The Light Is Green

On the Edge of Blade Runner

Documentary on the Sci-Fi movie, Blade Runner

Life on Mars?

Very interesting article at WSJ Online on a new perspective regarding the possibility of life on Mars.

Here are the highlights (but don't be lazy, read the whole thing!):

• In 1976, 2 Viking landers conducted 3 experiments searching for signs of life in the top few inches of Martian soil.
• One test suggested biological activity, but was dismissed. Scientists assume that life requires organic (carbon-containing) molecules, and the experiments failed to find organic molecules in Martian soil.
• Now, sophisticated instruments show that the Vikings couldn't have detected organic molecules even if any were present. Life-seeking experiments on future missions won't suffer from this flaw.
• Current experiments show that life can exist in even the most extreme conditions. NASA experiments say that some microbes can survive and reproduce at 30°F, below freezing. "The lowest temperatures at which these organisms can thrive fall within the temperature range experienced on present-day Mars, and could permit survival and growth, particularly beneath Mars's surface," says astronomer Neill Reid of the Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore.

Worst customer experience ever (Part 1)

My worst-ever customer experience occurred at an auto dealership. Maybe I'm attuned a little more than normal as we happen to provide software for this industry, but I'll share it with you to see what you think.

No names will be given so as not to offend a potential client. :)

The tale comes in 3 parts as I gave this dealer that many attempts to sell me a car... (would I actually milk 3 posts out of such a trivial and piddling personal incident? You betcha!)

Part 1: Monday morning 8:15 AM

T'was 8:15, just dropped off my 2 boys at school, and since I was looking to change my car, thought I'd stop by the city's largest Brand X dealership a few blocks away. 

I got there and looked through their enormous plate glass window, saw that though they were closed there were some 15 people sitting around a large table, maybe the sales staff doing a beginning-of-day session.

No one took notice of me, no problem, I'll wait, knowing they opened 8:30. I walked over to their Parts shop next door to kill time looking at their amazingly entertaining display. :)

The Parts counter guy saw me and walked towards the door. Great, I'm in, I thought, maybe they have a cappuccino machine while I wait! As he approached, he suddenly flicked out his index finger and pointed at me... strange, eh?

When he reached the glass door he brought his finger to eye-level and tapped on the glass three times right in front of me, then did a 180 and went back to his desk.

Say what?

Oh, I suddenly realized he was showing me the store's Business Hours sign. For a moment I thought he was funning with me, waited a few seconds, but he never looked back at me.

Thanks buddy, I'll be sure to come back soon! I went to the office vowing to never visit that dealership again.

A few days later I was back, maybe I had over-reacted, let's give them a second chance. That'll be Part 2 of my story, coming soon...

Chrysler for sale?

Automotive News reports the following interesting item...

During a presentation to analysts and journalists today, DaimlerChrysler CFO Bodo Uebber refused to rule out the sale or spinoff of its unprofitable Chrysler group.  

"We don't exclude anything here," including structural changes, Uebber said during his third-quarter earnings teleconference today. "We will do our analysis. Second, we will talk about measures. And third, we will draw our conclusions."

As posted earlier, 3Q losses for the Chrysler group were $1.47 billion, down from a $393 million profit for the same period a year ago. The company predicts Chrysler will lose $1.2 billion in 2006.

Ford, GM, Chrysler post losses

Here are the third quarter 2006 losses posted by the big 3:

• Ford: $5.8 billion (3Q 2005: lost $284 million)
• GM: $115 million (3Q 2005: lost $1.7 billion)
• Chrysler group: $1.46 billion (3Q 2005: $393 million profit)

Plans for North America

• Ford: Eliminating 45,000 jobs and closing 16 plants.
• GM: Eliminating 34,000+ jobs and closing 12 plants, says will cut $9 billion in operating costs this year.
• Chrysler group: DaimlerChrysler has assigned a team of senior executives to study seven major facets of the business. The goal: improve margins by $1,000 per vehicle.

China #3 worldwide auto manufacturer

PricewaterhouseCoopers predicts that by the end of this year, China will surpass Germany as the world's third auto manufacturer, with an estimated 2006 production of 5.4 million units, as reports China Daily.  

The current leaders are the U.S. and Japan.

Other facts of note: worldwide output will top 70 million units in 2010, 15% more than 2005, mainly due to greater demand in China, Russia, India and Brazil. PWC also says that these 4 countries will manufacture over 40% of the world's autos.

Ford nixes Renault-Nissan alliance

Automotive News reports that Ford CEO Alan Mulally has discarded a possible partnership with Renault-Nissan, at least for the time being.  

An alliance would have taken Ford in the "wrong direction"; Ford prefers to focus on its Way Forward restructuring plan, probably even more so in light of their $5.8 billion net loss in the 3Q. Said Mulally:

"The most important thing we need to do is remove complexity and complication and enhance focus and clear visibility on the plan and the status against the plan," Mulally said. "And, boy, linking up with somebody, just to me, would take us in the awfully wrong direction."

Chinese copy global brand names?

It's no news that the Chinese lack a stellar track record regarding intellectual property rights, though lately it seems the country is making inroads in this respect.

A recent article in the Miami Herald mentions some Chinese brand names that are suspiciously close to globally-recognized brands. Of course this may just be a coincidence...

Some examples:

• Roewe vs. Rover. Shanghai Automotive Industry tried to buy the Rover brand name recently but could not. Their new line of cars based on Rover technology they acquired will be called Roewe.
• Chery Automobile vs. Chevy. GM sued Chery recently, alleging that Chery had copied the design of its Chevy Spark compact. A settlement was reached last year, and Chery still uses the brand name in China.
• Starbucks. Starbucks won a lawsuit last year against a coffee-shop chain whose Chinese name, Xingbake, is identical to that of Starbucks. Xingbake appealed and continues to operate under the same name. Their logos happen to be similar, too.
• Wumart vs. Wal-Mart. Wumart is a fast-growing Chinese retail chain. A Wal-Mart spokeswoman in China says the company is not concerned.
• Redberry vs. Blackberry. China United Telecommunications launched a wireless e-mail service in April called "Redberry". Their press release stated that the name would "extend the image and name of Blackberry that people are already familiar with" (they've deleted that explanation from their website). Blackberry service is available through China Mobile, a competitor of China United.

The article goes on to quote Chris Reitermann, managing director of Ogilvy & Mather Advertising in Beijing, who says that many Chinese executives ''don't think a lot about intellectual property rights,'' but that there isn't ill intent, just inexperience and lack of originality.

SUV sales up

Ford, GM, DaimlerChrysler and Toyota all reported an increase in SUV and pickup truck sales for September 2006, in the U.S.

Sales in enormous gas-guzzling vehicles had been dropping due to the recent increases in gas prices.

Am I the only one who thinks this piece of news boggles the mind? Just when you thought people had come to their senses...

It gets nuttier if we listen to Jesse Toprak, chief economist for Edmunds.com, who called this a one-time phenomenon, saying that consumers don't believe gas prices will stay around $2 per gallon.

Source: The Arizona Republic and Cars Cars Cars (who also think people are crazy).

Michelin Tweels: airless tires

Back in 2005 Michelin presented the Tweel, hand in hand with its first real-world applications, Dean Kamen's iBOT mobility devices. The Tweel is now in the spotlight again, it seems they will be commercially available soon.

The Tweel is an airless tire that is actually fused to the wheel, eliminating complex stuff like the valve and air pressure monitoring system. Rolling over curbs  (why would I want to do that?) and potholes is much easier. It performs and behaves like a regular tire.

Next up, says Michelin: construction skid-steers and military vehicles. There are videos bouncing around already showing passenger car tests on an Audi A4. You can watch a youtube here.

Pathetic side-note: somebody has heisted the michelintweels.com domain name.

And I hope you'll thank me for not using the too-obvious "Michelin re-invents the wheel" title. :)