Last week's devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan has actually moved the island closer to the United States and shifted the planet's axis.
The quake caused a rift 15 miles below the sea floor that stretched 186 miles long and 93 miles wide, according to the AP. The areas closest to the epicenter of the quake jumped a full 13 feet closer to the United States, geophysicist Ross Stein at the United States Geological Survey told The New York Times.
The 9.0 magnitude quake (the fourth-largest recorded since 1900) was caused when the Pacific tectonic plate dove under the North American plate, which shifted Eastern Japan towards North America by about 13 feet (see NASA's before and after photos at right). The quake also shifted the earth's axis by 6.5 inches, shortened the day by 1.6 microseconds, and sank Japan downward by about two feet. As Japan's eastern coastline sunk, the tsunami's waves rolled in.
Why did the quake shorten the day? The earth's mass shifted towards the center, spurring the planet to spin a bit faster. Last year's massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Chile also shortened the day, but by an even smaller fraction of a second. The 2004 Sumatra quake knocked a whopping 6.8 micro-seconds off the day.
After the country's 1995 earthquake, Japan placed high-tech sensors around the country to observe even the slightest movements, which is why scientists are able to calculate the quake's impact down to the inch. "This is overwhelmingly the best-recorded great earthquake ever," Lucy Jones, chief scientist for the Multi-Hazards project at the U.S. Geological Survey, told The Los Angeles Times.
The tsunami's waves necessitated life-saving evacuations as far away as Chile. Fisherman off the coast of Mexico reported a banner fishing day Friday, and speculated that the tsunami knocked sealife in their direction.
(An energy map provided by NOAA shows the intensity of the tsunami caused by Japan's earthquake: Reuters/NOAA. Below, Satellite image of Japan's coast moving: NASA.)
CORRECTION: This article originally attributed Lucy Jones' interview to the The Boston Herald.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Fashion Styles
Marlon Gobel is a former assistant of Thom Browne’s who shares some of his old boss’ interests: namely, in mid-century American archetypes of masculinity, and the way a generous application of glitter or velvet can upend them. His line is still small—a testament, he said after his show at the Park Avenue Armory Thursday, to “what one guy, his boyfriend, and his intern can do”—and available only at Bergdorf Goodman. But judging from the influential attendees in the audience (a full coterie from Barneys among them), that could change.
If it does, Gobel’s collection, which often veers close to the precious, may need to shift a bit, too. Gobel’s taste for full-tilt luxury (his is the first men’s show for which Christian Louboutin contributed a full assortment of glittered and bell-bedecked shoes) may make sales a challenge. His trouser-cut, wide-wale cords, offered here in a rainbow of colors, were the retail takeaway. For spectacle, there were velvet blazers hand-painted with ocean or forest scenes, cashmere and mohair jackets that sparkled, a Fair Isle featuring unicorns.
Gobel was inspired, he said, by the fraternal orders that flourished in America in the nineteenth century, and he offered his own dandily sartorial members-only club, complete with fezes. His show notes mentioned its centuries-old predecessors: the Independent Order of Odd Fellows was one. That could’ve been the title of this whole collection, frankly. But an Odd Fellow on his own can get to feeling lonesome, and fraternity is a noble goal. Today’s odd and flashy fellows deserve their couturier, too. Here he is, boys.
—Matthew Schneier
Photo: Filippo Flor/GoRunway.com
tags: Marlon Gobel, Thom Browne
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The Future of Fashion
The Future of Fashion, Part Seven: Carine Roitfeld
February 12, 2011
In this ongoing series, Style.com’s editor in chief, Dirk Standen, talks to a number of leading industry figures about the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for the fashion business.
“This is my new office,” Carine Roitfeld jokes when I meet her in the lobby of the Carlyle on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. It is less than a week since she officially vacated her throne as editor in chief of Paris Vogue, and in this darkly lit grand hotel, it’s tempting to see Roitfeld, with her gray fur jacket and Russian roots, as a glamorous aristocrat in sudden exile. It’s an exile that will be short-lived, no doubt. She has already exerted an unmistakable influence on fashion, not once but twice: first with the porno-chic aesthetic she co-authored in the nineties as a stylist for Mario Testino and Tom Ford, then of Gucci; later, with her provocative, photo-driven, decade-long tenure at Vogue. Now everyone is speculating about her next act.
The moment we slide into a booth and Roitfeld removes a pair of Tom Ford sunglasses the size of saucers, a different woman emerges: talkative, immensely charming, unafraid to appear vulnerable, yet also fiercely determined. I barely have a chance to turn on my tape recorder before she is off and running on a variety of subjects: her mysterious departure from Vogue, the need to promote young talent, and dinners à trois with Riccardo Tisci and Karl Lagerfeld.
You were saying?
It’s strange for me to come back here to New York during the fashion show season and not to be the editor in chief of French Vogue. Of course, I’ve done it before when I was just a freelancer, but ten years is a long time. It’s like 20 times I came here for the shows, and suddenly I’m not the editor in chief. That’s a custom, so it’s hard to now be a freelance editor. But it’s exciting, too.
You’re skipping the circus this time?
I’m not going to the shows. Maybe I will see some friends at previews, but mostly I’ve come for the amfAR gala on Wednesday. I’m a big supporter of amfAR. And my son is giving an exhibition on Thursday. And I have to finish my book for Rizzoli. I’m very late, so it’s my last days to finish it. It’s supposed to come out September or maybe October of this year. So I have a lot of appointments. I’m quite busy.
The book is a look back at your career?
It’s a bit like that. I never like to go back, so to go back to a picture you did 20 years ago, it’s almost like going to a shrink. It’s a lot of emotion…Most of the pictures are the ones I did with Mario Testino…It’s mostly dedicated to Mario, that book.
Does one shoot stand out in your memory?
There are different ones, of course. I had a very good period where I was working at French Glamour and I was working for The Face. The “butcher” shoot with Eva Herzigova and those sort of stories. They’re memorable stories, and you say why? Maybe because it’s not just about fashion. It’s because it’s a moment of the time.
You’ve been working on the book with [editor] Olivier Zahm and [art director] Alex Wiederin?
Always I like to have trouble. It’s not easy to have two big personalities like Olivier Zahm and Alex Wiederin working together, with me in the middle. But I know “star wars.” I spent a lot of time between Tom Ford and Mario Testino, so I learned how to deal with it.
If it does, Gobel’s collection, which often veers close to the precious, may need to shift a bit, too. Gobel’s taste for full-tilt luxury (his is the first men’s show for which Christian Louboutin contributed a full assortment of glittered and bell-bedecked shoes) may make sales a challenge. His trouser-cut, wide-wale cords, offered here in a rainbow of colors, were the retail takeaway. For spectacle, there were velvet blazers hand-painted with ocean or forest scenes, cashmere and mohair jackets that sparkled, a Fair Isle featuring unicorns.
Gobel was inspired, he said, by the fraternal orders that flourished in America in the nineteenth century, and he offered his own dandily sartorial members-only club, complete with fezes. His show notes mentioned its centuries-old predecessors: the Independent Order of Odd Fellows was one. That could’ve been the title of this whole collection, frankly. But an Odd Fellow on his own can get to feeling lonesome, and fraternity is a noble goal. Today’s odd and flashy fellows deserve their couturier, too. Here he is, boys.
—Matthew Schneier
Photo: Filippo Flor/GoRunway.com
tags: Marlon Gobel, Thom Browne
permalink comments (0)
The Future of Fashion
The Future of Fashion, Part Seven: Carine Roitfeld
February 12, 2011
In this ongoing series, Style.com’s editor in chief, Dirk Standen, talks to a number of leading industry figures about the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for the fashion business.
“This is my new office,” Carine Roitfeld jokes when I meet her in the lobby of the Carlyle on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. It is less than a week since she officially vacated her throne as editor in chief of Paris Vogue, and in this darkly lit grand hotel, it’s tempting to see Roitfeld, with her gray fur jacket and Russian roots, as a glamorous aristocrat in sudden exile. It’s an exile that will be short-lived, no doubt. She has already exerted an unmistakable influence on fashion, not once but twice: first with the porno-chic aesthetic she co-authored in the nineties as a stylist for Mario Testino and Tom Ford, then of Gucci; later, with her provocative, photo-driven, decade-long tenure at Vogue. Now everyone is speculating about her next act.
The moment we slide into a booth and Roitfeld removes a pair of Tom Ford sunglasses the size of saucers, a different woman emerges: talkative, immensely charming, unafraid to appear vulnerable, yet also fiercely determined. I barely have a chance to turn on my tape recorder before she is off and running on a variety of subjects: her mysterious departure from Vogue, the need to promote young talent, and dinners à trois with Riccardo Tisci and Karl Lagerfeld.
You were saying?
It’s strange for me to come back here to New York during the fashion show season and not to be the editor in chief of French Vogue. Of course, I’ve done it before when I was just a freelancer, but ten years is a long time. It’s like 20 times I came here for the shows, and suddenly I’m not the editor in chief. That’s a custom, so it’s hard to now be a freelance editor. But it’s exciting, too.
You’re skipping the circus this time?
I’m not going to the shows. Maybe I will see some friends at previews, but mostly I’ve come for the amfAR gala on Wednesday. I’m a big supporter of amfAR. And my son is giving an exhibition on Thursday. And I have to finish my book for Rizzoli. I’m very late, so it’s my last days to finish it. It’s supposed to come out September or maybe October of this year. So I have a lot of appointments. I’m quite busy.
The book is a look back at your career?
It’s a bit like that. I never like to go back, so to go back to a picture you did 20 years ago, it’s almost like going to a shrink. It’s a lot of emotion…Most of the pictures are the ones I did with Mario Testino…It’s mostly dedicated to Mario, that book.
Does one shoot stand out in your memory?
There are different ones, of course. I had a very good period where I was working at French Glamour and I was working for The Face. The “butcher” shoot with Eva Herzigova and those sort of stories. They’re memorable stories, and you say why? Maybe because it’s not just about fashion. It’s because it’s a moment of the time.
You’ve been working on the book with [editor] Olivier Zahm and [art director] Alex Wiederin?
Always I like to have trouble. It’s not easy to have two big personalities like Olivier Zahm and Alex Wiederin working together, with me in the middle. But I know “star wars.” I spent a lot of time between Tom Ford and Mario Testino, so I learned how to deal with it.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Crop Circle in Indonesia
Crop circles in Indonesia have some locals fearing an alien invasion.
The design, measuring nearly 230 feet in diameter and consisting of several circles and triangles, was discovered in a rice field in Sleman, Yogyakarta, earlier this week.
It is believed to be the first time a crop circle has appeared in the Asian country. Explanations have ranged from it being the work of extraterrestrials, to the sign of a higher being.
"I think they were left by an alien spaceship, like one I saw in TV," Krasakan resident Cahyo Utomo told The Jakarta Post on Monday. "It is impossible that this was made by the wind or any animal."
"Whether a UFO has indeed landed here, I don't know precisely," a resident named Madurejo told the Indonesian news website, Kompas.com. "What is clear is that this is a sign of God's greatness."
Whatever the cause, the mysterious circles have now appeared in at least 30 countries, according to crop circle expert Freddy Silva.
"The phenomenon has been going on since 1680," he told the Daily News, with eyewitness accounts of their creation being recorded "since the 1880s."
The author of "Secrets in the Field," he has been researching crop circles for more than two decades, and said there are always tale-tell signs if one is for real, or just a joke.
Investigators inspect crop circle in Indonesia. (AP) CLICK to see more photos of the world's greatest mysteries.
"With the real circles, the plants are not damaged, they are bent over about inch from the soil," Silva explained. Plus, "the plants, their cellular structure, have been altered."
However, hoax crop circles have grown more and more common in the past two decades.
"From the 1800s to 1991, at least 99% were genuine," Silva said. From 1992 to 2000, that number fell to "about 70%."
Since the turn of the century, he said, "95% are hoaxes ... The real ones have gone quiet."
A dedicated group could conceivably create a manmade crop circle in a short period of time, Silva admitted. Some have paid off farmers and picked isolated locations in order to make their creations.
"In two or three days, a group of 14 people who have been doing this for years [could] create a coherent design," he said, but felt that it would likely be harder in a wet rice field.
"It would be more difficult to hoax something in a rice field, because there's so much mud," Silva said.
The Indonesia crop circles may prove to be just another of those hoaxes. The Jakarta Post reports Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada University investigators are looking into claims that a group of local college kids may have been behind the elaborate design.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Netflix Shares
Netflix Inc.'s video subscription service topped 20 million customers during the fourth quarter to help push its earnings beyond analyst expectations and burnish its reputation as a stock market star. Its shares surged nearly 9 percent on the news.
The results announced Wednesday are the latest evidence of Netflix's increasingly important role in the distribution of home and mobile entertainment. As Netflix's influence has risen, so has its stock price. The shares tripled last year to give Netflix a higher market value of nearly $10 billion — more than some of the studios that supply the content for its DVD-by-mail and Internet video streaming service.
The lofty valuation has intensified the pressure on Netflix to keep attracting subscribers at a rapid pace.
Netflix delivered in the fourth quarter by reeling in 3.1 million subscribers, by far the most during any three-month period since its service launched in 1999. The performance also exceeded the most optimistic predictions of its own management.
The company, based in Los Gatos, Calif., believes the current quarter could be even better. It expects to gain as many as 3.7 million more subscribers in the U.S. and Canada by the end of March.
Netflix shares soared $16.07 to $199.10 in Wednesday's extended trading after the results were released. The stock finished the regular session at $183.03, down $3.71.
In a departure from its past practice, Netflix didn't provide a full-year forecast, partly because executives say it's becoming more difficult to accurately forecast the company's rate of growth over such an extended period. For instance, Netflix began 2010 with a projection calling for the addition of 3.6 million subscribers during the full year and wound up picking up 7.7 million.
Another variable clouding the outlook: Netflix unveiled plans to enter its second international market during the second half of this year after expanding into Canada last fall. The company didn't identify which new market it's targeting, but said it anticipates an operating loss of about $50 million on its international operations in the second half of the year.
The Canada service is supposed to start making money during the third quarter.
Netflix Inc. earned $47.1 million, or 87 cents per share, during the final three months of last year. That was a 52 percent increase from $30.9 million, or 56 cents per share, last year.
Analysts surveyed by FactSet expected earnings of 71 cents per share.
The results announced Wednesday are the latest evidence of Netflix's increasingly important role in the distribution of home and mobile entertainment. As Netflix's influence has risen, so has its stock price. The shares tripled last year to give Netflix a higher market value of nearly $10 billion — more than some of the studios that supply the content for its DVD-by-mail and Internet video streaming service.
The lofty valuation has intensified the pressure on Netflix to keep attracting subscribers at a rapid pace.
Netflix delivered in the fourth quarter by reeling in 3.1 million subscribers, by far the most during any three-month period since its service launched in 1999. The performance also exceeded the most optimistic predictions of its own management.
The company, based in Los Gatos, Calif., believes the current quarter could be even better. It expects to gain as many as 3.7 million more subscribers in the U.S. and Canada by the end of March.
Netflix shares soared $16.07 to $199.10 in Wednesday's extended trading after the results were released. The stock finished the regular session at $183.03, down $3.71.
In a departure from its past practice, Netflix didn't provide a full-year forecast, partly because executives say it's becoming more difficult to accurately forecast the company's rate of growth over such an extended period. For instance, Netflix began 2010 with a projection calling for the addition of 3.6 million subscribers during the full year and wound up picking up 7.7 million.
Another variable clouding the outlook: Netflix unveiled plans to enter its second international market during the second half of this year after expanding into Canada last fall. The company didn't identify which new market it's targeting, but said it anticipates an operating loss of about $50 million on its international operations in the second half of the year.
The Canada service is supposed to start making money during the third quarter.
Netflix Inc. earned $47.1 million, or 87 cents per share, during the final three months of last year. That was a 52 percent increase from $30.9 million, or 56 cents per share, last year.
Analysts surveyed by FactSet expected earnings of 71 cents per share.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Geting a New for for 0 Down
ne of the more popular internet search phrases is “Zero Down Auto Loans”. I would image the meaning of this to mean that the consumer wants an auto loan but does not want to use any of their own cash as a down payment. Customer cash is not the only form of down, there are two others; trade value and rebates.
If you have bad credit there are only a few true no down auto loan programs, and most of these I would not recommend. The repayment terms for these no money down auto loan programs are less favorable than lender programs that require money down.
Forms of Money Down:
Customer Cash
When most people hear “money down car loans” they relate this to “cash down”; there are a few car loan programs that require cash as a down payment, most, however, do not specify between cash down and trade value as down payment.
Vehicle Trade in Value
Most auto financing programs allow trade value as down payment to meet their minimum required down payment. Car dealers us this as a tool to help people meet the minimum required down payment. Here is how it works:
A consumer has a high mileage 2000 Ford Escort with a blown engine. Other than to a junk yard, the vehicle has no value. The dealership appraises the vehicle, sight unseen, at $100.
The consumer wishes to purchase a used 2007 Dodge Caravan for $15,000 with no cash money down. The most favorable auto financing terms that the car dealer was able to find is with a car loan lender that requires a minimum of $1,000 as down payment.
The car dealership structures the deal with a selling price of $15,900 and gives the consumers $1,000 for the trade. The net difference in the transaction is $14,900. The same as it would have been if the dealer sold the car for $15,000 and gave the customer $100 for the trade.
New Car Rebates
Many lenders allow new car rebates to meet their minimum required down payment. So if you looking to buy a car with no money down and do not have a vehicle to trade, consider a new car with a rebate as a zero down alternative.
Summarize
There are auto loan programs available with zero money down. If you have zero cash down, however, you will most likely get more favorable terms from lenders if you have a vehicle to trade in or buy a new car with a rebate.
If you have bad credit there are only a few true no down auto loan programs, and most of these I would not recommend. The repayment terms for these no money down auto loan programs are less favorable than lender programs that require money down.
Forms of Money Down:
Customer Cash
When most people hear “money down car loans” they relate this to “cash down”; there are a few car loan programs that require cash as a down payment, most, however, do not specify between cash down and trade value as down payment.
Vehicle Trade in Value
Most auto financing programs allow trade value as down payment to meet their minimum required down payment. Car dealers us this as a tool to help people meet the minimum required down payment. Here is how it works:
A consumer has a high mileage 2000 Ford Escort with a blown engine. Other than to a junk yard, the vehicle has no value. The dealership appraises the vehicle, sight unseen, at $100.
The consumer wishes to purchase a used 2007 Dodge Caravan for $15,000 with no cash money down. The most favorable auto financing terms that the car dealer was able to find is with a car loan lender that requires a minimum of $1,000 as down payment.
The car dealership structures the deal with a selling price of $15,900 and gives the consumers $1,000 for the trade. The net difference in the transaction is $14,900. The same as it would have been if the dealer sold the car for $15,000 and gave the customer $100 for the trade.
New Car Rebates
Many lenders allow new car rebates to meet their minimum required down payment. So if you looking to buy a car with no money down and do not have a vehicle to trade, consider a new car with a rebate as a zero down alternative.
Summarize
There are auto loan programs available with zero money down. If you have zero cash down, however, you will most likely get more favorable terms from lenders if you have a vehicle to trade in or buy a new car with a rebate.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Flying Cars
Flying cars, also known as 'roadable aircraft' and Personal Air Vehicles (PAV), are vehicles capable of both being driven on standard roads and being flown through the air. In concept, they are regarded as Integrated Flying Cars if the transition from road to flight and back requires no change to the vehicle’s parts, and Modular Flying Cars if the parts required for flight are stored (at an airport, for example) and added on as necessary.
The availability of flying cars is extremely limited but the idea of such a dual-purpose vehicle remains a popular idea for both James Bond fans and inventors. The majority of flying cars exist as either prototypes or concepts in development.
Typically, a flying car is a small airplane converted into a road-capable car. Because of their adaptive nature, there is no specific technology that applies to flying cars as a class. There are, however, certain strategies, such as vertical take-off and landing, favored by designers.
The availability of flying cars is extremely limited but the idea of such a dual-purpose vehicle remains a popular idea for both James Bond fans and inventors. The majority of flying cars exist as either prototypes or concepts in development.
Typically, a flying car is a small airplane converted into a road-capable car. Because of their adaptive nature, there is no specific technology that applies to flying cars as a class. There are, however, certain strategies, such as vertical take-off and landing, favored by designers.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Ford Car 2011
Alan Mulally insisted Ford resurrect the Taurus namplate, then turned the Explorer into a midsize crossover sport/utility. Can he, will he, name the sleek new Vertrek -- an obvious hint for the 2013 Escape replacement -- the Escape?
The Vertrek concept, unveiled at the North American International Auto Show, goes on sale in early 2012 and is Escape in size and European Kuga in its use of Martin Smith's sleek "kinetic design" language. Like the Focus and C-Max with which it will share its front-drive platform, the Vertrek's profile features a "Zorro Flip" with converging Z-shaped accents between the front quarter-panel, the doors, and the rear quarter-panel.
Ford Vertrek Concept Side
Click to view Gallery
The hood's center bulge, with its unusual cutout pattern just ahead of the windshield, is said to be production-ready, though the skylight-style glass roof panel behind it isn't. The deeply drawn lower-profile accents also are a good indication of production. Don't count on the sequential LED taillamps and certainly not the sleek, low sideview mirrors, which help create a "wing" look by connecting with the dashboard.
The deep-bucket 2+2 seats are pure concept, but the interior materials give good hints at the level of attention Ford's interior designers paid to the inside. From the outside, add a thick B-pillar, remove the power-operated foldout running boards, and you've got a good look at the next Escape.
"We've pulled the A-pillar forward" and made a sleeker roofline, with a sport coupe-like rear roof resembling the current Kuga's, says J Mays, Ford's group vice president for design and chief creative officer. "People actually think we've lowered the car, but we haven't."
Read more: http://www.motortrend.com/future/concept_vehicles/1103_ford_vertrek_concept_first_look/index.html#ixzz1BqBDt3it
The Vertrek concept, unveiled at the North American International Auto Show, goes on sale in early 2012 and is Escape in size and European Kuga in its use of Martin Smith's sleek "kinetic design" language. Like the Focus and C-Max with which it will share its front-drive platform, the Vertrek's profile features a "Zorro Flip" with converging Z-shaped accents between the front quarter-panel, the doors, and the rear quarter-panel.
Ford Vertrek Concept Side
Click to view Gallery
The hood's center bulge, with its unusual cutout pattern just ahead of the windshield, is said to be production-ready, though the skylight-style glass roof panel behind it isn't. The deeply drawn lower-profile accents also are a good indication of production. Don't count on the sequential LED taillamps and certainly not the sleek, low sideview mirrors, which help create a "wing" look by connecting with the dashboard.
The deep-bucket 2+2 seats are pure concept, but the interior materials give good hints at the level of attention Ford's interior designers paid to the inside. From the outside, add a thick B-pillar, remove the power-operated foldout running boards, and you've got a good look at the next Escape.
"We've pulled the A-pillar forward" and made a sleeker roofline, with a sport coupe-like rear roof resembling the current Kuga's, says J Mays, Ford's group vice president for design and chief creative officer. "People actually think we've lowered the car, but we haven't."
Read more: http://www.motortrend.com/future/concept_vehicles/1103_ford_vertrek_concept_first_look/index.html#ixzz1BqBDt3it
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