Let's say someone put a bomb on your bus and it can't go below 75 kph or it will explode. If that were to happen on a NYC bus you would probably be incinerated because the city has installed a new GPS device in thousands of local commuter and tourist buses. If the authorities get wind of a hijacking in progress, they can slowly stop the vehicle and prevent it from restarting via remote control. It may not work for "Speed" style situations, but for conventional hijackings, it could prove to be an effective weapon.

Read More »

It seems like a small thing to bring the CEO of Google out for, but nonetheless Google chief Eric Schmidt was on hand today to announce that Google Transit was coming to an Australian city near you. It's starting with Perth, with plans to add other Australian cities in the future.

Transit is a feature of Google Maps that helps you to plan a trip using public transport options. You enter your start address, end address and departure or arrival time, and Google will tell you how to make it happen with public transport. Of course, Google isn't the only company offering such a service. For example, Sydney's CityRail and State Transit Authority has a trip planner that can be found here. Melbourne has something similar here.