Biofuel Engine

Local industries and an old hobby

2009-12-15T06:38:00.000-08:00

Haven't posted in a while... sorry!

Many years ago, my dad asked me what we make in our area. He's an old-school fella, and has concerns about the viability of a service-based economy. I'm not so sure he's off base here. At the time, I didn't have a good answer.

Recently, my ADD-addled brain brought me back around to an old hobby I dabbled in as a child - model railroading. While doing a little background research, I started looking at what industries there were in my area that are served by the railroad. Some interesting finds resulted:

A lightbulb plant
A peanut-butter plant
A sand/gravel/brick maufacturer
A scrap metals and recycling center
A major auto manufacturer
An army base
A major crane manufacturer
A manufacturer of packaging labels
Several agricultural and lumber businesses
A PET packaging manufacturer
A wire manufacturer
A plastics manufacturer
A paper manufacturer
An electrical equipment manufacturer
A specialty steel products manufacturer

And these were just the obvious ones picked up by scanning the railroad tracks around town on Google Maps. It doesn't even count all the manufacturers who don't use rail transportation, or who used to use rail but no longer do. Nor does it count this area being the home of a regional railroad line and services company.

Interesting what you find out about your town when you start poking around a little bit.

Letter to my Senators on Healthcare

2009-11-10T10:24:00.000-08:00

Dear Senator,

You'll shortly be receiving for your consideration the health care bill that was passed by the House (as if you didn't already know that!).

I'd recommend that you and your fellow Senators simply burn it and start over from scratch. It's a horrible travesty of a bill that doesn't even try to address health care issues in America.

Not only do I think the bill passed by the House is the wrong answer... I'm not even sure it's the right question!

I think we should work towards a market-based approach that encourages and rewards creative solutions by the private sector by doing things like (in no particular order):

Crack down hard on fraud and abuse.
Establish "best practices" for common diagnostics that will simultaneously give doctors freedom to handle individual cases individually, but also avoid trapping them into ordering a CAT scan for every head cold.
Streamline the billing and payment system for more efficiency, lower cost, and better transparency of those real costs to the end user.
Promote HSAs and other things that will allow end consumers to understand the real costs of their health care, while encouraging competition to drive those costs down.
Encourage "team care" and better sharing of medical records so that patients don't have to start over from scratch with each new specialist they see for a particular condition.
Understand that PROFIT is a motivator, and can be a good thing if utilized correctly.
Understand that government is inherently inefficient (that's not necessarily a bad thing, but must be taken into consideration), and should be in the business of setting the rules, not playing the game.

There's probably a few more ideas I could come up with, but that's a start. The point is, we don't need government mandates, single payer, "public option" and all of that. We need efficiency - and efficiency comes from a competitive market with the right safeguards in place.

It is well known that business - like people - respond far better to positive reinforcement than negative. The House bill is a stick, and it's being used to fix the wrong problem. Throw it out and grow a carrot that will fix the right problems!

I'm sure you'll do the right thing regarding this issue. After all, your job depends on it!

Thank you,

BGTwinDad

The road to Hell...

2009-09-15T11:08:00.000-07:00

A recent article on Weather.com echoed a sentiment i've heard many times recently, but it seems to fall on deaf ears. Antibacterial and antimicrobial cleansers, soaps and other materials may be a classic case of the best of intentions gone far awry.

There's a couple of different mechanisms at work here. First, the antibacterial stuff kills of most, but not all of the bacteria, encouraging the "stronger" ones (more resistant to the anti-) to proliferate. Second, the antibacterial chemicals are present in low concentrations in the retail products, so it takes a long time (if ever) for them to do their job. Couple this with the fact that most people only wash their hands for a few seconds (if at all!), and the stuff has no chance of working.

Third, research is showing that exposure to a variety of germs can help to keep our immune system active and healthy. Killing the germs off can result in a "bored" immune system, thought by some to be a contributing factor to allergies and asthma.

All this together means that we're really no better off (and possibly actually worse off!) using antibacterial soaps in most instances than using regular soaps.

Whoda thunk?

Mac mini vs. Dell, Round 3

2009-08-31T18:37:00.000-07:00

And now, for Round 3 in our Mac mini vs. Dell debate.

Today, we'll compare Mac mini vs. the Chipper Chicken - the least expensive desktop model I could find on Dell's website. Our third Dell contender is the Inspiron 537s, and its specs (as compared to the mini) are as follows:

Item	Mac mini	Inspiron 537s
Price	$799	$269
Processor	2GHz Core2 Duo E7300	Celeron 450 2.2GHz
L2 Cache	3MB shared	512kB
Frontside Bus	1GHz	800MHz
Memory	2GB DDR3 1GHz	2GB DDR2 800MHz
HDD	320GB/5400rpm	320GB/7200rpm
Video	GeForce 9400M	GMA X4500
Network	Gigabit	100Mbit
802.11N Wireless	Included	Optional
PassMark CPU	1371 / 192	668 / 377

And here we go...

Mac mini vs. the Chipper Chicken

The first, most obvious thing we notice is that purchasers of the Insprion 537s save a whopping $530. That's quite a savings, no matter how you cut it. In fact, you could buy nearly three Inspirons for the price of the Mac mini!

But what do you get for your savings? The mini's processor is significantly faster, despite the Celeron's slightly higher base clock. This is due to the Core 2 Duo's inherently more powerful core and, of course, the fact that there are two of them. The mini also sports six times the L2 Cache, a faster memory bus, and the more efficient DDR3 memory.

In addition to the formidable processor and memory differences, the mini sports a significantly more powerful graphics processor, a faster network port, and built-in 802.11N wireless.

All of this points to the fact that, unlike Rounds 1 and 2, these two computers aren't really in the same class. It's like comparing a Yugo to a Mustang. Sure, they've both got four wheels, passenger seating and all the mandatory safety features, and sure, the Yugo is much cheaper, but they really don't compare.

That being said, a computer like the Inspiron will be a good choice for a surprising number of people, especially those on an extremely tight budget. It should do well for basic web browsing (though not, likely, with significant video content), text editing, and other such non-intensive activities.

Still, if you can afford them, any of the other reviewed machines would provide a far better long-term solution for most folks' computing needs.

Next Episode: Software! OS-X vs. Windows!

All of this results in a computer that isn't really even in the same class.

Mac mini vs. Dell, Round 2

2009-08-28T19:16:00.000-07:00

Round 1 of Mac mini vs. Dell ended in either a draw or a slight lead on hardware to Dell. Of course, we have a long way to go.

Today, in Round 2, were go head to head on features. Our Dell contender this go round will be the Studio Slim, a trim midrange model that I found by using Dell's parametric search tool and searching on as close a processor match as I could find to the mini's Core 2 Duo processor.

For reference, here's a replication of the specs chart from Round 1:

Item	Mac mini	XPS630	Studio Slim
Price	$799	$799	$539
Processor	2GHz Core2 Duo E7300	3GHz Core2 E8400	2.66GHz Core2 Duo E7300
L2 Cache	3MB shared	6MB	3MB
Frontside Bus	1GHz	1.3GHz	1GHz
Memory	2GB DDR3 1GHz	2GB DDR2 1GHz	2GB DDR2 800MHz
HDD	320GB/5400rpm	500GB/7200rpm	500GB/7200rpm
Video	GeForce 9400M	Dual GeForce GTS 240	GMA X4500HD
Network	Gigabit	Gigabit	Gigabit
802.11N Wireless	Included	Optional	Optional (included)
PassMark CPU	1371 / 192	2156 / 99	1794 / 129

So, here we go...

Mac min vs. the Spec Match:

The Dell Studio Slim is one of Dell's fashionable midrange models. Weighing in at a slim $539 with the optional 802.11N wireless card added, it's significantly less expensive than the Mac mini. What other differences can we find between the two?

The mini is still by far the smaller machine. It also boasts the newer generation, faster DDR3 memory, running at a faster 1GHz bus frequency. This means the memory subsystem is about 30% faster than the Dell. It also has the somewhat more powerful NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor.

On the other hand, the Studio Slim boasts a somewhat faster 2.66GHz processor (PassMark at 1794 vs. 1371 for the Mac), a modestly larger 500GB hard disk, and - of course - more room for expansion.

The performance differences outlined above would be relatively minor at price parity, but factor in the $170 price difference and this is a significant win for Dell.

Here we see fairly clearly the cost tradeoffs of the Mac mini design. One of the core design principles for the mini is its extremely compact size. To reach that goal requires the use of more expensive laptop components vs. the Studio's standardized (and less expensive) desktop components. Dell is able to exploit this to a fairly significant value difference.

Keep in mind, though, this is only a hardware comparison, and as we will see in a later round, there are significant differences in the software load that may make this a closer match than it appears here.

Next up: Mac mini vs. the Chipper Chicken!

First Day of School Rant

2009-08-28T08:47:00.001-07:00

Oooh... I'm going to get into SO much trouble for this post.

A lot of my friends and acquaintances have children who are attending school (usually Kindergarten) for the first time. My own two went off to third grade a few weeks ago, so it hasn't been all that long since I did the same with them. Plus, we spent a fair amount of time volunteering in the church nursery when they were little, and I saw a lot of parents dropping off their little ones for the first time - or the thirtieth time.

Folks.... GET A GRIP!

Your child is just FINE. Your child is where he (or she) is SUPPOSED TO BE. Your child is GROWING UP. Your child NEEDS to learn that it's perfectly normal to go away from mommy for the day and hang out with his friends and teacher.

Now, certainly, there are the rare exceptional case of a child who's particularly troubled in one way or the other, but I've seen FAR too many parents and children with separation problems!

Is that first day of school bittersweet for the parents? Yes. Is it a bit scary for the kid? Certainly... but only for the first five minutes or so before he meets Bobby in the chair next to him and starts chatting wildly about Bakugan. Then, usually, he completely forgets the issue until he gets home to his worried parent who, by expressing his/her concern and sadness, reminds him that going off to school is a scary thing.

My son HATES transitions. He doesn't like changing clothes. He doesn't like changing channels. He doesn't like leaving the house, the car, or anything else. And yes, the night before the first day of THIRD GRADE, he told me he didn't want to go to school. And guess what? The next morning, we got up, had breakfast, left the house and I dropped him off at school just like it was mid-November and he'd been in the routine for months. And when his mom picked him up that afternoon, guess what? He was all excited about the new friends he'd met and the old friends he'd reconnected with. Same reaction he's had every year since that first day of preschool.

I always cringed while doing nursery duty (on principle, we never watched our own kids unless it was unavoidable) when a nervous mom or dad (or both!) would make a big deal of dropping their kid off. The most well adjusted kids were always the children of parents who dropped them off, signed the papers, and casually said "see you after Church, honey!" while walking away like it was the most normal thing in the world. The children, almost inevitably, would saunter off, find a friend and/or a toy, and be happy as a clam until mommy returned. Even on the rare occasion when a child seemed traumatized, the vast bulk of time once mommy was out of sight the child would dry up, find a friend and/or a toy and play contentedly until mommy's return (at which time, promptly, the waterworks would be turned back on...). I could count on one hand the number of times a child was truly inconsolable - and most of those, the kid was probably ill.

I'm convinced that in the vast majority of cases, parents unwittingly project their own separation anxiety onto the children, who are usually much better adjusted to the situation than the parents. Those who teach their kids early on that it's normal to be apart for a while (church child care, occasional babysitters, preschool, then school) end up with self-confident kids who trot off to school like it's the most normal, everyday thing in the world - WHICH IT IS!

I made a rule when our kids started Kindergarten. I do not accompany them to school unless I have a need to (a) haul heavy stuff or (b) talk to the teacher. First day of school it's "Have a nice day, and watch the seatbelt when you shut the door!". Am I a mean daddy? Probably. Do my kids fret and cry over going to school? Nope. Not a bit. They usually hit the ground running.

Kids are supposed to grow up. They're supposed to go off to school, to be independent, to tie their own shoes, make their own beds and pack their own suitcases. Don't shed tears when they do these things. Laugh and clap for joy. Worry when they don't, or when they can't. But make sure they're not just picking up that vibe from you.

Go ahead... < puts on fireproof suit > Fire away...

Mac mini vs. Dell, Round 1

2009-08-27T18:45:00.000-07:00

VS.

The top two complaints I hear about Macs from PC users are price and compatibility. In all fairness, Macs hold only about 10% of the market, and they at least appear quite expensive, bang-for-buck.

I'm very enamored with my new Mac mini, but to be fair, I thought I'd do a breakdown vs. some comparable Dell models. The intended use matters very much in choosing a "best" system. In this case, it's a typical home user who surfs the web, uses office apps, perhaps uses Netflix instant movies or Hulu, runs Quicken, and the like. Heavy duty gaming is saved for the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, not for the computer. No heavy video editing or graphic arts, either. I believe that this is the type of user Apple is targeting with the Mac mini. A significantly different use case would require a different selection of computers.

For comparison, I chose the $799 2GB/320GB mini model, and sought out three Dell models to compare it against: (a) the cheapest desktop they have, (b) the desktop their parameter searcher brought up as the same price ($799), and (c) as close as I could get on a feature-for-feature customization match.

I came up with the Inspiron 537s Slim ($269), the Studio Slim ($539) and the XPS630 ($799). Here's a chart of the specs:

Item	Mac mini	XPS630	Studio Slim
Price	$799	$799	$539
Processor	2GHz Core2 Duo E7300	3GHz Core2 E8400	2.66GHz Core2 Duo E7300
L2 Cache	3MB shared	6MB	3MB
Frontside Bus	1GHz	1.3GHz	1GHz
Memory	2GB DDR3 1GHz	2GB DDR2 1GHz	2GB DDR2 800MHz
HDD	320GB/5400rpm	500GB/7200rpm	500GB/7200rpm
Video	GeForce 9400M	Dual GeForce GTS 240	GMA X4500HD
Network	Gigabit	Gigabit	Gigabit
802.11N Wireless	Included	Optional	Optional (included)
PassMark CPU	1371 / 192	2156 / 99	1794 / 129

Item	Mac mini	Inspiron 537s
Price	$799	$269
Processor	2GHz Core2 Duo E7300	Celeron 450 2.2GHz
L2 Cache	3MB shared	512kB
Frontside Bus	1GHz	800MHz
Memory	2GB DDR3 1GHz	2GB DDR2 800MHz
HDD	320GB/5400rpm	320GB/7200rpm
Video	GeForce 9400M	GMA X4500
Network	Gigabit	100Mbit
802.11N Wireless	Included	Optional
PassMark CPU	1371 / 192	668 / 377

I'll explain the meaning and details of some of these values as we go along. All of these machines are easily obtainable from either Apple or Dell, and they're pretty much off the shelf configurations. I did add the optional 802.11N wireless to the Studio Slim since it was supposed to be as close to the Mac mini as I could make it. The wireless option is included in my price of $539. I did not include any tax or shipping costs. None of the prices include monitors, keyboards, mice or other peripherals either, just to keep things fair.

I've chosen the PassMark benchmark test suite results to compare the processors. These tests are an average of many user submissions, and is easily available.

The Dells, as priced, don't include any productivity software, and I'll hold off on comparing OS X vs. Windows until the end, since those comparisons are the same across all machines. However, these differences can be the deal maker/breaker, so hold on.

But first, the hardware comparisons!

General Observations:

A few general observations can be made about the mini vs. all the Dells. The mini is obviously much smaller than even the Studio Slim. It's also quite an attractive package.

On the other hand, because the Dells are all made with industry standard PC parts (except the Dell-custom motherboards), they are generally easily repaired and easily upgraded. This can result in more flexibility and a longer use life. The Mac mini is generally not user-modifiable, unless you're a "hacker" and don't mind voiding the warranty.

Mac mini vs. the Price Match:

The Dell XPS630 is marketed as the base model of Dell's gaming machines, which means it's supposed to have some serious horsepower. Also, note that the XPS630 is quite a bit larger than the mini.

The XPS630, at the same price, sports a significantly faster processor, a moderately larger hard disk (500GB vs. 320GB), and dual video controllers. Also, largely by virtue of its larger size, it provides several PCI and PCIe expansion slots, drive bays, and more USB ports. It does not, however, come with wireless, though this is a low-priced option. On price, I'd say the larger hard disk and lack of wireless are a wash - unless wireless is particularly important to you.

In short, if raw horsepower and expandability matter, and size doesn't, the XPS630 wins. On the other hand, for this type of user, too much horsepower is wasted, expansion ports often go unused, and size very well may matter, so I think the mini is still competitive here.

Next episode: Mac mini vs. the Feature Match!

Remembrance of Things Past

2009-08-25T05:59:00.000-07:00

Driving to work this morning, I was reminded of some simple childhood fun.

When I grew up, I lived on the only road on our side of the river. The interstate had not yet been completed, so there were quite a few semi trucks driving by the house. We used to sit on the bank by the road and watch the traffic go by. When a truck would approach, we would stand up and make the horn-blowing fist-pump motion - upper arm straight out, forearm straight up, hand in a fist, pumping up and down, simulating pulling on the activation cord for the air horn. The truckers would usually reward us with a blast or two on their air horn in response.

Fast forward thirty years. On my way to work this morning, I was behind a semi truck passing a group of kids waiting for the school bus. One of them was making the motion, and the trucker responded in kind.

If you're reading, chime in with a favorite childhood memory or two...

Some things never change, I guess...

Mac mini - First Impressions

2009-08-21T08:08:00.001-07:00

My trusty iMac G5 is finally getting long in the tooth and showing some erratic behavior after five years of nearly flawless performance. Since we use this as our family workhorse, especially tracking finances and communicating with others, we needed a quick, cost effective replacement.

Of course, our household is pretty sold on Mac products, Windows XP is old, Windows 7 is still vaporware, and I wouldn't touch Vista with the proverbial 10-foot pole, so we headed to the Apple Store (online) and considered our options.

Our original plan (before old Smaug started coughing a bit too much smoke) was to buy a MacBook Pro for mommy and daddy, and then follow up eventually with a Mac mini for the kids. However, sometimes plans have to bend to reality, and there was no way we were going to be able to bridge the iMac until the second computer purchase. So, instead, we went straight for the Mac mini and put off the MB-Pro.

Of course, the mini is a BYOKMD box (bring-your-own-keyboard-mouse-and-display), so we also added a nifty 24" widescreen display from Dell and dusted off an old PC keyboard/mouse combo I had laying around. We also, following the "buy the highest performance one you can afford so it won't go obsolete next week" line of thinking, picked the $800 2GB / 250GB mini instead of the cheaper $600 1GB/150GB model.

Here are my first impressions.

Ordering Experience:

First, the ordering process was very simple. Even the "cheap" Apple products are pretty well decked out, so there weren't a gazillion options to choose from. Upgraded processor (no), memory (no), hard disk (no), a few pre-installed applications (again, no), keyboard and mouse (not yet!), accessories, and service plan. Click a few radio buttons, hit the "Buy it" button, and on through the usual checkout process. One relatively nice thing (in the "this should be expected") is that a single click-through on the confirmation status took me to the "Order Status", and a single click from there took me straight to FedEx's tracking data. Very simple and clean.

By contrast, the Dell process was not quite so simple. Don't get me wrong - Dell has a very nice website and ordering system. Still, by contrast, it was harder to find and select the best monitor choice (partly because they have so many choices!), and the checkout process was a bit less clear, due in part to somewhat over-fancy graphics. Again, I'm talking a "9" or maybe a "9.5" vs. a "10" here. It really wasn't a big deal. Dell also shipped via FedEx, and the monitor arrived a full two days prior to the computer. Granted, they were shipping from Texas, not China, but they won the race there.

Where Dell really fell short was their shipping confirmation email. It was in plaintext (not a big deal), and had no less than 10 separate links pertaining to various aspects of my order (including definitions, terms & conditions, a copy of the order confirmation, service rebates, etc.). It was difficult to pick out which one would give me the one piece of information I really wanted - the tracking info! To make matters worse, the top link on the page went nowhere. It was a real letdown in an otherwise excellent ordering experience. To me, once I get the "your order has shipped!", the only question I care about is "Where is my package?". All the rest of the stuff should be in a separate email (maybe the ironically much cleaner order confirmation?) or relegated to clearly lower priority part of the email. I want a single, boldfaced, prominent link that says "TRACK YOUR PACKAGE".

Out Of Box:

Out of box, both products scored very well. I especially noted how they were securely packaged using a minimum - and a minimal variety - of packaging materials. I got the sense that both companies have put a lot of thought into how to safely ship their product with an absolute minimum of waste. And best of all - NO PEANUTS!

The monitor, at about 17lbs, shipped in a slim brown corrugated cardboard box with folded, corrugated cardboard "brackets" to suspend the display within the box. There were also two plastic bags (one for the screen and a second for the base) and a minimal amount of plastic scratch protection over shiny parts. One clever idea: a large paper sheet served double duty as protection for the screen face and as the quick setup sheet with only a handful of pieces of tape to hold it in place. Good thinking on someone's part. Why waste another piece of paper or plastic here? The accompanying "product guide" (legal / warranty mumbo jumbo) and documentation CD were also safely but minimally packaged. Well done, Dell!

As hard an act to follow in this sense as the Dell monitor was, the Mac mini certainly gave it a run for its money. I'll have to explain this one from the inside out, though. First, the computer itself is relatively tiny, at only 6 lbs (shipping weight!), 6.5" square and 2" high, with a separate power brick. The computer, power brick/cord, remote, CDs and paperwork are packaged in tight-fitting cardboard spacers (no styrofoam!) inside a cardboard retail box that is shrink-wrapped. The retail box is then suspended within a corrugated cardboard shipping box by a pair of formed pieces of what I can only describe as the paper equivalent of particle board. The only "downer" I can see here is a nearly excessive use of a cellophane-like plastic wrap around the computer, remote and power brick for scratch protection.

Installation:

Installation couldn't be much easier. The monitor, like virtually all monitors was quite simple: snap in the base, plug in power and video cables, and turn on. The computer was not much more complex. Power, video and keyboard cables (and all other cables) plug into the back. One minor complication was in the video cabling. Because the Mac mini is so small, there is no room for a standard DVI connector on the back. Instead, it provides both a mini-DVI and an Apple DisplayPort, along with a min-DVI to standard DVI adaptor in the box.

Unfortunately, this brings up the one serious downside I have found so far. Cable management is an important issue. Right now, I have five cables coming from the back of this small box: power, video, ethernet, keyboard and an external USB hub. The mini is sitting on my desktop and the cables dangle off the back of the desk. It presents a relatively clean appearance. However, none of the connectors provide more than simple friction to keep them in place. I have already accidentally unplugged the power and mini-DVI connectors more than once while messing around with my desk organization. Losing video is disconcerting, but the computer recovers happily. However, losing power will cause the computer to crash. While OS X is relatively robust to accidental loss of power, this is never a good thing for a computer. For this reason, a better design would provide a more secure power connection. However, it doesn't seem likely that once I get things settled I'll be moving the thing around and knocking the cables loose, and some careful cable management behind the desk will likely further protect things.

Initial User Experience:

Now that I've been using the new mini for a few weeks, I can comment on the user experience. First, this little guy is quiet! Our G5 iMac had a rather annoying fan control bug that caused it to be quite loud. Since my wife suffers from migraines, this did not endear her to the computer. Not so the Mac mini. It is sitting atop my desk at approximately chest level, and I have yet to hear a peep from it, except when loading a DVD. It is virtually silent.

It is also remarkably fast. For everyday tasks, it seems to run effortlessly, with very little wait time. I have a MacBook Pro at work with a 2.4GHz Dual Core processor and the same memory load, and frankly I can't tell the difference. I have yet to run any benchmarks, but I did compile the Apache 2.0 web server, and (compared to compiling it on the iMac) at first I thought the compile had failed, it finished so quick.

As for the operating system, right now it is running OS X 10.5.8 (Leopard), and I have pre-ordered OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard), due out next month. The iMac was - and still is - running 10.4 (Tiger). Leopard has been out for a while now, and its usability on the Mac mini is much the same as any other Mac: excellent. I especially like the improved parental controls over Tiger. I can place more meaningful limits on the kids' computer use to match their age and maturity. The new features in iLife 09 are very handy (I'm especially enjoying the facial recognition and place marking in iPhoto!), and the look and feel is quite pleasant.

In short, I'm well pleased with my purchase. Macs are expensive computers, there's no doubt, and the Mac mini is no exception. All told, I'm just over a thousand dollars into this box, and a "comparable" PC might have cost half that. However, in my estimation, the overall experience is worth it. We're quite happy with our new little addition.

Quick Update on the Shaving Experiment

2009-08-21T05:43:00.000-07:00

The Good:

My first razor lasted approximately twice as long as I estimated in the original analysis. That would cut the overall cost of disposable blade shaving in half, making it far more competitive with the electric razor on cost. Plus, with even a little practice, blade shaving is fast, certainly faster than the electric - or at least it seems so. It fits very conveniently in my routine between shower and tooth-brushing.

The Bad:

Turns out, you've pretty much gotta shave every day, or at most every other day. Otherwise the stubble gets into this messy range where it's too long to comfortably shave, but not long enough for the trimmers. That makes for an unpleasant shaving day. 5:00 shadow doesn't look so good at 9:00 am.

The Ugly:

My mug when it's not hiding behind a copious amount of facial hair. Ya gotta sport what the good Lord gave you, though.

Blogs on Blogs...

2009-08-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

How fun is this... we're planning a birthday party for the Twins. We are having a movie themed party, and we had these nifty popcorn-box shaped cards to use for invitations. Unfortunately, the available print space is too small to put all the information we need...

Solution: Create a blog and put the URL on the invitation. The blog post includes all the party details, including a Google map of the theater. The embedded map can be scrolled and zooomed, and switched between map and satellite views. It's neat!

And, folks can RSVP by commenting on the blog!

Then, the same evening, I get the bright idea to start another blog to handle news and discussion for the Cub Scout pack we're trying to start at the school. Shazam! Blogger to the rescue. All of a sudden I'm managing a half dozen different blogs.

Ain't the interwebs great? :-)

On Cousins

2009-08-10T10:10:00.001-07:00

Due to the recent additions to the extended family, I got curious and studied up on the whole naming convention surrounding cousins...

Apparently, the first/second/third thing is defined by the minimum number of generations separating one of the two people in question from their nearest common ancestor, while the "once removed / twice removed" thing is the difference in generation between the two people in question.

Easier explained by example (actually, easiest explained by the chart in the above-linked article!)

So, TwinGirl & TwinBoy and TwinCousin (my newly arrived nephew) are one generation away from their nearest common ancestor (TwinMamaw & TwinPapaw), so that makes them, naturally, first cousins. There's no "removed" because they are all of the same generation. However, assume for a moment, some time in the future, TwinGirl has a child named Fred. Fred and TwinCousin would be "first cousins, once removed" because again the common ancestor is TwinMamaw, one generation from TwinCousin ("first cousins"), but TwinCousin and Fred are a generation apart ("once removed"). Now, if TwinCousin has a child, named Mary, Fred and Mary would be second cousins because you have to go two generations back to a common ancestor, but not removed because they're both the same generation. However, Mary and TwinGirl would be first cousins once removed for the same reason Fred and TwinCousin are.

Now, let's look at a more complicated example.

Starting with TwinGreatGrandpa, there's TwinGrandpa, then me, then TwinBoy. Also, there's Uncle DH (who married TwinGrandpa's sister), Cousin DH (his son), Cousin JH (his son) and then cousin BH (his daughter).

Cousin DH and I are first cousins, JH and I are first cousins, once removed, and BH and I are first cousins, twice removed. Cousin DH and TwinBoy are first cousins, once removed, JH and TwinBoy are second cousins, and BH and TwinBoy are second cousins, once removed.

So basically, I am first cousins (+/- some removes) with every descendant of TwinGreatGrandpa because I am one generation away from the "start of the tree". My kids are first cousins once removed with TwinGreatGrandpa's grandchildren (because those grandchildren are one generation away), but second cousins (+/- some removes) with his great-grandchildren and their descendants (because the nearest person is two generations away from the common ancestor).

Confusing? Yes, but not so bad once you grok the pattern.

Welcome to the family, TwinCousin!!

Decisions, decisions: Shaving!

2009-07-27T09:02:00.000-07:00

Hrm.

I've had a fairly decent Norelco cordless razor for about 4 years, and it's close to giving up the ghost. I haven't replaced the heads - ever - though I've kept them clean, and the battery is not holding a charge anymore.

I'm not very interested in replacing it right away, so I grabbed a package of disposable razors and a can of shaving cream at the supermarket last night. Result: the closest shave I've had in years. But, being an engineer, I can't help over-thinking the decision. So, here's a rough cost/benefit analysis of several forms of keeping my mug from looking like Gandalf's.

First, some notes about my shaving habits. I usually don't until I have to. I sport a goatee, and I don't function well before a shower. Since I'm not usually in contact with customers, I can get away with several days stubble most weeks. The electric razor is nice because I can touch up without using water, but the apparent cost of blade replacements keeps me from doing that regularly, and frankly it's a poor shave. I could spend a big pile of money on a "good" razor, but I don't know how much that would help. Having to remember to shave before I shower is also a bit of a negative, especially on early mornings.

Option 1 - Electric Razor:

Up Front Cost: about $50 (could be over $200, but we won't go there)
Replacement blades: about $35/year
5-year TCO: $190
Shave time: fairly slow, to get it as good as possible
Shave quality: acceptable for daily use
Pros: dry shave
Cons: must shave dry skin (i.e. before showering), more often, and bits of hair fly everywhere.
Environmental Impact: The razor uses a small amount of power from the mains to charge the battery. The battery is recyclable through local battery recycling facilities, but according to Philips Norelco, the rest of the razor is not, except through specialty electronics recycling houses.

My electric razor was a fairly basic Norelco (older and simpler than the one I linked to above), and admittedly I've never replaced the blades. Still, even when new it took significantly longer to get an acceptable shave than the disposables I was using before. It also left little bits of hair all over my sink and chest. A better quality razor with periodically replaced blades would no doubt perform significantly better, and there are models that can be used in the shower, so it's not entirely fair knocking my razor on those scores. However, knowing my personal behavior, I am not likely to shell out the up-front cash to buy one of the wet or high-zoot razors.

Option 2 - Disposable Razor:

Up Front Cost: about $10 ($7 for razors, $3 for shaving cream)
Replacement razors: $7 for a pack of 4, average 1 week/razor = $91/year
5-year TCO: $455 plus shaving cream
Shave time: quick!
Shave quality: good to excellent
Pros: smooth skin, less time shaving, can (should) shave after shower
Cons: risk of cuts, disposables in trash, shaving cream mess.
Environmental Impact: Disposable razors are in theory recyclable, except they suffer the usual problem of having sharp metal blades embedded in (and hard to remove from) the plastic. One could reduce this by cutting the heads off (or by using disposable-head razors at some additional cost), but this increases safety risk. Also there are brands made with recycled plastic that would reduce the impact. However, generally speaking the razors (or at least their blade heads) are landfill material. Note that the shaving cream cans are generally very recyclable steel and plastic.

I made this analysis based on the relatively cheap Gillette Sensor 3 triple-bladed razor, which I picked up in a 4-pack. This blade gives a very good shave over most of my face, with an acceptable job on my neck. In all cases it is better and faster than the electric razor. I'm skeptical how much better a more expensive disposable would be, and quite sure that the far cheaper BIC razors would do well and save some cost.

Option 3 - Classic Safety Razor:

Up Front Cost: $60-$250 (Razor $50-$240 plus $10/pack for blades
Replacement blades: $6 for a pack of 10, average 1 week/razor = $32/year
5-year TCO: $210 plus shaving cream
Shave time: quick!
Shave quality: good to excellent
Pros: smooth skin, less time shaving, can (should) shave after shower
Cons: risk of cuts, disposal of blades, shaving cream mess, debatably poorer shave than multi-blade disposable.
Environmental Impact: The razor itself will last essentially forever, and being made of steel is highly recyclable. The blades, while disposable are also stainless steel and can be recycled.

This, for those of you who don't remember is a reusable metal razor handle which takes double edge disposable razor blades. This is the disposable razor's crotchety old grandfather.

Bottom Line:

When combining shave quality, cost, convenience and environmental impact, the hands down winner is the old-fashioned safety razor. Its TCO is less expensive than the electric razor and far less than the disposables. Shave quality is much better than the electric and competitive with if not better than the disposables. On convenience, the safety razor matches the disposable and beats the electric on the "can shave after shower" and speed sub-scores. Finally, on environmental impact it's hard to argue with the safety razor. The entire system is 100% recyclable and contains no batteries.

Even better would be a straight razor, but I don't trust myself not to slice off an ear...

The other two have significant drawbacks. Disposables are surprisingly expensive, despite their enticingly low up-front cost, and they generate a mountain of unrecyclable plastic garbage. The electric razor has significantly poorer shave performance, cannot be used well on wet skin, and has a Ni-Cad or Li-Ion battery to recycle.

In the end, it seems, that this is a classic case of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" The safety razor was a definite improvement over the straight razor in that it allowed millions of men who were not so dextrous to safely shave their own faces. Big bonus points for convenience, not so good for business at the barber shop. The disposable razor and electric razor were further "improvements" on the safety razor, but given the above analysis it's hard to argue that they truly make any kind of improvement on the original (unless you're a Gillette or Norelco shareholder...).

Now, to find a good old fashioned safety razor...

Saving produce, part deux...

2009-06-06T19:25:00.000-07:00

My first experiment with keeping fruit and veggies fresh consisted of simply eating a lot of them. This works well, but it ends up with a lot of trips to the grocery, and still some rotten fruit. There's only so much fruit one man can eat, after all.

So begins Phase Two of my experiments:

These are the Rubbermaid Produce Saver containers. Clear plastic containers with snap on lids that have little vents in the rims and trays that allow air to circulate under the produce. For storage, the trays, lids and bowls snap together so that the parts don't become lost.

Rubbermaid claims these containers will preserve produce up to 33% longer than standard containers. The set I bought had three containers in small (2 cup), medium (5 cup) and large (14 cup). These are just large enough to hold a box of blackberries, a box of strawberries, or a bag of grapes, respectively. My sister has a set, and she says they do in fact work well.

I've only had mine for a couple days. The square shape does pack much more efficiently in the refrigerator than the round bowls I was using last week. We'll have to see how the fruit fares.

UP Up, and away!!

2009-06-03T06:19:00.001-07:00

One word: Wow!

Saw Disney's new animated film "UP" in 3D last night, and it was very, very good.

First, the bad news. This was (for me) an eye-poppingly expensive trip to the movies. For two adults, two kids, two sodas, a large popcorn and a bag of M&Ms, the tab ran to about $65! Yikes! The tickets alone were $45. We won't be doing that again soon.

The not-so-bad news: The incremental cost for the 3D version vs. 2D was only about $2 per ticket, and, to me, well worth it at least once.

The good news: This movie is classic Pixar greatness. I don't know what these guys put in their coffee, but they make some really great movies! I went into UP with low expectations, since I hadn't read much about it and the premise of the movie wasn't terribly clear to me. I expected it to be your basic animated kid flick. Boy was I surprised. The story is engaging, with a nice balance of fun, whimsy, and poignant moments.

The opening story tells how the old man Carl meets his beau, Ellie as a child and follows their romance (silently) from marriage to Ellie's death bed (handled quite well even for the young set). Immediately, you are engaged and feel for this guy. I found myself looking over at my wife and wondering how I will feel if I should be the one to outlive her after such a lifetime. That's good screenwriting when you identify with a character that quickly and deeply with so few words spoken.

The rest of the movie is a well-handled mix of pure fun and just enough seriousness. We follow Carl as he and Roger (a ~~Cub Scout~~Wilderness Explorer with an absentee dad) as he uses a bunch of helium balloons and a clever bedsheet->sail arrangement to float his house to the remote Paradise Falls in South America. Here, he encounters a strange bird, a bunch of talking dogs ("Squirrel!") and a disgraced explorer who was Carl's childhood hero.

I won't spoil the plot for you, but this is definitely a must-see. It ranks up there with Pixar's best, and is quite engaging for the grownups, too.

Now, as for the 3D. This is some seriously cool technology. Put your geek hat on for a moment. A normal animated film is projected at 24 frames per second onto the screen. Both eyes see the same image, and it changes 24 times a second, creating the illusion of smooth motion.

For Disney Digital 3D (a brand of RealD Cinema technology), they make a few changes. First, they hand you a cheap pair of plastic sunglasses. The lenses are circularly polarized, but in opposite directions - so the left lens is polarized clockwise and the right lens is polarized counterclockwise. Polarized lenses only allow light that is polarized the same way as the lens to pass through.

Next, they increase the frame rate to 72 frames per second. A polarizing filter is placed in front of the lens that switches the polarization of the image for each frame. So, instead of projecting a single image on the screen every 1/24 of a second, six images are projected in sequence, like this:

Left Eye (clockwise)
Right Eye (counter-clockwise)
Left Eye (clockwise)
Right Eye (counter-clockwise)
Left Eye (clockwise)
Right Eye (counter-clockwise)

Whichever image is being projected, the "wrong" eye sees black, or nearly so. This all happens so fast that your brain can't really follow. What it "sees" is a pair of slightly different images in each eye, creating the illusion of 3 dimensional sight.

The end result, compared to earlier attempts at 3D, is nothing short of fantastic. The image doesn't just jump out at you. It appears three-dimensional, stretching both into and out of the screen, just as if you were viewing a real three-dimensional scene from a short distance away. All of this works quite well, and because it uses circular polarization instead of linear, you don't have to hold your head still for it to work correctly. Brilliant!

There are a number of movies already out, and many more on the way using this technology, and it really works - even with live action! You feel like you could reach out and grab some of the screen objects.

I will mention one subtle but very, very important thing that "UP" has over previous 3D attempts. The movie itself makes proper use of 3D. No gimmicks. No shots where something "jumps out" at you clearly for no valid reason other than to show off the 3D effect. Nothing cheesy at all. The three dimensionality quickly fades into the background and becomes just another part of the movie. Scenes where it makes sense to see 3D, such as when the fighter planes are circling the house are shown in 3D. Scenes where it doesn't make sense (such as close-ups) are not, and it all blends together into a masterful whole.

In short, this is an excellent work by some near-genius filmmakers and technologists. Despite the expense, I highly recommend checking this movie out in 3D if it won't break your budget. I'm not sure I'd spend the cash to see it twice in 3D, though when it goes to the "dollar theater" I'd be happy to see it again in 2D... and if the 3D version shows up at the dollar (not likely due to the extra costs for a modified digital projector and special screen), I'd pay a little extra to see that!

The real "Moby Dick"

2009-05-25T20:00:00.001-07:00

I just finished a thoroughly fascinating - if horrifying - book. In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick.

In the Heart of the Sea is the true story of the Nantucket whaleship Essex, its encounter with an 85-foot sperm whale in the central Pacific, and the subsequent 3,000+ mile journey of the survivors back to rescue near Chile. Philbrick's tale is based upon the narratives of the first mate Owen Chase and cabin boy Thomas Nickerson.

Having read Melville's Moby Dick earlier this year, I was curious to learn more about the true story upon which his epic tale was based. A bit of quick Wikipedia study led me to Philbrick's book, which I then dutifully picked up at the library.

Unlike Moby Dick, where the epic battle between whale and man comes at the final climax to the book, Leviathan strikes barely halfway through the story in In the Heart of the Sea. While the Essex had adventures enough on its journey from Nantucket around Cape Horn to the Pacific whaling grounds, it is the epic journey of survival after the ship sinks that sets this story apart.

I won't spoil it for you. This is reality at its harshest, and Philbrick weaves the tale expertly. For certain, put it on your reading list.

A theory about snacks...

2009-05-25T19:18:00.000-07:00

I spent the weekend at my parents, celebrating the Memorial Day holiday. She's always got a variety of snacks, but most importantly, the fridge and counter have fruit readily at hand. Apples, bananas, oranges, peaches, cantaloupe, grapes, you name it.

I like having fresh fruit around. It is obviously much healthier than chips, cookies and candy, and it generally tastes better... once you've weaned yourself from the fat-and-sugar train. However, I find that I don't keep it around as much as I could, and this weekend made me wonder about why?

Of course, I now have a theory.

At home, I'm generally the only person who eats a large quantity of fresh fruit. It should be different, and my kids do enjoy fruit, but that's the way it is. Being essentially "fruit-single", I find myself trapped between going to the market almost daily and having so much fruit around that I can't eat it all before it goes bad.

On the other hand, the pre-packaged, mass produced stuff - the cookies, candy, chewy bars and chips - will last effectively forever. I can stockpile it in the pantry and eat it at will. There's always plenty, it almost never goes bad, and requires no preparation. Perfect food!

Except, it's not perfect. In fact, it's usually pretty terrible. Whatever you think about HFCS, it's not sugar. And it's most certainly not natural. Plus, the chips are greasy, the cookies are a terrible choice for a diabetic, and all of it is way too many carbs and not enough nutrients.

Sure you could stock up on nuts, granola, and other non-perishable natural or organic things, but it just isn't ... fruit.

So I'm going to go on a mission. How to make it easy to keep fruit around the house without having it rot on me and without having to make too many trips to the store.

Step one: Get my kids to eat more fruit...

A beginning of sorts...

2009-05-20T18:30:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day of the rest of my life.

I keep telling myself that. And yet, somehow I frequently fail to act on it. Habits are hard things to change. I keep telling myself that I need to start exercising more. I keep telling myself I'll start tomorrow. Tomorrow doesn't seem to come.

I have an old high-school friend I've reconnected with on Facebook. She regularly runs 2-3 miles, seemingly every day. Every time I see one of her updates, I think, "I really should start doing that."

Part of the problem is that I tend to think that if I'm going to run, I need to be fast, or be a marathoner, or complete an Ironman. I make myself think that I've got to be "all or nothing." Generally this results in either burnout or an overuse injury in a few months that lands me back on the couch. Trying too hard can be worse than not doing anything at all. Not only can it lead to injury, but the inevitable failure leads to a negative spiral of lower expectations and feelings of ... failure.

In reality, all I need to do is... something. Just do something. Anything. Daily, or at least several times a week. Walk, jog, bike, hike, swim, shop aggressively at Meijer. Whatever gets my heart rate elevated for a while each day. At my level of fitness, it all counts. It's all about getting off my duff and moving.

And I've got to stop using the kids as an excuse. They need to be out there moving, too. It's as important as a healthy meal or their homework. So, whenever I say, "well, I can't go walk because I've got to watch the kids" I'm cheating myself and them.

This week, I started taking a step. Several steps, in fact. Behind our elementary school there's a paved trail about 1/2 mile long. It's a section of what will eventually be a much longer multi-use path system. Almost daily this week, I've tossed the kids in the car, drug them to the trail and walked it while the kids walk or rollerblade. Afterwards, they get to play on the playground while I cool down. Today I jogged short intervals.

It's only a start, and it's very easy for this to slip back into an oblivion of couch-sitting as the stresses of life inevitably intrude. But it is a start.

What a waste!

2009-05-13T10:08:00.000-07:00

I was hungry after lunch, so I ran through McDonald's. Picked up a Fruit & Walnut snack (good, since I only eat the fruit and a few walnuts) and an Apple Pie (not so good, but I get them rarely).

Then I noticed the packaging.

The Apple Pie was in a cardboard box, in a bag with at least 2 napkins. This bag was nestled, along with the Fruit & Walnut Snack in a second, larger bag with at least 4 more napkins, plus a fork/knife set wrapped in plastic. Nearly all of which ended up in a landfill. Keep in mind the Fruit & Walnut Snack is hermetically sealed in a clear plastic box itself.

I sure wish I'd asked them to keep the bags and at least most of the napkins.

To be fair, Mickey-D's isn't any worse than any of the other fast food chains at this. They all seriously over-package their "to go" orders.

Of course if I'd parked and walked in, I could have much more easily refused all the packaging, saved some gas, and gotten a tiny extra bit of exercise, too.

Folks who live in glass houses...

A quick hike...

2009-05-13T07:02:00.001-07:00

I've been looking for a place to take the kids for their first tent camping trip. Requirements include convenience (close to home in case we bail), good sites, privacy, activities, and a nice view. On Saturday, the kids were at a friend's house and Mama was napping, so I slipped over to Fort Boonesborough to have a look around.

Front entrance to replica fort

Fort Boonesborough, as you might guess from the name was the site of a fort constructed by Daniel Boone along the banks of the Kentucky River. It's since been converted into a state park complete with boat ramp, RV parking, large picnic shelters, a beach and a swimming pool. It also has a couple miles of trails as well. There are a small number of primitive tent camping sites, and a guidebook that I consulted indicated that they were pretty nice.

Unfortunately, due to the immense amount of rain we've had lately, they were also nearly all underwater.

However, the rest of the park was not, and it appears that it will suit the purpose well. In addition to the abovementioned features, there's a small camp store that has firewood, a miniature golf course and a playground. The park also has a replica of the fort (situated much higher up the hill than the original) and a museum, but there's a fee to enter these two.

Pioneer Forage Trail

I spoke briefly with the campground attendant, drove around the lower part of the park, and then hiked the 1/2 mile trail up the hill to the fort to have a look around. It having just rained, the forest had that wonderful shade of green I love so much, but fortunately the trail was dry enough not to be a horrible mudhole.

The trail from the campground follows the right fork of a stream up a valley before crossing and doubling back to follow the left fork up the hill to the fort. From there, you can take a paved trail back down the hill to the picnic shelters at the other side of the parking lot. A nice, stiff mile of up/down hill, just enough to get the heart rate up.

Creek on Pioneer Forage Trail

I enjoyed this visit, and I think it will make for a good place to start the kids off, if for no reason other than it's only 1/2 hour from home if they bail. Somehow, I don't think they will, though.

A nice, if slow, improvement...

2009-05-08T08:21:00.001-07:00

You may have noticed the slide show of pictures in my side bar. Those were from a trip to Denver (actually Westminster), CO, last fall. One of the things I really enjoyed about my brief visit was the extensive network of well maintained multi-use trails that literally spiderwebbed the city. From seemingly anywhere, you could walk to nearly anywhere else, with some pretty nice scenery to boot.

Back home, our fair city has been taking a few notes. On a recent trip to the new Wal-Mart near our home, I took the kids to visit a nice feature. Out at the far end of the massive parking lot is what would ordinarily have been a fenced-off, trash-strewn overgrown, ignored, nasty gully with a runoff stream through it.

Instead, it's a pleasant creekside meadow with paved walking paths and discreet lampposts, mostly free of garbage (though I did spy one shopping cart embedded in the stream), with small mowed lawns surrounded by tall trees that had been left by the developers.

Now, I know perfectly well that this little mini-park was part of the conditions of sale for this particular piece of horse-farm-cum-urban-wasteland - partly because it is host to a small, but elegant cemetery/memorial for the farm's founder/owner/namesake. But it's nice. It will be even nicer when-and-if the many small parks in our fair town are internconnected and extended so that one can walk all over town.

This little park is actually quite pretty, even though it is sandwiched between two major commercial developments. I find it quite clever that they made good use of what would have otherwise been either bulldozed over or ignored entirely.

Next time we visit, I'll try to snap a few photos and share them. I really hope our town planners and developers continue to make such excellent use of the "in between" spaces. It's a great way to, in a sense, have our cake and eat it too - urban devleopment with trees!

Itching...

2009-04-22T10:34:00.001-07:00

No, not the skin-irritant-scratch-till-it-bleeds kind of itching...

... the gosh-it's-nice-weather-can't-wait-for-my-schedule-to-allow-some-biking kind.

I went out to get lunch today, and it was 60F and sunny, with just a bit of a wind. Wow, it was nice. And it's supposed to stay nice through the weekend. Very nice. Downright hot kind of nice.

Now, if I can just work out my schedule so that I can make it on a bike, all will be well. Unfortunately, tomorrow I have to make a "guest speaker" visit at the University, so I don't know if that will work. Friday is looking good, though.

It's a good thing that I'm feeling antsy. I really do need the exercise.

Movie Review: Appaloosa

2009-03-29T13:42:00.000-07:00

Meh.

Granted, I watched this at 11:00 at night when I was tired and distracted. Still, this was a pretty lukewarm performance. I have to agree with one of the Rotten Tomatoes critics who said that it was like Ed Harris couldn't decide whether he was filming a Western or a Romance. He seems to try to meld both and simply falls short.

Now, don't get me wrong, it was an entertaining, engaging movie, and I don't regret putting it on my Netflix queue. But I just couldn't seem to get invested in the characters like I did with Tombstone or with 3:10 to Yuma.

The acting was well done, the scenery excellent, and the characters entertaining. But the storyline was very thin and seemed strung together, as though the writer made up a checklist of "Classic Western" set-pieces and then came up with a basic thread to hang them all on. There's the rich bad guy who wants to control the town, complete with a band of thugs who raise heck. There's the saloon/hotel, the train hijack, the old Marshall getting murdered, the tracking/hunting/chasing expedition through the brush, the Indian attack, the showdown between the Marshall and the bad guy's cronies at the porch of the jail, and of course the love triangle between the lead, the sidekick and the girl. And, at the risk of giving away the somewhat anticlimactic surprise ending, the classic shootout hastily tacked on, almost as an afterthought, at the end of the film.

I think, as good as the final twist was, that in a way it was the worst part. Not because it wasn't surprising or well played, but because it just sort of showed up apparently without warning. There wasn't really any build-up to it. Frankly, I was expecting at least another half hour of film when all of a sudden the movie was over!

As much as I might complain, it really wasn't all that bad a movie. Certainly fits the "Western" formula well. As I said, most elements of the film were excellent (acting, costume, scenery, effects, etc.). Wrapped around a decent, non-formulaic story, it would have been awesome. As it was, however, I'd say 3 stars is a stretch.

How not to change the oil in your car

2009-03-23T10:22:00.001-07:00

During my self-imposed exile (due to combined chronic cases of busy-itis, lazy-itis and freezophobia) from cycling, I've put a lot more miles on the cars this winter. Accordingly, it was time to do another simple oil change on one of them (an older Saturn, if you're curious). Now, changing the oil, especially in a Saturn is a fairly simple process:

Unscrew the drain plug in the oil pan and drain the old oil into an approved container.
Remove the old oil filter
Screw on and tighten the new filter
Replace the drain plug(!)
Pour in 4 quarts of new oil.

It can normally be accomplished in 30-45 minutes in the driveway, including allowing 15-20 minutes of doing other stuff while the oil fully drains from the engine. Simple, effective, and usually cheaper than going to one of the instant-oil-chamge places.

Not this weekend.

Day 1:

First, I drove over to the auto parts store and spent nearly $40 on fresh oil, a new filter, and a new air filter to go along. Normally, Valvoline charges me about $45 to do the whole job for me in about 10 minutes. So I'm already nearly at break-even cost before I get home.

I pull in the driveway and shut down, pop the hood and open the oil fill cap on top of the engine. This helps prevent a vacuum lock and helps the oil drain quicker. At least I remembered that the drain plug takes a 14mm wrench, so I didn't have to try three different sizes. I slightly jack the car up (it's low-slung and I'm not skinny anymore), shove the drain bucket underneath and remove the plug. For the first time in years, I manage to do this without spilling hot oil all over my hand. So far, so good!

I give that about 15 minutes and then return to handle the filter. There are two ways to reach the filter on this particular car: from underneath, where there's not much room and it's hard to see, but no disassembly is required, or from inside the right front wheel well where visibility and access are very good, but the wheel and wheel well cover must be removed. I opt for the under-car method.

I slip the strap wrench over the filter and begin to turn it... but it won't budge. The handle turns to tighten the strap, but goes no further. Worse, I can't seem to remove the wrench without an unusual amount of wriggling. I reach up to feel it and realize that I have slightly crumpled the back end of the filter. Bad news. No way this thing should be so tight. Even worse, my wrench is now coming apart.

Cursing softly under my breath (the kids are in the yard...) I crawl back out from under the car, jack it up further, and remove the wheel and wheel well to inspect the situation. Sure enough, not only is my wrench bad, but the filter can is now crumpled enough that it wouldn't work anyway. Off to the auto-parts store for a new, different wrench. I'm now $55 and over an hour into a job that would have taken $45 and 10 minutes at Valvoline.

The new wrench doesn't work either, merely crushing the can further. Next step: drive a screwdriver through it (yes, this is actually fairly easy - the filter's shell is not much thicker than a soda can) and use that for leverage. No go. Turning the screwdriver merely tears a larger hole in the can. Further attempts with larger screwdrivers and other wrenches only worsen the situation. I now have the dirty oil that was trapped in the filter dripping all over my drive shaft, frame, and driveway, not to mention my hands and tools. At least it's cooled significantly.

After two hours and a number of other tools, I take a break and call the "master mechanic" - my father. He suggests removing the shell of the filter. Once that is done, the base of the filter, where it screws to the engine block is accessible. This base is a plate with a large, central hole which threads onto the pipe through which filtered oil flows from filter to engine, ringed by a set of smaller holes through which dirty oil enters the filter from the engine. Once this is accessible, one can insert a pair of pins into the inlet holes and wrench the base plate free.

Doing so, however, requires some tools I don't have, so I clean up and take the family to the mall for a stop at Sears. $50 later I've got a pair of side-cutters (useless for this particular task, but might have worked), a pair of "aviation snips" (tin snips), and a pair of mechanic's work gloves (to protect my already bleeding fingers from shrapnel). Tally so far: $105 and four hours, not counting trips to stores.

Day Two:

A bit of luck on this day. After handling other chores till nearly 4:00 and worrying about lack of daylight, I dive back into the task. As expected, the side cutters do not work on the filter shell - they're designed to cut copper wire, not tin sheet metal. The aviation snips, however, work fantastically, if one discounts the large size and close quarters. After another hour of struggle, I'v e completely dismantled the filter, except for the tightly-jammed base plate. I can now clearly see what is needed, but have no way to accomplish the task.

After a few failed attempts to build a homemade spanner wrench with two nails and the available lumber, it's off to the auto-parts store again. There, I spy the (nearly) perfect tool for this task: a cheap pair of long-handled 45 degree angled needle-nose pliers. These pliers have extra long handles and most importantly long, narrow, pointed jaws that are bent 45 degrees from the plane of the handles. This crucial feature will allow me to open the jaws wide, insert the tips into opposite holes in the plate, and get lots of leverage to turn the handles in the direction needed to un-jam the plate.

Returning home yet another $10 poorer, I set to the task. The pliers turn out to be ideal. While a 90-degree bend would have allowed me to apply somewhat better torque to the plate, it also would have required me to put my arm through the right wheel strut. The 45-degree bend gave me room to work.

Summoning all the limited upper body strength I had (remember, I'm a fat, out of shape cyclist...), I nserted the plier tips, squeezed the handles tightly to grip the plate, and began to turn. At first, no joy, but after repeated attempts, the plate began to turn ever so slowly. Finally, after an exhausting effort to get it loosened, the filter base spun freely from the spindle and into my waitinig hand. The wrench, of course, was ruined by the twisting presssure placed upon it. Good thing it was a cheap one.

I cleaned and inspected the mounting point for the filter on the engine block, and saw no issues. The new filter spun smoothly into place, and the rest of the oil change went as smoothly as ever. Fifteen minutes later, the car was running, the tools cleaned and put away, and the mess cleaned up.

Tally: $115, 6 hours over two days, four trips to auto-parts and/or tool stores, one Band-Aid, one tool ruined, and a half dozen other chores deferred to next weekend.

Did I mention that an "oil change" on a bicycle is far, far simpler?

Wii Fit - Initial impressions

2009-01-21T07:30:00.001-08:00

Santa brought the kids (myself included!) a new Wii for Christmas, and - once the supply backlog was caught up - a Wii Fit balance board as well. We're having so much fun with it, I thought I'd break my long silence on this blog with a review.

Just a touch of update. I've been a bad boy so far this winter. I've fallen into my usual sedentary habits, sitting on the couch, doing chores, lamenting the "bad weather", and not exercising much at all. The commuter bike has been languishing in the garage, and the road bike isn't even set up on the trainer right now. Shameless, I know. I'm more tired, have gained a few pounds, and my sugar levels are out of whack, too.

So, enter the new Christmas toy. I'll try to keep this review short, and to the point re: fitness and such. This review will cover the Wii system and the balance board hardware. I'll devote a separate report to the Wii Fit game itself.

Wii itself

First, the Wii itself is a LOT of fun. It may not have the high end graphics of the other systems, and might be missing the latest shoot-em-up, but there is a lot of family fun to be had, and the motion sensitive controls are a hoot! Even with the bundled Wii Sports games, you can get a quick workout. It's easy to work up a sweat with Boxing or Tennis, and the Bowling and Golf are surprisingly realistic.

We've also tried We Ski (awesome!) and Shaun White Road Trip snowboarding (also rocks!). These I highly recommend for some relaxing fun. They will get your adrenaline pumping.

The downside: Despite the many titles that do encourage you to get up and move, there are quite a few things that will also encourage you to sit down and vegetate in the traditional video game style. TwinBoy is addicted to LEGO Star Wars (admittedly a very fun game). It does allow you to initiate attacks (specifically Jedi moves and lightsaber attacks) with hand motions, as well as a few other things, but mostly it exercises your thumbs. Don't worry, he gets plenty of exercise jumping up and down and yelling at the game. He can't sit still to save his life.

It would be nice to have a game that does lightsaber duels by tracking your actual "blade" motions, rather than simply triggering a predefined attack move. This may already exist and perhaps I just haven't seen it.

It should be noted that Wii games are generally by nature cartoonish. If you are looking for hyper-realistic visuals, look elsewhere. This is the land of Mario, Sonic, and Miis, so you have to expect that sort of style.

Wii Balance Board (Hardware)

The Wii Balance Board itself seems well constructed. Solid, heavy, able to take some abuse. I would have preferred it come with a rechargeable battery instead of alkalines, but the starter kit (extra $$) included one. The standing surface is smooth and sturdy, and a nice, clean white color - for now.

This is the first downside I see. I'm not sure how to keep this clean. I can see why inexpensive covers for the board are a popular item. It is also just a bit slick if wearing socks, but works fine in shoes or barefoot. Again, an aftermarket cover would help with this issue.

The board dimensions are reasonable. It's small enough not to be overly obtrusive, but large enough to do its job properly. I'm 6 feet tall, and it is wide enough for me to place my feet shoulder width apart - barely. I could see an aftermarket "outrigger" cover with a stiff board that is wider for some games, or for very large or broad-shouldered people. It seems strong enough to hold quite heavy folk.

I have only one other major complaint so far. Apparently, only one board can be used at a time with the Wii, and it takes the place of one of the remotes. This is apparently a limitation of the way the balance board is recognized by the Wii system.

It would be nice to be able to use multiple boards for group exercise or multi-player games. For example, Shaun White Road Trip allows up to 4 players (with remotes) to zoom down the hill in multi-player mode. If you use the balance board, only one can use a balance board, and since that person also needs a remote (for tricks), only three can play. It would be nice to be able to use two boards.

Other than that, it's an incredible system. I can see why it is so popular and hard to get. The complaints I have are very minor, and do not detract significantly from the overall enjoyment.

Death By a Thousand Cuts

2008-12-02T08:19:00.001-08:00

In politics, the title phrase refers to the tactical method of accomplishing a goal by taking many tiny steps to reach the end, so that the "victims" don't notice what is happening. For instance, if one wanted to quietly repeal the 2nd Amendment, one way to do it is to progressively add more and more "minor" restrictions on gun ownership until eventually the right is effectively removed.

I'm not here to talk politics, though. Just to use the phrase. I've spent the last couple months now "recovering" from a series of ills. First, the prostate thing (better now, thank you), and then a lingering virus that seems to not quite want to go away. Plus there have been a number of work issues that have kept me quite busy, and the weather has been worse than normal for November.

The net effect is that I have not been able to commute at all lately. Nor have I been doing much exercising at all.

What does this have to do with "death by a thousand cuts?" Well, I've been observing my own behavior during this time, compared to the months prior when I was commuting regularly. It occurs to me that every day we make a series of decisions, the sum of which have a lasting effect on our well being. "What should I have for lunch?" "Walk or drive?" "Take the stairs or the elevator?" "Work out today or tomorrow?" "How about that night snack?"

Individually, none of these decisions are significant. One cookie, or one trip on the elevator is of no consequence in the grander scheme of things. Taken collectively, they can be literally life or death decisions. Over the course of a year, I'll decide what to eat well over a thousand times. I'll climb stairs or ride the elevator hundreds of times. These "little" decisions add up to a pattern of habits. These habits define, to an extent, who I am and what I become.

Since habits are formed as the sum of individual decisions, every decision becomes a life-or-death decision. Every decision can become a furtherance of the habits that have gotten you where you are, a way of preserving the status quo.

On the other hand, every decision becomes an opportunity to change the status quo. Every meal can be the first step toward a new habit. Every trip through the office door is a chance to choose the stairs. Every dawn is a new opportunity to become someone different. We are creatures of habit, but we can change those habits. The challenge is to recognize and seize the opportunity for that change.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life. What will it look like?

Hope! Change! Chain lube!

2008-11-06T06:08:00.001-08:00

No... still not talking politics on this blog.

Yesterday I (finally!) got back on the bike and commuted. New saddle, new shoes, and new shades. Lots of change. The new saddle was much more comfortable, and there was noticeably less pressure where there isn't supposed to be pressure. I still need to adjust the saddle tilt a bit. And, with more weight on the "sit bones" (where it's supposed to be), I'll need to get that area toughened up a bit as well.

The new shoes worked flawlessly, except that I had the left cleat installed a tad crooked. Fixed that on my lunch break, no problem. Walking is much, much easier in these shoes. I could wear them all day at work in a pinch, and they're reasonably fashionable in a "lightweight hiker" kind of way.

The weather was gorgeous. Mid-50's on the way in, mid-70's on the way home, sunny and a light breeze. A wonderful day to ride. In all, an outstanding November ride.

Looking forward, it's going to get challenging. Today is another gorgeous day, but schedule did not permit riding. Tomorrow is supposed to be cooler and wetter (40's in the AM, topping out at 60, with chance of showers), and I'm sure next week will be cold, too. Still, it seems the hardest part of the whole ride is the part between the bed and the front door.

The other key thing is that while I was not riding, I managed to clean and lube my drive train. What a huge, HUGE difference that makes! Pedaling was nearly silent, shifting was quick and crisp, and there were no more problems getting into my #6 gear in the rear. It was like a bike upgrade for the cost of an old toothbrush and half an hour of my time. I'll write more on this in a separate post.

And so, there is Change - new stuff, new biomechanics, pressure relieved, wearable shoes, clean gears... and there is Hope - good weather and a promise of health improvement.

Just one word today...

2008-11-04T10:41:00.000-08:00

VOTE!

Product Review: CamelBak Better Bottle

2008-10-28T06:11:00.001-07:00

Funny how much the time spent meditating on my bike is/was a muse for this blog. I miss it. It seems while I was riding I had a neverending font of ideas to write about. Now that I'm in bike-exile, thoughts are more sluggish, ideas are harder to find.

One thing I have been wanting to do is the occasional product review. This one is about the CamelBak "Better Bottle." I've been searching for quite some time for a bottle that I will actually use to drink more water (and less Diet Coke) at work. I've tried several, and they all seem to come up short in some way or another.

(Photo courtesy of R.E.I. - a great place to buy one of these...)

The Better Bottle is basically a plastic bottle in one of two sizes (0.5 and 0.75 L) with a fancy screw-on cap. The bottle is made of BPA-free Tritan (looks/feels like Lexan, but it's not...) The cap includes a handy carrying loop and a flip-out, spill proof "big bite" sip valve. This is a larger version of the sip valve used in CamelBak's more famous hydration packs, and works quite well. You can hang a full bottle upside down and shake it with no leaks. An internal straw lets you drink (nearly) the whole bottle down without tipping.

I like the way the valve, when flipped closed, is fairly well protected from damage and dirt. I did notice when drinking from it that it tends to shoot cold liquid against the back side of my front teeth, which can be a bit uncomfortable at first. This is a minor issue, and seems to have gone away as my teeth got used to the cold.

My favorite part of the bottle is the hanging loop. Integrated into the lid, it's easily strong enough to hold a full bottle, and sized just right to hook a finger into. This makes the bottle easier to carry than a soda can -- an important feature when I'm feeling lazy. It can also be used with a carabiner to clip the bottle to a pack or belt loop.

One minor nit to pick: The 0.75L bottle is just a little bit too large to fit into a standard bicycle bottle cage or an automobile cupholder. If you intend to use it this way, I'd recommend going with the 0.5L size (which from the pictures appears designed to fit a standard cup holder).

Another nice thought: CamelBak claims the lid (also sold separately!) is built to match a standard size bottle, so you should be able to attach the lid to a standard bike bottle and solve the cage issue. I have not tried this yet, but it looks like it would work.

The Better Bottle comes in a variety of colors, including some interesting patterns, if you like to dress up your liquids. At $13 retail, it is quite an expensive bottle, which makes me worry about misplacing it, but here's the key. Unlike most of the other bottles I've tried, I actually tend to use this one... and isn't that the point?

Some musings on "reduce reuse recycle"

2008-10-22T06:43:00.001-07:00

Hmm... my enforced sabbatical from the bike (symptoms improving slowly, btw) has left me reading a lot and thinking a lot. Since at least part of my impetus for cycling to work - and hence part of the raison d'etre (did I spell that right? excepting diacritics?) of this blog - is at least some measure of environmental responsibility, I suppose I should wax a bit about the topic (and yes, I'm feeling a bit "wordy" today).

First, I don't consider myself an "environmentalist" or a "tree-hugger". I'm certainly not a "liberal", either. I think the current political labeling system is far too simplistic and ham-fisted, but I'd have to say I'm "conservative" or even "libertarian" on most issues. I'm certainly not in favor of government mandates to force everyone to do things a certain way. I think that runs essentially counter to the fundamental core of America's spirit - one of individualism, bootstraps and all that.

And yet, when I see the TV running with nobody watching, or I make another 2-mile trip to the store in my car, I wonder if I couldn't be doing better for myself, my family and the environment.

Nothing left but to explore some of the reasonings and rationalizations for voluntarily and individually living in at least a somewhat more "earth friendly" way...

I think in short it has to do with thinking long term and thinking about one's impact on the world around himself. Sometimes the best thing long term isn't the best thing short term.

For starters, let's look at the obvious question of why bike everywhere (or even most or some places) instead of driving? Here are a few practical thoughts:

* Less gasoline bought
* Lower maintenance costs
* Less net time spent exercising
* No health club fees
* Lower cholesterol and A1-C scores
* Overall better health
* Lower purchase price for the vehicle(s)

Just looking at the money aspect, all of these reduce the overall cost of living. Any money saved in these areas can be redirected to savings and investment, or to spending on more "fun" things. There is clearly, therefore, an economic benefit to biking over driving. There are trade-offs, however:

* More exposure to the weather
* More exposure to "overuse" injuries
* Longer travel times, especially outside the urban core

I'm sure there are others. However, for most folks, these downsides are not nearly enough to tip the balance. A car can be retained (or rented!) for bad weather or long trips, and the exposure to overuse injuries must be balanced against the overall increased health due to increased exercise. Again, for most people, biking wins.

There's a dubious argument, of course, that cycling is somehow more dangerous than driving. However, the statistics don't bear this out. In fact, studies done worldwide show that the health benefits of regular daily cycling far outweigh the risk of injury or death from accident, and that in fact cycling is no more dangerous than driving an SUV.

What about other "green" activites? Simple things like keeping unused lights and other power drains off, wise choice of thermostat settings, and weatherproofing have long been touted as good ways to reduce home energy costs, and also contribute to reduced CO2 emissions at the power plant. Money in my pocket, and green!

We're talking about getting a rain barrel and having a small garden in the yard. I don't know if we'll truly get any direct economic benefit... I strongly suspect that tending the garden will cost more in sheer $$$ than simply hitting the grocery. On the other hand, the kids will learn something of hard work and tilling the land. Again, I think the benefits will outweigh the costs.

It boils down to eliminating waste and focusing on what really matters. Every watt a light bulb in an unused room burns is a penny my kids could be tossing in Trevi Fountain someday. Every gallon of gas I burn between home and work is a movie we could be watching together and another hour of the day I have to carve out for exercise.

So, a little bit at a time, I suppose I'm turning green in my "old age"...

Grounded...

2008-10-12T19:14:00.000-07:00

I'm off the bike for a couple weeks.

(CAUTION: Icky medical details follow...)

I was due for a checkup on my diabetes, and I've been having some, aah... urinary issues. Discomfort, flow problems, etc. So, after seeing one too many Flomax commercials, I popped in to see the family doctor. After the usual round of tests (cough! cough!), he sent me home with an antibiotic. Diagnosis: prostatitis, a rather annoying inflammation of the prostate gland. My wife dove into the Internet and uncovered the possibility that my cycling may be exacerbating the problem. More specifically, my 10 year old not-so-anatomically-engineered saddle might be exacerbating the problem.

So, just to be on the safe side, I'll be taking a break from the commute for a couple weeks while I treat the problem. Then, weather permitting, I'll ease back into riding (with the more-anatomically-friendly saddle moved over from my road bike) and see what happens. It could simply be a bacterial infection, but...

Why in the world would I put such a potentially embarrassing diagnosis on the web for everyone to see? Well, I bet I'm not alone... and besides, It would seem a bit weird for me to mysteriously stop posting for a couple weeks...

Worst case, I'll have to ditch my traditional bikes, grow a (full) beard and ride one of these:

(photo courtesy RANS Bikes... this is their popular Stratus XP model...)

Don't worry... I'll be chronicling my adventures with cross-training and maybe adding a few articles on cleaning and maintaining bikes during the interim. Besides, if I'm going to get back in to triathlons, I'll eventually need to learn how to run and swim!

Definition of Irony...

2008-10-08T18:56:00.000-07:00

Irony (n): Driving your kids to school in the predawn darkness, in the first rain we've had in three weeks... on International Walk to School Day.

It aggravates me that there is no safe route to walk or bike the kids to their new school. Not that there was a safe route to their old school either. Six hundred yards of sidewalk. That's all we need. Six hundred yards. And "Phase 2" is not even in the five year plan for road improvements.

I just couldn't bring myself to drive them to the church across the street and walk them across the road to school this morning. As much as I'd love to support "Walk to School Day", it seems somehow... hypocritical.

Still, at least someone is out there promoting the idea of walking or biking to school. I just wish our town's infrastructure made it a little easier.

Mixed Feelings

2008-10-04T10:44:00.001-07:00

I really promised myself that I'd refrain from discussing politics on this blog. Sometimes it's inevitable, though.

Yesterday, Congress passed the "$700 Billion bailout bill". On the one hand, it's another example of an expensive, potentially bad bill saddled with billions of dollars of "pork". On the other hand, one of those "pork" items is a tax benefit for bicycle commuters. The bill allows employers to reimburse up to $20 per month, tax free, of expenses related to getting to and from work on a bicycle.

This might seem unfair, except that it's quite common for businesses to reimburse employees for transit tickets, toll fees, parking expenses, and even fuel costs for drivers and users of public transportation. This bill just encourages employers to treat bike commuters "fairly" in that respect.

Still, while I'm glad that there's a new benefit that will hopefully encourage people to make the bike racks more crowded at work, I'm not pleased that it and a whole lot of other stuff was tacked on to this bill. I think the practice of tacking completely unrelated provisions onto major bills like this is a large part of what is wrong with congress.

So, I'll receive this new benefit (assuming my employer opts for it) with mixed feelings. Glad to have it, but wishing it had been passed in a more transparent way.

Icecicles?

2008-10-02T06:15:00.000-07:00

Well, not quite. It was 46 degrees (F) when I rolled out of the garage this morning. The weatherman says the winds were 5mph, but I think they were gusting a bit higher than that. Plus, when you're rolling 20mph (down a hill), who cares?? Wind chill is wind chill.

On the bright side (literally!), the sun was blazing, the sky was an incredible shade of blue, and a few white puffy clouds completed the tableau. There's a short stretch of newly-completed road on my "short route" (of which I took a medium-length variant today) that has freshly laid sod on the median and curbs. Given the serious lack of rain we had last month, it's probably the only green grass in town, and it was glowing in the sun this morning.

Still, as beautiful as the scenery was, it was cold. Maybe not Minnesota-dead-of-winter cold, but compared to summer temps, it was cold this morning. Time to bundle up!

So, how do I bundle for 45F temperatures? Well, actually, that's the easy part. The hard part is dressing so that I'm warm in the morning but not sweating like a pig during the 65F ride home. The key is "layers". I was wearing:

Regular jersey, shorts, gloves, socks, shoes and helmet
Lycra-stretch head/ear band
A nice pair of New Balance running tights over the shorts
Knee warmers
Windbreaker (yes, the not-so-waterproof red Pearl Izumi jacket...)

Here are a few notes:

I should have worn my CalienToes. My toes were a bit frosted by the cold and wind.
Less "mesh-y" shoes would have helped, as well.
Likewise, some thin full-finger gloves (or liners under my regular gloves) would have been nice, but might have been a bit too warm.
Arms were a bit chilled, but the windbreaker did its job.
Even with the chilly temps, I still broke a sweat.
Tights + knee warmers was almost too warm a combination for the legs.
OTOH, tights + shorts worked well for the backside.
Heavier shorts, two pair of shorts, or shorts under "street shorts" would have been warm enough and fixed the "tights+knee warmers" issue.
Crew- or calf-length socks (especially wool) would be nice, but are not required at this temperature.
The headband was a bit uncomfortable (tight, loss of hearing, hard to wear shades with), but cold ears are worse. Maybe something less "snug"...

In all, it was a surprisingly easy ride. The changing seasons are tough. You get used to a certain temperature range, and temps that would otherwise be comfortable aren't. Right now, 60F is cool and 40F is freezing. By spring, 40F is warm and 60F is t-shirt weather. The key, I think, is to keep riding consistently and adjust gradually as it gets cooler. I think I'll stay out of the rain, though, until I can get some hardier rain gear (probably not this season). Cold is one thing. Cold and wet can be deadly.

The best part of slogging out on a cold morning (besides the bemused admiration of one's coworkers) is the ride home in pleasant, sunny, much warmer weather!

Another post near and dear to my heart...

2008-09-30T13:30:00.003-07:00

Another post from RFID Journal...

Researchers Finish Work on Needle-free Glucose Tester

... a needle-free, RFID-enabled way of monitoring glucose levels. I'll be all over this if/when it hits the market. I can envision wearing the patch somewhere inconspicuous, and being able to check sugar levels at will, pain free, and without carrying around a meter and supplies.

Not to mention the cost savings!

This is cool stuff!

So much for "Shortcuts"

2008-09-30T08:46:00.001-07:00

The trip timer on my bike computer records the time my wheels are rolling, not total elapsed time (it can actually show both, but for some reason I don't usually look at the latter). This can be deceiving if you aren't clear on which time you're looking at.

Consistently I ride the "fast route" to work (the one by the junkyard) in 20 minutes, the "standard route" in 30-32 minutes -- at least according to the "wheel" timer. I relish those ten minutes saved when I really need them. Monday, however, things didn't quite work out the way I'd planned.

The fast route is significantly shorter than my regular route, but it is more heavily trafficked and crosses major roads at less opportune locations. Consequently, I find myself "idling" at stoplights more. On the way home, I waited in traffic at one light for three full cycles before getting to cross, and at another for two cycles. The result? 27 minutes, instead of 20. And a lot more stress. I would have been better off taking the "long" way home and arriving less frazzled and only a few minutes later.

Not only is the traffic heavier on the "fast" route, but the stress level among the drivers is palpably higher. On the regular route, I see few cars, and those that I do see are generally easy to work with. Yesterday, I was in much heavier traffic, and at least one driver kindly advised me to "get [my] a** on the sidewalk".

Which leads me to my Traffic Theory of the Day (tm). I noticed when the aforementioned advice was handed out that we were in a long line of traffic on a two-lane street, waiting "forever" for a short light onto the main road. It's relatively difficult when driving to vent one's frustration to another driver, even if that driver is at fault. Even if you make a sailor blush yelling at him, he's not likely to hear you, and unless he's looking in his mirror, he's certainly not going to see you either.

Plus, there's always the "solidarity" thing. The other driver is, well, a driver, just like you. There's only so far your anger can go without the instinctual "us vs. them" sense reminding you that the other driver is also an "us".

A cyclist, on the other hand, is different. And, he can hear you. And he's right there next to you. All of these things make it much easier to transfer one's frustration from the long line of cars in front of you (where it probably belongs) onto the cyclist you're passing (where it almost certainly doesn't).

It's also easier to assume when passing a cyclist that the reason for the long line of traffic is because it has backed up behind the "slow moving vehicle". Rarely is this true, unless road conditions are hazardous. Still, it's an easy assumption to make.

I'm often relieved to be at least the second or third "car" stopped at a light. I like to think that the car in front of me somehow makes it clear to the driver behind me that I am not the reason he didn't make it through the light.

This ride's experience was a marked contrast to my typical "main route" experience, where cars are less frequent, drive more relaxed, and rarely if ever accost me. Plus, I get a few more minutes of exercise!!

A Confluence of Worlds

2008-09-29T10:11:00.001-07:00

It's interesting when different parts of your life are brought together in a single place. I have elementary school age kids who I wish could ride their bikes to work (no safe route...). I also commute to work, and my work revolves significantly around RFID technology.

My interest, therefore, was significantly piqued by this article in RFID Journal by Mary Catherine O'Connor.

Sept. 26, 2008—Most children these days get to school on four wheels—either in a bus or car. But an RFID system built by a small Boulder, Colo.-based nonprofit company called Freiker (short for FREquent bIKER) is helping to change that, one two-wheeled bike ride at a time. Armed with a $25,000 donation from 1 World 2 Wheels—the advocacy arm of Trek Bicycle Corp.—Freiker is now using the money to expand its RFID-based system nationwide.

Freiker is the brainchild of Rob Nagler, a Boulder dad, who is also a computer engineer and president of software consulting group Bivio Software. Nagler was searching for a way to get kids interested in riding their bicycles to school on a daily basis, as a means of encouraging them to exercise, and as a way to help ease the traffic jams caused by parents carting children back and forth to school each day.

The kids attach an EPC Gen2 passive RFID tag to their helmets (good thing... ensures that they wear the helmets!). When they ride to school and park their bike, a reader module mounted near the bike rack records the kid's visit. Each day a kid rides to school, he gets credit towards prize drawings for things like iPods. Parents can also track the kids' progress on a secure website.

Apparently, the project is working well, and is being expanded to 20 other schools across the nation, thanks to financial input from Trek.

What do you think? Is this a good idea?

Cross-trainign HURTS!

2008-09-28T18:51:00.001-07:00

I once read a quote... not sure who to attribute it to, but perhaps someone will help me out there... it goes something like this: "It's not running that hurts. It's not running that hurts."

I can attest to that. On and off over the past five years, I've "started running" probably eight times. Each time, it hurts. Once you get going, it's really quite fun, but it's something that you have to maintain conditioning for. If you slack off and let your legs get soft, it hurts to start over.

So, again, I'm starting over. I know that it's eventually going to get so cold that I won't want to ride to work, but I'm still going to need some exercise. I know from experience that there pretty much isn't any weather that I can't run in, so in anticipation of that I'm trying to get 2-3 runs in per week on days that I don't or can't bike.

This week I've completed my first few "runs" (actually, alternating short bursts of running and walking). It hasn't been bad, so far, but it will get harder as the weeks go on. The key is to build up slowly so that the leg bones and tendons have time to adjust to the pounding. It doesn't hurt to lose some weight, either. Of course, I've also never lost weight quite as efficiently as when I was running regularly.

I'll be chronicling my progress here... we'll see how the winter goes!

A thoughtful post...

2008-09-25T08:56:00.001-07:00

There's a number of other blogs that I've been reading lately... one in particular is by a man in New York City who is doing an experiment to live for a year with no net (negative) impact on the environment. One of his posts, spurred by a near-miss with a deliveryman, seemed particularly poignant, so I thought I'd link it in here.

Have a look at this story by No Impact Man.

Think on it. It's good stuff.

Wardrobe Malfunctions

2008-09-25T07:25:00.001-07:00

Commuting tip of the day: keep an emergency outfit, or at least a shirt and some socks, in your office, even if you drag your clothes to work every day like I do. A little bit of cash isn't a bad idea, either. You never know when you're going to need them.

I made it to work this morning in very good time in some excellent weather, with remarkably light traffic. I was running a little late, but was pleased that things were going well. Until I started to get dressed and realized, much to my dismay, that the reason I had left my bag open last night was that I had not packed a shirt.

No problem. I'll just wear my jersey to my 9:00 meeting and then walk over to Wal-Mart and pick up a cheap shirt to wear the rest of the day. At least I wore one of my plain jerseys, instead of a really garish team jersey or something by Primal Wear (actually, something like this one would hardly be noticed...). Uhhhh, nope. That's not going to work either. My wallet is in my other pants. At home. Did I mention that my lunch supplies at the office are dwindling? This is not my idea of a diet plan.

So, I suppose this is a suitable excuse to have lunch with the Missus, if she's not already committed somewhere.

Grammar tip of the day (capitalization): Capitalize a "relationship name" if it accompanies or takes the place of the proper name ("Dad" or "Uncle Mike"), but not if it's used with a possessive ("my dad" or "my uncle"). One (re)learns all kinds of things when helping kids with homework!

Arrrgh! Get off the sidewalk!!!

2008-09-23T08:28:00.000-07:00

So we took the kids to the library last night, and we're driving home. It's dusk. Visibility is poor due to the low light (beautiful evening otherwise...). I pull up to a 4-way light between the side street that I'm on and a major 4-lane street.

Now, this street is bad enough for drivers. It's four lanes, with significant high-speed traffic, with no berm, high curbs, and sidewalks. It's out in the burbs, and the sidewalks are rarely occupied, so drivers on this street don't expect anyone to be there. It's the one street in town that I avoid like the plague on my bike. Still...

Just as I roll up to the light, from my right I catch a glimpse of motion. Here she comes... dark clothes, dark bike, headphones on, no lights, poor reflectors (they don't work anyway...), going the wrong way(!), rolling right off the sidewalk into the street in front of me, and turning left onto my street. I had zero warning and even less time to react. Had I not already planned to stop short of the crosswalk, I would have slammed her right into the oncoming traffic on the main street. She didn't even look my direction!!!

So here's my three-part rant. First, bicycles belong, with very rare exception, in the street, riding with traffic, just like a car. This makes them more visible and more predictable. Riding with traffic puts the cyclist in a spot where drivers expect to see traffic. Had she been riding with the flow of traffic, I would have spotted her easily even in the dark, because that's where I was instinctively expecting motion!

She also needed to be far better illuminated to be riding in the dark like that, and should have been looking for a car to roll up. Many, many drivers out of habit roll right through crosswalks and nose out into the cross-street at intersections like this. They're usually only looking left, because they're only thinking about cars, which are always coming from the left. It's a bad driving habit, for sure, but it's also a bad idea for a pedestrian or a person on a bike to assume that the driver will stop, and even worse to not even look for an approaching car.

I could give her the benefit of the doubt. She may have spotted me from some distance out, judged my deceleration and known that I was going to stop short. Then, by the time I saw her, she could have already decided it was safe and then started looking beyond me. She could have been mistaken, though.

Part two: If you're going to ride on a sidewalk, ride like a pedestrian! Yes, pedestrians have the right of way in crosswalks. But they're usually moving much, much slower than cyclists, and they almost always stop and look (if they listened to their mothers, anyway) before stepping out into the street. Also, in some areas - like this one - biking on the sidewalk is entirely legal. However, rolling off a sidewalk into a street is one of the #1 ways cyclists are killed all the time. Also, be especially wary if you are riding against traffic. Drivers on cross streets (like me) won't be expecting you to come from the right. They certainly won't be expecting you to be coming as fast as you are. Crosswalks do not presently come with automatic force fields. So, roll up, stop, and look both ways, just like a pedestrian.

Parth three: If you're in a car, don't forget that streets are used by more than cars. There are pedestrians and people on bikes and skateboards all over the place. They can pop out from anywhere and can be hard to see, especially at dusk or at night. Watch for them. Don't assume anything. Check both ways. Pay attention. You may have the right of way, but that two-ton death machine you're driving can still kill anyone it hits. Drive it like it's a loaded gun.

My culpability in this near-accident: I wasn't really looking for her, and I should have been. We're both lucky I just happened to aim to stop short of the crosswalk this time. Like many drivers, I don't always do that (though I should). I can't really blame her for being on the sidwalk on this particular street. I probably would have been as well. But the combination of her poor cycling habits (see above) and even a moment's inattention by me could have been fatal.

Things happen fast on a bike or in a car. Driving and cycling both demand our full attention, especially when conditions are less than perfect. Both tasks can easily become so automatic that our attention is easily distracted and/or we become careless. Last night was a reminder to me that it only takes a split second to change (or end) a life.

Fun weekends

2008-09-22T08:32:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I did ride in this morning... even though I was tired, my "default" setup made it easier to ride than drive (yay!). Yesterday was spent underneath one of the cars, replacing brakes and such. Saturday, we took the kids to the Newport Aquarium near Cincinnati. Here are a few nifty pics:

This first one was a lorakeet that decided my hand was a good perch to drink his bird food from. Another feisty one got tangled in a lady's hair, and after we extricated him, he thought he'd explore my back.

These next three were surprisingly good shots of jellyfish. The color was courtesy of the lighting in the tank. I was surprised that I could take that good a shot in the dark room with no flash. I'm usually far more shaky than that.

Finally, I thought this was a decent shot of a stingray cruising in the big tank.

It's not a huge aquarium, and can be done in 2-3 hours comfortably. Quicker if you just want to look, and longer if you prefer lingering and petting the sharks.

Someday I'll learn how to format images in this thing. But I suppose having them up there is better than not at all... :-)

Phone Pics...

2008-09-17T11:20:00.001-07:00

Hey! Guess what? My cell phone has a camera built in!

Every now and then, I remember this fact, and manage to take a picture of something that catches my eye. Here are a few.

This first one is hard to see, but if you look closely in the center of the pic, you'll discover a large bolt embedded in the pavement. I'm not sure whether this bolt was caught during the paving process or if it was simply run over so many times on a hot summer that it worked its way down into the asphalt. Folks don't often realize just how "liquid" asphalt really is... it's not a solid!

Here's a zoomed in, color-"enhanced" view...

As it turns out, a 22-oz ("small"??? Did Starbux buy out Wendy's??) soda fits nicely in my upright bottle holder. As long as the lid is on tight (and I haven't yet inserted a straw), everything stays dry. Ya gotta be careful, though. It's not very "bump-proof", and soda can be remarkably hard to clean out of your bottom bracket!

And finally, I don't in any way condone graffiti or destruction of / damage to public property, but this was just funny! This stop sign is at the "head" of a T intersection...

A haiku

2008-09-17T11:20:00.000-07:00

For some reason, on my cruise in to work this morning, my mind drifted to poetry. It's hard to describe in prose the sensation of cresting a hard-won hill and feeling the bike pick up momentum below you. Here's a rather halting attempt at a haiku, inspired by a hill that was in my way...

Burning flames sear legs
Pedals churn over the top
Wings grow, bike takes flight

I'm not terribly fond of the last line. It needs some work. What do you think?

In other news, here's an interesting article on driving habits that I stumbled across on the Austin Bike Blog:

Narcissists at the Wheel, from the Victoria (BC?) Times Colonist.

Thanks, Dad!

2008-09-15T17:36:00.000-07:00

On Friday, as I pulled into the driveway, I noticed a Cadillac parked across the street. An elderly gentleman was moving slowly around it, pulling things out of the trunk. As I walked up, he gingerly pulled the spare tire out. I said hello and quickly returned to my garage for my floor jack and star wrench. In a matter of minutes, I had the tire changed for him, and my wife had brought some water out for us. He thanked me profusely and we returned to our evening's activities.

I don't mention this to toot my own horn. I mention it as an excuse to explain why I went over there and fixed the man's tire without thinking twice. It's because growing up I watched my dad do it. Hundreds of times. Everything from killing snakes to clearing sewer drains. Electrical repairs, construction jobs, you name it. If someone needed help, he was the first to show up and the last to leave. He still is.

I also learned a lot of my (admittedly basic) mechanic and repair skills from him. I wish I'd paid better attention when I was younger, because there's very little he can't do, and not so much that I can do.

Still, thanks to him, I'm not afraid to replace brake pads and rotors or even replace a valve cover gasket (head gaskets are a bit over my head, though). Instead of buying a new $400 dishwasher or dryer, I order the $20 of parts, grab my tools, and fix it. When the toilet or the sink quits, same deal.

But more importantly, when someone else needs help, thanks to him, I know how to help them. And I have a reason to help them. Because my old man taught me that it's the right thing to do.

The Bible says, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." Dad showed me by example how we're supposed to treat people in need, and on occasions like Friday, I'm glad that I got the hint.

Thanks, Dad!

A recent Op-Ed

2008-09-11T12:54:00.000-07:00

I just stumbled upon this recent op-ed from our local newspaper...

Motorists should give bikers a little leeway

By Janette Heitz

When I turned 50, I decided, with the encouragement of my husband, to take up bicycling. Since then, I have pedaled thousands of miles, including a ride across the United States, annual rides in Holland and a seven-week jaunt in Africa.
I have learned many life lessons while riding my bike, and a local radio call-in show recently reminded me of lesson No. 1: I have a bull's eye on my back.
The show's topic, bicycling and motorcycling, generated calls from disgruntled drivers who are fed up with those of us who see the world on two wheels.
I agree with the callers that there are many arrogant bicyclists who run stop signs, ride on the wrong side of the road, don't wear helmets, talk on their phones while cycling and ride three and four abreast.
I am not here to speak for them. I am writing on behalf of us good guys, the ones who follow the law.
We are out there getting our exercise, saving gas money and reducing Lexington's carbon footprint. When I get on my bicycle for a ride, I consider myself an ambassador for all cyclists. I'm the cyclist who is smiling at you, waving, nodding my thanks and helping you to safely pass me. I don't want to anger any driver; I know that if I aggravate you, you might take it out on the next guy. And then he will have a target on his back. (read more...)

I'm not sure that I can add much to her commentary, except to say that fortunately the "bad apples" are far, far outnumbered by drivers who are at least accommodating, if not careful and conscientious sharers-of-the-road. Unfortunately, it only takes one bad apple to put a cyclist in the hospital...

Should be an interesting 2009 Tour...

2008-09-10T10:49:00.000-07:00

From the AP (Jim Vertuno) this morning:

AUSTIN, Texas --
Look out France, Lance Armstrong is making a comeback.
The 36-year-old Armstrong is breaking out of his three-year retirement and aiming to win yet another Tour de France in 2009, a move sure to shake up things across the Atlantic and give a boost to a sport that has missed its biggest star.
In a formal statement Tuesday, Armstrong called his comeback an attempt to raise global awareness in his fight against cancer. Just as likely, it's also about his relentless desire to compete and win, especially at the Tour, which he won a record seven times from 1999-2005.
(read more)

I really, really hope that this doesn't turn into another Michael Jordan should-have-quit-while-he-was-ahead case. Either way, I may have to pickup digital cable before next July.

In other news, I guess I should be prepared for the weather to be a little crazy going forward. It usually is around here. Yesterday evening it was 64 and a howling wind. This morning it was nearly seventy, and this afternoon pushing 80 and sunny. If things go the way they have in past years, we'll have several months of chilly mornings and hot afternoons (or vice-versa...). This is where "modular" clothing comes in handy. I'm talking about arm warmers and leg warmers, of course. It's an easy way to convert from long sleeves/legs to short... even on the same ride, if need be. I'm saving up for a set... for the leg warmers I'll probably stick with basic black, but for the arm warmers, I'm considering a pair of these...

Ha ha... just kidding, of course. Knowing me, I'll probably stick with black arm warmers. Actually, my wife has been learning to knit, and I've discussed getting a custom-knitted pair of arm warmers... she's considering it...

Cold Snap!

2008-09-09T19:57:00.000-07:00

It was cool and overcast this morning, but a pleasant ride. The weather report said it was going to be sunny and warm on the way home.

Boy was it wrong. 64 degrees and 18-25 mph winds. Downright chilly, compared to what I was expecting. The worst part was the arms. My core and legs were plenty warm from the effort of riding, but let's face it, other than steering and holding up my head, the arms don't do much. I could have pulled on my jacket, but then I would have overheated.

Still, it was a nice ride. Instead of zooming straight home, I got to run a couple of errands and explore a new neighborhood. Each time they build one, I find a new way to avoid some heavy traffic or narrow roads. It's all good. It's encouraging to be able to do more than just ride to work, even if it takes a little longer than driving.

I'm considering making my own "grocery bag" pannier. I want something that will double as a pannier and a shopping bag in the store. I've got some ideas that I need to get on paper. Maybe when I get some drawings done, I'll post them for feedback.

Lights and brakes

2008-09-06T18:42:00.000-07:00

Friday's ride was pleasant, but relatively dark. For the first time in perhaps a month or more, thanks to the far edge of Gustav, we had an overcast and slightly drizzly day. Well, OK, it actually rained pretty steadily while I was at work, but thankfully was dry during ride times.

This ride got me thinking... summer is almost over, and it's only going to be getting darker and rainier as the seasons change. Two important things come to mind: visibility and stopping ability. I'm particularly concerned about these issues because of my earlier loss of my good taillight, and the fact that my rear brake cable was making strange noises - and not working very well - when I used it. It would not be a good thing for that cable to snap during an emergency stop... although that is why a bicycle has two independent brake systems.

After a quick trip to the bike shop, I was all set to work on both issues. I already have a pretty good headlight, so I didn't worry too much about that. This light won't really work for true dark riding - when you need the road illuminated - but it does a very good job of making me visible. And it transfers easily to my other bike. What I did pick up was the biggest, brightest tail light I could find... and it happened to be 20% off! This thing has ten - count'em ten LED's. Two point out to each side (though still visible to the rear), and the other six point straight back. It's really two independent 5-led lights in a single casing, so you can set the top and bottom rows to do different things (solid, flash, sequence or random).

We'll have to see how this thing works in the real world. One thing I don't like is that I had to mount it on my seatpost, which puts it underneath my new seat bag. I'm concerned that this might reduce visibility, especially for people who are seated high up (large trucks, for example). I could clip it to the back of the bag, which would help, but now I'm afraid that it will snap off. I also don't like hanging it from my rack, because the rack's blinkie-mount doesn't stay put very well. I left my old light on the rack as a backup.

I'm considering adding a small blinkie like this one to the back of my helmet when things get darker. Perhaps it will help.

The other major bike work for the weekend was, of course the brakes. I picked up a pair of brake cables and some housing at the bike shop (same trip as the new blinkie), and in about a half-hour this evening I had the rear cable replaced. Now that I've seen the cable off the bike, I no longer think it was in danger of breaking, but it was certainly a bit stretched. There was also a light sheath over one section that had broken, and I believe it was this bit of plastic that was making the "unravelling cable" noise.

In closing, I'll give props to two very good website. The first is one that I have referenced for a very long time - the Park Tool website. They provide extensive repair help and tutorials on the use of their tools. The second I have only stumbled upon recently: BicycleTutor.com. This site has quite a collection of video lessons on a variety of topics. I'm just poking around this site, but I expect it will prove quite useful in the future.

Heat, speed, and a bit of 'cross!

2008-09-04T01:29:00.000-07:00

(Don't ask why I'm posting this at 4:30am...)

Man, it was hot on the way home today! I don't know what the thermometer actually read, but it was just that right combination of heat and humidity that sucks the air right out of your lungs. And of course, I was in a hurry to get home! Fortunately, I had a good bit of speed in the old legs.

The fun part was the 100yd or so of deep, loose gravel and the pit of unrideably deep gravel I had to traverse because I ignored a "road closed" sign. Apparently over the weekend, the road crew working on a key stretch of my new "short" route to/from work decided to rip up one end of it and completely rebuild the road. They've mostly finished the majority of the road, except for finishing the sidewalks and medians... generally it's been in a condition that I can ignore the "road closed" signs and weed through the construction equipment to get through.

Not today, though! Just after the recently rebuilt bridge, they had completely destroyed the roadbed and begun rebuilding it with a fresh layer of gravel and crushed stone. The best part of the zone was at the far end where I had to dismount and carry my bike cyclocross-style up over a 2-foot high "wall" where the new roadbed met the old.

Hoo boy! Those good times, they just keep a rolling! It's no fun doing cyclocross when your bike weighs over 40 pounds!

Slacking, habits, and routines

2008-09-03T08:30:00.000-07:00

I had a quite busy holiday weekend. We took the time to do some fall cleaning around the house. On Monday, I did a brief 40-minute ride on my road bike, but most of my "exercise" came from pushing - and repairing - a lawnmower and moving things around the house.

Yesterday, an appointment kept me from riding, so today is my first commute back. Boy, was it hard to get going this morning. Still, I'm learning that a bit of routine and habit makes it easier to keep rolling. I suppose it's a form of inertia. As long as I'm "rolling" - consistently riding to work - I tend to keep rolling. When I stop, I tend to stay stopped.

So, what do I do? Well, first is the "ride home" routine. When I roll back into the house the day before, I rack the bike and give it a very quick check for problems. I put my helmet, sunglasses, gloves, and shoes in the same spot, right next to the bike. Four fewer things to hunt for the next morning.

Then there is the "night before" routine. I (almost) always pack my pannier before bed the night before. This does two things for me. First, and most obvious, it is again one less thing to do in the morning. Second, psychologically, it puts me in a position of having to take action (unpack the bag) to not ride, instead of having to take action (pack the bag) to ride.

Third, there's the "morning of" routine. When I get up, I put on my cycling outfit before waking the kids. Okay, I end up wearing the shorts a little longer than I like, and I'm sure I look a bit goofy in the drop-off lane at school. But again, I must take action (change clothes) before I can drive to work.

The combination of all of these routines results in the default follow through being to climb on the bike and start pedaling. Anything else requires backing up and redoing something.

Contrast this with my default "drive to work" day... I roll home the day before and toss my helmet/gloves/shoes somewhere (maybe different places) in the house -> now I must gather them up on the way out, vs. sliding behind the wheel. I don't check the bike -> now I must fix that flat I hadn't noticed. I fail to pack my bag the night before -> now I must pack the bag, vs. showering and dressing. I throw on clothes instead of bike gear -> now I must dress in bike gear, vs. simply walking out the door.

It's setting your self up for success or failure. When I take a few moments to make the preconditions such that it's easy to ride, I ride. When I allow things to slide, it's easier to drive, and the bike stays parked. As long as I'm doing these things consistently, they become habit, and they happen. When I have days off (long weekends are a killer), it is hard to re-start the routine, and it becomes tempting to drop the bike and drive.

It will be interesting as winter bad weather rolls in how I maintain this. I am already planning to drive at least a few days a week so that I can start back into swimming. I will need to find a way to make the routine balance out properly.

Sharing the road...

2008-08-31T14:13:00.000-07:00

This column by Tom Eblen ran in the Lexington Herald Leader today...

If you never ride a bicycle, please stop reading this column.
That's right; move on to the next story.
I want to speak to my fellow cyclists, privately.
We all know that rural Central Kentucky is a cyclist's paradise — the gently rolling landscape, the vast web of small, lightly traveled roads and the gorgeous scenery.
In the past few years, thanks to the Newberry administration and the Urban County Council, Lexington has made a lot of progress toward becoming a more bicycle-friendly city.
Each week, it seems, I see new bike lanes on roads that need them. Several bike paths and trails are planned. It's a good thing: Each time gasoline prices spike, I see more people riding bicycles to work, to run errands and to get themselves in shape.
So what's the biggest thing holding back cyclists in Lexington? We are. Not all of us, of course, but more of us than we would like to admit.

(read more...)

I have to say that I agree. Just this morning, before I read the article, I was driving down to the donut shop (boy, that by itself is going to get me in hot water!). I saw a woman crossing the street on her bicycle. Moments later, I almost right-hooked her as I turned into the parking lot... my view of her - and judgement of her speed - was hindered by some parallel parked cars and other sidewalk obstructions.

I've also been on group club rides with riders who feel the need to shout, curse, and even "salute" drivers who weren't paying attention. It's one thing to cluster up when there's nobody in sight, but to hold up traffic only gives us a bad rap. And disregarding stop signs and stop lights (yup... seen that, too) is just dangerous.

Good article, Tom.

Name Change

2008-08-29T08:03:00.000-07:00

Well, I've probably just lost the only two people who were reading this. I changed the URL for the blog.

It used to be http://twowheeltwindad.blogspot.com

Now it is http://biofuelengine.blogspot.com

I hesitated to change it, since it breaks links to do so, but I wanted the URL to better match the title of the blog.

Back on the horse...

2008-08-29T06:38:00.000-07:00

(Okay, I didn't shout in this title)

A very, very good ride in this morning. Not only was it nearly perfect weather, but I was fast, and the cars were reasonably well behaved. I recall within days of getting my driver's license, I had a fender-bender at an intersection. I thought my driving days were over, but my parents made sure I was back behind the wheel the next day. They were concerned I would be "spooked." It worked. While I am as cautions and careful as I can be, it has been decades since I was fearful behind the wheel.

Likewise, today, though my legs were "tired," I made myself get back on the bike, knowing that today of all days if I missed, I'd start finding excuses not to ride. I was rewarded with one of the most wonderful morning commutes I've had. A few of the morning's observations:

CD's scattered across the road
A paper plate "tumbleweed"
Lots of kids waiting for the school bus
Puffy white clouds
Fresh pavement
At least three jumbo pickup trucks who think they own the road
Mentally buying a new custom race bike with their annual gas bill.
It's easier to turn toward my 17lb pannier (left) than away from it (right)
Legs are whiners. They're nowhere near as tired as you think.
69 degrees and partly cloudy is nearly perfect cycling weather
Cyclists everywhere

Yes, it was a very nice morning. Now, if the thunderstorms will only stay clear of my trip home, it'll be a lovely start to a holiday weekend!

Egad. Hit and run.

2008-08-28T16:21:00.000-07:00

I was hit this afternoon on my way home. At a stop light. By a pickup truck. In line for the light. (Dont' worry - both I and the bike are fine.). I was on a side street coming up to a stop light at a main street. The pickup passed me (safely) and then pulled up behind two other cars at the light. I rolled up behind the truck as I usually do and waited patiently for the light to change. The driver was having trouble keeping the engine running, and it's possible - since it was a stick shift - that what happened next was truly an accident, and not carelessness or malice.

Suddenly, the truck shifted into reverse and zoomed back toward me. I scrambed to walk the bike backwards (I still had one leg clipped in), but she still hit my front wheel and almost knocked me over. She then shifted forward, cut a hard right, and zipped through the quickie-mart parking lot to our right, short-cutting the intersection. Oh. Her tail lights weren't working either.

I was too stunned to do anything cool, like take a photo of her license plate, or call the cops, or even shout anything more than "Hey!" Instead, I stood there in disbelief, then came to, picked up my bike, and rode on when the light changed. My legs were shaking from the fright for most of the rest of the ride home.

I still can't figure out whether she just impatiently decided to back clear of the car in front and cut the corner, or if the car just jumped into reverse, and she was so started by hitting me that she ran off, or if she did it on purpose. I'm going to assume she was just careless and didn't look back, or the truck jumped back farther/faster than she expected (it was running rough, and she was revving the engine to keep it from stalling out).

Still, it's a sobering experience. I'm fine, the bike is fine, and I'll be back out there in the morning. But maybe I'll stop just a bit farther back from the car ahead at the next stoplight.

Ride safe!

2008-08-28T09:13:00.001-07:00

I need to stop shouting in my post titles.

Anyway, on my lunch, I stumbled across this very well written blog and this helpful bike safety website, thanks to this nice blog. Oh, and here's another spot... the Pennsylvania DOT's bicycle safety website. It has a game/quiz you can play! Since I'm usually subjected to at least one semi-near miss per day of someone pulling out in front of me, I thought these would be useful. They pretty much speak for themselves.

I will add this, though, from this morning's ride. There are several places along my ride where there is a fairly wide berm, shoulder, or car parking area, which abruptly disappears into an unrideable ditch or - worse - a bridge abutment. I'll try to get a photo of one and add it. Anyway, it is very tempting, especially if the lane itself is narrow, to use that extra room for all it's worth. The problem comes when you are forced to merge back into the lane while a car is passing.

The moral: Always be looking well ahead of your ride, anticipate such merge locations, and get to the LEFT of that white line well in advance. Take the lane and keep yourself safe. I find that car drivers don't seem to mind this nearly as much as having to react quickly to an emergency left-jerk (which is what they'll call you, if they're nice) or having to worry about running you into that ditch or abutment.

Oh, and another thing. Be careful of other cyclists as well. I caught up with another commuter on my way home a few days ago. We rode along and chatted for a short bit before coming to a "T" intersection. He had faded all the way to the right curb before stopping, so I rolled up beside him on his left. Unfortunately, I had not noticed that he was in the habit of doing this at every stop, even if he was turning left. We nearly collided when I turned right and he turned left. I should have stayed (somewhat) behind him to be safe, but he should have taken the left side of the lane if he was turning left. He could have been hit by a right-turning car just as easily.

That is all. Carry on. And be safe.

Slow your roll?

2008-08-28T06:29:00.000-07:00

I passed a guy on my way to work this morning. The contrast between he and I somehow caught my attention. I was flying, relatively speaking, cruising down a hill through the construction zone. Making time. Playing catchup with my watch, but still enjoying the ride, the speed, the wind in my face.

He was noodling along. Dressed in his work clothes - I'm guessing he was a mechanic or driver for the city bus system - and regular tennis shoes. He didn't appear particularly fit, but he was not struggling to ride. Based on his ease and balance on the bike, I'm guessing he rides frequently, if not daily, and probably has for a long time. He pedaled slowly, at ease. Just making it to work, enjoying the fresh air or perhaps pondering the day ahead.

I flew by him and offered a "good morning" as I passed. I'm not sure if he responded, as I was by too fast to see. A short bit later, I had to take a one-block detour, or at least I thought so. As I returned to the street, here he came. Still cruising along at the same easy pace. Steady. Relaxed.

It made me wonder. Why do I rush to work? Why do I get there all sweaty and wrung out? The obvious answer is, of course, that my commute doubles as a workout, so I go fast for the intensity of exercise. I still enjoy the ride, but the enjoyment comes as much from the burn in my legs and the sensation of flying as it does from the flowers along the road.

Still, there is something to be said for slowing the pace, cruising, whatever you want to call it. Perhaps instead of that speedy roadster I've been eyeing, I should consider an Electra Townie...

Singin' in the rain!

2008-08-27T09:00:00.001-07:00

So, a dry ride home yesterday, but a wet ride in this morning. The rain wasn't bad, more of a drizzle, but with the wind it was coming at me from all directions. A few things that I discovered:

My current "rain jacket" is good at keeping the chill off in dry weather but is completely useless for anything more than a spritz from a water sprinkler.
A wet bike is (inevitably) a very dirty bike.
Those MTB-style visors on the front of helmets make good rain shields.
Roads are slippery. Paint stripes are even slipperier. Railroad tracks are Teflon.
It's hard to see when your shades fog up.
Once you're soaked, it doesn't matter if you get any wetter.
Fenders are a Good Thing.
Note to self: Next time, pack dry socks for the ride home.

Just out from my house, the road takes a significant dip with a slight curve at the bottom. I was climbing the crest before the dip when a car passed me a little too fast for the weather. He looked a bit out of control. I watched with a mix of alarm and bemusement as, when he got to the curve at the bottom, he did a complete 360 degree spin before coming to a stop. Don't worry, I was 50 yards behind him and completely safe. He hopped out and checked his car, muttering something about needing more air in a tire. I rolled by, thinking... slow down... it's wet and slippery...

It's not nearly as bad as you'd think riding in the rain. You just have to get over the fear of being wet. The real tricky part is making sure you have dry gear and clothes for the ride home. Still, I'm thinking that until I get some more suitable rainwear, I may have to drive on rainy mornings. Especially as it gets colder.

R.I.P. Blinky L.E.D.

2008-08-26T07:54:00.000-07:00

It's a sad morning.

Aah, poor Blinky LED, we knew ye well. You kept us safe from approaching cars for a long time, but now we must lay you to rest.

I was cruising the "short route" to work this morning. Part of the ride is along a street that's still under construction. The main part of the construction zone is (now) very smooth new asphalt, but the end of the zone is very, very rough, as they haven't done the transition work from new to old yet.

Anyway, as I bounced through the rough spot (at speed!), my rear blinky light came unclipped and flew off my (new!) seat bag's blinky loop. It smashed to the pavement and popped apart into a half dozen pieces. This wouldn't have been so bad, but as I was stopping to go back and pick them up, a pickup truck ran over the red lens part, shattering it into a hundred pieces. I was able to rescure the rest of the light, but without the lens, it's pretty useless, except as spare parts.

I think I have an old blinky at home I can use as a backup, but I really liked this one. It was simple, easy on the batteries, and very, very bright. A VistaLight VL300, I think. I'll have to go shopping for a new one now. Any suggestions? Favorites?

On a good note, the predicted rain didn't come on schedule, so I had a dry and partly sunny ride. Plus, I noticed that a restaurant in one of the "less economically developed" areas I ride through has had a bit of a makeover. It's nice to see some investment going on in that area.

Mini Movie Review: Space Chimps

2008-08-25T13:00:00.000-07:00

Well, this will be the first of an occasional feature here... the Mini Movie Review.

We saw Space Chimps the other night. You've really got to have your expectations set going into this. We took a gaggle of 8 year olds. It was certainly no Shrek, but was still entertaining. If you go in expecting a good, compelling, exciting, funny movie, you'll come out pretty disappointed. If you go in expecting a couple hours of leaving your brain in the car and keeping the kids entertained, you'll be OK.

We went in with fairly low expectations, and saw it at the "dollar theater" (five people for $7.50! Yowza!). We were pleasantly surprised. The plot and screenplay are almost entirely predictable, the animation so-so. The aliens are straight out of some TV kid's show. In fact, when they first appeared, I was sure the camera was going to pan back to show the chimps watching a kids show featuring aliens. The chimps themselves were pretty well done.

The good part of the movie was the nearly endless stream of inside jokes, industry references, and adult-level humor throughout the movie. It kept us laughing. In particular, watch for the replay of the Leia / Solo / Spaceship repair scene from The Empire Strikes Back.

I'd rate this move as decent for a dollar theater, or maybe a rainy-day rental. I'm glad we didn't pay retail, but I'm not sorry we saw it.

Stupid bikers! (in this case... the author!)

2008-08-25T06:41:00.000-07:00

This one could also be titled "Check your Gear! Part 2: Before you ride, not while!"...

So I roll out of the driveway this morning, and in the corner of my eye I see a car coming down the street behind me. So, I decide to simultaneously clip in, fade right to give the car room, and look down to check the inflation level of my rear tire, which feels a little low.

Aaaaaaah! PARKED CAR!!!

Somehow, I miraculously squeeze past the parked car that I'd forgotten about, whacking the windows four or five times with my hand to keep from scratching the paint with my handlebars or pedals, while also managing not to face-plant in the pavement to my left in front of the car behind me.

Result: a mildly sproinged right wrist and shoulder and a very embarrassed cyclist. I really should know better than to stare at my rear wheel in traffic.

Yes, the tire is a bit low, but it's rideable. I should have topped it off before I left, or even the night before.

Now, for the intended topic du jour. I was going to mention the sequence of feelings I have nearly every morning when I ride. You see, I'm not a morning person. At all. I barely function before about 10:00am. However, the kids have to be at school by 7:30, and my boss expects me at work and functional by 9:00. So I've had to adapt. Generally, the alarm goes off about 6:30, and I whap it twice. By 6:48 I'm dragging out of bed to rouse the kids. "Rise and shine!" usually comes out more like "Hey... geddup..." with what I hope is a gentle shove on the nearest accessible knee or shoulder. By the time the kids are up and dressed, i'm usually awake enough to be vocal, and a part of my brain is actively thinking through the routine... shoes... backpacks... food... medicine... count heads in car...

By the drive to school (only a couple minutes), I'm awake enough to give a cheery "Have a nice day!", but I'm fading fast. I hit the door sleepy enough to crawl back in bed, and thinking seriously about driving. Still, I remind myself that I'll feel better if I ride, so I pull on the clothes, grab the bag and head outside. My legs are beginning to figure out they're going to have to do more than push a gas pedal, so they're complaining already...

The first three blocks are easy, but a gentle uphill. This lulls my legs into complacency, but does help to quiet the creak in my knees. I'm starting to think this might be tolerable, though I'm still not past the idea of turning around and driving in. Then I hit the super-steep hard right turn at the light. This requires me to clip in (or balance) and stand on the pedals to accelerate from a dead stop all at once, in traffic. The adrenaline shot is like downing an espresso, and I'm off like a rocket. By the time I hit the next light, it's a race.

The latter part of the short route is flatter, and slightly downhill, so I roll smooth and fast. I'm usually "feeling the burn" in my legs and getting a good workout. I'm enjoying the sunshine and checking out people's flower gardens, looking forward to the day. I'm usually a bit wobbly getting off the bike at work, but mentally I'm awake, refreshed, and ready to go. This is a stark (and pleasant) contrast to when I drive to work and hit the door still groggy, even after a morning Diet Coke.

Given the option, I think I'll take the bike.

Check your Gear!

2008-08-23T09:52:00.001-07:00

Yesterday morning, as I noted, I discovered to my dismay that the spare tube I'd been carrying in my Bug bag had the wrong type valve for my wheels. This would have been bad on the road, since I would not have been able to replace a bad tube.

It gets worse. Last night, when I was repairing my flat tire, I pulled out the other spare that I keep in my saddlebag, just in case. Guess what? It too had a Schrader valve (the wrong one!). Even worse, it was a 700c size tube - too big! I had been carrying around a spare tube for TwinMom's bike!!

The moral of this very short story is that you should check your gear periodically and make sure you really are carrying what you think you are carrying. On the side of the road in the rain is the wrong place to find out you forgot your tire levers or that you have the wrong tube.

Check out my articles over on the sidebar for some more information!

Flat!

2008-08-22T07:14:00.000-07:00

How do you like the new "skin"? I thought I'd try something different from the default, while keeping the basic blue motif. I updated the blog subtitle as well, to something a bit less ho-hum.

An unpleasant surprise this morning. I'm running late already, and as I rush out to the garage to grab the bike, guess what I find?? My front wheel is completely flat. Great! Must have picked something up on the way home yesterday. Normally a tube change takes me about ten minutes, so I went ahead and pulled the wheel. Unfortunately, once I got the tube out, I couldn't find the offending piece in the tire. Then I found out something even more sinister!

I had been carrying around a spare tube in the outside pocket of my Bug bag, for just such an occasion. Unfortunately, instead of the small Presta valve I normally use, the tube had a larger Schrader valve - completely unusable with my wheel because the valve stem won't fit through the hole in the wheel rim. I'm glad I caught this while sitting in my garage, instead of out on the street halfway home!

By this time, I was out of time, since I had a 9:00 meeting to make. So, it was upstairs for a quick shower and change, and out to door to the dinosaur burner to make it to work. Now I have some repair work to do at home.

The good part of all this is that I'm behind on writing an article for my favorite triathlon training website, BeginnerTriathlete.com, on how to change a tire. Now I can take some photos to add to the article! Of course, I'll have to put the bad tube back in to recreate the failure for the early pics.

Here are a couple other articles I've authored over there:

The new article is going to be part 2 of the Roadside Repairs series. I'm only about 6 months behind on it.

I haven't been using BT.com much lately, though I did quite a bit when actively training for triathlons. Right now, I'm deliberately staying away from logging. Not because it isn't useful, but because for me personally when I start logging, I start pushing, and that has led to some of my injury problems. I need to spend a year or so just building a "base", getting my body very, very used to the daily grind of exercising. It takes bone in particular months and months to strengthen enough to stand the rigors of an active workout regimen. I may log swims and runs again when I start working on them during the cold months. We'll see.

What I have found very useful is to log food intake. I'm bad about actually doing this, but I've found that the simple act of writing down and tracking what I'm eating helps tremendously in controlling that food and making sure it is the right quantity and the right quality. I've never lost weight so easily as when I was logging my meals. For this, BT.com has a very, very good logging facility. If you'd rather have something that is more food-centric and less workout-centric, I'd also recommend FitDay.com.

So for today at least, my poor bike is sitting in the garage, sans its front wheel, keeping the lawnmower company while I use the hydrocarbon-fuel engine for transportation. I really need a "backup" bike. Maybe I should start trolling the yard sales...

School Buses, gears, and passing motorists...

2008-08-21T13:12:00.000-07:00

I was running a tad late this morning, so I took the short route (by the scrapyard - in just over 18 minutes woo-hoo!). On my way up one of the hilly residential sections, I came upon a stopping school bus. Well, this is new. I've never been at the head of the (opposing traffic) line for a stopped school bus. Hmm... what to do?

Fortunately, after a moment's reflection (and that's all I had at 15mph), the answer was easy. I'm on a bicycle and I'm over 16. I'm "in" a vehicle. So, I stopped. The law in pretty much all states is clear. Adults on a bicycle are supposed to act like - and be treated like - slow moving vehicles. We're supposed to ride in the street, on the right, with the flow of traffic. We're supposed to obey all applicable traffic laws, including stop lights and signs, one way signs, speed limits (yes, it is possible to break the speed limit on a bike!), and so on.

I stopped, waited, watched the kids board, and then I rolled to the right into the (fortunately wide) berm to allow the line of cars I knew was stacked up behind me to pass before proceeding on to work. I figured that was safer, since they all would inevitably pass me on the narrower stretch just ahead, and I wasn't in that much of a hurry.

The other thing I noticed today is that I'm riding in slightly higher gears than usual. This is a good thing, as it means my fitness level is going up. Perhaps I should take this opportunity to explain a bit about how gears work, but it's an in-depth subject, so we'll save it for later.

I also noticed (I must have been very observant today!) that there are a handful of common types of drivers when it comes to passing a cyclist.

First, we have the "normal" passer. These folks drive up, and assuming it's safe they fade over, give me a few feet of clearance, and cruise on by. I almost don't notice them. It's a nice, smooth slide to the left, and a smooth glide back to the right. If there is oncoming traffic, or another issue, they fade back and wait patiently for the right moment - which usually comes quickly. These are the best. It's sharing the road at its finest. They don't frighten or endanger me, and I don't impede them either.

Then there's the "wide berth" passer. These folks either don't trust my ability to hold a line, or they strictly interpret the lane markings. I'm not sure which. They wait for an opening, and then swerve completely into the oncoming lane to pass, leaving a completely empty lane to ride in. This is somewhat disconcerting, as it gives the impression that the driver thinks I'm crazy or have cooties or something. They also tend to swerve when they shift, giving the impression that they are not exactly in control of their vehicle and might overreact to anything at all.

Then there's the "too-nice-for-their-own-good" non-passer. This is the person who decides that passing me wouldn't be safe or polite at all (even though it would be), and decides to hold up an entire line of cars slowly following me as I (invariably) struggle up a hill at six miles an hour. The driver is, no doubt, doing his best to be conscientious, giving me the respect I deserve as a fellow traveler on the road. Or perhaps he's terrified that even if he pulls a "wide berth" move, he'll somehow blow me off the road into a crumpled heap of bones and aluminum. Unfortunately, all this person accomplishes is severely irritating the twenty people stacked up behind him who, of course, blame me instead of him for holding them back.

Finally, there's the "damn the torpedoes" passer. This is the guy who, through either inattention or pure evil, blows right by, taking as much of the lane as he can grab, and coming dangerously close to shoving me right into the bushes.

Case in point: there was a tree cutting crew blocking most of my lane on the way home today. Cars were having to move about halfway into the other lane to get around the bucket truck, and oncoming traffic was slightly into the berm to make room. It's my turn, so I wait for an opening, take the lane and move past the truck as quickly as I can. Apparently not fast enough for the minivan behind me, who decides to pass me as I'm passing the bucket truck! Pulling all the way into the other lane, he shoves the oncoming traffic almost to the grass, earning an angry honk from someone and nearly causing an accident. All to save the five seconds it took me to get around the truck and back over where he could have safely passed me.

Moments like that make me think twice about riding. Fortunately, for every moment like that, there are a hundred "normal" passers, dozens of folks who wait at intersections for me to pass, or pause and wave me through a left turn in traffic. Plenty of smiles and nods from pedestrians, and even the occasional joking conversation about how much gas money I'm saving. Yes, sometimes it's a little rough out there, but on the whole it's a pretty nice ride.

I stand corrected...

2008-08-19T05:46:00.000-07:00

I've also been asked about the meaning of the word "pannier". Apparently I have been somewhat mistaken about the etymology of this word, if not the definition.

A pannier is the same thing as a saddlebag on a horse or motorcycle. On a bicycle, panniers usually hang from a rack mounted over the rear wheel, though there are also smaller front panniers that mount to a rack on the front wheel, sometimes used for bicycle touring.

I borrowed this image from Arkel OverDesigns to illustrate the concept (hopefully they won't mind, in exchange for the free advertising). I use this particular bag, and I love it. It has backpack straps integrated on the backside, so you can carry it off the bike.

Anyway, I had been of the opinion that the word was French. Both Sheldon Brown and Wikipedia disagree on that point. While it is derived from the French for a bread basket, the word itself is English. It's pronounced PAN-yer, not pan-YAY.

I suppose bicyclists use the older, more specific word "pannier" vs. the more common (in motorcycling and horses) "saddlebag" in part because it's easy to confuse "saddlebag" with the very different "seat bag" (which could also be called "saddle bag", since the "seat" on a bicycle is also a "saddle"). But I'm probably somewhat wrong about that as well.

A "Seat bag" (or "saddle bag") on a bicycle, while we're on the subject, is a small bag that hangs below the seat. It's usually used to hold spare tubes and small repair items, as well as perhaps some change, an ID, and possibly a snack. The larger ones could even hold a lightweight rain jacket.

Here's another pic borrowed from Arkel:

So you can see, a seat bag (saddle bag?) on a bicycle is a much different beast from a pannier. And an old dog can learn something new.

Monday legs, clipless pedals, and other musings.

2008-08-18T07:11:00.000-07:00

Hey! It must be Monday!

Normally, that's cause for a halfhearted groan and a slog to the local Diet Coke stash. In my case, it's sometimes cause for celebration. See, I generally use my commutes as workouts, and the biggest underlying reason for doing them is to keep my blood sugar under control so I don't have to go on meds. I also like getting in shape, and tend to measure that by my ride times on my usual routes.

Today I got a "two-fer". Sugar was 99 this morning, despite two days of not doing much about it. That's a good sign to me that the consistent workouts are keeping things under control. Then, my weekend-rested "Monday legs" delivered me to work in 28:36, which may be a record time for my 7 mile route. I'll probably be dragging on the way home, but it was worth it.

An astute reader was asking what are clipless pedals, so I thought in response I would give a brief and vague history of the development of bicycle pedal technology...

Back in the stone age, there were platform pedals. These were the relatively large, flat pedals that are still seen on kids bikes and many cruiser or hybrid style adult bikes (plus BMX and hardcore downhill rigs). The great thing about platforms is that they are simple. You can use them with any kind of shoe, and can get your feet on or off whenever you like. The bad part is that there is nothing but gravity holding your foot to the pedal, so it is hard to get a good, efficient pedal stroke. In particular, on the back (lifting) part of the pedal stroke, your foot is dead weight, and in some cases can simply fly off the pedal . Very convenient for "strolling" along the boardwalk, zipping across campus without changing shoes, or thrashing the local skate park on your BMX. Not so good for saving energy and/or going fast.

Folks who do like to go fast figured that if they could somehow strap their feet to the pedals, it would help their pedaling efficiency. So, they invented "toe clips." Toe clips are metal cages attached to the front of a pedal that are shaped to fit over the toe of your shoe. They are usually accompanied by a metal shoe plate that attaches to the bottom of the shoe and snaps into the body of the pedal itself. Couple these two things with a strap that runs through the pedal body and the top of the toe clip at about the ball of the foot, and you have a very snug, firm pedal attachment system. The good news: now you can pedal in "circles", getting the maximum amount of power transfer through the whole pedal stroke. The bad news: your feet are semi-permanently attached to the bike, so if you need to stop, you'd better know how to do a track stand!

Well, this wasn't good enough, as track stands are not so easy to learn. So folks invented what is known as the "clipless" pedal system. This consists of a spring loaded clamp on the pedal body that grabs a small metal cleat on the bottom of the shoe. The clamp and cleat are designed so that the rider can "clip in" by pressing straight down on the pedal, and can "clip out" by twisting the heel outward. These work very, very well, despite the inherent irony of "clipping" into and out of a "clipless" pedal.

There are several different flavors, all of which work on the same basic premise. The "clip" tension can be adjusted to suit the user. Road racers can set the tension very high so that they don't accidentally unclip when pedaling hard (say, at the sprint finish of a race...), while mountain bikers can set it low so that they can unclip easily when they're in trouble (say, slipping off a log they thought they could ride down...). The Shimano SPD pedal, like most things Shimano, is something of a de-facto industry standard, while the various Look models are popular with road racers and the Crank Brothers Eggbeaters are popular with mountain bikers (they shed mud very well). I use a Shimano "campus" pedal, which has the SPD clipless pedal system on one side and a regular platform surface on the other side. This lets me go clipless on my commute, but still use the bike in my street shoes to zip across campus when needed.

The one main downside to clipless pedals is the presence of the cleat on the bottom of the shoe, which makes it hard to walk in the shoes. Mountain Bike and commute-oriented shoes "solve" this by having raised treads which "hide" the cleat when walking but don't interfere with pedal engagement. Road shoes "solve" this by... well, if you're racing a road bike, you shouldn't be walking anyway.

There's a nice, if short, Wikipedia article about bicycle pedals, if you're curious.

Many first-time users are skeptical of clipless pedals, as they are afraid they will not be able to disengage in the event of a crash. In my personal experience, unless the pedal system itself is mangled, you will disengage during a crash. Practice is of course necessary, as with all new skills, but clipping in and out very quickly becomes second nature. Which brings me to my story for the day.

The first day I rode to work in clipless pedals (about 3 years ago), I had spent the day before diligently setting up and testing the system, and practicing clipping in and out. Unfortunately, I had neglected to tighten down the cleat on my left shoe sufficiently. When I ride, I'm in the habit of unclipping and standing on my left foot at stops. Since the cleat was not tight enough, when I tried to unclip, the cleat would simply rotate on my shoe and fail to unclip. Having already leaned to my left, I was thus doomed to a slow, embarrasing fall to the pavement. In traffic. I fell four times before I got to the office and figured out the problem. Once I tightened up the cleat bolts, I had a nice, smooth ride home.

The moral of this story: Always make sure your bolts are tight... and keep your sense of humor handy!

My ride...

2008-08-15T08:39:00.001-07:00

I skipped riding today, even though the weather is gorgeous. After racing a thunderstorm home yesterday (I won!) and then playing some tough two-on-two basketball with the wife&kids, then staying up way too late watching Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson whip up on the rest of the women's gymnastics (their floor routines were spot-on, and just what was needed to clinch the win), I was just too bushed to think about it.

So, perhaps I'll use today to describe the noble steed that gets me to work most mornings these days.

My main commuting bike is a converted 1998 GT Pantera, in a nice silver/grey paint finish. I bought it in college some 10 years ago, and it's spent a lot of time in the garage, till recently. I'll post a picture sometime when I get the chance. I have another bike (a Specialized Allez Sport) for club rides and races, but it doesn't work so well for commuting - mostly because it has no mounts for a rack to carry my stuff.

So, my GT. It is a mountain bike, from the days when suspension was an expensive option, not standard. So it has none. But that's good for a commuter. Some may disagree, but for commuting, which is usually road-riding, suspension doesn't buy much in comfort. Mostly it's just extra weight. And this bike is heavy enough already. Fully loaded, it comes to somewhere just north of 30lbs. It's a very strong frame, with a unique GT-exclusive "Triple Triangle" frame: the seat stays are angled down a little lower than usual, and meet the top tube a few inches in front of the seat tube. This creates a small third triangle in the frame between the top tube, seat tube, and seat stays. This thing is bombproof.

Using a mountain bike for commuting is nice, because the frames and wheels are strong. Plus, the semi-upright stance gives a good view of traffic, but is aerodynamic enough to help with faster speeds and windy conditions. It's a good combo, as long as you lose the knobby tires and switch to a more street-ready tire.

(Warning: Bicycle jargon ahead!)

The geartrain is the original Shimano STX 21 speed (3 chainrings in front, 7 cogs in back) with thumb shifters on the (flat) handlebars and the older style (pre-V-brake) cantilever brakes. I've recently added some "campus" pedals, which work very nicely. On one side of these is a regular flat pedal, useful for quick trips across the office campus in my street shoes, while the other side has an SPD clipless pedal cleat for the ride to/from work in my cycling shoes. These effectively lock the shoes to the pedal, making it easier to control the bike and also minimizing energy loss in the pedal stroke.

(Warning: Shameless plugs ahead!)

The bike is also well accessorized. I've got a rack on the back (PlanetBike Eco Rack) that carries the gear... which usually rides in my "Bug" bag. Under the saddle, I carry a spare tube, tools, and such in a seat bag (except mine has the integrated toolkit). I'm thinking of replacing the bag, though. It doesn't fit very well. My favorite new toy in the seat bag is my new multi-tool, the Crank Bros Multi-17. It was a Father's Day gift. Up front, I've got a CatEye HL-EL530 headlight for those early mornings and rainy afternoons and a Cateye Astrale 7 bike computer to track speed, cadence, time and all those other important numbers. Oh, and I almost forgot... fenders!

Finally, perhaps the most important part, where the rubber literally meets the road, I'm rolling Specialized Fat Boy tires. Faster than Armadillos, they still roll smoothly over all the broken glass I pass on the way to work.

So that's my ride. A lot of the drivetrain parts are old, so it's going to be hard to replace things as they wear out. I'm already planning on its eventual replacement, but I'm hoping it's a long time before that's a necessity. My GT makes for a nice ride.

Fresh pavement, odd sounds, and two wheeled pack mules...

2008-08-14T11:45:00.000-07:00

After dragging the kids off to school and biking over to the repair shop to pick up the Buick (see yesterday's post), I wheeled off to work. This makes 12 out of 14 work days in the last 3 weeks, and my legs and back are complaining about the increased work. I had only been riding 1-2 days per week earlier in the summer.

The car service shop guy noticed my helmet and asked if I had biked in this morning. I said "Yup." He complimented me and mentioned that it was a good, healthy thing to do. It's nice when people respond positively to my eccentricity. In a locale such as that, I could as easily have been teased for wearing spandex. Of course, it being a Cadillac dealer, they've obviously been well trained to be very polite to the clientele. Most of the employees are much older than I, but to everyone there, I was "sir." or "Mr. TwinDad." Good customer service. I'm sure it works well on their wealthier customers.

It's been unseasonably cold the past few days. There's a rule of thumb that says you should wear knee warmers if the air temperature is below 60deg. F. I didn't really expect to run into that issue in August!

So I get into the second of three neighborhoods I ride through, and get a pleasant surprise! Fresh, smooth pavement!! Summertime.... and the living is easy...

Then I hear this odd rattly pinging noise. Uh-oh. Where's that coming from? Sounds like something is stuck in my spokes. I stop to check. Twice. Nothing. What in the world is making that sound? Finally, it dawns on me. The pavement is fresh. There are little tarballs of asphalt that are essentially loose on top. Hard to see against the matching backdrop. They're sticking to my front tire and flinging off against the inside of my fenders. Sure enough, as soon as I turn off the new pavement back on to the old, a few hundred yards later all is quiet again.

Fast forward to after lunch. One of my co-workers calls. He was going to bring over a load of parts from the other building, but is tied up and cannot. The parts are in four boxes a little bigger than a good size shoebox, but aren't heavy. I have no car!! What am I going to do??? OH NO!!!

Wait. I have a bike. And a rack. And a pannier. And a messenger bag. I'll just pedal over and bring the boxes back. No big deal. If I'm lucky, I can fit two boxes in each bag, and I'm good to go.

Apparently my messenger bag is not as cavernous as I thought. Nor is my pannier. One box per bag, and two left un-stowed. But wait! We have packing tape!!

So, we tape the remaining two boxes together, and then I loosely tape them to the top of my rack. BOY I wish I had brought my rack's bungee-net. My life would be much simpler right now. I carefully, slowly ride back to the office, avoiding the worst of the potholes and cracks. Then I give the boxes a good back-roundhouse kick Chuck Norris style as I dismount. Fortunately the tape held, and the boxes were uninjured.

Boxes delivered safely! Score another one for the two-wheeled pack horse.

Broken cars and utility cycling...

2008-08-13T12:17:00.001-07:00

The kids are off to school today! The kids are off to school today!

The bad news is that I have to drive them because there's no bus (we're too close to the school) and there's no sidewalk (not safe for grade schoolers to walk/bike). The good news is that their drop-off time is about the same as their bus pickup time was last year (same wakeup/rollout time), and it's early enough that I can drop them off, drive home, and still bike to work on schedule!!

So it seems we've been having some car trouble lately. A window that wouldn't stay up in one car, and then on the other, the trunk latch broke. Aside from the financial annoyance such odd repairs entail, they did provide a unique opportunity for my bike to be useful.

Fortunately for us, we live quite near a Saturn / Cadillac dealer. Since both of these odd breakages involve parts that are hard for our trusty non-dealer repair guy to acquire, I took both cars there for repairs on different dates. But I didn't want to drag the whole family out at the crack of dawn to drive two cars over there so I could get back, and then have them drive me to work and all that.

Simple solution: We (nearly) always keep the bike rack on the back of the wagon, just in case, so I just threw the bike on there, geared up, and drove myself to the Saturn dealer. Once there, I checked in the car, unracked the bike, helmeted up and rode on to work. Easy as pie!

The Buick delivery was a bit trickier. The bike won't fit in the trunk, and the leather is to nice to back-seat it. So I ended up leaving the front fork hanging out the back of the trunk - which wouldn't latch shut anyway. Some bungees kept the trunk lid mostly under control, but it still smacked down on my poor bike a few times as I rode. Fortunately it was a short drive, and there was no significant damage to the bike. Again, this morning, I simply pulled the bike out of the trunk, geared up and rode off. I'll swing by that way on my way home to pick the car up, and we'll be all done with that.... until the next repair.

I did get some odd looks from the mechanics. Oh well. I can do most of the maintenance on my bike, and the bike shop guys are cheaper than the car shop guys.

A pleasant side effect of this drop-off/pick-up is that I had an excuse to take the "downtown" route to work this morning. More traffic, but very nice scenery (lots of really big, old trees and nice, nice houses!) and fairly smooth, clean streets. I may use this as my new "short" route, as it is nearly as short as my "straight line" route but keeps me away from the scrap metal recycling plant.

In other utility news, the new shortcut to the neighborhood Meijer should be open today. I'm net-shopping for a good "grocery bag" (open top) pannier to augment my regular commute bag (an Arkel Bug - awesome!). I want something that folds, is sturdy, and that I can just toss things into semi-randomly. Like a milk jug or some fresh bread and meat. My current fave is the Banjo Brothers Grocery Pannier, or maybe their Market Pannier. We'll see. I'm trying to decide whether I like the lid or not.

Hello, world!

2008-08-12T07:11:00.000-07:00

When learning a new computer programming language, the traditional first program one writes is a very simple program that simply displays "Hello, world!" to the standard output device of the target computer system. The above very simple program is written in C, for those of you not so familiar.

As of now, I'm making this blog public, for the whole world to see. Might as well. Who knows what new friends are lurking out there. Now, of course, that means that I will restrict certain personal details from the blog, but that's okay. There's plenty to talk about without giving out the personal stuff.

For the family, I will likely be providing a separate, private blog to cover personal, family news that is of less interest to the outside world or that need to have a limted distribution.

Near misses from unexpected places

2008-08-12T06:55:00.000-07:00

Well, I drove the wagon this morning because I was running late and my back is a bit stiff.

There's a fellow in our neighborhood, a member of the gray-haired set, who rides his bicycle for exercise every morning. He's actually pretty fast, and I'm glad he's out there getting a workout. Yesterday, as I was rounding the corner down the block from my house (a right turn for me), he came zooming toward me around the (left for him) turn, cutting the corner short. There was just barely room for me to squeeze between him and the curb.

Cyclists are people in/on vehicles, just like motorcycles or cars. We're supposed to stay to the right, and stay in our own lane. I'm pretty alert for cars on my route, and I expect them to do dumb things. Other bicycles is an entirely different matter.

It makes me consider two different viewpoints on what happened:

(1) The old nut should have stayed in his lane and held his line. By riding on the wrong side of the road and cutting the curve tight, he could have put us both in the hospital. We had a closing rate of probably well over 20 mph! It didn't help that he wasn't paying attention. Nor was he wearing a helmet for that matter.

(2) It occurs to me that I was not alert to the possibility of other cyclists in the area. Just like most people when they're in cars. We're all so used to looking out for the same hazards every day... we expect cars in the lane, maybe the odd pedestrian or so. But we're somewhat blind to cyclists. Even though I see this guy nearly every morning, and I expected him to be out there, I didn't see him until it was almost too late. Mea culpa for falling victim to the same "blindness of the commonplace" that we often accuse drivers of having.

Accidents happen. They're by definition unexpected. But we can minimize them, and mitigate their effect by being alert and prepared. Yesterday I got a very quick lesson in sharpening my awareness skills.

WOW!

2008-08-11T05:58:00.000-07:00

Wow!

I'm soooo glad I ran to the TV when the Missus called last night.

Imagine you're among the best swimmers in the world, racing in the Olympics. Imagine you r 4x100 relay team swims the race of their lives, breaking the world record for this distance. Now imagine that you come out of the water only to find yourself in FIFTH place.

Now, imagine you're the French team. You're generally considered the team to beat, the odds on favorite for the gold. You've been bragging for some time that you're going to crush the Americans. Now imagine that you come out of the water having not only been beaten by 8 1/100ths of a second (barely a fingertip!), but you've also lost the 100m world record distance to that same American.

The Men's 4x100 freestyle relay last night was likely the best race in the history of swimming. Not one, but two world records fell, one of them smashed by 4 seconds and broken by five teams in the race. At the 50m point in the anchor leg, Alain Bernard (Fr) was ahead by nearly a body length. By the end of the race, Jason Lezak (US) had poured on the coals, closed the gap, beaten him by a fingertip, and snagged both the world record 100m time, world record 4x100 relay time and Olympic gold.

Wow!

Old picture... new picture...

2008-08-10T19:59:00.000-07:00

I've added a photo to the left that I really like. My wife took this pic of my transition setup from the last triathlon I did a couple years ago. Yes, I do triathlons, or at least I did them. I've been hampered by some overuse injuries because I got too aggressive with training and working out for my young-middle-aged out of shape body.

Why post it now? Well, I just found it in the office and scanned it in. Good memories, that race. It was short (a "sprint" - 800m swim, 14mi bike and 5K run) but very hard. I really enjoyed it, though, and am looking forward to getting back into the race. The other part, of course, is that TwinGirl just did a race this past Sunday. Here's a pic of her zooming to the finish:

She did a great job in this race, and is already bugging me to help her train for another one. We've both got to learn how to swim properly, so that's where we're focusing. Meanwhile, I've had TwinBoy out at the driving range perfecting his aim with a golf club. Maybe I'm raising the next Tiger Woods and Natashca Badmann (google them if you don't know who they are...). We'll see!

Biofuel?

2008-08-08T17:53:00.000-07:00

You may be wondering what the story is with the blog title. The "engine" is, of course, my legs... and they certainly don't run on gasoline when I'm biking.

I've found as I'm getting a bit older and (I think) wiser, I've been thinking more about what we do and how wasteful we can be... things like spending 40 minutes round trip in a car on a nice day to get to/from work, only to spend another 30-40 minutes round trip to go to the gym to workout an hour... burning a bunch of gas. Instead, I can hop on my bike, get an hour of exercise, enjoy the weather, and net myself over an hour of extra time during the day. I figure with current gas prices, I'm saving about $2 a day on my short commute just in fuel costs, not counting maintenance on the car or the bike.

Plus, I'm eating better, feeling better, losing weight... and you should see my calves!

I've been toying with this bicycle commuting thing for several years, and I can say that the bike rack at work is considerably more crowded this summer than it ever has. I'm seeing a lot more folks riding on the roads during rush hour as well. I realize that not everyone can do it. Some are not healthy enough, others must haul things that aren't amenable to bicycles. Still, if the current trend of folks moving towards cycling, mass transit, carpooling, and even walking or running sticks, it will be a very good thing for us all.

A beautiful morning...

2008-08-08T12:25:00.000-07:00

Wow. Today marked two straight weeks of biking in to work (well, 9 out of 10 days). My legs were very tired, and I think I've got a brake pad rubbing a bit, but it was nice. The weather was noticeably cooler that previous days - almost chilly. Sunshine, puffy clouds, blue sky, the works. Drivers were nice. I got waves from pedestrians. And by the time I got to work, my craving for Wendy's sausage biscuits (bad!) had mellowed into a mild hunger for a bagel.

Of course, the walk in from the bike parking area reminded me why I'm going to need to replace my commuter bike shoes soon. When biking (more than just tooling about the neighborhood), flexible soles are a BAD THING (tm) because the flexing sole uses up energy that should be going into turning the pedals and moving the bike. It makes for a slower, tiring ride. So, my road bike shoes have an extremely stiff sole. Plus, since they aren't intended for walking, the pedal cleat sticks out noticeably from the bottom of the shoe. This results in a stiff, awkward, noisy (clack! clack!) walk. After fifty yards or so it's pretty annoying.

The shoes I want (and the ones I'm replacing) still have a moderately stiff sole, but the tread is designed to level the feet and hide the cleat as much as possible when walking... MUCH more comfortable, and I don't look like I'm walking on tennis balls. They also look more like real tennis shoes, instead of something out of a science fiction movie.

You may notice the photo slide show running over to the right. Those are semi-random photos I took of the scenery on my recent business trip to the Boulder, CO area. I'll be updating the show with family pics as I figure out how to use this blog.

So, back to the morning. Normally, my early bird TwinGirl is already up watching cartoons before I leave. This time, for some reason the whole house was quiet. We've only got a few days to get organized for Wednesday's start of school. The kids have to be there by 7:30am, so it's going to mean a shift in mommy and daddy's bedtime schedule, too.

TwinGirl has decided she wants to be a Girl Scout. There's a lady organizing a troop at the new school, and TG nearly talked her ear off at Tuesday's meeting. I checked, and the Boy Scout district is also looking into a Cub Scout pack, but it's not set up yet. TwinBoy is interested in that as well... I think it would be a good fit for him. Worked for me!

Good morning, and welcome!

2008-08-08T07:09:00.000-07:00

Well, I just sent out a bunch of invites to this blog. Some of you might be saying.... "Right! What's a blog?" Well, "Blog" is short for "Web Log". It's essentially a self-publishing website. I can pop in here more-or-less daily or weekly or whatever, and post some kind of message. Usually, it'll be a rant, or a random musing from my daily ride, or some neat story about the Missus. or the kids. Maybe even include a picture or two.

The cool thing is that you all can check in whenever you want, and can post comments.

Anyway, this is "private" in that it's by invitation only. But it's "public" in that all the invitees can see the blog and the comments... so remember that it's not email. I'm also still debating on just how private this blog should be, so I won't be using real names and will be avoiding specific locale references. You might want to do the same. I'll probably start a different blog if I want to publish things to the world, but I also might not want to bother keeping up with two blogs...

And if you know anything about RSS, you can "subscribe" and your RSS feeder will tell you when there's something new. So you don't have to keep coming back and checking for new posts. Check your browser - it probably will do this for you.

Who knows... maybe I'll get bored with this in a few weeks.. and maybe this is the wave of the future... we'll see.

Anyway, welcome. And I hope you like what you read.

They can't all be good days... or can they?

2008-08-07T20:17:00.000-07:00

Whew. Hmm... so this is a blog, huh? Well. Good day to start one, I suppose...

I overslept... raced the short way to work... which was decent. Then, on the way home (again the short way, except I took a slightly alternate route... Flying down a hill at 28mph, I notice the rear wheel is shimmying a little. Okay, maybe a lot. I swing on to Fortune and start pulling up the hill and something is really, really wrong...

Sure enough, just two days after bragging about my new flat-proof tires, I've picked up a shard of metal and flatted my rear tire. Well... no biggie. I'm only a mile from home on residential streets. I'll just walk it. Wait! What's this? The sidewalk keeps ending and picking up on the other side of the street! And my heel hurts... bad. Blister on the heel! I get halfway home and realize I'm going to have to lose the shoes.

Still, I don't pull out the phone. Don't know why. Must be the heat making me stupid. So here I go walking the rest of the way home in the grass (as much as possible) barefoot, pushing my bike. Took twenty minutes. I could have changed the tire in 10, and had the Mrs. pick me up in five.

The good part? I made it in and out of the bike shop with only a new tube, replaced the same tire (instead of a new one!), and then switched cleats over to my road shoes to deal with the blister-inducing wear in my commuting shoes. I figure I just saved about $125 just by exercising some restraint. Woo-hoo!