Archive for November, 2010
the train approaches crowfoot station, before turning around and heading back into the city on a cold, cold snowy morning. also, cold.
I saw this linked from Brian’s delicious feed. A set of theses that help to frame hype around Web 2.0.
It starts off with:
The internet turns out to be neither the problem nor the solution for the global recession. As an indifferent bystander it doesn’t lend itself easily as a revolutionary tool. The virtual has become the everyday. The New Deal is presented as green, not digital. The digital is a given. This low-key position presents an opportunity to rethink the Web 2.0 hype. How might we understand our political, emotional and social involvement in internet culture over the next few years?
and this
Networking sites are social drugs for those in need of the Human that is located elsewhere in time or space. It is the pseudo Other that we are connecting to. Not the radical Other or some real Other.
on the overpowering “friendliness” of Web 2.0:
We are addicted to ghettoes, and in so doing refuse the antagonism of ‘the political’. Where is the enemy? Not on Facebook, where you can only have ‘friends’. What Web 2.0 lacks is the technique of antagonistic linkage. Instead, we are confronted with the Tyranny of Positive Energy. Life only consists of uplifting experiences. Depression is not a design principle. Wikipedia’s reliance on ‘good faith’ and its policing of protocols quite frequently make for a depressing experience in the face of an absence of singular style. There ain’t no ‘neutral point of view’. This software design principle merely reproduces the One Belief System. Formats need to be transformed if they are going to accommodate the plurality of expression of networked life. Templates function as zones of exclusion. But strangely, they also exclude the conflict of the border. The virus is the closest thing to conflict online. But viruses work in invisible ways and function as a generator of service labour for the computer nerd who comes in and cleans your computer.
on freedom and openness:
Web 2.0 is not for free. ‘Free as in free beer’ is not like ‘free as in freedom’. Open does not equal free. These days ‘free’ is just another word for service economies. The linux fiefdom know that all too well. We need to question naïve campaigns that merely promote ‘free culture’ without questioning the underlying parasitic economy and the ‘deprofessionalization’ of cultural work. Pervasive profiling is the cost of this opening to ‘free market values’. As users and prosumers we are limited by our capacity as data producers. Our tastes and preferences, our opinions and movements are the market price to pay.
on privacy and identity:
To avoid the double trap of blind technophilia and luddite technophobia, we have to develop complex digital identities. They have to answer to individual desires and satisfy multiple needs. Open-ID are a good starting point. ‘Steal my profile’. It’s time to remix identity. Anonymity is a good alternative to the pressures of the control society, but there must be alternatives on offer.
Definitely take the time to read the entire set of 10 (+1) theses.
evan takes a jump in his sled, grabbing some air.
evan and I cleared nearly a week’s worth of snow off the deck, before it had a chance to melt and leak into the house.
we headed out for a nice date night to celebrate our anniversary. early dinner and a movie, then home to send the babysitter home before she got snowed in.
I put the iPhone away for the evening (it happens), so this will have to do.
evan builds a fort in the snow as I shovel the driveway. again.
waiting for the morning bus. several scheduled buses in a row didn’t show up, due to weather.
the bmw covered in snow was abandoned a couple of days ago, when the storm first hit.
this is just in front of my house. It’s a bit too messy to be riding (until things clear up in a few days, hopefully). yesterday morning, this was as slick as a skating rink, and cars were sliding down the hill out of control. good times.
Riding from Edinburgh to Dunvegan. I could watch Danny ride all day.
(via Jason Kottke, via Matt Haughey )
I picked up some gear to prep my bike for winter this year. So far, I’m extremely happy with all of it.
Studded tires
I rode with them last winter, too, but was really struck by how well they worked during yesterday’s snow/ice hootenanny. Roads and pathways were often sheer ice, especially on the steeper portions of hills. My studded tires gave me perfect traction, riding up hills that had cars spinning their tires.
I actually stopped for about half an hour to help push cars to help them get up the ice. Then I got back on my bike and rode up the hill faster than they could manage. Well worth the price for these tires.
The tires I got are the Schwalbe Snow Stud 700 x 38 Wire Tire from MEC. $65/tire. Totally worth it. The studs are placed along the sides of the tire a bit, so you can ride on pavement if needed, without damaging the studs. There are more expensive tires, with bigger knobs and more studs, but these have served me well.
Pedro’s Ice Wax 2.0
One of the big problems with riding in freezing temperatures (after staying warm and getting traction), especially with falling or blowing snow, is that ice builds up on the derailleur and chain. This makes it difficult (or impossible) to change gears, and can even make it hard to pedal at all.
(before using Pedro’s Ice Wax lube)
I picked up a bottle of Ice Wax lube on a whim from MEC, thinking I’d try it out. I didn’t put much thought into it, and didn’t think it’d make a big difference. It goes on as a thick, milky liquid and then dries invisible. It’s tacky to the touch. I thought it’d pick up all kinds of road grime as a result, but after switching to the wax lube, I hadn’t needed to clean my drivetrain for 3 weeks (I used to clean it every weekend using normal oil lube) and it’s still looking spotless.
Yesterday’s Big Storm gave me a chance to see how the wax lube worked under less than dry conditions. It worked perfectly. I was able to shift gears in conditions that would have forced me to stop and chip ice away previously. Nothing stuck to the chain, and the drivetrain stayed clear. I was amazed. Big fan of the ice wax now.
Miscellaneous
I’d also picked up some mixed stuff to improve visibility – it’s dark when winter riding, and I don’t want to get hit by a driver that hasn’t seen me. I grabbed a reflective vest – this was difficult for me. I’m now That Guy. The guy with the reflective vest.
Whatever. It glows like fracking Chernobyl. If you can’t see me while I’m wearing this, you have no business being on the road. I got the black and white version, rather than the construction-orange version. Despite that, drivers seemed to think I was some kind of official Stuck Car Director, seeing me in a vest helping to push their cars. No. I’m just a guy. A guy on a bike. Helping you push your car on the ice because you didn’t think you needed snow tires.
The Planet Bike Blaze 2 Watt headlight is really great. Waaaay brighter than the BLT Firewire 4.0 I had been using, for less than half the price. Extremely bright. And the strobe mode makes me highly visible to oncoming traffic. Now, to get a similarly awesome light to replace my old taillight.
I also picked up some FootHuggers fleece gear during the Stampede this year. I grabbed a tuque, some knee-high socks, and a headband. The fleece material makes them much more comfortable, and they’re very warm.
I may pick up a set of Bar Mitts to install on my bike – they’re made out of neoprene and are completely windproof. They mount right on the handlebars, and you slide your gloves inside to hold the bars. Sounds like a fantastic idea, and would definitely help keep the fingers warm when riding in -30˚C.
This is in addition to the other gear I use for winter riding…
