Allow me to casually step onto my soapbox for a moment: I’d like to discuss one of my writing philosophies. I encourage writers, as I was encouraged to do by editors before me, to think about the topic they’d like to cover and then explore the “concentric circles” outside that topic for the real story. It’s rarely interesting or relevant to talk directly about a product — for instance, if I were to review the Subaru Outback and simply run through technical specs like cargo capacity and engine displacement and 0-60 times, it would bore the hell out of all but a sliver of readers. But if I make the case that the Outback is “the perfect SUV alternative for unpretentious 30-somethings” and explain why…baby, we got a stew going.
This week we explored concentric circles around some of our favorite topics; namely, watches, cars, tech, beer, food, style and design. Hopefully, you agree that we uncovered some surprising stories: the unnecessity of a Mustang design refresh; a premier watch trade show that counterintuitively featured affordable timepieces; DIY oyster shucking tools; foregoing laptops in favor of the tablet life. After all, if we just regurgitated reality you wouldn’t be visiting Gear Patrol at all. We’d rather find the suprising, fascinating, alternative story within that original, simple idea. Eccentric, authentic: concentric. – Nick Caruso
For Just $25, Hang the Patent for the First iPhone on Your Wall
Other patents include: the first Blackberry, Nintendo 64 and Tesla’s Model S.
