Yearly Archives: 2011


My eBook Recharging the Car

In December 2006, I was given a preview of a concept car that Chevrolet would reveal in a few weeks time at the Detroit Auto Show. Those of us in attendance didn’t get to see the car’s styling but we did learn about the interesting new powertrain architecture that Bob Lutz and Jon Lauckner had sketched out as a follow-on to GM’s last electric car, the EV1.

Over the next couple of weeks I wrote a series of articles that would be published at the same time the car was unveiled but that was just the beginning. Over the next four years, as engineers , designers and technicians at General Motors and its suppliers worked around the clock to transform the concept into the first mass-produced extended range electric vehicle, I wrote hundreds of thousands of words about the process on AutoblogGreen, Autoblog and GreenFuelsForecast.

Following the production launch of the Chevrolet Volt in late 2010, I began to compile most of those articles along with relevant articles about other similar vehicles into an e-Book. I’ve now published that anthology as Recharging the Car. It’s available now from Amazon’s Kindle Store, Barnes & Noble’s Nook store and as soon as Apple finishes its approval process it will be in the iBooks store.

Update: It’s now in the iBooks store for those of you using iPads, iPhones and iPod Touches


Back in December 2006, I was still relatively new on the automotive journalism scene… 4

Back in December 2006, I was still relatively new on the automotive journalism scene but I got invited to a General Motors background briefing in New York City. Jon Lauckner, Beth Lowery, Tony Posawatz and others from GM spent the next two hours describing a new kind of electric (please, please don't call it a hybrid) car that was designed to overcome the problem of "range anxiety."

Three weeks later Bob Lutz rolled onto the stage at Detroit's Cobo Hall in the original Chevrolet Volt concept. Over the next four years I had the opportunity to talk many of the leaders on the Volt development team, and drive various prototypes while writing hundreds of stories for AutoblogGreen, Autoblog and GreenFuelsForecast. I've now compiled much of that material along with articles about related technology and concepts into a new eBook.

Recharging the Car is now available on the Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/charging-into-the-future-sam-abuelsamid/1104806909?ean=2940013095755&itm=1&usri=abuelsamid) stores. As retail availability of the Volt expands nationwide over the next few months, it might worth reviewing how the Volt came to be and how it works.

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Amazon.com: Recharging the Car eBook: Sam Abuelsamid: Books
Amazon.com: Recharging the Car eBook: Sam Abuelsamid: Books

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If you want to know about how to build wealth and grow the economy who would you…

If you want to know about how to build wealth and grow the economy who would you take advice from? Political ideologues llike Paul Ryan and Michelle Bachmann or one of the most successful investors of the past century, Warren Buffet?

Buffett has frequently spoken out against Republican tax policy over the past decade, particularly payroll and estate taxes. In an op-ed today in the New York Times Buffet lashes out against the idea that the wealthy won't invest if they have pay taxes on their winnings.

Buffett acknowledges that despite paying nearly $7 million in taxes in 2010, it was not nearly enough. His tax payments amounted to just 17.4 percent of his taxable income at the same time that the 20 people that work in his office paid out an average of 36 percent of their income. Buffett calls for an immediate tax increase on all incomes over $1 million and an even larger increase on incomes over $10 million.

This country would be a lot better off we listen Warren Buffett right now than anyone in the GOP leadership.

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Stop Coddling the Super-Rich
We mega-rich should not continue to get extraordinary tax breaks while most Americans struggle to make ends meet.

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More on the war against photographers, this time in Long Beach 2

This is all part of the continuing efforts to keep Americans in a state of fear in order to justify continuing unending war.

Remarkably, George Orwell described this tactic almost perfectly in 1984 and if you haven't read it, now is the time to head down to the library or bookstore. Read it and start fighting back.

Everyone in Long Beach should start carrying a camera at all times and randomly taking photos, especially when they see a police officer.

Reshared post from +Dan Gillmor

UPDATED

Assuming this story is true, America's War on Photography has pushed the limits in Long Beach, California, where police chief says his cops will "approach" photographers pretty much at will — an obvious attempt to intimidate folks. To the extent that photographers are actually detained, that's likely to cost Long Beach taxpayers a bundle over time, as what the city is doing is almost certainly illegal.

Hope the ACLU is on this case…

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Long Beach Post: Police Chief Confirms Detaining Photographers Within Departmental Policy

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Rather than allow AT&T to buy T-Mobile USA, it's actually time to go back…

Rather than allow AT&T to buy T-Mobile USA, it's actually time to go back to 1984 and break up what has already been reconsolidated.

Reshared post from +Dan Gillmor

A letter written by AT&T (and ineffectively redacted at the FCC) shows that AT&T's rationale for buying T-Mobile is exactly we've known from the beginning. The point is to reduce competition, period. If this buyout goes through, it will be terrible for everyone but the shareholders of AT&T.

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Leaked AT&T Letter Demolishes Case For T-Mobile Merger – Lawyer Accidentally Decimates AT&T's #1 Talking Point | DSLReports.com, ISP Information

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Screw Apple! I've always like OS X and my Macbook Pro rocks and it's hard… 4

Screw Apple! I've always like OS X and my Macbook Pro rocks and it's hard to beat an ipod as a portable media player. But I've always been hohum about iOs and and with all of this patent litigation bullshit they won't be getting any more of my money any time soon.

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Apple also files complaint against Motorola Xoom design, may seek injunction | Android Central
Apple suing Motorola for the Xoom design

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There is no excuse for trying to stop photography in public places 4

If you don't want you building photographed, wall it off and don't let anyone in. If someone can stand on the sidewalk and see something, why is it wrong for them to record it?

Reshared post from +Dan Gillmor

The British War on Photography, brilliantly illustrated by activists who took pictures in public places with videographers capturing the varied — and usually false — claims of private security people about what is permitted under the law. This is happening more and more in the U.S., but the UK leads (if that's the right word) the world's democracies in this particular brand of paranoia.

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It's not often that I agree with Mark Cuban but in this case I couldn't agree… 4

It's not often that I agree with Mark Cuban but in this case I couldn't agree more. The abuse of patents by "intellectual property holding companies" needs to stop. More importantly the examiners at the US Patent and Trademark Office need to get off their asses and start actually examining these patents and using some common sense.

If patent application doesn't actually describe a very specific invention, reject it. If it's something obvious reject it. Put the burden of proof that the "claimed invention" on the applicant to demonstrate that it is novel.

Most importantly eliminate software and business method patents entirely. Patents should cover a specific implementation, not a general idea. At this point we would be better off if they put a moratorium on all new patents until the problem is sorted out.

Reshared post from +Mark Cuban

patent litigation pissing off anyone else ? I could hire a lot more people if we didnt have to spend money on the nonsense we are getting hit with. Hello Mr President, your assistance is requested…

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blog maverick
If you want to see more jobs created – change patent laws. Aug 6th 2011 8:24PM. Sometimes it's not the obvious things that create the biggest problems. In this case one of the hidden job killers i…

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It's time to take America back from big corporations and return it to the people!…

It's time to take America back from big corporations and return it to the people! An Ypsilanti/Ann Arbor chapter of Move to Amend http://movetoamend.org/ is opening up. For those unfamiliar with the recently launched group, the intent is pass a constitutional amendment that would end the ridiculous idea that corporations should be treated as persons.

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Move to Amend chapter to open in Ypsi/Arbor, challenge concept of corporate personhood
For all your Mark Maynard needs.

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