This past weekend, my Camry hit the 100,000 mile mark. 
I've had it since July of 2004, which means I drive more than 20,000 miles per year on average.  Also, I don't dust very often. #travel

I will truly never understand the thought processes of a person who buys ridiculous oversized chrome rims for their already ridiculous sports car.  Especially when that person lives in the suburbs, has a graduate degree, and will soon be a parent.  I guess it's just another expensive hobby. #travel

The town of Vauban, Germany has no cars.  Deliberately.  If you want to own a car, you have to pay to store it in a garage on the outskirts of town.  A similar town is being planned near Oakland, California. 

There are about a billion upsides to this.  Less pollution.  Quieter streets.  Not paying money to buy a car.  Saving money on car-related expenses.  More walking and biking, which means better health. 

The downside:  Not having a car. 

(via Neatorama) #travel

There's been a bunch of news lately about these Somali pirates who hijack ships and hold them for ransom, often making some good money when the shipping companies would rather pay up than be late. 
Maybe I'm naive, but why aren't we literally blowing these guys out of the water?  They show up in the middle of the ocean with their rifles in their little boats, meanwhile we have navy SEALS, fighter jets, and friggin hovercraft.  Yes, hovercraft.  Since there's nowhere to hide in the open ocean and there's nothing nearby that could become collateral damage, why aren't we dropping bombs on these little jerks from 60,000 feet? #travel

I don't like getting driving directions from humans because they usually consist of unnecessary steps that usually include the words "keep going."  Something as simple as

1. Turn right on First Street.
2. Go five miles.
3. Turn left on Second Street.

becomes

1. At the intersection of First Street, there's a gas station and a supermarket and a little store that sells garden gnomes.
2. Make a right.
3. You'll pass three roads on your right and two on your left.  Keep going.
4. You'll see a purple house on your left.  Keep going.
5. Right after the railroad tracks, there's a nuclear reactor with King Kong climbing up the cooling tower.  Keep going.
6. Go around the bend near the bank.
7. Keep going straight.
8. The road will end.  There will be a stop sign.  There will also be a coffee place and an ocean on your right.
9. Make a left.

#travel

This Big Picture post is all about Afghanistan.  It mentions the country's problems with tribal warfare, drug production, and poverty. 

My first reaction is, "Seriously?  Tribal warfare?"  It's hard to imagine people grouping themselves in tribes and protecting their settlements and tribesmen through primitive battles.  It reminds me of this picture showing Masai warriors in Kenya engaged in a bow-and-arrow fight with another tribe.  This stuff is still happening today?  I mean, we have iPods and space shuttles and TV shows with dancing.  On the other hand, I guess we're all sort of tribal in a sense.  I live in the tribe of America, specifically the cynical tribe of New Jersey.  It's the same thing.  But it's different. 

I sort of respect the fact that Afghanistan is good at growing drugs.  "Afghanistan is the world's largest producer of opium, the main ingredient in heroin. The Afghan drug trade accounts for 90 percent of the worldwide production."  I mean, it's a shady, vile business.  But it's a business.  They're simply supplying a product that's in demand.  It's not like they're making cars that nobody wants to drive.  In that sense, they're better than General Motors. 

It's a shame that poverty, and in turn, illiteracy, is a problem.  Why don't they use some of that drug money to hire some of their tribesmen to build schools?  Two birds with one drug. 

Looking at some of those pictures, I'm amazed at the amount of natural beauty in a place where natural beauty isn't the first thing that comes to mind.  How about tourism?  If the price was right, I'd spend a little time in the mountains of Afghanistan.  Do they have ski lifts?  As a fictional movie about baseball in corn fields taught us, "If you build it, they will come." #travel

High Point Monument, Montague, NJ #travel

Whenever I think of Europe, I strengthen my ignorance by thinking of things I've learned from TV, movies, and pop culture.  For example, what airline should you take to get to France?  Air France, of course.  That's the only one.  Or, what should you do when you visit Germany?  Drink dark beers, of course.  Continuing with that line of thinking, here's some more: 

England - Virgin Atlantic, Heathrow Airport, soccer, bad teeth, the queen
France - Air France, Charles de Daulle Airport, soccer, wine, snootiness
Germany - Lufthansa, soccer, beer, throaty language
Ireland - Aer Lingus, soccer, beer, greenness, pale skin
Italy - Alitalia, soccer, canals, popes
Spain - Barcelona, soccer, bullfighting, colonizing most of the world

The thing is, logic tells me that if I have a little pre-packaged set of words that I attribute to different European countries, people from these European countries probably have a similar little pre-packaged set of words for America.  My guess would be the following:  America - TWA, Newark, NASCAR, fat, Britney, Coors Light. #travel

The battery that enabled my car to start these past four and half years decided to die last Friday.  I personally don't blame him; car batteries are only supposed to last for two or three years, so his life was longer than expected and his work greatly appreciated.  My one complaint, however, is the way in which I was notified of his death:  My car didn't start, and a light on my dashboard alerted me to the fact that my battery had likely died.  Perhaps it's just me, but I'd much rather be notified before my battery dies than after, and I'm quite positive this would be possible with a little voltmeter circuit that simply suggested replacing your battery when the current battery's voltage dropped below a certain value.  This isn't rocket surgery. #travel

The suburbs don't have taxis.  Instead, we have black Lincoln Continentals with leather seats that perform the exact same function as taxis, but for ten times the price.  Oh, and they're called limos.  Not limos as in stretch limos.  Limos as in black taxis that cost $100 to drive to the airport. 

Anyway, I have the sneaking suspicion that all limo drivers attend the same limo driver school, which teaches them to (a) drive erratically, (b) leave their blinkers on after they've made a turn, and (c) use their brakes as often as possible, especially while on the highway and especially when no brake use is even remotely necessary. #travel