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ICYMI: The death-proof car, rat gambling addiction and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-359509{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-359509, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-359509{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-359509").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Volvo just pledged to build a 'deathproof' automobile by 2020 that will include adaptive cruise control and pedestrian detection. By 'deathproof,' it means unless you are crazy stupid (ie: Go flying off the Golden Gate Bridge in it), you won't be able to die in one of the company's cars.
ICYMI: Giant air purifier, true invisibility cloak and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-798641{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-798641, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-798641{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-798641").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: A 23-foot tall HEPA filter that looks like a building is running in Rotterdam, costing $1,000 a year to operate while cleaning up to 1 million cubic feet of air per hour. Scientists at UC Berkeley have hit on the tech that could lead to a true Cloak of Invisibility. For the first time, a 3D object has been hidden from visible light, using nanoantenna blocks which are usually found in solar panels. And the fastest human-powered bike on the planet just hit 85 miles per hour at a competition in Nevada.
Toyota won't have CarPlay-equipped vehicles anytime soon
If you're hoping to get a Toyota car with Apple's CarPlay system built-in, you'll have to hit the aftermarket, according to a New York Times report. Toyota said that "right now, we prefer to use our in-house proprietary platforms for those kinds of functions," adding that it currently has no plans to use either CarPlay or Android Auto, at least in the US. Though that's a small glitch in Cupertino's ambitious plans, other automakers are more bullish on it. Ford, for one, said that it'll start offering both Apple and Google's infotainment systems on select vehicles this year, and will make both systems available on all US cars by next year.
Widget Watch: Volkswagen creates Dashboard and Yahoo! widgets
It's nice to see the widget train making its way across the land, and yesterday I noticed that Volkswagen of all companies has even hopped on board. The German car company has released a Rabbit Widget for both Dashboard and the Yahoo! Widgets Engine that lists free public events in over a dozen US cities. The widget's design is obviously heavy on the revitalized Rabbit they seem to have replaced the Golf with; in fact, I can't find this widget anywhere else on VW's site besides the actual Rabbit page. On the right, the widget displays names of the events with small icons that help categorize said event (General Interest, Theatre, Music, etc.), and clicking on any event provides a brief description and links to more information. At first a widget like this that helps promote a German car doesn't make much sense, but part of the Rabbit's marketing campaign is all about saving you money, so a free events widget then makes a bit more sense. Ultimately, it's a unique widget with a great design that's hocking quite a few events that some of you major city goers might not otherwise know about.
