We all know driving in cities can be frustrating, especially because of all the red lights you hit – all of which seem to come at once. Most of us have probably also wished we knew the exact speed to travel in order to hit a green light every time.
Fortunately, Audi has come up with a solution – the Travolution. This new Travolution System – currently implemented in a city in Germany – has 46 traffic lights programmed into it. The device reports in to the cars computer and tells you the exact speed you should travel in order to hit a green light.
Unfortunately, the device is unable to transmit a signal to the traffic light telling it to turn green (for obvious reasons it is probably better this way).
In a press statement Audi states:
The experimental ‘Travolution’ system…will not only improve synchronisation and phasing of traffic light networks to reduce stopping times, but could also dramatically reduce the number of actual stops needed by creating a communications link between cars and the traffic light network.
The device probably won’t be much help when you have a slow moving vehicle in front of you. However, a portable version of the Travolution could allow other cars to equip their rides with the technology, and thus help relieve traffic congestion.
More bad news has broken out for us guys (and ladies who require us guys) regarding technology having an adverse effect on men’s sperm count.
Just as we are not supposed to place notebook PC’s on our laps, we probably should not be putting cell phones in the pockets of our pants for the same reason. According to some researchers from the Cleveland Clinic, cell phones damage your sperm and risk your chances of reproduction.
When we place cell phones in our pockets, they are within very close proximity of our reproductive parts (for most men at least). Radiation that is emitted from cell phones may have adverse effects on these parts. Director of the Center for Reproductive Medicine, Ashok Agarwal, states “We believe that these devices are used because we consider them very safe, but it could cause harmful effects due to the proximity of the phones and the exposure that they are causing to the gonads.”
A study was conducted taking samples of semen from 32 men, placing a phone within a few inches of half of the samples. Results are as follows:
Overall, researchers found an increase in oxidative stress such as a significant increase in free radicals and oxidants and a decrease in antioxidants. Agarwal says that equals a decrease in sperm’s quality, including motility and viability. Evidence of oxidative stress can appear under other conditions, including exposure to certain environmental pollutants or infections in the urinary genital tract.
“On average, there was an 85 percent increase in the amount of free radicals for all the subjects in the study. Free radicals have been linked to a variety of diseases in humans including cancer,” said Agarwal. Free radicals have been linked to decreased sperm quality in previous studies.
Since the sperm was tested outside of the body, it is difficult to say whether we receive the same results when we have a cell phone in our pocket. Let’s just hope the little bit of skin in between our legs is a suitable shield for blocking out those radio waves.
Hillcrest Laboratories has stated that Nintendo Co Ltd. Infringed on their patents in making its new console, the Wii. The US International Trade Commission has agreed to look into the claim.
Hillcrest is accusing Nintendo of violating four patents in the creation of the Wii. The ITC has the power to ban products from the US - including the Wii - if deemed to be created with infringed technology.
Of course Nintendo has stated they respected the patents of other companies, including Hillcrest Laboratories. Nintendo intends to defend this proclamation.
As we all know, the Wii has been a huge hit, dominating the video game market since its release. It’s revolutionary motion sensing technology being the main component to its success. We shall wait and see what the future holds for Nintendo.
The much anticipated Google Android phone will be introduced by T-Mobile on September 23 at a news conference in New York.
HTC will be manufacturing the phone, and is expected to be available in October. Pricing, release date, plans, and software details are expected to be discussed by Google and T-Mobile executives at the mentioned news conference.
The phone is aimed to be competition for high end smart phones such as the Blackberry and iPhone. The HTC will not be the only Android phone – other manufacturers are expected to follow suit in the coming months.
Keep your eyes out next week for further information.
As most of you are probably aware, Wi-Fi is going to be available at select McDonald’s locations. I don’t know how many of you are going to grab your laptop and head over to surf the web, however, if you own a Zune you can enjoy free internet access.
The Zune is using the Wayport Wi-Fi system at about 10,000 locations, and is aimed to extend your digital lifestyle outside of your home and office. For those customers without a Zune, Wi-Fi access will run you $2.95 per hour. Maybe this service will keep customers in the restaurant for more than 15 minutes.
This news is no Starbucks/Apple Wi-Fi deal, however, what’s better then eating a Big Mac while surfing the net?
Air Canada will be offering on board internet on some flights to the US (West Coast), starting in spring. Air Canada will charge $12.95 per passenger for the in-flight Wi-Fi service.
The internet service is being provided by US based Aircell, which also includes American and Delta airlines as customers. Aircell’s GoGo service utilizes a network of cell towers based on the ground in the United States. Flights over Canada will not be able to use GoGo until the towers are expanded; which will occur once it has regulatory approval.
“We can say with confidence that it’s our full intent to rollout this service across the North American (Air Canada) fleet, and as the Aircell air-to-ground network grows internationally as well,” says Air Canada’s vice president of Marketing, Charles McKee.
The 92-tower network in the US took 6 months to build, and will most likely take less than that to build in Canada.
The technology that’s installed in a plane will weigh about 18 kilograms and could be put on a small table, versus satellite technology which would use a large antenna about the size of a surfboard on top of the plane. Satellite technology is also a lot more expensive, which is why Boeing disabled their high speed internet service.
For more information on this topic check out this article.
Have you ever left your house fearing you forgot to lock the front door? Well not to worry, in the near future you will be able to lock and unlock your home on the internet.
At the CEDIA expo this week, a unit was displayed that can be wirelessly set or opened via the Internet, from a mobile phone or a computer. The battery operated locks have keypads that are locked and unlocked with 4 digit access codes; an old fashioned key can be used as a backup as well. If you forget to lock your door you can hop online and enter the code remotely. The password-protected portals also allow people to change, activate, or disable the codes.
I know your probably thinking – how is this safe? Quite frankly I feel this news will light up the eyes of many online hackers, however, the company behind the device claims that the wireless signals sent to the locks are encrypted.
A kit that includes the lock and wireless bridge to communicate with it will cost about $299. There will also be a $13 monthly charge to use the remote applications. The device will be available late next month.
‘Worldwide Leader in Sports,’ ESPN, is about to bring further truth to its name by merging video games with real life sports anchors.
The Walt Disney owned network has spent the last year working on a new technology with video game giant Electronic Arts, which allows commentators to interact with virtual-players on the field.
The technology will make its debut this Sunday on ESPN’s NFL Countdown program, using a form of EA’s Madden NFL 09 along side with specialized digital camera equipment. Both the video game players and news anchor will move around the screen demonstrating plays.
ESPN and EA plan to take the technology (called EA Sports Virtual Playbook) even further, using it in reverse to play as the quarterback. Using information from a Sunday afternoon game, ESPN anchors could replay a game sequence or play, and show what would have happened if the quarterback threw right as opposed to left.
For further news on this topic, check out this NY Times article. Make sure you tune in to ESPN this Sunday to check out the new technology.
Do you feel that your wall-mounted TV in the bathroom is just not cutting it? Well now you can take it a step further by bringing it in the tub with you – without fearing electrocution.
Sony has unveiled the water-resistant XDV-W600 TV, which can be safely used underwater for up to 30 minutes. Beyond that, you got me. However, if your place of sleep happens to be the tub, I would stay away from this product.
On the technical side, the XDV has a 4 inch screen and 2 gigs of internal memory. The TV can run for approximately 23 hours on two AA batteries. The device debuts in Japan on October 30, and will retail for $368.
The browser wars are about to get fierce; watch out Microsoft, Google Chrome is on its way.
This week on the Google Blog, it was announced that they will be launching a beta version of ‘Google Chrome’ for Windows, with versions for Mac and Linux to come in the next few weeks. Apparently the browser is streamlined and simple to use, while running clean and fast (like the classic Google page we’re used to). This release will definitely raise tension between Microsoft and Google, as Gates’ crew now has another product to compete with.
I find it interesting that after the past few years of pushing Mozilla Firefox, Google has decided to develop a browser. Google must obviously feel they offer something unique, and it will be interesting to see how everything turns out.
Have you ever left your house fearing you forgot to lock the front door? Well not to worry, in the near future you will be able to lock and unlock your home on the internet.
