latrip.jpgI just got back from LA where I spent the whole of the day in a data center working on a hosting cluster. To and from the data center, we took a taxi. In the back of that taxi, on the way there, my train of thought went something like:

[the taxi driver, in a thick Latino accent, asks us our destination, whereupon he types the address into a dash-mounted Garmin GPS.]

That GPS is pretty cool. It has a sharp screen. I could use a GPS in my car. I’m always getting lost. I wonder if taxi drivers, in general, like GPSs. Sure, they help navigate, but they also reduce the barrier to entry for drivers, which can’t help but lower taxi driver pay. Unions probably slow that from happening, but it won’t be long until GPSs get so good that taxis become all robotic. Robot taxis would be cool. I wonder how much taxi drivers earn in a day. Let’s see, there is the base fee for getting into a taxi, nothing to be changed there, but then there are other variables: how much time spent idling, distance traveled and tip. Of course, if you service the airport, there is also the airport fee. What would the optimization formula look like? I suppose it would matter if you thought you might get repeat business or not. Ethics play a part, too. A long scenic route with lots of stops will rack up the fee, but will likely reduce the tip if the passengers catch on. If you go faster you can have time for more trips in a day, but that gain might be offset by cleaning out the vomit in the back seat if your travelers get car sick. I wonder if a driver’s tip increases proportional to the amount of conversation you engage in? Too much conversation could be bad. If you were funny, that would help. People like to laugh. I was watching comedian Jim Gaffigan on TV the other day. He is hilarious. I remember the bit he did on holidays and how odd they really are. He said that Christmas was particularly strange: you go outside and cut down a tree, drag it into your living room and decorate it. Then you take lights from inside your house and put them outside. Top it off by filling your socks full of candy and placing them by the fire. Jim Gaffigan said it sounded like a holiday made by a drunk man. [chuckle] That was pretty funny. I’m tired, I shouldn’t have gotten up this early. Are we there yet? California sure has nice weather.