A Robot That Parks Cars

No, not Marvin (ref.), this one is from the Computer Science Department of Stanford University and it not only parks cars, it does so awesomely!



The only disappointment is that it doesn't come with a little row of strobing red lights on the front.

Posted By: Dumbfounded - Thu May 13, 2010 - Comments (10)
Category: Daredevils, Stuntpeople and Thrillseekers, Robots, Science, Technology, Computers, Cars

Death Wish

Police in North Vernon, Indiana say it is obvious this man had a death wish. That may not be so uncommon for men his age and perhaps in his profession, but he accomplished it in a very disturbing fashion. I've followed the events in The North Vernon Plain Dealer & Sun, but I do find it somewhat unnerving that the story is making the rounds through many newspapers in central and southern Indiana, as I fear widespread dissemination of the story may open the door to copycats.
UPDATE: Meth, unsuprisingly, played a role. Greensburg Daily News

Unrelated bonus mugshot from the same paper of Nikkiah C. Weddle, a loving mother, that just appears slothful. I feel that her having smoked marijuana three weeks earlier will play a heavy role in her defense, since we've all smoked a joint that we took almost a full month to recover from.

Posted By: qualityleashdog - Thu Mar 04, 2010 - Comments (5)
Category: Accidents, Crime, Death, Obituaries, Drugs, Inebriation and Intoxicants, Stupidity, Babies and Toddlers, Your Daily Jury Duty, Cars

Follies of the Mad Men #85

The advertisers have a winning product and presentation here--right up until the moment when they tout horse and buggy racing! Would any red-blooded young lad want to race horses, when he could race cars? That's for the girls!

Posted By: Paul - Sat Jan 30, 2010 - Comments (2)
Category: Toys, 1960s, Cars

Follies of the Mad Men #77

How do you advertise the death car that made Ralph Nader's reputation? Here's how!

Posted By: Paul - Fri Dec 04, 2009 - Comments (7)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Death, 1960s, Cars

Ahead of its Time #1

Of course, not everyone had bad ideas in those old issues of Popular Science. Many of the ideas for new products were quite brilliant. This series will look at ideas that were ahead of their time. Today's lesson: In Car Tape Deck.



(from the March 1954 issue of Popular Science)

For a little background, the modern tape recorder came about in 1939, but it wasn't refined enough for commercial use until the late 1940s. Reel to reel tape recorders started to become common home recording machines in the mid 1950s and as a professional home audio format in the late 1950s. The first automobile tape player was the Muntz Stereo-Pak of 1962 which evolved in the Lear Jet Stereo 8 (better known as 8 Track) in 1964. Even so, 8 track players didn't become common in cars until the late 1960s, so unfortunately A. P. Sabol had another fifteen years to wait before his request was answered...

Posted By: Salamander Sam - Thu Nov 12, 2009 - Comments (7)
Category: Technology, 1950s, Cars, Yesterday’s Tomorrows

Two Girl Hitchhikers

Posted By: Paul - Tue Oct 27, 2009 - Comments (5)
Category: Fashion, Underwear, Law, Sexuality, 1940s, Cars

Car Talk

Is anyone else reminded of the callers on Coast to Coast AM?

Posted By: Salamander Sam - Tue Oct 13, 2009 - Comments (9)
Category: Technology, 1980s, Parody, Cars

Key to Our Horizons

As we contemplate Peak Oil and other scary scenarios, here's a look back at a time when the automobile was king.

Posted By: Paul - Thu Oct 01, 2009 - Comments (8)
Category: 1950s, Cars, Yesterday’s Tomorrows

Moment of Decision

Posted By: Paul - Thu Sep 24, 2009 - Comments (6)
Category: Crime, Stupid Criminals, Juvenile Delinquency, 1960s, Cars

Vorsprung Durch Technik?

An accident on Germany's A2 autobahn involving 259 cars has left 66 people injured, 10 of them seriously, but incredibly resulted in no deaths.

The pile-up occurred in the late evening, when a combination of heavy rain and a setting sun hampered the drivers' vision and made the road conditions slippery. The first accident happened near Hamelerwald, and began a cascade of other accidents that over the next two hours grew to span a 30 kilometre stretch of road. It finally took 340 emergency workers well into the next morning to finish dealing with the people and vehicles involved and the clean-up cost is expected to exceed 1.75 million Euros, i.e. $2.5 million (NY Daily News).

Posted By: Dumbfounded - Sat Jul 25, 2009 - Comments (7)
Category: Accidents, Destruction, Disasters, Motor Vehicles, Cars