Jennifer B. Davis
So, I saw this do-it-yourself automotive head's up display and it made me smile. For those of you who haven't kept up on these things, having a display embedded or projected onto a windsheild of a car has been talked about for decades. This low-tech approach is not perfect for all conditions of course. It works great if dynamic data wasn't required and the lighting conditions are right. Even with these limitations, it does remind me that often we overthink solutions when a workable and cheap idea is right in front of us!

Reminds me of the story (perhaps urban myth) that NASA spent millions of dollars developing an ink pen that would write in the zero-gravity conditions of space, all the while believing themselves to be clever and technologically-advanced. Meanwhile, on the other side of the globe, Russian cosmonauts were just using pencils. Whether it is true or not, it is a good reminder that technology should be relevant and add real value.

So, while the folks at the car companies figure out how to put more electronics into our dashboards, I might just print my maps out in reverse next time and try this approach.
2 Responses
  1. Kristi Says:

    That's awesome! This totally makes me think of some conversations with my dear mate. "Can you take a picture of such-n-such?" "Sure - I have to get just the right lighting with this external flash and this reflector board and this type of sunlight with these certain lenses and filters, all set on this certain tripod..." "Never mind. I'll take it myself." click.


  2. Know what you mean. We have a great camera with multiple lenses and the like, but take most pictures with the little digital camera in the diaper bag. I just hope that the folks at Sony, Canon, or Nikon keep pushing professional features (without as many controls of course) into products that I can use without a big operation.

    ...and that I can continue to find ways to not make technology a barrier to experiment with a solution.