GPS

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Your GPS Is Probably Evil
 Your GPS Is Probably Evil 
OPINION
Jul 11, 2009 8:34 AM CDT

Your GPS Is Probably Evil

(Newser) - Emily Yoffe is typically a technophobe, but she also has a horrible sense of direction, so she had high hopes for her GPS. “This seemed like a breakthrough that promised only upside,” she writes in the Washington Post. Then she used it. In harrowing trip after harrowing trip,...

Levy on Driving Gains Speed as Gas-Tax Replacement

(Newser) - As the US moves away from a gasoline-only auto culture, researchers and the government are investigating alternative taxes to fund road-building and maintenance, the Kansas City Star reports. The leading idea to supplant the gas tax is a by-the-mile approach endorsed by a federal commission. “If you’re committed...

Wandering Kids' Parents Get High-Tech Help

GPS, alarms, other safety measures can't top common sense

(Newser) - Some 90% of families lose their kids briefly in public places, and more and more are turning to new methods of preventing major mishaps, the Baltimore Sun reports. Some parents track kids with GPS; others use watches that give off loud alarms. Lower-tech temporary tattoos that show parents’ phone numbers...

GPS Shoes to Track Alzheimer's Patients

Shoe-maker and tech firm team up

(Newser) - Two companies are developing GPS-trackable footwear to essentially LoJack Alzheimer's patients, AFP reports. The shoes will spot their location within 30 feet "anywhere on the planet," said a consultant. Sixty percent of Alzheimer's sufferers wander off at least once during the disease, he said, but most retain enough...

'Twitter Rescue' Fails Snowboarding Music Man

Twitter leads to two men missing in Alps whiteout, one dead

(Newser) - The first-ever "Twitter rescue" saved the life of a snowboarder in the Swiss Alps, but failed a 29-year-old British music entrepreneur whose body was found at the foot of a 66-foot cliff, reports the Daily Telegraph. Cheery "tweets" from a female companion noting "am having the best...

Oregon Mulls Mileage, Not Gas, Tax

State worries about tax shortfall as vehicles get more efficient

(Newser) - Worried that the rise of fuel-efficient and hybrid cars will wipe out revenue for road repair, Oregon is considering taxing drivers by the mile instead of by the gallon, reports the AP. Lawmakers—aware that hiking gas tax is a political kiss of death—believe a mileage tax is the...

Texting, Research Laws to Hit Calif. in New Year

Student journalists, bottled water also targeted by lawmakers

(Newser) - A texting-while-driving ban isn’t the only new law Californians will wake up to on Jan. 1. The San Francisco Chronicle lists some other new regulations:
  • Drivers can now mount a GPS system in the lower corners of their windshields.
  • It will become a crime to publish the names or
...

Tired of Pirate Attacks? Time to Call Blackwater

US forces aren't coming, Shippers need to hire their own army

(Newser) - Somali hijackers have free rein around the Horn of Africa, and neither the US nor any other nation has a prayer of stopping them with their ineffectual patrols. What to do? Call in the troops—or, more precisely, the fomer troops, writes Peter Hannaford in the American Spectator. Namely, Blackwater....

Technology the Linchpin in Mumbai Attacks

They used GPS and satellite maps, phones

(Newser) - The Mumbai terrorists relied on advanced technology to carry out their attacks, and Indian security forces had trouble keeping up, the Washington Post reports. GPS devices enabled the non-sailors to get to Mumbai; satellite maps gave them "a good feel for the city's streets and buildings," said a...

Cops Knocked Over Using GPS to Tail Suspects

Privacy advocates question warrantless, undetectable tracking

(Newser) - As GPS units become cheaper and easier to use, police forces around the country are turning to the technology to easily track suspects. The Washington Post examines the advantages of this new crime-fighting weapon, and the privacy concerns it’s raising among critics. Cops can easily attach a GPS device...

In 200 Yards, Tell Your GPS to Shut Up Already

Developers finally realize personality as important as function

(Newser) - GPS voices, for all their helpfulness to drivers, are still obnoxious and humorless. Now, after years of focusing on packing “navbots” with information, developers are realizing that friendliness counts, too, the Washington Post reports. “Personality, from an engineering perspective, is still an afterthought,” one says. “But...

Dog Reunited With Family After 5 Years

Beagle returns to Queens home after turning up at Georgia shelter

(Newser) - A Queens family experienced its own version of the Incredible Journey last weekend when it was reunited with a beagle puppy after 5 years—and more than 850 miles, reports the New York Post. No one knows where Rocco's travels took him in the interim, but when he turned up...

ATM Thefts On the Rise
 ATM Thefts On the Rise 
Jul 3, 2008 7:25 PM CDT

ATM Thefts On the Rise

Non-bank teller machines make easy targets, police say

(Newser) - ATM theft is a labor-intensive crime: You have to steal a pickup, slam it through a gas station storefront, and haul the ATM out. But that’s exactly what an increasing number of criminals are doing, MSNBC reports. From 2000 to 2006, thieves nabbed about 120 ATMs a year across...

Next-Gen iPhone Costs Only $199, Is 3G-Compatible

New model drops on July 11

(Newser) - The next-generation iPhone, unveiled today by CEO Steve Jobs, is wired for 3G networks, costs only $199 (for the 8GB version) and will launch July 11. It's slightly thinner than the earlier incarnation, and comes with a host of new applications, as well as GPS technology. It will be available...

Air Force Pulls Misleading Ad
 Air Force Pulls Misleading Ad 
May 29, 2008 10:09 AM CDT

Air Force Pulls Misleading Ad

Service will rework spot for 'Above All' campaign, release with new story line

(Newser) - An Air Force commercial that shows a US communications satellite exploding and implies a single missile could knock out cell phones, GPS navigation, banking transactions, and TV broadcasts has been pulled for being misleading, the Military Times reports. The ad, part of the Air Force’s “Above All” campaign...

Trucking Goes High Tech
Trucking Goes High Tech
May 22, 2008 3:18 PM CDT

Trucking Goes High Tech

Tracking improves efficiency, safety—and kept final Harry Potter book from escaping

(Newser) - Trucking companies are adopting technologies that track vehicles, monitor trucks’ condition and drivers’ actions, and even act automatically to stop accidents, reports ComputerWorld. The systems help companies meet regulations and contract obligations. Take the company that delivered the final Harry Potter book nationwide within a three-hour window and achieved its...

Satellite Tech Plays Larger Role for Emergency Crews

First responders use GPS, other tech to find victims

(Newser) - Emergency workers are increasingly turning to global-positioning and vehicle-tracking systems to find their way to victims and dispatch crews more efficiently, USA Today reports. "Clearly, we're in a business where seconds count," an Arizona fire official said. "If you're using GPS or automatic vehicle locator, it's a...

10 High-Tech Survival Items
 10 High-Tech Survival Items 
May 4, 2008 1:09 PM CDT

10 High-Tech Survival Items

Innovative solutions for wilderness living

(Newser) - Wired sees a distinct lack of cool high-tech outdoor gear, and gives its favorite examples of steps in the right direction:
  1. The Cocoon, a hanging teardrop-shaped tent/sleeping bag.
  2. The Adamant, an earthquake-proof bed.
  3. The Bedu Emergency Rapid Response Kit, a keg full of enough essentials to keep a family alive
...

GPS Beams Laughs to British Drivers

Comedy sketches make traffic jams a little funnier

(Newser) - The world's first satellite navigation comedy has British drivers chuckling up and down the country's busiest highway, the Guardian reports. The "satcom," called 230 Miles of Love, features audio comedy sketches set to play when drivers reach certain points along the country's 230-mile-long M6 highway.

GPS Network Aims to Beat Traffic Jams

New unit pools data from cars to warn of congested roads

(Newser) - You may soon be able to evade a traffic jam with a little help from your fellow driver, the Washington Post reports. California start-up Dash Navigation is launching a GPS device that collects speed and location data from vehicles, then uses the information to figure out which roads are congested...

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