New Jersey is the latest state to ban Tesla’s direct-to-customer car sales

Tesla’s direct-to-customer sales model just hit another big roadblock. New Jersey’s Motor Vehicle Commission has voted in favor of a rule banning direct car sales, effectively kicking Tesla out of the state as of this April. For those keeping score, this is the EV maker’s third such defeat, following similar moves by Arizona and Texas — while Tesla won a legislative battle to go dealer-free in North Carolina, it appears to be losing the war. Not surprisingly, the company is furious. It accuses Governor Chris Christie of not just reneging on a promise to delay the rule for the sake of debate, but of speeding things up to please dealerships that fear real competition. Whether that’s an accurate representation or just corporate bluster, the ban will undoubtedly hurt Garden State residents who want a wider selection of eco-friendly rides.

Filed under: Transportation

Comments

Via: Wall Street Journal, SlashGear

Source: Tesla Blog

This is the thinnest LED that anyone can make

Companies have been racing to slim down LED backlights as devices get ever thinner, but the University of Washington may have just beaten everyone to the finish line. Its scientists have developed an LED that, at three atoms thick, is easily the thinnest LED to date — in fact, it’s impossible to build something thinner using current knowledge. The key ingredient is tungsten diselenide, the thinnest known semiconductor. A single sheet of the material is less than a tenth as thick as a conventional LED, but still emits measurable light. It’s flexible and strong, too. On a basic level, the technology could be handy for optical circuits, nanolasers and other areas where miniscule lighting is necessary. However, the researchers also see uses for their LED in mobile devices — it could end up in wearables and other gadgets where even a slight difference in thickness could make a big impact.

Filed under: Displays, Wearables, Science

Comments

Via: Gizmodo, The Verge

Source: University of Washington, Nature

Former TV bigwigs are going after ‘super-fans’ with new online video service

Another day, another upstart streaming video service. The latest contender to enter the fray is Tapp, the subscription-based brainchild of former CNN president Jon Klein and former NBC Universal Television chairman Jeff Gaspin. So what’s got a bunch of big name investors (including Google’s Eric Schmidt) so worked up? Well, Tapp (which is short for the profoundly uncatchy “TV App”) is centered around a series of video channels for your smartphones and smart TVs that are tailored to specific niches like sports, politics, science and fitness. Unlike Hulu or Netflix though, you’ll pay $10 a month for each of the channels you actually want. That may sound a little steep, but these guys are banking on the star power of their hosts to make those channels worth paying for. For now the list of personalities is a mystery, though the New York Post reports that Sarah Palin may be one of the first — we’ll find out for sure when Tapp goes live in a few weeks.

Comments

Via: The Wrap

Source: Tapp

Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 9:15PM ET

It’s Tuesday, which means it’s time for the Engadget HD Podcast and we hope you’ll join us for the live recording at 9:15PM. Aereo is in the news again, so we’ll lead off with that news tonight, as well as the next chapter in Dish’s spectrum grab, Chromecast developments, and more speculation about DirecTV and Verizon. There’s always plenty of streaming news too and a few other home theater related items. If you’ll be joining us, take a peek at the topics after the break and then get ready to participate in the live chat.

Filed under: HD

Comments

An Introduction to the English Language through an ESL Academy

Businesses today are rapidly growing on a national level with competitors seeking to take their product to new and diverse clientele. Studies show that this globalization will continue to increase over the next several years. Part of preparing to enter or compete in such a diverse global economy calls for companies to hire individuals who have an understanding or awareness of the most commonly spoken languages around the world. English has become an increasingly universal language with more people from foreign countries taking the time to develop communication skills in this language in order to effectively do business with others. Fortunately, students can begin their training from the onset of their careers through taking comprehensive courses at an accredited ESL academy.

Structured Courses

Every single course that is offered has been tailored to meet the needs of students who desire to learn English as a second language. The creators realize that learning to read and write another language can be difficult and time consuming. With these constraints in mind, each program was designed to optimize performance of students while allowing them to gain a comprehensive understanding of English. An variety of courses are available including intensive, academic, and business structured options. The intensive English program allows students an introduction into the language while providing critical information about speaking and writing. Academic classes focus more on the writing and literature parts to assist students in becoming efficient at communicating in writing as well. Finally, business courses take a unique perspective to allow pupils to understand the importance of being able to communicate on an interpersonal level with business associates worldwide.

Credible Instructors

Part of a student’s ability to learn and comprehend the material he is being taught hinges on an instructor’s ability to provide meaningful material and professional assistance. Each teacher that is brought on staff has been interviewed to ensure that past teaching experience has been had. Students who make an active effort to communicate with their instructors on an interpersonal level will often find their insight to be exceptionally helpful. Additionally, such communication may enable one to gain opportunities that may have been hard to come by in another environment. Instructors work hard to facilitate understanding by providing comprehensive materials, taking time to communicate with each student, and answering questions to ensure mastery of the material.

Accredited School

Upon successful completion of the course, a student should expect to receive a formal notification of her hard work. Since each student has often gone to great lengths to plan and execute an education, it is critical that they only work with an accredited school. Proper accreditation means the school is legally allowed to operate and is credible and reliable. Working with an accredited school means that upon a student’s successful completion of all course materials, he can be confident that his hard work will be rewarded with a legitimate showing of completion.

As technology is enabling businesses to work on a national level in an ever increasing fast-paced environment, knowledge of the English language is becoming more of an extreme advantage. With the assistance of a qualified ESL academy, students everywhere can have access to the instructions they need to become proficient in communicating in this nearly universal language.