Written work
A few of my favorite stories
O ver the last decade working in the media industry, I’ve worn many hats, from running my own creative content studio, freelancing, and working on-staff for some of the largest news and technology websites in the world. Of course, I can’t list here everything I’ve ever written. After all, at Digital Trends and Mashable, I alone would sometimes produce as many as five stories per day — five days a week. So, for the sake of brevity, I’ve compiled a smattering of some of my own personal favorites from my career, which I’ve listed below in chronological order. I hope you enjoy.
KEEP YOUR SNATCH STRAP CLOSE & YOUR FIRE EXTINGUISHER CLOSER
We were about a half-mile up an old wagon track, winding our way up over a rocky bluff, when it happened. Read more…
Why self-driving cars haven’t disrupted the auto industry like they were supposed to
“The era of automated driving is nearly here,” Audi proclaimed in a January 2015 press release. After one of its A7 models completed a 550-mile self-driven journey from Silicon Valley, California to Las Vegas, Nevada, the company was seemingly ready to usher in a completely new age of self-driving transportation. Read more…
Affordable Classic: The MGB
A few years ago, while sitting in my cubicle at General Motors world headquarters in Detroit, MI, I began my search for a classic car — an affordable one. Despite my being in the Motor City, I determined I wanted something from Europe — preferably English or Italian — with a convertible soft top. Read more…
How a Bunch of Bigfoot Hunters Helped Me See My Home State's Breathtaking National Forests in a New Light
It’s just before dawn, on the shortest, darkest day of the year. I’m parked underneath a street lamp at a gas station just east of the Tillamook State Forest. I’m here anxiously awaiting a rendezvous with a pair of Bigfoot trackers from the Bigfoot Research Organization (BFRO): Cindy Caddell and Russ Lockrem. Read more…
Has the world’s largest road rally become an excuse to sell swag?
Tempting fate: Two friends, a 1965 Plymouth, and a 2,700-mile road trip
“I don’t think you’re going to find anything,” I said, as Andy crawled beneath the sea green 1965 Plymouth Fury III that we’d taken to calling ‘Furiosa.’ “Well, here’s a huge exhaust leak,” Andy shot back. Read more…
Moonshot: The Porsche Cayenne was a gamble that paid off
It’s 2003. 50 Cent’s ‘In Da Club’ album is topping the Billboard charts, ‘Finding Nemo’ is breaking box office records, and Porsche is about to ruin its entire reputation with an S—I’m sorry, it’s hard for me to even say it—SUV. It’s insanity, pure lunacy. Read more…
Electric 911: Does this electrified 911 in some odd way actually foretell the future?
With my teeth gritted and an oversized pair of Channellock pliers in hand, I yanked with all my might on the end of a three-prong power cable that appeared to have been borrowed from a Chinese washing machine. Read more…
Cayenne-thology: Members of the PCA family have some stories to tell about the once-maligned Cayenne SUV
When Porsche debuted the Cayenne fifteen years ago, brand enthusiasts around the globe scoffed. They dismissed it as dissolution of Porsche’s purity. After all, how could a husky all-wheel drive SUV, albeit one with the enlarged face of a 911, find a place in the sports car family? Read more…
The Millennial and the MG
Nine months ago, I was throttling the Aston Martin DB11 through the hills of Tuscany, Italy. On that trip, I sipped wine with Aston’s lead engineers and ate pasta across the table from CEO Andy Palmer. Life was good. Right now, my head is resting in a pool of brake fluid underneath an MGB. Staring up at the leaking wheel cylinder from the garage floor of my Detroit-area home, I have to wonder if I made a mistake. Read more…
Timeline: The future of driverless cars, from Audi to Volvo
Just three years ago, autonomous cars seemed like a pipe dream relegated to a far-off decade in the future. But then, last week, Ford announced that in 2021 it’s planning to release an autonomous car without a steering wheel, brake or throttle pedals, designed for ride-sharing. Read more…
How two maverick designers broke GM's rules to re-invent Buick
Even Buick admits it: Most people under 30 have no opinion of Buick as a brand. Most carmakers would find that extremely distressing — especially one with such a long lineage. For Buick, however, it’s an opportunity. The blank slate means the successful luxury brand (it outsold Audi in 2015) has a chance to reinvent itself for a whole generation. Read more…
The trouble with Tesla: Cutting through Elon Musk's hype machine
Consumer Reports recently released its annual survey of car owners that looks at reliability and satisfaction, amongst many other factors. While some brands and models rose and fell in the ranks, none garnered as much press as Tesla’s Model S. Read more…
McLaren's 570S is an 'everyday' sports car. I still needed a massage after driving it.
“Oooooohhh myyyyyyy gaaaaaaaawwwwd!” my passenger, Jon, screamed, as I punched the throttle on the McLaren 570S. “Aaaaahhhhhhhh!” “A—are you being serious?” I stammered back at Jon. Read more…
Driving the Bentley Continental GT3-R in Sonoma, Earthquake Edition
The ground shook in Sonoma this weekend. Every automaker tries to create a distinctive and memorable experience for us when it comes to early test drives. Bentley, through only its choice of location, seems to have taken the cake. Read more…
America's Best Off-Road Trips
Hitting the open road is a distinctly American pastime, and no season calls for it more than summer. But might we suggest a little twist on the idea? We call it the off-road trip, for the folks with four-wheel-drive and a taste for adventure—not to mention dust. So, with the hope to inspire you to break away from the pavement, we’ve compiled some of the greatest trips you can make, all (or mostly) on dirt and gravel. Read more…
