There might be a point if you were to convert your bike to a single chainring setup. Then you could loose the granny, shifter, cables etc. To do this on a road bike you would want to buy a chainring with tall teeth made specifically for this application. Sheldon Brown has recommends this (relatively) cheap BMX ring which is drilled for both 110 and 135 bolt patterns.
http://harriscyclery.net/site/itemdetails.cfm?ID=1188
Also shorten the chain to further reduce the chance of it falling off. Personally I like the idea of the single ring. Eight gears is plenty for where I live. Make sure you pick a size that covers the gear range you need (probably 42-48 teeth).