News Stories

[mg1942]

Looks like Obama's honeymoon is over.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/20325.html

He's now getting nagged by the same people who made a cottage industry of bashing G.W. Bush.

[Nosauz]

Originally Posted by mg1942

Looks like Obama's honeymoon is over.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/20325.html

He's now getting nagged by the same people who made a cottage industry of bashing G.W. Bush.

Any administration will recieve criticism, for either doing too little or doing too much, its just the name of the game: politics. Actually its been pretty quiet for the current situation but really McCain would also be in the same firestorm, the economy is drain and you have tax payers bailing out FISCALLY unsound economics that banks tried to use to extend their lending powers. Corporate greed and the outrage for this corporate greed is going to draw fingers and with so few targets you just end up pointing at the man incharge. Do I think he's doing a good job? Time will tell, but at this moment he hasn't done anything to stymie the bleeding for the middleclass, the middleclass who was devasted by the subprime mortgage fiasco. The middleclass who carries most of the burdens of the bank bailouts. So yes I'm dissappointed in the president, but it doesn't change the fact that when the country was prospering the former president turned a blind eye to the corporate greed occuring on wallstreet.

[mg1942]

Originally Posted by Nosauz

Any administration will recieve criticism, for either doing too little or doing too much, its just the name of the game: politics. Actually its been pretty quiet for the current situation but really McCain would also be in the same firestorm, the economy is drain and you have tax payers bailing out FISCALLY unsound economics that banks tried to use to extend their lending powers. Corporate greed and the outrage for this corporate greed is going to draw fingers and with so few targets you just end up pointing at the man incharge. Do I think he's doing a good job? Time will tell, but at this moment he hasn't done anything to stymie the bleeding for the middleclass, the middleclass who was devasted by the subprime mortgage fiasco. The middleclass who carries most of the burdens of the bank bailouts. So yes I'm dissappointed in the president, but it doesn't change the fact that when the country was prospering the former president turned a blind eye to the corporate greed occuring on wallstreet.

The president is supposed to monitor wallstreet now? How conveniently you forget the changes in the '90s that made that level of fraud possible.

[Nosauz]

He endorsed it whether it was giving halliburton contracts or not following environmental protocl set by the epa, he turned a blind eye to fda findings. The president can't control wallstreet but his actions toward agencies and what he mandates from them do affect policy on mainstreet and wallstreet.

[MrTerrorist]

This news been around a week since most people in the UK should know about this.

Reality TV star Jade Goody dies

Jade Goody, who has died from cancer at the age of 27, lived her last seven years in the glare of publicity.

link

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by mg1942

Looks like Obama's honeymoon is over.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/20325.html

He's now getting nagged by the same people who made a cottage industry of bashing G.W. Bush.

I pity him. He paid the people to spend and revive the economy, whereas some people just take it for granted and walked off with the money.

More action please Americans. The whole world is watching, and claiming to be crusaders of freedom, America simply can't have a devastated economy. You can't fight idiots like North Korea without money right?

[Xellos-_^]

http://www.shadowspear.com/special_o..._kit/1289.html

Multiple news sources have reported that the US Military is deploying "BigDogs" to Afghanistan to assist in the fight against the enemy.
Dubbed "the most advanced quadruped robot on Earth," BigDog is the alpha male of the Boston Dynamics family of robots. It is a quadruped robot that walks, runs, and climbs on rough terrain and carries heavy loads. BigDog is powered by a gasoline engine that drives a hydraulic actuation system. BigDog's legs are articulated like an animal’s, and have compliant elements that absorb shock and recycle energy from one step to the next. BigDog is the size of a large dog or small mule, measuring 1 meter long, 0.7 meters tall and 75 kg weight.

Anyone know when Skynet is coming online?

[Kamui4356]

Originally Posted by Xellos-_^

Anyone know when Skynet is coming online?

You have to love US military thinking though,

general A: "Hmm... We need something to transport material in areas our vechicals are having trouble with the terrain."

general B: "Maybe something with legs? About the size of a mule should be good."

general A: "Yeah that should work. Where would we find something like that though?"

general B: "AH! I know! We'll spend millions buying robots!"

general A: "Brilliant!"

mule: " "

[Xellos-_^]

Originally Posted by Kamui4356

You have to love US military thinking though,

general A: "Hmm... We need something to transport material in areas our vechicals are having trouble with the terrain."

general B: "Maybe something with legs? About the size of a mule should be good."

general A: "Yeah that should work. Where would we find something like that though?"

general B: "AH! I know! We'll spend millions buying robots!"

general A: "Brilliant!"

mule: " "

maybe if the mules weren't so stubborn, insisting on lunch breaks, apples and that ridicules clause about not being sold to glue and dog food factories once the fighting is over.

[TinyRedLeaf]

(GRAPHIC: BBC NEWS)

India launches world's cheapest car

India (March 23): The Tata Nano, the world's cheapest car, has been launched in India. Costing just 100,000 rupees (US$1,980), the Nano will now go on sale across the country next month, with deliveries starting in July.

Tata hopes the 3m (10ft) long, five-seater car will be cheap enough to encourage millions of Indians to trade up from their motorcycles. Tata owner Ratan Tata has described the Nano as a "milestone".

"I think we are at the gates of offering a new form of transport to the people of India and later, I hope, other markets elsewhere in the world," he said. "I hope it will provide safe, affordable four-wheel transportation to families who till now have not been able to own a car."

Mr Tata was inspired to build the car after seeing families of four or more crammed onto single motorbikes negotiating the dangerous streets of big cities. Such was his dedication to the project that he would frequently drive test models around the company's plant at Pune in western India. After his jaunts he would suggest adaptations to the vehicle.

To keep the price so low, the four-door car is equipped with a tiny, two-cylinder 624cc engine that produces 33bhp. The basic model has no airbags, radio or power steering. Various "luxuries", such as air conditioning, fog lamps or central locking are available only on pricier models. The range-topping LX even boasts a cup-holder. But for Indians who are used to braving the roads on two wheels, the Nano will count as luxury just the same.

Environmentalists have warned that the Nano will add to India's already clogged-up roads and worsen the country's already appalling pollution levels, but Tata insists that it will be the least polluting car in India.

Analysts said that if the car proves an immediate hit in its home market, the company may struggle to meet demand. This is because the main Nano factory in the western state of Gujarat, which will be able to build 250,000 cars a year, is not due to open until next year. In the meantime, Tata will only be able to build about 50,000 Nanos at its existing plants.

Analysts say it will not make a profit for six years. Even if Tata can sell 250,000 models a year, it will add only 3 per cent to the firm's revenues, says Mr Vaishali Jajoo, a car analyst at Mumbai's Angel Broking.

"That doesn't make a significant difference to the top line," he said. "And for the bottom line, it will take five to six years to break even."

- BBC NEWS, THE ECONOMIST

[Vexx]

Personally, the "windows roll down by hand" had me laughing my ass off.

Potential buyer: "OMFGBBQ!!!! I have to roll down the window *manually*!!!!! (shriek!) the horror!!!"

The no air conditioning would be fine 360 days out of the year where I live... however, I suspect it has about the same survivability "in combat" as a TIE fighter....

A small village or people-friendly town would be perfect for this critter.

[Xellos-_^]

Originally Posted by Vexx

Personally, the "windows roll down by hand" had me laughing my ass off.

Potential buyer: "OMFGBBQ!!!! I have to roll down the window *manually*!!!!! (shriek!) the horror!!!"

The no air conditioning would be fine 360 days out of the year where I live... however, I suspect it has about the same survivability "in combat" as a TIE fighter....

A small village or people-friendly town would be perfect for this critter.

this is being sold in India, like the writer this car is already a luxury to people riding bikes, walking 10 miles or riding on a horse drawn cart.

[Nosauz]

Originally Posted by Xellos-_^

this is being sold in India, like the writer this car is already a luxury to people riding bikes, walking 10 miles or riding on a horse drawn cart.

I think hes making fun of the fact that the reaction stateside or where ever cars are prevalent is the fact that you have to role your windows and not that it costs little under 2grand.

[Kamui4356]

Originally Posted by Vexx

Personally, the "windows roll down by hand" had me laughing my ass off.

Potential buyer: "OMFGBBQ!!!! I have to roll down the window *manually*!!!!! (shriek!) the horror!!!"

Yeah it puzzles me why they're saying it like it's a bad thing. I actually perfer handcranked windows. Less things to go wrong. That's mainly because my parents had a car with power windows that the electric motor in the front drivers side window went out on.

[Vinak]

Originally Posted by Xellos-_^

Anyone know when Skynet is coming online?

wow. just think of the possibilities that technology could pose for prosthetic legs

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by Vexx

Personally, the "windows roll down by hand" had me laughing my ass off.

Potential buyer: "OMFGBBQ!!!! I have to roll down the window *manually*!!!!! (shriek!) the horror!!!"

The no air conditioning would be fine 360 days out of the year where I live... however, I suspect it has about the same survivability "in combat" as a TIE fighter....

A small village or people-friendly town would be perfect for this critter.

I always have a disrespect for motor driven windows. It is not prankster or heatproof most of the time, and in the tropical place I live in, sometimes the heat can circuit the window motor, and back in school there is a friend of mine who destroyed a teacher's car by putting superglue in all sorts of places, the worse hit being the window motor and the front hood.

And speaking of cybernetic legs, I wouldn't mind having that kind of transplant so I can recreate a Sakagami girl styled kick.

[Clarste]

Originally Posted by Vinak

wow. just think of the possibilities that technology could pose for prosthetic legs

Isn't most of the technology the software that controls the legs? If applied to prosthetic, it's more like a four legged wheelchair than a replacement for legs.

Well, the material design that redistributes force is pretty interesting, but they've already been doing that. Last I checked, prosthetic legs designed for running worked better than human legs, and were considered cheating in races.

[Xellos-_^]

Originally Posted by Vinak

wow. just think of the possibilities that technology could pose for prosthetic legs

like this

[Vexx]

Aye, I was poking fun at the BBC article image that seemed to imply that it was some sort of hardship that the window had to manually cranked (you'll note they have it on equal status with the lack of air bag protection).

If I have a choice, I always opt for manual cranks - much less prone to failure and in a small car you can reach all the windows anyway.

So... sorry if I was unclear -- I'm making fun of the "high tech" article writer --- I think the car itself is a major bit of low-cost coolness.

[Vinak]

Originally Posted by Clarste

Isn't most of the technology the software that controls the legs? If applied to prosthetic, it's more like a four legged wheelchair than a replacement for legs.

Well, the material design that redistributes force is pretty interesting, but they've already been doing that. Last I checked, prosthetic legs designed for running worked better than human legs, and were considered cheating in races.

i was thinking more in line of helping amputee's walk again. the technology can be refined and placed in smaller equipment that fit inside prosthetic legs.
I know a guy with an amputated leg, its not fun watching him struggle to get up and walk into the next room or do any other task that require two legs. man is too damn proud to ask for help.