Category: Technology

Driverless Car at the Stop Light Near You by 2017

Ours is an automobile dominated society and most of us couldn’t imagine what we would do without our cars. Henry Ford, the Studebaker brothers, Ransom Olds, the Duesenberg brothers and Charles Nash all would be astounded at the modern automobile and innovations on the horizon may change driving as we know it. According to ExtremeTech, Ford predicts that driverless cars will be a way of life in 2017.

Google Developing Driverless Automobile

Google has mad headlines with its driverless car project.  It  isn’t the only one out there working of driverless car technology, Google is the most prominent. And because of that, their driverless cars steal a lot of the spotlight. The family of driverless cars has been driven  over 300,000 miles now without incident). The gears are already in motion for self-driving cars to hit the roadway as soon as the technology is deemed stable. Google’s already been talking to automakers in Detroit, and have begun to get patents as well..

Ford Developing Traffic Jam Assist

If you think all the hubbub about Google’s fancy self-driving cars is just a fleeting novelty, Ford, it of the automobile industry, thinks you should check yourself before you wreck yourself.

Ford expects that smart car technology called Traffic Jam Assist will help reduce traffic by at least 37.5%. In other words, if you commute an hour on a freeway during rush hour, your commute would drop down to 38 minutes thanks to self-driving cars. Aside from giving you back some time on your life, Traffic Jam Assist can handle unforeseen events like a car cutting you off.

Take a look at the demo of Ford’s Traffic Jam Assist technology in the video below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=U9V07gdOGEc

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Funding Source Directory for Mobile Devices

I am constantly amazed at the multiplicity of apps for smart phones and other devices. Sometimes I catch myself thinking “I never would have thought of that!” when I learn about a particularly ingenious, creative or innovative app.

Individuals with disabilities have benefited from smart technology. A PepNet workshop I attended last year, introduced to me to some of the apps that are popular with individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. Other apps I’ve heard about benefit individuals with vision impairments. The educational environment has particularly benefited from smart technology as there are numerous education related apps available that benefit children and college students with and without disabilities.

BridgingApps.org

The potential for apps to make a difference in the lives of individuals with disabilities is at the heart of an organization I learned about recently. BridgingApps.org was created by parents and therapists who began using the iPad with children who have special needs and discovered the power of this device as a motivation for learning and for improving speech and fine motor skills.

This volunteer community of parents, therapists, doctors, and teachers is committed to sharing information on how they are using the iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch and Android devices to provide access and make a significant difference in the lives of children and adults. These devices, make it possible for individuals to be engaged with the world,  despite challenging language, motor, or other developmental delays.

In response to many questions from the BridgingApps community about how to get a device funded, the organization has created a funding source directory of organizations that grant iPads and similar devices to families who have children with special needs. Individuals are encouraged to use the directory as a guide to explore funding options.

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Money Reader with LookTel App

Although I’m not a smart phone user – at least not yet – I have been amazed at the wealth of apps that are available.  Lately I’ve been exploring what kinds of apps are available for individuals with disabilities.   One that I discovered recently is Money Reader which works on both smart phones and IPads.

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