Sleepless in Midland

More car wrecks

With the economic boom comes traffic jams and car wrecks. The city released some stats the other day, which MyWestTexas.com passed along to us, which tell us that traffic has increase 10.07% and traffic accidents have increased 13.5%.

Maybe that's a good time to repeat a truism: The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that deep down inside we ALL believe we are good drivers.

The city council intends to put stop to that. Another MyWestTexas.com article tell us they plan to seek a traffic study to address solutions to traffic problems. Hopefully, some of those solutions will help traffic flow -- like coordinated traffic lights -- rather than slowing it down.

(Apology: I intended to reference some of the prior traffic reports to note that the intersections with the most accidents are not always the same from year to year, and maybe include a good wreck photo. But that will have to wait due to time restraints and a 2012 report that didn't contain as much intersection information as the previous ones. Hopefully, the company that gets the contract won't focus only on the intersections topping the 2012 list.)

Slime and TPMS

Can TPMS tolerate Slime?

TPMS, or tire pressure maintenance system, is the system in cars which alerts the driver when the pressure is low in one or more of the tires. It would be a nice convenience, and it might have been a nice option for car buyers to consider. But thanks to the Clinton administration, it's not an option. It's required by law in new cars sold after 9/1/2007 because nanny lawmakers thought drivers shouldn't have to check their tire pressure the old fashioned way.

I had some Uniroyal tires with a factory installed sealant in them called "Nailguard" that stopped up any holes that developed. That was a great feature, and I never had a flat while I owned those tires. On one occasion I pulled out a screw, the sealant plugged the hole, and I was on my way. But those tires are no longer available because sealants would ruin the TPMS in any tire that had it.

I've complained about this before in case this particular rant sounds familiar. See Things we didn't need -- Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems in our cars.

So here's the reason this comes up again today. Walmart sells a tire sealant called Slime which says on the label that it's OK to use on tires with TPMS. This is from the Slime website:

Does your vehicle have a TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System)? Use our yellow label sealants with the TPMS Safe icon. They are specially designed for use in tires with these systems.

Hooray for American ingenuity. It's just a shame that so much effort has to expended to get around useless laws.

Mercedes invisible car

If the prospect of a fuel celled car isn't remarkable enough -- hydrogen is mixed with oxygen to produce electricity which is stored in lithium batteries -- Mercedes promoted it in an amazing way, by making it invisible. Via Yahoo.com.

They covered one side of the car with flexible mats covered with led lights and put a camera on the other side. Someone watching the led side would see what's on the other side of the car as if the car were transparent. See for yourself. It's quite entertaining.

I don't own a Mercedes, but it would seem that half the benefit of owning one has to be the look-at-me factor. So making it invisible would seem counterproductive.

But never mind. It's a cool video. And the point they are trying to make is that there's no smoke coming from the tail pipe. If you buy one, you're on you own procuring the hydrogen.

You are what you drive

The big Silicon Valley company people probably have lots of discretionary cash, and they've got the fancy cars to prove it. That's according to Businessinsider.com. See Check Out The Hottest Cars At Apple, Facebook, Google And Other Silicon Valley Spots to see a Tesla Roadster, a Maserati, some Porsches, a Ferrari, a Lamborghini, and as you would expect, there had to be an electric vehicle.

Tooling around the parking lots here in Midland, Texas, doesn't give an amateur photog a shot at very many exotic cars. Although, we do have the occasional Porsche. (That one was in a hospital parking spot for docs only.)

West Texans are a humble lot, and while there might be some outrageously expensive cars in town, they rest quietly in garages, not driven but gazed upon by the owners, like some priceless art pieces kept hidden from view by eccentric, reclusive owners.

Furthermore, West Texans are practical. How many sensible vehicles could someone purchase for the price of one Ferrari?

Salesman: Good morning sir. I could see from the second you walked in that you are someone to reckon with, a man of importance, power, substance. And I'm certain we can put you in a vehicle that when people see you behind the wheel they will stare in awe and say, 'That is an important man. I envy that man. I want to be that man.' Tell me sir, what would it take to put you in a this exotic sports car today?

Customer: Gimme five pickups. White.

Moving right along. If a vehicle makes a statement, take a gander at "The Sticker Bus." Talk about sending a message. This one sends more messages than you can count.

Now that's making a statement.