DREAMS.........

Bob Lazar Interview talks Aliens, UFOs and Area 51

2015-01-26T00:34:00.002+05:30

Phil Schneider Documentary of truth about Aliens & UFO's

2015-01-26T00:30:00.000+05:30

The Reason NASA Never Returned To The Moon

2015-01-26T00:27:00.002+05:30

OBAMA'S ALIEN SECRET SERVICE spotted at 2012 AIPAC Conference!

2015-01-26T00:21:00.002+05:30

Time Travel and Teleportation - Andy Basiago's disclosure interview

2015-01-26T00:10:00.001+05:30

BMW Intelligent Headlight Technology

2014-03-16T08:39:00.001+05:30

First introduced on the new BMW 7 Series (July 2012) as part of the optional Adaptive LED Headlights, this functionality is now also supported with Xenon headlights on all new BMW 3 Series Saloon and Touring models specified with a Visibility package. BMW Adaptive Headlights are combined with BMW High-beam Assistant technology to provide an intelligent headlight system that optimises the illumination of the road ahead without glaring on-coming traffic and other road users. This ensures improved visibility and safety during night time and poor weather driving conditions.

TOYOTA fun-vii CONCEPT CAR

2014-03-10T14:01:00.004+05:30

The Toyota Fun-vii (vehicle, interactive, Internet) was a 3-seat concept car unveiled at the October 2011 Tokyo Motor Show. It was also shown at the January 2012 North American International Auto Show, as the Toyota diji at the March 2012 Geneva Motor Show and as the iiMo at the September/October 2012 Paris Motor Show and the October 2012 São Paulo International Transport Industry Show. The interior colours can be altered to suit the driver's mood and the entire exterior of the car can be used as a display. Navigation help is provided by a 3D avatar that is projected from the dashboard. The car can communicate by electronic network with other cars and the road that are similarly equipped. Most features can be controlled by smartphone: Toyota president Akio Toyoda called it a "smartphone on four wheels".[44] Initially the drive train was not known but it was revealed to be a pure electric vehicle with wireless recharging at the São Paulo show. Specifications were not given. The car is able to navigate by itself in "auto-pilot" lanes. Overview Manufacturer Toyota Production 2011 Dimensions Wheelbase 2,750 mm (108.3 in)[37] Length 4,020 mm (158.3 in) Width 1,745 mm (68.7 in) Height 1,415 mm (55.7 in) Source:- Youtube:-AutomotiveReview Wikipedia:-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Fun-vii#Fun-vii

Future Furnitures..

2014-03-10T13:50:00.000+05:30

Impressed with these furnitures, simple to use and space saving. Source:- Youtube:-TheHbkSrk

Salar de Uyuni - where Heaven and Earth merge

2014-03-10T13:32:00.003+05:30

Salar de Uyuni (or Salar de Tunupa) is the world's largest salt flat at 10,582 square kilometers (4,086 sq mi). It is located in the Potosí and Oruro departments in southwest Bolivia, near the crest of the Andes and is at an elevation of 3,656 meters (11,995 ft) above mean sea level.[1] The Salar was formed as a result of transformations between several prehistoric lakes. It is covered by a few meters of salt crust, which has an extraordinary flatness with the average altitude variations within one meter over the entire area of the Salar. The crust serves as a source of salt and covers a pool of brine, which is exceptionally rich in lithium. It contains 50 to 70% of the world's lithium reserves,[2] which is in the process of being extracted. The large area, clear skies, and the exceptional flatness of the surface make the Salar an ideal object for calibrating the altimeters of Earth observation satellites.[3][4][5][6][7] The Salar serves as the major transport route across the Bolivian Altiplano and is a major breeding ground for several species of pink flamingos. Salar de Uyuni is also a climatological transitional zone since the towering tropical cumulus congestus and cumulus incus clouds that form in the eastern part of the salt flat during the summer cannot permeate beyond its drier western edges, near the Chilean border and the Atacama Desert. Source- Youtube- Arroz Marisco,Kensuke Ito Wikipedia- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salar_de_Uyuni

Honeymoon Destination - Lakshadweep

2014-03-10T13:22:00.003+05:30

Lakshadweep /ləkˈʃɑːdwiːp/ (About this sound Lakṣadvīp (help·info), Lakshadīb, Malayalam: ലക്ഷദ്വീപ്,formerly known as the Laccadive, Minicoy, and Amindivi Islands /ˌlækədaɪv ˌmɪnɨkɔɪ/ & /ˌæmɨnˈdiːvi/,[2] is a group of islands in the Laccadive Sea, 200 to 440 kilometres (120 to 270 mi) off the south western coast of India. The archipelago is a Union Territory and is governed by the Union Government of India. They were also known as Laccadive Islands, although geographically this is only the name of the central subgroup of the group. Lakshadweep comes from "Lakshadweepa", which means "one hundred thousand islands" in Sanskrit as well as many Indian languages like Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu and others.[3][4] The islands form the smallest Union Territory of India: their total surface area is just 32 square kilometres (12 sq mi).2 The lagoon area covers about 4,200 square kilometres (1,600 sq mi), the territorial waters area 20,000 square kilometres (7,700 sq mi) and the exclusive economic zone area 400,000 square kilometres (150,000 sq mi). The region forms a single Indian district with ten sub divisions. Kavaratti serves as the capital of the Union Territory and the region comes under the jurisdiction of Kerala High Court. The islands are the northernmost of the Lakshadweep-Maldives-Chagos group of islands, which are the tops of a vast undersea mountain range, the Chagos-Laccadive Ridge.[5] As the islands do not have any aboriginal groups, different views have been postulated by the scholars about the history of habitation on these islands. Archaeological evidence support the existence of human settlement in the region around 1500 BC. The islands have long been known to sailors, as indicated by an anonymous reference from the first century AD to the region in Periplus of the Erythraean Sea. The islands were referenced also in the Buddhist Jataka stories of the 6th century BC. The arrival of Muslim missionaries around 7th century led to the advent of Islam in the region. During the medieval period the region was ruled by the Chola dynasty and Kingdom of Cannanore. The Portuguese arrived around 1498 and were upstaged by 1545. The region was then ruled by the Muslim house of Arakkal, followed by Tipu Sultan. On his death in 1799 most of the region passed on to the British and with their departure the Union Territory was formed in 1956. Ten of the islands are inhabited. At the 2011 Indian census the population of the Union Territory was 64,429. The majority of the indigenous population is Muslim and most of them belong to the Shafi School of the Sunni Sect. The islanders are ethnically similar to the Malayali people of the nearest Indian state of Kerala. Most of the population speaks Malayalam with Mahi (or Mahl) being the most spoken language in Minicoy island. The islands are served by an airport on the Agatti island. The main occupation of the people is fishing and coconut cultivation, with tuna being the main item of export. Source- Youtube- Lakshatour Wikipedia-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakshadweep

Dream Destination -Andean Explorer Train Full Journey from Puno to Cusco

2013-06-17T18:51:00.001+05:30

This spectacular rail journey begins in the beautiful city of Puno, on the shores of Lake Titicaca and travels North to historic Cuzco (Cusco) On the journey, the train makes a gentle climb to higher, and cooler, altitudes. The first half of the journey is dominated by the magnificent Andean mountains which towers over the deep valleys of the meandering Huatanay River. It then reaches the gentler, rolling Andean Plains, where vicuña and alpaca can be seen. If travelling aboard the Andean Explorer, the glass-walled observation car provides the perfect opportunity to view the beautiful scenery. The journey is broken by a scenic stop at La Raya, which is also the highest point on the route. Train journey between Cuzco (Cusco) and Lake Titicaca (or vice versa), three-course lunch. In additional to the complimentary lunch a Breakfast Menu, along with various snacks and a continuous Restaurant and Bar service is available at an additional cost.

JOURNEY Juliaca is the first stop on this journey through Andean highland culture after departing Puno (3,855 meters), an expanding, low-roofed university town spread around an austere cathedral, which, since its foundation in 1668, has strengthened its tenuous grip on the shores of Lake Titicaca by gradually scaling the surrounding hills.
281 Km from Cusco - the train reaches Juliaca, a commercial railway-junction town of around 150,000 inhabitants, whose rampant buying and selling seems at times to virtually spill onto the tracks and force the train to pick its way through their stalls.
186 Km from Cusco - at Marangani, where an English-style manor house built in the last century is still home to the descendents of the wool barons who established the regions only textile factory there more than one hundred years ago, Cuzco's fertile hills give way to the high plain known as the Altiplano. The train continues to climb for another 27 Km, past the thermal baths at Aguas Calientes to La Raya,
210 Km from Puno. At 4,321 meters above sea level this is the highest point on the journey, a cold, remote place whose surrounding snow-draped peaks are often shrouded by mist or fine rain, and whose eerie silence is at least partly attributable to eardrums blocked by the dizzying altitude. Crossing this great watershed, the train travels across a sea of seemingly-endless coarse grassland through villages lost to time for all but the Coca Cola company and local breweries.
120 Km from Cusco - at Raqchi, just before the San Pedro railway station, the remains of the great temple of Viracocha, the creator god, can just be seen to the left of the train. Raqchi has been described by John Hemming as "probably the largest roofed building ever built by the Incas". Seventeen km beyond San Pedro, the train stops at Sicuani, a bustling island of commerce amid a barren landscape. Aymara women ferry their goods around this important market town on nimbly-chauffeured taxi-tricycles, or sit impassively before their wares awaiting a buyer.
80 Km from Cusco - the two villages of Cusipata and Checacupe (at 99 km) hide unexpected treasures of both pre-Columbian and colonial origin, from fine Inca and pre-Inca remains, to yet another ornately-decorated 17th century church.
59 Km from Cusco - at Urcos lies the lake which gives the village its name. Urcos is both a popular spot for weekenders from Cuzco (Cusco) and as local legend suggests, the repository of Inca gold hidden there forever by local chieftains, anxious to prevent the Spanish from melting down their sacred objects.
45 Km from Cusco - the church at Andahuaylillas is one of the jewels in Cuzco's colonial crown and boasts a magnificent series of murals and superb colonial-era paintings, all on diverse religious themes. 40 Km from Cusco - at Rumicolca, we are close to the great stone gateway of the same name which, for the Incas, silently guarded the southern approach to Cuzco (Cusco). For the much earlier Wari culture it served as an aqueduct, channeling water from the picturesque Laguna de Lucre to their walled city at Pikillacta.
32 Km from Cusco - before reaching Lake Muina, the train turns to the left, crossing the valley road, to join the Vilcanota River at Huambutio as it plunges sharply into its gorge before widening into the great Urubamba canyon.
25 Km from Cusco - the train passes through Oropesa, an early-rising community whose forty-seven bakeries have provided Cuzco (Cusco) with its daily bread for generations.

I wish someday I will be able to visit such a lovely place.

Thanx to original uploader:-travelshortsYouTube links:-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVUGPfIKfk0

Dream Journey- The Trans-Mongolian Railway

2013-06-17T18:41:00.000+05:30

Thanx to the original uploader:-inukjorgensen- Excellent Job

The Trans-Siberian Railway (Russian: Транссибирская магистраль Transsibirskaya Magistral') is a network of railways connecting Moscow with the Russian Far East and the East Sea (Sea of Japan).It is the longest railway line in the world. There are connecting branch lines into Mongolia, China and North Korea.

History

Route development In March 1890, the future Tsar Nicholas II personally inaugurated and blessed the construction of the Far East segment of the Trans-Siberian Railway during his stop at Vladivostok, after visiting Japan at the end of his journey around the world. Nicholas II made notes in his diary about his anticipation of travelling in the comfort of "The Tsar's Train" across the unspoiled wilderness of Siberia. The Tsar's Train was designed and built in St. Petersburg to serve as the main mobile office of the Tsar and his staff for travelling across Russia.

The main route of the Trans-Siberian railroad begins in Moscow at Yaroslavsky Vokzal, runs through Yaroslavl, Chelyabinsk, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude, Chita and Khabarovsk to Vladivostok via Southern Siberia. It was built from 1891 to 1916 under the supervision of government ministers of Russia who were personally appointed by the Tsar Alexander III and by his son, Tsar Nicholas II.

The additional Chinese Eastern Railway was constructed as the Russo-Chinese part of the Trans-Siberian Railway, connecting Russia with China and providing a shorter route to Vladivostok. A Russian staff and administration based in Harbin operated it.

The Trans-Siberian Railway is often associated with the main transcontinental Russian line that connects hundreds of large and small cities of the European and Asian parts of Russia. At 9,259 kilometres (5,753 miles), spanning a record seven time zones and taking eight days to complete the journey, it is the third-longest single continuous service in the world, after the Moscow–Pyongyang (10,267 km, 6,380 mi) and the Kiev–Vladivostok (11,085 km, 6,888 mi)[4] services, both of which also follow the Trans-Siberian for much of their routes.

A second primary route is the Trans-Manchurian, which coincides with the Trans-Siberian as far as Tarskaya (a stop 12 km east of Karymskaya, in Zabaykalsky Krai), about 1,000 km east of Lake Baikal. From Tarskaya the Trans-Manchurian heads southeast, via Harbin and Mudanjiang in China's Northeastern Provinces (from where a connection to Beijing is used by one of the Moscow–Beijing trains), joining with the main route in Ussuriysk just north of Vladivostok. This is the shortest and the oldest railway route to Vladivostok. Some trains split at Shenyang, China, with a portion of the service continuing to Pyongyang, North Korea.

The third primary route is the Trans-Mongolian Railway, which coincides with the Trans-Siberian as far as Ulan-Ude on Lake Baikal's eastern shore. From Ulan-Ude the Trans-Mongolian heads south to Ulaan-Baatar before making its way southeast to Beijing.

In 1991, a fourth route running further to the north was finally completed, after more than five decades of sporadic work. Known as the Baikal Amur Mainline (BAM), this recent extension departs from the Trans-Siberian line at Taishet several hundred miles West of Lake Baikal and passes the lake at its northernmost extremity. It crosses the Amur River at Komsomolsk-na-Amure (north of Khabarovsk), and reaches the Pacific at Sovetskaya Gavan. On October 13, 2011 a train from Khasan made its inaugural run to Rajin in North Korea.

Trans-Siberian line

A commonly used main line route is as follows. Distances and travel times are from the schedule of train No.002M, Moscow-Vladivostok.^[2]

Moscow, Yaroslavsky Rail Terminal (0 km, Moscow Time).
Vladimir (210 km, MT)
Nizhny Novgorod (461 km, 6 hours, MT) on the Volga River. Its railroad station is still called by its old Soviet name Gorky, and is so listed in most timetables.
Kirov (917 km, 13 hours, MT) on the Vyatka River.
Perm (1,397 km, 20 hours, MT+2) on the Kama River
Official boundary between Europe and Asia (1,777 km), marked by a white obelisk.
Yekaterinburg (1,778 km, 1 day 2 hours, MT+2) in the Urals, still called by its old Soviet name Sverdlovsk in most timetables.
Tyumen (2,104 km)
Omsk (2,676 km, 1 day 14 hours, MT+3) on the Irtysh River
Novosibirsk (3,303 km, 1 day 22 hours, MT+3) on the Ob River
Krasnoyarsk (4,065 km, 2 days 11 hours, MT+4) on the Yenisei River
Taishet (4,483 km), junction with the Baikal-Amur Mainline
Irkutsk (5,153 km, 3 days 4 hours, MT+5) near Lake Baikal's southern extremity
Ulan Ude (5,609 km, 3 days 12 hours, MT+5) eastern shore of Lake Baikal
Junction with the Trans-Mongolian line (5,622 km)
Chita (6,166 km, 3 days 22 hours, MT+6)
Junction with the Trans-Manchurian line at Tarskaya (6,274 km)
Birobidzhan (8,312 km, 5 days 13 hours), the capital of Jewish Autonomous Region
Khabarovsk (8,493 km, 5 days 15 hours, MT+7) on the Amur River
Ussuriysk (9,147 km), junction with the Trans-Manchurian line and Korea branch
Vladivostok (9,289 km, 6 days 4 hours, MT+7), on the Pacific Ocean

Services to North Korea continue from Ussuriysk via:

Primorsk (9,257 km, 6 days 14 hours, MT+7)
Khasan (9,407 km, 6 days 19 hours, MT+7, border with North Korea)
Tumangang (9,412 km, 7 days 10 hours, MT+6, North Korean side of the border)
Pyongyang (10,267 km, 9 days 2 hours, MT+6)

There are many alternative routings between Moscow and Siberia. For example:

Some trains would leave Moscow from Kazansky Rail Terminal instead of Yaroslavsky Rail Terminal; this would save some 20 km off the distances, because it provides a shorter exit from Moscow onto the Nizhny Novgorod main line.
One can take a night train from Moscow's Kursky Rail Terminal to Nizhny Novgorod, make a stopover in the Nizhny and then transfer to a Siberia-bound train
From 1956 to 2001 many trains went between Moscow and Kirov via Yaroslavl instead of Nizhny Novgorod. This would add some 29 km to the distances from Moscow, making the total distance to Vladivostok at 9,288 kilometres.
Other trains get from Moscow (Kazansky Terminal) to Yekaterinburg via Kazan.
Between Yekaterinburg and Omsk it is possible to travel via Kurgan Petropavlovsk (in Kazakhstan) instead of Tyumen.
One can bypass Yekaterinburg altogether by travelling via Samara, Ufa, Chelyabinsk and Petropavlovsk; this was historically the earliest configuration.

Depending on the route taken, the distances from Moscow to the same station in Siberia may differ by several tens of kilometres.

Trans-Manchurian line

Main article: Trans-Manchurian Railway

Main article: China Far East Railway

The Trans-Manchurian line, as e.g. used by train No.020, Moscow-Beijing^[27] follows the same route as the Trans-Siberian between Moscow and Chita and then follows this route to China:

Branch off from the Trans-Siberian-line at Tarskaya (6,274 km from Moscow)
Zabaikalsk (6,626 km), Russian border town; there is a break-of-gauge
Manzhouli (6,638 km from Moscow, 2,323 km from Beijing), Chinese border town
Harbin (7,573 km, 1,388 km)
Changchun (7,820 km from Moscow)
Beijing (8,961 km from Moscow)

The express train (No.020) travel time from Moscow to Beijing is just over six days.
There is no direct passenger service along the entire original Trans-Manchurian route (i.e., from Moscow or anywhere in Russia, west of Manchuria, to Vladivostok via Harbin), due to the obvious administrative and technical (gauge break) inconveniences of crossing the border twice. However, assuming sufficient patience and possession of appropriate visas, it is still possible to travel all the way along the original route, with a few stopovers (e.g. in Harbin, Grodekovo, and Ussuriysk).^[28]^[29]^{[dead link]}^[30]^{[dead link]} Such an itinerary would pass through the following points from Harbin east:

Harbin (7,573 km from Moscow)
Mudanjiang (7,928 km)
Suifenhe (8,121 km), the Chinese border station
Grodekovo (8,147 km), Russia
Ussuriysk (8,244 km)
Vladivostok (8,356 km)

Trans-Mongolian line

Main article: Trans-Mongolian Railway

The Trans-Mongolian line follows the same route as the Trans-Siberian between Moscow and Ulan Ude, and then follows this route to Mongolia and China:

Branch off from the Trans-Siberian line (5,655 km from Moscow)
Naushki (5,895 km, MT+5), Russian border town
Russian–Mongolian border (5,900 km, MT+5)
Sükhbaatar (5,921 km, MT+5), Mongolian border town
Ulan Bator (6,304 km, MT+5), the Mongolian capital
Zamyn-Üüd (7,013 km, MT+5), Mongolian border town
Erenhot (842 km from Beijing, MT+5), Chinese border town
Datong (371 km, MT+5)
Beijing (MT+5)

The Trans-Mongolian Railway connects Ulan-Ude, on the Trans-Baikal (Trans-Siberian) railway in Russia, with the Chinese city of Jining, by way of Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia. Other important stops are Sükhbaatar, Darkhan, Choir, and Zamyn-Üüd/Erenhot (border crossing and gauge-changing station). The line was built between 1949 and 1961. In most of Mongolia, it is single track, and in China double track. The gauge is 1,520 mm (4 ft 11 5⁄6 in) in Russia and Mongolia and 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) in China. There are important branches leading to Erdenet and Baganuur.

History Railway development came late to Mongolia. Construction of the Trans-Mongolian line began in 1947, reaching Ulan Bator from the north in 1950 and the Chinese border in 1955. Before that the only railways in Mongolia had been a 43 km (27 mi) line (opened in 1938) connecting the coal mines at Nalaikh to the capital and a Soviet-built 236 km (147 mi) freight-only branch (completed in 1939) from Borzya on the Trans-Siberian Railway to Bayantümen, Dornod near Choibalsan in north-eastern Mongolia. Russian Irkutsk State University of Railway Engineering opened its Ulaanbaatar branch in June 2009.

Operation The Mongolian Railway company Mongolyn Tömör Zam carries 80% of all freight and 30% of all passenger transport within Mongolia. In the aftermath of the 1990 Democratic revolution freight traffic was reduced by about half, but by 2005 had almost returned to previous levels. Passenger numbers had already reached the old levels again by 2001, with 4.1 million passengers. Most trains are headed by at least two locomotives. While Mongolian trains run on 1,520 mm (4 ft 11 5⁄6 in) (Russian gauge), China uses 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) (standard gauge). For this reason through carriages between the two countries must have their bogies changed at the border. Each carriage has to be lifted in turn to have its bogies changed and the whole operation, combined with passport and customs control, can take several hours. Freight wagons likewise have their bogies exchanged at this break-of-gauge.

A look inside Google's "Driverless Car"

2013-06-08T21:41:00.001+05:30

The Google Driverless Car is a project by Google that involves developing technology for driverless cars. The project is currently being led by Google engineer Sebastian Thrun, director of the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and co-inventor of Google Street View

Futuristic Car Interface Tech - Mitsubishi EMIRAI #DigInfo

2013-06-08T21:31:00.000+05:30

Phil Schneider Groom Lake Area 51 Alien Agenda Conspiracies Theories

2013-06-08T21:27:00.002+05:30

Found this on Yoy tube-- Aliens Exist and much more

AGARTHA - INNER EARTH ENTRANCE First Movie ever- by Astraelia

2013-06-08T21:23:00.001+05:30

Future Designer laptop - ROLLTOP

2013-06-08T21:21:00.003+05:30

Samsung Keynote @ CES 2013 - Youm flexible Displays OLED Display

2013-06-03T12:28:00.002+05:30

Dream Truck - Volvo 'Vision 2020' concept truck

2011-03-03T00:33:00.000+05:30

Out of the darkness you see it. Illuminated by high intensity headlights and a strangely familiar neon-lit grille motif. Beneath the towering yet slender cab the engine hums like a German washing machine, quiet, purposeful….

Pressing the keyfob again you hear a gentle hiss as the driver’s door pops open and slides back while an open plan staircase of steps slides out of the lower front valance allowing you to climb into the interior of this strange truck. And that cool interior is softly-lit like some expensive, yet understated cocktail bar…but what manner is this strange beast? And from whence did it come?

Seated in the figure hugging pre-programmed memory seat you reach out to the touch sensitive dashboard and select the instruments you want displayed during your journey…but to where and with what?

Soon you’ve made your way to one of the many designated Trans-European ‘Green Freight Corridors’ where you’re soon joined by other Vision 2020 trucks…and naturally using your integrated guidance system and adaptive cruise control with automated distance sensing it’s not long before you’re running in a convoy of Vision 2020 roadtrains…

At a steady 56km/h the miles just fly by, and the view from your Vision 2020 cab is outstanding….and all you can hear is the steady swoosh, swoosh, swoosh as your trundle along the road…

And those dashboard instruments are telling you everything is fine–in fact you don’t see them until you need them and as the Green Corridor convoy guidance systems locks in there’s even time for you to…

Stretch out, take your hands off the wheel and your feet off the pedals, lean back and relax….can it really be happening? Yes it is! And you’re safe in the knowledge that the automatic guidance system has it all covered…

Source:-http://psipunk.com/volvo-vision-2020-concept-truck/

Most Expensive Water Fountain In The World

2011-02-28T02:53:00.000+05:30

The Fountain itself is set in Burj Dubai Lake in the Downtown Burj Dubai development project which also includes the supertall skyscraper Burj Dubai and the Dubai Mall. Dubai Fountain is over 900 feet long and can spray jets up to 500 feet high. The fountain can spray as much as 22,000 gallons of water in the air at any given time, which can be visually enhanced by 6,600 WET superlights and 25 color projectors. The fountain can be set to music, including the Swahili song Baba Yetu from the popular video game Civilization IV and top Arab dance song Shik Shak Shok.
The Dubai Fountain cost $217 million to build.

HAARP (High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program)

2011-02-19T01:45:00.000+05:30

The High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) is an ionospheric research program jointly funded by the US Air Force, the US Navy, the University of Alaska and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).[1] Its purpose is to analyze the ionosphere and investigate the potential for developing ionospheric enhancement technology for radio communications and surveillance purposes (such as missile detection).[2] The HAARP program operates a major Arctic facility, known as the HAARP Research Station, on an Air Force owned site near Gakona, Alaska.

The most prominent instrument at the HAARP Station is the Ionospheric Research Instrument (IRI), a high power radio frequency transmitter facility operating in the high frequency (HF) band. The IRI is used to temporarily excite a limited area of the ionosphere. Other instruments, such as a VHF and a UHF radar, a fluxgate magnetometer, a digisonde and an induction magnetometer, are used to study the physical processes that occur in the excited region.

Work on the HAARP Station began in 1993. The current working IRI was completed in 2007, and its prime contractor was BAE Advanced Technologies.[1]

As of 2008, HAARP had incurred around $250 million in tax-funded construction and operating costs. HAARP has also been blamed by conspiracy theorists for a range of events, including numerous natural disasters

Objectives

The HAARP project aims to direct a 3.6 MW signal, in the 2.8–10 MHz region of the HF [High Frequency] band, into the ionosphere. The signal may be pulsed or continuous. Then, effects of the transmission and any recovery period can be examined using associated instrumentation, including VHF and UHF radars, HF receivers, and optical cameras. According to the HAARP team, this will advance the study of basic natural processes that occur in the ionosphere under the natural but much stronger influence of solar interaction, as well as how the natural ionosphere affects radio signals.

This will enable scientists to develop techniques to mitigate these effects in order to improve the reliability and/or performance of communication and navigation systems, which would have a wide range of applications in both the civilian and military sectors, such as an increased accuracy of GPS navigation, and advancements in underwater and underground research and applications. This may lead to improved methods for submarine communication and the ability to remotely sense the mineral content of the terrestrial subsurface, among other things. One application would be to map out the underground complexes of countries such as Iran and North Korea. The current facility lacks the range to reach these countries, but the research could be used to develop a mobile platform.[4]

The HAARP program began in 1990. The project is funded by the Office of Naval Research and jointly managed by the ONR and Air Force Research Laboratory, with the principal involvement of the University of Alaska. Many other universities and educational institutions have been involved in the development of the project and its instruments, namely the University of Alaska (Fairbanks), Stanford University, Penn State University (ARL), Boston College, UCLA, Clemson University, Dartmouth College, Cornell University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Maryland, College Park, University of Massachusetts, MIT, Polytechnic Institute of New York University, and the University of Tulsa. The project's specifications were developed by the universities, which are continuing to play a major role in the design of future research efforts.

According to HAARP's management, the project strives for openness and all activities are logged and publicly available. Scientists without security clearances, even foreign nationals, are routinely allowed on site. The HAARP facility regularly (once a year on most years according to the HAARP home page) hosts open houses, during which time any civilian may tour the entire facility. In addition, scientific results obtained with HAARP are routinely published in major research journals (such as Geophysical Research Letters, or Journal of Geophysical Research), written both by university scientists (American and foreign) or by US Department of Defense research lab scientists. Each summer, the HAARP holds a summer-school for visiting students, including foreign nationals, giving them an opportunity to do research with one of the world's foremost research instruments.

Research

HAARP's main goal is basic science research of the uppermost portion of the atmosphere, known as the ionosphere. Essentially a transition between the atmosphere and the magnetosphere, the ionosphere is where the atmosphere is thin enough that the sun's x-rays and UV rays can reach it, but thick enough that there are still enough molecules present to absorb those rays. Consequently, the ionosphere consists of a rapid increase in density of free electrons, beginning at ~70 km, reaching a peak at ~300 km, and then falling off again as the atmosphere disappears entirely by ~1000 km. Various aspects of HAARP can study all of the main layers of the ionosphere.

The profile of the ionosphere, however, is highly variable, showing minute-to-minute changes, daily changes, seasonal changes, and year-to-year changes. This becomes particularly complicated near the Earth's poles, where a host of physical processes (like auroral lights) are unlocked by the fact that the alignment of the Earth's magnetic field is nearly vertical.

On the other hand, the ionosphere is traditionally very difficult to measure. Balloons cannot reach it because the air is too thin, but satellites cannot orbit there because the air is still too thick. Hence, most experiments on the ionosphere give only small pieces of information. HAARP approaches the study of the ionosphere by following in the footsteps of an ionospheric heater called EISCAT near Tromsø, Norway. There, scientists pioneered exploration of the ionosphere by perturbing it with radio waves in the 2–10 MHz range, and studying how the ionosphere reacts. HAARP performs the same functions but with more power, and a more flexible and agile HF beam.

Some of the main scientific findings from HAARP include:

1. Generation of very low frequency radio waves by modulated heating of the auroral electrojet, useful because generating VLF waves ordinarily requires gigantic antennas
2. Production of weak luminous glow (below what can be seen with the naked eye, but measurable) from absorption of HAARP's signal
3. Production of extremely low frequency waves in the 0.1 Hz range. These are next to impossible to produce any other way, because the length of a transmit antenna is dictated by the wavelenth of the signal it is designed to produce.
4. Generation of whistler-mode VLF signals which enter the magnetosphere, and propagate to the other hemisphere, interacting with Van Allen radiation belt particles along the way
5. VLF remote sensing of the heated ionosphere

Research at the HAARP includes:

1. Ionospheric super heating
2. plasma line observations
3. Stimulated electron emission observations
4. Gyro frequency heating research
5. Spread F observations
6. High velocity trace runs
7. Airglow observations
8. Heating induced scintillation observations
9. VLF and ELF generation observations [5]
10. Radio observations of meteors
11. Polar mesospheric summer echoes: PMSE have been studied using the IRI as a powerful radar, as well as with the 28 MHz radar, and the two VHF radars at 49 MHz and 139 MHz. The presence of multiple radars spanning both HF and VHF bands allows scientists to make comparative measurements that may someday lead to an understanding of the processes that form these elusive phenomena.
12. Research on extraterrestrial HF radar echos: the Lunar Echo experiment (2008).[6][7]
13. Testing of Spread Spectrum Transmitters (2009)
14. Meteor shower impacts on the ionosphere
15. Response and recovery of the ionosphere from solar flares and geomagnetic storms
16. The effect of ionospheric disturbances on GPS satellite signal quality

Instrumentation and operation

The main instrument at HAARP Station is the Ionospheric Research Instrument (IRI). This is a high power, high-frequency phased array radio transmitter with a set of 180 antennas, disposed in an array of 12x15 units that occupy a rectangle of about 33 acres (13 hectares). The IRI is used to temporarily energize a small portion of the ionosphere. The study of these disturbed volumes yields important information for understanding natural ionospheric processes.

During active ionospheric research, the signal generated by the transmitter system is delivered to the antenna array and transmitted in an upward direction. At an altitude between 70 km (43 mi) to 350 km (217 mi) (depending on operating frequency), the signal is partially absorbed in a small volume several tens of kilometers in diameter and a few meters thick over the IRI. The intensity of the HF signal in the ionosphere is less than 3 µW/cm², tens of thousands of times less than the Sun's natural electromagnetic radiation reaching the earth and hundreds of times less than even the normal random variations in intensity of the Sun's natural ultraviolet (UV) energy which creates the ionosphere. The small effects that are produced, however, can be observed with the sensitive scientific instruments installed at the HAARP Station, and these observations can provide information about the dynamics of plasmas and insight into the processes of solar-terrestrial interactions.[8]

Each antenna element consists of a crossed dipole that can be polarized for linear, ordinary mode (O-mode), or extraordinary mode (X-mode) transmission and reception.[9][10] Each part of the two section crossed dipoles are individually fed from a custom built transmitter, that has been specially designed with very low distortion. The Effective Radiated Power (ERP) of the IRI is limited by more than a factor of 10 at its lower operating frequencies. Much of this is due to higher antenna losses and a less efficient antenna pattern.

The IRI can transmit between 2.7 and 10 MHz, a frequency range that lies above the AM radio broadcast band and well below Citizens' Band frequency allocations. The HAARP Station is licensed to transmit only in certain segments of this frequency range, however. When the IRI is transmitting, the bandwidth of the transmitted signal is 100 kHz or less. The IRI can transmit in continuous waves (CW) or in pulses as short as 10 microseconds (µs). CW transmission is generally used for ionospheric modification, while transmission in short pulses frequently repeated is used as a radar system. Researchers can run experiments that use both modes of transmission, first modifying the ionosphere for a predetermined amount of time, then measuring the decay of modification effects with pulsed transmissions.

There are other geophysical instruments for research at the Station. Some of them are:

* A fluxgate magnetometer built by the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, available to chart variations in the Earth's magnetic field. Rapid and sharp changes of it may indicate a geomagnetic storm.
* A digisonde that provides ionospheric profiles, allowing scientists to choose appropriate frequencies for IRI operation. The HAARP makes current and historic digisonde information available online.
* An induction magnetometer, provided by the University of Tokyo, that measures the changing geomagnetic field in the Ultra Low Frequency (ULF) range of 0–5 Hz.

Site

The project site (62°23′30″N 145°09′03″W / 62.39167°N 145.15083°W / 62.39167; -145.15083) is north of Gakona, Alaska just west of Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park. An environmental impact statement led to permission for an array of up to 180 antennas to be erected.[11] The HAARP has been constructed at the previous site of an over-the-horizon radar (OTH) installation. A large structure, built to house the OTH now houses the HAARP control room, kitchen, and offices. Several other small structures house various instruments.

The HAARP site has been constructed in three distinct phases: [12]

1. The Developmental Prototype (DP) had 18 antenna elements, organized in three columns by six rows. It was fed with a total of 360 kilowatts (kW) combined transmitter output power. The DP transmitted just enough power for the most basic of ionospheric testing.
2. The Filled Developmental Prototype (FDP) had 48 antenna units arrayed in six columns by eight rows, with 960 kW of transmitter power. It was fairly comparable to other ionospheric heating facilities. This was used for a number of successful scientific experiments and ionospheric exploration campaigns over the years.
3. The Final IRI (FIRI) is the final build of the IRI. It has 180 antenna units, organized in 15 columns by 12 rows, yielding a theoretical maximum gain of 31 dB. A total of 3.6 MW of transmitter power will feed it, but the power is focused in the upward direction by the geometry of the large phased array of antennas which allow the antennas to work together in controlling the direction. As of March 2007[update], all the antennas were in place, the final phase was completed and the antenna array was undergoing testing aimed at fine-tuning its performance to comply with safety requirements required by regulatory agencies. The facility officially began full operations in its final 3.6 MW transmitter power completed status in the summer of 2007, yielding an effective radiated power (ERP) of 5.1 Gigawatts or 97.1 dBW at maximum output. However, the site typically operates at a fraction of that value due to the lower antenna gain exhibited at standard operational frequencies.[13]

Related facilities

In America, there are two related ionospheric heating facilities: the HIPAS, near Fairbanks, Alaska, and (currently offline for reconstruction) one at the Arecibo Observatory Link text in Puerto Rico. The European Incoherent Scatter Scientific Association (EISCAT) operates an ionospheric heating facility, capable of transmitting over 1 GW effective radiated power (ERP), near Tromsø, Norway.[14] Russia has the Sura Ionospheric Heating Facility, in Vasilsursk near Nizhniy Novgorod, capable of transmitting 190 MW ERP.

Conspiracy theories

HAARP is the subject of numerous conspiracy theories, with individuals ascribing various hidden motives and capabilities to the project. Journalist Sharon Weinberger called HAARP "the Moby Dick of conspiracy theories" and said the popularity of conspiracy theories often overshadows the benefits HAARP may provide to the scientific community.[3][15] Skeptic computer scientist David Naiditch called HAARP "a magnet for conspiracy theorists", saying the project has been blamed for triggering catastrophes such as floods, droughts, hurricanes, thunderstorms, and devastating earthquakes in Pakistan and the Philippines aimed to "shake up" terrorists. Naiditch says HAARP has been blamed for diverse events including major power outages, the downing of TWA Flight 800, Gulf War syndrome, and chronic fatigue syndrome. Conspiracy theorists have also suggested links between HAARP and the work of Nikola Tesla (particularly potential combinations of HAARP energy with Tesla's work on pneumatic small-scale earthquake generation) and physicist Bernard Eastlund. According to Naiditch, HAARP is an attractive target for conspiracy theorists because "its purpose seems deeply mysterious to the scientifically uninformed".[16] Conspiracy theorists have linked HAARP to numerous earthquakes. An opinion piece on a Venezuelan state-run television channel's website named HAARP as a cause of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

Source:- Wikipedia / Youtube

Anunaki

2011-02-17T19:50:00.000+05:30

The Anunnaki (also transcribed as: Anunna, Anunnaku, Ananaki and other variations) are a group of Sumerian, Akkadian, Assyrian and Babylonian deities. The name is variously written "^da-nuna", "^da-nuna-ke₄-ne", or "^da-nun-na", meaning something to the effect of 'those of royal blood'^[1] or 'princely offspring'.^[2] Their relation to the group of gods known as the Igigi is unclear - at times the names are used synonymously but in the Atra-Hasis flood myth they have to work for the Anunnaki, rebelling after 40 days and replaced by the creation of humans.^[3]
Jeremy Black and Anthony Green offer a slightly different perspective on the Igigi and the Anunnaki, writing that "lgigu or Igigi is a term introduced in the Old Babylonian Period as a name for the (ten) 'great gods'. While it sometimes kept that sense in later periods, from Middle Babylonian times on it is generally used to refer to the gods of heaven collectively, just as the term Anunnakku (Anuna) was later used to refer to the gods of the underworld. In the Epic of Creation, it is said that there are 300 lgigu of heaven.".^[4]
The Anunnaki appear in the Babylonian creation myth, Enuma Elish. In the late version magnifying Marduk, after the creation of mankind, Marduk divides the Anunnaki and assigns them to their proper stations, three hundred in heaven, three hundred on the earth. In gratitude, the Anunnaki, the "Great Gods", built Esagila, the splendid: "They raised high the head of Esagila equaling Apsu. Having built a stage-tower as high as Apsu, they set up in it an abode for Marduk, Enlil, Ea." Then they built their own shrines.
According to later Babylonian myth, the Anunnaki were the children of Anu and Ki, brother and sister gods, themselves the children of Anshar and Kishar (Skypivot and Earthpivot, the Celestial poles), who in turn were the children of Lahamu and Lahmu ("the muddy ones"), names given to the gatekeepers of the Abzu temple at Eridu, the site at which the creation was thought to have occurred. Finally, Lahamu and Lahmu were the children of Tiamat (Goddess of the Ocean) and Abzu (God of Fresh Water).

Source:- Wikipedia / Youtube

Bosnian Pyramids

2011-02-17T19:38:00.000+05:30

The term Bosnian pyramids has been used for a cluster of natural geological formations sometimes known as flatirons near the Bosnia and Herzegovina town of Visoko, northwest of Sarajevo, including Visočica hill , which became the focus of international attention in October 2005 following a news-media campaign promoting the false idea that they are human-made and the largest ancient pyramids on Earth.

Scientific investigations of the site show that there is no pyramid there. Additionally, scientists have criticised the Bosnian authorities for supporting the pyramid claim saying, "This scheme is a cruel hoax on an unsuspecting public and has no place in the world of genuine science."

The 213-metre (699 ft) Visočica hill, upon which the Old town of Visoki was once sited, is roughly pyramid-shaped. The idea that it constitutes an ancient artificial edifice was publicised by Bosnian author and metalworker Semir Osmanagić who currently is based in Houston, Texas, United States. His subsequent excavations at the site have uncovered what he claims to be a paved entrance plateau and tunnels, as well as stone blocks and ancient mortar which he has suggested once covered the structure. Osmanagić has claimed that the dig involved an international team of archaeologists from Australia, Austria, Ireland, Scotland and Slovenia.However, many archaeologists he named have stated they had not agreed to participate and were never at the site. The dig began in April 2006, and has involved reshaping the hill to make it look like a Mayan step pyramid.

Osmanagić's interpretation

Osmanagić has named Visočica hill the "Pyramid of the Sun", and two nearby hills, identified from satellite and aerial photography, the "Pyramid of the Moon" and the "Pyramid of the (Bosnian) Dragon" (and another two, one named the "Pyramid of the Earth", have been mentioned in reports). Newspaper reports have quoted Osmanagić as claiming that they were constructed by ancient Illyrian inhabitants of the Balkans as early as 12,000 BC. But in an interview with Philip Coppens in Nexus (April-May 2006), Osmanagić attempted to clarify his previous statements, stating he was misquoted: he does claim that they were most likely constructed by the Illyrians, who he claims lived in the area from 12,000 BC to 500 BC, and that the pyramid was therefore most likely constructed between those two dates - not in 12,000 BC.

Osmanagić claims the excavation has produced evidence of building blocks as well as tunnels. Additionally Osmanagić claims to have found tunnels in the hillside which he interprets as ventilation shafts.

Osmanagić believes his discoveries around Visoko will have further implications for world prehistory. By comparing the varying heights of the tallest pyramids in Mexico and Egypt with Visočica hill, he concluded that the pyramids were all built by the same people, with the Bosnian Pyramid being the last to be built. However, upon further thought he has decided that this dating mechanism may not be reliable and has now announced Visočica hill could be "The mother of all Pyramids", a claim he says would be corroborated by the existence of sacred geometry and further numerological study of messages left in the pyramid for future generations.

Osmanagić estimates that the Sun pyramid stands 722 feet (220 m) high (or, depending upon the report, either 230 feet (70 m) high or 328 feet (100 m) high). If it is 722 feet, it would be one third taller than the Great Pyramid of Giza, making it the largest pyramidal structure on Earth.

The current target of the project is to complete excavation by 2012.This is in order to "break a cloud of negative energy, allowing the Earth to receive cosmic energy from the centre of the galaxy" according to Osmanagić, who also hopes that it will be listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Scientific explanations

Osmanagić's claims, widely reported in the mass media, have been challenged by a number of experts, who have accused him of promoting pseudo-scientific notions and damaging archaeological sites with his excavations. Amar Karapus, a curator at the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo, said "When I first read about the pyramids I thought it was a very funny joke. I just couldn't believe that anyone in the world could believe this." Penn State University Professor Garrett Fagan is quoted as saying "They should not be allowed to destroy genuine sites in the pursuit of these delusions[...] It’s as if someone were given permission to bulldoze Stonehenge to find secret chambers of lost ancient wisdom underneath."

Boston University's Curtis Runnels, an expert in prehistoric Greece and the Balkans states that, "Between 27,000 and 12,000 years ago, the Balkans were locked in the last Glacial maximum, a period of very cold and dry climate with glaciers in some of the mountain ranges. The only occupants were Upper Paleolithic hunters and gatherers who left behind open-air camp sites and traces of occupation in caves. These remains consist of simple stone tools, hearths, and remains of animals and plants that were consumed for food. These people did not have the tools or skills to engage in the construction of monumental architecture."

Enver Imamović of the University of Sarajevo, a former director of the National Museum of Sarajevo, concerned that the excavations will damage historic sites such as the medieval royal capital Visoki, said that the excavations would "irreversibly destroy a national treasure". Excavations by archaeologists not related to the Foundation in the summer of 2008 uncovered medieval artefacts and led to renewed calls for the government to cancel Osmanagić's digging permits.

In a letter to the editor of The Times on 25 April 2006, Professor Anthony Harding, president of the European Association of Archaeologists, referred to Osmanagić's theories as "wacky" and "absurd" and expressed concern that insufficient safeguards were in place to protect Bosnia's "rich heritage" from "looting and unmonitored or unauthorised development". After visiting the site himself, Harding reported, "we saw areas of natural stone (a breccia), with fissures and cracks; but no sign of anything that looked like archaeology."

On 8 May 2006, members of the Geological team investigating Visočica on behalf of the Archaeological Park: Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun Foundation held a press conference in Tuzla to present the results of their research. The academics, from the Faculty of Mining and Geology at the University of Tuzla and led by Professor Dr. Vrabac, concluded that the hill is a natural geological formation, made of clastic sediments of layered composition and varying thickness, and that its shape is a consequence of endodynamical and exodynamical processes in the post-Miocene era.

According to Professor Vrabac, who specializes in paleogeology, there are dozens of similar morphological formations in the Sarajevo-Zenica mining basin alone. The Geological team report on Visocica, based on the data collected in six drill holes at 3 to 17 metre depths, is supported by the Research and Teaching Council of the Faculty of Mining and Geology, as well as the Association of Geologists of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In June 2006, Zahi Hawass's name became linked to the excavations as recommending a supposed expert, Aly Abd Alla Barakat, to investigate the hills. Upon being contacted Hawass denied any involvement, accusing Osmanagić of "giving out false information", and clarifying that Barakat "knows nothing about Egyptian pyramids".

The Archaeological Park: Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun Foundation has said that Barakat inspected the hills and stated, "My opinion is that this is a type of pyramid, probably a primitive pyramid." In November 2007 an English version of a 2006 report by Barakat was posted on the foundation site. Osmanagić also invited geologist and alternative archaeologist Robert Schoch to visit the site. In a preliminary report he concluded that there were natural geological explanations for all the features claimed to be artificial by Osmanagić. In the case of the tunnels he further added:

The much-touted “ancient inscriptions” seem not to be ancient at all. I was told by a reliable source that the inscriptions were not there when members of the “pyramid team” initially entered the tunnels less than two years ago. The “ancient inscriptions” had been added since, perhaps non-maliciously, or perhaps as a downright hoax.

Schoch's website documents "extreme damage being done by the way the excavations are being performed," and accuses Osmanagić of launching "a deliberate smear campaign."

Buick Business Concept

2009-06-21T19:57:00.000+05:30

Unveiled at the 2009 Shanghai Motor Show, the Buick Business Concept is a MPV concept vehicle designed to showcase Buick’s future vision of “business class on the road” and targeted to the Chinese market.

The multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) was developed in China by the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC), a design and engineering joint venture between General Motors and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC), with global design input.

"The Business Concept Vehicle captures the essence of the Buick form language, with its taut surfaces, double sweep spear belt line, strong front and rear identities and dynamic presence."
Buick Business Concept Design Sketch Buick Business Concept Rendering

“The Business Concept Vehicle has a grand presence and makes a strong statement when it pulls up to the front of any establishment,” said Ed Welburn, GM Vice President of Global Design.

Buick Business Concept“The Chinese market and business person have some unique requirements. Our team has responded with an elegant solution to their business and personal needs.”

According to Cao Min, PATAC Concept Car Chief Designer, the design team set out to create a modern global design for Buick, yet include a subtle Chinese essence and influence.

To achieve this balance, they sought to draw from their heritage outside the automotive industry – from classic shapes to arts and ancient relics.

The Business Concept Vehicle’s dynamic exterior surfaces and “yin and yang” interior tones are drawn from diverse inspirations including the 2008 Buick Riviera concept car, Chinese artifacts and modern electronic icons.
Buick Business Concept Interior Buick Business Concept Interior
Exterior Design

To establish their design direction, PATAC designers took the global Buick design vocabulary of sculptural and dynamic forms established by the Riviera concept car and extended it to a tall, one-box architecture.
Buick Business Concept Design Sketch Buick Business Concept Design Sketch
The Business Concept Vehicle develops the Buick form language further and incorporates elements of Chinese culture and artistic influences into the details.

Buick Business Concept Grille Design SketchThe famous Buick waterfall grille takes on a bolder treatment. Intricate detailing gives it an even more prominent look.

The backlit Buick tri-shield logo leads into the distinctive mid-hood crease prevalent in classic Buicks and consistent across the new Buick line today.

The prominent LED headlamps show influences of popular Chinese liuli glass through three-dimensional transparent and multifaceted surfaces.

Liuli is a Chinese crystal sculpture art form that incorporates cultural and modern references. It has become a popular symbol of modern Chinese prosperity.
Buick Business Concept Headlights Design Sketch Buick Business Concept Headlamp
The elongated, jewel-like headlamps are connected to the body shoulder line through a strong chrome accent that flows the length of the vehicle from the hood to the body sides, accentuating a strong double sweep spear design until it finally comes to rest wrapped around the taillights.

Buick Business ConceptThis is the most distinctive design element of the Business Concept Vehicle, as it offers a modern approach to the classic Buick double sweep spear.

Familiar Buick portholes are integrated into the chrome strip extending from the headlamps.

This distinctive double sweep spear shape not only provides expressive dynamism to the vehicle profile, it is also functionally important.

It defines the window line from the body sides and incorporates the rail guides for the power sliding doors. Additionally, it lowers the rear passenger sightline and adds significant shoulder room to the rear compartment.

Buick Business Concept“This vehicle was inspired by the grace and gesture of great Buicks. PATAC designers have cleverly incorporated other design cues from traditional Chinese art, such as applying a huiwen motif on the turn signals and fog lamps,” Cao Min said.

The Zitan Purple exterior color was chosen to elicit the right level of attention and respect.

The color is found in rare zitan wood used for sculptures and fine Chinese furniture. This deep burnt-purple color perfectly highlights the concept’s grandeur.

Power sliding doors with no B-pillar were selected for their ability to showcase an expansive view of the interior and ease of entrance and egress.

The Business Concept Vehicle sits on 20-inch, 9-spoke forged aluminum wheels, with a polished mirror finish, and low-profile tires. The outside mirrors incorporate turn signals with the huiwen motif.

Buick Business Concept Interior Design SketchSerenity and advanced functionality come to mind when entering the vehicle.

The use of deep burgundy suede and subtle creams, representing earth and wood themes, are conveyed through high-quality leather bucket seats, plush vehicle carpet and a luxurious padded steering wheel.

Completing the tranquil feel is a roof comprised of two full-length sunroofs that offer a celestial connection for occupants.

“Through deep burgundy suede carpet, high-quality leather interior decoration with liuli and soft, ice blue ambient lighting, we wanted to create a mobile VIP lounge for passengers,” Cao Min said.
Buick Business Concept Interior Design Sketch Buick Business Concept Interior Design Sketch

Buick Business Concept InteriorInterior trim and features befitting Buick prestige abound such as a power central console with a deployable tablet for writing or to hold a laptop computer.

The console can be moved up and down the two rows of rear seats.

The second row of power captain’s chairs slide on hidden rails and swivel 225 degrees, enabling them to be adjusted to an infinite combination of orientations.

Traditional huiwen patterns are embroidered onto the seats and seat backs, bringing harmony to the entire design theme.

The three-dimensional instrument cluster reaches across the entire width of the front panel and features a multi-layer information display.

Buick Business Concept Interior Design SketchThe instrument cluster design reflects the liuli art influence but is utterly modern in design.

It is complemented by a central console with touch pad controls on either side of a cylinder-shaped roller mouse. A large LED display crowns the central console.

Once again, the huiwen motif shows up as details on the wings of the instrument panel.

The OnStar security telematics feature is easily accessible on the rearview mirror, with three prominently yet tastefully displayed call buttons.

Buick Business Concept Interior
Buick Business Concept Interior

“The design of the vehicle inherits Buick’s vision for business class on the road, creating a sense that space means possibility,” Cao Min said.
GM Hybrid System
PATAC designed the Buick Business Concept Vehicle to accommodate the next-generation GM Hybrid System, which will be introduced in China in the near future.

Buick Business Concept Engine Design SketchThe next-generation GM Hybrid System will build upon the successful belt-alternator-starter hybrid technology currently available in the Buick LaCrosse Eco-Hybrid.

An advanced lithium-ion battery will help make the next-generation GM Hybrid System more powerful than the current system, improving fuel economy of vehicles with this system by up to 20 percent, depending on engine and vehicle application.

The next-generation GM Hybrid System helps optimize fuel efficiency and reduce emissions by turning the engine off at idle, offering brief electric-only propulsion, using a more powerful electric motor to enhance engine efficiency, extending fuel cutoff during deceleration, extending regenerative braking to recapture more energy and performing intelligent hybrid battery charging.

“Developing and launching the Business Concept Vehicle in China underscores the diversity, strength and depth of GM’s global design network,” Welburn said. “It also reflects PATAC’s growing role within the GM design family and China’s significance as the world’s largest Buick market.”
Buick Business Concept Buick Business Concept Buick Business Concept
About PATAC

The Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center Co., Ltd. (PATAC), founded on June 12,1997, is the first Sino-foreign automotive engineering and design joint venture between General Motors and SAIC in China.
Buick Business Concept Buick Business Concept

Since its establishment 12 years ago, with the vision of becoming a domestically leading automotive design and development company, PATAC has combined GM’s advanced technology and management with SAIC’s insight and experience in the China market.
Buick Business Concept Car Specifications
Buick Business ConceptExterior Dimensions

* Wheelbase (mm): 3,198
* Length (mm): 5,278
* Width without mirror (mm): 1,985
* Height (mm): 1,809
* Curb weight (kg): 1,903
* Front track (mm): 1,665
* Rear track (mm): 1,655
* Wheels: 20-inch alloy wheels, P275/40 R20 tires

Powertrain and Chassis

* Engine type: 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine with Spark-Ignition, Direct Injection (SIDI)
* Transmission type: 6-speed automatic transmission with hybrid auxiliary pump
* Drive type: Front-wheel drive
* Range (km): >700
* Front suspension: Independent, MacPherson suspension
* Rear suspension: Semi-independent, open-section twist axle suspension
* Electrical power steering system: Electric power-assisted rack-and-pinion

Performance (Projected)

* 0-100 km/h (sec): 12.9
* Top speed (kph): 190

Rinspeed's first underwater Car

2009-06-21T19:52:00.000+05:30

Rinspeed’s Zero-Emission World Debut at the Geneva Motor Show - a Green “Fish” with Q-Factor

Thirty years after the movie thriller ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ hit the silver screen “sQuba” is the first car that can actually ‘fly’ under water.

“Dive it again, James!” If the situation gets too hot for the secret agent he’ll go underground - or under water. So demonstrated impressively by Roger Moore in ‘The Spy Who Loved Me” in 1977 when he dove below the waves in a sleek vehicle that moments before seemed to be an ordinary car. The only problem: The scene never really took place; it was an animation.

With the “sQuba,” the world’s first real submersible car, the movie fake now becomes reality for visitors of the Geneva Motor Show (March 6th - 16th, 2008). Rinspeed boss Frank M. Rinderknecht (52) is known for his extraordinary automotive creations. The acknowledged James Bond enthusiast and Swiss automobile visionary kept revisiting this scene in his mind over and over: “For three decades I have tried to imagine how it might be possible to build a car that can fly under water. Now we have made this dream come true.”

And it is this submerged stabile flight at a depth of 10 meters that sets the “sQuba” apart from military vehicles. While the latter can go under water, they are limited to driving slowly over the submerged ground. Rinderknecht: “It is undoubtedly not an easy task to make a car watertight and pressure resistant enough to be maneuverable under water. The real challenge however was to create a submersible car that moves like a fish in water.”

It also had to be a sports car that was converted into a diving dream in the facilities of Swiss engineering specialist Esoro. In a first step the combustion engine was removed and replaced by several electric motors. Three motors are located in the rear. One provides propulsion on land, the other two drive the screws for underwater motoring. They are supported by two powerful Seabob jet drives in the front, which ‘breathe’ through special rotating louvers from HS Genion (for opening and closing the water intake). The rotating outlet jets were designed to be extremely light yet twist resistant by using high-tech nano materials, so-called Carbon Nano Tubes.

It is a sure bet that the “sQuba” will steal the show from any ‘Baywatch’ beauty on the beach. And easily, too: You drive the car into the water and the car floats. That is, until you crack the door to let the water in. Immediately the “sQuba” starts on his way to the underwater world. The occupants’ breathing air comes from an integrated tank of compressed air that divers know from scuba diving. Rinderknecht: “For safety reasons we have built the vehicle as an open car so that the occupants can get out quickly in an emergency. With an enclosed cabin opening the door might be impossible.” But safety wasn’t the only reason for choosing an open-top design: With an enclosed volume of just two cubic meters of air the vehicle weight would have to increase by two tons (!) to counteract the unwanted buoyancy, giving the “sQuba” the land mobility of a turtle. Without occupants the “sQuba” surfaces automatically. It is even capable of autonomous driving on land thanks to a sophisticated laser sensor system from the Hamburg company Ibeo - without any help from the driver or passenger.

Power is supplied by rechargeable Lithium-Ion batteries. Rinderknecht: “The ‘sQuba’ is a zero-emission car as documented by the rotating license plate in the rear. It produces no exhaust emissions. The Swiss are among the world’s pioneers in the area of hydropower. The ‘sQuba’s’ filling station is the water reservoir.” It is no surprise that the vehicle features powerful yet energy-saving LED lighting technology.

3-D foil elements with embossed fish and sharkskin patterns from Wetzel Processing Group and Hornschuch add visual pizzazz and streamline the exterior. Together with styling elements from Foliatec they create a harmonious velvety matt-white appearance.

For shore leave the “sQuba” relies on a stainless coil-over suspension from KW automotive and large Pirelli tires mounted on custom-made forged light-weight wheels from AEZ with 17- and 18-inch diameters. But the “sQuba” is really at home in the water. To make the occupants feel at home there as well the innovative salt-water resistant interior from Strähle + Hess features genuine mother-of-pearl trim and diamond-plated non-slip inlays from KGS Diamond, normally used in high-tech abrasives. After all, ‘diamonds are a girl’s best friends.’ The high-tech VDO instrument cluster and controls create a futuristic ambiance and allow controlling all vehicle functions even while submerged.

Frank M. Rinderknecht and his partners - amongst them also the fleet specialist LeasePlan - have created a truly unusual vehicle and in the process have thought of everything. Even the Motorex lubricants used in the ‘sQuba” are biodegradable. For the Rinspeed boss that is a meticulousness stemming from conviction: “The ‘sQuba’ lets me be one with the elements and lets me immerse myself in a new and fascinating world - with Q factor. It is our duty to protect this world in which we are guests to the best of our ability.” Isn’t it, Miss Moneypenny? - James couldn’t have said it better himself glancing at the sporty Swiss precision chronograph from C.F. Bucherer. Eau la la - shaken, not stirred.