I want my flying car.....

Oh, scratch that....The Government would require GPS & a computer to track my every move while using it.  Guess I'll have to enjoy driving my 1963 Jeep instead....

http://xkcd.com/864/

DARPA's Nightmare shop creates a fast kitty

Sounds like something out of the TERMINATOR...or maybe his pet cat. Either way, I'm not interested in running into one anytime soon.

DARPA's Cheetah becomes fastest legged robot. By Bonnie Cha
CNET Mar 06, 2012

DARPA is quickly becoming the supplier of our nightmares.

As if the monstrous AlphaDog wasn't intimidating enough, it now has a feline friend, the "Cheetah", that will certainly have you running for the hills. Chances are you won't be able to outrun it, though.

Created by Boston Dynamics, Cheetah is allegedly now the fastest legged robot on the planet. DARPA released a video today showing the bot running at various speeds on a laboratory treadmill, ultimately hitting its maximum speed of 18 mph. This breaks the previous land-speed record of 13.1 mph set back in 1989.

Engineers designed the Cheetah bot by patterning its movements after real fast-running animals, such as its namesake. By flexing and unflexing its spine, the four-legged droid is able to lengthen its stride and increase its running speed.

Back in February 2011 when the robot was first commissioned, Boston Dynamics President Marc Raibert said he saw no reason why the robot couldn't go as fast a real cheetah (up to 70 mph), but he admitted that this would take some time to achieve.

The Cheetah is part of DARPA's Maximum Mobility and Manipulation (M3) program, which seeks to advance and improve robotic capabilities. Though the agency didn't provide any specific examples, a robot, such as Cheetah, could help in various military applications.

DARPA plans to test a free-running a prototype later this year

CHEVY channels the BATMOBILE in designing a Carbon Fiber Futuristic Concept Car....

Damn......this thing looks like it could lift off.

Mi-ray is Korean for ‘future.’ Does that mean the Mi-ray concept is going into production? Probably not, but clearly shows Chevy still has it in them to design cutting edge concepts that push forward the perception of people movers. The just-unveiled Mi-ray mid-electric concept was designed the GM Advanced Design Studio in Seoul, which is only fitting as the concept debuted at the 2011 Seoul Motor Show.

Duel front-mounted 15-kW electric motors are powered by a 1.6-kWh lithium-ion battery pack while a 1.5-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine is called upon during spirited bouts around town. A back projection systems is used for the instrument panel with a large touchscreen flowing down the center of the vehicle for additional controls. Of course there are more LEDs and carbon-fiber than what the real world requires, but this is after all just a concept. But maybe not for long. Uwe Grebe, executive director for GM Powertrain Advanced Engineering, states, “Many of the components in the Mi-ray’s propulsion system are a logical extension of GM’s current technology portfolio.”

Monday Relections

Monday Reflections -

This is one of the days where I don't have to spend half the day running around ...It is also a day of working on projects on the computer and I've got my tunes playing.....

The path of our lives takes many turns and it is a wonder to see where you wind up....I'm here in Afghanistan and never anticipated that this would be my 2010 career path but life dealt me some interesting cards and like always, I made the best hand out the cards I was dealt...

My IPod was playing " Crystal Ball" - a favorite song from STYX

" I wonder what tomorrow has in mind for me
Or am I even in it's mind at all
Perhaps I'll get a chance to look ahead and see
Soon as I find myself a crystal ball
Soon as I find myself a crystal ball

Tell me, tell me where I'm going
I don't know where I've been
Tell me, tell me, won't you tell me
And then tell me again

....Tell me, tell me, won't you tell me
I've just got to know

Crystal ball
There's so many things I need to know
Crystal ball
There's so many things I've got to know
Crystal ball..."

I don't relay on a "Crystal Ball" for obvious reasons but it would have been interesting to have looked into the future many years ago and seen where life would have taken each of us.

But then again, sometimes the process of going forward into our future and seeing it happen as it unfolds makes the process even more interesting.

For now, I'll make the cards I have work and see what the next hand of cards holds....