Driverless Cars and Rotten Tomatoes
22/08/16 06:50
I’ve been meaning to download the Uber app and get it on my phone in the event I have an emergency on the road. In this post-telephone booth age we live in where you couldn’t find a telephone booth if your life depended on it I’m willing to go with the flow and buy into the best alternatives available. Uber, of course, is the latest version of the checker taxi cabs but without the checkers and with drivers that you might otherwise mistake for one of your neighbors or simply the man or woman living down the street who has fallen on hard times and is looking to pick up a few extra dollars by moonlighting as a cab driver. I was telling Nancy the other day that we ought to take a dry run. Download the app, contact a driver, and have them take us some place. Anyplace.
It’s a fanciful idea and one that might well provide us with the appropriate insights so we can do this in a pinch without the additional anxiety that goes along with doing something radically new. Just don’t need that extra layer of nonsense if and when the time comes where we have to do it. And now Uber comes out and says that they will be utilizing driverless vehicles in the future. That technology is not in widespread use but it has to be bad news for drivers who have come to see Uber as a last resort when it comes to making ends meet. I’ll not be getting in any driverless cars anytime soon so no worries there. My suggestion would be to prop up a mannequin or robot behind the wheel for a time until people are more accepting of the technology. The look and feel of the future is going to be different. Get used to it.
If it’s August then it’s time for World Series Little League. It is one of Nancy’s all time favorite shows to watch on television. We don’t subscribe to ESPN so will have to catch the show on the major networks (ABC) over the weekend. The regionals are a wrap and New England is represented by Rhode Island this year at the World Series of Little League baseball in Williamsport, PA.. It doesn’t look good for them, quite frankly, and they will likely be eliminated today (they won!) in a second round elimination game. Aside from the home town favorites, which might be a bit of a stretch but is still near and dear to Nancy’s heart given that she spent her formative years growing up but a stone’s throw away from Rhode Island in Southern Massachusetts, there are plenty of other interesting rivalries to follow.
I’m not entirely sure what Nancy sees in all of this but I go along because that is what dutiful husbands do. I recently suggested that we take a trip to Pennsylvania sometime to see this live and that seemed to catch her attention. As for the subscription to ESPN, we looked into it a little bit but couldn’t justify upgrading anything since we just don’t watch enough television of any kind that would warrant spending the extra money. Maybe it all just reminds Nancy of Evan’s time playing little league and that’s fine. I’m infinitely less nostalgic about such things but indulge her at every turn if that is what pleases her. And it does so I do.
I am trying very hard not to get caught up in all the machinations around Nancy’s mom’s move to Exeter. It’s none of my business and I want no part of it. Don’t ask for my advice and don’t look to me for assistance. If asked, my eyes will gloss over with disinterest until you go away. She has three capable, strong, and resourceful children to assist her so she is in good hands. For those things that her children cannot manage, other options are likely available. If obstacles arise, they need to overcome them. They will find a way. This may seem selfish on my part but I think keeping a safe distance from all of it will in the end prove to be the right decision. It may not endear me to those closest to the matter but that is something I can and will live with.
As for things in the house that I may or may not want should they be offered I would simply say again that I want nothing to do with anything in the move or the house and that includes removing things from the house for my own personal edification. I offer no judgments one way or the other on choices made by others in this regard so they can do as they wish or as it pleases them. Her mom’s move is a good one and the time is right for such a move. Maintaining your independence as you get older is important and this is a necessary step toward that end for Mrs G. She is in the midst of a maelstrom when and where it comes to making decisions around this move but she is an organized and willful person so has the requisite skills and mindset to deal with everything. Short of ending up with a parking spot that is a rather long walk from her unit, I expect she will land on both feet once settled.
There are times when being the kid with deep pockets in the candy store of his choice isn’t all it is cracked up to be. That is especially true when that very same kid, knowing full well that he can afford any candy that strikes his fancy, decides to walk out of the store without so much as a single piece of penny candy in his pocket. Nothing. Not an Atomic Fireball; not a Mary Jane; not a root beer barrel; and not even a Tootsie Roll. It has less to do with self discipline and infinitely more to do with the cumulative disinterest that comes from seeing and sensing a constant barrage of subliminal and less-than-subliminal marketing techniques employed by the vendors of these products. They have one purpose in mind and one purpose only; to separate you from your money. Perhaps secondarily, to buy their products rather than the products from their competitors.
This is true whether it be vendors plying their wares at the local farmers market on Saturday morning here in Portsmouth, NH, or the larger and more commercial and practiced purveyors of sporting goods such as Kittery Trading Post in southern Maine which we visited last evening on a wild Saturday night out on the town (don’t laugh.) Maybe the only logical rationale is that if you can’t have everything then you shouldn’t buy anything. That’s a perfectly Amish viewpoint. No? A discriminating shopper might well scoff at my more than self serving assessment but I’m sticking with it. Then again, if the price is right all bets are off. I’ll have 5 fireballs and a Mary Jane to go.
I overheard one vendor at the Farmer’s Market yesterday telling his neighbor that he liked the design of his shelving construction in the small space afforded him at the Marketplace. He marveled aloud at the thought process which produced a layout of his goods that was conducive to facilitating the flow of traffic at his cart thereby increasing the likelihood of selling his products. There was no mention of the products themselves perhaps out of professional courtesy. I found little of interest at the marketplace but was otherwise captivated by the colors, fragrances, and bounty of the produce on display. We are at a tipping point from a seasonality standpoint and the amount of produce still available just minutes away from closing time told me and others all we needed to know about just how successful the growing season has been here in Southern New Hampshire despite the lack of rain this season.
It seemed particularly wasteful to me that they had so much produce still on hand at closing time. I suppose if they lowered their prices at closing time to get rid of it then folks wouldn’t shop until the very last minute and that might prove to be counterproductive. Still, these are perishable goods we’re talking about. Tomatoes, and to a lesser extent corn, were stacked everywhere; on carts; in buckets; in wagons; and on display vertically and horizontally as far as the eye could see. Maybe they end up as feed for the hogs back on the farm or fodder for the local food pantries if they go unsold. We made no purchases and thus made no contributions to the local economy but otherwise enjoyed our time at the Marketplace on a late August morning where skies were overcast, the air cool, and local commerce alive and well despite the obvious oversupply of certain fruits and vegetables.
It’s a fanciful idea and one that might well provide us with the appropriate insights so we can do this in a pinch without the additional anxiety that goes along with doing something radically new. Just don’t need that extra layer of nonsense if and when the time comes where we have to do it. And now Uber comes out and says that they will be utilizing driverless vehicles in the future. That technology is not in widespread use but it has to be bad news for drivers who have come to see Uber as a last resort when it comes to making ends meet. I’ll not be getting in any driverless cars anytime soon so no worries there. My suggestion would be to prop up a mannequin or robot behind the wheel for a time until people are more accepting of the technology. The look and feel of the future is going to be different. Get used to it.
If it’s August then it’s time for World Series Little League. It is one of Nancy’s all time favorite shows to watch on television. We don’t subscribe to ESPN so will have to catch the show on the major networks (ABC) over the weekend. The regionals are a wrap and New England is represented by Rhode Island this year at the World Series of Little League baseball in Williamsport, PA.. It doesn’t look good for them, quite frankly, and they will likely be eliminated today (they won!) in a second round elimination game. Aside from the home town favorites, which might be a bit of a stretch but is still near and dear to Nancy’s heart given that she spent her formative years growing up but a stone’s throw away from Rhode Island in Southern Massachusetts, there are plenty of other interesting rivalries to follow.
I’m not entirely sure what Nancy sees in all of this but I go along because that is what dutiful husbands do. I recently suggested that we take a trip to Pennsylvania sometime to see this live and that seemed to catch her attention. As for the subscription to ESPN, we looked into it a little bit but couldn’t justify upgrading anything since we just don’t watch enough television of any kind that would warrant spending the extra money. Maybe it all just reminds Nancy of Evan’s time playing little league and that’s fine. I’m infinitely less nostalgic about such things but indulge her at every turn if that is what pleases her. And it does so I do.
I am trying very hard not to get caught up in all the machinations around Nancy’s mom’s move to Exeter. It’s none of my business and I want no part of it. Don’t ask for my advice and don’t look to me for assistance. If asked, my eyes will gloss over with disinterest until you go away. She has three capable, strong, and resourceful children to assist her so she is in good hands. For those things that her children cannot manage, other options are likely available. If obstacles arise, they need to overcome them. They will find a way. This may seem selfish on my part but I think keeping a safe distance from all of it will in the end prove to be the right decision. It may not endear me to those closest to the matter but that is something I can and will live with.
As for things in the house that I may or may not want should they be offered I would simply say again that I want nothing to do with anything in the move or the house and that includes removing things from the house for my own personal edification. I offer no judgments one way or the other on choices made by others in this regard so they can do as they wish or as it pleases them. Her mom’s move is a good one and the time is right for such a move. Maintaining your independence as you get older is important and this is a necessary step toward that end for Mrs G. She is in the midst of a maelstrom when and where it comes to making decisions around this move but she is an organized and willful person so has the requisite skills and mindset to deal with everything. Short of ending up with a parking spot that is a rather long walk from her unit, I expect she will land on both feet once settled.
There are times when being the kid with deep pockets in the candy store of his choice isn’t all it is cracked up to be. That is especially true when that very same kid, knowing full well that he can afford any candy that strikes his fancy, decides to walk out of the store without so much as a single piece of penny candy in his pocket. Nothing. Not an Atomic Fireball; not a Mary Jane; not a root beer barrel; and not even a Tootsie Roll. It has less to do with self discipline and infinitely more to do with the cumulative disinterest that comes from seeing and sensing a constant barrage of subliminal and less-than-subliminal marketing techniques employed by the vendors of these products. They have one purpose in mind and one purpose only; to separate you from your money. Perhaps secondarily, to buy their products rather than the products from their competitors.
This is true whether it be vendors plying their wares at the local farmers market on Saturday morning here in Portsmouth, NH, or the larger and more commercial and practiced purveyors of sporting goods such as Kittery Trading Post in southern Maine which we visited last evening on a wild Saturday night out on the town (don’t laugh.) Maybe the only logical rationale is that if you can’t have everything then you shouldn’t buy anything. That’s a perfectly Amish viewpoint. No? A discriminating shopper might well scoff at my more than self serving assessment but I’m sticking with it. Then again, if the price is right all bets are off. I’ll have 5 fireballs and a Mary Jane to go.
I overheard one vendor at the Farmer’s Market yesterday telling his neighbor that he liked the design of his shelving construction in the small space afforded him at the Marketplace. He marveled aloud at the thought process which produced a layout of his goods that was conducive to facilitating the flow of traffic at his cart thereby increasing the likelihood of selling his products. There was no mention of the products themselves perhaps out of professional courtesy. I found little of interest at the marketplace but was otherwise captivated by the colors, fragrances, and bounty of the produce on display. We are at a tipping point from a seasonality standpoint and the amount of produce still available just minutes away from closing time told me and others all we needed to know about just how successful the growing season has been here in Southern New Hampshire despite the lack of rain this season.
It seemed particularly wasteful to me that they had so much produce still on hand at closing time. I suppose if they lowered their prices at closing time to get rid of it then folks wouldn’t shop until the very last minute and that might prove to be counterproductive. Still, these are perishable goods we’re talking about. Tomatoes, and to a lesser extent corn, were stacked everywhere; on carts; in buckets; in wagons; and on display vertically and horizontally as far as the eye could see. Maybe they end up as feed for the hogs back on the farm or fodder for the local food pantries if they go unsold. We made no purchases and thus made no contributions to the local economy but otherwise enjoyed our time at the Marketplace on a late August morning where skies were overcast, the air cool, and local commerce alive and well despite the obvious oversupply of certain fruits and vegetables.