The Riversimple car is supposed to look at the whole issue of people transport. Most journeys don't carry 5 people so why carry all the baggage of 5 seats? Most journeys are short and relatively slow speed so why produce a car that does 80mph? Regardless of the top speed, the car has been designed to be as slippery as possible and, in tests, proved to have one of the lowest levels of aerodynamic and rolling drag on the road. And then there is the obsolescence that car manufacturers build in - this vehicle was conceived, top to bottom, for maximum life.

We have to rethink transport, not just replace the engine. This is what Riversimple is all about.

https://www.riversimple.com/

OK, so you can't actually "buy" it as it has a leasing model. 580Kg (or 1275lbs for those over half a century behind SI)

As a graduate of the same course (albeit some 30 years ago) I have to tell Slashdotters that these guys have been asked to come up with a challenging concept and to see if they can do initial design studies to make it work in principal. They didn't have to actually make it work - even if some projects do actually go that far. That is what they have started Aweigh for - "We've come up with something interesting, so let's see if we can make something out of it". They have identified that there is a need for improved navigation systems that don't use GPS - they're right. Using a sextant can be accurate but even with practise it can be time consuming. Plus it needs to be done at the right time, in the right weather, with a clear head. Dead reckoning hasn't been updated for years. Then there is the RDF system but that only works in coastal regions and has probably been dismantled. They should be congratulated, not knocked. Besides, they're putting their lives into this project - if they can't fund Aweigh or can't make it work then they've just donated the time in trying to the benefit of the rest of mankind. Give them some time and we'll all know if this is going to be good or just another student project that does nothing except help train the student for their future.

I've had a number of Jolla devices. My wife has a Jolla phone. If I were on the market today for a new phone, I'd be running Sailfish. The guys at Jolla are building genuine independence and, by being relatively obscure, I think manage to keep things secure yet flexible. Much of my work is in Linux admin and to be able to do that work, natively, straight off my phone is a joy.

Word of warning: it's like Linux on the desktop - it works really well but you need to engage your brain. There is no easy way of syncing your music on your phone to some music library on some cloud service but hey, if you want to, you can find a way. Don't use a Jolla if you want a brain-dead experience or if you suffer regularly from hang-overs.

Word of warning 2: When you meet someone else running Sailfish in the wild the amount of excitement generated probably needs a health warning - for you and those around you. If you have a heart problem, don't go looking for other Jolla fans outside a Jolla event.

Better still to turn it into a radio show. As every knows, the pictures are better on the radio.

Want evidence? Hitchhiker's Guide.

I've been running SailfishOS on a Jolla for several years. Never had a problem. Frequently updated with good, reliable updates. I have full root access to the device. I can add my own scripts and apps. Many packages have been ported. Yup, there are a few missing pieces (like whatsapp but which /.er needs needs them when you can run bash?). Soon to be running on Sony hardware. I think that the Russians and the Chinese think that there is a need for a genuine free OS (as in free from the US snooping) so I hope it won't die anytime soon. Sad that the Jolla tablet didn't work out - that is a truly lovely piece of hardware to use.

https://jolla.com/

I run 4 miles a day across London as part of my commute and well over half of this is in the gutters because there are too many people walking (shambling whilst yakking on their iPhones?) on the footpaths. There is a painted speed bump just 1/4 of a mile from my final destination (just by Borough Market). It never slows me down. Quite the opposite - I always speeds me up as I race to clear it before some muppet slams on their breaks to avoid it and skids their car into me.

Never mind - even if I were Mo Farrar I'd be struggling to get to 20 miles an hour...

As a mentor at a London based start-up school in the last few years I have seen a rapid shift to the brightest and most innovative new wannabie entrepreneurs coming to London from other EU memberstates rather than from the UK - at least attending our school. They have good ideas and plenty of determination and significantly out do most of the home grown people.