First there were the speed cameras, then the insurance black boxes and now we actualy have cars that rat you out to the police. While I am largely a fan of technology I am not so sure these are good ideas. For one the most obvious thing this technology is capable of detecting is speeding. While I think speed limits area good thing I do not think 100% enforcement is a very reasonable expectation consdiering the limitations of the current system. They are static numbers with little regard for vehicle/driver capabilities or conditions. If you wanted to make this system smart enough to create a dynamic speed limit environment which takes more into consideration than the one number per stretch system I would be more interested in seeing this technology more widely used.
How could this work ? IF ALL cars are mandated to have it then you can have a system monitor traffic levels and adjust speed limits accordingly, IE if your the only driver for miles in a Ferrari the system sets it accordingly, if it is raining/snowing then limits lower according to deteriorating traction conditions. Higher levels of traffic density lead to lower limits. GPS systems and active scanning for automatic cruise controls can be used to maintain safe braking distances and to warn drivers of dangerously low distances. Then you would have a system far more capable of weeding out truly dangerous exceptions both above and below the speed limit.
Another possibility I would like to see is a driver cell phone interlock which disables the phone of the driver while the transmission is engaged. This actually could be accomplished with a bluetooth interface informing the phone that the key is in use... perhaps allowing the phone to make or receive a call only if a hands free setup is detected.
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Monday, April 11, 2005
Hillary in '08
I have been talking about it since Hillary took a seat in the Senate. Now it looks like the first few shots have been fired officially with the NY GOP starting up its "Stop Hillary Now" fundraising. Personally I think such a move this early only serves to show just how scared republicans are of Hillary and they should be. I have little doubt she will make a run... and a strong one at that. The Dems just don't have anyone else to point to as a candidate and she has the motzy. The real question now is if she wants to be re-elected in '06? Two years is a long time to campaign out of the spotlight but at the same time the Clinton's are the best Democratic fundraisers in history.
My call right now is that she will either step down without standing for re-election or put on an all out blitz for re-election. The last thing she would want is a failed campaign to start off her '08 bid. Both options have their merits, however not standing for re-election means breaking cover with 3 years to '08 and I don't see that happening. So two things to look for. One, no mention of a presidential bid. Two, no promises not to leave her post for the presidency. You will probbaly see the GOP try to force her into a similar promise to the one she made and has held to from her '00 campaign. If she gets forced into that then to make a run after being re-elected would risk destroying the credibility she has built by not seeking the VP nomination in '04.
Given that something dosn't cause it to fizzle (and there is plenty that could go wrong) a Hillary campaign will be simply fascinating from an academic standpoint. She would be the first credible female candidate. If she wins then the presidency will have been split in its office for more than 2 decades between two families. And of course there is the real wild card in the deck.... Bill. Frankly Bill is the key to a bid by Hillary. How the public percieves him, how the parties percieve him. Management of Bill's impact on the election will be the key to success or defeat in my eyes. Not that I think Hillary is a front for another Bill term or anything like that... anyone who thinks that woman is interested in playing second fiddle is deluding themselves. But to think an Ex-president as the spouse of a candidate will not play a major role is just wishfull thinking.
As for how I feel personally about the possibility? I am not a fan of either of the major parties or their candidates. I am kinda glad W can't run for a 3rd term... the republicans do not really seem to have a real strong candidate to replace him at this point. Condoleza Rice presents a rather intruiging option but she just dosn't have the political currency. She could wind up being a VP candidate though. Guilliani would be the odds on favorit at this point but I wouldn't rule out Cheny (scary as that seems). What would I like to see? How about an outraged Colin Powell running on his own? If the Dems do back Hillary and Condi makes the VP ticket you are going to have change in the wind and people are going to be far more willing to re-evaluate who they vote for becasue for the first time in a loooong time they will have something different confronting them at election time. Thus '08 represents a potential crack in the armor of the two major parties for the right 3rd party candidate. Powel is one of the few with enough appeal that he might could make something of it... but his age will be a serious consideration for '08. Not that I think it will happen. One Powell just dosn't have the drive, and two, the election process is just too heavily weighted against a 3rd party candidate.... But oh would it make for a hell of a race!!
My call right now is that she will either step down without standing for re-election or put on an all out blitz for re-election. The last thing she would want is a failed campaign to start off her '08 bid. Both options have their merits, however not standing for re-election means breaking cover with 3 years to '08 and I don't see that happening. So two things to look for. One, no mention of a presidential bid. Two, no promises not to leave her post for the presidency. You will probbaly see the GOP try to force her into a similar promise to the one she made and has held to from her '00 campaign. If she gets forced into that then to make a run after being re-elected would risk destroying the credibility she has built by not seeking the VP nomination in '04.
Given that something dosn't cause it to fizzle (and there is plenty that could go wrong) a Hillary campaign will be simply fascinating from an academic standpoint. She would be the first credible female candidate. If she wins then the presidency will have been split in its office for more than 2 decades between two families. And of course there is the real wild card in the deck.... Bill. Frankly Bill is the key to a bid by Hillary. How the public percieves him, how the parties percieve him. Management of Bill's impact on the election will be the key to success or defeat in my eyes. Not that I think Hillary is a front for another Bill term or anything like that... anyone who thinks that woman is interested in playing second fiddle is deluding themselves. But to think an Ex-president as the spouse of a candidate will not play a major role is just wishfull thinking.
As for how I feel personally about the possibility? I am not a fan of either of the major parties or their candidates. I am kinda glad W can't run for a 3rd term... the republicans do not really seem to have a real strong candidate to replace him at this point. Condoleza Rice presents a rather intruiging option but she just dosn't have the political currency. She could wind up being a VP candidate though. Guilliani would be the odds on favorit at this point but I wouldn't rule out Cheny (scary as that seems). What would I like to see? How about an outraged Colin Powell running on his own? If the Dems do back Hillary and Condi makes the VP ticket you are going to have change in the wind and people are going to be far more willing to re-evaluate who they vote for becasue for the first time in a loooong time they will have something different confronting them at election time. Thus '08 represents a potential crack in the armor of the two major parties for the right 3rd party candidate. Powel is one of the few with enough appeal that he might could make something of it... but his age will be a serious consideration for '08. Not that I think it will happen. One Powell just dosn't have the drive, and two, the election process is just too heavily weighted against a 3rd party candidate.... But oh would it make for a hell of a race!!
Sunday, April 03, 2005
Electric Vehicle Conversion
I have noodled several times with the notion of converting one of my cars to electric power. There are plenty of kits out on the market but in the end they are just to expensive. You often spend as much as you would for a new car and this is just for the parts. Currently I wouldn't consider spending that kind of money as it would only net a short range car that took hours to re-charge. However, after reading about toshiba's new battery it has me thinking about a conversion again. I also remembered reading about these and it occurs to me they provide a very interesting easy conversion option.
The idea would be just to put a hub motor on all 4 corners. Yank out the motor/transmission/gas tank/drive shaft/exhaust and brakes. Don't worry about tossing the brakes you now have a new system courtesy of regenerative braking. Probably need to rig an auxiliary electric motor to run accessories (AC and Power steering). During acceleration you run everything off the batteries, but when cruising you use two motors as alternators to run the accessories. Batteries go in the engine compartment and where the gas tank was. If you have the space you might also install a 5kw generator for a limited recharging capacity when away from an outlet. This might not really drop the cost. But it would simplify the installation of a conversion system. Battery packs are not hard to wire. Putting a wheel on is simple. Fairly easy methods of interconnecting the pedals and controls are already available. If you didn't insist on power steering and A/C you would pretty much have an electric car at that point. With access to the equipment to pull your motor and transmission you could do something like this in a weekend.
This opens up some interesting design possibilities. After all, car design is limited somewhat by having to deal with the engine compartment and drive train. With this sort of configuration you can simplify the undercarriage a great deal, evenly distribute batteries and have no engine compartment to interfere with more aerodynamic profiles. Additionally.... Motor upgrades, or use on another car is as easy as swapping the wheels. Most parts replacement could be accomplished by plug and play methods.. ie unplug faulty system plug in new system. No more messy oil and hydraulic fluid changes. No brake pads to wear out. No transmission nightmares, no clutch or torque converters, no differential. Most trouble shooting could be accomplished with a multimeter. Suspension would also get a bit simpler since you would no longer need to provide power through the axel... 4 wheel independent would not be simpler and cheaper than the old live axel setup.
You would drastically reduce the number of moving parts and complexity of a car. The concept of a car wearing out mechanically would no longer apply... Restoration would no longer be labor intensive and unable to really utilize new advances. New motors would still fit old designs (think custom wheels). New Batteries could be configured to go in any space available for them, new control boxes would be like exchanging a printer in your home computer system. It is just amazing the possibilities this kind of design could bring. But to me none is more intriguing than the possibility of an easy conversion process of existing gas cars. After all if electric all the sudden becomes viable thanks to new battery technology then there will be all of these gas car chassis available... Reviving a junkyard car with a solid frame and body could be the work of a weekend instead of months/years.
The idea would be just to put a hub motor on all 4 corners. Yank out the motor/transmission/gas tank/drive shaft/exhaust and brakes. Don't worry about tossing the brakes you now have a new system courtesy of regenerative braking. Probably need to rig an auxiliary electric motor to run accessories (AC and Power steering). During acceleration you run everything off the batteries, but when cruising you use two motors as alternators to run the accessories. Batteries go in the engine compartment and where the gas tank was. If you have the space you might also install a 5kw generator for a limited recharging capacity when away from an outlet. This might not really drop the cost. But it would simplify the installation of a conversion system. Battery packs are not hard to wire. Putting a wheel on is simple. Fairly easy methods of interconnecting the pedals and controls are already available. If you didn't insist on power steering and A/C you would pretty much have an electric car at that point. With access to the equipment to pull your motor and transmission you could do something like this in a weekend.
This opens up some interesting design possibilities. After all, car design is limited somewhat by having to deal with the engine compartment and drive train. With this sort of configuration you can simplify the undercarriage a great deal, evenly distribute batteries and have no engine compartment to interfere with more aerodynamic profiles. Additionally.... Motor upgrades, or use on another car is as easy as swapping the wheels. Most parts replacement could be accomplished by plug and play methods.. ie unplug faulty system plug in new system. No more messy oil and hydraulic fluid changes. No brake pads to wear out. No transmission nightmares, no clutch or torque converters, no differential. Most trouble shooting could be accomplished with a multimeter. Suspension would also get a bit simpler since you would no longer need to provide power through the axel... 4 wheel independent would not be simpler and cheaper than the old live axel setup.
You would drastically reduce the number of moving parts and complexity of a car. The concept of a car wearing out mechanically would no longer apply... Restoration would no longer be labor intensive and unable to really utilize new advances. New motors would still fit old designs (think custom wheels). New Batteries could be configured to go in any space available for them, new control boxes would be like exchanging a printer in your home computer system. It is just amazing the possibilities this kind of design could bring. But to me none is more intriguing than the possibility of an easy conversion process of existing gas cars. After all if electric all the sudden becomes viable thanks to new battery technology then there will be all of these gas car chassis available... Reviving a junkyard car with a solid frame and body could be the work of a weekend instead of months/years.
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