>>>>>http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/07/28/birmingham_uni_car_cracker_muzzled_by_lords/
>>>>
>>>>Saw this about the U.S. guys : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23443215
>>>>
>>>>Maybe I'll hook into the ECU and write a software driven cruise control for my van......
>>>
>>>Next I expect to see an open source CarOS. With no back doors, unless it's the fifth door of the vehicle itself.
>>
>>Written by a dipstick ?
>
>BSoD can have new meaning if it's your car computer.... Speaking off things that could happen with car computer... A friend of mine was driving his car down the road one day and it started acting oddly as he accelerated and the engine started to sputter. A moment later, engine cut out, and the instruments went dead. A second or two later, the engine restarted itself, and the instruments came back on -- apparently what happened was that some input values from the sensors were giving "out of range" values that caused computer to grab "garbage values" outside the bounds of the lookup tables, and so the computer rebooted itself (while the car was rolling).
>
>It's also interesting to note that many cars features (such as seat belt warning buzzer) can be turned on or off using sequences reminiscent of the videogame "Up-Up-Down-Down-Left-Right-Left-Right B, A" sequences. For example it could be something like clip and unclip the seatbelt three times, turn ignition key on (but don't start) then off twice, clip then unclip seatbelt, then turn ignition on (but not start) again -- all within a 30-second window.

My new car has more smart car features than I like. It anticipates your needs before you need or even want them. I will catch up but I wish it was a little less smart. The part of the owner's manual covering the "Infotainment panel" goes on for dozens of pages. To me the ideal car is like a good dog -- smart but not too smart.

It may in fact be playing games with me. Yesterday I went to fill it up with gas for the first time. It was getting low. I searched among the dozens of dashboard options and could not find the gas cover opening button. I was not out, just low, so left without gassing up. When I got home I pressed the gas cover, exploring. Presto. Nothing electronic or space age about it. You press it and it opens. They are definitely messing with my mind.