Sunday, November 25, 2012

Molly Brown Spinning on Titanic before it Sank


Unsinkable Molly Brown on Exercise bike on Titanic before it went down.

photo courtesy Steve Stevens collection

Friday, November 23, 2012

Repost - Here's to the Crazy Ones


Narrator = Richard Dreyfus

Here's to the crazy ones.
   The misfits.
      The rebels.
         The troublemakers.
            The round pegs in the square holes.

The ones who see things differently.

They're not fond of rules.
   And they have no respect for the status quo.

You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them,
   disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them.
About the only thing you can't do is ignore them.

Because they change things.
   They invent.  They imagine.   They heal.
   They explore.   They create.   They inspire.

They push the human race forward.

Maybe they have to be crazy.
How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art?
   Or sit in silence and hear a song that's never been written?
Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels?

We make tools for these kinds of people.
While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.

Because the people who are crazy enough to think
they can change the world, are the ones who do.

Chiat/Day copywriter, Craig Tanimoto for Apple Computer, September 28, 1997

Co. Mayo, IRL's Video on How Cars S/Pass Cyclists


Not sure what the law is here, as even the Dublin Cycling Campaign people admit on their web site that there is a lot of conflicting language in how Irish law treats its cyclists. But at least this kind of stuff, that the cyclists.ie people jointed ventured with a car insurance carrier, is out there. 

Back in California, we can't even get a simple three foot passing law, passed by the state house and senate, beyond our governor's reckless vetoes (two and counting).....

Btw: In the comments section, I found the below note.
Considering only four million people live in Ireland, the sentence I highlighted in bold is chilling......

Date: 25th May 2011
Have you ever cycled on a busy road and felt intimidated by passing cars ? A video clip is to raise awareness among motorists on how to over take a cyclist safely, one of the greatest concerns parents and cyclists have is how motorists come too close to cyclists when overtaking them. This awareness campaign is been promoted to co-inside with a national campaign to promote cycling with national bike week been held on 18th June – 26th June.
This campaign aims to prevent collisions between motorists and cyclists by educating the public about bicycle safety and encouraging cars and bikes to share the road.
A recent report by the Road safety Authority revealed Over 600 cyclists were killed or seriously injured on Irish roads between 1997 and 2010. This video clip reminds motorists to allow plenty of space when overtaking a cyclist and always anticipate a cyclist having to make a sudden move to avoid a pothole or obstruction. We are also reminding cyclists that it’s everyone’s responsibility to pay attention and take care on the roads. Simple actions such as wearing a helmet and high visibility jacket, obeying the rules of the road, anticipating what drivers may do, and most importantly never use an i pod when cycling.
“ As more people are starting to cycle on our roads it’s vital that drivers know how to overtake cyclists in a safe manner. Cyclists must also practice the rules of the road. Mutual respect between the driver and cyclist will result in happy and safe roads.” Miss Eva Gannon Green Schools An Taisce
‘’The idea behind this campaign is simple – we’re asking everyone to accept responsibility to look out for each other on the roads so more people can experience the health benefits of cycling said Miss Thelma Birraine health promotion HSE West.
Improving bike safety is a two-way street, “Drivers need to know that cyclists have a right to the road and cyclists need to know that drivers are looking out for their safety. That’s why we all need to work together to take simple steps to share the road and keep our roads safe.” said Noel Gibbons road safety officer.
Thérèse Ruane, Chairperson of Smart Travel Castlebar, said:
“Cycling is becoming more and more popular. Using your bike is the fastest, cleanest and most efficient way of getting around town. But it’s really important that motorists and cyclists act responsibly on the road to ensure safety for everyone. This video clip will go along way to ensure that we can all share the road in a safe and responsible way.
Paul Moloney, Head of Corporate Affairs at AXA Insurance added: “At AXA we are big supporters of road safety initiatives through our AXA Road safe Road show series. We welcome any campaign that highlights the importance of sharing the road with other road users, as this remains a major contributing factor to road deaths in Ireland each year”.
END
Regards
Noel Gibbons
Road Safety Officer
Mayo County Council
MAYO
Ireland

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Guy Writes Program to Scour Craigs List, 14 mos Later Recovers Stolen Bike

On SF Bikes, Max posted to let everyone know the beautiful machine (detailed below) he lost more than a year ago was recovered. Here is how he pulled it off. Too Amazing:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


From:
To: SF Randonneurs <sfrandon@googlegroups.com>, sfbike@lists.riseup.net
Cc: 
Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2012 00:01:14 -0800
Subject: [sfbike] Re: Stolen bicycle: 66cm red Rivendell Atlantis

FYI, this bike has been recovered (one day short of 14 months after it was stolen).

When it was stolen, I wrote a simple script that scraped craigslist and ebay looking for potential matches. It ran hourly for fourteen months, reporting 2-4 false positives per week. Yesterday it found a very suspicious posting.

Another potential buyer contacted the seller before I managed to, but this buyer evidently remembered my stolen-bike alert, and he contacted me to check whether it was my bike, which indeed it was. I am grateful for his honesty and good memory. I then arranged a sting operation with the police, and the bicycle is now back in my possession.

Thanks to everyone who kept an eye out for the bike and offered words of support. I really did not expect to see that Atlantis again.

max

On Thu, Sep 15, 2011 at 8:38 AM, <max.,,,@gmail.com> wrote:
Someone broke into the garage of my home in SF, on Fell St across from the Panhandle, between 8:30pm on Wed 9/14 and 7:00am on Thu 9/15.

Main features:

- 66cm frame
- custom red paint job with cream head tube and lug details
- large black Ortlieb handlebar bag with QR mount
- black Tubus Tara front rack, with custom fork braze-ons
- black Topeak rear rack for Topeak baby seat (but no baby seat attached), with Planet Bike taillight
- Schmidt SON dynamo hub on the front wheel; DLumotec Oval Plus LED headlight

More details:

- 1980s Dura-Ace quill stem, 44cm Nitto "Noodle" bars with cream-colored handlebar tape
- honey Brooks B17 saddle on silver Kalloy seatpost
- Sugino XD triple crank (48-38-26); XT rear hub, SRAM 12-26 cassette
- downtube shifters (D-A) and Shimano 105 front/rear derailleurs
- Shimano BR-R550 cantilever brakes and Tektro R200 brake levers
- 36-hole silver Mavic T719 rims
- black Kenda 700Cx42 tires
- silver Planet Bike fenders with mudflap on front fender
- two water bottle cages
- black Jandd tool pouch under saddle

Major identifying marks:
- scratch on "A" of "Atlantis" decal on left side of downtube
- small scratches on upper part of left seatstay
- handlebar tape in need of replacement; missing handlebar plugs

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2012 15:35:16 -0800
Subject: [sfbike] Re: Stolen bicycle: 66cm red Rivendell Atlantis
Many people have emailed me in the last few hours asking for the script or suggesting that I make it available as a service. So:

(1) In the interest of full disclosure, the script is attached. But it's not a standalone piece of code. It is a spider module for the Scrapy framework. See http://scrapy.org. Knowledge of Python required.

(2) Sadly I don't have time right now to turn it into an easy-to-use service.

(3) But, as others have suggested, someone has already built such a service. Seehttps://racklove.com/. It's pretty cool, and I don't think it existed last year.

max

This is a large and unusual bike. If you see it, please contact me at <max. at gmail> or 415-xxx-xxx8.

Thank you.

max

Sunday, November 11, 2012

4/22/13 Tour of Golden to Kick Off Mayors' Ride


Our 2013 Mayors' Ride symbolically kicks off on Earth Day April 22 from Golden, CO. Take a look at the video above to better understand why. Here is what HiWHeel legend Steve Stevens, is saying about the tour he will be leading on that day:

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My ride will cover, the Bike Park – the Mountain Bike Trails – the Lookout Mountain road.
And a few of the paved commuter and tourist  trails. It will follow the Clear Creek trail along the
National Championship Kayak Course. Along Lookout Mountain, it will  pass below the
famous “M” (for the Colorado School of Mines) on Mt. Zion right next to it and the hang gliding launch. It will come down the hill (at up to 45 MPH ) where, in 1869, 
Jim Boyd had the first recorded bike accident in Colorado -  on his wooden wheeled Velocipede.

It will also pass Wash Ave Hill where, in 1891, Golden hosted the first official Colorado “State Hill Climb Championship”.


“The Sustainable Museum of Sustainable Transportation”



2013 CA Mayors' Ride (proposed)
Sat 5/4 Tour of San Jose
Sat 5/4 Tour of Dublin IRL. (San Jose Sister City)
Sun 5/5 Palo Alto to San Francisco
Fri 5/10 Oakland Emeryville Berkeley
Sat 5/11 Tour of Oakland by ERBTC for Ron Bishop
Sun 5/12 Tour of Berkeley by Tom Ayers
Sat 5/18  Tour of Napa
Sun 5/19 Tour of  Davis
Sat 5/25 Tour of Sacramento by Ed Cox
Sun 5/26 Sacramento to Folsom on
American River Parkway in conjunction with 
Mount Rainier, MD to Washington DC Proclamation Ride 




Monday, November 5, 2012

Why Raw Chocolate Rox for Athletes

The following is excerpted from my book, "How America Can Bike and Grow Rich" and the Podcast I did with the people at Sunfood, the purveyors of Raw Chocolate and other amazing super foods:


Cacao Powder was once so revered by the ancient Mayan and 
Aztec civilizations for its power as a food that it was used instead 
of gold as money. What is important to understand is that as raw 
chocolate in its purest form, it does not have an 
acceptable taste on its own. Toward that end, most of the 
chocolate most Americans consume is cooked and so processed 
and so  covered up with sugars and other taste enhancers that its 
many benefits are negated. 



While cacao may not have specific  performance enhancing 
properties  like some of the others foods I mixed it with, it, when 
viewed as a food, in its raw form, it is loaded with vital nutrients. It 
is the highest natural source of iron, magnesium and chromium. 
This not to mention that it has the highest concentration of 
antioxidants of any food in the world. In addition, it is the only food 
that contains the endorphin Anandamide that relaxes the body 
after exercise. As such, it was my nightly RAW chocolate bar that 
rewarded me well for some of the punishment I pushed myself 
through. This can be further illustrated by the fact that for 40 
years, starting in the 1930’s, heart attack sufferers were injected 
with theobromine, the smooth muscle relaxant found in chocolate 
that also dilates blood vessels. 

Amazing 'Bike Like a New Yorker' Billboard Ads

On the eve of Citi Bike NYC's expansive bike share system and to celebrate the launch of BikeNYC.org, the Transportation Alternatives people teamed up with the marketing gurus at Mother NY to create Bike Like a New Yorker. With the help of generously donated billboards and printing from Edison, Van Wagner and Duggal, Bike Like a New Yorker is broadcast on scores of billboards across New York. 












Friday, November 2, 2012

New York Times - The Bicycle is Saving the City!!


NY Times
November 1, 2012

One Way Around the Traffic Muddle in Brooklyn: Riding a Bicycle

By KATE TAYLOR

In post-storm New York, the bike is having a moment of sorts.

With subways still not running under the East River or between Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, traffic snarled in many places and lines for buses stretching for blocks, many people in Brooklyn took to bicycles on Thursday to get where they had to go.

“I’m extremely glad I have a bike right now — it’s one of the best assets you can have,” said James Emery, 22, who was riding on Thursday afternoon from Williamsburg to Red Hook to help a friend whose screen-printing business had been flooded.

Thomas Jarrels, 46, who biked home to Crown Heights from his job as a sous-chef at a Midtown law firm, said he was glad to have had an impetus to bike to work. He said he was a bike messenger in the 1980s and loved biking, but had never commuted by bike until the storm disabled the subway. Though it took slightly longer than the train, he said, he thought he would keep biking even after the subway started running again.

“It saves money, and it’s less of a headache,” he said. “It gives you time to think, meditate and get your exercise on.”

Susan Creighton, 26, a teacher who lives in Park Slope and is running in the New York City Marathon on Sunday, said she had decided to bike into Manhattan to pick up her number at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center after seeing the long lines for buses on the news.

She said she usually biked only recreationally and had been intimidated by riding on more congested routes. “This kind of showed me it’s not that bad,” she said, adding that on Friday she might bike to the school in Williamsburg where she teaches.

Many frequent bike commuters said that, with sparse traffic in downtown Manhattan, conditions for biking were ideal.

“I just bombed all the way down Broadway right now — I think I saw five cars,” said Jason Jaramillo, 34, who had just biked to Brooklyn from the Upper West Side. “I wish it was always like this.”

But David Pimentelli, 42, said that biking in some areas of Brooklyn had been frightening on Thursday, with drivers waiting anxiously in long lines for gas and little police presence.

“I’m scared to be going back to Brooklyn right now,” he said, as he exited the Brooklyn Bridge after a trip to Manhattan. “People are running red lights, very agitated, they don’t care.”