Speeding to save time (10) Jan 22, 2009
I'd like to make the case that speeding, while illegal and dangerous, is incredibly beneficial when done over long distances, assuming one values time, and that conversely, when done over short distances, is relatively useless. 

Let's say the distance between my house and my job is 10 miles.  And let's say the speed limit is 40 mph.  If I drive the speed limit the whole time, my commute will take
(10 miles) x (1 hour/40 miles) x (60 minutes/1 hour) = 15 minutes
Let's say I go 10 over the speed limit, i.e. 50 instead of 40.  That means it'll take 12 minutes to get to work.  That 25% increase in speed equates to a 20% decrease in time.  Not bad, but we're talking pennies here.  Three minutes?  The $120 speeding ticket doesn't even come close to making it worth it.  That's $40 per minute! 

But what if, instead of 10 miles, I was driving 100 miles.  And again, let's say the speed limit is 40 but I go 50.  What would've taken me 150 minutes (2.5 hours) now only takes me 120 minutes (2 hours).  It's still a 25% increase in speed and a 20% decrease in time, but suddenly the time is starting to add up.  Thirty minutes?  I can do a lot with an extra 30 minutes. 

Now let's say instead of 10 or 100 miles, I'm driving to Orlando, FL, which is about 1000 miles away.  Beep boop beep, multiply by ten and suddenly I've shaved 5 hours off a 25 hour trip (obviously the speed limits are higher, but still). 

What we have here is a basic lesson in percentages, specifically the idea that a percentage of a larger number is greater than the same percentage of a smaller number.  It's simple, but it says a lot.  It says that speeding over short distances is hardly worth the time savings or the potential monetary penalty.  But it also says that by speeding over long distances, you can save huge chunks of time, and that regardless of whether you place a higher value on time or money, that $120 speeding ticket could actually be worth 5 extra hours, which is only $24 per hour.  You can't argue with math. #travel
Wanting badly (1) Jan 22, 2009
This is gonna sound really negative, but oh well. 

I think one of biggest lies our society has taught us is that if you want something really badly for a long time, you should have it because you deserve it.  You've always wanted a Porsche, so you should go to ridiculous lengths to get one, then hang out with your faker Porsche friends and talk about the superiority of European engineering.  You've always wanted to own a house, so you should borrow more money than you could ever pay back in order to achieve the so-called American Dream™.  You've always wanted a particular cool-sounding job, so you should quit your current job, leave your family, and make some fool-hearted attempt at creating something out of nothing. 

I think this idea is fine for little kids to believe, but at some point, you just need to accept that it's a lie.  You can't always get what you want.  You won't always succeed.  You can't do anything you put your mind to.  We've all seen way too many movies about people who achieved their dreams against impossible odds.  But guess what -- they're movies.  They're not real.  We can try, and we can have hope, and that's good and all, but just because we want it, doesn't mean we'll get it. 

Moral of the story:  Don't try.  No wait, that sounds too negative.  Moral of the story:  Be realistic. #sociology