Tag: Road transport

Too Much Technology Run Amok

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I bought a new car a few months ago. Traded my SLK230 for an SLK250. Higher number. Smaller engine. Well played Mercedes.

It’s been 15 years since my last new car. Lots has changed.

I like having Bluetooth. I like satellite radio. This car feels more substantial… and it’s a lot less noisy.

And then there’s the GPS. It uses traffic reports from the satellite radio for route planning. It even checks for faster routes while in motion.

I got the car and gave it free reign, clicking the button that made the GPS boss. All of a sudden my routes looked like I was trying to avoid being tailed! Exits. Side streets. Crazy detours. I’m learning the area. Sometimes there’s no choice but to follow.

Reconfiguration time.

This time I clicked the ‘ask me first’ button. Now the weirdness made sense. The GPS has a hair trigger. If it could shave seconds, it would try.

Problem is the information it receives is full of little errors that momentarily make slow roads look fast. So, I get messages like this:

Traffic Jam On Your Route
Recommended Detour:
approx. 1 min Faster
Approx. 200 ft Longer

I’m sure this feature is great, but someone’s got to turn the sensitivity down. Right now it’s too much technology run amok!

Friday In Las Vegas With The Sun Shining

Foolishly I headed toward Las Vegas Boulevard only to find horrendous traffic! The rest, mostly forgotten now, had the potential to be a major family dust-up. I can tell you a RAV4 is too small for five adults and a full vacation’s worth of bags!

Greetings from Las Vegas. The Sun is shining, but it’s chilly. Helaine, who has already been outside, tells me you warm quickly in the desert sun.

I’m in our room now. We’re on the 39th floor with a northwest view. That’s away from most of the Strip action, but a nice shot of the mountains to our west.

It looks like there’s a little snow on Mount Charleston. It’s still early in the season.

We arrived yesterday and were met by Stef with her boyfriend and visiting friend. That was one stuffed RAV4!

Stef asked me to drive since I know Las Vegas. Foolishly I headed toward Las Vegas Boulevard only to find horrendous traffic! The rest, mostly forgotten now, had the potential to be a major family dust-up. I can tell you a RAV4 is too small for five adults and a full vacation’s worth of bags!

The five of us were joined by my California cousins and had dinner at Zeffirino an Italian restaurant in the shopping area at the Venetian. We’d been there before for Thanksgiving. They throw out the menu and serve an unbelievable holiday buffet. I don’t have to eat for the next month!

I played a little poker after dinner at the Venetian. This might be my favorite poker room anywhere. It’s big and comfortable with action around-the-clock. The service is attentive and quick.

I sat down at a new table that was just opening and watched the dealer convert a few grand from the ten players into chips. It was a thing of beauty as he methodically parceled out the chips in a way that allowed him to retrace his steps and account for each dollar should there be a dispute or error. This guy was an all-star. He elevated poker dealing to an artform.

I played for a few hours losing for a while then coming back almost to even. Almost… that means I lost, right?

Today is Helaine and my 27th anniversary. More to come.

Note: Internet and simple cell access via at&t has been horrendous. Often we’re seeing full bars, but no service!