Mt Dew & Peachie O's on the way home.
NBA Wufs v Jazz - NBA game #1 for The Boys - the Boy 6 likes the Howl-o-meter. I'm skeptical. Wufs win. That wasn't the point.
Woodland Hills Church - listened to a sermon that may preclude me from being President later.
Wake/check out.
Sleep.
Dinner @ Town Talk Diner w/ Transit Librarian and his lovely wife. I had the brat burger. The Boy 6 had tapioca loaf.
The Wedge - food co-op. Either because we love visiting food co-ops, or because The Boy 6's tapioca loaf got soaked in the ice cooler. Or both.
You take the skyway, high above the busy little one-way.
Hard Rock Cafe
LegoLand purchase. Apple store walk through. See 15 minutes at MOA, How to...that MacBookAir is THIN!
Green Day: American Idiot for possibly the 20th time.
REI - because The Boy 10 might try climbing...but a Friday playground injury precluded him from trying the monolith. Darn. Then got kicked out because we didn't meet minimum requirements. 1 (one) North Face logo per group.
Hiawatha Cyclery - for reelights. Opens in 30 minutes. Bummer.
Wake up in Cycle City. Where'd all these bikes come from?
Sleep. Midtown Sheraton.
Drive. Audiobook - "Into the Wild" by either Jack Krakauer or Jon Kerouac
Monday, March 31, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
SDBC Score #1
This from the Rapid City Journal:
"In fact, the South Dakota Bicycle Coalition helped persuade the state Rail Board to seek bids to make minimal repairs to the Milwaukee Road railroad bridge over the Cheyenne River. The state had intended to tear it down, Cole said. 'If you lose that bridge, its value as a trail would be gone,' he said."
Congratulations South Dakota Bicycle Coalition!
Now, somebody please tell me I'm wrong here. The South Dakota Bicycle Coalition appers in the Rapid City Journal, KX TV in Minot, Black Hills Pioneer, the nationally known BikingBis website, KMEG in Sioux City, and The Daily Republic in Mitchell.
The South Dakota Bicycle Coalition doesn't appear in the Argus Leader.
"In fact, the South Dakota Bicycle Coalition helped persuade the state Rail Board to seek bids to make minimal repairs to the Milwaukee Road railroad bridge over the Cheyenne River. The state had intended to tear it down, Cole said. 'If you lose that bridge, its value as a trail would be gone,' he said."
Congratulations South Dakota Bicycle Coalition!
Now, somebody please tell me I'm wrong here. The South Dakota Bicycle Coalition appers in the Rapid City Journal, KX TV in Minot, Black Hills Pioneer, the nationally known BikingBis website, KMEG in Sioux City, and The Daily Republic in Mitchell.
The South Dakota Bicycle Coalition doesn't appear in the Argus Leader.
Monday, March 24, 2008
UNL Lectures
"Only puny secrets need protection. Big discoveries are protected by public incredulity.” - Marshall Mcluhan
The quote was dropped by Amory Lovins at the end of his presentation last month at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He participated in the E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues. He's been travelling with his "Winning the Oil Endgame" presentation for a few years now. This is actually the third time I've heard it (updated of course), and I never get tired of it. This guy is VISIONARY!
If you haven't heard it - come on! Hear it. Get the current iteration through iTunes U or download the (I guess) 2007 version from last year's archives.
Or catch another version from the TED Conference (with video!):
I also listend to National Evangelical Association VP Richard Cizik at the same forum and the same month. I've written about him plenty but I haven't heard him speak at length. He's not nearly as polished as Lovins, I like my religion/climate change argument better but nonetheless I got 90 minutes uninterrupted from him today too. Again, available from iTunes U.
I almost forgot - my college classmate the Infidel Cowboy (I like to think of him as Fidel) would like you to know that "Global Warming is Bullshit." As I read back through his blog though it didn't take long (no time at all actually) to restore my hope in his humanity.
The quote was dropped by Amory Lovins at the end of his presentation last month at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He participated in the E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues. He's been travelling with his "Winning the Oil Endgame" presentation for a few years now. This is actually the third time I've heard it (updated of course), and I never get tired of it. This guy is VISIONARY!
If you haven't heard it - come on! Hear it. Get the current iteration through iTunes U or download the (I guess) 2007 version from last year's archives.
Or catch another version from the TED Conference (with video!):
I also listend to National Evangelical Association VP Richard Cizik at the same forum and the same month. I've written about him plenty but I haven't heard him speak at length. He's not nearly as polished as Lovins, I like my religion/climate change argument better but nonetheless I got 90 minutes uninterrupted from him today too. Again, available from iTunes U.
I almost forgot - my college classmate the Infidel Cowboy (I like to think of him as Fidel) would like you to know that "Global Warming is Bullshit." As I read back through his blog though it didn't take long (no time at all actually) to restore my hope in his humanity.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Coffee And (not a very good) Microwaved Burrito
I know I'm late to this party but, this week I discovered MapMyRide.com. Love it!
This morning I woke the the promise of tasty coffee and a bike ride. I met Mr. Bite at the official starting point with two words - Dunn Brothers. Off we rode in some of the neatest weather conditions - little wind, 32 degrees, snowflakes big enough to knock you off your bike if they catch you wrong.
Hey CycleSD, the woman who made my coffee asked after you!
My therapist was enjoying coffee. I haven't seen him for a few years. He knows enough to say he'd parked his car and walked the rest of the way just because it was so beautiful out. He's down with The MCP.
We departed The DBC. Roads were a little more wet and for the first time ever water entered through the bottom of my Lake winter boots. Hmmm...
We stopped off at Leaders Park to catch a visual of what the place might look like with urban singletrack.
We stopped off at Falls Park to see water falling.
We stopped off at the Museum of Visual Materials to imagine what it would look like to have 150 bicyclists there on Bike to Work Day. That's May 16 by the way. This year the most important thing is to NOT RUN OUT OF FOOD. This might mean not running out of PANCAKES.
We stopped off at Thee Snakepit to fetch a rather large Ellsworth dual suspended 29er frame. He strapped it to his back and...
We stopped off at The LBS where I departed to home and he began to attach parts to said frame.
It was a 25 mile day. As the image barely shows I rode from the extreme west edge of The City to the extreme east edge. And back. I like that in a bike ride.
This morning I woke the the promise of tasty coffee and a bike ride. I met Mr. Bite at the official starting point with two words - Dunn Brothers. Off we rode in some of the neatest weather conditions - little wind, 32 degrees, snowflakes big enough to knock you off your bike if they catch you wrong.
Hey CycleSD, the woman who made my coffee asked after you!
My therapist was enjoying coffee. I haven't seen him for a few years. He knows enough to say he'd parked his car and walked the rest of the way just because it was so beautiful out. He's down with The MCP.
We departed The DBC. Roads were a little more wet and for the first time ever water entered through the bottom of my Lake winter boots. Hmmm...
We stopped off at Leaders Park to catch a visual of what the place might look like with urban singletrack.
We stopped off at Falls Park to see water falling.
We stopped off at the Museum of Visual Materials to imagine what it would look like to have 150 bicyclists there on Bike to Work Day. That's May 16 by the way. This year the most important thing is to NOT RUN OUT OF FOOD. This might mean not running out of PANCAKES.
We stopped off at Thee Snakepit to fetch a rather large Ellsworth dual suspended 29er frame. He strapped it to his back and...
We stopped off at The LBS where I departed to home and he began to attach parts to said frame.
It was a 25 mile day. As the image barely shows I rode from the extreme west edge of The City to the extreme east edge. And back. I like that in a bike ride.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Large Fella
In case you missed it when you read his blog...the Star Tribune has published a feature about the Large Fella on a Bike. Turns out he only used to be large.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Daylights
There was a murder in my happy little burg over the weekend. Apparently it went down in an apartment parking lot just before noon. By the mall. Yes the mall. That's sorta like killing someone just outside the temple!
One headline noted the hour as "broad daylight" which got me thinking...does anything good ever happen in broad daylight?
Does anybody every help and elderly woman cross a busy street in broad daylight?
Why is it that things that occur in broad daylight are almost always crimes?
One headline noted the hour as "broad daylight" which got me thinking...does anything good ever happen in broad daylight?
Does anybody every help and elderly woman cross a busy street in broad daylight?
Why is it that things that occur in broad daylight are almost always crimes?
Friday, March 14, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Tomato/Tomato
Some say this is a vehicle that accidentally crossed the center line...
I don't recall the last time I knowingly or unknowingly made a centerline angry but I do know this looks more like a vehicle that crossed the centerline, at least one lane of roadway, jumped a curb, went up an embankment, killed two, injured one...and then the driver may have woken up.
Let's call the whole thing off.
More bike lanes!
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Cars People People Cars
Another terrible cycling death (or two) another set of headlines to help determine whether people drive cars or cars drive people. In Cupertino two cyclists are killed by either a sheriff's vehicle or a sheriff's deputy.
1:15pm Monday.
Cars drive people:
1. Sheriff's patrol car hits bicyclists, kills 2
2. Two bicyclists killed, third injured in crash with patrol car
3. Sheriff's Vehicle Strikes, Kills Cyclists
4. Deputy’s Car Hits Group of Cyclists, 2 Dead, 1 Seriously Injured
5. UPDATE: Sheriff's deputy patrol car strikes three bicyclists
6. 2 Cyclists Killed In S.Bay Crash With Deputy's Car
7. Two bicyclists killed, third injured in crash with patrol car
8. Two bicyclists struck and killed by sheriff's vehicle in Cupertino
9. Santa Clara deputy sheriff's car hits and kills 2 bicyclists
10. Two bicyclists struck and killed by sheriff's car on Stevens ...
11. California Police Car Hits And Kills Two Cyclists In Cupertino
People drive cars:
1. NorCal Deputy Crashes Into Cyclists, Kills 2
2. Deputy Crashes Into Cyclists In South Bay, Kills 2
3. Police report an officer accidentally killed 2 cyclists. No ...
4. Cupertino officer plows cyclists, two dead
5. Deputy hits cyclists, at least 1 dead
6. Sheriff's deputy hits cyclists, killing 2
7. Two bicyclists killed in crash with sheriff's deputy
8. California Sheriff's Deputy Kills 2 Bicyclists during Patrol
---
Thanks Google News.
1:15pm Monday.
Cars drive people:
1. Sheriff's patrol car hits bicyclists, kills 2
2. Two bicyclists killed, third injured in crash with patrol car
3. Sheriff's Vehicle Strikes, Kills Cyclists
4. Deputy’s Car Hits Group of Cyclists, 2 Dead, 1 Seriously Injured
5. UPDATE: Sheriff's deputy patrol car strikes three bicyclists
6. 2 Cyclists Killed In S.Bay Crash With Deputy's Car
7. Two bicyclists killed, third injured in crash with patrol car
8. Two bicyclists struck and killed by sheriff's vehicle in Cupertino
9. Santa Clara deputy sheriff's car hits and kills 2 bicyclists
10. Two bicyclists struck and killed by sheriff's car on Stevens ...
11. California Police Car Hits And Kills Two Cyclists In Cupertino
People drive cars:
1. NorCal Deputy Crashes Into Cyclists, Kills 2
2. Deputy Crashes Into Cyclists In South Bay, Kills 2
3. Police report an officer accidentally killed 2 cyclists. No ...
4. Cupertino officer plows cyclists, two dead
5. Deputy hits cyclists, at least 1 dead
6. Sheriff's deputy hits cyclists, killing 2
7. Two bicyclists killed in crash with sheriff's deputy
8. California Sheriff's Deputy Kills 2 Bicyclists during Patrol
---
Thanks Google News.
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Report: February 4 – March 2
A few nights ago I dreamed the roads were clear and I was riding my single speed road bike. I welcome March, but I’d rather say good riddance to winter. It’s snowing as I type.
For the sake of brevity I’m putting the whole month of February in one abbreviated report. I didn’t ride much. The cold. The snow. The city plowing budget seems to be used up. I'm a beaten man. Still, I was mostly conscious about my driving.
Thanks to a very good January I remain on my best car mileage pace yet.
January/February 2006 – 481
January/February 2007 – 407
January/February 2008 – 397
And I'm surprised to find I'm ahead of last year in bike miles.
January/February 2006 – 258
January/February 2007 – 72
January/February 2008 – 113
Two more months and winter will be over! Woo hoo!
PS. Don't forget to ask me how The MinusCar Project can promote and support a statewide organization that will give people yet another reason to travel across the state once or more a year.
For the sake of brevity I’m putting the whole month of February in one abbreviated report. I didn’t ride much. The cold. The snow. The city plowing budget seems to be used up. I'm a beaten man. Still, I was mostly conscious about my driving.
Thanks to a very good January I remain on my best car mileage pace yet.
January/February 2006 – 481
January/February 2007 – 407
January/February 2008 – 397
And I'm surprised to find I'm ahead of last year in bike miles.
January/February 2006 – 258
January/February 2007 – 72
January/February 2008 – 113
Two more months and winter will be over! Woo hoo!
PS. Don't forget to ask me how The MinusCar Project can promote and support a statewide organization that will give people yet another reason to travel across the state once or more a year.
Saturday, March 01, 2008
The Summit & The Coalition
The South Dakota Bicycle Summit was today. The South Dakota Bicycle Coalition is tomorrow. Here are the pictures that prove it.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Friday!
My Friday ended like this:
Online Award ClaimHow was yours?
This is to inform you that your email ID has won US$1,000,000. 00 in the first category of our computer ballot email lottery with the said winning numbers giving below;
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Minus What?
I dropped my car off at the shop today. Apparently the brake lights don't work. At least that's what the guy behind me told me. He looked like he knew what he was talking about too.
--
I’m not dead…I’m just working. I’d like to say I’m ready for spring but the 10 day forecast shows 30 and 40 degrees and that doesn’t even make me sing. It makes me think slush and mud.
In good news, the first ever South Dakota Bike Summit is this weekend and registrations are above the embarrassment threshold (if you build it they will come) (maybe but this isn’t baseball). Keynote speaker is Gary Sjoquist - Bikes Belong Director of Government Relations and Quality Bike Product’s paid advocate. He’s part of the reason Minneapolis is Cycle City. I noted a SDDOT registrant too. If you can go, GO. If you want free transport join FAB and e-mail DirkThePresident and ask him for a ride. It’s in Chamberlain on Saturday, and I think it’d be funny if 20 more people contacted him wanting transport. (Hi Dirk!) You still have to register for the summit too.
Bike 2 Work day is May 19th. Imagine a city where all the bike shops work together to raise awareness of Bike To Work day. What if they hosted bike donation drop offs? Like leave your old bike and buy a new one. What if the donated bikes went to x-cons trying to get to work? And what if there were pancakes for breakfast May 19th? And what if some of your favorite bloggers (well they’re my favorite bloggers) worked to put that together? Anyway…that’s the dream - at the moment.
Last night I read the Recreational Trails Program 2008 Grant Manual and Application. See, there’s this group of people with a dream of urban singletrack that’s…how you say…close enough to ride to. It’s not really my dream at the moment but it sure would be nice to be able to ride off road on something that’s not 1 or 4 automobile hours away. Anyway, it was scintillating reading if you like that sort of thing and this state's got $1,000,000 burning a hole in its pocket. I wonder how many parking spots are required for an off road bike trail?
A laugh a minute. I gotta go to work.
--
I’m not dead…I’m just working. I’d like to say I’m ready for spring but the 10 day forecast shows 30 and 40 degrees and that doesn’t even make me sing. It makes me think slush and mud.
In good news, the first ever South Dakota Bike Summit is this weekend and registrations are above the embarrassment threshold (if you build it they will come) (maybe but this isn’t baseball). Keynote speaker is Gary Sjoquist - Bikes Belong Director of Government Relations and Quality Bike Product’s paid advocate. He’s part of the reason Minneapolis is Cycle City. I noted a SDDOT registrant too. If you can go, GO. If you want free transport join FAB and e-mail DirkThePresident and ask him for a ride. It’s in Chamberlain on Saturday, and I think it’d be funny if 20 more people contacted him wanting transport. (Hi Dirk!) You still have to register for the summit too.
Bike 2 Work day is May 19th. Imagine a city where all the bike shops work together to raise awareness of Bike To Work day. What if they hosted bike donation drop offs? Like leave your old bike and buy a new one. What if the donated bikes went to x-cons trying to get to work? And what if there were pancakes for breakfast May 19th? And what if some of your favorite bloggers (well they’re my favorite bloggers) worked to put that together? Anyway…that’s the dream - at the moment.
Last night I read the Recreational Trails Program 2008 Grant Manual and Application. See, there’s this group of people with a dream of urban singletrack that’s…how you say…close enough to ride to. It’s not really my dream at the moment but it sure would be nice to be able to ride off road on something that’s not 1 or 4 automobile hours away. Anyway, it was scintillating reading if you like that sort of thing and this state's got $1,000,000 burning a hole in its pocket. I wonder how many parking spots are required for an off road bike trail?
A laugh a minute. I gotta go to work.
Friday, February 15, 2008
HVD!
My Valentine got me one of these today.
It’s not a tank top. It’s a ChicoBag, “Helping humanity kick the single-use bag habit.” She found it at the food co-op.
It stuffs into itself and gets rather smallish.
And then the red lights started flashing. The whistle in the basement started to blow (we had to move it to the basement because it’s too loud). Somewhere, somehow, a website had placed a link to The MinusCar Project.
Drop everything and find it.
Sustainability at BSCS is a new blog documenting efforts as Bradley Stoke Community School attempts to become more sustainable.
Welcome to the blogosphere Bradley! And thanks for posting this YouTube video. I like it. I like it a lot.
Parts of this post, like the whistle in the basement, might be exaggerated.
(maybe the whistle is in the kitchen)
It’s not a tank top. It’s a ChicoBag, “Helping humanity kick the single-use bag habit.” She found it at the food co-op.
It stuffs into itself and gets rather smallish.
And then the red lights started flashing. The whistle in the basement started to blow (we had to move it to the basement because it’s too loud). Somewhere, somehow, a website had placed a link to The MinusCar Project.
Drop everything and find it.
Sustainability at BSCS is a new blog documenting efforts as Bradley Stoke Community School attempts to become more sustainable.
Welcome to the blogosphere Bradley! And thanks for posting this YouTube video. I like it. I like it a lot.
Parts of this post, like the whistle in the basement, might be exaggerated.
(maybe the whistle is in the kitchen)
Friday, February 08, 2008
The Omnivore's Next Dilemma
I've been downloading TED Talks on my iPod. This is one video podcast I wish I'd gotten in on the ground floor.
Here is Michael Pollan, Omnivore's Dilemma author, talking about what's next. It's excellent. If the embedding doesn't work (and signs indicate it won't) check the page here - http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/214
Don't know that TED is? Pay more attention.
The other three TED Talks that I'm unable to delete from the device are:
* Jaime Lerner - Sing a Song of Sustainable Cities (15:43)
* Ben Dunlap - The Story of a Passionate Life (19:08)
* David Gallo - Underwater Astonishments (6:01) (this one I shared with The Boys)
Here is Michael Pollan, Omnivore's Dilemma author, talking about what's next. It's excellent. If the embedding doesn't work (and signs indicate it won't) check the page here - http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/214
Don't know that TED is? Pay more attention.
The other three TED Talks that I'm unable to delete from the device are:
* Jaime Lerner - Sing a Song of Sustainable Cities (15:43)
* Ben Dunlap - The Story of a Passionate Life (19:08)
* David Gallo - Underwater Astonishments (6:01) (this one I shared with The Boys)
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Report: January 28 – February 3
One last comment and then I’m done with the very sad and sorry situation in Massachusetts. People are deciding that schools and voting aren’t such good matches. While so many are thinking so radically about the relative safety of school children occupying the same space as your average car driving, lever pulling, primary voting, American…
How about we ban automobiles from polling places?
For the second report in a row - “That is an S.U.V; Humans ride in then because they are slowly losing their ability to walk.” – from Over the Hedge: The Movie.
Trips -
MinusCar: 6
Multi-occupant Auto: 9
Single occupant Auto: 3
Destinations: 21
I didn’t do much bike riding this week. But I didn’t do much car driving either.
My Car Miles: 2
My Bike Miles: 10
I figured out a new and improved way to utilize the bus. I ride with The Wife downtown and grab a bus that drops me 1 block from work. To the casual observer – and others more familiar with the local bussing system – this might seem to be a colossal waste of time.
You bet it is…if holding hands with The Wife and having a nice together time in the morning sans kids can be considered a waste of time.
For a lot of days this week, with the help of cellular technology, we even coordinated a transfer of my person to her car at the bus stop nearest our home.
Aided by these 2 miles this is the fewest miles The BlackBeast has gone in January since the beginning of The MinusCar Project: 2006 – 324, 2007 – 204, 2008 – 155.
How about we ban automobiles from polling places?
For the second report in a row - “That is an S.U.V; Humans ride in then because they are slowly losing their ability to walk.” – from Over the Hedge: The Movie.
Trips -
MinusCar: 6
Multi-occupant Auto: 9
Single occupant Auto: 3
Destinations: 21
I didn’t do much bike riding this week. But I didn’t do much car driving either.
My Car Miles: 2
My Bike Miles: 10
I figured out a new and improved way to utilize the bus. I ride with The Wife downtown and grab a bus that drops me 1 block from work. To the casual observer – and others more familiar with the local bussing system – this might seem to be a colossal waste of time.
You bet it is…if holding hands with The Wife and having a nice together time in the morning sans kids can be considered a waste of time.
For a lot of days this week, with the help of cellular technology, we even coordinated a transfer of my person to her car at the bus stop nearest our home.
Aided by these 2 miles this is the fewest miles The BlackBeast has gone in January since the beginning of The MinusCar Project: 2006 – 324, 2007 – 204, 2008 – 155.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Headlines
Over there on the right is the headline that a car struck an 88 year-old cyclist.
The flawed logic of comparing one isolated incident with another isolated incident notwithstanding (and isn't that what Bill O'Reilly is all about anyway)...
"Elderly driver hits girl at school polling place"
Apparently age disparity plays into a car or drivers responsiblity in a collision.
...part of an ongoing informal study of car/non-car collisions.
UPDATE:
Thanks to Google News here are related headlines. It's a tight race. 8 headlines think cars drive people. 6 headlines think people drive cars.
* Children scatter as SUV crashes at school, injuring girl
* SUV hit girl as Randolph schoolchildren looked on in horror
* Girl, 8, hit by car at school poll
* Girl, 8, Hit By A SUV At Randolph School
* Dozens of kids saw girl hit by car: Second time in a year that a ...
* Girl hurt in accident at Randolph polling place
* SUV hits 2d grader in Randolph
* WEB EXTRA: Vehicle strikes girl at Randolph elementary school
* Man Hits Girl With SUV At Polling Station
* Elderly driver hits girl at school polling place
* Elderly Voter Strikes Child With Car at Massachusetts Polling Place
* Driver, 86, hits Randolph girl at polling place
* Girl run down by elderly voter at Lyons Elementary School
* Man, 86, strikes girl with car after voting
The flawed logic of comparing one isolated incident with another isolated incident notwithstanding (and isn't that what Bill O'Reilly is all about anyway)...
"Elderly driver hits girl at school polling place"
Apparently age disparity plays into a car or drivers responsiblity in a collision.
...part of an ongoing informal study of car/non-car collisions.
UPDATE:
Thanks to Google News here are related headlines. It's a tight race. 8 headlines think cars drive people. 6 headlines think people drive cars.
* Children scatter as SUV crashes at school, injuring girl
* SUV hit girl as Randolph schoolchildren looked on in horror
* Girl, 8, hit by car at school poll
* Girl, 8, Hit By A SUV At Randolph School
* Dozens of kids saw girl hit by car: Second time in a year that a ...
* Girl hurt in accident at Randolph polling place
* SUV hits 2d grader in Randolph
* WEB EXTRA: Vehicle strikes girl at Randolph elementary school
* Man Hits Girl With SUV At Polling Station
* Elderly driver hits girl at school polling place
* Elderly Voter Strikes Child With Car at Massachusetts Polling Place
* Driver, 86, hits Randolph girl at polling place
* Girl run down by elderly voter at Lyons Elementary School
* Man, 86, strikes girl with car after voting
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)