Three years ago, I spent a month backpacking through Europe. In the hope that somebody can benefit, I’m sharing my packing list. I think my choices worked well. The best advice I can offer is that the less stuff you bring, the happier you will be.

Of course, not everybody subscribes to that school of thought. I couldn’t believe how much crap some people lugged around. Two female Aussies that Webb and I encountered had enormous camping backpacks, plus giant suitcases, plus large bookbags. They must have been miserable while on the move.

Pack smart. Pack light.

(This post is part of the 100/100/100 challenge)

A soon-to-be-released report produced by the University of Minnesota in cooperation with the Minnesota Department of Transportation concludes that “during [a period of enhanced speed enforcement] there were reductions in the numbers of Fatal and ‘A’ Injury Crashes.” (Harder 2007) That’s great, right? Fewer people dying is good for everybody, morticians excepted.

Trouble is, the data showing a decrease in casualties is a bit sparse, and the study fails to establish a causal relationship between enhanced enforcement and fewer fatalities. Specifically, the bad crashes decreased in number in both the enhanced and regular enforcement zones. Was there a halo effect? Did cars get safer? A similar argument could be made about the implied correlation with speed and the lack of supporting data.

The report openly acknowledges that “an increase in the variability in speed … is often associated with increases in crash rate.” In other words, it’s not necessarily absolute speed that’s a problem, but rather the relative speed between cars. Data varied, but the study showed that generally less than 65% of drivers in the study areas were within the 10 mph pace.

Perhaps we’re going about speed enforcement the wrong way. Instead of setting an absolute limit, maybe we should post a suggested speed. Officers would monitor the average speed of the traffic and note outliers. Individuals who are not within +/- 5 mph of the mean speed would receive a citation.

With that system, the differential speed would be reduced, which in turn would decrease the crash rate. People could drive faster than present limits as long as everybody else travels at a similar speed. Likewise, people going far slower than the flow, thus presenting a hazard, could be cited.

I like it.

It is at this point in the journey that my inner child wants to ask, “Are we there yet?”

57 days down, 43 to go.

On an unrelated note, I’m still planning to backpack Isle Royale July 13-17, so if you’re interested in joining the group, let me know (to the group: I’ll email something soon)

(This post is part of the 100/100/100 challenge)

I seriously doubt that the people in my office (me included) are coordinated enough to pull off something like this:

Wow.

(This post is part of the 100/100/100 challenge)

I got my first “modern” computer back in 1994, a Macintosh Plus. Sure, it was seven years old by the time my greasy paws got hold of it, but the improvement from my Apple II+ meant the world to me.

That computer served me well, and I was as fond of it as one can be of a machine. Perhaps that nostalgia is why I found this comparison of a Mac Plus and a new dual-core Athlon so irresistible. It’s impressive to see how well the Mac hangs with the PC despite a 1000-fold speed disadvantage.

(This post is part of the 100/100/100 challenge)