Zazzle Shop

Screen printing

Thursday, September 6, 2007

Volvo ReCharge Plug-In Hybrid Concept Car/


Volvo_ReCharge_Plug-In-Hybrid.jpg It's called the ReCharge, a concept car from Volvo to be unveiled officially next week at the Frankfurt Auto Show, it's a plug-in hybrid with a battery-only range of 100 km before you need to have the car's four-cylinder 1.6-liter Flexfuel engine kick in to power the car and recharge the battery. The ReCharge is built off a specially designed Volvo C30, meaning it's got a platform that doesn't need to be built from scratch -- boosting the possibility we could see something like it really hit the streets. The best news would be for the environment which would see "about 66% lower emissions of carbon dioxide compared with the best hybrid cars available on the market today." We can already hear the birds singing. Full press release after the jump. UPDATE: First video of the Volvo ReCharge just posted here.

Volvo ReCharge Concept Car



Volvo ReCharge Concept: Plug-in hybrid with battery-only range of 100 km - and Flexifuel engine for backup power

Volvo Cars is introducing the Volvo ReCharge Concept, a plug-in hybrid with individual electric wheel motors and batteries that can be recharged via a regular electrical outlet for maximum environmental benefit. Recharging allows the car to be driven about 100 kilometres on battery power alone before the car's four-cylinder Flexifuel engine is needed to power the car and recharge the battery. Volvo ReCharge Concept makes its debut in a specially designed Volvo C30 at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

"A certain proportion of electrical vehicles will be necessary to meet the CO2 emission demands of the future. Since the Volvo ReCharge Concept combines an excellent battery range with a backup combustion engine, it is a very interesting concept," says Magnus Jonsson, Senior Vice President Research and Development at Volvo Cars. The ReCharge Concept has been developed at the Volvo Monitoring and Concept Center (VMCC), the Volvo Car Corporation's think-tank in Camarillo, California.

"This is a ground-breaking innovation for sustainable transportation. A person driving less than 100 kilometres a day will rarely need to visit a filling station. In the USA, this may apply to almost 80 percent of drivers," says Magnus Jonsson. Thanks to the excellent electrical range from a fuel consumption angle, the Volvo ReCharge Concept is exceptionally kind to the car owner's wallet. When driving on electric power only, operating costs are expected to be about 80 percent lower than that of a comparable petrol-powered car. When driving beyond the 100 km battery range, fuel consumption may vary from 0 to 5.5 litres per 100 km depending on the distance driven using the engine

"This plug-in hybrid car, when used as intended, should have about 66 percent lower emissions of carbon dioxide compared with the best hybrid cars available on the market today. Emissions may be even lower if most of the electricity in intended markets comes from CO2-friendly sources such as biogas, hydropower and nuclear power," says Magnus Jonsson

An electric motor at each whee

The Volvo ReCharge Concept combines a number of the latest technological innovations into a so-called "series hybrid" where there is no mechanical connection between the engine and the wheels.

The battery pack integrated into the luggage compartment uses lithium-polymer battery technology. The batteries are intended to have a useful life beyond that of the car itself. Four electric motors, one at each wheel, provide independent traction power. Four-cylinder 1.6-litre Flexifuel engine drives an advanced generator that efficiently powers the wheel motors when the battery is depleted.

Electric car with a combustion engine as backup

In principle, the Volvo ReCharge Concept is a battery electric car with an efficient generator, an Auxiliary Power Unit (APU), that steps in when battery charge becomes insufficient for adequate driving performance. The APU is designed to distribute electrical power to the individual motors at each wheel. Since the combustion engine only powers the APU, it can operate in an optimal fashion, both for regulated emissions and CO2. The APU is sufficiently powerful to supply an entire villa with electricity. For example it could with minor modifications in principle give the car owner an electricity generator right at his front door in the event of a power failure

The driver can choose the power source

The combustion engine starts up automatically when 70 percent of the battery power has been used up. However, the driver also has the option of controlling the four-cylinder Flexifuel engine manually via a button in the instrument panel.

This allows the driver to start the engine earlier in order to maximize battery charge, for instance when out on the highway in order to save battery capacity for driving through the next town

"There is a considerable difference between our plug-in hybrid and today's hybrids. Today's hybrids use the battery only for short periods to assist the combustion engine. Our solution is designed for most people to run on electric power all the time, while providing the extra security that comes with having a combustion engine as a secondary source of electrical power," says Ichiro Sugioka, project manager for the Volvo ReCharge Concept. He adds: "What is more, our C30 with plug-in hybrid technology retains its lively and sporty driving properties. Acceleration from 0-100 km/h takes 9 seconds and top speed is 160 km/h."

Specially developed electric motors

The central electrical components in the Volvo ReCharge Concept demonstrator - the generator for the APU and the wheel motors - were developed together with British electromagnetic specialists PML Flightlink.

With an individual electric motor at each wheel, weight distribution as well as mechanical efficiency and traction are maximized. The friction in mechanical gears is eliminated. Since the car does not have the transmission found in ordinary cars, there is no need for a gear lever. To help maximize the environmental benefits, the Volvo ReCharge Concept has high-efficiency tyres developed by Michelin. They are specially designed to accommodate the wheelmotors. Further more, the car has All Wheel Drive in the truest sense of the term. Power to each wheel is controlled individually

The energy that is generated during braking is transmitted to the battery pack. When the system is ultimately developed, traditional wheel brakes will be completely replaced by electrical brakes with minimal energy wasted through friction. To ensure reliable operation of the drivetrain and braking system, driver inputs are fed into a quadruple-redundant electronic control system.

Ecologically sound solution for commuters

The Volvo ReCharge Concept is best suited to car drivers who cover moderate distances every day. For example, a commuter who has less than 100 kilometres (62 miles) to drive between home and workplace can cover the entire round trip on electric power alone and the equivalent daily fuel economy will be zero litres per 100 km.

Even drivers who cover more than the battery-only range will benefit from the ReCharge Concept. For a 150 km (93 mile) drive starting with a full charge, the car will require less than 2.8 litres of fuel, giving the car an effective fuel economy of 1.9 l/100km (124 mpg)

"The only requirement is that the car owner has access to electrical outlets at convenient places, such as at home or at the workplace. A full recharge takes 3 hours. However, even a one-hour quick charge should provide enough charge to drive about 50 kilometres," says Magnus Jonsson.

HubbleSite - a full collection of photos



HubbleSite

Crete






TIVO HD now $299

TiVo® HD combines the clarity of high definition with the smart, easy-to-use TiVo Service. It works with any cable set-up. It connects to any home network for the best of both broadcast and broadband content. It downloads movies from the Internet to your living room. It can pause, rewind, and slow-motion with razor-sharp HD clarity. Plus, TiVo HD connects to virtually any cable service via CableCARDs1, so it replaces your existing cable box.

FAQ's here
http://www.tivo.com/whatistivo/tivohd/faqs/index.html

Girls with Guns- Kate Mara


Not sure if this is good or not.

Welcome to Boston- here's what we think of you!

Well, as any sociologist knows, the only way to stop stereotypes is to stereotype the shit out of the other side. College kids, welcome to our city. Now here's what we think of you.

by Peter Powers

Harvard

What We Think You All Are: Douchebags, Pretentious douchebags, ripe for a fall douchebags, not hot enough to warrant a ride to Harvard Square, suicidal, doomed

Why We Don't Go On A Jihad Against You: Because you would all flee to Canada once you saw us coming, because you make us feel manly, because maybe you know somebody that can introduce us to Natalie Portman, because your dad is our douchebag boss.

Emerson

What We Think You All Are: future production assistants, grimy, the losers that play ultimate Frisbee on the Common, AV dorks

Why We Don't Go On A Jihad Against You: Because maybe you'll end up working at 'EEI and will have the balls to tell the hosts to stop yelling, because no one knows where the hell you people live

UMass Boston

What We Think You All Are: gritty, working moms, OFD, scary, the janitor in our office with big dreams of wearing a suit and tie to work for $3 more an hour

Why We Don't Go On A Jihad Against You: Because no one wants to go all the way to UMB to find you, because we could get crushed by the crumbling buildings, because you're actually from Boston and are probably tougher than us

Suffolk

What We Think You All Are: lazy, desperate to go to school in Boston, future financial customer service reps, a guy that gets his dad to drop him off at college each morning

Why We Don't Go On A Jihad Against You: Because once you actually land a job, you'll make us look good by comparison, because no one wants to drive to Billerica and Weymouth

MIT

What We Think You All Are: Asian, Chinese, Korean, North Korean, suicidal but crazy enough to do it, virgins, Asian virgins, freakishly smart

Why We Don't Go On A Jihad Against You: Because we like a challenge, because you're the geeks that make video games, because we saw what could happen when nerds are bullied in Revenge of the Nerds

Tufts

What We Think You All Are: pissed off that you're not at Harvard, rich douchebags, the people that made Somerville expensive, heading back to the Upper East Side in four years, over-the-top liberal do-gooders in shit brown and blue t-shirts

Why We Don't Go On A Jihad Against You: Because as long as you're still around maybe Jessica Biel will stop by for a visit, because it's more fun to watch you seethe because you're not as special as the kids at Harvard, because Mayor Curtatone would probably tow our car

Simmons

What We Think You All Are: Lesbians, lesbians that couldn't get into Smith

Why We Don't Go On A Jihad Against You: Because you're chicks, because no one knows where your campus is, because maybe you really are lesbians and will respond to our incessant chants of "Scissor her!"

Emmanuel

What We Think You All Are: anonymous, a bunch of guys that better be getting laid with that ridiculous guy-girl ratio, our future nannies, slow

Why We Don't Go On A Jihad Against You: Because you're named after our Lord and we're scared of eternal damnation

BU

What We Think You All Are: Jihadis, Saudi royalty, Jersey trash, hot Jewish chicks, retards when it comes to crossing a street, hockey players, suckers for concrete and loneliness, sluts

Why We Don't Go On A Jihad Against You: Because that's exactly what some of you want, because you go to clubs and act slutty and feign self-esteem, because it's amusing that you get so worked up about a hockey tournament that no one really gives a shit about

Lesley

What We Think You All Are: The upper echelon of nursery school teachers, depressed

Why We Don't Go On A Jihad Against You: Because we're going to need a babysitter in a few years and you'll work cheap

Boston College

What We Think You All Are: preppy douchebags, Jersey trash, slutty Catholic girls who know exactly where Planned Parenthood is, popped collars, delusional about your place in the world, delusional about the quality of your athletic program, on a mission to give Doug Flutie the best blowjob of his life

Why We Don't Go On A Jihad Against You: Because the ACC isn't inviting Regis to join anytime soon, because you're cheap dates, because even we are a little leery about the power of Flutie

Bunker Hill Community College

What We Think You All Are: slightly retarded, multiple offender, going there on a dare, probably the child of someone we know so we'll end it there

Why We Don't Go On A Jihad Against You: Because retarded people are sneaky strong, because you learned to enjoy killing when you were doing a stretch in Leavenworth, because the way our lives are going, we'll probably end up working for you

MA College of Art

What We Think You All Are: Hippies with paintbrushes, soon-to-be welfare recipients, people that disappoint their parents

Why We Don't Go On A Jihad Against You: Because you're too high to notice, because that's exactly what your parents want, because then who would sell their art in Starbucks

Berklee

What We Think You All Are: Hippies with musical instruments, buskers, the shithead that I'm about to run down because none of you know how to cross the street

Why We Don't Go On A Jihad Against You: Because one of you band dorks is going to be famous, because the rest of you will be playing at our weddings

Northeastern

What We Think You All Are: Meatheads, rioters, the intern we get to torture, Jersey trash that couldn't get into BU, Massholes that should have gone to UMass and are just pissing their parents' money away

Why We Don't Go On A Jihad Against You: Because you live to riot, because we'll be needing you to go on Dunkin' Donuts' runs soon, because it's more fun to watch you get your hopes crushed in the Beanpot

Conversion Central: 101 Tools to Convert Video, Music, Images, PDF and More

Conversion Central: 101 Tools to Convert Video, Music, Images, PDF and More

Posted on September 5, 2007 by Yoav Ezer
Filed Under Productivity, Series, Microsoft, Excel, PDF

Few things are more irritating than having to deal with a format that is incompatible with what you need it to do. It doesn’t matter if it’s a media file, document, or shoe size; it’s just plain frustrating. To make your life easier, check out this list of 101 tools that will allow you to convert just about anything.
Mega Tools

There are lots of specialized tools out there, but sometimes you just need one good tool to get the job done. These mega tools are great for general conversions.

1. Zamzar: Zamzar does all sorts of conversions, ranging from documents and images to music and video. In addition to its versatility, this tool boasts the ability to do all of your conversions without downloading software.
2. SUPER: This aptly-named tool offers a simple and efficient way to convert any multimedia file to any format you need. You won’t need to download any additional codecs or deal with any time or function limitations.
...........................

click here for whole article

Mario Kart Wii to feature 16-person online multiplayer

This is going to be awesome. Fans of Mario Kart and people who still possess the capacity to enjoy things just received tentative confirmation that their futures are going to be so bright that they'll need sunglasses. The source? It isn't new-fangled space drugs or mind-porn this time around, but Mario Kart on the Wii, online, with a maximum of 16 players.

Battle Mode will be available online as well, although whether or not we'll be able to take part in massive 16-player brawls in Battle Mode remains to be confirmed.

The news was featured in a scan of the original Official Nintendo Magazine on the site Go Nintendo. What else did the article mention? Well, there will also be in-air stunts and updated versions of Mario Kart DS tracks.

It's good to see Nintendo really beginning to implement internet connectivity into their new titles. The company was really weak on the online arena for a long time, with both Microsoft and Sony pre-empting them with an online marketplace component. Perhaps this is a sign of the times however? Either way, more online is more better. Gamers can look forward to Mario Kart Wii around Spring 2008.

Guy buys a used Ferrari, gets a special surprise




Guy buys a used Ferrari, gets a special surprise

'Face pass' is latest security system for NEC laptops


'Face pass' is latest security system for NEC laptops from PhysOrg.com

NEC has launched two new series of laptops with a unique security feature called "face pass" -- or, in Japanese, "kao pass."

[...]

Creative Bus Ads/Art

Using transportation as an advertising medium has brought forward some of the most creative ads.
http://inventorspot.com/articles/taking_transportation_next_level_6455

Shadow Puppets