The Fruit of Knowledge
Posts tagged standard bearer
Official: American driver Alexander Rossi racing his way into F1
Nov 8th
Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Lotus
Formula 1 may be coming to America – with two races within the next two years, no less – but it’s been a long time since an American has taken on Formula One.
Scott Speed was the last standard-bearer The U.S. had in the series, but after showing early promise with Formula Renault 2000 titles in Europe, he failed to shine in his seat with Scuderia Toro Rosso, ultimately moving back Stateside to NASCAR. Mario Andretti and Phil Hill both took the trophy home for America, but those titles were decades ago. What America needs now is a new talent to waive the Stars and Stripes at the grand prix circuits of the world. And it could have just that in Alexander Rossi.
The twenty-year-old Californian has shown serious promise in the feeder series, winning the Formula BMW title and landing third in the critical Formula Renault 3.5 series where, with two wins, he emerged as this season’s rookie of the year. Rossi was linked to the failed USF1 team, and in 2009 was awarded a test drive for BMW Sauber F1, making him the only American to currently hold the FIA Superlicense required to compete in Formula 1.
Now Rossi’s coming back for another try at F1, participating in the young driver test at Abu Dhabi for the outfit currently known as Team Lotus (soon to be renamed Caterham). He’ll already be on hand for the GP2 race the same weekend, in which he’ll drive for Caterham’s feeder squad, Team AirAsia. We’ll keep an eye out to see how the young Yank does. Follow the jump for the press release.
Continue reading American driver Alexander Rossi racing his way into F1
American driver Alexander Rossi racing his way into F1 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 Nov 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Report: Cars.com still recommending Honda Civic, doesn’t care what CR says
Aug 3rd
There have been few remodels in the compact car segment that have been more eagerly anticipated than the 2012 Honda Civic. And why not? The Civic has been the standard-bearer in the segment for decades, and hopes were high for the new model.
We tested the Civic last month and discovered that while it still offered good fuel economy numbers and the promise of robust reliability and resale value, the 2012 evolution is something of a step back compared to the outgoing model. The interior isn’t quite as good, it certainly isn’t as much fun to drive as it used to be, and this Honda probably won’t turn as many heads as it once did. All while the competition has evolved at a rapid pace.
Consumer Reports was even less kind in expressing its feelings about the 2012 Civic. The consumer advocacy institute removed the Civic from its list of Recommended rides, and Senior Director David Champion went on to say that the refreshed Honda “now ranks near the bottom of its category.”
Losing the Recommended tag will likely sting Honda quite a bit, but just because CR is hating on the Civic doesn’t mean that everyone feels compelled to follow suit. For instance, Cars.com continues to stand by the Civic, citing “its terrific mileage, comfortable cabin, top safety scores, high resale value and a long track record of reliability.” Further, Cars.com adds that the Civic beat out entries like the Ford Focus and Kia Forte in one of its recent comparison tests, and at the same time, the Honda earned a “Top Safety Pick” from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
So is the 2012 Civic the star performer Cars.com seems to think it is, or is it closer to the disappointment described by Consumer Reports? The answer to that question will come down to personal choice. That said, for our money, we’d be happier if Honda stuck to the recipe that made the Civic great while leaving more mundane choices to its other competitors.
Cars.com still recommending Honda Civic, doesn’t care what CR says originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 03 Aug 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Hisense unveils new consumer WHDI accessories, cable haters rejoice
Apr 14th
Hisense is still betting on the WHDI horse for wireless HD. The standard’s standard-bearer AMIMON announced its chips would be powering a new line of accessories from the Chinese manufacturer at the Global Sources Electronics & Components World Expo (GSECWE?), including a transmitter for laptops (above), a case for iPhones, and a receiver for TVs (both below). Obviously beaming a round Super Mega Worm to your big-screen is enticing, but we’re sure you’re most excited by the ability to stream Hulu from your laptop to your TV while reclining on the couch. And if you’ve got a 3D set, fret not, WHDI can push polarized pixels thanks to support for HDMI 1.4a. Sadly, info on pricing and availability is nonexistent, but we wouldn’t expect to find these in your local Best Buy. Yet.
Continue reading Hisense unveils new consumer WHDI accessories, cable haters rejoice
Hisense unveils new consumer WHDI accessories, cable haters rejoice originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Apr 2011 09:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Video: Hennessey beats 2011 Nissan GT-R again, this time with twin-turbo Escalade
Apr 13th
Filed under: Aftermarket, Coupe, Performance, SUV, Videos, Cadillac, Nissan, Luxury
Hennessey HPE1000 Cadillac Escalade vs. 2011 Nissan GT-R – Click above to watch video after the jump
The problem with being the standard-bearer for world-class performance is that you’re saddled with the burden of defending your crown at every turn. Take the 2011 Nissan GT-R, for example. This vehicle has the proud distinction of offering one of the highest performance-per-dollar ratios of any car on the planet, and as such, it’s the go-to challenger for any high-horsepower machine looking to make a name for itself.
Those would-be stars are typically low-slung tuner creations, but the team from Hennessey chose to line the big-bad Nissan up against something a little less traditional: its HPE1000 Cadillac Escalade. Whereas the 485-horsepower 2011 GT-R can dash to 60 mph in as little as 3.4 seconds, the big SUV packs two turbos, over 1,000 horsepower and 0-60 sprint of 3.3 seconds.
To be fair, the Godzilla in the video after the jump isn’t the new-and-improved 2012 model (stop us if you’ve heard this one before…), and the Caddy gets a massive jump on the Nissan, but the fact that a 6,000-pound SUV can manage to keep up with anything from the GT-R bloodline is an impressive enough feat. Click past the jump to check it out for yourself, and remember to keep your fender-to-fender shenanigans off the street.
[Source: Hennessey via YouTube]
Continue reading Video: Hennessey beats 2011 Nissan GT-R again, this time with twin-turbo Escalade
Video: Hennessey beats 2011 Nissan GT-R again, this time with twin-turbo Escalade originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Apr 2011 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Platinum Games president releases new company manifesto
Apr 1st
Though today is usually a day for press releases of the foolin’ variety, Platinum Games president and CEO Tatsuya Minami is deadly serious. (Or really deadpan.) In a post on the Platinum blog, he has outlined “Platinum Next,” the company’s plan to become “The Japanese Standard Bearer in Global Competition.”
Five years ago, Minami says, Platinum Games was established with a credo to “deliver smiles and surprises around the world,” a goal that has been accomplished through games like Vanquish, Infinite Space, Piledriver Style and Bayonetta. (Surprise! Her clothes are made of her hair!)
Now, with Japanese game companies having “lost their vigor,” Minami wants Platinum to be the new face of a renewed business. “Series grow ever-longer; original titles are on the decline,” he writes. “Games with new at their core are disappearing. Japanese games that garner worldwide acclaim are slipping away.” And so now, Platinum wants to do nothing less than “ignite a Japanese games revival.”
So, uh, buy Anarchy Reigns.
Platinum Games president releases new company manifesto originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Flexible batteries get the graphene treatment, could be cheaper than other bendy batts
Mar 1st
We’ve been talking about flexible batteries for years now, but a team of Korean researchers have presented a new solution to bendable energy sources that is not only more powerful than standard lithium-ion batteries, but also potentially cheaper to produce than its malleable predecessors — and unsurprisingly, everyone’s favorite wonder material, graphene, is at the heart of the innovation. The rechargeable battery contains a vanadium-oxide cathode, grown on a sheet of graphene paper, an unidentified separator, and an anode made of lithium-coated graphene. According to the folks behind the new power source, it sports higher energy and power density, as well as a better cycle life than the literally stiff competition. Similar advances have also out-performed rigid lithium-ion batteries, but have enlisted carbon nanotubes, a material more expensive to produce than graphene. Of course, like all technological advances, we won’t be seeing these things for years, if not decades, so you might as well get used to ye olde standard bearer.
Flexible batteries get the graphene treatment, could be cheaper than other bendy batts originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Mar 2011 01:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Deutsche Bank ditches BlackBerry for iPhone, Apple puts chink in RIM’s enterprise armor
Jan 26th
For years, suit-and-tie circles have bowed to BlackBerry as the king of corporate communication, but iOS has been creeping in on enterprise territory, calling into question RIM’s sovereignty in the boardroom. The folks at Deutsche Bank Equity Research struck the most recent blow to RIM’s enterprise dominance with the announcement that they’ll buck BlackBerry for iPhone, following a trial using Good Technology’s secure email app. The company tested the app in conjunction with Microsoft Exchange Server, delivering AES 192-encrypted email and calendar data to employees, and, according to the firm’s research analyst, the iPhone proved an easier and faster solution to BlackBerry. Last summer, AT&T announced that 40 percent of iPhone sales are enterprise, and we just reported on RIM’s possible move to devices beyond the BlackBerry. We’re not saying it’s off to the guillotine with the old standard bearer, but it definitely looks like there are new contenders for the enterprise crown.
Deutsche Bank ditches BlackBerry for iPhone, Apple puts chink in RIM’s enterprise armor originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 21:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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