I was 14, my dad freshly married to his beautiful new wife, and her 1982 Honda Accord sat unused in our driveway, being replaced by the then cool 1992 Toyota Celica convertible.  My brother was 16 and already driving, he in his Ford Escort with 2x15 inch speakers in the back. As if this weren't enough temptation for a 14 year old to drive prematurely, I was horribly insecure with a face full of acne and newly divorced parents.  I needed to be cool.  And so I took it upon myself to take the new step mom's car, which later came to be known as the Silver Bullet, on its maiden voyage to my friend Don's house. 

I had everything to gain and nothing to lose.  Underage driving is something that is still pretty taboo even today.  So the sheer amount of street credit to be garnered by me pulling into my friend's driveway driving myself, and not being dropped off like a child, was substantial.  His mom was even impressed!  I assured her that my dad knew I had the car.  I was lying, and she knew it.  But it didn't matter.  This was not only the maiden voyage of the Silver Bullett.  This was MY maiden voyage into a new realm of possibilities, and I would not be deterred.  I could drive now. 

To be continued...           

My wife and I recently made a trip over to Dubai, UAE, to visit some friends and learn about the city.  Suffice it to say, everything you've ever heard about the place does not begin to describe how ridiculous it is over there.  By ridiculous I am referring to the sheer size of not just one project, but the seemingly hundreds of massive building extravaganzas going on all over the city.  If you go there, which I would recommend if you can scrape up the change, make sure to stop by the Mall of the Emirates (which is no longer the largest mall there because they are always outdoing themselves) and check out Ski Dubai.  It is real.  Its not something from Robotech (if you haven't read the books, which doubtless you haven't, that last comment just went way over your head; and now that I think about it, it may not make sense even if you had).  Anyways, here are a couple of pictures of some of the cars outside the mall.  This is just a smattering.  This is a bit different than what would be see outside of the Golden Triangle Mall in my hometown of Denton, TX. 

...Paris Hilton did buy a pink Bentley.  According to the article, the car and custom work totaled $200,000.  Of course I don't judge Paris Hilton.  Our versions of reality are showing in different theatres, at different release dates, in different languages, and in different countries.  This just helps me to understand the gaping chasm between Hollywood and the rest of us.  Yet they still set the pace for how our culture runs.  Interesting.  Read the article here.  

This looks like an interesting read.  According to the editorial review, author Tom McCarthy "presents the first environmental history of the automobile that shows how consumer desire (and manufacturer decisions) created impacts across the product lifecycle—from raw material extraction to manufacturing to consumer use to disposal."  Buy the book and read the review here.  I'd be interested to your take on it.  Post a reply and let me know your thoughts!

I thought this was helpful, especially since we are about to purchase a new ride and move into a house.  Maybe we can get a little bundle going ourselves and save a little dough?  Check out the article here. 

These may seem a bit obvious, but helpful reminders nonetheless.  And also from the desk of Captain Obvious, they apply to every day of the year, not just holidays.  Drive safe and have a merry Christmas! 

Instead of the grueling drive to go workout at your local gym, all you need do now is walk to your Gym Car.  Its hard to call this lazy, because after all, it is working out.  And so if you are one of whom the following applies: busy schedules, exercise addiction, horrible time management skills, or a fascination with cars that look like they are from Bladerunner, this might be the vehicle for you.  Afterall, this is the car in which designer Da Feng managed to get "a step machine, rowing machine, bench press, pull-up simulator and weights into the car's tiny confines."  You can get it all done in the confines of your own car!  I assume you won't be able to drive while rowing or bench pressing.  If that is the case, then it can only be done either while in traffic or while parked.  Not a totally crazy idea, though for some reason, and I might be wrong here, I can't see this thing making onto the lot of my local Ford dealer.  I can't imagine anybody outside of some underground bizarro matrix culture driving this thing.  See the whole article on the Wired blog here.  See how the exercise part works here.  

Well?  What do you think?  Is it a good idea?  Can mullets, mustaches and marlboros mix with taxis, traffic, and...I can't think of anything to complete the alliteration.  Jimmie Johnson points out what he thinks is the biggest challenge.  "If you had a race on Staten Island, you would be able to hear it in Central Park. I don't think that would go over too well."  Are you sure Jimmie?  I don't think the noise is the problem as much as the culture shock that New Yorkers will undergo when they see this guy.  

Read the article here.  

We all shrink back in horror when we hear about people leaving their kids in the car.  We even tend to look down on such people.  But it is easy to have our self righteousness squashed when our cars begin to fill up with little humans.  This article gives some good pointers, as well as some good product recommendations, for avoiding something that could be truly disastrous.  The writer speaks from experience, and is bold enough to share that he is not always the perfect parent.  Still, it only takes one mistake, and as well intentioned as we might be, there is no second chance when it comes to the lives of our children.  My hope is that all of us will slow down enough to constantly think about what is important, even if doing so seems tedious to our blow and go schedules. 

See here for some info on the Childminder System mentioned in the article. 

It appears there will be options for those of us who don't want to buy gas.  Introducing two very different electric cars, the Aptera 2e (note: not the same thing as the Apple 2e) and the Tesla Roadster from Tesla Motors.  (See another article on this blog comparing the Tesla to the Volt).  Aside from the fact that the 2e looks like a car from one of those futuristic sci fi movies that try too hard to look futuristic, and Tesla being the same name as the 80's rock n' roll outfit (who appear to be making a comeback by the way), there seems to be quite an interest surrounding these cars in light of the current economic crisis.  But are they practical?  I mean, sure they are efficient as far as what it takes to run them, but being a father of 3, I don't need a 2 seater that goes 0-60 in 3.9 seconds that I can pick up and carry on my back, or a reverse three wheeler from the Jetsons (unless it is mounted with gatling guns).  Give me a freakin old school suburban that runs on electricity.  You know the one.  With the sharp angles and room enough to stuff a family of 14 in.  Not necessarily like this one, but not too far from it either.