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If your TV rats you out, what about your car?

Vizio, the TV manufacturer, recently had to pay a $2.2-million fine to the FTC recently because it was discovered that its sets were collecting data about viewers' watching habits and then using the information for its own benefit. Last year, it was revealed the Samsung smart TVs were busy listening to what was being said, even if the conversations in question had absolutely nothing with switching the channel away from the Matt LeBlanc Top Gear. Nowadays, auto manufacturers seem to be tripping over each other pointing out that they offer Apple CarPlay and Google Android Auto. And more recent phenomenon are announcements—from companies including Ford and Hyundai—that they are offering Amazon Alexa capabilities. You talk. It listens. In late January, General Motors said it is releasing a next-generation infotainment software development kit (NGI SDK) to software developers to write apps for GM cars. The NGI SDK includes native Application Program Interfaces (APIs) that allow access to expected things - like oil life and tire pressure and whether lightbulbs are burned out - but unexpected things, as well. Like the presence of passengers in the vehicle. When your TV set is ratting you out, isn't it likely that your car will? In making the announcement of the NGI SDK, GM pointed out that it has the largest connected fleet on the road, some 12-million vehicles. The company also noted: "From 2015 to 2016, GM has seen data usage by customers increase nearly 200 percent. Mobile app use for GM vehicles also hit an all-time high in 2016, with more than 225 million interactions." Is it not plausible that they know more those interactions than simply the number of them? GM's privacy agreement is like most privacy policies, which boils down to: You use it (the device, software, etc.), you potentially give up a portion of your privacy. While on the subject of apps, coincident with this year's CES, Subaru announced that it has added eight cloud-based apps to the STARLINK multimedia system in the 2017 Impreza. Some are familiar, like Yelp. Some are a bit narrow in focus, like eBird, which was developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for birdwatchers. And one ought to give a bit of pause: RightTrack. According to Subaru, "RightTrack Test Drive from Liberty Mutual Insurance monitors driving habits and provides customers with tips on driving safer to help lower their insurance rates and improve their safe driving skills." Or said more simply: You drive. It watches.

Porsche announces plan to replace 911 GT3 engines

About a month back, we reported that Porsche was suspending delivery of its 911 GT3 due to reported incidents of the engine bursting into flames. A few days later, Porsche told owners of the new track-ready models not to drive their cars and had their local dealers pick up the cars in question. Just a couple of days ago, we reported that Porsche was working on a fix, and now we have the official details.
Following an internal investigation prompted by two such incidents, Porsche has confirmed that is has identified the problem as resulting "from a loosened screw joint on the connecting rod." The loose connecting rod, Porsche found, damaged the crankcase, which in turn resulted in oil leaking and then - in at least two cases - igniting.
Our source is unaware of Porsche being contacted by GT3 owners concerned about the impact of a replacement engine on their car's collectibility or resale value.

Watch Finnish hoons drift a Porsche, a motorcycle and a snowmobile on ice

We're figure the guys in Finland's Stunt Freaks Team see this video as three minutes of freewheeling snow drifting with a Triumph Daytona motorcycle on snow tires, a Porsche 911 GT3 rally car and a Polaris RMK snowmobile. We, however, like to think of it as a mini-documentary on the winter habits of bipedal Finnish mammals, who display a curious set of winter habits that fascinate us no matter how many times we see them. Admittedly, if we lived conveniently close to Rovaniemi, set smack-dab on the border of the Arctic Circle in Finland's Lapland, we'd do the same thing. The title says it all, save for there also being a side-by-side that was probably the camera car. It's missing the huge roostertails, but it's got a crash and a wheelie to make up for it. News Source: StuntFreaksTeam via YouTube Porsche Motorcycle Luxury Off-Road Vehicles Performance Videos drifting porsche 911 gt3 snow Polaris snowmobile snow drifting triumph daytona