Now, where were they when I used to work nights and often could barely stay awake long enough to drive home? There were a few times when I made some really serious mistakes, like driving over the Oakland Bay Bridge instead of the San Rafael Bridge and not knowing where I was….or frantically looking for the dollar that I had laid out to pay the toll, and then finally realizing that I had long since paid the toll and gone over the bridge.

Mercedes developing early warning system for exhausted drivers

Mercedes is developing an early warning system for drivers who are close to falling asleep behind the wheel, the car maker has announced. The system would monitor the attention of the driver and prompt him/her to take a break before falling asleep, according to Thomas Breitling, who is responsible for the development of safety systems for the car maker.

Mercedes is developing the system in response to accident research which revealed that between 10 and 20 per cent of serious accidents are caused by exhaustion. According to insurance companies in Germany, every fourth fatal accident on the motorway can be attributed to fatigue. Between 33,000 and 67,000 accidents could be attributed to the factor. While previous research has concentrated on the frequency of eyelid response, Mercedes researchers are also concentrating on other factors that influence tiredness such as driver behaviour, traffic situations, duration of a trip and time of day.

Breitling said first tests conducted in a simulator and on the motorway were promising, but that it would take another two to three years before it was ready for installation in certain car models. It is still unclear how expensive the system will be. (dpa)

I think today is a good day to read up on who and what the Pilgrims really were, and to disseminate the myth and reality of the historic voyage of the Mayflower–and the mythical first Thanksgiving. I mean, the story about religious persecution is really a little bit old, considering that they had already emigrated to the Netherlands and were perfectly free to worship as they chose. So the guys in their black and white outfits were not escaping persecution, were not refugees, and certainly, establishing religious freedom in the New World was not high on their list.

But I like Thanksgiving all the same, because I think it is a nice day to relax, eat some good food, enjoy time with family and friends, and contemplate on all that you have to be thankful for. For starters, I am very thankful that Americans seem to be coming out of their coma, judging by the results of the elections. I don’t know that the democrats are going to create miracles, but certainly, wrestling control of the House and Senate leaves Bush somewhat isolated and restricting in his move to destroy our great nation and the very planet we live in. It puts a brake on his hideous activities which have isolated us from other nations, and made us the laughing stock of the planet (to say nothing about being loathed.

I am thankful that I am healthy, have a good income, and have a lot of dreams which I am determined to make happen. Even if it is dark and rainy out, and I feel like I’m growing mold from having the honor of living in Seattle during the wettest November in its history (since they started tallying the rain drops), at least I am indoors and have a home.

No turkey for me. We’re having some nice roaste veggies, wine, homemade pumpkin pie (I’m baking!) and good cheer.

Anyway, have a great holiday.

….but I’m back!!! I’ve been traveling, hopping around the country in search of sunshine. Actually, it has been a mix of pleasure travel and the conference track, and fortunately, I had warm sunny weather the whole time. I was actually able to dry out and de-mold, after the deluge in Seattle prior to my departure.

But of course, it is storming outside today, my first day home. And so much of the beautiful autumn foliage is now just a messy dank and slippery pile of leaves, scattered all over the sidewalks and gutters.

Oh well. The forecast looks like rain for the entire week. I guess we won’t be hearing about a draught this year, although I heard that it’s supposed to be an El Nino year, and that the Pacific Northwest was going to have drier weather than normal.

Come again?