“The fastest ever production Skoda Octavia”. Doesn’t exactly set your nerves quivering, does it? “Cut-price Golf GTI”, however, sounds more interesting. And that’s exactly what the Octavia vRS has always set to out to be.
Skoda first installed the VW Group’s 1.8-litre turbocharged petrol engine in its practical Octavia hatch and estate in 2000. Along with sports suspension, alloy wheels, chunky bumpers and a subtle rear wing, it created the very first vRS, or Victory Racing Sport (the “v” only appeared on UK market cars as a concession to Ford, which also brands its fast cars as RS models).
That first Octavia vRS undercut most of its hot hatch rivals for purchase price and running costs, all the while being practical, fun and desirable. As such, it gained a small but very much worthwhile following for Skoda, a brand that was still finding its feet again after years of ridicule.
A Fabia vRS followed two years later, creating a niche for itself by being a diesel-powered hot hatch and further reinforcing the notion that Skoda was getting its mojo back.
So it was no surprise that when the Czech brand launched the second-generation of Octavia in 2004, it included not just a petrol vRS model, but a diesel too. The latter proved a hit, typically accounting for about 80 per cent of Octavia vRS sales (themselves about 14 per cent of Octavia sales) in the UK.
Finally, to bring us up to date, earlier this summer Skoda launched the latest vRS, based on the new Octavia and available with the engine from the Golf GTI, sports suspension, chunky bumpers et al.
Again a diesel is offered, dropping a few mph in top speed to the petrol (144mph versus 154mph), but gaining in fuel economy (61.4mpg against 45.6mpg on the Combined cycle). Prices start at $22,990 for the hatch, with the estate carrying a premium of $800.
Underpinning the latest Octavia is the VW Group’s increasingly ubiquitous MQB architecture, which it introduced last year to save cost and weight on its range of transverse front-engined, front-wheel-drive cars. What that means is that it shares the same chassis, electronics and engines as the VW Golf, Seat Leon, Audi A3 and soon to be many more.
However, the flexibility of the MQB platform means that the Octavia can be longer than other cars from the VW Group stable, not to mention the model it replaces, over which it gains 11cm in the wheelbase. This translates to very generous rear leg room (never mind whether one six footer can sit behind another, in the Octavia it’s more about whether they can also perform the can-can), as well as 590 litres of luggage capacity for the hatchback and 610 litres for the estate.
That roomy interior, as well as the Octavia’s understated stying, make it a very appealing car as far as the practicalities are concerned. There are plenty of clever touches too, such as the foldaway hooks in the boot from which you can hang your shopping bags, the one-touch seat-folding mechanism on the estate and the fact that even the boot mat is double-sided, one as a carpet and the other a dirt- and water-repellent surface for those trips to the tip. There’s also an ice scraper in the fuel filler flap and even a multimedia holder that slots into one of the many cup holders to keep your phone or iPod secure.
What the obligatory racy features, such as the sports seats and vRS-branded steering wheel, do is add a welcome sense of occasion to go with these thoughtful design touches. It is also well equipped, with rear parking sensors, hill hold, lane assist, a touchscreen, Bluetooth and DAB radio fitted as standard. The point is, unlike any other Octavia, you will probably sense a frisson of excitement the first time you climb aboard a vRS.
What you will discover almost straight away, however, is that the latest Octavia vRS is a long way from being a hardened hot hatch. That’s an observation rather than a criticism, but it’s important to understand that in ordinary driving the vRS feels much like any other Octavia.
In that sense the vRS is a slow burner. But if you feel a bit underwhelmed in the first 50 miles then stick with it, for in time you will begin to appreciate what a fine all-rounder this is.
With a price difference of just $270 between the two engines, which one you go for will probably depend more on whether you’re a business user or not. There’s not a weak link here, but the petrol motor is the more enticing. Smooth from tickover to its redline and with a hearty kick of torque from the turbo (the peak of 258lb ft lasts all the way from 1,500-4,400rpm), it has plenty in hand to keep you entertained. A power output of 217bhp is, after all, more than the Subaru Impreza Turbo went to war with not all that long ago, and that was considered some kind of rocketship on wheels. Nowadays 0-62mph in 6.8sec and 154mph are fairly typical - slow even - for a hot hatch, but the Octavia still feels plenty punchy enough.
Read the full story at aulaundry.com web! Shanghai Xunduo Electric &
Machinery Co., Ltd. is one of the leading industrial laundry equipment
manufacturers of washer extractor, tumble dryer,flat work ironer, washer
extractor, industrial washing machine,
dry cleaning machine ect., which is integrating designing,researching,
manufacturing, sales and service all within the company to ensure the highest
level of quality and service.
2013年8月27日 星期二
2013年8月20日 星期二
As the debate surrounding America’s use
As the debate surrounding America’s use of targeted drone killings rages on, a friendlier side of the technology is zooming to center stage. From a bakery in Shanghai to a sushi restaurant in London, companies across the globe are experimenting with unmanned aircraft to deliver—well, just about anything. Back in the U.S., however, early adopters will likely find themselves grounded in legal limbo as Congress sits on legislation regulating civilian use.
In South Africa, for example, the first known beer drone drop received ecstatic reviews two weeks ago. “Each time the drone dropped a beer into the crowd, the entire camp erupted in a fantastic roar,” says Carel Hoffman, who masterminded the event as part of Johannesburg’s Oppikoppi Music Festival. “The entire thing was supposed to be a gimmick ... just a small gimmick in the corner of the festival,” he says. But the feat was risky, and the Oppikoppi founders admit it. “We were worried that someone would stop us and say, ‘What the fuck are you doing?’” Hoffman says. No one did.
The beer drone, nicknamed “manna” after the Old Testament story in which bread falls from the sky, was built locally using borrowed parts from Hong Kong. The only thing festivalgoers had to do was download a Beer Drone app on their smartphones to request a fresh brew. If they were lucky enough to make it into “the queue,” a free beer would float through the air, parachute included, and land at their feet. Hoffman says thousands of beers were successfully flown in, turning the Oppikoppi staff into something like national heroes: “South Africa is very proud of us for the drone,” he says.
The words “proud” and “drone” sound odd in the same sentence, and Hoffman catches himself immediately. “It’s different than how they’re used in America,” he says. “I saw a headline a few days ago here that read, ‘The U.S.A. Drops Bombs on Afghanistan; We Drop Beer.’”
The origin of the food and drink delivery drone is debatable. A well-known Japanese restaurant in London, YO! Sushi, claims it deserves the credit. “YO! Sushi considers itself the first to utilize unmanned aircraft ... as a way to serve customers,” one of the company’s PR directors, James Lynch, writes in an email. YO! employs an “iTray,” essentially a drone that carries a tray of food to patrons. It was built in-house and has earned the nickname “flying waiter.” Lynch says the concept was well received, but needs work. “Customers loved the initial test phase of the iTray but we are still perfecting the technology.”
Another contender for the title of pioneer is a bakery in Shanghai called InCake. Its “treat-delivery program”—which employs three 3 1/2-foot-wide, 22-pound unmanned aircrafts to deliver cake—was suspended by Chinese authorities on July 25. Speaking to a Shanghai news station, the bakery’s general manager, Wang Pingshi, explained that he was going to “improve the safety factors” of the drones in order to get the civil aviation authority’s approval.
In America, the fun has yet to completely begin. Until Congress passes the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012—which includes a section on integrating civil drones into national airspace—the only way to legally get down with drone delivery is by using one small enough to be classified as a “toy drone.” The FAA also prohibits the use of unmanned aircraft when they are used for profit (and has reportedly sent letters to individuals who are doing so demanding they stop), but there is no legislation on the books to make the offense punishable by law.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who chairs the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, admitted recently that the issue has Congress stumped for the time being. “This question has to be addressed, and we need rules of operation on the border, by police, by commercial use, and also by military and intelligence use,” Feinstein told Hardball’s Chris Matthews in March. “So this is now a work in progress. We are taking a look at it on the intelligence committee, trying to draft some legislation. The administration is looking at a rules playbook as to how these won’t be used and how they will be used. So it’s a very complicated subject of new technology, and I think we have to take a pause and get it right.”
Read the full story at aulaundry.com web! Shanghai Xunduo Electric & Machinery Co., Ltd. is one of the leading industrial laundry equipment manufacturers of washer extractor, tumble dryer,flat work ironer, laundry dryer, folding machine, dry cleaning machine ect., which is integrating designing,researching, manufacturing, sales and service all within the company to ensure the highest level of quality and service.
In South Africa, for example, the first known beer drone drop received ecstatic reviews two weeks ago. “Each time the drone dropped a beer into the crowd, the entire camp erupted in a fantastic roar,” says Carel Hoffman, who masterminded the event as part of Johannesburg’s Oppikoppi Music Festival. “The entire thing was supposed to be a gimmick ... just a small gimmick in the corner of the festival,” he says. But the feat was risky, and the Oppikoppi founders admit it. “We were worried that someone would stop us and say, ‘What the fuck are you doing?’” Hoffman says. No one did.
The beer drone, nicknamed “manna” after the Old Testament story in which bread falls from the sky, was built locally using borrowed parts from Hong Kong. The only thing festivalgoers had to do was download a Beer Drone app on their smartphones to request a fresh brew. If they were lucky enough to make it into “the queue,” a free beer would float through the air, parachute included, and land at their feet. Hoffman says thousands of beers were successfully flown in, turning the Oppikoppi staff into something like national heroes: “South Africa is very proud of us for the drone,” he says.
The words “proud” and “drone” sound odd in the same sentence, and Hoffman catches himself immediately. “It’s different than how they’re used in America,” he says. “I saw a headline a few days ago here that read, ‘The U.S.A. Drops Bombs on Afghanistan; We Drop Beer.’”
The origin of the food and drink delivery drone is debatable. A well-known Japanese restaurant in London, YO! Sushi, claims it deserves the credit. “YO! Sushi considers itself the first to utilize unmanned aircraft ... as a way to serve customers,” one of the company’s PR directors, James Lynch, writes in an email. YO! employs an “iTray,” essentially a drone that carries a tray of food to patrons. It was built in-house and has earned the nickname “flying waiter.” Lynch says the concept was well received, but needs work. “Customers loved the initial test phase of the iTray but we are still perfecting the technology.”
Another contender for the title of pioneer is a bakery in Shanghai called InCake. Its “treat-delivery program”—which employs three 3 1/2-foot-wide, 22-pound unmanned aircrafts to deliver cake—was suspended by Chinese authorities on July 25. Speaking to a Shanghai news station, the bakery’s general manager, Wang Pingshi, explained that he was going to “improve the safety factors” of the drones in order to get the civil aviation authority’s approval.
In America, the fun has yet to completely begin. Until Congress passes the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012—which includes a section on integrating civil drones into national airspace—the only way to legally get down with drone delivery is by using one small enough to be classified as a “toy drone.” The FAA also prohibits the use of unmanned aircraft when they are used for profit (and has reportedly sent letters to individuals who are doing so demanding they stop), but there is no legislation on the books to make the offense punishable by law.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who chairs the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, admitted recently that the issue has Congress stumped for the time being. “This question has to be addressed, and we need rules of operation on the border, by police, by commercial use, and also by military and intelligence use,” Feinstein told Hardball’s Chris Matthews in March. “So this is now a work in progress. We are taking a look at it on the intelligence committee, trying to draft some legislation. The administration is looking at a rules playbook as to how these won’t be used and how they will be used. So it’s a very complicated subject of new technology, and I think we have to take a pause and get it right.”
Read the full story at aulaundry.com web! Shanghai Xunduo Electric & Machinery Co., Ltd. is one of the leading industrial laundry equipment manufacturers of washer extractor, tumble dryer,flat work ironer, laundry dryer, folding machine, dry cleaning machine ect., which is integrating designing,researching, manufacturing, sales and service all within the company to ensure the highest level of quality and service.
2013年7月8日 星期一
Baird mum on gov’t position during encounter
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird did not have much to say to striking Canadian foreign service officers when he visited the Canadian consulate general Hong Kong last week.
The awkward meeting between Baird and eight members of the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers (PAFSO) was captured in a YouTube video, posted by the union on June 30.
PAFSO, which represents 1,350 non-executive-level Canadian diplomats, has been in a legal strike position since April 2 and without contract since June 2011. The union is demanding equal pay for equal work because some junior diplomats earn up to $14,000 less than colleagues doing the same work in Ottawa. The union has been participating in rotating strikes aimed at missions and sections where job action will have the strongest impact.
Baird was visiting Hong Kong at the end of June as part of his eighth trip to Asia as foreign minister.
In the video, Baird gets out of his vehicle and is greeted by eight PAFSO members holding signs reading “Same work = same pay.” After Baird comments on how hot the weather is and removes his sunglasses, a member asks him if he has a minute to talk. Baird shakes each members’ hand and then listens to the union member describe his concerns for more than three minutes.
“What we’re fighting for here is a question of equity. It’s a very simple question I think. Same work for same pay, right?” says the unidentified PAFSO member in the video. “When you take into fact that most foreign service officers’ families are one-income families … it makes for a pretty significant issue and important impact on our lives.”
As the member explained the union’s concerns in English and French, Baird listened, occasionally playing with his sunglasses. After more than three minutes of listening to the member, Baird had a short response.
“
Baird did not make any mention of the Treasury Board’s side of the argument.
Treasury Board has said PAFSO members have been presented with a fair offer. It argues the foreign service is “a well-paid and highly sought after posting” that offers salaries that often go into six figures with “generous benefits” worth tens of thousands of dollars per officer.
Some of those perks, outlined in the Foreign Service Directives, include a reimbursement of up to 50 per cent for dry cleaning expenses, the shipment of personal vehicles and household items such as furniture to the diplomat’s posting, and a foreign service incentive allowance recognizing the challenges associated with living abroad. Treasury Board said it invests $126 million a year in said Foreign Service Directives, most of which is dedicated to PAFSO employees.
But a union spokesperson said Treasury Board’s reference to the Foreign Service Directives is irrelevant to the negotiations currently at stake, which are focused on issues of pay. More information about the program is available on the web site at aulaundry.
The awkward meeting between Baird and eight members of the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers (PAFSO) was captured in a YouTube video, posted by the union on June 30.
PAFSO, which represents 1,350 non-executive-level Canadian diplomats, has been in a legal strike position since April 2 and without contract since June 2011. The union is demanding equal pay for equal work because some junior diplomats earn up to $14,000 less than colleagues doing the same work in Ottawa. The union has been participating in rotating strikes aimed at missions and sections where job action will have the strongest impact.
Baird was visiting Hong Kong at the end of June as part of his eighth trip to Asia as foreign minister.
In the video, Baird gets out of his vehicle and is greeted by eight PAFSO members holding signs reading “Same work = same pay.” After Baird comments on how hot the weather is and removes his sunglasses, a member asks him if he has a minute to talk. Baird shakes each members’ hand and then listens to the union member describe his concerns for more than three minutes.
“What we’re fighting for here is a question of equity. It’s a very simple question I think. Same work for same pay, right?” says the unidentified PAFSO member in the video. “When you take into fact that most foreign service officers’ families are one-income families … it makes for a pretty significant issue and important impact on our lives.”
As the member explained the union’s concerns in English and French, Baird listened, occasionally playing with his sunglasses. After more than three minutes of listening to the member, Baird had a short response.
“
Okay, well I’ll take that message back,
” Baird said as he shook the member’s hand. “Thank you very much. Take care.”Baird did not make any mention of the Treasury Board’s side of the argument.
Treasury Board has said PAFSO members have been presented with a fair offer. It argues the foreign service is “a well-paid and highly sought after posting” that offers salaries that often go into six figures with “generous benefits” worth tens of thousands of dollars per officer.
Some of those perks, outlined in the Foreign Service Directives, include a reimbursement of up to 50 per cent for dry cleaning expenses, the shipment of personal vehicles and household items such as furniture to the diplomat’s posting, and a foreign service incentive allowance recognizing the challenges associated with living abroad. Treasury Board said it invests $126 million a year in said Foreign Service Directives, most of which is dedicated to PAFSO employees.
But a union spokesperson said Treasury Board’s reference to the Foreign Service Directives is irrelevant to the negotiations currently at stake, which are focused on issues of pay. More information about the program is available on the web site at aulaundry.
2013年6月27日 星期四
Seven Things I Thought I'd Outgrow by 50
Apparently, I'm still growing. Thankfully, some of the crucial
insights of adulthood have stuck. I now know that mixing peppermint
schnapps with blackberry brandy -- or really anything -- is just gross. I
understand that staying home on a Saturday night (or a whole weekend)
is so not a form of punishment. And I never, ever, ever complain about
having to take a nap. But despite my completely idealistic youthful
beliefs that I would one day feel entirely grown up, there are still a
few things I'm waiting to either let go of or outgrow:
Adolescence: Here's the fantasy: that I'd be done with Clearasil when I got to Oil of Olay. Here's the reality: that Oxy 10, Clinique 1, and SPF 50 have made my face a paint-by-numbers project. Extra points for shopping in the adolescent and anti-aging sections at the same time. Ha ha, Mother Nature.
Hair fixations: Frizz fears of my youth led my husband to suggest 26 years ago that we get married in a meat locker. He was only half kidding. Nearly three decades later, my hair still tortures me. I've become used to friends asking why I'd ever blow out my curls, as if what's been hiding beneath my flattened, plastered tresses all these years is the equivalent of wide-plank wood beneath 70s shag carpet. But I can assure you that what's actually under there is neither Julianna Margulies...nor even Howard Stern. It's Albert Einstein (at least I was spared the mustache). And despite being certain that by age 40, I would have cut off my hair and embraced my inner poodle, I still hold on to the security of a ponytail in August and plan important life events around the dew point.
Quarter hoarding: I haven't used a coin-operated laundry machine since 1986. Fun fact -- since 1987, I've actually had my very own washer and my very own dryer in my very own house that I've been able to go to at any time without having to either buy a pizza or pay respects to my dorm's self-appointed Quarter Master. But memories of bartering for the all-powerful 25 cent coin remain so vivid that I covet quarters as if their absence will lead me to have to go back in time and rifle through my laundry bag for either a pair of dirty Gloria Vanderbilt jeans or my Wednesday underwear on Saturday. This pointless fixation (lots of parking meters don't even take change anymore) means not only that I am irrationally satisfied when the $5.07 for my coffee and bagel nets me 93 cents in change (three quarters!), it also ensures that my purse is always heavy enough to be used either as a weapon of self-defense...or a boat anchor.
Happy dancing on snow days: My last blizzard reprieve was during the disco era (Blizzard of '78! No math test!), but I still get an inexplicable sense of relief at the words, "No school." I also feel strangely compelled to watch cartoons.
Over packing: Unlike all the ultra-efficient women who've learned how to fit everything they need for two weeks into a purse, I still pack like I'm heading to camp...with a trunk. The process always optimistically begins with a tiny pile of miniature expectations ("Let's see, for three days in Florida, I'll need a pair of shorts, a couple of shirts, a bathing suit, sneakers...") until I start heaping on "necessary" items (contingency formalwear -- because you never know when you'll be unexpectedly invited to a ball by a visiting Duke) and generally packing as if Disney World is a developing nation. Click on their website www.aulaundry.com for more information.
Adolescence: Here's the fantasy: that I'd be done with Clearasil when I got to Oil of Olay. Here's the reality: that Oxy 10, Clinique 1, and SPF 50 have made my face a paint-by-numbers project. Extra points for shopping in the adolescent and anti-aging sections at the same time. Ha ha, Mother Nature.
Hair fixations: Frizz fears of my youth led my husband to suggest 26 years ago that we get married in a meat locker. He was only half kidding. Nearly three decades later, my hair still tortures me. I've become used to friends asking why I'd ever blow out my curls, as if what's been hiding beneath my flattened, plastered tresses all these years is the equivalent of wide-plank wood beneath 70s shag carpet. But I can assure you that what's actually under there is neither Julianna Margulies...nor even Howard Stern. It's Albert Einstein (at least I was spared the mustache). And despite being certain that by age 40, I would have cut off my hair and embraced my inner poodle, I still hold on to the security of a ponytail in August and plan important life events around the dew point.
Quarter hoarding: I haven't used a coin-operated laundry machine since 1986. Fun fact -- since 1987, I've actually had my very own washer and my very own dryer in my very own house that I've been able to go to at any time without having to either buy a pizza or pay respects to my dorm's self-appointed Quarter Master. But memories of bartering for the all-powerful 25 cent coin remain so vivid that I covet quarters as if their absence will lead me to have to go back in time and rifle through my laundry bag for either a pair of dirty Gloria Vanderbilt jeans or my Wednesday underwear on Saturday. This pointless fixation (lots of parking meters don't even take change anymore) means not only that I am irrationally satisfied when the $5.07 for my coffee and bagel nets me 93 cents in change (three quarters!), it also ensures that my purse is always heavy enough to be used either as a weapon of self-defense...or a boat anchor.
Happy dancing on snow days: My last blizzard reprieve was during the disco era (Blizzard of '78! No math test!), but I still get an inexplicable sense of relief at the words, "No school." I also feel strangely compelled to watch cartoons.
Over packing: Unlike all the ultra-efficient women who've learned how to fit everything they need for two weeks into a purse, I still pack like I'm heading to camp...with a trunk. The process always optimistically begins with a tiny pile of miniature expectations ("Let's see, for three days in Florida, I'll need a pair of shorts, a couple of shirts, a bathing suit, sneakers...") until I start heaping on "necessary" items (contingency formalwear -- because you never know when you'll be unexpectedly invited to a ball by a visiting Duke) and generally packing as if Disney World is a developing nation. Click on their website www.aulaundry.com for more information.
2013年6月24日 星期一
Foothills Cleaners comes to Yadkinville
Yadkinville residents now have a new place to have their special wardrobe items cleaned with care. Foothills Cleaners opened earlier this month and offers a full service dry cleaning business.
The business is run by Winston-Salem residents Dan Dempsey and his business partners John and Florence Collins. It is located at 108 Sharon Dr. in Yadkinville in the former Mutual Medical location.
“John and I and had looked at a couple places on Highway 601 but it just never worked out and he had noticed this place and so I came and checked it out and called him on it,” Dempsey said. “He liked it and since real estate is his specialty we moved on it.”
Dempsey said that he has been in the cleaners business since 2000. He and his former wife ran Twin City Cleaners in Winston-Salem for 10 years before the declining economy forced them to close in 2009.
Foothills Cleaner will provide Yadkin County with a full priced cleaner that offers a full range of services.
“We are a full priced cleaner, we do alterations, dry cleaning machine, wash, dry and fold and we are a wedding gown and formal wear specialist,” Dempsey said.
Dempsey said that the Yadkinville location does not offer a same day service because the clothes are delivered to one of his and John’s other locations.
“The clothes are cleaned at another of our cleaning locations and it does not lend itself to same day service for now, which doesn’t seem to be an issue in today’s times,” Dempsey said. “I pick the clothes up from this store and transport them to the other store three days a week. We maintain control of the clothes the entire time.”
Dempsey said that the average cleaning job has a three day turnaround. The business also hopes to push one of its specialties; wedding gown and formal wear cleaning.
Dempsey said that people put a large dollar amount into wedding gowns and formal wear so he thinks it’s important to offer a service to preserve that investment. He and his staff make sure that their customers understand the care and upkeep of these items instead of just cleaning them and handing them back.
Dempsey said that he will bring a service that he offered at Twin City Cleaners to the new Yadkinville location. It’s called Enchanted Memories and it allows high school students a chance at an affordable prom dress and accessories.
“We collect prom dresses and clean them at no charge and hold them until the first or second week of March,” Dempsey said. “Girls from the high schools can come and get a prom dress at no cost to them except for the alterations.”
Dempsey said that there is no application or financial requirement for girls who’d like to get a prom dress but they do require a valid driver’s license.
“Each girl gets a dress, a pair of shoes, a purse and one item of jewelry,” Dempsey said. “The only thing we ask the girls pay for is any alterations that are necessary and we’ll do those at a reduced rate. I think most girls spent $25 for their alterations.”
The business is run by Winston-Salem residents Dan Dempsey and his business partners John and Florence Collins. It is located at 108 Sharon Dr. in Yadkinville in the former Mutual Medical location.
“John and I and had looked at a couple places on Highway 601 but it just never worked out and he had noticed this place and so I came and checked it out and called him on it,” Dempsey said. “He liked it and since real estate is his specialty we moved on it.”
Dempsey said that he has been in the cleaners business since 2000. He and his former wife ran Twin City Cleaners in Winston-Salem for 10 years before the declining economy forced them to close in 2009.
Foothills Cleaner will provide Yadkin County with a full priced cleaner that offers a full range of services.
“We are a full priced cleaner, we do alterations, dry cleaning machine, wash, dry and fold and we are a wedding gown and formal wear specialist,” Dempsey said.
Dempsey said that the Yadkinville location does not offer a same day service because the clothes are delivered to one of his and John’s other locations.
“The clothes are cleaned at another of our cleaning locations and it does not lend itself to same day service for now, which doesn’t seem to be an issue in today’s times,” Dempsey said. “I pick the clothes up from this store and transport them to the other store three days a week. We maintain control of the clothes the entire time.”
Dempsey said that the average cleaning job has a three day turnaround. The business also hopes to push one of its specialties; wedding gown and formal wear cleaning.
Dempsey said that people put a large dollar amount into wedding gowns and formal wear so he thinks it’s important to offer a service to preserve that investment. He and his staff make sure that their customers understand the care and upkeep of these items instead of just cleaning them and handing them back.
Dempsey said that he will bring a service that he offered at Twin City Cleaners to the new Yadkinville location. It’s called Enchanted Memories and it allows high school students a chance at an affordable prom dress and accessories.
“We collect prom dresses and clean them at no charge and hold them until the first or second week of March,” Dempsey said. “Girls from the high schools can come and get a prom dress at no cost to them except for the alterations.”
Dempsey said that there is no application or financial requirement for girls who’d like to get a prom dress but they do require a valid driver’s license.
“Each girl gets a dress, a pair of shoes, a purse and one item of jewelry,” Dempsey said. “The only thing we ask the girls pay for is any alterations that are necessary and we’ll do those at a reduced rate. I think most girls spent $25 for their alterations.”
2013年6月8日 星期六
New Tech Will Use Wi-Fi For Gesture Control
Imagine gesturing with your hands in the shower or in the kitchen and you could turn on or off your music system or your washing machine. Well, this seems to be a possibility now as new research known as WiSee, published by the University of Washington's computer science department is said to be able to do just that using variations in Wi-Fi signals. This indeed means that the setup should be possible without the necessity of investing into expensive additional hardware including cameras and other sensors in your home.
The technology makes use of the Doppler effect, which is traditionally applied to sound waves. As per Doppler effect, the wavelength of sound emanating from a moving object gets reduced (compressed) as the object moves towards an observer and increases (expands) as it moves away. The amount of reduction or increase of wavelength (increase or reduction of frequency respectively), depends on the speed of the object relative to the observer. This phenomenon is commonly noticed as the pitch of a train horn increases as it approaches and decreases as it retreats. A similar phenomenon occurs with Wi-Fi signals disrupted by hand gestures and the same principle has been applied by the researchers to interpret them.
The wireless router can be used to detect changes in Wi-Fi signals as they are reflected off a moving human body in a similar way. The team of researchers including Shyam Gollakota have managed to record 94% accuracy in identification of gestures in this way including situations where the user was in a different room as the Wi-Fi router and the waves had to pass through walls before the gestures got detected.
Acknowledging the risk that anyone could gain access to such a system, unintended or for hacking, the researchers have devised a password system that would involve the user repeating a gesture sequence four times to activate the system and put it in a mode ready to accept gesture commands. The system is said to work with up to 5 people, but requires multiple antennas for that. It is also noted that the accuracy of the system decreases as the number of users increases. The group has also set up a website to publicise WiSee, possibly to attract commercial sponsors. If it does take off, the technology could be applied in various scenarios such as controlling gadgets and appliances at home or even in gaming. While it appears to be an attractive proposition because you don't have to invest in expensive hardware such as Kinect, Leap Motion, or MYO, it remains to be seen if even commonly available Wi-Fi routers can be effectively used to detect gestures.
It would be rare and pretty offensive to have women portrayed on-screen as bumbling fools that don't know how to cook a dinner (thankfully no one has brought a TV version of me to life). But men are fair game. Oh how we laugh at them valiantly trying to cook a romantic supper for their girlfriend, or kids, or puzzling over the secrets of the industrial washing machine. As for seeing a man with a cleaning product in his hand - forget it. Paintbrush, yes, toilet brush, no. Come to think of it, maybe that part's accurate.
What is it with people too busy for breakfast? Ad after ad shows a suit-clad exec dashing about looking for keys, before they run out the door with a slice of buttered toast in hand. Now, I have conducted extensive market research and I can categorically say I have never seen anyone in the street with toast. Then for the people who are just too busy to even travel with their toast, comes a special "breakfast biscuit" (from the breakfast biscuit aisle of your supermarket, according to Brand Power), which they can eat on the train. I have a radical solution to this malaise - get up earlier.
The technology makes use of the Doppler effect, which is traditionally applied to sound waves. As per Doppler effect, the wavelength of sound emanating from a moving object gets reduced (compressed) as the object moves towards an observer and increases (expands) as it moves away. The amount of reduction or increase of wavelength (increase or reduction of frequency respectively), depends on the speed of the object relative to the observer. This phenomenon is commonly noticed as the pitch of a train horn increases as it approaches and decreases as it retreats. A similar phenomenon occurs with Wi-Fi signals disrupted by hand gestures and the same principle has been applied by the researchers to interpret them.
The wireless router can be used to detect changes in Wi-Fi signals as they are reflected off a moving human body in a similar way. The team of researchers including Shyam Gollakota have managed to record 94% accuracy in identification of gestures in this way including situations where the user was in a different room as the Wi-Fi router and the waves had to pass through walls before the gestures got detected.
Acknowledging the risk that anyone could gain access to such a system, unintended or for hacking, the researchers have devised a password system that would involve the user repeating a gesture sequence four times to activate the system and put it in a mode ready to accept gesture commands. The system is said to work with up to 5 people, but requires multiple antennas for that. It is also noted that the accuracy of the system decreases as the number of users increases. The group has also set up a website to publicise WiSee, possibly to attract commercial sponsors. If it does take off, the technology could be applied in various scenarios such as controlling gadgets and appliances at home or even in gaming. While it appears to be an attractive proposition because you don't have to invest in expensive hardware such as Kinect, Leap Motion, or MYO, it remains to be seen if even commonly available Wi-Fi routers can be effectively used to detect gestures.
It would be rare and pretty offensive to have women portrayed on-screen as bumbling fools that don't know how to cook a dinner (thankfully no one has brought a TV version of me to life). But men are fair game. Oh how we laugh at them valiantly trying to cook a romantic supper for their girlfriend, or kids, or puzzling over the secrets of the industrial washing machine. As for seeing a man with a cleaning product in his hand - forget it. Paintbrush, yes, toilet brush, no. Come to think of it, maybe that part's accurate.
What is it with people too busy for breakfast? Ad after ad shows a suit-clad exec dashing about looking for keys, before they run out the door with a slice of buttered toast in hand. Now, I have conducted extensive market research and I can categorically say I have never seen anyone in the street with toast. Then for the people who are just too busy to even travel with their toast, comes a special "breakfast biscuit" (from the breakfast biscuit aisle of your supermarket, according to Brand Power), which they can eat on the train. I have a radical solution to this malaise - get up earlier.
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