It has been a while since Apple’s iTunes and music store launched in early 2001, revolutionizing the music industry. iTunes makes it easy to organize and sync you’re music library and make it portable. Up until a couple months ago, all the audio files were sold as protected files for 99 cents, making it impossible to put iTunes store bought music on anything except for an iPod. In a way, Apple was forcing iTunes users to use iPods in order to listen to their music on the go. Now however, the 7-year tradition has changed. Apple has recently removed the DRM protected file format enabling people to share and copy music to their phones as mp3 files. People in the music industry have anticipated this change for several years with endless possibilities for sharing their music with others. This change however does not come with out a price. Along with the removal of DRM protected format, iTunes has begun offering music at two different prices, $.99 and $1.29 for certain tracks.

The price hike can be looked at in both a good and bad light. Apple reports the reason for the change is because every song is available in the highest quality moving from 128 kbs to 256 kbs. This is great but could the average person listening to their iPod with ear bud headphones really be able to tell the difference between the two qualities? In my opinion, there should be an option to upgrade to the higher quality if one chooses to do so instead of being forced to pay the extra $.30. This however does not fully explain why some songs are more expensive than others. The real reason for the price hike is because the DRM protection has been removed, People are more willing to by songs from iTunes since they can easily organize songs and use mp3 players other than iPods. Apple simply sees it as a way to make more money off popular songs that people are willing to spend more money on especially if the quality of the song is better.

This could prove to be disastrous to iTunes however people could also see a rebound in the CD industry. Now that people are forced to pay more per song for the convenience of staying home, CD prices have been lowered to try and draw people in. Now that the music store prices have gone up, music fans might prefer going to their local CD store to save a few bucks. Because several of the iTunes music store’s customers are teens and college students who often times don’t have much expendable money, there will probably be some negative effects due to the entire price hike. During an economic downturn like the one that is present today, do people really have the money to buy songs? Even though $1.29 is not considered a lot, when you have thousands of songs on your iPod, it adds up.

Photo of CD by Rebopper

Photo of iPhone by Powerbooktrance

Photo of iTunes gift card by Heck Meck

The weather is getting warmer and that means the world of motor sports is hitting the ground running. Auto racing is one of the few competitive sports that the entire world can relate to because cars are so important to society. Because the sport is so popular on an international level, there is a lot of influence from places all over the world. In Formula 1, teams mainly from Europe and Asia, and drivers from several different countries try to compete for not only the championship, but their egos as well. As expected, several discrepancies arise every season but non as controversial as the diffuser controversy of the 2009 Formula 1 Championship.

Radical new regulations have forced teams to make several drastic changes regarding bodywork and car dimensions, which inevitably affect the amount of down force and air force on the car. However one of the regions of the car that has been left up to some interpretation has been the rear section of bodywork facing the ground. This area is by far the most crucial part of any race car because it is closest to where power is applied to the ground through the rear wheels. The piece of the car that increases pressure at speed on the back wheels is called the diffuser. The diffuser creates a low-pressure zone underneath the rear part of the car, turning the car into a moving suction cup in some aspects.

The rules and regulations of the Fédération Internationale de L’Automobile (the governing body of international motor sports around the world) that restrict the cars for the 2009 F1 season clearly state dimensions for this region of the car and adds that, “Any specific part of the car influencing its aerodynamic performance must comply with the rules relating to bodywork.” The actual discrepancy is how the rule is interpreted. Many teams interpreted this rule as designing a diffuser that has three channels of equal length with no extra windows to feed the effective parts of the diffuser with air. However three major teams, Brawn GP, Toyota, and Williams, interpreted the rules as designing a diffuser in any way that was acceptable as long as it was inside the rules of bodywork. The other teams participating in the Formula 1 Championship are arguing that the three teams using the effective diffuser did so against the spirit of the rule itself, and that the rule should force teams to use similar diffusers to increase competition all the way down the grid.

With cars fitted with normal diffusers being well off the pace of the three teams with high volume diffusers, the other teams have a good reason to try and argue this point. This topic is accompanied with more urgency then previous protests because of a new rule change that prevents teams from testing once the season has started, making it very difficult for teams to compensate for the unconventional diffusers if the design is not deemed illegal by the FIA on April 14, 2009. If the FIA does deem the diffusers to be illegal, the teams will be forced to design new diffusers and the order of performance already established by the first two races of the 2009 season will be drastically changed. On the other hand however, if the diffusers stay the same, the other teams will have to pull some aerodynamic tricks out of their sleeves without thorough testing capabilities.

Photo of Brawn GP car by Camilo S.B.

Photo of F1 grid by Pattagon

Photo of back of F1 Car by Camilo S.B.

Spring is here and that means summer is just around the corner. Summer is the season for vacations, swimming at the beach, and long road trips to Florida. Summer is that time of year when people drive the most, however it is also that time of year when gas prices reach the highest due to the laws of supply and demand. As a student, I am always looking for the cheapest gas and ways to save gas while driving. Other than the obvious solution to saving gas by carpooling, little gas saving techniques can save hundreds of dollars at the pump for an everyday commuter over a relatively short period of time.

1. Control that heavy foot of yours

Quite possibly the most obvious way to save some gas while driving is to control your bad acceleration habits otherwise known as a lead foot. Cars burn the most amount of gasoline under hard acceleration. Instead of getting up to speed quickly, slowly increase the car’s speed until you reach your desired cruising speed. Although it may be tempting to go 10 MPH over the speed limit, don’t do it. Driving the speed limit not only requires less gas than driving above the limit, but it also reduces the strain on the transmission and wheel bearings. However tempting it may be to get a jump on the person next to you at the light, think about how that jump may cost you a few extra pennies at the pump.

2. Dealing with rush hour mayhem

Traffic, it’s a nuisance to every motorist on the road today. Not only is it extremely frustrating causing drivers to lose control over the lead foot, but also the habits that people use to deal with traffic are very gas consuming. Many people try to stick to the person in front of them to ensure that they are not cut off by another inconsiderate driver, however this is not the most efficient way to deal with traffic. As I mentioned before, cars use the most gas when accelerating. This idea is magnified when a car starts from a stand still. Knowing this, it is best to keep the car rolling even if at a slow speed. This can be achieved by breaking before you actually need to, and doing this repeatedly over a long period of time can show an improvement in fuel economy.

3. Do a few extra pounds hurt?

Any extra weight on a car makes the car work harder to get up to speed. The best way to get optimal fuel economy would be to strip the car of any components that are not essential to the car, i.e. radio, passenger seats, door panels. However, this makes the car an unpleasant environment. One of the best solutions for the weight problem is to get rid of the spare tire and replace it with a can of flat fix. This small can could save people the time and effort of completely changing a tire by just stopping the leak all together. The downside to this is in the event of a blow out, there is no other choice but to use the spare you left at home to get better mileage.

4. Spring cleaning, your car appreciates it

Ok it’s Spring now, and there isn’t any snow on the ground so, so why do you still have that ski rack on your roof? Any non-aerodynamic parts on your car will ultimately reduce fuel economy especially while cruising at highway speeds, so unbolt it and leave it in the garage till next winter when it’s needed again. While you are prepping your car for summer, make sure you check your tire pressure. A higher tire pressure gives the wheel a lower rolling resistance, requiring less power to maintain a cruising speed. Also be sure to check your engine oil and transmission fluid levels. If these fluids are low, not only is the engine forced to overcome the resulting friction, severe damage could result from excessive wear on internal engine components.

5. Drafting… NASCAR in ever day commuting

The most effective, yet somewhat dangerous way to save a great amount of gas during long road trips is drafting. Drafting is the idea of following closely behind a large truck where there is a low-pressure zone of air in order to get better gas mileage. Although it is an unsafe method of increasing fuel economy, the Mythbusters in the episode Big Rig Tailgate proved this unsafe method that drafting can increase the fuel economy of any given car by almost 40% and is an effective way to increase gas mileage.

Photo of gas pump by Heather

Photo of Speedometer by ???

Photo of traffic by Nrbelex

Photo of NASCAR by Roger Smith