Granted that seats are a little bigger than they used to be, I still think a small car is doable. FWIW, I have two grandchildren and, due to an airport car rental screw-up, had to drive them (three and five) around in their (modern) car seats for a week in the back of a Mustang, so I know how tight things can get—and…

Holy crap, guys! Two infants and you’re talking massive vehicles!

We have a couch that we had delivered and set up. Because neither Spouse nor I own a car large enough to carry it. A year or so ago, I noticed that one of the arms was starting to pull away.

I have absolutely no problem with switch blanks in the controls IF (and it’s a big IF) the manufacturer makes switches available to fit. They should come in (at least) DPDT, DPDT momentary (rockers both), and pushbutton types.

I have a 32" screen and a fireplace. Generally, the screen lives in another room. I can’t imagine the kind of seating I’d need to make it a comfortable view over the fireplace.

Yeah, I bought one of these on this deal, tried it, and decided to return it within 30 minutes. My Android phone (not an expensive one) is snappier and has a better feel to the screen, etc., than this tablet. Granted, it’s an entry-level device, and if you don’t have a smart phone or a notebook it could be useful. But…

Yeah, I bought one of these on this deal, tried it, and decided to return it within 30 minutes. My Android phone…

Yeah, I get that it’s a sort of pseudo-pun, but no shit. I have a 2010 fit, and the thing is remarkable. I can park it places that nobody else can squeeze into, both because of its size and its maneuverability. It’s also narrow enough to get through some tight squeezes.

And never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!

Aha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha h—

The FIRST thing I did after buying my used Honda Fit was to check for things like this in the car’s record.

The shiny folders with racing stripes...

I grew up in the age of the McLaren CanAm cars, so orange is catnip to me. While I think this car may have a little too much black on it, and while I have this irrational feeling that all Lotuses (Loti?) should be painted BRG, I could get behind, or rather in, this vehicle, had I the cash to do so.

I try not to assign textbooks. I assign readers. That’s because what I’m trying to teach my students is a simple approach that they need to exercise on different materials—over and over and over again. You can do the readings and not understand the kind of reasoning I’m trying to teach. But you can’t learn the…

They really weren’t, in the time and place in which I grew up. Some people had ostentatious things on their wrists, true, but for most people, a $5 steel Timex did the job. If that’s jewelry, then that’s a pretty inclusive definition, and it would even have to include the BCGs of yesteryear.

Up to a point. Even well-sealed automatics will require work from time to time. But I grant your point w/r/t automatic watches. Interestingly, it’s a point made in the novel The White Mountains by (iirc) Jon Christopher, as well.

FWIW, even the best automatic will degrade over time. Gears wear over time, springs…

If you ever get the opportunity, have a look at Paul Fussell’s marvelous book, Class. I have a feeling you’d enjoy it.

If you set up the question that way, then it’s self-answering. But it depends on what the nature of a watch is. My understanding is that a watch’s essential function, above all else, is that it tells time sufficiently accurately to be of use to its owner. Once you pass that point, you’re talking about something else.…

See above.

I know someone who owns dozens of Gibson Les Pauls. He buys them new, as each model is released, and puts them in a temperature-controlled room. I don’t understand that, either.

They can certainly be assessed as art in terms of design, appearance, feel. But in terms of the way the mechanism works? I don’t know; that seems to me to diminish the meaning of ‘art.’ On that reading, many things could be considered art that I don’t think ought to be considered art. But I am open to persuasion.

As a fan of the work of, e.g., Richard Sachs, I understand the virtue of custom craftsmanship. If I had the money and the time and Richard was accepting orders, I would have him build a bicycle for me. But there’s a significant difference between custom (or bespoke, if you prefer) and this sort of thing. A Richard…