UGH! Perish the thought. Library of Congress system FTW.

We get a lot of that sliding and crashing here in D/FW too, only we don't get snow, we get ice. Locals have enough sense to not drive on the stuff - it's the northerners who think, "I used to live in Minnesota, I know how to drive in the snow," who get out there on the skating rink. Until the next storm, then they…

The generic "check engine" light keeps costs down, or so goes the logic. That light indicates something wrong with the fuel delivery, exhaust, and/or combustion processes, something your mom probably doesn't understand and isn't going to be able to fix anyway. Plus which, OBDII has its fingers in so many parts of…

Ditto.

Whatever it looks like, it'll be extremely fragile and easy to scratch. And the only modifications you'll be allowed to make yourself will be various aftermarket bumpers and protectors, which will come in all sorts of garish colors and reduce the actual usability of the car.

WTF? Did Audi's shipping department accidentally mis-route their stuff from the Detroit Auto Show to CES? Or is Audi coming out with a line of TVs or cell phones or something?

Hope they've got the engine at full throttle - Bo forgot to deploy the tail hook, and they're gonna bolter.

Hahahaha - only I was in my car. But I totally get it.

How I'm gonna prepare this year is to remember to take my laptop home every night when it's threatening to freeze. Then I can just work from home and not have to get out there on the skating rinks that our streets (here in D/FW) can become in the winter ice.

Unless you're on level ground you need to measure the angles to both the top and base of the tree, and the math is more complicated.

For the same reason that just the other day I almost crashed into the back of the car in front of me. Why? Because their brake lights were apparently not working.

You expect scientists to be able to prove the origins of life? Pfft! They can't even prove what keeps us all from flying off into space, or how electricity works! Only theories!

Well, here's the deal. Suppose this develops some kind of critical mass. Maybe someone starts marketing it as a commercial product. All of a sudden, if a cyclist without one of these gets hit by a car, and the driver says "hey, his brake light didn't come on," then what?

Sounds like overkill - what you need is an electromagnetic door lock, some wire, and a button/switch. Unless I'm missing something, you don't really need any processing power to pull off that task.

Sorry, but no way I'd do this on any of my bikes. It's just another reason for drivers to be even less attentive to bikes than they are already.

Where's the AOTD for Monday's question?

Indeed, why four doors?

You forgot RF interference - wood does nothing to block all the (potentially) crazy elecromagnetic spectrum flying out of that drawer...

Well, there's this guy at work who drives an F-150 with Transformers logos where the blue ovals and F-150 chrome stuff should be. I have always just assumed he was in IT...

You don't need a full car length, but you should be able to see where the rear tires of the car in front of you meet the pavement. That way, if the driver of that car has a heart attack while waiting for the light, or their car breaks down, you have enough room to get out from behind without reversing.