Their Autonet plan would center around ad hoc networks of vehicles and roadside monitoring posts supported by 802.11 technology (the prototype uses 11b). The vehicles would essentially be the “clients” in such a system and feature graphical user interfaces to pass along information to drivers.
The caveat at the moment is that not enough roads have the monitoring infrastructure available to make the system work all the way from the big highways to the small streets. But given the proliferation of monitoring technology, not to mention the continuing (if now more muted) promises of municipal wi-fi networks, that can’t be far off. [via SlashDot; image by IM SNOT REAL]
Of course, what might make even more sense would be investing in the public transport networks so there was less traffic in the first place…
… features a unique interlocking cylindrical shape and […] is created from around four recycled PET plastic bottles. The shape incorporates a great deal of air; thereby providing the thermal and sound insulation.
Besides their potential use as architectural components, they can be fitted with LED lamps in their cavities to provide mood lighting, or be used as plant pots. All good stuff, for sure – I’m all for reusing stuff we usually throw away -but one can’t help but feel that they’re going to look rather unfashionable rather fast, like last season’s rave club decor. Few things age as badly (and obviously) as architecture. [image borrowed from linked GizMag article]
Because thinking about a new product shape by sketching is more expressive and more intuitive for engineers than the traditional mouse-and-menu-based design interfaces, the new system gives users more freedom to be creative and a shorter learning curve for use.
By providing greater freedom in conceptual design phases and alleviating costly redesign issues, the new technology will have an immediate impact on a multitude of industries, Carnegie Mellon researchers said.
[How to Communicate More Effectively is a series of guest posts from Gareth L Powell. In case you missed ’em, here’s part 1 and part 2.]
Once you’ve caught your reader’s attention, you have to keep it. If you’re trying to sell them a subscription or get them to download your latest story, you need to get them interested in what you’re offering, or what you have to say. In order to do that, you’re going to have to show them that your product will bring them immediate and tangible benefits. Don’t just list your magazine’s contents and expect them to get excited. Tell them why those contents are so exciting.
For example:
If you like cutting edge science fiction, you’re in for a real treat this month.
If you’re buying Christmas presents, our book reviews will help you to separate the turkeys from the crackers.
Learn how to maximise your book’s chances of being published in this exclusive article from top editor John Smith.
This is a brand new story from the hotly-tipped young writer, Joel Smidgeon. We predict it will win buckets of awards, and this is your chance to be among the first UK fans to read it.
Here’s some cheery news to balance out the doom’n’gloom of publishing industry lay-offs and bookstore chain incompetence. According to a report from the United States National Endowment for the Arts, 84% of readers who read material online or downloaded from the web are still reading printed books, and furthermore the absolute number of literature readers in the US has grown by 16.6million; this is the first increase in over two decades, and reflects a rise much greater than simple population expansion. Something to smile about, no? [via Mediabistro/Galleycat; image by shaycam]
Presenting the fact and fiction of tomorrow since 2001
The guys at the RIAA may loathe BitTorrent with an unholy passion, but researchers at the University of California have found another use for the peer-to-peer protocols that could win it a lot more fans. In a nutshell, you fit cars with wireless modems and make them into a peer-to-peer network that works to reduce traffic jams:
One of the less-feted stars of this year’s CES was the POLLI-Brick, an example of how recycling might be used to make something useful. 
Here’s some cheery news to balance out the doom’n’gloom of publishing industry lay-offs and bookstore chain incompetence. According to