• Here are five automotive technologies to look for in the near future. They run the gamut run from alternative fuels to self-driving models (KITT, anyone?). (HowStuffWorks)
• Continuing on the theme in a more novel way, a Volkswagen that runs on coffee grinds has been engineered by a British scientist. But can the Car-puccino be a viable method of transportation? (USA Today)
• An 11-year-old has won the ultimate contest prize: He’ll be pushing the button to dynamite Texas Stadium, former home of the Dallas Cowboys. According to reports, he is “real excited.” (Dallas News)
• California legislators fight over Proposition AB 32, with opponents arguing over whether the carbon-cutting measure will create or destroy jobs. (LA Times)
• The politics in Cyprus are diverting attention from a growing water crisis. Solutions are complicated, to put it mildly. (BBC)
• A critique of the new bike lane feature on Google Maps — though, despite the criticism, the author sees potential for the app in the future. (PC World)
• The 100 years war between GE and environmentalists about the dredging of the Hudson goes on. Somewhere, Jack Welch is cringing. (Times Union)
• Republicans in the House of Representatives are pushing an earmark ban, many of which are pet infrastructure projects in a politicians constituency. If only George Carlin were still alive. (Politico)
March 12th, 2010 at 11:47 am
I would rather have KITT than KARR. He was dangerous.
March 25th, 2010 at 1:03 pm
Self-driving cars do not work. This is because they can’t competently spot obstacles on the road ahead (like that pedestrian, or the broken glass), or identify roads which aren’t fully striped and plowed — it’s a difficult pattern-matching problem which hasn’t been solved and isn’t *worth* solving (drivers are cheaper).
Self-driving trains actually do work. Provided the tracks are fully grade-separated and fenced, eliminating the obstacles problem. The tracks keep them on track, eliminating the road-identification problem.