How To Drive a Model T

My grandfather (my mother’s father) was an antique car enthusiast, and though the cars he had in his garage when I was younger were far newer than the Model T, watching this video reminded me of him, and put a smile on my face. In it, Ed Hebb, a volunteer at the Henry Ford Estate, shows us how to prepare a Model T for a drive, then takes it for a spin.

What I love, in particular, is the moment where Ed describes what the third pedal in the Model T does. In that moment, as he describes how quickly a person could go from forward to reverse, thanks to this pedal, he talks about how no modern car could do the same. And it was in that moment that I was reminded fiercely of a memory I have of my grandfather. It’s from the August afternoon that my mother and I drove to see him in her then brand-new 1994 Dodge Intrepid. Grandpa looked under the hood and was flabbergasted by what he saw, by how complicated modern car manufacturers had made things. And I imagine that’s the kind of reaction that Ed here might have, too. It’s a reaction that I played up in the book that I’m raising money to finish right now.

Do you have any antique car memories of your own? Ever ride in a rumble seat? 

Geek Force Utterz 166: Shut Up and Eat Your Garbage

In which ECC talks about car accidents, wart removal, and what to do when your kid says the darnedest thing.

Geek Force Utterz #093 - Rambling Man

I got cut off driving through an entirely different cell phone dead zone while recording this morning’s Geek Force Utterz, which is all about why I was commuting from Conway, NH to Boston, MA today. Listen in via the embed above, or by visiting Utterli.com.

Geek Force Utterz #058 - Power at the Tolls

There is no power in the town of Merrimack, this morning. There is no power, except at the toll plazas that you are required to pass through to get out of town. Today’s episode of Geek Force Utterz is about this ridiculous turn of events. Listen in via the embed above, or by visiting Utterli.com, then skip on down to the comments section and leave us your thoughts.