NJS[BLOG]

My trusty new steed has just arrived – and was greeted by a completely unexpected snowstorm while I took delivery yesterday morning.  Driving and photo sessions have been scarce so far but I did grab some this morning since we made the last minute decision to postponed our Pittsburgh departure due to the (likely) nasty mountain roads.

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.

(Autoblog)

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 Juan as 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…

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…

Tomorrow sees me traveling to Pittsburgh to offer a workshop at one of my campuses, which is very exciting. However, the real excitement for the day will come after class when I swing by Bill Gray Volvo before heading back home for the evening. The reason for my stop will be to order what you see above you: a 2012 Volvo S60 T5 in Vibrant Copper. I am excited to see how the ordering process goes with Volvo as compared to Audi back in 2009 – and, of course, to start driving the new leased ride!

Engadget asks the question that makes up the post title as it regards product names in the gadget world and comes up with a four prong answer.  They categorize things into the columns of good, safe, meaningless or bad – examples, being Kindle, iPhone 4, Nokia N9 or Epic, in that order.  The reasoning is pretty spot on and I especially like the acknowledgement that with enough time and consistency, even a meaningless naming scheme carried forward by a strong brand can produce recognizable monikers like BMW 328i.  Or maybe I just like the fact that crossing over into automotive territory was necessary to make the point?

Amen, Jalopnik. Your description of the feeling I get when I see a Sheetz come into view is absolutely spot-on. As I beat the pavement from campus to campus, I can always rely on Sheetz to get me warm sustenance in the form of a delicious pretzel sandwich with little hassle and consistent results. A perk to PA’s roads can’t be discounted!

“Cars are the biggest – and most abundant – set of sculptures that we have in contact every day in our lives.  Although they’re reproduced by machines and they’re computer milled stamps that make them, actually every one of them was originally carved by hand by men and women using techniques not a whole lot different than Michaelangelo.” – Chris Bangle, former Design Director of BMW

And that is precisely why I am so hooked on cars, neurotic about my cars and hopelessly devoted to the cult of cars. (Caught this in Objectified, a documentary on industrial design that is speaking directly to my soul.)

Should this perfectly preserved, weirdly still-stocked 1988 Canadian BMW dealer ever open its doors to the public – and, more importantly, its storage area – I will be taking at least three days off work to embark on a pilgrimage.  We can call it a religious obligation.

(Autoblog)