MODERN TECHNOLOGY

Amazing New The Water-Powered Jetpack

noreply@blogger.com (Md Arif Hossain) — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 11:10:58 PST

A jetpack for the masses is finally here and not a moment too soon. Canadian inventor Raymond Li has come up with a new kind of jetpack that is water-powered and will allow the flyer to hover 30 feet in the air and zoom at speeds up to 22 miles per hour. The contraption should be available this summer for around $136,000.

JetLev Promo

Called the Jetlev (and available for sale within weeks), Li's invention requires the flyer to be above water. A long hose sucks up water and then the attached jetpack blasts the water downward, "creating up to 500 pounds of thrust," according to CNN. Once in the air, the flyer can use the hand controls to adjust the speed and height.

Alas, it ain't cheap. But just because you can't afford to buy one, that doesn't mean you'll be completely shut out of the futuristic fun. A spokesperson for the Jetlev's manufacturer, MS Watersports GmbH, says that his company may make the invention available at certain resorts. Why own when you can rent?

Wired.com goes into more detail on how the jetpack really works. "Your horizontal distance is only limited by flight time... and you can scoot around at 35 mph for up to two hours." Wired also writes that, all things considered, the Jetlev isn't all that dangerous. "Falling 30 feet onto water might not be pleasant, but neither is it going kill you." That sounds like a perfect tagline to us.

Below, a promo video of the Jetlev in action. Note that the U.S. version, which is final assembly now, will look slightly different. It will be white and made of fiberglass, not carbon fiber.

2011 Coolest New Cars

noreply@blogger.com (Md Arif Hossain) — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 08:04:52 PST

Like the dawn of a new year, the 9 cars in this list are full of promise and potential. From high-powered exotics to nimble family sedans and sporty hatchbacks, the class of 2011 has something for everyone. These cars are cooler than a red-nosed Times Square reveler at 12:01 a.m. on January 1st. They’re also the cars we’re most excited to drive in 2011:

Chevy Camaro Convertible

Chevrolet is finally bringing the convertible version of its iconic muscle car to market, and we couldn’t be happier. The Chevrolet Camaro Convertible arrives this spring, just in time for perfect top-down weather. The Camaro has always been a great-looking car, with the only major fault being its limited rear visibility—a sacrifice you make for the aggressive styling. With a convertible top stowed away, this bowtie-wearing sports machine suddenly offers an unimpeded 360-degree view of the world. Pricing starts at approximately $30,000 for the Camaro Convertible equipped with the potent V-6 engine. Though we’d be tempted to pay extra for the growling 426-bhp 6.2-liter V-8, which comes with a choice of 6-speed manual or automatic transmission.

Ford Boss Mustang

Ford is bringing back a legend with the revival of the Boss Mustang. Originally conceived in the late-1960s—in the heat of Trans-Am competition and during the height of the muscle-car era—the Boss came to be revered by Mustang fans. Ford looks set to inspire a new generation with the 2012 edition of the Boss Mustang. The car’s rumbling 440-bhp 5.0-liter V-8 engine and wild bodywork seem as though they came straight from a racetrack (circa 1969). Adding to the retro theme are items like adjustable dampers that require a screwdriver to adjust—like on the original Boss—along with an optional red-colored “track key.” This dealer-installed option changes 200 engine parameters, improving torque and throttle response while also enabling a configurable launch control ideal for drag racing. The suspension has also been upgraded to match the performance potential of the rest of this potent ’Stang.

McLaren MP4-12C

The McLaren F1 is still considered by many to be the ultimate supercar. Built from 1992 to 1998, the 3-passenger F1 (the driver sits in the middle) could hit a top speed of 231 mph. So when a new McLaren sports car comes to market, well, you can bet we’re going to take notice. The new McLaren MP4-12C is targeting rivals like the Ferrari 458 Italia and Lamborghini Gallardo, armed with a lightweight carbon-fiber tub that cradles a twin-turbocharged 592-bhp 3.8-liter V-8 engine behind the cockpit. A 7-speed twin-clutch sequential-shift transmission is the only gearbox on offer—there is no clutch pedal, or traditional manual shifter. Also gone from the original F1 is the unique 3-passenger layout, though the suave cabin of the MP4-12C is a perfect blend of Formula 1 technology and business-class luxury.

VW Golf R

Volkswagen is finally bringing its critically acclaimed Golf R to the U.S. With all-wheel drive and a snarling turbocharged 270-bhp 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine, this is definitely not your everyday Golf hatchback. The exterior is toughened up, thanks to bigger air intakes in the front fascia, a subtle roof spoiler and chunkier alloy wheels. VW says the Golf R is capable of hitting 60 mph in only 5.5 seconds. Better still, you shouldn’t lose time in the corners, or during inclement weather, thanks to the all-wheel-drive hardware putting power to the pavement. To help keep you in control—and in place—when the road gets twisty, the cabin features heavily bolstered sport seats and a thick-rim steering wheel.

Buick Regal GS

How did a Buick sedan find its way onto a list that includes wild supercars and gorgeous convertibles? The answer is the Regal GS, a sports sedan that proves Buick is committed to targeting a younger, more driving-focused audience. The 2012 Buick Regal GS has a sport-tuned suspension, along with a turbocharged 255-bhp 4-cylinder engine that offers plenty of performance without the penalty of high fuel consumption. Buick says the Regal GS should reach 60 mph in less than 7 seconds. There is even a 6-speed manual transmission for drivers who prefer to shift for themselves. The cabin of every 2012 Regal GS will be black, with satin-finish trim on the steering wheel, console and instrument panel. The car comes loaded with standard features, such as satellite radio, park assist, pushbutton start and premium sound system. Arriving in the latter half of 2011, the Regal GS should be priced somewhere around $30,000.

2011 Faster Car in North America

noreply@blogger.com (Md Arif Hossain) — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 00:10:57 PST

Whether you're behind the wheel of an outrageous sports car this holiday season or, like most of us, find yourself sprinting to find the shortest check-out aisle, chances are good you'll come to appreciate the importance of having the quickest top speed. Like little kids drawn to a toy store's display window, car enthusiasts of all ages are always drawn to the sparkling sheet metal and snarling engines of the world's fastest cars.

For this first round of flat-out speed demons, we've drawn up a list of the six fastest cars sold in North America. The rules are few, which seems only right when discussing cars built to breach 200 mph. All have to be street-legal, sold in the U.S., and available from a mainstream manufacturer. This meant excluding some pretty amazing vehicles, like the Hennessey Venom GT and Callaway SC606, along with exciting upstarts like the German-built Gumpert Apollo supercar. We'll get to these, and more, in a future story.

Choosing a winner was easy, since nothing short of a jet fighter delivers the performance of the top-speed champion in this list. Yet, more amazing is the fact that almost all the cars listed could be driven on a daily basis ñ even if doing so would probably make you the most generous contributor to your local Police Athletic League.

2011 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport - 268 mph

You can do a lot of things with $10,075. But if you want to own the $2.7 million Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport, currently the fastest car in the world, that's about the price you'll pay for every mile-per-hour the car is capable of. The Veyron's astounding price tag is matched only by its outrageous top speed, a fully-documented and verified 268 mph. The 1,200-hp French-built Bugatti set the new standard in supercar bragging rights last summer, at the sprawling Ehra-Lessien test facility owned by the firm's parent company, Volkswagen. The Veyron Super Sport features larger turbochargers and intercoolers fitted to the quad-turbo W-16 engine. Additional bracing, extra cooling ducts and special aerodynamics are fitted to the Super Sport, so that safety and stability are not sacrificed for top speed.

2011 Ferrari 599 GTO - 208 mph

Any Ferrari is special, but not all can exceed 208 mph - and even fewer wear the brand's fabled GTO badge. The name was made famous by the original and stunningly beautiful 250 GTO, built from 1962-1964. When one comes up for auction, an original GTO is guaranteed to sell for millions of dollars. So consider the $450,000 you'll pay for the new 2011 Ferrari 599GTO a veritable bargain - at least compared to its classic predecessor. The new model's 661-hp 6-liter V-12 makes the 599 GTO the most powerful road-going Ferrari ever. Give it enough open road and the 599 GTO should exceed 208 mph, according to Ferrari. Being an Italian supercar, it looks quick even when standing still. Based on the 599 GTB, the GTO is 220 pounds lighter, thanks to the use of lightweight materials, including thinner glass than the standard car.

2011 Porsche 911 GT2 RS - 205 mph

There is a reason Porsche has kept itself busy for nearly five decades refining the 911 sports car. Each new model is packed with more performance, and the latest pinnacle is this, the 911 GT2 RS. This is the most powerful road-going Porsche ever built. The 620-hp 3.6-liter twin-turbo flat-6 engine has variable turbine geometry (VTG) and sends all of its power to the rear wheels. Forget the four-wheel-drive safety net of the 911 Turbo, the GT2 RS is as close as you can get to a racing Porsche that can be also used for a dash to the local mall. According to Porsche's statistics, which are routinely on the conservative side, the GT2 RS can sprint from zero to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds and reach a top speed of 205 mph. You better move fast, since only 135 copies of the GT2 RS, priced at $245,000, are headed to the U.S.

2011 Corvette ZR1 - 205 mph

The $110,750 Corvette ZR1 is the cheapest way to break into the 200-mph club. In the case of this snarling Chevy coupe, that would be an official top speed of 205 mph. Don't be fooled by an exterior that appears similar to the standard 430-hp Corvette. Under the ZR1's skin beats the heart of a 638-hp supercharged 6.2-liter V-8. The wild motor is visible to passersby, thanks to a clear hood scoop that announces exactly how potent this 'Vette truly is. The cabin is also a quantum leap forward from the plasticky Corvette interiors of a generation or two ago. It might lack some of the hand-craftsmanship of the other vehicles here, but the ZR1 has a sticker price that is less than half that of the competition; a fact that more than makes up for any lack of mahogany paneling or titanium switch knobs. The ZR1's trunk will even hold a week's worth of luggage.

2011 Bentley Continental Supersports - 204mph

The Bentley Continental Supersports is four-wheeled proof that refinement and luxury can go hand-in-hand with crushing performance. Despite weighing more than 5,000 pounds, and having a cabin that looks like it belongs in a Gulfstream business jet, the Continental Supersports can reach 204 mph. Credit the 621-hp turbocharged W-12 engine, which shares some of its mechanical lineage to the monster motor found in the Bugatti Veyron (both Bentley and Bugatti are owned by Volkswagen). The Bentley Continental Supersports is, you guessed it, the most powerful Bentley ever produced. Driven sedately, the Continental wafts along in unsurpassed quiet and comfort. Push the gas pedal, and the acceleration knocks you back and deep into the car's hand-stitched leather seats. Permanent four-wheel-drive helps keep all this power under control, as does agile steering and a suspension that can be tuned to favor either comfort or sporty driving.

2011 Lexus LFA - 202 mph

Lexus doesn't exactly spring to mind when thinking about incredible performance and jaw-dropping looks. We all know the Japanese brand can build high quality luxury vehicles of all shapes and sizes. But can Lexus actually take the fight to exotic cars? The Lexus LFA is the answer; and the result is a 202-mph supercar that looks like it jumped directly out of a video game. There is nothing subtle about the LFA, and not many soft edges to be found anywhere on the hyper-aggressive 2-door body. To keep weight down, the car is made out of three different types of lightweight carbon fiber. Not that the 560-bhp 4.8-liter V-10 engine mounted up front needs any extra help hurling the LFA down the road. Priced at $375,000, you could buy 11 Lexus IS sedans for the price of one LFA - and still have some cash left. Yet with only 500 scheduled to be built, the rarity and performance of the LFA ensure it legendary status amongst the sports car elite. And for those who really don't like to wait...
The status that comes with owning one of the world's fastest cars isn't limited to only brand-new models. Just because you're lucky enough to afford one of the world's fastest exotic cars doesn't necessarily mean you'll manage to put one in your garage. Most of the cars on this list were sold out as soon as they were announced, usually in hushed tones, to well-heeled buyers. However, recently discontinued supercars, like the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren and Lamborghini LP670 SV, might no longer be brand new, but still look phenomenal and easily exceed the 200-mph mark. The SLR McLaren can hit 207 mph, while the Lamborghini touches 209 mph.

Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren & Ferrari Enzo
Opting for a gently-used Ferrari Enzo, which is capable of 218 mph, versus the 599 GTO also doesn't strike us as much of a sacrifice. Produced from 2002 to 2004, the Enzo was Ferrari's flagship supercar. The same holds true for the Porsche Carrera GT, a carbon-fiber masterpiece produced from 2004 to 2006. This super-Porsche could hit 205 mph. Yet for many purists, nothing can top the McLaren F1. With seating for three (the driver sits in the middle of the car) the McLaren F1 is capable of 231 mph - with the rev limiter in place, of course. For many, the F1 remains the supercar to beat even if the Bugatti has since captured the title for world's fastest car.

Fuel-Efficient Cars,

noreply@blogger.com (Md Arif Hossain) — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 11:42:15 PST

Efficiency-minded car buyers have three choices to get 30 mpg or better: diesels, hybrids, or subcompacts. But each brings tradeoffs. Subcompacts usually have low prices but lack the space, comfort, and versatility of larger diesels and hybrids. On the other hand, buyers of hybrids and diesels can expect to pay a premium over their equivalent models with conventional power trains.
This group highlights the diversity of cars that can attain such high overall fuel economy. It includes the new Honda CR-Z hybrid two-seater, manual and automatic versions of the new Ford Fiesta and Mazda2 subcompacts, and the larger, turbodiesel Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI (all available to subscribers). Prices of those cars also span a broad range. The subcompacts cost $14,770 to $17,795. The Honda CR-Z rang in at $21,510, and the Jetta wagon cost us $27,204. We can recommend the Jetta because of its high road-test score and average predicted reliability. The others are too new for us to have reliability data. The CR-Z also scores too low in our road tests for us to recommend.

The long-anticipated Fiesta is a European design that has been available overseas for two years. We bought a top trim level SES hatchback with a manual transmission and a midlevel trim SE sedan with an automatic transmission.

The Mazda2 shares a bit of the Fiesta’s basic architecture and has been sold in Europe for several years before coming here. But it is very different from the Fiesta. The Mazda2 doesn’t have the Fiesta’s transmission technology, amenities, and refinement, but it does have a roomier backseat. We bought a Mazda2 Touring with an automatic transmission and a Sport version with a manual transmission.

Honda’s CR-Z is a stylish, two-seat, hybrid runabout based on the current four-door Honda Insight. It has styling that is a clear homage to the CRX, a Civicbased coupe from the 1980s. Like the CRX, the CR-Z tries to prove that sporty and fuel-efficient are not mutually exclusive.

Although the Jetta sedan was redesigned for 2011, the SportWagen soldiers on with the previous design. The diesel TDI’s emissions are clean enough for it to be sold in all 50 states. Because many Jetta TDI buyers opt for a manual transmission, so did we. Compared with the other cars in this month’s test group, the Sport- Wagen is roomy and versatile and features a lot of high-end amenities, but it also costs considerably more.

Beijing 'Egg' shaped house on sidewalk

noreply@blogger.com (Md Arif Hossain) — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 23:45:19 PST

Beijing architect lives in egg-shaped house on sidewalk

Dai Haifei, a 24-year-old architect in Beijing, China, found an ingenious solution to live rent-free. He built himself a mobile egg-shaped house that is powered by the sun.

The 6-foot-high structure, which is small enough to fit on a sidewalk, is made of bamboo strips, wood chippings, sack bags, and grass seed that’s expected to grow in the spring.

The pod features a solar panel on the roof that powers a lamp in the cozy space. The house cost around $1,000 to build (6427 yen), according to China Daily.

It seems Haifei has taken the trend of living in tiny spaces to a whole new level.

Resort For A Future,China’s WaterWorld,

noreply@blogger.com (Md Arif Hossain) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 07:24:24 PST

The Atkin’s Architecture group which is the famous multinational engineering and design consultancy with more of Middle East and Indian clientele, has recently been awarded first for their excellent designing and engineering on the resort in Songjiang, China, called the Water World, for an international design competition.

The Water World built in a magnificent quarry that is filled with water, is a perfect example of blending nature with modern contemporary designs. The resort hotel with elegant 400 bedrooms is splendidly constructed amidst this natural environment. The resort has the unique underwater public areas and guest rooms, along with restaurants, cafes, sporting facilities and more.

The resort’s lowest level boasts of an aquatic theme with a luxurious swimming pool, and there is an extreme sports center available for rock climbing and bungee jumping which are accessed by special lifts from water. With the spectacular view of this resort, the project surely deserves the acclaim and honor, it has received.

China's skyscraper boom buoys global industry,China's next record..........

noreply@blogger.com (Md Arif Hossain) — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 23:41:05 PST

The 121-story Shanghai Tower is more than China's next record-setting building: It's an economic lifeline for the elite club of skyscraper builders.

Financial gloom has derailed plans for new towers in Chicago, Moscow, Dubai and other cities. But in China, work on the 2,074-foot (632-meter) Shanghai Tower, due to be completed in 2014, and dozens of other tall buildings is rushing ahead, powered by a buoyant economy and providing a steady stream of work to architects and engineers.

The U.S. high-rise market is "pretty much dead," said Dan Winey, a managing director for Gensler, the Shanghai Tower's San Francisco-based architects. "For us, China in the next 10 to 15 years is going to be a huge market."

China has six of the world's 15 tallest buildings — compared with three in the United States, the skyscraper's birthplace — and is constructing more at a furious pace, defying worries about a possible real estate boom and bust. It is on track to pass the U.S. as the country with the most buildings among the 100 tallest by a wide margin.

"There are cities in China that most Western people have never heard of that have bigger populations and more tall buildings than half the prominent cities in the U.S.," said Antony Wood, executive director of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.

China is leading a wave of skyscraper building in developing countries that is shifting the field's center of gravity away from the United States and Europe.

India, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia have ultra-tall towers under construction or on the drawing board. In the Gulf, Doha in Qatar and Dubai — site of the current record holder, the 163-story Burj Khalifa — each has three buildings among the 20 tallest under construction, though work on all but one of those has been suspended.

The shift is so drastic that North America's share of the 100 tallest buildings will fall from 80 percent in 1990 to just 18 percent by 2012, according to Wood. He said by then, 45 of the tallest will be in Asia, with 34 of those in China alone.

"So 34 percent of the 100 tallest buildings will be in a single country. That has only happened once before, and that was with the USA," he said.

In China, skyscrapers are going up in obscure locales such as Wenzhou, Wuhan and Jiangyin, a boomtown north of Shanghai. It is building a 72-story, 1,076-foot (328-meter) hotel-and-apartment tower that will be taller than Manhattan's Chrysler Building.

China's edifice complex is driven by a mix of demand for space in a crowded country with economic growth forecast at 10 percent this year and local leaders who want architectural eye candy to promote their cities as commercial centers.

Dozens of midsize Chinese cities are building new business districts to replace cramped downtowns. They look to the model of Shanghai's skyscraper-packed Pudong district — China's Wall Street — created in the 1990s on reclaimed industrial land.

"Governments are encouraging these iconic buildings in order to give a very clear message to the outside world: Please pay attention to our city," said Dennis Poon, managing principal of Thornton Tomasetti, the Shanghai Tower's structural engineers. The New York-based firm also is working on the 115-story Ping An International Finance Center in Shenzhen, near Hong Kong, and other Chinese projects.

China has four of the 10 tallest buildings under construction, versus two for the United States — and work on one of those, the 2,000-foot (610-meter) Chicago Spire, has stopped.

The Shanghai Tower will be China's tallest office tower, surpassing the neighboring Shanghai World Financial Center in Pudong. The 2-year-old WFC passed the Jinmao Tower, also in Pudong, for the title.

China accounts for 65 percent of Gensler's worldwide revenues from projects that involve buildings 35 to 40 stories and above, according to Winey.

The firm is working on some 50 projects in China that total 80 million square feet (8 million square meters), the equivalent of San Francisco's entire stock of commercial office space, he said. China revenues are rising by 30 to 35 percent a year and its staff of 140 people in offices in Beijing and Shanghai should expand to 500 in the next seven years.

The boom has drawn a Who's Who of star architects and given Chinese firms their first shot at designing a skyscraper.

Shenzhen's Ping An tower was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox; the New York firm's other projects include the 116-story East Tower of the Chow Tai Fook Center in Guangzhou, also near Hong Kong. Chicago-based Skidmore Owings & Merrill designed Beijing's tallest building, the 75-story China World Tower III, and the 76-story Tianjin World Financial Center in Tianjin east of Beijing, due to be completed next year. Jiangyin's Hanging Village of Huaxi was designed by China's A+E Design.

Tianjin, a port and oil-refining center with ambitions to be a finance and tech hub, is building four towers of at least 75 stories. One of them, the Goldin Finance 117, will be 117 stories and nearly 2,000 feet (600 meters) tall.

Instead of Western-style single-use office or apartment towers, many developers diversify their revenue sources by making buildings a mix of hotel and office space, with a shopping mall in the base and luxury apartments at the top.

The new space is hitting the market just as Beijing tries to cool a boom in construction of luxury housing and shopping malls. Regulators warn that a supply glut could leave lenders with unpaid loans if developers default.

But demand for high-end office space is so strong that the skyscraper market should face no such problems, said Danny Ma, director of China research for real estate consulting firm CB Richard Ellis. He said the new buildings should fill up quickly because many are the first in their cities to offer high-quality facilities required by foreign and major Chinese companies that are expanding there.

"More and more tenants are keen to move to such buildings," Ma said. He said developers are signing up tenants in advance for 50 to 60 percent of the space in new projects, enough in many cases to make them profitable.

China is helping to propel development of skyscraper design and urban planning as developers face government pressure to make buildings environmentally friendly and integrate them into busy cities.

The Shanghai Tower will have a double-layer glass exterior to insulate it and cut heating and cooling costs, an advanced feature that might be rejected as too costly in the U.S. or other Western markets, Winey said.

"You can do a lot more experimentation here," he said. "It's an amazing place to be, because you can do things here that you can't do anywhere else in the world."

breaks record,China passenger train hits 300 mph,

noreply@blogger.com (Md Arif Hossain) — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 11:25:14 PST

A Chinese passenger train hit a record speed of 302 miles per hour (486 kilometers per hour) Friday during a test run of a yet-to-be opened link between Beijing and Shanghai, state media said.

The Xinhua News Agency said it was the fastest speed recorded by an unmodified conventional commercial train. Other types of trains in other countries have traveled faster.

A specially modified French TGV train reached 357.2 mph (574.8 kph) during a 2007 test, while a Japanese magnetically levitated train sped to 361 mph (581 kph) in 2003.

State television footage showed the sleek white train whipping past green farm fields in eastern China. It reached the top speed on a segment of the 824-mile (1,318-kilometer) -long line between Zaozhuang city in Shandong province and Bengbu city in Anhui province, Xinhua said.

The line is due to open in 2012 and will halve the current travel time between the capital Beijing and Shanghai to five hours.

The project costs $32.5 billion and is part of a massive government effort to link many of China's cities by high-speed rail and reduce overcrowding on heavily used lines.

China already has the world's longest high-speed rail network, and it plans to cover 8,125 miles (13,000 kilometers) by 2012 and 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers) by 2020.

The drive to develop high-speed rail technology rivals China's space program in terms of national pride and importance. Railway officials say they want to reach speeds over 500 kph (312 mph).

The Next Wave Of Green Cars

noreply@blogger.com (Md Arif Hossain) — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 03:26:06 PST

The first mass-market electric vehicles are about to go on sale in selected cities, kicking off the beginning of a wave of new green vehicles hitting showrooms over the coming year.

The Chevrolet Volt, from General Motors, and the Leaf, from Nissan, both launching in December, are just the beginning of the electrification trend. At least eight hybrids and 12 plug-in electric cars in every price range are planned for 2011, with another batch of electric vehicles (EVs) expected in 2012.

The rollout of these vehicles will be regional, starting with California and a handful of other states, including New York, Texas, Washington, Oregon, Arizona and Tennessee, among others. It could be several years before EVs are readily available across America. Each employs different powertrain technologies, so it pays to do your research at sites like www.hybridcars.com or pluginamerica.org.
But here are the basics:

A hybrid, as the name suggests, uses both a gasoline engine and electric motor to power the car, switching back and forth as necessary. A plug-in hybrid is similar, but comes with a larger battery that allows the vehicle to travel solely on electric power for short hops, but not for long stretches. An extended-range electric vehicle, like the Volt, can go up to 40 or so miles on electricity, after which a small gasoline motor kicks in to recharge the battery and keep driving. A pure EV, like the Leaf, runs solely on electricity and needs to be recharged every 100 miles or so.

When it comes to hybrids, Toyota's Prius is the only one anyone ever really talks about, so it might surprise you that there are 27 other hybrid models already on the market today, including hybrid versions of the BMW 7-series, Mercedes S-class and Lexus LS.

Many more are coming. They include luxury cars like the recently introduced Porsche Cayenne S hybrid SUV, which, at $67,700, sells for about $4,000 more than the gasoline version of Porsche's bestselling vehicle, and the Lexus CT 200h compact, due in early 2011, which is aimed at a younger, Gen-X crowd, and will likely be priced under $32,000.

German carmakers, which had been trying to steer more Americans to clean diesels, are now making a big push on hybrids and plug-ins, too. A hybrid version of the Volkswagen Touareg SUV comes out next month, followed by a hybrid VW Jetta small car in 2012.

Meanwhile, virtually every carmaker, including many industry newcomers, is working on some sort of electric plug-in car, though not every company is ready to take them into the mass market. They're rolling them out slowly, to utilities and government fleets, until there's a charging network that can support them.

Some exceptions: The Coda sedan is an electric vehicle assembled in California with parts imported from China that will sell for $44,900. A federal tax rebate will bring the cost down to $37,400, and buyers could be eligible for additional state and local incentives. The car will be marketed through a unique network of retail stores and delivered to customers in person. The first deliveries are expected before the end of the year, and Coda says it plans to produce 14,000 by the end of 2011.

Another small company with big plans is Think, based in the Netherlands. It's building its tiny Think City at a factory in Indianapolis, which is expected to sell for about $34,000 when it goes on sale next year. Think plans to sell 2,000 to 3,000 of the cars in 2011.

Ford Motor hasn't even started selling its next-generation Focus compact (it goes on sale at the start of the year), but it's already planning an electric version. The Focus EV will go on sale in late 2011, and will be manufactured alongside the gasoline version at a factory in Michigan. Chrysler, controlled by Italy's Fiat , will sell the Fiat e500, a plug-in version of Fiat's cute 500 city car, beginning in 2012.

Toyota, which sold an electric version of its Rav4 SUV a decade ago, is now working on the second generation with help from Tesla, the Silicon Valley startup that markets a $100,000 electric roadster. Tesla will build and supply the lithium-ion battery pack and other components. A small fleet of new Rav4 EVs will be tested in 2011, with the expected full-market launch expected in 2012.

Five of the Next Wave of Green Cars

Honda CR-Z hybrid
On sale now
Honda's newly launched hybrid sports coupe costs between $19,200 and $23,210, making it the most affordable hybrid on the road.

Hyundai Sonata hybrid
On sale soon
Hyundai hasn't yet announced the price of this hybrid version of its hot-selling new Sonata mid-sized sedan. But with an improving quality reputation and its claim to have the most fuel-efficient lineup in the country, Hyundai likely will polish that image with this car.

Lincoln MKZ hybrid
On sale now
Lincoln says its first hybrid gets 41 mpg in the city and 36 mpg on the highway, best in the luxury car
segment. It priced the car identically to the gasoline-powered version, at $35,180.

Porsche Cayenne S hybrid
On sale now
This hybrid version of Porsche's biggest seller promises 24 mpg, which is a huge improvement over the 13
city and 19 highway mpg for the V-8 version. At high speeds, the engine shuts down, allowing the car to "sail" using only electric power. Pricing starts at $67,700, about $4,000 more than the Cayenne S with a gas engine.

Lexus CT 200h hybrid
Due in 2011
It's the first vehicle from the Japanese carmaker that was designed from the ground up as a hybrid.

Wild Concept Cars at the 2010 LA Auto Show

noreply@blogger.com (Md Arif Hossain) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 07:00:28 PST

Optimism is back in style in the automotive world. The concept cars on display during the 2010 LA Auto Show prove that automakers are again willing to take risks and push boundaries. After a couple dismal years of sales due to a global recession, manufacturers are exhibiting a renewed sense of creativity.

Some of the concept cars seen in Los Angeles rely on heritage to spark a new ideas for the 21st century. The aggressive-looking Audi Quattro Concept is a modern interpretation of the German company's famous all-wheel-drive sport coupes from the 1980s.

Other automakers chose to break all the rules and display cars that look ready to take flight or travel through time. The Jaguar C-X75 and Mercedes-Benz Biome concepts are not only wildly futuristic, they're absolutely gorgeous, and a sign of even more good things to come.
Mercedes-Benz Biome

This is the Mercedes-Benz you'll aspire to own in, say, 2310. The bright white concept looks like it belongs on the set of Star Trek. Yet the Biome was actually designed at the German company's design studio in Carlsbad, California. There's room for four-passengers inside, or so we're told, and the seating position is in a diamond format.

The best part is that Mercedes-Benz says the Biome can be grown from seeds, and not built in a traditional factory. It sounds crazy, but that's part of the fun with any dream car. Using genetically modified trees and powered by something called BioNectar4534, Mercedes-Benz says the Biome's bio-fiber cloth body would be grown organically, and on the road, the car would emit pure oxygen. The Biome reportedly would weigh only 875 lbs.

It will be several generations before anyone starts pondering the spec sheet for a genetically-built Mercedes like the Biome.
Jaguar C-X75 Concept

Following its impressive Paris debut, the Jaguar C-X75 turbine-electric hybrid supercar took center stage at the LA Auto Show. While very much a concept, the C-X75 represents Jaguar's new design face for upcoming models. That's excellent news, because this is one pretty kitty.

Even better is the fact that all this beauty is more than skin deep. At each wheel is an electric motor that weighs 100 pounds and provides 195 horsepower (145 kW) of power. Power for the electric motors comes from a 506-pound lithium-ion battery pack, which Jaguar claims takes a full charge in just 6 hours at 240 volts. Running only on electric power, the C-X75 will provide a driving range of 68 miles.

With the help of two micro gas turbines, the C-X75's range jumps to 560 miles. Jaguar claims the C-X75 can accelerate from zero to 62 mph in 3.4 seconds, while top speed is reportedly 205 mph. All that turbine-generated power creates a lot of heat, as evidenced by sign at the exhaust outlets with the warning: Beware of blast.
Audi Quattro Concept

The Audi Quattro Concept is another Paris Auto Show veteran, but that did little to dampen enthusiasm for this muscular show car. The inspiration for this sport coupe stretches back a few decades. The German automaker built the Quattro Concept to celebrate 30 years of its Quattro all-wheel drive system and the Quattro Sport that dominated rallying in the 1980s.

Finished in Col de Turini white paint, the Quattro Concept is powered by a compact turbocharged five-cylinder engine that puts out a whopping 408 hp and 354 ft-lbs of torque. The chassis beneath the car comes from an Audi RS 5, with its wheelbase shortened and roof lowered. To further trim weight, the two-passenger Quattro has an aluminum body and hood, plus hatch and bumpers made of carbon fiber. The car weighs just 2,866 lbs.

Based on the positive reactions to the Jaguar C-X75 in Paris and Los Angeles, we don't see how Audi could decide not to build the potent Quattro.
Nissan Ellure Concept

The Nissan Ellure Concept, a world debut at the LA Auto Show, is meant to bring excitement back to the sedan category while meeting consumer demands for environmentally friendly vehicles. Thankfully, the Ellure's elegant exterior and classy cabin help the car meet these high expectations. The design is expected to heavily influence the next Altima and Maxima sedan.

The Nissan Ellure has what the Japanese automaker refers to as "rhythmic" shapes around the body. The polished grille is aluminum and acrylic, its wing shape apparently inspired by "Kamishimo," the Samurai's formal outer coat. The headlights are LEDs, with a light ribbon adding depth to their appearance.

Inside, the front seats are covered with black recyclable suede fibers and feature slender acrylic seat backs. The front seat passenger can make use of an ottoman (no joke). Under the hood is Nissan's next-generation hybrid propulsion system: a supercharged 2.5-liter inline-four-cylinder engine mated to an electric motor with lithium-ion batteries.
Cadillac Urban Luxury Concept

Also seen for the first time in Los Angeles, Cadillac's Urban Luxury Concept addresses the move to smaller and more fuel-efficient city cars. The exterior shape of the Urban Luxury Concept carries Cadillac's strong and instantly recognizable sharp contours of its Art & Science design philosophy. The huge 19-inch wheels are pushed to the corners of the diminutive body to create a muscular stance and maximize interior volume.

A large windshield, overhead skylights and see-through A-pillars aid visibility while adding a spacious feel of the interior. The Cadillac Concept accommodates four passengers, with access to the cabin handled by huge chiseled door slabs that open scissor-style.

The Urban Luxury Concept's powertrain is a hybrid, featuring an electrically assisted turbocharged 1-liter inline-three-cylinder paired to a dual-clutch transmission. An engine start-stop function and regenerative braking help nudge the fuel economy to a claimed 56 mpg city and 65 mpg on the highway.

It remains to be seen whether the Cadillac family tree has room for a vehicle like the ULC. Yet itís exciting to see the American brand combine traditional luxury with the push towards greater fuel-efficiency.
Mazda Shinari Concept

The LA Auto Show was the first opportunity for the public to see the handsome Mazda Shinari concept. Pictures of the car have circulated online, yet this was the fist auto show appearance for the sedan that represents the brand's new design language.

Traditional Mazda design elements will be retained, such as the five-point grille and the prominent front fender shape, but the four-door Shinari embodies a new dynamic that blends sharp character lines with sculpted body shapes to convey a sense of power and elegance.

Crisp character lines, sculpted body panels, and a pronounced cab rearward proportion give the Shinari a powerful appearance. The attention to detail is remarkable for a show car. The satin-finish metal trim that frames the bottom of the grille splays out through the headlamp openings. This strip seems to travel through the wheel arch and re-emerges as a side vent accent.

Elements of this new design might soon appear on passenger sedans like the Mazda6, as well as replacements for sporty models like the MX-5 Miata and RX-8.
Subaru Impreza Design Concept

The Subaru Impreza Design Concept is an aggressive, but familiar, outlook for the all-wheel-drive-all-the-time company. Gone are the days of the three-box Subaru, as the overall line from the front of the car, through the bottom of the A-pillar, the roof, through the C-pillar and ultimately the trunk, is smooth and continuous. The front end -- with all the character lines, headlights, fog lights and air openings -- is much sharper and more pronounced than before.

For a company that has sometimes struggled to find its own look, the Impreza Design Concept is a safe step towards a more lasting long-term impression. The engine is a 2-liter version of Subaru's trademark Boxer configuration flat-four motor. It's mated to a continuously variable transmission that Subaru calls Lineartronic.

The EyeSight system is a clever tech touch, comprised of a series of cameras located at the front of the roof. EyeSight provides for collision mitigation, and can display the feed that it sees through the in-dash video system. The cabin is filled with video panels, including one located on the lower spoke of the steering wheel.

Ingenious Flipper Bridge Melds Left Side Drivers With Right Side Drivers

noreply@blogger.com (Md Arif Hossain) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 13:21:34 PDT

post from Fast Company on 15 June 2010 12:41:01 PM. © Fast Company

Hong Kong drives on the left side of the road, mainland China on the right. So how do you prevent crashes when driving between them?

One of the most vexing aspects of traveling between mainland China and Hong Kong is the car travel: People in the former drive on the right side of the road; people in the latter drive on the left (a vestige of the British empire).

So to quell confusion at the border and, more importantly, to keep cars from smashing into each other, the Dutch firm NL Architects proposed a brilliant, simple solution, the Flipper bridge.

The bridge does exactly what the name suggests: It flips traffic around. The key here is separating the two sides of traffic, using a figure-eight shape. One side of the road dips under the other, funneling cars that were traveling on the left to the right (and vice versa), without forcing them to encounter head-on traffic at an intersection. The bridge makes what should be a disorienting switch exquisitely easy. Check out PixelActive's 3D model of the traffic flow below:

Say, for instance, you're coming from Zhuhai. As you cross the bridge on the right into Hong Kong, the highway slopes downward to let you pass under the oncoming traffic. As it slopes back up, you reemerge on the left. No cars barreling straight at you. No concrete labyrinth to maneuver through. No sweat (and, ostensibly, no blood).

The bridge is part of a master plan NL Architects floated for an ideas competition on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, a complex of bridges and tunnels connecting the west side of Hong Kong to mainland China and Macau. (As clever as their idea was, NL Architects, alas, didn't prevail; first prize in the professional category went to a proposal called "Under One Roof" that unctuously billed itself as "China, Macau and Hong Kong as one big family," all but ensuring a win.)

In some ways, though, perhaps the Flipper bridge may be too good of an idea. One of the great paradoxes of driving, as Tom Vanderbilt highlights in his terrific book Traffic, is that dangerous roads are actually safer precisely because they're perceived as dangerous; that is, they make drivers more vigilant and therefore less likely to get into a collision. (Which explains the seemingly inexplicable appeal of European roundabouts.)

In 1967, Sweden switched over to right-side driving, after years on the left, and everyone steeled themselves for a spike in accidents. Instead, incidents plummeted. Facing apparent peril, people became more cautious behind the wheel (and others probably stayed off the road altogether).

Sure, the Flipper bridge seems like a fail-safe idea. But what if a driver, lulled by the easy left-right transition, forgot that the change over had even been made? You can bet a horrifying accident would result. Sometimes, a little danger is a good thing.

Magdeburg Water Bridge,completed in October 2003..

noreply@blogger.com (Md Arif Hossain) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 07:13:28 PDT

The Magdeburg Water Bridge is a navigable aqueduct in Germany, completed in October 2003. It connects the Elbe-Havel Canal to the Mittellandkanal ("Midland Canal"), crossing over the River Elbe. The canals had previously met near Magdeburg but at opposite banks across the River Elbe. It is notable for being the longest navigable aqueduct in the world, with a length of 918 metres.

History
Canal engineers had first conceived of joining the two waterways as far back as 1919, and by 1938 the Rothensee boat lift and bridge anchors were in place, but construction was postponed during World War II. After the Cold War split Germany, the project was put on hold indefinitely by the East German government.
The reunification of Germany and establishment of major water transport routes made the Water Bridge a priority again. Work started in 1997, with construction taking six years and costing €500 million. The water bridge now connects Berlin’s inland harbour network with the ports along the Rhine river. The aqueduct's trough structure incorporates 24,000 tonnes of steel and 68,000 cubic meters of concrete.

Until the opening of the water bridge in October 2003, ships moving between the Midland Canal and the Elbe-Havel Canal had to make a 12-kilometre zigzag detour, from the Midland Canal south-east through the Rothensee lock into the Elbe river, downstream north-east on the river, then back up to the Elbe-Havel Canal south-east through Niegripp lock.

Nissan's new electric car will cost just over.........

noreply@blogger.com (Md Arif Hossain) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 04:36:33 PDT

Nissan's new electric car will cost just over $25,000 when it goes on sale in the U.S. in December, aiming to bring gasoline-free technology within reach of mainstream drivers.

The Leaf, a four-door hatchback, will have a base price of $32,780, but it's eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit for electric vehicles. That will make it cheaper to buy than electric vehicles coming from rivals and may force competitors to cut prices. But the Leaf's limited range of just 100 miles per charge for its lithium-ion battery could be a deal breaker for some motorists.

"We want to make sure the car is affordable, ready for the mass market and has mass appeal," Mark Perry, director of product planning and advanced technology at Nissan North America Inc., said in an interview.

Customers can start reserving a Leaf in the U.S. on April 20 and Nissan is aiming for 25,000 orders by December. It hopes to build and sell 50,000 of the cars around the world during the first model year. Production is starting at an existing factory in Oppama, Japan, south of Tokyo, and will expand to Nissan's factory in Smyrna, Tenn., in 2012.

Christopher Richter, an auto analyst at CLSA Asia Pacific Markets in Tokyo, predicted the car will prove popular among "people who want to be green, people who love technology and people who are status-conscious."

Sales during the first year will be limited to about 20 large cities in the U.S., including New York, Seattle and Atlanta, Perry said. He said Nissan hopes to expand Leaf sales nationwide by the end of 2011.

The Leaf's relatively low starting price — as well as an option to lease the vehicle for $349 a month — could touch off a price war among rivals. A spokesman for General Motors Co., which will begin selling its Chevrolet Volt electric car later this year, said it will look at Nissan's pricing before announcing its own closer to its December sales date.

The Volt is widely expected to cost around $35,000 before the $7,500 tax credit. Unlike the Leaf, the Volt is not a pure electric car. Instead it's propelled by electricity stored in a battery for up to 40 miles, at which point a gasoline engine kicks in, giving it hundreds of miles more in range.

Perry said the Leaf's 100-mile range is more than adequate for the distance driven by most Americans in a given day. Still, analysts say the psychological effect of so-called range anxiety might be an obstacle for the Leaf. The Volt's internal combustion engine eases that concern by allowing drivers to continue going long after the electric charge is depleted.

"The Volt ... has a much larger appeal," said Aaron Bragman, an auto industry analyst with IHS Global Insight in Troy, Mich.

It will take about eight hours to recharge a Leaf using a 220-volt electric plug — the kind used by most electric clothes dryers. Charging using a standard 110-volt outlet could take twice that. Nissan is giving Leaf customers the option of buying a home charging station at an estimated cost, including installation, of $2,200. That cost can be offset by a 50-percent tax credit up to $2,000.

At average electricity rates, charging the Leaf would cost about $2.80 per charge.

The Volt has a smaller battery than the Leaf and can't go as far on full electric power. But it can be fully recharged in eight hours on a standard 110-volt home outlet. Using a 220-volt outlet, it takes less than four hours.

The Leaf and the Volt will be the first among many electric cars due from mainstream automakers in the coming years. Until now, electric cars like the two-seater Tesla Roadster with a price tag of $100,000 have largely been playthings of the wealthy.

Tax credits for plug-in electric vehicles top out at $7,500. The size of the credit shrinks by automaker after it's sold at least 200,000 vehicles in the U.S. The credit then phases out over a year.

Nissan says the Leaf will cost 3.76 million yen ($40,000) in Japan. It will price the car lower in the U.S. because it wants to sell more of them in that market. But Perry said Nissan is confident the company will make a profit on each Leaf sold in the U.S. at a lower list price.

One reason is because Nissan owns the intellectual property to the battery, which was developed jointly by Nissan and NEC. "We control the battery costs," Perry said.

But Nissan may be deliberately setting the price low and may even lose money to establish itself as the market leader, said Erich Merkle, president of the consulting company Autoconomy.com in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Although the Volt can travel farther on a single charge, GM still has to compete with the Leaf on price, especially among motorists who have short commutes or a second car for long-distance travel, Merkle said.

So far, some 81,000 people in the U.S. — where the Leaf went on a promotional 22-city tour earlier this year — have said they are interested in the car via Nissan's Web site. In Japan some 9,300 people have signaled an interest.

Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn, who also heads France's Renault, has been a vocal proponent of electric vehicles, and predicts the segment will grow to about 10 percent of global sales by 2020.

The Best of 2010 Autos

noreply@blogger.com (Md Arif Hossain) — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 22:33:54 PST

Each year, the editors of Automobile Magazine convene to test, evaluate, and debate the performance, significance, and pure enthusiast appeal of the cars that make the biggest impact.

Despite the auto industry coming off its worst year in recent history, "the level of excellence found during our annual All-Stars competition was at an all-time high and the competition was strong" said Jean Jennings, president and editor-in-chief of Automobile Magazine. "We whittled down a list of thirty-nine finalists to the ten All-Stars. The end results produced a list of true standouts, spanning a wide range of the automotive spectrum."
Jaguar XF,XFR
Base price range: $52,000-$80,000

When the XF received significant improvements for 2010, including three new V-8 engines, Jaguar was rewarded for making a good thing even better.

The XF/XFR is both a sports car and a luxury touring sedan, and its uncompromising practicality and refreshed performance establish the Jaguar XF as an All-Star.
Audi S4
Base Price: $46,725

Cheaper than the car it replaces, the sure-footed, all-wheel-drive Audi S4 takes everything from the Audi A4 on which it's based — comfort, safety, and solid build quality — and cranks it up.

Compared with the previous model, the S4 sheds half a second in the 0 to 60 mph run (5.2 seconds with a six speed manual) while managing to increase fuel economy.
Chevrolet Camaro
Base Price Tange: $23,530-$34,595

2009 wasn't a good year for General Motors, but amid all the turmoil there have been glimmers of hope.

One need look no further than the brash, beautiful Chevrolet Camaro — if one can be found on dealer lots, that is — for proof that GM can build great cars. With its old-school charm, the Camaro is a smashing sales success.
Porsche Boxster,Cayman
Base price range: $48,550-$62,450

According to Automobile Magazine, the Porsche Boxster roadster and its hardtop sibling, the Cayman, are as close as a car company can get to the perfect everyday sports car. With fully optioned models climbing to $70K and beyond, the Boxster/Cayman isn't cheap, but buying one will allow you to achieve sports car nirvana.
Mazda 3
Base Price Range: $15,795-$23,945

With three engines and five trim levels, the 3 accounts for nearly half of Mazda's U.S. sales. The 2010 version brings a stiffer unibody, firmer suspension, tauter steering, revised seats, and a larger engine.
Ford Fusion Hybrid
Base price: $28,350

Quietly, Ford has put a car on the road that essentially enlists Toyota hybrid technology but uses it more cleverly than the originating company did. It is not a performance machine, but neither does it feel hobbled or inadequate for daily driving. Perhaps the best thing about it is that, apart from the LCD color screens, you might never know you're driving a hybrid.
Ford Flex
Base Price Range: $29,325-$43,635

For 2010, Ford has equipped the Flex with its much anticipated EcoBoost engine, thereby addressing the Flex's only weakness — power — and effectively transforming it from a well rounded family hauler into a large sport wagon. The Flex is unique in a market brimming with compromised, look alike utility vehicles and is one of the best-handling full-size crossovers on the market.
Dodge Ram 1500
Base Price Range: $21,510-$43,550

Dodge engineers created a vehicle that works smarter, drives quieter, uses less fuel, and secures cargo storage better. The Ram sets the standard by living up to the radical idea that the cabin of a $40,000 truck should be as nice as that of a $40,000 car.
BMW Z4
Base Price Range: $46,575-$52,475

The previous Z4 was a little rough and tough, a little unsophisticated, and undeniably masculine. BMW took a good look at its customers' needs and traded racetrack readiness for everyday elegance.

The interior is a marvel of simplicity and elegance, the sheetmetal is at once sexy, sultry, and supremely muscular, and 60 mph can be yours in five to six seconds, depending on the powertrain combination you choose.
BMW 335d
Base price: $44,725

The BMW 335d is the most important car this year to get lost in the crowd. Going from 0 to 60 mph in six seconds, the 335d is game for hard driving, but its 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged diesel six-cylinder also returns subcompact-like fuel economy. There is no other car that combines performance and fuel economy at this level.

Hummer Wallpapers.
New York autoshow 2009 Top Desktop Wallpapers.

3D TV Will Flop

noreply@blogger.com (Md Arif Hossain) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 01:28:07 PST

"Hey Paul, glad you can make it. Pumped for the game? Yeah, us too. Hey, did you bring your 3D glasses? No? Ah, well, we don't have any extras. Listen, do you mind just manning the snacks and drinks for the next three hours? Appreciate it, Paulie."

Expect to hear many variants of that conversation starting in June and lasting until corporate execs come to their senses.

Fueled by hit films like Avatar and Up, interest in 3D has hit a fever pitch -- some would argue its zenith -- and both cable networks and electronics manufacturers are taking notice. Their conceit: If it works in the theaters, why not in the living room? And that inherently flawed notion is leading companies to sink billions into a trend that won't last long.

The foremost name in televised sports, ESPN (DIS), announced it will kick off the ESPN 3D network on June 11 with a dynamic showcase of the World Cup soccer match -- effectively breaking ground as the first completely 3D television network. Time Warner Cable (TWC) and Comcast (CMCSA) have had preliminary talks over broadcast rights.

Kinks in the network, however, already seem apparent. Firmly dedicated to the no-rerun schedule, ESPN 3D will go dark when there aren't any 3D games to broadcast. So unless it expands way beyond the 85 live sporting events planned for the year, there often won't be any dimension to enjoy -- much less three.

Speaking with USA Today, ESPN's Executive Vice President for Technology Chuck Pagano compared the 3D transition to the shift toward HD. "We don't have all the answers," he admitted. "We asked the same questions back in the HD days. Is this going to be better? Is this going to be worse?"

Hate to break it to you, Chuck, but no one was worried about sharper image quality catching on with the public.

Following not too far behind ESPN's gamble is a joint venture among Discovery Communications (DISCA), Sony (SNE), and IMAX (IMAX). At its launch next year, the nameless network will only air in the US and -- according to the joint press release -- will hopefully boost "consumer adoption of 3D televisions."

And therein lay the catalyst and the downfall to the 3D TV initiative.

3D TV will require brand new television sets and related equipment, which companies like LG Electronics, Panasonic (PC), and Toshiba were eager to show off this week at the Consumer Electronics Show. Special 3D goggles are required for each viewer, unless the set has Auto Stereo Display -- which then only works if everyone is situated directly in front of the set at a specific distance. Otherwise, it's a blur. Your best bet: Shell out for a pair for each family member and expected guest.

The cost of all this equipment could run into the thousands, preventing a surge of early adopters still too strapped to even buy a regular HDTV or wise enough to wait until the technology catches on -- if it ever does. And skimping on a 15-inch screen won't cut it: For 3D to be effective, it needs to be huge -- which is why the technology is best seen in a movie theater, as it has been for decades.

And what about new content? 3D technology is costlier than even HD programming, boosting production costs much higher. And although Pixar's earlier Toy Story titles were overhauled to feature 3D, the process is incredibly labor-intensive and, again, very costly -- even for a CGI movie. Going through a studio's back catalog and revamping the footage to meet 3D standards is a headache not many studios or editors want to endure. Plus, is there much of a demand to watch Scrubs or Hitch with an extra visual depth?

Speaking of headaches: 3D is an eye-straining struggle for many. As crowds exit a theater showing a 3D feature, there will inevitably be pockets of audience members voicing the pain and vertigo that only constantly refocusing your eyes for more than two hours could produce. Are people willing to undergo that barrage of images for an entire evening of TV?

Understandably, studios and electronics manufacturers are excited over the possibility of a new gimmick to fill theater seats and keep couch potatoes paying for cable. But they fail to realize that the cost will far outweigh the charm and, maybe, 3D is only a once-in-a-while treat. You know why nobody rides a roller coaster to work? Because not only would it lose its appeal after the first week, it's completely impractical.

The world is about to witness the rebirth of Nintendo's Virtual Boy debacle -- only on an epic scale worthy of James Cameron.

Nothing contained in this article is intended as a solicitation for business of any kind or for investment in the firm.

Hubble Space Telescope has captured the earliest image

noreply@blogger.com (Md Arif Hossain) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 01:45:45 PST

The Hubble Space Telescope has captured the earliest image yet of the universe — just 600 million years after the Big Bang, when the universe was just a toddler.

Scientists released the photo Tuesday at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society. It's the most complete picture of the early universe so far, showing galaxies with stars that are already hundreds of millions of years old, along with the unmistakable primordial signs of the first cluster of stars.

These young galaxies haven't yet formed their familiar spiral or elliptical shapes and are much smaller and quite blue in color. That's mostly because at this stage, they don't contain many heavy metals, said Garth Illingworth, a University of California, Santa Cruz, astronomy professor who was among those releasing the photo.

"We're seeing very small galaxies that are seeds of the great galaxies today," Illingworth said in a news conference.

Until NASA's Hubble telescope was repaired and upgraded last year, the farthest back in time that astronomers could see was about 900 million years after the Big Bang, Illingworth said. Hubble has been key in helping determine the age of the universe at about 13.7 billion years, ending a long scientific debate about a decade ago.

As far back as Hubble can see, it still doesn't see the first galaxies. For that, NASA will have to rely on a new observatory, the $4.5 billion James Webb telescope, which is set to launch in about four years.

"We are on the way to the beginning," said astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson of the American Museum of Natural History. "Every step closer to the beginning tells you something you did not know before."

The new Hubble picture captures those distant simpler galaxies juxtaposed amid closer, newer and more evolved ones. The result is a cosmic family photo that portrays galaxies at different ages and stages of development over the course of more than 13 billion years.

Tyson, who was not involved in the Hubble image research, said most people only like their own baby pictures, but Hubble's photo is different: "These are the baby pictures for us all, hence the widespread interest."

Dubai opened the world's tallest skyscraper

noreply@blogger.com (Md Arif Hossain) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 03:36:52 PST

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Dubai opened the world's tallest skyscraper Monday in a blaze of fireworks, then added a final flourish: It renamed the half-mile-high tower for the head of neighboring Abu Dhabi, whose billions bailed out Dubai amid last year's financial crisis.

Long known as Burj Dubai — Arabic for "Dubai Tower" — the building rises 2,717 feet (828 meters) from the desert. The $1.5 billion "vertical city" of luxury apartments and offices and a hotel designed by Giorgio Armani also plans to have the world's highest mosque (158th floor) and swimming pool (76th floor).

Its backers wanted the skyscraper to be a monument to the boundless, can-do spirit of Dubai — one of a federation of seven small sheikdoms that make up the United Arab Emirates — but the timing could not be worse. Property prices in parts of Dubai collapsed by nearly half in the past year, the result of easy credit and overbuilding during a real estate bubble that has since burst.

Riding to the rescue was Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the ruler of oil-rich neighbor Abu Dhabi, which pumped tens of billions of dollars into Dubai last year as it struggled to pay enormous debts.

As officials opened the tapering metal-and-glass spire with fireworks and multicolored lights, they unexpectedly announced it would be renamed Burj Khalifa, to honor the Abu Dhabi leader who is also president of the UAE.

Thousands of cheering, clapping spectators watched as a tally projected on huge screens at the opening ceremony revealed the tower's most closely guarded secret — its height of 2,717 feet. That made it more than 1,000 feet higher than the skyscraper known as Taipei 101 in Taiwan, which at 1,667 feet had been the world's tallest since 2004.

The tallest building in the United States, the Willis Tower in Chicago, comes in at 1,451 feet, although with its spire it measures 1,729 feet and would be considered even taller than Taipei 101. Before they were destroyed in the Sept, 11, 2001, attacks, the World Trade Center towers both topped 1,360 feet. The Freedom Tower being planned for the site will measure 1,776 feet, with completion estimated in 2013.

The exact number of floors for the Burj Khalifa is not known, and could reflect how the developer chose to calculate the total.

Mohammed Alabbar, chairman of the tower's developer Emaar Properties, initially said Monday it had "more than 200" stories, but he later backtracked to more than 165 inhabitable floors, given its tapered top. Promotional materials sent before the tower's opening said it contained 160 stories.

Developers say they are confident in the safety of the tower, which is nearly twice the height of New York's Empire State Building.

Greg Sang, Emaar's director of projects, said the Burj Khalifa has "refuge floors" at 25 to 30 story intervals that are more fire resistant and have separate air supplies in case of emergency. Its reinforced concrete structure, he said, makes it stronger than steel-frame skyscrapers.

"A plane won't be able to slice through the Burj like it did through the steel columns of the World Trade Center," he said.

Dubai has not been a target of terrorist attacks or threats that have been made public.

The tower was designed by Chicago-based Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, which has a long track record in engineering some of the world's tallest buildings, including the Willis Tower.

Ahmed Elghazouli, a professor of structural engineering at Imperial College London who was not involved with the Burj's construction, said such groundbreaking buildings typically employ some of the world's best engineers, and go through more rigorous testing and require more studies during design than standard towers.

"I have no doubt that it has been looked after very well in terms of design and construction," he said when asked about the building's safety. "I would be much more comfortable getting into a building like this knowing that so much background work has gone into it."

Dubai was little more than a sleepy fishing village a generation ago, but it boomed into the Middle East's commercial hub in the past two decades on the back of business-friendly trading policies, relative security, and vast amounts of overseas investment.

With little oil of its own, Dubai relied on cheap loans to pump up its international clout during the frenzied boom years.

But like many overextended homeowners, the emirate and its state-backed companies borrowed too heavily and then struggled to keep up with payments as the financial crisis intensified and credit markets froze up.

The sheikdom shocked global markets last year when it unexpectedly announced plans to reorganize its main state-run conglomerate Dubai World and sought new terms in repaying some $26 billion in debt. It got some aid from Abu Dhabi's bailouts.

Dubai's hereditary ruler, Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, in recent months has increasingly spoken of the close relationship between the two emirates, declaring in November that "Dubai and Abu Dhabi are one" and will "be there for each other." Sheik Mohammed serves as vice president and prime minister of the UAE federation.

Analysts had questioned what Dubai might need to offer in exchange for the financial support it received from Abu Dhabi, which controls nearly all of the UAE's oil wealth. Abu Dhabi provided $25 billion last year as Dubai's debt problems deepened.

"It's really quite remarkable to have to name your biggest and most memorable landmark after the living monarch of a neighboring emirate," said Christopher Davidson, a professor at the University of Durham who has written extensively about the UAE.

Burj developer Emaar is also partly owned by the Dubai government, but is not part of struggling Dubai World, which has investments ranging from Dubai's manmade islands and seaports to luxury retailer Barneys New York and the ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2.

Emaar's Alabbar said the landmark Burj is 90 percent sold in a mix of residential units, offices and other space, offering a counterpoint to Dubai's financial woes.

At their peak, some apartments in the Burj were selling for more than $1,900 per square foot, although they now can go for less than half that, said Heather Wipperman Amiji, chief executive of Dubai real estate consultancy Investment Boutique.

Amiji said some buyers may struggle to find tenants at going rates once the tower's expected high service charges are factored in.

The building ranks as the world's tallest structure, beating out a television mast in North Dakota.

Early designs for the Burj had it edging out Taipei 101 by about 33 feet (10 meters), said Bill Baker, the building's structural engineer.

"We weren't sure how high we could go," said Baker, of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. "It was kind of an exploration ... a learning experience."

Work began in 2004 and moved rapidly. At times, new floors were being added almost every three days. During the busiest construction periods, some 12,000 people worked at the tower each day, according to Emaar. Low-wage migrant workers from the Indian subcontinent provided much of the muscle.

The Burj is the centerpiece of a 500-acre development that officials hope will become a new central residential and commercial district in this sprawling and often disconnected city. It is flanked by dozens of smaller but new skyscrapers and the Middle East's largest shopping mall.

That layout — as the core of a lower-rise skyline — lets the Burj stand out prominently against the horizon. It is visible across dozens of miles of rolling sand dunes outside Dubai. From the air, the spire appears as an almost solitary, slender needle.

An observation deck on the 124th floor opens to the public Tuesday, with adult tickets starting at 100 dirhams, or just over $27 apiece. The ride to the top took just over a minute during a visit for journalists Monday.

Dubai landmarks like the sail-shaped Burj al-Arab hotel and the manmade Palm Jumeirah island were visible through the haze.

The Burj itself cast a sundial-like shadow over low-rise houses and empty sand-covered lots stretching toward the azure Persian Gulf.

8 Hot Cars: Class of 2000

noreply@blogger.com (Md Arif Hossain) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 01:06:11 PST

1. Class Leader: Ford Taurus
2000 sales: 382,035

2009 sales: 38,361*

By 2000, the Taurus's days as America's top-selling car were behind it. You'd have to go back the mid-'90s for that. But it was still a close third behind the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.

The slide of the once-mighty Taurus would continue through the decade, its sales figures heavily padded with deliveries to rental companies and other industrial fleet buyers. By 2005, with the new Ford Five Hundred sedan on the market, it was purely a fleet product.

Today, the Ford Fusion, the Ford car closest to old Taurus in size, ranks fifth among cars, according to J.D. Power and Associates. It ranks behind the Camry, Accord, Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic.

2. Class Leader: Ford Explorer

2000 sales: 381,768
2009 sales: 34,713

It sounds surprising now but just a decade ago, the Ford Explorer SUV was the biggest-selling passenger vehicle in America.

It was around this time that problems with the Explorer's factory-installed Firestone 500 tires made big news. The tires' tendency to come apart after being driven on hot roads combined with Explorer's high ride height made for a deadly combination.

Even that wasn't enough to dent Explorer sales, though, which peaked two years later.

Ultimately, the advent of car-based crossover SUVs -- 2000 was also the year that Ford's first crossover, the Escape, hit the market -- has proven even more damaging to SUV sales.

An improved version of the Explorer remains on the market today and the name will continue on the 2011 Explorer, which will be another car-based crossover.

3. New Kid: Pontac Aztek

2001 sales: 5,304
2009 sales: N/A

When General Motors unveiled the Pontiac Aztek concept car in 1999, it looked like a fun, sporty ultra-modern beach car.

Then something terrible happened on the way to production. Attempts to maintain the concept car's general appearance while making the vehicle roomier and more practical resulted in a vehicle that was, indeed, practical, but looked all wrong.

"Apparently, nobody stood back and took a look at it before taking to market," said Edmunds.com's Smith.

A sales dud, the Aztek ended production after the 2005 model year. The legendary Pontiac brand, sadly, fared little better. Facing bankruptcy, GM killed it this year.

4. New Kid: Chrysler PT Cruiser
2001 sales: 144,717

2009 sales: 17,205

Introduced in 2000, the Chrysler PT Cruiser was an instant hit. During its first couple of years on the market, sales were hot and PT Cruisers were hard to find on dealer lots. The Cruiser promised great things for Chrysler, a carmaker that seemed to have its pulse on what Americans wanted.

Even better, it was built on engineering borrowed, inexpensively, from already existing Chrysler products. So it was cheap and profitable

Unfortunately, Chrysler couldn't maintain that special flair through its merger with Daimler, which turned out disastrously. Chrysler now is recovering from bankruptcy as it finds its way back with the help of Italy's Fiat.

The talent that brought us the PT Cruiser is sorely needed now, said Edmunds.com's Smith.

5. Class Leader: Ford Ranger

2000 sales: 330,125
2009 sales: 51,097

Compact trucks like the Ford Ranger are barely a blip in the car market today but in 2000, the Ranger was the eighth best-selling vehicle in America, just behind the Ford Taurus and Ram truck.

With high gas prices pushing consumers toward generally smaller vehicles, you'd think small trucks would still be hot today. Vicious competition among big trucks, though, did them in. Cash incentives for full-sized pick-ups made them almost as cheap to buy as the little trucks.

"It was a perfect substitution," said Jeff Schuster, a market analyst with J.D. Power and Associates. "There really wasn't a reason to buy a small pick-up."

China unveils 'world's fastest train link

noreply@blogger.com (Md Arif Hossain) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 00:51:52 PST

China on Saturday unveiled what it billed as the fastest rail link in the world -- a train connecting the modern cities of Guangzhou and Wuhan at an average speed of 350 kilometres (217 miles) an hour.

The super-high-speed train reduces the 1,069 kilometre journey to a three hour ride and cuts the previous journey time by more than seven and a half hours, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Work on the project began in 2005 as part of plans to expand a high-speed network aimed at eventually linking Guangzhou, a business hub in southern China near Hong Kong, with the capital Beijing, Xinhua added.

"The train can go 394.2 kilometres per hour, it's the fastest train in operation in the world," Zhang Shuguang, head of the transport bureau at the railways ministry, told Xinhua.

Test runs for the service began earlier in December and the link officially went into service when the first scheduled train left the eastern metropolis of Wuhan on Saturday.

By comparison, the average for high-speed trains in Japan was 243 kilometres per hour while in France it was 277 kilometres per hour, said Xu Fangliang, general engineer in charge of designing the link, according to Xinhua.

Beijing has an ambitious rail development programme aimed at increasing the national network from the current 86,000 kilometres to 120,000 kilometres, making it the most extensive rail system outside the United States.

China unveiled its first high-speed line at the time of the Beijing Olympics in 2008 -- a service linking the capital with the port city of Tianjin.

In September, officials said they planned to build 42 high-speed lines by 2012 in a massive system overhaul as part of efforts to spur economic growth amid the global downturn.

The network uses technology developed in co-operation with foreign firms such as Siemens, Bombardier and Alstom.

World's Largest cruise ship squeezes under Danish bridge

noreply@blogger.com (Md Arif Hossain) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:03:21 PST

The world's largest cruise ship cleared a crucial obstacle Sunday, lowering its smokestacks to squeeze under a bridge in Denmark.

The Oasis of the Seas — which rises about 20 stories high — passed below the Great Belt Fixed Link with a slim margin as it left the Baltic Sea on its maiden voyage to Florida.

Bridge operators said that even after lowering its telescopic smokestacks the giant ship had less than a 2-foot (half-meter) gap.

Hundreds of people gathered on beaches at both ends of the bridge, waiting for hours to watch the brightly lit behemoth sail by shortly after midnight (2300GMT; 7 p.m. EDT).

"It was fantastic to see it glide under the bridge. Boy, it was big," said Kurt Hal, 56.

Company officials are banking that its novelty will help guarantee its success. Five times larger than the Titanic, the $1.5 billion ship has seven neighborhoods, an ice rink, a small golf course and a 750-seat outdoor amphitheater. It has 2,700 cabins and can accommodate 6,300 passengers and 2,100 crew members.

Accommodations include loft cabins, with floor-to-ceiling windows, and 1,600-square-foot (487-meter) luxury suites with balconies overlooking the sea or promenades.

The liner also has four swimming pools, volleyball and basketball courts, and a youth zone with theme parks and nurseries for children.

Oasis of the Sea, nearly 40 percent larger than the industry's next-biggest ship, was conceived years before the economic downturn caused desperate cruise lines to slash prices to fill vacant berths.

It was built by STX Finland for Royal Caribbean International and left the shipyard in Finland on Friday. Officials hadn't expected any problems in passing the Great Belt bridge, but traffic was stopped for about 15 minutes as a precaution when the ship approached, Danish navy spokesman Joergen Brand said.

Aboard the Oasis of the Seas, project manager Toivo Ilvonen of STX Finland confirmed that the ship had passed under the bridge without any incidents.

"Nothing fell off," he said.

The enormous ship features various "neighborhoods" — parks, squares and arenas with special themes. One of them will be a tropical environment, including palm trees and vines among the total 12,000 plants on board. They will be planted after the ship arrives in Fort Lauderdale.

In the stern, a 750-seat outdoor theater — modeled on an ancient Greek amphitheater — doubles as a swimming pool by day and an ocean front theater by night. The pool has a diving tower with spring boards and two 33-foot (10-meter) high-dive platforms. An indoor theater seats 1,300 guests.

One of the "neighborhoods," named Central Park, features a square with boutiques, restaurants and bars, including a bar that moves up and down three decks, allowing customers to get on and off at different levels.

Once home, the $1.5 billion floating extravaganza will have more, if less visible, obstacles to duck: a sagging U.S. economy, questions about the consumer appetite for luxury cruises and criticism that such sailing behemoths are damaging to the environment and diminish the experience of traveling.

It is due to make its U.S. debut on Nov. 20 at its home port, Port Everglades in Florida.

Hummer Wallpapers.

noreply@blogger.com (Md Arif Hossain) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 04:46:28 PDT

important

All the Wallpapers are for personal use only, the copyright belong to their respectives creators.All the Wallpapers are collected from the search engines or free resources.We just share them with no commercial purpose. Don´t use them for commercial purpose, share and enjoy.

New York autoshow 2009 Top Desktop Wallpapers.

noreply@blogger.com (Md Arif Hossain) — Thu, 21 May 2009 10:25:03 PDT

important

All the Wallpapers are for personal use only, the copyright belong to their respectives creators.All the Wallpapers are collected from the search engines or free resources.We just share them with no commercial purpose. Don´t use them for commercial purpose, share and enjoy.

Warner Cable COO: TV,TV Web Ads Should Be The Same

noreply@blogger.com (Md Arif Hossain) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 23:05:56 PDT

COO Landel Hobbs commented during an interview Wednesday at the National Cable & Telecommunications Association's annual Cable Show in Washington.
New York-based Time Warner Cable is leading a push to get cable networks to tie viewing of TV shows online to a video subscription associated with a cable, satellite or telephone provider.
Hobbs said his company's effort, called "TV Everywhere," seeks to expand opportunities for programmers and distributors alike rather than "defend an old model."
Cable networks have two primary ways of getting revenue: advertising sales and fees paid by cable, satellite and telephone companies that provide video services.
"It's true for broadcasters, too, though they say they only get revenue from advertising," Hobbs said. "But they get retransmission fees from video service providers]. So this dual revenue stream is important for everybody."
Fears that consumers may be increasingly inclined to do without video subscriptions have been voiced by many cable executives.
Hobbs added nothing will ever top the at-home TV viewing experience, but people will be more inclined toward "place-shifting" - seeing content on different devices and at times they choose.
Right now, the money programmers generate from online video advertising is fairly tepid, making the decision to put so many shows online a baffling one, Hobbs said. To help remedy that situation, viewers should see the same commercials during television shows on the Web as they do on traditional TV, Hobbs asserted.
At sites like Hulu and others, shows are seen with limited, short commercial breaks, compared with more frequent and lengthier groups of ads on TV.
Programmers might be more amenable to such an arrangement, Hobbs added, if they can assure advertisers that the same ads they run on TV will be viewed on the Web. Asked about a potential backlash from consumers accustomed to fewer ads during online streams, Hobbs expressed little concern.
"What we find is that people don't mind ads," he said, "but they say, 'Give me the convenience of watching when and where I want to.'"
Addressable advertising, which would target viewers' interests specifically and show them only ads deemed relevant those interests, is part of the key to such a plan, he commented.
Hobbs acknowledges some people will balk at the idea of not being able to watch shows online without having to subscribe to a video provider, but this can be remedied if cable were to do a better job overall of explaining its value proposition to consumers.
"Cable does have a perception problem. But we really just have to educate, talk to people, and concentrate on creating a better customer experience," he said.

Cable TV companies mull impact of online...

noreply@blogger.com (Md Arif Hossain) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 23:02:00 PDT

Cable TV operators have treaded gingerly with online video. The companies want to meet consumer demand for watching shows on the Internet. But they don't want cable TV to lose its place as the home's main entertainment pipe.
These ideas are in the air this week at The Cable Show, the industry's annual trade convention. Cable TV operators agree they have to respond to the trend of online TV in a way that doesn't decimate their business, much like the Internet has hurt the music and newspaper industries.
Jerald Kent, chief executive of cable operator Suddenlink Communications, said cable TV companies will have to do something in between the approaches taken by the music industry — which ignored the threat of the Internet for too long — and the newspaper industry, which put its content online for free.
One idea rapidly gaining ground is to let only subscribers watch cable shows online, through an authentication process cable companies have yet to finalize.
This idea goes by at least two names. Comcast Corp. calls it "On Demand Online" while Time Warner Inc. has dubbed it "TV Everywhere."
Subscribers would be able to connect to Web sites specially set up to view cable shows. Or existing cable Web sites — such as HBO.com — would have a dedicated area only subscribers can enter.
Either method would create a "walled garden" of cable shows and keep that content from being offered for free over the Internet.
Still, there are tricky things to overcome. Kent pointed out that cable companies have to decide whether to give access to each user or each home. They also have to figure out how to treat second homes of subscribers, and decide what to do if subscribers' children take access with them to their college dormitory.
And should cable TV operators charge extra for subscribers to watch cable shows online, or bake that into the cost of a subscription? "I'm not sure," Kent said.
The debate within the industry also touches on unauthorized use, such as if a subscriber lets a non-customer use his user name and password to gain access.
Some ideas being considered include limiting one household to five accounts, which they can use on several devices. Another is to copy what iTunes has done, which is to link the accounts to a credit card so customers will be less likely to share them.
A key point in the talks is changing consumers' view of Internet content as always free.
"We want to change consumer behavior somewhat, so the expectation that everything online is free has to change," said Lynne Constantini, executive vice president of affiliate sales and marketing at Scripps Networks, which owns the "Food Network" and "HGTV" cable channels.
But whatever form cable's efforts eventually take, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts said it's not a matter of online video completely replacing cable TV. Rather, cable companies should see online video as a new service that can boost business.
"It's a friend, not a foe," he said. "Give the consumer what they want but do it in a way that is fair, friendly and at the same time adds value, not destroys value."

Conficker Worm Is Much Ado About Nothing (PC World)

noreply@blogger.com (Md Arif Hossain) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 03:30:53 PDT

The Conficker Worm is like the Paris Hilton of computer security: Famous solely for being famous. Neither has actually ever done anything of note. But, at least Paris has a sense of humor about her celebrity. Conficker just wastes people's time.

Your time and mine, for example. You're reading this because someone--not me--convinced you that Conficker matters. I am writing this because IBM has convinced me that Conficker is a wash. If it turns out differently, I'll owe the worm at apology. Paris can fend for herself.

I may host a daily call-in radio program, but I am not a conspiracy nut. Still, don't you sometimes wonder who is responsible for "threats" that develop such a high profile? I am not saying the industry that protects us against these threats might somehow be in cahoots with the people who create them. No, I am not saying that.

Conficker has once again reminded us that our systems are vulnerable and we need to invest $$$ in protection. Or has it already backfired?

Maybe Conficker will prove that what we already have works pretty well. Maybe Microsoft did a good job dealing with this threat and the anti-malware vendors likewise. Maybe Conficker will send the message that what we are doing is just fine, thank you. Spend more money to counter threats like this? Why?

Watching the news coverage as 12:01am local time on April 1 marches around the globe reminds me of the last time we did this. You remember the Y2K bug, don't you?

Back then, the world's mainframes were supposed to croak as 1999 rolled into 2000. Like today, I watched--only back then I was sitting in an emergency operations center--as countries around the global rang in the New Year with their vital infrastructure intact.

Last time, we were saved from a very real problem by a lot of recoding, necessary to work around the time/date problem. This time, we are saved from a not very significant problem by a Microsoft patch that everyone should already have had as well as wide variety of tools capable of clearing Conficker from our systems.

As I write this, Conficker seems to be passing more or less harmlessly by. The clock is actually working in our favor. IBM estimated that Asia has the largest collection of Infected-infected systems. North America about a third as many as Asia. Europe has more than we do.

If Asia and Europe survive Conficker, we don't have much to worry about. Conficker will pass from our consciousness and I won't owe the worm an apology.

If only Paris Hilton were so easy to protect ourselves against.