Fitch Phoenix Targa Coupe

F6 / 2.689 cc / 173 PS / 212 ft/lb (287 Nm) @ 3.600 / 0 - 62 mph (100 km/h): 7,5 s / Vmax: 130 mph (209 km/h)<br /><br />(click images for a larger view)<br /><br /><a href="http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/4691/fitchphoenixtargacoupe1.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/4691/fitchphoenixtargacoupe1.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a href="http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/8642/fitchphoenixtargacoupe2.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/8642/fitchphoenixtargacoupe2.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a href="http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/203/fitchphoenixtargacoupe3.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/203/fitchphoenixtargacoupe3.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a name='more'></a><a href="http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/2339/fitchphoenixtargacoupe4.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/2339/fitchphoenixtargacoupe4.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a href="http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/2764/fitchphoenixtargacoupe5.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/2764/fitchphoenixtargacoupe5.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a href="http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/1179/fitchphoenixtargacoupe6.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/1179/fitchphoenixtargacoupe6.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a href="http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/2363/fitchphoenixtargacoupe7.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/2363/fitchphoenixtargacoupe7.jpg" width="480" /></a>

Fitch Phoenix Targa Coupe

F6 / 2.689 cc / 173 PS / 212 ft/lb (287 Nm) @ 3.600 / 0 - 62 mph (100 km/h): 7,5 s / Vmax: 130 mph (209 km/h)(click images for a larger view)…

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MINI Cooper S Roadster "Red Mudder" by DSQUARED

S4 / 1.595 cc / 184 PS / 192 ft/lb (260 Nm) @ 1.730 - 4.500 / turbo / 0 - 62 mph (100 km/h): 7,0 s / Vmax: 141 mph (227 km/h)<br /><br />(click images for a larger view)<br /><br /><a href="http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/2932/minicoopersbydsquared1.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/2932/minicoopersbydsquared1.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a href="http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/7554/minicoopersbydsquared2.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/7554/minicoopersbydsquared2.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a href="http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/9499/minicoopersbydsquared3.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/9499/minicoopersbydsquared3.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a name='more'></a><a href="http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/5512/minicoopersbydsquared4.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/5512/minicoopersbydsquared4.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a href="http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/4672/minicoopersbydsquared5.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/4672/minicoopersbydsquared5.jpg" width="480" /></a>

MINI Cooper S Roadster "Red Mudder" by DSQUARED

S4 / 1.595 cc / 184 PS / 192 ft/lb (260 Nm) @ 1.730 - 4.500 / turbo / 0 - 62 mph (100 km/h): 7,0 s / Vmax: 141 mph (227 km/h)(click images for a larger view)…

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Autonomous, not driverless

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPI9R5JTdt8f_Ry79uqtwziv8H7RhE7h4-8jj5Fwvo5eMTii56luXWSbYBYEEXAHARqnLNh1faz_6U6_ZyEEMd7i8pWvCf8zs-ucTDpGkQhgXNcB9BJGaVuH5zZoto6kethLv8bdXLK_w/s1600/paul_leroux_photo_crop_v3_thumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPI9R5JTdt8f_Ry79uqtwziv8H7RhE7h4-8jj5Fwvo5eMTii56luXWSbYBYEEXAHARqnLNh1faz_6U6_ZyEEMd7i8pWvCf8zs-ucTDpGkQhgXNcB9BJGaVuH5zZoto6kethLv8bdXLK_w/s1600/paul_leroux_photo_crop_v3_thumb.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr align="center"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Paul Leroux</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table>I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to the era of self-driving cars. After all, why spend countless hours negotiating rush-hour traffic when the car could do all the work? Just think of all the things you could do instead: read a novel, Facebook with friends, or even watch Babylon 5 re-runs.<br /><br />Unlike Babylon 5, this scenario is no longer a page out of science fiction. It’s coming soon, <a href="http://qnxauto.blogspot.ca/2012/12/volvo-to-ship-self-driving-cars-in-2014.html">faster than many imagine</a>. That said, the story of the self-driving car still has a few unfinished chapters — chapters in which the human driver still has an important role to play. Yes, that means you.<br /><br />As I’ve discussed in <a href="http://qnxauto.blogspot.ca/2012/07/future-of-self-driving-car-aint-what-it.html">previous posts</a>, the fully autonomous car is a work in progress. In fact, some of the technologies that will enable cars to drive themselves (adaptive cruise control, forward collision avoidance, etc.) are already in place. Moreover, research suggests that these technologies can, among other things, <a href="http://qnxauto.blogspot.ca/2012/09/will-adaptive-cruise-control-spell-end.html">improve traffic flow</a> and <a href="http://qnxauto.blogspot.ca/2012/07/will-autonomous-car-tech-save-your-life.html">reduce accidents</a>. But does that mean you will soon be able to sit back, close your eyes, and let the car do everything? Not quite.<br /><br /><span style="color: #073763;"><b>Evolution, not revolution</b></span><br />If you ask me, <a href="http://www.wired.com/opinion/2013/01/forget-the-internet-of-things-here-comes-the-internet-of-cars/">Thilo Koslowski</a> of Gartner hit the bull's eye when he said that self-driving cars will go through three evolutionary phases: from automated to autonomous to unmanned. Until we reach the endpoint, we should pay heed to the words of <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/driveon/2013/01/07/audi-toyota-driverless-cars/1815399/">Toyota's Jim Pisz</a>: autonomous does not mean driverless.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBaa1fpcHilPB1URKQlSj7PFIlhap3uH5QCcRdRdF8jdydMD4jkys4HOp9TthmsMZLltmaNa5UJd8lLZZXsX3rHCR_M8TNT9_bGPqeYP-IFQ_eZQzyM8020aD65i0yZCXP2cTZItyXfQo/s1600/jet_327_px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBaa1fpcHilPB1URKQlSj7PFIlhap3uH5QCcRdRdF8jdydMD4jkys4HOp9TthmsMZLltmaNa5UJd8lLZZXsX3rHCR_M8TNT9_bGPqeYP-IFQ_eZQzyM8020aD65i0yZCXP2cTZItyXfQo/s1600/jet_327_px.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-size: small;">If planes can do it…</span></i></b></div></td></tr></tbody></table>Some folks hear this and are disappointed. They point to auto-pilot technology in planes and ask why we can’t have driverless cars sooner than later. The argument goes something like this: "It's much harder to fly a plane, yet we have no problem with a computer handling such a complex task. So why not let a computer drive your car?”<br /><br />If only life were so simple. For one thing, automakers will have to make autonomous cars affordable — doable but not easy. They’ll also have to negotiate a variety of legal hurdles. And in any case, driving and flying have less in common than you might think. <br /><br />When you drive, you must remain alert on a continuous basis. Lose your attention for a second, and you stand a good chance of hitting something or somebody. The same doesn't always hold true in flight. When a plane is cruising at 30,000 feet along a proscribed flight path, the pilot can avert his or her attention for 5 seconds and incur little chance of hitting anything. In comparison, a driver who becomes distracted for 5 seconds is hell on wheels.<br /><br />And, of course, auto-pilot doesn’t mean pilot-less. As Ricky Hudi of Audi <a href="http://ces.cnet.com/8301-34438_1-57563376/is-there-a-self-driving-car-in-your-future/">points out</a>, pilots may rely on autopilot, but they still retain full responsibility for flying the plane. So just because your car is on auto-pilot doesn’t mean you can watch YouTube on your tablet. Bummer, I know.<br /><br /><b style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #073763;">An alarming solution</span></b><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCaoqP3HuMqILfVSFL4bX9GJmuArh9U9kSUxgbaGcU8smIRVNunucbYQz7W7Y2mZu2Er8C6G84rf63b0pM6TvUHH0ZOxiInSV4YjZPPgMMF5913uj-YhhrbiY88h5BACN-BcWRedLr-8k/s1600/alarm_glasses_adas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCaoqP3HuMqILfVSFL4bX9GJmuArh9U9kSUxgbaGcU8smIRVNunucbYQz7W7Y2mZu2Er8C6G84rf63b0pM6TvUHH0ZOxiInSV4YjZPPgMMF5913uj-YhhrbiY88h5BACN-BcWRedLr-8k/s1600/alarm_glasses_adas.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: </span><a href="http://blog.modernmechanix.com/"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Modern Mechanix blog</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">(and yes, that should </span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">read Frankfurt)</span></div></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table>All of which to say, the driver of an autonomous car will have to remain alert most or all of the time — until, of course, autonomous vehicles become better than humans at handling every potential scenario. Now <a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=autonomous-driverless-car-brain">that could happen</a>, but it <i>will</i> take a while. <br /><br />It seems that someone anticipated this problem in the early 50s when they invented “alarming glasses” — take a gander at the accompanying photo from the August 1951 issue of <i>Modern Mechanix</i>.<br /><br />Scoff if you will, but a kinder and gentler form of this technology is exactly what autonomous cars need. No, I'm not suggesting that scientists find a better way to glue wires to eyelids. But I am saying that, until cars become fully and safely autonomous, drivers will need to pay attention — after all, it’s tempting to drift off when the car is doing all the work. And, indeed, technologies to keep drivers alert <a href="http://www.tobii.com/gaze-interaction/global/Gaze-Interaction-fields-of-use/advanced-driver-assistance/">are already being developed</a>.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: #073763;">Pre-warned means prepared</span></b><br />Mind you, it isn’t enough to keep the driver alert; the car may also need to issue “pre-warnings” for when the driver needs to take over. For instance, let’s say driving conditions become too challenging for the car’s autonomous mode to handle — these could heavy rain, a street filled with pedestrians, or an area where lane markers are obscured by snow. In that case, the car can’t wait until it can no longer drive itself before alerting the driver, for the simple reason that the driver may simply take too long to assess the situation. The car will need to provide ample warning ahead of time.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: #073763;">The more, the better</span></b><br />That cars will become autonomous is inevitable. In fact, the more autonomous, the better, as far I'm concerned. Research already suggests that technologies for enabling autonomous driving can, in many cases, do a better job of avoiding accidents and improving traffic flow than human drivers. They also seem to do better at things like parallel parking — a task that has caused more than one student driver to fail a driving test.<br /><br />But does this all mean that, as a driver, I can stop paying attention? Not in the near future. But someday.<br /><br />

Autonomous, not driverless

Paul LerouxI don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to the era of self-driving cars. After all, why spend countless hours negotiating rush-hour traffic when the car could do all the work? Just think of all the things you could do instead: read a novel, Facebook with friends, or even watch Bab…

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Dodge Challenger Super by Mr. Norm

V8 / 6.059 cc / 900 PS / kompressor<br /><br />(click images for a larger view)<br /><br /><a href="http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/7717/superchallenger1.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/7717/superchallenger1.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a href="http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/5338/superchallenger2.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/5338/superchallenger2.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a href="http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/2821/superchallenger3.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/2821/superchallenger3.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><a href="http://img693.imageshack.us/img693/931/superchallenger5.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img693.imageshack.us/img693/931/superchallenger5.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a href="http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/1034/superchallenger4.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/1034/superchallenger4.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a href="http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/5418/superchallenger6.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/5418/superchallenger6.jpg" width="480" /></a>

Dodge Challenger Super by Mr. Norm

V8 / 6.059 cc / 900 PS / kompressor(click images for a larger view)…

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Goodbye passwords, hello biometrics

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilE-fzF4aHr43I4C4B7ADcfOfyqUo138zCpAcup3Vg-o_fSEmlzW6ZsuY6WLeCXyFrJwpgsXCGBOzXy7YPOrPqUecngxY4BlhuhE8O935cTCDTf_AeEbWx8TczSDFtuzuU3hifz_Acq3U/s1600/nancy_young.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilE-fzF4aHr43I4C4B7ADcfOfyqUo138zCpAcup3Vg-o_fSEmlzW6ZsuY6WLeCXyFrJwpgsXCGBOzXy7YPOrPqUecngxY4BlhuhE8O935cTCDTf_AeEbWx8TczSDFtuzuU3hifz_Acq3U/s1600/nancy_young.jpg" /></a></div>Let's face it — passwords suck.<br /><br />Every day we have to recall all manner of alphanumeric combinations for bank PINs, network log-ons, corporate email, social networking, and e-commerce. According to Microsoft Research, the average user types eight passwords per day.<br /> <br />During a talk at last year's SAE Convergence, Joseph Carra from the US Department of Transportation said, “Passwords have to go” ... a breath of fresh air for those of us who rely heavily on the "forgot password" option. The stage is set, according to Carra, for biometrics to replace passwords in the vehicle.<br /><br />Using biometrics for driver preferences is nothing new — my favorite example is a car seat that can identify you by the <a href="http://www.howstuffworks.com/future-car-biometrics.htm">shape of your butt</a> — but using them to replace passwords makes perfect sense. <br /><br />Ultrasound fingerprinting, iris scans, facial recognition, signature dynamics, voice recognition, keystroke dynamics, hand geometry, skin patterns, and foot dynamics are already being used in enterprise security, law enforcement, border control, ATM transactions, and so on. And second-gen biometrics promise to pump up the Sci-Fi factor with neural wave analysis, electro-physiological biometrics, skin luminescence, body odor, and so on. <br /><br />Many technologies eventually find their way into the car after becoming popular elsewhere — mobile telephony, media players, GPS navigation, etc. I can’t think of too many world-changing technologies that got their start inside the car. But given the innovative trajectory of today’s auto industry, that may be about to change.<br /><br />

Goodbye passwords, hello biometrics

Let's face it — passwords suck.Every day we have to recall all manner of alphanumeric combinations for bank PINs, network log-ons, corporate email, social networking, and e-commerce. According to Microsoft Research, the average user types eight passwords per day. During a talk at last year's SAE Con…

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Lada Ghost Rider

No technical specification available<br /><br />(click images for a larger view)<br /><br /><a href="http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/4065/ladaghostrider1.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/4065/ladaghostrider1.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a href="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5764/ladaghostrider2.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5764/ladaghostrider2.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a href="http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/2449/ladaghostrider4.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/2449/ladaghostrider4.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a href="http://img585.imageshack.us/img585/659/ladaghostrider3.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img585.imageshack.us/img585/659/ladaghostrider3.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a name='more'></a><a href="http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/5154/ladaghostrider5.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/5154/ladaghostrider5.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a href="http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/9163/ladaghostrider6.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/9163/ladaghostrider6.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a href="http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/2679/ladaghostrider7.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/2679/ladaghostrider7.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a href="http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/8394/ladaghostrider8.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/8394/ladaghostrider8.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a href="http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/1531/ladaghostrider9.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/1531/ladaghostrider9.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a href="http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/9563/ladaghostrider10.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/9563/ladaghostrider10.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a href="http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/7056/ladaghostrider11.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/7056/ladaghostrider11.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a href="http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/4238/ladaghostrider12.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/4238/ladaghostrider12.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a href="http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/6743/ladaghostrider13.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/6743/ladaghostrider13.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a href="http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/6056/ladaghostrider14.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/6056/ladaghostrider14.jpg" width="480" /></a>

Lada Ghost Rider

No technical specification available(click images for a larger view)…

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Whose Country is it anyway? by Ben Crowley.

<br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Firstly let me apologise for the lateness of this blog. After arriving home in Melbourne and being inundated with admirers and fans, I found it difficult to find the time to complete the quality product that those following our blog have become accustomed to. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">                Excited by this frozen in time glimpse at the former Soviet Union, I traversed the potholed highway signposted to Tiraspol, considered just a regional outpost in Moldova, but the capital city to the 550,000 people who call Transnistria home. Flying along one of the better roads (ease of military movement assured) that Eastern Europe had to offer, I was brought to a sudden stop by a large Russian tank sitting in the middle of the road. At this point 3 or 4 soldiers came running towards the car, pointing their rifles in a rather aggressive nature towards our vehicle. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">                “Otkuda vy?” yelled the light infantryman with the clearly visible Russian flag sewn to his shoulder.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">                “Privet, Avstraliya,” Tom Unkles sitting in the passenger seat replied.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">                “Ah Avstraliya! Sydaney! Melbon! Kangaroo!” they laughed and joked as the Russian soldier continued to interrogate. “Mashina otkuda?”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">                “Avstraliya” Tom replied once again.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">                “Mashina Avstraliya!” at this point they were almost on the ground with laughter, “kuda? <span class="st">Ukrayina?”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="st"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">                “Tiraspol,” Tom told the man. “Turizm.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">                “Ah Tiraspol,” he then continued to (we assume) tell us that we certainly weren’t getting through this way and that we’d need to turn around and take our first left in order to cross at the only legal crossing, located in the town Bendery.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Transnistria, also known as Trans-Dniestr, Transdniestria or to make matters even more confusing, Pridnistrovie in Russian (literally left bank of the river Dniester), gained its quasi-pseudo-de facto independence in 1992, two years of full scale war after they declared themselves separate from Moldova. However since then, only other “non-states” such as South Ossetia (Blog <i>Day 220 – Revolutionary Ideas</i>), Abkhazia and Nagorno-Karabakh (Blog <i>Travelling to Nagorno Karabkh, by Ben Crowley</i>) have recognised its autonomy. Even Russia, who as its protector has its 14^th Army stationed there as a buffer against Moldovan aggression, has yet to recognise Transnistria’s sovereignty.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Once we got to what appeared to be the only border crossing, situated in the town of Bendery, we found ourselves faced with numerous contradictions, the sort that we had become used to in the former Soviet Union. From the onset it appeared nothing more than a shambolic police check, the usual cones, barricades, crudely written стоп (Stop) signs and some portable buildings; nothing permanent except maybe a flag pole. However, the immigration/customs process seemed very permanent and ran in a surprisingly efficient manner, still of course bearing the usual Sovietesque qualities. Unlike our previous encounters, these were Transnistria’s own forces and they appeared to take their task quite seriously. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">I was originally in charge of this particular border crossing (we usually took turns), but they wanted nothing of me. The guards dealing with customs were insistent that the legal owner of the vehicle was to deal with the paperwork, something we had not particularly come across in the past. So we gave them what they wanted, what most people want, Tom Denner.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Like an Englishman defending his nation’s culinary pedigree, we struggled through the temporary import documents, all printed only in Russian and Moldovan (Romanian) and found ourselves not getting very far. We were relieved to enlist the help of a local who spoke quite proficient English but still struggled to explain the automotive jargon. Whilst having our completed paperwork examined I was lucky enough to have this man whose name is now forgotten in history explain his thoughts on the question of his nation’s sovereignty. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Things are very difficult in Transnistria, the rest of the world doesn’t accept our wishes and it makes it very difficult. The Moldovans make it very hard, we just want to live peacefully with them,” he stated, expounding the same sort of rhetoric we had heard all over the world. I asked him why he was travelling from Moldova. “I need to work in Chisinau as there is no work in Tiraspol. I think most people will leave for Moldova or Russia.” <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Even though you fought against Moldova?” I asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">“We were once brothers and sisters, but they went crazy when the Soviet Union fell. I don’t hate them, I just don’t understand why they won’t respect our wishes to be independent, why they discriminate against us and make things so hard.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">I asked him whether it was safe in Transnistria and what there was to see, to which he proudly told me that Tiraspol is probably safer than anywhere in Western Europe. There might be organised crime but not crime against individuals. He also noted that Tiraspol has some interesting architecture, in particular and he was quite adamant about this, from the exact years 1954 and 1976, which having spent a lot of time in the former Soviet Bloc I found hard to believe, let alone from years so specific.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Before we left there was one line that he did say quite forcefully considering how calm and well natured he was, “To Transnistrians our independence is not disputed. It is fact.” Finally the car paperwork was completed and then all we had left was the extremely simple process (please note sarcasm) of crossing the road to the passport office, completing more forms (in Russian/Moldovan), and receiving temporary (24 hour) immigration cards which we had to go into Tiraspol the next day to get a 24 hour extension for because the Registration of Foreign Aliens Department of the police force were on holidays. Finally on the third day we went to the Registration of Foreign Aliens Department to be given full registration as tourists to stay in Transnistria. During this process we only needed to visit five different offices multiple times over the three days and spend many hours of our short stay. I don’t think it’s possible to make a process much easier than that!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">The first thing we noticed when driving from Bendery to Tiraspol was how dark it was. At this point night had fallen and there was a distinct lack of street lighting and light pollution from buildings. That and the Soviet era apartment blocks, trolley buses, Lada Nivas, Russian tanks and Sovietesque billboards and signs depicting enough hammer and sickles to bring any card carrying communist to their knees with ecstasy. All those things and how dark it was. We made the small drive to Tiraspol and then began our search for accommodation. </span><o:p></o:p></div>

Whose Country is it anyway? by Ben Crowley.

Firstly let me apologise for the lateness of this blog. After arriving home in Melbourne and being inundated with admirers and fans, I found it difficult to find the time to complete the quality product that those following our blog have become accustomed to.                 Excited by this frozen i…

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Chrysler Turbine Car

Gas turbine / 130 PS @ 44.500 / 425 lb/ft (576 Nm) / 0 - 62 mph (100 km/h): 12,0 s / Runs on diesel, unleaded gasoline, kerosene, JP4 jet fuel and vegetable oil as well<br /><br />(click images for a larger view)<br /><br /><a href="http://img831.imageshack.us/img831/4684/chryslerturbine1.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img831.imageshack.us/img831/4684/chryslerturbine1.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a href="http://img837.imageshack.us/img837/6198/chryslerturbine2.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img837.imageshack.us/img837/6198/chryslerturbine2.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a href="http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/6060/chryslerturbine4.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/6060/chryslerturbine4.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a href="http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/9343/chryslerturbine3.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/9343/chryslerturbine3.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><a href="http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/3876/chryslerturbine5.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/3876/chryslerturbine5.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a href="http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/4526/chryslerturbine6.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/4526/chryslerturbine6.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a href="http://img831.imageshack.us/img831/8093/chryslerturbine7.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img831.imageshack.us/img831/8093/chryslerturbine7.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a href="http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/9515/chryslerturbine8.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/9515/chryslerturbine8.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a href="http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/2551/chryslerturbine9.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/2551/chryslerturbine9.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a href="http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/4025/chryslerturbine10.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/4025/chryslerturbine10.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a href="http://img704.imageshack.us/img704/7204/chryslerturbine11.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img704.imageshack.us/img704/7204/chryslerturbine11.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><a href="http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/325/chryslerturbine12.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/325/chryslerturbine12.jpg" width="480" /></a>

Chrysler Turbine Car

Gas turbine / 130 PS @ 44.500 / 425 lb/ft (576 Nm) / 0 - 62 mph (100 km/h): 12,0 s / Runs on diesel, unleaded gasoline, kerosene, JP4 jet fuel and vegetable oil as well(click images for a larger view)…

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A matter of context: How digital instrument clusters can enhance the driving experience

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAAw7k-AFoYWzayDLtJZzOI2BN-5wqy3uHeDlk-38VtyE94YLRDtw_l-f2-smhMbXg9z0PqTJPO47ZRMKU9ssjzO2ocny-oj2PaE_MVGtEFP_XVlOF1Ls_2-DolJWxTSiaMu04eAU6lO8/s1600/emil_dautovic_qnx_crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAAw7k-AFoYWzayDLtJZzOI2BN-5wqy3uHeDlk-38VtyE94YLRDtw_l-f2-smhMbXg9z0PqTJPO47ZRMKU9ssjzO2ocny-oj2PaE_MVGtEFP_XVlOF1Ls_2-DolJWxTSiaMu04eAU6lO8/s400/emil_dautovic_qnx_crop.jpg" width="94" /></a>I always drive a manual, so checking the tachometer in my car’s instrument cluster has become second nature to me. But while I have a personal interest in what my cluster displays, why would a software company like QNX be interested in instrument clusters? After all, most clusters use physical gauges and relatively little software.<br /><br />The answer, of course, is that automakers are starting to migrate to digital instrument clusters, which replace mechanical gauges with virtual instruments rendered on an LCD display. In fact, <a href="http://onqpl.blogspot.ca/2010/11/qnx-drives-digital-instrument-cluster.html">Jaguar</a> and <a href="http://www.qnx.com/news/pr_3655_1.html">Land Rover</a>, who are pioneers in this market, have been shipping QNX-based digital clusters since about 2010. Here, for instance, is a photo of the digital cluster and dash in the latest Range Rover:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUW458a0Ogxq1FR0jXKPISJNztVDDirRlKnRzWIKwrmyMe2DBgPtlfM4qVVvUP_pfuwOTC_FCJQ69piaG34NDO6nofj3kbJTcUygs9B-KJRxptCjr2ByLswXFveH1hkmS8kWjYt6IcaXE/s1600/range_rover_cluster_575px.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUW458a0Ogxq1FR0jXKPISJNztVDDirRlKnRzWIKwrmyMe2DBgPtlfM4qVVvUP_pfuwOTC_FCJQ69piaG34NDO6nofj3kbJTcUygs9B-KJRxptCjr2ByLswXFveH1hkmS8kWjYt6IcaXE/s1600/range_rover_cluster_575px.jpg" /></a><br /><br />So why use a large LCD display instead of mechanical gauges? For one thing, you can attract early adopters who always want the latest tech and who see large 3D displays as cool. But more importantly, a digital cluster can provide an experience that is both personal and adaptive — personal because consumers today want to control the UX (just as they customize their smartphones) and adaptive to help the driver in a variety of traffic situations. <br /><br /><b><span style="color: #073763;">Context matters</span></b><br />In the latest <a href="http://qnxauto.blogspot.ca/2013/01/its-bentley-guided-tour-of-new-qnx.html">QNX technology concept car</a>, for instance, the digital cluster can re-configure itself to display a 3D rear view camera to help with parking. Saab pursued similar ideas a few years ago with a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saab_900#Black_Panel">context-based cluster</a> that avoids loading the driver with too much information during night-time driving.<br /><br />It will be interesting to see who takes this to the next level with an adaptive HMI that takes speed, location, and driving conditions into account. For instance, driving at high speed on a German Autobahn differs immensely from driving at low speed on a busy downtown street with lots of pedestrians and intersections. These two scenarios place different demands on the driver, and a digital cluster could adapt accordingly. <br /><br />On the autobahn, the cluster could increase the size of the speedometer and tachometer to make them easier to see, while hiding other information that isn’t currently needed. (The cluster would, of course, still display any necessary warnings, such as high oil temperature.) In the city, meanwhile, the cluster could replace the tachometer with pedestrian warnings to improve the driver's situational awareness. <br /><br />Also, think of a car that supports both automatic and manual gear-shifting. A driver who prefers automatic might not be interested in a tachometer, whereas a driver who shifts manually will want to see a RPM readout to optimize gear shifting. A digital cluster could accommodate both preferences.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: #073763;">For safety’s sake</span></b><br />What does it mean from a safety perspective to include a large display and its attendant electronics in the car? A malfunctioning digital cluster can’t directly kill or injure, but it could give false indications that may lead to an accident. That is why automakers will likely have to address ISO 26262 requirements for their digital clusters. <br /><br />So what is ISO 26262? It’s a standard that focuses on functional safety in cars and other types of passenger vehicles, with the goal of avoiding or controlling system failures. It is similar in content and purpose to the IEC 61508 functional safety standard, to which two QNX OS products <a href="http://www.qnx.com/products/neutrino-rtos/index.html">have already been certified</a>. Read our previous posts (<a href="http://qnxauto.blogspot.ca/2012/10/the-iso-26262-functional-safety.html">here</a> and <a href="http://qnxauto.blogspot.se/2013/03/the-isolation-imperative-protecting.html">here</a>) for more information on ISO 26262.<br /><br /><span style="color: #073763;"><b>Massive arrays</b></span><br />When it comes to digital clusters, I’ve only scratched the surface. For instance, cars are becoming massive sensor arrays that generate tons of data. By leveraging this data, reconfigurable clusters could display contextually relevant information, such as highlighting a person in your path, an accident up ahead, or the current speed limit. <br /><br />And from the automaker’s perspective, a digital cluster could help reduce costs by allowing the same hardware to be used across multiple vehicle lines; in many cases, only the graphics would need to be “reskinned.”<br /><br /><hr /><i>Emil Dautovic is an automotive business development manager at QNX Software Systems, where he is responsible for the European automotive market. </i><br />

A matter of context: How digital instrument clusters can enhance the driving experience

I always drive a manual, so checking the tachometer in my car’s instrument cluster has become second nature to me. But while I have a personal interest in what my cluster displays, why would a software company like QNX be interested in instrument clusters? After all, most clusters use physical gauge…

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