commuting

I commuted to work on my bicycle for the first time in 2004. A little over 11 miles one way, depending on the route.

That morning, the temperature was in the lower 60s (~15°C), sunny and clear. Amusingly, it wasn't the distance or effort, nor was it the afternoon ~100°F (~37°C) trip home, that had been problematic.

The logistics were the hard part. Getting the proper combination of necessary food, appropriate clothing, and the supplies to clean up...well, it's like dragging a baby out of the house. There is no such thing as just popping out for a quick errand when you have a baby, and the same thing goes for bike commuting.

But only at first, as you'll discover. Eventually the laying out of supplies is second nature, and you can do it efficiently and without having to think to hard. A plus for me in the morning.

I kept glancing over and checking out the surreal sight of the bike next to me in my cubicle. Pretty dang cool. :)

Click for wallpaper size.

Bicycles galore, buses, light rail, a few cars and trucks. It might be heaven! :)

Morning rush hour in the 4th largest city in the Netherlands. Streets look like this when 33% of ALL trips are made by bicycle!

This is an ordinary Wednesday morning in April 2010 at around 8.30 am. Original time was 8 minutes that were compressed into 2 minutes, so everything is 4 times faster than in reality. The sound is original.

This is one of the busiest junctions in Utrecht a city with a population of 300,000. No less than 18,000 bicycles and 2,500 buses pass here every day. And yet Google Street View missed it. Because private motorized traffic is restricted here.

Via Urbanvelo.org

The Eastsider LA: "Life's last journey on a street car named Descanso" (via @MetroLibrary):

Railway fan and Angeleno Heights resident Kevin Kuzma was checking out a railroad preservation forum when he came across a recent photo of the Descanso, a 101-year-old Los Angeles street car built to transport mourners as well as the deceased to burial services.

CarFree.us: "By the Numbers: My Financial and Environmental Impact of Commuting by Bicycle" (via @bikecommutenews):

I knew I was benefiting myself and the environment by commuting without a car, but to see the real impact is very amazing. These numbers don’t take into account the savings because of improved emotional and physical well being I am getting because of the exercise. They also don’t take into account the benefit to my community from interacting with my neighbors and fellow commuters. These numbers don’t measure the impact of the 40,000 people every year who’s lives are cut short because of car crashes.

LA Times: "Women pilots from World War II to be honored":

The groundbreaking Women Airforce Service Pilots were buried without military honors and long denied benefits. But now they'll receive the Congressional Gold Medal.

Here is some cool stuff, only some of which is tangentially related to American football. ;D

LED Football?!

Jon Weisman of Dodger Thoughts (now on ESPN LA) points to a nostalgia-inducing awesome thing: LED Football for iPhone, which is, as he puts it,

A replica of the greatest game ever, Mattel Handheld Electronic Football.

It's also free for today only.

The more you know...

Speaking of tweeting and football, Bob Timmermann informs us,

Little known Super Bowl fact: Because New Orleans is playing in the game, the NFL rulebook will be replaced by the Napoleonic Code.

Yes, yes I am!

"Inside the Dodgers" asks the rhetorical yet vital question, "Are you ready for some baseball?":

It's the last official day of football season, so get it out of your system now and get ready to start watching America's pastime.

Good gracious, yes!

Streaking Kings

The LA Kings have reached a franchise-record nine-game wins in a row and are going for 10 against crosstown rivals the Anaheim Ducks tomorrow. They're currently in fourth place in the Western Conference.

Blaming the victims? ;)

bikecommutenews tweets,

Cyclists on busy roads a nuisance http://ow.ly/14NvT #bikenews

which prompted me to reply,

@bikecommutenews Yeah, to me, it seems like the *cars* are the nuisance on a busy road, not bicycles. :)

Noteworthy

Slashdot mentions a blog post by a computer science student who sticks with a pen and paper instead of a laptop for note-taking during class, "My Classmates Are Taking Their Notes Digitally, But I Can’t Fathom How They Keep Up"

I noticed today that as I frantically scribbled to keep up with my philosophy professor’s lecture, there was an audible hum of typing in the classroom. It was the first time I noticed that I could count more students using netbooks than notebooks to take notes in class.

Call me old-fashioned, but I like to take notes with a pen and paper. As I’ve discussed previously, the act of writing helps cement the lecture material in my mind better than passive listening does, and studies have shown that it’s not just me.[...] Still, I know that my old-fashioned ways are quickly going out of style.

Stories from the news and around the outdoorsy blogosphere...

Modern Hiker - "L.A. Maps Unfolded":

The L.A. Public Library’s Central Branch is opening a new exhibit on Wednesday, called “L.A. Maps Unfolded.”

At the library’s Getty Gallery, a series of historical maps will be on display, ranging from 1900s classroom maps to topographical maps, gold claims, and a Spanish map of the California coast from 1791.[...]

NY Times - "A 'Dose of Nature' for Attention Problems" (Via Tom Managan):

Parents of children with attention deficit problems are always looking for new strategies to help their children cope. An interesting new study suggests that spending time in nature may help.

Sure seems to help me. ;)

The Press-Enterprise - "Clean air isn't around the corner, Inland progress reports show":

Southern Californians weathered another year of stagnation in the battle against air pollution, and healthy skies still appear to be decades away.

So far this year, the region experienced 118 days with outdoor ozone pollution measurements above the level the federal government says is healthy to breathe. This summer residents in the Inland area, where winds and geography make the smog worse, had only a few days of healthy air.

Commute by Bike - "Commuting 101: Carrying Your Laptop":

Assuming that you have no choice but to lug an expensive, fragile piece of equipment with you on a daily basis, there are plenty of things you can do to make sure your hardware makes the journey as safely as possible.

C.I.C.L.E. - "Metro Makes More Space for Bikes"

Yesterday afternoon, the Metro Operations Committee announced a trial program to remove nearly 1,100 seats on all Metro Rail vehicles to accommodate the needs of bicyclists, luggage holders, persons in wheelchairs and others with increased space demands.

And one more for good measure:

Inland Empire 24/7 - "San Bernardino National Forest preparing for Santa Ana winds this week":

The San Bernardino National Forest is preparing for weak to moderate Santa Ana winds Wednesday and Thursday.

[...] Go to the forest's Web site for more information.

Now this is my kind of train car! :) Finally took my first combo bike ride/train ride last month. Totally fun.