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If you do not know… GTX was a theme created and maintained by my friend El condor and his team mate Kamill. However, they stopped working on the theme but luckily Dark Ninja has taken over and will continue working on the graphics. Him and his team of  designers have taken it upon themselves to continue working on the design and from the new look, I think they have a lot more to come.

He had this to say:

As you all may know already, after the awsome work ElCondor and Kamill put to the theme further development was cancelled. Therefore i’m starting this new thread which will carry on development of GTX and help maintain the theme.

The GTX theme is originally made by ElCondor & Kamill.. Thanks for all their work they originally put in..

There is obviously a lot of work needed and i dont think anyone would be able to handle it on their own. Therefore we have put together a team for the later releases of the GTX theme.

Heres a few screenshots. 1st the GTX theme with a few differences. 2nd is the GTX theme with co0kies home tab.

This is still work in progress so it may differ from the end result.
(yeah i know there’s loads of screens Sorry :\ 0.o)

I am excited this theme will stay in production, it has very much to offer and with Dark Ninja working on it, we know it will be pushed to the max.

Stay up to date here

2010 New Acura MDX

Acura ZDX

From the 2009 New York Auto Show, Cars.com’s Kelsey Mays takes a look at the Acura ZDX Prototype. It competes with the BMW X6 and Infiniti FX.

2011 Acura NSX Finally Hits the Nürburgring

The latest prototype of the 2011 Acura NSX has finally hit the Nürburgring and it’s looking — and sounding — better than ever.

Unlike the previous prototypes — which were nothing more than cobbled-together test mules built from the S2000 platform — this NSX has bodywork that looks close to production specification…

Although the design of the original concept didn’t get favorable reviews, it appears as though Acura has stuck with similar styling for the production car. Instead of going for an all-out sports car, Acura is aiming for high-end GTs instead.

Think Aston Martin DB9, not Nissan GT-R. As a result, Acura has abandoned its former midengine concept and adopted a traditional front-engine 2+2 layout. The company is after prestige, not just speed.

That said, the 2011 Acura NSX is still expected to offer supercar performance. According to our sources in Japan, Takeo Fukui, Honda’s CEO, has tasked his R&D team with building an NSX that’s faster around the Nürburgring than both the 2009 Nissan GT-R and the upcoming Lexus LF-A.

Sounds optimistic, but according to our shooters Honda is already close to its goal. One hand timed lap came in at 7:37, just 8 seconds longer than the GT-R’s fastest lap. Not bad considering that this was Honda’s first trip to the Nürburgring with this prototype.

Credit the NSX’s formidable new power plant, a 5.5-liter V10 with as much as 550 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque. The engine is a slightly larger version of the V8 that Honda will use for the next-generation rear-wheel-drive RL sedan, and it will use cylinder deactivation under light loads for maximum efficiency.

Additional efficiency gains will come from the use of an eight-speed automatic transmission that will feature shift paddles on the steering wheel.

Getting all this power to the ground will be a challenge in a front-engine car, so the new NSX will employ a modified version of Honda’s Super-Handling All-Wheel-Drive (SH-AWD) system.

Packaging could be tight, however, with the big V10 up front. A combination of steel and aluminum will be used for the chassis that will form the basis for what looks like a relatively small car.

We have reports of NSX mules being tested in the U.S. alongside the Aston Martin DB9, Mercedes-Benz SL550 and the Porsche 911 Turbo, so this should tell you about the kind of car the NSX will become.

There’s still time for changes, though, as the 2011 Acura NSX isn’t expected to go on sale until late 2010. Who knows what Nissan and Lexus will have on the road by then, but from the sound of it, Honda is making sure that the NSX won’t be lagging behind.

Acura TL Video Review

2009 Acura TL. The styling of the Acura TL may not appeal to everyone but we think most buyers will appreciate the improved interior space, comfort and advanced technology of the latest generation.

To meet the varying needs of customers, the TL is offered in two flavors, a front-wheel-drive base model and a sportier all-wheel-drive model.

The BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class still dominate the class, but compelling content and good value may encourage customers to give the Acura TL a second look!

KFC is urging customers to buy “pink buckets” to help fight breast cancer. However, you could buy a dozen KFC buckets and it wouldn’t put an extra dime towards breast cancer research, reports The Washington Post. The fine print on KFC’s “buckets for the cure” website speaks for itself:

“KFC restaurant operators have contributed 50 cents to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure for each Komen branded bucket purchased by the operators from April 5, 2010-May 9, 2010….Customer purchases of KFC buckets during the promotion will not directly increase the total contribution.”

Basically, when the KFC franchises buy their official pink buckets from the KFC supplier, they have to pay $.50 extra per bucket and that goes towards Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation. The only way to move the needle is if enough customers buy enough pink buckets so that the store has to order more.

Or, you could make a healthy meal at home and use the money you saved on eating out to make a direct donation to a cancer charity. Use a service like Charity Navigator to make sure you pick a good one.

Is that right? Buying KFC buckets fights breast cancer? [Washington Post]

Filed under: Toys/Games

Hot Wheels “Speed Machines” Mix E – Click above for high-res image gallery

If you’re a casual die-cast car collector, any mundane shopping trip is an opportunity to grow that pile of toy cars you have taking up space in your house that could probably put to better use. (According to your significant other, at least!) If you have kids, there’s that to contend with, too – any unopened toy car they come across will soon be an opened toy car. After all, how do you explain to doe-eyed Junior that really, Daddy would prefer you don’t open that green Matchbox Porsche 914 that took two months to find at the store?

Now, the standard buck-a-pop Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars are pretty nicely detailed, but those same castings look a lot better when they’re re-decoed and packaged as pricier, step-up subsets sold separately from the regular assortments. Case in point, the Hot Wheels “Speed Machines” cars. These 1:64 scale cars (the same size as regular Hot Wheels) have much more accurate paint and detailing, with better wheels, and yours truly has already succumbed to his inner child on one occasion upon seeing them. Chances are, that won’t be a single-time occurrence, either.

As demonstrated above, upcoming Speed Machines range additions like the Ferrari 599XX stand ready to separate disposable income from pocket in $2 increments. It and the other cars in the gallery below are part of Speed Machines “Mix E,” which should hit stores in mid-May. Keep your eyes peeled. After all, this is the stuff that makes your desk at work look cooler than the next guy’s.

[Source: Mattel]

Hot Wheels “Speed Machines” dial up the detail originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 25 Apr 2010 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Reader Ed says he tried to buy an iPad from Best Buy, only to be told that someone was on the phone buying all of them, and that he could only get one if he bought the “black tie protection
plan” for $129. Ed told them to get lost and instead reported them to Consumerist and Best Buy.

Ed says:

At varying times I was told that they had either 2 or 4 left in stock, I’m not sure which number was correct, I never actually saw one except the display model.

They made clear that they could only sell one per person, which is fine… I only wanted one. The Best Buy employee went and had a used-car-salesman-worthy chat with his manager. Then, suddenly, I was informed that “someone on the phone” was buying ALL of the ones that they had left in stock.

I told them that I wasn’t aware you could arrange for the payment and purchase of items by phone with Best Buy. No response to that.

They then indicated that one of the iPads that was in the process of being purchased by someone on the phone at that VERY moment (who apparently gets to buy more than one?) could be sold to me instead, IF I would buy the black tie protection plan, which I was informed costs $129. On a $499 item that comes with a factory warranty. I was informed that Apple employees frequently come to Best Buy just to they can purchase their Apple items with Black Tie protection plans. They did not name any of these Apple employees, however.

I considered agreeing to buy the plan and then having it removed at the register, or coming back later to get a refund for the plan, but I was on my lunch break and didn’t feel like dealing with Best Buy customer service hell.

Ed cc’d this to Best Buy and to their credit they sprung into action. Ed says he found another iPad at a non-shady Best Buy and considers the matter resolved to his satisfaction.

Here’s Best Buy’s response to Ed:

I am writing in regards to your email below that was directed to the Consumerist; a copy of your correspondence was also sent to [redacted], who referred it to my attention to investigate and respond accordingly.

I’d like to apologize on behalf of Best Buy for the difficulties you encountered regarding this matter, but I appreciate the time you took to voice your concerns to allow us an opportunity to properly address them. Indeed, we value this sort of contact as it provides us with important feedback to make decisions regarding our future direction.

I’m sorry for the disappointment that surfaced from this incident, for the events you describe are both rare and unfortunate and not reflective of the optimal experience we strive to provide our customers. Please note that I’m currently investigating this issue in conjunction with the [redacted] store’s leadership team and will follow up with you again as soon as possible. In the meantime, please let me know if you have additional questions or concerns.

Good thing Ed is out there, keepin’ ’em honest.

Oh, and we snooped around to see if this protection plan is real and according to this chart, it is, and it does cost $129.00. Now excuse us while we mop up the milk that just shot through our nose.

Week of April 19 – to – April 23, 2010

This week, biofuel developer Codexis sold shares as part of its much anticipated Initial Public Offering (IPO). The company sold shares for $13, which was on the low-end of the $13 – to – $15 per share range, raising a total of $78 million. The share sale was the first cleantech IPO since A123 Systems went public late last year, raising more than $57 million.

Codexis plans to use the fresh batch of capital to scale production of its biofuel-making enzymes in a bid to eventually go commercial (and become profitable). So far, the company depends on major shareholder Royal Dutch Shell for a majority of its revenues, which are generated as part of a licensing agreement. With the Shell agreement expiring in 2012, the clock is ticking for Codexis, which says it is confident it will become profitable by eventually supplying its enzymes to the biofuel sector and the biotech industry. Since its inception, the company has banked on its ability to supply these two industries as the key to its long term success.

On Friday afternoon, the Department of Energy announced the closing of a massive $529 million loan guarantee for Fisker Automotive, the developer of the plug-in hybrid sports car. The government money will finance the reopening of the General Motors auto plant in Wilmington, Del. and the hiring of 2,000 workers that are expected to churn out up to 20,000 of the company’s Model S cars each year, starting in 2012.

Earlier this week, we took a look at the S-1 filed by second-generation biofuel developer Amyris, which has developed sugar-based hydrocarbon molecules that can be converted into greener jet fuel, industrial chemicals, or biodiesel.  The regulatory document provided a unique insight on the company and the challenges it faces. Like Codexis, Fisker, and most cleantech startups, Amyris doesn’t make money. It also has not secured any long term sales, nor has it been able, thus far, to produce its biofuel on an industrial scale. Now, what it does have is a cutting edge technology, a growing IP portfolio, and steep capital requirements, which is why, like Codexis and other renewable energy companies, it’s going to the public markets to raise cash.

This week, we also caught up with SolarReserve CEO Kevin Smith. The developer of utility-scale solar thermal power plants, says Smith, will likely wrap up permitting for its $550 million, 100-megawatt Tonopah Solar Energy project in Nevada at the end of the year. The company is talking to project finance banks to raise construction capital and is also planning to apply for 1603 direct cash grant, which typically finances up to 30 percent of a project’s cost.

We also called an executive at the Marlboro, Mass., company to get an update on its China plant. The company is expected to go online with an initial 100 megawatts in production capacity this summer. It cost about $50 million to build the 100 megawatt manufacturing line. Chinese authorities stepped and paid 2/3 of that cost, or about $33 million. The plant, a joint venture with local company Jiawei, is expected to produce 500 megawatts of silicon wafers by 2012. The EverGreen executive says it is talking with Chinese authorities to secure more public money to finance the construction of the rest of the plant.

VC & PE Watch:

Amonix, a Seal Beach, Calif.-based maker of concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) solar power systems, closed a $129.4 million Series B funding led by Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers.

Royal Dutch Shell-backed Codexis sold six million shares priced at $13 as part of its Initial Public Offering (IPO), raising $78 million.

A spokesman confirmed to G.E.R. that billionaire philosopher, George Soros, was still planning to invest $1 billion over the next decade to support clean energy ventures. Soros made the original announcement in October but has yet to announce a first investment.

Jan Van Dokkum, the former president of UTC Power has joined Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Buyers as an operating partner to oversee the VC fund’s growing cleantech portfolio.

Rambling

While cleantech companies are once again attracting investments, they are also losing money and will likely continue to do so for a while. Codexis relies, for 70 percent of its annual revenues, on a licensing agreement with Shell and has about $159 million in accumulated deficits. Amyris’s S-1 shows the company lost $120.4 million over the last three years. Silicon wafer maker, EverGreen Solar, last quarter reported a $21.1 million loss on revenues of $74.5 million. Those are sobering numbers that highlight some of the challenges faced by the sector.  In order to grow margins, companies can either cut costs, possibly by moving to China, or, even more controversial (for some in Washington…), they can convince the government to provide long-term support by extending popular programs like the direct cash grants or the manufacturing cleantech tax credit.

Image: iStockphoto

Greece’s finance minister George Papaconstantinou expects negotiations over the country’s 45 billion euro lifeline from the IMF to be concluded by mid-May. Which is important since Greece has 8.5 billion worth of bonds maturing on May 19th.

Bloomberg:

In a press conference at the International Monetary Fund, Papaconstantinou described as a “red herring” speculation that Greece will be forced to restructure its debt, and he ruled out leaving the euro area. He said the loan package will be “comprehensive” and last for three years.

“A number of people have been betting in certain ways. All I can say is they will lose their shirts,” he said in Washington. “I want to categorically restate that any notion of restructuring is off the table for the Greek government.”

Read more here >

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Want to save a few bucks next time you visit New York City? Pick up one of these handy keys that can open the entrance to every subway gate and turnstile in the city’s transit system for just $27. Just be ready to be locked away without a key if you get caught, since the all-access passes are illegal.

The New York Daily News tried out one of the keys, which are supposed to be used only by transit workers and police.

The Daily News tried out the key at 15 stations across the city, including Yankee Stadium on the B line in the Bronx, Junction Blvd. on the No. 7 in Queens and 68 St. on the Lexington Ave. line.

It worked every time.

Police said scammers are not only riding around for free, they are furtively selling entry to the subways for less than the $2.25 fare at unstaffed entrances.

According to the Daily News, the keys can be purchased from rogue transit workers. “If you find an area that’s not supervised by the police, you’re in. It’s like a key to the city,” one satisfied customer told the newspaper. The NYPD has arrested 15 suspects this year for using the keys.

Get magic keys that open the gates at 468 subway stations for only $27 [New York Daily News]

Just in case you’ve ever believed — even for a second — that NFL teams are forthcoming with information, we present the case of Jahvid Best(notes), the running back selected by the Detroit Lions with the No. 30 overall pick in the 2010 Draft.

Best reportedly had no idea that the Lions were interested in him — none at all. He met Detroit’s coaches at the NFL Combine (where Best ran a 4.35-second 40), but in the weeks that followed, "they didn’t call, they didn’t write and they didn’t invite him for a visit," according to Paula Pasche of the Oakland Press. Detroit nonetheless made a mid-draft deal with division rival Minnesota to acquire the pick necessary to select him. The Lions will now give a multi-year, multi-million dollar contract to a player they’ve been deliberately avoiding for a month.

That’s simply how business is conducted in the NFL (and how dating is conducted in junior high). If you’re interested, ignore.

Oddly enough, Detroit’s coaches apparently scout players in exactly the same way that fantasy owners do it. This from Pasche:

Coach Jim Schwartz credits Scott Linehan, the Lions’ offensive coordinator, for first bringing Best to his attention last fall.

"(Linehan) said, ‘Man what I would do for a running back like that. That guy, I don’t know if he’s coming out or what he would do in the draft, but I just watched him play a game and that guy is everything we are looking for,’" Schwartz said.

So Schwartz Googled the Best highlights and joined the campaign to get him to Detroit.

Lions fans, please note that if Best turns out to be a total bust, it’s Google’s fault. No one else’s.

But he isn’t likely to disappoint. In fact, he’s much more likely to emerge as the most dangerous back in the 2010 draft class. Here are a few of the highlights that may have persuaded Coach Schwartz…

—

—

There’s breakaway speed, and then there’s whatever Best has. He’s a ridiculous talent, and the Lions needed to upgrade the backfield
in the worst way. You might recall that last year’s leading rusher, Kevin Smith(notes), tore
his ACL late in a blowout loss. In all likelihood, Best fell as far as he did due to concerns about his size (5-10, 199) and injury history (concussion, toe, foot, elbow, hip, etc). His ceiling is certainly as high as anyone’s.

As Schwartz told Yahoo!’s Michael Silver (creepily), "Some people watch adult videos on their computer. I go to YouTube and watch Jahvid Best highlight clips." And just like the video consumers to whom he relates, Schwartz smartly keeps his fetishes to himself. 

—

Photo via US Presswire

[JURIST] US Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) withdrew support for a comprehensive climate change bill on Saturday, delaying the unveiling of the legislation and casting its prospects for passage into doubt. The bill represents a major part of President Barack Obama’s legislative agenda and had been under negotiation between Graham and Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) for six months. The proposed legislation was to be unveiled Monday, but was postponed by Kerry after learning of Graham’s decision. In a letter, Graham, the only Republican Senator that has agreed to work with the Obama administration on the bill, criticized the Democratic leadership for the reported plan to move forward with immigration reform legislation before the climate bill. Graham described the move as motivated by partisan politics, saying: I was greatly looking forward to the opportunity to address on the floor of the U.S. Senate as we pushed legislation forward into law. But it appears President Obama and the Senate Democratic leadership have other more partisan, political objectives in mind. Moving forward on immigration — in this hurried, panicked manner — is nothing more than a cynical political ploy. I know from my own personal experience the tremendous amounts of time, energy, and effort that must be devoted to this issue to make even limited progress. In 2007, we spent hundreds of hours over many months … searching for a way to address our nation’s immigration problems. Expecting these major issues to be addressed in three weeks — which appears to be their current plan based upon media reports — is ridiculous. It also demonstrates the raw political calculations at work here. In responding to Graham’s announcement, Kerry said that he would be willing to return to negotiations whenever Graham was, but was unsure of when that would be. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) stated his commitment to passage of both the climate bill and immigration reform legislation before the November midterm elections and the end of the current session of Congress.
The US House of Representatives passed their version of the climate bill in June on a narrow 219-212 vote. The bill calls for a reduction in greenhouse emissions by 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020, and by 80 percent by 2050 by establishing a cap-and-trade system. The bill establishes first-time limits on greenhouse gases that will become progressively stricter. Immigration reform constitutes another plank of Obama’s legislative agenda. Graham and Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) unveiled their proposal for comprehensive immigration reform in March. The plan entails improving border security, creating a system through which temporary workers would be admitted, introducing biometric identification cards, and instituting a process to legalize illegal immigrants currently residing within the US. The proposed bill is also the first attempt at immigration reform since the failed Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill in 2007. At that time, detractors called the bill too lenient on illegal immigrants and said that by granting legal status to illegal aliens, the US was granting “amnesty.”

Even if Goldman Sachs doesn’t end up being found guilty of what the Securities and Exchange Commission alleges in its recent complaint (.pdf), one thing is for sure: the bank can’t be pleased with the negative publicity. At the center of the sleazy-looking deal is the only other defendant in the case, a young Goldman banker named Fabrice Tourre. At first, Goldman appeared to have its employee’s back, implying that no one at the firm did anything wrong. Since then, however, Tourre has been put on indefinite paid leave and de-registered in the U.K. He will soon have to testify before the U.S. Senate. Goldman can’t be too pleased with his antics.

Tourre was clearly a rising star at Goldman Sachs — a vice president by the time he was 28 and an executive director at 31. Obtaining those titles at such a young age is no small feat at any investment bank, much the less Goldman. There’s little doubt that he’s a very smart guy who made some extremely dumb mistakes. Even if he ends up being absolved of technically breaking the law, Tourre can still serve as an example to other young professionals of how not to act in business.

Take Your Job Seriously

Tourre probably thought he took his job pretty seriously. But he was clearly suffering from poor judgment or immaturity when he sent a now infamous e-mail from his work account to a friend, part of which read:

More and more leverage in the system, The whole building is about to collapse anytime now…Only potential survivor, the fabulous Fab[rice Tourre]…standing in the middle of all these complex, highly leveraged, exotic trades he created without necessarily understanding all of the implications of those monstruosities!!!

It’s fine to think this to oneself. It’s probably even fine to jokingly say that to a friend in a bar (just don’t get so drunk you leave your top-secret iPhone prototype there). It’s not fine to write this in an e-mail from your work address. Even if the SEC had never brought charges against Goldman, a supervisor should have been displeased with such an e-mail sent from an address ending with @gs.com.

Don’t Be Cocky

This one was probably especially hard for Tourre. After all, he was a rock star. He was pulling in more than $2 million per year before his 30th birthday. Anyone getting paid even one-tenth that amount by this age that should be proud of himself. Clearly, Tourre was living the dream.

But he shouldn’t have let that show — especially not in his work. Cockiness leads to laziness and feeling that one’s above reproach. No one is, especially not a 28-year-old. If Tourre had been a little more humble, he might have avoided some of his blunders that brought the SEC’s suit against him.

Exercise Prudence

On this one, you have to assume the facts of the SEC case are accurate, which they may not be. But if they are, then Tourre allowed hedge fund manager John Paulson to have input in creating the pool of securities that he intended to bet against. Here, Tourre should have done one of two things. Either he should have made crystal clear to the collateral manager ACA that Paulson intended to short the portfolio, or he should not have allowed Paulson to have a hand in creating the pool.

Frankly, that second option probably would have worked out okay. If Tourre had approached ACA and said he wanted them to originate a pool for a synthetic collateralized debt obligation that was backed by subprime mortgages, it would have still done so. As one report indicates, ACA was perfectly happy to pick subprime mortgages itself for the pool that turned out to be disastrous investments. So Paulson would likely have been quite pleased to bet against almost any subprime mortgage portfolio ACA came up with, even if his fund didn’t select any of the specific subprime mortgage-backed securities itself. And Paulson would have still made a lot of money.

The road to smashing success in business is not an easy one. Once you’re there, however, it is easy to make a stupid mistake that overshadows all of your hard work and ruins everything. Fabrice Tourre may one eventually overcome this setback and find success again in finance, but the tarnish will likely follow him for the rest of his career.

Para quem gosta de velocidade, nada melhor do que acompanhar um super carro atingir marcas de tempo incríveis ao demonstrar a sua performance. Foi isso que aconteceu com a Ferrari 599XX, ao desafiar o circuito alemão de Nürburgring.

A pista, com 20,8 km de extensão demora em média 8 minutos para ser percorrida, coisa que a 599XX fez em 6 min e 58seg. O tempo atingido pode se comparar aos carros de Fórmula 1 de alguns anos atrás, o que deixa a Ferrari 599XX com um dos melhores tempos desse circuito feito por carros produzidos em série, e chegou até mesmo a superar o Gumpert Apollo Speed, que tinha em 2009 o recorde de 7min e 11s, e chegando perto do recorde máximo da pista de 6min e 11s, por um Porsche 956.

Vejam o vídeo a seguir para sentir um pouco a performance desse carro, que chega a ultrapassar os 300Km/h e chega a impressionar com todo o seu poder.

Via | Carro Online

Jetyo’s HDV-T900 solar-powered camcorder is probably not suitable for any nefarious nighttime activities you might have planned for that special anniversary, and judging from how long it would take to recharge, it’s probably not good at much else either. More »