How to adjust your mirrors, leave earlier, turn signals are your friend, how to merge, and other driving tips that you learned and probably forgot

I'm a pretty conservative driver. That doesn't mean I drive at or under the speed limit, tooling around like I have a "Warning, Student Driver" sign on my car. I'm more of a defensive driver, adapting to the conditions around me to increase my safety and the safety of my passengers. And that's true whether I'm in my car, or on one of the motorcycles. But it does mean following some driving techniques that should be common sense:

1. Not living in the left lane of the expressway. The left lane is the passing lane. Get in it, pass the car(s), and move back over. If you regularly have cars passing you to your right, you're probably a left lane hog. Get out of it already. Soccer moms in your minivan or SUV, please don't think you have every right to live in the left lane just because you are doing the speed limit. You don't. So get out of it. That line of cars behind you, maybe tailgating you, is ticked off that you are not obeying a common courtesy of the road. Move over.

2. Using the turn signals BEFORE the brakes. Turn signals are a warning device. They are meant to warn the drivers around you, "Hey, I'm about to turn so you should expect brake lights and deceleration soon." But no, too many people use their brakes and then the turn signal. Bad form. This makes the turn signal nearly useless. Use your turn signal well in advance of your turn and for God sakes, use it before braking.

3. Get up to speed before merging on the expressway. Don't try to merge into traffic that's doing 65 while you are trying to get your Prius up to 45 MPH. Dangerous practice for you, the drivers behind you, and the ones trying to dodge you on the expressway.

4. If you're in a hurry, leave earlier! Don't put yourself, me, and others at risk dodging traffic, 
and haphazardly dancing across lanes to jockey into a position to overtake the pack. And don't ever pass on the right. That will get your license revoked in Germany, and it should be the same way in the US. It's stupid and dangerous. If you are in that much of a hurry, leave earlier. Your failure to plan appropriately does not justify dangerous driving. Those around you shouldn't be slamming on brakes to accommodate your hazardous lane changes.

5. Don't toss your still-burning cigarette butts out the window. You have an ashtray, use it. Your piles of butts at the side of the road are disgusting. They aren't biodegradable despite what you tell yourself. And when they hit someone behind you, they can cause problems, especially if that person happens to be on a motorcycle.


6. When you are at a 4-way intersection, sitting behind a green light waiting to make a left turn, don't hang back behind the crosswalk. Pull up into the intersection so that when it's safe to turn, you can go right into your left turn and not have to drive ahead another four car lengths to get into the lane you are heading toward. The people behind you will appreciate also being able to get through the light, and staying back behind the crosswalk will only force them to sit through another light because you didn't know how to correctly make a left turn.

7. Finally, put your mirrors in position where they are actually useful. You have blind spots because your mirrors are tilted too far inward. You don't need to see the side of your own car, you need to see as much around you as possible. Don't cut us off changing lanes because you don't know how to set your mirrors. Here's the right way to do it. /end rant

It’s been a long winter…

It’s the end of February. The cold has been with us for a long time, nearly five months. We didn’t have a chance to do our normal mid-winter trek to Mt. Dora this year – not possible with a new job. Next year. But not having the reprieve is taxing on the mind and body. We miss the sun. We miss the warmth. I miss the 1:1 time with one of the kids and being with Mom & Dad in their Florida element. Here’s a great picture of what I miss: smiles, fun, quality time, warmth, water, and a climate you can live in and enjoy life with. Time to get the motorcycles ready, Spring is almost here! You ready to ride, Cal?

Meg

Meg - 20
Originally uploaded by kboyer

It's been a while since I have updated my blog with kid pictures. This is my favorite photo of Meg, taken at Thanksgiving 2009. Such a beauty! And as smart as she is pretty. Meg is a college student and getting ready to move out of the house for good on 3/1/2010. And I'm going to miss her terribly. The first one to fly the nest. And I'm 45 today. Pretty good timing but I do feel old all of the sudden. Love you Meg!

Cynergy Systems, Inc.

Well, one month later, working for Cynergy has been great. Some long hours for sure, but that's expected and mostly fun. It's a good feeling to learn and share expertise when it's appreciated. A great group of people making incredible software.

I really thought I'd miss Logical Images, but I don't. I miss a few people, but not the black cloud that hangs over the company. Love being in the midst of a cutting edge team with an agile design and development environment in Silverlight and Flex/AIR. What a relief to now be working with a solid company, solid management, solid revenue, and a solid plan. Good luck, Art. As long as RC is there, you're going to need it because your believers are dwindling. Adios, Logical!

2nd Miracle on the Hudson

Amazing time lapse footage of the Airbus A320 being hoisted from the Hudson River after a crash landing (all passengers survived) and a barrage of ice slamming it.

Posted on Kontain.com - [Flight 1549] from David Martin on Vimeo.

Ditch the granny knot

If you tie your shoes with an old granny knot, consider this way instead. The reef knot is a neater knot that is less prone to coming untied, a good attribute for those who walk, run, bike, etc. Give it a try. It's simple, faster, and really works!

Legos and Project Management

The Lego method of project management
As a kid, I spent lots of time playing with Legos. That is pretty normal: it seems like every kid likes building blocks.

However, I was a bit odd as a kid - maybe I'm still a bit odd? My particular obsession was that before I started building anything, I had to sort my Legos by size, shape, and colour. My reason was simple enough. How can you build something unless you know what you have to work with?

In life, I still like to have everything organized and broken down in to the smallest parts. Everything just seems more manageable when you can see what you have to work with. Anyone who has managed a large project understands this concept. Rule number one for a project manager is break everything down, organize, order the pieces, and plan how to put them together to accomplish the end goal.

The PMBOK and its 42 processes organized in to 5 groups looks good on paper. It is also a proven methodology. If tasked with managing a project, the safe bet, and the accepted standard is to follow the PMBOK. Straying away from the PMBOK is done at one's own risk.

However, I always start with what I call the "Lego method of project management". If anyone asks, I include it under the "Planning" umbrella, but it really precedes everything. I don't like writing Project Charters until I have "sorted my Legos".

Three questions:

1. What are your first steps in tackling a complex project?

2. Have you ever walked away from a project - before even starting - if you can clearly see that the targets and objects are not realistic? In other words, you immediately identify that the project is a lame duck, and politely decline.

3. Am I the only kid that spent more time sorting his Legos than actually building things?