Life & Technology

Japanese car manufacturing giant Toyota, is said to be developing an anti-drunk driving gadget that can detect high levels of alcohol on the driver and locks the ignition so you can’t start your car.

It’s not the first time such a gadget has been thought of. Several attempts have been made in the past to attempt something similar, but naysayers have managed to either state it can easily be bypassed, or that it is unworkable. Some in the United States, have even gone so far as to say that it infringes on their rights, even though recidivist drunk drivers have to have similar devices fitted to their cars.

But this is the first time a major manufacturer has mooted the idea of making a drunk-driving gadget as standard. Could it lead to a downturn in drunken driving related accidents? Well, yes and no. It would suggest that it will never stop the hardcore alcoholics who do everything drunk – whether it be cooking dinner or driving an SUV erratically on the road. But, there are a tonne of people, who are generally responsible, but for one reason or another every so often take the risk of driving when they shouldn’t. For these folk, it would probably be a sober reminder that a taxi might be a better idea.

Already skeptics are talking about the various ways you could get around the ignition being locked and that it would not do any good. However, I think this misses the point. The reason for having such a device is to stop you doing something you might otherwise do, that could result in either harming yourself or a innocent third party.

It’s almost as if some critics see the device as an excuse for attempting a behaviour that we all know is wrong, and yet it is somehow intrusive to their driving experience – at the end of the day you have to want to have the device in the first place. If you don’t want it, then don’t buy a Toyota if it comes standard.

Clip courtesy of the Nine Network Australia
Yep, it’s that time of the year again when Dad’s are in the spotlight, and I went on the Today Show on Saturday morning to talk about GPS’s.

GPS’s have come down in price overall, so the idea is to find one that meets your needs. I showcased two Navman units – the C40 and the MY30. The first unit comes in at under $200 and is your basic Satnav with a couple of features such as Advanced Lane Guidance and red light camera alerts. The second unit will cost you $100 more, but has extras such as text-to-speech street names.

TomToms XL340 is another $100, but it has a huge range of features, including IQ routes, which gives you your journey in real time (ie, it takes into account previous traffic conditions) and has MapShare technology.

Cameron was particularly impressed with the Garmin Forerunner. Although it is quite expensive, it is almost like a personal trainer that you wear on your wrist. Satellites track you as you run and gives you your time and distance at the end of the workout. It also has a Ghost Runner, whereby you set the time over a certain distance and tells you if you are going to make it or not.

Finally, there was the TomTom iPhone application, which has just been released. A very handy add-on to an iPhone, and one that I’ll certainly be taking advantage of in the near future.

Navman MY30
$299

Garmin Forerunner 405CX
$499

TomTom iPhone App
Cost: $99

Navman C40
$199

TomTom XL340
$399

A recent report out of South Australia says that Adam Internet will rollout WiMAX services to blackspots across the Adelaide metro area.

I’m all for getting people connected – you could argue that, especially in business, the Internet has become a vital service. However I do have a couple of queries with regard to the roll out – after all $12 million of tax payers money is being used.

First of all, why are residents being subsidised to the tune of $2000 each? I know that it was a tender that Adam Internet won and it is to help with set-up costs, but surely if people want a connection they should pay for it themselves, or incorporated into a plan to pay it off. Why can’t these consumers use a Telstra 3G card? And why can’t this be incorporated into the NBN – after all $12 million is a drop in the ocean when looking at the overall cost.

Before Adelaide residents in these blackspots get all upset about it, it’s nothing personal against them. This is just a case of taxpayers money being used in a way where it seems other commercial considerations might not have been taken into account.

That being said, I hope the Adelaide residents get good use out of their new connection.