MTV needs to start making ‘Pimp my ride’ for taxis. I’m currently in Taipei right now and just had the most hilarious taxi ride of my life.
First of all, the taxi was a “Certified Anti-bacterial Vehicle” (lost in translation a bit). Basically it means the entire cab is sterilized. It has 2 air purifiers installed in the car, one for the front of the cab, another for the back seat passengers. Second, it was super high tech. The driver installed this crazy video-game looking GPS system.
And my favorite? A fade-out horn. I wish I can find a sound-clip for it, but the sound the car horn makes fades out in intervals and decreasing volume. For instance, a normal car horn is one loud burst of sound. This horn breaks down that singular sound burst into many sound bites. As the driver explained: “When you honk at other cars with normal car horn, its loud. It angers/annoys other drivers because its like cursing them out. But sometimes you just want to honk as a warning–to let other cars/pedestrians that you’re approaching. So why not have a softer horn sound that is easier to digest?”
Deep stuff. My driver continues to explain, very proudly, that his horn has 8 different suonds so he can switch it up. He can also control the intensity of the horn sound by pressing the control softer or harder. Softer for “warnings” and louder if he’s upset at another driver.
I wonder how much market research went into developing the best “fade-out” sequence for a car horn. Like, at what intervals should the horn fade in order to least offend people?
Anyway, my adventures in Asia are sure to continue. Will be back with a story or two later!
Filed under: Adventures, Curious Matter
