Michigan wllz

The Gibbs Humdinga was initially developed as a concept for the military. The company is now developing similar vehicles for use first responders.

You’ve capsized your small boat on a desolate, private lake. No one is around to help, but you manage to get a call out from your cellphone. First responders from the Fire Department arrive in a matter of minutes, but before they can get to you, they have to back up the truck and put the boat in the water. Ten minutes later, they finally motor over to your sinking vessel.

Now, picture the same scenario, but instead of a boat, the first responders arrive in an amphibious vehicle. Five seconds after hitting the water at the beach — it’s closer to the fire station than the boat ramp — the amphibian is on plane and heading out to help you.

Read the whole story at Amphibous wllz

Mark Horvath is telling the story of the homeless

There is meaning in the name of Mark’s video blog. He explains that some homeless are passed on the street as if they don’t exist. As if they are invisible. Others are ignored the way one would disregard a piece of trash on the sidewalk. Mark’s goal is to make homeless visible to everyone.

This summer, InvisiblePeople.tv is traveling across America to capture the stories of people without a home. By visiting tent cities, motels, and other modern-day accommodations for people without a home, this tour will unearth the modern-day realities of homelessness while providing a venue for “invisible” people to tell their story, raw and unedited.

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Look, no hands!

If you fear parallel parking, you are in good company. Technology available in the 2010 Ford Flex and Lincoln MKT can remove that anxiety by managing this challenging chore for you. Not only does Active Park Assist perform the difficult parallel parking maneuver, it also will help you find a parking space large enough for the vehicle to fit in.

Active Park Assist — How It Works

The push of a single button activates Active Park Assist, and the system begins scanning for an appropriate parking spot. When a suitable space is detected, an audible signal will sound, and the cluster-mounted message center will display a “space found” notification.

Active Park Assist will coach the driver with a prompt when to stop, shift to reverse and let the system take over. The system will not select an inappropriately sized space.

Park Assist will calculate the appropriate trajectory, regardless of the distance between your vehicle and the vehicle parked in the space just ahead. All steering is performed by the system, so the driver only needs to brake. Active Park Assist also properly positions the vehicle relative to the curb.

If the vehicle is not positioned properly in the space, the system will continue to coach the driver for proper placement. The driver will shift and brake normally, but the system steers the vehicle throughout the maneuver.

Active Park Assist is enabled by Electric Power Assist Steering (EPAS) which is standard on 2010 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with the 3.5-liter EcoBoostTM V-6.

Active Park Assist is optional on the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 equipped Ford Flex and Lincoln MKT, on sale late this summer.

Watch this video at this link for a demonstration:
http://www.thefordstory.com/smart-technology/let-your-car-parallel-park-itself-with-active-park-assist/

DEARBORN, Mich. – With the warm Arizona wind pelting his forehead and his entire body vibrating from the mighty roar of the engine, Roger Keeney took a brand new 2010 Ford Mustang convertible on an amazing ride, doing donuts on the pavement and amassing speeds of up to 90 mph.

This would be a thrill for anybody but what makes this truly remarkable is that fact that Keeney has been blind for the past 20 years.

Sixty-two-year-old Keeney, who lives in Athens, Ga., won the chance to drive the new 2010 Mustang by participating in “The ‘10 Unleashed” promotion, which asked people to describe their ultimate Mustang dream experience in 250 words or less. A video diary chronicling his extraordinary ride will be featured starting today at www.the2010mustang.com.

“When I got the phone call from Ford saying that I had won, I thought someone was playing a joke on me,” said Keeney, who lost his sight in a farming accident.

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