Thursday, March 25, 2010

news you can use #15: cars of the future, going postal, famies and lyme disease, the hunger games




cars of the future.  segways meet smart cars.  these GM city cars will be able to "communicate" with other cars to prevent traffic hang-ups and wrecks.  they're designed for use in very high population areas, such as shanghai.  i'm pretty sure we won't see any in america anytime soon.

{i'm pretty sure getting into a wreck in one of these babies with some of our "texas" trucks would mean certain death.}


no more mail on saturdays.  the u.s. postal service dropped to five-day delivery cutting out saturday deliveries.  this kind of sucks because i generally mail stuff out on saturdays, but i guess it doesn't significantly alter my life in any big way, so i'm already over it.  the postal service says this delivery change will save over $3 billion annually.  i certainly hope this means that the costs of stamps will stop going up every five minutes.  for real, i think it was $0.20 to mail a letter when i was born and now it's $0.44.  you can read the full article here.

{images found here}


ben stiller may have lyme disease.  after a trip to mozambique and falling in a ditch hurting his knee, actor ben stiller may have lyme disease.  just so you know, a mosquito bit me the other day, and i might have malaria.  i'm going to the doctor just to be sure.  and just in case you think i'm being insensitive (which may or may not be highly probable), lyme disease is an easily treatable inflammatory illness spread through a tick bite which is common on the east coast of the u.s.  and also just so you know, this was one of the top stories in houston's online newspapers.  we treat famies good around here.

{i'm so glad this story was front page worthy.}


books i'm loving right now:

{the hunger games is the first book and i'm nearly done with the second book, catching fire, and i still don't know when the third will come out!!  i spent all day yesterday home sick in bed just reading and sleeping.  eeeek!  i don't know how long i can wait!}

30 comments:

Cara Smith said...

Those little cars would not stand a chance in Houston traffic. Although some trucks here might just go right over the top of them.

Vic said...

I am a little annoyed about the USPS dropping Saturday mail. But I read a really good article about how great a value it truly is to be able to send a letter across the country for less than two quarters. It researched overnighting, regular mail, and lots of other options and compared USPS v. FedEx v. UPS. And the post office won hands down... the other companies actually pay the post office to do the mailing for them because its such a good value.

Kelly @ turned UP to ELEVEN! said...

I remember watching something on discovery channel or whatever M was watching at one point about those little cars. I think they talk to you as well (or maybe it was just a similar prototype but the car would welcome you and talk to you. If you blinked to much or lowered your head it would say "WAKE UP" in a nice voice. It sort of reminded me of a creepy take over by electronics and I decided I didn't want my car to talk to me UNLESS it was a TransAm and my name was Michael. ;) (true story, my name was supposed to be Michaelanne, my mom changed her mind @ the last minute).

NO POST OFFICE DELIVERIES ON SATURDAY?!?! That' sucks. Good for them saving money but sometimes I really look forward to Saturday mail!!! GRRR!

jessalyn said...

working in a field where mail is very importanto- i am fairly displeased about this saturday shiz. i mean, i am all about the post mark date on stuff- for example, paying bills. now i will need to be sure i get shiz out on fridays. boo.

also, i am sorry you have malaria. that is sads.

Summer Athena said...

really? usps dropping sat service? 3 billion? whatever. poop.

those cars are stupid. lol.

Aunt Juicebox said...

I had heard some time back that they were going to eliminate one day of mail delivery but that they were going to make it a week day, so that there was no more than one day in a row without delivery. Which would be so much better. So stupid to pick Saturday!

Emily said...

Oh my goodness! I'm from Houston, and yeah between the Texas Trucks and the Texas Hummers and the Crazy Texan Drivers ;) those cars would be crushed.

x Emily

Salt said...

You know what those cars remind me of? Do you remember those little plastic globes on wheels with the handle attached that you could push around when you were a little kid and they were full of balls that popped around inside?

I would be surprised if anyone would remember those based on how I just described it, but yeah they make me think of that. :)

I've heard good things about Suzanne Collins. Maybe I shall add to my evergrowing reading list!

foxy said...

I OBVIOUSLY need to put those books on my list. You're like the bazillionth person I've heard say that they were excellent.

You know, some ppl are all up in arms about the drop of Saturday delivery, but it seriously won't affect me. It's not very often I mail anything anyway. But you're right about the cost of stamps going up 'every five minutes'. That totally made me laugh btw.

foxy said...

And Salt's right - those cars totally look like those ball poppy toys from yesteryear.

Anonymous said...

I'm halfway through The Hunger Games. It's so good. It's definitely gotten me out of my post-Twilight reading funk.

Brown Girl said...

Going to the post office ranks right on up there with the most hated things ever for me. Hate it.

courtney said...

Part of me is a little sad for the Postal Service...I feel like it is dying a slow death. I kinda get why the employees might get all disgruntled.

The Only Girl said...

Hold up - you've been getting mail delivery on Saturdays?!?!?! I don't think we've EVER had that up here in my lifetime, and that's a really long time.

In fact they don't even deliver it to my house! I have to walk down the street to the "Super Box" where me and all the other families on my street use our keys to access our little boxes.

AND they have the nerve to charge $0.57 for a stamp!

Bathwater said...

Trust me I have been in traffic jams in Shanghai, it is a cluster f'k. At one point we were in the middle of an intersection with cars pointed in every direction surrounding us.

ms. mindless said...

i LOVED the hunger games and catching fire. i am super annoyed that we'll have to wait until summer for the final book!

Anonymous said...

Those cars are dumb.

Anonymous said...

I have to say, I think you should get the Nobel Peace Prize or something, considering I get all my pertinent news from you. I had NO idea the USPS was stopping Saturday service. Thank God you're my BFF and keep me informed.

Unknown said...

Those cars look like cat toys :)-
And what?!!! No mail on Saturdays...that's the one day i actually have time to do it. Darn-nab-it postal workers. Think i'll go postal right about now!!!

Macey said...

I've heard The Hunger Games is awesome!
Hey, dude, I love getting mail on Saturdays. I love getting mail every day. It's the highlight of my life.

Alexis Hooke said...

Wait tell me more about these books! I have an on going 'must read' list!

ScoMan said...

I don't think we've ever had mail on Saturdays here.

Then again, we're not exactly a world superpower. Maybe there's something in this mail on Saturdays thing.

Welcome to the dark ages America.

Lucid_Dreamer said...

Those cars are trippy looking. I dont know if I'd be able to drive one of those without feeling a bit of embarrassment, lol. Reminds me of the transportation used in that futuristic bruce willis movie, lol.

Malone

Cash for Used Cars

SurferWife said...

MEREDITH! Your insensitivity to Ben and his tick are mind boggling to me.

HOW COULD YOU?

Those cars look kind of fun. I would totes want to drive one of those on Disneyland's Autopia course.

Elizabeth Marie said...

I want my goddamn mail on Saturdays. UGH LIFE IS SO HARD. :)

BonBon Rose Girls Kristin said...

How's that malaria diagnosis coming?

bananas. said...

bwahaha!! i'm dying over the ben stiller tidbit. i tripped and fell on castro street the other day. pretty sure i caught the HIV virus.

castro street = gays.

haha.

tara said...

how is catching fire?! i am super jealous that you are almost done when i havent even gotten mine in the mail! :(

Cathy said...

Dude, I have a friend who's a mailman(for reals, he's obvi putting his graphic design degree to good use), anyway, maybe he'll actually be able to hang out now that he doesn't have to work saturday mornings. Or maybe he'll be too broke now that he's taking a pay cut? Hmm...things to think about.

Meg said...

Those look like good books. Ben Stiller's an idiot. And I want one of those cars, so I can run over Ben Stiller and his stupid.