Really?

"The real enemy of humanity is the man who tries to mold the human spirit so that it will not dare to spread its wings"

As long as humanity doesn't forget to exercise ethical conduct....

The Smart car, electric.

Smart's electric car might actually be... smart

The electric car Smart ED is possibly the best value yet among zero emission cars.

I'll be honest. I don't really like Smart cars. The tiny two-seaters from Mercedes-Benz have always seemed heavy on design but light on value. For the same price that you pay for a Smart ForTwo you could easily get a car with more cargo space, four seats and fuel economy that's just about as good. On top of that, with their tall bodies, tiny wheelbases and a weirdly uncooperative transmissions the Smart's no pleasure to drive.

But by combining the ForTwo with a new electric drive system, Mercedes has finally created a Smart car even I can love. Compared to other electric cars, the Smart ED is genuinely cheap and, by getting rid of that balky transmission and noisy three-cyinder engine, it's really cool to whiz around town in.

Those in China look on?

Surprise?

There were reports last week that Softbank was interested in making a major investment in Sprint. Well those rumors materialized today, as the Japanese carrier is said to have purchased a 70% stake in the company.

The deal isn’t exactly official yet, but the two parties are expected to make an announcement tomorrow morning. The purchase will give Softbank the controlling interest in the third largest carrier in the US…

BusinessInsider reports (via MacRumors):

“The purchase is a huge one for Softbank, which is essentially making a $20 billion gamble that it success in developing LTE wireless services in its home market of Japan can be translated to the U.S. Sprint, while the third largest wireless provider in the U.S., significantly trails the two market leaders, Verizon and AT&T.

Softbank’s hope, say people familiar with its strategy, is to build on Sprint’s spectrum position, while hoping the company can further consolidate the wireless industry through acquisitions of more spectrum and other operators. The deal is expected to close in roughly six months. ”

The deal is interesting for a couple of reasons. For one, it makes AT&T the only one out of the top 4 carriers in the US not controlled by a foreign entity (Verizon-Vodafone, T-Mobile-Deutsche Telekom). And two, it will allow Sprint to purchase the half of Clearwire (wireless broadband company) that it doesn’t already own.

Sprint, for its part, has had a rough couple of years. But between its new iPhone partnership, expanding LTE network, and now this huge Softbank investment, the carrier could certainly turn things around.

What do you think, is this a smart move by both companies?

History

@BaumgartnFelix: Here's my last tweet for a while. Who knows, maybe my last tweet ever

@BaumgartnFelix: "On the step, I felt that the whole world is watching. I said I wish they would see what I see. It was amazing." - Felix Baumgartn

“We want to live by each others’ happiness, not by each other’s misery.” A Charlie Chaplin

Endeavour follows the slow path home.

DON BARTLETTI, LOS ANGELES TIMES

Endeavour squeezes past homes on Crenshaw Drive, the narrowest street on the shuttle's trip.

BY KATE MATHER,
Louis Sahagun and Mike Anton
October 14, 2012

The shuttle Endeavour dodged plenty of space junk zipping around Earth.

The question Saturday, though, was would its wing avoid an apartment building on narrow Crenshaw Drive? Could it gingerly pivot around tall pines planted in honor of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.? Would the streets of Inglewood and Los Angeles buckle under the weight of the 170,000-pound orbiter and its massive transport vehicle?

After months of meticulous planning, those were among the myriad challenges confronting hundreds of workers who escorted Endeavour on the last leg of its 12-mile journey to the California Science Center, where it will be displayed.

PHOTOS: Endeavour rolls through the streets of L.A.

Planners appeared to get the engineering right but not the timing. What began as a head start in the morning turned into an ever-increasing delay by night. As crowds waited along the route, officials said the shuttle would be several hours late to its destination, probably arriving sometime Sunday morning.

Endeavour's 26th and final mission came down to sweating the details. Engineers had mapped its route and possible obstructions down to the millimeter. Crews swarmed around the spacecraft like a court of handmaidens Saturday, taking down streetlights and signs, removing power lines and trimming trees.

"We've been planning for this day for six months," said Southern California Edison worker Michael Fuller. "But a plan is what you do to help you sleep at night. What counts is what we do on the fly during the big event."

After being towed by a pickup truck across a bridge spanning the 405 Freeway late Friday night, the shuttle's epic last commute resumed shortly after 6 a.m. Saturday.

Inching along at a top speed of 2 mph, the five-story-tall Endeavour dwarfed everything in its path, its black nose announcing itself like a curious puppy moving through a miniature diorama.

Thousands of cheering onlookers packed sidewalks, parking lots and rooftops along the spacecraft's route.

Endeavour made a two-hour stop at the Forum in Inglewood, arriving early to the delight of crowds and politicians who crowed about Southern California landing what they called a national treasure.

"Endeavour was born here," state Sen. Roderick Wright (D-Inglewood) said. "This morning ... we have the opportunity to say, 'Welcome home.'"

The rest of the day was a game of inches as Endeavour wriggled, pitched and scooted its way across town.

"All the stuff we move is big, heavy stuff," said Steve Mitchell, one of a team of drivers who piloted the computerized 160-wheel transporter that carried Endeavour. "But nothing that means as much as this. It's just so special."

After leaving the Forum, the shuttle headed east on Manchester Boulevard but soon came up against an obstacle it wasn't built to deal with.

A tree branch.

The transporter stopped. With the flick of a joystick, its driver turned the huge dolly's wheels sideways and slowly scooted it over. Within a minute, Endeavour was rolling again.

Up ahead, Rand Brooks had been working since midnight to further widen one of Endeavour's tightest fits — a curving stretch of Crenshaw Drive where the orbiter's 78-foot wingspan crossed over lawns and driveways and came within a hair's breadth of several buildings.

Crews had placed 400 tons of compacted material on the street to keep the shuttle level with the islands at the intersection with Crenshaw Boulevard and give it more room.

"It's pretty exciting," Brooks said, grateful to be involved. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

As the shuttle approached the turn from Manchester onto Crenshaw Drive, police ushered the crowd back.

"The shuttle cannot make the turn," an officer said via loudspeaker.

As Endeavour successfully made the turn, a cheer went up.

"Aw, man — that was a beautiful hard left!" exclaimed Ajamu Tyehimba, 59, of Inglewood.

Next up: a Chinese elm tree at 84th Place and Crenshaw. Because of a curve in the road, Endeavour's left wing couldn't clear it.

The driver inched the transporter back and forth. The rear wheels shimmied over driveways. Nearby, workers trimmed low-hanging branches from another tree.

"It was awesome," said Shifon Berumen, a Whittier schoolteacher who witnessed the spectacle. "As Americans, we can accomplish great things like build a shuttle. But we're also sensitive enough to care about a tree."

After a 20-minute delay, Endeavour was rolling again.

"Back all the way up," a police megaphone blared to those in the way, "or you're going to get hit by the wingtip."

At 84th and Crenshaw, Ron Liston, 42, stood on his second-story balcony with his nieces and nephews — eye level to the shuttle when it passed.

"Awe-inspiring," he said.

Shavonne Moss, 33, was kicking back on a lawn chair in the remaining shade of a tree that had been trimmed.

"A spaceship on Crenshaw Boulevard is unheard of," she said. "It proves that anything is possible."

As Endeavour's wing hovered over him, 4-year-old Carter Robinson said he had never seen anything so big. It had to weigh 550 pounds, he estimated.

"He wanted to get on it and drive it, but they won't let us do that," said his mother, Evelyn Robinson, 30, of Los Angeles. "I hope he remembers this."

For the public, it was a parade unlike any other. For the hundreds of workers moving the delicate Endeavour, it was a day of frayed nerves.

When responsibility for securing utilities moved from Edison to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Aaron Pearson, a supervisor for Edison, could finally relax after five months of planning.

"Oh, man!" he half screamed and laughed, moments after the shuttle was out of his domain.

"I don't even have a grip on it yet," Pearson said of the experience. "I just can't wait to go see it at the museum."

As Endeavour headed north on Crenshaw Boulevard, the crowds grew into the thousands. People ran into the street and snapped pictures of the approaching monolith before police shooed them away.

About two dozen people climbed onto the rooftop of AC Japan Transmission, an auto repair shop.

"Can I go up there?" asked George Beavers, who wore a straw hat and carried a camera.

"Sure, go ahead," a man in greasy blue coveralls said with a shrug and a smile.

A rickety ladder leaning on the side of the building took the man almost to the top. Two burly mechanics hoisted him the rest of the way.

"Thanks," said Beavers, 77, of Palmdale. "I came a long way for this."

For many, it was a long wait. Endeavour ran hours behind schedule, going slower than expected to maneuver around buildings, trees and utility poles.

But the delays didn't put a damper on the crowds' spirits.

When the shuttle arrived at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza six hours late, well past sunset, everyone cheered.

kate.mather@latimes.com

louis.sahagun@latimes.com

mike.anton@latimes.com

Times staff writers Andrew Khouri, Angel Jennings, Joseph Serna, Marisa Gerber, Adolfo Flores, Kenneth R. Weiss, Wesley Lowery, Frank Shyong, Matt Stevens, Laura Nelson and Rong-Gong Lin II contributed to this report.

Apple gossip...

New iMac to be Thinner With Droplet Design, Leaked Internals Photo?

Posted 7 minutes ago

Apple will reportedly update the iMac this year making it thinner and giving it more of a water droplet design, according to a WeiPhone thread relayed by MacRumors.

The redesigned iMac is said to be considerably thinner than the current form factor, with the machine's thickness almost impossible to gauge when viewed from the side. The curved rear shell is also said to appear more like a water droplet than the squared-off design seen in the current model. The report also claims that the new iMac's screen is glued to the front glass of the machine, in line with previous rumors stating that Apple is moving to fully laminate the two components together for improved display quality.

Also in line with previous rumors, the report suggests that Apple may first update the 21.5-inch model with the new design, which is said to maintain the existing "chin" below the display even as the body is tweaked with a thinner profile. The updated 27-inch model could then follow somewhat later, as has been suggested due to the challenges of laminating the larger display and glass with acceptable yields. The new iMacs are also said to be more expensive than the current models, but it is unclear how significant any pricing changes would be.

The report also says that Apple will indeed release a 13-inch Retina Display MacBook Pro which is already being assembled in Mexico and other locations with Chinese production scheduled for later this month. It's said to carry the code name of D1 which matches with the D2 code name for the 15-inch Retina Display MacBook Pro.

Making apps? Here's some interesting stats...

June 2012
Developer Economics 2012



Welcome to Developer Economics 2012, the third in the report series that set the standard for developer research. This report focuses on five main areas: The redefinition of mobile ecosystems, Developer segmentation, Revenues vs. costs in the mobile economy, App marketing and distribution and Regional supply vs. demand of apps.

This report is freely available for download thanks to the sponsorship by BlueVia, the new global developer platform from Telefonica that helps developers take apps, web services, and ideas to market.



Our research is based on an online survey of 1,500+ developers from across the globe, as well as 20 qualitative interviews. Our sample was global, including developers not just from North America, Europe and Asia, but also from Africa, Oceania and Latin America.

Here are some of the many insights from the report:

- The average per-app revenue is in the range of $1,200-$3,900 per month, depending on platform
- Irrespective of which platform they primarily use, the majority of developers (57%) plan to adopt Windows Phone
- Tablets are now a mainstream screen for developers: more than 50% of developers are now targeting tablets, with iOS developers most likely (74%) to do so
- North America tops app demand with 41% of developers indicating this is a top-3 download region, irrespective of their region of origin