Re: [DISCUSS] Just in time for the holidays

[<dsavage@peaknet.net>]

I'll chime in here to say that running a laptop in your car can be a very
good thing. (Of course it could be used stupidly, but why assume the
worst?) Whenever I'm travelling in an unfamiliar area, I like to plug in a
GPS dongle into the USB port and fire up DeLorme's Street Atlas on my
laptop sitting in the passenger seat. If I've pre-programmed the route to
where I need to go, a synthetic voice tells me when I need to turn onto
this street or that highway coming up in so many seconds. There's also a
green arrow on screen that pinpoints on a map where I am and which
direction I'm going.  As long as that green arrow stays on the highlighted
route, I'm not lost. Very James Bond, and handy for getting out of pitch
dark and dangerous areas of Baltimore at midnight.

In the future (hell, I want this NOW!) I would like to see all the
discrete dials and gauges in front of the driver replaced with a large
plasma multi-function display.  Replace the steering wheel and column with
a drive-by-wire yoke, and the transmission lever, radio, AC, and plasma
display controls on paddles & buttons on the back of that yoke. Most of
the time the plasma screen would display the usual stuff: speed, odometer,
etc. But when desired, it could also display realtime engine and other
diagnostic information (no more $400 testers), views from cameras fore and
aft (no more mirrors with blind spots), GPS navigational info,
forward-looking infrared (FLIR) imagery that show more than headlights in
fog, etc.  Equip a vehicle with a smart display and yoke like this, and
you could easily install a "co-pilot" set for the right seat.

--Doc

On Wednesday December 10, 2003 Kara Pritchard <kara@luci.org> wrote:
> Actually, I could sell this to a client of mine.  The purpose isn't to
> work on the laptop while driving.  It's to work in your car.  I have a
> realtor that I sold a laptop, camera, and printer and included the power
>  inverter because she needs to work on client site out of her car to do
> contracts and such.  This little thing would be a great asset for her,
> since working off your lap in a car is difficult.
>
> -Kara
>
> On Wed, 10 Dec 2003, Josh Medley wrote:
>
>> --[PinePGP]--------------------------------------------------[begin]--
>> The inventor of that should be shot, no trial, just shot where he
>> stands. If I ever see someone using one of those I'll add a bit more
>> to the distraction by cutting them off.....repeatedly If they wreck
>> I'll just say "well look what he had on his steering wheel, and he's
>> calling it my fault?"
>>
>> mike808@users.sourceforge.net wrote:
>> > For the geek who has everything...
>> >
>> > http://www.arkon.com/laptop.html
>> >
>> > Next the wife will want one so she can drive, talk on the cell, put
>> on makup in the rear-view mirror, and send email to her mother
>> during her morning commute...
>> >
>> > I can't wait for the passenger-seat scanner/photo printer accessory
>> to come out.
>> >
>> > Mike/
>> >
>>
>
> --
> Kara Pritchard                          Phone: 618-398-7360
> Director of Exam Development            http://www.lpi.org/
> --
>
>
>
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