MotoGP: Casey Stoner throws out his back while stretching at Sepang Test?

Brand new 1000cc Honda HRC RC213V Motorcycle, Transport the entire Honda HRC team to Sepang, Malaysia, Reigning MotoGP World Champion throws his back out before getting on the motorcycle……Priceless.

OK..OK.  So I couldn’t resist.  But at the same time the amount of money that Honda just spent for Casey to throw his back out is a huge setback for the manufacture.  With a brand new motorcycle in tow it is very important to get as much feedback as possible before the first race.

Stoner was warming up and getting ready for the first practice session when disaster struck.  A reoccurring back issue has reared its ugly head moments before Casey throwing a leg over his 2012 Honda.

“I was stretching this morning for a good 20 minutes preparing to go out on track for the first time and then all of a sudden my back just locked up on me, I couldn’t move or do anything,” said the Australian.

“I had to call someone to come and help me move into a position that was less painful. Then I had some physio on it straight away trying to get it better for this afternoon but it wasn’t feeling good.

“I had some more physio after lunch but it still wasn’t easing up. I felt I could have gone out on the bike in the afternoon but we all agreed it would probably make it worse for tomorrow,” he added.

“We have two more days testing here in Sepang, we know the track well and we are getting to know the bike, we just need some time to test the new parts we have here to give feedback to HRC.

“I think tomorrow the track conditions will be better and as long as my back improves overnight we should get back on schedule with our testing programme tomorrow.”

Dani Pedrosa was able to test posting the second fastest time of the opening day behind Jorge Lorenzo on the Yamaha YZR-M1.  It is expected that Casey Stoner will be “Back” ready for action for day 2 of the test.

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Mopar gives the 2012 Fiat 500 an American Tune with "Stinger" Package

TUESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2012 |

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The second Mopar tuned model on its way to the2012 Chicago Auto Show, which takes place during the second week of February, is the 2012 Fiat 500 Stinger. Mopar's American take on the Italian city car integrates two stage kits along with a special Giallo (yellow) exterior paint.The first package begins with black racing decals on the Fiat 500's profile and roof graphics in black checker followed by a set of larger 17-inch Abarth Hyper Black alloy wheels with wider 205/40 R17 performance tires, tinted lights and a new exhaust tailpipe.
For the interior, Mopar continued the yellow and black color theme with the seats featured with Alcantara centers and black leather bolsters with yellow accent stitching. The look is complimented by a Mopar carbon-fiber instrument panel decal and a new gloss black shifter ball.
On the performance front, the second stage kit adds a cold-air intake and free-flowing cat-back exhaust along with performance brakes featuring cross-drilled rotors.
Mopar said that all parts will be available for sale in the States this fall.

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2013 Dodge Dart GTS 210 Tribute with a Two Stage Kit by Mopar

TUESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2012 |

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On the occasion of its 75th anniversary, the Chrysler Group's parts and service arm Mopar will be displaying four specially crafted models at next month's 2012 Chicago Auto Show including the Dodge Dart "GTS 210 Tribute".
Once it goes on sale later this year, Mopar plans to offer more 150 accessories and parts for thenew Dart sedan, improving both its looks and performance.
The "GTS 210 Tribute" comes fitted with two packages. The first stage is all about aesthetics adding a ground effects kit with matte-black trim pieces such as a lower chin spoiler, side sills, rear spoiler and rear-diffuser panel.
A lightweight carbon-fiber hood with a prominent air scoop and 18-inch, 10-spoke forged alloy titanium-colored wheels complete the exterior modifications.
Moving on to the interior, the package refines the cabin with Ruby Red Katzkin leather seat fronts, door panels, center armrest and map-pocket inserts, along with black accent stitching. There's also Piano Black trim on the dashboard, a black suede instrument cluster brow with red accent stitching and black leather-wrapped steering wheel with red accent stitching.
The second stage kits concentrates on the Dart's performance lightly boosting the base engine's output from 184-horsepower to 210-ponies.

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McLaren MP4-12C Sports Car Rendered as a Spider

MONDAY, JANUARY 30, 2012 |

http://www.timhang24h.com

Just last week, we told you about McLaren and its plans to enhance the range of its new MP4-12C sports car with an open top version that may be named MP4-12S (for Spider).Using the info that has been circulating around the net, Teamspeed and artist Wildspeed came up with a handful of renderings to give us a visual of what the McLaren MP4-12C Spider may look like when it comes out of its shell (or so to speak), within the next year.
As suggested by the artist, the Spider is believed to feature a three-piece roof made of aluminum and plastic that fold into a compartment between the passenger area and the engine, while the car will keep the coupes B-columns / buttresses for safety reasons.
The open-top MP4-12C is also believed to feature a clear cover at the back providing an unobstructed view of the engine, which will be the same 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 lump as the coupe.
Photo Credits: WildSpeed via TeamSpeed

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DEUS YAMAHA SCORPIO

In Sydney’s congested traffic, scooters and smaller motorcycles reign supreme. It’s good news for younger (or learner) riders but there’s a downside: most small-capacity motorcycles are somewhat lacking in the looks department. Unless you choose a road-legal dirt bike, you’re stuck with bland “commuter bike” styling or a badly miniaturized sportbike clone with skinny wheels and acres of plastic.
The latest motorcycle to roll out of Deus Ex Machina’s workshop tackles the problem head on. Nicknamed “The Mouse Trap”, it’s based on a 2008 Yamaha Scorpio—a sprightly commuter bike with good handling and terrible looks.

Deus tore the Scorpio down to its core components and cleaned up and de-lugged the chassis. They welded on a new subframe, and then powdercoated the whole lot, along with the swingarm and forks. The engine and transmission were painted satin black, and a custom battery box fabricated—along with new front and rear fenders. The tank is a custom item too, set well back from the Japanese Nitroheads seat. The usual Scorpio alloy wheels have been ditched in favor of laced rims.

The stock Scorpio weighs just 139 kg (306 lbs), and this one, stripped of its bodywork, will be lighter still. The motor likes to rev, so its internals have been left alone—but it’s been treated to a K&N pod filter and a custom exhaust system. A single header pipe branches out into twin Laser reverse cone mufflers.
For a rider wanting to cut through the city traffic with an off-kilter style—and with no hangups over engine size—the Mouse Trap is the perfect bike. Head over to Deus’ Australian website for more images and inspiration.

Read more: http://www.bikeexif.com/deus-ex-machina#ixzz1l3KDt5xH
http://www.timhang24h.com

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Photographer In Focus: Peter Hapak

JAN

31

Peter Hapak, 1973, Hungary, is a versatile photographer based in the US. He works for commercial and editorial clients, but his main focus lies on portraiture and the human body. For Time Magazine he has created impressive series, of which the latest is called The Protester. Time had named the Protester as person of the year 2011 and commisioned Hapak to travel to seven different countries to portray the protesters. In countries as Egypt, Spain, Greece and Tunesia he set up a makeshift studio in hotel rooms, anarchist headquarters and even in a temple in India. Peter also asked the portrayed to bring mementos of protest. Amongst the objects brought were Iphones, rubber pellets and Maalox, a substance used to counter the effects of tear gas. Another story he focused on were the Chilean miners that were trapped in 2010 which resulted in a strong series of black and white portraits. Peter has photographed a vast amount of celebrities as Robin Williams, Bono and Colin Firth. The following images come from the series The Protester, The Art of War: Honoring the Fallen for a Lifetime and Finding the Chilean Miners.

Via 500 photographers

Check out his website www.phapak.net & lightbox.time.com

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Sony Releases New Cybershot Cameras: DSC-WX50, WX70 and TX200V

JAN

30

We like the idea of Sony Cybershot cameras that are GPS enabled. The Sony Cybershot TX200V is a GPS-equipped card-style touch-screen camera with Sony’s latest 18MP back-lit CMOS sensor.

Sony has announced three CMOS-based compact cameras – the Cyber-Shots DSC-TX200V, DSC-WX50 and DSC-WX70. The TX200V is a GPS-equipped card-style touch-screen camera with Sony’s latest 18MP back-lit CMOS sensor. It also includes the company’s fast AF system that aims to reduce focus times down as low as 0.1 sec and 0.2 sec in low light. It can also grab 13.5MP stills while shooting 1080p60 video. It also has an WVGA-equivalent OLED touch screen and glass front panel, spoiling the whole thing only slightly by using Micro SD cards. The WX50 meanwhile offers the older 16MP and 5x, 25-125mm zoom.

The WX70 is essentially a WX50 with a 3.0″ 920k dot touch-screen, rather than the WX50′s 2.7″ 230k dot unit. Both can record 1080i60 video and can capture 13MP stills while doing so. All three cameras feature Sony’s ‘Clear Zoom’ up-resing technology and the combined pixel-binning and up-resing low-light mode.

In its description of the TX200V’s fast AF, Sony suggests that the camera compares out-of-focus images to determine which direction to move the lens to achieve focus, avoiding the camera scanning for focus in the wrong direction. This sounds a lot like phase-detection to us but we’re still chasing for more information.

Via DPReview

• The DSC-TX200V camera will be available in silver, red, and violet for approximately $500.  Features include:
• 18.2 MP “Exmor R” CMOS sensor
• 26mm equivalent lens with 5x optical zoom, 10x virtual zoom via “Clear Image Zoom” technology
• “Extra High Sensitivity” technology enhances low-light shooting capabilities
• Lightning-fast AF speed of approximately 0.13 second in daylight, 0.25 seconds in low-light (speeds may vary based on shooting conditions)
• Beautiful, slim reinforced glass design with 3.3-inch (8.3cm) Xtra Fine™ Tru-Black OLED wide touch-screen
• Waterproof (up to 5m,16 feet), dustproof and freeze-proof (up to 14^oF)
• Captures 13 MP equivalent still images while shooting video via “Dual-Record”
• Full HD Movie Shooting capability (1920×1080/60p) and Optical SteadyShot Active Mode
• Photo Creativity interface and 9 “Picture Effect” options for creating unique, custom-styled photos and video
• The DSC-WX70 camera will be available in silver, black, pink, violet and white for approximately $230. Features include:
• 16.2 MP “Exmor R” CMOS sensor, 3.0-inch 921k dot LCD touch screen
• 25mm equivalent lens with 5x optical zoom, 10x virtual zoom via “Clear Image Zoom” technology
• “Extra High Sensitivity” technology enhances low-light shooting capabilities
• Captures 12 MP equivalent still images while shooting video via “Dual-Record”
• Full HD Movie Shooting capability (1920×1080/60i) and Optical SteadyShot Active Mode
• 9 total “Picture Effects” options,  allowing for creative, custom styled photographs
• The DSC-WX50 camera will be available in silver and black for approximately $200. Features include
• 16.2 MP “Exmor R” CMOS sensor, 2.7-inch LCD screen
• 25mm equivalent lens with 5x optical zoom, 10x virtual zoom via “Clear Image Zoom” technology
• “Extra High Sensitivity” technology enhances low-light shooting capabilities
• Captures 12 MP equivalent still images while shooting video via “Dual-Record”
• Full HD Movie Shooting capability (1920×1080/60i) and Optical SteadyShot Active Mode
• 9 total “Picture Effects” options,  allowing for creative, custom styled photographs
• http://www.timhang24h.com

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Panasonic Releases Travel Zoom Cameras

JAN

31

If you’re looking for a super zoom digital camera, you might want to check out these new Panasonic cameras.

“

Panasonic has updated its range of travel zoom cameras with the DMC-ZS20 and DMC-ZS15. The 14MP ZS20, sold as the DMC-TZ30 outside North America, is the slimmest 20x zoom camera on the market. Its lens covers a 24-480mm equivalent range and feature’s the company’s latest Power O.I.S stabilization. The 16x, 12MP ZS15 will appear as the TZ25. The high-speed MOS sensor allows the ZS20 to offer autofocus taking as little as 0.1 seconds, it can can shoot at up to 10 frames per second (5fps with AF-tracking). It also has GPS and an updated mapping function to show photos on a map with greater detail. The usefulness of this and other feature is increased by a touchscreen.

The ZS20′s newer 14MP sensor allows the ZS20 to shoot 1080p60 movies in AVCHD or, in an interesting step for one of the creators of the AVCHD format, it can also capture 1080p30 in MP4 format. The ZS15, meanwhile, captures 1080i60 from 30p sensor output or, again, 1080p30 in MP4. It maintains the fast focusing but misses out on the touchscreen, has only a mono mic, no GPS and no nano-coating on the lens.

A non-GPS version of the ZS30, called the ZS27/TZ19 will also exist, probably available only through a limited number of camera stores.

”

Via DPReview

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Panasonic Releases DMC TS4 Rugged Camera

JAN

31

If you’re into adventure, the Panasonic DMC TS4 can be the waterproof, freezeproof and crashproof digicam you are looking for!

“

Panasonic has helped lead the market for ruggedized cameras, which have been a hit among adventurous photographers for years, and now the company has two new additions to add to its water/shock/freeze/dustproof cam line. Described as “the optical outdoor companion,” the Lumix DMC-TS4 is Panasonic’s new ruggedized flagship, replacing the TS3 and packing a 12.1 megapixel CCD sensor, 1080/60i HD video capture, a 4.6x 28-128mm optical zoom lens and 2.7-inch LCD. Naturally, it can withstand just about everything you’ll throw its way, considering that it’s waterproof to depths of 40 feet, shockproof to 6.6 feet and freezeproof to temps as low as 14 degrees Fahrenheit. The TS4 also includes GPS, compass, altimeter and barometer functionality, logging all this data to supplement your photos with a full weather and location readout. Panasonic has also added full manual control, letting you adjust both aperture and shutter speed when shooting in manual mode.

The TS4 may offer a respectable spec list, but it doesn’t come cheap. The TS20 is an attractive alliterative, however, with a slim profile, 16.1 megapixel sensor, 720p HD shooting, a 4x 25-100mm optically stabilized zoom lens and a 2.7-inch LCD. It’s waterproof to 16 feet, freezeproof to 14 degrees Fahrenheit and can survive drops from up to five feet. There’s no manual option on this lower-end model, but it does include Panasonic’s Intelligent Auto mode for more accurate shooting. The TS20 will ship in late-February in orange, blue, black and red for $180, while the flagship TS4 will be available in orange, blue, black and silver for $400 when it ships in mid-March. You’ll find both press releases after the break.

”

Via Engadget

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Panasonic DMC-TS20 Is A Rugged Camera with 4x Zoom

JAN

31

Panasonic’s latest rugged camera replaces the earlier TS10 rugged digicam model. It has a more useful 25-100mm equivalent lens. It’s 16mp CCD sensor is able to shoot 720p video and comes with an easy to use MP4 digitl format. It’s waterproof to 5m (16′) and shockproof from a height of around 1.5m (5′), which should see it withstand all your adventure abuse.

The Panasonic DMC TS20 rugged camera sells for $179.99.

Here’s Panasonic’s press statement:

“

Panasonic today announced the Panasonic LUMIX TS20 digital camera, which features a rugged design allowing for it to be waterproof*1 to approximately 16 feet (5 meters), shockproof*2 to approximately 5 feet (1.5 meters), dustproof*1 and freezeproof to temperatures as low as 14ºF. The LUMIX TS20 (16.1-megapixel) features a flat and slim profile with a 25mm ultra-wide-angle lens and a 4x optical zoom (35mm equivalent: 25-100mm). Even more, the LUMIX TS20’s zoom extends to 8x equivalent with the Intelligent Zoom function, made possible by Panasonic’s Intelligent Resolution technology.

The LUMIX TS20 can shoot 720p High Definition video in the MP4 format and the 4x optical zoom is available during video recording – making this digital camera a highly-capable model for shooting video. Plus, with a dedicated video record button, switching between still photos and videos is quick and seamless. The new LUMIX TS20 records dynamic HD video in 1280 x 720p at a smooth 30p MP4 format, which makes it easy for editing or sharing the videos. The recorded videos can be also directly uploaded to YouTube when the included software is installed. The LUMIX TS20 also features a 2.7-inch Intelligent LCD with High Angle mode.

“The Panasonic LUMIX TS20 is an affordable rugged digital camera ideal for any user who is looking for a slim, durable digital camera that can take high quality photos and HD videos in a variety of situations, such as at a beach, hiking, snowboarding and more,” said David Briganti, Senior Product Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Marketing Company of North America. “Thanks to its waterproof, shockproof and dustproof features, the TS20 is capable of capturing photos and videos that not many digital cameras can, and with iA, it’s also incredibly easy and intuitive to use.”

The LUMIX TS20 includes Panasonic’s popular iA (Intelligent Auto) mode – a suite of technologies that are automatically engaged without the use of any extra settings to allow the camera to select the most appropriate settings to take high-quality photos. Panasonic’s iA features included in the LUMIX TS20 are MEGA O.I.S., AF Tracking, Intelligent ISO Control, Face Recognition, Intelligent Scene Selector and Intelligent Exposure.

In addition to being easy to use, The LUMIX TS20 also includes features that increase the photographic fun and creativity of the user. The Miniature Effect mode, in which the peripheries are defocused while saturation and contrast is emphasized, makes the photo look like a diorama. For videos recorded in this mode*3 3 playback is 10x fast forward, making it comical and amusing to watch. Panorama Shot makes it is possible to shoot a maximum 360-degree of horizontal / vertical panoramic image by taking consecutive shots and overlaying the photos.

The Panasonic LUMIX DMC-TS20 will be available in late-February 2012 in orange, blue, black and red models for a suggested retail price of $179.99. For more information about Panasonic LUMIX digital cameras, please visit www.panasonic.com/lumix.

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