There has certainly been enough on the news here of late about driving while texting to bring driver inattentiveness to the forefront of my thoughts. It’s now illegal in Texas to talk on a cell phone while in a school zone and I am making myself use my bluetooth headset while in the car and studiously ignore texts. I’ve rarely been guilty of texting while moving, but I have been known to do it at lights. I remind myself every time I get behind the wheel that no text message is worth my life or — worse yet — someone else’s.

By the end of the article, however, the authors ask an interesting question, “Will these kinds of technologies actually make drivers pay less attention behind the wheel?” They are essentially exploring the extent to which we’re evolving toward a kind of automotive auto-pilot that may instill a false sense of confidence in the driver that the car itself is taking care of them and paying attention — thus absolving the driver of the need to do so.

Essentially the same thing was said about cruise control when it first became an available option — and I have to admit, I’ve never made extensive use of cruise control on any car I’ve driven where the system was present. I’m one of those people who has to have the radio going to stay awake and I actually like having to stay alert and pay attention. Probably of all the emerging technologies, I’m most intrigued by night vision systems and that’s just a consequence of being in middle-age and wearing bifocals.

Will the cars of tomorrow offer more of a “cockpit” like experience and give the driver autopilot capability? Is that even a good idea? Or is it an inevitable evolution of the driving experience? Good food for thought as well as a nice tech read. Highly recommended article.

Visitors to the site find a simple list of vehicles available for sale with an abbreviated listing that includes all the “vitals,” plus price with basic contact information. Click a “see details” link and you’re taken out to a page with a contact form to simplify asking questions direct to the seller. (I also like the fact that the site designers opted to use the CAPTCHA anti-spam system. That’s just a little indication of web savvy that adds online “street cred” in my opinion.)

Not all the image thumbnails link out to larger versions, but some do. It’s a hit or miss process, but I suspect they’re working with what they’re given in that regard. Having said that, I was pleased with the resolution and load speed when I did click out to look at at a vintage 1947 White Firetruck. (Somebody is gonna have a blast restoring that baby.)

In the site’s right-hand column users can register a site membership and links are available to specific categories including: commercial trucks, trailers, and fleet sales (each with an “Add yours!” option) plus links and resources. All in all, UsedTruckListings.com gets a huge thumbs up for clean, down-to-business design and a clear, usable interface. If you’re in the market, this is the site to find used commercial trucks and trailers at cheaper prices offered by hundreds of truck dealers. A+

In descending order, the items Mica chose are:

- the key (to lock and unlock the car)
- a key to start the car
- the CD player and changer
- small sunroofs
- instant engine shut off/start
- incandescent light bulbs
- full-sized spare tire
- cigarette lighter
- the internal combustion engine
- the unwired car

As I looked over the items, I couldn’t help but remember:

- cars without power anything
- eight-track tape decks
- vent windows instead of AC
- the choke
- sticking your hand out the window
- the Coke bottle opener on the dash of my Dad’s 1954 Ford truck
- AM radios

Compare my list to his and the difference between available vehicles in roughly 1969 versus 2009 is readily apparent. To me, push button start, Internet onboard, a hard drive in the dash, and anything but a gas guzzling engine under the hood are nothing short of magic. Makes you wonder what we’ll be saying about transportation innovations in 2049. I’ll be 86 then and assuming the Internet has not itself become a Neanderthal construct, I’ll let you know.

Toyota has already come back on the heels of the Insight debut with promises of a hybrid Yaris — smaller and less expensive — and maybe on showroom floors by 2011. There’s also a rumor that they’ll keep the current Prius selling side-by-side with the new model. Maybe at a lower price? Right now word is the concurrent sales will only take place in Japan, but don’t be surprised if that’s not extended to the U.S.

Sure, Toyota kicked General Motors off their 77-year-old throne as world’s largest automaker, but they only did it by about 620,000 units. Their sales for March are going to be flat at best and potentially worse than the February numbers. Production will be kept low through June so they don’t get into a situation of inventory glut again.

Basically, if Toyota wants to stay on top, they need to work with what they have. The popularity of the Prius is undisputed and if they offer it in two flavors — kind of Prius and Prius-light — the public appeal would be undeniable coupled with the new Yaris offering.

That’s the one thing about getting to the top boys, there’s always someone nipping at your heels.

I was all set to look up the particulars about the actually invention, but Fox News conveniently beat me to it. (Big shock there that their fact checkers were Johnny on the Spot.)

The credit for internal combustion engines generally is given to German engineer, Karl Benz, who designed and built the world’s first practical automobile in 1885. A steam-powered car was invented in 1769 by French inventor Nicolas Cugnot. Americans, on the other hand, are given credit for the mass production of cars.

Still, gaffe notwithstanding, the President did make it clear that he’s committed to seeing the American auto industry survive. He also made it clear he’s committed to alternative energy and reversing global warming. The convergence of the two goals is where I expect to see interesting things happen.

So where’s the current financial scorecard for the Big Three? General Motors and Chrysler have received $17 billion and want another $21.6 billion. Ford is still operating under its own power and hasn’t asked for government bucks yet. Henry may not have invented the automobile, but his company, though hanging on by its fingernails, is hanging on. With economic pundits saying there will be no real recovery until 2010, we’ll wait and see what we have to say on that subject after Obama’s first “real” State of the Union address.

I don’t have a GPS, but that’s mainly because I, like most Texans, reject the proposition that I can get “lost” as long as I’m between the Red River and the Rio Grande. I do, however, commend to you the tale of a man I know — a well educated, astute fellow — who, several years ago on a trip to Europe, rented a vehicle with voice alerts and an early GPS. After arguing with the system for a couple of hours, to the amusement of his wife and son, he pulled over to the side of the road, disappeared under the dash for a few seconds, and then emerged with a fistful of wires. Problem solved. Silence achieved. He will assure you to this day it was worth every cent in damages he paid to the rental company.

I’ve written about a number of these automated systems that warn the driver about this or that — everything from night vision to gadgets that alert the driver when their attention wanders from the road. And I’m for all of them as long as the systems themselves do not become an annoying distraction. But wrong-way detection? It’s a car people, part of the joy of driving is occasionally taking the scenic route.

This kind of work is essential in bringing down vehicle weight in the quest for better fuel efficiency. Carbon fiber components are stronger and weigh less than steel, and can, potentially, be used in body panels, fenders, hoods, roofs, wheels, propeller shafts, and radiator panels. Unfortunately, widespread adoption of carbon fiber components has been held back by high production costs. Toray is currently responsible for 30 percent of the global output of carbon fiber and has an obvious, vested interest in furthering the use of its products. Last year the company opened an automotive center in Nagoya with a price tag of $24.3 million.

The partnership of the two companies is expected to concentrate on carbon fiber composites for body panels and hybrid vehicles with an emphasis on cost savings. The current global recession that has brought down fuel costs has taken some of the steam out of developments in alternative fuels and higher efficiency models, but interestingly, in the United States at least, people who changed their driving habits when gasoline was $4 a gallon have not reverted to their old ways with regular hovering around $1.60. These speaks well for the evolution of smaller, lighter, more efficient cars as does the Toray / ACE joint venture.

- Chrysler shut down for a month starting today.
- Chevy backing out of New Year’s Eve sponsorship deals.
- Ford shutting down 10 plants from Jan. 5-12.
- Toyota operating at a loss.
- Honda scrapping the NSX sports car.
- GM swearing it’s not in merger talks with Chrysler.

And the White House, thinking if it should step in.

. . . there are still some interesting automotive things going on, like Kia’s release of a teaser photo for a concept to be shown next month at the auto show in Detroit (potentially as an addition to the Soul lineup.)

The Soul will go on sale in spring 2010. It’s a boxy five-seater aimed at young drivers and outfitted with a 2-liter, four cylinder producing 140 hp.

The Detroit Show is apt to be a more subdued affair than in years past, but as always, there will be eye candy.

But buried deep in the article was something that is tech-related and something I whole-heartedly support. GM says its engineers and executives are conducting more video conferences. There’s a whole lot more involved in ending our dependence on fossil fuels than developing hybrids and alternative fuel sources. We have this great big wonderful global common denominator called the Internet and all the infrastructure on which it lives. Watched an Oprah lately? After she conducted an online class with author Eckhart Tolle and used Skype to communicate with far-flung class members, Skype video calls are now an every day part of her show.

The truth of the matter is that often now we don’t need to hop a jet or even hop in our cars to “take a meeting.” Somehow I think Congress might be more impressed with GM execs who had a $30 webcam on their desks than a $3 million plane sitting somewhere in the hangar. This little tidbit about video conferencing is at the heart of why the auto execs failed in their plea for help this week and why the American auto industry has been lagging behind for so long. This is not post-World War II industrial America. It’s the 21st century. Things can be done differently — and better — and the time has come to do them that way. Listen GM and you just might get the help you say you need.