All the rage

According to an article in the Personal Journal section of today's Wall Street Journal (side note: has there ever been a publication more obsessed with self-reference? The NY Times doesn't even call their sports section Sports Times.) pedestrian rage - the "road rage" of sidewalk travel - is real and gripping the nation. According to U Hawaii psychologist Leon James, signs of a sidewalk rager include muttering or bumping into others; uncaringly hogging a walking lane; and acting in a hostile manner by staring, giving a "mean face" or approaching others too closely. The full article is available here.

Below, a guide of who to avoid and who to potentially follow if in a hurry or prone to rage whilst walking the streets of NYC. Thanks to NYC's Department of City Planning and their April 2006 study 'Pedestrian Level of Service Study, Phase I' for this invaluable data.



Key: 1. Tourists walk 3.79 feet per second; 2. Smokers: 4.17 feet per second; 3. Cellphone users: 4.20 feet per second; 4. Headphone listeners: 4.64 feet per second; 5. Large pedestrians: 3.74 feet per second; 6. Men: 4.42 feet per second; 7. Women: 4.10 feet per second; 8. People with bags: 4.27 feet per second

Thanks to LtGen Perez, Ret. USMC for the look...

Don Draper as Drawn by The Wall Street Journal

Thus far, I don't believe that TCD has weighed in on the start of the 4th Season of Mad Men. Here's a portrait of Don Draper as if he'd been drawn for a Wall Street Journal article (if you haven't seen the first episode, the WSJ reference is a minor, minor spoiler).