Date:         Sat, 11 Mar 2000 17:29:32 EST
Reply-To:     Oxroad@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jeffrey R <Oxroad@AOL.COM>
Subject:      no stickers, we need EZ pass. or... was debacle
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

<< We may now have a
 number of designs that look great, but would not be effective for the
 agreed purposes,...  >>

It's occurred to me this whole sticker idea isn't going to work. What with
head-on identification almost impossible at a combined speed of 130 MPH. And
then there is the problem of which sticker works best on the front AND back
and can be seen. Then how to join and so on.

But fear not I have an idea. We're in the 21st century (sort of) and we need
a 21st century solution. I suggest an EZ pass type system. Here in the New
York metropolitan area there is a small box smaller than a cigarette pack
that attaches to the windshield and sensors at the toll booths on bridges and
tunnels read it's electronic code and charges the driver. (must be infer red
or something. I'm no electronics wiz) With a set up like this we could have
an electronic alert so no list member could pass one another without knowing.
The problem would be where to mount the sensor unit with limited dash space.
Like I said, I'm no electronic wizard but I'm sure one of you could design a
receiving unit like one of those small TV satellite dishes that could mount
on the roof and the rest of the equipment could mount in the "battery" box
under the driver's seat.

But some people have a second battery under the driver's seat. So that might
not work. And then I was thinking the satellite dish might be enough to
recognize another list member so we wouldn't even need the electronic
equipment. The satellite dish is big enough and easy to see from both
directions even with the 130 MPH coefficient. So then I was thinking why
bother with the complicated electronics? I mean sure it's the 21st century,
but why not use the simple yet primitive art of a visual clue. Perhaps
something simpler and cheaper than a satellite dish tied to the roof. A
billboard perhaps? But then, no, because the bus is already the slave of
crosswinds and the billboard idea might complicate matters. But surely we can
put something big up there. Like maybe a floor jack. Yeah. That could be the
sign. Anyone with a floor jack on the roof is a list member. But not an old
floor jack hard to see on cloudy days. Like a red floor jack, maybe, with a
light shining on it at night. And we drive Vanangons, sooner or later we're
gonna need a floor jack. OR HEADS! a pair of new heads mounted on the roof.
And this way when the heads on our busses start to leak we've got a
replacement with us. But wait. No. That's no good. What about those with the
air-cooled busses. They don't need heads all that often. And those heads
would be kind of bulky and expensive. Maybe something smaller and cheaper up
on the roof. Like how about a list T-shirt up there. And we could all see the
list T-shirt and we know there was another member. Yes. That could work. Oh,
but the T-shirt might get wet and moldy and start to smell and become
unrecognizable. So maybe something inside the bus that could be seen by other
drivers. Like keep the T-shirt in the window. Or wait. I've got it. WHY NOT A
STICKER IN THE WINDOW! YES!  That would work. What would you all think of a
sticker? Like a "List Sticker" in the window. I mean sure everyone might not
see it all the time. But it's better than the nothing we currently have. I
think this sticker could work. What do you think?

What we need now is an election for an official committee, an electoral
college if you will to see if it's a good idea.

Or we could just vote on the stickers that the brave and courageous idea man
Ken has so kindly posted for us in his "spare" time.

http://www.321website.com/members/home/data/kokopellis/

If you're afraid you'll be missed you can always put more than one sticker on
each end of your bus.

I'm just saying.

Jeff
83.5 Westy
NYC