Mike Petrucci

Dispatch 020

• Microadventure 3: Sleep on a Hill » Alastair Humphreys
• Your taste is why your own work disappoints you. » Ira Glass
• Work Better » Paul Jarvis
• When Home Is a Campus Parking Lot » The New York Times
• [thought] Forgive others not because they deserve forgiveness but because you deserve peace.

Dispatch 019

• B-17 low level pass during filming of the 1981 commercial “Don’t Mess With Texas” » YouTube
• A Scientific 7-Minute Workout That Only Requires You, a Wall & a Chair » Laughing Squid
• iPhone Traveler - Apps and Tips from an International Airline Pilot »  » 52 Tiger
• Jeremy Lock: The Chuck Norris of Military Photography » Peta Pixel
• “Live and let live. Don’t pressure others to conform, it just makes you look insecure.” » A Continuous Lean

The Shinola Runwell and Building American Products in Detroit

I like Shinola. I like their bikes, journals, watches and most importantly the story they’re creating.

But I really only want to talk about their watches for a moment. Their first watch, the Runwell, is a limited edition $550 Quartz timepiece. Many people immediately dismiss the watch at this point, but I believe there’s more to it.

Some things cost more because they’re worth more and you should buy accordingly. American quality doesn’t come cheap and it’s something that I personally try and do whenever possible. 

Heck, lifelong quality in general should be important to everyone. We live in a “replaceable” society because things can be so cheap to make and replace. I’m guilty of owning junk just as much as most others are too. 

A few thoughts run through my mind when making purchasing decisions these days. 

• Will I have to replace this item? How much will it cost to replace throughout my life?
• Can I afford it or is it worth my time to save my money and purchase later? Or is it a temporary use item anyway?
• Is it built to a high level of quality so that I’ll be able to pass it down to my kids and grandkids?

While there are always a few variables, those three thoughts arrive first.

To get back to Shinola and the justification of a $550 Quartz watch, I want to quote Shinola’s Community Manager, Brian Ambrozy:

The key thing that sets us apart from other companies is that our movements and watches are all assembled in the USA by hand in Detroit. We’re the first company to build a watch factory in the US in 40 years.

We could easily make a $200 watch if we had it built overseas. That’s not our story. Our story is to create a watchmaking industry here in America.

So, to wrap up the topic of watches, it doesn’t bother me if you buy a Timex Weekender or the Shinola Runwell. I understand that not a lot of people can spend $550 on a watch but I believe it’s worth saving up for. As always, don’t blindly listen to me but dig deeper for yourself.

photo by worn&wound

Dispatch 018

• on camping, and being outdoors » Danielle Hughson
• 13 Things You Can Do Instead Of Missing Someone » Thought Catalog
• Walking the world’s first urban thru-hike » Liz Thomas
• Numbers » Jonas M. Luster
• This is water » YouTube

Dispatch 017

• What are you not doing? » Sean Wes
• Designing Your Dream Life: Uncommon Assumptions & Common Misconceptions » Primer
• Rethinking My Apps and Home Screen » Steve Best
• The Hard Way » Art of Manliness
• 75 Things Every Man Should Do » Esquire

Dispatch 016

• Two months breaking ice (in under five minutes) » The Ocean Voice
• Are You Feeling Overwhelmed? » Chris Brogan
• Lockdown: What to do after locking the doors » onPoint Tactical
• Supermechanical’s Twine [IFTTT for Real Life] » The Verge
• Day 6 on a trek to the South Pole » The Scott Expedition

Dispatch 015

• WWII Aviation Photos » Mission4Today via Triple Aught Design
• drop [awesome typing game] » Markus Persson
• The Creative Advantages of Limits » Fast Company via A Lesser Photographer
• I’m still here: back online after a year without the internet » Paul Miller
• Out of Nothing [movie trailer] » YouTube via A Gentleman’s Word

Dispatch 014

• S240 in the Carson National Forest, NM. » While Out Riding via Pig Monkey
• You’re Bored? That’s So AWESOME. » Mike Sowden
• Open Road | The Climb: GORUCK Ascent » Gear Patrol
• What Man Understands That He Is Dying Daily? (This Is Your Life) » The Art of Manliness
• Five Things People Don’t Do – That You Should » Peter Shankman

Thoughts on Distraction

I highly recommend doing things that force you to not become distracted.

• Ride a bicycle or go for a run.
• Ride a motorcycle.
• Drive a car with no radio or air conditioning.

These are just some things that I do to spur my own thought and idea creation. They require me to focus almost wholly on the task at hand.

Because I can’t multitask while doing those things, my mind is allowed to wander.

When my mind is left to wander, it’s really just open to new things. You wouldn’t believe the clarity I get while I’m doing these activities.

Note: Be sure to have some way of jotting these newfound ideas down, you don’t want to lose them. You’re allowed to use a note taking app on your phone but don’t underestimate pencil and paper.

Dispatch 013

• Living with Limited Space » A Restless Transplant
• A Deliberate Life » Film Trailer
• Live Air Traffic » FlightRadar24
• The Best Computer » Technochocolate
• The Quiet Place » The Quiet Place Project

Adrift

I’m currently reading Adrift: Seventy-Six Days Lost at Sea by Steven Callahan and I’m really enjoying it. Reading his story of exploration and survival in the unknown gets my adventurer gears cranking pretty hard.

“To my mind, voyaging through wildernesses, be they full of woods or waves, is essential to the growth and maturity of the human spirit. It is in the wilderness that you really learn who you are.”

Photo taken by Corey Arnold

iPhone Home Screen | April 25th, 2013

I’m still moving things around but this is what I’m happy with at the moment. I can’t find the true sweet spot…

Oh and I added Instapaper with Pocket because a few people recommended it and I wanted to give it a try.