Andy Rooney, age 92, and part of 60 Minutes on CBS since 1978, offered his latest rant on the second week of the new season of the longstanding program on Oct. 3. The essay was about his dislike of gadgets, particularly in the automobile industry and including Ford's latest smartphone application.
Here's the transcript and video of the segment:
"I have a lot of gadgets here in my office. I don't really like gadgets. I don't even like the word 'gadget.' "
"I read though where automakers have plans to install even more electronic gadgets in their cars soon. Do we really need more of them? I knew I'm out of the loop when I read recently that the Ford Motor Company is allowing smartphone apps on Android phones to link directly to Sync-equipped cars. I not only don't have an Android equipped' phone in my car, I don't know what one is — wouldn't know what it was if I saw one."
"I mean, do drivers really need to log onto the Internet while they speak to friends, while the kids watch a movie on a video screen in the backseat, and at the same time have the GPS help locate the best Italian restaurant in the area?"
"I have mixed feelings about the things that will help me from getting lost. Too often the best time I have is when I'm lost before I get where I'm going."
"I can remember when Henry Ford said, 'You can have any color car you want as long as it's black.' Now people have green cars, that means environmentally friendly cars – like hybrids, electric cars, cars with fuel cells and even cars that run on used cooking oil. Of course, I don't want a car that smells like bacon grease or French fries."
"I just want a car that I can drive to the store in and pick up a bottle of milk and a loaf of bread and go home."
Source: CBS
Article Last Updated: November 5, 2011.
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A sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004.
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An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and online publications, co-hosted The Weekly Driver Podcast from 2017 to 2024.
While I agree with him to a point about how many gadgets and devices are being thrown into cars because I think drivers are too distracted as it is now, I can't help but wonder why 60 Minutes still has an old fart like Andy Rooney ranting about things he doesn't understand because he chooses to not understand or learn anything new. Oh wait, yes I do. The show's viewership is primarily within 20 years of Rooney's age.