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Asimo, 112. Puny humans, 0.

Tesla motors is a really cool company. Everybody loves the idea of a super efficient, super fast sports car. Sure the first Tesla roadster is a bit… fuglish… but its not terrible. Sure the transmissions are not strong enough, but that can be fixed as well. Its a pretty strong concept overall.

However, Tesla motors was unable to meet the “advanced” airbag regulations put down by the federal government. So what do they do? Tesla asks for a special exemption from the rules, because they cant afford to bring it up to spec, and because they are green, they get it.

Lame.

Why cant we make ultralight four wheel vehicles so long as they get x-miles to the gallon? Because we aren’t Tesla.

Lame. Just because you are green, doesnt mean you should get special treatment on saftey. Or, saftey laws should be amended to make advanced airbags optional for everyone.

Fair is fair.

Special treatment for the loose.

-The Digital Kitty

http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/01/feds-exempt-tes.html

I like Windows mobile phones. For example, the HTC Mogul is pretty sweet. Its got all the hardware features you would want, its durable, the right size, has an innovative design, there you go.

The problem is, that Windows Mobile itself, sucks buttsack. Sure the Windows Mobile 6 platform is a huge improvement over the previous ones, but that doesn’t mean that its even remotely acceptable. Honestly, all the features are there, they just are super hard to use in any sort of timely fashion.

I still use one over an iPhone though …. when I am in the USA . Damn I miss having a smartphone… tethering FTW.

Anyway. This random company I have never heard of (Skyfire), has released this browser… named Skyfire.

Long story short, it is off the chain.

Check it out. Worship.

-The Digital Kitty

If you are a geek, you have heard about Apple’s new Macbook air. Essentially, Apple got Intel to make them a much smaller package for their Core processors, made a really small motherboard, used an ipod hard drive, included just about nothing else, and came up with the Macbook air. It is the thinnest laptop, just about ever… but its not small.

The Macbook air is about three pounds, has a 13 inch screen, in the size of a 14 inch laptop. Not to mention, I had a 1 inch thick Sony VAIO 505 laptop almost a decade ago which was… wait for it… 3 lbs. 233 mhz Pentium II baby!

What is different about the new Macbook air, is that it thinner, and by every other dimension, bigger.

I don’t get it. Sure its thin, but it does not really provide anything else new or interesting. Its not really all that light, its not really all that good looking, and its not even small. Whats up with that bezel? You could fit another inch or so of screen real estate easily in that form factor!

So what does being thinner give you? Nothing really. I havent looked at a single Apple laptop in the last generation and thought to myself, wow thats great, but can you make it thinner? Nope. I have thought…

1. Can you make it faster?
2. Can you give me better battery life?
3. Can you make it more durable?
4. Can you make it smaller?

I have not thought, can you make it thinner, at the expense of everything else?

Apple, enough with the bling, give me a 12-13 inch macbook pro. The single coolest laptop you ever made was the 12inch powerbook g4. It was perfectly sized, durable, sexy, light, and thin enough.

If you are looking for an ultra portable notebook, go take a look at the Sony TZ.

Its smaller, lighter, gets stellar battery life, and is fast enough. If you are looking at the Macbook air over the Macbook Pro, then the TZ is fast enough for you. Hey, it has built in 3g wireless too!

Or, even better, if you are looking for a 13 inch apple… get a Macbook. More power, half the money, just as portable in my opinion… just less bling… which to me means less pretentious. A Macbook is only 1.08 inches thick anyway. I would also be willing to bet the polycarbonate case is going to be more durable over time.

-The Digital Kitty

It certainly annoys me when they interview dullard athletes after sporting events for their thoughts on the previous game. Not only do they almost never provide any insight, but they actually detract from the sport viewing experience.

There is however, one thing that often comes out of the mouthes of professional athletes often that is pertinent to any situation… and actually makes a statement… maybe thats why they fall back on it regularly.

The is the concept of, “going back to the fundamentals.”

Right now… this very second… somebody is out there figuring out how to add more emissions reduction equipment, more batteries, and more technology to cars currently produced. Think… Lexus / Toyota, Honda, GM, Ford, etc. Think hybrids.

Don’t forget also, that the increase in global population along with the reduction in price of automobiles, as illustrated recently by the TATA Nano, an Indian car for 2,500 bucks, is going to require increased road construction, increased parking space, and increased support infrastructure.

The sheer size of cars, is increasing as well. If you are old enough to remember the Honda Accord in the 1970s, you will know that it was a “compact” car. Today the Accord is a full size car… and just about every other car keeps getting fatter and fatter.

So what does all of this mean? Cars are getting bigger, there are more of them, they are getting more complicated, and they are going the wrong direction.

What does a vehicle really need to do?

1. to get its owner, and its possessions from point A to point B
2. be affordable
3. be attractive to the consumer
4. be legally compliant
5. be fun… another aspect of attractive
6. be safe

Right now, for motorized personal transport, you only have the options of motorcycles, and automobiles. Automobiles are expensive to build, insure, operate, and take up a lot of space in urban areas. Motorcycles require more knowledge to ride, are more dangerous, are uncomfortable in bad weather.

Heck, motorcycles fall over unless propped up with a stick.

Lets combine the features of a motorcycle and a car. Volkswagen already has a concept for it.

Its not just Volkswagen though, other companies have come to similar engineering solutions to these issues.

This car is light, small, gets you and some of your toys from point A to point B, its faster than anything you have driven, and it gets better fuel economy too.

They could even put a roof on it.

But why does it put real cars to shame?

Because it is lighter. As Lotus guru Colin Chapman used to say used to say… just add lightness.

Do you really need a big booty car with space for junk in the trunk for commuting to work? Nah. Do you need all of the extra parts that Lexus installs in its car to isolate you form the machine? I don’t think most people do.

I also don’t think most consumers realize how much more they would get out of their cars in areas where it matters, by ditching luxury. Go back to the fundamentals.

Imagine now making this thing electric, a hybrid, or using all of that nifty tech that makes fat cars fuel efficient.

Come on Volkswagen, Subaru, Honda, give me something like this.

-The Digital Kitty

According to another blog, which of course you have to take with a grain of salt, AT&T is considering filtering and throttling its customers internet connection. I could list all of the reasons why this is a terrible idea, but I won’t insult your intellect with things of such an obvious nature.

I just wanted to make sure that you were aware of it.

http://mashable.com/2008/01/09/att-not-net-neutral/

-The Digital Kitty

I use Opera, I love Opera, and I advocate using Opera for your web browser.

Here is a link to a great discussion about why Opera rules.

http://www.digital-web.com/articles/why_opera/

Enjoy.

-The Digital Kitty

Its a new year and with it comes a new producer up in the house at Revision3. Roger Chang, formerly of DL.tv is now producing and doing the camera work for the Systm tv show, and all I can say is that I am enjoying it. The show feels less, claustrophobic. The camera moves around, the show is a bit more airy feeling, and Patrick Norton looks like he is having a bit more fun on the show, a feeling that kind of rubs off on the audience. Defiantly a huge improvement, the show is getting better, I like it.

Check it out.

The subject matter this week was extracting hydrogen from water using electricity, and its uses in automotive efficiency. Very cool, very interesting, and I think it deserved a bit more time. I know that many people theorize that web casts need to be shorter and more concise, but I am of the opinion that they should be similar in length to broadcast television, especially when they occur once a week.

More Systm! I look forward to the new studio.

-The Digital Kitty

1. Call of Duty 4
2. Bioshock.
3. Portal
4. Mass Effect5. Half Life: Episode 2
Do you disagree? Re-read the title and look up the concept of possessive words in the English language.

Play these games and you will understand. I seriously want Mass Effect for Windows, then I would buy it.

Are you a developer looking for a common theme? The single player experience.

-The Digital Kitty