If you’ve ever had a car broken into you know how miserable of an experience it can be. However, Hunter Jobbins, a student at Kansas State University, had a pretty “sweet” experience having his car broken into. A thief with a sweet tooth saw a Kit-Kat bar in Hunter’s car. He took it and left a note detailing the event and explaining nothing else was taken, only the candy bar. Although a bit unnerved, Hunter thought it was funny. He posted the note on twitter and as a result, Hershey sent a box of Kit-Kats to make up for the one stolen. But that wasn’t all. Hersey also had the student’s car filled with 6,500 Kit-Kat bars! He handed out the majority of them to other students, but kept some for himself too of course.
It’s the morning, you have your cup of coffee, you get ready for work, you walk outside, shut the door and go to get in your car. There’s a problem, however, your car isn’t there. A scenario no one wants to experience, and of course you’d assume the worst. Malicious intent, car thieves, your trusty vehicle may have even been scrapped for parts by now. For most people this scenario doesn’t end well, but for one Portland, Oregon resident it ended with her car, some gas money and a pleasant note apologizing for the car theft. After Erin Hatzi’s car was stolen the security cameras were checked and they didn’t show the behavior of a normal car thief. The person got in the car and took their time before taking off with the vehicle. This is because the “thief” was actually intending to pick up her friend’s car, a similar make and model parked on the same road. It wasn’t until the next morning when it was realized that the wrong car was taken. Turns out the particular model of car for that year had some keys that were interchangeable. The car was returned the next day with a note apologizing and even some gas money for the trouble. If your car is going to be stolen, this is the best-case scenario.
Traffic lights are in place to protect us, to make crossing intersections less dangerous. However, they are only good if people obey the rules of the road. That’s why there are police officers and traffic cameras, to help make sure these traffic laws are followed. But what happens when one of the people who upholds the laws of the lights, breaks the laws of the lights? In the case of one Florida officer, he gives them a citation, just like anyone else who breaks the law. Even if that person running the light is himself. The officer was reviewing the red light camera videos and issuing citations as needed when he came across himself running a red light. After checking the parking lot to confirm it was his car, he issued himself a citation for the infraction. He stated that he has had to issue tickets to plenty of other people for the same thing and he was no exception so, he issued the fine.
If you enjoy biking you probably use a bike lock. It’s a common method of theft deterrent, and it can work. Unfortunately though, most bike thieves these days are wise and quick enough to cut a lock off. Two San Francisco inventors were sick of the many bike thefts in the city so they decided to do something about it. They’ve created SkunkLock, a bike lock that if cut into will release a gas designed to make the thief vomit, almost uncontrollably. The lock is filled with the specialty gas, when a cut is made into the lock, the pressurized gas spews from the opening and into the face of the thief. The result would deter me from doing most things let alone steal a bike. Although the lock isn’t 100% effective in keeping you from losing your bike, it will make thieves lose their lunch.
Technology grows at an amazing pace. Every aspect of it advances almost daily. Giving us a glimpse of what the future holds in transportation, BMW revealed their Motorrad Vision Next 100 motorcycle concept. The motorcycle boasts zero emissions, and has self-stabilizing technology. The Motorrad concept can even take corrective actions to help prevent collisions. To further aid the driver, BMW also revealed accompanying augmented reality glasses. The glasses would provide the driver all the necessary driving information projected right in their field of vision. Allowing the driver to never take their eyes off the road while seeing things like speed, rear views or navigation.
