Now isn't this interesting.
Mercedes, to promote their new fuel cell car, which they say is invisible to the environment, decided to run a marketing campaign where the car becomes invisible.
It's called computer-aided adaptive camouflage, where a camera on one side of the vehicle transmits an image to a display (in this case a mat of LEDs) on the other side.
From a distance, the car actually does seem to disappear, or at least blend in well enough to be hard to pick out.
But that only works if you look at it straight on. If you're to the side, the illusion is shattered. But that's one of the problems of this type of camouflage. But it's a start. And I'm sure there's someone working on a Harry Potter-style invisibility cloak ...
Showing posts with label cars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cars. Show all posts
Friday, March 9, 2012
Thursday, July 21, 2011
New car/old car
I like having a car. Both Heather and I drive, and technically, we do need them to get to work. Transport links being what they are in Leicester (read: crap), you need one to get around.
Unfortunately, my car, being Fiat, has decided, now it's ten years old, that it wanted to develop problems. Of the expensive kind. I think I understand why they're nicknamed fix-it-again-tomorrow.
Anyway, I've now got to decide whether to scrap it, fix it, or part-exchange it for a new one. Fix it is out of the question; I'm looking at almost a £1000 bill for repairs over the next year, which I can't afford. I'm loath to just scrap it, mainly because I've never been without a car since I turned 18, but also because I need it to get to work. So that leaves part-exchange. Ooh, the fun! On the plus side, I could get a nice nippy little Nissan Micra, so not all bad.
Writing-wise, the plan for Serial Psyence is progressing well. It's deviating a little from the outline, but I expected that. Besides, it'll probably alter again when I start writing it. I imagine it sounds like an odd way to do things, but the plan holds the story together, giving me a backbone on which to structure it, and the characters do have a tendency to go their own when once I'm writing.
In other news, since getting the review from A Tale of Many Reviews (who I shall be forever grateful to for giving me my very first review), I've got several more people interested in reviewing Liberator's Ruin. With luck, they'll all love it.
Unfortunately, my car, being Fiat, has decided, now it's ten years old, that it wanted to develop problems. Of the expensive kind. I think I understand why they're nicknamed fix-it-again-tomorrow.
Anyway, I've now got to decide whether to scrap it, fix it, or part-exchange it for a new one. Fix it is out of the question; I'm looking at almost a £1000 bill for repairs over the next year, which I can't afford. I'm loath to just scrap it, mainly because I've never been without a car since I turned 18, but also because I need it to get to work. So that leaves part-exchange. Ooh, the fun! On the plus side, I could get a nice nippy little Nissan Micra, so not all bad.
Writing-wise, the plan for Serial Psyence is progressing well. It's deviating a little from the outline, but I expected that. Besides, it'll probably alter again when I start writing it. I imagine it sounds like an odd way to do things, but the plan holds the story together, giving me a backbone on which to structure it, and the characters do have a tendency to go their own when once I'm writing.
In other news, since getting the review from A Tale of Many Reviews (who I shall be forever grateful to for giving me my very first review), I've got several more people interested in reviewing Liberator's Ruin. With luck, they'll all love it.
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