Mazda has developed the world’s first direct spot joining technology to join steel and aluminum. Mazda has applied for more than 20 patents related to this process which was first employed in 2003 in the development of the Mazda RX-8 sports car that used friction heat to join separate aluminum sheets. The technology has evolved, and will be used to join the trunk lid and bolt retainer for the all-new Mazda MX-5 sports car that is scheduled to go on sale in Q4. The technology contributed significantly to Mazda’s vehicle weight reduction “gram strategy” program during the development of the MX-5 sports car, as well as lowering costs.  Read More

If you’re an average person with a fundamental understanding of the laws of physics, you’ll no doubt from time to time leap off the couch when you see the claims of a television commercial and scream “that is utter bollocks!” It seems some people agree with you, at least about Gillette’s US advertising claims about its new M3Power razor. Judge Janet C. Hall of the United States District Court, District of Connecticut, yesterday granted Schick a preliminary injunction against false advertising claims by Gillette for its M3Power razor. Judge Hall determined that Gillette's claim that the M3Power raises hair up and away from the skin is both "unsubstantiated and inaccurate." The court found that that the product demonstrations in Gillette's advertising are "greatly exaggerated" and "literally false."  Read More

Ettore Bugatti produced machines that set world speed records for planes, boats, trains and cars, built the most successful racing car in history and the most expensive car in history. The marque has been revived after 50 years and the new car recently exceeded 400km/h in testing. Its engine has 16 cylinders, eight camshafts, four turbochargers, 64 valves and produces 987 horsepower. When the Bugatti Veyron goes on sale later this year it will cost 1,000,000 Euros and only 300 will ever be built. It will also claim the title of the fastest production car in history, exceeding the McLaren F1’s record of 386.4 kmh (240.1mph) which stood for seven years, and the recent record established by the Koennigsegg CCR of 387.87 kmh (241.01 mph). Last month, a prototype Bugatti Veyron was officially measured at over 400 km/h (248.5 mph) at the Volkswagen Ehra–Lessien proving grounds reaching this speed several times and in both directions, as required by official measuring procedures.  Read More

This morning, in thick English Channel fog, Robert Miller’s (Hong Kong/New York, N.Y.) 140-foot (43m) Mari-Cha IV passed through the four-mile-long gate off the Lizard in the Rolex Transatlantic Challenge to break the 100-year-old record set by Charlie Barr on board Wilson Marshall’s 185-foot (56.4m) Atlantic. Miller’s giant state-of-the-art racing schooner completed the 2,925-nautical mile passage, east across the North Atlantic between New York and the Lizard, in a time of 9 days, 15 hours, 55 minutes and 23 seconds—a full 2 days, 12 hours, 6 minutes and 56 seconds faster than Atlantic’s record-breaking voyage 100 years ago.  Read More

Swiss automotive design customizing Rinspeed has given us some of the most innovative four-wheeled designs of the last decade, usually with cars that morph from one shape or purpose to another, such as the Presto, Bedouin, Splash and Senso. This time there's no morphing, just a new and exclusive look for the Porsche 911 (997). Whether Carrera or Carrera S, Coupe or Convertible, Rinspeed has an aerodynamics package for these models, with the highlight being the reworked original doors now swing upwards instead of laterally, for the distinctive gullwing look.  Read More

Merchants of people mobility (also known as auto manufacturers) have been a little slow getting their brain cells wrapped around where the MP3 fits into the grand scheme of selling automobiles. The unanimous first step appears to be offering an iPod integration/interface kit, as VW, GM, Volvo, BMW, Mini and Mercedes have all done and we expect more to follow. Curiously, Mercedes Benz has just released a wristwatch incorporating an MP3 player, voice recorder and 512Mb of flash memory capacity, becoming the second auto manufacturer to have such a watch.  Read More

The network centric battlefield moved a step closer this week with the first live-fire testing of the Quick Reaction Unitary (QRU) Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) using a network centric integrated High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launcher. If it sounds complex, that’s because it is, but the big idea is to save time when a time-critical target is identified in the battle space. The test went like this: an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) identified a Time Sensitive Target (TST), relaying the information to the proper system node in order to generate a "call-for-fire" message to a Battle Command Cell (BCC) prototype. The BCC prototype provides embedded battle command capabilities, including command and control, situational awareness and direct sensor feeds of target imagery. The UAV provided geographic location data to the BCC, which then ordered a fire mission for an ATACMS QRU off the network-integrated HIMARS launcher, significantly reducing the time to hit the target. The test proved that in those defining moments when seconds matter, a directly networked HIMARS firing ATACMS in the command and control structure will prove to be a considerable force multiplier.  Read More

Owner Robert Miller (Hong Kong/New York) and his crew on board the 140-foot (43m) schooner Mari-Cha IV are at present on course to pass Lizard Point later today to better Charlie Barr and the schooner Atlantic’s 100-year-old race record by more than two and a half days. "This is my seventh transatlantic crossing, and I can safely say that it has been by far the toughest one for me," Robert Miller said. "Not only has the weather been in our face for the first six days, making life extremely difficult, but since then we have always been sailing close to the limit, which means that there is the risk of hurting the boat and the crew.  Read More

UPDATED June 1, 2005 The potential for the theft of data or sensitive business information via CD-ROMs being thrown in the trash is very realistic - garbage screening is a rudimentary and commonly-used industrial espionage technique. And despite their seeming vulnerability, you'd be surprised what you can get off a CD-ROM using data recovery techniques. So what to do? Buy a Data Destroyer Office PRO - the automated desktop device can destroy the information on up to 50 CDs and/or DVDs by pressing a single button.  Read More