Tag Archives: Mackinac Island

Arch Rock, Mackinac Island

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Arch Rock, Mackinac Island

Arch Rock, Mackinac Island

When a really big solar spill happens, it’s called a nice day.

Benedict Evans wrote an interesting piece entitled, Ways to think about cars. In it he speaks to two new technologies that could drastically affect the automobile industry, They are the moves to all-electric and autonomous vehicles. Tesla and Google offer the most advanced prototypes of varying robustness for each. Fundamentally, the Evans article predicts the same economic revolution that has already beset consumer electronics shall now prey upon the auto industry.

There’s a basic principle about consumer electronics: it gets more powerful all the time and it gets cheaper all the time. That’s true of all types of consumer electronics. – Trip Hawkins

That most adroit of economists and so-so bank robber predicted this trend too, when asked why he robbed banks. Willy Sutton answered, “Because that’s where the money is.” Because that is where the money is… that’s why cars are the next new-new thing in consumer electronics. The coming conversion of the car industry will be a gold mine for some, a bank robbery for others and bankruptcy for the rest. It is a coming storm that should make the auto industry’s weathering of the past Great Recession look like just a tempest in a teapot. 

Beyond this approaching turmoil sits Mackinac Island, once a getaway for the auto barons, it is the only car free community in Michigan that I know of. It has been so for hundreds of years. The only motorized vehicles on the island are the ambulance and the fire truck. In some future world, where fewer cars are able to convey us all, quietly, safely and conveniently, could this idyllic island offer us a glimpse of itself as a prototype for a new relatively car free future?  

Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island

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Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island

Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island

Saturday night was trivia night. Trivia nights are a big deal here in Saint Louis. They are always done for charity. There is some gambling involved, but primarily they are tests of skill, much like the board game, Trivial Pursuit was, except that you can’t try to memorize the card’s answers. The charity was Saint James the Greater, a Catholic church in Dogtown. This Saint James was one of the original twelve apostles and his name makes me wonder was whether there was also a Saint James the Lesser? Bill & Mary generously treated us for the table. There is always a seat charge in these event. Also, at our table were Don & DJ and Chris & Sandi. These tables were smaller than they usually are at trivia events. We all brought snacks and wine to share.

It would be hard to exceed our performance at the last trivia night that we participated in, which was earlier this year. In that event, we were the winning table, plus Anne and I won five of the raffle baskets. It was downright embarrassing. Needless to say we didn’t come close to repeating that success. Although we did win one raffle basket, which was just right. Anne and I both lost our dollars at heads or tails and dead or alive. In heads and tails, you predict the coin toss by either putting your hands on your head or on your butt. In dead or alive they call out celebrity’s names and you have to predict their mortality.

We weren’t even close to winning that night. We were well down in the pack and still failing, when I gave up checking our score. The master of ceremonies had a rather musical bent, which did not play well to my skill set. One round involved listening to and then naming Michael Jackson songs. Sandi was the go to girl for this round. Another round involved naming bands given the reason for their names as clues. For example, what band was named after a 1915 truck? The answer was, REO Speedwagon. Sandi and Anne were the heavy lifters at our table, but by luck, I had one round to shine. The category for that round was the Tom Cruise movie “Top Gun”. I was nine for ten in that round. The one question that I didn’t even have a clue about was another music question, what band played the song, “Take My Breath Away”? The answer was Berlin.

Captain Renault: Is everything ready?
Rick: I have the letters right here.
Renault: Tell me, when we searched the place, where were they?
Rick: Sam’s piano.
Renault: Serves me right for not being musical.

Use of smart phones or hand brains as they are sometimes called is strictly prohibited at these events. So, you are forced to rely upon your old and fading analog brain, which can be at sometimes quite frustrating. The best teams seem to feature a wide age spread and interests. It was just not our night.