Car horns are damn useful, but being on the receiving end (and sometimes the giving end) can really ruin someone’s day. In my opinion it’s due to the fact that the noise itself is so grating as to be insulting without having words. Yes it’s noticeable, but somewhat unnecessarily so in most situations. Yes if someone pulls out dangerously close in front of you, slamming your hand into the center of your steering wheel is probably the best response. But if someone in front of you just isn’t paying attention to the light change there must be a more polite way of letting them know. How about using a different sound in circumstances where the choice to use the horn isn’t instinct? Something akin to the text message notifications on most cell phones. A smaller button, somewhere else on the wheel or on the dash. It would still end in a little embarrassment on the part of the honked-at, but it’s the difference between tapping someone on the shoulder and saying “excuse me” and shoving them out of the way and into the pool.
Here’s one of the more interesting facts I have learned lately: As many of you know, I am completely, totally, 110% addicted to House, and as such the recent death of a much loved character effected me very strongly. It’s completely changed the series, but at the same time added yet another scrumptious level of complexity to the interpersonal relations of the cast. It totally caught me, and pretty much everyone, by surprise, and I couldn’t help but wonder why they did it. Well, I finally found out – he asked out of his contract to go work for the Obama administration! How cool is that? I imagine it must be difficult to ask out of a contract for such a well-known show, but I can’t think of any better reason.
Also, is it just me or have the last couple of Family Guy episodes been unusually fantastic?
