A few days ago, California became the first state to allow a self-driving car to run legally on public roads. This introduces a brand new era in the automotive world, but also says goodbye to an old and much more favorable era as well. The self-driving car introduced by Google works by using a number of different satellite radars, sensors, cameras, and computers to allow the car to know what the speed limit is in a certain area, as well as where all other cars are so it can brake if a car slows down or stops, and speed up all while the driver or in this case passenger relaxes inside not having to worry about anything. Of course, being in a car that drives itself for the first time will seem a bit nerve wracking to everyone who used to driving themselves. Passengers can even program where they want to go into the car�s gps system and also tell the car to go pick up their friends and family without them even being in the car. While this sounds great to many people, mostly Google�s co-founder Sergey Brin, who seems to be concerned with making people safer and ruining the joy of driving, and political senators, like Ralph Nader, who have already ruined the joy of cars and should be taken out back and shot, I feel that this type of car is taking away the real meaning behind cars, which is simply being behind the wheel, controlling it yourself, and enjoying the thrill of driving on the open road. The point of driving is to be able to choose the speed yourself. That way you get a much more exciting and thrilling experience at the wheel, you�re not just sitting there doing nothing as the car does everything for you. With all the safety features this car has, you won�t be paying attention to anything. You may even be busy doing other things including catching up on work and other things. This sounds like a great idea, but not all computer systems are 100% reliable. They�re better than before, but as the car ages, the computer systems will start to not be as reliable and this will cause much more crashes than there already are. I don�t think of cars as chauffeurs that take me to wherever I want to go, I think of them as magnificent machines that can take your mind away from the stresses of everyday life. Cars give you the feeling of freedom; the power to go anywhere you want. They give you the power of defying the laws of physics; being able to go faster than people ever thought possible during a time when people were either walking or biking. Driving isn�t a way to go from point A to point B, it�s also a great way to have some pure fun and excitement you can�t get anywhere else, something most modern cars, especially cars that drive themselves, take away from people. However, even though this car is taking the fun out of driving and ending the whole meaning of cars and driving, there are one or two things that make this car very helpful. Everyone knows that drinking and driving will get you nowhere except in a cell with someone you wouldn�t want to be stuck next to. If you do have a few too much to drink, you do have very little options of getting home. You can either have one of your friends drive you home, but if you�re alone, you�re pretty much stuck taking a cab home. The great thing about having a car that can drive itself is that it can drive you home if you�ve had too much to drink. You just stumble into your, plug in your home address into your gps, and the car will bring you home. All you have to next is get yourself into your house, and if you do get pulled, you won�t be arrested for drunk driving because you weren�t driving, your car was. Another great thing about a car that can drive itself is that you can feel like you�re in a limousine. You can just sit in the back with all your friends and have a party and make out in the back while your car drives you to wherever you like. I would love to see cars back in the old days where there were no computers driving your car for you; only you were in control. Sadly, these cars will go away into the history books, never to be enjoyed by anyone ever again. Google co-founder Sergey Brin says that people will not need a driver�s license by the year 2040, and I can see that since no one will be driving during that time. Oil and petroleum will have become completely used by that time as well, so most people will either be using bikes or electric cars that drive themselves, missing out on the excitement of a gasoline powered car that gives you a great feeling of adrenaline and excitement. From the sound of the engine to being able of putting your foot down and watching the car blast off in smoke and burner tires. Enjoy the thrill of classic cars and the few modern cars that have a little excitement on them before boring, all electric, self-driving cars take over the world and destroy the true meaning of driving and the era of the automobile.