Monthly Archives: September 2012


How Apple’s Obsession with Google Is Hurting Apple 8

Reshared post from +Mike Elgan

How Apple’s Obsession with Google Is Hurting Apple

Every once in a while, a company becomes so obsessed with a competitor that it loses focus on its own customers. They start designing and positioning their products more to hurt rivals than thrill users.

And I fear that now it’s happening to Apple.

Again. 

http://www.cultofmac.com/192350/how-apples-obsession-with-google-is-hurting-apple/

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My friend +John Voelcker spoke with officials from +Nissan about the results of…

My friend +John Voelcker spoke with officials from +Nissan about the results of testing they did on the some of their customers Leafs (Leaves?) following complaints that the batteries were losing capacity. Bottom line from Nissan? These cars had accumulated higher than average mileage (about 19,000 miles on average in about a year) and the losses were right in line with projections based on the mileage.

While consumers are accustomed to their laptops and phones losing capacity over time, those batteries are relatively inexpensive compared to a car and easy to replace (unless you have an iPhone, iPad or a Macbook Air). Loss of battery capacity is also more of an annoyance on these devices compared to the loss of driving range in a car which can leave someone stranded.

Nissan opted to go with air-cooling for its battery which reduces the weight and cost, but will inevitably have a cost in longevity. We haven't heard of any similar issues yet with the liquid-cooled battery in the +Chevrolet Volt but it may not be as noticeable in this range-extended machine. The +Ford Motor Company Focus Electric hasn't been on the road long enough and there aren't enough out there to see if this will be a problem with its liquid cooled pack. 

Average consumers are used to driving their cars for years on end without losing significant functionality. If plug-in vehicles continue to exhibit this sort of degradation, it certainly won't do the effort to electrify transportation any good. 

Nissan Suggests Leaf Battery-Capacity Loss Due To High Miles: Exclusive
It’s been a few months now since reports of losses in battery capacity in Nissan Leaf electric cars began to filter out of Arizona. Owners have complained to Nissan’s Consumer Affairs group and writte…

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Roger Ebert pays tribute today to one of the great film directors of all time, Chuck…

Roger Ebert pays tribute today to one of the great film directors of all time, Chuck Jones. I grew up watching the works of Jones and the Warner Bros. animation team on TV and ahead of movies and loved them all. 

Chuck Jones: Three Cartoons :: :: Great Movies
A film director, like an orchestra conductor, is the lord of his domain, and no director has more power than a director of animated films. He is set free from the rules of the physical universe and th…

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+Cali Lewis and +John Pozadzides drive the #2013FordFusion  and come away im… 8

+Cali Lewis and +John Pozadzides drive the #2013FordFusion  and come away impressed

Reshared post from +Cali Lewis

We took the 2013 Ford Fusion out for a drive.

2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid, Start/Stop, and EcoBoost – FIRST DRIVE!
Our friends from Ford took us out to Santa Monica this week to experience the whole line up of 2013 Ford Fusions, and I gotta tell you, every one’s a winner.

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As more and more plug-in vehicles hit the roads in the next few years, drivers may…

As more and more plug-in vehicles hit the roads in the next few years, drivers may find themselves in competition for available parking spaces with charging points. If you're driving a battery electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid in need of some extra electrons to get you home, you might ask yourself if it's OK to pull the plug on the car that's already using the charger. 

+Ford Motor Company offers some handy tips on how to decide including a card you can print and use if your plug-in vehicle doesn't have an obvious charging indicator. http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=37134 

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The old Soviet generals are probably leaning back and saying "I told you so… 2

The old Soviet generals are probably leaning back and saying "I told you so!"

Reshared post from +Arianna Huffington

"We've been in Afghanistan for 11 years…we can’t leave and we can’t stay: that’s the very definition of a quagmire" http://nyr.kr/R5lYgX 

In Afghanistan, the Definition of a Quagmire
We can’t win the war in Afghanistan, so what do we do? We’ll train the Afghans to do it for us, then claim victory and head for the exits. But what happens if we can’t train the Afghans?

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Otto Blopnik scoops the rest of the automotive press yet again with the news that… 8

Otto Blopnik scoops the rest of the automotive press yet again with the news that +Hyundai Worldwide plans to exceed the new 2025 CAFE standards by a fairly wide margin.

Hyundai vows to become world’s first 60,000 MPG automaker
Hyundai, which touts itself as “America’s most fuel-efficient car company,” announced that all of its vehicles will achieve 60,000 miles per gallon by 2025, exceeding the upcoming…

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