Thursday, February 24, 2011
Famous Celebrity and their Cars
Here's some popular celebrities with their owned cars. The actual stars, with the actual cars.:
Keanu Reeves
Sylvester Stallone
Robert Downey Jr
Pierce Brosnan
It is perhaps oddly suitable for Pierce Brosnan to pick up his son Dylan from his Malibu school in an Aston Martin Vanquish, much more like the one he drove in his last James Bond movie Die Another Day.
More famous stories at Hollywood stars & their cars - updated
Keanu Reeves
Keanu Reeves with his Porsche 911 driving in Beverly Hills. This is the 993 model - the last air-cooled model, and the most popular and stylish.
Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone is impress of his own Ford Mustang as he shows off the tuned-up engine to his friends in Los Angeles.
Robert Downey Jr
Robert Downey Jr and his wife Susan at the Iron Man 2 opening in LA in the Audi R8 Spyder that stars in the motion picture.
Pierce Brosnan
It is perhaps oddly suitable for Pierce Brosnan to pick up his son Dylan from his Malibu school in an Aston Martin Vanquish, much more like the one he drove in his last James Bond movie Die Another Day.
More famous stories at Hollywood stars & their cars - updated
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Current Affairs February 2011 - 2
People
U K Sinha takes over as Sebi chairman on feb 18 2011 replacing C B Bhave
Sunil Kakar has been appointed as CFO for Infrastructure finance firm IDFC
Joseph Ho has been appointed as MD and Head of Exchange Traded Funds
Vasant Krishnan has been appointed as CFO of Mahindra Satyam
Education
Computer education firm Aptech and IT firm Microsoft to launch embedded courses and certification to its students
Entertainment
First ever 3-day(18th to 20th February 2011) Film Festival kicks-off at Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Dhobi Ghat to be commercially released in Germany
Business
Anand Mahindra-led Mahindra Satyam is looking to re-list on the NYSE in 2011-12
Hinduja Gobal Solutions to set up 2 centres - 1 each in China and Latin America in next fiscal(FY 12)
Facebook Inc, now in Hong Kong
Aircel to launch 3G services in all 13 telecom cirlces as Cricket World Cup kicks of on 19th February 2011
Networking and Storage solutions provider Buffalo opens its first retail shop, Brand Store in India
HAL hints at possible IPO plans
Vodafone to stream cricket World Cup matches via ESPN Mobile TV
SBI to launch Rs.2000 crore retail bond issue on Feb 21 2011
Technology
Intel tests 'Sandy Bridge' for laptops
Lost your TV remote, now a Samsung app on your Galaxy phone or Tab
Oracle to offer File Management Package for Cloud
Opera to roll out iPad browser
Microsoft sends first service pack for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 to original equipment manufacturers. Consumers would be updated later part of February
Bangalore base Myriad, a mobile technology company, announced new software Alien Dalvik that will allow Android Application to run on other phones
NVIDIA announces 1st quad-core mobile processor, (Kal-El) Tegra 3
Sony to launch 9.4 inch tablet named S1, to run on Android 3.0 Honeycomb
Now, Robot chefs at the Wishdoing restaurant on Shanghai's Nanjing road which could cook delicious Chinese cuisine within 3 minutes
Marvell launches 'Mobile MIMO', the Avastar 88W8797, an 802.11n 2*2 dual-band WiFi system on Chip (SoC)
MIMO: Multiple Inputs Multiple Output
Now a website to act as answer engine, trueknowledge.com
Ozonetel Systems has launched free 'Voice Buzz' application on Facebook through which users can update their Facebook status in their own voice from their landline or mobile number
SNIPPETS
India's Drug Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) has decided to ban 2 controversial drugs — Gatifloxacine and Tegaserod — because of their side-effects.
Gatifloxacine is used as an antibiotic and its side effect is it shoot up and also dip blood sugar levels.
Tegaserod is used in India for irritable bowel syndrome and chronic constipation and its side effect is showed a 10-fold increased risk of heart attacks and stroke.
U K Sinha takes over as Sebi chairman on feb 18 2011 replacing C B Bhave
Sunil Kakar has been appointed as CFO for Infrastructure finance firm IDFC
Joseph Ho has been appointed as MD and Head of Exchange Traded Funds
Vasant Krishnan has been appointed as CFO of Mahindra Satyam
Education
Computer education firm Aptech and IT firm Microsoft to launch embedded courses and certification to its students
Entertainment
First ever 3-day(18th to 20th February 2011) Film Festival kicks-off at Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Dhobi Ghat to be commercially released in Germany
Business
Anand Mahindra-led Mahindra Satyam is looking to re-list on the NYSE in 2011-12
Hinduja Gobal Solutions to set up 2 centres - 1 each in China and Latin America in next fiscal(FY 12)
Facebook Inc, now in Hong Kong
Aircel to launch 3G services in all 13 telecom cirlces as Cricket World Cup kicks of on 19th February 2011
Networking and Storage solutions provider Buffalo opens its first retail shop, Brand Store in India
HAL hints at possible IPO plans
Vodafone to stream cricket World Cup matches via ESPN Mobile TV
SBI to launch Rs.2000 crore retail bond issue on Feb 21 2011
Technology
Intel tests 'Sandy Bridge' for laptops
Lost your TV remote, now a Samsung app on your Galaxy phone or Tab
Oracle to offer File Management Package for Cloud
Opera to roll out iPad browser
Microsoft sends first service pack for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 to original equipment manufacturers. Consumers would be updated later part of February
Bangalore base Myriad, a mobile technology company, announced new software Alien Dalvik that will allow Android Application to run on other phones
NVIDIA announces 1st quad-core mobile processor, (Kal-El) Tegra 3
Sony to launch 9.4 inch tablet named S1, to run on Android 3.0 Honeycomb
Now, Robot chefs at the Wishdoing restaurant on Shanghai's Nanjing road which could cook delicious Chinese cuisine within 3 minutes
Marvell launches 'Mobile MIMO', the Avastar 88W8797, an 802.11n 2*2 dual-band WiFi system on Chip (SoC)
MIMO: Multiple Inputs Multiple Output
Now a website to act as answer engine, trueknowledge.com
Ozonetel Systems has launched free 'Voice Buzz' application on Facebook through which users can update their Facebook status in their own voice from their landline or mobile number
SNIPPETS
India's Drug Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) has decided to ban 2 controversial drugs — Gatifloxacine and Tegaserod — because of their side-effects.
Gatifloxacine is used as an antibiotic and its side effect is it shoot up and also dip blood sugar levels.
Tegaserod is used in India for irritable bowel syndrome and chronic constipation and its side effect is showed a 10-fold increased risk of heart attacks and stroke.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Let's speculate: Yamaha YZF-R15
Three years on, Yamaha is finally readying what appears to be a significant upgrade to the YZF-R15. If you search for 'R15 spy pics' in google, you will be rewarded with a whole bunch of pictures of the blacked-out spy shots doing the rounds. Now, open another tab and look up the Yamaha YZF-R125 and you'll immediately see the similarities in design. And then you will note that the mechanical bits don't match.
First, the R125 will never officially come to India. It simply isn't going to happen.Two-stroke nuts and fellow optimists, give up. The logic is simple. It's a two-stroke. It won't ever meet our norms. And if it did, it. I am given to understand the motorcycle would be too expensive for Indian customers to digest. That's not counting the fact that if it were re-tuned to meet our emission and noise specification that it would turn out so weak and so expensive that of you lot, about two would be willing to buy one. It ain't gonna happen.
What is likely to happen, on the other hand, is that Yamaha will neatly transplant the R125's awesome looks on the new R15. Which, as far as I am concerned, is a good thing. The slim, fit rear-end of the European stroker will fix the weakest link in the R15 package - the rear end. It'll gain both a fat rear tyre and a sleek rear-end in one shot. Nicely done. The R15 looks like an older R1, the R125's package resembles the tightly packed GP bike with an almost vestigial rear, it's a forward move in styling, definitely.
But what is crucial is how the performance and price moves, right? Here's what I think is going to happen. There's only two options. The harder way is to boost the performance. The R15 engine has been a pretty well-used engine in the sense of offered performance and potential performance. You have to remember that Yamaha's option to extract all of the horsepower from this engine is restrained, even strangled , by our pollution and noise norms. Can they bump up the power further? I think they can. Say you add another cam shaft (raise the redline, but lose still more ability to operate effortlessly at street speeds), some clever engineering, bump up the compression (raises sensitivity to fuel quality so you have to be careful) and so forth, and you should be to get say, another 2 horsepower out of this. Is that enough? A 10 per cent rise in power is pretty damn good I have to say. Although if you look at it as the gain over three years of a product's life, it does look weak.
You could also switch to more exotic materials as an option or in addition and lose weight to gain more performance. But there's no getting away from the fact that this is the expensive option. Unless you're willing to up the displacement.
Which is another can of worms because now you have to change the name. A 223cc R15 cannot be called R15. R22 or R22.3 is just weird. If you do an R25, on the other hand, you have to assume that the extra power means more serious chassis upgrades as well - another cost. And what do you do with the R15? Use it as a base model? Kinda lame unless you drop the price. Which in turn impacts the margins - dammit.
And remember that the price and the performance of the CBR250R hangs like the sword of Damocles over all the products in this segment. Rs 1.5 lakh ex-showroom gets you a Honda-badged 250cc single making roughly 25PS of power.
This ain't easy.
The simpler option is actually, perhaps, the smarter one. Bump up the power by half a horsepower. Bring in the slinky new styling. Localise some of the still-imported components to drop costs. And smoothly move the price down to a more acceptable, more accessible level. Yelling boo? Think about it. You get the motorcycle that is almost the automatic choice of the enthusiast - either money-down or aspirational - with updated rubber, some more power and more modern styling at less money. It might sound like the option here with less flair, but it has merit.
It's less complicated. There's no serious technology upgrades to be worked out. Styling is plastic - relatively easily to handle. A lower price point brings you closer to the buyer and makes your nearest competition (P220, Karizma et al) sweat harder. And raises the distance between yourself and the CBR250R so that something else - FZ250? - can be slotted into that space. Heck, you could do a proper R25 later if you chose this method.
It'll bring volumes. Lower price means more buyers. And Yamaha need volumes - every thing they can get - to meet their own target of market share.
It frees up attention. Which you need to focus on other products. Like the scooters Yamaha is supposed to be working on. Taking on the Activa isn't child's play, you know.
Of course, this is all my guess work. And as I write this, it makes sense to me. It may not tomorrow. What I do know is that Yamaha needs new products and that an R15 upgrade is coming. Dates? Hopefully March, but this is unconfirmed.
First, the R125 will never officially come to India. It simply isn't going to happen.
What is likely to happen, on the other hand, is that Yamaha will neatly transplant the R125's awesome looks on the new R15. Which, as far as I am concerned, is a good thing. The slim, fit rear-end of the European stroker will fix the weakest link in the R15 package - the rear end. It'll gain both a fat rear tyre and a sleek rear-end in one shot. Nicely done. The R15 looks like an older R1, the R125's package resembles the tightly packed GP bike with an almost vestigial rear, it's a forward move in styling, definitely.
But what is crucial is how the performance and price moves, right? Here's what I think is going to happen. There's only two options. The harder way is to boost the performance. The R15 engine has been a pretty well-used engine in the sense of offered performance and potential performance. You have to remember that Yamaha's option to extract all of the horsepower from this engine is restrained, even strangled , by our pollution and noise norms. Can they bump up the power further? I think they can. Say you add another cam shaft (raise the redline, but lose still more ability to operate effortlessly at street speeds), some clever engineering, bump up the compression (raises sensitivity to fuel quality so you have to be careful) and so forth, and you should be to get say, another 2 horsepower out of this. Is that enough? A 10 per cent rise in power is pretty damn good I have to say. Although if you look at it as the gain over three years of a product's life, it does look weak.
You could also switch to more exotic materials as an option or in addition and lose weight to gain more performance. But there's no getting away from the fact that this is the expensive option. Unless you're willing to up the displacement.
Which is another can of worms because now you have to change the name. A 223cc R15 cannot be called R15. R22 or R22.3 is just weird. If you do an R25, on the other hand, you have to assume that the extra power means more serious chassis upgrades as well - another cost. And what do you do with the R15? Use it as a base model? Kinda lame unless you drop the price. Which in turn impacts the margins - dammit.
And remember that the price and the performance of the CBR250R hangs like the sword of Damocles over all the products in this segment. Rs 1.5 lakh ex-showroom gets you a Honda-badged 250cc single making roughly 25PS of power.
This ain't easy.
The simpler option is actually, perhaps, the smarter one. Bump up the power by half a horsepower. Bring in the slinky new styling. Localise some of the still-imported components to drop costs. And smoothly move the price down to a more acceptable, more accessible level. Yelling boo? Think about it. You get the motorcycle that is almost the automatic choice of the enthusiast - either money-down or aspirational - with updated rubber, some more power and more modern styling at less money. It might sound like the option here with less flair, but it has merit.
It's less complicated. There's no serious technology upgrades to be worked out. Styling is plastic - relatively easily to handle. A lower price point brings you closer to the buyer and makes your nearest competition (P220, Karizma et al) sweat harder. And raises the distance between yourself and the CBR250R so that something else - FZ250? - can be slotted into that space. Heck, you could do a proper R25 later if you chose this method.
It'll bring volumes. Lower price means more buyers. And Yamaha need volumes - every thing they can get - to meet their own target of market share.
It frees up attention. Which you need to focus on other products. Like the scooters Yamaha is supposed to be working on. Taking on the Activa isn't child's play, you know.
Of course, this is all my guess work. And as I write this, it makes sense to me. It may not tomorrow. What I do know is that Yamaha needs new products and that an R15 upgrade is coming. Dates? Hopefully March, but this is unconfirmed.
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