Mae West was known for her bawdy quips, such as that famous Pocket Pistol quote.
She made this remark in February 1936, at the railway station in Los Angeles upon her return from Chicago, when a Los Angeles police officer was assigned to escort her home. She first delivered the line on film in She Done Him Wrong, and again to George Hamilton in her last movie, Sextette (1978).
But if Mae West was still around today, she might change her line to,
Is that a Car Key in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me?
Things have gotten out of hand (so to speak) when it comes to car keys. I didn’t know this until the other day when I was given a loaner while my own car was being serviced.
Guess Which One Does High-Def Video?
This goes right into our category of “When Did I Ask You To Super-Size Me?” posts.
In the middle of this picture is the Car Key in question. Am I really expected to carry this around in my pocket, or even better, wear it on a gold chain around my neck? Compare it to the old fashioned key to my Toyota Tacoma Truck on the right. N’uff said.
Or better yet, compare it to my latest digital camera, the Canon SD780 IS, shown on the left. The Canon shoots 12.1M pixels snapshots, and also does Hi-Def Video.
The Car Key opens a door and starts a car. (Which by the way, my Tacoma key can also accomplish.) Of course the new key also has a Panic Alarm and remote controls. But to work that it has a battery which can go dead at any time. In which case no doors, and no starting.
I knew I was getting old a while back when I came across a young woman in a car park who was unhappy because she couldn’t get into her vehicle. The battery in her remote had died and the door wouldn’t open. Luckily I was able to help by pointing out that the key on the remote fob would actually open the door as well as start the car.
Pistols or Progress, take your pick.
Not A Mystery 
Hopefully she didn’t take the remote to the dealer to get it fixed when it is so much cheaper to put in your own battery.
Posted by Lynda | October 16, 2009, 1:06 pmLynda,
You’re right, those key things have become a profit center. And the new ones for the ‘key less’ systems cost as much as a cell phone to replace!
Posted by Bob Gelber | October 16, 2009, 4:29 pmIf you have to ask what it costs you can’t afford it.
Or, if you were a top exec. for Bank of America and getting a slice of the $30 billion bonus pie you wouldn’t be blogging about the price of batteries — would you.
Posted by Sal | October 19, 2009, 7:34 am