Future Me Realizes His Dreams

When I was a teenager I dreamt of having my own radio station that would broadcast only music I liked. I could preset the playlist and then head out with nothing more than my credit card sized FM tuner. I would be set, for hours.

Years later the future arrived, conveniently brought to us by Apple. The iPod and then my iPhone let me carry days worth of music, video, podcasts, and audiobooks without any commercials. The playlist is completely tailored to me, that is, except for the times I want something that isn't on my iPhone, isn't on my computer at home, and only exists somewhere in the ether.*

This is when I love the iTunes Store for the iPhone, or at least one little part of it. On the iPhone, the iTunes Store accesses the same expansive library of songs as its desktop counterpart. Preview and purchase songs right on the iPhone. And now, with the latest software, you can browse and download podcasts as well.



There's a hidden feature here. Whereas music is limited to 30-second clips for copyright purposes, podcasts are all free; there is no limit on the preview length. So rather than waiting for a podcast to download (after tapping the FREE button), I just tap the title of the podcast and the entire program streams, even at Edge network speeds.

Now, my iPhone can hold a lot of podcasts. But it's nothing compared to the infinite expanse of the internet, which I can now stream, for free, anywhere I go. And if I get bored, I just go hunting among the other million podcasts.

*Yes, I know about Pandora, and I use it on occasion. However, Pandora doesn't let me skip around or play those 3 songs I like over and over.

Southern Sky

We've had two fantastic days of rain here in The Georgia. With clouds overhead, the temperature hasn't dropped. So when the rain stopped the air stayed a breezy 62-degrees. I walked out the back door of my office and snapped this picture of the clouds running from the fading light.



Outstanding colors; Mother Nature's palette wins again.

On the Dam

At mile 48102, I crossed the top of a dam by a still lake. Large enough to spend hours on, small enough to be private, and remote enough to have a road so narrow that you take turns crossing with cars headed the other direction.







Motor.

Woodsy

At 48101 miles the S finds itself lurking behind trees and carving twisty mountain roads laced with, er, potholes. Loads and loads of potholes. The scenery was great but I don't think I made it out of second gear.



The rain was more of a mist that has been hanging around for a couple of days. I love the temperature -- in the low-50s -- and with the sky overcast, the road looks damp and sharp. Although most prefer sunny and clear, a drizzly day calms my soul more than any other weather. It's as if I get a head start while everyone else hibernates, and indeed the road was only mine today.

Thanksgiving cycling

At mile 48044, the MCS found itself a couple dozen miles north of the city. The day started cold but warmed quickly, perfect for a couple hours of pedaling. It may not be exotic, but it is definitely more exciting than work.

Working Late

My MCS just passed 48,000 miles on the odometer. I've decided to count down to 50K with flair by documenting the different spots my MINI sits. My goal is to make it interesting while keeping in mind that as my daily driver most of the miles will be spent between home and office.



At 48005 miles, the MINI finds itself working late. Desolate in the parking lot, it blends in with the red brick and leaves. And it dreams of the long weekend ahead.

Non-Detroit Geese

These geese flew over my house this morning, flapping and honking like they were going out of business.



From all the honking I'm led to believe they were cars. However, I could tell they weren't from Detroit because they weren't using their corporate private jets to travel.

Many people much more educated on the subject than I am have weighed in on the auto companies bailout. There is a lot to discuss on tax incentives, steel costs, labor contracts, nationalism, efficiency standards, and out-of-touch distribution models. The bottom line is that the free market should run its course.

The free market only cares about one thing: Sell me a product that I want at a price I can afford. I'm not talking about features of quality, power, or sturdiness. It's not about my generation versus my father's or my children's. It's about the fact that Detroit churned out massive amounts of vehicles during this decade and still lost market share. If we carry the domestics through this recession, they'll simply fail on the other side.

I have no desire to see tens of thousands or even millions lose their jobs. I have no desire to see competition diminished. I do think splitting the 3 companies into 5 or 10 or 15 that are independently profitable is the way to go. The great thing is that although bureaucrats are completely incapable of doing much at all, the free market is really good at determining what is sustainable. So split them up, parcel them out, and create smaller companies that focus on cars that are affordable during a recession.