The Future of Traffic Law Enforcement

For a couple of years now, Houston has had "red light cameras" that take pictures of cars running red lights. Based on the license plate number, the driver is then mailed a citation and expected to pay the fine. I don't know how prevalent or numerous these devices are in other cities (and I really don't feel like doing any research), but I find the concept fascinating.

Obviously, a lot of people don't favor them. I suppose they believe that if an actual police officer didn't catch them in the act, then they should be allowed to get away with it. That's a very interesting ethical position to take: if I wasn't caught, then it wasn't wrong, basically. I could go on for paragraphs on just this aspect alone, but I won't.

But traffic law, for the most part, is pretty cut and dried, black and white. The light was red; you entered the intersection; you get a ticket. So the use of computers and automated cameras makes a lot of sense here. I'm sure there are plenty who still fight the tickets, but they're fighting against solid evidence and can really only make appeals based on "just cause."

Believe it or not (surprising even to me), I really like this concept and think it should (and will) be expanded. I've often seen digital speed limit signs equipped with radar to show you how fast you're really going. They're always temporary, I guess just to remind drivers that the police do know what you're doing. But why couldn't these signs have cameras as well? It doesn't seem like it would be too difficult to set up a system for stop signs as well. I think this is an inventive use of modern technology. Fifty years ago, it would have been impossible, but now you could have an automated post measure your speed (radar), take your picture (digitally, no film), time and date stamp it (computer), and send it to a central police hub (wireless Internet). That's impressive.

Will this happen? I think so. In the next five years, probably not. Ten? Probably.

But this idea can be taken even further, which is what I really like thinking about. How many cars today are equipped with rear-view video cameras? Some even have little radar sensors to tell you when you are nearing an object. And these aren't super luxury or concept car features; these were on the Ford Focus I drove a few months ago.

So, why not have driver-controlled cameras to report the bad/illegal behavior of other drivers? How many times have you seen someone driving recklessly on the freeway, too fast, weaving in and out of cars, and wished that they got caught. "Why isn't there ever a cop when you need one?"

But if you could report him yourself? Just move a joystick and take a snap, which is instantly transmitted to the police, maybe even including your geo-tracked location. This is all possible now. Sure, there are some kinks to work out. You'd have to make sure it isn't too dangerous/distracting to take the picture. There would have to be officers whose job would be to sift the reports to separate the wheat from the chaff, but that wouldn't be too hard. If you get five reports from five different vehicles in the same area at the same time, I think you should look into it. I think it might even cut down on road rage, in a passive-aggressive way. Don't like the guy tailgating you? Just take a picture and report him. He pays a fine and you feel good about yourself. That's much better than slamming on your breaks and risking gunfire.

In small tribal communities, they don't have police. That doesn't mean they don't have crime or wrong-doers, but just that it isn't the job of one person to correct it. The community as a whole upholds the group ethic. If someone steals, rapes, or murders, everyone knows it. That person is most often shunned and/or kicked out of the community. As a community gets larger and wealthier, it can afford to have people whose job is more specific or abstract. Perhaps, as our society gets larger and communication gets so much easier, it will become more like the smaller communities. If we all police ourselves/each other for traffic violations, it frees the actual police to do the specialized work they are trained to do. If people knew that by cutting ahead in a long line of cars at an off-ramp they would get a dozen pictures sent and have to pay a fine, maybe they'd be more hesitant to do it.

It all sounds very Orwellian, and that fascinates me as well. The oppression in 1984 came from the government, of course, but it was enforced by the people. Big Brother wasn't so much the camera as the person looking through the lens.

Anyway, I think it's coming. Probably not in ten years, but in twenty? Thirty? Who knows.

Seriously

So, I haven't posted for a while, but unlike usual, it wasn't due to laziness.

Two weeks ago, a very close and dear friend of the family passed away quite unexpectedly. Fred Griesbach was 80 years old, but he was in better shape than most men 20 years younger. He was full of life, extremely kind, and a friend to all who knew him. I've known him almost all of my life, and I will certainly miss him.

I was hesitant to write anything about his passing. I was worried that my tongue-in-cheek (but 100% true) eulogy for my Jeep would cheapen anything else I wrote here. In truth, he probably would have laughed in support over that post. He was one of the first to console me for my loss.

Yesterday I was visiting with my family. I had a big bottle of St. Bernardus Abt. 12 that I had bought specifically to share with Fred (we shared a passion for beer). Instead, I poured it among my family and offered a toast. Not five minutes later, Fred's daughter Sally called. We immediately invited her over to share our lunch, and again we toasted her father. It was a good day. We ate barbecue outside, my father got some exercise and sunshine, and we all laughed and shared stories of Mr. Griesbach. I think that's exactly how he would have wanted it.

Ich möchte einen Toast auf Frederick Griesbach ausbringen!

Dem Leben sind Grenzen gesetzt, die Liebe ist grenzenlos.

Prost!

Cool Juggling!

Eulogy for Zoe

What can you say about a 12-year-old car that died?

On December 21st, my dear and trusted companion Zoe, my 1997 White Jeep Wrangler, was taken from me in an auto accident.

Here is the last picture I took with her, as we brave the snow(!) on the Houston freeways in early December.

I had run around with other cars before, but I'm proud to say that I was Zoe's first. We had an instant bond that kept us together through good times and bad. I remember clearly in the early days of our relationship, not to get too personal, how I would give her a sponge bath once a week. Of course, as we grew accustomed to one another over the years, those indulgences of our youth slipped away.

She was always a shameless flirt, though. She just loved to run around topless! And hey, who was I to say no? I enjoyed it as much as she did, flaunting ourselves around town, basking in the sun on every inch of our bodies. It was divine. There were times when I would be feeling down, and just a quick cruise around with her would completely lift my spirits. She really had that affect on me.

Of course, she loved Los Angeles! She fit right in! It was such a joy to be in a city that when you look around, there's actually something to see in the distance. Plus, Zoe didn't feel as self-conscious about having her top off out there. It was almost expected of a car of her beauty. She would go like that for months at a time.

We had our share of bad moments, too. There were a few times when I had left her in a bad spot and vulnerable. She get picked up by some stranger and end up taken somewhere unpleasant. I know it shamed her to be treated that way, but I was always there to spring her out as early as possible the next morning. I always felt responsible, as if I had driven her to be somewhere she shouldn't.

But most of the time, things were great! We had a lot of great trips together, and drove to some wonderful and beautiful places. She wasn't afraid to go off the beaten path and get a little dirty. She was more adventurous than I was, at times.

I remember one time, in the first couple of years that we were together, we had a very unusual experience. She was waiting outside for me while I was hanging out with some friends. Some local hoodlums drove by and assaulted her. That would be terrible, were it not for the silliness of it. When I came out, I saw her covered in flour tortillas!? A couple of eggs had been thrown at her, but she dodged them and even managed to catch one without breaking it. It was a strange, humorous, and memorable evening that we talked about for days.

But, she was getting older. The last few years had not been kind to her, including multiple health issues that seemed to compound every year. She kept her positive attitude and high spirits, but I think even she knew she wouldn't be around forever. She'd had a lot of work done to keep her looking good and running with the younger crowd, but there are some natural aspects of aging that just can't be fixed.

She had a long life, lived well. She was with me and supported me through good times and bad. She was my constant companion and friend. I will miss her greatly. My Jeep, Zoe.

42 Up!

I'm a little behind on my posting this week, so I may actually try to do more than one post a day to make up for it. We'll see how I feel about it tonight.

Well, my birthday has come and gone. As always for me, birthdays are a time of reflection. You may have noticed that I've been posting to my blog more frequently than usual. That's not exactly a New Year's resolution, but I was motivated by something I read on my friend Mischa's blog (I can't find it right now, else I would link to it). He's participating in some blog-o-thon or something, where you must write on your blog x amount in so many days. It's based on the NaNoWriMo idea for writing a novel in 30 days. Anyway, for some reason, just seeing his post made me determined to up my contributions this year.

I'm not one for resolutions at the New Year. As a matter of fact, I hate New Year's; it's easily my least favorite holiday. However, I do go through almost the same ritual when it comes to my birthday. It seems more personal to do it then. I have a lot of things on my "to do" list this year, most of which probably wouldn't really count as resolutions anyway. But one of them is to blog more, and so far I'm not doing too badly. I should really do these early in the morning when my mind is fresh.

Anyway, this was my 42nd birthday, which seems pretty huge. Part of the problem with having a youthful outlook like I do is that I often forget how old I really am. Not that I mind, really, it's just interesting/sad.

I have heard a theory (I don't know the source), that everyone changes every seven years. The reason behind it is that is how long it takes all the cells of your body to regenerate. So, after seven years, you are literally a different person because all the old cells have died and been replaced with new ones. I don't know how much I buy that idea, but it certainly has proven interesting for me. Of course, it may just be coincidence that every seven years a person reaches a certain plateau or milestone-- school, life, awareness at seven, puberty at 14, drinking at 21, optimism and enthusiasm at 28, full-fledged maturity at 35, and now downhill at 42. That last one is a joke, folks. Had I married earlier, I could easily see my 40s as the age in which I embraced parenthood. I still look forward to that, but time is not exactly on our side.

There is a fantastic series of movies that fits right in with this notion. Documentary filmmaker Michael Apted follows a group of young children in Britain. The Up Series was originally meant as a study of how class affected the attitudes and aptitudes of British children born in the 60's. However, on his own, Apted has continued the project every seven years. He catches up with as many of the children as are willing to talk to him, and continues to document their lives. The most recent one was 49 Up.

I highly recommend this series to everyone. Don't be intimidated or think that you need to come in at the beginning. Each film is readily accessible. Yes, there are rewards from seeing all the films, but the order is not important and in fact, sometimes it can be fascinating watching an older film (35 Up, for example) when you already know what's in store for the characters.

So, here's hoping that the coming seven years (and more) prove as interesting as the last, and that I'm still here to report on life and everthing at 49.