Friday, April 1, 2011

BSNYC Friday Fun Quiz! (With Smugness Embedded!)

Today is April Fools' Day, and before we go any further I'd like to put your mind at east by assuring you that, as in years past, this webular blogernet site is officially 100% Prank-Free. This is because, inasmuch as I attempt to administer humor and comedy (or what I call "humordy") on a regular basis anyway, I shall leave it to other meh-dia outlets to administer the japes, spoofs, tricks, and larks that characterize what the French call "poisson d'avril," or what the Canadians know as "Angry Beaver Day." Also, the large-scale April Fools' Day prank I had planned fell through at the last minute, and I have no idea what I'm going to do with all this nerve gas and Jell-O.

I would, however, like to take this opportunity to be perhaps a little bit more smug than I usually am, and I hope that you will indulge me--though if not you're welcome to scroll down to the quiz I have "curated." In fact, to help you skip the smug, I've embedded visual cues in this post. The smugness begins after an image of Charlton Heston in the sci-fi classic "Planet of the Apes," and it ends with an image of Dr. Zaius from that very same film. So, if you can't stomach any smugness today, simply scroll down to the good doctor and proceed as normal.

You are now in The Smugness Zone.

At any rate, as you may have noticed, the "media" continues to be in the throes of "bike lane mania," and has been "reporting" on the issue rather exuberantly. In particular, the lawsuit over the bike lane on Prospect Park West in Brooklyn has received much attention, and recently The Wall Street Journal offered the following piece on the affair, which skewed somewhat in favor of the anti-bike lane nebbishes:

Of course, you can't read this if you don't subscribe to the Wall Street Journal, and indeed I don't subscribe to the Wall Street Journal, but if you'd like to "borrow" the article like I did I will point out that it is reprinted in its entirety in the comments here.

This article irritated me for a number of reasons. For example, it perpetuates certain inaccuracies, such as the following:

Many senior citizens complain that they’ve been nearly knocked down by cyclists zooming in the wrong direction.

I'm not sure how it's possible to be "zooming in the wrong direction" on a two-way bike lane.

Or consider the writer's conclusion:

This isn’t a culture war, as many would have it. It’s about New Yorkers who want to walk safely across the street—maybe even while smoking a cigarette or eating a salty pretzel.

Right. This is what it's like to cross the street on Prospect Park West, and this is what it's like to cross the street where I live. I'm surprised the irony of this eluded her.

Or then again, maybe I shouldn't be surprised. Here is the writer's bio:

Ms. Finley joined the Wall Street Journal in 2009 after graduating from Stanford University with a bachelor’s degree in American Studies. During college, she edited the opinions section for the Stanford Review and wrote columns for the Orange County Register.

I can't help wondering how much experience someone two years out of Stanford has with either driving or cycling in Brooklyn, or how much perspective she has on Prospect Park West, but between her bio and the spurious comments in her piece I would imagine it's not all that much.

Admittedly though the other thing that irked me was that not too long before the above piece was published the Wall Street Journal actually contacted me and asked me to write something about bike lanes. I obliged them and did so, though yesterday I learned that they would not be publishing it. Certainly they're not required to publish anything they don't want to, and certainly I may have made a mess of the assignment, but nevertheless it was irritating in the light of the aforementioned piece. Anyway, here's what I sent them:


THE ARTICLE WHAT THAT I DID WROTE ABOUT THE LANES FOR THE BIKES:
And That The Wall Street Journal Didn't Want
by BikeSnobNYC



Bicycles and automobiles are siblings. In fact, they’re fraternal twins.

In 1885, John Kemp Starley introduced the Rover Safety Bicycle. This chain-driven bike with more or less symmetrical wheels succeeded the already popular high-wheeler, or pennyfarthing, and is essentially the same machine most cyclists ride today.

Meanwhile, in 1883, Karl Benz, along with two fellow bicyclists, founded Benz & Cie, and by 1885 he had built the Benz Patent Motorwagen, which is generally considered the first automobile, and which literally put that old motor known as the “horse” out to pasture.

So why don’t these siblings seem to be playing very well together these days? As cities like New York incorporate more bike lanes into their infrastructure, drivers react like it’s the Intolerable Acts of 1774 and cyclists are freeloading Redcoats raiding their larders and leering at their daughters.

The problem isn’t with the siblings themselves; it’s with their parents (or their owners—or, in the case of cars, their lessees), who just can’t stop fighting.

As a culture, we tend to become more tolerant and refined as time passes. For example, in 1885, the Thirteenth Amendment banning slavery in the United States was only 20 years old. 20 years is not a long time—in fact, it’s only three more years than it takes to create a fully-formed Justin Bieber. (He’s 17). Now, almost seven and a half Justin Biebers later, we are a far more enlightened people. Slavery is gone, along with Jim Crow laws and segregation, and there are but a few venues left in our modern world in which it is perfectly acceptable to be closed-minded and openly prejudiced.

Commuting is one of them.

This is because, almost 120 Justin Biebers after Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan helping that hapless traveler who was beaten and left to die on the side of the road, commuting is still an ugly business. We hurl invective at each other. We crash into one another. Sometimes we even die. In 2009, 93 people were killed on the roads of the US every day. When it comes to getting around, we have yet to experience that Paul-on-the-road-to-Damascus epiphany in which we realize, “Hey, we better look out for each other!” Instead, we yell, and argue, and sometimes come to blows, because we still feel like we’re fighting for our lives.

Consequently, we identify with our vehicles like they’re our nationality, or religion, or race. It’s acceptable and indeed almost expected that a driver should hate a cyclist, or a cyclist should hate a driver--and that all of us should hate Segways.

In New York City, much of the new bicycling infrastructure has been laid by the Michael Bloomberg administration, under the direction of Department of Transportation Commissioner Janet Sadik-Khan. Recently, critics have maligned Sadik-Khan for these bike lanes, as well as for the installation of medians and pedestrian plazas in various parts of the city. In fact, Janet Sadik-Khan has even been called a modern-day Robert Moses, as if re-jiggering a few streets to work in a bike lane or scattering some chairs in Times Square can compare with either the lavish public gift that is Jones Beach, or the eternally nightmarish slog that is the Cross Bronx Expressway. Moses imposed his will onto the landscape like an emperor, changing it forever. By comparison Sadik-Khan is just gussying up the city cheaply with paint, chairs, and other household items, like a municipal Martha Stewart.

Not that there’s anything wrong with frugality. The city only spent $600,000 on bike lanes last year, and as Martha herself might say, “It’s a good thing.”

Bike lanes are cheap, and we need them. People are still riding bicycles in substantial numbers all these Biebers later, even after an entire 20th century of being ignored by city planners. Arguably, the bicycle industry is more robust than the automobile industry. This is partly because it is smaller and more nimble in the same way a bicycle is smaller and more nimble than a car, but it’s also because the simple fact is that lots of people ride bikes. Either way, Trek has never asked for a government bailout. Why then, in 2011, is there actually controversy about bicycles having their own lanes?

The simple answer is this: Prejudice. American drivers think bike lanes are like bidets—something weird, European, and useless.

Sure, bicycle advocates can be cloyingly smug and thus difficult to identify with, but that’s just bad marketing. The truth is, bike lanes are far from useless. Not only do they afford cyclists the safety they’ve been denied all these years, but if you’re a driver they may be your salvation too. Like many Americans who value private transportation, I have both a bicycle and a car at my disposal, and I choose one for local trips in the city, and the other to take my family to visit relatives in Connecticut. (You can probably figure out which I use for which). City streets that facilitate this choice for people like me by incorporating amenities for bicycles means more of us will be inclined to leave our cars at home more often because we’ll feel safe in doing so. On the other hand, city streets that fail to acknowledge the difference between my 20 pound bicycle and my 2,700 pound compact (to say nothing of a 7,000 pound GMC Yukon) means only two things—more danger for me, and compacts and Yukons creating more traffic for you.

Cyclists and drivers are not absolutes, living in self-contained mutual exclusivity, as both Marty Markowitz and David Byrne might lead you to believe. Many people own and use both bicycles and cars, in the same way they use vacuum cleaners and brooms, and conventional ovens and microwaves, because all of these things complement each other.

I’ve been driving in New York City as long as I’ve had a license, and I know that few things are more frustrating. That’s why it’s easy for politicians and others with agendas to point to those freshly painted bike lanes and tell drivers, “See, there’s your problem.” However, as a cyclist and a driver I also know that driving was frustrating long before the bike lanes, which have improved cycling enormously. We all stand to gain from this, but in their frustration drivers are being duped into vilifying policies that will alleviate congestion and supporting ones that will cause it.

More importantly, a century and a quarter after the safety bicycle was invented, our roads and our attitudes remain sadly outmoded and stunningly hostile to the people who use them. If you don’t believe vehicular prejudice exists in this country than consider this: In 2010, in Eagle, Colorado, a Morgan Stanley wealth manager, Martin Erzinger, fell asleep at the wheel of his car, striking bicyclist and surgeon Dr. Stephen Milo and then driving away. Milo survived, sustaining spinal cord injuries and bleeding from the brain. Erzinger was charged with two misdemeanors, and he was sentenced to a year of probation and a suspended jail term. Erzinger’s attorney argued, among other things, that his client may have been overwhelmed by the “new car smell” of his Mercedez-Benz. Something tells me that Karl Benz would not have approved.

Maybe instead of fighting each other, we parents should put aside our differences and pay more attention to our children’s safety. The smaller sibling needn’t be an afterthought, and he’s really not asking for much.

I thought I made a pretty good point, but then again I didn't go to Stanford.


With that out of the way, I'm pleased to present you with a quiz. As alway, study the item, think, and click on your answer. If you're right be smug, and if you're wrong you'll see a Lamborghini.

Thanks very much for reading, ride safe, and if you think someone's trying to pull an April Fools' prank on you just punch them in the "pants yabbies" (if they have them).

--BSNYC/RTMS





1) Complete the following messenger movie quote:

"I always wanted to move fast. I wanted to get away, but I didn't know where I was going. But it doesn't matter on a bike. Nothing matters on a bike but __________________."



(A bargain at over $6,000)

2) Finally! A "collabo" between wooden bike manufacturer Renovo and:



3) Why is this child somewhat nonplussed?





(Hahahaha FAIL! Cupcakes are like sooo played out now!)

4) Cupcakes are "out;" tiny pies delivered by bicycle are "in."

--True





(Hahahaha FAIL! Tiny pies by bike are like sooo played out now!)

5) Tiny pies by bike are "out;" hipster canning is "in."






6) Which is not a "Bicycling" magazine tip for booby-trapping your bike?

--Lock it with your helmet strap
--Fabricate a Rube Goldberg-esque "Hot Karl" machine with one of your socks and the contents of your saddle bag





7) The Gerber® Gator® Combo Axe was recently recalled due to a "laceration hazard." What does it have in the handle?




***Special Smugness-Themed Bonus Question***

You're not truly smug until you:



113 comments:

Praxillea said...

Bike on!

recumbent conspiracy theorist said...

podium spot

Anonymous said...

3rd

agent detroit said...

top ten, bitches!

Anonymous said...

Monkey!

Unknown said...

Spartacus

Tex said...

Interplanetary gearing system? Those rich bastards get all the cool stuff!

Anonymous said...

8th yesssssssssssssssss

cycle

Anonymous said...

8th yesssssssssssssssss

cycle

Brian said...

Nice article, Snobby.

theEel said...

slappy fryday

ken e. said...

my old number!

Anonymous said...

Really nice piece of thoughtful writing for the journal, Snob. You'd have gotten it published if only you'd have been more shrill and partisan.

cycle

le Correcteur said...

Comment, so now I can go back and read fully instead of partially.

Quibble: what's with the ending of Biebers as a unit later in your fine editorial essay, Snob?

Astroluc (Find me on Tumblr and Instagram @Astroluc) said...

I'da published your article...

SMUG TEXT

samh said...

A stellar balance of wit and practicality today, BS. Now back to pranking (but now covering ye old pants yabbies).

Terre Haute Karl said...

I hate every ape I see, from chimpan-A to chimpanzee. You'll never make a monkey out of me.

Rodney King said...

Can't we all just get along?

fillet_brazed said...

I'm pretty sure the WSJ writer's parents weren't smug enough to either portage her in a box as a child, or ride their utility bicycle head-on into traffic with child in front. Unless she's experienced true smugness on a dutch bike, I think the hyperbole will continue.

The other thing you should know about anyone that's spent time in Orange County is the car is king.

Kenny Banya said...

GOLD!

crosspalms said...

I gave up smoking years ago, but I'm all for the salty pretzels. I think I'll start eating them while I ride. I'll certainly eat them while I read the Gerbil since it's entertainment, not news. I think they rejected your piece because it was too reality-based.

CommieCanuck said...

That could have been Kim Gordon c1996.

CommieCanuck said...

Snob, the trick to get anything published in the WSJ is to use the following typing macro for the final paragraph, regardless of what you write:

"Thus, the $50 Billion valuation of Facebook is obviously supported, signaling the comeback to Goldman Sachs to the forefront of investment banking."

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
hillbilly said...

good weekend yall

Marcel Da Chump said...

Can't help thinking that Rupert Murdoch had your piece rejected. Send it to the NY Times.

Unknown said...

Do the Kitty Litter Pannier Men get extra smugness points for the obvious surprise (and skepticism) that Missoula, MT is a cool place? Or do they get a smugness reduction for venturing that far from Portburg or Williamsland?

Anonymous said...

PICE TYPO

OBA said...

SMUG ZONE

ringcycles said...

"Why then, in 2011, is there actually controversy about bicycles having their own lanes?


The simple answer is this: Prejudice. American drivers think bike lanes are like bidets—something weird, European, and useless."

that may be the most brilliant thing you've penned in a while. Chapeau

Martin Erzinger said...

I get all my New York News from The Wall Street Journal, just like I get my balls sucked by Fox News.

Bike lanes are for peasants, and no peasants will be allowed in New York, or New Jersey in the near future.

Its class warfare, and we got the guns.

Peasants

Anonymous said...

brilliant article, I love the 120 biebers after christ line, I can't imagine why the WSJ wouldn't publish it. the reason that people are getting mowed down on prospect park west, or anywhere else in NYC, is because their utter disregard for a biker who has the right of way. In my short commute to work i can't tell you the number of times a pedestrian will look right at me coming at them and still cross against a walk signal right in front of me. You will see a good example of this in the PPW video where the jogger crosses the bike lane against the don't walk signal but waits for the signal before crossing the street. Keep up the good work. If I were you I would move very far away from the prospect park given their frightening and completely irrational facist leanings.

Anonymous said...

ROFL... you pulled out all the straw men in that article.

Anonymous said...

Excellent, thoughtful article. But one question: I read your book and I thought you claimed not to be an advocate? No self-proclaimed cycling advocate could have made a better case for bicycle infrastructure.

If the WSJ published more like this, I wouldn't have given up my subscription earlier this year.

Unknown said...

Nice piece, snob, although I'm pretty sure that taking thirteen paragraphs to get to the point subverted your chances of publishing in the WSJ.

Twistyface said...

Those Audi bicycles look really nice, but $6000? Would I be correct in thinking that there is an identical Volkswagen one that 'only' costs $4000?

Marcel Da Chump said...

Your article was way too funny and informed to be publshed by any paper Murdoch owns.

Stiveaux said...

Great Gerbil piece, wtf they did not print it. So much more substance (and humor) than the Gerbil's own attempt. And what's with the salty pretzel image? Some sort of failed metaphor for resentment of active people, i.e., bicyclists? Great public service here as well as entertainment.

Continued smug-cess, Snob!

Stiveaux said...

Cyclist killed, driver actually charged --- RIP

http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/wellesley/2011/03/wellesley_bicyclist_killed_in.html

Anonymous said...

BikeSmug NYC

Anonymous said...

It's Friday! Hot Karl Benz for everybody!


Balls.

Anonymous said...

Bravo, BSNYC. Really well done.

ce said...

I normally live in a Smugness Zone, so when I started reading your article I entered a Smugness Zone within a Smugness Zone. Then, as I read on I thought to myself that if I were you I would transport my family to Connecticut on my bicycle, and thus I was plunged into a Smugness Zone within a Smugness Zone, within a Smugness Zone. A moment in time in the real world seemed like days deep inside 3 levels of smugness, which is just as well as it was a long and slow process picturing myself portaging my family on the Big Dummy to see those distant relatives. Unfortunately, I ended up dying of exhaustion in that scenario and as a result my consciousness was then cast into limbo, where my mind dwelled for what I perceived as around 185 years. I spent my time in that smug, smug place creating a world. I used a little brush to paint bike lanes down every street of New York City and far beyond. Yes, I am relating this story to you now as an exceedingly old and exceedingly smug soul. Luckily, I eventually worked out what was required to kick back up through the layers of smugness... the sudden shock of a Hot Carl as it turns out.

Marcel Da Chump said...

The NY Post is anti-bike lane and anti-cyclist in general. Guess who owns that paper?

Pontius Pilate said...

HAIL CSZR

-P.P.

Anonymous said...

Wait, Gary Fisher reads this blog too?

BSNYC/RTMS is a god.

(BTW- Nice suite, Gary.)

ce said...

In the deep smug world I looked like Leonardo Dicaprio, only taller.

Anonymous said...

Oops.

SUIT.

And, I mean it. Anybody who can wear those suits and get away with it deserves congratulations. I'd get laughed at.

mikeweb said...

Woo-hoo! perfect score - even the kitty litter panniers.

Yeah Murdoch's News Corp does own both the 'Gerbil' and the NYP. But he also owns the British cable TV company Sky which sponsors a pro racing team.

Maybe if everyone rode around in a Geraint Thomas British champion Sky jersey, things would get better(?)

Marcel Da Chump said...

Anon 1:09,
The WSJ rejected Snob's article. Any regrets now?

Anonymous said...

So what's wrong with being a smug twat?, he said humbly.

Anonymous said...

Panties!

waxmouth said...

Snob,

Excellent write up. Too bad they won't publish; I think it might get the point across to even some WSJ readers.

Anonymous said...

MDC:

Poor choice of words. I understood the article was rejected. I think this just confirms my view of where the paper was headed.

Anon 1:09

Marcel Da Chump said...

Anon 1:09,
Point well taken.

Anonymous said...

I thought I was going to see this Lamborghini:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQoldFPvlGE

Ms. Finley, WSJ said...

I didn't do so good on your little quiz...

Anonymous said...

where the hipsters aren't?

Test Tickle said...

crushed it on today's quiz. absolutely crushed it.

i think i can now

DIEH APPY

balls.

Mrs. Bucket said...

All those Biebers would have added up to a lot more hits via popular search engines from young-and-ready-to-become-brand-loyal teens and tweens if that article had been published. WSJ is stupid!

Oyster buckets, detergent buckets, kitty-litter buckets, artisinal pickle buckets... it's just squarish plastic buckets (and lids). Why do you hate them so (other than that they are especially ugly)?

BSNYC, why are you so smug about it? Do you have a financial interest in the heavyweight waterproof fabric industry and pannier-manufacturing concerns?

Cobbworks at Oly Bikes
(for the rich and lazy)

Anonymous said...

Steve Tilford doesn't need a bike lane, because he lives in KANSAS and they don't have any fucking bike lanes in Kansas. All they have is wind and flat empty expanses broken only by the occasional truck stops and fast food and choppy pavement. So HTFU you NYC babies.

Rene Descarte said...

Others beat me to it: Measured rational thought is not very newsworthy. Measured thought that leaves humans as the source of helper monkey level actions and does not villify the source is even more painful for editors. In other words, if it bleeds it leads and conflict always sells. Good snob, Jobby.

Velocodger said...

Thanks, Mikeweb! I knew there was a reason I don't like team Sky.

Unknown said...

I thought you piece was nothing short of outstanding.

I drive *and* I ride to work. The two groups of people very much overlap. The people who shout the loudest do not share the centre of the venn diagram with us!

It's sad, because had they published your work, it would have added the "voice of reason" to the debate.

It's a voice that's needed because cycling policy in New York will effect cycling policy throughout the world.

Politicians in the UK are looking with interest at what's going on in New York. A victory for common sense there has lasting implications.

mikeweb said...

@doug,

Yeah, not my faves either, though they do have some likable riders: Millar, Flecha... not to mention their DS Sean Yates was a big diesel 'back in the day'...

But Spartacus will crush them all this Sunday.

mikeweb said...

...pardon me, actually not Millar. But Michael Barry is cool...

crosspalms said...

Had to look up HTFU. Found its helpful "lifestyle brand clothing" website: "HTFU is a lifestyle first, built on the principles of what brought us here, and a brand second." Luckily I know what the abbreviation for "brand second" is.

atom bomb said...

Your WSJ article is fantastic. Submit it to other papers, no?

Anonymous said...

OMG, where can I get one of those smug twat bags?

g--roc said...

Well, your first misteak was you should have written that you "did wroat". Nice use of than instead of bowing to convention and using then though.

-grammeR anarKist

Anon 11:51 - that you Bronx Zoo Cobra?

Anonymous said...

THE ARTICLE WHAT THAT I DID WROTE ABOUT THE LANES FOR THE BIKES

I plottzed.

Thanks snob

Marcel Da Chump said...

Ckwop,
You hit it right on the sweet spot with the "voice of reason to the debate".
But Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., owner of the WSJ, is deaf to the voice of reason.
Why? Because Murdoch is a dick. Not figuritively; an actual giant, wrinkled, old penis who's out to screw anyone who disagrees with him.

Anonymous said...

LKES THIS

Salty and Sore said...

Loved the article.

sorry to hear it wasn't ran. They lost; not you.

But then, my opinion may not matter. I am a smug twat.

leroy said...

Aced the quiz until the last question. Must have been distracted.

Ride safe all!

sufferist said...

I was about 1:1 on the quiz. Oh well.

Anonymous said...

Terre Haute Karl @12:16 -- Thanks.

I love legitimate theater!

Anonymous said...

It's an April Fools joke that they rejected the articel. Jokes on you. Joke jokes jokes.

Anonymous said...

Fucking Segways.

Anonymous said...

Unit of Beiber = Score - 3. Jack. I'll take Snobisms for 60!

wishiwasmerckx said...

If I've not a snug twat, I would not go around advertising as much on my handbag.

Oh, wait, I think I misread something.

Oldentard said...

I hope you sacrifice unto Lob for the gift you have been given. I haven't stumbled across your imitators yet, but they are certain to pop up. "Humordy?"
You should offer fifty slaughtered Erzingers for that one alone.

griffinorama said...

"...If you don’t believe vehicular prejudice exists in this country than consider this:..." => (then)

"...With that out of the way, I'm pleased to present you with a quiz. As alway, study..." => (always)

Bill Smith said...

Great editorial. I hope they eventually print it.

Anonymous said...

Why are so many of your readers editors?
Either way, I hated your craptastic piece. Terrible, just plain awful. April fools. I loved it. Great week Snob.

Thanks.
~ Jeeves.

JDH said...

Quiz?! Too easy, Snoblet. My 17 yr old daughter, the smug little shit, who knows nothing of bike culture, aced it. How so? "You mouse over the links and it tells you at the bottom of the screen where you are going!" Smug little shit.

Yoda said...

Smug bastards,you are.

JDH said...

Up yours, Yoda.

ricky said...

liberal bike riders good

cars bad

fox news bad

wall street urinal bad

murdick bad

obama good

bush bad

unions good

fat cats bad

golf good or bad jest depends

so you see us country folk ain't so dum we catch on reel quick

red wants me to tell you fellers to go fick yerselfs

Anonymous said...

I love sweet sweet pussy!

-angry dragon

Steve Barner said...

Nice writing! Why don't you try doing it more often?

ricky said...

ok ill try writin more offen but it takes a long time

red sez id fuck up a wet dream

what he meant to say was FUCK yerself

Anonymous said...

Excellent work.
I'd shop for fruit with Kim Gordon any day.

Murdoch's Dick said...

He's a dick's dick.

Polonius said...

Snobster, to thine own self be true.

hater said...

How byks ain't mid buy yoonyuns!?

hater said...

ricky, Obama is a posuer when it comes to biking. Bush is a hardcore mt biker. Dumbass. Just because you don't agree with their politics doesn't give you the right to tell lies.

Anonymous said...

Here's a tip:

to read subscription-blocked WSJ articles, just cut and paste the the title of the article back into Google search, and click on the first option that pops up.

The WSJ has to allow a version to be read, so that the contents can be searched and the article will show up in Google searches. Doing this brings you to the freely available version.

Don't pay for a subscription for these elitist, capitalist pigs!

I am a 100 engine said...

100 whooooo.

ce said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ce said...

Snob, I wanted to let you know I have just found pictures of the most post apocalypse ready Surly Big Dummy I've seen yet, decked out in a full complement of pouches in the Crye Precision Multicam colourway. "What is the significance of that particular camouflage pattern?" I hear you ask. It is a little recognised fact that soldiers are hopeless fashion victims. At first glance it isn't obvious because so much military clothing and equipment is standard issue, but wherever there is some obscure niche for subtle fashion to exist it takes hold and spreads fast. The full blown hipsters in the world of combat are of course the inked and bearded, shemagh wearing security contractors and mercenaries. In the same way that hipsters utilise platforms such as bicycles and messenger bags under the guise of practicality to expand the surface area on to which they can accessorise, combatants use modular webbing. As far as this seasons colours are concerned, Crye Precision Multicam is the shit, the new black.

ce said...

Anon 9:20 from the 31 Mar comments (if you decided to come back for some more puerility), I was being light hearted. "meh" is an expression of indifference, so I was using it in context by feigning indifference to your query. But yes, the comments are puerile rubbish and you may well do best not to bother. I however will be back again tomorrow like a pig in shit. Hey, if you're up my way can I borrow the book? I still haven't bought a copy. Did ya hear that Snobby?

yogisurf said...

What a week of FANTASTIC posts Snobby. Left my bike at work on Friday, so I took the trolley Saturday morning to get it. I got caught up on your blog at that time. People were starring at me 'cause I was laughing out loud. Loved the WSJ letter to the Ed.

ricky said...

hater

if you goes down to the vipor pigly wigly they might sells you a sense of humor for 3 dollers and 37 cents

hater said...

RICKY backpedal much?

old shopping cart lady said...

what, no cats?

but a bake feets would be good to carry my 39 cats around in.

sewa mobil said...

Nice article, thanks for the information.

Anonymous said...

Knowing what the WSJ chose to publish and what it did not speaks volumes about their stupidity. Nice piece - wish it could see a larger audience. drr

Quincy Quincette said...

"proscribed" means "prohibited"... I'm not sure that is what you thought it meant.

Fixie Bikes said...

wow that was a damn good article. I would have never pegged you for a car driver. A bold confession.

Fleming said...

Wait, Gary Fisher reads this blog too? BSNYC/RTMS is a god. (BTW- Nice suite, Gary.)

Ibetsbo.com said...

I am very happy to read this. This is the kind of manual that needs to be given and not the random misinformation that's at the other blogs. Appreciate your sharing this best posting.

Unknown said...

Obat herbal yang manjur untuk kanker serviks
obat kanker serviks herbal
obat kanker serviks alami
obat kanker serviks dari bahan herbal
obat kanker serviks dari bahan alami
obat kanker rahim herbal
cara mengobati kanker serviks dengan bahan alami
manfaat daun sirsak untuk penyakit kanker
Jual Obat Sipilis Herbal Yang terbukti Manjur
Obat Sipilis Herbal Yang Manjur Tanpa Ke Dokter
Obat Sipilis Paling Manjur dan murah
obat raja singa/sipilis yang terbukti manjur
artikel obat penyakit sipilis pada pria
nama obat sipilis pada pria
tips obat sipilis pada pria
obat alami penyakit sipilis pada pria
tips obat penyakit sipilis pada pria