While every automaker is actively developing better batteries and motors, they are also pouring resources into tweaking that old standby, the Otto-cycle piston engine. As powerplants like +Ford Motor Company's EcoBoost, VW's TSI and +General Motors EcoTec engines are proving there is still plenty of room for efficiency improvement at a much lower cost premium than batteries. I think we'll be driving liquid fueled vehicles for decades to come. 

Reshared post from +Earth – add & share 🙂

Aurora over White Dome Geyser

Sometimes both heaven and Earth erupt. Colorful aurorae erupted unexpectedly earlier October 2012, with green aurora appearing near the horizon and brilliant bands of red aurora blooming high overhead. A bright +Moon lit the foreground of this picturesque scene, while familiar stars could be seen far in the distance. With planning, the careful astrophotographer shot this image mosaic in the field of White Dome Geyser in Yellowstone National Park in the western USA. Sure enough, just after midnight, White Dome erupted — spraying a stream of water and vapor many meters into the air. Geyser water is heated to steam by scalding magma several kilometers below, and rises through rock cracks to the surface. About half of all known geysers occur in Yellowstone National Park. Although the geomagnetic storm that created these aurorae has since subsided, eruptions of White Dome Geyser continue about every 30 minutes.

Image Credit & Copyright: Robert Howell
Explanation from: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap121017.html

Reshared post from +Dan Gillmor

If Obama had done anything remotely this slimy, Fox "News" and the rest of the right-wing press wouldn't stop shouting about it. But hardly any of the so-called liberal media are giving it even a second glance, largely, I believe, because they're afraid of being called partisan. 

Reshared post from +Arianna Huffington

New study: "An outsized financial sector expansion can actually reduce economic growth…" 

Unfortunately the only part we missed was some autobahn seat time in the R8

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/06/first-drive-2008-audi-a4-on-the-autobahn-and-in-ibiza/
http://green.autoblog.com/2008/04/05/first-drive-2008-audi-a4-3-0-tdi-quattro/

My favorite line from Tim W. Jackson, president, Colorado Automobile Dealers Association on what would happen if Tesla went belly up: "If that were to happen, and consumers were left high and dry without a place to have their Tesla cars serviced, he said, it would do great damage to the good reputation of all auto dealers."

I suspect a large proportion of the people that have ever purchased a new car might take exception to the idea that car dealers have a good reputation. 

Unfortunately car dealers have a disproportionate voice in state politics and I think it's foolish for politicians to legislate against new business models before we get a chance to see if there is some good that come out of them.