I can live with confusing names if they get around to supporting closed captioning data like they are supposed to. They misinterpreted the legal requirements for closed captioning as it being something which is handled by set-top boxes rather than TVs and elected to not transmit the data. HDMI's own FAQ makes this position clear. However, the law is quite clear that the TVs are required to render captions. Unfortunately, people use devices other than set-top boxes to push content to the TV. If you need captioning, you can't use HDMI with Blu-ray disc players or other devices.

It might be the Google translation, but...

Perhaps it would be less confusing if translated into Swedish Chef.

There is some credence to this line of thought. For years states like Arizona had the highest fatality rates. This was attributed to the very straight highways where people could put the pedal down and barely steer. Speed doesn't kill, but delta v does. Crashing from 90 mph is a lot worse than 65 mph.

Actually, the old TRS-80 Model 100 from the early 80's ran on AA batteries. There was some merit to being able to run down to the corner store when you were in a bind. Yes, I used to use one of these. It was a damn cool computer at the time.

I'm all in favor of something that does the job better than HDMI. If you need closed captioning in the US, HDMI doesn't work for you. It omits the necessary data from the video source.

That's not a book collection. THAT'S a book collection!

Actually, joystick drive-by-wire systems have been on the market for some time now. These systems are often installed for people with disabilities who cannot manipulate a regular steering wheel. The vehicle modification industry is a mature market with its own national association.

This concept vehicle addresses one of the core problems - cost. A typical vehicle conversion can run well upwards of $20k (in addition to vehicle cost) and involves massive hardhacking of the vehicle itself. You're pretty much stuck with the vehicle until it dies since you won't be able to sell it. It is far better to have an OEM route.

In terms of safety and control dynamics, I'm pretty comfortable that these are surmountable issues.

• First, most people who currently get a joystick system receive dedicated training by a certified driver rehabilitation therapist (CDRS). I would imagine that lessons learned in this field could be distilled down into a more generalized training approach for populations that don't have the severe dexterity impairments present in the current user base.
• Second, the years of experience in the vehicle modification business is a good start towards safe control dynamics. Advanced vehicle control systems are the next big leap and are far better than they were even a decade ago. Paired with systems like lane tracking, stability control, and forward ranging systems, it would be quite possible to put a layer of "smarts" over the command inputs.
• Third, removing the steering column makes it a lot easier to protect the driver in the event of a crash.

Mac mini, bluetooth keyboard and mouse. It is small, doesn't look ugly under your TV, has a super quiet fan, and you can get plenty of video adapters for whatever TV you have. It also has a DVD drive, so you can toss your DVD player. You can even get an EyeTV USB-stick add-on for DVR capability and export capability to your iPod/PMP. If you really want, you can even run a long USB extension cable to your couch so you can plug in a joystick and play video games. Likewise, you can also set it up as a home media server and/or remote access gateway when you're out and about.

Basically, you can do just about anything with one box.

This is probably outside the price range of most folks, but BodyMedia makes a research version.

And before you complain, yes research versions of such equipment are almost always more expensive than consumer versions. This has to do with the added technical support ("we want people to do [insert crazy unusual thing] while using your device, will it work?") and typical "hey, that's odd data, can you explain it?" types of follow-up. When you're doing research, this level of support and debugging has a definite, non-zero value.

Is this what they look like?

Marines: I expect a good chunk of your R&D budget for this design.

The base R&D has been done. They clearly say in the article they want something like Dragon Runner with more capability.

I know a bit about Dragon Runner. Trust me, it's seriously cool and very well engineered. If you don't believe it has the "throwable" part down, watch this movie.

The 90's

Every engineering cluster had a theme. That meant that you knew what lab the machine was in but it still kept the names interesting. It also made it easy to remember that the dolts who killed remote jobs always used the NBA team machines because their prof told them to use that lab and how to kill processes.

The best theme? Rain, Snow, Hail, Leaf, Meteor, Skylab, etc. "Things that fall from the sky."

There is a standing joke in the community. People without disabilities are "temporarily abled" since most people encounter disability at some point in their life.

This has to do with the work that's already been done for this route. There are local forces, especially around Pittsburgh, which have been doing studies and pushing high speed rail for years.

The route would really be better if it was DC/Pittsburgh/Cleveland/Detroit/Chicago/etc since it is the fastest way to bisect the east coast from the major midwest cities. It would have also given them a chance to alleviate the I-270 corridor with a stop in Frederick. The people who want to go to Philadelphia could then take the east coast corridor up (DC/Baltimore/Philadelphia/NY/Boston).

But this would leave Harrisburg, the state capital, in the cold. You know what happens when you piss off the local government... Also, they probably figured the 240 miles between Pittsburgh and DC can be done by car instead. Anyone in between would be able to drive to Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, or DC in under 2 hours.