Author: Serkadis

The new system is based on our automatic state of the art Impulse Winding/Surge Tester of DWX series.
A narrowband microwave sensor detects the electromagnetic waves of partial discharges, which are generated in a coil through a voltage surge impulse with a fast rising front (dV/dt). This assures an excellent simulation of the transient stresses of motor windings and coils through high dynamic drives and controls (i.e. PWM inverters), according IEC 60034-18-41 and IEC TS 61934.
In addition to the turn and layer short test of windings, it allows easy and fully automatic partial discharge tests within a coil for applications in production, QC and research/lab as well as predictive diagnostics. This includes the recording of PD inception/extinction voltages (PDIV-PDEV) with a new software algorithm.
Through the special filter method with plane patch antenna and narrowband filter circuit (1.7 GHz band), all disturbing noises and frequencies become masked while maintaining high signal sensitivity.
This allows usage of the instrument in complex automatic test systems and production environments without harming the signal quality.

For Dual Contact and standard spindles
DualDRIVE improves rigidity, reduces vibration
Increase feed rates up to 20%
Extend tool life and reduce scrap
CoolFLEX DIN B coolant feature on ER Collet Chucks and Shrink-Fit tool holders.

Techniks is a leading manufacturer of: tool holders, collet holders, ER collet chucks, TG collet chucks, end mill holders, DIN B coolant, coolant-thru holder, tap collets, pull studs, retention knobs, milling chucks, jacobs chuck, drill chucks, BT30, BT40, CAT40, CAT50, HSK, ISO30, CNC router tooling, collet holder, aggregate head, shell mill arbors, face mill arbors, shrink fit holders, shrink-fit machines, tap holders, rigid tapping, floating tap, boring tools, finish head, roughing head, holemaking, magnetic work holding, magnetic chucks, electroperm chucks, workholding, magnetic vises, magnetic lifting, collets, ER collet, TG collet, DA collet, spring collet, Perske collet, SYOZ collets, coolant collets, sealed collets, collet nuts, ER collets.

For many years OMLAT Spa has been successfully manufacturing liquid cooled electrospindles for wood-working.
Today Omlat, thanks to new technologies, has developed a new series of electrospindles called DELTA AIR.
DELTA AIR is cooled by an electro-fan fitted on the electrospindle granting low maintenance costs.
The peculiarity however is its design which allows to change the shaft kit (nose, shaft complete with front & back bearings) in only 3 minutes.
This process can be done by an operator without Omlat engineer intervention.
DELTA AIR main characteristics:
-Tool attachment (HSK or ISO)
-Electrospindle nose (LN – long nose or SN – short nose)
-Speed (18000rpm or 24000rpm)
-Poles (2 or 4)
-Voltage (220V or 380V)
-Power (5kW, 7,5kW or 12kW).

ATLANTA Drive Systems, Inc. offers a wide range of standard Rack & Pinion drives, consisting of both helical & straight (spur) tooth versions, in an assortment of sizes, materials and quality levels, to meet almost any axis drive requirements.

These drives are perfect for a wide range of applications, including axis drives requiring precise positioning & repeatability, traveling gantries & columns, pick & place robots, and material handling systems. Heavy load capacities and duty cycles can also be easily handled with this drives. Industries served include Material Handling, Automation, Aerospace, Woodworking, Machine Tool and Robotics.

The product range consists of metric pitches from module 1.0 to 16.0, with linear force capacities of up to 31,000 lb. Rack segment lengths up to 3.00 meters are available standard, with unlimited travels lengths possible by mounting segments end-to-end. Quality levels include soft, induction-hardened, quenched & tempered and hardened & ground (AGMA 12).

Typical delivery time for these standard components is only 2 to 3 weeks – ideal for OEM’s requiring just-in-time delivery schedules. Special and/or modified designs are always possible.

For more information, contact ATLANTA Drive Systems at: (800) 505-1715, or on the web at: www.atlantadrives.com.

Reduction Engineering Inc. has built itself into a global player in pelletizing equipment for compounders by purchasing the Scheer pelletizing business in Germany a year ago, and earlier acquiring Conair Group Inc.’s line of pelletizers and handling U.S. manufacturing, sales and service for Econ GmbH of Austria.
The biggest international move came in November 2008, when Reduction bought the pelletizer business of C.F. Scheer & CIE GmbH + Co. KG.
The overall company is now called Reduction Engineering Scheer Inc. Buying Scheer gave Reduction pelletizer manufacturing in Stuttgart, Germany, and at the Kent headquarters.
“We’re going to morph some of our technology together,” he said. The first examples could be shown at the K trade show in Germany in 2010.
Sly said existing product lines of pelletizers will remain. Pelletizers which chop strands of resin into finished pellets
The last two years have been busy for the company. Reduction invested about $6 million to build a new headquarters plant at a Kent industrial park, and add an automated paint line to an existing building nearby.
A major part of the 85,000-square-foot headquarters is a 10,000-square-foot laboratory — giving Reduction, for the first time, a dedicated space for extrusion into pelletizing lines. The Scheer plant in Stuttgart has the same-size laboratory.
All the pelletizers made by Reduction Engineering Scheer can be wheeled into the laboratory, giving customers access to the full line of strand and underwater pelletizers, and auxiliary equipment.
The laboratory gives Reduction a big advantage over competing pelletizer makers for compounding, according to John Sly, regional sales manager and son of the president. Customers can come to Kent to run material trials or to run their exact pelletizing equipment before it’s shipped out.
John Sly used Reduction’s 800 Series strand pelletizer as an example. Reduction can build a standard pelletizer in about two weeks, but the company also can manufacture fully customized lines based on dimensions and the material the pelletizer will be running.

to read on follow the web link attached

To celebrate 40 years of the Challenger’s muscle-car heritage, Dodge brought back to of the wildest and rarest models to the 2010 Challenger lineup with the 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T Classic and Challenger SRT8 Furious Fuchsia editions.

The 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T Classic Furious Fuchsia edition features A-line body-side R/T stripes in Matte Black or Bright White, “Challenger” fender badges in classic script, large 20-inch polished-aluminum wheels with all-season performance tires, classic egg-crate grille with heritage “R/T” badge, body-color rear spoiler, functional hood scoop and bright racing style fuel-filler door. The inside gets a dark headliner, a slanted shifter console and Pearl White performance seats accented in Dark Slate Gray and Furious Fuchsia French-seamed stitching.

The 425-hp 2010 Dodge Challenger SRT8 Furious Fuchsia edition gets most of what the Challenger R/T Furious Fuchsia edition model has and 20-inch SRT forged-aluminum wheels with Satin Black accents and a serialized dash plaque indicating the limited production series of 400 units. It also has retro-inspired chromed quad exhaust tips.

Prices for the 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T Classic Furious Fuchsia start at $35,140, while the SRT8 model starts at $45,150. Sales begin next month.

Make the jump for the press release.

Click here to check your Auto Credit Score.

2010 Dodge Challenger Furious Fuchsia Edition:

Press Release:

Dodge Celebrates Four Decades Of Challenger’s Muscle-car Heritage With Limited-edition Furious Fuchsia Models

– 2010 Dodge Challenger Furious Fuchsia editions commemorate 40 years of Dodge muscle-car performance
– Limited-edition Furious Fuchsia exterior answers customers’ desire for the return of more Dodge brand high-impact heritage paint hues
– 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T Classic edition is available in all-new Pearl White performance seats and Bright White A-line body-side R/T stripes
– Dodge Challenger SRT8® Furious Fuchsia edition features unique 20-inch SRT forged aluminum wheels with Satin Black painted pockets, serialized dash plaque, Pearl White leather SRT performance seats with Furious Fuchsia accent stripe and retro-inspired chromed quad exhaust tips
– Limited-production run of Dodge Challenger R/T Classic editions and only 400 Dodge Challenger SRT8 editions in Furious Fuchsia available

Auburn Hills, Mich., Feb 8, 2010 – Two of the wildest and rarest 2010 Dodge Challenger models will soon be available to Dodge fans and collectors to commemorate 40 years of Dodge Challenger performance; the 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T Classic and Challenger SRT8® Furious Fuchsia editions. With its Furious Fuchsia Pearl Coat exterior paint and all-new Pearl White leather performance seats, these limited-edition Dodge Challenger models deliver the best of modern American muscle-car characteristics—unmistakable design, world-class handling, powerful HEMI® V-8 engines and technology—now in one of the most significant hues.

“Commemorating four decades of Challenger performance, the new R/T Classic and SRT8 Furious Fuchsia editions modernize one of the most memorable hues from 1970 to create a modern muscle-car that exudes more performance, passion and even more nostalgia,” said Ralph Gilles, President and Chief Executive Officer, Dodge Car Brand and Senior Vice President—Product Design, Chrysler Group LLC. “As an ode to our Dodge fans, these highly collectible models feature all-new Pearl White leather performance seats with Furious Fuchsia accents to deliver a customized, yet contemporary look to the heritage-inspired interior. Sum it all up, and Dodge is delivering a muscle-car tribute that no other manufacturer can even match.”

The U.S. Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for the new 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T Classic in Furious Fuchsia Pearl Coat is $35,140, while the high-performance SRT8 model is $45,150 (both prices include $725 destination). Both Furious Fuchsia editions will be available for order at Dodge dealerships nationwide in March.

2010 Dodge Challenger R/T Classic Furious Fuchsia
Based on the powerful 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T, the Dodge Challenger R/T Classic Furious Fuchsia edition features dual throwback A-line body-side R/T stripes in Matte Black or Bright White. Completing the look are “Challenger” fender badges in classic script, large 20-inch polished-aluminum heritage wheels with all-season performance tires, classic egg-crate grille with heritage “R/T” badge, body-color rear spoiler, functional hood scoop and bright racing style fuel-filler door.

On the interior, the trapezoidal theme of the door-panel and gauge cluster, dark headliner and slanted shifter console are inspired by the original Dodge Challenger. Inspiration from the past continues with exclusive Pearl White performance seats accented with Dark Slate Gray and Furious Fuchsia French-seamed stitching as a factory-installed option. Monotone Dark Slate Gray leather performance seats and center console armrest with Furious Fuchsia accent stitching are standard.

When paired with the Tremec six-speed manual transmission, the 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T Classic Furious Fuchsia edition includes the performance-minded Track Pak with precision-shift “pistol-grip” shifter, anti-spin 3.92 differential and a performance-tuned dual exhaust with two low-restriction bottle resonators for maximum “throatiness.” And when it’s time to deliver, the Furious Fuchsia R/T Classic can accelerate from 0–60 mph in less than six seconds with its powerful 376 horsepower (280 kW) and 410 lb.-ft. of torque (556 N•m) 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 engine.

2010 Dodge Challenger SRT8 Furious Fuchsia
If the tire-smoking Furious Fuchsia R/T Classic is not exciting enough, the 400 ultra-exclusive 2010 Dodge Challenger SRT8 versions delivers even more punch with a 6.1-liter HEMI V-8 engine—with engine block lacquered in original HEMI Orange paint—producing 425 horsepower (317 kW) and 420 lb.-ft. (569 N•m) of torque, performance-tuned ride and handling, benchmark braking and race-inspired interior with unique SRT-designed appointments.

The limited-production Dodge Challenger SRT8 in Furious Fuchsia is based on the 2010 Dodge Challenger SRT8 and features several standard equipment upgrades, including all-new Pearl White leather SRT performance seats with Furious Fuchsia accented stripe, unique 20-inch SRT forged-aluminum wheels with Satin Black accents, serialized dash plaque indicating the limited production series of 400 and retro-inspired chromed quad-exhaust tips.

Production of the 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T Classic and SRT8 Furious Fuchsia Editions
Production of the all-new 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T Classic and SRT8 in limited-production Furious Fuchsia Pearl Coat will start in May 2010 at the Brampton Assembly plant in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. These special-edition coupes will be built on the same assembly line as the award-winning and quality-proven Dodge Charger and Dodge Charger SRT8 sedans.

About the 2010 Dodge Challenger
The 2010 Dodge Challenger merges the best American muscle-car characteristics—unmistakable design, world-class handling, powerful engines and technology—to delight driving enthusiasts across several generations. The Dodge Challenger is produced on the company’s proven rear-wheel-drive platform to accommodates five passengers with best-in-class rear head and leg room, along with best-in-class cargo space equal to the Dodge Charger.

With three models of head-turning styling, two legendary HEMI V-8 engine choices, up to 25 highway miles per gallon (mpg), more than 25 safety and security features and modern amenities, including Media Center 730N with voice-activated Uconnect™ Navigation system and real-time traffic available, it’s no surprise Dodge Challenger was awarded J.D. Power and Associates “Most Appealing Midsize Sporty Car” in its 2009 APEAL Study.

– By: Kap Shah

Early reports are rolling in, suggesting the HTC Nexus One is failing to set the world on fire, despite its high profile launch.

Initial reports had suggested only 20 000 had been sold in the first week, and sales have remained at this low constant, clocking up only 80 000 sales in the first month, according to Flurry Analytics.

This compares pretty poorly with the Motorola Droid, said to have sold 525 000 in its first month, or the iPhone 3GS, which sold 600 000.

While the Nexus One is aggressively Google branded, the very similar HTC Bravo, set to launch soon, is likely to suffer from being tainted as a re-release of a now old and failed handset, making the whole design unlikely to sell well.

This contrasts with roaring sales of the HTC HD2, which run into stock shortages all of December. Recent leaks from the company’s Chinese division, Dopod, has seen handsets destined originally for Android converting to Windows Mobile, which may indicate a loss of confidence in Google and the Android platform.

Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, Performance, Ferrari

Few letters hold the same lore for Ferrari fans as G-T-O. Pontiac muscle-cars aside, the letters were first used on the iconic ’60s-era 250 GTO. The 288 GTO followed two decades later and laid the ground for the F40, the first in the modern age of Ferrari supercars. Now the name is set to come back again on an extreme version of the 599 GTB

Bridging the gap between the roadgoing 599 GTB Fiorano and the track-bound experimental 599XX – and filling the hole left by the Enzo – the 599 GTO promises epic levels of performance (and extreme exclusivity) worthy of the GTO moniker. The prospect first broke cover back in November when internal documents referred to a “599 GTO Limited Edition,” and was followed up with more speculative details – including a 700-horsepower output figure – early last month. Now an intrepid observer in Maranello with a camera handy appears to have snapped a camouflaged prototype out in the wild.

Aside from the yards of white vinyl and black tape telling you something’s up, this 599 test mule is wearing big black alloys, a blacked-out roof (like that of the 599XX, albeit sans the extra winglets), a monster rear diffuser and Prova-style factory plates. Beyond that there’s little to tell, but this is the first evidence we have beyond rumors and conjecture as to what Maranello is up to next.

[Source: alVolante.it]

Spy Shots: Ferrari 599 GTO, is that you? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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General Motors announced today that repair parts for the sticking accelerator pedal issue in the 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe will begin being shipped to dealers this week.

“Letters to Vibe customers will be mailed Feb. 16 with instructions to contact their Pontiac dealer after Feb. 22 to have a precision-cut steel reinforcement bar inserted into the accelerator pedal assembly,” GM said in a statement, “The installation will take about 30 minutes but customers may need to leave their vehicles with dealers for a longer period of time.”

GM said that customers will also receive a second letter when a solution is available for the recall covering floor mat interference. It said that customers are urged to remove floor mats for now.

The Pontiac Vibe is based on the Toyota Matrix, which was one of the many vehicles recalled by Toyota.

– By: Omar Rana

The Cubs signed Carlos Marmol to a one-year, $2.125 million contract Thursday, avoiding arbitration with their closer.

Marmol, 27, who made $575,000 last year, was asking for $2.5 million while the Cubs offered $1.75 million.

Only shortstop Ryan Theriot remains unsigned of the team’s arbitration-eligible players.

Theriot, 30, who made $500,000 last season, his third as the starting shortstop, is seeking $3.4 million, while the Cubs offered $2.6 million.

The two sides can come to an agreement at any point before an actual hearing. Arbitrators listen to arguments from both sides about the player’s value and then pick either the player’s figure or the team’s figure.

The Cubs have not gone to arbitration since 1993, when Mark Grace filed for $4.1 million and the Cubs offered $3.1 million. The Cubs won that case and have a 3-2 record in such cases.

Marmol had battled for the closer’s spot in back-to-back springs in 2008 and ‘09, and took over the job in mid-August, replacing Kevin Gregg.

The right-hander finished the season 11-for-11 in save opportunities. Marmol led the team with 27 holds last year and now has 73 in his career, tied for first all-time on the Cubs with Kyle Farnsworth.

If there is a concern about Marmol, it’s the high number of walks the right-hander issued last season. He walked 65 over 74 innings in 79 games while striking out 93.

In 2008, Marmol walked 41 and struck out 114 in 87 1/3 innings over 82 games.

Seabreaze Capital manager Doug Kass has a wide-ranging interview with Benzinga.com, which covers such topics as Wall Street bonuses and his personal investing history.

In terms of actionable ideas, here’s what he has to say:

Q: What is one investment theme which you are very confident in for 2010?

A: I am most confident in the notion that the consumer will be an albatross around the neck of our domestic economy and will be the principal force in producing a shallow recovery in 2010-11. The unemployment picture will remain weaker for a longer period of time than is expected as corporations do without more workers – so the general welfare of the all-important consumer will not improve much. Small business confidence and expansion plans will stay low because of tax, regulatory uncertainty and limited access to bank credit, so hirings will also disappoint from this important source.

For these reasons and others, decades of an aspirational and rabid spending U.S. consumer, who has had an almost unlimited amount of available financing -for the purchase of homes (often more than one!), goods and services – might now be coming to an end. The consumer might even retreat to the legacy that followed Americans after the Great Depression – maintaining the status quo will be their new objective. The comfortable and secure consumer will be one that has a lot in the bank not an extra handbag or automobile. Retail stocks should be shorted – perhaps even with impunity!

Read the whole interview >

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Doug Kass: Here’s How To Trade Tonight’s State Of The Union
• Doug Kass’s 20 Big Surprises For 2010 Now Free To Read
• Doug Kass: Warren Buffett’s Burlington Buy Is Bad News For Berkshire

The Chicago Cubs today announced individual game tickets for the 2010 regular season will go on sale Friday, Feb. 19.

Tickets will be available for purchase in the following methods (all times listed below are Central Time):

• At the Wrigley Field Box Office: Tickets will go on sale at 8:00 a.m. and a random wristband system will be used. There will be no advantage to “camping out” at the ballpark, as initial position in lines will be established by a random drawing of all wristbands distributed prior to 6 a.m. on Feb. 19.
  • Wristbands will be available at Wrigley Field from 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 17 and from 7 a.m. – 10 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 18. There is a limit of one wristband per person. You will be required to show two (2) forms of identification, one of which needs to be a government issued photo ID. The wristbands will only be used at Wrigley Field on Friday, February 19.
  • A random drawing will be held shortly after 6 a.m. on Friday, February 19 to determine the starting number for the ticket lines. The winning number will immediately be announced on WGN Radio (720 AM) and cubs.com. All other numbers will follow the selected number.
• By Telephone: Tickets can be purchased by telephone through Tickets.com beginning at 10 a.m. The Tickets.com phone number for Illinois callers is 800-The-Cubs (800-843-2827). The phone number for out-of-state callers is 866-652-2827.
• Via the Internet: Visitors to cubs.com can purchase tickets beginning at 10 a.m.
  • A virtual waiting room will be used for all Internet orders. The virtual waiting room will begin accepting customers at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, February 19. At 10:00 a.m. customers will be randomly selected from the virtual waiting room to begin purchasing tickets. All internet customers will need a valid cubs.com account. We recommend that customers sign-up for an account prior to Feb. 19.

Outlet ticket sales will begin at 10 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 22 at Chicagoland Tickets.Com Outlets.

Ticket Limits: On Feb. 19, 20 and 21 various ticket limits will be put in place.

These limits will be imposed based on various factors including customer name, household, credit card and e-mail address. Internet customers who use computer-based scripting language may have all orders cancelled.

• There will be a limit of six tickets per game.
• At the Wrigley Field Box Office, fans will be limited to ordering a maximum of 42 tickets.
• Internet and Phone customers will be limited to one game per order of up to six tickets. Internet and Phone customers will be limited to a maximum of 42 tickets for the weekend. All customers who order more than this limit may have all orders cancelled.

All Bud Light bleacher tickets sold at Wrigley Field on Feb. 19 will be by credit card only – Visa, Mastercard, Discover or American Express. Credit Cards used during the on-sale must be in the name of the ticket purchaser.

In an effort to provide the best ticket availability for Cubs fans, all customers when receiving a wristband on Feb. 17 or 18 and while purchasing tickets at Wrigley Field on Feb. 19 will be required to show two (2) forms of identification, one of which needs to be a government issued photo ID.

For updated ticket pricing, please visit cubs.com.

For more information, please contact the Cubs at 773-404-CUBS.

Last week, in discussing its attempt to settle its lawsuit with Google over the Google book scanning project, the Authors Guild posted a rather interesting public letter, entitled To RIAA or Not to RIAA, That was the Question. In defending the settlement, it notes that it could have fought the lawsuit to the end, but that it might have lost. In fact, this is why I supported the idea that Google should have fought on, because it seemed like Google had a strong fair use case — something the Authors Guild admits. Even though the Authors Guild says that it disagrees that the book scanning project was fair use, an awful lot of copyright legal scholars seemed to believe that it was, in fact, fair use.

But the more interesting point is that the Authors Guild noted that even if it did win the lawsuit, that could actually make things worse, and it pointed to the RIAA’s Pyrrhic victories over file sharing systems:

Our settlement negotiations went on with full knowledge of what happened to the music industry. The RIAA (the Recording Industry Association of America) won victory after victory, defeating Napster and Grokster with ground-breaking legal rulings. The RIAA also went after countless individuals, chasing down infringement wherever they could track it down.

It didn’t work. The infringement just moved elsewhere, in unpredictable ways. Nothing seems to drive innovation among copyright pirates as much as a defeat in the courts. That innovation didn’t truly abate until Apple came along with its iPod/iTunes model, making music easily and legally available at a reasonable price. By then, the music industry was devastated.

While I applaud the Authors Guild for recognizing that suing (and even winning) don’t help you innovate and can backfire massively in driving innovation underground, it does still feel like the Authors Guild got the wrong message out of this. Despite what it claims above, the “innovation among copyright [infringers]” did not really “abate” with the introduction of the iPod/iTunes. While the Authors Guild is correct that offering a legal solution is better than offering nothing or fighting innovation, it feels like it’s overestimating how much of the market transformation its facing is due to infringement vs. how much is due to economic forces that will occur even without infringement in the market.

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I love my iPhone and I love Apple (cue images of flag pins and “I love muh countray!”), but I believe they’re blowing it with the App Store gate keeping. That’s of course not a new opinion. Developers left and right have been decrying the broken process. But there’s nothing like feeling it on your own bones to make the point.

We have a couple of new features in the wing for Campfire. They’ve been done for more than 10 days now. Why haven’t we released them yet? Because the iPhone app Ember needed to have a simple regular expression updated to support the features. We really like Ember, so we decided that holding back the features until this pro forma update went through was prudent. We’re still waiting.

This has made me think about all the ways the app store process sucks and how little we get back in return. The argument I keep hearing for why this terrible process is worth it is quality control. Here’s a breakdown of each argument:

• Applications will be more stable: No they won’t. Echophone still crashes on me all the time. It’s not like the iPhone is immune to crash bugs. And why would it be? You’re writing native Objective-C here. Shit is going to crash every now and then. No 10 minute look-over by a App Store clerk is going to help that.
• The App Store will be free of malware: That’s certainly no given. If you really wanted to be evil, you could very well hide your malice underneath a cute game and have a time bomb or a remote trigger installed. Do you think the App Store clerks are combing through source code to look for security issues? Ha!
• Only good stuff in the App Store: Ha! The App Store has some 140K+ applications. I can guarantee you that the bulk of that is less than average. There are some 100 fart apps for christ sake!

We’re paying for the inconvenience of quality control without the quality part. In fact, lots of software has lower quality because of the App Store process. Developers can’t easily get bug fixes out and they certainly don’t release new versions as often as they otherwise would. This harks back to the era where software was really cumbersome to release on CDs, so you did it much less frequently.

Contrast this with OS X and the web. Both platforms are much more open and on a mac you have very little trouble with stability or malware or even quality. In general, the market is pretty good at sorting this stuff out. If you make a crappy application, people don’t buy or recommend it. And OS X seems to be holding up well as a secure platform compared to, say, Windows, so malware isn’t much of a concern either.

What I think Apple should do instead is to reserve the power to nuke apps that prove troublesome. Have a “if you fuck it up, we’ll yank it” policy rather than a “we’ll review everything poorly and slowly and still not catch it all” policy. They’d be able to get by with a much smaller App Store clerk staff, developers would be thrilled to escape the needless gate keeping, and consumers would enjoy more applications updated more frequently.

What’s there to lose except for the feeling of powah?

It’s been more than two years since EA launched the first Skate. Skate 2 has since been released and a third game in the series is coming. If you’re still playing the first one, you might as

Filed under: Motorsports, Celebrities, Rumormill

With his stranglehold on Formula One’s commercial rights firmly in place, Bernie Ecclestone is more accustomed to taking money than spending it. But after selling his prized classic car collection a couple of years ago, the F1 supremo teamed up with Luxembourg-based Genii Capital in a bid to take over Saab from General Motors. With precious little time to iron out a solid business case, Ecclestone and Genii lost out to Spyker in the Saab deal, but according to reports, that may not be the end of the road for the dynamic duo.

According to an interview Ecclestone gave with Pitpass.com shortly before the Saab deal was hammered out, Bernie and Genii – which recently acquired a stake in the Renault F1 team – could team up together again in the future in a fresh attempt to acquire another automaker, should such an opportunity arise. And with mergers forming and collapsing seemingly every week, the two investors just might get another shot before we know it.

[Source: Pitpass.com | Image: Clive Rose/Getty]

Bernie Ecclestone and Genii Capital looking for another carmaker to buy? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last summer, due to a DDOS attack emanating from IP addresses connected to 4chan, AT&T temporarily blocked access to 4chan… without giving a full explanation for why. If you know 4chan, you know why this is a bad idea. It took very little time for the 4chan community to retaliate (and, as you know, no one “retaliates” like 4chan “retaliates”), and only a few days later, when AT&T explained what happened, did 4chan back off. So, now comes the news this weekend that Verizon Wireless is blocking 4chan (this is just Verizon Wireless, not Verizon), and the company seems to be making the same mistake. No clear explanation of why. I’m sure there’s a reason that Verizon Wireless can give, but not explaining that immediately seems like a huge mistake. Update: Not surprising, but looks like the same reasoning as AT&T’s temporary block last year. Still doesn’t explain why the company wasn’t upfront in explaining it.

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Filed under: Spy Photos, Performance, Geneva Motor Show, Europe, Hatchback, Citroën

Think of a road-ready rally machine, and what pops into your head? Likely the Subaru Impreza WRX STI or Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X, right? Well Subaru hasn’t won the World Rally Championship in seven years, Mitsubishi in eleven. In fact, neither is even trying anymore: Both have withdrawn from the championship. No, that territory is Citroen‘s to claim. The French automaker (with its star driver Sebastien Loeb) have been the reigning champs since 2004, but Citroen hasn’t really capitalized on its gravel-drifting prowess with anything even approaching what of the WRX and Evo. Until now.

Although the current C4 Loeb has won the past three world rally championships in remains in active duty for another season – with former F1 world champion Kimi Raikkonen taking the wheel in the junior team – after that the new rally-spec DS3 (previewed in a batch of spy shots a few months ago) will take its place. From the looks of things, however, Citroen isn’t waiting around for the DS3 to match the C4’s dominance before they roll out the street version.

Following an earlier report last month hinting at the hot DS3’s arrival, a handful of photos showing what insiders suggest is the finished product have leaked onto the interwebs. Brought to us by our compadres over at Autoblog Spanish, these shots were recently confirmed as the real deal (and not as photochops as originally suspected) when the same car showed up in other images released (and since retracted) by the factory.

The car pictured features wider wheel flarings housing bigger hoops and riding on a dropped suspension. Sources peg it at 15 millimeters stouter than stock, with NAFTA four-pot brakes front and rear. Under the hood, the 1.6-liter turbo four is tipped to produce between 200 and 210 horsepower, driving through a six-speed manual (the jury’s still out on the presence of a limited-slip differential) and likely to the front wheels to propel the DS3 Racing to 62 mph in 6.8 seconds. The Halloween livery may be a love-it-or-hate-it affair, but this is likely what we’ll see, if the reports prove accurate at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show. For our part, we’ll take ours in deep blue, with a big red leaping bull on the side and our names printed above the doors.

[Source: Autoblog Spanish]

Leakage: Citroen DS3-R heading to Geneva? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The market was mixed on light volume until 3:00 PM. Then the Bears came out in full force.

The Dow ended up dropping 104 points. The NASDAQ lost 15 and the S&P 500 lost 9.45.

However, commodities had a great day. Oil ended up nearly one percent at $71.89 a barrel.

Gold gained $12.40 to rise to $1065.20 an ounce. Silver gained $0.24, ending at $15.07 an ounce.

Grains, Softs, and meats remain positive. Bonds, equities and energy are falling.

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• The Stock Rally Peters Out As Equities End A Mixed Bag, Oil Prices Drop Over Increased Supply
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• Equities And Commodities On The Rise, Soft Goods Down

If there’s one man who can break down all the financial complexity in today’s world, it’s Marketplace’s Paddy Hirsch. In his latest video in his “Whiteboard” series, Hirsch explains what the PIIGS are. Take a look below.

PIIGS from Marketplace on Vimeo.

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• Watch Marketplace’s Paddy Hirsch Explain How The Banks Make The Big Bucks
• Marketplace’s Paddy Hirsch Has An Awesome Explanation Of The CRE Bubble
• The PIIGS Get Slaughtered, As Greek Bond Situation Deteriorates