Category: Cars

December 31, 2008

Revisiting GearBits' Predictions for 2008: Lots Right, Some Very, Very Wrong

Each year, we at GearBits post some predictions for the coming year. And then, in the interest of honesty, fairness, and self-deprecation, we take a look back to see how we did. Each of our predictions for 2008 are listed below, along with an update on what actually happened.

1) Blu-Ray Wins the Format War
Yep, I'm going to pick a winner and it's going to be Blu-Ray. The one-two punch of Warner Brothers's move to Blu-Ray exclusivity (from its Switzerland-like neutrality of supporting both formats) later in 2008 and Apple's announcement that BD will be the only HD format available in its products will cement HD DVD's demise. And none too soon. I don't really care which wins...just make it snappy so that prices on players and media can plummet, thanks.

As of now, the end of 2008, it seems like forever since Blu-Ray trounced HD DVD in the format war. But back in early January, it was anyone's guess. But then, on February 18th, Toshiba officially threw in the towel. Interestingly, the Warner Bros. move I thought would happen eventually was actually announced the day after I posted my predictions. Of course, Apple hasn't yet released any products with any form of HD optical drive, so that bit wasn't exactly spot on. And I'm still waiting for my $99 Blu-Ray player. But, overall, this prediction looks pretty solid.

2) Google's Android Shakes Up Phone Industry
For a while now, the cellphone industry has been fairly static. A few smartphone and mobile OS makers have generally tussled for market share, but the overall industry has been pretty evolutionary. Google's entry will prove to be a watershed moment, with open source finally making a big impact in the handheld space (and no, I don't consider the Zaurus to be a big deal...sorry). Actual handsets running Android will be announced, if not available, before the end of 2008.

Depending on your threshold for "shaking up" the phone industry, I think most people would agree that Android made quite a splash in 2008 when the HTC G1 was launched on T-Mobile in the US on September 23rd. And we've already heard of around a dozen hardware makers signed on to release Android handsets. While handset sales still pale in comparison to the iPhone, 2009 looks like it just might be the year of the Android.

3) Palm Supports Android
This is more of a hope than an actual prediction, as I just don't know whether the egos at Palm will let the company do the right thing and admit that their next-generation OS (which has been under development since 2004!) will be a viable contender against Android (which has essentially the same technical details but scads more developer support). But, if cooler, more rational heads prevail at Palm, they'll announce that they're plans will be to produce at least one Android-based product (probably to come out sometime in 2012 :-/ ).

Ouch...I couldn't have been more wrong. While I still think Palm would have been smart to advance their product refurbishment by a full year (maybe more) by going with Android instead of continuing to pursue Nova, the company stuck to its original, go-it-alone plans. We'll see how well that pans out in 2009.

4) Microsoft's HD Photo Replacement for JPEG Image Standard Goes Nowhere
I'm not saying it's a bad idea technically; I'm just saying that JPEG is so entrenched now that replacing it would be about as reasonable a thing to try as would be replacing MP3 with any of the multitudes of better formats. JPEG, like MP3, isn't great, but it's adequate (at least for consumers) and ubiquitous. We'll still be saving all our photos in JPG (and maybe RAW) at the end of 2008...and likely long after that.

JPEG XR, the official name of Microsoft's HD Photo format, has generated essentially zero traction in the camera industry. Part of that is Microsoft's less-than-swift transition of JPEG XR into its quasi-open licensing portfolio, a move that will have to happen for camera makers and developers to trust that they won't be bitten by huge licensing fees in the future if they move their products away from RAW to JPEG XR.

5) Subnotes Will Explode in Availability (and Maybe Popularity)
I've always been a fan of tiny, sub-3-pound laptops, but I think 2008 will see a huge number of these clamshell devices come out of every corner of the consumer electronics space. The Asus EeePC and the OLPC XO Laptop are two examples. While Microsoft had a good idea in its UMPC (Ultra-Mobile PC) concept, the hardware was just never executed all that well. Frankly, I think a 7" touchscreen for Windows is just too difficult. But, going with the traditional clamshell design and using cheaper and/or smaller technologies (e.g., flash memory instead of a HDD) will bring us a raft of interesting (and some good) designs at <$500 price points. Bring 'em on! And I think we'll start to see a lot more people toting these things along that traditionally avoided laptops for whatever reason (cost, weight, etc.).

Bingo. If the shelves at Best Buy and Circuit City are any indication, these "netbooks" (the now-favored term...at least by everyone except Psion) have multiplied faster than Tribbles on Cialis. One glance at the huuuge list of netbooks over at small-notebooks.com is enough evidence to suggest that this prediction was spot on.

6) The GPS War Heats Up
TomTom, Nokia, and Garmin will exchange hostile fire over the GPS market due to convuluted agreements regarding mapping data as well as market-share for hardware. Products will continue to decline in price and improve in functionality, and >50% of cellphones will have some form of GPS functionality available on them. I guess that's two predictions in one...oh well.

I'm going to give myself this one. While we haven't heard that much more about the complex licensing agreements involving the big three, you need only walk through a Staples, Radio Shack, or Target to see a vast assortment of portable GPS units now available for under $150, most even having text-to-speech and other advanced functions. That's in direct comparison to late last year, when it was difficult to find a decent unit for under $300.

7) DRM Hits Choppy Water
2007 saw some movement away from DRM (digital rights management), especially in the music industry, but I expect we'll see similar initiatives in all areas of media. DRM has been proven again and again to be little more than an expensive technological boondoggle, and the leading innovators at the consumer media interface (e.g., Apple, Amazon, and Google) will make some headway into reversing the trend of more encumbrance for our media. The RIAA and MPAA will continue to fight it...they know how to do nothing else...but economic results will start to demonstrate that DRM actually hurts profitability.

Nope...we didn't hear much consistent with my prediction. While some markets moved towards offering DRM-free downloads, most are still heavily laden. And the RIAA actually reversed its strategy and is now no longer suing everyone and their mother for alleged downloading. So that's two different ways I was off on this one. Just goes to show that there's no telling what the content owners are thinking.

8) Major Tech Stocks End 2008 Up Significantly
These are bound to be wrong, but what the heck...nobody pays me for stock tips. I think Apple will end 2008 at 235, Google will be at 960, and Microsoft will finish the year at 50. As for other stocks, iRobot will end up at either 46 or 12 (can you tell I'm a cynical shareholder?), IBM will show tepid growth to 112, and RIM, hurt by the continued weak US dollar and facing increasing competition, will struggle to match its 1-year high of 127.

Uh, no. While I doubt many saw the massive downturn in stocks coming, tech stocks are decidedly not even slightly better off than most. Let's see how my specific price predictions held up:
  • Apple (AAPL): Predicted = 235; Actual = 86.29
  • Google (GOOG): Predicted = 960; Actual = 303.11
  • Microsoft (MSFT): Predicted = 50; Actual = 19.34
  • iRobot (IRBT): Predicted = 46 or 12; Actual = 8.95
  • IBM (IBM): Predicted = 112; Actual = 83.55
  • Research in Motion (RIMM): Predicted = 127; Actual = 38.77
In summary, do not ask me to manage your stock portfolio...you would be better served by setting your money on fire, as then you could at least stay warm for a while.

9) I Buy a New Laptop and Am Disappointed
My Panasonic CF-W2 is now three-and-a-half-years-old and I'm starting to cringe every time I turn it on (my luck with hard drives makes me skeptical of many living past their 4th birthday). I've been looking at possible replacements (e.g., Toshiba R500, Panasonic W7, maybe the Lenovo IdeaPad U110 or the rumored Apple subnote) and so far every single one has some significant trade-offs. So, I expect I'll get one and it will turn out to be not significantly better than my aging Toughbook. You'd think in nearly four years that two grand would buy something markedly superior. We'll see...

Unfortunately, I was right on this. The Fujitsu LifeBook P8010 I ended up purchasing in February is a good laptop...don't get me wrong. It's just not a heads-and-shoulders better laptop than my ToughBook was, and that's what I was expecting given the nearly 4 years newer technology and the $2500 it cost. And, given that I've already had to send it in for a repair (the power button broke off), I'm guessing the durability won't even come close to that of the Panasonic (which I still use regularly around the house).

10) Major Changes in Automotive Industry Announced
While the car business makes actual change only very slowly, we'll see some huge announcements in 2008 that will fundamentally change the future of that industry. Things like record oil prices, an increasing attention to sustainable/green technology, and significant ownership changes will substantially change the competitive landscape. Make no mistake; Toyota will continue its ascent and eclipse GM as #1 car-maker in the world. But, we will see several major announcements that will start affecting actual consumers in 2009 and beyond.

While I didn't get the stock predictions exactly right (OK, not even close), I think it's safe to say that the US automotive industry has been shaken up with major changes during 2008. We saw record oil prices (check!), more attention to green tech (check!), and the bottom dropping out of US consumption didn't leave them anywhere to go except to the Congress for help. And Toyota did indeed become the biggest carmaker in the world in 2008, just as predicted. Let's hope the Volt truly is something special...for all our sakes.

So, there you have it: our final score is 7 winners and 3 losers. I'll take it. :-)

In a couple of days, I'll be posting GearBits' predictions for 2009, so make sure you come back and check those out, m'kay?

Posted by Craig in Cars and Computing and Gaming and Home A/V and Industry and Internet and Mobile & PDAs and Other and Phones and Photography and Popular Media and Science & Nature and Society / Politics and Technology and Wireless
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August 4, 2008

Offshore Drilling vs Tires & Tune-Ups: Which Helps More?

McCain and the Republican talking heads have been, shall we say, critical of Obama's suggestion that keeping tires optimally inflated and getting our cars properly tuned up would save more oil than offshore drilling would produce. But guess what...they're wrong!

The Tire-Gauge Solution: No Joke

How out of touch is Barack Obama? He's so out of touch that he suggested that if all Americans inflated their tires properly and took their cars for regular tune-ups, they could save as much oil as new offshore drilling would produce. Gleeful Republicans have made this their daily talking point, Rush Limbaugh is having a field day, and the Republican National Committee is sending tire gauges labeled "Barack Obama's Energy Plan" to Washington reporters.

But who's really out of touch? The Bush administration estimates that expanded offshore drilling could increase oil production by 200,000 barrels per day by 2030. We use about 20 million barrels per day, so that would meet about 1% of our demand two decades from now. Meanwhile, efficiency experts say that keeping tires inflated can improve gas mileage by 3%, and regular maintenance can add another 4%. Many drivers already follow their advice, but if everyone else did, we could reduce demand several percentage points immediately. In other words: Obama is right.

Read the whole story (Time.com)

And yet, being wrong doesn't seem to keep them from saying it over and over again.

It's unfortunate, but not unexpected, that politicians seem much more interested in managing perceptions than dealing with truths.

Posted by Craig in Cars and Science & Nature and Society / Politics
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July 5, 2008

National Speed Limit is Simply...Unamerican!

A screwball Senator is proposing a national speed limit to save gas.

That's a bizarre suggestion for this country, which is infamous for its willingness to just let market forces work things out.

No, instead, we should just tax the heck out of gasoline and let people decide how fast they can afford to go...if they can afford to go at all.

Or better yet, let's take those tax revenues and actually invest in public transportation infrastructure. If we also reward good local development decisions, people might not require a car for 99.99% of their trips. And that would be the best situation by far.

BTW, here's a nifty Department of Energy report from April, 2008 on gasoline usage trends chock-a-block full of graphs, charts, and other statistical goodness. Enjoy!

Posted by Craig in Cars and Society / Politics and Travel
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July 2, 2008

The Upside of $4 Gasoline

Time.com has positively deviated from the typical "gas prices are awful, aren't they?" approach most journalists take when writing about the fuel situation. Instead of adding to the incessant yammering about how life is going down the crapper because of $4 gas, they decide to highlight 10 positives that might come about because of it:

1. Globalized jobs return home
   
2. Sprawl stalls
   
3. 4-day work weeks
   
4. Less pollution
   
5. More frugal use of transportation
   
6. Fewer traffic deaths
   
7. Cheaper car insurance
   
8. Less traffic
   
9. More cops out of their cars
   
10. Less obesity

Now, I'm not confident all these will happen just because of high gas prices, but you have to give them a nod for at least trying to remind us that some good will likely come out of this.

Read the whole story here.

Posted by Craig in Cars and Health & Medicine and Industry and Other and Society / Politics and Technology and Travel
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June 11, 2008

ZAP Alias: Hot Electric 3-Wheeler in 2009

Want to go electric? Want to look reasonably cool while doing so? Then check out the new ZAP Alias.

The Alias will be available in 2009 and will have some pretty hot specs to go along with that sweet body:
• 0-60 mph: 7.7 seconds (not Tesla quick, but quick enough for most)
• Top speed: 100 mph
• Range: 100 miles on a charge

$32,500 is a bit steep for a two-seater, but you can pretty much guarantee you'll be the only one on your block with one.

Posted by Craig in Cars
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June 5, 2008

Mitch's Hot/Not List

Mitch, seeing my Hot/Not list from yesterday, compiled his own, so here it is:

HOT

• iPod Touch - I tried the Archos 605 Wi-Fi first and its mediocrity makes the Touch that much more delightful. I really love well done user interfaces and this one is first rate. My only complaint is its picky eating habits when it comes to video formats.
  
• iMac - I waited longer than any other tech purchase to finally go with Apple's all-in-one desktop PC. I opted for the top of the line 3.06 GHz 24" model and have been completely blown away by it. So far I have found no flaws. It is stunning.
  
• High Gas Prices - Innovation rocks and if it takes $5/gallon gasoline to get us out of this oil addiction then I'm more than willing to pay my dues. Fewer SUVs and pickups, electric cars, solar energy, alternative fuels, more big butts on bicycles, less traffic congestion; I'm all for it. Let's drop our consumption by half and let OPEC drink their devalued crude.
  
• Synology - A NAS will soon be as ubiquitous on a home network as the router is today. The clever, feature-filled offerings from Synology are the best of the breed. I'll have a DS508 please!
  
• Subaru - Totally agree with Craig here. I've been
  in Imprezas now going on six years and I still feel like I'm cheating when I share the road with normal cars. Scoobys are fabulous.
  
• Ken Follett's Historical Novels - "The Pillars of the Earth" and "World Without End" are two of my favorite books of all time and I just took them in this Spring. I listened to both on my iPod (over 40 hours each) after downloading them from Audible and they made a month of 1000 mile weekly commutes totally enjoyable. Masterful stuff.
  
• CrossFit - I was in good shape 20 years ago and at 44 I can wipe the floor with my 24 year old self (if that was possible). I've been CrossFitting for almost a year now and some of the things I can do now would have seemed outlandish back then.

NOT

• General Motors - If you Google dinosaur, out of touch, lethargic, and unimaginative you should pull up GM's home page. I used to be a fan, but they have been disappointing me for 25 years now and don't seem to be planning any big changes. The sooner they finish themselves off, the better off we'll be.
  
• Labor Unions - Working in the industrial world I cross paths with unions
  of all sorts way more than I would like. I completely understand why our manufacturing sector is fleeing to other countries. I have never seen such a lazy, selfish, destructive, regressive bunch of people in my life. They can't all be like that, but the ones I've met surely are.
  
• Sheeple-Filled Corporate IT Departments - My 26,000 strong corporation is going to switch to Vista because they don't want to be left with no anti-virus support for their XP platform. Goodbye nice warm frying pan and hello fire.
  
• Cable/Satellite TV - I'm SO tired of paying $80 a month for a bunch of
  garbage that I would never watch even if I had the time. It won't be long until I cut that cord and start rolling my own TV. If I could just decide which way I want to do it!
  
• Global Markets - I realize that even the lowliest trader in/on most investment banks/trading floors/commodities exchanges is smarter than I am, but I would really love to see them use those brains rather than run with every emotion that riffles through the world markets. Do investors even pay attention to P/E ratios or supply and demand or is it all about what the hot analyst is saying or the sheeple are doing?

Posted by Craig in Cars and Computing and Health & Medicine and Home A/V and Industry and Internet and Mobile & PDAs and Movies & Books and Music & Audio and Popular Media and Science & Nature and Society / Politics and Technology and Wireless
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June 4, 2008

GearBits' First Hot/Not List

I've been remiss on posting, so I thought I'd assemble a whole mess of opinions in one place. Over the past several weeks or so, I've come to appreciate some things/companies and have come to be disappointed in others. So, here's a quick run-down:

HOT

• Shutterfly - always gets me great-looking prints/books in a timely manner at low prices.
  
• Google - just keeps rolling out the innovative, useful, and well-designed web apps
  
• Subaru - they just make terrific cars...durable, high-performing, and affordable
  
• Amazon.com - with reasonably good, if not great, prices, excellent customer service, and a stellar website, what's not to like?
  
• Subnotes - The sudden rash of low-power, low-weight, cheap laptops coming out (which I predicted would happen back at the beginning of the year) is a joy to behold...portable computing for everyone!
  
• NPR - Always informative, enjoyable, and worth supporting.
  
• Logitech Cordless Presenter - Have had it for two years now, am still on the first set of AAA batteries, it has taken tons of abuse, and it still works perfectly. Amazing!
  
• Private Electric Car Companies - It's as if we're on the cusp of another time like the 1920's, when every town seemed to have a local car manufacturer, except now they're all electric, hybrid, or alterna-fuel vehicles (a very good thing).

NOT

• Archos - if my 605 Wi-Fi completely hangs on me one more time, I swear I'm going to chuck it off an overpass (I'll post more about this later)
  
• Palm - if my Treo 700p resets on me one more time, I swear I'm going to chuck...aw, who am I kidding? It'll probably reset before I finish this post. C'mon Android...fill this void in my gadget-hoarding soul, will you?
  
• Megalomaniacal Corporate IT Departments - I hope the day comes soon when we can definitively show that the TCO actually improves when you let corporate tech users select their own personal devices.
  
• Flash memory format proliferation - I mean, seriously, do we really need SD, MiniSD, and MicroSD? It's getting as bad as the dang Memory Stick (and that's saying something).
  
• Download-only music stores - I may be in the minority, but I just don't like the DRM associated with most online music stores. And even without the DRM, the cost seems too much if I'm not getting permanent physical media, liner notes/art, etc. Call me old school if you like...go ahead, it only hurts a little.
  
• Intel's Marketing department - Seriously, guys, could you make keeping track of your product lines any more difficult and confusing?
  
• Getting older - I am no longer the kid I still think of myself as being.
  

So what are your Hot and Not?

Posted by Craig in Cars and Computing and Home A/V and Industry and Internet and Mobile & PDAs and Phones and Popular Media and Technology and Wireless
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May 14, 2008

Segways: Gas Crunch Solution for Fat Cops?

It's hard being a visionary; nobody knows you're right until well after you did, and by then it may be too late.

Take Dean Kamen, for example. Inventor of over 27.3 million different gizmos, his much-maligned Segway was supposed to redefine how we think of cities.

It didn't. Not even close.

Now, more than seven years after its debut, they're still quite rare.

Well, they're going to be a little less rare, at least in one Ohio town. Hamilton has bought several Segways for its police force to patrol the streets in...er, on...whichever.

My question is this: if Hamilton wanted to buy something for its officers to use that reduced energy costs, why not just buy them bicycles? Five grand will get you a really nice mountain bike. Or three.

Posted by Craig in Cars and Society / Politics and Technology
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May 2, 2008

In Search of a Quicker Demise

The industriousness and efficiency of humanity is really, really impressive if you stop to think about it. While lesser species sit around and wait for Nature to "happen," we devise new ways of accelerating our ass-over-teakettle tumble through new realities.

One particularly delicious example of this is global warming. "Oh, yes, we know all about that," you say, but wait...there's a cool twist.

For years, scientists have been telling us that the Earth's climate is changing, largely due to the burning of fossil fuels and other of man's activities that result in a hotter planet. And for years, scientists have been predicting the most dire of outcomes: dramatic loss of coastal land (and the cities that sit on them), increasingly violent and unpredictable weather, a huge decrease in biodiversity as scores of plant and animal species fail to adapt to what is essentially overnight change to their ecosystems, and so on.

One prediction that scared the US Defense Department so much that it put global warming on its list of top national security threats was the likelihood of widespread food shortages. Changing weather patterns, including increased drought and flooding, were going to wreck havoc on food production around the globe. This shortage would then lead to instability in parts of the world that weren't terribly stable to begin with and further fuel the anti-Western backlash that began sometime before this decade. This would generate new threats like terrorism, disruptions to our own food and energy supply chains, and increase the uncertainty in global markets. All told, not a very rosy scenario.

And that was all supposed to happen by the middle of this century.

But, humanity's unfailing inability to leave bad enough alone has created a worldwide food shortage well before global warming could directly. No, global warming (which, remember, is our fault) is motivating us to seek out alternative fuel sources, such as corn-based petroleum substitutes. These biofuels are diminishing the availability of food and driving up costs. This, in turn, is starting to generate unease in the world's poorest communities. And that is precisely the type of situation that the Defense Department warned us about...just about 40 years earlier than predicted.

It is indeed ironic that our efforts to stem global warming are resulting in many of the very same problems that global warming was itself going to cause, just sooner. When your best effort to avoid calamity only hastens its arrival, you have to wonder whether there's any hope of steering clear at all.

Posted by Craig in Cars and Industry and Science & Nature
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April 24, 2008

Religious License Plates in Florida

If Florida gets the Christian license plates that some lawmakers there have proposed, this should be an equally justifiable plate option for Sunshine State residents:

Posted by Craig in Cars and Society / Politics
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April 23, 2008

As Gas Prices Go Up, Driving Goes Down...Finally

Pundits figured it would take gas at $4/gallon to curb driving. Looks like they were about right, but with the overall economy in recession, it only took $3.50/gallon or so to get things started. BusinessWeek has a good article on it.

Posted by Craig in Cars and Society / Politics
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January 14, 2008

Photograph Your Car, Violate the Car-Maker's Trademark....Huh?

I just came across this ridiculous story on BoingBoing about Ford preventing a Mustang owner's group from publishing a calendar featuring photos the owners took of their own cars on the grounds that all images of Ford cars are inherently trademarked and, therefore, property of Ford.

Can American companies become any more stupid than this? I'm not quite sure it's possible.

For the record, I'm fairly confident Subaru has no such policy. And just to try it out, here's a shot of my own car (a 2005 Impreza WRX STI).

Posted by Craig in Cars and Photography and Society / Politics
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January 3, 2008

Ford Mustang Shelby GT vs 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI

Edmunds.com has a fascinating comparo: the 2008 Ford Mustang Shelby GT against the 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI.

At first, you think "who would compare these two?" After all, the 'Stang is a tried-and-true RWD muscle car and the STI is an AWD rally racer in street car garb. The Ford has two doors and a whopping-big engine (that even says "Shelby" on it), whereas the Subaru has 5 doors (it's a hatchback) and a little 2.5-liter turbocharged flat-4.

So, who won? Watch the video and find out...it's a lot of fun!

Posted by Craig in Cars
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June 13, 2007

The 3-State Race (3SR): 86-Mile Road Race around Cincinnati I-275 Loop

I have an idea. It's pretty crazy and 99% likely never to bear fruit, but I feel compelled to describe it here...just in case. And don't think this is entirely thought out...I'm imagining it literally as I type.

Imagine this: a road race around the 86-mile loop of highway circling Cincinnati, Ohio known as I-275 (map below). I-275 in Cincinnati is a divided highway ranging from 2 to 4 lanes in both directions. It wanders through three different states -- Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky -- and crosses the Ohio river twice.

Who could race in this event? Anyone. It would be a true road race where any road-worthy automobile may enter. Think road rally for the everyman.

But who would race in this event? That's an entirely different question. Since closing I-275 would be impossible for any period of time more than, say, a few hours (if even then), the field of cars would have to be limited to about 180. Here's how I figure that. If one lap is 86 miles and even the pokiest racer should be able to average 100 mph, that's .86 hours, or about 50 minutes around the whole loop. If you want to finish the last car in by noon (to re-open the highway), and you wanted to start each car a minute behind the previous one (so as to limit bunching up), then you could launch cars for three hours straight (e.g., starting at 8am, the last one leaving at 11am and returning just before noon).

But, who would those 180 racers be? Well, we'd need to make sure that they know how to drive, so they would have to show that their cars are road-legal and pass a full race safety inspection (a la SCCA rules). But that would still leave thousands aching for a chance to blast through closed highways at ridiculous speeds.

So, to further pare the field, a $500 entry fee would be required. Maybe make it $1,000...or maybe auction off the spots. Alternately, and this could be done to help offset the costs of hosting the race (more on that later), the organizers could require a $X00 fee to enter a RAFFLE from which participants would be drawn. Then, each participant would have to pay the entry fee to actually race. The motivation would be the thrill, potential prize money, and some local fame.

I also imagine that you'd need a few classes of cars, primarily for sequencing the starts (you should have the fastest cars at the beginning and the slowest at the end in order to minimize overtaking and passing) and based primarily on top speeds (e.g., 180+, 160-180, 140-160, and less than 140). This would be the perfect opportunity for those rich guys with their Porsche Carreras and Mercedes SLRs to really open them up on public roads. It would also make for a really fine exotic car show.

Staging the cars could be done at an on-ramp area near I-75 and adjacent to a large commercial base of restaurants, etc. for helping support the hordes of tourists.

And that brings me to the money part. This could, if managed correctly, be a HUGE money-maker for the region. While you could you sell TV rights to the event, the tourism dollars alone would be enormous. If the race is on a Sunday morning (lightest traffic means the best time to close the highway for a few hours), then the day before, a Saturday, could be a huge parade of all the cars through downtown Cincinnati. It could be like a public Indy 500 for the everyday guy.

My biggest concern would be the ability to negotiate a way to close down a major highway loop that crosses three different states for a period of 4 daylight hours. If that could be done, the rest would be perfectly feasible, I think. And, if it could be pulled off once, the second year would be bigger, better, and easier just because a lot of the complexities would have already been worked out.

So, if anyone from Cincinnati town council or Hamilton County is reading this, please consider this idea; I think it would be at least an interesting thing to attempt. Heck, Cincinnati once proposed to be the site of the summer Olympics. This race wouldn't be one-tenth that much cost or effort, yet might still accomplish many of the same goals for the city and the region.

Posted by Craig in Cars and Industry and Society / Politics and Travel
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March 11, 2007

Virtual Reality Sound Labs VRFM9 Quite the Multi-Talented FM Transmitter

While at Target earlier today looking for something else entirely, I stumbled upon the VRFM3 FM Transmitter by Virtual Reality Sound Labs. What caught my eye about this FM transmitter is the fact that it will play MP3 and WMA files directly from either a flash drive inserted into its USB port or an Secure Digital (SD) card inserted into its SD slot (see below). Of course, there's also a line-in jack for transmitting audio from another source (e.g., an iPod or Treo), but this is the first unit I've seen to offer both USB and SD interfaces. So, excited by the prospect of easy, cheap, portable, and completely wire-free tunage for any car I happen to be in, I plunked down my $49.99 and headed home to put the VRFM9 through its paces.

After an initial test, I'm very impressed by how well this device works. It does exactly what you would expect, if not hope, it to do, which, unfortunately, seems to be a rarity in consumer electronics. Plus, even more a rarity are the extensive written instructions (including color diagrams) that came with the device.

First, I tried the typical external input mode with my Treo 700p as source. The VRFM9 automatically detects which source is hooked up (if music is available by more than one source, priority goes first to the external line-in, then to the USB port, then last to the SD card slot; the unit will only play music from one source) and transmits that via one of its 15 preset FM channels (8 in the low range and 7 in the high range...enough to satisfy nearly everyone nearly all the time). The two-line LCD (at right) offers some information about the FM channel being used, play mode (normal v. shuffle), source, etc. If the unit is playing an MP3 or WMA file straight off USB or SD card, it will display the artist and song title as well (assuming these tags are present in the audio file). It's a bit cryptic and not a lot of characters appear at once, but given that you likely won't be interacting a lot with this device, it's certainly adequate, if not surprisingly nice. One nice UI touch is that when you switch tracks or change the volume, the display changes to show extra-large characters (e.g., "011/045" to let you know you're on track 11 of 45 total tracks on that source) for enhanced readability.

Second, I tried a couple different SD cards. Both my 2GB and 4GB SD (not SDHC) cards worked fine. The VRFM9 will scan the card when inserted and start playing the first one it comes across. It appears to play in this order: (1) anything in the root directory, in alphabetical order by file name, (2) anything in sub-directories in alphabetical order by sub-directory, then by file name within each sub-directory. Of course, putting the unit in Shuffle mode randomizes play across all files in all directories. One odd thing I noticed was that the unit would attempt to play the two WMV files I had in one sub-directory, but it was unsuccessful as no sound was transmitted.

I then attempted to use the VRFM9 with a USB flash drive (specifically, the 4GB Patriot Xporter XT that I reviewed previously), but no joy. The unit displayed "No Source" with that USB drive. I'll hunt around for another one and give it a go when I get a chance. Another note regarding use with flash drives; not all will fit. Particularly fat flash drives may be too girthy to fit into the VRFM9's port. If there's an SD card inserted, this further reduces the space around the USB port. Most normal extension cables will work fine.

One interesting tidbit is that a USB flash card reader that mounts like an external drive will let the user effectively play music through the VRFM9 via any of the flash media formats the reader supports. But as above, music will be played from only one card at a time. I tried plugging in an external USB hard drive (full 120VAC 3.5" drive), but no dice...the unit didn't recognize that anything was plugged in to the USB port.

Controls on the unit are spartan but adequate. They all click nicely and the dual-function (click vs. hold) is reasonably intuitive.

Now, two minor complaints. First, even though the unit ratchets through about a 120-degree sweep, the LCD isn't particularly readable except at very direct angles. So, if your car's cigarette lighter/power socket is way off to the side of the center console, you may not have much luck reading the display while driving. Second, as with all FM transmitters, sound quality is not particularly good. After all, you're limited to the sound quality of FM radio, which isn't going to impress anyone. Audiophiles will want to look to other (and likely much more expensive) hardwired solutions for getting their portable audio broadcast through their cars' stereos.

Overall, I am quite impressed by this device. Not only does it do exactly what you think it should, it seems reasonably well made and is not terribly expensive. And, given that many people have at least one lower-capacity SD card or USB flash drive sitting in a drawer not doing anything, this makes for a very easy way to put it to work as a music sherpa for your car.

There are also some nice reviews of the VRFM9 over at Audioholics and Gizmos for Geeks if you're still on the fence or want more opinions.

Posted by Craig in Cars and Home A/V and Mobile & PDAs and Music & Audio and Travel and Wireless
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November 29, 2006

And the New Automotive Quality Champion Is...Subaru?

According to Auto Industry News, Subaru is the only car-maker to have all of its models listed as a "Recommended Vehicle" by Consumer Reports in that organization's new 2006 U.S. Annual Car Reliability Survey.

Interestingly, Subaru makes a significant number of its cars sold in the U.S. in the U.S. -- it's Lafayette, Indiana plant is capable of such high quality that Toyota will soon start producing Camrys there as well.

Posted by Craig in Cars
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May 30, 2006

Ariel Atom: One Darn Impressive Car

For just £29,000, you get a 2-seat car that's faster than a Porsche Carrera GT and less than half a second slower than a Ferrari Enzo around the Top Gear test track. Watch and be amazed:

Posted by Craig in Cars
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April 6, 2005

What Your Car Says About Your Politics

According to an interesting article in The New York Times, data-mining and large-scale surveys are turning up interesting consistencies between the cars people drive and their political leanings.

Among their findings: buyers of American cars tend to be Republican - except, for some reason, those who buy Pontiacs, who tend to be Democrats. Foreign-brand compact cars are usually bought by Democrats - but not Mini Coopers, which are bought by almost equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans. And Volvos may not actually represent quite what you think.

Two of the passages I found particularly interesting (possibly due to their personal relevance) are the following:

Scarborough found that Porsche owners identified themselves as Republican more often than owners of any other cars, with 59 percent calling themselves Republicans, 27 percent Democrats and the rest either calling themselves independents or declining to answer. Jaguars and Land Rovers also registered as very "Republican" vehicles.

"Volvos have become more plush and bourgeois, which is a Republican thing to be," said Mickey Kaus, a dual expert in politics and cars as the author of the Kausfiles and Gearbox columns for Slate. "Subaru is the new Volvo - that is, it is what Volvos used to be: trusty, rugged, inexpensive, unpretentious, performs well, maybe a bit ugly. You don't buy it because you want to show you have money; you buy it because you have college-professor values."

Read the full article if this piqued (not "peaked") your interest.

Posted by Craig in Cars and Society / Politics
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March 27, 2005

Concept Cars of the 2005 New York Auto Show

The New York International Automobile Show is going on right now, and nearly every major car maker is there with prototypes in tow. While many of the cars are technological wonders, some are either ugly or haven't yet been blessed with attention from the marketing/naming department. Here are a few of the more suspect vehicles:

The Ford Fairlane concept SUV. Didn't we call "suicide doors" that for a reason?

The Ford SYNus. Yeah, I need one of these like a need a hole in my head. Ba-dum-dum. But seriously, this does look nice if you want your car to match your toaster oven.

The GMC Sequel. Everyone knows that sequels suck, and this one seems to have been inspired by an industrial air vent.

Mercury MetaOne. Reminds of me of a helmet of a Power Ranger or Stormtrooper. Is "MetaOne" supposed to mean something?

This is the risk you take when you let engineers name things and marketers design them.

Check out the car show's gallery to see more cars from the event.

Posted by Craig in Cars
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March 26, 2005

Interesting Auto PC Stuff from VeaLink

Mitch mentioned that he found some interesting PC gear for installation in cars over at VeaLink. They seem to have some compelling products. Don't know about pricing.

Posted by Craig in Cars and Computing
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March 14, 2005

Installing the Omnifi DMP1

While I was setting up the DMS1 this weekend, Mitch recently installed his new Omnifi DMP1 and he was generous enough to share his thoughts and some pictures:

I spent a good portion of my Saturday installing the Omnifi DMP1, which is the mobile portion of the package Craig and I both ordered from Woot! The install was very smooth, but more ambitious than the average bear's as I was also putting in XM Radio at the same time. This required additional interior panels to be removed and some extra wiring.

I already had an AUX input equipped Alpine head unit in my Subaru WRX, so it really was just a plug-and-play operation with the exception of soldering the switched 12V, constant 12V and dash illumination wires. I cut a piece of plywood that fits under my driver's seat and won't move around. All the components bolted to the plywood and the wiring was semi-organized around it. The hard drive in the DMP1 is easily accessible from the rear seat footwell. I put the wireless antenna up on the package shelf.

The system fired up and worked with no issues other than an errant period in one of my MP3 filenames which crashed the synch. The sound quality is very, very good (better than the iPod that was plugged in for MP3 duties). File navigation could be improved, but it's not terrible. My wife, who fears most things technical, needed no instruction to find the files she wanted to play. That's saying something.

The only real niggle I have with the system right now is my inability to synch the system wirelessly. I can see my home network, but can't get the car to see the media server. I will figure it out, but the implementation is a bit wonky as the firmware refuses to retain a WEP key. I will have to go WEP-less to find a workaround.

I have not had time to try any of the other UPnP music servers, but I will. The TwonkyVision server sounds nice as it works well with the Linksys NSLU2. I'm formatting a new 250GB drive as I type this which could become my new media server.

If the DMS1 is a cool as this DMP1, I will be totally pleased with my $200 purchase. Kudos to Craig for catching that one over on Woot!

Photo: Close-up of Wi-Fi adapter on rear package shelf (wired through the LATCH fixture opening)

Photo: Mess o' wires mounted under driver's seat

Photo: DMP1 mounted above Alpine head unit

Photo: Completed center console in WRX cockpit

Posted by Craig in Cars and Music & Audio and Wireless
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May 26, 2004

Toyota Prius 'High-Score' Uploader

The Toyota Prius (yes, the hybrid car, shown) tracks your gas mileage over time. As you drive, your driving habits (lead-footing it, slow acceleration, etc.) affect your gas mileage. Wired recently had an article about how different drivers' driving styles can affect their resulting MPG significantly.

So, I was thinking...what we need is a high-score uploader! Imagine that your Prius, using its Bluetooth technology, can connect to the Internet through your mobile phone. When it does, it uploads to a secure server your fuel efficiency for the last week, month, year, and the lifetime of the car.

Then, just like console and PC games, you can go online and check out how you fare compared to all the other Prius drivers out there. Or, you could compare yourself with all the other drivers in your state or your city (I'm guessing San Francisco drivers might be at either an advantage or a disadvantage due to the hills). Perhaps even better would be the ability to pull up the "high scores" right on the Prius' in-car display. Perhaps this would be the first actual reality-based driving game.

Suddenly, it becomes a competitive activity to try and get the most fuel economy out of your car. Every time you drive, you're trying to maximize your distance while minimizing your gas usage. Prius drivers who just want to "win" at the game end up saving gas and being environmentally friendly, regardless of their eco-political perspective.

No, this doesn't exist yet, but I think it would be a pretty cool idea. I know that it might just sell some more Priuses as well and would be pretty inexpensive to do.

Posted by Craig in Cars
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April 3, 2004

FuelEconomy.gov

The US EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) runs a really useful, interesting, and fairly nicely laid out website at fueleconomy.gov. There, you can look up nearly any car model sold in the US in the past 20 years and compare its environmental impact side-by-side with, say, what you're driving now or something you're considering buying. Or, it could be handy if you just want to shame that SUV-driving friend of yours. There's some good info on fuel cells and hybrid technology at the site as well.

Posted by Craig in Cars and Internet
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January 30, 2004

Volkswagen Not Just "The People's Car" Anymore

In case you've been living under a rock, you might not have heard that Volkswagen is trying hard to leave behind its image as the maker of the original bargain-basement Beetle and the VW Bus, a favored ride by Deadheads and hippies the world over.

Volkswagen has begun selling the Phaeton (shown), a large luxury sedan that shreds any previous stereotype that VW may think it needs to overcome.

For starters, the Phaeton offers an optional W-12 engine (yes, that's 12 cylinders) pumping out 420 HP. The car sports Volkswagen's 4Motion AWD system and a 6-speed automatic tranny with the Tiptronic pseudo-manual shifting feature. Real wood, real leather, and a 4-zone climate control system are some of the interior features.

So what does the top-of-the-line W12-equipped Phaeton run? Would you believe me if I said this Volkswagen is nearly $90,000? Of course, if you can settle for a mere 335 HP, 8-cylinder engine and no options, you can drive a Phaeton home for the bargain price of just $65,000, gas guzzler tax not included.

Posted by Craig in Cars
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Some Car Tech I'd Like to See

It snowed 3 inches here last evening and the overnight temperature hovered in the single digits -- even road salt doesn't work that well at this temperature. Needless to say, the roads were pretty messy. My 968 doesn't do so well in these conditions (no surprise there) and it got me thinking about what tech I'd like on a car. Here's a short list:

• Optional AWD -- the Porsche 911 Turbo has a slick AWD set-up that allows up to nearly 100% of the power to go to the rear wheels, ideal for racing in dry conditions. But, when needed, a significant % of its power can go to the front wheels, enhancing traction in the wet. Ideally, though, it'd be great to be able to switch off AWD entirely and then (easily) remove the forward portion of the drivetrain altogether to save weight when it's not needed.

• Intelligent snow tires -- I don't think these exist, but it would be pretty cool if the tires could automagically extend little snow/ice studs or blades when the car detects slippery below freezing conditions. Sure, this idea is a bit Bondian, but it'd still be neat.

• Hovercraft mode -- Why bother with snow at all? Activate hover/levitation mode and skim right over it without a care. As you might guess, I really hope to live long enough to see Luke Skywalker's Land Speeder become reality. Of course, I'd also take Corben Dallas' hovercab (from The Fifth Element).

• Better airbags -- If I'm gonna get in an accident, which is inevitable given the proclivity of folks who can't drive deciding they should simultaneously attempt to converse on the phone, I want protection. Sure, modern cars have front airbags, side airbags, head airbags, rear airbags...but that's not enough. I want the setup the Mars Rover has (below). Now that's security.

Posted by Craig in Cars
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January 16, 2004

Mazda Transformer

I will buy the first production car that can actually do this.

Cool anim, Mazda...thanks.

Posted by Craig in Cars
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January 14, 2004

VW/Audi 1.8T (4 Cylinder)--Little Engine that Could

I have always stayed away from any Turbo-charged engines in the past for a variety of reasons (Turbo lag for one). Instead, I have always opted to get a regular V6 or V8 in order to get the necessary HP I needed. So, why am I writing about this turbo engine? To my surprise, for the first time in my life, I am driving a car that has a turbo-charged engine. The 1.8T has 5 Valves per cylinder (total of 20 Valves) and can typically produce 170 or 180HP @ 5900 rpm stock and if you add a new chip from custom auto shops, you can get this up to 200 to 210HP easily for about $500 installed. However, it is not the prodigious HP that I felt in love with. It's the broad and flat torque curve. For instance, my engine (170 HP) produces the maximum torque of 166 lb.ft @ 1950-5000 rpm. Talk about the range! The engine has a minimum turbo lag, and sings beautifully at 4000 to 5000 rpm. The best yet is the gas mileage I can get with this engine--21/22 city and 30/31 highway. The engine is also environmental friendly (ULEV) as well. So, I'm sold. This is a highly refined engine that goes against the "macho" logic that you need to apply the brute force in designing engines (the bigger and more, the better).

Posted by Ken in Cars
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December 15, 2003

Rant: Most of us STILL Drive Cars

I drove up to the ATM at a local bank and...stared at a brick wall. Huh? Then I looked up...waay up. There was the ATM...about 3 feet above my car's window and well out of reach.

Apparently, somebody at this bank figured that everyone must be driving 7-foot high SUV's now. Well, guess again, buddy boy -- cars still outnumber SUV's by a healthy margin, and will for the foreseeable future.

Interesting to note that someone else also recently had this same (crappy) experience. Wake up, bank -- lower your freaking ATM back down before all us car drivers start finding other places to do our banking.

Posted by Craig in Cars
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November 13, 2003

New from Q: The Aquada

From the James Bond department, the Aquada is a convertible that transforms into a speedboat.

The high-speed amphibian (HSA) vehicle reaches speeds of up to 100 mph (160 kph) on land and 30 mph (48 kph) over water, taking seconds to make the change from sportscar to jet-powered speedboat.

The Aquada is powered by a 175-hp, V6 engine with a 4-speed auto tranny linked to a sealed jet propulsion system for marine operation. The car needs a slope or boat ramp to drive into the water, so unfortunately mid-air takeoffs and splashdowns are out.

However, the vehicle does meet all European road and marine safety standards and is fully-legal for both water and land use. Owners do need insurance for both uses.

Price tag? About £150,000... only about a week's wage if your agent code has a double-O prefix. Gibbs Technologies, makers of the Aquada, are not commenting on a rumored submarine version.

Posted by Sam in Cars and Other and Travel
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November 12, 2003

Bombardier Embrio -- Unicycle on Steroids

The Segway is to the Bombardier Embrio (pictured) as a Cessna 172 is to an F-14 Tomcat. They'll both get you there, but you will get way more cool points if you arrive on the Embrio.

According to this article in Forbes, the Embrio is a one-wheel, fuel cell-powered concept vehicle. It uses gyroscopes (a la the Segway) to balance the rider on a single wheel. When slowed under 12 mph, a secondary wheel drops down from the front to help the rider balance when he/she comes to a stop.

Basically, I want one. I know it's just a concept, but I want one anyway. I've been looking at alternate means to handle my 5 mile daily commute on city streets, and this might just be the ticket. Now if I can just wait, oh, 10 years until fuel cells become viable...

Posted by Craig in Cars
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October 1, 2003

Confused over the X3?

Yesterday, Gizmodo outlined some of the specifications of Dell's forthcoming low-end offering, the X3. However, some have gotten this confused with BMW's forthcoming low-end offering, also called the X3.

To address this confusion, we've created a handy table identifying the differences:

	Dell X3	BMW X3
Engine	300 MHz, 400 MHz	2.5L, 3.0L
Screen	3.5" 16-bit color	shatter-resistant + tinted
Expansion	SD Slot	Fold-down seats
Wireless	Wi-Fi (optional)	AM/FM Stereo (standard)

Both models are smaller and lighter than the companies' larger X5 models (respectively). We hope that clears up any confusion.

Posted by Craig in Cars and Mobile & PDAs
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September 23, 2003

Auto-X a Total Blast

This year, I started doing something I've wanted to do for a long time: race my car. I'm no Paul Newman, and I don't own a track car, so the most reasonable type of racing I can expect to do is something called autocross (or auto-X) or Solo II, depending on who you talk to.

Autocross is basically individual timed racing around a course laid out with pylons (small traffic cones). There's usually only one (or two) cars on the track at a time, so there's no chance of careening into another driver. The courses are usually laid out in a big parking lot, an unused dragstrip, or any other large body of asphalt.

In June, I started racing with the Ohio Valley Region (OVR) of the Porsche Club of America (PCA). These guys are a real hoot, and some of them are pretty impressive drivers as well. Here's a pic of me in my first ever auto-X event -- notice the complete lack of any suggestion of speed in the photo (I've gotten a fair bit faster since then). :-)

Basically, anyone with a car in good mechanical condition (mandatory), no major health risks, and a desire to learn more about how to handle your vehicle in vigorous maneuvers can participate -- most car clubs don't require participants to be members. So, if you want to read up more on autocrossing, there is some good information at the PCA Autocross site and at the Tire Rack website. Now get out there!

Posted by Craig in Cars
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September 18, 2003

The God of Cars Comes to the USA

Fifteen years ago, Porsche produced 230 examples of what many enthusiasts feel is the ultimate automobile. The 959 was and is superlative in every way. I will not repeat its specifications as most car people know them by heart already. Due to their outrageous cost and ultra scarcity, it's very unusual to see one in even the best car shows. Finally, until now it has been impossible to bring one into this country and drive it due to federalization problems. Bill Gates (yes that one) has been trying since 1990 to do so and seems to have finally succeeded with lots of help. Read this story from Autoweek for the full scoop. Did I mention that these new versions now have 585 horsepower versus the original 450? I need a drink. And $450,000.

Posted by Mitch in Cars
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September 15, 2003

Getaway In Stockholm 4 On Its Way

The supreme nutters behind the "Getaway In Stockholm" videos are set to release number four in their infamous series this October 15th. The teaser trailer is available now via their website. If your jaw is still a bit slack reading this, let me fill you in. Several years ago, some soon-to-be Darwin award winners in Stockholm thought it would be cool to secure a really fast car, goad the local police into a chase and then film the whole thing. They did. It was very cool and it spawned sequels and copycats galore. At times the calls are so close and the speeds are so great that these videos are almost painful to watch, but impossible to turn away from. Don't try this at home.

Posted by Mitch in Cars and Movies & Books and Popular Media
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September 12, 2003

Photos of Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Supercar

GermanCarFans.com has a new gallery of photos of the amazing...no, that's not superlative enough...awe-inspiring...no, too cliché...mind-numbingly impressive Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.

The SLR is a 2-seat supercar that looks like something you'd find in a country club parking lot (in the valet section, of course). While most supercars look like a cross between a jet fighter and an F1 car, the SLR looks, well, like a Mercedes-Benz street car. Well, a very nasty-looking street car.

This thing does 0-60 in less than 4 seconds and shoots to a top speed in excess of 200 MPH thanks to its supercharged 600 HP 5.5L V-8. The car is awash in high-tech materials too, including ceramic brake discs and vast quantities of carbon fiber (even the seats). The SLR is the result of a 5-year collaboration between McLaren and Mercedes-Benz. Thanks to Dan for the lead.

Posted by Craig in Cars
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August 14, 2003

Koenigsegg CC

The automotive world has been full of superlatives lately as the big automakers are tripping over each other to offer the latest, greatest, fastest, most technological, safest, quickest, best braking machine to the salivating, well-heeled buyer. Still, nothing has come out to surpass the amazing McLaren F1. Until now...

TopGear has recently tested the Koenigsegg CC and have crowned it as the fastest car they have ever tested. Words or pictures cannot really do this thing justice so I ask you to download this video [8 min - 22MB] and see for yourself. If you are a car enthusiast like me, you will go completely ape.

Posted by Mitch in Cars
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July 30, 2003

Last Classic VW Beetle Produced Today

The very last rear-engined Beetle to be produced rolled off the assembly line at a Volkswagen plant in Puebla, Mexico. Its production spans eight decades, and over 21 million units were produced. It's truly the end of an era.

See coverage by the BBC and the VOA.

Posted by Craig in Cars
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July 18, 2003

Successfully Merging Government and Technology

Ohio is infamous for being a bit overzealous with its enforcement of speed-related traffic laws. Speeding tickets are handed out by the thousands every day from the Ohio state patrol, county sheriffs, city police, village police, township police, constables, detectives, park rangers (yes, really) and who knows who else. It's no wonder the Escort, Passport and the Valentine 1 were all invented here in the Buckeye state.

Ohio has a deadly efficient money harvesting system built around automobile law enforcement and thankfully, this efficiency has translated into something useful instead of harassing for Joe Citizen. Enter oplates.com....

In the bad old days when you wanted a customized plate for your vehicle, you went to the local Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) office (Argh!) and waited in line to ask for an application. You then filled out this application with your top three choices for a plate and mailed it off to Columbus. Weeks and weeks later you would either get your plates or a letter telling you your choices were not available or not approved. Try again.

A slightly better system emerged a few years back. You still had to go the BMV office (Argh!), but perched on their countertop was a rickety, old CRT that allowed you to enter your choices for a plate and get instant feedback. If you found a combination that clicked for you and the state, you stood in line for an application, filled it out and then waited weeks and weeks for your plates.

Oplates.com has done away with all that silliness. With this clean, efficient website you can instantly check availability of your custom plates on a multitude of snazzy plate backgrounds and then see a representation of the finished product. A few clicks later you enter your credit card, get a confirmation and in one week(!) your plates show up in the mail.

Now that's what I'm talking about!

Posted by Mitch in Cars and Computing and Society / Politics
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July 15, 2003

The Dashpc...I want one now!

If you knew me, you would understand why this has effected me so. Not only am I a hopeless car junky, but I was a VERY early adopter of Linux. I used to spend hours (even days) trying to integrate some arcane piece of hardware into my home system. But I won't bore you with that. I will hopefully stimulate you with the Dashpc.

This thing hits my cool scale at about 9.9 as it has all the features I want in my car: wireless internet, near real-time weather and traffic, DVD, MP3 playback, ODBII interface, broadcast TV, and webcam. The only reason I don't do this immediately is my experience with similar things gives me some insight into the hideous cost and time required to get it right. But I still want one!

Posted by Mitch in Cars and Computing
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April 19, 2003

A Day in My Life

Technophiles are generally pretty interesting folks, I've come to realize. We all have particular idiosyncracies and preferences that make it extremely unlikely for two of us to have exactly similar usage patterns, technology choices, etc. Just to illustrate my own pattern of choices, here's a brief recap of the tech I employ in a typical day.

Wake up -- I use a $10 GE clock-radio that I got at a discount department store about 10 years ago. I was so impressed at the radio sensitivity (it can tune stations even my $400 Yamaha receiver can't), I bought a second as back-up. For $10, it's a steal.

Check email -- my first real "tech" interaction of the day is usually with a Pocket PC, a Compaq iPaq 3670 with PC Card sled and D-Link Wi-Fi adapter. I check my various email accounts with this thing (Pocket Inbox is a phenomenal email app), check the weather, etc. before I get out of bed. The charging cradle is a permanent fixture on my nightstand, since I no longer sync this with a PC. This is about the closest thing to a technology "appliance" I've found to be actually useful.

Shower, get dressed, wolf down breakfast (optional) -- no real tech involved here :-( [Note to self: Work on this.]

Pack for work -- stick necessary tech into briefcase for the day at the office. This usually consists of my Kyocera 7135 and my HandEra 330, although the 330 is seeming less and less necessary given the really nice capabilities of the 7135 (and the EOL issued for all HandEra devices).

Drive to work -- I invested in a sweet piece of car stereo equipment, the Alpine CDA-7894 in-dash receiver. This unit plays the full complement of digital discs (except DVD) and decodes MP3. Given that I have over 45 GB of MP3s (all legal, ripped from CDs we own), this is a really nice way to access my music while in my car. Not only does the receiver sound great, it really does a fairly stellar job at handling MP3 data. I still think there's a big opportunity for high-res after-market head units (to display the track name, artist, etc. all simultaneously), but those still seem to be fairly rare. Given that it's an Alpine, the tuner is just excellent, especially good for pulling in WOXY (alternative) and WNKU (alternative/folk + NPR).

At work -- While at my office, I interact with a lot of standard-issue university technology. Fairly banal Dell desktop with CRT monitor, etc. -- a pretty typical arrangement. My pride and joy in my personal office is my HP G85 4-in-1 printer/scanner/fax/copier. It does a really stellar job at all four functions (well, never tried the fax function, but I assume it's stellar). I use the snot out of the sheet-feeder for scanning multi-page documents -- works great...highly recommended. The bane of my existence at work is our office copier...some lame, fickle Xerox piece of crap. This hunk of junk, more than anything else, has inspired me to go as paperless as is reasonably possible. Knowing I'm helping conserve trees also makes me feel good about using bits instead of paper.

Back at home -- home for the evening and I rely on all the tech here in my home. I have a mixed wired/wireless LAN that ties together 2 PCs, 1 laptop, and 2 handhelds (1 Pocket PC and 1 Palm OS device). Internet access is via RoadRunner cable broadband, which is being distributed to all the connected devices. My main computer at home is a custom/self-built desktop, and the other desktop is my MP3 server (I'll talk more about this later). I have our family room TV and stereo system tied into the MP3 server, so I can browse or whatever while listening to our music collection -- a pretty nice setup. My main complaint is the resolution on our television is really poor. It's a 27" Sony Trinitron, so it puts out like 550 lines of resolution. Needless to say, I really want one of the new true 1920x1080 HDTV LCD TVs that should be hitting store shelves later this year (yum!). To control the MP3 server, which is in the basement, while I'm sitting in front of the family room TV, I rely on a Gyration wireless mouse/keyboard setup -- this is some really trick hardware if you want to have a nearly invisible common room computing setup.

In bed -- prior to hitting the hay, I will often do some minor computing in bed. This is done via the laptop (which I'm typing on now) or using one of the handhelds. Generally, I'm just doing a blog entry, checking email/weather, or IM'ing with some friends (or some combo of those). While I generally like the apps better on my PalmOS devices, their lack of multi-tasking in the OS really bites in this case -- I can't keep an IRC/IM connection open while I do something else (check email, calendar, etc.). I really hope OS6 fixes this.

Well, that's about it. I'll talk more about the MP3 server another time, for I'm pretty happy with that particular piece of my home setup. Have comparable usage patterns or something that differs dramatically? Leave me a note!

Posted by Craig in Cars and Computing and Mobile & PDAs and Wireless
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