A factory-installed or after-market option which sits inline with your odometer or computer (you'll need to tell the mechanical version the current mileage). The device comes pre-programmed with most interesting patterns, but the user can dis/en/able general types of patterns to reduce the frequency of notification. Furthermore, the user can store a small number of individually chosen patterns (birthday, phone number, etc).
A mile/kilometer or two prior to the odometer event, the device chimes in an unobtrusive manner to notify the driver. Basking in the glow of the serendipitous occurance, the driver overcomes lifes little annoyances for the rest of the day. After all, isn't it the little things that make life enjoyable?-- phoenix, Apr 04 2003 NOSP is easier to say. It is just the sort of thing that the average American motorist would think is "kewl." <Notification of Serendipitous Pastry> *pling* </Notification of Serendipitous Pastry>-- ato_de, Apr 04 2003 Totally halfbaked, thanks for the chuckle. +-- krelnik, Apr 04 2003 You should call it the SNoOP Device (Serendipitous Notification of Odometer Pattern, pronounced “snow-op” by people-in-the-know and “snoop” by everyone else).-- AO, Apr 04 2003 [ato_de] i have never said "kewl"...well i have but that was a dark period in my past.but part of the joy of seeing those patterns on your odometer is waiting patiently for them until they come up, and taking pride in an accomplishment of no significance.-- igirl, Apr 04 2003 [AO] I like that title. I'll consider a name change shortly.-- phoenix, Apr 04 2003 The really serendipitous patterns, though, aren't the ones that come up while you're driving (after all, any car that makes it to 124,000 miles will go through 123,456) but rather the ones that happen to be on your odometer when you stop. Awhile ago I visited my parents and observed they were exactly 111.1 miles from where I'd gotten gas.-- supercat, Apr 04 2003 So you stopped at the gas station on the way home just to see 222.2?-- FarmerJohn, Apr 04 2003 The angelmobile passed 111,111 on Tuesday.-- angel, Apr 04 2003 Really you need it to ping/bong/beep just as the decimal fraction digit starts to turn the nine. If it sounds any earlier you'll be keeping half an eye on the odo for a whole mile/kilometer, glancing up and down the while to avoid that truck in front, trying to stay within a narrow semi-attentive bubble of safe braking distance security without causing too much of an obstruction to cars behind like that impatient bastard that just flashed me hey what the hell I can go at 55 if I want can't I there's no law against...Oh bugger, missed it.-- egbert, Apr 04 2003 "Prime number alert in 1 mile""Odometer reading will be an exact multiple of Trip Odometer reading in 3 miles""Palindromic number in 9 miles" - in the same vein, I'd like supermarkets to give me a little prize when my shopping comes to an exact multiple of £10-- hippo, Apr 05 2003 Does it steer the car free of road cracks, and spell out ShELL OIL upside down on the odometer, when nearing the gas station?-- FarmerJohn, Apr 05 2003 Not many cars will get past 71 million. Not even Swedish ones.-- egbert, Apr 05 2003 Oh that was 710.77345 for centimeter accuracy.-- FarmerJohn, Apr 05 2003 31337-- rapid transit, May 21 2003 This could have been a better use of the MG maestro talking dash-- nick3, Jul 01 2003 I missed it too. Glad it got dragged up.
Nice work, phoenix.-- snarfyguy, Jul 01 2003 spookily it just missed one important date by one day.-- po, Jul 01 2003 What date is that?-- phoenix, Jul 01 2003 you tell me.-- po, Jul 01 2003 Er, um, Riddle Day? 8^)-- phoenix, Jul 01 2003 Even more spookily, there's an 8 in phoenix's emoticon and this is the eighth anno of the day. And I'm just posting the 33rd croissant. 33 minus 8 is twenty five and this is the twenty fifth anno on the thread. {{{{shiver}}}}-- DrBob, Jul 02 2003 A few months ago my car passed 150,000 miles. The great thing about it was... I noticed it just in time to watch it change over. Even more impressive was that for quite some time afterward, every time it would hit the next -00 milestone, I just happened to notice. If I ever get a car that has below 60,000 miles, I could watch my birthday show up, as well as 65535... Hrm... hopefully this device will be out by then, and maybe include a camera focusing on the odometer just to add to the coolness factor.-- MrDark, Jul 08 2007 I just got to 055550 miles - excellent-- hippo, Nov 09 2008 Just go to any wrecking yard and buy an odometer. Then go to a hardware store and buy an electric drill. Then, go home and play with your new toys. You could photograph any combination that amused you and post it at www,lookwhatigot,com if you took the time to create such a website.Don't slam me for this comment-I have actually done it...except for the posting.-- Bystander, Nov 09 2008 random, halfbakery