Preparing bacon for the freezer [WITH ILLUSTRATIONS]

This is either the best kitchen tip ever or proof that H and I are certifiably insane… You know how bacon is delicious and you want to have it on hand? And you know how you don’t want to eat a pound of bacon every week? And you know how bacon generally comes in one pound packages with overlapping slices that freeze up into a giant block that cannot be quickly and easily thawed?

A Pound of Bacon

I think we may have solved this problem.

Take a baking sheet (or you may need two (or you may need to eat some of the bacon before you freeze it)) and lay a sheet of plastic wrap over it. Lay your slices of bacon side by side (not overlapping!) on the plastic wrap. Lay another sheet of plastic wrap over the bacon, smoothing it out so there’s no exposed meat. Put the baking sheet in the freezer.

Plastic wrapOf course, you don’t want a giant baking sheet of bacon in your freezer indefinitely. Once the bacon is frozen (overnight, probably), remove it from the freezer. Horizontally roll up the bacon, one strip at a time to form a cylinder of delicious frozen bacon (this may require some repositioning of the bacon in order to introduce adequate slack in the plastic. Or else you can take this into account pre-freezing, if you’ve got extra baking sheets and room in the freezer). Put the wrapped-up bacon in a gallon freezer bag.

Bacon Roll

Now, any quantity of bacon from one strip up to a full pound can be extracted from the freezer and ready to cook in less than a minute. Enjoy.

[UPDATE] Welcome Diggers. A few notes:

1. I have not filed for a patent on this technique. No doubt it has been done before.
2. Wax paper is a good idea. With wax paper, you could probably roll up the bacon before you freeze it, and it wouldn’t glump together.
3. My camera is broken (damn modern world). The drawings are better anyway.

iPhone 3G being sold unlocked in Taiwan

by Dan Moren, Macworld.com

The iPhone 3G debuted last week in Taiwan, where Apple is partnered with the country’s largest mobile operator, Chunghwa Telecom. However, despite claims to the contrary by Chunghwa, that relationship may not be entirely exclusive.

A report in Digitimes suggests that the handsets being sold in Taiwan are not actually locked for use with Chunghwa’s network, even though the company says they can only be used on its network. Many users who’ve bought the phones are saying that inserting a SIM card from a different provider works fine, though it does mean that users can’t access Chunghwa’s special web services.

That fact might make Taiwan very attractive as a market for iPhones to be used in other countries where the device isn’t available yet. However, one barrier to that is the fact that the iPhone is relatively expensive in Taiwan, carrying a pricetag of NT$26,600 (~US$800) for an 8GB model with no contract. And, as illicitly unlocked iPhones seem to have long been making their way to Asian markets at lower prices, the price premium may be seen as excessive. One advantage, however, is that a legally-distributed unlocked iPhone would likely carry less risk of being made inoperable by a future Apple software update.

Taiwanese iPhones aren't the only ones to be sold legitimately unlocked: France and Hong Kong are also among the countries that have offered unlocked iPhones.

A View From the Other Side: Dubai Plans to Cool Sizzling Sandy Beach

by Mary Anne Simpson, Technology / Energy

Palazzo Versace Hotel

(PhysOrg.com) -- Dubai's out this world's Palazzo Versace located in the Culture Village has hired Hyder Consulting to use their innovative engineering talents to cool off the hotel/condominium resort's sizzling hot sandy beaches. Hyder Consulting has a long-term presence in the Middle East and offers engineering services, including environmentally sustainable buildings, infrastructure solutions, mechanical and electrical expertise. According to Soheil Abedian, president of Palazzo Versace, "We will suck the heat out of the sand to keep it cool enough to lie on." Palazzo Versace will be completed sometime in late 2009 to 2010.

---

---

Hyder Consulting is the supervising engineering firm for Emaar's Burj Dubai, the tallest structure in the world. Hyder Consulting is known for its Ski Dubai a commercial attraction that provides a Nordic Winter experience by recycling snow and employing cutting edge technology to power the entire facility. The Palazzo Versace beach project will use a cooling system of heat-absorbing pipes to be installed underneath the sand and huge wind blowers will send gentle breezes over sunbathers. Temperatures in Dubai can easily hit 122-degrees Fahrenheit during the Summer months, making the sands too hot for most visitors to walk on. The cooling pipes, giant air blowers and cooled pools will offer guests a pleasant beach experience even in the scorching temperatures.

Hyder Consulting has some experience with creating environmentally friendly beaches. In July, 2008 Abu Dhabi Beach reopened after Hyder Consulting renovated the landmark public beach by installing storm water pipelines, sewage treatment, pumping stations and massive infrastructure improvements along with aesthetic improvements. A boardwalk, Galleria, towers and palm trees were added to create a pristine recreation site for Abu Dhabi Beach located adjacent to the crystal clear water on the Arabian Gulf.

Dubai's bigger than life expansion is not without its critics. According to the Daily Mail in the UK, "Each person living in Dubai has a carbon footprint of more than 44-tons of C02 annually" In response to this criticism, a Palazzo Versace spokesperson states, the beach project will be environmentally sustainable.

According to the building plans released by Palazzo Versace, Dubai, the 215 hotel rooms and 169 condominiums will share spas, three restaurants, indoor gymnasium, energy efficient facilities, and outdoor pools, scuba pools, promenade and the "Cool Beach." Twenty-four hour, 7-day security is included. The proposed prices for the hotel and condominiums is not published. If you have to ask...

© 2008 PhysOrg.com

Sorry Liz, but THIS is the real face of Cleopatra

By Fiona Macrae

From Elizabeth Taylor to Sophia Loren, there have been many faces of Cleopatra. But this might be the most realistic of them all.

Egyptologist Sally Ann Ashton believes the compute regenerated 3D image is the best likeness of the legendary beauty famed for her ability to beguile.

Enlarge

Likeness: The computer-generated 3D image has been pieced together from images on ancient artefacts

Pieced together from images on ancient artefacts, including a ring dating from Cleopatra's reign 2,000 years ago, it is the culmination of more than a year of painstaking research.

The result is a beautiful young woman of mixed ethnicity - very different to the porcelain-skinned Westernised version portrayed by Elizabeth Taylor in the 1961 movie Cleopatra.

Enlarge

Realism: The result is a strikingly beautiful young woman of mixed ethnicity

Dr Ashton, of Cambridge University, said the images, to be broadcast as part of a Five documentary on Cleopatra, reflect the monarch's Greek heritage as well as her Egyptian upbringing.

'She probably wasn't just completely European. You've got to remember that her family had actually lived in Egypt for 300 years by the time she came to power.'

Detail: Image of Cleopatra on the temple walls of Dendera

The picture of the queen contrasts with several other less flattering portrayals. For instance, a silver coin which went on show at Newcastle University's Sefton Museum last year showed her as having a shallow forehead, pointed chin, thin lips and hooked nose. Her lover, the Roman general Mark Antony, fared little better.

The reverse side shows him to have bulging eyes and a thick neck. The queen's appearance has long been the subject of debate among academics. While Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra made reference to her youthful looks and 'infinite-variety', many believe she was short and frumpy with bad teeth.

Iconic: Liz Taylor in the 1961 film Cleopatra

A statue of Cleopatra exhibited at the British Museum in 2001 portrayed her as plain, no more than 5ft tall and rather plump.

Born in Alexandra in 69BC, into a Macedonian Greek dynasty which had ruled Egypt for three centuries, Cleopatra acceded to the throne at 17. Three years later she seduced Julius Caesar, bearing him a son, Caesarion.

After Caesar was assassinated she courted Mark Antony before committing suicide on his death. Legend has it that she put an asp, a venomous serpent, to her breast.

Enlarge

Cleopatra graphic

Siberian beauty crowned Miss World

Ksenia Sukhinova from Siberia has been crowned the new Miss World in a glamorous show in Johannesburg, South Africa. The 21-year-old student from the Tyumen region beat 109 rivals.

First runner-up was Trinidad and Tobago’s Gabrielle Walcott followed by India’s Parvathy Omanakuttan as second runner-up. The other two finalists were from South Africa and Angola.

AFP/Getty images photo

More than one billion viewers across the world - a record number - watched the contest's finals on TV.

Born in Nizhnevartovsk, Ksenia moved with her parents to the city of Tyumen, where she won the Miss Tyumen title. Later she was crowned Russia’s beauty queen.

Coming from the region known for its oil industry, Ksenia chose oil and gas studies for her degree.

She’s a big fan of sports, and has been doing calisthenics, swimming and biathlon since childhood.

The young beauty started modelling for designers in her home town in her teens. Soon she hit the international fashion shows in Paris.

Russian models are popular in the international fashion industry. But many experts say that it's quite rare for winners of beauty competitions, even international ones like Miss World or Miss Universe, to become fashion stars.

However, Ksenia Sukhinova is already a successful model and believes her triumph in Miss World will only enhance her chances of becoming a top name in the fashion world.

Tatyana Koltsova, the founder of Red Stars, the first ever soviet model agency, says Ksenia has the skills and the talent to become a global fashion star.

“Usually Miss World's looks are so recognisable that you can't change her image. But a model's face has to serve as a canvas for designers, stylists, photographers and others. And I think Ksenia has the potential to become a real top fashion model”.

The Miss World beauty pageant was created in 1951 in Britain. Its main rivals are Miss Universe and the Miss Earth competitions.

Since its launch the Miss World Organisation has raised nearly 400 million dollars for children’s charities.

Ksenia Sukhinova says raising funds for charity will be one her main tasks next year.

She is the second Russian to win the prestigious Miss World title. In 1992 the contest was one by Yulia Kurochkina from the Moscow region, while Oksana Fyodorova won Miss Universe title in 2002.

Related links:

Moscow's prettiest strut their stuff
Russia crowns its beauty queen
Mirror, mirror - who's Russia's most beautiful girl?

Roundhouse Kick Knockout !

The Clouds Are Attacking!

Behind Toyota's Success

BUSINESS BOOK REVIEW

In 'Managing to Learn,' the author distills lessons on Toyota's A3 management philosophy from decades working there.
By Alan Mitchell
December 15, 2008
In 1983, John Shook became the first Westerner to work for Toyota. His job was to help the Japanese carmaker transfer production to the U.S., which involved interpreting and explaining Toyota's legendary "lean" manufacturing to people who had never heard of it.

Although even Toyota cannot escape the effects of the current recession -- Fitch, the ratings firm, has just lowered its credit rating -- since the mid-1980s Toyota has overtaken Ford to become the second-biggest carmaker in the United States.

* Managing to Learn
Managing to Learn


Every gain in its market share has come at the expense of the Big Three -- Ford, GM and Chrysler -- and it is a real possibility that they will not survive this recession in their current form.

Toyota's rise generated a flood of books, starting in 1990 with "The Machine That Changed the World," about its many tools, techniques and practices, broadening recently to a growing interest in its approach to management.

Somehow, however, its secret of success has remained elusive. In "Managing to Learn: Using the A3 Management Process to Solve Problems, Gain Agreement, Mentor, and Lead," Shook, now director of the Japan technology program at the University of Michigan, distills lessons from decades of experience with Toyota, which he tries to present in a way Westerners can not only understand but also apply.

Although written mainly for lean "converts" and published by a lean specialist, this may be the first book that actually helps outsiders connect the dots and get a glimpse into how Toyota ticks.

It does so, however, via an artificial and sometimes irritating device: an extended invented story about how a young middle manager and his boss set about tackling a problem with the translation of technical documents from Japanese to English.

Ostensibly, it is all about their application of a single Toyota management tool, "A3 decision-making," which forces managers to put on a single piece of paper everything anyone needs to know about a problem: why it matters, what is causing it, what we want to achieve, how to achieve it and how we will know we have been successful.

The book charts the young manager's journey. He starts out jumping to a conclusion and investing his ego in promoting and defending it, only to discover he is wrong.

Thanks to his boss' coaching, he realizes that his real contribution lies in researching the facts and letting them speak for themselves. He must leave ego behind to become a detective who gets to the root of the problem.

Then he must learn another lesson: how to build consensus around the answer and promote it to the rest of the organization.

As the story unfolds, Shook peels away Toyota's thinking and management philosophy layer by layer.

Western managers think their job is to get results. Toyota thinks the job of managers is to design and sustain processes that generate these results as a matter of course.

Western managers think they employ workers to do a job. Toyota employs workers to learn how to do the job better -- to keep improving that process, and therefore the results.

Western managers think management is about knowing the answers and telling other people what to do. Toyota disagrees again: If managers tell staff what to do, they take responsibility away.

The manager's job is to help staff learn problem-solving skills and work out what they need to do for themselves. Real organizational leadership is about doing both -- improving operations and developing people -- at the same time in such a way that they are mutually supporting.

As Shook shows, Toyota embeds the philosophy in day-to-day decision-making and management tools such as the A3 so that staff members have no choice but to learn it in a way they never forget.

"Managing to Learn" is not an easy read. The parable of the rookie manager's lessons from the experienced boss is not a scintillating story.

But if you persevere, the story style begins to work. The details of this story show how hard and painful it can be to practice this approach to management.

Bit by bit, however, they also build the reader's confidence that it can be done. For this reason, it is worthy of a much broader audience.

Alan Mitchell is a frequent contributor to the Financial Times of London, in which this review first appeared.

2010 Mustang GT Driving Impression

Slideshow: 2010 Ford Mustang GT >> You might have heard that the new 2010 Ford Mustang GT really isn't all that big a departure from the current car. But after spending some quality time in the new Stang, we can tell you there's more going on than meets the eye. Slideshow >> True, at quick glance, especially from the front, the new Mustang looks pretty similar to the current car. Yet every single body panel (other than the roof) is brand new. Subtle changes such as the canted-back grille, new headlights and black-chrome Mustang emblem on the front don't stand out (actually, the pony logo is just plain hard to see now, period!). Far easier to spot are the more pronounced hood power bulge, smoother fenders and tapered tail section with new taillights, the latter now with sequentially-illuminating turn signals. You won't mistake the new interior for the old — every piece has been reworked in some fashion. Possibly more important, the materials are of a much higher quality, far improved over any prior Mustang. For instance, the new dash and center stack surround are of a soft-touch skin called Thermoplastic Olefin, and the stack itself is a modern, tasteful design. The Mustang's engines aren't new. The 4.0-liter V-6 is unchanged, still with 210 bhp and 240 lb.-ft. of torque, while the GT adopts the power level of the 2009 Bullitt's powerplant through the use of a cold-air intake. The 15-bhp increase brings the 3-valve 4.6-liter V-8 to 315 bhp at 6000 rpm (redline was increased by 250 rpm, to 6500) and 325 lb.-ft. of torque at 4250 rpm. The 5-speed manual and 5-speed automatic transmissions are completely unchanged. Turns out, the GT's new, more direct intake actually made the Mustang quieter, so Ford engineers rectified that (Mustangs need to be loud, you know) by installing an "induction sound tube," which pipes extra sound into the cabin. While it may seem a bit contrived, it's hard to argue when you're being engulfed by beautiful, uniquely-American V-8 music when you press hard on the throttle. Slideshow >> The suspension is also hardly new, although Ford did make changes to improve both the car's ride and handling. The GT's rear spring rates were increased by 25 percent, and they also changed the shock damping. These changes — along with new, stickier all-season tires, now mounted on 18-in. wheels vs. the 2009's 17s — give the 2010 car less roll, yet it actually has a better ride than before. Drive the new Mustang back to back with the 2009 car, and the new one feels more precise, although there's no getting around the feeling of a huge weight over the front axle, along with the overly-light steering. And, large mid-corner bumps still upset the Mustang and its solid rear axle. A great new standard feature on all Mustangs is Ford's AdvanceTrac stability control, which has a Sport setting that allows for a surprising amount of tail-out action before it intervenes. A $1495 TrackPack includes 19-in. wheels with summer performance tires, a limited-slip differential, shorter 3.73:1 gearing (versus the stock 3.31:1), GT500 front/rear anti-roll bars, GT500 rear lower control arms, retuned shock absorbers, a front tower brace and more aggressive brake pads at all four corners. This transforms the car, reducing body roll and understeer while retaining the Mustang's forgiving-to-slide-around nature. It's a heckuva lot of fun. Both coupe and convertible models of the V-6 and GT will be available when the new Mustang hits showrooms in March (the TrackPack not until summer). Pricing has increased slightly, the V-6 starting at $20,995 and the GT at $27,995. What's Hot: New styling $1495 TrackPack Improved handling and ride Sequential turn signals What's Not: Still uses solid rear axle Is all-new body new enough? Camaro's V-6 only down 15 bhp to Mustang GT's V-8! What's New: Every body panel except the roof Completely redesigned interior Stability control standard Cars to Compare: Chevrolet Camaro Dodge Challenger Hyundai Genesis Coupe (not on sale yet) Infiniti G37 Coupe Nissan 350Z

Innovative Christmas tree

San Francisco Overrun With Drunken, Smoking, Half-Naked Santas Again

Words and Photos By Ashley Harrell

(Click here for a full Santacon 2008 slideshow.)

Saturday was a pretty average day -- if a little cold -- until the chanting started. Listening through an open window in my North Beach apartment, I couldn't quite make out the words. So I headed toward Washington Square Park to see what all the commotion was about, and everything became clear.

They were chanting "Ho, ho, ho! Ho, ho, ho!" and by they, I mean about 200 people dressed in some version, and in many cases a perverse version, of Santa Claus. They were also playing dodge ball, climbing trees, pounding beers, and generally inciting chaos. The defenseless Benjamin Franklin Memorial quickly became a victim of that chaos when somebody wrote "HO" in white spray paint on the base (see above photo), then climbed the monument and santafied it.

The Santa invasion is formally called Santacon, and it started in this very city back in 1994, then quickly spread to dozens of cities including London, Tokyo, and even McMudon Station, Antarctica. The event had been called anything from Red Menace to Santapalooza, and ranges from extremely nice, involving mostly Christmas Caroling, to extremely naughty, San Francisco-style.

Here, a Santa has dropped his bag of presents as he prepares to nail another Santa with a plastic ball. Meanwhile, his Santapants have gone south. Once the Santas had their way with Washington Square Park and Benjamin Franklin, they marched to the bars, tackling each other, playing tambourines, and smoking cigarettes along the way.

A pack of elves in smart black suits also wore ear pieces and tags that read, "AGENT" and seemed to be running things when they weren't flirting with sexy Santas.

A more terrifying species of elf was also in attendance -- the huggy elf. The picture below was taking just seconds before a huggy elf, without warning or good cause, embraced this reporter.

There were also plenty of creative Santas in attendance, including Jewish Santas, Christmas-tree headed Santas, S&M Santas, and Mistress Clauses. But nothing really beat this Mexican Wrestler Santa.

Motor Trend 2009 Truck of the Year--> Ford F-150

A Sports Car
It's not, but savvy suspension tuning and sweet steering feel made the F-150 a favorite on our twisty moutain run. Midlevel Lariat's plenty plush for us.

This is it. Crunch time. The 2009 Ford F-150 and Dodge Ram are rolling onto the market like a pair of gigantic craps dice, and the companies tossing them are each betting big on this game. Unfortunately, the rules changed while these dice were in mid-air. Fuel prices skyrocketed, the economy tanked, consumer confidence evaporated, and folks who once chose half-ton pickups more for their Marlboro-Man-image-enhancing qualities than for their towing or hauling capabilities are shopping elsewhere.

Ford claims it sells more of its half-ton pickups to work and commercial customers than its competitors do, and Ford predicts this segment will grow to 45 percent of F-150 sales. Toward that end, the truck's fully boxed chassis is further fortified to provide best-in-class rigidity, payload capacity (up to 3030 pounds), and tow ratings (up to 11,300 pounds). As such, the new F-150 is well positioned to capture contractors migrating down-market out of Super-Dutys to save money and gas (did we mention that a new six-speed automatic, a lighter, more aerodynamic cab, and other tweaks boost fuel economy by 12 percent with the 5.4-liter?).

CLICK TO VIEW GALLERY

Ford claims payload and towing numbers like that simply can't be had with a coil-sprung rear axle, so it stuck with leafs but made them longer to smooth the ride and wider with new mounting hardware to improve lateral rigidity and roll control. The ride doesn't quite match Dodge's, but the chassis engineers managed to tune the steering for pleasing heft and remarkable accuracy that had many judges lauding the F-150s for feeling smaller and nimbler than their Dodge counterparts. Lateral grip of 0.70 g for both Fords bested all but the feathery base Dodge and Suzuki, and our rear-drive SXT scored the best stop at 133 feet from 60 mph (the three-ton Lariat needed 144 feet).

Status-conscious contractors will have eight F-150 models from which to choose (including the forthcoming SVT Raptor), which Detroit editor Todd Lassa reckons is "about four too many," adding, "If this Lariat is the third truck from the top, how much of a boudoir must the King Ranch and Platinum interiors be?" Judges praised the low noise levels and interior materials quality, though some found the design cartoonishly macho. Still, handy features like the Tailgate Step, Box Side Step, a stowable bed-extender, and rear seats that fold up with one hand to reveal a broad, flat load floor help tally a strong superiority score.

---

On the negative side of the ledger is Ford's aging all-V-8-engine lineup, which is composed of two- and three-valve 4.6-liters and a three-valve 5.4. SVT will bring a bigger 6.2 in the Raptor, and an EcoBoost V-6 is likely to join the lineup for folks who don't tow, but the diesel is on hold.

The base V-8 handily outruns and outhauls the V-6 Dodge, but sounds and feels strained doing so. Gearing that's a third shorter than the Dodge's kept our 5.4-liter 4x4 within 0.6 second of the big Dodge, but costs it at the pump, where both trucks averaged just 13.2 mpg over 500 miles of mixed driving. The new six-speed automatic features excellent tow/haul-mode programming (ordering downshifts with a tap of the brakes on downhill grades, holding lower gears, etc.), but in normal mode, it's lethargic to kick down, and there's no way to manually select the higher gears.

Stepping Up
Slide-out step and pop-up handle add weight to the tailgate, but a lift-assist spring makes it manageable. It seems well worth the $350, as do the side steps ($325 for two).

Both Fords tackled our off-road sand-loop with aplomb. The 4x4 transfer case engaged high-and low-range settings quickly and easily, with the message center confirming the shift was in process. We're disappointed, however, that there's no on-pavement AWD option as offered by Dodge and General Motors.

Coming into the final discussion, the Dodge and Ford were running close in the superiority category. In this price-sensitive market, neither truck held a tie-breaking advantage in the value category. The scales also looked level weighing the significance of Ford's high sales and model-range breadth against the game-changing nature of the Dodge suspension.

In the end, we accept the prediction that work trucks will come to dominate this segment and give the nod to the more capable, broader-reaching Ford in the closest vote in Truck of the Year history -- and we sincerely hope neither company craps out when these dice come to rest.

CLICK TO VIEW GALLERY

Mash together your Last.fm and iTunes

Do you use iTunes to listen to your music? If so, do you also scrobble your music to Last.fm? You should. Doing so provides many benefits - some of which don't become obvious until you've been doing it for a few months. I have had the little Last.fm daemon running in my task bar for the past 6 months or so innocuously keeping track of what I've been listening to and using it to build up "recommendations" for me on the Last.fm site. I have to say, after that much time, the site knows me pretty well. As I would expect, hitting the site and letting it play "my recommendations" tends to weigh heavily in the southern/classic rock and blues direction but it also spices itself up with some Motown and some Stax Soul (due in large part to a fixation (and a downloaded box set) I had with each a few weeks back). Toss in a little metal, a little rap, some prog rock and even some ecclectic Cuban music and you get a pretty well rounded playlist. Good stuff.

After experiencing this, it became pretty obvious to me that the Last.fm can really benefit from tracking my iTunes habits - but I wondered, could it work in the opposite? Could iTunes benefit from my usage of Last.fm? Turns out it can!

If you're familiar with the way I access my home music here at work, you know that I do it through a combination of iTunes built in LAN sharing and a little piece of software called Hamachi (now owned by LogMeIn). This is unbelievably convenient, but what I miss out on are two key features of iTunes that I would love to take advantage of - play count tracking and song rating. Neither is possible when using a remote library. Well, thanks to an innovative PERL scripter (and Last.fm/iTunes fan) the first of the two problems is all but solved!

It works like this - you install a free PERL scripting interface and run the guy's script on the computer where your iTunes library lives. It goes out, connects to your Last.fm account which has been keeping track of what you play, and how often, and if the playcount on Last.fm for a song is greater than what your local iTunes has in its database, it updates it! Viola! All automatic like!

An obvious question is "why the hell do you care?" and to that I answer "Smart Playlists". What's that? You don't use Smart Playlists? Well, you should. I'll just leave it at that.

Now... if only I could find a good way to rate my songs remotely I'd be in heaven and my playlists would get that much better!


Download the PERL script here.

Tutorial for the install here.

2010 BMW Z4- two models become 1

With its first redesign since being introduced in 2002, the 2009 BMW Z4 roadster looks as if it's finally passed through its awkward adolescence and has filled out into a curvaceous hardtop roadster.

The most obvious change to the Z4 when it debuts at the Detroit auto show in January will be its more conventional styling. The polarizing influence of Chris Bangle has been greatly toned down, although the trademark "Bangle butt" remains. Overall, the lines look similar to those of the BMW 1-series, though some cues carry over from the new 7-series as well.

The other plainly clear difference is the absence of a cloth top. In lieu of separate convertible and coupe variants, the new Z4 features a retractable hardtop that disappears at the touch of a button within 20 seconds. Less clear from the pictures are the Z4's stretched dimensions. The new car is nearly 6 inches longer and a half an inch wider than its predecessor. BMW says this growth affords passengers more comfort and space inside. The larger size, coupled with the addition of the power-operated hardtop, contribute to a weight increase of roughly 500 lbs in a fully loaded, automatic model, to a claimed curb weight of 3494 lbs.

Changes inside are a bit subtler. The biggest news is the availability of iDrive for the first time in a Z4. Overall, the interior appears to have moved decidedly more upscale, especially when equipped with the optional leather-wrapped dash. BMW says it focused on increased practicality as well. Door openings are larger for easier ingress and egress, and there are new storage compartments throughout the interior. In the trunk, a mid-gate separating the roof compartment can be folded down for more luggage. An optional winter package adds a pass through to the cabin, allowing room for up to two full size golf bags with the top up, BMW says.

Under the hood, the Z4 features a pair of revised 3.0-liter inline-sixes. The sDrive30i comes with a naturally aspirated version of the engine producing 255 hp, compared with 215 hp in the current base Z4. Top-level, sDrive35i roadsters will receive the 300 hp, twin-turbo six used in the 335i. The sDrive30i comes with a choice of a six-speed manual or automatic, while the sDrive35i adds the option of BMW's seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. BMW estimates the dual-clutch transmission equipped, turbocharged model will go from 0 to 60 in 5.0 seconds.

At the moment, BMW has no plans for an M-model. Our man in Europe, Georg Kacher, indicates the reason is BMW can't fit the M3's V-8 into the Z4's engine bay. He adds that we might see some four-cylinders to the lineup in the near future.

Little has changed in the roadster's suspension, which retains the traditional strut front, multi-link rear configuration. Z4s equipped with the optional Sport Package get electronically adjustable dampers. Drivers will also be able to configure throttle and steering response, stability control, and the shift points on the automatic transmission.

The Z4 will launch late in the second quarter of 2009, just in time for summer. BMW has yet to release official pricing information, but expect the increased accomadations and the hardtop to add about $5,000 to $10,000, depending on the trim, meaning a base price around $40,000 for the sDrive30i and $50,000 for the sDrive35i. Stay tuned for more information.

Kuwaiti Investors may sell off piece of Aston Martin

LONDON — Aston Martin is in the news again, from two different directions: A new image of the carmaker's upcoming Rapide sedan has surfaced on the Web, just ahead of reports from the Middle East that Kuwait's Investment Dar may be selling part of its stake in the British supercar builder.

The latest computer-generated image of the Rapide, which appears to have originated at 4WheelsNews.com, shows the car from a rear-three-quarter perspective. As evidenced in the image, the 500-horsepower Rapide will feature a fastback rear end with a panoramic glass roof and bulging rear fenders.

Aston Martin plans to unveil the production version next spring at the 2009 Geneva Auto Show, hard on the heels of the Porsche Panamera.

Meanwhile, Investment Dar over the weekend said the company and its investment partners were considering offers to sell a minority stake in Aston Martin, according to Reuters, but would remain shareholders in the automaker.

The partners also are considering an initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange in three to five years, according to Chairman David Richards, the longtime head of Prodrive who helped engineer the acquisition of Aston last year from Ford. In an interview with Arabian Business, Richards said he expects Investment Dar to divest its 50 percent stake in Aston by 2013.

Inside Line says: Given the current global economic downturn, our guess is that now is not the best time to try to sell even a modest stake in an exotic-car company. — Paul Lienert, Correspondent

Toyota Suspends production on U.S. Prius Plant

ERLANGER, Kentucky — Toyota is halting work on its new Blue Springs, Mississippi, plant, leaving the start of production uncertain for its Prius hybrid.

But Toyota hastened to reassure U.S. consumers that the work stoppage will not affect Prius availability in the United States.

"We've got enough Prius capacity in Japan to meet North American demand at this time," said Mike Goss, external affairs manager for Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing North America, in response to an e-mail query from Inside Line.

The construction of the plant, Toyota's eighth in the U.S., originally was seen as a major attempt to keep up with growing demand in the U.S. market. But demand for the Prius has slowed considerably. Toyota's November 2008 sales report showed that Prius sales were down 48.3 percent versus November 2007. Toyota sold 8,660 Prius hybrids in the U.S. in November 2008, compared with 16,737 in November 2007.

"Due to the steep decline of the auto market, Toyota is suspending preparations for its Mississippi plant," the company said in a statement on Monday. "Since the building itself is already about 90 percent complete, Toyota will go ahead and finish that portion of the project.

"This will bring Toyota's total investment to date to about $300 million. But we'll be holding off on subsequent activities, such as equipment installation. This likely means that start of production will be delayed. Due to the uncertainty of the market, it is impossible to say at this time when production will begin."

Toyota originally had earmarked $1.3 billion for the Mississippi plant and projected employment at around 2,000. Production was slated to begin in late 2010. Last month, the Nikkei reported that declining U.S. sales had forced Toyota to consider postponing production to 2011 or later at the Mississippi plant.

"We are committed to completing the Mississippi plant when market conditions allow," said Toyota. It added that, "for employees already on staff at Toyota Mississippi, their jobs are secure." It did not disclose how many workers had been hired thus far.

The suspension of building at Toyota's Mississippi plant comes on the heels of news from General Motors that it will put the brakes on North American production in January. General Motors on Friday said it will slash another 250,000 vehicles from its North American production forecast for the first quarter of 2009. The latest cuts involve 20 assembly plants, including three each in Canada and Mexico. The cuts also affect the automaker's Bowling Green, Kentucky, plant, which builds the Chevrolet Corvette and the Cadillac XLR, as well as GM's Lansing Grand River plant, which builds the Cadillac CTS and the Cadillac STS.

Inside Line says: Toyota's dilemma in Blue Springs presents powerful evidence that the industry's problems are not limited to Detroit-based automakers. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent

LINDSAY LOHAN IS AN INNOVATOR

You really have to hand it to Lindsay Lohan. The "see-thru shirt with no bra" pictures were getting kind of old, so she stepped it up and did what may be the first ever "see-thru pants" pictures. You can't really see anything good, but at least these aren’t simply more pictures from that video games awards show. I'm surprised that was as big as it was, because I read that this was a disappointing year for video games. I bet another bad year would have been 1942, on account of the war and everything.