Serious (car) Driving Mk 1

Practically every driver on the road is an 'expert'; try telling a friend (?) that s/he has broken a road rule (the Law) and expect to be almost cut off (no pun) - for life?
Being "safe" as a driver is a blurred concept, inevitably. Somebody claims: 'I consider I'm a totally-safe driver' but when driving if that person does not halt the vehicle completely at a Stop sign , whether or not approaching traffic is on a collision course, the concept of 'safe' has taken an individual twist, and that driver has broken the law. 'Stop' means different things to different people. In terms of the law, 'Stop' means the vehicle wheels must cease rotating. How is it that some drivers can tell when the vehicle is no longer moving, yet others cannot? We all have a brain, but some people's brains are bigger than others. Discriminative? Maybe, but on the question of Road Safety drivers (and pedestrians too) have responsibilities.
When people are assessed for driving ability (and fitness to hold a Licence), is their understanding of 'responsibility' in any way assessed? A job for psychoanalysts perhaps!
Speaking as a non-psychoanalyst, I would adhere to the maxim that some drivers become "different people" when taking charge of a vehicle. More later...................

QUIZ SHOWS ON TV - LOVE THEM OR HATE THEM

Some of these do invite exercising of the brain cells. It helps, though, if you're a TV devotee. If you switch on to watch specific programs, rather than have the box running for hours to catch whatever is on, you could still be a Quiz Show fanatic (= addict). It's something of a challenge, I guess, to pit your wits against those of the contestant facing the arc lamps in the studio. You may feel that your 'general knowledge' is equal to, or better than, anyone fielding the Show questions (or trying to); by the same token, you don't see yourself bidding to join the ranks of the contestants. It's one thing to come up with an answer (correct, hopefully) in the calm surrounds of a living room - another altogether to tax the grey matter in the hothouse of the TV auditorium, however thorough-going the preparation. There are viewers who would prefer to sit in a blacked-out room rather than suffer an aired TV quiz program. The particular taste of the individual is the salient aspect, as it is in so many everyday pursuits. The topic is pretty much a non-issue and virtually a 'filler' in serious blogging; we're all entitled to raise non-issues though.

DRIVING ON, OR OFF, THE ROAD Driving to an acceptable standard comes naturally to a few, but most of us have to work hard at it. Many drivers get through the day by driving to an 'OK' standard; nothing disastrous happens, no cutting-off, no flagrant breaching of road rules, no redlight-running. However, when it comes to driving correctly (absolutely safely and legally), many drivers fall short of the mark. What are the shortfalls these people have? Examples might be: Tailgating (not observing a crash-avoidance space), failing to Giveway to pedestrians where necessary, failing to Stop completely at a Stop Sign, minimal blindspot-checking and scanning, abrupt lane-changing, accelerating toward a yellow traffic-light, fast cornering, poor compliance with road markings (particularly where these are not clearly-visible).....the list goes on. Does this all go back to Attitude? Possibly; there are several other prominent reasons why drivers fall short on performance, some of which are: Failure to Share-the-road, bad recall of and adherence to Road Rules, "I've never had an accident!"(but could have caused some!), overuse of recreational substances, poor eyesight, and so on.........

TALKING ENGINES - SMALL ONES

If you are part of a group of guys all passionate about small engines, and you meet weekly for an hour or so to swap information, receive help from a man with a top knowledge of the subject, and get the hands dirty working on motors, AND you are all 60 upwards, you are as close to heaven as you could be. R..... has such a store of know-how that there is literally nothing he cannot tell you about what makes engines tick, no matter their vintage, type, fuel supply and repair. So you have fingernails a bit dirty for a while afterwards (until you've done the washing-up couple times) but that's a tiny price to pay for a regular experience of technical exercise in a social atmosphere second to none. A mate of mine (not a small-engine freak) leads a photographic group and I'd really like to join it - in fact, two of the small-engines guys are also photo-group members - so perhaps the two pursuits have some mysterious commonality. Mowers, chainsaws, fire pumps, generators, brushcutters and the like are the stuff of dreams if it's 'you'.

Communicating........or not!

Two sorts of people in this world - the Communicators, and the Non-coms. Of course there are those who have communication as a profession, but, for many ordinary people, apart from those who make texting an art form, connecting with friends, colleagues and strangers is important and should be 'worked at'. In face-to-face conversation, almost everyone manages well. Sounds patronising? True, though, isn't it? It's when it comes to the use of technology that the real divide opens up between the Coms and the Nons . Ever tried to get along with someone who refuses to leave a message with your answering service? How about a person who, although they can afford the facility (you know them well enough), declines to communicate via email? Then there are the ones who have taken the step at long last to run a mobile phone but use it so sparingly ('emergencies' only) that the batteries are often flat anyway. And the people who just think text-messaging is something only kids use and so 'won't have a bar of it'. Are such folk living only half of their lives in this age of global communication 'available to all'? Is it a bit like being asleep for 60% of every day instead of 30%? What do we lose by talking with others?

Cricket umpiring

To stand/change position for two hours at a stretch is a tough call in itself, particularly in trying weather conditions; but to be loaded with making 'unchallengeable' decisions in the face of advanced technology use renders the task almost impossible of achievement. There's no chance now that electronic monitoring and display will be withdrawn from the sport of cricket (or any other sport). While some enthusiasts would claim that (on-field) umpires still hold sway, their role has forever changed, and will continue to do so, by accepted use of radar, lasers, etc. as "aids" in decision-making. Many would argue that including 'hawkeye' and allied electronic wizardry in the game has added to the entertainment value. It's not easy to counter this viewpoint. Nonetheless, umpires are at times made to look second-rate via a decision that clashes with the electronic result. How much can the human frame withstand? Across the board, can the eyesight and powers of judgement of an umpire remain acute enough for 2 hours/6 hours versus the unfailing (?) operation of non-human checking equipment? Will the day arrive where field umpires will be ball-counters and all else will go to the Third Umpire for result? Wow!

The pace of modern living

It's all "go", isn't it? If you were born late in the last century or since, you have it 'in your genes' to live life at a fast pace; something has to be happening all the time, barring sleep, and preferably at flat-out speed. Computers, transport, Olympic sports, eating (fast-food), communication, building and so on are the big speed challenge. What's responsible? The word 'technology' was barely part of the vocabulary thirty years ago - advances in it have swung the living-speed curve up at an almost alarming rate. Whole new forms of enterprise/employment have emerged. Will the the curve steeple, and life's pace become virtually meaningless for us? It was said or written in recent times that a particular launched space probe will reach it's destined target 78.000 years from now. Really, no-one can seriously relate to such an alleged outcome. Can we, in fact, take such a prediction at all seriously? People crunched numbers and came up with the above time-span, but, for all we believe living on the edge is what it's about currently, some concepts have little or no hold on reality; and, it could be said, start to push the boundaries of sanity. Well, that's life! Or is it?