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Audi continue de dévoiler morceau par morceau sa future citadine, l’A1, à travers de nombreux teasers savamment distillés. Mais quand le responsable marketing de la marque en parle, ça dérape, une fois de plus…

 L’A1 est un programme important pour Audi. Elle succèdera dans quelques mois à l’A2, discontinue, et seul vrai flop de la marque. A Ingolstadt, on a sûrement pas oublié cette gamelle, pourtant prévisible, et la recette a complêtement changé pour la deuxième tentative de l’Audi moderne sous le segment C.

l’A1 se présente donc comme une citadine chic, à l’image des Mini, MiTo ou autres DS3. Un segment qui a le vente en poupe et qui est appelé à se développer davantage. La voiture n’a rien d’inattendu en matière de design, c’est une Audi, mais ça n’empêche pas la marque de la présenter comme suit: « Contrairement à la majorité des citadines, aux formes très fonctionnelles, l’A1 jouera sur l’émotion et un sentiment de sportivité dans son design », dixit Peter Schwarzenbauer, responsable marketing et ventes, un des pontes d’Audi. Soit, l’A1 a l’air plutôt réussie et chacun peut présenter sa nouveauté comme il l’entend, même si ces mots colleraient mieux à un modèle d’inspiration latine qu’à la très germanique citadine aux anneaux.

A lire ces propos, on se dit donc que l’A1 est calibrée comme la MiTo. Eh bien que nenni, car le même s’empresse de déclarer que sa nouvelle petite sera « la première vraie citadine premium »…

Donc les concurrents sont abrutis n’existent pas. Amis propriétaires de Mini, d’Alfa MiTo ou bientôt de citroen DS3, votre monture retournera à sa vulgaire caste dès que viendra l’A1, et n’a de toutes façons rien de « premium ».

Peter Schwarzenbauer, un homme qui semble bien dans la culture maison d'Ingolstadt

C’est ennuyeux cette façon de voir les choses. Ce n’est pas en méprisant ses concurrents, et leurs clients, qu’on avance. Mais Audi a un vrai problème sur ce point. Comment se fait-il que cette marque, méritoire par la qualité de ses produits et la réussite de son modèle industriel, s’échine à afficher une telle prétention? Il ne s’agit pas de dire qu’Audi, ou toute autre, devrait faire amende honorable en s’habillant en toutes circonstances d’un voile politiquement correct de fausse modestie. Ce n’est pas le problème. Mais Audi a par contre une fâcheuse tendance à tomber dans l’excès inverse.

Cette marque a tout pour elle, tout pour réussir et le mérite, alors pourquoi est-on si prétentieux chez Audi? C’est inutile, et même contre-productif d’un point de vue commercial. Car le problème ne vaut pas que pour les dirigeants du groupe. Ce n’est pas un secret qu’à tous les échelons, depuis Ingolstadt jusqu’au simple vendeur en concession, on a chez Audi un goût prononcé pour l’outrecuidance. Il ne s’agit bien entendu pas de dire que tous les personnels sont hautains, mais c’est malheureusement trop fréquent. Et le pire dans cette histoire, c’est qu’Audi y perd des clients! Outre les réfractaires à la marque qui ne supportent pas son image et cette espèce de prétention affichée en permanence, il y aussi tous ceux bien qui ont une mauvaise expérience d’Audi à ce point de vue et qui sont allés ailleurs…

Audi mérite sa place au firmament des marques côtées, c’est un fait, mais il faudrait peut-être aussi redescendre sur terre car au cumul, l’adition pourrait bien se payer un jour. Tout ça pour un problème comportemental qui n’a rien à voir avec les qualités intrinsèques des modèles, ce serait tout de même dommage.

Quant-à la clientèle visée par l’A1, pour revenir à elle, donc les 25/35 ans selon les propos de Mr.Schwarzenbauer, il va peut-être falloir les prendre pour un peu moins bêtes que ce qu’Audi semble croire si ils veulent vraiment en écouler 80 000/an. Ces clients potentiels savent bien que des concurrentes très sérieuses existent et n’ont pas besoin de ce genre de baratin fanfaron pour savoir quoi en penser…

–> Sur le même sujet ces jours-ci: Audi A1 & Citroen DS3: les petites chics teasent en video

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Guest contributor: Karen Collins, M.S., R.D., C.D.N.
Karen Collins holds a B.S. degree from Purdue and an M.S. degree from Cornell, both in nutrition. When she’s not writing or speaking, she conducts a private nutrition practice in Jamestown, New York.

Q: How do I know how much weight to use for strength training?

That’s an important question. Strength training (also called weight or resistance training) strengthens muscles and bones, improves insulin function and is vital for true fitness.

Some studies suggest that many beginners start with weights too light to see benefits, which may explain why they might not stick with it. On the other hand, weights that are too heavy are not safe.

Whether we use free weights, Nautilus-type machines or elastic bands, fitness experts say that we should work with a weight or resistance that we can lift at least eight times using proper form while maintaining normal breathing.

When we can lift it more than 12 times (or perhaps more than 15 times for older or more frail people advised to use lighter weights lifted more times), it’s time to switch to weights 5 to 10 percent heavier. For overall safety and best results, proper form is extremely important, so make sure you are learning your technique from someone properly trained.

Q: Is it true that high-fiber diets reduce belly fat?

Eating plenty of high-fiber vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans may help avoid excess body fat, including belly fat, but research has not yet clearly shown whether all methods of increasing dietary fiber (including fiber supplements) necessarily reduce abdominal fat.

Waistline fat includes the pinchable fat deposited just under the skin and “visceral fat” that nestles deep around abdominal organs and seems most strongly related to risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

People who eat more whole grains are more likely to have a healthy weight and waistline than are those with diets high in refined grains. Some studies also link eating more refined grains (like white bread) with greater yearly increases in weight and waist.

Replacing refined grains and sweets with whole grains could lead to smaller surges in blood sugar and reduced insulin levels. In theory, these lower insulin levels could shift metabolic processes to favor fat burning instead of fat storage, but research has not yet proven such an effect.

If foods high in fiber fill you up faster so that you consume fewer calories, this could certainly help you lose belly fat. For this to work, of course, you need to pay attention to hunger signals and stop eating when you start to feel nearly full.

(This article was provided by the American Institute for Cancer Research in Washington, D.C. A registered dietician is available to respond to questions about diet, nutrition, and cancer at the free AICR Hotline at 1 (800) 843-8114 during business hours.)

From the RSS feed of CalorieLab News (REF3076322B7)

The right weight for strength training and busting belly fat

French blogger Eric from PresseCitron, currently meeting with LG at their Design Labs, tweeted that Windows Mobile 7 will be coming to LG handsets in September. The Tweets were taken down pretty quickly, but WMPoweruser captured them even quicker.

Eric also tweeted that LG will be coming out with an Android 2.1 handset in April.

Windows Mobile 7 will (hopefully) be showing its face at Mobile World Congress in Febraury. With rumors flying earlier this week that Windows Mobile 7 wouldn’t roll out until 2011, Eric’s Tweets make us optimistic that we’ll see WinMo7 on handsets by the end of the calendar year. [WMPoweruser via Engadget]

North Carolina, US | Unusual Monuments

Though any hammock usually suffices so long as it is located beachside, the more hammock the better has been the operating philosophy of Nag’s Head Hammocks since 1974.

Located in mainland North Carolina just before passing over the Albemarle Sound on the Wright Memorial Bridge, the world’s largest hammock stands as both a testament to the ultimate beach vacation, and as a relic of roadside Americana that is rapidly disappearing.

Large and in-charge, the hammock was woven from over 10,000 feet of rope and spans 42 feet. In front of the store, passers-by can stop for a group nap in the hammock strung across a metal frame that is not to be trifled with. No really: jumping into the hammock haphazardly can cause large bruises when one miscalculates and lands on the central span running beneath the webbing!

While the pros and cons of sharing the average hammock shall be left to each individual’s discretion, this one can hold up to 8000 lbs, so bringing friends is a must!

Virginia Beach, Virginia | Repositories of Knowledge

Edgar Cayce was a well-known claimant of psychic and healing powers throughout the early 20th century, and is largely responsible for introducing to the public consciousness such ideas as extra-sensory perception (ESP), paranormal activity, and holistic healing (in the spiritual sense).

From his estate in Virginia Beach, Cayce founded the Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.) in 1931, including a hospital in which he nursed patients back to health. Cayce used his talents for massage, acupressure, dietary regulation, and spiritual guidance to form a center for the ‘scientific exploration of the human metaphysical experience.’

Beyond such outwardly directed clairvoyance, Cayce kept impeccable records of his visions. Perhaps his most memorable vision predicted that in 1968, divers would locate the long sought after ruins of Atlantis off the coast of Bimini in the Bahamas. For decades thereafter, marine explorers scoured the atoll for any sign of Atlantis. Sure enough, in 1968 divers found what is now called “Bimini Road,” a series of six- to eight-foot-tall, precisely angled limestone blocks submerged in 15 feet of water. It is as of yet unclear what natural forces caused such formations.

Of course, Cayce made many other predictions, including that the true age of the Great Pyramid was built over 10,000 years ago B.C. After followers of Cayce attempted to date the temple it was found to be only 3000 years old B.C. some 7000 years later then what Cayce had predicted. Cayce also predicted that 1933 would be a good year (it was the height of the great depression), details of the Lindbergh kidnapping (which were incorrect), and that China would be converted to Christianity by 1968, which, of course, it has not been.

Continuing the family mantle after his father’s death, Hugh Lynn Cayce commissioned the A.R.E. Visitor Center after envisioning a public center to draw attention to his father’s work. Located adjacent to the original hospital, A.R.E.’s headquarters include a meditation garden, a 42-foot-wide labyrinth, and a silence-only meditation chamber with an unobstructed view of the Atlantic on the Visitor Center’s third floor.

Contained within the renowned A.R.E. Library are all 14,306 of Edgar Cayce’s readings, original manuscripts, an ESP testing machine used developed by Cayce that was later used by Duke University for experimentation, and one of the most respected collections of metaphysical literature in the world. Transcripts are cataloged and available for browsing, whence intrepid visitors can pour over Cayce’s predictions in search of clues to humanity’s past, present, and future.

Please note: Guided tours are offered daily at 2:30pm; ESP demonstrations are given every Saturday and Sunday at 1pm. Otherwise, personal exploration is expected, though aides at the Visitor Center reception desk happily answer questions.

the adaptation of maurice sendak’s 1963 children’s picture book of the same name, telling the story of a young boy named ‘max’ who runs away from home and sets sail to an unknown island inhabited by creatures know as the wild things. are they real or they are just living in his imagination?

“where the wild things are” features brilliant script, amazingly beautiful cinematography, and incredibly wonderful soundtrack. it is sublime, truly. visualization is such a feast to the eyes. this is an oustanding film for children. unfortunately thai children are probably gonna miss watching it, how tragic.

	acting
	actors/casting
	story
	music/sound effect
	direction/composition
	overall

movie: where the wild things are | director: spike jonze | release: 2009

TmoNews is reporting on three hot new handsets that are rumored to be hitting T-Mobile in this first quarter of 2010. One handset is the HTC HD2 which was made official at CES. The second is an unknown handset from Garmin that was spotted recently at the FCC showing off its AWS band and is rumored to be launching in May. Last but not least is a handset identified as the myTouch2, also referred to as the myTouch Slide and codenamed the Espresso. Android fans will recognize that last codename has been making the rounds in the rumor mill over the past few months. It has shown up in a list of codenames from a leaked Android 2.1 ROM, will be rocking the latest version of HTC’s Sense UI and may have the same 528MHz processor found in the Hero/Magic, a QWERTY keyboard and a 320×480 display. This latest revelation now places the handset as the potential successor to the myTouch 3G with a T-Mobile launch tentatively set for May 17th. Any future Android owners out there going to pass on the Nexus One and wait on the Espresso?

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Heads up, cheap gamers. Dylan Cuthbert doesn’t like you. Well, not all of you, just the ones who are unwilling to spend even US$ 10 on a game.

This may not necessarily be the most practical DIY, but if you’re looking at that picture—I mean really looking—and you’re not thinking “I want to go to there,” well, I just don’t know what to tell you.

Like Daft Punk before you, now you too can dazzle people with a line-y, glow in the dark suit (and freak them out by remaining totally mute the entire night wearing it). Making one of these takes some preparation—you’ll need to order the glow wire online and secure the parts for a battery pack to keep it running—but the Instructable gives detailed instructions for every step.

So if you’re heading to a dance party this weekend, or performing a futuristic heist, or meeting your significant other’s parents for the first time, this DIY project is definitely worth a look. [Instructables]

Filed under: Motorsports

Following the culmination of the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship, slots were granted to four new teams for the upcoming season. They were all ecstatic about the prospect of dicing it with the likes of McLaren and Ferrari, but not all of them are guaranteed to make it when the flag waves at Bahrain in just a couple months’ time. This comes right from the mouth Bernie Ecclestone, F1’s notoriously outspoken commercial director.

Rumors have been circulating for months that at least two of the teams – USF1 and Campos Meta – were having trouble finalizing their car designs and getting their houses in order. The other two newcomers – Lotus and Virgin – have hardly been immune to the rumors, either.

Given the difficulties involved in designing, building and fielding two new cars from scratch, Ecclestone doubts all four will be ready to start the season, much less see it through to the end. Bernie’s solution would have been to allow the newcomers to purchase chassis from any of the established teams, and field just one car to start off. Good idea or not, it’s a little late at this point, so we’ll just have to sit back and see how it unfolds.

[Source: Autosport | Image: AFP/Getty]

Bahrain or Bust: Ecclestone doubts all four new F1 teams will make it originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 16 Jan 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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