Is the Speed Limit Really Enforced By Aircraft?The first time you saw this sign, you were probably pretty impressed. Then you pictured being pulled over by a police plane forcing you to the side of the road. Or possibly a police helicopter, because those things actually exist. Over time, you also came to think that they might be dummy signs, just to make people look at their speedometer and slow down. That actually made more sense than anything else. But aerial speed enforcement is a real thing. It started in California in the 1980s, and spread to other parts of the country. The planes (or helicopters) wouldn't pull you over, but they would report to cruisers that would. The system is expensive, and when a jurisdiction stopped using it, the signs would remain, thrilling kids and getting Mom or Dad to check their speed. But you can't count on that being the case, since this system is still used here or there. Read about the speed police in aircraft at Jalopnik.(Image credit: Thatsabigif) 
 
A Celebratory Photoshoot of Abandoned RamblersOnce upon a time, back in the 1950s and '60s, car companies regularly produced cameras with their brand name to give away with a new automobile purchase -or even with just a test drive. It was a great promotional tie-in, as everyone wanted to take a picture of their new car, or a picture of the family in a new car. A camera giveaway isn't all that exciting these days, since everyone carries one around in their phone already. But those cameras still exist, and they still work if you can find film for them and find a place to develop it. But you don't have to, because Autoweek has a series of classic cars from bygone days photographed with the cameras that accompanied them. The latest installment is about Ramblers. That caught my eye, since my first husband drove an early '60s Rambler with a push-button starter. I only drove it a couple of times, and the last time was when the head gasket blew. I don't think he ever forgave me. But that's water under the bridge, and you may have some of your own memories that will be tweaked with a gallery of 1960s Rambler cars photographed with a Rambler camera.​(Image credit: Murilee Martin)
 
You Don't Want a Touchscreen in Your Car? Too Bad!A couple of years ago, I got my first car with a touchscreen, not that I asked for it. But it's okay because my 2017 Camry allows me to drive without using the touchscreen. I don't have to push a button to see the backup camera, and I don't change the radio station unless I'm going out of town. My kid set up the phone interface, so I don't have to do anything. I still have knobs for the heat and air, windows, locks, trunk, wipers, lights, cruise, and radio volume. If I had to deal with all that on a touchscreen, it would drive me nuts. Besides, I've always known that the more electronics a car has, the more problems I cannot fix myself. Computers are that idea on steroids.Now my daughter is looking for a car to drive her two young children around in, and is having a hard time buying a late-model anything without an extensive touchscreen. She doesn't need any more distractions. She doesn't want a smart car that may fail and lock her kids inside. How did we get here? Morning Brew takes a close look at how and why we got all these confusing and unsafe touchscreens in our vehicles. -via The Awesomer​
 
Nissan Shows Advances in a New Thermal Paint for CarsThermal paint is not a new idea, and in fact it is being used in plenty of applications. Just not in cars, because you need a thick coat of gooey paint slathered on to be effective. But Nissan is working on a new kind of automotive thermal paint they call "cool paint." To show it off, they painted some service vans in the new cool paint, and parked them in an airport parking lot. After some time, the vans were nine degrees cooler inside than nearby vehicles with regular paint. That makes a big difference in the load put on an air conditioner, which is especially important in an EV. This paint is quite different from thermal paints now in use. An effective coat of thermal paint is usually 400 to 800 microns thick, while cool paint need only be 120 microns thick (and it can be sprayed). However, that's still thicker than regular automotive paint, so they are working on it. Read about cool paint and how it worked differently from other thermal paints at The Drive.(Image credit: Nissan)
 
If You Think Cybertrucks Look Like Dumpsters, You Are Not AloneYou know who are experts in identifying garbage dumpsters? Raccoons. When raccoons try to break into your Tesla Cybertruck like they would break into a city dumpster, that says something about its appearance. That's just what happened to Cybertruck owner Spidog in Minnesota during a camping trip. He awoke to find the evidence: torn trim and plenty of raccoon paw prints.
 
They Turned Elvis' Jet Into a Recreational VehicleWhen Elvis Presley died in 1977, all of his possessions became icons. Most of it was sold off to the highest bidder, some went to museums, and some stayed at Graceland where fans and tourists could pay money to see them. But it was difficult to sell off the jet plane. Elvis purchased a 1962 Lockheed L-1329 JetStar and sold it within a few months not long before he died. No one had the cash, nor the space to display the plane. It sat abandoned at an airport for decades. Then in 2023, James Webb purchased the jet. You may know him from the YouTube channel Jimmy's World, where he documents the adventure of his jet purchase. Webb's hobby is restoring old planes and flying them again, but Elvis' jet proved difficult, as the needed repairs would run more than $6 million. So Webb went in a different direction and gave up on flying the plane. Instead, he made it into an RV! Mercedes Streeter got to tour the restored plane (complete with red velvet seats) as a motor coach, and called it "simultaneously the best and the worst RV." See what she means as she tells the story of Elvis' jet at the Autopian.
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