Parking fines on single London street reportedly reach over $1.5M

We can officially quit our whining over our latest parking ticket. Across The Pond, London authorities have begun putting local drivers' feet to the fire and are raking in record fines as a result. One street even managed to pull down nearly £1 million ($1.6 million at current conversion rates) last year. That's especially shocking considering that the now infamous Clapham Park Road in the borough of Lambeth is less than half a mile long. According to reports, authorities issued an astonishing 16,800 tickets on that street alone, or about 46 citations per day.

The total amount collected from fines on that particular street tallied over £300,000 ($480,000) higher than the road with the next highest level of parking fine revenue.

Some locals believe that the government is using parking fines to make up gaps in their budget as an illegal revenue generator. Multiple complaints to that tune have already been levied from Barnet to Westminster.

United Continental to expand Economy Plus seating to Continental aircraft

Compared to some other carriers, inflight services on United Airways have always been a little lacking. They don't have a neat touch-screen entertainment system, limited inflight WiFi and no live TV or radio. Thankfully, they do have two perks you don't find on any of the other domestic carriers - increased legroom in part of the cabin and the ability to listen in on cockpit communications.

As part of their merger with Continental, the new airline plans to introduce their Economy Plus seating to Continental aircraft.

Economy Plus is by no means a replacement for a business class cabin, but the 5 extra inches of leg room are usually quite welcome. What was once a perk reserved for their frequent fliers, has quickly become a new way for the airline to make money - charging up to $425 a year for unlimited access to the extra legroom. Individual flight upgrades to Economy Plus start at just $9 (for short flights).

Still, the airline has to be applauded for committing to this decent perk. The full press release is after the jump.

GadlingTV's Travel Talk - Thailand Part 8: Scooters & Coconuts

In the first half of Travel Talk's grand Thai expedition, we've tamed elephants, explored Bangkok's temples, eaten scorpions, taken in a Muay Thai match, and witnessed a train running directly through a bustling market. Now, we're taking you to explore a lesser known province of Thailand for a closer look at the culture and traditions of rural Thai life.

Situated near the border of Myanmar, Sangkhlaburi is a great destination for those looking for alternative to Chiang Mai or the beaches of Koh Samui. Ever since our Vespa adventure in Rome, we've been anxious to get back on the open road; so we rented scooters and explored the rest of Sangkhlaburi. We'll take you to the longest wooden bridge in Thailand and show you what Thai life is like down on the farm.

Chinese women buying disproportionate percentage of exotic cars?

The number of Chinese millionaires is growing rapidly, and women account for a third of that rising, affluent population. This is good news to exotic car manufacturers because wealthy Chinese women are snatching them up like Italian pastries.

Sales of high-end automobiles rose 60 percent last year and analysts are already pegging a 35 percent climb for 2011. Maserati reports that 30 percent of its Chinese sales are to women, compared against just 10 percent for European sales. China is now on track to pass Italy as the automaker's second largest market.

It's not just Maserati, either; Ferraris and Lamborghinis are being purchased in large numbers. The wealthy women of China account for 20 percent of local Ferrari sales, which is double the global average. The rise in exotic vehicle sales has even gotten the attention of Bugatti, and the Volkswagen Group is now discussing a potential sales plan for China.

Test Drive Unlimited welcomes virtual characters

Can you think of something missing from the current crop of automotive video games? If you said cosmetic surgery then you must work for Atari. The upcoming Test Drive Unlimited 2 is going to let you customize more than you car. Your on-screen avatar can appear exactly how you want it to thanks to numerous facial and clothing options. Click past the jump to see what we're talking about.

Jumo: An innovative Social Networking Platform

Jumo is an exciting and innovative social network platform that uses Facebook login of users so that they can ultimately connect with multitude of good causes. Jumo keeps you up-to-date about all those dear ones with whom you want to keep connected with all the time. This amazing Jumo service is recently launched by social networking giant Facebook’s co-founder Chris Hughes. This is the same guy who was working on Barrack’s Obama Presidential campaign.

The site has a tagline stating that Jumo is there to connect individuals and organizations to change the very face of world’s social domain. But the question is, whether Jumo is just a promise or a passionate and dedicated attempt to support projects, charities and all the good causes.

A Comparison Of 3G And 4G Wireless Networks

In the technological world of mobile phones, 4G is the terminology used for the fourth advanced group of wireless network platforms for mobile devices and especially smart phones. While there is no consensus on the standards of 4G generation, the promises are high to provide, faster, dependable and a very secure wireless networking. There is no doubt that 4G networks will outperform 3G networks, but by what margin? And should we pay a higher price to get the 4G service?

Comparing Speeds
It is true that some of the 4G networks actually do have the capability of transmitting as fast as 100Mbps, the service providers are not too keen on claiming those huge numbers. This is sometime sowing to the limitation of basic technology, while sometimes low transmission speed is offered by the service provider to make sure that the network is reliable and minimum service standards are met all the time. Wireless service provider actually learnt a lesson the hard way when AT&T launched its smart phone in large numbers, especially the iPhones, over burdening its network which did not have the infrastructure to cater to the huge demand for data transmission services.