Beneath Da Surface

It was in the remake of Total Recall where identification technology allowed companies to directly advertise to consumers in need of a solution for their troubles. This technology is rising today, much to us consumers loving or hating the fact that it is.

I’m a travel agent so I believe this would benefit me. But some consumers may find it annoying.

Now, new technology allows advertisers to identify your vehicle. Upon identification, they would present you a product or service that would benefit your car.

According to CBC Radio Technology Columnist Dan Misener, there’s a new “Vehicle Recognition Technology” walking in our midst.

Here’s how it works according to him:

These are large, digital screens, three in a row, each about 12 metres wide and 3.5 metres high. And they have built-in cameras that take photos of nearby traffic.

So if you’re stopped at a traffic light near one of these billboards, the camera will capture an image of the front of your vehicle, and computer vision software will identify the type of car you’re driving.

And then, based on that information, the billboard will change to show you a message targeted to the kind of person the system thinks you are. So a black convertible might trigger a different ad than a blue hatchback, for example.

To be honest, all billboards would need are high-tech gadgets and cameras that would allow them to identify a vehicle then target the right  consumers. I mean, Google AdSense and even cookies do that to us (unless you clean your browser).

It has me thinking of possibilities. Hmm…

Source: CBC.ca

If anything, commuting is a big pain. The troublesome public transportation had done little to make life convenient for commuters. There’s always rush hour.

For private car users, the rush hour means long, tiring rides. But it beats having to compete with people in coaches.

In China, the traffic troubles are far worse. But they have a new idea that may revolutionise the world of public transportation as we know it.

Welcome the straddle bus technology.

In this 3D demonstration of the straddle bus idea, the project designers wanted to resolve troubles for high road space demand, slow speeds, long trip times and increased motor queuing.

We’ve tried double deck buses and increasing number of bus lanes as well as creating more overpasses and underpasses.

So, the straddle bus would help resolve matters for almost everyone because it would allow cars to travel underneath. The same goes for conventional busses. Meanwhile, straddle buses would be speeding headlong above.

Watch this video and see how awesome the idea truly is!

It’s no question that productivity improves when you can take your mind off of one thing and focus on another. Multi-tasking has only done so much for individuals. Unfortunately, we can’t always multi-task driving because, you know, accidents.

Humour aside, everyone expects driverless cars by 2020. At least a fully-automated one at that. While you can get semi-autonomous vehicles in the market, which can identify other cars on the road along with an anti-collision system that can save you at that one, last dire minute, it’s not a fully-automated car.

It’s not a self-driving car.

Experts are saying the UK and the rest of the western world can get its first full self-driving car by the year 2020. According to Ford Product Development Head Raj Nair, self-driving cars would be on the roads by 2020.

According to Continental, the time for self-driving cars may also arrive by 2023. Despite a few faults here and there, such as possible heavy reliance on GPS and mapping technologies as our navigation apps can do, a decade would be enough, according to Continental Chairman of the Executive Board Imar Degenhart.

But the industry would bring about 320,000 jobs and a £51 billion boost to the United Kingdom. That’s research from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

So maybe you can do some office work by then while your car drives you to work or home. And that’s an awesome feeling for salespeople like me!

I’m always stoked when I read about advanced vehicle technologies. With the help of Elon Musk, Tesla’s guiding light in creating its revolutionary electric cars, I can’t help thinking if there’s still a better way to travel.

Then I read about Hyperloop technology. While SpaceX and Amazon are developing rockets that would conserve much of the expenses needed to travel to space, Elon Musk is also competing in public transport.

Hyperloop will have passengers and cargo sit in pods. The pods would be propelled from city to city in low-pressure tubes on stilts above cities. While electric car sales would go down once this futuristic, science fiction-possibly-turned-science-fact is perfectly executed into practice,  Musk will be remembered as an epic revolutionary in world transport development.

According to Hyperloop’s engineers, the tubes will have travel pods go over 1,000 km/h. Pillars will even out bumps, which guarantees people would feel safe while travelling in hyperspeeds.

However, some experts raise some serious troubles in the development of tube-based travel.

According to Aston Business School Professor David Bailey, vacuum travel propelling people up to 700mph is not comfortable at all. Aside from such, his concern is the development of the system. Using pylons and stilts can be expensive. However, he stresses the project, while quite a fantasy, is something he’d really love to see.

I mean I would want to point out the negative parts of the project, but anybody who’s seen things materialise from science fiction, like me with electric cars, would really want to see this happen!

New Volkswagen CEO Matthias Mueller said VW can take the technical, mechanical and financial strain of refitting 8.5 million Volkswagen cars in Europe fitted with illegal emissions-control software. He claims it is good development.

Several Volkswagen models, including Audi, would face auxiliary emission control software reprogramming for 3.0 litre diesel engines regulators found rigged.

The new statement comes after the car manufacturer is accused of defeating emissions exams with illegal software, explaining the lack in decline in Europe’s pollution levels.

Meanwhile, due to the costs of diesel recalls and compensation payments for its manipulation of CO2 emission levels, Volkswagen had paid out about €8.7 billion (£6.1 billion)

Clear Up Will Need Several More Months

According to Mueller, cleaning up the emissions scandal will take up several months as regulators continue their investigations.

The German KBA motoring watchdog has approved VW’s solution for more than 90 per cent of the affected vehicles. Aside from the 3.0 litre vehicles, models with 1.6 litre and 2 litres will have their solutions by the end of the month.

Volkswagen’s environmental scandal had made big news after more than 11 million vehicles were rigged with emissions-defeating software that regulated its emissions during examinations.

Volkswagen cars are not the only ones under investigation. Former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn is under investigation under assertion that Winterkorn played a huge role in the diesel emissions scandal, which left 11 million Volkswagen cars worldwide emitting more fumes than advertised or verified.

Winterkorn said he had no knowledge of software that could hide the emissions of their vehicles. However, several individuals stress he had an idea of the unfolding events but turned a blind eye.

Audis And Everyone Else

Investigators would grill any other car manufacturer who had used the 2 liter Volkswagen engine controlled via software to limit their emissions during examination. Investigators point to three senior managers in Porsche and Volkswagen as commissioners of the specialized “cheating” software. Meanwhile, Audi is uncertain whether its vehicles had poor emissions, noting that Audis could be widely implicated in the case.

Audi produces about 15 per cent of the Volkswagen vehicles sold in 2015. About 13,000 Audis exist in the United States. The scandal has rocked the country and the tarnished reputation could cost the sales of Volkswagen vehicles worldwide. Volkswagen had lost about $30 billion of its initial value in the market.

Apologies Aren’t Enough

Volkswagen had apologised to its investors and consumers. It began with America, apologising to owners of diesel cars that they had betrayed their trust in the quality worksmanship of Volkswagen. The loss of Volkswagen could mean Germany’s stability. Volkswagen brings in substantial tax revenue and 250,000 jobs in the country.

You might say that making an omelette is the simplest thing in the world and even I can do it. I admit, I can. But I know about many people who couldn’t make an omelette perfectly. While this scrumptious meal is quite simple, it means patience and understanding how small details need great attention. I mean serious attention.

If you could show me how awesome you could make an omelette better than these two or than me, then you’ve got a challenge!

I’m quite a fan of golf and I must say, the Irish Open is something I look forward to after the first quarter of every year. However, it also means a greater number of people in the area, high levels of traffic in Belfast and hotel accommodations becoming more difficult.

This year’s Irish Open is at the Royal County Down. If you’re planning to travel by a car, by a bus, you might want to go early. Here are the schedules.

Its hours will be:

• Tuesday – 8.30am to 5.30pm
• Wednesday – 7.15am to 6pm
• Thursday & Friday – 6.30am to 10pm
• Saturday & Sunday – 7am to 10.30pm

Once you land on Castlewellan Road roundabout, you just need to walk five minutes to Royal County Down.

If you’d like to know more, here’s the official travel guide!

Delphi Automotive’s Self Driving Audi SQ5 SUV is set to begin a 3,500 mile driverless journey from California to New York. The car has just left San Francisco and will arrive on April 3 for a car show in New York. Meanwhile, two people will “live” inside the car as it drives in case of any emergency.

Delphi’s car includes 20 sensors, four raders and a laser mapping system to guide itself throughout the terrain it’s to travel. The coast-to-coast test will showcase the capabilities of the automated vehicle and an attempt to be the longest automated drive attempted in North America.

Delphi said that drivers on the road shouldn’t be afraid of the driverless vehicle should they pass by it.

The company is one of the biggest automotive electronics and safety systems suppliers. The car is to acquire 2.3 TB of information through cameras, radar and its laser mapping technology for future research and development.

Observers and analysts praise Delphi’s new test with the growing interest of the car industry to develop driverless vehicles, which may be in production in 2020.

Along with Delphi, Google and Tesla Motors intend to improve self-driving vehicle technology in the next few years.

According to BMW’s Sales Chief Ian Robertson “The sports car market is roughly half of what it used to be. Post-2008, it just collapsed. I’m not so sure it’ll ever fully recover.”

Honestly, in the last few years, there have been fewer buyers of new cars, even new models. Most of these buyers are those who could definitely afford them, and those that are just savvy about cars.

Globally, there are billions of cars driving all over roads, clogging up the highways during the rush hour. This is one reason why most people wouldn’t want to buy a car; they end up getting less than they paid for.

However, to get the appeal of many consumers, cars have been “inbreeding” to unify groups who trust the brand. Trend analysts predict that shared production could be the future of budget sports cars.

According to Autonews.com’s Richard Truett, the Toyota-Subaru deal that spawned the Scion FR-s and Subaru BRZ had the attention of many car enthusiasts.

Meanwhile, Chrysler and Mazda released the Fiat Spider with the MX-5’s Miata’s crucial parts, which helped boost the attention given to the two company’s wares.

Truett also pointed out that consumer’s increasing want for multiple options in cars is what drives most companies to join forces and create a good premium car.