Although Peter Sauber’s team will use a Ferrari powertrain for the 2010 season of Formula One, that isn’t to mean the BMW nameplate will disappear from the outfit’s official designation for the year to come. The German manufacturer may have left the series at the end of 2009, but it’s likely that its name will live on in F1, at least for now.
The issue was discussed by the very team owner of the Swiss outfit, who reckoned that his team is registered as BMW Sauber F1 Team on the FI… (read more)
The reviews and benchmarks on the new Intel 32nm flagship chips are here. The usual suspects have put Arrandale—Core i5 Mobile and Core i3 Mobile for notebooks—and Clarkdale—Core i5 661 for desktops—under the microscope.
How fast are they? Really fast, obviously, and apparently totally worth the upgrade. Clarkdale is fastest that anything dual core out there, while both mobile chips are faster than their Core 2 Duo counterparts, with the extra performance having no impact on the battery life. Like always, don’t expect to play Crysis at full with the built-in GPU on any of these, but they will be fast enough for mere mortals. [Anandtech on Arrandale and Anandtech on Clarkdale, Hot hardware on ArrandaleHot Hardware on Clarkdale]
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ADDIS ABABA It’s a far cry from Ethiopia’s traditional Eskista shoulder shake dance, but Salsa is sweeping Addis Ababa with aficionados twirling and spinning their way across the city’s dance floors each night. From just one Salsa school five years ago, started by a US-educated Ethiopian entrepreneur, some 10 more have sprouted in this city of five million people. At a packed club, businessman Daniel Nigussie, jauntily clad in a white satin shirt and fedora, is getting ready to show off his latest moves with dancer partner Seble Asrat. The venue is full to capacity and music blares from the speakers; rivals limber up as the clock ticks down to the start of the competition. "I came here to win and I’m prepared for it," said Nigussie, who spends his days running a computer import company. With their elaborate steps and twirls, Nigussie and Asrat’s performance delights their fans. Like them, they have all recently taken up the dance which groups several different types of Afro-Cuban dances and music. In addition to the new dance schools, a number of clubs have also started Salsa nights to cater to the growing number of enthusiasts, while training sessions attract at least 5O salseros each night. Nigussie started learning Salsa a year ago and says his dance skills are getting better every day. "It’s the synergy, the intimacy that you enjoy more than anything else. It’s also fun and entertaining for those watching" he explained to AFP. "It’s not easy at all, you need to be on the same wavelength with your partner at all times." Asrat, glamorously dressed in a skimpy black-and-white dress and high heels, is equally keen. "It was all by accident. I was invited to a party three years ago and found Latino music being danced to by most of my friends," said the 23-year-old. "I’ve never looked back ever since. I’ve taken courses and I’m now competing." Salsa could not be more different from the traditional national dance of Eskista performed to a drum beat and in which dancers gyrate and turn in sharp twists from the waist up. But the differences have failed to deter Salsa’s popularity. "They (styles) are at the extreme ends of the spectrum. Salsa is all about the movement from the waist down," said Mekonnen Bizuwork, who has taught Latin dance for the past four years. The 24-year-old takes pride in his skills, and points that merengue, cha-cha-cha, bachata and the Caribbean zouk routine are among his specialties. "At first every newcomer finds it difficult to adjust, but ends up addicted in a short period of time," he said. Feseha Girmay, the organiser of the inaugural competition — "Addis Salsa Clash" — said the event was so popular he was now unsure how many more to hold next year. "There’s so much excitement. It has put me in a dilemma on whether to organise the event twice a year when I initially thought once was enough," he said. The trend also reflects a steady growth in Ethiopia’s middle class population and change of attitude towards the West since 1991, when a secretive and anti-US Communist dictatorship was overthrown by the present government. From MTV to "Channel O" to "American Idol" and "Britain’s Got Talent", Ethiopians now have access to entertainment shows via cable and free satellite channels — luxuries that were once banned by the old regime. Feseha is even considering a television version that would attract participants from across the country. "I’ve been very encouraged by the enthusiasm from participants. I’m constantly asked about the possibility of hosting more competitions," he said. "I think a television show would make everyone happy." For Nigussie and Asrat, who eventually lost in a unanimous decision by a panel of three judges, the experience was what mattered most. "I wasn’t here to become a star. I came here to enjoy myself… and I really did," Nigussie added. |
:lol:. There’s even a joint called Bailamos in Bole. Salsa is everywhere in Addis now. Too cute.
2010 comes with a new American offering for British roads, as the 300C range comes to the Island packing no less than four versions, two engines and, most importantly, not so out of this world prices. The 300C will be offered in the UK as 300C SE, SR, SRT and the SRT-8, with prices starting from £23,995 on the road.
The entry level Chrysler 300C SE is powered by a 3.0l common-rail diesel (CRD) engine developing 215 bhp at 4,000 rpm and 376 lb.-ft of torque at 1,600 rpm. It has a t… (read more)
After sometime last month BMW detailed the models which will be seen at the 2010 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), it is now MINI’s turn to present its lineup for the upcoming event. The show will be held in Detroit from January 16-24, 2010 and is expected to welcome more than 700,000 visitors.
Aside from the MINI, MINI Clubman, and the new MINI Convertible, the brand will also be showcasing the MINI Concept Vehicle (Beachcomber) and the MINI E at the event.
<... (read more)
It seems that we’re getting closer to the idea of a flying car, as the US military announced its new program called Transformers meant to tackle this problem. The Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) will be the host of a workshop meant to brief companies on what the US military is looking for, insideline.com writes.
DARPA says that "the objective of the Transformer (TX) program is to demonstrate a one-to-four-person transportation vehicle that can dri… (read more)
Chinese carmaker Geely presented at the COP15 summit its latest effort in the green car sector, a model developed in collaboration with Danish company Lynx. The car incorporates a lithium-ion battery pack developed by Lynx and codenamed Positive and provides room for five passengers. According to autoarabia.org, the future vehicle will be sold as Geely Panda in Asia and the Middle East while in Europe and the United States it will bear the Nanoq nameplate.
Preliminary figures are … (read more)
Love your Popcorn Hour? Ask creator Syabas Technology, and it’s just a prelude to the real deal, which it’s just announced as the Popbox. The evolution includes a revamped UI, “infoapps” showing weather and Twitter feeds whenever the viewer pauses, and expanded Popapps support to allow for Java, Flash, and Qt (why hello there, Netflix). Video processing now supports 100Mbps bitrate 1080p video. The box mockup is barebones and includes only the necessary inputs, and storage is relegated to SD cards and external USB drives. Price and release date? Electronista is saying it “should” be out in March to the tune of $129.
Popbox is Popcorn Hour evolved, with 1080p streaming and Netflix support originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 03:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Fernando Alonso doesn’t have to sneak around and wear casual clothes when visiting the Ferrari headquarters in Maranello. From now on, he is an official Ferrari driver, as the contract with Renault ended on December 31st of last year. However, the Spaniard still has to wait until February to step behind the wheel of a Ferrari, as reported by the news agency Europa Press.
According to the aforementioned source, Alonso’s racing debut with the prancing horse is scheduled for February… (read more)
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El enorme desarrollo urbanístico de Parla-Este, al margen de su diseño ya rancio y caduco según los conceptos del urbanismo contemporáneo, ha estado condenado desde su nacimiento a ser una especie de desfasada ciudad dormitorio, fácilmente perceptible a simple vista por parámetros tan fundamentales como: los flujos de salida y entrada de coches -siempre intensísimos a primeras y últimas horas del día-, la inexistencia de empleos ni empresas en la zona, sin accesos directos de entrada y salida a las autovías, escasísima presencia de gente en las calles, falta de establecimientos comerciales de calidad y un precario transporte público que se limita a un tranvía urbano y a un autobús que cada media hora une Madrid con Parla. A esta manifiesta realidad en el funcionamiento de un ámbito urbano plagado de carencias, sin duda han contribuido la falta de infraestructuras y servicios de todo tipo que lastran de manera especial la dinámica cotidiana de esta parte del mundo. No podía ser de otro modo tratándose de un municipio con un estigma tan peyorativo y ganado a pulso por méritos propios como es el caso de Parla.
Uno de los más evidentes signos de abandono del barrio de Parla-Este era, hasta la infamia medioambiental perpetrada ahora, la ausencia de vegetación en gran parte de las zonas verdes destinadas a ajardinamientos. Un hecho de por sí remarcable porque en cualquier desarrollo urbanístico, la vegetación de las zonas comunes se va plantando paulatinamente según se van encontrando disponibles los márgenes de las vías de comunicación y los espacios comunes, o al concluir la construcción de cada edificio o grupo de ellos, sector, manzana, etc. con lo cual a los pocos años ya existe una cobertura vegetal consistente y enraizada.
Nada de eso sucedió en Parla-Este. Tan sólo hace casi dos años, se habían plantado los primeros árboles de porte notable en algunos alcorques de ciertas zonas del barrio y, a fecha de hoy, aproximadamente la mitad de esos árboles ya han muerto. El resto de las futuras zonas verdes permanecía como un erial donde los perros abonaban el terreno a sus anchas.
Pero es que en consonancia con esta desidia y abandono de las zonas verdes, en el resto de las calles, parques y plazas de Parla la situación es incluso mucho peor y pruebas no faltan en casi cualquier rincón del municipio: desde centenares de olivos muertos por abandono, alcorques vacíos desde hace décadas, árboles secos que permanecen en el mismo sitio sin reponer desde hace muchos años, adoquines verdes tapando parterres, adoquinado de alcorques, árboles que jamás se podan, inmensas praderas de césped, gigantesco gasto humano y económico en florecillas que apenas duran una semana, etc.
Desde hace ya muchos años ha evolucionado el concepto de zonas verdes en ámbitos urbanos hacia diseños de parques y jardines con especies xerófilas, autóctonas y arbustivas que aportan frondosidad, consistencia y diversidad botánica en vez de las pobres, delicadas y carísimas praderas de césped y árboles exóticos. Así que lo más previsible, fácil y barato era que en esas presuntas y futuras zonas verdes de Parla-Este fueran plantados árboles y vegetación arbustiva adaptada a las características geográficas del entorno, con un reducido mantenimiento tanto en el consumo de agua como en mano de obra y resistentes al incivismo ciudadano.
Cuando se colocaron los carteles de la empresa constructora alusivos al comienzo de la primera fase de las obras de ajardinamiento de Parla-Este, con un astronómico presupuesto de 2.621.379 euros para esa primera fase, la primera impresión fue de satisfacción generalizada tras todos estos años de desolación medioambiental en el barrio.
Craso error tratándose del Ayuntamiento de Parla, un verdadero Atila medioambiental, con unos antecedentes para echarse a temblar y salir corriendo a tenor de la aberrante política medioambiental municipal y el calamitoso y degradado estado de prácticamente todas las zonas verdes del municipio.
Cuando al comienzo de estas obras empezaron a surgir las primeras voces de alarma y sorpresa era difícil creer en semejante barbaridad. Todos los grandes parterres de las avenidas estaban siendo enterrados en toneladas de cemento, que posteriormente sería forrado de césped artificial, dejando dos ridículos agujeros en cada parterre para plantar costosísimas y frágiles palmeras. El Ayuntamiento de Parla entiende que ajardinar significa sepultar bajo toneladas de cemento todo vestigio de naturaleza.
Y así poco a poco se fueron cementando la totalidad de las posibles zonas verdes de las calles de Parla-Este. Tras este colosal despilfarro económico y aberrante atentado medioambiental, el escenario resultante es apocalíptico, las calles transmiten una desazón y penuria extremas, efecto que se potenciará cuando la ridiculez del césped artifical y las palmeras conformen el paisaje vegetal de Parla-Este.
Consultado al Colegio de Arquitectos de Madrid, no existe constancia anterior de ninguna barbarie similar. Al igual que buscando referencias y documentación en otros anuarios de arquitectura y urbanismo, tampoco se había ejecutado hasta la fecha en ninguna parte semejante aberración paisajística y medioambiental.
Esta vez el Ayuntamiento de Parla se ha superado a sí mismo. A nadie en el planeta se le había ocurrido semejante esperpento y bochornoso concepto de lo que se entiende por una zona verde. Décadas de desastres urbanísticos en Parla quedan empequeñecidos ante este nuevo hito del horror urbanístico.
Y pensar que en el siglo VI antes de Cristo se construyeron los jardines colgantes de Babilonia, que hace seiscientos años los árabes realizaron los magníficos jardines de la Alhambra y el Generalife, y que los grandiosos jardines de Versalles datan de 1670.
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Old truck tyres never die, they just turn into sandals. For decades that has been the tradition in Ethiopia, where everyone from farmers to guerrilla fighters has fashioned worn-out road rubber into cheap, long-lasting footwear. But now, thanks to a young woman entrepreneur who has combined the internet’s selling power with nimble business practices more often associated with Asian countries, the idea has been turned into an unlikely international hit. By adding funky cotton and leather uppers to recycled tyre soles, Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu has sold many thousands of pairs of handmade flip-flops, boat shoes, loafers and Converse-style trainers to foreign customers. In the run-up to Christmas, workers at the soleRebels "factory" a small house on the outskirts of the Ethiopian capital were frantically cutting, sewing and gluing to fulfil internet purchases from customers as far away as Canada and Australia. Alemu’s brother packed pairs of cotton and suede trainers into a box about to be couriered to Amazon.com, the company’s main customer, which receives the shoes in the US three to five days after placing its bulk order. "We are sitting in Addis Ababa but acting like an American company," said Alemu, an excitable 30-year-old former accountant who is fond of reeling off the numbers that illustrate her firm’s rapid growth. Just five years after start-up, soleRebels employs 45 full-time staff who can produce up to 500 pairs of shoes a day. More will be hired after next month once the footwear range, priced between £21 and £40, goes on sale online in the UK and Japan on Amazon’s new footwear website javari.co.uk. The company’s sales target for 2010 is an impressive £300,000, but Alemu’s ultimate goal one she seems deadly serious about is far loftier: to become "the Timberland or Skechers of Africa". The success of soleRebels, which has thrived in the global market with no outside support other than a government line of credit to help meet large orders, is challenging preconceptions both about Ethiopia and the best way to lift its people out of poverty. Abroad, the landlocked country still suffers from an image of a hungry and often helpless nation, with 6 million people requiring food relief and billions of dollars of aid each year. But where some might see despair Alemu saw inspiration. While brainstorming for an Ethiopian-flavoured product that could be produced in a sustainable manner, she remembered the truck tyre sandals, which were used by local fighters who repelled Italian soldiers many decades ago, as well as the rebels who marched into Addis Ababa in 1991 and today run the government. "Recycling is a way of life here you don’t throw things away that you can use again and again," she said. "I wanted to build on that idea." At the time other Ethiopian shoe companies were struggling to compete with cheap imports from China. SoleRebels decided to concentrate instead on the export market, where Alemu reasoned that customers would pay good money for uniquely designed products. She found a supplier who could deliver old truck tyres and tubes, and hired women to spin, weave and dye pieces of locally-grown cotton, jute and hemp using skills passed down through generations. Tracking international shoe fashion trends on the web, Alemu designed a range of footwear. Some are simple cotton-covered or leather covered flip-flops and sandals with names like Class Act and Gruuv Thong. The bestselling Urban Runner takes inspiration from the classic Converse All Star "lo-top" trainer, with a piece of inner tubing for the toecap and organic cotton-covered footbeds. Virtually all the materials are locally sourced, including the camouflage material used on some shoes, which is cut from old army uniforms. After receiving international fair trade certification, Alemu began bombarding US stores and websites with emails and samples. Shops such as Whole Foods and Urban Outfitters agreed to stock the shoes, which were imported duty-free under the US African Growth and Opportunity Act, helping prices stay competitive. As word spread, individual customers began buying directly from the soleRebels website – the Christmas order from Canada included a scanned trace of the customer’s foot – with the shoes usually arriving by courier from Ethiopia within a week. But business really took off when Amazon signed up as a customer. Alemu is an evangelist for the online business model, saying it allows the company "to understand the market needs and demands in real time". SoleRebels negotiates directly with retailers, doing everything from ordering processing to credit collection itself, and ensures most of the final sales price remains in Ethiopia. As a result, Alemu said, she can pay her staff between £1.20 a day for trainees and £7 a day for experienced artisans good wages by local standards. In turn, the government earns more taxes, spurring more development. "In Ethiopia we have become used to taking money from the west, to always getting help," said Alemu. "That does not make for a sustainable economy. We need to solve our own problems." The success has enabled soleRebels to begin construction of a solar-powered factory near the current workshop, to allow for expanded production. While it will better showcase the company’s eco-friendly methods, that’s not the main reason customers like the shoes, Alemu said. "People buy soleRebels because they are good, not just because they are green or from Ethiopia. Our product speaks for itself." |
I thought this was a great article. We need more entrepreneurs like that!
Here’s their website http://solerebelsfootwear.weebly.com/
Go take a look at the "Products" section. The shoes are really cute!
A study looking at the effectiveness of the drug figitumumab in treating late-stage lung cancer has been stopped by the manufacturer, Pfizer Inc.
Late-stage lung cancer is difficult to treat and researchers are continuously looking for different drug combinations that could help increase the survival rate of the 
disease. This particular study looked at figitumumab in combination with two other chemotherapy agents, paclitaxel and carboplatin. The researchers were comparing the three-drug combination to paclitaxel plus carboplatin alone.
In October 2009, Pfizer stopped patient recruitment into the study. Independent monitors had found disturbing outcomes, serious adverse events including deaths, among patients who had been receiving figitumumab.
Although the study’s discontinuation is a disappointment for those who had high hopes for this treatment, not all is lost when a study is stopped. Valuable data had been collected over the course of the study and the researchers may be able to glean information from the data that could be helpful in future studies.
Other pharmaceutical companies are continuing to look at using figitumumab for other cancers, because it is possible that although it was not acceptable for late-stage lung cancer, it may be a good treatment for another type.
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Image: MorgueFile.com
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The Ivanpah Solar Power Complex: moving too fast for turtle lovers?
Continuous sunshine? Check. Near existing power lines? Check. Sited on the habitat of an endangered tortoise? D’oh!
BrightSource Energy wants to put its 440 megawatt Ivanpah Solar Power Complex in a 6 square mile area of the Mojave Desert owned by the federal government. Unfortunately for the company, the area is also home to threatened desert tortoise, according to this Associated Press story.
It’s yet another instance of the “green on green” disputes that have already derailed another BrightSource project in the Mojave Desert. Will they also prevent states from meeting renewable energy standards?
On one hand, the Ivanpah project will power 150,000 homes using 400,000 mirrors and three solar thermal plants that will also provide about 1,000 construction jobs.
On the other, the area is critical several species of flora and fauna, including the tortoise.
The dispute is being watched closely by companies who have put in more than 150 applications for large-scale solar on 1.8 million acres of federal land in the Rocky Mountain West and West, according to the A.P.
The Sierra Club, among others, wants BrightSource to find another site, though project opponents say they’re generally supportive of renewable energy.
In another unappetizing scenario, federal and state biologists proposed that the company pay approximately $25 million to catch and relocate the tortoises.
BrightSource President John Woolard has protested in government filings that the company was being forced to jump through too many hoops.
“Overburdening this fledgling industry will cause it to be stillborn, ending that promise before it has truly begun.”
Of course, BrightSource is not some mom and pop operation.
The company has some big-name investors, including Google and VantagePoint Venture Partners along with BP and Chevron, and promising concentrated solar power technology (if only they could use it…)
Its Luz Power Tower 550 energy system uses thousands of mirrors, or heliostats, to reflect sunlight onto a boiler on top of a 459-foot metal tower. The steam is then piped from the boiler to a turbine and generates electricity and, finally, air cooled, to minimize water usage.
As we’ve noted before, green energy is not only pro-environment, it’s big business.
Eventually, something’s got to give in these disputes with the conservation lobby… unfortunately for the tortoise (and all the other creatures out there), green energy is moving too fast to be held up for much longer.
By Nate Anderson, Senior Editor, Ars Technica
Using an app to tweet about sexting? One university wants you to watch your language.
Lake Superior State University, though no doubt a fine institution of higher learning, doesn’t have big name recognition. But it does have one annual PR stunt created by the school’s public relations director back in 1975: a “word banishment” list for the year that just ended.
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The Fiat 2010 New Year commercial is less about wishing you a Happy New Year and more about showing you the hopes for the Fiat-Chrysler deal for 2010. With a few historic images, very Italian in nature, we’re taken to the Fiat 500 cruising some world famous American sites. It’s a strange video for the local Italian audience, as if they needed convincing about the Fiat-Chrysler deal.
Another European manufacturer focussed on something more ecological for the New Year, with Renault producing a New Year video about its electric cars. With highly recognisable footage from recreation to environmental disasters, the Renault commercial closes with a brief look at the Renault Zoe: one of the family of Renault electrics made up of the Twizy, Fluence and Z.E. See the video after the jump.
Source | Autoblog.it
By Jose Antonio Vargas, Technology and Innovations editor, Huffington Post
In retrospect, what we just left was the decade of the rapid, revolutionizing rise of the “Me-on-Web” generation. That’s why it’s called YouTube and MySpace. There’s a reason why Apple (AAPL) banked on a line of I-centered (iPod, iPhone, iTunes, soon-to-be iSlate or iTablet or i-whatchamacallit) digital lifestyle products.
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