Hey Holy is this you clowning around or is it Amok.

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Not me...those are not my shoes! Like the tie though!

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Curse U Ren!!! What a way to start HumpDay!!! I had to through my breakfast sandwich in the trash after seeing that! HaHaHa J/K!
Good morning and good afternoon to everyone across the big pond... how's it going?

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WTF?

Starbucks double-billed up to one million customers.
Is it a devilishly clever way for a company with flagging revenue to raise sales? Cheat customers by double-charging them?

According to several media outlets, as many as 1 million Starbucks (SBUX) customers were charged twice what they should have on May 22 and 23. Perhaps it would be better for shareholders if Starbucks hangs on to the cash, but the chain says it plans to pay the money back.

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Speaking of coffee... I think I'll have another cup!

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Your next car???

A Car Made Out of What?
Ford was actually dabbling with more exotic, less factory-friendly construction materials, such as a soy-based plastic exterior that could survive the mighty swing of an ax blade. He ultimately abandoned such plant-based materials because they were too expensive.

But as a new generation of carmakers and materials researchers attempts to wring more efficiency from (and lessen the environmental impact of) the modern motor vehicle, less conventional building materials are gaining new attention.

From design-oriented projects made of bamboo and glass to Toyota’s 1/x concept, whose bioplastic exterior contains seaweed, decades of research into novel materials seem on the verge of paying off. The question is, when will these starch-infused, shape-changing marvels hit the road, and will they be cheap enough for mere mortals to afford, or will they be another novelty for the billionaire whose Lamborghini has lost its luster?

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Corn, Seaweed & Soybeans: Bioplastics
Plastic doesn’t grow on trees — not yet, at least. Most of it, which is used in everything from water bottles to SUV dashboards, is petroleum-based. For automakers hoping to reduce their carbon footprint — whether to boost their environmental image, or to head off regulations that would penalize carbon emissions, or a combination of both — the benefits of plant-based plastics are obvious.

For example, the production of bioplastic films derived from cornstarch churns out fewer emissions than the production of those made out of petrochemicals. Plus, they are already in relatively widespread use as eco-friendly industrial packaging, which can even be designed to safely break down in landfills. In April, Frito-Lay unveiled a new Sun Chips bag that’s one-third bioplastic, and the company hopes to have a fully compostable bag by Earth Day 2010.

Hey... get hungry, stop and bit off a hunk of fender!!!

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Or maybe...

Bamboo, Wood & Hemp: Organic Composites
While bioplastics use plant material as one ingredient in a bubbling industrial cauldron, a handful of designers are trying to stage a comeback for the fully organic car frame. The experiments range from last year’s BamGoo, a one-seat electric car shown in Kyoto, Japan, that was made of bamboo, to the Lotus Elise Eco, which incorporates hemp in its exterior, bringing the overall vehicle weight down by 70 pounds. But the most dramatic use of plant-derived materials in a car’s construction is probably the Splinter, a 600-horsepower supercar design that is not only covered with wood, but features an oak and plywood steering column and wood-spoke wheels.

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Shape-Shifting Alloys and Polymers: Smart Materials
With all the buzz surrounding plant-based composites and plastics, it’s easy to forget an equally high-tech, and completely inorganic, class of materials about to hit the showroom floor. Shape memory (SM) alloys and polymers, collectively referred to as “smart materials,” are designed to soften when heated, and then stiffen as they cool. The potential benefits include body panels that could essentially heal themselves after an accident.

In 2008, Jan Aase, director of the Vehicle Development Research Lab in General Motors’ research and development division, saw this magic trick first-hand. After he hammered a one-inch dent into a sheet of SM alloy, Aase watched as another researcher applied a blowtorch, and the smart material popped back into shape.

Kewl!

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Are we there yet?????????

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Doing good U/D Just been invited to the Nissan dealers for the launch of the 370Z this Saturday

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You're going to want one!!! We saw it a couple months ago... 330HP! It weights less and is quicker! They made small changes to the body that look great.

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Would have to be a Nismo though

http://www.autoblog.com/photos/new-york ... z/1478849/"

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Dr ... panel..1.*

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NICE! What color???

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Red or black I reckon.

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