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XCOR Aerospace

Click for video: The Lynx Mark I rocket plane, shown in this artist’s conception, would serve as a test bed for a higher-flying Lynx Mark II. Click on the image to watch a video from XCOR’s March 2008 announcement about the Lynx.

XCOR Aerospace and Yecheon Astro Space Center today announced a deal that would eventually provide rides to the edge of outer space from South Korea, in a rocket plane made in the U.S.A.

The $30 million project calls for the development of a suborbital spaceport at Yecheon, which would serve as the Asian base of operations for California-based XCOR’s Lynx Mark II rocket plane. Today’s announcement didn’t provide a flight timetable, but if XCOR sticks to its hoped-for schedule, the first Mark II plane could be flying in the 2012-2013 time frame.

The deal is dependent on approvals from the U.S. government for export arrangements, as well as from the South Korean government for launch operations.

Twitter client developers will be pleased to note that popular light blogging platform Tumblr now supports a Tweetie and Twitterific compatible API. In a recent blog post, the company explains how the API will help Twitter clients support Tumblr. While the release allows for similar posting and reading capabilities to last week’s WordPress API announcement, it’s a coup for those looking to Twitter to become the open messaging standard.

Sponsor

In response to today’s Tumblr announcement, RSS pioneer and blogger Dave Winer writes, “Conventional wisdom says that open standards are created by endless deliberations among experts and big tech companies, and those sometimes gain traction, but this is how it usually happens. Someone goes first. No one thinks of it as an open standard. Then someone clones it. All of a sudden people get ideas. Inspired, someone goes third. At this point it’s inevitable that there will be a fourth and fifth and so on.”

Last week ReadWriteWeb suggested that a publish/subscribe standard was already beginning to take shape with both the WordPress API and Twitter/Feedburner integration. As of today, we may be one step closer to a web where content feeds are standardized and portable across a variety of platforms and services.

Discuss

Filed under: Convertible, Performance, UK, Specialty

Says Climax Cars of its Sports Racer, “We wanted to produce a radically different type of car that would be dramatically desirable as well as being an out-and-out enthusiast’s car.” Done and done. Consider us smitten. We love the classically British Jaguar-esque shape and will gladly park one in our Fantasy Garage in an appropriate shade of Racing Green.

This latest object of our desire (and we reserve the right to add to our lust list at any given time) packs up to 450 horsepower – courtesy of a supercharged 4.6-liter Ford Racing V8 – in a car that weighs just 1,999 pounds (907 kilograms). That’s a power-to-weight ratio of… carry the one, move the decimal point… about 450 horsepower per ton! Acceleration, thy name is Climax Sports Racer.

Fully-adjustable double-wishbone suspension at all four corners, ceramic brakes and a six-speed sequential Graziano GT ME1 gearbox ought to ensure suitable track-day performance cred while the expected £92,000 (about $150,000) asking price undercuts the Ariel Atom V8 by £30,000 and the Caparo T1 by over £60,000. Only 200 are planned and there’s no word on if there will ever be U.S. availability. Looks like we’re moving to Britain.

[Source: Autocar]

REPORT: Climax Sports Racer alive, priced to compete with Ariel Atom originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Playoffs are here, guys are hurt, practices are done. Let’s go over the news.

• Calvin Johnson(notes) (knee) and Matthew Stafford(notes) (shoulder) were both held out of Thursday’s practice. You can pretty much eliminate Stafford right now – warm up, Daunte Culpepper(notes) – but Johnson has a shot to play against the Cardinals if he can show something Friday. The frustrating season for Megatron owners continues.

• Larry Fitzgerald(notes) (knee) did a little more work in Thursday’s practice but he’s far from a sure thing for Sunday’s match at Detroit. We should know a lot more about Fitzgerald after the Cardinals have the key Friday workout.

• Brian Westbrook(notes) (post concussion) was limited in Thursday’s practice and the context clues around Eagles camp point to him sitting out another week. We’ll see what Andy Reid offers to us Friday. In the meantime, LeSean McCoy(notes) is a reasonable play Sunday (even against a surging San Francisco defense) and Leonard Weaver(notes) isn’t the worst reach play in the world (he’s got 189 total yards over the last three weeks, and his touch count could be heading up).

• Matt Ryan(notes) (toe) and Michael Turner(notes) (ankle) both got back on the practice field Thursday in what Mike Smith(notes) termed an "extremely limited" fashion. I don’t see any reason to wait around for Ryan’s status this week – not against the Jets pass defense – and I’d only look to Turner in Week 15 if I were completely sunk at the position.

• The Vikings have a slew of receiver injuries: Bernard Berrian(notes) (ankle) had another limited day, while Sidney Rice(notes) (illness) and Percy Harvin(notes) (migraines) didn’t practice at all. We’ll pay close attention to their Friday practice.

• Hines Ward(notes) (hamstring) had a full day with the Steelers and should be in line for a full game against Green Bay.

• Vince Young(notes) (hamstring) and Kerry Collins(notes) both took reps at Tennessee’s workout Thursday. "I thought [Young] moved pretty well," Jeff Fisher told the Nashville Tennessean.

• Roddy White(notes) (knee) took all the reps Thursday and looks fine to start against the Jets. But from a fantasy perspective, you can’t be happy to see shutdown ace Darrelle Revis(notes) waiting for him on the other side.

• Josh Cribbs (ankle) has been limited in practice this week and is no sure thing to go at Kansas City. If he has an encouraging session Friday, he makes for an interesting Hail Mary reach in Week 15.

• Brent Celek(notes) (back/thumb) was limited at practice Thursday. He’s been playing through these nicks for a while.

• Ahmad Bradshaw(notes) (foot/ankles) was held out of Thursday’s work but he’s got time on his side given that the Giants play Monday night in Washington. He’s expected to play. Mario Manningham(notes) (illness) was also held out Thursday.

• Aaron Brown (shoulder) had a limited practice with the Lions Thursday. If you’re chasing for production in this backfield, I’d look to Maurice Morris(notes) first. Granted, this is for the desperados in the crowd.

• Jeremy Shockey(notes) (toe) did some work at Thursday’s practice after sitting out the previous day. He’s been a dud over his last six games, with a measly 17 catches for 193 yards over that span (with no touchdowns).

• Visanthe Shiancoe(notes) (foot/ribs) had a limited day Thursday but no one seems to be concerned yet about him sitting in Week 15. That said, keep in mind the Vikings play Sunday night at Carolina, so you might want to stash an alternate tight end on the bench now (Fred Davis(notes) or Kevin Boss(notes) waiting in the Monday game would do nicely, if it’s available to you; heck, you might want to play Davis over Shiancoe anyway).

• Derrick Mason(notes) (finger) skipped some of the reps Thursday but he’s still expected to play against the Bears. Unless the news is ominous Friday, I’d use him. The Ravens certainly need Mason in this spot; Mark Clayton(notes) (hamstring) and Kelley Washington(notes) (ankle) were both held out of Thursday’s practice.

• Mark Sanchez(notes) (knee) took three-quarters of the Thursday reps and has a good chance to start against the Falcons, not that you want your playoff life to be tied to the Jets passing game. I suppose Braylon Edwards(notes) and Jerricho Cotchery(notes) get a mild upgrade if Sanchez can go, but it’s nothing substantial.

• Devin Hester(notes) (calf) was held out of Thursday’s practice, as expected. He hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 7 and I can’t see why anyone would risk their playoff life on him at Baltimore.

• Tom Brady(notes) (various) and Randy Moss(notes) were both back at practice Thursday, if you wanted to know. It’s hard to trust the Patriots passing game this week from a fantasy perspective, however; Brady doesn’t seem healthy, Moss has been in a funk and Buffalo’s defense practically begs opponents to run the ball as much as possible. Also pay attention to the forecast here; the Buffalo area is expecting snow on Monday but you never know with upstate New York in December.

• Jake Delhomme(notes) (finger) missed another practice so it looks like the Matt Moore(notes) show again this week. Good luck with that against the Vikings defense.

• A swine flu outbreak caused the Rams to cancel their entire practice Thursday. Head coach Steve Spagnuolo said "five or six" of his players are dealing with the bug, but he didn’t name any names.

• Terrell Owens(notes) is dealing with an undisclosed illness and didn’t work Thursday.

• Zach Miller (post concussion) is unlikely to play this week and it won’t be a shock if he’s done for the year.

The holidays are only days away and you still have so much to do. As you begin a frantic last-minute rush to find the last few gifts on your list, to buy all the goodies for your holiday open house and to clean everything in sight, don’t forget these time-saving holiday preparation tips:

• Take advantage of giftwrapping shortcuts. Some stores, such as Boscov’s, offer free giftwrapping services on items customers buy in the store. Many shopping malls team up with Boy Scouts or other organizations to wrap gifts for a small donation. If neither of these options work for you, don’t be ashamed to use gift bags.
• Get rid of the clutter fast by designating a storage container for each room and quickly tossing everything that doesn’t belong out into the container. Put the containers in the closet or under the beds and then deal what the contents after the guests are gone.
• Simplify your plans. Do you really need ten different appetizers for the open house? Will Christmas be ruined if you make sugar cookies from the refrigerated store bought dough? Will guests truly care that you didn’t put fresh liners in every drawer?
• Set up shopping bags and fill each of them with all the items you need to take to another person’s home over the holidays. (Just make a note of refrigerated items to add to the bag at the last minute and clip it to the bag so you don’t forget to grab them, too.) This really saves a lot of time and frustration, since you have the items right there instead of having to remember that you wanted to pass on that mystery book to Aunt Jillian after you get to her house.

Do you have any last-minute holiday preparation tips?

Photo: SXC

Post from: Blisstree

Last-minute Holiday Preparation Tips

Forensic Mortgage Auditors Expands Audit Focus to Include “Option Arms” and Reverse Mortgages. Serving Borrowers and Law Firms Nationwide – … With one in four US borrowers underwater, this company can provide the compliance review needed to determine if a residential mortgage was originated in compliance with the applicable federal laws. Improperly originated mortgages may be subject to modification or recission. … – Press Release at PR Web

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Mortgage Modification Applications Decline in November – Posted by Larry Doyle – … The Obama administration’s attempt to stabilize the housing market has been an abysmal failure.  … Homeowners will not gain the benefits of a mortgage modification without processing an application. … What would be the heavy artillery? Principal reduction via mortgage cram-downs. … has link to 24 page B of A research report – Sense on Cents

Failed Deals on Wall Street – Posted by Larry Doyle –  … Let’s review a recent story from American Banker, Ellington Mortgage Bond Pool’s IPO Fails: … I view these failed transactions as a precursor to what may occur in our markets as the Fed withdraws stimulus and support for housing specifically and the markets in general in 2010. … – Sense on Cents 

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Property Values: Four More Years To Fall – Michael David White – New
Observatrions.net

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Investment Funds Find Profits by Reducing Mortgage Balances – Reverse Mortgage Daily

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securitization interview starts 40% down the page – The Institutional Risk Analyst: Fixing Securitization: Interview with Michael Krimminger – In this issue of The Institutionl Risk Analyst, we feature a discussion with Mike Krimminger of the FDIC about the new draft regulations governing bank securitizations that the agency will shortly be issuing for public comment. – The Institutional Risk Analyst 

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FDIC proposes rules on securitization sales – By Jody Shenn and Theo Francis – … In its “sample” rule, the FDIC suggests, among other things, blocking for home-loan bonds any more than 80 percent of the compensation for lenders, securitization sponsors, credit raters and bond underwriters from being paid upfront, with the rest due over five years and based on asset performance. – Risk Retention – It also proposes requiring sponsors to retain 5 percent of credit risk of all securitizations, as well as barring from securities any home loans less than a year old, or that don’t rely on documented borrower income. … – Bloomberg

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4 Big Mortgage Backers Swim in Ocean of Debt – By MARY WILLIAMS WALSH – … And the total risk they (4) pose to the taxpayer far exceeds that of the big banks. … – NY Times

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House Committee Gauges Covered-Bond Interest – BY JOHN CLAPP – Expert witnesses testifying before the House Financial Services Committee this week suggested that covered bonds, long-standing debt instruments in European markets for more than two centuries, should have a home in the U.S. – MortgageOrb

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Housing Won’t Collapse in 2010, says Radar Logic – By JON PRIOR –  The US housing market could be in for some serious trouble in 2010, but predictions of a second collapse are “exaggerated,” according to a report from Radar Logic, a real estate data and analytics company. – HousingWire

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Default Risk to Linger in 2010 – Maturities may be stretched out, but many companies are still saddled with too much debt. – High-yield bond defaults in the United States fell in the second half of 2009, according to a report released this week by Fitch Ratings, and are projected to decline substantially by the end of 2010. But there’s still plenty of risk that many noninvestment-grade firms will default on debt next year and the year after, especially if the U.S. economy does not make a strong recovery, Fitch says. – CFO.com

As a few folks sent in, Nicolas Sarkozy has pledged to spend approximately $1.1 billion scanning books. Does this sound familiar? It should. Five years ago, French officials freaked out about Google scanning all those books, and declared they were going to spend $2.5 billion on its own project, called Quaero. And what happened? Well, it turned into a huge boondoggle with a bunch of companies claiming the money, but nothing of substance ever coming from the project, which has now been mostly abandoned.

So, now we’ve got Sarkozy — defender and mass infringer of copyrights — who recently warned that Google’s book scanning project was somehow a threat to French culture. So, now he’s going to spend $1.1 billion more on a project that we hope will be at least marginally more well defined than Quaero. In the meantime, France’s national library is apparently all set to have Google scan its collection of books. Seems easier. In fact, the report notes that the $1.1 billion will go to private companies to scan books, and it’s entirely possible that Google could be one of those companies. After all, it’s pretty good at book scanning.

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Wow, I just made the most awesome mushroom burgers using this recipe:
http://americanfood.about.com/od/vegetarian/r/Mushroom_Burger.htm

My picture quality is terrible and I apologize, but I just wanted to EAT!

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Japan, Subaru, Toyota

It should come as no surprised that Subaru — a brand that’s made its name in the States for offering rugged, all-wheel drive vehicles — is a little wary about bringing its own version of the RWD Toyobaru to the U.S.

Speaking with Wards Auto, Subaru spokesperson Michael McHale said, “We’re an all-wheel drive brand,” going on to say that, “If it doesn’t affect the core of the brand, maybe we’d bring it in as an interesting option.”

Although we’ve yet to seen the Subaru variant of the Toyota FT-86, the rebodied version is expected to debut sometime in 2010, with both examples going on sale in Japan later next year or in early 2011. Power is supposedly supplied by Subaru-sourced, Toyota-tweaked flat-four, putting out around 200 horsepower in naturally aspirated guise.

For Toyota to make a business case for putting the FT-86 into production, it’s been all but assumed that the RWD coupe would go on sale in markets outside of Japan — specifically in Europe and North America. However, the Subaru version’s fate isn’t quite as clear. If earlier reports are any indication, offering an AWD coupe could be a possibility given the coupe’s underpinnings. But if it’s strictly RWD, McHale hopes consumers can, “forgive us a one-off exception.”

[Source: Wards Auto]

REPORT: Subaru spokesman concerned that RWD Toyobaru could dilute brand identity originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: 2009 BMW X5 xDrive35d delivers obsolescence to gasoline-powered sibling

The X5 has always been a competent handler, but even with BMW-esque agility, it lacked something in the efficiency department. With the introduction of the new diesel-powered xDrive35d, one of its biggest downsides has finally been addressed.

VIDEO: How not to behave during a traffic stop

One roadside siren was none too happy about the ticket she received and she made her distaste all too clear to her husband, the arresting officer and the guy with the video camera. You’ve got to see it to believe it.

Top 10 Forward-Thinking Vehicles of the Decade

Trend-setting. Far-reaching. Record-setting. In a word: Important. Use whatever descriptors you’d like, what we’re looking are some of the most forward-thinking cars of the last decade. Is your pick on the list?

Also of interest:

• Four-cylinder Buick LaCrosse arrives Q1 next year, to be priced from $26,995*
• Detroit 2010 Preview: Volvo C30 EV evolves for road trials
• VIDEO: Valet vigilante vandalism visualizes very vunerable vehicles
• GMC reveals gussied-up Acadia Denali for 2011
• VIDEO: Lamborghini’s Valentino Balboni drifting a Lamborghini Valentino Balboni

Browse our archive of Daily U-Turn posts or subscribe to the RSS feed

Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 12.17.09 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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An aerosol known as “black carbon,” a primary component in soot, looks to be a key driver of anthropogenic global warming in tropical locations around the world — most notably, in the Himalayan region.

…new research, by NASA’s William Lau and collaborators, reinforces with detailed numerical analysis what earlier studies suggest: that soot and dust contribute as much (or more) to atmospheric warming in the Himalayas as greenhouse gases. This warming fuels the melting of glaciers and could threaten fresh water resources in a region that is home to more than a billion people.

[…] Nicknamed the “Third Pole”, the region in fact holds the third largest amount of stored water on the planet beyond the North and South Poles. But since the early 1960s, the acreage covered by Himalayan glaciers has declined by over 20 percent. Some Himalayan glaciers are melting so rapidly, some scientists postulate, that they may vanish by mid-century if trends persist. Climatologists have generally blamed the build-up of greenhouse gases for the retreat, but Lau’s work suggests that may not be the complete story.

He has produced new evidence suggesting that an “elevated heat pump” process is fueling the loss of ice, driven by airborne dust and soot particles absorbing the sun’s heat and warming the local atmosphere and land surface.

Globally, black carbon looks to be the second most-important warming agent after CO₂.

Here’s the twist: much of the production of black carbon comes from the combustion of biofuels and diesel, the two leading “greener” fuel technologies.

Aerosols last for months in the atmosphere, as opposed to the decades that greenhouse gases can last. This is good, as it means that policies that reduce the production of black carbon can start showing positive results in a matter of weeks.

Sempra Generation has gained approval for Pacific Gas & Electric to procure 48 megawatts of solar photovoltaic power from the California Public Utilities Commission. This enables Sempra to begin the facility construction. …

… “The CPUC’s approval of the contract signals the January 2010 construction start for the facility, an expansion of Sempra Generation’s existing 10-MW El Dorado Solar power plant. Both projects are located near Boulder City, Nev., about 40 miles southeast of Las Vegas, and each will provide power to PG&E under two 20-year power contracts. When completed by late 2010, the combined 58-MW installation will become the largest operational photovoltaic solar-power facility in North America. Together, the two facilities will utilize nearly 1 million photovoltaic panels. ” …

Via Sempra Energy: Largest operational photovoltaic solar facility in North America

Spring-energized seals are single-acting sealing elements primarily used for sealing reciprocating pistons and rods as well as being suitable for use in rotary, swiveling and static applications.

The seal comprises two components:
an outer sealing element made of high-strength plastic (e.g. PTFE, PE-UHMW) an integral stainless steel spring.

To cover an optimum range of pressures and temperatures, two basic versions have been developed, differing in terms of outer geometry, but especially in terms of spring design and characteristic curves of the springs.

The U- and C-type designations are based on the respective shape of the seal.

Filed under: Concept Cars, Lamborghini

Slavche Tanevski had a project to complete at the Munich University of Applied Sciences, and the result is the stacked, vented, and char-blackened concept you see above. In keeping with Lamborghini nomenclature, an Ankonian is a kind of bull, and if you took a Lamborghini Reventon and asked the question, “Does it blend?”, the Ankonian concept is what you might pour out of your glassware.

It doesn’t have any hypothetical specs, nor, we suppose, does it really need them. The car is long, low, and narrow, and darkly hostile enough to go as quickly or as slowly as it wishes. What it does have is flames that shoot out of the exhaust, and frankly, that’s enough for us. You can have various looks at it in the gallery of high-res photos below, but please, don’t make it angry. You wouldn’t like it when it’s angry.

[Source: CarDesign.ru (translated)]

Lamborghini Ankonian by Slavche Tanevski is part wasp, part alien, all black originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Better ways to educate public on human body, disease

Editor, The Times:

We are dismayed that the organizers of the “Bodies: The Exhibition” have chosen to bring their exhibit back to Seattle [“ ‘Bodies: The Exhibition’ returns to Seattle,” Seattletimes.com, Health, Oct. 10].

There are ways to educate the general public about the human body and disease without resorting to the mining of dead bodies from overseas for their prurient shock value. We are offended at the disingenuous attempt to profit commercially from human remains.

As Chinese Americans, we have a millennia-old culture of showing respect to our dead, a culture of respect that has been violated by the “plastination” process and staging of these bodies for sensational display.

This is desecration, pure and simple.

We encourage others to think twice before choosing to spend their money to support this kind of sordid moneymaking enterprise.

— Ron Chew, Lily Jung, Debbie Louie, Seattle