9NEWS Dashcam Consumer Story

I was just interviewed on camera by Jeremy Jojola for a channel 9 news consumer story on dashcams. Jeremy says that my footage was useful in a police investigation, and it was quite possibly the first case in Denver where dashcam footage was instrumental.

The segment will air sometime in May. The whole interview took about 20 minutes. TV news crews are apparently quite efficient with their time.

Phil, cameraperson, and Jeremy

How a TV Sitcom Triggered the Downfall of Western Civilization — Medium

The year 2004 was when we completely gave up and embraced stupidity as a value.

Source: How a TV Sitcom Triggered the Downfall of Western Civilization — Medium

Sure, it’s funny in a sardonic sort of way. But we just re-watched Friends and aside from the agonizingly horrible rampant homophobia that the show espoused, the worst part of the show was the constant belittling of intellectualism and geekery. I identify with Ross more than the other characters because he’s smart, romantic, quirky, and people don’t get him. For the writers it was a cheap source of humor. It wasn’t the high-quality, good-natured type of character-driven humor that made up so many of the show’s other punchlines; it was the cheap, make-fun-of-the-nerd humor that debases everyone in the process.

The car industry has never witnessed what Tesla is about to go through - The Washington Post

That massive number, which far exceeded optimistic forecasts, upends traditional thinking about how to sell cars and is expected to spur the auto industry to shift more dramatically to market electric technology to consumers, analysts said.

Source: The car industry has never witnessed what Tesla is about to go through - The Washington Post

Sigh. They still don’t get it and they probably never will. It’s not just that the Model 3 is electric. And it’s not just that the car is fast and sleek and high-tech. And it’s not just that the car gets better over time through over-the-air software updates. And it’s not just that they have a vast network of superchargers. And it’s not just Tesla’s direct sales, no-dealership model. It’s all of these things combined. And that is why traditional auto makers will probably never catch up. Chevy may have the 200-ish mile range Bolt but they don’t have the other stuff. Sorry, establishment. You’ve had a good run, but you’re over.

Reservation Confirmed

This is an occasion when having reservations is a good thing. Tesla Model 3 reservation confirmation email screenshot]

Turn It Off

At this juncture it has come to pass
That a colleague of mine has no class.
Though he rambles all day,
Even worse, I would say,
Is his perfume is “Essence of ___!”

Follow-Me Music

As I walked into the grocery store today, I was greeted with the usual music piped in over the loudspeakers that permeate the sonic space of the store. Someone long ago decided that people like to hear music when they shop. And not just any music, but a specific brand of upbeat music that apparently makes you want to shop and buy more things. I deduce, mostly through the power of observation, that “selling more stuff” is the only reason every store in the world seems to do this. Wait – that’s not exactly true. Every store that purports to care about the customer experience does this. And the grocery store is no different.