What I've Learned So Far

. . . to use this photo in a post:

I mean, besides the obvious reason of my automotive lust.

Enable me, people.

Bulletin: it’s just as disorienting to the drivers around you when you go super-duper slow as when you go super-duper fast.

Twice in the past two days I’ve had drivers in front of me nearly foul up the works for me and others because they went through small intersections a good 10 m.p.h. slower than most folks would.

As I tell my kids, who are still years away from driving age: be predictable when you’re driving.

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Related:

• In which I begin to vent my traffic peeves, starting with the use of parking lights.

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It’s been raining a lot in Austin lately — and thank goodness, because we’ve had an awful drought this year.

But the rain has exposed me, again and again, one of my traffic peeves. I refer to the use of parking lights when headlights are called for.

People, it’s simple:

• If you’re parked somewhere and need to indicate that your car is occupied — for example, in a loading zone — use your parking lights.
• If your car is moving and you need any lights, use your HEADlights.

Really, it’s not that hard, is it?

A note: I intend to vent a few more of my peeves here, but understand that I’m also willing to consider alternate good explanations — UNLIKELY AS THEY MIGHT BE — for doing the things that peeve me. To put it another way, I’m willing to revise my biases, IF you’re willing to lead me down that road.

Be aware that it will take some doing.

Anyone want to stand up for using parking lights instead of headlights when your car is moving?

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(Parking light photo; headlight photo.)

This, though, is one of those times.

Details (and photo) from Gear Patrol.

So if you’re wondering what to get me for Christmas . . .

Because this photo by Trey Ratcliff, while lovely (and shared under a BY-NC-SA license, bless him), was not remotely what I was just looking for.

That is all.

Bear with some gadgetology here — this is what I’m thinking about for my dream work setup.

Item one: A portfolio to hold everything. I’m thinking a Briefolio from Levenger:

Underlying principle: A small portfolio doesn’t let you overpack. When I carry a bigger bag, I carry too much stuff. I’m thinking about this because this morning I repacked my bag after two days in Dallas for a conference. That means I repacked it with papers and magazines and books that I didn’t have time to touch — and that I should have known I wouldn’t have time to touch.

Item two: A tiny notebook computer with long battery life. Maybe this ASUS Eee PC 1000he:

Underlying principle: I love my old ThinkPad, but it’s getting long in the tooth, it’s pretty big, and the battery life isn’t what it could be. (The ASUS has nine hours of battery life.) Plus, it won’t fit in the portfolio like this will.

Item three: Composition notebook. Nothing fancy, though I do like high-end Moleskines, too.

Underlying principle: Paper is still often the best technology for capturing thoughts.

Further reading: “26 Years, 85 Notebooks” by Michael Bierut.

Supporting cast: Pens, Blackberry (or maybe, in the future, an iPhone), iPod, headphones, and a book or magazine — or, possibly, someday . . . a Kindle?

What do you think?

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(Composition notebook photo by Ryan Bush, used under a CC-ND license.)

I’m not the world’s biggest audiophile, but I do like good music — and I love good design.  This thing looks like a winner.

I'm not saying it's practical, I'm just saying that, if you're looking for something to get me, this would make a nice birthday present.

Ariel Atom

And it's only £35,000. A bargain, really.

(Thanks to Seth Godin for the tip.)

If I had a red Fulvia, I could park it next to my hypothetical blue E-type.

(Thanks to Diego Rodriguez.)

Since I live in Austin and don’t practice law, I would look strange wearing a suit on most of my weekly rounds. But I do dream of a day when I can afford–and occasionally need–bespoke English suits.

Cary Grant favored suits from Kilgour, French & Stanbury. That’s a big vote in my book.

Or perhaps someday I will engage the skills of Thomas Mahon; he seems eminently qualified.