exhalations

Too much sun

2008-08-06T17:10:00.003-04:00

I'm a firm believer in using sunscreen but that wasn't always the case. I've spent many long hours in the sun with unprotected skin. In the past couple of years I've had a few actinic keratoses removed from my face by a doctor using liquid nitrogen. One spot, right on the tip of my nose, kept returning. The latest skin doctor did a biopsy and discovered basal cell carcinoma. Luckily it was caught relatively early. Yesterday I had Mohs surgery to remove the cancer.

To repair the area of the surgery skin was pulled from nearby and stitched into place. I tried not to watch but couldn't resist; it's a bit disconcerting to see large patches of skin being moved around on your face. After removing the bandages today the area looks surprisingly smooth. Maybe I won't look like Frankenstein after all. One day I may post some photos.

July

2008-08-01T17:03:00.003-04:00

The summer is passing quickly. Probably one reason for so few entries here is the time spent watching the Tour de France during the month of July. I spent way too much time watching some of the live coverage in the morning on Versus, then the recap show in the evening.

Despite the absence of many of the pre-race favorites such as last year's winner Alberto Contador, Levi Leipheimer, and sprinter Tom Boonen, it was an exciting race. The winner was not known until the next to last stage, the individual time trail, when Carlos Sastre, put in the best performance of his career, holding off Cadel Evans, a time trial specialist.

American Christian Vande Velde finished fifth and rode an excellent race. Christian will be heading to Beijing soon to compete in the Olympics. See the Christian Vande Velde blog on USA Today.

Bike Virginia 2008

2008-07-15T21:13:00.003-04:00

We rode on our 12th Bike Virginia this year, a ride in the hills of Southwest Virginia and Tennessee. We had great weather and very scenic routes. We just finished our Bike Virginia trip report that includes a few photos as well.

Hincapie wins State 2 of Dauphin� Lib�r�

2008-06-11T22:53:00.002-04:00

It's great to see George win a Dauphin� Lib�r� stage. He seems to be in great form and is looking forward to the Tour de France and possible stage wins there as well. For more George news check out his website. On Sunday Levi Leipheimer won the prologue. Too bad their victories are being ignored in the U.S. press.

Bike Florida 2008

2008-06-10T11:14:00.002-04:00

The Bike Florida 2008 trip report is finally finished. While I took notes on a laptop during the trip, it took a while to select the right photos, reduce their size (using ImageMagick software), and add captions. While we had a good tour, the logistics were not as well planned as in previous years. The ride was a one-way route on the west side of Florida, from Clearwater to Fanning Springs.

Philadelphia bike weekend

2008-06-09T15:43:00.003-04:00

We've been visiting Philadelphia on the first weekend in June for several years. The city is taken over by bike events during the weekend, culminating with the Philadelphia International Championship races on Sunday, formerly the US Pro race. The weekend starts with the Manayunk Walk Climb on Friday evening.

This year we took our recumbents and rode to Manayunk Friday afternoon. We rode a short stretch on the Schuylkill River Trail, then rode to the top of the hill climb on a parallel street that was at least as steep as the infamous “Wall”. We stayed to watch the folder class of riders on their Bike Fridays, Bromptons, Swifts, Moultons, Dahons and others. We stayed in Manayunk for a good outdoor dinner at Belle Trattoria, watching the many cyclists in town for the weekend.


Along the Schuylkill River Trail	Spent folder class wall climbers	Dinner in Manayunk


Philadelphia Bike Club ride	New section of river trail near Rittenhouse Square	Dinner at Jack's across from the old Eastern State Penitentiary

We never seem to learn. Every club ride we've ever tried has been at a faster than advertised pace, usually faster than we like. We chose the C+ Saturday ride of the Bicycle Club of Philadelphia with an advertised average speed of 13-14 mph and a distance of 30-40 miles.

We met at the Italian fountain outside the Philadelphia Art Museum. There were about 10 of us led by Raphael. It was a lovely, on-road route through the Philadelphia suburbs. The pace seemed a little faster than advertised but regardless, we weren't prepared. We didn't stop until the halfway point at about 26 miles and 2+ hours. We're accustomed to a more relaxed pace and stops about every 10 miles. There was no time for photos or any lingering and we barely had a chance to talk other than at our lunch break at Whole Foods in North Wales. It didn't help that the temperature reached the high 90's.

Raphael did his best to keep us together but we were glad to finally leave the group and meander through Manayunk looking for a sorbet snack. We stopped briefly at Zesty's, an excellent Italian ice shop in Manayunk. Later we had another good meal at Jack's Firehouse.

On Sunday morning there is a ride along the race route, the Family Fun Ride. Each year the ride becomes less of a fun ride and more of a race. We brought up the rear, passing a few walkers up the Manayunk Wall, then back to the start. We stayed for the Men's and Women's race start, then returned to our room for a shower and to check out.

To get a feel for what the race is like we took a couple of video clips. The first shows the lead group of motorcycle police clearing the way for the racers. In the background you can see a breakaway with the pack in hot pursuit.

The second clip shows the riders passing a little too close to where I was filming in the stands near the finish. As the first riders approached my natural reaction was to step backwards.

Here are some photos of the race from Velonews.

2008-05-25T08:55:00.001-04:00

VDOT mileage table

Zabriske out of Giro

2008-05-12T22:39:00.002-04:00

It was sad to see David Zabriske crash out of the Giro d'Italia on only the second stage on Sunday. We made sure we were home at 4pm to catch the action on Versus. It was a slow speed crash, which tend to be the worst kind. Instead of sliding he went down hard and fractured his L1 vertabrae.

It was the same day that Christian Vande Velde wore the pink jersey, the first American to wear it in 20 years. That's when Andy Hampsten wore the jersey after winning an epic stage up the Gavia pass in 1988.

Christian lost the jersey on Sunday by one second, and he is still in second place by a second after today's stage. Several riders crashed out today in one of the few sprinter stages.

2008-05-06T12:05:00.001-04:00

Why tolerate 42,000 traffic deaths a year

Rainy day off

2008-04-20T21:14:00.002-04:00

It's not fun when the only weekend day off is a day like today, with steady rain the entire day. It doesn't seem to happen often here but when it does, we go into a bit of a funk. Imagine what we'd be like in a place like Portland or Seattle. So instead of riding around town to do our chores, we hopped into the car and drove. I miss the exercise, even for one day.

Working almost full time is taking some getting used to. My former schedule allowed more time in the mornings for working on volunteer projects, blogging, etc. Now there is much less time for those activities and a little too much time spent at work, although I was ready to head back to work after a winter off. The shop has been busy and I've been learning a great deal as one of the only experienced mechanics on several of the days.

I use the term experienced liberally; it takes many years of daily work experience to begin to know about all the different types of bikes and bike parts encountered in a typical bike shop. Then add a fleet of recumbents and trikes and the challenge increases greatly. Each day is a learning experience, usually under some pressure to complete the job in a timely manner. That's one of the inducements and downsides of the job, depending on the success or lack thereof in doing the task. It's a little like being in school, requiring constant study and thought to come up with the correct solution to a problem.

I'm hoping for a dry Monday.

Bike Florida

2008-04-09T22:41:00.002-04:00

We're back from another Bike Florida trip. This year the route was from Clearwater north to Fanning Springs, mostly on trails. We were reluctant to ride this year knowing that 700 cyclists on two-way trails in Florida was a recipe for disaster, but we have friends in Clearwater and we were anxious to pay them a visit and do some country and western dancing. A trip report is in the works.

Best of Kottke

2008-04-07T15:51:00.003-04:00

Rather than blogging I should just point people to kottke.org. That's where I find much of what I read on the web. Here are a few highlights from recent posts:
♦ Pitchfork interview with Colin Greenwood of Radiohead
♦ Colin Greenwood's blog
♦ What every American should know about the Middle East
♦ New Yorker profile of former baseball star Lenny Dykstra

Behavioral economics

2008-03-18T09:22:00.003-04:00

According to traditional economics, when people purchase products, they consider their options, then make a rational decision to pick the one that maximizes the benefit to them. This sounds logical but according to the relatively new field of behavioral economics, it isn't true. Many factors affect our thinking process when making a decision, many of which are irrational. A recent New Yorker review of Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely discusses some of those factors.

In one example, Ariely and a colleague asked students at M.I.T.�s Sloan School of Management to write the last two digits of their Social Security number at the top of a piece of paper. They then told the students to record, on the same paper, whether they would be willing to pay that many dollars for a fancy bottle of wine, a not-so-fancy bottle of wine, a book, or a box of chocolates. Finally, the students were told to write down the maximum figure they would be willing to spend for each item. Once they had finished, Ariely asked them whether they thought that their Social Security numbers had had any influence on their bids.

The students dismissed this idea, but when Ariely tabulated the results he found that they were kidding themselves. The students whose Social Security number ended with the lowest figures�00 to 19�were the lowest bidders. For all the items combined, they were willing to offer, on average, sixty-seven dollars. The students in the second-lowest group�20 to 39�were somewhat more free-spending, offering, on average, a hundred and two dollars. The pattern continued up to the highest group�80 to 99�whose members were willing to spend an average of a hundred and ninety-eight dollars, or three times as much as those in the lowest group, for the same items.

Anyone selling anything should know about this effect, as should anyone buying anything.

As with many subjects that one first notices, references seem to abound afterwards. Behavioral economics was mentioned again recently in an article in the Post entitled Eliot Spitzer and the Price-Placebo Effect. People often receive more pleasure from an object for which they pay a high price, similar to the positive effects of taking a placebo.

Peter Gabriel and his Moulton

2008-03-01T18:48:00.001-05:00

Peter Gabriel in concert singing Solsbury Hill, riding a folding bicycle. How cool is that?

Suburbs: The Next Slums?

2008-02-29T22:23:00.003-05:00

The Atlantic has a good article on the rise of popularity of walkable communities and cities and the decline of many suburbs. As more people seek out places where they can live near shops and cultural attractions, the large houses on big lots are losing much of their former appeal.

For 60 years, Americans have pushed steadily into the suburbs, transforming the landscape and (until recently) leaving cities behind. But today the pendulum is swinging back toward urban living, and there are many reasons to believe this swing will continue. As it does, many low-density suburbs and McMansion subdivisions, including some that are lovely and affluent today, may become what inner cities became in the 1960s and �70s�slums characterized by poverty, crime, and decay.

There may be a way to reverse the decline of some suburbs; allow more mixed uses that are not currently allowed. Integrate small retail uses among the developments and build some sidewalks and trails. It's probably not feasible in many places where the density is too low and the lots too large. It would require major changes in zoning ordinances, but the change is overdue.

New York visit

2008-02-25T20:52:00.005-05:00

Just back from a fun trip to New York City. It's been over 30 years since I was there in the late 60's to see the musical Hair. I don't remember much from that visit, although I recall seeing Picasso's Guernica at the Museum of Modern Art. The painting was returned to Spain in 1981. The main purpose of this visit was to see the exhibit Lucian Freud: The Painter's Etchings at the Modern.

It was an excellent show, including many etchings and several oil paintings related to some of the etchings. I think Freud is one of the best artists currently working, creating provocative paintings and etchings of his many friends and family members. He is said to paint daily, 7 days a week, in two sessions, one in the morning using natural light, and an artificially lit night session.

The Chinatown bus left DC on time at 8am and after a brief ride on the F train to the Lexington Ave/63rd St station I walked along the edge of Central Park on 5th Avenue to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for an afternoon visit. I was a bit disappointed that some of the Modern Art galleries were closed, probably due to a shortage of guards. I didn't care for the Jasper Johns exhibit, Gray, which I thought was very boring. There are some great works of art in the permanent collection.

I stayed at the Hampton Inn Times Square, a relatively affordable hotel in the heart of the theater district and not far from Times Square, MOMA, Central Park and the subway. The staff were very pleasant, the cookies freshly baked, the room large and clean with a good view. A marked contrast to the reviews I had read about the YMCA where I had planned to stay originally. It was worth the $80/night additional that I ended up paying. There was also a very good breakfast.

Upon waking there was a fresh coat of snow covering the city; so much for the planned bike ride on a rental bike from Midtown Metro Bicycles. I checked out the store the night before and their rate of $7/hour is very reasonable. The hybrid bikes they use looked to be in good condition. Since MOMA didn't open until 10:30am I took the subway to Greenwich Village, following some of the stops in Frommer's Memorable Walks in New York. While walking to the subway it was impressive to see the sidewalks being cleared of snow in front of all the buildings. After shoveling the initial heavy snow, some people were using large squeegee's to keep the concrete clear of new snow.

The lines for the check room were long at MOMA. Note to self, leave backpack at the hotel if possible. It wasn't that day as I had already checked out of the Hampton and was carrying everything I brought on my back; reading material, a notebook, a change of underwear, socks, and some toiletries. While the museum was crowded, it was early enough that I was able to spend some quality time at the Freud exhibit, even checking out a free audio guide for a second run through the exhibit while listening to commentary about some of the works.

The bus ride back was uneventful despite the heavy snow on the ground. I don't know how the bus companies can make a profit, charging $35 for the DC-NYC-DC round trip. The longer they are in business the more run down the buses will become. For now it's a cheap way to get back and forth.

It was a fun visit and I'm anxious to return.

Two articles about being painted by Freud:

Lucian Freud: Marathon Man—“After a chance meeting with Lucian Freud, art handler Ria Kirby agreed to sit for him � a huge commitment which was to last for 16 months, seven nights a week, on top of her day job. Martin Gayford tracked the work as it progressed.”
Captured by Lucian Freud—“When Britain's greatest artist agreed to paint his portrait, Martin Gayford endured countless hours of staring into space � and he can't even afford to buy the result. But for an art critic, he says, the process was bliss.”

Green Bikes program at St. Lawrence University

2008-02-15T15:03:00.002-05:00

The Green Bikes program allows students, faculty, or staff to check out a bike from the library for 24 hours for free. The bikes are simple, sturdy, single-speed bikes that require little maintenance. The program was started in 2004 with used bikes. The program wasn't managed well and the bikes were in poor condition. The current system seems to be working well. It should be a model for other universities and colleges.

Nine Cities, Nine Ideas

2008-02-14T10:28:00.002-05:00

The Wall Street Journal recently published the article Nine Cities, Nine Ideas:

Local governments around the globe are coming up with some of the most innovative ways to cut energy use. There are lessons here for places of all sizes. Chicago is planting rooftop gardens to cool down its municipal buildings. New York is working with a private company to harness the power of tidal currents in the city's East River. Amsterdam is using cold lake water to help air-condition homes.

Tour of California

2008-02-12T20:46:00.000-05:00

The Amgen Tour of California is an 8-day, 650 mile bicycle race along the coast of California, from the Bay area down to Pasadena, February 17-24. Versus will cover the race starting this Sunday, Feb. 17 from 5-7pm. There will be coverage each day, at 11pm on most weekdays. This year there are three U.S. teams, High Road (George Hincapie and Michael Rogers), Slipstream (Dave Zabriskie, Christian Vande Velde, David Millar, Magnus Backstedt, Tom Danielson), and BMC (Antonio Cruz and Jeff Louder).

Wheelchair users issued tickets after being struck by motorists

2008-02-08T13:18:00.001-05:00

And in both cases, the tickets were dismissed in court according to The Hook newspaper article Dismissed! Second wheelchair victim cleared.

Kevin Kelly

2008-02-08T12:20:00.000-05:00

I came across a reference to Kevin Kelly recently. Kevin is the founding executive editor of Wired magazine, and a former editor/publisher of the Whole Earth Catalog. Adventure Cycling sends out an e-newsletter called Bike Bits, and in the latest issue there is mention of Kevin's This I Believe essay that appeared on NPR recently. He mentions the many times during his cross country bike trip that strangers offered to help him. Each night he would knock on a stranger's door and ask if he could camp in their yard. “I was never turned away, not once,”

I have developed a belief about what happens in these moments and it goes like this: Kindness is like a breath. It can be squeezed out, or drawn in. To solicit a gift from a stranger takes a certain state of openness. If you are lost or ill, this is easy, but most days you are neither, so embracing extreme generosity takes some preparation. I learned to think of this as an exchange. During the moment the stranger offers his or her goodness, the person being aided offers degrees of humility, indebtedness, surprise, trust, delight, relief and amusement to the stranger.

Kevin maintains an interesting website. There is a section called Cool Tools: A cool tool can be any book, gadget, software, video, map, hardware, material, or website that is tried and true. It includes a couple of bike-related articles: Six Great Long-Distance Bike Trails Without Cars and Adventure Cycling, about the many routes developed by that group. He has also published his book of haiku written while riding cross-country in 1979, Bicycle Haiku

Street Use is about “ways in which people modify and re-create technology.” He also contributes to a blog on the Wired site, Geekdad.

What to do with a rude driver

2008-01-11T15:44:00.001-05:00

I found this video clip on Bike Lane Diary. It shows you what can happen when you really piss off an old lady trying to cross in a crosswalk:

How we work

2008-01-05T00:17:00.000-05:00

At rodcorp there's a page devoted to how and where various people, mostly artists, work.

Mapmaking for the Masses

2007-12-31T12:57:00.000-05:00

In the article Mapmaking for the Masses in Science Daily there's a reference to a paper by Michael Goodchild, whom I met while working at the USGS, and it mentions two mapping programs that allow user-generated content creation, WikiMapia and Open Street Map. Along with the Google Maps My Maps feature, there are lot's of mapmaking choices out there.

ASUS Eee PC

2007-12-31T12:49:00.000-05:00

The ASUS Eee PC is a very basic, light, small laptop that doesn't do much, but to me it's the ideal traveling laptop. It has wireless access and several basic applications for Web browsing, email, music, video, and it even has a camera. It's very rugged, with a solid-state 4GB hard disk. While 512KB of memory is minuscule, with a basic Linux OS, it should be enough for most travel commuter needs. It looks like an ideal travel computer.