Adrot's Blog

Android 6 ( Marshmallow ) Is Finally Out For Nexus Devices

2015-10-05T20:36:00.002-07:00

The long wait for the latest Android OS, Marshmallow or Android 6, is finally over.

Google has released factory image files for selected phones. The list of phones are:
1. Nexus 6 - shamu
2. Nexus Player -fugu
3. Nexus 9 LTE - volantisg
4. Nexus 9 WiFi - volantis
5. Nexus 5 - hammerhead
6. Nexus 7 WiFi - razor
7. Nexus 7 mobile - razorg

Follow this link for downloading the required file for your device. Instructions for installing the OS is also given in that website:

https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images?hl=en

Post your reviews about the latest Android 6, down in the comments section.

Leaked Moto 360

2014-08-20T20:16:00.002-07:00

Photos and some specs of the Moto 360 which is yet to be launched has been leaked. It was up on the Best Buy webpage for a brief period of time this week. It had a price tag of $250 which is slightly more than what was expected.

Moto 360 listing on Best Buy

Amazon lists Samsung Galaxy Gear for $150, Gear Live for $180, Gear 2 Neo for $200, Pebble Steel for $230 and an LG G Black Titan for $233. And the Moto 360 is priced more than any of these. The price is probably the result of a premium build quality and better specs.

The features of the Moto 360 that were listed on Best Buy were:

1. Compatible with most devices with an Android 4.3 or later operating system.

2. Bluetooth 4.0 technology.

3. Voice activated.

4. Vibration alert.

5. 1.5" backlit LCD touch screen.

6. Built-in optical heart rate monitor (PPG)

7. Built-in pedometer.

8. Digital watch interface.

9. Waterproof up to 3.3' for up to 30 minutes.

10. Stainless-steel case and plastic case back.

11. Built-in lithium-ion battery pack.

12. Texas Instruments processor.

The LCD screen is said have a resolution of 320 x 290 and 205 PPI (Pixels Per Inch) which makes it easier to navigate through screens and provides easy-to-read visuals. The screen is further protected with the Corning Gorilla Glass 3, which has proven its toughness on thousands of smartphones, offers durability. The screen also features adjustable brightness.

The built-in lithium-ion battery that powers the Moto 360 is said to last almost two days on full charge. The battery strength indicator lets you know when the battery needs to be powered via the dock and charger, which is included. Yes, the Moto 360 is charged wirelessly.

The main feature of the Moto 360 that makes it more desirable than the other smart-watches currently in the market is its design. It has a unique round design which is one of the two screen types supported by Android Wear, the other being square. All other smart-watches currently available come in square.

£3.1 Million Lamborghini Veneno, Sold Out.!

2013-03-04T06:39:00.000-08:00

It appears as though Lamborghini’s secret Geneva Motor Show 2013 release has been uncovered. The Lamborghini Veneno appears in a picture taken from a soon-to-be released magazine. The photo reveals quite a few vital details about the car. Question is, is it real or is it all speculative rumours?

According to the text that surrounds the image, the Lamborghini Veneno will get the Lamborghini Aventador’s 6.5 litre V12 powerplant. It will produce an impressive 740hp for a top speed of 220mph. What’s more, the Veneno will apparently take its philosophy directly from the Sesto Elemento.

The word Veneno apparently translates into Poison in Spanish. The Lamborghini Venano has the underpinnings of a Lamborghini Aventador, complete with carbon fibre monocoque.

The price is set at £3.1 million with just 3 scheduled for production at Lamborghini’s new facility. All three Lamborghini Veneno have already been sold and will feature a green, white or red colour scheme, the colours of the Italian flag.

The Biggest Fireworks Show in All History - Kuwait 2012

2012-11-11T07:19:00.000-08:00

The festive celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the ratification of Kuwait’s Constitution were held Saturday afternoon at the coastal Gulf Road, with huge public participation.

The celebrations commenced with a popular march in the Gulf Road. Citizenry and residents of different age categories have taken part in the march.

Then French Aircraft team conducted an impressive fly-past. Kites-lover had also their touch in the celebrations with another fly-past with their eye-catching colorful kites.

Marine vessels and boats had their own performance in the Gulf waters.

These spectacular and daring displays have attracted hilarious applauses from excited fans.
The Gulf Road and the whole celebration areas were decorated with colorful flags and banners.
Kuwait’s Constitution was issued on November 11, 1962 by a decree from the then-Amir Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, the 11th ruler of Kuwait.

Kuwait’s sky was lit up Saturday night with a spectacular huge fireworks show.

The Gulf Road has been divided into 9 celebration zones starting from Ruby waterfront and extending all the way to the Green Island. Each zone has two information booths, providing people with any information or assistance required.

Over 25 different companies and organizations had been involved in the planning of the events, and over 1,000 young Kuwaitis had volunteered for the day, to serve refreshments, provide information, brochures, etc.

Mark Zuckerberg Ties The Knot

2012-05-19T19:25:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy couple of days for Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook.

On Friday, Mr. Zuckerberg took his 8-year-old company public at a $100 billion valuation.

As if that weren’t enough, on Saturday, the 28-year-old multibillionaire announced that he had married his long-term girlfriend, Priscilla Chan. The announcement was made, of course, on Facebook.

Details of the ceremony were scarce, but according The Associated Press, “The ceremony took place in Zuckerberg’s backyard before fewer than 100 guests.”

Mr. Zuckerberg did not wear his traditional hoodie for the ceremony, but instead chose a black suit and tie with a white shirt.

The couple met almost a decade ago, while attending college at Harvard University.

Mr. Zuckerberg and Ms. Chan also quickly updated their relationship status to say they were married to each other.

Even after the IPO, Zuckerberg remains Facebook's single largest shareholder, with 503.6 million shares. And he controls the company with 56 percent of its voting stock.

The site, which was born in a dorm room eight years ago, has grown into a worldwide network of almost a billion people.

Zuckerberg founded Facebook at Harvard in 2004.

He was named as Time's Person of the Year in 2010, at age 26.

Zuckerberg grew up in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.

Lamborghini Urus SUV-Concept

2012-05-05T00:32:00.001-07:00

Lamborghini has told us repeatedly that it wasn't planning on doing such a thing anytime soon. We expected most likely the front-engine four-door super sedan – playing off the 2008 Estoque showcar and 1968-'78 Espada – to become the raging bull's third model line.

Feast your eyes on the Lamborghini Urus, or "LB736." First off, yes, it is part of an upcoming (i.e. sometime in 2015) VolkwagenGroup premium SUV onslaught. In the company of Lamborghini design director Filippo Perini and research and development guru Maurizio Reggiani, we were able to pry into all of the details back in mid-March during a special preview at company headquarters. We've had to hold off scribbling until today because the official debut for the edgy 4x4 happens right about now at the Beijing Motor Show. China is foreseen as a good market for the supersonic SUV, but the United States remains Job One.

In comparison to the clumsy Bentley EXP 9 F concept seen at the recent Geneva Motor Show, the Urus hits us almost gleefully by comparison; it's right on the money with Lambo's current design language. Lamborghini's Perini understands that this is a polarizing proposition: "When Lamborghini creates a whole new model line, it's automatically risky since it doesn't happen so often."

And we were nervous about it, too, imagining a four-seater setup that would need to ride way too high, sort of like the first generation Porsche Cayenne or that Bentley. But when the veil came off and the hard lights hit it, we were pleased.

Lamborghini president and CEO Stephan Winkelmann started the proceedings by saying that though the two-door supersport sector is still going well, due to so many new entries coming out nowadays and new buyer preferences, the forecast is for a steady small decline year-on-year in demand for these cars. Specifically, two-door sports cars with over 400 horsepower and costing over $100,000.

So they're going a different way, following an upward trending graph: a 4x4 super SUV with just over 600 horsepower, stretching over eight inches longer than an Aventador and about four inches longer than a BMW X6 M, and certainly costing somewhere within reach of $200,000+ by the time you get it home. With projected volume in a full year of 3,000 Uruses (or "Uri"?), Lamborghini, its immediate warden Audi, and mothership Volkswagen Group, are all no doubt drooling over the potential profits the Urus represents. It will singlehandedly triple total annual production.

Current press information released on the Urus is deliberately vague as the launch is not set until 2015, so there is still time to decide the powertrain. Given that the promise is to make it the most powerful series production SUV on the market but also the least polluting so far as carbon dioxide emissions are concerned, either a V10 or V12 engine would seem a heck of a challenge. By the time of production start, many European high-performance cars will need to be able to emit no more than 200 grams of CO2 per kilometer when running most efficiently. And looking at the sharply sloping front end, we're unsure whether there would be enough room to hold either ten or twelve cylinders.

Talk is in the air about a new forced-air (bi-turbo or supercharged) V8 engineered within the vast workshops of the VW Group. Engineer Reggiani was rather sly about this suggestion when we brought it up, but with these packaging and emissions goals it definitely would make sense to at least seriously consider the idea. In fact, Reggiani and Winkelmann attest that with this new model the company will take more advantage of "group synergies". Does this mean some variation of hybrid drive or maybe even a take on Audi's e-tron thinking? And, no, there is no chance of a monster diesel.
A key ingredient for any Lamborghini in optimizing matters for speed and handling, as well as various efficiencies, is managing weight and rigidity through composite materials formed in-house. The Urus will certainly be loaded with this stiff lightness and Lamborghini claims it saves almost 250 pounds versus metal and adds tremendous bending stiffness. The chassis, body, and for the first time in the segment the interior as well, will be optimized for lightness. As the concept interior unveiled in Beijing shows, every element seems to be floating in place. How much of this spectacle it can keep down the road is to be decided.

We know from conversations at Lamborghini that the steering will be electro-mechanical, the range of travel adjustment on the suspension will be 3.5 inches, and by the time of production weight distribution will be as close to 50:50 fore:aft as possible. The mondo wheelset right now for showing purposes is a custom set of 24-inchers in an aero design. Currently, the Urus wears nasty-bad Pirelli Scorpion Zero tires measuring a big 305/35 ZR24 (112W). We are assuming the wheel-tire setup will be able to get more supple for passenger comfort by 2015.

And by the time of customer deliveries – 50 percent of which is projected for the U.S. – those fancy side-view cameras we see on so many concept cars should be a homologation reality at last, according to Perini. The caveat is that the cameras and their screens on the dash need to remain on at all times, even when the Urus is switched off.

So, tell us what you think. As added fodder, Lamborghini hints that the Urus could possibly end up running the Dakar rally as well. We'd love to see that concept at a show.

Chief foreseen competitors for the Urus, according to Lamborghini bosses, are the BMW X6 M, Land Rover Range Rover Sport, and Porsche Cayenne range. In keeping with Lambo's typically evil proportions, even the Urus hunkers way down to a minimum height of 65.4 inches with a width of 78.4 inches. The 196.5-inch current length is matched to a wheelbase measuring 114.0 inches that is spot on with the latest Cayenne. Four passengers are said to have plenty of room inside, however, even for heads in back.

So, let the mispronunciation games begin! While the Italians will say "Oo-rooss", noone else will unless they are trained to do so. "Urus" is, in keeping with the Lamborghini penchant for glorified cattle, a Spanish breed of bull that sits somewhere between fighting size and hauling size. They are known for their broad shoulders and better than average height.

Lamborghini has teased us already with possible chances at driving a rolling prototype sometime this year just to get a sense of the Urus spatially on the road. We are prepared to be bulled over.

The Most Exclusive Lamborghini Ever: The Lamborghini Aventador J

2012-03-06T05:25:00.000-08:00

Well, here’s a very unique Lamborghini, truly a one-of-a-kind example. It’s called the Aventador J, and the folk at Sant’ Agata Bolognese are calling it the most uncompromising open super sports car in the company’s entire history.

The two-seater, technically based on the Aventador LP 700-4, dispenses entirely with the roof as well as the front windshield, not to mention air-conditioning and the navigation system, but the 700 hp machine is fully-functional for road use.

Created by Centro Stile Lamborghini, the car was conceived as a “barchetta,” so in place of the classic front windshield there are two small wind deflectors, which make it the lowest car ever made by the company. It also requires that the occupants must have the right equipment for driving the car at speed, if one values one’s face, that is.

The J suffix for this one is derived from the sporting rules of the FIA world motorsport organisation – its “Appendix J” defines the technical specification of race cars in the various classes, though the chosen alphabet is also an indirect homage to the one-off Jota of old.

The monocoque has a largely new design, including the incorporation of two safety bars behind the seats. While the doors on the J also open upward, they are considerably thinner than on the Aventador and are fitted with a tiny, fixed side window.

The five-spoke wheels have also been developed specifically for this car, with 20-inch units in front and 21-inch ones at the rear – elements include a central lock system and an additional carbon fiber insert that functions like a small fan for optimum brake ventilation.

The car also features special front and rear bumpers; both have been supplemented with carbon fibre fins that act as flow deviators and help increase downforce. The front of the J is somewhat narrower than that of the Aventador, and the front end is dominated by a highly distinctive carbon fibre air scoop, with central fixing braces and upward tilting winglets on the outer edges.

Meanwhile, the interior is minimalist – there’s a small control panel housing the starter button and the switches for lights and transmission, as well as two programmable TFT displays behind the steering wheel.

Features include the use of Forged Composite parts, like on the bucket seats – Forged Composite is an innovative carbon fibre material which was used for the first time by Lambo in the Sesto Elemento monocoque. The seats are clad in a special, new carbon fibre-based textile called CarbonSkin, and represents the first application in a car.

The car, which is finished in a special, highly intensive red with a slight chrome effect, wears the same 6.5 litre 12-cylinder mill as found in the base car. After Geneva, where the car makes its premiere, the Aventador J is set to be the preserve of just one – its future owner. It’ll be the only one ever made, so the one who eventually bags it will always feel special.

For more pictures of this beauty: http://www.autoblog.com/photos/lamborghini-aventador-j-geneva-2012/#photo-4870679

Lamborghini LP 550-2 Balboni Accident In India

2012-02-29T17:40:00.000-08:00

The Lamborghini Gallardo can reach 0–100 kmph in 3.9 seconds flat.

Early on Sunday morning, as real estate scion Anukool Rishi was stepping on the gas with a vengeance in the cockpit of this snazzy supercar, it took just a few seconds for his life to cross the finish line.

A cyclist also had to pay for the 28-year-old management graduate's recklessness and he was left critically injured.

The crash and the scene of the accident, described as 'gory and frightening' by an eyewitness who was shuddering hours later while recalling the sequence of events, took place on the Chirag Dilli stretch of the BRT corridor in south Delhi.

Incidentally, this was the third ghastly accident over the past few years involving sons of high-profile businessmen or politicians who were driving fancy sets of wheels and had a fetish for speed. While the son of a Faridabad-based automobile factory owner rammed his Porsche Carrera into the wall of Children's Park close to India Gate on October 16, 2011, a wealthy politico's son ploughed his Mercedes Benz into a cab in RK Puram on June 3, 2010. Earlier, a Delhi industrialist's son taking his BMW for a spin allegedly hit a bike near Moolchand.

Enlarge

The BRT stretch was almost deserted around 5.15am on Sunday morning when Badrinath Dubey (50), a security guard at a Krishi Vihar house, heard a deafening bang.

As Dubey rushed out of the guardroom, a horrific site on the roadside greeted his eyes.

'He (Anukool) was lying in a pool of blood. His innards were sticking out from a deep gash on the stomach. The police arrived at the spot around 5.30am in response to my SOS call,' Dubey revealed.

Anukool, a business development head in his father's Rs 1,600-crore MVL Limited, had left his Sainik Farms residence around 11 pm on Saturday night after returning from his Gurgaon office along with a driver and personal security guard.

However, his driver and PSO were later seen coming back home even as Anukool ventured out alone in the Lamborghini. He was driving in the BRT corridor and was headed towards the Moolchand Hospital flyover.

Immediately after crossing the Chirag Dilli flyover in the Krishi Vihar area, he reportedly overtook a truck and lost control of the car which then careened to the right and rammed the railing of the BRT corridor, the police revealed.

The breakneck speed of the sports car heightened the impact and the railing tore through its window to inflict fatal injuries on Anukool, they added.

While the railing went flying right up to the cooking gas depot on other side of the road, the car did not come to a halt and veered to the left instead.

It was at this point that the Lamborghini knocked down 45-year-old cyclist Kishan and went on to hit a traffic signal pole by the side of the cycle track, the police said.

When the car finally stopped, a severely injured Anukool was flung out of it because he had not fastened the seatbelt.

'The window of the car was shattered and glass was strewn all over,' Dubey recalled.

Anukool, who had got married only in November last year, was shifted to AIIMS immediately where doctors declared him brought dead.

Kishan was taken to the AIIMS Trauma Centre and he is recuperating from the injuries. After the post-mortem examination, Anukool's last rites were performed at the Lodhi Colony crematorium in the evening.

'We have registered a case of accident under section 338 (culpable homicide) and 304 (a) (causing death due to negligence) of the IPC. We will record the statement of the injured cyclist later,' a police officer said.

The police also disclosed that the supercar was registered in name of one of Delhi's leading jewellers.

'BIG CAR' CRASHES ON THE BRT CORRIDOR

Passengers of this Porsche (left) which was involved in a high-speed crash near India Gate in June, 2010, were saved by their seatbelts.

Dinesh Tanwar (then 24), son of Kanwar Singh Tanwar, the richest candidate in Delhi during the 2009 LS polls was at the wheel of this Mercedes Benz (center) when it ploughed into a taxi in R.K. Puram, killing a woman.

And Utsav Bhasin (then 19), son of Delhi-based industrialist Narendra Kumar Bhasin, allegedly rammed his BMW (right) into a bike near Moolchand Hospital, critically injuring two men in 2008.

While the Rs 2.25-crore car he was driving - the Gallardo LP550-2 'Valentino Balboni' rear-wheel drive - was one of just 250 the supercars Lamborghini had released in July 2009, it was the only one of its kind in India.

Tragically, he didn't even benefit from the cushioning effect of the car's highly effective airbags because he hadn't belted up - a precaution the youth driving the Carrera that had crashed in 2011 took and eventually ended up unscathed.

Anukool had to his credit a number of projects in his firm, both in India and overseas. He was a graduate of IILM, New Delhi, and had put in over seven years in the realty sector. He also held a bachelor of business administration (BBA) degree from Bradford University in the United Kingdom.

Anukool's father Prem Adip Rishi, 58, was in Mumbai when the incident took place. He arrived in the Capital around 11am. He is the chairman of MVL Limited, which is a BSE and NSE listed company and focuses on the realty sector. It is engaged in the construction of several residential and commercial buildings as well as townships in Gurgaon and other parts in Haryana. The firm also comprises a telecom arm that makes easyon- the-pocket mobile phones and accessories.

Joe Paterno Dies At 85 From Lung Cancer Complications

2012-02-29T09:48:00.001-08:00

Joe Paterno, the Ivy League-educated coach who transformed sleepy Penn State University into a national football power with an academics-based philosophy only to see his career end abruptly and his legacy tarnished by a child sex abuse scandal involving a former assistant coach, has died. He was 85.

Paterno died Sunday morning in State College, Pa., his family announced.

He was diagnosed with lung cancer in November, only days after Penn State's board of trustees fired the legendary coach in the wake of the arrest of his former defensive coordinator,Jerry Sandusky, on multiple felony counts of sexual abuse of boys.

PHOTOS: Joseph Paterno 1926 - 2012

Paterno was not implicated in a grand jury's indictment of Sandusky but was criticized for not acting more aggressively in 2002 after a graduate assistant informed Paterno he saw Sandusky sexually molest a boy in a locker room shower at Penn State. Paterno had fulfilled his legal obligation by passing the information on to his superior, athletic director Tim Curley.

Paterno's inglorious exit shocked a community that watched him rise from a young assistant to become a national icon. His Coke-bottle eyeglasses and rolled-up pant legs came to embody the school's victories-with-virtue persona.

The coach was so beloved in State College that full-size cardboard cutouts of him were common sights around town. Even an ice cream flavor, "Peachy Paterno," was named after him.

In college football's fraternity, he was known simply as "JoePa."

But on Nov. 10, 2011, five days after the scandal broke, the Penn State trustees fired Paterno three games short of completing his 46th season as head coach.

The board of trustees denied Paterno's request to retire at the end of the 2011 season. Only days after he issued a tempered response to the initial Sandusky allegations, Paterno expressed heartfelt remorse over what had happened on his watch.

"I am absolutely devastated by the developments in this case," Paterno said in a statement released hours before he was fired. "I grieve for the children and their families, and I pray for their comfort and relief."

He vowed to "spend the rest of my life doing everything I can to help this university."

For more than six decades, Paterno had coached at Penn State after joining Rip Engle's staff in 1950 as a 23-year-old assistant. His career ended late last year less than two weeks after he recorded his 409th career victory, which moved him past former Grambling Coach Eddie Robinson on major college football's all-time list.

Paterno spent his entire career at Penn State, taking over as head coach in 1966. He was a five-time national coach of the year, won two national titles, fielded five unbeaten teams and was the first major college coach to eclipse Bear Bryant's victory record of 323.

Paterno ended his career as the all-time leader in bowl appearances (37) and bowl victories (24) and in 2006 was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He is the only coach to have won all four of college football's major bowls: Rose, Fiesta, Orange and Sugar.

Voted into the same Hall of Fame class, Paterno and Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden spent years jostling for the all-time major college win record.

"Joe has done everything right," Bowden said in a 1998 interview. "He graduates his players, he's articulate and his character is impeccable, in my opinion."

During Paterno's tenure, Penn State produced 79 first-team All-America players, 33 first-round NFL draft picks and 16 National Football Foundation scholar-athletes.

The list of those who played for Paterno includes Jack Ham, John Cappelletti, Franco Harris, Lydell Mitchell, Curt Warner, Shane Conlin, Matt Millen, Todd Blackledge, Kyle Brady, LaVar Arrington,Larry Johnson, Courtney Brown and Kerry Collins.

Paradise In Maldives: Six Senses Resort, Laamu

2012-02-17T18:16:00.000-08:00

Poised serenely over majestic turquoise waters, a palm fringed villa with sea suspended hammocks, padded day beds, and dining above a window of bright lagoon, awaits you at the Six Senses Resort in Laamu, Maldives.

Built from sustainable materials, these unvarnished beachfront and overwater villas offer a chic picture of paradise. Six waterside and over ocean lounges and restaurants provide food grown in the island’s organic garden, for hungry guests spending days sun lounging, snorkeling around Laamu’s house reef, and dolphin and turtle watching.

Connected by beautifully weathered wooden jetties, and secluded by bamboo enclosures, the retreats are airy with high ceilings, and open air bathing alongside a private water garden. An all glass bathtub is suspended above the sparkling Indian Ocean, allowing you to soak up more of paradise. Up on a treetop deck, panoramic views of seascape and an unobstructed sunset are a feast for the eyes, and the soul.

With transparent sides and cut away floors, the villas are designed to immerse in the sensational views. The hut like appearance lets us drift away into a fantasy of simple island living, but there is no denying the superb finish of this amazing resort; bespoke furniture, sleek fittings, and luxurious bedding offer indulgence on the highest scale. Could this be one of the most beautiful places on Earth?

Here is a link to their official website: http://www.sixsenses.com/sixsenseslaamu/

Morgan Freeman to marry his step-granddaughter

2012-02-01T06:15:00.000-08:00

Disturbing story broke that Morgan Freeman was maintaining a 10-year relationship with his step-granddaughter with whom he had a questionable sexual encounter when she was young. Yes, they are not related through blood, but Freeman is 72 and E'Dena Hines is now 27, which means she would have been 17 when they first... um... got together. Once Freeman's wife found out about their secret affair she filed for divorce, and now the Enquirer is claiming that once proceedings go through, he and Hines are set to wed.

"Morgan has led her to believe that he wants to marry her," says a family insider. Another source says, "Becoming Mrs. Morgan Freeman has been E'Dena's goal."

Creative Ads

2012-01-27T23:59:00.000-08:00

This is one of the most creative methods of advertising I’ve ever seen. Jobs and lead creative advertising itself together.

"Anonymous" Brings Down FBI Website

2012-01-19T20:46:00.000-08:00

One of the world’s most popular file-sharing sites was shut down on Thursday, and its founder and several company officials were accused of facilitating millions of illegal download of films, music and other content.

A federal indictment accused Megaupload.com of costing copyright holders at least $500 million in lost revenue. The indictment was unsealed one day after websites including Wikipedia and Craigslist shut down in protest of two congressional proposals intended to make it easier for authorities to go after sites with pirated material, especially those with overseas headquarters and servers.of the FBI site.

The news of the shutdown seemed to bring retaliation from hackers who claimed credit for attacking the Justice Department’s website. Federal officials confirmed it was down on Thursday evening and that the disruption was being “treated as a malicious act.”

A loose affiliation of hackers known as “Anonymous” claimed credit for the attack. Also hacked was the site for the Motion Picture Association of America and perhaps others.

Megaupload is based in Hong Kong, but some of the alleged pirated content was hosted on leased servers in Ashburn, Va., which gave federal authorities jurisdiction, the indictment said.

The Justice Department said in a statement said that Kim Dotcom, 37, and three other employees were arrested on Thursday in New Zealand at the request of US officials. Three other defendants are at large.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation, which defends free speech and digital rights online, said in a statement that, “This kind of application of international criminal procedures to Internet policy issues sets a terrifying precedent. If the United States can seize a Dutch citizen in New Zealand over a copyright claim, what is next?”

Before Megaupload was taken down, it posted a statement saying allegations that it facilitated massive breaches of copyright laws were “grotesquely overblown.”

“The fact is that the vast majority of Mega’s Internet traffic is legitimate, and we are here to stay. If the content industry would like to take advantage of our popularity, we are happy to enter into a dialogue. We have some good ideas. Please get in touch,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, the DOJ said its web server for justice.gov was “experiencing a significant increase in activity, resulting in a degradation in service.” It was working to fix it and “investigate the origins of this activity, which is being treated as a malicious act until we can fully identify the root cause of the disruption,” the agency’s statement said.

A spokesman for the Motion Picture Association of America said in an emailed statement that the group’s site had been hacked, although it appeared to be working later in the evening.

“The motion picture and television industry has always been a strong supporter of free speech,” the spokesman said. “We strongly condemn any attempts to silence any groups or individuals.”

Megaupload was unique not only because of its massive size and the volume of downloaded content, but also because it had high-profile support from celebrities, musicians and other content producers who are most often the victims of copyright infringement and piracy. Before the website was taken down, it contained endorsements from Kim Kardashian, Alicia Keys and Kanye West, among others.

The company listed Swizz Beatz, a musician who married Keys in 2010, as its CEO. He was not named in the indictment and declined to comment through a representative.

According to the indictment, Megaupload was estimated at one point to be the 13th most frequently visited website on the Internet. Current estimates by companies that monitor Web traffic place it in the top 100.

The five-count indictment, which alleges copyright infringement as well as conspiracy to commit money laundering and racketeering, described a site designed specifically to reward users who uploaded pirated content for sharing, and turned a blind eye to requests from copyright holders to remove copyright-protected files.

For instance, users received cash bonuses if they uploaded content popular enough to generate massive numbers of downloads, according to the indictment. Such content was almost always copyright protected.

The site boasted 150 million registered users and about 50 million hits daily. The Justice Department said it was illegal for anyone to download pirated content, but their investigation focused on the leaders of the company, not end users who may have downloaded a few movies for personal viewing.

A lawyer who represented the company in a lawsuit last year declined comment Thursday. Efforts to reach an attorney representing Dotcom were unsuccessful.

Megaupload is considered a “cyberlocker,” in which users can upload and transfer files that are too large to send by email. Such sites can have perfectly legitimate uses. But the Motion Picture Association of America, which has campaigned for a crackdown on piracy, estimated that the vast majority of content being shared on Megaupload was in violation of copyright laws.

The website allowed users to download some content for free, but made money by charging subscriptions to people who wanted access to faster download speeds or extra content. The website also sold advertising.

The indictment was returned in the Eastern District of Virginia, which claimed jurisdiction in part because some of the alleged pirated materials were hosted on leased servers in Ashburn, Va. Prosecutors there have pursued multiple piracy investigations.

Steven T. Shelton, a copyright lawyer at the Cozen O’Connor firm in New York, said opponents of the legislation are worried the proposals lessen the burden for the government to target a wide variety of websites. Shelton said he expects to see the government engage in more enforcement in the future, as technology makes it easier to catch and target suspected pirates.

“I think we’ll be seeing more of this,” he said. “This is just the beginning.”

Dotcom, a resident of both Hong Kong and New Zealand, and a dual citizen of Finland and Germany, made more than $42 million from the site in 2010 alone, according to the indictment.

Dotcom had his name legally changed. He was previously known as Kim Schmitz and Kim Tim Jim Vestor. He is founder, former CEO and current chief innovation officer of Megaupload.

Officials estimated it could be a year or more before Dotcom and the others arrested in New Zealand are formally extradited.

The others arrested were Finn Batato, 38, a citizen and resident of Germany, the company’s chief marketing officer; Mathias Ortmann, 40, a citizen of Germany and resident of both Germany and Hong Kong, who is the chief technical officer, co-founder and director; and Bram van der Kolk, aka Bramos, 29, a Dutch citizen and resident of both the Netherlands and New Zealand, who oversees programming.

Still at large are Julius Bencko, 35, a citizen and resident of Slovakia, the site’s graphic designer; Sven Echternach, 39, a citizen and resident of Germany, head of business development; and Andrus Nomm, 32, a citizen of Estonia and resident of both Turkey and Estonia, head of the development software division.

Several sister sites were also shut down, including one dedicated to sharing pornography files.

Sexy Girls With Car Accidents

2012-01-19T02:40:00.000-08:00

The Kingdom Tower: Worlds Tallest Building In Saudi Arabia

2012-01-19T01:38:00.000-08:00

Saudi Arabia unveiled plans to build the world's tallest tower — a mixed-use structure that will rise two-thirds of a mile high — in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah.Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal signed a $1.23 billion contract with Bin Laden Group for the proposed tower, which will take just over five years to complete. The building is the centerpiece of the planned Kingdom City development being built outside Jeddah by Prince Alwaleed's Kingdom Holding.

"Building this tower in Jeddah sends a financial and economic message that should not be ignored," Prince Alwaleed told reporters. "It has a political depth to it to tell the world that we Saudis invest in our country despite what is happening around us from events, turmoil and revolutions even."

Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill, a Chicago architectural firm, has been selected to design the Kingdom Tower, which will feature a Four Seasons hotel, serviced apartments, Class A office space, luxury condominiums and the world's highest observatory.

When completed, the 1,000-meter-plus (3,280-foot-plus) tower would replace Gulf neighbor Dubai's 828-meter (2,716-foot) Burj Khalifa as the tallest tower in the world. The Burj Khalifa was built by Emaar Properties for a total cost of $1.5 billion.

The exact final height is still a closely guarded secret, though it will be at least 173 meters (568 feet) taller than Burj Khalifa.
"It is not 1,000 meters. It is more, could be more by many meters... The figure is secret, only a small number of people know," said Prince Alwaleed, a nephew of Saudi King Abdullah.

Kingdom Tower will contain 59 elevators and 12 escalators.

The design for Kingdom Tower is highly technological and distinctly organic. "With its slender, subtly asymmetrical massing, the tower evokes a bundle of leaves shooting up from the ground - a burst of new life that heralds more growth all around it," Adrian Smith said in a press release.

The sleek, streamlined form of the tower was inspired by the folded fronds of young desert plant growth, Gordon Gill added in a statement. "The way the fronds sprout upward from the ground as a single form, then start separating from each other at the top, is an analogy of new growth fused with technology," he said.

Kingdom Tower will cost about $1.2 billion to construct, while the cost of the entire Kingdom City project is anticipated to be $20 billion.

The DC Avanti : Wannabe Indian Supercar?

2012-01-12T10:33:00.000-08:00

"Every country which has written its name in the pantheon of automobile manufacturing has invariably distinguished itself with sports cars by its own nationals and I thought that India rightly needs to be in this exclusive club" said Dilip Chhabria as he unveiled his first, production-ready sports car.

Popularly known as DC, Dilip Chhabria has stunned the world with not just brilliant customization jobs on production vehicles, but also dramatic one-offs which would make anyone who owns them the envy of the entire automotive world. DC, and in particular his design firm, DC Design, has, over the course of the last several years, has developed unparalleled expertise in high-quality tooling and prototyping techniques to bring to life the most spectacular of automotive designs. And the car you see here, the Avanti, is the result of these skills.

The name, Avanti, is quite apt too, as not only as it reflects its Indian cultural roots, but in Italian, the language common to all the world-renowned automotive styling houses, means ‘to move forward’. And that’s exactly what DC is doing, moving forward from making mere one-offs, to making a proper production model. Yes, this absolutely stunning looking car, though only in the rolling sculpture stage at the moment, is slated for production. But this is only the half of it. The real shocking bit about the Avanti is that though it will only see a limited production run, like most supercars, it could be yours for a very un-supercar-like price of just Rs 30-lakh!

And don’t for one minute think that this is just a Toyota Corolla underneath with a slapped-on body kit – it’s a true-blue sports car with a two-seats at the front, an engine in the middle and the driven wheels at the back. The chassis itself is a spaceframe construction of square, rectangular and round sections to get the best structural rigidity not just from a concern of passenger safety, but to endow the car with great handling characteristics to match the sporty looks of the body shell as well. And in true sports car fashion, the Avanti will feature unequal length double wishbone suspension at all four corners with coil-over springs, ensuring that the sticky 255/45 section front and the 285/40 section rear tyres, shod on the massive 19-inch wheels, will make the optimal contact with the tarmac at all times.

My review:

What ever said and done, it is very evident from the pictures that they have implemented design features of other existing cars.

For example, the headlamp layout has a striking resemblance to the Ferrari 458 Italia. It looks like they've just switched the right and left headlamps and tilted it by 90 degrees. Take a closer look:

The tail-lamp layout also looks very similar to the new facelifted Mercedes CLS-series (2012).

The last similarity I spotted was the position of the fuel tank cap with that of the Bugatti Veyron.

Idiot wreaks Lamborghini Gallardo in illegal street race

2012-01-12T08:14:00.000-08:00

You would be forgiven for thinking someone who owned a €180,000 Lamborghini would know how to drive it. This video proves that that's not always the case.

Racing a Lamborghini on a track can be a hairy experience and one not for the faint of heart. However, you can take solace in the fact that if you slip off the track you’re more than likely just going to end up in the gravel. That’s not the case if you’re racing on an open public motorway.

These goons decided an illegal street race on the public roads of somewhere in Asia, was a great idea to show how massive their… wallets were. Sadly, the driver of the green Gallardo forgot to bring his driving skills with him on the day and sent his car into the motorway’s concrete wall.

The green Gallardo overtakes the camera car but is then stuck behind another ‘civilian’ car travelling in the fast lane. It then attempts to undertake this civilian car at the same time that the orange Gallardo overtakes a car in the slow lane.

The two supercars come within inches of crashing into each other but the orange one manages to keep his cool and stay on the road, unlike the green one.

The €180,000 green machine is sent out of control and into the wall by the driver who stupidly overcorrected the spin.

It’s just another fail from an overzealous supercar driver, and a win for everyone else.

Lamborghini Aventador worldwide recall

2011-12-14T03:31:00.000-08:00

Word is out that Lamborghini has recalled all units of their latest masterpiece, the Lamborghini Aventador LP700, due to unknown reasons.
The picture below shows one of the Aventador's, in Saudi Arabia, being towed for transport to the local dealer in response to the recall.
The owner quotes: "There are recalls to all Lamborghini Aventador lp700 world wide . Please send the car to your local dealer urgently !!! "

$4 Million Car Crash Involving Eight Ferraris, One Lamborghini And One Nissan GT-R

2011-12-05T06:58:00.001-08:00

The involvement of eight Ferraris, one Lamborghini and a Nissan GT-R in a recent accident at Japan earned it a top position in the list of most expensive automobile accidents. The loss is estimated at over $4 million.

The damage caused was so severe that most of the luxury cars were to be written off by the owners, leaving them with the nightmare scenario of seeing their prized possessions turned into expensive scrap metal.

It was a group of narcissists, supposedly heading towards a supercar owner's gathering in Hiroshima some 100 kilometers from the site of accident. The drivers involved were aged between 37 and 60 years.

The accident was caused by a 60 year old self-employed man, owner of one of the Ferrari's. Eye-witnesses say that the lead car lost control in the rain-soaked expressway and hit the central barrier when the driver of the Ferrari switched lanes in an attempt to overtake a car up in front. As a chain reaction, the other cars in the convoy of supercars, reported to have been travelling much above the allowed speed limits, crashed into the lead car further magnifying the accident.
Even though no fatalities were reported, 10 people were treated in a nearby hospital for bruising and other minor injuries. The expressway was closed down for over 6 hours, for the authorities to clear up the pile-up and debris scattered over 500 meters on the expressway.

Police have informed that the driver of the lead car that initiated this chain reaction could be jailed for upto three months or a heavy fine of $1300.
TV footage showed a Ferrari that had plowed into the outer guard rail, while another one had its engine bonnet almost ripped off.

Some of the cars involved included two Ferrari F430s, two Ferrari 360 Modenas, two Ferrari F355s, a Lamborghini Diablo, a Nissan GT-R, a Mercedes CL600 and a Toyota Prius hybrid.

Here's a video of the so called "Ferrari Graveyard":

Secret Software on Millions of Phones Logging Everything

2011-11-30T14:11:00.001-08:00

The Android developer who raised the ire of a mobile-phone monitoring company last week is on the attack again, producing a video of how the Carrier IQ software secretly installed on millions of mobile phones reports most everything a user does on a phone.

Though the software is installed on most modern Android, BlackBerry and Nokia phones, Carrier IQ was virtually unknown until 25-year-old Trevor Eckhart of Connecticut analyzed its workings, revealing that the software secretly chronicles a user’s phone experience — ostensibly so carriers and phone manufacturers can do quality control.

But now he’s released a video actually showing the logging of text messages, encrypted web searches and, well, you name it.

Eckhart labeled the software a “rootkit,” and the Mountain View, California-based software makerthreatened him with legal action and huge money damages. The Electronic Frontier Foundation came to his side last week, and the company backed off on its threats. The company said last week that Carrier IQ’s softwares are for “gathering information off the handset to understand the mobile-user experience, where phone calls are dropped, where signal quality is poor, why applications crash and battery life.”

The company denies its software logs keystrokes. Eckhart’s 17-minute video clearly undercuts that claim.

The video shows the software logging Eckhart’s online search of “hello world.” That’s despite Eckhart using the HTTPS version of Google which is supposed to hide searches from those who would want to spy by intercepting the traffic between a user and Google.

Cringe as the video shows the software logging each number as Eckhart fingers the dialer.

“Every button you press in the dialer before you call,” he says on the video, “it already gets sent off to the IQ application.”

From there, the data — including the content of text messages — is sent to Carrier IQ’s servers, in secret.

By the way, it cannot be turned off without rooting the phone and replacing the operating system. And even if you stop paying for wireless service from your carrier and decide to just use Wi-Fi, your device still reports to Carrier IQ.

It’s not even clear what privacy policy covers this. Is it Carrier IQ’s, your carrier’s or your phone manufacturer’s? And, perhaps, most important, is sending your communications to Carrier IQ a violation of the federal government’s ban on wiretapping?

And even more obvious, Eckhart wonders why aren’t mobile-phone customers informed of this rootkit and given a way to opt out?

Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 Debuts in Japan

2011-11-30T13:24:00.001-08:00

The Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 made its formal debut in Japan yesterday, at a spectacular VIP event held at Japan’s National Stadium, well known as the venue for the 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympics. Stephan Winkelmann, President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini, and Maurizio Reggiani, Director of Research and Development, attended the debut in Japan.

More than 100 journalists and 500 vip customers and guests watched an Aventador slalom race through fire on the stadium atletics track. In the build-up to the car’s unveiling, an Aventador film was projected on a stadium maxiscreen and concluded with the lighting of the Olympic flame. 120 Lamborghini flags on the tribunes celebrated the Aventador debut in Japan. This event completes Lamborghini’s worldwide launch operations for the Aventador, which began with its global debut at the 2011 Geneva Motor show. The show was followed by a dynamic international launch in Rome and local presentations in various markets, with events in cities such as Shanghai, Sepang, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, Monterey, Miami, and Sao Paolo.

The Japanese market and the entire Asian Pacific rim in general is a strategic business area for the Sant’Agata Bolognese-based company, accounting for more than a third of worldwide sales. In Japan, Lamborghini has five showrooms in Tokyo (in Azabu and Edogawa), Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka. The company also boasts a total of 34 dealers in the Asian Pacific rim, with prospects for additional growth in 2012.

Flash Mob at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Railway Station

2011-11-29T05:13:00.001-08:00

Like any other normal day at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, commuters were busy tracking trains to their destination, until they saw something unique. A day after India observed the third anniversary of 26/11 terrorist attack, 200 dancers were seen grooving to the 'Rang De Basanti' song on the station.

23-year-old Shonan Kothari employed with a CSR consultancy in Mumbai came up with the idea of a flash mob. She shared the idea with many others. The group practiced together for a few weeks. They wanted to pay a tribute to the people who lost their lives in 26/11 terror attacks.

The train services were also stopped for ten minutes at CST during the performance. This shows the real spirit of Mumbaikars.

22 year old is first in his country with a Lamborghini Aventador

2011-11-27T22:32:00.001-08:00

For most normal 22 year old's purchasing a $390,000 Lamborghini Aventador is little more than a nice dream. For Saudi Arabian student Dhiaa Al-Essa Lamborghini Aventador ownership recently became a reality.

Al-Essa was the first person in Saudi Arabia to have an Aventador delivered—skipping the 18 month waiting list cost him an extra $71,000. Small World News Service spoke with Dhiaa Al-Essa after the car was delivered and he had this to say:

"It's amazing the Lamborghini has arrived. I wanted to be the first in Saudi Arabia to get the Aventador. Of course there is competition but for me personally it is not a competition, I just love cars – and if you want to be first you have to work hard and pay more."

The Aventador will be in good company with the rest of Dhiaa Al-Essa's impressive super car collection. According to GTspirit, Al-Essa's collection is valued at 12 million dollars and includes:

a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, Koenigsegg Agera, Rolls-Royce Coupe, Rolls-Royce Phantom, Range Rover (2x), Mercedes McLaren SLR, Lamborghini Gallardo, Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera, Lamborghini Murcielago P640, Ferrari F430, Ferrari 599 GTO, Ferrari 599, Ferrari 458 Italia, Ferrari California, Ferrari F430 Novitec Rosso, Porsche 997 Turbo, Porsche 997 GT3 RS, Porsche 997 Turbo Spyder, Porsche Cayenne Turbo, Porsche Panamera Turbo, Bentley Continental GT, Mercedes S65 AMG, Mercedes G55 AMG, Mercedes E63 AMG, Mercedes CL65 AMG, BMW M5, BMW X6M, BMW X5M, BMW 760LI, Audi R8, Audi A8, Lexus LS460, and Maybach 62.

Not a bad collection for a 22 year old if you ask us. The fact your Grandfather is estimated by Forbes magazine to be worth more than £1.5 billion sure can't hurt in the pursuit of amassing such an impressive collection in your 20s.

Wales manager Gary Speed commits suicide

2011-11-27T20:14:00.001-08:00

The 42- year-old, Gary Speed, one of the most respected young managers in the game, was found hanged at his North Wales home.

Speed enjoyed a glittering career as a player at Leeds, Everton, Newcastle and Bolton before moving into coaching with his national team.

He has been leading a renaissance of the Welsh national side, but his life has been tragically cut short by what police are treating as suicide.

A spokesman for Cheshire Police confirmed: "At 7.08am this morning, Sunday 27 November, police were informed of an incident at Aldford Road, Huntington. Officers went to the scene where a 42-year-old man was found dead. There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death and next of kin have been informed."

Vazquez Sounds: Teen siblings from Mexico sing "Rolling In The Deep" to fame

2011-11-27T19:16:00.001-08:00

One of the most appealing things about YouTube is that it offers a chance for young artists and musicians to be discovered. One of the latest internet sensations to make a wave is Vazquez Sound.

Angie Vazquez

This talented trio consists of three siblings Angie (10, vocals), Abelardo (15, guitar/bass/piano), and Gustavo Vazquez (13, drums) from Mexico.

In the YouTube video(which you can watch below) features the teens performing a cover of “Rolling In The Deep”, a song originally done by Adele.