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The fascinating forgotten civil defense history of Mister Softee trucks

Hemmings came across an interesting article from the Throwin' Wrenches blog about the intersection of ice cream, cars and civic duty in America's late 1950s. In particular, it focuses on the Mister Softee trucks, which criss-crossed neighborhoods of the eastern US serving ice cream. Looking past the ultra-durable vehicles used - heavy-duty Ford-based chassis, for what it's worth - the article delves into some deeper national-security territory.
See, Mister Softee truck owners were voluntary members of the Civil Defense, thanks to all the useful stuff (potable water, generators, freezers and fridges) that the machines carried with them for serving ice cream. Click over to Throwin' Wrenches for the full run down of how Mister Softee would have stepped in to help fight if the Cold War ever turned a little hotter.

Ford patents a multi-touch version of its classic keypad

For decades, Ford has offered a keypad on the doors of their cars that would allow owners access with the right code. Amazingly, the keypad has survived almost unchanged except for a recent touch button version. A new patent from the Blue Oval shows the keypad may get a big upgrade soon. The first big change is that it looks like the keypad may move to the key fob. Although it might be possible to have it on the car itself as well, the patent only seems to focus on the key fob. In addition, the fob will now be a multi-touch pad similar to that of modern smartphones. This will allow for more diverse code entries, according to the patent's description. Instead of just a simple number code, owners could enter a code that involves swipes and keystrokes, and even simultaneous keystrokes. For instance, you could enter a code that requires swiping from 1 to 3, followed by holding 2 and 4 to unlock the car. The patent also seems to indicate that this keypad would then display unlock functions and other functions on the fob after the correct code is entered, thus making it more than just a way to unlock the car. As for the practical implications of this keypad system update, it could provide an added layer of security. If someone steals your keys, they would have to also know your access code to get into the car. Whether this would also help make the key and car harder to hack would remain to be seen, though. Another possible benefit could be the prevention of accidental lock and alarm button presses, although that likely isn't a common issue. There could be potential downsides as well. If used as an extra layer of security, the legitimate owner would have to punch in their code on the fob to get in, which would render proximity key benefits relatively useless. Moving the keypad to the fob would also mean owners couldn't get into their cars without having the key with them. We don't have any clues as to when this could become a feature, but it doesn't seem like it would be difficult to implement, so it could show up in the next few years. Related Video: News Source: United States Patent and Trademark OfficeImage Credit: Ford, United States Patent and Trademark Office / Ford Auto News Ford Lincoln Technology keyless entry

Ford GT Mk II at Goodwood, Bentley EXP 100 GT concept EV and driving the Hyundai Veloster N | Autoblog Podcast #588

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski and Associate Editor Joel Stocksdale. To kick things off, they talk about driving the Porsche Cayenne S, Hyundai Veloster N and Nissan Armada. Then they recap the Goodwood Festival of Speed, including the Ford GT Mk II that debuted there. Next up is news: the Bentley EXP 100 GT electric concept car, Ford canceling diesel for the Transit Connect and Elon Musk dismissing talk of a refresh for the Model S and Model X. Finally, they take to Reddit to help pick between a 2016 Audi S3 and a 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia. Autoblog Podcast #588 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Cars we're driving: 2019 Porsche Cayenne S 2020 Hyundai Veloster N 2019 Nissan Armada Ford GT Mk II debuts at Goodwood, and other impressions from the event Bentley unveils EXP 100 GT electric concept car Ford cancels diesel engine for Transit Connect Tesla Model S and X wonÂ’t get a refresh Spend My Money: Audi or Alfa? Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: