The New Volvo XC90

Till date, Volvo cars have managed to create a small clientele in India. But riding high on the strong list of safety features, comfortable seven-seats and understated good looks of the all-new 2015 Volvo XC90, the company is hoping to elbow out competition like theAudi Q7, BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GL-Class and create a larger audience in India than ever before.

The 2015 Volvo XC90 would be the first Volvo to use the new powertrains and the versatile Scalable Product Architecture (SPA). The same platform on which newer derivatives of '60' & '90' cluster of Volvo cars will be based on. And from here, Volvo has plans of refreshing its entire line-up within the next four years, which would technically make the 2015 XC90 the oldest car model among its siblings.

The first motor to be launched in India will be the new D5 diesel. The 2-litre twin turbo, in-line four producing a good 228PS of max power at 4250rpm, while torque peaks at 470Nm between 1750-2500rpm.

For entertainment the car will have standard 12.3-inch colour instrument cluster for the driver, the Inscription trim also gets a heads-up display and a top class19 speakers Bowers and Wilkins entertainment system which features an air-ventilated sub-woofer

Interiors

The interiors of the car have been designed beautifully. There is fine wood finish that runs from door to door, there is adual tone steering wheel and a neatly laid out centre console with the vertical touch screen. The seven-seater SUV also has very flexible interiors and Volvo says that the third row can seat anyone up to 5 feet 7 inches height comfortably.

Features

The Momentum variant of the XC90 will come with keyless entry, panoramic sun roof, electrically operated boot, rear camera, cornering headlights .The top variant will get all of the aforementioned plus heads up display, leather wrapped dashboard, dual integrated headlights and a different grille up front.



So one of the most awaited SUV of 2015 is here and there are more to come in coming days.

by: Kartikay sharma  (b.tech )

GUNPOWDER ENGINE

In engines, a gunpowder engine is one that employs gunpowder to produce a vacuum inside the piston and cylinder causing the atmosphericpressure to perform work in driving the piston downward to eliminate the vacuum. 

 
History
The central problem of this period was that of raising water from the Seine to supply the palace of Versailles. Two individuals, SAMUEL MORLAND (1661) and Jean de Hautefeuille (1678) seemed to have published designs for engines that used gunpowder to facilitate the raising of water; but, it seems, their designs did not employ a piston and cylinder.


The first gunpowder engine, using a piston and cylinder, was invented and built in 1678 by Dutch mathematical physicist CHRISTIAN HUYGENS called Huygens gunpowder and air engine. This is considered to have been the first true motive engine. It is inferred that Huygens was aware of earlier attempts at gunpowder-created vacuums designed to raise water.





An account of Huygens’ invention was published in the 1680 memoir “A New Motive Power by Means of Gunpowder and Air”. [2] By 1682, the device had successfully shown that a dram (1/16th of an ounce) of gunpowder, in a cylinder seven or eight feet high and fifteen or eighteen inches in diameter, could raise seven or eight boys (or about 1,100 pounds) into the air, who held the end of the rope.


Operation
Huygens’ engine consisted of a hollow cylinder A, well polished within and of uniform size throughout. B, a moveable piston inserted into the top of the cylinder, the upper portion of which is surrounded by a small quantity of water. C, C, two apertures, each one-half the diameter of the cylinder. D, D, tubes of moist and soft leather secured to little cylinders which are fastened to the main cylinder at the apertures (one of the tubes being shown extended, the other hanging). E, E, hold fasts, by which the cylinder is joined to the case in which it sits, which is not shown in the figure. F, F, a cord attached to the piston and passing over a pulley G, for the purpose of raising whatever is attached to it. H, a small box for receiving the charge of gunpowder, attached to the bottom of the cylinder by means of a screw, a leather ring being employed to aid in making the joint air-tight.


On the explosion of the charge, the air contained in the cylinder was driven out through the leather tubes C D, C D, which were momentarily extended, but immediately closed again by the external air; and the cylinder being vacuous, the piston B was driven down by the atmospheric pressure, drawing with it the cord F, and raising whatever was suspended by it.

by:- Yash Agarwal 

Why QR is better than Barcode ?

The QR code, similar to a barcode, is an example of an information matrix. However a significant difference in the two is that while a barcode only holds information nicely in the horizontal direction, a QR can do so vertically as well. This is why QR codes are referred to as two-dimensional, because they carry information both vertically and horizontally. Another direct result to this is greater potential to carry information in a smaller space. Compared to a barcode, it’s no competition at all.

What are some of the advantages? A QR code can carry up to some hundred times the amount of information a conventional barcode is capable of. When comparing the display of both: a conventional barcode can take up to ten times the amount of printing space as a QR code carrying the same amount of information. A QR code is capable of being read in 360 degrees, from any direction, thus eliminating any interference and negative effects from backgrounds.

Also, the algorithm which is used to create QR codes will allow for an error margin (approx. 7-30%). “So what?” you ask? Well, this doesn’t just help with scanning purposes in case the item or code in question is dirty or damaged. Knowing this feature, you can alter the QR code symbol to include a logo, keyword, picture, etc. This could help extraordinarily in the aesthetic appeal of the code, and thus customer/consumer response. Or it could just help cater to your creative/fun side, if you wanted to make a QR code of your own.

Why Indian Cricket Team can still surprise us in World Cup 2k15 ....

Over the past few weeks, since India have been failing to open their account in the ongoing tri-series in Australia, I have come across countless articles claiming that India have no chance of defending the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand over the next two months. At the cost of sounding like a fanboy, I must admit that there is a part of me that thinks that India is being written off too easily here.

Yes, their form lately has been terrible. Yes, three months in Australia haven’t given them a single win, and the bowling attack is in tatters. But let’s not forget challenges Team India displayed in all the Tests barring Brisbane maybe. Let’s not forget that peaking too early isn’t something too desirable. Now when was the last time South Africa entered an ICC tournament not being the favourites? How many titles do they have to display?

If the past is anything to go by, in long tournaments like the World Cup, the team that peaks at the right time eventually wins the more important matches.

Look at the 2011 World Cup. In the group stages, India tied against England and lost against South Africa. So technically, the only top team they were able to beat were the West Indies – and calling them a top team in this format would be questionable in the first place. South Africa, on the other hand, topped the group, losing just one game against England by a close margin. Than came the all-important quarter-final against New Zealand at Dhaka, they collapsed, getting bowled out for 172 while chasing a mediocre target of 222.

It was the same New Zealand that had seemed hopeless in Indian conditions till just a year back. India, despite having an edgy group stage where even Ireland put them in a spot of bother, went on to win the tournament and were clinical in the knock-outs.

In fact, the way the Indian team is being perceived right now is nothing new. Back in 2002, right before the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, similar questions had been raised about the team and its chances of doing well in the World Cup.

Captain Sourav Ganguly had a fledgling bowling attack at his disposal, and was desperately forced to call Javagal Srinath out of retirement. Rahul Dravid was performing a dual role he wasn’t quite used to performing, and barring Anil Kumble, Sachin Tendulkar, Srinath, Ganguly and Dravid, the team reeked of inexperience.
In the midst of some controversial strategic decisions, India was exposed in the testing conditions of New Zealand. 108, 219, 108, 122, 169, 200 and 122. These were team totals posted by India during that ODI series, which they lost 5-2. While the clamour to call back the team grew back home, and the tongues kept wagging, India scripted a magical streak of wins against top sides and reached their first final in 20 years.

Eventually, it didn’t matter that New Zealand dominated India before the World Cup. They still exited in the Super Six stage. What mattered was how India played during the World Cup, and that’s what cricket experts should wait for till declaring their verdict. After all, a tri-series in Australia isn’t the end of the world, and an exit is a good way to be refreshed before the World Cup begins and take stock of the situation. Competition format helps Team India in the long run.This point of view becomes extremely pertinent considering the format of the World Cup. There are sure shot wins to be had against Ireland, Zimbabwe, UAE and West Indies. So even if one is to presume a loss to South Africa in the group stage, India will most likely end up at second spot.The challenge in the quarter-final will be if India face Australia or New Zealand. Irrespective of how England have performed in the tri-series, they aren’t an experienced side in knock-outs. So if India face England or Sri Lanka in the quarter-finals, there is a strong possibility of them making it to the semi-finals, after which it can be anyone’s competition.

What will go well for Team India here, is the team’s extensive experience in playing tournament finals – games that are as good as knock-outs when measured in terms of the pressure each player faces. Between 3rd April 2011 and today, India under MS Dhoni has played five knock-out games, which includes two finals and two semi-finals. All five of those games have been won by India. Add to that the experience of playing knock-out games in the IPL, each India player knows a thing or two about holding onto his nerves in tricky situations.

The idea of this post isn’t to dissect India’s batting and bowling. There’s enough of it already. The idea is to point out that some of us are hastily writing off the team. As I said, the quarter-finals are for certain, semi-finals are possible; after that, it’s a matter of a couple of games.

by: Yash Agarwal

See and hear this custom, V12 Lamborghini powered bike

It’s hard to tame insanity, and after the Chevrolet V8 powered Boss Hoss motorcycle, it was only a matter of time before somebody put a V12 engine into a bike. At a recent event called Caffeine and Octane, which takes place once a month in Alpharetta, Georgia, this monstrous, V12 Lamborghini  powered bike was seen. More details are scarce, but we do know how it sounds. It’s also fully-functional, besides having a really tough time justifying its existence.

The cynosure of all eyes at the event, the bike looks massive, and unusually long, because of its preposterous V12 heart- which meant that the handlebars and the minimalist instrument console had to be shifted aft, almost in the center of the behemoth. The owner (apparently) took a moment and cranked it up, and rest assured, it sounds unmistakably exotic and so V12.