Is it just me or do you find yourself judging people based on the bumper stickers they have put on their cars? Do you feel like people should drive differently or drive different vehicles based on those stuck on messages? Do you find it strange to see a "Save the Bay" bumper sticker on a Ford Expedition? To me it's sort of like that "Dead Head sticker on a Cadillac" from the old Don Henley song. Are bumper stickers a real look into the soul or the mind of others or are they just random blips on the emotional radar? No, I'm not talking about the South of the Border bumper stickers but the ones with some sort of political or social message.
The reason for bringing this up is that the other day I saw a small pick-up with a "Buy Organic" and an "End the War" bumper sticker. My impression was brief but instant that this was a good and socially conscientious person. Almost as soon as this thought hit my brain it was erased as the driver swerved in front of another car and sped up only to end up literally inches from the bumper of the car in front of it. My thought changed from Sister Teresa to "What a jerk." It was kind of like someone with a "My kid made the Honor Roll" bumper sticker giving the one finger salute.
Maybe this person was driving someone else's car or one that they bought at a West Virginia auction. Even still it seems like the messaging on the back of the car should match the way the car is driven or the way the driver acts. Or maybe bumper stickers don't really mean anything at all.
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Sooner or later you knew that someone would come up with this idea. A few years ago the big thing in GPS navigation devices was to use celebrity or cartoon voices for the directions. Tom Tom had all kinds of different voices and you could even purchase more to fit your mood. It was kind of like getting into a cab in Las Vegas when the voice from the meter comes on and says: "Hi, this is Wayne Newton saying welcome to Las Vegas, my kind of town."
Now, one of the most perfect navigation voices has been installed into a unit from a company called MIO. The voice is that of actor William Daniels. You might know him better as the voice of KITT from the 1980's television show Knight Rider. While I wasn't a big fan of the show I can see that this might appeal to a certain group of individuals who spent a lot of time in the basement with the television. The cynic in me notes that this is coming to market at the same time that a remake of the old TV show is premiering but whatever; it's a truly perfect match.
According to the company's information kit the unit boots up by asking: "Hello Michael, where do you want to go today?" As if the voice weren't enough the unit also has LED scanner lights that pulse up and down like the ones on KITT used to. I imagine that that feature will probably prove more of an annoyance when driving at night. Anyway, for less than the price of a used Trans Am and full-car decals this navigation unit can be yours. By the way, I have no idea how efficient the actual navigation portion of the product works and the company provides little detail.
Steve Eldridge is a long-time reporter, observer and commentator on the Washington region's transportation issues. You can contact him directly by writing to: Steve@SprawlandCrawl.com. Unless otherwise requested, letters or portions of letters can be used within future columns. Letter writers will be identified by their first name and city/neighborhood.
What about the Drive 55 Campaign Steve, where are you on this retro idea?
Posted by: JP | July 24, 2008 at 01:30 PM