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July 20, 2008
WAY Carbon Neutral
I'm very tired of being a desk slug, but the trouble with my back keeps me from my beloved sport: running. I was out running a couple of times last week and that seemed to go OK, but I could tell that pushing would be very, very bad. <sigh> I keep hoping I can somehow get strong enough that I can start running some significant distances. Hope springs eternal.
Becca has been bugging me to go riding, but I've put her off because I've got equipment issues. Yesterday I finally had the time to get over the the bike store and updated the needed pieces of equipage. Becca and I went out for a ride in the afternoon, and despite the heat and humidity, I had a great time.
Later on we were talking about bikes, and the O-ster told me about a guy riding a bamboo bike. C'mon says I - how can that be?
Craig Calfee knows how that can be. What started as a publicity stunt ended up producing an exiting bamboo bike which is now in production. As the website says, this "is not just a cool bike". It's a reasonable use of material.
Posted by pgutwin at 10:42 AM | Comments (0)
July 14, 2008
Making Time For Today
Posted by pgutwin at 6:53 PM | Comments (0)
Laptop Drive
Arriving at your destination without some key piece of equipage is of course highly embarrassing. Think ski-lift-no-skis/boots/poles or perhaps golf-course-no-clubs. The modern workday version is forgetting your laptop at home.
This is, of course, no particular issue for those of us freed from the confines of a traditional office. (The last sentence is highly ironic, but I'll spare you the details).
Who knew, but the round-trip drive to retrieve said laptop from said house is known as Doing the Laptop Drive of Shame.
Now, without reveling any exculpatory details, but also without revealing any identities, I can say with a reasonably high level of confidence that there is a vacation version of the "Drive of Shame" as well as a trans-continental commute version.
Please folks, protect yourself. Check your computer bag before you bolt out the door.
Posted by pgutwin at 1:00 PM | Comments (0)
Musical Tokyo Trains
To be in Tokyo it to ride the trains. And even if you're not a rail fan, riding the train becomes a pleasant memory, even though you can remember many times when it's not so pleasant.
Here's what it's like (assuming that you're lucky enough to find a seat...)
Did you notice the little tune or jingle that was played just before the doors close? Each train station has it's own jingle. It's called the "doors closing" tune, but the reason why each station needs a different tune isn't obvious. I find some of the tunes attractive and some pretty annoying, but all in, it's a wonderful addition to an already pleasant experience.
And because we have YouTube and the web, there's a collection of the tunes:
Posted by pgutwin at 10:33 AM | Comments (0)
July 9, 2008
Where Art And Technology Meet
Consider the computer - engine of our 21st culture. Consider handwriting - something everyone has and needs but rarely is considered worth the time to become art in our modern time.
Now mash the two together.
Posted by pgutwin at 12:59 PM | Comments (0)
July 3, 2008
My Kind of Cool
I dislike the association with the whole "air guitar" thing - both figurative and real - but the AirPiano is pretty darn cute. Almost makes one want to get one. Almost...looks like prime back-of-the-closet-after-two-weeks material to me. NB: references to the Therimin are somewhat relevant, but I think it stands in a class very much by itself.
Posted by pgutwin at 6:33 PM | Comments (0)