Category: News

For those not familiar with Amulet Devices they are voice activated remote controls that add a whole new dimension of couch potato to your world. However the previous version was pretty ugly so this year they will be launching a newer sleeker version to get lost in your couch. Their new second generation voice-enabled Remote control for Windows Media Center  is fully compatible with Microsoft’s new Windows 7 Media Center, as well as supporting existing Windows Vista users, the Amulet Remote uses simple voice commands to provide instant access to any media item in your digital library – music, television programs, movies, home videos and photos. The Windows 7 Amulet Voice Remote is due to ship in Q1 2010 and will retail for $249.

Northwestern Expert Offers Tips for Cold Weather Safety

As the snow continues to fall, many Chicagoans will head outdoors to enjoy the activities of the season.

While the winter months can bring great fun, experts caution that as the snow drops, so do the temperatures, which can pose a serious safety threat if you are not prepared.

“We typically see an influx of patients during cold spells,” said Rahul Khare, MD, emergency room physician and assistant director of operations for the emergency department at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

“Cases of hypothermia, as well as bumps, bruises and sprains from slips and falls are all very common this time of year.”

To ensure a safe and healthy season, Khare recommends the following tips:

Beware of Slippery Conditions: Icy conditions cause many slips and falls. Wear well-insulated boots with good traction on the bottom. Walk on shoveled sidewalks when possible. Take slower, shorter steps to reduce your chance of falling.

Watch for Falling Ice: Icicles build very quickly and can be dangerous for pedestrians. Pay attention to signs for falling ice and be aware of your surroundings as you walk near tall buildings.

Bundle Up: Walking in a winter wonderland won’t be so wonderful if you aren’t prepared for the weather. Dress appropriately before going outdoors and avoid being outside for extended periods of time in extreme cold weather. Dress warm by layering clothing and be sure to wear a hat, scarf and gloves, covering all areas of exposed skin.

Know Warning Signs: Serious health problems can result from prolonged exposure to the cold. The most common-cold related problems are frostbite and hypothermia. If you experience these symptoms seek medical attention immediately.

Frostbite Warning Signs: White or grayish-yellow skin, numbness and skin that feels firm or waxy

Hypothermia Warning Signs: (In infants) bright red and cold skin, and very low energy; (In adults) shivering, drowsiness or exhaustion, confusion, memory loss, slurred speech

Check on Elderly Neighbors and Relatives: Cold weather can put the elderly at higher risk for health problems, not to mention restricting them to their homes due to inclement weather. When sub-zero temperatures set in, be sure to check on elderly neighbors and relatives to ensure they have the food and other items they need on hand, and that their home is adequately heated.

Eat and Drink Wisely: Alcoholic and caffeinated beverages can cause your body to lose heat more rapidly. Drink warm sweet beverages or broth to maintain body temperature.

Prepare Your Home: More home fires occur during the winter months than any other time of year. Take safety precautions by having your furnace checked, your chimney inspected and proper smoke and carbon monoxide detectors installed.

Shoveling Snow: While snow shoveling can be good exercise, it can also be dangerous. Each year thousands of people are treated in emergency departments across the United States for heart attacks, strained muscles and other injuries related to snow shoveling. Pace yourself and don’t work to the point of exhaustion. If you have a history of back or heart problems, have someone else shovel for you.

Travel Safe: Be sure to check the weather forecast before you hit the roads this winter. It’s also a good idea to pack a winter weather emergency kit in your car, complete with extra clothing and blankets, a shovel, sand (or cat litter) for traction and non-perishable snacks and water.

“Taking preventive action is your best defense against cold weather related injuries and illnesses,” said Khare.

“Simple precautions can offer peace of mind and keep you safe this season.”

Dear Customer,
This month, we have decided to introduce our complete line of high quality large inch and metric cylindrical roller bearings for a wide range of applications included :
– Industrial gear boxes
– Steel and rolling mill
– Corrugators
– Mining and quarrying
From 2 ¾ inch (70mm) to over 60 inch (1500mm) all these bearings are certified ISO 9001.
– Deep groove ball bearings, angular contact ball bearings, duplex, full complement ball bearings, etc …
– Metric bearings type 61800, 61900, 6000, 6200, 6400, 16000, 71900, 7000, 7200, 7300, 7400, QJ, N, NJ, NF, NP, NU, NUP, RNU, NC, NNU, NCL, NCF, NNCL, NNCF, NJG, NNC, SL, etc …
– Inch bearings type XLJ, LJ, MJ, XLJT, LJT, MJT, QJL, QJM, LRJ, LRJA, LLRJ, LLRTA, LLRJB, LLRJN, MRJ, MRJA, MMRJ, MMRJA, MMRJB, MMRJN, XLRJ, XLRJA, LSN, MSN, RLSN, RMSN, NLJ, NMJ, RMSNE, etc …
– Cylindrical roller thrust bearings type 811, 812, 893, 874, 894, T7, etc …
Special bearings on request.
Manufactured at our Phoenix Bearings facility in Tewkesbury, England since over 50 years, our bearings are shipped to over 40 countries worldwide.
Ask for our free catalog !
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Haydon Kerk Motion Solutions introduces the Haydon IDEA™ Drive stepper motor linear actuator. The IDEA Drive is an integrated linear actuator, electronic drive, and control unit fully programmable with an easy-to-use patent pending GUI (Graphic User Interface). Programming the actuator is through the use of on-screen buttons instead of complicated proprietary programming languages.
A unique benefit of the IDEA Drive GUI is the automatic population of the motor and drive parameters based on entering the actuator part number when prompted by the user interface. Complex parameter calculations or in-depth stepper motor knowledge from the user is completely unnecessary. For a more experienced user, auto-populated values can easily be adjusted as long as they remain within the safe range calculated by the software.
Another feature of the IDEA Drive GUI is a plotter that visually represents the move profile based on distance, speed, acceleration, and deceleration. The GUI also provides an interactive “debugger” for easy troubleshooting of the program. The user can command the drive to execute one program line at a time or multiple lines in a row.
Other features include programmable phase current control (including optional boost current during accel/decel ramping), a single supply voltage of 12 to 42 VDC, and 8 opto-isolated general purpose digital I/O. The Haydon IDEA Drive linear actuator is available in the captive, non-captive, or external linear versions, both single and double stack lengths.

Controllers for pH, ORP, EC, O2, CL, OZ, Turb. and ISE

It is no longer necessary to mount a transmitter for each pH, O2, etc. sensors!

The series FMC -5000 /VQ are field mounting 2 or 3 chemical variables, with relationship capabillity betwen each. They have direct input for chemical sensors and they give the control signal in the field, at the same time, they transmit the data by RS-485 Modbus. In option, communication by Radio or Ethernet networks, cable or WiFi mode, is possible through “gateway” adapters RMT, EMT or WMT-1000.

A colourful new range of hard-wearing, aluminium lenses has been launched by EAO – the expert partner for Human Machine Interfaces.

With a wide choice of brilliant colours as standard, plus options for convex lenses or illuminated spot, EAO now offers the world’s largest variety of aluminium-fronted switches.

Aluminium lenses and front bezels are available for all pushbuttons and indicators in the Series 04, 14, 56, 61, 71 and 84 switch ranges. They not only provide extra protection for switches, they will improve the look and feel of any Human Machine Interface. By standardising the colour and finish, customers can more effectively align colour to switch function to create easier to use, more intuitive controls panels. They can also mix-and-match switch types from different ranges according to their exact needs.

EAO can laser engrave lenses with any type of symbol or legend specified by the customer. The high-class finish brings style and sophistication to any control panel, whether it’s a new design or a refurbishment project.

Switches can be sealed up to IP67 (depending on series), which makes them suitable for a wide range of interior and exterior applications, anything from factory machinery to ticketing and kiosk machines, train cockpits to luxury yachts.

It appears that our little trip back to Ostagar has taken a little detour. The DLC should’ve gone live today (qjnet/news/dragon-age-origins-dlc-due-next-week.html), but tough luck finding it. The community coordinator of the BioWare forums, Chris Priestly, has confirmed:

The technology keep on improving and more portable devices are coming out each day and memory cards are slowly becoming an important part of these portable devices. Memory cards are important to store data and the improving of technology does not only contribute to better compression method, but at the same time leads to more space required to store data. This is mainly because in the world of HD, no matter how good the compression method, the data are still too big.

Memory cards are mainly used to store data from a lot of application, be it for gaming, picture or music. There are many types of memory cards available, from DS carte or SD card to XD card or even the mini form of those memory cards which are usually used in hand phone or PDA devices. Each gaming devices will use different type of memory cards. Example would be like the Nintendo DS which will be using R4 DS carte or R4 DS compatible cards.

However, with all different memory cards manufacturers coming out with own standard and different standard, it will be troublesome for one to get a compatible memory cards for his or her electronic devices. But like most electronic devices manufacturer, Nintendo has also come out a list of compatible memory cards for their popular Nintendo DS. Although Nintendo DS gamers can bring their Nintendo DS to shop to get a compatible memory card, they can get a list of compatible carte r4 DS and buy these carte r4 ds purchase it online. Some online based DS carte seller will accepts payment range from paypal to credit cards. Buying correct and compatible memory cards for electronic devices is essential to ensure the usability of the device and reduce waste of time and effort trying with the wrong memory cards.

Tags: ds carte, carte r4 ds, r4 ds carte, r4 ds, ds-cartes.com, Prix Bas, Livraison, Rapide , Service Amicaux

In the movie “What About Bob?” Bill Murray talked about taking “baby steps.” An ancient Chinese proverb says, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” At the upcoming Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas, NV, Horizon will unveil its HydroFill home hydrogen fueling device which may mean we are a step away from hydrogen car commercialization.

The HydroFill, when it becomes commercial is expected to be able to refuel hydrogen cars in the privacy of one’s own home. Now, I’ve talked about home hydrogen fueling stations many times in the past and this product may be just what the industry needs to jumpstart the chicken-or-the-egg syndrome when it comes to which will be built first, the cars or the fueling stations.

The Horizon Hydrofill can run off AC at night when the electricity rates are the lowest, electrolyze water into hydrogen and oxygen and refill their metal hydride canisters. The next day the hydrogen fuel cell car or smaller device can be refueled from the canister.

The Hydrofill may not be introduced commercially in 2010, however as development is ongoing. Horizon is already selling, however, a 20-liter hydrogen storage tank made of aluminum alloy outside and metal hydride inside.

Now, while the HydroFill is a big idea that Horizon is still working on, this same company has decided to start a bit smaller and offer a commercial line of micro-fuel cell power packs for recharging small electronic devices such a lighting products, USB devices and cell phones.

In summer 2009, I had talked about how Horizon had created the fuel cell for the economical Riversimple fuel cell city car. An affordable Riversimple plus Hydrofill home fueling station may be the ticket to sooner rather than later introduction of hydrogen cars and infrastructure into the marketplace.

Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Hybrid, Hatchback, Hyundai, Electric

The Hyundai Blue-Will concept isn’t entirely new; it first appeared last April at the Seoul Motor Show. However, it is making its North American debut next week in Detroit. What makes the Blue-Will special is that it is Hyundai’s first ever plug-in hybrid (PHEV). The hybrid powertrain is based on the same Blue Drive architecture that Hyundai unveiled at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show. This is a strong parallel hybrid system, meaning it’s capable of driving the vehicle under electric power alone, use the internal combustion or a combination of both. The first production applications will find their way into the Korean market Elantra LPI hybrid and the Sonata hybrid that debuts late this year.

For the PHEV version, the electric motor/generator is increased in size from 30 kW on the Sonata to 100 kW, which should allow it to operate under electric power pretty much throughout its operating range. Hyundai doesn’t say how big the lithium ion polymer battery pack is, however, the automaker claims the Blue-Will can go 40 miles on an single electric charge.

In addition to the hybrid hardware, which can provide start-stop capability for the engine and regenerative braking, the concept also features a thermal electric generator. This is designed to convert the heat energy of the exhaust gases into electrical energy to be stored in the battery. The engine is a direct injected version of Hyundai’s 1.6-liter Gamma inline-four with 152 horsepower.

The concept has the same 106.3 inch wheelbase as the current Elantra Touring, but the overall length is seven inches shorter. According to Hyundai this concept “may” also provide a preview of a future dedicated hybrid to compete with the Toyota Prius, and if that happens, expect it to arrive sometime late next year.

[Source: Hyundai]

Continue reading Detroit 2010: Hyundai Blue-Will PHEV concept

Detroit 2010: Hyundai Blue-Will PHEV concept originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, I’ve spent quite a bit of time away from the blog recently, feeling rather overwhelmed as a number of responsibilities accumulated over the last hectic year finally caught up with me. But, for now at least, things seem to be in check and I’m hoping to get a little more writing done.

The last few months of the year were quite a ride. For example,

• I started teaching again (after a sabbatical at Cornell, and then a one semester leave to help me settle in at Penn), and very much enjoyed introducing the complexities (no pun intended) of contour integration, asymptotic methods, Sturm-Liouville theory, etc. to a whole new batch of beginning graduate students at a whole new institution.
• The first (albeit limited) renovations were completed as part of the Center for Particle Cosmology, and helping oversee these, as well as planning for much larger future renovations took up a huge part of the Fall semester. In the end though, this should be well worth it, with a new and highly-functional space for us to work and collaborate in.
• I started doing significant service again; organizing departmental colloquia and sitting on our graduate admissions committee. Plus some new editorial work
• I went to Australia, to speak at the COSPA-09 meeting in Melbourne (if you look carefully you’ll see both Sean and me in the group picture on the main page.) This was my third visit to Melbourne, and once again I was struck by what a liveable and lovely city it is. The conference was great fun, and I saw a number of talks that gave me something to think about back in Philly.
• I finished some papers.
• We ran an intense and, I thought, successful workshop – New Horizons in Particle Cosmology – to inaugurate the Center for Particle Cosmology. This involved some of the biggest names in our field, and included a very well-attended public lecture by Paul Steinhardt. My colleague Justin Khoury deserves considerable praise for taking on most of the organizational work of the conference and lecture.

Right now I’m gearing up for next week’s beginning of my graduate General Relativity class, which is my absolute favorite subject to teach. I’m also preparing for quite a bit more travel this year, although not for a few weeks at least. But most importantly, of course, I’m hard at work on a number of projects that I hope will come to fruition in the pretty near future.

So this post is just intended to get back into the swing of things. I’ll leave you with an interesting new link. NPR is entering the science blogging field with a good-looking new blog featuring, among others, science writer and friend-of-the-blog, K.C. Cole, and former guest contributor, physicist Marcelo Gleiser. Their blog is called 13.7 (for reasons you might try guessing before checking on) and I hope you’ll check them out – we wish them all the best.

You may have heard that we’re taking a short break from the 3rd annual Smartphone Round Robin for CES this year (and for our own sanity, truth be told.) Lucky for you, we have just the thing to tide you over this week: two podcasts with your favorite editors from the Smartphone Experts Network

First up, this past weekend, as with pretty much every weekend during the Round Robin, The Cell Phone Junkie had a special segment focusing on a specific platform. Last weekend was all about webOS, so go on and give that a listen.

This week, though, we have the second podcast we recorded over the course of our time together. We’ve embedded it below, but honestly: you’ve subscribed to TCPJ by now, haven’t you?

How to listen to the Smartphone Round Robin Podcast Part 2:

• The Cell Phone Junkie
• Subscribe with your favorite client
• Subscribe via iTunes
• Listen via phone with Podlinez: 510-495-6352
• Download the show directly

p.s. My take on BlackBerry and CrackBerry Kevin’s take on webOS should hit by tomorrow AM, if you’ve been waiting. In case you missed it, head here for the first SPE Round Robin Podcast

Counter intuitive investing can be enormously profitable. Buying bonds when their companies declare bankruptcy (not merely buying risky companies that happen to avoid bankruptcy) earned 379% on average last year. Thanks to forced selling due to institutional investors’ peculiarities:

Distressed Debt Investing (DDI): I believe filing of bankruptcy causes certain lenders and investors in high yield and leveraged loans to sell their holdings for “uneconomic” reasons. In other words, forced selling. This may be anything from CLOs that need to empty some baskets to insurance companies that bought paper at par in the primary, and cannot own defaulted securities. In that, I would think that while the event of bankruptcy may not be the “low” on a particular security, many times it will be an event that forces some sellers out and provides a catalyst for future capital appreciation.

The returns calculated by DDI are below. Check out their full piece here.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• The Junk Bond Rally Is Moral Hazard In All Its Glory, And Will Continue Next Year
• Investors Push Junk Bond ETF To Highs Of The Year
• The U.S. Junk Bond Bubble Is Accelerating

During the New Delhi AutoExpo 2010, French automaker Renault announced its serious intentions regarding the Indian auto market. The producer is set to launch several models in order to complete its line up for India.

Renault has always maintained that our commitment to India remains undiluted … and today, we extremely happy to confirm our commitment to India through the launch of a comprehensive line-up. This means that the investments that were earmarked for India, but were fro… (read more)

Bluewater Comics has announced the release of a free comic featuring Lady GaGa as a preview to its new Fame series. Bluewater is expanding on its successful collection of biographical comics — which includes the Female Force and Political Power lines — with a new series featuring pop trendsetter Lady Gaga. The “Just Dance” siren will kick off Bluewater’s 2010 Fame line, focusing on “culturally relevant celebrities and other pop culture icons.”

“Over the past year we saw an opportunity to broaden the scope of who reads comics,” says Bluewater president Darren G. Davis, “There were many who had never picked up a graphic novel or comic book buy our biography titles like Female Force and Political Power. Fame is the natural extension of that trend.”

The Lady Gaga Fame Comic will be available on Free Comic Book Day on May 5. Be on the lookout for animated serials starring Robert Pattinson, 50 Cent, David Beckham, and Taylor Swift!

T-Mobile may have been late to the nationwide wireless broadband game, but it didn’t forget the story about the tortoise and the hare. In fact, it rewrote the story — it started as a slow turtle, but right now, it’s the fastest 3G rabbit we have. The carrier today announced that its entire 3G footprint is now lit up for the faster 7.2 Mbps HSPA service. Devices that don’t support the faster speeds will back down to the standard 3.6 Mbps service, but a fair amount of recent phones and broadband modems can take advantage of the faster network. Even the 15-month-old T-Mobile G1 is able to use the faster wireless pipe. While it’s true that T-Mobile offers a smaller geographical coverage area than competitors, it has the fastest wireless 3G network for now. And even with a smaller coverage area, the company says that over 200 million Americans are within its 3G data network.

Looking ahead, T-Mobile is poised to zip ahead even further in this wireless race. Next up for this year is a move to 21 Mbps HSPA+, which is considered to be 3.5G, and of course, backwards-compatible to 3G and EDGE as needed. By the first half of this year, T-Mobile expects to upgrade its data network to these even faster throughputs. I was lucky to get a preview of the future HSPA+ speeds with some hands-on network testing last month — it was liberating to experience wireless downloads that were faster than my DSL from early 2009.

With faster speeds and more T-Mobile coverage in my area — which I only recently found out about — this just might push me over the edge for a Google Nexus One later today.

I’m sure the model holding the new Samsung Digital Photo Frame 700Z 7-inch OLED photo frame at CES2010 will have a lot less clothing than this one. The frame comes with 4GB of memory and Bluetooth support. [DA via Oled-Display]

The Dunkerque 2010 conference will explore how local sustainability can represent an answer to the current economic, social and climate challenges and how it can be further implemented at the European level under the actual financial and political frameworks. It will also offer a unique opportunity to assess and push forward the progress and achievements of European local governments in the field of sustainable development.

After the conferences of Aalborg 1994, Lisbon 1996, Hanover 2000, Aalborg 2004 andSevilla 2007, more than 1000 local government leaders from all over Europe as well as representatives from European and national networks of local governments, European institutions and NGOs are expected to take part in the largest European conference dedicated to local sustainable development.

More information about the programme and the registration here

In a couple of days, Chrysler and Fiat will take the wraps off of their Fiat 500 electric concept at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show. The duo have said nothing about a production model but we wouldn’t discount the possibility.

According to AutoExpress, the Fiat 500 electric that we’ll see in Detroit will have a more than 5,000 lithium-ion battery cells. It will travel a total of 150 miles on a single charge thanks to a regenerative braking system and new aerodynamic updates. Recharging from a standard household socket should take up to 10 hours.

Since the batteries will increase the overall weight of the car, 0-60 mph will come in around 10 seconds with a top speed of 90 mph.

We’ll try to gather up more details at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show since Chrysler will not be holding a press conference.

Source: AutoExpress

– By: Omar Rana