Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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"Nearly there" light

 Its a light - for the kids
  (+3, -1)
(+3, -1) 		  [vote for,
against]

"Are we nearly there yet?"
"Are we nearly there yet?"
"Are we nearly there yet?"
"Are we nearly there yet?"
"Are we nearly there yet?"

<ping!>
"Yay!"

This gadget is easily fitted to the ceiling of a car and placed in full view of all back seated passengers. A small wire and switch are very simply installed into the steering wheel: The driver may toggle the gadget to illuminate a message of "Still ages to go..." (in an amber colour) or "We're nearly there!" (that flashes green). It goes 'ping!' when the driver changes the light to 'nearly there'.

NB: there is no AI, no fancy voice recognition to automatically respond to the kids. Its just a driver based switch and 2 lights.

—Jinbish, Jan 23 2004

[link]






       How little you understand kids!
—kropotkin, Jan 23 2004
   

       //just a driver based switch and 2 lights//   

       ... and a tazer.
—Detly, Jan 23 2004
   

       I’ve found a cure for “are we there yet”
And it works better than a death threat
Though to my shame I must admit
It’s not a game of subtle wit
No – it’s a portable TV set
Inside the headrest of each seat
—theircompetitor, Jan 23 2004
   

       Don't make me pull this car over!
—krelnik, Jan 23 2004
   

       Suppose each kid is allowed one "Are we nearly there query". It would be an interesting experiment to see how they use it.
—phundug, Jan 23 2004
   

       They'd probably draw it out over the duration of the voyage.
—Detly, Jan 23 2004
   

       //Suppose each kid is allowed one "Are we nearly there query"//   

       Suppose you could take a gyroscope, then put another gyroscope next to it -- couldn't you beat the speed of light this way? :)
—theircompetitor, Jan 23 2004
   

       Before too long you'd be needing to install the "are we nearly nearly there yet?" light, then it's downhill all the way to insanity.
—hazel, Jan 23 2004
   

       child- "does that light mean we're there yet?"
parent- "(expletive deleted)"
child- "but... I _didn't_ ask if we were there yet... I asked about the light!"
parent- "(expletive deleted) jinbish!"		   

       [hazel] It's a fast track to insanity from the moment you first find out you're pregnant. (to paraphrase Douglas Adams: The first six months are the craziest. The second six months are the craziest, too. After that it gets truely insane.)
—ato_de, Jan 23 2004
   

       I found an easy solution to the Are We There Yet sindrome.
'Bout another hour.
Just another hour now.
Can't be more than an hour.
Pretty close to an hour I think, oh look were here.		   

       What if you had a little display like they do on airplanes somethimes that shows a representation of the vehicle in relation to its departure point and destination, very slowly moving forward? It would be plain to see how much further there is to go.
—snarfyguy, Jan 23 2004
   

       snarfyguy, that would be pretty much every car navigation system.
—theircompetitor, Jan 23 2004
   

       the solution to your problem is nyquil
—SystemAdmin, Jan 23 2004
   

       sysadmin, why bother going to the store, buying expensive alchohol enhanced sleep aids when the oven is right there? Blow out the pilot, pop the little buggers in for five minutes and...   

       viola!   

       Nap time.
—ato_de, Jan 23 2004
   

       I see no real application for this. but who am I to say +
—nomadic_wonderer, Jan 23 2004
   

       The answer to all of your prayers. Just give the little shits...errrmmm...darlings some large plastic bags to play with. They end up playing very quietly for hours.   

       By the way, I am available for babysitting.
—Klaatu, Jan 23 2004
   

       I see now why you are in health services, Klaatu... ; )
—k_sra, Jan 23 2004
   

       //snarfyguy, that would be pretty much every car navigation system.//   

       Really? One of us isn't understanding the other. I'm sure it's me not understanding you.   

       I haven't seen a back seat display that shows a depiction of a car moving toward its destination based on the the real car's position.
—snarfyguy, Jan 23 2004
   

       with the theme from "jaws" playing...
—po, Jan 23 2004
   

       in my Infinity FX 45, it's in the navigation display which is visible to the back seat. It is not in the back seat DVD display, though, so you are correct in that sense.
—theircompetitor, Jan 23 2004
   

       My cousin would tell her kids "we're about 45 minutes away", because they had no concrete understanding of "45 minutes", and yet seemed pleased with the answer...
—dbsousa, Jan 23 2004
   

       I think the control for this should be like that thing in a ship. You know, the big dial that the captain moves the "full ahead" with a <ca-ching!>, and the same dial moves in the engine room. That thing.
—Worldgineer, Jan 23 2004
   

       [Theircompetitor] I guess you're talking about a satellite system that shows your location on a map. My variant was a computer thingy that you'd enter the distance of your trip into. Then the thingy would take your average speed, compute how long the trip will take, and move the depiction of the car in the display accordingly in a stright line toward the destination.
—snarfyguy, Jan 23 2004
   

       [Worldgineer] - I think everything should use 'ca-ching!' controls. They're so beautifully odd, big purposeful-looking brass things that don't actually do anything unless someone's paying attention to the other end.   

       Certainly should be used for gearsticks, mousewheels, etc - anywhere that there's gremlins or gubbins at the other end (that can be trained to respond to the ca-ching sound).
—benjamin, Jan 23 2004
   

       I always use sarcasm. If they ask " Are we there yet" I simply answer. "Yes, we are. That is why we are getting out of the car and walking toward our destination as I speak. That is why the car is stopped and parked." All the while I would be driving on the highway. They seem to get pretty fast, that we, in fact, are NOT there yet, and don't ask again.
—Antioc, Jan 23 2004
   

       <ato_de> //It's a fast track to insanity from the moment you first find out you're pregnant. (to paraphrase Douglas Adams: The first six months are the craziest. The second six months are the craziest, too. After that it gets truely insane.)//...   

       //Blow out the pilot, pop the little buggers in for five minutes and...viola! Nap time.// </ato_de>   

       It would seem to me that ato_de truly has gone insane. And who wouldn't after 12+ months of gestation?
—dijontoothpaste, Jan 23 2004
   

       how about an odometer type device that measures in feet. kids could have fun watching those numbers whoosh by really fast, maybe a light would blink every mile or so, the kids could play a game to guess when the light will next go off....i think i'd like looking at this. would make my 500 miles on sunday more interesting
—buddymatt, Jan 23 2004
   

       Parents: Can't you just lie to your kids, and lazily answer "yep" whenever they ask the "are we there yet" question? You might guess I don't have kids yet. [+] for the idea.
—Fishrat, Jan 24 2004
   

       Thanks, [tsu]. <ca-ching>full ahead</ca-ching>
—Worldgineer, Jan 24 2004
   

       Just like the jump light for parajumpers in aircraft... GO GO GO!!!!
—KLRico, Jan 24 2004
   

       [2 fries short of a happy meal]'s kids will grow up with no sense of time.   

       "Are we there yet?" asks the fishbone. Yes, we are. [-]
—disbomber, Apr 06 2005
   
      
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