Autoblog

So here we have the kind of real-time social engagement that the Internet originally promised us. A site called Brandtag allows you to enter a 1-word attribute for a brand -- like "quattro" for Audi -- and then creates a page with the popularity of any brand identifier denoted by its size on the page relative to every other tag used, i.e. a tag cloud. For instance, one of the biggest words on the Ferrari page is "red," while one of the (many) smallest words is "viagra."

Generic descriptors seem to take the biggest places for all of the brands (browse them here) and some of the small words make you wonder -- like "pirate" for BMW. Yet there are some other intriguing middle-sized words that could make you ask, "Is that what more than one person thinks when they see me?" BMW owners should take note that many people apparently see you all as a-holes (NSFW-ish), though take heart that no brand is sacred from this swarm attack. Thanks for the tip, Alex!

[Source: Brandtags]

Who would have thought that Pixar would turn out to be a prophet of the automotive industry? In creating its talking automobiles for the computer-animated film Cars, the Disney-associated studio might have done just that, as a group of engineering students in England have demonstrated.

The team at Cambridge developed a "talking" car of their own. Based on a Fiat Stilo, the prototype is capable of telling mechanics what's working and what's not. By transmitting radio signal tags, engine components can inform workshop staff of the working condition of specific parts, as well as identifying parts that haven't received recall work yet and what parts are worth salvaging should the car be heading for the scrap yard.

According to Prof. Duncan McFarlane, the team is discussing selling the technology to "a number of firms", and we hope that the feature gets adopted fast. This is one piece of tech that really speaks to us.

[Source: Auto Express]