> With all this talk about cars, I thought I'd throw a question
> into the mix.
>
> I just discovered that my new 2002 Pontiac Aztec may actually be
> collecting
> data about my driving habits. (Of course, it is.) My queston is, how can I
> access this data MyOwnSelf?
>
> http://www.activedayton.com/ddn/local/0822car.html
>
> According to this link, it appears to actually do this through the *airbag
> computer?*, I guess because it knows when you crash.

        AFAIK that computer only logs the last 5 seconds of data before airbag
deployment, it is a "black box" for cars that helps the manufacturers figure
out why an air bad deployed. There is some debate these days over who
actually OWNS the data, since it would be a candidate for evidence in a
court of law.

> For that matter, is there any place on the web where I can learn
> more about
> the computerized aspects of this car? It is the most highly computerized
> vehicle I have ever owned, and I'm not sure I completely like the
> idea. For
> example, I cannot "turn off" the headlights. It, and it alone,
> decides when
> they will go off.

        Chances are no, GM certainly releases ZERO about this sort of thing (other
manufacturers are no different), about the only way to get data is to either
hack it yourself or wait for someone else to do it. For such a new car I
thinik you'll have to wait.

> It allows me to program the response to the keyfob, opening all
> doors when I
> press unlock, or opening only the driver's door.
>
> And, it tells me when to change the oil; then requires a
> user-initated reset
> of the oil-change system, initiated by three presses of the accelerator
> pedal while holding something else in, blah, blah, blah.

        All pretty standard in many of today's cars, like it or lump it I suppose!
:( TTYL

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