For the most part it’s a clean Week 16 as we set up for our championship games. Other than the Colts, every other good team has something to prove or play for. Let’s look at some injuries, some storylines and some other news from Boxing Day.
• It sure looks like the Titans want Chris Johnson to get 2,000 yards rushing (and Marshall Faulk’s(notes) total-yardage record, and maybe Eric Dickerson’s rushing record), doesn’t it? Asked about the 2,000 mark, Jeff Fisher didn’t deny anything after Thursday’s blowout loss to San Diego. "It’s something we pay close attention to as well as [Johnson] does, I’m sure," Fisher conceded. The Titans kept feeding Johnson the ball in the fourth quarter of the blowout loss, clearly looking to give Johnson a chance to hit as many milestones as possible. Tennessee, now out of the playoff race, plays at Seattle next week.
•DeAngelo Williams(notes) (ankle) didn’t practice all week and is listed as doubtful for Sunday’s road tilt with the Giants. Jonathan Stewart(notes) is banged up himself (sore toe and Achilles) and has the questionable tag, but context clues point to him playing. Check back Sunday; at least it’s an early kickoff.
•Michael Turner(notes) (ankle) didn’t practice all week and is very questionable for the Bills Sunday. Given that Turner had early exit’s the last two times he tried to play, there’s no way I’m risking anything with him here. The odds look better for Matt Ryan(notes) (toe, questionable), who took some reps the last two days.
•Brian Westbrook(notes) (post concussion) practiced all week and should be able to play for the Eagles, but he’s a very tricky fantasy play as we have no idea how much work the Eagles will steer his way. I’d look at all other options first. Receiver Jeremy Maclin(notes) (foot) is probable.
•Hakeem Nicks(notes) (hamstring) took some of the reps in Friday’s practice and the Giants appear optimistic here, they’re listing him as probable. New York is playing for its season, so look for Nicks to go. Ahmad Bradshaw(notes) (foot/ankle) is also listed as probable, though he was held out of practice.
•Brian Brohm(notes) took most of the first-team reps with the Bills this week and figures to be the starter at Atlanta, though Ryan Fitzpatrick(notes) (ankle) did some work Friday. If you’re tied to Terrell Owens(notes) this week, you’d rather see Fitzpatrick under center.
•Percy Harvin(notes) is not on the injury report, so let him loose on the Bears.
•Marc Bulger(notes) was placed on injured reserve, if you wanted to know. Let’s hope he gets out of the game while he’s still got all of his faculties. Steven Jackson (back) didn’t practice all week, his typical MO, and is listed as questionable.
• The fans of Cleveland must be excited after their last two wins – the Browns will actually have a home game on local TV this week (third time this season). Derek Anderson(notes).Charlie Frye(notes). The storylines write themselves.
•Tom Brady(notes) (various) took all the reps Friday and will start against the Jaguars.
• Forget about Lance Moore(notes) (ankle) scoring last week, he’s had a setback and won’t play against the Bucs. Reggie Bush(notes) (hamstring) is listed as probable, while Jeremy Shockey(notes) (toe) is questionable. If the Saints hold Shockey out again, consider Dave Thomas a possible sleeper.
•Joe Nedney(notes) (hamstring) wont go for the Niners, which makes Ricky Schmitt(notes) a possible kicker of interest in Week 16. San Francisco should get plenty of scoring chances at home against Detroit.
•Matt Moore(notes) (shoulder) got back to a full practice Friday, though he’s still listed as questionable. This is probably just John Fox being tricky; we’re expecting Moore to start at the Meadowlands.
Conducir despacio no es patrimonio exclusivo de la gente mayor, los miedosos o “las abuelitas”. Conducir despacio, incluso excesivamente despacio, puede ser relajante y estimulante. El objetivo de esta “terapia” no es estorbar a los demás conductores o meterse en calles atestadas (eso ya lo hacemos todos los días). Conducir despacio puede llegar a ser un disfrute mayor que si nos lanzáramos por la carretera “a todo lo que de el coche”.
Simplemente, si tienes que hacer algún recorrido, que no sea un viaje largo, simplemente un recorrido corto de rutina, prueba a conducir más despacio de lo que habitualmente haces. Descubrirás algunas cosas que nunca habías visto después de pasar mil veces por la calle o el camino que siempre usas, sentirás que el coche también descansa y no agudizarás tus sentidos demasiado, te ayudará a descansar.
¿En qué puede ayudar todo esto? Si conducir es una de las cosas que mejor hacemos o algo que nos gusta mucho, lo disfrutaremos más si de vez en cuando lo hacemos muy relajadamente. Y mejor aún si lo haces por calles desiertas o con muy poco tráfico.
Puede que esté equivocado o que mi teoría sea muy personal, pero vale la pena probarlo.
Inventor Le Trung spent Christmas Day with the most important woman in his life – his robot Aiko.
The science genius enjoyed a festive dinner with his mum, dad and his £30,000 fembot which he designed and built by hand.
Le, 34, from Brampton, Ontario, Canada, even bought gifts for his dream girl, who is so lifelike she speaks fluent English and Japanese, helped cook the turkey and hang up decorations.
Yep. You read that right. Either the Daily Mail is having a larf or this is the craziest thing I’ve seen in all my years as someone who has not had sex with (presumably ambulatory) robots.
Basically Mr. Trung built his own fembot and basically dotes on it. He had a hear attack because he spent so much time working on it. It knows when it’s being tickled. Sadly, we can’t tell if our leg is being pulled.
Digg and Revision3 co-founders Kevin Rose and Jay Adelson have provided crowdsourcing startup 3Crowd Technologies and its founder Barrett Lyon with an early Christmas present of funding.
Lyon says the angel investors join Storm Ventures and Greenwich Technology Associates to “give 3Crowd the shot in the arm it needs to take off,” likely sometime early next year.
Sponsor
This marks the second time Rose and Adelson have crossed paths with Lyon, who co-founded BitGravity, the streaming video service that Internet television studio Revision3 utilizes.
San Mateo, California-based 3Crowd has yet to reveal how they plan to transform crowdsourcing (or how much funding they have secured), but Lyon’s history and apparent entrepreneurial fervor to change the web has clearly excited 3Crowd’s investors.
“This concept is yet another disrupting, dis-intermediating idea from Barrett. These are the technologies that change the game,” Adelson says.
Lyon, who is also the subject of the forthcoming book Fatal System Error by Joseph Menn, says that while the Internet has provided the platform for much success, it is still imperfect and needs to change.
“At this point, my goal is to make change – to take the Internet in its current form (resembling digital duct tape) and transform it into something stronger and more scalable,” Lyon says.
Before co-founding BitGravity, Lyon created the Opte Project: “software that traced all the routes of the Internet,” he says. Images from Opte Project have been used in movies, books and are permanently on display in museums of art and science in both New York and Boston.
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I read in Woman’s World today at the supermarket that safflower oil reduced belly fat in post menopausal diabetic women. Just two teaspoons a day is all it took. I’ve never heard of this before. I wonder if it works. It didn’t mention if it works the same for men.
Ford’s Human Occupant Package Simulator — Click above for high-res image gallery
Wishing to sharpen up the eternally imprecise data collected by using with real, live human beings, Ford is apparently the first automaker to use motion-capture software to assist with its vehicle design. The technology, already used to great effect in video games and the film industry, allows Ford engineers to examine how people really move around in their vehicles and, hopefully, design more ergonomic solutions as a result.
In jargon-ese, Ford’s system is called the Human Occupant Package Simulator (HOPS). In real life, it means a “human test subject” hooked up to fifty sensors and doing the things he or she would do in a car, “such as swinging a leg outside of the vehicle or reaching for the seat belt.” If you’ve ever seen a video of how EA Sports makes games like Madden or NBA live, you’re intimately familiar with the general process.
Combined with Ford’s Cave Automated Virtual Environment (CAVE) and Programmable Vehicle Model (PVM), HOPS allows the automaker make a much better vehicle with pixels before it ever has to render it in steel. It should also mean that future Fords will be suitable for orcs, battle droids, humans, and the Na’vi. Follow the jump to read about the tech, and you can see what one of the lucky “human test subjects” looks like in the gallery below.
Being an Apple blogger must do something strange to your brain, because instead of having “visions of sugarplums” dancing in my head on Christmas morning, I was thinking about what cool features an Apple tablet could feature.
While we’ve heard of some of the proposed ideas — it’s supposed to be a good ebook reader, for example — I thought of a few more things I’d like my first-generation iTablet / iSlate / iPad / iWhateverIt’sCalled to do or have:
A camera built into the display side of the device for iChat videoconferencing or streaming services
Allow “multi-multitouch” so you can have several people playing a game on the display surface, all interacting at once
Something like Autograph built-in to allow digital signing of documents
A built-in suite of touch apps to allow limited editing and full viewing of Word / Excel / PowerPoint / Keynote / Numbers / Pages documents
At least one display port for connecting to an HDTV or monitor
Access to both the Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook digital book libraries through iTunes
Voice control of app launching to avoid skimming through page after page of app icons
Dock for using the tablet with a keyboard and/or setting it up as media center (replace the Apple TV)
Which one of these features would be on your short list for an Apple tablet? Vote in our poll below, and if you have any great ideas that weren’t listed here, please leave them in the comments.
10.Splinter Cell Conviction 9.Alan Wake 8.Castlevania : Lords of Shadow 7.Bioshock 2 6.God of War 3 5.Halo Reach 4.Mass Effect 2 3.Final Fantasy XIII 2.Starcraft 2 Wings of Liberty 1. Mafia 2
Ar trebui sa mai aveti in vedere si urmatoarele jocuri :
Red Dead Redemption
Dead rising 2
Metal Gear Solid 4 :Rising
Bayonetta
Gran Turismo 5
Super Mario Galaxy 2
10 . Splinter Cell Conviction
Data de lansare : 23 Februarie 2010 in SUA pt Xbox 360
Actiunea din joc are loc la aproximativ 2 ani dupa evenimentele care au avut loc in Splinter Cell: Double Agent.
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction combină elemente de gameplay inovative, cu o poveste incitantă şi plină de suspans şi pune jucătorul în rolul unui agent secret de elită, înarmat cu arme letale. Eroul este aruncat într-o lume periculoasă unde, dacă vrea să găsească dreptate, trebuie să-şi impună propriile reguli.
Sam Fisher pleaca din Third Echelon dupa ce descopera ca moartea fiicei sale nu a fost un accident. Devenind un renegat, el trebuie sa se foloseasca de tot ajutorul pe care il poate primi,inclusiv de cel al colegei din Third Echelon Anna Grimsdóttír,pentru a descoperi adevarul.
Desi Fisher începe prin a incerca sa descopere cine a omorat-o pe fiica sa,lucrurile se complica si astfel ajunge intr-o cursă contra cronometru pentru a opri un complot terorist asupra Washington-ului care ameninţă viaţa a milioane de oameni.
System Requirements*
Intel Processor –
AMD Processor –
Nvidia Graphics Card –
ATI Graphics Card –
RAM Memory –
Hard Disk Space –
Direct X –
(se vor completa cand vor fi disponibile)
9. Alan Wake
Data de lansare :nesigura; undeva prin trimestrul 2 al anului 2010
Jocul îl urmăreşte pe Alan Wake, un scriitor de romane horror (bestsellere) care nu a reusit sa mai scrie ceva de doi ani…este în pană de idei. În încercarea de a rezolva problema lui Alan şi, prin urmare, situaţia financiară, soţia lui, Alice, îl duce în orăşelul idilic Bright Falls pentru a-şi “încărca bateriile”.
Cand ea insa dispare fara urma,Wake e parca prins intr-un cosmar fara sfirsit. Cuvant dupa cuvant,ultima lui carte,un thriller pe care nu isi aduce aminte sa-l fi scris,devine adevarat chiar in fata ochilor sai.Cumva stie ca e povestea lui,fara sa-si aduca aminte ca ar fi scris-o.
Povestea va fi prezentată sub formă de episoade, fiecare cu introducerea lui, şi fiecare cu un final care te lasă în suspans. Producătorii vor să creeze o atmosferă asemănătoare celei din Twin Peaks, citând serialul ca sursă principală de inspiraţie, alături de mai multe din cărţile lui Stephen King, care, nu de puţine ori, foloseşte autori de romane horror pe post de personaje principale.
Jocul se împarte în 2 secţiuni: pe timp de noapte şi pe timp de zi. Acum nu vă gândiţi că vor exista în joc numai momente cu lumină puternică sau întuneric complet, nicidecum, vom trece prin părţi ale oraşului în timpul apusului şi pe măsură ce se întunecă, lucrurile devin… mai interesante.
System Requirements*
Intel Processor –
AMD Processor –
Nvidia Graphics Card –
ATI Graphics Card –
RAM Memory –
Hard Disk Space –
Direct X –
(se vor completa cand vor fi disponibile)
8. Castlevania : Lords of Shadow
Data de lansare : urmeaza sa fie anuntata
Personajul principal al jocului se cheama Gabriel, un membru de elita al grupului Brotherhood of Light. Grupul are ca scop apararea oamenilor nevinovati de fortele supranaturale, Gabriel urmand sa dea piept cu cu cele trei grupari ale Lords of Shadow. Acesta este ghidat in aventura sa de fosta sa nevasta, aflata intre lumea celor morti si lumea celor vii.
Gabriel se va folosi de o arma versatila, numita Combat Cross, si va fi nevoit sa se confrunte cu monstrii si locuitorii tinuturilor moarte, pentru a le folosi puterile impotriva gruparii Lords of Shadow.
System Requirements*
Intel Processor –
AMD Processor –
Nvidia Graphics Card –
ATI Graphics Card –
RAM Memory –
Hard Disk Space –
Direct X –
(se vor completa cand vor fi disponibile)
7. Bioshock 2
Data de lansare : 9 februarie 2010
Locul de desfasurare al actiunii : Ajunul Anului Nou 1970,la 10 ani evenimentele din primul joc.Rapture e acum sub controlul unei femei numite Sofia Lamb,ale carei idei despre progresul omenirii le contrasteaza pe cele ale fondaturului orasului, Andrew Ryan.
Povestea :
Esti supravietuitorul unui accident: un avion s-a prabusit in ocean. Incet, incet reusesti sa iesi la suprafata si sa inoti pana la un far aflat in apropiere. In acest far vezi pentru prima data numele unui oras fabulos: Rapture. Cobori in Rapture, orasul scufundat in care are loc actiunea jocului. In oras intalnesti diferite cladiri, fiecare cu scopul ei. Desi supravietuirea pe fundul oceanului ar trebui sa fie imposibila, iar orasul ar trebui sa fie pustiu, mai exista cativa supravietuitori. Intrebarea este: poti sa supravietuiesti? Da, ar trebui sa poti, asa cum a facut-o si persoana care te va indruma inca din primul moment in Rapture. Povestea jocului este completata si de relatarile locuitorilor, care pot fi aflate ascultand jurnalurile audio ale acestora. Astfel aflii ce s-a intamplat cu acest oras mirific, cum a ajuns in ocean.
Minimum Requirements
CPU – Pentium 4 2.4GHz Single Core processor
System RAM – 1GB
Video Card – Direct X 9.0c compliant video card with 128MB RAM (NVIDIA 6600 or better/ATI X1300 or better, excluding ATI X1550).
Sound Card – 100% direct X 9.0c compatible sound card
Hard disc space – 10GB free space
Recommended Requirements
CPU – Intel Core 2 Duo processor / AMD Athlon X2
System RAM – 3GB/4GB
Video card – DX9 – Direct X 9.0c compliant video card with 512MB RAM (NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT or better) / DX10 – NVIDIA GeForce 8800 or better
Sound Card – Sound Blaster X-Fi series (Optimized for use with Creative Labs EAX ADVANCED HD 4.0 or EAX ADVANCED HD 5.0 compatible sound cards)
6. God of War III
Data de lansare : Martie 2010
God of War III va continua povestea din momentul în care God of War II s-a terminat, cu Kratos alături de Titani în drum spre muntele Olimp. Cei care nu au jucat primele jocuri ar trebui să știe de rivalitatea care s-a născut între Kratos și Zeus la începutul lui God of War II, al treilea joc din serie fiind bazat pe ”vânarea” și înfrângerea zeilor rămași: Helios, Hermes, Hades și Zeus.
Jocul va avea un nivel de detaliu ridicat când vine vorba de lupte. Totul va fi mai violent, cu mai mult sânge, iar loviturile vor lăsa urme pe inamici. Noi mecanici de luptă au fost introduse în gameplay, de data aceasta fiind posibilă lupta cu până la 50 de inamici în același timp. Astfel au apărut unităţi de tip ”comandant” ce vor coordona soldatii de rând de pe front și le vor da un bonus de inteligență atât timp cât sunt în viață. De asemenea opțiunile în care Kratos poate să se debaraseze de inamici s-au înmulțit. Când un inamic este ”prins” de Kratos, acesta îl poate folosi împotriva celorlalți inamici, îl poate omorî pe loc sau chiar să îl folosească pe post de scut.
Inamicii mai mari pot fi acum folosiți pe post de ”vehicule”, iar lupta pe Titani pare să fie o mare parte a gameplay-ului din a treia parte God of War. Din trailerul lansat deja putem vedea cum Titanii pot afecta gameplay-ul, lumea prinzând verticalitate în momentul în care Kratos se află pe unul dintre ei, iar acesta începe să se miște.
Pe lângă noi abilități în luptă, Kratos va primi noi arme: Cestus, două mănusi imense în formă de capete de lei și un arc cu săgeți ce pot da foc inamicilor au fost anunțate, restul fiind ținute secret.
System Requirements*
Intel Processor –
AMD Processor –
Nvidia Graphics Card –
ATI Graphics Card –
RAM Memory –
Hard Disk Space –
Direct X –
(se vor completa cand vor fi disponibile)
5. Halo Reach
Data de lansare : Toamna 2010
Jocul urmareste actiunile echipei Noble,o trupa speciala a Comandamentului Spatial al Natiunilor Unite compusa din 6 supersoldati Spartani.Jucatorii isi vor asuma rolul locotenentului,un inlocuitor pentru un presupus membru mort al echipei Noble.Numele de cod al jucatorului va fi Noble Six.
Trailerul de la inceputul jocului ne arata cum planeta-colonie Reach (un important centru militar si minier din afara Sistemului solar al Comandamentului Spatial al Natiunilor Unite) este atacata de o forta de invazie extraterestra.
System Requirements*
Intel Processor –
AMD Processor –
Nvidia Graphics Card –
ATI Graphics Card –
RAM Memory –
Hard Disk Space –
Direct X –
(se vor completa cand vor fi disponibile)
4. Mass Effect 2
Data de lansare : 29 ianuarie 2010
La doi ani după ce Comandantul Shepard a oprit invazia Reapers, un nou inamic îşi face apariţia. La marginile universului “ceva” răpeşte întregi colonii umane. Acum Shepard trebuie să lucreze cu Cerberus, o organizaţie fără milă,(ce vrea ca rasa umană să supravieţuiască) pentru a opri cel mai mare pericol cu care s-a întâlnit omenirea.
El va trebui să adune cea mai puternică echipă din galaxie şi să preia comanda celei mai avansate nave construite vreodată. Chiar şi asa, i se spune că e o misiune din care nu se va întoarce. Shepard vrea să le dovedească contrariul.
Comandă o echipă de personaje uimitoare într-o misiune foarte periculoasă în colţurile universului.
Poţi importa salvările din primul joc Mass Effect pentru a continua povestea cu acel Comandant Shepard.
Te vei ascunde, vei da ordine şi vei utiliza peste 19 clase de arme, eliminându-ţi inamicii folosind un sistem de luptă nou şi îmbunătăţit.
Acum ai un nou sistem prin care poţi trage în puncte critice ale inamicilor, făcând membre să zboare şi capete să se rostogolească.
Vizitezi locaţii cunoscute precum Citadel şi vei merge în noi lumi pentru a salva omenirea.
Controlează conversaţia printr-un sistem îmbunătăţit de dialoguri unde poţi recurge chiar la intimidare şi violenţă fizică.
System Requirements*
Intel Processor –
AMD Processor –
Nvidia Graphics Card –
ATI Graphics Card –
RAM Memory –
Hard Disk Space –
Direct X –
(se vor completa cand vor fi disponibile)
3. Final Fantasy XIII
Data de lansare : 9 martie 2010.
Acest joc nu este un add-on, prequel sau sequel al vreunui joc din serie.
Intreaga poveste are la baza dorinta tuturor de a pune mana pe cristalele magice, un fel de inel al seriei Lord of the Rings. Protagonistul principal este un tanar print, ultimul supravietuitor al unei dinastii indelungate, care a stapanit si dezvoltat orasul pana in epoca moderna.
El este detinatorul ultimului Crystal, motiv pentru care se gaseste intr-un adevarat asediu. Regatul printului este mai dezvoltat din punct de vedere tehnologic decat lumea din jur, motiv pentru care se gaseste intr-un fel de auto-izolare. Cu ajutorul puterii cristalului, printul are posibilitatea sa controleze diferite arme fara sa le atinga si chiar sa se teleporteze pe distante scurte.
Final Fantasy XIII va avea o lume inchisa la culoare, fiind probabil jocul cu cel mai realistic decor din seria Final Fantasy. Jocul va folosi motorul grafic dezvoltat de Square Enix, initial numit White Engine si redenumit ulterior Crystal Tools.
System Requirements*
Intel Processor –
AMD Processor –
Nvidia Graphics Card –
ATI Graphics Card –
RAM Memory –
Hard Disk Space –
Direct X –
(se vor completa cand vor fi disponibile)
2. StarCraft 2 : Wings of Liberty
Data de lansare : urmeaza sa fie anuntata
Pentru a nu sacrifica nimic din potentialul epic al povestii din noul StarCraft, Blizzard a hotarat ca un singur joc nu este suficient pentru a dezvolta naratiunea, astfel incat StarCraft 2 Trilogy va fi compus din urmatoarele trei jocuri single-player distincte: 1. Terran : Wings of Liberty 2. Zerg : Heart of the Swarm 3. Protoss: Legacy of the Void Blizzard Entertainment a confirmat faptul ca fiecare dintre cele trei subcapitole ale lui StarCraft 2 va avea intre 26 si 30 de misiuni si un final bine definit.
Legiunile unităţilor de veterani, îmbunătăţite şi noi vor lupta în întreaga galaxie, fiecare fracţiune luptand pentru supravieţuire.
Wings of Liberty, va fi un joc neliniar, in care gamerii vor intra in rolul lui Jim Raynor, personaj binecunoscut din primul StarCraft. Cele trei rase din jocul original: Protosii, Terranii si Zergii vor reveni, nefiind adaugate altele noi.
La fel ca predecesorul, vor fi folosite scene cinematice intre nivele, pentru a continua firul epic al jocului. Imbunatatiri semnificative au fost aduse atat detaliilor legate de teren, cat si detaliilor legate de unitati si structuri. Povestea din Starcraft 2 are loc la patru ani dupa StarCraft: Brood War si aduce inapoi o serie de eroi precum Zeratul, Arcturus Mengsk, Artanis, Sarah Kerrigan sau Jim Raynor. Un editor complex pentru crearea campaniilor va fi inclus in joc, pentru a se realiza harti si moduri de joc personalizate. Unitatile care au fost scose din Starcraft I, vor putea fi introduse cu ajutorul editorului.
StarCraft II oferă o campanie in jocul de single unica , care preia povestea pe care a lăsat-o StarCraft: Brood War, şi prezintă o selecţie de eroi noi şi feţe cunoscute într-o frenetice-poveste de science fiction umpluta cu aventură şi intrigi. În plus, Blizzard va oferi din nou posibilitatea de a efectua jocuri de reţea unică prin Battle.net, serviciul online de jocuri renumit pentru companie, împreună cu unele îmbunătăţiri şi noi opţiuni pentru a face StarCraft un joc competitiv de strategie in timp real.
System Requirements*
Intel Processor –
AMD Processor –
Nvidia Graphics Card –
ATI Graphics Card –
RAM Memory –
Hard Disk Space –
Direct X –
(se vor completa cand vor fi disponibile)
1.Mafia 2
Data de lansare : trimestrul 2 al anului 2010
Mafia 2 o sa aibe o noua grafica, un nou motor, condusul masiniilor o sa fie mult mai usor si un story nou.
In Mafia 2 povestea o sa se petreaca pe parcursul a 10 ani, din 1940 – 1950, astfel o sa avem arme mai bune si masini mai rapide. In timp ce in 1920 masiniile nu puteau depasi viteza de 50 de km/h, in 1940-1950 avem deja masiniile muscle car si cele de curse.
Jocul o sa aibe un mod mai real de a te “lua la tranta cu legea”, astfel poti scapa mult mai usor de politisti daca nu respecti regulile de circulatie, politistul obosind, dar daca incepi sa omori oameni pe strada politistul o sa cheme intariri.
Povestea din Mafia 2 il are in centru pe Vito, fiul unui imigrant italian sarac. Tanarul incearca sa isi indeplineasca Visul American si primul pas pe care il face in aceasta directie este implicarea in Mafie, un univers care il atrage cu promisiuni de putere si bogatie. Vito il va avea alaturi pe Joe, prietenul sau din copilarie, si impreuna vor incerca sa “isi faca un renume pe strazile orasului rece si necrutator”,
Mafia 2 promite o experienta de joc la nivelul unui excelent film cu gangsteri, gameplay plin de actiune, posibilitatea de a trece din mediul exterior in interioare detaliate fara timpi de incarcare, o poveste palpitanta creata de autorul scenariului din Mafia I si muzica autentica ce va contribui la senzatia ca jucatorul “traieste” in America anilor 1950.
System Requirements*
Intel Processor –
AMD Processor –
Nvidia Graphics Card –
ATI Graphics Card –
RAM Memory –
Hard Disk Space –
Direct X –
(se vor completa cand vor fi disponibile)
Any season, around 70% of Americans have insufficient levels of vitamin D, but levels can drop even more in the winter months. UV-B radiation from the sun allows our skin to produce vitamin D, but when it’s cold out, some of us won’t get enough sun exposure. Certain areas of the US also have inadequate amounts of sunshine in the winter months anyway.
When it comes to getting enough vitamin D, diet becomes even more important in the winter. Research has shown that vitamin D plays a crucial role in activating the immune system, plus low circulating levels of vitamin D have been associated with increased mortality from cancer. Vitamin D also plays a role in protecting against heart disease, reducing inflammation and keeping blood pressure in check. Read more about vitamin D research at Science Daily.
Katherine Brooking — Registered Dietitian, writer, nutrition expert and co-host of msn’s “The Victory Project” — recommends boosting your vitamin D intake with calcium-fortified citrus juices like orange juice and fatty fish, such as salmon, mackerel, sardines and shrimp. She also suggests increasing consumption of dairy products like milk, yogurt and cheese fortified with vitamin D.
Other great sources of vitamin D you may have overlooked include mushrooms and eggs. Brooking mentioned that an egg, any style, contains 10% of your recommended Daily Value (DV) of vitamin D, while four or five white button mushrooms provide 4% DV. She recommends tossing some mushrooms into your salad or pairing them with your favorite protein for a nutrient boost.
Do you think you get less sun exposure in the winter months?
Guest contributor: Karen Collins, M.S., R.D., C.D.N.
Karen Collins holds a B.S. degree from Purdue and an M.S. degree from Cornell, both in nutrition. When she’s not writing or speaking, she conducts a private nutrition practice in Jamestown, New York.
Only about one-fourth of adults in the United States eat three or more servings of vegetables a day, according to a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report. This falls far short of the national objective that at least half of Americans reach this benchmark by 2010.
Yet it’s not just eating more that matters: fried potatoes (like French fries and chips) are the biggest single source of those vegetables. Fewer than 15 percent of adults meet recommended targets for dark green and orange vegetables, according to analysis by CDC researchers. To reach the nutritional benefits that can come with eating more vegetables we need to expand the variety of our choices.
Few veggies eaten, and not the best kind
The most recent CDC report compares overall fruit and vegetable consumption to the minimum standard for good health: two fruit and three vegetable servings per day. Based on self-reported eating habits from telephone interviews, the study shows that 27 percent of adults and just 13 percent of adolescents report eating three or more vegetable servings daily.
CDC researchers have also used a national survey with more detailed dietary information to investigate what kind of vegetables we eat. They compared people’s diets to the recommendations for optimum health found in MyPyramid and the USDA food guide.
These recommendations vary with calorie needs, estimated based on age, size, gender and activity level. Fewer than one in ten adults gets recommended amounts of dark green vegetables, and barely over one in 10 get recommended amounts of orange vegetables.
Specific goals range from two to three cups of dark green vegetables and one and a half to two and a half cups of orange vegetables per week. We could accomplish these goals by choosing a half-cup serving of each almost daily, or larger servings several times a week.
Health is in the colors
Why the focus on these particular vegetables? Dark green vegetables are major sources of potassium and magnesium, minerals linked with healthy blood pressure and blood sugar. Deep orange vegetables, such as carrots, winter squash and sweet potatoes, are loaded with beta-carotene and are often high in potassium, too.
Romaine lettuce, and even darker green leafy vegetables — spinach, Swiss chard, kale, collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens — offer not only beta-carotene, but other carotenoid cousins called lutein and zeaxanthin.
Lutein may help slow the development of age-related macular degeneration, a cause of blindness. Beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin all are powerful antioxidants that seem to play a role in blocking early stages of cancer development.
Dark greens also can supply a significant amount of the folate we need. Folate is a B vitamin that promotes heart health and helps prevent certain birth defects. Folate is also necessary for DNA production and repair; without that repair, damaged cells can develop into cancer. Watercress, arugula, bok choy, broccoli and kale are dark green vegetables in the cruciferous family that provide additional cancer-fighting compounds.
Orange vegetables are easy to include in stir-fries and stews and are delicious simply oven-roasted with a drizzle of olive oil and perhaps some herbs. Dark green vegetables with small tender leaves add zip to salads or sandwiches.
You can quickly stir-fry medium to mild-flavored greens in a bit of olive oil with garlic or sweet onion, though some like to add two to four tablespoons of broth at the end and cook just a few minutes to tame the somewhat bitter flavor.
Some chefs even suggest blanching stronger-flavored greens (such as turnip and mustard) for a minute or less in some boiling water before sautéing them. Dark green vegetables taste great served with a cruet of red wine vinegar or lemon juice-olive oil dressing on the side.
(This article was provided by the American Institute for Cancer Research in Washington, D.C. A registered dietician is available to respond to questions about diet, nutrition, and cancer at the free AICR Hotline at 1 (800) 843-8114 during business hours.)
The Apple tablet rumors are at a fever pitch, yet again. Depending on what you’ve read, it’s all but confirmed that the company’s got a January 26th event scheduled at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) in San Francisco, CA. All this, of course, with nary a word or comment from Cupertino HQ, and without the context that this trend has come and gone ad nauseam, both with the tablet and before with the years of lead-up to the iPhone. Here’s the latest bit: MacRumors has dug up information about a Delaware-based company, Slate Computing, LLC, that was founded in November 2006 and owns the trademark “iSlate,” the signatory of said trademark being Apple’s Senior Trademark Specialist Regina Porter. Given that Apple owns “iSlate” trademark in Europe and that the it’s allegedly pulled similar stunts with a “fake” company and the iPhone trademark, sure, we could buy into this being just a dummy corporation… but does it really confirm an impending tablet that’ll be called the “iSlate?” Not at all. We wouldn’t be surprised if Apple has done this for numerous other trademarks, either to give itself more options or to prevent others from trying to manufacture products under those names. (Slate Computing, LLC also happens to own the “Magic Slate” trademark, just so you know.) Also bought up in 2006? The domain iSlate.com, which again according to MacRumors (with help form Mark Gurman of AppleRejectedMe.com) was apparently and briefly shown to be owned by Apple at some point during 2007. Food for thought, but trust us, you don’t want to confuse hearsay for concrete fact.
Which brings us to December 24th, where we see a statistically significant uptick in Apple’s stock value. Seeing as the fiscals were released back in late October along with the last refresh of hardware (Mac Pro specs notwithstanding), it seems everyone decided to spend their holiday bonuses on some Apple shares. Now, we’re not claiming to be professionals here by any stretch of the imagination, but it seems a lot of the activity here can be attributed to the recent flux of rumors. Jason Schwarz of The Street has an interesting take on it, which if you’ve got 15 minutes to kill should be worth your time to browse through.
Speaking of brilliant photographs, my mom sent me two yesterday. The first one is her dressed in PJ’s reciting “Twas the Night Before Christmas” to her kindergarten class. I remember having to sing Christmas Carols as a kid but I stopped in seventh grade when I started declaring to my teachers “I’m Jewish – I don’t have to do this.” But kindergarten was probably fair game.
The second was her class picture from kindergarten.
I love looking at these old photographs, especially in digital form. In addition to being photogenic, my mother has integrated photography into her art. Regularly readers of this blog probably know that my mom is an artist (see a nice collection of her work on line at Studio 7310) but you might not know that she is a master with a camera and Photoshop. If you are into photography, take a look at two of her exhibitions: Faces and Places (4/5/08 – 5/3/08 at the Mesquite Art Center) and Near and Far (9/4/04 – 10/1/04 at 416westgallery).
PR Log (Press Release) – Dec 26, 2009 – Waukesha, WI – FESCO Direct LLC is proud to announce they have joined Focus on Energy’s Renewable Energy Market Provider Program. In addition to educating Wisconsin residents and businesses about the …
Aside from ideologues, hydrocarbon haters, Gaia worshipers, profiteers and power-grabbing politicians, most of the sentient world now realizes that the hysteria over global warming disasters is based on dubious to fraudulent temperature data, analyses, models, reports and peer reviews.
Climate Research Unit emails, HARRY_READ_ME.txt computer memos, and blatant tampering with Australian, Russian, UK and US temperature data make the scandal impossible to ignore or explain away. They certainly helped Copenhagen descend into an expensive, carbon-emitting gabfest, and cause China and India to reject any deal that would force them to curtail their energy generation, economic growth and poverty reduction programs.
Senator Barbara Boxer is an exception. Not only does she ignore the obvious. She is doing her best to divert attention from the scandal, circle the alarmist wagons, cover up the fraud, obstruct justice – and ram through yet another legislative power grab.
And I love that graphic. 10∞? That’s a big number. You’d think magnifying the Higgs by that amount would make it look bigger.
Anyway, read the whole thing, because it’s pretty funny. Of course, this is a joke, and Ebay will no doubt take it down soon, so look before it’s gone and you’re doomed to travel the Universe forever with your mass kicked.
Tip o’ the spin 1/2 lepton to BABloggee Martin Kielty.
Truth is not determined by majority vote. Any talk of a “consensus” in science is best not taken as the final word. As Somerset Maugham once put it, “If 40 million people say a foolish thing it does not become a wise one, but the wise man is foolish to give them the lie.”
Climatology is a science, not to be confused with environmentalism. The heart of environmentalism is not to be found in the natural sciences. It is ideology and nothing more. That is why it ends in “-ism.”
Environmentalism is itself not a monolith, but its dominant strand is distinctly statist in character. As such, its main nemesis is the science of economics, not climatology or any of the other natural sciences.
When I’m at my house in Keystone, I work my way through my infinite pile of physical books rather than reading on my Kindle. It’s always a mystery as to what has made it to the top of the pile (I don’t select anything particular – I just read whatever is “on top” and, since it’s an infinite pile, “top” doesn’t actually refer to any particular place in the pile. Two of the ones that I gobbled down in the past few days were spectacular.
If you are any sort of solo athlete (runner, swimmer, biker, triathlete) you must read Matt McCue’s An Honorable Run. This also goes for anyone that is a coach, a mentor, or an entrepreneur that has a mentor. It’s a great running story, a great coach story, a great human being story, and a great Colorado Buffs story. Plus, McCue is an excellent writer.
The other book, American Power, is by Mitch Epstein. Amy gave this to me as a present. You might remember Epstein by my review of his incredible book Family Business which Amy gave me about five years ago. The book inspired me to post a long essay about my dad’s dad (Grandpa Jack) which – after just reading the post again – brought me chills, especially against the backdrop of An Honorable Run.
Epstein is brilliant photographer. In American Power he travels the United States and takes photographs where he investigates the notion of power (both electrical and political). I love great photography when it is tied around a particular theme and Epstein just nails it. It is mostly photographs, but finishes up with a crisp essay about his experience of putting together the book, travelling the US, and running into all kinds of issues with cops and security guards as he photographs public buildings, or non-public buildings while on public property.
I’ve got another week up here to read a few more books from the infinite pile. You’ll hear from me if I read any other excellent ones.
We have now everything in place for a technology shift which can create Next Big Thing and investment opportunity of the century. Next Big Thing – is a Green Mobility Revolution based on electric cars. It will affect everybody on social and economic level. Electrification will make Right for personal mobility and driving possible without further damage to environment and we will be able continue to enjoy Freedom of Personal Choice even with depleting Oil reserves. Add to this mix Electric beauties like Fisker Karma Sunset above and chart comparison of energy consumption below and you have the receipt for the Next Big Thing in action. Now throw a dash of China, words like Lithium, REE and Energy Security – you can be sure this will lead to excitement and “pockets of explosive growth” even in the very slow economy in general.
Pike Research has put out a very good research paper which we can use as a matrix to analyse investment opportunities of all value chain involved in the market of Electric cars.
We came to the conclusion that our approach with investing in Lithium and REE as strategic commodities for the future and Green Mobility revolution has another confirmation from findings in this report.
We have discussed Lithium and REE investment opportunity with the Big Picture investment approach in our Macro View for Micro Caps. Now we would like to make a model of EV Value chain and analyse the investment potential of its different parts.
Our value matrix is based on the following integral parts of EV’s market:
1. EV Electric cars and Hybrids Production cycle.
Auto makers.
Here we will be looking for a newcomers into the sector which could provide an explosive growth in revenues from low base and respective valuation. We will be restricted to public companies. New coming IPOs could provide opportunities: like Tesla Motors. Asian connected players could provide another opportunity of a double valuation drive: growing markets and electrification shift. Chinese BYD will be the most famous example. We will note Tata Motors as well in this upcoming sector – problem here will be whether they will be able to overcome auto brand recognition and safety perceptions. Both companies are definitely well positioned in their respective markets, but conquering the West could be difficult and lead to the question whether they are going to make money or struggle fighting for the market share. This question will shadow all auto makers sector. In developed markets Nissan and Renault are the most active now in Plug-in space following by hopes for GM Volt. Toyota in the long run could actually have a problem with its soft hybrid focus: in our opinion all automakers will be in the price driven market trying to establish themselves as leaders in new promising sector: margins will be low and only few players will be able to maintain profitable business model based on producing electric cars. Toyota will be struggling fighting new comers in soft hybrid markets from all fronts notably Korean and Chinese producers. Soft hybrids are actually more expensive than CVs and EVs including Hard hybrids, if we will exclude cost for the batteries. Soft hybrid has a double powertrain: CV and EV combined. Toyota has got the initial traction with Prius before advanced Lithium batteries were developed, but in the future we expect to see cost of ownership for EVs including Hard hybrids like GM Volt going down and putting soft hybrid makers under further pressure. You have to be very selective on every company in this sector: Majors will be still driven by CV sales and even meaningful growth in EVs’ part of the business will be diluted in share performance. These automakers can actually decide to be very aggressive with EVs business model: they can lease batteries with a very attractive terms and accommodate pricing in order to squeeze all newcomers into the sector to gain a market share. National governments will make this process even more destructive for margins: they will support by all means national automakers and once success for EVs will be apparent moves in the affordability could be very dramatic. It will be extremely positive for our Next Big Thing and development of EVs’ Value Chain as a whole, but shareholders in these companies could wait for a long time to be actually rewarded. Brands which can position itself with pricing power could be the answer: Tesla and Fisker once public could be an example, but they will not be able to achieve economy of scale on the other hand. Once initial excitement for EVs will be settled and sales and profits will matter again you will have to do a very good homework in order to separate winners from the losers. Warren Buffett is a good example here: he has invested 250 million into BYD in Fall of 2008 and his stake was at 1 billion by Summer 2009. Another note for consideration there were more than 3000 automakers in the beginning of 20th century in U.S. alone, how many has left in the game you know from all bailout news this year. If you are not Warren Buffett with need to park a few hundred million dollars for a play you can get a better bang for your buck in our opinion in other parts of EVs’ value chain at this moment.
Auto Parts makers.
Asia rules the game here and low cost base will be the rule of the game, margins will be low – it is not our place to search for investment opportunity.
Auto Part makers specific for EVs.
This is where we will start to pay attention: while Toyotas, BMWs and Nissans will be fighting for consumer with billions in R&D cost for every car model, liabilities for safety and durability and never ending game of battles for the best design affordable for the announced price – in some sleeping town people could actually make money by producing something which all of them need in order to fill our streets with new beautiful electric cars.
Batteries.
It will be the obvious first thought. We can make it sound more complicated and put here Energy Storage Systems, but batteries will be the right message.
Number one, we will not discuss in depth Fuel Cells here. Cheapest car we saw is above 200,000 dollars and there is no Hydrogen infrastructure or even something close to its development. You will continue to hear about it as billions were spent and something was done with it. With our investments in Ballard Power Systems, Plug Power and Fuel Cells we could write couple of books on this technology, but it is not what support our exercise here. More on Electric vs Hydrogen can be found here. Last important note: Fuel Cell is producing electricity and is not an Energy Storage system – Mercedes Blue Zero Fuel Cell concept uses Lithium-ion battery as well.
Second, very important confirmation from Pike Research: Ultra Capacitors will not substitute the batteries, they will be used as a part of Energy Storage System to optimise its performance. Trend here will be in developing more advanced Lithium-ion batteries with range enough to cure “Range Anxiety”. Nissan is talking now about developing lithium battery with storage capacity enough for EV with range of 300 km.
Investment opportunities here will be connected to your ability to identify the technological winners in the end in function price/performance for the battery. Lithium batteries has became an industry choice, but particular chemistry and technological process of manufacturing will separate winners from losers. Pike Research expecting this market to grow exponentially from 800 million in sales to 8 billion by 2015. This is the place where money will be made, but who will make it? A123 or EnerDell? NEC or Panasonic after buying Sanyo? BYD or Sony? You got it right – we are at the mercy of technology here: who will be the Google of Lithium Batteries. For our game winner we need something new to make it big, not Sony where profit from batteries will be spread all over the revenues. But who will be able to compete with Nissan and NEC collaboration with 5.5 billion invested in developing Electric cars and 17 years spent on refining lithium technology? Who will take on Panasonic or Chinese BYD with low cost base and potential scale just in its location? But who will confirm that BYD will be safe and durable …and who can do it today?
Components and Metals used in batteries.
You already have a sense of our investment logic. We call it “Dragon Approach (TM)“. What will become the Next Oil for Electric cars in its meaning that most Electric cars will need regardless of their particular auto brand and even battery maker? Electricity will be an obvious answer and we will deal with it later. Second one will be, according to all industrial information at the moment, Lithium – as a metal chosen for base of EVs Battery’s Chemistry by the industry. As we have mentioned in our Macro View on Micro Caps – total market value of annual Lithium Carbonate sales is 800 million dollars with usage for batteries a little bit over 20%. There is no Electric Cars’ batteries in this amount as there is no EVs on the streets in any meaningful number yet. This is the place where growth will be explosive should our scenario for EV mobility revolution materialise. Driving force will be consolidation between auto makers and battery makers with rising Lithium prices to secure supply. Price of Lithium content in the battery cost is below 3-4%, it can rise 2-3 times before affecting the cost structure. We are interested here in a highly leveraged focused junior mining Lithium exploration and development plays. Majors like SQM, FMC and ROC are presenting only part of the compelling investment story with high market caps and only part of the revenue connected to Lithium. Rapid expansion will happen with aggressive juniors engaged in Lithium Exploration and Development play and new focused plays will get part of excitement here. We are looking here for the areas driven by Big Investment Trend, but to be small enough, so that money will be squeezed in among a few small aggressive players.
It is our second investment bottleneck. This investment area could have even more potential then very exciting Lithium opportunity itself. If in Lithium space resources are presented in more or less available form even in a tightly controlled market, REE market is controlled by China with over 95% of the market under its influence.
“If we decided to drive electric cars and charge their Lithium battery with wind, solar and other green power generated energy – time is study Rare Earth Elements. Every time you click on your Blackberry, iPhone or use your PowerBook you are at the mercy of all these elements.
There are Rare Metals like Lithium, Tantalum and Niobium among them and Rare Earth Elements: “The REE group is considered to include the 15 lanthanide elements: lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, promethium (does not occur naturally), neodymium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, and lutetium. The elements yttrium and scandium are also included as they have similar chemical properties, making 17 REEs in total.”Rare Earth ElementsMolycorp Video Neodymium magnet is at the heart of Green Energy Revolution – strongest rare earth magnet available it allows to make a smaller lighter and more powerful electric motors used in hybrids, electric cars and wind turbines.”
Expansion of production value chain including Electric Motors will guarantee strong Demand in the future based on Green Energy: Electric Motors with REE magnets technology will be in any form of Hybrid, Electric or Fuel Cell car with one thing in common: the most efficient form of energy conversion from electricity stored or produced on board to the torque at the wheels of this vehicle.
We agree with research report and do not see leveraged investment opportunities here. It will be the product of government investments and regulation, like in France at the moment – you have to incorporate charging points in any real estate development. Supermarkets and fast food chains will build it up to attract customers, utilities will provide it to comply with new regulations. better place – better think hard how to move in the value chain to stay in this game.
Smart grid applications for EVs.
It will be another technology game and big guys are moving into this space like GE, Google and Siemens. Place will be crowded. Whom they will be buying later?
This will be an area for a small business applications.
3. Electricity production cycle.
It will be the obvious area to benefit from wide accepted electrification of transpiration.
Nuclear – Uranium plays will be
back on the radar screens one day. Time to buy is when nobody cares.
Solar and Wind will have another comeback with new ability to integrate it into the Grid and Mobility applications. Time when you charge your Electric Car from your own Solar panel or community wind turbine will come.
A new era of electrified vehicles will soon be upon us. During the next decade, millions of vehicles that primarily run on electric power and are plugged in to be recharged will enter roadways.
During the next decade, millions of vehicles that primarily run on electric power and are plugged in to be recharged will enter roadways as the automotive industry slowly begins to wean itself from fossil fuels. While the transition will be slower than many individuals with concerns about climate change would like, the impact on auto manufacturers, battery makers, utilities, and smart grid companies will be profound.
Despite rapid growth in the sales of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and pure battery electric vehicles (EVs), the hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) market will continue to be the largest market for the foreseeable future. This combined market for electrified vehicles will represent just a small (2.5%) portion of the total vehicle market. Yet, it will require billions of dollars in investment in charging equipment and upgrades to the power grid to manage the additional load. In 2015, Pike Research forecasts that charging stations where drivers can plug in and recharge their vehicles will be available at more than 5.3 million locations around the globe.
Lithium ion (Li-ion) battery manufacturers are gearing up for the EV age by building new manufacturing plants and expanding capacity to provide the necessary millions of cells and packs. Pike Research anticipates that this expansion will create an $8 billion industry for batteries by 2015.
The EV revolution will have obvious impacts on the automotive industry and consumers. Deeper analysis reveals some trends that will influence the way vehicles are built and used. As such, Pike Research has identified 10 key trends to watch out for as the EV market takes shape.
1. The cost of owning and driving an electric vehicle is not likely to be cheaper than using gasoline.
Proponents of EVs suggest that driving on electric power will cost a fraction of using gasoline as fuel. The commonly quoted estimate is approximately 75 cents per gallon equivalent for electricity, or 3 cents a mile. Gasoline at $3.00 per gallon equals approximately 12 cents per mile.
However, these estimates do not include the premium paid for a PHEV/EV (and its batteries). The overwhelming majority (about 75% depending on miles driven) of the cost of driving on electric power is paid upfront in the form of the cost of the batteries and the electric drive train. These components can add up to 50% to the cost of the vehicle.
Driving on electric power can become cost-competitive or possibly offer some savings over gasoline driving only if consumers keep their PHEV/EVs for 7 years and nearly fully deplete and recharge their batteries daily. A sharp increase in the price of oil or levying of a significant gasoline tax could heavily weight the equation toward PHEVs/EVs. While the price of electricity is likely to grow only slightly during the next 5 to 6 years, the price of crude and gasoline in the coming years could rise sharply. Should gas stay above $5.00 per gallon for an extended period of time and the cost of vehicles drop, then electric driving power might become cheaper.
2. 2012 will be a critical year for the commercialization of EVs and plug-ins. The Obama administration and governments in Europe and Asia have provided significant financial support for the launch of mass market PHEVs and EVs. Billions of dollars in grants to automakers and battery companies to build or retrofit manufacturing plants have reduced the cost of the vehicles and have provided OEMs with greater flexibility in pricing.
Federal and state mandates to purchase electrified vehicles and consumer incentives of up to $7,500 will make purchases more palatable for early adopters. Historically, however, hybrid tax credits have had only a minor effect on increased market adoption.
The U.S. federal government’s commitment to avoiding the demise of the auto industry and developing green jobs in the United States is providing a temporary crutch. A reduction in this financial commitment could remove a vital safety net. By 2012, many of the consumers most interested in and able to purchase PHEV/EVs will have purchased vehicles.
The remaining group of consumers interested in driving on electric power is likely to require vehicles that are much more cost-competitive with conventional vehicles. At the same time, the impact of government subsidies and incentives on supply and demand is likely to begin declining. New or extended government support could depend on the recovery of the global economy and the political efficacy of additional government spending in an election year.
For these reasons, 2012 and into the following year could be a “make or break” period for the EV industry. Automakers are looking to EVs to jumpstart sales across their lineups by bringing customers into showrooms. They need to identify and convert consumers and fleet owners interested in electrified transportation. Thus, their focus should be on successfully marketing the EV driving experience – not on the cost of driving, which at that time is likely to favor gasoline.
Battery suppliers that expand manufacturing capacity during 2010-2011 in anticipation of a rapidly growing market will have to generate sufficient revenue to cover operating expenses. Overcapacity of battery production could drive down prices. This price decline would result in less expensive vehicles and spur sales, but could also impact the viability of U.S. battery manufacturers. If the EV market falters, battery manufacturers will likely expand sales to the grid storage sector, which has shown an interest in acquiring batteries with similar technology.
3. Despite the arrival of PHEVs, the hybrid market will continue to grow by adding a greater variety of subcategories, from micro hybrids to hybrids+.
The hybrid vehicle market will grow out in both directions by offering new levels of fuel efficiency. According to the Pike Research report, Hybrid Electric Vehicles for Fleet Markets, the hybrid market will surpass 1 million units in annual sales in 2014. Saving fuel by turning off the engine when the vehicle is stopped (known as “stop-start”) will be incorporated into dozens of new models, some of which will be classified as mild or micro hybrids and some as conventional vehicles. Among the technologies used for stop-start will be larger lead acid batteries and generators that are significantly less expensive than Li-ion batteries.
Ultracapacitors, which have a much greater power density and longer lifecycle than Li-ion batteries, will be introduced into hybrid vehicles. They will be used alongside Li-ion batteries due to their greater ability to store energy without building up heat and their more efficient storage of regenerative braking energy.
The low energy density of ultracapacitors excludes them from consideration as a primary energy storage solution for extending vehicle driving range. This can extend the life of the batteries by reducing the number of times the batteries must be accessed for short bursts of acceleration. Ultracapacitors will also be used in place of batteries in mild hybrid applications, which do not require extensive energy storage.
As the price and size of Li-ion batteries decrease, hybrid manufacturers are likely to add battery capacity to allow consumers to drive longer distances on battery power without plugging in. This development will eventually encroach on the market for PHEVs, but not for several years. Advances in Li-ion batteries in terms of power and reductions in cost will also benefit HEVs, which will begin to shift from Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) technology.
4. The plug-in hybrids of 2020 may not resemble the plug-ins of 2010.
A plug-in hybrid can be designed to provide sufficient battery storage to enable the majority of consumers to complete their daily driving on battery power alone on most days. Due to estimates that vehicle owners drive 13,000 miles per year, automakers designed many of the first wave of PHEVs with the ability to travel 30 miles or more on electric power only.
The Chevrolet Volt is a well-known example of a PHEV that seeks to satisfy the approximate 80% of drivers estimated to commute 33 miles per day or less. However, Pike Research believes that the assumption that PHEVs should be built to satisfy a very broad audience is likely flawed because the target audience represents a small percentage of vehicle buyers. The first wave of PHEVs requires a premium of $10,000 or more due to the expensive Li-ion batteries. According to a recent consumer survey conducted by Pike Research, just 17% of consumers would be willing to pay a premium of 20% or more for a PHEV.
If a significant consumer audience fails to embrace the initial class of PHEVs because of the cost, it is likely that automotive OEMs may shift to designing vehicles with a shorter all-electric range and smaller, less costly battery packs. These vehicles would be priced more competitively against today’s hybrids and they would enable drivers to significantly reduce the number of refueling trips.
For example, a PHEV with a 10 or 20 mile range would enable nearly 60% of all drivers to complete their daily journeys without accessing the gas tank, according to our research. “Right-sizing” the battery packs would also require less space, giving engineers more flexibility in designing the vehicles. EVs provide even more flexibility in the design phase because there’s no engine. When the consumer tax credits for the purchase of PHEVs (based on the size of the pack) passed in 2008 are exhausted, OEMs will have less incentive to create PHEVs with larger battery packs.
5. The Li-ion batteries sold with the first EVs may have little to no resale value.
Automakers agree that for PHEV/EVs to become mass market transportation, the cost of batteries must rapidly fall to $300 per kWh or less. But a quick decline in the cost of energy storage will hamper the ability to resell batteries sold in 2010-2011 at the end of their useful life. Pike Research estimates that the cost of Li-ion batteries will fall by more than half to $470 per kWh by 2015. By then, auto OEMs will be able to price plug-in vehicles more competitively with conventional models.
This steep decline in the cost of new batteries in future years will equally depreciate the residual value of EV batteries, which some companies have proposed could be sold to the stationary energy storage market. In addition, the ability of Li-ion batteries to store energy will degrade over time. The range of today’s PHEVs when new may be noticeably depending on how the batteries are cared for and how the vehicle is driven.
For automakers that lease EVs and PHEVs and the consumers who purchase them, the best time to resell the batteries might be never. Vehicle owners that would spend thousands of dollars for new batteries with a small increase in driving range would be making a poor investment. Attempting to sell the batteries at the end of their useful life is likely to yield only a small fraction of the original investment. Keeping the batteries until their performance is unacceptable or new batteries become relatively inexpensive may be the best option. Leasing vehicles (thereby avoiding the question of selling batteries) is a less risky alternative.
6. Asia will be the dominant supplier and consumer of EVs and batteries.
Asia is projected be the global leader in EV and battery production and consumption in the transportation industry during the next half decade and beyond. The governments of China and Japan have pledged to rapidly move their automotive industries toward electrified vehicles through aggressive goals for production, the creation of charging infrastructure, and incentives for consumer purchases.
More than 1 million electrified vehicles (including hybrids) will be sold in Asia during 2015. The Asian Li-ion battery market, powered by Japan, Korea, and China, is projected to surpass $4 billion in 2015, which will represent a 53% market share. China will be the largest player internationally, as the government has pledged to produce 500,000 electrified vehicles per year. The country’s expertise in cost-effective manufacturing will provide an advantage in ramping up domestic sales, as well as in selling internationally.
Since only a small percentage of EV owners in China will have access to vehicle charging at home, the ratio of charging stations to EVs will be higher than in other regions. The government’s commitment to success is evident in its invitation to foreign companies to help build China’s charging network.
Asia will continue its leadership in Li-ion innovation and manufacturing. The companies that succeed with the second generation of battery technology are likely to secure a dominant position for the future
7. Battery swapping is not likely to be a significant industry.
Fully recharging depleted PHEV/EV batteries can take 2 to 8 hours depending on the type of charging equipment used and the size of the battery pack. Drivers looking to travel hundreds of miles may not want to wait that long before recharging. Better Place of Palo Alto, California is one of the few companies that envisions building battery swapping stations that avoid lengthy recharge times by exchanging batteries in about the same time it takes to fill a gas tank.
These stations could cost as much as $500,000 each for the machinery to automate the process. To facilitate a fast exchange of batteries, automotive OEMs would have to standardize the location and size of the battery packs so that they can be easily removed and installed. Such standardization is unlikely to happen because automakers want to customize their battery systems.
While several governments in Asia and the Middle East have expressed interest in the battery swap station concept, the high cost of the equipment prevents it from becoming widely adopted. The constraints it would impose on vehicle design and are too great to be adopted by many manufacturers, and the amount of return on the investment in hardware is too little. Auto industry executives have expressed strong reservations about battery swapping in the United States.
8. Operating commercial EV charging stations will not be a very significant or profitable industry.
The arrival of electric vehicles requires the construction of a network of geographically dispersed charging stations that will provide ready access to electricity and alleviate consumers’ “range anxiety” fears. EV owners are expected to recharge their vehicles primarily at their residence or workplace and rely on public and private charging stations as secondary resources when traveling on longer trips. The majority will purchase home charging stations due to the convenience of being able to plug in overnight.
Public charging stations operated by municipalities and parking garages will provide charging for free (to encourage environmentally sensitive “emissions-free” driving) or at minimal cost because the electricity consumed when recharging a vehicle is relatively cheap.
Recharging a PHEV would cost less than $1 in most states, while an EV would require approximately twice that amount. The expected availability of inexpensive and free charging will make it difficult to operate commercial charging stations profitably. Since standalone charging stations can cost from $2,000 to $40,000 to build, even very active charging stations that require a significant premium for charging would require many years to gain a return on the investment.
The majority of standalone charging stations will be publicly funded for environmental and economic development reasons, or built by retailers that give away the electricity to attract the more affluent EV owners. Most of the revenue for commercial stations will come from value-added services, such as point-of-contact marketing services.
Indirect revenue will result from transactions completed inside. Examples of locations expected to provide charging stations include restaurants, big box retailers, and movie theaters. Level 3, also known as rapid charging, will be relegated to a niche industry because the equipment can cost up to $50,000 per station. Moreover, rapid charging can negatively impact battery life.
9. The grid as a whole will accommodate and even benefit from EV charging, but some neighborhoods with multiple EVs could overwhelm transformers.
The additional demand for electricity from EVs is not likely to have an impact on the performance and reliability of the power grid as a whole. Even with 1 million vehicles plugging in every day, the amount of additional electricity consumed will be less than one-half of 1%. However, if actions are not taken to encourage off-peak charging, utilities may have to add resources during early evening hours to meet increased demand in some regions with high concentrations of EVs.
Most people will likely plug in their vehicles at the conclusion of their workday, usually between the hours of 4:00 and 8:00 p.m. Charging will take between 2 and 7 hours depending on the charging equipment and percentage of the battery that is depleted. This trend has the potential to add to the load during peak hours and extend peak demand later into the evening, possibly until midnight. Utilities are expected to develop incentives that would prompt most consumers to delay charging until 10:00 p.m., thus minimizing the impact of vehicle charging during peak times.
The weakest links in providing power to EVs today are the small transformers that provide power to three to five homes. Charging several vehicles simultaneously through a transformer can overwhelm it, causing it to fail. Most of the transformers in place do not automatically notify utilities of failure. Customers will have to report this type of power loss, which requires a service technician to replace the transformer.
10. Vehicle to Grid services will be minimal in 2015 and beyond.
The concept of Vehicle to Grid (V2G) power interaction is one in which EVs complement the grid by becoming distributed energy resources. Vehicle batteries act as temporary storage devices that can provide power to the grid during times of peak demand. They can also store surplus energy from wind and solar power. While several pilot projects are now underway, V2G installations will remain niche applications. Such installations will be limited primarily to centrally charged vehicle fleets for the foreseeable future.
Utilities are not prepared to manage the thousands of batteries that would be required to meaningfully impact peak demand. Tracking mobile power resources distributed throughout a service territory will require creating new applications and the installation of communications services. Most utilities are currently unwilling to invest the money and resources needed to manage V2G services.
In addition, automotive OEMs are reluctant to allow batteries to be used for anything besides powering vehicles. The impact of the additional charge cycles on Li-ion batteries is not fully understood today. Since automotive OEMs would not receive any financial benefit from secondary uses, they are unlikely to cover any V2G application under the warranty.”
Lyon, who is also the subject of the forthcoming book Fatal System Error by Joseph Menn, says that while the Internet has provided the platform for much success, it is still imperfect and needs to change. 
Being an Apple blogger must do something strange to your brain, because instead of having “visions of sugarplums” dancing in my head on Christmas morning, I was thinking about what cool features an 
Guest contributor: Karen Collins, M.S., R.D., C.D.N.
. This also goes for anyone that is a coach, a mentor, or an entrepreneur that has a mentor. It’s a great running story, a great coach story, a great human being story, and a great Colorado Buffs story. Plus, McCue is an excellent writer. 
