Rube Goldberg Lives

Actually, he doesn't. But his Spirit Lives On.

He would have loved this video.Wikipedia

Reuben Garret L. Goldberg (July 4, 1883 - December 7, 1970) was an American cartoonist. He earned lasting fame for his Rube Goldberg machines (complex devices that perform simple tasks in indirect and convoluted ways.)

Goldberg went to Lowell High School in San Francisco in 1900 and earned a degree in engineering from the University of California, Berkeley in 1904. After college, Goldberg was hired by the city of San Francisco as an engineer. However, his fondness for drawing cartoons prevailed, and after just a few months he quit the city job for a job with the San Francisco Chronicle as a sports cartoonist. The following year, he took a job with the San Francisco Bulletin, where he remained until he moved to New York City in 1907.

He drew cartoons for several newspapers, including the New York Evening Journal and the New York Evening Mail. His work entered syndication in 1915, beginning his nationwide popularity. A prolific artist, Goldberg produced several cartoon series simultaneously; titles included Mike and Ike, Boob McNutt, Foolish Questions, Lala Palooza, and The Weekly Meeting of the Tuesday Women's Club.

While these series were quite popular, the one leading to his lasting fame involved a character named Professor Lucifer Gorgonzola Butts. In this series, Goldberg would draw labeled schematics of comical "inventions" which would later bear his name. In 1995, "Rube Goldberg's Inventions", depicting Professor Butts' Self-Operating Napkin, was one of 20 strips included in the Comic Strip Classics series of commemorative U.S. postage stamps. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his political cartooning in 1948.This... massively expensive commercial which took something like 600+ takes...

Is the epitome of a Rube Goldberg Machine. Enjoy.

Updated:

YouTube - World's Costliest Ad... after 606 takes

When the ad was pitched to senior executives, they signed off on it immediately without any hesitation - including the costs. There are six, and only six, hand-made Honda Accords in the world. To the horror of Honda engineers, the filmmakers disassembled two of them to make this film.

There are no computer graphics or digital tricks in the film. Everything you see really happened in real time, exactly as you see it. The film took 606 takes. On the first 605 takes, something, usually very minor, didn't work. They would then have to set the whole thing up again.

The crew spent weeks shooting night and day. By the time it was over, they were ready to change professions. The film cost six million dollars and took three months to complete including full engineering of the sequence.

In addition, it is two minutes long so every time Honda airs the film on British television, they're shelling out enough dough to keep any one of us in clover for a lifetime. However, it is fast becoming the most downloaded advertisement in Internet history. Honda executives figure the ad will soon pay for itself simply in "free viewings" (Honda isn't paying a dime to have you watch this commercial!).

Everything you see in the film (aside from the walls, floor, ramp and complete Honda Accord) is parts from those two cars. The voice-over is Garrison Keillor. When the ad was shown to Honda executives, they liked it and commented on how amazing computer graphics have gotten.

They fell off their chairs when they found out it was for real... oh no J. And how about those funky windshield wipers...?? On the new Accords, the windshield wipers have water sensors and are designed to start doing their thing automatically... as soon as they become wet. It looks a bit weird in the commercial.

At cost of $6.2 million for 90-sec commercial, this is world's costliest ad and hands down winner in the world of ads.


Source: http://www.groupnewsblog.net/2007/09/rube-goldberg-lives.html

Honda 2008 Accord

But only a concept. However, the problem is not in Europe-new Accord will be on sale as early as the middle of next year, and addressed to the Frankfurt prototype (by the way, with the body Wagon) will be different from the serial version is likely only minor details.

True, the image of the Japanese cable car and yet no one gives. But, as you can guess, "our" Accord will be similar to that of American shildikami. It will lower wider and shorter, and design will become more aggressive.

Moreover, it is possible that the new generation Accord will be "intelligent" peeping transmission SH-AWD as the Legend sedan. And his design at the time we reminded shown in Tokyo Sports4 concept.
gmc chicago dealer
Honda Blog


Source: http://hondacar-x.blogspot.com/2007/09/honda-2008-accord.html

Frankfurt Preview: Mazda keeps the focus on low weight with new 6

The new generation Mazda6 will be debuting next week in Frankfurt and the Japanese brand wants to keep their "Sustainable Zoom-Zoom" strategy going. Like the subcompact Mazda2 that came out Geneva, Mazda has made weight reduction a major part of their design vision for the new car. Taking the opposite tack of the new Honda Accord, the Mazda6 will be lighter than the current model and have lower fuel consumption. All car companies need to putting effort into weight reduction since that is one of the reasons for ever more powerful engines. Keep the mass down and performance and handling both improve without sacrificing efficiency.

[Source: Mazda]
Mazda continues Lightweight Strategy
with All-New Mazda6

Leverkusen, 6th September 2007. At this year's Frankfurt Motor Show, Mazda Motor Corporation will underscore its "Sustainable Zoom-Zoom" vision for developing technologies that have less impact on the environment. Taking centre stage is the world premiere of the all-new Mazda6, which continues Mazda's lightweight strategy. It is slightly lighter, uses less fuel and produces less CO2 than its predecessor.

The all-new Mazda2 – the first model to break the upward spiral of ever-heavier cars – is also lighter, more frugal and produces far lower CO2 emissions than the previous model. In Frankfurt, Mazda introduces the diesel version of the all-new Mazda2.

The best proof of Mazda's daring, innovative spirit is the rotary engine. Mazda will celebrate the 40th anniversary of this unique technology in Frankfurt with the presentation of a Special Edition RX-8.

The Frankfurt Motor Show press days are on the 11th and 12th September. The public days are the 15th – 23rd September. Mazda will unveil the all–new Mazda6 during its press conference on Tuesday, 11th September, at 13:45, at the Mazda stand, which is No. 3.1 A08 in Hall 3.1.


Source: http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/09/06/frankfurt-preview-mazda-keeps-the-focus-on-low-weight-with-new/

New Honda Accord hoping to sell over 400000 of these flagship cars

Japanese automaker Honda are hoping that their new flagship 2008 Honda Accord will help them achieve a milestone which is to sell over 400,000 a year of their luxury sedan and coupe cars something which they have not be able to do since the 2001 model. Honda are hoping that the bigger will be better with the new 2008 Honda Accord, the car has more horsepower, a larger interior and Accord designers have giving the vehicle a more aggressive look.

Since 2004 the sales of the Honda Accord have slumped, in that year sales feel by at least 3.1 percent, in 2005 the sales dropped to 4.2 percent, and then last year in 2006 the sales of the Honda Accord fell 3.7 percent so the automaker really need the 2008 Honda Accord to revive this once great model.

Honda only managed to sell 354,441 units last year, but last year's car was a designed way back in 2003 so the 2008 Accord has been a long time coming for Honda.

Source: http://www.product-reviews.net/2007/08/27/new-honda-accord-hoping-to-sell-over-400000-of-these-flagship-cars/

2008 Accord only in 6 states

On a recent run from Boston to Cape Cod, I test drove the 2008 Honda Accord, the latest version of this family favorite. The new Accord boasts an environmental first: a six-cylinder gasoline engine that's cleaner than many hybrid systems.
There's only one catch: You can't actually buy this ultra-green Accord, or the four-cylinder version that also produces near-zero pollution. That is, unless you live in California, New York or six other northeast states that follow California's tougher pollution rules. Only there can you buy this Accord, or the roughly two dozen other models that meet so-called Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle standards, PZEV for short.

Not only can't you buy one, but the government says it's currently illegal for automakers to sell these green cars outside of the special states. Under terms of the Clean Air Act—in the kind of delicious irony only our government can pull off—anyone (dealer, consumer, automaker) involved in an out-of-bounds PZEV sale could be subject to civil fines of up to $27,500. Volvo sent its dealers a memo alerting them to this fact, noting that its greenest S40 and V50 models were only for the special states.
So, just how green is a PZEV machine? Well, if you just cut your lawn with a gas mower, congratulations, you just put out more pollution in one hour than these cars do in 2,000 miles of driving. Grill a single juicy burger, and you've cooked up the same hydrocarbon emissions as a three-hour drive in a Ford Focus PZEV. As the California Air Resources Board has noted, the tailpipe emissions of these cars can be cleaner than the outside air in smoggy cities.
That's amazing stuff. But what's more amazing is how few people have a clue that the gas-powered, internal combustion engine could ever be this clean.
Naturally, no company wants to bring too much attention to a car that most people can't buy, unless it's Ferrari. And there's the catch. PZEV models are already available from Toyota, Ford, Honda, GM, Subaru, Volvo and VW. They're scrubbed-up versions of familiar models, from the VW Jetta to the Subaru Outback. But chances are, you've never heard of them.
These cars aren't the only green leaf that's being dangled over our heads. The sweet-looking, sporty-handling Nissan Altima Hybrid borrows its hybrid system from the Toyota Camry, and sipped fuel at 32 mpg during my week-long test drive here in New York. But once again, if you'd love to buy the Nissan and burn less fuel, you're out of luck—unless you live in California or the Northeast.
Read more about "green" gasoline-powered vehicles
It's not all the fault of the car companies. The crazy quilt of environmental regulations is forcing carmakers to design and build two versions of the same cars. And it costs real money to make a car this green. So in states where there are no regulations to force their hand,automakers don't want to have to boost their prices for the green versions—or to simply eat the extra cost and make less profit.
Honda appears to be doing just that. It currently charges Californians and other green-staters about $150 extra for these solid-citizen models. But experts suggest that it costs carmakers closer to $400 a pop to install the gear.
Another issue: The PZEV cars don't get any better mileage than conventional versions. Would most self-interested Americans even pay a lousy 100 bucks for cleaner air that doesn't put fuel savings back in their pocket? "With hybrids, the selling point is fuel economy, so there's a dollar amount on that," said William Walton, Honda's product planning chief for U.S. cars. "We want to give people the cleanest vehicles we can produce, but how much are people willing to pay for clean air?"
Message Board: Would you pay more for clean air? Voice your opinion!
Then again, so what if Honda or others lose a few million at first? Toyota clearly went into the red on every Prius it sold in the early years, but shrewdly viewed that cash as an investment to create buzz and build a loyal following. Today, Toyota dealers can barely keep the Prius in stock—and the company has surrounded itself with a green halo that's priceless.
As often as automakers express envy and resentment over Toyota's image, you might think Honda would be filming TV ads, erecting billboards, shouting from rooftops that the Accord is the world's cleanest six-cylinder car. In the green game that Toyota has played like a chess master, it seems like this is a lost opportunity for Honda, Nissan and the rest to siphon off some of Toyota's goodwill.
So give Honda's talented engineers credit for this clean-burning Accord. But give its marketing department a big, smoggy raspberry for keeping it a virtual secret—and keeping it off-limits to buyers in 42 states.

Source: http://www.honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=2087444

Road & Track Picks Its Five Best 2008 Cars (Part 1)

The editors and test drivers for Road & Track have hundred of new vehicles pass through their assessment radar each year. The publication's staff knows what it's doing and it's been doing it for a long time.

I don't always with the publication — its places a large importance on speed. But the clout the publication has, and it recently picked its top-five 2008 cars — gee, about four months before the year starts.

Road  & Track's top-five cars for 2008 and a brief capsule of Road & Track assessment of each car: Audi R8, BMW 1 Series, Dodge Viper SRT 10, Honda Accord, Volvo C30

Audi R8

" . . . With its light aluminum space frame and the aid of four driven wheels, the R8 makes the most of its 4.2-liter aluminum-block V-8, delivering its 420 bhp through either a conventional gated 6-speed manual transmission or Audi's 6-speed R tronic, a paddle-shifted automated manual gearbox. With the manual, the R8 is capable of a 4.0-second blast to 60 mph.

Visually, the R8 is a stunner. Low-slung and curvaceous, the R8 shows off its engine through the rear glass, à la Ferrari F430, and sets off the air intakes aft of the doors with what Audi calls "sideblades," panels that can be finished in either body color or a contrasting hue.

Honda Accord

" . . . Although they share the same name, the coupe version of the Accord is a much sportier animal than its sedan counterpart. Part of the 2-door's unique spirit comes from its styling — it has a more powerful grille, sleeker nose and more menacing slit-like headlamps.

Engines are shared; the base model uses a 2.4-liter four making 200 bhp and is available with a choice of 5-speed manual or automatic, while the high-performance version boasts a 3.5-liter V-6 with 273 bhp on tap. Unlike in the sedan, this engine is available with an optional 6-speed manual as well as the standard 5-speed automatic. With the manual, the V-6 dispenses with cylinder deactivation, fattening up the torque curve on its way to the 250 lb.-ft. peak at 5000 rpm. When coupled with the 18-in. wheel and tire package, the V-6 Coupe raises the fun-to-drive quotient of Accord to new levels . . . "

Source: http://www.automill.com/2007/09/road_track_picks_its_five_best.html

2008 Honda Accord Coupe Details and Photos

The design language of the Honda Accord sedan and Honda Accord Coupe did not surprise us that much as we've already seen a close-to-production concept version sometime back in January this year.

The Honda Accord Coupe Concept was exhibited at the 2007 Detroit Motor Show and now the final production 2008 Accord Coupe is a close production representation of that concept. You can already expect aftermarket parts that mimic the clear smoked tail lamps on the concept coupe to be used on the production coupe.

The 2008 Honda Accord Coupe, like the sedan has been completely redesigned for the 2008 model year. The Accord Coupe is available in either a 190 horsepower 2.4 liter inline-4 i-VTEC DOHC form or a 268 horsepower 3.5 liter V6 i-VTEC SOHC form.

The V6 engine in the coupe differs from the one in the sedan as it's valvetrain does not have the Variable Cylinder Management feature, thus reducing valvetrain inertia thanks to the reduced weight. This means the non-VCM V6 engine has a better torque curve at low to medium engine speeds compared to the VCM-equipped V6 engine. The Accord Coupe V6 can also be specified with a 6-speed manual transmission while the V6 sedan is only available in automatic.

Now that we have a new USDM market Honda Accord sedan and coupe, what remains to be updated is the European market Honda Accord which has generally been different from the USDM market Accord, but is sold in the US as the Acura TSX. Honda has previously displayed another sedan called the Honda Sports 4 Concept. That might give us an idea how the next generation Euro Accord will look like.

Source: http://paultan.org/archives/2007/08/23/2008-honda-accord-coupe-details-and-photos/#comment-107767

Smaller Engines [The Frontal Cortex]

The new Honda Accord comes out next month and, like virtually every new car, it boasts a bigger frame and bigger engine than last year's model. So I thought it might be worth revisiting some of the earlier generation Accords. It turns out that they were signifcantly more fuel efficient. For example, the 1982-1985 model got an extremely respectable 29/40 mpg. (In contrast, the four-cylinder engine in the new Accord comes in at 21 city, 31 hwy. The 6 cylinder gets 19/29.) The bad news is that the 1982 Accord only had 86 horsepower.
Here's my question: do consumers really want/need such big engines? Or are we simply swayed by the fact the engine output is so easily quantifiable? I think horsepower creep is analagous to the ever expanding number of megapixels in digital cameras, which are not only useless but actually waste valuable hard drive space. Likewise, I'm not sure we really need our midsize sedans to generate 260 hp, especially when such a power boost detracts from its fuel efficiency. That said, 86 hp is really pretty paltry.


Source: http://scienceblogs.com/cortex/2007/08/smaller_engines.php

2008 Honda Accord

This eighth-generation Accord four-door is big, just 2.5 inches shy of the lunker Chrysler 300's length, almost five inches longer than a Camry. It's wide, too, one more inch than the Camry, and the front buckets are spread 1.5 inches farther apart than in the previous Accord, so the '08 feels wide as well. Officially, its 120 cubic feet of interior and cargo volume push it, barely, over the bar into the EPA Large Car class.

The Accord has been feeling a draft in the past few years, caught between the Camry's blue-chip credibility and the Altima's sporty swagger. While those two flourish, Accord sales have sagged. So, for this new model, Honda has been reaching to the top shelves of its Good Stuff locker. The Accord is the company's rice bowl; if this new one draws tepid responses from middle-market America, there will be hunger pangs from Ohio (about 80 percent of Accords sold in the U.S. are built in Marysville) all the way to Honda's Tokyo headquarters.

Imagine a new Accord that's actually a half-inch longer than Acura's big RL sedan, on an identical wheelbase, equal in beam, too. That's how much car Honda has loaded into this gotta-win model, offered in four-door-sedan and two-door-coupe versions


Source: http://theautoworld.blogspot.com/2007/09/2008-honda-accord.html