Archive for March 25th, 2008
With an average national fuel cost currently hovering around three bucks for a gallon of regular, fuel economy matters.
Posted on: March 25, 2008
- In: American Idol | Chevy | Ford | Fuel | gas | GM | SUV
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Over the past decade, the driveways of mainstream America filled with SUVs whose fuel-swilling was, at the time, not a concern.
Fuel costs almost doubled from 1996 to 2006 and grew another 20 percent in the past year. The average U.S. household income, meanwhile, rose only 35.8 percent in the same 10-year period.
The associated shift in vehicle sales is telling.
In 2007, sales of Chevy‘s Tahoe full-size SUV fell by 9.4 percent from 2006, while retail sales for the unlovable but frugal Chevrolet Aveo leaped by 82 percent.
GM‘s John McDonald wrote this off as these vehicles’ being “deferrable purchases,” implying that land barges hold some kind of inherent allure and that Americans would prefer to drive dump trucks if gas were free. This is, of course, entirely possible.
But gas is not free, and we don’t drive dump trucks, and as car buyers search for better fuel economy, they increasingly don’t want to drive trucks of any kind. R&D dollars are focused on unibody crossovers that ad campaigns tout as more fuel efficient than the trucks they replace, with even Ford’s Explorer headed for a frame-free future.
It’s not just big trucks that get lousy fuel economy, either.
The culprits of poor fuel economy are many, but common underlying causes include portly curb weights, older drivetrains, and the conscious exclusion of fuel-saving technologies to keep production and purchase prices down.
Before you spend your money on a new car, make sure you pay attention to the equipment list, because with the wrong engine or transmission choice, heinous fuel economy is sometimes just a checkbox away.
- In: IEEE | LAN | Microsoft | Security | Technologies | Windows Vista | Wireless
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Benefits of Wireless LANs
Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 wireless LAN networking provides the following benefits:
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Wireless connections can extend or replace a wired infrastructure in situations where it is costly, inconvenient, or impossible to lay cables. This benefit includes the following:
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To connect the networks in two buildings separated by a physical, legal, or financial obstacle, you can either use a link provided by a telecommunications vendor (for a fixed installation cost and ongoing recurring costs) or you can create a point-to-point wireless link using wireless LAN technology (for a fixed installation cost, but no recurring costs). Eliminating recurring telecommunications charges can provide significant cost savings to organizations.
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Wireless LAN technologies can be used to create a temporary network, which is in place for only a specific amount of time. For example, the network needed at a convention or trade show can be a wireless network, rather than deploying the physical cabling required for a traditional Ethernet network.
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Some types of buildings, such as historical buildings, might be governed by building codes that prohibit the use of wiring, making wireless networking an important alternative.
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The wiring-free aspect of wireless LAN networking is also very attractive to homeowners who want to connect the various computers in their home together without having to drill holes and pull network cables through walls and ceilings.
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Increased productivity for the mobile employee. This benefit includes the following:
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The mobile user whose primary computer is a laptop or notebook computer can change location and always remain connected to the network. This enables the mobile user to travel to various places—meeting rooms, hallways, lobbies, cafeterias, classrooms, and so forth—and still have access to networked data. Without wireless access, the user has to carry cabling and is restricted to working near a network jack.
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Wireless LAN networking is a perfect technology for environments where movement is required. For example, retail environments can benefit when employees use a wireless laptop or palmtop computer to enter inventory information directly into the store database from the sales floor.
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Even if no wireless infrastructure is present, wireless laptop computers can still form their own ad hoc networks to communicate and share data with each other.
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Easy access to the Internet in public places.
Benefits of Wireless LANs
Support for IEEE 802.11 Standards
Support for IEEE 802.11 Security Standards
Checklists and Resources
- In: Capitals | coach | goal | Stanley Cup
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Although the Washington Capitals have yet to secure a playoff spot, coach Bruce Boudreau insisted on Monday that winning the Stanley Cup remains a realistic goal. Full Article
Paris Hilton: Geography Buff
Posted on: March 25, 2008
- In: Buff | Geography | Paris Hilton | South Africa | United Nations | West Africa
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“I love Africa in general — South Africa and West Africa, they are both great countries,” she answered.
Heh. She’s not a comedian, so she wasn’t playing. In her defense, she’s acknowledged before that brains aren’t her strong suit. Whoring is. Paris heads to the UK next, where she’s sure to ask to meet Big Ben.
Paris isn’t the only celebrity embracing the hot new trend of “stupid”. Amy Winehouse recently asked what the United Nations is. Amy at least has an excuse. She does fistfuls of drugs. Paris has the money to at least take a class or get a degree or something.
- In: Brooke | crash | family | Florida | Hulk Hogan | network | sued | VH1 | victim
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Pro wrestling and reality TV star Hulk Hogan was sued in Florida on Monday by the family of a man who was critically injured in the crash of a car driven by Hogan’s teenage son.
The suit filed in Pinellas County by the parents of John Graziano says Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, was responsible for the August 26 crash in Clearwater, Florida, because he knew his son liked to speed and race other drivers.
Nick Bollea, 17, has been charged with reckless driving. No trial date has been set.
Clearwater police said that Nick Bollea was racing a friend, Daniel Jacobs. Witnesses told investigators they saw the two cars speeding on wet roads before one of them hit a tree. Graziano was a passenger in Bollea’s car.
The suit also names Hogan’s wife, Linda Bollea, Nick Bollea and Jacobs as defendants. Linda Bollea has filed for divorce from her husband.
Edward and Debra Graziano did not ask for a specific amount of damages but said John, 23, may need millions of dollars to pay for medical care for the rest of his life. He remains hospitalized with head injuries.
“He never will be fully the John he was before,” George Tregos, an attorney for the parents, said at a news conference.
Hogan, his wife and son, and their daughter Brooke are in the reality TV show “Hogan Knows Best” on the VH1 network.
(Reporting by Robert Green; Editing by Jim Loney and Xavier Briand)
- In: Beatles | dies | friend | Neil Aspinall | New York
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tiNeil Aspinall, a close friend and former road manager of The Beatles who was sometimes referred to as the fifth member of the band, died in New York of lung cancer, former band members said on Monday. He was 66. Full Article
The Cuban authorities have blocked access from Cuba to the country’s most-read blogger, Yoani Sanchez, she said on Monday. Full Article
- In: airwaves | Google | plans | unveils | white space
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WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Google Inc on Monday unveiled plans for a new generation of wireless devices to operate on soon-to-be-vacant television airwaves, and sought to alleviate fears that this might interfere with TV broadcasts or wireless microphones. Full Article
Sirius Satellite Radio’s $4.59 billion purchase of rival XM Satellite Radio was given antitrust clearance on Monday as the Justice Department concluded consumers have many alternatives, including mobile phones and personal audio players. Full Article
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