There are all kinds of unsolved mysteries in the world. The search for Bigfoot, Nessie the Loch Ness monster, aliens visiting Earth, to name a few.
We may never know the answers to those conundrums. It’s better to stick with more easily answered questions.
For example, what are those odd black tubes in the road used for? Fortunately, I can help you with this one. And no, it’s not a goofy elaborate watering system.
Have you ever been out for a drive and come across a black tube draped across the road? They’re pretty common actually, I’d be surprised if you’d never seen it.
They are actually called pneumatic road tubes. Most people think they’re used for counting cars, which they are, but they have many more functions than that.
They are used for short-term traffic counting, vehicle classification by axle count and spacing, planning, and research studies.
Some models gather data to calculate vehicle gaps, intersection stop delay, stop sign delay, saturation flow rate, spot speed as a function of vehicle class, and travel time when the counter is utilized in conjunction with a vehicle transmission sensor.
Check out the following video to see how it works:
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, pneumatic road tube sensors send a burst of air pressure along a rubber tube when a vehicle’s tires pass over the tube. The pressure pulse closes an air switch, producing an electrical signal that is transmitted to a counter or analysis software. The pneumatic road tube sensor is portable, using lead-acid, gel, or other rechargeable batteries as a power source.
It’s a pretty cool system if you think about it. It can be set up permanently or temporary, so very flexible.
Now ya know what those crazy tubes are for. No more wondering.
Can Alexa help with more serious tasks, like in an emergency situation? The answer is yes, it now has a skill that could actually come to the rescue. That’s why you need to know how to get Alexa to call 911.
Click here to learn how it might just save your life one day.
Anyone who has a pet understands the importance of caring for them. We want our animal friends and furry family members to be happy and healthy and feel like we would do anything to make it happen. Tap or click here for 12 fabulous Christmas gift ideas for the pets in your life.
Open/download audioThe latest revelation about Facebook sounds more like a plot from a low-budget, direct-to-video, Hollywood flop with a supervillain and a plan to take over the world. In a nutshell, as long as Facebook continues to grow, it doesn’t matter what harm comes from bad guys.
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Do you own a Mac computer? You probably know that Apple’s feature set for its macOS always grows steadily with every update, adding functions and options that make our computing lives so much more convenient and efficient. As such, there are functions that you may have missed but could make a big difference in your everyday tasks.
Each week, I receive tons of questions from my listeners about tech concerns, new products and all things digital. Sometimes choosing the most interesting questions to highlight is the best part of my job. This week, I received questions about ways to speed up your internet, how to locate forgotten passwords, how to convert VHS tapes to digital, and more.
When you hear the words “Easter eggs,” you probably think of colorful painted or dyed eggs hidden around the yard for Easter celebrations. But there’s another kind of Easter egg out there and it’s virtual and digital. These are surprising features hidden in games, on websites, or tucked into computer software. Google is the champion of amusing Easter eggs.
If your most cherished family memories are stored away on old VHS tapes, you need to act now. As time passes, videotapes lose their magnetic signal. The sharpness, quality and color deteriorate. Worst of all, the tape grows brittle and breaks as it’s played. To preserve the content of your videotapes, digitizing them is a must.
The end of the year is the time when we count our blessings: family, friends, and nearly unlimited movies and television for $10.99 per month. Netflix is a powerful tool for surviving the chaos of December. But I’ll bet there are some pretty neat Netflix features that you don’t know about.
Facebook really, really wants you to watch some videos while you’re using the social networking service. Auto-play videos have been popping up in your News Feed for some time. No doubt your eye has been drawn to the action. It’s hard to miss. The problem here is that you might not appreciate the interruption.
Besides the fact that you can find almost anything on the site, one of the best parts about shopping on Amazon is that you don’t have to leave your house to do it. Just log into your computer or open the app on your phone, and the shopping world is your oyster. Big box stores like Sam’s Club are now adapting to try and keep up.
The thing about Facebook is that in using it, we provide the social media site with a lot of information about us. Photos, relationships, status updates, messages — we’re always giving the site something. Did you know your entire history on the site is stored in a downloadable file?
RVs are awesome. They provide a mini (sometimes not so mini) house on wheels for us to enjoy while we travel. They give us a place to sleep, eat, shower and stretch our legs. What’s better than that?
The only thing that makes a house on wheels better is when it feels like a home. Since you can’t take all of your favorite items with you, we’ve made a list of gadgets that we think will improve the overall hominess of your RV. From practical to cozy, here are five gadgets that will make you feel right at home.
Anyone who owns a home understands that it is never actually finished, whether you build it from the ground up or buy an older home. There is always some project to work on, be it a remodeling of a kitchen or bathroom or maybe a simple redecoration.
For those of us with full-time jobs and aging parents, it’s stressful to figure out how they’re going to get to the appointments they need. Often, they need multiple visits a month and that can be a major financial burden.
Open/download audioFake videos are about to become very accurate
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Since smartphones keep us connected almost all the time, they can also be critical safety and distress signal tools in emergencies and times of dire need. It’s not just a safety beacon you can deploy anytime, it can also divulge important medical data about you during a crisis.
Psst! You’re probably not getting the most out of Windows 10. That’s the Microsoft operating system that’s running on roughly half a billion PCs and laptops. Windows is so commonplace that most of us don’t pay attention to the ways it can make our lives a whole lot easier. These are helpful tricks that you probably forgot are there.
Bitcoin has been on everyone’s tongue lately because its value soared to incredible heights seemingly overnight. In fact, “Bitcoin billionaire” became a hot new phrase. A unit of Bitcoin last year went from being worth $800 to more than $19,000, according to “Money Magazine.” For most of us, though, Bitcoin is simply a currency that you can use like real money.
