You’re looking at pictures of a Mercedes C63 AMG with a chrome (gold?) paint job in none other than Dubai. While the popular new C63 AMG comes with many options and luxuries from the factory, a chrome paint job is not one of them. These pictures were originally posted on a popular online message board for Dubai car enthusiasts called SupercarsDubai. Maybe this C63 AMG is the the daily driver of the person who owns this chrome Mercedes SLR McLaren. - http://www.exoticsandluxury.com
22 December 2009
19 December 2009
Sex, porn, and Michael Jackson top kids' searches in 2009
Sex, porn, and Michael Jackson were among the most popular items kids searched for online in 2009, as tracked by Symantec's OnlineFamily.Norton.
Symantec on Thursday revealed the top 100 favorite search terms among children 18 and under found by its free OnlineFamily.Norton service, which helps parents monitor their kids' online searches. Though innocuous terms like Sesame Street and "New Moon"--a popular movie in the Twilight vampire series--made the cut, sex showed up fourth on the list for boys and fifth for girls, following YouTube, Google, and Facebook as the three top terms.
Top 10 search terms by boys and girls for 2009 (Credit: Symantec)
For boys, the top 25 search terms focused on social-networking sites, shopping sites, and certain adult terms. Girls seemed to favor subjects related to music, TV shows and movies, and celebrities.
Speaking of celebrities, to no one's surprise, the late Michael Jackson was the most searched for celebrity, coming in at number 12, followed by pop singer Taylor Swift at No. 13. Other hot stars that made the list included Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears, Beyonce, the Black Eyed Peas, the Jonas Brothers, Eminem, Rihanna, and Chris Brown (who was in the news this year after admitting that he assaulted ex-girlfriend Rihanna).
Searching for celebrities online, however, may be hazardous to your PC's health. Symantec has found found that these searches sometimes draw people to dangerous Web sites, which spew out viruses, spam, and other malware.
Kids seven and under searched for items related to video games, while older kids were heavy into music, with 34 percent of teens and 27 percent of tweens searching for music-related topics. The Miley Cyrus song "Party in the USA" was the most-searched for tune among kids, while "Boom Boom Pow" by the Black Eye Peas took the No. 2 spot.
Tech terms that popped up on the list included MySpace at No. 8, MSN at No. 33, the iPod Touch at No. 98, and Bing last at No. 100.
To compile its top 100 list, Symantec tracked 14.6 million searches run by users of its OnlineFamily.Norton service and ranked the terms according to ones submitted most frequently to those submitted the least. The terms were collected anonymously, so none could be associated with any specific children or families. - http://news.cnet.com
09 December 2009
New paper battery may change the energy landscape
Simply coating a sheet of paper with ink made of silver and carbon nanomaterials makes an efficient storage device that is 10 times as powerful as lithium-ion batteries used to power laptops.
The light-weight battery is created by painting nanotube ink onto paper
After it is coated and heated heated the paper becomes super-conductive and works as a battery even if the material is crumpled.
'Taking advantage of the mature paper technology, low cost, light and high-performance energy-storage are realized by using conductive paper as current collectors and electrodes,' the scientists said in research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
This type of battery could be especially useful for applications like electric or hybrid cars, which depend on the quick transfer of electricity.
Battery weight and life have been an obstacle to commercial viability of electric-powered cars and trucks.
'Society really needs a low-cost, high-performance energy storage device, such as batteries and simple supercapacitors,' Stanford assistant professor Yi Cui said.
'Our paper supercapacitors can be used for all kinds of applications that require instant high power.
'Since our paper batteries and supercapacitors can be very low cost, they are also good for grid-connected energy storage.'
Peidong Yang, professor of chemistry at the University of California-Berkeley, said the technology could be commercialized within a short time.- www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech
02 December 2009
Windows 7 users hit by 'black screen of death'
The software giant said they were investigating a disabling glitch that seems to particularly affect its latest operating system.
However, they have denied reports that its latest monthly security update has caused the serious system problems.
Microsoft wrote in a blog posting: 'We have conducted a comprehensive review of the November Security Updates, the Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool, and the non-security updates we released through Windows Update in November.
An artist on the website 'Poorly Drawn Portraits' made this picture of Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer using photos of crashed Windows computers showing the iconic 'blue screen of death'
A close-up of the Ballmer portrait showing the computer screens
It had been suggested by Software firm Prevx that the blank screen problem was caused by the firm's latest security patch.
Prevx said millions of people may have been affected and issued a general fix it said would save many from the laborious process of reloading their machines.
However, they have since retracted this claim and suggested malware could be the culprit.
Prevx's Director of research Jacques Erasmus said: 'We apologise to Microsoft for any inconvenience our blog may have caused.'
Microsoft said that people who are affected by the problem should contact its customer service line.
The 'black screen of death' is a play on the 'blue screen of death' colloquialism used for the error screen that has plagued Windows users over the years.-www.dailymail.co.uk
15 November 2009
10 Ways to Spot an E-Mail Scam
E-mail scams and phishing attempts evolve constantly, hoping to take advantage of the latest trends and current events. Although the e-mails change, the people behind them inadvertently send up the same warning signs again and again. We dug through mountains of spam to find the most prevailing trends. We've collected some actual scam e-mails and highlighted the warning signs to help you spot a hustle the next time one lands in your inbox.
It should be common sense, but just in case, we'll remind you again: Don't open an attachment from someone you don't know – even if it appears to be your bank or credit card company. It's almost always a virus or spyware meant to steal your personal information.
7. Wordless e-mails
Some legitimate looking "e-mails" are actually just images. The danger with these is that clicking anywhere in the body takes you to a suspect Web site – where you may be fooled into entering personal information, or the scammer may slip spyware onto your machine.
8. Outdated information
9. Red-flag phrases
If you see the phrases "verify your account," "you have won the lottery" or "if you don't respond within XX hours, your account will be closed," it's a scam – every time. Hit the delete button and don't look back.
10. Generic greetings
- www.switched.com
02 November 2009
29 October 2009
The iPhone app that lets you use your mobile to drive a car
Computer scientists in Germany have developed an iPhone application that turns the smartphone into a remote control for their self-constructed car.
The iPhone application has a steering wheel, brake and acceleration pedal, which connects to the car
The Autonomous Car is wired to the hilt with GPS, Wi-Fi and laser 3D sensors
The commands are transmitted from the iPhone via radio to the power transmission in the car. The user can park a car on the ground level as far away as the fourth floor of a building.
Both the remote control and car dubbed 'Spirit of Berlin' were constructed by the Artificial Intelligence Group at Freie Universität in Berlin.
The group is investigating how autonomous vehicles could change our lives in the future.
Professor Raúl Rojas, who directed the project, said we could one day all be dropped off and picked up by driverless taxis, which would remove the need for everyone to have their own car.- www.dailymail.co.uk
Watch the remote-controlled car in action...
25 October 2009
Computer beep codes: What those beeps mean
When I start fixing a computer, 99% of the problems I see are software related. Most of the time it is you, the user that wrecks, breaks, crashes, or kills your computer. Sorry, I have to be blunt about it, but it's true. New processors, hard drives, video cards, memory and motherboards are just inanimate objects we can lay blame to.
Most of the time the main problem with these broken computers I tend to are due to too many programs loading up at start up. All those little programs add up, and sometimes eat up all the system resources.
Every now and then though, I do see a hardware problem and the first thing I do when I turn the computer on is listen to how it beeps.
Beep Code: | Description of Problem: |
---|---|
No Beeps | Short, No power, Bad CPU/MB, Loose Peripherals |
One Beep | Everything is normal and Computer POSTed fine |
Two Beeps | POST/CMOS Error |
One Long Beep, One Short Beep | Motherboard Problem |
One Long Beep, Two Short Beeps | Video Problem |
One Long Beep, Three Short Beeps | Video Problem |
Three Long Beeps | Keyboard Error |
Repeated Long Beeps | Memory Error |
Continuous Hi-Lo Beeps | CPU Overheating |
As you become more and more experienced with computers, friends and family will naturally start to bring sick computers to your door to fix. When that happens, or when your own machine suddenly stops working, try listening to it first and see if it tells you what's wrong. If you are able to diagnose the problem just by listening to it, you will surely impress all your computer friends! - http://www.pcstats.com
20 October 2009
Share Internet Connection Wirelessly, Without a Router
If you have more than one computer or a Wi-Fi phone at home, but no Wi-Fi router, you can still share your Internet connection wirelessly from the PC that's hooked to your modem. The gist is that the main PC broadcasts its Internet connection over its Wi-Fi card and thus acts like a router itself, allowing other devices to connect.
For step-by-step instructions, click here for Windows Vista PCs, here for Windows XP, and here for Macs.
26 September 2009
New MPV Produa Spyshots
10 September 2009
05 September 2009
BMW Vision Efficient Dynamics Concept
This is BMW's vision of the sports car of the future; a lightweight 2+2 coupe with plug-in hybrid drive technology that promises to offer 'M' car-level performance and driving dynamics with Toyota Prius-like fuel economy and emissions figures. Set to take center stage at the Bavarian automaker's stand at the 2009 Frankfurt Show in September, the Vision EfficientDynamcis showcases an array of technologies many of which are said to be planned for use on upcoming BMW, MINI and Rolls Royce models.- http://carscoop.blogspot.com