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Google Driverless Car



One sunny day, I walked through near to the Stuttgart City Street to buy souvenir for my beloved family. I was enjoyed walking alone on that day before I leave Germany. Suddenly, I was really shocked that thing happened in front of my eyes is like miracle and reminds me to my younger brother. What was actually happened on that day?

 
Stuttgart City

Stuttgart Shopping Centre

I wondered and I could still remember the day I watch iRobot as a teen and being skeptical about my brother's statement that one day, but the driverless car become reality nowadays. And the reality made possible by a search engine company, Google. YES IT IS TRUE! The fairytale story really happened in front of me and Google finally has something to show for its work.

www.google.com

The Google Driverless Car is powered by artificial intelligence that utilizes the input from the video cameras inside the car, a sensor on the vehicle’s top, and some radar and position sensors attached to different positions of the car. Sounds like a lot of effort to mimic the human intelligence in a car, but so far the system has successfully driven 1609 kilometers without human commands! Google also add that their driverless car is safer and smoother than actual driver. The technology and system are clearly illustrates below:

www.google.com
www.google.com

Google has been testing autonomous cars on public roads since 2010, and it always has someone in the driver's seat. But now, Google has proved that their driverless car project is successfully controlled by the computer and radar. In order to prove this fairytale story, I would like to share a video on how this autonomous car is working. Let's check it out and enjoy the video!


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German Self-Service Machines


Do you really need a different machine for every single service in your daily life? Or can one machine fulfill several functions? The answer is YES since applications, smart phones, social media are the digital world and reality that melting into one. Vending machines are also part of the digital sphere surrounding us. Vending machines have gone through significant changes and innovations in the developed countries.


A Vending Machine is machines which dispense items such as snacks, beverages, alcohol, cigarettes, lottery, tickets, cologne, consumer products and even gold and gems are served automatically to customers after the customers insert currency or credit into the machine. This is what I found in Germany, Spain and France.  


Along my experienced in Stuttgart, I have found various types of vending machine which are do not available in Malaysia. The vending machines are really innovative self-service technology and convenient to the users. Here are some of my favorite vending machines in Germany:

McDonald Vending Machine at Berlin Train Station

Ticket Machines of Deutsche Bahn
en.wikipedia.org

www.expatica.com
Recycling Bottle Vending Machine 
www.expatica.com 

en.wikipedia.org
Vending Machine for bicycle tubes in Berlin
en.wikipedia.org

Lego Vending Machine at the Munich Train Station
www.google.com

www.google.com
Cigarettes Vending Machine
www.google.com

www.google.com
Stamp Vending Machine
www.google.com

Recently, the more interesting news I would like to share is TG-Gold-Super-Markt aims to introduce Gold Vending Machines at 500 locations including train stations and airports in Germany. Believe it or not? Sooner or later shoppers in Germany be able to buy gold as easily as bars of chocolate after a firm announced plans to install vending machines selling the precious metal across the country. The company based near Stuttgart, hopes to tap into the increasing interest in buying gold following disillusionment in other investments due to the economic downturn. 

www.businessinsider.com
Gold Vending Machine
www.businessinsider.com

These days, vending machines are moving away from their classic origins as snack dispensers and dispersing everything from gold coins to iPods. At Frankfurt Airport, you can even buy iPods accessories from a vending machine.

iPod Vending Machine
www.businessinsider.com

Fun isn't it? The vending machines are really convenient to the users because you can buy whatever you want rather than go to the hypermarket or workshop. 












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"Fau Fau Es" (VVS)




Assalammualaikum peeps! Have you been heard about smart travel apps? Do you know this smart travel apps help you the most when you are in travelling? Yes, the smart travel apps have been used widespread throughout the developed countries nowadays but it's rare in Malaysia. So that I would like to share with you guys about the systems and sophisticated technologies in Stuttgart, Germany which is the Transit and Tariff Association Stuttgart (Verkehrs und Tarifverbund Stuttgart, VVS). 
This smart travel app of VVS was founded in year 1978 and also has evolved into one of the most successful transit authorities in Germany and operates local transport services within the city and surrounding area. Furthermore, VVS also is the innovative mobile information system and significantly to maintaining and improving mobility in the metropolitan Stuttgart area. The region served comprises not only the state capital of Stuttgart, but also its 4 neighboring districts including Böblingen, Esslingen, Ludwigsburg, and Rems-Murr-Kreis, as well as over 1000 square miles area and almost 2.4 million populations.

 
The area covered by VVS
http://www.vvs.de

Year after year, most of the citizens and more riders make the decision to use public transportation provided by the government. This is because they can ride all streetcars, commuter trains, regional trains, and buses within the metropolitan Stuttgart area with the VVS applications. The mobile information systems of VVS are informative, easy to use and understand, and very helpful especially for the tourist to tour the city of Stuttgart. In the system they provided a map of each of tram connections from specific region to another region. A different color illustrates the regional rail lines as example below the yellow line shows the U9 tram line transit from Hidelfingen to Böblingen.


VVS transit maps for u-bahn & s-bahn train
https://play.google.com

Without a doubt, this is one of my favorite transit maps ever. As far as I know, this isometric approach is unique and it is staggeringly effective. Everything is beautifully labeled, and lovely icons highlight important sites like the zoo, museums and sports stadiums. What I like is the clever three dimensional representation of the Hauptbahnhof (train station). The isometric layout is a clever way of allowing all the type to be set horizontally without hitting route lines for both subtly different line weights of the S-Bahn and U-Bahn are work very well. The foreigner and tourist no need to worry if they were loss because this mobile application really helps me as a foreigner while I am studying over there. The more interesting is this application can use freely without internet connection.
One day, I am being a "super careless woman" after having a discussion with my team member because I took a wrong train. After while, I noticed that the environment outside is slightly different.. Supposedly, I should take S1 which directly to Unterturkheim but on that day I took S5. I was so panic and being coward because I am alone on that day plus the day getting dark. But, this mobile application really helps me to bring me home safely. The first thing you need to do is go to the apps and browse the location of the place you want to go. For example, on that day I need to go to the main station first which is Hauptbf then the apps will shows the map which area covered by the VVS as picture below:


Then, this app will guide and give you the choices of time and rail lines direction which train you need to take. Plus, this app also will give us the other alternative way and shorter time to ride. Based on the direction from the apps I need to take U4 to go to Unterturkheim as below:


Furthermore, this application also can guiding us and manages our time in the near future. Let's say we want to go to somewhere within the specific date and time, thus the apps can help us and solve the matter smoothly. Picture below shows the example how the app is working:
Not only that, VVS application also provides online ticket for their valued customer to book and buy via online. The customer can buy directly from their mobile phone wherever they wanted to go either purchase the group ticket or individual ticket for adult, kids, and also your pets.
I find it extremely convenient and helpful by using this app in my previous situation as a foreigner. I am very thankful for those who developed this superb application system of VVS which help the most Germany citizenship and the foreigner. 

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HFT Student ID card



HFT Student ID cards contain a photograph and basic personal details of the cardholder. The card also contains a visible magnetic stripe.  Inside the card there is a chip and antenna. The magnetic stripe, chip and antenna all store information about the cardholder and their access to buildings on campus and other purposes. Below is an example of a HFT Student ID card:

 
HFT Student ID card 

I was enjoyed using these ID card provided by the university because the systems used was efficient and convenient for students. Furthermore, I don't need to worry if I forget to bring cash because everything can be solved by the student ID card. I just need to reload the money into the card with vending machine provided at the university and dormitory. 

The Student ID card provided by the Hochschule fur Technik (HFT) University is multi-purpose. Students really enjoy that convenience of being able to use one card for everything. The student ID card is valid for the entire duration of study and serves a number of important functions with swipe of one card which are many HFT students can eat dinner, buy snacks, wash a load of laundry, check out library books, photocopy homework, access a campus computer lab, open locked doors, and as a ticket for public transportation in Stuttgart on evenings and weekends. Picture below shows some of the HFT student ID card functions:

 
Vending Machine to reload student ID card

The dryer and washing machine at dormitory

The Mensa Cafeteria for the whole HFT members

HFT library where students can borrowing and issuing the book

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