks places like Middle East sovereign wealth funds to buy our debt because if they don’t we can’t pay our bills. The United States of America is not a beggar nation.”

The governor was joined at the event by his wife, Mary and they did the kind of retail politicking New Hampshire is famous for, working the room and shaking lots of hands. Most of those at the dinner were Republican politicians and activists, the very people he will need on his side if he decides to throw his hat into the race. Pawlenty has already announced he will not seek reelection to a third term in Minnesota, leaving him plenty of time to contemplate his future. “I will make a decision in early 2011,” he said, “but I certainly haven’t made it yet.”

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, Porsche

The new 911 GT3 RS might just be the most potent track car ever built for the street by Porsche, but that doesn’t mean it’s the first. The RS line goes all the way back to 1973 with the 911 2.7 RS when Porsche first combined an extra boost of power with the benefits of reduced weight. The original RS had impressive numbers for 1973: 210 horsepower, 0-60 mph in five and a half seconds, and a top speed of 152 mph.

The RS line continued through the 964, 993 and 996 model years, all the way to today’s second generation 997 model introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show last year. The 2010 911 GT3 RS might have significantly more performance than the 1973 911 RS – 450 horsepower, 0-60 mph in 4.0 seconds and a top speed of 193 mph, to be exact – but the inspiration remains the same as the original.

Porsche of UK has created a video highlighting both past and present RS models, featuring the 1973 911 RS and the 996 and 997 911 GT3 RS models on track. Needless to say, there’s a lot of oversteer involved, and it’s an informative and entertaining seven and a half minutes. You can watch the video after the jump.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Porsche highlights three generations of RS models

Video: Porsche highlights three generations of RS models originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Mar 2010 20:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stephanie Migot writes “Two years ago, the SEO community noticed that somebody they’d never heard of had begun the process of applying for a trademark for SEO (Search Engine Optimization). From the look of things, it was a bit of a power-grab to set standards for which businesses could and could not describe themselves as providing an SEO service.

This never should have got that far. But what the story also shows is that the reason why so many dubious patents, copyrights and trademarks live on is because once the sound and fury has died down, there are very few who are willing to follow their opposition through to the end. Also, unless you keep a close eye on applications, it might be too late to take effective action before it’s too late.”

In some ways, it’s even worse than Stephanie describes above — because beyond being costly, it’s often just an incredibly complex process to oppose a trademark or to try to invalidate a patent. The system is designed to focus on the approval process — and not the opposition process.

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Filed under: Sedan, Performance, Etc., Europe, Mercedes-Benz

As some of you may have read, I was pretty smitten with the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG. In case you somehow missed the buttery prose (for shame, for shame!), I described the sound of the big, bad, naturally-aspirated 6.2-liter V8 as, “Angry, guttural, aggravated and very, very masculine. Even at idle, it sounds like it’s pissed off and ready to dish out some wrath of God-type violence. Street legal sedans don’t sound like this.”

But wouldn’t it be nice if you could hear what I’m bloviating about? Well friends, today you can!

Thanks to a good buddy of mine named Luis Galdames, we have some high-quality sound files of the E63 AMG tearing stuff (mostly asphalt) up. Aside from recently winning a Golden Reel award for his sound mixing work on the FOX television show House, Luis also recorded all the engine sounds for NBC’s short-lived but quite comical Knight Rider remake. In other words, he knows his stuff.

After the jump we have three sound clips for your amusement. The first is of Luis standing behind the car and as I rev the mighty V8 up to around 6,000 rpm before side-stepping the brake pedal and launching. Listen close and at the end you can hear the car downshifting as I get on the brakes. The second clip was my favorite to record. Luis asked I fly by him at 100 mph and shift from third to fourth as I passed. We had to do a few takes for that one. And the third clip perfectly sums up the E63 AMG — one of the best cars I’ve ever driven. Make the jump and enjoy.

Continue reading Pump up the Volume: Audio of E63 AMG and its earth-smacking 518-HP V8

Pump up the Volume: Audio of E63 AMG and its earth-smacking 518-HP V8 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Mar 2010 20:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: 2010 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG declares checkmate

Mercedes redefines what a Q-ship is capable of with the E63, and we shred its tires for a week for confirmation.

Spy Shots: 2012 Ford Explorer caught completely disrobed

Our spies catch the all-new, unibody Explorer in its birthday suit, and it looks like Ford’s best-selling ‘ute is almost ready for prime-time.

Quick Spin: 2010 Buick LaCrosse CXS gets HiPer [w/video]

The LaCrosse benefits from a suspension makeover that turns Buick’s new sedan into even more of an entertaining steer.

Also of interest:

• EXCLUSIVE: Next-gen S-Class to go all-hybrid in U.S., save AMG variants
• Volvo V70 axed in favor of front-drive XC70, S80 V8 going away?
• 2011 Ford Mustang pricing undercuts Camaro
• Video: Inside Line dynos the 2011 Ford Mustang GT 5.0
• Report: EcoBoosted Ford Mustang not in the cards… for now
• Spy Shots: Is the 2011 Lamborghini Murciélago set to get Testarossa strakes?

Browse our archive of Daily U-Turn posts or subscribe to the RSS feed

Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 3.25.10 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Mar 2010 20:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kelley Blue Book today announced the winners of its 2010 Brand Image Awards, which are based on consumer perception data and show which brands best communicated certain features of their vehicles over the past year and highlight factors that influence purchase decisions.

This marks the third year Kelley Blue Book has awarded manufacturers the Brand Image Awards, and there are multiple repeat winners.

The 2010 Brand Image Awards, presented to the brands in nine categories, are based on consumer automotive perception data from Kelley Blue Book Market Intelligence’s Brand Watch study. Brand Watch is an online brand perception tracking study tapping into 12,000+ in-market new-vehicle shoppers annually on Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com.

Porsche raked in most of the awards on the list taking the Best Performance Brand, Best Exterior Design Brand and the Coolest Brand award.

Hit the jump to see the full list of winners.

KELLEY BLUE BOOK’S 2010 BRAND IMAGE AWARD WINNERS

• Best Comfort Brand: Lexus
• Best Performance Brand: Porsche
• Most Rugged Truck Brand: FordMost Family-Friendly Brand: Ford
• Coolest Brand: Porsche
• Best Exterior Design Brand: Luxury: Porsche
• Best Exterior Design Brand: Non-Luxury: Chevrolet
• Best Interior Design Brand: Lexus
• Best Prestige Brand: Mercedes-Benz

– By: Omar Rana

The US market has shocked HTC with the HD2’s first day sales. The device after selling out in pretty much all stores, and now BGR says it did it in 4 Hours.

4 Hours. Let me say that one more time, 4 Hours. That is pretty fast for a device that is the size of the HD2 to be sold out with no prior marketing I most add.

Many will say this happened only because the HD2 was limited in store, but I think its just an awesome device that deserves to be sold out at the speed of wire transfer.

With 6 per store limit, it says a lot for how much hope HTC had for this device, or how much money T-mobile put behind the 6.5 device. 6 per store is very disappointing, and thanks to that, I will have to wait WEEKS! to get myself an HD2 while my younger brother rubs his in my face .

At&t, Sprint, Verizon most all be a little unhappy about this device being released for T-mobile only. I cannot really say that for Sprint with the Evo coming for them. They most be shrugging this one off, but they most think about one thing.

The HD2 is released now, the Evo will be released then. Then is still unknown. May, June, July… who knows but by that time there will be more devices in the market. The Nexus One for Verizon, the Iphone 4G(eww!), X10, X2(hahha), and maybe another HTC device hopefully a Touch Pro3, or better HD3. So while many can talk about the HD2 losing to this new Evo. The HD2 did not loss anything, it has been out since November, and will be out in 2-5 months that it will take Sprint to release this new device that will and should be old by the original release date, a little like the X10.

Do you guys get what I mean? tell me what you think about this little 4 hour sale time… and how you like your device.

Update: A comment below says that “actually I work for tmobile and 6 per store is a lie… my store had 20 and a few other stores had more then that* we sold out within the 1st hr!” And that seems about right, and Hours!!!!

A certain group of enthusiasts will always appreciate the late Pontiac G8 GXP and its Australian sibling the Holden Commodore lineup. Many wagon lovers will also miss the Holden SS-V Special Edition Sportwagon, which shares the same front face of the Pontiac G8.

Even though the 362-hp V8 powering the Holden SS-V Special Edition Sportwagon may be enough for some, Australian tuner Walkinshaw Performance felt it could use a little more power. With the help of a supercharger and a water-to-air intercooler Walkinshaw’s SS-V Sportwagon makes a total of 600-hp and 568 lb-ft of torque.

Walkinshaw says it can fit the performance package on any other Holden VE model, including the Statesmen, Caprice, and Ute.

Prices for the fully modified Holden SS-V Sportwagon start at AUS $43,990 ($40,200 USD). The package itself is available for AUS $3,590 ($3,300 USD).

Walkinshaw Performance Holden SS-V Special Edition Sportwagon:

– By: Kap Shah

As was predicted by recording industry lobbyists a few weeks back, once the Digital Economy Bill made it through the House of Lords, the House of Commons would not debate it. Instead, it looks like it will get pushed through via the “wash-up” process. Of course, this has resulted in many people asking a rather simple question. Considering the massive controversy surrounding this bill, why won’t Parliament at least debate it? The real answer is pretty obvious, of course. This entire bill was pushed through by corporate entertainment industry lobbyists, and they know full well that with the upcoming election in the UK, a debate on this bill would likely kill it. So, screw democracy when you have a business model to prop up. Screw basic civil, human and privacy rights, if it helps the bottom line of a few companies too stubborn to adapt.

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Filed under: Etc.

Ready to play armchair Johnny Cochran? Here’s a story about a horse that got lead to water and then dove in. A Mustang Forum member, luckydawg003 (LD), took his manual-tranny 2007 Mustang GT in for warranty repair to Brandon Ford in Tampa, Florida. When he went to pick it up, the service manager departed to retrieve his car, then came back ten minutes later to say he had some bad news. According to LD, someone left the car in gear without the parking brake on, and when the service manager pressed the remote start button twice to start the car, it leaped to life and drove out of the dealer’s lot, through a chain link fence and into a pond, getting completely submerged.

Other twists to the tale: LD had an aftermarket remote starter that bypassed the clutch and would start the car even if it weren’t in neutral. A forum poster going by the handle Tylus linked to the posts wherein LD asks for advice on how to achieve the particular bypass he was after. Some folks think it’s the dealership’s fault, saying the ‘Stang was in their possession and the service manager didn’t need to use an aftermarket remote starter to retrieve the car. Some feel it’s LD’s fault, having left an jerry-rigged system in someone else’s car. And some say there’s enough blame for everyone. Question is, what is LD left to do about his scuba-diving Mustang? Pictures of the car post-dive in the gallery below.

[Source: Mustang Forums]

Forum Fodder: Dealer accidentally remote starts customer’s Mustang right into a pond? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Mar 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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