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Over the past couple of decades we've moved from the birth era of computing where…

Over the past couple of decades we've moved from the birth era of computing where the only inputs were the ones that fed in through keyboards, tapes or cards to a world of sensors. 

As sensors have become increasingly accurate, small and cheap, everything from our phones to our cars has been transformed. I spent my entire engineering career figuring out how to take sensor data in cars and use it figure out what the vehicle and the driver were doing. Once we figured out what we thought the driver wanted and how the vehicle was responding we could send out control signals to make sure the car stayed on course. 

A decade ago phones started to get cameras and gps sensors that could tell the 911 operators where we were in an emergency (or the authorities surreptitiously tracking you).

Those systems were just the beginning though http://fordfusionstory.com/latest/index.php/2012/04/09/the-2013-ford-fusion-will-be-americas-smartest-midsize-sedan/

Now cars have driver assist system that increasingly provide autonomous control before the driver can such as emergency braking, lane departure prevention and automatic parking. In the not too distant future, our cars may know more about us than we know about ourselves. http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=36728

As software engineers figure out how to combine all the signals around us, our phones will tell us what we want to know before we even figure out the question and our cars will simply deliver us to where we need to be. 

Reshared post from +Robert Scoble

The world of mobile just shifted to a new contextual age

Read my blog for how significant yesterday's announcement by Qualcomm is. This is huge and will affect everything mobile for years to come.

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Mobile 3.0 arrives: How Qualcom just showed us the future of the cell phone (and why iPhone sucks for this new contextual age) — Scobleizer
Mobile 3.0 arrives: How Qualcom just showed us the future of the cell phone (and why iPhone sucks for this new contextual age). July 11, 2012 By Robert Scoble Leave a Comment · Tweet. Google Now scree…

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Some excellent advice from +John Pozadzides on what product PR people should do…

Some excellent advice from +John Pozadzides on what product PR people should do and practices they should avoid when dealing with media. At best making these mistakes will leave you with none of the coverage you covet. At worst, a grumpy journalist could leave you with a news disaster you didn't need. Case in point http://www.insideline.com/chevrolet/volt/2011/gm-lied-chevy-volt-is-not-a-true-ev.html

Reshared post from +John Pozadzides

What I think about the general state of PR when it comes to social media engagement:
http://geekbeat.tv/the-10-biggest-pr-mistakes-companies-routinely-make-with-social-emerging-media/

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The 10 Biggest PR Mistakes Companies Routinely Make with Social / Emerging Media
If you’re part of the PR Machine and you have to deal with the emerging media take heed! Don’t make these mistakes!

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It looks like 9-speeds (or maybe 10) will be the upper limit for automatic trans… 2

It looks like 9-speeds (or maybe 10) will be the upper limit for automatic transmissions.

When I was studying engineering back in the late 1980s, three-speed automatic transmissions were still the dominant configuration and 4-speed units were just starting to hit mainstream vehicles. By the late 90s, 5 and 6-speed units were starting to arrive. Today 6-speed units are dominant but German transmission manufacturer ZF is pushing hard with its 8-speed automatic which was recently to several Chrysler models.

Last year at the Detroit Auto Show, ZF and Chrysler announced the development of a new 9-speed automatic for front wheel drive applications and Hyundai announced work on a 10-speed. 

The problem is that every time you add more gears, it increases the complexity and weight of the hardware. While more gears allow the engineers to keep the engine running closer to its sweet spot for efficiency, power or torque (unfortunately it's usually not the same spot), as you approach 100% efficiency (never actually achievable) the incremental gains gets smaller while the costs get larger. 

ZF is now acknowledging the 9 (or 10) speeds may be the practical upper limit. 
#transmission   #fuelefficiency  

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Automotive News Europe
Home · Automotive News · — DATA: Europe Data · Automotive News Events · Breaking News · Awards and Events · Contact Us · Corrections · Industry Events · Special Sections · Product · All Product Stori…

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Sign the petition to demand that copyrights be restored to their original terms. …

Sign the petition to demand that copyrights be restored to their original terms.  Disney has already made enough off Mickey Mouse, it's time to put him in the Public domain and let others have a crack at the rodent.

Reshared post from +Dan Gillmor

Sign this White House petition to restore original copyright term (14 years plus 14-year renewal). If enough people sign, the administration has to at least respond. We all know that the response will be, "No way," but why not get yourself on the record anyway? I am. 

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Support the Restoration of Copyrights to their Original Duration of 28 Years | We the People: Your Voice in Our Government
Your Weekly Address · Speeches & Remarks · Press Briefings · Statements & Releases · White House Schedule · Presidential Actions · Executive Orders · Presidential Memoranda · Proclamations · L…

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There is no silver bullet solution to reducing energy use for transportation 3

We will need a variety of solutions to meet the needs of different drivers. Battery electric vehicles are definitely not for everyone with their limited range although they can work for many people. One British owner of a +Nissan Leaf was clearly on the edge of the useful operating range of the plug-in only car and got himself stranded twice and nearly stuck on several other occasions. 

For this particular driver an extended range electric vehicle like the Vauxhall Ampera made more sense by providing electric-only driving range with a backup engine in case the battery couldn't make it.

For other drivers, a plug-in power-split hybrid like the new Pruis PHV, Ford C-Max Energi or Fusion Energi or even smaller more efficient gas or diesel engines could be a better option depending on where they drive and how far. Someday even hydrogen fuel cells will probably be part of the mix. It's all about the Power of Choice

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Like The Plug, Not The Range: Leaf Owner Trades In For Volt (Ampera)
When the 2011 Nissan Leaf launched at the end of 2010, many environmentally-conscious drivers took the plunge and decided to buy one, hoping to leave gasoline behind for good. For the majority of Leaf…

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One quarter of Texans already have no health insurance and thanks to Rick Perry playing… 3

One quarter of Texans already have no health insurance and thanks to Rick Perry playing politics, that's not going to get better any time soon.

Reshared post from +Talking Points Memo

Rick Perry, governor of the state with the highest percentage of uninsured residents, declares he won’t implement 'Obamacare'

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Texas Gov. Rick Perry Refuses To Implement ‘Obamacare’
Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Monday he will not implement ‘Obamacare’ provisions such as the Medicaid expansion and the insurance exchanges. The decision could mean that Texas ultimately loses an opport…

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Dempsey Racing is the first team to announce that it will use +Mazda USA's new…

Dempsey Racing is the first team to announce that it will use +Mazda USA's new  SkyActiv-D diesel racing engine. 

Reshared post from +Alex Nunez

I acted as photog for Fox News' Gary Gastelu at Lime Rock this weekend. Pics are on the attached article. 

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Patrick Dempsey shifts racing career into high gear with Le Mans prototype program
Actor turned driver loves his life in the real fast lane.

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Oops! somebody is gonna either get fired or lose a contract for this one! 1

Oops! somebody is gonna either get fired or lose a contract for this one!

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This Is The 2014 Corvette's Entire Nose [Video]
One of GM's Tier 1 suppliers, Omega Tool Corp., made a video to show off how well they could mold complicated plastic body panels. Only they chose the still-secret 2014 Chevy Corvette instead of the outgoing C6 Corvette. Oops. More »

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