Author: Jon

Now everyone has pondered the idea of traveling to work like George Jetson.  Avoid the morning rush hour and traffic congestion prevalent in our modern cities. There have been many attempts at the flying car, some more plausible than others, but we are now almost there.  Its name, the Terrafugia Transition, as it can travel in both the air as well as on land. Now it’s not exactly as advanced as the Jetson’s car, but it is as advanced as we can ask for. It can switch between a car and a plane within 30 seconds, and can amazingly fit in any standard sized garage. On land it averages 30 mpg, not bad for a car/plane hybrid. In the air it maintains 115 mph and has a range of over 400 miles. Now the Terrafugia is not even considered to be a prototype yet but its developers plan on doing some additional testing to improve its performance and hopefully plan to get it into production. The real question we have to ask ourselves is if we really want to be flying around in the air thousands of feet above the ground with the same people who cut us off on our daily commutes and flip us the bird as if we did something wrong. Obvioulsy this flying car will not solve the traffic congestion problems in the city because there is no place to land, but if you were trying to avoid the traffic you may encounter between point A and point B, and you have the space to take off and land, the Terrafugia may be for you.

Everyone knows when you see those millions of flashing lights on the highway that there was probably some type of accident ranging from a fender bender to a several car collision.  And nothing gets more annoying that getting stuck in traffic, not because of the accident itself, but because of people who slow down to see the wreckage. But I have to say, if I saw one of these accidents, I would have to pull over and take a picture myself.

1. How is this tree still standing?

2. How do you explain this to your insurance agent?

3. Twenty bucks says you can’t do it again.

4. Bad parking job??

5. There’s really nothing to say, I can’t fathom how this is possible.  The picture tells it all, whatever this person was doing, they FAILED.

6. Atleast he found a place to park…..kind of

7. Did I use the wrong escalator officer?

8.  “Hey what’s up?”…”Nothing much, just hanging out…”

9. I don’t know whats more impressive, the car or the women’s smile…..wait no its gotta be the red short shorts.

10. This last one just blew me away…..

This new wave of hydrogen fuel cell cars is not due to new technology, but instead a demand from the public in response to rising gas prices. In fact, fuel cells have been around since the early 1800’s. Even so the first car to put fuel cell technology to use was the 1966 GM Electrovan.  This van’s fuel cell had a range of over 120 miles which is not to bad compared to the modern Honda Clarity which has a range of 24o miles. This van was built and tested in 1966 but ultimately ended up failing due to cost and a lack of space.  The piping and equipment needed to power the fuel cell turned the 6 seat GMC Handivan into a 2 seat hyrdogen Electrovan. High costs came as a result of a lack of information, technology, and interest at the time. There was such a lack of information on hydrogen fuel cell cars that even the Smithsonian Institute did not allow it inside their facilities for the sole reason that they had never heard of a fuel cell before and did not understand it’s dynamics. Obviously the information  and technology available today makes the hydrogen fuel cell cars more affordable and safe, but the main reason they may now succeed is that there is a greater worldwide interest due to the global energy demand and rising fuel prices.

Kia has just introduced their own “infotainment” system to rival Ford’s SYNC.  The Kia UVO (Your Voice) will be extremely similar to the SYNC system as they both run off of Windows software and share many of the same high-tech features, some of which include the voice commands and ipod compatability. The big difference? UVO uses Microsoft’s latest and greatest software available, which can decifer intricate speech patterns and words that, which with previous versions such as SYNC, proved to be an annoyance.  No more screaming at a voice recognition system that only gets more confused we scream louder. However UVO was not only developed for its convenience but also for its safety aspect. Drivers will have the ability to answer phone calls verbally through UVO, allowing them to keep their eyes on the road instead of being distracted by searching for their phone.

The 4.3″ interface will be in full color that will provide information such as the contact data. UVO will be introduced as an open platform system allowing simple integration from numerous cell phones, mp3 players, and other hand-held electronic devices, making it easy for even the most technology illeterate person to use. It seems that UVO will turn out to be an easy-to-use, hands-free unit that will give Ford some competition.

Plan on seeing the UVO first revealed in the 2011 Kia Sorento this summer and seeing it available in several other models in the future.

2010 Dodge Viper SRT ACR 1:33

Always remember the great words of Ricky Bobby, “If you ain’t first, your last.”  We all want to live by this motto and you are more than likely going to have to sacrifice and arm and a leg to do so. Although the special edition Dodge Viper SRT ACR 1:33 hasn’t been priced yet, with only 33 planned for production, this 600 horsepower beast is sure to put a hole in your wallet.

The 600 horsepower engine matches up evenly with the 2009 model, however with the 2010’s new and improved gear ratio, the top speed of 202 mph is reached faster than in the 2009, 14 seconds faster. And if your still asking yourself, “1:33???”, this Viper’s name honors the record shattering lap time it posted back in November, 1:33:94, more than one second faster than the previous record. But its not only its performance that makes the “1:33″ that makes it so appealing. Its elegant sleek alone captures your imagination. What sets this Viper apart from previous models can be seen right away from a Viper enthusiast.

The two-tone paint scheme of red and black has remained, however the placement of these colors is the exact opposite of the first Viper ACR. Along with the 1:33 edition, several other 2010 Viper models are planned for production, including the Voodoo. Only 10 or 20 of the Voodoo model will be made, the exact number has not yet been confirmed but what we do know is that if you happen to get a hold of one, you will be envied. So it appears that in the final year of the Viper’s current model production we can expect to see several special editions to be released, and with the “1:33″ and “Voodoo” just being an appetizer, we can’t wait to see what the people at Viper have in store.