Archive for December, 2010
The Periodic Table of Sports Cars
Dec 17th
Must be a slow news day over at Car and Driver, as the magazine has put together a periodic table of sports cars, subtitled “What if Dmitri Mendeleev had been into speed?” Like the original table, this one groups cars according to their physical properties. The magazine notes that “specific years aren’t mentioned (i.e., Porsche 911, because all 911s are isotopes of each other). Oh, and if yours isn’t on here, sorry—there is room for only 118.”
DIY air-powered sliding doors add Star Trek touch to your home
Dec 8th
Instructables has posted a do-it-yourself guide on installing Star Trek-style air-powered sliding doors in your home. The process is relatively complicated, involving an air compressor, various pneumatic hardware, a door cut in half, above-door vent (to allow the famous whoosh sound to be heard), and more. A PIC microcontroller powers a key-equipped door open/close switch on the wall and controls the air supply. A lot of work, but the results are pretty impressive. We’re tempted to try this at home ourselves.
Video of the door in action after the break.
McLaren resurrects Mercedes-Benz SLR for 25-car limited edition
Dec 5th
The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren was discontinued a year ago, when the German automaker and British racing specialist decided to part ways. Mercedes has since released the SLS AMG, and McLaren has its new MP4-12C. But it looks like McLaren has one last ace up its sleeve for the old supercar.
The new SLR McLaren Edition sports revised bodywork (front bumper, grille, hood, side gills, rear diffuser, rims) and interior parts, along with upgraded steering and suspension components and new ceramic brakes. The 5.5L supercharged V8 appears to have been left untouched and is expected to deliver 626 hp, 575 lb-ft of torque, 207 mph top speed, and a 0-62 mph run in under 3.8 seconds.
In line with its name, the limited-edition car’s Mercedes badges have been given a smoked finish to blend in with the rest of the car, while the McLaren badges are highlighted in red. The company plans to build just 25 examples of the McLaren Edition, which it showed off recently at the Essen Motor Show in Germany. No word on pricing or availability, though we’d imagine they’re probably all spoken for already.
More photos and a walkaround video after the jump.
More >
TA Maps: Google Maps for Windows Phone 7
Dec 4th
Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 OS ships with an integrated Bing Maps client, but Bing’s map data is lacking in many parts of the world. Unfortunately Google does not have a maps client for Windows Phone 7 yet, so some WP7 users are stuck between a rock and a hard place.
We’ve come up with (the start of) a solution: TechAutos Maps is a basic Google Maps client for Windows Phone 7. It’s meant as a temporary solution until Google releases its official app (hopefully soon), and is still missing lots of features (POI search, favorites, etc.), but some users might find it useful even in its current shape. TA Maps must be side-loaded (i.e. not from the Marketplace), so it requires unlocking your WP7 phone (see instructions).
See here for more info, screenshots, and installation instructions: TechAutos Maps for Windows Phone 7
