Thursday, 10/8

It's not easy being part Vulcan.

I say that in jest, of course. My DNA says I'm 100% human, so I'm taking Ancestry's word on that. However, having grown up watching a show that features a Vulcan, I'm often wondering about the illogic of certain situations.

Here's one of them.

I had to take Loraine's car out yesterday for a few errands. Because I don't drive much, I'm often very alert when I'm behind the wheel. I keep my eyes where they're supposed to be—on the road—and I don't pay attention to too much else.

However, while on the bypass on the way home, I noticed something pop up on her dashboard display. I was doing what I was supposed to, keeping my eyes on the road, but I noticed it out of the corner of my eye.

What popped up on her dashboard display? This--

Yup. While I was driving Loraine's car popped up a message that I should be keeping my eyes on the road. Of course, to read the message about keeping my eyes on the road, I had to take my eyes off the road. How—on Earth, Vulcan, or any other planet—does that make sense?

There's no logic to it!

I don't know who thought it would be a good idea to have you read a message about keeping your eyes on the road while you're trying to do just that. It totally defeats the purpose of keeping your eyes on the road if you have to take your eyes off the road to read the message. Yet, either Chevrolet or OnStar or some combination thereof thought that it would be a good idea to do just that. Were they not thinking? Have they never driven before? Or were they thinking, somewhat deviously, that “if we get people to read the message and take their eyes off the road they'll wreck their car, and we'll make money selling their insurance company a new one?”

These days, nothing would surprise me.

So there you go. The latest example of non-logic that totally perplexed a logical person. And just so you know, I took the picture after I pulled into the driveway, and no longer needed to keep my eyes on the road. Maybe that's when OnStar and/or Chevrolet should think about putting the message on the dashboard display, and NOT when the driver is (theoretically, and logically) trying to keep their eyes on the road!

(jim@wmqt.com)