Multiple-fare meter2

The idea of several people sharing a cab is not new, but a meter that calculates up to 10 separate fares simultaneously is probably a first. Schmidt Electronic Laboratories, Pty. Ltd., of Elsternwick, Australia, recently began manufacturing a multiple-fare taximeter. It is used in various Australian cities and Schmidt has now begun exporting the device.

To operate the meter,' a driver presses a button each time an additional passenger enters the cab. The electronic meter begins tabulating distance and cost internally,³ and it also displays its calculations on a digital screen upon push-button command.⁴ Despite its numerous functions — 15 including its fare calculator — the Schmidt Gl Taximeter is small enough to be installed in a dash-board like a typical car radio. And even when the cab driver is not working, the meter is: the unit also functions as a digital clock.

Shade for the eyes. Music for the ears

Sportsmen and spectators, or even workers who spend most of their days outdoors, should appreciate a new vinyl sun visor⁵ from Hong Kong that can keep them in tune with musi'c, or up to date with the news,⁶ thanks to its built-in portable radio.' Since a visor is meant for bright, sunny days, so is the radio; it is powered by a solar-charged nickel-cadmium battery.⁸ The sun-visor radio, called the Solarun, is only slightly heavier than an ordinary eye shade.⁹ Its AM¹⁰ radio is packed onto a slim integrated-circuit

^: pay in money or request statements — платить наличными либо по платежным поручениям

² Multiple-fare meter — Таксометр на несколько пассажиров

³ the electronic meter begins tabulating distance and cost internally — внутрен­нее устройство электронного счетчика начинает подсчитывать расстояние и плату

upon push-button command — по команде, подаваемой нажатием кнопки sun visor — солнцезащитный козырек

keep'them in tune with the music or up to date with the news - настраивать их на музыкальный лад или держать в курсе всех новостей built-in portable radio — вмонтированный переносной радиоприемник solar-charged... battery—батарейка, заряжаемая солнечной энергией eye shade- солнцезащитный козырек AM = Amplitude Modulated — амплитудно-молулированный

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chip and has a tiny earphone instead of a conventional speaker. The manufacturer says the radio will even play in the shade for up to six hours on a one-hour dose of sunlight, or up to 36 hours when the battery is fully charged.

NOW, WHERE ARE MV KEYS?

They could be called losers, but "misplacers" might be a better word for those people who never seem to be able to find their keys. Recently. Burns and Godfrey. Ltd. of Worcester, England, developed an electronic system to help such forgetful types keep. track of keys, handbags and other often misplaced items. Finders Sleepers (Figure 12) consists of two battery-operated units. The 4.3-ounce Bleeper, which is about the size of a small cigarette lighter,' contains two small batteries plus a tiny light and a silicon chip² developed by the Wolfson Ins­titute at Edinburgh University in Scotland. Keys can be attached to the Bleeper or

the unit can be put into a handbag. If the key or bag is misplaced, the Finder is brought into play" At the push of a button, the device sweeps around the room.⁴ The Finder emits ultrasonic waves that can be picked up by the Bleeper. If the Bleeper is within 15 feet⁵ of the Finder, even inside a drawer, the smaller unit will blink and emit a two-tone signal. The Finder can accommodate two Bleepers, each of which has its own charac­teristic pitch.⁶