HP Webcams, Little Ol' Lady Electric Cart & Darwinian Selection

What I saw today in Arlington is the reason I don't think I want one of those new GM Volt Electric cars that can go only a few miles before running out of power.

I'd been at the Arlington Costco. On the way from Costco to Fry's Electronics I saw this little ol' lady in an electric cart device crossing the Matlock Road overpass over I-30.

As I passed her she was not moving, but was frantically cranking on something.

I was going to Fry's to return the HP Pro Webcam I got there yesterday. I am appalled HP makes such a piece of junk and Fry's sells it. The video was fuzzy, the audio was worse. There was no manual. Just a piece of paper with 3 instructions. 1) Turn on computer. 2) Insert cdrom. 3) Plug in USB cable. That was it.

So I got rid of the HP Pro Piece of Junk Webcam and replaced it with a Logitech Quickcam Pro 9000. The HP Pro Webcam cost $29.99. The Logitech Quickcam Pro 9000 cost $79.99.

You get what you pay for. The video from the Logitech is pretty much high definition. And the audio is also excellent. When I went to Fry's yesterday my intention was to get the Logitech one I got today, as it is top-rated. But then I saw the HP one for 50 bucks less, and figured, HP, they make good stuff, it must be good if it's an HP product. As it so often is, my logic was obviously flawed.

So, with the webcam switch out of the way, it was back on the road. I headed north on Matlock Road, wondering if the little ol' lady had gotten her electric cart moving. Traffic is very bad at this location. I was appalled when I finally got a clear view and could see the little ol' lady and her electric cart were moving again. From her pushing it.

I wanted to stop and help, but there was no way I could easily navigate the 10 or more lanes and get turned around again. It was just way too complicated. However I was able to fumble around and get my camera out and on and snap a picture as I drove by. This was a rather risky move in heavy traffic. I don't know how the little ol' lady was going to get out of that congested zone. What was she thinking? Driving such a thing in such traffic? Is there a chance that that was a Volt? Are they for sale yet?