Archive for the ‘Psychology’ Category

It all began, explains author Tom Vanderbilt, when he finally became a "late merger". Instead of meekly getting into line while those [fill in epithet here] zoomed past him to merge just before the end of the lane...he joined them.

His wife cringed. He wondered what this would do to his self-image. Was he really that kind of person? And, more deeply, why do we behave the way we do in traffic? Is it true that late merging actually makes traffic move faster on average?

And that's how this unexpectedly compelling book starts. Face it, if someone said they wanted you to read a fascinating book on ... traffic ... you'd politely nod and try to...

"Something new, full of character, 100 percent BMW..." That we can believe. "Not a sedan, not an SUV, not a wagon." Come on, BMW, you've tried the SAV (Sports-Activity Vehicle) thing already, and we ain't buying it. Last time we checked, 5,000+ lbs, a high roll center, four doors, and a hatch (not to mention a thirsty engine) was an SUV, pure and simple. Could this be BMW's first foray into the crossover segment (for which, undoubtedly, they'll invent yet another acronym all their own)?

In the video promo above, complete with a whiteboarding session meant to evoke the product planning session that resulted in - yawn - yet another BMW SAV...