One of the small pleasures of driving in America is something most Americans probably take for granted: the ability to turn right at a red traffic light. Every time I return to New Zealand, I’m reminded that Kiwis don’t enjoy the equivalent freedom to turn left on red. Curious about the potential benefits, I asked ChatGPT to research the American experience, examine available New Zealand traffic data, and develop a reasonable estimate. The result? Approximately 1.6 million driver-hours saved annually, potentially considerably more. Less wasted fuel, less frustration, and more time for work, family, or simply doing whatever we enjoy.
Archives for October 2026
Living Better Than Kings
For most of human history, many of life’s greatest conveniences were available only to kings, aristocrats and the extraordinarily wealthy. They had chauffeurs, servants, musicians, exotic foods and access to vast collections of knowledge. Today, ordinary people have machines that wash their clothes and dishes, music on demand, supermarkets filled with food from around the world and more information in their pockets than any monarch could have imagined. Economic progress hasn’t made everyone equally rich. But the free market has repeatedly done something remarkably egalitarian: taken privileges that once distinguished the very wealthy and made them ordinary. Yesterday’s luxury becomes today’s convenience and, eventually, tomorrow’s expectation.