Car Wars Internet Newsletter
Vol. 13, No. 2
February 15, 2010
-------------------------------
THE GUNNERY CHAIR
Hello again autoduellists. Thanks to a persistent sinus infection two
weeks ago this issue is being published later than planned.
Last week I was finally able to have high-speed cable Internet
installed. Having an Internet connection at home that is faster than my
one at work is a strange experience. Although I am using Comcast for
cable Internet, I will continue to keep Seanet to provide my e-mail
address and Web site space.
Ideas for Litko AeroSystems Token Sets
If you have not looked at Litko AeroSystems yet, the company has
several tokens that would be useful for Car Wars and Formula D.
Litko AeroSystems - Token Sets
http://www.litkoaero.com/page/LAI/CTGY/TS
Mini Smoke Marker: Vehicle on Fire
Mini Flame Marker: Vehicle on Fire
Micro Smoke Marker: Vehicle on Fire
Flaming Wreckage: Wreck on Fire
Weather Effect Marker Set: Weather Conditions in Formula D (Formula De)
and Really Nasty Motor Racing Game
Battle Metal: Street Riot
Control
Team 6 Game Studio announced in November it is producing an automotive
combat computer game called Battle Metal: Street Riot Control. The game
will be intended for Europe. Information on releasing the game in the
U.S. or other regions has not been released.
Team 6 Game Studio
http://www.team6-games.com/game
First Screenshots From Battle Metal: Street Riot
Control
Voodoo Extreme
http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/51652/First-Screenshots-From-Battle-Metal-Street-Riot-Control
Battle Metal: Street Riot Control
Gamers Hell
http://www.gamershell.com/pc/battle_metal_street_riot_control
Battle Metal: Street Riot Control' Announced - Screens
Worth Playing
http://worthplaying.com/article/2009/11/25/news/70490/
Battle Metal: street riot control PC video game
Gamezplay
http://www.gamezplay.org/2009/11/battle-metal-street-riot-control-pc.html
octaNe RPG
The printed version of the octaNe RPG by Memento Mori is now out of
print. The game is available for purchase as an Adobe Acrobat file.
octaNe: premium uNleaded
Memento Mori Theatricks
http://www.memento-mori.com
http://www.memento-mori.com/octane
octaNe: premium uNleaded
Drive Thru RPG
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=17890&it=1&filters=0_0_0_10107_0&manufacturers_id=548
octaNe: premium uNleaded
RPG Now
http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=17890&it=1&filters=0_0_0_10107_0
Review of octaNe: premium uNleaded
RPGnet
http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/11/11098.phtml
octaNe RPG Review
Flames Rising
http://www.flamesrising.com/octane-rpg-review
d20 Apocalypse
The d20 Apocalypse supplement by Wizards of the Coast is out of print.
The salvage rules in the book are useful for Chassis and Crossbow
campaigns using Car Wars or GURPS Autoduel. The cost of the book is
literally reaching astronomical levels online.
Car Wars Articles from Pyramid
When Pyramid Magazine Third Edition was started last year, the Pyramid
Archive was removed from the Internet. All of the Car Wars articles
published in Pyramid Second Edition are now available again. A
subscription to Pyramid Third Edition is not required to access these
articles which include Uncle Albert's 2050 Catalog Update, a file
previously available only to Pyramid subscribers. The URLs of these
articles can be obtained from SWAT HQ.
SWAT HQ - Links to Links - Car Wars Articles in Pyramid Magazine
http://www.seanet.com/~owenmp/magazine/pyramid.html
2010 WADA Car Wars League
Is anyone playing Car Wars besides talking about Car Wars? I have not
received duel reports for this year's tournament. Please send me
results of games.
Until next month, Drive Offensively!
Michael P. Owen
-------------------------------------------------------------
WADA NEWS - CHAPTER STATUS REPORTS
New Omaha Vehicular Association (NOVA)
http://novacw.com/nova.htm
Bellevue, Nebraska
Subject: NOVA's 25th Anniversary
Date: Sat, 06 Feb 2010 20:52:27 -0600
From: Nova-CW
To: Michael P. Owen (Seanet)
Hi, Michael. In April NOVA will celebrate its 25th anniversary. Any
thoughts about this event? We'll be posting an article on the Web site
in April about it.
Your friend,
Norman McMullen
NOVA President
DragonSlayers, Inc. (DSI)
Leeds, United Kingdom
Subject: Re: DragonSlayers Web Site: January 2010 Status
Date: Sat, 02 Jan 2010 00:45:23 +0000
From: David Hudson
To: Michael P. Owen (Seanet)
Hi, Michael. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year.
The DSI site was hosted by Compuserve, but they've closed pretty much
everything down now.
Rather than set up a replacement Web site, I'm planning to put
everything up on a group page I recently started on Facebook. We're
almost ready to start our new season of Car Wars events - once we've
had a play or two of Speed Rally and my new Formula D(e) tracks . . .
Best wishes for 2010,
David Hudson
DSI President
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMMERCIAL TABLETOP GAMES - NEW RELEASES
Atomic Highway: Post-Apocalyptic Roleplaying
DriveThruRPG
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=70124
Badass Gunslingers and Lethal Combat Cars 1
DriveThruRPG
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=65852
Badass Gunslingers and Lethal Combat Cars 2
DriveThruRPG
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=68886
octaNe: premium uNleaded
Memento Mori Theatricks
http://www.memento-mori.com
http://www.memento-mori.com/octane
octaNe: premium uNleaded
Drive Thru RPG
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=17890&it=1&filters=0_0_0_10107_0&manufacturers_id=548
octaNe: premium uNleaded
RPG Now
http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=17890&it=1&filters=0_0_0_10107_0
Review of octaNe: premium uNleaded
RPGnet
http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/11/11098.phtml
octaNe RPG Review
Flames Rising
http://www.flamesrising.com/octane-rpg-review
Post-Apocalyptic Paper Miniatures Set
DriveThruRPG
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=59410
Rulerball
Japenet
http://japenet.net/japenetgames.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
FAN-WRITTEN TABLETOP GAMES - NEW RELEASES
Axles and Alloys II: Dork Future
http://axlesalloys2.blogspot.com
Subject: Axles and Alloys 2
From: Glenn Jupp
Sent: Sat 1/30/10 8:44 PM
To: SWAT HQ: Michael P. Owen <owenmp AT hotmail.com>
Hello, Michael.
I've been out of the automotive combat circles for the last little
while, but I still poke my nose in once in a while. I just learned that
Owen Cooper has a new blog up, and new rules for Axles & Alloys 2.
Still driving offensively,
Glenn Jupp
------------------------------------
WEB WATCH - NEW SITES
Axles and Alloys II: Dork Future Blog
http://axlesalloys2.blogspot.com
crimsonskiesAGP
Yahoo! Groups
http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/crimsonskiesAGP
Yves's Gaming Corner - Axles and Alloys
http://www.abacom.com/~ivanohe/game/gaming_e.html#Axles
Warlands Raiders by Dmitrys
deviantART
http://dmitrys.deviantart.com/art/Warlands-Raiders-114624055
Matt's Gaming Blog
http://geekingmattv.blogspot.com
Warlands: The Soundtrack
MySpace
http://www.myspace.com/warlandsmusic
Radioactive Ape Designs
http://radioactiveapedesigns.com
Roadwarriors: War on the Autobahn
Military Miniatures Magazine
http://www.figuras.miniatures.de/roadwarriors.html
GenCon 2008 Warlands Overview Video
Tabletop Gaming News
http://www.tabletopgamingnews.com/2008/08/15/16377
Car Wars Command Module
TI-99/4A Videogame House
http://www.videogamehouse.net/carwars.html
SOVRegister
Yahoo! Groups
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/SOVRegister
Mechanical Mules
Yahoo! Groups
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/MechanicalMules
User Profile for Sederick
BoardGameGeek
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/user/Sederick
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/images/user/246446/sederick
spark_ml: SPARK Mailing List
Yahoo! Groups
http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/spark_ml
Aaron Allston's Game Credits
Aaron Allston's Official Web Site
http://www.aaronallston.com/factpages/cred-gam.html
1:64 Battle Machines Photo Gallery
Jada Toys
http://jadaclub.com/index.php?cPath=394_395&osCsid=0aeb673856a5f82cd4a34889f08f159c
Civilian Gun Trucks in Iraq Photo Gallery
Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/defensorfortis/sets/72157594152852804
Gen Con 2009 Images
Fear the Boot Podcast
http://www.feartheboot.com/ftb/index.php/archives/1171
Groove Champion Biography
Bio and Lyrics
http://www.bioandlyrics.com/groovechampion/biography
Shannon Appel's Index to Pyramid Magazine Issues 1-15
http://www.erzo.org/shannon/gaming/indices/pyramid.txt
Interstate '76 (Video Game, 1997)
Internet Movie Database
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0271566
---------------------------------------
WEB WATCH - BLOG POSTS
More Warlands
http://miksminis.blogspot.com/2009/03/more-warlands.html
Mik's Minis Blog
March 13, 2009
[Redline] Dyson ToeCutter, Wasteland Bandit
http://rpgcharacters.wordpress.com/2009/09/09/redline-dyson-toecutter-wasteland-bandit
RPG Characters Blog
September 9, 2009
Interstate '76 Poems
http://www.jeffwofford.com/i76_poems.html
Jeff Wofford's Blog
May 21, 2009
Axles and Alloys 2
http://jimswargamesworkbench.blogspot.com/2010/01/axles-and-alloys-2.html
Jim's Wargames Workbench
January 26, 2010
Car Wars: Matchbox/Hot Wheels Cars for Axles and Alloys 2
http://jonswargamesminis.blogspot.com/2010/01/car-wars.html
John's Wargames Minis Blog
January 31, 2010
Happy New Year: 2046
http://www.torquepowered.com/community/blogs/view/14941
Garage Games Blogs
June 23, 2008
------------------------------------------
WEB WATCH - FORUM POSTS
Car Wars-Hot Wheels-Stripping/Painting
http://forum.rpg.net/archive/index.php/t-109543.html
RPGnet Forums
March 15, 2004
Car Wars 5e Vehicle Design
http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=46297
http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=46297&page=7
Steve Jackson Games Car Wars Discussion Forum
October 20, 2008
Car Wars Recap
http://forum.rpg.net/archive/index.php/t-66304.html
RPGnet Forums
August 8, 2003
Comments for Car Wars Arena Book (1988)
http://boardgame.geekdo.com/boardgame/13467/car-wars-arena-book
http://boardgame.geekdo.com/collection/items/boardgame/13467?comment=1
BoardGameGeekdo
February 14, 2010
Post-Apocalyptic Board Games?
http://www.wargamer.com/forums/tm.aspx?m=272455
The Wargamer Forums
February 13, 2008
Two Quick Games in the Double Barrel Arena
http://rss.boardgamegeek.com/thread/94464/two-quick-games-in-the-double-barrel-arena-
BoardGameGeek
January 12, 2006
How would YOU make Car Wars into a video game?
http://forums.indiegamer.com/showthread.php?t=15804
Indiegamer Developer Discussion Boards
February 16, 2009
One Reason to play PnP D&D
http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=152478
Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited Forums
July 8, 2008
Sell me a ruleset for . . . Interstate '76
http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?t=242874
RPGnet Forums
January 29, 2006
Interstate '76 like setting
http://alternatehistory.net/discussion/showthread.php?t=113394
Alternate History Discussion Board
January 17, 2009
Axles and Alloys Dropped Weapons
http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=191013
The Miniatures Page
February 11, 2010
Car Wars 15mm Weapon Sprues (Matchbox Size)
http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?p=11658941
RPGnet Forums
February 3, 2010
Car Wars 5e Vehicle Design System
http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=46297
Steve Jackson Games Car Wars Discussion Forum
October 20, 2008
Editor's Note: This URL was obtained from Google instead of the
Steve
Jackson Games Discussion Forums. This URL connects to posts not easily
found when using the SJ Games Web site.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
AUTOMOTIVE COMBAT MEDIA - COMPUTER GAMES
Interstate '76 and the Principle of Harmony
Designers Notebook
http://www.designersnotebook.com/Columns/015_Interstate_76/015_interstate_76.htm
Roadwar 2000 Walkthrough
Car Battlers
http://carbattlers.com/Roadwar2000walkthrough
Blood Car 2000
Armor Games
http://armorgames.com/play/544/blood-car-2000
Five Classic Commodore 64 Games I Want Remade
Gaming Nexus
http://www.gamingnexus.com/Article/Five-Classic-Commodore-64-Games-I-Want-Remade/Item2128.aspx
OMFG! I Got Interstate '76 to Run in WinXP!
Quarter to Three Forums
http://www.quartertothree.com/game-talk/archive/index.php/t-18146.html
Fast Racer 2 and Crazy Max
Mike Kersey's Video Games
http://www.mkersey.com/Games.html
Rock N' Roll Racing
games4win
http://www.games4win.com/games/rock-n-roll-racing
Rock N' Roll Racing
GameFabrique
http://www.gamefabrique.com/rock-n-roll-racing.html
Upshift StrikeRacer
Atomic Gamer
http://www.atomicgamer.com/games/2676/upshift-strikeracer
Team 6 Game Studio
http://www.team6-games.com/game
First Screenshots From Battle Metal: Street Riot
Control
Voodoo Extreme
http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/51652/First-Screenshots-From-Battle-Metal-Street-Riot-Control
Battle Metal: Street Riot Control
Gamers Hell
http://www.gamershell.com/pc/battle_metal_street_riot_control
Battle Metal: Street Riot Control' Announced - Screens
Worth Playing
http://worthplaying.com/article/2009/11/25/news/70490/
Battle Metal: street riot control PC video game
Gamezplay
http://www.gamezplay.org/2009/11/battle-metal-street-riot-control-pc.html
Earache Extreme Metal Racing
GameSpot
http://www.gamespot.com/pc/driving/earacheextrememetalracing/index.html
Mad Cars
Realore Studios
http://www.madcarsgame.com
Mad Cars
GameSpot
http://www.gamespot.com/pc/driving/madcars/index.html
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AUTOMOTIVE COMBAT MEDIA - MOBILE PHONE GAMES
Deathride: Betrayal
iTunes
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=336970942&mt=8
Deathride: Betrayal ($0.99)
http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?threadid=32259
Touch Arcade Forums
November 6, 2009
------------------------------------------------------------
AUTOMOTIVE COMBAT MEDIA - MOVIES
Top 50 Famous Cars
UGO.com
http://www.ugo.com/movies/top-famous-cars
Knight Rider 2010
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knight_Rider_2010
Knight Rider 2010
Internet Movie Database
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110273
Review: Close the 'Book of Eli'
CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/14/ew.review.eli/index.html?hpt=Sbin
Mad Max Clothing
AbbyShot Clothiers
http://www.abbyshot.com/products/l-mad-max.php
-----------------------------------------------------------------
AUTOMOTIVE COMBAT MEDIA - TELEVISION
Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 Season 1 Volume 1
Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Hot-Wheels-Battle-Force-Season/dp/B002ZXZJFQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1266204550&sr=1-2
----------------------------------------------------------
AUTOMOTIVE COMBAT MEDIA - MUSIC
Interstate '76
Last FM
http://www.last.fm/music/Interstate+%2776
Bullmark
Last FM
http://www.last.fm/music/Bullmark
Arion Salazar
Last FM
http://www.last.fm/music/Arion+Salazar
Warlands: The Soundtrack CD
CD Universe
http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=7937705&desc=1
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
AUTOMOTIVE COMBAT MEDIA - STREAMING VIDEO
Review: Steve Jackson Games Car Wars
YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecMn0-H0Bto
Review: Steve Jackson Games Truck Stop
YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T75Rp0ysoHU
Deathride: Betrayal Preview
YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5F29zJ6B_k
The Retro Job: Death Rally
Youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfZDPtuzQbY
---------------------------------------------------------
AUTODUELLING TECHNOLOGY TODAY
Millionaire Hit With $290,000 Swiss Speeding Ticket
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,582394,00.html
Fox News
January 7, 2010
St. Gallen, Switzerland -- A Swiss court has slapped a wealthy speeder
with a chalet-sized fine -- a full $290,000.
Judges at the cantonal court in St. Gallen, in eastern Switzerland,
based the record-breaking fine on the speeder's estimated wealth of
over $20 million.
A statement on the court's Web site says the driver — a repeat offender
— drove up to 35 miles an hour faster than the 50-mile-an-hour limit.
Court clerk Heidi Baumann-Becker said Thursday the unidentified driver
can appeal the decision, handed down in November, to the Swiss supreme
court.
The Blick daily newspaper in Zurich reported the fine was more than
twice the previous Swiss record of about $107,000.
Spray-On Liquid Glass
http://science.slashdot.org/story/10/02/02/1922218/Spray-On-Liquid-Glass
Slashdot
February 2, 2010
bLanark writes with news of a new substance that can be sprayed on for
a durable, easy-to-clean film on almost any substance, hard or soft.
The liquid glass is essentially pure silicon dioxide, and it goes on in
a layer 15 to 30 atoms thick. It is breathable and flexible, but
waterproof and resistant to bacterial growth. The patent is held by a
German company, Nanopool, which is in discussion with many parties
about a wide range of uses: keeping public spaces sanitary, keeping
restaurants clean, and keeping cars or trains clean. "The spray forms a
water-resistant layer, meaning it can be cleaned using only water.
Trials by food-processing companies showed that sterile surfaces
covered with a film of liquid glass were equally clean after a rinse
with hot water as after their usual treatment with strong bleach."
Liquid glass: the spray-on scientific revelation
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/7125556/Liquid-glass-the-spray-on-scientific-revelation.html
Liquid glass, a revolutionary invisible non-toxic spray that protects
against everything from bacteria to UV radiation, could soon be used on
a vast range of products.
Nick Collins
The Telegraph
February 1, 2010
The spray, which is harmless to the environment, can be used to protect
against disease, guard vineyards against fungal threats and coat the
nose cones of high-speed trains, it has been claimed.
The versatile spray, which forms an easy-clean coating one millionth of
a millimetre thick -- 500 times thinner than a human hair -- can be
applied to virtually any surface to protect it against water, dirt,
bacteria, heat and UV radiation.
It is hoped that liquid glass, a compound of almost pure silicon
dioxide, could soon replace a variety of cleaning products which are
harmful to the environment, leaving our world coated in an invisible,
wipe-clean sheen.
The spray forms a water-resistant layer, meaning it can be cleaned
using only water. Trials by food-processing companies showed that
sterile surfaces covered with a film of liquid glass were equally clean
after a rinse with hot water as after their usual treatment with strong
bleach.
The patent for the technology is owned by a German company, Nanopool,
which is in discussions with UK companies and the NHS about the use of
liquid glass for a wide range of purposes.
Several organisations are said to be testing the product, including a
train company in Britain, which is using liquid glass on both the
interior and exterior of the train, a luxury hotel chain, a designer
clothing company and a German branch of a hamburger chain.
Key to the product's versatility is the fact it can be sold in a
solution of either alcohol or water, depending on what surface needs to
be coated. The layer formed by the liquid glass is said to be flexible
and breathable.
Neil McClelland, Nanopool's UK project manager, told The Independent:
"Very soon almost every product you purchase will be protected with a
highly durable, easy-to-clean coating ... the concept of spray-on glass
is mind-boggling."
East Bay custom automobiles made mad to the max
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20061127/ai_n16874894/
Oakland Tribune and BNET
November 27, 2006
Airborne laser shoots down missile in test, Pentagon says
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2011060415_missiledefense13.html
W.J. Hennigan
Los Angeles Times and The Seattle Times
February 12, 2010
Los Angeles, California -- A flying Boeing 747 equipped with a massive
laser gun
shot down a Scud-like missile over the Pacific late Thursday, marking
what analysts said was a major milestone in the development of the
nation's missile-defense system.
The test shoot-down over a military test range near Point Mugu is
expected to renew debate over spending billions of dollars for a system
that seemed so far behind schedule that the Pentagon decided to
significantly curtail its budget last year. The test, which Pentagon
officials described as a success, could be a major boon to Southern
California, where much of the high-tech system has been developed and
tested.
"Proving this technology is game-changing," said Loren Thompson, a
military-policy analyst for the Lexington Institute, a think tank in
Arlington, Va. "The program's funding has been hanging on by a thread.
A successful shoot-down of a ballistic missile will demonstrate to
Capitol Hill that the airborne laser has potential."
The airborne laser is designed to defend against ballistic missiles by
shooting them down while they are in the boost stage, or when they are
lifting off.
During the experiment, a 747-400F took off from Edwards Air Force Base
in the Mojave Desert. The laser, affixed to the 747 and powered by
chemicals loaded into the aircraft, shot a superheated, basketball-size
beam that traveled at 670 million mph to incinerate a missile that was
moving at 4,000 mph, Pentagon officials said.
It took just a few seconds for the beam to create a stress fracture in
the missile, triggering it to split into pieces.
Although Boeing is the prime contractor for the Airborne Laser Test
Bed, much of the laser development work has been done by Northrop
Grumman engineers in Redondo Beach, Calif. Lockheed Martin developed
the beam and fire-control system. Boeing provided the aircraft, the
battle-management system and overall systems integration and testing.
Modification and testing of the aircraft have taken place at Edwards
Air Force Base, home to many aviation firsts.
Obama's Got a New Caddy, Backed by a Mini Gun Equipped GMC Yukon
http://autoanything.wordpress.com/2009/01/08/obamas-got-a-new-caddy-backed-by-a-mini-gun-equipped-gmc-yukon/
AutoAnything Blog
January 8, 2009
You might have heard about the new presidential whip that Cadillac is
making for Obama. It’s basically a stretched Cadillac DTS adorned with
a variety of Caddy parts; Escalade headlights in the front and STS
tails to bring up the rear. Ultra thick doors constructed from steel
plating is estimated to be up to 8″ thick. It’s basically a tank with
windows…windows made of 5″+ thick bullet proof glass. It’s been
speculated that the chassis isn’t even taken from a Cadillac, but
rather a medium duty truck. Bystanders have commented on the engine
note, saying that it sounds like there’s a diesel under the hood.
Sporting the latest technologies and the most comfortable interior ever
offered to the POTUS, the Cadillac One promises to be a big step
forward for the safety and comfort of our President.
If that isn’t enough to protect our future presidents, here's a video
of his backup crew in action . . . I pitty the fool who messes with
Obama!
Editor's Note: YouTube has removed the video from its Web site
because
of Terms of Service violations.
Porsche Unveils 911 Hybrid With Flywheel Booster
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/10/02/13/020209/Porsche-Unveils-911-Hybrid-With-Flywheel-Booster
Slashdot
February 12, 2010
MikeChino writes "Porsche has just unveiled its 911 GT3 R Hybrid, a 480
horsepower track vehicle ready to rock the 24-hour Nurburgring race
this May. Porsche's latest supercar will use the same 911 production
platform available to consumers today, with a few race-ready features
including front-wheel hybrid drive and an innovative flywheel system
that stores kinetic energy from braking and then uses it to provide a
160 horsepower burst of speed. The setup is sure to offer an advantage
when powering out of turns and passing by other racers."
Porsche Unveils 911 Hybrid With Flywheel Speed Booster
http://www.inhabitat.com/2010/02/12/porsche-unveils-911-hybrid-with-flywheel-speed-booster
Mike Chino
inhabitat
February 12, 2010
Green racing fans rejoice! Porsche has just unveiled its 911 GT3
R Hybrid, a 480 horsepower track vehicle ready to rock the 24-hour
Nurburgring race this May. Porsche’s latest supercar will use the same
911 production platform available to consumers today, with a few
race-ready features including front-wheel hybrid drive and an
innovative flywheel system that stores kinetic energy from
braking and then uses it to provide a 160 horsepower burst of speed.
Set to debut at the Geneva Motor Show this March, Porsche’s 911 GT3 R
Hybrid will be supercharged for LeMans-style endurance racing. The
vehicle features two electric motors that power the front wheels in
addition to a 480hp gas engine that drives the rear wheels. The hybrid
system stands to offer significant fuel savings, reducing the need for
pit stops and cutting down on the vehicle’s weight.
Rather than relying upon heavy lithium-ion batteries, the
high-performance vehicle has a flywheel generator mounted in its
passenger seat that can spin at up to 40,000 rpm. This generator stores
energy each time the vehicle brakes, and then for 6-8 seconds afterward
the driver can release a 160hp boost by tapping a button on the
steering wheel. The setup is sure to offer an advantage when powering
out of turns and passing other racers.
Porsche is developing the vehicle as a "racing lab" to try out new
technology, so there's no plans for street legal production as of yet.
Rather, "The intent is to provide hands-on know-how for the subsequent
use of hybrid technology in road-going sports cars."
Directed Energy Weapon Downs Mosquitos
http://science.slashdot.org/story/10/02/12/176220/Directed-Energy-Weapon-Downs-Mosquitos
Slashdot
February 12, 2010
wisebabo writes "Nathan Myhrvol demonstrated at TED a laser, built from
parts scrounged from eBay, capable of shooting down not one but 50 to
100 mosquitos a second. The system is 'so precise that it can specify
the species, and even the gender, of the mosquito being targeted.'
Currently, for the sake of efficiency, it leaves the males alone
because only females are bloodsuckers. Best of all the system could
cost as little as $50. Maybe that's too expensive for use in preventing
malaria in Africa but I'd buy one in a second!" We ran a story about
this last year. It looks like the company has added a bit more polish,
and burning mosquito footage to their marketing.
Using Lasers to Zap Mosquitoes
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/12/using-lasers-to-zap-mosquitoes
At the annual TED conference in Long Beach, Calif., Nathan Myhrvold
presented a laser, built using common consumer electronic parts, that
shoots down mosquitoes.
Jennifer Lee
The New York Times
February 12, 2010
Can consumer electronics be used to combat malaria?
Nathan Myhrvold, Microsoft’s former chief technology officer, thinks
so. His company, Intellectual Ventures, has assembled commonly
available technology — parts used in printers, digital cameras and
projectors — to make rapid lasers to shoot down mosquitoes in
mid-flight. If bed nets are the low-tech solution to combat the deadly
disease — caused by a parasite transmitted when certain mosquitoes bite
people — the laser is a high-tech one.
He gave the first public demonstration of the laser, which was cobbled
together from parts found on eBay, at the annual TED conference in Long
Beach, Calif., which features lectures and demonstrations by experts in
a wide range of fields, including technology, politics and
entertainment.
After hundreds of mosquitoes (which were kept in the hotel bathroom
until showtime) were released into a glass tank, a laser tracked their
movements and slowly shot them down, leaving their carcasses scattered
on the bottom of the tank. While the demonstration was slowed down for
public viewing, Mr. Myhrvold said that normally the lasers could shoot
down anywhere between 50 to 100 mosquitoes per second.
Mr. Myhrvold played a slow-motion recorded video that showed what
happened to a representative mosquito. As the insect flew, a sudden
light beam struck it, disintegrating parts of its body into a plume of
smoke. It fell, even as its wings continued to beat.
Mr. Myhrvold said the software detects the speed and size of the image
before deciding whether to shoot. It would reject a butterfly or a
human, for example, and more powerful laser blasts could be used for
locusts. In regions afflicted by malaria, the lasers could be used to
create protective fences around clinics, homes, or even agricultural
fields as a substitute for pesticides.
The idea was born from a 2008 brainstorming session held on strategies
for killing malaria-bearing mosquitoes, a particular interest of Mr.
Myhrvold’s friend and former boss, Bill Gates, who has made the illness
one of priorities of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (to the
point that Mr. Gates released mosquitoes into the audience at last
year’s conference).
The idea of lasers -- a miniature “Star Wars” weapons system -- was
thrown into the mix. “Everyone was like, ‘C’mon, be serious,’” Mr.
Myhrvold said in an interview after the demonstration. After doing a
little bit of research, he said, his team concluded that “this is
feasible. We can actually do it. So we did.”
The breakthrough relied on understanding how the technology that guides
the precision of laser printing could be combined with the
image-detecting charge-coupled devices, or C.C.D.’s, used in digital
cameras and powerful image processing software. Mr. Myhrvold said he
thinks there is particular potential in the Blu-ray laser technology,
because blue lasers are more powerful than red ones and there are a lot
of them being made cheaply now.
He estimates that the devices could potentially cost as little $50,
depending on the volume of demand. However, his company would not
manufacture them. Rather, it built the technology mostly as a proof of
concept. (Among other things, his company is also working on cooking
technology.) Other companies would have to take the laser technologies
to market, so the timeline for seeing the lasers in common use is
uncertain.
The laser detection is so precise that it can specify the species, and
even the gender, of the mosquito being targeted. “The women are bigger.
They beat at a lower frequencies,” Mr. Myhrvold said. Since it is only
the female mosquitoes who bite humans, for the sake of efficiency, his
system would leave the males alone.
New Laser System Targets Mosquitoes
http://science.slashdot.org/story/09/03/16/1339217/New-Laser-System-Targets-Mosquitoes
Slashdot
March 16, 2009
An anonymous reader writes "In the Cold War the so-called 'Star Wars
defense system' proposed using lasers to destroy incoming Soviet
missiles. In a 2007 brainstorming session aimed at combating malaria,
Dr. Lowell Wood, the architect of that system, proposed modifying his
original idea to kill mosquitoes. The cover of today's Wall Street
Journal contains an article that highlights this initiative as well as
a few others, like using a giant flashlight to disrupt mosquitoes'
vision and using the insects to vaccinate, in the war against malaria.
The system is intelligent enough to avoid noncombatants like humans and
butterflies and can even tell the difference between females, the
blood-drinkers, and males. My favorite quote: 'We'd be delighted if we
destabilize the human-mosquito balance of power.'"
Rocket Scientists Shoot Down Mosquitoes With Lasers
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123680870885500701.html
Humans, Butterflies Remain Unharmed; The 'Star Wars' Connection
Robert A. Guth
The Wall Street Journal
March 14, 2009
Bellevue, Washington State -- A quarter-century ago, American rocket
scientists proposed the "Star Wars" defense system to knock Soviet
missiles from the skies with laser beams. Some of the same scientists
are now aiming their lasers at another airborne threat: the mosquito.
In a lab in this Seattle suburb, researchers in long white coats
recently stood watching a small glass box of bugs. Every few seconds, a
contraption 100 feet away shot a beam that hit the buzzing mosquitoes,
one by one, with a spot of red light.
The insects survived this particular test, which used a non-lethal
laser. But if these researchers have their way, the Cold War
missile-defense strategy will be reborn as a WMD: Weapon of Mosquito
Destruction.
"We'd be delighted if we destabilize the human-mosquito balance of
power," says Jordin Kare, an astrophysicist who once worked at the
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the birthplace of some of the
deadliest weapons known to man. More recently he worked on the mosquito
laser, built from parts bought on eBay.
The scientists' actual target is malaria, which is caused by a parasite
transmitted when certain mosquitoes bite people. Ended in the U.S.
decades ago, malaria remains a major global public-health threat,
killing about 1 million people annually.
Efforts to eradicate the disease languished for years until recently.
Big-money donors like Bill Gates, the United Nations, the U.K. and
non-profit such as Malaria No More re-launched the war on malaria,
devoting billions of dollars to vaccines, methods of prevention and
novel ways to kill mosquitoes.
"You can say we are very lucky -- the right place at the right time,"
says astrophysicist Szabolcs Márka, a Columbia University
specialist in black holes. He has a grant to develop a "mosquito
flashlight" designed to knock out the bugs' eye-like sensors.
Scientists around the world are testing ways of thwarting mosquitoes
with microwaves, rancid odors, poisoned blood and other weapons that
disrupt the sense of sight, smell and heat mosquitoes use to find their
prey.
There's work on genetically altering a bacterium to infect and kill a
mosquito, and a project to build a malaria-free mosquito genetically
enhanced to overtake the natural kind.
There's also a researcher in Japan who thinks mosquitoes can be a force
for good. He is working on transforming them into "flying syringes"
that deliver vaccines with every bite.
The mosquito laser is the brainchild of Lowell Wood, an astrophysicist
who worked with Edward Teller, father of the hydrogen bomb and
architect of the original plan to use lasers to shield America from the
rain of Soviet nuclear arms.
President Ronald Reagan embraced the idea in the 1980s, dubbing it the
Strategic Defense Initiative.
Senator Edward Kennedy mocked it as "Star Wars." Eventually it became a
footnote in history.
Its rebirth as a bug killer came thanks to Nathan Myhrvold, a former
Microsoft Corp. executive who now runs Intellectual Ventures LLC., a
company that collects patents and funds inventions. His old boss, Mr.
Gates, had asked him to explore new ways of combating malaria. At a
brainstorming session in 2007, Dr. Wood, the Star Wars architect,
suggested using lasers on mosquitoes.
Soon Dr. Wood, Dr. Kare and another Star Wars scientist teamed with an
entomologist with a Ph.D in mosquito behavior and other experts. They
killed their first mosquito with a hand-held laser in early 2008.
"We like to think back then we made some contribution to the ending of
the Cold War" with the Star Wars program, Dr. Kare says. "Now we're
just trying to make a dent in a war that's actually gone on a lot
longer and claimed a lot more lives."
The scientists envision their technology might one day be used to draw
a laser barrier around a house or village that could kill or blind the
bugs. Or, laser-equipped drone aircraft could track bugs by radar,
sweeping the sky with death-dealing photons.
They now face one big challenge: deciding how strong to make the
weapon. The laser has to be weak enough to not harm humans and smart
enough to avoid hitting useful bugs. "You could kill billions of
mosquitoes a night, and you could do so without harming butterflies,"
says Mr. Myhrvold.
Demonstrating the technology recently, Dr. Kare, Mr. Myhrvold and other
researchers stood below a small shelf mounted on the wall about 10 feet
off the ground. On the shelf were five Maglite flashlights, a zoom lens
from a 35mm camera, and the laser itself -- a little black box with an
assortment of small lenses and mirrors. On the floor below sat a Dell
personal computer that is the laser's brain.
The glass box of mosquitoes across the room is an old 10-gallon fish
tank. Each time a beam strikes a bug, the computer makes a gunshot
sound to signal a direct hit.
To locate individual mosquitoes, light from the flashlights hits the
tank across the room, creating tiny mosquito silhouettes on reflective
material behind it. The zoom lens picks up the shadows and feeds the
data to the computer, which controls the laser and fires it at the bug.
In a video, researchers showed what happens when they deploy deadly
rays.
A mosquito hovers into view. Suddenly, it bursts into flame. A thin
plume of smoke rises as the mosquito falls. At the bottom of the
screen, the carcass smolders.
There's ready supply of fresh recruits nearby, where an intern feeds a
saucer of goat blood to a colony of Anopheles stephensi, one species of
mosquito that transmits malaria.
Not only can the laser target a mosquito, it can also tell a male from
a female based on wing-beat.
That's a crucial distinction, since only females feed on blood and thus
transmit disease. Males in the wild eat sugary plant nectar. (In the
lab they get raisins.)
"If you really were a purist, you could only kill the females, not the
males," Mr. Myhrvold says. But since they're mosquitoes, he says, he'll
probably "just slay them all."
Write to Robert A. Guth at rob.guth@wsj.com
Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page A1
Snow tank blows away pass closure times
http://www.komonews.com/home/video/83825387.html
KOMO TV 4 Seattle
February 15, 2010
If you go to Snoqualmie Pass, you'll find an old M-60 tank at the top
of the mountain. It's the Washington State Department of
Transportation's new weapon to help take care of avalanche control.
Unlike the recoiless rifle they have used to fire into loose snow packs
in the past, the tank is faster to reload. So far they haven't had to
use it this year, but there's also one at Stevens Pass that's been used
for avalanche control for years.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE CRACKED WINDSHIELD - AUTOMOTIVE COMBAT HUMOR
Console Game Review: Hot Wheels Battle Force 5
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/game-reviews/hot-wheels-battle-force-5
Common Sense Media
January 2010
Citi's Institutional Investors Will Have To Sell
http://www.businessinsider.com/2008/11/citi-s-institutional-investors-will-have-to-sell
Business Insider
November 21, 2008
Jackal vs. The Jackal
http://www.atarihq.com/tsr/special/jackal/jackal.html
Tsr's NES Archive
January 25, 2005