Challenge to automakers

So with nothing much going on today, I will issue a challenge to american, and actually all automakers.

Halogen headlamps have increased the safety of nighttime driving. The driver can see farther, and the chances of hitting something on the road are reduced. But what about the oncoming traffic?

I remember when halogen headlamps first were introduced. If you had a halogen car other drivers would often flash brights in an attempt to get you to turn off yours, which weren't on in the first place. In those days the halogen lamps on other cars were more of an irritation, rather than a safety hazard.

Now with a majority of cars having halogen lamps I actually try to avoid driving at night if it can be helped.

I drive a small car, and the halogen lamps actually cause night blindness, especially when mounted on a pickup or SUV. Sometimes I find that I actually have to divert my eyes from the road, or be painfully blinded.

So my challenge is this. Put an auto dimmer on the halogen lamps when within a distance from another car. Maybe a light sensor could create the mechanism that causes the lamps to dim, or something that senses the size of the traffic oncoming or even ahead of you.

In the beginning halogen lamps increased safety, now lets increase it again. Drivers blinded by the headlamps on other cars can become road hazards. So the answer is to prevent the blindness.


So with that said, lets continue the story:

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cont.

Maureen was exhausted. They had been sparring all morning long. She was sure that she would find bruises where the staff had struck, even though Julius had been careful to pad the ends.

“You are doing much better, Kyra.”

“Yes, but I fell that I need a break.”

“That is probably not a bad idea, I could use a break from the sun.”

“I have been meaning to ask you about that. Myths surrounding vampires say that the sun would kill you, burning you to a crisp. So why is it that you are able to withstand the sun?”

“I am what would be called a Daywalker. An early generation vampire, not so far removed from elven blood to be allergic to the rays of the sun. Still, I do feel the rays of the sun in ways that are immensely painful. I am using a good deal of my magical powers in this world lessening the impact of the sun’s rays upon my body.”

“So not all vampires are killed by the sun?”

“No, not all, but most are. I am third generation removed from elven blood, any vampire removed more than five generations cannot go into the sun. Also, any vampire that is converted from another species is equally vulnerable to the light of the sun.”

“Then vampires do breed. Not all are converted humans.”

“That is correct, even though the process is not pleasant. Well, that is not entirely correct. The initial stages, just like most elven and human species is pleasant. But for the child to develop, the mother vamp must consume foods that would normally not be consumed by vampires. This usually makes the mother very ill, and oftentimes the mother does not survive long enough for the child to be born. Also the mother cannot consume bloodroot while the child is in the womb, which leaves the mother even weaker.”

“Bloodroot?”

“Usually only vampires that tend toward evil take lives on a regular basis. We all have to occasionally, but those that tend to good usually consume bloodroot. Bloodroot looks like a regular grass on the surface, but its roots grow deep and are rich in blood. It is usually found on old battlegrounds, and once existing never seems to lessen in quantity. We still have not figured out how it works exactly, but it is also a very magical plant.”

“So if you are descendant of elves then how did vampires come to exist?”

“It was actually the bloodroot. When it was discovered the mages used it in spells, because it was so powerful. Unfortunately, once consumed the recipient became sensitive to light. Since the bloodroot is only accessible underground they usually didn’t realize until they tried to venture outside. Pained by the light of the sun the new vampires would return to the bloodroot tunnels. They created vast cities underground as they bred and ventured less and less aboveground.”

“What about the elven families, didn’t they wonder what had happened to them?”

“Yes, but in many cases once the family saw what had happened the new vampires were forbidden to return to the families that they once knew. In fact it has only been recently that the elves reopened communication with vampires.”

“So how did the whole converting other species into vampires thing come about?”

“Like all stories worth telling, it is centered about love. A young vamp had been going to a nearby village of humans at night, to gaze upon a young lass. Beautiful, and intelligent she was always sad. Her marriage had never been considered consummated when she failed to produce a child. Her husband had remarried, and she was considered barren, and thus unfit to wed.

To the vampire this didn’t matter. But to him it was still an impossibility for him to approach her, as she was a creature of day and he one of night. So for nearly a year he would secretly approach to gaze upon her.

Almost a year after he started the trek to the village every night, it was raided by humans from another village. By the time he got there the village was in flames, he feared that his love had been captured by the men of the other village. He rushed to her home anyway, and in the kitchen he found her. A knife lay near her open hand, and he could see that the intruders had cut open her belly as she had tried to protect herself. She lay in a puddle of her own blood, yet the vampire pulled her from the house before it could burn down around them.

Now, the blood of bloodroot has amazing healing properties. The vampire had no bloodroot with him, but had consumed some before setting out. Hoping to save her he opened up his wrist, and had her drink from it. Seeing the wound close he took her back to the caverns, so that he could tend to her health. Along the way he picked up whatever human food that he could find, so that he could rebuild her strength.

The next morning, however, as he tried to have a Daywalker escort her outside, she couldn’t withstand the rays of the sun. She also couldn’t consume the food that he had brought for her. The only blood that she had had was that which he had given her. Then they saw that her teeth had changed. Fangs had grown, perfect for piercing the thick skin of the bloodroot. She also had developed the mental capabilities of a vampire.

That was how it was discovered that the blood of a vampire could create another vampire.”

“So how does the story end?”

“Hmm? Oh, well the story ends that she saw the love that he held for her, and soon came to love him in return. They lived many centuries together, before finally going into hibernation together about fifty years ago.”

“Hibernation?”

“Vampires are immortal because of the bloodroot. They can choose to die, or hibernate. Most choose hibernation, with the awareness that things will be different when they choose to wake. When a vampire truly is tired of life they usually stop eating bloodroot, and then go to see their last sunrise. Daywalkers have it a little more difficult, but a last sunrise is traditional for all vampires.

Now, we have rested enough. Back to work.”