Back on Roll..

"There's nothing as exciting as a come back - seeing someone with dreams, watching them fail, and then getting a second chance."

"You have no choices about how you lose, but you do have a choice about how you come back and prepare to win again." 

"Give the world the best that you have, and the best will come back to you."

A big "Hi" to all my readers out there! Hope you have been doing fine.

I know.. i know.. You must be saying "what the heck these quotes are doing under an auto blog???" !!! Well...  Sometimes you need to motivate yourself to do something which was left incomplete.

When i started blogging, the enthusiasm was tremendous and the thought of discontinuing it, was certainly out of question. I never thought that i would be out of touch for so long!

But then, you can't predict what challenges lies ahead in life. Change is the only constant. Not only I was running out of time to blog, but I also drifted away from 'Cars on roll'.

The last time I blogged... it was Dec, 2008. I'm writing after 3 long years. Phoo!!... I never guessed that there would be such a huge GAP! 

Through this blog i have explored a whole new world. I got readers, fans, followers, friends, mentors. I also learnt a lot about the web. Though i was not blogging but comments have been flowing regularly and I even got a couple of requests for advertisements. Thanks to all. I love my readers! I want to get in touch with all of them again. 

So, this part of my life... this part right here. this is called "Comeback". (yeah! you guessed it right - i tweaked the dialogue from Pursuit of Happyness)

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A FACT EVERY INDIAN MUST KNOW

There is not much I would be writing in this post. The picture below says it all by itself. A very strong message for all the citizens of my nation. Every individual can interpret the wordings by his/her level of maturity and understanding but one can't ignore it. Hope it makes some difference... the rest will follow
(right click and select view image to get a better look)

Don't forget to drop in your views and comments. May this year be more peaceful, Happy New Year.

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Veritas - The Story Behind

Veritas was a famous West German post World War II sports and race car company, located at Hausen am Andelsbach, near Sigmaringen, Baden-Württemberg, later at Meßkirch and Muggensturm and moved finally to the Nürburgring.

In 1946, after a failed plan by a British BMW licensee to continue production by bringing the brains of BMW to England, several employees left BMW to form their own company named "Veritas" - Latin for "truth."

Since Veritas was formed and headed by Ernst Loof, the chief of racing operations at BMW, it was a racing-oriented company. The first cars that were produced in 1947 were single-seat Formula 2 racers and competition sports cars. These cars were powered by modified 328 engines, scavenged from any place they could be found.

The first car was used in 1947 by its owner Karl Kling to win at Hockenheim and subsequently become the 1947 German 2-litre champion. After only a few cars were made, following an objection from BMW, the cars became simply known as Veritas.

The first Veritas to be made for normal road use was made in 1949 with the launch of the Komet coupé which was little more than a racing Veritas RS made street legal. It was followed by the more civilized 2+2 Saturn coupé and Scorpion cabriolet.

The company moved to larger premises in Muggensturm in 1949 but were badly under capitalized. New cars were designed using a 1998 cc engine. Over 200 orders were received for the new car but there was not enough money available to buy the components and production came to a halt in 1950 and the company continued in operation until 1952 by making new bodies for Panhard cars.

Ernst Loof moved to the Nürburgring in 1950 and set up a new company Automobilwerke Ernst Loof GmbH and started a new range of Veritas cars. But, money quickly ran out and the final bodies were fitted with Ford or Opel engines. The number of cars made at the Nürburgring is estimated as between 6 and 20.

Although it had several prosperous years of racing in the German Formula 2 races, the Veritas failed in international events when it could not catch newer Ferrari and Maserati racers with their 180-horsepower engines.

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Rolling to Google PR3 : My Ride (Part I)

Hi friends,

I am not really good at giving SEO and blogging tips. But I will try my best to impart what all I gathered during my journey to Google PR3. To give the best to you, I have broken down the path into 3 parts :

Creating Blog
The initial 3 Months
The road ahead.


PART I - CREATING BLOG

I started this blog Cars On rOll, sometime in July, this year. Earlier I used to write on whatever I felt like from a latest gadget in market to prevailing social issues. But as I explored this blogging world, I realized that its better to get started with a particular niche. I chose Cars. So, the initial phase is choosing your niche. Its really confusing to decide on what to blog about, but you know there are millions of people searching for million topics/niche. So, start with anything under the sun (something in which you take interest) and you will certainly find readers!

One more thing to note is you URL(you choose at the time of creating your blog). Most of the beginners forget this aspect. The URL of your blog must be similar to your blog niche. It means that the URL, you choose/create must reflect your blog theme and give an idea of what you blog about. Like Cars On rOll sounds like something related to Cars. Although its a part of SEO, but one must know this fact at the very beginning because its easier to change at the beginning. I, too started with a different URL (perplexedvyas.blogspot.com) and then after choosing my niche shifted over to the current one. If you can afford a domain name, its much better.

Now comes the template. Google blogspot provides some default templates. You can either choose from the default templates or get your own from the web. Search out for the best design, which suits your blog and implement the same. Here are some sites which provides the XML templates for blogspot :

eblog templates
blogger templates

Next on the list comes your content. The content has to be good. It must be different and unique in its own manner. But you can't get everything different like I can't change the specifications of the cars I write about. But then you can add your views, compare them with other cars and fondle with words. Enhance your writing skills - thats the secret. The way you write a post and the information you share matters a lot. While writing a post, add some personal touch. Be humble. Enhancing your writing skills takes time (I am also trying hard at it). Do read blogs of experienced and professional blogger to get an idea of the same.

DONE!! Your blog is created. Here is a quick review of all the key points :

Choose a blogging domain (blogspot/wordpress).
Decide on a niche for your blog.
Get the URL correct.
Choose a Template according to your requirements.
Keep the Content good.
Add a personal touch and be humble in your writing.
Enhance your writing skills.

This was the first part of my experience with blogging. I don't want you to repeat the mistakes I committed. Remember these whenever you begin with a new blog or else you can always visit mine :) Feel free to add your experience or tips, by commenting below. It will be useful for all the newbies in blogging.

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My Car in III Gear !!!

I was rolling on, gaining speed gradually, changing gears and crossing milestones. I never looked back. And On my way, I got this :


Is it a reward of my past efforts or a motivation for continuing my efforts!! There are many ways of interpreting but I am glad that I am in. Blogging for me hasn't been a long journey, as I started this july but it seems to be a long journey ahead.

I came across many new things - SEO, Online/Offline marketing, Niche, Google Keywords and what not. I tried everything & often kept changing my blog-looks to make it better. Reading and commenting on blogs was part of my job. I loved it and in the process found some really nice people.

At this car stop, I like to thank all my fellow friends, bloggers, online social connections and Google(the Greatest source of information on net). Their advice and suggestions helped me a lot. They have been with me all this time & will remain for miles ahead, too.

The gear has been shifted to the next level and I have to take a broader route to drive safe. Keep rolling with me and you will soon reach your destination.

Thanks.

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No Need To Bend Your Knees : Honda's Walking Assist Device

Are you suffering from arthritis ? or having weak leg muscles ? Do you have problem in walking ? HEY!! you are not visiting a Health Blog, its still Cars On rOll. Well... I wish you don't have any of those physical ailments but still if you are suffering from any one of them or your family member, then here is a solution - the new Honda Walking Assistance Device.

This device will help you out with your damaged muscles or knee problems. It aims to reduce the load on the user's legs while walking, going up and down the stairs, and also while sitting in a semi-crouching position. Here are the device's specifications :

Weight - 6.5 kg
2 Electric Motors
1 Lithium ion Battery

The structure consists of : seat, frame, and shoes, and the user can put it on by simply wearing the shoes and lifting the seat into position.

Working : Honda developed a unique mechanism where the seat and frame follow the movement of the body and legs. The assisting force will be directed toward the user's center of gravity, just as with human legs, which enables the device to provide assistance in various movements and postures like walking, going up and down stairs, and in a semi-crouching position.

One of the prominent feature in this device is that the user can utilize it without need of a belt to fasten the device to their body.

The main target as Honda earlier said are the elderly people and people undergoing rehabilitation who need support for their leg muscles and joints.

Honda began research this walking assist device in 1999 with the goal to provide more people with the joy of mobility. The experiment was first demonstrated at the BARRIER FREE 2008 in Japan. And apparently employs some of the same technology developed by Honda for its ASIMO robot.

Here is a demonstration video of the Robot legs for humans :



So, a pair of artificial knees are not so bad, if you get the advantage of mobility :) And not to forget it extends the life of your limbs too. Yet another leap in science & technology. The robots seems to get more into our lives, making it easier and more sophisticated. Hope it doesn't go the iRobot way !!

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Project Splitwheel : Design Your Car

Did you ever wish to design your very own car ? To give it your looks and design. You have a great opportunity at hand. Join the world’s first virtual car company. Project Splitwheel in collaboration with Caterham has brought up this innovative proposal.



This is the world's first project to design and build a new performance car online! You have an opportunity to interact with designers from all over the world, contribute to the project with your ideas and views and be a part of the designing team.

There will be voting, discussion, debates and a lot more along with thousands of car enthusiasts from all over the world. You all will help decide the key features of the vehicle. And hey!., you not need to be a mechanical engineer or masters but just a Car passionate.

So are you ready to get started ? .. visit the site here and get yourself registered for this event. There are videos and other stuff to familiarize you with the project.

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US Election : What Power Drives ?

With American Election in the limelight everyone is busy deciding their poling options. Some rely on Barack Obama and some trust John McCain. But when coming to cars, who do these people rely upon. What are their Drives ? check it out yourself..

Barack Obama
Going along with his sober persona and concern towards world and next Gen, Obama adores a green machine - The Ford Escape. This is a gas-electric hybrid version.
The Ford Escape is a compact SUV sold by the automaker Ford Motor Company introduced in 2000 as a 2001 model year. A hybrid version of the Escape was released in 2004, making it the first hybrid SUV.

John McCain
John McCain cruises in GM'S Cadillac CTS sedan. The CTS (Catera Touring Sedan) is a mid size luxury car made by General Motors for the Cadillac brand. The CTS is credited with rejuvenating the Cadillac brand, and possibly saving it from extinction.

Biden
Biden owns a 1967 Corvette. The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car that has been manufactured by General Motors since 1953. Under the hood it has a 390-bhp engine!

Sarah Palin
The governor of the U.S. state of Alaska drives the powerful SUV - Chevrolet Suburban. It is a large sport utility vehicle from Chevrolet and the longest-lived continuous automobile nameplate still in production, dating from 1935 and is likely to be produced under this name for the foreseeable future.

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Happy Deepavali

DEEPAVALI or Diwali means "a row of lights". It is a major Indian festival, and a significant festival in Hinduism, Sikhism and Jainism. Deepavali is celebrated on the first day of the lunar Kartika month, which comes in the month of October or November.

Today it is celebrated by Hindus, Jains and Sikhs across the globe as the "Festival of Lights," where the lights or lamps signify victory of good over the evil within every human being. The festival is also celebrated by Buddhists of Nepal, particularly the Newar Buddhists.

There are various alleged origins attributed to this festival. Some hold that they celebrate the marriage of Lakshmi with Lord Vishnu. In Bengal the festival is dedicated to the worship of Kali. It also commemorates that blessed day on which the triumphant Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya after defeating Ravana. On this day also Sri Krishna killed the demon Narakasura.

Everyone forgets and forgives the wrongs done by others. There is an air of freedom, festivity and friendliness everywhere. This festival brings about unity. It instills charity in the hearts of people. Everyone buys new clothes for the family. Employers, too, purchase new clothes for their employees.

O Ram! The light of lights, the self-luminous inner light of the Self is ever shining steadily in the chamber of your heart. Sit quietly. Close your eyes. Withdraw the senses. Fix the mind on this supreme light and enjoy the real Deepavali, by attaining illumination of the soul.

He who Himself sees all but whom no one beholds, who illumines the intellect, the sun, the moon and the stars and the whole universe but whom they cannot illumine, He indeed is Brahman, He is the inner Self. Celebrate the real Deepavali by living in Brahman, and enjoy the eternal bliss of the soul.

The sun does not shine there, nor do the moon and the stars, nor do lightnings shine and much less fire. All the lights of the world cannot be compared even to a ray of the inner light of the Self. Merge yourself in this light of lights and enjoy the supreme Deepavali.

May you all attain full inner illumination! May the supreme light of lights enlighten your understanding! May you all attain the inexhaustible spiritual wealth of the Self! May you all prosper gloriously on the material as well as spiritual planes!

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New Template Look

Hi!
after much await, I have got what i was eagerly looking for - a template, which suits my blog and liking. This template is more soothing to your eyes and has a lot many features. You enjoy more freedom with this format of blogger design.

The blog template is designed by woork. It is free to download and works for blogger as well. The necessary customization can be done very easily with little changes here and there. Overall a good change from the default templates provided by blogger.

I would like your comments and suggestions to help improve my blog. All those who have uploaded this template can share their experience here.

Download this template

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Are Solar Cars practical ?

Solar Cars !!... well, we all have heard this name sometime or the other. Many of us may have participated or saw the popular Solar Car races. So, what is the feasibility of these Solar vehicles to be used in daily life ?? Are they efficient enough ? Will they replace the present 4 wheelers in near future ? there are a lot many questions associated, when it comes to Solar cars.

Lets see the picture in detail...

What is a solar vehicle ?
A solar vehicle is an electric vehicle powered by renewable solar energy, obtained from solar panels on the surface (generally, the roof) of the vehicle.

Solar cells:
Photovoltaic (PV) cells convert the Sun's energy directly into electrical energy. Solar vehicles are not practical day-to-day transportation devices at present, but are primarily demonstration vehicles and engineering exercises.

The solar array consists of hundreds of photovoltaic solar cells converting sunlight into electricity. The larger arrays in use can produce over 2 kilowatts (2.6 hp).

Designing of Solar vehicles:
The design of a solar vehicle is severely limited by the energy input into the car (batteries and power from the sun). Virtually all solar cars ever built have been for the purpose of solar car races (with notable exceptions).

Solar cars are often fitted with gauges as seen in conventional cars. Aside from keeping the car on the road, the driver's main priority is to keep an eye on these gauges to spot possible problems.

Battery: The battery pack plays the same role in a solar car that a petrol tank plays in a normal car in storing power for future use. Solar cars use a range of batteries including lead-acid batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries (NiMH), Nickel-Cadmium batteries (NiCd), Lithium ion batteries and Lithium polymer batteries.

Mechanics: The mechanical systems of a solar car are designed to keep friction and weight to a minimum while maintaining strength. Designers normally use titanium and composites to ensure a good strength-to-weight ratio.

Solar cars usually have three wheels, but some have four. Three wheelers usually have two front wheels and one rear wheel: the front wheels steer and the rear wheel follows.

Problems ?

• There's the problem of how to get around at night or on rainy days when the sun is nowhere to be seen ? Here's where a battery or small gas engine would come in. Most viable solar car projects rely on additional power sources to ensure that the car gets going any time you need it to.

• And to add, these one-seaters look like pancakes on wheels. As you can guess, driving a car covered in solar panels may not be the most temperate experience. These purely solar-powered cars can heat up quickly since the passenger area is enveloped by the cells.

So, the near future doesn't seem welcoming the Solar idea. Although there are hybrids and concepts being designed to utilize renewable energy sources but the day when you drop your kid to school, on a solar vehicle, seems far away.

Did you Know
Solar car racing has been going on since the 1980s. Common entrants include school, corporate and hobbyist teams.
Here are a couple of the longest-distance examples:
World Solar Challenge: started in 1983, this 1,872-mile (3,012-kilometer) race goes across Australia and happens every three years.
Toyota American Solar Challenge: a 2,400-mile (3,862-kilometer) race from Dallas, Texas, to Alberta, Calgary.

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Useful widgets

Hi friends, every blogger wishes to make his blog more popular and most read. Although there are a lot many things to try, I provide you here with some useful widgets which can help make your blog a better place. These are collected from different sources.

• Recent Comments Widget - Customized

• Moving Images widget

• Add text Caption to Images

• Recent Posts Widget

• Top Commentators widget

• Add Tabbed Menu

• Tag Cloud

• A Simple Search widget

The list will be updated regularly as i come across useful widgets, so keep checking this post for new entries.

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What is RSS ?

RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication". It is a way to easily distribute a list of headlines, update notices, and sometimes content to a wide number of people. It is used by computer programs that organize those headlines and notices for easy reading.

What problem does RSS solve?

Most people are interested in many websites whose content changes on an unpredictable schedule. Examples of such websites are news sites, community and religious organization information pages, product information pages, medical websites, and weblogs. Repeatedly checking each website to see if there is any new content can be very tedious.

Email notification of changes was an early solution to this problem. Unfortunately, when you receive email notifications from multiple websites they are usually disorganized and can get overwhelming, and are often mistaken for spam.

RSS is a better way to be notified of new and changed content. Notifications of changes to multiple websites are handled easily, and the results are presented to you well organized and distinct from email.


How does RSS work?

RSS works by having the website author maintain a list of notifications on their website in a standard way. This list of notifications is called an "RSS Feed". People who are interested in finding out the latest headlines or changes can check this list. Special computer programs called "RSS aggregators" have been developed that automatically access the RSS feeds of websites you care about on your behalf and organize the results for you. (RSS feeds and aggregators are also sometimes called "RSS Channels" and "RSS Readers".)

Producing an RSS feed is very simple and hundreds of thousands of websites now provide this feature, including major news organizations like the New York Times, the BBC, and Reuters, as well as many weblogs.

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Car Logo - the story behind

The Audi's Four Rings is the emblem of one of the oldest car manufacturers in Germany. It symbolises the 1932 merger of the four independent motor-vehicle manufacturers: Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer. Together with the NSU brand, which joined in 1969, these companies are the roots of the present-day AUDI AG.
After the war the Audi name - which is Latin for "Hear!" disappeared, but was revived in 1965, using the four rings as a logo. The company itself is more than a century old.
And hey ! ...the four rings in the logo have nothing to do with the Olympic rings.

BMW stands for Bayerische Motoren Werke or Bavarian Motor Company. The company was established in 1913 and based in Munich, Germany. It started out as an aero engine manufacturer, hence the company logo. The logo comprised of four quadrants of alternating white and blue color. It is a stylized representation of an airplane propeller spinning against the clear blue sky. The logo represents a white propeller blade against a blue sky. It reflects the origins of BMW as a maker of military aircraft engines during WWI. Also, white and blue are the traditional colors of Bavaria.



Jaguar Cars Limited is a British based luxury car manufacturer, originally with headquarters in Browns Lane, Coventry, England but now at Whitley, Coventry. It was founded as the Swallow Sidecar Company in 1922,by two motorcycle enthusiasts, William Lyons and William Walmsley, and changed its name to Jaguar in 1945. The company has been owned by Ford since 1989.



The founder of Lamborghini, Ferrucio Lamborghini, had a passion of bull fighting, as seen by the logo chosen for his car company - a charging bull. Mr. Lamborghini also carried this theme over to the names of his cars, almost all of which were named after eithera breed of fighting bull or a particular bull.




The Mercedes-Benz logo is one of the most famous brands in the world. The patented name "Mercedes" was registered in September 1902. The Benz logo is a simplistic three-pointed star that represents its domination of the land, the sea, and the air. The famous three-pointed star was designed by Gottlieb Daimler to show the ability of his motors for land, air and sea-usage. It was first seen on a Daimler in 1909, and was combined with the Benz laurel wreath in 1926 to signify the union of the two firms. Mercedes-Benz is the world's oldest automobile manufacturer.

(The logos used here are a registered trademark of the respective Corporation. Use of the logo here does not imply endorsement of the organization by this site.)

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Car Audio System

Music is a great companion, whether you’re stuck in traffic or enjoying a long drive. And the perfect car audio system is just what you need to enhance the pleasure of listening to your favorite tracks.

There are two ways of getting an audio system in your car - buying it built-in (these are called factory systems) when you buy the car or adding it later (these are called aftermarket systems). Aftermarket systems offer greater customization.

Car audio sound effect is quite different from what we hear in our homes. What is necessary is that the sound should not be distorted when the automobile is in motion. It is therefore necessary to check the car audio system when the car is in motion as well as when stationary. Test the automobile stereo by sitting in the front. There lies the challenge. At the rear seat all systems will sound good.

Good sound systems come from companies like Sony, Pioneer, Kenwood, Alpine and others. They provide heavy amplifiers, their matching woofers, speakers and tweeters so that sound comes with a real BLAST.

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