30 Responses to “The Driving Test”

• Noah Winecoff
  March 19th, 2007
  3:10 pm
  
  

  I am B.

• Avi
  March 19th, 2007
  3:46 pm
  
  

  I think it’s interesting that you gave only two choices to the problem. The most human of tendencies is to separate things into binary choices, good vs evil, Pavement vs. Nirvana, true vs False. Are we not but difference machines? Perhaps the meeting I was going to was so important that I’d just ditch the car and begin running (and if it was you, seeing as you just completed that marathon, I’d bet you’d make it there faster)? Perhaps I’d leave my car as collateral to someone with a bike nearby and take that. Who knows…but given those two choices, I’d suck it up and stay in the traffic. Why? Because there is only one way to get through a problem and that’s straight through it. Plus side streets introduce an entire other set of possible problems (getting lost). So my answer is A.

• Damon Billian
  March 19th, 2007
  4:23 pm
  
  

  (B) Largely due to the fact that I hate sitting in traffic.

• Brian Breslin
  March 19th, 2007
  4:28 pm
  
  

  B, most def.

• pinecool
  March 19th, 2007
  4:42 pm
  
  

  yo, i’d A.

• AdamD
  March 19th, 2007
  4:57 pm
  
  

  I prefer to keep moving, so I’d go with B. That assumes I know where I’m going and I at least think it won’t make me any later.

• wendyness
  March 19th, 2007
  5:21 pm
  
  

  B. There’s always more than one route through life.

• Shivani
  March 19th, 2007
  5:27 pm
  
  

  I would leave 2 hours early and not get stuck in traffic in the first place

  But otherwise, I’m A - I have no sense of direction and would probably turn up even later if I tried to take side roads.

• Will Kern
  March 19th, 2007
  5:35 pm
  
  

  Mos def B, but like Shivani, I would have left several hours early so as to not find myself in that situation!
  One of the things in life that I cannot stand is standing (pun intended) still. I need to keep on moving, if you do not, life will pass you by. But if B is the wrong answer, then I guess A

  Will

  SO what would you do Noah?

• SusanJones (SixGunSusie)
  March 19th, 2007
  5:46 pm
  
  

  B baby B

• Sasan
  March 19th, 2007
  6:11 pm
  
  

  I regularly take the side roads. Sure, I could sit and wait out traffic but why not go a way that other people don’t know about and get to where I’m going faster?. I might hit construction on the side roads, and sometimes it slows me down more than if I had stuck to the freeway but it’s a risk I’m willing to take

• Noah Kagan
  March 19th, 2007
  7:10 pm
  
  

  I personally take B. Why? Cause even though it takes the same amount of time the fact that I am doing something and making progress makes me feel better. I would rather take the risk than wait it out in a traffic like everyone else.

  I am not saying person A is bad I am just saying they are a sheep and part of the flock. Wow. When you say it like that it sounds so harsh. It is fine to accept new things and not challenge them. This person knows they are going the right way and will eventually get to the right location.

  Person B. Oh, you are probably the person I hate who cuts lanes to save 5 minutes but you take the exit in hopes of finding the holy grail of short cuts. I do that as well. I love to just take the side roads, hit a few stop lights and eventually get to my stop rather then wait in traffic.

  I would say Person A is an employee and Person B is an entrepreneur. Is that bad? Not at all. That is why not everyone is the president and not everyone is an accountant. Zing Shivani=)

• Raelene
  March 19th, 2007
  8:00 pm
  
  

  As a motorcyclist, I have to say, “What grid-lock?” Closely followed by, “Wheee!”

• Sri
  March 19th, 2007
  8:26 pm
  
  

  I hate A but I rather wait it out.

• Dimitry
  March 19th, 2007
  10:49 pm
  
  

  I’m always on the go and driving is my thing.

  I’m B.

• Jon
  March 19th, 2007
  11:49 pm
  
  

  i would go B for sure, if i knew the back roads pretty well. I enjoy driving around in twisty and hilly roads.

• Will Kern
  March 20th, 2007
  5:33 am
  
  

  Noah,
  I knew your answer before you even said it. Your analogy of what Person A and person B are is dead on,albeit a little harsh on A for being a sheep in the flock. There are certain people for certain jobs in life, and we need both in order to make this world go round. How would all of us B (um, risk takers / entrepreneurs) ever get anything done if we did not have the A ( patient / good at following directions / risk averse) type of people to actually do the things we dream up. It is like Ying and Yang, Ebony and Ivory, living in perfect harmony! (sorry, little Stevie Wonder / Paul McCartney ref there)

  Will

• Ben
  March 20th, 2007
  6:32 am
  
  

  Noah, that is a simple and generalized statement. I’m definitely in your A category, and that’s only because I’ve already done B and discovered that it wastes gas and always ends up taking more time. Also, what’s the benefit of scrambling to get home 5 minutes earlier?

• Devin
  March 20th, 2007
  9:04 am
  
  

  Semblance of progress, oh, cool, that makes you an entrepreneur? Feeling better about yourself by doing something?

  Maybe you’re just impatient. Maybe you just can’t sit still.

• Sean Tierney
  March 20th, 2007
  9:08 am
  
  

  sidestreets. or off-road if necessary.

• Paul
  March 20th, 2007
  9:27 am
  
  

  I am B 100% of the time now that I have Google Maps on my Blackberry Pearl.

• Damon Billian
  March 20th, 2007
  9:55 am
  
  

  Take the road less travelled;-)

• msdanielle
  March 20th, 2007
  1:11 pm
  
  

  i’m B all the way. if i don’t explore i won’t know if there’s a short cut. i’ve actually found amazing short cuts doing this, especially important when driving out of downtown LA to Orange County after work. and, if it turns out to be the opposite, then i have the satisfaction of knowing it’s not a short cut.

  btw, did u take that picture in LA? that pretty much looks like my “drive” home

• Marshall Middle
  March 20th, 2007
  1:21 pm
  
  

  B. I enjoy finding new routes

• atish
  March 21st, 2007
  1:29 am
  
  

  I’d take B even if there wasn’t a traffic jam.

• Dave McClure
  March 21st, 2007
  2:33 am
  
  

  i’m definitely B.

  altho i think there’s also another type C, that stays in modest gridlock, and optimizes for faster moving lanes (ie, changes lanes & thinks they just saved a few seconds while those behind get annoyed). that would be me.

  of course, i’m usually also the guy in Office Space who, as soon as you move into the apparently faster moving lane, it comes to a dead stop & the one you just left starts moving.

  fuck me.

• noah kagan
  March 21st, 2007
  10:34 am
  
  

  I love you Dave. We can carpool to work from now on.

• tavarse
  March 24th, 2007
  1:26 pm
  
  

  i want my licese

• karen
  September 3rd, 2007
  6:30 pm
  
  

  Get a GPS unit (I *heart* mine!!!!) and become a B!

  I agree…I can’t sit still. I feel like LIFE is passing me by and I’m missing out on something. I’ll have none of that!

• claire
  September 21st, 2007
  9:25 pm
  
  

  I’ve tried A and B. Largely, it doesn’t matter which you choose, the B people clog the side roads, and the A people don’t leave the freeway. It’s a gamble either way and you never really know how it would have turned out had you made a different choice.

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