midnyte

So, per my previous rant, I think the USB play on a stereo is super cool and timely. I think a memory stick is a much better option than the cd changer in the trunk (talk about annoying) a CD player or changer in the dash or having your very stealable iPod or other MP3 device wired in to your stereo. (Plus, I do not own an iPod. I was an early adopter of a different device like an iPod which broke within a year and was so contrived and annoying to use I did not even bother mailing it in for a warranty repair. I just threw it away. There went $300.) And certainly a thumb drive is less difficult to deal with than a book of CD's which gets in the way and having to try to put CD's away while driving to avoid destroying them. For that reason alone, I actually liked cassette players in cars better than CD players, at least if I discovered my Information Society tape under my seat I could typically just cram it into the deck and it would play through. Finding my NIN CD under the seat was not nearly so happy an ending as there was a crack and several gouges in it by the time it was discovered. SO why the hell is this feature so damned complicated?

I truly believe this is the wave of the future until something better comes along. I've noticed more and more high end items do have simplicity as a feature, which is why I have become a purchaser of the higher end product. Two knobs! Something my grandma could figure out! Yes! I think that should be the final test of such items, have a team of old people try them out. If less than 75% of old people can make them work then back to the drawing board! Or erm.. the CAD program. Another option I think would be awesome in the car stereo would be rather than the tiny multifunction buttons and combinations, since there is a USB port already, how about the stereo comes with a USB programming device? Simple basic functions on the faceplate and then a handheld USB plug in device which can handle the geekish set up functions? If you want to upload some shitty little graphic to the screen plug the handheld thing into your PC, get the photos, download skins from the web site, whatever, and program whatever stupid things you want to program via the handheld device, or just your PC then when it is set up to your liking, unplug the complicated thing, toss it into the trunk or glove box and go about your simple operation of the device. Hmmm...... You think anyone is going to pay me for my idea? I wish.

My dad made a lot of money with his patents and inventions. I have ideas for things all the time. Sadly I have no idea how to submit them to industry or go any farther than say, wow wouldn't it be cool if.... I miss my dad. I wish I could have had him longer than I did. Sadly by the time I was 15 he was well into the Alzheimer's and not able to teach me as much as I wish I could have learned from him. Last night I was overcome with sadness while talking about how bad I felt for having him sign some assets over to me before he died. I felt bad because I knew he had no idea what he was doing and just did it because we told him to. It always sits wrong with me to do something like that, but legally it was the best way to transfer the assets and he was not able to manage them anymore, so it had to be done, it still feels kind of like steeling. While I was saying this I was suddenly hit with the realization that it really doesnt matter, he is really gone, never coming back, making him sign over the assets so they could be managed properly and not end up lost really didn't matter, so why do I still feel bad about it? Then I was just sad.