Footage surfaces of 'flying' cars in China

This is the bizarre moment three cars appeared to levitate in the air at a crossroads in central China.

In the video, which has baffled the internet, a van can be seen approaching a junction when the back end of it is lifted.

Although it's still unclear what exactly happened to the vehicles in the video, internet users have agreed on the theory that a wire on the road was to blame.

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Source: Footage surfaces of 'flying' cars in China

Reinvention and flying cars: Your weekly reading list

Problem-solving by evolution and human creativity often take odd turns. Some solutions combine disparate elements, like armor and eyes, or driving and flying. Others follow more linear paths by redesigning the same concept over and over with minor changes.

This week, follow the reincarnations of NASA's latest research aircraft; meet the algae-infused salamander; travel in style with some flying cars; and watch the first controlled landing of the Blue Origin rocket.

Read this • Three high-flying birds soar together for the first time since the 1970s Martin WB-57 NASA | JSC

Capable of soaring above 60,000 feet, WB-57 planes fly for NASA to monitor hurricanes, study atmospheric effects of rocket launches and fulfill other high-altitude missions. NASA expanded the WB-57 fleet to three by completing the restoration and refit of a B-57, and celebrated by flying all three together at the Johnson Space Center.

Each of the WB-57s began life as a standard B-57 medium bomber, then were rebuilt during the 1960s into RB-57s with much larger wings and more powerful engines to fit a high-altitude reconnaissance role.

Retired by the military in the early 1970s, NASA modified a handful of the planes into WB-57s. Some of the RB-57s were mothballed in Arizona. The recently rebuilt WB-57 was in long-term storage from 1972 to 2013.

via Ars Technica

• This animal has a suit of armor with hundreds of built-in eyes

Unlike other mollusks that rely on complete armor — like clams — or squishy dexterity — like octopi — the chiton has gone the path of panoptic armor. It combines a hard, armoring shell with a network of primitive eyes with calcium carbonate lenses, allowing it to watch the sea around it through its shell.

via The Atlantic

• The long, weird history of the flying car

Ever since humans noticed birds in the sky, we've attempted to emulate them while bringing a bit of comfort, and style, to the skies.

Wings fold up in a demonstration of the Terrafugia "Flying Car" during the first day of press previews at the New York International Automobile Show in April 2012. Stan Honda | AFP | Getty Images file 2012

via Popular Mechanics

Watch this • Green grow the salamanders

An algae-supercharged salamander provides a road map to previously unknown symbiosis between organisms.

via American Museum of Natural History

• How Japanese honeybees cook a giant hornet

via Vox

• The reusable space rocket is nearly here with Blue Origin's first successful landing

The New Shepard rocket launched, deployed its payload AND managed a controlled return to the landing site this month. (Some sales-related CGI fills the spaces outside the view of actual cameras.)

via The Verge

Bonus Firenado
Source: Reinvention and flying cars: Your weekly reading list

My Google Alert for "Hoverboard" Is Officially Ruined

I have Google Alerts for everything. Whenever an article is posted with terms like "flying car," "time capsule," and yes, "hoverboard," I get a notification. But today I can call my Google Alert for "hoverboard" officially worthless. Just take a look at this story from The Irish News.

How exciting! Inventors finally made the hoverboard we've all been waiting for! Too bad they got seized at the border going into Ireland. But I'm sure it's all part of some big misunderstanding. Those hoverboards will be zipping lucky Irish people around in no time once they get through customs!

But then I started reading the article:

MORE than 1,000 Back To The Future-style hoverboards have been turned away from Ireland over fears they could burst into flames.

The consignment of two-wheeled hands-free electric scooters, which are a big hit on Christmas wish-lists, was seized at Dublin Port.

The self-balancing gadgets, used by celebrities like Lily Allen and Jamie Foxx, can cost upwards of €350 and have already been banned in a number of cities worldwide.

While they haven't been outlawed in Ireland, authorities grounded 1,400 so-called Smart Balance Wheels over "significant safety concerns".

I had to triple check that The Irish News wasn't a parody site. Because even though it's not at all funny, sometimes the business model of some garbage sites out there is the dissemination of fake news.

But, alas, this one was legit. The term "hoverboard" is officially just what we're going to call these things now. They're essentially Segways without handlebars, and cities are scrambling to figure out how to regulate them.

We can scream all we like about how they're not hoverboards. But that's what people call them. There's no sense in fighting it anymore. News articles are even claiming that these two-wheeled self-balancing boards are Back to the Future-style. Which, of course, is false. Not to mention the fact that hoverboards don't show up until the sequel, so if you're going to say they're from Back to the Future, you should be more specific (*snorts, pushes up glasses by the bridge with two fingers*). But none of that matters now. What matters is that we fully surrender to the term.

That Back to the Future II-style hoverboard you've been waiting on since 1989 isn't coming any time soon. Just climb aboard the unstoppable freight train that is our modern lexicon. You can lay down on the tracks all you want, but that train — a train likely filled with hoverboards that don't hover and will be banned by countless municipalities before Christmas — is just going to run you over.

RIP hoverboards. Long live hoverboards.

(Top image: Christopher Furlong/Getty; Bottom: AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Source: My Google Alert for "Hoverboard" Is Officially Ruined

Transport Ministry predicts drones, self-drive cars and a car butler in future

The Ministry of Transport has released new videos of exciting possibilities in the future.

Are we finally close to getting the flying cars from The Jetsons or, even better, the teleportation machine from Star Trek?  

Will planes become so fast that you can fly to Australia in an hour? What if we could reduce the number of road accidents a year to almost zero?

The Ministry of Transport has created a vision of what the future of New Zealand's transport system might look like, with the goal of being prepared if or when transport changes dramatically.

Flying cars and teleportation are unlikely, but computer-driven smart cars are bound to feature. In fact, they might be central to all of your transport needs, transport ministry chief executive Martin Matthews said.

The visions were based on a unknown date in the future when drivers might be banned from all roads, a virtual butler might arrange your transport life, airships could carry you across cities and there was no congestion in Auckland.

Drones could be used to deliver packages, freeing up trucks for heavier items.

It suggests that New Zealand could have dedicated freight corridors where the railway tracks are now, with heavy trucks running alongside trains, rather than on highways. 

Drones would deliver parcels around cities, freeing up trucks and cars for heavier items.

All transport options would be "driven" by computers, reducing the death toll on roads from 300 a year to 30, because human error would be taken out of the equation, Matthews said.

"It's not an attempt to exactly predict the future, it's about exposing people to ideas of what the future could be like.

"Sometimes we see things at an early stage, but we cannot possibly imagine how they will change the world that we live in.

"We know this from mobile technology and the way it's altered our lives."

The Aerion AS2 supersonic business jet that can get from New York to London in four hours. Will this be the future of air travel?

The first combustion engine car arrived in New Zealand in 1989, and 30 years later commercial flights started, but no-one at the time thought that one day there would be three million passengers arriving at our airports each year.

The transport ministry was not going far into the realm of science fiction, Matthews said.

The predictions were based on trends in technology, and some inventions that were already being made.

"Some people might look at some of the ideas as far-fetched and probably wrong, but if I was to predict anything about what we have written it will be that it will fall short of reality.

"It will go further and be faster than we are imagining."

Self-driving cars seem inevitable and this what they may look like.

AIR TRAVEL

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The ministry predicts that a growing demand for flight will result in two advances: the return of supersonic flight for the wealthy and a slower, but much more comfortable and environmentally friendly, option for the rest.

A 12-seater plane that can travel from London to New York in four hours is already being developed by Aerion.

Could scenes like this be a thing of the past, with technology changing the way we get from A to B?

Domestic air travel will also be more frequent and as easy as catching a bus. This could see the rise of regions as people live a 40-minute sky-taxi flight away from work, rather than a 40-minute drive in traffic.

A similar system is already taking off in Portugal.

FREIGHT

Highways in the sky, or on the sites of our existing rail corridors, could cater for all freight needs, moving heavy trucks off public highways.

All ships, trains, trucks and even drones will be connected so the goods are passed from one to another seamlessly without wasted journeys or the wrong size vehicle being used.

Trucks could be formed into electric road trains that run on concrete pads in New Zealand's existing rail corridor. The road would be equipped with special charging technology that charges the road-train as it runs, meaning it could travel the length of the country without having to stop.

Smart technology would also mean trucks, planes or skyships would not leave when overweight.

CARS

All drivers will be banned from public roads and most people will not own their own car. The size, shape and way they move will all be re-imagined. What will a car look like if it doesn't need a driver?

Technology like Netflix and Google already monitors your preferances and usage and tailors what you see to what you want. Imagine that applied to your transport.

The ministry imagines a "virtual butler" that knows what you want and when you want it. For example, ordering a one-person pod for you to take on errands around town, but selecting a cheaper ride-share option for your travel to and from work.

Computer-driven transport will also eliminate road accidents and infringements that are caused by human error or choices. Speeding will be impossible, because the computer could be programmed to never go faster than the limit.

SAFETY AND MAINTENANCE

Road sensors, cameras and new technology will take over the analysis of the transport network and will respond in real-time to what is happening. This could help ease congestions, because the computerised system could divert cars off certain routes or stop it occurring in the first place.

The road sensors could also flag up when any maintenance is needed. Instead of people carrying out an inspection of a car, tunnel, bridge or road. The asset would know when it needed fixing and alert the maintenance team. Cars would check into garages and be fixed while the world sleeps.

Police would have to change from policing traffic to policing software, because if all transport options are programmed correctly they would be incapable of breaking the law.

 - Stuff

Source: Transport Ministry predicts drones, self-drive cars and a car butler in future

Liam Payne buys flying car featured in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

London, Nov 17: One Direction singer Liam Payne says he paid a six-figure sum to buy a flying car that featured in "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets". The 22-year-old is a "Harry Potter" fan, having celebrated his last birthday with a Hogwarts-themed bash, and has revealed the lengths his obsession has stretched to, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Payne, who is the proud owner of the battered Ford Anglia 105E used in the 2002 film, said on a radio show: "I bought the Harry Potter car and I put it in my garden. "You know the blue car, the flying car? I bought one because I'm a bit of a geek." Payne also revealed he's a fully fledged member of Potter's famous school house, Gryffindor, after taking an online exam. (ALSO READ: Liam Payne absolutely devastated after Sophia Smith split)

"I did the test on the website. My friend got Hufflepuff and I got Gryffindor. He was so annoyed," he said.

Modified Date: November 17, 2015 7:16 AM comment
Source: Liam Payne buys flying car featured in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

The 10 Biggest Technological Advances Of The Last 50 Years That Are Taken For Granted Every Day

Everyday new and exciting tech gadgets are announced -- like the self-driving car or phone that you can wear like a watch (still no flying cars yet, unfortunately).

Once a week we receive high-resolution images from the edge of the solar system as well as cures for once fatal diseases.

These new and exciting discoveries are so innovative, fresh, and exciting that we've completely come to take for granted the countless inventions that were considered cutting edge just a short time ago.

The most interesting thing about this is that taking away any of the following discoveries would completely turn our lives upside down!

So lets take some time to revisit and once again appreciate these top ten discoveries from the last 50 years.

First up... keeping in touch...

Photo Credits: Wikimedia Commons; Dollar Photo Club; freeimages.com; © Hall/Pena, PacificCoastNews.com

Source: The 10 Biggest Technological Advances Of The Last 50 Years That Are Taken For Granted Every Day

Ford First to Test Driverless Cars at Fake Michigan City

*When I was a kid, I'd sit and watch my grandmother while she sat and watched the microwave, marveling at its ability to heat a cold cup of coffee in one minute — WHILE THE INSIDE OF THE OVEN REMAINED COOL TO THE TOUCH, she'd say.

"Ma" would tell stories of being a kid in rural Illinois and heating things up over a fire while I thought "What kinda prehistoric world was THAT?" and I'd watch movies like Back To The Future II depict what "the future" would look like.

While we fell short of seeing Marty McFly's flying car, we're looking at a world where driverless cars aren't a "how" or an "if", they're a "when".  Ford is leading the way, testing driverless car technology in the faux Mcity, near Ann Arbor, Michigan.

While the Detroit manufacturer has been testing related technologies for about 10 years, their new testing program reflects their interest in moving self-driving cars from research to advanced engineering.

Read more at EURThisNthat.

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Source: Ford First to Test Driverless Cars at Fake Michigan City

Liam Payne buys Harry Potter's flying car

RELATED KEYWORDS: One-Direction|Liam-Payne|Harry-Potter-and-the-Chamber-of-Secrets|Harry-Potter The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Nov 17, 2015, 10.46AM IST

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Source: Liam Payne buys Harry Potter's flying car

Liam Payne buys flying car featured in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

London, Nov 17: One Direction singer Liam Payne says he paid a six-figure sum to buy a flying car that featured in "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets". The 22-year-old is a "Harry Potter" fan, having celebrated his last birthday with a Hogwarts-themed bash, and has revealed the lengths his obsession has stretched to, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Payne, who is the proud owner of the battered Ford Anglia 105E used in the 2002 film, said on a radio show: "I bought the Harry Potter car and I put it in my garden. "You know the blue car, the flying car? I bought one because I'm a bit of a geek." Payne also revealed he's a fully fledged member of Potter's famous school house, Gryffindor, after taking an online exam. (ALSO READ: Liam Payne absolutely devastated after Sophia Smith split)

"I did the test on the website. My friend got Hufflepuff and I got Gryffindor. He was so annoyed," he said.

Modified Date: November 17, 2015 7:16 AM comment
Source: Liam Payne buys flying car featured in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Liam Payne purchases Harry Potter’s flying car

   

Liam Payne has told that he's a established member of Potter's famous school house, Gryffindor, after considering an online exam.

One Direction singer Liam Payne stated that he paid a six-figure sum to purchase a flying car that was used in "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets".

The 22-year-old is a "Harry Potter" fan, noted to have celebrated his last birthday with a Hogwarts-themed bash, and he has also told his dedication, per the reports of femalefirst.co.uk.

Payne, who owns of the battered Ford Anglia 105E which was used in the 2002 film, stated on a radio show, "I purchased the Harry Potter car and I put it in my garden.""You recognize the blue car, the flying car? I purchased one because I'm a bit of a geek."

As for his online test, he told that he did the test online on a website and that:- "My mate had Hufflepuff and I got Gryffindor. He was so annoyed."

Source: Liam Payne purchases Harry Potter's flying car

Liam Payne Buys Harry Potter’s Flying Car

As a member of One Direction, Liam Payne certainly has a lot of fans. Who would have thought it, the super popular Payne likes reading and watching Harry Potter?

Payne, who idolizes the Harry Potter series, was willing to spend the money on a turquoise Ford Anglia. As Arthur Weasley's car, it was charmed to have the flight capability. The "Perfect" singer recognized it directly when Payne was invited on The Radio 1 Breakfast Show on Monday.

"I bought the Harry Potter car and I put it in my garden. You know the blue car, the flying one? I bought one because I'm a bit of a geek," Payne said during the program hosted by Nick Grimshaw.

Payne's love of the Harry Potter series apparently did not end there. The 1993-born singer also announced with pride that he was in the same dormitory with Harry Potter in Gryffindor.

"I did the test on the website. My friend got Hufflepuff and I got Gryffindor," Payne said.

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Source: Liam Payne Buys Harry Potter's Flying Car

Liam Payne buys Harry Potter's flying car

One Direction star Liam Payne has revealed he bought a flying car that featured in 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets'.

READ: ​Liam Payne 'absolutely devastated' after Sophia Smith split

The 22-year-old singer is a self-confessed Harry Potter fanatic, having celebrated his most recent birthday with a Hogwarts-themed bash, and has revealed the lengths his obsession has stretched to.

For latest Music updates follow us on Twitter >>> @TOIEntertain

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Listen to One Direction songs on Gaana.com

Payne, who is the proud owner of the battered Ford Anglia 105E used in the 2002 film - said, "I bought the Harry Potter car and I put it in my garden. You know the blue car, the flying car? I bought one because I'm a bit of a geek.

WATCH: One Direction - Drag Me Dow

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Source: Liam Payne buys Harry Potter's flying car

Liam Payne is a big Harry Potter geek and bought Arthur Weasley’s actual flying car for his garden

(Picture: Rex/Warner Bros.)

Last week the One Direction and Harry Potter fandom went wild at the news that Niall Horan gets name-checked in J.K. Rowling's new Cormoran Strike novel.

But now they're about to go into meltdown after Liam Payne has admitted what a massive Harry Potter geek he is.

Not only did he go on Pottermore to find out which Hogwarts house he would be sorted into (Gryffindor, by the way), the 1D star has also bought Arthur Weasley's flying car.

You might remember, in Chamber Of Secrets, the fashionably-late entrance Harry and Ron made in their second year when Dobby sealed platform 9 and 3/4 so they couldn't returning to the school of witchcraft and wizardry.

(Picture: Warner Bros.)

The two best mates ended up stealing Arthur's magically-enhanced Ford Anglia to get there instead and ended up crashing into the Whomping Willow.

Lads.

Now it resides in Liam's back garden.

Come and join the @onedirection boys and our @grimmers on the radio NOW NOW NOW NOW! 😋#1dOnGrimmy pic.twitter.com/KF7pzkRaMh

— BBC Radio1 Breakfast (@R1Breakfast) November 16, 2015

'I bought the Harry Potter car and I put it in my garden," Liam told Nick Grimshaw on the BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show.

'You know the blue car, the flying car? I bought one because I'm a bit of a geek.'

MORE: One Direction appear on The X Factor and everyone is wondering if Caroline Flack feels awkward

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Source: Liam Payne is a big Harry Potter geek and bought Arthur Weasley's actual flying car for his garden

Beat Traffic With the World’s First-Ever Flying Car

American drivers squandered 6.9 billion hours stuck in traffic in 2014, according to a study released by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute(TTI) and INRIX earlier this year. Many of us living in traffic-congested cities, like Los Angles, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., spend more than 80 hours sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Instead of squandering away our precious time, wouldn't it be great if our vehicle had the capability of transforming into a plane? Well, your dream can now become your reality.

Enter the Aeromobil 3.0; it's both a car and a plane crafted by a Slovakian company called Aeromobil. In seconds, the vehicle can convert to an airplane, giving you the freedom to move. According to the company, the AeroMobil 3.0 is predominantly built from advanced composite material. That includes its body shell, wings, and wheels. It also contains all the main features that are available in a small private plane and likely to be incorporated into the final product, such as avionics equipment, autopilot and an advanced parachute deployment system. It boast other conveniences like a variable angle of attack of the wings that reduce the take-off requirements from its previous prototype, as well as a durable suspension that enables it to take-off and land even at relatively rough terrain.

The world's first flying car touts a maximum speed of 99 mph and more (160 km/h and more). The aeroplane boasts a minimum speed of 37 mph (60km/h), but can achieve a maximum of 124 mph and more (200 km/h and more). Take-off speed is roughly 81 mph (130 km/h). The automobile/aeroplane also features the world's first single steering column, which allows the steering wheel to become an aircraft control column without switching gears.

As for size, the two-seater is no bigger than the standard luxury five-door Bentley.

Founders Štefan Klein and Juraj Vaculik dreamed up the idea during the late 1980s, while the two were still in school. The startup took about 25 years to come to fruition, but, finally, we may have the first-ever flying vehicle in 2017.

See the current flying car prototype AeroMobil 3.0 in all its glory below:

Featured photo courtesy of Aeromobil

Source: Beat Traffic With the World's First-Ever Flying Car

What Science Fiction Transportation Technology Actually Made No Sense?

The flying cars from Back to the Future Part II sound absolutely great, if you don't think about them for even a microsecond. And that's because when you think about the nature of the general populace flying things through the sky, it begins to get very scary, very quickly.

That's not to say that people who pilot airplanes are superhuman in any regard, they just take the time and put in the effort to get some proper training. Flying a plane is difficult, not least because you need to think in three dimensions, rather than the normal two of simply driving a car on the ground.

We have horrific accident rates as it is – add in the extra complexity of flying, plus the notion that even a minor fender-bender would send the occupants of both vehicles likely plummeting to the ground, and you end up with some pretty horrific consequences of actually putting cars in the air.

But the flying cars of Back to the Future weren't the weirdest sci-fi transportation technology. There were plenty of things over the years that were even worse. What do you think was the weirdest? Let us know in the comments below!

Contact the author at ballaban@jalopnik.com.Public PGP keyPGP fingerprint: 0D03 F37B 4C96 021E 4292 7B12 E080 0D0B 5968 F14E

Source: What Science Fiction Transportation Technology Actually Made No Sense?

New Paddock Automotive Lifestyle Community Launches with Inaugural Paddock Ignition! Event in Marin County, California

  November 12, 2015 --

San Rafael, CA (PRWEB) November 12, 2015

If you thrill at the notion of cars traveling up to 1000 mph, are intrigued by the prospect of flying automobiles, and love the action driving scenes in James Bond films, the Paddock community invites you to explore these topics and more at its exclusive signature event, Paddock Ignition! on February 27, 2016 in northern Marin County.

The one day event offers an incredible new experience for car enthusiasts and provides a platform for inspired conversations on the automotive lifestyle and the future of technology, innovation and design. The theme is Innovation. In Motion. and the event will feature a unique curated agenda that includes inspiring keynote speakers, captivating TED Talk style educational sessions, up-close access to some of the worlds most innovative cars and plenty of fun and excitement.

Top professionals and experts in the automotive industry will share their vision for the future, provide updates on projects underway and in the works, and engage in one to one conversations with participants.

We are excited to announce the launch of the new Paddock community and this unique first event designed for passionate local car enthusiasts who want an inside look at new, disruptive technologies and to participate in first-hand conversations with some of the top achievers in the automotive world, says James Scott, founder. Weve created something pretty special and cant wait to share it.

Among the first speakers are:

Ben Collins: TV Personality & Professional Driver

Ben has raced successfully in almost every class imaginable, from Formula 3 and Le Mans to NASCAR. During his eight years as Top Gears The Stig, he put the worlds fastest and most beautiful supercars to the test and taught the A-list how to lay down racing laps.

Ben also designs and performs some of TV and Hollywoods greatest car stunts, and has doubled for 007 in Quantum of Solace, Skyfall and Spectre, as well as other famous movies.

Mark Chapman: Chief Engineer, Bloodhound SSC

Meet the man who is one of the critical members of a team that is building a car that will go 1,000 mph. Mark graduated from Bath University with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering and since then has been worked on a wide range of projects. He worked in Seattle for Boeing with their Propulsion Systems Division and then for Rolls Royce in Bristol, UK.

Prior to Bloodhound, Mark spent nearly 5 years on the F135 and F136 engine programs and as part of the design team on the STOVL system for the F-35 Lightning II, the Joint Strike Fighter. He joined Bloodhound early in 2008, prior to the public launch of the project, and became Chief Engineer in 2010.

Carl Dietrich: CEO/CTO, Co-Founder Terrugia Flying Cars

Carl is generally regarded as the leader of the emerging modern flying car industry. He has been a private pilot since the age of seventeen. Terrafugia (ter-ra-FOO-gee-ah) intends to catalyze a revolution in personal mobility. Their vehicles bring a new level of safety, convenience, and freedom to personal transportation.

Carl received his BS, MS and Ph.D. from the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) shortly after being selected as the 2006 winner of the prestigious Lemelson-MIT Student Prize for Innovation. Carl was additionally recognized by the Aero/Astro Department at MIT as one of sixteen exceptional graduates under the age of 35 and has also received "40 Under 40" awards from the Boston Business Journal and Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine.

Paul Elio: Founder & CEO, Elio Motors

Paul Elio was an eight-year-old with dreams of launching his own car company. As an adult he attended the countrys top automotive engineering school, General Motors Institute, now Kettering University in Flint, Michigan, graduating Magna Cum Laude. Elio began his career with Johnson Controls, before launching his first business, ESG Engineering.

Over time, ESG Engineering grew to a successful 40-person firm but Elio still yearned to own a car company. While on a trip with a close friend, Elio came up with the idea of a three-wheel, high-mileage auto-cycle. Elio knew the idea filled an unmet demand and shut down ESG Engineering to focus all his energy on his childhood dream, Elio Motors.

Alastair Mitchell:Caterham Kit Car Expert

Alastair is a true speed lover, engineer and Great British Gearhead. He is also a lifelong fanatic of the Lotus marque whose journey into the world of self-built cars started with the legendary Lotus 7.

From its launch in 1957 to its current incarnation as the Caterham 7, this iconic car remains one of, if not the, fastest, best handling and most exciting ever built; as the Stig will testify having taken the lap record in one around Top Gears track!

An entertaining speaker, Alastair will take you through the once-in-a-lifetime bucket list item that is building your own car - along with some entertaining stories from his motoring journey.

Rachel Shuler: Founder, Mountain Tree Studios

Unlike lots of professional automotive photographers, Rachel didnt grow up as a car-nut. Her love of cars actually grew out of her love for photography. Over the years, she's photographed almost every subject imaginable, but car photography always remained at the forefront.

Rachel predominantly photographs for private clients, but has also worked with high-end dealerships and a range of automotive events. She has been an official photographer for the Danville Concours for the past 4 years and her images have been used in publications for clients such as Jaguar/Land Rover, Maserati Magazine and McLaren SF.

Rachel also continually works on her automotive fine art series' and recently held a solo show; 'Art from Machine', locally in Marin.

Experiential elements of the day include:

Stretch your legs, get outside and sample an awe-inspiring collection of cars belonging to event attendees, local collectors and prestige brands.

Meet some of the many local businesses that provide interesting products and services for car enthusiasts.

Show what you're made of by clocking your best timed lap on our professional race simulator, or go head-to-head with your friends on the 6 lane slot car track!

Enjoy live music, great food and drinks and plenty of exclusive networking opportunities.

Commenting on why he started Paddock, Scott said, Our members contribute an intellectual engagement that extends beyond the love of a specific brand or model. They admire the aesthetic beauty of expert craftsmanship, engineering and design. They crave the sensorial experience; the smells, the sounds, the feel of the open road. Paddock is a place for those that share this passion to converse, socialize and share the journey.

A portion of the proceeds from the event will be donated to Speedway Childrens Charities, the charitable arm of Sonoma Raceway that helps children in need. The group has distributed more than $4.8 million to Sonoma County youth-serving organizations since 2001.

Tickets for Paddock Ignition! 2016 are limited and are available now at http://www.paddockignition.com.

Follow @thisispaddock to join the #Ignition2016 conversation on Twitter and Paddock on Facebook.

About Paddock Ignition!Paddock Ignition! is the inaugural event of the Paddock community to be held on Saturday, February 27 in northern Marin County. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit http://www.paddockignition.com.

About the Paddock communityFounded in 2015, Paddock was founded to ignite new conversations about automotive innovation, technology and design. We bring together local enthusiasts who embrace an automotive lifestyle, and provide a platform of community events and experiences that allows them to deepen their knowledge, discover new interests and celebrate their passion. Find out more at http://www.thisispaddock.com.

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2015/11/prweb13077935.htm.

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Source: New Paddock Automotive Lifestyle Community Launches with Inaugural Paddock Ignition! Event in Marin County, California

10 Ways to Invest in Driverless Cars

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Source: 10 Ways to Invest in Driverless Cars

Beat Traffic With the World’s First-Ever Flying Car

American drivers squandered 6.9 billion hours stuck in traffic in 2014, according to a study released by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute(TTI) and INRIX earlier this year. Many of us living in traffic-congested cities, like Los Angles, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., spend more than 80 hours sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Instead of squandering away our precious time, wouldn't it be great if our vehicle had the capability of transforming into a plane? Well, your dream can now become your reality.

Enter the Aeromobil 3.0; it's both a car and a plane crafted by a Slovakian company called Aeromobil. In seconds, the vehicle can convert to an airplane, giving you the freedom to move. According to the company, the AeroMobil 3.0 is predominantly built from advanced composite material. That includes its body shell, wings, and wheels. It also contains all the main features that are available in a small private plane and likely to be incorporated into the final product, such as avionics equipment, autopilot and an advanced parachute deployment system. It boast other conveniences like a variable angle of attack of the wings that reduce the take-off requirements from its previous prototype, as well as a durable suspension that enables it to take-off and land even at relatively rough terrain.

The world's first flying car touts a maximum speed of 99 mph and more (160 km/h and more). The aeroplane boasts a minimum speed of 37 mph (60km/h), but can achieve a maximum of 124 mph and more (200 km/h and more). Take-off speed is roughly 81 mph (130 km/h). The automobile/aeroplane also features the world's first single steering column, which allows the steering wheel to become an aircraft control column without switching gears.

As for size, the two-seater is no bigger than the standard luxury five-door Bentley.

Founders Štefan Klein and Juraj Vaculik dreamed up the idea during the late 1980s, while the two were still in school. The startup took about 25 years to come to fruition, but, finally, we may have the first-ever flying vehicle in 2017.

See the current flying car prototype AeroMobil 3.0 in all its glory below:

Featured photo courtesy of Aeromobil

Source: Beat Traffic With the World's First-Ever Flying Car

A Real Flying Car At Last

Posted by: : Paul EbelingPosted on: November 3, 2015

A Real Flying Car At Last

If you thought the open road was the ultimate in freedom, how about the open road and open skies?

That dream is now possible with the the 2-seater Aeromobil 3.0

It is both a car and a plane built by Slovakian company Aeromobil (www.aeromobil.com). The car plane is the innovation of Stefan Klein and Juraj Vaculik who, as students in Bratislava, used to sit on the banks of the Danube and look longingly towards the West and Freedom. when the city was under the control of the Soviet Union.

The 2-seater Aeromobil is the world's 1st fully transformable flying car.

It drives along the road like a roadster, it flies like a small aircraft. Its 2 wings fold back behind its main cockpit, and a back-mounted propeller tucks in between the retracted wings, when on the road.

The transformation from roadster to plane takes just minutes.

Its maximum flying speed is 130kmh, can reach an altitude of about 1.4km and has a range of 700km, nearly equivalent to that of a flight from Singapore to Medan, Indonesia. And it could be commercially released as early as Y 2017.

A great invention yes.

The Big Q: Will flying car ever take off in Singapore?

The Big A: If the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore gives it the OK, it will be the next Big Boy Toy.

Stay tuned…

HeffX-LTN

Paul Ebeling

The following two tabs change content below.

Paul Ebeling is best known for his work as writer and publisher of "The Red Roadmaster's Technical Report" on the US Major Market Indices™, a highly-regarded, weekly financial market letter, where he enjoys an international audience among opinion makers, business leaders, and respected organizations. Something of a pioneer in online stock market and commodities discussion and analysis, Ebeling has been online since 1994. He has studied and worked in the global financial and stock markets since 1984.

Trade FX, Equities and Options with the World's Leading Platform Open an account here , call us at 305 4904 116, or email us to get started.
Source: A Real Flying Car At Last

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Source: Chicago Tribune

A Real Flying Car At Last

Posted by: : Paul EbelingPosted on: November 3, 2015

A Real Flying Car At Last

If you thought the open road was the ultimate in freedom, how about the open road and open skies?

That dream is now possible with the the 2-seater Aeromobil 3.0

It is both a car and a plane built by Slovakian company Aeromobil (www.aeromobil.com). The car plane is the innovation of Stefan Klein and Juraj Vaculik who, as students in Bratislava, used to sit on the banks of the Danube and look longingly towards the West and Freedom. when the city was under the control of the Soviet Union.

The 2-seater Aeromobil is the world's 1st fully transformable flying car.

It drives along the road like a roadster, it flies like a small aircraft. Its 2 wings fold back behind its main cockpit, and a back-mounted propeller tucks in between the retracted wings, when on the road.

The transformation from roadster to plane takes just minutes.

Its maximum flying speed is 130kmh, can reach an altitude of about 1.4km and has a range of 700km, nearly equivalent to that of a flight from Singapore to Medan, Indonesia. And it could be commercially released as early as Y 2017.

A great invention yes.

The Big Q: Will flying car ever take off in Singapore?

The Big A: If the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore gives it the OK, it will be the next Big Boy Toy.

Stay tuned…

HeffX-LTN

Paul Ebeling

The following two tabs change content below.

Paul Ebeling is best known for his work as writer and publisher of "The Red Roadmaster's Technical Report" on the US Major Market Indices™, a highly-regarded, weekly financial market letter, where he enjoys an international audience among opinion makers, business leaders, and respected organizations. Something of a pioneer in online stock market and commodities discussion and analysis, Ebeling has been online since 1994. He has studied and worked in the global financial and stock markets since 1984.

Trade FX, Equities and Options with the World's Leading Platform Open an account here , call us at 305 4904 116, or email us to get started.
Source: A Real Flying Car At Last

Parent View: The future is here

We recently marked the day the 1985 movie "Back to the Future" would have visited the future, October 2015.

I was 10 when the movie came out, and the prospect of flying cars and other technological wonders 30 years from then seemed crazy, but also believable.

Who knew what would happen in 30 years? That's when the adults were old anyways. That's when I would be old.

Here I am 40 years old with no flying car in my garage, what a bummer!

I do remember however how one would have to wait by the stationary phone to get that promised phone call. Or the beating, bulging heart of punching in the numbers on the phone and hope, and at the same time fear, that boy would answer the phone. In case he was home, that is.

And what about standing in line at the pay phone hoping you brought enough coins for the call?

You would gladly wait for at least half an hour to see your friend arrive to the designated spot you had decided days prior.

The 10-year-old me would have been so impressed by the technological wonders of today, 30 years later, the ability to check in on one another any minute with no unanswered questions of why are you not here yet? What's taking you so long?

I remember imagining how the stationary phone would look in the future with a big screen so that you would always look at the person you talked to. What would people do to answer the phone if they just stepped out of the shower? What would vain people do? I wondered.

Thank goodness FaceTime is optional today I guess.

By the way even though you can now in 2015 answer your mobile phone in the rest room, doesn't mean you are obligated to answer.

Or what about the windows that would change into TVs at night? Where are they here in the future of 2015? One could argue that the size of flat-screens today being 65 inches or larger are TVs being as big as windows, beautifully hooked up flat against the walls. No big bulky TV furniture taking up half the depth of your living room anymore.

I remember having to stand in line to rent a VHS player and movies 25 years ago. It was so frustrating when the movie you wanted to watch was not available until the next day after it had been returned by someone else.

Now a click on the remote and you have access to hundreds if not thousands of movies and serial episodes. I wonder if anyone other than me has ended up spending the entire evening trying to figure out what to watch and then realizing that it was bed time.

When I was 10 years old 30 years ago I would sit with my tape recorder in front of the TV or radio and record the songs I liked. It took an almost impossible amount of concentration to figure out to press the right buttons at the exact right time to get as little voice-over as possible on your taping, then the holding your breath in order to not make any additional sounds on the recording, and not to mention the fear of having your big brother or parents barging in to your room and ruining your favorite song. And who knew when it would be played on the radio again? Oh, the horror.

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It's almost ridiculous how easy it is in 2015 to find the song you want to listen to. We got the amazing Echo this spring also called "Alexa," and whenever the urge comes to listen to old Sinatra tunes, relive Erasure hits from the '80s, or find that one certain hit by Taylor Swift it's as simple as calling out "Alexa! Play this and that by so and so." If only Alexa could understand my Danish accent.

Now what will be the even more adventurous inventions 30 years from now? I am still hoping for that flying car in my garage.

Siw Maria Sundroos Heede is a stay-at-home mom of two daughters and a part-time research assistant. She lives in Redlands.

Source: Parent View: The future is here

A Real Flying Car At Last

Posted by: : Paul EbelingPosted on: November 3, 2015

A Real Flying Car At Last

If you thought the open road was the ultimate in freedom, how about the open road and open skies?

That dream is now possible with the the 2-seater Aeromobil 3.0

It is both a car and a plane built by Slovakian company Aeromobil (www.aeromobil.com). The car plane is the innovation of Stefan Klein and Juraj Vaculik who, as students in Bratislava, used to sit on the banks of the Danube and look longingly towards the West and Freedom. when the city was under the control of the Soviet Union.

The 2-seater Aeromobil is the world's 1st fully transformable flying car.

It drives along the road like a roadster, it flies like a small aircraft. Its 2 wings fold back behind its main cockpit, and a back-mounted propeller tucks in between the retracted wings, when on the road.

The transformation from roadster to plane takes just minutes.

Its maximum flying speed is 130kmh, can reach an altitude of about 1.4km and has a range of 700km, nearly equivalent to that of a flight from Singapore to Medan, Indonesia. And it could be commercially released as early as Y 2017.

A great invention yes.

The Big Q: Will flying car ever take off in Singapore?

The Big A: If the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore gives it the OK, it will be the next Big Boy Toy.

Stay tuned…

HeffX-LTN

Paul Ebeling

The following two tabs change content below.

Paul Ebeling is best known for his work as writer and publisher of "The Red Roadmaster's Technical Report" on the US Major Market Indices™, a highly-regarded, weekly financial market letter, where he enjoys an international audience among opinion makers, business leaders, and respected organizations. Something of a pioneer in online stock market and commodities discussion and analysis, Ebeling has been online since 1994. He has studied and worked in the global financial and stock markets since 1984.

Trade FX, Equities and Options with the World's Leading Platform Open an account here , call us at 305 4904 116, or email us to get started.
Source: A Real Flying Car At Last

Future overtakes the present at the motor show

'Back To The Future' mania was in full swing on the 21st of last month. The day is now very much part of history after a 30-year period during which it was meant to be the date we would eventually meet our future selves as the film trilogy had first professed in 1985.

And while roads are very much in demand to date — since auto manufacturers are yet to invent a production-ready flying car — some of the inventions that made their "debuts" in the Robert Zemeckis films are already here and on display at next week's Dubai International Motor Show.

For among the 18 global and 132 regional launches will be 16 concept cars. Something more akin to a lifestyle mobile solution straight out of a science fiction movie is slated to make waves — or to be more precise stir some air.

'Slide', as it is has been branded by its makers, is a hover-board and implies that it actually hovers while carrying adults above any surface, tarmac, water or sand — exactly like the scene from the 1985 movie.

If that's not science fiction then what is, except it is as real as it gets. And it is a real-life example to the way Japanese luxury carmaker Lexus is using innovation to engage with customers.

With 12 million YouTube views and still counting, this prototype machine will be a major attraction for the 100,000 visitors the show organisers are expecting this year.

As the region's automotive market is expected to grow twice as fast in comparison to North America and Western Europe by 2022, car manufacturers have for long used the UAE as a battlefield for regional supremacy and a larger share of the roughly 1.78 million vehicles sold in the region each year.

That explains the ever increasing spend in automakers' advertising dollars, where last year they invested Dh500 million in offline media, a 20 per cent increase versus 2013.

Add on top an estimated 20 per cent for digital advertising plus funds to cover PR, even ts, activations, sponsorships, CSR initiatives and participation at the various trade shows, and the marketing communications bill for auto brands in the UAE could be higher than the annual gross domestic product of the Marshall Islands (a GDP of $191 million).

No surprise there since the UAE ranks higher than the US and Asia at 5.2 years in terms of passenger vehicle age, which means that motorists change cars at a higher frequency than the rest of the world.

Marketing expenditure in support of new car launches or stock clearance therefore increases exponentially with every passing year. This is so as automotive brands are trying to assert their market position fuelled by a well-oiled economy that is growing faster than most of the rest of the world and a public transportation infrastructure which is not there just yet.

Perhaps that's the reason why car ownership in Dubai at 541 per 1,000 head is already higher than either London or New York and the RTA is prepa ring to invest $12 billion (Dh44.06 billion) in 500 kilometres of new roads by 2020. By then it is believed that the number of cars on Dubai's roads will be 5.3 million.

Issues such as the $4 billion lost each year due to delays caused by road congestion as well as road safety and carbon emissions are very much on the radar of car manufacturers. Their dealers are very active in trying to help the government address these issues, either through bespoke CSR and awareness campaigns or by providing consultation and strategic advice.

At the end of the day a gridlock wouldn't be in anyone's favour and the ongoing public-private partnership between those who sell cars and those regulating them is of paramount importance for sustainable transportation and mobility — one of the three pillars of Expo 2020.

So until the friction-free flying cars replace our gravity-prone vehicles, Dubai motorists will continue to wear off their wheels. But technological innovations wi ll also keep on surprising us as the industry is ploughing billions to improve the overall driving experience, through more energy-efficient engines, safety innovations and smarter interactive interior environments.

For the first time, demand for floor space has resulted in the show expanding into the Dubai World Trade Centre's Zabeel Halls to accommodate more than 600 vehicles and taking total floor space up to 85,000 square metres.

This represents an increase of more than 30 per cent over the previous show, and demonstrates the insatiable appetite of the more than 150 participating companies from 37 countries vying for a slice in the UAE's lucrative market.

The race to become the most talked about brand during the show started in earnest a few weeks ago and will culminate on the exhibition floors where dozens of brave PR consultants will vie for the limited attention span of journalists. It will be a battle of the brands that will rage for a full week until t he chequered flag falls.

George Kotsolios is Head of PR and Social Media at Al-Futtaim group and author of 'Back to the Future of Marketing — PRovolve or Perish'.

Source: Future overtakes the present at the motor show

Impossible’ Device Could Propel Flying Cars, Stealth Missiles

To critics, it's flat-out junk science, not even worth thinking about. But its inventor, Roger Shawyer, has doggedly continued his work. As Danger Room reported last year, Chinese scientists claimed to validate his math and were building their own version.

Shawyer gave a presentation earlier this week on the Emdrive's progress at the CEAS 2009 European Air & Space Conference. It answered few questions, but hinted at how the Emdrive might transform spaceflight — and warfare. If the technology works, that is.

The heart of the Emdrive is a resonant, tapered cavity filled with microwaves. According to Shawyer, a relativistic effect generates a net thrust, an effect confirmed by various Emdrives he has built as demonstrations. Critics say that any thrust from the drive must come from another source. Shawyer is adamant that the measured thrust is not caused by other factors.

Read more

Source: Impossible' Device Could Propel Flying Cars, Stealth Missiles