Author: Serkadis

For those short-attention readers between you, there is a book give-away at the end of this post.

The book Data Flow 2: Visualizing Information in Graphic Design has already been announced a few weeks ago, in a post which also included an interview with one of its editors.

Being true to the number ‘2’ in its title, the book shares many characteristics with its first edition, such as the relatively out-of-the-box chapter titles (think ‘datacurves’, ‘datablocks’, ‘dataesthetic’), an open, photo-rich layout, and a (quite contrasting) thick serif font face for the main articles and interviews. The book also features some strange editorial decisions I personally cannot wrap my mind around. For instance, in the first book, I was convinced the cover page featured a series of holes. Little did I know those black dots were actually (scatterplot) balloons. In the current edition, it is a spectactular mountain range that should grab the attention of the casual book shop customer, of which the silhouette forms a trend line identical to historical stock market trends. While being truly spectacular renderings, it would not surprise me that potential buyers would consider this book more to deal about alpine hiking rather than the designerly notion of information visualization.

The book then starts off maybe on the wrong foot, as its foreword is courageous enough to quote Ben Sheiderman as claiming “The purpose of visualization is insight, not pictures“. The article then finishes with the quote “Information visualization is too powerful and important to be left only to designers“. While these are absolutely valuable viewpoints, this book in particular might not the best evidence of these claims, as it would be easy enough to open the book to a random page and blindly point to an example that proofs the contrary. Unfortunately, it might be this sort of reckless rhetoric, and in particular in combination with what the book actually stands for, that ultimately blurs the perceptions of readers and makes people like Manuel Lima cringe.

So no, many projects featured in this book are not examples of data visualizations that are both incredibly beautiful *and* deeply insightful. However, I would claim that despite those strong statements in the foreword section, it was never intended to do so. Instead, the range of creativity is immense, which is demonstrated by the range of presentation media: screen interfaces, sculptures, installations, clothing, cutlery, books, posters, tabletops, wallpapers, flags, projections, jewelry, … You name it, anything that clearly demonstrates a superb design quality and is a representation of abstract data has been featured in this book (similar to this very blog?).

With its abundance of visually attractive and high-resolution depictions that literally jump of the page, the book is a joy to explore. Alternatively, you can have it just laying around for those moments of when your information addiction pushes you to once again get high on seductive ways of data expression. The physical format lends itself to casual browsing, while the short descriptions provide a glimpse into some of the insights offered. Additional content includes interviews with New York Times Graphics Editor Steve Duenes, Art+Com Director Joachim Sauter (think projects like this or this), Manuel Lima and myself. It is up to the reader to just be visually stimulated or to literally dive into the visualizations and figure out the knowledge buried inside. At first, readers should be able to experience how beauty has at least the power to increase the human curiousness in discovering the meaning behind data, and the principles that drive it. And then finally, after some time, one might actually discover those valuable insights that Shneiderman mentioned before.

In short, Data Flow 2 is more than 270 pages of data-goodness for those who wish this very blog also came in a paper format. It will be truly appreciated by those who realize that reaching the ideal for both beauty *and* function is not a particularly easy goal, and much more creative exploration is still required.

By courtesy of the book’s publisher Gestalten, infosthetics is happy to announce it will give away 3 (three) books. Just add a comment below proposing an alternative title for a potential third book, which is more original than “Data Flow 3”. Entries close on Friday 26th March.

We’re so used to websites whose “link policies” are about what they want you to do to link to them, combined with the tendency for traditional media players to hate the external link, as if it were some sign of failure, that when someone anonymously submitted a link to the BBC News’ “link policies,” you’ll have to forgive me for expecting the worst. Instead, the link policies were a bit of a revelation. They’re all about how to link more to other sources. It all starts with a goal of sending more traffic elsewhere:

The BBC Strategy Review [1.40MB PDF] recently unveiled by director general Mark Thompson set as one of its goals a major increase in outbound links from the BBC website – a doubling of the number of “click-throughs” to external sites from 10 million to 20 million a month by 2013.

It then goes into a list of specific policies, which pretty much all focus on adding lots of external links to stories. Of course, given how UK newspapers are suddenly working hard to block links from others, you have to wonder if those same papers are going to start blocking the BBC as well…

Permalink | Comments | Email This Story

As Speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives, I led the fight against insurance companies that unreasonably delay or deny their customers’ valid claims. I know first-hand the lengths that industry will go to resist reform. I am deeply disappointed to learn that no member of the U.S. Senate is willing to offer an amendment to restore the public option to the health care bill.

Millions of Americans cannot afford to keep up with the soaring costs of health insurance. That is why a majority of the American people support a public option. The Congressional Budget Office has concluded that a public option will reduce the deficit. Last week I called on the leadership of the U.S. Senate to allow an up-or-down vote on the public option. We should not allow the insurance industry to kill the competition the American public wants.

A Record of Leadership
Thousands of Coloradans have been forced to do battle with their insurance companies just to get coverage they’ve already purchased. In 2008, I fought the insurance industry and won. The result: a new law that requires insurers to pay what they owe when they owe it – and stiffens penalties on those who don’t.

I voted to reduce Coloradans’ prescription-drug prices, by pooling our purchasing power with other states. I supported efforts to supply rural Coloradans and other underserved communities with greater access to care, by investing in local health clinics and expanding the use of telemedicine. I also authored laws to:

• Help Colorado’s seniors get the care they need in their own homes and communities;
• Save millions of dollars in state medical expenses by holding private insurers to higher standards of accountability;
• Make contracts between health-care providers and insurers more transparent;
• Provide health coverage – including access to the Children’s Health Insurance Program, mental health services, and drug and alcohol treatment – to thousands of Coloradans.

My leadership has been recognized by Colorado’s leading health and human service organizations, including the Colorado Psychological Association, the Colorado Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, the Colorado Dental Association, the Colorado Community Health Network, the Colorado Society of Osteopathic Medicine, the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, the Colorado Association of Alcohol and Drug Service Providers, Peer Assistance Services, Crossroads Turning Points, and Advocates for Recovery. In 2006, the Colorado Medical Society named me Defender of the Patient –the physicians’ highest honor.

A Plan of Action
I will fight to secure high-quality health care for all Americans. My plan calls for coverage that is affordable, reliable, and portable. I believe our nation’s health care plan should:

• Guarantee coverage for all Americans through a single-payer model.
• Make coverage affordable, by reducing medical errors, minimizing administrative expenses, and promoting prevention and early intervention.
• Make coverage reliable, by cracking down on companies that unreasonably delay or deny the payment of claims.
• Make coverage portable, by allowing Americans to keep their insurance even if they change or lose their jobs.
• Prohibit discrimination on the basis of preexisting conditions.
• Expand consumer choice and encourage innovation among health-care providers.
• Improve the quality of medical care by coordinating services and by reforming reimbursement formulas to reward value, not just volume.
• Increase the use of information technology.
• Promote personal responsibility for health decisions, by reducing co-payments for check-ups and wellness programs.

Tags: public option

 

Filed under: Coupe, Government/Legal, Chevrolet, GM

The 1963 Corvette Grand Sport is one rare roadster. General Motors only built five of the Cobra killers before production was halted, and the rarest of ‘Vettes are worth millions at auction. If you don’t have Ferrari GTO 250 money to spend, one option is to shell out $189,000 to Duntov Motor Co. in Texas. The company reportedly has full rights from GM to build the vehicles, and The General’s badge is proudly displayed.

But that isn’t the only way to get a replica Grand Sport. Mongoose Motorsports produces a near dead ringer of a roadster, but GM claims in a lawsuit that the company is violating trademark laws by building the vehicles without the automaker’s permission. The Detroit News says The General is looking for the courts to bar Mongoose from building any more GS replicas, order the destruction of all labels and signs containing Corvette trademarks and let the automaker inspect the Ohio company’s books. On top of that, GM is looking for unspecified damages. Mongoose operations manager Gary Krause Jr. reportedly told DetNews that he was unaware of the lawsuit until the newspaper called him.

Why is General Motors coming down hard on Mongoose Motorsports? Because there is a lot of money in licensing (ask any pro sports team), and any company seeking to profit from The General’s designs, products or representations is taking money out of the company’s coffers. But while the Mongoose Motorsports GS may (or may not) be illegal, it still does look pretty damn cool on the road. Hit the jump to watch video of the realistic replica as it trolls public roads in search of some street cred; or perhaps a speeding ticket. Thanks for the tip, Ismael!

[Source: The Detroit News]

Continue reading Report: GM suing Mongoose Motorsports over Corvette GS replicas [w/video]

Report: GM suing Mongoose Motorsports over Corvette GS replicas [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

By Ignatius Banda BULAWAYO, Mar 22 (IPS) When there are water cuts in Bulawayo the plants in 59-year-old Ntombizodwa Makati’s vegetable garden are still watered, but she and her family go thirsty.

Small scale farmers in Bulawayo are able to use recycled waste water for their crops as lack of adequate rainfall affects the region, thanks to the local city council’s programme. But there are no programmes in place to provide drinking water for households in the area.

Makati is one of many urban residents living in poor suburbs, in a city of two million people, who face constant and prolonged water shortages.

World Water Day is on Mar. 22, which United Nations-Water has given the theme of water quality "Clean Water for a Healthy World". But water quality still remains an issue in Bulawayo. The city has long cited lack of resources as the stumbling block toward providing water for domestic use.

Makati complains that while she is able to water her vegetable garden at her home in Mabutweni, a high-density suburb, using waste water provided by the city council, there still remain no alternative water sources for domestic use.

Along with her fellow residents, Makati has been forced to resort to unsafe open water sources for domestic use when the taps run dry – something that happens on a regular basis.

"It is increasingly frustrating having to go without water and without getting any warning from the municipality," Makati said.

"We are extremely (lucky) when the rain falls because then we can harvest the rain water which we find clean and can use in our kitchens," she said.

However, the poor rains that have hit the drought-prone parts of Zimbabwe’s southern region means there is little Makati can fall back on as an alternative water source.

What has exacerbated the crisis for Makati and many others is that she still has to boil the unsafe drinking water, but electricity power cuts have virtually made this impossible. The inability to purify the water places many at risk of contracting cholera. Memories of the 2008 cholera outbreak still remain fresh on the minds of locals.

The Bulawayo City Council has for years promoted the use of what it calls "reclaimed water" where waste water from sewer treatment plants is used for farming and urban agriculture projects. But such initiatives are yet to extend to domestic water use.

This, according to city officials, is largely because a lack of funds has stalled projects such as the drawing of water from the Zambezi River.

"We are still facing financial problems that have made harnessing ground water and improving water quality and also water quantity difficult," says council spokesperson Nesisa Mpofu.

Water quality remains an issue in Bulawayo with residents complaining that water from household taps sometimes looks like river water, with a murky brown appearance that clearly indicates it has not been chemically treated.

Bulawayo mayor Thaba Moyo acknowledged the criticism of the water quality, especially to poor suburbs where the majority of the city’s residents, like Makati, reside. "We really have to strive to give our residents clean water," Moyo told a recent council meeting.

The United Nations Children’s Fund has since responded by giving the city water treatment chemicals as part of efforts to improve water quality.

At the height of the 2008 cholera outbreak, which the World Health Organisation says claimed over 6,000 lives, the Bulawayo City Council provided water treatment tablets to households. But this programme stopped after donor agencies saw the decline of cholera cases, Mpofu said.

Water Resources and Infrastructure Development Minister Sam Sipepa Nkomo has lamented that the city’s water problems will take long to be solved, citing a poor budget vote for his ministry. The ministry was allocated a little over 100 million dollars for the 2009/2010 budget, but Nkomo says the building of the Zambezi water pipeline will need more than 1.2 billion dollars.

The politics of water have stalked the council for years, with city officials citing lack of commitment by the then government of President Robert Mugabe.

With the continued poor rains, which experts say have been worsened by the effects of climate change, the aims of World Water Day seem far off from be being realised, water rights activist Susan Mbambo said.

"There have not been any tangible efforts to harness alternative water sources for domestic use, but farmers have been receiving help because the water they use is cheap to recycle but still cannot be used for domestic use," said Mbambo who works closely with the Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association.

"The city council cites lack of adequate budgetary support from central government to fix water problems and this has meant residents turn to sources like burst water pipes to scoop water for home use," Mbambo said.

Early this year, the city council cited financial setbacks as the reason for failing to service about 77 boreholes at Nyamayendlovu, a local township.

So asks the TheBack9 who just sent us this chart of the yuan.

We’re guessing the government did not have some sudden desire to kill manufacturer margins by 5%.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• China’s Premier Toughens Stance On Currency, Blasts US Dollar Policy As "Protectionism"
• Krugman: Steve Roach Has Gone Batty
• Chinese Envoy To Make Emergency Flight To DC To Stave Off Currency Crisis

Sussex Safer Roads Partnership has came up with this new seat belt commercial (a weird one we might add) with a family playing charades… kind of.

Check out the video after the jump to see what we mean.

– By: Kap Shah

Earlier this year, we wrote about how the Olympics, notorious for trying to control everything associated with the Olympics to block anyone from doing any marketing around the games if they haven’t paid up, got upset at company selling a t-shirt that read:

“Cool Sporting Event That Takes Place in British Columbia Between 2009 and 2011 Edition.”

Now it looks like something similar has happened with the World Cup and the South African airline, Kulula. Kulula, if you don’t know, is somewhat famous for its sense of humor. In particular, I really like the way the company recently redesigned one of its airplanes as “Flying 101”:

Along those lines, the airlines decided to make a joke of the limits that FIFA struck on sponsors of the World Cup and put out an advertisement calling itself the:

“Unofficial National Carrier of the You-Know-What.”

And, along with that it included images of stadiums, national flages and vuvuzelas (a type of horn regularly blown at football matches in South Africa). FIFA apparently sent a threat letter demanding Kulula pull the ad, calling it “ambush marketing.” Apparently, FIFA has no sense of humor. After people got annoyed, FIFA put out a silly statement saying that it never said the airline couldn’t use certain words or symbols — but it just couldn’t use them all in combination.

Of course, you have to imagine that all the additional attention to Kulula thanks to this “controversy” doesn’t bother the airline one bit…

Permalink | Comments | Email This Story

It’s hard to see Asian central banks not having to clamp down on cheap money sooner rather than later.

From Waverly Advisors:

February CPI data released this morning showed that prices jumped by a full percentage
point for the month in Hong Kong over the holiday month, more than anticipated.  On a
year-over-year basis Consumer Prices registered at 2.8%  vs. consensus 2.1%.   meanwhile
aggregate food prices increased by 2.5% Y/Y during the month.  Although Lunar New
Year has distorted the picture (as has the end of government stimulus programs, such as
rebates on utilities, which helped drive gas and water prices to a level 62.8% over the
prior year),  the arrival of higher than anticipated inflation in HK on the heels of India’s
rate announcement has certainly put the specter of inflation back into focus for Asia
watchers, and this evenings February CPI release in Singapore will be scrutinized. 
Consensus forecasts peg Singapore’s reading at 1.4% Y/Y.

Join the conversation about this story »

Has someone done you a whole lotta wrong? Don’t let it change who you are at your core – in your soul.

Recognize that when you respond with hate to someone else’s hate, with anger to someone else’s anger, with bitterness to someone else’s bitterness, you are ironically becoming part of the problem.

Indeed, this harboring hate/angerness/bitterness reminds me of a horror movie I once saw. In this film, unconscious, soul-less, miserable Zombies were taking bites out of happy, alive, soulful people. As soon as these happy folks were bitten, they became part of the throng of Zombies — unconsciously, soul-lessly, miserably biting others!

Meaning? If you were metaphorically badly “bitten” by an unconscious, soul-less, miserable person, you must choose to resist letting them change who you are – and put in the conscious effort to remain a loving, soulful, happy person.

Keep your eye on the real prize in life: blossoming into your highest and happiest potential!

Feeling challenged, stressed or depressed? Check out my book – THE BOUNCE BACK BOOK – which has been praised by Tony Robbins! Just click this line, right here right now!

del.icio.us · Slashdot · Digg · Facebook · Technorati · Google · StumbleUpon · Yahoo

How does Barton Biggs advocate buying food and firearms and stocks at the same time?

Blame greedy investors for keeping the market rising.

The Morgan Stanley guru-turned-hedge fund manager calls for 10% gains: “In the short run, the momentum of the market is up and there is too much money on the sidelines.”

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Barton Biggs: Here’s Why Global Large-Cap Stocks Are The Cheapest They’ve Been In 30 Years
• Barton Biggs: Buy Farmland, Buy Guns, AND Buy Stocks
• Barton Biggs Leads Investment Mission To Syria, Says Government’s Presentation Was "Pretty Pathetic"

There are many reasons why someone would want to start a company. There’s the pursuit of wealth, glory, and fame, but above all, I believe most founders are searching for freedom. Freedom to run things the way they see fit, freedom to be the masters of their own domain.

But until you have profits, until you’re self-sustainable, you won’t truly have that freedom. As long as you’re beholden to other people’s money, you’re ultimately beholden to their approval.

Because we’re profitable, Jason and I get the freedom to do all sorts of “crazy” things:

• 37signals runs entirely without debt, which is apparently so uncommon that we had trouble getting net-30 terms from a vendor recently, because we couldn’t give four trade references for credit. Running a company without debt is like paying off your mortgage—liberating.
• We actually trust our employees. No expense reports, no counting vacation or sick days, no required location or work hours. We give everyone a credit card for expenses and tell them to spend it wisely. What really matters is turning out good work.
• We speak our minds — even when it’s inconvenient, controversial, or risking offense to some of our customers or partners. There’s none of the traditional self-censorship that quickly creeps in when you have to worry about what the big man thinks about your opinions.

It’s these supposedly crazy things that make me not want to give up 37signals for anything.

Now, all this is technically possible without the freedom of profitability, but it certainly wouldn’t be natural or common. Once you start thinking about how your decisions and actions might displease the men with the money, you invariably shy away from the most controversial (and best) ideas.

With Final Fantasy XIII and God of War III already out in the market, you’ll find that this batch has toned down considerably. On a more positive note, this week does have a few notables, including Just

By Claire Ngozo BLANTYRE, Mar 22 (IPS) Two men who married each other in a traditional engagement ceremony will have to undergo trial and face years of imprisonment if found guilty of having a homosexual relationship.

The state, through police prosecutors, brought the two men to court soon after their Boxing Day engagement and asked the magistrate to determine that they are criminals for indulging in a homosexual relationship. A magistrate’s court in Malawi’s main commercial centre, Blantyre, on Mar. 22 ruled against two men, Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza.

Blantyre chief resident magistrate, Nyakwawa Usiwa Usiwa, declared that Chimbalanga and Monjeza have a case to answer to. The couple is facing official charges of "gross indecency" and "buggery" for "having carnal knowledge against the order of nature", offences under Malawi's colonial-era penal code.



"In the balance of probability the state has established a prima-facie case against the two as charged," Usiwa Usiwa told the couple. The state has already administered several medical tests on the couple to establish that they were having sexual intercourse as well as a mental examination to test if each is mentally stable.

The couple will undergo a full trial and the onus now lies on the two men to prove their innocence.

Chimbalanga and Monjeza did not seem to be moved by the magistrate’s decision. They were not allowed to comment on the ruling. The lawyer representing the couple, Osward Ntuwakale, asked the court to give him two weeks for him to prepare for their defence. "I will call upon defence witnesses," he said.

Chimbalanga and Monjeza have been arrested based on Sections 153 and 156 of the Penal Code which criminalise homosexuality and recommend that anyone convicted under these sections may be jailed for a minimum of five years and maximum of 14 years and hard labour.



Monjeza and Chimbalanga, who are being held at Chichiri Prison, one of Malawi’s maximum security jails, have been refused bail on two different occasions by the same magistrates’ court. They are taunted and jeered by crowds of people every time they make a court appearance. The situation was not different on the day of the ruling.

The case has attracted a lot of interest both locally and internationally. The court was jam-packed during the ruling, with on-lookers, rights groups and diplomats from the British High Commission. The diplomats did not comment.

"The court ruling today is a very sad development. The full trial will only perpetuate misery for the couple as they will continue to be kept in prison and continue to face the wrath of homophobic people," said Gift Trapense, director of human rights organisation the Centre for the Development of People.

"It is very unfair to continue holding the couple in jail just because they are expressing their love for each other. The conditions in Malawi’s prisons are very bad; there is overcrowding in the cells and inmates go hungry most times. It is sad that they should continue suffering just for choosing their own way of life," Trapense told IPS.

The magistrate has since set trial for Apr. 3.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International has adopted Chimbalanga and Monjeza as prisoners of conscience. The rights organisation defines prisoners of conscience as people who have been jailed because of the lawful expression of their beliefs.

In a recent statement, Amnesty International United Kingdom director Kate Allen said Monjeza and Chimbalanga have committed no criminal offence.

"It is vital that as many people as possible join us in writing to the Malawi authorities calling on them to release the two men and for them to investigate their treatment in custody," she said.

Support for the gay couple has been mounting. On Mar. 16, Malawi’s main donors, including the UK government, Germany, African Development Bank (AfDB), Norway, the European Union and the World Bank, who operate under the Common Approach to Budget Support (CABS), warned Malawi against the prosecution of homosexuals. CABS provides up to 80 percent of Malawi’s development budget of 438 million dollars.

"When we talk about human rights, we do not only talk about the majority but also minority groups like the on-going issue of homosexuals which needs to be looked into thoroughly," Frank Kufwakwandi, head of AfDB in Malawi and also chairman of CABS said in astatement .

Kufwakwandi urged Malawi to respect human rights issues. "Respect for human rights is one of the fundamental principles of Malawi's budget support cooperation from the CABS group," he stated. The donor group also warned that that the country risks international isolation if it continues prosecuting homosexuals.

The government of Norway issued a warning saying the government of Malawi must respect gay rights or risk tainting its human rights record.

But the Malawi Council of Churches (MCC), a grouping of up to 22 protestant churches, has since urged government not to give in to donor pressure to accept gay rights in exchange for aid.

In a statement released on Mar. 19, the MCC called on the international community to "respect Malawi’s cultural and religious values and refrain from using aid as a means of forcing the country to legalise sinful acts like homosexuality in the name of human rights."

The MCC also asked government to maintain the laws that criminalise homosexual acts and practices.

Any specific challenging event you must deal with is always merely “in” your life – it’s not your “whole” life.

Consciously keep this “slice of your life” awareness in perspective. Don’t let the event overwhelm you.

As the bible says: “This too shall past.”

And as the song goes: “The best is yet to come!”

Feeling challenged, stressed or depressed? Check out my book – THE BOUNCE BACK BOOK – which has been praised by Tony Robbins! Just click this line, right here right now!

del.icio.us · Slashdot · Digg · Facebook · Technorati · Google · StumbleUpon · Yahoo

The Democrats in Congress triggered a hell of a rally today. Here’s the breakdown:

Dow: Up 43 points to 10,793.

NASDAQ: Up 21 points to 2395.

S&P 500: Up 6 points to 1165.

Commodities: Mixed. Oil is up $0.57 to $81.25 a barrel while gold rests at the critical $1100 an ounce level, down $7 and even further earlier in the day. Silver is down $0.8 to $16.96.

Futures remain mixed but are generally posting gains with the exception of oats, palladium, live cattle, lumber, sugar, and natural gas.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• The Stock Rally Peters Out As Equities End A Mixed Bag, Oil Prices Drop Over Increased Supply
• The Unstoppable Bulls: Indices Post Solid Gains, Gold Retreats
• Stocks Rise As Dow Gains Nearly 100 Points, Futures Positive

Filed under: Budget, Europe, Hatchback, Humor

In 1985, just nine months before the Yugo came to America, Yugo America CEO Malcolm Bricklin and second in command Tony Ciminera toured the Zastava plant in Kragujevac, Yugoslavia. This is where the Yugo 45, the crazy-cheap car Americans would come to know, love and then loathe, would be built and rebadged as the Yugo GV (Bricklin intended GV to stand for “great value,” but he never bothered paying the ad firm to spread the word). Ciminera was horrified at what he saw.

Workers would take brand new body panels they’d just finished stamping and toss them onto a pile. Meaning that the new cars would roll off the assembly line dented. Bricklin, of course, failed to see the problem and told Ciminera just to fax the Zastava workers a list of changes needed when the two of them returned to the U.S. The problem with that plan was that the Zastava factory didn’t have a fax machine. Once they got one, the fax that Ciminera sent them was over four meters long. And Bricklin was sticking to his fanciful nine-month deadline.

Continue reading Book Review: The Yugo: The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History

Book Review: The Yugo: The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

It seems you can blame the internet for just about anything these days. Some conservationists are now blaming the internet for increasing the threats to various endangered species. The argument is that because people can buy and sell such endangered species online, it’s increasing the threats to those animals. Of course, it’s easy to blame the internet, but why not focus on actually blaming those individuals responsible for the trades — and rather than lashing out at a communications platform, why not look for ways to use the internet to help stop such illegal trades? If this is happening online, that also means a record is left and it’s easier to track down those responsible.

Permalink | Comments | Email This Story

Earlier this month it was reported that Porsche is looking to put the 918 Spyder into production within the next 5 years. Of course, when you hear things like that from a publications “inside sources” you’re a bit hesitant to believe the truth – especially when a ballpark number of 5 years is given out like it will go by in no time.

Well, here are more sources talking to more publications and this time, it is being reported the Porsche executives are working with the company’s global dealer network to round up names of prospective buyers. The Stuttgart automaker will then use that to help build a business case for giving a thumbs up to a production 918 Spyder.

How much will it cost? We have no clue, but you can be sure it’ll cost more than the Carrera GT.

Click here for more news on the Porsche 918 Spyder Concept.

Refresher: Power for the Porsche 918 Spyder Concept comes from a 3.4L mid-mounted V8 making 500-hp. The engine is mated to two electric-motors sitting on the front and rear axle with an additional output of 218-hp. Power is driven to the wheels by Porsche’s 7-speed Doppelkupplungsgetriebe PDK transmission, allowing the 918 Spyder Concept to go from 0-62 mph in 3.2 seconds with a top speed of 198 mph. Drivers are allowed to choose from four different driving modes including E-Drive, Hybrid, Sport Hybrid and Race Hybrid. The E-Drive mode let the 918 Spyder concept run on pure electricity with a range of 16 miles.

Porsche 918 Spyder Concept:

– By: Kap Shah

Source: Automobile

Article Tags: David Spiegelhalter, Video Link

A popular view of scientists is that they deal with certainties, but they are (or should be) the first to admit the limitations in what they know. Yet can scientists admit uncertainty and still be trusted by politicians and the public? Or would the language of possibilities and probabilities merely shift attention to those with more strident, confident arguments?

Nobody is expected to predict the future exactly. So there is generally no problem in acknowledging the risk of everyday activities, and it is natural to use past experience to be open and precise about the uncertainties. Patients may, for example, be told that for every one million operations there are expected to be five deaths related to the anaesthetic — that’s an anaesthetic risk of five micromorts (a one-in-a-million chance of dying) per operation. This is roughly equivalent to the risk of riding 30 miles on a motorbike, driving 1,000 miles in a car, going on one scuba-dive, living four hours as a heroin user or serving four hours in the UK Army in Afghanistan.

In more complicated situations, scientists build mathematical models that are supposed to mimic what we understand about the world. Models are used for guiding action on swine flu, predicting climate change and assessing whether medical treatments should be provided by the NHS.

Click source to see video link

Source: timesonline.co.uk

Read in full with comments »