MWR Weekly Wrap-Up: Changes have paid off early into the season

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Although we are only six races into the season, if I were giving an award for most improved team since the 2011 season, it would hands down go to Michael Waltrip Racing.

Last season Michael Waltrip and team co-owner Rob Kauffmann worked with Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing to see what was amiss in the MWR program.

MWR Weekly Wrap-Up: Changes have paid off early into the season ...

“We found our cars were off. Our drivers were not wrong in the things they said they were feeling,” Ty Norris said. “We needed to go to work.” Norris, Executive Vice President of Business Development and General Manager for Michael Waltrip Racing has been a part of Waltrip’s racing career since the DEI days. Norris served as executive vice president of DEI during Waltrip’s tenure at DEI and jumped at the chance to help him guide his own successful Sprint Cup team.

Investing millions into the team, Waltrip and Kauffmann spared no expense to get the organization where it needed to be – competitive. Not only did MWR focus on their equipment and mechanical processes, but they also invested in the right people for the task at hand.

Last summer the team made changes in design and manufacturing. They also worked to improve their testing and aerodynamic programs. The next crucial step was acquiring Richard Childress Racing’s director of competition Scott Miller to lead MWR competition.

In an interview with David Caraviello of NASCAR.com, crew chief Rodney Childers discussed the equipment changes that have occurred at MWR. “There’s not hardly anything on the car that’s the same. From this time … last year to now, there’s not anything on that entire car that’s the same. It’s really basically like starting over.”

The effects of those changes was already noticeable last fall. If you remember, Martin Truex Jr. finished eighth at Texas Motor Speedway. Two weeks later, the No. 56 scored a third-place finish at Homestead, one of just three top fives for him in the entire 2011 season.

Further changes took place during the latter part of the season and into the off-season as David Reutimann and the team parted ways, making room for Mark Martin and Clint Bowyer. Veteran crew chief Rodney Childers stayed on board to work with Mark Martin, Brian Pattie joined the team to partner up with Bowyer and Truex continued to work with last season’s addition, of Chad Johnston. The last piece of the puzzle came just weeks ago as Brian Vickers was tapped to fill the vacant races in the schedule for the No. 55 car. All essentials piece in the puzzle are there and now the team is making the pieces fit together.

To catch up on the recaps of each individual race head over and read the Weekly Wrap-Ups.

After focusing on MWR throughout these first six weeks I did some fact finding in support of the positive changes. Last season at this time Martin Truex Jr. was 17th in points with an average finish of 19.5. While teammates Clint Bowyer and Mark Martin were both with different teams, their 2011 rankings also were vastly different. Martin, racing with powerhouse team Hendrick Motorsports, had an average finish of 13.8 and was 10th in the points through the first six races while this season his average finish in only 4 races (due to partial schedule) is 12.2. In points he is in 25th place, but that is because he’s sharing the schedule. Bowyer competed in 2011 with Richard Childress Racing but in this same six-race time span, he had an average finish of 18.3 and 16th in points compared to his current average of 12.3 and 9th.

Although only six races into the season, there is some pep in the step of the Michael Waltrip Racing drivers. Or is that a bit of the Mark Martin “swagga” special? Whatever it is, it is clearly befitting of the team. I thought to myself the other evening that since Brian Vickers has proven himself, would Michael expand to a fourth team? Your guess is as good as mine on that, but if this strong pace continues, I say go for it!

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Beacon Case iPad 2 Case Review

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Old World Craftsmanship. Hand-finishing. One hundred percent American-made products. Building your own tools of wood and metal. Financing everything yourself, with no outside investors. Helping to drill water wells in countries where fresh water is not readily available. Being open and honest with customers about sales goals and expenditures. Which of these items sounds like something a modern gadget-focused company would be doing? What if I told you there is a company that does all of these things? Beacon Case Company is such an outfit. The company is a part-time venture for two guys who have been friends since elementary school; they have only been selling a single product for the few months of their existence. On 30 January, they released their second product, a case for the Kindle Fire. Julie emailed me last month and said “There’s a company in your town that makes iPad cases. Care to do a ‘factory tour?’” Challenge accepted. Allow me to show you the product, the founders, and their company in action.

Beacon: The most powerful universal remote control for iPhone ...

The Beacon Case is a faux-leather-bound book-type case, with a birch plywood frame instead of pages. One could easily mistake it for a journal, right down to the elastic strap closure. But when you open the case, there’s your iPad 2, surrounded by a frame of birch and cherry woods. A tab on each long side holds the device in, and the cherry “gate” on the inside edge is held in place with the aid of embedded magnets.

For added security, a metal tab locks the gate closed. There are holes for each port and button (with the notable exception of the back camera – more on that later), and a grooved channel for the mic and speaker. There’s a magnet in the cover, so the iPad 2′s magnetic switch can be used to shut the screen off when the cover closed and unlock it when you open the cover. When you take out your iPad, you notice that the entire back of the frame is a single, solid piece of the same plywood that surrounds the case. The space for the iPad is milled out of an 11-ply solid board, then hand-sanded and finished.  Then the cherry gate (which is also hand cut and finished) is drilled, stained, and set in place with metal rods for hinges. I know these guys have never heard of Jony Ive or the MacBook’s Unibody design, but they came to the same solution for a stronger case model: start with a single piece of stock, mill out what’s not needed, and your case can withstand more torque and pressure than any joint. And it works quite well.

The binding for the case is yet another piece of art. Hand made by a half-century old book binder in the Chicago area, they are then shipped to Beacon’s workshop just outside Raleigh, NC, where they are assembled with the birch/cherry frame – again – by hand. The rear of the birch frame is grooved in the back and the elastic strap is glued on and cured before being attached to the binding, so that the strap lies flat and flush. That’s part of the reason the rear-facing camera doesn’t have a port: the two pieces would have to match exactly, and then the hole in the binding would have to be finished somehow. (Few folks would want to hold up the iPad in this case for taking a picture, anyway. It would be extremely awkward, not to mention the added weight.) The benefit would be lost on the majority and used by few, so it was left out.

So, how does the case work in actual use? As with many cases, stands, and other peripheral items, it depends. I primarily use the iPad 2s that my company provides as a clipboard, managing customer data in a retail setting. Most folks doing so do not use any type of case, other than a few of the Smart Covers that float around. I tried using the Beacon Case with an iPad 2 and liked the fit and ease of plugging in the cable, but holding it open, typing one-handed, and searching through our database was not really enhanced by having a case weighing almost as much as the iPad itself. I then loaned it to a few friends who have personal iPads (remember, the Beacon Case doesn’t fit my personal original iPad), and things were quite different. Packing the iPad in a bag was great, because they didn’t worry as much as having it bare or just covered by the Apple Smart Cover. The folks they shared the case with – mostly pastors, professors, businesspeople, and other workers who are going to use them in a more formal situation – were really excited about it. The strength of the case means it’s not going to fall apart as you travel and stack it with other presentation materials.

Testing RSS Beacon iPhone app in the iPad simulator

This is our first test of RSS Beacon in the iPad simulator, and we are very excited! We made no changes to our binary, this is the same application available in the iTunes app store. We will check everything thoroughly of course to ensure compatibility. RSS Beacon, is a stand-alone, all-inclusive, socially-enhanced RSS Reader for the iPhone and iPod touch, that provides users with a complete RSS management and sharing solution at their fingertips and, more innovatively, helps them become feed providers of their own. It allows users to create personalized feeds (ie. beacons), invite contacts in their address book to follow them and makes it really easy to add articles as they read them. Bypassing email services, networking sites and instant messaging, RSS Beacon allows users to truly connect with their network and become feed providers straight from their iPhone or iPod touch. More info: Product website: www.rssbeacon.com Support blog rssbeacon-blog.getinspring.com iTunes AppStore itunes.com

You can't see the motion here, but he's shaking a case with an iPad inserted over a workbench. Violently.

You can’t see the motion here, but he’s shaking a case with an iPad inserted over a workbench. Violently.

How does this change the world, though? While recovering from a soccer injury, Matt Winslow, who works in a tech firm in North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park, spent a lot of time reading. One book he read was Three Cups of Tea, which tells the story of a “regular Joe” who started building schools in Third World areas after rock climbing in those areas and seeing needs that he could address. Matt started wondering if there was something he could do. While looking at reading devices, and seeing the market for cases, he thought, “Hey, I can make a better case. Let me call my pal Jeff.” Jeff Hobble, the other co-founder, is a Construction Director with a long-time interest in woodworking and construction. He was surprised at the market for cases, and knew he could design a better case, too. Their idea was to give $5 from each case sold to support a charity that is building water wells in remote areas.

BeaconCase folks at TMUG

Beacon Case folks at TMUG. Jeff, on the left, is the design/process experience, while Matt, right, came up with the idea and works to connect potential users with their products. We interviewed them at the February TMUG meeting.

Water? What’s the deal with water? For those who have not seen a news report from the more remote places of this Earth, not everyone on the planet can walk into their kitchen, turn on a faucet, and have a virtually unlimited supply of clean, pure water to use for cooking, drinking, and bathing. Because of ignorance of basic sanitation, water is usually gathered from the same place animals gather it. Animals, it is well known, are not known to refrain from eliminating waste into the water they are drinking from, wading in, and cooling off in. That means the water you carry back to your family may carry many diseases, dirt, and other unhealthy things. A simple well, which brings up water filtered through earth to the surface, changes the whole future of a village. No longer will disease kill children in droves. No longer will many have to spend much of their day walking back and forth to the watering hole. A longer life span and more free time brings humans to a higher place in our development, and we start thinking about the meaning of life, building a sustainable and valuable society without culture, and leaving a legacy to your progeny. In each group I’ve read about where a good source of fresh water is introduced (along with some basic education regarding infection and hygiene), the populations have flourished quickly. Beacon Case, to support this will send you the location and a report on the village your $5 helped fund, so that you can not only see the effect your donation is having, but to encourage you to support future efforts in this area. This turns the joke meme of #FirstWorldProblems back on itself as we consider which humanitarian group to support. And that’s a great problem to have!

As Beacon Case grows, Matt and Jeff plan to further their outreach and their product offerings. They already use Amazon for product fulfillment, and they do their own packaging. (They print their own burlap packaging bags on an in-house designed printing station.)

Hand trimming the gate that holds the iPad in the Beacon case.

Hand trimming the gate that holds the iPad in the Beacon case.

They have begun shipping cases for the Kindle Fire. They announced locally that they will be making a case for the original iPad. I’m sure there will be others that they create designs to support in the future. When you’re on a mission, pursuing every opportunity is important. Getting people involved in helping others lead a better life – or to have a life with any hope at all – is a great cause to support.

Product Information

Price: $80
Manufacturer: Beacon Case Company
Requirements:
  • iPad, Kindle Fire, or other device to fit the custom case.
  • Desire to have a quality product and to help fund water projects in less developed areas.
Pros:
  • Well-designed and produced case.
  • Uses magnetic switch on newer iPad.
  • Quality materials.
Cons:
  • Small company, so if they have a huge order, it will take a while to fulfill.

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Avril Lavigne ‘Re-Inspired’ By ‘X Factor’ Mentor L.A. Reid

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Avril Lavigne made headlines earlier this month when she signed with Epic Records, reuniting her with early mentor L.A. Reid.

281x211_4ed634927511a1.jpg

The “X Factor” judge helped shape the early part of the Canadian pop star’s career when he discovered her at the top of the millennium and signed her to Arista, launching her to pop-star status. Now that Reid is at Epic, he decided it was a good time to get back together with the singer.

Lavigne couldn’t be happier that Reid snatched her up.

“It’s really exciting for me, because L.A. Reid signed me. He met me when I was 15, and he signed me on the spot. We did my first album together, and it was really successful and then what happens in the record industry, you know, changes are made,” she told MTV News. “We didn’t get to work together, and I was so bummed out, ’cause I never had that connection with anyone ever again, like, my whole career at the record company.”

Ever since they were split up, Lavigne and Reid have hoped to reunite. “Every time we’d see each other, [we'd be like] ‘We want to work together again,’ so we’ve been waiting for this day,” she said. “Now he is the president of Epic Records, and I just was able to move over, and so he’s taking over for me and we’re working together again.”

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Thanks to their reunion, Lavigne is able to focus on what she does best: make music. “We’re also starting music for a new record for 2012,” she said. “So I feel, like, really re-inspired, and I feel like it happened at the right time, ’cause I was really discouraged with record-company stuff on my last album. It was not something I was looking forward to dealing with again. Now I’m so excited.”

Earlier this year, Lavigne released her album Goodbye Lullaby, which features her current single, the Max Martin-produced ballad “Wish You Were Here.”

What are you expecting from Avril and L.A.’s reunion? Let us know in the comments!

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What would you do for $5??

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I was surfing around the net checking out different social media resources and I came across a highly popular site called Fiverr.com

Monday's 5 Social Media Must-Reads | Social Media Marketing Blog

It’s a website where you offer your services for the low price of, you guessed it, FIVE DOLLARS. What Kind of services, you ask? Play this video below! When you’re done, let me know what YOU would do for five bucks; I may be buying!

Luniz – I got 5 on it

Virgin Records America (P) 2006 Virgin Records America, Inc.. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is a violation of applicable laws. Manufactured by Capitol Catalog, Luniz is a platinum-selling rap duo from Oakland, California formed by rappers Yukmouth and Numskull. They released an internationally successful hit in 1995 entitled “I Got 5 on It”, two versions of which appear on their album Operation Stackola. A third version of the song, featuring Oakland rappers Dru Down, Shock G, Richie Rich, E-40, and Spice 1 and often found on the Internet as the Bay Area Ballas Remix, has also garnered radio play. Luniz were going to be featured on Tupac Shakur's One Nation project. Due to Shakur's death the album was never released.

What would you do for $5??

pixel What would you do for $5??

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10 simple ways to secure and optimize your iPad

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The iPad has become a mainstay in the industry, but with its increased use comes the increased risk of breaches. And although preventing them seems basic, Christina Thielst, vice president at Tower Strategies and author of the blog Christina’s Considerations, believes there are benefits to be had from discussing simple ways to not only protect, but also optimize your iPad.   

2010 November | Mobify

“This is important because of the rise in data breaches, the rise in the risks, and the rapid increase in malicious attacks,” she said. “It’s why we have to talk about it rather than not worry.” 

Thielst helped outline 10 simple ways to secure and optimize your iPad. 

1. Use the password, auto-lock, and auto-erase functions smartly. Although they may seem routine, said Theilst, these simple functions can make all the difference if an iPad becomes lost or stolen. “So let’s say you’re a doctor and you have this iPad, and you have some confidential information on it,” she said. “The way it’s set up, you can select how many attempts you want [to put in your password] – 10, or whatever you feel comfortable with – and it would auto-erase the data on the iPad if someone tried guessing your password or tried getting into it.” Thielst added that when organizations begin rolling out their tablet or smartphone programs, they should consider connecting all the devices to the IT department. “Even if they’re allowing people to bring their own [devices] in, they need to have safeguards in place,” she said. “So if they’re stolen, they can remotely auto-wipe the device.” 

2. Limit access to confidential information to that on VPN’s when in a public place or on unsecured networks, and disable the Blue Tooth function after use. Thielst prefaced her point by mentioning the number of breaches and class action lawsuits that are taking place as a result of unsecure devices. “The reason it’s becoming more of an issue is because of the rise in malicious attacks,” she said. “These are people who are actively trying to turn it into money…it could be medical identity theft or financial. There was one recent case where someone used information because his wife didn’t have healthcare coverage; she acted as this patient to receive her healthcare. It’s because of these malicious attacks that we have to be careful.” So, she said, be wary of public or unsecured networks and keeping your Blue Tooth on after using it. “You’re sending out waves, and they can use it to get into your device,” she said. “If there’s anything you’re not actively using, it’s better to shut it down.” 

Google I/O 2010 – SEO site advice from the experts

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[See also: iPad helps docs go paperless.]

3. Permanently mark or engrave your iPad to help with identification. “This is something fairly simple,” said Thielst, but it can be helpful if an iPad is lost or stolen. “Maybe it’s accidental and it gets mixed up with someone else’s,” she said. “It’s an easy way to see it’s yours.” When it comes to including information other than your name on the iPad, Thielst said it’s whatever you feel most comfortable with. “Maybe a phone number…it depends how much you want to share, and you have to think it through. How do you want people to get a hold of you if your iPad is lost? Having your name and a number of the back is an easy way for them to return it.”

4. Consider cases with tethered locks. Tablets are great educational tools for patients, said Thielst, “but you can’t just give a patient a tablet,” she said. “Things have a habit of walking away. Even if you’re using them in a facility and it’s not with a patient but on the nursing station or something, you want to secure these things.” Thielst recommended cases that come with a tethered lock, similar to those for bicycles. “There’s a cable and there’s a lock on it, so you can physically loop it around the side rail of a bed, for example,” she said. And the same can be done in the nurses’ station. “So it doesn’t disappear,” she said. “Things, unfortunately, in hospitals, tend to disappear.” 

Continued on the next page. 

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World Food photos: our top 20 picks

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To coincide with the launch of our new Street Food book, we asked you to send the most mouth-watering pictures of food you had encountered in your travels to our Facebook Travel Adventures Competition. The result was overwhelming, with nearly 900 submissions that made our stomach grumble hard with envy.

4" Bamboo Knot Food Picks

We have now gone through all of them and have whittled them down to the last 20. From this selection, an independent judge will pick 1 winner and 5 runner-ups. The lucky winner will be taking home a Nokia Lumia 800 smartphone, while the runner-ups will be awarded a Lonely Planet guide of their choice. Watch this space as we will be announcing them very soon!

Grilling_food1. Hibachi – Flying food and fire – Rhada P.

Smoked meat2. Smoked meat at “Schwartz” in Montreal. DELICIOUS! – Francisco H.

Mountain of moroccan sweets3. Let dreams come true! A gigantic mountain of Moroccan sweets! Believe me. No one can resist this! – Thomas W.

Man eating pork knee4. Huge traditional Pork Knee in Prague. And yeah, I ate it all without being sick afterwards (but I have to honestly admit, it was the only thing I ate that night) – Wouter v.

Man grilling fish in a boat5. Smoking fish on the beach in Fuengirola, Spain – Mick K.

Cream cakes6. Pastel de Nata (custard tarts) in Lisbon – these are easily worked off once eaten with all the walking you’ll do in Lisbon! – Suzanne R.

Man eating pulled pork7. Pulled Pork Poutine, Quebec, Canada – Jessica W.

Man eating balut8. A German tourist in the Philippines regrets accepting the challenge to eat balut: a fertilized duck egg – Alman Q.

Man cooking jalebis9. An Indian master chef making jalebis..they are orange colored fried flour crisps dipped in sugar syrup…the early bird catches the hottest/yummiest jalebis – Archana S.

Man selling Korean waffles10. A Korean Won well-spent: waffles and walnut cakes served piping hot in Busan – April d.

Anton Komat: 4 images of the global crisis (lecture excerpt)

Anton Komat talks about the 4 images of the global crisis. See for more informations on www.GlobeTransformer.org Other interesting Links www.yogaindailylife.org www.yogaindailylife.org.au www.joga-v-vsakdanjem-zivljenju.org www.jvvz.org www.swamiji.tv www.micutisk.com www.micutisk.com www.micutisk.com www.micutisk.com www.micutisk.com www.coolhotstuff.com

Boys eating huge pizza11. Pizz-A-mazing! – Carmela M.

Plate of Ethiopian vegan stew12. A fasting feast for Lent, consisting of homecooked vegan stews (wots) of lentils, potatoes, and greens on top of injera. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Jakhan N.

Man cooking Thai dry noodles on a boat13.  Nothing says Thailand more than having your meal prepared fresh on a boat. Here a bowl of Thai dry noodles is being skilfully made – so scrumptious you might even consider having seconds! – Christopher R.

Man preparing pork for spitroast14. Havana, Cuba. A local man prepares a New Year’s Day feast. Hours later, the pig was still cooking, and residents of the street were having an unofficial block party! – Jana I.

Man cooking fish and prawn curry15. My Perfect Meal…! (A perfect meal consisting of Fish Curry, Prawn Curry, Vegetable Fry, Rice & Lentils from the eastern state of Odisha, India) – Madhay P.

Punjabi lunch16. Authentic Punjabi Lunch…Photo taken at Brothers Dhaba Amritsar Punjab IN – Ronnie K.

Man selling pineapples17. The most charming fresh produce seller in Pinar Del Rio, Cuba! That pineapple was incredibly sweet and juicy. And the pina coladas are amazing because they also add nutmeg in that region – Ayesha M.

Woman eating Guinea pig18. Getting ready to dig into guinea pig, near Cusco, Peru – Anya B.

Grilled salted fish19. Grilled salted fish in Damnoen Saduak floating market, Thailand – Rene B.

Woman selling fish and chicken lollipops20. To anyone who has experienced the madness that is the local Laos bus service, they will recognise these wonderful fish and chicken “lollipops” that the local ladies bring aboard along your journey… – Angela P.

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BMW Announces Long-Wheelbase F30 3-series for China [Beijing Auto Show]

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April 6, 2012 at 4:59pm by Erik Johnson

The long-wheelbase car’s stretch (top) is subtle compared to the regular car (bottom).

BMW Announces Long-Wheelbase F30 3-series for China [Beijing Auto ...

BMW has announced a stretched version of its new F30 3-series sedan, exclusively for China. The car will make its debut at the 2012 Beijing auto show later this month.

This 3er is taffy-pulled by 4.3 inches, with most if not all of the space apportioned to the rear seats, perfect for a land where BMW’s slogan might as well be the Ultimate Other People Driving Machine. (Chinese folks with the means prefer to be driven around, and this new model will join another China exclusive, a LWB 5-series, in the country’s showrooms.) The long-wheelbase 3-series will be available in 320Li, the 328Li, and 335Li configurations. The latter two should feature the same engines we see in our regular-length 328i and 335i: a 240-horse, 2.0-liter turbo four and a 300-hp, 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six. The 320Li will use a less-powerful, 181-horse version of the turbo four. A regular-wheelbase ActiveHybrid 3 will make its official debut in Beijing, too, but will be sold globally. (Details on the hybrid can be found here.)

While BMW hasn’t released the longer 3′s additional features, the photos in the gallery below show that it will gain rear vanity mirrors with reading lights, a sweet “L”-shaped piece of chrome on the C-pillar, and what look to be controls for moving the front passenger seat forward and out of the way.

BMW 3-series LWB photo gallery

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