Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Get Your Vitamin C (while driving)

I'm a big fan of Nissan (obvious) but even I get a bit squeamish when it comes to the "nanny-ism" that is creeping into future auto designs. From incessant beeping when you don't buckle your seatbelt, to cars that will apply the brakes when IT thinks you are entering a dangerous situation, to WOT restrictions and now to...aerosol vitamins?

Yes, now Nissan is in the process of implementing a HVAC system for its vehicles that will provide you with your daily dose of Vitamin C by blowing a breathable version into your face. Now is it just me or are we continuing to go down an unnecessary path? I want my car designers to focus on making my cars more fun to drive, more reliable, less expensive, safer, better looking, etc., etc.

I'm sure that they would argue that they are fully capable of walking and chewing gum at the same time--that's not the point. I'm sure they have the ability to design new cars and useful auto applications while at the same time wasting resources on efforts like this, I just want them to STOP wasting resources (time, money, brainpower) on unneeded, unwanted rabbit-hole things like this and use them to move forward on items that do present an everyday concern to consumers. Is that so wrong?

1 comment:

Brian Driggs said...

Preach it, brother.

Each ridiculous convenience feature designed to coddle inept operators disinterested in the act of driving adds complexity, weight, and cost. The inherent freedom of the automobile is chipped away a bit at a time in the interest of convenience.

As Benjamin Franklin said, "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."