http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1521
There is surely nothing quite as irritating as striding out of your favourite casino to find somebody else has driven off with your valet parked Ferrari F430 Spider.
This state of affairs befell Australian professional poker player Van Marcus (27) in Melbourne last week.
As Marcus attempted to make his way home at 04:30am on Friday morning he was shocked to find the valet service had given the keys to his F430 to a complete stranger.
Marcus, who has netted a cool $1m playing the odds at poker tables, was understandably livid.
The old 'lost ticket' routine
The man who sped off with the F430 in question was Adam Ramsey (32), who had been drinking and gambling at the Crown casino only to find he had locked his keys in his car when he wanted to leave around 1:30am.
Ever resourceful, Ramsey simply told casino security staff a F430 parked nearby was his and said he had lost his ticket.
After paying in $30 as a fine for his ‘lost’ valet ticket he simply filled out a personal information form, collected the keys and went hence with Ferrari. Australian police managed to track Ramsey down a mere six hours later when he stopped for fuel.
Marcus is understandably angry and the Melbourne magistrate overseeing the case agrees that the Crown casino’s valet service failed him miserably. Ramsey, a father of two, is pleading guilty to charges of theft.
Although the car was ostensibly undamaged Marcus claims it, "doesn’t even feel like my car anymore."
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Wireless car control dangers
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To many, the rampant digitisation of contemporary cars has made driving safer and more efficient.
Unfortunately there has always been an Orwellian flip-side to all these digital advances – one which postulates the possible control of all autonomous private ownership vehicle movement by a central computing input.
Well, the days of government being able to bring your car to a halt remotely might finally be upon us thanks to researchers at the Universities of California and Washington. The academics in question will present a paper at a security conference in the industrial city of Oakland to outline how they were able to hack into vehicle computer systems.
During the 1970s, when electronic control units started their proliferation in cars, all firmware was masked in a read-only memory set-up which meant it could not possibly be meddled with once fabricated.
As systems have become more complex over the years, especially in the first decade of this century, electronic engineers started employing flash memory to facilitate running changes more easily. The net result has been that most cars rolling off dealer floors now have a diagnostics port which communicates with ECUs.
If software is maliciously downloaded via the diagnostics port during a routine service, well, the sky is the limit as far as remote wireless control is concerned.
Remote control
Last year a demonstration at the decommissioned airfield in Blaine Washington State saw researchers hack into a test car's electronic braking system and prevented a test driver enacting any deceleration - no matter how much pressure was applied to the left pedal.
In related tests technicians were able to kill the engine, falsify the speedometer reading and override the ABS system to lock a wheel at a time - destabilising the car at speed. All these scenarios were achieved by plugging a laptop into the car's diagnostic system and then controlling that computer wirelessly, from a laptop in a vehicle riding next to the car.
Although the safety benefits of computer aided mechanical engineering is inarguable (especially ‘connected vehicles’ which could avoid accidents altogether), the market for malicious firmware enabled theft and remote control seem to be increasing with each digital advance.
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Transport standstill hits SA
http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1523
Not a single passenger train ran in South Africa on Monday, meaning that 2.9m commuters throughout the country where stranded.
The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) says commuters will have to make alternative transport arrangements because train services have to be suspended as Metrorail and long-distance passenger train Shosholoza Meyl’s staff are on strike from Monday.
Prasa is the controlling company of Metrorail and Shosholoza Meyl.
On Sunday Prasa senior manager Tony Gamef said that a week or so ago Prasa had begun issuing warnings about the impending strike. It was to be hoped that commuters had been able to make plans in time. Unfortunately the situation was outside Prasa’s control. Without the staff, the train drivers, guards, etc, the trains simply could not operate.
Gamef said the strike had forced Prasa’s trains to a standstill.
About 800 people work for Shosholoza Meyl and as many as 10 000 at Metrorail.
About 84% of Prasa’s personnel would participate in the strike.
The unions that are striking are demanding increases of 15%.
On Sunday afternoon United Transport & Allied Trade Union (Utatu) general secretary Chris de Vos confirmed that the strike would go ahead.
The other trade union in the dispute is the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu).
Satawu spokesperson Tinzi Lubabalo said that Prasa management's offer of 8% to employees was ludicrous. The union had been negotiating since March and now there was no turning back.
Both unions are currently also involved in a strike at Transnet, which has so far lasted a week. On Sunday afternoon they had a meeting with Transnet in an effort to resolve the dispute.
Gamef says the unions’ timing is questionable.
With only weeks to go before the World Cup the country's train services are at a standstill. And there is still no clarity as to when the strikes will end.
Satawu senior spokesperson Jane Barrett however said that there was no sinister motive behind the current wave of strikes.
There are agreements with employers in terms of which wage negotiations start in March every year. If the negotiations are not concluded by April, a dispute is declared. If the dispute is not resolved, strikes follow.
It was unfortunate that the World Cup was around the corner, but that was simply a coincidence, she said.
Lubabalo said the union's demands were not exorbitant. He reckoned employers could afford the increases demanded.
Prasa’s labour costs, he said, were less than 34% of the company's operating costs. The company was also subsidised by the state. Prasa had no grounds to say it could not afford the increases.
Barrett said the union was hoping to reach a settlement with Transnet and Prasa soon. But for now it had no option but to strike.
Transnet meanwhile said that the damage caused to its trains and infrastructure by strikers has already run to R24 million.
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Porsche Cayenne Vantage 2 by Topcar previewed
http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1524
Engineers at Russian tuning firm TopCar are showing off their newest project, the Porsche Cayenne 2. The company is hard at work completing development, which will lead to the release of the vehicle in three different packages, of which two are limited to 25 units.
Each model will feature a huge power increase of over 35% to 559 kW. They will all be offered with new side mirrors, added LED lighting, and new forged wheels.
The first of the limited models is the Porsche Cayenne Advantage 2, which is built with headlights from the 911 and a whole series of new body parts. This includes new bumpers at both ends, a redesigned bonnet, wide rear diffuser, larger wheel flares, and side skirts. Also limited is the Porsche Cayenne Vantage GTR 2, which has its original headlights, wide air intakes as part of a new front bumper, and many similar parts from the Advantage 2.
However, if you can't get your hands on one of the 50 limited models, you will have a bigger opportunity with the Porsche Cayenne Vantage 2. Like its related vehicles, it will have a whole host of aerodynamic changes, all of which are built from carbon fiber and Kevlar.
The Porsche Cayenne 2 by TopCar will be shown off in August at the Moscow International Motor Show.
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Steinmetz pimps the 2010 Opel Astra
http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1525
Steinmetz has unveiled a new styling package for the redesigned Opel Astra at Tuning World Bodensee 2010.
First and foremost, the Astra is equipped with a subtle body kit that includes a front spoiler, a black grille, and a roof-mounted spoiler. Other goodies include lowering springs (which reduce ride height 30mm), stainless steel door handles, and new ST10 wheels that measure 8.5J x 19. ST7 wheels pictured on the black Astra are also available.
Inside, the cabin is outfitted with a gear display, sill plates, and foot mats with a stainless steel Steinmetz logo.
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2010 Miss Tuning winner announced
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In a victory for hot chicks everywhere, Kristin Zippel has been named Miss Tuning 2010 during the Tuning World Bodensee event in Germany.
The 26-year-old from Mering, Germany impressed judges by looking attractive in a swimsuit and other skimpy apparel. As a result, she was awarded a Nissan Micra and an exclusive photo shoot in North America. According to Zippel, "This is crazy, I'm really looking forward to exciting events with great people, and above all the cool cars."
The qualified beauty therapist, who is training to be a surgery technical assistant, beat out Jennifer Ziegener and Irena Then for the top spot (they placed second and third, respectively).
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