All you Need: First Self-Driving Semi Hits American Roads Self-driving cars seem likely enough; there’s still several tech and legal hurdles to clear, not to mention the question of how much they’ll cost, but most experts inside and out of the auto industry see them as inevitable given enough time. Now, Daimler’s Freightliner unit wants to push long-haul trucking in the same direction. Unveiled atop the Hoover Dam, the Freightliner Inspiration Truck is the first semi granted a license in the United States for autonomous driving, for tests on Nevada highways (note the special license plate in the photos below.) Equipped with arrays of cameras and radars, along with extensive software controls, the two Inspiration Trucks built by Freightliner can steer in a lane, maintain speeds and brake without human intervention at highway speeds. It also has to know when to alert the driver to take control; that driver of course has to handle all non-highway duties as well. First Self-Driving Semi Hits American Roads While Freightliner has shown off concept trucks in the past, the Inspiration trucks are far less dramatic and futuristic. Freighliner execs say such models will eventually reach production, because many of the same anticipated benefits of self-driving cars — improved safety, better fuel efficiency — apply to commercial vehicles as well. But in the business world, cost matters most of all, and given how nascent the technology is, the cost benefits remain hypothetical. There’s also the issue of the people who make their living driving trucks, and what a machine like this means for them. Freightliner emphasized in its demo that the Inspiration trucks were not close to driver-free machines, saying drivers of future production models “can optimize their time on the road while also handling other important logistical tasks, from scheduling to routing.” Long-haul trucking isn’t an office job yet, but if the Inspiration truck is any guide, it may be heading down that road.

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

First Self-Driving Semi Hits American Roads Self-driving cars seem likely enough; there’s still several tech and legal hurdles to clear, not to mention the question of how much they’ll cost, but most experts inside and out of the auto industry see them as inevitable given enough time. Now, Daimler’s Freightliner unit wants to push long-haul trucking in the same direction. Unveiled atop the Hoover Dam, the Freightliner Inspiration Truck is the first semi granted a license in the United States for autonomous driving, for tests on Nevada highways (note the special license plate in the photos below.) Equipped with arrays of cameras and radars, along with extensive software controls, the two Inspiration Trucks built by Freightliner can steer in a lane, maintain speeds and brake without human intervention at highway speeds. It also has to know when to alert the driver to take control; that driver of course has to handle all non-highway duties as well. First Self-Driving Semi Hits American Roads While Freightliner has shown off concept trucks in the past, the Inspiration trucks are far less dramatic and futuristic. Freighliner execs say such models will eventually reach production, because many of the same anticipated benefits of self-driving cars — improved safety, better fuel efficiency — apply to commercial vehicles as well. But in the business world, cost matters most of all, and given how nascent the technology is, the cost benefits remain hypothetical. There’s also the issue of the people who make their living driving trucks, and what a machine like this means for them. Freightliner emphasized in its demo that the Inspiration trucks were not close to driver-free machines, saying drivers of future production models “can optimize their time on the road while also handling other important logistical tasks, from scheduling to routing.” Long-haul trucking isn’t an office job yet, but if the Inspiration truck is any guide, it may be heading down that road.

The 27-year-old son son of China’s richest man is causing quite a stir in Shanghai after posting photos of his dog wearing two gold Apple Watches (AAPL) with the caption, “I have new watches! I'm supposed to have four watches since I have four long legs. But that seems too uncouth so I kept it down to two, which totally fits my status. Do you have one?”

The photos were uploaded to Chinese social media site Weibo, (WB) where the heir maintains a page dedicated to his dog. The posts have recieved more than 6,000 comments so far - many of which are laced with outrage and jealousy.

Apple's gold watches retail for between $10,000 and $17,000 per watch depending on specifications and currently have a 3 to 4 week wait time.

Wang Sicong is the son of Wang Jianlin who runs the real estate development company Dalian Wanda and is worth approximately $34 billion.

This isn’t the first time the younger Wang has caused an uproar. On May 1st he posted a photo of the same Husky with a Fendi bag around his neck with the caption, “My daddy said I am a sled dog and count as part of the workforce. He got me this bag as a gift for Labor Day." The dog reportedly lives a lavish lifestyle. According to Chinese news agencies, he only drinks Fiji water and is walked with Hermes leashes.

Sicong Wang also upset Chinese press on Valentine’s Day when he remarked that his potential girlfriends were required to be buxom. The comments caused Chinese state-run news agency,Xinhua, to write a 1300 word column condemning them.

Wang's father who also owns movie-theatre chain AMC, blamed his son’s Western education on his faux pas saying that he had not yet learned Chinese subtlety.

Sicong Wang currently owns 2% of Dalian Wanda.

All you Need

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

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