Category: News

The concept of “last few mile mobility” is one which we’ll all grow accustomed to over the next decade as the world’s cities become more congested and non-polluting micro mobility concepts begin to supplement other forms of transport. In the last year alone we’ve seen Toyota’s Winglet, Honda’s U3-X, Nissan’s electric skis, and now Volkswagen has shown a micro mobility concept which it has dubbed the “Bik.e” – a folding electric bike with one of the most ingenious folding mechanisms we’ve seen. With a range of 20 kilometres (12.5 miles), the Bik.e has 20 inch wheels and folds to a footprint identical to that of a car spare tyre, enabling it to be stowed away easily. Whatsmore, the bik.e will definitely see production, and possibly even before the end of the year. VW’s choice of form factor is as fascinating as its choice of a recognisable name is inspired. The Bik.e could turn out to be as important to VW as the iPod has been to Apple…
Continue Reading Volkswagen shows production-ready folding two wheel EV Bik.e

Tags: Electric Bicycle,
Folding,
U3-X,
Volkswagen

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THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
_______________________________________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 29, 2010

DAILY GUIDANCE AND PRESS SCHEDULE FOR
FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2010

In the morning, the President will make a statement on the first quarter 2010 GDP numbers in the Rose Garden. He will be joined by representatives and workers from two U.S. manufacturers, Itron, a Washington state based manufacturer of smart energy meters, and A123 Systems, a Massachusetts based advanced battery manufacturer, that are expanding production and hiring as a result of Recovery Act investments in innovation and technology. This event is open press.

In the afternoon, the President will travel to the James J. Rowley Training Center in Beltsville, Maryland. The President will tour the facility, observing the Secret Service’s training procedures and watching personnel taking part in some demonstration activities. He’ll also have the opportunity to thank some of the men and women who have worked so hard and made so many sacrifices to protect him and his family. The visit is closed press.

In-Town Travel Pool
Wires: AP, Reuters, Bloomberg
Wire Photos: AP, Reuters, AFP
TV Corr & Crew: NBC
Print: BNA
Radio: ABC

EDT

9:30AM Pool Call Time

10:35AM THE PRESIDENT makes a statement on the first quarter 2010 GDP numbers
Rose Garden
Open Press (Pre-set 9:35AM – Final Gather 10:05AM – North Doors of the Palm Room)

12:30PM THE PRESIDENT departs the White House en route Beltsville, Maryland
South Lawn
Open Press (Pre-set 12:00PM – Final Gather 12:15PM – North Doors of the Palm Room)

12:45PM THE PRESIDENT arrives in Beltsville, Maryland and visits the James J. Rowley Training Center
James J. Rowley Training Center, Beltsville, Maryland
Closed Press (Travel Pool Gather Time 11:30AM – Stakeout Location)

4:00PM THE PRESIDENT arrives at the White House
South Lawn
Open Press (Pre-set 3:30PM – Final Gather 3:45PM – North Doors of the Palm Room)

##

Wednesday’s fatal collapse at a Western Kentucky coal mine is a stark reminder that mine safety is hardly an issue peculiar to one state or one company. But you’d never know it based on the reaction from a long list of coal-country lawmakers.

Despite back-to-back-to-back fatal accidents at Appalachian coal mines this month, most regional lawmakers remain reluctant to enter the emerging debate over what’s gone wrong, to debate how to prevent the next disaster, and to consider whether Congress should step in with new laws to protect the nation’s miners.

Their silence highlights the tremendous influence of coal companies in the Appalachian states, among the poorest in the country, where the industry supports tens-of-thousands of jobs and contributes hundreds-of-thousands of dollars to convince lawmakers that things like new safety measures are unnecessary. Indeed, throughout Kentucky and Virginia, the lawmakers most reluctant to weigh in on mine-safety policies this month are also those who’ve accepted the most money from the companies.

That hesitancy to confront the industry — glaring in the wake of the deadly April 5 blast at Upper Big Branch, when West Virginia’s lawmakers were the lone Appalachian voices calling for reforms — remains on display this week, even after a roof fall at Kentucky’s Dotiki Mine killed two more miners Wednesday. Though the companies were different — Virginia-based Massey Energy owns the Upper Big Branch, and Alliance Resource Partners, based in Oklahoma, owns Dotiki — both projects have run up a long list of safety violations this year (see here and here).

A third fatal accident — at a West Virginia mine owned by International Coal Group – occurred April 22. All told, Appalachian coal-mining accidents have claimed the lives of 32 miners in April alone.

No matter.

Although Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) took to the chamber floor Thursday afternoon to offer condolences and prayers, there was nothing in his brief speech to indicate that the nation’s mine-safety policies might be failing miners, or that Congress has any responsibility to intervene. And his office, which had declined to answer questions along those lines in the wake of the UBB blast, went silent again Thursday.

“For now, we can only hope that their efforts are successful,” McConnell said of the rescuers searching for a missing miner, who would later turn up dead. “I ask my colleagues and the American people to keep the miners, their families, and the rescue workers in their prayers.”

The other members of Kentucky’s congressional delegation didn’t go even that far. Rep. Ed Whitfield (R), who represents Webster County, where this week’s roof collapse took place, has, as of this writing, no mention of the accident on his website (although it does contain a statement — issued just hours before Wednesday’s accident — attacking the Obama administration for being too tough on the coal industry). Whitfield’s office did not respond to requests for comment.

McConnell and Whitfield are hardly alone. The offices of Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.), Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) and Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) have also declined repeated requests for comment on mine safety in the wake of the Upper Big Branch disaster — a silence that’s continued this week following the disaster in Webster County. All three lawmakers represent prominent coal-producing districts where mining companies have racked up thousands of safety violations this year alone.

For example, Pike County, Ky., represented by Rogers, is home to Freedom Mine #1, a Massey-owned project that’s tallied more than 400 safety citations since Jan. 1. Among the violations are a number involving problems with mine ventilation systems and the accumulation of combustible materials — the same combination suspected to have caused the explosion at the Upper Big Branch. Dozens of those problems were deemed “significant and substantial,” indicating that they are “reasonably likely to result in a reasonably serious injury or illness.”

Another example: Boucher represents Tazewell County, Va., which is home to the Tiller No. 1 Mine. That Massey-controlled project has been cited more than 70 times this year for safety infractions, including vent problems, accumulations of combustibles and a failure to maintain escapeways. Forty of those citations fell into the S&S category.

And the list goes on.

That the lawmakers representing these mines haven’t confronted the companies over their dubious safety records, critics argue, owes a great deal to the steady flow of money from the industry to those members. McConnell, for example, has accepted more than $486,000 from the coal mining industry over his career, according to the Center for Responsive Politics — far and away the most of any active Capitol Hill lawmaker. Rogers ranks second, with industry contributions totaling more than $241,000. Boucher stands fifth, having taken more than $186,000 from coal companies during his tenure on the Hill. And Whitfield’s career tally of more than $100,000 places him eighth among all active members in the House.

Not that there aren’t exceptions to the reluctance of Appalachian lawmakers to discuss mine safety in recent weeks. Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.), for example, though not a member of the Senate labor committee, submitted a statement to that panel when it met earlier this week to discuss mine safety. “We can — and must — do better by our miners,” Webb said, “when it comes to enforcing safety regulations and ensuring that companies don’t walk away from their responsibility to their workers.”

Still, Big Coal’s influence, combined with the industry’s opposition to any new mine-safety regulations, means there will likely be a tough road ahead for the reform-minded lawmakers already pushing for stricter rules. Indeed, Bruce Watzman, spokesman for the National Mining Association, told Senate lawmakers Tuesday that no new legislation is required to prevent the next mining tragedy.

Federal regulators, he said a day before the Dotiki tragedy, already have all the tools they need.

The official music video for Christina Aguilera’s eagerly-awaited single “Not Myself Tonight” — penned by Ester Dean and produced by Polow da Don — hit the Interwebs early Friday. The single appears on Aguilera’s upcoming album Bionic, due in stores June 4, but the track and video have kicked the longstanding rumors that Xtina is reinventing herself as the second coming of Lady Gaga into overdrive.

Thoughts on this?

I know many of our readers feel I am unnecessary and unfairly down on Microsoft’s new mobile OS, and harbour an unnatural love for Windows Mobile 6.

The reasons are however simple – Microsoft has given long time fans of Windows Mobile precious little to love about Windows Phone 7, with each piece of news that gets dribbled out seemingly only making things worse.

The latest is the revelation that the only way to get documents onto a Windows Phone 7 device is either to e-mail it to yourself or use some cloud-based solution such as Sharepoint or Skydrive. No mention of USB transfer or bluetooth FTP or even Activesync. In short again just another poor copy of the iPhone.

Now this bad news is tempered somewhat by the not unexpected news that Windows Phone 7 will support multiple Exchange accounts, but as this seems to be a less than compelling feature that is hardly exciting.

This has prompted to to write another editorial, hopefully giving Microsoft some idea of what would keep this long time Windows Mobile user happy.

What Microsoft has done right is:

1) New user interface developer tools

This was a long time coming, and frankly something Microsoft should have made available years ago.

2) Better minimum hardware specifications

If Microsoft has specified a minimum of ARM7 processors and capacitive screens 18 months ago Windows Mobile would have been a lot more competitive.

3) Multimedia improvements

This is one of the biggest failures of Windows Mobile and Microsoft in general, and we frankly did not need a whole new OS to get an improved Windows Mobile player.

4) Over the air updates

This essential feature have been lurking in our phones since Windows Mobile 5, but has of course for some unfathomable reason never been used, not even when the widespread Daylight Savings Time issue presented the perfect opportunity.

The list of what they have done wrong almost seems too long to list, but I shall give it a go in any case.

1) The massive delay before the release of Windows Phone 7

We understand Microsoft changed strategy half-way along the way and threw out all previous work, including the baby with the bath water, but this particular error may be the fatal one.

2) Removing signature features such as cut and paste and multi-tasking.

These are particularly ironic in the face of the iPhone adopting the same. And before anyone say the iPhone is using the same version of multi-tasking as Windows Phone 7, this is patently not true when the iPhone OS 4 will allow background GPS navigation while Windows Phone 7 will not.

3) Removing all backward compatibility

It is really a toss up whether this or the delay in release will be the killing blow for Windows Phone 7, but together with the above it means Microsoft starts at exactly 0, with no momentum of upgrading users and no existing ecosystem.

4) A massive reliance on cloud services

Cloud services means a data plan, which limits the market to those willing to pay 50% more to use their device. It is also slow and unreliable in most parts of the world, including many cities in USA.

5) No synergies with desktop Windows

This is another massive weakness. Possibly related to anti-trust fears, we have seen all Microsoft’s competitors leverage their strengths (Apple with ITunes and the iPod and Google with Search, Gmail and advertising).  Microsoft’s desktop dominance is not reflected in any way in their mobile OS.

What can Microsoft do to rescue their new OS from almost certain market failure? I will go into specifics.

1) There needs to be a common storage area on the device with USB Storage Mode access, File Explorer access, Bluetooth FTP access etc.

I can accept not having root access to the application storage area and \Windows, but not being able to even browse \My Documents is a travesty. Not being able to enter USB mode and transfer a file rapidly is another.

2) Windows Mobile software compatibility

Even if only in an emulated environment like in WebOS, this would be much better than starting from zero, especially for business users.

3) Proper multi-tasking for certified apps.

Sure, not every application needs multi-tasking but some certainly do.  A simple example is a pedometer, which needs to run in the background constantly.  The OS obviously also needs a UI to enable better application switching, like the Pre or even iPhone OS 4.0.

4) Give Windows 7 users a reason to run Windows Phone 7

There is about 1000 ways Microsoft could make running both of their OS’s more desirable, but really simple ones could include simply being able to run your sidebar widgets on your phone, or being (easily) able to use your phone as a remote control for desktop Windows Media Player.

5) A roadmap for the development of the OS.

Microsoft could get away with shipping their current crippled implementation if they had a clear roadmap which promised when better features will come.  In its absence users who may have waited will simply defect.

6) Be a fast follower

At present Microsoft is doing a pretty good job of copying the iPhone. From 3 years ago that is. Microsoft is a massive company with 1000 people working on their new OS.  There is no reason why they can not implement interesting features which appeared on other platforms in their OS, and rapidly too. By reacting so slowly they do little to assuage their image as a slow and lumbering giant.

7) Less reliance on partners

Microsoft traditionally rely on partners to help them achieve their goal.  This is failing pretty badly for them, with HP for example most recently cancelling the Slate. Other examples are ideas such as the Spot watches and Sideshow. They need to take responsibility for bringing their own ideas to fruition. This means more first party software and hardware, more games created directly by Microsoft, more accessories made by them, and a more direct relationship with the consumer.

Unless Microsoft takes all or at least some of these ideas on board they are destined to fail, even with consumers and the non-power users who many of our readers feel Windows Phone 7 is created for.

Do our readers feel I judge Windows Phone 7 and Microsoft too harshly? Leave your comments below.

Emilio Masella, the buff Gold’s Gym trainer who almost proposed to Jersey Shore star Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, will travel from New York to California in search of a new guidette on Fist Pumping For Love, a new docu-series produced by The Hills’ Spencr Pratt and Heidi Montag.

After four months of dating, Masella was dumped by the guidette in a voicemail earlier this month when a furious Snooki discovered that he’d auditioned for MTV’s The Real World behind her back.

“It is the perfect partnership for me as a growing player in reality television,” Spencer — whose Pratt Productions will produce the feature — said in a statement to PEOPLE on Thursday. “You haven’t seen nothing yet,” the villain added.

Filming reportedly kicked off this week. No air date or network has been announced.

Here are the numbers for last week’s hardware sales (April 19 April 25, 2010), courtesy of Media Create. The PSP still holds strong at… well, a not so strong 28, 758 units, but given how every

A high-profile bill on extending the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse appeared in severe trouble Thursday night because of a lack of support in the state House of Representatives and Senate.

Lawmakers declined to declare that the bill was officially dead, but no one would say that the bill has enough votes to pass in either chamber in Hartford.

Rep. Beth Bye, a West Hartford Democrat who co-sponsored the bill, declined to say how many votes she has in favor of the bill in the House, but she said it was “certainly more” than the 58 that had been mentioned in recent days. She said Thursday night that she needed to speak to more legislators and victims, and an announcement on the bill’s fate could come as early as Friday.

“We’re not there yet” in the Senate, Bye said.

The bill is related directly to the allegations of sexual abuse against Dr. George Reardon, who worked at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford from 1963 to 1993. The bill, however, mentions no particular entity or individual by name.

Reardon died in 1998, but the case arose when evidence surfaced in 2007 after a homeowner renovating Reardon’s former West Hartford home discovered a cache of more than 50,000 slides and 100 movie reels of child pornography.

While the case and the bill have focused on Reardon and the hospital, other groups that are not directly involved in the case have lobbied against the bill at the state Capitol because of their concerns about changing the statute of limitations. Those include the Insurance Association of Connecticut and the American Tort Reform Association.

The high-profile bill has never had majority support in the legislature. One version failed last year, while this year’s version passed by 23 to 20 in the judiciary committee. Controversial bills traditionally need a wider margin of support in the judiciary committee if they are going to have a solid chance of being passed by both chambers.

The committee’s influential co-chairman, Sen. Andrew McDonald of Stamford, is opposed to extending the statute of limitations.

With less than one week left in the legislative session, McDonald said that the General Assembly’s overriding interest in resolving state budget issues might not allow enough time for the bill to be considered. While McDonald said that it’s impossible not to sympathize with the pain of the victims, he and others still oppose the bill that came out of his committee on broad legal grounds that relate to the essential function of statutes of limitation in society.

If the House passed the bill, he said, he would not use his chairman’s role to try to block its consideration in the Senate. But he said the likely length of the debate on the bill  – which he estimated at “10 or 12 or 14 hours” in each of the two chambers – might spoil its chances with so much other pressing business in so little remaining time before Wednesday’s scheduled legislative adjournment.

If the bill doesn’t pass, McDonald said that shouldn’t prevent St. Francis from creating a fund “to compensate those who might not have legal recourse.”  It’s not only a matter of legal recourse, he said, but also of “moral obligation.” 

The demise of the bill does not end the cases of the 56 plaintiffs who are 48 and older. Plaintiff attorneys are pursuing legal theories that could get around the statute of limitations for those cases, although those arguments could be difficult to win.

House Republican leader Lawrence Cafero of Norwalk said the bill was unfair because it was so narrowly written that it would apply only to St. Francis Hospital.

“If we truly want to be fair, then extend the statute of limitations to everybody,” Cafero said Thursday night. “Justice is supposed to be blind. In life, you can’t constantly be looking over your shoulder or you can’t move forward. Historically, that’s the purpose of the statute of limitations.”

While he described Reardon as “a piece of garbage,” Cafero said the bill “carves out this unique exception” that would become a bad law.

“It’s the sexual assault equivalent of spot zoning,” Cafero said.

Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney, who oversees the agenda in the Senate, would not say whether the bill will be considered in the final days.

“That depends on the House,” Looney said Thursday night. “We’ll consider it if it’s taken up in the House. We have not caucused it in the Senate.”

The Australian has an update on BP’s disaster in the GOM – BP Gulf of Mexico oil slick declared a national disaster. More at BP under fire as Gulf of Mexico oil spill costs soar and Obama acts to mop up Lousiana oil spill overflow.

THE giant Gulf of Mexico oil slick has been declared a national disaster, as it nears the Louisiana coast and threatens economic and environmental devastation. Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency and called for urgent help to prevent fragile wetlands and vital fishing communities along the coast from pollution on a massive scale.

The wind started to strengthen and blow the 1550 sq km slick directly onto the coast, where a rich variety of wildlife were at risk in the maze of marshes that amounts to 40 per cent of the US wetlands.

“Satellite imagery from this morning indicates the western edge of the oil is 7-8 miles from the (Mississippi) Delta,” the US government’s National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration said. “Shoreline impacts become increasingly likely later in the day and into Friday with the strengthening onshore winds.”

Despite frantic efforts to stave off an environmental catastrophe many of those dependent on the region’s vital fisheries and nature reserves had already given up hope due to strong onshore squalls forecast for several days to come. “It is a question of when, not if, the oil is going to come on shore,” Doug Helton, NOAA’s incident operations coordinator, told AFP. …

With 11 workers dead and an environmental disaster brewing along the shoreline of four US states, dealing with the aftermath of the deadly blast on the Deepwater Horizon rig is likely to be the biggest challenge of his career – and one of the greatest in the 101-year history of Britain’s most famous company.

So far it is not going well. Anger is mounting in the US over BP’s refusal publicly to acknowledge the true scale of the catastrophe unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico.

About 10 billion pounds has been wiped off BP’s value since the explosion, much of it yesterday, when its shares fell 40.8p, or 6.5 per cent, to 584p as investors took fright at the spill’s potentially enormous scale, costs and consequences.

Scientific American has an article on smart grid evolution in the US – U.S. Electrical Grid Undergoes Massive Transition to Connect to Renewables.

The U.S. electrical grid is the largest interconnected machine on Earth: 200,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines and 5.5 million miles of local distribution lines, linking thousands of generating plants to factories, homes and businesses. The National Academy of Engineering ranks it as the greatest engineering achievement of the 20th century. What it cannot do is support the massive shift to low-carbon power that scientists warn will be needed to avoid catastrophic climate change impacts.

To shrink the electricity sector’s carbon footprint, experts say, the nation needs to build thousands of miles of new transmission lines over the next 20 years to connect more renewable resources to electricity demand centers. A 21st-century grid will also have to balance fluctuating power flows from wind and solar generation, small-scale distributed sources, and plug-in electric vehicles. And it must be interactive so that customers can manage their electricity use.

The transition is already under way, although it means different things for different companies. Firms that operate long-distance transmission lines, such as the Independent System Operators that manage regional grids in New York, New England and the Midwest, are adding sensors, phasors, and other devices invisible to non-engineers, that give them much more precise control over the system. Better control will help utilities add more renewable power, a challenge now because wind and solar energy are intermittent sources, and grid operators can’t always react quickly when their output fluctuates.

“The whole power system is engineered to balance demand and supply at every second, which means that control over generators is really important,” said energy consultant Peter Fox-Penner, a principal with The Brattle Group and author of Smart Power: Climate Change, the Smart Grid, and the Future of Electric Utilities (Island Press, 2010). “But if you have really up-to-date information on all the flows on your grid, you can tolerate a little more variability. The smart grid will monitor everything at a very, very fine level of detail and reacts really fast, so operators will have time to fire up another plant if wind speed drops or a big cloud formation reduces solar output.”

Suppliers such as utilities that deliver power directly to homes and businesses are focusing on a more visible element of the smart grid: meters. Today the grid transmits information one way – from utility to customer – and most meters only show power usage for the current billing period. What’s more, power companies charge the same rate for every kilowatt-hour of electricity that’s consumed, even though the cost of generating electricity can change dramatically during the day. Since users don’t see how much power they are using or how much it costs in real time to generate it, they have little incentive to conserve energy or shift their use to off-peak hours.

To crack this problem retail power suppliers are installing advanced metering systems (smart meters and wireless communications systems and databases to support them). Advanced metering lets utilities show customers how much electricity they use at different times of day and how much that power costs. With regulators’ approval, power companies can also use time-based pricing, charging customers based on the actual cost of power. There are many ways to structure time-based pricing: some suppliers charge more for certain blocks of time when demand is typically high, like weekday afternoons, while others raise prices sharply on selected days when the grid is under heavy stress, as on the hottest days of summer. But all of these programs aim to shift consumption away from high-demand periods. …

The main reason for peak-shifting is economic, Fox-Penner said: It reduces the utility’s cost to provide power at high-demand times. But peak-shifting can also reduce carbon emissions, although the climate impact depends on what kind of plants utilities would otherwise call into service to meet peak demand. BGE’s peak reductions, for instance, will reduce the need to call on old and relatively dirty coal plants, eliminating significant carbon emissions, Case said.

The bigger climate payoff from smart metering comes as customers reduce electricity consumption throughout the year. Studies in the U.S., Canada and Australia have shown that providing real-time information about electricity use and costs can reduce energy use, although some customers are more receptive than others to smart metering and time-based pricing.

Compact and puristic The Detroit showcar

Audi is showing an uncompromising purist compact sports car with all-electric drive at the first major auto show of 2010.

The Detroit showcar Audi e-tron is the name of this 3.93 meter (154.72 in) long and 1.78 meter (70.08 in) wide but just 1.22 meter (48.03 in) tall two-seater; just a few months after the debut of the Audi e-tron at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, this is now the second electric concept vehicle from the brand with the four rings.

Coupled with the Detroit showcar Audi e-tron’s low gross weight of around only 1,350 kilograms (2976.24 lb), high-torque power units driving the rear wheels guarantee commensurate road performance.

Two electric motors with a combined output of 150 kW (204 hp) and 2,650 Nm (1954.54 lb-ft) accelerate the coupe with ASF-design aluminum body from 0 to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) in just 5.9 seconds. The Audi e-tron accomplishes the sprint from 60 to 120 km/h (37.28 – 74.56 mph) in a mere 5.1 seconds.

Photo gallery via Audi

Audi e-tron concept (video review)

Source: Audi

YouTube has just rolled out a new version of its video player to a lot more users, but it looks like it’s also getting ready for a brand-new feature it’s been working on for a few months. The YouTube Music Discovery project was introduced in TestTube, YouTube’s ‘Labs,’ in January. It is now getting ready for graduation, as it is integ… (read more)

What do you pay to watch television every month?  Are you really getting what you pay for?  How much do fees from set-top boxes add to your costs?

Earlier this month, we asked Red Tape readers to post details of their monthly bills, with a special focus on those tack-on fees. The response was overwhelming. There's a lot of money to be saved in making sure you aren't overpaying for cable or satellite TV — one Red Tape reader described his annual cable bill at $1,995 per year. After the mortgage payment and auto loan payment, television might be your largest annual budget-eater. With an investment like that, it's really worth spending time to get it right. This piece is designed to help by making it easier to see what your neighbors are paying.

While pay TV companies are offering unprecedented levels of service — hundreds of channels, better HD signals, digital video recorders — consumers are frustrated about the methods used to charge for them. For many, deciphering the monthly bill is like searching for buried treasure using an old, faded map.  In just about every case, the provider charges one price for the service and then a host of other fees for tools needed to use the service — fees so high they can double the cost.  Imagine if a rental car company charged extra for the license plate on the car! (Wait, some do just that.)

Help other consumers

On a basic level, these fees are annoying. But the damage they do to the marketplace is much more significant. Hidden or tack-on fees obscure the true price of the service, thereby wrecking an essential tool in a free market.  Because it's so hard to determine what your monthly cost will be until that first bill finally comes, it can be nearly impossible to do honest comparison shopping when it comes time to pick a new service.  In the end, it's very hard for consumers to decipher which company provides the best service at the best price.  That leads to all sorts of market distortions. 

There's only one way to attack such a problem — with information.  The more you can learn about the price your neighbors pay for television (the price they really pay, not the monthly rate quoted in an ad), the more intelligent a choice you can make.  Pay TV firms, like all modern corporations, devour extensive research about you and your family in an effort to extract the highest price possible. Why shouldn't you do the same — devour data to help you get the lowest price? So here's a set of market research provided by Red Tape readers all around the country summarizing what they pay for tack-on fees. Compare your bill to these, to make sure you're not overpaying.

Before we get to specific provider prices, displayed alphabetically by provider, here’s some general observations.

1) Many consumers are getting killed in fees for second, third, and fourth set-top boxes.  Consider paying for service only on the family TV, and use rabbit ears to pick up over-the-air HD channels on the other sets in the house.  The savings can easily add up more than $500 per year. If you can't imagine going without cable in the bedroom TV, scale back to basic boxes on your secondary sets and you'll still save a bundle.

2) While we're on the subject of rabbit ears, an increasing number of consumers are cutting pay TV service altogether, and using a combination of over-the-air signals and TV-over-Internet programming — using Netflix or Hulu.com, for example — to fill the void. You might still want to pay for service, particularly if you are a sports fan. But you can use the option of over-the-air TV as a bargaining chip to get a lower rate from your provider.

3) When lease rates for set-top boxes go up, many consumers report great success by simply complaining about the increase. Dish Network, for example, is handing out service credits that negate a recent price hike. But watch carefully — the credits are usually temporary, while the increase is permanent. That’s a smart way for firms to ease the blow of price hikes. You'll have to stay on the company to make sure you keep getting the discount as time passes.

4) Different firms charge for different services in different ways.  Take DVR service: Some charge a lease-fee for the DVR box; some charge a service fee. Some charge both. That's why, when comparing services, the only price that matters is the bottom-line, what-number-will-I -write-on-my-check-every-month price.

Now, here's a sample of the fees reported by Red Tape readers.

AT&T Uverse

Readers from Wisconsin and Michigan chipped in to share that they pay $10 extra each month for HD signal, and pay $7 for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th DVR box.  Peter Fritz of Franklin, Wis., for example, was paying $21 every month for his four DVRs until recently, when he dumped the service for over-the-air TV.

Bresnan Communications

In Montana, Rachel Hofferman said she pays $6.50 per month for a DVR with a remote, and $11.99 for DVR service.  There's also a 25-cent broadcast TV surcharge.

Bright House Networks

From Orlando, Fla., a consumer wrote to say he pays $7.95 per month for his DVR.

Cablevision

Erin F. in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. says she spends $13.50 for two cable boxes ($6.51 for the box and 24 cents for the remote) each month.  She also pays $9.95 for DVR service, and a $1.50 "additional outlet" fee.

Charter Communications

Sean Ferguson of Wenatchee, Wash., says he pays $10 to rent his DVR box, and pays $29 to upgrade to HD signals.  Because he lives in a housing association, he had no choice of provider.

Comcast

Consumers from all corners of the country wrote in about Comcast rates.  They vary slightly. 

*In Deerfield, Ill., a consumer said he pays $15.99 each for two dual tuner DVRs.

*In Elk Grove, Calif., a consumer says he pays $8 per month for HD and $1.45 for a mandatory service plan.

*In Denver, a consumer says he pays $15.95 each for two DVRs and $10.45 in additional service fees, for a total of $42.35 per month.

*In Corvalis, a consumer who has two basic boxes reported paying nothing for the first box, and $3.40 for the second box and remote.

*In a Philadelphia suburb, a consumer said he pays $5 for an HD box, and $16.95 for DVR service.

*In Chelmsford, Mass., an HD-DVR costs $14.95 per month, according to a consumer there.

*In Gaithersburg, Md., a consumer named Walter lamented that he pays $496.80 in equipment rental fees every year.  He pays $28.45 to Comcast: $9.25 Comcast for an HD box, $15.95 for an HD-DVR, a $3 "digital additional outlet" fee, a 25 cent "digital remote rental fee," and then $12.95 to TiVo.

Cox Communications

Pam Hall of Las Vegas said she pays $7.50 per month for an HD converter, and $15.99 for a digital TV gateway box.

In Broken Arrow, Okla., Bruce subscribes to the least expensive level of service he can. He pays $5 to rent a basic digital cable box.

DirecTV

A wide range of consumers wrote in explaining their DirecTV box fees, but they were consistent around the country.  The first basic set-top box is free, and each additional box costs $5. The DVR fee is $7, and HD service costs $10 per month.

Dish

Dish consumers also reported consistent rates from around the country. The network recently changed its set-top rental fees. The first box is free. Additional boxes cost $7-$17, depending on capabilities.  For more, see this piece.

Insight Communications

Carl Pahler says he pays $15 monthly for the first HD-DVR box and $15.95 for the second, along with a $7.95 HD service fee.  He also laments that he can't get HD service without also paying for a DVR.

Knology

Brian in Montgomery, Ala. says he pays $12.95 monthly for his TiVo service.

RCN

Jinesh in Queens, NY. says he pays $8.95 per month for his HD converter box.

Time Warner

Customers who wrote in shared a variety of set-top box prices.

*In Austin, Texas, a consumer said she pays $7.99 per month for an HD-DVR and $10 for DVR service, 

*In Winston-Salem, N.C., a consumer reported paying nothing for the first digital cable box, and $8.95 per month for the second.

*In Charlotte, N.C., a consumer says he pays $10.95 for DVR service and nothing for the 1 box he uses.

*In Brooklyn, N.Y., Aaron says he pays $10 per month each for a regular HD box, and $20 per month for a DVR box.  "We pay $40 just to keep the boxes…it's ridiculous."

*In Los Angeles, a consumer reports paying $7.99 monthly for their first set-top box, $8.99 for each additional box, $10 for DVR service, but nothing extra for HD service.

Verizon FiOS

Most Verizon customers say they pay the same amount to rent their boxes: $5 per month for a basic box, $10 for an HD box, and $20 for an HD-DVR. But in Rockaway, N.J., Nik said he pays only $5.99 for HD boxes and $14.99 for his DVR.

As mentioned in the recent column on this topic, Congress and the Federal Communications Commission have been trying for more than a decade to change the market dynamics for set-top boxes by encouraging the appearance of third-party alternatives.  There’s a new push to create a new kind of gadget, called a gateway, that will make it easier for consumers to combine TV and Internet-based video watching. 

While that debate drags on, and the high cost of box rental is still on your mind, here’s some parting food for thought: An anonymous comment left by a Red Tape reader who claims to work in the set-top box industry.

“I manage the building of set top boxes every day and it's a crime to charge rent for them,” the source writes. “The most expensive cost less than $200 in most cases with some even less than $100. In addition the companies that procure them usually will not even (return) them back to manufacturers if they are defective. They will either return to a service center or simply get tossed. You should be able to easily work your way out of these fees especially after 10 – 12 months because anything beyond that and they are making money.”

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Hopefully in the near a future majority of vehicles will be powered by electricity. Not only will these vehicles prove to be inexpensive to fuel, but will also ensure a healthier environment. However, this move towards cleaner highways will burden the grid, which is also striving to get those extra watts without polluting the environment. Several companies have sought a green approach to cater the problem, which comes in the form of charging stations that are fueled by abundant solar energy. Here are 11 such charging stations that won’t burden the grid to make you commute without emissions:

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A few years ago the whisper went around about cyanobacteria, saying that is was the next great biofuel.  Huge lakes of the stuff would be grown, harvested and then magically transformed into fuel to make our cars go broom-broom.

So various highly scientific people rolled up their sleeves and got to work fiddling around with the little critters.  Before too long they’d worked out that the whisper was right.  The US Department of Energy chucked wads of cash at the researchers and we now have petri dishes of gloop which secrete the all important biofuel through their skin like some kind of … oozy fuelly thing.  Yum yum.

However there is a problem with cyanobacteria or, to use its devil-spawn name, blue-green algae.  Many of its forms are toxic, producing fatal poisons which stick around in the water long after the algae itself has been removed.  The hows and whys of this aren’t fully understood, but thankfully it doesn’t seem to occur in the green scummy stuff in your pool in the back yard.

This is where the tobacco comes in.

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Hyundai’s new Accent was the star of the companies exhibit at this year’s Beijing Auto Show, but the debut of two new engines and a new automatic transmission will have broader implications for the rest of the company’s lineup.

In addition to the 2.4L GDI four-cylinder in the Sonata (pictured above), two new gasoline direct-injection engines were unveiled at Beijing, a 1.6L four cylinder putting out 138 horsepower, a 28 horsepower bump over Hyundai’s current 1.6L four banger. The 1.6 GDI should appear in the Accent, Elantra, certain Kia models and the upcoming Veloster compact sports car.

Even more enticing was the mention in a product video that the 1.6 could potentially be turbocharged and paired up with a dual-clutch gearbox, though no timeline was given for either technology.

Hyundai’s long awaited GDI version of the Lambda V6 was also previewed, although the engine was only rated at 296 horsepower, which is a few ponies less than the current Lambda makes in Hyundai’s Genesis Coupe.

One can assume that there will be different variations, and that the engine will see a bump in power when it comes Stateside. Hyundai also joins Lexus in the elite 8-speed automatic club, and it’s a sure bet that the Genesis Sedan and Coupe will get the new 8-speed auto option.

Hyundai Lambda V6 GDI Engine

Source: Hyundai

Want to get closer to your local music scene? Want to have months of activity, hours of euphoria and the experience of a lifetime?

Then Oxjam could be just what you are looking for!

Feel the buzz of organising your own music event for Oxfam and be part of the UK’s biggest festival line-up.

Sign up to be an Oxjam Music Event Organiser where you live and make your ideas a reality.

Oxjam is Oxfam’s month long music festival around the UK in October. Organised by people who know and love their local music scene, all in aid of Oxfam.

Whatever you’re into from dance to dubstep, from pop to punk, Oxjam is your chance to organise an event and help fight poverty with music.

Sound like your thing? Apply to be a Music Event Organiser today!

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/get_involved/fundraise/oxjam/article.php?ref=312