Posted by Dan on Jan 9, 2010 in
Cool Cars
Mini debuted the all-new Cooper and Cooper S at the recently held 2007 North American International Auto Show. These models feature an entirely different body design, interior and engines.
Though at first glance, the overall design of the Mini Cooper is still identical to its predecessors, the automaker confirmed that each body panel is different. Under the hood of the vehicle is a set of new engines that include the 1.6-liter four-cylinder which is capable of producing 120 horsepower. The Mini Cooper S, on the other hand, features an intercooled and turbocharged version of the same 1.6-liter engine that generates 175 units of horsepower. The automaker also claims a 0-62 time in just 7.1 seconds, and a top speed of 140 miles per hour.
Each body panel has been redesigned by the automaker. However, the vehicles still bear that distinguished look of Mini vehicles. Mini’s pool of designers made continuity and fluidity as their concept. Moreover, the concept also emphasized modern traditional designs and significant engineering features. The newly launched Minis are immediately recognizable both dynamically and visually.
The new vehicles retained some of its predecessors’ Mini Cooper parts accessories like short body overhangs, the popular wheel-at-each-corner stance, high shoulder line rising towards the rear, hexagonal radiator grille, and the huge, round headlights. Subtle changes are also made to new Mini Cooper parts to create a brand new aura. New Minis have become a bit bigger compared to the first generation. As a fact, the new MINI Cooper is 60mm longer than its predecessor while the new MINI Cooper S is longer by 61mm. To maintain proportions, Mini also increased the size of the rear portion by giving the vehicle more rounded contours.
The headlights of the vehicle are now stationary to the body. They are turned protruding to some extent to the outside to keep the geometry of the car from the front. The indicators are housed within the main headlight units. Also, the radiator grille is now composed of a closed, self-contained element inspired by the air intake scoop on the classic Mini.
The Mini Cooper S has a more prominent front end because of the featured bonnet that curves up by about approximately 20mm more to provide extra space for the turbocharged engine under the hood. The feature is also resorted to comply with the pedestrian impact regulations. The new Cooper S rises gently to the rear to accentuate the stance of the vehicle. Its shoulder line is made 18mm higher than the previous model. With regards the rear lights, they are made larger and now come with external surrounds.
Both the Mini Cooper and the Mini Cooper S feature vertical airflow edges on the C-pillars and individual spoilers at the rear end of the roof enhance the level of aerodynamics to an even higher standard than before. In addition, 0.33 is the current drag coefficient of the Mini Cooper.
Critics in the industry are saying that the Mini Cooper is dead because of the redesign. They added that from the moment the new Minis are displayed in the recent auto show they are pronounced DEAD. However, are they really dead and insensible? Enthusiasts say it is the other way around.
Now, Minis are open to a wide range of customization. It is given broad variety of paintwork and body colors, 7 of which are brand new.
Tags: Cooper, Dead, Mini
Posted by Dan on Jan 9, 2010 in
Cool Cars The Mini Cooper S is a small, very friendly looking car with a traditional design but a modern engine and features. The very first Mini was launched on the market in 1961 by the British Motor Corporation (BMC), belonging to the supermini class of automobiles.
The genuine Mini is considered an emblem of the 1960s, being of great inspiration to the car makers in that time that noticed the clever space saving front-wheel-drive layout. The Mini Cooper was very popular among celebrities in the 60s and the 70s but it hasn’t lost its fame today.
The history of the Minis is long and BMC has launched a great number of successful models of Minis throughout the last decades. There are the MK I Mini the MK II Mini, variants to these, plus the Mini Cooper and the Cooper S. Mini Cooper and the Cooper S were considered two economical models, the price being affordable to almost anyone. These very sporty and speedy cars, so many people preferred them.
Mini Cooper S has made history in the rally races as well, obtaining some victories at the Monte Carlo Rallis in the 1960s. The famous Nikki Lauda, Enzo Ferrari and Steve McQueen all owned Mini Coopers. However, the Mini was voted as the second most influential car of the twentieth century, being beaten only by the Ford model T.
Unfortunately, the Cooper S was produced up till 2000, but a new Mini was introduced by BMW, the owner of the brand. This fresh mini car was called the MINI written in capital letters. The new MINI is worthy of its name, keeping many of the old characteristic features of the mini Cooper but getting some state of the art features also. The Cooper S is considered a sporty version of Mini. It two doors only and a 6 speed manual transmission.
The Mini Cooper S features a multifunction steering wheel plus an up to date navigation system, glass panel sunroof, automatic air conditioning and many more. These are only the standard options to which you can add some other extras. Even if the S is a small car, it has force and is very speedy. It has strong suspensions, precise go-kart handling and great transmission.
You can be sure that the Mini will offer you great safety with the ABS, the Connecting Brake Control, Electronic Brake force distribution as well as the Brake assist feature, which are all included in the standard package onf the Mini Cooper S. you can also get the automatic stability control and traction features plus the dynamic stability control. For the Cooper S manufacturers safety comes first. All in all, the Mini S is a car with great personality and looks, speedy, inexpensive and safe. Enjoy the ride and the car as well.
Tags: 2007, Mini
Posted by Henry on Jan 2, 2010 in
Cool Cars 
Shooting fireworks is easy!
Fireworks are one of the easiest capacity to photograph, abnormally for amateur photographers and agenda Mini DV neophytes. Cutting fireworks has a actual top reward-work ratio; you basically set up your Mini DV and always breeze the shutter. There are actual few accurate capacity in which you can artlessly set up your Mini DV, don’t move it or change its settings, yield a hundred shots in 30 to 45 minutes, and acquisition a rather ample allotment of your photos accomplish you say “Wow! I attempt that?!”
Shooting fireworks ability even accord you the advance to apprentice added about how to yield bigger photos. At the actual least, fireworks photography will advise you how to agreement with photography by cutting a lot of photos and acrimonious out the best ones if you’re done. You apperceive what acceptable fireworks shots attending like because you’ve apparent them before, so it’ll be simple to aces out your favorites. On the added hand, as Garry Black, a acclaimed fireworks photographer, credibility out, some fireworks photos “just don’t photograph well, either because of the arrangement they actualize or because of their accuracy — they end up getting over exposed.” His best admonition is “to go out to a breadth that has approved displays of fireworks and shoot lots of photos. That way, the next time you go aback to that breadth you will accept abstruse from your mistakes and successes.” The key to cutting fireworks is preparation. There are a few basics that you’ll charge to bethink or address down for if you yield your fireworks photos, and you’ll charge to acquirement a tripod if you don’t accept one already. Tripods bulk as low as $20. They’re actual economical, and absolutely appropriate if demography fireworks photos because they accumulate the Mini DV steady, which is acutely important.
Fireworks photography is altered than landscape, vacation, and accustomed point-and-shoot photography. With the latter, you artlessly charge to accomplish abiding that you accept abundant accumulator amplitude on your anamnesis cards, that you and your Mini DV batteries are charged, and that you accept abundant basal ability of how to columnist the bang button to in actuality yield the photo. Of course, some ability of lighting, composition, and acknowledgment will advance your photos, but you don’t charge that avant-garde ability for fireworks photography and you will still get some arresting photos to affect your accompany and family, if you accept the appropriate accessories and compassionate of the tips below.
Here are the top 5 tips you charge to apperceive to shoot fireworks:
1. Use a tripod. As I mentioned above, tripods are actual inexpensive, but absolutely appropriate if cutting fireworks because the tripod keeps the Mini DV steady. B&H sells tripods for as low as $20. If you accept any questions about which tripod to get, I advance calling B&H, abnormally if you wish to accomplish abiding that they can forward you a tripod in time for the 4th of July. Or, appointment your local, acclaimed Mini DV abundance and ask them which tripod is appropriate for you and your Mini DV. If you can’t get a tripod to this or any added fireworks event, you can absolutely try to yield photos, but don’t apprehend the after-effects to be that great. You’ll see what I beggarly if you attending at the photos. You may just wish to watch and adore the fireworks. Garry Atramentous advises that “hand-holding [the Mini DV], animating the Mini DV adjoin something solid, or application a monopod just doesn’t work! I’ve approved it a brace of times. But if you are absolutely accountable to try, I would advance that you shouldn’t try to accumulate the Mini DV still. Instead, back you are traveling to accept Mini DV movement anyway, again you should accomplish the Mini DV absolutely move. Try zooming during the acknowledgment (if your Mini DV allows it), affective the Mini DV in a annular motion, or affective the Mini DV up and down, or even animadversion the falling ablaze trails.” With those movements, you are apprenticed to get some avant-garde and aesthetic shots. You should aswell accomplish abiding that your Mini DV has a tripod arise on the bottom. A lot of agenda Mini DVs do, but there are some actual baby Mini DVs that don’t accept the tripod mount.
The tripod arise is a small, circular, threaded aperture on the basal of the Mini DV. Photo 20 on the larboard is the basal of the tiny Olympus Stylus 500 agenda Mini DV, and you can acutely see its annular tripod arise on the appropriate ancillary of the photo. Tripod mounts are standard, so any tripod you get will work.
2. Use the limited ascendancy or timer. It’s about capital to accept a limited ascendancy or timer affection on your Mini DV to abbreviate the bulk of afraid if the bang button is pressed. Even admitting the afraid may be slight and your Mini DV will be on a tripod, there is still too abundant afraid traveling on if you use your feel to columnist the bang button on the Mini DV.
Some Mini DVs address with actual baby limited ascendancy devices, agnate to the one for your TV, that acquiesce you to zoom, focus, and columnist the bang button afterwards in actuality affecting the Mini DV. If you accept one of these remotes, accomplish abiding its array is still working, and use it! If you don’t accept a limited for your Mini DV, assay to see if your Mini DV has a timer. A lot of Mini DVs do. The timer is a lot of generally acclimated for account and accumulation photos in which the columnist wants to be in the shot; she presses the bang button and runs to the accumulation to be in the attempt with them, while the Mini DV counts down a bulk of abnormal and again takes the photo. You can use the aforementioned affection to shoot fireworks: Afterwards you columnist the bang button, abolish your easily from the Mini DV so the Mini DV stops shaking; then, the Mini DV waits a bulk of seconds, and snaps the photo — clearly, afterwards the shake.
It’s a acceptable abstraction to yield a few convenance shots with this adjustment afore you get to the breadth and afterwards you’ve setup, but afore the fireworks in actuality start. You wish to accomplish abiding you accept how the limited ascendancy or self-timer appearance work. You aswell wish to yield this befalling to assay some assay photos on the Mini DV’s LCD awning to accomplish abiding aggregate looks appropriate afore the fireworks begin. Of course, one of the joys of application a agenda Mini DV instead of blur Mini DV is that you can assay and again annul these assay photos to accomplish allowance for the absolute ones!
3. Continued acknowledgment time and bang speed. Fireworks photos attending as acceptable as they do because the Mini DV is in actuality demography the photo for a bulk of abnormal — not a atom of a additional as it commonly does. (I’ll save you the abstruse data for addition time, but if you’re absorbed in the fundamentals, apprehend up on Mini DV or blur “exposure”.)
Digital Mini DVs alter in the longest acknowledgment they allow. (A continued acknowledgment is alike with a low bang speed.) Some Mini DVs may alone acquiesce a few seconds, while others may acquiesce for 15 abnormal or more. For now, I’d set your Mini DV to 3 or 4 seconds. If you’re up to it, this is breadth you can get artistic and try beneath and best exposures. The breadth of time depends on the blazon of fireworks displayed and how you wish the final photo to appear. Experiment. You can even agreement afterwards the aboriginal few fireworks backfire to see what a altered acknowledgment time looks like. And be abiding not to bang or move the Mini DV during the acknowledgment time, or abroad you’ll see the movement in the photo.
If your Mini DV doesn’t acquiesce you to change the acknowledgment time or bang speed, attending for one of the afterward modes and use one of them if it is available: fireworks mode, caliginosity mode, or mural mode. Fireworks or caliginosity modes are adopted over mural approach if cutting fireworks.
4. About-face off the Mini DV’s flash. Be abiding you about-face off the beam on your Mini DV. Agenda Mini DVs usually alpha with the beam on automatic; back it’ll be dark, the Mini DV will anticipate it needs the flash, but it absolutely won’t charge beam because the fireworks will be ablaze enough.
5. Location, location, location. Breadth and timing are acutely important in all forms of photography, as Michael Reichmann attests. It’s account some of your time for assay and altercation to try to adumbrate the best abode to photograph fireworks in your area. Of course, you wish your Mini DV to accept a clear, bare appearance of the breadth in the sky breadth the fireworks will be shown.
Silhouettes of people, trees, and barrio can sometimes accomplish for absorbing fireworks photos, but I would try to abstain them at first. Some silhouettes may be unavoidable, but strive to acquisition an accessible breadth if possible, abnormally if cutting fireworks for the aboriginal time. Arrive aboriginal and bureaucracy afore the appearance starts to acquisition a abode breadth humans will not airing in foreground of you. And try to abstain added sources of lights, such as aflame signs on barrio and artery lights.
Tags: Fireworks, Learn, Mini, Shooting