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Mike Hanlon
What Diesel Car of the Year Awards 2009
By Mike Hanlon
00:59 April 8, 2009 PDT
The UK's What Diesel magazine is celebrating its 21st year of publication and focuses on one of the few growth areas of the automotive market – the diesel world. Each year its writers and readers vote to award the best diesel car in each category and this year the Car of the Year honour has gone to Ford's new “world car” the Ford Fiesta. Jaguar scored the best executive diesel and second overall with the XF, Volkswagen got three awards (Medium car, coupe and the green award), Citroën grabbed two gongs with the C3 Picasso (best MPV) and C5 Tourer (Best Estate Car) and the Land Rover Freelander 2 won the 4x4 class for the third year running. Read More
Inflatable Movie Screens turn a backyard into a Home Theater
By Mike Hanlon
23:34 April 7, 2009 PDT
Open Air Cinema gets a regular write because its giant inflatable movie screens really do offer the ultimate backyard cinema experience at a ridiculously reasonable price. The lightweight Open Air Home Screens are now available up to 18 feet in size, with the biggest running to just US$1150 and weighing just 17 pounds - just the thing for keeping the troops busy while mom and pop are doing some home entertaining. Read More
The Virgin Brawn GP team's spectacular first up effort
By Mike Hanlon
16:03 March 31, 2009 PDT
The feats of Brawn GP at Albert Park in the team's inaugural race at the first round of World Formula One Championship on March 29, 2009 will surely go down in the pantheon of spectacularly successful first-up sporting efforts. A month ago they were all unemployed, but in just 28 days they put two cars on the track, tested them over a normally-inadequate 2000 km and qualified them 1-2 for the first race, at the same time announcing a heavyweight backer in the form of Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group and involvement with a new Virgin Fuel, reportedly a clean-burning petroleum replacement. Next day, success fueled more success with a 1-2 finish for the team, and engine supplier Mercedes. Mastermind Ross Brawn was in tears after the race, as no doubt were Honda. Read More
Predictive Cruise Control unveiled for trucks
By Mike Hanlon
19:41 March 26, 2009 PDT
Daimler Trucks North America showcased an innovative "Predictive Cruise Control (PCC)" system in the "Freightliner New Innovation Truck" study at the Mid-America Trucking Show last week. The PCC assistance system uses map and satellite-based route previews and saves substantial amounts of fuel. Unlike a conventional cruise control system that tries to maintain a preset speed, regardless of how the terrain changes, the PCC system looks for its route a mile in advance and adjusts engine output to the uphill and downhill gradients ahead. Based on this information, the on-board computer calculates the optimum speed to use the momentum of the truck to maximize fuel economy. Read More
Climate Change Belief Research - great cause for concern
By Mike Hanlon
03:54 March 25, 2009 PDT
It just goes to show you what a bad state the education system is in when just 51% of the population believe that climate change is caused by human activities. Opinion Research Corporation surveyed 1,000 people in late January and found that 29% believe climate change is occurring naturally, 15% believe climate change needs to be proven scientifically either way and 3% believe climate change doesn’t exist. Oh, and for the record, of those who got it right, 55% were male, which means ... we're no longer sure whether to be more concerned about global warming or global ignorance. Read More
2,200-year-old bronze statue raised in fishing nets
By Mike Hanlon
22:23 March 24, 2009 PDT
You just never know what you might find! In an extraordinary and unexpected discovery last Wednesday, a Greek fisherman trawling with nets between the islands of Kos and Kalymnos in the south eastern Aegean, landed what he thought was a very large catch – upon bringing his nets to the surface he found a significant portion of a 2200 year-old bronze statue of a male on horseback. The Greek Ministry of Culture issued this photo of the statue, which is currently residing in desalination tanks prior to cleaning. The portion of the statue retrieved from the depths is a torso wearing a breastplate and carrying a sheathed sword. Read More
Indian Ocean temperature link to bushfires
By Mike Hanlon
02:33 March 24, 2009 PDT
The weather conditions that lead to Southern Australia’s past two devastating bushfires may be linked to lower than normal sea-surface temperatures in the eastern Indian Ocean, according to CSIRO research presented at the Greenhouse 2009 Conference today. The Ash Wednesday bushfires in February 1983 and the Black Saturday bushfires in February were preceded by months of very dry conditions. Those dry conditions were partly caused by cooler ocean sea-surface temperatures in the eastern Indian Ocean, which contributed to a substantial reduction in spring-time rainfall over the south-east of Australia. Read More
Increased risk of injury even after one glass of alcohol
By Mike Hanlon
16:19 March 23, 2009 PDT
The cost to society of physical injury related to alcohol consumption is immense – the link between severe alcohol intoxication, road accidents and violence is well established. Now new research from the Swedish Karolinska Institutet medical university indicates that most alcohol-related damage occurs after moderate consumption. While people who have drunk considerable quantities of alcohol suffer higher injury risk than people who have drunk only a little, the research shows the risk of suffering injury increases significantly after small amounts of alcohol as little as one glass. Read More
First-of-its-kind study warns of jury service trauma
By Mike Hanlon
01:26 March 23, 2009 PDT
In the first study of its kind, a new report by psychologists at the University of Leicester warns of the dangers of jurors facing trauma because of their exposure to harrowing and gruesome evidence. The research confirms that jury service, particularly for crimes against people, can cause significant anxiety, and for a vulnerable minority it can lead to severe clinical levels of stress or the symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder. Women jurors are particularly vulnerable if the trial covers material that resonates with their personal histories. Read More
The BMW ALPINA D3 Bi-Turbo - 450Nm of torque and 52 mpg
By Mike Hanlon
00:43 March 23, 2009 PDT
450 Nm ( 332 lbs-ft) of torque was once considered V8 territory, which just goes to show how times change. The BMW ALPINA D3 makes 450 Nm from a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-charged diesel engine. The D supposedly stands for diesel, but could equally stand for Drehmoment, German for torque – just off idle, at 1500 rpm, the little monster is already producing an impressive 400 Nm of torque thanks to the smaller of its twin turbos already bringing serious induction pressure to bear, and while the car is capable of 152 mph and 0-100 km/h in 6.9 secs, the official fuel consumption and emission figures tell a very different story: 52.3 mpg (overall EU) and 143 g/km (manual gearbox version). Read More
Brawn buys Honda F1 team … is this a fairytale in the making?
By Mike Hanlon
22:07 March 22, 2009 PDT
The first cars were unloaded onto the pit apron at Albert Park yesterday in preparation for next weekend's first Formula One Grand Prix of the 2009 season. It already shapes up as the most intriguing F1 season ever. Technologically, despite a raft of changes this year, the wild card not yet fathomable is the implementation of the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS), a fancy name for regenerative braking, and a technology that will ultimately force all F1 cars to use hybrid power sources, most likely during 2009, but not necessarily. Only a few teams will arrive in Melbourne ready to race with electronic KERS systems that offer approximately 80 bhp extra for six seconds a lap, but we're not even sure which teams they will yet be. The biggest intrigue of the weekend though, will be the performance of the newborn Brawn F1 team. Everyone always knew Ross Brawn was a special talent, but no-one saw this one coming. Brawn is poised to deliver one of the greatest motorsport fairy tales ever. Read More
UK Researcher claims there are just eight patterns behind all humour
By Mike Hanlon
16:54 March 21, 2009 PDT
Evolutionary theorist Alastair Clarke this week published details of eight patterns he claims to be the basis of all the humour that has ever been imagined or expressed, regardless of civilization, culture or personal taste. Clarke has stated before that humour is based on the surprise recognition of patterns but this is the first time he has identified the precise nature of the patterns involved, addressing the deceptively simple unit and context relationships at their foundation. Read More
Survey shows successful women use a distinctive gender-associated influencing style
By Mike Hanlon
16:43 March 21, 2009 PDT
A recent survey of women leaders in information technology shows that 92% of those surveyed believe that the ability to influence stakeholders is key to their overall success, and view their influencing approach as very different from the style of their male colleagues. The study was conducted The Leader's Edge/Leaders By Design in partnership with a major professional association for CIOs. Read More
Bang & Olufsen's BeoVision 4-103 plasma: 500 kilos, 103 inches, USD$123,000
By Mike Hanlon
01:12 March 20, 2009 PDT
Danish design company Bang & Olufsen has gone mega with its BeoVision 4 HDTV, formerly available in 50 and 65 inch versions, and announced the BeoVision 4-103 – a 103 inch plasma that weighs in at 500 kgs and will sell for GBP 85,000 (USD 123,000) when it hits showrooms in June. The screen is manufactured by Panasonic, but comes with a host of B&O picture improvement and home theatre technologies, the usual B&O knock-out styling and functionality, and a motorized stand that can be used to adjust the viewing angle and rotate the display, plus a motorized centre channel speaker which moves up and down so it can be concealed when not in use. Read More
The Slik-Stik nexgen high-tech walking stick
By Mike Hanlon
01:12 March 20, 2009 PDT
The SLIK-STIK is a next-generation walking stick that just might be a killer app with the post war baby boom moving into senior citizenhood. It's adjustable in height, folds up for convenient storage and portability, has a rubberised non-slip hand grip, a forward facing super bright LED torch light and a foot-fall floodlight to ensure safe footing at night on pavements, steps, and other trip hazards. It also has a panic alarm and best of all, it incorporates an induction generator system inside, so a minute of winding the retractable handle is sufficient to provide several minutes of emergency illumination. Read More
UKP20,000 robotic fish to act as water pollution police
By Mike Hanlon
15:52 March 19, 2009 PDT
A number of robotic fish are to be trialled into the port of Gijon in Spain to evaluate how effectively and cost-efficiently they can detect water pollution. The 1.5 meter carp-shaped robots are part of a three-year research project funded by the European Commission and if successful, the fish could be used in rivers, lakes and seas across the world. The life-like creatures, which will mimic the undulating movement of real fish, will be equipped with tiny chemical sensors to find the source of potentially hazardous pollutants in the water, such as leaks from vessels in the port or underwater pipelines. Read More
Caparo's T1 Race Extreme – 620 bhp pushing 550 kg
By Mike Hanlon
15:33 March 19, 2009 PDT
We've written a lot about the Caparo T1 supercar - an aluminium V8 in a carbon fibre tub designed by former McLaren employees to simulate an F1 car on the road. When the Stig ran the T1 on Top Gear's test track, it beat all previous lap times by a whopping SEVEN seconds. Just to prove that too much is never enough, the T1 is now available in a 620 bhp Race Extreme version, aimed specifically at the high end track day market. It can generate 4 G under brakes and 3.5 G during cornering - the sort of G-forces an aerobatic pilot experiences. It accelerates from 0-100 kmh in 2.8 seconds and 0-100mph in 5.8 seconds - faster than a base-jumper in free fall! With a power to weight ratio better than double that of a Bugatti Veyron, this is almost certainly the fastest accelerating production car on the planet! Read More
Sanyo HD Dual Cameras now available fully waterproofed
By Mike Hanlon
23:45 March 17, 2009 PDT
We reported last week on Sanyo's new “dual camera” range which seeks to blur the line between still and video cameras by offering simultaneous video recording and still photographs. Now you can have all that plus full waterproofing to a depth of three meters. Now this is very significant because it effectively provides a ruggedized still and video camera at a very reasonable price point. Read More
New study demonstrates the pervasive influence of children on parent purchases
By Mike Hanlon
02:50 March 17, 2009 PDT
"Most parents seem to be completely unaware of how much their little ones make them buy“, said Claus Ebster, one of the researchers from the University of Vienna that unobtrusively monitored 178 parents shopping with their child in Austrian supermarkets, after which they were interviewed. When asked how many products their children had made them buy, on average parents only reported half the number of purchases that had been secretly observed. "Considering that the majority of purchase decisions in a supermarket are made in the store, neither retailers nor parents should underestimate the importance of child-induced purchase decisions", said Udo Wagner, professor of business administration of the University of Vienna. Read More
Music does indeed improve the mind
By Mike Hanlon
21:48 March 16, 2009 PDT
A number of studies over the years have reported positive associations between music experience and increased abilities in non-musical (e.g., linguistic, mathematical, and spatial) domains in children. Now a new study, published this week in the Journal Psychology of Music, report that children exposed to a multi-year programme of music tuition involving training in increasingly complex rhythmic, tonal, and practical skills display superior cognitive performance in reading skills compared with their non-musically trained peers. Read More
FIM endorses TTXGP - the world's first clean emissions motorcycle race
By Mike Hanlon
21:48 March 15, 2009 PDT
In a landmark move, the world governing body for motorcycle sport, the FIM, is endorsing the upcoming TTXGP, the world’s first clean emissions motorcycle race which will be held on the Isle of Man on 12th June 2009. In making the announcement, FIM President, Vito Ippolito, said, “ FIM recognizes the importance of this area that is evolving very quickly. The future of the sport depends on our capacity as well as that of the manufacturers to innovate quickly. We are convinced that very shortly the motorcycle World Championships will be accessible to non-polluting engines.” For motorcycle manufacturers wishing for a place in history, this is now IT! Read More
First images of Lamborghini Murcielago LP 650-4 Roadster
By Mike Hanlon
12:58 March 13, 2009 PDT
Automobili Lamborghini has released the first photographs of a limited edition Murcielago LP 650-4 Roadster. The Roadster version of the Murcielago will offer an uprated 6.5 litre V12 engine producing 650 hp (478 kW) along with permanent four-wheel drive and attain a top speed of around 330 Km/h (205mph). With 660 Nm of torque, the LP 650-4 Roadster will accelerate from 0-100km/h (0-62mph) in 3.4 seconds Read More
The Honda TITAN MIX – the world's first flex fuel motorcycle
By Mike Hanlon
23:27 March 10, 2009 PDT
Brazilian Honda subsidiary Moto Honda da Amazonia Ltda.(HDA) has begun sales of the , the first motorcycle in the world to be equipped with flexible-fuel technology. The 150cc motorcycle is equipped with a Mix Fuel Injection System, a newly developed fuel supply and fuel injection control system that enables consumers to use a flexible mixture of environmentally-responsible bio-ethanol and gasoline fuels, hence reducing CO2 emissions and fuel costs. Read More
How smoking accelerates the aging process
By Mike Hanlon
19:30 March 9, 2009 PDT
Wrinkly skin, breathlessness and a chesty cough are regularly associated with heavy smoking. They can belie a person's age by making someone seem older than they actually are, but until now, scientists have known little about the biological mechanisms that appear to accelerate the aging process. Read More
LED street lamps deliver 88% power saving in Japan
By Mike Hanlon
16:20 March 9, 2009 PDT
The cost and energy-efficiency of solid-state lighting are driving many new applications, and the recent installation of the first LED street lights in Osaka Prefecture in Japan, has already been found to provide an overall savings of 88% in electricity bills over the older high-pressure mercury lamps used elsewhere in the region. Each of the LED-based street lamps installed at a park on the Kizu River utilizes 36 cool white LEDs. The LED array generates 30 lux at a pole height of 4.5 meters, comparable to the brightness of mercury lamps, while using just 25 W of power per fixture. Read More
william
- November 26, 2009 @ 19:45 UTC
