Lower gas price wars if

If you look at the gadgets that Japan has and what we have in the States, we are WAY off.

To give you some hopes, at a Microsoft presentation, they were saying they are working on integrating internet into cars. But then again, Microsoft in your car might not be a good idea.

 

Yeah, the software might crash and stall the engine while you're driving on the highway.

 

Be careful what you wish for.

Then you'll have auto-update enabled and the car will download software patches every week, and lord knows what will break

Everyone downloads the latest patch all at once and every Prius stops in it's tracks and starts sending out spam

 

That wouldn't be Microsoft's fault.
It'd be the fault of some military guy named "General Protection".

 

I would pay extra NOT to have a car with windows by Microsoft. Where's that story about "if computer guys designed cars"? It was a response to Bill Gates' claims that if car technology had advanced as rapidly as computer technology, we'd all drive cars that get 1000mpg and cost 100 bucks each, or something like that. The smart nice person response was like 'Yeah, but they'd always crash for no apparent reason, and you'd have to use the start button to turn it off' (!)

 

[Marlin wispers in aka007ii's ear...]
My post about the car stalling on the highway was sarcasm... A response to the anti-Microsoft picketers. There's no Microsoft code in the car right now, and it already has software glitches such as the one that causes it to stall on the highway.

[Marlin now speaks at normal volume...]
You're idea is actually a good one in my opinion. My first thought was that you should have patented it, rather than announcing it to the world. You might have one day made a good bit of money.

[Marlin mutters to himself...]
Hmmmm, where's that phone number for my patent attorney?

 

Sorry, 007, didn't mean to jump on you. You're right, internet access on that MFD would actually be really handy, and not just for finding the lowest priced gas. We could search for tourist sites, available camping spots, radar traps...whatever. I can see it being far superior to an outdated dvd with a few maps on it.

Hey, we could install video cameras, and give each other virtual tours over Priuschat!

 

Once I bought the Prius, I gave up the "where is gas 3 cents cheaper" game. My time is more important. I buy top tier gas and I buy it when and where it is convenient.

Now I only concewrn myself if there is a difference of 10 cents or more, I mean, hey..with an almost empty tank, that is only a $1 fill up difference.

 

oh man, I didn't mean to bring up anti-M either! But it was too hard to resist not to add this sentence

My bad!

Back to the topic. I was reading an interesting concept from Toyota's safety website. They imagine someday cars will be all connected to a network. So one car knows where the other closest cars are. This way, when two or more cars are about to collide, the cars will engage brake or steer away from the accident. Isn't that cool?! B)

 

Not when it steers you into a non-equipt tree.

 

lolz.. yeah that might be a problem. :lol:

That's why it's just a concept.

 

It seems the better solution would be to not allow the cars to get into a situation where they would collide in the first place.

 

What about an auto-update software feature that is "pushed" down from satellites so Toyota can update all of their systems all over the world? Pretty nifty.

 

Only on cars with NAV!

 

Reminds me of the Paris Airshow where Airbus showed off their new liner (Maybe the A-300, it was a long time ago). The system wouldn't let the pilot make the maneuver that he needed to avoid crashing. "Merde" was the last voice recording in the black box as I recall.

Not that these systems are evil, but that they need to go through at least a couple of iterations to get fine tuned. I wouldn't want a first generation system.

 

That's a stinky subject. I bet that's what the autopsy found in his shorts too.

 

I just try and stay aware of current gas prices... on my usual commute I keep track of the prices at the gas stations I pass, and then when I need gas I know which one is cheapest.

Web access in the car through bluetooth would be useful and I suspect will be common in a decade or so.