>>>>>>>>>Are there any audio books anyone would like to recommend for listening to in the car? TIA.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Personally I would not listen to a story while driving. Your focus should be in driving and not on anything else that requires concentration. So some sort of mindless drivel would probably be best. Maybe Mills and Boon or Harry Potter. :-)
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>A robot could be trained to do this drive. It's highway almost the whole way, long, flat expanses where you can do a steady 70 mph or more.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Whats the US speed limit at the moment ?
>>>>>
>>>>>It starts about half way through the essay, but you should read it all.
>>>>>
>>>>>http://www.city-data.com/forum/automotive/137118-dave-barry-drivers-speed-limits.html
>>>>
>>>>All true.
>>>>
>>>>Dave Barry has been about as good as it gets as a newspaper humorist. For years I was in the habit of reading his syndicated column every Sunday, and still do when I see it. (He was also a pal of Warren Zevon, which is extra credit in my book). He is witty without having that grating quality that can alienate people. He draws on the observational humor of George Carlin without ever giving the reader the idea that, hmmm, this guy may be a little nuts. Barry is not nuts at all. He's like the funny neighbor or coworker we'd all like to have, if only we were lucky enough.
>>>
>>>At least in the UK the guidelines for issuing a ticket are public (10% over + 2mph):
>>>http://www.cprsp.gov.uk/resources/res.aspx?p=/PublicAttachment/attachmentFilename/23/speed_enforcement_guidelines_web_v7_foi.doc
>>>
>>>Also (presumably in the US as well) speedos in vehicles always over-read by 5-8%.
>>>
>>>In practice, conditions permitting, I usually drive at 85+ on UK motorways and have never had a ticket.
>>
>>I didn't know speedometers read high. You'd think they would have it figured out by now.
>
>I assume the behaviour is deliberate. Two possible reasons:
>Manufacturers want people to think their cars are faster than they are in reality.
>They don't want the possibility of being sued if someone gets a ticket and the speedo in question was under-reading...
>If you have SatNav then compare that reading with the vehicle one.....
>
>>Then again, you'd think they would have fuel gauges figured out by now, too, and they don't. They all seem to show you have more gas than you really do until the tank starts getting close to empty, when the gauge falls like a stone.
>
>I guess most systems just measure the depth of fuel in the tank (either with a simple float system or with probes). Given that fuel tank shapes seem to be becoming more convoluted to enable them to make best use of weird space availability then the problem is likely to get worse. One solution would be a bit of software to convert tank levels to actual gallonage. Or it shouldn't be too difficult to just use sensors to weigh the tank.
>
>>On today's drive south I did something I have never done before: hit a bird. I was sailing along with traffic at 70 or 75 when all of a sudden there was a bird approaching the top of the windshield, a foot or two in front of my eyes. It seemed to try to avoid the impact but had no chance at that point. Nor did I have any chance to avoid it. It made a pretty loud noise for a regular sized bird. I'm sure there wasn't much left but feathers.
>
>Always a problem here if you are driving at dawn. The smaller birds tend to sit in the road at that time of day (maybe because the surface retains more heat overnight) and headlights confuse them. They are not likely to do much damage except to themselves. Pheasants are also a problem at the beginning of the season.

We have a lot of people in this country who are always complaining about the pheasantry.

A conspiracy to intentionally make inaccurate speedometers? I thought I was reading Dragan for a second!