Do you have no-good, bratty, whiney kids who think the world revolves around them and make you drive them to all the cool hangouts around town just so they can avoid having to sit by themselves in the cafeteria even though all that stuff won’t matter by the time they’re 30 and actually realize how ridiculously unimportant their lives were when they were in middle school?

Me neither, but I can’t wait to have kids. I think I’d be a pretty cool dad.

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Part rickshaw, part cab, but all green — it’s the EcoCab. Come to think of it, “part cab” might be stretching it just a tad, since most cabs can, oh I don’t know, go on the highway. This cab, however, is for getting from Point A to Point A-and-a-half. It’s pedal powered but features a small electric motor to help the “driver” achieve speeds of just under eight miles per hour.

A fleet of 28 EcoCabs has apparently just hit Toronto, according to TreeHugger.com, and rides will be free “during summer street festivals and special events.” A commenter on the site mentioned that EcoCabs have been giving free rides in Dublin, Ireland for the past year, so it appears that riding in an EcoCab might always be free. How is this possible, you may or may not ask? Through the magical wonderment of cab-adorned advertising. It really, truly does make the world go ’round.

Photo by Roger Cullman

Fueled by a 65-square foot trailer covered with solar panels, this three-wheeled, two-seat taxi is making its way around the world without stopping for gas. It was developed by a Swiss teacher named Louis Palmer and the whole taxi thing is more or less a gimmick, although he is actively picking people up and giving them free rides. Palmer says that if the car were to be mass produced, it would likely cost less than $9000 to build. Its top speed is 55 miles per hour and the car is 30 feet long when you factor in the trailer on the back.

Palmer had to begrudgingly remove his "Gas, Grass, or Ass — Nobody Rides for Free" bumper sticker and replace it with a less edgy "Sun, Fun, or Buns — Everyone Rides for Free" window cling. The previous sentence may or may not be true.

Solar-powered taxi seeks to go around world [Reuters]

Some of us have trouble pulling ourselves away from the computer and sometimes that can be OK. But if you need your fix of video gaming and Internet surfing and happen to live in Austin, Texas, you may want to call Ricky Gray for a cab. Gray has outfitted his minivan-turned-taxi with two LCD TVs on which customers can play Playstation 2 games on, watch TV, and surf the Internet.

Gray’s exceptional service, combined with a geeked out cab make for a great time while cruising around the Austin area. He says his future plans include upgrading the PS2 to a PS3, getting bigger LCD TVs, and adding a satellite dish so better programming is available. If he added a snack machine, I’m pretty sure it’d be worth taking the scenic route on every trip.

A cab with a view: two TVs, a laptop and a PlayStation 2 [CNet]

I only use cabs in the city when I’m trying to get my mack on and I have no time for that silly subway. But if I should come across a situation where I need to use one, I’ll finally be able to use my credit card instead of cash. How, you ask? NYC has finalized plans to install 13,000 devices into all the cabs around the city. These units will allow you to pay with a credit card, get news and information via touch-screen display, check out local bars and restaurants, deliver sports scores, and a whole lot more.

Though this will obviously benefit passengers, drivers aren’t enthusiastic about it (gee, what a surprise). They said the new displays will be expensive to implement and that cab owners and officials will be able to check up on them. Plus that GPS unit will keep people in the know in case a cabbie goes completely crazy and starts trying to drive off the Brooklyn Bridge. Either way, 200 units are currently operational with more being rolled out this year. Keep an eye out for ‘em the next time you rock a taxi.

Taxi rides in NYC going high-tech [AP]

If you live in NYC like some of us, you know that cabs are nothing exciting. They’re just fast transportation (well, sometimes at least) from one point to another for when you’re drunk as a skunk. All that is about to change though, thanks to a new touchscreen the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission showed off last week.

Set to debut in the next few weeks, the touchscreen features news, weather reports, restaurant reviews and shows the current progress your cab is making to your destination. Those who lose personal items in the cab will be able to call the cab company up and track down their items much quicker. You’ll also be able to start paying with credit cards thanks to the new system (about time). If the sounds emitting from the device become annoying, you can just mute it for a calm ride crosstown. New Yorkers should thank the heavens and keep their eye out for these during the holidays.

New NYC taxis to have TV and tracking [Silicon Valley via Digg]