You're Probably Not Average

Little Sisters Versus BIG GOVERNMENT You've got to hand it to The Little Sisters of the Poor. They may be meek and lowly of heart, but they are also savvy when it comes to PR. They presented a brief to the US Supreme Court this week to be exempted from having anything to do with supplying contraceptives to their employees (directly or indirectly), many of whom are not nuns. It's a significant religious freedom story surrounding Obamacare. The Little Sisters campaign is cheeky, and let's face it, a little manipulative. But it's fun to see it in action here.

You're Probably Not Average Have you ever bought a product that just didn't seem to fit you? It may have been made assuming you were an average person, and that a lot of average people would be using that product. It turns out that's a bad way to design things, and sometimes it will even kill people. After a rash of unnecessary crashes with Air Force pilots in the 1950s, engineers (trying to lessen pilot error) tried to design the perfect cockpit based on the average dimensions of a typical pilot. Out of 4,063 pilots [surveyed], not a single airman fit within the average range on all 10 dimensions [of the human body]. One pilot might have a longer-than-average arm length, but a shorter-than-average leg length. Another pilot might have a big chest but small hips. Even more astonishing, Daniels discovered that if you picked out just three of the ten dimensions of size — say, neck circumference, thigh circumference and wrist circumference — less than 3.5 percent of pilots would be average sized on all three dimensions. Daniels's findings were clear and incontrovertible. There was no such thing as an average pilot. If you've designed a cockpit to fit the average pilot, you've actually designed it to fit no one. This insight led to commonplaces today: adjustable seats, foot pedals, and chin straps. And "pilot performance soared."

For Insecure Car Guys This is how I tell my car autobiography. My first car was a beater, 1964 VW Bug and nothing to look at. Starting out, my wife and I had small sedans, and then we moved up to a Volkswagen van and then a conversion van when the house was full of kids. Somewhere toward the end that phase, I finally got a car that would do my self-esteem some good: a BMW. That lasted a short season, because it was terribly impractical, and I finally settled on a SUV—still cool but also practical. In this season of my life, when I could choose any car I like for any reason, one that would project to the world who I am and what I stand for, I ended up buying (drumroll, please)—a minivan. It's just so practical for a fix-it guy and grandpa! Let's face it, though: self-esteem took a big hit. This is one reason I LOVED this piece, "If You're a Real Grown-Up, Minivans are Cooler than Crossovers." At my age, I like to think of myself as a real grown-up. Finally. (Then again, real grown-ups don't need to justify their automobile purchases....)

Why This Friday Is Especially Good You'll receive this on Good Friday, so you might want to click here first: "The Goodness of Good Friday." And if you've ever been told that Easter had its start as a pagan holiday (a not uncommon charge in Muslim countries), you might want to check this out. All in all, if you're just interested in how the past helps make sense of the present, check out our newly designed Christian History website.

Grace and peace,

Mark Galli Editor, Christianity Today