links for 2010-02-12

I think CNN interviewed a bunch of people who have no idea how their car works. For instance: "The car came to a stop on the shoulder of the road. An overwhelming battery smell wafted through the inside of the car, he said." That'd be a brake smell… Or: "When the car stopped, the two front brakes 'had a red glow to them,' he said." Yeah, stop rapidly any time and your brakes may glow. Friction causes heat. Or: "He frantically pushed the power button. It didn't respond." If you'd read your manual you'd find out that you need to push and HOLD it for three seconds, and that's intentional so that you don't bump it during normal operations. READ YOUR MANUAL (which, to CNN's credit, is what the end of the article suggests, especially given the changes to the way the cruise control works on the 2010 models).