The Transportation Research Board Young Member’s Council will once again be holding the Six Minute Pitch: Transportation Startup Challenge, during the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, January 12-16, 2014, in Washington, D.C. Please see the Call for Presenters (see below) for information on the judging panel and submitting an application to present!

At this session, selected presenters will have an opportunity to pitch their cutting-edge, research-based concepts for transportation product or service-based business to a panel of distinguished transportation industry investors and entrepreneurs in just six minutes. The evaluation panel will provide feedback to each presenter on the viability of the product or service presented in today’s transportation industry. An honorary ‘winner’ of the challenge will be declared at the close of the session. The inaugural January 2013 Six Minute Pitch session was one of the most well-attended sessions at the TRB Annual Meeting – with an attendance of more than 200. Don’t miss the opportunity to participate in this one-of-a-kind TRB Annual Meeting session!

Who can submit an entry? Any professional with a transportation-related business idea or active startup, but preference will be given to young professionals (TRB defines ‘young’ as professionals 35 or younger). A preference will also be given to individuals who intend to register for TRB.

What are the submission requirements? Submit your application using this form. Applicants must also provide a current resume or CV (PDF or Microsoft Word) via email to sjohnson@foursquareitp.com. The submission via email of additional supporting materials, such as concept designs, web links, or existing presentations, is also encouraged. All applicants must describe how their product or service will bring research to commercial application. Presentations should include an interactive element, such as a presentation of a prototype or demonstration of software under development. The use of Prezi or PowerPoint is also permitted.

What topic areas will be covered? Transportation products and services in all modes of transportation. Business concepts that are oriented towards both the end consumer and those serving the transportation industry itself will be considered. Transportation planning and management consulting business ideas will not be accepted.

When are entries due? November 15, 2013 (accepted presenters will be notified in late November)

Questions? Contact sjohnson@foursquareitp.com.

via WSB-TV

A sleeping driver was caught on camera slumped over asleep in his pickup truck causing a traffic jam on a busy Atlanta highway when he suddenly woke up, then crashed his truck into several vehicles before fleeing the scene. Yeah.. And it was all caught on camera by a local reporter. Click here to read more.

Here is AP report on the incident:

And here is the video from WSB-TV which shows a bit more of this bizarre mayhem..

via Jalopnik

Chanced up upon this awesome video on /Drive’s YouTube channel, with some of my favorite automotive writers (Travis Okulski and Mike Spinelli of Jalopnik with Andrew DelColle from Popular Mechanics) talking about the nagging questions many of us have about autonomous vehicles. I’d say that this video  is more like a e-Primer for all things on autonomous vehicles for those interested (and some more) but offered in a nice, and conversant package without getting you all bored. Check it out.

Video description: When are the first self-driving cars coming, how will they work and — the most important question — will I be able to take a nap in traffic? All of those questions and more will be answered. With Andrew Del-Colle, associate editor of Popular Mechanics magazine and Travis Okulski, senior writer at Jalopnik.

Related resources

• Read The 12 Most Important Questions About Self-Driving Cars” (Popular Mechanics)
• Self-Driving Cars on Reddit

Via Momentum Mag

Have you been in Washington, DC and New York City recently? These two cities, along with a growing number of other American cities, offer a great bikesharing programs. A good majority of the users of these systems are women, who have fondly embraced cycling (not just as a workout but also for many other reasons) and the numbers are growing rapidly as the popularity of the bikesharing continues to expand across the country.

A recent report from League of American Bicyclists shows a growing a trend seen on streets nationwide: Women are changing the face of bicycling, and bicycling is transforming the lives of women. Momentum Mag, in conjunction with League of American Bicyclists, has put together an infographic that highlights 10 common myths about women cycling, which is filled with all kinds of interesting statistics.  Check it out

Image Courtesy: Momentum Mag

Click here to download the high-resolution version.

While we are at it, let me also share the Women on a Roll report, which serves as the basis for this infograph.

Ford is giving customers the chance to wrap their 2014 Ford Fiestas in bacon to celebrate International Bacon Day (August 31). The wraps are available along with Ford’s other less-delicious looking wraps on the Fiesta graphics website. Prices start at $78 plus installation.  I wonder what will happen if such a vehicle arrives in the Middle East, where pork is a strict no no.

Bacon wrapped Horsepower – Image courtesy: Time.com 

Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/08/28/finally-you-can-wrap-your-ford-in-bacon/#ixzz2dKA8bUBl

Related articles

• Pork out on the bacon-wrapped Ford Fiesta
• Official: Bacon-wrapped Ford Fiesta hams it up for International Bacon Day
• Finally, You Can Wrap Your Ford in Bacon
• Ford Rolls Out ‘Bacon-Wrapped’ Fiesta
• The Bacon-Wrapped Fords Are Here!

Apparently this is the handy work of a patriotic farmer cuts this message every year, with the aid of a GPS in his tractor. Should put a smile on the face of the pilots every time they see this one. Pretty cool stuff!

Image Source: Imgur via Reddit

It screams efficiency (Image source: Imgur via Reddit)

It is only appropriate to see something like this from the land of engineering and efficiency.  Apparently someone caught this rich German (yeah, that’s a Porsche Boxster Spyder in the trailer below the boat) traveling in some part of Sweden (one heck of a comfy camping trip)

We have come across many studies over the years that dissected the ill-effects of long commutes. Add this to the collection.  This video from Wall Street Journal Live summarizes a lot of these big issues associated with long commutes. It sheds light on how hours spent driving can wreck finances, health, and marriage. Market Watch’s Quentin Fottrell joins WSJ Lunch Break to chat about the five ways commuting may be ruining your life.

On The Telegraph’s website, you can check an awesome gallery of vintage cool photos from the London Underground, shot during the 1970s/80s.  The ones below  are a what struck me the most and it has a sense of class and crazy retro cool that is unmatched.

Transit systems and the people who rode them back in the day are always so nice to look at. It is like a glimpse of  the city’s colorful past, conveyed silently through the pictures of people who were on the trains. Makes it a bit more endearing knowing someone has put in some serious effort to document all this in an era when there were no smartphones with megapixel cameras and no Flickr accounts.

Click link above or the pic below to see the entire gallery.

Not wanting the party to end, a couple of ladies head home with their drinks. Image Courtesy: Bob Mazzer via The Telegraph

Some strange things happening below the surface – Image Courtesy: Bob Mazzer via The Telegraph

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?