They say that if you want to see what will be in cars in 5 years time, look at what Mercedes has in theirs now. Fantastic, just what we need is more arrogant pratts who don't know how to use an indicator. Oh wait... they meant technology wise.

The problem is we're putting computers into things that by all rights shouldn't have computers in them. In the case of cars we are making cars less driver friendly and more reliant on technology that can fail at the worst possible time.

Computers in planes is a good idea but should never be relied upon. Computers in cars makesno sense.Oh sure, the computer is needed for ABS but do you really need ABS? Many would say yes but you wouldn't if you really knew how to drive. Hands up all who were taught pulse braking? Now tell me do YOU really need ABS when you already know how to do what the computer is doing?

What about engine management? Here's a thought, why not ditch the internal combustion engine? It's over 200 years old and is the most inefficient form of engine on the planet. Get rid of that and we wouldn't need engine management systems to try and squeeze another 5% power from a dinosaur or two. The electric motor is a great replacement of the combustion engine. Sure people complain about the lack of range but I had an idea about that. There should be no reason why a series of wind turbines (small ones not like the wind farm in Palmy) mounted in the front grill could be installed to produce energy and thus, in theory at least, you would have limitless range as you would be producing more energy than you are using by using the forward momentum of the car. I know that that sounds like perpetual motion but frankly I don't believe that's impossible. Remember, 300 years ago they said powered, heavier than air flight was impossible. Then Richard Pearse used the laws of aerodynamics to prove that wrong. Of course those stinking Americans claimed that for themselves didn't they. I believe that it's just a matter of finding the right natural law to circumvent the laws of thermodynamics and the way things are progressing I think we aren't that far off.

We now have cars that can brake automatically. Hands up all those wanting to entrust the lives of your family or your own to that system? Technology often chooses the most inopportune time to fail, do you want that time to be right before you smash into the back of a truck?

How about the cars that drive and park themselves? "Oh that will be nice. I could put it on autopilot and have a sleep on long trips". See above point about failure. Remember, KITT was only a TV character and iRobot is only a movie. And what did iRobot teach us? The same thing Terminator, Wargames, and the Matrix taught us... computers are out to kill us.

Now where computers and robots are of benefit is turning humans into cyborgs. Fixing broken people is a great idea but then of course one only needs to watch Terminator to realise the bad behind that but then conversely the bad is cancelled when you watch Robocop.

What about navigation systems? Wow, that makes life easier when you have to back track because it sent you off in the wrong direction. That makes you safer when it sends you up the wrong way up a one way street. Did you see Top Gear when that lady wrote in saying that she wanted to get from A in England to B in England without using the M5 (or whatever the motorway was) and her navigation system  sent her to Sweden to get to there?

"Sorry I'm late I took the long way around."

"Really? What way did you come by?"

"Sweden." 

But the real problem is that with so much technology crammed into cars these days, all the power the engine produces is wasted by powering the electrical systems. Do we really need DVD players in our cars? Back when I was young we never had any of that and guess what, we were never really bored because we had imagination. Do you remember imagination? If you were a product of the 90's then something tells me no. Do we really need airconditioning? Did you know that if the refrigeration unit for the airconditioning catches fire it produces mustard gas? Do a Google search in mustard gas and see if that freezing cold air that gives you legionaries on a hot day is worth the risk.

Many of my posts pretty much paint a negative view of technology. It's not that I see technology as a bad thing, in fact not only is technology my job it's my passion. I can see the benefits of technology and their applications before many others can. I can see how technology can make life better but this ability also means I can see the bad side of technology.

Much of the technology we have in our lives today was designed on the basis it would make our life easier and thus give us time to do what we want. How's that working out for you lot? It's not doing so good for me. I mean I sit in front of a computer all day, except for when I'm sitting in my car (which is a manual with no electronics except radio, possibly a computer for the engine management (it's fuel injected but I don't know if it's electronic - read computer controlled), and the lights etc) travelling to a job so that I can sit in front of a computer. I fight Windows everyday despite the fact that it is supposed to make my life easier. I fight our call system which complains to me if I miss an SLA but most of the reasons behind missing the SLA is because the call system won't let me in to update the call. Remind me again how this technology is making my life easier?

But when it does make our life easier the real question is should we let our lives be easier? New Zealand was founded on the #8 wire and hammer but now we just buy the product. As such we've lost the ability to build things. No wonder most houses look the same, everybody's probably using the same templates in AutoCAD. Remember pen and paper and talent? I remember them. I used to be alright in Tech Drawing. Talent side was somewhat lacking though. Has any of the younger people ever used a hammer? Do they know what a nail is or do they just use a nail gun. Admittedly it is heaps of fun using a nail gun but then so is bashing stuff with a hammer which I think is more fun, except when that thing you're bashing is your thumb.

Technology in cars is supposed to make it safer but the problem is that that technology is making lazier drivers. All that safer car technology is gone out the window when a muppet gets behind the wheel. Driving to work everyday is pretty much the Muppet Show. How is that ABS braking, air bags, and side-intrusion panel making a safer road when the twat behind the wheel is reading the newspaper? I've seen it happen. I've seen the whole make-up application thing as well. Oh but it's alright because they are driving safe cars that have the best electronics in them. Oh that just makes it alright now doesn't it? My mate and I were driving to Lower Hutt and the car in front did something stupid and this was the proceeding conversation:

"Dozy woman driver." I said

"How do you know it's a woman driver?" my mate asked

"Because her rearview mirror is pointing the wrong way."

Sure enough her mirror was pointed in such a direction so as she could  see her own reflection in it. Of course that doesn't matter because she clearly doesn't use it anyway otherwise she would have seen us.

Which all leads me back to my point. It's useless putting high tech equipment in cars because it doesn't remove the human from the equation. Of course things go wrong when you remove the human from the equation so the real way to make the roads safer is not by technology but by making better humans, thus all that cool technology being wasted by putting them in cars, should be instead put into humans which takes me back to my cyborg remark. There's a few humans I'd like to go all Robocop on I can assure you.