Cars come up pretty often at the Futurist Club, which I suppose makes sense. They’re part of our daily lives, people have made them a major passion, and they’re advancing before our eyes. Even without the club’s boundless optimism, I expect I’ll see cars running on hydrogen, maybe even hovering via magnets, they’ll drive themselves and the in-flight entertainment options will be immense. People will WANT to go on long car trips because you’ll essentially be in a private capsule where you can do whatever you want for a few hours, internet and Neat-Flicks included.
However, there HAS been some thought given over recently to car servicing. Glen Iris has a garage where I get mine done, because it’s a family thing and we’ve been in the area for years, and even there I’ve heard whispers of cars being given a sort of virtual intelligence to allow them to diagnose themselves and make the servicing process easier. I put the idea to the club tonight, and the responses were mixed. Some people accused me of watching too many episodes of The Tachometer, when I haven’t even seen a single one. Rude, but I at least know what they’re talking about, with the cars being able to talk and communicate and feel the pain of rejection.
I mean something more practical, like a readout that can check the different parts of the car to see if there’s a problem and then produce a diagnostic. Then you roll up to a car service centre near Armadale or South Yarra or wherever you like, they check the diagnostic, and everything gets a bit more efficient. Keeping it simple, you know. Some ran away the the idea and thought we’d be getting ourselves full mechanical companions, like Grit from Day-Rider. Alright, let them think whatever they like… it’s a nice thought.
I’d settle for pulling down the blinds and settling in for an air-conditioned trip to Sydney in my self-driving car, during which I have a movie marathon. And if car servicing was faster, then hey, that’s a bonus.
-Marr