Touring on the Road

Does Netflix Want Out of the Disc Business? Say It Ain't So!

2011-08-16T10:09:00.000-05:00

Does Netflix Want Out of the Disc Business? Say It Ain't So!

Here's why our taxes are so f@*$ing high!

2011-07-19T08:16:00.004-05:00

US companies with Multinational status use "innovative" tax practices - another word for "legal" loopholes set up by the US GOV to allow big corporations to lessen or avoid paying taxes at all! And by US GOV I mean this goes way back to around the time your old friend Reagan was in office, in other words it is nothing new, just another reason why politicians with no term limits keep this process going.

“Swiss structure” in the Caterpillar case, income shifting by Google and Microsoft last year involved “Double Irish” and “Dutch Sandwich” strategies, references to moving profits through Ireland (where the corporate tax rate is 12.5 percent compared to 35 percent in the United States) and the Netherlands.

General Electric, of course, grabbed all kinds of headlines earlier this year with the news that despite making $14.2 billion in profits in 2010, the company paid zero taxes because most of the profits — about $9 billion — came from offshore interests.

Corporations seem to find a way when it comes to taxes, whether taking advantage of global resources or writing letters to governors.

SOLUTION: Flat tax with zero loopholes is the only way for this to end, and allow the tax we pay as individuals to go down by having the big money companies pay their fair share! Term limits are the only way to get this done...

Musikfest 2011 - oh yea, can't wait!

2011-06-02T10:10:00.000-05:00

We're not scientists or mathematicians, but we're fairly confident that Musikfest can be expressed by the following equation:

Musik + fest = awesome

Actually, the reality is probably slightly more nuanced than that, but it's still pretty close. 10 days in August, filled to the brim with music, food and fun in downtown Bethlehem, PA? Sounds pretty darn awesome to us.

1991 Lexus LS 400 - SOLD thanks!!!!

2011-01-25T23:24:00.003-05:00

1991 Lexus LS 400

This has been my reliable comfortable daily ride since 2004, worth a look if you are looking for a nice upgraded used car for you.
click the link, goes to cars.com where my ad is listed.
Thanks all!

phones, phones, iLook for phones...that work...

2010-07-23T09:04:00.000-05:00

More hang-ups than hits in smartphone market
Posted July 22, 2010 8:23am by Eric Benderoff Tags: Apple, Android, Google, Finance, microsoft

If we are buying so many smartphones these days, why is the phone industry smarting so much?

Just after the mid-point of 2010, a year marked by the re-emergence of Motorola (MOT) and design savvy of HTC (2498.TW), we are witnessing notable hardware departures from Microsoft (MSFT) and, gasp, Google (GOOG). Even Apple (AAPL), which continues to set the smartphone pace, is licking its wounds from the enormous amount of unfavorable press surrounding the iPhone 4's faulty antenna design.

So while so much has gone right in smartphone development -- sales are expected to continue to rise rapidly -- there is much carnage in the marketplace.
Five failed signals

-- After only a few months on the market and backed by a significant marketing campaign, Microsoft pulled the largely well-reviewed Kin 1 and Kin 2 from the market.

-- Last week, Google said it will stop selling the Nexus One phone, the search giant's much-hyped foray into hardware development.

-- We almost said goodbye to the Palm product line-up until HP came in with a $1 billion lifeline to salvage that platform.

-- BlackBerry sales continue to slide as its once must-have phones are failing to keep pace with fresh approaches from Apple and Android.

-- Nokia (NOK), the world's leading mobile phone maker, is a non-factor in the smartphone race. Its much-heralded new product, the N8, is delayed.

-- Apple, of course, needed to put a band aid on the black eye that surrounds the iPhone 4.

Interestingly, there's a common denominator among these failures and hiccups. The products -- save for the missing Nokia N8 -- are innovative.
Verizon the problem for Microsoft

Microsoft's two Kin models were intended as social networking phones for teens and 20-somethings. Inspired by the success of the similar T-Mobile Sidekick, Microsoft was not wrong in its approach or execution. Indeed, the phone got raves from top reviewers like the New York Times David Pogue, who wrote that "Microsoft had three genuinely great ideas" with the Kin.

So what went wrong? Well, changing Microsoft's perception into a hip and interesting company is not easy. More significantly, Microsoft picked the wrong wireless partner, Verizon (VZ). The nation's top carrier did a lousy job of marketing the Kin phones for Microsoft, instead pushing customers toward smartphones such as the original Motorola Droid, which Verizon heavily markets. After the Kin was pulled, Microsoft employees who secretly shopped Verizon for smartphones reported that Verizon salespeople rarely mentioned the Kin as a worthy product.

If Microsoft had gone with T-Mobile, with its reputation as a hip carrier for younger people due to the Sidekick's success, the story might have been different. At least it would have lasted longer.
Google still gains from Nexus One

The Nexus One drop, on the other hand, was not surprising. The fact that Google launched its own phone in the first place was more unforeseen. Regardless, tech-savvy consumers and media pundits put heavy (and, in retrospect, unwarranted) expectations on an Android-based phone that competed against more established Android phones from Motorola, HTC and other manufacturers.

Now it's clear that Google launched the Nexus One as a loss-leader of sorts, using it as a showcase for Android at a time when few other phone makers were stretching the capabilities of the mobile operating system. But Google didn't really stretch those boundaries with the Nexus One either; rather, it hoped by slapping the Google name on a phone it would serve as a marketing tool for Android. That was the real plan, and it worked.

So when HTC and Motorola came out with great Android phones like the Evo, Incredible, and Droid X, Google quietly pulled the plug on the Nexus One.
Google vs. Apple is the real story

Of course, the reason for the troubles surrounding many phone makers and platforms is the battle between Apple and Google.

Apple has captured our imagination in what smartphones can do, something the traditional phone makers had not expressed as well prior to the iPhone's launch three years ago.

Sure, the BlackBerry (RIMM) sold very well and there was traction among Windows-based smartphones, but the iPhone was a unique product -- not just a portable computer and not just an email device -- that allowed for business and social activities to blend on the go. Apple's success pushed Google into the mobile market, but the Nexus One illustrated that Google is a great software company but not a hardware firm. Hence, Google will continue to make deals with phone makers who can innovate -- again, look at HTC and Motorola -- within that framework.

The future for BlackBerry, Nokia and Palm

It is widely believed that Research in Motion, the maker of the BlackBerry phones, will introduce another touchscreen phone this fall. Also, and more significantly, RIM should unveil a new operating system better suited for touch-screen products and partnerships with third-party app developers. With sales slipping, RIM is dangerously close to losing its grip on business customers -- its bread-and-butter clientele -- as the iPhone and Android products have proven to be attractive for road warriors.

Nokia's problems are more complex. In the wake of Apple's success, Nokia launched its own version of the App Store -- called Ovi -- and encouraged developers to create apps. But the approach hasn't worked well, particularly in the U.S., in large part because there are no compelling Nokia smartphones to lure customers.

As a result, Nokia faces two significant problems.

First, it needs a cool product. The phone maker once led with innovations like the N95, a fantastic media phone that was among the first to shoot high-quality video and take sharp pictures. I loved that phone. But that was launched at about the same time as the original iPhone in 2007, and was Nokia's last great phone. A promising successor, the N8, offers cool features like a 12-megapixel camera and HD-quality video recording, but the launch has been delayed from the spring and it could arrive in October. The N8's problem: Vlad Savov wrote in a June Engadget preview that "Nokia has put together a growling multimedia powerhouse, but the OS is so far from being fully baked we can still see the dough."

Thus, Nokia's second problem: leadership. According to a Tuesday Wall Street Journal story, Nokia is searching for a new CEO because its sales and stock price continue to fall. Also, it is looking at scrapping the Symbian platform for smartphones and is instead developing a new platform with Intel Corp., called MeeGo, to run its smartphones.

And then there is Palm, a story that will be developing for some time. The Palm Pre and Palm Pre Plus are well-regarded products, yet consumers are not buying. But instead of going out of business -- a very real possibility -- Palm was purchased by HP for about $1 billion. That's a pricey number, but it gives HP (HPQ) a potentially sexy product in a smartphone market it has had trouble with (who owns an iPaq?) and Palm a realistic shot at staying in the game.

Hopefully, the purchase will work out better for HP than Microsoft's and Google's recent forays into the smartphone space. Otherwise, expect more carnage in a market that, as it grows, eats its competition.

Personalized and Customized Motorcycle Trading Cards

2010-02-03T16:18:00.001-05:00

"now this is a cool gift idea"

Bongothedude Motorcycle Trading Cards
Courtesy of Bongothedude.com
Tuesday, February 02, 2010

Who wouldn't like to see their motorcycle featured on a trading card? Bongothedude.com makes cool customized trading cards with a picture of your bike on one side and a list of the bike's features on the other.
Bongothedude.com has launched the first custom trading card service specifically for motorcycle enthusiasts featuring authentic designs inspired by bikers and motor-heads. Just like a baseball card, Bongothedude’s custom trading cards feature a color photo on the front with stats/info on the back. The website allows bikers to choose from a selection of trading card styles and customize their own card by providing their motorcycle details and a digital photo.

Since Bongothedude’s debut at Cyclefest in Dayton, Ohio, the company has been asked by Easyriders to produce a custom trading card for the upcoming Easyriders Bike Show Tour 2010 – Invitational in Columbus, Ohio in mid-February. Eighteen winners in different classes of the custom bike show will each receive a double set of custom trading card designed by Bongothedude featuring their award winning MC.

“We knew that every day bikers were into it immediately and we are thrilled at the warm welcome from Easyriders and the hard-core biker crowd,” said Joe Moya, Chief Big Wheel at Bongothedude. “As a former MC builder and attendee of numerous motorcycle events, I saw the need for this product as we all are proud of our bikes.” Bikers can now show off the motorcycle any time of the year and when their ride is parked or in the garage with an authentic motorcycle trading card.

With new card designs to be released every month for bikers to choose from at www.bongothedude.com, the company is growing rapidly and has created custom cards for individual bikers, clubs and award winning custom motorcycle builders such as E.C. Customs. Bongthedude is currently developing a line of custom cards for ROAR Motorcycles for women to be unveiled at Daytona Bike Week.

To promote the web site, Bongothedude is offering a free custom card set to 28 new customers in February. The first new order received each morning this month will be selected by the Bongothedude staff and will receive 15 free cards. This is a special limited time offer and is available through www.bongothedude.com.

Bongothedude specializes in custom trading cards for motorcycle enthusiasts and is sold through its on-line retail store. With motorcycle specific designs that are customized by motorcycle owners, they are the only custom trading card company on the planet that is specific to the motorcycle industry. Their high quality, PRO grade trading cards are made of 100% acid free heavy card stock with 2-sided lamination. To find out more, please visit www.bongothedude.com

Thrown Cigarette Butt Ignites Smoker's Car

2009-10-16T11:30:00.004-05:00

This car was destroyed by fire after the driver said he tossed a cigarette butt and wind pushed it back into the vehicle.
photo by Lance Hernandez

Thrown Cigarette Butt Ignites Smoker's Car
Station Wagon Of New Denver Resident A Total Loss
Written by Wayne Harrison, Web Editor

POSTED: 1:13 pm MDT July 16, 2009
DENVER -- A man who had just moved from Florida to Denver will be looking for a new car after his caught fire and burned Thursday.

Zach Schultz told 7News that he was driving southbound on Colorado Boulevard, near Interstate 70, shortly after noon when he attempted to throw a cigarette he had been smoking out the window of his older model station wagon.

Schultz, 25, said the wind blew the cigarette back into his car, catching it on fire.

Denver firefighters closed the southbound lanes of Colorado for a time so they could fight the fire, which sent black smoke billowing into the sky.

The car was a total loss.

Tilted Horizons: Friendship Blogger Award

2009-06-10T09:13:00.000-05:00

Tilted Horizons: Friendship Blogger Award

Thanks for the consideration and acknowledgment! I've been reading your blog for at least a year now, keep up the good word.

Best Regards,
Chili

New Ride To Work Day - MONDAY, JUNE 15, 2009

2009-06-10T09:02:00.001-05:00

The annual RTW Day moves to the ‘third Monday in June.’ The next Ride to Work Day is MONDAY, JUNE 15, 2009. It is the 18th annual Ride to Work Day. Reasons for an earlier annual Ride to Work Day include:

* The new day is not as hot in most northern hemisphere areas, and not as cold in most southern hemisphere areas. June weather is more favorable worldwide.
* The new day provides an increased opportunity for more riders to Ride to Work. Many workplaces close for summer holiday in July - especially in Europe.
* A Monday event encourages motorcycle and scooter commuting to continue during the entire week.
* Positive media exposure will increase. Sundays are slower ‘news days’ so there will be more coverage like this: “Look for more motorcycles on your commute tomorrow, as Monday is the annual Ride to Work day...”
* The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) has endorsed this day, and is promoting the ‘Third Monday in June’ worldwide as the annual Ride to Work Day.

45 lessons life taught me

2009-05-28T11:42:00.001-05:00

This is a good one and full of great reminders for us all...

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio
"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone...
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first pay cheque.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion, today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change..
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time.. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Feel free to pass along. Remember, friends are the family we choose for ourselves.

Have a good day.

Inclinometer et al: Apple iPhone is the coolest, and keeps getting cooler

2009-01-30T10:13:00.000-05:00

Inclinometer et al: Apple iPhone is the coolest, and keeps getting cooler

Cool Helmet Safe Head

2009-01-29T16:13:00.002-05:00

As a rider, you know that you should always wear your safety gear, most importantly, your helmet. But you want to look cool as you’re riding is well. There are many ways to make sure that your safety is covered, as well as looking awesome, you just need to know where to look. But if you’re willing to spend the time and effort to find the helmet you like that’s safe, you can also find a helmet that looks great.

This article will explain safe and cool motorcycle helmets. There are many cool motorcycle helmets on the market, but before you can look at designs, you’ll have to pick a style. Though there are many out there, two are the most reliable for those who have safety in mind.

If you’d a wind in the face kind of guy, you’ll want to try a three quarter helmet. This will protect all of your head, while leaving your face open to the wind. While not the safest model, it does offer enough protection that you can feel safe while riding. The safest style of motorcycle helmet is the full face helmet. This offers the same protection as the three quarter helmet, while also allowing your face to stay covered. This is accomplished though the use of a drop down shield, which lets you ride in wind and rain without having to worry about chapping to your face. If you like to ride in weather that’s less than perfect, this is definitely the motorcycle helmet style for you. It’s also especially comfortable to wear.

Now that you’ve picked out your helmet style, it’s time to decide how you’d like your cool motorcycle helmet to look. You have many different options, all of which will add flair to your look as you ride, without taking away from your safety. Your first option is color. In the past, there were only a few colors to choose from. Now, you can get anything you’ve ever seen in a crayon box, and more. You can go from flat to neon, and add finishes like metallic or matte, that will let you match your bike, or set you off from it.

Last but not least, you can also add decals to give your helmet that personal flair. Icons like flame or dice blocks are easy to find custom painted on. You can also find many different latex graphics to apply yourself, or have them custom designed. If you’re a huge sports fan, you can match your helmet to that of your favorite players easily with these custom decals! You’ll find no limit to how creative and unique you can make your own cool motorcycle helmet. With a cool motorcycle helmet, no one will be able to mistake you on the road. You’ll be proud to wear your helmet, which will keep you visible and safe. You’ll also be easier to spot by your friends on the road.

So what are you waiting for, go out and get one today!

Sick of your tired old helmet. Design yourself a cool motorcycle helmet. There are many options when you buy cool and safe motorcycle helmets today at Splat Hat

Buell Conversion Kit From Fusion Motorcycles

2009-01-27T15:54:00.002-05:00

Wicked Cool.

by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" on September 18, 2008
in Motorcycle Builders, Motorcycle Design

Remember “The Machine” from Fusion Motorcycles? Well, Will Thibeault has been hard at work on something a lot of you may find interesting, he’s designed a conversion kit that will transform your donor Buell into a custom with killer looks.

Will’s kit uses a billet T6 aluminum bolt together frame with a built in oil tank, a 60 inch wheelbase and 33 degrees of rake. The Buell Thunderstorm motor, Buell forks, Buell six piston caliper and Buell rear caliper, all come from the donor bike.

The bike shown in these photos is for a customer with a lot of custom touches, a hard carbon fiber seat (customer request, Will prefers padded), Piaa head lights..same as he used on The Machine, Will’s own stainless pipes and Fusion Motorcycles billet 18″ wheels, 240 on the rear and 130 up front. Rear turn signals are LED.

According to Will:

The future bikes will have front and rear carbon fenders, and will be totally road legal. The Frame kits will include: frame, seat, rear shock, swing arm, oil tank, and gas tank for $4,500. For less than $10,000 a person can build their own w/ the purchase of a donor Buell. We will build the complete bike “road legal” for $19,500 and there are always the options of whatever you could think of i.e. carbon wheel, S&S motors, front ends and Ti frames

There are quite a few guys building choppers and all sorts of bikes from Buell parts and pieces but, in my opinion, this kit has just the right look. There seems to be a Confederate Hellcat influence, which is a good thing since I like the Hellcat, but overall, for the money, I don’t see how you could go wrong here. Anyone with a Buell who is thinking about getting another bike, might want to consider this kit first, you get a completely different look and you already own half of the necessary parts. I like this, a lot. I have to think a lot of guys are going to start looking for a good used Buell and making a bit of work room in their garage. Nice work, Will!

UPDATE: Will Thibeault has added a few comments below about his kit

UPDATE 2: Will just let me know that the kit will not be ready until sometime in 2009. He is redesigning some parts and he is going to thoroughly test everything before offering the kits for sale.

Link: Fusion Motorcycles

iMuffs makes iPod go wireless

2009-01-12T16:26:00.002-05:00

I've been looking for something like this! If you are as addicted to your iPod as I am, then you'll sure be happy to hear about this new iPod gadget.

What this does is make your iPod music experience cordless. With the iMuffs you no longer need to worry about the wire connecting your headset to the iPod.

It works by plugging in the Bluetooth transmitter into the iPod and does not require complicated installation or Bluetooth pairing of any kind.

To control the music (play, skip track, volume) you simply press a button at the ear. Comes with a charger and connects with mini-USB.

Besides being quality headphones, you can also use these to make Noise-free phone calls. Make phone calls with the noise cancellation software over iChat or Skype.

By Joe

Take Pride - No Butts out the window!

2008-12-11T09:19:00.003-05:00

as posted on www.post-gazette.com

There is a simple solution to the problem of cigarette litter at the Liberty Tunnels (and elsewhere): Issue citations to litterers ("Liberty Tunnels Qualify as City's Biggest Ashtray," Sept. 11). Although some people claim that law enforcement has better things to do, we need to ask our elected officials if they really value a clean city. It wouldn't take very long to change behavior after a few rounds of littering fines. All taxpayers bear the cost of cleanup due to some ignorant individuals.

Please show some pride in Pittsburgh. I have seen people with Steelers bumper stickers throwing cigarettes out the window. What kind of hypocritical statement is that? They're proud of their city, but they treat it like an ashtray? Don't tolerate litterers -- you can report them at www.litterbutt.com.

GREG HARTLEY
Assistant Director
SmokeFree Pennsylvania
www.NoSmokeDining.org

Chili - the concept is pretty simple here, put the butts in the ashtray not out the window...

Hot-Pink Electro-Voice Line Array Is The Talk Of Glasgow Clubland

2008-11-18T17:05:00.002-05:00

Byblos, in the rejuvenated area of Merchant City, Glasgow, hosts the debut of the Flashlite Dance Array, outrageous shocking-pink groundstacks of Electro-Voice cabinets that, according to installer Andy O'Neill, "exploit the EV range far beyond the manufacturer's recommendation!"

The newly-built newly-opened club is located beneath Merchant Square in the heart of Glasgow. Owned by private entrepreneur company Springbrisk, Byblos has the capacity for 900 people, spread out through three lavishly designed rooms, and aims to be the biggest thing on Glasgow's busy club scene.

O'Neill's company Flashlite, is the leading installer of club sound reinforcement in Glasgow, and was contracted to Byblos on the basis of his reputation. O'Neill likes to work with Electro-Voice, and with its UK distributor Shuttlesound, so much so that the equipment list at Byblos reads like an EV catalogue, and features some notable 'firsts' in terms of installation. Chief amongst these is what is becoming known as Flashlite's Dance Array system, a powerful designer ensemble of Electro-Voice XLD, XLC and X-Line components, configured in giant ground-stacks and aimed squarely at giving the clubber maximum atmosphere and the sense of event without loss of clarity at any level.

Using four new XLD281 cabinets on top of 2x XLC215 subs on top of an X-Line XSub, the arrays are actually very compact for their output. "There's a very low ceiling in Byblos," explains O'Neill, "so we could only do this because of the small physical size of the XLD cabinets. All the enclosures have been selected to work in this particular room, and matched with each other to get the best results here."

With grilles sprayed in shocking pink, the imposing stacks are positioned on the wide side of the club's main room. "Instead of just covering the dancefloor, this system lends itself to the whole room, so there are no deadspots," says O'Neill. The results are spectacular; punchy full-range club sound which doesn't sacrifice clarity to the sense of occasion, even though it can be very very loud. Bartenders in the pub upstairs have pointed out that the subbass in the Dance Array is causing quite a few bottles to jump around on the shelves behind the bar!

The Dance Array is powered entirely by Electro-Voice amplifiers, using models from the Compact Precision Series; CP4000s for the subs, two CP3000s for the bass, four CP2200s for the low-hi mids, and two CP1800s for HF. The main club room also features EV ZX1 compact speakers covering a recessed seating area, and the first pair of EV Plasma loudspeakers to be installed in the UK which are used for DJ monitoring.

Separated by acoustic shutters, Byblos' second room has its own PA systems and DJ booth, although either DJ can be played in either of the two rooms. In Room 2 is the first of Electro-Voice's new Phoenix systems to be installed in the UK, designed to offer tremendous SPL and sonic headroom and optimised for rock, pop and dance styles of music. four Phoenix PS2152 are flown from relatively low concrete ceiling beams, four Phoenix 1122s act as fills, and Andy O'Neill has matched them with a pair of X-Subs on the floor for a powerful sub-bass response.

A 120-metre cable run leads to a third room reserved for VIPs, equipped with a simple dancefloor system created from two ZX5s plus RX118 subs, and half a dozen ZX1s for fill.

Flashlite's pioneering spirit doesn't stop with the creative use of loudspeaker enclosures. The systems at Byblos are tied into two of EV's new NetMax N8000 audio processing and matrix units, which handle all DSP and source selection for each room. Yet another scalp for the innovative Andy O'Neill, this is the first club system to deploy fully the power of the NetMax devices.

"Shuttlesound produces the right products - Electro-Voice - at the right price backed up by the right support," says O'Neill. "The EV portfolio is continually developing and breaking new ground, which in turn helps me to design creatively." Flashlite has been using EV for the last seven years, and until recently, its installation at the Classic Grand club was the benchmark on the Glasgow scene. Now, with the first ground-stacked line array installation, the first Phoenix installation and the first Plasmas in the UK, and the first full club application of NetMax, (not to mention the hot-pink livery of the Byblos main system), Flashlite has raised its own bar.

Tilted Horizons: New Motorcycle GPS Released (Funny Ad)

2008-09-15T10:19:00.001-05:00

Tilted Horizons: New Motorcycle GPS Released (Funny Ad)

...a little reverse of fortune...the designer, art director, account rep, and creative director for this agency obviously do not ride - wouldn't you want an ad agency to have some basic knowledge of the market you are targeting, geez.

Sound Reinforcement Products for Line Array Positioning: Inclinometer for JBL Line Array

2008-08-15T09:30:00.001-05:00

Good example of hanging a line array stack -

Sound Reinforcement Products for Line Array Positioning: Inclinometer for JBL Line Array

Philadelphia, PA: Local Litter Prevention Group Cracks Down on Cigarette Butts

2008-07-24T08:42:00.000-05:00

KYW Newsradio

by KYW's John McDevitt Posted: Wednesday, 23 July 2008 4:10AM

At Love Park on Tuesday, the "Keep Philadelphia Beautiful" organization launched a new campaign to remind smokers that cigarette butts are litter too. Efforts were continuing on Wednesday at City Hall.

There will be advertisements promoting cigarette litter prevention and public venue campaigns like the one here in Love Park, where a picture of a cigarette butt appears with the words "this is litter too." Pocket ash trays were also handed out.

Phoebe Coles is with Keep Philadelphia Beautiful and says more than 900 cigarette butts were counted in Love Park in one day alone:

"We actually sweep them up, put them in a bag, label it and put a date on it."

(McDevitt): "You where gloves I hope."

"Yes. I do a pre-scan and a post scan. So after we're done the promotion, we'll walk and scan and see what's going on."

She says a count of butts in Old City along Second Street where a similar promotion was done, showed a 37 percent reduction in cigarette butts on the street.

July is Women’s Motorcycle Month

2008-07-21T08:52:00.001-05:00

Contributions of female Hall of Fame members recognized

By Motorcycle.Com Staff, Jul. 15, 2008, Photography by Harley-Davidson Archives

The motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum and Nationwide Insurance are working together to mark July as Women’s Motorcycle Month.

According to the Motorcycle Industry Council, women riders increased by 34 percent between 1998 and 2003. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation says women make up nearly 30 percent of students in its Basic RiderCourses program.

“There are more than 4.3 million women motorcyclists on the road today, and more are joining our ranks every day,” says Beth Hazen, a motorcyclist and Nationwide Insurance agent. “Women’s Motorcycle Month celebrates the pioneers who broke down gender and racial barriers in the early days of motorcycling, and we hope their stories inspire even more women to consider getting out on bikes or scooters this summer.”

To commemorate Women’s Motorcycle Month, Nationwide honors the contributions of four female members of the Motorcycle Hall of Fame.

Adeline and Augusta Van Buren: In 1916, the Van Buren sisters rode a pair of Indian motorcycles from coast to coast to become the first women to ride across the continent. While American soldiers were fighting in the World War One, the Van Buren sisters rode to convince the military to allow women to help as dispatch riders delivering messages between units on the warfront. Though the military remained unswayed by their demonstration, the Van Burens broke many of the early twentieth century’s stereotypes about women.

Dot Robinson was a two-time Jack Pine National Endurance sidecar-class champion. Photo copyright H-D

Bessie Stringfield: The The ‘Motorcycle Queen of Miami’, Stringfield completed eight solo cross-country tours and served as a dispatch rider for the U.S. Army in the ’30s and ’40s. As an African American who journeyed through the racially tense southern states during her many tours, Stringfield broke both gender and racial barriers.

Dot Robinson: In 1939, Robinson co-founded Motor Maids of America, one of the oldest and successful women’s riding organizations in North America. As an Enduro racer, Robinson became the first woman to win in AMA national competition.

“These women are inspiring to all riders,” says Mark Mederski, executive director of the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum. “And the Hall of Fame encourages motorcyclists to nominate more remarkable women for inclusion.”

17th Annual RIDE TO WORK DAY

2008-07-17T08:58:00.000-05:00

17th Annual RIDE TO WORK DAY

Well if you missed it, there's always next year... of course if you enjoy riding, you don't need a reason. Several of my co-workers came to work on Wednesday, so our company parking lot looked a bit like my Saturday ride group - beats the hell out of standing around the water cooler!

Real Military Motorcycle Helmet

2008-06-17T10:20:00.003-05:00

We've seen replica motorcycle helmets, and they usually look "cool". But here's the real thing. Introducing the Gentex Military Motorcycle Helmet II (MMH II) !

Obviously, it's a motorcycle helmet, but it has a few things that other helmets don't have.

It offers ballistic protection (MIL STD 662 standard) using a 17 grain fragmentation simulator at a velocity of 1600 feet per second. That means when those SUV drivers start firing their hand guns at you, at least your head is safe. You can also use the helmet for parachuting, as long as you do not exceed 150 G average at 10 feet per second (damn, .. there goes the planned weekend HALO jumping).

The MMH II can be purchased with protective visors or goggles, your choice (bother are bullet proof, so those pesky bugs should not be a problem).

It can also be fitted with their communications cords and adapters, so you can communicate with the tanks and other armored vehicles (or other motorcycles).

You'll need to supply the communications gear though; the cords and adapters can be purchased from Gentex.

What's going to make this helmet uber-cool, is that you can connect up the MBU-12/P Oxygen mask. Great when riding in a smog filled city. Or for night time riding, you can connect Night Vision goggles (Night Vision goggles are an optional extra).

Price: Don't know, but it's not going to be cheap...

Click here to read more about it (and drool)

Author: Mike Werner
Location: Normandy, France

Kickstand has been nominated for product of the year by Guitar Player Magazine

2008-06-03T11:58:00.004-05:00

Here's some cool gear, check it out...

If you're lucky enough to own a Kickstand then you already know what the hype is about.

If not, you've got to see this ingenious invention the guitar industry is raving about. A guitar stand you never have to carry or assemble.

No wonder "Kickstand" has been nominated for product of the year by Guitar Player Magazine, and the music stores don't even have it yet. Click on the link below and see for yourself. You'll say "Why didn't I think of that" because it's so simple and works so well.

Don't miss our pre-retail savings special, buy two get the third one for half price. You will never need to buy guitar stands ever again, you'll see, check it out right now, and don't forget about the special offer today only.

Also we will be at Summer NAMM ( booth 262) stop by and say hi

Cigarette butts are the most littered item in America

2008-05-29T10:42:00.001-05:00

CIGARETTE LITTER PREVENTION PROGRAM

Research shows that individuals who would never consider littering an aluminum can, a piece of paper or other items may be littering cigarette butts. They may be surprised to be called litterers. But dropping partially-smoked cigarettes, cigarette butts, matches, lighters and packaging to the ground is littering. These items become litter when not disposed of properly. Cigarette litter is an emerging litter problem in communities around the country. Lack of awareness, lack of ash receptacles, and the increase of outdoor smoking add to the visible impact of cigarette litter.

Research shows that smokers will litter cigarette butts, lighters, matches and packaging material if an ash receptacle is not readily available. Cigarette litter occurs most often at Transition Points. Transition Points are those places where a person must discontinue smoking before proceeding. A bus stop, a store entrance, building loading docks, walkways leading to government buildings and similar places are the Transition Points in a neighborhood.

Are you interested in addressing this problem in your community? Identify other stakeholders who care about your neighborhood who can help you. Your team should include representatives of businesses, local government and neighborhood organizations. Then, follow the steps outlined in KAB's Guide to Cigarette Litter Prevention. It will be a valuable program your team can use to improve your community.

Remember this:
A Little More Thought—Less Littered Butts!

Design For A Better Bike Lock

2008-05-27T08:55:00.000-05:00

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04. 3.08

Design site Core77 regularly runs "One Hour Design Challenge" competitions; I would love to see how many of these ideas were thought up and drawn in an hour. The winner in their latest, to design a better bike lock, is very clever. I use a heavy chain that weighs more than my bike and don't think that cable would stop a dedicated thief, but perhaps there are still parts of the world where this would work, or some new superstrength cable that would foil the boltcutter.

Componet is an idea that was very successfully applied to backpacks with the pacsafe; looks like it might be a bit time-consuming.

Here they integrate the lock into the front wheel. See them all at ::Core77

Sound Reinforcement Products for Line Array Positioning: Line Array Set up and Stage Prep by MSI Japan!

2008-05-14T08:46:00.001-05:00

Sound Reinforcement Products for Line Array Positioning: Line Array Set up and Stage Prep by MSI Japan!

Nice photos showing the hanging process!

Bensalem Police Stepping Up Efforts to Control Litter in the Streets

2008-05-07T08:22:00.002-05:00

Press Releases | Posted: 4/30/2008 4:15 PM

Bensalem Township Police have stepped up their efforts in the battle against litter on the Township roadways. They are issuing citations to those caught throwing trash or other material from their cars onto the roads. The following individuals have been issued citations that carry a fine of up to $300.00

Click here to view

This is an ongoing effort to keep the streets clean and provide a better environment for those who live and travel through the Township.

Any questions please contact Fred Harran, Director of Public Safety, Bensalem Township Police Department at 215-633-3710.

LitterButt User Goes YouTube!

2008-05-06T15:19:00.002-05:00

A creative LitterButt.com user is utilizing the powers of YouTube.com to post video of litterers online, with permission of the local police department.

FYI: this is not about anyone taking away a person's right to smoke - this is about littering, plain and simple. So before you start accusing anyone of "big brother" & "nazi-like" tactics take a moment and think about what you are doing when you throw a lit piece of paper and plastic on the ground...any child knows this is littering...are you smarter than a fifth grader...prove it, set an example...do not litter.

It's unfortunate we have to resort to this type of "shaming" but from what I've read online and see on the news reports, it's working. The local municipality of Bensalem is cracking down on litter by fining offenders $300 andBensalem busting butts over litter video online. posting their names online. The local news covered the story and offenders admitted they didn't think a cigarette butt was litter -- watch

Best Bike Lock - continued...

2008-05-05T16:30:00.004-05:00

...follow up to the other "best bike lock"...

WHO? WOT! ME?: The Worlds Best Bike Lock

Looking at that bike it hardly seems worth the effort even a desperate bike thief would walk past it unlocked

Manitowoc Crane motorcycle episode premiered on 'American Chopper'

2008-05-05T10:26:00.000-05:00

News Release

April 24, 2008

Manitowoc Crane motorcycle episode premiered on 'American Chopper'

Crane and motorcycle fans alike celebrated the airing of the 'American Chopper' episode featuring the Manitowoc crane inspired 'chopper' Thursday night, May 1. About 200 Manitowoc fans and residents gathered locally to watch the show air at a north-side Manitowoc sports bar and grill. The program was carried by cable television’s The Learning Channel. After months of planning and coordination, the episode featuring the custom-made bike’s planning, construction and unveiling, was finally shown. With the show’s airing, Manitowoc will now have the custom-built motorcycle on public display.

Larry Weyers, executive vice president of the Americas region of Manitowoc's crane division, said it was gratifying to see the company featured in the show. “Manitowoc Cranes really fits the show, so it was exciting to see them feature us. The Teutul's attention to detail and their passion for their work embodies Manitowoc in many ways,” he said. “It was interesting how they had adapted so many elements of cranes into this chopper. It was also very enjoyable to see how much the company employees and crane enthusiasts really appreciated this bike.”

A visit to the Manitowoc crane manufacturing facility in Manitowoc, Wis. led to the inspiration of many of the crane-related elements on the bike, including front and rear wheel rims which have coiled wire rope; a lattice-boom 'sissybar' complete with rope and hook; and handle bars inspired by Manitowoc's patented mobile hydraulic crane MEGAFORM boom design. The Teutul sons, Paul Jr. and Mikey, along with a video crew, visited the Manitowoc factory in February. Scenes of Manitowoc’s factory and test yard were shown on the program.

The chopper was presented to Manitowoc in a hand-over ceremony on Manitowoc’s stand at the CONEXPO 2008 construction trade show in Las Vegas, in March. That event was also videotaped and shown as part of Thursday’s program. Manitowoc will display the chopper at regional events and dealerships throughout North America for the remainder of 2008. Merchandise featuring the Manitowoc bike and the Orange County Chopper logo is available in Manitowoc’s on-line store.

About The Manitowoc Company
The Manitowoc Company, Inc. is one of the world's largest providers of lifting equipment for the global construction industry, including lattice-boom cranes,tower cranes, mobile telescopic cranes, and boom trucks. As a leading manufacturer of ice-cube machines, ice/beverage dispensers, and commercial refrigeration equipment, the company offers the broadest line of cold-focused equipment for the foodservice industry. In addition, the company is a leading provider of shipbuilding, ship repair, and conversion services for government, military, and commercial customers throughout the U.S. maritime industry.

# # #

Motorcycle Helmets - Should they be mandatory?

2008-04-28T08:48:00.008-05:00

Chili > interesting article on the age old motorcycle helmet argument, interesting point of view, external links to related posts...

...btw, I ride and wear a helmet - my choice. My wife is a Neuro ICU Nurse Practitioner and deals with brain and spine injuries on a daily basis, several of which have involved motorcycle accidents - typically the reason the patient shows up in her unit is the simple fact of not wearing a helmet. (I've been riding for 20+ years and have been wearing a helmet every since, and I've only known my wife for 7 years). But before you start throwing around terms like "mandatory helmet law nazi", I for one believe it is my choice to make, no one else needs to tell me! I despise insurance companies because they are unregulated, provide a huge lobby group in Washington, and influence way to much the laws and regulations currently in place. They charge extortion like rates and will do what ever they can to weasel out of paying legitimate claims (auto-home-health). Rant rant rant...ok on with the next one...

Posted on April 27th, 2008 by Steve Lombardi, www.desmoines.injuryboard.com - A few months ago I wrote a blawg about my position on motorcyclists wearing helmets and making it mandatory by law. There's a lawyer in California who has an Internet website named the "Biker Law Blog", apparently took issue with my post and later commented on it. His post is titled Well Some Things Just Really Piss Me Off!
Looking back at what I posted the title I chose isn't much better. Motorcycles, Helmets, Wrecks, Brain Damage and the Freedom to be Stupid. Read it and see what he describes as his position. I don't agree with him. I'll state my position, read his and tell me if you agree or disagree with either of us. Here is how I responded to Mr. Fernandez.

"If my caring for my clients who have suffered traumatic brain injury is offensive then so be it. If my 27 years of representing those who ride motorcycles and suffer brain injury as a result of not wearing a helmet is offensive, then once again so be it. Like you I'm entitled to my own opinion. And that opinion is as you describe, my American right. Most of the lawyers who do personal injury work will tell you exactly what you want to hear - "no we don't need to helmets, we should be allowed to do whatever it is we want too". You're too smart of a man to believe that just because a lawyer has been telling you what you want to hear that he/she somehow is qualified or more likely to have had your best interests in mind or to be the best lawyer for the biker's case. Certainly when you get in an accident you can't believe because their opinion was to let you ride with your skull exposed to trauma that they are qualified to represent you. Or for that matter even care about you as a human being.

I'm not like a lot of the lawyers who advertise because I won't tell anyone who rides a motorcycle what they want to hear in hopes of later getting their case. You see I won't pander to a motorcyclist just to make a buck. I've seen first hand what brain injury does and how it destroys a biker's life. There is no quantity of money anyone can pay me that would cause me to lie and pander to them with the hope to someday get their case. If any biker wants to be lied to, so be it. Don't show up at my office because I'm sure to disappoint you.

Mr. Fernandez I enjoyed your point of view but it's only a point of view. In the courtroom everyone has a point of view, but can every lawyer attempt a biker's case? We can stand in court all day long espousing about biker rights but in the end when the legislature won't require car owners to carry anymore than $20,000.00 in coverage and many drivers are without insurance coverage I sleep better at night telling biker's what they need to hear and not what they want to hear. In the court room any lawyer with book on me will tell you I represent my client zealously and without pause.

Examine my motives for saying motorcycle helmets need to be mandatory for some or all riders. If there were less brain damage I'd make less money and there would be a few more motorcycle riders still on the road riding. Accidents would result in less severe injuries. (We can argue this point but don't because we don't have to when selecting a lawyer after the fact.) How does a biker wearing a helmet benefit me financially?

Now if I were to say, "We don't need any stinking mandatory helmet laws! Let them ride free of die!" Well, crashes would result in more deaths and brain damage. "Come to me because I'm a good guy!" A good guy is defined as someone who told you what you wanted to hear before you turned your brain into mush and became totally unemployable. But what the heck if you do I have more cases and higher damage awards or settlements.

Which lawyer really is being genuine and cares about your well being?

Which lawyer is in it just for the bucks?

So what can I tell you and your readers today? Do you carry $2,000,000.00 worth of under-insured and uninsured motorist coverage on your ride? If you don't carry that kind of insurance coverage you should. Because that law education you worked so hard for is what you're risking with your hair flying free in the wind. I've ridden and know the feeling of freedom. I've crashed a motorcycle and assume many of your readers have as well. Okay you want me to say it, okay I will. You don't need to wear a helmet; but if you don't you do need $2,000,000.00 worth of insurance protecting you and the ones who depend on you.

That's advice for free and I didn't make a dime off of giving it to you. Plain spoken, straight forward and perhaps not what your readers wanted to hear, but nevertheless it's what they needed to hear.

Onward we march.

The Great Bike Helmet Hysteria!

2008-04-23T09:03:00.002-05:00

...this is a very interesting subject and is rather close to my heart since I ride motorcycles and bicycles. The writer of this blog brings up some very interesting points of view, great food for thought...read on, ride on.

Copenhagenize.com - The Copenhagen Bike Culture Blog: The Great Bike Helmet Hysteria - Introduction

...interestingly I grew up in a time without helmets (and a multitude of other nonsensical safety measures for kids). My brothers and I would ride like little Evil Knievils - doing jumps, speeding down hills - all sans helmets. And guess what, we fell down (a lot), and I have the scars to prove it, but amazingly we survived (and no brain damage - er well not according to my wife anyway) but the point is when did we become so safety crazy. Are we so ready to sue each other that we need to add more protection to avoid more lawsuits to regulate more activities to sell more products to to to...yikes...maybe its just about the almighty dollar afterall.

By the way, when I go mountain biking I do where a helmet due to the specific activity. When I ride around the neighborhood, at the beach, and through town to the store... you guessed it sans (without) helmet.

However, when I ride my motorcycle I have a full face helmet - keeps the bugs out of my teeth! I also believe it is a riders right to choose.
Peace

Inclinometer et al: 2009 Shimano Dura-Ace: on-board altimeter, inclinometer and heart rate monitor.

2008-04-11T09:19:00.000-05:00

Inclinometer et al: 2009 Shimano Dura-Ace: on-board altimeter, inclinometer and heart rate monitor.

sweet bike

2008-03-14T10:34:00.000-05:00

Breaking News

Show Off at the NAB Show
Introducing Reel Impressions!

The National Association of Broadcasters and Reel-exchange.com introduce Reel Impressions, a showcase of work done by industry professionals who use products seen at past NAB shows. The Reel Impressions showcase will be displayed in a new, state-of-the-art 300-seat Content Theater constructed inside the Las Vegas Convention Center specifically for the 2008 NAB Show, April 14-17 in Las Vegas.

Go to digitalcontentproducer.com/reelnab for the guidelines on how to submit your demo reel to be part of this showcase at the 2008 NAB Show. Your work could be played on a 35ft. silver screen in the Content Theater or throughout the show in various public areas. Additionally, your work will be viewable online at both nab365.com and Reel-exchange.com throughout the remainder of 2008.

Call For Submissions Ends 3/28/08. Don't Miss Out!

To learn more about submitting your work for Reel Impressions click here.

Southwest Airlines, FAA accused of falsifying safety reports

2008-03-11T15:15:00.001-05:00

YIKES!
House panel releases report that states Southwest, agency falsified safety records
01:49 PM CDT on Tuesday, March 11, 2008
By DAVE MICHAELS / The Dallas Morning News
dmichaels@dallasnews.com

WASHINGTON – Officials for Southwest Airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration "falsified the report" that said the airline had come into compliance with rules for crucial safety inspections for jets, according to records released by a U.S. House committee.

That allegation appears in more than 90 pages of documents that suggest a culture of cronyism compromised the FAA's oversight of Southwest Airlines in Dallas. Two whistle-blowers said FAA supervisors and colleagues undermined their efforts to get Southwest to comply with federal directives.

Also Online

Safety inquiries may tarnish aviation darling Southwest Airlines

FAA seeks $10.2M fine against Southwest Airlines for safety violations

Download the FAA's letter to Southwest in .pdf format

Airline Biz blog: Get the latest industry news and commentary

The FAA has fined Southwest $10.2 million for continuing to fly more than three dozen jets that were 30 months late for safety inspections and should have been grounded until the work was done. But the agency hasn't fired any employees over the incident, which has embarrassed the FAA and called into question its partnership approach to regulating airlines.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters suggested Monday that more disciplinary actions could be handed down.

"If any inspector failed in his or her responsibilities to the traveling public, they will be dealt with swiftly and severely," Ms. Peters told a conference in Washington. "There is simply no margin for error when it comes to the safety of our aviation system."

A Southwest spokeswoman said the carrier hasn't reviewed the specifics of the whistle-blower complaints and couldn't comment on the allegations.

Southwest first reported its failure to perform fuselage inspections on March 15, 2007. In a report approved by an FAA official in Irving, the airline said it had come into compliance – meaning it had stopped flying jets that required inspections.

In fact, the airline continued to fly most of the jets for another eight days.

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel, which investigates whistle-blower complaints, reported allegations in December that Southwest's regulatory official "falsely stated" and an FAA supervisor "falsely accepted" the airline's statement.

"For them to indicate in a report that the carrier had grounded their airplanes until they finished their inspections, only for someone else to find out that they continued to fly, is a very serious situation," said Linda Goodrich, regional vice president of Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, the union representing safety inspectors.

Failure to confirm

Peggy Gilligan, the FAA's deputy associate administrator for aviation safety, said the FAA supervisor failed to confirm that Southwest had grounded the jets, but the agency hasn't determined whether he knowingly misled anyone.

"All that is under review," Ms. Gilligan said.

The FAA supervisor who approved the form, Douglas T. Gawadzinski, later told FAA investigators that "there was never a concern with the airworthiness of the aircraft," according to an April 18 memo from FAA investigators.

Those investigators concluded that Mr. Gawadzinski's statement was absurd because six of the jets were found to have cracks – some as long as 3.5 inches. But they couldn't conclude that Mr. Gawadzinski allowed Southwest's jets to keep flying to "provide relief to schedule the inspections at the airline's convenience," according to the memo.

Mr. Gawadzinski, of North Richland Hills, declined to comment. The FAA has transferred him from the office overseeing Southwest Airlines.

According to one of the whistle-blowers, Mr. Gawadzinski stopped being strict with Southwest after a former FAA colleague, Paul Comeau, joined the airline. Previously, the whistle-blower said, the FAA had forced jets needing inspections to stop flying.

'Cozy relationship'

"His position directly interfaces with our office on a daily basis in regard to regulatory compliance issues," the whistle-blower, C. Bobby Boutris, wrote. "It is obvious that the cozy relationship between Gawadzinski and Comeau played a contributing factor ... and allowed 47 aircraft to fly paying passengers with a known unsafe condition."

Rep. James Oberstar, chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, has largely supported the inspectors' claims.

Mr. Oberstar, D-Minn., will chair a congressional hearing about the FAA's partnership approach to oversight in early April.

Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D- Dallas, said Monday that she's concerned the FAA "has been pretty derelict to not follow their guidelines." Southwest hasn't directly contacted her, although the airline has spoken with her staff, Ms. Johnson said.

"Anytime that the relationship [between carrier and regulator] is such that it could subject passengers to unsafe conditions, it's time for something to be done about it," said Ms. Johnson, who chairs one of the committee's sub-panels.

At a news conference Friday, Mr. Oberstar said he might propose a law prohibiting FAA inspectors from going to work for the airlines for a year or two. He also called for inspectors to be rotated between assignments "as a countermeasure against developing a cozy relationship" with airline employees.

Southwest chief executive Gary Kelly said last week that the self-reporting system is beneficial because it encourages carriers to disclose problems without fearing punishment.

"You need to have an environment where you can be honest and not have to fear retaliation or intimidation," Mr. Kelly said. "If errors are suppressed by fear, that is a far, far worse result in the safety environment."

The records unveiled Monday suggest that other inspectors' attempts to investigate Southwest were compromised.

An internal investigation into the way Mr. Gawadzinski handled Southwest's violations was leaked to the airline, according to a second inspector who spoke with congressional investigators.

Mr. Boutris was removed from his oversight position after an anonymous complaint was made to Southwest about him; Mr. Boutris told investigators that the inquiry lasted seven months and resulted in no discipline.

Ms. Goodrich said Mr. Oberstar's investigation, as well as an earlier investigation into similar problems at Northwest Airlines, have caused more inspectors to come forward with claims that supervisors have quashed or limited their investigations.

"We have had people literally come out of the woodwork saying I have a similar issue," said Ms. Goodrich. "I think we are going to be hearing other people coming forward."

Best Bike Lock Ever!

2008-02-13T11:10:00.005-05:00

Another one of those, how frickin long has that motorcycle been there? This is definitely the best bike lock I’ve ever seen.

See other interesting things eaten by trees...nature has a way of reclaiming everything.

Yahoo merging with AOL?!?!?!? Say it ain't so!

2008-02-13T10:51:00.003-05:00

Yahoo turning to AOL to fend off Microsoft

Monday, February 11th

Yahoo is once again considering a merger with AOL in order to protect itself against a hostile bid from Microsoft, writes British newspaper The Times. Having formally rejected a bid worth nearly $45 billion, Yahoo is said to be in talks with advisers from Goldman Sachs and Lehman Brothers, who have been helping the company search for a partnership that might block a Microsoft acquisition. One such partnership could be with the Time Warner-owned AOL, although Google -- which has a five-percent stake in AOL, and is Microsoft's main enemy -- has reportedly offered to support Yahoo.

The original attempt at an AOL/Yahoo merger fell apart, due to arguments over price. Views are said to have changed however, due not just to the looming threat of Microsoft, but also a worsening US economy on the verge of recession.

Microsoft may in fact be attempting to pick up Yahoo as a bargain, a source close to Yahoo argues. "All they are trying to do is pick off the company on the cheap. They’re trying to steal it. And the board is not going to let that happen. They have gone for a valuation that reflects the five-year low of the stock.”

Reflecting Yahoo's belief that it is undervalued, the payout per share may have to increase substantially from the current $31. "It would have to be in the 40s to start talking, and we would have to get over regulatory issues," the source says. "It would have to be an offer that would give [Yahoo co-founder] Jerry Yang something to stand on a podium and smile about." Microsoft in fact put a 62 percent premium on Yahoo shares with its bid, announced on February 1st.

The former company may be attempting to work through subversive means however, speaking directly to Yahoo shareholders, and plotting to use its ownership of Yahoo stock to vote for Microsoft-friendly board members. The latter has not happened yet, but is said to be a weapon Microsoft will pull out if Yang continues to avoid merger talks.

- - all I can say is that Yahoo is getting backed into a corner, and having to jump in bed with AOL is a HUGE mistake. This would be taking a big step backwards technology wise - - and anyone with a brain will be looking elsewhere for an email/search engine account (but most are sheep, that is why so many still use AOL).

Filed under: Investor, industry
Other story tags: Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, Time Warner, AOL

Yahoo formally rejects Microsoft bid

2008-02-11T11:06:00.000-05:00

posted macnn/electronista 02/11/2008, 10:15am, EST

Yahoo today publicly dismissed Microsoft's $44.6 billion takeover bid, setting the groundwork for a long conflict between the firms. The search firm's Board of Directors says it has unanimously rejected Microsoft's offer after believing that the deal "substantially undervalues" Yahoo's worth. The reputation associated with Yahoo's name, its user base, ad investments and finances are all worth more than what Microsoft has proposed, according to the statement.

The company says it has turned to financial institutions Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers, and Moelis to help determine the fairness of the deal.

Microsoft has not yet responded to the rejection as of press time, though the news is expected to make any future takeover attempts much more difficult. A leak of the rejection notice this weekend (since proved accurate) revealed that Yahoo is taking a "poison pill" approach to the bid and is reportedly intent on preserving its independence by either rendering any deal too expensive or else turning to Microsoft rivals such as Google for an alliance that could raise antitrust concerns in the event of a Microsoft buyout.

The bid was originally proposed by Microsoft as an attempt to thwart Google, which has continued to dominate the business for online advertising as well as the still-young web app industry.

Cooler Yahoo Heads Prevail...so far...

2008-02-11T10:44:00.000-05:00

The backlash Microsoft is getting is justly deserved...the bid to buy yahoo has been denied...for the moment. According to the business section of my local paper, MS can sweeten the deal by boosting the 44+billion dollar offer or do an end around and go directly to the share holders to oust the current board. This to me still reeks of big money just getting bigger, regardless of fairness laws or government regulation - how much is your congressman worth?

Until we get rid of influence peddling (lobby groups) in the gov, those with the deepest pockets will continue to call the shots.

YIKES! Microsoft’s bid for Yahoo! has Google searching for cover

2008-02-05T14:12:00.000-05:00

Sidney Hill, Jr., executive editor -- Manufacturing Business Technology, 2/4/2008 1:09:00 PM

Microsoft’s $44-billion offer for Yahoo! seems to be an admission that Microsoft can’t build a strong enough search/online advertising engine on its own to compete with industry leader Google.

The question remains whether the combined capabilities of Yahoo! and Microsoft—whose search engine is known as MSN—will be formidable enough to challenge Google, whose position in the search and online advertising arena is similar to the stranglehold Microsoft has on the computer desktop market.

Only time will reveal the answer, of course, but it’s clear that Google is at least a bit worried about what might happen if Microsoft absorbs Yahoo!. Why else would Google executives be blogging about the “troubling questions” the bid raises?

According to a blog posted February 3 by David Drummond, Google’s senior VP, corporate development and chief legal officer, those questions include the possibility that Microsoft could “exert the same sort of inappropriate and illegal influence over the Internet that it did with the PC.”

Drummond then went on to write: “Could the acquisition of Yahoo allow Microsoft—despite its legacy of serious legal and regulatory offenses—to extend unfair practices from browsers and operating systems to the Internet? In addition, Microsoft plus Yahoo equals an overwhelming share of instant messaging and Web email accounts. And between them, the two companies operate the two most heavily trafficked portals on the Internet. Could a combination of the two take advantage of a PC software monopoly to unfairly limit the ability of consumers to freely access competitors' email, IM, and web-based services? Policymakers around the world need to ask these questions—and consumers deserve satisfying answers.”

The Wall Street Journal reported that Google’s expressions of concern about this potential merger have not been limited to blogosphere. The Journal says Google has made behind the scenes offers to help Yahoo resist the Microsoft’s bid, with those offers perhaps going as far as encouraging other companies to enter rival offers.

Google needs to be careful how it treads in this area, however, since its own dominant position in online search and advertising has not gone unnoticed by government regulators.

In its analysis of deal, Boston-based AMR Research identified the European Union, which “clearly hates Microsoft,” as the only potential wrench in the deal. “On the other hand,” AMR analysts wrote, “the EU is clearly concerned about Google’s growing influence, as the lengthy review of Google’s proposed acquisition of DoubleClick shows. Microsoft or Google: which one do European regulators fear more?”

Rajeena Brar with Paris-based Pierre Audoin Consultants says Google controls close to 90 percent of United Kingdom’s online advertising and/or search engine space. That figure is estimated to be roughly 75 percent worldwide.

But as Brar also said, the bid for Yahoo! provides great hope for Microsoft advocates. While Yahoo and Microsoft alone have not been a “real threat to Google,” Brar says, “The proposed acquisition will most definitely cause Google anxiety.”

That much is obvious from Google’s blog posts and its other reported actions. The two remaining questions are whether Yahoo shareholders and/or government regulators will allow the merger to be completed.

Microsoft, in what is an uncustomary position, is telling industry analysts that the deal would enhance competition—and benefit consumers—by forming "a strong No. 2 competitor" to Google.

YIKES! Microsoft will ruin Yahoo if they get their world dominating hands on it - I use Yahoo as my personal email and organizer, but will drop it like a hot potato if MS takes over and switch to my apple account. Just say no to the merger! - Chili

Training Session: Mastering AV Testing Equipment

2008-01-30T11:02:00.000-05:00

Mastering AV Testing Equipment
Tuesday, February 19, 2008 -- 2:00 PM ET | 11:00 AM PT

more info here

New Harley-Davidson Softail Cross Bones to Make Official Public Debut

2008-01-29T15:35:00.000-05:00

New Harley-Davidson Softail Cross Bones to Make Official Public Debut at the Cleveland International Motorcycle Show

Jan 25, 2008

First Opportunity For Public To See This New Custom Bobber Up-close

CLEVELAND (January 21, 2008) - The new Harley-Davidson FLSTSB Softail Cross Bones will make its public debut this weekend, at the 2008 Cleveland Cycle World International Motorcycle Show. Motorcycle fans attending the show this weekend at the I-X Center will be among the first to get an up-close look at the bike. In addition to seeing the first public unveiling of the Softail Cross Bones, show guests will also get the inside scoop on the bike from Harley-Davidson product experts, who will be available to answer questions and talk with show attendees. The Cleveland Motorcycle Show will take place Friday, January 25 and run through Sunday, January 27.

This new Softail model cuts the aggressive profile of an authentic custom bobber, but with some dark twists that deliver a wickedly fun and emotional riding experience. With the retro look of a Springer front end and other post-war era bobber styling cues like a sprung solo seat, half-round rider footboards, Gloss Black round air cleaner cover and chopped front fender, the Softail Cross Bones rides with a Black and Polished Twin Cam 96B powertrain, 6-speed Cruise Drive transmission and truly unique Softail suspension.

"Only Harley-Davidson could do this bike," said Bill Davidson, Harley-Davidson Vice President, Core Customer Marketing. "It's a motorcycle inspired as much by our early Knuckles and Pans, as by our desire to deliver innovative technology and content to make the ride today as magical and transforming as only a Harley-Davidson can. Cross Bones is a bike that makes me want to strap a blanket across the handle bar, hit the campgrounds on my next road trip and get totally in touch with what's right about this land."

As the latest of several Harley-Davidson Dark Customs, Cross Bones melds stripped and chopped custom creativity with rough and raw finishes. Soul mates of the Cross Bones include the Nightster, Night Train, Night Rod Special and Street Bob. Check out more on Dark Custom motorcycles at www.harley-davidson.com/darkcustom.

As each Harley-Davidson Softail motorcycle declares its styling independence with exclusive components and inspired craftsmanship, the Cross Bones is a bold addition to an already free-spirited family. Many features of the Cross Bones and other Softails are reminiscent of restless riders of the past, whose defiant attitude resonates with those who march to their own beat in any generation.

The Softail name originates from its rear suspension design, with a swingarm section that honors the lines of a vintage rigid frame, while delivering a smooth, comfortable ride. Hidden horizontal coil-over rear shock absorbers are strategically mounted out-of-sight below the powertrain. The counter-balanced Twin Cam 96B powertrain is rigid-mounted in the Softail frame to give the rider a core connection to the motorcycle. Harley-Davidson Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI) is standard on all Softail models, as is the 6-speed Cruise Drive transmission with its accommodating clutch lever effort.

The Softail Cross Bones takes on the road with a rebellious expression accentuated by a Gloss Black painted Springer front end with chrome springs, black bucket headlamp and black mini ape-hanger style handlebar. While the chopped front fender exposes more of the front wheel, a Bobtail fender does the same for the wide 200 mm rear tire. Tires with matching treads ride on Steel Laced wheels with Gloss Black painted rims.

The sprung solo seat, gloss black round air cleaner cover and old-style half-round rider footboards form a nostalgic focal point of the Cross Bones, recalling images of a classic era on this contemporary motorcycle. With two coiled springs underneath, the adjustable two-position Cross Bones seat rides in modern comfort at a height of 26.6 inches. A distinctive Softail horseshoe-shaped oil tank with the time-honored Harley-Davidson patent badge is located below the seat.

An authentically designed five-gallon fuel tank sports a gloss black "cat-eye" styled console with accessible ignition switch and a new speedometer face. A hand-laced leather tank panel on the console compliments the sprung solo seat. A straight shot exhaust system with chrome slash-cut mufflers provides optimum performance and stands out in contrast to the Cross Bones' many darker components.

The FLSTSB Cross Bones is available in premium custom graphics with wicked striping and paint featuring new Dark Blue Pearl, Dark Blue Denim, as well as Vivid Black, Black Denim, Olive Pearl and Pewter Denim.

FLSTSB Cross Bones features:

Rigid-mount, 1584 cc Twin Cam 96B balanced engine
6-speed Cruise Drive transmission
Black powder-coated engine with polished rocker box covers and pushrods and untreated fins
Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI)
Gloss Black painted Springer front end with chrome springs
Gloss Black mini ape-hanger handlebar
Straight shot exhaust with chrome slash-cut mufflers
Adjustable sprung solo seat with leather lacing
26.6-inch seat height
Chopped front fender with striping
Bobtail rear fender with striping
Gloss Black cat-eye tank console with new speedometer face
Gloss Black round air cleaner cover, oil tank and rear fender supports
Distinctive five-gallon fuel tank with hand-laced leather tank panel and striping
200 mm rear tire
Laced Steel front and rear wheels with Gloss Black painted rims
Half-round old-school foot boards
Horseshoe oil tank with Harley-Davidson patent badge
Optional Smart Security System

Be sure to check out the dark debut of the Harley-Davidson Softail Cross Bones at the Cycle World International Motorcycle Shows Presented by Toyota! First public appearance will be at the Cleveland Show, followed by appearances at the upcoming Minneapolis Show, February 1-3, and Chicago Show, February 8-10. Show attendees will also get the chance to try on the new MotorClothes Skyline helmet, designed especially for women, and get fitted for their size.

Don't miss out on your chance to see the latest and hottest in the industry! Click on the show name to purchase tickets today: Cleveland. Minneapolis. Chicago.

Harley-Davidson Motor Company, the only major U.S.-based motorcycle manufacturer, produces heavyweight motorcycles and a complete line of motorcycle parts, accessories and general merchandise. For more information, visit Harley-Davidson's Web site at www.harley-davidson.com .

PHOTOS JUST IN! From the Official Harley-Davidson FLSTSB Softail Cross Bones World Debut!

Click on photo to enlarge.

Photos by Allison Reed, Harley-Davidson Financial Services

Christmas Tree oh Christmas Tree Inferno!

2008-01-09T09:13:00.000-05:00

In less than 30 seconds a small fire involving your holiday tree can become an inferno. To increase your odds of survival, get the tree out of your home today!

Local fire departments encourage you to remove and recycle your natural Christmas Tree as soon as possible. Convenient service is available with your weekly rubbish collection, or at special drop-off locations.

Check with your local fire department or town council for more details...

Better yet:
Save a tree, go artificial.

Inspirational Sessions: Vincent Versace & John Paul Caponigro | Layers Maga

2007-11-15T10:11:00.001-05:00

I spent last night having dinner with Vincent Versace and we talked about photography, inspiration, and being able to 'see' an image before hitting the button on my D200. I found myself wanting to leave the table and get my camera and hold it, much like when I get my sneakers and place them in my car, certain that I am going to finally hit the gym.

read more | digg story

Further proof that the human race is doomed through stupidity

2007-11-13T08:37:00.000-05:00

In case you needed further proof that the human race is doomed through stupidity, here are some actual label instructions on consumer goods:

On a Sears hairdryer: Do not use while sleeping. (that's the only time I have to work on my hair).
On a bag of Fritos:! ..You could be a winner! No purchase necessary.
Details inside. (the shoplifter special?).
On a bar of Dial soap: "Directions: Use like regular soap." (and that would be how???....).
On some Swanson frozen dinners: "Serving suggestion: Defrost." (but, it's "just" a suggestion).
On Tesco's Tiramisu dessert (printed on bottom): "Do not turn upside down." (well...duh, a bit late, huh)!
On Marks & Spencer Bread Pudding: "Product will be hot after heating."
(...and you thought????...)
On packaging for a Rowenta iron: "Do not iron clothes on body." (but wouldn't this save me more time?)
On Boot's Children Cough Medicine: "Do not drive a car or operate machinery after taking this medication." (We could do a lot to reduce the rate of construction accidents if we could just get those 5-year-olds with head-colds off those forklifts.)
On Nytol Sleep Aid: "Warning: May cause drowsiness." (and...I'm taking this because???....)
On most brands of Christmas lights: "For indoor or outdoor use only."
(as opposed to...what?)
On a Japanese food processor: "Not to be used for the other use." (now, somebody out there, help me on this. I'm a bit curious.)
On Sunsbury's peanuts: "Warning: contains nuts." (talk about a news
flash)
On an American Airlines packet of nuts: "Instructions: Open packet, eat nuts." (Step 3: maybe, uh...fly Delta?)
On a child's superman costume: "Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly." (I don't blame the company. I blame the parents for this
one.)
On a Swedish chainsaw: "Do not attempt to stop chain with your hands or genitals." (...was there a lot of this happening somewhere?)

Now that you've smiled at least once, it's your turn to spread the stupidity and send this to someone you want to bring a smile to (maybe even a chuckle).

China Makes, The World Takes

2007-11-12T10:54:00.000-05:00

July/August 2007 Atlantic Monthly

A look inside the world’s manufacturing center shows that America should welcome China’s rise—for now.

by James Fallows

Half the time I have spent in China I have spent in factories. At least that’s how it feels—and it’s a feeling I sought. The factories where more than 100 million Chinese men and women toil, and from which cameras, clothes, and every other sort of ware flow out to the world, are to me the most startling and intense aspect of today’s China. For now, they are also the most important. They are startling above all in their scale. I was prepared for the skyline of Shanghai and its 240-mph Maglev train to the airport, and for the nonstop construction, dust, and bustle of Beijing. Every account of modern China mentions them. But I had no concept of the sweep of what has become the world’s manufacturing center: the Pearl River Delta of Guangdong province (the old Canton region), just north of Hong Kong. That one province might have a manufacturing workforce larger than America’s. Statistics from China are largely guesses, but Guangdong’s population is around 90 million. If even one-fifth of its people hold manufacturing jobs, as seems likely in big cities, that would be 18 million—versus 14 million in the entire United States.

One facility in Guangdong province, the famous Foxconn works, sits in the middle of a conurbation just outside Shenzhen, where it occupies roughly as much space as a major airport. Some 240,000 people (the number I heard most often; estimates range between 200,000 and 300,000) work on its assembly lines, sleep in its dormitories, and eat in its company cafeterias. I was told that Foxconn’s caterers kill 3,000 pigs each day to feed its employees. The number would make sense—it’s one pig per 80 people, in a country where pigs are relatively small and pork is a staple meat (I heard no estimate for chickens). From the major ports serving the area, Hong Kong and Shenzhen harbors, cargo ships left last year carrying the equivalent of more than 40 million of the standard 20-foot-long metal containers that end up on trucks or railroad cars. That’s one per second, round the clock and year-round—and it’s less than half of China’s export total. What’s in the containers that come back from America? My guess was, “dollars”; in fact, the two leading ship-borne exports from the United States to China, by volume, are scrap paper and scrap metal, for recycling.

And the factories are important, for China and everyone else. Someday China may matter internationally mainly for the nature of its political system or for its strategic ambitions. Those are significant even now, of course, but China’s success in manufacturing is what has determined its place in the world. Most of what has been good about China over the past generation has come directly or indirectly from its factories. The country has public money with which to build roads, houses, and schools—especially roads. The vast population in the countryside has what their forebears acutely lacked, and peasants elsewhere today still do: a chance at paying jobs, which means a chance to escape rural poverty. Americans complain about cheap junk pouring out of Chinese mills, but they rely on China for a lot that is not junk, and whose cheap price is important to American industrial and domestic life. Modern consumer culture rests on the assumption that the nicest, most advanced goods—computers, audio systems, wall-sized TVs—will get cheaper year by year. Moore’s Law, which in one version says that the price of computing power will be cut in half every 18 months or so, is part of the reason, but China’s factories are a big part too.

Much of what is threatening about today’s China also comes from its factories. Many people inside China, and nearly everyone outside, can avoid the direct effects of the country’s political controls. It is much harder to avoid its pollution. The air in Chinese cities is worse than I expected, and because the pollution affects so many people in such a wide range of places, it is more damaging than London’s, Manchester’s, or Pittsburgh’s in their worst, rapidly industrializing days. The air pollution comes directly from the steel works, cement plants, and other heavy-industry facilities that are helping the country prosper, and indirectly from the electric power plants that keep everything running. (Plus more and more cars, though China still has barely one-thirtieth as many per capita as the United States.) The sheer speed and volume with which factories and power plants across China increase their output of soot and gases make the country’s air-pollution problems the world’s. The heightened competition for oil, ore, and other commodities to feed the factories affects other nations, as do slapdash standards of food purity and safety, which may have led to tainted worldwide supplies of animal food. The ultimate fear in the developed world, of course, is that as China creates millions of new factory jobs unknown millions will lose such jobs in America, Canada, Germany, even Japan.

But these factories are both surprising and important in a less obvious, though also fundamental, way. Almost nothing about the way they work corresponds to the way they are discussed in the United States. America’s political debates about the “China opportunity” and, even more, the “China threat” seem distant, theoretical, and imprecise from the perspective of the factories where the outsourcing and exporting occur. The industrialists from the United States, Europe, or Japan who are deciding how much of their production to move to China talk about the process in very different terms from those used in American political discussion. One illustration: The artificially low value of China’s currency, relative to the dollar, comes near the top of American complaints about Chinese trade policy. (The currency is the yuan renminbi—literally, “people’s money”—or RMB). This is more like the eighth or tenth issue that comes up when business officials discuss the factories they are opening in one country and closing in another. And when it does come up, the context is usually whether the RMB’s rise will force a company to put its next factory not in China’s crowded coastal region but someplace with even lower costs, like the remote interior provinces, where salaries are lower and commercial space is cheaper—or perhaps Vietnam or Cambodia.

So too with complaints about Chinese government subsidies for exporting industries, widespread abuse of intellectual property, and even “slave labor” inside the vast factories. Some of these complaints are well-founded, others are not; but even if all were true, they would misdescribe and undervalue what is going on here. Talking about Chinese industrial growth, Americans are in the position of 19th-century Europeans who acted as if America’s industrial rise could be explained simply by its vast natural resources and its exploitation of immigrant and slave labor, plus its very casual attitude toward copyright and patent laws protecting foreign, mainly British, books and inventions. (Today, Americans walk the streets of China and see their movies, music, software, and books sold everywhere in cheap pirate versions. A century and a half ago, Charles Dickens walked the streets of young America and fumed to see his novels in cheap pirate versions.) All those factors played their part, but they were not the full story of America’s rise—nor do the corresponding aspects of modern China’s behavior fully explain what China has achieved.

I can’t pretend to know the complete story of China’s industrial rise. But I can describe what I have seen, and the main way it has changed my mind.

Large-scale shifts in economic power have effects beyond the purely economic. Americans need not be hostile toward China’s rise, but they should be wary about its eventual effects. The United States is the only nation with the scale and power to try to set the terms of its interaction with China rather than just succumb. So starting now, Americans need to consider the economic, environmental, political, and social goals they care about defending as Chinese influence grows.

The consideration might best start from the point about which I’ve changed my mind: So far, America’s economic relationship with China has been successful and beneficial—and beneficial for both sides. Free trade may not always be good for all participants, and in the long run trade with China may hold perils for the United States. But based on what I have seen in China, and contrary to what I expected before I came, so far it is working as advertised. Before thinking about what should be changed, Americans should appreciate what has gone right. A good place to begin that story is Shenzhen.

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Inclinometer et al: Leaning Tower of Pisa Most Tilted Tower No More!

2007-11-07T10:25:00.000-05:00

Inclinometer et al: Leaning Tower of Pisa Most Tilted Tower No More!

Accelerometer et al: Holmwood On How In2Games Will Wii-ify 360 and PS3

2007-09-06T10:14:00.000-05:00

Accelerometer et al: Holmwood On How In2Games Will Wii-ify 360 and PS3

Accelerometer et al: British Telecom tries to wed Nintendo Wii-style technology to a tablet PC.

2007-09-01T22:47:00.000-05:00

Accelerometer et al: British Telecom tries to wed Nintendo Wii-style technology to a tablet PC.

Only in America, the lighter side laugh break

2007-08-29T14:34:00.000-05:00

1. Only in America ......can a pizza get to your house faster than an ambulance.
2. Only in America ......are there handicap parking places in front of a skating rink.
3. Only in America ......do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.
4. Only in America ......do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a DIET coke.
5. Only in America ......do banks leave both vault doors open and then chain the pens to the counters.
6. Only in America ......do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.
7. Only in America ......do we use answering machines to screen calls and then have call waiting so we won't miss a call from someone we didn't want to talk to in the first place
8. Only in America ......do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight.
9. Only in America ......do we use the word 'politics' to describe the process so well: 'Poli' in Latin meaning 'many' and 'tics' meaning 'bloodsucking creatures'
10. Only in America ......do they have drive-up ATM's with Braille lettering.

Now that you've smiled at least once, it's your turn to spread the stupidity and send this to someone you want to bring a smile to (maybe even a chuckle).

EVER WONDER...?

2007-08-28T13:07:00.000-05:00

Why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin?
Why women can't put on mascara with their mouth closed?
Why don't you ever see the headline "Psychic Wins Lottery"?
Why is "abbreviated" such a long word?
Why is it that doctors call what they do "practice"?
Why is it that to stop Windows 98, you have to click .."?
Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons?
Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?
Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?
Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?
When dog food is new and improved tasting, who tests it?
Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?
Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?
You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes? Why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff??
Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?
Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?
If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?
If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?
Why do they have locks on 24 Hour Fitness?

Now that you've smiled at least once, it's your turn to spread the stupidity and send this to someone you want to bring a smile to (maybe even a chuckle).

Fire at Burger King started in mulch

2007-08-24T14:08:00.000-05:00

Monday, July 16, 2007

St. Matthews firefighters put out a fire at the Burger King at 4030 Shelbyville Road about 12:40 this afternoon.

The fire started after a patron waiting in line at the drive-through most likely dropped a cigarette butt into some mulch, said St. Matthews Fire Chief Bill Seng. The mulch caught fire and then spread to the wood siding of the building.

The business was full of lunch-time customers, who were evacuated safely along with all employees, Seng said.

Firefighters checked the wall and ceiling for fire. Minor damage was done to the building but the restaurant had to be shut down while the damage was assessed and the building then inspected by the health department, Seng said.

Lyndon Fire Protection District trucks also responded to assist St. Matthews.

(Link to story - follow this link to the posted story, then read the comments after - not sure how people miss the point: it's not anti smoking, it's anti littering. Tossing a butt out the window is the same as throwing a burger wrapper or coke can - compounded by the fact that it is on fire. This type of behavior is so easily avoided that you have to wonder if the culprits' (those doing the littering) are really that stupid, ignorant, mentally ill or just filled with such apathy that they cannot tell the difference between what is right and what is wrong.

Carelessness contributes to blazes

2007-08-20T09:48:00.000-05:00

by Amanda C. Gregg - THE GARDEN ISLAND, www.kauaiworld.com

With roughly 322.5 acres lost in 12 brush fires within the past 22 days, negligence, controlled burns and weather have been named by officials as the likely causes.

Officials with the fire department estimate that roughly half of the county’s 52 brush fires they have responded to this year have been caused by tossed cigarette butts.

The most recent, significant brush fire consumed roughly 30 acres of brush and 10 acres of the Hule‘ia National Wildlife Refuge Sunday and Monday. The fire began Sunday night in the vicinity of Halehaka Road in Puhi around 11:45 p.m. That blaze was deemed fully extinguished by 4 p.m., Monday, according to the fire department.

Fire officials and police are investigating the cause of that and 10 other significant brush fires that have ignited the island since June 20.

A 1/2 acre fire that set off an alarm around 11:42 a.m. Monday on the Westside in Makaweli Valley was extinguished by firefighters by 12:54 p.m., Mary Daubert, county spokeswoman, said. That fire began after an agricultural burn got out of control.

According to Fire Chief Robert Westerman, a taro farmer was following proper procedure for a controlled burn, however, wind caused an errant ember to further ignite the fire.

Water relief from Inter-Island Helicopter’s Air-1 was temporarily taken off the Puhi brush fire and assigned to the Makaweli fire along with firefighters from the Waimea fire station.

According to county officials, none of the fires since June 20 has caused any injuries.

But the fires have consumed a large amount of land and man-hours, Roy Asher, assistant police chief, said.

“These kind of fires are senseless and put our firefighters at needless risk,” he said.

Though the Puhi fire had been deemed under control by 4 p.m. Monday, six firefighters from the Lihu‘e fire station and six firefighters on call-back duty returned yesterday around 7 a.m. to extinguish hot spots for the Puhi fire, Daubert said.

Though neither lives nor structures were threatened by the Puhi fire, 8 to 10 acres burned in the upper Hule‘ia National Wildlife Refuge, Mike Hawkes, refuge manager with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Fisheries, said.

Endangered species such as the Hawaiian stilt, coot, moorhen and duck weren’t threatened or forced to relocate because of the fire, he said, noting some native birds might have been displaced, a slight silver lining for the refuge.

“We consider non-native lowland birds to be pests, actually,” Hawkes said. “They take up the habitat.”

Having seen his share of forest fires, Hawkes — who has worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Kaua‘i for five years also worked in the same capacity on the Mainland for 30 years — said he was grateful much of the 240-acre refuge was spared.

In places such as Arizona and Alaska, he had seen as much as 25 percent of 20,000-acre refuges burn, he said.

According to the state Department of Health, agricultural burning is allowed by permit only, under the discretion of that government agency.

The DOH also requires that residents only burn brush from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., at a minimum of 50 feet away from any structure or brush-covered area.

Fires also must be constantly attended by a competent adult, and an attached garden hose or other fire-extinguishing equipment must be on hand. The amount to be burned must be a maximum of 25 pounds for a family of four.

Burning waste isn’t permitted. Any odor adversely affecting neighbors is cause for it to be extinguished.

• Amanda C. Gregg, assistant editor/staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or agregg@kauaipubco.com.

The Garden Island
Copyright © 2007, Lee Enterprises, Inc.

On the Road...Rider Responsibility

2007-08-17T13:39:00.000-05:00

(food for thought)

Aug 8, 2007, International Motorcycle Shows

I have just returned from the granddaddy of motorcycle events for the v-twin market — Sturgis! Half a million people descend on the Black Hills every year for the rally and races and I can tell you there is really more rally than racing!

One of these days, I'm going to head to Sturgis for an actual vacation. While I've been fortunate to ride out on several occasions, the majority of the trips have been by plane; deadlines unfortunately don't allow me the three days out and three days back on a bike. When I do head up for leisure, that trip will be well before or well after the rally. Some of you might be able to relate. For those who can't, I'm not trying to discourage you from going — everyone should see it once in their lifetime — but merely issuing a warning.

The Black Hills have some of the best riding in the country. But riding Spearfish Canyon with a couple of your buddies is one thing; riding it with a couple hundred of your new closest friends is another. Especially those who have just purchased their new machines and thought Sturgis would provide a great backdrop for breaking them in, or those who spent half the day riding and the other half soaking up $6 beers.

Not to be a bummer, but I've seen it too many times over the past ten years attending the rally. SAFETY seems to head right out of the saddlebag when folks get to Sturgis! It's almost like the words STUPID and SAFETY get interchanged! It could be the fresh air of the Black Hills or the effects of the $6 beers; I have yet to figure that one out.

Safety can be broken down into three basic categories: vehicle safety, gear and education and training. As ambassadors for motorcycling we have a responsibility to educate ourselves, our friends and those non-motorcyclists.

What's in it for you? The quick, smart-ass answer is dead riders don't tend to log as many miles as live ones! The better answer is that all three of these categories affect the industry as a whole, not just within but also those folks that think that every guy or girl on a motorcycle is going to steal their wallets and wake them up at 2:00 am in the morning with a loud exhaust! Well-trained riders are usually long-term riders. We can never stop learning and the motorcycle industry provides some of the best training available. A good place to start, whether a beginner or experienced rider, is the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's (www.msf-usa.org) Basic and Experienced Rider Course programs.

Responsibility is something we can probably not teach but we certainly can preach. Of course, preaching it is one thing and practicing it is another. We're all likely guilty of taking short cuts when it comes to common sense motorcycling. How many times have you ridden without a helmet or just had a beer or two?

I'm not advocating a big clampdown, but I would bet the odds aren't in your favor if you down some cocktails, throw a leg over your bike and head down the road. Just a guess, but sooner or later it's going to bite you where it hurts.

For those of you who have been through the training, preach to your riding buddies the confidence found in that training. Remind them that drinking and riding don't go together and that the proper gear can save their lives. You can't count the huge number of people at some of Sturgis' establishments, but you can stand in the parking lot and watch them all head home when the night is done, hoping that they make it.

Remember that dead riders don't get to enjoy the benefits that live ones do!

See you down the road.

Dave

Lollapalooza 2007: Video of Iggy and the Stooges, Pearl Jam and more

2007-08-16T11:32:00.000-05:00

Iggy and the Stooges set off a near-riot during their Sunday afternoon set. Here's footage of the band rocking "Loose."

Iggy Pop and the Stooges in concert at Lollapalooza 2007 in Chicago on August 5, 2007.

Photo: Lucy Hamblin / Retna

Horror Movie Review Blog

2007-08-15T15:46:00.000-05:00

I just stumbled on "Horror Movie a Day blog", and since I thoroughly enjoy horror movies (good and bad) I read through some of BC's reviews - nice perspective, with some wit added in. Check it out.

2007-08-14T14:20:00.000-05:00

How To

Copy music from your iPod to your Mac or PC

Your computer hard drive crashed and now all your precious music is trapped on that little white iPod of yours. Fear not: you can copy music from an iPod back to a computer, even if Apple won't tell you how. To do it manually, you'll need to turn on iPod Disk Mode from within iTunes, then enable Windows Explorer (or Finder for Mac users) to see hidden files; then just copy away as usual. Alternately you can use a non-Apple third party application like iPodRip, YamiPod or Senuti. We've covered this ground before but this technique always bears repeating in the name of saving music. Wired's HOWTO wiki runs down the steps.

The top 10 most voted for groups and artist.

2007-08-06T14:11:00.000-05:00

(interesting order of favorites - not sure I would be Journey or Santana anywhere near the top ten...tell me what you think.)
History of Rock music voting statistics

View all the voting results for : Artists or Albums listed on this site.

The top 10 most voted for groups and artist.

1 Beatles
2 Led Zeppelin
3 Doors
4 Pink Floyd
5 AC/DC
6 Queen
7 Hendrix, Jimi
8 Dylan, Bob
9 Santana
10 Journey

So What If I Throw My Butts on the Ground? They're Biodegradable, Right?

2007-08-03T08:24:00.000-05:00

WRONG!! If you throw your cigarette butts on the ground, they eventually find their way to the ocean and other water sheds and YOU are contributing to the most commonly found man-made waste that originates from land! "The Ocean Conservancy, a nonprofit environmental organization based in Washington, D.C., compiled the results of a shoreline cleanup day conducted by volunteers last year in 68 countries. It covered a combined 34,000 miles of shoreline and collected 7 million pounds of litter, 80 percent of which had been washed from land into the water. Of the 7.7 million items of debris collected worldwide in 2006, cigarettes and cigarette butts accounted for roughly 1.9 million, the sixth consecutive year they have topped the list.

"People think they are biodegradable," said Kathryn Novak, coordinator for the Florida branch of the Ocean Conservancy. They're not, so think before flicking that cigarette butt out the car window."

The hope is that if smokers knew how much they are polluting the oceans and other natural water sheds, they might think twice about throwing their cigarette butts out the car window or stomping them into the ground rather than disposing of them in a proper waste receptacle.

Faster and Faster: Memorable: The Moto Guzzi V8

2007-08-02T08:59:00.000-05:00

Faster and Faster: Memorable: The Moto Guzzi V8

Came across this blog - great stuff.

Sound Reinforcement Products for Line Array Positioning: Alford Media Line Array Solutions - JBL VerTec System

2007-07-25T11:42:00.000-05:00

Sound Reinforcement Products for Line Array Positioning: Alford Media Line Array Solutions - JBL VerTec System

Guns N' Roses Roll With Adamson

2007-07-24T12:06:00.000-05:00

The calm before the storm, when GnR hit the stage in Monterrey, aided by a sizable Adamson Yaxis rig.

Monterrey, Mexico (July 23, 2007)--Amidst increasing rumors that the legendarily delayed Chinese Democracy album is due to come out, well, someday, Guns N' Roses kicked off its 2007 world tour with two sold-out concerts in Monterrey and Guadalajara, Mexico. The Monterrey Arena gig found the band performing through a PA supplied by Adamson long-time Yaxis partner Audio Systems del Norte.

The company provided 24 Adamson Y18 cabinets with 8 Y10 under hang for the main PA, and made sure to have more than enough bass to turn the show into a rock' n' roll jungle with 12 T21 subs ground stacked and a whopping 16 Y10 subs on flown beside the main arrays. Additional side fills featured eight Y10s per side.

The official Guns n' Roses website described the Monterrey arena show: "From the opening notes of "Welcome To The Jungle" to the final encore "Paradise City," Guns N' Roses had the rabid crowd going wild all night long. Spontaneous chants of "Guns N' Roses ... Guns N' Roses" and "Axl, Axl, Axl" were deafening. Among the many highlights was Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal's guitar solo that saw the six-string maestro incorporate several traditional Mexican songs."

Adamson Systems Engineering
www.adamsonproaudio.com

Why Ride to Work Day?

2007-07-17T10:10:00.000-05:00

Ride your motorcycle or scooter on this day to demonstrate:

The number of motorcyclists to the general public and to politicians.
That motorcyclists are from all occupations and all walks of life.
That motorcyclists can reduce traffic and parking congestion in large cities.
That motorcycles are for transportation as well as recreation.
That motorcycling is a social good.

2007 Motorcycle Breakfast Every 3rd Sunday

2007-07-16T10:03:00.000-05:00

go here for the specifics: http://www.lawnfire.com/events.html

2007 Motorcycle Breakfast Every 3rd Sunday!
- - bike feast or bike fest - -

Found out about this breakfast from this nice and informative motorcycle blog http://tiltedhorizons.blogspot.com/

I'll be picking up some of this for my '98 VFR Interceptor (thanks!): Honda Spray Cleaner & Polish

Ethanol Use in Motorcycles

2007-07-12T08:48:00.000-05:00

AMA Concerned About Proposed Increased Ethanol Levels in Gasoline July 4, 2007 -

The American Motorcyclist Association has expressed concern about unanticipated consequences of proposals that might allow gas stations to increase the level of ethanol in the fuel they sell.

Currently, pump gasoline in the United States can contain up to 10 percent ethanol, which is used to increase octane, reduce carbon monoxide emissions and provide an alternative to petroleum-based fuels. But now, the state of Minnesota is seeking permission from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to allow the sale of fuel that includes 20 percent ethanol. And that has led to concerns about the effects on motorcycle engines, which manufacturers say are only certified to run on fuels containing the current 10 percent blend.

The difference could be significant, since burning ethanol creates more heat than conventional gasoline, which has the potential to damage air-cooled motorcycle engines. In addition, fuel systems on bikes may be susceptible to corrosive effects of higher concentrations of ethanol in gas. And while ethanol helps reduce carbon monoxide levels in engine exhaust, it can also increase the levels of oxides of nitrogen, one of the components of smog.

"The AMA supports the use of cleaner-burning fuels, but we are concerned about premature engine damage or failure while a bike is being ridden on a highway if the allowable level of ethanol is raised to 20 percent," said Imre Szauter, AMA legislative affairs specialist. "We are also concerned about any degradation in performance, fuel economy and rideability that may result from the long-term use of blended fuels with greater than 10 percent ethanol."

The proposal currently under consideration comes from Minnesota, but the AMA notes that an EPA waiver would open the door to the sale of 20 percent ethanol blends across the country, without any evaluation of the long-term consequences. With the limited number of choices at gas stations, that could force out existing blends and leave some riders without a suitable fuel choice for their vehicles. "Until studies show that a 20 percent ethanol blend won't damage motorcycle or ATV engines, and won't make motorcycles emit more nitrogen oxides than are allowed by the EPA, the AMA can't support the Minnesota proposal," Szauter said.

The AMA is a member of AllSAFE, the Alliance for a Safe Alternative Fuels Environment, a group formed to ensure that new bio-based fuels such as ethanol are promoted in a thoughtful manner. AllSAFE is made up of associations that represent consumer and commercial users of ethanol blends, manufacturers of boats, vehicles, engines and equipment, and retailers who sell gasoline and ethanol-fuel blends.

For more information on ethanol-fuel blends, go to www.allsafe-fuel.org. AllSafe has also funded the development of a study regarding the use of ethanol in blends of over 10%. The report, which studied the potential impacts of mid-level ethanol blends (fuels with over 10% ethanol) on engines, vehicles, boats and equipment, identified significant technical concerns that could lead to unintended risks to consumers and their products. Abruptly changing the US “general purpose” motor gasoline pool could lead to “adverse, large-scale impacts if higher than E10 is required as motor gasoline for the existing fleet of on-road and off-road equipment,” the report concluded. “The technical challenges and data gaps strongly indicate the need for significant additional study,” says the report’s author, Dr. Ron Sahu. “Mid-level ethanol blends can cause increases in combustion heat release and the potential corrosion and degradation of products and their fuel and emission control systems that are not specifically designed for these higher levels of ethanol.”

Dr. Sahu’s report comes at a time when several federal and state legislative measures are being considered to increase the allowed concentration of ethanol in gasoline above the current 10% limit or cap. “AllSAFE is working to improve our understanding of the unknown impacts of ethanol fuels on consumers, manufacturers, gasoline retailers, and the environment before we undertake any legislative action that could harm consumers or the environment,” said AllSAFE spokesman Bill Guerry with the law firm of Kelley Drye Collier Shannon. “We support ethanol and other renewable fuel options and want to ensure their long-term success is not marred by unintended effects on existing products, which could lead to consumer rejection of ethanol and other valuable renewable fuels.”

Note: webBikeWorld® has no affiliation or financial interest related to the products, retailers or manufacturers listed. For informational use only. All material and photographs are Copyright © webWorld International, LLC - 2001-2007. All rights reserved. Terms and Conditions.

Ride To Work Worldwide

2007-07-10T08:11:00.000-05:00

Country	Group	Contact
Ecuador	Federacion Ecuatoriana de Motociclismo	www.caravana-mototurismo.com Ricardo Rocco Paz
France	Jérôme Henry	j.henry@taylorwessing.com
Germany	Ride To Work Day Germany	www.ridetoworkday.de ridetoworkday@ivm-ev.de 0201-83403-22
Great Britain	The Motorcycle Industry Association	www.mcia.co.uk/ Samantha Tyson-Evans Tel: 02476 250 809 S.TysonEvans@mcia.co.uk
Israel	Israel’s Motorcycle Club	www.motorcycle.org.il ilbeemer@yahoo.com
Mexico	Gerardo Ylizaliturri	gerardo.ylizaliturri@scazteca.com.mx
Philippines	Motorcycle Advocates of the Philippines (MAP)	www.MotorcyclePhilippines.com Jake Swann
Puerto Rico	Angel Jimenez	jimeneza@cruzrojapr.org
Turkey	One More Mile Riders	www.ommriders.org Paolo Volpara
USA	Ride To Work Day	propaganda@ridetowork.org cholt@ridetowork.org 218-722-9806

Benefits and Facts cont'd (2 of 2)

2007-07-09T08:15:00.000-05:00

Transportation Fact Sheet (2 of 2)

PARKING SPACES

3 - 5 motorcycles fit per automobile parking space. Ride to Work

TOTAL FUEL CONSUMPTION - 2003

Motorcycles 191 million gallons (50.1 avg mpg x 1,800 miles per year per motorcycle)
Passenger Cars 74,590 million gallons (22.3 avg mpg x 13,000 miles per year per car)
Light Truck/SUV 56,302 million gallons (17.7 avg mpg x 13,000 miles per year per Lt Trk / SUV)
US Dept of Transportation, Bureau of Travel Statistics

NORMAL WEEKDAY MOTORCYCLE COMMUTING DAY FUEL USED (estimated)

150,000 commuting motorcycles x 5 mi average commute distance x 2 (both ways) = 1,500,000 motorcycle commuting miles per day. 1,500,000 motorcycle commuting miles @ 50 mpg (avg) = 30,000 gallons per commuting day.

100,000,000 commuting passenger cars, light trucks and SUV’s x 6 mi average commute distance x 2 (both ways) = 1,200,000,000 car, light truck and SUV commuting miles per day. 1,200,000,000 car, light truck and SUV commuting miles at 20 mpg (avg) = 60,000,000 gallons per day.

RIDE TO WORK DAY FUEL SAVINGS (estimated)

150,000 motorcycles use 30,000 gallons per normal commuting day x 2 (an estimated 150,000 added motorcycles on Ride to Work Day) = 60,000 gallons used by motorcycles on Ride to Work Day. 60,000 gallons used on Ride to Work Day - 30,000 gallons used by motorcycles on a normal commuting day = 30,000 additional gallons used by motorcycles on Ride to Work Day.

On Ride to Work Day, there are an estimated 150,000 additional Ride to Work Day commuting motorcycles and 150,000 less commuting car, light truck and SUV’s. A 6 mile (avg) commute x 2 (both ways) x 150,000 commuting car, light truck and SUV’s = 1,800,000 car, light truck and SUV miles. 1,800,000 car, light truck and SUV miles / 20 mpg (avg) = 90,000 gallons. 90,000 less car, truck and SUV gallons - 30,000 more gallons used on Ride to Work Day = 60,000 less gallons of fuel used on Ride to Work Day. If every work day were Ride to Work Day, 60,000 gallons saved x 250 work days = 15,000,000 less gallons used per year.

Benefits and Facts about why we should be riding motorcycles (1 of 2)

2007-07-06T09:13:00.000-05:00

Transportation Fact Sheet (1 of 2)

NUMBER OF MOTORCYCLES COMMUTING

Out of a total 129,141,982 commuters in this country (USA, 2003) 147,703 of them ride motorcycles to work regularly. That’s only 0.11 percent. US Census Bureau

Of all the motorcycles registered in the USA, (6,567,197) 4.3% of them are used for year-round primary transportation (282,389), with an additional 9.9% used seasonally for this purpose (932,542 total). Motorcycle Industry Council

NUMBER OF MOTORCYCLES ON THE ROAD

As of 2003, there were 5,370,000 motorcycles regularly in use in the United States. US Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics

As of 2003, these 5,370,000 motorcycles traveled an average of 1,800 miles a year per motorcycle (9,539,000,000 total miles). US Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics

TRAFFIC CONGESTION

The average roadway delay per person in 2001 was 26 hours per year and in 2003 it was 47 hours per year, an increase of 81%. The average commute time one way is 25 minutes. Texas Transportation Institute

JOURNEY TIMES

The average United States driver travels 29 miles per day and is driving a total of 55 minutes per day. (This is an average vehicle speed of 32 mph.) US Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics

Tests comparing car and motorcycle performance on real journeys suggest that traveling by motorcycle can shorten journey times by as much as 33 minutes of every hour for town centre and city travel, and 20 minutes of every hour for travel through a mixture of built-up and non built-up areas. Motorcycle Industry Association (UK)

POTENTIAL AGGREGATE BENEFIT

Motorcycles cover 1-2% of the total distance traveled by road, and cars cover 86%. If 2% of car commuters switched to motorcycles or scooters, the current level of motorcycle utility use would effectively double. Motorcycle Industry Association (UK)

Average 2002 annual household private vehicle expense is $7,371. This is divided into $3,665 for vehicle purchases, $1,235 for gas and oil and $2,471 for insurance and misc. US Department of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditure Survey

PARKING SPACES

3 - 5 motorcycles fit per automobile parking space. Ride to Work

Ride To Work Day History

2007-07-05T08:09:00.000-05:00

Ride to Work Day was inspired by "Work to Ride - Ride to Work'" marketing materials created between 1989 and 1991 by the Aero Design and Manufacturing Company, a Minnesota based manufacturer of motorcycle riders clothing. In 1992 these items inspired motorcycle magazine editor Fred Rau to write an editorial calling for a national ride to work day.

The first annual Ride to Work Day event was proposed in Road Rider magazine (now titled Motorcycle Consumer News) in the May 1992 issue. This is an excerpt from that "Ride to Work" editorial: "You may remember several months ago when Bob Carpenter, commenting in his 'Two Up' column, mentioned how neat he thought it would be if there was one day a year when everyone who owned a motorcycle used it to ride to work. That comment was prompted by a T-shirt produced by Aerostich RiderWear that simply said, 'Work To Ride, Ride To Work.' Everyone seemed to think that a national 'Ride To Work' day was one heck of a good idea."

The first Ride to Work Day event date was July 22nd, 1992. For several years various motorcycle businesses informally promoted every third Wednesday in July as Ride To Work Day. These early advocates included Road Rider Magazine, Dunlop Tires, and Aerostich/Riderwearhouse. The event continued to grow as an informal grass roots demonstration every year until 2000. That year a non-profit organization, Ride to Work was formed to help organize and promote Ride to Work Day. The first Ride to Work Day event led by this group was the third Wednesday in July of 2001.

Ride to Work is a 501 c4 nonprofit, all-volunteer effort. Organizers include Andy Goldfine, Lynn Wisneski and Christine Holt.

Bravest in 60-foot horror plunge

2007-06-27T08:44:00.000-05:00

A firefighter with just 20 months on the job slipped from a ladder and plunged four stories to his death yesterday while battling a blaze sparked by a careless cigarette smoker.

BY JONATHAN LEMIRE, OREN YANIV and BILL HUTCHINSON
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Friday, June 22nd 2007, 4:00 AM

Daniel Pujdak

Daniel Pujdak lugged about 100 pounds of gear to the roof of Brooklyn building. As he reached the top of the latter and tried to get on the roof, he lost his footing and fell.

A firefighter with just 20 months on the job slipped from a ladder and plunged four stories to his death yesterday while battling a blaze sparked by a careless cigarette smoker.

Firefighter Daniel Pujdak, 23, of Ladder 146 in Brooklyn, suffered massive head injuries and went into cardiac arrest after falling in front of stunned colleagues.

"Man down! Man down!" yelled fellow firefighters, who heard Pujdak's desperate screams as he plummeted to the sidewalk and rushed to his side as he lay sprawled and bleeding.

Officials said Pujdak, of Fresh Meadows, Queens, fell about 60 feet after climbing a ladder to the roof of the four-story brick building at 83 Meserole St., at Leonard St. in East Williamsburg.

"He always wanted to be a firefighter," said Matthew Pujdak, 23, who is following his brother into the FDNY.

"He always talked about helping people. He wanted to make people's lives a little better. I can't believe he's gone."

Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta said Pujdak, who was loaded down with more than 100 pounds of gear, including a power saw, lost his footing as he moved from the ladder to the roof's parapet.

Pujdak, who graduated from the Fire Academy in September 2005, is the first FDNY fatality since August 2006, when two firefighters died in a Bronx fire.

Mayor Bloomberg said Pujdak's death did not have to happen.

"Tragically, this fire and resulting death could have been prevented," said Bloomberg, who rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where the young firefighter died. "The fire marshal believes the fire was caused by an unextinguished cigarette left by the window."

Officials said the cigarette, left unattended in an artist's studio, ignited the wooden window sill at about 5 p.m., causing a plume of smoke that made the blaze appear larger than it was.

"The window sills were burning," Scoppetta said. "That was the extent of the fire, we later learned."

Scoppetta said Pujdak, who was wearing an oxygen mask and tank, lost his footing as he tried to maneuver around a bulkhead on the roof.

"It looked like he slipped. He was on the roof and then, boom," said Billy Memec, 29, who witnessed Pujdak's fatal drop.

"I saw him losing his footing and he cartwheeled down from the top," said Ben Sommers, 24, who lives across the street from the 87-year-old building. "It's bad to see anybody fall, but it's really hard when it's somebody who's helping people."

Pujdak's parents, Leo and Christina, and his brother Matthew were at the firefighter's side when he died. Bloomberg and Scoppetta tried to comfort Pujdak's heartbroken family last night.

"As you would expect, they are devastated," Bloomberg said. "It's a terrible loss for his family and it's a terrible loss for the city. It reminds us how dangerous a job firefighting is."

More than 60 firefighters who responded to the call extinguished the blaze, which was confined to the fourth-floor studio, officials said.

jlemire@nydailynews.com

With Xana O'Neill, Michael White, Warren Woodberry Jr., Tamer El-Ghobashy and Kerry Burke

Accelerometer et al: British Telecom tries to wed Nintendo Wii-style technology to a tablet PC.

2007-06-12T16:46:00.000-05:00

Accelerometer et al: British Telecom tries to wed Nintendo Wii-style technology to a tablet PC.

EZ tips even a child can follow

2007-06-11T09:30:00.000-05:00

Keeping Your Street Clean

Set an example by not littering.
Sweep your sidewalk weekly. Bag the debris.
Use litter baskets for pedestrian trash only. No household trash - the stinky shells from your clambake, the contents of your cheating ex's closet, your broken refrigerator.
If you need to get rid of household trash on a day other than your trash day, take your bagged debris to a nearby Citizen Convenience Center, open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Recycle as much as you can.
Never dump your trash on neighbors or neighboring businesses.
Do not sweep debris into storm drains.
Place your trash and recycling out only on your scheduled collection day in their proper containers. Volunteer with the Philadelphia More Beautiful Committee or a community group to help clean up your neighborhood.
Report any illegal dumping to the Police Department or Neighborhood Services Unit at 215-685-3097. Please provide the license number and description of the vehicle.

To view a slide show of trash in the city, go to http://go.philly.com/dirtyornot

Reporting Litter Butts - some folks miss the point

2007-06-08T08:41:00.000-05:00

Hello to my reader (s), As you know, one of my pet peeves is littering - it is such an easy thing not to do and I'm not sure how people can so shamelessly do it. Until now. www.litterbutt.com is a great site allowing concerned citizens who actually believe in something like anti-littering - can go and tickle the not so funny bone of those that do - especially the butt flickers, since even their cars are equipped with little tiny trash cans the auto makers call an ASHTRAY. The creator of the site also posts some of the negative responses - and when you read them you'll understand why littering will never go away - these folks somehow equate anti-littering with anti-smoking and Nazis. Can you say Best of Jerry Springer...when you're done laughing, read on...pretty amazing really. And believe it or not, the butt flickers are all races, ages, and classes (yep even the rich old dude in his Mercedes is just as thoughtless as the 19 year old teen mom driving her 1987 Ford Escort).

YOU PEOPLE ARE NUTS: I don't know where to begin. You are pathetic, especially with the "rankings". Are there really losers out there patting themselves on the back for reporting the most people? What about doing some real good for society, like cleaning up trash. Reporting people is only going to make them hostile. And you have the balls to consider cigarette ASHES litter?????? And your cute little cards. You know it is inevitable that one of you freaks gets his ass kicked sticking one on someone's car. GET A LIFE!! bbeautifuldreams@aol.com

wow i am going to get reported: So wow you going to contact the state because someone complained and they going to send me colorfull letter that has no power behind it. Do you really think i give a crap. I am contacting you this way as you removed the forum. Awaiting your reply ylen21@gmail.com

Anti-Smoking Nazis a.ka. "Litter Butt.com": "I believe this was the type of thing the Nazi and Soviet secret police encouraged, 'turning your neighbor in'. I don't think it was for anything as egregious as throwing a cigarette butt out a window. FYI, I never throw cigarette butts out...I have a "butt can" which I fill with baking soda. You zealots won't be happy until you see smoking banned. Why don't you at least be honest about your intent?" david_sparling@earthlink.net

ARE YOU SERIOUS!!!!!: With our world the way it is I can not believe I saw a story about your page and felt compelled to write. I think there is a fine line between Nazi and US gov. lately. I do not want our gov. or others to record me in any way shape or form. I pay my taxes and I live by the rules of society and I feel you are invading everyones privacy. Remember our boys are over in other parts of the world fighting for FREEDOM!! Have fun folks... send emails tp: dbeanz@comcast.net

I had to respond to this one...

“Damn straight!

This is not about freedom or government control or about smoking...plain and simple it is about littering. Not sure where you get confused but throwing a lit cigarette butt out your window and dumping a McDonalds wrapper 10ft from the trash can are EXACTLY the same thing - its littering. And Mr."I live by the rules of society" its against the law - it infringes on my space, my children's space, and most citizens - who know from the age of 2 that littering is just wrong. It's bad for the environment, it starts fires, it pollutes our water, and it can kill types of wildlife. So get some common sense, grow up and put your trash where it belongs (why do you think they put an ashtray in your car).

And don't you ever compare anti littering with our troops overseas - totally irrelevant from each other, getting killed is not their choice and it belittles the sacrifice they and their families make. YOU have control over where the litter goes so suck it up and lead by example. Every person can change parts of the world they live, making a conscience effort to not litter is one small thing for you but if every one picked up after themselves imaging how clean the world would be.

Peace.”

Bottom line is it's not about anti-smoking, it's plain and simple: do not litter. Lead by example, your kids will thank you for it.

KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL RECOGNIZED AT FIFTH ANNUAL CAUSE MARKETING HALO AWARDS

2007-06-06T09:48:00.000-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Robert Wallace / Larry Kaufman
(203) 323-8987, ext. 811 / 817
rwallace@kab.org / lkaufman@kab.org

KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL RECOGNIZED AT FIFTH ANNUAL CAUSE MARKETING HALO AWARDS

STAMFORD, Conn. - May 15, 2007 - Keep America Beautiful's partnership with Sam's Club^® and the Aquafina water brand on the 2006 "Return the Warmth" program received a Silver Award in the Best Environmental/Wildlife Campaign category at the fifth annual Cause Marketing Halo Awards in New York City.

(Left to right:) David Hessekiel, President, Cause Marketing Forum; Mario Palomino, Sr. North American Sales Manager -Non-Carb, Pepsi-Cola North America; Kenny Folk, SVP, Sam’s Club; Gail Cunningham, SVP, Keep America Beautiful, Inc.

"The Cause Marketing Halo Awards demonstrate the good that can be done when businesses and nonprofits team up ," said David Hessekiel, president of Cause Marketing Forum, Inc., the program’s organizer. "It's a competition in which we all win."

“Keep America Beautiful is thrilled that Sam's Club and Aquafina took a refreshing look at recycling with the "Return the Warmth" program. The campaign was not only wildly successful, but also fun and educational for the schools that got involved," said Keep America Beautiful Senior Vice President Gail Cunningham. “By providing fleece jackets made of recycled PET, the program involved kids in the recycling process, and demonstrated how we all can 'close the recycling loop.' We’re extremely proud of the partnership, the program, the recycling results and the Silver Halo Award."

Through Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup^TM, Sam's Club and Aquafina were able to leverage the grassroots power of the KAB network to over-deliver on the program goal, recycling a total of 37.6 million PET bottles.

In addition to providing 100,000 fleece jackets to needy children, Sam's Club^® provided the 50 schools that collected the most PET bottles with $1,000 grants in the form of Sam's Club^® gift cards.

Cause marketing is the increasingly popular strategy of building mutually beneficial alliances between companies and causes.

"In 1990 cause marketing spending was a bit more than $100 million – this year it is forecast to top $1.4 billion," said Hessekiel. CMFI produces an annual conference, workshops, teleclasses and causemarketingforum.com, a website offering free resources to businesses and nonprofits interested in developing such programs.

Keep America Beautiful, Inc.
Keep America Beautiful, Inc., established in 1953, is the nation's largest volunteer-based community action and education organization. This national nonprofit forms public-private partnerships and programs that engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community's environment. The Great American Cleanup™ is the organization's signature program that mobilizes millions of volunteers to improve their communities through hands-on participation. For additional information, visit http://www.kab.org.

20 Tips for Maintaining Safe, Clean, Healthy Communities

2007-06-06T09:28:00.000-05:00

...most of these are common sense - something we all need to work on...remember lead by example, and listen to that little voice inside that lets you know you are about to do something that affects you, me, and the environment.

Millions of Americans are celebrating clean, safe and healthy communities this spring as they volunteer for Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup™. Now in its 23rd year, the Great American Cleanup is the nation’s largest annual community improvement program. More than 30,000 events are being planned in more than 15,000 communities. Here are 20 great tips for improving community environments for everyone to enjoy year-round:

Work with the local civic groups to identify and eliminate eyesores, and beautify the local environment.
Pick up a piece of litter every day.
Keep a litter bag in your car or your recreational vehicle so you dispose of litter properly.
Create a trash fishing contest in your waterway to increase awareness about illegal dumping and littering.
Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper asking others to respect public lands and keep them clean.
Help your local schools conduct recycling drives and clean-up projects.
Create a beautiful green space by planting trees and shrubs in an area in need of improvement.
Ask local businesses to adopt a spot and take care of it.
Paint and fix up playground equipment.
Organize a paint-out with family and friends, and create a community paintbrush mural over a wall of illegal graffiti.
Recycle your scrap tires and plastic (PET) bottles, and "Wipe Out Wireless Waste" by recycling wireless phones that are no longer used.
Report graffiti to your local authorities.
Donate your old computer equipment or dispose of it properly.
Conduct a recycling drive in your neighborhood or at your place of business.
Volunteer to help your employer conduct a paper recycling drive at work.
Donate gently used clothes to needy organizations and shelters and identify other items that you can reuse.
Compost yard and food waste and seek advice if you don’t know how.
Find out how pollution in storm drain runoff can impact our aquifers and ecosystems and be passionate about doing your part to reduce litter and solid waste.
Ask your local government officials to establish regular community improvement activities, and to support and promote volunteer efforts.
Help your library establish an environmental corner that offers books and other educational materials about taking care of the Earth.

May is the Yearly Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month:

2007-05-29T08:46:00.001-05:00

Click here to find out more | See what Michigan did in 2001 to celebrate Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month - Can you get your legislators to do the same?

U.S. Dept. of Transportation, National Highway Safety Traffic Administration's Motorcycle Safety home page | AMA's Ride Straight: a national campaign to educate motorcyclists about the dangers of drinking and riding

Snell and FIA Institute Develop Joint Youth Motorcycle Helmet Standard

2007-05-29T08:42:00.001-05:00

by webBikeWorld.com Combined Staff

The Snell Memorial Foundation and the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) plan to publish a new crash helmet standard designed specifically for use by young riders.

The helmet, which has been developed by the FIA Institute for Motor Sport Safety, is the first of its kind to be designed for children and teenagers rather than adults.

The proposed standard (Snell - FIA CMH-2007) is intended to encourage the manufacturing of lighter, more protective and better fitting headgear for use in children's motor-sport competition, such as karting, motocross and off-road motorcycle activities. There are two types of standards: one for children ranging from 6 to 11 years old and another for youth from 12 to 15 years old. Each grouping also has different weight and size limitations.

The need for such a helmet was first identified by American orthopedic surgeon Dr. Terry Trammel, a motor sport specialist, and expert race medic Dr. Steve Olvey. They found that smaller versions of adult helmet designs -- all that are currently available on the market -- were of inappropriate geometry and mass. Trammel and Olvey, both Fellows of the FIA Institute, collected size and mass data using young volunteer subjects.

Under the guidance of FIA Institute project manager Andrew Mellor, this data was used to build 3D surface models of the heads and shoulders of young motor sport competitors. These models were used to create the first prototype helmets.

Despite the significant weight reduction the helmet has been designed to pass all of the stringent tests required by Snell and the FIA. These comprise tests involving impact, roll-off, dynamic retention, shell penetration and visor penetration.

The proposed Snell/FIA CM2007 Standard addresses the worldwide need for age-appropriate helmets for young children participating in various motor-sport activities.

In the United States alone, there were three-fold increases in off-track dirt bike and mini-bike head injuries sustained by children between 1997 and 2002 according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Many of the injuries linked to these activities occur in children under the age of 16.

Most existing motor-sport helmets used by children are actually designed for adults. Children, especially those under 12-years old, have very different physiological characteristics from adults in terms of head size and neck strength.

Adult full face helmets may be much too heavy. The chin straps may be poorly suited to the child's shorter face and smaller chin. Even with a good match to head circumference, because of children's shorter neck lengths and head heights, the bottom edges of a full face helmet may contact a child's shoulders well before the crown of the helmet touches the top of his/her head.

Snell/FIA CMH-2007
The proposed Snell/FIA CMH-2007 Standard distinguishes between children from age 6 to 11 and 12 to 15 years old.

For ages 6 to 11, the helmet weight should not exceed 1100g or 1200g if configured with face shields. For ages 12 to 15 years old, the helmet weight should not exceed 1250g or 1350g if configured with face shields. For both age groups, the helmet impact test velocity is the same exacting level as for adult motorcycle or special application helmets.

It is intended that Motocross and off-road children's helmets meeting the proposed Snell/FIA CMH-2007 standard may also be authorized for use on public roads if the manufacturer additionally achieves certification to the relevant standards such as DOT or ECE R22-05.

We will post more information as it becomes available. For more information, contact the Snell Memorial Foundation or the FIA Institute for Motor Sport Safety.

A dirtier city? It's all relative

2007-05-11T08:04:00.000-05:00

...looking at the samples of trash, how hard is it to teach our children to use a trash can...lead by example folks, pretty simple concept. Have some pride, pick up after your scummy selves!

By Melissa Dribben, Inquirer Staff Writer

MICHAEL PEREZ/Inquirer

Two photos taken a day apart at 16th and Spruce Streets, showing trash left on the street (top) and what was left over after trash bags and boxes were collected the next day.

» More images

Cleanliness may be next to godliness, but when Mayor Ray Nagin proclaimed Philadelphia dirtier than his beloved New Orleans, it was a political statement, not gospel truth.

There are slums and garbage and graffiti in this city, as in any other. However, the state of Philadelphia's streets changes not only from neighborhood to neighborhood, but block to block, hour to hour. In an unscientific study last week, this reporter found it is as easy to find the putrid as the sublime.

The city's main avenues flow from their source along the pristine borders of suburbia, then course through the urban terrain to the deltas of the densest neighborhoods. All along, the flotsam gathers, lodging in the deep channels under parked cars, eddying in storm drains.

Along Germantown Avenue in tidy Chestnut Hill, it starts with half a styrofoam coffee cup snagged on the Belgian blocks. Farther down, a lone, white plastic fork lying beside the trash can at Bredenbeck's ice cream shop. In Mount Airy, the isolated bits of trash become a steadier presence. Empty Gatorade bottles and Budweiser cans tumble in the gutter. Cross into Germantown, the sediment thickens, takes on more assertive colors. Blue plastic Pepsi-Cola crates outside Roula's Pizza. Then a lot filled with rubble and blaze-orange traffic cones. Ruined umbrellas lie on the sidewalk like tortured spiders. Bulging black plastic trash bags loiter on the broken curb outside a laundromat named "The Nicest Place in Town." On Broad Street, a shattered toilet rudely claims the sidewalk. Pages from a pornographic magazine blow up against the cyclone fence of a ballfield in Grays Ferry. On Moyamensing in Pennsport, the street is so littered with napkins and coffee cups and empty snack bags that from a distance, it looks like shag carpet.

Even the fanciest parts of the city are sullied daily. Those black spots on the sidewalk that look like Goth polka dots? Gum. Spit out and ground into the concrete and nearly impossible to remove. More plastic grocery bags than pigeons were flying through Center City and nesting in the budding trees outside Liberty Place.

Switzerland this isn't. But is it fair to compare?

"It's hard to get objective measures of cleanliness or dirtiness of cities that can be compared," says Robert Sampson, a professor of sociology at Harvard University.

Sampson, who has studied urban "disorderliness" and its effect on quality of life, says: "Anyone can point to an area of a city that's dirty. . . . There's certainly more variation within any city than there is between them."

So do you base your assessment of where Philadelphia belongs along the pigsty spectrum on the soggy cigarette butts and newspapers in the puddles at the bottom of the stairs in JFK Plaza? Or on the quaint 500 block of Kauffman Street in Queen Village, where the neighbors spent a recent Saturday tending to their small communal garden?

The eye of the beholder is not objective when it comes to judging urban decay, Sampson says. "Research shows that if you take two neighborhoods with equal or similar disorderliness, on average, the minority neighborhoods will be perceived to be more disorderly."

And expectations differ from city to city. "Some of the most exciting and desirable cities in the world are not characterized by hyper-neatness," Sampson points out. "Urban environments on the cutting edge tend to have a little bit of grit. People are attracted to that authentic, not-perfectly-arranged sort of life."

In a 2006 Center City District survey, 70 percent of respondents said they found Philadelphia's streets to be "clean" or "very clean." (Gratifying, no doubt, to the teal-uniformed crews, who picked up three million gallons of litter off the streets last year.) In contrast, a 2004 study in Europe found that in most countries, fewer than half the residents consider their cities clean.

The problem occurs in the inexact zone where gritty becomes slummy. When the quantity - or quality - of detritus crosses a threshold, it can signal that the neighborhood is out of control. So an occasional broken Snapple bottle and a lottery ticket on the sidewalk are acceptable. A syringe is not.

"I always look on the ground, and when I see a used condom or dime bag, it makes me sad," says Maria Kefalas, a professor of sociology at St. Joseph's University. "I take it as a sign of how broken things are."

Kefalas says trash, shattered windows, abandoned tires and rusty fences all serve as "visual markers" that telegraph trouble. "When people can't control the physical environment, it makes it hard to be hopeful and believe that your actions matter."

Throughout the city, battalions of cleanup crews are engaged in a constant battle against garbage-strewers.

"We have 95 trash cans in this one park alone," says Joseph Lugo, driving an electric cart through Rittenhouse Square to collect garbage. "We come through twice a day, seven days a week."

With so many receptacles, why is the park always trashed? "To tell you the truth," Lugo says, "I don't understand it at all."

Part of the explanation, says Sampson, is human nature. When people own their property, or feel connected to their neighborhood, they engage in an informal social contract to keep it clean.

"I've studied urban poor neighborhoods," he says. "People have high standards. Their houses are neat. But a lot of the dilapidation is outside their control. Landlords not keeping up the property. . . . And also, let's face it, city services are not equal across all neighborhoods."

In a place like Rittenhouse Square, the problem is not socioeconomic. For instance, last week a fashionably dressed young woman was engrossed in a conversation on her cell phone while her dachshund squatted in the grass. She paid no attention.

While some people who ought to feel ownership foul their own nest, more often the problem is caused by passersby. In a park where people gather for lunch, Sampson explains, "you've got an invasion of many people from outside. . . . They're in crowds. They feel it's not hurting anyone, it's not anyone's property, and they can really be rather selfish about it all."

That base instinct is mitigated when the city can stay one step ahead, but trash cans in public spaces are perennially abused, Streets Commissioner Clarena Tolson says.

Illegal dumping is another problem. "I've caught people in the act," Tolson says. "Last year, I found a fruit vendor park her truck on Broad Street, unload bags and boxes of debris, and dump it on the sidewalk."

While it would help if people refrained from tossing their potato-chip bags on the ground, says Paul Levy, president and chief executive officer of the Center City District, "sloppy behavior by individuals is a very small part of the equation."

The primary causes of litter, he says, are out of the typical person's control. "A newspaper is delivered to a newsstand and not tied properly, then blows away. A trash can overflows, or a homeless person rummages through one. A dumpster isn't closed properly. A commercial hauler drops things."

When these things happen, the rubbish hits the road. Which is why the beleaguered residents of trashed-out neighborhoods believe that it's not Nagin who should be apologizing, but Philadelphia's leaders, who either lack the will or the competence to keep the city clean. Levy's view, after pioneering the city's privately run consortium dedicated to tidying up, is that more neighborhoods have to chip in - not just with volunteers, but cash.

He refers to the architect Charles Moore's 1965 essay, "You Have to Pay for the Public Life." Unlike Disneyland, Moore observed, real cities are noisy, dirty, crowded and tense. To live in a place as clean and neat as a theme park requires paying someone to do the job. For Philadelphia, Levy says, that may mean more businesses forming funded associations such as the Center City District.

"You have to pay for maintenance," he says. "And it's endless."

Trash White Trash White Trash White Trash...

2007-05-08T08:12:00.000-05:00

Disgusted, appalled, pissed off, shocked, infuriated!

Leaving my home this am on my way to work, driving behind a white GMC truck (some lawn or tree service type with a chipper in tow) through my small peaceful quite and clean neighborhood (in the Main Line Suburbs of Philly), I'm enjoying my morning commute with a some "Howard".

The truck I'm behind stops at an intersection (Spring and Linwood), and normally this would not be worthy of wasting any attention; however, much to my amazement, the passenger (who for all I know is a hard working person) opens the door and throws beers cans, cooler, chip bag, and other trash associated with lunch (if your a white trailer trash out of work scum bag sitting on a couch watching reruns of Jerry Springer!) onto the sidewalk. The driver puts his turn signal on to turn right, then drives off.

Enraged I follow the littering a#@holes - am I'm missing something, is it that easy to litter, what the fuck are these numb nuts thinking (fill in blank with BLANK) - and watch as the truck pulls up to a row house, watch the passenger stagger to the door, drop his keys, and nearly fall into what I assume to be his flop house. You couldn't script a better example of stereotypical white trash - has our society simply given up on our pride, self respect, blahblahblah. Ever hear the saying "White Trash, America's Natural Resource".

Anyway, the driver of the same truck (license plate PA YNY9347) decided at this point to open his door and dump out his side of more breakfast of champions trash. AFter providing a piece of my mind to this dolt, he flipped me off, told me to fuck my self and to mind my own business. Well folks, littering on a public street is my fucking business, it's the business of every person who has some pride and common sense.

Beating a dead horse, yep! Preaching to the choir, oh yeah! Setting up my soap box, of course! But the fact remains that something so easy to do (not litter) is so easily dismissed, often described as "its only a cigarette butt" "1 gum wrapper can't hurt anything" "an empty beer can in my car is evidence if I get stopped"...

...- oh the insanity, the rationalization, the apathy (there's that word again).

SmallTrash.com
http://www.smalltrash.com/Show%20Me.html

Fact: Cigarette Butts threaten wildlife and aquatic animals that can mistake them for food. If filters block their digestive tract, animals may become ill or even starve. Animals will also ingest hazardous compounds such as cadmium, arsenic and lead that have been absorbed by the filters.

Fact: The filters in cigarette butts are made from cellulose acetate, a form of NON-biodegradable plastic. It takes about 15 years for a cigarette butt to break down in the environment. Pollutants contained in the butts can affect water quality.

Cats are smarter than smokers!

2007-05-04T10:34:00.000-05:00

...pretty simple really...Kitty Litter vs. Cigarette Litter

A cat (with the brain the size of a gum ball) , with a tiny bit of education/training, will deposit its waste in a predetermined place 99 out of 100 trips.

"How is it that humans (brain the size of a large melon) with such high intellectual capacity do not seem to realize that a cigarette butt is waste", you ask. Who the fuck knows; laziness, carelessness, lack of education (this one is pretty lame - since any 2 year old knows littering is a no-no), or just plain apathy (if you don't know what this means, pick up a dictionary).

Mind boggling even in today's standards.

Cigarette Litter

"It is estimated that 40% of the litter in the Borough is smoking related, be it wrappers, cartons or cigarette ends."
-- [Gedling Borough Council, England]

"Each year more than 1 billion pieces of litter will accumulate on Texas highways. Of those, 13 percent are cigarette butts. That means 130 million butts will be tossed out in Texas alone this year."
--Texas Department of Transportation

Check out our new public service announcement!

We are watching you...

2007-05-03T08:22:00.000-05:00

...butt heads that litter, consider what you are doing with that cigarette butt before flicking it into the street...your inconsiderate actions are noticed - and if you have kids, they will learn from your actions and throw that McD's double fat cheeseburger wrapper out the car window - and grow up just like mommy and daddy (all nice and plump, 2 pack a day, littering fool).

Lead by example.

LitterBug.org

Fact: Operating from March 1997 to December of 1999 the Highway Litter Hotline recorded the license plate numbers of 25,000 Litterbugs and notified them that someone driving their vehicles had been observed littering.

Fact: At the close of its third year of operation, the Litter Hotline had close to 400 steady callers who regularly reported Litterbugs and other litter problems.

Fact: Litter causes thousands of auto accidents each year, and as many bicycle accidents, with damage to tires and tubes costing millions of dollars.

Fact: Each year thousands of animals strangle or choke from litter.

Fact: Every 12 minutes a fire starts in litter.

Fact: Many state agencies, including the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, the Fish and Game Commission, the Turnpike Commission, the Boat Commission, spend millions of dollars on education and clean up in an effort to combat the litter problem.

Fact: Litter reduces property values because its sends a message that the community no longer takes pride in its appearance.

Fact: Litter is a serious problem in Pennsylvania because it impacts public health, business, tourism and property values and uses taxpayer dollars and energy that could be put to better use.

Fact: Litter is a source of more than 2500 fires annually in urban areas.

Gas Out on Tuesday, May 15th, 2007

2007-05-02T08:41:00.000-05:00

Hello friends, family, and new readers all!

Yes, it is a crazy idea, spawned by the ever circulating chain letters the vastness of cyberspace provides us...however, wouldn't you love to stick it to the man! If only it were that easy.

...ride to work instead.

Don't pump gas on may 15th

...in April 1997, there was a "gas out" conducted nationwide in protest of gas prices. Gasoline prices dropped 30 cents a gallon overnight.

On May 15th 2007, all Internet users are asked not to get gas in protest of high gas prices. Gas is now over $3.00 a gallon in most places.

There are 73,000,000+ American members currently on the Internet network, and the average car takes about 30 to 50 dollars to fill up.

If all users did not go to the pump on the 15th, it would take $2,292,000,000.00 (that's almost 3 BILLION) out of the oil companies pockets for just one day, so please, do not go to the gas station on May 15th and lets try to put a dent in the Middle Eastern oil industry for at least one day.

If you agree send this to everyone on your contact list, requesting they ''Don't pump gas on May 15th". Spread the word, you'd be surprised (or maybe not) how much weight your voice carries - now that it can be heard by millions with one little click...ah technology.

FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!

2007-05-01T09:02:00.000-05:00

This is for those careless smokers (you know who you are) that do not think their little lit cigarette butt can cause a fire after its been inconsiderately flicked to the curb...WRONG, INCORRECT, NAIVE, IDIOTIC, AND JUST PLAIN DUMB (Darwin Awards come to mind).

Case in point: sitting in my office - which has a lovely view of our parking lot from my open window - I smelled what could only be described as burning leaves or incense. A co-worker came into my office and said the same. The company is located across the street from a tree stump reclaimer so naturally we assumed - making an ASS-of U-and ME - that they were busy burning leaves or stumps or some foul smelling soot producing crap.

Did I mention that since it is Spring, the owners had the front area spruced up, including the fresh mulch around the entrance way. Did I mention it has been relatively mild and dry weather wise - are you forming a picture in your mind of what happened next...come on, you can do it...if this was a badly scripted movie with one of those obvious plots you'd be whispering in your date's ear that a cigarette dropped by the delivery boy that just delivered hot wings and cheesesteaks to our over weight employees was about to (say it with me now) start a FUCKING FIRE!

Picture it...bright sunny day, growing breeze out of the west, dry toasting mulch perfect for the brush fire about to be ignited by some butthead's hot and spicy butt! Luckily my keen sense of smell and the billowing thick forming outside our lobby drew my attention. Extinguisher in hand, and gapping employees vying for a window seat to witness the action, I started putting out the fire - funny thing about a dry mulch field, the heat spreads so fast that it ignites little fires at an alarming pace. What started out as a small contained camp fire, quickly spread out in a 10 foot circle. If not for a the hose in the production area and a handy outside connection, we'd be calling the fire dept - and as fast as the fire was spreading who knows how big it would have gotten by the time the men in red arrived.

Just because a careless smoker dropped a hot ash...

Don't get me wrong here, this is not about you fuckers smoking - I could care less and it is beyond me to tell you not to suck on that stick. This is about littering without conscience or thought that what you do with that butt is anything but littering.

Natural Life
http://www.life.ca/nl/85/butts.html

Fact: Cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris USA has, for the first time, acknowledged that cigarette butts are a common form of litter and that improper disposal of cigarette butts in outdoor areas is unsightly and can pose a danger to marine creatures and wildlife. They point to statistics collected from the Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup, which has consistently ranked cigarettes as the most littered item found.

Fact: Many smokers do not believe that littering their cigarette butts has an environmental impact or is inappropriate behavior.

2007-04-24T07:52:00.000-05:00

Crazy as that sounds, ever since the early days of film where the tough talking heroes (John Wayne, James Dean, etc) glibly flicked their butts out the window on the sidewalk in the bar - made it look cool - so naturally like sheep all the rest of us decided that a cigarette butt was not a form of litter. Think about it, paper/plastic not considered trash, guess it's OK to toss that coffee cup from Starbucks or that used tampon or all those burger wrappers or or or! - jeez how stupid can the human race be - oh right, sheep are pretty damn stupid - and the aforementioned items are commonly seen on the road side, street corner, or floating on a summer breeze while you sit on the park bench feeding the pigeons (just make sure to toss the feed bag into the trash can).

Knowledge is always a good thing, but common sense will tell you that dumping your ash tray at the stop light is FUCKING LITTERING! Let's all try to be a bit smarter about it.

No More Trash Online
http://www.conservation.state.mo.us/nomoretrash/facts/

Fact: Littered cigarette filters contain toxic chemicals that leak into the air and water.

Fact: Over half of smokers said they would change their behavior if they were more aware of the issues and their potential environmental impact.

Fact: Over 80% of smokers said they would bin their butts if suitable bins were available (three key areas for more bins were alongside every ordinary litterbin, at entrances to large city buildings and at bus stops).

Fact: Many smokers blame their littering behavior on a lack of well-placed bins for cigarette butts.

Fact: Many smokers do not believe that littering their cigarette butts has an environmental impact or is inappropriate behavior.

Littering is not murder, but it is a crime...

2007-04-23T08:26:00.000-05:00

...and easy to commit and to avoid. For the most part we humans are a bright and respectful bunch, however (you knew this was coming) how many times have we carelessly dropped a cigarette butt or a candy wrapper on the street, sometimes within arms reach of a trash can - yeah I've seen this countless times as I'm sure you have too!

It's easy to litter. You see it on the road side even in the most remote places, in neighborhoods and little towns. It's time we all take a bit more pride, effort, common sense, and thought to put litter where it belongs - and honestly folks, if you can't spend an extra 10 seconds to walk that extra 5 feet to throw your Doritos bag or butt into the trash can, go to Virginia where you can buy a gun without any hassle and put it in your mouth - but do it in the dump so someone else doesn't have to clean up your mess.

CleanPAForests.org
http://www.cleanpaforests.org/enforcement/lawstable.html

Fact: The person who does so is guilty of a summary offense and, upon conviction, may be sentenced to either or both:
To pay a fine of not more than $300.
To pick up and remove litter from public or private property...for not less than 8 hours nor more than 16 hours for the first conviction.

Butt Heads of the road ways!

2007-04-20T08:10:00.000-05:00

CigaretteLitter.org
http://www.cigarettelitter.org/

Fact: It is estimated that several trillion cigarette butts are littered worldwide every year. That's billions of cigarettes flicked, one at a time, on our sidewalks, beaches, nature trails, gardens, and other public places every single day. In fact, cigarettes are the most littered item in America and the world.

I personally used to smoke, and admittedly have flicked cigarette butts out my car window. I have since quick and prior to quiting curbed my behavior when I realized what an ass I've been throwing trash out the window. Smoke your self silly, dirty your car not the streets - just keep the butts where they belong - in your ashtray! Oh and this does not give you the right to pull up to a stop light and empty your ashtray - how lazy and inconsiderate we have become as a society when it takes less energy to put it in the appropriate container than it does to screw in a light bulb.

SAP Introduces Repository For Product Tracking RFID Information

2007-04-19T13:47:00.001-05:00

SAP AG unveiled a new generation of business processes that will use information from RFID tags and other auto-identification technologies for product tracking and authentication (PTA).

read more | digg story

Sony Ditches Low-End PS3

2007-04-13T13:17:00.000-05:00

...whoops, they did it again...underestimating the competition bodes ill for the big players...

Sony Ditches Low-End PS3, By Alyce Lomax

April 13, 2007

Sony (NYSE: SNE) has had another change of heart following its recent PlayStation Portable price cut. Now it's discontinuing the least expensive, 20-gigabyte model of its PlayStation 3. (Want one? Run and get it now, since it will still be available until supplies run out.) It's a stretch to call the PS3 a dud, but Sony clearly now faces a more difficult competitive landscape than the once-dominant brand experienced in the past.

Apparently, the 60GB PS3 has been outselling the 20GB version by a 10-to-1 margin. That may be a little bit surprising, since many people wondered whether gamers would reject the 60GB version's high price point. On the other hand, there's only a $100 discrepancy between the two consoles, with the 60GB version priced at $599. It's not surprising that anybody hardcore enough to shell out for the PS3 would go ahead and fork over another Benjamin for 40 extra gigs of storage space -- not to mention a few high-end features, like Wi-Fi capability, that aren't on the cheaper version.

Sony's already facing impressive pressures in the video game arena, of course. Motley Fool Stock Advisor pick Nintendo (OTC BB: NTDOY.PK) has enjoyed a surprise hit with its new Wii console, attracting surprisingly diverse customers at the industry-low $250 price point. Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT) also a hungry and fully competent contender with the high-end Xbox 360, which is also jam-packed with features. For the high-end, hardcore gamer market, rumors are circulating that Sony plans an "elite" PS3 with an 80GB hard disk.

I can see why it might be a good strategy to make a good run rather than a bad stand by backing away from the less popular model, which commands a lower price anyway. With the inexpensive Wii jumping off shelves, it probably makes sense for Sony to focus on the hardcore, brand-loyal gamers most likely to buy the high-end PS3. Of course, since this comes less than six months after the PS3 launch, it's a fast run. (Could Sony be giving up on the low-end model too soon?) At any rate, it's a sign that Sony's got its hands full with the current cutthroat console competition.

Nintendo is a winning pick for the Stock Advisor newsletter service. To see what other selections from David and Tom Gardner have helped subscribers crush the market, take a free 30-day trial today!

Microsoft is a Motley Fool Inside Value pick.

Alyce Lomax does not own shares of any of the companies mentioned.

The 2007 Ride To Work Day

2007-04-12T09:01:00.000-05:00

The 2007 Ride To Work Day
Motorcyclist Magazine, March 2007

Ride to Work Day 2007 - Public Service Ads 2006 RTW Ad placement Summary

2007 Ride to Work Day public service ads can be found at http://www.ridetowork.org/ads

A summary of the prior years' ads supporting the annual RTW Day http://www.ridetowork.org/files/docs/rtw_ad_summary_2006.pdf (PDF).

Ride to Work Day last year was the best ever with increased national media exposure, increased corporate and municipal recognition and an increased total number of individual participants. Many locations and municipalities provided priority and/or free parking for bikes! There were organized special RTW Day programs at many companies, and an increased number of bikes on the road was obvious in many areas. The increases are the direct result of your continuing support. Thank you for all of your help during the past year. Every single ad or story helped.

The 2007 Ride to Work Day is Wednesday, July 18th. Please help the upcoming 16th annual RTW Day become an even greater success by placing RTW public service ads in your publication. More than any other motorcycling event, Ride to Work Day demonstrates that motorcycles have an important place in our transportation system, and that riding is a social good.

Again, Thank you for supporting Ride to Work Day.

All 2007 RTW ad's are available as digital image files

More information on RTW day is available at the expanded Ride to Work Day website

For additional information or questions please contact

Andy Goldfine agoldfine@ridetowork.org
Christine Holt cholt@ridetowork.org

Motion-sensing comes to mobile phones

2007-03-30T09:30:00.001-05:00

The same technology used in Nintendo’s popular Wii video game console that lets you bowl strikes and hit tennis volleys like you’re Venus Williams is also making its way into mobile handsets.

read more | digg story

Tis the Season...Finally!

2007-03-29T09:22:00.000-05:00

...with 3 warm days in a row, coming off an unusually cold snowy March, it surely seems like bike weather! If the weekend holds out and stays dry, the Interceptor comes out of hibernation. First stop is the Honda dealer for the annual inspection sticker,

then off for the day riding around back roads yet explored...

Just a Girl in short shorts talking about whatever: Battlestar Galactica: Season Finale

2007-03-27T09:48:00.000-05:00

Just a Girl in short shorts talking about whatever: Battlestar Galactica: Season Finale

SMOKER FINED £75 FOR DROPPING A BUTT-

2007-03-09T13:11:00.000-05:00

by rainbow18
updated 3 days ago | 17 views

On 3rd March 2007,in Kettering town centre in Northamptonshire, a woman smoker was seen by a environmental officer flicking her cigarette butt out of her car window whilst she was on her way to her place of work. By the time she got home she had a hand delivered letter, through her letter box. The letter stated that the environmental officer had evidence of her littering the environment namely with her cigarette end. She was fined an instant £75 that was to be paid within 14 days. Attention all smokers- The eyes of the government are getting everywhere.

I think its great that they are finally cracking down on littering of our towns and countryside. Does this mean that travellers will also be fined £75 per item of half an inch long? I doubt it judging by the waste alot of them leave behind at the side of our roads. Northants County Council- you have made alot of the youth service workers redundant, cut back on our police force, centralised our emergency vehicles to a call centre that covers several counties, Surely there are more viable ways of employing people who would be of more use to our county than specially employing someone to look out for Butt dropping. Where are your priorities???

...my 2cents...not sure why there is a need for having to tell smokers not to litter (a pet peeve of mine) AND YES IT IS LITTERING - but maybe getting hit with ticket would help curb the habit of flicking the butt onto the road, sidewalk, your lawn, etc... I am a former smoker, and guilty of tossing my butt on the ground - however I have realized (always have really - you do to) that it is a form of littering, just like tossing your fast food bag on the ground. Just remember folks, lead by example (your kids learn from watching you) - butts go in the trash - every little bit helps. Chili

Desert Rock Fest Gives Event 360 A Major Boost

2007-03-08T17:39:00.000-05:00

From rentalandstaging.com

News
Desert Rock Fest Gives Event 360 A Major Boost
By
Mar 7, 2007

The announcement of the 4th all-star annual Dubai Desert Rock Festival at the 30,000-capacity Dubai Country Club in March, is having a profound effect on interest for May's Event 360 expo, an integral part of PALME Middle East.

Unquestionably one of the production highlights of 2006 was the Dubai international Financial Centre (DIFC) 2nd Anniversary Event, where major event specialists, HQ Creative, followed their 2005 success by pushing all the technical boundaries to produce an event that was highly praised by the international industry press. Here is one of the stunning projections

According to Jonathan Gadalla, project manager for the vertically-integrated show, interest in live music is running at an all-time high in the desert, with international legends such as Iron Maiden, The Prodigy and Incubus heading a Festival line-up that will appear on one of the largest stages in the region. Also included are Junkyard Groove, the winners of SHAMAL (a competition for unsigned rock bands in the region).

Gadalla believes that the world is starting to take notice now that the Middle East is not only attracting leading names in the world of rock, but will also stage a second F1 Grand Prix (in Abu Dhabi) in 2009 - which will offer further opportunities for the event production industry.

He sees the Desert Rock Festival, promoted by CSM, as a win-win situation for the show; for not only will it inspire the region's budding 'axemen', but the increased production values are providing a boost to local rental staging and set design companies, which is reflected in the interest in Event 360 - as well as its sister show, MUSAC (for which Gadalla is also responsible).

In addition to the bands, audiences - which last year numbered 8,000 and this year are expected to rise to 10,000 daily, also expect world class facilities. "Event 360 will demonstrate the development in the local service sector that concerts of this size are forcing." Event 360 forms part of the PALME Middle East show, which takes place at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre from May 20-22, 2007.

Sound Reinforcement Products for Line Array Positioning: Too Powerful to Demonstrate

2007-03-06T09:57:00.000-05:00

Sound Reinforcement Products for Line Array Positioning: Too Powerful to Demonstrate

Elation Announces 2007 Roadshow Schedule

2007-02-22T14:34:00.000-05:00

LOS ANGELES, CA--Elation Professional has announced the schedule for its highly anticipated 2007 Elation Training & Products Roadshow. A series of traveling seminars designed to educate dealers on the use and application of Elation lighting products, this year's Roadshow will stop in major U.S. markets from coast to coast and will even travel north and south of the border to Canada and Mexico City. Presented by factory-trained specialists, the one or two-day seminars are offered free-of-charge to Elation dealers:

• Feb. 27-28, Phoenix/Tempe
• March 6-7, Houston
• March 20, Portland, Ore.
• March 22, Seattle
• April 10-11, Denver
• April 24, Detroit
• April 26, Cleveland
• May 8-9, New York City/New Jersey
• May 14, Baltimore, Md.
• May 16, Raleigh, N.C.
• May 21-22, Toronto
• May 24, Montreal
• May 28-29, Atlanta
• June 5-6, Mexico City

Among the topics covered in the seminars are: automated lighting, LED technology, lighting controllers and software, professional fog machines, data distribution, and wireless DMX solutions. Dealers will get a chance to have hands-on experience with the latest Elation products, including CompuLive and SD3D software. Additionally, there will be a sales training course covering features, benefits, applications and troubleshooting Elation products.

Each day of the Roadshow begins with a morning session (10 a.m. - 1 p.m.), followed by an afternoon session (2 p.m. - 5 p.m.). Dealers attending two-day Roadshow seminars will have the opportunity to invite their customers to come from 5-8 p.m. on the second day to learn about the Elation product line. Along with Loader, Ray Villasenor, Elation's Theatrical Sales & Support Specialist, will be on hand, and there will be a guest presentation by Philips Lighting on Discharge and LED lighting.

To reserve a spot for the 2007 Elation Training & Products Roadshow, RSVP to visage@elationlighting.com or call 866-245-6726 ext. 139. Space will be limited to Elation dealers only.

Transportation Official Urges Manufacturers to Provide Free or Discounted DOT Certified Helmets

2007-02-22T13:03:00.000-05:00

DOT 19-07
Friday, February 16, 2007
Contact: Sarah Echols
Tel.: (202) 366-4570

Nation's Top Transportation Official Urges Manufacturers to Provide Free or Discounted DOT Certified Helmets or Rider Safety Training with the Purchase of Every New Motorcycle

Saying “the time has come to make the helmet standard safety equipment,” U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters today called on manufacturers to provide free or heavily discounted DOT certified helmets or rider safety training with the purchase of every new motorcycle sold in the United States.

“Helmets and proper training are just as important as brakes or headlights when it comes to the well-being of motorcyclists,” Secretary Peters said. ”We shouldn't be letting any customer take a bike out of the store without a helmet as part of the package. Safety shouldn't have to be an option when purchasing a motorcycle.”

Secretary Peters said only 58 percent of riders wear helmets today, which is down 13 percent from just four years ago. She added that manufacturers could help reverse the trend by getting helmets into riders’ hands and training them how to ride safely, noting that 700 motorcyclists would survive crashes every year if they wore helmets.

During remarks to the Motorcycle Industry Council in Indianapolis, the Secretary praised those manufacturers already providing free training for riders. However, she said she was asking for help from manufacturers because while motorcycles account for only two percent of the vehicles on the road, they are involved in over 10 percent of all crashes. She added that motorcycle fatalities have more than doubled in 10 years and now account for over 4,500 highway deaths and 78,000 injuries each year. Even worse, the crash rate among motorcyclists in the 50 plus age group has increased by over 400 percent, she said.

The Secretary noted that the helmet she was wearing during her 2005 motorcycle crash likely prevented severe head injury. “I know from first-hand experience how effective helmets can be,” she said.

Secretary Peters also said the Department of Transportation was “attacking” the challenge of motorcycle safety on several fronts. Last September, the Department awarded over $6 million in safety grants to states to support motorcycle safety. In addition, the Federal Highway Administration has established a Motorcycle Advisory Council to focus on making roads safer for motorcyclists and will continue work begun by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on a Motorcycle Crash Causation Study to identify why motorcycle crashes occur and find ways to reduce the fatality and injury rates.

Off-Highway: Three-Wheeler Cuts Sharp Corners

2007-02-15T11:29:00.000-05:00

Off-Highway: Three-Wheeler Cuts Sharp Corners

3D modeling software helps a motorcycle enthusiast create his dream design.

By Len Vermillion, Editor in Chief, Product Design

Geir Brudeli’s passion for motorcycles runs deep. He likes the freedom of the ride and the lean around the corners. The Norwegian inventor likes motorcycles so much he wanted to make his own, one that softens the ride and makes it faster and safer.

That’s why Brudeli started his own company; Brudeli Tech, and set out combine his love of motorcycles with his engineering creativity. He also sought to combine concepts, making his new bike a bridge between motorcycles, small cars and four-wheel off-road vehicles.

The result is unique, and it delivers a design that provides the freedom of a motorcycle with the control of a four-wheel vehicle. Only this design doesn’t have four wheels; it has three. The three wheels are what you’d expect, either. Brudeli’s new bike, the 625L, which is scheduled to be street legal this year, has two motorcycle tires — in the front. Each tire is slanted in parallel 45-degree angles to the ground when the bike is stopped. The construction allows the rider to lean into corners as if on a motorcycle.

The purpose of three wheels is to allow the rider to cut corners at high speeds without spinning out of control or rolling over.

Zooming Up with CAD

Getting the design of the new bike together was no easy task for a new inventor and a small team of helpers. Brudeli also worked with Hareide Designmill, a Scandinavian design firm, to develop the frame and refine the vehicle’s aesthetics. Brudeli sought the help of SolidWorks Corp. and its 3D CAD software. The software allowed Brudeli to accelerate product development, reduce his costs, refine component design and, ultimately, make his dream come true.

“SolidWorks software began to contribute almost immediately,” Brudeli says. “First of all, some of us here who don’t have much CAD experience were able to learn and use it with minimal practice and instruction so we could quickly create better designs. Second, this type of project demands component-level accuracy. SolidWorks allows us to fix part interferences and ensure components such as the unique wheel mounts, meet design specifications, saving both time and money.”

Brudeli Tech uses SolidWorks eDrawings e-mail-enabled design communication tool to shave models and component sketches with partners, designers and suppliers to discuss both technical and aesthetic aspects of the bike. Recipients of the e-mails can zoom, rotate and otherwise manipulate a solid model as it they were holding it in their hands.

Brudeli also cites SolidWorks software’s open architecture as a contributing benefit. He says that it enabled his team to use the models for their computer numerical control (CNC) manufacturing processes. “CNC machining with 3D reduces up-front costs and streamlines manufacturing so we can get prototypes on the road for testing quickly,” he says.

“Tackling the unconventional is most every entrepreneur’s mission, and a coup for engineers that actually succeed in building something truly unique,” says Simon Booker, marketing manager at SolidWorks Europe. “The Brudeli vehicle is a show stopper. Its distinctive design is an example of how SolidWorks allows creative engineers like Brudeli to explore [new] concepts.”

Unique Components

While Brudeli’s bike is not the first tilting three-wheeler, it’s unique in that it features several feature as a small car and has slanted tires. The Piaggio MP3 started the tilting three wheelers trend.

Many of the features of the 625L come from Brudeli’s own background. He received a degree in mechanical engineering and product development and began working on transmission and gearbox solutions for small cars. Always interested in motorcycles, he formed his own company and started the work on the 625L in. The end result is based on a KTM 625 SMC motorcycle.

Another unique feature of 625L is its footboards that stay parallel to the ground even when leaned over, which gives the rider more control over the vehicle.

In the end, Brudeli has his dream bike ready for the street. Motorcycle enthusiasts now have a safer ride while continuing to take sharp corners at high speeds with all the freedom they’ve ever enjoyed.

More information on SolidWorks is available by calling 800-693-9000 or at www.solidworks.com. More information on the 625L is available at www.brudelitech.com.

Solidworks Corporation, 300 Baker Avenue, Concord, MA 01742

Outline’s training Academy for Brit Row’s PA men

2007-02-05T12:48:00.000-05:00

Outline professional audio has opened its training academy in Brescia, Italy (as posted on ZioShow.com)

The growing popularity of Outline’s Butterfly line array has meant that opening the academy and giving a formal qualification for students that pass the informative and rigorous modules is now part of the sale - announces Giorgio Biffi (International Sales Director). “Following sales to a number of high profile clients, we realized that it was a good idea to open a training facility here in Italy as we have all the engineers available to convey and answer any technical questions that our customers may ask, we can also show them our manufacturing process from start to finish”.

The course which lasts for two days contains theory and practical modules and culminates in a formal qualification allowing the engineer to use our propriety software (V.I.P.) and gain an envied accreditation known as VIPA. For riggers we offer the SYSTEC accreditation thus recognizing their contribution to the live arena and allowing them to rig and fly Outline Butterfly both safely and effectively.

The first students through the new facility were some of the world’s most respected engineers who were sent by Britannia Row Productions to qualify for using Butterfly: Sherif El-Barbari (Robbie Williams), Robin Lopez (BJork, Roger Waters at Hyde Park Calling), Derrick Zeiba (Brit Awards, Classical Brits, Hall of Fame, MTV Music Awards Copenhagen), Richard Trow, Gerald Fradley, Dorus Hommels, Christopher Peters (Robbie Williams), Daniel Ungaretti (The Roundhouse), Adam Williams, Nico Royan, Jonathan Dunlop, Michael Gibbard, Aron Ross (Cliff Richard), Dave Poynter, (The Foo Fighters, Jamiroquai), Andreas Andreou (Robbie Williams), Paul Gardiner, Ian Barfoot, Davide Lombardi (Mobos, UKHOF, MTV Music Awards Copenhagen), Adam Smith (Mobos, UKHOF, MTV Music Awards Copenhagen). There were no exceptions to all the engineers giving Outline the thumbs up on the training that they have received, comments abounded of “the best” were not uncommon.

www.outline.it

Martin Audio introduces W8L Longbow line

2007-01-24T11:13:00.000-05:00

Posted on broadcastengineering.com, Nov 26, 2006 8:00 AM

The Longbow from Martin Audio incorporates Martin Audio’s patent-pending Wavefront control over the high frequency vertical wavefront.

Martin Audio has introduced the W8L Longbow line array system, designed to bring greater performance to the most demanding reinforcement situations, including outdoor concerts, stadiums and arenas. Martin Audio has developed a patent-pending technology that provides excellent control over the curvature of the high-frequency vertical wavefront. By coupling this technology with significant advances in high frequency device design, Martin Audio has created a quad-driver, high frequency system with a significant 10dB greater output capability over the W8L enclosure.

This additional high frequency headroom enables the W8L Longbow to cope with the most adverse atmospheric conditions that can severely attenuate high frequencies over long distances. The new high frequency system also results in improved HF summation of cabinets in the array and a corresponding reduction of side lobes. In the low frequency section, the 15in hybrid bass horn design is responsible for the tight, punchy and extended low frequency performance of the W8L. Development of a completely new ultra-long excursion driver gives the W8L Longbow the ability to displace almost twice the volume of air as the W8L when driven with the same input signal. This advance lifts the already exceptional low-end performance to a new level and extends the low frequency -3dB point down to 35Hz.

For more information, visit www.martin-audio.com.

Touring on the Road

Does Netflix Want Out of the Disc Business? Say It Ain't So!

Here's why our taxes are so f@*$ing high!

Musikfest 2011 - oh yea, can't wait!

1991 Lexus LS 400 - SOLD thanks!!!!

phones, phones, iLook for phones...that work...

Personalized and Customized Motorcycle Trading Cards

Thrown Cigarette Butt Ignites Smoker's Car

Tilted Horizons: Friendship Blogger Award

New Ride To Work Day - MONDAY, JUNE 15, 2009

45 lessons life taught me

Inclinometer et al: Apple iPhone is the coolest, and keeps getting cooler

Cool Helmet Safe Head

Buell Conversion Kit From Fusion Motorcycles

iMuffs makes iPod go wireless

Take Pride - No Butts out the window!

Hot-Pink Electro-Voice Line Array Is The Talk Of Glasgow Clubland

Tilted Horizons: New Motorcycle GPS Released (Funny Ad)

Sound Reinforcement Products for Line Array Positioning: Inclinometer for JBL Line Array

Philadelphia, PA: Local Litter Prevention Group Cracks Down on Cigarette Butts

July is Women’s Motorcycle Month

Contributions of female Hall of Fame members recognized

17th Annual RIDE TO WORK DAY

17th Annual RIDE TO WORK DAY

Well if you missed it, there's always next year... of course if you enjoy riding, you don't need a reason. Several of my co-workers came to work on Wednesday, so our company parking lot looked a bit like my Saturday ride group - beats the hell out of standing around the water cooler!

Real Military Motorcycle Helmet

Kickstand has been nominated for product of the year by Guitar Player Magazine

Cigarette butts are the most littered item in America

CIGARETTE LITTER PREVENTION PROGRAM

Design For A Better Bike Lock

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04. 3.08

Sound Reinforcement Products for Line Array Positioning: Line Array Set up and Stage Prep by MSI Japan!

Bensalem Police Stepping Up Efforts to Control Litter in the Streets

LitterButt User Goes YouTube!

A creative LitterButt.com user is utilizing the powers of YouTube.com to post video of litterers online, with permission of the local police department.

Best Bike Lock - continued...

Manitowoc Crane motorcycle episode premiered on 'American Chopper'

Manitowoc Crane motorcycle episode premiered on 'American Chopper'

Motorcycle Helmets - Should they be mandatory?

The Great Bike Helmet Hysteria!

Inclinometer et al: 2009 Shimano Dura-Ace: on-board altimeter, inclinometer and heart rate monitor.

Southwest Airlines, FAA accused of falsifying safety reports

YIKES!

01:49 PM CDT on Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Best Bike Lock Ever!

Yahoo merging with AOL?!?!?!? Say it ain't so!

Yahoo turning to AOL to fend off Microsoft

Yahoo formally rejects Microsoft bid

Cooler Yahoo Heads Prevail...so far...

YIKES! Microsoft’s bid for Yahoo! has Google searching for cover

Sidney Hill, Jr., executive editor -- Manufacturing Business Technology, 2/4/2008 1:09:00 PM

Training Session: Mastering AV Testing Equipment

New Harley-Davidson Softail Cross Bones to Make Official Public Debut

Christmas Tree oh Christmas Tree Inferno!

Inspirational Sessions: Vincent Versace & John Paul Caponigro | Layers Maga

Further proof that the human race is doomed through stupidity

China Makes, The World Takes

Inclinometer et al: Leaning Tower of Pisa Most Tilted Tower No More!

Accelerometer et al: Holmwood On How In2Games Will Wii-ify 360 and PS3

Accelerometer et al: British Telecom tries to wed Nintendo Wii-style technology to a tablet PC.

Only in America, the lighter side laugh break

EVER WONDER...?

Fire at Burger King started in mulch

Carelessness contributes to blazes

On the Road...Rider Responsibility

Lollapalooza 2007: Video of Iggy and the Stooges, Pearl Jam and more

Horror Movie Review Blog

Copy music from your iPod to your Mac or PC

The top 10 most voted for groups and artist.

(interesting order of favorites - not sure I would be Journey or Santana anywhere near the top ten...tell me what you think.) History of Rock music voting statistics

So What If I Throw My Butts on the Ground? They're Biodegradable, Right?

Faster and Faster: Memorable: The Moto Guzzi V8

Sound Reinforcement Products for Line Array Positioning: Alford Media Line Array Solutions - JBL VerTec System

Guns N' Roses Roll With Adamson

Why Ride to Work Day?

Ride your motorcycle or scooter on this day to demonstrate:

2007 Motorcycle Breakfast Every 3rd Sunday

Ethanol Use in Motorcycles

Ride To Work Worldwide

Benefits and Facts cont'd (2 of 2)

(interesting order of favorites - not sure I would be Journey or Santana anywhere near the top ten...tell me what you think.)
History of Rock music voting statistics