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x5red · 6 years ago

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Sixty fun & fascinating facts about the classic Supergirl (4 / 4)

At last, the final fifteen fun facts in a series to mark the sixtieth anniversary of Kara Zor-El’s debut in DC Comics. This is the last batch of Supergirl info-nuggets, bringing the trivia total up to sixty, one for each year since her introduction.

As before, each snippet of data relates to the original Supergirl, the intrepid Argo City teen who leapt from that crumpled Midvale rocket ship. Covering her original Silver and Bronze Age incarnation, in comics and on screen, each factoid is calculated to intrigue and delight – hopefully even seasoned Kara fans will find a few morsels of trivia that had previously escaped their attention.

So, one last time: enjoy…

46. At one point she was blacklisted from being mentioned in DC publications.

In 1985 to mark its 50th comicbook publishing anniversary DC Comics launched a mini-series, Crisis on Infinite Earths, that sought to rejig its entire fictional universe to better address the new, more mature, direct sales audience. Childish elements were removed and iconic characters rebooted. Superman was to be recast as the only survivor of Krypton, meaning Supergirl not only had to die but be erased from all past events too. DC, however, decided that erasing Kara from fictional history was simple not cruel enough -- in a move straight out of a George Orwell novel DC airbrushed her from in-real-life history too.

Supergirl became she who shall not be named, seemingly banned from being mentioned, even in the editorial pages. When DC couldn’t avoid using her name, as happened in Secret Origins #42 (July 1989) when discussing Phantom Girl’s first appearance, they masked it with asterisks like an expletive -- ”S*P*RG*RL”. DC even went as far as to exclude Kara from a bio of writer Paul Kupperberg in the pages of Power Girl #2 (July 1988), despite Kupperberg‘s long tenure as Supergirl’s chief writer, and Power Girl being a parallel-universe re-imagining of Kara. Yet the Maid of Might remained popular with at least some DC staffers, as Alan Brennert proved when Kara made a highly unauthorised crafty cameo in his Deadman story inside Christmas with the Super-Heroes #2 (1989) -- Brennert only avoided censorship thanks to DC editor-in-chief Dick Giordano volunteering himself to do the story’s artwork.

47. Prior to her role as Supergirl, Helen Slater had struggled with eating disorders.

In an obscure 1988 interview for UK tv with psychologist Oliver James, Helen Slater talked frankly about how winning the role of Supergirl helped in her ongoing battle with Anorexia and Bulimia. Asked about the cause of the conditions, “Control was one part of it”, Slater admitted, adding, “I think Bulimia especially, which I did suffer from from 13 [...] is a lot to do with not having a safe space to express anger.” She went on to credit her Supergirl fitness trainer, Alf Joint (“the most beautiful man in the world”) with overcoming some of her fears around food by using Chocolate Brazils (chocolate dipped nuts) as positive reinforcement after a hard training session.

48. She celebrated her 75th birthday in 2018.

It is generally accepted that Kara Zor-El’s birthday, when using the Gregorian calendar on Earth, is 22nd September. That date comes from a reply to a reader’s letter published in Adventure Comics #389 (Feb 1970), but said reply didn’t give the year of Kara’s birth, meaning readers couldn’t work out Kara’s age. (“One should never trust a woman who tells one her real age”, wrote Oscar Wilde, ”A woman who would do that would tell anything.”) Fortunately a little bit of detective work means that fans can work it out. A story in Action Comics #305 (Oct 1963) gives the date of Kara’s arrival on Earth as 18th May 1959, and both the Daring New Adventures of Supergirl #1 (Nov 1982) and Action Comics #270 (Nov 1960) suggest that Kara was 15 years old when she landed. This means that she was born in 1943. So, as of her most recent birthday at the time of writing (22nd September 2018), she would require 75 candles on her birthday cake. Good thing she has Kryptonian super-lungs..!

49. Her nickname was Hot Dog.

Every fan knows that Kara Zor-El is Supergirl, and that Supergirl is Linda Lee Danvers, but how many fans know that Linda Lee Danvers was also... “Hot Dog”..?!?!!

Yup, that was her name when she was dating Philip Decker, music conductor and part-time lecturer at Lake Shore University, Chicago. The pair’s romance had blossomed in the pages of Supergirl Vol. 2 thanks to a shared love of Jazz music, and they spent an increasing amount of time together in each other’s apartments. It was during one such session of intense snuggling that Philip let slip his nickname for Linda: “Hot Dog”, a name what was met with uncontrollable giggles from Linda.

50. Her makeup bag hid a couple of super secrets.

Of course, if you’re one of the world’s greatest superheroes it is important to look your best when saving the world, but Kara’s beauty kit not only helped keep her looking immaculate while fighting injustice, but also concealed a couple of tricks to keep her dual identity a secret too. In Action Comics #270 (Nov 1960) Kara celebrated her sixteenth birthday. Her gift from the Man of Steel was an innocent looking lipstick which, in reality, hid a secret compartment to stash her super-compressed costume. “If you ever have to conceal your costume quickly, or remove it to go swimming...”, explains Superman (perhaps anticipating other activities that a young woman might get up to that could require stripping off clothing.)

Years later, in Supergirl Vol. 2 #17 (Mar 1984), Kara added more secrets to her makeup bag when she finally decided to ditch her brunette Linda Danvers wig. She still needed a way to switch from Supergirl’s flowing blonde locks to Linda’s brunette bob, of course, and the alternative she devised was a special energized comb that reacted with colour-sensitive molecules to instantly transform her hair’s style and colour. Clever stuff..!

51. She and Brainiac 5 weren’t really an item.

Despite now being firmly romantically linked in the eyes of many comic fans, Brainiac 5 and Supergirl’s relationship only really became serious during the 1990s Earth Angel era. Back in the Silver Age, when the pair first met in Action Comics #276 (Apr 1961), Kara was initially weary of Brainy, recognising his family resemblance to Superman’s arch foe. Her attitude softened, however, as the story unfolded, even calling him “sweet” by its close. As the years rolled by Brainy is clearly smitten by Kara, but she rarely reciprocated his affections. Finally, in Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 2 #294 (Dec 1982), Brainy brings matters to a close: “You remember that crush I had on you? [...] I think I’ve finally worked it out of my system.”. In response Kara teases, “Really? What a shame. Here I was, starting to think how cute you were.” (Needless to say, Brainy is left dumbfounded as Kara promptly flies off.)

Kara dated numerous men during the Silver and Bronze Age, including long-term relationships with Dick Malverne and Philip Decker, but these were generally in her Linda Danvers identity. Brainy is the closest thing “Supergirl” came to a boyfriend -- perhaps that’s why some fans like to focus more on him rather than Linda’s beaus.

52. She was a fan of The Bionic Woman.

One of the problems of being a superhero is that your evenings are often taken up saving the world, leaving little time to catch up with popular tv shows. But on her odd evenings off-duty, what was likely to be on the Maid of Might’s tv screen? Unsurprisingly, Kara seems to have been a fan of superheroine shows, as demonstrated by comments in Superman Family #184 (July 1977) while she was battling an unnaturally fierce electrical storm in the skies over Santa Augusta. “Great way to spend an evening out”, complains a frustrated Girl of Steel, “If this storm doesn’t let up, I’ll miss ‘The Bionic Woman--!’”

53. She was a big fan of seat belts and personal computers, apparently.

Being a superhero doesn’t pay very much, if anything at all. That’s why DC Comics always liked to line up product endorsements for its big stars, and the Girl of Steel was no exception. Supergirl’s first apparent appearance in adverts (outside of selling DC’s own magazines) was in a late 70s commercial for kid’s underwear, but pretty soon DC had secured more prestigious work for Kara when in 1981 they had her extol the virtues of Tandy’s new line of 8 bit micro computers. More important work came in the mid-80s, when Kara teamed up with Honda and the US Department of Transportation to promote the adoption of car seat belts. The Maid of Might appeared in two full-length give-away comics (and on-screen Helen Slater even appeared as Supergirl in a tv advert.) Kara was so committed to the cause of road safety that she even did the second give-away comic after her death in Crisis on Infinite Earths -- now that’s dedication for you..!

54. Only one woman worked on her comic-strip during the entire Silver and Bronze age.

It is a sad reflection of the industry in the 60s and 70s that if one totals up all the writers, artists, and editors, who worked on the Supergirl strip during the Silver and Bronze Age, there’s only one female name on the list: Dorothy Woolfolk. Editor for Supergirl Vol. 1 #1 (Nov 1972) only -- yup, a single issue -- Dorothy launched the Girl of Steel into her first self-titled comicbook before giving way to industry veteran Robert Kanigher for issue #2. Allegedly a larger-than-life figure, Dorothy was a rare example of DC allowing a woman to work outside of the romance genre during the Golden and Silver Age; she is even credited by some with suggesting the idea of Kryptonite to Superman writer Jerry Siegel.

(Away from Supergirl’s own strip, two other women briefly worked as editors on comics featuring the Girl of Steel in a guest capacity. Karen Berger and Laurie Sutton both edited 1980s Legion of Super-Heroes issues containing Kara cameos.)

55. Her most iconic costume contained a pair of clocks.

The problem with slinky skin-tight superhero costumes is that they don’t leave much room for the practical necessities of life... like pockets... or watches. But that never stopped the Girl of Steel from sneaking a few hidden practical elements into her outfits. Most fans know that the inner lining of her cape hides a secret pocket (where she stashes her everyday clothes when out superhero-ing), but how many fans realised that the three discs aligned over each hip on her iconic 70s hot pants outfit actually acted as a pair of clocks? According to Krypton Chronicles #2 (Oct 1981), by placing three fingers on the discs over her right hip Kara is telepathically informed of the time in New York (her then home), while the same action on her left hip reports the time in Kandor (Krypton’s capital, famously miniaturised in a bottle by Brainiac.)

56. The USA was actually one of the last countries to see the Supergirl movie.

The Girl of Steel may have been able to zip around the world in an instant, but apparently her movie couldn’t. After opening on Thursday 19th July 1984 in the United Kingdom, then days later in Ireland and Japan, the movie slowly made its way around the world, opening in the Philippines, Australia, and Spain during August, and then France and Canada during October. By mid-November, however, American audiences were yet to see the Maid of Might grace cinema screens.

The delay was caused by Warner Bros. withdrawing from its US distribution deal near the end of production, causing producers to scramble for a replacement. Eventually, on Wednesday 21st November -- over four months after the UK debut -- the Supergirl movie hit US cinema theatres thanks to fledgling distributor TriStar Pictures, but with almost 20 minutes of material chopped out. It wasn’t until 1998 that the full international cut was legitimately available in the US thanks to an Anchor Bay VHS video release.

57. She was Wonder Woman’s sister.

Incredible as it may seem, for a brief period Supergirl was Wonder Woman’s sister. The incident happened in Supergirl Vol. 1 #9 (Dec 1973) after Kara finally had enough of being two-timed by boyfriends as Linda Danvers, and hit upon by men as Supergirl. When Kara bravely rescues an Amazon warrior ship under attack by fierce sea creatures, Queen Hippolyta offers to adopt her as a daughter, making Kara the sister of Princess Diana (aka Wonder Woman.) Realising that the Amazon’s island home is free of men, Kara accepts, but a medical emergency forces her back out into the Man’s World to seek the ingredients for a serum. With the emergency over, Kara considers that maybe she was too hasty in turning her back on all men, and leaves her new Amazon home to give them a second chance.

58. She valued her privacy.

When you have as many extraordinary abilities as the Girl of Steel, the usual fears and phobias just don’t apply. Why be afraid of heights when you can fly? Why be afraid of snakes when your skin is not only fang proof, but bullet proof? But Daring New Adventures of Supergirl #4 (Feb 1983) revealed that there’s one thing guaranteed to make Kara Zor-El flee in terror -- fear of having her everyday identity exposed. The issue sees Kara hypnotised into seeing her greatest fear by the villain Ms. Mesmer: as a result Supergirl continually sees her Linda Danvers identity reflected back at her in windows and mirrors. Convinced that everyone can see through her disguise, Kara seeks solace with her adopted parents. It is only thanks to the calming influence of her mother, Edna Danvers, that Kara has the courage to go back out onto the streets as Supergirl to defeat Ms. Mesmer.

59. Her first kiss was with a very hirsute Jimmy Olsen.

The opening season of the Supergirl tv show teased a possible romance between Kara and James Olsen, and in some ways this echos very early Supergirl stories where the pair were occasionally seen as a potential love-match. Indeed Jimmy Olsen was actually Kara’s first kiss, although the event came about in a highly unorthodox way. The pages of Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #44 (Apr 1960) saw Jimmy transformed into a werewolf, and Superman reasons that the curse can only be lifted by the kiss of a young girl. In steps a fifteen year old Kara Zor-El, who gives the cub reporter a delicate peck on the lips, reversing the spell. A year later Jimmy managed to turn himself into a werewolf for a second time(!) in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #52 (Apr 1961), but Kara’s kiss proved ineffective that time.

60. She didn’t entirely die in Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Obviously it is a matter of record that the original Kara Zor-El gave up her life in Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 (Oct 1985) – at least until DC later saw fit to retcon that particular story line – but in their attempts to erase the Maid of Might from existence, DC had forgotten about a rather inconvenient story published just a year before, in Supergirl Vol. 2 #19 (May 1984).

The tale dealt with a Supergirl clone who had assumed the identity of Linda Danvers. The clone had no super powers, but she did have all of Kara’s memories and personality. The story ends with a twist: rather than take the easy way out by having clone-Kara conveniently fall under the wheels of a speeding bus, writer Paul Kupperberg has the two Kara’s work out a deal. ”It’s a big world out there… with plenty of room for two people with this face!“, explains Supergirl, “We can find a place for you… a name of your own…” And with that the two Karas go their separate ways, meaning that although superpowered-Kara may have surrendered her life in Crisis, powerless-Kara (her clone) presumably continued to live out a regular life anonymously somewhere in America.

And that’s it -- all sixty..! Thanks for reading, Hope you enjoyed the series and learned at least a few snippets of trivia along the way that you found amusing or thought-provoking.

Don’t forget to come back in 2048, when it will be time to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Matrix Supergirl... Or maybe not..!

#supergirl #superhero #superman #dc #comics #superheroine #dccomics #silver age #bronze age #comicbooks #lex luthor

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music-xray · 7 years ago

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CMI Music Group has been asked by a major global sports brand to find music for several Fall / Autumn 2018 campaign videos / ads. Once again, the videos and ads will be seen by millions of sports fans across the globe on many fronts including, TV, webcasts, podcasts, Internet ads, Youtube ads, websites where product is sold, shop playlists where product is sold, etc. All styles of music will be considered as the company are looking for the usual sports related songs (winning, success, getting to the top, etc) but the are also looking for top quality standout attention grabbing, meaningful songs whether softer emotive ballads or harder more powerful driving tracks as the range of sports covered by the company is huge. Please submit your best work, radio ready, mastered songs. You must own 100% copyright. Only songs with cleared samples. I will accept demos as I am also a music producer / studio owner so if the song is a 'no brainer' and has enough potential to fit the opp then I would consider re-cutting it for the client. The CMI Music Group has worked closely with companies such as: Apple, Honda, Samsung, BBC, ABC, New Show Media, Massive Films, Rickety Shack films and more. Payouts and rights: If selected you will keep 100% of your rights, royalties and payments dependent on the amount of times the tracks are used. Payout is $5K-$8K dependent on usage and length of use. The license is Non-Exclusive. If selected the songs will be passed to the company and they will have the final say, CMI Music Group will be on hand to help the artist all the way through the process with chosen artists (at no financial charge). All songs submitted will be considered for all the others opps we have. PLEASE DO NOT SEND US TRACKS TO OUR FACEBOOK, SOUNDCLOUD, EMAIL, LINKEDIN OR ANY SOCIAL MEDIA. - Alexander Johnston / CMI Music Group International

#music #musicians #bands #opportunity #music xray #free account

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fredahahn95-blog · 4 years ago

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itsroofrack · 4 years ago

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Honda Odyssey cargo box buying guide

Should I buy it? The 2018 Odyssey is the third generation of Honda’s award-winning minivan. Designed for the masses, it still provides the first-class level of fit and finish that have made it one of the best-selling cars in the world.

Introduction:

The 2018 Odyssey is Honda’s best-selling minivan yet, and it’s not hard to see why. It looks great, offers excellent tech including a new infotainment system and the best third-row seat of its rivals. In this test we managed to get our hands on a well-equipped EX trim, which includes plenty of safety equipment, a hybrid powertrain and a considerable amount of extra cargo space. Despite this feature set, it’s pretty tough to fault the van. It drives great, offers good fuel economy, offers a class-leading range of driver assistance systems and has a strong warranty package to back it up. What’s more, you can’t go wrong with the seven-seat option – either with three rows of seating or the second-row ‘Chair Mode’ seating that offers 30mm more knee room than the eight-seater.

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acollegegirlfitness · 7 years ago

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2018 Volkswagen Atlas Specs

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The revamped Atlas deals household-warm and friendly traveller and freight community along with its boxy form and beefcake design. Though it is not probably the most gas-useful or best mid-measurement crossovers ever before created, this variation increases its superstars by giving unequaled performance, comfortable seating for six adults, a flexible platform and in addition general magnificent drive. The Atlas generates the latest energetic safety features, reconfigurable electronic digital determine gallery and in some cases infotainment showcase screens comprising sharp images. Many other terrific engineering components in the same way get the lion’s show in the current Atlas adaptation.

Concerning the outside look, the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas highlights a brick-like type which offers it a long lasting, off-road-set sort. The supposed design likewise permits a space-powerful cabin. Its colossal proportions could show up difficult at the start. Then again, from at the rear of the wheel, the crossover thinks supplementary maneuverable than just what its large dimensions suggests. The revamped design has cutting-edge LED headlamps as well as readily available taillights, that happen to be nicer, bolder and extra electric power-reliable when compared to halogen lighting fixtures.

Every single one of lights are being while using Unique daytime jogging lighting which have been brief to switch on. Moreover, the Brought taillights are instantly if it relates to informing soon after authorized operators. Up-front, the chauffeur and likewise passengers get major car seats having a wide range of changes, even though lumbar power guidance is only in/out. We’ve set up that this automobile’s chairs are fit for long-distance journeys. On the other hand, their sustain fails to suit the preceding principles fixed by Volkswagen goods.

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hyundaiowners · 5 years ago

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Looking For A Good Inexpensive Car? The 2020 Hyundai Venue Subcompact SUV Is The Answer

The Hyundai Venue may be the simplest-to-describe new car of 2020. It is a two-row SUV with impeccable fit and finishes, an engine and acceleration that help you avoid traffic tickets, virtually all the driver assists you to want, and a price that lets you buy new rather than used. There are not many cars available fat its price with an 8-inch color LCD standard and Android Auto / Apple CarPlay built-in.

Hyundai describes the buyer as a young “urban adventurer.” You don’t pay extra for roof rails or for the two-tone paint on the Denim edition.

On the road, the Hyundai Venue felt fine cruising. The length, three inches less than a Honda Fit, made it effortless to navigate the crowded capital city, the noise insulation made the ride pleasant on highways, and the air conditioning made it bearable for visiting Northerners admiring the humidity outside — at least until we opened the doors to admire, but not sample, a microbrewery and distillery. The interior is nicely done for the money. Still, window sill armrests are hard plastic with no padding, and there’s one seatback pocket.

Enough Engine to Move You Down the Road

The engine is okay for everything other than passing on two-lane country roads; 0-60 times are around 10 seconds. The engine delivers 121 hp through the continuously variable transmission available on all three trim lines; there’s a six-speed manual on the entry SE line and 15-inch steel wheels.

The rear suspension is a torsion beam, which is simple, elegant, workable, and takes up less space than a multi-link independent rear suspension. A console dial lets you adjust throttle response via Normal, Eco and Snow settings; the Snow position keeps one wheel on ice from spinning and taking traction away from the wheel on snow or dryish pavement. The modes have no effect on steering effort.

Hyundai is proud of the wide ratio of its CVT (IVT, or “intelligent variable transmission”), about 7:1, and notes it’s less complex than Toyota’s CVT that uses a mechanical first gear before handing off to the CVT. Hyundai says it has a metal chain not a metal belt in the CVT and believes it has resolved any rubber-banding issue. It also helps that a 121-hp engine doesn’t make heavy demands on the transmission. It’s rated at 30 mpg city, 34 mpg highway, 32 mpg combined (27/35/30 for the manual).

Hyundai Venue Models

You could think of the Venue as a Hyundai Kona Lite since both are subcompact SUV/crossover vehicles. It’s a little more complicated: They’re built on different platforms. The Venue is more a replacement of sorts for the Hyundai Accent hatchback that went away in 2018 when the Gen 5 Accent arrived. The Kona is a premium-feel low-cost SUV and the entry model goes for more than the base Venue SE.

The Venue does give every buyer a very good standard safety package built around a forward-facing camera:

Forward collision-avoidance assist (FCA-Ped) with Pedestrian Detection – warning of cars ahead, pedestrians, and braking to avoid collisions or at least reduce the severity

Lane keep assist (LKA) – incorporating departure warning, also tugs at the wheel to pull the car back from lane edge

Driver attention warning (DAW) – drowsy driver warning

Should You Buy?

Hyundai is on a roll: The Sonata sedan is the ExtremeTech Car of the Year. The Sonata and Palisade SUV were finalists for the North American Car and Truck of the Year (NACTOY) Award. Hyundai hasn’t brought out a bad car in years.

If you want a sub-compact SUV that is affordable, and if you want new, the 2020 Hyundai Venue is your best choice.

The Venue and Kona are within a half-inch on most interior dimensions. The Venue’s rear-seat legroom of 87cm is reasonable for such a small car. Total interior volume is pretty good, really good for something just over under 4m long.

We’d recommend the Venue SEL with at least the Convenience package to get blind-spot detection.

Hyundais have a 5-year/60,000 mile warranty (10/100 on the powertrain) so it still has more warranty left than most 3/36 new cars.

Our bottom line on the 2020 Hyundai Venue: This is the best car at Group 1 Hyundai if you want an urban-small, SUV with reasonable space inside (great space for just under 4m in length), excellent core safety features, and a large standard center stack LCD that connects to Apple or Android phones. If you believe you need all-wheel-drive, you’ll probably do just as well with winter tires and wheels. If you need adaptive cruise control, you want the Kona. Nonetheless, Hyundai did an amazing job putting that much tech into an affordable car.

Article source: https://we-love-hyundai.weebly.com/blog/looking-for-a-good-inexpensive-car-the-2020-hyundai-venue-subcompact-suv-is-the-answer

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elegantlongeveningdresses · 5 years ago

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cheapeveningdressesukunder50 · 6 years ago

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perksofwifi · 6 years ago

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2019 Honda CR-V EX-L FWD: Why I’d Buy It – Alex Nishimoto

“What SUV should I buy?” It’s a question consumers ask themselves every day, but what would online editor Alex Nishimoto drive? Keep reading for the answer, and see other editors’ picks here.

I’ve been putting off buying a new car for more than half my life. I learned to dread the process as a kid after being trapped at a dealership for eight hours while my parents haggled for their new wheels. As a result of that experience, I’ve stuck to private-sale used cars my entire adult life. But as you can imagine, my priorities changed when my first kid was born a year ago.

Prior to my son’s arrival in May 2018, I was your average early-millennial car nerd. If you looked through my Craigslist search history, you’d see an odd mix of old-car keywords: BMW E36 M3 sedan, Jaguar XJ Series I, Triumph Spitfire, Saab 900 Turbo, Nissan 300ZX Z32, etc. To a certain group of enthusiasts, those are all undeniably cool cars, but they have something else in common—they’re all less than ideal for transporting a baby. (OK, maybe the four-door M3 could squeak by in that role.) As a married man in my mid-30s with a house, a reasonable amount of disposable income, and, crucially, access to press cars thanks to this job, I could have made one of the above options work as a second vehicle/ongoing project. But with my son now in the picture and my wife’s 2006 Acura TSX approaching 150,000 miles, any questionable car-buying decisions would have to wait until my midlife crisis.

With my plans to pick up a weekend car foiled, what would I buy now? To accommodate our new addition, it would need to have four doors and a back seat spacious enough to fit an infant car seat (and, eventually, a larger convertible car seat). A large cargo area would be great to have, as we’ll be lugging around bulky items like his stroller and Pack ’n Play. And because this vehicle will be transporting our most precious cargo, excellent safety ratings are a must. It also needs to be dead reliable, and for my own peace of mind that meant buying new. Realizing that, I knew I had to get over my dealership phobia.

With a budget of about $30,000, we started looking at new cars that met the above criteria. My wife, Courtney, would be the one driving it most, and she preferred something with similar dimensions to her TSX. At 183.3 inches long and 69.4 inches wide, the first-gen TSX is about the same length as most compact crossovers, so going with one of those she would just need to get used to the extra width and, obviously, the increased height. With that, we narrowed our search to the compact crossover class and quickly arrived at a top two: the Subaru Forester and Honda CR-V.

Both are solid choices that earn top marks in safety, with the 2019 CR-V named an IIHS Top Safety Pick and the 2019 Forester a Top Safety Pick+. Both also have roomy interiors and good-sized cargo areas. But ultimately, the decision came down to available engines. The 2019 Subaru Forester is offered with just one engine choice, a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated flat-four that makes 182 hp and 176 lb-ft of torque. That might not sound that far off from the 190 hp and 179 lb-ft of the CR-V’s available 1.5-liter turbocharged I-4, but the difference in how they drive is night and day. The Forester felt sluggish off the line and in traffic, requiring deliberate and ample throttle application to pass. The 1.5-liter turbo in the CR-V, on the other hand, is lively and responsive. Although the 1.5T CR-V and TSX deliver power differently, Courtney thought they felt similar enough that she wouldn’t need to make big adjustments to her driving style.

Now that we had settled on the CR-V, the question was which one to get. We had already ruled out the base LX trim because we wanted the turbo engine, as well as features like Apple CarPlay and heated seats, which you can’t get with the LX. We reasoned that leather upholstery would be more baby-friendly than cloth, as liquid spills would be easier to clean up. Leather is standard on EX-L and the top-trim Touring model. The latter comes with features we could probably live without. Onboard navigation isn’t necessary because we can run Google Maps on CarPlay, and although the hands-free power liftgate could be useful, Courtney has gotten by with just a remote-opening trunk up until now.

The EX-L trim was our Goldilocks model (a Touring is shown above), but we still had one decision left: front- or all-wheel drive? We don’t really need the extra traction living in Southern California, and given Courtney’s 40-mile roundtrip commute, the 1-mpg advantage of the front-drive model would add up over time. All-wheel drive might come in handy if we ever took a trip to the mountains to see snow, or maybe on a camping trip involving some light dirt trails. But even with all-wheel drive, I wouldn’t be comfortable taking the CR-V too far off the beaten path. For that, I could always choose a legit four-wheeler as my midlife crisis car.

Knowing the exact model we wanted, we headed to the dealership and bought a brand-new 2019 Honda CR-V EX-L FWD in Modern Steel Metallic. And it only took five hours this time. Here’s hoping my son is too young to develop the same scars I did.

The post 2019 Honda CR-V EX-L FWD: Why I’d Buy It – Alex Nishimoto appeared first on MotorTrend.

https://www.motortrend.com/news/2019-honda-cr-v-ex-l-fwd-why-id-buy-it/ visto antes em https://www.motortrend.com

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sensoqstore · 6 years ago

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Car LED Daytime Running Lights DRL Turn Signal Fog Lamps Dual-color for Honda Civic 10th 16-18

https://sensoq.com/product/car-led-daytime-running-lights-drl-turn-signal-fog-lamps-dual-color-for-honda-civic-10th-16-18/ Description: 1. DRL improve safety while driving. 2. Long Lifespan: LED lifetime up to 50,000 hours, minimal maintenance cost. 3. Greatly improve your car’s appearance and performance. 4. Energy saving, waterproof & shockproof. 5. Easy Installation. 6. Fit for Honda Civic 10th 2016-2018 Specifications: Product Name Daytime Running Lights Starting Voltage 13.5V Rated Working Voltage 11.5-13.5V Rated Working Power 8-12W Rated Current 1A Viewing Angle 90~120° Working Temperature -20-+60° Product Color Black Driving Light Color White Turn Signal Color Amber Size 63cm x 16cm/ 24.8″ x 6.3″ (Length x Width) Lifespan Up to 50,000 hours Placement on Vehicle Front ( Left & Right ) Weight Around 1.7kg Connection Methods: Red Line: Access ACC (Battery Positive Pole) Black Line: Access Negative Pole Yellow Line: Access Turn Signal Light White Line: Access Headlight Package Included: 1 X Pair Daytime Running Lights 1 X Digital Controller 1 X Manual Sensoq.com

https://sensoq.com/product/car-led-daytime-running-lights-drl-turn-signal-fog-lamps-dual-color-for-honda-civic-10th-16-18/

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privateplates4u · 6 years ago

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2018 Kia Rio First Drive: Small and Proud of It

Yes, it’s only $14,000, but the term “entry-level” takes on a new meaning for the fourth-generation Kia Rio. Kia views the Rio as a stepping-stone, hoping that buyers will like its little car so much that they’ll trade up as their needs and families grow. The 2018 Rio makes a compelling argument for this theory. Once again available as a four-door sedan or hatchback, the new Rio is longer, lower, and wider than its predecessor. Unlike the Ford Fiesta sedan, which looks like it’s an awkward teen trying on its older brother’s duds, the Rio has some proportional fashion sense. Hints of Optima grace the lines of the sheetmetal, and the signature Kia grille up front flows nicely across the prow and seamlessly into the headlights. On the sedan, the taillights echo the K900 for a look that’s more serious and mature than the previous model. The hatch goes for some sculpting action in the rear, though it’s not as dramatic as, say, the extroverted haunches of the Honda Fit. Overall, the Rio is a small car that’s comfortable in its own skin. The 1.6-liter four-cylinder carries over from the last generation, down 8 horsepower and 4 lb-ft of torque from last year for a total of 130 hp and 119 lb-ft. But what the Rio lost in power it has gained in fuel efficiency; both hatch and sedan versions boast figures of 28/37/32 mpg city/highway/combined with the six-speed automatic, and the six-speed manual nabs 1 additional mpg in the city. Kudos to Kia for keeping a manual in the mix; it’s too bad it’s not available on higher trim levels. Revised motor mounts make the engine practically silent at idle—so quiet, in fact, that I was convinced it had a start/stop feature (it doesn’t). The six-speed automatic transmission is well-matched to the engine, making the most of the available power at any given time. It’s quick to kick down a gear on even the slightest inclines, and a prod of the throttle will even spur a second downshift, though the result is mostly angry buzzing and not forward thrust. If you’re really looking to row your own gears, go for the base LX model, which offers up a standard six-speed manual transmission. Going that route, however, means you’ll have to roll down your own windows and the top-level EX’s rear discs are swapped out for drums. Those brakes on the EX have an eager early bite, which remain progressive the entire length of travel. Also standard on the EX is a camera-based autonomous emergency braking system capable of slowing the car all the way to a full stop if necessary. Out on the road, it’s clear Kia’s engineers set out to create a driving experience that belies the Rio’s low price. The ride provided by the front MacPherson struts and twist-beam axle out back is firm and supple, with no hint of sogginess. It might not match the verve of the aptly named Fit, but it provides a much more involved driving experience than either the Nissan Versa or Toyota Yaris. Nicely damped transitions give it a secure feeling on the rain-soaked roads outside Baltimore. That’s especially impressive, given the diminutive 185-65/15 tire setup that’s standard across all trim levels, with the EX featuring alloy wheels. Larger 17-inch wheels are offered in Europe, but they’re not currently planned for the U.S. Given the quality of some of the streets here, that might not be such a bad thing. As far as entertainment goes, LX and S models feature MP3 and satellite capability playing through four speakers all controlled through a 5.0-inch display. The EX kicks it up to a 7.0-inch touchscreen featuring Kia’s UVO3 Infotainment system, which adds Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as a pair of tweeters in the dash. There’s also an upgraded 3.5-inch display tucked into the instrument panel, which will remind your rambunctious kids that it’s time to come home. Thanks, programmable curfew alert. It’s important to note, however, that the UVO3 system won’t include built-in navigation, instead utilizing the maps integrated with your smartphone. It’s a great setup as long as you’re within cell service. But once my test drive takes me outside the city limits of Baltimore, I’m surrounded by the boonies pretty quickly. Here, cell towers are few and far between, revealing a limitation of Apple CarPlay. With no data available, I watch the map dissolve into a sea of grid lines, rendering navigation useless. If you frequently venture into less-populated areas, you might want to bring along a map or use Android Auto, which allows offline map downloads. At least the interior is a nice place to spend time even if you’re lost out there in the wilderness. Controls are logically laid out, and the EX provides a bold punch of color with a swanky red accent leather package as an available option. It manages to be tasteful than gauche, and it’s the only splash of spice of an otherwise straightforward palette. Even the exterior colors paint a decidedly muted picture—if you’re looking for something more extroverted, Honda will sell you a Fit in Orange Fury, or you can spec out a Chevy Sonic in Kinetic Blue. The most adventurous color in the Rio lineup is a nice shade of green. As the entry-level car in Kia’s lineup, the Rio carries an appropriately entry-level price: $13,990 for a base LX sedan. Springing for the hatch will set you back $14,290, and the automatic transmission adds $1,000 to either body style. Expect to pay around 18 grand for a fully loaded EX model, though Kia says the majority of buyers will opt for the mid-grade S, which comes with remote keyless entry, Bluetooth connectivity, cruise control, power windows, and more. With the 2018 Rio, Kia digs under the sheetmetal to sharpen and strengthen its small car reflexes while making the overall ride quieter, tighter, and more refined. So is the Rio now all grown up? Not really. Instead, the Rio embraces its entry-level status—with the promise that something bigger and better awaits at the Kia dealership when the time comes. The post 2018 Kia Rio First Drive: Small and Proud of It appeared first on Motor Trend.

http://www.motortrend.com/cars/kia/rio/2018/2018-kia-rio-first-drive-review/

#First Drives

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fashionzari-blog · 6 years ago

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actutrends · 5 years ago

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Comma.ai launches Comma Two, a $999 kit that imbues cars with assisted driving features

Two years ago, analysts predicted that upwards of 10 million self-driving cars would hit the road by 2020. They weren’t the only ones — in 2015 and 2016, respectively, The Guardian and Business Insider proclaimed that people would become “permanent backseat driver[s],” riding in fully autonomous cars from 2020 “without needing any interaction from [drivers].”

Fast forward to today. Despite assurances that as many as 8 million driverless cars will be added to the road in 2025, even operations like that of Alphabet’s Waymo have yet to expand beyond selected metros. The reasons are regulatory as well as technological in nature, but expense plays a role. Conservative estimates peg the cost of outfitting cars at between $100,000 to 250,000 per car.

So why not go the do-it-yourself route? That’s the question George Hotz posed five years ago — he’s the American hacker best known for developing exploits that targeted Apple’s iOS operating system and reverse-engineering Sony’s PlayStation 3. In September 2015, Hotz founded Comma.ai with the goal of developing a semi-automated system — OpenPilot — that would improve cars’ visual perception and electromechanical motor control. Unlike most full-stack solutions in testing, it’s intended to replace OEM advanced driver-assistance systems, effectively imbuing cars with self-driving capabilities.

For the first time in its history, Comma.ai has an official presence at the Consumer Electronics Show. The company this week invited members of the press (including VentureBeat) to test-drive the latest version of its system — and to show off the Comma Two.

OpenPilot

OpenPilot’s development had a bit of a rocky start. The first version’s reveal in a Bloomberg article and video prompted a cease-and-desist letter from the California Department of Motor Vehicles, which accused Comma.ai of testing a self-driving car in the state without a license. Subsequently, OpenPilot was packaged into a shippable device dubbed the Comma One, which again ran afoul of the authorities because of noncompliance with U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Under pressure from the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration, Comma One was canceled, and Comma.ai open-sourced OpenPilot on GitHub.

Much has changed. In the roughly three years since Comma.ai made OpenPilot available to the public, over 1,500 users have racked up more than 14 million autonomous miles collectively, half of which were driven autonomously. (That’s up from 10 million miles as of May 2019.) Moreover, they’ve forked the GitHub repository over 2,300 times, adding features like automatic lane change and support for older Tesla, Chrysler, and Jeep models.

Comma Two

Comma.ai previously sold the Eon Devkit, a self-contained and windshield-mounted modified OnePlus phone. It started at $599, and once OpenPilot was installed to it, it automatically recognized car models by analyzing CAN network traffic. (The presence of certain CAN messages and their lengths is an indication of the model year, car brand, car model, and trim.) Companion devices dubbed the Panda and Giraffe plugged into cars’ OBD-II ports to track RPMs, MPG, cornering G-force, battery life, and more, and to provide access to the communication buses and enable the Eon to interface with the car.

The Comma Two replaces the Eon, but it retains all of the Eon’s features and then some. That said, it ditches the Panda for a single-cord solution, and it’s slightly pricier at $1,000 (though it’s available on a payment plan through Affirm).

The first batch of 300 units are available for purchase today. They’ll begin shipping later in the month, Hotz says.

The Comma Two is powered via OBD-C as opposed to by battery, which Hotz says was a top complaint among current Eon owners, and it has a larger mount as well as a custom fan-based hardware cooling solution. Like the Eon, which used a camera to recognize drivers’ faces and decelerate if it detected those drivers were distracted, the Comma Two performs facial recognition. In point of fact, it’s in improved in that it leverages two infrared sensors as opposed to an RGB sensor, enabling it to work during nighttime.

Other highlights include front and back cameras, as well as a fourth CAN bus to connect the OBD-II port and a low-power mode that automatically shuts off the Comma Two after three days to save car battery.

The Eon was equipped with cellular service and a SIM card supplied by Comma.ai. Data was unlimited (though capped to 512Kbps), and users could spring for Comma Prime if they so chose, a $24 per month service that enables remote access (via T-Mobile) from anywhere and online storage of 14 days’ worth of drive data (compared with the standard three days). The Comma Two also taps cellular for connectivity and plays nicely with new and existing Comma Prime subscriptions, and it comes with a year’s worth of storage.

By default, OpenPilot uploads driving data in real time from the road-facing camera, CAN, GPS, inertial measurement unit, magnetometer, thermal sensors, and operating system to Comma.ai’s servers for machine learning training and development purposes. Much of this data can be accessed locally through the Comma Connect app for iOS and Android or through Explorer, an online dashboard of recent drives from which disengagements (i.e., instances when a driver took control from OpenPilot) can be annotated to help improve the system.

From within the app, Comma Two owners can remotely wake up the Comma Two and snap a picture from either the front- or rear-facing cameras. Additionally, they’re able to switch among multiple units on the fly and to view their real-time geographic locations.

Compatibility

OpenPilot isn’t compatible with every car under the sun. It only works with these models and model years:

Acura ILX (2016-2018) and RDX (2016-2018)

Buick Regal (2018)

Chevrolet Malibu (2017)

Volt (2017-2018)

Cadillac ATS (2018) and Pacifica (2017-2018)

GMC Acadia Denali (2018)

Holden Astra (2018)

Honda Accord (2016-2019), Civic (2017-2019), Civic Hatchback (2017-2019), CR-V (2015-2019), CR-V Hybrid (2017-2019), Fit (2018), Odyssey (2018-2019), Passport (2019), Pilot (2016-2019), and Ridgeline (2017-2019)

Hyundai Elantra (2017-2019), Genesis (2018), and Santa Fe (2019)

Jeep Grand Cherokee (2016-2019)

Kia Optima (2019), Sorento (2018), and Stinger (2018)

Lexus RX Hybrid (2016-2019) and ES Hybrid (2019)

Subaru Crosstek (2018) and Impreza (2019)

Toyota Avalon (2016-2018), Camry (2018-2019), C-HR (2017-2019), Corolla (2017-2020), Corolla Hatchback (2019), Highlander (2017-2018), Highlander Hybrid (2018), Prius (2017-2019), Prius Prime (2017-2020), Rav4 (2016-2019), Rav4 Hybrid (2017-2018), and Sienna (2018)

Equally critically, OpenPilot isn’t capable of fully autonomous driving on all road types in all conditions. It can currently handle lane centering on roads without clear marking thanks to machine learning algorithms trained with user data, and it can maintain a safe follow distance and drive in stop-and-go traffic without supervision.

But it’s complicated. On all supported cars, OpenPilot’s automated lane centering and lane keep assist replace the stock systems. Only on specific supported cars does the system’s adaptive cruise control and forward collision warning slot in for default, however, and on no model does OpenPilot take over things like auto high-beam, blind spot warning, and side collision warning.

Driving experience

So how’s the driving experience with the Comma Two? “Smooth sailing” sums it up. OpenPilot indeed maintains its lane position even when the markings aren’t obvious — or aren’t visible. In a construction site with cones on either side and on an unpaved road without dividing lines, we watched OpenPilot deftly keep centered and maintain a comfortable following distance from the car in front of it.

It doesn’t much matter whether the road ahead is straight or severely curved. OpenPilot used to scrape OpenStreetMap for road curvature and traffic data, but it doesn’t any longer — now, it’s smart enough to calculate the trajectory in real time and to ensure it doesn’t speed along that trajectory too violently.

In this respect, OpenPilot is akin to Nissan’s ProPilot Assist, Volvo’s Pilot Assist, and GM’s Super Cruise, the last of which is one of the few systems that offers hands-free driving thanks to an eye-monitoring infrared camera. But in contrast to Super Cruise, which only engages on about 130,000 miles of U.S. and Canadian highway that GM has mapped, OpenPilot theoretically works anywhere there’s a discernible road.

OpenPilot can change lanes automatically, but it requires signaling from drivers before it does so — they have to first switch on a turn signal and nudge the steering wheel in the direction they’d like to go. It smoothly merging while keeping pace with the traffic ahead in our brief experience. But Hotz noted that OpenPilot won’t prevent lane changes when cars are to the immediate left or right, in the Comma Two’s blind spot.

Of course, Comma Two and OpenPilot can’t anticipate every situation. An SUV rear-ended a hatchback during our driving demo, forcing Hotz — who was behind the wheel — to tap the brake and disengage the system. And OpenPilot doesn’t handle things like red lights or stop signs — at least not yet.

Safety

Whether OpenPilot can be considered truly safe is a semantics question, in part. The driverless car industry lacks an agreed-upon metric for safety — Noah Zych, head of system safety at Uber’s Advanced Technologies Group, told Wired in an interview that miles traveled isn’t a particularly insightful measure without context like location. Derek Kan, U.S. secretary for policy at the U.S. Department of Transportation, echoed that sentiment in remarks at a conference two years ago.

Companies like Intel’s Mobileye and Nvidia have proposed mathematical models that aim to codify good habits like giving other cars the right of way. Essentially, they’re decision-making policies in a motion-planning stack that monitor unsafe actions by analyzing real-time sensor data.

Comma.ai has a safety model of its own, which Hotz said involves several forms of regression testing. Commits aren’t merged to the OpenPilot codebase before they’ve met the test suite’s muster.

This aside, Comma.ai problematically hasn’t committed to regularly publishing any sort of statistics beyond miles driven, like disengagements or accidents. California’s Department of Motor Vehicles mandates that all companies testing autonomous cars report disengagements, but because Comma.ai doesn’t have a permit to test cars, it’s exempt from this requirement.

Hotz for his part asserts that the infrared sensors in Comma Two will improve safety substantially, as will the onboarding video customers are required to watch before they launch OpenPilot for the first time. On the subject of the former, a warning appears on the Comma Two’s screen if a driver diverts their eyes from the road for four seconds, and after six seconds, OpenPilot disengages and begins to slow down. (Unclicking the driver-side seat belt or opening the car door also disengages the system.)

For what it’s worth, we encountered only one disengagement — Hotz’s stop to avoid the accident — over roughly 7 miles and 25 minutes of driving “We pushed on nuance [with this latest version of OpenPilot],” said Hotz. “Intersections have no lane lines — it’s unclear where you should go. [OpenPilot] follows the path that the human would follow.”

Backend improvements

On the backend side of the OpenPilot equation, new is a simulation environment called the Small Offset Simulator that loads in real-world routes and simulates deviations of them. “You can’t just take a lot of data and train a model to mimic the data, because that model doesn’t realize that if it takes action, the world will change,” said Hotz. “The only way to really do that is to build a simulator.”

Using a technique called projected geometry and generative adversarial networks (GANs), or two-part AI models comprising generators that synthesize data samples and discriminators that attempt to distinguish between the synthesized samples and real data, the simulator redraws scenes meters to the left or right or with curvature and other perturbations. Hotz said that the models within the Small Offset Simulator are now training on 200,000 minutes of driving data collected by Eon users.

It’s similar — but not quite the same — as the simulation environments deployed internally by Uber, Waymo, and others. GM’s Cruise, for instance, leverages a replay approach that involves extracting real-world sensor data, playing it back against the car’s software, and comparing the performance with human-labeled ground truth data. Cruise also engages in planning simulation, which lets the company’s data scientists create up to hundreds of thousands of variations of a scenario by tweaking variables like the speed of oncoming cars and the space between them.

Future developments

Going forward, Comma.ai plans to release new hardware on roughly a yearly cadence — Hotz believes its business model of selling devices at profit and eating the cost of software development is sustainable. (Comma.ai has raised $8.1 million in venture capital to date across two funding rounds, the most recent of which closed in April 2018.) As for OpenPilot, achieving a better end-to-end driving experience remains an acute area of focus for the engineering team.

“What we want to do is move away from [lead car following] and move to an end-to-end longitudinal [model],” he said. “One of the problems we as a company have trying to convey is, when it works well, you don’t even notice it. Our company mission is to solve self-driving cars while shipping intermediaries.”

But Comma.ai isn’t discouraging rivals from cloning its hardware and piggybacking off of OpenPilot. In fact, Hotz encourages it, just as he encourages those with proprietary solutions to compete with Comma.ai.

One such challenger — former Yahoo CTO John Hayes’ Ghost Locomotion — emerged from stealth last November promising an aftermarket self-driving kit to retrofit existing cars. Another — Cambridge, U.K.-based Wayve — claims its driverless cars self-improve by learning from safety driver interventions. Mobileye doesn’t sell a consumer product, but like Comma.ai, its driverless tech leans on cameras for autonomous decision-making. And then there’s Tesla, which recently release a preview of an active guidance system (Navigate on Autopilot) that navigates a car from a highway on-ramp to off-ramp, including interchanges and making lane changes.

Hotz is unconcerned. “Mobileye is the Windows [of autonomous driving] that’s going to do Microsoft-style business development deals with big companies, Tesla’s the Mac that’s going to ship sexy hardware to consumers, and we’re the Linux,” he said. “Everybody should use us for whatever they want.”

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