3rdPerson(dot)net

On my way home last night, I stop into my local Starbucks for some cold beverage and park next to this guy. His name is Dr. Safwan Sweidan, a medicine man with a practice in nearby Paterson, NJ, but instead of bringing his work home with him, he prefers to get it done in his convertible Chrysler Sebring, which he converted into a full-functional office complete with Desktop computer, lamp, desk, and even colorful silk flowers to liven up the place.

I walked up to him and told him I was impressed with his setup. I then asked Sweidan why he does his office work in his car and he flatly replied, ” I like it.”

Amazed by the eccentricity of it all, I told him I was a reporter for the New York Post and would love to write a story about him, he then shot me down by saying that the paper had a story about him two years ago and then proceeded to show me the article on his computer.

According to the article, which originally ran July 16, 2006, Dr. Sweidan originally  put a platform over the passenger seat for a place to put his cup of coffee and then slowly added these office items. he also said that he gets more of his “take-home work” done this way and at the time was parking  near Bryant Park.

Needless to say, he gets a lot of onlookers. I originally thought he was some sort of artist trying to make a statement. Below is the full story that ran in the Post.

REAL SPIN DOCTOR; MEDIC MAKES CAR INTO NYC OFFICE

By SUSANNAH CAHALAN

The doctor is always in – his convertible, that is.
Meet Dr. Safwan Sweidan, who turned the front seat of his 2000 Chrysler Sebring into a mobile office, bolting a desktop computer and fax machine to a desk where there used to be a passenger seat.

His rolling office even boasts a pretty desk lamp, sophisticated mini Oriental rug and soothing fake plants.
“I have the cheapest office in New York,” Sweidan said.
Lithuanian-born Sweidan, a divorcée, lives in Kearny, N.J., and practices in Paterson.
But he spends two to three hours a night on the streets of Midtown, usually parking around Bryant Park, where a free WiFi connection allows him Internet access.

Top down, the internist relaxes to the tunes of ABBA, sips coffee, soaks in the atmosphere – and analyzes data on his patients’ heart health.

“I do my take-home work much faster in my car,” Sweidan explained. “I get to be outside – it’s much better than being inside at the office.

“I love New York. I love the scenery, the crowds and the noise. It’s part of my daily life. I live alone so I don’t need to get home. And it’s . . . really easy to meet people.”

The four-wheeled office was born when Sweidan built a small platform over his passenger seat to hold coffee. He added from there – a pen holder, some plastic flowers, a Swingline stapler – then purchased a computer.

“But when I first added a laptop, it got stolen two times,” he said. “So I got a desktop – it’s obviously much harder to steal.”

To power up the office on wheels, all he needed was a little knowledge of high school physics and an extra battery, he said.

All the office furniture and equipment is bolted or glued down. Nothing flies away as he zooms “65 mph on the highway with the top down,” he said.

When he’s parked, crowds converge on the strange coupe.
“Some people think I’m a famous guy or a big-shot movie producer,” he said. “But others think I’m homeless. The No. 1 question is, ‘Do you live out of your car?’ ”

While he likes the attention he gets from curbside pedestrians, it’s not always the positive kind.
He had to remove his computer’s Web cam after some passers-by openly wondered if he was a pervy voyeur.
Another time, “a person called the police because he thought that I was watching porno. Another person thought that I was selling drugs.”

The doc says his next health-care hot rod will be a Mini Cooper.
“It’ll be the smallest office on earth,” he said.
Additional reporting by Juan Gonzalez

Cost of doing business
from doc’s car:
2000 Chrysler
Sebring $5,000
HP desktop
computer $750
eMachine
monitor $150
HP printer/
fax/copier
Sony DVD player $100
Microsoft TV
adapter $50
TV antenna $50
WiFi adapter $50
Plastic flowers $10
Desk lamp $50
Batteries and
converters $130
Stapler $10
Paper tray $10
Loose-change box $2
Paper clips $1
Pen holder $10
Extra ink cartridge $20
Total $6,543
* What he paid for car