I decided to flee the madness in London for a day and visit some old friends in the countryside, the 8th Earl and Countess of Carnarvon. The late 7th Earl was an early investor in my first hedge fund and I have kept in touch with the family ever since.

His grandfather, the 5th Earl gained fame and fortune from his co-discovery of King Tut?s tomb in Egypt?s Valley of the Kings in 1922. His early death, shortly thereafter, was the origin of ?The Mummy?s Curse? of depression era horror film fame. Many of his discoveries today make up the bulk of the Egyptian collection in New York?s Metropolitan Museum of Art, which the family sold to pay estate taxes.

Recently, the family has been renting out their 350 year old home, a 15-minute taxi ride south of Newbury, the spectacular Highclere Castle, for use as a film set. The period drama series that resulted, ?Downtown Abbey,? unexpectedly became a blockbuster in the US where viewers stupefied by endless low budget reality shows were starved for quality, thoughtful content and adult writing.

It also sent 100,000 visitors a year their way, as well as $25 million in ticket fees. This windfall enables them to maintain the house and the magnificent gardens in immaculate condition. The cash flow also allows them to ramp up the other family business, breeding racehorses for the queen. Portraits of past winners adorned almost every room.

After tea with my hosts and a personal tour of the estate, I picked up some tea towels for friends at home who are into this kind of thing. I also saw a display of some spectacular early Egyptian relics, which the family found bricked up behind a wall 60 years after the Met sale.

The series? third season has just begun and I can tell you now how I think it will play out. The politically incorrect and ultra liberal American mother-in-law, played by Shirley MacLain, has made an unannounced visit, and was about as welcome as a bull in a china shop. Matthew Crawley has bought a new car, so we can expect him to flirt with death in a crash in the near future. The current earl, Robert Crawley, appears to be better at hosting dinners than managing the estate, we we can count on another financial crisis.

There seems to be some sort of gay lovers triangle developing among the footmen. The former head footman, John Bates, now in prison for murder, will be exonerated, but killed in a jailhouse riot just before his release. Lady Edith Crawly is left standing at the altar, so she goes into politics to champion the suffragette movement, much to the horror of her family. The Irish son-in-law and former driver dies in the 1922 Irish rebellion.

Given the huge reception by the viewing public, we can count on this drama to extend to at least five seasons, when it will then be syndicated for the rest of our lives. That works fine for the real life Carnarvons, who can now reinvest in even more thoroughbreds. Who needs hedge funds?

It was a typical fall day in San Francisco, the fog wafting in and out through the Golden Gate Bridge. I took the opportunity to attend a company sponsored rally of Nissan Leaf drivers on the Marina Green.

These were the fanatics, the diehards, the truly devoted. These were people who were willing to bet big bucks on an untested, unproven new technology. These were the faithful who put up $5,000 years in advance on the chance that Nissan might actually be able to produce the car someday. In the Bay, there are at least a couple million of us. That?s why so much new, groundbreaking technology originates here.

I am considered of the eminence gris of this community, as I have been covering Nissan as a company for 40 years, and am friends with the current peripatetic Brazilian CEO, Carlos Ghosn. ?I was involved in the early design process of the Leaf, took delivery of one of the first American models, and have run up the most miles.

I strolled among the revelers, speaking to other owners and comparing notes. For the right-brained English teacher types who don?t know the difference between an amp, a volt, or a kilowatt, I answered some basic engineering questions. To admire their creativity, check out the pictures of their personalized license plate numbers, which I posted below.

One guy was there selling an aftermarket Leaf range extender he designed himself, which he claimed boosted the single charge travel distance from 80 miles to 150. The price was $4,000. You always see this sort of thing at Bay area events, people promoting something they built in their dorm room that is revolutionary. Other electric car drivers showed up, including those behind the wheels of BMW?s, Tesla?s, iMiev?s, and Fisker?s. Nissan provided all comers with a 440-volt fast charge for free.

Not only did I buy a car with a zero running cost. I also joined a social community. Someone has developed an iPhone app which lists all the people in your immediate area who will let you hook up to their home for a free charge. As a result, I have never seen one of these dead on the side of the road. But I have passed them doing 45 on the freeway, which means they are just about to run out of juice, and are employing desperate range extending tactics.

Leaf drivers are admired for their idealism, environmental consciousness, and grit by local residents. I never go anywhere without getting a thumbs up. When I first drove mine home, I told my neighbor with the solar roof panels, ?I?ve out greened you.? He grimaced. The state also treats us as royalty. Electric car owners are entitled to a coveted silver bumper sticker that allows them to drive in high occupancy vehicle lanes with a single driver 24/7. Only drivers of 100% battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell, and compressed natural gas powered cars are entitled to such a privilege. Prius drivers, eat your heart out.