Using a cellphone based system with the right kinds of encryption, fire engines, ambulances and maybe even police, should be able to control the pattern of traffic lights when they are heading for an emergency and need to navigate through crowded traffic crossings with complicated lights. I saw a fire engine heading somewhere and arriving at a crossing where they practically had to come to a halt to make sure no dumbheads were still moving. This could be avoided if all lights are turned to red for a few seconds prior to and after they reach the intersection.

How about creating a system that enables the fire department or the EMT services to hook into the traffic lights network and access the central controls? With the necessary authorizations or maybe with the right hooks to allow for an override, this system could be implemented and be very useful.

I have been a little under the weather the last week or so. So as I was trying while away time while recovering, I used StumbleUpon to come up with this article. Man, did I hit paydirt!

I can’t remember reading a more gripping article in a long, long time. In fact, calling this an article seems to make it less than what it is, a great story from the real world, where real people took minute-by-minute decisions to save lives. Incredible skills, incredible decisions, I could go on with endless superlatives. Whoever wrote this article, thank you for this.

On a connected note, this is a week after the terrorist-drive mayhem of killings in Mumbai, India. For a country that was able to execute a flawless mission to send a craft to the moon, I am hoping these great rocket scientists will turn their attentions to helping India come up with a security plan that will help thwart such problems in the future. And shame the politicians who are busy pointing fingers at “neighbouring countries” instead of searching their own souls.

For years we have heard about all kinds of people urging the cable industry to switch to a la carte pricing. From what I am reading in the news about the Sirius-XM merger, it looks like the first companies to do so would be the satellite radio providers. That would be good news for customers like me.

However, for this kind of pricing to really be attractive and work for me, the price differential has to be a bit more substantial. I pay $13-$14 a month for the full set of channels from Sirius. If I were to just pick 10 or 15 of them, instead of the current 198, I would expect a significant drop in prices. What I hear is that the new offering of the combined companies might be a 50 channel package for $6 and change. That is okay but not good enough. I am not interested in listening to 15 out 50 channels. I would like greater differentiation in pricing. Perhaps I should stick with my current style of picking my channels, using the Favorites setting on my radio! That way, I know I am only going to listen to the channels I like.

What do you think?