Even the Fat-Cats are beginning to realize that Emperor Cheney is nuts.

Brett Arends at AOL Money & Finance

The oil-based energy policies usually associated with Vice President Dick Cheney have just come under scathing attack. There's nothing remarkable about that, of course -- except the person doing the attacking.

Step forward, Jeremy Grantham -- Cheney's own investment manager. "What were we thinking?' Grantham demands in a four-page assault on U.S. energy policy mailed last week to all his clients, including the vice president.

Titled "While America Slept, 1982-2006: A Rant on Oil Dependency, Global Warming, and a Love of Feel-Good Data," Grantham's philippic adds up to an extraordinary critique of U.S. energy policy over the past two decades.

What Cheney makes of it can only be imagined.

[...]

The irony is that this isn't, or shouldn't be, a partisan issue. Grantham singles out the Ford administration for his strongest praise on environmental matters. Everyone since, of both parties, has been a failure, he concludes. "The past 26 years have been such a wasted opportunity," Grantham writes. "This country had previously shown leadership in this field. President Ford got us off to a running start in energy efficiency... With a succession of President Fords, we would have ended up as an environmental leader and a great model."

I would love to know what President Ford's former chief of staff thinks of that.

His name? Richard B. Cheney.

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Siemens aims to reinvent auto wheel (really)

From an article at Designfax

Siemens VDO engineers are working on plans to integrate the drivetrain, steering, shock absorbers, and brakes directly into the wheels of future cars. This concept, called eCorner, is the basis for the ecological "Drive-by-Wire" automobiles, which will become a common sight on roads in 15 years, according to the company.

eCorner replaces the conventional wheel suspension (with hydraulic shock absorbers, mechanical steering, and hydraulic brakes) and, above all, conventional internal combustion engines. For car owners, Siemens is betting that eCorner translates into improved fuel mileage, more safety, and greater convenience. Designers will experience new freedoms and challenges in creating future cars with an electric drivetrain and electronic control.

Car motors will disappear — into the wheels: Siemens VDO engineers are working on the eCorner where the drivetrain, steering, shock absorbers and brakes will be integrated into the wheels of future cars.

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