Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!snjsn1!bilbo!greg
From: greg@bilbo (Greg Wageman)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Car electronics projects
Message-ID: <1178@snjsn1.SJ.ATE.SLB.COM>
Date: 21 Jul 89 18:35:20 GMT
References: <768@xroads.UUCP> <20556@cup.portal.com> <1170@snjsn1.SJ.ATE.SLB.COM> <4764@ncrcae.Columbia.NCR.COM>
Sender: news@SJ.ATE.SLB.COM
Reply-To: greg@sj.ate.slb.com (Greg Wageman)
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Organization: Schlumberger ATE, San Jose, CA
Lines: 48

In article <4764@ncrcae.Columbia.NCR.COM> wte@ncrcae.Columbia.NCR.COM (Bill Eason) writes:
>I wrote:
>>
>>Here's one answer I've thought about building: a scrolling LED
>>character display (like those advertising displays in the woodgrain
>>box you see in some stores) which takes voice input from the driver
>>and displays messages out the rear window.
>>
>>If anyone actually wants to build one of these, I want credit for the
>>idea and royalties.  8-)
>
>Two problems here: 
>
>  1) It's already been done.  I saw one in a magazine ad within the last
>     couple of months.  No voice recognition, but preprogrammed messages.

Personally I feel the voice recognition input would be a sufficient
value-added feature to distinguish these two products.

>  2) According to either Ann Landers or "Dear Abby" (now there's a good
>     source!), it is illegal in most or many states to have ANY flashing
>     lights on a car except as a distress signal, a turn signal,  or on an 
>     emergency vehicle.  This includes the little LEDs flashing in rotation 
>     around your license plate or in neat patterns on your cyclops brake light.

I would have to check the Vehicle Code for CA., but there's a good
chance that this is true.  An Auto Club I belonged to back east
pointed out in their magazine that people were once written tickets
for having aftermarket high-mounted stop lights; now, they're
federally mandated!  It's amazing how many things we can think of to
do that are illegal.  :-(

Of course, I understand the reasons: rather than have to deal with
each item on a case-by-case basis to assess safety, most states have
simply written blanket laws that say if it isn't required, it's
forbidden.

Longish .signature follows.  Skip now.

Greg Wageman			DOMAIN: greg@sj.ate.slb.com
Schlumberger Technologies	UUCP:   ...!uunet!sjsca4!greg
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"Live Free; Die Anyway."
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