How much is too much?

My car is a Honda Pilot.  To start the engine, I must put my key in the ignition and turn.

Is it an improvement over cranking the engine, the way Ford and his friends did in the early 1900s?

Yes.  Especially on cold, dark winter nights or hot, hot summer afternoons.

Richard drives a car that is sportier than mine.  To start his engine, he must insert his key fob into an ignition and then push a button.

Is it an improvement over my Honda Pilot?

Maybe, if you consider turning a key too much work.

This weekend we went out of town and rented a car.  Alamo gave us a Lincoln MKX.  To start the engine, simply push a button.  No need to insert anything, like in Richard's car.  The key fob, only needs to be in the car's vicinity for the engine to start.

Improvement over Richard's car?

I'm not so sure.

We went to a dinner party on Saturday night.  The hotel valet brought our car to the front of the hotel and off we drove, thirty minutes away, to a wine store not from the host's house.  It wasn't until we left the wine store and got back in our rented Lincoln that we realized the valet still had the key fob and that, without it, we were stranded.  A phone call and forty minutes later the hotel valet delivered our key fob to the store and we were back on our way.

We were twenty-five minutes late to the party and not at all inclined to grant Lincoln our Shine Seal of Approval.

How much is too much?

Has the 2010 Lincoln MKX improved because the manufacturer requires you insert nothing to get it started - even if a key fob must be in somewhere in the vicinity?  If I must carry a key fob - bigger than any key chain I would ever own - then why not require it be inserted and - God forbid - turned?  At least then, when you've lost your keys, there is comfort in knowing you had them to get where you were going.

Manufacturers, celebrities, policy makers, and other industry leaders often confuse standing out with shining.  Standing out in a crowd says nothing about shining.  Edgy political ads might stand out, but most will agree they do not shine.  The t.v. show Girls Gone Wild might stand out as racy, but unless you are 17 and male, the word "shine" will never show up in a critic's review.  Increasing amenities (and college tuition), under the guise that an institution must meet students growing demands, might make for a stand-out view book, but the impact on student learning and student attitudes does not always make for shine.

Richard and I agree.  We would have gladly traded in our new-fangled key fob for a good old fashioned key, some extra space in the center console, and better gas mileage.

How about you?  Visit us in the Community Forum labeled, Today's Post and tell us how much you think is too much.  Who, or what product, have you experienced that has confused standing out with shining?

Shining off until tomorrow...