Technology is a wonderful thing and has brought us many new and exciting devices such as smart phones and laptops.  However, the Internet is easily accessible. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Furthermore, did you know that your car could be the next target for a hacker?

Recent reports have shown that it is possible to hack a car via the internet. How, you may wonder? Well if you are a computer hacker it appears to be quite easy. All the hacker needs to do is send a text message to the car’s anti-theft system and it has been shown to be possible that the text message will unlock the car doors and in some cases start the car’s engine. This can obviously lead to your car  being stolen. The U.S. Department of Transportation has enlisted the help of the security industry to build and implant some motor vehicle safeguards to help protect things like this from happening.

When we live in a world where the line between what is an electronic device and what is not becomes more and more blurry it is easy to see how these things can happen. Our devices are becoming smarter and smarter and the thing we need to always remember is that there are even smarter humans out there that will find a way to hack into them. Security measures are needed as well the need to authenticate all of our devices.

As we evolve so will the security measures. Well at least we hope they will.

[source]

[image by Jimmy_Joe on flickr]

This is a guest article written by Jayanta Chatterjee. For more information about writing a guest post for National Transport, LLC, visit our Guest Blogging Guidelines at the top of the page, or send an email to: janelle [at] unlimitedwebsolutions [dot] com. Also, don’t forget to become a fan of National Transport, LLC on Facebook, where we will be sure to feature your post!

At the heart of every new car is an idea of a designer or an engineer. However, it is not always that these designs actually reach the stage of mass manufacturing. In most cases, concept cars do not go for mass production, and remain gathering dust at a forgotten corner of the company warehouse.

However, this is not always the case. Take for example the Toyota Prius Plug-in scheduled to be available to consumers in 2012. If you are yet to get a good look at this new member of the hybrid car category, here is a quick check of the details.

The 1.8 l 4-cylinder engine of this car is efficient enough to generate higher output and torque even when the vehicle is operating at low speed. The Cool-EGR system helps lower the re-circulated exhaust temperatures and a recirculation system that makes it easier for the car to warm up in a short period.

The electric motor on this Prius makes this especially good in enhancing fuel efficiency. Depending on the driving conditions, this vehicle can take you up to 475 miles before you need to fill up.

Instead of facing the issues with large-capacity batteries, this vehicle uses small lithium-ion battery packs. The compact, lightweight battery packs offer you two advantages – it provides enough power for the vehicles and it provides enough space to accommodate five people and cargo in this car.

The convenience of charging the vehicle on any outlet makes it quite a viable option for all. If it is a 120V household outlet, the necessary charging time is 3 hours. If it is a 240V outlet, the charging time is even less, 1.5 hours.

This Toyota Prius Plug-in is sure to be one of the predecessors of future cars. Compact and fuel efficient, this car is sure to find many admirers among new-age drivers. Moreover, it takes care of the environment as well – like all hybrids, it cuts down on the emissions too.

If you want a small car for your family, and want to use it for daily commute, you may consider this vehicle.

This is a guest article written by Ben Clark. For more information about writing a guest post for National Transport, LLC, visit our Guest Blogging Guidelines at the top of the page, or send an email to: janelle [at] unlimitedwebsolutions [dot] com. Also, don’t forget to become a fan of National Transport, LLC on Facebook, where we will be sure to feature your post!

Most motorists check a range of things before investing in a car – the brakes, the engine, the miles on the clock and the history of previous owners…but who would think to check the reg plates? It might be a typical consideration now, after it was discovered that the unluckiest registration plates were those with the letter ‘Z’ in them.

The latest car news has confirmed the findings, which revealed that cars with this letter in their reg plates had the most accidents of all their A, B, C, D etc. counterparts.

It seems that the top five registrations associated with cars that cause crashes include DKY, AWZ, LGY and AAZ. Furthermore, the top five associated with cars that weren’t to blame for the crash, but were involved, included NZZ, FNJ, EYZ and AOL.

In three of the top five registrations given for at-fault insurance claims, Z was involved. Two in five plates that belong to an innocent driver feature the unlucky letter, and reg plates that include the partnership of the letter NCZ are most likely to cause a crash.

These results were collated after some 643,939 accident claims were analysed and monitored – making for interesting reading. Statistics don’t lie – if you’re looking for luck when buying a new car, don’t go for one with Z on its reg plates.

Also, if you’re superstitious, a believer in fate or even just cautious, look to cars that have the numbers two, three, eight, nine or 13 in their plates. These, according to Chinese tradition, are the luckiest numbers of all – and will help bring health and happiness.

However alongside the letter Z, numbers to avoided – says Chinese culture – include four, five, six and seven.

Despite the letters and numbers on car registration plates being mostly randomly allocated, it is thought that car buyers could take the advice into consideration when deciding which new model to invest it.

About the Author: Ben Clark is an enthusiastic author and critic who writes about various automotive themes. For more information on car news he recommends you visit http://www.carkeys.co.uk/.

Did you know that it may very well be possible to get Mesothelioma from your very own vehicle?

In the past, most major Japanese automakers (excluding Honda Motor Co.) used car parts that contained asbestos in order to manufacture close to two million vehicles between 1996 and 2005 [source]. While most are not completely tuned into Mesothelioma news, people are beginning to take notice of incidents surrounding this widely unknown disease as well as what causes it and what can be done to prevent it from occurring.

What is Mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer in which the cells of the mesothelium (a protective sac that covers most of the body’s internal organs) becomes abnormal and divide without control or order. Each year, more than 2,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed in the United States, with more men than women being at risk. The most common cause of its occurrence is a history of asbestos exposure. Read more about mesothelioma here.

Car parts and asbestos danger

Too often, the assumption has been made that asbestos is a thing of the past; no one uses it anymore. However, asbestos is still a problem for those who are involved in the automotive industry as the majority of car parts that were manufactured in the twentieth century were manufactured with asbestos. The reason for the use of asbestos in the manufacture of car parts was due, mostly, to is flame resistant, durable and inexpensive qualities. And today, while most asbestos has been banned, there are still plenty of car parts which still contain asbestos, and which still pose a real health threat to auto mechanics as well as car enthusiasts who work on vehicles.

Exposure to asbestos once or twice will not necessarily lead to a diagnosis of mesothelioma. However, repeated exposure over a period of time will more than likely lead to a diagnosis. What makes this rare type of cancer so difficult to treat is the fact that people usually do not become asymptomatic until long after they have been exposed to asbestos- usually between 15 to 25 years after exposure.

If you are thinking of doing work to your own vehicle, it may be wise to find out whether or not the car parts contain asbestos. After that, you will be better able to make a determination of how to proceed with any future work that you may choose to do to your vehicle as well as any precautions that you might need to take.

According to an article published by The Philadelphia Inquirer, gasoline prices may be back on the rise:

While pump prices rose an average 2 cents per gallon for the country as a whole – to $2.74 a gallon – the average in Southeastern Pennsylvania rose just a penny, to $2.76 per gallon. In South Jersey, the average rose 3 cents to $2.56, the auto club said. [source]

While this may seem alarming to some people, overall, we shouldn’t really be surprised if we do see gas prices climb back up. After all, it is the summer time, and the economy is not in the same state of shock that it was in a couple of years ago when gas prices reached above $5 in some parts of the country.

Though we may not see quite the same high prices for gasoline, there are some who are preparing themselves for the worst. On the other hand, with the recent BP oil crisis, if you visit any one of the BP gas stations where you live, you will probably notice that they have some of the cheapest gas prices around. No doubt, this is all in an effort to “clean up” their image. That said, summer vacation travel plans will more than likely include a few people taking advantage of car transport services versus having to put any more miles on their own vehicles or having to face high prices at the pump.

It seems as if people are still waiting for that perfect car to be unveiled by GM. Having had to live through a Chevrolet division that has produced unsafe-at-any-speed cars such as the Corvair to the less than desirable Chevrolet Cobalt, people are anxiously anticipating a ‘winner’ from GM with the lastest addition of the Cruze. To see more pictures of the Chevrolet Cruze, click here.