Breaking the Law

With the holiday weekend right around the corner, Las Vegas Metro has already announced checkpoints to crack down on drinking and driving. Las Vegas is an alcohol driven city. Taking a cab is always an option, but how many times have you found yourself home in the morning with keys in hand not remembering how you got home? I have to admit, I got a D.U.I a few years back in California. I blew a .09, which the legal limit being .08… I was busted. I was fortunate because I didn’t have to go to jail, but I did lose my license for five months and paid a hefty fine. In Las Vegas, not going to jail is not an option. Many of my friends have told me their horrible experiences of spending a night in county. I pray I never find myself in that situation, but it’s the last thing I think about when having a good time. The idea of leaving my car anywhere gives me anxiety and I always forget about designated driving services available. However, sometime in the future, we won’t need a designated driver because my car will be driving me home.

Nevada recently passed a law allowing the Department of Transportation to set rules and regulations for the use of driverless cars including licensing and testing. Google has created the self-driving Toyota Prius that has been tested successfully 140,000 times so far without any accidents. A driver will be required to pay attention in case there is a problem. The driver inputs the destination and the car will calculate the route. The car will never break the speed limit because it will know the speed limits. The car has lasers and video on the roof detecting traffic and Google Maps to get from point to point. It is unknown how long the cars will be available and how much, but you can expect to see some cars in Las Vegas without a driver very soon. It is unclear what the requirements will be regarding drinking and driving, but I’m sure the regulations for that will be quite some time.

Until those cars become available, there are real people that will pick you up and drive your car home. There are two services in Las Vegas for designating driving. Designated Drivers, Inc. has been serving Las Vegas since 1998 with the easy to remember phone number, 456-RIDE (7433). For $60, someone will come and pick you up and drive your car home from your location to destination up to 10 miles. It is $5 for every 10 miles after that. Another company that has recently come to Las Vegas is BeMyDD. They give you two options. You can reserve a personal driver to pick you up and drive you around the whole night for $12.50-$15 an hour (minimum of 3 hours) or have someone come pick you up and drive your car home for $25 plus mileage. The company will tell you the total cost before they come and pick you up. If you think about it, a cab can cost around $40 or more from the Strip to pretty much anywhere, then you may have to pay for them to take you back the next day or hassle a friend. Designated drivers may be the simpler and cheaper solution.

If you were unfortunate and received a D.U.I., there is still hope. A lawyer is highly recommended and one place that I personally recommend is No Citations, available 24/7 at 702-388-1616. When clients are arrested and charged with a DUI, their team of highly skilled and aggressive attorneys screens each case and decides a plan of action specific to each client. Each case is unique so they don’t offer a set fee, but do offer competitive rates and superior representation. Some of their attorneys can get a plea agreement as low as Reckless Driving, but no guarantees, but you should expect to lose your driving privileges for a minimum of 90 days.

The best thing is to simply leave your keys at home. Catch a ride with one of your friends that don’t plan on drinking. No matter what, nothing is worth a record and a night in jail.

Electric Feel

With gas prices continuing to rise, a new interest for electric cars has come into play. Many dealerships are jumping on the bandwagon and bringing the futuristic concept to the present. The concept of not having to dish out a chunk of change to fill up your tank seems pleasing, especially with some of the electric cars being moderately affordable. However, many question if it is the best move for the environment. Will the cost of charging the car offset the price to fill a tank with gas? Is the design of the car appealing and what kind of power will the car provide? Will it be better to stick with a hybrid than to go all out? Well I’m here to settle confusion and help you decide if you should “plug it in and change the world.”

Electric cars or PEV (plug-in electric vehicle) run off an electric propelled engine that holds energy in the battery or some other energy storage unit. There are also hybrid plug-in electric vehicles that run off gas and electric getting around 70 mpg. The overall price of an electric car will be higher than a standard gas car, mostly coming from the cost of the battery. The transmission is gearless, giving it smoother acceleration and braking. The electric car companies claim that the cost to charge an electric car will far outweigh the cost to fill the tank. A PEV hybrid will cost approximately 75 cents per gallon to run. PEV costs can be quite low as long as consumers charge their vehicles overnight during off-peak electric hours. The average electric car could equivalently drive 96 miles on one tank of gas bringing the cost to about 3.4 cents per mile. Your electric bill, charging during off peak hours to peak hours, (depending on the area) could raise around $15-30 per month. It seems a lot more cost efficient, but the actual costs are yet to be determined since consumers will need to charge the vehicles at their home until public stations are built. Much like any product, once the demand goes up, so will the cost. The government does not see a concern of having to build more power plants at this time, but that may be a concern in the future.

As for the environment, electric cars are better, but not perfect. Unless we can find a way to create electricity solely from solar, wind, or a different renewable energy, we will still create electricity from coal power plants being one of the major sources for Carbon Dioxide and global warming. How long an electric car will travel and length of charge depends on the car. Here is a list of what is available and coming out for the U.S. market.

Nissan Leaf

Nissan Leaf – www.nissanusa.com

The Nissan Leaf offers three levels of charging. Level 1 will take 20 hours for the car to fully charge, level 2 takes 8 hours, and level 3 will charge the battery to 80% in 30 minutes. However, Nissan recommends using level 1 or 2 because level 3 will deplete the battery by 10%. The car will go 100 miles/charge and can go up to 90 mph. The MSRP is about $33,000 but can be low as $26,000 with the federal tax savings on electric cars. It comes with an 8 year, 100,000 mile warranty. It will be available this December.

Tesla Roadster and Model S

Tesla Roadster – www.telsamotor.com

Telsa Roadster is an all-electric sports car that goes from 0-60 in 3.7 seconds and has a top speed of 125 mph. It can run about 230 miles on one single charge and takes only 3.5 hours to fully charge. The battery life expectancy is seven years or 100,000 miles. The cost is around $109,000 and built on a Lotus frame. A more affordable car is coming from Tesla this fall called Model S. The sedan model car is priced around $64,000, seats up to 7 people, lasts 300 miles/charge, and charges in 45 minutes.

2012 Ford Focus PEV

Ford Focus
Ford will release the all-electric Focus in 2012 equipped with 240V charge that takes 3 hours to charge and 120V household charge that will take quite a bit longer. It is not released how long the charge will go far, but predictions are 100 miles/charge with a top speed of 84 mph.

Future Releases

Audi e-tron

Audi is rumored to release an all-electric ports car called the e-tron in 2012. It will be priced high with a range of 154 miles/charge and a top speed of 124 mph. BMW will jump on the band wagon with a model to be released in 2013 and working on a limited edition electric MINI. You can expect to see models from Toyota, Mitsubishi, and Porsche in the near future as well.

Fisker Karma – Gaudin Motor

If the all-electric isn’t up your ally, I would check out the PEV Hybrids like the Chevrolet Volt and Coda Sedan. But my personal favorite, and one car I may take up stripping just to be able to afford (not really, don’t get your hopes up) is the Fisker Karma. Come on, Karma? Really? I am not a car person, but with a name like that and a sick look… I am willing to save my pennies for the $87,000 car that get 100 mpg. It is sold here in Las Vegas at Gaudin Motor Company. I might be stalking them very soon. I wonder how many times they would let me test drive it? Just saying…

Sexy Technology

The CES and AVN convention was a big hit this year in Las Vegas, showcasing new gadgets and new toys to make any consumer happy. CES revealed competition against the popular iPad, continuing trends with 3D, enhancements on personal hobbies, and some items that are only for the wealthy. AVN had the usual “T” and “A,” but introduced some new lines of protection, a new position, and a high tech product to take care of yourself.

CES RECAP:

Convenience is one thing people strive for and the iPad was a huge hit for people on the go. This year Samsung is joining the market with the Samsung Galaxy Tab. Teaming up Verizon Wireless’s 4G LTE network, the tab will provide video conferencing, real time navigation, eReading, Internet access pretty much anywhere, and a cool new feature called augmented reality, which allows you to explore your surroundings with point-of-interest icons with reviews and information.

I guess three isn’t too crowded when it comes to technology. With the release of the 3D TV last year, Sony is it taking to a new level with laptops. The Sony Vaio F Series, priced around $1700, is the first laptop to provide 16-inches of 3D enabled viewing, which can be seen with a pair of Sony’s 3D shutter glasses. It even converts 2D to 3D while keeping it in high definition.

If you want some hands free video and picture capabilities there was new technology shown that even James Bond would be jealous. Lady Gaga showed up at the CES convention to show her own development, the new Polariod GL20 Camera Glasses. These super magic shades have a built-in digital camera that takes pictures and video and allows you to send and share them with whoever else is wearing the glasses. That takes spying on a whole new level and a price that has yet to be revealed.

Some questionable products were for more personal use. Ahrong Eltech is a leader in skin care and displayed its new product, Rex-Kara III, an ultrasonic wave massager. Eltech claims the product improves the health of your skin and helps you lose weight. The product was tested on oranges, but not on humans. Eltech cannot provide any evidence to weight loss other than the fact the product is ultrasound, which is known to increase blood circulation and breaking down fat. Another product to help increase blood flow and reduce stress was by HeartMath called Emwave 2. The device hooks up to your computer, charting your stress level and producing images and sounds to bring you into a “zen” state. The product is priced at $199, which with what the device does; you can do for free with breathing and meditation.

AVN RECAP:

With society being more outspoken when it comes to sex and keeping it safe, new products were presented to have a little more fun with your glove. Ooo Boutique introduced a new line of condoms that are labeled according to desire. For example, “Try Me” provides positions to try when practicing it safe and “Take Me” suggests places to be safe and sexy. Another set of the designer condoms, “Art of Lust,” comes in an eight pack of individual drawn imagery of kung fu and Kama Sutra. It might be a good idea to fill up on carbs to keep your energy going to drive through that pack.

Speaking of positions, Thrills & Giggles takes it to a whole new level. Their new contraption, Pair’s Wheel, positions a woman on her back with her knees pulled to her chest securing her in. Her partner then unlocks a pin and the wheel rotates in a full 360 degree rotation combining the motion of thrusting and sensation with no batteries required.

If your partner is MIA, you can still have some fun on your own. Minna introduced a new vibrator that becomes more intense the harder you squeeze. It even provides a memory function that records up to 10 seconds of vibration playback that can be played over and over again.

Whatever your pleasure may be, technology is moving at a rapid pace. You can expect more products to come forth throughout the year keeping the tech savvy consumer purchasing items faster than they can be produced. Who knows? Maybe in 2012 our world of reality will be completely virtual.