Chris Pirillo » car

2010 Toyota Prius V Car Review

Chris — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:48:04 +0000

2010 Toyota Prius V Car Review is a post from Chris Pirillo

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I’ve had my new Toyota Prius for a couple of weeks now, and I have to say – I love it! I wanted to drive it for awhile before I attempted to review it for all of you. This was to allow me to make a serious decision as to how I liked the car, and gave me the opportunity to try everything out! There are a lot of gadgets, gizmos and gauges in this little baby. It’s definitely an awesome piece of machinery, and one I’d definitely recommend you take a look at if you’re looking for a new ride.

Even though I’m not a car enthusiast by any stretch of the imagination, I’m happy to be trying to review it for you. When I first push the button and start the car, you can’t even hear anything! The energy monitor comes on, letting me know that the gas engine is charging up my battery. Even when running off the gas engine, it’s really super quiet.

I’m noticing that I’m now watching how I drive, and whether I’m being conscious of my fuel economy. The Hybrid System Indicator shows me what I’m doing in regards to charging the battery, and how well I’m conserving fuel. I try hard now to pay attention, and make sure that I’m at optimum efficiency.

My tech package on the car includes the back-up camera, which is really nice! The audio options in my car are amazing. It comes with XM Satellite radio, a 4-CD changer, and an auxiliary connection so that I can easily connect my iPhone (and virtually any other MP3 player that I have) via Bluetooth Audio. The Tech Package also includes Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, Pre-Collision System and the Lane Keep Assist.

Amazingly, I averaged approximately 100MPG for well over two minutes straight. No, that’s not a typo. Thanks to the hybrid engine and running off of the battery as much as possible, I actually am getting about 100MPG. In the weeks I’ve had the car, I’ve only had to fill up the gas tank twice. It’s a nine-gallon tank… and I am driving a LOT. What does that tell you about how well I’m conserving fuel?

One small complaint that I have about the car is that it could be designed a bit better to help me see my blind spots. I’ve been in far worse vehicles, though, so I can live with this. As far as layout of the interior and dash – I’m a very happy camper.

The cruise control is something amazing to behold. When I have it set, it will automatically detect the speeds of cars ahead of me, and adjust my speed accordingly!! Can you even believe that? Who would have dreamed a few years ago that a car would be able to even DO that?!

I can guarantee you that I will continue to own a hybrid car of one brand or another for many years to come. There’s nothing you could say at this point to convince me to go back to an entirely gas-powered engine.

I could Geek out all day talking about my car. For now, I’ll let you watch the entire video and make your decision as to whether this could possibly be the coolest car on the market right now.

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How are Computers and Cars Alike?

Chris — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 03:42:23 +0000

How are Computers and Cars Alike? is a post from Chris Pirillo

This is Scott Morgan’s submission for the HP Magic Giveaway. Feel free to leave comments for this article as you see fit – your feedback is certainly welcomed! If you’d like to submit your own how-to, what-is, or top-five list, you can send it to me. Views and opinions of this writer are not necessarily my own:

I’m a computer geek by nature. My first PC was a Texas Instruments Ti-99/4a Personal Home computer that my parents bought me for Christmas when they were selling for $50 a piece at the local Brand Names Outlet. Mom bought 6 cartridges for my sister and me, three apiece, and cut out the proofs of purchase to have the Speech Synthesizer Module shipped to us so I could play Parsec with a drone computer voice speaking in the background. My first computer that I purchased myself was an Apple //e with one floppy drive, CP/M Microsoft Z-80 card, Imagewriter 2 Color Printer and an Apple RGB Color Monitor – total cost $2200 on the Apple Credit Program!
Since then, I’ve owned a dozen assorted Macintosh computers second hand and have built several PCs myself…

But my other passion is automobiles. I’ve been a mechanic for many years and love the feel of grease between my fingers, the smell of gasoline and burning metal of rotors being machined. So when someone asks me at work how to keep their computer running in good shape, I tell them that a computer is like an automobile; both are machines, both require maintenance and both require the best parts to be high-performance machines and eventually both will break and need replacements.

My job at work is to diagnose customer problems with their Internet and determine problems with their Internet connections, whether they are related to their computers or their Modems, or our servers, or somewhere else on the Internet. I recommend to most customers to do a weekly routine of maintenance to their computers so that their computers are working the way they should, determine which upgrades they need to keep up with their expectations of performance. You certainly will not get the same graphics and sound performance out of Pentium III with Windows 2000 that you will get out of a Dual Core Intel PC running Windows Vista. Of course, many of my customers would lead someone to believe that the chipset does not matter, as if they could get the same gasoline fuel mileage from a carbureted Cadillac V8 as they could from a Honda Hybrid engine.

Computers are getting faster and more powerful, whereas automobiles are getting smarter and more efficient, a stark contrast to the 1970s and 1980s when computers were designed to maximize their efficiency (such as the Cray X-MP that was built cylindrically to minimize wire length and maximize direct connections) and cars were becoming faster and more powerful; an example of this would be Ford’s use of wind tunnels to minimize drag resistance to make their car bodies more aerodynamic and cut through the air faster and safer and Ford’s constant competition with Chrysler on the racetracks of America. Computers are becoming more powerful at an exponential rate, and the manufacturers are “borrowing” from the designs and breakthroughs in the automotive industry.

Apple computer recently released a new design for their Macintosh Macbook Pro line recently with a “unibody construction”, an idea where the base of the book is not screwed together piece by piece, but cut from one single piece of aluminum, which adds to the rigidity, strength and takes up less space. Ironically, this is also not a new idea, but something that the automotive industry introduced back in the 1970’s with many of their vehicles using a Unibody Constructed weld that centered on the vehicle cabin as being the base of the vehicle instead of mounting a vehicle body to a set of frame rails. This made the body more lightweight, used less metal and made a stronger frame where it was needed most, to protect the insides of the car that needed the most protection – the passenger cabin.

Computers have become faster due to advances in processors breaking the Gigahertz speed barrier to the point where manufacturers realized that the only way to make them faster was to include more processors to pick up the slack in speed. When Apple introduced the concept of including more than one processor working in conjunction with each other, the biggest obstacle was in making the processors share the work. Apple figured out a way to pipeline the data between the processors and having the processors check each other for discrepancies, and thus, the G5 was born. Duo processors are commonplace nowadays and the car manufacturers are racing to keep up with the computers at last. The automotive manufacturers are putting faster computers in their automobiles to keep up with the calculations that are necessary to get the most fuel efficiency from their engines and the safety devices onboard. Pontiac Motor Group even released an automobile in 2005 called the G5 which has replaced their long running Grand Am line of cars. The chicken has finally come before the egg… or has it?

Car engines used to be completely air cooled before the invention of water cooled engines that dissipated heat away from the parts that need to stay within operating temperatures. It wasn’t too long before AMD and Intel began making CPUs that created so much heat that their cooling fans couldn’t keep up with the airflow necessary to cool the heat sinks. A much more efficient solution was found by using a radiator and water pump system identical to what is used in automobiles.

Manufacturers are making cars smaller by means of reducing body weight in cars, and making hybrid engines which is the one way that car manufacturers have really begun to make serious progress in becoming more efficient, by creating engines that move electrically most of the time when it’s most efficient to do so. PC manufacturers still do not have computer that can use a hybrid battery, albeit unfortunate that some batteries in laptops last year were returned to the manufacturers under warranties because they were combusting.

The biggest problem with a computer is when you let it sit for too long and it gains dust to the point where the hardware becomes antiquated. If and when you do decide to use it, you need to determine whether you need to upgrade the hardware to meet your requirements. How are you ever going to play World of Warcraft on a PC that has a 128 MB PCI Video Card and only 512 megs of RAM? When you decide to bring that old jalopy out of retirement, it has to be because you either overclocked your old PC and fried the motherboard or your wife has decided to return to college and needs your PC more than you do. You might decide to just buy another computer in lieu of buying all the parts needed to get “Old Faithful” running again. However, $500 worth of computer parts can buy you a revived computer, and you’ll be on your way to mining for gold ore and beating up zombies in no time.

Cars are another matter entirely. Say your wife has not only decided to go back to college, but she’s decided to go to a college where she has to commute on a daily basis between work and home and school and you have the choice of letting her take the dependable SUV that you know will get her there and back on time safely, thus protecting your investment of the $25,000 Student Loan she had to take out to afford school. The other choice you’re presented is letting her take your car, the one that needs new brake pads and routers, tune up and oil change… the one you were going to give your son for college. Now you’ve decided to get that car fixed up and running for yourself to take to work and back so you can earn a living and plan out your retirement, but your son still needs a car. You’ve offered him your car, but you’re going to need it, and you certainly don’t want him in an unsafe car.

The beauty of automobiles is that they last so long, and the older ones always seem to be in style. Nobody in their right mind would hesitate at giving up their old PC that doesn’t start up sometimes when you need to write a term paper for a new computer with a warranty on it and the software needed to get the job done. Likewise, nobody in their right mind would take a 1967 Camaro to the junkyard simply because it used a quart of motor oil between oil changes before you bought it with a seized engine. The interior may need some reupholstering and the body may need a coat of paint. But the engine and and brakes are what counts. What if you had the means to revive a classic for your son, and he was all the more happier to put his hard earned money from his summer jobs where it mattered and spend some time with you in taking on such an endeavor? You come to an agreement that you and he would work on the weekends to restore an automobile back to roadworthiness and that he would take the car to college and pay the gasoline and maintenance costs if you would help with the insurance payments… and all you would have to do is help him with the work, and teach him how to maintain it. And it gives the two of you the time you need to bond before he heads off to the school of life.

First you decide that a Camaro is too big of a car, too much engine and too inefficient for him… heck, the kid’s gotta have money to actually EAT while he’s at school. You settle on another classic that is more affordable, more efficient and just as much fun to drive… you find mid 1980s Mustang convertible with a body in good shape. But the car has sit for so long up on cinder blocks that it needs the brake drums and rotors resurfaced, new pads, new brake hardware and new tires. You figure it will take all summer long to restore the car to driving condition and about $1000 in parts. You turn on the key and there’s no power on the dashboard. Of course, the battery’s disconnected – the owner didn’t want it to drain the battery dry. You reconnect the battery cable and turn it over, the starter clicks and nothing happens. You ask the owner how long has the car been sitting, and she tells you that it has sat in the yard since her husband took it off the road three years ago.

When the car has been sitting that long, the cylinders will be as dry the day the engine was assembled, so having some engine assembly lightweight oil or a teaspoon of Marvel’s Mystery Oil inside the cylinder walls with the spark plugs removed is a good idea while turning the engine over. Even spraying a little WD-40 down inside the chambers will help reduce the friction of startup and engine oil pump priming.

spray around each spark plug with air to remove debris and dirt; remove the plugs
spray each cylinder with WD-40 or equiv. penetrating oil
add a teaspoon of Marvel Mystery Oil
put the plugs back in
let the engine sit for several hours
remove battery cable
put emergency brake on
put transmission into neutral
remove the spark plugs again hand turn the harmonic balancer to turn the engine over 1/4 turn at a time.

If you cannot turn by hand, the engine is seized and the car needs to be towed to a mechanic. The cylinder heads may need to be removed and the pistons loosened with a rubber mallet before it can be turned over.

Is the American Auto Industry Dead?

Chris — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 22:55:44 +0000

Is the American Auto Industry Dead? is a post from Chris Pirillo

As noted in an email to me this morning, GM has asked Congress for a short-term emergency aid package to help them survive the credit crunch and come out stronger on the other side. This has caused an intense public debate with media on both sides weighing in on the merits of federal aid for Detroit.

There’s a poll, released today, that explores what the American public thinks about this issue. According to the poll, the idea of federal aid has broad-based support: a majority of adults agree that the government should provide loans to the auto industry. They believe that the automakers will face bankruptcy without federal aid, that aid to automakers is viewed as just as important or more important than aid to the financial sector, and that the majority of people view a Big Three failure as a trigger for economic depression.

Of course, I do ask that you consider the source of the poll (Peter D. Hart Research Associates).

“Do you believe that the government should or should not provide loans to America’s automakers so they have the money to manufacture vehicles?” 55% agreed.

“President-elect Barack Obama has stated that one of his first economic priorities as president is to make sure that the American automobile industry continues to be able to operate, and he favors an economic assistance program to help them. Do agree or disagree with him?” 64% agreed.

“Do you believe that America’s automakers will face bankruptcy without government loans?” 60% agreed.

“The federal government has recently provided financial aid to the insurance and banking industries to make sure that these industries do not fail. Do you feel that providing financial aid to ensure that the U.S. auto industry does not fail is more important, just as important, or less important?” 55% believe it’s just as important.

“If General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler were to go out of business in the next few months, how likely do you think this would be to trigger an economic depression in the U.S.–extremely likely, very likely, somewhat likely, not likely, or not at all likely?” 33% say extremely, 27% say very, and 29% say somewhat.

“If you learned three to five years from now that America’s automakers had successfully weathered the current economic challenges and emerged as leaders in the worldwide automobile industry, how important would that be to America–extremely important, very important, somewhat important, not important, or not at all important?” 44% said extremely, 38% said very.

In my life, I’ve owned one American car – a 1991 Ford Escort. It served me well enough throughout my college years, but definitely had its fair share of problems and ultimately died. I moved on to a Nissan, a Toyota, and have been driving Acura automobiles for the past few years. It’s not like I don’t consider American cars when it comes to getting a new one, I just… find better options, prices, ratings in International vehicles.

What will Cars of Tomorrow be Like?

Chris — Thu, 22 May 2008 06:00:48 +0000

What will Cars of Tomorrow be Like? is a post from Chris Pirillo

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With the Technological advances being made every day, what do you think the future holds for automobiles? Where, and how, do you see yourself “driving” twenty years from now? With the gas prices being so insanely high right now, it naturally led to a discussion as to what changes will be made to our travel habits.

The folks in my chat room and I were discussing this, and we came up with a few ideas as to what we think the future of automobiles is or should be.

No wheels!This is a given. Eventually, we’ll be flying around. It won’t happen soon, no. But at some point, it will be far more efficient to not use wheels, and to fly instead.
Renewable Energy! That’s a given, again. I’d personally rather see more cars running off of electricity, rather than fuel or hydrogen. Electricity is all around, and is much better than destroying the Earth. Is that to say electric cars would be better or safer? I don’t know. But I know our planet would be much happier if we were running our vehicles this way.
Free content. I have XM radio in my car, and I love my subscription. But at some point, it becomes silly to pay for services like this. If cars came equipped with Internet service, you could have an unlimited world out there as far as music and entertainment goes.
Full Heads-up Display Right now, it’s really inefficient how our dashboards are laid out. The instruments should be embedded somehow invisibly within the windshield. This would help with night vision, and help you see objects like deer better.
Automated Driving Wouldn’t it be great to punch in where you’re going, then just sit back and relax? Let the car do the actual driving! I can’t wait for that day, personally.

I’m pretty sure all of these things are coming. Will it happen in our lifetime? I don’t know, honestly. But isn’t it fun to think about? What do you think is in store for the future of automobiles?

Check out these automobile-related deals!

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Diecast Car Collecting

Chris — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 03:50:17 +0000

Diecast Car Collecting is a post from Chris Pirillo

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MyNameIsMatt2 writes: “Do you like cars? I LOVE them, and that is one reason I got into Diecast Car collecting. Diecast Cars are things like Hot Wheels, Johnny Lightning, Green Light, Matchbox, etc. They are pretty much any miniature car that is made of Diecast metal.”

Find a forum related to Diecast. I have found some really good ones, and some really bad ones. Finding a forum dedicated to Diecast is one of the most important tips I will share with you. Talking among fellow collectors and playing “Show and Tell” can be an extremely good experience, and can even fuel your love of Diecast even more. But make sure you find a good forum or community, because you don’t want to be stuck in a community of haters and idiots.
Know your abbreviations and phrases. All you need to do is go onto a Diecast forum and casually ask what an abbreviation or phrase means when you see it. Knowing these is a very helpful way of getting your point across while also saving space. For example, HW means Hot Wheel. Chase Car means a rare car that collectors *chase* after. JL is Johnny Lightning, etc.
Get to know your chase cars. Just about every Diecast company has its own chase car, whether it be a certain model and make, color, or just a series. Also know how much they are worth. For example, Hot Wheels’ chase car is called a Treasure Hunt, and they are typically worth $1-30, and come about 2 per case of 72, depending on what type of Treasure Hunt it is. Green Light’s chase car is called a Green Machine (any car with a metallic green paint), and are typically worth anywhere from $30-250, and come about 2% out of a run of 5,000. Knowing your chase cars can be the difference between selling them for $30 when you should have gotten $500, and it can also be useful when trading online.
Know your vintage cars and how much they are worth. If you go antique shopping, sometimes you could find old Diecast cars. If you see one, you need to know how much it is worth, so you get a good deal. For example, Old Hot Wheels are called Red Lines (RL’s) because of the red line around the middle of the tires. These cars, in mint condition, can be worth anywhere from $30-$15,000, and knowing what it is worth can save you from getting a bad deal. Believe it or not, a collector spent $85,000 on a single Red Line a few years ago, because it was a prototype, pink, red line, and is probably among the rarer things on the planet. Collectors believe there were only around 5 made. Imagine selling someone an old car at a garage sale, and then realizing you could have sold it for hundreds more.
Attend local Diecast shows. I go to one every month in Dallas, and the prices and people there are wonderful. They are nice, and it is great talking to someone that shares my love of diecast.
Bonus tip! When at a Diecast show, stay from the early morning until it closes. In the morning, you might find a certain car that is in high demand, and you might have only that chance to buy it. And, if you stay until closing, the dealers will be wanting to get rid of their stock, and will lower their prices, or be in the mood to cut them back.

EBook(R) About Hobby Of Collecting Vinyl Records.

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Energy Efficient Cars: What you Don’t Know

Chris — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 22:46:42 +0000

Energy Efficient Cars: What you Don’t Know is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Bad Bad Leroy Dan had to call me to interrupt a video I was trying to do on saving energy. You know I had to record it when he started saying that our Government is not allowing us to save energy. There are six cars built in America that get more than 35 miles per gallon… but Americans are not allowed to buy them. They are all exported right out of the country.

One of the keys to restarting the American economy is staring us in the face. While our future hinges on the rapid adoption of fuel-efficient vehicles, our government stands in the way of a rapid free market solution. 35 MPG can be an immediate reality, with one domestic manufacturer, if the United States government would only allow it to happen. Our elected representatives need to be aware of the facts and make the appropriate decisions.

All-in-all, a dozen Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep diesel-engined models are currently available outside of the United States, but are not sold domestically. Here’s the eye-opener … half of those models currently achieve 35 miles per gallon combined. That’s 35 MPG … right now. And what’s even more crazy? All of these 35 MPG cars and SUVs are built in North American plants by North American workers … American citizens cannot buy and drive the fuel-efficient cars they build.

Because these vehicles use Diesel fuel, they don’t pass the Emissions standards. Therefore, even though Americans make these vehicles and could really benefit from the mileage these get… we can’t buy them.

What if the federal government temporarily rolled back the emissions requirements for one or two years, to allow the sale of these fuel-sipping vehicles while Chrysler and its partners complete the engineering necessary to meet the current regulations?

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What’s the Best way to Buy a Car?

Chris — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 08:26:36 +0000

What’s the Best way to Buy a Car? is a post from Chris Pirillo

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JP may only be 13 years old, but he sure does have an excellent grasp of what you should be looking at and thinking about when shopping for a new car. Here are the tips he sent in to me recently.

Write down a list of what you are going to need out of a car. For example: are you going to be going on long trips frequently, or is it just a car to get around the city? This is very important because you need this information to make the right decision.
SURF THE WEB, and then go to two dealers. If you can, pick up a copy of Consumer Reports magazine (or check their website). Check out the safety, performance, and even the comfort level and customer ratings of the car.
When you go to the dealer, make sure you get the most out of it. Walk in with a folder with other dealer quotes and online prices so the ball is in your court. Ask for a test drive. Ask to take the car out by yourself, rather than having them drive you. This way you can put the car to it’s maximum performance level, and be sure you are comfortable driving it.
If you can, buy the car during Christmas time when everyone is shopping for presents, and the car dealer is left with no one to sell to. This motivates the seller and they will ultimately lower the prices.
Don’t let one dealer try to sell you a car from another dealer. There are many problems in this, and it is simply the oldest trick in the book. The dealer will tell you the car is identical. The car will come… and there will be an extra feaature or transportation charge. Heck, you could end up missing important features to you, or getting the wrong style or color. Trust me… don’t let them give you a car from another dealer. If there is no other way out, then ask for the location of the second dealer. Go to that dealer ad posibly buy it from them!

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Tips to Properly Maintain your Vehicle

Chris — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 05:04:15 +0000

Tips to Properly Maintain your Vehicle is a post from Chris Pirillo

Keaton was getting his oil changed the other day, and realized he doesn’t remember me ever putting something up about vehicle maintenance. He jotted down his top five tips for maintaining your car or truck…. or van… or SUV…

Have your oil changed every three to four thousand miles or 4 months… which ever comes first… and depending on your driving habits. Most drivers do not know that bad oil can lead to poor gas mileage. This is due to junk building up in your crankshaft. That junk, soon enough, makes it harder for the vehicle to run. The harder your motor has to work the more gas you end up using.
Make sure your tires are properly filled to the recommended pressure. It is best to check by looking at the tire when you enter and exit the vehicle. Also, be aware that it is recommended to check your tire pressure at the beginning of the summer and winter. This will ensure that temperature is not effecting your tire pressure. Low tire pressure can lead to poor gas mileage and maneuverability issues so stay on top of it or you might end up paying for it.
Your fuel and ignition system are important parts that need to be maintained regularly. This includes spark plugs, spark plug wires, and fuel filters. Once again they too can effect your gas mileage. Ensuring that all these items are working properly and are replaced at least once a year will keep your vehicle running healthy.
Make sure your vehicle can breathe. Just like all living things, your vehicle needs air to work properly. Most air filters need to be changed when your oil is changed. If your car can not breathe it can end up getting….. I bet you can guess it, poor gas mileage. The cleaner the filter the happier your car will be.
Clean your car. You might think I am kidding, but it is proven that a clean car can get more gas mileage. If you are wanting to save some green, washing and waxing you vehicle will make it more aerodynamic. Doing this will make your vehicle glide through the air.

How to Deal with Winter and your Car

Chris — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 07:40:47 +0000

How to Deal with Winter and your Car is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Winter not only brings Christmas, it also brings bad weather for much of the United States. Snow, sleet and ice are prevalent, and can wreak havoc on your car. Here are some excellent tips to help you deal more effectively with your car in bad weather.

Store your car (if it’s possible) always in a garage or in a “closed type” parking. It is very important to keep your car from the snow because it will be always clean and you will not waste your time to clean the snow from it. It is best to you to keep car in a warm place to help the snow to thaw after driving.
Keep your gas tank as full as you can. The temperature difference between cold conditions outside and warm conditons inside the gas tank causes the process of water condesation which can cause an “ice fuse” in fuel hoses. You then suddenly may not be able to power on your car engine, because fuel is not able to reach the engine. But, if your tank is always filled with gas, it will supersede all water drops and they simply will be burned in the engine with the fuel.
After washing your car, “blow” all locks of your`s car doors with a hair drier. Remember how many times you tried to open a frozen door of your car after washing? So, after washing your car, park it in a warm place (in a garage), then take a simple hair drier and blow car locks with it.You must blow warm airflow directly inside the lock for a minute ot two to make it totally dry. Then, take a dry cloth and wipe out water from the lock mechanism on the side of the door.
Keep an eye on your “window washer” liquid level. It`s dirty outside, isn`t it? So, to drive safely, it’s very important to have clean front windows. Go to your closest store and buy a good washer liquid for your car. Do not buy cheap products, because they can contain chemicals, which can be dangerous for you life.
Do not buy liquid which contains methanol (CH3OH), because when in the air, it transforms into deadly Carbon Dioxide which can be very dangerous if inhaled
How to drive your car safely during winter? There is an ice on the road! So increase speed slowly! I said slowly!!! Give some time to your car`s wheels to hook on the ice. Remember, that the “stopping-distance” of your car varies from the weather conditions. In winter, it becomes much bigger than in summer because of the ice. So, brake in advance, to prevent collison!!! A good braking technique in winter is a “repeatedly braking technique”. Try to push on a brake pedal repeatedly, so your “brake lips” can clean the brake disk from dirt and snow and effectively stop your car.

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GM IAA Announcements

Chris — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 00:52:05 +0000

GM IAA Announcements is a post from Chris Pirillo

http://live.pirillo.com – here’s a front row seat to GM’s product announcements at IAA 2007 in Frankfurt, Germany. If you look real close, you can see a few industry superstars sitting in the audience (when I turn the camera away from the stage to point it at Ponzi for a moment).

In essence, the environmental strategy of General Motors Europe is to reduce CO2 emissions in the short term and introduce new propulsion technologies in the long term. The goal is to offer customers vehicles that can operate on many different energy sources. “The multi-tiered approach includes accelerating the development of electrically powered vehicles, stepping up efforts to replace fossil fuels and increasing the efficiency of gasoline and diesel engines,” explains Carl-Peter Forster, GME President. GM Europe will invest 700 million euros in new engines and transmissions in the next five years alone, with the first models already at the IAA.

Carl-Peter Forster continues: “Opel’s surprise for this year’s IAA also symbolizes the versatility of our extensive environmental initiative. A concept car which combines electric propulsion and a turbo diesel engine in a way that is fundamentally different to previous hybrid propulsion designs.”

NOTE: General Motors helped cover travel expenses for our trip to Germany. Without their direct support, this remote coverage would not have been possible. They allowed us to explore and cover as much as we possibly could, not just GM’s product line.

How to Fit a Segway into a Car

Chris — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 00:51:05 +0000

How to Fit a Segway into a Car is a post from Chris Pirillo

http://live.pirillo.com – We live-streamed the unveiling of GM’s newest electric car concept fully at a substantially lower bitrate, but here’s the Segway segment from Ponzi’s perspective. Again, our position was not fully ideal – but at least we were able to capture the energy.

Hydrogen Car Information Interview

Chris — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 00:50:05 +0000

Hydrogen Car Information Interview is a post from Chris Pirillo

http://live.pirillo.com – Ponzi and I had a rare opportunity to learn more about hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles with one of the automobile industry’s leading minds, Dr. Lars Peter Thiesen.

The GM HydroGen4 is the European version of the Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell. In fall 2007, the first of these fuel cell cars — a global fleet of more than 100 vehicles is planned — will be on the roads in the USA.

The HydroGen4’s fuel cell stack consists of 440 series-connected cells. The entire system produces an electrical output of up to 93 kW. With help from a 73 kW/100 hp synchronous electric motor, acceleration from zero to 100 km/h takes around 12 seconds. The front-wheel drive vehicle’s top speed is around 160 km/h.

Bob Lutz, GM Blogger Roundtable

Chris — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 00:44:29 +0000

Bob Lutz, GM Blogger Roundtable is a post from Chris Pirillo

http://live.pirillo.com – You’ve likely already watched my live interview with Bob at youtube.com/watch?v=-ysnr-V2dRg (in which I was quite tongue-tied). This new recording was from an exclusive roundtable Q&A session with a few fellow bloggers.

Bob begins with his reasons for starting a blog…

Germany Blogger/Youtube Meetup

Chris — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 00:43:14 +0000

Germany Blogger/Youtube Meetup is a post from Chris Pirillo

http://live.pirillo.com – Ponzi and I are still in Frankfurt, and we’d love to meet our virtual friends in real life!

I may need help with translating this all-call to German, BTW. :)

Bob Lutz Interview

Chris — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 00:42:05 +0000

Bob Lutz Interview is a post from Chris Pirillo

http://live.pirillo.com – Bob Lutz is an industry legend, and I was more than a little tongue-tied when given the opportunity to sit down with him for a few minutes at the unveiling of GM’s new electric concept car in Frankfurt, Germany.

Can you believe he’s a blogger, too!?

How to Handle Remote Tech Support

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:30:00 GMT

Using GoToAssist is the easiest way to view and control another person's computer online. Use it to provide instant technical support to family, friends and customers. Start a session with just one click, and instantly connect with the other party.

Network Tools for Windows

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

You need these network tools, no matter which operating systems and networks you have to support. SolarWinds ipMonitor: Affordable Network Monitoring for SMBs. Get turnkey network, server and application availability monitoring with SolarWinds ipMonitor v9.0. This easy-to-use, reliable solution for SMBs delivers out-of-the-box availability monitoring so you always know exactly what's up with Active Directory, DNS, Exchange, FTP, Web, IMAP, MS SQL Server, and SMTP. Download your free trial today. Or, try their totally free tools! And, through 2/29, save 20% when you purchase ipMonitor 9.0.

Get Your Own Web Site

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

Starting at just $3.99/month, web hosting from GoDaddy includes 99.9% uptime, 24/7 support and free access to GoDaddy Hosting Connection, THE place to install over 30 FREE applications sure to help you get the most from your hosting plan and Web site. Enter code CP2 at checkout, and save an additional 10% on any order.

Plus, as a friend of Chris Pirillo, enter code CHRIS7, that's C-H-R-I-S and the number 7, when you check out, and save an additional 10% on any order. Get your piece of the internet at GoDaddy.com.

VMware and Parallels for Virtual Machines

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

It doesn't matter if you're running on Windows or Mac OS X - every power user needs either Parallels or VMware (or both). There's never been an easier way to test software without destroying your primary operating system's stability. Think of how many times you wish you could press a 'reverse' button on your computer. Plus, there's no easier way to try new Linux distributions - see what all the fuss is about. Run Windows in OS X, run Linux in Windows, but the best way to do either is with VMware and/or Parallels.

Coupons for Online Shopping

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:56:13 GMT

This feed is fueled by Lockergnome Online Shopping and Coupon Codes

Before you shop next time, see if we have a coupon first.