Is Your Car Spying On You Right Now

Is your car new enough to have a touchscreen and "smart" features?  Uh-oh.

I live in Las Vegas, and my car insurance rates went up - just out of the blue! I called my insurance company recently, to see WHY? My "zip code" is always the culprit - as is everyone's in Las Vegas, from what they are told. They offered me a device you "just put on your car" that tracks how you drive, that will save me a few dollars a year. A SPY? No thank you.

If your car has "smart" features, it might already be spying on you, and reporting back to the man. The New York Times did a big article on how car companies are tricking people into using free apps that let them share data with third parties. Then they sell data about your driving habits to insurance companies, who up your rate based on things like speeding and "hard braking."

The site Boing Boing has a first hand report from a man, who was a little confused as to why his insurance went up so much? We ALL wonder that, and this could be why. He was told his Lexis Nexis report was why. The report is information that is gathered and kept on you, with regards to your consumer risk.

The guy requested a consumer disclosure report - which has to be provided per the Fair Credit Reporting Act. He got over 100 pages detailing every time he or his wife drove over the past six months. It included the dates of 600 plus trips, start to finish. The distance driven, and any speeding, hard braking, or fast accelerations. Spies!

The New York Times did a big story on how car companies are doing this. They pay for the data, of course, and if they don't like how you're driving, BOOM - they'll raise your rates. Sometimes even double them!

The article talks mainly about G.M. But most of the major car companies are doing it now. And they TRICK you into using free apps. And the fine print - which no one reads, but we really should - says they can share your data with "third parties."

One app is called OnStar Smart Driver. It is pushed as something to "help you become a better driver." G.M. says use it to share insights about braking, accelerating, and any time you drive over 80. If you enabled it, you can un-enroll any time. But you might not even know you signed up. Some car dealers get bonuses now if THEY sign you up.  You wouldn't know unless you looked at the fine print really carefully.

The folks in D.C.know - if that means anything. Massachusetts Senator, Ed Markey, says it could actually be very illegal under the FTC Act, and considered a deceptive business practice. But I guess we'll see if something changes.

Experts say if car companies want to do this, they have to be upfront about it, and give us a warning that we'll actually see! Sadly, this is not a rare thing, and they're tracking millions of drivers out there already.

So if your car insurance went up recently, that might be why - they are spying on you!

There are some very oddly named cities in The United States. Some are hard to spell, some hard to pronounce, and some are both. 

In our state of Nevada, there are some goofy city names. As a native of Nevada, I'm proud to say I've been to, or through, just about all of them. The strangest city names in Nevada are rich in history and our own state's story.

Winnemucca, Nevada. Where we have all spent a week there one night (old joke). The City of Winnemucca says it is "the cross-road linking the northern route on US Highway 95 from Oregon and Idaho to Interstate 80, which spans from East to West across northern Nevada, bridging the gap between central California and Utah."  It's a small town of about 8,500 with all of those things you'd expect from a small town.

We also have Beowawe, Puckerbrush (just outside of Winnemucca), and Adaven. Does that one look familiar? It's Nevada spelled backwards. Many are ghost towns now, but they're still out there.

Wendover (they've heard all the jokes, so don't even try), Weed, Jiggs, Carp, Pahrump and Bunkerville -- all in the great silver state of Nevada.

I have an old high school friend who lives in Jarbidge, Nevada. It's way up at the top of the state of Nevada, if you're looking at a map. Right near Wendover! It was booming at one time -- maybe nearly 1,500 people once settled there because of the mining boom in Nevada in the early 1900's in Nevada, according to the Western Mining History. Now, as of a recent census, Jarbidge boasts about 100 people. But might I add -- it's beautiful!

There are some hilariously named cities in the United States. And I commend those of you in Albuquerque, New Mexico; in Poughkeepsie, New York; and Meeteetse, Wyoming. I commend you for even learning how to spell the city you live in or came from.

But those are the least of it when it comes to oddly named and weirdly spelled cities in the U.S. Here are a few of the strangest city names.

You'll find Zzyzx between Las Vegas and Los Angeles just off off I-15. Nothing much there but a beautiful serene lake and a bit of a creepy abandoned mineral springs area. Some say it's haunted. You'll find some more interesting Zzxyx history in this video. Interesting, and a little creepy.

According to Grays Harbor, hundreds of thousands of tourists drive through Humptulips each year. Humptulips is a Salish word named by the Chehalis Tribe a few thousands years ago. The word and name Humptulips means “Hard to Pole.” This term refers to the difficulty in traveling the river by boat. 

Unless you are from there, go ahead and try to pronounce it. Quonochontaug, pronounced: KWAHN-ah-kahn-tawg. Yeah . . . still can't pronounce it. It means black fish. Which they probably could have named it originally but noooooo. It is known by the locals as "Quonnie." The Providence Journal says it is mainly a second-home, summer town.

Pronounced Tih-WAH-pih-tee. The name might be local slang for an “unkempt, ill-appearing person” or a Shawnee word meaning “place of no return.” It’s probably the latter. According to Toponymatic, the name might be local slang for an “unkempt, ill-appearing person” or a Shawnee word meaning “place of no return.” It’s probably the latter, but I like the first.

According to Bob Vila the town named for William Harrison Boring, a former Union soldier and farmer who settled the area. The locals say it's an exciting place to live. Humor -- I like it!

The Chicago Tribune reported that the city suggested the name Excelsior but were told the name was already taken in Missouri. They tried again and got the same answer. Frustrated, they asked the city to give them a “peculiar” name -- even writing the word "peculiar" in quotation marks. Well guess what? There's your name!

Last but not least -- Three Way! No, not what you think or wish. According to Babbel, Three Way was named after the three way split of the U.S. Route 45. Guys, that should have been your first and only guess on how this city was named.