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Datamax-O’Neil, a global provider of label and receipt printing solutions, offers a new generation of E-Class printers, called the E-Class Mark II. The new E-Class models take this very popular entry-level desktop printer to a significantly higher level of performance, print quality and reliability to meet the broadest range of vertical application requirements.

The compact E-Class Mark II printer family incorporates a state-of-the-art processor which provides the fastest label generation and print speed of any printer in its class and a throughput that is nearly 70% faster than previous models. Offering the latest connectivity with new internal Ethernet and wireless Ethernet options, the E-Class Mark II is the ideal solution for a wide range of industries that increasingly rely on networking technology, including healthcare, manufacturing and retail.

A uniquely designed adjustable print mechanism along with advanced media sensing and handling results in the best print quality of any comparable printer. These features also give the printer the ability to print quickly and accurately on the most challenging label shapes, materials, grades and coatings.

“The E-Class series has always served the most diverse requirements and applications for customers around the world. With the latest features we’ve incorporated into the Mark II, we are now meeting the need for higher performance and greater connectivity that has evolved in many industries,” said Christian Bischoff, Regional General Manager, EMEA for Datamax-O’Neil. “The E-Class Mark II is a simple and fast drop-in replacement for competitive aging printers and slower desktop printers that hinder productivity and shrink profitability.”

The Mark II builds off the previous E-Class’ reputation for solid performance and durability that set a new industry standard when it was introduced in 2000. The printer’s small footprint allows it to fit on any desktop or counter and can easily be field upgraded with a cutter, label sensors and thermal transfer printing capability.

The E-Class Mark II is offered in two models: the E-4205e for 200 dpi, 5 ips requirements and the E-4304e which provides 300 dpi and 4 ips. Both printers offer 5-inch roll diameter. International fonts with the required memory are now free with any E-Class Mark II and all Datamax-O’Neil stationary printers. The E-Class Mark II is also the only desktop thermal printer available in two colors – warm white or cool grey.

MeVEA Ltd has announced three new Training Simulators. For different type of training; for beginners to professionals, MeVEA offers a Basic, Advanced and Pro Training Simulator which is based on real-time simulation of dynamics.

Differences between these packages appear in number of excercises, evaluation and physical parts f.ex screens and motion base. Despite the new product line, the training simulators are still produced depending on customer needs. Nearly any kind of machine can be simulated, from forklifts to harbor cranes and mining drill jumbos.

MeVEA Training Simulators are not video games and are suitable for professional training and evaluation. The simulation software is based on dynamics which ensures realistic movement and controlling of the machine. Driving habits can be changed and f.ex. productivity and fuel consumption can be developed.

Twitter is ready to make the permanent switch to the next-generation authentication system it’s been developing along with others in the industry. The microblogging service has announced that it will drop support for basic authentication from the Twitter API, opting instead for OAuth, which provides a simpler and safer way for users to connect to the se… (read more)

O reporter da Autocar, Jamie Corstorphine, mostra um test-drive comentado da nova Ferrari 458 Italia, realizado na estrada e na pista de Maranello, ele fala de sua aerodinâmica, das entradas de ar nas laterais e no capô , das aletas frontais que se deformam com o aumento da velocidade, do câmbio de 7 velocidades , derivado da Fórmula 1, e acionado por borboletas atrás do volante, e acelera o motor V8 de 570 cavalos de potência que alcança velocidade máxima de 327 Km/h e vai de 0 a 100 em apenas 3.4 segundos.

According to Bloomberg data, U.S. stocks are now at their cheapest level since 1990, except for a brief period post-Lehman’s collapse.

Bloomberg:

Earnings estimates for Standard & Poor’s 500 Index companies from Apple Inc. to Intel Corp. and CSX Corp. climbed 9.1 percent on average in April, twice the gain in their prices and the largest monthly increase since at least 2006, data compiled by Bloomberg show. The benchmark gauge for American equities is trading at 14.2 times forecasts for its companies’ profits, lower than any time since 1990, except for the six months after Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. collapsed.

Analysts expect companies in the S&P 500 index to earn the equivalent of $85.96 per share relative to the index. 

Of course this ‘cheap’ conclusion requires that A) companies achieve the earnings forecasts analysts have given them and B) can grow their earnings above the current forecast level in the next five years. If they can do both, then yes stocks can be fairly described as cheap right now as shown above. Yet if there’s another major down-leg in U.S. corporate earnings then using this one-year forward price-to earnings (PE) metric above will prove unreliable. Thus whether this PE valuation is valid or not depends on your view of A & B above. We personally look more at individual company valuations right now, especially non-financials, and on that metric there are indeed many very strong and well-established individual U.S. corporations that are trading at historically low valuations vs. their own history yet at the same time appear to have solid growth prospects as well. Think McDonald’s (MCD) & Coke (KO), for example.

Note: The author owns shares of Mcdonalds. Investors the author speaks with may be long or short shares, bonds, or options related to any company mentioned here.

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The most recent chapter in Blandin Foundation’s learning journey to help us prepare to launch our Minnesota Intelligent Rural Community project  was a visit to Morrill Hall on the University of Minnesota campus. We went to meet with the folks who will be managing the Broadband Access Project awarded to the University through BTOP, kind of a “sister award” to ours.

The University’s project is squarely focused on addressing the digital divide, which casts a long shadow over our state. Working through 11 community computer lab sites, including one in a public housing facility, the University’s Broadband Access Project will enhance broadband awareness and use for residents in economically challenged areas of north and south Minneapolis and the Frogtown area of St. Paul.

Their project will focus especially on African-Americans and Hmong and Somali immigrants, a goal that will be addressed in part by partnering with the Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium. Plans include providing broadband training to vulnerable, low-income, minority and immigrant populations, which they will accomplish in part by translating many of the project’s training materials into Hmong, Vietnamese, Spanish and Somali.

We agreed that a larger-scale opportunity we share is to check in with other BTOP awardees nation-wide about sharing curricula and translation efforts underway in other places.

Among our hosts was Craig Taylor, who is my counterpart for the U’s BTOP grant. Craig is Director of the University’s Office for Business & Community Economic Development, an office he founded and designed after he began working at the University eight years ago.

From the beginning, Craig’s vision for the office has been to help expand the University’s role in supporting the economic growth and development of Minnesota communities. So it feels like this BTOP opportunity fits well with his core interests and aspirations for the University. Craig’s long experience living and working in and with North Minneapolis neighborhoods, as well as his leadership role in the University Northside Partnership, will enrich the perspectives he brings to this important work.

Forget botox—if you want better-looking skin, start looking closer to home. At your LED-backlit LCD, for example. The Light Masque, pictured, is the secret to eternal beauty according to specialists, using red LEDs to diminish lines and spots. More »

The new Maserati GranCabrio video is very much the ‘beautiful people’ lifestyle video with not much focus on the car itself, apart from a good look at its interior. The GranCabrio is the open top version of the Maserati GranTurismo and has the same 4.7-litre V8 engine with 440 hp. It costs about 135,000 euros and could be considered one of the sexiest cars around.

Quite obviously quietness and “green” are two objectives that seem to be driving the auto scene at the moment. We often see electric vehicles and concepts powered by renewable energy being displayed at various auto shows. Moreover the rise in the cost of fuel has made auto makers think about possibilities that are fuel efficient as well. When reducing fuel or energy consumption is the need, the best possible solution is to let go one wheel and make the vehicle run on three wheels. This approach better mileage and doesn’t make the user sacrifice with performance and safety. Here are some of the coolest vehicles that run on three-wheels for better streets of tomorrow:

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4.6 Sounds a Lot Better than 5.9 in a Performance Car
Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press

When an automaker discontinues a model they normally do so for good reason. Certainly there’s the odd circumstance where a plant is closing down and a given model is let go due to having no home to produce it, but more often than not cars get axed because they’re not selling well. Audi’s compact A3, mind you, is not one of those cars, but rather it’s one of Audi’s best sellers and certain to be part of its lineup for years to come. Nevertheless, not all trims in the A3 lineup have been successful. There was wailing and gnashing of teeth by enthusiasts when the V6-powered 3.2 quattro was dropped from the line, but those same enthusiasts should be thrilled by the addition of the A3 2.0 TDI.

2010 Audi A3 2.0 TDI

A 2.0-litre diesel supplanting a 3.2-litre V6? Welcome to the second decade of this century, ladies and gentlemen, an era when emissions and fuel-economy issues rule the roost after decades of performance stats dominating the minds and hearts of auto enthusiasts. Of course, in order to pull the enthusiast’s chain, performance must be part of the equation, and with the A3 2.0 TDI, especially in S line trim as my example was outfitted, the ideal balance of both is realized.

The A3, no matter the drivetrain, is the poster child of compact luxury. Compared to its rivals, Audi’s smallest North American offering delivers an extremely high level of premium refinement, with higher quality plastics, better switchgear, top-tier features and beautiful metal accents, everywhere. Don’t get me wrong, I love BMW’s little 1 Series, but there’s too much cheap plastic inside, and Mercedes’ B is better and extremely safe and practical, but simply not as “special” inside or out, whereas Volvo’s C30 is, well, a Volvo, but while not carrying quite the same cachet it delivers the second best cabin in the segment. Acura’s CSX is a Honda Civic in drag, and if you include it in the premium segment you’ll also have to include Mazda’s 3, while the Mini is brilliant, but falls into the smaller B-segment. Audi’s thought process appears to be, you don’t have to live with less, even if you’re going small to save the planet, save at the pump, and save at initial purchase. I like that philosophy.

My week with the A3 2.0 TDI S line was one I won’t soon forget. Actually, I came away thinking that it would be the car I would likely buy if I were in the market for a new vehicle right now. I’m big on fuel-economy and large on performance, while I’ve got kids and gear and therefore need the added space a hatchback-cum-wagon offers. It fits my lifestyle to a T, and while a crossover such as the A5 might do likewise, the A3 doesn’t lose much in cargo capacity while I like the smaller exterior dimensions, lower centre of gravity and handling benefits these attributes provide.

For 2010, other than the addition of this 2.0 TDI model and discontinuation of the 3.2 quattro, only the availability of the S line sport package on 2.0T Premium models and an exchange of exterior colours, Sphere Blue Metallic for Lava Grey Pearl Effect, denote changes from last year.

As an overview, the A3 comes in one body style in North America, a five-door hatchback. In reality, however, it’s shaped more like a sport wagon, and being that wagons are getting hotter these days, its sales are bound to grow beyond their already strong numbers. Lesser models get Audi’s snappy little 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder, dubbed 2.0T, while the rich kid on the block is the aforementioned TDI, a 2.0-litre direct-injection turbocharged diesel. The 2.0T gets front-wheel drive and makes use of a six-speed manual transmission or an optional six-speed, electro-hydraulically controlled, dual-clutch, direct-shift gearbox known in VW-speak as DSG and Audi lingo as S tronic. If you want quattro all-wheel drive you’ll have to take the S tronic transmission, but believe me it’s no sacrifice. The TDI only comes in front-wheel drive and can only be had with the six-speed S tronic. Trim lines include base, Premium and my test example’s S line.

The 2.0T cars get all of the usual luxury features standard, such as power remote locks, power windows, dual-zone automatic climate control, cruise control, heated and powered exterior mirrors, variable intermittent wipers, 17-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 225/45R17 all-season rubber, fog lamps, plus CD/MP3 stereo with auxiliary input and satellite radio pre-wiring, while the A3 TDI gets a similar list. On the unusual side A3 buyers get standard heated leather seats and heated washer nozzles. The Premium package adds rain- and speed-sensitive windshield wipers, auto-dimming exterior and interior mirrors, Bluetooth connectivity, a panoramic sunroof, a power driver’s seat, a multi-function four-spoke leather-wrapped steering wheel, plus interior lighting package. My tester featured this latter package, and it was a real dream to live with because of it.

2010 Audi A3 2.0 TDI

Even better, my car had a sport suspension, S-line exterior trim, and three-spoke steering wheel, which made it a blast in the curves. Truly, I couldn’t get enough, and the TDI powertrain feels plenty good off the line, but I’m not going to pretend it was as grin inducing as the outgoing 3.2 or even the 2.0T. Just to put things into perspective, the old V6 made 250-horsepower and 236 lb-ft of torque, whereas the new TDI might fall short on horsepower, at 140, but delivers an identical torque rating. The horsepower of the V6 would be something you’d notice in the higher rev ranges, but the real kicker of the diesel is that full torque is available at a mere 1,750 rpm with a wide band to follow. Interestingly the gasoline-powered 2.0T makes max torque of 207 lb-ft at only 1,700 rpm, and its output is rated at 200 horsepower. So what about acceleration? While the TDI feels strong off the line, and it is initially, the numbers speak for themselves at 9.1 seconds to 100km/h compared to 6.9 by the 2.0T. The old 3.2 hit 100 km/h in a mere 5.9 seconds. Both current engines are fabulous, so you’ll have to decide what you want from a performance perspective, although with the TDI performance is measured on a different scale, with fuel economy being the key differentiator.

The 2.0T with the base six-speed manual isn’t bad for the compact luxury class at 10.4 L/100km in the city and 6.7 on the highway, as is the same front-wheel drive machine with the autobox at 9.4 L/100km and 6.9 respectively; the 2.0 AWD achieves a slightly less attractive 9.6 L/100km city and 7.5 highway. What about the TDI? Strangely, Audi doesn’t even list the fuel economy of this model on its Canadian web site, or it’s hidden so well that it’s near impossible to find. It gets worse. In their press release about winning Green Car of the Year, an impressive feat, they didn’t mention its fuel economy either. What gives, Audi? Fortunately they were smart enough to include a link to David Booth’s article on the car and in that review the rating of 6.7 L/100 km in the city and 4.6 on the highway was shown. The number is impressive and one of if not the highlight of this model, so Audi, take a hint from David and me… put it front and centre on your site! Geesh! Someone must have failed their marketing 101 class. Another positive for the TDI, the 2.0T needs premium unleaded while the 2.0 TDI simply uses diesel.

The A3 comes standard with all the safety features you might expect in a premium-class car, such as disc brakes all-round with ABS and the usual electronic extras, plus standard traction and stability control, the latter what I consider to be the most important safety advancement ever created. It gets all the usual airbags too, with the added bonus of optional rear side-impact bags.

The warranty is average for a premium car at four-years or 80,000 km bumper-to-bumper, while general reliability of the non-TDI (not enough time to collect data on the TDI) is passable. Consumer Reports doesn’t have much good to say about pre-2008 cars (again not enough data for newer models), whereas J.D. Power and Associates gives it a rather mediocre score of 5.0. On the positive, the A3 scores extremely well in crash tests, and then there’s that sensational fuel economy I mentioned previously, resulting in a stellar 986.8 km (613.2 mile) range capability compared to the class average of 693.3 km (430.8 miles). Yes, almost 1,000 km per 55-litre tank!

Speaking of volumes, the A3 can manage 370 litres (19.5 cu. ft.) of cargo space behind the rear seats, ample for most peoples’ needs, while the back seatbacks fold 60/40 if additional space is needed for longer items.

At the end of the day, or more accurately the end of the week for my test run, the 2010 Audi A3 2.0 TDI was an ideal travel companion. As a luxury commuter it hardly could get better, and when it came time to fill it up before returning the keys, it was a pleasantly joyous occasion costing only $30 for a regular week’s driving. Yeah, I suppose I’m in love. So see ya later, 3.2 quattro. You can have your 5.9-second run to 100. This is a new era, and I’ll take 4.6 L/100km… for a “performance car” 4.6 sounds a lot better than 5.9 anyway.

Whoops, looks like TheStreet.com pressed “go” on two new BlackBerry models early—the Bold 9650 and Pearl 3G. Nothing too outlandish if the site is to be believed, but looks like Sprint’s got dibs on the Bold. More »

Luke Timmerman wrote:

Mirina, one of the intriguing startups hatched in the past couple years at Seattle-based Accelerator, has passed a key test that will allow it to live to fight another day. The developer of microRNA-based therapies has secured an undisclosed “expansion round” of financing that will allow it to operate another 12 to 15 months, according to Accelerator CEO Carl Weissman.

Versant Ventures, one of the original backers of Accelerator seven years ago, has jumped in to lead this additional round of financing for Mirina, Weissman says. Most of the usual Accelerator syndicate is joining in too—Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Arch Venture Partners, OVP Venture Partners, and WRF Capital. While this isn’t enough money for Mirina to spin out of Accelerator like some of its predecessors, Mirina will use the cash to keep testing its technology for making microRNA drugs, and it will have a chance to secure some new intellectual property around some surprising new pharmaceutical characteristics, Weissman says.

Mirina’s ability to secure cash is a reflection of how microRNA has emerged as one of the hottest concepts in biology since they were first discovered in humans about a decade ago. The idea is to create drugs that can inhibit specific stretches of RNA that regulate how networks of proteins are expressed. By hitting switches that control entire networks of proteins, scientists hope to have success against complex diseases like diabetes, cancer, and inflammation that involve activity of many genes and proteins. Hitting these networks may have more power against these complex conditions than more traditional approaches that tend to rely on specifically inhibiting a single gene or protein, scientists say.

MicroRNA still represents the bleeding edge of biological research, as no one has yet come close to FDA approval of a drug that works this way, and only one company, Denmark-based Santaris Pharma, is thought to have entered clinical trials. But a number of companies have sprouted up to take advantage of the concept, including Santaris, Carlsbad, CA-based Regulus Therapeutics, Boulder, CO-based Miragen Therapeutics, and Austin, TX-based Mirna Therapeutics.

Carl Weissman

The Accelerator’s bet on the space, Mirina, was founded in August 2008 with a license to a chemistry platform from Nanogen (now part of France’s Elitech Group) which it believes allows for more potent microRNA-inhibitors than the rest of the pack,Weissman says. Accelerator is known for keeping its startups on a short leash, insisting they hit specific milestones in their first 18 to 24 months. While Mirina hasn’t hit all of them, it has produced such compelling evidence on a couple of counts, and shown some upside surprises, that it enticed investors to keep it going. The company has shown it can make its oligonucleotide drugs, and that they are potent and specific for certain microRNA regulatory switches. Now it wants to know how well that can be applied to certain models of disease.

“This is spectacular,” Weissman says. “The chemistry has some new and unexpected properties that will differentiate it in more ways than just potency, compared with everybody else out there.”

Weissman declined to be more specific about what those characteristics are, because Mirina is in the midst of trying to secure new intellectual property around them, he says.

If Mirina’s technology is really so hot, I wondered, why isn’t it “graduating” from Accelerator …Next Page »

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You can now learn more about the upcoming Trinity Universe from Nippon Ichi, in collaboration with Idea Factor and Gust, through its newly-launched official website.
 
 
 
 

What, wait? Sony’s been churning out floppy disks all these years? And 12m were sold last year in Japan alone? I guess that’s not enough though—as Sony Japan will cease selling them March 2011. [Akihabara News] More »

Bryn Mawr Classical Review (Reviewed by Timothy Howe)

In The last pharaohs, J. G. Manning attempts to bring Ptolemaic Egypt, and the economic policies of the Ptolemaic state, out of isolation from other fields of ancient Mediterranean history. Often seen as “a place apart,” especially by classicists focused on Greece and Rome, Ptolemaic Egypt has entered historical conversations tangentially, as a stage for wider Roman policy, for instance, or as a counterpoint to classical, polis civilization. Here, Manning is reacting against the scholarly tendency to assess the Hellenistic experience from the perspective of Greece.1 Using a social science models, Manning suggests that Ptolemaic Egypt be seen as an intentionally constructed hybrid of Greek and Egyptian elements, wherein Ptolemaic policies encouraged a fertile interaction of cultures and ideas, an interaction that produced complex native and immigrant responses, ranging from rejection to acceptance. By examining the Ptolemaic state from an Egyptian perspective, Manning seizes an opportunity to rethink terms like “hellenization” and “Hellenistic” and demonstrate how, by adopting a native Egyptian, pharaonic mode of governance, the Ptolemies fit their institutions into long-term Egyptian history. As Manning puts it, “This book offers a new perspective on the connections between Greek and Egyptian civilization, by trying to understand Egyptian civilization in its own terms, examining the manner in which the Ptolemies established themselves within Egyptian traditions, and the dynamic interactions between the two cultures during Ptolemaic rule” (205). And such a new perspective is now possible, Manning argues, because of the material uncovered in the past 100 years.2 Because of its rich literary records, Ptolemaic Egypt is at present the only well-documented state of the ancient world that allows such a quantitative approach.

Egyptology News Blog, Andie Byrnes

Eco Factor: Energy-efficient hotel complex.

Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects have won an architectural competition to design a 5-star hotel complex in Munich, which will host several sustainable features to lower the overall energy demands of the complex. The 40,000sqm complex is to be situated in the newly developed Schwabinger Tor area, along the northern part of the Leopoldstraße.

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