On the Road to Freedom.
I got upset with speed cameras this week. I may have got caught. Have to wait and see. I need one of those driving safety courses anyway. It’s been about five years.
It got me thinking about speed, freedom and technology.
Speed kills. But if the Germans can get their head around Autobahn’s being speed limitless in certain areas, then there is zero reason why it can’t be the same here.
This leads me to consider that the importance of speed control and the severity of penalties could be context-dependent.
If we are not going to have a lawless society—and sometimes you wonder—then speeding outside a school or residential area should be met with the highest fine. Conversely, doing 90mph (I wasn’t. My van won’t do it) on the M3 should only incur a micropayment.
Indeed, it would be a sort of tax for going fast in a lower-risk context.
But how would these fines be collected? Speed cameras are stupid and demonstrate a general lack of commitment to the cause. Most of the boxes on posts don’t work, and the random van parked on the roadside with a lens poking out the back is no way to go about it.
A solution would be to have your car, or better, your smartphone, automatically take a payment whenever you exceed the designated limit. It would be easy to set up.
Doing 40mph outside a school?
‘Ker-ching’. £1500 will be debited from your account instantly.
Doing 80mph on a motorway?
‘Ker-ching’. £1.50 will be debited from your account instantly.
Now, this could go a step further and embed time into the context scenario. Payment = location x time.
Doing 80mph on a motorway at 3 am?
‘Ker-ching’. 15 pence will be debited from your account.
Repeat offenders in higher-risk areas could have their accounts disabled, preventing them from driving.
That’s it. The roads would be safer, the national debt would be paid off by 2027, and we’d be free to get places fast at night. The system could even be used to pay drivers micropayments to encourage driving at certain times of the day, on preferred roads and at certain speeds.
It’s quite brilliant. It should be rolled out. I’m going to write to the Prime Minister. I’m sure he’s looking for new and innovative ways to control drivers.
Don’t like it? Sounds like a living surveillance hell? An affront to our freedoms? Me too.
There will be a way around it. There are always loopholes, and if you stay one step ahead, slash, invent the rules, there’ll be a way. So, get yourself a 1980s V12 XJS Jaguar and ditch the smartphone, and you’ll be free.
Design for the Weekend
The self-inflicted task of publishing a design video every day is draining but interesting. The learning that happens when you do something regularly from a standing start is remarkable. I feel like my brain is rapidly expanding inside my skull.
In the past week or so, I’ve gone from a Friday ‘Design for the Weekend’ to what I have called ‘The Design Daily’. It does what it says on the tin.
I’ve become quicker at making them, and they are getting shorter as I become more effective at communicating. Although the editing time is on the increase, as I learn more about the video editing software, I have started adding overlay images to help the viewers visualise what I am saying. This means watching the video a few times and generating a suitable image to illustrate the point. Fun at the moment. I predict: tedious by next month. So, I am video-recording the entire process to create instructions to outsource, leaving me to draw and design.
In this week’s DFTW, I remodel a Grade 2 listed former shop in Blandford, Dorset. It’s got great potential as a home and office. After thinking about the complete remodel of the terrace house I published last Friday, I’m realising that I could use a substantial pot of cash to make many of these little videos a reality!
What has been interesting is that I’ve started offering similar videos as a paid design service. The videos are longer and specific to a client’s needs. It’s a great way to start a project, and I’m going to create a new section, a ‘shop’ as Oliver calls it, on the website where this service can be bought directly. Soon, it will be the way I start every project. Watch this space.
Last week, TFTW had issues sending emails through our email campaign software—not our fault or limited to us. Hundreds were bounced. So this week, Roldan has moved us to a new system. Hopefully it works.
This week’s web links, carefully curated to pique your interest, include a cool-looking webcam and chicken piccata.
Have a good weekend.
All the best
This Week’s Links:
Your tax dodging V12 Jag.
Things I wish I’d known before I started a house renovation.
Bringing back the heydays of mixtapes.
A cool looking webcam.
Chicken Piccata looks good for a Friday night.
