States to get right to set own automobile fuel efficiency and emissions standards

California and 13 other states that have sought to set fuel efficiency standards and limit emissions on new cars sold will get that right.

President Obama is set to issue a federal order Monday to make this possible, according to a New York Times article.

It's clear that people want to hold carmakers to a higher standard. This might make the cars more expensive, but the success of pricier hybrids has shown that people are willing to pay for cars that satisfy their conscience.

The more states that pass such standards on fuel efficiency and emissions, the more that automakers will make all cars more fuel efficient. Really, this is a long time coming. My wife's old 1998 Honda Civic would get 38 mpg on a good day. Now, a decade later, things haven't improved much, and that's not acceptable.

Inauguration photos from everyday folk

Here is a very cool interactive feature from the New York Times. It's a montage of photos submitted by readers. Check it out.

Here are some choice images:

NY Times Op-ed: Four technologies that may save Detroit

Sebastian Thrun, a professor of computer science at Stanford, and Anthony Levandowski, a product manager at Google, submitted an op-ed column to the New York Times on four ideas that they think may save Detroit.

Their ideas center around making cars - and driving habits - more efficient. The authors note that these are projects they are working on, so take them with a grain of salt.

1. Use dedicated short-range communication, or Wifi, to enable cars to communicate with traffic lights and other roadway infrastructure. This would allow for more efficient acceleration, braking and improved traffic flow.

2. Solar-electric hybrids. The only problem I see with this is that most cars spend a lot of time parked in the shade or in a garage.

3. Robotic cars that drive in tight formation. This would help decrease drag and would free up drivers for tasks like e-mail. And maybe safely talking on your cell phone while driving? Or shaving.

4. Cars that go online. Sensors at parking meters would tell you where the open spots are. Make dinner reservations. Order takeout. I don't know, there's so much you can do with a smart phone these days. Why bother putting technology in cars that will be obsolete in a matter of a few years?