I live in fear of being left behind in communications technology. Way back in '78 the ad agency where I was creative director of the GM Canada account gave a computer to every secretary and enrolled them in a (DOS) programming school. Typically then I would have created TV commercial scripts on an IBM electric typewriter and handed them to my secretary for re-typing into a produceable format. When I realised what our lovely ladies (they also brought our morning coffee) could do with a computer I asked my boss if I could participate. Not that I wanted to put my secretary out of a job but why should everything be typed twice? I was slapped down with the comment "computers are for women." In 1983 I bought my first desktop computer, taught myself, and since then have struggled to keep up-to-date.

To get the About Cars Guide job in 1998 I learned some html basics and became moderately adept at photo manipulation. My downfall came with the acquisition of a cellphone two years ago. I live in a town of 14,000 souls. I have three friends and a few coffee house acquaintances. Who on earth am I going to phone during those daily power walks? I bought the cell during a Toronto family visit when a B&B landlady refused to let me use her landline except in emergencies. I still use it in Toronto trips but as the batteries quickly run dry when not in use, most of my cellphone activity consists of recharging. Worse still, the keys and info are so small I can barely read them.

Which brings me to the subject of this blog. David E. Davis, one of America's finest auto writers, on his retirement as publisher of Car & Driver, created Winding Road, an online car mag. Lots of good stuff, superb graphics, minimal ad revenue. David E. retired again, fed up with the problems of running an online business. Now Winding Road has added a new site, NextAutos.com. According to its FAQ's page "NextAutos.com is a smart place for car people to learn, share and connect. On our site you can access expert information about thousands of vehicles, write your own articles, upload your photos and videos, and connect with other users. On your Dashboard page (you must be registered to use this feature), you can pull together all your stuff (including feeds from other sites as well) and run your own little automotive universe." A look at the site leaves me confused about which is Winding Road and which is NextAutos.com and why. But hey... maybe it's me. Maybe I really am being left behind. Check it out and add your comments below.