On one hand, you're right. Cars are getting more complex, and your average Joe Blow Monkeywrench can't take his set of Snap On crescent wrenches and play with his car very easily anymore.
On the other hand, the aftermarket is keeping up with the electronicification of cars quite well, from what I've read. Yes, there are a lot of electronics in cars, but that simply means you either work with them or around them now.
In your case, you couldn't install a remote starter because of your antitheft system. So? Perhaps you should choose a different system (if available) that won't interfere with $50 off-the-shelf Pepboys remote starting systems. Yes, you didn't have to make this choice before. Yes, before you could do it all yourself. Well, welcome to the future.
What it really boils down to is that it is still possible to hack your car (as you put it), but the effort and price associated with doing so has increased. That's all. Basing your assumption purely on your own single experience is hardly scientific.
I recommend that you pick up an issue of Sport Compact Car sometime, and see what they're doing. They're not exactly the remote-starter types, but they are doing just about everything under the sun imaginable to everyday vehicles, including full standalone engine management. Yes, it's expensive, but it's most certainly a very cool hack.
It'll be a while coming before e-mail can replace faxing. I have yet to see an e-mail system that can faithfully reproduce crappy low-res faxes of drawings and amusing letter-size posters that have been sent around one too many times. E-mail also manages to keep the entire contents of a message, instead of overwriting the top (or bottom) edge with a name and fax number like a fax machine does.
No, until my local travel agency can start e-mailing me the "Last Minute Club" great holiday deals to Cancun for $997 All Inclusive, the fax is still going to have a place in our offices.
Oh, I long for the day that the big-name CAD packages are supported on the Mac platform. Even just AutoCAD would be a good start... but it'll take more than that to get my office to switch. We need 3-D modelling, and AFAIK, there just isn't such a thing available for Macs right now.
If I'm wrong, PLEASE let me know. I'd love to get rid of my f*&#ing Wintel box...
if the Segway is so great...
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...maybe "Segway" can replace the "CowboyNeal" poll topic!
What about China or India? They have huge cites, and few cars.
... and no money compared to any Western consumer who might want/need this device...
proof of concept? for $300M??
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One of the articles mentioned that hundreds of millions have already been spent on this thing. Sure doesn't sound like a proof-of-concept to me. Sounds like production tooling and manufacturing space.
That aside, so what if it's only a proof-of-concept? What's that going to get us in 5 years from now? Maybe it'll weigh only 15kg instead of 30. Perhaps the top speed will be raised. Longer battery life? Heavier load capbability? Integrated MP3 player? [ahem] Point is, it's an electric scooter based on some bitchin' technology. In 5 years, it will still be an electric scooter based on bitchin' technology, that is now better and has more features.
Pardon me if I fail to hop on the bandwagon.
implications are nice, but hardly a paradigm shift
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Can't you see that a vehicle which uses Dynamic Stability to be driven as an extension of your own body movements is a great innovation?
I can see it. Wheelchairs with only two wheels. High speed mobile robots. Heck, you could even make smart casters for construction scaffolding that would adjust for wind load. That is truly cool.
But please, oh please, do tell me how on earth an electric scooter (admittedly, a very cool one) is bigger than the invention of the car, or the Internet, or sliced bread? Yes, yes, these will be phenominally useful in crowded Asian cities. Yes, paperboys and postal workers and meter maids and beat cops will have their lives changed for the better. SO??
I'm a big believer in electric vehicles. I'm designing my own right now, in fact. But try as I might, I cannot see the Segway as anything more than a fun gadget. I could use it at the mall, or maybe back in the manufacturing plant where I work instead of having to walk all the way back to the production areas. But it will not change my life, like the car, or the PC, or the Internet has. Won't happen.
If I worked close to home, I'd either bike or walk, not use a Segway. As it is, I'm a 25 minute highway commute away, something a Segway will never be able to do a damned thing about.
SUMMATION: Segway is cool. Segway is high tech, and demands mad props. Segway will NOT change the face of society. Segway is an electric scooter. Segway is an electric scooter. Segway is an electric scooter!
To hell with the goody-two-shoes know-it-all Wesley Crusher. Slap some forehead makup on Wil and give him an EVIL role. I'll bet, properly motivated, he could make a helluva Romulan Sub-Commander, or Klingon Lieutenant.
After all, if he can hold his own with Queen Ice Bitch Anne (WL), he should have NO trouble stirring it up with the pissant Federation.
You show me an electric motor over 50hp that doesn't require a crane to pick up. Being essentially complex hunks of steel and copper, electric motors are HEAVY.
Having said that, yes, a compressed air motor would be more powerful. But how do you propose to compress that air? Store it on-board? Great - if you're lucky you'll have enough to taxi down the runway before you run out. Compressed air as an energy storage medium is HORRID.
If you think you'll just compress it on-board, how are you going to do that? You'll need a 225HP compressor motor (allowing for losses)!! So you're better off going for pure electric right off the bat.
How about a
Cybiko Xtreme? If you need more range (you'd want to talk to her while at home or something) I'd say go for a Blackberry. Unless you're getting the keyboard for the Palm, I'd guess that using the Blackberry would be quicker and easier.
I think it's incredible that these fine actors managed to get a record-breaking $167,500. Just the fact that Levar and Robert managed to get $35K between themselves alone in the double round is amazing!
Wil: Unfortunately, you did come off as an ass... my wife was hoping you'd get axed. I was just glad that Shatner got culled. His antics were... painful. Congrats on going as far as you did... and nice shirt! You gonna start selling those too?
Have you seen these fireplaces and stoves? They're pretty damned funky. All electric, no real flame, but man, are they realistic!! The perfect accessory to a Sleaze Meal(TM)...
Me: C'mon baby, who loves ya?
Her: I dunno... I'm not in the mood...
[click - fire comes on]
Her: Ooooohhhh....
I've been using spamgourmet.com for virtually all of my e-mail registration needs. If one of my fake e-mail addresses (that forward to my real e-mail address) gets "tagged", I can simply sign up again using another fake one.
You want to break down technological barriers? You want to implement the future? You want to compile boldy what none have compiled before? Don't get a job.
You're right... your job will more than likely be doing what everyone else is doing - implementing the well-known. Whee-hah. Sounds like that is exactly what you want to avoid.
I'm not usually one to advocate this, but go to grad school. You'll hook up with the people who are developing what will be the standard years from now, and are researching the bleeding edge. A Master's degree will be a good start.. if you want to really push the envelope, you gotta go all the way to Ph.D.
Grad school will break you out of the its-been-done rut you seem to be in. The only problem might be the cost (it's never cheap), and your grades. Check with some of your professors, see what it takes to get in. You may need to take another year and polish yourself up.
Failing that, start a pr0n website. Pr0n always seems to be on the cutting edge...
You're right... to a point. Auto makers are hoping for 5000psi for hydrogen storage, and only one (Hyundai) thus far has succeeded. And that is doing a lot of R&D. To assume that we'd be able to just plop some 5000psi hydrogen tanks (and plumbing) into an aircraft wing that, by design, deflects on the order of 10s of inches, would be just silly.
Even at 5000psi, it's still a relatively low energy density compared to refined petroleum products.
Yes, hydrogen-powered aircraft won't be a terrorist threat. As soon as they're off the ground, they'll need to land for refuelling.
It's the same reason why automotive engineers are having such a big problem getting hydrogen-powered cars economically feasible (apart from the storage problem). Compared to gasoline, hydrogen has an abominally low energy density. What does that mean? To get the same amount of energy on-board, you'd need to carry many times the amount of gas in hydrogen. That means either HUGE fuel tanks, or severely curtailed range. Not being an aerospatial engineer, I can't comment about the former, but the latter just won't fly (pardon the pun) with commercial carriers. "Yes, we can get you from New York to Los Angeles. You have seven brief layovers for refuelling..."
Interesting idea, but not practical. If you're still worried about planes flying into buildings (it's been used once, if they're smart they'll now switch tactics) maybe installing fire-suppressing foam (like the systems they have in McDonalds' in the kitchen) on tall buildings to smother any high-temperature fires that break out.
A simpler method may be simply to install nose radar in *all* sizable airplanes, and automatically engage the autopilot when flying within 1000m of an object (building, mountain, etc.) to avoid it. We have the technology, folks.
I've seen a few stories about researchers looking for a cheap, quick, and powerful cluster for their research purposes who decided to go with Apple hardware. One group got an 8-node iMac cluster up and running in less than a day (which I can't find the link for.. sorry).
A quick search of Apple's site actually mentions clusters [apple.com]. Perhaps 10 dual G4's would suit your needs?
automakers concerned over liability claims caused by drunk-driving accidents.
So instead of being "liable" for selling a car to someone who might drink and drive, they'll instead opt to settle out-of-court thousands of times when designated drivers keep getting harrassed by police for being DUI. Wonderful! Now I get to sue THREE corporations; the auto manufacturer, the police, and the manufacturer of the equipment the police are using!
Rest assured, I will NOT buy any car with any sh*t like this in it. I'd rather restore something interesting and keep Big Brother out.
One of the big bitches of electric cars is the poor power/weight ratio of the electric engine against the gas engine. Also, even more damning, is the relative reliability of the gas engine.
First off, you are probably confusing the power ratings of IC (internal combustion) engines and electric motors. IC engines are rated at peak power (the most they can produce, which is at a very limited speed range). Electric motors are rated at continuous power usually, which is anywhere between 7 and 8 times lower than their peak power.
If you check out AC Propulsion, they have a motor that produces 165 lb-ft of torque, and 200 hp. It weighs 110lbs. Unless you get into motorcycle engines, or some of Honda's high-revving wonders, you won't find a comparable power-to-weight ratio in an IC engine.
Electric motors are also much MUCH better at producing torque. If you look at the specs for any given motor, they will usually give two ratings, one from zero to a given rpm, which is its torque rating. How many IC engines do you know that can give 100 lb-ft of torque at zero rpm? None. You get a lot more grunt out of an electric motor than you could an IC engine, unless it's absolutely huge (Corvette? Mustang?).
As for reliability.... IC engines have, what 500, 1000 moving parts? How often do you have to change the oil? Spark plugs? Timing belts, fan belts, water pumps, etc., etc.? An electric motor has ONE moving part. DC motors have commutators, which are sliding contactors that can wear. But AC motors have none, just the rotor moving inside the stator. How is one moving part less reliable than 1000? Unless you have some good solid (or even believable generalized anecdotal) evidence to the contrary, I can't believe that any combustion engine is more reliable than an electric
Who says we need something bigger than a Honda CRX, anyways? How many people do you take to work with you when you drive? I don't take anyone... a 2 seater would be 100% too big! If you're thinking of using it as your primary vehicle, yes, you need something bigger. But right now the best place for EV's are as second cars, for commuting purposes.
Geez, would it kill CNN, or any other American news feed, to mention that the robotic armis known as the "Canadarm2", because it was designed and built by Canadians? We may be 1/10th the size of The United States Of America , but for crying out loud, you're allowed to mention that OTHER nations are contributing to the station. Especially when the contribution is the feature that will allow the station to be built over the next 5 years!
While they're at it, maybe add the fact that the Canadarm2 is the big brother of the Canadarm that each space shuttle has. Maybe that it has 2 "hands", one on each end, that will allow it to "inchworm" its way along the outside of the station. Perhaps mention that Canadian Chris Hadfield, the first Canadian spacewalker (as of this mission) is the one who installed the arm??
You'd think every American news editor has a spark plug up their GI orifice that gives them a shock anytime they allow "Canada" to get into print. Sheesh.
Slashdot Mirror
So what's so special about 10Mbps? Am I missing the point?
On the other hand, the aftermarket is keeping up with the electronicification of cars quite well, from what I've read. Yes, there are a lot of electronics in cars, but that simply means you either work with them or around them now.
In your case, you couldn't install a remote starter because of your antitheft system. So? Perhaps you should choose a different system (if available) that won't interfere with $50 off-the-shelf Pepboys remote starting systems. Yes, you didn't have to make this choice before. Yes, before you could do it all yourself. Well, welcome to the future.
What it really boils down to is that it is still possible to hack your car (as you put it), but the effort and price associated with doing so has increased. That's all. Basing your assumption purely on your own single experience is hardly scientific.
I recommend that you pick up an issue of Sport Compact Car sometime, and see what they're doing. They're not exactly the remote-starter types, but they are doing just about everything under the sun imaginable to everyday vehicles, including full standalone engine management. Yes, it's expensive, but it's most certainly a very cool hack.
No, until my local travel agency can start e-mailing me the "Last Minute Club" great holiday deals to Cancun for $997 All Inclusive, the fax is still going to have a place in our offices.
I'll bet you a ThinkGeek T-shirt that there won't be water cooling. I take size large, thanks.
If I'm wrong, PLEASE let me know. I'd love to get rid of my f*&#ing Wintel box...
...maybe "Segway" can replace the "CowboyNeal" poll topic!
That aside, so what if it's only a proof-of-concept? What's that going to get us in 5 years from now? Maybe it'll weigh only 15kg instead of 30. Perhaps the top speed will be raised. Longer battery life? Heavier load capbability? Integrated MP3 player? [ahem] Point is, it's an electric scooter based on some bitchin' technology. In 5 years, it will still be an electric scooter based on bitchin' technology, that is now better and has more features.
Pardon me if I fail to hop on the bandwagon.
I can see it. Wheelchairs with only two wheels. High speed mobile robots. Heck, you could even make smart casters for construction scaffolding that would adjust for wind load. That is truly cool.
But please, oh please, do tell me how on earth an electric scooter (admittedly, a very cool one) is bigger than the invention of the car, or the Internet, or sliced bread? Yes, yes, these will be phenominally useful in crowded Asian cities. Yes, paperboys and postal workers and meter maids and beat cops will have their lives changed for the better. SO??
I'm a big believer in electric vehicles. I'm designing my own right now, in fact. But try as I might, I cannot see the Segway as anything more than a fun gadget. I could use it at the mall, or maybe back in the manufacturing plant where I work instead of having to walk all the way back to the production areas. But it will not change my life, like the car, or the PC, or the Internet has. Won't happen.
If I worked close to home, I'd either bike or walk, not use a Segway. As it is, I'm a 25 minute highway commute away, something a Segway will never be able to do a damned thing about.
SUMMATION: Segway is cool. Segway is high tech, and demands mad props. Segway will NOT change the face of society. Segway is an electric scooter. Segway is an electric scooter. Segway is an electric scooter!
After all, if he can hold his own with Queen Ice Bitch Anne (WL), he should have NO trouble stirring it up with the pissant Federation.
Whaddya say, Wil?
Having said that, yes, a compressed air motor would be more powerful. But how do you propose to compress that air? Store it on-board? Great - if you're lucky you'll have enough to taxi down the runway before you run out. Compressed air as an energy storage medium is HORRID.
If you think you'll just compress it on-board, how are you going to do that? You'll need a 225HP compressor motor (allowing for losses)!! So you're better off going for pure electric right off the bat.
How about a Cybiko Xtreme? If you need more range (you'd want to talk to her while at home or something) I'd say go for a Blackberry. Unless you're getting the keyboard for the Palm, I'd guess that using the Blackberry would be quicker and easier.
EVWorld.com has the two-part story and interview with the plane's builder here (1) and here (2).
Wil: Unfortunately, you did come off as an ass... my wife was hoping you'd get axed. I was just glad that Shatner got culled. His antics were... painful. Congrats on going as far as you did... and nice shirt! You gonna start selling those too?
Me: C'mon baby, who loves ya?
Her: I dunno... I'm not in the mood...
[click - fire comes on]
Her: Ooooohhhh....
Nice try, but it won't work for long.
You're right... your job will more than likely be doing what everyone else is doing - implementing the well-known. Whee-hah. Sounds like that is exactly what you want to avoid.
I'm not usually one to advocate this, but go to grad school. You'll hook up with the people who are developing what will be the standard years from now, and are researching the bleeding edge. A Master's degree will be a good start.. if you want to really push the envelope, you gotta go all the way to Ph.D.
Grad school will break you out of the its-been-done rut you seem to be in. The only problem might be the cost (it's never cheap), and your grades. Check with some of your professors, see what it takes to get in. You may need to take another year and polish yourself up.
Failing that, start a pr0n website. Pr0n always seems to be on the cutting edge...
That only works if the parts exist for them to buy locally!
Gee, and I thought cell phone radiation was going to fry my noodle. At least this way I'll keep warm...
Even at 5000psi, it's still a relatively low energy density compared to refined petroleum products.
It's the same reason why automotive engineers are having such a big problem getting hydrogen-powered cars economically feasible (apart from the storage problem). Compared to gasoline, hydrogen has an abominally low energy density. What does that mean? To get the same amount of energy on-board, you'd need to carry many times the amount of gas in hydrogen. That means either HUGE fuel tanks, or severely curtailed range. Not being an aerospatial engineer, I can't comment about the former, but the latter just won't fly (pardon the pun) with commercial carriers. "Yes, we can get you from New York to Los Angeles. You have seven brief layovers for refuelling..."
Interesting idea, but not practical. If you're still worried about planes flying into buildings (it's been used once, if they're smart they'll now switch tactics) maybe installing fire-suppressing foam (like the systems they have in McDonalds' in the kitchen) on tall buildings to smother any high-temperature fires that break out.
A simpler method may be simply to install nose radar in *all* sizable airplanes, and automatically engage the autopilot when flying within 1000m of an object (building, mountain, etc.) to avoid it. We have the technology, folks.
A quick search of Apple's site actually mentions clusters [apple.com]. Perhaps 10 dual G4's would suit your needs?
So instead of being "liable" for selling a car to someone who might drink and drive, they'll instead opt to settle out-of-court thousands of times when designated drivers keep getting harrassed by police for being DUI. Wonderful! Now I get to sue THREE corporations; the auto manufacturer, the police, and the manufacturer of the equipment the police are using!
Rest assured, I will NOT buy any car with any sh*t like this in it. I'd rather restore something interesting and keep Big Brother out.
First off, you are probably confusing the power ratings of IC (internal combustion) engines and electric motors. IC engines are rated at peak power (the most they can produce, which is at a very limited speed range). Electric motors are rated at continuous power usually, which is anywhere between 7 and 8 times lower than their peak power.
If you check out AC Propulsion, they have a motor that produces 165 lb-ft of torque, and 200 hp. It weighs 110lbs. Unless you get into motorcycle engines, or some of Honda's high-revving wonders, you won't find a comparable power-to-weight ratio in an IC engine.
Electric motors are also much MUCH better at producing torque. If you look at the specs for any given motor, they will usually give two ratings, one from zero to a given rpm, which is its torque rating. How many IC engines do you know that can give 100 lb-ft of torque at zero rpm? None. You get a lot more grunt out of an electric motor than you could an IC engine, unless it's absolutely huge (Corvette? Mustang?).
As for reliability.... IC engines have, what 500, 1000 moving parts? How often do you have to change the oil? Spark plugs? Timing belts, fan belts, water pumps, etc., etc.? An electric motor has ONE moving part. DC motors have commutators, which are sliding contactors that can wear. But AC motors have none, just the rotor moving inside the stator. How is one moving part less reliable than 1000? Unless you have some good solid (or even believable generalized anecdotal) evidence to the contrary, I can't believe that any combustion engine is more reliable than an electric
Who says we need something bigger than a Honda CRX, anyways? How many people do you take to work with you when you drive? I don't take anyone... a 2 seater would be 100% too big! If you're thinking of using it as your primary vehicle, yes, you need something bigger. But right now the best place for EV's are as second cars, for commuting purposes.
Mr. Ska
I slit a sheet
A sheet I slit
While they're at it, maybe add the fact that the Canadarm2 is the big brother of the Canadarm that each space shuttle has. Maybe that it has 2 "hands", one on each end, that will allow it to "inchworm" its way along the outside of the station. Perhaps mention that Canadian Chris Hadfield, the first Canadian spacewalker (as of this mission) is the one who installed the arm??
You'd think every American news editor has a spark plug up their GI orifice that gives them a shock anytime they allow "Canada" to get into print. Sheesh.
Mr. Ska
I slit a sheet
A sheet I slit