Rexfeng

Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Hybrid, Performance, Videos, Paris Motor Show, Lamborghini, Luxury

The weirdest thing happened last night. During the annual Volkswagen Group Night festivities, everyone waited in anticipation for the Lamborghini section of the press conference. It's usually a treat for the senses - cool to look at, backed up by a ferocious sound that bellows throughout the venue. But not this time. There was no music, there were no laser lights, and most remarkably, there was no sound. The Lamborghini Asterion LPI 910-4 drove onto stage under fully silent electric power. Audibly, at least, it was perhaps the most anti-climactic Lambo introduction we've ever witnessed.

And that's the big story with this new Lamborghini concept: it's a plug-in hybrid. Of course, it's still a product of the storied Italian supercar maker, so that electric powertrain is mated to a 5.2-liter V10, and total system output is rated at a staggering 910 horsepower. It'll run up to 31 miles on pure electric power at speeds of up to 78 miles per hour, and its 0-62 time is estimated to be three seconds flat. Top speed? 199 mph. In other words, it may be capable of silence, but it still carries a stick, and it's still very much a Lambo.

So will the company actually build something like this? Right now, it doesn't look likely. Back in August at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, Autoblog spoke with Lamborghini boss Stephan Winkelmann about the then-off-the-record Asterion concept, who told us that if the automaker should choose to expand its model range, the bigger priority right now would be the Urus crossover. This is merely just a way to show how Lamborghini might present a gasoline-electric vehicle. And after scoping it out in person here at the Paris Motor Show, we have to say, it's cool. The styling is a bit softer and understated compared to the audacious Aventador or angular Huracán. But it still has quite a presence and it's still very much a Raging Bull.

See the Asterion for yourself in the new gallery of live photos above, and read more about the PHEV concept in the press release below and check out an Asterion walkaround video with Winkelmann from our friends at Autoline while you're there.

Continue reading Lamborghini Asterion LPI 910-4 is silent but deadly [w/video]

Lamborghini Asterion LPI 910-4 is silent but deadly [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Oct 2014 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

First: put on your headphones or turn up the volume, otherwise the beauty of this clip might be lost. Sounds of Paragliding is a new video from director Shams (previously), and sound engineer Thibaut Darscotte who took special equipment into the skies above France to record the sounds of Théo de Blic’s aerobatic paragliding. Instead of amping up the music and intensity like so many high-speed stunt/wingsuit/skydiving videos these days, Shams instead slows everything down to focus on only the sounds created by Blic’s parasail whipping through the air at incredible speed. It doesn’t really get going until after 2:00, but is completely worth it.

Great piece about how Lufthansa cares for those who need medical attention while flying.

On a Lufthansa flight, making a public call for any medical professionals on the plane is a last resort. The airline prefers to be far more discreet. After all, does the whole plane always need to know that somebody on board is having a problem? To accomplish this, Lufthansa launched the Doctors on Board program for physicians.

Doctors on Board allows Lufthansa to identify doctors long before an emergency occurs. By doing this, the cabin crews can personally and discreetly summon the doctor if their skills are needed during a flight. In order to find doctors who could potentially participate in this program, the airline scoured the data from its Miles and More frequent flier program. By doing this, Lufthansa was able to identify 15,000 doctors who regularly fly the airline. Of those, 10,000 opted to join the program.

Participation in the Doctors on Board program carries with it several benefits. The doctors are issued a handbook about aviation medicine, as well as receiving news and information via both the internet and postal mailings. They are insured by Lufthansa for any care that they provide during a flight. They are also rewarded with 5,000 Miles and More award miles and a discount code for €50 off of their next flight, plus they receive a special bag tag identifying their participation in the program. Finally, they are given the opportunity to participate in a course on aviation medicine and on-board emergency handling, for which they are paid an additional fee.

This is real customer service: thoughtful, anticipatory, active, thorough. (via @marcprecipice)

Tags: flying   Lufthansa   medicine

Dan Gentile of Thrillist has done God's work. He decided to take it upon himself to answer a question anyone who has ever sat on a couch for a long period of time has wondered: How many chips are actually in a bag of chips? And which type of chips has more full chips vs broken chips? And more.

Read more...

All my life using Adobe Illustrator and it's only now when I learn how it draws vector curves—technically called Bézier curves. If you are an illustrator, you will love this. If you are not, it's fascinating anyway. In fact, it is one of the most interesting videos I've seen this year.

Read more...

Filed under: Car Buying, Videos, Earnings/Financials

When Warren Buffet makes an investment, people pay attention. That's just one of the perks of being one of the richest men in the world, and his latest move is a big one. Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway investment company is to hopping into the auto business in a huge way by buying Van Tuyl Group, the nation's largest privately owned auto dealer network, for an undisclosed sum.

Van Tuyl Group is the fifth-largest dealer network overall in the US and operates 78 stores in 10 states. According to the release from Berkshire Hathaway announcing the purchase, Van Tuyl has over $8 billion in revenue. However, because the company is private, the actual price of this investment is not being disclosed. Under the arrangement, Van Tuyl Group will become Berkshire Hathaway Automotive with its headquarters in Dallas, and Larry Van Tuyl will become its chairman.

While this investment would be big enough on its own, Buffet isn't stopping with just Van Tuyl's network. He tells CNBC that he expects to buy even more dealers. He even reiterates the point in the press release for the announcement saying, "This is just the beginning for Berkshire Hathaway Automotive."

The deal still has to be approved by automakers and regulators, but Berkshire Hathaway expects everything to be completed in the first quarter of 2015. Scroll down to watch Buffet's interview on CNBC and read the press release announcing the deal.

Continue reading Warren Buffet buys largest private US car dealership chain [w/video]

Warren Buffet buys largest private US car dealership chain [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Oct 2014 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Worth it.

The last month at Hot Doug's, Chicago's famed "encased meats emporium," has been hectic: Very long lines of first-time customers and newcomers have been the standard every day outside the 14-year-old restaurant, leaving proprietor Doug Sohn no choice but to preemptively put the kibosh on the kraut, and everything else. For its final day in business, fans set up tents and camped out overnight, so this morning, Hot Doug's had to shut down the line at 6:45 a.m., pretty much four hours before opening time.

Here are some photos from the scene.

This was last night in the rain.

The @hotdougs line at 10:30 PM pic.twitter.com/xrrdQmvtej

— Michael Bacos (@MikeBacos) October 3, 2014

On its last day, Hot Doug's closes line just after 7:30 a.m. http://t.co/ykokmjanXi pic.twitter.com/j5iI0HuLro

— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) October 3, 2014

Here's a scene from inside a customer's tent.

At 1 a.m.

4 a.m.

4AM Friday morning in the pouring rain...adios Hot Doug's. @hotdougs #hotdougsline #encasedmeats pic.twitter.com/bENXP53VSX

— spongerob17 (@Spongerob17) October 3, 2014

After sunrise.

Live update: Hot Doug's line closed at 6:45 AM. Staffers have already turned 57 people away #hotdougslastday pic.twitter.com/qnkQqJ7MF7

— Joe Engleman (@JoeEngleman) October 3, 2014

And the very end of the line.

.@hotdougs line closed at 6:30AM! pic.twitter.com/LvZrbgLc1b

— CW (@chrisxwhaley) October 3, 2014

This really is the meaty end, my friend. Good-bye, Hot Doug's.

Related: People Are Waiting 9 Hours to Eat at Hot Doug’s Before It Closes for Good

Read more posts by Hugh Merwin

Filed Under: lines, chicago, doug sohn, hot doug's, news

Marriott will pay $600,000 to settle a Federal Communications Commission investigation into an incident in one of its hotels where employees were jamming Wi-Fi hotspots, ostensibly so that the hotel could charge customers to use the its own networks. The issue occurred at Marriott's Gaylord Opryland Hotel & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee, where the commission discovered, after receiving a complaint, that at least some number of Marriott employees were using a jammer to block internet access in conference rooms, which would be in violation of the Communications Act. At the same time, that Marriott was selling internet services at the rate of $250 to $1,000 per access point.

"It is unacceptable for any hotel to intentionally...

Continue reading…

Sure, yesterday there was lush green grass covering Bryant Park, inviting summer to stay just a little bit longer. But that was yesterday. Today, Old Man Winter came through and gutted the park, ripping up the very symbol of summer. No more picnics, no more outdoor movies, no more pushing your bare toes through the blades of grass. The lawn is gone. [ more › ]

This paperclip machine wastes no time admiring its handiwork before moving to the next one.

(Via Bits & Pieces)

David Smith:

Rather than the incredibly awkward paging interface the Emoji are listed out in a single, smoothly scrolling window. So you can easily browse through from top to bottom in only a few swipes. Along the right side is a jump bar letting you quickly skim to a particular category (organized in a way that actually puts similar things together). Long press on any Emoji to add it to your favorites list or view all your recently used Emoji in the Recents list. Simple. Fast.

First third-party keyboard I’ve tried that I actually kept installed.

(Via Casey Liss, who gives it a 👍.)

The latest skin pack for the Xbox 360 version of Minecraft is Doctor Who, and the roller coaster that these players built with it — block by block — is nothing short of incredible.

Read more...

Isara salmon temaki with seaweed salad and creamy miso — yours for just $6.

The next evolution of fine dining might truly be a full embrace of fast food. Look at brands like Shake Shack or Tortas Frontera: They're successful, well-considered spinoff companies that's can be replicated all over the world, yet they approach food from the same perspective as high-end restaurants. When it works, owners can maintain a sense of integrity about it — no one's accusing Danny Meyer or Rick Bayless of selling out; they're praising them for bringing high-quality food to airports and parks and other public spaces. Even Daniel Patterson and Roy Choi are getting in on the action with loco'l, "a new kind of fast-food restaurant" that will launch this spring. But this week, right in New York, All'onda chef (and Morimoto and Ai Fiori alum) Chris Jaeckle opened Uma Temakeria in Chelsea, a fast-casual restaurant that specializes in Japanese temaki, or cone-shaped hand rolls. Will Uma do for sushi what Chipotle did for burritos? Grub talked to Jaeckle to find out.

What inspired you to start a so-called fast-casual concept?
Over the years, I've been thinking about what I can do to make higher-quality Japanese food more accessible. My go-to comfort foods are pasta, which I get to make at All'onda, and sushi. If I'm having a bad day, or I'm really hungry, they're what I want. I didn't really see — I don't know if angle is the right word — but pasta is accessible in America, and I didn't see anyone doing good sushi at a low price point. Temaki is something I saw that you can carry with you, or eat on the street. I thought it was ideal.

There's certainly a lot of cheap sushi in New York, but so much of it, like you said, is mediocre at best. What's the major issue?
The void in the market is that you can either sit down for two hours and spend $100 and get a quality product, or you go into Duane Reade, spend $9, and you have no what idea what kind of protein you're eating. The main issue is that the rice is cold, or made in different facilities. Once rice is refrigerated, it kills the texture and the quality.

How are you balancing this with cooking at All'onda, which isn't even a year old?
I don't sleep a lot. I wish I had a better answer to that. But Uma is different than All'onda: I built the business plan and raised the capital, but it has always been structured as something for me to build and take a step back into a role as an owner. I'll be there for the next few months, but the idea is to streamline it so I don't need to be there every day. I can eventually take a backseat.

I came up with this business plan when I was at Ai Fiori. This isn't something that I'm doing just because I'm the "It" kid. It's taken years, and the timing worked out that they're both this year, which I wish wasn't the case, because it's pushing me.

You're one of several high-profile chefs opening a fast-casual concept — Daniel Patterson and Roy Choi will launch loco'l next year. What's the draw, beyond the obvious financial benefits?
There's a lot of risk involved in all these projects, but yes, there is potential to make actual money. I want to have a family someday. And I want to be there to support my family. What I do for a living isn't taking in hundreds of thousands of dollars. You have to find a way to expand, but not necessarily compromise what your focal point is — and, for me, that's All'onda ... And I'm legitimately passionate about sushi and Japanese food. It's not just a smart idea as a businessperson.

How are you sourcing high-quality fish at such a low price point?
I'm fully prepared for people to pick on me about the quality of the fish. People need to understand that I'm selling a product for $6. For example, it's tuna from the Philippines — we did what we could with sustainability to manage the price point. We're doing a seasonal, local fish, which is fluke at the moment, and from Long Island. We have fluke, salmon, tuna, and crab. The striped-bass season just ended, but maybe that will be the local fish next summer. We're trying to do the best we can. The rolls are a take on what is traditionally Japanese-American.

Which fast-casual chains do you think get it right?
Chipotle is the obvious answer, although I'm curious about if they're going to go with a McDonald's-like expansion. You're starting to see signs in windows about GMO-free "when possible," and that just comes with expanding a company. It is what it is. I think Sweetgreen does a good job.

Is your goal to take this nationwide?
The hope is to open several more locations. We raised a fair amount of capital, and we're hoping that if this one is profitable, then we expand. We structured it through franchise rates so that we can have 10 or 20 of them. I'm an ambitious human being, but realistically, it's going to be a New York thing for the next few years. But I'd love to see this in every city in America.

Read more posts by Sierra Tishgart

Filed Under: interviews, all'onda, chris jaeckle, new york, uma temakeria

Abashiri Beer's Okhotsk Blue Draft was introduced to Japan five years ago as a gimmicky, quaffable paean to the frigid Sea of Okhotsk, but thanks to online curio depot Firebox, the courageous American or homesick Tokyoite can now order it in $21 four-packs, filling a demand neither likely had.

Of course, bright blue isn't what you'd call the most natural color, but Abashiri achieves the refreshing hue organically with gardenias, local seaweed, and melted Okhotsk iceberg water. Bonus: Chinese yam is said to throw in a "superior head" that looks like ice. Reviews are less than stellar, but still, those Silver Bullet blue mountains feel a little cheapened right now.

[Firebox via FWF]

Read more posts by Clint Rainey

Filed Under: kind of blue, abashiri beer, beer, blue beer, japan, okhotsk blue draft

Pioneer is now the first aftermarket manufacturer to support Apple CarPlay with the release of new firmware for its NEX in-dash receivers. The 2014 NEX series ranges in price from $700 to $1,400. Pioneer also announced a new $600 AppRadio 4 with big 6.2-inch capacitive touchscreen and support for both CarPlay and MirrorLink, thus making it compatible with iOS devices and handsets from Nokia, Samsung, and others.

CarPlay was announced in March as the foundation of Apple’s connected car strategy. "CarPlay has been designed from the ground up to provide drivers with an incredible experience using their iPhone in the car," said Apple VP Greg Joswiak at the time. "iPhone users always want their content at their fingertips and CarPlay...

Continue reading…

You might think of Adam Sandler as a comedian or an actor, but above everything else, he's a businessman. Sandler and his team of managers, agents, and creative advisors are experts at making money. It should come as no surprise that today The New York Times revealed Sandler's deal with Netflix to produce and star in four movies available exclusively on the video-streaming service. This deal is the work of a talented businessman — even if it doesn't look it at first.

On the surface, Sandler doesn't appear to benefit from this deal as much as Netflix. The majority of the actor's films in the past decade have surpassed $100 million in ticket sales, making back their $40 million to $80 million budgets and plenty more. And he remains one of...

Continue reading…

In July, researchers Karsten Nohl and Jakob Lell announced that they'd found a critical security flaw they called BadUSB, allowing attackers to smuggle malware on the devices effectively undetected. Even worse, there didn't seem to be a clear fix for the attack. Anyone who plugged in a USB stick was opening themselves up to the attack, and because the bad code was residing in USB firmware, it was hard to protect against it without completely redesigning the system. The only good news was that Nohl and Lell didn't publish the code, so the industry had some time to prepare for a world without USB.

Continue reading…

To us olds, it might not immediately be apparent why Snapchat is good for anything other than sending people NSFW photos and videos. But to the kids, it's the only way to communicate. Casey Neistat explains in his latest video.

Read more...

Winter, at his 11,000th Starbucks.

So there's a man who was once called Rafael Lozano, but has since changed his name to the more singular Winter, and who now runs a blog in which he documents his attempt to visit every single Starbucks in the world. It's called Starbucks Everywhere, of course, but perhaps it should known as Man Who Has Been to 11,733 Starbucks Says He Doesn't Recommend the Coffee, because that's what he's been going around telling people. "My original motive was simply to accomplish something unique," he says.

There were fewer than 1,000 Starbucks stores total when Winter started out 17 years ago, but now he's been to 11,733 Starbucks on six continents, dropping over $100,000 in the process. The software programmer and consultant admittedly despises the chain's coffee, but still drinks ten cups a day, and otherwise he likes the bathrooms and all that WiFi. Here he is, looking a bit chipper if not a little fatigued, on the day he hit 11,000 and pledged to "donate to women's reproductive rights." (Warning: loud Starbucks enthusiasm.)

Since the story has gone viral, a good deal of the reactions have spanned from "You've Wasted Your Life" to "what a waste of life," which are examples of boilerplate trolling, but also messages from people whose dream-crushing words are perhaps just a little uninformed. If you think about it, paying two visits to the same Starbucks every day means you probably would have racked up at least $60,000 after 17 years, but you would have gone nowhere and this guy saw the world on his journey through the realm of Frappuccinos. Also, who wouldn't want to drink ten cups of coffee a day for fun? Take that, coffee-gauntlet haters.

[RT]

Read more posts by Hugh Merwin

Filed Under: gauntlets, coffee, starbucks, starbucks everywhere, the chain gang

The disclosure that attackers had gained access to 76 million households’ accounts dwarfed the bank’s earlier estimate of one million.

From a young age Florian Pucher was always fascinated by landscapes underneath and how blissful and beautiful our world looks from above. “I have always loved to travel and tried to always get window seats on planes,” said the Beijing-based Austrian architect who even avoided travelling by night in order to see as many different landscapes as possible. Pucher is now turning his childhood obsession into LANDCARPET: a series of rugs modeled after birds-eye-view aerial photographs of land.

Pucher uses various online mapping services to pinpoint locations of interest and then does picture searches to get a feel for the colors and elevations. He sometimes coincidentally will stumble upon satellite imagery or maps, which may lead to a new rug design. “Some countries are very easily recognizable through their methods of farming and that has always intrigued me,” Pucher tells us. “Furthermore as an architect and master planner I constantly get to see and look through site surveys, aerial images and city plans which have further sharpened my eye for distinguishable patterns and different layers.”

Pucher’s LANDCARPETs are signed and hand tufted in limited editions of 88 pieces. You can purchase one directly through his website. (via Yatzer)

Sam Sifton knows grandma slices.

Over at Reddit, New York Times food editor and illustrious gravy scholar Sam Sifton responds to all kinds of questions about critics, deep-fried cow brains, and the coolest dinner guest he ever sat down with (Stephen Sondheim). He waxes on the magic that is the grandma slice at L&B Spumoni Gardens ("It's superb") and yesterday's announcement that the paper will cut 100 jobs ("This is a tough environment"). Finally, he discusses his new role and the launch of NYT Cooking. "I got the chance to build something new, something that could help build the future of The Times, and I got to do it from Craig Claiborne's chair. That's a once-in-a-career opportunity," he writes. [Reddit, Related]

Read more posts by Hugh Merwin

Filed Under: burning questions, reddit, sam sifton

 Tech job marketplace Hired is officially announcing its rollout in LA today. The company had announced it was in New York City earlier this year and now says it wants to capitalize on what it sees as the third biggest startup scene in the country, Los Angeles. It’s not far off in that assumption. Well-known companies like Snapchat, Oculus and Maker Studios reside down in Los Angeles.… Read More

Here are some charts illustrating a couple of interesting food trends in the US.

Americans are spending a smaller percentage of their income on food than ever. From America’s Shrinking Grocery Bill:

In 1984, the average U.S. household spent 16.8 percent of its annual post-tax income on food. By 2011, Americans spent only 11.2 percent. The U.S. devotes less of its income to food than any other country—half as much as households in France and one-fourth of those in India.

But you see that big orange slice of the chart?

We are also spending a larger percentage of our food budget on food prepared away from home than ever. From Cheap Eats: How America Spends Money on Food:

Looking at the chart, it seems like only a matter of time before we eat out more often than we eat in.

Our peak period of eating out was after the birth of our first child. It felt like we were whipping out the binder of take-out menus nearly every day. More recently, we completed the Dinner Boot Camp which contained a week-long plan for easy home dinners, and since then we’re on our 4th consecutive week of cooking dinner (and the following day’s lunch) at home at least 5 times a week. It’ll be hard to keep up, but doing a bit of planning before every week really does go a long way.

Feel Like You’re Always Eating Out? You’re Not Alone. from My Money Blog.

---

© MyMoneyBlog.com, 2014.

You know how the old saying goes: When life hands you rising sea levels due to anthropogenic climate change, build canals. The city of Boston is considering such a scenario.

By 2100, climate scientists predict, sea levels around Boston will rise as much as 7.5 feet; in just a few decades water levels will be 2.5 feet higher than they are today. That could mean significant flooding not only during big storms but twice daily during high tides, as well as at times of normal rainfall.

The precise amount of sea-level rise is uncertain, but state and municipal leaders say they are taking the threat seriously, even if they are not yet at the stage of redesigning whole neighborhoods.

"We're not going to start digging the canals tomorrow," said Brian Swett, Boston's chief of energy, environment, and open space. "But the report makes the important point that you can't solve 6 feet of sea level rise simply by building a bigger dam on the Charles River."

Tags: Boston   global warming

In just one month, Final Fantasy XV has somehow transformed from assumed vaporware to a genuine game that feels like it's actually going to come out. After a year and a half of radio silence, today it seems like there's FFXV news every week.

Read more...

Buying a used phone from someone on Craigslist or eBay is never not sketchy, but thankfully Apple's now rolled out a tool that could keep you from paying for stolen (and useless) property. The company has launched a new website that instantly checks to see whether Activation Lock — an anti-theft feature of iOS — is switched on for any iPhone or iPad. It's part of iCloud, but you don't need any type of Apple account to use it. You will need to access it from a desktop browser, though; mobile Safari bizarrely isn't supported right now. That makes no sense, but oh well.

Just enter a device's serial number or IMEI, and Apple will tell you whether it's locked down. Getting an "Activation Lock: On" doesn't necessarily mean a phone or iPad is...

Continue reading…

Curious as to just which Honda models you'd see Android pop up in first? If you had money on the 2015 Civic, Civic Tourer and CRV it's time to collect your prize from the pool. Google's mobile OS will appear as standard equipment in those vehicles...

Law enforcement agencies have been buying and distributing Computercop, advising citizens that the software is the "first step" for protecting their kids; one sheriff bought copies for every family in the county. Read the rest

The shabby chic Russian restaurant in West Hollywood is going big with all-you-can-eat red caviar available only Wednesdays

Starting October 8, West Hollywood's Russian shabby chic Mari Vanna is offering a crazy new $34 special: unlimited red caviar with stuffed or plain blinis, and an assortment of salads. If red caviar gets boring to you, there's always the standard black caviar, which gets discounted $10 per order. While this stuff probably isn't top grade sevruga from Petrossian, it's probably not going to completely disappoint, and it's not like red caviar isn't especially cheap to begin with (ask anyone who eats sushi).

In addition, anyone who indulges in the AYCE special will get a free glass of champagne (just to help get the party started). The deal's only good on Wednesday nights, so anyone who's made plans for hump day will have to change them to this.

Mari Vanna
8475 Melrose Place
Los Angeles, CA 90069