As good as the adaptive cruise control is in our Jeep, I notice a flaw. It will take over the throttle and brakes and maintain a safe distance on the highway or around town. It will go from zero to sixty and back again in stop and go, or slow and go, traffic, with no human intervention. What it won’t do though, is recognize a stationary object as a hazard. Activate cruise control while there is no car in front of you, or while there is a moving car in front of you, no problem. But if you and the car in front of you are approaching a stoplight, and there are cars stopped, waiting for the light to turn, and the car in front of you pops over to the next lane, the cruise control doesn’t see the stopped cars as a problem. It starts to accelerate back up to speed. When that happens, presumably the next safety feature, collision avoidance, would apply the brakes at the last moment and avoid an accident, but I’ve chosen not to test that system yet; I apply the brakes instead.
One of the cooler birds I got to see in California
I made a drive up the Angeles Crest Highway into the San Gabriel Mountains to get to the right habitat. Then I took off into the woods walking. I could hear one; it was chipping and drumming. I knew it was there, but it seemed to take forever before I finally spotted one. Then. Finally.
A White-headed Woodpecker.
We don’t get to see them very often.
They’re a Western thing.
Well
Maybe it’s time for a haircut.
Off we go to the groomer. Now, the back end of this one isn’t nearly as big anymore.
And this one has eyeballs again!
That black dot off to the right of the trail in the distance
It’s moving. Something to keep an eye on. I can’t tell what it is.
It looks bigger than those snotty little javelinas we see. Maybe it’s a feral hog. Still keeping an eye on it.
Turns out it’s a javelina after all.
He’s browsing on something. He doesn’t appreciate my interruption.
From the right side of the trail he decides to run to safety; on the other side of the trail.
He’s agitated; bristly all over.
He pulled up at the edge of the trail to keep an eye on me; only reluctantly stepping off the trail for my passing.
As soon as I was by, he went right back to whatever was interesting him on the exposed side of the trail.
That was yesterday. Today I’m practicing multi-tasking. The weather is sunny and mid-seventies. I’m sitting on the deck enjoying the sun, and dozing.
Does this shirt
Does this shirt make my butt look big?
