Another post near and dear to my heart...

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"

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

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!

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...

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

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!!!

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

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...

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

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!

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

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...

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!

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

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!

(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

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.