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This is a randomly chosen list, so if you can think of any other tool or piece of technology that you think is not living up to its promised standard, please let me know or share it here via your comment.

1. Faster cars

   This is one thing many people love to have. However, it does more harm than good at this time. Newer cars all boast faster speeds and lower 0-60mph time frames. While having cars with capable speeds of 160 mph or more is nice, here is a question that many do not answer directly: why have such high speeds when the maximum speed allowed for most cars anywhere in many countries is only 75 mph? Having higher speeds in newer cars is actually making some people get into more accidents. Why not focus on making more room in the car, giving out more gas mileage and building an engine that needs less oil change, repairs, and other things?

2. Automated customer support systems

   This is something majority of the companies are rushing after. Calling customer support these days usually results in listening to a computer voice that usually claims it is “happy to help you.” Many times these automated support systems are so poorly planned that customers end up getting frustrated. Hearing a robotic voice say “Please enter your account number. Without it, we will not be able to assist you” is not good when you are calling to find out your account number. When properly used for the benefit of the customer, automated support systems can be a life saver, instead of simply being money savers for companies who do not want to hire additional support staff.

3. Watches with fancy features

   While watches are considered by many to dictate define first impressions, wearing a watch that has a host of dozen extra features that you do not use somehow shows to many people that you simply want to impress people through your watch and not your personality. Imagine the new features in watches today: cameras, tv, thermometers, blood pressure readers and more. While such features are nice for specific purposes and for paving ways for future advancements, they do not aid in finding out the current time. How about we add fancy features to watches that serve a target audience only, like swimmers who need to know the water depth? That way, we can all look at the time and be done with it in a second while those who need the extra features get them.

That is my list of 3 things that I think should be kept simple and made more efficient instead of making them fancier. Please let me know what you think, or if you have a list of your own. Thank you.

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I didn’t know, and I kept driving the car. The “Check Engine” sign in my car comes and goes, since I have to replace a tube in the car manually and I haven’t done it. But yesterday, the sign remained on the entire time. What had happened? Later on during the day, I turn around and notice the inside lights in the car, the one that turns on when you open the door, had been on all this time. Somehow that may have put a drain on the battery, I’m assuming. I turned the lights off, wondering when and how I could have left them on the previous day. The “Check Engine” sign is still bright orange, though the car isn’t shaking like before.

Here’s a picture of the check engine sign, and the odometer in my car; this was taken yesterday, April 7th, 2006 while I was stopped at a red light. My car has went with me to many places, and I love it because of that. Hmmmmmmmm.

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I decided to take my car to Walmart Tire & Lube Express Services the same week to see what they had to say about it. I didn’t tell the Walmart associate anything about the recommendations that Honda service center had said to be critical. I had the option of touring Walmart itself while my car was being checked. I decided to sit right in the empty parking area in front of their “auto” center, which is almost always located in the back of majority of the Walmart locations. Emily was on the phone with me, and we talked while my car was being fixed. After checking the car for about 30 minutes, a Walmart associate called my name and told me that my car needed two new things; a new battery and a new air filter, and these were critical. Nothing else needed emergency repairs or replacements other than the air coolant which could be replaced some several hundred miles later if I wanted to wait. The total cost would be around $145, plus tax, and would take less than 45 minutes.

I was confused; both companies were tell me contradicting things within a very short period of time. During that time span I hadn’t driven much either. I decided to just wait a bit and check things at another mechanic later on, since my car was running smooth still. Since then, I drove several thousand miles, and thus it was time for another oil change last Sunday. I went to Jiffy Lube, which was located right next to a big car wash. I waited for about 4 minutes in a small waiting room while the oil was being changed for my car when one of the mechanics came in. She told me “The air filter needs changing also. Would you like to do it now?” I asked about the price, and told her to go ahead. She then came in again after about 10 minutes and told me that if I needed a car wash, I could get a discount next door at the car wash, or she could vacuum the seats and clean the windows instead. I decided to hold off the car wash for now, and went ahead with the vacuum option and put all the things in the trunk, and went back to the lounge.

After about another 6 or 7 minutes, she came back in and told me that the fan belt needed changing also. I asked about the price, and it was about $150. I asked her if it was critical; she and another mechanic behind her told me that it wasn’t. I asked if they can check the car and tell me if anything other than the oil change and the air filter was critical and needed immediate changing. They checked and gave me a list of recommendations totaling about $380, none of them being critical, and consisting of all the belts, gearbox “cleaning” and transmission fluid. I told them I will come back later and do those changes either later this week or next month. They told me I can come until the end of this month to get a $52 discount on those recommendations if I go ahead with all of them. I thanked them, and went on my way. May be ignoring all these recommendations is a good idea, or may be going ahead with any of the set of recommendations at one of these places will fix everything that might be wrong with the car and actually save me from the day when the car might stop working. May be I really need all of these changes, or may be each of these companies is playing a game and simply labeling anything that is “used”, and still working well, as being “critical.” If only the transportation system in OC was as good as Chicago, New York or San Francisco, I would rarely drive my car.

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