Developers are dreaming big about the concept, but it’s not necessarily for everyone. It was cool, but when the initial ooh-aah value wore off, I found myself wanting to walk around and look at the world. John Boris, executive vice president for Lonely Planet in the U.S., said the feature can only do so much.
Article source: http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2010/09/03/review_mtrip_iphone_app_uses_augmented_reality
Perhaps the most exotic of these brainiacs was Charlie Chan. He was, to begin with, Chinese, the only member of a minority group in a usually WASPy crowd — modest, even obsequious, in manner, with a gift for amusing aphorisms (“Murder like potato chip — cannot stop at just one”) and, as it happens, for survival. He, alone, persists in people’s memories as an easily identified pop culture icon, a status attested to by Yunte Huang’s “Charlie Chan,” a capacious, somewhat baggy, but always entertaining book about Chan and all the factors that account for his longevity. Before Huang is done, we have been treated to a vast gaggle of material about Chan’s creator, Earl Derr Biggers; Honolulu (where Chan was nominally a police detective); Chinese culture and immigration to the West; Hollywood moviemaking, not excluding Fu Manchu and Anna May Wong — everything that might possibly shed light on the Honorable Detective’s life and times and popularity. Believe me, no one is ever going to write a book like this about Hercule Poirot.
Biggers, the bright and agreeable product of a small Ohio town and Harvard, had his first success with a novel, “Seven Keys to Baldpate,” which George M. Cohan turned into a stage success before Biggers was 30. The play remained a favorite with amateur drama companies for many decades thereafter. Biggers wrote the first of his six Chan novels a dozen years later. The first Chan movie, a silent, appeared in 1926 and was followed by 46 more, mainly at Fox and low-rent Monogram, which released the last of them in 1949. Thus, the simple response to the question of Chan’s longevity is all those movies, which played on television for decades.
That, however, says little about their intrinsic quality. Biggers was a good writer, possessed of a simple, straightforward prose style and a gift for patient, plausible plotting. I’ve sampled some of his novels recently and can testify that they can be read today without condescension. Something similar can be said of the movies. Though inexpensively and quickly made, they were well written, sensibly directed and decently acted. From time to time young performers like Rita Hayworth and Ray Milland turned up in them, particularly in support of the first and best Chan, Warner Oland, the Swedish actor who, alas, drank himself to death (he was replaced by Sidney Toler). There are wet, earnest commentators who think Chan should have been played by an Asian actor, conveniently forgetting that Asians were then in short supply in Hollywood, forgetting as well that the issue was not Chan’s race but the respect in which he was always held. That’s another reason the Chan films continue to play so agreeably today. You don’t have to make allowances for any sort of casual racism in them; there is none.
Biggers is one author who would have had no complaints about the way Hollywood treated his liberal-minded work. Unfortunately, he did not live long enough to fully enjoy Chan’s growing popularity. Plagued by illness much of his life, he died at 48, around the time the fourth of the Oland pictures was released. By now, Chan’s connection to the Honolulu P.D. was becoming more and more nominal; he was turning into an international private eye, ranging from Berlin to Shanghai, solving crimes and, incidentally, calming down his comically excitable, thoroughly Americanized sons, who served as his assistants.
Yet Chan left one unsolved mystery behind him. That has to do with his origins, and it is one Huang does not, in my opinion, satisfactorily solve. There was, in Honolulu, a real-life Chinese detective on the police force, a man named Chang Apana, who people early on insisted was the model for Chan. It was an idea that Biggers affably endorsed.
Richard Schickel’s latest book is “Clint: A Retrospective.” His “Conversations With Scorsese” will appear next spring.
Article source: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/05/books/review/Schickel-t.html?src=me&ref=books
Product Review: Novatec Craft w999
Carbon Wheels
Had he ever been a cyclist, these are the wheels that Darth Vader would have
ridden.
First Impressions
Out of the box
Had he ever been a cyclist, these are the wheels that Darth Vader would have
ridden. Mean. Big. Black. They look The Business.
Hubs so chunky they could double as blunt instruments in a homicide. Sexy in a
strangely alluring way. 99mm. Pray for no cross-winds or you’ll never see Kansas
again…
The hubs! In the high-end world of bicycles, Carbon is King. But not when it
comes to hubs. Due to considerations of stiffness and problems in construction,
up to now traditional carbon hubs have been made by wrapping carbon fiber around
a metal core. However, Novatec’s engineers put their heads together and came up
with a totally carbon fiber hub.
The combination of a new foaming technique with what Novatec mysteriously call a
‘special procedure process’ (i.e. “We don’t want to tell our competitors how we
did it”) allowed Novatec to move on from the traditional hub. The shape of the
hubs apparently have something to do with this process – but that’s not the only
reason they are so unusual looking. They were designed in this way in the hope
of minimizing the wind drag and turbulence that occurs around the hub flanges.
Another innovative design feature is the unique Craft 3-in-1 Cassette system.
This allows riders to interchange the cassette body without having to change
the hub. So the hub, thanks to the unique cassette Locking Adjustment System
(LAS) lets you choose between a SRAM, Shimano or Campagnolo cassette.
They look heavy, and yet, pick them up and they aren’t, not considering the
size. The front comes in at 749 grams, the rear at 1031; but with wheels like this
it is all about momentum. Let’s be honest here, you won’t be using these on l‘Alpe d’Huez. Relatively flat courses are the natural home of the W999. A quick
spin of the wheel and the rotation-time is impressive. Japanese sealed bearings
to thank for that.
Put them on the bike and they just transform any machine, turning everything
into a speed-rig. On a good, stiff frame they really come to life.
As we were abut to find out…
The Ride
Stiff. Stiff. And… more Stiff.
I could leave it at that. But this is a review so I suppose I should go on.
Well, the stiffness comes in large part from these huge hubs.The distance
between the 99mm rims and hub, especially the rear, is very short. The bladed,
strong carbon fiber spokes provide phenomenal support.
They offer no give. No comfort. These are hard wheels. Like two
Glaswegian-twins-with-Chelsea-Smiles-and-Stanley-knives-in-a-dark-alley hard.
And that’s exactly what you want. You want time trial wheels to give you every ounce of
power you put into the chain, without mercy for the road or the opposition.
And the hubs? Do they work? Well, it felt like it. In a 10km TT on a windy day
in which half the course was a real slog, the W999s helped an aging hack manage
a 50.245 km/h average. The momentum was tangible, once up over 35 km/h, and
there was no discernible drag experienced. And with the wind at your back, you
can really let rip. It’s a combination, of course, you want a good frame, a
clean drivetrain, a half-decent engine and the wheels, and the W999s fit into
that combo very nicely indeed…
The Verdict
Is there a drawback on these? Couldn’t find it. They did everything they were
supposed to. The hubs really make the difference, it’s very simple. Novatec are
onto a winner here…
The Basics
Full Carbon Tubular Wheelset
1.Full-carbon wheels with 99mm profile and aerodynamic 3D rim
surface
2.Wheels are built with high aerodynamic and extra light weight carbon spokes
3.Carbon Craft hubs are in aerodynamic oval shape for lower side wind drag
4.Hubs are equipped with Japanese sealed bearings for smooth rotation
6.Rear hub with L.A.S. (Locking Adjustment System) provide high stability to
axle system
Novatec Craft
w999 Full Carbon Wheels Details
Weight: Front 749 grams - Rear 1031g
Spokes – Rim
Front: 8 x 216mm – Full Carbon Tubular 1 piece
Rear: L: 10 x 204mm – Full Carbon Tubular 1 piece
R: 10 x 210mm – Full Carbon 1
piece
Hub – Axle
Front: XA901CB – Alloy 9x100x108mm
Rear: L: 2SB XF902CB – Alloy 9x108mm Alloy
4SB – 10x130x140mm
Celebrating our tenth year!
Help
Support the Daily Peloton
Article source: http://www.dailypeloton.com/displayarticle.asp?pk=17568
Editor’s note: the system was reviewed by CNET Australia’s sister site CNET US as a HTF8003 soundbar, in Australia it’s part of a package that includes a KUBE-2 subwoofer and HTS7001 surround speakers.
Soundbar speakers generally only appeal to a small portion of home audio buyers. If you’ve got a large budget, minimalist ethos, appreciate sound quality — but not enough to insist on a pair of stand-alone speakers — a soundbar speaker fits your niche. The KEF HTF8005 doesn’t offer anything radically different from the competing models available, with a long tube-like design and glossy black finish. Its sound quality with movies was among the best we’ve heard on soundbars (although it doesn’t do any virtual surround effects), but music fans will want something more substantial. As usual with this product category, our major concern is the total cost of the system: in addition to the soundbar, you need an AV receiver, plus we found that a subwoofer is pretty much a must-have, too. That will probably bring the total cost to over AU$3500, which could buy you a lot more sound quality from a more conventional tower speaker arrangement, but if you like the single-speaker style, the KEF HTF8003 is one of the better options available.
The KEF HTF8003 looks like most of the other sound bars on the market, with a long tube-like design and glossy black finish. Viewed from the side, the HTF8003 has a skinny, oval-shaped profile, and it comes to only 3.2 inches deep. The speaker isn’t particularly heavy, but its weight distribution made it feel somewhat unstable: whenever we moved the HTF8003, it had a tendency to tip over backward. The problem: the small rubbery support pads seem a little too small to provide a stable platform for the speaker. On the plus side, the HTF8003 weighs significantly less than the competing Atlantic Technology FS-7.0; we’d feel much more comfortable wall-mounting the HTF8005 ourselves.
The HTF8005 comes with wall-mounting hardware and small rubber support pads. We found the rubber pads to be a little too small. (Credit: CBS Interactive)
Around back, the main HTF8003 speaker has three pairs of all-metal spring connectors that accept bare wire ends, or wires terminated with pins or spades; banana plugs won’t fit. We appreciated that they weren’t recessed into the speaker, like on the Canton CD 90 SB, but their low positioning made them slightly difficult to access with speaker wire.
There are three pairs of all-metal spring connectors on the back of the HTF8003. (Credit: CBS Interactive)
Behind the speaker grille, the HTF8003 houses nine total drivers. Each channel includes a 3-inch Uni-Q driver (and each Uni-Q driver has its own high-frequency/mid-range/bass driver), a 3-inch woofer and 3-inch auxiliary bass radiator.
Since the HTF8003 doesn’t make much bass on its own we started our listening tests partnering the speaker with a KEF HTB2SE-W wireless sub. We’ve tested the wired version of the sub before, and know it’s a great-sounding unit. But in this case we had to work for hours to get the HTB2SE-W to blend with the HTF8003.
The problem was that each time we adjusted the sub’s volume, phase, bass boost (equalisation control) and placement relative to the HTF8003 we either had too much or too little bass. During the initial set-up period we had to keep adjusting the balances every time we changed discs. The root problem was that since the HTF8003 made so little bass, the sub had to do most of the work. We eventually got a sub/speaker balance that worked for most discs. If you’re looking for a soundbar with a big, full sound on its own, you need a much bigger speaker, like the Zvox Z-Base 575.
We were happy to note the HTF8003′s left, centre and right channels sounded almost exactly the same when we ran test tones through them. That’s never a given with soundbar speakers, and we associate that sort of channel-to-channel tonal consistency with better than average dialogue sound quality. That was, in fact, the case, the HTF8003 reproduced dialogue very accurately.
The HTF8003′s overall sound is extremely clear and concise, certainly in the top ranks of sound bar speakers we’ve tested. The HTF8003 is strictly a three-channel sound bar, so it doesn’t even try to produce faux surround effects. That said, the speaker generated a wide and deep soundstage for movies.
Amelia isn’t what you’d call an action film, but it fully exercised the HTF8003′s home theatre skills. We see Amelia Earhart (Hilary Swank) on a succession of historic flights, including her first 1928 cross Atlantic flight. The older planes’ engines had a high-pitched sputtery whine — the sleeker, more advanced 1930s aircraft had a deeper, rumbling drone — and the HTF8003 zeroed in on the subtleties of the sound of each plane. The conversations between Earhart and her crew in the cramped cockpits had a truly claustrophobic sound. When Earhart’s little plane encounters severe turbulence and takes a nosedive, the HTF8003 and HTB2SE-W made our hearts jump.
We next fired up the Black Hawk Down Blu-ray; the film vividly re-creates the battle for the Somalian city of Mogadishu in October 1993. The HTF8003 didn’t have any problems delivering the film’s healthy dynamic jolts, and the jarring gunfire exchanges between the US soldiers and the hostiles had terrific impact. The sounds of gunfire echoing through the city streets demonstrated the speaker’s resolution of fine detail, but the big explosions and fiery crashes lacked the visceral punch we’ve heard from large speakers and subwoofers. While the film uses surround sound effectively, we didn’t miss 5.1 surround while listening in stereo.
At this point we swapped out the KEF HTB2SE-W subwoofer for our reference Aperion Bravus 8D sub. We weren’t sure what to expect, but it was actually a lot easier to blend the HTF8003 with the Aperion — the KEF-Aperion combination sounded excellent. Still, the HTB2SE-W was the better of the two subs in that its bass had slightly better definition teamed with the HTF8003.
CDs didn’t fare as well as movies, probably because the HTF 8003′s narrow soundstage and limited bass were more apparent with music. The sound was fine for background music listening; we were much happier with the HTF8003′s sound on movies.
Via CNET
Article source: http://www.cnet.com.au/kef-kht8005-339304900.htm?feed=rss
BlackBerry Presenter
I like to focus on the content of presentations, not their delivery mechanism. Toward that end, I took the BlackBerry Presenter for a test drive.
The Presenter is a small device that fits in the palm of your hand and is designed to receive a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation from a Bluetooth-enabled BlackBerry device and display it on a projector, television, or monitor without the aid of a computer.
The Presenter is easy to set up and use on BlackBerrys running BlackBerry Device Software 4.6 or later. Research in Motion loaned me a BlackBerry 8520 Curve to test drive the Presenter.
I plugged the Presenter into the USB port of an x86 PC running Windows XP and BlackBerry Presenter Manager software. The USB connection provided power and data.
The device weighs approximately 1.23 pounds and sports a solid rubber bottom, so it did not slide around on my desktop. Once the device booted its Linux operating system, the Manager program recognized it as a BlackBerry Presenter and upgraded the software on the device to version 1.2.0.9 (July 12, 2010).
Each Presenter has a unique identification number that is broadcast on a Bluetooth network to identify and distinguish it from other Presenters should there be more than one within 33 feet of your device. The number (which is printed on the unit) also serves as the passkey to access the device.
After the Presenter was ready, I turned my attention to the BlackBerry Curve and downloaded and installed the Presenter software directly from the BlackBerry App World, where it is stored under the Productivity and Document Tools directory. I also installed the software from a Windows PC using BlackBerry Device Software 5.0. Using the Device Software, I transferred a 2 megabyte Microsoft PowerPoint file containing 22 slides of text and graphics onto the Curve.
I connected the Presenter to a 52″ Sharp Aquos LCD panel and powered the Presenter with its adapter via the Micro USB port. While the Presenter booted, it continuously illuminated a red LED. When it was ready to connect to a BlackBerry, the device emitted a flashing red light and displayed the name of the BlackBerry Presenter on the LCD screen along with its passkey. From the Curve, I ran the BlackBerry Presenter, opened my presentation, and selected “present.”
The Presenter software enabled the Curve’s Bluetooth interface and searched the Bluetooth network for a Presenter to show the PowerPoint.
When the software found the Presenter, it prompted me to select it and enter the numeric passkey. Once I started to make the connection from the Curve to the Presenter, the Presenter started to flash a blue LED. When the flashing blue turned to a solid blue LED, the Curve was connected and the LCD panel displayed the first slide of my presentation and loaded the rest of the slides in the background.
Without contention on the Curve, the Presenter received my 2 megabyte presentation within nine minutes. That transfer time did not compute to the 3 megabits per second throughput afforded by Bluetooth 2 that is supported by the Presenter and the Curve.
You should transfer your file to the Presenter before you meet you audience. Your file will remain on the device until you manually clear it from memory.
To compensate for the slow transfer, the Presenter let me start the presentation while slides loaded in the background. Presenter software displays a slide-by-slide progress report on the transfer in the bottom right-hand corner of the Curve, which is not portrayed to your audience.
The small screen display on the Curve did not lend itself well to viewing my slides while I presented them, but I could easily view my slide notes on the smartphone while my audience viewed the slide show. I froze my presentation on demand while I navigated to another slide on the Curve and easily hid my presentation from the external display.
Once all my slides were on the Presenter I selected the “loop” option from the Curve and the Presenter proceeded through my slides at a configured rate of 30 seconds per slide. While the show was automated, however, I was not able to freeze the loop once it started. I had to start and stop the automated slide show.
I repeated my presentation over the Presenter’s S-Video port onto a projector. The Presenter supports any NTSC or PAL external video display and sports a maximum screen resolution of 1024×768 for XVGA output and 640×480 for S-video output.
The Presenter made it easy to present a PowerPoint file from a BlackBerry device, but note that BlackBerry Curve 8350i and Pearl Flip 8200 Series smartphones are not supported.
Also note that the Presenter is not unlike the hardware that drives your smartphone. After the Presenter boots, it will have limited capacity dedicated to show complex PowerPoint presentations with animation. Test each PowerPoint on the Presenter before you make a show of it.
Sean Doherty is the technology editor at Law.com, and a San Francisco-based lawyer.
:::: PRODUCT INFORMATION ::::
Manufacturer: Research in Motion
Hardware: BlackBerry Presenter ($199.99)
Software: BlackBerry Presenter, BlackBerry Presenter Manager (no charge)
Power: Micro USB
Interfaces: VGA, S-Video
Size: 3.4 x 2.4 x .9 inches
Weight: 1.23 pounds
Subscribe to Law Technology News
Article source: http://www.law.com/jsp/legaltechnology/pubArticleLT.jsp?id=1202471408177&rss=ltn
Romantic comedy is the fruit fly of movie genres, usually so caught up in the myths and mores of the moment that even a few years later the behavior seems phony. But a good one is the gift that keeps on giving. Success or failure comes down to whether the filmmakers have the perception to recognize the truth of their own era and the honesty to say it.
“Going the Distance” does both, and it’s first rate. This new movie, with Drew Barrymore and Justin Long, recognizes that modern people are pretty coarse, that they’re loose, profane and cavalier in ways that previous generations weren’t. It also knows that love and intimacy have the same urgency as ever. And so the film captures the harshness and the sweetness of our time.
We know we’re in good hands from the moment Barrymore and Long (as Erin and Garrett) meet in a New York bar. Nothing weird, nothing cute, they just hit it off, the way people sometimes do. From then on, all the formulaic things that we’ve come to expect, and dread, in a romantic comedy don’t happen. The movie doesn’t skip over the part where they get to know each other. And there are no fabricated arguments or ridiculous misunderstandings.
You know how in some movies people become estranged and yet, if they’d only just talk to each other, everything would be OK? Here, they talk to each other, just like people, not like idiots in a romantic comedy.
They don’t need fake problems. They have something real to deal with, which becomes the subject of the story: She’s in New York on an internship, and when it ends, she goes back home to the Bay Area. From then on, the two are faced with trying to maintain a relationship across the span of a continent. It’s a measure of the success of “Going the Distance” that by the time the story kicks in, the audience is totally invested in the couple. They’re smart, they’re funny, they’re best friends, they’re soul mates. We start feeling their longing.
Along the way, we get a story about love during the recession and the particular challenges faced by young adults in a miserable economy. Erin (Barrymore) and Garrett (Long) are talented people, who, in their early 30s, really should be launched on their careers, not mired in perpetual occupational adolescence. They should have enough money to fly across the country without wiping out their savings. They should have enough opportunity to pick where they want to live and get a decent job.
The treatment of these issues is seemingly in passing, not heavy-handed. Yet it’s no accident that screenwriter Geoff LaTulippe places the lovers in industries particularly damaged by the new economy, journalism and music. She spends her days trying to get hired by newspaper editors who’ve just laid off 100 people, and he’s stuck in a business so depressed that it only invests in the safest, most insipid product.
That lack of money can be the enemy of love is no new idea. But when you see two people struggling who should have the world before them – and would have had, a generation go – that old observation lands with new force. But again, no sledgehammer; this element tossed is off, and all you see in the foreground are just two people, talking crudely and feeling deeply, using Skype, having conversations into the early morning hours, doubting and hoping, and counting the days.
Barrymore’s fluid ease with comedy is a marvel, and both she and Long have a truthfulness in everything they do. “Going the Distance” is often quite funny, and Christina Applegate has some particularly inspired moments as Barrymore’s frazzled older sister. Director Nanette Burstein, who has previously worked as a documentarian – she made the splendid high school documentary “American Teen” – holds the supporting players to a rigorous standard of emotional accuracy. They sell the comedy, never oversell it.
By the way, just for the record, a couple of scenes take place at The San Francisco Chronicle, but the office as depicted in the film looks more like a train station than the real thing. Also, journalists never tell each other, “Hey, that was a really nice Page One story you did today!” At best, they just sort of grunt, “Eh, nice piece” without looking up from their mail.
– Advisory: Sexual situations, nudity, strong language.
E-mail Mick LaSalle at mlasalle@sfchronicle.com.
This article appeared on page E – 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle
Article source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/09/03/MVA31F20EV.DTL
Posted on: Thursday, 2 September 2010, 13:19 CDT
CINCINNATI, Sept. 2 /PRNewswire/ — After a comprehensive review, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada announced today that they have found no cause linking Pampers Dry Max diapers and reports of diaper rash and other skin conditions. Pampers has welcomed the Commission’s and Health Canada’s thorough review and cooperated fully with them.
To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, click: http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/pampers/45988/
“We are thankful that the U.S. CPSC and Health Canada conducted their thorough reviews and have not identified any cause for concern with Pampers with Dry Max,” said Jodi Allen, Vice President of Pampers. “Our heartfelt mission is always to care for and protect babies, and as such, safety is, and will always be, our number one priority. We hope that today’s announcement will reassure the millions of moms and dads and child caregivers who place their trust in Pampers and Dry Max every day. We thank our customers for their continued support and greatly value and appreciate the trust they place in us.
“We truly and deeply sympathize with any parent whose baby is experiencing a diaper rash. Unfortunately, diaper rash is still a very common condition experienced by 2.5 million babies on average at any given time. We are parents ourselves. And it is more clear to us now than ever that we have a responsibility to help parents who desire more detailed information and guidance on skin care and diaper rash.
“To help, we are sponsoring the distribution of comprehensive educational materials produced by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) that provide detailed information on the care and treatment of infant skin conditions, including diaper rash. These AAP materials are now available as free brochures and in the summer issue of AAP Healthy Children Magazine through many pediatrician offices, online at www.healthychildren.org, and at pampers.com.
“We promise that we will always put babies’ health and safety first and we encourage any parent or child caregiver with questions to reach out to us at 800/PAMPERS.”
About Procter Gamble (NYSE: PG)
Four billion times a day, PG brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Gain®, Pringles®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head Shoulders®, Wella®, Gillette®, Braun® and Fusion®.
The PG community includes approximately 127,000 employees working in about 80 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about PG and its brands.
SOURCE Pampers/Procter Gamble
Source: PR Newswire
Article source: http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1912294/cpsc_finds_no_cause_linking_pampers_dry_max_to_diaper/index.html?source=r_health
It’s never been easier for families wanting a change for the usual Focus or
Astra-sized hatchback to buy into something different without any real
downsides.
Take this Hyundai ix35. SUV style, Crossover trendiness and family hatchback
efficiency all wrapped up in one nicely built, affordable package. Too good
to be true? Let’s find out.
Should the increasing numbers of us who covet SUV ownership feel a twinge of
guilt? The green lobby would have it so, but their argument that a
conventional estate car or an MPV would be a more eco-friendly choice isn’t
usually born out by the figures. Not at least, if you’re looking at a
compact, soft-roading SUV like this one: Hyundai’s ix35, here tested in
entry-level 2.0-litre Style 2WD petrol form. Did I say ‘SUV’? Perhaps I
shouldn’t have. Hyundai certainly doesn’t call it that. This apparently, is
yet another of those ‘Crossover’ models – family hatches with 4×4 styling
cues offering the tough looks people like without the weight and running
costs they don’t.
In truth, this model could and should steal sales from both categories: Toyota
RAV-like small SUVs and Nissan Qashqai-style 4×4-ish family hatch
Crossovers. This wasn’t a claim its predecessor, Hyundai’s Tucson, could
ever make, not butch enough to be a proper 4×4, not car-like enough to be a
Crossover. With the ix35, the South Korean maker has tried a bit harder,
producing a higher quality product with apparently no downsides over a
conventional family hatchback. Such a claim is usually accompanied by a
significant price premium over said family hatchback but no, you don’t
really even get that either. Sounds appealing doesn’t it? Let’s check it out.
Lots of cars are claiming to be ‘Crossovers’ these days but some of them are
more 4×4-ish than others. There’s a faint whiff of ‘pretend’ in this respect
with a Nissan Qashqai or a Peugeot 3008, but you don’t feel it here. Like a
Ford Kuga or a Skoda Yeti, the ix35 simply feels like a small SUV with all
the clumsy, clunky bits filtered out. So you sit on a proper SUV-like perch
at the wheel, higher than you would in a Qashqai, and there’s a 4WD system
that seems to have been integrally engineered into the design, rather than
added on as an afterthought.
“It’s a Hyundai of the modern era. And that makes it a very impressive car
indeed?.”
2WD variants like the 2.0-litre petrol version we’re looking at here are of
course for those buyers who’d rather do without all-wheel drive – and you
can understand their point of view. The iX35, does after all, even in its
4WD guises, spend most of its time being front driven. Whatever your choice,
the day-to-day usability of the car is good. If you’re jumping into one of
these from a Focus or an Astra, you might notice a slightly firmer ride and
a smidge more bodyroll around corners, but it’s nothing you couldn’t live
with day-to-day. The two-phase dampers that adjust automatically for soft or
firm settings depending on the road surface can manage even this – though
they can’t do much about the boxier shape’s extra wind noise or the slightly
vague electric power steering.
Wanting not to scare off school run mums, Hyundai points out that this car,
based on their Focus-sized i30 model, is no longer than a Vauxhall Astra
family hatch, but that still makes it nearly 4.5 metres long, 10cm longer
than a Nissan Qashqai. It certainly feels bigger than an Astra, both on the
road and on your driveway, mainly because of its height. Though admittedly
shorter than the Tucson it replaced, this ix35’s perceived loftiness gives
it a bulk and a presence that Crossover buyers will probably rather like.
While the coupe-style tapering side windows and roofline will appeal to
Focus-segment families looking for something a bit different. So far, so
good.
At the wheel, you do pay a little for those dramatic exterior lines, the large
front and rear corner pillars and the narrow rear windscreen restricting
vision a little – which is perhaps why Hyundai thoughtfully includes rear
reversing sensors as standard equipment. You quickly adjust to it though,
and the large door mirrors help. Everything falls to hand easily and with
plenty of adjustment available via both seat and steering wheel, it’s
straightforward to find your ideal driving position. Fit and finish, despite
the general absence of soft-touch plastics, is well judged – this
satin-finish mock aluminium looks nice – and it’s certainly good enough to
match any potential rival this side of 25,000, which is saying a lot for a
Hyundai.
As for back seat passengers, well once they’ve adjusted to smaller side
windows that come courtesy of the high, rising waistline, they’ll be very
comfortable as long as they’re not overly tall. Large door openings are
welcome too, making it easy to lump child seats in and out: this would be a
fun family car. No fold-out boot seats of course – it isn’t that big – but
there is a lot of space back here – 591-litres (bigger than many mini-MPVs
can offer), which makes the size of a pricier rival Ford Kuga’s hold (at
just 360-litres) look pretty embarrassing.
At under 17,000, this 2WD 2.0-litre petrol Style variant will save you around
1,500 over a comparable diesel iX35 and 2,500 over a 4WD diesel variant.
Which means that, in an age when a bog-standard 1.6-litre Ford Focus Estate
is price-listed at close to 20,000, it’s not difficult to see this
Hyundai’s appeal. Crossover rivals like a comparable Nissan Qashqai or Skoda
Yeti would offer marginally more performance but would cost you 500-900
more.
Base equipment trim is pretty generous, running to 17-inch alloy wheels, rear
parking sensors, air conditioning, a decent quality 6-speaker CD stereo with
iPod connectivity, leather trim for the steering wheel and gear knob, a trip
computer, Bluetooth connection incorporating voice recognition for your
‘phone and something you really don’t expect to find on this class of car –
heated front and rear seats. Safety-wise, there’s ESP stability control,
active anti-whiplash front head restraints and six airbags.
For some reason, Hyundai doesn’t feel able to match its partner Kia’s 7 year
warranty but its unlimited mileage five year policy is still better than all
other rivals, also coming as it does with five years of breakdown cover and
five years of annual health checks. Running costs should certainly be well
contained, Hyundai reckoning that three years of service and repair will
cost you less than a sales rep’s Ford Focus. Inevitably, the 2.0-litre
petrol isn’t quite as good at the pumps as its diesel counterpart – expect
37.7mpg on the combined cycle as opposed to the 51.4mpg you’d get from the
diesel. CO2 is 177g/km.
So, what do we have? The tough looks of an SUV, the sensible practicality of a
5-seater mini-MPV and the affordability of a family hatchback. These are the
facts behind an ix35 model good enough to attract many new buyers to the
Hyundai brand, particularly perhaps in entry-level 2.0-litre Style petrol
form.
It’s nicely built and efficient to run. No, it’s not perfect – a class-leading
family hatch might offer slightly sharper handling and better all-round
visibility – but these aren’t deal-breaking issues. More important will be
this model’s competitive pricing and lengthy warranty. It’s a Hyundai of the
modern era. And that makes it a very impressive car indeed.
| Next »
July 09, 2010 11:20 AM
<!–
–>
The Like started out as a product of children of the industry. Three teenage girls with famous fathers. Singer and guitarist, Z. Berg is the daughter of producer Tony Berg. Drummer, Tennessee Thomas is the daughter of Elvis Costello’s drummer, Pete Thomas. Former Bassist, Charlotte Froom is the daughter of producer Mitchell Froom. In 2005, their full-length debut, “Are You Thinking What I’m Thinking?” was released. It was hard-edged, well-written, tough but feminine power-pop. For that record, the trio recruited veteran musician (and Prince-associate) Wendy Melvoin to handle production duties, to great success. The album may not have been on everyone’s players, but it was a solid disc worth finding.
Fast forward five years. Froom has left the band and has been replaced by Laena Geronimo. In addition, Annie Monroe has been added on organ. This new lineup (minus Monroe) recorded “Release Me” in Brooklyn with Mark Ronson, who has developed a very hip distinctive sound combining elements of both old and new. He has worked with both Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen and released his own highly-praised album, “Version” in 2007. His retro-cool stamp is all over this record. His presence is undeniable and immediately evident from the start. Monroe must’ve been added to the band’s lineup after the album was recorded. According to the liner notes, on the actual album, Victor Axelrod was on organ duty.
The album opens with “Wishing He Was Dead,” and the effective formula immediately hits you in the head. It ends up sounding like a sixties girl-group met up with a Nuggets-style garage band and started playing in a dusty hipster dive Fans of Winehouse’s “Back To Black” should find this album especially appealing. “Wishing He Was Dead” is one of a handful of tracks on this record co-written in part with Phantom Planet-frontman, Alex Greenwald. While Berg doesn’t sound quite as threatening as maybe Winehouse would, she still manages to put on a menacing angry face on the track as she tears down an ex. He’s left her jilted, sad and alone while he’s gallivanting around and all she wants is revenge.
“He’s Not A Boy” is the album’s lead single. It has a very early Beatles vibe. If you’ve seen the campy black and white video for the track or looked at the band shots in the liner notes, it’s evident that the band members are purposely referencing “A Hard Day’s Night.” This song is catchy, sassy and jumpy as Berg sings, “He’s not a boy that you can change nor should you want to.” Fans of music from the early sixties should really find this pleasing. It’s faux-vintage fun.
The title track is next. The girl-group dynamic is again in place as Berg urges a boy to break up with her, singing, “I wish you knew I’m not the one for you. / You’re not the one for me and I can’t stand it,” later declaring, “Before I break your heart, release me.” Like the rest of this album, this track is warm and infectious. These songs may seem deceptively simple, but ultimately, it’s their straight-forward nature that makes them fit into a timeless mold.
A nifty organ line gives “Walk Of Shame” a humorous carnival-esque feeling, giving the song a playful feeling, while at the same time sonically mirroring the lost, confused feeling of coming home at dawn after a long night of partying.
“Narcissus In A Red Dress” is next. Penned by Berg and Greenwald, the song targets self-obsessed women who will stab their so-called friends in the back for personal gain. The game is clique-acceptance. Perhaps this is a theme for social-climbing “mean girls,” but it also labels its subjects as vacuous followers by rhyming the title with “You’re like all the rest, miss.” Backed by a James Bond meets Austin Powers, retro-spy-movie arrangement, the song mines some very fertile territory. It’s like a more pop-minded answer to retro-leaning, left-field bands like Broadcast.
“I Can See It In Your Eyes” again pairs the garage rock sound with the girl-group vocal-style and it again brings to mind a warmer, more friendly answer to Winehouse. It may not quite have the same soul element as her material, but it maintains a similarly nostalgic tone.
“Fair Game” adds a punked-out element to the mix, recalling Tennessee Thomas’ father’s early work with Elvis Costello at his most upbeat. I guess that makes Monroe (and Axelrod) like Steve Nieve, as the organ playfully pogos around Berg’s spiky guitar line. There’s not a dud on this record, but this track is an obvious highlight. If this song doesn’t make you want to dance manically, (“There are limbs akimbo, flying wildly. / Just watch out now, don’t get hit!”), you may be doing something wrong in your everyday life that’s hardening your soul.
“Square One” is the first of the three tracks on the record produced by Thomas Brenneck and Homer Steinweiss. The overall sound remains uniform because Ronson is still involved in the arrangement. (In fact the entire album is arranged by Ronson, Berg, Thomas, Greenwald, Steinweiss, Brenneck Axelrod and Nick Movshon, thus proving it’s no simple process.) This track plugs along as if covered by a thick layer of film. It’s pleasantly fuzzy and dusty.
Brenneck and Steinweiss helm “In The End,” as well. It’s the strongest track on the record with the most indelible melody. Its wonderful tune enhances Berg’s masterful lyrics. “Diaspora or Renaissance. / Blame Mercury or fate or chance, / Changes always come in packs, / Sniffing out your darkened doorsteps.” While this isn’t one of the tracks listed on the cover as a highlight, if you are thinking that you might have interest in this record, this is the track you should seek out first.
“Trouble In Paradise” again brings to mind early Costello in its tone. The organ plays a big role in this association, as does the word “Paradise,” summoning a reference to “This Year’s Model” and the track “Living In Paradise.” But most of all, it’s Berg’s immediacy which makes the track really burst alive. She sings, “Wait. / Growing up is a sad affair. / You don’t get a chance to prepare, / ‘Til it’s too late and you’re broken. / Hey. / I hear the grave is a lonely place. / Just remember the hearts that break. / As you keep sinking lower, lower. / Don’t just let go.” It takes a master lyricist to balance the dark and the light. The way Berg puts these moving, dark images against such a bright melody is astonishing.
“Catch Me If You Can” is yet another highlight. To many, this album’s uniform tone might make each song sound the same at first, but with time each track pops in its own way. This is another breakup song. Berg sings to her target. “I’m sorry, I don’t hate you but I don’t love you at all./ So let’s stop pretending”
“Don’t Make A Sound” was co-written by Berg and Greenwald and produced by Brenneck and Steinweiss. The vocal harmonies at the beginning, arranged by Greenwald, give the song a simultaneously haunted and sunny feeling. Again, in many cases throughout this album, perfection is achieved when the negative and the positive work together. Many of these songs are sad but they are given a sunny layer. It’s that achieved equilibrium that makes all the difference.
The album closes with a secret track. It’s a cover of Joe Ivory Hunter’s “Why When Love Is Gone” which was originally popularized by the Isley Brothers. It’s fitting to close a retro-sounding album with an excellent cover of an authentically retro song.
If you liked “Are You Thinking What I’m Thinking?” then “Release Me” might be a bit of a shock. These two records couldn’t be more different in tone. While the former was heavier and more adventurous, this record is more focused, catchier and ultimately more unique. Each record has its strengths. It’s probably a draw as to which album is better. One thing is for sure, with the help of Mark Ronson and Alex Greenwald, the Like have created one of the coolest albums of the moment. My guess is that it’ll be something you might like, too!
July 9, 2010
| Permalink
| User Comments (1)
I loved “Release Me” from the first moment, and yes, it is wider tone as “Are You Thinking What I’m Thinking?” But I find the first one much more attractive.
Posted by: Warcraft Paladin | Aug 4, 2010 11:01:03 AM
Post a comment
Article source: http://blogs.abcnews.com/allan_raible/2010/07/review-the-likes-release-me.html
Main Category: Breast Cancer
Also Included In: Cancer / Oncology; Regulatory Affairs / Drug Approvals
Article Date: 01 Sep 2010 – 6:00 PDT
email to a friend 
printer friendly 
opinions
<!– 
rate article
Eisai Inc. announced today that it has received notification from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that the agency expects to complete priority review of the eribulin mesylate New Drug Application (NDA) for locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer on or before December 30, 2010, which is a three month extension from the original Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) action date of September 30, 2010.
The extension is a result of the agency classifying recent responses to questions regarding the chemistry, manufacturing and controls (CMC) section of the NDA as a major amendment to the NDA. The new action date will give the agency additional time to review the information submitted for this complex synthetic process.
In addition to the U.S. FDA priority review, eribulin is currently under active regulatory review in Japan, the European Union (EU), Switzerland and Singapore.
Eisai defines oncology as a therapeutic area of focus and is committed to developing novel anti-cancer agents and treatments for supportive care. With these efforts, Eisai seeks to further address the diversified needs of patients and families affected by cancer, and their healthcare professionals.
About Eribulin
Eribulin mesylate (E7389) is an investigational agent being evaluated as a potential treatment for locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer. A non-taxane, microtubule dynamics inhibitor, eribulin is a synthetic analog of halichondrin B, which is derived from a natural product isolated from the marine sponge Halichondria okadai. Eribulin is the state of the art in modern synthetic chemistry, which has 826 of molecular weight, 62 steps of total synthetic route and 19 chiral carbons.
About Advanced or Metastatic Breast Cancer
Advanced or metastatic breast cancer occurs when a malignant tumor in the breast spreads from its original site to other parts of the body. Approximately 50 percent of women worldwide initially diagnosed with breast cancer are expected to develop recurrent or metastatic disease within 15 years of their first diagnosis. Only one in five women with metastatic breast cancer survives longer than five years. In the U.S., an estimated 155,000 women are currently living with metastatic breast cancer, and that number is projected to increase to 162,000 by 2011.
Note: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care
professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.
All opinions are moderated before being added.
Please note that we publish your name, but we do not publish your email address. It is only used to let
you know when your message is published. We do not use it for any other purpose. Please see our privacy policy for more information.
If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.
Contact Our News Editors
For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.
Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:
Article source: http://mnt.to/f/3J8K
