#people who say a car is freedom and not a mode of transportation for emergencies and necessity can suck my wiener too

[goatmilksoda]

I had a whole rant prepared but I felt like my feelings were better summed up in a meme.

[gingerautie]

XR tube disruptions

Today a man protesting government inaction on the climate crisis was dragged off the top of a tube train and beaten by what I can’t honestly describe as anything other than an angry mob. I felt physically ill watching the video. Yesterday, as I discussed the upcoming action with my partner, he expressed concern that anyone disrupting the tube would be “torn limb from limb”. I thought he was being a bit dramatic, but I don’t do rush hour commutes.The man in question (who I have, for the record, heard is okay) could very easily have been seriously injured. It doesn’t take much for someone on the ground being kicked by a furious crowd be be eg. kicked in the head hard enough to get brain damage or life threatening injury. I think this was a predictable outcome of this action, and we need to be more careful in future to make sure that people who risk their freedom for XR are protected, regardless of whether we agree with their specific action.

I was polled (as a member of XR) about the action before it happened. I (like 70% of the XR London people polled) didn’t support it. That probably should have been a red flag for the people organising. Members of XR are a self selecting group who are both worried about climate change and supportive of disruptive actions. Less than 30% support among that group should have been a giant flashing sign saying “bad idea”. It was never going to play well with the general public. We don’t need people to like us, we just need them to hear us and our message, but what’s happened today is that conversation has moved away from the helpful discussion on unlawful police actions towards debating the tube action. There’s a certain level of inertia that happens when an action is planned, people have signed up, and in this case, signed up to take an action that will get them sent to prison. Information and polls were put out less than 48 hours in advance, I think to keep the police from being aware too far in advance. This means that people who were committed, had planned an action and were seriously contemplating prison time would have had to re-route themselves mentally within a single day. XR needs to re-think this process, especially where there might be violence in response to our actions.

We need de-escalators present at every single part of every single action to prevent this happening again. Our NVDA training covers peaceful arrest by the police - not violent arrest (as has been happening during the rebellion) or staying non-violent while being beaten by a mob. If we’re facing those things then we need to be trained in doing so, even if it’s only a few people who feel able, then they can be moved to the front if violence is likely. There are groups who have done this before (the US civil rights movement springs to mind) and we should make an effort to learn from them.

The group taking action on the tube network had (looking at the briefings I’ve seen) thought really carefully about minimising some kinds of impact. This was a tube action, but you’ll notice in the videos that all the stations are above ground, unlike the stations in the city centre. This was so that no one would be trapped either in an underground station or in a train between stations, because the people doing this wanted to avoid that awful situation. I haven’t confirmed, but I think they were only disrupting trains going into london, towards the tunnels, so no one was backed up and trapped behind the disruptions. A lot of thought went into minimising the effects on the general public. And as a result the stations were further out, and more likely to be full of working class people. This was the result of efforts to protect the public. I don’t think it worked very well, but that’s where it came from.

I think it’s important to remember that everyone’s actions in this situation came from fear. For the protesters, fear of the climate crisis and catastrophic impacts on human society, and for at least some of the people at the station, I think their anger came from fear of losing their jobs. I don’t know, maybe some of them just wanted an excuse to kick someone’s head in. But I think the mood in that station was probably driven by the precarious economic situations most people now live in as much as anger at XR.

Just like with the DLR action in April, the action was not protesting the tube. The protesters were causing disruption to pressure the government. XR targets both perpetrators of the climate crisis (banks, government departments, companies etc.) and causes general disruption to pressure the government. I think these two things need to be clearly separated - it’s genuinely confusing for the public when we’re outside an oil company one day and glued to the greenest mode of transport in london the next. A banner clarifying whether this is targeted or general disruption at every action maybe?

This brings me on to misconceptions about XR generally. XR is not telling people what to do or demanding people make individual lifestyle changes. Seriously. I know that when people here “environmentalism” they jump to “people are telling me I should recycle/fly less/not use a straw”, but this isn’t the message or goal of XR. Yes, lots of us do do things like going vegan or not owning a car, but it’s not actually what we’re about. We’re about government action on climate change. This will probably result in people having to make lifestyle changes, but XR doesn’t believe that we should be deciding what those should be. One of the XR demands is for a citizens assembly (basically parliament if people were chosen randomly like jury duty) in which XR would have no voice, to decide what the changes should be and what people should be prioritising. I think we need to be clearer that we aren’t demanding people make lifestyle changes - we’re not putting roadblocks up in westminster to tell people not to use plastic straws.

I’ve seen this misconception about behaviour change vs. government action from  commentators and journalists I generally think of as well informed. This is also the underlying assumption of a lot of the accusations of hypocrisy from tabloids, piers morgan and randos on twitter. It’s an assumption underlying a lot of XR action that isn’t at all clear to the public, and it’s a problem. “why are you protesting people making the the changes you’re demanding they make?” is one I’ve seen a lot today.

XR causes disruption because all the environmental movements which haven’t have failed. It is an emergency, and we are pushing for change in the fastest way possible, with non-violent, but illegal action. XR is not top-down organised. Any group of people who take any action can do it under the XR banner as long as they follow the action consensus (https://rebellion.earth/act-now/action-consensus/). Levels of fear about the future, willingness to disrupt the public, concern about the impact of disruption, and willingness and ability to face arrest and imprisonment vary within XR. Some people will be taking steps others disagree with. This is a fundamental part of the de-centralized organisation of XR. On the other hand, actions like Heathrow pause became, due to the strong disapproval of many XR members, especially XR youth, non-XR actions. Maybe that was the right choice here. I don’t know.

I do know that we need to make sure that the XR protesters arrested for the tube action need to feel supported. What they did was incredibly brave, and they have made a huge sacrifice for all of us, and we shouldn’t let disagreement with the specifics of the action get in the way of that. We need to support each other, especially people who had misgivings about this action. We also need to reach out to people, especially in marginalised communities who feel we don’t understand the reality of their lives. We need to clarify our message and make it clear that we’re not making demands of the general public, we’re demanding things from the government.

[angeltriestoblog]

18

Welcome to my first blog post as an 18 year-old! And yes, I am well aware that I can legally drink and could be sent to jail, thank you very much. (Not that I have any plans to, though.)

I reached this milestone in my life last July 5th. As I mentioned in an earlier entry, I decided to not go the traditional route and instead, opted for a trip to Korea last April and a week’s worth of festivities with family and friends.

I kicked off the celebration with lunch at a Korean barbecue place with my parents, then had a feast with my extended family (mother’s side) in Italianni’s.

I even got my cousin, Miguel, to go on with me on the ferris wheel nearby where I tried my best to admire the beautiful view of Manila Bay before us while screaming my head off.

For my actual birthday, I treated my closest friends from high school at yet another K-BBQ place for lunch, and then went to my favorite buffet place with my family for dinner. My friends Junelle, Danna and I also finally pushed through with our months-old plan of dropping by the karaoke bar relatively near to us, which served as a great release for pent-up emotions and a showcase of our non-existent vocal abilities.

This year, I also decided to go out on a limb and hold a project of my own. I was originally planning on giving away some of the old books I had piled up in my room to nearby orphanages, but with the time constraints I had, I couldn’t really afford to execute something so grand. So, with the help of my mom, I decided that it would be best to start small. We bought these tumblers from the nearby grocery and filled them to the brim with candies and chocolate bars, then gave them to the kids selling sampaguita at our church. I was really iffy about writing this part, because I know it’s easy to misconstrue my intentions for doing so: some people will probably just dismiss this as some put-on act of charity posted for clout. But, the experience was just so rewarding for me I had to. The children were all so appreciative, beaming at me, expressing their gratitude through belated birthday greetings and musings of how they could use my little gift for school �� it kind of made me feel like my heart was on fire, but in the best way possible.

Anyway, now on to the standard realizations I make sure to include in nine out of ten posts.

This birthday in particular was a big deal for me, for obvious reasons. I had always regarded 18 as the age of independence and freedom: I equated it to having the liberty to do whatever I wanted, go anywhere I pleased with anyone at all, make the big decisions and know the answers to all the questions I’ve been asking my elders since I was a kid. I guess I forgot that I’m not the protagonist of the coming-of-age films I grew up indulging in, but a sheltered kid who has had most things done for her and thus has yet to acquire the basic life skills needed to survive The Real World. My parents said that I’m this way because they wanted to give me a life of convenience, and thus did anything that required me going out of my comfort zone, for me. All these years, I never found myself complaining about it or demanding that something be changed but for some reason, this stage of supposed adulthood has pressured me into thinking that there’s something terribly wrong with this because now, I have so much growing up to do.

Obviously, the biggest life change that I’ll have to deal with would be college: having to balance academics, extracurricular activities and different people in an entirely foreign environment sounded so terrifying for me. People would always tell me that grades have and could never be an issue for me: I was born the Smart Kid™ with a lot of potential, remember? I was generally a star student in all the schools I had attended, and everyone knew about it: I didn’t have to exert any effort to prove myself to those around me, because my grades did the talking. But, suddenly I’m about to enter this prestigious university with a rigorous screening process that takes in the Smart Kids™ from institutions all around the country. How am I expected to stand out in a place like that and get the Latin honors I can’t help but aim for?

Extracurriculars also have a huge bearing and apparently are an essential part of the whole college experience, which is weird to me since I’ve never really committed to a specific club all throughout my grade school and high school life. It seemed like more of a requirement to me than anything else, so deciding which one to join was like playing pin the tail on the donkey with my friends.

And, while I’m on that note: what about making new friends? I do appear to be outgoing and loud—especially if you’ve heard my piercing shrieks in my old Grade 12 classroom—but I’m only like that around those I’m truly comfortable with, and even that number has dwindled over the years. It’s hard to find people with the same interests as I do, and I’m growing more and more unsure of the fact that there are Ateneans who like K-Pop boy groups and laugh at the jeje memes I have in my camera roll. (I will cry if I don’t find anyone who can watch Japer Sniper videos with me.) I haven’t had to introduce myself to a new person in two years both IRL and online and I let them lead the conversation for a long while before I can think of warming up to them.

I also have to learn how to drive, which can come off as a surprise to anyone who’s known me for a while. I’ve always been the type to let go of the steering wheel and cover my eyes when the situation got out of control at the bumper cars. But, once I found out that ADMU isn’t actually the most commuter-friendly of schools, I didn’t really have a choice. On my first day of lessons, I was scared to my very core: my mind couldn’t stop bombarding me with stories of vehicular accidents and picture slideshows of cats that got run over. Although I did pass all four days and am now eligible to have my own license, I still have much work to do before I can take our Civic for a spin along Katipunan: please pray I learn how to parallel park without crashing into anything. I guess it would also be a bonus if I learned how to commute to and from places. I love going out, and I wish I always knew how to get to where I wanted to go and what mode of transportation to take instead of always relying on trikes and taxis all the time.

Since I’m of legal age, I’m also qualified to register to vote. I’ve started immersing myself in current events and politics a few years back, and I witnessed several people my age get shot down by adults when they did so much as express their opinions. “Masyado kang bata,” they’d argue. “Di nga kayo botante eh, wag na kayong makialam!” (But, the indifference of the youth would still be met with biting remarks like, “Wala na ba kayong ibang gagawin kundi mag-Internet? Magkaroon naman kayo ng pakialam sa nangyayari sa paligid!”) So now, I feel a certain kind of satisfaction in finally getting a say in who runs my country. But, at the same time, there’s also an intense kind of pressure since I am expected to discern which candidate serves the people’s best interests and hopefully lead us out of the downward spiral we’re currently making our way through.

It was only very recently—towards the start of the final month of my vacation—that I realized how stagnant I still was a person. Must be surprising for some of you. I feel like I somewhat project this image of being constantly put together. Very rarely do I let myself be vulnerable around other people. This is probably why every time I turn to someone to talk about my problems, I’m always met with reassurance: I, of all people, would have it under control, they say. I have absolutely nothing to worry about.

But, that’s the thing: when we’re on social media, we have this tendency to present only our best selves, turning our accounts into heavily filtered highlight reels. This is not only pretentious but toxic behavior, because of its failure to put things into perspective and show that everyone has their own fair share of both good and bad days. My Instagram feed may be its busy and color-coordinated self at the moment, but it doesn’t show the many nights I’ve spent crying because of how overwhelmed I was by this sudden surge in responsibilities and my inability to handle all of them. I mean, things can seem way beyond your control when your brain refuses to shut up and calm down.

I guess my failure to prepare for everything could be traced back to the beginning of this summer. In hindsight, the goals I had set for my four-month break were all very short-term and not exactly centered on self-improvement. I looked through the bullet journal I was keeping at the time, and found items like “clean my room”, “delete Facebook friends and Twitter followers I don’t interact with” and “buy a new study table” – one word for April 2018 Angel: why? I easily could have used the time to learn a new language or pledge to write 10 posts, maybe even pick up an instrument so I could have started a career as a Soundcloud artist and gotten myself a record deal instead of going to college (Mom, Dad, I’m kidding.) But for some reason, I didn’t even think of setting my standards that high. I spent a lot of time lying on my back, scrolling through the same old timelines several times a day as if the constant refreshing would bring anything of substance in my life.

It's much easier to let the regret paralyze me, to beat myself up for all the mistakes I’ve made and wonder why I didn’t do better. But, we all know that won’t help me get anywhere. As of now, I’m trying my best to be more vocal about my problems with other people so they don’t build up inside of me until I spontaneously combust. I admit I’m also quite the emotional person, so I really want to work on having a rational approach to whatever I’m going through.

I found this thread of healthy coping mechanisms and emergency plans to use during times of distress floating around. In case you guys are too lazy to click on the link, it basically says that you should first identify the trigger thought or whatever is sparking the negative emotions, identify the unhelpful thinking style that you are subscribing to and counter them through coping thoughts and actions to bring your mood back to the center. Twitter user thecolor_teal also says that one important thing to note is that you should never believe in your thoughts without critiquing them.

I’ve been doubling down on the worrying and channeling all that energy on pursuing other interests and planning my life out. I’m on my fifth book in the span of two weeks (I have a post coming up on this, so watch out!) and I just hit the 2k word mark on this post, so I can pretty much say I’m on a roll.  I also came up with three main goals that I want to prioritize as I venture into this new chapter of my life. I read somewhere that publicizing whatever you want to work on, jinxes them in a way but since there’s no scientific evidence to back it up, I’m taking the risk. It could serve as a constant reminder of what I have to do, or pressure me into following through because I’ve put it up here to everyone to see: either way, I win, I guess.

1. Be more involved – maintain a firm stance of my own in issues concerning the country, give back to my community, continue to take genuine interest in the lives of those around me and do whatever I can to help them

2. Be more sociable – judge people less; get to know and interact with people from as many different social circles as possible; learn how to make the first move, engage in small talk (!!!) and not end the conversation with an awkward laugh

3. Be more street smart – be confident when on my own in public places, distinguish when I’m being fooled by people, learn how to get out of sticky situations without having to ask for help

I don’t exactly have everything down pat yet but at this point, it’s become somewhat comforting for me to think that I’m not expected to, and that no one my age knows exactly what they’re doing. We’re all clueless kids with no idea what the future holds and if we’re truly capable of handling it – we’re all hanging on to our empty attempts at reassuring ourselves. Anyone who denies this is probably just trying to make themselves feel better and I’d like you lot to know that we see through you! Despite the sheer hopelessness of our situations, I hope you all make amends with your right to not know whatever the heck you’re doing with your life right now and learn to trust the process. You’ve probably been through worse in the past, but here you are: beaten and bruised and still dusting yourself off from the last time life let you down but still alive and valid and fighting and that’s all that matters. We got this, fellow adult-er. And that is not to be mistaken for adulterer, by the way. That’s not something we should strive to be.

[perfectirishgifts]

Handful Of Twitter Users Can Sway Council Decisions, Finds Data Analysis Of ‘Low Traffic Neighborhood’ Posts

New Post has been published on https://perfectirishgifts.com/handful-of-twitter-users-can-sway-council-decisions-finds-data-analysis-of-low-traffic-neighborhood-posts/

Handful Of Twitter Users Can Sway Council Decisions, Finds Data Analysis Of ‘Low Traffic Neighborhood’ Posts

Jimmy Tidey’s filter bubble graphic merged with a photograph of a “low traffic neighborhood” … [] installed in Lambeth, London.

“If the Internet was a block of flats, would you want to move in?” asked London-based Jimmy Tidey on tech media site Hackermoon in 2017. An expert on Twitter tribes, Tidey argued that self-selection and algorithms separate people from information which disagrees with their viewpoints, leading to online polarisation.

His latest research delves into the divisive debates about London’s new “low traffic neighborhoods.” Using graphics to represent “filter bubbles,” he explores how a small number of individuals on Twitter can convince themselves and others—including councils—that their opinions are the truly mainstream ones.

“Factions often present themselves simultaneously as an oppressed minority and the silent majority,” says Tidey.

“The filter bubble phenomena makes users feel that every right-thinking person agrees with them, and factions can build self-reinforcing logic uninterrupted by interactions with people they disagree with.”

Across three Medium articles, Tidey explores how the creation of low-car-use zones in London—via the installation of planters and bollards, and sometimes number-plate recognition cameras—has led to an often vitriolic war of words on social media, especially Twitter.

Low traffic neighborhoods or LTNs aim to decrease through traffic—so-called “rat-running”—on residential streets, but they have become the “biggest transport controversy of the century,” claims former Labour parliamentary candidate and transport writer Christian Wolmar.

Low traffic neighbourhood planter put in place in Kings Heath Birmingham, United Kingdom. The “road … [] open to …” sign—created by activist Sarah Berry of London—is not sanctioned by the Department for Transport but has been adopted by many U.K. councils keen to point out the road is not closed to all users. (photo by Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images)

Active travel

LTNs are nothing new—roads were blocked to carriages in Ancient Pompeii, for instance—but they have come to prominence during the coronavirus pandemic after cash injections from central government encouraged local authorities to promote walking and cycling and discourage motoring.

Widened sidewalks, pop-up cycleways, and the implementation of “emergency” LTNs were funded with £250 million announced in May and a further £175 million more recently.

A YouGov survey commissioned by Greenpeace found strong public support for measures to increase “active travel,” including LTNs. Furthermore, the Department for Transport said a survey conducted by Kantar Media in October indicated that 65% of people across England supported reallocating road space to cycling and walking in their local areas.

Critics on social media claim these surveys are bogus and point instead to online petitions and one-on-one interviews that show the opposite.

Two boys use dustbin lids for shields and wooden swords as they play fight in a 1950s British … [] street. (Photo by © Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

Those against LTNs argue that they increase traffic jams and air pollution, favor wealthy residents over poor ones, and block emergency vehicles.

“[LTNs] cut overall motor traffic and create large neighborhoods where air pollution, carbon emissions, noise, and congestion are dramatically lowered,” counters the London Cycling Campaign, adding that “streets become inviting spaces where neighbors can chat to each other and kids play out again.”

Heat and light

Using his proprietary LocalNets social media analytics tool—which he developed for his recently completed Ph.D.—Tidey collected data on LTN arguments via Twitter’s application programming interface or API. He found that 20 of the most engaged Twitter users were responsible for half of the total for and against activity about LTNs.

“A small number of people can make a lot of noise,” says Tidey.

“Some Twitter users engage in long threads with up to 40 users tagged in, allowing them to generate huge numbers of connections.”

While much of this effort results in “unproductive shouting matches,” warns Tidey, “it does show Twitter’s capacity to drive civic engagement.”

Councils—at the heart of such civic engagement by design—can be scared and scarred by shouty individuals. Many councils have buckled under pressure from anti-LTNers and removed what were claimed to be “controversial” schemes. Controversial because of online debate, which often spread out into the real world, with councilors and council officials targeted with hate campaigns, a “dark world of vandalism, doxxing and death threats on your doorstep,” wrote New Statesman journalist Anoosh Chakelian last month.

Some LTN critics bill themselves as “roads-for-all” and “clean-air” campaigners, arguing that motorists are treated unequally even though most roads—even within LTNs—remain almost wholly permeable to those in motor vehicles.

“Many anti-LTN campaigners couch their concerns in terms of their right to drive, or authoritarian threats to their freedom of movement,” says Tidey.

Other critics argue that LTNs are discriminatory towards disabled people, although most of these critics have never previously championed disability rights.

Taxi driver waiving a Union Jack on top of a black cab during a protest against measures which … [] favored cyclists and pedestrians over motorists in Central London. (Photo by Andres Pantoja/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Critiques of LTNs can get heated on social media, but none more so, found Tidey, than the objections raised by some of London’s 20,000 black cab drivers—or cabbies—who account for around 8% of the 120 most active accounts.

“Black cab drivers are disproportionately represented [in the LTN debates],” says Tidey. Cabbies tend not to interact with pro-LTN accounts, choosing to oppose LTNs from deep within the anti-LTN community. Those most active in the debate also have a “strong tendency to follow pro-Brexit accounts,” reveals Tidey.

“I am not making a case that supporting or opposing Brexit is problematic or relevant to transport policy,” he points out, “except to the extent that it marks out distinctive subcommunities and suggests how views on LTNs connect with wider political views.”

Red double decker bus crosses from Tower Hamlets into the City of London. (photo by Vickie Flores/In … [] Pictures via Getty Images Images)

Many of the most vociferous LTN critics—including cabbies—like to claim that motoring is the majority mode of transport in the London boroughs where LTNs have been installed. Tidey lives in Bethnal Green, close to the LTNs in Tower Hamlets, an east London borough where most residents do not drive. According to the 2011 census, 56% of residents did not have access to a car or van, which is now believed to be more than 60% of residents.

“When dealing with citizens with trenchant or extreme views, it’s helpful to ask what fraction of the population they represent,” suggests Tidey.

“LTNs have been so controversial,” he says, because a “small number of people can make a lot of noise.

“[But] there is no democratic reason to privilege them in decision making,” adds Tidey.

Nevertheless, anti- and pro-LTN Twitter influencers “represent an important channel for communication” and it would be useful to engage with them creatively to deflect “futile hostility.”

For Tidey, it’s “hard to imagine politics without Twitter” and “whether we like it or not, a tool designed in San Fransisco in 2006 as an alternative to text messaging has become the predominant means of political discussion online.”

It makes sense, he adds, “for borough councils to keep their ear to the ground by checking what is being said on Twitter,” but, he stresses, local governments should not be swayed by what may appear to be a groundswell of support for a particular point of view when it’s likely to be heat and light generated by only a small number of individuals.

While it might seem obvious that Twitter does not represent the community at large, “it’s easy to forget that,” shows Tidey with data.

More from Cars & Bikes in Perfectirishgifts

[mbtizone]

Genie (Aladdin): ENFP

Dominant Extroverted Intuition [Ne]: The Genie’s brain is a parade of ideas and possibilities. One thought leads him to an idea, which leads him to another, and so on, which can make it a challenge to keep up with him. When he first emerges from the lamp and introduces himself to Aladdin, he goes through a series of nicknames for him, such as Al, Din, and Laddi). When he says “Laddi” he automatically think of a Scottish dog. The Genie talks extremely fast because of how quickly his mind jumps from one thought to the next. He’s very creative and enjoys designing Aladdin’s prince outfit. He thinks that Aladdin needs a mode of transportation, and instantly decided to transform Abu into another kind of animal to get the job done, turning him into a camel, a white horse, an ostrich, and several others animals (and even a car) before deciding to turn him into an elephant. The Genie’s ability to think of connections quickly allows him to come up with impressions or props that highlight whatever he says in the moment. His brain moves so quickly that he doesn’t even need time to think about what he’s going to do next.

Auxiliary Introverted Feeling [Fi]: The only thing the Genie really wants is to be free. He wants to be his own master and doesn’t want to follow anyone else’s orders. He won’t kill anybody, force people to fall in love, or bring anyone back to life, though we don’t know for certain if he physically can’t or chooses not to for moral reasons. Genie values honestly and repeatedly encourages Aladdin to tell Jasmine the truth. He wants Aladdin to just try being himself. Although the Genie wants to be free more than anything else in the world, he is willing to sacrifice his freedom to allow Jasmine and Aladdin to be together because he cares about Aladdin’s happiness and is extremely loyal to him. Even though Aladdin technically needs to make a wish for Genie to do anything, he saves Aladdin’s life while he’s underwater anyway, even though no wish was actually made. He’s very hurt when Aladdin tells him he can’t follow through on his promise to wish him free. He’s upset that he lied to him, just like he lied to everyone else. The Genie doesn’t like serving others. He doesn’t want to spend his life asking what other people need – he wants to meet his own needs!

Tertiary Extroverted Thinking [Te]: Although the Genie is fun-loving and compassionate, he does have a firm set of rules that he adheres to. He takes his numerous brainstorms and brings his ideas to life. Although he’s creative, his logic is more grounded. He’s unable to see a way out of their predicament because he has to work for Jafar now. He has the lamp and those are the rules, so what can they possibly do to save themselves? It’s Aladdin’s ability to generate solutions on the spot that saves them from Jafar. He’s also unable to see where Aladdin is going (manipulating Jafar into wishing to become a Genie himself, so they can trap him in the lamp) and doesn’t understand why Aladdin is bringing him into things. It’s harder for the Genie to see beyond the facts of the situation, making it more difficult for him to work around them.

Inferior Introverted Sensing [Si]: Genie sometimes compares the past to the present and doesn’t believe that Aladdin will actually wish him free because nobody’s ever done it before, so that means nobody ever will. One of the first things he says after seeing Aladdin is that he’s “a lot shorter than his last master.” He hates the same old routine of getting out of the lamp, meeting a new master, granting three wishes, and repeating the cycle. He wants to explore the world! He wants to charter his own path! He’s very good at making references and doing impressions, which he typically busts out for comedic purposes. Even though he was very excited about having his freedom, he didn’t stop to think about how he would miss Aladdin when it was actually time for him to go, which made him briefly sentimental before he reverted to his optimistic, cheerful self and took off.

Enneagram: 7w6 9w1 2w1 Sx/So

Quotes:

Genie: Hello, Aladdin. Nice to have you on the show. Can we call you ‘Al?’ Or maybe just ‘Din?’ Or how bout ‘Laddi?’ [Genie disappears, then a dog wrapped in plaid jumps in.] Sounds like ‘Here, boy! C’mon, Laddi!’

Aladdin: Fair deal. So, three wishes. I want them to be good. What would you wish for? Genie: Me? No one’s ever asked me that before. Well, in my case… Ah, forget it. Aladdin: What? No, tell me. Genie: Freedom. Aladdin: You’re a prisoner? Genie: It’s all part-and-parcel, the whole genie gig. Phenomenal cosmic powers! Itty bitty living space. Aladdin: Genie, that’s terrible. Genie: But, oh – to be free! Not have to go “Poof! What do you need? Poof! What do you need? Poof! What do you need?” To be my own master, such a thing would be greater than all the magic and all the treasures in all the world! But what am I talking about here? Let’s get real here. It’s not gonna happen. Genie, wake up and smell the hummus. Aladdin: Why not? Genie: The only way I get outta this is if my master wishes me out. So you can guess how often that’s happened. Aladdin: I’ll do it. I’ll set you free. Genie: [Head turns into Pinocchio’s with a long nose] Uh huh. Right. Whoop! Aladdin: No, really. I promise. [He pushes the nose back in and Genie’s head returns to normal] After I make my first two wishes, I’ll use my third wish to set you free. [He holds out his hand.] Genie: Well, here’s hopin! [Shakes Aladdin’s hand] Okay. Let’s make some magic!

Genie: Here he comes, [Aladdin and Genie are on a game show set, where ALADDIN stands behind a podium with “AL” on it.] And what better way to make your grand entrance on the streets of Agrabah, than riding your very own brand new camel! Watch out, it spits! [A door bearing the Genie’s head on it opens, where ABU is transformed into a camel. He spits out the side of his mouth on cue. But the Genie’s not sure.] Mmm, not enough. [He snaps his fingers and Abu turns into a fancy white horse.] Still not enough. Let’s see. What do you need? [The Genie snaps his fingers repeatedly, turning Abu into: a duck, an ostrich, a turtle, and a Cadillac, with license plate “ABU 1.” Finally, he’s returned to normal.] Yes! Esalalumbo, shimin dumbo! Whoa!! [Abu turns into an elephant.] Talk about your trunk space, check this action out!

Aladdin: Genie, I need help. Genie: [as Jack Nicholson] All right, sparky, here’s the deal. You wanna court the little lady, you gotta be a straight shooter, do ya follow me? Aladdin: What? Genie: [Back to normal, wearing a mortarboard. He points out his words on a blackboard] Tell her the…TRUTH!!! Aladdin: No way! If Jasmine found out I was really some crummy street rat, she’d laugh at me. Genie: A woman appreciates a man who can make her laugh! Al, all joking aside, you really oughtta be yourself. Aladdin: Hey, that’s the last thing I want to be. Okay, I’m gonna go see her. I gotta be smooth, cool, confident. How do I look? Genie: Like a prince.

Genie: Al? Al! Kid, snap out of it! You can’t cheat on this one! I can’t help you unless you make a wish. You have to say “Genie, I want you to save my life.” Got it? Okay? C’mon, Aladdin! [He grabs Aladdin by the shoulders and shakes him. His head goes up, then falls.] I’ll take that as a yes. [Genie’s head turns into a siren.] Wooga! Wooga! [He turns into a submarine.] Up scope! [On the surface, a giant water spout emerges and lands on top of the cliff. Aladdin reawakes and coughs the water out of his lungs.] Don’t scare me like that! Aladdin: Genie, I–uh, I-uh… [They hug.] Thanks, Genie. Genie: Oh, Al. I’m gettin’ kind of fond of you, kid. Not that I want to pick out curtains or anything.

Genie: [After Aladdin tells him he can’t wish him free.] Hey, I understand. After all, you’ve lied to everyone else. Hey, I was beginning to feel left out. Now, if you’ll excuse me, master.

Jafar: Without the genie, boy, you’re nothing! Aladdin: The genie! The genie! The genie has more power than you’ll ever have! Jafar: What! Aladdin: He gave you your power, he can take it away! Genie: Al, what are you doing? Why are you bringing me into this? Aladdin: Face it, Jafar – you’re still just second best! Jafar: You’re right! His power does exceed my own! But not for long! Genie: The boy is crazy. He’s a little punch drunk. One too many hits with the snake. Jafar: Slave, I make my third wish! I wish to be an all powerful genie! Genie: [reluctantly] All right, your wish is my command. Way to go, Al.

Aladdin: Jasmine, I’m sorry I lied to you about being a prince. Jasmine: I know why you did. Aladdin: Well, I guess…this… is goodbye? [GENIE pokes his head around the corner shocked at what he is hearing.] Jasmine: Oh, that stupid law. This isn’t fair… I love you. Genie: [Wipes away a tear] Al, no problem. You’ve still got one wish left. Just say the word and you’re a prince again. Aladdin: But Genie, what about your freedom? Genie: Hey, it’s only an eternity of servitude. This is love. [He leans down next to her.] Al, you’re not gonna find another girl like her in a million years. Believe me, I know. I’ve looked.

Genie: Heh, heh! I’m free. I’m free. [He hands the lamp to Aladdin.] Quick, quick, wish for something outrageous. Say “I want the Nile.” Wish for the Nile. Try that! Aladdin: I wish for the Nile. Genie: No way! [Laughs hysterically. He bounces around the balcony like a pinball.] Oh does that feel good! I’m free! I’m free at last! I’m hittin’ the road. I’m off to see the world! I- [He’s packing a suitcase, but looks down and notices that Aladdin looks sad. He also looks sad, realizing that this means he has to leave Aladdin] Aladdin: Genie, I’m – I’m gonna miss you. Genie: Me too, Al. No matter what anybody says, you’ll always be a prince to me.

Genie: Oh, all of ya. Come over here. Big group hug! Mind if I kiss the monkey? [He kisses Abu.] Ooh, hairball! Well, I can’t do any more damage around this popsicle stand. I’m outta here! Bye, bye, you two crazy lovebirds. Hey, Rugman, ciao! I’m history! No, I’m mythology! No, I don’t care what I am – I’m free!

Genie (Aladdin): ENFP was originally published on MBTI Zone

[verkeytravels-blog]

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Also, the Pathankot taxi and bus services are easily available at the distance of a click that lets you book a comfortable ride to your destined place easily and within minutes. The taxi on rent comes with the greatest privilege of letting you enjoy a ride in your dream car even which seems to be difficult in regular life due to high maintenance cost involved. Also, you can find yourself serving with a well-mannered driver who would serve you like king and offer you great service and enjoyable traveling experience.

[williamlwolf89]

7 Work-Life Balance Tips (When Working Remotely)

Striking the perfect work-life balance isn’t easy.

Fitting in loads of laundry between work sessions and virtual meetings…

Never missing your kids’ school plays or soccer games…

Cooking every night and having plenty of quality time with your spouse…

Working remotely was supposed to make all of that (and more) possible.

With all the time saved by skipping the commute and office time-wasters, you were going to get more work done in less time. Your days of long hours and overworking were over.

(Or so you thought.)

Here’s the thing:

A healthy work-life balance doesn’t just automatically happen when you’re working remotely.

Like everyone, you have to plan to keep life from intruding on work — and work from intruding on life — and even more so when it all takes place in one place.

But it can be done, and it’s worth the effort. Let’s look at some ways to make it easier.

1. Get a Room of Your Own

Photo by Huseyn Kamaladdin on Pexels

You probably don’t cook dinner in your bedroom or take a shower in the kitchen. We usually have designated spaces for certain tasks within our home.

So it makes sense that if you work at home, you need a specific place that’s just for work, to help set physical and mental boundaries between your work and personal life.

Or, as stated in a paper from the London School of Economics:

“Many people need both a geographical and a psychological separation between work and family life.”

This helps you feel like you are at work — or not at work — and reminds others to respect your work time.

If you have a spare room or separate space for an office, that’s ideal. If not, just a dedicated desk and computer in a corner will do. But try to still set it up as a work only zone, separate from your living space.

Have a discussion about this work-life divide ahead of time with members of your household, so everyone knows what the boundaries are.

It can also help to have “props” to make it clear you are at work. These might include:

A special chair you use just for work

Room divider or other barrier between your workspace and living space

Hat or scarf that signals you are in work mode

Sign on your door or desk

Designated work mug

Entrepreneur provides some additional ideas on how to make an efficient office and minimize distractions in a small space, here and here.

And take a look at these visual examples for extra inspiration.

2. Get in the Mood (or Fake it)

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels

Employees don’t always feel like going to work, or working when they get there, but they do it anyway. You owe it to yourself to take your work seriously, even when you’re the only one who will know if you’re working or not.

Of course, you absolutely should take advantage of setting hours that make sense for you, working at the times of day you do your best work, taking breaks, and integrating the rest of your life into your day.

But when you’ve allotted the time to work, you’ll need to overcome the many distractions inherent in your home environment and concentrate on work.

Try a getting-ready-for work ritual, such as going for a jog first, making tea or coffee (in your work mug), or whatever works for you.

You might play some music that you only listen to while you’re working (try Brain FM), or use headphones or white noise to drown out background noise and create a “sound barrier” to keep you in work mode.

You can also set a timer and concentrate fully on work until it goes off.

There’s nothing wrong with working in spurts throughout the day if that’s a good fit for you, but when it’s time to work, set yourself up to actually work.

3. Put up an “Open” Sign

Photo by Kaique Rocha on Pexels

Set up cues to remind the people in your life you’re at work. In a way, it functions more as a “closed” sign, letting people know that you are currently unavailable.

If you have a home office with a door, that should be easier. Just close the door, and literally put a sign on it. But if you don’t have a closed space, you can do other things to make the distinction clear.

In addition to the props in tip one, you might:

Shut off your smartphone

Turn off email alerts

Put a “do not disturb” sign on your front door

Set specific times to answer work-related emails and phone calls and let your clients and colleagues know when they can expect to hear back from you

Set specific times to update work-related social media or respond to comments, and don’t check it in between

Post your basic work hours where family can see them

Let your friends know the days and hours you’ve allotted for telecommuting

It’s great to have the freedom to make exceptions for emergencies and special occasions, but you need to remind the people in your life that flexible hours don’t mean you’re never really at work.

When it comes to last-minute requests that are more about others’ convenience than your goals and priorities, just say no.

If you have young children, you may want to arrange for daycare or other childcare during some of your work hours (see tip #6 below).

You also need to remember you aren’t always at work, so set limits in both directions. Don’t be a workaholic. You can invent your own “closed sign” to put up at the end of the day.

That could be an actual sign, closing your door, putting your divider in place, changing clothes, or just turning off your computer and putting work materials out of sight.

4. Get Out of the House

Since you work in your house, and live in your house, you sometimes need to get out of your house. You can use trips to the outside world to get a different perspective and create some space between the different parts of your life.

Here are four ways that you can use leaving the house to further your goals:

Get Out of the House to Work

You can do the cliche and work at your local coffeehouse, or try a park, library, or coworking space. (To find a coworking space, try Find Workspaces or WeWork.)

If you work elsewhere one day a week, or at special times, such as when your home is extra chaotic or you have a tight deadline, you may get more work done in less time and look forward to the change in routine.

The Harvard Business Review article Why People Thrive in Coworking Spaces says:

“Coworkers reported that having a community to work in helps them create structures and discipline that motivates them.”

Get Out of the House for Time Off

If you work traditionally, you’ll likely get in your car or on public transport and drive or ride home, signalling that you are now off work.

If you work from home, you might want to take a drive or a walk; go out for a drink or coffee; or just go somewhere for a little personal time between work hours and family time.

You could also make plans for the evening, such as dinner out, to really get away from where you do it all.

Get Out of the House to Exercise

Photo by Daniel Reche on Pexels

In addition to the physical benefits, exercise can clear your mind, help you generate ideas, and reduce your stress levels.

Whether you go for a jog, go to the gym, take a dance class, or ride a bike, exercise is an activity that gets you out of the house for a change of scenery.

Even a short walk out your front door can be a productive break from work, and help you focus better when you return.

Get Out of the House to Transition

Use errands, appointments, and other outside demands as natural breaks in your work schedule, or to signal that your workday is done.

For example, stop work at 3 o’clock and go out to buy groceries or pick up the kids from school. Spend some time with your kids, or do meal prep, then fit in another hour or two of work before dinner.

Or, if you want to quit work at 6, schedule a haircut for 6:30.

5. Get a Spine — Combine Structure with Flexibility

Photo by Cedric Lim on Pexels

Our spines are wonderfully designed to hold everything together and support us, while providing ideal flexibility. They allow us to bend in many directions, without anything falling apart.

A work-at-home routine can be similar. Greater flexibility is one of the best things about working remotely.

We can move fluidly from one part of our life to the next as needed, and adjust our schedule to work around our other responsibilities or to take advantage of an opportunity to, say, go to an event on a Tuesday afternoon.

But with so many working parts in our lives we need some structure to hold it all together.

The optimal amount and type of structure will be different for everyone, but we all need some kind of structure to make all our goals happen, and to stay in balance.

Some structural models to consider:

Have Some Kind of Set Schedule

It can be early or late in the day, one big block of time or several shorter sessions, a traditional Monday through Friday work week, or something less conventional.

And you can adjust that schedule if you need to respond (not just react) to other demands, opportunities, or shifting energy levels. But pencil in a basic schedule for the day or week, and try to stick to it most of the time.

To-do Lists

You may not be a “schedule person” at all. Instead, write down what you need to get done in your work hours. Break it down by month, week, and day. As long as you get those things done, you can work whenever you want.

Your list can be written on a computer document, in a journal, or on a white board for easy reference.

Structure Your Work Around Your Life

Another option is to break up the projects you need to work on into smaller tasks, and then fit them in around other parts of your day.

The things you normally do can be triggers for your work routine.

For example, if you have kids in school, start working on the main task of the day after they leave the house. Take a break for lunch, then work again until they return home.

After school, you can do lighter duty activities, like returning work emails and phone calls, paying bills, or sending invoices.

Or, let’s say your energy is higher later in the day, and on Wednesdays you have a class at 2:00.

Use the time before the class for light work, exercise, or life tasks. Then after the class, work on your highest priority project until dinner.

Work Literally on the Clock

If you use the Pomodoro Technique or another productivity app, set up work sessions for specific tasks and decide how many you’ll do in a day.

For example, if you’re a writer, and you want to work 5 hours in a day, you might set up your sessions as follows:

Three 1-hour writing sessions

One 1-hour research session

Two half-hour sessions for email and administrative tasks

Work them in whenever they fit into your day, but make it a goal to complete all your sessions.

Whatever types of structure you choose, your “spine” can help you meet your goals and avoid high stress levels or missed deadlines, so you can really enjoy all the parts of your life.

A spine is made for bending, so make good use of your flexibility to fit in what’s important to you.

By using good time management and working when and how you are most efficient, you can make the most of each day, without overworking.

Design the life, and the day, that serves your needs, goals, and strengths.

6. Make the Best of Both Worlds

Photo by Euan Cameron on Unsplash

There are plenty of downsides to working in a traditional setting, especially when you want better work-life balance.

Things like:

Rigid, longer hours

Time spent dressing up and commuting to and from work

Time wasted on meetings and office politics

Being physically separated from home, so you can’t fit in life activities

Having to beg for time off if you have an emergency or other things to take care of during business hours

When you work from home, you are free from these outwardly-imposed restrictions. By all means use this freedom to your advantage.

But there are likely some structures in place in the corporate world that can actually help in your pursuit of better work-life balance:

Coffee breaks

A lunch hour

Set work hours

A definitive “quitting time”

Weekends off

More free time, including vacation time

Gyms, daycare, and other healthy or family-friendly amenities

Physical distance between work and home

(Yes, this physical divide can be both a negative and a positive.)

Ditch what doesn’t work for you while incorporating some of the benefits of being an employee into how you run your home-based business.

Be sure to schedule breaks and real time off for lunch; plan for vacation time; set a time to quit at the end of the workday; and make sure there are days off in your weekly schedule, whether they take place on the weekend or not.

You may also want to make arrangements for childcare, a home gym, and some kind of activity that signals your transition from your workday to home life.

Try a short, symbolic “commute,” like a walk before and after work; or a few minutes of quiet time to yourself, to signal the shift out of work mode.

7. Put on Your Own Oxygen Mask First

Photo by Artem Beliaikin on Pexels

You take care of your business, your clients, your home, your family. But self-care is important too. That means eating well, sleeping enough, and making time for what gives you joy.

Yes, you’re wearing many hats, but don’t forget the “life” part of work-life balance.

What some fail to acknowledge in the work-life balance equation is that some of your home life and family time involve work too.

Things like cooking meals, doing housework, shopping for groceries, and childcare, can be enjoyable parts of your personal time. But you also need time to take care of your mental health and physical well-being, and cultivate outside interests as a person.

Otherwise, working from home could mean that you slip from one job to the next and end up balancing several kinds of work, instead of balancing work and life.

If you are shouldering too many tasks yourself, you might need to ask for help. Try:

Delegating — to your spouse, other adults in your life, and older children.

Outsourcing — hire someone else to do bookkeeping, housecleaning, or whatever work or home chores you don’t love.

Letting go of perfectionism — stop trying to be a perfect professional, spouse, parent, friend, or home-maker. Just be a good one and a happy one.

If you delegate, outsource, and let go, you can focus on what you care about most, and enjoy your time with your loved ones without it feeling like another chore.

And be sure to use your flexibility in a way that serves you as a person. You can and should fit in activities that keep you energized, movitated, and productive.

Contrary to common beliefs among American workers and employers, a midday nap; shorter workdays; and time off to see a healthcare professional or have coffee with a friend can actually make you a more effective worker. 

And as already mentioned, exercise is not only essential for your well-being, it can play an important role in healthy work-life balance.

The Harvard Business Review article How Regular Exercise Helps You Balance Work and Family reports that:

“Through its direct impact on increased self-efficacy and reduced psychological strain, exercise leads to better integration of professional and personal lives.”

And whatever else you do to care for yourself; cultivate your mind and creativity; and have a life beyond work — and even beyond home — can benefit your work-life balance.

A Good Work-Life Balance Doesn’t Have to be a High-Wire Act

As we’ve seen, work-life balance takes effort, and it isn’t always easy. But it doesn’t have to be really difficult or scary either.

And it definitely doesn’t need to look the same for everyone.

We’ve looked at seven ways to make the most of your flexibility and set necessary boundaries between your professional life and personal life, even if those boundaries are fluid and flexible.

Experiment and see what works for your situation and work style.

Keep what helps, ignore what doesn’t.

The post 7 Work-Life Balance Tips (When Working Remotely) appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from SEO and SM Tips https://smartblogger.com/work-life-balance/

[bondedmulchspecification]

Despite growing awareness of climate change, UK families still pushed to use petrol vehicles on days out

24 June 2019

More than eight out of ten parents (83%) think an individual’s choice of transport plays an important role in leading a sustainable lifestyle. Despite this, petrol and diesel vehicles remain the main mode of travel for a day out for over half (56%) of UK families. A YouGov poll, carried out for Sustrans, the walking and cycling charity, surveyed 1,089 parents across the UK with children aged 18 and under about their views on sustainability and environmental problems. Over four-fifths (83%) of those surveyed said their awareness of environmental problems has increased in the last year. When asked what changes they have made to their lifestyle as a result of this, over three in five (61%) have reduced plastic usage, followed by recycling more (57%) and walking for shorter journeys (38%), whilst 9% started cycling for shorter journeys.

The survey also revealed:

Walking tops the mode of transportation that is considered sustainable (81%), followed by cycling (72%) and train (35%). 70% say sustainable travel is not a key factor for determining the destination for a day out. Almost one third (29%) stated a lack of public transport as a key barrier to travelling more sustainably, followed by the inconvenience of planning a journey around being environmentally friendly (27%) and limited budget (26%). Almost half (47%) attributed their increased awareness of environmental problems to televised programmes and a further 42% credited this to newspapers and magazines. 92% of parents think it is important to teach their children about the impact their lifestyle can have on the environment.

Earlier in the year, the average concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere hit its highest level in 800,000 years of which transport contributes heavily. New research by the University of Oxford demonstrates that walking or cycling can realistically substitute 41% of short car trips, saving nearly 5% of CO2 emissions from car travel.

MPs also passed a motion making the UK Parliament declare an “environment and climate emergency” following protests organised by pupils across the UK and worldwide demanding urgent action on climate change. Xavier Brice, Sustrans’ CEO, said: “Environmental problems have dominated media coverage in the last year so it’s great public awareness is increasing. Sadly, transport is the only sector where carbon emissions continue to rise. “If we are to help everyone travel more sustainably and reduce harmful emissions, we need to make it easier for more people to replace trips that they currently make by car with walking and cycling. Travelling by bike or foot should be as easy as recycling. As the survey shows, people want to travel more sustainably but now they need the right infrastructure to act.

“  Environmental problems have dominated media coverage in the last year so it’s great public awareness is increasing. Sadly, transport is the only sector where carbon emissions continue to rise. ”

- Xavier Brice, Sustrans' CEO.

“Central Governments recognise the benefits of the National Cycle Network, which makes it possible for 4.4 million people to travel under their own power every year, for both work and leisure. We need to build on the success of the Network and make walking and cycling realistic for more families.

“Dense, high quality networks of walking and cycling paths that connect people to everyday destinations and offer an easy escape to the countryside require cross-government action and large-scale investment.”

The survey has been released to launch Sustrans’ Everyday Adventures campaign to promote the National Cycle Network. Its 16,000-miles span the UK and nearly a third of the Network is on traffic-free paths, providing a safe way to explore our cities, towns and countryside by foot or bike. 

Pauline Castres, Senior Health Policy Advisor at Unicef, said: “Families choosing active travel is not only good for the environment but has health benefits and reduces children’s exposure to air pollution. All children have the right to live, learn and play in a clean and safe environment. Yet every day, one in three children in the UK is breathing in harmful levels of air pollution that could damage their health and impact their future. “These survey results highlight a clear need for the UK government to tackle this growing health crisis, by putting children’s health at the heart of its work on air pollution. Unicef UK is urging the government to create a Healthy Air for Children Action Plan promoting urban spaces and active travel schemes and ensuring a child-friendly approach to building walkways and cycle lanes away from polluted roads to reduce children and young people's exposure to toxic air.”

“  These survey results highlight a clear need for the UK government to tackle this growing health crisis, by putting children’s health at the heart of its work on air pollution. ”

- Pauline Castres, Senior Health Policy Advisor at Unicef.

Julia Hailes MBE, sustainability writer and author of the acclaimed Green Consumer Guide, said: "I'm a huge fan of electric bikes. They really make cycling a realistic replacement to travelling by car - even in rural Dorset, where I live.  And, it's good exercise too.  Creating cycling paths all over the country is an extremely effective route to cleaner air, better health and tackling climate change.”

Nat Taplin, Director of Good Journey, an organisation which champions car-free leisure travel, said: “This survey has a clear message – that tackling the barriers of poor travel information and cost will make it easier for families to enjoy a car-free day out.

"Kids love the adventure of going by train, bus, bike and foot – free from the confines of the car seat. Having a car-free day out is also one of the best ways we can all help reduce CO2, air pollution, noise and traffic. If we can shift one in 100 day trips out of cars, it will save as much CO2 as taking 50,000 cars off the road.”

Mark Fitzsimons, parent of two from Plymouth, said: “Whenever possible I try not to use my car and have been cycling with my son on the back of my bike since he was six months old. I’ve just bought a cargo bike as my other son is starting school in September and I really don’t want to start driving them both. “They enjoy the freedom of sitting in the cargo bike as they’re not strapped in; everyone who sees them remarks on how happy they look. It’s also electric which means I have no trouble cycling up hills (there are plenty in Plymouth!) and we take the cargo bike pretty much everywhere – the shops, park and when we visit friends. “It’s a shame driving is so integrated into our way of life as the benefits of cycling are so wide ranging. You only have to look across to the Netherlands to see how much of a difference it can make to people’s health and also the environment.” 

Find out more about Everyday Adventures from News https://www.sustrans.org.uk/news/despite-growing-awareness-climate-change-uk-families-still-pushed-use-petrol-vehicles-days-out via IFTTT

[brittysaucefanfic]

Operation: Voltron

Part 38

Lance

(First)(Previous)(Next)(AO3)

“This way!” Lance urged, twisting on his heel, skittering down a side road.

His momentum is a little too fast for the movement, so he nearly falls flat on his ass, but he stays on his feet and picks his speed back up. They had ditched the car the moment they had a good enough distance between the dozen cop cars on their trail. They hid in a little convenience store until the cars sped passed, none the wiser to their new mode of transportation. 

Meaning, on foot.

“Lance!” Hunk huffed behind him, taking up the rear of the line of criminals running through the streets. Keith is hot on his tail, which is funny, because that’s where he’s been for the past three years. On Lance’s tail like there’s no tomorrow, breathing down his neck. 

“Slow-huff-down!” Hunk yelled. 

Pidge made a weird sound that makes it sound like she’s in full agreement. She takes the second to last position in their line, with Coran in front of her, as red in the face as a cherry, but his lips sealed. Shiro and Allura are actually running side by side, sometimes easing in front of one another then falling back. They make it look like it’s a race, which probably helps them blend in a little.

Lance looks around at his surroundings, looking for his next turn and his eyes widen as an idea strikes him. He does another teetering twist down an alley and slows down as he comes up to the end of it. 

He huffs for breath as the rest of them catch up.

Hunk and Pidge collapse to the ground in heaving breaths, Coran merely taking a knee and dirtying his usually immaculate suit. Shiro and Allura huff for air too, but they know better than to stop suddenly after running, and jog in place for a minute as they wind down. Keith barely looks affected by their sprint, unless you count the cute red flush across his nose. 

“Lance, this is a dead end!” Keith shouts in a horribly loud whisper. 

There’s shouting in the streets behind them and Lance sucks in a breath as he looks in front of him to the wall. To the average person, it’s just a brick wall, but Lance knows better. He sucks in a breath and weakly bangs against the wall. 

“Open up!” He yells. There’s no response, and his eyebrow twitches in irritation.

“Open up Slav, or I’ll rip your precious hands off!” Lance tries again. Keith mutters behind him, and Lance barely catches the words.

“Oh great, I’ve entrusted my freedom to a mental patient.” 

Lance shoots him a glare before crossing his arms and tapping his foot at the wall. He waits a few seconds before he starts counting down from three. He barely finishes saying the number two before the wall opens up in front of him. Only a crack. His companions gasp behind them as Lance shoves his hand into the crack before Slav can close it.

Slav is what Lance likes to call a ‘paranoid rat-man’.

With the door wide open, Slav can be seen in all his non existent glory. He’s short, like a dwarf, with a face like a rat. His eyebrows are furry, his lips paper thin, his large nose nearly constantly twitching like a rat sniffing for cheese. Wide brown eyes twitch between Lance and his companions before landing back on Lance. 

The shouting grows closer, close enough he can hear the radio responses of the police radios.

“Let me in Slav.” Lance says, not holding back his hostile tone. He has to be hostile towards Slav, the man is as sneaky as he is paranoid. The only thing he responds appropriately and in a timely fashion to, are threats and violence. Lance sneers and cracks his knuckles.

Slav squeaks like a rat too.

“Don’t hurt me Mr. Lion!” Slav says and scuttles out of view, leaving the door open. Lance takes the hint and ushers his friends through the door. He’s last to enter so he can close the door properly, and in the very thin slit before the click of the camouflage door a cop appears. The door shuts just as he glances down the alleyway.

Lance turns back to the room, easing between his shell shocked friends to make his way to the front counter. Ever imagined what a genie’s lamp would look like on the inside? A lot of colorful fabrics hanging on the wall, and beads dangling from the ceiling, right? 

That’s what Slav’s shop looks like. 

Slav is what you could call a jack of all trades, the man to go to if you need something. Need firepower? Give him a week, he’ll have every option available from pocket pistols to high caliber sniper rifles to rocket launchers. Need information? Give him ten minutes and a little gossip and you’re good to go. Need specially designed clothes, say, for heists? Not even a problem. 

Lance leans on the counter, and taps his fingernails deliberately against the counter slowly. Slav squeaks again, and Lance wants to smile as he knows where Slav is hiding. Beneath the counter is such an obvious hiding place. 

“Slav,” Lance says, drawing out the name with a warning tone. “Don’t keep me waiting, you know I don’t like it when you keep me waiting.”

Slav squeaks again, and two small, scarred hands curl on the counter. His head peaks up a little, just enough for his eyes. He’s as wide eyed and terrified as a cow to the slaughter. 

“Yes? How can I- how may I help you, Mr. Blue Lion sir?” Slav says and Lance smiles. It’s funny how Slav trembles even in front of Lance’s most charming of smiles. 

“I need some things, and I need them done fast.” Lance says. He pulls Keith’s wallet out of his suit jacket and waves it in the air. Slav’s eyes follow it greedily and he peeks out from behind the counter in interest. Another way to get him to do as you want, offer him money. That large nose twitches as if he can smell the cash.

“And that is?” Slav says, his eyes darting over to his silent friends. 

Lance points at them lazily, flipping his palm to the ceiling. Hunk shuffles where he stands, and Lance wants to sigh. They’ve done it now. Showing any sign of weakness in front of Slav is a big fat no-no. Like he said, Slav is sneaky. No doubt he thinks he can wring everything he can out of his friends, including the clothes on their backs. 

Lance taps his nails against the counter and Slav snaps his eyes away.

“See, my companions and I are in some trouble, so I need full packs for each of them, including myself.” Lance says. Slav tilts his head in curiosity. Lance leans forward to look Slav in the eyes. “And quickly.”

“I can do that, give me three days.” Slav says. Lance raises his eyebrows. 

“I’ll give you three hours.” 

Slav tries to stare him down, but like always, Lance wins. He huffs and slips out from behind the counter, moving to the back of the shop. Lance tosses the wallet into Keith’s hands, who catches it in confusion. Then he pats his pockets and lets out a sound of outrage.

“What are full packs?” Pidge asks, eyes narrowed and face still flushed and sweaty from their sprint.

“It’s a full set of the things I need for heists. Including but not limited to, my black outfits, my masks, my tool pouch, and some other fun stuff that might come in handy. Slav, as annoying and as paranoid as he is, is the best of the business.” Lance replies. He eases off the counter as something crashes in the back room and Slav emerges. 

He’s now wearing his tool belt, has on his glasses with the magnifier, and is holding a tape measure. 

“Alright, fine but it’s going to cost you Mr. Blue Lion.” Slav says, his accent mangling his muttered words. He bounds over to his friends, who all step back at the same time. It’s over in three minutes, Slav having taken their measurements with practiced ease. He skips away to the back room again, and Lance follows.

The back room looks likes a tornado swept through and brought along all manner of items. Lance picks up a few things of hair dye, and some foundation for Shiro’s nose scar. He grabs a few more items to help disguise his friends as they make their way out of the city. Eventually the others ease into the room, one by one, and start looking around cautiously.

Keith sidles up next to Lance with his arms crossed.

They don’t say anything at first, but there’s a tension between them. Keith taps his foot as he idly peruses a stack of ordinary clothes. Lance sighs as he realises Keith isn’t going to say what he needs to without prompting. 

“Alright what’s on your mind mullet?” Lance asks, turning to Keith and cocking his hip. 

Keith huffs, the sharp exhale pushing a strand of his hair out of his face. It takes him a few minutes to work up the nerve. Lance waits patiently, staring him down calmly.

“Thanks.” Keith mutters, refusing to meet Lance’s eyes. 

“For?” Lance drawls.

“Everything. I mean,” Keith pauses and restarts. “Thanks for staying. You could have ditched us any number of times after I took off your ankle monitor. But you didn’t.”

Lance cocks an eyebrow in amusement, a smile teasing at his lips.

“Keith I could have escaped when I still had the monitor if I wanted. But I didn’t because everything I’m working towards would be in vain.” Lance says. It’s quiet, because he doesn’t want the others to hear. Sure, he can trust them all, to an extent at least, but Keith is the one he really needs to understand.

In the beginning, he never planned to get caught. He wanted to use Keith and his friends for his own gain. But then Slav sold him some bad information on Keith’s movements and his plans were sped up and sent in a different direction. 

Before Keith ever joined the team in the hunt for Zarkon, Lance was going to use Keith to get to Shiro and follow their movements from afar. However, Pidge is smarter than she looks, so here he is. Now though, he doesn’t want to use them. He wants to help them. These are good people embarking on a dangerous mission, for the good of the world. 

Maybe at the cost of their own life.

Lance’s connection and knowledge of criminal thought process, and the resources they gain from Allura, and the experience Keith provides in these type of operations. Then with Pidge’s brilliant grasp on technology, and Hunk’s clever mind with mechanics, and Shiro’s natural ability to lead, and Coran’s sheer encyclopedic knowledge. They can be unstoppable. 

Not even Zarkon can oppose them, if they can get their shit together. 

“What do you mean?” Keith asks. His eyes are narrowed at Lance, and it cuts a little, but he gets it. 

“I mean,” Lance says. “I intended to use all of you. I wanted to use you as decoys to dismantle Zarkon’s operation while he’s focused on all of you. But Pidge is even more clever then I am. Now though, I just want to help you guys.”

Keith doesn’t look convinced, in fact he looks even more suspicious. His right hand twitches towards that fancy dagger strapped to his back. Lance quickly explains as much as he can in as little words as possible.

“I’m not your enemy anymore Keith. We’re in this together, no matter the consequences.” Lance says. Keith looks into his eyes, and Lance knows he can see everything Lance is saying is true. They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. If that’s true, then Lance’s eyes are garage doors. If you have the right remote, it’s easy to get passed his flimsy protection.

“Finished!” Slav yells, and the sound of a sewing machine whirring sputters out. He walks up to Lance with his arms full of his order. Lance steps away from Keith and plasters on the mask he uses for his Blue Lion facade. He accepts the stack of clothes and bags.

“So, my payment?” Slav says, and he’s steepling his fingers underneath his chin with a greedy look in his eyes. Lance scowled, and leaned down to look Slav dead in the face.

“I’d say I don’t owe you a cent. Makes us even for your bad intel. That’s a good deal, don’t you say?” Lance says, and he fills his words with malice. It’s best to use intimidation here, rather than money. Where they’re going, they’ll need every cent they’ve got. Slav trembles and makes another of his rat-like squeaks.

“Of course, Mr. Blue Lion sir! Take anything you need, and then we’re even?” Slav asks, sounding hopeful. Lance leans back with a smile and the tension visibly leaves Slav’s shoulders.

“Now, while we’re here, I’m going to commandeer your loft so that my companions and I can get ready to set out.” Lance says, not even bothering to look back at Slav for confirmation as he pivots on his heel and heads to a staircase stashed away in the far right corner of the room.

They waste no time getting changed into their new outfits.

The look is sleek, and form fitting. On the girls, it accentuates their curves, even Pidge’s subtle one’s she hides beneath her hoodies. On the guys, it makes them look buffer, even on Shiro which is hard to accomplish. 

The design this time is a simple two part outfit, pants and a long sleeve top.. The fabric is thick, but it’s breathable and stretchy. A thin metal plating is sewn in between two pieces of fabric on their vital points; their chests, their stomachs, in between their shoulders blades all the way up to the neck, and on their thighs. The color is a simple black, but Slav put a little bit of personality to each of their outfits. 

Like magic, he seems to have gotten everyone’s favorite colors correct. 

The color is placed in subtle spots of the outfit. The outer seams of the pants, the cuffs of the wrists and a little symbol on the chests. Like an outstretched ‘v.’ Lance tilts his head at the symbol and some things click into place at the back of his mind. 

The long sleeved top looks a little bit like suit jackets. Double breasted, like most of his heist outfits, with inside pockets and hidden slots in the sleeves. The pants just look like suit pants, except with that stretchy thick material instead. 

The shoes are Lance’s standards, because it’s the most common thing Slav sells regarding clothing. Versatile boots, with enough space at the top to fit an ankle holster, and with special grips on the bottom and extra padding in the feet. They help him jump across rooftops, softening the blow to his knees. 

“How did he do all of this within three hours?” Pidge asked in wonder, tugging at her top, interrupting Lance’s appraisal of how the outfits look. 

“It’s best not to question it Pidgey.” Lance says, and he checks his new watch, seeing that enough time has passed that the search should have died enough for them to slip out of here. But first there’s a few more touches he needs to do.

“Right,” Lance says, rummaging in the items he had grabbed from downstairs. He tosses the foundation one of the hair dyes to Shiro, the other hair dye to Allura. “You two are too eye drawing and recognizable. Cover your scar, and dye your hair.”

Allura and Shiro look at the items like they’re grenades. Lance looks the two of them over. Allura’s hair dye is a simple chestnut brown, and Shiro’s dye is black. He doesn’t have to do anything for Shiro’s arm, since the long sleeve top covers everything but the hands. 

“Well?” Lance says when they take a moment to long to get things done. “Go on, we need to leave soon.”

The two of them slouch off to the bathroom and help each other dye their hair, and Allura helps Shiro apply the foundation. The rest of them chill in the room, and Lance raids the kitchenette for something to eat. 

******

(First)(Previous)(Next)(AO3)

[nevin-manimala-blog]

Tesla's Favorite Autopilot Safety Stat Just Doesn't Hold Up

For more than a year, Tesla has defended its semiautonomous Autopilot as a vital, life-saving feature. CEO Elon Musk has lambasted journalists who write about crashes involving the system. “It's really incredibly irresponsible of any journalists with integrity to write an article that would lead people to believe that autonomy is less safe,” he said during a tumultuous earnings call this week. “Because people might actually turn it off, and then die.” This wasn’t the first time Musk has made this argument about Autopilot, which keeps the car in its lane and a safe distance from other vehicles but requires constant human oversight, and has been involved in two fatal crashes in the US. “Writing an article that’s negative, you’re effectively dissuading people from using autonomous vehicles, you’re killing people,” he said on an October 2016 conference call. Wednesday’s haranguing, however, came a few hours after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) indicated that Tesla has been misconstruing the key statistic it uses to defend its technology. Over the past year and a half, Tesla spokespeople have repeatedly said that the agency has found Autopilot to reduce crash rates by 40 percent. They repeated it most recently after the death of a Northern California man whose Model X crashed into a highway safety barrier while in Autopilot mode in March. Now NHTSA says that’s not exactly right—and there’s no clear evidence for how safe the pseudo-self-driving feature actually is. The remarkable stat comes from a January 2017 report that summarized NHTSA’s investigation into the death of Joshua Brown, whose Model S crashed into a truck turning across its path while in Autopilot mode. According to its data, model year 2014 through 2016 Teslas saw 1.3 airbag deployments per million miles, before Tesla made Autopilot available via an over-the-air software update. Afterward, the rate was 0.8 per million miles. “The data show that the Tesla vehicles' crash rate dropped by almost 40 percent after Autosteer installation,” the investigators concluded. Just a few problems. First, as reported by Reuters and confirmed to WIRED, NHTSA has reiterated that its data came from Tesla, and has not been verified by an independent party (as it noted in a footnote in the report). Second, it says its investigators did not consider whether the driver was using Autopilot at the time of each crash. (Reminder: Drivers are only supposed to use Autopilot in very specific contexts.) And third, airbag deployments are an inexact proxy for crashes. Especially considering that in the death that triggered the investigation, the airbags did not deploy. Tesla declined to comment on NHTSA’s clarification. The statistic has been the subject of controversy for some time. The research firm Quality Control Systems Corp. has filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against NHTSA for the underlying data in that 2017 report, which it hopes to use to determine whether the 40 percent figure is valid. NHTSA has thus far denied its FOIA requests, saying it agreed to Tesla’s requests to keep the data confidential, and that its release could threaten the carmakers’ competitiveness. Tesla’s oft-touted figure is flawed for another reason, experts say: With this data set, you can’t separate the role of Autopilot from that of automatic emergency braking, which Tesla began releasing just a few months before Autopilot. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, vehicles that can detect imminent collisions and hit the brakes on their own suffer half as many rear-end crashes as those that can’t. (More than 99 percent of cars Tesla produced in 2017 came equipped with the feature standard, a higher proportion than any other carmaker.) Which is all to say, determining whether a new feature like Autopilot is safe, especially if you don’t have access to lots of replicable, third-party data, is super, super hard. Tesla’s beloved 40 percent figure comes with so many caveats, it’s unreliable. Big Deal Data The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has tried to come at the question another way, by looking at the frequency of insurance claims. When it tried to separate Model S sedan incidents after Autopilot was released, it observed no changes in the frequency of property damage and bodily injury liability claims. That indicates that Autopilot drivers aren’t more or less less likely to damage their cars or get hurt than others. But it did find a 13 percent reduction in collision claim frequency, indicating sedans with Autopilot enabled got into fewer crashes that resulted in collision claims to insurers. Oh, but it gets more complicated. IIHS couldn’t tell which crashes actually involved the use Autopilot, and not just sedans equipped with Autopilot. And it’s way too early for definitive answers. “Since other safety technologies are layered below Autopilot, it is difficult to tease out results for Autopilot alone at this time,” says Russ Rader, an IIHS spokesperson. “Data on insurance claims for the Model S are still thin.” Over at MIT, researchers frustrated with the dearth of good info on Autopilot and other semiautonomous car features have launched their own lines of inquiry. Human guinea pigs are now driving sensor- and camera-laden Teslas, Volvos, and Range Rovers around the Boston area. The researchers will use the data they generate to understand how safely humans operate those vehicles. The upshot is that Autopilot might, in fact, be saving a ton of lives. Or maybe not. We just don’t know. And Tesla hasn’t been transparent with its own numbers. “You would need a rigorous statistical analysis with clear data indicating what vehicle has it and what vehicle doesn’t and whether it’s enabled or whether it isn’t,” says David Friedman, a former NHTSA official who now directs car policy at Consumers Union. Tesla said this week that it would begin publishing quarterly Autopilot safety statistics, but did not indicate whether its data would be verified by a third party. NHTSA, too, could be doing a better at holding innovative but opaque carmakers like Tesla accountable for proving the safety of their new tech. “To me, they should be more transparent by asking Tesla for disengagements of the system: How often the systems disengaged, how often the humans need to take over,” Friedman says. California’s Department of Motor Vehicles requires companies testing autonomous vehicles in the state to provide annual data on disengagements, to help officials understand the limitations of the tech and its progress. Tesla is not alone among carmakers in trying to shield sensitive info from the public. But today, humans are deeply bewildered about the semiautonomous features that have already made their way into everyday drivers’ garages. Even Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao—you know, the public official charged with overseeing regulation on these things—is confused by the terminology. If there’s a time to get honest about your numbers, this could be it. You might save some lives. You’d definitely save a few headaches. Tesla Turmoil Read the full article

[eddiejpoplar]

The Lamborghini Urus Pushes the Envelope of Design and Manufacturing

Lamborghini has long held a reputation for creating abstract and flamboyant supercars capable of stunning passers-by wherever they go. It was therefore a bit of a shock when the supercar manufacturer announced that it was going to introduce a super SUV to its line-up. What were executives thinking? What would Ferruccio think?

The Lamborghini Urus, first seen in concept form at the 2012 Beijing Auto Show, is not the first time that Lamborghini has tried to enter into the lucrative SUV market. Cast your mind back to the late 80s and you will possibly remember the LM002, Lamborghini’s first ever production SUV. Based upon a failed attempt to build a military vehicle called the Cheetah for the US government, it used the beastly V-12 engine from the iconic Countach and was in production through 1993.

Although the Urus concept initially divided opinion, Lamborghini decided to press ahead with a major shakeup of its lineup—and an even bigger change to its manufacturing plant in Sant’Agata Bolognese. We went along to take a peek at the brand new factory—and of course, its new SSUV.

The Design

The world premiere of the Urus was a big event for Lamborghini—and for Italy as a whole. As I sat among the Italian Prime Minister and other dignitaries in the new Urus factory, the lights dimmed and an impressive lightshow commenced. Not any light show, but an amalgamation of people dancing with tube lights and robot arms spinning TV screens. It was all a bit avant garde, but hey, it was a Lamborghini launch. As the lightshow drew to an end, a strong odour of burning oil and raw gasoline filled the auditorium. Then a striking silhouette emerged from a screen of smoke—it was an LM002.

From a side profile, it is incredibly bulky. Almost as if it were designed with only right-angles in mind. It’s masculine and purposeful, designed as such because of its origins as a military vehicle.

It was no shock then, that when the Urus emerged from the fog in close succession, that I could make out some tell-tale LM002 features—and even some Aventador characteristics. This is intentional of course. The head of design for the Urus told me with great passion that the car is designed with the LM002 in mind, and the trademark Lamborghini ‘three lines’ that are at the heart of each Lamborghini produced. The hood has two creases down the length of it in typical raging bull fashion, and the nose contains the symbolic pointed tip above the shield.

Compare the side profiles of the LM002 and the Urus and you immediately see the wheel arches share the same inspiration. The use of plastics for the arch mouldings is unconventional for a high price SSUV, but it seems to work.

Grasp the door handle of the Urus and nothing special happens. The iconic scissor doors are reserved for V-12 Lambos only. However, when inside you will see shapes similarly found on the flagship Aventador. The air vents use the same outline of the Aventador’s exhaust tip, and the repeated epsilon pattern synonymous with all new Lamborghini is used throughout.

One stand-out interior feature is the new ‘Tamburo’ system. This is the drive select system that gives you the option to scale through various terrain response maps. The standard Lamborghini Strada, Sport, and Corsa modes are joined by Neve (Snow) and Terra (off-road). The way you select these is by using switches which are inspired by a commercial airliner’s engine controls. The Tamburo switches, and the fighter pilot inspired engine start button certainly give you the feel of being in a cockpit.

The Factory

The new Urus factory is a remarkably fascinating place. The new building uses the same production line strategies as the old Huracán and Aventador facilities, but with today’s most advanced manufacturing technologies. Throughout the evening, Lamborghini was keen to get across that its new production facility is designed to make the most of a harmonious marriage of robot and man, working in unison. Is this just marketing spiel, or does it actually work? I was keen to find out.

The 4.5-acre compound has doubled Lamborghini’s size and is currently set up to output 23 Urus per day, but sources in the factory told me that they could ramp this up quite easily if needed. There are two shifts of workers, each equipped with a personal RFID wrist band to log into each system, who work in pairs at 23 separate stations.

An Urus begins life as a freshly painted chassis brought in to the factory from an external supplier. This bare frame chassis rolls on to the new line atop a fully autonomous mobile platform called an AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle). Each of the 32 AGVs can move in all six axes and are aware of their location in the factory by using LIDAR sensors in each four corners, visually mapping its surroundings using robot eyes. The AGVs carry chassis to each assembly station where two Lamborghini workers append parts to the car in strict 35-minute windows.

Not only do Lamborghini’s autonomous robots transport the car around to each assembly station, they actually work alongside them. At the station responsible for lowering the body on to a pre-assembled rolling powertrain, another autonomous robot circles the freshly arrived AGV, touching the chassis in a number of areas. This is enough information for the robot to know where it is, and where the chassis is, to millimeter accuracy. It then scoots around the chassis and tightens each chassis bolt to precise torque levels, all the while mapping the location of the squishy Lamborghini workers to avoid any collisions.

Skip forward four stations and you find TireBot, whichwouldn’t look out of place on a NASA space mission. This robot carries wheels from a storage rack to each corner of the car. It then lifts and aligns the wheel with the bolt holes, putting it in position for the human worker to finish by tightening with an impact wrench. When we consider that the Urus can be specified to have huge 23” rims, this will save the worker a lot of backache over a working day.

Once the car arrives at the final assembly station, it can roll off its AGV robot companion and the 4.0-liter V-8 engine can be fired into life. The now-complete Urus is then transferred to the final line in the new building, where every imaginable quality test is undertaken.

The first test station is responsible for wheel alignment and calibration of the wealth of on-board driver assistance systems, from radar to camera components. The Urus is then wheeled on to a chassis dynamometer, where the car is driven through a test cycle that takes the car up to precisely 87 mph, performing braking tests at regular intervals.

All of these processes are vastly dissimilar to the existing Huracán and Aventador production lines. Although they use the same philosophy of a moving production line and strict windows to install parts, the old factory has no autonomous or even mobile robots. The few robots that are in use are bolted to the floor and have very specific degrees of freedom. The autonomous nature of the Urus line lends itself nicely to a more flexible working environment and easier production.

Once the Urus has completed all of the indoor quality tests, it is then sent out on a road test for final verification.

The Verdict

Although looks are completely subjective, I think that it’s safe to say that the Urus certainly stands out from the likes of the Bentley Bentayga and Range Rover. The jagged lines and typical Lamborghini flare make for an SUV with the presence of a supercar, the performance to match, and the everyday usability of a conventional SUV. You can’t argue with the facts, either—the Urus is the lowest SUV on the market, offers the lowest seating position, and is the fastest. For those facts alone it gets my seal of approval.

Lamborghini strongly pushed their new manufacturing processes, talking of the harmonization of human and robot interaction, and although it sounds like marketing spiel on paper, having meandered through the factory observing the manufacturing line, it actually works. The unity of man and machine is tangible, and the advanced robotics such as TireBot and AGVs are amazing to observe in action. Will any of this autonomous tech end up in a production Lamborghini? Probably not, that’s not what they are all about.

Let’s hope that the additional cash flow realized from the inevitable full order book for Urus’ will feed into the development of the next hypercar from one of our favourite car manufacturers.

The post The Lamborghini Urus Pushes the Envelope of Design and Manufacturing appeared first on Automobile Magazine.

from Performance Junk Blogger 6 http://ift.tt/2Auglbv via IFTTT

[jesusvasser]

The Lamborghini Urus Pushes the Envelope of Design and Manufacturing

Lamborghini has long held a reputation for creating abstract and flamboyant supercars capable of stunning passers-by wherever they go. It was therefore a bit of a shock when the supercar manufacturer announced that it was going to introduce a super SUV to its line-up. What were executives thinking? What would Ferruccio think?

The Lamborghini Urus, first seen in concept form at the 2012 Beijing Auto Show, is not the first time that Lamborghini has tried to enter into the lucrative SUV market. Cast your mind back to the late 80s and you will possibly remember the LM002, Lamborghini’s first ever production SUV. Based upon a failed attempt to build a military vehicle called the Cheetah for the US government, it used the beastly V-12 engine from the iconic Countach and was in production through 1993.

Although the Urus concept initially divided opinion, Lamborghini decided to press ahead with a major shakeup of its lineup—and an even bigger change to its manufacturing plant in Sant’Agata Bolognese. We went along to take a peek at the brand new factory—and of course, its new SSUV.

The Design

The world premiere of the Urus was a big event for Lamborghini—and for Italy as a whole. As I sat among the Italian Prime Minister and other dignitaries in the new Urus factory, the lights dimmed and an impressive lightshow commenced. Not any light show, but an amalgamation of people dancing with tube lights and robot arms spinning TV screens. It was all a bit avant garde, but hey, it was a Lamborghini launch. As the lightshow drew to an end, a strong odour of burning oil and raw gasoline filled the auditorium. Then a striking silhouette emerged from a screen of smoke—it was an LM002.

From a side profile, it is incredibly bulky. Almost as if it were designed with only right-angles in mind. It’s masculine and purposeful, designed as such because of its origins as a military vehicle.

It was no shock then, that when the Urus emerged from the fog in close succession, that I could make out some tell-tale LM002 features—and even some Aventador characteristics. This is intentional of course. The head of design for the Urus told me with great passion that the car is designed with the LM002 in mind, and the trademark Lamborghini ‘three lines’ that are at the heart of each Lamborghini produced. The hood has two creases down the length of it in typical raging bull fashion, and the nose contains the symbolic pointed tip above the shield.

Compare the side profiles of the LM002 and the Urus and you immediately see the wheel arches share the same inspiration. The use of plastics for the arch mouldings is unconventional for a high price SSUV, but it seems to work.

Grasp the door handle of the Urus and nothing special happens. The iconic scissor doors are reserved for V-12 Lambos only. However, when inside you will see shapes similarly found on the flagship Aventador. The air vents use the same outline of the Aventador’s exhaust tip, and the repeated epsilon pattern synonymous with all new Lamborghini is used throughout.

One stand-out interior feature is the new ‘Tamburo’ system. This is the drive select system that gives you the option to scale through various terrain response maps. The standard Lamborghini Strada, Sport, and Corsa modes are joined by Neve (Snow) and Terra (off-road). The way you select these is by using switches which are inspired by a commercial airliner’s engine controls. The Tamburo switches, and the fighter pilot inspired engine start button certainly give you the feel of being in a cockpit.

The Factory

The new Urus factory is a remarkably fascinating place. The new building uses the same production line strategies as the old Huracán and Aventador facilities, but with today’s most advanced manufacturing technologies. Throughout the evening, Lamborghini was keen to get across that its new production facility is designed to make the most of a harmonious marriage of robot and man, working in unison. Is this just marketing spiel, or does it actually work? I was keen to find out.

The 4.5-acre compound has doubled Lamborghini’s size and is currently set up to output 23 Urus per day, but sources in the factory told me that they could ramp this up quite easily if needed. There are two shifts of workers, each equipped with a personal RFID wrist band to log into each system, who work in pairs at 23 separate stations.

An Urus begins life as a freshly painted chassis brought in to the factory from an external supplier. This bare frame chassis rolls on to the new line atop a fully autonomous mobile platform called an AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle). Each of the 32 AGVs can move in all six axes and are aware of their location in the factory by using LIDAR sensors in each four corners, visually mapping its surroundings using robot eyes. The AGVs carry chassis to each assembly station where two Lamborghini workers append parts to the car in strict 35-minute windows.

Not only do Lamborghini’s autonomous robots transport the car around to each assembly station, they actually work alongside them. At the station responsible for lowering the body on to a pre-assembled rolling powertrain, another autonomous robot circles the freshly arrived AGV, touching the chassis in a number of areas. This is enough information for the robot to know where it is, and where the chassis is, to millimeter accuracy. It then scoots around the chassis and tightens each chassis bolt to precise torque levels, all the while mapping the location of the squishy Lamborghini workers to avoid any collisions.

Skip forward four stations and you find TireBot, whichwouldn’t look out of place on a NASA space mission. This robot carries wheels from a storage rack to each corner of the car. It then lifts and aligns the wheel with the bolt holes, putting it in position for the human worker to finish by tightening with an impact wrench. When we consider that the Urus can be specified to have huge 23” rims, this will save the worker a lot of backache over a working day.

Once the car arrives at the final assembly station, it can roll off its AGV robot companion and the 4.0-liter V-8 engine can be fired into life. The now-complete Urus is then transferred to the final line in the new building, where every imaginable quality test is undertaken.

The first test station is responsible for wheel alignment and calibration of the wealth of on-board driver assistance systems, from radar to camera components. The Urus is then wheeled on to a chassis dynamometer, where the car is driven through a test cycle that takes the car up to precisely 87 mph, performing braking tests at regular intervals.

All of these processes are vastly dissimilar to the existing Huracán and Aventador production lines. Although they use the same philosophy of a moving production line and strict windows to install parts, the old factory has no autonomous or even mobile robots. The few robots that are in use are bolted to the floor and have very specific degrees of freedom. The autonomous nature of the Urus line lends itself nicely to a more flexible working environment and easier production.

Once the Urus has completed all of the indoor quality tests, it is then sent out on a road test for final verification.

The Verdict

Although looks are completely subjective, I think that it’s safe to say that the Urus certainly stands out from the likes of the Bentley Bentayga and Range Rover. The jagged lines and typical Lamborghini flare make for an SUV with the presence of a supercar, the performance to match, and the everyday usability of a conventional SUV. You can’t argue with the facts, either—the Urus is the lowest SUV on the market, offers the lowest seating position, and is the fastest. For those facts alone it gets my seal of approval.

Lamborghini strongly pushed their new manufacturing processes, talking of the harmonization of human and robot interaction, and although it sounds like marketing spiel on paper, having meandered through the factory observing the manufacturing line, it actually works. The unity of man and machine is tangible, and the advanced robotics such as TireBot and AGVs are amazing to observe in action. Will any of this autonomous tech end up in a production Lamborghini? Probably not, that’s not what they are all about.

Let’s hope that the additional cash flow realized from the inevitable full order book for Urus’ will feed into the development of the next hypercar from one of our favourite car manufacturers.

The post The Lamborghini Urus Pushes the Envelope of Design and Manufacturing appeared first on Automobile Magazine.

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The Lamborghini Urus Pushes the Envelope of Design and Manufacturing

Lamborghini has long held a reputation for creating abstract and flamboyant supercars capable of stunning passers-by wherever they go. It was therefore a bit of a shock when the supercar manufacturer announced that it was going to introduce a super SUV to its line-up. What were executives thinking? What would Ferruccio think?

The Lamborghini Urus, first seen in concept form at the 2012 Beijing Auto Show, is not the first time that Lamborghini has tried to enter into the lucrative SUV market. Cast your mind back to the late 80s and you will possibly remember the LM002, Lamborghini’s first ever production SUV. Based upon a failed attempt to build a military vehicle called the Cheetah for the US government, it used the beastly V-12 engine from the iconic Countach and was in production through 1993.

Although the Urus concept initially divided opinion, Lamborghini decided to press ahead with a major shakeup of its lineup—and an even bigger change to its manufacturing plant in Sant’Agata Bolognese. We went along to take a peek at the brand new factory—and of course, its new SSUV.

The Design

The world premiere of the Urus was a big event for Lamborghini—and for Italy as a whole. As I sat among the Italian Prime Minister and other dignitaries in the new Urus factory, the lights dimmed and an impressive lightshow commenced. Not any light show, but an amalgamation of people dancing with tube lights and robot arms spinning TV screens. It was all a bit avant garde, but hey, it was a Lamborghini launch. As the lightshow drew to an end, a strong odour of burning oil and raw gasoline filled the auditorium. Then a striking silhouette emerged from a screen of smoke—it was an LM002.

From a side profile, it is incredibly bulky. Almost as if it were designed with only right-angles in mind. It’s masculine and purposeful, designed as such because of its origins as a military vehicle.

It was no shock then, that when the Urus emerged from the fog in close succession, that I could make out some tell-tale LM002 features—and even some Aventador characteristics. This is intentional of course. The head of design for the Urus told me with great passion that the car is designed with the LM002 in mind, and the trademark Lamborghini ‘three lines’ that are at the heart of each Lamborghini produced. The hood has two creases down the length of it in typical raging bull fashion, and the nose contains the symbolic pointed tip above the shield.

Compare the side profiles of the LM002 and the Urus and you immediately see the wheel arches share the same inspiration. The use of plastics for the arch mouldings is unconventional for a high price SSUV, but it seems to work.

Grasp the door handle of the Urus and nothing special happens. The iconic scissor doors are reserved for V-12 Lambos only. However, when inside you will see shapes similarly found on the flagship Aventador. The air vents use the same outline of the Aventador’s exhaust tip, and the repeated epsilon pattern synonymous with all new Lamborghini is used throughout.

One stand-out interior feature is the new ‘Tamburo’ system. This is the drive select system that gives you the option to scale through various terrain response maps. The standard Lamborghini Strada, Sport, and Corsa modes are joined by Neve (Snow) and Terra (off-road). The way you select these is by using switches which are inspired by a commercial airliner’s engine controls. The Tamburo switches, and the fighter pilot inspired engine start button certainly give you the feel of being in a cockpit.

The Factory

The new Urus factory is a remarkably fascinating place. The new building uses the same production line strategies as the old Huracán and Aventador facilities, but with today’s most advanced manufacturing technologies. Throughout the evening, Lamborghini was keen to get across that its new production facility is designed to make the most of a harmonious marriage of robot and man, working in unison. Is this just marketing spiel, or does it actually work? I was keen to find out.

The 4.5-acre compound has doubled Lamborghini’s size and is currently set up to output 23 Urus per day, but sources in the factory told me that they could ramp this up quite easily if needed. There are two shifts of workers, each equipped with a personal RFID wrist band to log into each system, who work in pairs at 23 separate stations.

An Urus begins life as a freshly painted chassis brought in to the factory from an external supplier. This bare frame chassis rolls on to the new line atop a fully autonomous mobile platform called an AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle). Each of the 32 AGVs can move in all six axes and are aware of their location in the factory by using LIDAR sensors in each four corners, visually mapping its surroundings using robot eyes. The AGVs carry chassis to each assembly station where two Lamborghini workers append parts to the car in strict 35-minute windows.

Not only do Lamborghini’s autonomous robots transport the car around to each assembly station, they actually work alongside them. At the station responsible for lowering the body on to a pre-assembled rolling powertrain, another autonomous robot circles the freshly arrived AGV, touching the chassis in a number of areas. This is enough information for the robot to know where it is, and where the chassis is, to millimeter accuracy. It then scoots around the chassis and tightens each chassis bolt to precise torque levels, all the while mapping the location of the squishy Lamborghini workers to avoid any collisions.

Skip forward four stations and you find TireBot, whichwouldn’t look out of place on a NASA space mission. This robot carries wheels from a storage rack to each corner of the car. It then lifts and aligns the wheel with the bolt holes, putting it in position for the human worker to finish by tightening with an impact wrench. When we consider that the Urus can be specified to have huge 23” rims, this will save the worker a lot of backache over a working day.

Once the car arrives at the final assembly station, it can roll off its AGV robot companion and the 4.0-liter V-8 engine can be fired into life. The now-complete Urus is then transferred to the final line in the new building, where every imaginable quality test is undertaken.

The first test station is responsible for wheel alignment and calibration of the wealth of on-board driver assistance systems, from radar to camera components. The Urus is then wheeled on to a chassis dynamometer, where the car is driven through a test cycle that takes the car up to precisely 87 mph, performing braking tests at regular intervals.

All of these processes are vastly dissimilar to the existing Huracán and Aventador production lines. Although they use the same philosophy of a moving production line and strict windows to install parts, the old factory has no autonomous or even mobile robots. The few robots that are in use are bolted to the floor and have very specific degrees of freedom. The autonomous nature of the Urus line lends itself nicely to a more flexible working environment and easier production.

Once the Urus has completed all of the indoor quality tests, it is then sent out on a road test for final verification.

The Verdict

Although looks are completely subjective, I think that it’s safe to say that the Urus certainly stands out from the likes of the Bentley Bentayga and Range Rover. The jagged lines and typical Lamborghini flare make for an SUV with the presence of a supercar, the performance to match, and the everyday usability of a conventional SUV. You can’t argue with the facts, either—the Urus is the lowest SUV on the market, offers the lowest seating position, and is the fastest. For those facts alone it gets my seal of approval.

Lamborghini strongly pushed their new manufacturing processes, talking of the harmonization of human and robot interaction, and although it sounds like marketing spiel on paper, having meandered through the factory observing the manufacturing line, it actually works. The unity of man and machine is tangible, and the advanced robotics such as TireBot and AGVs are amazing to observe in action. Will any of this autonomous tech end up in a production Lamborghini? Probably not, that’s not what they are all about.

Let’s hope that the additional cash flow realized from the inevitable full order book for Urus’ will feed into the development of the next hypercar from one of our favourite car manufacturers.

The post The Lamborghini Urus Pushes the Envelope of Design and Manufacturing appeared first on Automobile Magazine.

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