Mildew is a type of mould - a funguslike organism that thrives in moisture-rich environments and can grow on any damp, flat surface: ceilings, tile grout, window sills, walls and even floors.
The black mildew that is commonly found in bathrooms is usually stachybotrys chartarum. In large quantities it can cause health problems in both animals and people.
Not only does mildew look unsightly, it also produces a musty odour and, in unaired environments, can spread alarmingly quickly. Spores move through the air and can settle and grow on any surface that is damp enough.
Mildew grows quickly in warm, poorly aired rooms such as bathrooms and cellars, and it's a common problem in new builds because of moisture in the building materials.
The most important thing to do is to reduce the moisture in the room. Mildew can't survive in a dry environment. There are many ways to do this.
It's often not practical to air a bathroom after every use, particularly if you are dashing off to work and need to leave your home secure with windows shut. But whenever you can, leave a window open immediately after a shower or bath for at least half an hour to let excess moisture evaporate and to air out the room.
If you live in one of the many homes in the UAE that doesn't have windows in the bathroom, make sure to turn your bathroom extractor fan on whenever possible. Check that your fan is working efficiently. If your fan is old or if the room is damp even with the fan on, it might be time to consider a newer, more powerful model.
If your home is a new build, be aware that a cheap and ineffective fan might have been installed, so shop around and consider upgrading to a pricier and more powerful one.
Avoid having very hot steamy showers or baths that can produce excess condensation, and try to shower quickly.
After a shower, allow the shower curtain to air by pulling it fully across the bath - and always dry towels or laundry thoroughly straight after use in a tumble drier or outside if possible.
Keep air conditioning on cooler settings. Cool air contains less moisture than warm air does, so turn your air conditioning down a notch.
Consider getting a dehumidifier to remove excess moisture from the air. Ensure it is safe to use in damp environments such as bathrooms and consult a professional electrician beforehand.
If space or budget is limited, stock up on small moisture-absorbing sachets such as Lakeland's Hanging Moisture Absorbers (Dh70). For a cheaper alternative, fill a jar with bicarbonate of soda crystals and put it on a shelf out of sight to absorb moisture in the air. Keep an eye on it and refill it regularly.
Never use electric fans in a bathroom or wet room, but in other rooms, electric fans can help to tackle the problem by circulating the air.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
The Carousel of Progress Cast
I promised readers that if they were interested in stories about The Carousel of Progress that I would share a few more of them.
Obviously, there are a great many fans of this attraction, as I discovered last December, when I did an hour-long presentation for more than 250 appreciative fans at Disney's Contemporary Resort and then we walked over to the Magic Kingdom and rode the attraction. I always see or hear something new.
For this column, let’s look a little more closely at the characters in the show. Like the rest of you, I am puzzled by the extra younger daughter in Act One and I have no good answer why she doesn’t appear in any of the other scenes—even though the other characters do.
Of course, scenes have changed throughout the years including one of the teenage daughter, called “Jane” in the original versions, on the verge of canoodling with her date on the front porch until mother wisely flicks on the new electric lights. That scene does not exist in the Walt Disney World version and today the daughter is called “Patricia.”
“The actors, well, they are not real people but they are a talented and interesting cast. We call them Audio-Animatronics and they talk and act like human beings,” Walt Disney says with a smile in a 1964 General Electric promotional film for the attraction.
General Electric sponsored the attraction for the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair, because it wanted to clean up its public image. In 1961, the United States Justice Department convicted the company of price fixing and rigging bids, resulting in GE having to pay back millions of dollars, three GE top executives being sent to prison, and several others forced to leave the company. Basically, all GE wanted was a family happily buying lots and lots of GE products as a model for its captive audience.
The Disney Company has always been purposely vague as to whether the story of the attraction represents one family living through several decades or whether it is similar families. There is no indication in any of the scripts or in any of the supplemental material to confirm either assumption.
However, using the same voice for the father throughout the show seems to suggest the audience is watching the same family through the decades. The original concept for The Carousel of Progress was inspired by Thornton Wilder’s stage play, Our Town, that also follows the same characters through the years including courtship, marriage and death.
By now, most people know that the live-action model for the father was actor Preston Hanson. Besides having a “life mask” cast, Hanson sat several times for sculptor Blaine Gibson. The father’s voice was done by Cowboy singer Rex Allen. When his son first saw the attraction at Disneyland, it took until Act Three for the boy to recognize his father.
“That sounds like you but why doesn’t he look like you?” the puzzled teenager asked his father sitting nearby who just shrugged his shoulders.
The arms for the mother and the daughter were originally made from molds of the arms and hands of Imagineer Harriet Burns. She shaved all the hair off her arms and later complained that you never realize how much you miss that hair until it is removed. For many years, she kept extra sets of arms in her basement and used them at Halloween.
The original model for mother, who was a professional artist model, insisted on posing completely nude for Gibson because she knew the difficulty of sketching the human body with even the slightest amount of clothing with creases. Gibson has said that when he sketched her, he became instantly popular with people at the studio constantly coming into his room to check on his phone, the lighting, etc. to make sure everything was working correctly.
The original voice for the mother was supplied by actress Rhoda Williams, who had been the voice of the ugly stepsister Drizella (the brunette) in Disney’s Cinderella.
The son and teenage daughter were based on Disney designer Chuck Myall’s 8-year-old son and 18-year-old daughter, both of whom were interviewed personally by Walt Disney. In addition, Disney Imagineer Richard Irvine’s daughter also posed for the daughter.
Obviously, there are a great many fans of this attraction, as I discovered last December, when I did an hour-long presentation for more than 250 appreciative fans at Disney's Contemporary Resort and then we walked over to the Magic Kingdom and rode the attraction. I always see or hear something new.
For this column, let’s look a little more closely at the characters in the show. Like the rest of you, I am puzzled by the extra younger daughter in Act One and I have no good answer why she doesn’t appear in any of the other scenes—even though the other characters do.
Of course, scenes have changed throughout the years including one of the teenage daughter, called “Jane” in the original versions, on the verge of canoodling with her date on the front porch until mother wisely flicks on the new electric lights. That scene does not exist in the Walt Disney World version and today the daughter is called “Patricia.”
“The actors, well, they are not real people but they are a talented and interesting cast. We call them Audio-Animatronics and they talk and act like human beings,” Walt Disney says with a smile in a 1964 General Electric promotional film for the attraction.
General Electric sponsored the attraction for the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair, because it wanted to clean up its public image. In 1961, the United States Justice Department convicted the company of price fixing and rigging bids, resulting in GE having to pay back millions of dollars, three GE top executives being sent to prison, and several others forced to leave the company. Basically, all GE wanted was a family happily buying lots and lots of GE products as a model for its captive audience.
The Disney Company has always been purposely vague as to whether the story of the attraction represents one family living through several decades or whether it is similar families. There is no indication in any of the scripts or in any of the supplemental material to confirm either assumption.
However, using the same voice for the father throughout the show seems to suggest the audience is watching the same family through the decades. The original concept for The Carousel of Progress was inspired by Thornton Wilder’s stage play, Our Town, that also follows the same characters through the years including courtship, marriage and death.
By now, most people know that the live-action model for the father was actor Preston Hanson. Besides having a “life mask” cast, Hanson sat several times for sculptor Blaine Gibson. The father’s voice was done by Cowboy singer Rex Allen. When his son first saw the attraction at Disneyland, it took until Act Three for the boy to recognize his father.
“That sounds like you but why doesn’t he look like you?” the puzzled teenager asked his father sitting nearby who just shrugged his shoulders.
The arms for the mother and the daughter were originally made from molds of the arms and hands of Imagineer Harriet Burns. She shaved all the hair off her arms and later complained that you never realize how much you miss that hair until it is removed. For many years, she kept extra sets of arms in her basement and used them at Halloween.
The original model for mother, who was a professional artist model, insisted on posing completely nude for Gibson because she knew the difficulty of sketching the human body with even the slightest amount of clothing with creases. Gibson has said that when he sketched her, he became instantly popular with people at the studio constantly coming into his room to check on his phone, the lighting, etc. to make sure everything was working correctly.
The original voice for the mother was supplied by actress Rhoda Williams, who had been the voice of the ugly stepsister Drizella (the brunette) in Disney’s Cinderella.
The son and teenage daughter were based on Disney designer Chuck Myall’s 8-year-old son and 18-year-old daughter, both of whom were interviewed personally by Walt Disney. In addition, Disney Imagineer Richard Irvine’s daughter also posed for the daughter.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
How to Make Hearing Aids “Cool”
Thanks to innovators like the late Steve Jobs, the look and feel of a design is just as important as the technology behind it. Take hearing aids, for example. Most people who need them refuse to wear them because they have a functional appearance that, to the users, implies a defect. The common thought about hearing aids is that “they are for old people.”
Eric Olson, Director of Design at product innovation consultancy Karten Design, explored a new approach for the look of hearing aids with Starkey Laboratories, which develops high-tech hearing aid technology. Together, the two are introducing a line of hearing aids that transcend common stereotypes.
“One of the things we learned,” noted Olson, “is that users have a negative perception of hearing aids. There is still a lot of stigma attached to wearing one. There are more than 35 million people in North America with hearing loss, but only 25% of them wear hearing aids. Despite the amazing technology inside the device, people don't want to be reminded of their age and don't want others to know they have a hearing problem.”
Karten Design was tasked with matching Starkey’s advanced technology with an appealing exterior. The hearing aids needed to be “beautiful in the hand and invisible behind the ear.” The design team handled the first requirement with ease, introducing a stylish form language with complex surfacing.
The curved spine of the S Series features capacitive controls – much like an iPhone touch screen. Users only need a quick swipe of the finger to adjust the device – a much less conspicuous gesture than the fiddling with tiny dials or push buttons.
Making an attractive form visually inconspicuous at the same time presented more of a design challenge, Olson says. The flesh-toned plastic of traditional hearing aids was never quite convincing as skin; older designs arguably advertise hearing loss more than concealing it. Karten Design’s approach was not to match skin tone but instead attempt a sort of camouflage.
“We did a study into what colors and what types of finishes blend the best with hair and skin. We narrowed the options down to several multi-tone metallic finishes, which would pick up the naturally occurring highlights in hair and complement skin tone.”
Karten Design went about its color study digitally. The team started with standard plastic finishes that came pre-mixed in Luxion KeyShot. Designers then tweaked its mix levels to produce a narrow spectrum of custom finish options.
“We did a lot in tuning and retuning of those finishes, making tiny variances in gloss levels or adding metallic flake,” says Olson. “We showed the client a series of renderings of the entire design, each with subtle changes in tone from part to part, which gives the piece an illusion of depth to further mask its appearance.
“It was definitely an unusual exploration of color options. We were tinkering with 17 different colors of silver, three of which are all applied to the model at the same time.”
“This was also the team’s first project using KeyShot, which was well suited to our needs. It was sort of ironic we had just adopted this powerful rendering program, and for our first job we’re using it very intensively on a piece of plastic less than one inch high. We got the sense the software was set up to handle something the size of a car and here we are using it for something the size of a nickel,” says Olsen.
“But just because our hearing aids are small does not mean they were simple. Our automotive-inspired design language introduced taut, precise surfaces and a smooth, sculpted profile. They’re really tailored with a level of detail befitting a product of a much larger scale.”
Automotive-style rendering came in handy not just on constructing finish palettes, but also when assessing the feasibility of manufacture.
“For something this small, we have to tune the tooling for the plastic parts to accommodate even the clear coat and undercoat, because we’re dealing with gaps down to a fraction of a millimeter,” Olson says.
“You can use the rendering process to truly evaluate surfaces and tune surfacing down to this level of precision. In our discussions with engineers, we were able to reference high-resolution images, showing them exactly the kind of detail we needed both in the tooling and the finish.”
For the millions of hearing impaired people, S Series has transformed a stigmatized experience. Hearing aid customers can look at their purchase the same way they would a pair of eyeglass frames.
Eric Olson, Director of Design at product innovation consultancy Karten Design, explored a new approach for the look of hearing aids with Starkey Laboratories, which develops high-tech hearing aid technology. Together, the two are introducing a line of hearing aids that transcend common stereotypes.
“One of the things we learned,” noted Olson, “is that users have a negative perception of hearing aids. There is still a lot of stigma attached to wearing one. There are more than 35 million people in North America with hearing loss, but only 25% of them wear hearing aids. Despite the amazing technology inside the device, people don't want to be reminded of their age and don't want others to know they have a hearing problem.”
Karten Design was tasked with matching Starkey’s advanced technology with an appealing exterior. The hearing aids needed to be “beautiful in the hand and invisible behind the ear.” The design team handled the first requirement with ease, introducing a stylish form language with complex surfacing.
The curved spine of the S Series features capacitive controls – much like an iPhone touch screen. Users only need a quick swipe of the finger to adjust the device – a much less conspicuous gesture than the fiddling with tiny dials or push buttons.
Making an attractive form visually inconspicuous at the same time presented more of a design challenge, Olson says. The flesh-toned plastic of traditional hearing aids was never quite convincing as skin; older designs arguably advertise hearing loss more than concealing it. Karten Design’s approach was not to match skin tone but instead attempt a sort of camouflage.
“We did a study into what colors and what types of finishes blend the best with hair and skin. We narrowed the options down to several multi-tone metallic finishes, which would pick up the naturally occurring highlights in hair and complement skin tone.”
Karten Design went about its color study digitally. The team started with standard plastic finishes that came pre-mixed in Luxion KeyShot. Designers then tweaked its mix levels to produce a narrow spectrum of custom finish options.
“We did a lot in tuning and retuning of those finishes, making tiny variances in gloss levels or adding metallic flake,” says Olson. “We showed the client a series of renderings of the entire design, each with subtle changes in tone from part to part, which gives the piece an illusion of depth to further mask its appearance.
“It was definitely an unusual exploration of color options. We were tinkering with 17 different colors of silver, three of which are all applied to the model at the same time.”
“This was also the team’s first project using KeyShot, which was well suited to our needs. It was sort of ironic we had just adopted this powerful rendering program, and for our first job we’re using it very intensively on a piece of plastic less than one inch high. We got the sense the software was set up to handle something the size of a car and here we are using it for something the size of a nickel,” says Olsen.
“But just because our hearing aids are small does not mean they were simple. Our automotive-inspired design language introduced taut, precise surfaces and a smooth, sculpted profile. They’re really tailored with a level of detail befitting a product of a much larger scale.”
Automotive-style rendering came in handy not just on constructing finish palettes, but also when assessing the feasibility of manufacture.
“For something this small, we have to tune the tooling for the plastic parts to accommodate even the clear coat and undercoat, because we’re dealing with gaps down to a fraction of a millimeter,” Olson says.
“You can use the rendering process to truly evaluate surfaces and tune surfacing down to this level of precision. In our discussions with engineers, we were able to reference high-resolution images, showing them exactly the kind of detail we needed both in the tooling and the finish.”
For the millions of hearing impaired people, S Series has transformed a stigmatized experience. Hearing aid customers can look at their purchase the same way they would a pair of eyeglass frames.
Monday, February 6, 2012
For small families, Hyundai Accent is affordable, stylish
I can't help but smile when I see a child-safety seat in a small car's backseat. I like to think of these folks as rebels proclaiming to the world that having a family doesn't relegate them to a life of minivans. If you also have a desire to buck the system and drive a smaller, more economical car with a child (or two) in tow, the redesigned 2012 Hyundai Accent is an attractive option.
Combined with great fuel economy and a low sticker price, the 2012 Hyundai Accent gives parents an affordable car that doesn't sacrifice style or personality.
Sure, the Accent won't be feasible for many families, rebellious or not. If your family has more than four people, this subcompact won't even be in the running. If you've got older kids, an outing with the entire family might lead to legroom complaints. However, the Accent's size wasn't a problem for my family of three, and it really got me thinking about how I could get used to driving an affordable car.
My hatchback test car with a standard six-speed manual transmission was fun to drive for the first couple of days. I was almost convinced that I could ditch my crossover and become a rebel mom, too, but after taking the Accent on the freeway, I knew I wouldn't be heading to the dealer for a trade-in any time soon. The Accent was responsive and handled well around town while I was running errands, but at higher speeds, it seemed like it would blow off the road at times. I wouldn't go so far as to compare it to a tin can tooling down the highway, but the car did feel lightweight.
The Hyundai Accent comes as both a hatchback and sedan, which has a starting MSRP of $12,445. The base GS hatchback starts at $14,595; my test car, a SE trim hatchback, had a $15,925 sticker price.
With an all-new body style for 2012, the Accent is a real standout in the subcompact class, and it definitely looks more expensive than its price. From my test car's bold Marathon Blue paint to its sporty, fluid styling, this modest five-door is a looker. I could hold my head high when parking in a crowded lot or pulling up to any destination as people surprisingly exclaimed, "That's a Hyundai?"
The five-seater has a low step-in height, making it easy for kids to enter and exit it. Adults will want to watch their heads, though. I'm just 5 feet 4 inches tall and when standing next to the Accent I could see over its roof.
The hatchback body style gave me better access to the cargo area and made loading things like my stroller into the back a little easier, thanks to a deep-set space. Full disclosure: I had to remove one of my stroller's wheels to get it in the back, but it fit along with a couple of grocery bags and a shopping cart seat cover! If I wasn't so lazy, I could've folded the 60/40-split rear seats for even more cargo space.
What I really liked about the Accent was filling up the gas tank for not a lot of cash. Its 138-horsepower, 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine gets an EPA-estimated 30/40 mpg city/highway with regular unleaded gas. Saving money is always a welcome scenario for a family, and it felt great to check the trip computer and revel over the gas mileage I was averaging. Just the fuel economy alone had me thinking about how nice it could be to put an Accent on permanent family duty.
With its low price, you wouldn't expect there'd be much to say about the Accent's interior, but there are a lot of surprises when it comes to its cabin. Hyundai managed to make the inside of this small, inexpensive car look much more spacious and expensive than it really is. Small details such as piano-black surfaces surrounded by silver-painted trim were a welcome sight compared to the usual cheap plastic wasteland usually found in econo-cars.
The Accent's biggest surprise was its roominess. It's still small, but somehow all my passengers riding shotgun with a rear-facing child-safety seat behind them claimed to not feel cramped. There was room for the infant seat without having to pull the front passenger seat all the way forward. This is a considerable feat!
Cupholder enthusiasts should be warned that there are only two in the Accent. Backseat occupants will just have to hold their drinks. In the front row, there's a decent-size upper bin intended to store sunglasses that can be used for other items if you're feeling creative, and the cubby below the center stack can hold a smartphone and lip balm with room for spare change.
Combined with great fuel economy and a low sticker price, the 2012 Hyundai Accent gives parents an affordable car that doesn't sacrifice style or personality.
Sure, the Accent won't be feasible for many families, rebellious or not. If your family has more than four people, this subcompact won't even be in the running. If you've got older kids, an outing with the entire family might lead to legroom complaints. However, the Accent's size wasn't a problem for my family of three, and it really got me thinking about how I could get used to driving an affordable car.
My hatchback test car with a standard six-speed manual transmission was fun to drive for the first couple of days. I was almost convinced that I could ditch my crossover and become a rebel mom, too, but after taking the Accent on the freeway, I knew I wouldn't be heading to the dealer for a trade-in any time soon. The Accent was responsive and handled well around town while I was running errands, but at higher speeds, it seemed like it would blow off the road at times. I wouldn't go so far as to compare it to a tin can tooling down the highway, but the car did feel lightweight.
The Hyundai Accent comes as both a hatchback and sedan, which has a starting MSRP of $12,445. The base GS hatchback starts at $14,595; my test car, a SE trim hatchback, had a $15,925 sticker price.
With an all-new body style for 2012, the Accent is a real standout in the subcompact class, and it definitely looks more expensive than its price. From my test car's bold Marathon Blue paint to its sporty, fluid styling, this modest five-door is a looker. I could hold my head high when parking in a crowded lot or pulling up to any destination as people surprisingly exclaimed, "That's a Hyundai?"
The five-seater has a low step-in height, making it easy for kids to enter and exit it. Adults will want to watch their heads, though. I'm just 5 feet 4 inches tall and when standing next to the Accent I could see over its roof.
The hatchback body style gave me better access to the cargo area and made loading things like my stroller into the back a little easier, thanks to a deep-set space. Full disclosure: I had to remove one of my stroller's wheels to get it in the back, but it fit along with a couple of grocery bags and a shopping cart seat cover! If I wasn't so lazy, I could've folded the 60/40-split rear seats for even more cargo space.
What I really liked about the Accent was filling up the gas tank for not a lot of cash. Its 138-horsepower, 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine gets an EPA-estimated 30/40 mpg city/highway with regular unleaded gas. Saving money is always a welcome scenario for a family, and it felt great to check the trip computer and revel over the gas mileage I was averaging. Just the fuel economy alone had me thinking about how nice it could be to put an Accent on permanent family duty.
With its low price, you wouldn't expect there'd be much to say about the Accent's interior, but there are a lot of surprises when it comes to its cabin. Hyundai managed to make the inside of this small, inexpensive car look much more spacious and expensive than it really is. Small details such as piano-black surfaces surrounded by silver-painted trim were a welcome sight compared to the usual cheap plastic wasteland usually found in econo-cars.
The Accent's biggest surprise was its roominess. It's still small, but somehow all my passengers riding shotgun with a rear-facing child-safety seat behind them claimed to not feel cramped. There was room for the infant seat without having to pull the front passenger seat all the way forward. This is a considerable feat!
Cupholder enthusiasts should be warned that there are only two in the Accent. Backseat occupants will just have to hold their drinks. In the front row, there's a decent-size upper bin intended to store sunglasses that can be used for other items if you're feeling creative, and the cubby below the center stack can hold a smartphone and lip balm with room for spare change.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
DC Auto Prototype Show
Getting to the DC Auto Show was easy. I drove South on I-95, parked at Greenbelt metro station, then took the green line seven or eight stops to Mt Vernon Square/Convention Center. I walked out of the station into the convention center just as the show opened. Toyota had a Ride & Drive booth near the ticket area, so I scanned my driver's license and quickly found myself getting into a Prius v - which is called an extended hatchback wagon, but just looks like a longer Prius. Kelly, a pleasant young blond woman from Pittsburgh, guided me through starting the motor, and explained the features. Driving smoothly at about ten or twenty mph, we never left battery power. The v is a lot more spacious than the mid-size Prius, but mileage is 44/40 instead of 51/48. Kelly noted that part of the center console separating the driver and passenger seats has been lowered for more legroom, and I noted that the ceiling was more than just a few inches above my head. In my current car, my head touches the ceiling. The car I drove listed for $27,385.
In Toyota's display area, I saw the FCV-R, a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle prototype, and the NS-4, a plug-in prototype intended to include a Human-Machine Interface and all sorts of communications tech - both untouchable on pedestals. The styling of each was more Camry than Prius. More interesting to me was the Prius c, (Aqua in Japan) which looked like a very short Prius. It was only four inches longer than a Yaris/Vitz. It was also a prototype, so the doors were locked, but is due to be released in March 2012. The c/Aqua reportedly gets 64/46 mpg and will be a Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle, which is almost as good as the Double Dog Triple Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle. Honest Injun.
Third-generation Priuses start at $24,000 while the Prius plug-in on display had a list price of $32,000. The plug-in hybrid is only available in March in 14 states until next year. For the extra $8,000 dollars, you get MPGe of 87 in EV mode, but 49 mpg in hybrid mode. You'd also want a recharger. Seems like you'd have to do a lot of city driving to recoup that premium.
I crossed through Lexus just as a presenter turned on his microphone and started his spiel. Both his accent and looks reminded me of Jude Law, but Lexus wasn't busy at that moment. Moving to Honda, the popular Fit/Jazz had great visibility, but despite the release of the Jazz hybrid in Japan over a year ago, there is still no Fit hybrid here. The Civic CNG, a natural gas-powered vehicle, was on display, along with the Civic Hybrid and the oft-maligned but popular Insight, but I noticed the Fiat indoor track and ran over to get in line. In front of the track was a classic Fiat 500, a photo opp for enthusiasts.
After another brief e-registration, a slim young brunette woman named Lisa drove me in a Fiat 500 Cabrio through a series of low-speed maneouvres simulating parking and u-turning on city streets. I was comfortable sitting in the car as she noted the bluetooth, wifi and sundry electronic connections. The $16,000 Fiat hasn't been selling well, and they are obviously trying to grab a youthful demographic, the sort who might buy a Kia Soul or Mini Cooper. I could have driven a few more cars, but it felt like speed dating.
I wandered through Audi displays, drooled over the A5 Cabriolet, and saw the front wheel drive Audi A3 e-tron, which has been displayed as both EV and serial hybrid prototypes since 2009. This protoype was an EV with a claimed range of 140 km. The Audi rep, a rather thin woman, said that the e-tron is to be available in 2 to 3 years.
I sat in a few Minis: the Cooper, Clubman and Countryman. Coopers start at $20,000, and are a lot more expensive than Fiats, but seem to have a cachet among city folk that Fiat doesn't. The exterior styling is classic, but the interior styling always makes me think of Dr Who. In my opinion, the style doesn't translate well to the larger Clubman or Countryman.
I love ragtops, but after all their safety advertising, I still find it odd to see Volvo convertibles. Volvo displayed the XC60 plug-in hybrid prototype, a largish crossover utility vehicle. After Volvo was Impossible-land, featuring Bentley, Lotus, Maserati and Ferrari - no hybrids there. I stopped by Mercedes to sit in a Smart Car Cabrio, but I've heard such lousy things about their transmissions that I'm not really a fan.
Volkswagen has always turned to diesels for better mileage, but they did have a display devoted to the Jetta Hybrid, due out in 2013.
I liked the exterior styling of the Kia Optima Hybrid, and its 35/40 mpg is OK, but sitting in the front seat, I was struck by how small the front windshield appeared.
A lot of folk were trying the front seat in the Leaf, so I kept leaving and coming back. There was no Versa hatchback, just a sedan. I still don't like the Juke. Another thin spokeswoman had been driving a dealer Leaf for the past year in LA, and was telling stories about successfully taking longer trips between cities. I said I'm sure everyone asked about range anxiety, but what was the range? She grimaced and said it really depended. If you were running the heater or AC and other devices, or driving at high speeds on the highway it could be 70 or 80 miles. If you were tooling at low speeds in comfortable weather it could be 130 miles. She had the model with cabin AC before the heated seats, steering wheel, etc. were made standard equipment.
In Toyota's display area, I saw the FCV-R, a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle prototype, and the NS-4, a plug-in prototype intended to include a Human-Machine Interface and all sorts of communications tech - both untouchable on pedestals. The styling of each was more Camry than Prius. More interesting to me was the Prius c, (Aqua in Japan) which looked like a very short Prius. It was only four inches longer than a Yaris/Vitz. It was also a prototype, so the doors were locked, but is due to be released in March 2012. The c/Aqua reportedly gets 64/46 mpg and will be a Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle, which is almost as good as the Double Dog Triple Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle. Honest Injun.
Third-generation Priuses start at $24,000 while the Prius plug-in on display had a list price of $32,000. The plug-in hybrid is only available in March in 14 states until next year. For the extra $8,000 dollars, you get MPGe of 87 in EV mode, but 49 mpg in hybrid mode. You'd also want a recharger. Seems like you'd have to do a lot of city driving to recoup that premium.
I crossed through Lexus just as a presenter turned on his microphone and started his spiel. Both his accent and looks reminded me of Jude Law, but Lexus wasn't busy at that moment. Moving to Honda, the popular Fit/Jazz had great visibility, but despite the release of the Jazz hybrid in Japan over a year ago, there is still no Fit hybrid here. The Civic CNG, a natural gas-powered vehicle, was on display, along with the Civic Hybrid and the oft-maligned but popular Insight, but I noticed the Fiat indoor track and ran over to get in line. In front of the track was a classic Fiat 500, a photo opp for enthusiasts.
After another brief e-registration, a slim young brunette woman named Lisa drove me in a Fiat 500 Cabrio through a series of low-speed maneouvres simulating parking and u-turning on city streets. I was comfortable sitting in the car as she noted the bluetooth, wifi and sundry electronic connections. The $16,000 Fiat hasn't been selling well, and they are obviously trying to grab a youthful demographic, the sort who might buy a Kia Soul or Mini Cooper. I could have driven a few more cars, but it felt like speed dating.
I wandered through Audi displays, drooled over the A5 Cabriolet, and saw the front wheel drive Audi A3 e-tron, which has been displayed as both EV and serial hybrid prototypes since 2009. This protoype was an EV with a claimed range of 140 km. The Audi rep, a rather thin woman, said that the e-tron is to be available in 2 to 3 years.
I sat in a few Minis: the Cooper, Clubman and Countryman. Coopers start at $20,000, and are a lot more expensive than Fiats, but seem to have a cachet among city folk that Fiat doesn't. The exterior styling is classic, but the interior styling always makes me think of Dr Who. In my opinion, the style doesn't translate well to the larger Clubman or Countryman.
I love ragtops, but after all their safety advertising, I still find it odd to see Volvo convertibles. Volvo displayed the XC60 plug-in hybrid prototype, a largish crossover utility vehicle. After Volvo was Impossible-land, featuring Bentley, Lotus, Maserati and Ferrari - no hybrids there. I stopped by Mercedes to sit in a Smart Car Cabrio, but I've heard such lousy things about their transmissions that I'm not really a fan.
Volkswagen has always turned to diesels for better mileage, but they did have a display devoted to the Jetta Hybrid, due out in 2013.
I liked the exterior styling of the Kia Optima Hybrid, and its 35/40 mpg is OK, but sitting in the front seat, I was struck by how small the front windshield appeared.
A lot of folk were trying the front seat in the Leaf, so I kept leaving and coming back. There was no Versa hatchback, just a sedan. I still don't like the Juke. Another thin spokeswoman had been driving a dealer Leaf for the past year in LA, and was telling stories about successfully taking longer trips between cities. I said I'm sure everyone asked about range anxiety, but what was the range? She grimaced and said it really depended. If you were running the heater or AC and other devices, or driving at high speeds on the highway it could be 70 or 80 miles. If you were tooling at low speeds in comfortable weather it could be 130 miles. She had the model with cabin AC before the heated seats, steering wheel, etc. were made standard equipment.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Different cuts from same cloth
Bill Belichick might have written the book on dour, but Tom Coughlin had the market cornered on being square.
If one coach in the NFL looks like a “dark socks and sandals at the beach” type, it’s Coughlin.
He’s always been all business. Glasses. The thinning white hair swept to the side. Fast walker. That air of slight impatience as he rocks side-to-side in press conferences that are long on business, short on laughs.
The guy who long believed five minutes early is on time and four minutes early is actually late doesn’t have a cool, away-from-football alter ego like Belichick does tooling around Nantucket on his boat with Jon Bon Jovi in tow.
So it’s interesting to see the controlling Coughlin not just tolerating his players’ verbal brashness but – in some cases – jumping in himself.
While the Patriots are still name, rank and serial number for the most part under Belichick, the Giants make more guarantees than Bob’s Furniture.
And Coughlin has at times gotten a tad brash himself. Relatively speaking. After the Giants win over the 15-1 Packers at Lambeau Field last month, Coughlin said in the postgame, “I think we’re a dangerous team. I like where we are.”
This week, while Mario Manningham and Victor Cruz have taken turns disparaging Patriots wideout/DB Julian Edelman and Antrel Rolle has been doling out guarantees, Coughlin hasn’t told anyone to dummy up.
Has Coughlin changed?
“Probably, but I think it’s important as the process of learning,” Coughlin said. “You learn, develop, and change every year. You have to bring a fresh approach each year to your team, especially when you’ve been doing it a few years in the same place. If I’ve changed, it’s been an attempt to motivate and put us in the best possible chance that we can be.”
And Coughlin seems to believe that letting his team be itself and forge its own personality is the best way for it to motivate itself. It’s a supremely confident team, especially for a group that went 9-7 and had a four-game losing streak that had them on the verge of missing the playoffs.
But that confidence also allows it to forget about the bumps and then go into Lambeau or San Francisco and win.
Coughlin’s approach is a galaxy removed from the other head football coach in New York, Rex Ryan, who’s willingness to let whatever hits his brain exit his mouth was happily adopted by his players when he joined the team in 2009 and resulted in a 2011 implosion.
But Coughlin does let the players express themselves.
“Players have personalities and they are who they are,” Coughlin noted. “You want a certain amount of that on your football team, but you don’t want someone who puts themselves in a position to hurt your team.”
Coughlin has positive proof that allowing his players to be brash helps them. In 2007, they talked themselves into the notion the Patriots – 18-0 coming into that Super Bowl – were a dynasty that needed to be buried.
They showed up in Arizona dressed in black – a funeral for the dynasty was their reasoning. And they went out and backed up their brashness with one of the greatest upsets in NFL history.
Coughlin’s players say he really isn’t as bad as his reputation.
“My first season I questioned a lot of things that Coach Coughlin was doing,” said Rolle. “After taking a step back and reflecting on all of it, I understand exactly why he is the way he is. I used to always wonder, I felt like he was always trying to turn us into men. Does he not know that we are men before we ever step on the football field here as a Giant? I used to ask myself questions like that. Once I matured enough and I took a step back, he is not trying to turn us into men, he is trying to help us become better men.”
The buy-in from his team is apparent in the way they revere him. After the Giants beat the Patriots in November, they carried him off the field on their shoulders.
“When Coach Coughlin comes up, everybody wants to talk about how rough he is, how unforgiving he is, how the reigns are pulled back pretty tight on the football team, but playing for him is golden for me,” said defensive end Justin Tuck. “You know exactly what to expect from him, you know what he expects from you. It’s easy to go out and do your job when you don’t have to go out and worry about what we are doing here, what are we doing there. I love playing for the guy, and I hope I get to play the rest of my career for him.”
If one coach in the NFL looks like a “dark socks and sandals at the beach” type, it’s Coughlin.
He’s always been all business. Glasses. The thinning white hair swept to the side. Fast walker. That air of slight impatience as he rocks side-to-side in press conferences that are long on business, short on laughs.
The guy who long believed five minutes early is on time and four minutes early is actually late doesn’t have a cool, away-from-football alter ego like Belichick does tooling around Nantucket on his boat with Jon Bon Jovi in tow.
So it’s interesting to see the controlling Coughlin not just tolerating his players’ verbal brashness but – in some cases – jumping in himself.
While the Patriots are still name, rank and serial number for the most part under Belichick, the Giants make more guarantees than Bob’s Furniture.
And Coughlin has at times gotten a tad brash himself. Relatively speaking. After the Giants win over the 15-1 Packers at Lambeau Field last month, Coughlin said in the postgame, “I think we’re a dangerous team. I like where we are.”
This week, while Mario Manningham and Victor Cruz have taken turns disparaging Patriots wideout/DB Julian Edelman and Antrel Rolle has been doling out guarantees, Coughlin hasn’t told anyone to dummy up.
Has Coughlin changed?
“Probably, but I think it’s important as the process of learning,” Coughlin said. “You learn, develop, and change every year. You have to bring a fresh approach each year to your team, especially when you’ve been doing it a few years in the same place. If I’ve changed, it’s been an attempt to motivate and put us in the best possible chance that we can be.”
And Coughlin seems to believe that letting his team be itself and forge its own personality is the best way for it to motivate itself. It’s a supremely confident team, especially for a group that went 9-7 and had a four-game losing streak that had them on the verge of missing the playoffs.
But that confidence also allows it to forget about the bumps and then go into Lambeau or San Francisco and win.
Coughlin’s approach is a galaxy removed from the other head football coach in New York, Rex Ryan, who’s willingness to let whatever hits his brain exit his mouth was happily adopted by his players when he joined the team in 2009 and resulted in a 2011 implosion.
But Coughlin does let the players express themselves.
“Players have personalities and they are who they are,” Coughlin noted. “You want a certain amount of that on your football team, but you don’t want someone who puts themselves in a position to hurt your team.”
Coughlin has positive proof that allowing his players to be brash helps them. In 2007, they talked themselves into the notion the Patriots – 18-0 coming into that Super Bowl – were a dynasty that needed to be buried.
They showed up in Arizona dressed in black – a funeral for the dynasty was their reasoning. And they went out and backed up their brashness with one of the greatest upsets in NFL history.
Coughlin’s players say he really isn’t as bad as his reputation.
“My first season I questioned a lot of things that Coach Coughlin was doing,” said Rolle. “After taking a step back and reflecting on all of it, I understand exactly why he is the way he is. I used to always wonder, I felt like he was always trying to turn us into men. Does he not know that we are men before we ever step on the football field here as a Giant? I used to ask myself questions like that. Once I matured enough and I took a step back, he is not trying to turn us into men, he is trying to help us become better men.”
The buy-in from his team is apparent in the way they revere him. After the Giants beat the Patriots in November, they carried him off the field on their shoulders.
“When Coach Coughlin comes up, everybody wants to talk about how rough he is, how unforgiving he is, how the reigns are pulled back pretty tight on the football team, but playing for him is golden for me,” said defensive end Justin Tuck. “You know exactly what to expect from him, you know what he expects from you. It’s easy to go out and do your job when you don’t have to go out and worry about what we are doing here, what are we doing there. I love playing for the guy, and I hope I get to play the rest of my career for him.”
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Of bad drivers, harmful union stances and too-rich pensions
This is yet another time when several things are popping around in my brain, none ready to materialize as 600 words.
So, without further ado:
Would all you drivers out there who aren’t sure what that handle is that sticks out on the left side of your steering wheel please go back for some remedial driver’s instruction?
It’s called a turn signal and, no, I can’t read your mind when you’re tooling down Columbia Street.
I don’t know that you’re about to turn left unless you actually reach over and move that handy lever to the appropriate position.
That would be down, for those of you who have never used it before.
You might also have someone check your rear lights because an awful lot of you are driving in the evening with those headlights illuminated — and you know that because, lucky you, you’re looking that way — but your rear lights must have burned out back when John Dormer was mayor.
I’m not even going to start on how you merge onto the highway, other than to give you some advice: If you’re terrified you will die just merging, go another way.
I’d like anyone in the Kamloops Thompson Teachers’ Association to send me the releases, pronouncements, letters, whatever your group sent out back when the School District 73 people were talking about creating an international baccalaureate program at NorKam secondary.
I’ve searched the archives for Kamloops This Week and can’t find a single word from any of you expressing your concern about how this new teaching program would be bad for students.
Now, I admit, the archives aren’t the most accurate sometimes, but I would have thought a headline on the KTTA challenging SD73 about this waste of money might be there.
Because, apparently, that’s how the KTTA now views this educational curriculum it is putting into jeopardy by refusing to allow some teachers to take much-needed training for it.
The IB program is simply going to drain away too many resources when these teachers start teaching students the courses, KTTA president Jason Karpuk has said as negotiations to allow for this training have accomplished nothing.
Probably in the same way the school of arts and the science and technology schools have had such a horrible impact on the provision of education in the Kamloops region.
You don’t think you’re hurting students, Karpuk?
Ask them what they think.
I’ve been thinking of taking on Cathy McLeod in the next federal election — just to get a decent pension.
The one I’m looking at, if my most recent statements are correct, doesn’t seem nearly as cool as hers does — and she will only have to work six years to get it.
I started in journalism 39 years ago and, hard as I worked the numbers, I couldn’t find any indexing to inflation.
Don’t even get me started on the total that might be there for me to live on every month.
Nope, gonna run for MP, put in my six years and get out all indexed up.
To all of you who wrote, called or emailed about our dog, many thanks.
I was overwhelmed by the response to that column, one that I wrote as much to help me move past Austin’s sudden illness and demise as it was to share another Street Level moment with readers.
I’ve kept the pictures, the videos, the notes, the sympathy cards — only kept one copy of Rainbow Bridge, however, although I received several.
Just a few weeks later, I still find little bits of dog hair or a toy he had hidden.
I’m still getting used to the fact I can actually leave meat on the counter for a few minutes and it won’t get scarfed down immediately.
Sean still misses his walks with Austin, but a dear friend has offered up her walk-loving dog to fill that void.
So, without further ado:
Would all you drivers out there who aren’t sure what that handle is that sticks out on the left side of your steering wheel please go back for some remedial driver’s instruction?
It’s called a turn signal and, no, I can’t read your mind when you’re tooling down Columbia Street.
I don’t know that you’re about to turn left unless you actually reach over and move that handy lever to the appropriate position.
That would be down, for those of you who have never used it before.
You might also have someone check your rear lights because an awful lot of you are driving in the evening with those headlights illuminated — and you know that because, lucky you, you’re looking that way — but your rear lights must have burned out back when John Dormer was mayor.
I’m not even going to start on how you merge onto the highway, other than to give you some advice: If you’re terrified you will die just merging, go another way.
I’d like anyone in the Kamloops Thompson Teachers’ Association to send me the releases, pronouncements, letters, whatever your group sent out back when the School District 73 people were talking about creating an international baccalaureate program at NorKam secondary.
I’ve searched the archives for Kamloops This Week and can’t find a single word from any of you expressing your concern about how this new teaching program would be bad for students.
Now, I admit, the archives aren’t the most accurate sometimes, but I would have thought a headline on the KTTA challenging SD73 about this waste of money might be there.
Because, apparently, that’s how the KTTA now views this educational curriculum it is putting into jeopardy by refusing to allow some teachers to take much-needed training for it.
The IB program is simply going to drain away too many resources when these teachers start teaching students the courses, KTTA president Jason Karpuk has said as negotiations to allow for this training have accomplished nothing.
Probably in the same way the school of arts and the science and technology schools have had such a horrible impact on the provision of education in the Kamloops region.
You don’t think you’re hurting students, Karpuk?
Ask them what they think.
I’ve been thinking of taking on Cathy McLeod in the next federal election — just to get a decent pension.
The one I’m looking at, if my most recent statements are correct, doesn’t seem nearly as cool as hers does — and she will only have to work six years to get it.
I started in journalism 39 years ago and, hard as I worked the numbers, I couldn’t find any indexing to inflation.
Don’t even get me started on the total that might be there for me to live on every month.
Nope, gonna run for MP, put in my six years and get out all indexed up.
To all of you who wrote, called or emailed about our dog, many thanks.
I was overwhelmed by the response to that column, one that I wrote as much to help me move past Austin’s sudden illness and demise as it was to share another Street Level moment with readers.
I’ve kept the pictures, the videos, the notes, the sympathy cards — only kept one copy of Rainbow Bridge, however, although I received several.
Just a few weeks later, I still find little bits of dog hair or a toy he had hidden.
I’m still getting used to the fact I can actually leave meat on the counter for a few minutes and it won’t get scarfed down immediately.
Sean still misses his walks with Austin, but a dear friend has offered up her walk-loving dog to fill that void.
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