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Student Resident Assistants from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, on Saturday will celebrate the dedication of a house they built with their bare hands.

More than 100 UT students contributed more than 800 volunteer hours over the course of five Saturdays in February and March to build the 1,496-square foot house in northwest Knoxville. The home features five bedrooms and two bathrooms.

This is the ninth house built by UT Resident Assistants (RAs), in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity since 1996. The program, called Housing for Housing, is coordinated by the Department of University Housing. Student volunteers are guided through the building process by experienced Habitat for Humanity supervisors. On the first day of building, called “Blitz Day,” students are met by only a slab of concrete and piles of building supplies. By the end of the Blitz Day, walls and trusses were in place, and there was wood on the roof.

“The RAs raise money each fall semester and in the beginning we built a house each year,” said Jerry Adams, associate director of university housing. “Starting in the spring of 2000 we have built a house every other year.”

RAs also are responsible for recruiting other student volunteers.

“We had the RAs sign up first and then get them to sign up residents,” said Rachel Edington, resident director at Humes Hall. “They’re wanting to get involved, they’re asking questions. They’re the ones sending e-mails to me saying ‘Hey are there still spots available? I’d love to help out.’ They make the process a lot easier.”

Edington said it’s not unusual for there to be a waiting list for volunteers, as the project only consists of five work days. And those work days start early.

“To wake up at 7 a.m. to do this, any other time I might not go,” said Robert Melvin, resident assistant at North Carrick Hall. “But I jump up to wake up for this. It’s just a lot of fun. Really makes me feel good to come out in whatever kind of weather it is and help this family out.”

In the featured video, volunteers are sporting “Volunteers Rock the World!” t-shirts. “Volunteers Rock the World!” is part of the Ready for the World Initiative and aims to highlight members of the UT Knoxville family who are lending a hand at home or in communities around the globe. To learn more about “Volunteers Rock the World!” and Ready for the World, visit http://www.utk.edu/readyfortheworld/rock.

We are pleased to announce that, out of the 40 great entries submitted, the 10 Finalists to the 2010 Brain Fitness Innovation Awards moving to the next round are (ordered by approximate age of end user population, from younger to older):

• Arrowsmith School,
• USA Hockey,
• Nationwide Mutual Insurance,
• University Behavioral HealthCare/ University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey,
• Allstate,
• AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety,
• Saint Luke’s Brain and Stroke Institute,
• Oakland Unified School District,
• Mental Health Association of Rockland County,
• SCAN Health Plan.

Winners will be announced during the State of Brain Fitness Innovation Webinar on May 24th, noon-1pm Pacific Time. Registration is now open ($25), and includes executive summary of SharpBrains’ 2010 market report and access to private LinkedIn network. Learn More Here.

News & Analysis

BBC “Brain Training” Experiment: the Good, the Bad, the Ugly: You probably saw the hundreds of media articles titled “brain training doesn’t work”, based on a BBC experiment. Once more, claims seem to go beyond the science backing them up … except that in this case it is the researchers, not the developers, who are responsible.

Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention or Cognitive Enhancement: an independent expert panel just released yesterday a thoughtful report on the state of the science for prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease. Before people get scared away by “there is nothing that works”, everyone should understand that this is true but different from “there is nothing we can do to reduce the probability from developing Alzheimer’s symptoms” or “there is nothing we can do today to enhance our cognitive functions today and tomorrow”.

New Resource

We have created a new section in SharpBrains.com to  contribute to the ongoing conversation on cognitive health and brain fitness, based on last year’s book by Alvaro Fernandez and Dr. Elkhonon Goldberg.  Main sections are:

Debunking 10 Brain Myths: The goal of this resource is to help you make informed decisions about brain health and cognitive fitness, based on latest scientific findings. First of all, let’s debunk some common myths.

1. Brain Fitness Fundamentals: The brain is composed of a number of specialized regions serving distinct functions. Our life and productivity depend on a variety of brain functions, not just one, and there is nothing inherently fixed in the trajectory of how brain functions evolve as we age.

2. The 4 Pillars of Brain Maintenance: Thanks to lifelong neuroplasticity and neurogenesis, our lifestyles and actions play a meaningful role in how our brains physically change. There is no “magic pill”, but the need for a multi-pronged approach.

3. Mental Exercise vs. Mental Activity: Mental exercise (or “brain training”) goes beyond mental activity in general. Mental exercise is the structured use of exercises or techniques aimed at improving specific brain functions, and can be delivered in a number of ways: meditation, cognitive therapy, cognitive training, biofeedback.

4. Making Informed Brain Training Decisions: The state of the research does not allow for strong “prescriptions” of specific products for everyone and everything: here we offer information to navigate claims and make better informed decisions.

5. Brain Fitness through the Lifespan: The same way there are many reasons to exercise our bodies, there are many reasons to exercise our brains. Here we review a few current and future applications of mental exercise through the lifespan, including education, corporate wellness, retirement communities, clinical conditions, and more.

6. Ready for the Future?: We believe that more and more  lifelong learners will look for innovative ways to integrate brain fitness to their everyday activities, and more professionals will identify opportunities to offer new services and programs. Here we discuss main trends.

7. Opening the Debate: Processing new information is a stimulating intellectual exercise, and discussing insights and open questions with a group of people can be even more stimulating. Here we offer questions for book clubs and invite you to continue the conversation via Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Have a great month of May. And please say Hello to the new neurons in your brain that weren’t up there when you woke up this morning.

Each dive in Palau was magnificent. It’s not every day you come eyeball to eyeball with creatures appearing to wonder; ‘just what are you doing with that funny contraption on your back?’ Such was the case when my dive instructor signaled me to turn around on our safety stop. To my surprise and glee, there was an enormous manta ray staring right at me. I could have touched him, but out of respect I held back as we gazed at one another. That is, after spinning my head around motioning and gurgling “HOLY MOLY!” My instructor proved that you can in fact laugh while scuba diving. I’m hooked.

The biodiversity above and underwater was captivating. Kayaking was a perfect way to catch both along the craggy limestone. Before departing on our carefully planned, 7 night kayaking, camping expedition, we took a day to paddle out for some snorkeling, and practice navigating with the waterproof expedition maps that Planet Blue provided. With countless, similar-looking, uninhabited islands you would too!

Putting our kayaks into the deep turquoise water, surrounded by jungly trees and mangroves, it occurred to me that if I were a salt water crocodile, this would be top notch. So I asked our friend who helped us launch, ‘just out of curiosity – should we keep an eye out for those wily reptiles?’ He grinned, “In Palau? Always Crocodile!”

Super!

Vines swooping to the water provided kayak parking as we snorkeled, and I looked behind, below, all around us for croc eyeballs – at which point it would be too late anyway, so why bother? The corals were a vast array of colors, shapes and textures appearing preserved since the dawn of time.

I’ll never forget though, the eerie feeling that also hung in the air that day. It was especially prominent, listening as our paddles interrupted the buzzing, ringing sounds of the birds and insects. I couldn’t help but wonder what it must have been like for soldiers surviving in hiding for years, or decades in the caves. What it must have been like not knowing if the war was over, if it was safe to come out at all. How explosions must have shattered the stillness that now hung in the air. You could feel it, you could just feel the suffering and fear that had once dominated this beautiful place.

About the author: Jeanethe Falvey, EPA New England, on detail, EPA’s Office of Web Communications.

Rumors that three universities had banned the use of Apple’s iPad ran rampant across the blogosphere last week, leaving some to wonder whether the device had some type of hidden problem.

Those rumors, it turns out, were false.

However, iPad owners at all three–Cornell, Princeton, and George Washington universities–have faced varying degrees of connectivity issues.

via iPad ban rumors nixed at Cornell, Princeton, GWU | Apple – CNET News.

Over in the UK, on Thursday evening, there was a music industry panel discussion that involved a massive number of panelists (ten — which seems a bit too many) covering a wide variety of viewpoints from the music industry. Mostly they came from the traditional parts of the music industry, but the interesting participant was Peter Sunde Kolmisoppi, aka brokep, from The Pirate Bay (and now Flattr), taking part in the discussion with a group of folks who regularly call him all sorts of unfriendly things. Stuart Dredge, over at Music Ally, ran a nice live blog of the conversation, which mostly went down about as you would expect. Dredge noted that it was mostly an “industry” audience, and he worried that “there’s a bit of a kick-the-Pirate-Bay mood bubbling” in the audience.

Thankfully, it doesn’t look like things got that far. Mostly it was the typical back and forth. Industry folks whining that they can’t compete with The Pirate Bay… even as they were talking about the variety of ways they were competing with The Pirate Bay. Basically, what becomes clear is they would prefer competition that they control, rather than competition that consumers drive. Tragically, innovation doesn’t work that way.

Peter made the point that a lot of people were confusing the music industry with the recording industry, and mocked them a bit for not actually talking about culture or music:

“Most of the things we’re talking about today are about the record industry, not about the music industry. Everyone is talking about percentages… nobody is talking about music. It sounds like most people here could be selling diapers instead!”

While technically true, the discussion was about the business of music, so I think it’s fair to be discussing some numbers and the business angle. But there is a larger point to be made here. With studies showing that more music is being created, the complaints about the “death” of the industry are clearly misplaced. The real complaints from the industry types are that they aren’t able to make money off of it any more — but that doesn’t mean the music industry is in trouble at all. Instead, it’s thriving. In fact, Peter also made that point:

It’s not a right for the record industry to make a profit…. Technology has come that has made most of the record industry less valuable. We need to just move on, it’s sort of an evolution… It might not be good for people working in the record industry, but the music industry is better than ever.”

The industry folks on the panel still seem to be living in a state of denial at times, talking about how they should milk the 40 and 50 year olds who are still buying CDs, rather than really understanding the changing marketplace. My favorite laughable quote came from Guy Moot, of EMI Publishing, who said:

“The joy of ownership is a very different thing from the joy of a digital download or stream…”

Sure, it is, but the record labels have worked very, very, very hard to make it clear to people that they don’t get to “own” anything. How many times have been told “you just get a license.” If we really got to own stuff, there wouldn’t be so many complaints.

There were so many people taking part, it’s difficult to cover them all. Will Page (whose interview we recently posted) made some good points, and Jeremy Silver, from the Featured Artist Coalition (who’s also a very interesting guy to chat with about these issues) comes off as being quite sensible in saying that file sharing of unauthorized works is here and not going away — and the industry should take some of the blame for sitting on the CD cash cow and never innovating. Rather than complaining about it, it’s time to look forward.

On that note, it seemed like the most reasonable speaker may have been David Stopps, who spoke from the perspective of an artist’s manager. He noted that the it’s absolutely possible to “compete with free,” talked up the importance of touring to make money and using the music to boost those revenues and also played down the “demise” of the record labels, by noting that “they still have the back catalogue” to milk for a long time and that their job has become a lot easier thanks to technology:

He says A&R is becoming easier for labels, because sites like Hype Machine and We Are Hunted are where A&R guys are looking to see “who’s listening to what music”. It’s less about “taking a punt” than in the old days. “Artists are building up fanbases themselves… and that can be monitored.”

He also brings up the band Metric as an example of a band that has “gone all the way” without a record deal, noting that they turned down a variety of major label deals with massive advances to “do it on their own” and that it’s working:

“They’re doing a fantastic job, they use Topspin to sell their music, and that seems to be very successful for them. We’re gonna see more of that…”

Along those lines, he also notes that The Pirate Bay can be a really great way for people to discover new music, and monetize them elsewhere, pointing to Imogen Heap, who discovered tons of people in Indonesia downloading her music in an unauthorized manner… but when she went there, she was able to sell out a 4,500 seat arena, making “a lot of money.”

Finally, he also knocks BPI and others in the industry for still thinking that DRM is a reasonable solution — pointing out that it’s totally anti-consumer:

“The problem is, nobody really asked the consumer,” he says, about attempts to put DRM on CDs. “They absolutely hated it. You put the CD into the computer and it wouldn’t play… In the future, we’ve got to bring the consumers into the business model. In fact, they already are part of the business model.”

Geoff Taylor, the head of BPI (basically the UK’s RIAA) comes off as about what you’d expect. He trashes The Pirate Bay repeatedly, claims that it’s “destroying national cultures” (with no proof, of course) and says that there needs to be “disincentives” to dealing with unauthorized file sharing.

It’s the same story as usual: they’re so focused on negative incentives for people doing stuff they don’t like, they never seem to care about creating positive incentives for those they should be targeting. That’s BPI’s problem. Not The Pirate Bay.

Anyway… given the participants, it was about what you would expect, and didn’t seem to get quite as nasty as some feared before the event. I doubt anyone’s mind was changed about anything, but it still sounded like a pretty good discussion.

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Filed under: Hybrid, Electric, Diesel

At the official kick-off event for the Progressive Insurance Automotive X-Prize in Lansing, MI today, the same cars, most of the same people and the same “news” was delivered as we heard and saw back in January at the Detroit Auto Show. Still, with the sun out and the shakedown stage of the event about to kick off at the Michigan International Speedway next week, there was a sense of excitement today that just wasn’t present in Cobo Hall four months ago. The main similarity is that Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm spoke at both events, and she’s energetic no matter what.

The Amp’d Sky (pictured), the Edison2’s Very Light Car, the Zap Alias and the Tango two-seater EV were all on hand. Aptera was listed among the teams that would be on hand, but there was no 2e to be found anywhere. Oh, and remember when there were something like 120 teams shooting for the top spot? Today there are but 28 teams left, entering a total of 36 vehicles in the mainstream (15 vehicles) and alternative (21) classes. You can see the breakdown of where these teams are from and what type of energy they are using after the jump.

The one tidbit that caught our ear today was that in the second-to-last stage of the event, the Knockout Qualifying Stage in June, the teams will only need to prove their vehicles can achieve 67 miles per gallon equivalent. During the Finals Stage a month later, they will need to reach 100 mpge, the headline target for the X-Prize. We asked why this low bar was set so close to the end of the competition, and the X-Prize’s Senior Director, Eric Cahill, said that it was a reasonable goal everyone agreed to and proves that all the competitors will at least be in the ballpark when it comes time for the final event. We don’t know how anyone who just manages to reach the June goal will be able to tweak their way to 30 more mpge in a few short weeks, but maybe that’s the kind of intense competition the X-Prize will deliver in the very near future.

Photos by Sebastian Blanco / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading Automotive X Prize revs up for Michigan events, Knockout Stage starts next week

Automotive X Prize revs up for Michigan events, Knockout Stage starts next week originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Apr 2010 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The U.S. economy grew by 3.2 percent annualized in the first three months of 2010. It wasn’t terribly strong growth, but it was the right kind of growth. As Dan Indiviglio explains, consumer spending — which generally accounts for about two-thirds of the economy — made up 80 percent of GDP growth in the first quarter of 2010. That’s good. For comparison, consumers made up less than a seventh of the economy’s 5.6% expansion in the last quarter of 2009.

Here’s another look at the economy, via the Chicago Fed’s National Activity Index:

Led by improvements in production- and employment-related indicators, the Chicago
Fed National Activity Index increased to -0.07 in March, up from -0.44
in February. Three of the four broad categories of indicators that make
up the index made positive contributions in March, while the
consumption and housing category made the lone negative contribution.

And that graph:

So yes, things are getting better. Inventories were replenished in late 2009, and consumers started spending them down in early 2010. We should expect disposable incomes to start rising in the next few quarters as steady consumer demand encourages businesses to hire again and to full-time their part-timers. Then again, the housing market — which helped drive the last boom — is still in the worst shape in the last 50 years. That’s a heavy anchor.

The moment conservationists have been dreading since the Gulf of Mexico oil spill started—that oil making landfall—appears to be upon us. This morning the Coast Guard is flying over the Gulf Coast to check out reports the crude washed ashore overnight, and more reports of oil drifting ashore are coming out of Louisiana. Crews in boats were patrolling coastal marshes early Friday looking for areas where the oil has flowed in, the Coast Guard said. Storms loomed that could push tide waters higher than normal through the weekend, the National Weather Service warned [AP].

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano set up a second base of operations to deal with potential impacts on the Gulf Coast states of Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida. Meanwhile, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has declared a state of emergency, and said: “Based on current projections, we expect the oil to reach land today at the Pass-A-Loutre Wildlife Management Area. By tomorrow, we expect oil to have reached the Chandeleur Islands and by Saturday, it is expected to reach the Breton Sound. These are important wildlife areas and these next few days are critical” [Nature]. The city of New Orleans already reeks of a”pungent fuel smell” believed to come from the oil spill, as the Times-Picayune newspaper puts it.

With this news, along with yesterday’s announcement that the spill could be five times worse than first believed, the Deepwater Horizon disaster is close to becoming historically bad. The oil slick could become the worst U.S. environmental disaster in decades, threatening to eclipse even the Exxon Valdez in scope. It imperils hundreds of species of fish, birds and other wildlife along the Gulf Coast, one of the world’s richest seafood grounds, teeming with shrimp, oysters and other marine life [CBS News]. To make matters worse, experts say that marshlands are far more difficult to clean than sandy beaches. Says David Kennedy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, “It is of grave concern. I am frightened. This is a very, very big thing. And the efforts that are going to be required to do anything about it, especially if it continues on, are just mind-boggling” [AP].

Responders keep trying to stem the flow, but all the Coast Guard’s containment boom and controlled fires, and all of BP’s undersea robots, haven’t been able to stop the oil leak deep undersea. Underscoring how acute the situation has become, BP is soliciting ideas and techniques from four other major oil companies — Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Shell and Anadarko [The New York Times]. The military is trying to help BP, who’d leased the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, reach it emergency shutoff valves. “To be frank, the offer of help from all quarters is welcome,” said David Nicholas, a BP spokesman [The New York Times].

Facing a far-reaching catastrophe, today President Obama’s administration announced that the plan announced a month ago to expand offshore drilling is going on hiatus, at least until people figure out what went wrong in the Gulf. Meanwhile, the Interior Department says it will commence an immediate safety review of all the rigs and drilling platforms in the area.

Our previous posts on the Gulf Oil Spill:
80beats: Uh-Oh: Gulf Oil Spill May Be 5 Times Worse Than Previously Thought
80beats: Coast Guard’s New Plan To Contain Gulf Oil Spill: Light It on Fire
80beats: Sunken Oil Rig Now Leaking Crude; Robots Head to the Rescue
80beats: Ships Race To Contain the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill

Image: NOAA

[JURIST] Former Pennsylvania judge Michael Conahan pleaded guilty Thursday on charges of accepting more than $2.6 million in kickbacks for sentencing teenagers to two private juvenile detention facilities in which he had a financial interest. The former president judge of the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy, which carries a sentence of up to 20 years. Conahan also faces a fine of no more than $250,000 and disbarment. He will be sentenced by Judge Edwin Kosik of the US District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, who previously rejected joint plea agreements from Conahan and former judge Mark Ciavarella Jr., finding that plea bargaining to honest services fraud and tax evasion charges demonstrated that the men did not accept responsibility and that the disbarment and 87-month prison sentences were too lenient. An attorney for Ciavarella said that he plans to go to trial.
As part of an ongoing public corruption investigation, US Attorney Dennis Pfannenschmidt announced earlier this month that a twenty-eighth person has been charged with soliciting and receiving bribes and gratuities in connection with the scandal. Luzerne County District Attorney Jacqueline Musto Carroll agreed in January to drop efforts to retry 46 juveniles whose original convictions were overturned because they had been issued by a judge indicted on federal corruption charges for an alleged kickback scheme. This decision ended all efforts at retrying any of the convicted juveniles, who will now have their juvenile records cleared. The Philadelphia-based Juvenile Law Center issued a statement applauding the decision, indicating that “justice has finally been attained” for the juveniles. In October, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania overturned about 6,500 convictions handed down by Ciavarella between 2003 and 2008, but gave prosecutors permission to seek retrial of more than 100 youths who were still under court supervision. Conahan and Ciavarella were indicted in September, following a withdrawal of the guilty pleas they entered in February 2009.

KNOXVILLE — East Tennessee native Roy Harmon remembers how challenging it was to finance his undergraduate education at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. That was his incentive in establishing the Roy L. Harmon Jr. Endowed Accounting Scholarship in the College of Business Administration, to be awarded annually to a deserving undergraduate or graduate student majoring in accounting.

“Earning an accounting degree from UT Knoxville was a life-changing event for me,” Harmon said. “I have enjoyed a lot of personal success because of my degree and the opportunities it has afforded me. I hope to be able to provide the same opportunities for a deserving student through the creation of this scholarship.”

Harmon’s gift is part of the Campaign for Tennessee, UT’s $1 billion fundraising effort.

“I was a J. Fred Roddy Scholar when I went to UT Knoxville,” said Harmon, who graduated in 1976. “This scholarship helped finance my education. Today’s students are experiencing greater financial challenges than I did. My wife, Liza, and I are very happy to give back. Learn, earn and return is a great way to sum up our responsibilities.”

The Harmon Scholarship will be awarded annually beginning with the 2010-2011 academic year. This need-based scholarship will be offered to an undergraduate major or Master of Accountancy student who graduated from a public high school in Sullivan, Washington, Johnson, Carter, Unicoi, Hawkins, Greene or Hancock counties.

Harmon’s career has kept him in East Tennessee. After completing his undergraduate degree, he spent four years with Arthur Andersen in Chattanooga, leaving to join Park National Bank in Knoxville as CFO. Harmon then moved to Kingsport in 1989 and joined the Bank of Tennessee in Kingsport in 1991. He became CEO in 1994 at the age of 40, and 10 years later, added chairman to that title. He also serves on the board of directors of Paragon Commercial Bank in Raleigh, N.C., a bank founded in 1999 by the Bank of Tennessee.

Harmon’s community service includes being an alderman for the city of Kingsport, chairman of Fun Fest, founding board member of the Friends in Need Health Clinic and graduate of Leadership Kingsport. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Public Arts Committee of Kingsport. He is also a member of the World President’s Organization and TSCPA.

The Campaign for Tennessee is the most ambitious effort in UT’s 214 year history and places UT among the ranks of the nation’s largest public and private institutions that have sought this level of private support. The system-wide campaign supports the objectives of improved student access and success, research and economic development, outreach and globalization.

For more information about the UT College of Business Administration, visit http://bus.utk.edu.

—

C O N T A C T :

Cindy Raines (865-974-4359, [email protected])

Besides introducing Chevrolet to the South Korean market with the 2010 Camaro, GM introduced a new sedan called Alpheon – a mid-size sedan that is basically a rebadged 2010 Buick LaCrosse.

“With the introduction of the all-new Alpheon luxury sedan, we have added another attractive model to our product portfolio and our first entry in the fast-growing upper-midsize segment in Korea,” said GM Daewoo President and CEO Mike Arcamone. “I am confident that the Alpheon will surpass the demands of the most sophisticated luxury sedan buyers in Korea.”

Click here to get prices on the 2010 Buick LaCrosse.

Power for the Daewoo Alpheon comes from a 3.0L V6 engine mated a 6-speed automatic. Sales will start at the second half of 2010.

Check out the high-res gallery after the jump – just make sure you put your thumbs up when you do (you’ll see what we mean).

2011 Daewoo Alpheon:

Press Release:

GM Daewoo’s All-New Luxury Sedan Debuts at 2010 Busan International Motor Show

Alpheon is GM Daewoo’s entry into the upper-midsize segment

Busan, Korea – GM Daewoo Auto & Technology (GM Daewoo) unveiled its much-anticipated luxury sedan, the Alpheon, at the 2010 Busan International Motor Show today.

Alpheon – Stylish Luxury Sedan

The Alpheon is based on the same GM global architecture as the Buick LaCrosse, one of the three finalists for 2010 North American Car of the Year.

GM designers and engineers from Asia, Europe and North America targeted the luxury sedan as a global product that would meet the highest quality and performance standards in the most sophisticated markets.

At first glance, the Alpheon’s sculpting design flows in all directions, giving the vehicle a tightly wrapped appearance and a fast, coupe-like profile. Its dynamic and elegant body styling is highlighted by sharp side lines, short overhangs and fenders wrapped precisely around large wheel housings, giving it the presence of an upscale large sedan (2,837-mm wheelbase and 4,995mm body length).

With a unique emblem on its front “waterfall” grille, the Alpheon becomes a stand-alone luxury product brand in GM Daewoo’s product portfolio.

The innovative design philosophy continues in the Alpheon’s interior. The flowing shape of its instrument panel design offers a distinct, confident and upscale impression. The refined look is an integrated center stack design that incorporates ice-blue light-emitting diode (LED) ambient lighting along with premium infotainment features. Adding to the use of soft-touch materials and low-gloss trim panels rather than traditional wood applications is indicative of exceptional and luxurious craftsmanship.

Powered by a 3.0-liter V-6 engine combined with a six-speed automatic transmission, the Alpheon will ensure responsive performance when it is launched in the second half of this year in Korea.

– By: Omar Rana

If you were patient enough to hold out on the wave of iPad releases, and if you specifically wanted to grab a 3G capable model, then today is probably already clearly marked on your calendar. That’s because it’s April 30, the official release date of the iPad Wi-Fi + 3G in the U.S.

Customers who originally pre-ordered before Apple’s recent cut-off date should expect their iPads to arrive in the mail today, or you can try your luck with retail stores, which are going to be selling the new iPads beginning at 5 PM. today. Pre-orders for the Wi-Fi + 3G models were originally lower in volume than those for the Wi-Fi, so it’ll be interesting to see what the response is like at brick-and-mortar retail.

I personally am also very interested in seeing how soon unofficial sales start across the border here in Canada. Following the launch of the original Wi-Fi model, you could buy one the same day at a not completely ridiculous markup, so I predict the same thing this time around. Of course, international iPad users won’t yet be able to get 3G service, since no deals or pricing have been announced with carriers yet, but presumably the devices will work fine with those networks late in May when the Wi-Fi + 3G iPad ships worldwide.

Don’t just show up at the Apple store this morning expecting to pick up a new iPad, though. The launch is scheduled for 5 PM, and Apple stores across the country are closing down between 4 and 5 specifically to set up for the launch. It’s odd timing, and will no doubt cause some confusion at retail sites in terms of people coming by too early, but Apple must have a reason for not just starting the shopping day with the iPads on the shelves. Whatever the case, expect a lot of confused customers being ushered out the doors at 4 PM who are oblivious to the product launch.

The 3G capability is a killer feature for the iPad, in my opinion. Undoubtedly the iPad’s UI is a hit with consumers, as is the user experience in general, but the ability to remain connected while traveling, be it just around town or internationally (as international providers become available) elevates the device from being an amazing entertainment and media player to a lifestyle changer, in terms of both work and play.

Are you getting one? Does your local Apple Store have stock? Is there a lineup? Are you upgrading from a Wi-Fi only model? Let us know your thoughts on all things 3G iPad in the comments.

Related GigaOM Pro Research: How AT&T Will Deal with iPad Data Traffic

Opera, the plucky Norwegian web browser that’s a perennial fourth- or fifth-place finisher behind much larger players like Internet Explorer and Firefox, has acquired web-based email provider FastMail.fm for an undisclosed sum. The Australian email company has been around for almost a decade, and has a reputation for being fast and dependable, but has been overshadowed in recent years by services such as Google’s Gmail. Opera, which has its own email service built into its browser, clearly has ambitions to move beyond just browser-based mail to mobile and other platforms. The company said in a release that buying FastMail would enable it to “deliver cross-platform messaging to a wide range of devices, including computers, mobile phones, TVs and gaming consoles.”

FastMail, in explaining why it decided to accept the acquisition deal, told users in a note on its website that: “In an increasingly competitive market, we believe we need to make some big investments to take the next steps forward.” Users’ data will be moved over to Opera unless they cancel their account. FastMail also said that some of its staff will soon be moving to Opera headquarters in Norway, while one of its part-time developers who developed its photo gallery feature and new webmail interface will be working for Opera full time.

Opera recently announced that it has more than 50 million users of its desktop browser software as well as 50 million users of its mobile browser, and recently released an iPhone version — which has been downloaded by millions of users already, although Kevin wondered whether many of them are actually using it. Opera also acquired a mobile ad solutions company called AdMarvel in January for an estimated $23 million. And the company has been working on a version of its browser for interactive televisions, supporting a European standard called “hybrid broadcast broadband TV.”

Post and thumbnail photos courtesy of Flickr user idogcow

 Heavy cream, also known as whipping cream, is an ingredient that is frequently called for in recipes. Cream is the thick, fat-rich part of milk, which rises to the top when milk is fresh and is skimmed off. The type of cream is determined by its fat content. Heavy cream has a fat content between 36 and 40%. A high milkfat will add tenderness and moisture to a baked good, just like adding most other types of fat. For instance, many scones are called cream scones because they are made with cream. It is certainly possible to substitute some other type of milk for the cream in these recipes and have them come out, but they won’t be nearly as tender or moist as a scone that is actually made with heavy cream. Heavy cream is also used to make whipping cream. The fat in the cream is what helps stabilize it after it is whipped, and why you can’t whip just any old dairy product into whipped cream with a whisk. The fat also prevents the cream from freezing too hard when it is used in ice cream, leading to a creamier finished product.

There is one type of heavy cream, called manufacturing cream, that is used commercially by bakers, cooks and bakeries. It has an even higher fat content of 40-50%. This can be substituted to regular heavy cream (it is often found at bulk stores, but would not be found at a grocery store with regular cream), but otherwise there are no real substitutes for heavy cream when you need it. The fact that heavy can whip and hold its structure so well makes it unique. And because its high fat content gives lightness to all kinds of dessert, from featherweight mousses to silky ice cream to tender scones, it is an ingredient that is generally worth using when called for to get the best results you can.

Much like the last quarter, Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan beat expectations in its first quarter results while providing more conservative guidance. The whole thing has left Fai Lee, analyst with RBC Dominion Securities, with a sense of deja vu.

For the first quarter, PotashCorp reported earnings-per-share of $1.55, better than Mr. Lee's $1.36 forecast. The company's guidance had been between 70¢ and $1 at the time it reported its fourth quarter results, but raised them to between $1.30 and $1.50 six weeks later.

"The transitional nature of this year does make forecasting quite
difficult and adopting a conservative approach is prudent in our view,"
he said in a note.

As a result, Mr. Lee has cut his 2010 EPS forecast to $5 from $6.21, reflecting a slower pace of potash price appreciation through the year, along with higher phosphate production costs and lower nitrogen pricing. He is however maintaining his 2011 EPS estimate of $8.51.

"While predicting the exact timing and magnitude can be difficult particularly during transitional market conditions, we continue to expect potash prices to appreciate over time," Mr. Lee said.

He maintains an outperform rating for PotashCorp and a $150 price target.

Eric Lam 

What is it?

Bentley says its flagship Mulsanne is the largest production sedan the British automaker has built yet, and the only brief the British automaker’s development engineers were given was to “create a Bentley that is the pinnacle of British motoring.”

First shown last August at Pebble Beach (yes, it looks much better in person than in photographs), the sedan comes in at a whopping 18 feet long. Power comes from a new twin-turbo 6.75-liter V8, developing 505 hp and an amazing 752 lb-ft of torque (peaking at just 1,750 rpm), mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. The car will hit 60 mph in 5.1 seconds and has a 184 mph top speed, riding on a new chassis and new air suspension system with continuous damping control.

The interior is typical British luxury car, all woods and leathers–three times more wood than Bentley has ever used. It’s like your favorite club. But the car is not short on high-tech: In-car technology includes a 60GB disc-drive nav system that includes audio/video, personal data, telephone and Bluetooth. You’ll also find connectors for iPod, USB and mini USB.

What’s it like to drive?

Extraordinarily smooth, quiet and fuss-free. Ultrafast but effortless, the Mulsanne blasted us along Scottish two-lane roads with authority. Considering we were in a right-hand-drive car on the left side of unfamiliar roads, the car instilled confidence. There are four suspension modes: comfort, Bentley, sport and custom. Each adjusts the throttle and steering. The Bentley mode is set to what the engineers felt was the best setup, and we liked that one best. It struck a nice balance between good handling, a good ride and weighty steering. By the way, you might be tempted to ride in back while James does the driving, and we can’t blame you. We tried it, and it’s more than pleasant back there, especially with the back massager on. But the Mulsanne is an entertaining driver.

Do you want one?

Of course you do; it’s the new flagship after all. Just 20 a week will be built. The cost (if you must ask) is $285,000, and the Mulsanne replaces Bentley’s Brooklands and Azure models. About the only cars competing with the Mulsanne come from Rolls-Royce and maybe Maybach. Your biggest decision will probably be which of the 100 paint schemes, 24 leathers or nine woods to choose from. You’ve got time to think about it–you won’t be able to get a Mulsanne until 2012. They’re sold out until then.

For more

Source: Car news, reviews and auto show stories

Vai ser anunciado pela Tesla a localização de sua mais nova fábrica que fará a produção do Tesla S, o modelo sedan elétrico em breve. A montadora informou que até que se decida a região, estão contratando cerca de 50 a 60 engenheiros por mês, afim de acelerar a produção do veículo. O chefe-executivo da Tesla, Elon Musk, diz o seguinte:

“Nós realmente estamos tentado unir um time de produção mundial. Estamos tentando criar um exército espartano de especialistas. Eu acredito que a produção seja algo que precise de força na Tesla. E se queremos aprimorar as vendas, teremos de acompanhar o processo na manufatura também”.

A previsão de lançamento do Tesla S está marcada para 2012 nos EUA, e será vendido por US$ 49.900. Como um sedan luxuoso, o veículo chega a velocidade máxima de 193 km/h e acelera de 0 aos 100 km/h em 5 segundos.

Via | Carro Online

If you ned a case for your BlackBerry Curve 8520 or 8530, then maybe you’ll be interested in this new case from OtterBox. It’s not new-new, as in a new design, but rather a pink version of their Commuter Series case. It costs $34.95, but 10 percent of those proceeds go to the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade. This foundation uses funds to promote, per their website, “awareness and education; screening and diagnosis; access to treatment; support services; and scientific research.”

You can purchase the OtterBox Strength case at the company’s website. We also have one unit to give away. You know the drill. Leave a comment and we’ll pick a random winner. Because we’re encouraging the purchase of this case, and because we have only one to give away, we’re closing this one at 3 p.m. EDT today (Friday).

This post originated at BBGeeks.com – home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

Help support breast cancer research with OtterBox

This post originated at BBGeeks.com – home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

Help support breast cancer research with OtterBox

Many of you probably know about the Deepwater Horizon explosion and resulting oil spill off the coast of Louisiana almost two weeks ago.

On Thursday, Department of Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Napolitano, declared the accident a "Spill of National Significance" and members of the President’s Administration traveled to the Gulf Coast to inspect cleanup efforts today. The Governors of Louisiana and Florida have declared states of emergency in response to the dangerous effects the oil may have on their respective state coasts.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has created an incident update webpage. To report oil on land or if
you’re
interested in volunteering to aid in the recovery effort, please call
1.866.448.5816. To discuss spill-related damage, please call 1.800.440.0858.

To report oiled wildlife, please call 1.866.557.1401. Individuals are
urged not to attempt to help injured or oiled animals, but to report
any sightings to the toll-free number.

The problem with walking through a virtual reality world is that you’re subject to the physical world’s spatial limitations. That’s why the Enterprise‘s holodeck always gave me headaches. But I get it now: they had a CyberWalk. More »