Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 |
Mac Mini and KITT The Knight Rider
As it turns out, the 6.5"x2" Apple Mac Mini is just the right size to fit into a car stereo single-DIN compartment. And Melvin Benzaquen, president of Classic Restorations in Sloatsburg, NY, is already working on Mini Mac Auto conversions.
This clearly changes what Apple and Steve Jobs have seen as the ideal sales pitch for the Mini - from BYODKM (bring your own display, keyboard and mouse) to just BYOC - bring your own car, and let Apple Macintosh add the brain.
(From In-dash Mac Mini)
SF enthusiasts (and present-day late night TV addicts) may recall KITT - the artificially intelligent car on the hit series Knight Rider starring ageless cameomaster Michael Hassellhoff. The voice for KITT - a pimped (that's 'customized', for older readers) black TransAm - was provided by William Daniels. The car both talked and was able to accept voice commands.
KITT - the Knight Rider's Ride
A suitable car equipped with a Mac Mini for a brain shouldn't have any trouble with those features. The Mac Mini supports both voice recognition and voice response, allowing for handsfree operation while driving. It also supports Bluetooth, which means that many of the peripheral devices you may already have (like wireless cell phones, keyboards, mice, etc.) will all work fine in your new car. And of course, the 40 GB of storage has plenty of room for your media.
Check the KITT interior
Other cars in science fiction have advanced features; consider the pizza delivery car from Neal Stephenson's 1992 novel Snow Crash:
The Deliverator's car has enough potential energy packed into its batteries to fire a pound of bacon into the Asteroid Belt...The pizza box is a plastic carapace now ... there are chips and stuff in there... Each pizza glides into a slot like a circuit board into a computer, clicks into place as the smart box interfaces with the onboard system of the Deliverator's car... the car computes and projects the optimal route on a heads-up display, a glowing colored map traced out against the windshield..."
For more science-fictional car features, see Adaptive Cruise Control and Electronic Number Plate RFID Keeps Tabs On Vehicles. For more on Mac Mini cars (what if you put a Mac Mini in a Mini Cooper - Mac Mini Cooper?) see Mac mini: In-dash, In-car Computing to See Boost from Mini Mac, and Custom Mini Mac Auto Installations press release. Finally, learn more about Apple's Mac Mini.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 1/13/2005)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 38 )
Related News Stories - (" Vehicle ")
Musk Idea Of Cars Talking To Each Other Predicted 70 Years Ago
'My cars talk to one another.' - Isaac Asimov, 1953.
Waymo And Tesla 'Autonomous Cabs' Are Piloted By Remote Drivers
‘Where to, sport?’ the starter at cab relay asked. - Philip K. Dick, 1957.
Maybe It's Too Soon To Require Autonomous Mode
'I hope all those other cars are on automatic,' he said anxiously. - Arthur C. Clarke, 1976.
Caterpillar Electric Mining Loader Not Yet Ready For Moon
'...the excavations were already in progress, for he saw gray slopes of rubble.' Jack Williamson, 1939.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Current News
Musk Idea Of Cars Talking To Each Other Predicted 70 Years Ago
'My cars talk to one another.'
Elegant Bivouac Shelter Produces Water And Electricity
'There was nowhere on the planet where science and technology could not provide one with a comfortable home...'
X-Control Janus-1 A Suitcase Aircraft
'You will notice that it... fits the suitcase nicely.'
'AI Assistants' Are Actually Less Reliable For News
'Most men updated their PIP on New Year's Day...'
YES!! Remote Teleoperated Robots predicted by Technovelgy!
'...a misshapen, many-tentacled thing about twice the size of a man.'
Will Robots Ever Fold Landry?
Where have you gone, Mrs. Robinson?
Will AIs Give Better Results If You're Rude To Them?
'I said, "Listen up, motherf*cker.'
Cybertruck Robotic Arm F10 Drone Launch!
Drone away!
Black Fungus Blocks Radiation
'You were surrounded by Astrophage most of the time'
Liuzhi Process Now In Use In China
'He was in a high-ceilinged windowless cell with walls of glittering white porcelain.'
Reflect Orbital Offers 'Sunlight on Demand' And Light Pollution
'I don't have to tell you about the seven two-mile-diameter orbital mirrors...'
Will Robots Become Family Caregivers?
'The robant and the tiny old woman entered the control room slowly...'
Chinese Tokamak Uses AI To Keep Fusion Plasma Stable
'Guy named Otto Octavius winds up with eight limbs... What are the odds?'
Time Crystals Can Now Be Seen Directly
'It is as you thought when you constructed the time crystal, my master Vaylan.'
RoboBallet The Dance Of Cooperative Robots
'...an integrated seven-unit robot team.'
Chrysalis Generation Ship to Alpha Centauri
'This was their world, their planet —
this swift-traveling, yet seemingly moveless vessel.'
