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CES: It's a digital experience

The night before the Consumer Electronics Show opens its portals to the world’s technogeeks, there is a sort of preshow called the Digital Experience! (They added that exclamation mark to the name, not us.) Still, the relatively small, ancillary consumer-technology show does set the stage for the massive CES juggernaut the next day. This year, as always, we wandered the aisles of Digital Experience looking for car-related tech.

Milk float sets new speed record

A SUPERCHARGED milk float has picked up a new world record after reaching a speed of 84mph on a racing circuit. The specially-adapted vehicle, sponsored by Weetabix On The Go Breakfast Drinks, beat the existing top speed for a milk float of 77mph on the tarmac at Bruntingthopre in Leicestershire. Complete with bull-bars, and boasting a V8 engine, the float was crafted from a traditional 4mph electric float.

General Motors names Mary Barra to head global product development

General Motors named Mary Barra head of global product development on Thursday, succeeding Tom Stephens, who was named global chief technology officer of the automaker on Wednesday. An engineer, Barra, 49, is the first woman to hold the top product development job at GM. Since 2009 she has served as vice president of global human resources for GM--a key post as the automaker restructured and emerged from bankruptcy protection.