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Round Eye Pave the Way For Punk With Unique Elements And A Singular SoundThe sax-infused punk rock of Round Eye is a real head-turner, drawing focus towards China's punk scene and the growing potential in an unexpected place
Round Eye's half of the newly release 11-song split with Orlando's Libyan Hit Squad "Full Circle" released on Genjing Records starts off with an aural assault. Blaring sax, cymbals riding, and a ceaseless scream fill every pocket of empty space on the eponymous intro track. It's a strong introduction, but it's hardly indicative of what Round Eye is all about. The horns aren't strictly used for the blare, as they prove quickly in their track "Kenting" in which they hit plenty of sweet spots. The change-up from wall-of-sound fullness to clear catchy crispness is indicative of the range Round Eye are capable of. Round Eye's ability and willingness to eschew conformity to the punk rock genre or any particular genre while maintaining a signature sound evokes 80s hardcore punkers Minutemen, who themselves pushed boundaries in all directions.
This isn't to say Round Eye is stretching their brand to record something that everyone will find appealing. The album's production is far from polished, and the gritty sound is retained throughout the album. Not by any means a lack of quality, the grit is instead a fitting aesthetic for Round Eye's style. I had the opportunity to communicate with Round Eye members leader Chachy, bassist Xiao Long Bob, saxophonist Lewis, and drummer Jimmy Jack via e-mail, discussing topics like the group's genesis, China's influence on their music, and that nasty, nasty punk sax.
Round Eye are an intriguing band, even without mention of their location abroad or their utilization of the saxophone in a genre which is hardly known for its instrumental variety. Any track off their side of the split would undoubtedly turn heads; when you dig into their story though, it just gets that much more interesting. Chachy band leader and former member of Libyan Hit Squad met Xiao Long Bob 6 years ago "at the University of Florida while waiting in line to sell back books." Lewis and Jimmy Jack who were already living in Shanghai by the time the other two had arrived were put in touch with the band through mutual acquaintances. "A phone call and a few text messages later, well, Round Eye was birthed." Chachy has a formidable background in punk rock; Jimmy Jack's drumming speaks for itself on the record; Xiao Long Bob has been playing bass for (believe it or not) a mere 8 months; and Lewis has an extensive jazz background, having played in reputable big bands as a teenager and college student at University of Nottingham. With the exception of Jimmy Jack (who jokingly, I think, claimed he "never wanted an English guy or a sax player" in the band), the band members are intrigued by the elements Lewis' sax playing can bring to the music. The consensus is that it sounds "sexy as hell" - which you can't disagree with and that it brings "a nasty edge" to many of the album's tracks. "When crafting the sound for the record," Lewis disclosed, "it was about injecting the music with [my] jazz-influenced sensibilities." The product is an undeniably unique sound, not quite any one thing.
Although nothing in particular about this album screams "China!" or features any particular Chinese flavor, I still wonder if these guys would produce the same sound, given a different environment. Chachy, who has been living in China for two and a half years, had the most to say on the subject. "China's shown me some very beautiful, very ugly, and very interesting sides to how a life is lived. Being a Laowai in a city as big and fast as Shanghai, I've grown accustomed to the transiency of my surroundings so as a result, I live and work fast... In regards to our sound, I'd say China's resonance is indicative in songs like 'Kenting' or 'Got Her Runnin''. The low de-tuned drone of the E string and the melody are direct influences from Chinese street musicians; not the licks themselves but rather how they progress is scale." The band members' experience in China is congruent with most foreigners': the ubiquitous contradictions, the change in status from "just another schmo" to "foreigner", the change in pace, and as Xiao Long Bob pointed out, the "Wild West" feel of living over there. He elaborates: "It's been a blitz of new sounds from a new society and new instruments. All rules are left behind and any of us can go any direction with our playing. It's the wild west out here."
Such an environment seems like fertile ground out of which a real punk scene can grow. Chachy had this to say on the future of the relationship between punk and China: "Punk music is derivative of rebellion; a shout in the vapidity of silence. I think with how things are under the red thumb of China, people do and will have quite a lot to say in whatever way they can whether it's through music or anything else.... The DIY ethos behind [punk] has shown me that there is much more to it than simply a form of music. There's a community and a fucking wild one at that. The potential is there within that DIY PMA way of thinking (positive-mental-attitude: Thank you Bad Brains). The world's seen it coalesce in the 80s with the US hardcore movement and hopefully it will see it again in the new wave of Sino-punk rock. Just take a look at Beijing and what is happening there, it's incredible and the potential is already blossoming." For those of us outside of the scene, it's hard to imagine a punk renaissance taking place in China of all places, but the prospect is intriguing to say the least.
It has only been in recent years that China has become known as a place where any and all rebellions are disallowed or immediately tamped out. Perhaps punk will once more revive the essence which resides within Chinese people and society that wants to be galvanized and part of a movement. Right now, however, Round Eye like many other foreign bands in China - has only managed to tap a small portion of the potential Chinese audience. All things considered, the incredible work Round Eye is doing now can only serve to stimulate the scene and inspire others to join the movement. In Jimmy Jack's words, "Music is a virus!" and Round Eye is doing all they can to get themselves as much exposure as possible. "The next step, I imagine, is to tour and to tour A LOT and buy records, and write zines/blogs, and talk, talk, talk, listen, then talk some more, spread the buzz to help keep it going."
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The GTX 660 Ti is a good card for gaming up to 1920x1080. Suggested pricing is €259 + VAT, which pits it against the HD 7950 rather than versus HD 7870. HD 7870 cards currently start at €260, while the 7950 can be found at €290. As far as performance goes, the GTX 660 Ti is somewhere in between, largely depending on the game and resolution.
We've seen that the GTX 660 Ti is capable of beating the HD 7950, but the highest resolution and antialiasing take their toll on the GTX 660 Ti.
The card has a nice performance per Watt ration and quiet cooling. Perhaps 1344 CUDA cores and 2GB of memory on the GTX 660 Ti may harm GTX 670 sales, but the latter still has the upper hand. The GTX 660 Ti comes will less ROPs and 192-bit memory interface, which shows in the tests.
Overclocking the GTX 660 Ti matches the GTX 670's performance, not too shabby considering that the GTX 670 goes for €370. On the other hand, the GTX 670 is a fine overclocker itself, and it lets you match the GTX 680, so let's not go down (or up?) the rabbit hole.
If you're lookign for a new graphics card, the GTX 660 Ti will provide all the benefits of the Kepler architecture. We've seen in our tests that the GTX 660 Ti outran the last year's top card the GTX 580, which really says enough.


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The possibility of snow Saturday in the Carolinas' Piedmont has nearly disappeared, and now the focus of attention moves to next Wednesday.
Some snow fans had been hoping a weak disturbance expected to cross the Carolinas on Saturday would imitate the system which brought 2 inches of snow to Charlotte on a Saturday afternoon two weeks ago. But computer models point to a much weaker system.
Temperatures will be very cold for this time of year, but "this time of year" is early March, and average temperatures are 10 degrees warmer than in early January. So even with cold air dominating the eastern United States, the forecast highs Saturday are still in the mid 40s.
Mid 40s and snowflakes don't mix well together.
Actually, precipitation is expected to be very light. Some snow could mix with rain showers in the foothills, but Saturday's system largely will be a non-event.
Keep in mind that the mountains are in an entirely different situation over the next few days. Temperatures are plenty cold enough up there for snowfall, and the northwest flow, coupled with a procession of weak low pressure systems, will bring several inches of snow to the northwest mountains.
So we're left with next week.
That low pressure system is expected to be considerably stronger than anything arriving Saturday. Once again, temperatures will be a few degrees too mild for snow, but that could change -- depending on the track of the low pressure system, its strength, and the location of high pressure over New England (which helps determine how much cold air is funnelled into the Carolinas).
The thinking among most meteorologists is the precipitation will arrive as rain late Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.
Cold air could funnel into the region as the low pressure system begins pulling away. And that could mean a period of snow, even in Charlotte, as the precipitation ends Wednesday morning or afternoon.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
No snow Saturday; next up: Wednesday
The possibility of snow Saturday in the Carolinas' Piedmont has nearly disappeared, and now the focus of attention moves to next Wednesday.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
4-letter word -- snow -- being mentioned again
I've been mentioning the arrival of much colder air in the Carolinas for the first two weeks of March, but that might not be the only wintry weather in our future.
There are indications from some of the computer models that we could be facing a repeat performance of our Saturday snowfall from a few weeks back.
The cold air is a certainty. After mild weather Wednesday (maybe 60 degrees), colder air will arrive Thursday, and it will get a few degrees colder each day into the weekend.
Once the chill arrives, it doesn't appear to be leaving anytime soon.
The longer-range computer models predict very cold temperatures -- compared to seasonal norms -- next week. That will be followed in the week of March 11-17 by cold (as compared to very cold) weather. The long-range forecasts indicate we won't return to typical March temperatures until after St. Patrick's Day.
Weekend high temperatures, assuming there's sunshine, will be in the middle 40s. That's about 15 degrees below seasonal averages.
So what about snow?
The Global (GFS) model, which sniffed out our little snowstorm a few weeks ago, is predicting a similar system will cross the Carolinas on Saturday. Temperatures will be cold enough for a few inches of snow once again.
Earlier, there were indications of a second storm around the middle of next week, but that system has disappeared off the longer-range forecasts.
Saturday's storm -- if it in fact comes to fruition -- would be another relatively small system. That's four days away, which means there's plenty of time for the track to change. The area of significant snowfall wouldn't be that large, so a change of 100 miles in the storm track could mean the difference of snow or no snow.
Of course, there's also the possibility that the computer models showing no snow this weekend prove to be correct.
One thing is for sure -- the first half of March won't feature the 80-degree days we had last year.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
The groundhog was out to lunch
You might remember that the official forecast from Queen Charlotte, the resident groundhog of the region, was for an early spring.
If computer models are correct -- and nearly every forecast model agrees on what's coming over the next two weeks -- the groundhog led us all astray.
It appears as if some very chilly air, at least for this time of year, is headed to the Southeast, and it could dominate our weather for the first half of March. We're not out of the woods from a standpoint of snow, either.
A cold front that will cross the region around the middle of the week will signal a change to cooler conditions.
It appears now as if high temperatures next weekend will be in the upper 40s, with morning lows in the mid 20s. The cold weather will affect nearly all of the eastern United States, and there won't be any escaping it in the Deep South either. Some of the advance temperature forecasts for places like Jacksonville and Orlando are anything but balmy.
The Climate Prediction Center, operated by the government, is calling for much-below-average temperatures over the next 10 days, with below-average precipitation.
The big question is the storm track. The National Weather Service office in Greer, S.C., says it sees the possibility of mountain snows later this week, and some meteorologists say one or more of the upper-level low pressure systems that will spin around the base of the counter-clockwise atmospheric flow will be strong enough to bring snow at lower elevations.
The European computer model carries the storm systems much farther south, along the Gulf Coast (how about a few flurries in Jacksonville for the opening days of March?), but other models keep the systems farther north.
This much seems certain ... March 2013 won't be anything like March 2012, when temperatures were 10 degrees above average for the month and we had several 80-degree days.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Some stormy days ahead
Don't expect any lengthy dry spells over the next few weeks.
We appear to be entering a stormy period over the eastern United States, and by the time we arrive at mid-March, many of us in the Charlotte region could be the beneficiaries of several inches of rain.
Is there another winter storm lurking out there? It's impossible to say. There are no signs of a major cold air outbreak, and climatology increasingly makes that difficult. We're rushing headlong toward spring, and average daily temperatures are several degrees warmer than early January.
But the computer models are showing several rounds of storms during the next two weeks.
The first storm system will arrive Friday into early Saturday, and it could bring an ice storm for northern North Carolina and 1 to 2 inches of cold rain for the southern Piedmont. Temperatures probably will be in the mid to upper 30s Friday while the rain falls in Charlotte, but there could be several hours of freezing rain during the morning to the north of Interstate 40.
Rain intensity could increase overnight Friday.
Then another -- weaker -- storm system will approach Monday.
The computer models keep pointing to a big storm around the beginning of March. That's nine or 10 days away, and the models are notoriously unreliable that far out, especially when it comes to exact storm tracks and temperatures. But that system, should it develop, would be capable of producing a couple more inches of rain.
We've had a couple very dry months of March in recent years, but it's normally one of the wettest months of the year in the Carolinas.
The Climate Prediction Center is calling for very wet conditions in our part of the country over the next 10 days, by the way.
If you're a winter weather fan and want another chance at a big snowstorm, these forecasts of wet and stormy weather should make you happy. We're not looking at very warm weather over the next two weeks. All it would take is some marginally cold air (i.e., last Saturday) and a strong low pressure system, and frozen precipitation would be a reality.
If your preference is for something like last March -- one of the warmest on record in Charlotte -- it looks as if you'll have to wait until the second half of the month, at the earliest.
Friday, February 15, 2013
Snow Saturday? Some questions, answers
Being a meteorologist or writing about the weather during the winter in the Carolinas is a no-win proposition.
That's due to the really "iffy" situations that are a part of forecasts that involve snow, sleet or ice. Saturday's forecast is one of those situations.
Basically, meteorologists are trying to predict whether or not it will snow, and it's based on a low pressure system that isn't forecast to become strong until it reaches the Carolinas (snow) or goes well off the Atlantic coast (no snow). And it's based on a forecast over whether it will be cold enough in the atmosphere for snow, and whether it will be cold enough on the ground for anything to stick.
On rare occasions, it's a no-brainer.
Most of the time, it's a close call. We've had two of those this season. The first time, little or no snow fell. The second time, the forecast was for sleet and freezing rain, and enough fell to cause problems.
So here are some questions and answers about Saturday's forecast:
It's above 60 degrees today. How can it possibly snow Saturday?
Anyone who's been in the Carolinas for more than a few winters knows the answer to this. Our winter events often come just a day or two after some very warm weather. It's part of what makes snow-ice forecasts such a "close call." In addition, there also are often 60-degree days a few days after snow or ice. That's especially true from the middle of February through March, when our weather is starting to trend toward spring.
Why do we think it will snow Saturday?
A low pressure system is forecast to move along the Gulf Coast and then cross the Southeast during the day. The latest runs of some computer models indicate the low will strengthen as it pushes across Georgia and the Carolinas. That will increase the amount of precipitation.
At the same time, much colder air is forecast to push into the region overnight and Saturday. Temperatures will be a bit too warm for accumulations, but if the storm system is strong enough, it can bring colder air down from the higher levels of the atmosphere.
Keep in mind, however, that the computer models are waffling all over the place. One run, they show snow across the North Carolina, especially in the east. The next run, it looks like Georgia and South Carolina get it. We might not know until the last minute, because of the last-minute development of the system.
Why would it not snow Saturday?
While the Global (GFS) model has been hinting at accumulating snow, the European model has not. It shows very light levels of precipitation, and temperatures that are cold, but above freezing. If the Euro model verifies, then we'll have a mostly cloudy and chilly -- but dry -- day.
When would it snow?
It seems almost certain that precipitation will start as rain in the Charlotte region early Saturday afternoon. As more cold air filters in, the rain would mix with snow, and possibly change to all snow. The mixing would start around mid-afternoon, with snow falling by late afternoon.
The storm system will move quickly, so the snow would end by mid-evening. Temperatures will plummet into the lower 20s Saturday night, so if the streets are wet, we could have black ice Sunday morning.
What is likely to happen?
I've seen this story before, back in January. The cold air appears to be marginal. Based on what I'm hearing from meteorologists, the best guess is that Charlotte gets a few snow showers Saturday evening -- enough for conversational purposes, but not enough to cause problems.
The better chance for accumulating snow seems to be east of here.
Stay tuned.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Cold weekend; rain-snow showers Saturday, maybe
After a rather steady dose of generally seasonal temperatures, with a few above-average days, we're in store for a return to winter this weekend.
The strong cold front I wrote about yesterday is still headed for the Carolinas and will cross the region Friday night. The front is expected to be moisture-starved, but there could be a few rain showers Friday evening. Some wet snow could mix with the rain in the foothills, and the higher mountain elevations probably will pick up an inch or two of snow.
Saturday probably will start sunny, cold and breezy.
Highs on Saturday likely won't climb much above the lower 40s.
During the day, an upper-level low pressure system will approach the area from the northwest. That means clouds will increase, and a few showers probably will break out Saturday afternoon and evening.
Harry Gerapetritis, of the National Weather Service office in Greer, S.C., says temperatures Saturday will be above freezing in the Charlotte region. But the air mass covering the Carolinas will be quite cold (below freezing except near the surface), and the precipitation could fall as a rain-snow mix during the afternoon and evening.
With temperatures above freezing, accumulations won't be an issue. But if you're interested in seeing snowflakes, you might get your wish sometime Saturday afternoon or evening.
Once the upper-level low moves off to the east Saturday night, skies will clear and temperatures will nose-dive. Don't be surprised to see readings in the upper teens Sunday morning, and despite full sunshine, the afternoon highs aren't likely to be much more than about 45 degrees.
The cold snap will be short-lived -- two days. That means afternoon highs will be back in the lower 50s by Monday.
Incidentally, as we move into the second half of February, our average daily high and low temperatures are climbing. At this time of the year, Charlotte's average highs and lows are 55 and 33. That's about 4 or 5 degrees warmer than at the coldest point, back in early January. By March 1, our average high is 59 degrees, and we reach the 60-degree mark March 5.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Cold, but no snow this weekend
Just wanted to post something quickly, to update the weekend situation.
A few of the computer models earlier this week were hinting at a possible Saturday snowfall in the North Carolina Piedmont, but that has been cleared up. There will be snow, but only in the mountains (and possibly some flurries in the foothills).
The cold air definitely is coming, though.
A strong cold front will cross the area Friday night, triggering an outbreak of arctic chill that will last about 48 hours.
A couple of weak low pressure systems will cross the Southeast over the weekend, but none of them will be strong enough to cause problems in the Charlotte region. For a snowfall to take place, "phasing" (a merger of storm systems in the northern and southern jet streams) would have been needed. The computer models are pretty definitive that it will not happen in our region.
The strongest of those low pressure systems will cross to our north late Saturday and early Sunday, and that probably will bring a couple inches of snow in the higher mountain elevations. A few snow showers could spill into the foothills and even the Piedmont along the I-40 corridor, but don't look for anything to accumulate.
The cold air will be noticeable, though. High temperatures each day probably won't climb above the low 40s.
After that, it looks like a milder trend into next week.
The next storm system figures to develop around the middle of next week, and it could be fairly potent. But as of now, it appears as if temperatures will be in the upper 40s -- too warm for anything frozen.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Something to watch for the weekend
A two-day outbreak of arctic air is pegged for the Charlotte region this weekend, and anytime there's arctic air in the neighborhood, we're at risk for wintry precipitation.
Typically, there's a dry northwest flow of air during these periods of arctic cold, but every now and then a disturbance in the atmosphere comes through.
Something like that is possible, but not likely, for the weekend.
First, let's set the lineup here.
One of the most popular computer models, the Global (GFS), has been predicting on some of its forecasts in recent days that low pressure will cross the Southeast and intensify off the Carolinas coast. In some of the recent forecasts, the GFS shows accumulating snowfall Saturday in the Interstate 77 corridor.
The European model wants no part of this scenario. Its forecasts display either no precipitation, or a storm that forms farther out to sea.
Meteorologists are watching all of this carefully, because there's also a chance that low pressure could develop along the coast and move northward, affecting the Middle Atlantic and New England. That area, of course, is still digging out from last weekend's blizzard.
The low pressure system that will be responsible for all of this is not in the continental United States yet. It will be Wednesday before we start getting better data on the system, so there's no need for anything more than a wait-and-see approach for now.
I notice that WCNC meteorologist Brad Panovich is giving Saturday's system a "2" rating (on a 1 to 10 scale) for snow likelihood. That sounds about right.
Incidentally, Accu-Weather senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski says that next week, the storm track will move farther northwest of the Carolinas. That indicates milder weather, as we approach the end of February.
Some blizzard left-overs ...
Here are some numbers from last weekend's storm in the Middle Atlantic and New England.
Pennsylvania ... The Keystone State was spared, for the most part. I noticed a 5.7-inch snowfall total in Allentown, and 4 inches in Philadelphia.
Delaware ... Only a trace in Wilmington, and no coastal flooding problems.
New Jersey ... While Atlantic City got only 1.7 inches, it was a different story to the north. Princeton had 7 inches and Freehold got 8.2. Up around NYC, there was 11.5 inches in East Rutherford and 10 inches in Newark.
New York ... Some accumulations from around New York City included 11.4 at Central Park; 12.1 at LaGuardia Airport; 6.4 at JFK Airport; and 6.8 at Staten Island.
The heaviest total I saw in Westchester County was 23 inches at Yonkers, with 17.2 at Mount Vernon.
Then there was Long Island ... 33.5 inches at Medford in Suffolk County, and 30.9 inches at the National Weather Service office in Upton. In Nassau County, the high numbers included 18 inches at Massapequa.
Connecticut ... Fairfield had 35 inches, and New Haven recorded 34.3. Other numbers include 27 inches in Hartford and 24 in Bristol (home of ESPN).
Rhode Island ... West Glocester led the way with 27.6 inches, while Providence got 19.5.
Vermont ... Most areas seemed to get 6 to 10 inches, but there was 16.5 in South Royalton (Windsor County) and 14 in Waterbury (Washington County).
New Hampshire ... New Boston was hit with 30.4 inches, and Exeter had 24.1. Farther inland, toward Vermont and the Connecticut River, amounts were closer to a foot.
Maine ... The Portland Jetport got 29.3 inches. Other totals included 26 at Kennebunk and 19.5 at the capital city of Augusta.
Massachusetts ... Framingham was hit with 30.5 inches, and 28 inches fell at Worcester. Logan International Airport had 21.8 inches. Winds were ferocious, too. A buoy measured a gust of 83 mph, and there were gusts of 77 mph at Hyannis; 76 mph at Logan Airport; and 75 mph at Bedford.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Friday AM update on 'historic storm'
3 p.m. Friday update on the East Coast storm (with a link to a funny video) ...
The rain has changed to snow in New York City, and moderate to heavy snow is now falling in Connecticut. Meteorologists seem to think the forecast is on target for most areas, except possibly Philadelphia.
The earlier forecast for Philly was 3 to 5 inches, but I think that will be downgraded. Precipitation is still falling as rain there, and it looks like the worst of the storm will be north of the area by the time the temperature drops enough for a changeover to snow. The National Weather Service office there says I-78 is the cutoff line between rain and snow.
The latest indication is that snow could fall at rates of 2 to 4 inches an hour in the heaviest bands. And a state of emergency is in effect now in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
A friend of my brother sent him a link to a rather funny YouTube video that seemed to capture the attitude of some people along the East Coast in advance of the storm. It's called "Bread and Milk."
9:45 a.m. Friday update on the East Coast storm ...
There are really no changes in thinking on the big storm hitting the East Coast (you can read my earlier post below this one). Meteorologists believe the snowfall will break records in some places, and the winds will leave hundreds of thousands of people without power.
I feel sorry for any ships that are caught in the path of this monster storm, because wave heights will be staggering (see below).
Here's the latest update on the storm and its impacts on various locations:
Baltimore and Washington ... Rain changes to snow at the end of the storm, with a coating to possibly 1 inch. A bit more could accumulate to the west, around Frederick. Wind gusts to 40 mph.
Philadelphia ... It will miss the worst of the snow, with temperatures staying above freezing for much of the event. However, the rain will change to snow Friday evening, and 3 to 5 inches will accumulate in the city, with much heavier totals in the northern suburbs. Heavy rain will fall during the day, possibly causing some flooding issues. Wind gusts to 35 mph.
Delaware, Jersey coasts ... Coastal flood warnings are issued. Early in the storm, winds will be out of the northeast, gusting to 45 mph. The storm will intensify later, but winds will swing around to the north and northwest by that time, perhaps sparing these coasts the worst damage.
Pittsburgh and Cleveland ... Too far west to get into the action. Maybe an inch of snow.
Buffalo ... The big blizzard is a merger of two storm systems, and the northern system will leave 2 to 6 inches of snow and sleet in Buffalo. Travel conditions will be difficult Friday.
New York City ... A rain-snow mix is falling at 9:45 a.m. It is expected to change to snow between 4 and 6 p.m., with 10 to 14 inches accumulating. Heavier totals will be recorded in areas that get bursts of heavy snow this evening. Winds will gust to 45 mph.
Long Island ... About the same as in New York City, with 12 to 20 inches of snow. Significant coastal flooding is possible on the northeast side of the island, with tides 3 to 4 feet above normal and waves of 5 to 7 feet. Winds will gust to 50 mph.
Hartford ... Light snow already falling at 9:45 a.m. Accumulations of 24 to 30 inches, with winds gusting to 50 mph.
Providence ... Light snow already falling at 9:45 a.m. Accumulations of 24 to 30 inches, with winds gusting to 60 mph. Widespread power outages likely.
Boston ... Snow hasn't arrived yet. Accumulations of 25 to 32 inches, with winds gusting to 60 mph and widespread power outages.
Western Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire ... Accumulations of 10 to 20 inches. Winds gusting to 45 mph.
Portland (Maine) ... About 5 inches of snow fell Friday morning, due to a front forming along the coast in advance of the storm. Total accumulations of 20 to 30 inches, with winds gusting to 55 mph.
Atlantic waters ... A hurricane force wind warning is posted, with Saturday's winds off the coast (from Long Island up to Maine) from the north-northeast at 70 to 80 mph, gusting to near 90 mph. Waves of up to 40 feet.
Earlier post from Thursday night ...
There will be plenty of descriptions used for the massive winter storm that will take shape Friday off the East Coast, but Paul Ryan of the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center said it simply and best.
"This is a potentially historic winter storm," Ryan said Thursday.
The rain falling across the Carolinas on Thursday evening is a piece in what is expected to become a devastating blizzard up the East Coast on Friday and early Saturday.
The low pressure system crossing our area will strengthen when it moves off the coast, then merge with another storm system that is crossing the Great Lakes (and bringing heavy snow to Wisconsin and Michigan).
The result will be a storm system capable of dumping 30 inches of snow and producing winds gusting to 75 mph.
If you have a flight scheduled Friday or even early Saturday to New York City, Boston, Hartford or Providence, forget about it. Logan International Airport in Boston already has cancelled all flights Friday, and wholesale cancellations are nearly a sure bet at the other cities. There even could be some cancellations in Philadelphia, which will be on the edge of the snowfall.
Here are some predictions for snowfall:
Baltimore and Washington ... a trace, with perhaps an inch of snow and sleet falling to the west of those cities, especially around Frederick and Hagerstown in western Maryland.
Philadelphia ... mostly rain Friday, but it will change to snow at night; 3 to 5 inches accumulating.
New York City ... snow to start Friday morning, then changing to a mix of heavy snow and heavy rain in the afternoon, changing back to all snow in the evening; winds gusting to between 50 and 60 mph; 8 to 14 inches of snow.
Hartford ... mostly snow, with 14 to 20 inches accumulating; winds gusting to 50 mph at times.
Boston ... snow beginning Friday afternoon and continuing until daybreak Saturday; winds gusting to 60 mph; snowfall of 18 to 24 inches.
Pittsburgh ... it will escape the storm, with the heavy snow falling to the east; only 1 inch in Pittsburgh.
There could be accumulations of 30 or even 35 inches in central Massachusetts and parts of New Hampshire. The strong winds will create drifts that will be measured in feet.
The storm will create big waves, although the prevailing direction will be from the north. That means the only area in danger of coastal flooding would appear to be the north shore of Long Island, along with Nantucket and parts of Cape Cod.
A hurricane force wind warning is posted offshore from Cape Cod to Long Island, for winds of 50 to 60 mph, gusting to 75 mph.
If the storm develops as expected, it will be an amazing weather event.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
An amazing downpour in north Charlotte
The line of heavy showers and thunderstorms that crossed the Carolinas last Thursday triggered flash flooding in Boone and several other locations in the mountains, but it was responsible for a staggering rainfall number in Charlotte, too.
I thank Sharon Foote of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services for this report.
Many of you know that Storm Water Services monitors automated gauges along a number of creeks in the area. Those gauges alert officials to possible flooding.
Foote passes along a measurement from the gauge at Mallard Creek Elementary School around 8:20 p.m. last Thursday, when the line of storms was crossing Charlotte.
During a span of about three minutes, according to the gauge, 0.45 inches of rain fell. That's nearly a half-inch of rain in three minutes. Or, converting it to an hourly rate, we're talking about 9 inches per hour.
Fortunately, the storms moved through quickly. There was one other three-minute period when about .15 of an inch fell, but for the most part, rainfall rates were modest. The total from the storm was a bit more than 1 inch.
The generally-recognized world record for most rainfall in one minute is 1.5 inches, on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe in 1970.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Some rainy days ahead
It looks like today and Wednesday will be the best weather days over the next six or seven, with a couple rounds of rain likely in the Charlotte region.
Temperatures moved past the 60-degree mark early Tuesday afternoon, and another day of low to mid 60s is expected Wednesday. It's a nice change of pace from some of those cold, windy days we've experienced recently.
We'll see a change in the pattern Thursday. A cooler high pressure system over the Ohio Valley will dominate the Charlotte region, bringing temperatures about 10 degrees cooler than Wednesday. About the same time, low pressure will be taking shape in the Gulf of Mexico, which means high clouds will thicken during the day Thursday.
That sets the stage for rainy weather from Thursday evening into Friday morning. Some of the computer models indicate the rain could fall heavily at times. The latest National Weather Service forecast was for temperatures in the lower 50s Friday, but the scenario looks more like a very chilly rain -- with temperatures dropping into the upper 30s and low 40s Thursday night and staying there for much of Friday.
Partial sunshine probably will return Saturday, but clouds will be on the increase again Sunday, with another storm system approaching. And that means more rain, probably Sunday night and Monday.
In case you haven't noticed, we're erasing that rainfall deficit we built last fall. Precipitation was far below average in October and November, but the numbers have been above average in December and January. We still have a deficit over the past four months (I mean, we were waaaaay below average in October and November!), but groundwater supplies are being replenished.
December's precipitation was a little more than a half-inch above average, and Charlotte was about 1 inch above average in January.
What about winter? Temperatures on Friday won't be too far above the level where we could have frozen precipitation, but a cold rain is much more likely than anything sinister. Beyond that, there's nothing on the immediate horizon.
However, watch the time frame around Valentine's Day. Computer models have been insisting for days about a possible winter storm system Feb. 13 or 14, followed by another storm a few days later. After that, it looks a bit milder to the end of the month.
Friday, February 1, 2013
How accurate is the groundhog?
Thousands of people will begin gathering at 3 a.m. Saturday in Punxsutawney, Pa., for the small town's annual Groundhog Day festivities.
The main event comes at 7:25 a.m., when handlers bring Punxsutawney Phil from his den to see if the groundhog casts a shadow.
Similar events will be taking place elsewhere in North America, with other groundhogs looking for their shadows. There's our very own Queen Charlotte, along with General Beauregard Lee in Atlanta, Staten Island Chuck in New York, and Wiarton Willie in Ontario.
It's a lot of fun, and if the groundhog's forecast suits your tastes, it also brings a bit of hope.
I remember, in my days in northeastern Ohio, how some people would get depressed if Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, promising six more weeks of winter.
The whole groundhog thing dates back to the Middle Ages, when European Christians burned candles on Feb. 2 to signal hope in the middle of the winter darkness. February 2 came to be known as Candlemas Day, giving rise to this poem:
If Candlemas be fair and bright,
winter has another flight.
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
winter will not come again.
And in 1887, the editor of Punxsutawney's newspaper came up with the idea of holding a festival every year, built around the Candlemas tradition. According to stories I found, the editor, Clymer Freas, decided to link the event to the groundhog, because many of his buddies enjoyed hunting the critters.
According to National Weather Service statistics for southwest Pennsylvania over the past 20 years, Punxsutawney Phil's record is 4 wins, 5 losses, and 11 ties.
A "tie" occurred when February's and March's temperatures differed greatly. For example, in 2011, temperatures in southwest Pennsylvania were below-average in February but above-average in March. So I counted that as a tie.
Actually, Phil does better at predicting March temperatures than February. If you compare his prediction with one month's temperatures, he had a 7-13 record in February but 11-9 in March.
Queen Charlotte here in Charlotte has been 2-3 over the last five years. She saw her shadow last Feb. 2, and we experienced one of the warmest winters on record. Two years ago, she didn't see her shadow -- and what had started as a very cold winter turned very warm, about a week after Groundhog Day.


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his website but in the moment it is under construction, but be sure to check it some time. He is a crazy creative head, who has to offer a lot more outstanding interactive art. He his a revoltionary urban artist, using modern technical knowledge to perform his ideas in the public.
"The Image Fulgurator is a device for physically manipulating photographs. It intervenes when a photo is being taken, without the photographer being able to detect anything. The manipulation is only visible on the photo afterwards.
In principle, the Fulgurator can be used anywhere where there is another camera nearby that is being used with a flash. It operates via a kind of reactive flash projection that enables an image to be projected on an object exactly at the moment when someone else is photographing it. The intervention is unobtrusive because it takes only a few milliseconds. Every photo another photographer takes of an object at which the Fulgurator is also aimed is affected by the manipulation. Hence visual information can be smuggled unnoticed into the images of others."
for more information about his project check this site


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Wow it's been a while since my last challenge! Well here I am again and this time is gonna be different. What i want you to do in this contest is that i want you to pick an AMV (anime music video) and do an ecard from the amv that inspired you. It can be from any anime.
Here's a card i made after watching this AMV
Pretty easy, right? ;D
Only two rule!
Card must have the link of the AMV you choose. So that way you can give credit to the person who made the amv aaaand that way we can watch it too!! o3o
Only one submission per person.
Well I was thinking in buying the prizes and give it to the winners. Why? Since I've been here (theO) so much time and have so much fun, i decide to give something back to you guys. So! those who win can choose their prizes (First and second place, i guess third place receive the remaining prize ^^;) and i will send it via mail. Obviously is gonna be private any kind of information. But if there someone who still don't feel well giving any kind of info can still join, If someone win but don't want the prizes the 4th place or 5th place can receive the prize, if they want of course.
Just in case, this are not the only prizes I'm gonna give, I'll be updating every time i get more prizes ;)
~5 Naruto Shippuden Plushies.
~Shakugan No Shana Box Set.
~The Hunger Games Book, Pin Set and Licute Keychain
PS: My English sucks so if someone have any question or doubt just ask ;D


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Grassroots Motorsports bills itself as "The Hardcore Sports Car Magazine," and they're not kidding -- it's full of nitty-dritty "do-it-yourself" stories and practical tips for modifying or restoring cars. You can even order a free sample issue before diving in to the $19.95 yearly subscription.
Father's Day Gifts That Dad Will Love
For the gearhead
Next slide: For the wannabe brewer
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Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR Review
- Trail-blazing EXR sensor technology
- Dynamic range never seen before in this class
- Very little noise through ISO range
- Easy operation
- Film simulation modes work quite well
- No HD video capture
- Noisy operation
- Telephoto length images show distortion and soft edges
- Spotty image stabilization system
The Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR isn't your typical point-and-shoot digital camera. It offers a new Super CCD EXR sensor that boasts a higher dynamic range because of its unique design and capacity to change how it captures available light.
With this new sensor technology, the FinePix F200EXR offers the casual photographer a serious point-and-shoot camera at a reasonable price.
With a 12 megapixel Super CCD EXR sensor, 3.0 inch/230,000 dot LCD monitor, and a five frames-per-second continuous shooting mode (for up to 12 images at 3 megapixels before the buffer memory gets full), the real crux of the F200EXR is its ability to use its unique image sensor in three different ways. These include the Fine Capture Mode that uses all 12 million pixels for an image; the Pixel Fusion Mode that combines two adjacent pixels or photodiodes together to increase the size and sensitivity of the photosites (for a total capture of 6 megapixels); and Dual Capture mode, which takes two simultaneous images at different exposures (both at 6 megapixels) and meshes them together to get an image with more dynamic range (a final 12 megapixel image).
The F200EXR also comes with a powerful Fujinon 5x optical zoom lens that offers a wide-to-telephoto range of 28-140mm; manual shooting that allows control over aperture, shutter speed, and exposure compensation; and five classic Fuji Film Simulation modes including Provia for natural tones, Velvia for vivid color reproduction, Astia for smooth tonalities, and black and white and sepia modes. The F200EXR also features sensor-shift image stabilization, Fuji's Face Detection 3.0, some helpful shooting presets like landscape and portrait, Dynamic Range Bracketing, and sensitivity up to an unprecedented ISO 12800.
Here are some of the most notable features of the F200EXR:
Super CCD EXR: The first Super CCD technology was introduced in 1999 to increase dynamic range and usable sensitivity of DSLRs, and it has trickled down over the years into the point-and-shoot market as well. The F200EXR moves this existing sensor technology further with its new three-way function. Super CCD EXR has three shooting options (plus a default EXR Auto option, which automatically judges the scene and chooses the best EXR mode).
When manually selecting an EXR mode for a particular shooting situation, you'll have three options. The first, Fine Capture/Resolution Priority mode, uses the entire 12 megapixel chip for already well-exposed scenes to produce images with the best possible details.
The Pixel Fusion/High Sensitivity Priority mode uses what is called "pixel binning," which reads two photodiodes as one pixel. In this case, two adjacent photosites are combined to create a larger sensor that totals 6 megapixels. The idea here is to use more area on the sensor to collect more light than the original 12 megapixel chip, allowing for cleaner high-ISO shots.
The last of the EXR technologies is Dual Capture/Dynamic Range Priority, which is supposed to provide a wider dynamic range by taking two simultaneous images at different exposures and combining each of these 6 megapixel exposures into one 12 megapixel image. The outcome is similar to stacking images at different exposures (not unlike the process used in high dynamic range, or HDR, photography), but the F200EXR is combining shots in-camera instead of later in post-processing.
Film Simulation: For those of you that have had the opportunity to shoot with Fujifilm's actual film stocks in the past, terms like Velvia should really strike a chord, especially with nature enthusiasts. With five total film simulation modes, you can get the classic Fujifilm looks that were once a staple in the heyday of film photography, giving you smooth tones and gradations or vivid and saturated colors.
Manual Shooting: You can set the aperture and shutter speed on the F200EXR, as well as the exposure compensation; including shutter speed options from 8 seconds to 1/1000th of a second, and an aperture range from f/3.3-9.0.
Face Detection 3.0: The F200EXR features FufiFilm's current face detection technology, which uses 360 degree recognition to detect faces, no matter what slant or angle they are on. This technology can also detect up to 10 different faces and features Fuji's Ultra High-Speed Detection, which is designed to lock onto faces in motion (great for finicky and impatient children).
Super Intelligent Flash: Found in the Auto mode, this feature automatically determines the amount of flash and proper ISO setting to produce images with better detail and lighting. In practice, the system gave my flash images nice detail and a natural look without introducing too much fill into the frame.
Scene Positions: The F200EXR features several situation-specific preset shooting modes. Some of these include: Portrait, Portrait Enhancer to automatically adjust skin tones, Sport for adjusting the shutter speed to take action shots; all in all, a grand total of 17 different scene settings.
For a detailed listing of specifications and features, please refer to the specifications table found at the bottom of the review.
Styling and Build Quality
After first unwrapping the F200EXR from the box, I appreciated its design right away. It sports a more traditional boxy construction and a concave curvature along the length of the camera. It measures 3.8 by 2.3 by 0.9 inches and weighs 6.8 ounces with the battery and memory card.
The build quality of the camera when I first picked it up felt a bit plastic-like, but upon further inspection it appeared to have an aluminum body enclosure (though it felt a little loose when I first picked it up). After using the camera, I found the body and strength of its build quality better than my initial impressions.
The F200EXR is a solidly built camera with stylish trimming, traditional point-and-shoot dials, and a large retractable lens that makes it portable and compact.
Ergonomics and Interface
The design and layout of the F200EXR is similar to most other Fujifilm cameras I have operated, including a typical shutter and zoom lever, power button, selector button, playback button, and also a few buttons that helped me access features without searching through the menus.
This includes the Intelligent Face Detection/red-eye removal button, which helps the shooter get better focus and exposure for portraits, and the F-mode button, which is helpful for changing the F200EXR's camera settings. Depending on what mode you are shooting in, the F-mode control provides access to ISO speed, dynamic range settings, the image size and aspect ratio (4:3, 3:2, and 16:9), image quality (fine or normal), white balance, and the aforementioned film simulation modes.
The menu button provides access to the shooting mode, continuous shooting, AF modes with center, multi and continuous autofocus, image stabilization, power management, and to the set-up menu where you can fine tune things like sounds, digital zoom, and other settings.
The user interface is typical and intuitive, as with most point-and-shoots, and access to different functions is streamlined so the user can change settings quickly. As to the placement of buttons and controls, they seem practical and easy to access.
Another nice feature of the F200EXR is the large 230,000 dot LCD, offering up a nice way to frame up and playback images. This 3.0 inch LCD offers the usual functions like playback and changing settings as well as a Micro Thumbnail View that opens up a window with a 10×10 array thumbnail view that lets you easily navigate, view and select from up to 100 photos. This function is similar to a mosaic view on a digital photo frame.
The image playback on the LCD was able to show similar details on the 3.0 inch screen as on the computer. You can also zoom in on the pictures by using the zoom lever to view images in more detail.
Timings and Shutter Lag
The Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR is a comparatively fast camera among its direct competitors.
Shutter Lag (press-to-capture, pre-focused)
|Time (seconds)
|Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W300
|Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR
|Canon PowerShot G10
|Nikon Coolpix P6000
|Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3
AF Acquisition (press-to-capture, no pre-focus)
|Time (seconds)
|Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3
|Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR
|Canon PowerShot G10
|Nikon Coolpix P6000
|Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W300
The F200EXR was not the fastest off the blocks finding focus, but the shutter lag in between shots made it a fast camera. The lab results and the field-testing matched up well with my overall findings, giving the camera a fast focus to capture speed, making it consistently better than other cameras in its class.
Continuous Shooting
|Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3
|3.1 fps
|Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W300
|2.5 fps
|Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR
|1.6 fps
|Canon PowerShot G10
|1.3 fps
|Nikon Coolpix P6000
|0.9 fps
* Note: Continuous shooting framerates are based on the camera's fastest full-resolution JPEG continuous shooting mode, using the fastest media type available (300x CF, SDHC, etc.). "Frames" notes the number of captures recorded per burst before the camera stops/slows to clear the buffer.
Auto Focus
Like all point-and-shoot cameras, a contrast-detection AF system is used in the FinePix F200EXR with three AF area mode options including center, multi and continuous. For concentrating focus to the middle of the frame, center mode allows you to give priority to this region, and works well with the widest aperture to give you a shallow depth of field for the subject you want to focus on.
The multi mode achieves focus throughout the entire frame, and does a good job of finding the contrast between different objects in a composition. For instance, I captured a scene where there were many different elements at different distances. By using the multi focusing mode, the camera closed the aperture down and was able to focus on all the subjects in the frame quite well.
The last AF mode is continuous, which like it sounds, works continuously. This system is a bit noisy but does its job (you can constantly hear the lens clicking and retracting to find focus in the frame). In testing this mode, the camera found focus quickly in well-lit scenes, but struggled in low-light conditions. For best results, and to save power (because continuous is quite a battery drainer), use center or multi and a half-press of the shutter to find focus.
Lens and Zoom
The F200EXR has a nice 5x Fujinon lens with a 35mm-equivalent focal length range of 28-140mm. This is a very nice wide-angle at 28mm to a decently powerful 140mm telephoto range, giving this camera little bit more lens power than most compacts.
The lens also uses a variable aperture, with a wide-angle f-stop from f/3.3-9.0, and telephoto f/5.1-14, which often limits a compact camera's ability to take low-light shots. The F200EXR combats this limitation with the Super CCD EXR. By pixel binning to combine two photosites into one photodiode, the low-light capabilities of this camera have been enhanced more than a typical point-and-shoot. With more room on the sensor to absorb light because of this combining of forces, low-light photography with the F200EXR in theory should be better overall – and it is.
There are several flash options with the F200EXR. Intelligent Flash is used when shooting in automatic mode. Another flash mode on the mode dial called Natural Light & With Flash shoots two images, one with flash and one without simultaneously. There are also selectable flash modes you can change by using the four-way control dial, which has its own button on the right-hand side.
Options include auto, forced flash (good for filling in backlit subjects), suppressed flash, and slow synchro. When using the auto mode you get approximately 2 to 14.1 feet for wide-angle shots, 2.8 to 9.2 feet telephoto, and 1.0 to 2.6 feet for macro or close-up shots.
Image Stabilization
The F200EXR uses the CCD-shift Dual IS for image stabilization. The Dual IS system from Fujifilm is a combination of a shifting sensor and a high ISO setting used to achieve blur-free images.
As someone who is partial to in-lens IS, I found the F200EXR Dual IS system somewhat unreliable. Although there weren't definitive results using the Dual IS, some images still turned out blurry whether I used the IS or not. It was capable in most instances, but results varied with available light or focal length. Images at longer focal lengths suffered the most with the F200EXR's image stabilization system, while wide-angle shots worked quite well with Dual IS.
The F200EXR uses a NP-50 Lithium Ion battery with a rating of 230 pictures per charge. This number seemed accurate in field testing.
A discussion about the F200EXR's image quality should start with the innovative EXR sensor. This new technology was announced a few months ago, marking a step in a new direction for compact cameras and how they capture images. While compact cameras like the Sigma DP1 and DP2 have a much larger imager for improved sensitivity and dynamic range, the F200EXR keeps a more affordable small sensor while improving capture technologies.
The interaction of lens, sensor, and processor determines image quality. From the analog capture of light to the digital values computed during A/D conversion, it's a conglomeration of factors that dictate intricate detail and dynamic range. Improved dynamic range and high-sensitivity performance are what the F200EXR's EXR sensor is supposed to be known for. So does it live up the hype?
Whether combining two 6 megapixel exposures together in Dual Capture EXR, or making the photosites larger by combining the adjacent areas in the Pixel Fusion Mode, the dynamic range – and especially the high-ISO capabilities – achieved with EXR are vastly improved over other cameras with similar-sized sensors. The pixel binning mode, or the Pixel Fusion Mode, offered the most dramatic results, providing a superior (albeit smaller) image in low light. This is a significant feature, proving that more megapixels won't necessarily give you better detail; in the case of the F200EXR, this smaller image with larger photosites often showed as much or more fine detail than shots from any other mode – even when analyzing the images at more than 500 percent view. This is something I'm certainly not used to with a point-and-shoot camera.
The two other modes of EXR deserve some attention when it comes to image quality as well. In the Fine Capture mode, which employs all 12 megapixels, there should be a more intricate level of detail in well-lit scenes. Was this true? In a sense it was, but too much sharpening in this high-resolution mode also gets in the way at times. Upon close inspection of these images at high magnification, the pixel edges seemed to be oversharpened, with edge artifacts showing up in many cases.
So what about the two combined exposures in the Dual Capture mode? As noted, this mode combines two exposures by taking two simultaneous images at 6 megapixels and combining them, much like an HDR image. This EXR mode seemed to work well, but nothing was dramatic in the results, producing an image with noise, but also good exposure. Overall, the image quality of the EXR sensor provided me with new levels of detail I was only able to capture in post, not during camera processing.
Exposure, Processing, and Color
The F200EXR features many different exposure options, from the various EXR sensor settings to the ability to go manual and maintain more control over the final image. There are many different custom and automatic settings that play a part in the exposure, processing and final color reproduction, giving you the best of all worlds when trying to get the image you want.
Provia (default) film simulation mode
Images in the default setting were not overly saturated, but were neutral and faithful to what my eyes had seen. The standard mode, or film simulation setting, is called Provia, named for a film stock produced by Fujifilm. Velvia brings out a much more saturated level that is great for rich color reproduction, like foliage or other outdoor scenes. Astia is another Fujifilm stock that makes colors softer and provides less contrast. There are also sepia and black and white processing modes.
Velvia (vivid) film simulation mode
Astia (neutral) film simulation mode
For light metering, the F200EXR offers a multi-area setting, spot metering for judging light in the center of the frame, and a center-weighted average option as well.
White Balance
The F200EXR offers nine different white balance settings, including Auto WB, a standard list of preset options, and Custom WB that allows the shooter to use a neutral color (usually a gray or white card) and create a unique WB profile.
Lens Faults
F200EXR's Fujinon lens is large and recesses into the body when not in use. It's a nice lens that provides a great wide-to-telephoto range. Unfortunately, when using the longest focal range, the pincushion distortion and soft edges that often plague point-and-shoot compacts were evident. Also at longer focal lenghts, the Dual IS CCD shift sensor worked quite poorly, providing more blur than what would be considered acceptable. At wide-angle, the lens worked great, providing high image quality whether I was using the EXR modes or Auto.
Sensitivity and Noise
The F200EXR's ISO settings range from 100 to 3200 at the full 12 megapixel resolution, but the camera also offers two special settings including ISO 6400 for a medium- or small-sized JPEG, and ISO 12800 for a small JPEG only. These two special settings produced images with dramatic noise, and were mostly unusable.
ISO 100, 100% crop
ISO 200, 100% crop
ISO 400, 100% crop
ISO 800, 100% crop
ISO 1600, 100% crop
ISO 3200, 100% crop
The sensitivity to light performance is a solid performer from ISO 100, 200 and 400, but at 800 a rise in noise is evident. Even at ISO 1600 and 3200, you get a usable picture that looks pretty good, with acceptable levels of noise.
When using the different EXR modes in the different ISO choices, the images with the most noise were scenes with little available light, but when used with enough light the images turned out to be very good exposures. As an overall assessment, the ISO performance was above average for this class of camera, making the different light sensitivities good all the way up to ISO 400. And even when pushed past this threshold, the images still turned out well.
Additional Sample Images
The Super CCD EXR sensor alone is the F200EXR strongest selling point, and primary differentiator from the F100fd. With a broadened dynamic range that most digital compacts can't even touch, the technology behind the sensor is certainly innovative and worth trying for yourself. Today, Fujifilm and a few others are changing the way in which an image sensor is used in point-and-shoots, and it's an exciting time to be in the market with so many options available. As digital cameras have made leaps and bounds since the explosion in the late 90s, we are still making leaps and bounds today.
With a 12 megapixel 1/1.6-inch Super CCD EXR image sensor, flashy 3.0 inch LCD, and manual exposure control, the FinePix F200EXR could be accused of having too many bells and whistles. But in the field, Fujifilm's latest proves to be a capable camera with an array of attractive new features that are true assets to a photographer.
- Trail-blazing EXR sensor technology
- Dynamic range never seen before in this class
- Very little noise through ISO range
- Easy operation
- Film simulation modes work quite well
- No HD video capture
- Noisy operation
- Telephoto length images show distortion and soft edges
- Spotty image stabilization system
|12.0 megapixel, 1/1.6″ Fujifilm Super CCD EXR
|5x (28-140mm) Fujinon zoom, f/3.3-5.1
|3.0″, 230K-pixel TFT LCD
|ISO 100-3200 (ISO 6400-12800 at reduced resolution)
|Shutter Speed
|8-1/1500 seconds
|Shooting Modes
|Auto, Manual, Scene, Movie
|Scene Presets
|Natural Light, Natural Light with Flash, Portrait, Portrait Enhancer, Landscape, Sport, Night, Fireworks, Sunset, Snow, Beach, Underwater, Museum, Party, Flower, Text
|White Balance Settings
|Auto, Fine, Shade, Fluorescent 1, Fluorescent 2, Fluorescent 3, Incandescent, Custom
|Metering Modes
|Multi, Spot, Center-Weighted
|Focus Modes
|Center AF, Multi AF, Area AF, Continuous AF, Macro
|Drive Modes
|Normal, Top 3, Top 12, Final 3, Final 12, Continuous
|Flash Modes
|Auto, Forced On, Slow Synchro, Forced Off, Red-Eye Reduction, Slow Syncrho with Red-Eye Reduction
|Self Timer Settings
|10 seconds, 2 seconds, Off
|Memory Formats
|xD-Picture Card, SD, SDHC
|Internal Memory
|File Formats
|Max. Image Size
|Max. Video Size
|640×480, 30 fps
|Zoom During Video
|Rechargeable lithium-ion
|USB 2.0, AV output, DC input
|Additional Features
|Face Detection 3.0, Dual Image Stabilization, Continuous Shooting, Portrait Enhancer Mode, Dual Shot Mode, Slideshow


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Grfr.04 necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 116 diseños de 27 diseñadores freelance.
Savemorx Pharmacy
A discount/retail focused pharmacy aimed at supermarket lines and mothers. Rather than advertise specials via temporary price reductions the store has over 800 lines that are on special everyday. This way the customer knows that they can get it a cheap price everyday. Target for these lines is to be at least 20% cheaper than the market. The discounts do not extend to medicines.
We want to deliver a SIMPLE single strong message to the customer. That message is "we have your health solution at a competitive price". Ps this is NOT a suggested slogan as it is too long.
The store has bulk displays (cubic metre +) throughout the store.
Women 20+
Supermarket shoppers
To portray a discounter message to target demographic whilst retaining a professional appearance.
Signage is to be readable from a distance. I.e. 200m+
Colour and logo to suggest discounting, vitality and health so bright vibrant colours are desirable. Dark Purple is ok but not to be a Blue and yellow combination. To clarify Blue OR yellow is ok but in combination.
Colours will be used on exterior of building so we need a coloured background.
The Rx at the end of Savemorx should be the pharmacy Rx logo. I.e. the forward slash of the x crosses the backward slash of the R to form the x.
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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Difference between revisions of "Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)"
|Line 192:
|Line 192:
¹ Pings, chit-chats and their comments do not accumulate points.
¹ Pings, chit-chats and their comments do not accumulate points.
² Mass-editing (selecting multiple roads and update them)
² Mass-editing (selecting multiple roads and update them) counts for 1.5 point per road segment you edit, independent of how many fields/attributes are updated. (From the Waze Forum [http://world.waze.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=4973&start=11] )
===How do I change my home state or country?===
===How do I change my home state or country?===
Revision as of 17:52, 4 December 2012
This FAQ should be read together with the Official FAQ and the Technical FAQ. The glossary explains words and phrases which are often used with special meanings.
- 1 What are those dots on some of the roads?
- 2 What is Waze Map Editor?
- 3 What is Cartouche?
- 4 What is Papyrus?
- 5 What is Dashboard?
- 6 What are my Drives?
- 7 When do my Drives show up in the Dashboard?
- 8 When do my Drives show up in the Waze Map Editor?
- 9 What happens when I drive on an unknown (unmapped) road?
- 10 I recorded new roads in the client - what now?
- 11 When do my roads show up in the Livemap?
- 12 When do my edits show up in the Waze app?
- 13 What web browser do you recommend for editing roads?
- 14 Why do I get to see traffic reports hundreds of miles away in the client?
- 15 What is a locked road?
- 16 Why are aerials not available or are low resolution?
- 17 On My Dashboard all my points have gone, and the date of last update is very old. What's wrong?
- 18 How are points calculated?
- 19 How do I change my home state or country?
- 20 How can I remove or delete a group that I've created in Waze?
- 21 How can I delete my account and all info from waze?
- 22 How can I change my username?
- 23 When are weekly points calculated?
- 24 Why isn't the location of other Wazers in the app accurate?
- 25 Does Waze support time-based turn restrictions where turns are allowed or restricted during certain times of day?
- 26 What do I do when Waze has my destination or address at the wrong location?
- 27 Can I add a road hazard or accident to the map from home or the office?
- 28 Can I search for an intersection of streets and not by address?
- 29 Can I navigate to latitude and longitude or GPS coordinates?
- 30 Why doesn't Waze learn my routes?
- 31 Does Waze work, and do I get points for, driving with no or flaky data network connection?
What are those dots on some of the roads?
These are roads that have not been confirmed by being driven over since either being imported from another mapping source, or since being created in the map editor. It is more likely that the road layout or junctions are incorrect so treat them with caution. When you drive over such roads your Waze icon changes to a Pacman-type character and "munches the dots". This earns you points and confirms the road as valid. These roads are also known as Pacman-roads.
What is Waze Map Editor?
Waze Map Editor is the official name of the current, primary web-based map editor. It is often abbreviated WME. It is strongly recommended that you use WME for all Waze Map editing vs. the older editor Cartouche. You can access WME:
- http://www.waze.com/editor (USA and Canada users)
- http://world.waze.com/editor (The rest of the World (ROTW) / countries other than the USA and Canada)
What is Cartouche?
Cartouche is the name of the previous map editor. As of November 5, 2012, it has been discontinued worldwide.
What is Papyrus?
Papyrus is the internal code name used for Waze Map Editor (WME) prior to beta release in January 2012. The use of 'Papyrus' is discouraged in favor of Waze Map Editor or WME.
What is Dashboard?
Dashboard is the name of your personal information console. You can find various information about your Waze account here, including most recent driven routes. You can access it through: http://www.waze.com/dashboard (Northern America users) http://world.waze.com/dashboard (International/other users)
What are my Drives?
Drives are journeys that you have driven with the Waze client running. While you drive Waze monitors your journey (recording details like location, time & speed) and transfers this information to the servers. This data is used to validate the existing mapping (roads, turns etc) and to learn average journey times. Other Waze users and Area Managers can also view the anonymous GPS tracks of many users when editing the map in Waze Map Editor. This helps with map accuracy.
When do my Drives show up in the Dashboard?
Updates of the dashboard takes place daily, so you have to wait at least 24-48h before changes show up, and if the servers are bogged down, you may need to wait 3-5 days before you will see your routes. For very long routes, routes may take up to a week to appear.
When do my Drives show up in the Waze Map Editor?
Drives are processed and available for viewing in the Waze Map Editor with an hour of completing the drive. For most drives, you will find them in the editor in under 15 minutes.
What happens when I drive on an unknown (unmapped) road?
If you simply drive on an unknown road, Waze simply records your route information as usual, but will not create them with as new roads in the Editor, Livemap or the app. When viewing a Drive in the Waze Map Editor, you can look for sections of your drive which are colored red. These indicate an area your phone reported you driving which Waze was not able to associate to an existing road. If this road should exist here, you can select the red section of the route and create a new segment from it.
You can help to build the maps by adding unknown roads. Simply switch on road building mode in your Waze client and it will record the route as a series of new road segments adding junctions (also known as nodes) where it detects your turns. When Waze detects that you are back on a known road, road building mode is automatically paused.
Please turn off road building mode when it is not needed as it can lead to duplicate roads being recorded due to the existing maps being slightly inaccurate or due to GPS errors on your client. Remember that the Waze client is dependent on having a good GPS fix for accurate recording. Also the Waze client might falsely record new roads if it hasn't been able to download the map tiles for your location due to poor cellular phone coverage etc.
When recording new roads, wait until the road turns red on your client before turning off road building mode otherwise the final segment is not recorded. This behaviour is useful if you forgot to turn it off earlier and have accidentally started to record a road in error.
Updates of the Cartouche map are made based on your recording, but you have to wait at least 24-48h before changes show up.
I recorded new roads in the client - what now?
Your newly recorded roads will not appear in Livemap until they have been edited in the Waze Map Editor. WME will show unknown roads in red, however Livemap will only show small arrows if you zoom right in to indicate that it knows of an street/road with no name. The Cartouche update will need to be done by either you or the appropriate Area Manager, or another user who has also driven close to this road previously.
Please log into WME and edit the details of the road you recorded. You can set the road category, it's name, city and direction(s). You should also check it's connectivity to other roads to allow Waze to use it correctly for routing. At the very least you should confirm the driving direction and connect the road to another road.
This is an important part of Wazing as it helps our community build the maps for eveyone to use.
It is planned to implement functionality in the Waze servers to countdown from the road creation so that they disappear from WME unless they have been edited (something like 30 days) to prevent roads incorrectly recorded from remaining on the Livemap.
When do my roads show up in the Livemap?
Generation of the Livemap should take place daily, but the queue of changes is lengthy, so most map edits should appear in the LiveMap after 10-14 days. However, only the closest zoom level is currently updated regularly. Updates to the map on the Waze client app happen at the same time.
From the Waze web application you can look at the Live Map tab and at the lower left of the screen below the map you will see the last update of that map information.
Newly recorded roads will not appear in Livemap until they have been edited in the map editor. This will need to be done by either you or the appropriate Area Manager.
When do my edits show up in the Waze app?
The normal process, is that on a regular basis, the map tiles update process runs on the servers. When it starts, any edits which are complete by that time will be included in the current map update cycle. The map tile updating process can take several days or even weeks on the World server, and are currently happening approximately once a week on the North American server. (The NA servers are currently using an upgraded infrastructure which has significantly reduced the amount of time it takes for the map update cycle to execute, this new infrastructure is currently being ported to the World server.)
Once the map update cycle is complete, the tiles are loaded into the client map and the live map. The date that the update process is complete is referred to as the Update Date, though this can be confusing because the edits which made it into that cycle may be weeks old. The http://status.waze.com website is usually updated with the latest map update cycle information, which includes the "with updates through x date" information.
Tiles on the app are cached, and only refreshed when one of the following three conditions is met:
- You are showing a specific location on the map from the address search.
- You are navigating to or through the tile.
- The tile is over one week old.
Note that the Waze app tends to get the updated tiles before the Livemap on the website.
From the Waze website you can look at the Livemap and at the lower left of the screen below the map you will see the last update of that map information.
What web browser do you recommend for editing roads?
Waze recommends using the Google Chrome browser or Google Chrome Frame plugin with Internet Explorer for map editing in Waze Map Editor (WME).
Support for Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) is limited and some editing functions may not work properly.
The following browsers are acceptable for use with Waze Map Editor:
Why do I get to see traffic reports hundreds of miles away in the client?
The traffic reports on the client show the nearest 20 reports. Sometimes, when there are not many wazers in your area, you'll see traffic reports from a areas that are farther away. Waze only actively shows you the traffic reports within a certain radius of your location (using a pop-up), so if you are not interested in seeing reports from farther away, do not click the traffic report button.
What is a locked road?
The lock feature does the following:
- Locking segments will prevent lower users from changing it only if it is close to their driving area.
If they are area managers at this location, they can still edit the segment.Remark: To be deleted, has been altered by the new editing rights system
The locking function may still perform some of it's legacy functions:
- Disables any automated geometry changes - i.e. GPS tracks will no longer drag the road towards some average of all GPS tracks on a segment. Manual editing is still possible.
- Disables any automated driving direction change - i.e. if you set the road as one way, even if someone drives the opposite way, it will remain one way. (This has some unlocking to it - if a lot of people drive the opposite way, or only the opposite way, eventually it will unlock)
- Sets the routing to 'obey' the connectivity on the segment. That is, if a turn is not allowed in Waze Map Editor, usually the routing algorithm will give such a turn a penalty of x points and will try to avoid it, as much as possible. If the segment is locked, the penalty to make a turn against what is defined in WME grows a lot, and the chances of getting a turn instruction that is against what has been defined is almost non existent.
Segments that are locked will affect the turn restrictions for all other segments connected to either end of the locked segment at those junctions. Therefore when changing turn restrictions for another segment you find the turn restriction is not changing, check the other segments at that junction. It is possible another segment is locked at a level higher than your current editing level. You will need to post a request to the Unlock Request Forum to get it unlocked to enable making the change to the other segment's turn restrictions.
Why are aerials not available or are low resolution?
Due to Waze's business model (which keeps the product free to us users) they are limited in what sources they can use for aerial maps. Normally this means using free sources which will of course be of lower resolution or availability then aerials available from commercial sources. If you know of a source that the licensing appears to be free for commercial use and in particular has no strings on derivative use, then send that source to Waze using the Quick Help support form found at Waze Support and they will look into it, and see if it will work.
On My Dashboard all my points have gone, and the date of last update is very old. What's wrong?
You are probably logged in to the wrong server
USA/Canada users:
Israeli-an users:
All other 'international' users:
How are points calculated?
From the blog post [1]
|Normal driving
|per mile
|Road reporting¹
|per report
|Report comments
|per comment
|Road munching
|per mile
|New road recording
|per mile
|Editing the map²
|per edit
|Solving map update requests
|per request solved
|Adding street names
|per name
|Adding house numbers
|per house number
|Forum posts
|per 3 forum posts
|Normal driving
|per km
|Road reporting¹
|per report
|Report comments
|per comment
|Road munching
|per km
|New road recording
|per km
|Editing the map²
|per edit
|Solving map update requests
|per request solved
|Adding street names
|per name
|Adding house numbers
|per house number
|Forum posts
|per 3 forum posts
¹ Pings, chit-chats and their comments do not accumulate points.
² Mass-editing (selecting multiple roads and update them) counts for 1.5 point per road segment you edit, independent of how many fields/attributes are updated. (From the Waze Forum [2] )
How do I change my home state or country?
The scoreboard allows you to compete for points against other wazers in your state or country. Waze automatically matches you to the state or country based on where you have earned the most points in the last week. If you travel several states a lot, send in a support ticket via the Quick Help form at Waze Support to have them lock your home state.
How can I remove or delete a group that I've created in Waze?
Send in a support ticket via the Quick Help at Waze Support.
How can I delete my account and all info from waze?
Send in a support ticket via the Quick Help form at Waze Support. Enter "Delete Waze account" as the subject/question, then click the Email link. Complete filling out the form with your Waze username and registered email address.
How can I change my username?
At this time, changing your username is not possible.
When are weekly points calculated?
Points are added up from Monday through Sunday. Alerts usually appear on your client on Monday morning.
Why isn't the location of other Wazers in the app accurate?
Other Wazers shown on the map in the app are delayed by between 2-5 minutes. This is both for security concerns, server capacity, and network data capacity. It would be a huge amount of data required to update every Wazer's location every 2 seconds.
Does Waze support time-based turn restrictions where turns are allowed or restricted during certain times of day?
No. This feature is on the roadmap, and should be available. ETA is unknown. For these intersections, consider a "majority-rules" turn restriction scheme. If the turns are allowed during the majority of a day or week, leave it open, but also consider volume and if most of the weekly traffic would be restricted from turning there, then set the turn as restricted. Every intersection is different and should be considered individually.
What do I do when Waze has my destination or address at the wrong location?
If Waze is routing you to the wrong location for your destination, and the street the location should be on appears in Waze, it is due to Waze getting the wrong GPS coordinates for the destination. In most parts of the world, Waze relies exclusively on 3rd party content providers for address and POI locations. Waze sends your address or POI search to these 3rd parties, and they then return to Waze GPS coordinates for that destination. Waze then routes to the closest location on the Waze map for the GPS coordinates. For example, if Waze routes to the street behind the location, that is because the GPS coordinates for that location are closer to that street than the street you actually access the location from. To solve these errors, you need to update the GPS coordinates with the 3rd party provider who is supplying the bad information to Waze.
- In the US & Canada, address lookups are handled by Bing, with Google used when the address can not be found in Bing (rare).
- For other countries, visit the country specific section of the forum to find out the provider of address coordinates for your area.
- POI lookups (business names) are by a variety of providers. Look to see what tab in the search results you are using for the POI to determine which provider you need to contact to fix the GPS coordinates.
Most providers offer a way to submit corrections to their location data. It is normal for more than one provider to have the same bad information. This is due to their being two primary providers of GPS location data, which other companies then license. After correcting the location information with the correct Waze provider, it is a good idea to update with these two original providers. Instruction on how to do so can be found here.
Can I add a road hazard or accident to the map from home or the office?
No. Waze only allows you to report anything such as Police, Accident, Hazard, Camera, etc., based on your current GPS location only.
Can I search for an intersection of streets and not by address?
Yes. In the Navigate search box, enter "A St and B St" and search. You will likely need to switch the search results to Bing or Google to get an accurate search result.
Yes. In the Navigate search box, enter "longitude, latitude" (without the quotes) where longitude and latitude are in decimal form. For example, for the United States, Disney's Epcot Center in Orland, Florida is located at these coordinates: "-81.54942,28.37529"
The website livemap also accepts the same format in the Search box.
Why doesn't Waze learn my routes?
The setting within the Waze app, "Auto-learn routes to frequent destinations" is misleading. Waze only learns your favorite destinations, but does not learn or store actual routes. It will pop-up with the "Are going home?" or "going to work?" messages for these frequented destinations.
Waze should always pick what it believes is, mathematically, the fastest or shortest route, depending on your settings. If, in your estimation, it doesn't, that means that there could be an error in the map somewhere along your preferred route, or there is a lack of correct speed/traffic data for that route, or lack or correct speed/traffic data on the route it is trying to send you on. If it isn't too far out of your way, take the suggested route a few times and Waze will collect and start to use that data in its routing decisions.
The reason just driving the expected or preferred route won't work automatically is because Waze could have incorrect speed data on the segments it wants you to take. If Waze thinks another road is 2x as fast as your preferred road, no amount of driving on your preferred road can change the data for the other road. Waze needs accurate data for all neighboring segments and routes in order to always compute the fastest (or shortest, depending on your app setting) route.
Does Waze work, and do I get points for, driving with no or flaky data network connection?
For all aspects of Waze to operate, it was built assuming a data network connection pretty much all the time. If you have an intermittent connection, Waze will try to get data from the servers for traffic alerts and hazards, but may not be able to give you reliable information. Additionally, if Waze doesn't have a connection back to the Waze servers, you will not be able to post hazards. Waze does not cache reports or map issues for sending later.
In regards to points or drive integrity, Waze will collect the data in terms of where you have driven even during network outages. In order for you to get credit for and being able to see your drive in the editor, Waze must be able to upload your drive at the end of your trip. Waze sends this information when you shut it down. The Waze app does not cache your drives until it has a valid connection. If the Waze app does not have a connection to the servers when you shut down, your drive data will be lost, and any points associated with it will not be credited.
There is still some debate as to whether Waze will try to upload the most recent drive when you start Waze the next time, but this hasn't been conclusively proven.


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Volkswagen CC Expert Review
The Volkswagen CC, which is based on the European market's Passat sedan, receives an interior freshening for the 2012 model year. Volkswagen has updated the 2012 CC's standard walnut trim inserts with a variety of new dark wood options for CC buyers to choose from. Volkswagen has also added a new analog clock to the CC, and mounted it directly above the radio controls.
Designed to compete with "four-door coupes" like the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class and corporate stablemate Audi A7, except at a middle-management price point, the 2012 Volkswagen CC is a stylish, sporty, four-passenger version of the European-market Passat. The inside is as stylish as the outside; its four individual seats are comfortable and supportive and flanked by amenities often seen on cars that are double the price of the CC.
The Volkswagen CC comes with the GTI's 200 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque turbocharged 2.0-liter I-4 as standard. Volkswagen also has an optional V-6 for those who want more oomph. Available only with all-wheel drive and a six-speed automatic transmission, the CC Executive gets a 3.6-liter V-6 that produces 280 hp and 265 lb-ft of torque.
Body style: Sedan
Engines: 2.0L turbo I-4, 3.6L V-6
Transmissions: 6-speed manual, 6-speed dual-clutch automatic, 6-speed automatic
Models: Volkswagen CC Sport, Volkswagen CC R-Line, Volkswagen CC Lux, Volkswagen CC Executive
No major changes in store for the 2012 Volkswagen CC. The only change the CC receives this year is a new analog clock (inspired by a Swiss timepiece) that VW placed above the radio controls, and new wood trim. Volkswagen replaced the old walnut trim, with a variety of dark wood choices. The new wood trim options are sustainable, giving the CC a bit of eco-friendliness spread throughout the CC's cabin.
When the Volkswagen CC debuted in 2009, it looked like nothing else on the road (with the exception of the Mercedes-Benz CLS). Nowadays, it's a bit less unique looking, but that doesn't mean it's any less handsome. The four-door CC sports a coupe-like profile with its long, low hood, flared wheel arches, and stretched roofline. The CC's good looks change slightly depending on trim level. The CC Sport gets 10-spoke, 17-inch wheels, while the R-Line gets 18-inch wheels that are shared with the CC Lux. The CC Executive gets unique 18-inch turbine-blade wheels.
The Volkswagen CC gets its standard walnut wood trim replaced with sustainable dark-colored wood options for 2012. VW has also added an analog clock to the CC's cabin. Designed after a Swiss timepiece, the CC's analog clock is positioned in the center console above the radio controls. The 2012 CC has a generally pleasant cabin with soft-touch plastics and luxurious-looking trim. While we weren't fans of the CC's cheap-feeling leatherette interior, we found the seats comfortable and supportive. We found the CC's rear bucket seats to be adequate, except headroom suffers with the rakish roofline.
The 2012 Volkswagen CC is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged I-4 that produces 200 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque, or a 3.6-liter V-6 that makes 280 hp and 265 lb-ft of torque. The 2.0-liter engine is available only on the CC Sport, R-Line, and Lux. A six-speed manual and six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission are the available transmissions, powering the front wheels. In our testing the 2.0-liter mill proved enough to help the CC to accelerate from 0-60 mph in 6.8 seconds with the manual transmission. Available only with all-wheel drive and a traditional six-speed automatic on the CC Executive, the V-6 powers the CC from 0-60 mph in 6.6 seconds.
The 2012 Volkswagen CC comes standard from the factory with driver and front passenger airbags, and side curtain airbags in the front, and rear. The 2012 CC also features Volkswagen's Intelligent Crash Response System, which shuts off the fuel pump, unlocks the doors, and switches on the hazards in the event the CC is involved in an accident. The CC has standard traction control, electronic stability control, engine braking assist, and an electronic locking differential.
CC 2.0L I-4: 21 mpg city/31 mpg highway (manual); 22 mpg city/31 mpg highway (auto)
CC 3.6L V-6: 17 mpg city/25 mpg highway (auto)
- Luxury value for the dollar
- It's a looker
- Solid engine options
- Leatherette seats
- Tight rear headroom
Euro appeal, financial steal
- Acura TSX
- Infiniti G
- Lexus IS
- Nissan Maxima
- Saab 9-3


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For more than 30 years, the Gulf County Senior Citizens Association has sponsored the Miss Gulf County Valentine�s Pageant.
For more than 30 years, the Gulf County Senior Citizens Association has sponsored the Miss Gulf County Valentine�s Pageant. This event is an evening of absolute fun for the entire family and is centered around our beautiful young ladies in age categories from infants through high school seniors. There is a category for every age group.
There are some very nice prizes given away. First, about 25 door prizes will be given away throughout the evening. Each contestant will receive a memento for participation and a college scholarship is given away to Miss Gulf County. One of the more popular prizes in the past has been a complete beauty makeover and cosmetic consultation by award winning professional beauty consultant and artist, Ms. Dee Dee Morris of Dothan, Alabama (Facebook: Dee Dee Morris, Dothan Al).
According to Mrs. Barbara Mannon, President of the Gulf County Senior Citizens Board of Director, this event is used to raise funds for Gulf County Seniors. �We have had excellent community support in the past, but we are looking for increased sponsorship this year. The change in Florida Medicaid has dramatically impacted our funding and we need the community�s assistance more than ever.� The funds will be used to provide meals, companionship, social activities, personal care, housekeeping, and other vital services needed so our elderly can stay active and in their homes.
Please call the Senior Center at 229-8466 for sponsorship information or send donation checks to 120 Library Drive, Port St. Joe, Florida 32456.
Your donation is tax deductible.
The event will be held at the Wewahitchka Elementary School Auditorium at 6 p.m. CT Saturday, Feb. 8. Applications to participate as a contestant are available from the Center or through your school office. Applications must be turned in no later than Feb. 3 in order to participate. This event is not held in conjunction with any other nationally sponsored contest, but is strictly for the young ladies and families of Gulf County.
Please come join us!