Archive for Technology

Fuel efficiency and less pollution is all the rage these days with cars. Honda brings us their updated IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) system to the 2006 Civic Hybrid.

The Hybrid i-VTEC system provides three stages of valve timing which are the low-rpm, high-rpm and cylinder idle mode. The IMA system is an improved version over the previous version, with battery output increased by 30% while retaining the same size. The electric motor employs coils with high-density windings and high-performance magnets to attain that power. The battery is recharged using regenerative hydraulic braking.

Click here to read the rest of Honda Hybrid i-VTEC System

Michelin invented the radial tyre fifty years ago. The first tubeless tyre was invented 100 years ago. Now the tyre has been reinvented again.

The next step in tyre technology has been unveiled. The Tweel is a simple looking hub and spoke design which eliminates the need for air pressure.

How does it work?

Flexible spokes are fused with a flexible wheel which deforms to absorb shock. The Tweel also has a unique capability to have different vertical and lateral stiffness.

Vertical stiffness affects ride comfort, and lateral stiffness affects handling and cornering. The ability to tune these two parameters differently allows the best of both worlds, ride comfort and superb handling!

It sounds good and works well, but I have to say it looks pretty ugly.

Perhaps Michelin could find some way to eliminate those gaping see-through holes for the final production model. Maybe with a covered sidewall. I think the wheel is currently ‘naked’ to demonstrate how the inner spokes bend across surfaces.

The Tweel is not only for cars. Bulldozers can use them too.

Works well over rocky terrains like this, so it should work well for 4WDs too. You can see how the outer thread and the spokes bend to go over the uneven surface.

The Tweel on an Audi. Because of the spokes I think we can say goodbye to the large sports rims with low profile tyres look. The Tweel seems to use a small hub with large spokes.

An Audi A4 on the track running on Tweels. Michelin has increased lateral stiffness over normal air-pressure tyres by a factor of FIVE, giving the car unbelievable handling properties.

How far are we from mass-production and how much will it cost? Michelin says radial tyres will be the standard for a long long time to come, but research gained from the Tweel is helping it develop reinvent the way future vehicles move. Things like checking tyre pressure, fixing flat tyres, and balancing between traction and comfort could all fade into memory.

Welcome to the next step in engine technology. Camless engines use solenoid valves instead of the conventional camshaft, cams, gears, rocker arms combination. Solenoid valves are driven electronically allowing completely freedom of valve control. A computer controls the opening and closing of the valves instead of cam lobes actuating rocker arms. The abscence of all that mechanical bulk allows for a lighter and more compact valvetrain package. It also means you don’t need a timing belt anymore.

Camless engines have been around for the past 5 years in testing phases and used in competitions but I do not know of any that have been put into production cars yet.

It’s the next logical step from the current variable valve timing and cam profile phasing technologies that try to go around the limitation of a camshaft’s fixed timing properties. With the flexibility of the valve being electronically controlled, you can have maximum torque at all engine revs and the best fuel mileage possible. A racing cam is shaped to optimize engine output at high speeds without regard for the way it roughens up an idle. With camless valvetrains, we don’t have to live with that.

Click here to read the rest of Camless Solenoid Valve Engines

It’s been three months now since the move to Jaring, and I’m pleased to say that Jaring absolutely rocks! I have not had a single downtime for the entire three months since my server shifted it’s co-location to it’s datacenter in Bukit Jalil, and only two occasions of the TMNet-Jaring link through Eastgate going down, where traffic was routed internationally instead of through local peerings. That caused a minor slowdown instead of being totally down! BGP4 actually works in this datacenter

Click here to read the rest of Jaring Rocks My Socks

Perodua used to have an order tracking lookup page here. What you do is you put in your VSO (Vehicle Sales Order) number and you can check out the status of your order. This VSO is available if you made your Perodua vehicle booking through a Perodua branch instead of a Perodua dealer.

But as of 29th June 2005, the page now generates a 404 Object Not Found Error.

Why? With the long waiting list for the Perodua Myvi, it’s definitely beneficial for Myvi bookers to be able to check on their orders online instead of bugging their Sales Agents every single day. Is this a temporary glitch or is it permanent?

Mambo is quickly becoming the defacto CMS because of it’s extremely easy to use interface, wealth of add-ons and templates and also because of the security issues that plagues the Nuke series of CMSes.

Parti Keadilan Rakyat launched it’s new website yesterday. I was suprised that they actually used a proper CMS for the site. Definitely looks better than the world’s best flash animation.

Another popular local website which have switched to Mambo include Lowyat.net.

Links:
MamboServer.com - Official Mambo Homepage
OpenSourceCms - Has demo versions of almost every open source CMS Out there installed for you to try out

“I wouldn’t have to create Linux if there wasn’t any lawsuit against BSD in the early 90`s. It wouldn’t be necesary”. - Linux Torvalds. [ Source ]

I predict this line would be quoted by FreeBSD evangelists in any Linux vs. FreeBSD flamewars

Months ago I received an invitation from AirZed to submit an application if my company was interested in a new broadband service which they would be offering soon. I presumed it would be a wireless broadband service as it’s AirZed’s forte. But I’ve wondered what tech platform they would base their wireless broadband service on.

Click here to read the rest of WiMAX is in Malaysia!

The results of this research should open the pathway to a bleak future for humanity - blood-sucking vampire robots that use blood to power their fuel cells!

Anyone want to buy my idea and produce a horror movie?

Tokyo - A Japanese research team has developed a fuel cell that runs on blood without using toxic substances, opening the way for use in artificial hearts and other organs.

The biological fuel cell uses glucose, a sugar in blood, with a non-toxic substance used to draw electrons from glucose, said the team led by Matsuhiko Nishizawa, bio-engineering professor at the graduate school of state-run Tohoku University.

“Since the electron mediator is based on Vitamin K3, which exists in human bodies, it excels in safety and could in the future generate power from blood as an implant-type fuel cell,” the group said in a statement.

Most other bio-fuel cells under study use a metal complex, spawning concern about harm if used for implants.

The newly developed cell in the size of a tiny coin is able to generate 0,2 milliwatts of electricity, enough to power a device that measures blood sugar level and transmits data elsewhere, the group said. - Sapa-AFP

Source: New fuel cell opens way for artificial hearts

If any of you noticed, my blog and some of the sites that the server hosts were down on Sunday morning. My company got sick of Netmyne’s horrible service. The network connection at Netmyne (as someone put it) goes up and down as often as a human eats rice. No, I don’t mean those stupid girls who tulang rusuk can see also want to diet.

Click here to read the rest of Server Move