Just when you were starting to get the hang of all those crazy multitouch gestures designed for your fingers, a group of German researchers wants to put your other extremities to work. Multitoe (really) takes touch-based computing down a level. More »
Los Angeles has grown by about 1 million people in the last three decades, but you wouldn’t know it from the way water has been trickling out of taps and sprinklers lately.
The city had the lowest recorded water use in 31 years, according to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, which announced Tuesday that usage in February declined to 1979 levels.
Officials tied the decreased water usage to restrictions that went into effect in 2007, prompted by an ongoing drought. The current regulations limit watering to Mondays and Thursdays, prohibit watering between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily and outlaw hosing down driveways and sidewalks, among other provisions.
“Angelenos understand the urgency for water conservation, their actions show it,” Lee Kanon Alpert, president of the Los Angeles Board of Water and Power Commissioners, said in a statement.
Citywide, water use was down more than 20% compared to February 2007, officials said. The reductions varied among commercial, residential and industrial ratepayers, but the largest cutbacks were among single-family homes, which have used nearly 30% less water since February 2007, according to the DWP.
The news that water customers have cut back is a rare piece of good news for the utility, which is in the midst of a tense standoff with the mayor and city council over proposed rate hikes.
— Tony Barboza
Bill Ford Jr., Chairman of FoMoCo, has no plans to return to the job of Chief Executive Officer in the future. In an interview with Reuters, Bill said that if he has his way, Alan Mulally will put off his own retirement until the middle of next decade.
He said that when the job for CEO of Ford does open up, he is pretty confident that he won’t be called again, because unlike in 2001 when he was CEO, the company now has a bunch of managers who will be ready to fill Mulally’s shoes.
“No, I don’t see myself going back ever,” Bill said. “You never say never, but it would be hard to envision the circumstances.”
Click here for prices on the 2010 Ford Fusion.
Bill, 52, is pretty happy with the company founded by his great grandfather. FoMoCo has finally found its way back to profitability and is the only Big 3 domestic automaker that didn’t ask the Obama administration for federal funding to survive.
“I take great pleasure in the fact that Ford has not only survived, but really is being held in such high regard now around the country and around the globe,” he said.
– By: Stephen Calogera
Source: Reuters
Filed under: SUV, Europe, Volkswagen, Rumormill
Rumor has it Volkswagen is mulling a two-wheel drive version of the Touareg. Whispers are buzzing around the francophone site L’Automobile that the company is considering dropping power to the front wheels in order to create a Touareg 2Motion. Why? If our Google translator is to be believed, Volkswagen is hoping to trim some weight and cost from its SUV while upping the vehicle’s fuel efficiency at the same time.
The site quotes an unnamed member of the truck’s development team as saying it would be relatively easy to make the Touareg a rear-wheel drive vehicle. What’s more, a less-expensive VW SUV would likely appeal to the American masses. The Touareg currently carries a base MSRP of around $40,850, so some reduction in price for the two-wheel drive variant is all but assured.
L’Automobile doesn’t make mention of when the Touareg 2Motion will come to market, though the current feeling is that it won’t be until well past 2012, if at all. It would make sense to see VW offer a RWD version, though, especially when equipped with the upcoming hybrid drivetrain.
Gallery: First Drive: 2011 Volkswagen Touareg
[Source: L’Automobile]
VW planning frugal-minded Touareg 2Motion? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 13 Apr 2010 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
The Livestock Power Mill, designed by William Taylor of Northern Ireland, works by placing a cow on an inclined non-powered belt. To avoid sliding down, the cow will start walking forward. Once it does that, the belt starts turning, causing the gearbox attached to start spinning. This gearbox in turn, drives a generator which produces electricity. A feed box is kept at the front of machine to lure the cow to keep moving. A single cow can generate about 2 kW of power, which is enough to power four milking machines.
Although this method has the disadvantage of reduction in the amount of milk produced, it also solves the problem of the cattle not getting enough exercise during winter while producing energy.
[trendhunter]
Lehman Brothers may have exerted an unusually strong influence over a firm that it sold assets to and then used to obtain funding from third-parties according to a New York Times article today. The piece attempts to have a sort of “aha!” flavor to it, pointing out the fishy relationship between the bank and the firm Hudson Castle. But does the article deliver enough evidence to indicate clear wrongdoing?
First, it’s important to understand what was going on. Here’s an example explained through a diagram provided by the Times:
A simplified explanation: Lehman sold assets to a Special Purpose Vehicle (“Fenway”), which was owned by Hudson Capital. It then sold commercial paper to Lehman, which Lehman used as collateral for a loan from JPMorgan. That provided Lehman with cash the needed.
Things would have been much simpler if JPMorgan had just loaned Lehman money based on Lehman’s own assets, but JPMorgan didn’t want to take on risk associated with the troubled bank. However, JPMorgan didn’t mind being exposed to Fenway, because it didn’t realize that some portion of Fenway’s assets (it’s unclear how much) were actually Lehman’s.
There are two potential problems with this relationship:
First, JPMorgan was presumably unaware that Fenway’s commercial paper was tied to Lehman. Whether or not Lehman did anything wrong here, however, depends on the circumstances. If the now-failed bank intentionally misled JPMorgan or withheld information, then Lehman acted improperly. But if JPMorgan just failed to do its own due diligence, then it only has itself to blame.
Second, you may notice the dotted line that connects Lehman above Hudson Capital in the diagram above. The New York Times bases most of its article on the idea that Lehman had a strong influence over Hudson. The piece implies that Hudson was controlled by Lehman, though backs off from stating this as clear fact. If Lehman did control Hudson, then the situation is very shady. Lehman shouldn’t be selling assets to an entity that’s really an extension of itself only to borrow based on those assets through that entity’s cleaner name.
Unfortunately, the New York Times doesn’t present particularly compelling evidence that Lehman controlled Hudson in the years leading up to the crisis. From the article we know that after 2004:
While some of these points hint at impropriety, they do not prove Lehman controlled Hudson. Prior to 2004, the relationship between these two firms appeared to be a little cozier, according to the article. Lehman controlled Hudson’s board at that time. The Times also cites a 2001 memo that suggests Lehman had an “unusual level of control” over Hudson. But that control appears to have dissipated after 2004, which is the time period that actually matters in the context of the financial crisis.
Of course, it is possible that Lehman did, in fact, control Hudson and deserves punishment. But if that’s the case, then the New York Times needs some more compelling evidence to prove its point. Without that, the article boils down to a lesson in the dangers of complexity. Financial reform proposals should seek to bring clarity and better disclosure to the shadow banking system to avoid situations like this. If Lehman had been forced to disclose the nature and extent of its relationship with Hudson to its shareholders and clients, then the Times article may never have needed to be written.
If you opted for a Motorola Backflip because (a) it’s the only AT&T-subsidized Android device available at the moment, or (b) you liked the form factor, you should be prepared for a longer wait for Android 2.1. According to Motorola’s timeline, Backflip users can expect to see the update in the third quarter of this year. Given that we’re already well into April, the third quarter isn’t too far away.
As a recap, the DROID has received the update, the CLIQ and CLIQ XT are expected to receive it in the second quarter, and the Devour is currently “under evaluation.” Backflip users, can you make it to the third quarter, or will you be looking for a new device (running Android 2.1 out of the box)?
Via Engadget
Former Dire Straits frontman and legendary guitarist Mark Knopfler brings his Get Lucky Tour to the Dodge Theatre in Downtown Phoenix on Sunday.
In the event your knowledge of Knopfler doesn’t extend beyond Dire Straits’ seminal “Money for Nothing’” video, here are 7 things* you should know before Sunday’s show:
1) Knopfler is quite British, and such is the case so often with British performers, you can’t really hear the accent when he sings.
2) Co-founded Dire Straits in 1977 with his brother, David. The group disbanded in 1994.
3) “Money for Nothing” was not the group’s first hit, “Sultans of Swing” was.
4) Ironically, “Romeo and Juliet,” from the band’s 1980 album Making Movies, was used in a movie, 1995’s Empire Records.
5) Wrote the score for The Princess Bride, a movie most 30-something women have seen as many times or more than most 30-something men have seen Star Wars. Also wrote the music for Wag the Dog.
6) Won three Grammy Awards as a collaborator with country music star Chet Atkins.
7) Ranked No. 27 on Rolling Stone Magazine’s “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.”
You can become a member of Knopfler’s online community and buy a cool baby-style T here.
* Seven because it’s Knopfler’s Lucky Tour… get it? Lucky No. 7? Whatever. [Sigh]
If you want to make lots of money selling “Big Ben’s Beef Jerky” you’re going to have to behave like a gentleman, Mr. Roethlisberger. Today the owner of Pittsburgh-based PLB Sports, Inc., said he was terminating his five-year business relationship with the Steelers’ QB.
The decision comes as the quarterback is meeting with the commissioner of the NFL to discuss a possible suspension after a Georgia district attorney announced that they would drop sexual assault charges.
“We’ve made a lot of money together,” the company owner said in a telephone interview with the NYT. “I’m leaving a lot on the table by terminating this contract. Even though there were no criminal charges, there are just enough issues here that it’s in the best interests of PLB Sports to break ties.”
“I can’t imagine anyone touching Ben Roethlisberger,” he continued. “Enough is enough. I hope there is a suspension. At some point in time, Ben has got to put himself in the right position and understand what it means to be a celebrity, a quarterback, a Steelers player.”
Meanwhile, Terry Bradshaw just put a nail in the PR coffin by announcing that he is learning not to like Big Ben.
“Our relationship is not any good,” Bradshaw told reporters, according to a video linked from www.ktbs.com . “When I told him to park the motorcycle, he got pissed. Then he had the accident, and since then he doesn’t like me, and I’m learning not to like him.”
Then later to FoxSports:
“Ben has been unhappy with me ever since I told him to park the bike. Then, when he had the accident, everyone told him that, ‘See, Terry was right about that motorcycle.’ He doesn’t like me. The last time I was around him he wouldn’t even shake my hand.”
Anyway we can’t wait for the next creepy Nike commercial. Maybe Bradshaw can do the voice-over. What did you learn, Ben?
Bradshaw on Big Ben: “I’m learning not to like him” [Fox Sports]
Ben Roethlisberger, ‘You Can Do Better,’ District Attorney Says [ABC]
Pittsburgh Company Cuts Ties with Roethlisberger [NYT]
A site called Earsucker.com recently posted a couple of images of a leaked itinerary from pop artist Lady Gaga’s Australian tour, detailing her (largely uninteresting) schedule for a couple of days, prompting a friendly letter from Australian music industry group MIPI, threatening legal action if they weren’t removed. Unsurprisingly, the group claimed the images infringe some undefined copyright, as well as breach some confidentiality. Earsucker responded with some helpful legal education by pointing out that it’s based in the US, where Australian copyright law doesn’t apply (not yet, anyway), and that it can’t be held responsible for some third party’s breach of confidentiality with Lady Gaga or her management.
That’s all well and good, but it misses two important questions: first, what in these images could be protected by copyright? Second, what the hell does MIPI or its backers gain from getting this piece of content taken down on a copyright claim? It’s understandable that Lady Gaga and her management wouldn’t want this sort of info appearing online for security reasons. But what’s it got to do with MIPI (which stands for Music Industry Piracy Investigations)? This sort of episode, in which somebody uses the threat of a copyright lawsuit to get content they simply don’t like taken down, reinforces the need for real repercussions for bogus takedowns and threats. Copyright laws and legal threats shouldn’t exist as vehicles for record companies and their pals to stifle free speech, but when they can do so with no real repercussions, it’s hard to imagine they’ll actually stop.
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Defense Secretary Robert Gates expanded on his declaration to a talk show last Sunday talk that Iran is not currently capable of building a nuclear bomb, telling reporters Tuesday it may take Iran a year or more to produce a weapon.
When asked about reports that Iran could be within months of having a bomb Gates said, “I don’t believe it.”
“I think that most estimates that I’ve seen haven’t changed since the last time we talked about it, which is probably at least a year, and maybe more,” Gates said on board a flight to South America. He plans to visit leaders from Peru and Colombia this week.
Also on Tuesday General David Petraeus, head of Central Command, told an audience at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington D.C. that Iran’s nuclear program is of “enormous concern.”
“People ask me constantly you know what keeps you awake at night… it often can be Iran,” Petraeus said. He said the diplomatic track did not work and that a diplomatic hand was extended, but they chose not to take it. “They rebuffed the world and that has now led the world’s leaders to the pressure track.”
The top Mideast General jokingly referred to Iran’s leader, President Ahmadinejad, as “a top recruiting officer for US Central Command.”
“Each time he steps up to the podium when he denies the existence of the holocaust… when he announces new centrifuge design, whatever it is, it sends ripples through the rest of the region through the Arab world.” These ripples have prompted Arab allies to interact with Central Command in ways previously not seen, Petraeus said. Just last month, for example, Secretary Gates visited Saudi Arabia and Oman to discuss more comprehensive missile defense systems within their borders, directed at the missile threat from Iran.
His biggest concern, Petraeus said, is the idea that a nuclear weapon or nuclear material could get in the hands of terrorists.
*Reuters contributed to this report.
Over 100 IEA members and grassroots political activists met at the Roundhouse Restaurant in Aurora on April 8, 2010. The event was one of many “Back Home Lobby Day” activities throughout the state in continuing efforts to show legislators, through examples, how cuts in education funding are devastating Illinois school districts.
Two Cal State Stanislaus students said Tuesday they found documents in a trash container outside an administration building relating to an upcoming fundraising appearance by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, including arrangements for accommodations, security and “air travel for two between Anchorage, Alaska and the event city.”
Ashli Briggs and Alicia Lewis, who previously had spoken out against the Palin visit, said they were informed of “suspicious activity” taking place at the administration building last Friday and that after deciding to look around, they and other students saw trash being placed in the container. Inside, they said, they found shredded and intact documents, including some that appear to be parts of the contract between the Washington Speaker’s Bureau, which represents Palin, and the university foundation that is hosting her.
The nonprofit foundation had refused to provide details of Palin’s June 25 appearance, including her speaking fees.
Briggs and Lewis, both political science majors, spoke at a Sacramento news conference Tuesday that was attended by state Sen. Leland Yee (D-San Francisco), who is seeking information about the terms of the contract with Palin.
The Palin visit has become a test case for Yee and other open-government advocates who believe there should be more transparency in the foundations and other nonprofit groups affiliated with public universities and colleges. Yee is sponsoring legislation, SB 330, that would require those groups to adhere to California’s Public Records Act.
The groups argue that as private, nonprofit organizations, the state law doesn’t apply to them. In the case of Palin’s appearance, Cal State Stanislaus Foundation President Matt Swanson has said no public funds are being used for her compensation and that the Washington Speakers Bureau requires that the financial terms remain confidential.
None of the documents disclosed Tuesday refer directly to Palin or say how much she is being paid. Yee said the fee could be as high as $100,000 based on information about her compensation for other recent appearances.
According to the contract addendum, dated March 16, the “speaker” will be provided with “roundtrip, commercial air travel for two between Anchorage, Alaska and event city,” “a one-bedroom suite and two single rooms in a deluxe hotel,” as well as a “laptop computer and printer (fully stocked with paper) and high speed internet.”
“For Q&A the questions are to be collected from the audience in advance, pre-screened and a designated representative shall ask questions directly of the speaker,” the documents said.
Other stipulations spell out the terms for autographs, photographs, recording, lighting, bottled water and “bendable straws.”
The students said they will give the documents to state Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown.
“Turning over this information to the attorney general is important so that any wrongdoing can be addressed and prevented from reoccurring in the future,” said Lewis. “If this helps push for financial transparency on college campuses, then those of us involved know we did the right thing.”
— Carla Rivera
Photo: L.A. Times file
T-Mobile USA’s Chief Marketing Officer Denny Marie Post has resigned from the Bellevue, Wash.-based company to start her own consultancy outside of the wireless industry, we have learned.
Her departure was confirmed by a T-Mobile spokesperson who said it was a personal decision for her to leave the company. The spokesperson would not say if the position would be filled, but our sources said two VPs George Harrison and Adrian Hurditch will at least temporarily take over her responsibilities and report directly to T-Mobile’s CEO Robert Dotson. In addition, Publicis will continue to be the company’s brand and advertising partner.
Back in June 2008, T-Mobile snagged Post away from Starbucks, where she was the SVP of global food and beverage. The departure of the high-ranking executive is not a good sign for the fourth-largest wireless carrier, which has been losing subscribers to the two mega brands in the industry, AT&T (NYSE: T) and Verizon Wireless.
Post was just featured in a BrandWeek story on Sunday, where she explained the idea behind creating a myTouch 3G Fender Limited Edition handset, which was based on a partnership with the famed guitar maker and promoted by Eric Clapton. Two of Clapton’s songs came preloaded on the Google (NSDQ: GOOG) device. Post said the special edition phone sold out in three weeks, and a new order (anticipated to last 45 days) sold out in 10.
School funding, pension issues and layoffs in the schools topped the agenda Wednesday evening as IEA Regions 3 and 7 hosted their third annual legislative dinner for members.
The forum featured six of the area’s legislators who fielded questions and shared their perspectives about the budget crisis and other issues facing the state.
Filed under: Truck, Ford, Rumormill, Off-Road
Ford‘s desert-clobbering SVT Raptor is already off to a relatively good start, and things are only poised to get better now that the automaker has shoehorned its new 6.2-liter V8 under the truck’s hood. Adding to that, the folks at InsideLine report that a four-door SuperCrew version of the Raptor is also in the cards, possibly slated to debut later this year.
IL states that mules of what appear to be a SuperCrew Raptor have been spotted near Ford’s headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan. When prompted for a response, a spokesperson for the automaker simply said, “We do not comment on future product.” (We’ve heard that one a thousand times before.) Still, we don’t dispute IL’s predictions, and having four-door functionality only boosts the Raptor’s attractiveness to potential consumers.
Gallery: 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor
[Source: Inside Line]
Report: Ford adding SuperCrew to SVT Raptor lineup originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 13 Apr 2010 16:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Ceramatec has developed a new battery which can be used to store large amounts of energy at a low cost. The reason most of the houses having equipment to harness solar and wind energy are still connected to the grid is due to the high cost of batteries that are required to store energy when these factors are not available. However, Ceramatec’s new battery made up of solid materials claims to store 20 to 40kW of power. This battery can release power continuously at the rate of 5kW per hour for 4 hours, and it will have a life of 3650 charge cycles. When calculated using the estimated price of the battery which is about $2,000, it will provide power at only 3 cents per kilowatt hour, which is drastically less than the average 8 cents charged by the electricity company. For those of who don’t know, this much energy is sufficient for running, a vacuum cleaner, stereo, sewing machine, trash compacter, food processor, electric burner and thirty three 60-watt light bulbs.
Apart from this, the battery is also safer as it stores energy at temperatures of 90 degrees Celsius, while in conventional batteries liquids can be heated to up to 600 degrees Celsius. These batteries can help to remove major hurdles existing in further popularization of concept of generating and using energy from renewable sources.
[naturalnews]
A dozen business groups are urging lawmakers to vote down corporate governance changes included in the Senate financial regulation bill, one day after an Obama administration official threw his weight behind the measure.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Manufacturers, and Financial Services Roundtable were among the 12 organizations that sent a letter to lawmakers saying various academic analyses of the financial crisis have found that it was not caused, in whole or in part, as a result of the failure of existing corporate governance structures.
The Senate bill would give the Securities and Exchange Commission explicit authority to write rules that give shareholders a way to directly nominate board members on the corporate ballot. Shareholder groups have lobbied the SEC on this issue for years and business groups have strongly opposed it, saying it could allow special interests to hijack the boardroom.
The bill would also give shareholders an annual nonbinding vote on executive pay packages and require companies to have policies in place outlining how they would claw back pay from executives. The SEC has proposed a so-called proxy access rule, but it hasnt been finalized.
Monday at the Council of Institutional Investors annual meeting, Deputy Treasury Secretary Neal Wolin told the crowd the administration supports all the governance measures calling them a significant enhancement that could be used to rein in the irresponsible pay practices that led so many firms to act against the interests of their shareholders.
While the Senate bill passed through the Banking Committee without any amendments or Republican support, Republican Senators have echoed concerns of big business and suggested they will offer amendments to strip out some of these measures.
Una de las facetas que más tiene que cuidar una marca de coches es la atención al cliente, por este motivo, Volkswagen ha puesto en marcha un nuevo proyecto para acercarse al máximo a sus clientes. La marca alemana ha lanzado la web Volkswagen Experience, con la que pretende dar un soporte más personalizado tanto a nuevos clientes, como a aquellos que ya llevan tiempo confiando en la marca.
El portal se divide en tres grandes áreas, Tú coche, Para tu tranquilidad y Vivencias, y en ellas los clientes podrán obtener información personalizada de sus vehículos, acceder a los amplios servicios de postventa que ofrece la marca y hasta compartir el mundo Volkswagen, con los eventos, iniciativas y todas las novedades del mayor fabricante automovilístico de Europa.
Entre las funcionalidades más características de este nuevo portal, está el proceso de seguimiento personalizado de la fabricación del coche cuando se genera un pedido a producción. Cuando un cliente compra su nuevo Volkswagen, recibe sus claves para acceder a Mi VW, un espacio personal donde el cliente podrá saber en qué punto del proceso se encuentra su pedido y la evolución de la producción del mismo en detalle.
Con la opción Para tu tranquilidad, VW trata de consolidar la relación cliente-marca, una vez entregado el vehículo. Esta sección ofrece amplios y efectivos servicios post venta como el Service Card, el seguro de reparaciones que añade 2 años de tranquilidad a la garantía contractual, el Seguro de Grandes Reparaciones con condiciones excelentes y un nuevo Servicio de Movilidad que estará disponible en breve, con coberturas mejoradas: más días de vehículo de sustitución, remolque al Servicio Oficial que elija el cliente, asistencia desde el km 0, y todas las ofertas actualizadas de las operaciones de revisiones, mantenimientos y chequeos.
En la zona Vivencias, el cliente podrá conocer todas las noticias de actualidad relativas a Volkswagen, como el lanzamiento en primicia de nuevos modelos, nuevos motores o prototipos de futuro, logros en competiciones deportivas, así como promociones y actividades exclusivas organizadas por la marca para sus clientes.
Fuente | Volkswagen
Chief Deputy Mayor Jay Carson told a Chamber of Commerce meeting
today there will be a major announcement within 48 hours regarding the
DWP’s professionalism and openness and would show a willingness to work with
City Council and the public.
He implied that a major management
shakeup is in the works as part of the change in strategy from war to accommodation.
Carson’s comments echoed the mayor’s press release
announcing the appointment of insider Eric Holoman to fill the vacancy on the DWP Commission.
“It is time for a new era at the
DWP, and that begins with accountable
management and business and rate-payer-friendly reforms,” the mayor said.
Councilwoman Jan Perry, spearheading DWP reform and a charter measure to create a permanent Rate Payer Advocate independent of all political interference, and a representative of PA Consulting, the company that reviewed rate hikes plans for the City Council, at the Chamber meeting and outlined the long list of proposals to create accountability and transparency to what has become a rogue agency.
Community activists and several business people in attendance were highly skeptical of Carson’s remarks represented a genuine retreat from the mayor’s heavy-handed attempt to raise power rates dramatically without planning or detailed information or engagement of the public and the Council.
What do you think?