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Inadequate reflections on Iceland

Cars, Music by
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It’s been a week and a half since returning from a ten day trip to Iceland – a trip that I’ve been dreaming of since first hearing Björk and realizing that she was (arguably) a real person from a real place on this planet (probably). Normally, when I get back from travel, it’s pretty easy to sit down and come up with some sort of a concise reflection on the journey that just was.

Iceland defies this kind of treatment.

Ostensibly, we (Dusty, Amy and myself) were in the country to take advantage of the wonderful sounds of the Airwaves 2015 festival. We definitely did do this, clocking up between 26 and 28 shows each during the five days of concurrent sets all around Reykjavík. We also managed to get sleep, see the aurora (twice!) and feed ourselves (fish and chips, chocolate bars and hot dogs count, right?) so I consider this a major accomplishment. But this was only one part of the trip.

 

The rest was seeing some of the country. And, in this regard, we accomplished much and very, very little. With our remaining days on the ground, we covered something like 1000 miles and checked out both guide book recommended and completely unmentioned scenery. It was staggeringly, jaw dropping-ly, bewilderingly and beguilingly beautiful.

And only a small portion of what we completely missed on this trip.

I want to go back again in winter. I want to visit in spring, summer and fall. I want to go east, north, west and again to the south. In short, ten days was both overwhelmingly long and wildly too short a time in Iceland.

And you should visit, too.

More photos, as always, on Flickr. There’s also a boatload of concert footage on Facebook.

Combining two loves

Art, Cars, Games by
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It was with great delight this morning that I discovered the maker’s of one of my favorite art-y games, Monument Valley are developing their own take on digital automobile instrumentation. Ridiculously addictive and visually arresting iPad game + in-car technology + elegant, contextual interface design? *swoon*

There’s a great, detailed write up over at ustwo’s site and you can participate in the conversation as well as downloading the design and code work to contribute to the project.

Volvo wants me back

Art, Cars, Design, Want by
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As you know, I recently defected from my Volvo back to an Audi.  Well, the Swedes are displeased and have put together an ad that was clearly engineered by top scientist to be so pretty as to render me both utterly remorseful and desperately ready to return to their be-coat’d arms.

It’s working.

(Co.Create)

And so the tracking begins…

Cars, Internet by
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Grande Sicilia Rolls Out

I got word this morning that my Q3 has been loaded up. It will be making its Atlantic voyage via the Grande Sicilia and seems to have already left the German port of Emden. So, this whole obsessive tracking of the cargo ship thing is about to begin again.

I apologize in advance to those around me for how the next week or two is going to shape up.

A Dutch road lights the way

Architecture, Art, Cars, Design, Technology by
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These gorgeous glowing lines are actually the roadway edge markers on a stretch of highway in the Netherlands. They are also a proof of concept for Dutch designer, Daan Roosegaarde – and something I desperately want to see appear here in the US. Cutting down on street lighting by employee solar-charged glow-in-the-dark paint is just the beginning of reshaping the urban streetscape. Check out the Wired article to see his bioluminescent tree as street lamp concept and continue through to his portfolio for even more smart concepts like the electricity generating dance floor.

Ordered: 2015 Audi Q3

Cars, Want by
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2015 Q3

Well, folks, it’s that time again: ordering my next leased vehicle.  I went round and round on what I wanted to do this time and thought I’d settled on the newest instance of the A3 to make it to the States.  But the more I thought about getting a little sedan, the less excited I found myself.  I’ve enjoyed my S60 and all of it’s sedan-ish-ness, don’t get me wrong, but there’s something so practical and quirky about a European car with a hatch.

As the next A3 Sportback is not destined to make an appearance here for another model year without all wheel drive I figured the Q3 would be my absolute best bet.  I’ve liked it since its debut to the world in 2011 and have been struck by it every time I see one on an out-of-country excursion. And it reminds me of the A3 I had in 2009, especially with those weird toggle style temperature controls. Plus, the familiar zippy handling definitely didn’t hurt its case. So a Florett Silver/Chestnut Brown example is being assembled in Wolfsburg for me over these next couple of weeks.  Expect much fretting and nerdy levels of tracking in the days ahead.

Back – with a roundabout

Cars, Television, Unexplained by
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I’ve returned, and I bring you tidings of Mythbusters.  This time, the guys are testing whether the traditional American four way stop is more or less efficient than the roundabout.

The results matched with what I’d have imagined, but one thing that I’d like to have seen thrown into the mix (because what’s a Mythbusters test without fan suggestions) would be pedestrians.  Does the higher percentage of foot traffic along European roads change the usefulness of the roundabout?  I have a feeling it gets even more efficient, but that’s just a wild guess…

Curbing bad parking

Cars, Rant by
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curbtxt_610x279

CurbTXT is a sweet idea. It could turn San Francisco into a wonderland of parking good deeds, helping people avoid fines and giving them the opportunity to move their vehicles before they get towed.

Or, you know, allow you to tell the person who parks so close to your car in the parking lot that you can’t actually open the door to get in (on a 7 degree morning, no less) that they’ve kinda been a dick.  One way or the other, I suppose!

(CNet)

Finding Fall

Cars by
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Otherwise known as me making new footage for use in classrooms this academic year…