Friday, July 17, 2009

Why can't Utahns park properly?

There's a sad joke here in Utah - it's called "Utah Drivers". The irony is that they don't realise they're the joke. Of the many peculiar, dangerous and lazy driving practices the people in this state adopt, the inability to park is a pet favourite of mine. Generally speaking, if there's any possible way to completely mess up the parking process, Utahns will be right there. Can't reverse park? Check. Can't park forwards? Check. Can't judge the length or width of their own car? Check. Don't understand which way to leave the front wheels when parked on a hill? Check. The picture here was taken yesterday in a local parking lot, and is typical of the problem. This rocket scientist isn't straight, has no idea of the length or width of their car and doesn't understand what the markings in the parking lot are for. As a result they've inconvenienced everyone else most likely because they just couldn't be bothered to do it properly. So here's to you 281PEB. You're now famous for being a complete tool.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Doing TV work

If you've read the CarMD review on my site, you'll know that I recommend it as quite a useful tool. Well today I was called up to do my bit for the world of infomercials. As the author of this site, CarMD wanted me to do some time on camera giving a testimonial about their product. It's important for me to stress to you all that there was zero financial reward for this - they simply asked if I'd do it, and I said "sure thing".
The day was a lot of fun. I've been on TV before for various things, from the original Boycott The Pumps protest back in England in 2000, to motoring shows on TV, to the odd news spot where they've wanted a talking head that knew something about cars. Today was no different. We spent about 40 minutes filming, of which I expect to see between 8 and 12 seconds used in one of their ads.
I don't know if I'm going to feature in regular TV ads, short or long infomercials, but if you see a CarMD commercial come on, don't skip it this time - watch closely and you might see me. I'm the English bloke wearing the blue and grey shirt ....