Slashdot Mirror
Sanyo Solar Ark and Giant LED Display
shokk writes "Those of us who have played with CrystalFontz and Matrix Orbital serial LCD displays for geeky messaging will get a kick out of the 77k+ LED Solar Ark by Sanyo (only 21k of which are using as red/green/blue combinations for the presentation display). Not only does this behemoth show off its fantastically huge array of solar panels generating 530,000kWh/year and its high efficiency white LED technology, but it also sports a non-chemical water purification system in a very Feng Shui way. Lighting to restrooms underneath is provided by fiber optic paths from the white LEDs in the giant display above." It's a small plant as power plants go (600 kilowatts, when many plants are hundreds or thousands of megawatts) but it was cheap to produce, aesthetically pleasing, and of course, non-polluting, so that Godzilla won't visit.
They got bought up by Bridgestone some time ago.
Infuriate left and right
Japaness business men seem to have more of these things called 'ethics'. Not sure why. I know they have alot more suicides from CEOs if the company stuffs up etc. As opposed to the take the money and run attitude that seems common in western countires.
One superstition, however, seems to be actually gaining prominence: Feng Shui
Many of the things that you mention, like the rabbits foot, or knocking on wood, are just a superstition. They don't have any practical use in real life.
Feng Shui is largely a superstition, but it also has a great practical aspect to it: It is also a great decoration & design strategy.
Houses that follow Feng Shui can look nice, clean and organized: not because of the spiritual aspects, but rather because Feng Shui helps you to reduce the clutter, keep things clean, and to find a place to put the flowerpot and hang the mirror.
And really, these houses would probably look nice if they followed any design strategy, but Feng Shui just happens to be the buzzword of the decade...
"Can of worms? The can is open... the worms are everywhere."
That was over-hyped media BS, and absolutely nothing more. Anyone with any experience in automotive sports, in particular, can tell you what happens when you run a tire outside of its spec. They blow, often catastrophically.
Ford was telling people to run the tires more than 25% below they're recommended inflation pressure because the proper safe pressure made the ride in these soccer-mom driven deathmobiles too harsh. If you look at how most street tires are manufactured, its very obvious that running at too low of a pressure will eventually cause a separation in the steel belts or braid in the tire, leading to weakening. It also puts too much strain on the sidewall, which weakens and eventually blows.
But, you know what? Its not Ford's fault either. There is one reason, and one reason only why these people were injured or killed: driver incompetance. A well-trained driver who is actually save behind the wheel knows how to maintain proper air pressure, knows how to control a car when a tire has blown, and most importantly knows not to jerk the wheel when you have traction on only one side of the vehicle. Otherwise you roll over and die, especially in a top-heavy truck like an SUV.
Hell, a number of published independant tests blew out the sidewalls on Ford SUV's and the cars stopped perfectly straight and in a controlled manner. An inexcusably poorly trained driver doing the exact wrong thing is the only thing that can lead to an accident in cases like that one. *Any* good driver knows that perfectly well. Its embarassing how easy it is for any idiot to get a license in the US, and people die because of it.
They do NOT die because of a non-existant policy to cover up a problem in a product.