Preseason Profiles: Clemson and Alabama

Preseason Profiles: Clemson and Alabama

Two years ago Alabama and Clemson fought in one of the fiercest championship matchups college football has seen. Alabama took victory, but Deshaun Watson and his Tigers rested, recouped and roared back in 2016, answering Alabama with a competitive 13-1 season. Again Clemson stood against the Crimson Tide, but this was different. This time the Tide was outlasted. Watson’s touchdown pass to Hunter Renfrow during the 2016 season championship’s final two seconds earned Clemson sweet redemption.

So what will happen next year? Here’s a peek at how both team’s lineups will look come 2017’s preseason:

Alabama

Alabama’s strong defense will have some departures to deal with, but its offense looks to swing back stronger. Returning weapons include leading rusher Damien Harris, playoff standout Bo Scarbrough and Calvin Ridley. QB Jalen Hurts will take the field for his sophomore year, commanding what some say could be Nick Saban’s best offensive lineup to date.

Clemson
Clemson faces some heavy losses coming into 2017. The departure of QB Deshaun Watson will likely hurt the most, since the 2016 Tigers rallied behind Watson’s leadership. Losing offensive stars like Mike Williams and Artavis Scott will sting, and Clemson’s defense will also be without talents like Ben Boulware, Carlos Watkins and Jadar Johnson. Competition for the spot of new QB looks to heat up between junior Kelly Bryant, and freshmen Zerrick Cooper and Hunter Johnson.

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Smartphones Replacing Infotainment Systems In Cars

If you’ve purchased a new car recently, you’ve likely considered the value of in-vehicle infotainment. Designed to streamline onboard media access, these multimedia systems display app-based information on a central screen in your car.

Car manufacturers claim infotainment services simplify in-car navigation, music selection and sms/social media access. However, according to an article published by Business Insider, the results of a recent study indicate that consumers may not share the same enthusiasm for in-vehicle entertainment. This is especially true since many infotainment flagship features (gps and music services, traffic updates, and hands-free messaging) are easily and cheaply accessible by smartphone.

Conducted by Kristin Kolodge, J.D Power’s executive director of human-machine interface, the study surveyed 13,269 people who bought or leased a 2016 vehicle. Kolodge found that more than 50% of new car buyers didn’t use in-vehicle infotainment systems within 90 days of purchasing their vehicle. Of the remainder who did attempt to use infotainment, 56% reported giving it up within one month.

Additionally, the study revealed that 39% of individuals who didn’t take to infotainment instead relied on smartphones for similar services. Kolodge believes that the reason for infotainment rejection centers around the ease of use and familiarity of smartphones.

“It’s easier because they learned on their phone and might feel it’s better able to execute their tasks. That’s what manufacturers are up against,” says Kolodge. She states that users experience difficulty figuring out the infotainment unfamiliar control scheme, so they abandon it.

Other reasons for infotainment wane include its inability to match the lightning rate at which smartphone tech is evolving. Cars require years to plan, manufacture, and test. By the time new cars exit development and enter the market, their hardware is already painfully aged compared to current mobile offerings.

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Smartphones Replacing Infotainment Systems In Cars

If you’ve purchased a new car recently, you’ve likely considered the value of in-vehicle infotainment. Designed to streamline onboard media access, these multimedia systems display app-based information on a central screen in your car.

Car manufacturers claim infotainment services simplify in-car navigation, music selection and sms/social media access. However, according to an article published by Business Insider, the results of a recent study indicate that consumers may not share the same enthusiasm for in-vehicle entertainment. This is especially true since many infotainment flagship features (gps and music services, traffic updates, and hands-free messaging) are easily and cheaply accessible by smartphone.

Conducted by Kristin Kolodge, J.D Power’s executive director of human-machine interface, the study surveyed 13,269 people who bought or leased a 2016 vehicle. Kolodge found that more than 50% of new car buyers didn’t use in-vehicle infotainment systems within 90 days of purchasing their vehicle. Of the remainder who did attempt to use infotainment, 56% reported giving it up within one month.

Additionally, the study revealed that 39% of individuals who didn’t take to infotainment instead relied on smartphones for similar services. Kolodge believes that the reason for infotainment rejection centers around the ease of use and familiarity of smartphones.

“It’s easier because they learned on their phone and might feel it’s better able to execute their tasks. That’s what manufacturers are up against,” says Kolodge. She states that users experience difficulty figuring out the infotainment unfamiliar control scheme, so they abandon it.

Other reasons for infotainment wane include its inability to match the lightning rate at which smartphone tech is evolving. Cars require years to plan, manufacture, and test. By the time new cars exit development and enter the market, their hardware is already painfully aged compared to current mobile offerings.

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Golden State Warriors Season Update

With over half of the season already in the books, this would be a good time to check in on the NBA’s Golden State Warriors. Basketball fans will note that at this point last season, the Warriors were sitting with an astonishing 48-4 record after starting the season off with a record 24 wins in a row.

The 2016-17 season started with the highest of expectation as the Warriors were able to lure superstar Kevin Durant over in free agency from the Oklahoma Thunder. There was little doubt that a starting quintet that included two-time league MVP Stephen Curry and All-star Klay Thompson joining forces with an offensive juggernaut like Durant was going to create problems for the rest of the league.

The only surprise so far this season is the five losses the team has suffered, with two of those losses coming at home against San Antonio and Houston. However, the Warriors are certainly entitled to an adjustment period while they work on integrating Durant into an offensive scheme that relies on precision passing and outstanding 3-point shooting.

Of course, it’s hard to ask anymore out of a team that is leading the league in scoring at 118.3 PPG and field-goal percentage at .501%. Without trying to place any blame on a specific player, a couple of the team’s early season losses occurred while Thompson struggled to find his stroke and his rightful position on the court. All concerns about his ability to still put up big points were surely set aside when he laid down a scorching 60 points against the Indiana Pacers in less that 30 minutes on the court. That number just missed the NBA record for points per minute as Thompson scored 2.07 PPM versus the record of 2.09 PPM.

As for the rest of the team, everyone seems to be settling in nicely to the new player rotation scheme as laid down by Head Coach Steve Kerr. On the season, Durant holds a scoring edge over Steph Curry, averaging 25.7 PPG while Curry is averaging 25.3 PPG. Draymond Green, continues to be a very important component on a team that has designs for another NBA Championship. It’s worth noting that Green, as a forward, leads the team in assists with 7.3 per game. That’s an amazing accomplishment on a team that is leading the league in assists by a large margin. It’s also a testament to how deep this team is and why they are favorites to take down the league title.

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Google’s Alphabet Inc. Company and Their Self-driving Service

In 2009, Google’s parent company, Alphabet, Inc, began the daunting task of researching and developing autonomous, or self-driving vehicles. This endeavor was aptly titled the “self-driving car project.” By 2012, their autonomous technology had clocked in more than 300,000 miles of driving time on freeways and highways. In the same year, they began to test their vehicles on city streets.

By 2014, Google had developed their own self-driving vehicle prototype, and tested said prototype on public roads the following year. Throw in another 2 million self-driven miles and an additional 1 billion miles of simulated tests with their technology, and, in 2016, the project became its own business entity called Waymo.

It was with the creation of Waymo that Google announced their official intent to join the ever-growing market of automated cars and compete with rivals such as Tesla and Uber. According to CEO John Krafcik, Waymo stands for “A new way forward in mobility,” and that with the concept in mind, they have big plans for the future. He stated that he could see their self-driving technology being used for ride-sharing, transportation, personal-use, and beyond.

In May of 2016, Google partnered with Fiat-Chrysler to begin integrating their minivans with Google’s self-driving system. This pairing proved beneficial for both companies, since Fiat would not have to spend the money developing their own technology, and Google would have more time to perfect their self-driving technology.

As of today, Google is using its autonomous technology in vehicles that are still equipped with a gas pedal and steering wheel, to appease state’s regulations. The goal, says Krafcik, is to get to a point where those elements are not necessary.

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Uber and Self-Driving Cars

In 2015, ride-share company Uber partnered with Carnegie Mellon University to create the Advanced Technology Center. The goal was to make self-driving cars a consumer reality. The National Robotics Engineering Center was also involved with the project, and took on the task of researching vehicle safety.

In August, cars took to the streets of Pittsburgh. Currently, there are 14 autonomous Ford Fusion’s in Uber’s fleet. When a user requests a car, they’ll get one of the test Fusions, if available. A driver is also present for safety control.

Journalists got early access to the fleet, and reporters from NPR, TechCrunch, and Wired have all shared their experiences with Uber’s self-proclaimed cars of the future. The reporters’ stories are generally consistent with one another. The driver has the option to switch off the autonomous mode and go manual, as was the case for several obstacles in the road.

Uber refers to Pittsburgh as “the double black diamond of driving”: the city experiences four distinct seasons that create a wide variety of driving conditions. Its roads are also full of potholes, and the city arrangement includes a unique grid and several bridges. They’ve contrasted this approach with Google’s self driving cars, which operate exclusively in the Silicon Valley sun. Uber believes that all of these variables make Pittsburgh one of the more challenging cities for driving. They figure if they can perfect autonomous ridesharing there, then expansion to other cities will be easier.

In the long term, Uber envisions a world where even the safety driver isn’t necessary. Eliminating the human aspect of driving, they believe, will make roads safer.

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What We Know About The Chevy Bolt

The Chevrolet Bolt EV is due to be released later this year, and is expected to compete closely with the Tesla Model 3. Right now, it looks like Chevy will be beating Tesla to market. According to USA Today, The Model 3 is planned to be widely released in mid- or late-2017, with new orders not set for delivery until 2018.

Beating Tesla’s car to market could be good news for Chevrolet. GM’s entry-level company has boasted that the Bolt’s range can best that of its Tesla competitor. Chevrolet’s electric vehicle is expected to clear over 235 miles per charge, compared to the Model 3’s 215.

The Verge Transportation Reporter Jordan Golson took to the digital publication to share an extensive preview of the new electric vehicle, along with his notes from a test drive. The big takeaway? It doesn’t feel like an electric car. It feels like an ordinary four-wheeled road ready vehicle, and that familiar feel may be able to push consumers in the direction of electric vehicles.

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