The Battalion
Wednesday - July 23,199
Letting go of the wheel
Experimenters test automated highway
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The nation’s first
stretch of automated highway that enables
computers to do the driving for you made its
debut Tuesday and was proudly declared by
its creators to be “really dull.”
Once the computer takes over, drivers
can take their hands off the steering wheel,
their feet off the pedals and their eyes off
the road.
“It’s really exciting for about the first 15
seconds, then it gets really dull,” said Jim
Killings of the National Automated High
way System Consortium. “It’s like driving
with a chauffeur. You just sit back and let
your mind wander.”
Tuesday’s test was purely a demonstration,
a glimpse of the future. The specially
equipped cars necessary are not even avail
able to the public. The prototype highway
should be running by 2002, but the location
has not yet been selected.
Test vehicles equipped with video cameras,
magnets and radar navigated down the na
tion’s first 7.6 miles of experimental automat
ed highway on Interstate 15.
Tiny magnets embedded in the asphalt
on either side of traffic lanes at four-foot in
tervals enable the magnetized vehicle to
constantly orient itself within the lane’s
boundaries.
The dozen cars and buses in the demon
stration project are equipped with one-inch
video cameras on their rearview mirrors or
windshields that follow visual aids along the
road. Those could be cement barriers or even
deep tracks in a snowy road.
There is no price tag for the project, but its
supporters insist it will save millions of feder
al dollars because it relies on existing infra
structure and eliminates the need for build
ing more freeway lanes.
Among the partners working to develop
the technology as members of the National
Automated Highway System Consortium are
General Motors, Lockheed Martin and
Carnegie Mellon University.
Its genesis was a 1991 federal law that em
powered the Transportation Department to
develop “fully automated, intelligent vehicle
highway systems.”
It would cost less than $ 10,000 to equip one
mile of freeway with the new technology,
compared with anywhere from $1 million to
$ 100 million to build one mile of new highway,
said Dick Bishop, a Transportation Depart
ment spokesman.
But will car-dependent Americans be will
ing to hand over control to a computer?
“We talked to older drivers, and they said
it’s because they’ve seen so many technolog
ical changes in their life, they’re used to it,”
Killings said. “I don’t know, maybe younger
people still think driving’s fun.”
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Mir crew begins to
prepare for return
MOSCOW (AP) — At long last,
the crew of the Mir space station
spent a quiet day in orbit Tues
day, beginning preparations for
a long goodbye from the space
craft after a wild and unforget
table ride.
Russia’s defense minister,
Igor Sergeyev, said the crew had
“set the record for the number of
troubles that have occurred,”
but praised them for their per
severance. Another top defense
official was even more upbeat.
“One should learn to benefit
from any trouble,” Defense
Council Secretary Yuri Baturin
said, “and a failure in orbit
prompts creation of absolutely
new, unique technology at the
cosmonauts’ training center.”
The ITAR-Tass news agency,
which reported the remarks,
said Baturin didn’t say what
technology he had in mind.
However, he added, rather mys
teriously, “When our crew tests
it, we will be its sole owners.”
Any tests of new technology
will no doubt be left to the next
Mir crew, which has been
charged with repairing the dam
age the current crew incurred
when a cargo ship plowed into
the space station on June 25.
The new team, which blasts
off on Aug. 5 and arrives Aug. 7,
is also planning a second space-
walk outside the station to lo
cate and survey the hole.
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Protestant leader withdraws
from peace talks with IRA
BELFAST, Northern Ireland (AP) — Northern Ireland’s most
hard-line Protestant leader, saying the Irish Republican Army’s
new cease-fire doesn’t offer any real concessions, declared hope
for peace talks “dead in the water” Tuesday.
The Rev. Ian Paisley, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party,
said after meeting Prime Minister Tony Blair in London that his
government was “a slave to the blackmail of IRA violence.”
The IRA-allied Sinn Fein party “has made it clear that they’re not
giving up a bullet, and that they’re not giving up their commitment
to get the British out of Ireland,” Paisley said in a telephone interview
with The Associated Press. “And that means tliey want to get me out
of Ireland because I’m a Britisher. They’re not giving up anything!”
Paisley vowed he would never sit down with Sinn Fein. Blair has
invited the party to join peace talks when they resume in earnest
Sept. 15 if the IRA cease-fire that began Sunday holds until then.
Paisley’s intransigence and other protests from inside Protes
tant ranks are heaping pressure on David Trimble, leader of the Ul
ster Unionists—Northern Ireland’s largest Protestant party—who
thus far is still committed to the talks.
Paisley urged all politicians determined to maintain North
ern Ireland’s union with Britain to withdraw from the talks be
fore Sinn Fein arrives.
“You can’t write me out of the picture, because I speak for the
vast majority of unionist people in Northern Ireland,” he said.
■'**»*<i**~«
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Exam Time
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Photograph: Shannon
Vivian Cardosa and David Fry. fourth yearveU ,
nary students, examine an Angus calf at the i
Animal Clinic Tuesday.
MTV announces music awards nominal!
NEWYORK (AP) —Alternative mu
sic ruled the nominationsTuesday for
the 14th annual MTV Video Music
Awards, with the British dance band
Jamiroquai racking up 10, Beck re
ceiving seven and Nine Inch Nails get
ting five.
Those three, along with Jewel and No
Doubt, were nominated in the best
video of the year category.
Jamiroquai was cited for its inventive
"Virtual Insanity” video, in which singer
Jay Kay performs in a room where the
floors, the walls and the furniture all
move simultaneously.
The band was nominated inr
the 19 categories, including bests lra j
artist, best choreography, best spec ’P 0 !
effects and breakthrough video.
Jewel, who received three noni Sllc 1
l ions, was also cited in the viewer'scln
category- - an award based on votesfo P ei1 l
the music channel’s audience—kit
“You Were Meant for Me” video.
In the best video category, Bed it
nominated for “The New Poll
Nine Inch Nails for “The Perfect Dru:
and No Doubt for “Don’t Speak.’’
The awards show will be held Sept
at Radio City Music Hall.
Mail Call
Reveille deserves
‘lady’ treatment
Have things changed so much
at Texas A&M that the voice of
tradition will be the Tattooed
and Pierced Aggies? Surely not.
Our dear Miss Reveille is not
just a “Lassie” as described by
teasippers in the Houston
Chronicle article yesterday.
She represents A&M, always
standing like the rest of us and
cheering on her heroes whenev
er the Fightin’ Texas Aggies play.
Why should all those great
mascots since ’31 now be
moved for an “elevator shaft to
luxury sky boxes?”
I read where Garry Mauro
said in yesterday’s Houston
Chronicle that "every time
we’ve changed something at
A&M, someone has said we are
going to lose our uniqueness.”
This isn’t just a case of the
Coips allowing females into its or
ganization or the University
changing its name from “College.”
This is a desecration of a
grave site — no matter if it’s
the greatest mascot in the
country, or that of a fallen
comrade — it’s all the same.
Please do what you can if it’s
not to late to keep this site from
being moved.
My family has been with
A&M over 40 years, and nothing
such as this has ever touched
our hearts so deeply.
The past Miss Reveilles
should still be allowed to see
the scoreboard at Kyle Field,
rather than the word “Otis”
from an elevator.
Reveille deserves far better
than that.
Karaline Ogg
Member, 12th Man Foundation
Reveille gravesites
should not be moved
Please add me to what I hope
is an enormous list of alums
protesting moving gravesites.
I can’t wait to tell my children
and grandchildren "This is
where Reveille I thru IV were
buried, until some two-per
centers moved them in another
chase for the almighty dollar
and the end of yet another of
the traditions that have made
the University great.”
We had values 20 years ago
that were sacred. E-2 and the
“traditions” group should hold
their head in shame.
They let down untold thoo
sands of their Aggie brothers
past, present and future.
Count on me to fight howev
er you can use me.
A&M taught me that some
things are precious, priceless
and worth keeping.
Jim McCathrti
Class of
The Battalion encourages letterstotte
itor. Letters must be 300 words ohessK*
elude the author’s name, class, and pto ,.
number. ®
The opinion editor reserves therighttoa
letters for length, style, and accuracy, lej]
may be submitted in person at 013 Reed
Donald with a valid student ID. Lettersmay!
be mailed to: Sghj
The Battalion - Mail Call ,(;q|
013 Reed McDonald
Texas A&N1 Vlntoerslty
College Station, TX
77843-1111
Campus Mail: 1111
Fax: (409) 845-2647
E-mail: Batt@tamvml.tamu.edu
For more details on letter policy, pleasecall
845-3313 and direct your question to (lie
opinion editor.
s Tom^
693-8498
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