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  • LEDtronics® announces its latest generation of PAR16-style LED spotlight bulbs.

    TORRANCE, CA — October 6, 2008 — LEDtronics® announces its latest generation of PAR16-style LED spotlight bulbs. Made up of three 1-watt, high-power LEDs, the PAR16 LED bulb is a direct drop-in replacement in standard E26 Edison-base PAR16 fixtures. Our LED PAR16 is a more energy-efficient alternative to the standard 20-30 watt PAR16 incandescent bulbs, saving up to 90% in energy costs while combining advanced Light Emitting Diode (LED) technologies, constant light output and light optimizing design, producing up to 120 lumens of vivid light while only consuming 3.3 Watts of energy.

    PAR16 LED bulbs are available in a 20° light-emitting viewing angle, running on 80V AC to 260V AC current. The LEDtronics PAR16-style lamp replaces a standard 20W-30W PAR16 incandescent bulb, but has a maximum power draw of only 3.3W. With a low power draw, high shock/vibration resistance, and long-lived high-power white LEDs — white LEDs lasting up to 50,000 continuous hours — one can see the savings quickly add up. Available in 3000 Kelvin Warm White color, the PAR16 LED lamp runs cooler than other 3.3W LED PAR16 bulbs.

  • MLL I – Single Magazine Line Loader

    Compact, Reliable PCB Line Loader
    Ideal for Fast Running Lines
    Expandable with Magazine Changer
    Lean Design – Optimized Footprint
    User Friendly Interface – LCD Touchscreen
    Easy Configuration
    Integrated Diagnostic Tool
    Welded Steel Frame
    IPTE is a market leader in the development of turnkey automation systems for the production, testing and treatment of printed circuit boards (PCBs) and for final assembly and final test. The company offers an integrated portfolio for manufacturing completely automated and integrated production and test equipment.

  • Spiration Borrows $6.5M

    Luke Timmerman wrote:

    Spiration, the Redmond, WA-based maker of devices for lung disease, has raised $6.5 million in debt and options from a single investor, according to a regulatory filing. The company borrowed $7 million last September from its partner, Olympus Medical Systems. Spiration’s IBV valve device is designed to cut off air flow to diseased parts of the lung, where air gets trapped in patients with emphysema.

    UNDERWRITERS AND PARTNERS



























  • Top Gear America caught filming on Mullholland

    Filed under: ,

    Top Gear America caught filming – Click above for high-res image gallery

    We understand if you don’t believe that the History Channel has adopted Top Gear America. After all, you’ve been burnt before. But according to the keen-eyed crew from Kilometer Magazine, filming has already begun. During the U.S. launch of the new Jaguar XJ, the new cast of Top Gear America was spotted filming on none other than California’s infamous Mulholland Drive.

    What were they doing? From the looks of things, Tanner Foust was doing what he does best by laying down lots and lots of smoky burnouts under the baleful glare of the CHP. Though judging by the cars spotted on the set, we may be looking at a good old fashioned sports-car comparison when the show finally hits cable. Flip through KM’s pictures, and you’ll spot cars like the Porsche Carrera 4S, Hyundai Genesis Coupe and the Ford Mustang.

    We have to wonder whether this was one big slip up or a planned leak. Having a parade of auto journos cruise by just as Foust opens up for his monologue is either the worst luck in the history of television or one very clever PR stunt. Either way, there are a boatload of photos for you to speculate over as a result. Enjoy. Thanks to everyone for the tips!

    [Source: Kilometer Magazine]

    Top Gear America caught filming on Mullholland originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 28 Apr 2010 09:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Permalink | Email this | Comments

  • ZDNet reviews the HTC HD Mini

    Sometimes it is useful to see what they mainstream media think of our phones. ZDNet has reviewed the HTC HD Mini, likely one of the last Windows Mobile phones released by HTC, and have not found too much to complain about.

    They note the screen is small, but otherwise excellent, calling it sharp and bright with excellent viewing angles. The size did however impact the ability to type on the on-screen keyboard, which may be a problem for users with large fingers.   They liked the touch sensitive buttons, but would have preferred hard ones, and while they found the yellow internals cute, felt this touch was amusing but pointless.

    They appreciated the WIFI Internet sharing and also the 15 day trial of CoPilot, and found the 5 megapixel camera surprisingly good, despite lacking a flash.

    Battery life was however an issue, and they note they were never comfortable going for 24 hours of use without access to mains power.

    In this first review of a Windows Mobile 6.5.3 device they conclude:

    Conclusion
    We found the HTC HD mini a pleasure to use. Its small format makes it pocket-friendly and easy to handle, and only very keen mobile web users will find the 3.2in. screen restrictive.

    Although the latest version of HTC’s Sense user interface for Windows Mobile is a step forward from its predecessor, the real question here is not about usability. It’s whether business users will upgrade now or hunker down and wait for Windows Phone 7 devices to arrive.

    Read their full review here.


  • AOL’s rebuilding effort continues, sells long-running IM service ICQ at a loss

    By Tim Conneally, Betanews

    Russian Internet investment firm Digital Sky Technologies will be acquiring ICQ from AOL Inc. for $187.5 million, the companies announced today.

    Former Internet service provider AOL purchased ICQ creators Mirabilis Ltd. for $407 million in 1998. At the time, the free ICQ chat client was one of the most popular pieces of free software available.

    Just a month prior to AOL’s acquisition of ICQ, New York Times writer Michelle Slatalla wrote, “The program transforms Net surfing from an essentially solitary endeavor into a social activity. One moment, I was sitting alone in my dark office, typing away at 2 a.m. Then ICQ informed me that one of my brothers…had come on line.”

    ICQ and its ilk of instant messaging clients were connecting people long before there were social networks that bind us to every distant family member and random acquaintance we’ve ever made. At the time it was still novel, and AOL’s purchase of Mirabilis constituted the largest foreign acquisition of an Israeli software company of all time.

    But twelve years and a generation of Web users later, standalone instant messaging clients are facing the growing challenge presented by clientless platforms such as those found in Facebook and Gmail and services such as Twitter, which are extremely popular on mobile devices. Reportlinker ties the growth of mobile social networking directly with the growth of mobile instant messaging.

    ComScore’s February 2010 Media Matrix said ICQ had more than 32 million unique monthly visitors. Twitter, by comparison, now has 180 million unique visitors per month.

    “As AOL continues its turnaround effort, we’re fortunate to find a great home for ICQ with DST,” Tim Armstrong, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AOL said in a statement today. “DST is a leading innovator in the Internet investment space and has a significant presence in the markets where ICQ is strong.”

    The final selling price could actually be a low-ball for AOL. It was rumored that the company was actually seeking between $200-$250 million for ICQ at the end of last year. In AOL’s earnings report today, the company said that its earnings fell by 59% in the first quarter against declining advertising and subscription rates.

    AOL is still in a period of recovery from its spin-off from Time Warner Inc. and is attempting to streamline its business into one driven almost entirely by advertising. At the end of 2009, a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission showed that this split will shrink AOL’s workforce by 33%, and in February, the company sold buy.at for approximately $16.4 million in cash. Currently, it is seeking “strategic alternatives for Bebo, which could include a sale or shutdown of Bebo in 2010.” AOL purchased the social network just two years ago.

    Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010



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  • New Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 Confirmed?

    We just had the opportunity to ask the Jeep crew about the possibility of a second-gen Grand Cherokee SRT8, and while they won’t officially confirm—or, more important, deny—anything, they did allow that when Chrysler creates an SRT version of a new product, you can generally expect it to appear within the first couple of model years after introduction. We’d call that pretty solid confirmation that America will once again be pumping out bad-ass SUVs within the next couple of years.

    Under the hood, expect a 6.4-liter naturally aspirated Hemi; output has been reported as being between 505 and 525 hp, but we have a sneaking suspicion it could be even higher. Rumblings suggest that the 555-hp BMW X5 M is squarely in Jeep’s sights, as the brand would be keen to reclaim the title as the world’s quickest production SUV. We tested the X5 M to 60 mph in 4.0 seconds, so the 2012 Cherokee SRT8 will need to slice 0.4 second from the outgoing 2010 model’s time to once again be king. Of course, it’s possible that 525 hp would be enough to pull off the feat, but why stop there? If Jeep’s going to do this thing, we say let it all hang out, and trumping BMW’s power figure—from a naturally aspirated engine, no less—would be one fine feather in Chrysler’s cap. With air suspension on the list of available technologies for the regular-grade 2011 Grand Cherokee, we’d expect adjustable air springs to make an appearance in the weapons-grade SRT model, too, imparting even sportier handling than before.

    The new 2011 Grand Cherokee’s taut, handsome styling should transfer well to the new SRT model; we just hope the new model keeps the twin, center-mounted exhaust cannons, which were one of our favorite touches on the previous Cherokee SRT8. We loved that SRT8, but we have a feeling we’ll love the upcoming one even more.

    Related posts:

    1. Name That Exhaust Note, Episode 4: 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8
    2. BMW X5 M vs. Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8, Land Rover Range Rover Sport Supercharged, Porsche Cayenne Turbo S – Comparison Tests
    3. 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee – Spied
  • Of Course Goldman Sachs Supports ‘Reform’

    By Tim Shoemaker

    The Hill reports this morning:

    A financial regulatory reform bill has at least one supporter outside of Congressional Democrats, Lloyd Blankfein, the head of investment bank Goldman Sachs.

    “I’m generally supportive,” Blankfein told the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.

    Wall Street will benefit from the bill because it will make the market safer, Blankfein said.

    “The biggest beneficiary of reform is Wall Street itself,” he said. “The biggest risk is risk financial institutions have with each other.”

    Washington Examiner columnist Tim Carney writes:

    While this probably sounds odd or unlikely to those who follow the President’s and Sen. Dodd’s populist, bomb-throwing rhetoric, it’s nothing new for readers of the Washington Examiner. Here are some of my articles on this:

    * “Obama brings purrs from Wall Street ‘fat cats’,” Dec. 16, 2009
    * “Beware the Goldman Sachs populist,” Jan. 22, 2010.
    * “Obama’s cronies thrive at the intersection of Wall and K,” Feb. 17.
    * “Goldman rallies for Obama on Wall Street ‘reform’ ,” April 16.
    * “Goldman Sachs wants regulation, not laissez-faire,” April 21.

    If you haven’t been keeping up with Carney’s analysis of how Wall Street will benefit from new finanical regulations, you’ll want to start by reading those articles listed above to gain a better understanding.

  • Rep. Paul Opposes Corporate Welfare, Chamber of Commerce Marks Him Down

    By Doug Bandow

    Say it ain’t so!  Rep. Ron Paul votes against corporate welfare.  And the Chamber of Commerce marks him down.

    My friend Tim Carney explains in the Washington Examiner:

    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has issued its 2009 congressional scorecard, and once again, Rep. Ron Paul, R-Tex. – certainly one of the two most free-market politicians in Washington – gets the lowest score of any Republican.

    Paul was one of a handful of GOP lawmakers not to win the Chamber’s “Spirit of Enterprise Award.” He scored only a 67%, bucking the Chamber on four votes, including:

    • Paul opposed the “Solar Technology Roadmap Act,” which boosted subsidies for unprofitable solar energy technology.
    • Paul opposed the “Travel Promotion Act,” which subsidizes the tourism industry with a new fee on international visitors.
    • Paul opposed the largest spending bill in history, Obama’s $787 billion stimulus bill.

    (Rep John Duncan, R-Tenn., tied Ron Paul with 67%. John McHugh, R-N.Y., scored a 40%, but he missed most of the year because he went off to the Obama administration.)

    It’s too bad that the national Chamber of Commerce puts the interests of business before that of the free marketplace and liberty.  Thankfully Rep. Paul puts the interest of the American public before that of the Chamber of Commerce.

    Doug Bandow, American Conservative Defense Alliance

  • Best Reader Comments

    It’s commenter appreciation day, when I pay tribute to the love and joy that you, the readers, bring to this shadowy outpost. Consider today a respite from hateration and an embrace of loveration.

    First, the best pulled from the files of Kick a Bitch:

    damn that bitch fell out of the ugly tree and smacked EVERY branch on her way down.

    you couldn’t crack that head with a sledge-hammer.

    – “Visualizing Omega

    I’m ashamed to admit this… but I’m afraid of stank-ass unkempt vaginal canals. You don’t have a stank-ass unkempt vaginal canal do you?

    Look at that shit… straight MONEY. Not only did I utilize a VMD, I also tossed in a little qualifier as well.

    Bitches don’t even see it coming.

    – “Vulnerability Game

    both are fat, would only let them give me head. i would also try my best to gizz on their face.

    granted, this would apply to most women but wth, figured i would toss it out there.

    – “Fat Or Not Fat?

    wow, i REALLY like to use the word bitch don’t i?

    haha, misogyny rules…

    – “A Test Of Your Game

    players do what they do because they want as much validation from women as possible.

    uh… i think it’s more like players want as much tight, hot, young snappy-nappy dugout wrapped around their johnsons [as they can].

    i mean, i’m just saying… i imagine i could be wrong on this one.

    – “Used

    For the record, you fags need to suck on my vinegary balls.

    – “Safeway Siren

    ***

    Powers draws an apt comparison:

    Girls like game like men like porn.

    Men know exactly what’s going to happen in a porno and they enjoy it all the same.

    In fact, the closer the porn conforms to his fantasy, the more he likes it.

    Game is the same.

    – “Does It Matter If Girls Know About The Game?

    ***

    The Vic Valentine/G Manifesto duet was one of the funniest things to happen to this blog’s comments section. Here’s a selection of V.V.’s best:

    I would go for option #8:

    Pull out a bag of 100 E-Tabs and kilo of coke I just got delivered by three Swedish stewardesses and say:

    “Who threw this party? It sucks. Let’s get this gig going! Everyone take three E-Tabs!”

    Shoot the DJ in the head and throw on a Rush album.

    Then commence getting every girl in the place to go home with you and the girl you are dating.

    – “How Good Is Your Alpha Acumen?

    I was the one banging the groupies at that age, back when I used to shop at Savile Row Junior and eat Flintstones chewable E-Tabs. My prepubescent penis would probably put the G-Man’s adult unit to shame.

    – “Did Michael Jackson Commit Suicide?

    “True story. I once pulled my dick out on a young 18 year old lady at college and claimed that it was 9 inches…..she fucking loved it and i procceeded to bang her multiple times.”

    Until I rolled up in my Ecosse Titanium, showed her my 15″, banged her right in front of you, and then tore off at 200mph. I thought I saw you crying in my rearview through all the dust and exhaust fumes.

    – “500 Days Of Beta

    “IME a significant number of non-westernized Asian girls make crying noises during sex.”

    An elephant would make crying noises during sex with Vic Valentine.

    – “The Perfect Answer To ‘I Have A Boyfriend’

    My current watch is a 201-carat Chopard. If you’re on a budget, check out the Louis Moinet Magistralis.

    – “The World’s First Hot Chick With Douchebag

    “A dog will probably tell you how alpha you are”

    True. I once had a dog try to sniff my level of alphaness. He exploded.

    – “Owning A Dog Is Training For Owning A Woman

    “designs on the Zippo (ace of spades, for example), colors (black, green, red) or only plain?”

    Most of mine are made of Rare Earth Metals (Francium, Astatine, etc.), I also have one made out of Higgs Bosons.

    But they also come in platinum if you’re budget-conscious.

    – “What To Do When A Girl Starts Crying For No Reason

    ***

    But the G Manifesto will not be outdone:

    Once they handed me the camera, I would say thanks, flip it over, pour some blow on the screen and snort it.

    Then say to the guy:

    “Hey waiter guy, grab me a double vodka soda!  And double time it!  I am pretty wired right now!”

    Then turn back to the girls, pile of blow on the camera, and say:

    “Oh.  Would you like some too?”

    Later, I would roll back to their standard double room at The Radission  (all four girls sharing two beds no doubt) and whistle up some champagne and vodka from room service.

    I would deny the Asian girl from ordering the “grande Nachos”.

    Then I would swoop them all.

    A true gentleman always denies a girl the grande nachos. Who said chivalry was dead?

    ***

    Cannon’s Canon rolled out a charming tale from the hood:

    Off topic: I was playing basketball outside tonight in Ann Arbor.  As I approached the court, I saw a white female behemoth standing and watching next to a short black man.  The man appeared very short and slightly misshapen; I assumed some crippling physical impediment.  The woman was a true whale, possibly comparing unfavorably to Cigstache.  Her neck was fatter than her head and cascaded as a trapezoid toward her blubbery body.  I was impressed to note she walked without a cane, as I was certain she would qualify as handicapped.  Her MC Hammer mumu-pants were form-fitting toward the waistline, which was graciously covered by a ragged size 7xl t-shirt that even Cheese from The Wire could not pull off fashionably.  I made no remark of their race, because they were both, categorically, just “retarded.”

    Imagine my surprise when this guy got on and showed the poise, speed, and handle requisite to a point guard.  He was one of the best players on the court, and I quickly ruled out classifiable mental retardation.  While he certainly was not a handsome man, his athleticism and confidence implied a base virility for the sexual marketplace.  He could surely fuck 2s or 3s with ease.

    Then it dawned on me… My God!  GNP has been preaching the straight truth, not that I ever doubted it.  Here was a black man scraping the absolute nadir of the barrel.  By keeping such a vile beast sexually relevant, he removes the need for this fatso and such phenotypes before her to improve themselves at all!  This was not mere “retard love” as I’d first suspected, but rather, a black man’s willingness to make love to a veritable retard.  I shook my head in disappointment at this act of terrorism against the white man’s well-being.

    Every time an obese woman manages to get laid, god smites a kitten. By sitting on it.

    ***

    Mu’Min Seeks FAAAAT WuMin answered Cannon’s comment above:

    The thing is, each black dude does not keep only one woman fat.  He keeps THREE woman fat.  One black dude services three fatties at once, inflicting asymmetrical damage to the beauty stats.

    They prefer the fat black women, however, since they want women who resemble the great beasts of Africa in size, shape, color, and texture.  White women only manage the size and shape, but can’t really simulate the color and texture of a rhino or elephant or cape buffalo.  Only black women can.

    I scratch my head as to why my blog has not entered the respectable mainstream yet.

    ***

    And here’s another gold comment from Cannon’s Canon:

    places i would jizz on january jones, a top five list:

    1. her pursed lips
    2. a shielding cheek
    3. a bullseye forehead
    4. titties, pressed together
    5. backshot city, using the vertebral column as a makeshift measuring device (can i clear L4 tonight???)

    oh yeah, her last shriveling excretion from those unused ovaries, via the bottom of her pussy-hole?  not on the list!  well, the top 20 list anyway.

    ***

    Raddark had an insightful comment about why women sympathetically identify with beta males in the movies when they don’t do the same in real life:

    “Can someone shed some light on why women enjoy watching beta males on the screen, but are repulsed by them in real life?”

    They see themselves in the role of the beta, not the girl the beta is chasing. They transplant the dynamic they’re aware of most (wanting that guy at the top of the food chain, and him not giving her a look) into the situation. It’s a twisted kind of empathy. Twisted because they deliberately make themselves blind to seeing themselves being in the role of the movie love interest. That would cause too much discomfort. Thinking that they might be causing heartache and pain to so many men is not a thought that can be allowed to pass through their head without some kind of rationalisation to neutralise it. The biggest rationalisation they come up with of course is that the beta male deserves what they get because of some inherent personality flaw. Hence the pure hatred a lot of girls display towards betas. It makes the pain they cause through rejection no longer their responsibility. “I hurt him? So what, he’s a dweeb.” In the movie they don’t have to go through that rationalisation process because they’re identifying with the male hero, not the female villain.

    ***

    Welmer gives us a slice of his interesting life:

    ZEETS: Just the way she laughed at all my jokes. She smiled every time I spoke. And then back at my place we were sitting on the couch, and I started kissing her neck. She moaned loudly, high-pitched, like a horny kitten. I wonder if all Asian girls moan that loudly.

    The whore who lived a couple floors below me in Beijing moaned that way every single night, all summer long. It was a well-honed performance — she should have tried out for the Peking Opera.

    **

    Game Skeptic believes game will be the ruin of Western civ:

    After a great deal of investigation, analysis, and reflection, I have concluded Game is incompatible with Aryan DNA and traditions, and its practitioners are enemies of western civilization.  Additionally, the whole thing is straight sociopathy.  I’ll elaborate in future comments, but it was the praising of that stupid fucking bug eyed Australian teenager as the ultimate alpha which sealed the deal; you guys are fucking nuts.

    A funny image pops into my head of Nazis poring over an illustrated guide to enemies of the volk, except instead of big hook noses, the illustrations are of men in furry hats and guyliner.

    ***

    Young bachelor gig is always good for a laugh:

    yoga is evil, it is a satanic art.

    it allows herbish, SWPL men the chance of being themselves and still bang hot girls instead of following their rightful [path] towards bachelorhood and extinction.

    ***

    the best dog is your parents´ dog or your married brothers´ dog.

    you can play alpha as much as you want and avoid dog´s shit, worry about dog´s food, about the inherent gayness of having a dog looking at you while you jerk off and barking while you fuck a girl.

    also, fucking a girl who owns a dog kind of feels, for you and the dog, like a cuckolding.

    ***

    This comment by Chrissi Minx could be a Lifetime movie of the week:

    Let me start from the beginning, I am 18 and my sister is 21. I just finished high school and my sister is home from college. I guess this year her grades started slipping or something, because I walked past her room and she was crying. I walked inside her room to ask her what’s up and she hands me a letter – apparently she’s up for review by her college for dismissal. I feel kinda sorry for her so I gave her a hug and one thing led to another and we started making out. This is really weird because I’ve made out with girls before, but my sister blows them all out of the water. In the back of my mind lies the fact that she’s my sister and what we are doing is sick and wrong, but I guess my sister has more experience and it felt so fucking good.

    Here’s the dilemma – after making out, Karen started taking her clothes off and she started pulling my pants down. I’m like, hey, what are you doing? She’s like, oh come on Jordan, aren’t you even a LITTLE curious? I felt bad because its true, my sister is a hottie and I always wished that she wasn’t my sister. I’ve even gone as far as to fap to thoughts of doing her. She then said “For tonight, let’s not be brother and sister. I really need this because I feel like shit right now and our parents won’t be back till late and we aren’t going to tell anyone.

    I pretty much just fucked my sister. No, to be more honest, I just lost my virginity to my sister.

    ***

    I’m not sure if this comment by K qualifies as a score for her:

    Surprised there is no question on here about what (if any) STDs you have. Were I not an atheist, I would thank god everyday that I have herpes. It works like a charm to scare off assholes like you.

    ***

    Vladimir rakes the diamond industry over the coals (heh), and by extension strips bare the crass status craving and materialistic impulses of most women:

    aliasclio: Waste of a good diamond, roissy. Part of the point of engagement rings is that they’re beautiful, even if useless.

    I strongly disagree. Diamonds are a vulgar and grossly overvalued product, lacking all the unique properties and charms of truly precious substances like gold. I can’t help but admire the idea of this ring with an inward-turned diamond. It’s a creative way to subvert a ridiculous custom.

    For start, the diamond engagement ring is not an ancient custom at all. It’s the result of a successful marketing ploy by the global diamond near-monopoly De Beers from two generations ago — a completely fake and manufactured tradition. There’s a plausible theory why the marketing campaign worked so well: around that time, courts stopped awarding damages for breach of promise to marry. (Such lawsuits were based on the assumption, back then certainly true, that if a girl lost her virginity and got dumped, her marriage prospects were greatly damaged.) Thus, women started demanding expensive gifts as bonds from their fiances before giving them sex, and De Beers filled that demand perfectly with their diamonds:

    http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~siow/332/rings.pdf

    http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~siow/332/rings.pdf

    Moreover, diamonds are not a truly rare and scarce substance like gold, which is impossible to manufacture except for the tiny quantities mined. Diamond is just an allotropic form of carbon, and it can be industrially synthesized from ordinary carbon (i.e. coal or graphite) in a form indistinguishable from the “real” mined ones. The synthetic diamond industry is churning out ever larger stones at an ever lower cost. De Beers is of course fighting like hell against this technology, and they’ve even successfully lobbied for regulations thatsynthetic diamonds must be physically branded as such. However, I’d still bet that the technology will continue advancing, and in a not so far future, diamonds will be just cheap trinkets, unless I’m underestimating both the skill of De Beers’s marketing and human stupidity.

    Thus, diamonds are definitely not a reliable store of long-term value (this not even considering that many people pay the entire value of the thing all over again in insurance). And even regardless of that, while e.g. gold really has a unique and mysterious charm, a diamond is just a piece of coal that’s been held under high pressure for a while, and machines are available that will actually do that.  The damned things aren’t even particularly durable — they are fairly easy to shatter, and they’ll burn at roughly 700C. If your house burns down, your gold will still be there, even if melted, but the diamonds will all vanish into carbon dioxide.

    Of course, all this is not even considering the unfairness of the custom and the fact that it brings out all the worst irrational bragging urges in women. Unless he’s rich, a man who wanted to spend thousands of dollars on a useless whim just to brag in front of his friends would be condemned as an irresponsible spendthrift, yet women consider this as their inalienable privilege. That this frivolity is expressed through such a vulgar medium only makes it worse.

    ***

    Ren is a good example of the haters who took my dating market value tests, was disgusted with it, yet couldn’t help but calculate a score:

    This is fairly biased. Really. Shitheads and Wifebeaters score the best? Ahahahahahaahaa. Someone must like it rough.

    +6 here.

    ***

    PA gives good advice to men who have it in their heads to do the married with children thing (or forgot to wear the condom one night):

    That’s quite true, and solid LTR game takes this heavily into account. Prior to having a kid, marriage is little different from having a girlfrined. But childbirth can change everything.

    Notice I said that childbirth “can change everything,” not “changes everything.” It is a woman’s instinct to convert the husband into a nest drone. Don’t fault her for it; it’s a natural thing she is unconcious of, like shit testing. And I saw this happened to a buddy whose wife made him into a complete slave.

    A few couples visited us a several weeks ago, and when evening came and I gleefully pulled out my top-shelf vodka and my custom shot glasses, she said: “[husband’s name] does not feel like drinking tonight; he now has a baby he’s responsible for.”

    I looked at him questioningly, and he looked away from me, forlorn. Two other dudes and I had fun without him.

    But it’s not difficult to avoid the fate of a nest-drone, provided your wife has had loving feelings for you up to then. Some tips:

    – do play a lot with the baby on your down time. Ideally you should <i> want </i> to do it; it’s your kid and your attitude should normally be that he or she is the most precious human being in the world.

    – assume traditional gender roles. Don’t change poopy diapers. Men have a natural, violent revulsion to poop, mothers don’t; she pushes the stroller, etc. Again, ideally, this shouldn’t be a negotiated or fought-over; a good mother and wife will want to do the feminine things for her baby.

    – With regards to the above, don’t swing in the opposite direction and neglect your responsibilities. Do help out and be involved. Remember that as a captain of this ship, you are ultimately responsible for its success.

    – Cultivate an understanding that a child will grow up psychologically healthy when he or she sees the mom respect the dad.

    – Remember, you are still the head of the family. You are the captain, your wife is the competent NCO. You are the commanding officer, she is in charge of the day-to-day things.

    – Let there be an understanding, that in the big scheme of things, you and your wife are still each others’ first responsibility. The child will fly away one day, and you will still have one another.

    – Having a child is really the greatest responsibility you can have. And the biggest joy that life can give you, if you forgive the sappy language. Thus, it’s up to you to step up. At the very least, you need to maintain your alphatude in marriage.

    ***

    Basil Ransom pithily explains why girl sluts are worse than guy sluts:

    Girl: Why is a girl a slut if she hooks up with multiple guys?

    Guy: Think of it like a lock & key. A key that can open a lot of locks is a master key. A lock that can be opened by multiple keys is a weak lock.

    ***

    Mopenhauer attempts a distillation of history as seen through the heavy-paned windows of the Chateau:

    This is where Roissy’s history of the world begins. According to his version of history Western Christian feudalism was best able to repress the sexuality of the alpha male and his female customers.  Unlike the Muslims or Orientals there were no harems of females for Alpha males. Instead there was a forced monogamy imposed on both females and alpha males. The triumph of the beta male and his K strategy of investing in offspring lead to the hegemony of the West. This is similar to Freud’s thesis that civilizations progress was based on the Superego’s ability to harness and control the Id. Those disenfranchised elements of Western society were slowly integrated into the “reverse dominance hierarchy”. The last step was the integration of females and then the beta utopia, the Ayn Randist dystopia. But according to Roissy that was the Pandora box that unleashed the repressed Id of the alpha male and females. And so like a Phoenix, the grey-back Gorilla was reborn from the ashes.

    Feminism in its essence a liberal-capitalist revolution. Like the English, Dutch, American, French, 1848, revolutions it is about establishing market contractual relations, where tradition and domination had once ruled. Now all those revolutions have been blurred to the extent that some people consider them anti-liberal democratic. And it is true in all those revolutions radicals, Levelers, Seadogs, Whiskey Rebellions, and Jacobins emerged that wanted to take the revolution beyond the liberal market. This is the role that the Radical Feminists of Catherine McKinnon and Andrea Dworkin played in the feminist revolution. The feminist porn wars was their Whiskey Rebellion against the liberals. The libertarian feminists grew worried about the monster they had unleashed and were willing to join forces with Hugh Hefner against the more dangerous threat to their left. To use Murray Rothbard’s left-right spectrum from Prospects for Liberty. The libertarian sex positive feminists were the
    REAL left. They were the ones who opposed the traditional patriarchal structure of the Right. In Rothbard’s terms the radical feminists who are conventionally considered extreme left, would actually be a confused centrist middle of the road position, that attempted to accomplish liberal ends using conservative ends. They themselves recognized it to the extent that they allied themselves with the Religious Right in the Porn Wars.

    With the defeat of the Radicals in the Porn Wars, the libertine capitalist free-market was established in sexual relations. According to Roissy this has benefited Alpha males the most. There is a tacit libertarian feminist/ alpha male alliance against BOTH beta males AND the possible revived corpse of radical feminism.

    Minus a couple of quibbles, this is a pretty good stab at a philosophical strain of Roissyanism. Feminism is, in essence, an alliance of convenience between women and alpha males. Women get to play the field longer and more hypergamously, and alpha males get access to more free premarital pussy. (Not that I’m complaining!) Beta males get the short end of the stick. Arguably, beta females also suffer a degradation in their market value — while pump and dumps with men normally out of their league temporarily validate their egos and inflate their self-worth, their psyches eventually wither under the continual churn of their pussies riding the cock carousel, an amusement ride which never slows down to give them the love most women deeply crave. So beta females suffer a double hit: once, to their feminine integrity, and again to their value on the open market where sluts are justifiably less valued as long term partners by men.

    ***

    Greatbooksformen (the lolz dude) offers as good an explanation as any I’ve heard for why women are prone to exaggerate their looks:

    lozzllzlzlzlzlzl!

    most 3s think they are 9s because now and then an alpha gets drunk and bored and bangs the shit out of them lzozllzlzlzlzlzlzl

    she sounds like a 2 who got banged by 7 drunk alphas so she reasons that 2 + 7 = 9.

    ***

    And finally, the Comment Winner of the Month is Gotzon, who sums up the mechanics of male-female relations as succinctly as possible:

    My mom proposed to my dad. My dad never changed a diaper.

    What feminists will never understand is that Gotzon’s mom is likely a very happy and satisfied woman.

    Filed under: Comment Winners

  • Jessica Simpson: “I Only Brush My Teeth Three Times A Week”

    Jessica Simpson is arguably one of the most “stop on the street and gawk at” beautiful singletons on the Planet, but the host of VH1’s The Price of Beauty has one very surprising grooming habit that future suitors might find difficult to get used to: She only brushes her teeth three times a week.

    “My teeth are so white and I don’t like them to feel to slippery but I do use Listerine and I do floss everyday. But, I don’t brush them everyday. I’ll use a shirt or something. I know it’s gross but I always have fresh breath. It’s really weird but I have great breath,” Jess explained in her Wednesday appearance with daytime host Ellen DeGeneres. “They are too slippery. My lips just slide all over the place… I can’t catch up with my mouth. I need a little coating.”

    Ellen presented Jessica a basket of dental floss…just in case.


  • Merkur Model 178 Classic Safety Razor, Straight

    The Merkur Safety Razor has a chrome finish. Its double edge design provides a very close shave. Its comfortable handle is designed for a non-slip grip. The safety razor has a straight edge especially great for an extra close shave.

    View Merkur Model 178 Classic Safety Razor, Straight Details

  • [Podcast] Episode #13: Addressing criticism of 37signals (Part 1 of 2)

    Time: 25:30 | 04/27/2010 | Download MP3



    Responding to negative feedback
    Jason and David respond to online criticism of 37signals. Topics covered include picking a firm from Sortfolio to redesign Signal vs. Noise and whether or not VCs are evil.

    More episodes
    Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or RSS. Related links and previous episodes available at 37signals.com/podcast.

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    Tweet this podcast  Post to Facebook

  • [Podcast] Episode #13: Bring on the haters (Part 1 of 2)

    Time: 25:30 | 04/27/2010 | Download MP3



    Responding to negative feedback
    Jason and David respond to online criticism of 37signals. Topics covered include picking a firm from Sortfolio to redesign Signal vs. Noise and whether or not VCs are evil.

    More episodes
    Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or RSS. Related links and previous episodes available at 37signals.com/podcast.

    Spread the word
    Like this episode? Please share it with your friends:

    Tweet this podcast  Post to Facebook

  • Automakers go ‘green’ in Beijing

    by Agence France-Presse

    BYD’s all-electric e6                                           Photo courtesy of anthonares via FlickrBEIJING – Dozens of carmakers are showing off “green” vehicles at the Beijing Auto Show as they position themselves for a hoped-for alternative-energy boom in the world’s biggest auto market.

    SAIC Motor Corporation, China’s biggest car maker in terms of sales, unveiled its E1 electric car at the week-long show, where nearly 1,000 vehicles are on display—mostly gas-guzzlers, but also 95 hybrid and electric models.

    U.S. auto giant General Motors and China’s BYD were also wooing customers with their “green” models in a market that raced past the United States last year to take pole position.

    GM rolled out its Volt electric car, which is expected to be on the road in 2011, while BYD, part-owned by U.S. billionaire investor Warren Buffett, launched its five-seat, all-electric e6.

    Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co. announced at the show it would invest about $542 million dollars in developing alternative-energy cars, in a sign of the growing importance of that segment of the market.

    “I think there is a tremendous amount of opportunity here,” said Paige Mantel of Better Place, a U.S. maker of electric-vehicle systems such as battery chargers.

    But analysts warned that the road to a viable green vehicle market in China remains a long one that requires government subsidies to smooth the way.

    “The government needs to play a big role to get critical mass,” said Raymond Tsang, a Shanghai-based partner at consulting firm Bain & Company. “What is lacking is more systematic, consistent subsidies.”

    Alarmed by worsening pollution and a soaring reliance on oil, China is pushing green energy technologies, saying it wants sales of such vehicles to account for 10 to 15 percent of total sales by 2020. But progress has been slow.

    The government had been expected in January to announce subsidies for alternative-energy vehicles that would make them more affordable for price-sensitive Chinese consumers. However, Beijing reportedly delayed the announcement to seek further input from automakers.

    In the meantime, high price tags, limited driving ranges, and lack of battery-recharging stations were putting the brakes on sales, said Finbarr O’Neill, global president of consulting firm JD Power and Associates. Less than 4,000 hybrids were sold in China last year while electric car sales were “negligible,” he said.

    That compares with total China vehicle sales of 13.64 million in 2009—vaulting it past the United States—as increasingly well-off consumers snapped up fuel-guzzling models, helped by government sales incentives.

    Green-energy vehicles remained considerably more expensive than standard internal combustion engine versions, with a rechargeable battery adding $10,000 to $15,000 to the price tag, said O’Neill. “I don’t see a sizable part of the buying public that will pay a premium just to have an ecologically positive car,” he said. “Without subsidies, it is going to be very difficult for companies like BYD to reach critical mass.”

    BYD reportedly delivered just 48 F3DM plug-in hybrid sedans in 2009 at $22,000 each. It sold 290,000 of the fuel-powered version at $8,700 apiece.

    China’s government and automakers have invested less than $1.5 billion in developing “green” vehicles since 2006, including $161 million from Beijing, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said in January.

    Despite the sluggish start, there is optimism among industry players such as Better Place. The company last weekend signed a preliminary agreement with Chinese independent car maker Chery to develop electric vehicle prototypes for government pilot programs.

    “It is the largest car market in the world and it is a country that is looking for alternatives to oil,” Mantel said.

    The Beijing Auto Show, which opened to the public on Tuesday, runs through May 2.

    Related Links:

    The politics of the Gulf oil spill

    Oil burn operation begins in Gulf of Mexico

    Cape Wind offshore project approved by Obama admin after nine-year battle






  • Review: Jawbone Icon Bluetooth Headset

     Jawbone Icon Bluetooth Headset

    Jawbone headsets have been regarded as the gold standard in both audio quality and design for years, a tradition that the Jawbone Icon Bluetooth headset continues with aplomb. Going back to the original wired Jawbone headset from 2004, Aliph’s headsets have always been at the forefront of aesthetics and noise cancellation. The new Icon series of headsets does not disappoint, picking up a more compact design while still packing in even better noise cancellation technology. Even better, the Icon recently snagged a firmware update that adds in A2DP for Bluetooth music listening. As always, the newest Jawbone is easily one of the best headsets available on the market.

    read more

  • Coast Guard’s New Plan to Contain the Gulf Oil Spill: Light It on Fire | 80beats

    NASAGulfOilWith the Gulf of Mexico oil spill spreading and the operations to contain it taking too much time, Rear Adm. Mary Landry says the Coast Guard is considering another option to keep the spill from reaching nearby American shorelines: setting the oil on fire.

    Yes, you read that right. The idea of a controlled burn surfaced as a possible way to remove thick pockets of crude rife with baseball-sized tar balls from within the massive slick. That tarry crude poses the biggest threat to sensitive coastal areas. Landry said burning could begin as early as today [Houston Chronicle]. BP, the company that leased the now-sunken oil rig, is trying to slow the leak via the work of submersible robots, but so far they’ve had no success. And so 42,000 gallons of oil continue to leak into the gulf every day. To keep the spill from becoming one of the worst in American history, the Coast Guard is considering all its options.

    During the operation, the Coast Guard would use its boats and booms to get the oil into a U-shape, then ignite it. Response teams attempted this in Newfoundland in 1993, and found that they could get more than half of the oil collected—but not without the trade-off of separate environmental damage. The heat generated by the burning oil—a temperature of 1,800°F (982°C) was measured at the top of the boom at the Newfoundland burn—will cause the smoke to rise several hundred to several thousand feet and at the same time be carried away by the prevailing winds [National Geographic]. The plume created should be similar to that of a large forest fire.

    The oil slick started about 50 miles off the Gulf Coast when the oil rig Deepwater Horizon exploded and then sank. Since then oil has spread outward in a hurry, and is now within 20 miles of the coast. While a controlled burn would give off plenty of nasty smoke, Landry says, the impact on Louisiana’s coastline, which contains some 40% of the nation’s wetlands and spawning grounds for countless fish and birds, had to be considered [BBC News]. Out at sea, the fumes from the fire could prove toxic to birds and other wildlife, but they have a better chance to escape that than if they find themselves stuck in the path of the water-borne oil.

    Meanwhile, BP will keep pressing its options to slow the spread. The underwater robots are trying to reach valves that control pressure in the well, and should they ultimately fail in that operation, the oil company is preparing to drill a secondary well to relieve some of the pressure. But that could take two to three months.

    Related Content:
    80beats: Sunken Oil Rig Now Leaking Crude; Robots Head to the Rescue
    80beats: Ships Race To Contain the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill
    80beats: Obama Proposes Oil & Gas Drilling in Vast Swaths of U.S. Waters
    80beats: 21 Years After Spill, Exxon Valdez Oil Is *Still* Stuck in Alaska’s Beaches
    80beats: 20 Years After Valdez Spill, Eagles Are Healthy; 7 Other Species Still Hurting
    80beats: “Nanosponge” Could Soak Up Oil Spills

    Image: NASA—the slick approaching Louisiana


  • MLB.com Writers Told They Can Only Tweet About Baseball

    It’s no secret that MLB.com, the online wing of Major League Baseball, is a bit of a control freak at times. It fought a long battle claiming to own the “facts” of a baseball game — which it eventually lost. It’s falsely taken down videos that were clearly fair use. Worst of all, it issued rules on how independent reporters could report on games. We’re still amazed that any self-respecting newspaper would agree to such rules — though, to be fair, it appears that MLB has not chosen to enforce many of those rules.

    Of course, in this day and age, with social media making it easier and easier for anyone to communicate with anyone else, trying to overly aggressively control messages has proven to be a bit more difficult — and, for the most part, that’s probably a good thing. Last year, we had a story about baseball beat reporters using social media to build up a strong community, and build a really strong relationship with fans. Part of the reason why this worked was because those reporters talked about more than just baseball. Some of my favorite baseball reporters also talk about things like music, movies and TV shows, which makes them a lot more interesting and human. It’s part of building a connection with a community, which is a necessity these days.

    So it’s disappointing to see that Major League Baseball appears to have gone way overboard in its new Twitter guidelines for MLB.com reporters (sent in by many, but first by Scott Crawford). Now, we’ve already seen other sports leagues, like the NBA and the NFL issue Twitter guidelines for players and officials. While those sometimes seem to go way overboard (such as fining a player for Tweeting a happy message after winning), you can understand the basic premise behind the plan. Of course, some players obviously have decided not to pay much attention to the official policies.

    In this case, Major League Baseball apparently also sent out some “guidelines,” to both players and MLB.com reporters. Many are guessing that this is in response to a former major league player, Mike Bacsik, who got fired from his radio job after Tweeting a racist remark. It might also be in response to Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen and his Twitter account, which has been known to make news as well. Apparently, the guidelines for players are more or less common sense. However, it’s a bit trickier with MLB.com writers.

    What makes it tricky is that MLB.com has a pretty large staff of reporters itself. And while there were concerns early on that they wouldn’t be independent enough, their coverage has actually been quite good and in many cases the equivalent of newspaper beat reporters. And many have built up followings on their own. For example, I’ve followed MLB.com reporter Bryan Hoch on Twitter for a while. Part of the reason I follow him was due to some very amusing discussions last year about his movie-watching habits (or lack thereof — he hasn’t seen many “classics”).

    But, apparently, that sort of thing won’t be allowed any more. Supposedly, the word from on high from Major League Baseball is that all MLB.com reporters may only use Twitter to talk about baseball. All other topics are strictly forbidden. This seems likely to do a lot more harm than good. It takes away many of the reasons why people like following certain reporters, and takes away the connections they build up with fans. It’s a symptom of an old way of thinking: once someone (anyone) does something “bad” with a tool, ban all other uses, even if there are many good things. It’s an idea that is doomed to fail.

    Permalink | Comments | Email This Story





  • New VAIO Ultra Mobile Teaser

    SonyStyle Japan is teasing with a new ultra mobile VAIO and their VAIO website is also showing a new campaign called We are Coming-Out Generation mentioning the same ultra mobile term.  Their current ultra mobile option that is still being sold is a VAIO P notebook and according to Engadget tipster we may very well see an updated VAIO P colored in Orange. I remember SonyStyle Japan once ran a promo called “Feel Orange” and released a VAIO E series in that color. Follow us and we’ll let you know what this new Ultra Mobile VAIO is all about with all those coming-out kids featured.

  • Pell P50: O carro mais pequeno do mundo

    Peel P50

    O Pell P50 é considerado o menor carro do mundo a ser produzido em série. O micro-carro foi fabricado no ano de 1962 pela companhia Manx Peel Engineering Company, especializada na utilização de fibra de fibra e fabricante de carros, motos e barcos. Além do Pell P50, a companhia fabricou os modelos Manxcar, Trident, BMC BRP mini, Viking Sport e o P1000.

    No total foram fabricados 50 unidades do micro-carro, sendo que atualmente existem apenas 20 em circulação. Medindo apenas 1,34 metros de comprimento e 0,99 centímetros de largura, e com um peso de 59 kg, o Pell P50 parece ter previsto o nosso atual trânsito caótico. Seu interior acomoda “apenas” um o motorista que não desfruta de muito espaço, mas isso é apenas um detalhe nesse carro.

    Seu minusculo motor de 49cc com câmbio manual de três velocidades, permite ao micro-carro Pell P50 atingir a velocidade máxima de 61 km/h, também limitada devido ao tamanho e características do modelo. Contudo, todo o aperto e baixo desempenho é compensado pela sua altíssima média de consumo de 35,7 km/l.

    Peel P50Peel P50Peel P50Peel P50

    Além de seu tamanho, a sua simplicidade também chama a atenção, caracterizada na sua carroceria de apenas um porta, um farol e um único limpador de para-brisas. Outra peculiaridade do Pell P50 é a sua marcha ré, ou a sua ausência, já que quando for preciso manobra-lo pra trás, o motorista deve descer do volante e manobra-lo na mão porém, essa tarefa é feita sem maiores dificuldades por qualquer um.

    Todas as características técnicas e aplicações do modelo podem ser conferidas nessa ótima matéria do vídeo acima do programa Top Gear da BBC, contando com o lendário apresentador Jeremy onde, numa das hilárias cenas ele entra dentro do elevador do estúdio da BBC a bordo do micro-carro.

    Peel P50
    Peel P50Peel P50Peel P50Peel P50Peel P50Peel P50Peel P50Peel P50Peel P50Peel P50Peel P50Peel P50

    Fontes: Escolademecanica e Dementia
    Mais em: PellMicrocars