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| The bicycle thieves |
A bike loan scheme designed to help cut congestion in Milan was abandoned after only one day, when just four of the 500 cycles given out were returned.
Bright spark
An elderly driver caught by police after a 30km chase the wrong way down a Malaysian highway claimed he was fleeing from scary flashing lights. |
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| Catfish power |
A Vietnamese catfish processor is planning to turn leftover catfish fat into fuel to run diesel engines. The company, which makes products including sweet and sour catfish and breaded catfish fillets, has been using the fuel to run pumps at its fish ponds in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang in southern Vietnam.
The company reports that the fuel is as good as diesel, and that one kilogramme of catfish fat could produce 1.13 litres of biofuel. |
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| Sign language |
Council officials in Wales were left red-faced after discovering cyclists were being confused by a road sign telling them they had a bladder problem. Officials had translated the command 'cyclists dismount' from English into Welsh for the sign between Penarth and the capital Cardiff, but thanks to an online language translation service, the result had been the baffling phrase 'Llid y bledren dymchwelyd',
which roughly translates as 'bladder inflammation overturn'.
The sign is being replaced. |
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| Wwwacky website |
Our website this month is one for people who take being parted from the seat of their pants very seriously. www.rcdb.com www.rcdb.com is a comprehensive run-down of the fastest, scariest, most upside-down roller-coasters in the world, and is packed with facts and figures on velocity, g-force, number of inversions and length of track, as well as inside information about where the next thrill ride is opening.
For some of us, these statistics may take the fun out of the fairground, but sadly for others, they just make it all the more exciting. |
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Volume 11.09
September 2006 |
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Hello Welcome to the September issue of Fleettorque, brought to you by Fleetcare!
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New MINI |
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 The cheeky new look of the redesigned MINI has recently been revealed, although it won't arrive here until the second quarter of 2007.
Obvious changes are the new, bigger headlamps which have integrated direction indicators. And the revised chrome-plated grille design with three horizontal slats for the MINI Cooper and hexagonal mesh for MINI Cooper S.
The interior is all-new and ultra-modern with a larger high-set iconic Centre Speedo, which is also home to the audio and entertainment and (optional) navigation controls and displays. There is an added touch of luxury to the MINI too with the option of classic leather lounge seats complete with hand-sewn leather piping and an easy-to-use stop/start button to avoid fumbling with the keys.
Full specification and pricing for the Australian market will be announced closer to the new MINI's launch here. |
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Anger bar is a big hit |
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 A Chinese bar is actively encouraging its customers to beat up the staff. The Rising Sun Anger Release Bar in Nanjing lets customers smash glasses, rant and even hit specially trained workers in an effort to vent their pent-up aggression.
Most of the bar's customers are women working in the service or entertainment industries, who come in regularly to let off steam. The bar employs 20 men who have been issued with protective gear and undergone physical training to prepare them for the job.
Customers can ask the staff to dress as the person they most want to thump, but if that doesn't help, the most stressed-out clients are offered counselling by psychology students recruited from local universities. |
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Get glowing |
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 Badly lit roadsigns at night are destined to become a thing of the past thanks to clever new 'glow-in-the-dark' technology.
The new signs don't need bulbs or a powerful electricity supply, as they are printed on special material that shines on its own when powered by a small current.
The new signs are currently undergoing trials where it is anticipated that they will eventually be installed beside freeways. |
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P and q |
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 Frequent air travellers often crave peace and quiet while in the air, but the deep thrum of the plane's engines is hard to shut out. Noise-cancelling headphones are usually exorbitantly expensive, but Sony has recently introduced a pair of earbud noise-cancellers that are reasonably priced and still do the job.
The new Sony MDR-NC11 Headphones vastly reduce background noise at the flick of a discrete switch on the earphones themselves and are very competitively priced, at around $150. For more info, go to www.sony.com.au |
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Don't eat and drive |
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 Eating and drinking while driving almost doubles the risk of a car crash, although three-quarters of motorists stuff their faces while in charge of a vehicle without giving it a second thought, according to new research.
Boffins at the UK's Brunel University used a driving simulator to test the reaction times of a group of drivers while they were eating lollies and drinking from a bottle of water. Their results showed that, although the drivers tried to compensate by driving more slowly, because they are distracted by eating and drinking they are twice as likely to be unable to brake in time to avoid a collision.
The research follows a well-publicised case in London when a driver was fined $150 for eating an apple at the wheel.
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