I know there are probably innumberable reasons why the SARTRE autonomous road train could be considered complete anathema to the driver (note: not commuter), but I can’t help but being desirous of this technology right now. Who hasn’t wished for a way to put the car on autopilot during a particularly tedious stretch of driving? Imagine how even having just one SARTRE lane on our highways would provide a safe alternative to driving while getting drowsy and definitely eliminate traffic snarls on tourist filled roadways near beaches, arenas, etc. An interesting answer to our country’s lack of acccessible – traditional – trains.
Well, actually no as I’ve covered it once before. At the time (March 2010) I was fresh off of watching a video clip that had infuriated me. 60 Minutes had interviewed several scientists who had been involved with the 1980s announcement by Fleischmann and Pons of their – several times now proven – findings with a room temperature fusion reaction. The general consensus was that maybe, just maybe, the science actually worked and “oh, by the way” Fleischmann and Pons were perhaps the victims of some world class backstabbing. The resigned look of both bitterness and “I freaking told you so” on Fleischmann’s face says everything.
But, looking back from where the field is now in 2012 does provide a little hope. Dubbed “Low Energy Nuclear Reaction” or LENR now, cold fusion is bubbling back up to the mainstream.
I started hearing about LENR on some fringe-y sites here and there via the work of Dr. Andrea Rossi. His E-Cat system caught my eye – and the eye of researchers, industrialists and politicians from Sweden to Massachusetts. Skeptical myself, you can imagine my surprise when I started seeing it pop up in financial network reports. And presidential candidate interviews. And most recently in a ringing endorsement from NASA:
We could really use this one, Universe. Please don’t let me down.
Like last year, I attended the North American International Auto Show in (lovely) Detroit. Having just arrived back yesterday after over seven hours of driving I’m just now starting to process some of the things that I encountered at Cobo Hall. Below is a gallery of some of the sights that are pinging around my brain:
Prior to the show, I also attended Autoweek‘s Design Forum at the College for Creative Studies. The event brought together auto industry and media players as well as car fans and, most interestingly, design students from the College. I particularly enjoyed seeing the thesis projects set up next door, especially since I’d have gladly been enrolled in their program had I known about its existence years ago. Of note to me as a technologist: design display boards featured QR codes that delivered student details to the viewer’s phone. With so many potential employers walking through, this stood out as extremely clever. Another use to mention in my own workshops on the technology.
2012 has become the year of nautical tracking, it would seem: my new favorite pastime is tracking the progress of Wallenius-Wilhelmsen ship Don Juanas it makes its way through the North Sea and eventually on to Nova Scotia, New York and Baltimore. Why, you ask? Because my new car is aboard and having its VIN allows me to do so! The folks over at the Swedespeed Volvo forum have put together a comprehensive thread on the subject of tracking custom orders.
You’d better believe I’ll be checking in with the Southampton radar information when it will be catching a view of Don Juan on Sunday. As I said to Kate, GPS and the internet would have made the pirate’s life so much easier…
Wired titled their article about the re-emergence of an out of print Blade Runner sketchbook “Thanks, Internet” – my thoughts exactly. Enjoy all 99 pages here or at Issuu.
You know, I don’t like putting albums in any particular order since each one is listened to at different times for different reasons and can be, depending on the moment, the exact right choice for me then. So instead of my tried and true list of top albums for 2011, I thought I’d make the task more interesting – and less daunting – than the lastthreeyears by going with a different approach. You can view videos of my favorite tracks from the 11 albums I enjoyed most in 2011 by using the YouTube playlist above. Or, learn more about each album by clicking its cover art below! (Choices are in for 2012, you see.)
This is a brand new, absolutely jaw-droppingly beautiful museum designed by some truly phenomenal architects in the middle of Ordos, a city in China…with a population of zero people. Did I mention it’s also in the heart of the Gobi dessert?
China, dear, what are you doing?
I would also like to point out that it’s basically a set from the Charlize Theron reboot of Æon Flux, a fact that I have no problem with but still merits mentioning.
Come to think of it, though, if you were to construct the last city on Earth, you couldn’t really do much better than the Gobi, right?
As you know, I spend quite a bit of time on the highways of the Pennsylvania (and highway-ish roads of Maryland). This affords me an opportunity to notice trends about travel – and lots of time to ponder them. One thing that I’ve been seeing more and more are aerodynamic attachments to tractor trailers. For instance:
The little flap under the trailer? There to keep air flowing more smoothly and thereby make the truck more efficient (and less costly for its operator). These are also taking the form of winglets on the backs of trailers and other coverings for the gaps between the actual truck and its cargo.
All of this got me thinking about the eccentric German inventor, Luigi Colani. Who knows when ago, I watched a documentary on the future of travel on the Discovery channel and remember being floored by the crazy looking tractor trailer concept that Luigi had come up with:
At the time, I can remember the show’s host joking about how strange it would be to see such an odd looking vehicle on the roadways. Now, I’m not so sure that kooky Colani wasn’t on to something…
