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It’s a fact that every automaker is keen to jump on the green bandwagon these days. Same goes for Jaguar who have decided to render some hybrid commuters by 2013 or 2014.

There are no precise details available about the hybrid Jag, but experts believe that this Jaguar hybrid will be powered by a 3.0-liter V6 turbodiesel engine and a 35kW electric motor, both mated to an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission. From what we’re hearing, the Jaguar XJ will be the one that will break cover with this touted green set-up — and if Jaguar insiders are right, in the future this green set-up could find a place under every Jaguar’s hood minus the X-type.

[via carmagazine]

Facebook has launched a new mobile site aimed at a very specific market. Dubbed 0.facebook.com, the new site is labeled as being fast and free. It’s an even more stripped-down version of the regular Facebook mobile site and it is being offered only through operators with which the social network has partnered. The main … (read more)

For those out of the know, the new Aston Martin One-77 is a limited edition supercar — only 77 units slated for production. As exclusive as it may sound, 10 of these scorching speedsters have been ordered by some crazy fanatic hailing from the middle-east. That is surely a whopping order as the guy is paying $17M for 10 units and the speculation is that each of these 10 cars will get a unique exterior color and cabin. The new Aston Martin One-77 features a 7.3-liter V12 engine capable of producing 700bhp, and can hit a top-speed of 355km/h.

That’s another reason why I hate being poor. Don’t you ?

If you’ve ever been annoyed by the impatiently waiting for an office building elevator, this might just be the perfect building for you. Each of the new elevators installed by Mitsubishi Electric in Umeda Hankyu Building’s new office area in Osaka, Japan measures 11.2 x 9.2 feet in area by 8.5 feet high (3.4m wide, 2.8m long and 2.6m high), thus allowing for a whopping 80 person capacity…
Continue Reading Mitsubishi Electric installs elevators to carry 80, possibly the world’s largest

Tags: Building,
Electric,
Elevator,
Japan,
Mitsubishi

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Being a single, childless (as far as I know), male my experience with baby strollers is largely limited to trying to avoid parents using them as battering rams at my local shopping center. That task could get a whole lot tougher if the Roller Buggy gains widespread popularity. A simple pull of the lower body extends a platform and transforms the Roller Buggy from a run-of-the-mill baby stroller into a scooter that lets parents transport baby around town at breakneck (hopefully not literally) speed…
Continue Reading Roller Buggy – the baby stroller/scooter hybrid for kids on the fast track

Tags: Baby,
Scooter,
Stroller,
Transport

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Ryan McBride wrote:

When celebrity Regis Philbin talked up the benefits of Zeo’s sleep tracking device on his TV show last June, the Newton, MA-based startup sold more than 1,000 units within three days, says Dave Dickinson, the firm’s CEO.

Zeo, founded as Axon Labs in 2003 by three Brown University students, is nearly a year into marketing a system for consumers that detects brain waves to record the length and quality of their sleep. Sleep-deprived journalists like The New York Times‘ David Pogue gobbled up the story last year, sending early adopters to what was the only place to buy Zeo’s Personal Sleep Coach, the Internet. Yet the firm faces the same hurdles that have tripped other consumer tech makers trying to navigate between an initial publicity bump and commercial success.

This month Zeo’s first infomercials aired, providing the startup a new means of enticing the masses to buy. In June, the firm plans to release its first iPhone app, which gives users of the system a new way to view their sleep data. (Users are already able to upload their sleep information to their personal accounts on the firm’s website.) The jury is still out, however, about whether the product is destined for lasting stardom. Dickinson says that so far the company has sold thousands of its products, but he and other executives refused to provide exact sales figures.

Colin Angle, co-founder and CEO of iRobot, has been advising the team at Zeo since 2005 and is a director of the startup. Angle came to the aid of Zeo in 2005 after his Burlington, MA-based robotics firm had made millions of dollars with the Roomba, a robotic vacuum cleaner for the consumer market. He says that the adoption of Zeo’s product hasn’t been …Next Page »

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The design principles and style behind the new Alfa Giulietta are discussed in this video (in Italian, but you get the picture). From the overall shape of the car to the classic Alfa grille and badge at the front, we get a full tour of the new vehicle.

As designer Lorenzo Ramaciotti says, the Giulietta turns a new page for Alfa and many fans are hoping it will mark a new era at the Italian brand company. While Ramaciotti talks of the design, and there’s no denying this a good looking car, the first Giulietta test drives would indicate that it is also a pleasing car to drive. See the marketing pics with Uma Thurman below, and check out our test drive pics here.

The latest Neuropod podcast tackles deep brain stimulation, blast injuries in soldiers, fibre-tracking brain scans and a group of hungover neurologists on an early morning run, in coverage from the recent American Academy of Neurology conference. In fact, it’s one of the best Nature Neuroscience podcasts I’ve heard in ages.

There’s also a fascinating bit about the history of phrenology by neurologist Daniel Schneider. Phrenology was the curious 19th practice of ‘reading bumps’ on the head to divine someone’s character based on the flawed idea that differences in brain structure would affect skull growth.

Schneider has searched medical and non-medical publications of the time and found, contrary to the belief that the practice was simply a fashion among the public, that the medical profession was more approving of the idea than the general populace.

As the practice was started by medical men it seemed respectable and gave a tool to help explain some scientific questions of the time, even if it didn’t live up to its promises.

As an aside, I note from the scientific programme of the meeting that neuropsychologist Brenda Milner was presenting some of her latest work on the recently departed amnesic patient HM.

It was pointed out to me that Milner is 92. Respect to that.

Link to Neuropod homepage.
mp3 of this podcast.

Just in case you weren’t aware that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the Gundam figurines, Bandai has teamed up with Japanese network Softbank for a limited edition Gunpla phone. More »










Gundam – Bandai – Anime – Japan – Model

Indiana Representative Mark Souder admits having had an adulterous affair with staffer, Tracy Meadows Jackson then resigns.

Rep. Mark Souder, a Republican Congressman known to be conservative and supportive of family values , said on Tuesday that he will resign from Congress on Friday.

The eight-term congressman said he have “sinned against God, my wife and my family by having a mutual relationship with a part-time member of my staff.” According to some sources, their affair began after Jackson joined Souder’s district staff in 2004 and suspicions came during the primary campaign when anonymous tipsters called Souder’s aides and his opponent.

“I am so ashamed to have hurt those I love,” Souder announced in his Fort Wayne office. “I am so sorry to have let so many friends down, people who have fought so hard for me.” Souder did not identify the staff member.

Mark Souder has been married to Diane Souder for 36 years and they have three children. Tracy Meadows Jackson is also married to a successful homebuilder and Kosciusko County Commissioner.

Related posts:

1. Mark Souder Affair With His Staffer Results In Resignation
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The 2010 NBA Draft will take place on June 24, 2010 at 7 pm ET on ESPN. The First 14 picks were decided at the NBA Draft Lottery.

For the First Round:

1. Washington Wizards
2. Philadelphia 76ers
3. New Jersey Nets
4. Minnesota Timberwolves
5. Sacramento Kings
6. Golden State Warriors
7. Detroit Pistons
8. Los Angeles Clippers
9. Utah Jazz (via Phoenix, New York)
10. Indiana Pacers
11. New Orleans Hornets
12. Memphis Grizzlies
13. Toronto Raptors
14. Houston Rockets
15. Milwaukee Bucks (via Chicago Bulls)
16. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Denver, Charlotte)
17. Chicago Bulls (via Milwaukee Bucks)
18. Miami Heat
19. Boston Celtics
20. San Antonio Spurs
21. Oklahoma City Thunder
22. Portland Trail Blazers
23. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Philadelphia, Utah)
24. Atlanta Hawks
25. Memphis Grizzlies (via Denver Nuggets)
26. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Phoenix Suns)
27. New Jersey Nets (via Dallas Mavericks)
28. Memphis Grizzlies (via LA Lakers)
29. Orlando Magic
30. Washington Wizards (via Cleveland Cavaliers)

Second Round:

31. New Jersey Nets
32. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Minnesota Timberwolves)
33. Sacramento Kings
34. Golden State Warriors
35. Washington Wizards
36. Detroit Pistons
37. Milwaukee Bucks (via Philadelphia 76ers)
38. New York Knicks
39. New York Knicks (via Denver, LA Clippers)
40. Indiana Pacers
41. Miami Heat (via New Orleans Hornets)
42. Miami Heat (via Toronto Raptors)
43. LA Lakers (via Memphis Grizzlies)
44. Portland Trail Blazers (via Chicago Bulls)
45. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Houston Rockets)
46. Phoenix Suns (via Charlotte Bobcats)
47. Milwaukee Bucks
48. Miami Heat
49. San Antonio Spurs
50. Dallas Mavericks (via Oklahoma City)
51. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Dallas, Minnesota and Portland)
52. Boston Celtics
53. Atlanta Hawks
54. LA Clippers (via Denver Nuggets)
55. Utah Jazz
56. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Phoenix Suns)
57. Dallas Mavericks (Pick may be conveyed to Indiana.)
58. LA Lakers
59. Orlando
60. Phoenix Suns (via Cleveland Cavaliers)

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You heard it right! AT&T have finally given their approval to allow their bazillion or so iPhone users to hook their computer up to AT&T’s magical data waves, tether stylee.

Tethering was first introduced as an option in iPhone OS 3.0, but AT&T wouldn’t let US users get in on the laptop-on-iPhone action, for fear that their network would explode. So, up until this point, tethering has strictly been an international affair, despite AT&T’s looming promise of “soon“.

While I’m not directly affected by this issue (I’m Australian, and don’t own an iPhone), it’s not like you guys haven’t been waiting like a million years or anything, so I’m happy for you. No, really. *hugs*

If you’ve updated to OS 4.0 beta 4, and you’re not seeing the tethering option, just reset your network settings, and everything should be hunky dory.

[via Gizmodo]

Did May 6th frighten or excite you? I received a few emails from frightened dividend investors letting me know they were getting out of the market, while others asked if this was the beginning of another significant downturn. The first group are destined to always lose money in the market (sell low/buy high) and my answer to the second group was,  ‘I hope so!’ Let me explain.

As a long-term dividend investor I love buying blue-chip companies when they go on sale and there is no underlying fundamental business reason.  If you can buy a Ferrari at the price of a Camaro, most people would consider that a good thing, but for some reason many long-term investors fret whenever there is a major clearance sale on the stocks they want to own.

I keep a list of great stocks that I would love to buy or add to my current position.  Here are a few on that list:

Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP) | Yield @ Buy Price: 3.57%
Buy Price: $38.11 | Recent Price: $41.80 | Premium: 9.68% | Analysis

International Business Machines (IBM) | Yield @ Buy Price: 2.18%
Buy Price: $119.11 | Recent Price: $131.19 | Premium: 10.14%

Pepsico, Inc. (PEP) | Yield @ Buy Price: 3.04%
Buy Price: $59.28 | Recent Price: $66.07 | Premium: 11.5%

Genuine Parts Company (GPC) | Yield @ Buy Price: 4.68%
Buy Price: $35.04 | Recent Price: $41.25 | Premium: 17.7% | Analysis

Eaton Vance Corp. (EV) | Yield @ Buy Price: 2.59%
Buy Price: $24.67 | Recent Price: $32.80 | Premium: 32.93%

If the market drops, there is no need to panic if you are a long-term, buy-and-hold investor. While others are content to give away their stocks, I will pull out my wish list and see if any of my targets ready for harvesting.

Full Disclosure: Long ADP, PEP, GPC. See a list of all my income holdings here.

(Photo Credit)

The seventh installment of the famous shooting game Call of Duty will be released on November. Call of Duty: Black Ops full uncut trailer has been released by Treyarch today.

Call of Duty is a first person and third-person shooting video game series that began on PC, then later expanded to handhelds and gaming consoles like PS, Wii and Xbox. The Call of Duty video games are published and owned by Activision. Call of Duty: Black Ops is developed by Treyarch.

The uncut trailer has a series of in-game shots from the game’s locations like Cuba, Vietnam, Italy and other countries as well as a few of the gameplay elements. It takes place during the Cold War in 1968.

Call of Duty: Black Ops uncut trailer also features the exciting plot and intense gameplay that gamers will experience. Viewers will also witness the birth of the Elite Special Forces and participate in off-the-record missions using unconventional weapons to get the job done.

Watch Call of Duty: Black Ops – World Premiere Uncut Trailer

Related posts:

1. Now airing: Call of Duty Black Ops trailer
2. Call of Duty:Black Ops World Premiere… Action-Packed Trailer!
3. Watch Call of Duty Black Ops Trailer Now: Update

Rik was the first of a few of you to send in the news that the mayor of London, Boris Johnson, is claiming that London will be fully covered by WiFi in time for the 2012 Olympic games. Of course, considering that the UK Parliament just passed the Digital Economy Act, which calls for carefully limiting access to the internet for people accused (not convicted) of infringement online, it makes you wonder how that’s going to work. Even if Ofcom has said that the DEA rules won’t initially apply to wireless providers, it does seem a bit odd to have the government offering a service like this. Once again, we’re seeing how the government has these two competing issues that don’t play well together: getting more broadband availability, while looking to help out the entertainment industry by kicking people off the internet at the same time. Who will be the first Olympic athlete kicked offline for downloading some music during the games?

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Yahoo has announced that it has acquired Associated Content for an undisclosed sum. Several sources put it at $90 million to $100 million, with the first sum being the most likely. Yahoo says the move will bolster its content offering especially for niche interests. It plans to expand Associated Content’s current platform globally and integrate t… (read more)

Togetherville, a social network for children ages 6 to 10, aims to attract children to a more age-appropriate setting. The site launches Tuesday night. The accounts must be created by the parents using their own Facebook logins. Parents are able to approve or reject their children’s friends and see what activities or games their children are up to. Mandeep Singh Dhillon, CEO and co-founder, said “The adults participate directly. Which is why this is not a digital babysitter.” “The first platform that really integrates young children’s ability to use the Web with their grownups close by.”Kids will have separate logins to Togetherville, and the site looks different depending whether the child or the parent is logged in. There are games, pre-screened YouTube videos and other activities for children. Stephen  Balkam, CEO of the Washington DC-based noprofit Family Online Safety Institute, termed the site as a “much safer environment.” The site aims to keep children safe from cyberbullying and other dangers online.

There are many kid-friendly sites at the site, one of which is Disney’s Club Penguin which has a social-networking aspect. Togetherville offers children their first taste of social networking where they will use their real-life identities and real-life relationships. The site is also free of advertisements. Togetherville presents an environment that kids can enjoy and that parents will feel comfortable managing.

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Japan’s DoCoMo network has announced the release of the 4.1 inch Toshiba K01 as the Dynapocket T-01B.

The handset runs Windows 6.5.3 Phone offers a 4.1” OLED capacitive touch screen with a 480×800 resolution, a 3.2Mpix Camera module with auto-focus, Wi-Fi B/G, 1GHz Snapdragon, GPS, HSPDA, HSUPA, Bluetooth.

Unfortunately this extremely attractive handset, which we saw announced at Mobile World Congress 2010 is still to make an appearance anywhere in the west.

See a video of the handset and a gallery of pictures after the break.

Via Akihabara.com

Hybrid and electric vehicles may be the auto industry’s solution for more stringent fuel economy regulations, but they also pose a new threat. Because of their silent operation, hybrid and electric vehicles can pose a threat to surround pedestrians, prompting the introduction of new “quiet cars” laws.

Championed by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers, the proposed regulations would require automakers to equip hybrid, electric and other silently operated vehicles with an audible warning to alert surrounding pedestrians. The proposal is expected to be attached to the proposed auto safety laws currently in front of Congress.

The regulations “will help to ensure the safety of pedestrians, especially those who are blind, as an increasing number of hybrid and electric vehicles are sold,” the National Federation of the Blind, American Council of the Blind said in a letter to Congress. The proposal would require “for an alert sound that allows blind and other pedestrians to reasonably detect a nearby electric or hybrid vehicle.”

If approved, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration would begin writing the rules for the “quiet cars” legislation within 18 months, with the rules to be finalize within three years.

References
1. ”Quiet cars’ to…’ view

Source: Leftlane

Eco Factor: Furniture made using recycled polyethylene.

We recently published a list of green furniture units that were made using sustainable cardboard. However, if you think that your living room needs something trendier than cardboard, then Loll Designs is the brand you should be checking out. The design firm has unveiled a range of furniture and products made from 100 percent recycled materials at the ICFF 2010. The furniture units have been made using recycled polyethylene sourced from discarded gallon milk jugs.

Apart from producing green furniture units, the design firm is also paying a fee to Carbonfund for every package shipped to offset the carbon generated. The company also states that they are sourcing wind generated power through Windsense, from Minnesota Power. Moreover, Loll Designs is also a member and contributor to 1 Percent For The Planet.

Via: PSFK