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Bernie’s Transportation Communications Newsletter (TCN) – September 15, 2010

September 14, 2010 at 11:13 pm

Tuesday, September 14, 2010 – ISSN 1529-1057


Register Now for IBTTA’s Operating and Maintaining Your Toll Facility Meeting — October 3-5, 2010 in Raleigh, NC

Join IBTTA Delegates for the final meeting of IBTTA’s 2010 Education Series: “Operating and Maintaining Your Toll Facility – Where the Rubber Meets the Road,” October 3-5 in Raleigh, North Carolina. We’ll explore how engineering, design, maintenance, operations, and security roles have come together to address the challenges of operating modern, sustainable, technologically advanced and economically viable toll facilities. Hotel cut-off is September 10, 2010. View the preliminary agenda, make your hotel reservations at the Raleigh Marriott City Center and register today!  www.ibtta.org

AVIATION

1) Taiwan to Advertise for Support to Join International Aviation Group

Link to CNA article:

http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?ID=201009140023&Type=aIPL

2) Inflight – Autumn 2010 Edition

Includes articles on in-flight infotainment and communications.

Link to magazine:

http://www.hmgaerospace.com/hmgmags/INFL_AUT2010/pageflip.html?ntp=10659@46141@11553566

ROADWAYS

3) Electronic Warnings Plan for Roadkill Hotspots in New South Wales

Link to article in The Manly Daily:

http://manly-daily.whereilive.com.au/news/story/electronic-warnings-plan-for-roadkill-hotspots/

4) Shipper Groups Merge to Push Heavier Trucks in US

Link to article in The Journal of Commerce:

http://www.joc.com/trucking/shipper-groups-merge-push-heavier-trucks

SAFETY / SECURITY

5) Kansas DOT Posting Guest Blog Entries to Promote Transportation Safety

Link to AP article:

http://www.fox4kc.com/news/sns-ap-ks–kdot-safetyblog,0,583066.story

TRANSIT

6) Riders Welcome Boston T’s Real-Time Arrival Services

Link to article in The Boston Globe:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/09/riders_welcome.html?p1=Local_Links

7) Syracuse Bus Stops to Install Electronic, Up-to-Date Arrival Times

Link to article in The Daily Orange:

http://www.dailyorange.com/news/bus-stops-to-install-electronic-up-to-date-arrival-times-1.1596568

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

8) Traffic Reports Key to Strategy of Three Chicago Radio Stations

Link to article in the Chicago Sun-Times:

http://www.suntimes.com/business/lazare/2705882,CST-NWS-lew14.article

VEHICLES

9) Toyota Says It Found, Fixed Bug in Crash Recorders

Link to Reuters article:

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE68D03U20100914

10) A Bear Hug? Nissan Ad Raises Eyebrows

Link to blog and video in The New York Times:

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/10/a-bear-hug-nissan-ad-raises-eyebrows/

News Releases

1) Lyon to Host the 8th European Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems June 6-9

2) Trimble Launches Global Safety Initiative to Help Fleets  Become Safer, More Efficient and Greener

3) Reportlinker Adds The Great Wall – Overcoming Legislative Obstacles to Telematics in China

Upcoming Events

Webinar: Building Support for Building Big – September 15

https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/421510488

Today in Transportation History

1960 **50th anniversary** The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was founded in Baghdad.

http://www.opec.org/opec_web/en/22.htm

======================================================================

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

To subscribe (for free) or unsubscribe, please contact me at bernie@bwcommunications.net.

TCN archives: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications

Questions, comments about the TCN?  Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast atbernie@bwcommunications.net.

© 2010 Bernie Wagenblast  www.bwcommunications.net

Celebrating Manipulation! Oil Cartel Turns 50 Today!

September 14, 2010 at 5:21 pm

Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the cartel of oil producers, celebrates its 50th anniversary on September 14th. The organisation was founded in 1960 with the explicit purpose of manipulating oil prices by controlling supplies. It has generally proved successful. Here are some interesting nuggets for you to chew while you dig deeper in your pockets to pay for that gallon of gasoline/diesel at your neighborhood gas station:
1. OPEC controls around 80% of the world’s proven reserves
2. Over 40% of the worlds production among its 12 member states.
2. Price of oil in the market these days is $75, which the Saudi’s rave as the “ideal price”.

It begs the question who says what’s the ideal price of oil? Speculative investors in the markets around the world are not helping the cause either. It makes you think why are we so hesitant to move away from the fossil fuels and into some other non-petro fuel to power our lives! This group of oil selling, Armani wearing, kingdom-ruling thugs are no different than the Drug cartels who organize and manipulate the market for a different kind of commodity.

An interesting post on Askmen.com goes into great details about the organization. One of the most shocking that I learned from this article is discussed in the next few paragraphs: “Cartels are illegal in many countries. In the U.S., for example, OPEC is in direct violation of antitrust laws, such as the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 — the same act that broke up Standard Oil, American Tobacco and Ma Bell. Antitrust laws don’t criminalize monopolies per se, only if the monopoly is used to eliminate its competition through methods of production or price-fixing.

Ordinarily, U.S. antitrust laws explicitly prohibit dealing with cartels. What makes OPEC so special? Simple: Congress grants OPEC diplomatic immunity from prosecution and in essence treats it as though it were a sovereign nation, even though this is not remotely the case. This status was tested in 1978, when the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), a non-profit labor organization in the U.S., filed suit against OPEC under the Sherman Act. In 1981, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the case, claiming OPEC was protected by its sovereign immunity status.

In 2007, a pair of controversial bills were introduced in Congress designed to amend antitrust laws to include OPEC. If the measures are approved in both houses and the president doesn’t veto it, individuals harmed by OPEC in the U.S. can begin to sue the organization. If this were to happen, few expect OPEC to continue doing business with the U.S.”

Now, would you agree with me that many of the Congressmen and women seem to be in bed with the OPEC?

A Masterpiece on (DC) Metro!

September 14, 2010 at 4:45 pm

If you live in DC or ever rode around on the DC Metro, you can perfectly relate to this MASTERPIECE. Priceless lyrics! Here is a sample: “I just missed the train / but it’s gonna be fine / because there’s a two-car train twenty minutes behind”.

To learn more about the creator, Remy – a local Washingtonian, visit his website (quite a funny website): http://www.goremy.com/

Amplify’d from dcist.com
“I just missed the train / but it’s gonna be fine / because there’s a two-car train twenty minutes behind”Read more at dcist.com

Bernie’s Transportation Communications Newsletter (TCN) – September 13, 2010

September 13, 2010 at 7:27 pm

Monday, September 13, 2010 ISSN 1529-1057


AVIATION

1) FAA Academy in Oklahoma City is Training Air Traffic Controllers on New Technology

Link to article in The Oklahoman:

http://newsok.com/faa-is-training-controllers-on-new-advanced-technology/article/3494130

2) Navigating Chaos: Aviation’s Response on 9/11 Discussed at University of Texas at Dallas

Link to article on Pegasus News:

http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2010/sep/12/photos-navigating-chaos-aviations-response-911-utd/

3) Airport Carpets: Don’t be Floored by Blogger’s Area of Interest

Link to article in the Los Angeles Times:

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/sep/12/travel/la-tr-carpeting-20100912

CARTOGRAPHY

4) GPS? Mapquest? Not for Fans of Hand-Drawn Maps

Link to Reuters article:

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN0723643720100913

GPS / NAVIGATION

5) Japan Launches First GPS Satellite

Link to story and video on Sky News:

http://bit.ly/aaQjKT

6) New iPhone App Enables GPS Fleet Tracking on the Go

Link to article in GPS World:

http://www.gpsworld.com/gis/location-and-lbs/news/new-iphone-app-enables-gps-fleet-tracking-go-10462

7) GPS Technology Helps to Predict Hurricane Formation

Link to article in The Exponent:

http://www.purdueexponent.com/?module=article&story_id=22448

OTHER

8) FCC Likely to Open New Airwaves to Wireless

Link to article in The New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/13/technology/13wifi.html

PEDESTRIANS

9) Pedestrian Death Rise in New South Wales Blamed on iPods

Link to article in The Sydney Morning Herald:

http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/mp3s/pedestrian-death-rise-blamed-on-ipods-20100905-14w4d.html

10) Minnesota DOT Aims to Make Crossing Streets Safer

Link to article in the Star Tribune:

http://www.startribune.com/local/west/102746169.html

ROADWAYS

11) Mapping Traffic’s Toll on Wildlife

Link to article in The New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/13/technology/13roadkill.html

SAFETY / SECURITY

12) US Department of Homeland Security to Test Iris Scanners

Link to article in USA Today:

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/surveillance/2010-09-13-1Airis13_ST_N.htm

13) Communication Among Public Safety Agencies Like Talking Into a Brick

Link to article on Nextgov:

http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20100910_8422.php

TRANSIT

14) NJ Transit Officials Announce New ‘My Bus’ System

Five digit number to be assigned to each bus stop for riders to get info via SMS and cell phones.

Link to story on WMGM-TV:

http://www.nbc40.net/news/14577/

Link to news release from NJ Transit:

http://www.njtransit.com/tm/tm_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=PressReleaseTo&PRESS_RELEASE_ID=2625

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

15) New South Wales Gets Live Traffic Maps in $3 Million Upgrade

Link to article on ZDNet:

http://www.zdnet.com.au/nsw-gets-live-traffic-maps-in-3m-upgrade-339305931.htm

Link to site: http://livetraffic.rta.nsw.gov.au/

16) The Rise of Online Traffic Monitoring

Link to article on Road Traffic Technology:

http://www.roadtraffic-technology.com/features/feature93508/

17) Voice of Vietnam Traffic Information Channel Popular with Listeners

Link to VOV News story:

http://english.vovnews.vn/Home/VOV-traffic-information-channel-popular-with-listeners/20109/119526.vov

18) New Age of Traffic Control

Texas initiative is aimed at improving the traffic management coordination among multiple agencies.

Link to article in The Eagle:

http://www.theeagle.com/local/New-age-of-traffic-control

19) Blind Traffic Reporter Tommy Edison Opens Eyes to Highway Trouble in Connecticut

Link to story and video on WTNH-TV:

http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/new_haven_cty/blind-traffic-reporter-tommy-edison

20) Could Smart Transport Beat Beijing’s Jams?

Link to article on FutureGov:

http://www.futuregov.asia/articles/2010/sep/13/could-smart-transport-beat-beijings-jams/

21) Garmin Live Traffic in South Africa Reviewed

Link to review on MyBroadband:

http://mybroadband.co.za/news/reviews/14943-Garmin-Live-Traffic-Reviewed.html

22) STV Launches Network of Local Web Sites, Which Included Traffic Updates, in Scotland

Link to story and video on STV:

http://news.stv.tv/scotland/197196-stv-launches-network-of-local-websites/

VEHICLES

23) The Wheel: From Mobility to Connectivity

Link to blog on Grush Hour:

http://grushhour.blogspot.com/2010/09/wheel-from-mobility-to-connectivity.html

News Releases

1) Mobile Devices Launches the First Open OS Based OBDII Dongle + Display Unit for the Vehicle Insurance Industry

2) Auto App Mart Launches as the Largest Online Marketplace for Automotive Applications

3) New Auto Safety Technology and Innovation Help Produce Historic Low for Highway Fatalities – Even as Driving Increases

4) Port of Hood River and Kapsch TrafficCom Introduce First Tolling System Deployment Based on 5.9 GHz DSRC WAVE in US

5) Trimble Launches Global Safety Initiative to Help Fleets Become Safer, More Efficient and Greener

6) Amtrak Joins Federal Railroad Administration ‘Close Call’ Pilot Program

7) TransitCenter Announces Its Participation in the New York/New Jersey Transit Trial

Upcoming Events

19th National Rural Public and Intercity Bus Transportation Conference – October 24-27 – Burlington, Vermont

http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/19th_National_Rural_Public_and_Intercity_Bus_Trans_162575.aspx

Today in Transportation History

1935 **75th anniversary** Howard Hughes set a world speed record of 352 mph (566 kph) in the H-1 racer.

http://www.boeing.com/history/boeing/h1racer.html

======================================================================

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

To subscribe (for free) or unsubscribe, please contact me at bernie@….

TCN archives: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications

Questions, comments about the TCN?  Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast atbernie@….

© 2010 Bernie Wagenblast  www.bwcommunications.net

Cramped! SkyRider airline seats pack fliers into 23 inches of space

September 13, 2010 at 5:46 pm

Stop complaining about leg room, will ya? The manufacturer of Skyline seats says the following about the new product which sports all but 23 inches of space for you to ride/move/wiggle: “For flights anywhere from one to possibly even up to three hours… this would be comfortable seating. The seat … is like a saddle. Cowboys ride eight hours on their horses during the day and still feel comfortable in the saddle.” Come on, son! Are you for real?

The good news is that the FAA is not ready to act on approving this madness. It seem the agency is yet to hear anything about this “flying jail” concept!

Amplify’d from www.usatoday.com
AvioInteriors' seats, which haven't been approved yet, are designed for shorter flights.
Think your seat in coach is cramped? Take a look at the SkyRider.

The new airplane seat, to be unveiled next week at the Aircraft Interiors Expo Americas conference in Long Beach, would give passengers an experience akin to riding horseback.

They’d sit at an angle with no more than 23 inches between their perch and the seat in front of them — a design that could appeal to low-cost airlines that have floated the idea of offering passengers standing-room tickets on short flights.

Read more at www.usatoday.com

 

Counting the kills! California’s roadkill data crowdsourced from citizen observers

September 13, 2010 at 5:29 pm

Sometimes people ask me what I do at work.. I wish I can say something like this: “I’m Doctor Roadkill. I collect and upload roadkill data to the California Roadkill Observation System, a mapping Web site built by researchers at the University of California, Davis, to better understand where and why cars strike animals.”

Amplify’d from www.nytimes.com

Begun a year ago, the Web site — www.wildlifecrossing.net/california — is the first statewide effort to map roadkill using citizen observers. Volunteers comb the state’s highways and country roads for dead animals, collecting GPS coordinates, photographs and species information and uploading it to a database and Google map populated with dots representing the kills. The site’s gruesome gallery includes photos of flattened squirrels or squashed skunks.

The site’s founders hope to soon hire a software engineer to design a smartphone app. They think one would attract new and younger volunteers, speed up the process, and, with built-in GPS function, assure more accurate location information.

About 73 million GPS-enabled cellphones and 23 million automotive GPS units will be shipped in the United States and Canada this year, according to IMS Research, a market research firm. “GPS is very pervasive,” said Bill Morelli, an analyst with the firm.

The roadkill maps give researchers a better understanding of the environmental impacts of roads. They intend to use the data to build statistical and Geographic Information Systems models to predict roadkill hot spots and to determine where animal road crossings, culverts and warning signs may be most effective on current and future roadways.

Read more at www.nytimes.com

 

Dread this! Saudi ARAMCO CEO Predicts World Is Likely to Rely Mostly on Fossil Fuel for Decades

September 13, 2010 at 2:44 pm

Spoken like a true businessman: “Nobody is contending that we should not encourage, should not invest, should not allow renewable energy to grow,” he said. “We are investing in solar energy and are looking at wind and believe it will gradually take an increasing share, but it will take time.” This is somewhat true as many nations are looking at bleak economic prospects and scrambling for resources to invest in alternative energy research! What scares me is the fact that our political leaders (in certain Party) are turning a blind eyes to what’s happening and refusing to invest in progressive economic ideas! Can we, please, prioritize this issue and get working on moving away from oil for good? Our money is fast vaporizing – as fast as the petrol itself and soon we will be left with nothing!

Amplify’d from www.bloomberg.com

Saudi Arabian Oil Co. Chief
Executive Officer Khalid al-Falih said the world probably will
rely for decades to come on fossil fuels, mainly oil, natural
gas and coal.

“Even though the share of fossil fuels in the energy mix
may decline over the longer term, the absolute quantities of
energy from these sources will continue to rise simply because
total energy demand is set to expand so significantly,” he said
in a speech today at the World Energy Congress in Montreal.

Coal, oil and natural gas are forecast to account for four
out of every five units of energy consumption “for the
foreseeable future,” he said. Alternative fuels will grow
gradually, with their use for power-generation growing faster
than for transportation, he said.

Saudi Aramco, as his company is known, maintains spare
capacity near 4 million barrels a day, a level that has “helped
assure market stability,” al-Falih said. Aramco is the world’s
biggest crude-oil producer.

Read more at www.bloomberg.com

 

Nissan Nails a Home Run! “All Electric” Leaf’s Advertisement Features “Emotionally Charged” Polar Bear

September 10, 2010 at 7:17 pm

(Source: via HuffingtonPost)

Brilliant idea and clever execution!  In today’s world, where scary climatic changes are threatening the planet – rising seas, melting glaciers, swirling wild fires, furious hurricanes, etc, etc – this advertisement sends a subtle  yet powerful message, which should go a long way in convincing the general public about buying a Nissan Leaf.  No doubt in my mind the consumers will for a moment think about Nissan Leaf in a positive light when they set out  the find an Electric Vehicle or a Hybrid Electric Vehicle! Not even Lance Armstrong can make such a compelling case!
Enhanced by Zemanta

General Motors CEO to Make $9 Million a Year

September 10, 2010 at 5:59 pm

Is this a sign of bad things to return? The chief executive of General Motors, Daniel F. Akerson, will receive up to $9 million in annual compensation, including $1.7 million in cash. The cost of concessions for the average auto worker $7,000 to $30,000 in annual pay, according to the United Auto Workers so that some of these Armani wearing fat cats can get the high $$$.

Autoblog reports that Dan’s colleague at Ford – CEO, Alan Mulally – makes substantially more. He netted $17.9 million in cash and bonuses in 2009. GM and Chrysler had to offer less because of they received Govt. bailout funds.

Amplify’d from www.nytimes.com

Mr. Akerson’s pay package, which G.M. disclosed Friday in a regulatory filing, is structured the same as that of his predecessor, Edward E. Whitacre Jr., who stepped down as chief on Sept. 1 but will remain chairman until the end of the year. The compensation was approved by Kenneth R. Feinberg, the government’s special master for executive compensation under the Troubled Asset Relief Program, which lent about $50 billion to G.M., the company said in the regulatory filing.

Mr. Akerson, the fourth chief at G.M. since March 2009, will receive $5.3 million a year in stock, paid over three years starting Sept. 30, 2011, and $2 million a year in restricted stock under a long-term incentive plan, G.M. said. Mr. Whitacre is scheduled to begin receiving his stock in 2012.

Read more at www.nytimes.com

 

Bernie’s Transportation Communications Newsletter (TCN) – September 10, 2010

September 10, 2010 at 5:39 pm

Friday, September 10, 2010 – ISSN 1529-1057


AVIATION

1) New Daytona Center Unveils Future Air Traffic Control Technology

Link to article in the Orlando Sentinel:

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2010-09-09/news/os-air-traffic-control-demo-daytona-20100909_1_air-traffic-control-daytona-airport-air-traffic-control-system

2) Air Traffic Upgrade to Boost Jobs

Link to article on Nextgov:

http://techinsider.nextgov.com/2010/09/air_traffic_upgrade_to_boost_jobs.php

CAMERAS

3) Port Richey, Florida’s Police Chief Needs a Crash Course on Public Records

Link to editorial in the St. Petersburg Times:

http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/port-richeys-police-chief-needs-a-crash-course-on-public-records/1120520

OTHER

4) Kansas DOT’s Computers Infected by Virus Through E-mail

Link to AP article:

http://www.fox4kc.com/news/sns-ap-ks–kdot-computervirus,0,6497511.story

5) How Mobile Devices Could Lead to More City Living

Link to article in The Atlantic:

http://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2010/08/how-mobile-devices-could-lead-to-more-city-living/61931/

PARKING

6) New Signs Tell Which Seattle Parking Garages Have Space

Link to article in The Seattle Times:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012854508_epark10m.html

ROADWAYS

7) Research in Motion Tries to Patent Billboards that Adjust to Roadside Traffic

Link to blog on Engadget:

http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/09/rim-tries-to-patent-billboards-that-adjust-to-roadside-traffic/

SAFETY / SECURITY

8) Snooki Gets Scolded by US Secretary of Transportation, Newark Mayor for Tweeting in Traffic

Link to story on MTV:

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1647534/20100910/story.jhtml

TELEMATICS

9) Roadside Telematics Brings Profitable Reverse Retailing to Telematics

Link to blog from Strategy Analytics:

http://blogs.strategyanalytics.com/auto/?p=144

10) Vehicle-Monitoring Devices Could Reduce Crashes, and Price of Insurance

Link to blog in the Hartford Courant:

http://blogs.courant.com/connecticut_insurance/2010/09/vehiclemonitoring-devices-coul.html

TRANSIT

11) Ontario’s Smart Transit Card Dumb Idea, Toronto Transit Commission Says

Link to article in the Toronto Sun:

http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2010/09/09/15298801.html

12) Los Angeles Metro’s First Offering Isn’t Great, but there are Transit Apps for LA

Link to blog on blogdowntown:

http://blogdowntown.com/2010/09/5639-metros-first-offering-isnt-great-but-there

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

13) Winter Haven, Florida Traffic Tracked with New System

Link to article in The Ledger:

http://www.theledger.com/article/20100909/NEWS/9095076/1134?Title=Winter-Haven-Traffic-Tracked-With-New-System

VEHICLES

14) Why Ford is Like Apple

Link to article on The Motley Fool:
http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2010/09/10/why-ford-is-like-apple.aspx

News Releases

1) Entrepreneurs in Smart Transportation and Healthcare Win SmartCamp Silicon Valley and Backing from IBM

2) Smart Phones Impact Automotive Infotainment

3) Free DC Metro Screen-Savers Added to Metro’s Online Store

Solicitation

–  Request for Information – Traffic Data Monitoring Procurement – California Center for Innovative Transportation

http://www.calccit.org/?page=news&id=25

Upcoming Events

International Association of Chiefs of Police Annual Conference – October 23-27 – Orlando, Florida

http://www.theiacpconference.org/

Friday Bonus

AHEAD STOP

http://xkcd.com/781/

Today in Transportation History

1960 **50th anniversary** The first mass grounding of all civilian flights in the US and Canada took place as part of Operation Skyshield.

http://www.airspacemag.com/history-of-flight/FEATURE-Skyshield.html

======================================================================

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

To subscribe (for free) or unsubscribe, please contact me at bernie@bwcommunications.net.

TCN archives: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications

Questions, comments about the TCN?  Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast atbernie@bwcommunications.net.

© 2010 Bernie Wagenblast  www.bwcommunications.net