The rental car counter presented a simple choice for my “compact” reservation: Mazda Miata or Minivan. I put the top down and began my journey with an ’07 Miata. Quick summary: better than I expected, particularly in the acceleration department, but….. uncertain handling at upper end highway speeds.
Decent seats, useful controls, easy to use convertible top and…. 27mpg after a mix of highway and suburban driving. Unfortunately, I’ve yet to see a rental car without an automatic transmission. A six speed manual Miata would have been much more interesting.
Much more on the Mazda Miata here.
Category: Transportation
I-80: Inverse Traffic Therapy
I read with interest two recent posts regarding Madison’s traffic congestion. I, too have a fleeting moment or two when I consider Madison’s growing traffic congestion. It is difficult to use the words “Madison” together with “traffic congestion” after one has experienced the real, big city version. The photo above was taken recently while stuck in traffic on I-80. We’re a long way from that. Regional growth certainly makes our transportation system a rather useful topic for discussion and action. My dream? TGV type train service connecting Chicago, Madison, Milwaukee and Minneapolis.
French Airbus Protest VR Scenes
Gilles Vidal posts some well done VR scenes from Toulouse.
Airships
Cisco’s New Videoconferencing System
One industry analyst described Cisco’s system — which the company calls “telepresence” — as far superior to other video conferencing products, typically accessed or run over the Internet.
Chambers has touted the new technology as so lifelike that it could replace corporate travel, saying that Cisco will cut $100 million in expenses by reducing travel 20 percent in the next 12 months.The system uses software the company created and runs on a network powered by the company’s own routers and switches. The pictures are displayed on a 60-inch plasma screen with 1,080-pixel screen resolution, which is four times better than the standard television and two times better than a high-definition television.
The increaasing unpleasantness associated with air travel makes these products compelling – along with software only tools like Skype with video.
Two Wheelers
Fixed Gear Bikes Illegal in Portland
An Oregon judge has ruled that fixed-gear bicycles — which use the rider’s leg-power to brake them — are illegal, and must be outfitted with traditional lever/caliper brakes. The cyclist who was ticketed for the offense fought it in traffic court, and was represented by a pretty sharp attorney, judging from the partial transcript here. It seems obvious that “fixies” should be lawful, since they can satisfy the statutory requirement that bikes be “equipped with a brake that enables the operator to make the braked wheels skid on dry, level, clean pavement. strong enough to skid tire.” Nevertheless, the judge ruled against the cyclist — I hope she appeals.
Emerging Airline Industry Trends 2006 – 2011
The Boyd Group [pdf]:
Airline Industry Trends Updat Presentation To Regional Airline Association May 24, 2006
Hauptbahnof Berlin
Germany will next week open Europe’s largest railway hub, a vast glass-and-steel station whose platforms offer panoramic views of the heart of reunited Berlin — from the historic Reichstag parliament building to the modern Federal Chancellery.
The German capital’s 1.9-million-square-foot Hauptbahnhof, or main station, links the north and south of the once-divided city with its east and west for the first time.
A Day in the Life of US Air Traffic Control
NASA, via Edward Tufte.