NROP: Missing books and drivers.

Do you ever encounter a car that gets in front of you and then decided to slow down? It happens to me quite often and I am yet to figure out the reason behind such action. One of my theories is that someone hires people to annoy me on purpose. Do you have a better explanation?

Only yesterday, all of a sudden, a white truck in front of me slowed down and I ended up changing lanes just so it would not take me twice as long to get where I was going. As I was passing the guy, I noticed that one of his legs hung out the window. A-ha!

Back in the day, when I was learning how to drive a stick shift, my father told me about the advantages of an automatic transmission. “You can drive with one leg and one arm hanging out the window,” he said. I do not think he realized how dangerous his telling me that could have been. Driving a stick is a full-body experience. Some people claim they would not know what to do with their other hand/leg if they drove automatic. Maybe they would have hung their limbs out the window, too.

There was a time, when – as a passenger – I drove with my feet on the dashboard. A couple of times, I stuck my feet out the window, too. It was mostly to see what the buzz was all about. I was young and reckless, I guess. These days, when I see an ELBOW out the window I want to scream. Have you never seen a car accident (or been in one)? Keep your elbows in! Let alone a leg that might be a bit harder to pull back in, even if you see the accident coming.

You might already know that I am a skeptic when it comes to new things/technology. If it is something I needed or wanted, I am more open to it. But, if it is something that I do not need and do not want right away, I shrug. This, I believe is the lucidity that we all need to employ before adopting new technology. When we need/want something, we rarely have the time to think about the bad and the ugly. Instead, we only focus on the good, which can be detrimental in the long run. My father used to say that everything is for humans; you just need to know when, where, how often, etc. So, I do see the benefits of certain pieces of technology, but they might not always be the ones for me.

On Sunday, I visited a new church and quickly noticed that there were hymnals missing from the pews. Usually, one of the first things I do when I sit down is finding the current readings. The reader might have a soft voice, which might prevent me from hearing the words clearly. Or, they might misread something. Plus, it is just easier for me to absorb something when I hear AND read it at the same time. Aside from finding the readings, I also like navigating to the various songs that are a part of the mass. Sometimes I feel like singing, others not at all but I like to be able to join in easily whenever I feel like it. However, if there are no books, I am unable to do any of that and, I low-key panic. I do not feel as grounded without it. It is easier to distract me, which means that my whole experience is sub-par right out of the gate.

Once the COVID-19 restrictions started loosening up and people began coming back to the church, I noticed a few older people staring at their phones during mass. It was BIZZARE, to say the least. It took me a couple of masses to figure out that they were following the scripture and hymns online. While I marveled at their ingenuity (realizing their phone could serve as a hymnal and finding the readings ahead of time and having them ready during the mass), I also cried a little. It was not just the kids playing games on their parents’ phones during mass anymore. It was adults staring at their phones without shame.

I assume these people had their notifications disabled (or just do not have any to receive) because it would be pretty distracting otherwise…

Things have changed since last year and the hymnals have come back. Well, apparently, not everywhere. The church I went to over the weekend had some brochures tossed all over the place (benches, hymnal holders, floor…). Intrigued, I picked one up. It included ‘resources.’ Those were various QR codes you could scan to navigate to various websites with readings, hymnals, bulletins, and more. The Church is trying to get people to use their phones during mass? What kind of reverse psychology is that?

For what it is worth, I gave it a try. It was everything I expected – the text was small and the experience… weird. It is just like the menus when you go to a restaurant. Your mom has been telling you to put your phone away at the table for years and now everyone is asked to pull theirs out just to see what they are able to order. Are you kidding?!

To close this post, I will go back to cars. Whenever I see a Tesla, I wonder if a person is driving it or if it is driving itself. A friend of mine told me that they use the self-driving feature when they go out and their spouse drinks. No, it is not the drunken spouse driving. It is my friend who does not feel like driving but has no choice. I guess Tesla is saving marriages in a way.

We have been hearing about self-driving cars for a while now but are yet to live in a world in which those are the norm.

A couple of weeks ago, cops in California pulled over a car that was driving without headlights. Imagine the shock when one of the officers approached the driver’s side of the door and found… no driver (or passenger for that matter). And then, the car drove off. Well, it stopped again a short distance away, but it looked like it was trying to escape for a moment. The police officers ended up calling the company – Cruise to inform them of the lights issue.

What would happen if that car got into an accident with someone else because of the headlights not being on? You might try to get the other driver’s license and insurance information and find no one. Apparently, the company is like a taxi or an Uber… only without a driver and it is in business on the San Franciso roads since late 2021. (I would be curious to know if you have been a passenger in one of those ghosts taxis.)

Over the weekend, in China, Pony.ai received a driverless taxi license – the first of its kind. To obtain it, the company conducted tests for two years without getting into any accidents. So, if you plan to be in Beijing in the near future, be sure to jump into one of these taxis and share your feedback with me.

This made me think of movies in which people see inanimate objects moving without being operated by humans. Maybe those were not ghosts. Maybe these directors merely tried to show us the future but ghosts were less scary than self-driving cars?

Stay golden,

***

Did you enjoy reading this post?
Hit LIKE.
Have some thoughts on the topic?
Share in the COMMENTS.
Do you regularly enjoy my blog?
Be sure to FOLLOW.
Are my posts getting lost in your busy Reader?
Try SUBSCRIBING.
Want to get to know me better?
Check me out on TWITTER @SamGoldieKirk.