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Rumormill: Mercedes-Benz CLS shooting brake in the works? — Autoblog

Mercedes-Benz ConceptFASCINATION

Rumormill: Mercedes-Benz CLS shooting brake in the works? — Autoblog. Here’s the Mercedes ConceptFASCINATION from last year but still worth a good look. Looking ready for production, this 2 door wagon or ‘Shooting Brake’ is a nice piece of Design. M-B usually does a great job with surface and graphics whereas the details and proportions can be a little controversial – example: GLK. The concept here may not be practical but with the addtion of rear doors – this concept would make a very sporty wagon much like the Cadillac CTS Wagon. Speaking of the CTS, it sure is about time for Cadillac to move on from the razor edge folded paper look. It looked a little simplistic from the beginning and now it just looks dated.

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GMC Terrain – Please, Not Another Aztek!?

gmc terrainIf looking at the new GMC Terrain has you staring in disbelief, you aren’t the only one. After spending millions in the design and development of this new product, how can GM allow this to happen? Not only that, but our tax dollars are supporting this company and this brand. If the government is going to spend our tax payer dollars, at least give us good design! The blocky, primitive forms and graphics, the overly simplistic wheel openings that pinch the tires, the lack of a dynamic stance, the absence of a strong side view graphic, the curb rubbing front air dam on an SUV? It’s no wonder that GM is suffering the way it is. I sure hope this second chance we’ve given them results in better designs.

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Digital Camera Innovation: Samsung Dual Screen Digital Camera

 

For years digital camera manufactures have been a leading force of innovation. Not only are they packing more into less by adding more megapixels and features into the same size package and price, they are also doing some really cool things like this new Samsung camera. Now you can take self portraits using the small LCD on the front of the camera for framing. No more holding the camera out, taking the shot, and then checking to see if you captured everyone in the frame.

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Samsung Memoir Further Blurs the Line Between Cell Phones and Digital Cameras

Further blurring the line between cell phones and digital cameras is the new Samsung Memoir. Equipped with an 8 Megapixel camera – now you can have a full features point and shoot high resolution camera with you all the time. For the first time, photography enthusiasts can consider leaving the digital camera at home if they have one of these. How soon before Nikon or Canon come out with a phone?  I’m sure Olympus will do it first!

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Garmin nuvifone Continues to Blur the Lines Between Phone, Navi, and Camera

The fusion of product categories continues… just as GPS navigation takes off with cell phone users, just as camera phones are hitting 8 megapixels, the dedicated navigation device is fighting back. Now Garmin has a navi phone so you can have truly remarkable navigation (and a phone and camera too). The merging and blending of product features goes on and it will be interesting to see where it ends up. Will we truly have a single mobile device that is just as good as multiple dedicated devices?

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My Favorite Cars – 2010 Ford Shelby GT500

Ford Shelby GT500

Of modern day muscle cars, the Shelby GT500 is a lust inspiring paradox of a machine.  You have the brutal supercharged V8 propelling the rear wheels and solid rear axle on the hand.  You have a relatively compact car with an up to date interior and exterior design on the other hand. The exterior being arguably the best Mustang design ever. Throw in a boy racer stripe or two and a gaping front intake and you’ve got a thrilling ride. That huge upper and lower grill opening really sets the GT500 apart from lesser Mustangs and truly makes the design. It reminds me of Indy race cars and jets of the 50′s. It also communicates a massive thirst for air for combustion and thrust!

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My Favorite Jets: MiG-15

 

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MiG-15

 

 

The Mig-15 looks like what an early jet of the Soviet era should look like.  It’s amazingly pure and simple, compact, and memorable with it’s early jet age aesthetic. From the circular front intake to the swept back wings to the bare metal surfaces, this MiG reminds us of an era when jet technology was new and airframe design for jets was rapidly evolving. Small and looking slighty brutish next to the American F-86 Sabre, the MiG-15 is like a caricature of what a black and white TV era jet plane might look like. The structure and the paint or camouflage added to the Soviet “proletariat” look while the F-86 had the look and image of an American movie star.

 mig15 2

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My Favorite Jets: Boeing C-17 Globemaster III

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Boeing C-17 Globemaster III
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C-17 Globemaster III

Military transport aircraft aren’t sexy and sleek but they are impressive due to their sheer bulk, mass, and awesome load carrying capability. It was during this past weekend’s NASCAR race at Dover that I watched a C-17 do a fly  and my interest in cargo planes came back.  I remember the old C-5 Galaxy which was so huge that it was almost ungainly. Then there’s the tried and true C-130 Hercules – the AK-47 of cargo planes.  But watching the C-17 on TV moving through the air, I thought it was time to write a short piece on Creativity is Free. From the gigantic gaping fuselage designed clearly for maximum volume to the broad wings and huge engines, the Globemaster is designed for pure purpose. The canopy windows look tiny in comparison to the plane’s total volume further emphasizing the massive scale of this airlift heavyweight. External pods for landing gear clearly communicate a big and slow feel. It’s interesting too that several science fiction air/spacecraft seem to be inspired by this airplane including the Transformers Cargo Plane below.