The Volt in Paris

Chevy takes the wraps off of their entry into the electric car wars, the Volt.



Cnet has the photos from Paris.

I have to say, it's a nice looking car on the outside, and definitely a step up from the Prius or its look-alike the new Honda Insight.  With those two cars form followed function, from the tall rear-end to the disc like wheels.  The Volt has a more traditional appearance for a sedan with an actual rear deck and a high waistline.

On the inside, though, they appear to have gone with modern kitsch.  Everything is glass screens and iPod white.  I don't think that the look is going to age well.

The Volt is interesting in that if you drive less than 40 miles after a full charge then the engine should not turn on.  This will get a lot of people back and forth from the office, and if your work allows you to charge your car that's even better.  However, I wonder if the engineers have thought about fuel stability.  If you are doing a lot of short trips, commuter style, then that tank of gas might be sitting in your tank for quite a while.  And gas will break down over time, which is why it is recommended to drain your lawn mower or add a fuel stabilizer when it is not in use over winter.  I wonder if we would have to do the same with cars like the Volt?

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The Uncanny Valley

This is so true.

Way back in 1919 Sigmund Freud postulated his concept of the uncanny. In the (cleverly named) The Uncanny, Freud explored a problem of aesthetics—when something is both familiar and unknown the experience of viewing it can be strongly unsettling. Fifty years later, roboticist Masahiro Mori presented his own work on the uncanny. Drawing heavily on his predecessor's work, Mori developed his "uncanny valley" hypothesis.

It seems the closer that robots or computer graphics get to life-like, the worse they look.  This is the 'uncanny valley', where close is simply not good enough.  We more easily accept human behaviors projected onto an obvious robot then human behaviors from something that almost looks human.  I think this is why, in general, computer generated movies have shied away from trying to be completely realistic.  Sure, there are some CGI (computer generated images) subbing in for actors in dangerous stunts, but you rarely see them standing around talking to each other.

The first movie to really try for that replacement reality feel was Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.  It was hard to take seriously because it was diificult to listen to Steve Buscemi's or Alex Baldwin's voice coming out of a different "human".  They touch on this in the video when they look at The Polar Express.  At least those characters looked somewhat like Tom Hanks, so it was easier to swallow the illusion.

I imagine the day is coming when the images will be indistinguishable from the real thing.  It appears that the first step is digitizing actors and actresses bodies when they are in the prime of their life so that they can play parts later when all they can offer is their voice.  It will be a total reversal from the first days of the movies, when all they had to offer was their looks.

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Driving the 2009 Acura TSX

Two weeks ago my 2004 Acura TSX came down with a severe case of broke down-itis, and the dealer was kind enough to loan me a 2009 model while mine was being fixed.



I have to say, it's a nice ride.  I'm not all that crazy about the color, but what can you do?  I do like the 5 spoke wheels better than the 7's on mine, and Acura certainly gave the new model a more aggressive look.  However, it has the same engine as the 2004 model, and this one is an automatic where I drive the 6-speed manual.

Inside, it's a whole different story.  They threw in all the extras including GPS Nav, XM Radio, USB for your iPod, Bluetooth cell phone connection, and just about everything else.  The transmission has a sports shift mode using paddle wheels behind the steering wheel and most of the other amenities can be controlled from the steering wheel as well.  They threw in memory positions for the driver's seat, and even the side view mirrors reposition themselves when you are backing up.  Just in case the rear-view camera lets you down, I guess.

Overall, an enjoyable driving experience - however I am ready to get mine back.  You just can't replace the feeling of control driving a good standard gives you.

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Tesla Roadsters crash like any other car

I'm a big fan of the Tesla electric Roadster.  My thought is if you want people to buy an electric car, then you need to build an electric car people actually want to buy.  And Tesla is the first company to do it.  So, it really pained me to see this.

Needless to say, if they are looking for a buyer for a 'reconditioned' Tesla, I would be happy to talk with them.

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This is just sad

Apparently IT students can't be bothered to do their own homework anymore.

UK IT students are hiring coders in India to complete their coursework for as little as £5 a go.

A-level and university pupils are logging onto computer coding websites and farming out their work to foreign IT graduates.

I imagine if it's happening in the UK, it's happening in the US.

I can't decide if this is the utmost in laziness, or the utmost in intelligence - assuming you have the money to burn.  But, I think that they are going to come to a point in their career where they will actually wish they had put the work into actually learning to code instead of how to pay someone to code.

Of course, coding is something that people tend to either love or hate.  And if you love it, then why pay someone else to do it?  And if you hate it enough to pay someone else to do it, why are you in that major anyway?

via Slashdot

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A Family Portrait

Scientists working with the Spitzer Space Telescope have created a 800,000 image mural of the Milky Way galaxy.  That's pretty impressive, and certainly helps give us a sense of scale.

Here is a viewer that allows you to zoom in on parts of the picture. 

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My sacrifice to save the world from Global Warming

I am willing to make the sacrifices necessary to save the planet from global warming. So, I will be taking donations to travel here and buy a Tesla Roadster.

Forget the cheesy-suited, high-pressure stereotype of your everyday car dealership (“How can we can get you in one of these today?”). With its exposed wooden rafters, slick concrete floors and chatty central bar, Tesla Motors’ first store on Santa Monica Boulevard here is an art gallery/coffee house/Apple store hybrid for plug-in vehicles—and the salespeople want you to gawk as much as buy.

“Have a look around, have fun, and if you have any questions, ask,” a friendly employee told us within three steps of our first visit to the store, which opened here on Tuesday. Then she handed us a cup of java and a brochure.

Yeah - I'll take two.

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The Segway's Successor?

Check out this thing.

Be sure and watch the video.  How it can move is just freaky.

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Prepping the Shuttle

Here is an absolutely stunning photo series of NASA prepping the Space Shuttle.  Well worth the time to scroll through.

Via the Corner.

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So, when do we move in?

Virgin and Google team up to colonize Mars.

An invitation.

Earth has issues, and it's time humanity got started on a Plan B. So, starting in 2014, Virgin founder Richard Branson and Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin will be leading hundreds of users on one of the grandest adventures in human history: Project Virgle, the first permanent human colony on Mars.

I'm sure my wife wouldn't mind having a pair of Martians running around the house. That's so much cooler than regular old Earth children.

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