Back in my day, college classes were actually hard. Sure, you could take an elective here or there that was easy for you, but that was your one free pass. Creative writing students at the University of Pennsylvania now have the option to take a class entitled “wasting time on the internet.” Yes, the class is exactly what the title of the course claims to be. All you need is a laptop and a way to connect to Wi-Fi. During the class there is no communication with others unless it is delivered online. The idea behind the class is that there is a lot of inspiration to be found on the Internet, and students should learn to not just waste time, but harness that information and turn it into something creative. If you ask me it is a glorious time to be in college if this can get you three credits. To any students of this class that may stumble upon this blog, make sure to follow us on Facebook and twitter as well to help you waste a little more time. You get credit and we get follows, win win.
Electric bus sounds like it could be the next big thing to hit the music scene. Although it would make a good band name, it’s not the next big thing in music, but it is the next big thing in green transportation. We’ve seen the push for electric cars, so going electric with buses seems to be the next logical step. They are larger, use more fuel than a car, run (and typically pollute the air) in high population areas and they could stand a boost in popularity. We are starting to see electric buses pop up around the world. South Korea started rolling out electric buses, and recently Louisville, Kentucky launched a fleet of ten fully electric buses. If we see success from these new buses being on the street, hopefully other cities will follow suit. Replacing current buses with new electric ones not only will have a great impact on the environment, but the new updated buses could attract new riders. More riders sharing a bus to work means less cars on the road, and when those gas-powered cars are replaced by one giant electric bus, we all win.
There’s no excuse for not using the bus anymore. Eclipse, a black Labrador in Seattle, Washington, uses the bus to get to the dog park. I know what you’re thinking; “a lot of owners take their dog on the bus to get places…” That is true, and also admirable, but this dog takes the bus ALONE! Eclipse and his owner live a few blocks from the dog park and right in front of the bus stop. Eclipse and his owner will wait at the bus stop while his owner smokes a cigarette. Sometimes Eclipse’s owner doesn’t finish his cigarette in time so the dog will jump on the bus without him and meet him at the dog park. The bus driver and commuters all know Eclipse by now because this is a normal occurrence. They all enjoy when Eclipse is on the bus. They say he grabs an open seat and watches out the window for his stop where he gets off when the bus opens the doors. So the next time you think that you can’t take the bus because you don’t know the schedule, or you’re afraid you’d miss your stop, or whatever other excuse you have, just remember that in Seattle, Washington there is a dog that has already figured it all out.
Ford attended CES this year and decided to debut something a little different than what you’d expect from a car company at a consumer electronics show. Rather than self-driving cars, or new battery tech, Ford outlined their “Smart Mobility” project. The Smart Mobility project has launched over twenty-five experiments around the world that are aimed at learning about how we drive and improving the way we drive. Some of the experiments target issues like traffic congestion, and parking, and recharging electric cars. Other experiments include a remotely driven vehicle so that you can remotely drive your car from its parking space to your front door. They are also looking at tracking driver behavior so that insurance companies can more accurately calculate rates on a driver-by-driver basis. Ford has information on all twenty-five of their experiments on their website if you’d like more detail. Lastly, they didn’t debut a self-driving car, but they did promise one was in the works and that they’d be looking to make it available to the masses at some point when the tech is locked down.
We've all been stuck in traffic before and we all typically hate it. The cause of the accident is never anything good. Usually road construction, an accident, rubbernecking, but once in a blue moon there can be a little excitement. On a busy highway in Hong Kong, an armored truck was driving when its rear door opened up and three containers of cash came falling out the back. The containers spilled more than two million dollars onto the roadway causing a traffic jam as commuters left their vehicles to snatch up some of that sweet sweet cash. Now here at Rideshare we don't condone stealing so we hope this money all gets returned, but we do like a fun and interesting commute, so for that reason we thought you'd enjoy this story. Have a happy New Year everyone, we'll see you again in 2015!
