Capn Design Archives: A Bluetooth Solution

A Bluetooth Solution

June 17, 2002

As I was driving back from Chicago this afternoon, an awesome idea came into my head. People, especially Jannelle, have complained for years about drivers' inability to "communicate" with people who cut them off or let them in. A wave or a middle finger just isn't enough. Jannelle thought we should have LED signs displaying messages like "F**k you you f**ckin' motherf**ker!!" or "Thanks," and I think that would rule. But, I want you to picture this.

Imagine every car was equiped with a bluetooth transceiver (this is like WiFi aka wireless networking) that connected with a communicator (essentially a miniature computer) built into the dashboard. This would allow you to communicate with any car within a certain radius. Each car would have a name connected to their unique license plate number and there would be a "buddy list" of nearby cars. Then you could have some canned phrases to send to those around you or let your passenger type in a message.

This technology would also have less trivial uses. For instance, when you see a hot girl/guy in a passing car you could send them your digits. Really though, if the cars were also equiped with a GPS, which all will be at some point, then you could check out how far ahead the caravan is when you had to pull over for an emergency bathroom break. Oh, and you would of course be able to talk to any of these people via a built in two-way radio, if they accepted your call.

This would be amazing, even if it would lead to a gajillion accidents. Would you guys ever want something like this?

Comments (5 comments so far)

Comment #1:

i thought of this idea a while ago (though i never did anything to bring it to fruition). My fear was that as soon as you posted a response to some jerk's driving ability, you'd get a cap in yo' ass.

i can dream can't I?

Posted by stan on June 18, 2002 at 3:00PM

Comment #2:

Yeah, this has been on my list of things to do before I die... I think the postive applications kick ass - it is, like the previous comment mentioned, the negative morons who will take it too seriously and starting gunning you down in your car.

The LED lights would be funnier probably... nothing like a slowly dotted bit of text that contains a phrase revealed one letter at a time.

Posted by shawn on June 18, 2002 at 3:51PM

Comment #3:

I've always wanted to be able to talk to people in neighboring cars also; the best idea I could come up with has been to put a CB radio in my car and a bumper sticker that says "Talk to me on CB channel "

Posted by Nick Speare on June 19, 2002 at 2:10PM

Comment #4:

I don't mean to blow against the wind, but I think that sounds like an enormous amount of energy and distraction for an event that wouldn't even come close to the quality of a normal coffee shop conversation.

Excuse my idealism, but I'd rather work on spending less time in my car, so I can enjoy more time with people I choose rather than the commuters who surround me on the freeway.

Posted by Paul on June 19, 2002 at 2:59PM

Comment #5:

A good point Paul. I would much prefer a conversation face-to-face, but I often sit in the car for two hour stints driving between Madison and Chicago, and a tool like this would make the drive slightly more entertaining.

Also, if done right, it wouldn't require much energy to use. It would certainly be no more distracting than surfing through radio stations or looking for a cd.

So I certainly see your point, but I would rather be communicating with people whenever I am afforded the opportunity, especially considering the amount of driving I do right now. And I have definitely been thinking about cutting down on the amount of driving I do. It is what I most look forward to when I arrive at my new home, wherever it may be, this august.

Posted by Matt on June 19, 2002 at 3:10PM

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