Archive for May, 2008

May 30 2008

Crysis Gamer Has Fun Blowing Up 5000 Cars [Video Games]

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Aside from futuristic imagination of nanotechnology and ridiculously awesome environmental damage models, Crysis is pretty much a standard first-person shooter. What’s really cool is the map development capabilities available to the average gamer. We get a pyrotechnically charged demonstration of that dev system here, with the fun combination of skydiving and blowing up huge stacks of cars. Delightful! [WeGame]


Original post by Ben Wojdyla

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May 30 2008

Toyota Night Vision System Recognizes Pedestrians [Gadgets]

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Toyota’s Crown Hybrid is getting one hell of a feature that will make the walkers of the world happy: night vision pedestrian recognition. Complex pattern recognition system cameras will recognize when pedestrians are walking alongside the road and put a nice yellow square around them on a camera view on the driver-side LCD instrument panel. The ideal driving speed for the system to work is between 10 and 40 mph, so the system is pretty useless hauling ass through a park Bruce-Willis-action-movie style. It only recognizes pedestrians, but Toyota is working on an advanced version that would be capable of recognizing bicycles and animals, as well. With gas prices going bonkers, the roads will be clogged with more and more pedestrians and bicyclists, so any extra precautions could be helpful for dealing with the gangs of hobos sure to be wandering our roads as the dollar weakens. [DVICE]


Original post by Travis Hudson

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May 30 2008

Rusty Berkeley Corona Beats Odds, Evades Crusher [Down On The Street Bonus Edition]

Published by under 12636

DOTSBE-BerkeleyCorona-08.jpgYou can’t go more than a block or two in Berkeley without running across some sort of interesting old car; we saw the Jag XK140 that Herr Johnson shot for us last week, and now we’re going to look at a car that’s nearly as rare (though not quite as sought after). The Toyota Corona has more or less disappeared from North American streets, but here’s a ‘72 I found still thriving in Berkeley’s upscale Claremont neighborhood.
galleryPost(’DOTSBEBerkeleyCorona’, 9, ‘1972 Toyota Corona Down On The Berkeley Street’);


Original post by Murilee Martin

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May 30 2008

Unnamed GPS Manufacturer Scared Of iPhone GPS [Gadgets]

Published by under 12640

iphone_map_1.jpgThe next-generation iPhone is coming soon and one of the big rumors is that the phone will include legitimate GPS and not the half-assed location-based GPS like the current generation. That has some other GPS manufacturers shaking in their boots. One unnamed president of a GPS manufacturer said the prospect of the iPhone with real GPS has him “scared shitless.” We’re not too surprised by this notion, either. With windshield suction mounts available, there wouldn’t be a reason to drop a few hundred on a top-of-the-line GPS navigation unit when your mobile phone can accomplish the same job.

The high-end GPS units will always reign supreme over anything the iPhone has, but the convenience of having a Google Maps-supported GPS in your cell phone is mighty appealing. We’re a little curious about which president has the cojones to make a statement like this. TomTom, is that you? [PopMech via Giz]


Original post by Travis Hudson

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May 30 2008

Turdbiodiesel Hydrogen Sh*t Hybrid []

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By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Entwerfer des Audis over at VWVortex has come up with an excellent alternative to our dependence on foreign oil. I’ll let his words and design sketch speak for themselves.

Our addiction to oil has gotten completely out of control, and ethanol and biodiesel require growing things to produce. Hydrogen is good, but we have to use lots of water and energy to produce it, so we should combine it with something else to use it more efficiently. Batteries are nice, but they’re very heavy and expensive, and they’re not as durable as many of us would like.

My proposal is this: Think about how much raw sewage we waste when it burns so well. Why not power cars with feces? Use a fuel cell to produce water, which can be used to move fecal matter away from the vehicle’s occupants and allow it to sit in a U-bend to keep odors out of the interior of the car. The feces are carried to a burn chamber and incinerated, and the heat produced is used to convert water to steam, which is then run through a turbine and used to generate electricity. The energy lost from the steam when travelling through the turbine cools it and returns it to a liquid state, allowing it to be run through the system again. These are the driving ideas behind the Turdbiodiesel!® Hydrogen Sh*t Hybrid†.

†Turdbiodiesel® Hydrogen Sh*t Hybrid is a registered trademark of DoubleNaught, Turbiodiesel!, and Entwerfer des Audis. Note: The seats feature large side bolsters for use in case of constipation. Turdbiodiesel® S will include the standard vehicle, ten 50-lb. sacks of Dipstick County pinto beans, and ten gallons of green chiles.


Original post by Travis Hudson

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May 30 2008

Lewis Hamilton Does Los Angeles In A Techart Porsche [Celebrities]

Published by under 12648

Having been banned from driving in France, other than when he’s winning at Monaco, F1 phenom Lewis Hamilton set his sights on Los Angeles, where the girls are pretty and the cars are fast. Or is it the other way around? Either way, Mr. Hamilton is apparently in town and driving around the city in a loaner Techart 997 hardtop. Since this is Los Angeles, we’re a bit surprised it wasn’t a Techart 997 Cabrio, but we’re sure no one is complaining. The folks over at Autofiends are worried he’ll get pulled over and, because he’s not Junior, won’t be recognized. Our advice? Just tell the cops you’re Alfonso Ribeiro. [Autofiends]


Original post by Matt Hardigree

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May 30 2008

Max Mosley Responds To FIA Club Critics, Let The Crazy Continue [Max Mosley]

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MaxMosleyVidClip.jpgWe’ve got the response from Max Mosley and his band of kinky minions to those puritans from the clubs that asked he accept resignation and be rewarded with a vote of confidence. In his usual nutty fashion, Mad Max responds that this is the “worst possible” solution because any suggestion there is a crisis is “nonsense” and, anyways, he’ll lack the authority to save the FIA. It all makes perfect sense… if you’re on acid. The full letter courtesy of AutoSport below:

Letter From Mosley To Clubs

Dear Presidents

Thank you for your letter of 28 May.

I will use your numbering in this reply.

1. I did not accept the proposal from some (but not, as you incorrectly suggest, all) members of the Mobility World Council because it was the worst possible solution. I would have resigned, yet still spent the summer carrying out all the day-to-day work with neither the time nor the authority to complete the major outstanding tasks. Better to stop immediately than accept this muddled compromise.

Your suggestion of a “crisis” is nonsense. Although I am personally embarrassed and greatly regret that this affair has become public, no one fails to call for roadside assistance because of it.

As I said in my earlier letters, the communications I received from club presidents were overwhelmingly in favour of my remaining as president. I therefore had no choice but to submit the question to the FIA membership as a whole. I certainly could not have simply ignored the majority and resigned.

2. Some of the larger clubs among those who have signed your letter have previously contradicted their claimed commitment to the FIA. See the sample responses of the AAA, ADAC, ANWB, JAF, and TCS to the FIA Survey of 5 February 2008 attached. These same clubs have, of course, been trying to change the structure of the FIA since well before the events they now seek to exploit.

As stated in my letter of 23 May, several of these same clubs have formed groups separate from the FIA from which the wider FIA membership is excluded. Worse, they have obstructed our efforts to improve cooperation between all clubs. Combined with a complete lack of transparency, I believe these activities are contrary to the interests of the FIA.

3. Mr Ecclestone is willing to continue working with the FIA because he has a binding contract to do so. In his letter to the clubs, he says he is now willing to live with this contract. That is a sudden and major change in position.

Together with other member clubs of the FIA you will be free to express your views to the Assembly next Tuesday.

In the interest of transparency, I am sending a copy of your letter together with this reply to all the member clubs of the FIA.

Yours sincerely

Max Mosley

FIA SURVEY

The FIA launched the first major online survey of its member clubs on 5 February 2008. The survey received a very positive response to its detailed questions from 57 leading clubs around the world.

The majority of the responses endorsed the FIA’s plans to improve cooperation and coordination throughout the FIA club network in both motoring and motor sport, for example, 87 per cent agreed that the FIA brand added value to member clubs and 82% also agreed that sport can be used to promote mobility issues.

However, a small minority of clubs, representing the major individual membership markets of America, Germany, the Netherlands and Japan demonstrated a consistently negative view to their involvement and interaction within the FIA community.

The following are some examples of the negative responses made to the member survey. They highlight a disagreement with some of the fundamental objectives set by both World Councils following the merger of the AIT and the FIA.

When asked if the FIA was the best forum to bring together the policy expertise of clubs worldwide, the ADAC disagreed.

When asked if FIA Sport could help to promote FIA Mobility issues, particularly in terms of safety and the environment, the ADAC disagreed.

When asked if the promotional links between the sporting side of the FIA and the non-sporting side should be strengthened, the ANWB, the ADAC and the TCS disagreed.

When asked if your club would be interested in more active support from the FIA in developing and communicating policy campaigns the ADAC and the ANWB disagreed.

When asked if a Working Group with representatives from all FIA Regions would help to strengthen the link between the sporting and mobility sides of the FIA and its sister organisations, JAF, the ANWB and the TCS disagreed.

When asked if your club would like to use the FIA brand on its website and other external communications material, JAF, the AAA and the ADAC disagreed. (Emphasis in original)

He then ended the letter with “Zank You Very Much!”

[Autosport]


Original post by Matt Hardigree

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May 30 2008

Subaru Wants You To Make Sumos Sexy, Take Shots Of Forester [Novelties]

Published by under 12608

When we were but wee Jalops, dreaming fantastically about our glamorous future as car journalists, the photoshoot seemed to be one of the most alluring perks of the job. What could be better than spending the day surrounded by models and a fast car? Subaru is hoping there’s many more dreamers out there and is offering them the chance to experience the wonders of a photoshoot, virtually, as a marketing tool for their new 2009 Subaru Forester. Sexy models included.

Unfortunately, being naïve young things, our idea of photoshoots didn’t match up with reality when we finally got the chance to experience the real thing. Photographers are bitchy, models are dimwitted and freakish-looking and clients are fickle and ill-informed. Most of the magic in professional car photography takes place on a computer screen, retouching reflections so they’re symmetrical, adding speed blur to 15mph motion shots and removing pimples and hair from model’s faces. Unwittingly, in their attempt to mock, Subaru actually captures this world in a depressingly accurate fashion, especially in the derivative, poorly lit shots that result. Of course, what we failed to anticipate and what Subaru fails to acknowledge, is that real car magazines just use press shots. [Sexy Subaru]


Original post by Wes Siler

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May 30 2008

Before They Called Them Rat Rods: Hellhammer’s Caddy-Powered Model T [Rat Rod]

Published by under 12612

When we brought a car with a crazy engine/transmission swap and some wild junkyard suspension mods to the 24 Hours of LeMons race, some folks thought it wouldn’t last a dozen laps… but we knew better. You see, we’ve got the mighty Hellhammer, aka Junkyard Dave Schaible, as crew chief, and this guy can build anything. Here’s one of my favorite Hellhammer projects: one of the first- if not the first- of the current generation of Northern California rat rods, built back in the early 1980s. It’s a Model T body (which was found, complete with bullet holes, sitting in a Castro Valley field) on a Model A frame, powered by a ‘49 Cadillac 331-cubic-inch engine spinning a seriously lumpy mid-50s-vintage Isky cam. It’s built entirely from stuff Dave had sitting around, including a Geo Metro back seat, ‘40 Ford brakes, handmade headers, etc., and I’m having a tough time thinking of any vehicle that’s more fun to drive. Those of you heading to the Billetproof show in September will get to see this machine in person.

galleryPost(’hellhammermodelt’, 9, ‘Hellhammer Shows Us A Proper Rat Rod’);


Original post by Murilee Martin

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May 30 2008

Awesome Dodge Tradesman 200, Shag Carpet Included [Found On EBay]

Published by under 12616

If there’s one wacky automotive fad we missed but wish we hadn’t, it’d have to be the vannin’ movement. That wacky, proto-dekotora trend fueled by polyester and facial hair just speaks to our better sensibilities. So when we saw this groovy 1975 Dodge Tradesman 200 for sale on eBay, the urge to grow a handlebar ’stache and pick up the latest from REO Speedwagon was nearly overwhelming. This baby has got it all, sun roofs, a fridge, mirrored ceiling over a convertible bed, shag carpet, a CB radio, impossibly bitchin’ paint job and matching side pipes. Go check it out over at eBay. (Thanks for the tip Dave)

galleryPost(’1975van’, 9, ‘Rad 1975 Dodge Tradesman’);


Original post by Ben Wojdyla

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