Jaguar C-X75 is a hybrid supercar

Jaguar will launch its C-X75 concept vehicle as an exclusive hybrid supercar.

The C-X75 - which boasts top speeds in excess of 200mph - is expected to deliver ultra-low CO2 emissions of less than 99g/km.

"We were always determined that the C-X75 would be as striking on the road as it was in concept form," said Jaguar exec Ian Callum. 



"This will be the finest looking and most innovative Jaguar ever produced. Even in the world of supercars, we can still produce the most beautiful."

According to Callum, the Jaguar C-X75 is slated to be developed in association with Williams F1, who will provide their engineering expertise in various areas, such as aerodynamics, carbon composite manufacture and hybrid technologies.

To be sure, the supercar's chassis is made of carbon-fibre, effectively creating an incredibly lightweight, yet rigidly strong structure. In addition, the C-X75 is powered a small-capacity, highly-boosted internal combustion engine with one electric motor at each axle.

"The engine's compact size allows it to be mounted low in the car for optimum weight distribution and to retain the concept's stunning silhouette," explained Jaguar engineer Bob Joyce.

"This will make the Jaguar C-X75 a bona fide hybrid supercar capable of silent electric running with an extensive EV range in excess of 50km."

When C-X75's motors and combustion engine combine, it will be one of the fastest production cars in the world, with a sub-three second 0-60mph time and a top speed in excess of 200mph.

Production, however, is expected to be limited, with Jaguar building only 250 of the C-X75 supercars. Each will be priced between £700,000 ($1,149,190) - £900,000 ($1,477,530) depending on market and local taxes.

The falling stars and hammers of Thor

We were never quite sure of what to think about Thor leading up to its release, but now we know: it’ll be a classic.

Comicbook films are well-known for a certain lack of depth, and for an apathy to the audience that fells cold and sometimes barren, but Marvel has been lately turning out excellent films. The Iron Man films were better than anyone could have expected, making up for the Hulk and Fantastic Four films of years gone by.

Thor was a bit of an enigma, however. His character isn’t always entirely likable, and his story isn’t entirely compelling.

Was Marvel going to be able to pull Thor into a film with as much quality and heart as Iron Man and its sequel we wondered?

We have our answer as of this weekend: they have outdone themselves.

The overture of the film takes place out in the astral realms of Asgard and Jotunheim. The world of Asgard is beautiful, and shows off well the 3D visuals, if you’ve a chance to see the 3D version.

The spires and halls of the mythical land are gorgeous, and seamless, helping the audience to, not marvel at the intricacies ofthe CGI, but to forget that it even is CGI (which is ultimately the point, right?).

Said overture was much longer than many in the audience would be used to, crossing nearly 40 minutes off the film simply with the basic set-up for the plot.

It doesn’t suffer for this,however, as it lends itself strongly to Thors character, helping us really see his pre-epihany character in a solid and clarifying light, rather than just telling us how he rolls.

The actual conflict of the plot is not as large in scope as I had believed it would be. I thought that Thor was going to have to overcome some great powerful force, which was threatening to destroy the entire Earth: typical superhero film fare. Instead, the story of the film was surprisingly touching.

Thor's main conflic was truely with himself, and the only danger was to his close friends, and came from a villain which was sympathetic. The themes of family and sacrifice and regret are strong, but don't overpower the film. We get a real introduction to Thor himself, not just his powers and his past.

The role is the kind that makes stars, and Chris Hemsworth - previously best known for his work in Australian soaps - deserves whatever it brings him. He plays equally well the vengeful, naive berserker and the gentle, humbled prince. While Hemsworth shines, all of the casting is exceptional. Hopkins, despite little actual screen time, makes a great Odin, and Portman is as innocently hot as always in the role of Thor’s human romantic interest.

Though not surprising, it’s worth mentioning that the effects and fights were all masterly crafted. Even if the rest of the film had steamed, the action sequences would be worth the price of the 3D admission.

I also enjoyed the depiction of the Asgardians as an ancient and powerful alien race. I couldn’t help but think how much cooler these Asgardians are compared to the ones depicted in Stargate.

The Marvel film universe is really shaping up, and I think that when these films are all finished, we’ll have a really nice franchise of films telling timeless tails in superior style. I can’t wait for Captain America to drop this summer. I’ll be happy if it’s half as good as Thor.

Al Qaeda confirms bin Laden death and vows revenge

Al Qaeda confirmed the death of Osama bin Laden on Friday in an Internet message that vowed revenge on the United States and its allies, including Pakistan, according to a statement issued by the Islamist militant group.

Five days after President Barack Obama announced bin Laden's death in a U.S. raid in Pakistan, al Qaeda confirmed the death of its leader as a historic moment, and vowed not to deviate from the path of armed struggle.

"In a historic day for the great Islamic nation... the mujahid (holy warrior) Shiekh Abu Abdullah, Osama bin Mohammed bin Laden, God have mercy on him, was killed on the path taken by those before him and will be taken by others after him."

"Congratulations to the Islamic umma (community) for the martyrdom of its son Osama."

The global militant group, which said it will soon release an audio tape made by its leader a week before he died, vowed not to deviate from the path of armed struggle and said bin Laden's blood "is more precious to us and to every Muslim than to be wasted in vain."

"It will remain, with permission from God Almighty, a curse that hunts the Americans and their collaborators and chase them outside and inside their country," the militant network said in a statement released on Islamist Internet forums.

"Their happiness will turn into sorrow, and their blood will be mixed with their tears," al Qaeda said.

"We call upon our Muslim people in Pakistan, on whose land Sheikh Osama was killed, to rise up and revolt to cleanse this shame that has been attached to them by a clique of traitors and thieves ... and in general to cleanse their country from the filth of the Americans who spread corruption in it."

The al Qaeda statement also urged the United States to treat the bodies of Osama bin Laden and those killed with him in the raid with care, and to return their bodies.

"We warn the Americans not to harm the corpse of the sheikh or expose it to any indecent treatment or to harm any members of his family, living or dead, and to deliver the corpses to their families," it said.

"Any harm done will open the doors of evil upon you doubly, and you will not have anyone but yourselves to blame."

(Reporting by David Morgan and Erika Solomon; additional reporting by Yara Bayoumy, editing by Reed Stevenson)

SimplyMEPIS 11.04

SimplyMEPIS 11.0, a new version of the user-friendly, Debian-based distribution featuring the KDE desktop, has been released: "Warren Woodford is pleased to announce the release of SimplyMEPIS 11, the latest version of the renowned SimplyMEPIS Linux operating system that is designed to be easy to install, easy to use, and easy to make your own. SimplyMEPIS 11.0.00 is released for i386 and amd64 platforms. It's configured with a 2.6.36.4 kernel, the KDE 4.5.1 desktop, and many applications, including LibreOffice 3.3.2, Firefox 4.0.1, VLC 1.1.3, Amarok 2.4.0, Kdenlive 0.7.9, Digikam 1.9.0, GIMP 2.6.10, and Inkscape 0.48.1. Additional applications are available for easy installation from the MEPIS and Debian package pools including Dropbox, Skype, Scribus, Eclipse, Evolution, WINE and thousands more." Read the full press release for further information. Download (mirrors): SimplyMEPIS-1.5G_11.0.00_32.iso (1,336MB, MD5), SimplyMEPIS-1.5G_11.0.00_64.iso (1,337MB, MD5).

Gigantii tech acuzati ca au conspirat pentru a mentine salariile angajatilor scazute

Mai mule companii tech, printre care Apple, Google si Intel sunt date in judecata sub acuzatia ca au conspirat pentru a mentine scazute salariile angajatilor.

Potrivit plangerii formulate de Siddharth Hariharan, fost inginer software la compania de productie Lucas Film, Adobe, Apple, Google, Intel, Intuit, Lucasfilm si Pixar au violat legile antitrust conspirand la palfonarea salariilor si intrand in aranjamente de genul “No solicitation”.

Totodata, Hariharan sustine ca giganti tech au semnat intelegeri prin care sa nu isi recruteze activ angajatii unii altora si sa prin care sa trimita notificari angajatorului unui candidat – fara ca acesta sa stie – inainte de a face o oferta.

Potrivit estimarilor, competitia redusa pe aceste servicii a determinat o reducere cu 10-15% a salariilor angajatilor acestor companii.

China isi intareste controlul asupra Internetului

China a pus bazele unei noi institutii guvernamentale, responsabila pentru controlul informatiei pe Internet.

Biroul de Informatii al Internetului le va permite autoritatilor sa practice o cenzura care l-ar face pana si pe Ceausescu gelos, controland tot contentul disponibil pentru utilizatorii de internet din tara.

Beijing-ul opereaza o cenzura draconica asupra internetului, numita si “Marele zid de foc al Chinei.” Website-urile considerate o amenintare la adresa guvernului sunt blocate zilnic.

The Chinese government has put a lot of resources into controlling and censoring the internet content available to its citizens.

Guvernul chinez a alocat un numar mare de resurse in controlarea si cenzurarea contentului de pe web.

Pana in prezent aceasta supraveghere era exercitata de catre Biroul de Informatii al tarii si de alte cateva agentii. Institutia noua creata aduce la un loc controlul tehnic si cel politic.

Consecinta imediat urmatoare se va vedea intr-o cenzura mult mai accentuata a stirilor si a informatiilor online, a afacerilor new media si intr-un control mult mai agresiv al accesului la internet.

Decizia autoritatilor de a infiinta Biroul de Informatii al Internetului ar putea veni ca urmare a revolutiilor din Orientul Mijlociu si Nordul Africii.