Monday, June 9, 2014

F1 2014 - Canada GP



Red Bull Racing's beginner, Daniel Ricciardo, scored his first win after a gripping conclusion from the Canadian Grand Prix earlier at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. His first place sent Mercedes' Nico Rosberg to 2nd place, despite his ERS problems at the middle of the race, and Sebastian Vettel placed 3rd. Another remarkable moment ever happened in Formula One history.

On the driver's ranking, Rosberg's still in the lead with 140 points, 22 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Surprisingly, rookie Ricciardo is now 3rd place in the overall rankings with points.

Next race is on Austria this 22nd of June.

Report: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2014/6/15936.html

Photo: Formula One

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Let's Do The News! (June 8, 2014)

The big scoop today...

- The next person to be evicted from the Pinoy Big Brother house is Aina Solano, the dancing bombshell of Boracay,

- Meanwhile in the PBB house, the remaining housemates sealed their weekly task with a decision that concerns the continued stay of celebrity guest Alex Gonzaga. Last week, Alex was summoned by "Kuya" to the confession room, informing that she had a letter from her mom. The fate of Alex's stay at the PBB house is part of the weekly task and the housemates had a few days of decision.

- In an Autoblog exclusive report; two more GM execs were fired after being failed to push for the controversial mass recall involving ignition-switch problems.

- Ariel Motor Company, the small Somerset company behind the incredibly fast Atom, will revive their motorcycle roots with their debut at this month's Goodwood Festival of Speed.

- Another teaser image for the upcoming Phineas and Ferb Save Summer special hits the web courtesy of the Disney Channel PR instagram post (disneychannelpr). Don't forget, this episode airs Monday mornings on Disney XD as part of the AnimaCation summer block.



- So, what features we're looking forward to Apple's iOS8? This article explains what...

- Families of MH370 passengers launched a drive to fund $5 million to reward anyone who knows the whereabouts of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 that was disappeared three months ago. It's called Reward MH370 but what's it all about? This report explains...

TTFN!!!

Chevrolet Suburban (K2YC) and Chevrolet Tahoe (K2UC)

2015 Chevrolet Tahoe and 2015 Chevrolet Suburban

The Chevrolet Tahoe and its longer brother, the Suburban, now received a new look, new interior, new chassis, and a whole new chapter to General Motors' iconic SUV that for over eight decades strong, it remained one of the oldest nameplates in history. Yeah, you can hardly imagine what America's longest running nameplate can do for over eight decades but here we are, the newest versions of our favorite full-sized SUVs, primed and ready for work.

What's the difference between these two?

Think of the Tahoe as the little brother of the Suburban because for this generation, the new Tahoe's wheelbase is 356mm short than the new Suburban but you can be surprised that both the new Tahoe and the Suburban's wheelbase remained unchanged from the previous GMT900 generation model and there's more; both the new models are now 1.4 inches wider than its predecessors. However, the height has been dropped by 2.4 inches but don't bother though...

What's it like on the inside?

2015 Chevrolet Suburban interior

2015 Chevrolet Tahoe interior

In typical luxury full-size SUV fashion, both the Suburban and Tahoe are well-crafted to match the likes of luxury full-sized SUVs. There is an optional Chevrolet MyLink 8-inch diagonal color touch-screen, which is great if you're more into the latest tech trends. It's now made even quieter as any luxury car should thanks to the reduced NVH so you'll get that same feeling as expected from a quiet stay at a retreat house somewhere in Tagaytay.

Both the Tahoe and Suburban are benefitted with the host of optional features that will seriously deliver the lap of luxury with a price that is too much to bear. Take for instance, the entertainment system that plays DVD and, you guessed it, Blu-Ray, just to keep the kids at the back busy from saying questions like "Are we there yet?" or any other kid-related problems on the road. Blu-Ray? Goodness gracious, it seems that General Motors is way ahead of me of making cars that come with DVD and Blu-Ray players as optional. Good job though.

Both are benefitted with the front head room of 42.8 inches and a rear head room of 38.5 inches, a best for its class when it comes to interior comforts. They're also loaded with numerous safety features that is way ahead of the times, especially the upcoming US law that all cars should come with a rear view camera for safety purposes.

Tell me about the new platform

Both the new Tahoe and Suburban are using the American car company's newly-developed K2XX platform, the same platform that used in last year's Silverado. However, for this new platform, there will be no Sport Utility Trucks, hybrid trucks, and hybrid SUVs, built on this platform. The new Tahoe and the Suburban will never get hybrid models because of the predecessor's lackluster sales but oh well. That's the way the cookie crumbles in a motoring kind of way. The upshot of the new K2XX platform is that they're now lighter and now made of high-strength steel. That's it but there's still more about the K2XX platform the world will never know...

No hybrid?

Yep. No hybrid for this generation. General Motors pulled the plug on those full-sized hybrid SUVs as you may recall...

Instead?

Instead, their new 5.3L EcoTec3 V8 FlexFuel engine promises to be more fuel efficient than its predecessors and because they're now come with direct injection (sorry Philippines, you can't have those because of your dirty fuel quality), you can expect an estimated 23MPG highway for RWD models. This new engine is all about efficiency without compromise. Doesn't say about anything but that's a lot of numbers to be summed up for these Texas-born heavyweights.

What about handling?

When driving normally, both the new Tahoe and Suburban are okay but when driving like a megalomaniac, that is a totally different agenda because of the weight that can hold you back. On the top-of-the-line models, it comes with the nifty feature that came from Camaros and Corvettes; a Magnetic Ride Control suspension, and this nifty feature keeps the behemoths' handling as precise as a...well, a luggage trolley from the airport.

Should I buy one?

2015 Chevrolet Suburban

2015 Chevrolet Tahoe


The new Tahoe starts at $44,895 while the new Suburban is $47,595. With that pricing, yes you can have of those but of course, why would you want one anyway?

Photo: General Motors

Porsche Macan

2015 Porsche Macan

The Porsche Macan, what's it all about? That looks like when someone told to Porsche that they have shrunk the Cayenne with their shrink-ray-inator, sized enough to match against other crossovers especially the Range Rover Evoque. Take a normal Audi Q5, strip it down like a stripper in a nightclub, make it as Porsche ugly as possible with enough "swagger" to confuse its foes, and load it with some complicating methods that is as complicating as graph theories, You'd never know the difference.

What's in the name? For humorous reasons, it goes like this; I'm a buff baby that can dance like a man, I can shake-a my fanny, I can shake-a MACAN. I'm a tough tootin' baby, I can punch-a yo buns! Punch-a yo buns, I can punch-a yo buns.

2015 Porsche Macan

First, let's take a look on the outside because like many other Porsches, it is as ugly enough to put a brace in its mouth and then the sweaters. What have you got? Sorry, I can't tell who that is but you just have to believe me or any other anti-Porsche dudes because that is just hideous enough to drive it to the shops or at Saint Tropez.

2015 Porsche Macan interior

If the outside view is catastrophic enough for your eyesights, the interior, like many Porsches, is too complicating to operate. If you study hard enough about the interior layout, you might memorize where the TCS, electronic parking brake, sport mode, or any other buttons are.

Even though the Macan can seat up to five people like any other junior crossovers in the luxury car market does, it's surprisingly 1.7 inches longer and 1.4 inches wider than the crossover where it was based, the Audi Q5, so your friends do have enough legroom to squeeze it in. When compared to the Range Rover Evoque and the Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class, the new Porsche Macan is amazingly the longest in wheelbase, tallest in height, and the widest in width so its dimension really is a plus. If you were in that situation, you have the devil's due to explain why. Nice job though but it's not over yet. When you check the weight between these three, it appears that the Macan is the heaviest of them three and at the weight of the entry level's 1,940kg, that's almost 400kg more than the Evoque. Even though it comes with a 4WD layout, you might have a struggle to handle the Macan like a prancing fool. Thanks to the addition of electro-mechanical power steering like what you expect from the 991 911, it feels less communicative than what you expect from any other sporty crossovers.

2015 Porsche Macan
The Macan S variant comes with either a 3.0L V6 engine developing 340PS of power or a Euro 6-compliant 3.0L V6 diesel engine developing 258PS of power output, while the flagship Macan Turbo model is powered by a turbocharged 3.6L V6 engine developing a sportscar-like 400PS of power output with a 165mph top speed. All models come with Porsche's 7-speed doppelkupplungsgetriebe standard.

For comparison's sake, the Macan S with the 3.0L V6 petrol engine has more power than the Evoque Autobiography Dynamic model that comes with a lesser 2.0L petrol engine developing a lesser 285PS of power. That's another point for the Porsche. Good job though, and when you put the high-end Porsche Macan Turbo against its Evoque opposition; you'll get the experience that you felt from the Battle of the Atlantic. Another score for the Macan.

The Porsche Macan really loves punching its crossover foes for fun, as fun as baby Finn singing the whole "punch-a yo buns" song. Maybe Porsche really does have a point of making a Macan because even though it's just a buff baby Cayenne, it can dance like a Cayenne or a Cayman of some sorts.

Don't get too excited just yet because this tough tootin' baby Porsche SUV starts at 57,930 Euros for the Macan S model and when compared to the Evoque, that's over ten thousand more. On the upshot, that's about two thousand less than the base Porsche Cayenne. Not bad but still too expensive to have one of these in my whole life.

Would you buy one? If you're more into righteous indignation and in the mood of saying "Back off, EA!", yes you can...if you got the funds to buy one. Go punch-a someone's buns with this crossover, though. Although I don't like the styling, it still has enough tricks to outpace its foes and punch them for fun.

Available colors: schwarz, tiefschwarzmetallic, rhodiumsilbermetallic, dunkelblaumetallic, achatgraumetallic, mahagonimetallic, and palladiummetallic.

Photo: Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG.

The Beast” will fly by the Earth today...


Two months ago, scientists discovered an asteroid "2014 HQ124" nicknamed "The Beast" that will fly by Earth this week and in case someone alarmed by this, reports show that it will make its close approach at an estimated 1:56AM Eastern Time Sunday, June 8, 2014 (1:56PM Philippine Standard Time). That's today if you have any doubts. Its close approach will be about three times the distance between the earth and the moon.

Remember, the distance between the earth and the moon is an estimated 384,400 km but that close approach of "The Beast" asteroid is three times the said distance, therefore it will be at an estimated 1,153,200km. In English terms, that's an estimated 717,000 miles.

Asteroid 2014 HQ124 is over 1000ft wide and travelled at 31,000mph, but it will pose no threat to the planet because of its distance. Let's hope it's not like the one that happened in Russia last year. I think...

Report: http://www.interaksyon.com/article/88574/the-beast-asteroid-flies-by-earth-sunday

The Fault In Our Stars (2014 film)



If you're in a mood for some touching romantic movies you're looking forward to in the summer, there's a new movie that will make you crying in the isles but it's okay to cry because this is a heart-warming movie that was adapted by a best-selling novel written by John Green.

The Fault In Our Stars centers on the story of a young woman named Hazel, played by Divergent's Shailene Woodley. Hazel is a tumor victim who has a few years to live but when a miracle came, her second chance is anything but terminal. However, her short life has changed upon her encounter with Augustus Waters (call him Gus for short), played by Ansel Elgortm, at a Cancer Kid Support Group, and the two will experience love in several heart-warming ways and the struggles will face between them. Okay? Okay. Maybe okay will be one always. Whoops, just said that line from the film.

Like the book itself, this movie is all about being insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw. It presents one of the most definite examples that love knows no boundaries...even for those who had suffered cancer and got a few moments to live. You would definitely need to pack some tissue papers right now because of the sad, tearful moments you can expect as the movie progresses and how Hazel's fate differs from the storytelling.

This movie really shows that even the sick people has so much life to live for and like the movie itself, some infinities are bigger than other infinities.

My rating: 3.8 out of 5

Saturday, June 7, 2014

Let's Do The News! (June 7, 2014)

20-8-5 2-9-7 19-3-15-15-16 20-15-4-1-25... (sorry, too much GF stuff because of secret messages at the credits. Anyway...)

- The traffic-violation penalties and fines were revised by the DOTC and this means "serious consequences" for the violators are the fines are now sharply raised. Check out the PDF copy of the DOTC's complete revised schedules on the fines and penalties at the DOTC website.

- Adrian Peterson from the Minnesota Vikings will be guesting on Monday's episode of Disney XD's action comedy series Mighty Meds.

- These are the teaser shots that Disney provided for the upcoming Phineas and Ferb special titled Phineas and Ferb Save Summer. This special will air on June 9th, Monday, on Disney XD as part of the AnimaCation summer lineup airing throughout the whole summer season. Check local listings.




- Check out their latest trailer for the upcoming anime adaptation of the Rail Wars novels where the cast has been announced.



- The Buick Verano compact sedan has its manual gearbox removed for the 2015 model year.

2015 Buick Verano Turbo
2015 Buick Verano

- The Never Ending, an up-and-coming band spearheaded by Debby Ryan from Disney's Jessie, launched their first debut album titled Mulholland Drive. It's set for its June 24th on-sale date.

SAMPLE:


- END OF AN ERA: The Mandarin Oriental Manila will be closing its doors this year after being around for almost four decades. The closure will pave way for a new hotel due to be opened next decade.

- New Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko called in his inaugural speech to put the end of the standoff that occurred in the eastern part of the country as well as the Ukraine vs. Russia issues. 48-year-old Poroshenko was elected late last month after his predecessor, Viktor Yanukovich, was ousted by Ukrainians three months ago.

TTFN!

Bubble Gang - June 6, 2014

On the June 6, 2014 episode of Bubble Gang...

- Classroom gags

- Istambay, Istambay sa Looban, May gulo na naman sa tambayan, may babaeng pumuwesto sa tindahan, lahat ng lalaki'y tini...TINGNAN?!

- IKAW AT ANG INA takes on...liking a status of someone who's sick!

- Can you keep his secrets safe? No one knows what he did earlier...

- An interview with a dude who allegedly steal someone's endorsements.



- Aling Mary still infuriates the people waiting in line...

- IyoTube in Dati by Sam Conception and Tippy Dos Santos and Quest

- You won't believe what sort of diagnosis this dude has!

Friday, June 6, 2014

Forza Motorsport 5: 2012 Jaguar XKR-S at the Top Gear Test Track

xkrsxkrs (2)xkrs (3)

For my free time, I decided to give Jaguar's ultimate version of the XK coupe, the XKR-S, for a spin round the famous Top Gear Test Track in Dunsfold, Surrey, UK. Although, my skills are not enough to match the lap time Stig set from this car on this track, it's still fun to experience the outer limits of Jaguar's finest sports coupe that is capable enough to reach over 300kph. It may not be as fast as any other Italian exotics but the XKR-S really turned a gentleman's club into a half-decent supercar bulging all in the right places.

Let's Do The News! (June 6, 2014)

WKH ELJ VFRRS WRGDB...

- So, San Antonio Spurs kickstarts the 2014 NBA Finals after a 110-95 win against Miami Heat. Spurs won the first game of the finals. Game 2 occurs on Sunday (that's Monday for Asian residents).

- Bravest Warriors Season 2's penultimate episode, Season of the Worm, is now streaming. This is the first of the two-part season ender and how far can our heroes go to hunt down those hamster foes? Watch it and find out...



- In the not-too-distant past, there were two Fionna and Cake episodes of Adventure Time; those special episodes showcased what its like when there's a female feline version of Jake the Dog and a female version of Finn the Human.  Due to inconsistent public demand, Fionna the Human Girl and Cake the Cat returns in The Prince Who Wanted Everything coming late June 2014 to Cartoon Network.



- The F56 Mini has spawned a five-door version of the regular hatchback! Wait, what?!

MINI Hatch 5-door

- The second-generation BMW X6 is revealed officially.

2015 BMW X6

- Earlier, there was a shooting occurred at Seattle Pacific University. The suspect was armed with a shotgun and a knife and causing heavy fire in the campus, injuring a person until a student subdued him with a pepper spray.

- The upcoming 2015 Chevrolet Corvette C7 Z06, set for early 2015 release, is now helmed as the most powerful car General Motors made thanks to the SAE-certified 650HP power output, dethroning the old C6 ZR1.

- The ignition switch recall problem caused General Motors to fire 15 people.

- There's a new Nissan coming to Gran Turismo 6 and it's coming next week, in time for E3 2014, but what is it? Is it Nissan's Vision GT concept? Let's hope so...

- There was a video aired from Vietnam showing Chinese vessel ramming down a fishing boat. This is just one of the developing news regarding China vs. Vietnam in the island stakes.

- Celeb Krista Miller was identified as one of the visitors of convicted drug lord Ricardo Camata during his hospital stay.

- The new 2015 Subaru WRX STi (not yet available in Japan until the 3rd quarter, I think), recorded a new Isle of Man TT time of 19 minutes and 26 seconds, almost 30 seconds quicker than the old one!

All-new Subaru WRX STI beats old model's Isle of Man lap record

TTFN!!!

Thursday, June 5, 2014

The Cars of 2014 GTi Meeting

In case someone really missed the 2014 GTi Meeting last week, let's meet the cars as seen from this annual show hosted by the Volkswagen Group, showcasing how cool these VW group-derived machines are;

1. Audi A3 Clubsport Quattro Concept - This hyper concept sedan uses the A3 sedan as its basis and it features an unbelievable 5-cylinder TFSi engine developing a supercar-like 525HP of power output.


2. Seat Ibiza Cupster Concept - this concept convertible celebrates the Seat Ibiza's 30th anniversary and it uses the Ibiza CUPRA as its basis as well as rigged with a 180PS TSi engine and a DSG gearbox.


3. Skoda CitiJet Concept - This concept car uses the CitiGo minicar and it has no roof on it. It's now turned into a two-seater convertible for those who like to make an effort.


4. Skoda Yeti Extreme - Ain't no ordinary Skoda Yeti here but the Extreme concept shows how off-road worthy this SUV is by adding some rally-inspired looks that represents its tough character


5. Volkswagen Amarok Power Concept - This concept pickup based on the VW Amarok comes with its own party piece in the bed; a host of stereos and some DJ equipment that turns it into a mobile DJ for the party goers who like to throw a party without letting the neighbors know they're making some noise.


6. Volkswagen Golf GTi Wolfsburg Edition - This Golf VII GTi was tweaked by interns and it produces 380PS of power output.


7. VW Golf Variant Youngster 5000 - A group of six interns worked together to create a modified version of the Golf VII Variant straight from VW's Zwickau plant.


8. VW GTi Roadster Vision Gran Turismo - This is the star attraction of the show; Volkswagen's entry to GT6's Vision Gran Turismo concepts. It will be featured on Gran Turismo 6 this mid-June.


Top Gear USA: American Muscle



A new episode of Top Gear USA went on air last night on HISTORY and it starts with American vintage street muscles restored and modified to go faster than they were ever was. Tanner chose a 1967 Mustang Shelby GT500 while Rut's on the 1972 Dodge Charger SE and Adam chose a 1968 Chevrolet Camaro. Three muscle cars from Detroit's big three have gathered to settle their differences and only two will take part in the Gatornationals drag race.

The first challenge took place at an airstrip where they put their cars' reaction speed to the test. Get it wrong and they'll get jolted with a nasty shock. At the end of the challenge, even though Rut got shocked numerous times, he wins that round.

Second challenge involves cones...and a box full of insects inside! That serves as the test for the driver's concentration. Lowest BPM wins. While Tanner and Adam panicked while driving, Rut takes things calmly, prompting him to win this challenge.

On the final challenge, the drivers will dare to make their cars some noise so loud enough, civilian vehicles will sound their alarms but they have to act fast though because...people are watching and only Adam and Tanner will face. After Tanner made several car alarms blaring, only Rutledge Wood and Tanner Foust will take on the NHRA Gatornationals.

For the Gatornationals event, the Dodge Challenger Drag Pack and the Ford Mustang Cobra Jet are provided for Rut and Tanner. Tanner goes for the Cobra Jet while Rut goes for the Mopar Challenger and they'll take on a best-of-3 match at the drag strip but first, these two are trying to figure out how to use these drag monsters.


After hours of warm up, it's showtime. Tanner and Rut in a best-of-3 duel and they'll have to give everything they got to prove who's the fastest. In the first round, the Challenger Drag Pack's high torque caused it to lift high, prompting Tanner and the Cobra Jet to win. In the second round, Rut and the Challenger got things right and won the race against Tanner.

In the final round, you won't believe what Rut did to the Challenger! He send this Dodge flying high! Awesome but it's a disaster for Rut as Tanner Foust won the drag race by a huge margin! That's it! Another Tuesday night, another Top Gear USA awesomeness.