American ingenuity has no bounds (Image source: Imgur via Reddit)

Genius.. Did you notice the little rudder on the pontoon-based picnic? Pretty cool.  I’m now wondering how big is the beast powering this beauty?

(H/T THV11.com)

A Florida woman had an unusual request when she pulled into the Vista BMW in Coconut Creek on Monday morning. Her 7-foot-long pet boa constrictor had gotten loose in her Mini Cooper, and she needed help pulling it out. And the mechanics complied. Safely rescued the animal by removing a tail light, and gently extracting it without much difficulty.  Apparently, the mechanic who did the deed seems to have Ophidiophobia (Yeah, that’s the word for fear of snakes) but he still braved himself for the task just because it was someone’s pet and he knows what it means to the owner.  Good man. Read the full story here.

The USA Today carried an update on the Connected Vehicle technology test program underway in Michigan.  The federally-funded program carried out by University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute explores safety gains that can be achieved using dedicated short-range communications technology to help cars communicate with one another to prevent accidents.  The video below shows how this technology works.  Also, you can read the accompanying article here.

Pointing a laser beam on an aircraft can land you in the jail if you were in the US. But that is not the case if you happen to be in the middle of in Egypt’s Tahrir Square this past weekend..  And you might even get a lot of support for doing so if that said aircraft is hovering and monitoring the swell of protesters gathered at the public square.. Here is a shot of the awesome laser-on-helicopter show via The Atlantic’s In Focus

Laser Painted Helicopter in Cairo’s Tahrir Square (image courtesy: Reuters via The Atlantic)

Another view of the laser shots from the ground (Image Courtesy: AP Photo via The Atlantic)

Ground to air perspective of the laser shots at the helicopter (image courtesy: AFP via The Atlantic)

Here is a video of the June 30, 2013 incident showing the military helicopter illuminated by green laser lights from below, as it flies above Tahrir Square while a huge crowd of protesters opposing Egyptian President Morsi shout slogans against him and Brotherhood members, in Cairo.

In a country with nearly 300 million vehicles and an equal number (or more?) of mobile devices distracted is fast becoming a big issue.  this infographic by IFA Auto Insurance, designed to raise public awareness about the dangers of distracted driving, shows you how the extent of the problem, the consequences, etc.  Worth sharing with your peers.

Image Courtesy: IFA Auto Insurance via Business2Community.com

Source: business2community 

The Intelligent Transportation Society of America is seeking to hire an event marketing manager for the 2014 World Congress on Intelligent Transportation Systems, taking place Sept. 7-11, 2014, in Detroit.

The 2014 World Congress on ITS will bring together more than 10,000 of the world’s leading transportation policymakers, researchers, high-tech innovators and business professionals making it the premier ITS event of the year in the Americas. Few places in the world have the concentration of companies, research institutions and deploying agencies in transportation as does Detroit. The “Motor City” brings the opportunity to learn and leverage from the highly innovative transportation culture centered in the region and supports the theme of the 21st World Congress: Reinventing transportation in our connected world.

The primary responsibility of the event marketing manager will be to co-develop and implement an integrated marketing plan for the 2014 World Congress on ITS in partnership with ITS America’s communications and public affairs team. Identifying and establishing relationships with key industry partners as well as nontraditional partners to assist with our marketing efforts will be essential. Prior experience in event marketing and the high-tech transportation industry is strongly desired as well as proven project management experience. Writing skills are paramount and a successful candidate must have at least three years of experience in a position heavily oriented towards writing.

The ideal candidate would be able to begin Aug. 1, 2013. This is a 14-month, full-time position that does not include benefits. The full job description of responsibilities and qualifications can be found on the ITS America website. Interested applicants should send their resume, salary requirements and two writing samples to Ashley Simmons, director of communications at ITS America, for consideration.

via Jalopnik

Comparing the speedsters

A new study from the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) led by Georgia Institute of Technology is looking at how transit agencies can use web-based tools including online polls and surveys, social media, mobile applications, and crowdsourcing to gather feedback from customers and other stakeholders. The project team is inviting transit operators to participate in a survey about their current and future uses of web-based feedback.

The survey is open to all transit agencies regardless of size or transportation modes offered. Even if the agency does not have a web-based presence, agencies insights will be valuable to the research effort. The final survey results will be incorporated into a report that will be published by the Transportation Research Board. This is a web-based survey that should take 10-15 minutes to complete and the survey deadline is May 31, 2013.

For queries please contact

Kari Watkins, the PI, by phone at (404) 385-4213 or email at kari.watkins@ce.gatech.edu.

Human subjects inquired can be directed Melanie Clark, Georgia Institute of Technology, at (404) 894-6942.

Here is the link for the survey http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1190592/5ac76b6bebb0

The Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America) is requesting proposals on behalf of the Joint Program Office (JPO) of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) in the U.S. Department of Transportation from individuals interested in serving as Module Authors for the development of the ITS content of the Road Network Operations (RNO) ITS Web Resource to be published on the World Road Association PIARC website.  The current proposed structure includes seven themes and twenty-five Modules.  Prospective authors are asked to indicate which Module(s) they are qualified for and are proposing to cover in response to this RFP.  Prospective authors may apply to author one or more Modules or all Modules within a Theme. A number of Module Authors may be chosen from this RFP.

ITS America will be accepting proposals until April 5, 2013 at 2 p.m. EDST.

The primary purpose of the World Road Association (PIARC) Road Network Operations ITS Web Resource is to provide the current and future ITS workforce with a web-based reference tool for decision-making regarding investments in ITS and related services, focusing on the needs of developing countries and countries with economies in transition. The PIARC RNO ITS Web Resource is intended to be a series of up-to-date, web-based modules that provide a basic introduction to key ITS topics, with an international perspective.

Click here to view this RFP.

For questions, contact Sarah Clements of ITS America at sclements@itsa.org

(via Mashable)

Cool stuff.. You can be assured that state & city transportation officials around the globe (at least in the US) will be clamoring to test this new self-healing asphalt on their highways and city streets.