Visions of the Electric Car

Sometimes one needs to just step back, look, and evaluate where one came from so as to have a vision of where they are headed. In the automotive industry the Electric Car has been worked on and developed by small groups of scientists and entrepreneurs since 1899. Though the technology has developed tremendously over this period there are still some issues that need to be ironed out before the electric car will emerge as the savior of our economy and our way of life.

In a recent post by Business Insider, ’8 Reasons Why The Electric Car Will Not Be A Success…’ were presented. Knowing where we all stand as we look to the future will help shape our lives. So what are those eight reasons why we do not yet see the electric car running around our neighborhoods more often?

1. Range – Electric cars are inherently limited to the distance they can travel before needing to recharge.

2. Charge Time – It can take up to 20 hours to completely recharge on a 120 volt outlet.

3. Infrastructure – While the infrastructure is growing, there will still be 90% less charge points available than gas stations next year.

4. Cost – Comparing The Chevrolet Volt and a Cruze which are equal in size; The Volt has a cost of $40,000 compared to The Cruze which starts at $18,000

5. Pollution – Power used to charge the electric car comes from coal or gas power; these are the most heavily polluting industries.

Disposal of the batteries which contain toxic materials within them can also be an issue that could destroy the ecosystem of an area for hundreds of years.

6. Hydrogen – Once storage of hydrogen is perfected, in the near future hydrogen power will revolutionize the world.

7. Government – The U.S. Government is in bed with the gas powered automobile manufacturers.

8. Ease of gasoline – Fossil fuels are what made this post even possible. It has worked for us for over 100 years and it’s not easy to change to another system even with gas prices reaching $7 per gallon at the pump.

Paint Misbehavin’ (HQ) Full Show

It was two years ago on June 25th, 2009 that TLC Discovery Channel aired Paint Misbehavin’, a reality based show TV pilot featuring HARD Lifestyle’s own Steve Flanagan and his team of “paintsters”. Packed with explosions and excitement, Steve and his crew reveal the latest paint technologies through the eye of a Hollywood style presentation filmed by Michael McNamara of MCfilmworks.

In this first episode, Paint Misbehavin’ introduces two very unique paints that are sure to change the way one looks at the paint world. With over a decade of being immersed in the custom paint world and working with the latest paint technologies, Steve demonstrates a fireproof paint that can withstand temperatures in excess of 1,200° F which can be used to treat wood and metal in the housing and industrial sector to protect homes and buildings from the devastating effects of fire. But if that is not amazing enough, Steve also introduces a paint that changes color via temperature and builds a one of a kind cop car that can instantly, from the flip of a switch, change from an unmarked unit to a fully marked cop car with lights flashing, sirens screaming and all the markings of a police unit.

Without any further ado, we are happy to bring you this exciting show in full (HQ) via our friends at YouTube. Please check out this pilot and visit www.hardlifestyle.com for other custom paint technologies and celebrity projects Steve of HARD Lifestyle has had the privilege of taking part in.

Paint Misbehavin (HQ) Full Show part 1of2

Paint Misbehavin (HQ) Full Show part 2of2

Ice T arrested by the real NYPD

One of HARD Lifestyle’s favorite celebrities Ice T (Tracey Morrow) gets in a confrontation with NYPD’s finest “…punk bitch rookie cop”. According to CNN Ice T used Twitter to message his followers after being charged with driving on a suspended license on July 20th. Initially pulled over for not wearing his seat belt, Ice T was then found to have a suspended license then was arrested in Midtown Manhattan.

According to Ice T’s twitter messages words were thrown around from both sides. After Ice T called the officer a “punk bitch…” the officer stated “I know who you are and I don’t give a f**k!”

The incident made national news in 10 min after being broadcast on his Tweeter account (twitter.com/FINALLEVEL).

HARD Lifestyle projects include Ice T’s “Murder Red” Bentley we did for him in 2008. You can check out the Bentley project and other celebrity projects at http://www.hardlifestyle.com .

Exotic custom car paint

Story by: Tampa Sports Car Examiner – Michael Berenis

Exotic car paint is not just limited to high price Ferrari, Lamborghini, and other various makes. Specialty exotic paints can be used on any sports car or custom vehicle project that you desire. There has been some amazing new technology developed in the paint world recently, let me introduce you to “Hard Lifestyle“. Hard Lifestyle features the latest in exotic car paint technology and offers top of the line customization processes.

The choice of famous folks, and also featured on TLC’s “Paint Misbehavin” assures all prospective customers that they are getting top of the line quality, extensive ingenuity, and a well known name behind each project. You may have seen vehicles completely covered in chrome, such as rap music star 50 cent’s Lamborghini, or other famous custom jobs such as Kotton Mouth Kings Lou Dog’s trike, Ice T’s Bentley GT, Snoop Dogg’s chrome and gold footballs, Korn’s Fieldy ’64 Impala, and Gwen Stefani’s Gold Tahoe. These are all projects completed by Steve Flanagan of Hard Lifestyle! See slide show below for examples of these projects.

Video content: 50 cent’s chrome Lamborghini by Hard Lifestyle

This unique paint process creates a mirror like surface that can be applied to many surfaces! Chroming cars is just one level this paint can satisfy, your imagination is the next. They also offer other paints by Imperial Surface Technologies that create unique surface types such as “Shrapnel” which emulates brushed aluminum, machine turned, and raw aluminum. These rugged appearances create a defining image on any application. For use on wood surfaces, their new paint technology “Inferno” prevents wood from burning. Exposed to the likes of a flame thrower and propane cannons, the layer of paint just smolders and does not allow the wood to burn.

Video content: “Heatwave” thermal reactive paint

These new exotic paints are an example of how amazing Hard Lifestyle’s paint technology can truly be when applied to the right project. Other paint types include heat reactive which when heat is applied it can change colors or reveal custom designs underneath, distortion which is a color shifting powder held within the paint, krinkle which produces a marble or snakeskin like finish, kashmir which emulates velvet appearance for a soft touch, and multiple types of clear coat based on your preference. Please visit http://www.hardlifestyle.com for the best in exotic car painting and customizing, cutting edge paint technologies, and the ultimate name in style.

Hard Lifestyle’s contact information:

• Email: info@hardlifestyle.com
• Click here for project inquiry form

Video content: Hard Lifestyle’s “Inferno” fire proof paint

All images courtesy of Hard Lifestyle

Celebrity Love

There is no doubt that love for some celebrity exists within us all. This isn’t the traditional definition of love but rather defined by an excessive admiration for a famous person whom we will probably never meet. The use of “love” is appropriate here as we who love celebrity tend to exhibit signs of undue influence by those highly visible. Famous people, the non-elected representatives of the human race, have always held some influence over the masses. In the days before mass media, television sets and computers fame was circulated orally, carried by the gossipy nature of social beings. Today, we open our eyes and cannot avoid these people. Of course, in a developed society entertainers are necessary. We laugh and sometimes cry at a quality performance. Our memories are seared with images, movies and songs which have touched us, frightened us and stimulated us. They dramatize the political, the romantic, the good and bad. We see in them the potential for perfection of man or woman as an expression of Utopian ideals of love and success.

Yet, have we gone too far? How much influence should they have over us? Our choice of clothes, jewelry and hairstyle, our languages and ideas are often areas that we look toward celebrities to define. If you deny this then you are exceptional; the rest of us are invariably, more susceptible. Our culture has become saturated with celebrity influence. We watch their every move including who they are with and what they do. We absorb their politics and gobble up their quotes. We think about what it may be like to be that beautiful, rich and powerful. Fame is an aphrodisiac or so it seems to the unrecognized. Today we have Tom Kat (Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes). Yesterday it was Jennifer (Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez). Public Interest in these people is frighteningly obsessive in nature. After all, their claim to fame is usually based on pretense or non reality. They are the constant pretenders, illusionists with screens as their canvas.

The entertainment value of a celebrity stretches beyond the screen or stage and they are wholly aware it. We are witness to carefully arranged relationships, sudden sightings in sports arenas and controversial quotes days before a new movie or show opens. They appear on your screen suddenly seemingly not to promote themselves but rather attempting to come across as natural, likable, smart and funny. Sometimes we get a glimpse into what certain celebrities are really like. Unfortunately, it is usually when they do something wrong. Drugs, infidelity and physical assaults are a few areas where celebrities have slipped in their public presentation. Mug shots and unflattering photos of famous people are the currency of entertainment news outlets. Being a celebrity has its drawback in this regard as they are monitored as closely as governmental heads of the biggest nations on earth. Alas, the power of celebrity is here with us to stay. Or is it? Can we teach our children who the chancellor of Germany is before we explain the history of Madonna? If we can’t, America will become a nation of uninformed celebrity worshipers numb to the more important realities of the world.

The 2009 Toyota Prius Review – The New Aerodynamic And Inexpensive Hybrid Car

The Toyota Prius hybrid is the latest model of the car that accelerated the entire hybrid craze back during its initial introduction in Japan in 1997. The Toyota Prius 2009 is everything a mid-size sedan can and should be most power, responsive, accommodating, good fuel-efficient and clean burning. This sleek, steely mid-size is popular for its wonderful fuel efficiency. The Prius is also certified as a wonderful ultra low emission vehicle so, while maximizing your distance, you’re minimizing your emissions. The Toyota Prius, the first and most successful real hybrid car.

Prius 2009 is excellent road miles, but actually improves mileage while city driving. In fact, some cars are designed to handle stop and go driving, such as the Toyota Prius hybrid. Thanks to an innovative hybrid gas / electric technology. The electric motor immediately generates maximum torque for instant speeding up. When you’re engaged in low-speed driving, a light push on the accelerator will let the electric motor and batteries to do the majority of the work. At all times, braking gently and early allows the regenerating feature more time to charge the batteries. 2009 Prius also cheats the wind with its sleek shape; a flat underbelly creates fewer turbulence and as a result less drag. In what is perhaps the most impressive statistic, Prius boasts a low, sports car-like.

The 2009 Toyota Prius has compact exterior proportions and unique framework. The interior of the 2009 Prius is well laid out, and it provides exceptional spaciousness compared with other cars in its class. It has 14.4 cubic feet of cargo room, which expands with the 60/40 split-folding rear seats. The hatchback design has enough room for four adults and a multipurpose rear hatch for cargo. Seating is pleasant, but the seats themselves and much of the interior are finished in lightweight, low-priced plastics.

The 2009 Prius is also called as hybrid electric car sets the standard for environmentally friendly transport.It delivers extremely great fuel saving for a four-seat car with an automatic transmission. EPA numbers peg combined city/highway fuel economy at 46 mpg. The Prius’s hybrid system combines a 76-horsepower, 1.5-liter, four-cylinder gas engine with an electric motor for a combined highest output of 110 horsepower. The Toyota’s hybrid system allows Prius to move on one or both of its power sources to balance acceleration and fuel economy.

The new Prius 2009 has a continuously variable automatic transmission (cvt). The full-hybrid Prius can move solely on its electric motor at low speeds until the gas engine kicks in for extra power. This power transition is not as smooth as that seen in newer hybrids. ConsumerGuide.com reports a “slight shudder” on the changeover. While acceleration is pretty slow (zero to 60 mph takes 10.3 seconds, according to Edmunds.com), the electric engine produces plenty of torque, so the sole The Toyota Prius 2009 has enough quick to respond in typical city driving.

Limitations Of Electric Automobile

Today most of people and manufacturers realize advantages of using electric carriage mover. Advantages like silent driving, zero pollution, reliability, simplicity and below zero cost maintenance. But unfortunately there are still some restrictions of using electric carriages widely and they are not able immediately replace all gas cars.
The main imperfection is that electric carrier can drive without recharging the accumulators about 50 miles. So when gasoline automobile needs several short fuel stops to finish the trip time, electric car needs two, three hours to recharge batteries. Even the capacitors which are recharge much faster than batteries require highly developed electrical infrastructure with a very high current. But infrastructure is being developed and using ultra capacitors can help to charge cars quickly. So this restriction will be solved in future. Of course this issue is unsuitable for long-distance driving, for many people that use automobile for driving job rechargeable time is not so important.

Other solution is standard replaceable battery pack. The battery pack can charge on the station several hours and replaced with empty for additional fee. It’s convenient for drivers and time for changing batteries is comparable with gas refuel. One limitation of this solution is great weight of accumulator pack. It weights three-four hundred kilos and large car uses several packs.
Other approaches are using high performance energy storage technology with hybrid mover. One of alternative fuel is hydrogen. But the problem is the same as for accumulators [spin] and ultra capacitors – lack of infrastructure with hydrogen pressured tanks.

But today we can see a lot of hybrid [spin] car. It is car with auxiliary motor that works on alternative fuel like diesel, hydrogen or gas. Auxiliary engine provide additional power and performance when charge of batteries is low and driver can avoid necessary to find charging station. Also when car is in traffic jam it can use electric engine to drop pollution.

The essence of principle consists in the following: gas engine runs electric generator and required quantity of electricity pass through controlling system on electric car motor and vehicle starts propulsion. Hybrid car has also accumulators but not so heavy as electric car has.
In traffic jam or during driving with low speed and motor workload electric car motor is working powered by electricity from accumulator batteries. Gas engine is not working and not consuming gas during this time. It doesn’t work during free running and long time breaking.

On highway or during huge motor workload gas mover is working only, generator linked with gas motor charge accumulator accumulators and electric motor is not working. When carriage should do critical maneuver like emergency overtaking or abrupt jerk two motors are launching. But the most time electric car parts are using – it allows save gas up to 25% comparing with conventional automobile.

3-D television expected to come to homes in 2010

(CNN) — Three-dimensional images are expected to jump out of movie theaters and into living rooms by next year.

Sony and Panasonic say they will release home 3-D television systems in 2010; Mitsubishi and JVC are reported to be working on similar products.

“TV finally becomes real” in three dimensions, said Robert Perry, an executive vice president at Panasonic. “You’re in it. It’s the next frontier.”

Perry compared the 3-D transition to the switch from black-and-white to color television and the shift from standard- to high-definition images.

ESPN is test-recording some sporting events in 3-D, using cameras with two sets of lenses, which would make football players appear to jump out of home television screens during live 3-D broadcasts.

And, although television makers haven’t released specifics, the price of 3-D TV — which requires a new television, broadcasting content and 3-D glasses — is not expected to be substantially higher than some high-definition televisions on the market now.

Still, there are skeptics who say that 3-D is not ready for prime-time home viewing.

There are concerns that 3-D broadcasts, which require twice the data, will gobble up an unworkable amount of television bandwidth. And some worry that 3-D glasses and graphics won’t make a smooth transition to American living rooms.

Shane Sturgeon, publisher of HDTV Magazine, said some of the glasses give him a headache and will block some people from buying the new technology.

“From what I’ve seen from most of the manufacturers, it’s just not there yet,” he said of 3-D TV technology. “I think right now, the technology — whether you’re talking about the refresh rate or the strobing or the glasses — there are too many things right now that get in the way of enjoyment of the film for it to kick off.”

All 3-D technology relies on the idea that if separate images are presented to the left and right eyes, the human brain will combine them and create the illusion of a third dimension.

TV makers go about this in different ways, though.

Panasonic and Sony, which demonstrated their products for CNN at a recent tech expo in Atlanta, Georgia, use “active glasses” and TVs with high refresh rates to achieve the effect.

Two images, one for the right eye and one for the left eye, alternate quickly on the TV. Shutters on the 3-D glasses swap the viewer’s vision from right eye to left eye at the same rate: 120 hertz, or 240 hertz for the images together. The TV connects with the glasses through a sensor that’s placed between the lenses on the glasses.

“It’s like a little Venetian blind: open, close, open, close, open, close,” John Wyckoff, a Sony content manager, said of the glasses.

The effect moves so quickly that it tricks the brain into merging the images and creates the perspective needed to see images in 3-D, he said.

Glance away from the TV, though, and you can see the lenses opening and closing, which irritates some people.

Those who saw the technology at the recent Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association Expo seemed wowed by Panasonic’s 3-D footage of Olympic events and skiers who appeared to send snow flying into the laps of the audience.

David Lesch fidgeted with his 3-D glasses during Panasonic’s demo but said the 3-D picture on the company’s 103-inch plasma screen was excellent.

However, it may not be effective for all TV programming, he said.

“I cannot imagine that I will watch CNN in 3-D,” said Lesch, sales director at AV Media, which sells electronics. “But for sports, yes. To watch soccer and ice hockey — anything — that would be great.”

These next-generation televisions would be able to play shows in 2-D or 3-D. They also would be able to show video games in 3-D, which Sony demonstrated at the expo in Atlanta.

Sturgeon, of HDTV Magazine, said JVC is working on a type of 3-D technology that’s different form the strobing glasses used by Panasonic and Sony.

JVC’s version uses polarized glasses to separate the right-eye image from the left-eye image and is more pleasing to the eye, he said.

Aside from the kooky glasses, people who want to watch television that jumps off the screen will need something to watch. The process of making live television work in 3-D probably would involve a major conversion of broadcast equipment.

Also, Blu-ray is said to be working on a product that would play three-dimensional movies at home.

Panasonic and Sony said they’re still working out some kinks in their 3-D entertainment systems. The TV makers hope to ride the wave of popularity of improved stereoscopic 3-D movies, such as recent hit “Up,” that are being shown in theaters.

Perry, of Panasonic, said he expects 3-D TV to be common in homes within five to 10 years. Technology that will make 3-D TV possible without glasses should be ready in 10 to 15 years, he said.

Michael Bridwell, spokesman for Digital Projection, a company that makes high-end 3-D home theaters, said 3-D is the biggest technology coming to television and home movies in the foreseeable future.
Well, at least “until we get to holograms,” he said.

HARD Lifestyle has been working with 3D images and 3D videos for the past year. We have incorporated 3D throughout the website. Check out some of our 3D Celebrities and Projects at http://hardlifestyle.com/3d_hardlifestyle_images.html

Ice T Coco in 3D Anaglyph

The HARD 3D Collection just got taken to another level. That’s right, we are revisiting all of our projects in REAL 3D. We received TONS of requests to put up more pics of Ice T and wife Coco so we figured why not give you the best of both worlds and created the “Murder Red Bentley GT Showcase” in COMPLETE 3D Anaglyphs. So break out the glasses and come see Ice T and Coco in real 3D as Coco wonders “Can I find nail polish that will match this hot color?”

Don’t worry Coco if you can’t find it we will make it for you!

Get on over to www.HardLifeStyle.com and check out ALL of the new additions including a completely updated 3D gallery. The times are changing rapidly!

DIRECT LINK TO THE ICE T SHOWCASE HERE: http://www.hardlifestyle.com/3d-ice-t-bentley-project.html

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KORN and Fieldy go 3D with the custom 64 Impala

Check out the newly updated 3D gallery where we have Fieldy and the guys from KORN in complete 3D Anaglyphs. You’ll need your 3D glasses for this one! This Classic 64 Impala has a rootbeer candy paint job and a pearl white top. You can view the complete project at Korn Fieldy 64 Impala | Rootbeer Candy Paint Job.

Also don’t miss the Ice T and wife Coco Bentley GT gallery in 3D Anaglyphs too at Ice T Bentley GT 3D Images | Candy Paint Job.