Category: Automotive

Call Uber to get a battery jump

Automotive / Business / Customer Service / Technology

I recently left my headlights on and killed my car battery. It’s not the first time I’ve done that. That’s why I carry jumper cables in my trunk. Cables are great – when someone will give you a jump. This most recent time was the last straw though… it was 98° in Anaheim and I was on the top-deck of a parking garage at the Anaheim Convention Center. Apparently the Anaheim Convention Center isn’t as concerned with helping guests as Disneyland is… when I asked if they could …

Where’s the gas tank?

Automotive / Technology

I don’t know when I learned this trick, but it was many years ago. Have you ever rented or borrowed a car and had to stop for gas, but as you’re driving up to the pump you suddenly realize that you don’t know if the gas tank filler is on the left or right side? I’d say there’s a… 98% chance that has happened to everyone. And with the popularity of the Toyota Prius and Chevy Volt, which gives people much longer time between fill-ups, even those car …

When podcasts go mainstream

Automotive / Business / Microsoft / Software / Technology

If you have a car, you have a radio. If you have a radio, you probably listen to music, talk radio, news and/or sports. By the mid-1960s, radios were standard equipment in new cars. Today, it’s almost standard to have a USB or other MP3 player connection – or at least a auxiliary input jack to plug other devices into your car’s sound system. What’s missing though is the digital end-to-end solution that terrestrial radio provides. By that I mean that you turn on your car radio and …

Pressure based brake lights

Automotive / Business / Technology

Driving on the freeway the other day, at a safe distance for 65mph, I looked at the traffic on the other side for a moment and was startled when I looked back and the driver in front of me had jammed on the brakes and stopped MUCH faster than I anticipated. Again, I was far enough behind that I could still safely stop, but I was hoping that the car behind ME was paying attention and not driving too closely. That’s when I thought – why don’t brake …

Freeway overpass advertising

Automotive / Business / Marketing

Many years ago, I was driving on the freeway and suddenly pictured a simple way for States to make money – without raising taxes! Selling ad space on overpasses. In today’s economic climate, governments need to stop taxing and start cutting – but if they MUST make more money, I don’t see any good reason why they can’t use some of the space that we all pay for as taxpayers, to help reduce the tax burden. There’s a huge number of “blank” freeway overpasses that are perfect canvases …

GPS lessons

Automotive / Hardware / Phones / Technology

GPS devices are more popular than ever – whether it’s the GPS driven map in your mobile phone or the one built in to your dashboard or the one suction-cupped to your windshield. The good thing about GPS units is that it makes it quick and easy to get just about anywhere. The bad thing is we’re becoming more and more dependent on them and in a short time, most people won’t know how to read a map or give good directions. In any case, GPS units are …

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