New York City has picked three finalists for the city’s next official taxicab. The competition was open in late 2009 and the winner will supply taxis to New York City for the next 10 years. Officials expect the winner to be picked early next year, and the vehicles will hit the streets by 2014.
The finalists are Turkey-based Karsan, Ford and Nissan. Which is your favourite?
The development of driverless cars has been ongoing for some time, but now a German company brings the driverless taxi. A team of German researchers at AutoNOMOS Labs in Berlin’s Free University revealed its latest project earlier this year. Known as FU-X “Made in Germany” the VW Passat uses GPS, video cameras, on-board laser scanners and radars to navigate autonomously, giving it the capability to be used as a driverless taxi. Made in Germany (MIG) can be hailed by a customer through an IPAD app that transmits its GPS location to the vehicle and tells the taxi where to pick them up. The passengers can track the taxi as it drives toward them, and once in the vehicle they can use the iPad to tell the vehicle their destination.
So, no driver – this brings positives and negatives depending on your point of view. But here’s a few question for the MIG team: Who’s going to give the customer an update on the state of the nation? What if there’s road works and the sat nav can’t determine an alternate route? What if there’s a crash? The research team have quite a bit of work ahead converting this project into a commercial product. For now we’re happy to stick with cars with drivers getting us safely from A to B.
stokfoto
14 desperate Chinese attempted to break out of an re-education centre for Internet addicts but were foiled when the taxis they’d hired to for their getaway dropped them off at the nearest police station.
The 14 teenagers escaped the Internet addiction boot camp in Jiangsu after overpowering the teacher and tying him up in bed with a quilt, Shanghai Daily reports.
Wearing their regulation camo uniforms, they hired 2 of taxis to help their escape. However, when it was clear they didn’t have money for the taxi fares, the drivers drove them to the nearest police station.
The 14 complained that the camp was “boring and exhausting”. They said they were given bad food and being made to workout every day at the camp, for which their parents pay just over €2,000 for six months. Under the instruction of the parents all 14 were taken back to the camp by the police.
It gets us wondering which is more strange – the attempt escape from the facility or the fact that there’s a facility to detain Internet addicts? Apparently it is now classed as disorder – IAD – Internet Addiction Disorder.
IAD – Internet Addiction Disorder
IAD is defined as: Internet overuse, problematic computer use or pathological computer use, is excessive computer use that interferes with daily life.
The US opened their first rehab facility for Internet addiction last year, call re-START – it’s a 45 day programme to bring re-balance IAD suffers’ lives.
To qualify for admittance to reSTART, you have to display symptoms of its nine guidelines for IAD. They are as follows:
1. Have a strong desire or impulse to use the Internet.
2. Decreasing or stopping of the Internet leads to withdrawal symptoms (e.g., general malaise, restlessness, irritability, lack of concentration, insomnia); and the above mentioned symptoms may be relieved by similar electronic media (e.g., TV, handheld games, gaming devices).
3. Continually increasing the amount of Internet use and the extent of Internet involvement to reach sense of satisfaction.
4. Use of Internet in spite of its harmful effects; despite knowledge of harmful effects, Internet use is hard to stop.
5. Difficulties controlling beginning, and finishing, and the duration of time of Internet use; efforts to modify Internet use may be attempted multiple times without success.
6. As a result of Internet use, interests, recreation or social activities are decreased or abandoned.
7. Internet use is seen as a way to escape problems or to gain relief from negative feelings.
8. The extent of Internet use is denied or minimized to teachers, schoolmates, friends or professionals (including actual time and expenditure of Internet contact).
9. Everyday life and social function is impaired (e.g. in social, academic and workability.)
If you feel you qualify for the re-START programme it’ll cost you €11,400.
We used to top the scoreboard when it came to taxi driver friendliness but we’ve been knocked off the no.1 spot by London cabbies . Hotels.com carried out their annual taxi report of customer throughout the world.
The global poll scored city-based taxis for their levels of cleanliness, value, quality of driving, knowledge of the area, friendliness, safety and availability. The poll found that London taxi drivers are the friendliest in the world with 18% of the global vote, beating the Irish to 3rd place after New York. 12% voted Parisian and New York taxi drivers the rudest in the world. 9% of travelers think the Italian capital boasts the world’s worst taxi drivers when it comes to the quality of driving.
36% voted London taxi drivers as having the best knowledge of their city. One in five travelers voted New York as having the most available taxis. Despite also being named the most expensive (39 %), London’s taxi drivers fared the best across a number of categories including friendliness, cleanliness, quality of driving, safety and knowledge of the area.
The Hotels.com annual taxi report has revealed that even though London taxis are the most expensive they have been voted the best in the world for the third year running. The 59% of travelers who were polled from across the world by Hotels.com said that London’s black cabs were the pick of the world’s taxis, beating off competition from New York (favorite among 27 %of travelers) and Tokyo (26 %). Berlin and Bangkok completed the top five.
Unfortunately we didn’t make in the top 10 – here’s the list:
1. London
2. New York
3. Madrid
4. Paris
5. Barcelona
6. Berlin
7. Dubai
8. Edinburgh
9. Las Vegas
10. Sydney
Those questioned were also given the opportunity to highlight anecdotal stories about taxi journeys they had taken, with some drivers going above and beyond the call of duty to make the arrival process a pleasure for travellers and some taking their passengers lives in their hands. Some of the stories highlighted include:
“In Milan, traffic lights are instructions. In Rome, they are suggestions. In Naples, they are Christmas decorations.”
For more info see: www.hotels.com
A new vibrating car seat could prevent accidents by using the sense of touch to alert drivers to cars in the car’s blind spot, and other hard-to-see spots around the rear of the vehicle.
After wearing a seat belt, maintaining situation awareness ranks as the second most important safe driving virtue. But many motorists space out on the road, and checking the car’s blind spot is the first safety procedure to go.
The system uses vibrating cell phone motors, as well as some more gradual actuators, embedded in the driver’s seat. The seat pushes on the driver, and vibrates, very lightly for the entire ride.
When another vehicle moves behind or beside the car, sensors send a message to the seat that increases the vibrating and pushing on that side of the driver’s back. So if the other car pulls alongside the rear-right side, the lower-right of the driver’s back receive a push.
By remaining a constant physical presence, as opposed to only activating in the event of a problem like many of the visual warnings, the touch system helps elevate the general awareness of the driver about all the cars around them.
“A lot of the systems companies are putting in cars are designed to detect information before a crisis and doing something to prevent the crisis,” John Morrell, assistant professor at Yale University said.
“Our intention is to give you awareness that there’s a car in your blind spot, but not to tell you what to do. It’s like in an emergency room, when you’re listening to the constant beep of a heartbeat — when you hear the flatline, you know what to do.”
From Technewsdaily
No deal: Noel Edmonds uses shop mannequin to stop people hailing his black cab
By Anny Shaw
Driving a black cab for personal use has its benefits – namely being able to dodge the rush-hour traffic by sneaking into bus and taxi lanes.
But, as Noel Edmonds has found out, it also has its downsides with people permanently trying to hail you in the street.
The Deal or No Deal host has resorted to strapping a shop window dummy called Candice into the back seat to fool punters into thinking he already has a fare.
Living doll: The dummy, called Candice, is dressed in normal clothes and has a mobile phone permanently pressed to its head and it seems Noel has taken a shine to the blonde doll, telling the News of the World: ‘Candice is every man’s dream. She’s attractive, well-dressed, nice figure and she’s got great tips!’
Noel’s wife came up with the idea of using a shop mannequin after the Channel 4 TV star was constantly being flagged down. ‘One woman even got in as he was waiting to meet a colleague at the train station – and then refused to get out despite his protestations that he was not a genuine licensed taxi-driver,’ a friend told the News of the World.
‘So Noel’s wife Liz came up with the idea of putting a shop mannequin dressed in real clothes on the back seat so it looks like there is always a passenger on board.
‘And to make it more realistic she gave the giant doll a mobile phone constantly held to her ear! Now Noel hardly ever gets bothered – and he’s delighted.’
Noel, 61, bought the black cab after constantly getting stuck in traffic jams in Bristol driving to and from the TV studios. In a nod to all the time lost while waiting in traffic, Noel added the cheeky message to the pretend licence plate of his cab: ‘Action Against Time Thieves’.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1280610/No-deal-Noel-Edmonds-uses-shop-mannequin-stop-people-hailing-black-cab.html#ixzz0p1ZVb4iA
INETERNET – TV – MOVIES – OFFERS………The Taxi becomes the hub for it all!
Galway Advertiser, May 20, 2010.
Cab drivers across the city recently descended upon the five-star g Hotel to collect their lunch ‘g’oodie bags as the hotel hosted the city’s inaugural Taxi Appreciation Day.
More than 100 complimentary lunches ‘on-the-go’ were distributed to thrilled taxi drivers, which included a freshly prepared sandwich, chilled refreshment, and famous g cupcake. Drivers were greeted at the hotel’s main entrance by general manager Damien O’Riordan and his team to collect their delicious lunchtime treat.
“The Taxi Appreciation Day is a novel thank you to all the taxi drivers in Galway for looking after our customers throughout the year, chauffeuring them to and from the hotel, along with being wonderful ambassadors for our business among locals and indeed visitors to the city.
“After the success of the first event, we look forward to making it an annual occasion at the g,” Mr O’ Riordan said.
WiniCabs will be holding a similar event for Dublin taxi drivers registered with them. Watch this space for more information.
Register now: http://www.winicabs.com/
Swiss start-up, Taxmobil, have developed a concept for customers to pay a flat rate per month to take taxis. The company are starting the concept in Böblingen in Southern Germany. Customers will be able to buy a Taxmobil card online or from sales points around the city for €48, and can call for a car to pick them up at whatever time they choose, travelling to any destination in the city. If two strangers are travelling in the same direction, Taxmobil may combine their journeys. Travel is only permitted within a city, although members will be able to catch a taxi in other participating cities, too.
The key to Taxmobil’s strategy is the fact that it doesn’t own the cars it uses. Instead, it buys the time of idle taxis that are already out and about, creating a service that’s affordable and convenient for customers, and could decrease congestion and parking problems if city dwellers trade in their cars for a Taxmobil card.
While public transport and bicycles are usually pitched as the green alternative to car ownership, there’s something to be said for adding affordable taxis to the mix, offering people the option of individual door-to-door transport around the clock. How the system will work on rainy days, and whether EUR 48/month will leave any room for a profit for the company and the taxi driver, remains to be seen. One to watch!
www.taxmobil.com
It’s the design of the future……or is it?
The robot taxi has no driver, instead the vehicle is operated by a computer. Robot taxis can seat two passengers with hand luggage and are ideally suited for large cities filled with congestion. If you need use them, a rider would call the operator, who would dispatch a taxi to their location. Once inside, the rider would enter their destination into the on-board computer and voila! (We hope!!)
The design team believes that the taxi could travel at speeds up to 90 km/h and run for 20 hrs using two electric motors.
Positives:
Negatives:
