Month: December 2020

Understanding the Latest Vehicle Technologies

Posted by dayat on in Autos, Cars

There are a slew of new vehicle technologies being introduced to the market. Most of them focus on improving safety and fuel efficiency. Let’s take a closer look at some of these emerging new car technologies.

Many of the new hybrid vehicles are equipped with “Smart” technologies that teach the driver to drive more efficiently. Efficient driving reduces fuel expenses while simultaneously maintaining the vehicle’s condition. Most of these smart technologies are found on the dashboard of the hybrid vehicles. Digital indicators will either change colors or present graphics when car operators are driving in both efficient and inefficient manners.

Believe it or not, solar roof panels are now installed on some hybrid models. For example, the Karma luxury hybrid vehicle from Fisker Automotive has a solar roof with four zones and twenty solar cells that converts sunlight into electricity. Some of the electricity is stored and the rest is used for the vehicle’s motors, climate control and other power accessories. Some hybrids have solar roofs that power internal fans which send fresh air throughout the car when parked. This technology reduces the strain on the vehicle’s air conditioning system.

Parents will be especially interested in programmable safety technologies that put limitations on teen drivers. Select vehicles have computer chips in their ignition keys that can limit the vehicle’s speed when operated by specific (teenage) drivers. The technology even lets vehicle owners set limits on the operator’s stereo volume levels. It is also possible to set an alarm to sound if the driver with the programmed key does not fasten his safety belt.

One of the more popular emerging vehicle technologies is the lane departure warning system. This system monitors the car’s driving direction by keeping track of the markings that divide road lanes. An alert is sounded if the car veers outside its lane. Certain lane departure warning systems will actually assist the driver by re-positioning the vehicle within the lane.

Blind spot warning systems are also emerging on many new vehicles. These systems monitor the rear sides of the vehicle that typically can’t be seen with traditional driving mirrors. A visual warning will appear, usually on the side mirrors, when another vehicle, person or object is in the space that the system monitors. This goes a long way in eliminating the dangers of driving with blind spots.

Collision preparation systems are prominently featured on several new cars. This technology is programmed to detect situations that typically lead to accidents. If your vehicle gets too close to another or if your vehicle skids then the system will be triggered. It will take precautionary measures to reduce the likelihood of a collision with another vehicle or object. System functions vary but they do everything from closing open windows to tightening seat belts and applying the brakes.

One of the more remarkable new technologies is stop-start. Stop-start automatically shuts the vehicle’s engine down when it is stopped. For example, the engine will be turned off when the vehicle is at a red light and it will start back up the moment that the driver steps on the gas pedal. This technology first appeared on hybrids but is making its way into the mainstream as the technology improves and becomes more affordable.

Another interesting emerging vehicle technology is active cruise control. This technology first appeared on high end luxury automobiles but has transitioned into the mainstream in the recent years. It is also referred to as adaptive cruise control. Its function is to maintain the proper spacing between your automobile and the one ahead of you. The technology differs by vehicle but most employ either a laser or radar to determine how close your vehicle is to the one in front of you. It will decrease your vehicle’s rate of speed when you get too close to the other vehicles. Some active cruise control systems even proactively apply your vehicle’s brakes when necessary.

Geography Trips to Study the French Alps

Posted by dayat on in Travel

Geography trips to the French Alps are an opportunity for students to improve their understanding of glaciated landscapes and the associated landforms by seeing and studying them for themselves. From dry ski slopes to rivers and gorge formations, the French Alps offer a wealth of options for youngsters seeking to expand their knowledge. Students can also examine the human uses of glaciated areas, and how the lifestyles of people living there are affected by their surroundings. Some potential highlights of geography trips to the French Alps are outlined below.

Gorges du Fier

Considered one of the natural wonders of the Alps, the Gorges du Fier is a stunning gorge carved by the River Fier. Youngsters can walk along a footbridge attached to the side of the gorge, giving excellent views of its features: stacked boulders, the play of light on the gorge walls, the circular ‘Giants’ Kettles’ eroded into the rock by the action of water bearing stones over extended periods of time, and the river running at the gorge’s base.

Gorges du pont du Diable

Another stunning gorge in the French Alps is Gorges du pont du Diable, gouged into grey marble amid a beautiful forest. It creates a link between the Leman’s Lake area and the Chablais Massifs. It can be admired from a footbridge over the rushing river.

Mer de Glace

The Mer de Glace (‘Sea of Ice’) is France’s longest glacier, at seven kilometres long and 200 metres deep, and is an excellent destination for geography trips in the Alps. Easily reachable by the Montenvers Train, it is located in the Chamonix Valley. It originates high in the mountains at an elevation of 2,400 metres and is fed by the confluence of three glaciers. It is renewed by accumulation and ablation, creating crevasses and seracs as it progresses downslope. It is also used for electricity generation, with tunnels bored under the ice to collect water from the glacier’s base and channel it to a hydropower plant downriver: a classic case of human use of the glacial landscape. Students visiting the glacier can also take a cable car to explore an ice grotto.

Barrage d’Emosson

Further evidence of people in the mountains using their landscape can be seen at Barrage d’Emosson, an impressive dam used for hydropower. The dam became operational in 1975. Water collected from the Mont Blanc massif is channelled into a reservoir lake at an altitude of 1,930 metres, which is controlled by the dam. This water is then used to power Vallorcine Power Station and La Bâtiaz Power Station. Visiting the dam on geography trips gives students a good sense of the scale of hydropower operations, as well as the stunning Alpine views around the reservoir.

Cheerleader Sochi job: Ex-NFL cheerleader almost caught in sex trafficking ring

Posted by dayat on in News

A former cheerleader was in Sochi on a job — a job that she thought was legit. It turns out, however, that she almost became a part of a sex trafficking ring. On Feb. 25, Mail Online reported that Brittney Cason was approached by a company that she thought was a talent agency. She interviewed with the company for four months, thinking that she was going to go to Sochi and cover the Olympics for them — a job of a lifetime, really. Turns out, it was all a set up. Cason said that the company’s want for her to bring “friends” along and their willingness to hand out visas alerted her that something wasn’t right.

The cheerleader knew this Sochi job was curious. “I spent four months applying and interviewing and he’s sending my friend a work visa without even seeing her work? Now, my friend is really talented, but wanting her passport and social security number before her reel (reporting and presenting clips) just seemed fishy to me,” Cason said.

And so the FBI got involved and Cason never made it to Sochi — and she’s lucky that she didn’t end up getting on a plane. “So many of the stories I’ve heard from survivors start with ‘I was hired for a modelling job,'” said Cason, clearly realizing that she could have been in a serious predicament had she flown to Sochi.