February 2019 ~ ThundersCloud

Lily of the Valley-Expensive Flower

Lily of the Valley

Dark green leaves form a dense mat close to the soil, from which arching stems support small bell-shaped flowers, which are most commonly white or occasionally pink. With a heady, strong fragrance, the Lily of the Valley is popular not only for its scent but also for its ground-covering, spreading properties in shady conditions. It also produces small berries, which tend to be red or orange.

Lily of the Valley is native to the northern hemisphere and certain varieties can be found in countries such as America, China, and Japan. It likes a sheltered, moist habitat in either full or partial shade.

Convallaria majalis is sold in the spring as cut flowers and as a small potted plant. It can be planted from January to December and usually flowers between June and September. The seeds can be sown in containers or trays in a cold frame or greenhouse. Lily of the Valley can also be propagated by dividing mature plants in the autumn.

Belonging to the Asparagaceae family and the Nolinoideae subfamily, this hardy plant has a rhizomatous root system, sending out horizontal shoots from its nodes.

In the Victorian classic, The Language of Flowers, the Lily of the Valley is said to symbolize the return of happiness. Named for its native habitat (the Latin word "Corvallis" means enclosed valley), our Lily of the Valley is harvested along the beautiful coastline of Santa Barbara, California.

Though lily of the valley bears dozens of blossoms, it can only last for less than a week. With bell-shaped flowers that infuse the air with fragrance throughout the day, it is the perfect addition to your bedside table or bathroom counter.

Electric cars riding high on Tech and Design Innovation

Electric Cars

Electric cars riding high on Tech and Design Innovation

Byton SUV K-Byte

The Byton K-Byte Concept that made its global debut in Shanghai this year is designed for the age of autonomous driving. It comes with Level 4 autonomous driving program, expanded windows and sunroof, innovative C-pillar design, and an intuitive user interface that turns the vehicle into a living and working space. In its current stage, the car is 85% production-ready and production is expected to begin in late 2019. How much will all this cost? According to an Engadget, the price of admission for a base model will be around $45,000. Battery capacity of the car is 71 or 95 kWh for 250 miles (400 km) or 323 (520 km) of range.

For more Information of Byton M-byte

Vision Mercedes Maybach 6 Cabriolet

Designed as an electric car, the Maybach 6 Cabriolet’s drive system has an output of 550 kW and a range of over 500 km/s. Measuring almost six meters in length, it incorporates the classic proportions of art deco design with its long bonnet. The interior offers the feeling of a 360-degree open-air lounge, while biometric sensors record the state of mind and health of the passengers. It measures nearly 18.7 feet long and 6.9 feet wide, yet offers just two seats. The wheels stand 24 inches tall. Although the 6 Cabriolet runs on battery power (its solitary nod to the future) and therefore lacks an engine, the hood makes up about half the car’s length.

Renault EZ Ultimo

Renault has unveiled the EZ-Ultimo, its all-electric, self-driving luxury limousine concept designed for short journeys. The concept completes a trio of autonomous vehicles from the French carmaker showcasing its vision of the future. Unveiled recently at the Paris Motor Show, the EZ Ultimo is a robot-vehicle concept that’s autonomous, electric, connected, and comes with a shared mobility service solution. Equipped with level 4 autonomous driving technology, it can adapt to an urban environment, to the motorway or to a shuttle service on dedicated roads. The EZ-Ultimo has a 499-km range and features level-four autonomy, which allows a car to drive it in most scenarios. It seats up to three people and is 5.8m long, a similar length to Rolls-Royce’s Phantom.

For more Information of Renault EZ Ultimo-Electric Car

Infiniti Q Inspiration

The Q Inspiration Concept brings a production-ready VC-Turbo power train, autonomous drive technologies, and a unique human-centric interior together to enrich the experience for driving a luxury sedan. The interior comes with a touch screen for each passenger and can also monitor passenger biometrics. As a concept, being more rooted in norms extends to the Q Inspiration’s mechanicals too, of which it actually has some? Far from explaining away the actual propulsive bits of the car through a mysterious black box attached to terms like ‘electrified’ and ‘zero emissions’, Infiniti actually fitted it with their newest production engine that’s due to have its market debut in the all-new QX50, where it generates 200kW and 380Nm.

Nissan Xmotion

This dramatic three-row SUV concept shows off Nissan’s design direction for 2020 and beyond. The exterior features a powerful presence with understated sculptural beauty and all-terrain type design. Inside, the displays and infotainment system can be controlled by gestures and eye movements. The SUV model is a three-row, six-seater with seven digital screens in its cabin, including one that spans the width of the dashboard, so also serves to demonstrate Nissan's expectations for future cabin technology. It’s a different story if Nissan decides to build a production model. Should that happen, I think Nissan’s going to opt for either a hybrid or electric technology. My first inclination is a powertrain similar to the one the IMx crossover reportedly has, specifically two "high-output" motors, one for each axle, that produce 429 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque combined. The powertrain also has a high-capacity battery that’s supposed to return a driving range of more than 372 miles per charge.

For more Information of Nissan Xmotion SUV

Envision Energy EV Concept

An electric car with a 75 KWh battery, the four-door luxury sedan can store as much electricity as an average European household consumes in a week. Powered by Envision’s IoT platform, it not only connects to a network of renewable energy assets but also communicates and shares energy with other vehicles and homes, enabling clean and affordable electricity in a smart future energy system.

Neolamarckia Cadamba-Tree

Trees

Neolamarckia Cadamba-Tree

Neolamarckia cadamba, with English common name bur flower tree, Karan, and Leichhardt pine, and called Kadam locally, is an evergreen, tropical tree native to South and Southeast Asia. It has scented orange flowers in dense globe-shaped clusters. The flowers are used in perfumes. The tree is grown as an ornamental plant and for timber and paper-making. Kadam features in Indian Religions and mythologies. A fully mature Kadam tree can reach up to 45 meters in height. It is a large tree with a broad crown and straight cylindrical bole. It is quick growing, with broad spreading branches and grows rapidly in the first 6–8 years. The trunk has a diameter of 100–160 cm, but typically less than that. Leaves are 13–32 cm long.

Flowering usually begins when the tree is 4–5 years old. Kadam flowers are sweetly fragrant, red to orange in color, occurring in dense, globular heads of approximately 5.5 cm diameter. Kadamba flowers are an important raw material in the production of ‘attar’, which is Indian perfume with sandalwood base in which one of the essences is absorbed through hydro-distillation. An extract of the leaves serves as a mouth gargle. The leaf extract has recently been used to produce silver nanoparticles for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy.

The fruit of N. cadamba occurs in small, fleshy capsules packed closely together to form a fleshy yellow-orange infract scene containing approximately 8000 seeds. Stamens 5, inserted on the corolla tube, filaments short, and anthers basified. Fruit lets numerous with their upper parts containing 4 hollow or solid structures. Seed are irregularly shaped. The sapwood is white with a light yellow tinge becoming creamy yellow on exposure and is not clearly differentiated from the heartwood.

The fruit and inflorescences are reportedly edible by humans. The fresh leaves are fed to cattle. N. Lamarckian is grown as an ornamental, and for low-grade timber and paper. The timber is used for plywood, light construction, pulp and paper, boxes and crates, dug-out canoes, and furniture components. Kadamba yields a pulp of satisfactory brightness and performance as a hand sheet. The wood can be easily impregnated with synthetic resins to increase its density and compressive strength. The wood has a density of 290–560 kg/cu m at 15% moisture content, a fine to medium texture; straight grain; low luster and has no characteristic odor or taste. It is easy to work, with hand and machine tools, cuts cleanly give a very good surface and are easy to nail. The timber air dries rapidly with little or no degrades. Kadamba wood is very easy to preserve using either open tank or pressure-vacuum systems.

Kadamba is one of the most frequently planted trees in the tropics. The tree is grown along avenues, roadsides, and villages for shade. Kadamba is suitable for reforestation programs. It sheds large amounts of leaf and non-leaf litter which on decomposition improves some physical and chemical properties of soil under its canopy. This reflects an increase in the level of soil organic carbon, cation exchange capacity, available plant nutrients, and exchangeable bases. A yellow dye is obtained from the root bark.

Nissan Xmotion SUV

Electric Cars

Nissan Xmotion SUV

This dramatic three-row SUV concept shows off Nissan’s design direction for 2020 and beyond. My first inclination is a power train similar to the one the IMx crossover reportedly has, specifically two high output motors, one for each axle, that produce 429 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque combined. The power train also has a high capacity battery that’s supposed to return a driving range of more than 372 miles per charge.

The Nissan global design team behind the Nissan Xmotion concept wanted to bring something fresh to the segment by infusing Nissan's Japanese heritage and aesthetics while also preparing for a new automotive world driven by autonomous technologies. When viewing the new Xmotion concept for the first time, there's an immediate recognition of Nissan signature design elements, starting with the powerful front grille, fascia and boomerang headlamps.

The sharp-edged design theme carries over to the Nissan Xmotion concept's interpretation of the signature Nissan boomerang headlamps, which resemble forged steel blades. The headlamps integrate all functions into a single unit high beam, low beam, turn signals and positioning lamps. On the sides of the Xmotion concept, innovative U-shaped body side highlights impart a highly sculptural presence while creating a smooth, unbroken visual flow from front to rear fenders. The section is very crisp and deep, yet the movement it conveys is soft, subtle and quiet. The sculptural simplicity of the Xmotion concept exterior is contrasted by the rugged, metal crafted wheels and all-terrain tire design. Like the rest of the vehicle, the mechanical tool-inspired wheels and all-terrain tires coexist as one piece, with the tire tread physically laminated over the 21-inch aluminum alloy wheels. This application has the effect of the tires becoming part of the wheel, making the rubber-oriented rims look larger than their actual size. The tires were developed in conjunction with Michelin and feature run-flat construction.

Even the headrest design for the seats was inspired by Kumiko woodwork. It not only provides necessary support but also creates a sense of togetherness inside the vehicle. With the see-through headrest design, the rear-seat passengers can enjoy layers of various patterns as they look at the headrest from different angles. Scarlet red paint, developed with Japan lacquer in mind, is applied. On the console, an item called a floating commander can sense a passenger's movement. It contains a motion sensor inside and scans the motion of a passenger's hand to control the entertainment system, as well as the heating, ventilation and air conditioning. A special shade of silver was created to resemble pewter, a very solid yet malleable metal traditionally used in Japan for fine, detailed handicraft work. The color showcases the various body shapes and contours, as well as resonating very well with the colors and materials used inside the Nissan Xmotion concept. The wheels have a hammered texture, suggesting handcrafted finishes of the metal.

The interior palette includes colors representing Japan - red and white - as well as touches of black to symbolize modern technology. The interior colors transition gradually from white and grey in front - with some black accents to showcase the technology elements - to red in the rear areas. The Human Machine Interface (HMI) of the Xmotion concept, like the vehicle design, is very simple. For example, the switch from ProPILOT drive mode to manual drive mode, and vice versa can be done by using the PD Commander, located on the center console and steering switch.

The Nissan Xmotion concept also includes a total of seven digital screen portions. Three main displays and left and right end displays span the width of the instrument panel. There is also a digital room mirror in the ceiling and a center console display.

The displays and infotainment system can be controlled by gestures and eye movements. Intuitive controls and a voice command system allow drivers to focus on driving, helping them access various information in a smart, easy and safe manner. Fingerprint authentication is used to start the operation of the Xmotion concept. When the driver touches the fingerprint authentication area on the top of the console, the opening sequence starts, awakening the virtual personal assistant which takes the shape of a Japanese koi fish. The koi jumps into the main screen. After linking with the driver's smartphone, the navigation system automatically recognizes the destination, and other user information - such as weather, music and vehicle system info - will be activated. The navigation system recognizes the surrounding information while traveling.

For example, in autonomous drive mode, while changing lanes or overtaking other traffic, the virtual personal assistant will pick up other browsing information about points of interest along the way. In this way, the koi acts as a storyteller to connect human and machine. The Xmotion concept also uses a camera monitoring system in place of traditional door mirrors and displays images and other information on the end display screens. The system senses and monitors other vehicles around the Nissan Xmotion concept. The Nissan Xmotion concept connects Nissan's Japanese roots and rich heritage of ingenuity. It is a new creation while honoring the spirit and mind of those who have gone before. Its design and Nissan Intelligent Mobility technologies are ultimately very feasible for the future.