Fun and Games Dept

Earl and I recently upgraded the console display in our 2016 Jeep Cherokee to include navigation. I have to admit, for a automotive company born product, it works quite well and is very intuitive. I believe the underlying operating system is QNX.

Voice commands work well, but you have to be more specific with your wording versus how you would talk to Alexa or Siri and especially Google. Instead of saying “take me to the closest gas station” I’ve found you have to say “Find directions to the closest gas station.” Response is quick; she’s just picky about my verbiage. My “Great Lakes” accent is not a problem, she can parse my flat As just fine.

One of the things I like is the inclusion of the speed limit for the stretch of road you’re on. I’ve watched this on and off during our travels today and it updates almost immediately when the physical speed limit changes on the roadway. With this navigation upgrade the time is also synced to GPS. That’s nice when you’re bouncing between time zones. Also, because I’m focused on these sorts of things, the clock advances when my Apple watch advances, since they’re all using the same time source. I like all clocks around me to be in sync.

The navigation system offers three routes for your desired destination: the fastest, the closest, and the most economical. It will also sync with contacts lists and the like on your phone so we can say “Find directions to Jamie’s house” and it knows where we want to go.

At first we thought the navigation enhancement was unnecessary because we have Google Maps or Apple Maps on our phones; but honestly, it’s nice to not fiddle around with the phone when you’re trying to get somewhere on the road. Having everything on a well laid out screen and easily accessible is a safer approach. Chrysler offered a $150 discount on the service this week and that’s what prompted us to make the purchase.

The technology is very cool and the data geek is really enjoying the enhancements in the Jeep. I highly recommend the service if you’re in the market for that sort of thing.

The family vacation is off to a great start. We planned on stopping in Indianapolis tonight; we made it all the way to Louisville.

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During our travels last weekend, I noticed this washer and dryer at the hotel we were staying at. To the casual observer, it appears that this washer and dryer are a matching set. The controls and the styling of both appliances match well.

There’s one difference between the two that was driving me crazy.

Why couldn’t they get two matching machines with the same brand name?

I’m sitting on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket, because it’s still cold in the Windy City during this second week of March. I’m wrapped up for the duration of my lunch hour. I am resisting the urge to curl up in the suggestion of sun near the balcony door. That would be very cat like.

Daylight Saving Time begins this weekend in the United States. Florida is trying to pass legislation for the “Sunshine Protection Act”, which would exempt the state from participating in this outdated, asinine, geared-for-the-lowest-common-denominator practice of swinging around the clocks so that we are blessed with “extra daylight”. There is no extra daylight, and unless something jimmies the planet out of its current orbit or somehow modifies the way things have worked for literally billions of years, there will be no extra sunlight when you awake on Sunday morning wondering if you should eat breakfast or lunch. Me? I’ll probably just drink.

If you want extra sunlight get up earlier and stop selfishly demanding that everyone around you modify their clocks so you can go for a walk after work. We all know you’re not going to do that. Americans don’t do that. They sit at home, lap up the crap spewed from the idiot box and surf the internet. There’s no “enjoying extra sunlight” and if anyone claims that DST is the savior of all of society’s ails by artificially moving around an artificial measurement of the passage of time, they need to be promptly slapped across the face with an open hand. Do it twice.

I’m going to go back to being burrowed under my blanket.

The modern spin on “11 12” from Sesame Street. They updated it nicely while keeping The Pointer Sisters’ original audio around.

Earl and I drove to Milwaukee today. It was a beautiful day, we hadn’t been out of the city in a week or so, so we decided to get on N Sheridan Rd and drive north. We kept driving north, along Lake Michigan, until we got to Milwaukee. It was a pleasant drive.

This wasn’t our first time to Milwaukee. We stopped in the gayborhood for lunch on our way through coming home from Oshkosh, Wisconsin in 2013. We found the pub we ate at back then, and drove around a little bit. We also drove around the downtown area.

Like in 2013, I kept an eye out for this

It turns out this isn’t really a thing. The big letters on the side of City Hall, as seen in that screen cap from the opening to “Laverne And Shirley” are changeable and until 2014, had been out of commission since 1988. I was searching the skyline for “Welcome Milwaukee Visitors” but apparently that wasn’t the message of the day today. I think I spotted the building in the downtown area but I didn’t see a message.

Maybe next time.

Some days one just needs to let their body rest. Tomorrow will be one of those mornings. I’m setting the alarm for 07:00.

Each day is like an empty sidewalk waiting to be traveled. Where are you going to go today?

Last year Netflix rebooted the Norman Lear 1970s sitcom “One Day At A Time”. I’ve watched a couple of episodes and while updated for the 21st century, the vibe is pretty faithful to the original.

Back in January Netflix announced that season two was on its way with this clever promo: a remake of the original’s season two opening credits. I really like the attention to detail!