Hasta La Gadget!

Commissioner Steve Stuart of Clark County, Vancouver, wants to tax bikes in order to pay for new bikes lanes and trails. Speaking on Wednesday he said “We license our dogs. You license your car. Why wouldn’t you license your bikes?”

Stuart is just trying to find money to improve cycling infrastructure, and proposes neither a mandatory fee nor enforcement: “Certainly, we’re not going to be sending sheriff’s deputies out there to check bicycle licenses,” he said.

Neither would the fee be excessive. Stuart, a cyclist himself, cites the dog licensing fee in the county, which is $16: “I can’t imagine even suggesting something higher than that. And I imagine something significantly lower.”

So, the fury from some quarters over this suggestion seems to be unfounded, but there is an interesting question. Should bikes be taxed to pay for bike lanes? After all, as Stuart says, cars are taxed, and this pays for roads. Or does it? I imagine that most of these tax dollars go elsewhere. And cars are a big environmental problem — heavy taxes on both cars and fuel are helpful to discourage use. Bikes are pretty benign to our world in comparison.

This seems like an ideal debate for the comments. Do you think that cyclists should pay (lets imagine that it would be possible to actually implement a yearly tax on non-registered vehicles)? Or should oil-drinking, fume-belching cars take the heat and subsidize a greener and healthier way of life?

County to consider bike license fee [Columbian]
Clark County commission broaches idea of tax on bikes [KGW via Bike Hacks]

Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Wired

While the global economic crisis has swept aside a number of early innovators in mobile technology, Light Blue Optics finds itself flush with cash this morning. Having secured $15 million in funding, the UK outfit now plans to have its laser-based pico projection engine to OEMs by the end of the year; a move that should result in a tiny retail projector sometime in the first half of 2010. Why should you care? Well, unlike all those LED-based pico projectors now saturating the market, laser-based projectors offer more vivid colors and the ability to auto-focus that mobile image as it’s moved about. Even better, LBO has touch-enabled the system allowing users to interact with the projected display. A second generation engine about the size of a sugar cube will ultimately allow the technology to be embedded in mobile devices like cellphones as we’re already seeing with LED-based engines. Since the supplied image above totally misrepresents the first generation device, we’ve embedded a video of the tech, first published in March, after the break. Skip to the 3-minute mark if you want to avoid the pitch.

[Via PicoProjector-info]

Continue reading Light Blue Optics’ touch-based laser projector hitting manufacturers in Q4 — will look nothing like this image

Filed under: Displays

Light Blue Optics’ touch-based laser projector hitting manufacturers in Q4 — will look nothing like this image originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Jul 2009 03:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Topless Robot: R2D2 has done many things in his storied career. Carried Death Star plans. Slaughtered battle droids. Shot lightsabers out of his head. Served booze.

But now, thanks to Japan, he can help keep your anus clean as this toilet paper cozy, which… I don’t know. I’m just too dead inside today to feel much of anything. I wish it were because I want to already be on holiday, or because I’m still sleepy, but no. I know what’s coming up. The Pokémon story.

R2D2 Assists Number Twos [Topless Robot]

(Credit: Gateway)

The $299 Netbook club is getting a little bit bigger with the announcement of Gateway’s 10.1-inch LT2000. Gateway calls it “a sleek and compact,” system that will, “let mobile customers maximize their time on the go to stay connected and productive.” We call it a Gateway-branded version of corporate-cousin Acer’s popular Aspire One (also available for $299).

Like the Acer models, the Gateway LT2000 supports some basic multi-touch gestures on its touchpad, and it will be available in red and black (sorry, that’s actually “NightSky Black and Cherry Red”).

Look for it to be available to order starting today. Click through for more pics and specs….

After giving AMD the first crack, Gateway is issuing its second bona fide netbook with an Intel Inside(R) sticker instead. The LT2000 is a 10.1-inch machine with a list of specifications that any avid netbook follower could spout off in their sleep. For everyone else, here goes: a 1.6GHz Atom N270 CPU, LED-backlit 1,024 x 600 resolution display, 1GB of DDR2 memory, 160GB 5400RPM hard drive, GMA950 graphics set, a card reader, built-in webcam, twin stereo speakers, a trio of USB 2.0 sockets, three-cell battery and a chassis that tips the scales at 2.62 pounds. Gateway’s making these available as we speak for $299.99, with the LT2001u receiving a NightSky Black coating and the LT2021u arriving with a Cherry Red outfit. The full release is after the break.

Continue reading Gateway gives Intel a go with Atom N270-equipped LT2000 netbook

Filed under: Laptops

Gateway gives Intel a go with Atom N270-equipped LT2000 netbook originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Jul 2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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