(Source: Mashable)

In line with its tradition of producing many of the safest cars on  this planet, Volvo is once again upping the contributions towards road user safety.  Mind you, this is not just occupant safety but also one that cares about the most vulnerable of all road users – the pedestrians.  The video below explains how this tech. feature will help save pedestrians during a collision.

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(Source: TSAoutofourPants.wordpress.com via Reddit)

Blogger Jonathan Corbett is upping the ante in his protracted fight against the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) much criticized Transportation Security Administration (TSA). In the video below, he demonstrates the flaws in the nude body scanners widely deployed at US airports.  Amazing to see how simple yet effective his strategy is  as he clears the security check points at multiple airports with hidden materials completely undetected.  TSA is going to have some serious explaining to do soon as this video is starting to go viral. It is already generating a brick ton of comments on Reddit.

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(Source: Ford via Autoblog)

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Though I’m a bit alarmed by the cognitive distraction (for drivers) potential associated with this technology, it is awesome to see the collaboration between the vehicle manufacturers and the app developers to put together an “intelligent” vehicle.   For sure, Secretary LaHood and his staff at USDOT will be spending a lot of time thinking about how to accommodate these tech advancements in the vehicle environment while prioritizing the safety of drivers on the road. If you have not already seen this, the USDOT has recently proposed the first-ever federal guidelines to encourage automobile manufacturers to limit the distraction risk for these in-vehicle electronic devices.  The proposed guidelines are voluntary and would apply to communications, entertainment, information gathering, and navigation devices or functions that are built into the vehicle and are not required to safely operate the vehicles.  In any case, it is safe to say that the vehicles of today will look a LOT dumber compared to these SMART cars that will roll out of the assembly lines in Detroit a few years from now.

(Source: via Reddit)

Image courtesy: Reddit - Click the image to get more details.

(Source: via Simplyflying.com)

We all know that the commercial aviation industry is among the cutting edge when it comes to advertising and testing new tools to engage their customers.. So, how are the airlines using the hottest new social media tool in the market – Google Plus (G+)? The brilliant folks at Simpliflying.com (on Twitter: @simpliflying) have done a comprehensive analysis and presented the findings in this awesome infopgraph below..

Image Courtesy: Simplyflying.com - Click Image to Learn More.

Great footwork and execution!  Samsung has a winner on its hands. Ding, Ding, Ding.    A boring evening commute at London’s Victoria Station, got a bit of fun added, courtesy of Samsung as part of its advertisement campaign for its Galaxy Note.

“A football match has just broken out at London Victoria Station.” Watch to see how four footballers use fancy footwork, along with the brilliant screen and innovative S Pen of the Samsung GALAXY Note, to transform a routine commute into a spectacular event for Londoners.

Via www.youtube.com

(Source: Ridus)

Courtesy of Google Translate, I managed to learn from Ridus.ru this innovative design is deployed at “Tsarina” station on Moscow subway. As pointed out on Ridus, this triangular metal structure, apart from being effective in stopping fare jumpers, is a hassle for riders moving through the gates with luggage.  It will be nice to know the before vs. after comparisions to find out how effective these systems are in stopping the fare gate violations.

Image Courtesy: Ridus.ru

Image Courtesy: Ridus

(Source: FourSquare via Flickr)

This awesome infographic published on the Foursquare blog, gives you a snapshot of the “checkins” across U.S. transportation facilities during last year.  I can see a glimmer of hope for High-Speed Rail by looking at this graphic, at least in the Northeast corridor. I’m hoping the proliferation of mobile devices (smartphones, tablets, etc) and the widespread acceptance/use of Foursquare app on these smart devices during this year will result in a much more intense mapping when the next edition of this graphic is published.  Happy Thanksgiving! Be safe on the road, everyone! Oh, and don’t forget to check-in when you arrive at a Transportation facility.

Image Courtesy: FourSquare on Flickr - Click Image to Enlarge

(Source: Open.NASA)

What an amazing and inspiring project by the Brits!  The Bloodhound Supersonic Car project is currently underway in UK and its primary objective (as stated in the project website)  is to inspire the next generation to pursue careers in science, engineering, technology and maths – by demonstrating how they can be harnessed to achieve the seemingly impossible by building a car that is 12.8 meters long, weighs 6.4 tons, and cruises on high grade aluminum wheels and reach 0–>1050mph in 40 secs on land.  Whew!!! Below is an extract from Open.NASA blog.  Wishing the project team all the very best in their mission to notch a new land speed record.

Image Courtesy: Bloodhound SSC

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From zero to 1,050 miles per hour, the team behind the Bloodhound SuperSonic Car is taking the everyone along for the ride on their engineering adventure to break the world land speed record in 2013. The project is a huge challenge that will produce untold technology spin-offs and aims to inspire the next generation of engineers around the world through openness and engagement.

Project Director Richard Noble and his team are building a car that will go zero to 1,050 miles per hour (mph) in 40 seconds. Named after Britain’s 1950s Bloodhound Missile Project, the Bloodhound Supersonic Car (SSC) car is 12.8 meters long, weighs 6.4 tons, and cruises on high grade aluminum wheels, which will experience radial stresses of up to 50,000 times the force of gravity at full speed.

The project is risky, dangerous, and unprecedented. Focused on building the safest car possible, Noble’s Bloodhound team intends to overthrow the current FIA World Land Speed Record by 30 percent. “It’s such a huge leap, of course we’re going to get into trouble,” said Noble. “We’re going to learn an awful lot as we develop it.”

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