Concluding a four-day visit to Mali, a top United Nations human
rights official today cited ongoing abuses in the northern part of the
country, and highlighted the plight of women, whose rights have been
particularly restricted.
"Women are the primary victims of the
current crisis and have been disproportionately affected by the
situation in the north," Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights
Ivan imonovic said in a news release. "Their human rights to employment,
education and access to basic social services have been seriously
curtailed."
Fighting between Government forces and Tuareg rebels
broke out in northern Mali in January. The instability and insecurity
resulting from the renewed clashes, as well as the proliferation of
armed groups in the region, drought and political instability in the
wake of a military coup d'état in March, have led over 250,Carlo Gavazzi
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monitoring.000 Malians to flee to neighbouring countries, with 174,000
Malians estimated to be internally displaced.Parking Guidance for parking management system and Vehicle Control Solutions,
One
displaced woman Mr. imonovic interviewed in the northern town of Mopti
said she could no longer return to her hometown of Gao,Welcome to news
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where she had been a merchant, because women under the strict
application of Islamic Sharia law cannot work.
But "most
disturbing," according to the news release, were reports that Islamist
groups were compiling lists of women who have had children out of
wedlock, or who were unmarried and pregnant. "This could indicate that
these women are at imminent risk of being subjected to cruel and
inhuman[e] punishment," Mr. imonovic said.
He said that, at the
beginning of the conflict, there were reports of summary executions of
members of the military, rapes, looting, forced displacement and forced
child recruitment with the advance of the Tuareg rebel group Azawad
National Liberation Movement, known by the French acronym MNLA.
"These
were appalling violations of human rights," said Mr. imonovic. "But
they were largely ad hoc in nature.Totech Americas delivers a wide range
of drycabinets for applications spanning electronics,"
Since
Islamic groups such as Ansar Dine, the Movement for Oneness and Jihad
in West Africa (MOJWA), and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) had
taken control, the region was witnessing human rights abuses of a
"different character," he noted.
"Civil and political rights are
being severely restricted as a result of the imposition of a strict
interpretation of Sharia law, and systemic cruel and inhuman[e]
punishments are being implemented, including executions, mutilations and
stonings," Mr. imonovic said.
The Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) says children have been deprived
of their rights to education in the north because many teachers had
fled, leading to the closure of schools. More ominously, extreme
poverty, lack of employment and education is "making it easy for young
people to fall prey to armed extreme Islamist groups, who continue to
lure youth and children to join their cause.We are professional in
supplying Aion Kinah,"
In
a "particularly grave" case, one witness told Mr. imonovic of three
children who were reportedly maimed while being trained on how to use
improvised explosive devices.
In the Government-controlled
south, Mr. imonovic pointed to reports of continuing torture and
inhumane prison conditions. He noted that at least 30 participants of an
April counter-coup remained in detention, and many had allegedly not
had charges brought against them. Also, the whereabouts of 20 soldiers
involved in the counter-coup had yet to be confirmed.
"It is
essential that the authorities investigate these cases of disappearances
in accordance with international human rights standards," said Mr.
imonovic, who received assurances from Mali's Minister of Justice that
thorough investigations would be promptly completed.
"Current
violations are to a great degree symptoms of the chronic disrespect for
human rights that already existed in Mali in the past," Mr. imonovic
said. "There is a need to address these root causes, including
widespread corruption, mismanagement of public funds, inequality between
the elite and general population, and nepotism, amongst others."
Mr.
imonovic emphasized the need for investigations into the recent human
rights violations in both the north and the south, and said it was
essential the perpetrators be held to account as a precondition for
reconciliation and social cohesion.
He noted that any UN support
to Malian security forces "must" conform to the UN's Human Rights Due
Diligence Policy, which prohibits the UN from supporting security forces
involved in grave human rights violations.
To advance women's
human rights and empower them, it was essential that measures be taken
to promote their participation in public life. Mr. imonovic said he was
encouraged by the Prime Minister's recognition that women have an
important role to play in building peace and reconciliation as well as
the economic prosperity of the country.
"One concrete way would
be to introduce a 30 per cent quota for women in Parliament ahead of the
next legislative elections," Mr. imonovic said, adding that OHCHR was
ready to support the Malian authorities in this regard, including
through appointing a Human Rights Adviser to the UN Country Team in the
capital, Bamako.
2012年10月10日星期三
2012年8月21日星期二
Copyright stuck in horse and buggy era
Search engines such as Google and popular
cloud computing services may have been "sued out of existence" if they started
in Australia, while consumers who make remixes or mash-ups of copyright songs
and videos are also breaching the law.Features useful information about glass mosaic
tiles.
These are just some of the glaring issues with the Copyright Act that have been raised today by the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) and copyright experts. The ALRC has released a new issues paper for its inquiry into whether Australia's copyright laws have kept up with the digital age.
Copyright law experts say in some areas the law is too strict and stifles innovation while preventing the public from enjoying creative works.Choose from our large selection of Cable Ties. Recent court battles have sparked debate on some of these issues including Larrikin Records' victory over Men at Work and the Optus stoush with the AFL and NRL.
Google's search engine uses automated web crawlers to find and copy sites on the internet. The copies are indexed and stored in its cache so users can more quickly access search results.
However, the ALRC's paper said that because there are no exceptions in the Copyright Act allowing caching, indexing and other internet-related technical functions, Google's search engine “may infringe copyright”. Further when it displays results to users this could be considered “communicating copyright material to the public”, another breach of the Act.
“If Google had been started in Australia, it could well have been sued out of existence,” said Dr Rebecca Giblin, copyright law expert at Monash University.
“This hostile regulatory regime is one of the reasons why so many Australian start-ups head straight for Silicon Valley.”
Dr Giblin, who is researching the issue, called on people whose businesses or ideas have been “negatively impacted by the rigidity of our copyright law” to contact her.
In light of the high profile court decision that part of the flute riff in Men at Work's song Down Under was copied from the children's song Kookaburra,High quality Wholesale gemstone beads, the issues paper also asks whether sampling, remixes and mash-ups of copyright materials should be permitted by the Copyright Act.
Currently there are only “fair dealing” exceptions if the copyright material is used for the purposes or criticism/review or parody/satire. This generally does not include sampling and mash-ups.
“Australian rock anthems from the 1980s are one thing; but modern musical practices embrace digital sampling, remixes, and mash-ups,” said Dr Matthew Rimmer, associate professor at the Australian National University College of Law.
“A recent interesting example is Gotye's Somebodies: A YouTube Orchestra - which incorporates a wide range of covers, parodies, and remixes of his original work.”
Cloud-computing services have also been affected by copyright law.
Optus recently fought the NRL and AFL over its TV Now service that allowed customers to watch video streams of matches on their smartphones or computers as close as two minutes behind the live TV broadcast.
The Optus service undermined the footy codes' existing online rights deals with Telstra, and in April the full bench of the Federal Court found that Optus breached copyright laws.
Dr Rimmer said the Optus case “raised larger questions about copyright law, personal use, and cloud computing”.
Dr Giblin said cloud computing services in general were on shaky ground as far as Australian law was concerned “because their technical operation might involve reproducing or communicating copyrighted material uploaded to them by their customers”.
The issues paper asks whether Australian copyright law is impeding the development or delivery of cloud computing services. It poses the question of whether copying of copyright material including broadcast material for private and domestic use should be more freely permitted.
Dr Giblin said the fact that Australian copyright law has no “orphan works exception” means we lose huge chunks of our culture every year because it would be an infringement to copy it without permission and there is no one to ask permission from.
“This prioritises the rights of those who have effectively abandoned their works over the rights of the public to experience the work,Panasonic Ventilation system are energy efficient and whisper quiet.” she said.
The ALRC is seeking public submissions about its issues paper, after which it will draft a consultation paper proposing various reforms and seeking further comment. The final report is expected to be handed to government by November next year.
Michael Speck, former head of Music Industry Piracy Investigations (MIPI) and now a consultant and spokesman for rightsholders, critcised the ALRC for providing "yet another forum for the anti-copyright industry to trot out the same cliches" and said there was no evidence to suggest a search engine in Australia would be sued under the Copyright Act simply for being a search engine.
"I'm greatly concerned that the ALRC has set about giving academics with no skin in the game the opportunity to hypothesise about legislation that already works for consumers and creators," said Mr Speck.Rio Grande jewelry making supplies for the best in jewelry findings and gemstones,
These are just some of the glaring issues with the Copyright Act that have been raised today by the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) and copyright experts. The ALRC has released a new issues paper for its inquiry into whether Australia's copyright laws have kept up with the digital age.
Copyright law experts say in some areas the law is too strict and stifles innovation while preventing the public from enjoying creative works.Choose from our large selection of Cable Ties. Recent court battles have sparked debate on some of these issues including Larrikin Records' victory over Men at Work and the Optus stoush with the AFL and NRL.
Google's search engine uses automated web crawlers to find and copy sites on the internet. The copies are indexed and stored in its cache so users can more quickly access search results.
However, the ALRC's paper said that because there are no exceptions in the Copyright Act allowing caching, indexing and other internet-related technical functions, Google's search engine “may infringe copyright”. Further when it displays results to users this could be considered “communicating copyright material to the public”, another breach of the Act.
“If Google had been started in Australia, it could well have been sued out of existence,” said Dr Rebecca Giblin, copyright law expert at Monash University.
“This hostile regulatory regime is one of the reasons why so many Australian start-ups head straight for Silicon Valley.”
Dr Giblin, who is researching the issue, called on people whose businesses or ideas have been “negatively impacted by the rigidity of our copyright law” to contact her.
In light of the high profile court decision that part of the flute riff in Men at Work's song Down Under was copied from the children's song Kookaburra,High quality Wholesale gemstone beads, the issues paper also asks whether sampling, remixes and mash-ups of copyright materials should be permitted by the Copyright Act.
Currently there are only “fair dealing” exceptions if the copyright material is used for the purposes or criticism/review or parody/satire. This generally does not include sampling and mash-ups.
“Australian rock anthems from the 1980s are one thing; but modern musical practices embrace digital sampling, remixes, and mash-ups,” said Dr Matthew Rimmer, associate professor at the Australian National University College of Law.
“A recent interesting example is Gotye's Somebodies: A YouTube Orchestra - which incorporates a wide range of covers, parodies, and remixes of his original work.”
Cloud-computing services have also been affected by copyright law.
Optus recently fought the NRL and AFL over its TV Now service that allowed customers to watch video streams of matches on their smartphones or computers as close as two minutes behind the live TV broadcast.
The Optus service undermined the footy codes' existing online rights deals with Telstra, and in April the full bench of the Federal Court found that Optus breached copyright laws.
Dr Rimmer said the Optus case “raised larger questions about copyright law, personal use, and cloud computing”.
Dr Giblin said cloud computing services in general were on shaky ground as far as Australian law was concerned “because their technical operation might involve reproducing or communicating copyrighted material uploaded to them by their customers”.
The issues paper asks whether Australian copyright law is impeding the development or delivery of cloud computing services. It poses the question of whether copying of copyright material including broadcast material for private and domestic use should be more freely permitted.
Dr Giblin said the fact that Australian copyright law has no “orphan works exception” means we lose huge chunks of our culture every year because it would be an infringement to copy it without permission and there is no one to ask permission from.
“This prioritises the rights of those who have effectively abandoned their works over the rights of the public to experience the work,Panasonic Ventilation system are energy efficient and whisper quiet.” she said.
The ALRC is seeking public submissions about its issues paper, after which it will draft a consultation paper proposing various reforms and seeking further comment. The final report is expected to be handed to government by November next year.
Michael Speck, former head of Music Industry Piracy Investigations (MIPI) and now a consultant and spokesman for rightsholders, critcised the ALRC for providing "yet another forum for the anti-copyright industry to trot out the same cliches" and said there was no evidence to suggest a search engine in Australia would be sued under the Copyright Act simply for being a search engine.
"I'm greatly concerned that the ALRC has set about giving academics with no skin in the game the opportunity to hypothesise about legislation that already works for consumers and creators," said Mr Speck.Rio Grande jewelry making supplies for the best in jewelry findings and gemstones,
2012年8月7日星期二
Hands-Free Bootie Dispensers Advice To Admission Assurance
n ample facilities,Argo Mold limited specialize in Plastic Injection mold
manufacture. dozens of advisers are generally entering and departure
the processing breadth at the aforementioned time, traveling through
bound admission credibility and donning—or discarding—safety garments.
The action can actualize bottlenecks. And,Creative stone mosaic
for your distinctive kitchen and bath. said Shoe Inn Artefact Manager
Jeff Foster, “Putting on shoe covers tends to be one of those
bottlenecks.”
While abounding aliment processing accessories crave the use of booties or shoe covers, it is not the alone industry to do so. In fact, an addition that has been in use for about 5 years in added industries has alone afresh amorphous authoritative appropriate into aliment processing. That is, hands-free shoe awning dispensers. To use, workers put anniversary shod bottom in the dispenser, which automatically covers the shoe with a bootie. It aswell works in about-face to “suck” the bootie of the shoe if exiting.
While the use of a dispenser, which reduces time to don or afford a bootie down to seconds, can advice abate bottlenecks and admission abundance by abbreviation the bulk of time workers absorb donning assurance garments, it aswell can be of amount to both aliment and artisan safety.
A University of Arizona abstraction begin that nine altered breed of bacilli abide on people’s shoes; these bacilli reside best on shoes than on added places; and 90 percent of the time, the bacilli will alteration to floors as humans airing on them.
Additionally,To register for crystal beads wholesale membership, “it’s about assured that if you’re putting on shoe covers manually,Online shopping for jewelry findings from a great selection of Arts, you will blow your shoes,” Foster said. “Even admitting you ablution your hands, it is one added point breadth you are introducing contaminants to your hands.” Thus, he said, application an automatic, hands-free dispenser is an added assurance apparatus to anticipate transference of whatever may be on one’s shoes to aliment getting processed.
When workers put on shoe covers, Foster added, they don’t consistently sit down to do so—or don’t even consistently accept the advantage of a armchair or bank in the area. If workers try to antithesis themselves or angular adjoin a bank to put on the covers, it increases the abeyant for a fall, he said, abacus that avalanche are not alien even for workers who sit. Foster accompanying an adventure wherein a woman was sitting down, but as she aerial her leg to put on the cover, she absent her balance, fell, and bankrupt her arm. “This doesn’t appear every day,Get your oil art oil painting supplies accessories here. but just the abeyant for this to appear can advance to a workers’ advantage claim,” he said.
I arch up the Ikanos Consulting team. We advance software for anchored accessories for audience beyond the globe. We are currently developing software for Golden-i, a hands-free adaptable computer, s a abstraction getting formed on in affiliation with technology giants Motorola Solutions and Kopin Corporation. The accessory will revolutionise the way companies plan beyond the globe. It is a head-worn computer which will acquiesce businesses to decidedly advance safety, productivity, and efficiency. It is getting advised to enhance and aggrandize on the use of carriageable accessories in environments breadth workers charge to accumulate their easily on the job.
Initially there was just me, and again I recruited three added consultants. Since August 2010 things accept exploded and there are now 15 associates of agents alignment from adolescent graduates to accomplished professionals. The advance so far includes: a sales and business team, a abutment aggregation which is allowance barter maximise the achievement of their purchased product, and a software development administration amenable for acknowledging customer's admission software development kit for the Golden-i. We are now embarking on addition advance action which will see the close bifold in admeasurement by the end of this year.
While abounding aliment processing accessories crave the use of booties or shoe covers, it is not the alone industry to do so. In fact, an addition that has been in use for about 5 years in added industries has alone afresh amorphous authoritative appropriate into aliment processing. That is, hands-free shoe awning dispensers. To use, workers put anniversary shod bottom in the dispenser, which automatically covers the shoe with a bootie. It aswell works in about-face to “suck” the bootie of the shoe if exiting.
While the use of a dispenser, which reduces time to don or afford a bootie down to seconds, can advice abate bottlenecks and admission abundance by abbreviation the bulk of time workers absorb donning assurance garments, it aswell can be of amount to both aliment and artisan safety.
A University of Arizona abstraction begin that nine altered breed of bacilli abide on people’s shoes; these bacilli reside best on shoes than on added places; and 90 percent of the time, the bacilli will alteration to floors as humans airing on them.
Additionally,To register for crystal beads wholesale membership, “it’s about assured that if you’re putting on shoe covers manually,Online shopping for jewelry findings from a great selection of Arts, you will blow your shoes,” Foster said. “Even admitting you ablution your hands, it is one added point breadth you are introducing contaminants to your hands.” Thus, he said, application an automatic, hands-free dispenser is an added assurance apparatus to anticipate transference of whatever may be on one’s shoes to aliment getting processed.
When workers put on shoe covers, Foster added, they don’t consistently sit down to do so—or don’t even consistently accept the advantage of a armchair or bank in the area. If workers try to antithesis themselves or angular adjoin a bank to put on the covers, it increases the abeyant for a fall, he said, abacus that avalanche are not alien even for workers who sit. Foster accompanying an adventure wherein a woman was sitting down, but as she aerial her leg to put on the cover, she absent her balance, fell, and bankrupt her arm. “This doesn’t appear every day,Get your oil art oil painting supplies accessories here. but just the abeyant for this to appear can advance to a workers’ advantage claim,” he said.
I arch up the Ikanos Consulting team. We advance software for anchored accessories for audience beyond the globe. We are currently developing software for Golden-i, a hands-free adaptable computer, s a abstraction getting formed on in affiliation with technology giants Motorola Solutions and Kopin Corporation. The accessory will revolutionise the way companies plan beyond the globe. It is a head-worn computer which will acquiesce businesses to decidedly advance safety, productivity, and efficiency. It is getting advised to enhance and aggrandize on the use of carriageable accessories in environments breadth workers charge to accumulate their easily on the job.
Initially there was just me, and again I recruited three added consultants. Since August 2010 things accept exploded and there are now 15 associates of agents alignment from adolescent graduates to accomplished professionals. The advance so far includes: a sales and business team, a abutment aggregation which is allowance barter maximise the achievement of their purchased product, and a software development administration amenable for acknowledging customer's admission software development kit for the Golden-i. We are now embarking on addition advance action which will see the close bifold in admeasurement by the end of this year.
2012年5月23日星期三
Windows 8 on tablet: hands on
Anyone who has used Windows Phone will find the
tile-based look and feel of Metro instantly recognisable, and that’s no
coincidence.I have just spent two weeks shopping for tile and have discovered China Porcelain tile. It features ‘live
tiles’, which show live information such as the most up-to-date weather
forecast, birthday notifications and information on the music track to which you
are currently listening.Shop for oil painting and oil paintings for sale included. Just
as you see in Microsoft’s mobile operating system.
But Metro isn’t simply a port of the Windows Phone OS to a larger screen size. It has a range of extra features that help you make best use of tablet-sized screens. And it links in to the more Windows-like desktop-style screen, too. Here we’ll take a look at what Metro has to offer to tablets, and how well Windows 8 functions as a touch-friendly interface. We used an Intel tablet and Windows 8 Consumer Preview as Windows RT was not available at press time.What is a real time Location system ?
It’s worth noting at the very outset that the Metro interface isn’t limited to interaction by finger alone. You can control it with a mouse and keyboard too, and there are keyboard shortcuts for lots of tasks. We plugged in a mouse and keyboard via USB, and had no trouble using them.
If you are working with a finger, which is most likely on a tablet, the Metro interface is comfortable to use. On our test machine, a Samsung Series 7 slate PC, it was responsive to finger presses and sweeps,Painless Processing provides high risk merchant account solutions. and there are some interesting features. We like the way, for example,Ekahau rtls is the only Wi-Fi based real time location system solution that operates on any brand or generation of Wi-Fi network. you can zoom into the interface so you can see all your shortcuts with a quick pinch in and out.
Viewing all apps is easy, too. A sweep upwards from the bottom reveals a menu bar. What’s actually on offer here can vary depending on what you are doing at the time, but if you’re viewing the Start screen and instead would like to see all your apps, just tap ‘All apps’ and you’ll see a full list.
We’re big fans of how easy it is to pin any app to the Start screen. It’s just a case of sweeping upwards to get that bottom menu to appear, choosing ‘All Apps’, then dragging your chosen app down to the bottom of the screen to reveal the option to pin it to the Start screen.
You can also easily move tiles around the Start screen by dragging them, so that your most frequently used or favourite apps are always the ones you see first when you open the Start screen.
Just as with Windows Phone, the Start screen can display live information. If you are signed in to an email account, the Mail tile will provide alerts. If you allow Bing Weather to use your location it will show you the current weather situation, while the music tile will display information about the track you are currently listening to. It’s all designed to keep you up to date without you needing to keep opening apps all the time.
One of the great plus points of this operating system is the Windows Store. Accessed via the Metro interface, it gives you a direct route to third-party apps, which take advantage of the Metro look and feel to provide a whole host of extra functionality. App stores are nothing new, but this will be the first time we’ve seen one integrated into Windows.
In the Consumer Preview we’ve been looking at, the apps are all free, which certainly won’t be the case later on. Applications are categorised by subject, and you sweep through these to see what’s new or being promoted. The look and feel of the interface is similar to that of the Start screen.
But Metro isn’t simply a port of the Windows Phone OS to a larger screen size. It has a range of extra features that help you make best use of tablet-sized screens. And it links in to the more Windows-like desktop-style screen, too. Here we’ll take a look at what Metro has to offer to tablets, and how well Windows 8 functions as a touch-friendly interface. We used an Intel tablet and Windows 8 Consumer Preview as Windows RT was not available at press time.What is a real time Location system ?
It’s worth noting at the very outset that the Metro interface isn’t limited to interaction by finger alone. You can control it with a mouse and keyboard too, and there are keyboard shortcuts for lots of tasks. We plugged in a mouse and keyboard via USB, and had no trouble using them.
If you are working with a finger, which is most likely on a tablet, the Metro interface is comfortable to use. On our test machine, a Samsung Series 7 slate PC, it was responsive to finger presses and sweeps,Painless Processing provides high risk merchant account solutions. and there are some interesting features. We like the way, for example,Ekahau rtls is the only Wi-Fi based real time location system solution that operates on any brand or generation of Wi-Fi network. you can zoom into the interface so you can see all your shortcuts with a quick pinch in and out.
Viewing all apps is easy, too. A sweep upwards from the bottom reveals a menu bar. What’s actually on offer here can vary depending on what you are doing at the time, but if you’re viewing the Start screen and instead would like to see all your apps, just tap ‘All apps’ and you’ll see a full list.
We’re big fans of how easy it is to pin any app to the Start screen. It’s just a case of sweeping upwards to get that bottom menu to appear, choosing ‘All Apps’, then dragging your chosen app down to the bottom of the screen to reveal the option to pin it to the Start screen.
You can also easily move tiles around the Start screen by dragging them, so that your most frequently used or favourite apps are always the ones you see first when you open the Start screen.
Just as with Windows Phone, the Start screen can display live information. If you are signed in to an email account, the Mail tile will provide alerts. If you allow Bing Weather to use your location it will show you the current weather situation, while the music tile will display information about the track you are currently listening to. It’s all designed to keep you up to date without you needing to keep opening apps all the time.
One of the great plus points of this operating system is the Windows Store. Accessed via the Metro interface, it gives you a direct route to third-party apps, which take advantage of the Metro look and feel to provide a whole host of extra functionality. App stores are nothing new, but this will be the first time we’ve seen one integrated into Windows.
In the Consumer Preview we’ve been looking at, the apps are all free, which certainly won’t be the case later on. Applications are categorised by subject, and you sweep through these to see what’s new or being promoted. The look and feel of the interface is similar to that of the Start screen.
2011年8月15日星期一
Solar car takes on the outback
SAN JOSE, Calif. — A team of Stanford University students is racing to finish what could be the next new thing in automotive technology. Or just the fastest solar panels on wheels.
If the school's $500,000 racecar is made of the right stuff, it will cross the finish line ahead of 30 teams at this fall's grueling World Solar Challenge, the international Super Bowl of solar-car racing, across a bright, flat, empty and hot Australian outback.
"Our goal is to make the most aerodynamic solar car the world has ever seen," said mechanical engineering student Ian Girard, 22, taking a late-night rest from last-minute tests, tweaks and repairs.
"It's not science fiction. It's not stuck in a lab," he said. "It's real. It's here. There's no gas anywhere in the car. And it's on the highway, next to you."
Only a year ago, Xenith was a mere collection of computer files and dreams.
Now it resembles a sleek spacecraft. Street legal and already road-tested on Bay Area and Central Valley freeways, its solar cruise speed is 50 to 60 mph, propelled by a 1,300 watt solar array and 150 volt battery pack.
Last week, Xenith was on display at its official "coming out" party — proving that a vehicle can be both green and mean.
The next step: It gets carefully boxed up and shipped across the Pacific, to arrive in time for the Oct. 16-23 competition.
Conceived to promote research on solar power, the World Solar Challenge is a 10-day, 1,800-mile race from Darwin to Adelaide.
The Stanford students will compete against students from universities in Japan, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland and two dozen other nations. If Xenith wins, it would be the first victorious American entry since General Motors' Sunraycer in 1987.
"You can't overvalue this type of experience for engineering students," said Bill Kelly of the Washington, D.C.-based American Society for Engineering Education. "Having hands-on experience — being comfortable building this sort of thing, in a competitive environment — that's a terrific way to learn, and a huge professional asset."
Other engineering fields have their own competitions. Civil engineers paddle in the National Concrete Canoe Competition every June. In March, hundreds of aeronautical engineers flock to Texas with their 50-pound aircrafts, to be judged on takeoff, maneuvers and smooth landings.
But as every NASCAR fan knows,Whilst magic cube are not deadly, a newly engineered monster can be hard to keep running.
It's even tougher, it turns out, for experimental fuel-free vehicles that consume no more power than the average hair dryer.
In the last Solar Challenge, held in 2009, only one-third of all entries finished. Stanford made it but finished last,This patent infringement case relates to retractable landscape oil paintings , due to inadequate road testing.
But this new team of undergraduates has introduced major advancements in design and technologies.
Starting with a computer design — accurate to within 1/16 of an inch — the 15-member team assembled the 375-pound car, then made adjustments. This summer, they gathered after their regular jobs, working until 1 or 2 a.m.
What makes Xenith so fast?
A body made of very thin and light carbon fiber, only 4 inches thick. Solar panels of Corning glass with special anti-reflective coating, creating super-efficiency. Rear-wheel steering, so the front wheel bearings are very narrow,ceramic zentai suits for the medical, allowing aerodynamic design. An ultra-compact battery pack. Electronics that don't draw a lot of power.
Tight suspension. And tires with very low friction.
"We've reduced the aerodynamic drag, by a factor of two, from our last car," said computer systems engineer Nathan Hall-Snyder of Park City, Utah. "Anything to make our car a tiny bit more competitive."
It drives like a normal car — yet the bubble-like cockpit sits only 2 inches off the ground.
So low, so fast, "you get a very different perspective on driving," said Girard, who grew up on the concrete floor of his family's Arcata, Calif., garage, fixing motorcycles and cars with his dad.
"It's loud inside. You wear a helmet, so it's claustrophobic," he said. "And it's hot, very hot, inside."
Strategy is critical: Winning a race hinges on careful energy management. A well-designed car runs at the speed limit at high noon, while storing extra energy in its batteries. This banked energy is used when the sun is low in the sky — or when clouds block the sun. No one wants to wait on the side of the road, recharging batteries.
Stanford's first solar car looked like a 1,000-pound cockroach — big and ugly. It weighed three times as much as Xenith. But cars have improved. And students seek experience.
"Everybody needs to know the equations you learn in the normal classroom curriculum. But not everybody comes out of school having built a car you can drive," said Graham Dudley,This will leave your shoulders free to rotate in their offshore merchant account . 20,For the last five years porcelain tiles , of Durango, Colo. "It is a million times more valuable."
None of the solar cars in the challenge is likely to appear at a local dealership any time soon. They are too impractical, expensive and cramped to appeal to most people.
But like the space program, these vehicles provide a real-world chance to test innovative cutting-edge ideas — which could eventually boost the performance of everyday autos.
The epic trek, chasing the sun, will test Stanford's gamble.
If the school's $500,000 racecar is made of the right stuff, it will cross the finish line ahead of 30 teams at this fall's grueling World Solar Challenge, the international Super Bowl of solar-car racing, across a bright, flat, empty and hot Australian outback.
"Our goal is to make the most aerodynamic solar car the world has ever seen," said mechanical engineering student Ian Girard, 22, taking a late-night rest from last-minute tests, tweaks and repairs.
"It's not science fiction. It's not stuck in a lab," he said. "It's real. It's here. There's no gas anywhere in the car. And it's on the highway, next to you."
Only a year ago, Xenith was a mere collection of computer files and dreams.
Now it resembles a sleek spacecraft. Street legal and already road-tested on Bay Area and Central Valley freeways, its solar cruise speed is 50 to 60 mph, propelled by a 1,300 watt solar array and 150 volt battery pack.
Last week, Xenith was on display at its official "coming out" party — proving that a vehicle can be both green and mean.
The next step: It gets carefully boxed up and shipped across the Pacific, to arrive in time for the Oct. 16-23 competition.
Conceived to promote research on solar power, the World Solar Challenge is a 10-day, 1,800-mile race from Darwin to Adelaide.
The Stanford students will compete against students from universities in Japan, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland and two dozen other nations. If Xenith wins, it would be the first victorious American entry since General Motors' Sunraycer in 1987.
"You can't overvalue this type of experience for engineering students," said Bill Kelly of the Washington, D.C.-based American Society for Engineering Education. "Having hands-on experience — being comfortable building this sort of thing, in a competitive environment — that's a terrific way to learn, and a huge professional asset."
Other engineering fields have their own competitions. Civil engineers paddle in the National Concrete Canoe Competition every June. In March, hundreds of aeronautical engineers flock to Texas with their 50-pound aircrafts, to be judged on takeoff, maneuvers and smooth landings.
But as every NASCAR fan knows,Whilst magic cube are not deadly, a newly engineered monster can be hard to keep running.
It's even tougher, it turns out, for experimental fuel-free vehicles that consume no more power than the average hair dryer.
In the last Solar Challenge, held in 2009, only one-third of all entries finished. Stanford made it but finished last,This patent infringement case relates to retractable landscape oil paintings , due to inadequate road testing.
But this new team of undergraduates has introduced major advancements in design and technologies.
Starting with a computer design — accurate to within 1/16 of an inch — the 15-member team assembled the 375-pound car, then made adjustments. This summer, they gathered after their regular jobs, working until 1 or 2 a.m.
What makes Xenith so fast?
A body made of very thin and light carbon fiber, only 4 inches thick. Solar panels of Corning glass with special anti-reflective coating, creating super-efficiency. Rear-wheel steering, so the front wheel bearings are very narrow,ceramic zentai suits for the medical, allowing aerodynamic design. An ultra-compact battery pack. Electronics that don't draw a lot of power.
Tight suspension. And tires with very low friction.
"We've reduced the aerodynamic drag, by a factor of two, from our last car," said computer systems engineer Nathan Hall-Snyder of Park City, Utah. "Anything to make our car a tiny bit more competitive."
It drives like a normal car — yet the bubble-like cockpit sits only 2 inches off the ground.
So low, so fast, "you get a very different perspective on driving," said Girard, who grew up on the concrete floor of his family's Arcata, Calif., garage, fixing motorcycles and cars with his dad.
"It's loud inside. You wear a helmet, so it's claustrophobic," he said. "And it's hot, very hot, inside."
Strategy is critical: Winning a race hinges on careful energy management. A well-designed car runs at the speed limit at high noon, while storing extra energy in its batteries. This banked energy is used when the sun is low in the sky — or when clouds block the sun. No one wants to wait on the side of the road, recharging batteries.
Stanford's first solar car looked like a 1,000-pound cockroach — big and ugly. It weighed three times as much as Xenith. But cars have improved. And students seek experience.
"Everybody needs to know the equations you learn in the normal classroom curriculum. But not everybody comes out of school having built a car you can drive," said Graham Dudley,This will leave your shoulders free to rotate in their offshore merchant account . 20,For the last five years porcelain tiles , of Durango, Colo. "It is a million times more valuable."
None of the solar cars in the challenge is likely to appear at a local dealership any time soon. They are too impractical, expensive and cramped to appeal to most people.
But like the space program, these vehicles provide a real-world chance to test innovative cutting-edge ideas — which could eventually boost the performance of everyday autos.
The epic trek, chasing the sun, will test Stanford's gamble.
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