Audi is still tinkering with the thought of offering carbon-ceramic brakes in America, and it looks as if it may actually happen. The brake discs, which do add to the overall production cost of the vehicle, are offered overseas on the R8, and the RS6, not currently offered in America. Audi says to expect the new brakes as soon as 2011, and CARandDRIVER speculates that R8 will be the first model outfitted.
The RS5, which has been confirmed for U.S. sale and is expected on our shores in 2012, is available with optional carbon-ceramics – but only up front.
On a side note, the TT RS is expected to arrive in America soon, equipped with a six-speed manual, but exactly when is unclear.
The rare appearance of an 1894 Hildebrand & Wolfmüller on the auction block on April 25 caused considerable excitement across the world in the preceding months. Gizmag covered the history and heritage of the machine in great detail prior to the auction and we’re not surprised that a far-from-pristine example of the world’s first production motorcycle should fetch an above-estimate GBP86,200. ..
Continue Reading 1894 Hildebrand & Wolfmuller – world’s first production motorcycle sells for GBP86,200
The Porsche 911 GT3 R recently made its Nurburgring debut. No official lap times or anything of that sort was released… but we do have a video.
Check out the video after the jump.
Refresher: Power for the 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid comes from a flywheel system unlike a conventional battery-electric hybrid system. In this case, electrical front axle drive with two electric motors developing 161-hp, supplementing the 480-hp 4.0L inline-6 that powers the two rear-wheels. The flywheel system gathers kinetic energy under braking to fuel the two electric-motors and after each boost of charge, the two motors provide 6 to 8 second jolts of power.
Edwin creative director, Rey Gautier looked to European factories to bring about Edwin’s new standards and aesthetics for Autumn/Winter 2010. New and exclusive washes are included in its denim development as well as new craftsmanship methods for its other products. The collection presents a ‘lived in’ feel defined by the post-Vietnam sentiments of movies such as Badlands and The Deer Hunter. Their latest moodbook is a reflection of these ideas. It’s not so much a Lookbook, but a collection of Portraits that reflect the mood of the collection.
This is pretty funny. After working really hard to keep ACTA negotiations a secret (even ridiculously claiming it was a national security issue), the USTR finally was pressured into release the draft text which showed, in fact, that the online leaks were exactly correct. Yet, the USTR is sticking to its earlier talking point that all the concern about ACTA in the online community was due to “misrepresentation” and “misinformation.”
USTR boss Ron Kirk, at a World Intellectual Property Day event earlier this week, claimed that the official release of ACTA text had shown that there was “a lot of the misinformation about ACTA.” Except, no, that’s not true. While there had been some misinformation about it last summer (mainly due to Kirk’s own actions in keeping the document secret), the leaks that started coming out late last year appear to have been 100% accurate. In fact, the significant changes to the officially released copy appear to have been driven by concerns brought forth due to these leaks. He went on to say that it’s too early to “judge” things:
“We’re still in the middle of the process,” Kirk said, adding that “let’s not prejudge anything.” He also said his office has “gone to great lengths to hear” from all the stakeholders involved in the ACTA debate and will continue to do so.
But that’s wrong on a variety of fronts. While the USTR had shown some snippets of the documents, under NDA and only for very brief periods of time, to consumer advocacy groups, that was significantly less access than many industry lobbyists had to the document and the negotiations. As for “pre-judging” the document, the issue isn’t “pre-judging” the document, it’s about actually listening to the stakeholders. To date, Kirk and the USTR has shown no interest in doing so. That’s why they seem to only be publicizing letters from industry lobbyists who support ACTA, but not the concerns of pretty much everyone else about ACTA.
The issue isn’t “pre-judging,” it’s making sure that by the time anyone’s allowed to “judge” the document, it isn’t too late.
The problem for independent video producers and enthusiasts has been the inability to encode videos that can be burned to Blu-ray Discs, and then actually played on BD consoles. That changed yesterday as Jason Garrett-Glaser, the leader of the open source x264 project that has seen success with DVDs, announced his team was able to encode a playable Blu-ray video using entirely free software.
That disc is being released as a kind of “Hello, World” effort for the high-definition format. It contains free videos folks have probably seen before, such as the Creative Commons licensed cartoon “Big Buck Bunny.” But the image was designed to be small enough (2 GB) to be burned to either a DVD or a BD, to further prove the software’s versatility.
“With x264’s powerful compression, as demonstrated by the incredibly popular BD-Rebuilder Blu-ray backup software, it’s quite possible to author Blu-ray disks on DVD9s (dual-layer DVDs) or even DVD5s (single-layer DVDs) with a reasonable level of quality,” Glaser wrote yesterday. “With a free software encoder and less need for an expensive Blu-ray burner, we are one step closer to putting HD optical media creation in the hands of the everyday user.”
The x264 codec utilizes independently derived math to produce video that follows the H.264 format, so it can be decoded using commercial software and console firmware as though commercial encoders had rendered it. Independent tests indicate obvious superiority with handling artifacts and moving objects compared to Windows Media Video, especially in the comparison featured on this page (warning, several big images included, plus the site hosting it appeared to be a victim of DNS hijacking at the time we checked it).
The most recent comparison of average rate distortion curves (RD curves) over variable bitrates, by the Graphics & Media Lab of Moscow State University (PDF available here), reveals somewhat superior performance from last year’s permutation of the x264 encoder, including against expensive competitors like MainConcept H.264. Engineers conducting the test suggested that x264 could actually be used as a benchmark against which all other codecs in the last five years could be judged.
The fundamental issue is whether or not current industry practices unnecessarily discriminate against variable power sources such as wind and solar. Behr said, “This debate opens another front in the continuing, behind-the-scenes struggle between the renewable power sector and some of the electricity industry’s old guard, whose historic ways of doing business are now under challenge.”
Organic Meats From Online Organic Food Stores and Suppliers
Not everyone knows about the fact that you can get not only organic produce but also organic meats. This enables you to change your entire dietary lifestyle if you so wish, without having to compromise on such things as organic meats and organic dairy products, substituting the non-organic stuff instead.
In fact, if you do your grocery shopping in a place where organic foods are readily available, you will find the organic meats and dairy products to be readily available alongside their stock of organic fruits, vegetables and processed foods. This is also true, maybe especially more so, of online organic food stores and suppliers.
So what is the deal with organic meats? Well for one thing, organically reared animals are treated to a different regimen than animals reared on normal farms. For one thing, these animals are only fed organic foods.
This means that they don’t have any non-organic foods in their diets at all from the very beginning. They are only fed on high quality organic produce. There is also the small factor of not having any antibiotics pumped into these animals as well as not being subject to other potentially harmful toxins.
Just because you prefer organic foods, it doesn’t mean that you have to become vegetarian or even vegan. You can still enjoy the same sumptuous foursquare meals that you’re used to without loss of vital ingredients. This is where knowing where to get your organic meats can come in handy.
And part and parcel with organic meats, come organic dairy products. Since animals reared in an organic farming environment will also produce organic dairy products as well, you have that assurance that you can still enjoy your port and cheese!
All that aside, when you’re looking at organic meats, you will also want to look at the various processed organic foods as well, that contains meat. Unless it has been specifically stated that the ingredients within the packaging s 100% organic you might find yourself faced with only some of the items being organic.
This applies to any meats to be found in the product as well. Unless it has been stated specifically that the meats contained are organic meats you might want to think twice before buying these types of processed foods.
If you’re having trouble finding not only organic meats but organic fish as well, you might want to try your hand at finding an organic foods supplier online. You will more than likely have better luck at these places finding, and purchasing, your organic meats, fish and dairy produce.
About the Author
Muna wa Wanjiru is a Web Administrator and Has Been Researching and Reporting on Organic Foods for Years. For More Information on Organic Meats, Visit His Site at ORGANIC MEATS
What vegetarian food can I take to lunch?
I’m a vegetarian :] My high school doesn’t offer a vegetarian menu. My lunch usually consist of: a fruit parfait with granola and an organic tea. I need more options!!! I am not very fond of packing my lunch because I never know what to take! Does anybody have any quick and easy suggestions for vegetarian food I could take to school for lunch?! Thanks!
i dont use dreasing-
but u can try it with kraft or something-
good luck-
[phpbay]vegetarian organic food, 100[/phpbay] Being a Vegan : Benefits of Organic Food for Vegans
Vegetarian Organic Food is a post from the Vegetarian Vitamins Guide blog where you can find suggestions and advice from vegetarians and vegans on vegetarian diets, supplements, vitamins and overall nutrition.
There’ve been rumors of a Windows Live Messenger iPhone app, but now the Neowin team has gotten its hands on screenshots. Good news? The app looks cleaner and less bulky than the desktop version. Bad news? That’s not saying much. More »
Intel’s new design center in Haifa, Israel is LEED Gold certified. It opened in June.
Some of the highlights …
"…received LEED Gold certification … for … Intel Design Center – IDC 9 – … in Haifa, Israel …"
" … Intel’s first certified green facility, IDC 9 is the first building in Israel to receive LEED Gold-level recognition."
" … was built on land previously occupied by a parking lot to not damage any natural resources. … "
" … rooftop garden to enhance thermal insulation and prevent the building from retaining excessive heat … A method for capturing and recycling condensate water from the air conditioning system for irrigation. …"
Today 31 environmental groups including the Sierra Club, the NRDC and the League of Conservation Voters sent a strongly worded letter to the Senate to get the climate bill moving again.
The only holdout organizations were Greenpeace and Bill McKibben’s 350.org, not because they don’t want climate legislation. On the contrary. They want perfect policy. Both are holding out for something that will never happen.
Ponies will not descend from the heavens magically bearing Republican Senators who don’t filibuster every bill. The most powerful industry on the planet will not be magically robbed of its power to prevent policy enactment.
Although they don’t mean to, their intransigence only helps the opposition. (more…)
BMW 5 Series Hybrid spy shots – Click above for high-res image gallery
It hardly seems worthy of BMW‘s distinctively swirly camouflage – after all, we pretty much know exactly what it will look like after seeing the latest 5 Series several times and even gazing at the ActiveHybrid Concept from the Geneva Motor Show – but here we are with an image gallery of the 2012 5 Series Hybrid.
Assuming that the production car will get a similar drivetrain to what was shown off in the aforementioned concept, we can expect to see a turbocharged inline six-cylinder mated up to an eight-speed automatic transmission with a 40-kilowatt electric motor sandwiched between.
We can’t say for certain what kind of fuel mileage this combination would provide (best guess would be about a 20-percent improvement), but we do know that a lithium ion battery pack should be nestled right near the rear axle for optimum weight distribution. That pack not only allows the car to operate on electric power, it also provides short bursts of added performance when called upon. Check out the high-res image gallery of spy shots below.
Its time like this that we see what MS has been doing with their time. In a recent tweet by Microsoft Zune Team member, yegr spoke of the update being available soon. The tweet said “"rolling out" Zune apps means. . . if it’s not available right now, it will be soon thx.”
Now you might ask why this is important to Windows Mobile. Well with these updates, we can see some things that might show up in WP7, due to their close similarity. Also, some people that are hardcore Windows Mobile users also use this media player instead of their devices.
So if you own a Zune… Go to your settings and update your device, and report back with some pictures of this new software.
-Everyone’s favorite “Prostitution Whores” — AKA The Real Housewives of New Jersey — are back for a new season on Bravo!
-Late comedy legend Richard Pryor wasn’t lying when he said he had a “cocaine dick.” Seventies stunner Pam Grier — who once dated the funnyman — claims Pryor’s peen flooded her catbag with coke residue. Sometimes there simply are no words….Movin’ on!
Check out the just-released mini-episode of True Blood, which returns to HBO June 13….
-Good news (Sorta): Bret Michaels has been upgraded from critical to stable condition. Here’s the bad news: He’s been diagnosed with a side effect that can lead to seizures. His doctors remain hopeful, and so do we!
–Some dumb bitch (Yeah, I said!) over at GlobalGrind.com “doesn’t understand” why folks are no longer interested in listening to Chris “Beatdown” Brown moaning like a howling dog all over their iPods. Gee, I don’t know. Maybe his unpopularity has something to do with the fact that HE BEATS UP GIRLS!! Pardon my language but how in the flickitty-flack is choking and punching someone after you threaten to kill them a “mistake?” I will never understand how women justify this type of behavior — no matter how much you dislike Rihanna. Are yall high?
–The ladies of Wal-Mart have had it with the cheapie retailer’s discrimination against women!
-Here’s a sneak peek at Kanye West’s weekend guest spot on The Cleveland Show. Aww — no Amber Rose?
–Sex And The City creator Candace Bushnell is talking about The Carrie Diaries, a new novel that introduces young adults to a teenage Carrie Bradshaw….
-As a Xtina Stan since ‘99 it pains me to admit this, but Ms. Aguilera is looking a little “Gagalicious” is this brief snippet for her new comeback video “Not Tonight…”
2020 Toyota Venza as realized by Lotus – Click above for high-res image gallery
When General Motors got to work seriously changing the Chevrolet Volt from blocky concept to sleek production model, company engineers discovered that by improving the aerodynamics by 80 counts, the car netted a six mile per gallon improvement in its highway fuel economy rating (note: a “count” is a thousandth of a point of a Cd number, so reducing a Cd of 0.150 by 50 counts would give you a Cd of 0.100). On the flipside, taking out 400 pounds of stuff only improved the car’s highway mpg by one mile a gallon, though that’s largely because of the Newtonian “an object in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted upon by an outside force” hubbub. The lesson for the Volt? Aerodynamics beats weight reduction as a way to increase efficiency.
Not everyone agrees that aerodynamics are key to better cars, however. On the performance side of things, let’s not forget Enzo Ferrari’s famous (and wrong) quote: “Aerodynamics are for people who can’t build engines.” When it comes to building more fuel efficient cars, weight reduction can play a big role. Lotus, in particular, is a big proponent of shaving pounds from its sportscars. The Elise Club Racer, to cite just one example, weighs less than 2,000 pounds.
Today, Lotus Engineering and the International Council on Clean Transportation released a study that found that weight reduction should not be forgotten and is, in fact, a cost-effective way to improve fuel efficiency. Specifically, the engineers calculate that you can have a “vehicle mass improvement” of 38 percent compared to a conventional mainstream vehicle (in this case, a Toyota Venza) and that it can be achieved with “only” a three percent increase in component costs. One important detail: this is “using engineering techniques and technologies viable for mainstream production programmes by 2020.” Even though 2020 is a decade away, it’s interesting to see how much fuel might this save. The DOE estimates that reducing a vehicle’s mass by 33 percent means a 23 percent drop in fuel consumption. Not bad. Find more details after the jump.
