LastLine
Nov 23, 06:45 PM
Anyone willing to get me a $69 .mac code? ;) Much cheaper than our �69 lol. (Yeah I'm marketplace eligable before anyone panics :))
dalvin200
Jan 9, 03:34 PM
I hope apple are giving a massive clue.
On here it says: http://www.apple.com/****/keynote/
9.41 on the ****.
21.41 GMT is in 9 minutes!
lol.. i think the 9:41 was for this morning at tge keynote!!! :p
On here it says: http://www.apple.com/****/keynote/
9.41 on the ****.
21.41 GMT is in 9 minutes!
lol.. i think the 9:41 was for this morning at tge keynote!!! :p
esaleris
Apr 3, 08:43 PM
Sorry to hear it didn't get better at this point... I was hoping to hear that they busted down the door to find some idiot teenagers playing on the console.
I'm surprised the police have gone down this far with you over the matter. It's at least refreshing to know that they would attempt to find the item. My roommate in college got his laptop stolen and they were pretty damn apathetic.
They went to the house and a lady answered the door. She was more than willing to let the police in to search the place. After searching, they came up with nothing. Not even a single game, controller, anything. The house is a rental house. The guy with the pawn record had moved out two months ago. His lease was up December 31st and this new lady had moved in during January.
I'm surprised the police have gone down this far with you over the matter. It's at least refreshing to know that they would attempt to find the item. My roommate in college got his laptop stolen and they were pretty damn apathetic.
They went to the house and a lady answered the door. She was more than willing to let the police in to search the place. After searching, they came up with nothing. Not even a single game, controller, anything. The house is a rental house. The guy with the pawn record had moved out two months ago. His lease was up December 31st and this new lady had moved in during January.
Nekbeth
Apr 27, 08:29 PM
I'm only posting my timer code balamw, you don't want to see the rest and even if you do, I wouldn't show it here. The only problem is the timer the rest works fine. You can check out my App tomorrow morning (Availability Date is 28 of April). Look for "Pastry Chef app"
How do you count your elapsed ? Again, NSTimer is simply an object inserted into the run loop. It has no conception of elapsed time beyond its own internal interval.
What methods are being called and by what ? What is the code to those methods ?
You have posted bit and pieces all over the thread, why not just post a readable, compilable example of everything you have that can help us reproduce or see your actual problem ?
Alright Knight, I'll show it all. Just please, if you see a problem that it's obvious to you, don't play or make trick questions, you can just explain it and I'll work it out.
How do you count your elapsed ? Again, NSTimer is simply an object inserted into the run loop. It has no conception of elapsed time beyond its own internal interval.
What methods are being called and by what ? What is the code to those methods ?
You have posted bit and pieces all over the thread, why not just post a readable, compilable example of everything you have that can help us reproduce or see your actual problem ?
Alright Knight, I'll show it all. Just please, if you see a problem that it's obvious to you, don't play or make trick questions, you can just explain it and I'll work it out.
more...
mantan
Apr 15, 08:59 PM
and FAIL.
iphone needed nor had any competition to debut as a smash hit.
ipad needed nor had any competition to debut as a smash hit.
apple do stuff well and make good products because that's what the heck they frickin do!
they dont need anything to prod them on but their own imagination. companies that innovate by imitation because they got caught with their pants down arent about better products for end users. that's why their stuff sucked in the first place.
I have to disagree a bit. Competition drives innovation, even at Apple. They are great at creating new products....but they need a little prod now and again. We would have continued to get incremental updates like the 3GS (where a compass was touted as a major new feature) if the Android didn't close the gap. The result, an iPhone 4 that was a major leap.
We all accept paying $150 for a Nano when Sansa was selling high quality MP3 players at a third of that 5 years ago.
Competition is good for the consumer. It results in innovation and downward pressure on prices.
iphone needed nor had any competition to debut as a smash hit.
ipad needed nor had any competition to debut as a smash hit.
apple do stuff well and make good products because that's what the heck they frickin do!
they dont need anything to prod them on but their own imagination. companies that innovate by imitation because they got caught with their pants down arent about better products for end users. that's why their stuff sucked in the first place.
I have to disagree a bit. Competition drives innovation, even at Apple. They are great at creating new products....but they need a little prod now and again. We would have continued to get incremental updates like the 3GS (where a compass was touted as a major new feature) if the Android didn't close the gap. The result, an iPhone 4 that was a major leap.
We all accept paying $150 for a Nano when Sansa was selling high quality MP3 players at a third of that 5 years ago.
Competition is good for the consumer. It results in innovation and downward pressure on prices.
i-unit123
Nov 24, 06:58 PM
apple's canada store is also down...
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milo
Oct 3, 11:13 AM
The moment you've got a life to lose if you're sued and you have your hds full of pirated movies, music and stuff would be a good point to start being worried. About that life of yours if you're having a job and a family and things like that. Could get nasty if you're having a criminal record and things like that, you know.
And how exactly would they know to sue you in the first place?
And how exactly would they know to sue you in the first place?
kuwisdelu
Apr 8, 05:41 PM
I'd say 10.6 had a ton of new features; they just weren't in the UI.
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sartinsauce
Oct 10, 10:17 PM
i made a quick mockup of what it could be like, i left out some details. I changed the dvd icon to a mail/gtube one(youtube) because it supossdly has wi-fi.....opinions?
http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/374/ipodmockzr0.jpg
Dude, you gotta learn to spell!
Please!?!
http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/374/ipodmockzr0.jpg
Dude, you gotta learn to spell!
Please!?!
takao
Nov 28, 06:27 PM
Make a Custom Class with Ghost, problem solved. Hell, equip that same class with the Strela, and not only will the various Choppers not shoot you, but you can then bring it down so it stops killing your team as well.
well you mean ghost pro ... the normal one is useless against that (i already have that layout ;) )
but seriously getting some of the perks to pro is ridiculously difficult while some others can be pro before hitting level 15
.. i have been trying to get ghost to pro for a while now and ironically i'm stuck on destroying an enemy turrent.. which somehow aren't popular at all jsut liek the tomahawk .. while i killed perhaps 30 guys with it i haven't been killed by a single tomahawk yet despite it being perfect for those "we are losing charlie" moments
another point of advice: don't bother with the top MP: it has only a 20 shot clip (opposed to some other MPs) and annoyingly ejects empty rounds right out of the top
having the mp just one slot below but with increased firerate add on (IMHO the best for taking down assault rifle users on short range) and silencer is the way better gun
in general with this being my first call of duty i have to say that my opinion of killing streaks hasn't changed at all ... it still is an invitation for camping in many, many game situations... and some of the attacks are simply ridiculous if you look at the size of some of the maps or their designs: yay for houses with no roofs/glass roofs
well you mean ghost pro ... the normal one is useless against that (i already have that layout ;) )
but seriously getting some of the perks to pro is ridiculously difficult while some others can be pro before hitting level 15
.. i have been trying to get ghost to pro for a while now and ironically i'm stuck on destroying an enemy turrent.. which somehow aren't popular at all jsut liek the tomahawk .. while i killed perhaps 30 guys with it i haven't been killed by a single tomahawk yet despite it being perfect for those "we are losing charlie" moments
another point of advice: don't bother with the top MP: it has only a 20 shot clip (opposed to some other MPs) and annoyingly ejects empty rounds right out of the top
having the mp just one slot below but with increased firerate add on (IMHO the best for taking down assault rifle users on short range) and silencer is the way better gun
in general with this being my first call of duty i have to say that my opinion of killing streaks hasn't changed at all ... it still is an invitation for camping in many, many game situations... and some of the attacks are simply ridiculous if you look at the size of some of the maps or their designs: yay for houses with no roofs/glass roofs
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balamw
Oct 6, 10:44 AM
I noticed some of the same issues you did with the Wiki article, but didn't find a better general one. You? Cody Brocious had a blog post on the iTunes 6 process a while back but it doesn't seem to be available anymore...
Both the private assymetric key, used to communicate with the server (to obtain the symmetric keys) and all of the symmetric keys, used to decrypt the actual media files, are hidden inside iTunes. Try looking for them on your harddrive, I promise you that you won't find them (unless you are an expert pirate with a few months of your time where you have nothing better to do....)
My point was exactly that. All the keys for decryption have to be on your PC/Mac/iPod.
It's the keys used to encrypt the actual media files, which are more closely guarded at Apple. It's much easier to pick the locks on the local system you have under your control than a remote server somewhere... The decryption keys are definitely stored locally since you can play protected files while offline. The one chink in the armor that I see that Jon may be using is that the personalization of the files is done locally, so this step may be exploitable.
Finding where the keys are on your HDD is the easy part, accessing and using them is the task that takes months... [Simple way to find the location of the keys. Image your HDD. Purchase file from iTunes. Image your HDD compare the two images. The new key(s) (and the file itself) must be in the bits that changed.]
As someone who does this for a living, can you comment on my read of the hacks that have been released in the later post http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=2917258&postcount=96. It still seems to me that where DRM has been hacked has relied on key retrieval or finding the weak spot in the chain.
U go Rihanna!
more...
Rihanna+hair+2011+red
rihanna red hair long. hair
more...
+photo+shoots+red+hair
rihanna 2011 red hair. Rihanna Red Hairstyles 2011
more...
rihanna red hair 2011
rihanna 2011 red hair. red hair styles 2011
rihanna red hair 2011
Both the private assymetric key, used to communicate with the server (to obtain the symmetric keys) and all of the symmetric keys, used to decrypt the actual media files, are hidden inside iTunes. Try looking for them on your harddrive, I promise you that you won't find them (unless you are an expert pirate with a few months of your time where you have nothing better to do....)
My point was exactly that. All the keys for decryption have to be on your PC/Mac/iPod.
It's the keys used to encrypt the actual media files, which are more closely guarded at Apple. It's much easier to pick the locks on the local system you have under your control than a remote server somewhere... The decryption keys are definitely stored locally since you can play protected files while offline. The one chink in the armor that I see that Jon may be using is that the personalization of the files is done locally, so this step may be exploitable.
Finding where the keys are on your HDD is the easy part, accessing and using them is the task that takes months... [Simple way to find the location of the keys. Image your HDD. Purchase file from iTunes. Image your HDD compare the two images. The new key(s) (and the file itself) must be in the bits that changed.]
As someone who does this for a living, can you comment on my read of the hacks that have been released in the later post http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=2917258&postcount=96. It still seems to me that where DRM has been hacked has relied on key retrieval or finding the weak spot in the chain.
Flowbee
Jan 12, 03:52 PM
Equating destruction of physical property to turning off tv sets is a stretch.
Obviously.:rolleyes: I was responding to the idea that is was somehow ironic (and funny) that such a low-tech device could disrupt such a high-tech show. There are many other low-tech ways to cause problems for exhibitors. You can't have an open, accessible show floor and protect against everyone's idea of a "prank." Exhibitors have to be able to trust that attendees, especially press credentialed attendees, won't make them look foolish in order to drive traffic to their blogs.
Anyway, I hope you took notice of the real point of my comment:
If pranks like these become more common, companies and trade shows will start to put severe restrictions on who's allowed to attend their events.
That's nothing to laugh about.
Obviously.:rolleyes: I was responding to the idea that is was somehow ironic (and funny) that such a low-tech device could disrupt such a high-tech show. There are many other low-tech ways to cause problems for exhibitors. You can't have an open, accessible show floor and protect against everyone's idea of a "prank." Exhibitors have to be able to trust that attendees, especially press credentialed attendees, won't make them look foolish in order to drive traffic to their blogs.
Anyway, I hope you took notice of the real point of my comment:
If pranks like these become more common, companies and trade shows will start to put severe restrictions on who's allowed to attend their events.
That's nothing to laugh about.
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macfan881
Nov 16, 05:37 PM
if this does happen would apple finaly consider leting there Os's on ur standart hp compaqs etcs ?
charlituna
Dec 25, 02:56 PM
I don't buy the flash argument. Thats actually a pretty complicated subject...
Well yes, there's the whole "Adobe doesn't make Flash for the Mac, they make it for Windows and lazily port it" stuff. But that's actually part of the point. Apple values the user experience more than following the herd. So they leave out some crap port of Flash rather than include it because 'all other phones have Flash so we have to also, even if it sucks'
Now, can anyone please explain what the difference between 'true 4G' and LTE?
Is LTE something else entirely? Something that bridges the CDMA and GSM technologies, allowing CDMA phones to use chips, and chip-based phones to be compatible with CDMA networks?
My understanding is that LTE is a whole new language, totally different from both CDMA and GSM. So phones would be, for a time, dual chips.
As for the 'real 4g' and 'fake 4g' I've been told that it is not unlike the HD video issue that has cropped up thanks to folks like itunes and Amazon. They use 720p video which is high def when compared to standard def, but purists say that HD is 1080p/i or higher.
In the same way there is 4g in the sense of 4th generation which is an improvement over the 3rd generation. and 4g which is 4th generation AND a particular minimum level of speed etc. And so say the naysayers, many folks saying '4g' mean the former and not the latter.
Well yes, there's the whole "Adobe doesn't make Flash for the Mac, they make it for Windows and lazily port it" stuff. But that's actually part of the point. Apple values the user experience more than following the herd. So they leave out some crap port of Flash rather than include it because 'all other phones have Flash so we have to also, even if it sucks'
Now, can anyone please explain what the difference between 'true 4G' and LTE?
Is LTE something else entirely? Something that bridges the CDMA and GSM technologies, allowing CDMA phones to use chips, and chip-based phones to be compatible with CDMA networks?
My understanding is that LTE is a whole new language, totally different from both CDMA and GSM. So phones would be, for a time, dual chips.
As for the 'real 4g' and 'fake 4g' I've been told that it is not unlike the HD video issue that has cropped up thanks to folks like itunes and Amazon. They use 720p video which is high def when compared to standard def, but purists say that HD is 1080p/i or higher.
In the same way there is 4g in the sense of 4th generation which is an improvement over the 3rd generation. and 4g which is 4th generation AND a particular minimum level of speed etc. And so say the naysayers, many folks saying '4g' mean the former and not the latter.
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Hovey
Jul 21, 10:17 AM
Are we still debating this? No one is forcing you to keep/buy an iPhone. I've had one dropped call since I got it almost a month ago. It was while driving. It's hard to argue with #'s of complaints and returns. It's not difficult. You either like the phone or you don't. You get one or you don't. Name the last non-iPhone cell phone you've had that you've complained about dropped calls and they gave you something to help reduce the problem. I bet most people complaining would use a case anyways.
swy32x
Sep 8, 07:48 AM
Yes, he is in fact criticising the whole gangsta image ... "We say ******* the police and that's how we treat 'em / we can buy our way out of jail but we can't buy freedom" ...
How is he a 'no-talent ass clown'. So, you don't like hip-hop. How is he a no-talent hack?
It seems that he felt a bit out of place during his performance, but at the end of his performance the applause and crowd were ecstatic.
How is he a 'no-talent ass clown'. So, you don't like hip-hop. How is he a no-talent hack?
It seems that he felt a bit out of place during his performance, but at the end of his performance the applause and crowd were ecstatic.
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Anuba
Jan 12, 05:03 PM
Whatever you are attempting to sell is failing the 'smell' test (if you follow me). You do not know the man I am fairly certain. I am always suspicious about how well screwed on people are, who see others as mindless droids and cannot keep their bowel movements under control. :confused:
Well, if you haven't met any of these mindless droids, consider yourself lucky. I've met enough of them to be sufficiently spooked. I've got a couple of them on a forum I moderate; one has a link to Apple store in his signature and spends most of his time posting the most contrived lies about Windows you could imagine (how you cannot switch a PC on without being drowned in a barrage of viruses etc), and the rest of his time coercing PC users into switching. It's quite clear from his descriptions of Windows he hasn't touched a PC since circa 1996, and any assurances that Windows has come a long way in terms of stability and security since Win95 are met with a kind of "lalalalalalalala...." At one point he insisted that a Mac Mini G4 1.42GHz is much faster than any PC ever made. When faced with real life benchmark tests where a midrange PC blasted the Mini into oblivion, he maintained that it was due to poor knowledge of Mac optimization on the part of the developers (whom I know to be Mac enthusiasts who port the software to Windows). This is just one example, over the years I've stumbled across way too many to list here.
It's great that people are enthusiastic about products, and most Mac users are regular joes who are just that, but it is my personal opinion that there also exists a 'Church of Apple' with 'members' who are smug, patronizing, holier-than-thou, basking in the glory of some perceived exclusivity and enlightenment, borderline brainwashed lodge brothers with a special handshake. It sickens me to no end. Again, this is merely one man's opinion, I know you wouldn't agree so let's just leave it there.
Regarding Steve, you're darn tootin' I don't know him. Only seen him in blurry keynote webcasts.
Well, if you haven't met any of these mindless droids, consider yourself lucky. I've met enough of them to be sufficiently spooked. I've got a couple of them on a forum I moderate; one has a link to Apple store in his signature and spends most of his time posting the most contrived lies about Windows you could imagine (how you cannot switch a PC on without being drowned in a barrage of viruses etc), and the rest of his time coercing PC users into switching. It's quite clear from his descriptions of Windows he hasn't touched a PC since circa 1996, and any assurances that Windows has come a long way in terms of stability and security since Win95 are met with a kind of "lalalalalalalala...." At one point he insisted that a Mac Mini G4 1.42GHz is much faster than any PC ever made. When faced with real life benchmark tests where a midrange PC blasted the Mini into oblivion, he maintained that it was due to poor knowledge of Mac optimization on the part of the developers (whom I know to be Mac enthusiasts who port the software to Windows). This is just one example, over the years I've stumbled across way too many to list here.
It's great that people are enthusiastic about products, and most Mac users are regular joes who are just that, but it is my personal opinion that there also exists a 'Church of Apple' with 'members' who are smug, patronizing, holier-than-thou, basking in the glory of some perceived exclusivity and enlightenment, borderline brainwashed lodge brothers with a special handshake. It sickens me to no end. Again, this is merely one man's opinion, I know you wouldn't agree so let's just leave it there.
Regarding Steve, you're darn tootin' I don't know him. Only seen him in blurry keynote webcasts.
Kashchei
Jan 13, 10:43 PM
1) Announces deal with movie companies for rentals through iTunes. These rentals will last the running time of the movie and cost $20.
2) :apple:TV updated so that it can stream rental movies, but only to analog tvs.
3) "There's Something in the Air" slogan turns out to be Apple branded oxygen dispenser called the iMask
4) 16GB iPhone released for original price ($599)
5) Mac mini discontinued
6) Surprise switch back to Motorola chip (G6) with immediate updates for all laptop & desktop models
7) "One More Thing" is rumored lightweight notebook (also doubles as hot plate)
8) Steve announces the date he will step down as iCEO of Apple
Before I get flamed, think about how little everyone will have to complain about the actual keynote in light of my pessimistic predictions (I don't actually think any of these things will happen).
2) :apple:TV updated so that it can stream rental movies, but only to analog tvs.
3) "There's Something in the Air" slogan turns out to be Apple branded oxygen dispenser called the iMask
4) 16GB iPhone released for original price ($599)
5) Mac mini discontinued
6) Surprise switch back to Motorola chip (G6) with immediate updates for all laptop & desktop models
7) "One More Thing" is rumored lightweight notebook (also doubles as hot plate)
8) Steve announces the date he will step down as iCEO of Apple
Before I get flamed, think about how little everyone will have to complain about the actual keynote in light of my pessimistic predictions (I don't actually think any of these things will happen).
devilstrider
Mar 18, 10:10 PM
That happened to me just last week..
I was answering a call beside a guy at a bus stop who had an evo.. Out of no where he was like "Hey, you better hurry up before that call drops.."
So I just stared at him for a few seconds and said "Well atleast it wont be because my batteries dead"
I knew I got him, because he couldnt come up with anything better and just stared at me with depression as if to say "awwww hes right -_-".. :apple:
I have both of those phones but I like my EVO better. The big screen and flash puts it over the top for me. I still like my iPhone 4 but I get more done on my EVO.
I was answering a call beside a guy at a bus stop who had an evo.. Out of no where he was like "Hey, you better hurry up before that call drops.."
So I just stared at him for a few seconds and said "Well atleast it wont be because my batteries dead"
I knew I got him, because he couldnt come up with anything better and just stared at me with depression as if to say "awwww hes right -_-".. :apple:
I have both of those phones but I like my EVO better. The big screen and flash puts it over the top for me. I still like my iPhone 4 but I get more done on my EVO.
twoodcc
May 10, 06:06 AM
Now my Mac Pro is only getting normal wu's not bigadv units. It was interesting watching the MP and i7980x running side by side, I'll try to get a screenshot later when I get home, they were very close in time per frame at about 3 minutes... hope they get some more bigadv units out for us to run :rolleyes:
oh wow. i wonder if they are getting ready to do away with bigadv units?
well my home built rig crashed again just before i left last night. it just froze in windows. i got it back up before i left, but who knows if it's still going. by looking at my output, i don't think it is, but i'm not totally sure.
oh wow. i wonder if they are getting ready to do away with bigadv units?
well my home built rig crashed again just before i left last night. it just froze in windows. i got it back up before i left, but who knows if it's still going. by looking at my output, i don't think it is, but i'm not totally sure.
mars526
Apr 25, 03:07 PM
iPhone
iPhone 3G
iPhone 3GS
iPhone 4
iPhone 4S
iPhone 4G
iPhone 4GS
...
Design change every 2 years. Speed bump up next year after design change. Communication technology change every 4 years.
iPhone 3G
iPhone 3GS
iPhone 4
iPhone 4S
iPhone 4G
iPhone 4GS
...
Design change every 2 years. Speed bump up next year after design change. Communication technology change every 4 years.
obeygiant
Apr 15, 02:41 PM
People who have made history have just been people and gay or straight have never come into it. What does it matter? A stand alone class in college on "gay studies" I would have no problem with. The requirement in public schools to teach gay history is bit absurd.
Those who are gay and feel as if they've been wronged, I feel for them and effort to make it right, but the level of suffering by gay is nothing compared to what black people or women have endured over the centuries. It bothers me a little when gay suffrage is pitted against something like slavery. Just not the same, IMO.
Those who are gay and feel as if they've been wronged, I feel for them and effort to make it right, but the level of suffering by gay is nothing compared to what black people or women have endured over the centuries. It bothers me a little when gay suffrage is pitted against something like slavery. Just not the same, IMO.
Lord Blackadder
Aug 3, 11:20 AM
While that part is true that we would burn more fuel at power planets one advantage you are forgetting about is the power planets are by far much more efficient at producing power than the internal combustion engine on your car. On top of that it is much easier to capture and clean the pollution the power planet produces over what the cars produce. On top of that we can easily most our power over to other renewable choices.
I agree with you that series hybrids gain efficiency by running the internal combustion engine at a narrow RPM range representing the engine's most efficient speed. It's been done for over a hundred years that way in generators and a series hybrid drivetrain is set up exactly the same way as a generator.
Power plants are usually more efficent per unit of energy than autos, but right now they do not have the capacity to support a big switch to electrics. Also, the notion that power plants are cleaner than cars is debatable - many are, but many are not all that clean.
The critical point is, our power grid needs to become FAR more robust (more, bigger power plants) before we can make a large-scale switch to electrics - and it will only be worthwhile if the power grid becomes significantly more efficient. It can be done, but it will take a long, long time - and probably have to involve a significant new construction program of nuclear power plants.
I heard it that the reason why BMW stopped selling diesel cars in the US was that the engines failed, due to the very poor quality. In Europe, you can get quality fuel, but in the US, diesel is still the fuel of trucks, primarily.
Just one statistics: in continental Europe (not in the UK), new diesel cars have been outselling petrol ones for almost a decade, despite the premium.
The US began transitioning to ultra-low sulphur diesel in and by now the transition is nearly complete. The new fuel standard brings us in line with European diesel. Before the credit crunch recession hit, many car manufacturers were planning to bring Eurpoean-market diesel cars over here in slightly modified form, but those plans were scuppered in the recession. Subaru, for example, has delayed the introduction of their diesel by a year or two.
But I think diesels will start arriving here in the next couple years, and people will buy them in increasing numbers. The USA is 40 years behind in the adoption of diesel passenger cars.
You shouldn't have any impression about Subarus. They really have the traction of a train (AWD ones, of course - why would you buy anything else?!), but everything else is just midrange quality at best.
I've had a 1998 Impreza estate several years ago and it was OK. Recently, I've had a 2007 Legacy Outback from work. Nice glass on the top and good traction, but I have no intention of trading a BMW or Mercedes for it the next time. The interior is low quality and Subaru has no understanding of fuel efficiency, it seems. OK, it's a 2.5L engine, automatic and AWD, but still... 25 imperial mpg?!
It's not really fair to compare a Subaru to a BMW or Merc though, is it? Those German luxury cars are much more expensive and the AWD variants are even more expensive still. A 5-series with AWD will cost 70%-80% more than a roughly equivalent Legacy. They are very different carsm with totally different customers in mind.
I have a 2000 Forester currently. Mechanically they are well-made cars, they have a strong AWD system and I like the ride quality over rough roads, which they handle much better than the Audis I've driven.
Their biggest weaknesses are only average fuel economy (by US standards; I get about 28 mpg combined), and average interior quality, especially in the Impreza and Foresters, though I have seen the latest models and they are much better. The 2.5L four is really a great engine in a lot of ways, but it's just not quite fuel efficient enough, and in my car that problem is exacerbated by the short-ratio gearbox, which is crying for a 6th gear.
Hybrids actually have an equal to worse carbon footprint than regular gasoline engine cars due to the production and disposal process of the batteries. As such, they are not green at all. They are just another one of these ****** feel good deals for hippies with no brains an engineering knowledge.
I disagree. Real hippies don't work and thus can't afford fancy hybrids.
Of the commercially available cars, a well designed diesel, able to operate on biodiesel from waste oil for example has by far the best carbon footprint or an ethanol burner that can work on ethanol fermented from plant waste via cellulose digesting bacteria.
I would prefer if we could get to the point where we either have cars running on ethanol generated from cellulose or keratin digestion or natural gas buring engines.
Unfortunately fuel cells are not that great either because of the palladium used in the batteries that is pretty toxic in production as well.
Cheers,
Ahmed
The problem with biodiesel is that it's far too scarce to adopt widely. Sure, it's great that Joe Hippie can run his 1979 Mercedes 300D wagon on fast food grease, but once everyone starts looking into biodiesel Joe Hippie won't be getting free oil handouts anymore.
Also, biodiesel demand has already started competing with food production and I can tell you right away I'd rather eat than drive.
You're right about fuel cell carbon footprints - but that's the least of their worries now because they still cost a fortune to make and have short useful lives, making them totally unpractical to sell.
So far the biggest problem is not getting internal combustion engines to burn alternative fuels (we've found many alternative fuels) but to produce enough alternative fuel and distribute it widely enough to replace petroleum - without interrupting things like food production or power generation.
I agree with you that series hybrids gain efficiency by running the internal combustion engine at a narrow RPM range representing the engine's most efficient speed. It's been done for over a hundred years that way in generators and a series hybrid drivetrain is set up exactly the same way as a generator.
Power plants are usually more efficent per unit of energy than autos, but right now they do not have the capacity to support a big switch to electrics. Also, the notion that power plants are cleaner than cars is debatable - many are, but many are not all that clean.
The critical point is, our power grid needs to become FAR more robust (more, bigger power plants) before we can make a large-scale switch to electrics - and it will only be worthwhile if the power grid becomes significantly more efficient. It can be done, but it will take a long, long time - and probably have to involve a significant new construction program of nuclear power plants.
I heard it that the reason why BMW stopped selling diesel cars in the US was that the engines failed, due to the very poor quality. In Europe, you can get quality fuel, but in the US, diesel is still the fuel of trucks, primarily.
Just one statistics: in continental Europe (not in the UK), new diesel cars have been outselling petrol ones for almost a decade, despite the premium.
The US began transitioning to ultra-low sulphur diesel in and by now the transition is nearly complete. The new fuel standard brings us in line with European diesel. Before the credit crunch recession hit, many car manufacturers were planning to bring Eurpoean-market diesel cars over here in slightly modified form, but those plans were scuppered in the recession. Subaru, for example, has delayed the introduction of their diesel by a year or two.
But I think diesels will start arriving here in the next couple years, and people will buy them in increasing numbers. The USA is 40 years behind in the adoption of diesel passenger cars.
You shouldn't have any impression about Subarus. They really have the traction of a train (AWD ones, of course - why would you buy anything else?!), but everything else is just midrange quality at best.
I've had a 1998 Impreza estate several years ago and it was OK. Recently, I've had a 2007 Legacy Outback from work. Nice glass on the top and good traction, but I have no intention of trading a BMW or Mercedes for it the next time. The interior is low quality and Subaru has no understanding of fuel efficiency, it seems. OK, it's a 2.5L engine, automatic and AWD, but still... 25 imperial mpg?!
It's not really fair to compare a Subaru to a BMW or Merc though, is it? Those German luxury cars are much more expensive and the AWD variants are even more expensive still. A 5-series with AWD will cost 70%-80% more than a roughly equivalent Legacy. They are very different carsm with totally different customers in mind.
I have a 2000 Forester currently. Mechanically they are well-made cars, they have a strong AWD system and I like the ride quality over rough roads, which they handle much better than the Audis I've driven.
Their biggest weaknesses are only average fuel economy (by US standards; I get about 28 mpg combined), and average interior quality, especially in the Impreza and Foresters, though I have seen the latest models and they are much better. The 2.5L four is really a great engine in a lot of ways, but it's just not quite fuel efficient enough, and in my car that problem is exacerbated by the short-ratio gearbox, which is crying for a 6th gear.
Hybrids actually have an equal to worse carbon footprint than regular gasoline engine cars due to the production and disposal process of the batteries. As such, they are not green at all. They are just another one of these ****** feel good deals for hippies with no brains an engineering knowledge.
I disagree. Real hippies don't work and thus can't afford fancy hybrids.
Of the commercially available cars, a well designed diesel, able to operate on biodiesel from waste oil for example has by far the best carbon footprint or an ethanol burner that can work on ethanol fermented from plant waste via cellulose digesting bacteria.
I would prefer if we could get to the point where we either have cars running on ethanol generated from cellulose or keratin digestion or natural gas buring engines.
Unfortunately fuel cells are not that great either because of the palladium used in the batteries that is pretty toxic in production as well.
Cheers,
Ahmed
The problem with biodiesel is that it's far too scarce to adopt widely. Sure, it's great that Joe Hippie can run his 1979 Mercedes 300D wagon on fast food grease, but once everyone starts looking into biodiesel Joe Hippie won't be getting free oil handouts anymore.
Also, biodiesel demand has already started competing with food production and I can tell you right away I'd rather eat than drive.
You're right about fuel cell carbon footprints - but that's the least of their worries now because they still cost a fortune to make and have short useful lives, making them totally unpractical to sell.
So far the biggest problem is not getting internal combustion engines to burn alternative fuels (we've found many alternative fuels) but to produce enough alternative fuel and distribute it widely enough to replace petroleum - without interrupting things like food production or power generation.
Harpoon Spoon
Apr 25, 03:20 PM
Hmmmm.... It looks like an iPhone 4 with a paper screen glued / taped to the front of it to simulate a screen...
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