IMW

Disappointing iPhone pricing plans.

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:07:00 +0000

With the release of the iPhone 3G which is due to go on sale this Friday here in New Zealand, Vodafone have released the prices, much to the disappointment of many people. The prices when compared to the iPhone around the rest of the world is just ridiculous. There is even an online petition asking Vodafone to have them available as a pre-pay and to review the pricing structure.

Vodafone New Zealand is selling Apple's 8 gigabyte iPhone 3G from $199, but only on a 24-month contract and charging $250 per month. The plan includes voice calls, SMS and 1GB of data per month. A two year total of $6000.

In Australia the 8GB iPhone wont cost anything on a 24-month plan from Optus, And only charges A$79 (NZ$105) per month for 700MB of data. A two year total of $A1896 (NZ$2520).

In the UK, O2 sells the 8GB iPhone for £99 (approx NZ$250), on a 18-month plan, £30 per month contract. This plan has unlimited data and runs at £819 (NZ$2137) over a two year period.

In Canada, you can get the 8GB iPhone for C$199. However this is on a three year contract but still works out to C$1639 or (approximately$NZ2100) over two years.

Vodafone New Zealand wont sell the iPhone on pre-pay, however people can purchase the iPhone outright without a data plan and no contract to use only for voice and SMS on vodafones origional plans, Which doesnt make sense to me, You may aswell just stick to your origional phone, But anyway for those that just want an iPhone to look the part you will be able to buy the 8GB model starting from NZ$979 and the 16GB model for NZ$1129, PLUS the monthly cost of the plan, and it can't be used on the net nor can you download emails unless you buy a separate data plan. Australian company Optus will sell the iPhone on pre-pay, The 8GB model will cost A$729 (NZ$926), And the 16GB model A$849 (NZ$1080).

I haven't come across any price plans from Asia but would definitely be interested to know.

First 500 day.

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 02:21:00 +0000

I just want to say a very special thank you to "Monkey Fables" and "Make Every Day Your Lucky Day" for such a successful days traffic from Entrecard, Also thank you to everybody who has dropped on my blog.

I have received over 500 drops today (06 July) for the first time. It was only about 4 weeks ago that i received my first day of 300 and only a week ago i got my first 400. Thanks again.

Tri-nations, AB's Vs Springboks.

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 11:30:00 +0000

The first game of the 2008 tri nations series started tonight with the game between the All blacks of New Zealand and the Springboks from South Africa who are the current rugby world champions. Its been 10 years since the springboks have won a game in New Zealand. With Richie McCaw out injured, Rodney So'oialo was appointed captain of the All Blacks.

Daniel Carter was the first to score in the fifth minute with a penalty from directly in front putting the AB's in front 3-0. All the points that came in the first half came from Daniel Carter's penalty kicks, The only try in the first half was to South Africa's winger Bryan Habana who scored in the left hand corner, The try was unconverted and the half time score was 9 - 8 to the AB's.

The All Blacks first try came soon after the second half started and was set up initially by Dan Carter but it was the No 8 Jerome Kaino over for his first test points. Dan Carter landed his fourth penalty with only nine minutes to go which secured the win for the All Blacks and extended the All Blacks world record winning streak at home to 30 matches, And a ten year undefeated winning streak against the Springboks in New Zealand.

The final score was All Blacks 19 South Africa 8

Truck drivers protest.

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 10:02:00 +0000

Truck drivers throughout New Zealand took part in a stand-off this morning (Friday 4th July) in a protest against a road-user charge increase. There was about 4,400 trucks that took part in the protest which is approximately 20% of New Zealand's commercial transport fleet. The protest took place across all six of New Zealand's major cities, plus many more smaller cities. The minister of transport raised the price of road user chargers overnight after saying a year ago that one months notice would be given to any future price increases.

This has come at a time when the cost of living has increased by around 30 percent over the past year, All food, Drink, Fuel etc is delivered by trucks and the increase means that they have to pass on the increase to the consumers, So no surprises that the truck drivers recieved a huge amount of support from motorists. there were some motorists that couldn't help themselves and had to abuse the protestors, I guess some people dont understand how these increases affect them. Internet polls showed over 90% support for the truck drivers

The hardest hit city was Auckland where over 2,000 trucks slowly made their way into the city at a slow five kilometers an hour, and holding up thousands of motorists by blocking motorways, One particular motorway was backed up over 30 kilometers. Transit New Zealand asked the truck drivers to keep the fast lane free on the motorways to allow traffic through.

The protest officially started at 7:30 am and the congestion wasn't cleared until well after 1pm. As i looked out of the office window at work, all i could see was trucks, hundreds of trucks all tooting their air horns and rallying support, It was an amazing sight and sound, And if the government dosen't do something about it, They say they will protest again but next time it will disrupt even more.

Top ads for June

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 22:29:00 +0000

The next tallest building in the world.

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 10:00:00 +0000

With the Burj Dubai still under construction but nearing completion, Dubai have come up with yet another landmark of the future, This skyscraper is called the Al Burj, Its location was initially planned to be developed on the Palm Jumeirah's trunk, where Donald Trumps new international Hotel and Tower is being planned, but was later shifted to Dubai Waterfront the world's largest man-made waterfront development.

At the moment it is said that it will be at least 1,400 meters to the tip of the antenna,making it the tallest building in the world by around 600 meters, It will be a mixed use structure with a combination of offices and residences with 228 floors and just under 1.5 million square meters of floor area.

The laying of the foundations have already started even though final designs haven't yet been finalized. There are apparently more than ten massive skyscrapers planned for dubai at the moment. When will it stop? Hopefully never, This is one futuristic city i cant wait to see, Make sure you take a look at Read my mind post about Hydropolis, Dubai's amazing underwater hotel resort. to see more of Dubai's future.

Earthrace shatters world record.

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 08:26:00 +0000

On the 18th of June, I posted about Earthrace, A powerboat that runs on Bio-Fuel and skippered by a New Zealander by the name of Peter Bethune, Ive just recently found out that they have smashed the round the world speed record, The 24,000km circumnavigation took only 60 days, 23 hours and 49 minutes which broke the previous record by 13 days, 21 hours and 9 minutes.

The boat and its crew set off from Spain on April 27 in an attempt to challenge the world record that had remained unbroken since 1998, when it was set by the British boat, Cable and Wireless Adventurer.

The boat crossed the finish line in Sagunto, Spain, at 2.24pm on Friday June 27, and completed the journey using 100 percent biofuel to demonstrate and draw global attention to the potential for alternative fuel sources.

Congratulations to the team.

Are you in control of your speed?

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 07:57:00 +0000

The NSW Center for Road Safety will install 100 cars with GPS devices that will not only notify the driver of the speed limit but also warn them when they are going to fast. The technology will be trialled in Illawarra, (New South Wales), Victoria and Western Australia next month and run for one and a half years.

The system warns the driver of the speed limit aswell as the speed they are travelling, If the driver doesn't react and slow down, other technology will kick in to limit the supply of fuel to the engine, Which will reduce the speed to the limit.

This technology is said to cost over one million Australian dollars for the 18 month trial, And if the trials are successful it will make the system available to the public at an estimated cost of installing the devices at between A$700 and A$800 per car. aswell as adopting this technology to all cars during manufacture in future.

Up until now its only been an annoying beep that tells you your going to fast, And that was easy to disconnect. I wonder if this piece of annoying technology will stop when you turn the GPS off.

Robot for lonely men??

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:33:00 +0000

I came across an article on the net a few days ago about a robot for lonely men, The first thing that came to my mind was "Are you serious?" How the hell could this replace the love of a woman?
It is described as big-busted, petite and very friendly. She runs on batteries and uses infrared sensors.

The Japanese firm has produced a 38 cm (15 inch) tall robotic girlfriend that kisses on command, they are said to be going on sale in September for around US$175, And the target market is lonely adult men. It enters 'love mode' when a human head gets close to it.

A spokeswoman for the maker, Sega Toys, Said "Strong, tough and battle-ready are some of the words often associated with robots, but we wanted to break that stereotype and provide a robot that's sweet and interactive, She's very lovable and though she's not a human, she can act like a real girlfriend."

Im sure that if your that desperate for some attention, a kiss wouldn't be enough.

Game 2, New Zealand / England

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 10:05:00 +0000

Tonight was the second test between the All Blacks and England. The All Blacks beat England in Christchurch, sealing the test series two nil with a score of 44 -12. The All Blacks outscored the English five tries to two to complete a 2-0 test series sweep following last week's 37-20 win in Auckland.

Tonight New Zealand finished the first half with a 20-0 lead, thanks to tries by debutant Richard Kahui and Daniel Carter, However, The All Blacks have lost captain Richie McCaw and veteran lock Ali Williams with ankle injuries, robbing the All Blacks of two of their on-field leaders for the remainder of the game.

Daniel Carter scored 22 points through a try, four conversions and three penalties and Richard Kahui, Ma'a Nonu, Sione Lauaki and Jimmy Cowan crossed for the All Blacks.

The two tries scored by England came from halfback Danny Care and winger Tom Varndell in the second half. The England captain said after the game "We have competed strongly but have failed to capitalise on scoring situations, while the All Blacks have converted almost every opportunity handed to them".

Next is the tri-nations series between New Zealand, Australia and South africa, With the All Blacks playing against South Africa in two weeks time.

Biofuel powerboat

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 03:24:00 +0000

As many people may already be aware, The fastest eco boat on the planet is attempting to break the round the world speed record using Bio fuel, and with a net zero carbon-footprint. Pete Bethune from New Zealand is the skipper of Earthrace, Bethune and his wife mortgaged their house and sold everything they own to help make this project happen, while continuing to seek support from sponsors. Demonstrating further commitment to the cause, Bethune underwent liposuction and donated enough to produce 100ml of biofuel, while two other, larger volunteers also had the procedure, making a total of 10 liters of human fat, This in turn produced seven liters of biofuel, which could help the boat travel about 15km.

Earthrace is a 78 foot alternative fuel powered wave-piercing trimaran, it can carry 3,000 gallons of fuel, and weighs 23 tonnes when fully fueled, Earthrace is powered by twin Cummins QSC 540 diesel engines with propellers pitched for the record attempt. The boat reaches speeds at around 25 knots. At more sedate passage making speeds in the order of 15 knots, the boat will have sufficient range for large stretches of open ocean involving up to 2500 nautical miles between refueling stops - the slender central hull and tuned sponsons offering excellent fuel efficiency.

Circumnavigating the globe represents the pinnacle of powerboat challenges, and more than 24,000 nautical miles is the world's longest speed challenge.
The current record holder is British boat Cable and Wireless Adventurer which took 75 days in 1998.

The boat is designed to cut through waves rather than sail over which enables the boat to go faster through big seas compared to conventional craft.

At the moment the world record attempt has slowed dramatically as it battles rugged weather on the leg from India to the Arabian Peninsula.

Earthrace refuelled at the weekend in Kochi, on the west coast of India, but managed just 414km in her first 24 hours, and is now travelling at only 20km/h.

It is travelling 2600km to Salalah in the sultanate of Oman, where it is expected to arrive late on Wednesday or early Thursday, then on to Port Said in Suez.

New Zealand skipper Pete Bethune said on his website that he was trying to avoid hull damage in confused and lumpy seas and deteriorating conditions.

It's The Summer Kickoff Contest! Is now on

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 08:47:00 +0000

Blog me the money is running a Huge contest -- Just in case you missed this Big-Big contest i will give you the list of prizes, this is to make sure that i didn't wasted your time because contest as big as this should not be missed. I am one of the sponsors and i offered 1000EC including a 125x125 ad running for one month It's Free Advertisement here at IMW. Contest is already started and runs until 6th of July 2008.

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Billboard barcodes.

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 03:18:00 +0000

The prospect of flashing a mobile phone at a movie poster to get screening times and buy tickets or aiming a handset at a business card to spare the hassle of manually entering the details might seem a bit fancy and futuristic to most, But this Technology does exist and has done for quite some time, Up until now its only been available in Japan.

Known as Quick Response Codes, the square bar codes on flyer's, newspapers or T-shirts provide a direct link to a web page. When mobile phones with internet capability are swiped over the top, the user is taken directly to a related web page. The process allows people to easily obtain restaurant locations, book a taxi, find nutritional information, listen to music, enter competitions and sign up for giveaways.

This technology was pioneered in Japan. Advertisers started placing the codes on billboards, magazines and shopfronts back in 2000. In Japan, mobile phone users only have to position the code inside a square viewfinder on their screen to be taken directly to a corresponding website. Since then, it has been embraced by almost every retail industry and adopted by consumers to encode personal details on business cards, Mc Donalds in Japan have even put codes on hamburger rappers and Supermarkets put them on meat and egg packaging to provide information about the farms that produced them.

They can be scanned and read by software provided in almost every one of Japan's 100 million handsets. However, Special phone software is needed to read the codes. In some cases this can be downloaded from the internet, but Quick Response Code-compatible phones will be available in the future.

According to a survey in Japan, 73 per cent of consumers have used Quick Response Codes, And among teenagers the figure rises to 90 per cent.

All Blacks Vs England.

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 11:14:00 +0000

The All Blacks played the first test against England on Saturday night (NZ time). The All Blacks won with a very convincing scoreline of 37 - 20 at Eden park in Auckland in front of a packed crowd of 44,000 people. This win was New Zealand's 23rd win in 30 tests against the English since 1905 and leaves the 2003 English team as the most recent visiting team to win on New Zealand soil.
The game saw the midfield duo of Conrad Smith and Ma'a Nonu play an integral role in the game and first five Daniel Carter surpass 700 points in Test match rugby.

With Richie McCaw and Carter's futures now secured, perhaps the New Zealand Rugby Union's crack team of contract negotiators should turn their attentions to Ma'a Nonu. After a magnificent test against England, the second five-eighths who is uncommitted after year end, surely now enters the "must-have" category.

This was a test dominated by the All Blacks, apart from the opening quarter of an hour, when the All Blacks took a while to settle to their work, and a brief moment before halftime. The match did rather lose shape in the middle stages of the second half, but by then it was long decided.

The All Blacks scored two tries in each half, Smith getting the first of them with a classical finish and Nonu setting up the third with a great run where he exposed the lack of defence of Charlie Hodgson. Dan Carter had the second touchdown and a personal haul of 22 points and Sitiveni Sivivatu, got in on the act with his 23rd try in as many tests.

Topsy Ojo scored a try near the end of each spell to salvage something for an English side that was outplayed, but not disgraced. To their credit they ran till the very end.

Still, you had to figure the All Blacks would have been kicking themselves about taking only a 23-13 lead into the changing rooms at half time. Really it could have been much more and it probably should have been.

When Mils Muliaina finished Nonu's outstanding break three minutes into the second spell, and Sivivatu stretched the lead to 37-13 soon after, it was pretty much over.

The victory was the All Blacks' 23rd in 30 tests against England who will get another crack at the New Zealanders next Saturday night in Christchurch.

New Zealand 37: Tries: Conrad Smith, Dan Carter, Mils Muliaina, Sitiveni Sivivatu. Cons: Carter (4). Pens: Carter (3).

England 20: Tries: Topsy Ojo (2). Cons: Ollie Barkley (2). Pens: Barkley (2).

Its not an excuse, Get the message?

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 09:17:00 +0000

Lately there has been several deaths on New Zealand roads caused by drivers texting or talking on their cellphones, This is a problem worldwide. Late last year a drunk 20 year old who was texting, drove his vehicle through a stop sign and into another vehicle, Unfortunately the couple in the other vehicle were killed following the crash, The pair were in their 70s and were driving home after celebrating their 49th wedding anniversary. The only punishment the drunk texter received was home detention and loss of his drivers license for 3 years. Is that really an acceptable punishment? I don't think it is.

Cellphone distraction has contributed to 446 vehicle crashes, 34 deaths and 587 injuries in New Zealand since 1995.

This has made our government consider amending the land transport rules to make the practice illegal. Drivers would still be able to use hands-free devices, but the use of PDA's (Personal digital assistants) would be included in the ban. Are hands free kits just as dangeous? Studys have shown that it's not just the physical distraction, it's the sense of the driver being absent from the real driving situation. In the UK a survey back in 2002 shows drivers reaction times were severally impaired while using cellphones, and were as bad as being drunk. But official stats show cellphones are not the major cause of driver distraction. Smoking a cigarette, tuning a radio and reaching for the glove box all cause more crashes than cellphones.

This Law (if passed) will bring New Zealand into line with at least 45 countries, including Australia and the UK, where legislation to ban the use of mobile phones while driving is already in force, and if your caught by the police, You shall receive a penalty of NZ$50 (US$40) and 25 demerit points. Which in my opinion is pathetic? And once you have received 100 Demerit points (within a 2 year period) you lose your licence for a 3 months.

I find it difficult to understand why people need to call or text while driving, is life really that urgent? How the hell did people manage before cellphones existed?
In those countries where the use of mobile phones while driving has already been banned, Has the number of deaths caused by cellphone use been reduced?
Im curious of how many of you text while driving?

All Blacks Vs Ireland.

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 03:53:00 +0000

Saturday night (June 7) the All Blacks played their first game of the 2008 season against Ireland, It is also the first test since there World Cup exit eight months ago, Just six All Blacks retained their starting spots from the World Cup calamity against France last October and while the match was touted as the start of a new era, All Black coach Graham Henry clearly has a lot of work to do to get his team up to the standard of recent seasons. Also a return to the old rugby laws which the IRB changed for the southern hemisphere as a trial (Which in my opinion definitely speeds the game up). So considering going back to the old laws aswell as a team that have only been together for all of six days, They played remarkably well.

The final score was, All Blacks 21. Ireland 11. Ireland have never won a game against the All Blacks in test rugby and have played 21 tests and spanning 103 years, Ireland's only try came in the 21st minute to second five-eighth Paddy Wallace, named to start late in the week following injury to Luke Fitzgerald. The All Blacks responded just six minutes later with a well-constructed move from their own half which ended with winger Sivivatu scoring for his 22nd try in 22 Tests. But during the first half of the game the Irish led for long periods and the score was 8-8 at half time so there first win was definitely looking hopeful.

Two key scoring plays midway through the second half broke the hearts of the Irish, who had looked more than capable of pulling off an upset throughout the first 60 minutes, However the All Blacks were never comfortable and only just squeezed through courtesy of a converted 63rd-minute try from Ma'a Nonu and three penalties from Dan Carter.

The All Blacks next test match is June 14 from Eden Park in Auckland (Which is also the venue for the 2011 world cup grand final) against England, This should be another tough match.

Gaming consoles, plasma TVs big energy users.

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 23:59:00 +0000

For all those Mums and Dads out their who have kids, Do you realize just how much your gaming console is costing you annually just in electricity? I found an article recently that says gaming consoles such as the Sony Playstation 3 can burn up to five times more energy than a medium sized refrigerator, and a Sony Playstation 3 switched on but not in use, could cost almost US$200 a year in electrical bills, whereas a medium sized refrigerator would cost less than US$40 a year.

Keep reading to find what else is costing you the most.

Plasma television's were also one of the top energy users, which is said to be consuming more than four times as much energy as a traditional analogue television set.

The average desktop PC, tested independently of its monitor, was third on the list of top energy consumers. However, the PC's Apple equivalent, the iMac, an all-in-one model with a built-in display, used just two-thirds of the energy consumed by a monitor-less PC.

LCD computer monitors were found to use only about half as much energy as the older (CRT) cathode-ray tube monitors.

Men hitting Women. Is it acceptable?

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 08:47:00 +0000

I recently came across a discussion in a forum entitled "Would you ever hit a woman". I was quite surprised and shocked with some of the replies. So i thought i would post the same question on my blog.

I have my opinion on the matter but i would like to know everybody else's opinions.

MEN, Would you ever hit a woman?
WOMEN, Whats your opinion on men that hit women?

Crusaders win seventh Super title

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 01:23:00 +0000

The final of the super 14 competition has finished for 2008, with the Canterbury Crusaders (New Zealand) playing against the New south wales Waratahs (Australia). Congratulations to the Crusaders who won by 20 points to 12 to claim their seventh Super rugby title and given Robbie Deans ( Who has coached the side to five super titles) a fitting farewell as he moves to Australia to coach the Australian national side on a four year contract. The Crusaders dominated possession and territory, but the Waratahs were aggressive but dogged in defense in front of a full-house of 26 000 at AMI Stadium in Christchurch. It was a remarkable seventh title for the Crusaders in their ninth final appearance.

Two tries to electric winger Lachlan Turner gave the Waratahs a 12-3 lead after 30 minutes but they were not to score again as the grinding dominance of the Crusaders forward pack eventually reaped its reward. This sentiment was never better epitomised than in the 17th minute when after a long period of exerted pressure Casey Laulala ignored a massive overlap and cut inside and bombed a certain try.

The game's most controversial moment came in the 56th minute when Crusaders prop Wyatt Crockett scored from a sweeping move but play was called back on a report from South African touch judge Cobus Wessels, who reported Thorn for throwing a punching back on the halfway line.

I cant wait until the 2009 super 14 season starts, Its the best rugby tournament in the world with the best players from southern hemisphere.

Image Source: Crusaders Official Website

Choices of monitors. Whats best for you..

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Fri, 30 May 2008 08:19:00 +0000

What to look for when buying a monitor.

Size is an obvious and simple start. With monitors size is measured diagonally and in inches, and ‘the bigger the better' is probably a good rule to go by.

LCDs are bigger than CRTs with the same measurement as CRTs have larger frames that obscure some of the screen. A 21-inch CRT will show about the same area of screen as a 19-inch LCD.

Larger monitors are easier on your eyes, just like larger text in a book is - and they also support higher resolutions. Resolution is the number of pixels displayed on the screen (a pixel is a single point in an image). Make sure the resolution you go for suits the screen size - it's no good going for high resolution on a screen that's too small as the pixels have to be crammed in to fit - making for difficult reading.

LCD monitors have a set number of pixels - called "native resolution". As a general rule, it's best to go with the native resolution you're comfortable with. If you run a LCD at any resolution other than its native resolution, the display can become fuzzy or blurred. The resolution you see is also dependent the capability of your graphics card or video card - the part of your computer hardware that generates and outputs images to your screen.

If you buy a brand new monitor with the latest features but have a PC that's been around for while, your graphics card may need to be upgraded to get the best picture possible. Graphics cards also come as separate devices that can be plugged into your computer.

If you're going to watch movies and particularly if you're into games, make sure you buy a monitor that has a low response time. The response time is how quickly a pixel can change colours, measured in milliseconds. If you are a gamer, go for a monitor with a response rate of less than 5ms.

Contrast ratio is the difference in light intensity between the whitest white and the blackest black, for best effect go for the highest you can, but get at least 700:1. Film buffs and gamers should aim higher.
Whatever contrast ratio you settle on, your monitor should look equally bright when viewing light and dark images.

In monitor-speak brightness or luminance refers to how much light a screen can produce. It's usually measured in candelas per square meter (cd/m2). It makes sense to get as bright a monitor as you can, because you can always turn it down but make sure it's at least 300cd/m2. 500 cd/m2 is better for TV and movies.

Viewing angles (mentioned above) are important too. The brightness and colour of LCD pixels can darken if viewed from an angle rather than front-on. Again manufacturers' specifications may not be completely accurate, so always inspect it on the shop floor if you can before you make any decisions. Colours and brightness should not change in the corners of the screen.

Some monitors come with extra features. Multifunction monitors perform as both a computer and TV screen. These can either be LCD monitors with built in TV tuners or Plasma TVs or screens that function as monitors. Some monitors have digital connections which can be hooked up with a graphics card with a digital video interface to give you a better picture. Also some are equipped with USB ports and speakers, but unless you're short on space, don't worry about it these too much.

Scott Dixon wins the Indianapolis 500

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Mon, 26 May 2008 09:23:00 +0000

As a New Zealander with a interest in motor racing, I thought i better post about the recent Kiwi race driver Scott Dixon and his win in the Indianapolis 500.

Dixon won yesterdays Indianapolis 500, after qualifying on pole position, (His qualifying speed was a massive 364.3km/h or 226.336mph) and became the first New Zealander to ever win it. In America, winning the Indianapolis 500 is ten times bigger than winning the Formula One world championship.

Dixon will pocket US$2.5 million after his potentially career-defining result. The total prize purse for the premier American sporting event is over US$13 million and will be split between the 33 drivers - only 21 of whom actually completed the race.

Dixon started the 500-mile (804km) event from pole position, and led 115 of the 200 laps to take home the iconic trophy. The 27-year-old recently said that a win at the Indy500 would mean more to him than winning the Indy Car championship again. As the race neared its end, the Team Chip Gnassi Racing driver had built a solid lead over Vitor Meira (who had put a stunning pass on Dixon on lap 159) in second place after retaking the lead from the Brazilian after a pit stop. With just four laps remaining, Vitor Meira had another run on Dixon, but as lap traffic came into play, the flying Kiwi proved untouchable, crossing the line 1.74 seconds in front with an average speed of 231km/h (143.567mph).

Dixon's best finish at the Brickyard was last year when he came second behind Brit Dario Franchitti, who also won the series.

HD move over, Its time for 3D

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Sat, 24 May 2008 08:26:00 +0000

Hi-def days are numbered as 3D TV takes shape

Philips expects full 3D televisions to be available to consumers within the next 3 years.

Philips Electronics have given reporters a quick look into its research pipeline, demonstrating a prototype that was still fuzzy around the edges. Operating like a holographic greeting card, it combines slightly different angles of the same image to create video that appears to have different depths as your eyes scan it.

The result is uneven, at some moments blurry, and at others merely two dimensional. But sometimes the apparent depth or protrusion can be startling.

Specialized models have been sold to corporations - mostly movie theaters and casinos - where they are usually used for advertising signs since 2006. But Philips said the product is not yet ready for consumer rollout.

Philips' 3D television is one of several products shown to reporters, ranging from space-age lighting for shop windows to energy efficient water purifiers intended for the developing world.

The company has sold more than 2 million televisions with "ambient" back lighting to heighten mood effects. The company's vice president for research, Fred Boekhorst, said that Philips plans similar features that would involve "other senses." Such as smell-o-vision? A TV that reaches out and punches you in the nose? Boekhorst wouldn't say, other than that it would "involve emotions."

Philips showed off lighting products in early stages of development, including one using light-emitting diodes that is transparent like ordinary glass until it is turned on - and then its entire surface turns into a light.

For emerging markets, Philips has developed a water purification system based on ultraviolet light, which fries away organic material such as bacteria.

Other companies also are using ultraviolet light for water purification. Philips claims its next generation will be capable of cleaning 6 liters of water per minute, using 30 watts of electricity.

Philips already has introduced a household model in India, but the technology could also be used for bottle-sized versions for individuals, and in larger installations for cities.

Extreme engineered VW

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Wed, 21 May 2008 09:16:00 +0000

I came across this VW recently and was completely amazed, Ive seen Trucks and Dragsters with Jet engines but this is just a little different, It has a production gasoline engine in the front driving the front wheels and a jet engine in the back. So having a gasoline engine in the front would make it street legal.

The engine is a General Electric Model T58-8F which is a helicopter turboshaft engine that was converted to a jet by some internal modifications and a custom tailpipe. The engine spins up to 26,000 RPM (idle is 13,000 RPM), It draws air at 11,000 CFM, and is rated at 1350 hp. It weighs only 300 lbm. The mounts in the front are rubber and the back are sliding mounts on rubber.

There are three gauges for the jet. RPM, Oil Pressure, and Turbine Inlet Temperature. The most important is turbine inlet temperature. If you exceed about 650 degrees C (1200 degrees Fahrenheit) for a long, you will damage the engine. The throttle for the jet engine is located next to the gear selector. It is a lever and has three buttons: Cool, Big-Fire, and Afterburner. "Cool" leans out the engine and is used to lower the turbine inlet temperature if you get a hot-start. To light big-fire or the afterburner, you hold a button down and 1/2 second later, press the hot-streak button on the floor.

Air for the jet enters the car through the two side windows and the sunroof. It must be a little windy inside but imagine the air getting sucked in the intake, (Thats one way of getting rid of a bad smells in the car) but due to the heat produced, Starts are limited to three per hour.

Diamonds for the Monaco GP

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Tue, 20 May 2008 03:20:00 +0000

Lewis Hamilton has been crowned F1's 'King of Bling', showing off his new diamond-studded helmet that he will be wearing in Monaco. In the build up to the 2008 Monaco Grand Prix, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and Steinmetz, creators of the world’s finest diamonds, are proud to announce the continuation of their long-running partnership. Lewis was presented with his helmet at the McLaren Technology Center earlier this week whilst Heikki will receive his on Wednesday in Monaco.

The helmets, each with the drivers' signature traced out with hundreds of gems, are the creation of diamond company and McLaren sponsor Steinmetz. The drivers will also receive diamond rings, in Hamilton's case for the second year in a row after he was given one worth $US10,000.

This is the first year that the Steinmetz logo - or any other sponsor’s logo in Formula 1 history, has been added into the design in diamonds. In celebrating Steinmetz’s unprecedented attributes of master craftsmanship and integrity, the Steinmetz logo has been paved using Forevermark diamonds. Forevermark diamonds are the world’s most preciously selected diamonds.

This weekend is the Famous Monaco GP which has been won by Ferrari for the past four consecutive years, Hopefully for McLaren and Lewis Hamilton it will be a different result this year, Even though McLaren have been a little of the pace of Ferrari. I personally cant wait for the race, Its one of the most entertaining races of the season.

Jet powered man

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Sat, 17 May 2008 09:45:00 +0000

Yves Rossy is a 47 year old ex-military pilot who calls himself the 'Fusionman' He is a Swiss adventurer with a taste for the airborne bizarre, He recently tested his new jet-powered carbon fiber wing and flew at a height of 2500 meters above the town of Bex in western Switzerland. This is the second version of Fusionman's wing, after losing control of the first during a jump in 2005.

He performed various aerobatic manoeuvres steering with his body, Rossy dived, turned and soared again, performing what appeared to be effortless loops from one side of the Rhone valley to the other. At times he rose 2,600 feet before descending again. And then deploying a parachute and landing safely.

His 2.5 meter 'wing' - perhaps the ultimate big boys toy - is fitted with four jet engines, So he must wear heat-resistant suits similar to ones worn by racing drivers and firefighters. The jet engines are ignited before he jumps from a plane. Once in full flight, Rossy can hit speeds of up to 300km/h, but can only stay in the air for 10 minutes before the fuel capacity of the small jets runs out.