Random Updates

9th Dec, 2005: My office desktop (which actually sat on the floor and served as a convenient high-rise foot-rest), was replaced by a laptop today. I have been using laptops for official work (at home) from 2000, when laptops used to be a status symbol. However, during all that time, the laptop was only a second computer for use at home or elsewhere. I always had a desktop PC at work. This is the first time the laptop has actually replaced my desktop. I remember reading a Computer World article not too long ago that this is the trend in companies across the US. When a laptop can give us everything that our old desktop PC could, plus the mobility, for only a few hundred bucks more, companies are increasingly replacing old desktops with laptops. For my work and play, today's laptops are more than enough. My personal machine at home is also a laptop. This makes me wonder nostalgically, if I will ever use a desktop again.

11th Dec, 2005: For the first time today, I flipped the middle finger to another car driver. The light changed green, and I started to take a left turn onto a ramp, to get on the freeway. There was this Dodge Taurus truck which had stopped behind me at the light. As soon as we were both on the ramp, the truck guy revved up speed trying to pass me. The ramp had two lanes at the beginning and the idiot misjudged his speed or my speed or his truck's power, or all three of these. By the time he could come anywhere close to my car, the two lanes of the ramp had merged into one, and yet this guy insisted on passing me on that single lane, and he did too despite my honking. Did that give him any head start on the freeway? Of course, not! He had to deal with the freeway traffic like everybody else. Within no time, I had caught up with him, passed him and flipped a finger at him! If you drive too fast or too dangerously for the sake of the thrills, I have nothing to say to you, idiot! However, if you are doing that because you are in a hurry to get somewhere, I have this piece of unsolicited advice: unless you are driving really really far, driving fast doesn't save you much time. Suppose you are going to a place 20 miles away. If you are driving safe and well around the speed limit at 60 mph, you will reach the place in around 20 minutes. If you drive fast and reckless at 80 mph, you will reach the place in around 15 minutes (this is assuming you can drive at a constant 80 mph, through the entire trip). So all you are doing is saving a lousy 5 minutes or less... most probably less! Believe me, it is not worth putting yourself and other people on the road in danger.

Update on 12/14/2005: I just got my auto insurance renewal notice. A speeding ticket for driving 20 mph over the limit is costing me $200 more than what I used to pay, for 6 months coverage! And the insurance guy told me that the speeding ticket points will remain on their system for 3 years! So, that ticket might cost me $1200 in addition to the fine! Yet another reason to maintain some sanity while driving.

Update on 12/30/2005: I just went online to pay for my auto insurance renewal. The amount shown there did not have the extra $200, I have mentioned above. In fact, it was lesser than my previous renewal amount.!I called up insurance company to check. They told me that the extra $200 had appeared on the renewal notice by mistake, and the lesser amount shown online is correct. Woohoo!