posted 10-18-2011 01:08 AM                    

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This is a brand-new, all-electric DeLorean

This is a brand-new, all-electric DeLoreanFor several years, DeLorean Motor Company of Texas has been reconstituting the fruit of John Z.'s troubled loins (phrasing!). Now it's working with electric-car startup Epic EV to put an all-electric DMC-12 into production by 2013. You know what that means: Onboard power for the Mr. Fusion.

Humble, Texas-based DeLorean Motor Company not only owns the DMC brand name, but it also maintains a huge stockpile of original, factory parts. The company's primary business has been restoring, servicing and selling DeLorean cars and merch, but it's also been using those parts to assemble new cars to order, using 80% original parts and 20% modern engine and suspension tech. These new models are, in effect, pro-touring versions of the original DeLorean cars.

Full size
The new car the two companies unveiled today at the International DeLorean Owners Event in Houston, Texas is no run-of-the-mill electric DeLorean conversion. It's a development model of a car, called DMCEV, which DeLorean plans to launch into production in two years.

The companies haven't released any specs yet, but if it's anything like Epic EV's Torq Roadster, it'll get a 200 hp+, 44V/156V electric motor, powered by a 24-30 KWh lithium ion phosphate battery. Sure, it's bit low on jiggawatts right now, but the companies have two years to get that sorted out. Though I guess they never did, or else they'd have come back to let us know.

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posted 10-22-2011 06:16 PM                       

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Plane's emergency signal traced to courier in downtown Regina
Black box was armed and transmitting
CBC News
Posted: Oct 22, 2011 3:32 PM CST
Last Updated: Oct 22, 2011 3:36 PM CST

Aviation officials scrambled on Thursday when they received an emergency signal. It turned out that a shipment containing an emergency device had been activated as the package made its way through downtown Regina. Aviation officials scrambled on Thursday when they received an emergency signal. It turned out that a shipment containing an emergency device had been activated as the package made its way through downtown Regina. Google Street View

Emergency crews were led on a wild-goose chase Thursday when a shipment containing an airplane emergency transmitter device was activated as the package made its way through downtown Regina.

According to a report by federal aviation officials, the device, known as an ELT, emitted a signal shortly after 7 a.m. CST Thursday.

It triggered an emergency response, dispatched by aviation officials in Winnipeg.

"An extensive communication search failed to locate the signal," officials noted in a report about the incident.

Believing a plane may have crashed, search and rescue aircraft were sent to investigate, one from Regina and another, a military Hercules, from Winnipeg.

The Regina search team was able to trace the signal to downtown Regina.

"The signal was homed to an incoming express post truck with a live, armed ELT inside," officials said in their report. "The shipper was contacted and it was found to belong to an amateur-built aircraft."

According to officials, the owner apparently shipped the ELT via express post without removing the battery.

The report noted that the Regina search plane was in the air for about 45 minutes while the Hercules plane was in the air for just over 30 minutes.

"The shipper was informed of the scope of trouble caused," the report noted.

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posted 11-14-2011 05:18 PM                       

Not quite 20g Randy, though the ELT case and circuit board might be designed to withstand such a force. AFAIK if it is an ELT designed to be mounted to the aircraft, the acceleration in the direction of flight can be as low as 2.3g, or 4.5fps delta-v, and 12g in any other direction. Personal ELTs are typically designed for 5-9g since they can be operated in any orientation. I've seen ELTs go off (and have had to search for a few myself, as in the article) after being put into a bag or sack and tossed into a closet by their unknowing owners.

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My apologies in advance to Brad...

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Vegemite-flavored sashimi on Sydney chef's new menu

Food Nov. 13, 2011 - 06:13AM JST ( 5 )

Japanese food has never been so Australian.

SYDNEY —

Australian cuisine is renowned for its fusion techniques—adding local touches to famed dishes.

But a new version of sashimi would surely have many Japanese shaking their heads - until they tasted it, at least.

A California-born, Japanese chef at Sydney’s Star Casino restaurant, Sokyo, which opened this month, has embraced local cuisine by waving goodbye to miso and using Vegemite in his sashimi.

Chef Chase Kojima is sourcing all his ingredients from the Australian continent. The sashimi is made from Moreton Bay bugs and is served with Vegemite-flavored croutons.

‘‘It’s one of my edgy dishes,’’ he said. ‘‘I met this man at the fish markets and he had Moreton Bay bugs and they look funny, right, but they taste like shrimp and lobster and crab. They are so good and so delicate.”

And from there the Aussie flavor just kept coming. He turned his attention to the savory, yeast extract that locals are weaned on. Nine months ago, he didn’t know Vegemite from Marmite, but he soon learned.

‘‘It was hard for me to understand Vegemite at first but it tastes a lot like Japanese miso so I dried it, made it into a powder and — like Vegemite on toast — used it on croutons.’‘

The croutons are served on top the sashimi, along with burnt butter mayo and passion fruit jelly to complete the Moreton Bay Bug sashimi (A$24).

All the food’s coming from an Aussie backyard, even though the chef doesn’t.

He learned the art at his father’s traditional Japanese restaurant in San Francisco, Kabuto, which is regarded as one of the best in the region.

He then started working for Nobu in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and around the globe.

“Trust me and let me play with your palate,” Kojima said.

Sokyo, lobby of The Darling Hotel and Spa, The Star, 80 Pyrmont St, Sydney, dinner served Monday-Thursday, 6 p.m.-10:15 p.m., Friday-Saturday 6 p.m.-11:15 p.m., closed Sunday, www.star.com.au

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posted 11-25-2011 11:22 AM                       

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Do you like shoveling snow? Then stop reading this and go back to your pushups and granola because you are not someone that I want to talk to.

Let’s face it, we live in a place that attracts snow like Magnetic Hill attracts cars, only that ain’t an illusion out there. That’s 12 inches of snow piling up and, oh, what’s that sound? Why it’s the snow plow and it’s here to let you know that it hates you and all the time you spent to shovel your driveway. Did you want to get out of your house today? Were you expecting to get to work on time? Or even this week?

You gave it your best shot. You tried to shovel by yourself and I respect you for that. I did it, my parents did it, some of my best friends did it. But deep down inside, we all wanted to murder that neighbor with the snowblower who was finished and on his second beer while you were still trying to throw snow over a snowbank taller than you are.

So, here we are. You could murder your neighbour, which could ensure that you won’t need to shovel a driveway for 25 to life, but there are downsides to that too. What to do?

Here’s the deal. I have a snow blower and I want you to own it. I can tell you’re serious about this. It’s like I can almost see you: sitting there, your legs are probably crossed and your left hand is on your chin. Am I right? How’d I do that? The same way that I know that YOU ARE GOING TO BUY THIS SNOWBLOWER.

I want you to experience the rush that comes with smashing through a snowdrift and blowing that mother trucker out of the way. The elation of seeing the snow plow come back down your street and watching the look of despair as your OTHER neighbour gets his shovel out once more while you kick back with a hot cup of joe (you don’t have a drinking problem like that other guy).

Here’s what you do. You go to the bank. You collect $900. You get your buddy with a truck and you drive over here. You give me some cold hard cash and I give you a machine that will mess up a snowbank sumthin’ fierce. I’ve even got the manual for it, on account of I bought it brand new and I don’t throw that kind of thing away. Don't want to pay me $900? Convince me. Send me an offer and I'll either laugh at you and you'll never hear back from me or I'll counter.

You want a snow blower. You need a snow blower.

This isn’t some entry level snow blower that is just gonna move the snow two feet away. This is an 11 HP Briggs and Stratton machine of snow doom that will cut a 29 inch path of pure ecstasy. And it’s only 4 years old. I dare you to find a harder working 4 year old. My niece is five and she gets tired and cranky after just a few minutes of shoveling. This guy just goes and goes and goes.

You know what else? I greased it every year to help keep the water off it and the body in as good as shape as possible. It's greasier than me when I was 13, and that's saying something.

You know how many speeds it has? Six forward and two in reverse. It goes from “leisurely” slow up to “light speed”. Seriously, I’ve never gone further than five because it terrifies me. I kid you not, you could probably commute to work with it dragging you.

You know what else is crappy about clearing snow in the morning? That you have to do it in the dark. Well, not anymore! It has a halogen headlight that will light your way like some kind of moveable lighthouse (only better, because lighthouses won’t clear your driveway).

Oh, and since it’s the 21st century, this snow blower comes with an electric starter. Just plug that sucker in, push the button, and get ready to punch snow in the throat. If you want to experience what life was like in olden days, it comes with a back-up cord you could pull to start it, but forget that. The reason you’re getting this fearsome warrior was for the convenience, so why make it harder on yourself?

By this point, you’re probably wondering why I would sell my snowblower since the first snowpocalypse is upon us today. I’ll tell you why: because I heard it was time for you to man up and harness some mighty teeth and claws and chew your way to freedom, that’s why.

This is my snow blower. Make it your snow blower.

UPDATE - I assure you that the snowblower is real, and it is still available. Do not despair if you have made an offer on this glorious tribute to man's triumph over nature and I have not responded yet, your time has yet to come.

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posted 12-09-2011 09:01 PM                       

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Montana Theatre goes to digital
Miles City Star article (article will only appear here for a week or so though)
By Elaine Forman

Last night was the end of an era at the Montana Theatre, with the showing of The Twilight Saga’s Breaking Dawn.

The flickering lights and the clicking of the film projector are now gone.

It was the last night that film was used at the 75-year-old movie theater. After the movie ended, the film projector was shoved aside and the new digital projector was installed.
Montana Theatre’s head manager Bill Lien said the change is like a double-edged sword.

“I’m a little sad. I hate to see the film go ... I really enjoy working with film,” Lien said as he described the click, click, click of the film feeding through the projector. “I think (the change will) affect the projectionist the most.”

Yet he is looking forward to the change.

“I’m stoked. I’m very excited. I can’t wait. Just to see the little preview (of a digital movie clip on the new digital projector), I was in awe,” he said.

He watched a few minutes of digital footage with the new equipment, and just from that short segment he noticed the higher quality of the picture.

“It’s sharp, and it looks really clean and a little brighter. I noticed it right away,” he said.

He also noticed the sound was better, cleaner and in better synch with the picture.

Up until now, the film projector had stood a few feet from the table where the large roll of 35 mm film sat. From there the film would be strung from one sprocket relay to another, and another, and several more, then through the projector and back through more relays until it reached another shelf of the table.
After many years’ experience, Lien could complete the elaborate film-stringing process in 5-10 minutes for each showing.

Now, setting up a digital movie will take a few minutes for the whole week, then each showing will be automatic and the movie will start in an instant.

That will give Lien more time to interact with the movie-goers and make him more available to answer questions.

“It’s going to free up a lot more of my time,” he said.

The improvement was in the works for quite a while, he said. There was a lot of planning, getting the money, approvals and more planning to make sure they’d avoid any “catastrophes” with the switch-over, he said with a smile. “There was a lot of planning, but there was a lot of finger crossing, too.”
Theater owner Bill Campbell of Sheridan, Wyo., is in town for several days to help with the switch-over.

“Digital has been around for a while, but it’s still pretty expensive,” Lien said.

While changing the equipment from film to digital is expensive, the movies are a little cheaper, and shipping is a lot cheaper.
A 35 mm movie film weighs 50 to 75 lbs. and costs about $45-55 to ship, while the digital hard drive, with the film and trailers, weighs 6 lbs. packaged and costs only $5 or $6 in shipping.

Due to the switch-over cost, Lien guesses that 60 percent of the movie theaters still use film, but the films are starting to get more difficult to obtain. The Montana Theatre was starting to run into the problem of “film availability or the lack of film availability,” he said.

With digital, the theater will be able to get movies closer to the release date and not 3-4 weeks later, which has been common in the past.

One change the movie-goers will notice is that the previews will begin right at 7 p.m.

Before Lien would wait to start the projector when most everyone was through the concession stand and sitting down. Now the previews and movie are set to start at exactly 7 p.m.

Tonight the family movie “Arthur Christmas” will be the first movie for the theater to show digitally.

So get there early, get some popcorn and find a seat, for the theater’s digital age is about to begin.

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posted 01-01-2012 03:17 PM                    

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Molly Hayes Staff Reporter

German insurer Munich Re threw one heck of an office party — an orgy — for 100 of its best employees as a reward for their hard work.

Held at a thermal baths in Budapest, Hungary, attendees were reportedly presented with 20 colour-coded prostitutes.

“The women wore red and yellow wrist bands. One lot were hostesses, the others would fulfill your every wish,” reported the German newspaper Handelsblatt.

The white-banded girls were reserved for the big bosses.

Quoting an anonymous attendee, the paper said guests were able to take the women to four-poster beds at the spa “and do whatever they liked.”

The party, held in 2007, was reportedly discovered by a shareholder at the company’s annual general meeting this year. Munich Re is the world’s largest re-insurance company, which means they act as an insurer for other insurance companies.

At the event, women were stamped on the lower arm after each sexual encounter to keep track of how often each one was “frequented,” Handelsblatt reported.

A spokesman for Ergo confirmed to the BBC that the party had happened, but said it was not the usual way of rewarding their employees.

The company said it had since introduced a new code of conduct, and the organizers of the event have left the company.

“We’ve taken all the right steps to prevent it happening again,” the spokesman told the BBC. “It was a mistake but we are very sure that it was a unique event.”

“The new people of the sales organization introduced a very personal commitment that these things should not happen again.”

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