Mereja

Blog

  • Efficient suspension of screening machines on high processing plant

    For maximum process efficiency, large, heavy screening machines, for example for the extraction of the various grain sizes of pebbles in the preparation of ready-mixed concrete, are always positioned at the highest point of the plant – high above the silos, crushers and concrete mixers (Fig. 1). These screening machines weigh several tons, and are accelerated up to 5 g forces by their drives (unbalanced motors, unbalanced shafts or linear exciters), which generates very high dynamic forces.

    Neither high reaction forces nor excessive transmission of the vibrations are desirable on the very high steel structures of these processing plants, as they lead to material fatigue in the steel structure and inaccurate functioning of the downstream machinery and controllers. In addition, they make it impossible for the operating staff to work on the various platforms and working stages for longer periods.

    When installing screens on such high steel structures, suspensions are thereby demanded that are highly isolating, reaction-neutral and have a controlled runout.

    The ROSTA oscillating mountings type AB with the double-arm pantograph arrangement are offering deep spring-deflection, and thereby have a low natural frequency of approx. 2 Hz, which results in levels of isolation of up to 98 % of the vibrations from the drive unit!

    ROSTA suspensions harmonically support the linear or elliptical movements of the screen and, through their pantograph construction, create relatively little dynamic rigidity, which can be transferred to the substructure as residual force.

    ROSTA oscillating mountings dissipate virtually no lost energy (< 0.5 %) while the screen is running normally. During the resonance transition of the screen, the two rocker arms describe excursions that are 5 to 6 times as great, which generates a high level of energy-loss (hysteresis) in the rubber inserts. The remaining energy in the screen box will thereby be completely dissipated within a few movements! The plant remains motionless.

  • New Bonfiglioli series of reduced backlash planetary gearboxes

    Bonfiglioli, the power transmission specialist, will be presenting two new series of reduced backlash planetary gearboxes: the TQ in-line and TQK right angle series.

    Five sizes cover a transmissible torque range of 30 to 800 Nm, satisfying the needs of most industrial automation applications requiring good dynamics and precision. Both series feature a clear “Italian style” as a result of Bonfiglioli’s collaboration with one of the world’s most famous design studios.

    Particularly robust bearings and the use of specially developed tooth profiling technology ensure an excellent level of precision and repeatability, and also give high safety and stability factors in torque transmission. TQ and TQK gearboxes are maintenance-free and guarantee silent running for their useful working life.

    Their high overload capacity represents an important safety factor for many applications.

    As you would expect from Tecnoingranaggi, numerous innovative solutions, some patent pending, have been incorporated in these top quality but highly competitive gearboxes.
    TQA and TQK gearboxes go into series production in the first four months of 2010.

  • MR with NC-Superplus-D control, Siemens 840D control or Fanuc* control

    The advantage offered by the compact, rotary grinding machines of the MR family over longitudinal table machines, particularly when it comes to grinding small and mass-produced parts or round parts, is that there is no need for reversing the worktable.

    Grinding area 500 to 2000 mm table diameter
    Spindle drive 11 kW to 26 kW
    Distance table to spindle centerline 700/900/1100 mm

  • Ok Go Explains Video Embedding Issue, Blames YouTube (Partly) And EMI (Only A Bit); Sells Uniforms

    So last week we discussed how EMI was seriously harming the ability of the latest Ok Go video to go viral, by putting on geoblocks and forbidding embedding. The band had said it was upset about this and pointed people to a Vimeo version — despite the fact that EMI is suing Vimeo for posting music videos (um, oops) and Vimeo supposedly hates commercial content.

    The band has now come out with a more detailed explanation that puts more of the blame on YouTube, while also explaining how the band gets to “snort drugs off the Queen of England” (so it’s got more important things to deal with). Well, specifically, the band points out that way back when, Google agreed to give record labels a bit of money every time someone watched one of their videos on YouTube. That much is well-known, of course. However, the band claims that this little bit of money is only paid on videos that are seen directly via YouTube, rather than on embedded videos. Why? Well, because advertisers on YouTube only let ads be shown on YouTube itself, so they’re not suddenly showing up on some random website (though, of course, those same advertisers probably have no problem using Google AdSense, which does the same thing, but….). So the band suggests the issue is more with YouTube and its refusal to count embedded videos in the views… though it claims it’s been arguing with EMI to allow the video anyway.

    This still seems backwards and shortsighted by EMI. Even if it’s not getting paid for the embedded videos, it seems quite likely that the embeds actually lead to more views on YouTube itself, as people click through. Instead, now, all of the views are going to go to Vimeo. The company EMI is suing. Sensible.

    In the meantime, though, Ian from Topspin alerts us to the news that Ok Go is using the Topspin platform to offer up, as a part of its “reason to buy,” the uniforms and props from the video shoot. Of course, I would imagine those things would be in higher demand if EMI let people embed the video in the first place…

    Permalink | Comments | Email This Story





  • Barra da Tijuca vista do alto – surpreenda-se com fotos de um bairro magnífico

    Antes de qualquer coisa necessito registrar meu agradecimento à forista FAELA pela extrema generosidade em abrir seu apartamento, a fim de que eu pudesse tirar fotos da lindíssima paisagem que se descortina a partir de suas janelas. Sem a FAELA, este thread não existiria, e ficaríamos todos sem ter noção das vistas do alto do prédio (assinado por Oscar Niemeyer) onde reside.

    Feito o agradecimento, passo a dar explicações sobre mais este trabalho sobre a Barra da Tijuca. Este meu terceiro thread abordando o mais vibrante bairro carioca trará somente fotos tiradas do alto, a partir de diferentes locais como o Joá, a cobertura da Torre 3 do Condomínio Barramares, a cobertura da Torre Charles de Gaulle e a varanda de um residencial de nome Mirante 5 estrelas.

    O thread está assim estruturado:

    I – Chegando na Barra da Tijuca;
    II – Avenida das Américas – a principal artéria do bairro;
    III – Pedra da Gávea – o grande monumento natural da Barra
    IV – “Bairros”

    a) Joá;
    b) Jardim Oceânico;
    c) Centro

    i Condomínio Aquamarine;
    ii Condomínio Atlântico Sul;
    iii Torre Ernest Hemingway;
    iv Prédios que integram a Associação dos Moradores Bosque de Marapendi;
    v Condomínio Barramares.

    d) Península

    V – Condomínio de Casas
    VI – Centros Comerciais/Empresariais
    VII – Praia

    I – CHEGANDO À BARRA DA TIJUCA

    1 – As três primeiras fotos deste thread foram tiradas do Joá e mostram a entrada do bairro para quem chega vindo da Zona Sul carioca.

    2 – O visitante que chega à Barra da Tijuca vindo da Zona Sul Carioca sai de um pequeno túnel, atravessa um pequeno viaduto (ou seria ponte?) e chega ao “bairro” do Jardim Oceânico, onde os prédios são em sua maioria bem baixinhos, com 2, 3, ou 4 andares. Os prédios mais altos que aparecem na foto abaixo são hotéis, ou residenciais com serviços ou flats, que possuem gabarito diferenciado.

    3 – Acreditem se quiserem, mas antes de 1975 a Barra da Tijuca era um enorme e gigantesco areal. Os prédios que são vistos na foto abaixo foram todos construídos após 1975.

    II – A AVENIDA DAS AMÉRICAS – A PRINCIPAL ARTÉRIA DO BAIRRO

    4 – A avenida mais importante da Barra da Tijuca é a Avenida das Américas, que praticamente corta o bairro inteiro, indo desde o “bairro” do Jardim Oceânico até o bairro do Recreio dos Bandeirantes. No passado, esta importante via era expressa. Há tempos, no entanto, em virtude do crescimento da região, é cada vez mais comum deparar-se com enormes engarrafamentos, como o que pode ser visto na foto abaixo. Trafegar em determinados dias na Avenida das Américas pode ser um grande suplício.

    5 – Observem como é longa a Avenida das Américas. Parece-me que ela tem 40 quilômetros de extensão.

    6 – Notem que apesar das várias faixas de rolamento, o engarrafamento estende-se por vários quilômetros. Infelizmente, uma rotina no bairro.

    III – A PEDRA DA GÁVEA – O GRANDE MONUMENTO NATURAL DA BARRA

    7 – Em razão do seu urbanismo e, também devido ao fato de sido priorizado o uso do automóvel, são muitos os que comparam a Barra da Tijuca com Miami, nos EUA. A estes eu digo que Miami NÂO tem Pedra da Gávea, NÂO tem Pedra Bonita, NÃO tem Itanhangá Golf Club e NÂO tem 5 grandes lagoas.

    8 – Mesmo na divisa do bairro da Barra da Tijuca com o Recreio dos Bandeirantes é possível admirar-se a monumental Pedra da Gávea, que tem 842 metros de altura.

    9 – Curiosidade: a Pedra da Gávea é o maior bloco de pedra a beira mar do planeta!

    10 – Esta foto foi tirada da janela do living do apartamento da FAELA. Que vista “horrorosa” ela tem, não?

    11 – Já esta foto foi tirada da cobertura do prédio da FAELA.

    12 –

    13 – Há anos não subo mais na Pedra da Gávea. Mas guardo na memória, de forma indelével, as vistas lindíssimas que se descortinam do seu cume! Só quem já subiu a Pedra da Gávea sabe o que estou falando.

    IV – OS BAIRROS DA BARRA DA TIJUCA

    a – O JOÀ

    14 – Assim que se chega à Barra da Tijuca, pode-se admirar muitas mansões sobre o morro do Joá. Ano passado prometi à Mary T. a feitura de um thread sobre este bairro encantador. Como achei que ainda faltavam algumas fotos para que meu trabalho ficasse completo, acabei não liberando-o. Mas este ano o thread do Joá vai sair!

    15 – As fotos 14 e 15 foram tiradas da cobertura da torre 3 do Condomínio Barramares.

    16 – As três fotos a seguir foram tiradas da cobertura da torre Charles de Gaulle.

    17 – No bairro do Joá não existem edifícios. Há somente casas.

    18 –

    b – O JARDIM OCEÂNICO

    19 – O “bairro” do Jardim Oceânico lembra muito os bairros de Ipanema e Leblon. Neste pedacinho da Barra da Tijuca, os prédios são em sua grande maioria bem baixinhos, normalmente com varandas extremamente generosas, e um acabamento que nada deve aos melhores residenciais de Ipanema, Leblon e Lagoa.

    20 – Para quem não conhece o Rio e quiser fazer um passeio bacana pela Barra da Tijuca, sugiro perder-se pelas ruas do Jardim Oceânico. Vale a pena! Tem cada rua… Tem cada prédio…

    21 –

    c -CENTRO

    22 – Na região mais central da Barra da Tijuca encontram-se alguns dos maiores condomínios do bairro, como o Barramares, Atlântico Sul, Costa do Sol, entre outros. Na foto vê-se um dos prédios do Condomínio Aquamarine.

    23 – Idem

    24 – Outro prédio do Condomínio Aquamarine

    25 – Prédio do Condomínio Atlântico Sul. O Condomínio Atlântico Sul foi um dos primeiros a ser construído na Barra da Tijuca. Trata-se de condomínio de bacanas, digamos assim. Cada um dos muitos apartamentos deste condomínio possui piscina na varanda.

    26 –

    27 – Ao fundo, prédios do Condomínio Atlântico Sul

    28 – Torre Ernest Hemingway. Este prédio cilíndrico é projeto de Oscar Niemeyer.

    29 –

    30 – Os moradores dos prédios que aparecem na foto constituíram a Associação dos Moradores Bosque de Marapendi. Esta associação fornece aos seus associados ônibus refrigerados para o Centro do Rio, manutenção do Bosque de Marapendi entre outras atividades.

    31 – Um close nos prédios da AMB.

    32 – Fotos do Condomínio Barramares. Este condomínio é tão “antigo” quanto o Atlântico Sul.

    33 –

    34 – Que tal morar num apartamento duplex, com piscina privativa no varandão e de frente para o mar da Barra da Tijuca. Demais, não?


    35 – As muitas piscinas nos varandões de dois dos prédios do Condomínio Barramares. Demais, não? Para ir a praia os moradores do Barramares necessitam somente atravessar a rua. Para jogar tênis os moradores necessitam somente dirigir-se aos fundos do Condomínio.

    36 –

    37 – Algumas das quadra de esportes do Condomínio Barramares. Todos os grandes condomínios na Barra da Tijuca possuem ampla área de lazer, com parque aquático, quadras de tênis e de basquete, sala de ginástica, sauna, etc, etc..

    38 – Condomínio Barramares visto do alto da Torre Charles de Gaulle.

    39 –

    40 – Condomínio Barramares visto do alto da Torre Charles de Gaulle.

    41 – Condomínio Itanhangá Hills. Estes dois prédios ficam exatamente na frente de uma ilha onde funciona um dos melhores clubes da Barra: o Marina Barra Clube.

    42 – Os prédios de linhas mais retas a direita da foto integram o Condomínio Riviera dei Fiori, um dos primeiros condomínios a serem construídos na Barra. Já os prédios com cúpulas mais a esquerda da foto, são do Condomínio Mediterrâneo. O prédio na extremidade direita da foto é o empresarial Blue Chip

    43 – Conseguem ver um prédio baixinho na frente dos prédios do Condomínio Riviera dei Fiori. Trata-se do Cosmopolitan Work Style, um prédio comercial voltado para profissionais liberais como médicos, dentistas, advogados, etc.

    44 –

    45 – Observem que na Barra há muitos espaços verdes. As fotos seguintes foram tiradas da varanda do edifício Mirante Cinco Estrelas.

    46 – O contraste entre o concreto e o verde.

    47 – Nesta foto quis mostrar a Ponte Lúcio Costa. Esta ponte é utilizada por aqueles que se encontram na Avenida Sernambetiba (avenida da orla da Barra) e desejam ir para a Avenida das Américas e vice-versa.

    48 –

    49 – Close na ponte Lúcio Costa. Ao fundo, edifícios do Condomínio Atlântico Sul.

    50 – Na frente dos prédios mostrados na foto abaixo está sendo construído um pequeno centro comercial, que fará parte do empresarial Barra Prime.

    51 –

    52 –

    53 –

    54 –

    55 –

    56 –

    57 –

    58 –

    59 –

    60 – Torres gêmeas do Hotel Sheraton Barra da Tijuca.

    61 – Varandas do Hotel Sheraton Barra

    62 – Parque aquático do Hotel Sheraton Barra.

    63 – Outra foto do parque aquático do Sheraton Barra

    64 –

    d – PENÍNSULA

    65 – A Península é o mais novo e badalado “bairro” da Barra da Tijuca. Aguardem que muito em breve estarei lançando thread próprio só sobre este “bairro”.

    66 –

    67 –

    V – CONDOMÍNIO DE CASAS

    68 – Condomínio de casas PORTO DOS CABRITOS. Este condomínio está situado entre a Avenida das Américas e a lagoa e fica exatamente em frente à Torre Charles de Gaulle.

    69 –

    70 –

    71 –

    72 –

    73 –

    74 –

    75 – A casa com telhado claro que aparece na foto pertence a um ator global que é atualmente protagonista da novela das 19 horas.

    76 – O ator global dono da mansão já atuou em muitas novelas (Rei do Gado foi uma delas) e já dirigiu muito caminhão.

    77 – Já descobriram o nome do ator global dono da mansão do Condomínio Porto dos Cabritos?

    VI – CENTROS COMERCIAIS/EMPRESARIAIS

    78 – No canto direito da foto podem ser admirados: a) supermercado Freeway; b) Citta América; e c) Downtown

    79 –

    80 – Um dia ainda vou elaborar um thread somente sobre os empresariais da Barra. O Citta América possui em seu fundo, vizinho ao Downtown, um conjunto de prédios com vidros espelhados verdes, sustentados por colunas de aço pintadas de vermelho. Este conjunto de prédios está integrado a um parque muito lindo, com muitas árvores, fontes e lagos.

    81 – Close nos predinhos do Cittá América

    82 – Entrada do Cittá América. Parte da VALE ocupa o prédio principal do Cittá.

    83 – Close na entrada do Cittá América.

    84 – Fotos do Downtown

    85 – Eu gosto muito do Downtown. Este empresarial tem um paisagismo caprichado, um restaurante que eu gosto muito, de nome Galeria Gourmet e muitos cinemas da rede Cinemark.

    86 –

    87 – Agora fotos do Centro Empresarial ION

    88 –

    89 –

    90 – Não sei se conseguem observar que no prédio do Centro Empresarial ION voltado para a Avenida das Américas funciona uma filial da PUC (conseguem ver o letreiro?)

    VII – PRAIA

    91 – Não é possível se fazer um thread da Barra da Tijuca sem mostrar nem que em uma única foto a praia. Todas as fotos seguintes foram tiradas da cobertura da Torre 3 do Condomínio Barramares.

    92 –

    93 –

    Espero que tenham gostado do meu thread! Agora comentem!

  • Video: Ericsson gets fancy with 3D maps on an Xperia X10

    Screen shot 2010-01-19 at [ January 19 ] 2.30.43 PM

    As someone who makes a living babbling about cell phones all day, I can’t complain too much about my job. With that said, the dudes over at the Ericsson Labs don’t have it too bad either. Their job, as I see it:

    1. Make something really cool
    2. Release the source code for aforementioned really cool thing
    3. Start making something else that is really cool

    The latest cool thing to come out of Ericsson Labs is “3d Landscape”, a set of APIs for pushing 3D maps to web services and Android applications. It’s still super early in development — maps are only available for Stockholm, for example — but Ericsson’s engineers promise that more locations are on the way. Should we expect 3d map goodness to hit all of our favorite location-based Android apps? Probably not just yet – but if this project keeps progressing, we wouldn’t mind it one bit.

    Check out the video after the jump.

    [Via Android Community]

    Crunch Network: TechCrunch obsessively profiling and reviewing new Internet products and companies


  • Lisa Murkowski, The Power Utilities’ Woman in Washington

    Lisa Murkowski

    Congress’s likely failure to pass a comprehensive climate change legislation this year is paving the way for a stricter and probably less corporate-friendly regulation regime to be  administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

    Last month’s landmark announcement by EPA administrator Lisa Jackson that green house gas and CO2 emissions represent a public health danger, was a clear indication that her agency would not shy away from using its regulatory gauntlet to advance President Obama’s climate change agenda, if the legislative route failed.

    Not surprisingly, lobbyists for energy and power companies have been storming Capitol Hill to ensure that the EPA stays put. One steady ally in that fight has been Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate’s Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Last year she submitted an amendment — partly drafted by industry lobbyists, according to the Washington Post — that would have blocked the EPA from regulating CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions.

    Senator Murkowski has been rewarded for her timely advocacy. According to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics, she received $157,000 from the nation’s electric utilities last year and more than $244,000 since 2005, making her Congress’s top recipient of campaign contributions from the power sector.

  • 2009 TechArt GT Street RS breaks lap record at Sachsenring

    TechArt is one our favorite tuners here at egmCarTech. Shortly after the Porsche focused tuner set the full-size SUV speed record at the Italian Nardo, the TechArt GT Street RS based on the 911 GT2 broke the lap record at the famous Sachsenring race track.

    In a test carried out by AutoBild SportsCars, the TechArt GT Street RS managed to lap the Sachsenring track in 1:31.94 min.

    With the company’s Performance Kit TA097/T2.2, the TechArt GT Street RS produces a total of 700-hp with a maximum torque of 634 lb-ft. 0 to 62 mph comes in just 3.5 seconds.

    Make the jump for the press release and the high-res image gallery.

    2009 TechArt GT Street RS:

    Press Release:

    Record drive shortly before the turn of the year

    Shift down a gear, come to rest – TECHART has organized the turn of the year very differently. After TECHART’s full size SUV speed record in the Italian Nardo, the TECHART GT Street RS based on the 911 GT2 broke the former lap record at the Sachsenring race track. High speed, pace, uniqueness – 100 % TECHART.

    In the comparison carried out by AutoBild SPORTSCARS, TECHART impressively asserted its superiority over the competitors. Already before the record drive on the 3,671-meter circuit, the TECHART GT Street RS impressed spectators and proved its unique versatility. Apart from the sprinter qualities demonstrated several times, which were once more unheard of (from 0 to 100 km/hh in only 3.5 sec), the sports car displayed another quality that was just as important: A 32,9-meter braking distance at a speed of 100 km/h is looking to find its match. Once again, TECHART’s basic principles were confirmed: TÜV-tested and approved components as well as OEM quality in every detail.

    For the conclusion of the extensive test program, the TECHART GT Street RS was able to crown once more the performance achieved on this day. With a lap time of 1:31.94 min, the winner of the Tuner Grand Prix 2008 and 2009 repeatedly demonstrated the TECHART winning gene. With more than 1.95 sec of head start, it left not only the competitors far behind, but improved the current AutoBild SPORTSCARS lap record at the Sachsenring by an unprecedented 4.47 sec.

    – By: Kap Shah


  • Pfizer’s Looking for More Sales Reps. In China.

    ChinaSame song, different verse: A big drug maker is cutting jobs in the developed world and growing in China.

    This time, it’s Pfizer, which said today that it’s looking to increase its sales force in China to 3,200 by the end of next year, up from about 2,300, Dow Jones Newswires reported today. The company has said it will cut nearly 20,000 jobs as part of the Wyeth merger.

    Eli Lilly said last fall that it would continue to hire in China, even as it cuts jobs in the U.S. and other developed markets. Novartis is also making a big push into China, hiring hundreds of workers and spending $1 billion to expand a research center in Shanghai.

    With business tough in developed markets, drug makers are counting on the developing world for growth. But that’s not always a sure thing, either; just today, the WSJ reported that the Philippine government is asking drug makers to submit a list of proposed price cuts on their “top-selling and most expensive drugs.”

    Last summer, the government in Manila put price controls on several drugs, including Pfizer’s Norvasc and Lipitor. Pfizer had previously offered to cut the prices on some of its drugs there, and said last year it was “disappointed” that the government didn’t accept its offer.

    Image: iStockphoto


  • Solar beam-down plants for cheaper solar thermal

    beamdown

    Solar power towers have proved to be a fairly efficient way of converting solar energy into electricity. In a solar power tower, energy from a large array of mirrors focused onto a tower that captures the heat in some way, and then converts that heat to electricity using a boiler and turbine. It’s a great system, but building that heat-resistant tower and pumping all of those fluids up and down can be pretty expensive.

    Which is why researchers at the Masdar Institute, the Tokyo Institute of Technology and Cosmo Oil are working together on “beam down” solar. Instead of having the heat-capturing system up on that big tower, a second set of mirrors directs the light back down at the ground where it can be captured by a system that doesn’t have to be suspended many stories in the air.

    It’s certainly cheaper than a traditional solar power tower. The bad news is that the extra set of mirrors lowers the efficiency of the system by about 20%. If that can be made up for with reduced capital costs, however, they could be in business. In the end, creating cheap ways of capturing solar energy is probably going to be more important than creating efficient ways.

    Of course, the project is still in the early phases…they haven’t even hooked it up to a boiler yet. But the initial prototype seems promising.

    Via GreenTechMedia

  • Pinturas e layouts dos ônibus urbanos e metropolitanos brasileiros – Thread oficial

    Amigos, atendendo a pedidos, estou criando um novo thread para debater um pouco sobre os padrões de pintura adotado nos ônibus urbanos e metropolitanos das cidades brasileiras.

    Primeiramente, vou apresentar as pinturas de duas cidades paulistas que conheço muito bem: Sorocaba (onde estudo e praticamente vivo, apesar de morar em Alumínio) e São Roque (onde nasci).

    Sorocaba

    Em 1989, a prefeitura de Sorocaba iniciou a implantação do sistema integrado de transporte e um novo padrão de pintura foi adotado nos coletivos municipais; até então, a empresa que operava na cidade (a Viação Manchester-VIMA) e que perdeu a concessão das linhas adotava a sua própria pintura. Assim, as duas novas empresas do sistema (Fioravante e TCS) passaram a adotar o novo layout definido pela prefeitura:

    Convencional com duas portas

    Convencional/padron com três portas

    Padron/articulado exclusivo nas linhas troncais-centrais

    Em 1999, foi adotado um novo padrão de pintura, comum para todos os tipos de carros e serviços. Os polígonos coloridos sugerem as cores da bandeira da cidade, apesar da mesma não possuir o azul…

    Em 2006, entraram em operação seis carros movidos a gás natural, numa experiência da prefeitura com a GásNatural (concessionária local de gás) e as duas empresas de transporte coletivo (TCS e STU). Os ônibus receberam adesivos especiais, mas o projeto não deu certo devido ao alto custo de manutenção dos veículos e às confusões na Bolívia que influenciaram no preço do gás.

    Atualmente, está em curso a nova licitação que escolherá a empresa que operará as linhas da Zona Norte de Sorocaba, após a falência da TCS, e uma nova pintura será adotada nos coletivos. Não consegui achar a foto, mas o layout prevê o uso apenas do azul e do branco na sua composição.

    São Roque

    A cidade possui apenas uma empresa que opera o transporte coletivo: a Viação São Roque, cujos ônibus rodam todas as 18 linhas do sistema. A pintura é simples, mas que representa o relevo montanhoso da Terra do Vinho:

    Todas as fotos foram extraídas do site Ônibus Brasil e Railbuss.

  • Miami Circle

    Miami-Dade, Florida | Incredible Ruins

    Property developer Michael Bauman was in for a real surprise when he purchased a plot of land in downtown Miami in 1998. Bauman’s plans for the land were seemingly simple: demolish a 1950-era apartment complex and build a luxury condominium in its place.

    During a routine archaeological survey of the site, however, hundreds of mysterious holes were discovered in a layer of Oolitic limestone bedrock and Bauman’s development plans immediately came to a halt. Through further investigation, twenty-four of the largest holes comprised a perfect circle, 38 feet (12 m) in diameter, and excavation results found a variety of artifacts ranging from human teeth to ancient tools.

    Included in the artifacts were pieces of burnt wood which, after being tested for radiocarbon dating, are believed to be 1800-2000 years old. To date, Miami Circle is the only known evidence in the United States of a prehistoric structure built into bedrock. Evidence from this mysterious prehistoric “footprint” predates other known settlements along the East Coast.

    The site is believed to have once been occupied by the Tequesta Indians, a local tribe whose known tools matched some of the shark tooth-related artifacts found during excavation. Theorists have suggested that the holes were structural postholes or part of the foundation for a building. Some believe the building was used for ceremonial purposes, as animal bones and unused tools appeared to be offerings.

    Among these tools were two axe-heads made from basalt, a hard stone that is not indigenous to Florida. The finding of these tools contradicts the theory that the site was occupied by the Tequesta, however, as the volcanic rock is believed to have been from a location in Macon, Georgia – some 600 miles (970 km) away from the site.

    The mysterious origin of the site has led to its nickname as “America’s Stonehenge”, (though there are a number of sites nicknamed this) and some critics and conspiracy theorists have offered alternative theories. Aliens, Mayans and septic tanks are among some of the suggested origins for the holes.

    The State of Florida eventually purchased the land from Baumann after a series of high-profile disputes between Native American groups, contractors, and historic preservation committees. Miami Circle, otherwise known as Brickell Point or the Miami River Circle, was declared a National Historic Landmark in early 2009 and is currently under a 44-year lease agreement with the Historical Museum of Southern Florida. Visitors interested in the history of the Miami Circle can view artifacts on display through the museum’s permanent exhibition: “First Arrivals: The Archaeology of Southern Florida.”

  • Aeroporto de Salvador será administrado em Recife

    Aeroporto de Salvador será administrado em Recife



    Vítor Rocha, do A TARDE

    Pouco mais de nove meses após perder a superintendência da Infraero, Salvador agora terá seu aeroporto gerido em Recife, na Superintendência Regional Nordeste. Com isso, as atividades administrativas e financeiras do Luís Eduardo Magalhães se mudam para a capital pernambucana, que abriga aeroporto menor que o baiano. Em Salvador permanece apenas a gestão operacional.

    Para Sérgio Gaudenzi, baiano ex-presidente da estatal que administra os aeroportos brasileiros, a medida representa “desprestígio com a Bahia”. Desde abril o aeroporto de Salvador está vinculado à sede da Infraero em Brasília, depois de reestruturação após mudança de comando no Ministério da Defesa.

    Na época, além de Salvador, Porto Alegre e Belém perderam superintendências regionais. Mas, com a nova mudança, as capitais do Rio Grande do Sul e Pará voltam a sediar as regionais, ao contrário da capital baiana. Belo Horizonte, com aeroporto menor, receberá a regional no lugar da Bahia.

    As informações sobre as novas mudanças estão contidas numa circular interna distribuída pela diretoria executiva da Infraero, na última sexta-feira, e a que A TARDE teve acesso. “Não haverá a subordinação direta de aeroportos à sede, devendo todas as unidades aeroportuárias e as de navegação aérea estarem ligadas à respectiva superintendência regional”, diz a circular, antes de listar as oito superintendências, sem Salvador.

    Quando Salvador perdeu a regional e também o controle dos aeroportos de Paulo Afonso, Ilhéus e Aracaju, além de gestão do orçamento de R$ 88 milhões, a assessoria de imprensa da Infraero argumentou que o Luís Eduardo Magalhães passaria para o “seleto grupo” de aeroportos administrados por Brasília. Nove meses depois, a mudança para Recife.

    A circular da Infraero não estabelece prazo para as mudanças, mas a assessoria de imprensa da regional de Recife informou que seria ainda esta semana. Ela disse que a mudança não atrapalhará as obras da nova pista do aeroporto (R$ 240 milhões), em fase de licenciamento, e não localizou o superintendente regional do Nordeste, Antônio Nogueira.

    Fonte: http://www.atarde.com.br/politica/no…jsf?id=1344377

  • Hi All,,

    Dear All
    I am new here
    I am from Libya living in UAE, Dubai
    I will do my best to provide you with good collection of pictures of mine, about Tripole-Libya, Dubai-UAE and etc…

    Listening to your Hello 😉

    🙂

  • Bishop Williamson says Vatican-SSPX talks “dialogue of the deaf”

    POPE-JEWS/

    Bishop Williamson, 28 Feb 2007

    Bishop Richard Williamson, the ultra-traditionalist prelate whose denial of the extent of the Holocaust created an uproar in the Catholic Church and with Jews early last year, has said the discussions at the Vatican to rehabilitate his Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) are  a “dialogue of the deaf.” Williamson, one of the four SSPX bishops whose bans of excommunication were lifted by Pope Benedict only days after his controversial views were aired on Swedish television, said the two sides had “absolutely irreconcilable” positions.

    In a 15-minute interview posted on the French video-sharing website Dailymotion, Williamson discussed a number of issues with a man identified by the Paris Catholic daily La Croix as a minor French far-right politician named Pierre Panet. When asked about the negotiation under way at the Vatican to reintegrate the once-shunned SSPX into the Roman church, he said in fluent French:

    “I think that will end up as a dialogue of the deaf. The two positions are absolutely irreconcilable. 2+2=4 and 2+2=5 are irreconcilable. Either those who say 2+2=4 renounce the truth and agree that 2+2=5 — that is, the SSPX abandons the truth, which God forbids us to do — or those who say 2+2=5 convert and return to the truth. Or the two meet halfway and say that 2+2=4-1/2. That’s wrong. Either the SSPX becomes a traitor or Rome converts or it’s a dialogue of the deaf.”

    Williamson’s negationist views of the Holocaust caused such an uproar early last year that the head of the SSPX, Bishop Bernard Fellay, issued a gag order for him. It was so embarrassing for Benedict that he had to issue a letter to Catholic bishops around the world explaining his decision. Williamson was quickly removed from his post as head of the SSPX seminary in Argentina and sent home to Britain, where he lives in an SSPX home in the Wimbledon section of London. Asked about his life there, he said with dry British humour: “This is an unexpected but quite agreeable sabbatical year.”

    Asked how he spends his days, he said: “Dormir et manger” (sleeping and eating), as well as writing his blog Dinoscopus, which was quickly turned into a private blog after the controversy last year.

    Dinoscopus, the icon of Bishop Williamson's blog

    Dinoscopus, the icon of Bishop Williamson's blog

    When Panet asked for his views about Israel, Williamson said: “Many people think this state is legitimate, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it is.”

    La Croix quoted a Rev. Jacques Masson, a former member of the SSPX, as saying of Williamson: “He belonged to the group that was the most intransigent with Rome. I suspect that they pushed (SSPX founder) Archbishop (Marcel) Lefebvre to harden his line and finally go into schism.” The SSPX, which rejects the Second Vatican Council and the Catholic Church’s reconciliation with the Jews, broke from Rome in 1988 when Lefebvre disobeyed Pope John Paul and consecrated four bishops, including Williamson. Pope Benedict lifted the excommunications in 2009 and the negotiations with the Vatican aim at finding a way to reintegrate these traditionalists into the Church.

    Pope Benedict recently said he hoped to reestablish full communion with the SSPX.

    Here’s the video, in French:

    Follow FaithWorld on Twitter at RTRFaithWorld

  • iPhone & The Lack of Voice over 3G: Alternative Theory

    Apple and AT&T have come under continued criticism for not allowing VoIP over today’s 3G mobile broadband connections when using the iPhone. So much so that the matter got the attention of the FCC back in August, leading to explanations  from Apple and the Ma Bell.

    A few weeks ago, we had wondered why there was still no VoIP over 3G connections. More recently, others asked that very question. FCC chairman Julius Genachowski side-stepped the issue during a conversation with me and Stacey earlier this month.

    Now the popular consensus is that AT&T and Apple are a conniving bunch, and are preventing “VoIP over 3G” from taking root. But VoIP industry insiders have come up with an alternative theory — they believe that because the Voice over 3G experience is so bad, it makes sense for Apple, AT&T and others to not even bother with VoIP over 3G.

    Our friend, Andy Abramson has tried to make voice calls over 3G data connections via his jail broken iPhone 3GS and has found the experience truly trying. “3G VoIP is not something I could consistently endorse as it’s not really ready for prime time,” he wrote on his blog.

    Karl Good, Truphone’s director of applications, gives two reasons why his company has reservations about offering VoIP calling over 3G.

    The first is that although a small number of networks, such as AT&T in the US, allow VoIP calling over 3G, this capability has not been approved by most operators, and has not been opened up across all handset manufacturers, such as the iPhone. As of today, iPhone applications that offer VoIP calling over 3G would not be approved by Apple for release into the App Store.

    The second relates to quality. Although it is technically possible to offer VoIP calling over 3G on devices such as the Android, the relatively low bandwidth of 3G compared to Wi-Fi means that those calls are very often of a poor quality.

    Pat Phelan, founder of Cubic Telecom is of the same opinion and he offers an explanation as to why VoIP over 3G is a bad idea — at least for now

    • Voice over 3G needs massive compression.
    • 3G speeds aren’t good enough for voice.
    • Latency, as measured excessive by ping times makes it virtually impossible to have a decent conversation.

    Skype, in a recent filing with the FCC said it can run its voice service using small amounts of bandwidth — between 6 kbps to 40 kbps — so it doesn’t choke the network. But given the lack of latency on the network and other related issues, I bet even they really don’t want to push hard to make its voice service work over 3G.

    Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

    Read Original Article

  • Report: Caterham’s all-new EV coming in six months?

    Caterham R500 – Click above for high-res image gallery

    Sportscar manufacturer Caterham may or may not produce an electric vehicle within the next six months. A bit ambiguous, sure, but small companies like Caterham certainly have a bit more leeway when it comes to introducing new models to the public, and company head Ansar Ali has reportedly admitted to Autocar that such a project is in the works… maybe. Says Ali:

    We’re trying to pull together some partners and there a lot who want to be associated with us. We want to do this properly and with the right partners, not just stick batteries in the back of a Seven…. We’re still at a very early stage. We will consider it if it works although it would never be a volume product… We have no plans to produce an electric Seven. We’re looking at motorsport applications but there’s uncertainty as to whether an electric car could handle race conditions. Is there the technology yet to support it?

    So, if Caterham does find that it’s feasible to produce an electric sportscar, the new model would be intended for the racetrack only at first and would not be sold as a road-going vehicle wearing the Seven moniker. It’s unclear what partners Caterham is working with, but we’d expect a relatively lightweight lithium-based battery of some sort to keep the car as nimble as possible. We’ll keep on the lookout for more details if and when they become available.

    Gallery: Caterham R500

    [Source: Autocar]

    Report: Caterham’s all-new EV coming in six months? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 19 Jan 2010 17:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments


    Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

    Read Original Article

  • Supreme Court Rejects DNA Challenge

    It’s looking bad for Troy Brown. In 1994, Troy was convicted of raping a 9 year-old girl referred to as Jane Doe (a pseudonym to protect the underage victim’s privacy). At the time, the most damning evidence against Troy was that DNA recovered from the victim’s rape kit was consistent with his DNA profile. The laboratory correctly calculated that the chances that an unrelated individual would share this same DNA profile (known as the random-match probability) was 1 in 3,000,000.

    Pretty damning indeed. Yet the prosecution misrepresented the significance of this evidence to the jury in two critical ways. To begin with, the prosecutor conflated the random-match probability with the probability that Brown was innocent, literally stating that there was only a .000033% chance that Troy was innocent -– a classic statistical maneuver known as the prosecutor’s fallacy. Second, the prosecutor said the probability that one of Troy’s brother’s would share the DNA profile recovered from the rape kit as 1 in 6500, instead of the more accurate 1 in 66. That’s a critical point, because Troy’s brothers, Trent and Travis, both lived in the same trailer park as Troy, and Jane Doe had even identified Trent as her attacker at one point.

    Now, in its first opinion of 2010, the United States Supreme Court has denied Troy a new trial, despite faulty DNA evidence. The Court agreed that the prosecution had done a bad job representing DNA statistics, but said that Troy raised his valid objection under the wrong legal standard. It’s privileging form over substance, but while that may seem unjust, the result isn’t as bad as it sounds. In its ruling, the Court left open the possibility that Troy’s lawyer had failed to call out the prosecution’s DNA errors. It’s still possible (though not likely) that Brown could get relief on this point.

    And in the end, the Court’s decision is actually reasonable. Brown’s innocence claim may not have been all that strong, and he hasn’t actively sought to implicate his brothers in the crime (for example, through further testing to see if Trent’s DNA actually matches the rape-kit DNA). But allowing him to pursue a claim against his lawyers is fair. The case was also a great opportunity for the Supreme Court to shed some light on –- and condemn — the prosecutor’s fallacy, which I hope can help curb the tendency of prosecutors to overstate shaky DNA evidence. Given the Roberts’ Court conservatism, the decision isn’t nearly as bad as it could have been.

    Photo Credit: Txspiked

  • Source: Next Dodge Durango to be called Magnum

    Filed under: , , ,

    According to an Autoblog source, Dodge will abandon the Durango nameplate for the model’s replacement due for 2012. In place of that two-generation designator, Chrysler is exhuming the Magnum nameplate, a moniker used on the low-slung wagon built on Chrysler’s LX platform up until 2008. The new Magnum is expected to be built atop the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee chassis (itself riding on Mercedes-Benz-derived architecture) and skew more toward the crossover segment than the previous rough-and-ready SUV.

    Our source originally showed us a screen capture of a Pentastar service training software page on its Chrysler Academy Learning Center confirming the Magnum’s existence (shown above), but at that time, he wasn’t clear what the vehicle was. Since then, our man has learned through a Chrysler zone manager at a New York dealer’s meeting that the line item in question is indeed the next Durango. A secondary source close to the situation confirmed to Autoblog that a name change for the new vehicle is in the cards and that Magnum is under serious consideration, but he was unclear as to whether a final decision had been made.

    The Durango was introduced in 1998 and immediately found success riding the crest of the SUV boom. A second-generation debuted for 2004 and ran through the 2009 model year, but the larger redesigned model didn’t meet with the same sort of success as its predecessor, struggling to deal with the collapse of the body-on-frame SUV market and increasingly plentiful crossover options.

    It isn’t immediately clear what the reasoning is behind Chrysler’s apparent name change strategy, especially as the 2005-2008 Magnum itself wasn’t considered much of a sales success (it was consistently outsold by its LX platform stablemates, the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger). That said, with the model being more CUV-like than a body-on-frame bruiser, the change seems to make some sense. Further, Magnum remains a powerful nameplate, and the Pentastar has a long history of employing it for any number of different products, including a large B-platform coupe in the late 1970s, a range of engines, and a Mexican-market K-car model in the ’80s. Thanks for the tip, Michael!

    Source: Next Dodge Durango to be called Magnum originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Permalink | Email this | Comments


    Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

    Read Original Article

  • The iPhone & the Lack of Voice Over 3G: Alternative Theory

    Apple and AT&T have come under continued criticism for not allowing VoIP over today’s 3G mobile broadband connections when using the iPhone. So much so that the matter got the attention of the FCC back in August, leading to explanations  from Apple and Ma Bell.

    A few weeks ago, we had wondered why there were still no VoIP-over-3G connections. More recently, others asked that very question. FCC chairman Julius Genachowski sidestepped the issue during a conversation with Stacey and I earlier this month.

    Now the popular consensus is that AT&T and Apple are a conniving bunch, and are preventing “VoIP over 3G” from taking root. But VoIP industry insiders have come up with an alternative theory — they believe that because the voice-over-3G experience is so bad, it makes sense for Apple, AT&T and others to not even bother with VoIP over 3G.

    Our friend Andy Abramson has tried to make voice calls over 3G data connections via his jailbroken iPhone 3GS and has found the experience truly trying. “3G VoIP is not something I could consistently endorse as it’s not really ready for prime time,” he wrote on his blog.

    Karl Good, Truphone’s director of applications, gives two reasons why his company has reservations about offering VoIP calling over 3G.

    The first is that although a small number of networks, such as AT&T in the US, allow VoIP calling over 3G, this capability has not been approved by most operators, and has not been opened up across all handset manufacturers, such as the iPhone. As of today, iPhone applications that offer VoIP calling over 3G would not be approved by Apple for release into the App Store.

    The second relates to quality. Although it is technically possible to offer VoIP calling over 3G on devices such as the Android, the relatively low bandwidth of 3G compared to Wi-Fi means that those calls are very often of a poor quality.

    Pat Phelan, founder of Cubic Telecom, is of the same opinion and he offers an explanation as to why VoIP over 3G is a bad idea — at least for now:

    • Voice over 3G needs massive compression.
    • 3G speeds aren’t good enough for voice.
    • Latency, as measured by excessive ping times, makes it virtually impossible to have a decent conversation.

    Skype in a recent filing with the FCC said it can run its voice service using small amounts of bandwidth — between 6 kbps and 40 kbps — so it doesn’t choke the network. But given the lack of latency on the network and other related issues, I bet even Skype doesn’t want to push hard to make its voice service work over 3G.