Health, Technology and Sports Journal

It might creep you out a bit that the future of medical imaging resembles something straight out of a Stanley Kubrick flick (2001: A Space Odyssey, one of the greats), but 4D ultrasounds are on their way. And that's not all. Technology might be making the medical experience a much more comfortable position to be in.

Imagine taking a trip to your obstetrician of choice, and not be faced with the threat of cold patient table slabs and even colder ultrasound lubrication. But instead, you'd be greeted with a big, comfy, couch sitting in a welcoming setting. And on top of the added comfort, you'd get an up close and personal 4D look at your developing baby. "Celebrating Pregnancy" is a project which believes this is possible.

"Celebrating Pregnancy" is a 'pregnancy scenario' for the future. The experience of medical imaging would be made into a very intimate and magical family setting if the future of "Celebrating Pregnancy" ever gets to see the light of day.

Patients will be able to interact with a 4D projection image of their child in the uterus, complete with audio and stress reducing ambient lighting. The experience would be more like a day at the spiritual spa than anything medical related.

Source via Book Of Joe

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Human Brain Analysis

2008-06-12T19:56:00.001-07:00

> Women - Multiple process
> Women's brains designed to concentrate multiple task at
> a time.
> Women can Watch a TV and Talk over phone and cook the new
> recipe.
>
>
> Men - Single Process
> Men's brain designed to concentrate only one work at a
> time. Men can not
> watch a TV and talking in phone same time. He stops the TV
> while Talking. He
> can either watch TV or talk over phone or cook.
>
>
> LANGUAGE.
> Women can easily learn many languages. Her brain set up.
> But can not find
> the solutions to problems Men can not easily learn
> languages; he can easily
> solve the problems.
> 3 year old gal has three times higher vocabulary than 3
> year old boy.
>
>
>
> ANALYTICAL SKILL
> Men's brain has lot of space for handling the
> analytical process. So easily
> he can analyze and find the solution for a process.
> He can design (blue print) a map of a building easily.
> If a complex map is viewed by women, she can not understand
> it. She can not
> understand the details of the map easily.
> For her it is dump of lines in a paper.
>
>
>
> CAR DRIVING.
> While driving a car, men's analytical spaces are used
> in his brain. He can
> drive a car fastly. If he see an object at long distance,
> immediately his
> brain classifies the object (bus or van or car) direction
> and speed of the
> object and driving accordingly. Where as women take a long
> time to recognize
> the object direction/ speed. His single process mind stops
> the audio in the
> car (if any), then concentrating only on the driving.
> You can often watch, while men driving the car fastly, the
> women sit next to
> him will shout, "GO SLOW" , "CARE
> FULL", "AAHHH", "OHH GOD.."
> ..etc..
> WOMEN ARE THE BEST DRIVERS
>
>
>
> LIE
> Many times, when men lie to women face to face, they got
> caught easily.
> Her super natural brain observe the facial expression 70%,
> and the body
> language 20% and the words comes from mouth 10%. So he is
> easily caught
> while lieing.
> Men's brain does not have this.
> Women easily lie to men face to face.
> So guys, While lieing to your girls, use phone, or letter
> or close all the
> lights or cover your/her face with blanket.
> Don't lie face to face.
>
>
>
> PROBLEM.
> End of day, if men have lot of problems, his brain clearly
> classifies the
> problems and put into individual rooms of brain, the
> problems in individual
> room of brain and finding the solution one by one. You can
> see many guys
> looking on the sky's for a long times. If you disturb
> him, he gets
> irritated.
> End of Day, if women have lot of problems, her brain can
> not classify the
> problems. she wants some one to hear that. After telling
> everything to a
> person she goes happily to bed. She does not worry abt the
> problem solved or
> not.
>
>
>
> WANTS
> Men want status, success, solutions, big process... etc
> Women want
> relationship, friends, family...etc...
>
>
>
> UNHAPPY
> If women unhappy with their relations, she can not
> concentrate on work.
> If men unhappy with their work, he can not concentrate on
> the relations.
>
>
>
>
> MAP
> Men can easily locate the place in a complex map. His
> analytical brain does
> this. While watching a cricket match in a stadium with full
> of crowd, men
> can leave his seat to T shop and keeps everything in his
> mind and comes back
> to his seat with out problems. He uses his analytical
> skills space of brain..
> Women can't do this. They often lost their way to their
> seat.
>
>
> LIFE
> Life is very easy to Men. One good job, one alcohol bottle
> is enough for
> him.
> Women want everything in life.
>
>
> SPEECH
> Women use indirect languages in speech.
> Geetha asked Vijay, "vijay do you like to have a cup
> of coffee?"
> This means, Geetha really want a cup of coffee.
> In the morning......."Darling, do you think, will it
> be good to have an
> Omlette for breakfast"
> Men use direct language. "Geetha, I want to have a cup
> of coffee, Pls stop
> the car when you see a coffee shop".
> In the morning...."Darling, Can you please prepare an
> omelet for breakfast".
>
>
>
> HANDLING EMOTION
> Women talk a lot without thinking, if they are in emotion.
> Men act a lot with out thinking. That's why many of
> prisoners are men all
> over the world.

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2008 Audi A5 S-line:

2008-06-12T08:00:00.009-07:00

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2008 Audi A5 S-line:

via Car and Driver Blog by Tom Adams on 6/10/08

Audi's Quattro all-wheel-drive is my favorite feature of the handsome A5 coupe. On washed-out country roads, this car stuck like glue and never slipped, even through two inches of standing water. It is supremely confidence-inspiring. (Things go a bit south if you have to get in and out while the wet stuff's coming down, though. When you open the door in a downpour, the aggressive tumblehome means that interior is overly exposed and gets quite wet.)

As the resident beverage-head in the office, I would be remiss if I didn't call out the tiny cupholders. There's a small holder for a regular Starbucks cup, and an even smaller one that will hold a can of Red Bull—the Germans clearly don't understand the need to haul a 64-ounce beverage. On the other hand, the prospect of Quattro might just convince me to give up my water tower full of soda . . .

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BMW GINA Light Visionary Model Concept - Car News

2008-06-12T08:00:00.007-07:00

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BMW GINA Light Visionary Model Concept - Car News

via Car and Driver Blog by caranddriver.com on 6/10/08

BMW says this cloth-bodied roadster points the way to the future car.

BY ERIK JOHNSON

Have you ever wondered what might result from a three-night hook-up between a zeppelin, an original BMW 507, and a BMW Z4 roadster? Neither have we, but now that we've seen the BMW GINA concept (pronouncedjee-nah), we've got a pretty good idea, and it's even sort of beautiful.

GINA is an acronym for "Geometry and Functions in 'N' Adaptations," where the N stands for infinite—as if the acronym wasn't enough of a stretch already. It's a fancy way to summarize a way of thinking about how cars will be shaped, manufactured, and used by their owners in the future. The Light Visionary Model (LVM) is a physical manifestation of this idea, and features some innovative—and out there—approaches to making the philosophy a reality.

BMW says that this concept isn't just about the styling of the car of the future, but also about the "creative freedom" offered to designers and engineers alike. To that end, this concept wears a fabric "skin" comprised of a wire-mesh inner stabilizing layer and a water- and temperature-resistant outer layer.Instead of the usual myriad body panels, the LVM has just four outer elements: one that covers the entire front end and runs to the rear edge of the doors, two rear-quarter coverings, and one across the rear deck. BMW's seat designers helped with the precise measurement, cutting, and attachment of the material, which is stretched over a mechanized electric and electro-hydraulic metal and carbon frame.

Keep Reading: BMW GINA Light Visionary Model Concept - Car News

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Apple forbids navigation apps on iPhone 3G (except its own)

2008-06-12T08:00:00.005-07:00

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Apple forbids navigation apps on iPhone 3G (except its own)

via Autoblog by Chris Shunk on 6/12/08

Filed under: Etc., Tech

The Internets are abuzz with the announcement of an all-new iPhone, and with features like 3G data connections, new applications and GPS navigation, we're excited too. If you've been making plans to produce your own navigation app for iPhone 2.0, however, you may not be all that thrilled. A closer look at the iPhone SDK agreement shows that creating software for "real-time route guidance" is forbidden. This may mean that the creative kids at Cupertino aren't going to let anyone compete with the the Google maps solution it's already settled on. If true, companies like Garmin and TomTom, the latter of which has already confirmed that it's created a navigation app, would be unable to create salable navigation software for the popular touch-screen phone. Then again, you also can't do automatic or autonomous control of vehicles, aircraft, or other mechanical devices; dispatch or fleet management software; or use the iPhone for emergency or life-saving purposes.

Our friends over at Engadget may be on to something, however, when they note that Apple may just be covering its rear-quarters in the event people start suing for bad directions. Lets hope it's just a liability thing, because competition is always a good thing when it comes to new technology, and we want some TomTom on our new iPhone.

[Source: Engadget]

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Transformers sequel roundup: Buell-based fembot, SR-71 and Audi R8

2008-06-12T08:00:00.003-07:00

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Transformers sequel roundup: Buell-based fembot, SR-71 and Audi R8

via Autoblog by Jeremy Korzeniewski on 6/12/08

Filed under: Concept Cars, Supercars, Audi, GM, Motorcycles, Rumormill

If leaked documentation, which you should avoid if you don't want to read any plot spoilers, regarding the upcoming Transformers sequel is accurate, it appears that Mr. Bay may be bringing a motorcycle-based female robot to the big screen. We've heard that the character known as Arcee was considered for the initial film but was discarded so as not to confuse the audience with multiple gendered robots. If the rendering seen above is any indication, though, we'd imagine that Arcee's pinky-purple coloring would get that point across right away. There are two female riders listed on a leaked Call Sheet for the upcoming movie, and it appears that they are to be riding the oddly-colored Buell in the film.

Also revealed in the leak is information that leads us to believe that a certain Decepticon may make an appearance as an SR-71, along with what could either be the shapely Audi R8 or the mystery car we showed you yesterday. If the German supercar did show up, it would end the all-GM lovefest and be rather interesting to see morph on-screen, as well. Consider our interest piqued, as if we already weren't.

[Sources: Hell for Leather, Comic Book Movie, Jalopnik]

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Whoa, says Toyota. Plug-ins won't be that good

2008-06-12T08:00:00.001-07:00

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Whoa, says Toyota. Plug-ins won't be that good

via Autoblog by Chris Shunk on 6/12/08

Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green, Hatchbacks, Toyota

If you read our post yesterday that talked about a lithium Ion-powered plug-in Prius for 2010, thoughts of 100 mpg cars may have danced in your head. Well, take it easy, because the think tank over at Toyota doesn't want you to get your hopes too high. Toyota Advanced Technology manager Bill Reinert spoke in Washington yesterday at a plug-in conference and said that real-world driving conditions will make 100 mpg unattainable for many drivers. While plugging in more powerful batteries will give drivers a full battery and greater EV range, hard acceleration could limit electric-only driving to well under 40 miles.

While it's nice of Toyota to give a plug-in reality check to an efficiency-hungry public, we don't think this message is going to get through to the masses. Besides, if Toyota's next-gen hybrids can reach anything close to 100 mpg, we think shoppers of fuel-efficient vehicles will be too busy foaming at the mouth to even notice.

[Source: Automotive News, subs req'd]

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Chrysler building being sold to Arab investors?

2008-06-12T07:59:00.007-07:00

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Chrysler building being sold to Arab investors?

via Autoblog by Sam Abuelsamid on 6/12/08

Filed under: Etc., Chrysler

No, Middle East investors are not buying the car company, it's the building in mid-town Manhattan they want. The Chrysler building was briefly (in 1930) the tallest building in the world before the Empire State building was completed a year later. it served for a time as the New York offices of the car company and remains an Art Deco icon in the city, and the world for that matter. It's certainly more attractive than most of the vehicles bearing the same name today. The Abu Dhabi Investment Council is reportedly looking at buying a 75% stake in the tower for $800 million. The share of the building is currently owned by Atlanta-based investment fund TMW. The other 25 percent of the building is owned by Tishman Speyer Properties. Back in the wake of the DaimlerChrysler merger, Jurgen Schrempp talked of renovating the long unused upper floors of the building for use as a world headquarters office space, but its unkown if the renovations ever happened. It certainly didn't serve as a home to DCX. Thanks for the tip, Dave!

[Source: New York Post, via AllPar.com]

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Ford's Mark Fields calls plug-in hybrids a "national priority"

2008-06-12T07:59:00.005-07:00

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Ford's Mark Fields calls plug-in hybrids a "national priority"

via Autoblog by Jeremy Korzeniewski on 6/12/08

Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Government/Legal, Green, Ford, Earnings/Financials

In these days of nearly nonexistent profits for every one of Detroit's Big Three automakers, R&D funds must be allocated very carefully. In contrast, Japanese manufacturers such as Toyota and Honda have been earning profits on a yearly basis. Not long ago, a mild spat arose regarding whether or not the Japanese government helped fund the development of Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive. Even if they didn't do it in the past, Ford's President of the Americas Mark Fields indicated that they are doing it now at a conference held today in Washington, D.C. by Brookings and Google.org titled Plug-In Electric Vehicles 2008: What Role for Washington?

Fields called on the U.S. government to step up to the plate, mentioning tax breaks and incentives as one option to aid consumers who'd like to purchase these ultimately expensive vehicles one day. On the manufacturing side, Fields suggests that plug-in hybrids should be a "national priority", with Washington needing to allocate funds for research and development. Another area singled out is a domestic supply of batteries, since most of the units used in today's hybrids are being manufactured overseas.

It should be noted that General Motors already has a head start towards PHEVs with its upcoming Chevy Volt. As far as we're aware, the development costs for this vehicle and its batteries has been moving forward without direct assistance from the government. Feel free to read Field's entire speech after the break.

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading Ford's Mark Fields calls plug-in hybrids a "national priority"

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First Drive: 2009 Ford Flex Limited AWD

2008-06-12T07:59:00.003-07:00

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First Drive: 2009 Ford Flex Limited AWD

via Autoblog by Michael Harley on 6/11/08

Filed under: Minivans/MPVs, Ford, Driving

Click above for high-res gallery of our first drive of the 2009 Ford Flex

Those of you who follow the auto industry as obsessively as we do will immediately recognize the all-new 2009 Ford Flex as the production version of the well-received Ford Fairlane "People Mover" concept from the 2005 Chicago Auto Show. The suicide doors are gone and the front has been opened up a bit to allow the engine to breathe... but Ford's execution from concept to production is, for the most part, dead-on. Ford recently gave us the opportunity to drive the new Flex in Southern California, so follow the jump to read our first impressions of the Blue Oval's new people mover.

Gallery: First Drive: 2009 Ford Flex

Continue reading First Drive: 2009 Ford Flex Limited AWD

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Autoblog does the Baja 500: Round 2, the race [w/VIDEO]

2008-06-12T07:59:00.001-07:00

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Autoblog does the Baja 500: Round 2, the race [w/VIDEO]

via Autoblog by Jonathon Ramsey on 6/11/08

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, HUMMER

Click above for hi-res gallery from the 2008 Baja 500

We did the pre-run, now it was time for Autoblog to race the Baja 500 with driver Chad Hall and Team HUMMER. Our race day start time wasn't until 10:30, but we got to the start line at 8:30. And then we signed autographs and kissed babies. Well, Chad didn't, but people kept asking us for our autograph, so we obliged. Kids also constantly asked for "steeckers," but we didn't have any of those... Follow the jump to see how Autoblog fared as racing co-pilot, and be sure to check out the gallery of hi-res images below and the insane in-truck video after the jump.

Gallery: The Baja 500: race day with Team HUMMER Racing

Continue reading Autoblog does the Baja 500: Round 2, the race [w/VIDEO]

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GM may add car line to closing Canadian truck plant

2008-06-12T07:55:00.003-07:00

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GM may add car line to closing Canadian truck plant

via Autoblog by Jeremy Korzeniewski on 6/11/08

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, GM, UAW/Unions, Canada

Despite rising tensions (and a lawsuit) between General Motors and the Canadian Auto Workers union, the automaker may be interested in adding a new car line at its soon-to-closed truck plant in Oshawa, Ontario. Though that plant was originally scheduled to stay open a few more years, slumping sales of full-size trucks built there have forced GM to announce its early closure along with three other pickup and SUV plants. Since that announcement, union workers have barricaded GM Canada's headquarters for the last eight days in protest, which we'd imagine might make it difficult for GM management to negotiate with union officials... but what do we know?

According to The Detroit News, however, GM has been talking with Ontario's Economic Development and Trade Minister, Sandra Pupatello, who says that the government is very interested in securing the new vehicle line as quickly as possible. Even if a decision is made in short order, it is likely the plant's 2,600 workers would be out of work for up to two years after the closes and before its ready again with new tooling for a passenger car line.

[Source: The Detroit News]

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Dodge Ram production idled at Mexico plant

2008-06-12T07:55:00.001-07:00

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Dodge Ram production idled at Mexico plant

via Autoblog by Jeremy Korzeniewski on 6/11/08

Filed under: Trends, Trucks/Pickups, Plants/Manufacturing, Dodge, Earnings/Financials

Another victim of the downturn in sales of full-size pickup trucks was revealed today as Dodge will be closing its Saltillo plant in northern Mexico for a period of two weeks. The plant produced nearly 170,000 Ram trucks last year. Yesterday, Chrysler CEO Robert Nardelli indicated that Ram production would need to be adjusted to reflect weak customer demand, and this seems to be the adjustment. According to reports, the plant was idled on Monday and its two-thousand workers are set to return to work on June 23. Last month, sales of the Ram fell by an alarming twenty-five percent. We'd imagine that the last thing Chrysler wants is a large stock of unsold 2008 Ram trucks as it readies the 2009 model, which will thankfully get somewhat better fuel mileage.

Dodge is certainly not the only automaker finding it tough to move large pickups off dealer lots. Both Ford and GM have placed large incentives on their pickups and Toyota, Nissan and Honda have or will shift truck production to passenger cars at plants capable of making the switch.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

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Official Sketches of the 2010 Rolls-Royce RR4, But Still No Word on Powertrain

2008-06-12T07:45:00.000-07:00

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Official Sketches of the 2010 Rolls-Royce RR4, But Still No Word on Powertrain

via Car and Driver Blog by caranddriver.com on 5/27/08

We await details on the "unique" engine in the baby Phantom.

BY ALISA PRIDDLE

We've seen spy shots and artist's renderings, but now Rolls-Royce gives us the first official design sketches of the pending addition to its lineup: the RR4, or so-called "Baby Rolls," will slot below the Phantom when it launches in 2010.

As opposed to the Phantom which has a purpose-built, aluminum structure, the RR4 is based on the next-generation 2010 BMW 7-series, with a primarily steel body and some aluminum to keep total weight close to 5000 pounds.

The RR4's engine is new and unique to Rolls-Royce, the BMW-owned automaker claims. But the powertrain speculation is broad. Some have suggested the car will get a tweaked version of the BMW X6's new, twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8 rated at 400 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque. There also have been rumors of a diesel option. And, given its sportier mission than that of the huge Phantom, this car may be graced with something more powerful than the 453-hp, DOHC, 48-valve V-12 in the Phantom—after all, the RR4 will need to compete with the which has a 553-hp twin-turbocharged W-12 that propels it to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds and a claimed 195-mph top speed. The RR4 is also expected to compete with the and perhaps the .

Keep Reading: 2010 Rolls-Royce RR4 Official Sketches and Info - Car News

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2009 Ford Flex - A Glimmer of Hope for a Struggling American Icon

2008-06-12T07:44:00.009-07:00

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2009 Ford Flex - A Glimmer of Hope for a Struggling American Icon

via Car and Driver Blog by caranddriver.com on 6/11/08

Ford's unique crossover ends a streak of blue-oval blandness.

BY STEVE SILER

A cooling fan on hot day. Orange Popsicles. Ice-cold sangria. The 2009 Ford Flex. What do these things have in common? Each is undeniably refreshing.

Yes, after a seemingly interminable series of painfully bland products, Ford has finally built something interesting. And after a brief drive of the Flex—in, of all places, New York City and its swanky 'burbs—we're feeling cautiously optimistic about the funky four-wheeled box. And, for that matter, about Ford.

We're not necessarily ready to say we love the thing, but we do like it. We are impressed with many aspects of it, and fortunately, we think they are aspects that count—i.e., features that help it carry a bunch of people and things in comfort and with reasonable economy. Which, after all, is precisely the point of vehicles like this.

Keep Reading: 2009 Ford Flex - First Drive Review

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2008 Pontiac G8 GT vs. 2008 Dodge Charger R/T

2008-06-12T07:44:00.007-07:00

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2008 Pontiac G8 GT vs. 2008 Dodge Charger R/T

via Car and Driver Blog by caranddriver.com on 5/27/08

A Double Dip of That Old-Time Religion: Testifyin' in a holy-roller showdown at the church of the big-inch V-8.

BY TONY SWAN

You may recall, ye disciples of wheelspin, that cars such as these—middle-class American sedans with big ol' American pushrod V-8 engines—were once quite common. They were everywhere, and dads who brought home new cars with six cylinders risked excommunication by their teenage sons. It was the era of cheap fuel and four-barrel carbs, when domestic automakers sought to get us all to worship at the Temple of Torque. And this policy met with widespread success.

It's no secret that this Old-Time Religion (OTR) is in decline today, the congregations drifting away, scattered by concerns about the price of fuel, concerns about where the fuel comes from, and concerns about the consequences of burning that fuel.

Whatever your CO2 position may be, it seems clear that there probably won't be many more cars like these two. NASCAR's so-called stock cars notwithstanding, Ford no longer acknowledges the Church of the Big Inch, at least not in sedans with any pretense of fun-to-drive. Only Chrysler and GM have four-doors that qualify for OTR vestments, and we've gathered this pair for side-by-side services, to see which does a more convincing job delivering the gospel.

Keep Reading: 2008 Pontiac G8 GT vs. 2008 Dodge Charger R/T

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2008 BMW M3: A New Addiction

2008-06-12T07:44:00.005-07:00

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2008 BMW M3: A New Addiction

via Car and Driver Blog by Jon Yanca on 5/29/08

The new M3 is an amazing piece of machinery. There is little doubt in my mind that it was a worthy winner of a recent comparison test against the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG and Audi RS 4. With its 414-hp V-8 screaming to 8300 rpm, I have a new addiction.

The V-8 in our Melbourne Red coupe came hooked to a traditional six-speed manual, and I'd have it no other way. I know F1-inspired, dual-clutch transmissions make for better test numbers, but to me there is no substitute for banging off shifts with a classic stick-shift.

Cruising in the M3 last week, I felt like a child refusing to come inside for dinner, as the sound, the fury, the excitement, and the power were intoxicating. Rowing the gear shift to unlock the V-8's full potential rewards you with tire chirps through third gear and an unholy sound bellowing out of the M3's quad exhaust; it drives me wild. Coming to a stop was just as exciting, since I got the chance to hear the M3 howl again.

To the credit of the RS 4 and C63, both have their own beautiful V-8 symphonies, but the M3 just does it for me. The pops and gurgles of the C63 keep me grinning for hours, but the lack of a manual kills my enthusiasm. The RS 4's all-wheel-drive setup may be good for traction, but it puts the kibosh on real tail-out fun. Rear-wheel drive with a manual tranny is the configuration for me, and that's a big reason why I prefer the M3.

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2008 BMW 128i: The 1-series I'd Buy, But Not At $42K

2008-06-12T07:44:00.003-07:00

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2008 BMW 128i: The 1-series I'd Buy, But Not At $42K

via Car and Driver Blog by Erik Johnson on 5/29/08

I've had the good fortune to spend time in a 128i during the past week—with an automatic slushbox, no less—and I fell in love. The 135i is fast, what with that beastly, 300-horse twin-turbo inline-six under the hood, but the 128i is better balanced, not to mention a fair amount less expensive. Unless, that is, the 128i in question is the press car I was driving, which had a sticker stuck to it that read—no lie—$42,395, an incredible $13,020 over the $29,375 base price. So I set about trimming the fat on our test car's sticker to something a little more appropriate:

Cashmere Silver Metallic paint ($475): Boring and ugly—and gone.

Cold Weather package (heated seats, ski bag, headlamp washers; $750): See ya.

Premium package (garage opener, aluminum or wood interior trim, leather seats, auto-dimming mirrors, power front seats, BMW Assist, adjustable lumbar; $3600): Holy crap, that's a lot of coin—it's gone, too.

Automatic tranny with steering wheel paddles ($1275+$100): Are you kidding me?

Comfort Access ($500): Tempting, since it keeps you from the having to insert the stupid key before hitting the starter button, but it's out the door.

Xenon headlamps ($800): Tossed out like Lindsay Lohan's career.

iPod and USB adapter ($400), HD radio ($350), Premium hi-fi system ($875): The 1-series already has an aux-in. What's HD radio? Hi-fi—what is this, the early '60s? Do I get a record player? All gone.

Nav system with iDrive ($2100): I'll grab a TomTom for 1/5 the price, and I won't have to deal with iDrive.

That leaves us with two worthwhile options:

Sirius satellite radio ($595): Expensive, but I gotta have my Left of Center.

Sport package (17-inch wheels, sport seats, sport suspension, Shadowline trim; $1200): Essential.

After having gone to BMW's site and building "my" 128i, I ended up with an Alpine White over black leatherette coupe fitted with Sirius radio, the Sport package, and stand-alone heated seats ($500) for an out-the-door price of $31,670—not too shabby. You're no longer priced over a $39,000 335i sedan, plus you've got plenty of money left over for go-fast goodies and tires. It's the 1-series I'd buy.

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2008 Mercedes-Benz ML320 CDI: What a Weekend

2008-06-12T07:44:00.001-07:00

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2008 Mercedes-Benz ML320 CDI: What a Weekend

via Car and Driver Blog by Tom Adams on 5/27/08

I lucked out on the car board and got the ML320 CDI for a weekend. This mid-size SUV has all the equipment and image you'd expect from a serious off-roader, but seems too posh inside to actually venture off-track. I was tempted to take it out to my muddy back pasture, but the prospect of soiling the fine leather interior and ice-blue paint convinced me to keep it on the pavement.

The Merc is perfectly sedate and a fine performer, and it's not over the top like the Cadillac Escalade. The diesel engine is quiet and powerful, rarely betraying its presence; you forget its a diesel until you need to make a trip to the pump. The fuel mileage was the very best part of my weekend with the ML, even though we were a bit disappointed with it when we filed a road test of the luxurious diesel a couple of years ago.

When I filled the tank on Monday morning, it asked for only 8 gallons! Granted, diesel is 50 cents more than premium gas, but I did a lot of traveling on those 8 gallons. The trip computer claims the range on a full tank is 620 miles. That's probably optimistic, but even 500 miles on a tank would be incredible for a vehicle of this size.

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2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR Confirmed for June

2008-06-12T07:43:00.003-07:00

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2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR Confirmed for June

via Car and Driver Blog by caranddriver.com on 5/23/08

The boy-racer's pinup gets a quick-shifting transmission and new gadgets.

BY JAKE HOLMES

Boy racers rejoice! Mitsubishi has announced that the long-awaited MR version of the Lancer Evolution will arrive in American showrooms in June.

The tenth-generation Evo is available in two flavors: base GSR trim, which is already on sale, and now the high-performance MR edition. Both use a turbocharged inline-four cranking out 295 horsepower and have all-wheel-drive, but the MR is fiercer: it sports lighter wheels, stiffer Bilstein shocks, and lightweight two-piece brake rotors.

Keep Reading: 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR - Car News

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Infiniti G37 Convertible Poised to Lose Its Lid Within a Year

2008-06-12T07:43:00.001-07:00

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Infiniti G37 Convertible Poised to Lose Its Lid Within a Year

via Car and Driver Blog by caranddriver.com on 5/23/08

Playing tit for tat with BMW, Infiniti's G37 coupe flips its lid for 2009.

BY STEVE SILER

Nissan's long-rumored convertible version of the G37 was finally confirmed—albeit quietly—by Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn in the automaker's annual financial report for the 2007 fiscal year (which ended March 31). About three-quarters of the way through its tedious rundown of net profits, revenues, and financial risks, Nissan outlined the products it plans to release between now and March 31 of next year, most of which we knew about and a few of which are already out. But the G37 convertible had yet to be confirmed.

Keep Reading: Infiniti Confirms G37 Convertible - Car News

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Intel shows off robotic hand with "Pre Touch" object conformation

2008-06-12T06:55:00.005-07:00

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Intel shows off robotic hand with "Pre Touch" object conformation

via Engadget by Joshua Fruhlinger on 6/12/08

Filed under: Robots

Robotics have come a long way, but they still often miss that innate, nervous sense of reluctant touch. Intel researchers have achieved something similar with a robotic hand that uses electrolocation to create a robotic hand conform to the shape of an object before interacting with it. Shown at Research@Intel Day, the hand uses fish-like electrolocation to bounce electric fields off of objects and then conform the hand to that shape in real time. They call the dynamic "Pre Touch," and it could prove useful for configuring robotics before they interact with objects without, say, damaging them or missing the interface completely. We've been aware of the technology for some time, but as you can see in the video after the break, Intel finally has something to show, and the results are what can only be described as a strangely nervous robotic hand.

Continue reading Intel shows off robotic hand with "Pre Touch" object conformation

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