Mark My Words, Again

I ran across a story in the news today about cars that can drive themselves. As loyal reader of my blog will attest, I am obsessed with this idea:

Driverless Cars

A couple of interesting points: First, GM is trying to design a car that will be compatible with existing roads -- and existing, human-controlled traffic. Second, the time-frame is within the next eight years. Both of these assumptions are way, way beyond anything I would dare predict. I still think it will take 10 years before most people accept the fact that this will happen someday. It will be ten years after that before we see driverless cars on the roads.

Given that this is being researched by a leading innovator like GM, we can expect millions to be wasted on concept cars that never reach the roads. On the plus side, they might thrash around and get Honda or Toyota interested.

The picture above is of my Grandmother Cage, my Dad, and his younger brother and sister. The car in the background is, in my opinion, one of the best looking automobiles in human history.

The Late Late Show With Me

The only late-night talk show I watch these days is Craig Ferguson. Actually, watch is the wrong word -- I record the show, and listen as I'm eating breakfast the next day. Last Thursday, I almost choked on my Cheerios -- Ferguson read my e-mail on the air! It was Ferguson's first new show after two months off for the writers' strike. I thought the joke I sent him was kind of dumb, but it got a laugh.

It's an in-joke, so unless you watch the Late Late Show, it probably won't be funny at all. Here it is: "Dear Craig. You have a very busy show tonight. Do you even have time for this e-mail?" Ferguson read the email, said "No," and threw it back on the stack.

Like I said, kind of a dumb joke. But now "James from Duluth, GA" is a celebrity from coast-to-coast.

I'm so proud.