Gizmodo
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privacy
London Transport Authority To Test Tracking System That Stops Speeding FROM SPACE
Transport for London is announcing a large-scale trial of the Intelligent Speed Adaption system, which uses preloaded road data and GPS to slow speeders. Basically, the future is everything you were afraid of. More » -
big brother
Chicago Street Lights May Scan for Car Insurance
Ticketing red light runners is standard practice in many big cities, but Chicago is considering doing one better and scanning every car going by for up to date insurance. More »
12,445
By Mark WilsonComment by msisaac: I'll probably be in the minority here, but I like this idea. I'm usually against Big Brother tactics, but... 15 Responses | Other threads
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traffic
Theory: Traffic Triggers Lightning
It's just a theory but some scientists believe that lightning strikes are provoked by traffic. Honk if you like thunder! More »
13,395
By Brian LamComment by Jestermeister: It sure has hell triggers lightning from my head. 9 Responses | Other threads
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traffic
Italian Traffic Lights Rigged to Trap Motorists in the Red
An Italian programmer and over 100 other individuals, including public figures, policemen, and government officials, are currently being investigated for what seems to be a traffic-light-rigging conspiracy. More »
27,106
By Andi WangComment by scarbrtj: There's an old Italian saying: you fuck up once, you lose two teeth. 5 Responses | Other threads
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Incoming Trainwreck
Suicidal Google Street View Car Taking Photos Inside Closed Railroad Crossing
Google Street View cars keep spreading panic and blood across the nation's roads. This time, by stopping at a railroad crossing inbetween the barriers, when they were down and the train was coming. More »
41,268
By Jesus DiazComment by resilient: I don't see no train coming? Check this out: [tinyurl.com] 5 Responses | Other threads
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concepts
Art Lebedev Tackles the Traffic Light: Square is the New Circle
Ol' Art Lebedev is a favorite around here. The guy is a brilliant designer, even if his ideas usually seem to get sidetracked or delayed somehow. His studio just introduced its Luxofor prototype, a traffic light replacement that uses very bright diodes for increased visibility. The new square design makes more efficient use of the available space, and can display more detailed signals. Just a concept for now, but the Luxofor is pretty, practical, and logical, so it has just as much of a chance as any of Art's designs to become real. [Electronista]
5,325
By Dan NosowitzComment by Gazoogleheimer: So, what is the actual improvement here? 7 Responses | Other threads
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novus mini coyote
Mini Coyote Saves Us from the Worst Orwellian Abomination Ever: Speedtrap Cameras
Of all the Big Brother things corporations, governments, and other nosy entities that want to examine all the minutiae of our daily lives looking for transgressions of stupid little rules, I feel like speedtrap cameras are the most egregious. Endemic in Europe, they're gaining a foothold in the US. They break the whole system that governs the way we drive on American highways, the fundamental fairness of the road, that unspoken agreement between poh-lice and people who drive: It's only speeding if a living, breathing cop spots you. And even then, they might just let you pass. The Mini Coyote from Novus can restore this balance. More »
23,039
Comment by GOKOR: Our government needs to give us more control over our own lives, we need less government in essence. 50 Responses | Other threads
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gps
Nokia Mobile Millennium Turns Your GPS Phone Into a Traffic Reporter
Nokia, in collaboration with UC Berkeley, has opened a six-month pilot program for Mobile Millennium, a crowdsourced traffic reporting system that grabs data from GPS-equipped cellphones. The Mobile Millennium client will work on any Java-capable GPS phones with a data plan, so the hope is that adoption would be wide enough to provide useful, real-time traffic data to potential travelers. More » -
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Cyclists Are Humans Too
Traffic Loop Sensor Trigger For Bikes Gets You More Green Lights
Those traffic loop sensors embedded at stop lights to detect the presence of a car have always provided fodder for vehicular snake oil vendors: I've seen products promising to eliminate red lights ONCE AND FOR ALL by ingeniously fooling a mysterious (but gullible, apparently) system hidden below the pavement. While false promises abound, this patent for bicycles seems to be more on the legit side, and could result in more carefree whizzing through intersections than previously allowed. More »
9,306
By John MahoneyComment by iaintgoingthere: Why? Bicyclists never stop for a red light signal, or maybe just slow down to make sure they don't get... 11 Responses | Other threads
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cartel
CarTel Device Attacks Traffic Jams with Fleet of Networked Smart Cars
Researchers at MIT are using computer networks and cabbies to tackle a routine problem that I, personally, can attest to: Boston area traffic jams. Called CarTel (get it?), the system creates a network by way of cell phone-sized black boxes. The boxes currently sit on board 50 cars and taxis in the Boston area. Drivers access the CarTel web portal for real-time info on their own vehicle as well as those around them. "Everybody's data is contributing to collective views of what congestion looks like," said MIT associate professor Samuel Madden. More »
2,199
By Jack LoftusComment by KoRnholio8: so MIT is going to save the day by introducing faster yet longer commutes that in the end waste more... 3 Responses | Other threads
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airplanes
24 Hour Air Traffic Around the World Blows Minds, Eyeballs
Here's a video displaying all commercial air traffic in the world during a 24-hour period. Seriously, I'm moving to New York City tomorrow and seeing the flight density in this computer simulation scares me a bit. Thankfully, it's a big planet with plenty of space to fly. But then, pilot friends tell me that sometimes they get close enough to wave at each other, so maybe it's not as big as to accommodate the 7.4 billion passengers that will travel by air in 2020. [Zhaw via Dark Roasted Blend]
140,659
By Jesus DiazComment by waveman216: This vid makes Africa look like a pretty sweet option for living without the constant noise of jets flyin overhead. 6 Responses | Other threads
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cars
Audi Travolution Syncs Car to Traffic Lights (Sadly Not Other Way Around)
If you drive in cities, you know the game where you guess the exact speed to, say, cruise down Lexington Ave hitting all the green lights in sequence. With Audi's Travolution system—currently piloted in Ingolstadt, German—that game is no longer necessary, because 46 traffic lights report in to the car's computer, and the car tells you the speed you should go to hit all of them when green. More »
5,193
Comment by ppiddy: This is HUGE. If it were installed in all (or most) cars, the fuel efficiency savings would be absolutely... 2 Responses | Other threads
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gps
2200T Is First Entry-Level GPS with Lifetime Free Traffic Info, Says Navigon
Navigon recently popped up with a high-end GPS with free-for-life live traffic info, followed by some similar models from Garmin, and now it's got a new entry-level model with the same feature. The 2200T is in fact the first "genuine entry-level GPS navigator" with free lifetime traffic, according to Navigon. It's also got the same Reality View system with lane assistant as it's more expensive sibling, with 3D-illustrated junctions to help you traverse complex intersections, a text-to-speech function, 3.5-inch touchscreen, SiRF GRF3i+ GPS chip with InstantFix II ability and an integrated traffic data antenna. It'll cost you around $229, but for that you'll always know if there's a jam up ahead. Press release below. More » -
gps
Garmin 785T GPS and Friends: Free Lifetime Traffic, Lane Assist, 3D Transparent View and Bluetooth
Garmin'sdropping four new models to the higher-end 7x5 lineup with the nüvi 755T, 765T, 775T and the 785T. All models will include lifetime traffic alerts via NAVTEQ Traffic and Bluetooth connectivity, but the updated 7x5 series will include the most exciting new features: a 4.3" touchscreen, a 3-D transparent view of buildings, and lane assist. Garmin is also dropping their budget friendly 2x5 series with three new models: the nüvi 265T, 265WT and 275T. I'd probably opt for the high end line with lane suggestions, but take the 765T with Bluetooth and skip the fancier models. Parsing Garmin's huge lineup is always challenging, but the differences are detailed here: More » -
made in china
The Ultimate Speed Bump: There is no Escape
While the city of Philadelphia is content with using 3D images to deter speeders, the authorities in ShanXi province, China are taking a far more drastic approach. They built a 100 foot long, 2 foot high, winding speed block smack dab in the middle of the Jing Zhuang highway. Sure, it scratches up cars, looks hideous and causes massive traffic jams, but hey—by screwing everyone it manages to screw the speeders. Suck on that leadfoot! More »
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By Sean FallonComment by mrburglar: @FrankenPC: If you look at the second photo, there's a truck coming the opposite way, in the same lane, as... 1 Responses | Other threads
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Magic from Space
Traffic from Space Videos Blow Our Minds, Pants, and Socks
Here's how the air, ground, data, landline, cellphone, and sea ship traffic looks from space in Great Britain, one of the busiest countries on Earth. The BBC's Britain from Above documentary took satellite and air images and mixed it with 3D GPS data to create these breathtaking high resolution pictures and videos: More » -
gadgets
Retromodo: Astounding Analog Traffic Signal
This analog traffic signal was in use from the 1940s through the 1970s in Australia, eventually replaced by whatever it is they've got going there now (Koala bears on poles holding flash cards, we think). It's fantastic. More »
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By Jason ChenComment by alpayerturkmen: In Turkey, most major city crossroads have those LED countdown timers for greens and reds. I believe those are nice... more » | Other threads
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gps
Dash Express GPS Updates Traffic Models, Software Update Coming
The Dash Express GPS just received its first historic traffic model update using the live Dash data gathered by users. That'll help predict traffic in areas where no Dash or other trusted data sources have been in the last 15 minutes. By end of month, a software update is coming with tweaks in performance, stability and routing. As for today's historic update, Dash recommends all users download the patch by Wi-Fi. Let's hope that more updates come often as this one, and with more features using that internet connection. -
traffic
Microsoft's Live Maps Integrates Complex Clearflow Traffic Modeling Data To Tell You To Avoid Busy Streets
Microsoft's Live Maps is adding Clearflow, a system in 72 cities that takes four years of real-world traffic data and uses it to interpolate what traffic is going to be like "today". The project started with traffic algorithms from GPS units in Microsoft employees' cars, and now has "over 125,000" miles worth of info. This traffic data should be free and available on Live.com for you to plan out your next trip to Albertsons. It's not quite as good as Dash, but it beats going in blind. [NYT via Slashdot via JKOntheRun via Lifehacker]
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By Jason ChenComment by ideaman2020: @Admiral Ackbar: If we're unlucky MS will buy Dash. more » | Other threads
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question of the day
Do You Use Google Maps Mobile to Check Traffic Alongside Your GPS?
That blurry GPS shot above is of the Dash Express with its IP-enabled mesh network of traffic monitoring. But most of you don't have such tech in your GPS, you've got something else without live traffic data. For those of you who have GPS devices without live traffic, do you use a phone with Google Maps Traffic to check live road conditions as you navigate with your car's GPS? More » -
concepts
Nokia GPS Phones to Fight the Traffic Plague
Nokia has developed software that allows data to be received from GPS enabled phones, which is then compiled and interpreted into traffic flow patterns, which is kinda similar to what Dash GPS units offer. However, these plans are currently at concept stage, with a demonstration recently taking place as a joint venture between Nokia, California Center for Innovative Transportation (CCIT), CalTrans, and Berkeley's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. More » -
roundup
Afternoon News: Robo-Pimpin' Ain't Easy and Some Other Stuff
• Traffic camera in Capitola, California is way too sensitive, issues tickets to innocent drivers 60% of the time. Makes sense to me, the only California drivers I've ever seen aren't much for speeding. [Ubergizmo] More » -
gps
Becker Drops Two New GPS Modules For U.S. Customers
GPS maker Becker announced the Traffic Assist 7927 and 7928 today, offering a free lifetime subscription to its real-time traffic update service. The traffic service not only displays the current traffic conditions, but will reroute you for the quickest possible trip. The devices come with a mood light, built-in speakers, speed limit notifications and MP3 playback. The 7927 comes with a 3.5-inch touchscreen and will sell for $449, while the 7929 comes with a 4.8-inch touchscreen and will sell for $500. No word on a release date yet other than early 2008. -
66,039
By Jason ChenComment by Meursault: Screwed by my poverty once again. But then again I don't really need to eat for a month or... more » | Other threads
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ole
Pranksters Can Now Send Erroneous Messages to Your GPS Navigation
The next time you see "bull fight in progress", "bomb alert", "air crash", or "terrorist incident" on your traffic-update enabled GPS navigation, don't be too quick to assume that's what actually happened. Some "hackers" have discovered a way to inject RDS messages (which use the FM frequency to send traffic and weather information) into your GPS, triggering off a different alert message depending on the message. More » -
gadgets
Dash Express GPS Road Test Sign Up NOW: Free Next Gen Navigator Anyone?
Hey, want to play with that Dash GPS I just wrote about a minute ago? Before anyone else has them? For free? If you love driving as much as you love free next-generation gadgets, stop reading Giz, click here and fill out the form to be part of Dash's Road Test. You've got the jump on the rest of the Internet, so go. More » -
gadgets
First Shots of Dash's Datalink'd GPS Routing Around Traffic
It was so many months ago when we showed you the first of Dash's first of its kind GPS with a cellular data link inside. Today, here are the first photos of the device's updated interface, including Yahoo! search results for local points of interest. And traffic data measured by some mashup of historical data, time of day, day of week,as well as that uploaded automatically by other Dash beta testers. More » -
smartphones
Windows Live Search For Mobile vs. Google Maps Mobile
Microsoft's Windows Live Search for Mobiles just went live last night, and we took it for a spin, comparing it to Google Maps for Mobile, which has traffic, maps local business searches and directions as well. More » -
gadgets
Nissan Testing Advanced Road Traffic Communications Devices
The Nissan intelligent transportation system is currently being testing in Japan, and works by letting vehicles talk to other vehicles as well as infrastructure to reduce traffic and accidents. The information exchanged between cars and infrastructure let vehicles have a visual representation of what other vehicles are coming, how fast they're going, and how many cars are in which direction. More » -
gadgets
LightInSight Wide Angle Windshield Lens Lets You see Traffic Lights Easily
When you're first in line at a light, it may be hard to see what the traffic lights are without straining your neck and leaning forward like a giraffe in heat. LightInSight solves your problem by sticking onto the top of your windshield, refracting light in such a way so you can see when red becomes green. Only costs $13, but makes your windshield look kinda goofy. More »
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By Jason ChenComment by blore40: I just wait for the guy behind me to blare his horn. more » | Other threads
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home entertainment
Universal Cutting Prices of HD DVD Titles From $34.95 To $29.95
Effective immediately, all single format HD DVD discs—as opposed to the dual format HD DVD/DVD combo discs—will be priced at $29.95. This price cut announcement the week before Blu-ray titles are released may put a little damper on the launch, but probably not by much. More » -
smartphones
Torq N100 GPS PDA Phone
Torq's new GPS enabled device not only allows it to function as a navigation unit, there's also a receiver onboard that allows it to support Traffic Message Channel (TMC) functionality. This means real time traffic conditions which allow you to make changes to your route accordingly. More » -
cellphones
Driving While Cellphoning Days are Numbered
While studies have shown that talking on a cellphone while driving makes you just about as good a driver as a drunk hobo, not one state in the US has banned cellphoning while driving. Yet. According to the Wall Street Journal, 26 states and the District of Columbia are moving toward banning cellphone driving in one way or another. Some states (Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Washington, D.C.) have already outlawed handheld cellphone use, requiring drivers to use a hands-free method of cell gabbing. Many municipalities have already banned it. More »
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