granaworld.com

Tens of thousands of people living within the danger zone of Mayon Volcano in the Philippines were forced to evacuate to emergency shelters in mid-December 2009 as small earthquakes, incandescent lava at the summit and minor ash falls suggested a major eruption was on the way. On the evening of Dec. 14, the local volcano observatory raised the alert level to Level 3, which means "magma is close to the crater and hazardous explosive eruption is imminent." This natural-color image of Mayon was captured on Dec. 15, 2009, by the Advanced Land Imager on NASA's Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite. A small plume of ash and steam is blowing west from the summit. Dark-colored lava or debris flows from previous eruptions streak the flanks of the mountain. A ravine on the southeast slope is occupied by a particularly prominent lava or debris flow. The Phillipine Star said on Dec. 22 that "ashfall blanketed at least three towns in Albay, raising new health fears for thousands already bracing for an eruption that could come at any time ... Health officials warned the tiny particles could cause respiratory problems or skin diseases, and could affect the thousands of people crammed into evacuation centers. Also on Dec. 22, CNN reported that "tens of thousands of people have already fled their homes. More than 9,000 families -- a total of 44,394 people -- are being housed in evacuation camps after authorities raised the alert status of the country's most active volcano" as "fountains of red-hot lava shot up from the intensifying Mayon volcano." Image Credit: NASA/Jesse Allen(author unknown)1358798584720948852010819235720273800255086012294057711260301266176639292130831510588906866699998818

Filed under: Internet, Security

In the shocking, yet not really unexpected, results of an investigative study by Sophos, 41% of Facebook users blindly accept friend requests from unknown contacts.

The probe by Sophos also looks into what data we make readily available. Scarily, almost all of us display our full date of birth and email addresses -- two pieces of information which make identity theft incredibly easy, especially when combined with a full name. Sophos go on to note that a decade ago it would take a private eye or con artist weeks or months to garner the same information. We're living in dangerous times!

Also of note, and a little worrying: despite the 'push' for increased security across social networks, the results of this year's probe (focusing on Australian users) were even worse than the same test in 2007 on British citizens.

The results of this study come at an opportune time: Facebook has just formed a safety advisory board to analyze its protocols and suggest new best-practices for their burgeoning user base. Facebook and other social networks are realising that it is important for both ourselves, and the younger generations, to keep our personal and identifiable data on a tight leash.

[via CNET]

Over 40 percent of Facebook users invite identity theft by blindly accepting friend requests originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 08:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Facebook - Download Squad - Social network - Identity theft - SophosSebastian Anthony023320319605877948821422121968077431412315213357477338739738066902451337872675400484133547632613385702521387969137911343169700016948048204541367883799792758541611304409087671348440059891694126537378970311656624536127294805552887613299151349102194566656171165960432684901256702523000598446474407762404168433999673481013031764521071936304142206792357375051008813126511417092643212531086285744084020914902774996964464894865

Meet Sandy Sanderson from New Zealand. Needing something to keep himself occupied after breaking his wrist in a motorcycle accident, he started building amazing model cars from discarded aluminum cans. His incredibly intricate work below.

Sandy's something of a renaissance man; draftsman, guitar player, teacher, motorcyclist, instrument maker and model builder. When he was in a motorcycle accident which shattered his wrist and put him out of action for a while, he needed something to do. While finishing a canned beverage he thought of model airplanes he'd seen made from cans and thought why not make cars out of the same material? And thus was born the CanCar. The "Coriba Climax" below is his first effort and while impressive in its own right you see the cars keep getting more and more technically detailed with each successive build. Very cool hobby Mr. Sanderson, and talk about a unique (though somewhat spendy) Christmas present opportunity.

Coriba Climax

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The Hot Rod

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The Buggy

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The Guinness

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The Roadster

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The Guinness 2

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The Jeep

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The Mini Moke

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The Heineken

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How They're Made

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(Hat tip to Jan!)

[CanCars]

Ben Wojdyla0026938524589691280906618789095057307504

Spits, snorts, rumbles, and whomps: Who says all new cars are boring? Here are five production motors that are definitely Jalopnik-approved.

This is for those of you who think that modern machinery is dull, that there isn't anything out there worth pawning a kidney for. We're talking series-production stuff here; microscopic manufacturers need not apply. Hang onto your valuables and leave all sharp objects at the door. These engines is nuts.

Mercedes-Benz AMG 6.2-liter V-8 (C63 only)

What: 6.2-liter, DOHC, 32-valve V-8. Aluminum block, aluminum heads. 451 hp @ 6800 rpm; 443 lb-ft @ 5000 rpm.

Why: Because it crackles and snorts at idle. Because it will actually pop and spit on overrun if you toe in a little bit of throttle. Because it sounds like a cross between the pits at Englishtown and a DTM car that wants to break your face. Stuttgart sticks this engine in almost everything it builds, but it's somehow louder, angrier, and coarser in the C63 than it is anywhere else. A diabolical V-8 built by crack-smoking German engineers with a fetish for good hamburgers and the music of Glenn Danzig.

Thing You Will Do The First Time You Floor It: Wonder how much more awesome Talladega would be with a touch of balls-out blitzkrieg.

Photo Credit: The Car Spy / Flickr

Cadillac 6.2-liter "LSA" V-8 (CTS-V)

What: 6.2-liter, 16-valve V-8. Iron block, aluminum heads. 556 hp @ 6100 rpm; 551 lb-ft @ 3800 rpm.

Why: It's big, it's has pushrods and a supercharger, and it's in a Cadillac. (A Cadillac, people.) It pulls until Christmas and doesn't seem to care that it's hauling around four doors and a dairy farm's worth of leather. As a factory-backed, 100,000-mile-durable proposition, the LSA is nuts. Between a CTS's front fenders, it's undiluted madness.

(Those things on the left? Those are the blower rotors. They're art. When was the last time anything in a Cadillac's engine bay qualified as art?)

Thing You Will Do The First Time You Floor It: Throw away any and all doubt you have about the talent of Detroit's engineers. Look up the word "whompy" in the dictionary. Giggle.

Porsche 3.8-liter H-6 (911 GT3 only)

What: 3.8-liter, DOHC, 24-valve flat six. Aluminum crankcase, cylinder jugs, and heads. 435 hp @ 7600 rpm; 317 lb-ft at 6250 rpm.

Why: The movie Le Mans, that's why. Or maybe the titanium connecting rods, the seven oil pumps, and the fact that it sounds exactly like a 2.7-liter Carrera RS sounds in your head. (Hint: It's hollow and made almost entirely of love.) This is the heritage freak-out, the motorsport-focused mill that revs to the moon and produces all of its power at the north end of the tach. Words don't do it justice, except to say that there is no earthly reason why a modern engine should sound this wonderful, be this single-minded, and be available to ordinary men.

See that jumbled mass of plumbing over there? We used that snoozy picture for a reason: Like most modern Porsche powerplants, the GT3's six looks like little more than a horny water heater. Never judge a book by its cover.

Thing You Will Do The First Time You Floor It: Instantly conclude that your entire life has been a complete waste of time. (Did you design this thing? I don't think so. Go twiddle your thumbs, Bunkenheimer.) Deutschland über your mother.

Ferrari 4.3-liter V-8 (F430 Scuderia/Scuderia Spider 16M)

What: 4.3-liter, DOHC, 32-valve V-8. Aluminum block and heads. 503 hp @ 8500 rpm; 347 @ 5250 rpm.

Why: It's a Ferrari V-8. More specifically, it's an F430's flat-crank V-8 with higher compression and higher output. It's busy, it's nervous, and in Scuderia/16M tune — especially in the roofless 16M, where the yowl is loud enough to liquefy your eyeballs — it wants to crack your skull open and dry-hump your gray matter.

Remember that noise from Animal Planet, the one that cheetahs make when they're about to leap into a pack of running gazelles? Speed that up, bump up the pitch, and play it through a speaker the size of the Chrysler Building. Nothing built by human hands should sound this unhinged.

Thing You Will Do The First Time You Floor It: Get pregnant. Even — wait, no, especially — if you're not a woman. (You're essentially driving undiluted sex. What did you expect?)

Anything They Put In The Ariel Atom

What: Depending on where and when you bought it, anything from a Honda K20A four-cylinder to a 3.0-liter, 500-hp V-8.

Why: The engine's main air intake is literally five inches behind your ear. When you stab the throttle in an Atom, your brain gets sucked down that duct and spit into next Tuesday. If you're wearing a helmet, you'll probably be OK; if not, you'll wake up naked and carless in the Falklands wondering why your tongue hurts. (Lesson? Whatever you do, don't screw with the Brits.)

Thing You Will Do The First Time You Floor It: Go deaf. Whirring, whistling, sucking, screaming, agony-of-Armageddon deaf. Loud doesn't even begin to describe it.

RUNNER-UP: Lexus 4.8-liter V-10 (LFA)

What: 4.8-liter, DOHC, 40-valve V-10. Aluminum block and heads. 553 hp @ 8700 rpm; 354 lb-ft @ 6800 rpm.

Why: Lexus is trying to reinvent itself, and nothing screams reinvent like a supercar with a weight-obsessed design team and a set of hydraulic shift paddles. This from the company that gave the world the Camry Hybrid. Anything that goes under the LFA's hood is crazy on principle, much less a V-10.

Thing You Will Do The First Time You Floor It: We're not quite sure, largely because Wes is the only one who's driven it. He communicates in a language all his own. (Much like the Burger King chicken fry, Siler is a mystery to modern science. Also, he wears tight pants. You can't trust anybody in tight pants.)

Sam Smith1247915111282766948800269385245896912809003921777475220957500792578610106572371306618789095057307504

Since 2006, NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has been orbiting Mars, currently circling approximately 300 km (187 mi) above the Martian surface. On board the MRO is HiRISE, the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera, which has been photographing the planet for several years now at resolutions as fine as mere inches per pixel. Collected here is a group of images from HiRISE over the past few years, in either false color or grayscale, showing intricate details of landscapes both familiar and alien, from the surface of our neighboring planet, Mars. I invite you to take your time looking through these, imagining the settings - very cold, dry and distant, yet real. (35 photos total)
Intersecting swirling trails left by the earlier passage of dust devils across sand dunes, as they lifted lighter reddish-pink dust and exposed the darker material below. Also visible are darker slope streaks along dune edges, formed by a process which is still under investigation. More, or see location on Google Mars. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)


(author unknown)16461426008501303796015996130028332484360817814141929650818400456328757495308250005635403653263076461347783995192345151713360419816681564030163455437359032990310942975367637529638114249310690576366736005616807535701508780505085056619789112401336010515763299089026184014486404545870555518607232858445211669229194443095746141971386166058726130853136508862132823605540450001301599868055639247900283631410935697777760985949509318196097356371762065746563917920438631744871266198272489017152272935844587165170114073581404390700243593172464613669100799338323913275200049780061768551354041254023001245839392102292405045039718744152090301875146850000744714299597650533207565593630677412080153351666676160292220914331589953374436308072332135218831436052981631161365999390660160294211660288615944988127335398900069412432183832489270810493607247683568012453516974710401454144743593451352369861210639886242525192615417947548844622119097077146666456346240946988391971234348609970696534120835552142212196807743141231477799938232438850212401493372001518039093691086841027405891243232444868955074013102915883582972106136969832306285204150314755806946424930118078788385534166172000657266787543447760615750198106986196301367643386172821474162594681791905104741503656815483825346501629506552185597015052596021874702200420530460377244018045002606231556806145842143166105402939321561566999998546821649218266854430266925892021004654387254751151697160632863808737818174817335455855126061815697275532151361349593476861429269700623233618112133787034762671626579056560153489277028333628617607230037325299705106842313658599342971688985767501630997403836803951260465676060690851459393222671758799483052984290008275112283590886410046311032555808964040772128444087278748404146907284136205707085573360274231056661279836139283001997903561877196075305358079115409606007762200367341663310142347305646055162636054374109545972958908491091118398704288563869105223563131868252196080628035925455465920858586555937238401113244612908794037523

I don't think I've ever seen as unique a Lego creation as this "eco punk" mobile town, created by Dave DeGobbi. (Click for a bigger pic!)

Crawler town roams the barren wastes of a post steam-punk world after cataclysmic climate change do to excessive coal use. Several such cities exist but Crawler town is the most popular due to the Aero 500 hydrogen fuel cell Air races that are held. Many people travel the wastes to Crawler town for vacation and to enjoy rare luxuries like Pizza, fresh vegetables and Beer. Travelling the wastes in search of minerals and aquifers ( vital for survival) the mobility of the city keeps it away from the vicious sand storms of the wastes.

Also check out Dave's Goliath airship creation. [via the ever-awesome Brothers Brick]

Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in LEGO | Digg this!John Baichtal09578081547043999949137043648043578306691677037149920229848109356977777609859495135879858472094885200209340006063046392405854973051161952108174377027368974422620382331897156080514405579068472809811260150806380184973628740006572667875434477604770534290627279828090845978342234042601543729826386063217214827526861598900120178505802689654804871169237066692104990016899875024902454071177769153265149335530060741460512406033412059192489018111913154109441405415241281083400849412403562411516154383342636783039916733496335474261481051205155954013810045027373140262936079373330436077639480495015469815610995209445183324881870763016499727350088057960280913282033680875806557691031270743783071679455034568969941777566638604439248818068269263319441300144054066716215544901549212940773832962310748777977286053445011514120206895688930451471406645224376005752042346081341587152585493233361460541394994511515084837212998761383703278416003168295234177484211674217723237591938917196555039424351466047694533282191064641177928356186393613704571612455823401384001703538846530523310311531960016299534500911604760945120664155040419837487788840090950211211944514501261178369797433036182580710090558526241626197471559797568712128080852281383372178673229476021595231137988235459747071217646331607086711302148809063408765295460267717888809898075301106386006120010002089606891614636196381498425108929402312205546031613375286774145000359389262010241711228718490676116401686486639934669301080666962393040105980034440203234544577312438335480302921352164482514210557367841684188629552136669215375610611058854141120823299347883778140934233229281401828000429789379138161480094561516825901217361096131665487934012205167377801016113786101150395541910181071217777044715711635115998339607546856927183154234941833944820332581445960173746902771719348831985943134165399687699690551475715400794356250916274948034199257450001731777366840101261154646820163926256606330302596241415535087493688366870677911119154366462617510407317556958090242811

Filed under: Classics, Convertible, Performance, Europe, BMW

BMW E34 M5 Convertible - Click above image for high-res gallery
Amongst M Division cognoscenti there rages an eternal debate concerning what's the best ever BMW M car. To the casual Bavarian-enthusiast the answer is quite simple: E39 M5. However, strong cases can be made for both the E30 M3 and the OG E28 M5, which featured the M1's race-bred 3.5-liter straight-six. In fact, there's a whole subculture of folks that feel a car's not really a BMW (let alone an M) without an inline-six. With that said, the E34 M5 is a pretty compelling candidate for best ever M car, as is the M1. Oddly, no one ever advocates in favor of the E60 M5. Moving on...

Think about it now -- the E34 M5 is the last of the totally hand built M cars. Sometimes one worker made an entire car, though usually the cars were built by specific teams. In fact, BMW test engineers could tell which person (or people) had built each individual car. That's pretty nifty. Only thing is, all those doors. And that roof! Who needs it? Sadly, it was only with the introduction of the E63 M6 that the big M cars got back to just two doors and a drop top. Or was it?

Turns out that back in the late '80s BMW built a convertible E34 M5 and they've kept it under lock and key for the past 20 years until showing it to a select group of journalists during a 25 years of M5 celebration. Based of the E34 chassis, the convertible version featured lengthened doors and was actually all set to go into production.

But then, just one week before its introduction at Geneva (they'd booked space for the car and everything), BMW pulled the plug and canceled the M5 convertible, fearing demand for non-M5 convertibles would cut into the highly profitable 3 Series convertible sales. Too bad, as this thing looks sweet. Also, if BMW pulls the long-rumored-though-(maybe)-never-built M8 out from some dark corner of the storage bin, well, we'll be pretty upset. Yet thrilled at the same time.

Gallery: BMW E34 M5 Convertible

[Source: Autocar]

REPORT: BMW builds E34 M5 Convertible, keeps it secret for 20 long years originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jonny Lieberman138471947868930352420414699853000055846508531422716335247950