All about toyota

Researchers blaming radioactive cosmic rays for unintended acceleration

2010-03-20T20:41:00.000+02:00

Some researchers are now blaming radioactive cosmic rays for unintended acceleration. Sounds fake? Well, believe it or not, there is some evidence to back it up.

Researchers believe that the some cosmic rays make it to the surface of earth and affect electronics. They think that if electronics are the cause of the unintended acceleration, although Toyota says otherwise, than these rays could be causing the electronic issues.

This issue was discovered during the 1950s at high altitude. Aircraft and spacecraft manufacturers install safeguards against such interference. In the 1970s, more research showed that some rays reach the surface and could affect small electronics, such as cell phones and computers. So maybe it could affect car electronics. However, though says that their electronics “are not the same as typical consumer electronics. The durability, size, susceptibility and specifications of the automotive electronics make them robust against this type of interference.”

The only way to test the theory is placing moving vehicles in front of particle accelerators and spraying them with radiation. There are companies out there which can do this, but Toyota will have to lend them the cars, and also hand them quite a big wad of cash for the test. We’ll have to wait and see whether or not they’re willing to do so.

Source: Detroit Free Press via Autoblog

[Via http://theblogofcars.wordpress.com]

Stupak Postpones News Conference - Prescriptions Blog - NYTimes.com

Mitsubishi Strada Vs. Toyota Hilux

2010-03-20T14:18:00.000+02:00

The Mitsubishi Triton is a compact pickup truck produced by Mitsubishi Motors. It was originally known as the Mitsubishi Forte in Japan from 1978 to 1986, when the name was discontinued in favour of the Strada. For most export markets the name L200 is used, while Storm was used for Malaysia during the early 2000s. It was previously known as the Rodeo in South Africa until 2007. Cumulative sales of the first three generations now exceed 2.8 million units around the world.

The Toyota Hilux and Toyota Tacoma are compact pickup trucks built and marketed by the Toyota Motor Corporation. The Hilux name was adopted as a replacement for the Stout in 1969, and remains in use worldwide. In North America, the Hilux name was retired in 1976 in favor of Truck, Pickup Truck, or Compact Truck, until it was renamed the Tacoma in 1995. One popular option package, SR5 (Sport Rally 5-Speed), also became synonymous with the truck, even though it was used on other Toyota models as well. In 1984, the Trekker, the camper version of the Hilux, was changed to the 4Runner in Australia and North America, and as the Hilux Surf in Japan. The 4Runner is now a full SUV, and the more recent models do not resemble the Tacoma.

GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS

Length x Width x Height

Strada: 5000 mm x 1800 mm x 1780 mm

Hilux: 5255 mm x 1835 mm x 1810 mm

Wheelbase

Strada: 3000 mm

Hilux: 3085 mm

Ground Clearance

Strada: 205 mm

Hilux: 212 mm

Gross Vehicle Weight

Strada: 2570

Hilux: 2790

Curb Weight

Strada: 1850 kg

Hilux: 1880 kg

Minimum Turning Radius

Strada: 5.9 m

Hilux: 6.5 m

Fuel Tank Capacity

Strada: 75 l

Hilux: 76 l

Steering Capacity

Strada: 5 pax

Hilux: 5 pax

ENGINE

Model & Type

Strada: 2.5 Liter Intercooled Turbocharged Direct Injection Diesel (4D56)

Hilux: 3.0 Liter Diesel, 4-Cylinder, 16-valve, DOHC, Variable Nozzle Turbo with Intercooler (1KD-FTV)

Fuel System

Strada: Common Rail Direct Injection

Hilux: Direct Injection Common Rail (D-4D)

Displacement

Strada: 2447 cc

Hilux: 2982 cc

Maximum Power

Strada: 140 ps / 4000 rpm

Hilux: 163 ps / 3400 rpm

Maximum Torque

Strada: 32.7 kgm / 2000 rpm

Hilux: 35.0 kgm / 1400~3200 rpm

WHEELS AND TIRES

Wheels

Strada: 17” Alloy

Hilux: 15” Alloy

Tires

Strada: 245 / 65 R17

Hilux: 255 / 70 R15

Based on PH models and specifications

Mitsubishi Strada 4X4 GLS A/T

Toyota Hilux 4X4 G A/T

Notes and references:

http://www.wikipedia.org

Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation

Toyota Motors Philippines Corporation

[Via http://jonleyrosdiecast.wordpress.com]

Hot Air » Blog Archive » Fox News whip count: 212-219; Uh oh ...

Quoted - Does D.C. have it in for Toyota?

2010-03-20T08:40:00.000+02:00

Image via Wikipedia

Does D.C. have it in for Toyota?

Washington stands accused of launching a self-serving witch hunt into Toyota’s spectacular fall from grace — thanks, in part, to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, who warned Americans to stop driving all recalled Toyota vehicles before facts forced him to admit his advice was unwarranted. Indeed, with support from the governors of Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky and Mississippi, which all house Toyota plants, more than a few observers now wonder if public ownership of General Motors and Chrysler influenced the decision to hold congressional hearings into Toyota’s product woes.

Whatever the case, attitudes toward Toyota are clearly harsher in the States than Canada. (In this country, sales actually jumped 25% last month, despite federal rumblings about the need for a political probe.) “When people were dying from tampered Tylenol in the ’80s,” says American business professor Scott Testa, who teaches at Cabrini College in Philadelphia, “Johnson & Johnson pulled the product and gave everybody money back. And they stopped advertising. But I am still seeing ads for Toyota minivans. That’s insanity.”

http://www.canadianbusiness.com/managing/strategy/article.jsp?content=20100412_10006_10006

[Via http://scotttesta.com]

Small Business News: Crazy for Social Media | Small Business Trends

Why Toyota Can't Admit It Has Computer Problems

2010-03-18T14:51:00.000+02:00

Toyota is desperate to convince a congressional committee that dangerous bouts of uncontrolled acceleration in its cars are the result of mechanical problems, not computer glitches. That’s because a faulty floor mat or a sticky gas pedal can be replaced. If the problem turns out to be electronic, Toyota is going to face a more difficult problem, both in the vehicle and in the minds of consumers.

The car maker understands this, which is why its worked long and hard to make this issue a mechanical problem. The company recently bragged that it saved over $100 million in 2007 by negotiating a recall of “defective” floor mats rather than thoroughly investigating electronic problems. Now the ghost in the machine has resurfaced, and those savings are coming back to haunt them.

Read the full post over at BNET

[Via http://benpopper.com]

Apple bans protective screen film from Apple Store | iLounge News

Next-generation Lexus IS may get wagon variant, hybrid-only drivetrain options

2010-03-16T14:06:00.000+02:00

From 2001 to 2005, Lexus offered the IS in a wagon variant, called SportCross. Sadly, the following generation didn’t inherit this variant. However, Autocar reports that the next generation IS will be offered in a wagon variant.

The IS needs something to fight wagon competitors from the likes of BMW and Audi. The loss of wagon variant has hurt sales in Europe, so this move makes perfect sense.

It is also being reported that the next-gen IS will only be offered in hybrid form due to Lexus’ push towards hybrid technology. It’s unknown how this will affect the prospect of an IS F successor. However, it doesn’t sound like a very good idea to me, IS F or not.

The third-generation IS is due in 2011, so we’ll find out the truth soon enough. Hopefully it won’t be hybrid only, but I’m definitely looking forward to the wagon. IS F SportCross anyone?

Source: Autocar

[Via http://theblogofcars.wordpress.com]

Stocks in the News: Limited Brands, Sequenom, PepsiCo - DailyFinance

Toyota's Troubles

2010-03-15T23:40:00.000+02:00

We’ve all seen the news stories. Many of Toyota’s models had what I guess one could refer to as defective carpeting. When drivers were holding the throttle wide open, it would stay that way when they took their foot off. 4.2 million vehicles were recalled to have the floor mats replaced, and another 2.4 million cars were recalled to have a shim installed behind the gas pedal.

What I’m finding annoying with this whole story is how people and the media are reacting. The issue is know as Sudden Unintended Acceleration (SUA) and is nothing new in the automotive industry. Audi faced similar problems with the ‘82-’87 models of the Audi 5000. In the last decade, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration received 24 000 customer complaints regarding SUA involving almost every manufacturer. Very few of these cases were actual mechanical or electronic issues. It seems stupid, but many cases were most likely caused by driver error. To put it in other terms, confused individuals pressing the gas when they wanted to press the brake.

The other thing that gets on my nerves in this whole story is people wanting to make some money out of Toyota’s unfortunate situation. You might have heard of Jim Sikes by now, the guy who allegedly experienced SUA in his 2008 Toyota Prius on an interstate in San Diego, California. Obviously, the media made a huge circus of this, immediately pointing fingers at Toyota. We now know that Mr. Sikes has a history of suspicious behavior. For example, he recently filed for bankruptcy and gave the house to the bank, but his entire kitchen just happened to have been stolen. He attempted to defraud his own insurance company of $60 000, tiwce.

Toyota and the NHTSA investigated and could not explain the events. The Prius has a double redundant accelerator system, and if any irregularities pop up, they register in the onboard computer and the check engine light will come on. Yet in Toyota’s investigation report, they state “There were no diagnostic trouble codes found in the power management computer, nor was the dashboard malfunction indicator light activated.” When Sikes was on the phone with the 911 operator, she instructed him many times to put the car in neutral and apply the brakes, or to push the engine on button and hold it for three seconds to automatically cut the engine. All of these systems worked on Sikes’ Prius when tested, and as seen in the video below, applying the brakes should stop the car. It’s now been declared a hoax by just about every party involved, except Mr. Sikes himself, who still stands by his story and says he’s not after a lawsuit. Yeah…

Source: jalopnik.com

[Via http://carthing.wordpress.com]

EEDAR: Are X360 Achievements too hard? News | Xbox 360 | Eurogamer

Unintended ventilation

2010-03-14T20:51:00.000+02:00

Rocky walked out to his Lexus Sunday morning and discovered that all four windows mysteriously opened overnight. This posed a problem because an overnight monsoon left the seats, carpet and dashboard badly soaked. Even the cupholders were holding water (without cups).

“Unintended acceleration gets all the attention, but unintended ventilation is far more insidious,” thought Rocky as he diligently wiped the seats with a trove of Trophy Wife’s dish towels. “At least with unintended acceleration, you can shift into neutral or turn off the engine.”

Since the outside temperature was in the high 30’s, Rocky did not open the windows intentionally. And because he keeps the passenger windows in “locked mode,” he could not have accidentally confused the door-lock and down-window buttons when exiting.

Other than an electronic problem, the best explanation is that Rocky sat on his key fob in an odd way. Rocky knew that if he pressed the key fob “unlock button” for 5 continous seconds, all of the windows opened. How could this happen? Rocky did not wear his trousers to bed, nor did he engage in any contortionist exercises. The only explanation is that Rocky “bent over,” as he occasionally must do.

[Disclosure: Rocky intends to contact the National Highway Safety Administration and lodge a complaint. Perhaps then Toyota will issue a key fob safety recall -- which will prevent unintended ventilation from ruining more fine wool suits and silk jackets -- as these fine garments are pressed against soaked leather seats.]

[Via http://onehonestman.wordpress.com]

Twitter is down this morning. (Scripting News)

Zokusha of Auszoku: Team Obscurity

2010-03-14T14:02:00.000+02:00

Recently Drove my Jza61 MK2 at a Private track night, came home on a tilt tray and rolled in to the back yard which accidentally set it up for some team shots of the Obscurity crew.

There running a similar paint scheme atm. Bumper black bumpers and silver paint, although the supra is still its factory color and in need of a new paint job bad! Once I build some steel fenders and straighten some dints out.

The daily of the team, the K11 Micra. If only this thing was FR!

Some future Projects in the background. My C110 Yonmeri skyline and a B110 Datsun sunny sedan.

With every good automotive blog there should be some cool cars behind it. These might not be complete just yet but are slowly getting there.

Thanks for viewing

JohnZoku.

[Via http://teamobscurityracing.wordpress.com]

iPhone OS 3.1 to 3.2 for iPad changes detailed | iLounge News

Young Jack Thriller: So Disrespectful News Ep. 3 & 4 (G-Unit News)

2010-03-14T08:02:00.000+02:00

Episode 3:

Episode 4:

ThisIs50 & G-Unit News presents Young Jack Thriller’s So Disrespectful News Episodes 3 and 4. It’s called “SO DISRESPECTFUL” for a reason…LOL

Follow @jackthriller on twitter && Subscribe to KingofPopComedyTV on YouTube.

*Check the tags above to see some of the topics/people he talks about in these two episodes*

Related Post: Young Jack Thriller: So Disrespectful News Ep. 1 & 2 (G-Unit News)

================>>>~<<<================

Share This Post On:

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====.://RETURN 2 HOME PAGE\\:.====

Pages: Main Page // About // Archives // Dislaimers // Contact

{FOLLOW @620MCMLXXXV on twitter to STAY UP-2-DATE WITH THIS BLOG’s POSTS && FOLLOW ME (@dkane85) while you’re there also}

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Browse Newspapers in Google News Archive

Toyota's Legal Troubles: Orange County DA Sues for Consumer Fraud

2010-03-13T20:24:00.000+02:00

The first in a continuing series about the ongoing Toyota recalls.

Orange County DA Tony Rackauckas

California Orange County’s District Attorney, Tony Rackauckas, has sued the U.S. sales department of Toyota Motor Corp. for deceptive business practices earlier today. Rackauckas, in the suit, alleges that Toyota sold thousands of cars when they knew the vehicles had problems with the accelerator and hid the defect from consumers. Filed under the Unfair Business Practices Act, the suit is asking for a fine of $2,500 per breach. The suit also seeks to keep Toyota from selling further defective cars.

“We demand to know: Did Toyota, in their relentless pursuit to become the No. 1 carmaker in the United States, put profits over people?” Rackauckas asked in a USA Today article.

Toyota has been hit by dozens of civil and class-action lawsuits over the past several months since the company recalled over 8 million cars worldwide due to faulty accelerators. CBS has estimated the total cost of the lawsuits may total over $3 billion.

However, this action represents the first time a county or state has filed suit against the troubled car company, and could be the most dangerous suit yet. A successful lawsuit by Orange County could open up possibilities from lawsuits from other states.

Because of the California suit, Toyota may face even more legal pressure from Connecticut, where earlier this week three Toyota Camrys sped out of control and crashed in separate incidents. An elderly man was killed in one of the accidents.

Two of the vehicles, both 2007 Camrys, were under recall, while the third vehicle is reportedly a 2006 Camry.

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has already begun an investigation into Toyota’s response to the crashes. Depending on that investigation, Connecticut may be the next state to press charges against the world’s number one car manufacturer.

Toyota is also under investigation by the House Oversight Committee and a Federal Grand Jury for it’s response to car crashes.

[Via http://allsystmsgo.wordpress.com]

Fox News' Major Garrett Interviewed By Twitter | Mediaite

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2010-03-13T02:32:00.000+02:00

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Terry, the masked man, is back at practice | Dallas Mavericks Blog ...

Wonder How a "Senior Digital Journalist" Would Have Handled It?

2010-03-11T20:29:00.000+02:00

From apnews.myway.com:

2-Second Video Causes Headache for ABC News

By David Bauder

NEW YORK (AP) – For the want of a better two-second picture of a tachometer, ABC News has called into question its reporting on acceleration problems with Toyota vehicles.

The network’s handling of a Feb. 22 “World News” story about potential problems with computer systems in Toyotas has created ethical questions and intensified bitter feelings the besieged automaker already had toward ABC.

ABC has admitted to a misjudgment and swapped out the brief dashboard video in its report, which continues to be available online. Its story illustrated a report by David Gilbert, a Southern Illinois University professor who suggested that a design flaw in Toyotas might leave a short-circuit that could cause sudden acceleration undetected by the car’s computer system.

Correspondent Brian Ross’”World News” report showed him driving a Toyota with Gilbert that was rigged to quickly accelerate. Even though he knew it was coming, Ross said the incident left him shaken, and he had a hard time getting the car to come to a stop.

Briefly during the drive, ABC cut to a picture of a tachometer with the needle zooming forward. The impression was that the tachometer was documenting the ride Ross was taking. Instead, that picture was taken from a separate instance where a short-circuit was induced in a parked car.

ABC said that editing was done because it was impossible to get a good picture of the tachometer while the car was moving because the camera was shaking. The camera shot was steady when it was taken in a parked car.

“The tachometer showed the same thing every time,” said ABC News spokeswoman Emily Lenzner.

Toyota spokesman John Hanson disputes that, saying tachometers react much more dramatically when short-circuits happen in a parked car than a car that is moving. Tachometers measure engine speed.

It all points to problems that are created when visual journalists try to alter reality in order to get a better picture.

“Anytime you give the audience any reason to doubt the honesty of the piece, that’s a serious problem,” said Charlotte Grimes, a Syracuse University journalism professor who specializes in ethical issues.

“Do they honestly think that a company like Toyota, with all the resources that it has, would not be looking at these things?” Grimes asked.

Toyota recognized the differences right away: the shot showed the car’s speedometer was at zero, the parking brake was on and no one was using the seat belts – while Ross wore one on the test drive, Hanson said. Online discussion of the differences began almost immediately, and the Web site Gawker.com wrote about it last week.

ABC edited the online version of its story shortly after that story appeared and wrote a note on its Web site explaining why.

“This was a misjudgment made in the editing room,” Lenzner said. “They should have left the shaky shot in. But I want to make clear that the two-second shot that was used did not change the outcome of the report in any way.”

The inserted tachometer shot still didn’t specifically illustrate Ross’ ride. It was from another ride made in order to create different camera angles. A camera person could not have captured the tachometer shot with Ross and Gilbert both in the car, Lenzner said.

Toyota’s Hanson said it was next to impossible for the short circuit detailed by Gilbert to happen in real life. The automaker, which had to recall many of its cars because of problems associated with a depressed gas pedal, held a news conference on Monday to try and refute Gilbert’s study. It depicted similar short circuits in other cars, none of which were detected by the vehicles’ computer system.

Gilbert did not return phone or e-mail messages for comment, and a woman who answered the phone at his home said he was unavailable.

Hanson said he wished Toyota could have been invited to see the simulation conducted by ABC. “Simulation” is a word that brings back tough memories for TV networks: NBC’s news president lost his job in 1993 after it was revealed that for a “Dateline NBC” study about alleged safety problems with General Motors trucks, the network rigged a truck with small explosives for a story. Lenzner said it was ridiculous to compare a two-second tachometer shot to the NBC case.

She said Toyota was given a chance to comment on the story the day it was aired.

“It was not like ABC was trying to alter the footage,” she said. “There was no staging. There was no dramatization. It was an editing mistake.”

Even before this report, relations between Toyota and ABC were on edge. More than 100 Toyota dealerships in the Southeast had agreed last month to pull advertising on local ABC affiliated because they were angry with Ross’ aggressive reporting on the automaker’s problems.

[Via http://tribecascribe.wordpress.com]

Matthew Yglesias » The Cable News Problem

Toyota Confirms Compact Lexus Hybrid

2010-03-11T14:54:00.000+02:00

The car was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show last week, but until recently the company insisted that the compact hybrid would only be sold in Europe. According to Automotive News, Lexus executives pleaded with Japan to bring to the car to the US—partly in hopes that the smaller Lexus would appeal to a younger demographic. “When the all-new Lexus CT 200h enters the market it will be the only hybrid vehicle in the emerging premium compact segment,” said Mark Templin, Lexus Division group vice president and general manager.

“There are no plans, at present, to bring this vehicle to the U.S.,” said Toyota spokesman Curt McAllister in response to an e-mail query from IL.

The hybrid is expected to go on sale in Europe, but Lexus has yet to spell out a timetable for launch of what it calls “a new gateway model” to Toyota’s upscale brand.

Few details were released about the CT 200h, with Lexus only saying that it will be equipped with second-generation Lexus Hybrid Drive technology. The teaser image shows a vehicle that seems to put a premium on curves and high style, at least judging from the rear-end shot.

CT 200h will make its US debut at the 2010 New York Auto Show later this month. Production begins in late 2010. The car could go on sale in the US sometime in 2011.

The company has not published performance details, but they do say that the motor is “powerful.” Nickel-metal hydride is used for the high voltage battery. Power is sent to the front wheels via a electrically-controlled contiuously variable transmission, or E-CVT for short.

The car remains a sleek five-door, just like the concept. It has sporty overhangs at the front and back, and a well-placed rear spoiler. The car looks to have LED rear lighting. At 4,320mm long, the car is 140mm shorter than the Toyota Prius. The Lexus is 1,765mm wide by 1,430mm high; 20mm x 50mm less than the Prius. It rides on 17-inch alloy wheels, and features McPherson/front- and double wishbone rear suspension.

Lexus wants to use this car to prove that full hybrids do not have to be boring drives. They claim the car has “superior handling agility” to suit their customers’ wishes, and three driving modes (Eco, Normal, and Sport) to adjust to different situations. Again, Lexus remained vague about sprint times, overtake ability, and top speed.

[Via http://thehybridblog.wordpress.com]

The Volokh Conspiracy » Blog Archive » The Quintessential TV News ...

8 Things We Hate About IT: How to Move Beyond the Frustrations to Form a New Partnership with IT

2010-03-11T08:31:00.000+02:00

8 Things We Hate About IT

How to Move Beyond the Frustrations to Form a New Partnership with IT

Authors: Cramm, Susan

ISBN-13: 978-1-4221316-4

ISBN-10: 1422131661

©2010 | 1st Edition | 200 pages , Softcover

Pub Date: March 2010

Price: US$ 16.95

Crack the secret code of how IT departments really work and what makes IT professionals tick.

Why can’t operational managers ever get what they really want from IT? Why is the relationship so fraught with frustration from all parties? IT managers and business leaders simply don’t understand each other, the way they think, the pressures they face and the goals they are trying to achieve. Enter Susan Cramm, the prospective Deborah Tannen of the Business-IT relationship.

Personality-wise, if men are from Mars and women are from Venus, then the IT people are from Microsoft and their business partners are from Apple. In spite of great effort to become more business-smart, line and IT managers have very different backgrounds and experiences which make it difficult to communicate what they do and why and how they do it. Different pressures and incentives further increase the difficulty of forming positive IT-business relationships. While line managers need to ‘get ‘er done now’ to support the needs of their function or units (or pay the price in terms of near term business results and bonuses), IT managers need to ‘get ‘er done right’ to support the longer term needs of the enterprise (or pay the price in terms of fragmented, fragile systems.)

The key to reconciling these and other differences is to figure out how to manage the paradox. If you want to get what you want from IT, you need to shift your perspective and look through the eyes of your IT partners. Doing so will allow you to develop a single version of ‘truth’ and give you the insight necessary to change the relationship for the better.

Similarly, this book will help dispel the notion that managers can ‘hand off’ their IT responsibility to the IT organization and will provide the tools to incorporate the management of IT into their daily leadership agenda and repertoire. Business leaders should assume accountability for IT, much as they have assumed accountability for the management of the financial and human resource asset and build the necessary capabilities into their organization.

The core ideas in this book also promise to have applicability to managing other relationships between business units and specialized service providers. Think supply-chain management, or better yet, graphic design.

About the Author

Susan Cramm is the founder and president of Valuedance. Susan Cramm is a recognized industry expert on information technology leadership. She has helped pioneer the field of IT leadership coaching through her passion and gifts for developing others, as well as her keen insights regarding IT leadership, which are derived from extensive research and years serving in executive level positions. She has worked with executives from a number of Fortune Global 200 clients, including Toyota, Sony and Time Warner. Susan’s experience makes a difference and her clients describe her as ‘insightful’, ‘motivational’, ‘practical’, ‘tough’, ‘committed’ and ‘invaluable’. She is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and, since 2000, has authored the monthly “Executive Coach” column for CIO magazine.

Susan is the former CFO and executive vice president at Chevy’s Mexican Restaurants. She joined Chevy’s in 1994 to assist in the development of a nationwide Mexican ‘cantina style’ restaurant concept and assumed responsibility for finance, business strategy, restaurant development, franchising and legal functions. Prior to Chevy’s, Cramm worked with the Taco Bell Corporation and held the positions of CIO and vice president of the Information Technology Group and Senior Director for Financial and Strategic Planning.

Susan received her master’s degree in management from Northwestern University, specializing in finance, marketing and quantitative methods and her BA from University California, San Diego, summa cum laude, specializing in management and computer science.

Tables of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1: Service or Control

Chapter 2: Results or Relationships

Chapter 3: Tactics or Strategy

Chapter 4: Expense or Investment

Chapter 5: Quick or Quality

Chapter 6: Customization or Standardization

Chapter 7: Innovation or Bureaucracy

Chapter 8: Great or Good

[Via http://mheasiatrade.wordpress.com]

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2010-03-11T02:51:00.000+02:00

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[Via http://maceengineeringgroup.wordpress.com]

Tim Donaghy: Yesterday's News ... Or Is It?

Toyota "Different Lifestyles, Different Cars, Different Packages" Promotion | Promotion Malaysia

2010-03-09T14:57:00.000+02:00

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Pitchfork: R.I.P. Sparklehorse's Mark Linkous

Toyota Statement on Rebuttal of Professor Gilbert's 'Unintended Acceleration' Demonstration

2010-03-07T20:55:00.000+02:00

Toyota and Exponent have provided Professor David Gilbert of Southern Illinois University with the results of their thorough evaluations of his demonstration of apparent “unintended acceleration” in Toyota and Lexus vehicles as described in his Preliminary Report and in his testimony at recent Congressional hearings. In evaluating Professor Gilbert’s claims, Exponent also analyzed the footage of Professor Gilbert’s appearance on ABC News on February 22, 2010.

Toyota has also supplied the results of these evaluations to the appropriate Congressional Committees. The analysis of Professor’s Gilbert’s demonstration establishes that he has reengineered and rewired the signals from the accelerator pedal. This rewired circuit is highly unlikely to occur naturally and can only be contrived in a laboratory. There is no evidence to suggest that this highly unlikely scenario has ever occurred in the real world. As shown in the Exponent and Toyota evaluations, with such artificial modifications, similar results can be obtained in other vehicles.

Toyota Evaluates Unintended Acceleration Complaints in Remedied Vehicles

Brake Override System Operation Explained

TORRANCE, Calif., March 4, 2010 – Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., has received verifiable information from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) about some vehicles whose owners have reported unintended acceleration after receiving the accelerator pedal recall remedies. As soon as Toyota received the vehicle owner information from NHTSA, it moved quickly to evaluate the vehicles and interview the owners.

Although most of these reports have yet to be verified, Toyota has been and remains committed to investigating all reported incidents of sudden acceleration in its vehicles quickly. Toyota wants to hear directly from its customers about any problems they are experiencing with their vehicles.

The results of the evaluations have been submitted to NHTSA for review. Though these reports involve a tiny fraction of the more than one million vehicles dealers have repaired to date, Toyota takes them extremely seriously.

As NHTSA is now reviewing the results of our evaluations, it is inappropriate for Toyota to provide specific information about the company’s conclusions. However, the evaluations have found no evidence of a failure of the vehicle electronic throttle control system, the recent recall remedies or the brake override system.

It is important to note that many complaints submitted to NHTSA either are unverifiable or lack the vehicle owner information required to facilitate follow-up. Nonetheless, Toyota is quickly investigating verifiable complaints of unintended acceleration and doing everything it can to ensure that our customers are confident in their vehicles and the remedies.

About the Brake Override System

The brake override system is designed to stop the vehicle when the brake pedal is firmly pressed in cases in which acceleration is caused by mechanical interference with the accelerator pedal.

However, if the brake pedal is released, while there is still mechanical interference with the pedal, the vehicle may again accelerate. Therefore, once the vehicle brought to a safe stop, the transmission gear selector should be put into neutral or park position before turning off the engine. In this case, drivers are asked to contact their nearest Toyota dealer.

For practical reasons, the brake override system does not engage if the brake pedal is pressed before the accelerator pedal. For example, this allows for vehicles starting on a steep hill to safely accelerate without rolling backwards. Also, while the brake override system is engaged, if the brake pedal is released or if the accelerator pedal moves more than a certain amount, the brake override system will disengage in order to give precedence to the driver intention.

The brake override system does not engage when the vehicle moves at speeds less than approximately five miles per hour, at which point the vehicle can be stopped safely.

[Via http://youngmanmaster.wordpress.com]

Sony developing iPad competitor - report News | iPhone | Eurogamer

Leno's First Night Back on the Tonight Show

2010-03-07T08:34:00.000+02:00

Good to be home, I’m Jay Leno, your host… at least for a while.

I’m a little bit nervous, not because it’s my first day back, but because Dave and Oprah are watching…

We’ve been off for the last few weeks, bit like the Russians at the (Winter) Olympics…

We’ve got Lindsay Vonn on the show tonight, when it comes to going downhill no-one is faster… Except NBC

President Bush said today that he often turned to prayer during his presidency. Hey, I think we all turned to prayer during his presidency.

Keanu Reeves will star in “Speed 3.” The first “Speed” was about a runaway bus, the second was about a boat, and the third one is going to be about a Toyota.

Gatorade has officially ended their relationship with Tiger Woods. He was seeing at least five other sports drinks.

[Via http://tvtrigger.wordpress.com]

Sony patents degradable demos News | PS3 | Eurogamer

BAD NEWS FOR TOYOTA CONTINUES

2010-03-06T02:16:00.000+02:00

The last two weeks have seen an avalanche of negative headlines for Toyota. A sampling below:

On February 23, 2010, Jim Lentz, Toyota’s President of U.S. Sales, admitted during questioning before the House Energy and Commerce Panel that it was “probably fair to say” that the company may not know the cause of unintended acceleration in as many as 70 percent of customer complaints.
On February 24, 2010, Akio Toyoda–Toyota’s President and the grandson of the company’s founder–told the House Oversight and Government Committee that he didn’t learn about unintended acceleration problems in Toyota vehicles until late 2009, and claimed that he wasn’t aware of a July 2009 internal memo that bragged about $100 million in savings on recalls. The plausibility of his professed ignorance was called into question when Lentz testified before Congress that decisions about important safety issues like recalls were all made in Japan–an admission at odds with Toyota’s efforts to portray itself as a company solidly rooted in the U.S.
On February 26, 2010, Bloomberg News reported that the same memo characterized Toyota’s success in blocking a formal recall of Sienna minivans as a “win” for the company. The problem with the Siennas involved collapsing liftgates that led to 98 reported injuries. Toyota persuaded the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to close its investigation by sending a letter to Sienna owners offering to replace defective struts on the liftgate.
On March 2, 2010, USA Today/Gallup released results of a survey that showed that 31% of Americans now believe Toyota and Lexus vehicles are unsafe to drive, and 55% believe the carmaker dragged its feet in responding to potential safety defects.
Also on March 2, 2010, the New York Times reported that Camrys manufactured before 2007–which were not subject to Toyota’s recent recalls–were the subject of hundreds of unintended acceleration complaints. Toyota did not recall the pre-2007 Camrys because they use a different gas pedal and different floor mats than later models. However, the complaints about pre-2007 Camrys suggests that unintended acceleration may be caused by problems with the electronic throttle system and not defective gas pedals or floor mats.
On March 3, 2010, the Associated Press reported that NHTSA continued to receive complaints of unintended acceleration from Toyota owners whose cars had been repaired. The continued problems suggest that unintended acceleration is caused by problems with the electronic throttle system, something Toyota has repeatedly denied. Toyota has attributed the problems to defective gas pedals and floor mats, and its fixes have focused on swapping out floor mats, replacing and modifying pedals and removing floor padding. NHTSA has asked Toyota owners who continue to experience unintended acceleration post-repairs to contact the agency.
On February 24, 2010, the New York Times reported that Toyota is facing a revolt from its suppliers, who have been frustrated in recent years by Toyota’s efforts to squeeze prices despite rising production costs. The recall crisis has led the traditionally loyal suppliers to break rank and speak out against the company. The owner of one supplier, Teruo Moewaki, became a local celebrity by saying on television he would no longer accept orders from the embattled manufacturer.

[Via http://friedbonder.wordpress.com]

Sony announces SOCOM 4 News | PS3 | Eurogamer

Toyota and Reputation

2010-03-04T20:26:00.000+02:00

While it may be some time before we know the answers to who knew what and when in the case of the sticky Toyota accelerator pedals, the company clearly understands that its brand’s reputation has taken a hit and is doing a lot to communicate that it cares about its customers. National TV and print advertising as well as news conferences and press availabilities with spokespersons have all been employed. The chairman of Toyota has testified before the U.S Congress in response to subpoenas.

In an unprecedented recall situation that now includes more than 8 million vehicles including the latest generation of Prius hybrids for faulty brakes, how does a brand survive when there are so many American-made quality autos to chose from. Yes, that’s right America has quality autos. That comes from someone who swore he would never own an American car again after one of the worst car experiences of my life – a 1988 Chevy Corsica. The antidote was a 1992 Honda Accord, which turned me into a believer of Japanese quality. Yet, nearly 20 years later, I have owned two American vehicles and have been pleased – one a GMC Canyon pick up and the other a Ford Taurus X crossover. We still have a 2003 Honda Accord but when it comes time to replace it, we have some great American options. U.S. auto buyers are finding out what I found out years ago – we do not have to accept inferior products and we will reward companies who give us what we want and treat us well. Competition is good. It certainly was good for Ford and GM, which are making cars that are competitive on quality, safety and gas mileage. These companies are reaping the benefits from the competition they had after they became complacent and took their preeminence (and consumers) for granted.

Is Toyota on the verge of being in the place GM and Ford were 20 years ago? February’s auto sales figures suggest Toyota has a problem. Ford’s sales were up 43 percent, GM’s up 12.7 percent (the same as Honda), Nissan up 29.4 percent and Hyundai was up 11 percent, while Toyota fell 8.7 percent. And the longer there are questions about whether Toyota found a real fix, the trend will continue.

Although hailed as a quality leader for decades and admired for the Lean production processes that were put into place after WWII, Toyota needs to remember the basic tenets of continuous quality improvement and stay vigilant. It is easy to be come complacent when you think you do not have any competition.

Toyota had the enviable reputation as the quality auto leader of the world. However, the company’s reputation has been slipping in recent years and Consumer Reports, which historically gave Toyota’s cars high marks, stopped giving what seemed like a an automatic seal of approval. It is going to be a long time before Toyota gets through this crisis. The company’s reputation will take years to rebuild. If the company’s leaders make a determined effort, stop taking the consumer for granted, and assume that whatever they make is the best – they can compete again. However, the market landscape will have changed dramatically.

So what are some of the lessons for Toyota and for professional communicators:

1. “Quality is Job #1.” That was Ford Motor Company’s tagline from a few years ago and it became a mantra. Toyota needs to make quality and transparency the core of everything it does and every relationship it has with customers, employees, dealers, regulators – everyone. Ultimately, if our clients and the companies we represent, what to be market leaders, they have to have the goods.

2. Take complaints seriously before there is a problem. In the case of Toyota, if State Farm insurance makes a complaint to the National Highway Safety and Transportation Administration three years before the recall, it is probably an important symptom ofa problem that needs to be checked out – rigorously. So, that means don’t deny and delay. Fix it and move on. How a company responds reflects on its character and demonstrates its priorities.

3. Be clear about your business objectives. Rapid growth often leads to poor quality. Toyota, in its quest to unseat GM as the largest auto manufacturer lost sight of its main differentiating point – it produced the best quality cars in the world. And now it does not.

4. when something goes wrong, say you are sorry. Then back it up with actions. Toyota appears to be doing that but the enormity of the problem will make it difficult for the company to put this situation behind them quickly. First they need to make sure they understand the problem and have a real fix. In the last few days, news reports have come out that there are new complaints that the fix did not work. Hard for consumers to believe in your company when that happens.

We have all heard that it takes a lifetime to build a reputation and seconds to damage it. While no truer words were spoken, Abraham Lincoln had one of the best insights on reputation, “Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.”

We are known for what we do. We, and our clients and companies, need to do the right thing.

[Via http://healthycomms.wordpress.com]

Infinity Ward bosses suing Activision News | Eurogamer

Guilty until proven innocent

2010-03-04T14:18:00.000+02:00

Toyota’s problems are hard for some to take, especially in Toyota City, Japan.

When news of the unintended acceleration problems first broke, Toyota management here suggested that the troubles were due to driver error. Taxi driver Toshio Okamura said he believed that explanation.

“It was hard to imagine,” he said of the mechanical problems. “This is Toyota. These things don’t happen.”

Now Toyota has admitted problems with its cars. And a U.S. lawmaker has alleged that the company may have deliberately withheld evidence in lawsuits relating to vehicle safety.

“Even now that the real facts are surfacing, I can’t accept it,” said Okamura. “I think many people here are struggling to accept it.”

It’s Kaizan, the belief that you can design perfection. It would be a good manufacturing philosophy if only there was a self-correcting mechanism for the inevitable flaws.

No car ever built was perfect and automotive technology does keep improving. But on board computers were a leap, and nothing in the world of cyber-technology ever suggested computer technology was perfect. You don’t trust your Dell running Vista, why would anyone ever trust what is at best your desktop computer’s idiot stepchild residing under your hood?

This isn’t Toyota- or Japan-bashing. Every major manufacturer who fucks up gets reamed for it. During the Firestone 500 recall in the ’70s, the Des Moines Register published a critical letter to the editor from me that resulted in our plant manager coming into the plant early so he could come down to my tractor tire bead machine to chew my butt out at 6 a.m.

If I criticized my employer in real time for manufacturing errors, why would I cut Toyota slack? It’s the principle. Own up to your errors and people will forgive you. Stonewall, and they’ll just remember what a heartless prick bastard you were.

Insurance saleswoman Junko Ida used a Japanese proverb to describe Toyota’s fate: The nail that stuck out is being hammered down. “But the nail will rise again,” she said.

A cliché that speaks to failures as clearly as it speaks to nonconformity. What it has to do with Toyota’s comeback, I can’t even guess. Nor can I guess why no account I’ve read other than CNN’s mentioned that Koua Fong Lee’s Toyota’s throttle was stuck open at 15% after the crash. Or that if Lee’s ‘96 Camry was defective, it means that Toyota’s been covering this problem up for over 15 years.

Toyota recalled more than 8 million vehicles, prompting Lee’s attorney to seek a re-examination of the vehicle in the 2006 accident.

“This never seemed right. A man with his family in the car — his pregnant wife — goes on a suicide mission? Then, the recalls started, and the complaints sounded just like what happened to Mr. Lee,” lawyer Brent Schaefer said. “It sounds just like a case of unintended acceleration.”

Schaefer says he has filed paperwork with the court stating his intention to retest the car, which remains in a vehicle impound.

“We plan to employ experts familiar with the ‘96 Camry and the components that make up car to show that rapid acceleration is to blame for the accident, not Mr. Lee accidentally stepping on the accelerator,” he said.

Gaertner said her office is willing to cooperate with the examination and see where the results lead.

“We have no interest in an innocent man being behind bars. Accordingly, we are very open to considering evidence that might show that in fact he wasn’t guilty,” Gaertner said. “If we’re going to disturb a conviction we need evidence.”

If governor-wannabee Gaertner wants to keep this conviction, it seems that she should have to prove that the County knows more about Toyotas than Toyota does. There was no science in Lee’s conviction, just the word of some engineers who didn’t know about these admittedly baffling problems saying that Lee’s account of the accident couldn’t have happened. Obviously they were wrong, and it is on the basis of their testimony that Lee was convicted.

Gaertner already has enough evidence to release Lee, but that would require acknowledging that he never should have been convicted in the first place.

Growing up I came to believe that you could not get a fair trial in the American South, at least not unless you were white. Right now I don’t know why any Hmong-American would feel like they could get a fair trial in Ramsey County. No science was involved in Lee’s testimony, just the assertions of a couple of glorified mechanics who couldn’t prove Lee was lying, but testified to that effect anyway.

This is important. Michael Fumento has written a ridiculous piece in defense of Toyota that sums up exactly how Lee’s trial must have gone. Read this except-ridden article to see what a wordsmith can do to make anyone sound guilty of anything simply by asserting circumstantial evidence and by ignoring the 53 deaths attributed to sudden acceleration in this country alone.

You can always manufacture a case against someone. That’s why “proof” is so important. What proof was used to convict Koua Fong Lee other than the testimony of a couple of engineers who couldn’t explain what had happened and therefore concluded driver error was to blame.

I’ve used that Snelling exit ramp many times. Had Lee not hit stopped vehicles he would have ripped into the busiest intersection in the Twin Cities at high speed. Ever been t-boned at high speed?

The accident could have been much worse than it was. As it is it was so bad that the Strib has finally written an editorial about the case.

A search of the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration database yields about 20 sudden-acceleration complaints about the 1996 Camry. Often, no mechanical explanations were found. While there are similar complaints about other manufacturers’ cars from the same year, the Times’ analysis showed that Toyota had more speed-control complaints involving crashes over the past decade than any other manufacturer.

The Ramsey County Attorney’s office held onto Lee’s Camry because of the accident’s severity. Experts hired by lawyers representing the victims’ family, as well as Toyota, will likely get a chance to examine it soon. Whether they’ll find proof of sudden acceleration is uncertain given the vehicle’s damage. That could create a disturbing scenario. The Toyota recalls may have been enough to create reasonable doubt among jurors when Lee was tried. But without new mechanical evidence from the car, the recalls may not be enough to meet the legal threshold for a new trial.

The judge who will rule on the issue, as well as the prosecutors who will weigh in, face a challenging situation. Their highest priority no matter what: to ensure beyond a doubt that Lee isn’t paying the price for Toyota’s mistakes.

And Jonathan Turley finally weighs in.

The LAPD displayed the bloodied shirt, tie and jacket from Robert Kennedy’s assassination at an industry conference in Las Vegas recently. RFK’s son Maxwell writes:

I requested the return of my father’s items nearly a decade ago. My request was refused by the district attorney’s office. The D.A. promised, though, to keep the personal items with care and out of public view. Since then, courageous crime victims in California have forced a change in the state Constitution, requiring law enforcement officials to return victims’ property when it is no longer needed as evidence.

This week, despite that constitutional requirement, the chief of police and the district attorney took my father’s blood-soaked clothing and displayed it, as part of a macabre publicity stunt. It is almost incomprehensible to imagine what circumstances would have led to a decision to transport these items across state lines to be gawked at by gamblers and tourists. It is demeaning to my family, but just as important, it is demeaning to the trust that citizens place in their law enforcement officers.

When I called to express my surprise and disappointment, the chief maintained to me that hanging my dad’s bloody shirt from a mannequin in a casino was part of an effort to train detectives. Perhaps he believes that, but to me it seems like a cheap bid for attention. It is almost like a traffic cop inviting motorists to slow down and take a good look as they go past a tragedy.

The chief agreed to remove my father’s belongings from the exhibit. I’m pleased he did so. But he should also remember that such items are personal property, entrusted to the state’s care, not to be exploited. He relies on crime victims to prosecute virtually every criminal. He cannot long succeed if he continues to put victims’ pain on display for publicity.

And we sneered at the Communists for displaying the corpses of their leaders.

The netroots campaign for Bill Halter is working out well despite my fears that locals may object to out of state money, it appears that the locals are fed up with Blanche Lincoln’s centrist corruption and Blue Dog doubletalk (just like all other corruption, money is the bottom line).

I don’t like the netroots approach, but I cannot argue that our system has been corrupted by monied interest operating across state lines, and that our process is still so money-driven that reform is unlikely to happen without a lot of money being shoveled to the media parasites who profit from $20 million Senate races.

Since I’m technically dieting, I clicked to find out which three McDonald’s meals have been approved of by New Zealand’s Weight Watchers. A side salad, sure (your own dressing, I assume), but I didn’t expect to see Chicken McNuggets on their approved list, and I certainly didn’t anticipate the Filet-O-Fish making the cut.

From 1971 to the present I’ve never ordered a Filet-O-Fish that didn’t come with an ice cream scoop’s worth of tartar sauce on it. Even before I started working on my weight I routinely scraped as much of the tartar sauce off as possible.

No clue what’s going on here, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Kiwi who runs Weight Watchers down under isn’t driving a new car….

I would not object to changing my mailing address to St. Google, Minnesota, if it would get me super-fast broadband.

In other news of technology, Iowa is now getting 20% of their power from wind (not a Chuck Grassley or Steve King joke). Despite an oil-funded anti-wind study from Spain that is being widely disseminated by the anti-science right.

Aaron Datesman writes about how wind is a better investment than nuclear, Datesman also writes about a study that shows how North Dakota could power much of the nation simply by converting excess wind capacity into hydrogen generation.

There are solutions to our problems if only we would work to solve our challenges instead of deferring to those trying to profit from them. Provide a service and then figure out how to make money from it. Nothing good comes from seeking profit by any means available.

Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf made $18.7 million last year for mismanaging the bank that handles my money. And Congress still can’t figure out what to do about it.

Etc.”

Senate GOoPs even obstructed judicial nominees they approved of

Palin on Leno (the ha-ha funniness of people who glory in the pain of others who are not them or their friends)

Evil “ego-driven” marketing

More on the lawyers smeared by Liz Cheney and Chuck Grassley (and more about how Rudy Giuliani’s law firm provided similar legal services)

Our Saudi allies to give woman who filed sexual harassment complaint 300 lashes

Eric Massa’s retirement announcement marred by weird allegations (disclaimer: I once rode on an elevator with Eric Massa, but we did not have sex)

The silver lining in Rangel stepping aside (do not give him his chairmanship back!)

Rob Levine on neocon lies

Texas Republicans owning up to the shittiness that was Bush

Digby on pederasts Catholics

Barack O’Hoover

Michael Moore on being represented by wusses

Al Wiesel, aka Jon Swift, R.I.P.

Michael Foot, R.I.P.

Politically not on the same page, but both had wit and passion and that works for me.

[Via http://norwegianity.wordpress.com]

Valve updates Portal end sequence News | PC | Eurogamer

Toyota Prius Tetap Terlaris di Jepang

2010-03-04T08:34:00.000+02:00

(REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni)

TOKYO, 04 Maret 2010 - Toyota Prius tetap menjadi mobil terlaris di Jepang walaupun penarikan global mobil Toyota juga terkait masalah pengereman mobil hibrida itu.

Lebih dari 27 ribu mobil hibrida bensin-listrik itu terjual pada bulan Februari, membuat Prius sebagai model terlaris 10 bulan berturut-turut, menurut data Asosiasi Dealer Mobil Jepang yang dikeluarkan hari Kamis.

Popularitas Prius yang tetap bertahan itu muncul saat penarikan produk Toyota mempengaruhi 8,5 juta produknya di seluruh dunia, termasuk generasi ketiga Prius di Jepang, yang ditarik terkait masalah pengereman.

Penjualan Prius didukung oleh reputasinya untuk memberikan jarak tempuh yang luar biasa dengan mengalihkan antara mesin bensin dan motor listrik serta potongan pajak dan insentif pemerintah lainnya.

Prius, juga menjadi hibrida terlaris di dunia, begitu populer di Jepang dengan daftar tunggu yang berlangsung sekitar enam bulan.

Namun pejabat Toyota mengakui beberapa orang membatalkan pemesanan sejak penarikan itu. Toyota mulai menawarkan perangkat lunak baru untuk memperbaiki masalah pengereman sejak bulan lalu.

Sumber foto

[Via http://rajufebrian.wordpress.com]

Good News Out of Washington - Real Clear Politics – TIME.com

Automotive News

2010-03-04T02:06:00.000+02:00

General Motor’s product development leader, Bob Lutz, plans to retire on May 1st. Lutz, 78, has been working with GM since 1963. He is recently known for leading a complete overhaul of the company’s care lineup.

Some Toyota owners that took their cars’ in for the recall repair are still experiencing problems with acceleration.

In China, GM’s OnStar is growing in popularity very fast. It has reached 1000 users in 2 months, and looks like it will only grow faster as popularity spreads.

A new Porsche 918 Spyder Concept is turning heads, and not just for it’s looks. Shown at the Geneva Auto Show, this new concept is also “green”. This new hybrid gets 78 miles to the gallon. With a top speed of 198 mph that’s not bad!

[Via http://starnationalprotection.wordpress.com]

Why Google News Needs a Human Editor? To fix Bad Placements

Toyota Turns To Twitter To Repair Its Image

2010-03-02T20:26:00.000+02:00

Toyota has been dealing with negative backlash from the massive safety recalls of its vehicles; and is even suffering in terms of sales. So what does the company do to repair its image? Turn to Twitter, of course! The Japanese auto giant has launched a branded channel on TweetMeme, in partnership with Federated Media, which aggregates and organize Twitter conversations regarding Toyota.

Called Toyota Conversations, the site brings together the top stories being Tweeted about Toyota, from news articles to press releases. The site also shows visitors the most popular videos and images being shared about Toyota on Twitter. And the channel includes a Featured Tweets from Toyota’s Twitter account and press room as well as AdTweets, which are Tweetmeme’s retweetable ads for Toyota.

You may notice after taking a look at all of the top stories that are being aggregated on the site, that most of the news is positive. That doesn’t seem to match the general tone of the media writing about Toyota, which has been quick to criticize the car company for its manufacturing mistakes. If you take a look at Twitter sentiment app Tweetfeel, the sentiment of Tweets mentioning Toyota lean more negative. Tweetmeme channels can be set up to pick up only certain news sources. It looks like Toyota picked the friendlier ones.

That being said, it’s definitely interesting to see such a high-profile company taking to Twitter to try to reform its image by engaging directly in a dialogue with consumers. As we’ve seen with the recent Southwest/Kevin Smith incident, Twitter is influencing public relations in unprecedented ways. Now more than ever, brands are flocking to Twitter to not only monitor and track what’s being said about their company on Twitter but to influence and participate in the conversation.

Photo Credit/Flickr/Showmeone

CrunchBase InformationTweetMemeInformation provided by CrunchBase

[Via http://techcrunch.com]

Associated Press plans iPad app | iLounge News

Recall Karma

2010-03-02T14:37:00.000+02:00

GM just announced a recall of 1.3 million vehicles. For those of us who bought a 2006 Pontiac G4 in Mexico, it’s time to head back to the dealership for some new steering motors. Maybe this is why GM didn’t shouldn’t have piled on Toyota for its brake recall problems.

Anyway, I have a serious question. Unfortunately, I only have an honorary degree in economics. Therefore, I’d like to ask you whether it’s better for the US economy to buy an American car built in Mexico or a Japanese car built in America. I’m not trying to be contrarian, I’m genuinely curious. And I want to be able to proudly wear this shirt without anyone being able to call me a poser.

[Via http://indyagenda.com]

Sony declares ApocalyPS3 is over News | PS3 | Eurogamer

02.28.10: Wek’Fest Continued ....

2010-03-02T08:31:00.000+02:00

These are pictures courtesy of my good friend Patrick. Thanks Pat!

Enjoy guys, I think we have a few more photos still on the chopping block, but i’m sure you guys are sick of seeing Wek’Fest photos since they’re all over the net by now lol.

Hope you guys liked that, a WHOLE BUNCH of photos!

[Via http://rollingrepublic.com]

Braid maker shows The Witness News | Xbox 360 | Eurogamer

Congress, Toyota, and CAFE Standards - Scott Strzelczyk, The American Thinker

2010-03-02T02:24:00.000+02:00

According to a 2006 report by Ryan Bilas of the National Center for Public Policy Researchseveral studies demonstrate the cost in human lives due to CAFE standards:

According to a 2001 National Academy of Sciences panel, smaller and lighter vehicle production resulted in an additional 1,300 to 2,600 traffic fatalities in 1993.
A 1999 USA Today analysis of crash data found that since CAFE went into effect in 1978, 46,000 people died in crashes they otherwise would have survived. That equates to roughly 7,700 deaths for every mile per gallon gained in fuel economy standards.
A 1989 Harvard-Brookings study estimated CAFE to be responsible for 2,200 to 3,900 excess occupant deaths over ten years. It also estimated between 11,000 and 19,500 occupants would suffer serious injury due to these standards.
The same study found CAFE has resulted in a 500 pound weight reduction on the average car.
Lastly, passengers in smaller, lighter cars die at a rate 12 times that of people driving larger, heavier cars.

Click here to read more…

[Via http://rightlinks.wordpress.com]

Krugman: Great News! The WSJ Is Becoming A Murdoch Propaganda Rag

Toyota’s president to visit China on Monday

2010-02-28T08:15:00.000+02:00

Toyota President Akio Toyoda will speak in Beijing on Monday about the company’s recent quality woes, Toyota said Sunday, in an effort to reassure consumers in a major growth market.

Toyoda, who testified at a U.S. Congressional hearing last week about the spate of global recalls plaguing Toyota Motor Corp., will speak to reporters at a Beijing hotel, company spokeswoman Ririko Takeuchi said.

The number of vehicles being recalled in China is small compared with the 8.5 million vehicles recalled worldwide since October for sticky gas pedals, faulty floor mats and glitches in braking software.

The bulk of the recalls are in the United States, where doubts are growing about Toyota’s longtime reputation for top-grade quality.

In China, Toyota announced a recall of 75,552 RAV4 sport-utility vehicles in late January due to the gas pedal problem.

Toyota has said its plans to expand in the Chinese market are unchanged, with its sales in the country expected to rise to 800,000 vehicles this year, up from 709,000 in 2009.

China’s overall vehicle sales soared 45 percent last year to 13.6 million, overtaking the U.S. as the world’s biggest auto market.

[Via http://cartrends.wordpress.com]

Facebook Awarded "News Feed" Patent | Maximum PC

Lady in Red

2010-02-28T02:55:00.000+02:00

Sorry for the hiatus!! Life has been crazy around here! We’ve been frantically searching for a new car and finally found one.

A 2008 Toyota Camry LE with less than 14,000 miles on it. It’s the base model, but considering the age of the cars we have been driving (1990 and 1996) it feels space age.

AND it has a sunroof!

In other news, we had a dog trainer from Canine Homeschool come by on Friday. it took about three hours for us to go through everything Goliath needed to know and he did great! He’s really doing well with come, sit and down and we’ll gradually work on “stay,” “leave it,” and “drop it..” He’s also learning how to not run down the stairs when people some in the door or knock.

We’re learning to be the alpha and keep Goliath in his place by:

Eating before we feed the dogs
Go through doorways first
Don’t let him on the couch or bed (hard!)
Don’t pick him up (SUPER hard!)

I’m going to try my very best to follow these rules.

Now, going back in time even more…

My mid-afternoon snack on Monday was some popcorn and a clementine.

I put some parmesan and garlic season on the popcorn.

After work I ran home to take the dogs to the dog park before they closed.

Unfortunately, I thought they closed at sunset, but they closed at 5:30. We were only there for maybe 5 minutes before it was time to go. Rusty was NOT happy.

I don’t remember what dinner was…I just remember having a 7PM meeting at church that night.

I posted Tuesday morning’s breakfast already and can’t remember what lunch was.. A turkey sandwich on whole wheat with cheese and RF mayo and then Veggie Chips on the side, I think.

Dinner was a vegetarian casserole with brown rice, black beans, broccoli, green beans, peas and cheese.

I was REALLY craving some sweets, and I tried to satisfy it with a piece of whole wheat toast with yogurt spread and jam, but that didn’t do it.

Just as I was ready to go out and find something, I found a box of Jell-O Chocolate Pudding in a drawer.

Granted, it was a little past the expiration date…

…but I didn’t care.

It definitely hit the spot. After all this I went out with Josh and a friend for a little while. I didn’t order anything, but made quite a dent in Josh’s fries.

Wednesday morning breakfast was multigrain Cheerios with skim milk. No picture, though.

Lunch was leftovers in Tomato Basil wraps (x 2).

Dessert was also leftovers…pudding.

Mid-afternoon snack were two clementines.

I can’t remember what I had for dinner and there don’t appear to be any pictures to jog my memory.

Thursday morning breakfast was a container of Fage 0% Plain Greek yogurt with some of my failed granola. (Old picture)

Lunch was a Cedarlane Beans and Rice burrito.

With MORE pudding.

Mid-afternoon snack were some pretzels.

We spent Thursday evening car shopping and ended up having dinner at East Asia, a sushi place we’d never been to. We were a little wary because there was only ONE other car in the parking lot. It was quite nice, though, and well priced. I don’t have any picture because my camera is broken (lens won’t extend…hopefully it can be fixed!) and it was too dim to get a good picture with my phone.

I got a house salad, miso soup, shrimp tempura roll, and another roll I can’t remember the name of. It had cooked white fish on top. Everything was delicious and I’m sure we’ll be visiting this place more often.

Friday I don’t remember really having breakfast before the trainer came and then we spent all day buying a car. In all the excitement I can’t really remember anything I ate yesterday.

This morning I made oatmeal pancakes. It’s a mix from Quaker Oats.

Source

I also had some fruit with it, 1 clementine and some blueberries. I made extras to freeze.

Lunch was a packet of Madras Lentils with two pieces of whole wheat bread.

We then took our new car to get new tires and while we waited Josh went to Subway for lunch. Since I’d already eaten all I had was a drink and a chocolate chip cookie.

We also went to TJ Maxx while we waited. I got Goliath a new bed and some new bowls. I also got myself some treats.

70 cent Larabars and an Honest granola plank!! So excited. I have yet to try either of these Larabar flavors.

Despite the cookie, I was really craving froyo, so after we picked up the car I had Josh take me to Swirls where I got the Low-fat Double Chocolate Fudge with almonds, marshmallows, strawberries and some Snickers pieces.

Now….if you survived this epic post, congratulations!! I’m off to catch up on Lost while Goliath enjoys his new bed.

P.S. My shoulder is still hurting me a good bit, but I plan to get back on track tomorrow!! Wish me luck!

[Via http://lovinlosing.com]

Saturday Morning News and Views « The Confluence

Bernie Madoff -Tiger Woods - Toyota - Enron - Arthur Anderson - What do These Have in Common?

2010-02-27T20:01:00.000+02:00

By Lois Moncrief

What do all of the above have in common? Their image or reputation was damaged. A reputation or image that has been damaged is very hard to repair and much harder to come back to the original status that may have been enjoyed earlier. Sometimes the damage is so great the company is destroyed or individuals go to jail.

It isn’t easy or quick for a company or individual to build a great reputation. It takes many years.

That reputation can be severely damaged very quickly just like a hurricane or tornado or flood can badly damage a town very quickly. The result is many years of rebuilding. For a company that has lost its good name it will be very hard to get that back.

Part of that reason is trust has been lost and trust is a very strong part of any relationship. People do business with companies that they trust.

Once trust is originally established, it can become so strong that the company or individual is beyond question such as the status Bernie Madoff had with the SEC for many years.

Sometimes Companies Who Have Built a Great Reputation May Become Lax and Do Not Pay Attention to the Details and Factors That Helped Create That Great Reputation

I owned a 4 runner about 20 years ago and I owned two Toyota Camrys and a Toyota Corolla about 15 years ago. I bought those vehicles, in large part, because of Toyota’s great reputation for quality products. Would I buy a Toyota now? No. It will take many years of Toyota proving itself again before I would consider purchasing one of its products.

Short Cuts to Reviving a Reputation?

Unfortunately, many companies take the shortcut and hire a very good public relations person to help create a new image that will help “correct the problem” by changing the public’s perception of the company. Some become involved in charitable causes to win back customers’ good opinions. Some invest in advertising to make them look good. I recently saw a TV ad on Toyota that showed Toyota employees working to correct the recent problems.

True Worth and Valid Reputation Do Not Come From Perception But From Real Values That Are Honored and Supported by the Way a Company Does it’s Business – Always Staying True to its Core Values.

Core Values Emphasizing Quality Products and Services and Excellent Customer Service Can Go a Long Way to Building That Great Reputation and Keeping It

Here are some ways to make that happen:

Employees should be provided the tools to make this happen and then be awarded for their positive efforts to ensure the quality products and services and the excellent customer service.

Employee performance standards should be developed that support quality products and services and excellent customer service.

Managers and Employees who do not ensure the quality products and services and excellent customer service should be held accountable for their shortcomings.

Companies should listen to their customers – especially their complaints. A complaint is frequently like the canary in the mine – it is a warning of impending problems – maybe even disasterous ones.

There must be accountability at every level in the organization and communication that ensures everyone is aware of all important situations.

Frequently, companies have had ample warnings and complaints about problems. Wise companies take these seriously and deal with them quickly and proactively to ensure real problems are addressed and solved in a timely manner. Wise companies that realize the value of that great reputation protect it and do not allow themselves to become lax about core values.

For information on employee management, employee performance, and employee motivation, visit my website:

http://www.SmartManagementNow.com

[Via http://loismoncrief.wordpress.com]

Digital Magazines News Wire | 02.26.10 - Digital Editions ...

Akio Toyoda...I'm Sorry

2010-02-27T14:50:00.000+02:00

DEATH before Dishonor

You kind of get the feeling that this guy is going to do something crazy. Akio Toyoda, the president of Toyota has dishonored himself, his company, and his family. It’s jacked up that the Toyota organization would dance around the defects with their vehicles. People have died behind their deception. The most reliable vehicle brand killed themselves. Read more from THE TRUE SOURCE.

[Via http://wildlystyley.wordpress.com]

Expedia releases TripAssist 2.0 | iLounge News

拡散《米国議会の公聴会と女子フィギュアスケートの審判!》（転載）

2010-02-27T08:40:00.000+02:00

拡散《米国議会の公聴会と女子フィギュアスケートの審判!》

http://blog.goo.ne.jp/mizumajyoukou/e/8f3e2b7ea8d966ab5a9087300af6e934

国家戦略なき日本人が、これから国際社会で生き残れるであろうか。

トヨタのリコール問題の影に、米国の国家戦略が透けて見えている。

部品の不具合があったにしても、欧米のメディアの異常な取り上げ方や、ＦＢＩ・米国最高裁までも動き出していることに、日本人は危機的状況を察知しているのであろうか。

米国の自動車産業が破綻して、ＧＭは実質米国政府企業になっており、今回のトヨタの問題は想定内の出来事だったのです。

世界の自動車会社の脅威は、トヨタとホンダが先行している「ハイブリッド車」が世界の消費者を席巻することなのです。

このまま日本企業が、突っ走って行くことは、欧米の自動車産業の衰退を意味していました。

１９８０年代、ホンコンでの国際会議でマハティール・マレーシア首相が、「日本という国があったお蔭で、貧しい国の国民も車に乗れる」との趣旨の発言をしたところ、欧米の委員は席を立ったことがあるほど、理屈じゃない微妙な問題なのです。

ＧＭは、ハイブリッド車を一気に飛び越えて、数年後に電気自動車に切り替えるまでの時間が必要であり、今回のトヨタの問題は側面支援になっています。

この流れを読むと、次はホンダが危ないが、米国ホンダのブレーキは「エフテック」という日本企業が、オハイオやトロントで生産しているので、難癖つけることは難しいでしょう。今回の米国議会の公聴会で、問題になっている部品が米国企業の生産にも拘わらず、議員からの「Made in Japanは幻想」との文言に笑ってしまいました。

米国が国益を前面に押し出してくるとき、メディアを巻き込み、総力戦で挑んでくることは大東亜戦争や東京裁判で実証されています。

今回の米国議会公聴会と女子フィギュアの審判は、国際政治の現状を学ぶ恰好のテキストになります。

浅田真央さんが、３回転ジャンプを失敗して１回転になったので、２位になったと見るとフィギュア界の問題点の本質を見誤ります。

仮に、真央さんが完璧に演じてもキムヨナとの約２０点の差を逆転することは不可能だったでしょう。

今回、真央さんが、伊藤みどりさん以来のトリプルアクセルをＳＰで１回(オリンピック初)、フリーで２回も成功させてノーミスで演じられることを、現時点で望んでいた国はないのです。

それは、最高レベルのトリプルアクセルの基礎点の変更を余儀なくされるからです。基礎点がアップすると、今後数年間は、浅田真央さんの独壇場になってしまうからです。

キムヨナのフリー演技１５０点は、真央さんが完璧に演じても金メダルを取れませんよと、無言のプレッシャーをかけるための加点と解釈すると判りやすいでしょう。キムヨナに１５０点を出した時点で金メダルは確定していたのです。

この問題は、男子フィギュア２位のプルシェンコが、「４回転」をオリンピックで成功したことと同じ問題です。ロシア男子フィギュアの監督が、最高レベルの基礎技術点を評価しない加点制度は、フィギュアスケートのレベルの低下をもたらすと、抗議した意味がそこにあります。また、最高レベルの技術を評価しないのであれば、アイスダンスでフィギュアスケートでないと喝破した同監督は、的を射ているのです。

日本フィギュアスケート連盟は、早急にロシアと組んで、最高レベルの基礎技術点の評価を上げる交渉に挑む必要があるのです。

今回の女子フィギュア３位は、２回ミスをしたロシェットでなく、誰しもノーミスの安藤美姫さんか長州未来さんと思ったことでしょう。

採点競技は、国家間のエゴが露出することを認識していても、常に後味の悪いものが残ってしまいます。

それにしても不可解なのは、キムヨナ以外に選手がいない韓国人審査員がいて、８位入賞に３名も入っている日本人の審査員が９名の中に入っていないのは納得できることではないでしょう。

世界は腹黒いのです。

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

■ 現在、６月に訪中する鳩山首相の南京大屠殺記念館訪問と鳩山政権承認の賛否投票を兼ねたお祭りを実施中です。

いずれも反対の方は、『「南京事件」の総括』(小学館文庫)の解説で、櫻井よしこ先生が「日本再生の力を生み出し、日本国の名誉の回復につながる貴重な書…この書を日本人全員に読んでほしいと願うものである。」と絶賛されていることを尊重し、投票書籍を同書にしました。尚、投票結果がデイリーランキングで客観的に確認できるように、紀伊國屋書店ネット販売への集中をお願いしております。また、南京問題を終結させた資料を満載の『南京の実相』〔国際連盟は２万人虐殺すら認めなかった〕(自民党歴史議連監修、日新報道:推薦文・故中川昭一先生、平沼赳夫先生、島村宜伸先生)を、座右の書にして戴ければ幸いです。

◆紀伊國屋書店ネット購入ＵＲＬは《http://bookweb.kinokuniya.co.jp/htm/4094060022.html 》です。

■政治家:戸井田とおる先生のブログ「丸坊主日記」と連携しています。http://blog.goo.ne.jp/toidahimeji/

■ニューヨーク在住の邦人の方が「頑張れ!日本」の思いで、立ち上げられたブログ【WE LOVE JAPAN!】です。

http://applecosmos.blog123.fc2.com/

※添付した写真は、近所で咲いていたオダマキの花です。

【ネットだけ転載フリー(写真不可)】ジャーナリスト・水間政憲 http://blog.goo.ne.jp/mizumajyoukou

[Via http://mamorenihon.wordpress.com]

Apple shareholder meeting uneventful; China stores planned ...

When Crisis Response Matters Most: It's a Matter of Life and Death for Sea World

2010-02-27T02:55:00.000+02:00

It is no secret that every person, team, organization or company will face a crisis at some point. How they respond to that crisis is critically important as it sets the stage for how effectively they manage through the process of recovery.

Every week we see people and organizations struggle or shine in the wake of crisis and scandal. For those that shine, the issues tend to subside more quickly, in large part because they have handled the adversity in the best manner possible. That usually involves a sound and strategic communications strategy. For those that struggle, the negative effects of their actions hang over them like a very smoggy California day, nothing is clear.

If you’ve been following “The Sports Commentary” you are aware that managing our clients through crisis is just one of several of our firm’s core capabilities and one we take very seriously. And you don’t have to be a sports enthusiast to understand or relate to the topics we cover. Our objective is not to pass judgment on an individual’s or organization’s actions, but to provide insight as to how they can recover from catastrophe, rebuild their reputation, regain public trust, and achieve balanced media coverage in the process.

This week, Toyota and Sea World have found themselves under intense media and public (and in Toyota’s case, congressional) scrutiny, quickly going from the object of their consumers desire to the object of their ire.

Both Toyota and Sea World are in turmoil for different reasons, and both have a few common issues confronting them. The loss of life due to product failure in Toyota’s case and in Sea World’s, the very public death of an employee killed while on the job by one of the company’s killer whales. They have very different roads ahead of them in their quest to rebuild confidence in the hearts and minds of their constituents. What will be interesting to see is how they approach and handle the challenges ahead.

By now, we’re all familiar with Toyota’s situation. Their top execs flew in from Japan and were on Capitol Hill this week, their public relations campaign implemented to regain consumer confidence is underway, and their efforts across the board to restore faith in their brand are running full steam ahead. They are in the process of doing what’s necessary to rebuild.

But Sea World’s dilemma is quite different. Their story is dominating the news cycle right now and their response to the death of their top animal trainer, Dawn Brancheau, has quite frankly been vague and in words of CNN’s Rick Sanchez (when describing today’s press conference) “rather opaque.” Dawn was killed by one of Sea World’s killer whales, the largest and apparently most aggressive one, Tilikum, one that has allegedly killed two other trainers. This incident marks the third death.

In the hours immediately following Broncheau’s death, the story took on a life of its own. Media outlets covering the story began airing eye witness accounts, showing footage of the killer whales in action at Sea World, and booking guest panelists, including everyone from the world famous Jack Hanna (Director Emeritus, Columbus Zoo), Bob Barker (yeah, that Bob Barker, WHO KNEW?!?), and Ingrid Newkirk (President of PETA) to everyday people off the street to comment and analyze the situation. Facebook and Twitter and other social media networks were abuzz with the story and everyone who had an opinion was weighing in.

Everyone was commenting, except for the key spokespersons from Sea World. Until today.

Initially, Sea World’s Curator, Chuck Tompkins was out there talking about it and to his credit he has done a decent job.

But his initial response seemed somewhat defensive and he wasn’t in a position where he could really answer specific questions regarding what Sea World was going to do, leaving plenty of room for speculation about what went wrong.

At their press conference today, Sea World’s PR person did a good job opening the press conference and framing the discussion and the rules of engagement. He then turned it over to Jim Atchison, President of Sea World Parks and Entertainment, who began to address the subject (well at least most of it) and deal with several hostile questions. After he expressed the company’s sincere grief and sadness over the loss of Brancheau, Atchison proceeded to outline what Sea World is doing to move through this and move forward.

Atchison opened and moved through the impact the loss of Brancheau has had on the Sea World family, the creation of the Dawn Brancheau Memorial Foundation, the family statement, their ongoing investigation of the situation, how they are reviewing the safety protocols in place, and that all direct trainer interactions with the killer whales have been suspended.

Atchison remained composed and poised, answered questions directly, didn’t duck and dodge, appeared honest, straightforward, prepared, and addressed the issues head on. He referred to the Sea World trainers and staff as “family” and said the trainers are dealing with the loss of a loved one.

Then the presser took a turn towards “the show must go on,” “business as usual” tone. Interestingly enough, the responses seemed non-emotional (if you will), very corporate, very “business as usual,” and somewhat combative when confronted with hostile questions, all in front of a backdrop of the park’s killer whales. Note: Not sure having the whales in the backdrop provided a show of support and Sea World unity, but not sure it was the best idea today given the situation.

When the tough questions came, Atchison started to become a bit agitated and unraveled slightly when asked about three of the most important questions every media person in the room needed to know:

The number of deaths associated with Tilikum.
Why he would not address the rules of trainer engagement with the killer whales.
Whether or not Brancheau made a fatal mistake when dealing with Tilikum.

Even his word choice was too corporate given this tragedy (e.g., “this altercation,” “this event,” “the outcome of this event,” “terrible incident,” etc).

But to his credit, he regained his composure after a somewhat heated exchange, but at this point the environment was quite contentious.

I am not making light of the situation and I have nothing but the utmost respect for Dawn Brancheau. But there are inherent risks with careers that could ultimately cost you your life. Whether you are a police officer, fire fighter, NASCAR driver, professional bull rider, stuntman, animal trainer, or extreme sport athlete like the Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, who died two weeks ago on the eve of this year’s Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver; you know the risks involved. But that is not an excuse for an organization, entity or public to “blame the victim.” Yes, there is without question the need to address the issues surrounding it (in this case, is it right or wrong to keep “killer” whales and other wild animals in captivity…).

Overall, the Sea World team did the right thing in addressing the tragedy today and facing the cameras and questions. Yes, the show must go on and business is business, but the big miss here was not taking a bigger step back and showing a bit more empathy towards the loss of life using a more sensitive approach.

In the days and weeks to come there will be a lot of pressure on Sea World to “do the right thing” in the wake of yet another tragic loss. But what is “the right thing” in this instance?

I understand fully that there are pros and cons to the argument of whether or not should animals be held in captivity for research, human enjoyment and let’s be honest, running profitable businesses. But ultimately, it’s a moot point. Why? Because every time these issues of animals in zoo-type environments (think Tiger escaping grotto at SF Zoo, Siegfried and Roy and the Tiger attack) or people keeping wild animals as pets surfaces (remember the Connecticut chimp that mauled its owner’s friend?), we’re going to have these philosophical conversations all over again.

Until then, the debate will continue. Your thoughts?

[Via http://thesportscommentary.com]

Facebook Awarded "News Feed" Patent | Maximum PC

GM Humming a different tune

2010-02-25T20:56:00.000+02:00

Regular readers of Zeitgeist will know that we’ve been following the erstwhile fortunes of GM and the attempts to resurrect The General to something approaching former glories.

We might be forgiven for thinking that GM might recently have been enjoying some of the issues Toyota have been experiencing – particularly as prior to the spectacular demise of GM, Toyota had dislodged the US manufacturer from top spot in the auto manufacturing global stakes.

Unfortunately GM couldn’t stay out of the headlines altogether and today we get confirmation of the end of another GM brand – Hummer.

Hummer’s demise is a result of GM’s inability to complete a deal with the Chinese company Tengzhong and a minority shareholding with Suolong Duoji. GM have not given details other than to confirm their plans for working with dealers, customers and suppliers on an effective exit from production of the brand.

There were probably a few cheers over at ‘Friends of the Earth’ as the Hummer has been roundly criticized since its launch as one of the worst displays of excess and having a destructive carbon footprint of a size that SMART cars only dream about. With some models weighing in at five tonnes and struggling to get fuel consumption into double digits, perhaps it is easy to understand some of this criticism. Nevertheless, the vehicle range and brand has become quite iconic and perhaps the end of the brand yet again brings into focus the impact that this recession has had on the global economy and the changes that have been made in consumer decision making.

They also know when to stop flogging the proverbial dead horse and other companies can learn valuable lessons here. Companies need to understand their options, recognize that there are trade-offs and strategic choices to be made, they need to not prolong unviable options and make the tough calls appropriately. By nature choice is an either/or scenario – from our experience too many companies take too long to makes those choices and often to the point that the choice is eventually made for them.

Ultimately if you come to a fork in the road you have to choose to turn left or you turn right. Trying to turn left and right at the same time will only leave you in a spin…

[Via http://optimizeconsulting.wordpress.com]

News Ticker: Eminem, Sonic Youth, Jennifer Lopez, Haiti Relief ...

Day 4, There's an emergency brake! Someone tell Toyota!!!

2010-02-25T14:43:00.000+02:00

Today I was groovin’ along, doing my thing and actually feeling pretty darn confident! My moleskin was covering my deflated blister, my cushioned socks felt oh so good and I even managed to take a drink from my water bottle, then it happened…

As I have told you my worst fear is being spit off the back of the treadmill (do to lack of coordination on my part) and being sucked in like the escalators you hear about eating people… and this treadmill seems to have one heck of an appetite.

I managed to drink from my water bottle while flying along at 3 miles an hour, wind in my hair (utilized the fan), glowing in the glory of coordination. Then I looked up. I glanced up at the TV on the wall, mistake number one. It is perplexing to me how just moving your eyeballs up and to the left can make you lose your balance, your pace and your panther like stride. I tipped to the right, fumbled a few steps, avoided looking in the huge wall mirror in front of me (it would show me just how close I really was to the back of the hungry machine) and with as much dignity as possible regained composure. After about 10 minutes I thought if I just peeked up at it (I hate it when I “can’t” do something) I would be OK… NOT!

In the end I was victorious over the beast. I am in one piece and he is still hungry.

On my way out of the gym I happened to be chatting with one of the senior Ken’s from 2 days ago. He was telling me how this machine of death almost ate his workout buddy this morning! Seriously! He said he went off the back end but was agile enough (agile, what a word… some day it will be in my vocabulary again) to catch himself when his feet hit the floor. I KNEW IT! IT IS A VENGEFUL, PEOPLE EATING MACHINE!

But wait, there is hope! Senior Ken politely walked me over and showed me a clever feature, an emergency brake. GLORY! There is a little clip you can attach to your shirt so if you are spit out the back it turns the machine off! BRILLIANT! I am now safer (not safe as I am still a completely uncoordinated person) on the machine of death.

My question for today is, if they can put in an emergency brake on a treadmill that works with a simple clip on your shirt why can’t Toyota, with all their resources and engineers, put a brake in a car that will work when the gas pedal goes crazy?

[Via http://morbidlyobeseandchanging.wordpress.com]

What Is the Future of Online News? | Webdesigner Depot

Remorse???

2010-02-25T01:57:00.000+02:00

WASHINGTON – Under blistering criticism, Toyota President Akio Toyoda personally and repeatedly apologized to Congress and millions of anxious American car-owners Wednesday for deadly defects in popular models produced by his Japanese company. But angry lawmakers forcefully declared it was hardly enough.

“Where is the remorse?” scolded Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio. And Republican John Mica of Florida held aloft what he called an “absolutely appalling” Toyota report bragging of defusing a safety investigation.

Who the hell do the pompous, self righteous dumb ass politicians think they are to criticize an apology when their own repugnant, partisan political incompetence can not find solutions to the problems they were elected to solve and have failed miserably. And do they apologize to the citizens for their failures and short coming? No. This is just another tactic to shift their own lack of creditability towards some one else so maybe the citizens will forget how Barnyard DC operates… Maybe these elected idiots should take a course in “How not to shift blame and take responsibility for their own obtuseness.” Come on, let’s get back to the real issues……

ryeder…rv-visions

[Via http://ryeder.wordpress.com]

Apple posts third new iPhone TV spot | iLounge News

Other car makers are making a mistake, too

2010-02-23T20:30:00.000+02:00

Toyota is grovelling to Congress, and other car manufacturers are missing out on a big opportunity.

Google and Google News searches for Toyota predictably bring up plenty of ads. On my screen, I see ads for Toyota itself, plus a few places where I can buy a Toyota, like CarMax. The only other auto maker with an ad is Mazda.

Toyota has been in the news for weeks, which has led to a spike in search traffic. Among these searchers are, likely, consumers curious about buying a new car, parents worried about their current, and other groups ripe to hear why they should look to trade in their Toyota for a Honda, Chevy, or Ford. The nature of search ads would allow these competitors to send internet users directly to a page about safety, or to a Turn-in-your-Toyota program page.

As a part owner of GM by way of my American citizenship, I’d like someone to look into why we aren’t trying to sell more cars this way.

[Via http://jimeltringham.wordpress.com]

Sigma planning interchangeable lens compact: Digital Photography ...

The Toyota FT86

2010-02-23T11:02:00.000+02:00

Being a love of anything with an FR chassis layout i can’t help but be really bloody excited at the prospect of this car being even half decent. For those who have been living inside a “lost-esq” type hatch for the last few months, the Toyota FT86 is the spiritual successor to the venerable AE86 Hachiroku and the concept car seen below has been developed jointly by the new Subaru/Toyota partnership.

The rumoured plans were for Subaru and Toyota to develop their own versions of this car based around the same collaborated floor pan. Rumblings from Subaru suggest they are producing a basic model powered by a version of the EJ20 engine (probably from current JDM Impreza) which should produce around 150hp. This will be linked up to a six-speed Aisin gearbox and a rear axle currently used in the Lexus IS250. The good news is that there have been reports of a 200hp + STI version in the works that’ll be EJ25 powered and have a number of rear suspension upgrades, including a wider rear track. We can also speculate that there will be typical prodrive styling cues (wider arch package etc) I have heard on the grapevine from our lads here, that this may very well be a 4WD setup – but it’s completely unsubstantiated at this time.

Expect to have a full reveal at TAS 2011.

Subaru Coupe Concept Rendering

To date, Toyota have been much more forthcoming with their plans for the car. The concept FT86 has been knocking around for a while and confirmed reports from Toyota state that it’ll have the Subaru EJ series engines and the six-speed Aisin transmission. The suspension setup will be conventional with a multilink rear and front wishbone arrangement in addition to a “proper” LSD (however i wouldn’t get your hopes up for a factory 2way chaps) Weight wise it’ll be circa 1250kg kerb weight and the entry model will “weight in” at around £20,000 otr.

FT86 concept

TAS 2010 in January saw Toyota preview the FT86-G Sports to demonstrate the “more aggressive” version of the car they are working on. It’s apparently running a turbocharged EJ series engine pushing circa 350 ponies. It’s also got a twin exhaust (although i imagine it’s just a tip) and a 30mm drop in ride height.

Personally im not at all sold on the bodywork. It looks like somebody has let my buddy mitto drive it through a rice factory.

FT86 G Sports

FT86 G Sport

However… (and there is always a “however” with these things) recent reports from the Japanese motoring press suggest that the exterior styling (originally designed by ED2 Studio in France) may have been scrapped “completely” in favor of a new design by Calty.

Is this what we are going to get?

I must say i prefer the original design…

I’ll leave you with this video produced by the Autocar.co.uk team and let good old Steve Sutcliffe show you round the concept.

[Via http://mrbizzle.wordpress.com]

Schwarzenegger: Tea Party 'Not Going To Go Anywhere' - The Note

Toyota Corolla steering complaints under investigation USA

2010-02-21T20:35:00.000+02:00

You are here: Home / Car News / Toyota Corolla steering complaints under investigation USAToyota Corolla steering complaints under investigation USA

February 18, 2010 by Alborz Fallah

18 Comments

*Update* Toyota Motor Corporation – Japan has advised the electric power-steering system used in Corolla models sold in Australia is different from that used for models sold in the United States.

In another twist in the Toyota recall saga the US highway safety officials are rumoured to begin a formal investigation into complaints about the Toyota Corolla’s steering.

According to an anonymous source inside the agency, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will concentrate its efforts on 2009 and 2010 model year Corollas.

The problem may result in Toyota recalling the Corolla with the automaker’s quality chief, Shinichi Sasaki, stating earlier today that Toyota may consider a Corolla recall.

According to Automotive News U.S.A, the Toyota Corolla has had 83 power-steering complaints filed against it since April 2008. More than three quarters of the complaints say that the vehicle unexpectedly veers to the left or right at 40 miles (64km) an hour and up. They further suggest that after attempting to straighten the car, it may overcorrect. There have been no cases of the issue reported to Toyota Australia.

As the new models make use of an electric power steering system, the problem may simply be due to a change in steering response compared with the older Corollas which used a hydraulic power steering system.

Such an investigation by U.S authorities is normal procedure when complaints are lodged and a process which happens to all manufacturers, nonetheless the timing couldn’t be worst for Toyota amid an escalating recall crisis.

The recall issues have become a nightmare for the Big T as the Americans make the automaker the focus of congressional hearings next week.

The Toyota Corolla is the best selling car in the world, having built its reputation on reliability.

[Via http://allcarnews.wordpress.com]

Our New 'News Tab' Module | News

Toyoda vs Mark Rogers vs Tiger: APOLOGY SMACKDOWN 2010!

2010-02-21T07:59:00.000+02:00

Hello shoppers…

LET'S GET READY TO GROVEL!

And WELCOME to Apology Smackdown 2010!

Today, 3 mea culpas will go head to head to head for the right to be crowned “Apologist Of The Year!” But first, let’s meet our apologists!

Akio ”Crash” Toyoda – Toyota Motors chief executive. Besieged by bad brakes, he’s no longer “Mr. Reliable” but keeps moving forward - can anyone stop Toyoda?

Mark “Hasta Luego” Rogers - owner of Legends Restaurant. His wild gyrations can throw off opponents, yet he can be taken out of his game when things get hairy.

Tiger “bad lie” Woods - Golf pro. Ongoing hospitalization for chronic skankitis has limited his ability to swing.

And there’s the sound of weeping, signaling the start of play!

Toyoda: “I offer my apologies for the worries.”

Mark: “I shouldn’t have lost my temper and I’m sorry.”

Tiger: “I am deeply sorry for my irresponsible and selfish behavior.”

Tiger comes out strong and sets the pace although Mark’s opening is also solid. But Toyoda misfires – we’re talking about cars killing people and he sounds like he forgot to call his parents after Prom! Although it could have been a bad translation!

Toyota: “We have caused lots of concern and worry and we are sorry.”

Mark: “Usually Mondays are really slow.”

Tiger: “I have a lot to atone for.”

Toyoda comes back with a nice flurry! Tiger brings it strong, especially with “atone” and it’s religious connotation. But Mark goes to the lame excuse early - it’s the restaurant business in 2010, Mark, EVERY day is slow!

Toyoda: “This kind of procedure is good for customers.”

Troy: “I want to extend my sincere apologies to all the teachers out there.”

Tiger: “I was unfaithful. I had affairs. I cheated. What I did was not acceptable.”

And we have our first substitution! In for Mark is Troy Lebeck, Director of Restaurant Operations for Legends, with a nice recovery! Toyoda whifs again by appearing to claim that a recall is good for their customers – like a philandering spouse telling his wife that an AIDS test would be good for their marriage! Speaking of which, Tiger has opened up a huge lead with the strongest statement of the Smackdown!

Toyoda: “As a company, our intention is to sincerely give 100% cooperation.”

Troy: “Legends has donated thousands of dollars to area schools, from simple fundraisers to feeding the football teams, to after prom parties, to little league sponsorships.”

Tiger: “From the learning center students in southern California to the Earl Woods scholars in Washington D.C., millions of kids have changed their lives and I am dedicated to making sure that continues.”

Down goes Tiger! Down goes Tiger! And he takes Troy with him! As both men stumble to the canvas with a “look at all the good I’ve done” thud! But can Toyoda take advantage of the opening? No! Cooperation only came after enough Camry owners crashed, burned and popped like kernels and the Feds threatened to jump in!

Toyoda: ”We want to make our best effort to deal with this matter for our customers’ security and safety.”

Mark: “I was overwhelmed in the back and had no idea what situation was going on out there.”

Tiger: “Parents use to point to me as a role model for their kids. I owe all those families a special apology. I want to say to them that I am truly sorry. It’s hard to admit that I need help, but I do.”

A nice bounce-back by Toyoda! Mark’s back in for Troy, and still rolling out excuses! You’re the owner, Mark – stick your head out and make sure the place isn’t on fire! And speaking of being on fire, there’s Tiger, back with his A game – an unprecedented admission of vulnerability!

Toyoda: “We are committed to putting the customer first – it’s our priority.”

Troy: “I hope you can find the compassion in your hearts to forgive him. Again, my sincere apologies.”

Tiger: ”Finally there are many people in this room and there are many people at home who believed in me. Today I want to ask for your help. I ask you to find room in your heart to one day believe in me again. Thank you.”

Troy’s back in and he and Toyoda both finish strong, but it’s too little too late! As Tiger slams the door on his opponents with a lyrical reference to Kenny Rogers’ “She Believes In Me” and takes Apology Smackdown 2010 to notch his first win of the year!

“The best apology is the one that never has to be used.” - Annoymous

Jonnie Wright is a marketing consultant and customer service trainer in Des Moines, Iowa. Email him at jonniewright@thebuyosphere.com.

[Via http://thebuyosphere.wordpress.com]

Brad Friedman and Desi Doyen: Green News Report -- February 18 ...

Toyota CEO agrees to testify in U.S.

2010-02-20T20:52:00.000+02:00

Akio Toyoda said Thursday he will testify at a U.S. congressional hearing next week. (Itsuo Inouye/Associated Press)

Toyota president Akio Toyoda said Thursday he will testify at a U.S. congressional hearing next week on the automaker’s recalls.

Toyoda said in a statement he looks “forward to speaking directly with Congress and the American people.”

Toyoda is the grandson of the Japanese automaker’s founder. He had earlier said he wasn’t planning to attend the hearings but would consider appearing before Congress if invited.

Toyoda’s comments followed an invitation issued earlier in the day by the chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives committee investigating Toyota’s massive recalls.

Edolphus Towns, chairman of the House oversight and government reform committee, wrote Toyoda saying the CEO should testify at a hearing next week, citing questions from American motorists on “whether it is safe to drive their cars.”

Towns said that the committee wanted Toyoda to “clarify” how the car manufacturer is addressing a widening recall crisis. The controversy over safety issues has burgeoned over the past four months with the recall of roughly 8.5 million vehicles.

“The public is unsure as to what exactly the problem is, whether it is safe to drive their cars, or what they should do about it,” Towns wrote in a letter to Toyoda, in the wake of safety questions involving gas pedals, floor sets and brakes on various Toyota products.

Reports of deaths in the U.S. connected to sudden acceleration in Toyota vehicles have surged in recent weeks, with the toll of deaths allegedly attributed to the problem reaching 34 since 2000, according to new consumer data gathered by the U.S. government.

In Japan and in the United States, Toyota Motor Corp. has been criticized for being too slow to respond to the recall crisis and the company’s top executive has been accused of being largely invisible as the recalls escalated.

But he has held three news conferences in recent weeks, apologized repeatedly for the recalls and promised reforms.

Toyota has said it will create an outside review of company operations, do a better job of responding to customer complaints and improve communication with federal officials.

Toyoda has said he plans to travel to the U.S. soon to meet with workers and dealers but the company has not yet released his schedule.

The Canadian Press, 2010

[Via http://businessnewss.wordpress.com]

QuirksBlog: Browser news from the Mobile World Congress

Toyota devising guidelines for transparent disclosure

2010-02-18T20:40:00.000+02:00

You are here: Home / Car News / Toyota devising guidelines for transparent disclosureToyota devising guidelines for transparent disclosure

February 18, 2010 by Alborz Fallah

New Stolchlickoff Scrapbooks Post: Albermarle Waitress

2010-02-18T14:13:00.000+02:00

The next installment from my Stolchlickoff Scrapbooks is

‘Albermarle Waitress’

Flat 2C still wore the scars of her tantrums – typewriter-shaped dent in the wall, ink stains on our dirty sheets. You don’t expect violence from such a short girl. She tried to negate the reedy girlishness of her body with the shawl and long skirt of an old woman. CONT’D

[Via http://matthewasprey.wordpress.com]

Sonic Team not making Sonic 4 News | Eurogamer

another city beer car

2010-02-18T08:29:00.000+02:00

Just came across this rather nice Toyota Corona. Liked it quite a lot!

Some numbers:

Model: 1968 Toyota Corona RT43 Deluxe Sedan

Engine: Toyota 3R-C 1896 cc, 4-cylinder Inline OHV.

Driveline: Toyota Original.

Brakes & Suspension: Toyota Original.

Interior: Deluxe Spec Interior

[Via http://monkeymagic86.wordpress.com]

NBC News Notes Malfunctioning 'Environmentally Friendly' Machines ...

The big three on the way to the top!

2010-02-18T02:40:00.000+02:00

OK, so I got totally excited about this bit of news and needed to share it with y’all. With Toyota taking a major tumble with all their recalls, this has helped the American car makers climb back on top.

Ford announced that they had a 25 percent increase in sales this quarter and GM and Chrysler had jumps of 16 and 14 percent!

Meanwhile, Toyota which had always been touted as a brand of quality took a 16 percent nosedive in sales. And Toyota’s spin doctors have been hard at work trying to revamp the image of the auto giant with warm, fuzzy commercials aimed at improving their beaten down image. But unfortunately today it has been announced that Corolla is also now part of a new recall.

Brands like Chrysler are offering special incentives for those who currently own a Toyota and want to trade it in. Ford and GM are also offering special financing offers also.

It looks like Toyota might have a tough year but for American auto makers, well they might just be sitting pretty.

[Via http://thecarchronicles.wordpress.com]

Tim Wapshott leaves head of comms role at ELSPA | News

Toyota Recall: Better to Lose Profits and Save Face

2010-02-16T14:02:00.000+02:00

Toyota’s safety recall, (followed by Honda, then Peugeot Citroen) of an additional 2.3 million cars made me think about the intersection of customer service and financial prudence. Toyota’s repairs to correct a mechanical fault will cost the business hundreds of millions of dollars in lost profits.

Why is Toyota spending this money now when it will obviously damage the business’s bottom line? Read more at the original BNET post to find out.

[Via http://pivotpointsolutions.net]

AMERICAblog News: NY Times picks up Goldman link to Greek ...

Trending in Tokyo: Smorkin' Labbit

2010-02-16T07:43:00.000+02:00

Tokyo’s fashionistas can’t get enough of the Smorkin’ Labbit.

“Everyone I know is into Smorkin’ Labbit,” said Tomodachi Inai, “but, of course, I don’t have any friends.”

Toyota denied rumors they were recycling stuck accelerator pedals into Smorkin’ Labbits.

“Categorically untrue,” said Toyota spokesperson Perky Oppai, “Toyota provides the software that controls the Smorkin’ Labbit.”

“Silly Smorkin’ Labbits, they should all be shot,” fumed Elmer Fudd in Hollywood, “Smork this!”

# # #

In other news, Yukio “Bird” Hatoyama revealed his mother irons his Doraemon underwear every morning before handing him a big bag of illegal political contributions.

Posted via email from invisiblegaijin

[Via http://invisiblegaijin.com]

Mark C. Miller: News the Media Missed This Week!

Nostalgic - JTCC

2010-02-14T14:17:00.000+02:00

After seeing these pictures all I want to do is play Gran Turismo circa 1997 and make a Tamiya model. There is no production based championship which is as awesome as the JTCC. Look at the stance!

Viva i 90s.

[Via http://balangproject.wordpress.com]

Refinery29 Raises Seed Funding For Hyperlocal Fashion News Site

Is Toyota being seen as the new Ford Pinto?

2010-02-14T02:23:00.000+02:00

Without an attempt to remember history, man remains a very stupid animal (1970 ad).

This is a Wikipedia post outlines the Ford Pinto safety controversy:

The model became a focus of a major scandal when it was alleged that the car’s design allowed its fuel tank to be easily damaged in the event of a rear-end collision which sometimes resulted in deadly fires and explosions. Critics argued that the vehicle’s lack of a true rear bumper as well as any reinforcing structure between the rear panel and the tank meant that in certain collisions, the tank would be thrust forward into the differential, which had a number of protruding bolts that could puncture the tank. This, and the fact that the doors could potentially jam during an accident (due to poor reinforcement) allegedly made the car less safe than its contemporaries.

I guess this 1977 Mother Jones article seemed to have been influential: Pinto Madness.

For seven years the Ford Motor Company sold cars in which it knew hundreds of people would needlessly burn to death.

I’m following the role of Mr. Dimitrios Biller here (so far):

EXCLUSIVE: Former Toyota Lawyer Tells ABC News Automaker Hides Safety Problems
Toyota Accused of Concealing Evidence in Rollover Lawsuits
Will Dimitrios Biller Spell Doomsday for Toyota?

I brought into our family our 4th Civic last month.

[Via http://lesstewart.wordpress.com]

Break Media acquires FileFront gaming network | News

Toyota’s Brand Revisited

2010-02-11T20:51:00.000+02:00

Previously, I had posted about the opportunity that Toyota had to salvage their brand amid recalls that have reached an unprecedented scale. Other brands have managed this in the past, such as Maple Leafs Foods or Johnson & Johnson. Toyota could have acted quickly to remedy the situation and communicate to the marketplace how seriously they were taking the problems.

Alas, Toyota missed their chance and now their brand is essentially in a free-fall. The apology from Toyota’s boss, Akio Toyoda, was generally seen as lackluster. The recall has been slow and the details to consumers have been scant. All of this tells Toyota’s consumers and partners that the problems just aren’t that important to the company.

A brand at its essence is a promise to all stakeholders, consumers and otherwise. Toyota’s promise was about operational excellence and innovation. For the foreseeable future, this promise will carry no credibility in the market. Their perceived ability to be flexible and move quickly is gone. Their public image is shot. In sum, a once mighty brand, that caused terror in their American counterparts, is badly damaged.

What do you think? Will the Toyota brand ever recover?

[Via http://benwisebranding.wordpress.com]

In Other News…Van Natta Out as MySpace CEO

Is Customer Experience the Solution to Toyota's Woes?

2010-02-11T14:38:00.000+02:00

Another great post by Bruce Temkin at Customer Experience Matters; his team has applied the C.A.R.E.S. model to Toyota’s service recovery in the wake of recent controversy:

communication
accountability
responsiveness
empathy
solutionRead more at http://wp.me/poJTb-4S

[Via http://onceuponacustomerexperience.wordpress.com]

Mild earthquake rattles Chicago area - Chicago Breaking News

Wednesday

2010-02-11T02:39:00.000+02:00

Kara says:

So I found out how much it’s going to cost to get my flipping kitty fixed, and for her needles, I feel like I’m getting robbed. It’s as bad as the government taxing tampons.

How was your day?

Amanda says:

Equally exciting.

Kara says:

hahahahaha

Tell me about it

I actually did fun things today.

Amanda says:

I bought my friend a surprise birthday gift that may or may not involve good vibrations.

Like what?

Kara says:

What a gift! Well I did my taxes, and went to visit my dad who is super sick then I went and made an appointment for Birken. And I picked up a few things that I’m going to need for valentines.

I’ve been toying with the idea of picking up some nice flowers, not roses though.

Amanda says:

oooooOOOOo do you have crazy things planned?

I heart birds of paradise

Kara says:

I’m working on it. Yeah me too, but I’m thinking, something still alive and potted rather then cut flowers.

Lasts longer.

Green Village had potted birds of paradise on sale a little while ago. I’ll have to stop by.

Amanda says:

Sorry about your dad, what’s up?

Tomorrow I accept an award for diversity for writing about gender politics and my labia.

Kara says:

He’s just ill. They still don’t know what’s wrong with him. I tried to give him a needle today but I didn’t have the nerve and just made him bleed a little. Beyond that he’s on medicine that costs $1400 for 40 pills.

anti-nauseants.

Weeeooooo

Congrats

Amanda says:

jesus

Kara says:

your labia wins an award

well done

Amanda says:

I’m sorry babe. And yes, I have an award-winning labia.

How’s the lady? Still honeymooners?

Kara says:

I’d like to think so. She’s just great, she brings me coffee sometimes.

I really can’t complain. I’ve never dated someone that I actually have a number of things in common with. I’m learning that it makes things a lot easier.

Amanda says:

It does. And it’s worth it.

Anything exciting in the news?

Kara says:

I wouldn’t want to own a Toyota right now. Ellen is amazing on American Idol…i’m watching as we speak. Other then that, not much news.

I have a date tomorrow to watch Sarah Silverman, OOOH

and

It’s possible that Leanne will meet my Dad tomorrow.

If he’s home.

I feel like that could be a big deal.

In a good way.

Amanda says:

Really? I would date Sarah Silverman. And meeting the dad is a big deal, has he met many of your beaus to date?

Kara says:

Yes, A… he met her a year and a half into that. And even then we only had dinner with them once, and a few quick visits.

Amanda says:

Do you believe in getting married and all that jazz?

Kara says:

I’m all torn up about this very subject… I’d like to believe it’s possible that I’ll find someone I’ll want to marry. But realistically, I’ve seen enough divorce….so if I get married it’s only going to be once. It will be calculated and figured out by a list of pros and cons.

Amanda says:

If I ever do it….I just want it to be simple. On a mountain with friends with one hell of a bachelor’s party. But I’m not certain I want rehearsals and ring bearers and all that shiaaat

Kara says:

See…. I would elope. I’d invite maybe 5 friends, and my brother if he wanted to come.

Amanda says:

I want presents. And dancing.

Kara says:

Weddings are unimportant to me.

The focus is the marriage, not the wedding.

hahaha

Amanda says:

true true true

Kara says:

I’d get into a pant suit to be your best man though

Amanda says:

Damn gay, you would.

Alright alright. I’m off to have a nap (which is code word for personal bath tub fun)

I will let you know how all the people love my labia tomorrow

xoxox

Kara says:

Enjoy that! hahaha

jesus.

[Via http://shebeshe.wordpress.com]

AMERICAblog News: In Wash Post/ABC News poll, 'GOP's overall gains ...

Toyota braking problem

2010-02-09T19:58:00.000+02:00

It’s fairly clear that the Toyota Prius braking system problems are software related and to do with the interaction between the ABS and the regenerative system that recovers energy from braking. Whether this was a software fault or a specification fault isn’t clear but it reveals that when we add complexity to a system, we are likely to run into problems. Toyota are being rightly criticised for this (and, for sure, they have handled the problem badly) but they are being innovative and an inevitable part of the price of innovation is that problems will occur.

[Via http://se9book.wordpress.com]

Arrowheadlines: Chiefs News 2/9 - Arrowhead Pride

Optimism Persists in a Kentucky Town Where a Carmaker Brought Jobs

2010-02-09T14:54:00.000+02:00

GEORGETOWN, Ky. – Before Toyota arrived here more than two decades ago, Georgetown was a sleepy town of 10,000. Its population has since swelled to 25,000, and most of those people owe their livelihood to the sprawling Toyota plant outside of town on Cherry Blossom Way.

People here are eager to see the company’s recall problems blow over. “I think they can get it worked out,” said Jeni Gruchow, co-owner of Fava’s restaurant in the heart of town. “It happens to other companies. It’s horrible that it’s happening to Toyota.” In Georgetown, which is about 15 miles west of Lexington, and other cities where Toyota operates plants in the United States, life is starting to return a bit more to normal this week, as they resume full production after weeklong shutdowns to fix a problem with accelerator pedals. In interviews, residents here expressed confidence that Toyota would thrive again. The town and the automaker are inextricably linked – the first Camry rolled off the line in 1988 – so it is of course in everyone’s interest to see Toyota out of the headlines. “Toyota’s past will take care of its future,” said George Lusby, the county judge-executive who holds the top administrative post in the county. The mayor, Karen Tingle-Sames, was just as optimistic. “Really, the community has a lot of confidence in Toyota, that they will be able to work through and fix everything they need to fix and get on top of everything,” she said. Just down the street from Fava’s, Jason D. Mays, a regular at the Lock and Key Cafe, drained his mug of coffee and speculated about the muted response here to Toyota’s woes. “In my honest opinion,” he said, “I do not think it’s as important to people as the Friday night Scott County game or the Saturday Georgetown College basketball game because they have enough faith in that behemoth of a plant three miles down the road, they are really not worried about it.” Perhaps residents were heeding the editorial last Thursday of the local newspaper, The Georgetown News-Graphic. “Rest easy, Toyota is on the job,” the headline said. Mike Scogin, the publisher, said he wrote it to encourage everyone to take a deep breath because he felt “there was a little bit of piling on going on.” Toyota’s reputation was not earned overnight, he wrote, nor was it “bestowed because the company is reckless.” “In many parts of the country, Toyota is a brand,” the editorial added. “But to those of us here in Georgetown and in Kentucky, we know Toyota because we are Toyota. Our friends, neighbors and family members manufacture the cars in question.” For more than a week, Mr. Scogin said, Toyota news has dominated the front page of the newspaper, which is published three times a week. By Saturday, coverage of the murder of a former school bus driver was the top story. There is hope here that the full-court press on Toyota will peter out. As Doug C. Smith, a regular at Fava’s, said on Friday. “This, too, shall pass.” But the coverage is likely to continue with a House committee scheduled to hold hearings on Wednesday about Toyota’s handling of the recalls. If the tone is anything like the remarks of Ray LaHood, the transportation secretary, who last week briefly advised Toyota owners to stop driving their cars, confidence here may give way to anger. “Why is this different than any other recall?” asked Jack Conner, executive director of the local chamber of commerce. “Why the magnitude of this concern, when this is something that happens in the business a lot?” Ford, General Motors and others have had problems over the years without the national media attacking them, added Mr. Lusby, the judge-executive. Meanwhile, not even the beloved Kentucky Wildcats provided total escape from the sting of Toyota criticism. During a game Saturday afternoon, the announcer praised Kentucky’s standout guard, John Wall, by comparing him to a Toyota: “He hits the acceleration, then slams on the brakes,” he said, then added “Even better than Toyota. The brakes work, so does the acceleration.”

By MICKEY MEECE

[Via http://handytoyota.wordpress.com]

News Of The Day

Toyota Troubles: Lessons in How (Not) to Handle a Green Halo

2010-02-09T08:00:00.000+02:00

Toyota’s ongoing recall and the safety concerns embroiling an automaker that climbed to the top of the global car market through a reputation for reliability, may offer an opportunity for competitors to seize market share, at least in the near term. But Toyota’s troubles, which most recently have spread to the automaker’s 2010 Prius hybrid model, could also offer something more lasting to companies ranging from General Motors (s GM) to startups Fisker Automotive and Tesla Motors as they race to crank out plug-in vehicles: lessons in what works — and what doesn’t — when it comes to cultivation of rapid growth and a green halo.

In an automaker’s lineup, a “halo” car is meant to cast a positive glow over a company or brand — showcasing technology, styling and smarts while also helping to define what the brand stands for and luring customers into showrooms to buy other models. The Prius did this to such remarkable effect for Toyota that the industry took notice. As GM-Volt tells it, the status Toyota acquired as “a media and environmental sweetheart” through the halo effect of the Prius helped inspire GM’s push for the plug-in Volt. But hanging so much of your reputation on one model also carries risk — and that can get lost in the green glow.

Supporting the Halo: Automakers can ride the wave of a halo for awhile, but sustaining a reputation for environmental innovation will require follow through. As BusinessWeek explained in a 2006 piece on halo models, automakers risk falling short of customers’ expectations when they launch (and sometimes hype) these defining vehicles. ”A halo car is a promise,” one analyst explained in the article. “A promise of what great things are coming down the road from the manufacturer. But if that promise falls short the people who took a chance will be slighted and will probably never come back.”

Toyota built up on the promise it made with the Prius, producing one of the industry’s most fuel efficient lineups. How much load Toyota ends up shifting off of the Prius model in the wake of these recent braking problems, and how consumers respond in coming months, will offer a hint of just how far startups can go with their eye-catching first models (Tesla with its Roadster, Fisker with its Karma) en route to more mainstream offerings.

The Tortoise Wins: As the maelstrom around Toyota grows, critics and observers have begun asking whether Toyota grew too big, too fast — prioritizing new markets, new models and ramped-up production over quality. To what degree the emphasis on growth is responsible for Toyota’s current predicament can be debated. But it should nonetheless offer a warning to companies that have pledged ambitious production ramp ups in loan agreements with the Department of Energy in recent months. At the end of the day, it’s better to have a reputation for delays (in the green car market, that’s almost standard at this point) than for defects.

Value of Transparency: Part of Toyota’s troubles at this point stem from the question of how much evidence it had about safety problems, and when, and why it didn’t take action sooner. As the Christian Science Monitor wrote on Monday: “[I]f Toyota had a problem with sticky accelerators in Europe as early as December 2008, why did it wait until the following October before investigating the problem in the United States? And why fix the problem in new vehicles on the assembly line but not on cars already on the street?”

The company now faces a growing number of lawsuits, and the lesson is a simple, somewhat hokey one: Honesty is often the best policy — for safety as well as performance issues. For electric car makers that anticipate battery performance and longevity may vary based on climate and temperature, for example, following this policy would call for public recognition of that tendency (as GM’s Bob Lutz has done, while Tesla has portrayed “the potential for extreme temperatures to affect the range or performance of electric vehicles,” as a somewhat surprising new discovery).

Expect the Script to Flip: Automakers seem to be playing musical chairs in the hot seat. Whether under scrutiny for bankruptcy or basking in the glow of a government award, successful launch or trendsetting model, companies in today’s tumultuous car market can see public attention shift relatively quickly. The Detroit Free Press notes research from BrandIndex today showing, “Consumers say they have heard more negative news about Toyota in recent days than they heard about General Motors and Chrysler during their bankruptcies last spring.” Toyota’s next test comes up this week, at the first Congressional hearings on Toyota’s response to reports of safety issues in its vehicles.

What do you think are some of the key lessons for green car makers can take from Toyota’s handling of the sudden acceleration and braking problems in its vehicles?

[Via http://earth2tech.com]

Windows Phone 7 To Get Zune HD Makeover? » Podcasting News

Businesses Must (Always) Remember Crosby's Quality Management Absolutes otherwise YOU are in (BIG)trouble!

2010-02-09T02:55:00.000+02:00

Ramli have been a student of the Gurus of Quality like Juran,Deming,Crosby,Ishikawa,Imai and many others…

Example like Dr.Philip Crosby teachings on the 4 Quality Management Absolutes that are:

1.Quality means conformance to requirments

2.Quality is obtained through prevention

3.Quality has a performance standard of zero defects

4.Quality is measured by the price of nonconformance.

If Business Leaders always study,practice and live “Quality” then the chances of a major quality problem or crisis is almost null or zero occurences.

In 2010,Ramli heard that the World Economic Forum in Davos came to realize the need for Relearning of Fundamental Skills of Managing and Leading Rightly for Top Executives both in Business and Goverment.The many problems of businesses and govt have occured rampantly in the last 5 years or so and maybe its time to “go back to school” rather than “making money like mad” with poor quality results and products offered to the customers or citizens alike.

Ramli hoped Business Leaders “really” study about what is Quality and how to lead their organisations on Managing Quality themselves and not allow their salient duties of Managing & Leading Quality to be delegable to their No.2 or No.3 amd worst still to the Quality Manager!

Here is an article on the recent Toyota Quality Problem-Time to rethink and restudy all things that Dr.Crosby have taught us so hard so well.

Toyota faces fresh questions over recall response

AFP – Tuesday, February 9,2010.

TOKYO (AFP) – – Toyota’s handling of dangerous defects in its cars came under fresh scrutiny Monday as the group was reported to be planning a global recall of 300,000 Prius hybrids worldwide over a brake problem.

The world’s largest auto maker is expected to tell Tokyo and Washington Tuesday it will pull the latest version of the cars that went on sale from May last year, Japan’s Kyodo News agency said late Monday, citing unnamed sources.

“Toyota is also considering filing recalls over other hybrid models, such as the luxury Lexus HS250h sedan and the hybrid-only Sai compact sedan, which employ a similar brake system to the Prius gas-electric hybrid,” the agency quoted the sources as saying.

The brake trouble comes on top of recalls of more than eight million vehicles worldwide due to sticking accelerator pedals that have severely tarnished the Japanese giant’s reputation for reliability.

The company, whose brand has long been synonymous with safety and quality, faces a class-action lawsuit on behalf of owners in the United States alleging that it hid problems that have led to the rash of recalls.

And Toyota’s North America president, Yoshimi Inaba, is set to testify at a US congressional hearing on Wednesday as part of a wider probe by lawmakers.

Toyota has denied it was slow to respond to the unintended acceleration issue but faces new questions about its handling of the episode, after it emerged that the company acted on the problem in Europe about six months ago.

“We did fix this in August last year (in Europe) after first hearing about the issue at the end of 2008,” said Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco.

But it was initially thought that the problem only affected European right-hand drive vehicles, sold mainly in Britain and Ireland, he said.

Related article: Toyota recall raises questions about computerized cars

The trouble was attributed to the car heater blowing hot air on the gas pedal, causing condensation to build up inside and result in sticking, but was not thought to occur in left-hand drive models, he said.

Toyota officials could not immediately confirm whether any action was taken at that point for vehicles already on the road in Europe.

Toyota has come under fire after saying it had fixed the brake system flaw during production of the latest Prius model last month, without warning drivers of those vehicles already on the road.

Toyota is believed to have already notified its dealers in Japan that it will pull all the new model Prius vehicles sold in Japan, amounting to about 170,000 units. The firm will recall about 100,000 Priuses in the US.

Related article: Prius woes may muffle hybrid buzz

The model — which combines a petrol combustion engine with a battery-powered electric motor — is Toyota’s flagship hybrid car and key to its efforts to stay in pole position in fuel-efficient vehicles.

Toyota, which in 2008 dethroned General Motors as the world’s biggest car maker, has seen its brand image badly hurt by its handling of recalls affecting more than its entire 2009 global sales of 7.8 million vehicles.

The accelerator problems have been blamed for several accidents, including one in California in August in which four family members were killed.

Company president Akio Toyoda said Friday he was “deeply sorry” for the string of quality issues and said he would head a new task force to raise standards and investigate the cause of the problems.

Toyota shares fell 1.05 percent to 3,280 yen on Monday, having plunged by more than 20 percent in roughly two weeks.

Toyota has said it expects the accelerator trouble to burn a two-billion-dollar hole in its profits this year in recall costs and lost sales.

[Via http://pramleeelvis.wordpress.com]

AMERICAblog News: Wall Street shifts contributions to GOP

sent to me from TORC

2010-02-07T08:12:00.000+02:00

Dear Toyota owners,

As you are the proud long-time owner of a Toyota vehicle, recent news about Toyota’s recalls must be disheartening. However, we feel the media is taking this out of proportion. What’s done is done and now Toyota is all about correcting the issues and restoring public trust. We would like to continue supporting Toyota, as always, by what we do.

Here is a great article for you to read about the recall issue. We are glad not all media is trying to jump on Toyota.

http://editorial.autos.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1128584

[Via http://jdmlexus.wordpress.com]

Perfect Dark XBLA showing at X10 News | Xbox 360 | Eurogamer

MX71 TT

2010-02-06T02:36:00.000+02:00

Hella uptown Twin turbo MX71 Mark II Cressida on custom steel wheels.

Build thread… http://www.oldschool.co.nz/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=4433&hilit=lofa

[Via http://tailoutsx.wordpress.com]

Steam News

An Amateur Organisation: Part 2

2010-02-04T20:35:00.000+02:00

The New Sponsorship Deal:

On the 19th March 2008, GAA President Nickey Brennan announced a new list of sponsors for the Hurling and Football Championships. The Hurling Championship would now be sponsored by Etihad Airways, Guinness and RTE. The Football championship would be sponsored by Vodafone, Ulster Bank and Toyota. Research carried out in 2007 strongly endorsed the multiple sponsor concept, a practice previously associated with competitions such as the Champions League Soccer tournament which is sponsored by a number of companies. Padhraic O’Ciardha of TG4 believes that one sponsor for each code would have been a better option stating,

In short, I’m not sure that the commercial arm of the GAA speaks with the same tongue as the sporting arm of the GAA. […] It is not always clear that the commercial arm isn’t getting the upper hand and I think that probably is bad for the GAA.[1]

Because most sports are professional, and the GAA is the only amateur organisation in Ireland, there is perhaps pressure on them. The saying goes, “The GAA is an amateur organisation, run by professionals.” The question is, however, will that which works for professional organisations like FIFA and the Champion’s League, work for the GAA, a far smaller association, with less players and an amateur status? Under the new sponsorship the championships names would change to the GAA Hurling All Ireland Championship and GAA Football All Ireland Championship. “Because title ownership of the All Ireland Championships reverts to the GAA, the introduction of new signage, broadcast, advertising and promotional agreements around the Championships is also being introduced.”[2] Of the new sponsorship deal, President Nickey Brennan stated,

I am also pleased to announce that the GAA will be investing in a major marketing support campaign to promote the Championships which will include a comprehensive advertising, PR and promotional drive throughout the duration of the competitions. The GAA’s Commercial & Marketing team has been bolstered and PR and Advertising agencies have been appointed to oversee the roll out of what we hope will be an effective campaign to promote the GAA Championships.[3] (Italics Website’s Own)

This is an interesting statement to look at, not only because it reveals a seeming emphasis on commercial partnership for the GAA to prosper, but also because there seems to be a slight worry when it comes to marketing the GAA. One must ask if there is a fear in the organisation that GAA is losing some of its appeal to viewers and if this is resulting in the need for the bolstering of the PR and advertising. The other interesting statement in relation to this point comes from Geraldine O’Leary of RTE who says:

RTÉ is delighted to be one of the partners who have secured sponsorship of the hurling championship for the next two years. This sponsorship provides a platform for RTÉ Sport to reinforce our brand with a huge number of GAA fans while strengthening our association with our national game.[4] (Italics Website’s Own)

There seems to be a sense of fear in both statements, of losing some semblance of national identity and importance; the GAA as that of the national game, and RTE as that of the national station. As I will examine in Chapter 2, there has been recent and I believe, ongoing speculation about TV Rights for GAA and this, of course, would have a bearing on RTE and their public broadcast remit. One thing that must be looked at here is the growth of rugby and soccer in the country, and ultimately the relaxing of Rule 42. It could be argued that the relaxing of Rule 42 and the opening of Croke Park has led to a sense of diminishment within the GAA, the idea that if the national home of GAA is to be open to all, it is no longer the home of the GAA but just a place where GAA takes place. Because of Croke Park’s status, albeit unofficial, as the National Stadium, it has been easy to highlight the GAA, previously, the only sport played there, as the National Sport. However, with the opening of the stadium to Rugby and Soccer, that line can be seen to have become blurred, and it is possible that the GAA fear that their status as the dominant national game is being damaged. Padhraic O’Ciardha believes that the lines have not been blurred and that people who know little or nothing about GAA come away from Croke Park after rugby or soccer matches with a better idea of what the GAA does, and its importance in the country, aswell as seeing what a magnificent stadium Croke Park is. He also mentions how the GAA handled the relaxing or “getting rid” of Rule 42 very well. There have been recent calls for Croke Park to remain open after Lansdowne Road, the original home of rugby and soccer is reopened. This statement seems to suggest that Mr O’Ciardha believes that the GAA will continue to allow Croke Park to be used. The question seems to be that of co-existence. Can the GAA and the other sports of the country co-exist in the one location without a fear of losing identity? The GAA has the opportunity to respond to this argument with their decision about whether or not to reintroduce Rule 42, which at the time of it’s lifting had been intended on being nothing more than temporary.

The question of professionalism also expands as a result of the multiple sponsorship deal. If the GAA can earn huge sums of money from sponsorship campaigns, shouldn’t players be allowed to, too? Admittedly there are a small number of players who benefit from personal sponsorship already (i.e. Sean Óg O’hAilpin) but is this not another step towards professionalism? The fact that this new sponsorship deal is the same format as that of the Champion’s League, or FIFA World Cup, which are both professional competitions, suggests a hint of burgeoning professionalism and most likely, increased commercialism. Each county has its own sponsors who appear on jerseys, etc, but when players begin to make their own individual commercial decisions, despite their status as players of an amateur game, is this not a further step towards professionalism?

[1] See Appendix 1, p.33

[2] GAA Announce Championship Sponsors, http://ulster.gaa.ie/media/press-releases/

[3] ibid.

[4] ibid.

[Via http://ahayzer42.wordpress.com]

Stewart on Fox News « Don Surber

On Opinions in the Shorts: Vol. 51

2010-02-04T14:32:00.000+02:00

I usually post OITS on Fridays, but since tomorrow is an issue for me, it is a day early.

On Athletes Orally Committing

National Letter of Intent signing period for college football started yesterday. Of course, it is preceded by high school players giving nonbinding oral commitments. Being one believing that being true to your word carries some importance, I generally have an issue with players backing out on their word. For instance, a high school player in the Cincinnati area orally committed to three different schools the last 6 months. Sorry, that’s not the type of character I would want on my team.

On Public Stadium Financing

Too many professional sports teams have placed community’s feet to the fire with their build me a new stadium or we will leave approach. Although I’m a big sports fan, I was against Cincinnati’s stadium issues all not that long ago. Now, for a variety of reasons, the county’s stadium fund is having financial troubles. Hey hey … here comes the Bengals organization to save the day by offering millions! But for what in exchange? How about shortening the lease by 10 years or so?!!! Again, I stand by my original point.

On This Week

We record This Week (ABC’s Sunday morning show) because we like the format and the general respectful nature of discussions. Who made the bonehead decision to have FOX News President Roger Ailes and Arianna Huffington together on the round table?

On School Buses

There’s no question that school buses foul up traffic. There’s no question that I dislike school buses. Nonetheless, I just cannot convince myself to agree with a student boarding a bus at 6:15 am.

On Toyota

I will give Toyota credit – now that is one PR disaster! In their race to beat GM, they seemed to morph into the Detroit giant. Meanwhile, I feel for the sales staff whose salary is probably based on commission.

On 747 Tidbit

Although I haven’t been in one, the Boeing 747 is a big plane. Boeing originally designed it as a military transport aircraft in the 1960s. They did not win the contract (Lockhead did), so Boeing converted the design into a commercial airliner. I think they did ok on that investment.

On a New Link

I welcome Confessions of a Lazy Scribe to WordPress. Previously known as the Coach Potato at another location, I encourage readers to visit Brad’s new site.

To kickoff Super Bowl weekend, here’s a great Jay Leno JayWalk segment for another lively city (Las Vegas).

[Via http://afrankangle.wordpress.com]

Still Rolling: Fox News Has Its Best January Ever | TV | Mediaite

Toyota Prius brakes under investigation by Japanese and US Gov

2010-02-04T08:38:00.000+02:00

The pain just keeps on coming for Toyota. First came complaints of cars running away without the driver pressing the accelerator. Now the Japanese government has ordered Toyota to investigate the braking system on the 2010 Prius. The U.S. government is also looking into the matter after receiving over 100 complaints about the brakes on the third-generation hybrid. Like most other hybrids, the Prius uses an electro-hydraulic brake system that blends the regenerative and friction braking functions. There have apparently been dozens of complaints in Japan and North America of a momentary loss of braking power at low speeds on slick or bumpy road surfaces.

We can’t say for sure what is or is not happening on the Prius, but we can offer some possible insight. On hybrids vehicles, the brake system monitors the state of charge of the battery, the available amount of regenerative braking and the driver’s brake demand (as measured by the brake pedal apply). As the vehicle comes to a stop, the amount of regenerative braking is ramped down to zero since you can only capture kinetic energy when the wheels are rolling. Doing this smoothly requires an accurate software model of the friction braking behavior. If the friction brakes are generating less torque than the model says it should be, the brake system will apply less pressure to the brakes. The result would be a momentary loss of deceleration during the hand-off from regen to friction braking.

Because the behavior of friction brakes varies over time depending on temperature, moisture, wear and other factors, it is very difficult to calibrate these models. The other part of this equation is the fact that this is happening at low speeds. The wheel speed sensors become less accurate at low speeds as the time period between sensor pulses is extended. Rough or slippery surfaces exacerbate the problem, which could make the brake system think there is slip that might not be there, resulting in lower brake pressure. The result is a perceived loss of deceleration.

If these are the problems that the Prius is experiencing, they could be corrected with an update to the control software. However, that will take time for Toyota to calibrate and validate.

[Via http://yayativairale.wordpress.com]

International HD news roundup -- Engadget HD

BREAKING: Toyota: Can't stop 'em, can't stop 'em

2010-02-04T02:29:00.000+02:00

News reports indicate that Toyota may have ongoing problems with its brake systems, as well as with its accelerators, which have recently forced a massive recall.

“The bottom line is,” said an upbeat Toyota spokesman, “You just can’t stop a Toyota!”

Brakes on the brand’s premier marque, the Prius, have been shown to fail, causing serious accidents and death.

[Via http://mytabloids.wordpress.com]

Fox News Channel Dominates | QandO

Toyota Recall: The Fix Is In

2010-02-02T20:19:00.000+02:00

It hasn’t been a good month for Toyota. The embattled auto manufacturer had to recall more than 2-million of its most popular vehicles because of problems with the gas pedal sticking in the Go! position. However, Toyota says it now has a fix for the sticky accelerators, and parts should be hitting the dealerships this week.

The issue of sticky accelerators gained national attention back on August 28, 2009 when a San Diego resident, a veteran of the California Highway Patrol, lost control of his Lexus ES350 and crashed, killing the patrolman and 3 of his family members. The initial investigation linked the uncontrollable acceleration to an improperly installed floor mat jamming the pedal, and Toyota recalled nearly 3.8-million cars in September, 2009 to fix the floor mat issue.

Unfortunately, the problem of uncontrollable acceleration went beyond floor mats. On January 21, 2010, Toyota recalled more than 2-million more cars for issues linked to sticking accelerator pedals. They even stopped production of the affected vehicles, an unprecedented move.

The good news for Toyota owners, though, is that the fix is in. Toyota announced on February 1, 2010 that corrective parts should be arriving at dealerships this week.

Here is a list of the recalled vehicles. If you own one, be sure to contact your dealership immediately:

2009-2010 Toyota RAV4
2009-2010 Toyota Corolla
2009-2010 Toyota Matrix
2005-2010 Toyota Avalon
2007-2010 Toyota Camry
2010 Toyota Highlander
2008-2010 Toyota Sequoia
2007-2010 Toyota Tundra
2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe (the Vibe shares the same platform as the Matrix)

Sources: Washington Post, LA Times, Huffington Post

[Via http://autoanything.wordpress.com]

World News Blog - Haiti earthquake: a cameraman's story

Toyota's crisis

2010-02-02T13:21:00.000+02:00

Before us, in the colluseum of the auto industry, we have a crisis. The gladiator Toyota has fallen, gravely wounded by his own actions. While he lays broken and bleeding billions of dollars a day, the lions watch. Still licking thier own wounds of deception and indulgence, Ford, Chrysler and General Motors smell blood. They have waited for this moment of weakness. The glint is in their eye but their reputation is still far to weak to attack.

I sit as a neophyte practioner in the crowd watching the game. This is the stuff of textbooks. I look forward to the discussions of scholars, flacks and pundits over Tweets and glasses of wine.

[Via http://turnerangel.wordpress.com]

Firedoglake » Paul Krugman Calls Fox News “Deliberate ...

Sports book Agent – A Promise for a Lucrative Career

2010-02-02T08:35:00.000+02:00

The state of the art facilities in betting online or over phone through price per head where the bookmaking business is outsourced to an offshore sports book has brought about a new outlook and dimension to betting activities. This feature has taken the game to the next higher level and allows the agents to keep the complete control over the players’ betting through a complete and detailed reporting, which can be, accessed 24/7.

The role of a betting sports book agent is extremely simple. All he does is to point the clients to a website or phone number at which they wager on the various sports or play the virtual casino with the help of a password provided either by the sport book or chosen by the agent. At the end of the week, the report from the Internet is retrieved and he pays or collects the sum that has been won or lost by his client. This is an extremely rewarding and promising career because no loss is incurred for any of the parties involved in it.

Sports book Industry is constantly expanding its horizons and hence the local bookmakers onshore could not compete with the prowess of the ever-widening offshore bookmaking. Offshore bookmaking allows the bookmaking agents to bring in the concept of globalization into their business. Without spending on the overhead costs and other confusions of maintaining a call center that operates 24/7, these sports book agents are able to own an offshore sports book operation. The sports book agent is keenly focused in improving his offshore business by providing optimum bookmaking service whereas all other issues related to offshore bookmaking such as handling accounts, attending phone calls and the like are managed by professionals.

The earning potential increases by geometric proportion as a sports book agent. The only best way to reach the pinnacle of financial success as a bookie is through a Price per Head provider who accepts and grades the wagers of your player irrespective of the size of the size of the operation. Further the onshore bookmaker is allowed to offer his client with an anonymous wagering solution. This enables the local betting agent to compete on par with offshore sports book agents. The players are assigned personal pin and password for which the agents are made to pay a meager sum as fee for the service every week.

Several offshore sports book agents are competing with one another to provide the best service to their clientele and maintain a strong hold in the industry. The small fee that is paid by the agent every week renders exceptional professional service that includes the up to-the-minute reporting system, high-end software and personnel with expertise. Thus the sports book agents help in redesigning the life style of their clients so that they spend more than enough time with their family or business. The software developed by various leading companies offer the ultimate sports book solution at affordable price tag in the shortest possible time. This turns the profession of a sport book agent into a lucrative career.

The top rated price per head is said to the ideal option to maximize the profits as a sports book agent and the intricacies are vividly explained in our website. Further the best sports betting software solutions are offered by providing exceptional sports betting software and sports book software.

[Via http://priceperheads.wordpress.com]

BREAKING NEWS: Here's Some News | Best Week Ever

Bob Riley and Troy King: The Saga Continues

2010-02-02T02:45:00.000+02:00

It’s well known that Alabama Governor Bob Riley and Attorney General, both Republicans, have been at odds with each other over issues of state governance most notably concerning the operation of bingo games, which state law allows, although its electronic form continues causing much consternation among them and Alabama jurists.

Troy King has recently come under fire for requesting judges in five counties to dismiss lawsuits cases the several District’s Attorneys have filed against the pharmacies of several “big box” pharmacy retailers for wrongfully filling prescriptions by substituting with generic medications instead when they were not specifically ordered. He may likely find himself answering to the Alabama Supreme Court – and possibly the State Bar Association – for his actions. He calls the DAs’ lawsuits against CVS Caremark Corporation, Rite Aid Corporation, Wal-Mart Stores and Walgreen Company for deceptive trade practice as “frivolous.”

Just to set the record straight, if you were specifically ordered to purchase a Ford, and you went to buy a Ford, had a piece of paper upon which were the instructions “Buy A Ford,” and were instead given a Toyota, which was represented as a Ford, would you believe that you were wronged?

[Via http://warmsouthernbreeze.wordpress.com]

World News Blog - Haiti earthquake: a cameraman's story

Toyota Recall: Hit or Miss?

2010-01-31T20:05:00.000+02:00

Without reading or watching any coverage of the Toyota recall, you can bet the critics will say Toyota reacted too slowly in the recall. That is a safe criticism to make. Hindsight is 20/20 so it is easy to argue Toyota should have recognized the signs sooner and acted sooner. Sometimes the default speed criticism is valid, sometimes it is unfair. Keep in mind that managers are evaluating a number of variables simultaneously including financial concerns. Besides, the speed of the reaction is relative. What we should be more interested in is what was communicated through words and actions. Speed is a secondary concern as long as it was not so slow that it placed people at undue risk because the organize had a very good idea of what the problem was.

A quick recap is of the recall is warranted here. The problem was that accelerator pedals were sticking or returning to their normal position. Drivers are worried when cars accelerate on their own—unintended acceleration. The problem was found in a variety of Toyota vehicles in the U.S. and China. The cars manufactured and sold in Japan did not have any problems. The initial diagnosis was that improper installation of floor mats was to blame for the problem. A message went out customers about the floor mats on Nov. 2, 2009 in relation to the Sept. 29th recall. On Jan. 21, 2010 another recall notice was delivered about the accelerator pedal itself followed by a suspension of selling the vehicles in doubt on Jan. 28, 2010. It seemed both the floor mats and the pedal design were both to blame http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/toyota/toyota-consumer-safety-advisory-102572.aspx. The bigger issue is whether or not Toyota knew of the problem since 2007 and that the problem went beyond the floor mats and pedal design to its drive-by-wire technology (latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-toyota5-2009dec05,0,1844374.story). The LA Times news story does seem to accuse Toyota of ignoring the problem for over two years. Toyota disagrees:

“Today the Los Angeles Times published an article that wrongly and unfairly attacks Toyota’s integrity and reputation.

While outraged by the Times’ attack, we were not totally surprised. The tone of the article was foreshadowed by the phrasing of a lengthy list of detailed questions that the Times emailed to us recently. The questions were couched in accusatory terms.

Despite the tone, we answered each of the many questions and sent them to the Times. Needless to say, we were disappointed by the article that appeared today, and in particular by the fact that so little of our response to the questions appeared in the article and much of what was used was distorted.

Toyota has a well-earned reputation for integrity and we will vigorously defend it.” http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/our-point-of-view-post.aspx?id=2378

Here is a link to the exchange of questions and answers between the LA Times and Toyota: http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/document/LA_Times_questions_and_Toyota_answers.pdf

Records show the NTSB has investigated eight acceleration problems with Toyota’s since 2003. Six of the investigations were closed with no action taken while two did involve small recalls related to floor mats http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2009/nov/26/business/chi-tc-biz-toyota-1125-1126-nov26. We should return to the point that the recalls affect cars outside of Japan including China, the U.S., and Europe. The accelerator pedal has a different supplier in Japan. Here is where Toyota makes some interesting communicative choices. Toyota has the chance to scapegoat the supplier but provides this statement about the supplier:

“Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America (TEMA) has been working closely with supplier CTS on a revised design that effectively remedies the problem associated with accelerator pedals. Pedals featuring the revised design are now in full production at CTS to support Toyota’s needs. Meanwhile, we are also working with them to test effective modifications to existing pedals in the field that will be rolled out as quickly as possible.

“We commend CTS for working diligently and collaboratively to find a solution to the potential problem and in developing a new design,” said Chris Nielsen, TEMA’s Vice President of Purchasing. “CTS is a long-term and valued supplier to us.”

http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/manufacturing/statement-from-toyota-on-supplier-153203.aspx

Toyota stands with the supplier rather offering them as the cause. This statement shows Toyota’s willingness to take responsibility for any problems found in their vehicles even in the face of its largest recall involving millions of vehicles. In addition, Toyota took the unusual stand to suspend the sale of new vehicles:

“Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., today announced that it is instructing Toyota dealers to temporarily suspend sales of eight models involved in the recall for sticking accelerator pedal, announced on January 21, 2010.

“Helping ensure the safety of our customers and restoring confidence in Toyota are very important to our company,” said Group Vice President and Toyota Division General Manager Bob Carter. “This action is necessary until a remedy is finalized. We’re making every effort to address this situation for our customers as quickly as possible.”

Toyota announced it would recall approximately 2.3 million vehicles to correct sticking accelerator pedals on specific Toyota Division models. Toyota has investigated isolated reports of sticking accelerator pedal mechanisms in certain vehicles without the presence of floor mats. There is a possibility that certain accelerator pedal mechanisms may, in rare instances, mechanically stick in a partially depressed position or return slowly to the idle position.” http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/toyota/toyota-temporarily-suspends-sales-153126.aspx

Toyota had already recalled over million vehicles for the floor mat issue. Toyota was willing to recall and suspend sales, both are corrective actions designed to reassure customers the vehicles would be safe once the recall changes were made. Toyota’s President, Akio Toyoda apologized to customers:

“’We’re extremely sorry to have made customers feel uneasy,’ Akio Toyoda told public broadcaster NHK on the sidelines of the Davos forum in Switzerland, in his first public remarks on the recall since it went global this week.

‘Right now, we are trying to establish the facts and preparing for giving an explanation so anxiety among customers would be removed as soon as possible’” http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100130/bs_afp/japanautocompanyrecalltoyota_20100130082516

Toyota’s words and actions indicate a strong concern for customers and a willingness to protect its reputation. Still, if the problem really was known in 2007 and goes beyond what has been disclosed, a serious problem still remains. However, at this point the facts do not support the charges of a cover up of an even larger problem. That is the dilemma in product recalls. When is a problem isolated and when is it systemic? There are no clear rules for answer that question.

Questions to Consider

How would you evaluate Toyota’s communicative response to the acceleration crisis?
Why might it be fair to criticize Toyota for being slow? Why might it be unfair?
Why do you think Toyota directly addressed the LA Times story?
Who seems more credible in the exchange, the LA Times or Toyota and why does that matter?
What role does being slow to respond play in shaping stakeholder perceptions of an organization in crisis?
How does this case illustrate the connections between reputation management and crisis communication?
How would you rate the ethics of Toyota’s crisis communication given the facts reported in the case thus far?

[Via http://prstrategyandapplication.wordpress.com]

FIRST @ TSSZ: Sonicthehedgehog4.com Registered to Sega | tssz|news

Toyota Recall Update

2010-01-30T14:15:00.000+02:00

David Bruce AutoCenter is committed to keeping you informed as we know information.

As you have probably heard, Toyota has issued a recall for some of its vehicles. These are ONLY the vehicles that are equipped with the Indiana based company CTS Corporation (list to follow). Toyota’s top priority has always been customers which has made them the #1 Auto Manufacturer worldwide. As the leading dealership in our area, we want to make sure we keep you informed and do all we can to expedite this quickly, but correctly. Below is the most current information issued by Toyota followed by many Frequently Asked Questions:

“Nothing is more important to Toyota than doing the right thing for our customers — and restoring

their confidence in the safety of our vehicles. We deeply regret the concern that our recalls are

causing for our loyal customers, and we are making an all-out effort to develop and implement

effective remedies as quickly as we can.

Our highest priority is to fix the accelerator pedal problems for our existing customers. We want

to reassure Toyota owners that instances of sticking pedals are rare and generally do not occur

suddenly. Toyota is currently in the process of recalling vehicles to remedy the issue of pedal

entrapment and we have begun sending instructions to customers about how we will fix their

vehicles. Customers who have any questions or have experienced any issues with their

accelerator pedals should visit Toyota.com, contact the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-

800-331-4331, or call their local Toyota dealer.

We’ve identified the cause of the problem and are focusing all of our energy and resources on

developing and thoroughly testing remedies. Our engineers have been working around the clock

and we’ve been in direct communication with the National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration (NHTSA) throughout this process. We also appreciate the opportunity to inform

the House Committee on Energy and Commerce about our efforts to address this situation for

our customers and we pledge our full cooperation with the Committee.

Toyota has taken the unprecedented step of stopping production to help serve our customers

quickly and ensure that all new Toyota vehicles going forward do not experience this problem.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America (TEMA) has also been working

closely with our pedal supplier CTS on a revised design that effectively remedies the problem.

These pedals are now in full production at CTS to support Toyota’s needs. At the same time, we

continue to work with CTS to test effective pedal modifications for existing vehicles on the road

that will be available to our customers as quickly as possible.

We appreciate the comments that Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood made today about the

way Toyota has stepped up to meet our responsibilities to our customers, and we are determined

to continue fulfilling our commitment to put our customers first.”

The involved vehicles can be identified by the accelerator pedal; only vehicles equipped

with CTS accelerator pedals (“CTS pedals”) are involved.

[Via http://davidbruceauto.wordpress.com]

News: Iran, John Barrowman, Mexico City, Scott Roeder, Brazil ...

Lessons Learned from Toyota's Stumble...e piece on Toyota recall by Steve Spear

2010-01-30T01:53:00.000+02:00

Date: Fri, Jan 29, 2010 at 12:43 AM

Subject: Lessons Learned from Toyota’s Stumble…e piece on Toyota recall by Steve Spear

I received an e-mail this morning from Steven J. Spear, author of “Chasing the Rabbit: How Market Leaders Outdistance the Competition” and thought I would share his commentary on the Toyota recall. Steven raises some interesting points that we can all learn from.

The local news here in Mississauga attempted to gain commentary from CTS employees with little success. In summary, “The parts are being produced to specifications required by the customer.” It was also reported on the news today that Toyota has found a solution and will commence with their plans to fix the problem.

Steve’s e-mail follows:

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Long the quality and efficiency standard-setter, Toyota now has an ostrich-sized egg on its face — a problem with sticking accelerator pedals that led to global product recalls and a suspension of production and sales.

There are important lessons to be learned from Toyota’s stumble:

Competitive success is fluid. It depends on continuously discovering better ways to do work. The capabilities to do this are powerful but fragile and need constant reinforcement. Relentless attention to their development can lead to great success; conversely, a loss in attention can have grave consequences.

Please see the rest of the piece, “Learning from Toyota’s Stumble,” at blogs.hbr.org.

With best wishes,

Steve Spear

Author: Chasing the Rabbit: How Market Leaders Outdistance the Competition

[Via http://leanexecution.wordpress.com]

Sherlock Holmes 2 News - FilmoFilia

Day 4: How do Hybrids work?

2010-01-28T20:38:00.000+02:00

Ever wonder how the engine on a hybrid vehicle actually works? What exactly is going on under the hood when you are driving a hybrid? To answer these questions, I did a little YouTube scouring and found this video, that I think is pretty easy to understand:

I had the lucky experience to drive a Toyota Prius all over British Columbia in summer 2009 with my job promoting used oil recycling for BC Used Oil Management Association. So, I have to admit that I have gotten the opportunity to feel what it’s like to drive with the electric motor running only, and both together. I really enjoyed driving the Prius and I thought it performed very well (even through the Rocky Mountains!!). You can check out the bubbly Prius I got to drive at http://www.usedoilrecycling.com/en/bc/communicationspublicity.

My advice:

Electric motors are pretty much silent so watch out for pedestrians when you are driving really slow because they probably won’t know your coming!

[Via http://carcareforher.wordpress.com]

Public Policy Polling: Fox leads for trust

Dealers Swamped By Worried Toyota Drivers

2010-01-28T02:22:00.000+02:00

Some drivers fret about their cars after Toyota suspends 8 models for pedal problems. Toyota dealers across the country were swamped with calls Wednesday from concerned drivers but had few answers a day after the company announced it would stop selling and building eight models because of faulty gas pedals.

Toyota insisted the problem — sudden, uncontrolled acceleration — was “rare and infrequent” and said dealers should deal with customers “on a case-by-case basis.” But drivers of Toyotas and those who share the road with them were left with uncertainty.

In an unprecedented move, the company said late Tuesday it would halt sales for the eight models — which make up more than half of Toyota’s U.S. sales volume — to fix the gas pedals. Last week, Toyota issued a recall for the same eight models, affecting 2.3 million vehicles.

A private firm said it had identified 275 crashes and 18 deaths because of sudden, uncontrollable acceleration in Toyotas since 1999 – Read full article…

To comment on this article or click the “Comments” link below.

Dealers Swamped By Worried Toyota Drivers

[Via http://newsgurulive.com]

News from Oprah and Martha - TV Squad

Toyota: Values

2010-01-26T18:00:00.000+02:00

I’ve been finding a series of ads for Toyota lately that are clearly all part of a campaign designed to convince consumers that Toyota embodies the qualities we want in cars. Here are two of them, but I’m pretty sure I saw at least one more somewhere, so if anyone has them, send them to me and I’ll add them to this post.

I think that these images are interesting and do a pretty good job of visually conveying the ideas they are trying to represent. I think that the “precision” one is more clever, but both are equally effective.

I don’t see a lot of companies doing campaigns like this and I have to wonder why not. They really want to build trust in the brand, not just the specific products. Given how fast new products come out these days, people do rely a lot on their impressions of the brand name. You hear “Oh, I don’t buy products from X, I’ve heard they aren’t as good” or “Well, I don’t know about this new one, but Y always makes good solid products – and they’re made in America, too.” These are impressions of the brand, not the product, so it makes sense for companies to try to build their brand reputation as well as try to sell their specific products.

That’s really a long way of saying I think this is a great campaign and wish more companies did creative, clever and less focused ads like this. What do you think?

[Via http://anadaday.wordpress.com]

Pentax Optio i10 looks back to Auto 110: Digital Photography Review

Toyota forecasts 2010 sales to be up 6%

2010-01-26T14:50:00.000+02:00

Toyota Motor Corp said that it expects its global auto sales to increase 6 percent in 2010 as the industry recovers from one of its worst ever downturns. The Japanese automaker hopes to maintain its lead over Volkswagen AG and General Motors Company as the world’s biggest automaker.

Toyota forecasts group-wide sales to rise to 8.27 million vehicles in 2010, short of its record 9.37 million units sold in 2007. Excluding its Daihatsu Motor Co and Hino Motors Ltd, Toyota expects to sell 7.4 million vehicles worldwide, up 6 percent.

Toyota expects a big jump in sales in Japan, where it is forecasting Toyota and Lexus branded cars to jump 9 percent to 1.5 million vehicles after the Japanese government’s version of the Cash for Clunkers incentive. It also expects to see a parent-only overseas sales to grow 5 percent to 5.9 million vehicles.

Analysts expect global vehicle sales to grow around 3-4 percent this year, meaning Toyota would slightly outperform the market.

- By: Stephen Calogera

[Via http://handytoyota.wordpress.com]

Eric Boehlert: Does Fox News Coverage Double as GOP Campaign ...

HOT SELLING 7.0 inch Fixed DIGITAL Car DVD Player HL-8718GB for TOYOTA NEW RAV4

2010-01-26T02:48:00.000+02:00

This Hot Selling 7.0 inch Fixed Digital Car DVD Player HL-8718GB for TOYOTA NEW RAV4 features V-6 disc changer memory, Light-Right Dual zone of front Amusement also call Dual zone-play. For example, the driver can listen to the radio by the speaker inside. While the passengers can enjoy TV or DVD by the wireless earphone, picture in picture function.

View this Car DVD Player for TOYOTA at:

http://www.szprice.com/products/HOT-SELLING-7-0-inch-Fixed-DIGITAL-Car-DVD-Player-HL-8718GB-for-TOYOTA-NEW-RAV4_2257.html

Hot Selling:

V-6 disc changer memory
Light-Right Dual zone of front Amusement also call Dual zone-play. For example, the driver can listen to the radio by the speaker inside. While the passengers can enjoy TV or DVD by the wireless earphone
PICTURE IN PICTURE FUNCTION

Features:

7.0 inch Two Din 16:9 fixed DIGITAL TFT LCD monitor.
800*480 touch screen: can select the tracks directly
Unique 3D Flash Graphical User Interface.
DVD/VCD/CD/MP3/MPEG4/DIVX/CD-R/WMA/JPEG.
Built in TV tuner, PAL/NTSC or SECAM compatible.
Built in FM/AM tuner/ RDS optional
Build in GPS or external GPS compatible ( optional)
Dual zoon: You can listen music or radio while in GPS navigation.
Build in BLUETOOTH for hand free call, history log, dial keyboard.
IPOD
DVB-T TV optional
Auto rear viewing function.
USB jack and SD card slots for MP3,WMA,MP4,AVI,JPEG files.
Individuated DVD logo display( can change the DVD wallpaper freely by yourself)
V-6 disc changer memory ( 6 disc music can be memory in the unit while you listening the music)
PICTURE IN PICTURE FUNCTION
All keys supply red and blue LED, match your original car perfectly.
The panel keys color, 3 choices: blue,red, purple

Source: http://www.szprice.com/blog/2010/01/hot-selling-7-0-inch-fixed-digital-car-dvd-player-hl-8718gb-for-toyota-new-rav4/

[Via http://consumerelectronicsblog.wordpress.com]

Weekly International Travel News Roundup | Peter Greenberg Worldwide

vip

2010-01-24T02:07:00.000+02:00

VIP style is something that I’ve always admired. Maybe its because I plan on being a big boss of some business, or maybe its just because I like good looking low cars with expensive stuff on them. I came across a website called Geibunsha and found these high quality pictures.

First is a picture of a Toyota Crown in a bamboo forest. Damn.

Nissan Cima F50. This would make a nice October calendar (Halloween theme).

I can’t identify this ride, but the picture is nice.

Another unidentifiable foreign object. Too crazy.

If the Cookie Monster from Sesame Street was a pimp, he’d roll in this.

Last is a picture of Mitsuru Haruguchi’s new Aristo. He always reaches a new level of the ball game.

http://i359.photobucket.com/albums/oo31/interfishonline/300mergecopy.jpg

[Via http://bettasmarvelous.wordpress.com]

Will Ferrell wife | News World Wide

Test Drive of Cars @ Leng Kee

2010-01-23T14:06:00.000+02:00

Happiness. Today, I went to several car showrooms @ Leng Kee and tested several models, including 2 of which I had wanted to drive long ago, i.e Honda Civic and Kia Cerato Forte. The feeling is SHIOK, although I encountered some “bo chap” salesperson.

Stop 1:

Mazda 3

Likes: Aggressive exterior, head and tail lamps

Dislikes: Small interior cabin, noisy and sluggish engine, high pricing

Salesperson Performance: 3.5/5

Price: ~$75k

Stop 2:

Honda Civic 1.8

Likes: Fierce and stylish exterior and interior, performance

Dislikes: High pricing

Salesperson Performance: 1.5/5

Price: ~$88k

Stop 3:

Hyundai Avante 1.6 S

Likes: Responsive engine, value for money, fuel efficient, top selling model for 2009, comfortable

Dislikes: Outdated design, brakes, no controls on steering wheel

Salesperson Performance: 4/5

Price: ~$56k

Stop 4:

Kia Cerato Forte 1.6 SX

Likes: Responsive engine, super value for money, new sporty exterior and interior design, ipod connector, engine start/stop button, auto folding mirrors, 4-speed automatic transmission with Shiftronic feature, volume control on steering wheel, 17″ rims, message centre, brakes, comfortable, steady feeling

Dislikes: -

Salesperson Performance: 4/5

Price: ~$57k

Hyundai, Kia and Volkswagen have quite alot of viewers today, definitely thanks to the better designs and better service rendered by the sales person and also these brands are now more value for money. Toyota, Honda, Nissan are brands which are known for its reliability and performance for a long period of time. However, there will still be drop in sales volume due to the poor excitement of japanese cars and being turned off by the bad service rendered by some of the salesperson.

Statistics have shown that brands like Kia, Hyundai and Volkswagen reported huge increase in sales while Toyota, Honda, Nissan reported drop in sales.

In conclusion for my test drives today, if I am to make my decision, it will be Kia Cerato Forte as it is most valued for money and the car gives me the best overall feeling. I simply love the design of the car! Maybe I should keep a lookout for 2011 Hyundai Avante or Kia Soul.

[Via http://wilbursuen.wordpress.com]

Et Tu, Fox News Channel? | Crooks and Liars

iPhone, uPhone, We All Love The iPhone

2010-01-23T01:55:00.000+02:00

Christmas came and went in its usual manner – five or six days of familial films, pine needles in the socks and the exchange of gifts squirreled into the house under jumpers, in plastic bags and camouflaged by elaborate cloaking devices. One of those gifts given to me was a huge surprise: An iPhone 3G S. This, I was informed, was a combined birthday (which was in May), graduation (which was in November) and Christmas present. While it led to my having to abandon the excellent Meteor network after four and a half years of service, it nevertheless excited me beyond belief. The element of surprise was only one reason for this excitement.

See, I have that same envious side to me that inhabits the minds of children who holiday in the country but who see their friends jetting off to exotic climes. I have that jealousy which twentysomethings with Toyotas feel towards fatcats in Ferraris. I bear that grudge which exists between Bebo and Facebook, MSN and Skype, TV3 News and RTÉ News, Steve and Alec Baldwin, Pluto and the other planets, Bert and the other Sesame Streeters. Yes, it’s true: I have the PC-user’s heartfelt desire to be an Apple.

Apple are just the coolest of cool. They look sleek and sexy, bright and shiny, with pretty ways of operating, fancy futuristic programmes and they are the computers of Douglas Adams and Stephen Fry for whom my admiration is detailed elsewhere. They are the anti-clunk of Microsoft and PCs, with their constant need for Ctrl-Alt-Deletes and restarts. They are the sports car of computers, the Lambourgini to PC’s Volvo. They have been see-through and glistening white, they were flatter, thinner, quicker than any previous computer we’d seen. And they have a cool logo!

The only thing stopping me from converting to Apple was the fact I was brought up with PCs and, having reached the level of proficiency on Windows at which I am currently, I didn’t have the patience or time to make the change while in college with essays to do. But now I have finished my college education, I’m questioning my computer-sexuality. And the gateway to that conversion came in the form of my new iPhone. It’s touch-screen. You can drag the Apps about. It makes future-into-whooshing noises when you send messages. It IS the future.

Having been brought up with Star Wars as a central cultural reference point in my life, before moving on to the anything-goes future-vista of The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, the sci-fi world has always fascinated me. Not in the Trekkie-anorak way, not in the pedantically-correcting-someone-when-they-give-the-wrong-circumference-of-the-Death-Star way, not in the World-Of-Warcraft-is-my-life way. But I loved programmes like “Tomorrow’s World” – yep, flying cars and TV glasses, all that stuff was eye-candy to my pre-teen eyes.

I grew up during the advent of mobile phones. I’ve watched them shrink from bricks to Lego. I remember when Nokias only had the BIG point on their chargers. I’ve made that coming-of-age journey from Nokia 3210 to iPhone. When I opened that present on Christmas Day, it was like I leapt into hyperspace. And when I discovered the Bump application (where you simply bump two iPhones together to send files) I was giddy with glee. This is surely how Luke Skywalker would send photos to Han Solo. Of course, he might not spend as much time updating his Twitter as I do…

@bazmcstay tweets: Just written a blog post. Lol.

[Via http://bazmcstay.wordpress.com]

Stocks in the News: eBay, Starbucks, Goldman Sachs, Xerox ...

Toyota Yaris VIP Style

2010-01-21T14:00:00.000+02:00

Jakarta – Mungkinkah Anda berpaling mata jika melihat Toyota Yaris yang satu ini lewat di

depan Anda? Soalnya bagian depan hingga belakang sudah tersentuh tangan

pemiliknya, Surya Dharma.

Sang empunya barang menggambotkan tubuh si Yaris, bagaimana tidak? Lihat yang satu ini, mobil Yaris terlihat ciamik dengan pengaplikasian bodi kit W7 Carsmetic costum. Begitu lelaki yang biasa disapa Surya itu memberlakukan mobil kesayangannya.

“Konsepnya VIP Style, jadi pengaplikasian bodi kit disesuaikan dengan konsepnya yakni VIP Style berikut interiornya,” tanda Surya kepada detikOto, Kamis (21/1/2010).

Dan untuk menyelaraskan konsep VIP style, Surya menggunakan stiker bodi transparan. Penggunaan bahan yang tergolong baru di dunia modifikasi itu untuk menyatukan visi desain dengan warna bodi yakni warna silver medium.

Sementara di bagian kepala, dibenamkan Surya headlamp merek HID Evolution 6.000 kelvin. Yang anehnya jika orang membubuhi lampu yang terang di bagian atas tapi Om Surya menaruh sebaliknya, yang lebih terang sebesar 8.000 kelvin untuk

foglampnya. Tapi gimana hasilnya bro?

“Kalau dilihat dari hasil pencahayaan terang dan enggak pecah. Pokoknya bagus banget, lagian untuk mempertahankan angel eyes -nya tidak susah,” lanjutnya.

Sedangkan untuk penunjang ban, pria yang aktivitasnya bekerja di salah satu perusahaan swasta di Jakarta itu tidak kalah mentereng. Sebab pilihan air suspensi di 4 titik rodanya juga menjadi acuan utamanya. Dan untuk menambah polesan eksterios, Surya mengaplikasikan pelek merek egois ring 19 dengan lebar

plek 8,5.

Sementara penapak langkah Yaris digunakanya merek lokal dari Accelera dengan ukuran 215/35ZR19 Forcium HEXA. “Cukup produk lokal yang kembangnya drifting,” paparnya.

Untuk interiornya, Yaris yang dibangun dalam waktu 3 minggu itu cukup mumpuni untuk diajak gaul, soalnya fitur-fitur segar tersepil di dalamnya, sebut saja GPS, bluetooth. monitor AVT 2 biji pada headrest yang keseluruhan menghabiskan biaya Rp 50 juta. Sedangkan untuk joknya, kaos MBtech warna putih dan hijau didisain hingga menampilkan aura kenyamanan.

Dari keseluruhan ide yang ia terjunkan pada mobilnya, tak kurang dari Rp 95 juta

telah dihabiskan Surya untuk membangun Toyota Yaris miliknya, dan dengan dana

tersebut.

Tak urung 3 kategori yang diembatnya dalam ajang Yaris Show Off yang diadakan PT Toyota Astra Motor di 2009 lalu yakni Runner Up 1 region jakarta, glorius dengan penerapan kaki-kaki terbaik dan Groovy Choice.

Well selamat ya. “Terima kasih brother ,” sahut Surya yang tidak sabar mengikuti kontes modifikasi di Malaysia dan Singapura tahun ini. ( ikh / ddn )

Sumber: (http://oto.detik.com/read/2010/01/21/120600/1283221/642/toyota-yaris-vip-style)

[Via http://smg15.wordpress.com]

Rock Band Network open beta goes live | News

Toyota Financing, Repossession & Unethical Auction

2010-01-19T20:45:00.000+02:00

An acquaintance had his car repossessed after losing his job and not being able to keep up with payments. He kept hoping that things pick up and he could start making his payments again but then one day there was a pounding on his front door. A man had already hooked up his car to a tow truck and was ready to cart it off but just wanted to give him his business card “just in case”.

He told my friend that the car would be at a certain location for at least a month in case he could catch up with his payments. A last ditch effort phone call to Toyota’s financial department to stop the repossession was in vain. They refused to take the last bit of money on a credit card my friend had and off the car went.

Well not only did the car not remain at the location specified by Toyota’s tow truck driver (some 50 miles away from my friend’s present location), it was transported 200 additional miles away making it totally impossible for him to get it back.

Within a week and a half of the tow, Toyota sent him a letter informing him he would have to pay all the back payments, plus “cleaning” costs, more magical fees and then they sprung it on him that they moved the car to some city he had never heard of. They didn’t take the car back to the dealer from whom he purchased it – 50 miles away, in a town where he used to live. They didn’t keep the car at the location specified by the tower – in the county where he was now living. They took it to never-never land! So even if he could catch up on his payments, how on earth was he going to make the journey to the new location? He couldn’t.

The reason I say Toyota Motors financing department sucks is the manner in which they went about auctioning off the car. They deliberately sold it for less than half it’s fair market value and expected him to pay for their losses. That’s insane! The law usually understands the concept of fair market value but apparently not in the case of a repossessed auto and how car companies play the repo game. At least not in California. It’s unethical. And the law should be changed to provide a measure of fairness to the poor chap who gets his car towed away.

I know you could argue that he was his own fault for not making his payments. Well it wasn’t his fault that he lost his job because of the unethical actions of banks in creating this crapping economy! (KS, San Francisco)

[Via http://usaviews.com]

Google Maps: Now Adding Reviews from News Sites, Hyperlocal Blogs ...

Diminishing Returns: When Product Placements Compete with Hulu's Banner Ads

2010-01-17T08:53:00.000+02:00

The above image features a scene from ABC’s Modern Family where Mitchell returns home with his adopted daughter, Lily. Although, Modern Family, much like many other scripted ABC programs, relies heavily on product displacement, the Toyota logo on the back of Mitchell’s car lingers for a few seconds while a Chevy Malibu banner ad is displayed on screen. I don’t remember if a 30-second spot for Chevrolet ran as I watched the episode, but based on my Hulu experience, I’m pretty sure one did. I tend to watch shows in “fullscreen mode,” but naturally minimize my screen to the normal web view for a number of reasons. I would be interested in knowing what percentage of Hulu users watch shows in fullscreen or toggle between various views.

Regardless of my curiosity, I find it interesting that two competing car companies would appear simultaneously on the same screen. I’m not sure if the Toyota occurrence was a paid-for placement, but regardless, the logo is visible and probably decreases brand recall and awareness of the Chevy Malibu ad. Typically, during TV ad purchases, advertisers and networks go through great lengths to ensure that ads do not air during programs that feature heavy integrations of a rival brand. For example, you’re never going to see a commercial for Pepsi during Fox’s Coca-Cola-inundated American Idol. Including ads for competing companies within the same, program, commercial pod, scene or frame cannibalizes viewer attention and blurs brand messages.

While Hulu is primarily a video content hub, the company should begin encoding its content with information that might prove useful to advertisers. Annotating or tagging segments/scenes that contain brand names or logos can help determine which “program moments” deliver better ad performance. Pairing a Chevy Malibu banner ad with a scene that features a Toyota vehicle used by principle characters is just a bad idea. To me, Hulu is rich in data. I absolutely love the Captions Search feature and know that the data it generates will likely make Hulu more appealing to advertisers. I see the annotating/pinpointing of product integrations working on a backend level and possibly even being provided by the content owners themselves (ABC, NBC, Fox…). If a brand is integrated into a television show, it makes sense for that same brand to be integrated into a viewer’s Hulu experience as they enjoy their content.

[Via http://gladyssantiago.wordpress.com]

Haiti Earthquake: Breaking News, Updates (VIDEO)

Toyota fuel cell vehicles by 2015, battery R&D stepped up

2010-01-17T02:50:00.000+02:00

You are here: Home / Car News / Toyota fuel cell vehicles by 2015, battery R&D stepped upToyota fuel cell vehicles by 2015, battery R&D stepped up

January 14, 2010 by Tim Beissmann

6 Comments

| |

If everything goes according to plan, Toyota will make hydrogen fuel cell vehicles available to private buyers within six years.

Toyota’s executive vice president of product planning and advanced technology, Takeshi Uchiyamada, said that fuel cell vehicles could be less expensive than hybrid and electric vehicles in selected markets that have the appropriate refuelling infrastructure.

Speaking at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Mr Uchiyamada would not speculate on the type of vehicle that may enter the market by the scheduled 2015 entry date, but said it would need to be affordable and have a great fuel range.

The announcement is backed up by Toyota’s recent commitment to introduce more than 100 fuel cell vehicles into its demonstrator fleet test program in California and New York.

Previous testing with the Highlander FCHV (fuel cell hybrid vehicle) achieved an estimated range of 693km on a single full tank of compressed hydrogen gas and an average fuel economy equivalent to 3.4 litres/100km.

Toyota is also boosting its global research and development resources, with a new electric division of around 50 engineers working on next-generation battery technologies.

Toyota’s managing officer in charge of developing batteries, Koei Saga, said battery technology needed to improve significantly heading into the future.

“We believe a key to the electrical mobile technology lies in innovation of battery technology.

“Lithium-ion batteries will already be a step forward, but we need batteries that offer far superior performance,” he said.

The current version of the Prius uses nickel-metal-hydride batteries but Toyota has confirmed the Prius PHV (plug-in hybrid vehicle – due for release in 2012) will be powered by the more energy efficient lithium-ion units.

[Via http://allcarnews.wordpress.com]

The Morning News: Haiti, Health Care, Hack the Planet | Slog | The ...

4 Runner Has Better Value than Highlander

2010-01-14T20:16:00.000+02:00

Toyota 4 Runner compare with Highlander. The 4 Runner is stronger in look and outdoor functions but price lower around $1000. The new design of the 4 Runner makes it more powerful look, telling you how strong it is. In some way looks a little like the FJ18 but bigger, like the older brother of FJ18. It is a little bigger than the highlander in all dimensions. The car will give you power before you step in the driver’s room. And it is real outdoor truck base SUV. You can trust it in the tough condition. The new model have new look and some new technologies like Transfer Case, Suspension system, KDSS, Hill start assist control, Vehicle stability control, Active-TRAC, X-REAS, Backup camera, ECO. And these features make it stronger, safer and smarter. I think it is more valuable than the highlander.

[Via http://autotree.wordpress.com]

Bookninja » Blog Archive » News tids

TOYOTA PRIUS, PLANT SET UP IN THAILAND SOON

2010-01-14T14:17:00.000+02:00

2001

The Mini Cooper is launched in the United States, followed by the Toyota Prius, the first mass-produced hybrid vehicle. The SUV backlash begins.

2004

The Toyota Prius II won 2004 Car of the Year Awards from Motor Trend Magazine and the North American Auto Show. Toyota was surprised by the demand and pumped up its production from 36,000 to 47,000 for the U.S. market. Interested buyers waited up to six months to purchase the 2004 Prius. Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. President Jim Press called it “the hottest car we’ve ever had.”

2010 Toyota to mass produce plug-in hybrids from 2012, and Plant will be set up in THAILAND

[Via http://hiab4.wordpress.com]

Dublin news crew films guy slipping on ice instead of warning him ...

We interrupt the Detroit Auto Show to bring you... Back to the Future?

2010-01-14T02:42:00.000+02:00

This morning, while reading the Wall Street Journal, I stumbled across this article:

Back to the Future: GM Bets on Trucks

later in the day, this article caught my eye:

Strung-Out America Demands More Big SUVs, Ford Happy to Resupply

Now, I’m going to begin this post with a caveat. I love my SUV.

But I don’t drive it every day. Sometimes, I go months without driving it. When I do drive it, I tend to for one of the following reasons:

I’m going 4-Wheeling, or somewhere where I’ll need the additional clearance and 4wd
I’m going to a NAXJA meeting
I need to haul something that won’t fit in my Accord
I just feel like driving a different vehicle, or want my Accord to feel like a Miata the next time I drive it

SUV’s are great vehicles. They can haul lots of stuff, and lots of people. I think they look cool, and I like the “go-anywhere” utility of my Jeep.

But I’m not most SUV buyers, who never leave pavement, never need to tow a boat, and really don’t need the SUV. Most SUV buyers would probably be just as happy, if not happier, in a good old-fashioned Station Wagon.

I just uttered an automotive dirty word. Station wagon’s aren’t cool. They’re what your mom drove. They were the site of fights with your siblings on road trips to Wally World. But modern station wagons offer the utility that most people need from their SUV while delivering some good gas mileage, and even looking cool in the process. Need an example? Check out the Subaru Legacy, Mercedes E-Class, and the upcomming CTS-V Wagon.

So why are GM and Ford going back to SUV’s and Trucks? They’re big money makers. Big vehicle, big price premium, bigger profits per vehicle. I get it. I’m a business major, and I can’t blame them for wanting to make a buck. The question is, are we really as hungry for new SUV’s and Trucks as these articles claim?

Full size pickups will never go away. They make sense for business, whether big or small. Someone will always need a Suburban to tow their boat.

The problem is that the SUV strategy wasn’t sustainable before, and it isn’t now. The Japanese did SUV’s, and made plenty of money off of them, but their bread and butter was still the mid-sized sedan: Camry, Accord, Altima. Say those names with me. That is the battle ground that one needs to win to win in the auto industry.

I hope GM and Ford make less money on the next generation of SUV’s; not because I want them to fail, but because I want those huge profits SUV’s generate to be invested into making those SUV’s- and the passenger cars- better, more fuel-efficient, and more competitive.

By doing so, hopefully GM won’t have to rely on them to survive ever again. I’m disappointed in the direction change, and hope its temporary.

Now back to your regularly scheduled auto show. Another update is coming tomorrow, as today was slow.

[Via http://johnvrbanacforgmceo.com]

Dublin news crew films guy slipping on ice instead of warning him ...

2,006 4Runner Toyota

2010-01-12T08:26:00.000+02:00

คุณเห็น 4runners ออกแบบใหม่หรือไม่พวกเขาทั้งหมดใหม่และฉันหมายถึงจากกรอบ up. นี้จะเป็นรุ่นที่ 4 4runner. รุ่นแรกได้ pickups เพียงกับหอยคนพักแรม. ฉันคิดว่าพวกเขาแก้ไขเล็กน้อยจนถึง 1995. ในปี 1996 4runner ถูกออกแบบใหม่ทั้งหมดใน SUV. 4runners ใหม่เป็นเรื่องเหลวไหลไม่มีทั้ง. พวกเขาได้รับการออกแบบใหม่ทั้งหมดจากพื้น up.

ฉันมี 1,996 4runner. ฉันซื้อมันในปี 1997. ถูกรถที่ดีที่สุดที่ฉันมีเจ้าของเคย. ฉันถูกคุกคามเพื่อ 4runner อื่นแต่ฉันไม่ได้ตื่นตาตื่นใจมากกับคุณภาพของการนั่ง 4runner เก่าของฉัน. แล้วฉันฝูงใหม่. พวกเขาจะไม่รถเดียวกัน. อาจจะในชื่อเพียงแต่ใหม่อยู่มากนุ่มนวล.

4runner ฉันมีพลัง v6 แต่ 4runner นี้ฉันฝูง V8 มีอำนาจบาง. มี 270 แรงม้าและ £ 330-ft ของกำลังบิด. ฉันอายุ v6 เพียงมี 183 HP. ค่อนข้างกระโดดใน power. แม้ใหม่ 4.0 รุ่น V6 ได้ 245 HP. ที่มีเครื่องหมายปรับปรุง.

คุณลักษณะใหม่รวมอัตโนมัติจำกัดแตกต่างใบ, กระเป๋าด้านอากาศม่านควบคุมการลาก, ที่นั่ง 3 แถวนี้พร้อมด้วยระเบียบระบบสินค้าสองชั้นหลัง. ฉันประหลาดใจเพียงที่ทุกคุณสมบัติใหม่และผลประโยชน์จากการรุ่นใหม่กว่ากระทำฉันเป็น.

คุณยังสามารถปรับความสูงของสินค้าหลังเพื่อให้ง่ายต่อการปลดปล่อย. แล้วเมื่อคุณออกเดินทางคุณสามารถเพิ่มในโหมดสูง. มิฉะนั้นตนเอง leveling คุณสมบัติเก็บ 4runner ที่มันต้องมีการนั่งสบายที่สุด.

ฉันพบ theV8 เป็นตัวเลือกในรุ่นทั้งหมด. SR5, รุ่นกีฬาและแม้แต่จำกัดทั้งหมดนี้มาพร้อมกับมาตรฐาน V6. ตอนนี้ที่จะย้าย V6. V8 จริงได้รับก๊าซธรรมชาติระยะที่ดีขึ้นนิดหน่อย. ไปคิดว่า.

SR5 ช่วงจำกัดไม่มากมาก. ตัวดีน้อยลงในรุ่น Limited. แต่สิ่งที่คุณคิดว่าจะต้องมีมาตรฐานไม่เช่นด้านถุงลมม่าน. Moonroof และ homelink จะบางเพิ่มดีฉันต้องการถ้าข้าพเจ้าได้รับ SR5 ต้องการฉันอีกได้ในขณะนี้.

4runner ใหม่อย่างแท้จริงปรับปรุงเด่นกว่ารุ่นก่อน. เพียงเป็น 1,996 รุ่นถูกปรับปรุงให้มากกว่า 1,995 รุ่น. ลองใหม่ Toyota 4Runner; คุณจะประทับใจเท่าฉัน.

[Via http://alltoyotareviews.wordpress.com]

NYT: Fox News netted $700 million last year « Don Surber

2010-01-12T02:26:00.000+02:00

Jim Lentz Unveiling Toyota FT-CH

DETROIT, January 11, 2010—Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A, Inc., today unveiled the FT-CH dedicated hybrid concept at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. The FT-CH is a concept that would address Toyota’s stated strategy to offer a wider variety of conventional hybrid choices to its customers, as it begins to introduce plug-in hybrids (PHVs) and battery electrics (BEVs) in model year 2012, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCHVs) in 2015 in global markets.

“Within the next 10 to 20 years, we will not only reach peak oil we will enter a period where demand for all liquid fuels will exceed supply,” said Jim Lentz, TMS president. “A century after the invention of the automobile, we must re-invent it with powertrains that significantly reduce or eliminate the use of conventional petroleum fuels. One of many alternatives is through what is commonly called the electrification of the automobile. By far, the single most successful example of this has been the gas-electric hybrid.” The CH stands for compact hybrid as in compact class and it’s a concept that can best be defined by comparing it with the mid-size class Prius. The FT-CH captures the spirit and functionality of a car that thrives in the inner-city environment; sized right to be nimble, responsive and maneuverable. “It’s a package Toyota dealers and customers have been asking for,” added Lentz. The FT-CH was styled at Toyota’s European Design and Development (ED²) center in Nice, France. Compared to Prius, it is 22 inches shorter in overall length, yet loses less than an inch in overall width. In spite of its compact external dimensions, FT-CH was designed for maximum passenger comfort and interior roominess, with an imaginative sense of style. ED² designers looked to capture the vivid, high-energy appeal of what has come to be called the 8-bit generation. Popularized in the early 80’s, 8-bit microprocessor technology dominated the budding home video game industry. Today, 8-bit is considered a specific retro-style that is embraced by such things as 8-bit genre music and 8-bit inspired art. The direct reference to the 8-bit generation is meant to be fun and innovative, colorful and stylish, with strong appeal to young buyers. Lighter in weight and even more fuel efficient than Prius, the concept specifically targets a lower price point than Prius, thus appealing to a younger, less-affluent buyer demographic. Pointing to how Prius has become a universal icon for hybrid technology, Lentz confirmed that TMS is developing a Prius family “marketing strategy” for North America that will take full advantage of the Prius brand equity. “The strategy is still taking shape and obviously it will require additional models to qualify as a family,” said Lentz. “Among others, the FT-CH is a concept that we are considering.” In the early 2010s, Toyota plans to sell a million hybrids per year globally, a majority of those in North America. To accomplish this, Toyota will launch eight all new hybrid models over the next few years. These will not include next generation versions of current hybrids; instead, they will be all new dedicated hybrid vehicles, or all new hybrid versions of existing gas engine models. The heart of hybrid technology is its battery. Since the early 90’s, during the early stages of first-generation Prius development, Toyota has been committed to in-house R&D of advanced nickel-metal hydride batteries. Through three generations of Prius and a total of seven full-hybrid models, it has systematically reduced size, weight and cost while improving energy density, quality and reliability. Toyota’s joint venture partnership with Panasonic has been a key element of its success in the advancement of hybrid technology. Later this year, Panasonic EV Energy (PEVE) will have three separate, fully operational production facilities with a combined capacity of more than one million units per year. Moving the promise of electrification one step further, Toyota recently kicked off its global demonstration program involving approximately 600 Prius plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Beginning early this year, 150 PHVs will begin to arrive in the U.S. where they will be placed in regional clusters with select partners for market/consumer analysis and technical demonstration. The Prius PHV introduces Toyota’s first generation lithium-ion drive battery. When fully charged, the vehicle is targeted to achieve a maximum electric-only range of about 13 miles and capable of achieving highway speeds of more than 60 mph in electric-only mode. For longer distances, the Prius PHV reverts to “hybrid mode” and operates like a regular Prius. This ability to utilize all-electric power for short trips or hybrid power for longer drives alleviates the issue of limited cruising range encountered with pure-electric vehicles. All program vehicles will be equipped with data retrieval/communication devices which will monitor activities such as: how often the vehicle is charged and when, whether the batteries are depleted or being topped-off during charging, trip duration and all-electric driving range, combined mpg and so on. As it becomes available, data from the program vehicles will be posted to a dedicated Web site. This in use, readily available data will help consumers understand how the vehicles are being used and how they’re performing. Toyota believes this demonstration program is a necessary next step in societal preparation in that it allows Toyota the unique opportunity to inform, educate and prepare customers for the electrification of the automobile in general and the introduction of plug-in hybrid technology. Toyota is moving quickly with the development of PHV technology well beyond this demonstration program. Advanced battery R&D programs with nickel-metal, lithium-ion and “beyond lithium” are underway for a wide variety of applications in conventional hybrids, PHVs, BEVs and FCHVs. In the early 1990s, Toyota began R&D on building a practical and affordable hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. FCHV technical advancements have moved at a rapid pace. Engineers have made great strides in cost reduction targets in both materials and manufacturing and Toyota is committed to bringing hydrogen fuel cells to global markets in 2015. Toyota’s latest model, the Toyota FCHV-advanced began its own national demonstration program late last year. Over the course of the three year program, more than 100 vehicles will be placed in an effort to demonstrate the technology’s performance, reliability and practicality in everyday use. Recently field tested in southern California by two national laboratories at the request of the U.S. Department of Energy, the FCHV-advanced confirmed an estimated single-tank fuel range of 431 miles. In combined city and highway driving from Santa Monica to San Diego the FCHV-adv logged an estimated 68 miles per kilogram of hydrogen, the rough equivalent of 68 miles per gallon. That range is equivalent to a Highlander hybrid at more than double the MPG with zero emissions other than water vapor. In 1997, Toyota introduced the RAV4 EV battery electric vehicle in California. 1,484 of these 100 mile range large-battery electric vehicles were either sold or leased over the course of the program. Nearly half are still on the road. Shortly thereafter, Toyota started a modest demonstration program with a small- battery electric urban commuter vehicle, called the e-com. This concept addressed the idea of the “on-demand” city station car similar to the Zip-car business model that is becoming popular in large urban areas. Although shorter in range, the e-com program addressed a specific mobility niche at a much more affordable price than the RAV4 EV. The RAV4 EV and e-com programs were short lived due to lack of commitment from the market; the consumer and the consumer’s environmental mind set were not ready to commit to battery electric vehicles at that time. Recent increased awareness of environmental issues and the benefits of advanced technology vehicles have reinvigorated an interest in the electric vehicle market. As a result, Toyota will bring a small, urban commuter lithium-ion BEV to market in model year 2012. Battery technology has progressed significantly in the time since the RAV4 EV and e-com programs. But major challenges still remain. The cost of lithium-ion batteries needs to be reduced significantly, or a more affordable alternative developed. Like hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, battery electrics will require the creation of infrastructure for recharging on the go. This issue of range is also a challenge to overcome. Even at 100 miles, BEVs as a primary mode of transportation do not yet offer what most consumers see as true mobility. Toyota believes these are hurdles that will be cleared. For the last decade its focus has been to concentrate on a comprehensive advanced technology strategy including BEVs, PHVs, and FCHVs. Common to all three is the move to electrification, the full commitment to advanced battery technology and how lessons learned from conventional hybrid R&D have given Toyota a leg-up on all three.

[Via http://northhollywoodtoyota.wordpress.com]

Sarah Palin to Contribute to Fox News - Media Decoder Blog ...

Classy...... yet dirty

2010-01-09T08:08:00.000+02:00

Thank speedhunters again. I hardly ever see Cressida’s this old. It’s a US model, but the owner obviously loves JDM culture. It has all kinds of small touches. Fender mirrors, the rigged wing, hang ring, front spoiler, SSR lookin Centerline rims, poked rims, taped headlight. It’s all legit.

What do you think of the galleries? Better than individul pics or no……. yes? No?

[Via http://tailoutsx.wordpress.com]

Fox News Man Bill Hemmer Talks Football with NFLGridironGab.com ...

Toyota Luncurkan Etios di India

2010-01-05T14:01:00.000+02:00

New Delhi, 05 Januari 2010 - Pabrikan otomotif Toyota di India, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, Rabu (06/01) akan meluncurkan konsep sedan berharga murah, Toyota Etios, di arena pameran otomotif New Delhi Auto Show. Sumber Toyota seperti dikutip Indianautoblog, menyebut, selain untuk menggenjot penjualan produknya di India, pabrikan otomotif asal Jepang itu juga akan memasarkan Etios ke berbagai belahan dunia.

Rusia, Afrika Selatan, Brazil, dan China dan beberapa negara di Asia telah masuk daftar sebagai tujuan pemasaran mobil itu. Untuk pasar India, Etios akan diproduksi akhir tahun ini. Sedangkan untuk pasar global awal 2011 mendatang.

Kazuo Okamoto, Wakil Kepala Toyota seperti dikutip autonews menyebut, peluncuran di India ini merupakan awal dari strategi Toyota untuk menggenjot penjualan produknya. “(Peluncuran) ini akan menjadi tonggak penting bagi pemasaran produk Toyota di pasar global. Dan kami telah memulai strategi itu di India,” tutur Okamoto.

Toyota butuh waktu empat tahun dan melibatkan 2.000 orang ahli mesin dan rancang bangun mobil untuk membangun yang sejak dua bulan lalu santer diberitakan di berbagai media dunia itu. Etios akan ditawarkan dalam dua varian yaitu sedan yang dibekali mesin 1.500 cc dan hatchback dengan mesin 1.200 cc. Wujud hatchback ini disebut-sebut mirip dengan Toyota Yaris.

Ihwal harga, sumber Toyota seperti dikutip worldcarfans memberi ancar-ancar mulai US$ 10 ribu atau sekitar Rp 96 juta. Meski harganya kompetitif, namun Toyota menjamin kualitas mobil ini berstandar internasional dan tak kalah dengan varian lainnya. Toyota pun mengusung slogan ‘The Global Quality Standard’ untuk mengiringi promosi produk barunya itu.

Masih kurang? Coba klik di sini untuk melihat teasernya di Youtube.

Sumber foto

[Via http://rajufebrian.wordpress.com]

CES 2010: Catch the latest news here - Pocket-lint

December 2009 - Botswana, Northern Cape trip

2010-01-03T08:49:00.000+02:00

We entered Botswana through Skilpads Gate. This is on the N4 west of Zeerust. We thought we got there early but obviously not earlier enough as it took us 4 hours to get through customs. There were no problems but the whole procedure is slow on the Botswana side, one gets a true sense of African time.

Queue at the Botswana border post (Skilpads Gate)

Finally through the border post we drove to Lobatse for petrol and then we headed off to Sekoma. Not far from Sekoma we took a cut road through to Mabuasehube one of the gates into the kgalagadi transfrontier Park.

The start of the cut road through to Mabuasehube

After debating whether the lions would eat me through a nylon tent or if I would be better off in a canvass tent I decided on the former. However night one I woke just after midnight to find that my blowup mattress had gone completely flat. The next morning after a long hard night I found the problem, a huge gaping hole on the seam of my mattress. What was I going to do for the next 7 nights? The duck tape didn’t work and we were a few hundred kilometers from the nearest civilization… I realized that I would have to embrace mother earth for the next 7 nights.

In Botswana (Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park) One gets to camp in the open, yes that’s right, you are exposed to the elements and animals. We were told that at night if the lions or hyenas come around we would be safe in our tents as long as we kept them zipped up and kept away from the sides of the tent, very reassuring for me a city slicker.

One of the trees we camped under in Botswana

When the other four guys found out that I was walking around with pepper spray in my pocket they ragged me and made me put it away, probably not a bad idea as it would be more manly to fight a lion off with my bare hands that spray him in the eye and annoy him.

One of the male lions I photographed

I survived Botswana and then we drove through the desert to get to South Africa.

The trip through the desert 46 degrees at 9am.

Below are some of the photos I took on the way to the SA border.

Tuft of grass

....more photos out of Botswana toward SA border

Almost in SA again

Okay so you guessed it right, the 5 of us spoke about women most of the time although lions did crop up every and again. One thing we all agreed on…woman are wonderful in fact absolutely fantastic especially after day sevens in the bush!

Back to the wildlife we saw.

We had just had a wind storm and guess who loved the seed pods

a male lion yawning

I asked him to smile and this was the best I got

a beautiful lizard

Below is yours truely doing the all famous Captain Morgan Extreme pose! (I thought I would pop this image in here….almost like an add break) I hope you see this Captain Morgan marketers!!!!

Me doing the Captain Morgan extreme pose

Wildebeest fighting

Springbok trying to show who is boss

Secretary bird showing off again....as they often do!

Yes, we even saw Leopard

For those of you that don’t know me I must let you know that I absolutely love photographing panoramics and landscapes. Below are a few of my landscapes.

Calm before the storm

Late afternoon

House of light

Lightening Bolt

Ostrich land

Sand Dune

So we finally arrive at Nossob in South African and are very pleased to fill up with petrol and get a few cold drinks.

Petrol Station at Nossob

We spent two nights at nossob and then made our way home through Upington, Kuuruman etc. Asked if I would do the trip again….1000 yeses!!!

Below are two of my favorite photos.

Male Lion

Sunset

[Via http://gregdasilva.wordpress.com]

Good News From GMU « LewRockwell.com Blog

World-Class Suppliers Need World-Class Customers

2010-01-02T01:53:00.000+02:00

As part of their effort to slash the cost of auto parts by 30% over the next three years, Toyota met with its suppliers last week to enlist their help in the process. Based on their reputation for dealing with suppliers, I’m guessing that Toyota will approach the process in a much different manner than most companies, and the process will be very successful.

Read more at http://corporatedeathspiral.blogspot.com/2009/12/world-class-suppliers-need-world-class.html

[Via http://corporatedeathspiral.wordpress.com]

The Washington Monthly

Toyota Hiace Multi Purpose Car

2009-12-27T14:44:00.000+02:00

Common Name: Hiace

Driver: -

Make: Toyota

Model: Hiace Multi Purpose Car

Engine: I4 DOHC (2KD-FTV D-4D Turbo Diesel)

Drivetrain: FR

Horsepower: 102 hp / 3600 rpm

Torque: 260 nm / 1600-2400 rpm

Color: White

Dimensions: 4840 mm x 1880 mm x 2105

Wheel Base: 2570 mm

Weight: 1710 kg

Brand: Tomica

Year: 2005

Made In: China

Model Number: 048

Scale: 1/64

The Toyota HIACE Commuter lets you enter a world of your own. A world in which you set the priorities and decide what is really important in life. With a worldwide reputation for proven performance to back it, the HIACE Commuter is designed from the ground up to match today’s active lifestyles, and comes loaded with features to make driving more comfortable, more stylish and more enjoyable.

The Toyota Hiace is a motor vehicle produced by the Japanese manufacturer Toyota. First launched in 1967, the Hiace has since been available in a wide range of configurations, including minivan (MPV) and minibus, van, pick-up, taxi, ambulance and motorhome. Its traditional competitor from Nissan is the Homy.

The fifth generation Hiace appeared in August 2004 as a wide long-wheelbase wagon, wide super-long-wheelbase high-roof “Grand Cabin”, long-wheelbase van, long-wheelbase high-roof van and a wide super-long-wheelbase high-roof van. In this generation the gear stick has been moved to the dash-board to enable easier movement in the cabin. Five speed manual and four speed automatic transmissions are available.

All of the models use a 4-cylinder DOHC engine, in a variety of forms, a 1TR-FE 2000 cc or 2TR-FE 2700 cc petrol engine or a 2KD-FTV 2500 cc or 1KD-FTV 3000 cc D-4D turbo diesel engine.

Two of these engines are available in Malaysia, the 2.5 L turbo diesel, offered in a choice of panel van or window van; and the 2.7 L petrol, that comes only in the window van option.

The 2.5 and 3.0 litre turbo diesel engines have a maximum output of 75 kW at 3600 rpm and 80 kW at 3000 rpm respectively and maximum torque of 260 Nm at 1600-2400 rpm and 286Nm at 1200-1600 rpm respectively. The 2.7 L petrol engine has a maximum output of 111 kW at 4800 rpm and a maximum torque of 241 Nm at 3800 rpm.

Currently on Japan’s list of the most commonly stolen vehicles the Hiace currently resides at #1. Because of a lack of a theft immobilizer, it is fairly easy to steal a Hiace, as opposed to much more valuable SUVs and sports cars, which have very technical theft deterent systems.

[Via http://jonleyrosdiecast.wordpress.com]

Saving Mexico | Cannabis News - Medical Marijuana, Marijuana News ...

ข้อมูล Toyota Supra

2009-12-24T20:50:00.000+02:00

Toyota Supra เป็นหนึ่งในรถยนต์ที่เคยยิ่งใหญ่มาจากประเทศญี่ปุ่นและได้รับการยอมรับในระดับสากลเป็นไอคอนรถกีฬา. ผลิตจาก 1,979 ถึง 2,001 ในญี่ปุ่น (ผลิตเพียง 1,998 จนกระทั่งในอเมริกาเหนือ), รุ่นจะมีอยู่ในแพลตฟอร์มเลือกสำหรับ tuners ทั่วโลก. ทุกรุ่นมาพร้อมกับ inline power ม้าสูงหกเครื่องยนต์ทั้งธรรมชาติ aspired, กังหัน turbocharged หรือคู่เรียก. Engines Toyota Supra ของรวม 5M-GE, 7M-GE, 7M-GTE,1JZ-GTE, 2JZ-GE และ 2JZ-GTE ฉาวโฉ่. วันนี้ก็ไม่มีรุ่นที่เป็นที่นิยมมากขึ้นว่าทุกคนต้องการ MK4 Toyota Supra แต่ MK2 และ Supras MK3 มีดังนี้มาก!

Supra MKII โตโยต้า

ผลิตจาก 1,982 ถึง 1,986 รุ่น โตโยต้า สอง Supra (เรียกยังคงเป็นเซลิก้า Supra) มาพร้อมกับ inline หก 5M-GE มี 175 แรงม้า. มันมีรูปร่าง boxy, พลิกค่าไฟและแผ่นบังโคลนรถกว้าง flares.

โตโยต้า MKIIISupra

Mark III Supra ถูกนำในกลาง 1,986. ในปีแรกก็สามารถใช้ได้กับเครื่องยนต์ 200HP 7M GE. ใน 1,987 โตโยต้า Supra ทำแบบ Turbocharged with 230HP 7M-GTE, รุ่นใหม่มาพร้อมกับป้ายกังหัน, R-154 ส่งการผู้ทำให้เสียหลังและอุปกรณ์อื่นๆ. ในปี 1989 Supra ได้กึ่งปรับปรุงด้วยกันชนหน้าใหม่ไฟท้าย 3 ชิ้นใหม่เล็ม, ผู้ทำให้เสียหลัง 3 ชิ้นและอุปกรณ์ย่อยอื่นๆ. ในญี่ปุ่นยัง 1,989 ปี R Twin Turboรุ่นถูกออกก็ sported เทอร์โบคู่ revving สูง 1JZ-GTE กับโรงไฟฟ้า 280HP. 1JZ ถูกลดลง 2.5L ที่ didn't ให้เป็นกำลังบิดมากอำนาจเป็น 7M ได้แต่ "การไฟฟ้าราบรื่น" สิ่งที่ได้รับรางวัลเจ้าของมันมากกว่า. วันนี้เป็น 1JZ แลกเปลี่ยนทั่วไป MK2 และ MK3 Supras เหมือนกันและจะเป็นมากขึ้นยากที่จะหานำเข้า 1JZ ดี. คือ MKIII Supra ทำ 1,986.5-1,992.

Supra MKIV โตโยต้า

โดยไม่ต้องสงสัย Mark IV โตโยต้าSupra เป็นหนึ่งถ้าไม่รถที่กำหนดคำว่า "ญี่ปุ่นกีฬารถ". มีลักษณะการควบคุมและ POWER. ใน 1,993 รุ่นล่าสุด Supra ถูกเปิดและได้รับรถตั้งแต่โปสเตอร์สำหรับฉากสูงชั้นนำเข้า. แล้วในภาพยนตร์อนันต์, ชนะลากมันชุดหลายเชื้อชาติ series แสดงความท้าทาย dyno และมีชีวิตของมันถูกขโมยจากเจ้าของรถกล้ามเนื้ออนันต์บนทางหลวง. ไม่มีศักยภาพในการปฏิเสธว่า powerplant 2JZ อยู่กับ 320HP หุ้นมัน – จำนี้ใน 1,993เมื่อรถยนต์มากที่สุดมาพร้อมกับการไม่ได้ครึ่งหนึ่งของที่! เทอร์โบคู่มักจะเป็นรายการแรกในรายการการปรับรุ่นสำหรับ tuners ที่สุดก็มีมากมายที่มีประสิทธิภาพ supras เทอร์โบคู่ออกมีแต่วิธีที่ง่ายที่สุดเพื่อให้อำนาจใน 2JZ อยู่กับ turbocharger เดียวใหญ่. งานมันค่อนข้างง่ายดึงออก 700 + HP ใน 2JZ-GTE และมีค่อนข้าง Supras น้อยกว่า 1000-1500 + HP. MKIV Supra ต่อไปในมูลค่าหลายคิดว่ามันไม่ยุติธรรมแต่เพียงวาง, SUPERCAR และสำหรับ 30K +ขโมยของ. Supra, เศร้าเห็นวันสุดท้ายในทวีปอเมริกาเหนือในปี 1998.

Supra ในอนาคต โตโยต้า

ชอบเล่นหลายคนได้รับการรอ MKV Supra มาจากปี. น่ากลัวว่าจะถูกเราต้องพิจารณาในเชิงลบ …. ว่าอย่างไร MKIV เป็นตำนานจริงและจะเก็บตลอดไปและหาก MKV ไม่ได้อยู่ถึงมาตรฐานเหล่า – โดยเฉพาะอย่างยิ่งกับการเปิดตัวของใหม่นิสสัน GTR เดิมเกือบจะเก้อ. ฉันทั้งหมดสำหรับ โตโยต้า ไปให้ใหม่ไดรฟ์สูงขับเคลื่อนล้อหลังรถกีฬาแต่จะมันจึงไม่ดีถ้ามันเป็นภายใต้แบรนด์เล็กซัส?

[Via http://alltoyotareviews.wordpress.com]

FT.com | FT Energy Source | Spot news

Car Shopping

2009-12-20T05:33:00.000+02:00

Test drove some cars today. my 2003 BMW 325i has had some expensive maintenance costs this year, and I’m beggining to consider buying something different.

After paying a large sum to fix the power steering, we got a large purchase phone call from Discover. When the discover car guide saw that the charge was from a BMW dealer he said, “yeah, I had a pretty German lady, but she became so high maintenance and expensive that I had to trade her in.”

I still really like my car and its sad to think about trading it in. I like the way it drives. It is very tight and responsive with a good kick of acceleration. It’s fun to drive, even after 6 years. I bought this car because I fell in love with it. I knew that it was not as reliable than the Honda Accord I was also looking at at the time, but it was much cooler and only a little bit more expensive.

Today, I test drove a Toyota Prius. this is a brain car, not a heart car. it drives like a go-cart. one way they could have increased efficiency would have been to cut out holes in the floor so you can use your feet, ala Fred Flintstone. The cool thing about the prius is geeky tech factor. it’s like playing a video game where the object is to get the lowest gas milage. I like the Prius, the dashbord is all techy and gadgetty. also, there is suprisingly a lot of room, both in the driver and the passenger areas. It is not spunky, especially in Eco mode.

I’m intrigued. I’m currently keeping an open mind and trying different things.

[Via http://looseassoc.wordpress.com]

Monster Hunter PSP heads online News | PSP | Eurogamer

Crystal Body Yokohama

2009-12-17T08:51:00.000+02:00

A variety of images of CBY’s Ae86 that I’ve gathered.. from Speedhunters, CBY, Noriyaro and other misc sources.

In my eyes, this ae86 is almost perfect style wise. Would probably get rid of that wing and the rear bumper. Then again what do I know? It’s all function over form anyways.

[Via http://jaydeemmm.wordpress.com]

Climategate goes SERIAL: now the Russians confirm that UK climate ...

The Rise and Fall of the Toyotan Empire

2009-12-17T02:29:00.000+02:00

Are we observing rise and (quick) fall of the of the Toyota? The Economist had an interesting article about the recent issues at Toyota, saying that unless they can find a solution to their problems, their stint as the world biggest car maker may be short. (“Losing its shine”, December 2010).

The article makes several interesting points on the reason for the decline. First, the competition is catching up:

For years Toyota has been the quality benchmark for every carmaker, but at the very moment it faltered, others were finally catching up. The truth is that although a few fail to make the grade—Chrysler still has a lot of catching-up to do—most cars these days are extraordinarily well-made. The quality surveys by which buyers used to set such store are now based on minute differences. This is the main reason why the manufacturers’ positions in the league tables have become increasingly volatile.

This is very related to an article Marty was discussing several months ago (“Southwest flies to Logan and a teaching cliché die“) discussing Southwest’s decision to fly from Logan: all airlines became discount airlines, and the field caught up with Southwest. Using the same methods that brought Toyota to the top, most car makers can manufacture well-made cars. The second reason for the (temporary?) decline of Toyota it not unrelated, and is the recent surge in quality issues plaguing the firm. The reason is not unexpected:

People within the company believe these quality problems were caused by the strain put on the fabled Toyota Production System by the headlong pursuit of growth.

When we teach about lean operations and use Toyota as the poster boy (and the bedrock) of the method, we say that gradual and continuous improvements are the essence of the method. The key question we leave open is how to balance gradual improvement with quick growth that may hamper the ability to sustain the key drivers of the firm’s success. Mr Toyota has taken the first step always suggested in the Toyota Production system: he pulled the legendary Andon cord:

The test will be to keep the ingredients that have made Toyota great—the dependability and affordability—while adding the spice and the flavours that customers now demand. It will not be easy, and the competition has never looked more formidable. But by recognising the scale of Toyota’s problems, by proclaiming their urgency and then by drawing on the firm’s strengths to fix them, Mr Toyoda has already taken the first, vitally important, step towards salvation.

[Via http://operationsroom.wordpress.com]

Breaking News – « Lolcats 'n' Funny Pictures of Cats – I Can Has ...

Star Road - Rocky Auto

2009-12-15T20:37:00.000+02:00

I forgot where these came from. 3 S30Z’s. One on Equip S1’s with an S20 motor, one with an Naturally aspirated RB with ITB’s, and one with a L series polished to death on some OG work’s.

Plannin on doin this headlight conversion, an maybe some S1’s. Possibly the NA powered RB.

[Via http://tailoutsx.wordpress.com]

Sony mentions monthly subs again News | PS3 | Eurogamer

Car of the Year Nominees

2009-12-15T02:39:00.000+02:00

So then, you voted for Car of the Year awards, and we’re organizing them. There will be quite a few crummy prestigious awards: Worst Car of the Year, Tuned Car of the Year, Family Car of the Year, Cheap Car of the Year, Executive Car of the Year, Supercar of the Year, and of course, an overall winner, the Car of the Year. This has to excel in as many areas as possible. A car has to have been released, put on sale, or updated during 2009 to be eligible for any of the awards. We will release nominees 2 categories at a time, with the exception of The Car of the Year, which will get it’s own post after all the others are posted. So then, here are the nominees for the first two categories, Worst Car of the Year and Tuned Car of the Year.

Worst Car of the Year

Now this is one of my favourites and quite important – it’s the WORST car of the year. Yes, we save you the pain of searching through 2009’s pile of misery as we nominate those cars so awful they’d make you think the ZAZ 968 was a brilliant machine.

Scion xB Release Series 7.0: A dull box with a bodykit taped on and then painted in the most hideous shade of paint we’ve ever seen

Citroen C3 Pluriel Charleston: As if the C3 Pluriel wasn’t embarrassing enough, this one tries to be a 2cv. That’s like saying “I’m awful but I will try to be even worse!”

BMW X6M: A hideous and pointless disgrace to the M division

DC Designs Tata Nano: What they’ve done here is take a cheap, slow, ugly car, and glue on a plastic bodykit.

Tuned Car of the Year

Trying to improve a car is a disease which some of us have. We look for the men who did their job the best in 2009 trying to bring us the best Tuned Car of the Year.

9ff BT-2: A deadly GT2, but with added deadliness, and an awesome Gulf livery so you can go through the pearly gates in style.

Autodelta Alfa Romeo Brera S: The Brera looks beautiful, but always needed a bit more power, and this car fixes that.

MTM RS6 R: A sensible, German, family estate…with 730hp and 785nm of torque. A car good enough to scare your wife to death on a track day but take you comfortably to work every day is worthy of our call.

9ff GT9-R: A last minute entry in our nominations award, again from Porsche fanatics 9ff. These guys really know what they’re doing and now they managed to extract a truly massive 1120 bhp! The result is that this power monster will hit 414 kph.

That’s it for this time. More will be released later. Feel free to express your opinions on who should win each category and why. You may also suggest that certain cars aren’t eligible and we will look into it.

[Via http://theblogofcars.wordpress.com]

College Sports Blog | Sports News | News from Dallas, Texas ...

Speedhunter Awards, Part II

2009-12-13T20:36:00.000+02:00

Voting has continued to take place for the best cars of 2009 on Speedhunters. Now that some new categories have been announced, let’s take a look at my votes.

Demo Car Of The Year

This was a really hard category with lots of great cars to choose from. For me the decision came pretty quickly once I saw the Ericsson M3 nominated. Ericsson’s demo car represents a scene that is fast-growing in Japan, imports. Many of the Japanese have moved on from their own domestic cars to European cars and with shops like Studie AG and Ruah-Welt, it’s easier than ever to build an import that’s just as powerful and stylish as the Japanese domestics. The Ericsson M3 has to be one of the cleanest Euros I’ve ever seen (JDM or not), love this car.

Professional Drift Car Of The Year

Above all else, drift cars have to be cool. It doesn’t matter how powerful they are, all that matters is how the look and sound going sideways. With competition littered in RX7’s and Silvia’s it’s so awesome to see a car like the Ridox Aristo competing. Even though Orido and his Toyota haven’t had the greatest season in D1, this remains one of my favorite cars in the series. A gigantic saloon like the Aristo really has no business going sideways, but that 2JZ power plant says otherwise. Orido is always in high spirits regardless of how well he’s doing and he definitely rocks his car harder than anyone in D1.

Time Attack Car Of The Year

I thought the demo car category was tough, that was nothing compared to choosing time attack of the year. This category was littered with absolutely insane cars from the US and abroad. A few years back it would have been limited to Japanese builds but recently the British and Americans have been building their own monsters that would definitely give the Japanese a run for their money. Typically with time attack, I get most excited about the Subarus. Maybe because I drive one, I have my loyalties. I decided to vote for the Team Tarzan Tomei/Cusco STi. Mitsubishi purists, don’t deny the badge, this thing is no slouch. When you have the best engine builder and aero companies in the world coming together to do a car, watch out. The Tomei/Cusco STi was built to be a Cyber Evo killer and even though it didn’t defeat it this time, Tarzan and his STi placed third overall at Tsukuba this month. Once all the kinks are worked out, I’d be willing to bet this thing could be the new king.

More to come.

[Via http://aclassblog.wordpress.com]

AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: Gingrich ...

Why does my Toyota Highlander Hybrid in advertising .... PHEV turnaround SULEV

2009-12-13T14:41:00.000+02:00

in hybrids use no fossil fuel during their all-electric range, if the batteries from nuclear or renewable energy sources will be charged. Other benefits include improved national energy security, fewer fill-ups at the gas station provide the comforts of home, recharging facilities for emergency backup power (at home V2H), and vehicle-grid (V2G) applications. [2] As of July 2008, plug-in hybrid cars are not yet in production. However, Toyota, [3] General Motors, [4] Ford…

Visit : Accommodation home diykitchens.wordpress.com interiordesigns.blogs.thaihealth.net

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Good News for N.B.A. Fans - Freakonomics Blog - NYTimes.com

Toyota Megacruiser Patrol Car

2009-12-13T08:27:00.000+02:00

Common Name: Megacruiser

Driver: -

Make: Toyota

Model: Megacruiser Patrol Car

Engine: I4 OHV (15B-FTE)

Drivetrain: 4WD

Horsepower: 155 hp / 3400 rpm

Torque: 391 nm / 1800 rpm

Color: White

Dimensions: 5090 mm x 2169 mm x 2075 mm

Wheel Base: 3396 mm

Weight: 2901 kg

Brand: Tomica

Year: 2002

Made In: China

Model Number: 003

Scale: 1/66

The Toyota Mega Cruiser is a large, heavy-duty sport utility vehicle introduced by Toyota in 1995. The largest SUV ever built by Toyota, it resembled the Hummer H1, and like the Hummer, was designed primarily for military use with the Mega Cruiser seeing duty as infantry transports equipped with mounted howitzers and mobile Surface-to-air missiles in the Japan Self Defense Forces.

Exclusively sold in Japan, the Mega Cruiser also was used by prefectural police and fire/rescue departments, although a limited number were sold to civilians. This vehicle was intended to test designs that would eventually make their way into mass produced Toyota SUVs (like the Land Cruiser), but was financially unsuccessful for Toyota.

The Mega Cruiser featured a 4.1 L turbodiesel I4 engine. The engine focused on producing high amounts of torque at low revs. The SUV featured front, center, and rear differentials, as well as four wheel steering.

[Via http://jonleyrosdiecast.wordpress.com]

MetsBlog.com : News: Garrett Atkins is a Free Agent