The Case for a New Focus RS is Strong While America has always been deprived of the hottest Focus, and the world has been deprived of anything more hopped up than the current Focus ST, it seems that both [...]]]> Can you ever have too many great hot hatches? I think not

The Case for a New Focus RS is Strong
While America has always been deprived of the hottest Focus, and the world has been deprived of anything more hopped up than the current Focus ST, it seems that both of those issues may be at an end. Focus RS coming soon? Here’s Hoping.

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Reshared post from +The Economist A five-minute video recorded on the International Space Station had the potential to create a tangled web of intellectual-property issues. How does copyright work in space? http://bit.ly/197x7GO

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Hey Ford, when you redo the Mustang, how about a proper Capri? The argument for a higher-end, Mustang-based sportscar is compelling. With Mercury dead and gone, could a sporty convertible fit into Lincoln’s revised lineup?

Yes please, with the boy turning 18 tomorrow, an affordable 2-seat roadster would rock!

Hey Ford, when you redo the Mustang, how about a proper Capri?
The argument for a higher-end, Mustang-based sportscar is compelling. With Mercury dead and gone, could a sporty convertible fit into Lincoln’s revised lineup?

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Reshared post from +Ford Racing True Blue Tuesday – With the Indy 500 only days away, enjoy this YouTube video of Dario Franchitti making laps in Jimmy Clark's 1965 Indy 500 winning Lotus Ford

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How Bing Crosby and the Nazis Helped to Create Silicon Valley

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Sky High and Going Up Fast: Luxury Towers Take New York – NYTimes.com Only 10 floors have been completed in what is intended to be the tallest residential building in the Western Hemisphere — a slender, 84-story tower on Park Avenue at 56th Street in [...]]]> That's smaller than my living room

Sky High and Going Up Fast: Luxury Towers Take New York – NYTimes.com
Only 10 floors have been completed in what is intended to be the tallest residential building in the Western Hemisphere — a slender, 84-story tower on Park Avenue at 56th Street in Manhattan. But the top penthouse is already under contract for $95 million. Other buyers have snapped up apartments …

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Technology patent trolls getting cold shoulder in Congress Technology companies and legislators are doubling down on the fight against patent trolls. Microsoft, the Consumer Electronics Association and the Software Alliance are backing proposed new legislation in [...]]]> let's hope this is just the beginning of some serious changes to the patent system

Technology patent trolls getting cold shoulder in Congress
Technology companies and legislators are doubling down on the fight against patent trolls. Microsoft, the Consumer Electronics Association and the Software Alliance are backing proposed new legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives that would do away with anonymous patents, a shell game played by patent trolls to try to hide their identity. Patent trolls are entities that patent a product with no plans to produce it but instead sue when …

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102-Year-Old Abandoned Ship is a Floating Forest – My Modern Metropolis The SS Ayrfield is one of many decommissioned ships in the Homebush Bay, just west of [...]]]> Numerous ships have been scuttled and turned into artificial reefs, but this is the first I've seen that has been transformed into a forest

102-Year-Old Abandoned Ship is a Floating Forest – My Modern Metropolis
The SS Ayrfield is one of many decommissioned ships in the Homebush Bay, just west of Sydney, but what separates it from the other stranded vessels is the inc…

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Besides they usually have the best prices and service too.

Newegg nukes “corporate troll” Alcatel in third patent appeal win this year Company takes hard line on patent cases and keeps [...]]]> If you need computer parts or any other electronics, buy them from +Newegg just to support their crusade against patent trolls

Besides they usually have the best prices and service too.

Newegg nukes “corporate troll” Alcatel in third patent appeal win this year
Company takes hard line on patent cases and keeps winning.

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http://www.roadandtrack.com/the_road_ahead/

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-Restore copyrights back to the original 14 years plus one 14 year extension-Anything not actively renewed after 14 years goes into public domain-eliminate statutory damages and have only real damages-everything currently under copyright for more than 28 years retroactively goes into the [...]]]> No chance anything reasonable will come of this, but here's what I want

-Restore copyrights back to the original 14 years plus one 14 year extension
-Anything not actively renewed after 14 years goes into public domain
-eliminate statutory damages and have only real damages
-everything currently under copyright for more than 28 years retroactively goes into the public domain

Like I said, not gonna happen but one can hope

‘Free speech doesn’t mean free stuff’: Congress begins copyright reform with a plea for civility
For the first time in over a decade, Congress is looking at a major copyright overhaul. But before it happens, the House Judiciary Committee is looking backwards, at both a 3-year-old copyright…

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Google Play Services gives control of Android back to Google | Android Central With more API services moving outside of the core operating system, Google is taking back control of [...]]]> +Jerry Hildenbrand explains how +Google has made +Android fragmentation less of an issue even while carriers and OEMs drag their feet on system updates

Google Play Services gives control of Android back to Google | Android Central
With more API services moving outside of the core operating system, Google is taking back control of Android.

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Reshared post from +Ford Racing Stopped by our modular crate engine build facility and snapped this photo of the Ford Racing 5.0L Ti-VCT Aluminator XS Crate Engine. 500 HP in naturally aspirated trim.  What Ford projects are you working on this weekend?

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The series covers everything from fuels to race tracks to how engineers are trained. Some great reading.

New Cars and 2013 – 2014 Car Reviews, Photos and News Catch the latest car [...]]]> +Road & Track is currently publishing a really cool online series called "The Road Ahead" about the evolution of transportation

The series covers everything from fuels to race tracks to how engineers are trained. Some great reading.

New Cars and 2013 – 2014 Car Reviews, Photos and News
Catch the latest car reviews, auto show coverage, racing stats, interviews and more from the editors at Road & Track.

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After all you can never have too many smoky burnouts

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Top cable lobbyist: No ‘a la carte’ needed, cable companies already provide ‘unparalleled choice’ Are you fed up with paying an $80 cable bill every month for dozens of channels that you [...]]]> The problem is I want to to choose the channels I pay for not just the ones I watch

Top cable lobbyist: No ‘a la carte’ needed, cable companies already provide ‘unparalleled choice’
Are you fed up with paying an $80 cable bill every month for dozens of channels that you never even watch? Not to worry, says National Cable and Telecommunications Association chief Michael Powell:…

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Reshared post from +Melina M :facepalm:

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This was a case of contract law and the farmer violated the patent. Instead farmers need to stop using patented seeds altogether and start reintroducing some genetic biodiversity into their [...]]]> While the patent wars in the technology sector are incredibly annoying and waste huge sums of money, patents in agriculture are actually far more dangerous.

This was a case of contract law and the farmer violated the patent. Instead farmers need to stop using patented seeds altogether and start reintroducing some genetic biodiversity into their crops.  

Supreme Court rules in favor of Monsanto, says farmer violated seed patents
The US Supreme Court just ruled today that it is infringement for a farmer to make new copies of seeds that contain patented genetic modifications by harvesting them from older plants. The ruling…

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+John Voelcker's suggestion that Ford would be a far better fit for Tesla makes a lot more sense although I doubt that will happen.

Should Apple Buy [...]]]> Anyone that suggests Apple should get into the car business is a fool that clearly has no understanding of the complexity of the business

+John Voelcker's suggestion that Ford would be a far better fit for Tesla makes a lot more sense although I doubt that will happen.

Should Apple Buy Tesla? Or Would Ford Be A Better Buyer?

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Greed has poisoned men’s souls, has barricaded the world with hate, has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. [...]]]> In 1940, Charlie Chaplin took on fascism and his words ring as true today as they did then

Greed has poisoned men’s souls, has barricaded the world with hate, has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical. Our cleverness, hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery we need humanity. More than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost….

Charlie Chaplin : The Great Dictator’s Speech
I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be an emperor. That’s not my business. I don’t want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone – if possible…

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Reshared post from +Craig Daitch

Craig Daitch’s Virginia Commonwealth University Commencement Speech May 11, 2013

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Fungus network lets plants alert each other to defend themselves against aphid attacks Underground fungus and plants have long been known to have a mutually beneficial relationship — mycorrhizal fungi delivers nutrients to plants, and the [...]]]> Just because something doesn't have a face, it doesn't mean it's not alive or intelligent

Fungus network lets plants alert each other to defend themselves against aphid attacks
Underground fungus and plants have long been known to have a mutually beneficial relationship — mycorrhizal fungi delivers nutrients to plants, and the plants give carbon back in exchange. Now, a…

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I'd like to see more of the control control over unbundling go to consumers rather than the cable companies. I haven't read the whole proposal, but from this write-up, it's not clear [...]]]> I almost never agree with anything John McCain proposes but this certainly seems like it might be a step in the right direction

I'd like to see more of the control control over unbundling go to consumers rather than the cable companies. I haven't read the whole proposal, but from this write-up, it's not clear if cable companies would actually be forced to sell channels a la carte or only they get to choose which channels to take from the broadcasters. If consumers still have to buy hundreds of channels they don't want to watch this doesn't help at all.

Another interesting part is that companies like Viacom and Fox might lose if follow through on threats to go cable-only if Aereo wins in the courts. Those broadcasters would be stripped of their broadcast spectrum.  

John McCain proposes ‘a la carte’ cable bill, encourages death of sports blackout rule
Senator John McCain today introduced the Television Consumer Freedom Act of 2013, legislation that would encourage cable operators and entertainment conglomerates to unbundle channels and offer…

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U.S. Navy Spends $37 Billion On A Ship That Barely Works

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Reshared post from +Google UK Have you pressed played on today's  #GoogleDoodle  yet?

Saul Bass; the designer of famous graphics used to introduce some of the films of the 1940s and 50s, is remembered today on google.co.uk. Born in New York, he began his career [...]]]> In album Saul Bass Google Doodle

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Instead of Spy vs. Spy, Audi gives you Spock vs. Spock It’s a battle for the ages (if you’re a Trekkie, anyway) as Audi’s latest ad pits new Spock Zachary Quinto’s S7 against O.G. Spock Leonard Nimoy’s [...]]]> Audi certainly has money to spend on their videos and they do it well

Instead of Spy vs. Spy, Audi gives you Spock vs. Spock
It’s a battle for the ages (if you’re a Trekkie, anyway) as Audi’s latest ad pits new Spock Zachary Quinto’s S7 against O.G. Spock Leonard Nimoy’s Mercedes-Benz CLS in a race to the country club. Fun….

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Ford SmartPhoneLink Could Extend Life of Aftermarket Car Audio – Motor Trend Newly available hardware interface code from Ford has been contributed to [...]]]> If your monthly smartphone data tab puts a new car out of your budget a new open-source project could still let you use apps in your old car

Ford SmartPhoneLink Could Extend Life of Aftermarket Car Audio – Motor Trend
Newly available hardware interface code from Ford has been contributed to the non-profit Genivi Alliance under the name SmartPhoneLink.

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Reshared post from +Tim Bray Can this be real? If so, this particular Star-Trek-loving judge just won the Internet.

Embedded Link

Does Prenda Believe In No-Win Scenarios? Because Judge Wright Just Gave Them One. | Popehat

View this [...]]]> It's good to see judges taking down copyright trolls

Reshared post from +Tim Bray

Can this be real? If so, this particular Star-Trek-loving judge just won the Internet.

Embedded Link

Does Prenda Believe In No-Win Scenarios? Because Judge Wright Just Gave Them One. | Popehat

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Reshared post from +Ford Motor Company " The farther you look back the farther you can look forward. " 

Henry Ford's Life and Legacy: henryford150.com 

#HenryFord150   #GoFurther  

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Recognizing that consumer electronics evolve a lot faster than cars get replaced, +Ford Motor Company specifically designed SYNC so that it wouldn't be tied to any one platform. Other automakers should follow suit and only use technologies that are platform agnostic.

Automakers considering integrating any Apple proprietary technology should take a lesson from accessory makers

Recognizing that consumer electronics evolve a lot faster than cars get replaced, +Ford Motor Company specifically designed SYNC so that it wouldn't be tied to any one platform. Other automakers should follow suit and only use technologies that are platform agnostic.

Apple’s Rivals See an Edge in Using Wireless Accessories
Manufacturers are gravitating toward wireless connections for Apple’s products, which is helping the market for competitors’ mobile devices.

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Keeping a watchful eye on her territory

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Photo by samabuelsamid • Instagram samabuelsamid’s photo on Instagram

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Photo by samabuelsamid • Instagram samabuelsamid’s photo on Instagram

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Judging by the left ear, it looks like this little guy had an unfriendly encounter with some other critter

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Photo by samabuelsamid • Instagram samabuelsamid’s photo on Instagram

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Assuming that Porritt can get along with +Elon Musk he should probably be a pretty good fit for +Tesla Motors. I interviewed him at length at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show when he was leading the development of Aston's One-77 supercar and this [...]]]> Tesla Motors has hired Chris Porritt away from +Aston Martin to lead its engineering efforts

Assuming that Porritt can get along with +Elon Musk he should probably be a pretty good fit for +Tesla Motors. I interviewed him at length at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show when he was leading the development of Aston's One-77 supercar and this is the sort of engineering that Tesla would certainly go for.

Aston Martin One-77 Uncovered: In-depth on what’s under the skin
Aston Martin One-77 internals – Click above for high-res galleryAt the Geneva Motor Show this week, Aston Martin publicly showed its limited-edition

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Reshared post from +Tim Bray I found this touching and disturbing.  Worth repeating: “The Internet is where people are.”

I’m still here: back online after a year without the internet I was wrong. [...]]]> The internet is neither the root of our ills or a panacea, it's just another medium for communicating

Reshared post from +Tim Bray

I found this touching and disturbing.  Worth repeating: “The Internet is where people are.”

I’m still here: back online after a year without the internet
I was wrong. One year ago I left the internet. I thought it was making me unproductive. I thought it lacked meaning. I thought it was “corrupting my soul.” It’s a been a year now since I…

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+Macworld"s +Jason Snell makes some excellent points about ways the electronic calendars could serve us better. Back in the early 1990s when I got first engineering job after college among the first things they gave me was a Franklin planner.

Unfortunately, [...]]]> I love having instant acces to my calendar, but there is definitely room for improvement

+Macworld"s +Jason Snell makes some excellent points about ways the electronic calendars could serve us better. Back in the early 1990s when I got first engineering job after college among the first things they gave me was a Franklin planner.

Unfortunately, (or not) I was not a good Franklin user and often missed stuff because I didn't obsessively record everything I did and check my calendar. Without something to remind me where I needed to be, I'd still miss meetings and appointments. Only when I migrated to a Palm III many years later did calendars  really start to work for me. 

While people today complain about everyone constantly checking their phones, at least you can get by putting down a phone and only looking at it when you get a notification. Using a Franklin successfully required constant obsessive checking and recording. 

All that said, Google Now has made great progress in knowing where I am and where I need to be, giving me notifications about when to leave (at last as long as calendar events have sufficient details about location). Incorporating travel time and automatically rejecting events based on that would be outstanding. 

Why aren’t digital calendars smarter?
I use Google Calendar, Apple’s Calendar app, and Fantastical to manage my schedule. In general, my calendaring is in the best shape it’s ever been in: My colleagues can see my free and busy times, and…

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Screen tests from an alternate universe

Unused Test Footage That Could Have Changed Your Heroes’ Lives Forever If someone ever invents a machine to let us visit other universes, the first thing we’ll do is head [...]]]> Say it ain't so, Tom Selleck as Indiana Jones and James Brolin as James Bond?

Screen tests from an alternate universe

Unused Test Footage That Could Have Changed Your Heroes’ Lives Forever
If someone ever invents a machine to let us visit other universes, the first thing we’ll do is head for the DVD section. Because the history of science fiction and fantasy is full of things that almos…

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It turns out it was this little starling

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The mobile world evolves too quickly to get locked into one ecosystem. Stay platform agnostic and provide tools and APIs that enable mobile developers to link to your vehicle from any system.

Watch out, drivers: Apple [...]]]> I can't urge automakers strongly enough, do not tie yourself to any one mobile OS

The mobile world evolves too quickly to get locked into one ecosystem. Stay platform agnostic and provide tools and APIs that enable mobile developers to link to your vehicle from any system.

Watch out, drivers: Apple plans to integrate Siri and Maps more deeply into cars with iOS 7
Apple had better hope that its investments in iOS Maps yield some major improvements if it hopes to push its much-maligned mapping application into more automobiles. Unnamed sources tell 9to5Mac th……

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Another year, another 50 Cobra Jets on the way

Reshared post from +Ford Racing Ford Racing is busy testing the 2014 Mustang Cobra Jet at a secret location. Numbers are looking good.

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Post imported by Google+Blog for [...]]]> In album 2014 Cobra Jet Test

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The TSA Is So Incompetent, It Can’t Even Make a URL In the latest bout of brilliance handed down from the Transportation Security Administration, more frequent fliers and other elite passengers will soon be eligible for something called “expedited [...]]]> What the hell were they thinking in creating such an absurd URL?

The TSA Is So Incompetent, It Can’t Even Make a URL
In the latest bout of brilliance handed down from the Transportation Security Administration, more frequent fliers and other elite passengers will soon be eligible for something called “expedited scre…

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It seems to have found a rich vein of bugs since it was working this hole for some time.

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Out walking the dog

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A raptor spotted in the wild near the home of the +Ford Motor Company SVT Raptor

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How Mercedes?s mbrace telematics system helped capture the Boston Marathon bombers The quick-thinking victim whose Mercedes-Benz ML350 was hijacked by the Tsnarnaev brothers alerted police that his SUV could be remotely tracked, helping [...]]]> Apparently, police in Boston used the vehicle telematics system to track the bombers last Friday after the carjacking

How Mercedes?s mbrace telematics system helped capture the Boston Marathon bombers
The quick-thinking victim whose Mercedes-Benz ML350 was hijacked by the Tsnarnaev brothers alerted police that his SUV could be remotely tracked, helping track down the bombers in Watertown.

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Reshared post from +Shinola Trays of fully assembled Argonite 715 movements. These are the movements that are going into the 50th Anniversary Ford Mustang commemorative watch for +Ford Motor Company 

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I haven't worn a watch in decades but if you are still into analog timepieces that strap to your wrist and you're into the original pony car, this is the watch for you. Shinola, a luxury-goods startup in [...]]]> Detroit-based startup +Shinola  is building a limited edition watch to celebrate 50 years of +Ford Motor Company Mustang

I haven't worn a watch in decades but if you are still into analog timepieces that strap to your wrist and you're into the original pony car, this is the watch for you. Shinola, a luxury-goods startup in Detroit is partnering with Ford to build this limited edition watch to celebrate a half century of the Mustang http://www.cmgestore.com/for2/SkuDetailsFOR2F6990.asp

Only 1,000 of the watches will be built, so get your order in now.
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130425/AUTO0102/304250431/1361/Shinola-s-limited-edition-watch-to-help-Ford-celebrate-Mustang-s-50th

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Detroit-based startup +Shinola  is building a limited edition watch to celebrate 50 years of +Ford Motor Company Mustang

I haven't worn a watch in decades but if you are still into analog timepieces that strap to your wrist and you're into the original pony car, this [...]]]> In album Shinola Mustang 50 Watch

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Back in early 2007 when I first interviewed former Tesla CEO Martin Eberhard, he explained that the company was planning the follow the Apple retail model with company owned stores instead of franchised dealers. http://green.autoblog.com/2007/03/17/tesla-to-open-customer-service-centers-in-2007/

At first it wasn't much of a problem, but as Tesla has expanded [...]]]> It's +Tesla Motors vs the car dealer franchise system

Back in early 2007 when I first interviewed former Tesla CEO Martin Eberhard, he explained that the company was planning the follow the Apple retail model with company owned stores instead of franchised dealers. http://green.autoblog.com/2007/03/17/tesla-to-open-customer-service-centers-in-2007/

At first it wasn't much of a problem, but as Tesla has expanded it's retail footprint in the past year dealers have been pushing back. 

Back in early 2007 when I first interviewed former Tesla CEO Martin Eberhard, he explained that the company was planning the follow the Apple retail model with company owned stores instead of franchised dealers. http://green.autoblog.com/2007/03/17/tesla-to-open-customer-service-centers-in-2007/

At first it wasn't much of a problem, but as Tesla has expanded [...]]]> It's +Tesla Motors vs the car dealer franchise system

Back in early 2007 when I first interviewed former Tesla CEO Martin Eberhard, he explained that the company was planning the follow the Apple retail model with company owned stores instead of franchised dealers. http://green.autoblog.com/2007/03/17/tesla-to-open-customer-service-centers-in-2007/

At first it wasn't much of a problem, but as Tesla has expanded it's retail footprint in the past year dealers have been pushing back. 

Tesla wins another round in battle against the franchise system
When Tesla set up company-owned stores to sell cars directly to consumers, traditional dealers cried foul. Their arguments aren?t holding up in court. Here?s why Tesla won this round.

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Reshared post from +The Verge "Right now we have the executive branch making a claim that it has the right to kill anyone, anywhere on earth, at any time, for secret reasons, based on secret evidence, in a secret process, undertaken by [...]]]> Whoever said that it was better to be feared than loved was wrong.

Reshared post from +The Verge

"Right now we have the executive branch making a claim that it has the right to kill anyone, anywhere on earth, at any time, for secret reasons, based on secret evidence, in a secret process, undertaken by unidentified officials" 

After US drone attack, Yemeni journalist tells senators about the terror of targeted strikes
For the first time, a civilian affected by a US drone strike in Yemen has testified before members of Congress. Farea al-Muslimi, an American-educated Yemeni journalist whose home village of Wessab……

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Lincoln could certainly use some unique products alongside increasingly well equipped Ford brand vehicles. If Ford were to do this they should follow the plan that Bob Lutz was planning for VL Automotive. http://youtu.be/nfw9DYNZJCs

However instead of a Chevrolet LS9 from the [...]]]> This is a fascinating idea that a colleague and I were discussing last week

Lincoln could certainly use some unique products alongside increasingly well equipped Ford brand vehicles. If Ford were to do this they should follow the plan that Bob Lutz was planning for VL Automotive. http://youtu.be/nfw9DYNZJCs

However instead of a Chevrolet LS9 from the Corvette ZR1, they could do a base model with a higher output 400+ hp version of the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 and a flagship with the 662-hp supercharged 5.8-liter V8 from the Shelby GT500 Mustang. 

Lincoln could certainly use some unique products alongside increasingly well equipped Ford brand vehicles. If Ford were to do this they should follow the plan that Bob Lutz was planning for VL Automotive. http://youtu.be/nfw9DYNZJCs

However instead of a Chevrolet LS9 from the [...]]]> This is a fascinating idea that a colleague and I were discussing last week

Lincoln could certainly use some unique products alongside increasingly well equipped Ford brand vehicles. If Ford were to do this they should follow the plan that Bob Lutz was planning for VL Automotive. http://youtu.be/nfw9DYNZJCs

However instead of a Chevrolet LS9 from the Corvette ZR1, they could do a base model with a higher output 400+ hp version of the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 and a flagship with the 662-hp supercharged 5.8-liter V8 from the Shelby GT500 Mustang. 

Could Fisker Save Lincoln?
Nobody seem to know what to do with Lincoln, which is just getting over its amazingly dull Superbowl ad failure. What if they merged with another totally-screwed carmaker, Fisker?

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Ford Mustang II: travesty or savior? The Ford Mustang II was clearly the low point in the pony car’s 49-year history, but laugh all you want: it was also a necessity. Some think it almost killed the brand, but in fact the Mustang II coul…

Yay or Nay?

Ford Mustang II: travesty or savior?
The Ford Mustang II was clearly the low point in the pony car’s 49-year history, but laugh all you want: it was also a necessity. Some think it almost killed the brand, but in fact the Mustang II coul…

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Reshared post from +Anonymous How to bypass [...]]]> In order for this to work, you would have to root the phone, install a custom recovery image, reboot and then have the person with the unlock code enter it before freezing the phone. Oh yeah and you have to pull the battery and re-insert within 0.5 seconds. 

Reshared post from +Anonymous

How to bypass an Android smartphone’s encryption and security: Put it in the freezer | http://bit.ly/11ehCXy     

How to bypass an Android smartphone’s encryption and security: Put it in the freezer | ExtremeTech
Security researchers at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany have shown that they can extract photos, surfing history, and contact lists from Android smartphones, even if the phone is locke…

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Apple’s In-Car Siri Integration Hits a Roadblock | Autopia | Wired.com Ten months after announcing Siri Eyes Free for cars, only a handful of automakers have solid plans for [...]]]> Like everyone else in Silicon Valley, Apple has to realize that building a car is a lot tougher than building an iPad

Apple’s In-Car Siri Integration Hits a Roadblock | Autopia | Wired.com
Ten months after announcing Siri Eyes Free for cars, only a handful of automakers have solid plans for integrating Apple’s first true automotive feature.

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While it's certainly nice that Apple wants to give its users a consistent experience, as long as they control iOS and the hardware it runs on they can assure the out-of-box experience [...]]]> While I'm sure iPhone owners would appreciate an updated keyboard, what Apple really needs to do is just loosen its stranglehold on iOS

While it's certainly nice that Apple wants to give its users a consistent experience, as long as they control iOS and the hardware it runs on they can assure the out-of-box experience is predictable. This is unlike the +Android experience which can vary widely depending on which brand of phone you buy. 

However, Apple could do its users a huge favor by simply allowing them to change the default apps the way Android has done since version 1.0. Whether it's browsers, mail clients or keyboards, let people select the apps they want to use. 

Hey Apple, What The Next iPhone Really, Really Needs Is A Much Better Keyboard | TechCrunch
What the next iPhone really really needs is not an even bigger screen, flatter icons, flexible widgets or live tiles, or even crystal-ball-gazing cards. Or Facebook Home. That list is just garnish com…

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Reshared post from +Mitch Wagner What happens when you wring out a wet hand towel in space? Awesomeness, that's what.

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Those that need to understand the value of water are the corporations and industrial farms that waste it! Nestlé CEO Says Water Is Food That Should Be Privatized – Not A Human Right Do you believe water is a basic human right? According to Nestlé CEO water is [...]]]> This man is just so utterly wrong!

Those that need to understand the value of water are the corporations and industrial farms that waste it!

I don't want to discount the importance of mental health, but it seems clear that in recent decades under the influence of the pharmaceutical industry, mental health care has devolved into more of a money machine than a concern for [...]]]> Mental health care is important and there are real problems that people need help with

I don't want to discount the importance of mental health, but it seems clear that in recent decades under the influence of the pharmaceutical industry, mental health care has devolved into more of a money machine than a concern for what is in the best interests of the patient.

Nestlé CEO Says Water Is Food That Should Be Privatized – Not A Human Right Do you believe water is a basic human right? According to Nestlé CEO water is a foodstuff that [...]]]> Those that need to understand the value of water are the corporations and industrial farms that waste it!

Nestlé CEO Says Water Is Food That Should Be Privatized – Not A Human Right
Do you believe water is a basic human right? According to Nestlé CEO water is a foodstuff that should be privatized, not a human right. Nestlé CEO Peter Brabe

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I don't want to discount the importance of mental health, but it seems clear that in recent decades under the influence of the pharmaceutical industry, mental health care has devolved into more of a money machine than a concern for [...]]]> Mental health care is important and there are real problems that people need help with

I don't want to discount the importance of mental health, but it seems clear that in recent decades under the influence of the pharmaceutical industry, mental health care has devolved into more of a money machine than a concern for what is in the best interests of the patient.

Controversial update to ‘bible’ of psychiatry fuels debate over foundations of mental health
For years, the diagnosis of mental illness has largely relied upon one book — the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM. Published by the American Psychiatric Association…

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Reshared post from +Car and Driver Magazine

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I Can’t Stop Watching This Dodge Avenger Fall Into A Sinkhole Sometimes we feel bad when cars get damaged or destroyed in ridiculous accidents. Take that ultra-sad Lamborghini Miura fire from a couple weeks [...]]]> I was not a fan of this generation of dodge avenger but this is a ignominious end

I Can’t Stop Watching This Dodge Avenger Fall Into A Sinkhole
Sometimes we feel bad when cars get damaged or destroyed in ridiculous accidents. Take that ultra-sad Lamborghini Miura fire from a couple weeks ago, for example. But this Dodge Avenger falling into a…

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Surprisingly Fisker Automotive hasn't yet filed for bankruptcy protection, but but that is a formality will almost inevitably happen very soon. But as Mark Rechtin of Automotive News points out, like the vast majority of startups, the [...]]]> Next week and probably for months to come, +Fisker Automotive will be raked over the coals by hypocritical politicians

Surprisingly Fisker Automotive hasn't yet filed for bankruptcy protection, but but that is a formality will almost inevitably happen very soon. But as Mark Rechtin of Automotive News points out, like the vast majority of startups, the failure of Fisker was always far more likely than its success and private investors will lose far more money than the government. At less than $10 billion spent on green energy loan programs, the total is a pittance compared to what is squandered every year on subsidies for the oil industry and agri-business. Let's not even talk about the waste on military contractors. 

Don't forget that the vast majority of those loan programs went not to startups but to companies like Nissan and Ford and it will be paid back with interest. 

Surprisingly Fisker Automotive hasn't yet filed for bankruptcy protection, but but that is a formality will almost inevitably happen very soon. But as Mark Rechtin of Automotive News points out, like the vast majority of startups, the [...]]]> Next week and probably for months to come, +Fisker Automotive will be raked over the coals by hypocritical politicians

Surprisingly Fisker Automotive hasn't yet filed for bankruptcy protection, but but that is a formality will almost inevitably happen very soon. But as Mark Rechtin of Automotive News points out, like the vast majority of startups, the failure of Fisker was always far more likely than its success and private investors will lose far more money than the government. At less than $10 billion spent on green energy loan programs, the total is a pittance compared to what is squandered every year on subsidies for the oil industry and agri-business. Let's not even talk about the waste on military contractors. 

Don't forget that the vast majority of those loan programs went not to startups but to companies like Nissan and Ford and it will be paid back with interest. 

Automotive News Blog
LOS ANGELES — Top executives from Fisker Automotive are going to be called before Congress on April 24 for a public flagellation. The reason: Alleged profligacy with $193 million of taxpayer money fr…

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Google’s Fiber “Proof of Concept” Is Anything But – LAUNCH - How many folks want fiber in their homes? [ everyone raises their hands ] Keep your hands up if…

I want fiber! Actually I just want real competition beyond the Comcast/AT&T duopoly

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Google’s Fiber “Proof of Concept” Is Anything But – LAUNCH -
How many folks want fiber in their homes? [ everyone raises their hands ] Keep your hands up if…

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Quote deep in a lengthy article "John le Carré Has Not Mellowed With Age" on the now 81-year-old author:  

NYT Mag: "When I asked about a more recent object of liberal opprobrium, [...]]]>

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Le Carre' on Bigelow's “Zero Dark Thirty"
fascism is when you can't put a cigarette paper between corporate- and government-power

Quote deep in a lengthy article "John le Carré Has Not Mellowed With Age" on the now 81-year-old author:  

NYT Mag: "When I asked about a more recent object of liberal opprobrium, “Zero Dark Thirty,” Kathryn Bigelow’s 2012 film about the capture of Osama bin Laden, le Carré paused for a moment, then smiled at me, then paused again. “Let me,” he said, “try and organize my anger.” … he faults Bigelow for not depicting nearly enough of the multiple types of behind-the-scenes intelligence gathering that were crucial to bin Laden’s capture. “If the film is accurate,” he said, “it is a portrait of such incompetence that it takes your breath away.”

Great turn of phrase in paragraph on his newest novel: "In “A Delicate Truth,” he directs his attention toward the perils of farming out military duties to mercenaries. “This will sound as if I am speaking large,” le Carré told me, “but Mussolini said that the definition of fascism was when you couldn’t put a cigarette paper between corporate power and government power. I have watched veteran members of our intelligence establishment go seamlessly into these private defense contracting companies.” Maintaining a military, done correctly, he said, is difficult physical, mental and moral work. “It’s so much easier if I come to you and say, ‘Here’s the contract, I want you to liberate Sierra Leone, I don’t give a toss who you take with you and try to keep the killing down.’ ”

Book comes out May 7th, pre-order link on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Delicate-Truth-Novel-ebook/dp/B00BC24NT4/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1366327563&sr=8-2-fkmr1&keywords=le+carre+“A+Delicate+Truth” 
.

John le Carré Has Not Mellowed With Age
The 81-year-old spy writer is in the midst of a hardy late-career bloom.

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p.s. If you happen to be the Pittsfield Township police officer that rolled out to check out what all the racket was about, sorry, we tried to shoot at time when there wouldn't be anyone around.  A salute to the 45th anniversary [...]]]> Back in 2009, +Hyundai Worldwide paid tribute to the Mustang on its 45th birthday

p.s. If you happen to be the Pittsfield Township police officer that rolled out to check out what all the racket was about, sorry, we tried to shoot at time when there wouldn't be anyone around. 

A salute to the 45th anniversary of the Mustang

Hyundai pays tribute to the Mustang’s 45th Birthday

p.s. If you happen to be the Pittsfield Township police officer that rolled out to check out what all the racket was about, sorry, we tried to shoot at time when there wouldn't be anyone around. 

View this [...]]]>

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One example of a car from the era that most people would prefer to forget is the 1973 Mustang II. In the linked article, the writer argues that the Mustang II very nearly killed the iconic franchise. I would argue otherwise.

The early 1970s hit automotive [...]]]> The 1970s were undoubtedly a nadir for automotive enthusiasts

One example of a car from the era that most people would prefer to forget is the 1973 Mustang II. In the linked article, the writer argues that the Mustang II very nearly killed the iconic franchise. I would argue otherwise.

The early 1970s hit automotive engineers with a perfect storm of new safety, emissions and fuel economy standards at the same time as the first of two oil supply/price shocks. A combination of a trying to meet all of these new rules and low point in style yielded some atrociously bad rides. 

All of this happened before electronics had advanced to a degree that would eventually bring us the automotive golden age of performance and efficiency we live in today. Engineers were aware of the coming regulations and had to make product decisions. 

At +Ford Motor Company they opted to move the Mustang to the smaller, lighter Pinto platform for the 1974 model year. While the performance sucked and the styling was unimpressive, Ford managed to sell a lot of them. As uninspired as Mustang II was, it was in fact enough to keep the nameplate alive through a very bad period in automotive history.

With Mustang II sustaining the brand, Jack Telnack's design team went to work on a whole new direction while the engineers developed the Fox-platform car for 1979.

Without the Mustang II, the original pony car probably would have been extinguished after 1974 and probably never revived.  

http://wot.motortrend.com/happy-birthday-ford-mustang-turns-49-capri-celebrates-44-years-356223.html/1965-ford-mustang-shelby-gt350-1024×640/#axzz2QliahUcq This was posted on Google+… ]]> The 1965 +Ford Motor Company Mustang GT350 was the first of a long-line of high-performance ponies over the past 49 years

http://wot.motortrend.com/happy-birthday-ford-mustang-turns-49-capri-celebrates-44-years-356223.html/1965-ford-mustang-shelby-gt350-1024×640/#axzz2QliahUcq

The early 1970s hit automotive engineers with a perfect storm of new safety, emissions [...]]]> One example of a car from the era that most people would prefer to forget is the 1973 Mustang II. In the linked article, the writer argues that the Mustang II very nearly killed the iconic franchise. I would argue otherwise.

The early 1970s hit automotive engineers with a perfect storm of new safety, emissions and fuel economy standards at the same time as the first of two oil supply/price shocks. A combination of a trying to meet all of these new rules and low point in style yielded some atrociously bad rides. 

All of this happened before electronics had advanced to a degree that would eventually bring us the automotive golden age of performance and efficiency we live in today. Engineers were aware of the coming regulations and had to make product decisions. 

At +Ford Motor Company they opted to move the Mustang to the smaller, lighter Pinto platform for the 1974 model year. While the performance sucked and the styling was unimpressive, Ford managed to sell a lot of them. As uninspired as Mustang II was, it was in fact enough to keep the nameplate alive through a very bad period in automotive history.

With Mustang II sustaining the brand, Jack Telnack's design team went to work on a whole new direction while the engineers developed the Fox-platform car for 1979.

Without the Mustang II, the original pony car probably would have been extinguished after 1974 and probably never revived.  

Happy 40th Anniversary to the Malaise Era
The Malaise Era marked a decade or so of thoroughly unexciting and drab vehicles in the wake of stricter safety regulations, pollution limits and the fuel crisis of the 1970s.

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This week the US Supreme Court heard arguments in a case involving the patenting of human genes. There is absolutely no way anyone should be allowed to ever get a patent on the instructions for growing [...]]]> While I am totally a proponent of marriage equality, this less talked about case is actually far more important

This week the US Supreme Court heard arguments in a case involving the patenting of human genes. There is absolutely no way anyone should be allowed to ever get a patent on the instructions for growing a human or any other organism. At best (or worst depending on your perspective), patents could be granted on specific methods of detection, but never the genes themselves.