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When a leading manufacturer of desiccant dryers decided that they needed a transportable chilled-mirror dew-point instrument to certify the functionality of their dehumidification systems, they turned to Michell Instruments for a solution.

The result is the Optidew Transportable, which combines the drift-free performance of the chilled mirror principle with the convenience of a transportable instrument. Housed in a specially-designed case, the instrument is both fully self-contained as well as small and light. For the client, having an instrument that was easily transportable was vital because of the range of situations where their dryers are installed.

Desiccant de-humidifiers create dry air which can be used in a variety of applications such as the leisure industry for swimming pools and sports halls, various utilities such as power stations and water treatment works, desiccant cooling for air conditioning systems or within the chemical, food and pharmaceutical industries. The Optidew Transportable allows engineers to check the reliability of their installations over time, and give their customers peace of mind in their choice of dryer – whatever the application.

The Optidew dew-point hygrometer works on the proven, fundamental optical dew-point measurement principle, giving unmatched drift-free performance in the long term. It offers a wide measurement range from the equivalent of less than 0.5% up to 100% RH and measures dew points as dry as -40°Cdp at ambient temperatures. The portable version features a high definition alphanumeric display which shows the measured humidity, dew point, water activity, grams per kilogram and a number of other hygrometric units. The whole hygrometer is self-contained in a custom-built case for optimal protection and ease of use.

Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Mazda, Rumormill

Are big changes ahead for the Miata? As a blog that’s gone on record as adoring the current iteration (and all previous – Ed.) of Mazda‘s quintessential sportscar, that notion is a bit worrisome. Still, it sounds as if the company is going in the right direction. According to Inside Line, the 2011 MX-5 Miata will shrink in size a bit with an expected curb weight of just 2,200 pounds. That low weight should pay big dynamic dividends as well as boost efficiency, but the big news on that front will be an all-new engine.

Powering the next-gen Miata will reportedly be either a 1.3-liter or 1.5-liter version of the four-cylinder SKY-G engine (G as in gasoline) that Mazda showed off earlier this year at the Tokyo Motor Show. With an expected power rating near 150 horsepower, the current model’s power-to-weight ratio would remain intact (the 2009 model boasts 167 hp), and Mazda reportedly predicts the downsized mill will return in excess of 50 miles per gallon in the little sportscar. Consider our interest piqued.

[Source: Inside Line]

2011 Mazda MX-5 Miata to get SKY-G power, 50+ mpg? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 09:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Global intelligence company Stratfor has a nice explainer:

Stratfor: A number of other eurozone nations, however, are facing fiscal situations nearly as difficult as Athens’, and the European Union may decide to make an example of Greece to encourage other high-spending nations to cut their debt levels.

The roots, Stratfor explains, are from over-spending:

Greece is considered one of Europe’s most notorious overspenders. Even prior to the current crisis, it was fighting high budget deficits, primarily caused by high social spending, a symptom of the country’s ever-present social tensions.

That has caused soaring deficits:

The Greek banking sector is also in trouble:

Stratfor: Greek exposure, particularly to the Balkans, is therefore troubling for the overall economy. The fear is that, unlike the larger Italian and Austrian banks, Greek banks will not be able to refinance loans or absorb losses of affiliates abroad.

Greek banks have thus far drawn around 40 billion euros of cheap credit from the ECB, out of a total of around 665 billion euros extended to all eurozone banks. This represents between 6 and 7 percent of total ECB outstanding liquidity, much higher than the Greek share of EU economy (2.5 percent), and puts Greek banks second only to the Irish in terms of dependence on ECB emergency liquidity.

The basic economic indicators aren't good:

So what to do? Stratfor notes that balancing the budget (resulting in high unemployment); leaving the Eurozone (which would kill its ability to raise funds); and defaulting on the debt (which would "sever Greece from capital markets") are all unrealistic options.

Only bailout remains:

Stratfor: That leaves an internal European bailout. Here the obstacle is Germany. The Germans feel that they have already bailed out all of Europe — twice (once by absorbing East Germany without a cent of assistance from the rest of the Continent, a second time in absorbing so many small and weak economies into the eurozone which Germany underwrites).

If Germany is to sign off on a Greek bailout, therefore, it will only be under terms which give EU institutions an unprecedented ability to regulate Greek finances. Since Athens has already signed away monetary policy in order to accede to the eurozone, all that is left is budgetary control.

Problem is, it's not like others in Europe have lots of extra funds:

Whatever happens, a Greek collapse could set off a nasty chain reaction. As Stratfor analyst Peter Zeihan told us for a feature on 10 Looming Geopolitical Disasters, "Greece is going to be plowing the way, and where Greece goes, Italy may follow. Spain may follow shortly thereafter."

"We just don't know what's going to happen," says Zeihan.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• 10 Looming Geopolitical Disasters
• The Euro Breakup Will Be THE Story Of 2010, As Analyst Expects Ireland And Greece To Leave The Union
• Time Bomb For The Euro: Greek Debt Poses Threat To The Common Currency

Two recent stories regarding America and its global partners jump out to us:

• In Germany they’re freaking out because all the good manufacturing jobs are coming to America — courtesy of our super-weak dollar.
• And in China, they’re slapping tarrifs on our steel, accusing us of dumping.

That’s right.

The rest of the world now views us the way we, for decades, viewed the rest of the world. We complained about them getting our good manufacturing jobs, and dumping cheap-ass steel onto our shores, undercutting ours.

The world’s so-called reserve currency has weakened to the point that we’re regarded as a pesky third-world country, undermining developed mature economies.

Keep an eye out for this.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Germans Complain That All The Good Manufacturing Jobs Are Going To America
• The US-China Trade War Is Here
• Rosenberg: The Manufacturing Collapse Has Resumed

Real-time search is the hot topic right now, especially since Google has rolled out a full-blown service inside the main search engine. Bing has been doing it for more than a month now, Yahoo has just revealed it will integrate tweets as well, and now real-time search is moving to enterprise search as Google has announced that it will serve results from Twitter with its Google Search Appliance for businesses.

“Real-time information is becoming an increasingly important part of searching online – both for business and consumer search users. Yesterday we announced the launch of real-time results on Google.com, and today we’re announcing that the Google Search Appliance (GSA) can show users tweets from Twitter next to their internal Search Appliance results,” Cyrus Mistry, product manager, Google Enterprise Search wrote.

The announcement is clearly related to the real-time features Google introduced to the search engine, but there are some notable differences between the two products. Whereas real-time results are thrown in among the regular ones, on the main search engine, they are relegated to a section on the right of the page on searches with the GSA.

This separation is important and it makes sense that Google chose this path. When doing a regular search online, you expec… (read more)

Kaufman Bros. analyst Aaron Kessler upgraded his rating on Internet search engine giant Yahoo to buy from hold Friday morning.

Continue reading >

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• AOL, Yahoo, And Microsoft Battle For Local Supremacy
• Yahoo Says Search Business Is Improving (YHOO)
• Carol Bartz: Tiger Woods’s Scandal Is Better For Yahoo Than Michael Jackson’s Death (YHOO)

Filed under: Motorsports, Peugeot

Peugeot 908 HDi – Click above for high-res image gallery

Motorsports of late have been gripped by the crossover of racing drivers from one discipline to another, but one of the most established migrations in motor racing has always been between Formula One and Le Mans. The great (but unrelated) Hills – Phil and Graham – both won the F1 championship and Le Mans, but none have done so since Jochen Rindt in 1970. Lately, Peugeot especially has been seeking F1 drivers to pilot its 908 HDi against the venerable Audis at the famous 24-hour race, but that could step up a notch if the latest rumors from France hold any Evian.

Peugeot has registered three factory works cars to challenge Le Mans next year, plus one mystery car that has only been listed as a privateer entry. According to the latest reports, that entry could be fielded by Red Bull. The energy drink company has one of the most comprehensive networks of racing talent under its wings, but what’s catching the most attention is three of its most prominent drivers.

Six-time World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb, whose Citroen C4 rally car is sponsored by Red Bull, has raced Le Mans previously, and has been linked to a return to the endurance race. 2007 Formula One champion Kimi Raikkonen will likewise be driving next year in a Red Bull-sponsored C4 fielded by Citroen (Peugeot’s sister company). Finally, David Coulthard was largely responsible for Red Bull’s foray into F1, and though retired from actively racing, remains an advisor and test driver for the team.

While these rumors could prove nothing more than exactly that, if Red Bull were to bring these three talents to La Sarthe, they would surely be a force to be reckoned with.

[Source: AUTOhebdo via Le Blog Auto and Axis of Oversteer]

REPORT: Red Bull to place Raikkonen, Loeb and Coulthard in Peugeot 908 HDi at Le Mans originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mercedes-Benz will launch 200  series produced B-Class F-Cell eletric car with a fuel cell  this Spring in Europe and US. The B-Class F-Cell has a range of about 400 kilometers or 248 miles, said Mercedes-Benz. That means it can travel twice as far as the Mercedes-Benz A-Class F-Cell.

“[The B-Class F-Cell] is some 40 percent smaller than the system in the A-Class F-Cell from 2004, but develops 30 percent more power while consuming 30 percent less fuel,” Daimler  said in a statement. The B-Class F-Cell bundles a compact fuel cell stack, a lithium-ion battery, three 700-bar tanks for the hydrogen and lightweight 136-horsepower drive motor at the front axle.

The B-Class also “boasts outstanding cold-start capability down to minus 25 degrees Celsius,” said the automaker. “The system features a new humidification system consisting of hollow fibers that ensures, unlike with the first-generation fuel cell, that water no longer freezes in the stack, a characteristic that used to impair cold-start capability,” Mercedes-Benz said. It noted that, even at low temperatures, the B-Class F-Cell “starts just as quickly as the very latest diesel engine.”

The design of the B-Class F-Cell includes what Mercedes-Benz calls a “sandwich floor,” which means key components for the electric drive with fuel cells are in the vehicle underbody. This helps to conserve space in the cabin. “In the event of a crash, safety valves close the hydrogen supply lines to the fuel cell and decouple the tanks from the other system components,” it said. “Even after a serious accident, the hydrogen poses no risk whatsoever.”

It’s no secret that many book publishers are somewhat uncomfortable with the ebook market, fearing that it will cannibalize the existing book market, with lower expected prices or (gasp!) piracy. Still, you would think they would know better than to repeat the mistakes of other industries. Copycense alerts us to the news that some ebook publishers are copying the movie studios with their obsession with windowed releases and are delaying the release of ebooks by as much as four months after the release of the hardcover book. Amazon’s response to the news sums up why this is a huge mistake:

“Authors get the most publicity at launch and need to strike while the iron is hot. If readers can’t get their preferred format at that moment, they may buy a different book or just not buy a book at all.”

Or they might just get an unauthorized digital copy. Hard to understand businesses that think it’s reasonable to not offer customers what they want (especially when they’re willing to pay for it).

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America’s weaker dollar has begun hollowing out Germany’s manufacturing industry.

German-made machine tools, jet parts, steel, and even autos are no longer cost competitive vs. American manufacturing these days.

Der Spiegel: Workers at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Sindelfingen outside Munich aren’t usually the rebellious types. They are proud of their jobs and of the cars they build. But last Wednesday workers at the plant were nothing but angry.

After their foremen had informed them, shortly before 10 a.m., that the next generation of the company’s C-Class model series will no longer be produced in Sindelfingen, they walked out of the factory buildings en masse and headed for Building 1, where plant management has its offices. But the plant manager didn’t have the courage to face his employees, and even Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche chose to have a member of his staff inform them why assembly of the C-Class is being shifted to the company’s US plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

The employees were left with anger and a sense of helplessness. They had already prevented the outsourcing of production twice in the past by agreeing to do without breaks and supplementary benefits to bring down labor costs. But this time management wasn’t even willing to discuss cost savings at the German plant. It was already clear that employees couldn’t possibly take a pay cut large enough to offset the decline of the dollar.

Read more here.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Stimulus Ends, German Investor Confidence Collapses
• German Hedge Fund K1 May Have Cost JPMorgan, Other Banks $400 Million (JPM)
• Germans Starting To Feel Bullish

It wouldn’t be surprising to find that registered dietitians (RDs) are among the healthiest eaters in the United States, but their healthy habits extend beyond diet. Registered dietitians demonstrate a commitment to the three pillars of health: a healthy diet, supplements and regular exercise. According to new research from the “Life…supplemented” 2009 Healthcare Professionals (HCP) Impact Study, eight in 10 registered dietitians view dietary supplements as important for maintaining health.

The study shows 81 percent of registered dietitians agree most people have gaps in their diets that can be filled with vitamins and other dietary supplements. Many include themselves in this group, with 76 percent agreeing that supplement use can address their own diet gaps. Registered dietitians’ actions follow suit, with nine in 10 (96 percent) taking supplements and recommending them to their clients (97 percent).

Which supplements are registered dietitians taking? Most commonly, they are taking a multivitamin (84 percent). RDs also take specialty supplements (64 percent take at least one specialty supplement), such as Omega-3 fish oils (47 percent), herbal or botanical supplements (46 percent) or fiber (22 percent). Over half of registered dietitians take supplements for improved bone health (58 percent) and overall health and wellness (53 percent).

“Registered dietitians know people’s eating habits, and we know that people don’t always eat correctly,” says Leslie Bonci, RD, director of sports medicine nutrition for the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and the Center for Sports Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and advisor to the “Life…supplemented” campaign. “A healthy diet works in concert with exercise and responsible use of supplements for a wellness lifestyle. We’re seeing RDs champion these three components to overall wellness.”

Seven in 10 registered dietitians who recommend supplements to their clients report doing so for bone health (72 percent) and to fill nutrition gaps (69 percent). Read more…

Courtesy of FT Alphaville, this may be your chart of the week, as the yield curve is steeper than it’s been at anytime since 1980, according to Bloomberg.

The pessimistic interpretation: the short end is near zero due to the flight-to-safety, and the long end is “elevated” (though not that high) due to debt fears.

The optimistic interpretation: the short end is near zero due to end of the year hedging issues that don’t have anything to do with the flight-to-safety and the long end isn’t that elevated.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Why T-Bill Yields Just Returned To Crisis Levels

Music education advocate John Benham explains to MENC staff the financial ramifications of teacher and student music education statistics he collected for Fairfax County, Virginia.

John L. Benham is an enthusiastic advocate for music education programs — so much so that he criss-crosses the United States, helping music educator and parent groups present a strong case to school officials that keeping school music programs operating is fiscally responsible.

Benham was on one such mission the week of December 7. He traveled to Fairfax County, Virginia, to help the Fairfax Arts Coalition for Education (FACE) prepare a presentation for the Fairfax County School Board. According to FACE, "The [Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS)] Elementary Band and String programs were named in a Strawman Poll as possible cuts to this year’s FCPS budget. This cut would entirely eliminate the elementary band and strings programs, and consequently would destroy band and strings on all levels in Fairfax County." Benham visited MENC at the National Center for Music Education (located in Fairfax County’s Reston) and previewed for the MENC staff the case he had built using statistics on teacher hours and student involvement. He was accompanied by MENC member Keith Taylor, a K-12 music specialist for the Fairfax County school system.

Benham discussed the Fairfax County situation in particular, but he suggested any music educator look at the big picture as budget cuts threaten school music programs. In addition to lost teacher jobs, and the fact that the students who no longer have music programs have to be taught something by someone else, lack of music programs means students don’t buy or rent instruments locally, causing a loss of potential tax revenue. Government officials understand that kind of reasoning, he said.

Benham also said that "a financial crisis always exposes an educational philosophy." Challenging the idea that cutting a music program saves money — by showing that it doesn’t in the long run — uncovers what is really important to the decision-makers. "Do they really care about the kids, or is it just numbers to them?"

"Get your [music] boosters involved. You have to convince them this is just as important than all of the fundraising they do," Benham advised.

He said he suggests that concerned citizens also let students help make the case. Students can attract publicity for the cause in creative ways. He mentioned band students who marched down the street holding radios blaring marches by John Phillip Sousa.  At a school board meeting, a student played "Taps" to protest the potential demise of his music program.

In addition, said Benham, it’s imperative that music teachers themselves "stick together" when programs are under fire, and they must remember that cuts to one part of school music ultimately affect them all.

President of Music in World Cultures, Inc., Benham consults as an advocate for music programs throughout the United States and the world. He is also director of graduate studies in music at Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he developed a masters of arts degree in Ethnomusicology. Benham is a Lowell Mason Fellow, recognized by MENC for his advocacy on behalf of music education.

Advocacy Resource:
The "Make Your Case" database, powered by SupportMusic.com, will help you build a case for your music program when it’s threatened.

—Roz Fehr, December 10, 2009. © MENC: The National Association for Music Education

Sally McMillan

KNOXVILLE — Sally McMillan has been named vice provost for academic affairs at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Provost Susan Martin announced today.

McMillan is the associate dean for academic programs for the College of Communication and Information and a professor in the School of Advertising and Public Relations. She will begin her new role on Jan. 4.

As vice provost for academic affairs, McMillan will oversee undergraduate programs and curriculum, including general education, service learning, freshman seminars, learning communities and distance education. She also will oversee academic program review and will coordinate academic programs such as summer school, Life of the Mind and undergraduate research.

“Sally brings a broad range of administrative experience, as well as faculty leadership experience, to this new role,” Martin said. “She brings a wealth of experience from her work in communications both inside and external to the university. She understands the needs of our faculty, as well as those of our students, and will bring a broad strategic perspective to our academic programs and our efforts to help our students succeed.”

McMillan joined the UT Knoxville faculty in 1999 as an assistant professor. She has provided leadership for the college since 2005 by working closely with faculty and administration to develop strategic and curricular priorities for undergraduate and graduate programs. Prior to UT, McMillan taught at Boston University, the University of Oregon and the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

“The students, faculty members and administrators at UT Knoxville are all top-notch,” McMillan said. “I welcome the challenge of working with the university community to identify ways to be more efficient and effective while promoting excellence in academic programs.”

McMillan has published more than 40 scholarly articles and has been honored for both her teaching and her research, which focuses primarily on health communication and the impact of new communication technologies on individuals, organizations and society. In 2003, her faculty colleagues elected her to the UT Knoxville Faculty Senate, where she chaired the budget and planning committee for two years.

McMillan has a bachelor’s degree in English from Southern Adventist University and a master’s degree in journalism and public relations from the University of Maryland. She has a doctorate in communication and society from the University of Oregon. Before entering the field of higher education, she worked for 15 years in the communication field including a job as a book editor in Washington, D.C., and as president of Delta Technology in Eau Claire, Wis.

McMillan is a member of the American Academy of Advertising, the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, the Association of Internet Researchers and the International Communication Association. View McMillan’s biography on the College of Communication and Information Web site.

—

C O N T A C T :

Rebekah Winkler (865-974-8304, [email protected])

A lot of the Final Fantasy XIII vids that we’ve looked at for the past year have bits and pieces recycled from older ones. This new TV spot may be short, but it’s dense with new clips

Filed under: China, Etc.

Many years ago, some jerk smashed in the rear quarter panel of yours truly’s 1985 Pontiac Parisienne Safari with a hockey stick. How do we know they used a hockey stick? Because we found the hockey stick in the back of the Pontiac. At that point in time, the poor Parisienne was only running on seven cylinders (we know that because of a compression test) and got parked for the rainy season. Our girlfriend at time was concerned that our weather-sealing method wasn’t very sound. But what do girls know about Glad bags and duct tape?

It then rained from November to March without pause. When we finally decided to open the engine up come Spring, we found mushrooms — actual mushrooms — growing all over the Pontiac’s expansive carpeting. And before you ask, no, we didn’t eat the mushrooms.

We mention all this because according to Metro UK, a Chinese trucker named Sing Li lost his windshield, replaced it with cardboard and then drove 500 miles with his head sticking out the window. Trouble is, by the time the police pulled him over, his head had turned blue and one of his eyes had frozen shut. Says the trucker in his defense, “I didn’t want to fall behind in my delivery schedule and I couldn’t afford a repair.” Turns out that defense didn’t work, and a court took his license. Maybe he should have tried Glad bags?

[Source: Metro.co.uk]

PSA: Cardboard is probably not the best replacement material for your rig’s windshield originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Twitter may not be growing too much in the US lately, in fact its user base even shrank in October, but it’s doing alright internationally, and this without having a localized version in any other language, besides Japan, until very recently. Now though, Twitter has started focusing more on its international users and has released versions of the site in Spanish and French. The most recent addition is Italian which is now the fifth supported language.

“We’re excited because today with the launch of the Italian version of our site becomes even more a platform for global communication. As always, we wish to thank all the translators who have participated in the project and who have shown us their skills,” Twitter announced, in Italian of course, which Google Translate did a surprisingly good job at making sense of.

“Now that the conversations on Twitter are enriched with increasingly diverse viewpoints on a global level, the network information will continue to grow in every nook and crevice of the planet. More events will be shared more knowledge and awareness will spread and the millions of people that feed Twitter will affect millions more people with their tweet,” Twitter spokeswoman Jenna Sampson added.

There’s not too much to the update, if you want to change your language to Ita… (read more)

The iPhone, unlike the HTC Imagio, is not evolved enough to have a kick stand, resulting in developments such as the above foldable stand that will fit easily in your wallet also.

It will however probably work perfectly well for your HTC HD2.

The GoGostand can be purchased here for $4.99 with free shipping.

Via PDA.PL