Lexus reloads GS with luxury, technology

The 2013 Lexus GS sport sedan debuts the new face of the brand in an efficient but powerful statement. The stronger design and more luxurious interior are hoped to attract a new type of buyer. The five-seat sedan will be sold in three trim levels – Luxury, F Sport and Hybrid – in rear or optional all-wheel drive.

The new face is highlighted by "spindle grille" with wide lower fascia. Also look for (Audi-esque) arrowhead-shaped LED daytime running lights.

The re-engineered sport sedan is the same length as before, but two inches wider at the rear and an inch wider at the front. It has a rakishly low 0.26 drag coefficient.

Interior "craftsmanship" has been enhanced (as if Lexus was ever short in quality feel and appearance). Simple, useful additions include a three-blink to pass signal feature and guidance lines (finally) in the standard rearview camera. Interior options include red leather and metal-trimmed pedals.

The 306-hp, direct-injection 3.5-liter V-6 will push the 3,795-pound sport sedan to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds. The engine has an intake sound generator for that husky growl 'o power. The six-speed transmission, with paddle shifters, is about the only carryover piece. Fuel economy around town is 19 mpg and up to 28 on the highway on 91 octane.

The GS450h hybrid has a 338-hp, Atkinson-cycle version of the 3.5-liter V-6, which has fuel economy of 29/34 mpg city/highway. Trunk space in the hybrid was improved over the previous model by stacking the batteries to give more cubic footage. The lower rear valance conceals the exhaust tips for that look of stealth running.

The GS debuts Lexus' Enform multimedia system with Safety Connect. Enform connects to music, information and entertainment services through the user's smartphone. There also is Pandora and iHeartRadio. A text-to-speech feature allows the driver to be read text messages and send preset responses.

SafetyConnect features automatic crash notification, stolen vehicle location, emergency assist, enhanced roadside assistance and destination assist.

Standard equipment includes Smart Access locking and push-button ignition, leather-trimmed seats,10-way adjustable front seats, electric parking brake, rearview camera, 8-inch high center touchscreen, tilt-telescopic (multifunction) steering wheel, Bluetooth phone connection, 12-speaker surround-sound HD-radio audio system with auxiliary-iPod-USB ports, 17-inch alloy wheels standard, bi-HID headlights, heated mirrors with puddle lights and turn signals, ultraviolet and infrared ray-reducing tinted glass for all windows, lightweight asphalt sheets for cabin soundproofing.

Variable Gear Ratio Steering is a highlight of the F Sport package. This is the rear steering assist that at low speeds counter steers to chop the turning circle in half to 17 feet and at high speeds it turns the car in the direction of the front tires to tuck back into the lane. This rear steering gear is an excellent around-town feature that should be available as a stand-alone option. Even if it were an $800 extra, it would be worth it.

Solid-State Lighting Investor Forum

For the third year running, Strategies in Light 2012 will offer a Solid-State Lighting (SSL) Investor Forum. Sponsored by Canaccord Genuity, the Forum aims to meet the needs of venture capitalists, investment bankers, and other investors for information about emerging companies in the SSL industry.

This year, 12 start-up companies will be featured during the day-long Forum. Technologies represented by these companies range from devices, drivers and controls to light engines, luminaires and complete systems.

Market presentations

To complement the presentations by individual companies, several market and industry overview presentations will be provided. Ella Shum, Director of LED Research at Strategies Unlimited will begin the Forum with an overview of the worldwide HB-LED market. Later in the morning, Tom Hausken, Director of Optical Components at Strategies Unlimited, will give a talk on the dynamics of LED driver technology and markets.

To provide a perspective from the financial industry, Dan Coyne, Director of the Investment Banking Group at Canaccord Genuity, will discuss liquidity and valuation trends in LEDs and LED lighting. Presenting a view of the market at the LED lamp and luminaire level, Vrinda Bhandarkar, Director of Research, LED Lighting at Strategies Unlimited, will provide a global market review of the LED lighting market.

Devices

Giorgio Anania, co-founder and CEO of HelioDel, will provide an overview of the company's GaN nanowire LED technology, which is scalable and compatible with high-volume CMOS foundries.

OnChip Devices will be represented by its president and CEO, Ashok Chalaka. He will outline the company's activities in the production of ESD protection devices, transient voltage suppressor diodes, and submounts for LEDs.

Drivers and power supplies

iWatt is power-control IC company that designs and develops markets semiconductor products for various markets including the LED solid-state lighting segment. For SSL it is developing high-density, high-value AC-DC and DC-DC power supplies. Ron Edgerton, CEO, will give the company presentation.

Brent Marsh, CEO of Eutricity, will discuss the company's principal focus on power architecture that enables multiple LED applications without the need for driver ICs and with the lowest power-supply cost per lamp.

Manufacturing and test equipment

Advanced Renewable Energy Company (ARC Energy) has developed an innovative sapphire crystal "c-axis" growth technology specifically for LED applications, called CHES (Controlled Heat Extraction System). CHES furnaces enable substrate manufacturers to produce large-diameter, LED-quality sapphire for mass production. The company's senior VP, Sales, Customer Support and Operations, Hap Hewes, will provide an overview of the company's activities.

Nanotronics Imaging develops and sells a fully-automatic optical-inspection system for high-resolution detection and analysis of defects in transparent and semi-transparent semiconductor wafers. The company's technology and business model will be presented by Michael Zigman, COO and CFO.

PSC to decide suitability of FirstEnergy energy efficiency plan

The energy efficiency and conservation programs proposed by Monongahela Power and Potomac Edison could be stronger, some argued Dec. 1–2 at an evidentiary hearing of the Public Service Commission of West Virginia.

A Phase I Energy Efficiency and Conservation Plan proposed by the FirstEnergy West Virginia operating companies has two parts: a residential low-income program and a high-efficiency lighting program for commercial, government and industrial customers.

The utility filed the plan in March for approval by the PSC, as mandated in 2010 stipulations in a rate case and in the commission order approving the merger between Allegheny Energy and FirstEnergy.

The Phase I energy efficiency and conservation plan specifically aims to reduce total system demand by 0.5 percent from the 2009 level of about 13,300 gigawatt-hours and to reduce system peak demand by 0.5 percent from the 2009 level of 2,723 megawatts.

Reductions would come through light bulb, faucet aerator and shower head replacements in low-income homes — those within 200 percent of the federal poverty level — along with refrigerator replacements for those that qualify and partial energy audits. At the commercial and industrial level, the program proposes high-efficiency lighting.

The energy reduction target would be reached in five years.

Parties to the case testified during a span of two days. Intervenors included the commission's Consumer Advocate Division, the West Virginia Energy Users Group of large industrial electricity users and the West Virginia Citizen Action Group.

WVCAG wants to see a stronger energy reduction plan that would include building shell measures such as weather stripping and a blower door or other leak test.

"The proposed efficiency target is far weaker than FirstEnergy efficiency goals in other states, which include a 1 percent savings in two years and 0.8 percent savings in two years in Pennsylvania and Ohio, respectively," said Mike Harman, a spokesperson for Energy Efficient West Virginia, of which WVCAG is a lead member, after the hearing.

Intervenors also noted that energy efficiency measures offered by AEP companies Appalachian Power Co. and Wheeling Power Co. are stronger.

Edward C. Miller, manager of development and compliance for FirstEnergy, said the company designed its programs to minimize cost impacts. The components were chosen to complement the Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity's low-income weatherization program, he said, although he conceded that that program is known to have a large backlog.

The five-year time frame was then calculated based on the utility's experience with participation in such programs, Miller said.

"Wouldn't you normally set out to design a plan that was the most effective, rather than meeting the stipulation?" asked PSC Chairman Michael Albert, referencing the 2010 cases that mandated the plan.

Insight Lighting Gets Head Start on LED Lighting Transition

In an economy in which many businesses are downsizing; Insight Lighting is doing just the opposite–experiencing double digit growth over the past five years and expanding its production size and abilities. Insight's growth as a 20-year industry-leading lighting manufacturer is motivated by cost conscious businesses and governments to switch from traditional lighting to solid state (LED) lighting.

Insight Lighting, realizing that LED lighting would soon illuminate the commercial landscape, positioned itself for growth in this competitive industry.  "Businesses, events and governments are quickly adapting in this economy to provide value, decrease expense and increase brightness," said Reed Powers, Insight Lighting Senior Vice President. "------Many years ago we first began developing designs and technology that would accommodate the switchover that we knew was ahead."

Insight's team has created products for high profile specialized projects such as providing the exterior green facade lighting for the global re-launch of the Holiday Inn brands, lighting for the signage at New York's Yankee Stadium and the luminaires that illuminated the luge track for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

In Dallas, Insight's Medley Products were used to bring the Park Seventeen Office Tower to life. Battelle Grande Ballroom  in Columbus, Ohio was transformed from a bland space into a spectacular event center with the use of Insight's Medley RGB Color Changing Series.  A variety of Insight's made in the USA products, Medley X RGB Color Changing Series and Masque products, were used for the Blue Cross Blue Shield building in Providence, Rhode Island, providing a new look for the national healthcare provider.

Many cities and government agencies are working to get projects, new and remodels, to incorporate LED exclusively. "We've seen a huge increase in designs focused on LED products, such was the case recently when we provided the illuminated wayfinding signage for the McCarran and Sky Harbor airports," said Powers.

According to the US Department of Energy website, making the switch to LEDs will reduce the electricity consumption by one-fourth and avoid 246 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emission over the next two decades.  In addition, increased adoption of LEDs throughout cities over the sometime period could save the United States $120 billion in energy costs.

"We welcome this approaching conversion, it's better for the environment and will put a lot of Americans to work on a much needed change," said Powers. 

For the average electric customer, 15 strings of LED lights turned on for six hours a day will cost less than two dollars a month. Meanwhile, running the same amount of traditional lights will add more than $40 dollars to your utility bill.

"We bought quite a few too this year, the LEDs, so that should help the budget out a little bit," said Brian Witucki.

The Witucki's use a combination of lights, but Brian said the extra $50 dollars he paid for electricity last December was worth it. "People stop when they're driving by...it's pretty cool."

Utility officials said another helpful tip to save money while still spreading some holiday cheer is to set your lights to a timer so that you can monitor energy use.

Night before Thanksgiving has become a big night for clubs ... and State Police

Bob Pereira expects more than 1,000 people to spend the early hours of Thanksgiving at his nightclub, Providence, preceding their feast on turkey and cranberry sauce with vodka-tonics and beers.

"Without even blinking, we know that will happen," said Pereira, owner of three New York City clubs as well as the 11,000-square-foot venue at The Quarter in Tropicana Casino and Resort. "It's a marquee night in the history of nightlife."

The combination of college students coming home for the holiday and locals going out to celebrate their day off has made Thanksgiving Eve an alcohol-driven night of revelry nationwide. The night has earned the name "Black Wednesday" in some circles, in this case referring to the "blacked-out" state of many who drink beyond their limit.

"Historically, we were thinking of Thanksgiving as a time of families gathering," said Lt. Steve Jones, spokesman for the State Police, "but over the last several years it's become more of a drinking holiday."

From 2000 to 2009, 5,521 people died in car accidents nationwide over the Thanksgiving holiday period — more than any other holiday. About 36 percent of those deaths were attributed to drunken driving, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data show.

Jones said that five people were killed in accidents last year in New Jersey over the Thanksgiving weekend, from the Wednesday night before to the Monday morning after.

In the past, groups such as The HERO Campaign have handed out T-shirts to sober drivers at checkpoints to promote designated drivers. Mothers Against Drunk Driving makes an annual push for awareness of the dangers of excessive drinking over the holidays, pointing at Thanksgiving as the beginning.

The number of alcohol-related fatalities has decreased over the decades. In 1982, there were 601 fatalities of which 51 percent were due to a DWI. In 2009, there were 411 fatalities of which 34 percent were attributed to drunken driving, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data show.

But on nights like Thanksgiving Eve where there is the potential that other drivers could be drunk, staying off the roads is the best way to avoid an accident.

At Atlantic City's casinos, room rates are relatively low on the night before Thanksgiving, even at those hotels that expect to attract crowds of partygoers.

On Tuesday night, the lowest rate for a room at Tropicana on Wednesday night was $69.99, despite the several clubs that planned to be packed in its entertainment corridor The Quarter.

Providence is typically only open on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, but Pereira said he has opened it every year on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

"We expect it to be as strong as a big Saturday and our biggest holiday nights," he said. "We staff our venue as we would for our busiest night."

On Tuesday afternoon, he drove from New York City to watch his staff install new LED lighting and perform and check the sound systems. The spacious club was aglow in shades of pink and blue, with spinning lights shining off the empty dance floor.

By 1 a.m. Thanksgiving morning, the inside is expected to be packed shoulder to shoulder, with a line of people waiting to get in. The club's capacity is almost 800, but he said they would admit more people than that over the course of the night as people come and go.

I looked around and thought 'if I had a bicycle

"I was fortunate enough to be with the feeders, up, close and personal with these sharks. I touched them as they passed and when I did, I felt their power, their precision in the water and the peace with which they went about in this world.

"It was beautiful. Their existence there ensured that the world down there stays beautiful. The reef was alive, the colours so vibrant, it was awesome that I did not want to come up.

"I looked around and thought 'if I had a bicycle, I would just take a scenic tour up and down the mountains and valleys'."

Manoa's thoughts went back to ancient times and that relationship between Fijians and sharks.

"I wondered what brought about the end of that relationship. What did we do wrong? When did fear come in? After that experience, I believe we still have that understanding with them."

Thanks to the shark-feeding operators - Aquatrack and Beqa Divers, which operates just close by in the passage the stories of old will remain.

And while shark-feeding may contradict with the aims of conservation to leave sharks be to feed in their natural environment, Manoa believes the feeders in the Beqa passage have done what he has been trying to the past few years ù prove that Fijians have a special relationship with the sharks.

"These tourists bring in a lot of money to see these sharks but better still, here we have a chance to learn of this old relationship and understand just what these fish mean to us.

Right On

Right On
Notice how expensive light’s going to be getting, I point out in Thursday morning’s Journal Sentinel: Bulb makers say they’re close to perfecting the LED bulb for household use that can replace the 100-watt incandescent bulb, which is more or less illegal as of next year. The LED bulb would cost, at least at the outset, about $50.

In what world does a $50 light bulb for household use make sense? One where the government makes the cheaper alternatives scarce. Congress knocked out 50-cent incandescent bulbs as part of a 311-page law passed in Nancy Pelosi’s first bloom of power and signed – gee, thanks, pal – by President George W. Bush. The ban* approaches unhindered under President Barack Obama and, as I point out, fits right into his plans to nudge us into a “green jobs” utopia. It’s of a piece with Obama’s cap-and-trade-and-Chevy-Volt dreams.

I write:

“In selling all these things, the president speaks of villains who at last will be made to pay: Coal-burning utilities will squirm, oil companies will be discomfited. In place of these baddies, virtuous new industries will be spawned.

“But he makes an elementary error: He sees the $50-per-bulb of revenue to a new lighting industry while never noticing the $49.50 of other things that people would have bought had their government not ginned up a light-bulb crisis. The $50 isn't new money: It's just diverted against customers' will from, say, mustard or dentistry or shoes or motel stays or any of a million things that people would rather spend their money on if the government had let well enough alone.

“Underlying all this is, apparently, a belief that you and I have to get used to less of nearly everything, energy included, and that it's up to policy-makers to nudge us. Take another part of (Rep. Paul) Ryan's plans, health care for future retirees. He proposes a reliable, tested mechanism to bring prices down - market economics. Obama instead proceeds from the belief that we're using too much health care. He proposes an expert panel that will restrict how much care people get, especially of expensive, new treatments.

“On taxes, Obama talks endlessly of more accurately finding out who has too much money - again with the villains! - and taxing away more of it. Ryan audaciously suggests we see how we can all get richer, meaning more money for every purpose - including government, and without the punitive rates.”

Read about a more optimistic alternative here.

*By the way, I know that formally speaking, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 does not ban incandescent bulbs. No, it just insists that any bulb you are permitted to buy should be many times as efficient as incandescent bulbs can be. Clever.

Also, yes, I know compact fluorescents are somewhat cheaper than LEDs. Yes, I know they save money long-term, presuming the kids don’t break them. That’s why I use several around my house, in places where I don’t care that their light is weak and ugly. That doesn’t make it right for the government to boss around your light bulb selection.

Daytona Beach, Volusia County modifying turtle lighting rules

Antec soundscience halo 6 LED bias lighting kit
Antec celebrates its quarter century of existence by introducing the soundscience halo 6 LED bias lighting kit, targeting the enthusiast DIY market for gaming nuts as well as PC upgrade fans. The name of this DIY kit is pretty much self-explanatory, but just in case you do not get what it is all about, we are here to help. The Antec soundscience halo 6 LED bias lighting kit will come across as an affordable option for folks who want to outfit PC monitors with professional-grade backlighting.

Just what is the whole point of such backlights? Well, the main idea would be to reduce eye fatigue while increasing image clarity whenever you indulge in long gaming sessions and similar periods of extended computer use. This is not a new idea at all, as it has been demonstrated by Philips and their Ambilight equipped TVs in the past, but for computer users, it is unchartered territory.

The bias lighting illumination technique will make a ring of white backlight appear behind PC monitors, hence reducing eyestrain that is caused by differences in picture brightness from scene changes in movies, TV shows and video games. Apart from that, the soundscience halo 6 LED bias lighting kit’s USB-powered LED strip that measures 14.6” in length can be attached to the back of the monitor, ensuring it complements any PC monitor as long as it does not venture beyond the 24” screen size.

Both the color and brightness of the LEDs are carefully calibrated, where it will go great lengths to help increase a monitor’s perceived contrast ratio, hence enhancing perceived black levels, vibrant colors and picture detail by enabling dark adapted viewing.

Antec will offer a 2-year limited warranty for their Antec soundscience halo 6 LED bias lighting kit, and at the relatively low, low price of $12.95 a pop, it might just turn more than a few heads when you have this installed on your home machine. Perhaps it is a good way of dropping a hint to your boss that you are being overworked, and your eyes doth protest looking into the computer screen for too long?

What Light Pollution Ordinances Could Mean for C-stores

What Light Pollution Ordinances Could Mean for C-stores
We all know that well lit c-stores attract more clientele at night. Folks, especially women feel safer in a well lit environment. Indeed, studies and surveys show that it is actually safer, and humans seem to inherently know this. Perhaps, the reasoning has to do with the basic “crime triangle” – that is to say for a crime to occur three things are needed:

A brightly lit convenience store tends to remove the opportunity due to risk/reward for the criminal in that they will most likely get caught, and witnesses will see them and turn them in, therefore they keep going and look for other opportunities, and safer locations to do their criminal activity. That’s why a well-lit facility works.

Now then, with high energy costs, which may, in fact, triple in the upcoming years due to more regulations on coal-fired plants and subsidized alternative energy – keeping a brightly lit facility may be a problem. Perhaps, that’s why more and more of us are going to LED lighting to save both energy and money, and collect some tax breaks to boot.

Nevertheless, there is an on-going battle running in many urban areas and big cities with regards to the proliferation of LED Billboards. The opponents of these billboards have shown that they are highly distracting to motorists and cause more pedestrian, bicycle, and multi-car accidents – the research appears to confirm this, although some of that could indeed be due to the increase of text-messaging while driving, compounded with the billboard distractions – time and more research will tell.

Indeed, there was a very interesting segment recently on KCET Los Angeles News titled “Bright Lights, Big City” by Reporter Judy Muller, Producer Karen Foshay and Editor Alberto Arce, which noted that in the long ongoing battle in Los Angeles’ Westside against LED Billboards there is a new challenge: human health. The segment started with this comment: “Light pollution may be a more serious concern than you think. New evidence suggests that a lack of darkness in our urban night skies contributes to air pollution, making it a matter of public health. Yet Los Angeles keeps rolling out bigger, brighter signs.”

Will local neighborhoods ask convenience stores to also curtail their brightness? Will local governments step in and create more regulations? If so, that will mean fewer sales in the evenings, thus, hurting business. Perhaps fewer patrons will wish to wonder very far from their cars when pumping fuel. Fewer trips into the c-store will mean fewer sales on high-profit impulse items.

Is this a future threat? It very well could be.

For those c-stores who have signed agreements with Billboard Companies sporting large LED Multi-media Billboards, that could cost a few bucks each month in rental or lease revenues from those Billboards in the future. Either way, this could be a future threat to the industry, albeit not a game changer, it might still slightly alter the dynamics and cost your c-store future revenue. I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.

Ecommerce Software Shows Who is Going Green

Ecommerce Software Shows Who is Going Green
leading online retailer and proponent of all things green, has released sales numbers showing the amount of green goods sent to various parts of the US, and also breaks down which types of products were shipped where. It’s an interesting use for their ecommerce software, which allowed them to analyze ordering and shipping data for a variety of categories and localities. Overall, the trend should be heartening for environmentalists, with more Americans purchasing environmentally friendly products and energy-saving devices from Amazon year-over-year.

The four main categories as determined by Amazon were Water Conservation, “Garden to Table” (which means books and products targeted for at-home gardening), Renewable Energy, and Green Parenting.

Green Parenting is an especially-targeted look at orders placed through Amazon’s “Green Baby” and “Green Toys” ecommerce software sub-stores. The states with the most green-centric parents were Vermont, Massachusetts, and Washington. Overall, the northeast led the way in this regard.

The water conservation data collected by Amazon is related mainly to sales of rain collection buckets and water-saving devices and books about the subject. According to their numbers, the states bulking up on saving water are Arizona and New Mexico, which makes a lot of sense given their arid climates.

To put together energy savings data, Amazon took into account sales of energy-efficient devices and electronics, plus anything powered by or relating to solar or wind power. Examples of energy-saving devices include LED lighting (light emitting diodes, which are much more efficient than conventional light bulbs) and any product with the Energy Star or EPEAT seal of approval. This category also includes books on the subject. The leading states for energy conservation were Florida, California, ans Nevada. This also makes a lot of sense, as these states get tons of sun which would allow for a lot of solar panel use (Daytona Beach actually bought the most panels).

Frankly, all of the data presented, while interesting, is only representative of Amazon’s sales through their own ecommerce software, not all orders and sales of green-related products, books, and resources, from all outlets. It also doesn’t take into account any energy-saving or environmentally-protective steps that households can take on their own (lights off, shorter showers, etc.), or environmental home improvements made using store-bought equipment from hardware stores or specialty shops. But that’s all rather cynical, with the increased prevalence of green daily deals programs and even a green auction to benefit New York City trees, I say shop on, green shoppers!

LG Unveils Next Generation Televisions

LG Unveils Next Generation Televisions
LG announced the launch of its 2011 TV range for the Singapore market, delivering cutting edge innovations that promise to transform the way consumers enjoy televisions at home. Featuring LG’s proprietary CINEMA 3D technology and LG Smart TV functions, the new 2011 range will feature 11 series of LED, LCD and Plasma TVs to suit the entertainment needs of every individual, with more to be rolled out throughout the year.

Leading the lineup is the new LG LW6500, a Full HD edge LED CINEMA 3D TV equipped with LG Smart TV. The sleek TV brings 3D enjoyment to a new level with the employment of 3D technology similar to that used in cinemas, thus bringing to consumers greater comfort and convenience while enjoying their favourite 3D titles. With Smart TV, consumers are also able to access content and applications without hassle through a specially designed user interface as well as the new Magic Motion Remote Control that simplifies control with a simple point and click.
LG CINEMA 3D TV – evolution of 3D for homes

Taking 3D to new heights, the LG CINEMA 3D TV looks set to greatly improve 3D experience for home viewers with crisper images and wider viewing angles that was not previously possible with active shutter technology. The use of Film Patterned Retarder (FPR) technology in LG’s CINEMA 3D TVs brings about a more comfortable viewing experience with a polorised plate on the panel, coupled with the use of polarised glasses by viewers. The technology optimises the separation of images for the left and right eye, and the images are then filtered through the glasses to give viewers a better 3D effect with minimal cross talk.

The new LG CINEMA 3D TV is also able to display brighter and clearer 3D pictures than conventional 3D displays with the inclusion of the new Light Boost technology. This brightness enhancement film maximises lighting from LED backlight to maintain the full brightness and picture quality of the original source. Compared to conventional 3D displays, the Light Boost technology is able to deliver brightness of 150 nits, twice of what conventional 3D TVs can deliver, without increasing power consumption. For the reproduction of smoother 3D images, TruMotion 200Hz is featured on the flagship LG LW6500 series, which results in elimination of image blur and enables consumers to enjoy even the fastest action sequences in 3D. Consumers who are worried about the loss of image quality of high-definition content in 3D need not worry with the new LG CINEMA 3D range, as the new TVs are able to ensure no signal loss in Full HD 3D source with LG’s very own 3D picture enhancement algorithm.

A common challenge faced by consumers using active shutter 3D technology is the inflexible viewing positions and limited viewing angles. With LG’s CINEMA 3D TV, consumers can experience 3D images without restrictions on positions as the viewing angle has been increased to 180o horizontally. Users may sit, lean or even lie comfortably on their couches to enjoy true-to-life 3D images, and up to 20 viewers are able to enjoy 3D on LG CINEMA 3D TVs .

For users who find discomfort in viewing 3D on active shutter models, LG’s CINEMA 3D technology delivers a virtually blur-free and flicker-free 3D picture, which reduces the possibility of dizziness or nausea. Also, LG’s CINEMA 3D TVs are the world’s first 3D TVs to be confirmed to deliver flicker free and crosstalk free images by TüV and Intertek. The new LG CINEMA 3D TVs also employ the use of affordable, lightweight polarised glasses that weigh only 16 grams, almost half the weight of conventional active shutter glasses. These glasses do not need to be powered by batteries, helping consumers to save in the long run. Additionally, the LG LW6500 (LG 47LW6500) series with CINEMA 3D has been awarded with the CNET Asia Editor’s Choice Awards for delivering “one of the best 3D performances around” .
LG Smart TV - “Point, Click, Control, Simply Smarter”

Along with LG CINEMA 3D TVs, LG has also rolled out TVs equipped with LG Smart TV technologies. As consumers are growing to be more connected than ever before, LG Smart TVs brings the best of the Internet straight into televisions, so individuals can have access to a wealth of content with simple controls.

Tucson team is selected for art project

Ross Avenue underpass to be filled with "Happy Shapes" after Tucson team is selected for art project


"Happy Shapes" - a proposal for colored glowing sculptures in "evocative shapes" -- was selected for a $112,913 public led spotlight art project to turn the Ross Avenue underpass into a gateway between East Dallas and the Dallas Arts District.

The artist team of Joe O'Connell and Blessing Hancock  of Tucson, Ariz., proposed 30 sculptures made of translucent polyethylene with internal LED lights to be anchored near the walkways on each side of the highway underpass.

Their proposal uses geometric shapes taken from architecture around the Arts District, but the shapes would be made more intriguing by adding tails, mustaches and other "evocative" features, O'Connell said. They will also be raised up on four legs. "We felt it was important to include real objects," he said. "There's a great popular affection in Dallas for more figurative sculpture - the Pegasus, the steers downtown, and we learned from the Nasher [Scuplture Center] that the exhibits with human or animal forms are more popular than abstracts."

O'Connell said he expects the 30 forms to be something that pedestrians could interact with (they will be able to led spotlight touch a metal feature and change the color), but also visible to motorists as they approach and pass through the intersection. Plus, he expects the glowing sculptures would be visible during the day where 12 lanes of highway darken the road below. "Even at about 11 o'clock on a sunny day it was dark enough in there," said O'Connell, who visited the site a couple times with his partner.

Solar-powered lights to dazzle city crossings

 Get ready to follow solar energy based traffic signals in the city. Solar powered signalling system would be installed at 22 crossroads over next three months. Once completed the crossings will wear a brand new look.

The installation work, traffic officials said, is being done by a Delhi-based firm under public-private-partnership model.

Traffic Inspector Bipin Chandra Pandey told TOI: "As a part of its pilot project, installion work is first taken at Maharana Pratap crossing and would be further taken to other crossings. The work of laying cable lines and setting up booth too is underway."

He added that the work on the solar run traffic light signalling system would be done in a phased manner.

Pandey further added that solar run traffic signalling system has been quite successful in cities like Agra and Bareilly. As far as working of solar run lights are concerned, solar traffic lights original lights are equipped with the latest technology and use photovoltaic cells.

A solar panel located on the top of the pole converts sunlight into electrical power. A solar charger regulates the voltage coming out of the solar panel. The regulated power obtained is used to charge a battery.

Lighting is produced by an array of extra bright LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) that are much brighter than bulbs. LEDs usually last for years and are very energy efficient. LEDs are small in size, but they can produce a significant amount of light. If solar lighting is progressing very fast, it is mainly due to LED technology.

Meanwhile, the authorities concerned have already removed the defunct traffic lights. The officials have also sought public cooperation in the same regard.

A solar run traffic signalling light costs around Rs eight lakh and is an efficient alternative, provided enough energy is stored.

Despite Setbacks, Arizona Sheriff Won’t Yield the Spotlight

It is not uncommon for law enforcement agencies to have helicopters and planes to patrol from above, but Joe Arpaio, the sheriff of Maricopa County, has created what he calls his own air force: a collection of 30 private planes that his “air posse” uses to track illegal immigrants and drug smugglers.

In what Mr. Arpaio is calling Operation Desert Sky, private pilots have begun flying over central Arizona to act as spotters for Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department deputies. The overhead surveillance has not yet led to any arrests, two weeks after it began, but Mr. Arpaio said it would have a deterrent effect.

In short, Sheriff Joe — as he is widely known — is still at it.

Despite court setbacks to Arizona’s aggressive illegal immigration law, two continuing federal investigations into his law enforcement practices and an audit of his budget released this week that found that millions of dollars had been misspent, the sheriff — as vividly highlighted by the creation of the Arpaio air force — is not backing down in his pursuit of illegal immigrants, or the limelight.

“This is just another controversial program that I don’t think is controversial,” Mr. Arpaio said in his characteristic gruff way.

On Wednesday, budget officials in Maricopa County — a sprawling place as large as some states that includes Phoenix, the country’s sixth-largest city — found that Mr. Arpaio’s department had used nearly $100 million in funds meant to run the jails for other activities, including paying the salaries of deputies assigned to his contentious efforts to uncover human smuggling and public corruption.

Mr. Arpaio, who blames accounting errors for the audit finding and accuses critics of trying to exploit it, skipped the budget hearing and instead showed up outside Monte Carlo Dry Cleaners here, where his deputies led away six women who were charged with using false identification to get jobs, a state crime.

As always, the news media were called to capture the tough-talking sheriff, who declared that this represented the 44th business he had raided in search of illegal immigrants in recent years. If he was feeling the heat from the growing criticism of his department, Mr. Arpaio, dressed in a uniform jacket with four gold stars on each shoulder, was not showing it.

Before the dry cleaners, Mr. Arpaio’s deputies had raided a string of Pei Wei Asian Diners, detaining scores of workers and prompting the chain to take out a full-page help-wanted ad to keep its kitchens going. Across the region are fast food shops, car washes, furniture stores and other establishments that have had sheriff’s deputies unexpectedly rush in demanding papers.

“We’re creating vacancies so these businesses can hire people legally,” Mr. Arpaio said. “I’ve just done something for the economy. I don’t get enough credit for that, from the Justice Department and the rest of the critics. They just think it’s the bad sheriff going in and grabbing dishwashers.”

Maricopa has a love-hate relationship with Mr. Arpaio, 78, an 18-year veteran who has regular protesters outside his downtown offices but still receives kudos from fans on the street and invitations from politicians eager for his endorsement.

Outside the dry cleaners, a man who was not able to drop off some shirts on Wednesday morning, because the store was not accepting new laundry, lauded Mr. Arpaio’s raids and declared of the detained workers: “If they were in the country illegally, they need to get out of here.”

But a woman who was picking up her cleaning was fuming as she waited for the commotion to end. “We’re tired of Sheriff Joe,” said the woman, who like several others at the scene declined to identify themselves. “These workers were supporting their families. They weren’t violent. This is ridiculous.”

The criticism was just as fierce last month when Mr. Arpaio allowed the actor Steven Seagal to ride in an armored vehicle to execute a search warrant in a major raid on a suspected cockfighting operation.

“I’ve never seen a bigger spectacle,” said Robert J. Campos, the lawyer for the accused man, Jesus Llovera. “You had Steven Seagal on a tank and a SWAT team swarming a home, but the reality is they arrested an unarmed man.”

Long loving international spotlight

Shane Long's hunger to learn his trade has only been increased by his emergence as a genuine international footballer.

The Republic of Ireland striker scored his sixth goal in 19 senior appearances for his country in Tuesday night's 3-2 friendly defeat by World Cup semi-finalists Uruguay, and was also instrumental in winning the penalty which led to his side's second.

Long said: "They came fourth in the World Cup, so they are a very good side. One of the lads said nine of the players who started in the semi-final played again on Tuesday night, so they are obviously a quality side. They had two good centre-backs, so it was a big learning curve for me."

Manager Giovanni Trapattoni employed the 24-year-old frontman as a lone striker after being impressed by his performance as a replacement for the injured Kevin Doyle in Saturday's 2-1 Euro 2012 qualifying victory over Macedonia, and was again delighted with his efforts.

Long admits he has benefited from being a regular in the Reading starting line-up this season, and his 18 npower Championship goals to date are testament to his blossoming potency.

The former Cork City player is learning by the week, and his brush with Uruguay was an opportunity to test just how far he has come.

Long added: "I am learning every day and 90 minutes every week is helping me progress. Tuesday's game is only going to add to that.

"They were good defenders. They knew what they were doing and could buy a foul as well, so it was a bit tough up there.

"But I gave as good as I got and I would like to think I caused them a bit of trouble."