Accessories: AutoSock Gains Traction in Colorado, U.S.
Nov 25, 2009 Object
Did I ever tell you all about the time I went to Norway? It was in 2006 for MotherProof.com; I went there to check out a cool new product called the AutoSock, a replacement for tire chains. It took a few years for the AutoSock to make its way to the U.S., but it’s finally here and has been approved as a replacement for tire chains on commercial trucks by the Colorado Department of Transportation.
The AutoSock is just what it sounds like: A little bootie for your tires. Specifically, the tires on what’s known as the “drive wheel,” which is the wheels that pushes the car forward.
Colorado has chain laws for commercial trucks and passenger vehicles. When they’re in effect (during blizzards and the like), truckers have to pull over and put chains on their vehicles for better traction in the ice and snow. This is a dangerous and time-consuming activity for truckers, and many have been injured and even killed when putting chains on.
With the AutoSock, you just slip the fabric “sock” over the tire, drive either backward or forward a couple feet and then put the rest of the AutoSock on. That’s it. This nifty gadget improves a car’s traction by about 30 percent compared to tires alone.
How do I know this? Because I got to ride in a test car outfitted with the AutoSock. I went out to a frozen airstrip in Dagali, Norway, where I was given a series of demonstrations of the AutoSock’s performance. There were turning, braking and acceleration exercises. I was stunned at the AutoSock’s performance during these tests, and I’m thrilled that they’re available here now.
There are some drawbacks to the AutoSock. You cannot drive faster than 30 mph with it on, and you must remove it when the road is free of snow and ice. The AutoSock is made of fibers that will tear on dry pavement.
While the AutoSock could be a boon to truckers, I think it’s a perfect device for getting to school on snowy days — not just for moms with kids but for teen drivers, too. AutoSocks cost $80-$100 for passenger vehicles, and you can get them at Amazon.com and at AutoSock.us.
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Accessories: AutoSock Gains Traction in Colorado, U.S.
Tags: a-cool-new, a-dangerous-and, colorado, frozen-airstrip, norway, over-the-tire, slip-the-fabric, stunned-at-the, transportation
REPORT: Norwegian Porsche importer makes horsepower, taxes conspicuously disappear
Nov 4, 2009 Object
Filed under: Car Buying, Performance, Europe, Government/Legal, Porsche
2009 Porsche Boxster and Cayman - Click above for high-res image gallery
Although the Porsche Boxster and Cayman are built right next door in Finland, in neighboring Norway, the sportscars are subject to heavy tariffs due to their relatively high engine output. But according to reports from inside the Scandinavian country, the local importer has found a solution that apparently manages to bring down the price without consequence.
The Norwegian specifications for the entry-level Porsches show that the Boxster produces just 211 horsepower - a significant drop from its 255hp stock spec - while the Cayman is down to the same from 265. The benefit is that by coming in under the cap, the Porsches receive significant tax cuts: the 211hp Boxster saves the equivalent of over $15k, while the 211hp Cayman saves nearly $19k. You’d have to figure that these horsepower cuts, while financially advantageous, would have a negative effect on the cars’ performance, but according to the chart, acceleration figures and top speeds remain the same: 0-100 km/h in 5.9 seconds for the Boxster and 5.8 for the Cayman, topping out at 263 and 265 km/h respectively.
Assuming the numbers don’t lie, clearly something is rotten in the state of Norway.
Gallery: 2009 Porsche Cayman and Boxster
[Source: BilNorge.no via WCF]
REPORT: Norwegian Porsche importer makes horsepower, taxes conspicuously disappear originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Tags: 211hp, a-friend-via, california, cars, cayman, chevrolet cobalt, finland, norway, porsche-cayman, porsches, remain-the-same, saturn
McDonald’s says goodbye to Iceland, land of fire and ice (but not fries)
Filed under: Economy, McDonald’s
On Tuesday, McDonald’s (MCD) announced its plans to leave Iceland. This weekend, the global restaurant’s three franchises, all located in Reykjavik, will close their doors, as the country’s weak economy has made Big Mac’s prohibitively expensive.
McDonald’s has only been in Iceland for a few years. The first golden arches arrived on the island in 1993, and then-Prime Minister David Oddsson ate the country’s first Big Mac. Ironically, the Big Mac outlasted Oddsson by a few months; the Prime Minister later went on to become governor of the country’s central bank, but was fired by Iceland’s Parliament in February of this year.
Continue reading McDonald’s says goodbye to Iceland, land of fire and ice (but not fries)
McDonald’s says goodbye to Iceland, land of fire and ice (but not fries) originally appeared on DailyFinance on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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McDonald’s says goodbye to Iceland, land of fire and ice (but not fries)
Tags: a-bright-future, a-few-years, a-friend-via, bigmac, bolivia, broader, chinese, dividend, entry, global, holiday-parties, norway, shares-and, the-country-, world
Obama’s smart grid funding leaves California out in the cold
Oct 27, 2009 Object
Filed under: Energy, Technology
President Barack Obama announced today that he is pushing out $3.4 billion in stimulus spending to fund the development and construction of the much vaunted “smart grid.” Significant portions of the funding will go toward subsidizing so-called smart electrical meters for large utilities. Utilities in Florida and Maryland are set to get multi-hundred million dollar grants to underwrite smart meters and other infrastructure upgrades.
But a quick read of the stimulus list implies that the government will inadvertently penalize some utilities that have already moved quickly to build smart meter programs. The biggest loser of all? California. Big utilities in the Golden State got more or less shut of funding awards from Washington D.C. on this round, according to blog Earth2Tech.
Continue reading Obama’s smart grid funding leaves California out in the cold
Obama’s smart grid funding leaves California out in the cold originally appeared on DailyFinance on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Obama’s smart grid funding leaves California out in the cold
Tags: a-bright-future, cold, energy, entry, florida, golden-state, holiday-parties, more-or-less, norway, power, smart, stimulus, technology, utilities, world
Marijuana critics, and our brilliant plan to save the San Francisco ‘Chronic’-le
The decline in newspaper advertising and an upswing in medical marijuana sales are happening simultaneously. And if viewed together, they present an illuminating opportunity for a few daily papers, should their publishers take advantage of the opportunity.
The two industries are moving in opposite directions. We all know what’s happening to newspaper ad sales: The Audit Bureau of Circulations released precipitous circulation figures on Monday, with a shocking average decline of close to 11 percent over the past six months for daily papers. Weed’s having better luck. The Justice Department announced last week that it will no longer prosecute medical marijuana users, and instead leave enforcement up to individual states (only 13 of which permit marijuana as legal pain relief).
Continue reading Marijuana critics, and our brilliant plan to save the San Francisco ‘Chronic’-le
Marijuana critics, and our brilliant plan to save the San Francisco ‘Chronic’-le originally appeared on DailyFinance on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Marijuana critics, and our brilliant plan to save the San Francisco ‘Chronic’-le
Tags: a-few-daily, alt weekly, altweekly, chronicle, circulation, entry, francisco, golden-state, holiday-parties, norway, power, technology
CEO pay is still a man’s world
Filed under: People
The results of a new study by boardroom watchdog The Corporate Library might lead you to conclude that last year was a bad time to be the CEO of a U.S. company. After all, top corporate executives saw their pay fall sharply from a year earlier as the recession decimated profits and sent the stock market into a nosedive.
Of course, it’s never really a bad time to be a CEO. Even last year, it took some $70 million in total compensation to crack the list of ten highest-paid chief executives, according to The Corporate Library. That’s nothing to scoff at (especially when you consider that it’s about 20,000 times more than a typical citizen of, say, Liberia makes a year). Still, not all CEOs are created equal: Women executives saw their pay plummet even further than their male peers, the study found.
Continue reading CEO pay is still a man’s world
CEO pay is still a man’s world originally appeared on DailyFinance on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Tags: ceo pay, crack-the-list, entry, exeuctive compensation, golden-state, infocus, norway, power, technology, the corporate library, the-recession, women
Consumer confidence tumbles in October on job concerns
Filed under: Economy
Despite impressive gains in U.S. stock markets, consumers continue to exhibit a wait-and-see stance toward the country’s economy. Consumer confidence unexpectedly plunged in October to 47.7 from 53.4 in September, The Conference Board announced Tuesday, led by citizens’ concern about jobs.
A Bloomberg News survey of economists had expected the index to rise to 54.0 in October from a revised 53.4 in September. It totaled 54.5 in August, 47.4 in July, and 44.8 in June. The index hit a record low of 25.3 in February. (Base year, 1985=100.)
Also, the present-situation index declined to 20.7 in October from 23.0 in September, and is now at its lowest level in 26 years.
Continue reading Consumer confidence tumbles in October on job concerns
Consumer confidence tumbles in October on job concerns originally appeared on DailyFinance on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Consumer confidence tumbles in October on job concerns
Tags: a-friend-via, conference, consumer confidence, entry, exeuctive compensation, norway, october, september, stock-markets
Funny Car Commercial of the Day: Toyota and the Beautiful Woman
Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Toyota, Humor
Toyota and the Beautiful Woman - Click above to watch the video after the break
It’s always fun when advertisers take a well-known marketing cliche and turn it onside its head. Such is the case with today’s Funny Car Commercial of the Day, where we see a beautiful woman walking the streets of Norway with predictable results from the men she passes along the way.
Men both young and old find themselves unable to look away from the object of their desire, leading to a couple of unfortunate accidents. The woman seems unfazed, as if these events are part of her normal daily routine. But wait, there’s a twist. We don’t want to give it away, so click past the break to watch the video for yourself. Be sure to check out veryfunnyads.com for more.
[Source: veryfunnyads.com]
Continue reading Funny Car Commercial of the Day: Toyota and the Beautiful Woman
Funny Car Commercial of the Day: Toyota and the Beautiful Woman originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Tags: chrysler-group, entry, funny, funny car commercials, funnycarad, gp3series, norway, Object, switzerland-, turn-it-onside, veryfunnyads, watch-the-video
[TechMediaWatch] October 5: Cisco, IBM, Comcast, NBC,Adobe, Flash, Nvidia
Oct 5, 2009 Object
Just a Touch Away, the Elusive Tablet PC
Technology enthusiasts have never given up on an idea that keeps fizzling: a tablet computer that strikes the public’s fancy.(NYT)+++
Cisco: ‘In Norway We Trust’
With so much of Cisco’s $35 billion in cash sitting overseas, acquisitions of foreign companies could become commonplace.(NYT)+++
Sure I.B.M. Is …
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[TechMediaWatch] October 5: Cisco, IBM, Comcast, NBC,Adobe, Flash, Nvidia
Tags: a-tablet-computer, cash-sitting, elusive, norway, public, strikes-the-public, tablet-computer-, touch-away, trust
The world’s first floating wind turbine goes on line in Norway
Filed under: Technology
Hywind, the world’s first floating wind turbine, went on line this week, six miles off the coast of Stavanger, Norway. It owes its existence to two oil and gas engineers who asked, according to Sjur Bratland, the Hywind project manager, “Why not? Why not do it?”
StatoilHydro, the Norwegian oil company, spent $60 million dollars to design and construct Hywind’s tower and platform which rises almost 200 feet feet above the waves. The turbine sits atop a floating steel structure that extends 300 feet below the surface, is filled with ballast of water and rocks and is anchored to the ocean floor by three cables.
Continue reading The world’s first floating wind turbine goes on line in Norway
The world’s first floating wind turbine goes on line in Norway originally appeared on DailyFinance on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The world’s first floating wind turbine goes on line in Norway
Tags: above-the-waves, diet, first-floating, goes-on-line, hywind, norway, norwegian, stavanger, went-on-line, worth-billions
