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Monday, February 02, 2004
3:46 PM

Technology Overload

I love technology. I have just about every gadget there is and use them all often. Computer. Cell phone. Cable TV. Satellite TV (yes we have both and yes we know it's overkill). Digital Camera. DVD players. Xbox. Big TVs. You name it we've got it. I have about 4 different e-mail accounts. Voicemail at work, home and on my cell.

I thought I was pretty well covered. Then we got our new car. We decided to own up to being the yuppies that we are and bought a Lexus - an SUV though so at least it isn't a totally yuppified sedan (though I must admit that these days maybe an SUV is even more yuppie - I'll have to think about that). Anyway. . .

So the new Lexus has things that are so superfluous that even I, Techno Queen, think they are silly. For example, it has a DVD player and screen for the back seat. Those of you who know us know that we have no kids. It's just us. And three cats. So unless either (a) one of us drives and the other sits in back or (b) we decide the take the cats with us, ain't no one going to be watching a DVD in the car. (Please note that taking the cats in the car is slightly less pleasant than bathing them, so that clearly won't be happening. And if it did they wouldn't watch. They are CATS!) Anyone up for movie night in the Lexus?

It also has one of those nifty little navigation systems on the dashboard that has a map showing where you are all the time. You can also program in your destination and the nice lady in the dash board will direct you where you need to go. This aspect of the car held our interest for at least a week or two. Then it gets annoying having her tell you when to turn, how far to the next turn, where you are, to slow down, eat your vegetables, touch up your lipstick, etc. (Ok, so all she really does is give driving directions, but she gives a lot of them, over and over). We even tried converting her to a French woman and even that failed to amuse us for more than a few minutes (maybe because we had no idea what she is saying. Perhaps this is the big break I have been looking for in training to direct traffic in Paris!). So now it's really just a map we can look at all the time. Which isn't all bad. It even shows the ocean in blue. Mmm. Pretty. And if you get really lonely on your drive home, she is there for you.

The one feature that it has that I just can't get used to is the automatic lights. When you set it to this mode, it senses light and turns the lights on and off as needed. Great in concept. Except that when you park and it's dark, it has a delay feature. The lights don't turn out for 30 seconds. Which means that every day when I get to work and park in the dark garage, I get out, see the lights on and wonder "Is it really set to automatic mode and they will go off in a bit or did I just put them on normal and my car will be dead in a couple of hours?" Every single time I drive the Lexus I have this debate (the other car's lights go off when you turn the car off - now that's a good car!). The first few times I would either go back and check or I would hover uncomfortably in the garage looking for them to go out (they always did, but I had to stop in light of some of the strange looks I was getting). So far, no dead battery and now I'm even throwing caution to the wind and leaving without doing either! Definitely progress for me. But I must admit that as I type this I'm starting to wonder if the car will start when I leave today. . .

Maybe a little less technology would be fine.

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