Indulge me on a philosophical detour.  Everyone is busy living their own lives and scurrying around doing whatever it is they need to be doing.  That’s just how life is.  Sometimes two people will start at one place but have varying destinations.  Or other times two people in different locations will start on a journey with the other’s origin as their own destination, with a serendipitous passing in between.  And still other times two people will have a journey with no points in common at all.  (How sad.)  But possibly the most common is having two journeys cross paths at a single intersection.  And what if the two travelers happen on this intersection at the same time; one must yield to the other to allow for both to continue their journey safely.  If you really think about it this is the intrinsic nature of road intersections and traffic lights.  And it’s slightly wondrous to realize that traffic lights allow for everyone’s daily movements to be interwoven together to form the continual dance we call commuting.  (I swear that I’m really not stoned right now.)  And it’s all governed by some lights, wiring, and some computers which use three colors to speak a ubiquitous language to usher travelers towards their destinations.  Whoa, traffic lights … man.

I truly hate stupid intersections. These are the ones that are on a strict timer alternating back and forth to allow traffic to pass in different directions.  Even if there is no one coming from a certain direction, a stupid intersection will stop actual traffic to give the green light to … nobody.  (I want to shoot myself when I get caught in this.)  Gradually intersections became smarter.  Inductions loops were cut into the lanes near the approach of an intersection, and traffic controller system (the big green boxes sitting near every intersection) would process the data and control the intersection appropriately (i.g. changing the light only if there are cars waiting).  These controllers were eventually taught to change their operating mode for different times of day to help minimize waiting times even more.  

And for a time, things were good.  Until you’re driving down a road and getting stopped by a red light at every intersection and it’s taking 233 hours to travel a mile.  (This is another time when I want to shoot myself.)  To help remedy this, traffic lights were synchronized (all the lights changing at the same time).  But this would lead to inevitable stops inherent to the pattern of the synchronization.  Then traffic lights became coordinated.  (This is the bread and butter.)  A master controller talks to all of the individual controllers to create a cascading wave of green lights.  This would theoretically allow someone to zoom through town without hitting a single red light.  Secondarily it would also give one’s ego a victory.  (”Dude, I hit like 13 green lights in a row!”)  And depending on the time of day these cascading greens would be coordinated in the prevailing direction of traffic (i.e. rush hour in the morning vs. evening).  Not only does this save time and prevent traffic, but it also saves gas and limits pollution from energy wasted with start & stop driving.

Such coordination of traffic lights is not a trivial exercise.  God bless all those eccentric MIT nerds and their algorithms for keeping our roads flowing.  (If you’re at work and itching to waste some time, try out this online game to see if you can produce some cascading green lights of your own.)

As with any technological progress, “the people” clamor to know what’s coming next.  Transportation engineers are continually pushing research and development efforts to enhance “intelligent transportation systems.”  (Current implementation include electronic toll collection, traffic sensing technologies, and emergency vehicle notifications.)  But the holy grail is the driverless car.  Two of the biggest research initiatives towards this goal have been the EUREKA Prometheus Project and the DARPA Grand Challenge.  The Prometheus Project is over, but DARPA continues to encourage the development of technology for an autonomous vehicle.  Driverless cars would mean super smart computers on-board every car and in complete control all while in constant contact with every other car on the road.  There might not be any stopping at intersections.  Instead your car will “thread the needle” of crossing traffic at 100 m.p.h.  Remember the two-second rule for following distance?  That will become the 0.02 seconds following parameter.  It’s quite simple really: the biggest problem with the current state of transportation is the human component.  I’ve caught a glimpse of the future of personal mobility and you have nothing to do with it … except to be an uninvolved passenger.  I can’t wait.  ”Computer: drive me to the nearest toilet.  I need to go pee.”

Business: it’s what makes the world go round.  Corporations are extremely deft at constructing and controlling socioeconomic devices to influence/control people’s behavior for their financial benefit.  And one common strategy is to shroud the rules in obfuscation (i.g. fine print, read sub-prime mortgage).  Personally I’m an advocate for furthering the average citizen’s understanding of all things finance.  (And I think business should have this same interest because it will ultimately lead to fewer people defaulting or declaring bankruptcy.) Loans are one of such devices that I am talking about.  Though potentially a necessary evil loans get us into the cars of our dreams and you need to understand them.

Way back in the day it was the norm to pay for a car with cash up front.  Pure and simple.  Now the norm is to borrow against the future, your future, and your anticipated earnings.  Banks issue the loan as a service and charge a fee for fronting the full value of the car.  This fee is measured as an interest rate expressed as a percentage.  Percentages used to be simple to understand and is a basic curriculum topic in junior high.  But percentages become somewhat of an intangible in the world of lending due to words like “compounding” and “amortization.”  But the car dealership from where you want to buy your next new car is very well versed in this financial parlance.  And due to the adversarial nature of price negotiations, a car salesman will take advantage of any disparity between their and your familiarity of how lending works.  Don’t let this happen to you.

For your consideration: loan scenario A and B.

Loan amount: $ 20,000

Term: 48 months

Interest Rate: 5 %

Monthly Payment: $ 460.58

Total of Payments: $ 22,107.84

Loan amount: $ 20,000

Term: 48 months

Interest Rate: 10 %

Monthly Payment: $ 507.25

Total of Payments: $ 24,348.00

Deception

When you are done paying off loan A (assuming minimum payments, always) the car will be paid off and the bank will have received $2,107.84 for their services.  (For those sticklers our there, I’ll be ignoring inflation etc.)  This is more than 10% of the loan principle (amount of money fronted).  So on a loan with a 5% rate, the bank gets more than 10%…deception!  I believe loan scenario A to be almost unrealistically good and loan scenario B is a bit closer to reality.  After loan B is paid off the bank has received $4,348.00, nearly 22% of the loan principle.  This highlights the geometric trickery of finance.  The interest rate from scenario A to B doubled, but the bank more than doubled their money.  (Use this as extra motivation to negotiate a better interest rate when purchasing your next car.)

Extra Payment

You are not restricted to paying the minimum amount on a monthly loan payment.  In fact it is a fantastic idea to pay 150% or even twice the payment amount.  Because every cent above and beyond the monthly payment goes straight to paring down the principle.  (And spares you from paying interest on that portion of the principle.)  Unfortunately it’s typical for the value of a car to depreciate faster than the principle is paid off.  An extra payment here and there will help you keep pace (or get ahead) of depreciation.  This is very important if you plan to sell the car before the full term of the loan.  Otherwise you will need cash to cover the gap between the principle and your car’s value.  (Or you can roll that debt into your next loan, but that just perpetuates the problem.)

Down Payment

My advice: when buying a car always put at least 15% down (or more if possible).  You won’t pay any interest on that money because you’re not borrowing it.  The monthly payment will be lower and put less of a strain on your budget.  

Conclusion

If you want to make a lot of money go to college and study accounting.

With a four year loan at 8.17%, a Porsche 911 GT2 only costs $4,751.60 … per month.  Sign me up.

In July of 2009 General Motors initiated a ‘viral’ marketing campaign with the unexplained and mysterious number “230″ set against a green background.  By no means was the campaign ground-breaking, but it did it’s job by placing Chevrolet into the media spotlight…briefly.  When the campaign concluded on August 11, it was revealed that the 230 would be the official US EPA city rating (miles per gallon) for the all new Chevrolet Volt.  Hazzah.  Ultimately I believe GM executives were hoping to “shock and awe” Americans with this incredible fuel efficiency to show that the US can keep step with Japanese automotive engineering prowess.  And kudos to GM for finally getting their act together and building a car for the future of America.  Though I still need to rap GM for not doing this sooner.  Instead the company grew addicted to building grossly marked-up SUVs for the past two decades.  Shoulda, coulda, woulda’s aside, this car might have made a gigantic media splash if this debut happened when gas prices were over $4/gallon last summer.  But it’s here now and coming to showrooms at the end of 2010.

First myth to dispell: the Chevy Volt is NOT a hybrid.  There are three main components to the Volt’s drivetrain: an electric motor, a stack of lithium-ion batteries, and a small (conventional) gasoline engine (about half the size of the one in a normal car).  A hybrid car has these same components and the power to the wheels comes from both the electric motor and the gasoline engine.  In the Volt, power is only coming from the electric motor.  The Volt’s gasoline engine is dedicated to charging the batteries which supply power to the electric motor.  If you’re thinking about eventually purchasing a Volt, you should be sure to understand this difference in drivetrains for it will stupefy your Chevy showroom sales associate and give you respect when it comes time to negotiate.

Another major point to understand of the Volt is that it can be plugged in.  Chevy engineers designed this car so it can charged in your garage overnight, and then do a 40 mile commute off of the batteries alone.  (After roughly 40 miles the gas engine will kick in to recharge the batteries.)  So if you drive less than 40 miles a day, it could be a long long time between visiting the gas station, resulting in a perceived infinite amount of miles per gallon.  This was the basis of contention when GM sought a ridiculously high fuel efficiency rating from the EPA.  The EPA had to reconsider the way it measures fuel efficiency.  230 mpg is a bit dubious and I can’t help but imagine that higher-ups from GM and the EPA met in a smoke filled room to “agree” on this rating.  Remember, “230″ is the number that GM would base a major advertising campaign around to debut the Volt.  So what’s wrong with a little government/corporate collusion to help out a domestic automaker?  Hmm?

So what is the real deal with the Volt?  It is actually an electric car.  Think of it as if GM took a Tesla Roadster (all electric) then added a gas engine under the hood to charge the batteries on the go.  (And also made it a four-door sedan.)  The Volt will recharge overnight using inexpensive power from a power outlet in your garage.  (Saving you money you would have otherwise spent at the gas pump)  

This car is a well thought out concept and will save commuters money while adorning them with green halos.  But there is one minor thing that I suspect the Volt will have a difficult time dealing with.  Winter.

Batteries do not perform well in the cold.  When it’s cold a battery will not measure the same voltage as it would at a normal temperature.  Inside these modern batteries is a careful arrangement of fluid, metals, and ions.  Colder temperatures will make the whole process lethargic.  To compensate, Volt engineers built a heater into the Volt’s batteries that would keep them at a minimum temperature while the car is plugged in.  If it’s not plugged in, the batteries will need to be heated before they can be put to use and in the meanwhile the electric motor will be in full use.  If you forget to plug in your Volt at night during the winter, you will miss out on a significant portion of those “free” 40 miles (that GM is touting) when you drive to work the next day.  Bummer.

How much for the Volt?  Expect it to cost in the mid $30k’s AFTER a hefty federal tax credit from Uncle You-Know-Who.  

The Volt: quite possibly a cause celebré for US automotive engineering.  I’ll raise a glass and toast to that.  ”May your batteries always be warm.”

I love Entourage.  Though my favorite show right now is Mad Men, I love Entourage because it’s simple and I don’t have to think.  One of my good frriends would succinctly describe the show to a neophyte as “a show about problems men wish they had.”  Another good description I’ve heard is “Sex and the City” for twenty-something males.  Whatever, I’m sold.  Men are much different than women in that we have to be cool and act indifferent regarding how vain us men actually are.  And Entourage is the only show that I know that strikes a chord just right that allows us to laugh at ourselves about it.  

I also love it for the product placements, specifically the collection of fine automobiles.  ’Vince’ is the golden boy of the entourage.  He wouldn’t hesitate at dropping a quarter of a million on a Ferrari California for his driving component, Turtle, on his birthday.  (Whom we see pulling up to a stop light next to 50 Cent moments later in that particular episode.)

And “E” (Eric) has been under the generous favor of Vincent to be cruising around L.A. in a brand new convertible Aston Martin (DB9 Volante to be precise).  And he’s paired with a grown up but still kind of lil’ Bow-Wow.

And everyone knows the black classic convertible which Johnny Drama drives.  You know what it looks like, but you may not know that it’s a 1965 triple black Lincoln Continental Convertible with the most distinguishing characteristic: the suicide doors.  I mean who else drives this thing?  When someone mentions Entourage I bounce the opening theme song through my head with a camera rising over the Lincoln as the foursome step out into the L.A night.  Timeless.

Ari Gold.  The insensitive, callous, no-nonsense, Loyd-get-out-of-my-way agent who every man wants to become.  Ari walks with the East Coast authoritative swagger, darting his eyes around his agency looking for any excuse to berate anyone in order to shape the company into what he wants it to be.  And Ari drives home in either a brand new Lexus LS or the Mercedez S class.  (That’s gotta be some magical product placement arrangement to allow him to switch back and forth as often as he does.)  

In previous season’s the foursome were ferried around in the ostentatious (but lustful) yellow Hummer H2, driven nearly exclusively by Turtle.  But now the chauffeuring is done in the standard “Black Raven” Cadillac Escalade.  (FYI: Escalade is actually an English noun that means an ascent or climb over protected or craggy walls.)  I think the Escalade has served it’s time and needs to be replaced.  Though at first I didn’t like it, Entourage would be a perfect springboard for the Porsche Panamera.  (The industry was aghast when Porsche announced this 4-door sedan.)  With a car like this, the public will hate it until the manufacturer convinces them that they actually love it.  And this is most easily done by meticulous product placement.  Whatever the price-tag, Porsche needs to become good friends with the producers of Entourage and then have the foursome cruising around in L.A.  After that this car will officially be hot.  

Why is that Ashley girl on the show?  She looks like she’s 14 and it’s creepy.  Get E a new girl.

I took my driving exam on July 20.  My birthday is June 1st.  I was sixteen for nearly two months without my license.  While my friends had made Driver’s Education their numero uno priority during junior year of high school, I had to defer until summer vacation because I was busy trying to distinguish myself academically by taking the extra college prep courses.  Did it pay off?  TBD.  Though I did finish college…eventually.  

But during those six weeks before my driving exam I was dialed in on acing that test and it was nearly all I could think about.  I think a good visual would be major leaguer Gary Sheffield up to bat, with his bat oscillating viciously behind him ready to unwind an immense force guided by those characteristic beady eyes that led one to believe that he was always on some psycho-stimulant.  My instrument would be a red 1999 Dodge Stratus (stick shift).  I am still proud to say that I aced both the practice and actual exam.  I was the only one in my class to accomplish this.

But things really hit home the day after I picked up my license.  I’m sure my parents were dreading it but I got in the car and drove down the driveway…by myself.  After a few miles I glanced at the empty passenger seat and truly went berserk.  It was a chaotic episode of expletives, gasps, and forehead slaps.  The next step in the evolution was to blast some Lenny Kravitz (”Fly Away”), roll down all the windows, and don my Foakleys.  I had arrived.  I was in complete control of over 3,000 lbs of metal on four wheels and it would go in any direction that I commanded.  

Unfortunately somewhere along the road of life driving loses it’s thrill to the drudgery of routine and responsibility.  But it doesn’t have to stay that way!  Driving can still be fun.  It just takes some planning and a positive attitude for a more serene and mature experience.  We live in a society nearly crazed on competition and it would suggest that the only way to have fun driving again is to go racing.  But what I’m talking about is a genuine and refined experience that can be cherished as a cultural pastime.  Something that a couple or a father and a son can enjoy together.  I then officially beckon for the revival of the leisure drive or Sunday driving.  And to help America get this back, I am highlighting a road that is under-appreciated and prime for such enjoyment.

I was recently in Rhode Island.  It’s the tiniest state in the U.S. and 30 miles south of the capital Providence is an island with a town called Newport.  This was the summer destination for the upper crust during the Gilded Age.  The fabulously wealthy needed summer homes so mansions were built on incredibly grand scales along the shore.  The main roadway for the southern coast of Newport is Ocean Drive.  

Ocean Drive is a fantastic road.  A speed limit of 25 mph prevents the scenery from flying by too quickly.  Though the gentle curves and hills still allow for gentle sensations of speed.  On a clear day you can start with a view of the two mile long Newport Bridge straddling Narragansett Bay which is usually teeming with sailboats of all sizes and configuration.  The rocky coastline is a favorite for recreational fisherman and their curious and canine best friends.  The waves crashing against the crags sends the unmistakable aroma of sea salt wafting over Ocean Drive.  (Constantly reminding me of my favorite flavor of potato chips.)

There are numerous beaches and some are highly exclusive.  The style of architecture for the residential properties run the gambit from old and awesome looking to modern and awesome looking.  On one bend in the road there is a parking area for people to stop and picnic or enjoy the scene.  Thanks to the consistent winds this spot is a favorite to fly kites.  And it is a unique thing to drive under dozens of kites.  I would rent a convertible just to accentuate this experience alone.

Finally at the end of Ocean Drive you make a right turn onto Bellevue Avenue which comprises the Bellevue Avenue Historic District.  The avenue has many of the mansions built by various captains of industry during the Gilded age (a period of unparalleled wealth and prosperity).  I’m not even going to begin to describe the grand scale of these mansions, but the aristocracy in the air is so palpable you could swear you had somehow wound up across the Atlantic in Versailles.

So there’s a lot of neat things to see that are sure to send an ordinary teenager’s eyes rolling from apathy.  Well America, it’s time to wake up and face our antipathy towards reality.  There are a lot of sources of influence out there that would rather have us watching TV all Saturday becoming aware of corporate America’s brands and products.  I was in Newport on Saturday and I went for a drive just for the pleasure of it.  My car wasn’t brand new, I didn’t look like Robert Redford, and I wasn’t trying to impress anyone.  I have a very pleasing image left in my mind of the sun setting behind a boat and an island that I know nothing about.  My imagination is still concocting fantastic anecdotes about who may have lived in one of the castles I saw.  And the sky was dotted with kites as I drove with the slightest of smiles.  That was my Saturday and I felt like I had arrived…again.