Magnetic Air Car Will Alleviate Fossil Fuel Crisis

It is technology to the rescue again, this time, a new breakthrough has been achieved for the fossil fuel crisis.

We know of green homes, clean energy, etc. but how about a car powered by compressed air? The company called Magnetic Air Cars Inc says it is working on a prototype car that will not use any gas, fuel, or external recharging device, only air to propel the vehicle. This so called Magnetic Air Car could be ready by 2010 “or sooner.”

The Magnetic Air Car uses three on-board substations to harness compressed air. The resulting airflow is channeled, modulated, and converted to torque that propels the car. There is a “Silicon Energy Storage Battery” which has 30% more mass power than normal lead acid battery.

The process of chemosynthesis delivers a more environmentally friendly, high-capacity, quick-charging (1 hour), 10-year-life battery.

Indian car company Tata Motors is working on its MDI air-powered car, and the team explained that there are differences between both technologies. While the MDI uses pistons, the Magnetic Air Car will be using a form of “magnetic technology.”

The execs also told us that they are looking to raise a bridge round of financing over the next few months before more substantial funding comes in.

McCain Claims Victory Before Debate Occurs

I hand it to John McCain for his political maneuvering. He sparked the on-off debate (which was finally on), and then, declaring victory before the debate has actually started.

Chris Cillizza at the WaPo campaign blog broke the news when he posted a screenshot of an online ad that slipped out early declaring McCain as the winner. This strategy was used in the Kerry ‘04 campaign and worked wonders.

The trick is to put the ads live right after the debate ends, when people are busy catching summary and analysis of the debate. Problem is, this McCain ad screwed up for being several hours early and fell into the laps of the Wall Street Journal.

There are parallels to be drawn with the “Kerry Won” online campaign in 2004. A study showed that people who saw the online ad – including Democrats, Republicans and Independents – were more likely to believe that Kerry won, by statistically significant margins.

McCain camp must have been impressed by that study – online ads placed strategically are really persuasive.

I guess, in war, anything goes and the end justifies the means.  McCain deserves a medal of honor for the first strike and deception. Not that he needs the online ad anyway because he surprised me with his steady delivery of issues on economy and foreign policy.

Obama was placed on the defensive even though he has a superior hand on the floundering economy and breath-taking bailout. But he appeared too polite whereas McCain was assertive and ruffled his opponent’s feathers several times with comments like “You don’t understand,” “Naive,” “inexperienced,” etc.

This is war and Obama has to wake up to the fact. It does not have to degenerate into mud-slinging on personal traits or character but strategic thinking is necessary.

John McCain started off the week by suspending his campaign and rushing back to Washington so he can work with Congress on solving the problem. He wants Obama to do the same which will mean putting off that pesky debate they were supposed to have on Friday.

The situation was apparently so critical that that McCain called up David Letterman personally to cancel his appearance on his show so he wouldn’t waste any time tackling the problem.

That achieved a few purposes. One: throw the opposition camp into disarray by catching them offguard. Second: his opponent underestimated him in the debate, a fatal mistake, when he is actually fully geared for it and has an online ad claiming victory to boot. Third: showboating that he is putting the nation’s interest first, especially when he chose not to appear on Letterman’s program.

I have a low opinion of McCain’s sleazy act by releasing such ads in advance but to be sure, McCain has gained a slight upperhand (even if he achieved even-stevens with Obama in the first round). The debates are just starting but from the look of it, there will be more twists and turns in the Presidential election. End result could be closer than what we think.

An Excellent Time To Pick Up The Broken Pieces

For some time now, weekends spell a period of trepidation for investors as the Pandora’s box is opened. Bizarre announcements of historical takeovers, bankruptcies and government interventions left investors grabbing for straws in a cesspool when trading resumed on Mondays. Read the full article here.

Investors Uncertain As Bailout Plan Stalled

Since Monday, the “Paulson Plan” has been thrust into intense debates at Senate hearings as Democrats and Republicans unite in their dislike of this mind-numbing $700 billion bailout of the nation’s
financial system.

I find such actions amusing, if not hypocritical. Read the full article here.

Is Dipity Another Plurk In The Making?

Are you using Dipity? One of my friend invited me to this social network. At a glance, there are some similarities with Plurk, especially its timeline concept but there are more features at Dipity.

You can use Dipity to create and share interactive timelines about any subject or topic. It allows students to embed You Tube videos, Twitter, RSS feeds, Blogger, flickr, Picasa, Last FM, and more right into their timelines.

Dipity makes timelines relevant and fun for students and best of all, you are creating timelines in “their language” of Digital Native. The timelines are cool, unlike traditional paper/pencil timeline!

Though I have yet to try it out, Dipity has the potential to be huge if enough people catch theh viral bug and start sharing interactive timelines about the people and things they care about.

At the moment, I am a bit overwhelmed. Plurk itself is a huge time drainer for me; when you chat, it can get addictive and there are important things like updating the blog which goes unattended.

Anybody has tried Dipity and can shed more insight here? Does this network has the potential to take off?

Emmy Award Winners 2008

Here are the Emmy Awards Winners of 2008. I am glad that one of my idol, Samantha Who, won the Best Supporting Actress in a comedy.

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy: Jeremy Piven, Entourage

Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy: Jean Smart, Samantha Who

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama: Zeljko Ivanek

Directing for a variety, music or comedy program: Louis J. Horvitz– 80th annual Academy Awards

Best supporting actress in a Drama: Diane Wiest, “In Treatment”

Best writing for a variety, music or comedy program: The Colbert Report

Best Comedy Writing: Tommy Smothers– Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour

Best lead actress in a miniseries or movie: Laura Linney,” John Adams”

Best Variety, Music or Comedy Series: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

Outstanding Guest Actor/Comedy Series: Tim Conway for “30 Rock”

Outstanding Guest Actress/Comedy Series: Kathryn Joosten for “Desperate Housewives”

Outstanding Director/Comedy Series: Barry Sonnenfield “Pushing Daises”

Outstanding Writer/Comedy Series: Tina Fey “30 Rock”

Outstanding ‘Made for Television’ Movie: Recount

Outstanding Supporting Actor/Mini-Series: Tom Wilkinson “John Adams”

Directing/Mini-Series, Movie or Dramatic Special: Jay Roach “Recount”

Writing/Mini-Series, Movie or Dramatic Special: Kirk Ellis “John Adams”

Supporting Actress/MiniSerires or Movie: Eileen Atkins “Cranford(Masterpiece)”

Outstanding Reality Show Competition: The Amazing Race

Oustanding Miniseries or Movie: “John Adams”

Individual Performance: Variety or Music Program: Don Rickles “Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project”

Guest Actor/Drama Series: Glynn Turman “In Treatment”

Guest Actress/Drama Series: Cynthia Nixon “Law and Order”

Outstanding Director/Drama Series: Greg Yaitanes “House”

Outstanding Writing/Drama Series: Matthew Weiner “Mad Men”

Outstanding Lead Actor/Miniseries or Movie: Paul Giamatti “John Adams”

Outstanding Lead Actor/Comedy Series: Alec Baldwin “30 Rock”

Outstanding Lead Actress/Drama Series: Glenn Close “Damages”

Outstanding Lead Actor Drama Series: Brian Cranston “Breaking Bad”

Outstanding Lead Actress/Comedy Series: Tina Fey “30 Rock”

Outstanding Reality TV Host: Jeff Probst “Survivor”

Outstanding Comedy Series: 30 Rock

Outstanding Drama Series: Mad Men

Stock Markets Bolstered By Bailouts

In the past week, we have venerable investment banks Lehman Brothers folding and Merrill Lynch merging with Bank of America, leaving Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley as the remaining bastions of independents on Wall Street. Read the full article here.

Sarah Palin’s Email Hacked

I can understand why a lot of people are obsessed with hot babe Sarah Palin and want to know everything about her. But this is carrying things too far…

The vindictive left has engaged in unprincipled attacks on the Republican Governor of Alaska with something dubbed as the “Bimbo Doctrine” and now she has her personal e-mail account hacked. You can view her e-mails, contact lists and family photos at Gawker .

The internet and radio are abuzz with this story which raises several ethical issues concerning privacy and also law infringement. We will leave these to the experts though.

How did hackers broke into Palin’s Yahoo! account? I certainly hope she did not write her password and paste it on her computer screen. If she is so callous about internet security, can we trust her with national security? Critical information falling into the wrong hands is no joking matter.

Anyway, let’s not think negatively. It is possible that the Yahoo service was tricked into revealing Palin’s password since her personal details like birthdate and ZIP code are widely known, Or a malicious software in the form of a forged e-mail may have extracted her password unknowingly.

There are questions about why Sarah Palin chose to use a Yahoo email to conduct semi-official business. Some critics pointed out that she may be emulating Karl Rove, who used an off-site e-mail address to confound investigations of his activities in the Bush administration.

On the personal front, this is terrible for Sarah Palin, her friends and family, but politically, she has scored points again. The tide swung in her favor after Obama used a derogative term “lipstick on a pig,” and many sympathy votes poured in for John McCain and Palin.

Conversely, Barack Obama’s campaign is on the decline after being billed as a sexist. Actually, right from the start, waging personal attacks on Palin was the wrong approach. Look at the petty comment:

“Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency.”

Isn’t this the pot calling the kettle black? Obama tried to distance himself from such remarks but the damage has been done.

Focusing on bread and butter issues like unemployment, subprime crisis, bank failures, economic slowdown, budget deficits, financial reforms, etc (all of which will hit the Republicans where it hurts), will serve Obama well, instead of strengthening the resolve of GOP voters and feminists to side with Palin by making sexist descriptions.

Nevertheless, I have to congratulate Palin for emerging stronger with each mini scandal, either true or fabricated. Palin’s popularity is growing and beating Obama at his own game. So the lesson is, regardless of good news or bad news, just embrace all the free publicity.

Will Wall Street Learn From Lehman Brothers Bankruptcy?

Already, a Lehman Brothers bankruptcy implies a fire sales of its assets (stock, bonds, property and mortgage securities), depressing prices and forcing more write-downs by other banks and investment banks. In the coming months, we can expect tsunamis to test the foundations of the financial sector again.

Why was Lehman, a 158-year old financial institution, which survived world wars, scandals, in-fighting, loss of its independence, finally shuttered? Read the full article here.

Stark Naked Fear In Stock Markets

On Monday, we had a fantastic stock market rally after the US Treasury engineered a takeover of troubled mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Regardless of it being the costliest bailout in US financial history, investors’ confidence were restored… for a while.

Suckers, er, investors rushed into the stock market again, picking up oversold stocks as they anticipated a sustained rally, like what happened in March this year, when the US government arranged the Bear Stearns bailout. Read the full article here.