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| Will Fully Automated Cars Be Fully Insured? |
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For those eager to try an autonomous vehicle, the future is now. Earlier this year, the Canadian province of Ontario announced it will take applications for driverless test car licenses, providing there is a licensed driver to take over if necessary. This raises a question: How will the insurance industry handle automated vehicle coverage?
Underwriting: Currently, an insured's accident history and the average number of miles driven are used to price vehicle insurance. But soon the self-driving features of a particular model may become the important factors influencing insurance prices.
"Black boxes": As well, monitoring driver activity may become the norm. Insurance companies currently offer policies based on driver behavior data gathered through telematics devices (black boxes.) While not in wide use now, these may become more usual as insurers
push for increased monitoring of driverless cars.
Costs: Theoretically, the number of accidents should fall as automation increases. With human error taken out of the equation, the result should be reduced cost. Fewer accidents could mean cheaper rates for collision and other types of insurance.
Actually, costs may shift. Manufacturers and suppliers may be held more liable for accidents due to product failure.
Complex parts will be expensive to replace.
Repair costs may increase.
These new complications may make it difficult to ascertain if consumers will see a reduction in costs overall.
The Ontario initiative should yield not only accident stats, but also important insights into the public perception of driverless vehicles. Because, this, too, remains to be seen. |
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| Local Produce...Coming Soon to a Neighborhood Near You? |
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Imagine craving an apple and walking a few steps to a neighboring apple orchard.
Imagine always having immediate access to your favorite fruits and vegetables.
Imagine watching your produce transition from seed to your table.
It's happening now across North America as thousands of locavores take the concept of locally grown food to the next level: "agrihoods" - planned communities where homes are built around a functioning farm - are mushrooming across North America.
There are currently around 200 agrihoods in the United States, including the 160-acre Agritopia in Phoenix, the 1,000-acre Serenbe in Georgia, and The Cannery, a 100-acre project located near Davis, California, that opened in August 2015.
And in Canada, an agrihood of 129 homes is currently being built near Vancouver, B.C. In most cases, homes in the agrihood are high end; at The Cannery, they range from the mid-$400,000s to more than $1 million.
"The
foodie generation has come of age," says Ed McMahon, a resident fellow at the Urban Land Institute in Washington, in Bloomberg News. "The mainstream development community has come to think of these as a pretty good way to build a low-cost amenity that people seem to like and that also adds authenticity."
Agrihoods develop a sense of community, proponents say, as they tend to host neighborhood food-related events, such as wine tastings and pop-up restaurants featuring agrihood produce.
They also provide an unbeatable experience.
As one agrihood resident told the Los Angeles Times: "To get your hands dirty with growth ... I think it's good for the soul." |
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| The Good Old Backpack Goes High Tech |
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OK, so we all know what a backpack is: a cloth or leather sack with over-the-shoulder straps that you carry on your back.
Traditionally, it carried provisions when you hiked, extra clothes when you traveled, and books when you headed for the library. But that is so yesterday.
These days, whether it's a personal power source or a svelte sound system, backpacks have gone high tech.
In a recent New York Times article, Eric A. Taub wrote, "With people juggling multiple digital devices that constantly need charging, backpack manufacturers have sensed a market opportunity.
Some new backpacks are specifically designed not only to protect our smartphones, tablets, laptops, headphones, and game players, but also to recharge them and track their whereabouts."
Some of the latest backpacks feature a battery that can recharge several smartphones or tablets at once, apps to monitor battery status, and an incorporated warning system
should you walk away without yours.
Backpack sharers can buy a customizable unit that accommodates each user's charging idiosyncrasies.
And if the plain old backpack needs to go upscale, one company produces a model that transforms into a briefcase or messenger bag.
Oh, and for environmentalists, there's a solar-powered backpack too! |
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~Alex Hastings~
Hastings Insurance Solutions LLC
~Guide One~
872 Tanglefoot Ln
Bettendorf IA 52722
563-355-0262 Office
641-494-9494 Cell
855-355-0262 Fax |
| www.HastingsInsuranceSolutions.com |
| ExpertInsuranceSolutions@gmail.com |
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| Is Shopping Online for Insurance Really a Bargain? |
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Buying auto or homeowners insurance on the internet seems easy and cheap. But is it?
Discover how relying on the web to protect your most valuable assets could cost you more - and put you and your loved ones at risk - by requesting my free guide, "The Dangers of Shopping Online for Insurance." |
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| Click here to see a web copy of this newsletter |
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| Recipe: Turkey Sausage and Pea Linguine |
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| Serves 4 |
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2 tablespoons olive oil |
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1 pound turkey sausage, casings removed |
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1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon |
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| Directions |
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.
Add olive oil to a large skillet. Add turkey and cook at high heat while breaking up any large clumps.
Season with salt and pepper and continue cooking until lightly browned and cooked through.
Cook fresh pasta in boiling water for 2-3 minutes or until al dente. Reserving 3/4 cup of the cooking water, drain the pasta. Add cooked pasta to the turkey along with the butter, 2/3 cup of the reserved cooking water, and peas. Combine all ingredients until heated through. If too thick, add a tablespoon at a time of the reserved cooking liquid.
Add the tarragon and grated fresh Parmesan right before serving. |
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| Worth Quoting |
This month, some famous quotes on the topic of good design:
Good design is good business.
Thomas J. Watson
If you think good design is expensive, you should look at the cost of bad design.
Ralf Speth
Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery |
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