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| Whizzer and chips |
Chip factory workers in the UK had a fright when they came across parts of an unexploded world war two bomb in a batch of potatoes from northern France and Belgium. The York plant of McCain Foods, the world's largest producer of frozen chips, was evacuated when a worker spotted a shell tip among the potatoes as they were being cleaned for slicing, and then again a day later when a whole hand grenade came to light. This is something of an occupational hazard as many wartime battlefields are now used to growing root vegetables. |
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| I said mustard... |
A takeaway stand in Muenster, Germany was completely destroyed when the glass cockpit bonnet of a vintage World War Two US fighter P51 Mustang dropped off in mid-flight overhead and landed right on top of it. The 1942 plane was on its way to the Berlin airshow when the accident happened. Luckily no-one was hurt, although debris from the glass covering from the single-propeller plane just missed a pedestrian. |
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| Smart in the spotlight |
Known for its sensible practicality rather than its movie star good looks, it's a bit surprising to see a Smart fortwo on the big screen in the blockbuster film version of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. But, perhaps more amazing in this age of blatant product placement is that Mercedes didn't pay a cent to put their baby centre stage. Apparently, the car was mentioned specifically in the original book and the film-makers were keen to keep the faith.
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| Wwwacky website |
It may not be a surprise to learn that the Kiwis Google the word 'sheep' on the internet more than any other nationality. But they're also just as likely to be searching for the word 'girlfriend', which they plug into Google only slightly less often than we Aussies.
These fascinating national stereotypes are plain to see on a newly launched website at www.google.com/trends, which keeps track of the number of times specific phrases are plugged into the search engine in each country. Google says that the point of the site is to give an insight into broad search patterns, but warns that the system is still in the early stages of development.
That's something the Irish might like to console themselves with when they read that they are the most likely nation to be searching the word 'lonely'. |
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Volume 11.06
June 2006 |
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Hello Welcome to the June issue of Fleettorque, brought to you by Fleetcare!
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Is it a bike, is it a plane? |
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 Well neither, actually, although at the same time, a bit of both. The Carver One is billed as a sports car, but it tilts into corners a bit like a bike and its 68bhp 660cc turbocharged Daihatsu engine means it certainly flies.
Designed by Dutch firm Vandenbrink and developed with help from engineering firm Prodrive, the Carver One is the first of a new wave of three-wheelers - VW and BMW have similar designs under development, but this is the one that finished first.
The Carver One is built on a steel chassis and its engine drives two 15-inch rear wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox. At the front is a single 17-inch motorbike style wheel, which does all the steering and tips the vehicle by as much as 45 degrees on the corners. Inside, there are two racing seats in tandem, and a removable roof.
A bit of a thrill ride, the Carver One does 0-60 in eight seconds, but with a price tag of $69,000, many buyers might prefer to save their money for something with an extra wheel. |
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Music and movement |
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 Nike and Apple Computer have teamed up to create what they're sure will be a runaway success - the Nike+iPod Sport Kit, the first trainer to be fitted with a wireless system to connect to a runner's iPod.
A sensor in the shoe links to the iPod and choreographs the music to match the runner's pace and a motivational song can even be cued up ready to inspire a final burst of energy at the push of a button. The iPod can also be used to store data on the athlete's running time, distance, pace and calories burned.
The Nike+iPod Sport Kit is expected to be available here in the next month priced at $49.00 RRP including GST through www.apple.com.au and Apple Authorised Resellers. |
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Jeep Commander |
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 This is Jeep's new Commander, a 4WD seven-seater that the American company hopes will give Toyota, Ford, Mitsubishi and Nissan a run for their money in the big family category.
Although the Commander is only four centimetres longer and eight centimetres higher than Jeep's Grand Cherokee, the two rows of rear seats are tiered for better vision and the second-row seats are 11 centimetres higher than the front row and the third row seats are 12 centimetres higher than the second row, making squeezing the kids in a bit more comfortable.
Safety features across the range include a stability program with an anti-rollover mechanism, anti-lock brakes, a tyre pressure monitoring system, front and rear curtain airbags and dual front airbags. There are five models in the Commander range, which starts at $54,990 for the 4.7-litre V8 up to $71,990 for the flagship 5.7-litre Hemi V8 Limited model. |
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Bling bling |
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 It may not be pretty, but this piece of jewellery is certainly highly valuable to a tired driver.
It's a hi-tech rubber bracelet, fitted with a microchip that gives an occasional bleep to prompt the driver to shake his or her wrist. If the wrist shake is too sluggish, the microchip knows that the driver isn't alert and gives out a warning that it's time to take a break.
The bracelet was invented by a British university student, who is hoping that one of the major car manufacturers will buy the design and put it into production. |
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Blue sky thinking |
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 Stressed out Japanese business people will soon be able to get an instant pick-me-up at every convenience store just by buying a branded can of fresh air.
O2 Supli comes in a 3.2 litre can and is aimed at boosting the oxygen intake of exhausted executives who work too hard and don't breathe as deeply as they should. Each O2 Supli can holds about 35 doses of 95 per cent pure oxygen and comes with a small plastic mask for ease of inhaling.
The oxygen cans are available in a choice of two fragrances, with peppermint recommended as an early morning refresher and grapefruit to keep customers going while they play sport or put in some extra hours at the office.
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