Please Do Not Dare The Train

http://englishrussia.com/?p=2367

You can imagine what a game called “Dare The Train” is, right?  That’s when you lay down on the tracks so the speeding train goes over you.  Even better, so the train does not see you and brake, you run at the train first and then throw yourself flat on the ground at the right time so the conductor doesn’t have a chance.

Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t mind in the least the eventual bodily injury and death of people stupid enough to do this.

It would, however, almost certainly make us commuters late for work.  And the health and well-being of a person stupid enough to do this is not worth me missing my morning bagel.

Debut Flight of World's First Flying Car (w/VIDEO)

The world's 'first flying car' has made its debut flight, soaring over the skies of the U.S.A. and turning concept into reality. The Terrafugia Transition drove down the runway, then took off and flew through the skies, before landing safely at the New York airstrip, paving the way for personal flight transport.

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True Tales of Bad Drivers

If you thought typing a text message while dodging traffic at 65 mph was dangerous (it is), consider the perils of shaving your legs, reading a book or lifting weights while driving — all of which (and more) are happening on America's roads — every day.

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10 Cars for More than Commuting

Let's face it, if the economy doesn't improve soon, we're all going to be living out of our cars, so think of these vehicles as a down payment on our dystopian, post-apocalyptic future.

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8 Enjoyable, Efficient Cars for Less Than $18,000

Comfort, performance, reliability - you'll be amazed at what you can get when you go economy.

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Google Earth: The 20 Most Traffic-Congested Cities In USA

From New York to San Bernardino, drivers in America's cities live in their cars. Below we take an in-depth look at the nation's 20 most traffic-congested cities.

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Does Your Car Know What TPMS Is?

Although looked down upon, and looking very technologically backward, the tires are actually one of the most critical elements in a car. They are one of the most important factors in driving on various surfaces (dry or icy) and are vital system components when trying to prevent accidents.

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The 5 Best iPod Car Adapters

So your car doesn't have an iPod dock. Rather than scrapping your mp3 player for burned cds, (or scrapping your car, for that matter) owners of dockless vehicles can patch together a method for streaming their MP3s through the built-in stereo. Effort and expense will vary, and some setups will sound much better than others.

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Layoff Insurance? Hmmmm…

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/03/05/layoff.insurance/index.html

I’m not sure how I feel about the logic behind this new idea.  You’ve booked a trip.  Typically one of those “no refunds” sort of dealies.  Then you lose your job before you take the trip.  Can you get your money back?

My first thought, which I see covered in the article, is “If you were worried about a layoff, why are you spending so much money on a big trip in the first place?”  Maybe it’s true that some layoffs sneak up on you so fast that you just walked in one morning and there was a box for your stuff on your desk, fair enough.  But how was your company doing?  Had they been doing layoffs, and you just thought you were immune?  Were you watching projects get cancelled, lots of behind doors meetings of big executives? Couldn’t you have maybe seen that now is not a great time to be spending your savings?

Laid Off? Stay Positive

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/03/05/job.search.tips.industry/index.html

I’m happy to see advice like this.  Getting laid off is bad, especially in an economy like this.  But it doesn’t immediately go from pink slip to “I’m going to lose the house oh my god what should I do?!”

Survive The Layoff is my attempt to address a similar issue.  I wrote it when I got laid off, and deliberately stayed away from the “tips to write a better resume / have a great interview” sort of material.  Instead I tried to focus on keeping your mental and emotional well-being in order.  How to not panic, and take stock of what’s the best – and, yes, worst – that can happen.

Good luck in your search, job seeker.  We here at Commute Smarter know that nobody loves their commute, but you start to miss it when you’re waking up each morning with no place to go.  Hope to see you back on the roads soon.

The Worst Cars for the Money

No carmaker is perfect. Each has best and worst sellers, hits and misses. And while plenty of cars are generally good values, there are a few that don't make as much sense when you work out the calculations over time. That's where our new list comes in: the Worst Cars for the Money.

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GM, Ford, Toyota Post Bleak February

GM's U.S. light-vehicle sales fell 53% last month, while Ford's dropped 48% and Toyota's declined 40%. Other auto makers will report later in the day.

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Bike Sharing In Boston

http://blogs.bostonmagazine.com/boston_daily/2009/03/03/bike-sharing-may-come-to-boston/

I don’t commute to Boston anymore, but as someone who walked 25 minutes across town twice a day I think I would have liked it.  Imagine “ZipCars”, only for bikes:  you subscribe to the service, and that gives you the necessary “keys” to unlock a bike at any of the designated stations, use it for a few hours, and return it (to the nearest spot, not necessarily the one where you got it).  So I could have taken a bike, in theory, from North Station to Park Plaza every day.

As the article notes, this plan is loaded with problems, too, as it puts more bicycles on the road to get into accidents via potholes and crazy drivers and sideview mirrors.

But at least it’s an idea, and it’s probably worth a shot.  There’ll always be somebody who says “Yes, but if you do that, here’s what will go wrong.”  There are no perfect ideas.  You just have to decide whether the benefits outweigh the costs.  If this gets cars off the streets of Boston, and gets me (and my fellow commuters) to work faster?  I’m all for it.

Burning Fuel: The Average Car vs. Humans (INFOGRAPHIC)

Cars use gas to power themselves, just as people use food. And energy is energy, no matter where you get it. So, how many calories are in a gallon of gas? How does that compare to our food?

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America's 100 Worst Intersections

The Cross Bronx Expressway, that fume-choked expanse of concrete and steel that slices through New York City's mainland borough, occupies a uniquely tragic place in the history of urban planning. It displaced more than 60,000 middle-class residents during its construction between 1948 and 1963, and it cost $250 million--more than any highway proje

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