cash

A study by iSuppli Corporation shows that the top 10 cars being bought with Cash for Clunkers vouchers offer tech features such as GPS navigation, Bluetooth phone systems, satellite radio, and iPod integration. However, in iSuppli's automotive tech rating system, the average score for these 10 cars, 14.6, falls below the tech average for all cars available, 17.8 according to iSuppli. The Ford Focus tops the list, and sets the tone for the rest, which are all relatively inexpensive and economical vehicles.

The iSuppli report notes that none of these cars offer driver assistance technologies, such as … Read more

Dearly beloved and friends, today we lay to rest a possibly usable and/or drivable motor vehicle that has been judged a "clunker" by the government-sponsored CARS program and by its previous owner. This undesirable automobile has been sentenced to death via lethal injection that has disabled many a clunker's engine under the recently- imposed CARS legislation (see my blog from yesterday for more on that). Now that this damned vehicle lives no more, its carcass will be crushed and piled up in a junkyard by the undertaker operating the forklift of death.

I suppose many readers have wondered what exactly happens to a vehicle that is traded in under the CARS (aka "Cash for Clunkers") program that the U.S. government has endorsed in order to not just stimulate the economy by encouraging American consumers to trade in their older vehicles toward the purchase of a brand new car.

So what happens to your old hoopty once you trade it in for $4500 or less toward a new car? It is speculated that one of the first things an auto dealer or mechanic will do to your "clunker" … Read more

With many Americans losing jobs and an economy that's still in the crapper, most of us are having trouble just making ends meet, let along trying to purchase a brand new automobile. And with the government trying just about anything to try and stimulate the economy, The U.S. government is sponsoring a program called Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS for short) and perhaps better known as "Cash for Clunkers".

The basic concept of CARS is to encourage Americans to purchase new automobiles that are more eco-friendly and fuel efficient than those of the past by offering … Read more

The Senate is expected to vote on a bill on Thursday to extend the Cash for Clunkers car trade-in program, but experts contend there are more cost-effective ways to get environmental benefits.

The government-funded program, where people can get up to $4,500 for trading in a car for a new, more fuel-efficient model, has been so popular that it may run out of funding by the end of the week. The House passed a bill to extend the program with an additional $2 billion which, if the Senate passes its version, would give consumers until Labor Day to trade … Read more

This is Part 2 of a list of my favorite sounding CDs of late, in no particular order. My preference is for realistic-sounding recordings, recordings that allow the band to sound "live." And sure, I still like a lot of recordings that are heavily processed, but I wouldn't by any stretch use them to "test" the naturalness of a speaker.

The first half of the top 10 CD list appeared in the previous Audiophiliac.

Savage Aural Hotbed, "Wreckquiem"

Talk about heavy metal, Savage Aural Hotbed is a (mostly) industrial percussion group. They rhythmically hit, scrape, or smash pipes, barrels, tenor and baritone snorkelhorns, electric power tools, and drums. I love SAH records for their dense textures and searing dynamics and this new one will give your system an aerobic workout while dazzling your ears with its mesmerizing charms.

Rosanne Cash, "10 Song Demo"

OK, this one's from 1996, but it's withstood the test of time. True to the title, it's just Cash accompanied by a small group of players, Production is minimal, so if your system is good enough the music can sound very, very real. The music's a perfect 10.

Gerald Clayton, "Two-Shade"

Clayton's nimble piano trio delivers hard-driving pieces and explosive improvisations that'll push your hi-fi to the limit. The piano, bass, and drums balance is, musically and sonically, as good as it gets. It may be Clayton's trio, but it's a band of equals. The stereo image is set back, behind the plane of my speakers, so it doesn't have the claustrophobic, up close perspective of most contemporary jazz recordings. … Read more

The cash for clunkers program has proven so popular, Congress passed a bill to keep it funded. If you have a car built in the last 25 years that gets an EPA-certified combined fuel economy of 18 mpg or less, it qualifies for the credit. And to get the full $4,500 credit, the new car you buy has to get at least 10 mpg better than the clunker you scrap. We've picked out six cars we've reviewed this year that qualify for the maximum credit.

See which six cars maximize cash for clunker dollars.

The money to fund an extended Cash for Clunkers program could come at the expense of renewable energy companies.

The House on Friday overwhelmingly passed a bill to extend the program which gives consumers up to $4,500 for trading in old cars for new, fuel-efficient ones with an additional $2 billion. The initial $1 billion set aside is said to be already or nearly exhausted.

The program has been popular with consumers as well as politicians who see it as a way to revive bleak auto sales. However, the House proposed paying for the extension by using $2 billion … Read more

Today, the last Friday of July is SysAdmin day and we appreciate them even more because they came through during the live show and got us back online. We also talk about David Pogue's new movement to "take back the beep." And we need to watch out for pandas. Listen and you'll find out why. Special guests: The hosts of Hak5.

Apple to fix iPhone security flaw http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8177755.stm

The truth about the iPhone virus / vulnerability thing http://www.businessweek.com/technology/ByteOfTheApple/blog/archives/2009/07/the_truth_about.html

Elinor: Researchers attack my iPhone via SMS http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-10299378-245.html

David Pogue wants to take back the beep http://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/07/30/1955255/David-Pogue-Wants-to-Take-Back-the-Beep

Bootkit bypasses Truecrypt full-disk encryption http://www.h-online.com/security/Bootkit-bypasses-hard-disk-encryption–/news/113884

Hackers: We can bypass San Francisco e-parking meters http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10300233-83.html

HP researchers reveal details of browser-based darknet http://www.h-online.com/security/HP-researchers-reveal-details-of-browser-based-darknet–/news/113873

Shock threat to shut Skype http://www.smh.com.au/technology/biz-tech/shock-threat-to-shut-skype-20090731-e3qe.html

CU prof’s iPhone app lets users snoop out surroundings http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2009/jul/29/iphone-app-hoozat-cu-boulder-professor-richard-han

Cash for Clunkers cars get lethal injections http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/cash-for-clunkers-trade-ins-must-be-crushed-shredded/ http://money.cnn.com/2009/07/31/autos/cash_for_clunkers_update/index.htm

Fewer than 10 ET civilizations in our galaxy? http://science.slashdot.org/story/09/07/31/1244235/Fewer-Than-10-ET-Civilizations-In-Our-Galaxy

Police: Texting, talking NY trucker hits car, pool http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20090731/ap_on_hi_te/us_tow_truck_in_pool… Read more