As I watched two tow trucks doing their thing during the commute hour on Ashby Ave. in Berkeley yesterday, I was reminded just how much money cities gain from parking fines, citations and meters. There's enormous potential for entrepreneurs to connect the dots between busy, distracted motorists and services which could save them time and money in this regard. parkingticket.com is capitalizing on this in New York City. There's the BART Smart Parking trial here in the East Bay, which makes less sense but still offers someone a buck to make, maybe. And maybe the whole thing will also help keep cities honest, because if enough parking tickets get thrown out, the method of verifying parking violations will progress beyond the dubious practice of chalking tires -- more on that topic another time.

Giving thanks for our overly-litigious country? Well, yes. It seems that fear of lawsuits is keeping Audi from introducing a car in the U.S. which permits drivers to watch videos while rolling at speeds of up to 3 miles per hour. Pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists in Europe and the rest of the world: you've been warned.