Category Archives: driving

Mar2

wrist-twist.

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not sure i would have wanted this in my car

the wrist-twist isn’t my thing

i would have preferred

one of those big old round steering wheels

you could turn with one hand

but the hair is amazing

like judy jetson

in the cockpit

piloting a speeding jet

can’t say that i’m totally surprised

this concept never got off the ground. 

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Ford introduced the “Wrist-Twist” steering system for cars in 1965. Despite better visibility, a roomier cabin and allowing you to drive with your arms on armrests it never went beyond the testing stage. You can see a two-minute promotional film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWWYkxQCFfQ

 

 

 

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source credits: ford motor company, midcentury fashion

 

 

Feb18

how i see it.

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like me when driving at night, or writing, if you added in a pair of glasses and fingers crossed,

knowing i’ll get there somehow, not sure exactly when, and just trusting the process

 

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 ‘writing is like driving a car at night.

you can see only as far as your headlights,

but you can make the whole trip that way.”

-e.l. doctrow

 

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art credit: homeward bound by Natalia Shaloshvili
Sep28

frogger, in real time.

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once again, i love the advice/warning/humor posted on my local nextdoor page:

‘As anyone may be traveling east on Ann St. and crossing N. Division… be suuuuper careful! In the morning the sun is blazing right into one’s eyes, and equally, throughout the day, there’s tons of traffic, slower paced pedestrians, fast paced bicyclists in a dedicated bike lane and a jog in the road. I even saw a person on a unicycle in a traffic lane yesterday! It is one hellacious level of “Frogger”! 🐸🚗”

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“if you can’t be a good example, be a terrible warning.”

-jennifer cruise

 

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art credit: archive arcade

Aug7

drive.

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not my actual grandson or car, but similar, especially if you didn’t have your glasses on

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my eldest grandchild

got his

*Level 1 Learner’s Driver’s License

this week

how is this even possible?

 

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* teens with a Level 1 License may only drive with

a licensed parent, guardian or designated licensed adult age 21 or older.

(soon to be a fully licensed independent driver within a year or so)

 

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“it’s kind of major, learning to drive. i feel like it kicked up other stuff in my life.”

-noah baumbach

 

May26

getting ahead.

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when approaching a yellow light

i generally slow down and stop

but during those situations when it’s unsafe to stop

it’s safer to speed up and drive through

i recently noticed

that when accelerating under the light

i lean into it, with my head forward

i’m not exactly sure how or why i started doing this

it’s as if i was crossing a finish line in an very important race

and i just needed that extra few inches.

is it just me?

am i drafting the wind?

is it making my car accelerate faster?

 is it my defense when i get pulled over?

“officer, my head was over the line when the light changed, you can check your dashcam to confirm.”

“people love to see you get ahead –
so long as you don’t get further ahead than they are.”
-carol plum-ucci

 

 

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image credits: department of motor vehicles, sports illustrated – tokyo olympics

Feb27

road rally.

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*mongolian rally car (not us, but similar situation)
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okay, so it was not an intercontinental road rally
that speeds through tough terrain
in a variety of countries over a number of days
but
i went on a nighttime road rally scavenger hunt
that went through a few cities for a few hours
 (or more if you got lost or had an inside track on where to find something)
a wonderful adventure with a great team and lots of laughs
including:
a marriage proposal, a virgin mary statue, a condescending best buy nerd,
a welcoming fast food worker, a parking lot dance-off
swinging on a swing set with a group
ending with a dinner with people i had never met before.
no bumps in the road, just pure fun.
—
“there is always strength in numbers.
the more individuals or organizations that you can rally to your cause, the better.”
-mark shields

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*The Mongol Rally is an intercontinental car rally that begins in Europe and ends in Ulan-Ude, Russia. The rally originally ended in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. However, to avoid punitive costs and taxes associated with vehicle imports and disposal, the rally now passes through Mongolia and ends in Ulan-Ude. The principal launch is from Goodwood Circuit in the United Kingdom, with subsidiary starting points in the Czech Republic.

Dec29

just stop.

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for those who may be unsure

i’m going to just go ahead and say it:

a stop sign in not meant to be a suggestion. 

(good thing there’s a backup here for a second chance to get it right)

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‘if you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story.”

-orson welles

Aug28

first one.

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just got my license plate renewal notice in the mail

wish i could get this one.

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A rare, first-of-its kind Chicago license plate, ‘the holy grail’ is up for auction

A black-and-white aluminum plate stamped with just the single numeral “1” gives bidders a chance to earn a piece of automotive history. The plate was made in 1904, the first year that Chicago made metal license plates, and the only year the city made plates from thin, stamped aluminum.

“Only a handful of these were made,” said Mike Donley of Donley Auctions. “And it’s number 1. It doesn’t get any lower than that.”

Before Illinois began making statewide license plates, Chicago issued its own plates between 1903 and 1907, Donley said. From that era, auctioneers said, those made in 1904 are the rarest. For the next few years that followed, the flimsy and damage-prone aluminum plates were replaced with heavy-duty solid brass. Even more rare, this plate is graded “VG,” or very good condition.

This particular plate was issued to prominent Chicago lawyer and art collector Arthur Jerome Eddy, who in 1900 became the first person in Chicago to receive a license badge for a motor vehicle. Before plates were distributed, license badges, meant to go on drivers’ coats, were issued to drivers as a way to tax city residents for funding road projects, Donley said.

Eddy was an early adopter of automobiles, Donley said. He set an auto distance record in 1901 by driving 2,900 miles from Chicago to Boston and back over two months, The New York Times reported. He even published a book about it the following year — one of several he authored — titled Two Thousand Miles On An Automobile.

Eddy also helped found the Chicago Motor Club in 1902, to advocate for driver rights and promote safe vehicles and roads. That club has since evolved into the American Automobile Association (AAA). He’s also credited with putting Chicago on the map of the modern art world, according to auctioneers, by drawing interest to the Art Institute of Chicago.

More recently, this plate belonged to Lee Hartung, a well-known collector of motor vehicles, who died in 2011. Much of his personal collection was auctioned off years ago but, when his partner was preparing to sell their house, she found a stash of more auto memorabilia — including the No.1 plate.

Donley estimated the plate will sell for around $4,000 to $6,000 at the auction, which ends today. But the intrigue it has garnered could hike up the bids. The auctioneer took the plate to a license plate show over the weekend, where he said the item attracted collectors from out of state to see the plate and gauge its authenticity. “There’s a lot of interest in this,” Donley said.

as close as i can come, is owning this foam fan finger

 

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“you have to be odd to be number one.”

-dr. seuss

 

 

 

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credits: emma bowman, npr, donley auctions, new york times, cpr news

Jul24

lost in translation.

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reminiscing about my visit

to beautiful ireland

 six years back, in july

how we found our way around the country

oh, we did a few turn-arounds here and there

as you can see above

but somehow we always ended up where we were going

eventually.

even with directions asked and kind answers given

regional accents, local advice, and lore

 thrown in for good measure

it could be a challenge at best

‘”oh, just go over the hill for a bit, turn at the old barn, you’ll see a huge green field with hills, and some sheep, and then a pub, they don’t have the best sandwiches but stop in for a pint, say hi to seamus for me if you see him, he’s a good lad, he just had that one thing that wasn’t really his fault, and all is forgiven, and oh, don’t turn by the church, go past it, there’s no sign, but you’ll see a big rock where john’s shed used to be before it burnt down in that fire in ’79 when everything was so dry, and take a sharp turn there….”  – and so on.

whether bumping along on a sheep path, sharing a two-way road with one lane, or driving half in a hedgerow

we found all the places we wanted to be

and discovered so many surprising and magical places along the way.

“going in the wrong direction, but making really good time.”

-cheri huber

Dec11

to park or not to park? that is the question.

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i am endlessly amused by conversations that happen on my local nextdoor site.

here is one of my recent favs.

 someone is reaching out for parking advice about the sign above

and gets a whole lot of answers (100+),  yet no one knows for sure.

below is a sampling of responses for your reading pleasure:

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The original question: What does this sign mean? Can you park for 15 min without being ticketed?

No Parking alone means no parking (like bottom sign to left of the signpost) No parking with frame below it describes the “no parking conditions” within the red frame the added tow threat makes it more confusing.

I just wouldn’t park there🤣

15 minute parking allowed from the sign back. The parking enforcement, when they come around, will take photos of your cars location and of a tire and it’s valve stem location. They come back 15 minutes later and issue ticket if not moved. If it’s one of the really crabby patrol people they will come back 15 minutes later and issue a second ticket.

 BEWARE THE KING CRAB!

every 14 minutes jack up ur car+ spin wheel to put valve in diff spot (see above)

Just like NYC – hand over your keys to a car jockey to move your car to the alternate side of the street on Tuesdays!

There was a sign just like this outside the old Kiwanis building, and for a long time that space was left empty because people didn’t realize they could park… 

The wording of the sign pointing to the right is inconsistent. I did not find an interpretation of the sign in the Uniform Vehicle Code. Like, “Are you going to walk to school or…

Why is it inconsistent? As I see it, the sign says, “to the right of this sign you can park for 15 minutes between the hours of 6 am and 6 pm; you will be towed…

It means exactly what it says “no parking”

Could be a fund raising effort for a parking garage.

It means don’t park there regardless

“Can you park for 15 mins without being ticketed?”  The answer is yes, if the question means whether it’s possible.

I’d trust the bottom line. See the tow truck picking up the vehicle 😂

My interpretation is that it really does mean no parking 6AM-6PM. The 15 minute limit is for standing (driver remains in vehicle). In practice, it is effectively a 15 minute limit…

I think the key is that the arrows on the signs point in different directions.  So  no parking at all from the sign  and then to the left.   The 15 minute no parking sign points to the right  so the limited parking is  from the sign  and to the right.

Well, just visit – https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/ , a mere 862 pages! I think the first rule is read from top to bottom. Then execute like a computer interpreting code; don’t try…

Seems perfectly logical! Good to know. Thank you!

You can not park there unless you have a loading zone (commercial) plate, and then only for 15 minutes. Most loading zones have unlimited parking for those with loading zone… 

I disagree. The sign in this post does not say anything about commercial permits or plates.

My interpretation of the originally posted sign is it’s basically a no parking zone, but they will let you park for 15 minutes during business hours. I’ve gotten away with parking…

But you can park for longer on Sunday?

Don’t think you can park there on Sunday

The sign is basically offering you an opportunity to bet; the city is betting you a parking space against a $25 ticket that you can’t figure out and execute what they meant…

This looks like East U adjacent to the business school. Isn’t it a bit cryptic? Appears to mark two zones, one to the left of the sign (see the arrow) in which there is no parking… 

I love how everyone says it means something different and is 100% confident about it.

The last comment, from the original question poser:  Being part of “everyone” I am not 100% confident.

 

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‘nine out of ten americans believe that out of ten people, one person will always disagree with the other nine.’

-colin mochrie