The future used to hold so much promise. Flying cars. Atomic robots. Space travel to distant galaxies. These days though, the future still holds promise, but many problems too, like the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that will affect the environment for decades even after it is eventually capped. Just the tip of the iceberg, really. And while 15 years may not seem that far away… think about how much different the world is today than is was in 1995.
President Obama is looking ahead though. Whatever your opinion of the guy, he is undeniably trying to shape the country not just for today, but for the future. After securing a 35 mpg standard for cars by 2016, Obama is pushing for even higher standards through 2025.
It doesn’t look like I’ll get flying cars or atomic robots anytime soon, but the 35 mpg standard is an important first step towards getting more fuel efficient cars and new technologies on the road. Some have criticized the 35 mpg standard as not high enough, or with too many loopholes and tax credits. Yet if we didn’t give automakers sufficient time to create and test new technologies, like plug-in hybrids and hydrogen vehicles, we might end up with a bunch of half-baked solutions that would be nothing but headaches.
Do you possess strong analytical and technical skills and would you like to become part of a young and successful organization operating in one of the fastest growing industries in the world? Then we need you to help our client meet their ambition to become the world’s leading advisory within renewable energy.
The company:
With offices in Denmark, USA and China provides clients worldwide with independent and professional advice about the wind industry. Delivering advisory services, such as market entry strategies, supply chain assessments and M&A projects, to customers from the entire value chain: manufacturers of components and wind turbines, utilities and financial investors. They also publish research products to a wide range of subscribers who wish to be up-to-date with the latest development in the industry. In all their work they rely on the integrity, insight, experience and skills of their employees and are now looking for a talented and highly motivated Senior Technical Advisor to join the team in Denmark.
The position: as Technical Advisor together with the Management, you will be responsible for developing and maintaining a technical and qualified knowledge base in the company, enabling the contracting and execution of complex technical research and advisory services for clients. You will also be involved in the development of the company strategy and you will perform your duties in accordance with the strategy and guidance from the management.
In your daily job you will focus on technical issues in connection with advisory services and also contribute to the research publications issued by the company.
Key parameters:
To ensure a successful combination of technical and commercial competencies in the advisory team and to consolidate the technical advisory capability.
You will participate in professionalization, internationalization and improvement of the efficiency of the company products during the growth foreseen in the coming years.
Profile:
You hold a degree as Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering or similar relevant degree and have at least 5 years of experience with wind turbine technology, preferably from working for a wind turbine manufacturer or an engineering company engaged in wind turbine technology.
Your specific technical experience could be in rotor controls and blade design technology, drive train technology or structural engineering and structural dynamic loads engineering. The application areas could be in regards to developing wind turbines, validating performance and quality, performance optimization or construction and production management.
International experience would be an advantage.
You are fluent in English both orally and in writing and are comfortable working against deadlines which is a natural element of the work undertaken.
The client expects that you are a skilful and visionary strategist and have an analytical approach to the tasks, combined with a strategic mindset. You are innovative, well-structured and able to systematize and elaborate presentable documentation. You are self-assured, result oriented, on time, respected and extrovert.
What’s on offer:
A professional career opportunity through an open and defined career process. The speed and direction is matched with your ability and ambition. The management encourages and supports development as the employees are the assets of the company.
They offer a competitive and professional remuneration package including, among others, bonus, pension, and health care schemes.
More about the client:
Strategic advisors in global wind energy
The demand for energy in the emerging economies is expected to double by 2030, fuelled by economic growth in China and India. Existing sources of energy supply are becoming depleted, and are insufficient to meet these countries’ growth in demand, resulting in large increases in imports, in competition with North America and Europe. Moreover, the price of conventional energy sources is escalating, thus jeopardising the security of the energy supply in net importing countries.
Wind energy is ideally positioned to lead the charge towards the target of sourcing a higher percentage of energy needs from renewables. Wind power not only has the potential to satisfy the increasing energy demand, it is also a significant and vital stimulus for local economies.
With the new generation of MW wind turbines and offshore power plants, and ever-changing legislation in the various countries around the world, executives face an overwhelming volume of relevant data that they must deal with and apply astutely if they are to implement successful strategies within the renewable energy sector.
With extensive experience from the wind industry, our team has the detailed insight and market intelligence sourced from our international network guaranteed to provide your company with high quality strategic advice.
Key areas of expertise:
• Market assessment
• Supply chain dynamics
• M&A – DD and advisory
• Project development
• Project implementation
• Operation, maintenance and service (OMS)
Market assessment
Our clients demand information about specific markets or regions in order to make qualified strategic decisions. The consultancy constantly monitors the global wind market, enabling us to provide our clients with market forecasts, an analysis of the legal and political frameworks in the various countries (and the implications thereof), the opportunities and risks involved, the competitive dynamics and landscape facing players, business modelling and entry/exit strategies.
Supply chain dynamics
Decisions about where to source supplies are complicated by transient local factors, amongst other things. We can facilitate such decisions with relevant recommendations concerning production footprints, procurement strategies, value chain positioning, business modelling and capacity forecasts by reviewing the sourcing opportunities, mapping the suppliers and the competitive landscape and conducting make/buy analyses.
M&A – DD and advisory
M&A can be a complex issue, requiring in-depth research into the target company’s background and potential. We are an independent, unbiased partner you need to screen investment opportunities, conduct target analyses, perform due diligence studies and be your exclusive advisor with regards to the competitive dynamics and landscape, allowing your organisation to draw well-informed conclusions.
Project development
New projects involve considerable logistical calculations and assessments of the market and legal environments. Our consultants can help with portfolio screening, project valuation, entry strategies and value chain positioning.
Project implementation
Wind projects are becoming larger, more global and more complex. Our clients seek clear, explanatory advice on how to implement their wind projects with regards to organisational development, profit protection tooling and strategic agreement modelling.
Operation, maintenance and service (OMS)
Once a wind project is up and running, a whole new set of challenges arises. We deliver business matrix development, strategic maintenance agreement modelling, benchmarking and entry/exit strategies based on analyses of the legal, political and financial issues, the market situation, risk management and the transmission and storage options. This provides your organisation with an added value proposition, enabling you to achieve your strategic targets and business objectives, and guaranteeing the availability of facilities.
2010 Hummer H3 – Click above for high-res image gallery
Would the last one out the door please switch off the lights? The long strange trip that has been the Hummer brand is just about over for General Motors. The final ever production H3 rolled out of GM’s Shreveport, Louisiana factory on Monday May 24, 2010 on its way to an Avis rental car outlet. As you may recall, GM had actually stopped assembling H3s in mid-2009 as it went through bankruptcy, but it resumed production recently in order to fill an 849 unit special order.
GM tried to sell the Hummer brand to Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machines Co., Ltd but the deal ultimately fell apart last February. A subsequent offer from Raser Technologies also went nowhere. Now that production has ceased, 200 of the 900 remaining employees at Shreveport will be laid off by July and the rest of the Hummer staff back at headquarters in Detroit is either leaving or being reassigned.
As if they weren’t scary enough, scientists have discovered that sharks can become invisible to prey/you using an optical trick. Not scared yet? Well, one of the invisible shark species is nicknamed the phantom hunter of the fjords. Run. Now. More »
[JURIST] The Obama administration on Monday backed a proposal that would prevent a repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy [10 USC s. 654; JURIST news archive] from taking effect until the completion of a comprehensive review of the repeal’s effects. The amendment to the Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2010 [texts, PDF] would prevent the repeal from taking effect until the Department of Defense [official website] completes a review to determine what effects the repeal would have on military effectiveness, soldier retention, and family readiness. In order for the repeal to take effect after the review’s completion, the president, secretary of defense, and chairman of the joint chiefs of staff must sign and transmit to congressional defense committees a certification stating that the review has been considered and the recommended policy changes have been implemented. In the letter [text, PDF] sent to the chief sponsors of the legislation expressing the administration’s support of the amended legislation, Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag [official profile] said:
the Administration is of the view that the proposed amendment meets the concerns raised by the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The proposed amendment will … ensure that the implementation of the repeal is consistent with standards of military readiness, effectiveness, unit cohesion, recruiting and retention. [S]uch an approach recognizes the critical need to allow our military and their families the full opportunity to inform and shape the implementation process.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates [official profile] had initially urged Congress to delay repealing the ban until the completion of the review, but has backed the amended repeal legislation [POLITICO report]. A CNN poll [results, PDF] released Tuesday found that 78 percent of American adults believe that homosexuals should be able to serve openly in the military. A vote on the proposed legislation is expected as early as this week.
In March, Gates announced changes to the enforcement [JURIST report] of the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy to make it more difficult to expel openly gay service members from the military. Also in March, Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) introduced the Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2010 to the Senate [official websites]. The repeal of the controversial “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy has been an important issue for President Barack Obama since he took office, and its inclusion in the State of Union Address [JURIST report] reaffirmed it as a top priority for the administration. In January, legal advisers for Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen [official profile], suggested that he delay any internal efforts [JURIST report] to repeal the policy until 2011.
Cocoa Pebbles has gotten itself into a pickle after allegedly using Hulk Hogan’s likeness without permission in its “Cocoa Smashdown” commercial, which premiered earlier this year. The wrestling legend has filed suit against Post Foods, the makers of the cereal, because he believes the company patterned their animated character Hulk Boulder — a muscle-bound fighter that takes on Fred and Barney in the ring, only to be defeated by Bamm-Bamm — after him. Here’s where things get wonky: Early in his career, Hulk Hogan used the name Boulder, changing it only after WWE founder Vince McMahon convinced him to adopt an Irish moniker.
According to a federal lawsuit filed last week, Hulk “is shown humiliated and cracked into pieces with broken teeth, with the closing banner, ‘Little Pieces…BIG TASTE!’” Additionally, the ’80s icon — whose real name is Terry Bollea — markets his own line of Hulkster burgers for Wal-Mart, which he claims have been financially affected by the “unauthorized advertisements.”
What’s interesting about the Ford Fiesta’s new marketing from Team Detroit isn’t so much the minute-long TV spot (above) that broke last week on American Idol (it looks like the opening number in a Broadway musical) or the webisodes about the Fiesta’s perks (the world doesn’t need any more zombie jokes) but rather the research they’ve put into their multicultural approach. Small cars are popular with Latinos and young people of color. Ford has embraced this. Its "Inspired by Color" program included a casting call at Howard University, where hopefuls "dressed in a Fiesta-inspired way." The five finalists will appear in a new spot on BET. Ford is also reaching out to bilingual and Spanish-dominant customers with digital ads and social-media presence. Since a lot of auto marketing is as white and bougie as it gets, Ford gets points for not being totally clueless and for trying to reach out to minority consumers on their own terms. It’s certainly come a long way from its founder’s beliefs, at least.
PalmCast Live tonight featured the triumphant return of Derek Kessler – truly, it will be a momentous occasion worthy of a place in the annals of history. Also, we will talk about Palm, webOS, and all them crazy tablet rumors.
Got some free time at 8pm Eastern tonight now that you can’t watch Lost anymore? Come join us right here, we can’t promise we’ll answer any long-standing questions, but we can promise that [Lost spoiler preemptively removed]
I read a post from a woman being treated for osteoporosis. She said a good test for a calcium supplement is to put it in a glass of white vinegar (same pH as a stomach ) for 20 min to see if it dissolves. Is this really a good test for a calcium supplement?
I tried it and hardly any of my calcium tablet dissolved in that time. If this does matter can you recommend a vegan calcium supplement that will break down either tablet, powder or liquid?
Answer:
For some background, according to Advanced Nutrition & Human Metabolism (1999), the pH of the stomach is about 2.0. According to Krause’s Food, Nutrition, & Diet Therapy (2000), it ranges from 1 to 4. Vinegar tends to be about 2.0 to 3.0.
“Calcium must dissolve in your stomach before it can be absorbed in your intestines and then used by your body. A USP symbol on the label of a calcium supplement means that is it will dissolve in your stomach. If your supplement does not have a USP symbol, you can easily test it to find out if it will dissolve. Simply put the supplement into a glass of clear vinegar. This creates an acidic environment much like that of your stomach. Stir the solution occasionally. If the calcium supplement disintegrates within 30 minutes, it should dissolve in your stomach, too. If the supplement does not completely dissolve, choose an alternative calcium supplement.
“If you are taking acid blockers for indigestion, reflux or other gastrointestinal conditions, your body may use calcium citrate better than other calcium compounds. Acid blockers reduce the acid in your gastrointestinal tract that is usually required for calcium absorption. However, unlike other calcium compounds, calcium citrate does not require an acid environment for calcium absorption.”
I did a test with my Trader Joe’s Calcium Magnesium & Zinc supplement, which uses calcium carbonate – I broke one tablet in half and put it in 1/5 cup of apple cider vinegar. After 8 minutes it was completely dissolved.
“The two main forms of calcium in supplements are carbonate and citrate. Calcium carbonate is more commonly available and is both inexpensive and convenient. Both the carbonate and citrate forms are similarly well absorbed, but individuals with reduced levels of stomach acid can absorb calcium citrate more easily. Other calcium forms in supplements or fortified foods include gluconate, lactate, and phosphate. Calcium citrate malate is a well-absorbed form of calcium found in some fortified juices [8]. The body absorbs calcium carbonate most efficiently when the supplement is consumed with food, whereas the body can absorb calcium citrate equally effectively when the supplement is taken with or without food [9].”
GS to Lure in Younger Buyers to the Buick Brand Canadian Auto Press
We all said it was a no-brainer, and obviously General Motors and particularly the product planners behind its Buick brand agreed. Not only would a hopped-up Regal be a great sport sedan that should find its share of enthusiast drivers, but it also could serve to further gloss up the division’s staid and conservative image and thus attract the younger crowd that will allow the brand to thrive well into the future.
Buick Regal GS
Buick has been steadily revitalizing that image and therefore pulling in younger buyers since the inception of its full-size Enclave crossover, and more recently its all-new LaCrosse luxury sedan. A four-cylinder LaCrosse will drop the price of entry and attract an even younger crowd, but 2011 will see the introduction of an all-new Regal to the lineup too, a smaller, lighter, four-cylinder powered sedan which, like the LaCrosse, finds its roots in Europe’s Opel brand.
A sport sedan worthy of European enthusiast’s interest is Opel’s Insignia OPC, so Buick dressed up a version with Regal design cues and threw it at Detroit auto show goers last January, to much praise, but the General was quick to quell queries as to production by stating it was nothing more than a concept, and that it wouldn’t see the light of day. The show car looked production-ready, mind you, with 20-inch performance-oriented rims and tires that filled out its wheel cutouts with newfound purpose.
Fingers were still crossed, however, and this week Grand National fans got their wish. A report comes in from The Detroit News that has Tom Stephens, Vice Chairman of Global Product Development for GM, confirming the Regal GS for production, and that it will likely arrive in a showroom near you some time next year.
Obviously performance specifications can’t be had for a car that hasn’t even been officially announced, but we know what the Opel has under its hood and what the Buick show car sported beneath its; a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder with 255 horsepower and V8-like 295 pound-feet of torque!
At least as exciting is its six-speed manual transmission, not to mention its all-wheel drivetrain that will all but eliminate torque steer and provide better all-weather traction. The Regal GS also boasted Interactive Drive Control, a system that lets drivers opt between normal and sport modes, plus a special GS mode that transfers greater torque to the rear for more tail wagging fun.
Additionally, the Regal GS concept received a thoroughly revised front fascia, reworked rocker panels, an upgraded rear deck lid plus cool new twin tailpipe outlets. Some updates to the interior offered a sportier appearance while sport seats planted driver and front occupant more securely in place, prepped for tackling the twists, turns and undulations the GS promises to be capable of straightening and flattening.
It’s too early to tell whether the production Regal GS will be identical to the concept, although being that the concept largely reflected the Insignia OPC already on the road in Europe, it’s likely what we saw in Detroit we’ll see again in roadworthy trim come November in LA or once again at January’s Detroit show.
The Regal GS and its more conservatively trimmed siblings will certainly go far to expand the brand into new Buick territory, which causes one to speculate as to which Opel model will get the three-shielded crest treatment next. With Saturn being the recipient of Opel goodness previously and that brand having gone the way of Pontiac, RIP, it was largely expected that Saturn’s green icon would get the nod for Buick. A compact crossover the likes of the stylish and nicely finished Vue would have fit into Buick’s lineup with ease after a few minor styling modifications, the trademark waterfall grille being first and foremost, whether conventionally powered or enhanced by electricity, yet the latter would not only have bought Buick the younger generation it so desperately wants and needs, but also the ever-growing environmentally conscious crowd who, like performance zealots that will ante up for the Regal GS, makes decisions that go beyond their wallets. Just why Buick decided not to opt for the Vue when it had the chance, and by so doing get “regular” and plug-in hybrid variants, is the proverbial enigma wrapped in a conundrum, as it would have also gone to further placate Washington. Nevertheless, Opel will bring to market another generation of Antera, and from that a Buick skinned model will likely result and progress the brand into the all-important compact crossover segment.
Next in line would seemingly be a premium compact based on Opel’s Astra, a car that Saturn imported as-is without even upgrading it with options like OnStar. By so doing it went after a Teutonic compact icon, Volkswagen’s Golf, and lost spectacularly. If Buick goes down market with a compact model, following the lead of its main premium competitor, Lexus, we’d be safe to bet it will receive significant Americanization before it crosses the Atlantic. A move into this critically important class, however, must be on the minds of Buick’s execs, especially with most premium players in the game already or on their way to the field.
Lastly, there are rumblings about a new Opel Calibra coupe to be based on the Insignia/Regal architecture, which also underpins the larger LaCrosse. If built, instead of a GS version of this two-door Buick might consider GN, for Grand National, or better yet, GNX. Either way, a two-door hardtop would fit well into the Buick lineup, with historic nameplates available ranging from Somerset at the lower end to Riviera at the top-end.
For now Buick performance fans will have to satisfy themselves with the Regal GS, a much more useful and hardly less enticing alternative.
Viacom’s case against Google and YouTube looks worse and worse each passing day. While we weren’t that impressed by Google’s mentioning the fact that Viacom tried to buy YouTube, back when the initial filings for summary judgment became public, as more details come out, this point actually highlights many more problems with Viacom’s claims that YouTube was just a “video Grokster” that thrived on infringing uses. In fact, it looks like Viacom execs were literally trying to push each other aside in trying to get YouTube for their own uses:
MTVN CEO Judy McGrath telling M&A execs: “Help us get YouTube. We cannot see it go to Fox/NBC” and “I want to own YouTube. I think it’s critical asnd if it goes to a competitior!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Even if we have to buy it with a partner to keep it below the line.” Then-Viacom CEO Tom Freston:”If we get UTube…. I wanna run it.” McGrath: “You’ll have to kill me to get to it first.”
The e-mail that starts that last exchange between Freston and McGrath is more about Viacom than YouTube. “We know what to do. I know this SUCKS its MADDENING that the revenue isn’t there when the content is….but we will fix it and get the stock back up. ‘Accretive’ digital acquisitions and a big idea or two. Fast.”
Does that sound like execs talking about a company that is sucking them dry through infringing uses? Furthermore, it takes away much of the strength of Viacom’s claims that Google is responsible for all this infringement because it bought YouTube knowing all this. Would Viacom begin suing itself if it had gotten its act together and bought YouTube?
Even more damning is the email exchange between Viacom General Counsel, Michael Fricklas, and Jason Hirschhorn:
“Mostly, YouTube behaves–and why not–user-generated content appears to be what’s driving it right now. Also the difference between YouTube’s behavior and Grokster’s is staggering. while the supreme court’s language IS broad; the precedent is not THAT broad.”
Yes, that’s from the guy who’s now trying to convince the world that YouTube was a “video Grokster” and that it survived solely on infringing content. Ouch. Viacom is trying to diffuse those claims by saying that Fricklas was simply ignorant at the time (way to throw your GC under the bus…). Funny, of course, that’s it’s perfectly fine for Viacom execs to make statements and later retract them, but Viacom harps on statements by YouTube execs, that are taken totally out of context, as if they’re gospel.
Separately, Fricklas has put out a “statement” on the case that reads like a blog post without a blog. It seems to highlight how this has really become more of a PR war than a legal war. Fricklas’ argument falls down on numerous accounts, though. He compares YouTube to LimeWire, despite astounding differences between the two — when even he knows the difference is “staggering.” But the most ridiculous of all is the following:
Google is the world’s leading search engine with a self-proclaimed mission to organize the world’s information. However, when it comes to videos on YouTube, Google cynically claims that search is too difficult for them to execute effectively.
That’s blatantly untrue and Fricklas knows it. No one is claiming that the search is too difficult. They’re claiming that determining whether or not the content is infringing is too difficult, and that’s supported by Fricklas’ own inability to know which clips were infringing and which were uploaded by Viacom itself. If your own General Counsel can’t tell what’s infringing and what’s not, how is it even close to reasonable to suggest that Google should be able to figure it out?
Also, the following is pretty low and also misleading:
Google claims it could not tell whether Viacom had authorized specific clips on YouTube — and misleadingly and falsely implies that we’re suing on clips we posted. The reality is simple: we are not suing about clips we posted.
No, it’s not suing over clips it posted… any more. But the original lawsuit did include such clips until Viacom realized this and dropped those clips from the lawsuit. Pretending that never happened is simply trying to rewrite history.
Here in the United States, people are all atwitter about Craig Venter’s announcement last week of a new “synthetic cell,” and whether it constitutes creating life or simply a nifty new step in genetic engineering. Across the pond in the U.K., however, there are increasing rumblings of a more practical matter: Whether the patents that Venter is seeking to protect his work will bring a chill to genetic engineering research elsewhere.
Dr Venter’s [team] has applied for patents on the methods it used to create the new organism, nicknamed Synthia, by transferring a bacterial genome built from scratch into the shell of another bacterium. Synthia’s genetic code contains four DNA “watermarks”, including famous quotations and the names of the scientists behind the research, that could be used to detect cases of unauthorised copying [The Times].
Nobel winner John Sulston is the main man sounding the alarm (pdf); he argues that Venter is trying to obtain a “monopoly” on a range of genetic engineering techniques, which would prevent other researchers from freely experimenting with those methods. He’s also a familiar adversary to Venter. The two butted heads a decade ago when scientists were rushing to sequence the human genome.
Craig Venter led a private sector effort which was to have seen charges for access to the information. John Sulston was part of a government and charity-backed effort to make the genome freely available to all scientists [BBC News].
Venter found himself in another intellectual property vs. public domain flare-up in 2007, when a Canadian organization called the ETC Group challenged patents that Venter’s company, Synthetic Genomics, tried to file on the artificial microbe his lab had in development. After that public fight, Nature Biotechnology recognized the need for commercial biotech firms to protect their work, but called on national organizations and non-profits to continue putting as much DNA information as possible into the public domain so that research doesn’t get bogged down in a sea of legal battles.
This time around, the response from Venter’s organization is much the same as before: Relax, everybody.
In response to Sulston’s latest broadside, a spokesman for the J Craig Venter Institute told the BBC, “There are a number of companies working in the synthetic genomic/biology space and also many academic labs. Most if not all of these have likely filed some degree of patent protection on a variety of aspects of their work so it would seem unlikely that any one group, academic centre or company would be able to hold a ‘monopoly’ on anything” [Nature].
These fights will go on, and that’s a good thing: We need innovators, and we need agitators. While Venter’s work will push genetic engineering forward, and will likely make oodles of cash in the process, Sulston and others can keep questioning the balance of information power so it doesn’t all end up in once place.
Más allá de lo que ya os hemos comentado sobre el pasado Salón del Automóvil Ecológico de Madrid están modelos que o bien fueron presentados en salones anteriores o bien ya están muy vistos, como el caso del Tata Nano eléctrico. Además, están los prototipos que todavía les queda un tiempo hasta pasar a fase de producción o fabricantes más pequeños o menos conocidos en España que intentan hacerse un hueco.
Mención aparte merecen curiosidades como la presencia de Porsche, que hacía varios años que no aparecía por una feria del automóvil española. La marca de Stuttgart presentó las variantes diésel e híbrida de la nueva generación de su Cayenne. También resulta extraño que Renault trajera, una vez más, la flota de sus prototipos Zero Emission (a excepción del Kangoo Z.E. Concept), cuando las variantes definitivas del Fluence y el Kangoo ya las publicó el mes pasado.
Con respecto a prototipos, Madrid acogió a los Audi A1 e-Tron Concept, A8 Hybrid Concept y el e-Tron presentado en el Salón de Detroit de este año; el prototipo experimental Ford Focus BEV (si bien el óvalo azul tiene pensado lanzar en 2012 una variante eléctrica del nuevo Focus), el Kia Sorento Diesel Hybrid Concept, el Mercedes-Benz F800 Style Concept, el Opel Flextreme GT/E, los Peugeot 3008 HYbrid4 Concept y SR1 Concept, y el Seat IBE Concept.
Asimismo, hubo algunas pequeñas marcas que producen o experimentan con modelos eléctricos que querían darse a conocer en la muestra de IFEMA. Una de ellas es Tecnalia, una Corporación Tecnológica de carácter independiente y privada, cuya sede se encuentra en el Parque Tecnológico de Vizcaya, y con cuyo director de Comunicación de la Unidad Sistemas de Innovación, Antonio Bardosco, estuvo hablando Highmotor. El producto que presentaron es un coche llamado Dynacar, el cual se ofrece a otras empresas como plataforma de investigación y desarrollo de tecnologías para vehículos eléctricos.
El Dynacar posee un motor eléctrico con el que pasa de 0 a 100 km/h en 5′7 segundos. Se alimenta por unas baterías de litio que le otorgan una autonomía de 70 kilómetros. En concreto, Tecnalia lleva a cabo proyectos que analizan nuevos sistemas electrónicos, arquitecturas de tracción eléctrica y programas informáticos de simulación. No obstante, la división de Tecnalia dedicada a la automoción tiene muchas más líneas de actividad: desarrollo de materiales plásticos y composites, nueva maquinaria de fabricación, adhesivos y conformados o reciclaje.
Otra de estas marcas es la india REVA, con mucha experiencia en otros países de Europa y que ahora entra en el mercado español, a través del distribuidor Suministros Eléctricos Bolaños en Madrid, con dos modelos totalmente eléctricos. El primero es el REVAi, un microcoche de tres puertas y cuatro plazas (las de atrás solo aptas para niños) catalogado como cuatriciclo. Posee un motor de 13 kW (casi 18 CV de potencia) y un par motor de 52 Nm con el que alcanza hasta 80 km/h, y que está unido a una caja automática.
Sus baterías de plomo ácido reciclables le dan una autonomía de 80 kilómetros. Para recargarlas, además de usar la frenada regenerativa, se puede enchufar a cualquier toma de 220 voltios, con la que tarda ocho horas en volver a llenarse del todo. Su equipamiento cuenta con ABS, sistema de retención en pendiente, reproductor de CD MP3, climatizador de asientos, aire acondicionado y calefacción, cierre centralizado o asientos y volante de piel. Su precio es de 11.421′81 euros incluyendo IVA, transporte y descuento del Plan MOVELE, si bien hay que añadir los 200 euros de matriculación.
El otro modelo es el BEEPO, un pequeño camión, también clasificado como cuatriciclo, de dos plazas y disponible con caja abierta (Pick Up) o cerrada (Cargo Box). Su motor eléctrico de 15 kW (20 CV) le permite ir hasta a 60 km/h y la autonomía de sus baterías AGM es de 75 kilómetros. También se pueden recargar en tomas de 220 voltios y se tarda seis horas en completar el proceso. Su capacidad de carga es de 550 kilogramos y su precio es de 13.651 euros contando con el IVA, transporte y descuento MOVELE, además de los 200 euros previamente mencionados.
Finalmente, hay que señalar que otras marcas del Salón quizás estuvieran un poco fuera de lugar, pues no tenían ningún modelo verdaderamente ecológico pero fueron por presentar alguno nuevo o alguna edición limitada. Os dejamos con las fotos:
Salón del Automóvil Ecológico de Madrid 2010: Otras marcas
Google said today that the effects of its search and advertising businesses helped generate an estimated $54 billion in economic value for the United States last year. The assertion is clearly an attempt to promote the company’s value at a time when it’s coming under fire from legislators for its size and market clout in a number of areas — as well as some of its privacy-related behavior — and is fighting the telecom companies on the issue of net neutrality.
Google based its analysis on a number of assumptions, Chief Economist Hal Varian explains in a video (embedded below), including how much revenue businesses generate from search-related advertising via Google AdWords, combined with the amount that Google pays publishers that take part in Google AdSense, as well as an estimate of the value generated for businesses when someone clicks on a regular search result. It then added to this figure the amount that it donates to non-profits through the Google Grant program, which provides up to $10,000 worth of advertising for charities.
For example, Varian said, Google estimates that advertisers make $2 in revenue for every $1 they spend on AdWords (the company recently made public the revenue split for AdWords and AdSense). Google also tried to estimate the value of clicks on search results: Varian said that on average a search result gets about 5.3 clicks for every click on an ad, and the company estimates that advertisers get about 70 percent as much in revenue for each click on a search result as they get for each click on an ad.
Although he didn’t say how much Google pays its AdSense partners, Varian said that the bottom line from all these estimates is that companies get, on average, $8 in profit for every $1 they spend with Google. As a result, it believes that the average economic impact is eight times its AdWords revenue in each state, plus the amount spent by Google in AdSense payments and the value of Google Grants (maybe the company should have to subtract the estimated productivity decline from its recent Pac-Man playable logo).
There’s no way to determine whether the company’s estimates are correct, of course, since the parts of the equation that matter most are based on figures Google doesn’t release publicly. But it’s interesting to see the search giant trying to quantify its value to the economy (a full version of the report with a breakdown by state is available here). Whether it will help Google in its lobbying attempts in Washington is a much bigger question.
The next attempt to shut off the flow from the leaking BP well in the Gulf is still aimed to occur early Wednesday. The attempt will use the “top kill” method to try and kill the well. While I have described this in earlier posts, the Unified Command have put out a video animation of the process, and there was an earlier diagram. So I am going to use these, which are simplified explanations, with some additional comments and tie it in to more facts that came out of briefings today, to try and give a more detailed explanation. Here is the animation:
Before the process could begin, however, it was necessary to significantly modify the blow-out preventer (BOP) that sits on the top of the well. For those interested (its a bit like watching one of the operations on the space station) BP has assembled a short (5 minute) selection of the video footage of the various steps. When watching it, you should bear in mind that the ROV’s carrying out the different steps have to operate in a relatively crowded environment.
The tasks to be done included removing, modifying and replacing the control box (or pod) that operates the valves that open and close the flow lines into the choke and kill lines on the well. Other than this, the flow lines to the flow and choke lines themselves had to be replaced with the feed lines (shown in the animation) that will carry the mud into the well. Even tightening a fitting that had worked loose takes time, when it has to be done using an ROV (with the operator at the surface needing to see what he is doing while getting the ROV to hold the necessary wrench and turn the fitting). The old feed lines then had to be cut from the BOP, and replaced.
ROV image showing the control pod fitting being tightened
This involved * cutting off the choke and kill line connectors * Cutting the bolts on a flange * Removing the clamp * Removing the pipe flange end * Buffing and cleaning the pipe end * Preparing to attach the new jumper lines. (This had to be done for each feed line) * A special hydraulic connector attached to the 150-ft jumper cables was used to latch onto the old inlets. This is slow work (as the video shows) and as a result this part of the work has taken seven days. (The jumper shown in the video was attached on the 16th and chained down into position on the 17th.)
When the connections and fittings have all been made and checked, and the control pod operation validated, and the necessary permits from MMS and others obtained, then the process can begin.
The process will be controlled from the Q4000, which is designed to have the capabilities needed. Two lines feed from the vessel to the BOP. The first carries the control feeds through an umbilical, while the second is a riser that carries the mud down to the flexible hoses and jumper lines into the BOP itself. This mud, at about twice the density of water, will be delivered from the two high-pressure Schlumberger MD 1000 mud pumps made by Schlumberger and will flow through the two feed lines that were the choke and kill circuits, into the well itself, below the main rams of the BOP.
The pumps will deliver the mud into the lines at a pressure of 6,800 psi, but as Kinuachdrach has correctly noted, it will then acquire the pressure from the full 5,000 ft column of mud as it flows down to the BOP, and enters the flow channel carrying the oil. Now we know that the BOP rams are at least partially closed. If they are planning on using golf balls for the “junk shot”, it is feasible to surmise that the maximum width of the flow channel is no more than a third of a golf ball diameter. Not arguing the merits of American vs British ball sizes, let us assume that this is roughly half-an-inch (though it may have a greater length).
However, as flow volumes go up it requires more and more pressure for the fluid to get through a small gap. And at a given delivery pressure, only a certain flow volume will thus be able to escape that way. As long as this pressure exceeds that in the well, the net result will then be that the mud begins to push the oil and gas back down the well, and the well fills up with mud. The weight of that mud should then be enough to exert a pressure on the bottom of the well that is enough to exceed the fluid pressure in the rock and therefore stabilize the well and stop the flow of fluid out. Cement can then be pumped into the well to seal the top end. (Or with the flow stopped, another BOP can be put on the well to seal it). The main worry is that the hole in the top of the BOP is small enough to contain the additional flow volumes, and not allow the entire flow to escape upwards rather than being forced down the well. The higher flows might, in addition, if they do exit the riser, further erode the openings. This could increase the oil flow, as it lowers the resistance. (If this happened then the LMRP will be deployed).
There are, however, a number of caveats to this operation. If the pressure in the well gets too high it can cause fractures in the rock at the bottom of the well, and this can cause the mud in the well to flow into the rock, rather than sitting in the well holding the pressure against the oil pressure.
There are also concerns with the condition of the bottom of the well, and whether this will have any impact on the flow of mud back down to the well and in sealing it.
Suttles said BP could not be certain but diagnostic tests on the well seem to indicate the flow is not coming up the main bore.
The well also contains obstructions that are restricting the flow rate.
It is impossible to know for certain what those obstructions are, Suttles said, but cured cement and rocks from the formations that crews drilled through could be partially clogging the well.
If the top kill fails, then the next step will be to cut off the riser, and use the top hat that is sitting on the sea bed near the well, to capture the flow in the LMRP option.
Were it me, I might contact Atlas Tocco and have them look into connecting up an induction heating coil around the outside of the bottom of the riser section. It might give them the occasional additional bit of heat on the inside surface that might be needed to dislodge any inconvenient crystals that might form, without interfering with the internal flow channels.
As a point of scale for the video from the riser leak, the amount of dispersant that is being ejected into the water is about 14,000 gallons a day or about 10 gallons a minute (quarter of a barrel roughly). A 5,000 bd flow is around 150 gals/minute.
This came from Doug Suttles teleconference in which he noted that BP have now spent around $800 million. He noted that oil levels in the water near the well are being measured at 10 ppm (parts per million), against an EPA limit for oil discharge which is 15 ppm. However it is early in the monitoring cycle, and with a fleet of government sampling vessels now starting to work, the plumes and oil dispersant paths will be mapped in more detail in the weeks ahead.
The 5 inch Android tablet Dell Streak, is giving away impressive features that only an Android device can be capable of. It has been claimed to be the most awaited product of Dell. The product would be available in the United States later this summer.
Here are the Software Features for the Dell Streak:
1. Google Android operating system and software stack for mobile devices. It includes middleware and key applications. A multi-touch version of the said operating system is expected. It also features Dell user-interface enhancements.
2. The Android Marketplace gives you access to over 38,000 applications (and growing). Android Market is an online store developed by Google for Android device softwares. The Android Market is preinstalled on most Android devices and allows the user to browse and download applications.
3. Integration through Touchdown made possible. Touchdown is the world’s first solution on accessing Exchange Server emails, calendar and contacts on Android devices.
4. Google Voice supported capability. Google Voice is a telecommunications service developed by Google. The service is roughly based after Google’s e-mail service, G-mail. Users are only required to establish a U.S. telephone service to be able to activate Google Voice.
5. Google Maps and voice-activated search. Gives a wider view of streets and satellite views. Google Maps: the free web mapping service application and technology developed and provided by Google that gives power to many map-based services on the web.
6. Quick access to streams and/or application widgets like Twitter and Facebook.
Some of the biggest names in comedy will honor Tina Fey when the side-splitting SNL alum is awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center in Washington on Nov. 9.
The 40-year-old Emmy winner — whose comedy talents brought us the box office hit Mean Girls and hilarious impressions of Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live — is the youngest person to ever win the nation’s top humor prize, The Associated Press said Tuesday.
“I am truly thrilled to receive this honor,” Fey exclaimed in a written statement. “I assume Betty White was disqualified for steroid use.”
Fey joins previous Twain Prize recipients previous winners Bill Cosby, Steve Martin, and Lily Tomlin.
Description: We had two of the big daddy Expedit book cases and were using them with Lekman bins as a dresser. As you can see, it’s not so hot looking to be able to see all of your clothes and such through the plastic, so we decided to make fronts. We bought foam core board, and cut them to size. I bought some really cheap cream burlap (like 2 bucks a yard) and we used a spray mount to cover the boards with fabric.
Then we hot glued them to the front of the plastic bins.
I ordered some vintage nobs on ebay. We poked holes in the center of the boards and used a super ghetto combination of washers and cardboard to connect them through the center holes of Lekman boxes.
Does that make sense?
Voila…super sleek looking storage with no socks showing through. Go ikea!
The future used to hold so much promise. Flying cars. Atomic robots. Space travel to distant galaxies. These days though, the future still holds promise, but many problems too, like the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that will affect the environment for decades even after it is eventually capped. Just the tip of the iceberg, really. And while 15 years may not seem that far away… think about how much different the world is today than is was in 1995.
Here in the United States, people are all atwitter about Craig Venter’s announcement last week of a new “synthetic cell,” and 
