Biketown USA Sites Chosen

Alas, Reno was not one of the selections. My old stomping grounds of Lincoln, NE, did get picked which is a welcome development for a city that has struggled to embrace its cycling strengths. I think it's a pretty good biking town. Bicycling Magazine's BikeTown program is pretty cool. To read more about it go here. It's interesting to me that the other towns (Columbus, Ohio; San Francisco; Portland, Ore.; and Seattle) are all much bigger than the Star city. And, at least SF, Portland, and Seattle, are all considered big bike cities.

Maybe it will be Reno's turn next year? The publicity alone is worth it to push a community along in embracing bicycling as a viable form of transportation.

Why cyclists bike?

A fascinating article about bicycling from Walrus Magazine. Long and worth the read. Why do urban cyclists choose the cycling life? This article offers one of the best explanations I've ever come across.

Excerpt:

Bikes don’t fit into society’s grand scheme of civility. They are everywhere and nowhere, attach themselves to fences and posts, don’t pay taxes or obey the rules of the road. To ride is to transcend quotidian reality, but also to manage the fear of getting hit. On this, the rider’s life depends.

Sunday Morning Music - Life on Mars?

In honor of the NASA attempt to land Phoenix later today on mars (actually 10 hours and counting). Clearly one of the best Bowie songs ever and off of my favorite of his albums, Hunky Dory. Here's hoping that the landing is as smooth as this song.

Death of the SUV?

I'm sorry but I have little sympathy for the folks who can't sell their behemoth SUVs because nobody wants of buy gas guzzlers right now. How long have we been hearing predictions about gas prices rising? CNN has a whole series of stories and video here.

Tell Me Something I Don't Know

"Bicycling Helped Emancipate Women"...duh. For people fascinated by biking this is truly old news but the article is worth reading anyway for a few of the details about women's fashion and the effect the first bicycle boom had on the lives of women during the 1880s.

Excerpt"

In order for women to take part in the new craze without becoming entangled in the bike’s chain, they needed to wear shorter skirts or even (gasp!) bifurcated garments called bloomers. It was also necessary that they leave the house and exert themselves physically—all activities previously considered unladylike.

The severity of the outcry against women participating in these activities is proof of their effectiveness. The brave women who donned rational dress were criticized, denied access to public places and widely mocked in the media. A satirical poem in one U.S. paper, for instance, suggested bloomers were a sort of “gateway garment,” the wearers of which might go on to participate in such dastardly pursuits as business or reading.

The Art of Consumption

As someone who is interested in art AND consumerism and the environmental impact of the way we live in the Western world (and increasingly the entire planet) I can't help but be fascinated by Chris Jordan's work. I'll let him speak for himself (see below for his Artist statement). Making art out of 200,000 packs of cigarettes, 2 Million plastic water bottles, and 426,000 cell phones: Brilliant.

Running the Numbers
An American Self-Portrait

Running the Numbers looks at contemporary American culture through the austere lens of statistics. Each image portrays a specific quantity of something: fifteen million sheets of office paper (five minutes of paper use); 106,000 aluminum cans (thirty seconds of can consumption) and so on. My hope is that images representing these quantities might have a different effect than the raw numbers alone, such as we find daily in articles and books. Statistics can feel abstract and anesthetizing, making it difficult to connect with and make meaning of 3.6 million SUV sales in one year, for example, or 2.3 million Americans in prison, or 32,000 breast augmentation surgeries in the U.S. every month.

This project visually examines these vast and bizarre measures of our society, in large intricately detailed prints assembled from thousands of smaller photographs. Employing themes such as the near versus the far, and the one versus the many, I hope to raise some questions about the role of the individual in a society that is increasingly enormous, incomprehensible, and overwhelming.

~chris jordan, Seattle, 2007

"Stranded in Suburbia"

An interesting op-ed piece from the New York Times. Specifically, economist Paul Krugman on our rather pathetic idea of urban design in this country.

An excerpt:

Any serious reduction in American driving will require more than this — it will mean changing how and where many of us live.

To see what I’m talking about, consider where I am at the moment: in a pleasant, middle-class neighborhood consisting mainly of four- or five-story apartment buildings, with easy access to public transit and plenty of local shopping.

It’s the kind of neighborhood in which people don’t have to drive a lot, but it’s also a kind of neighborhood that barely exists in America, even in big metropolitan areas. Greater Atlanta has roughly the same population as Greater Berlin — but Berlin is a city of trains, buses and bikes, while Atlanta is a city of cars, cars and cars.

And in the face of rising oil prices, which have left many Americans stranded in suburbia — utterly dependent on their cars, yet having a hard time affording gas — it’s starting to look as if Berlin had the better idea.

Wednesday Night Pick Me Up - Paolo Conte

These past few years I've come to appreciate Conte more and more. His since of melody is so lovely. The "Best of" album from a few years ago is a good place to start if you have never listened to him but frankly, his more recent reworking of older material on the album, Reveries, is simply not to be missed. It's beautiful, haunting, and sad in a way that makes it the best sort of album to listen to with a cocktail late at night.

Fulfilling a Life-Long Dream

After years of missing the rare opportunity to catch Tom Waits live I'm the proud owner of tickets for opening night of his upcoming tour starting in Phoenix next month. IMHO, Waits is arguably the greatest living American songwriter so the chance to see him live, especially considering his limited touring schedule, truly is a life-long dream.

A great performance of Chocolate Jesus from Letterman.

Tour de Nez 2008 info

The new Tour de Nez site is up and pretty stylin'. Check it out for more info on this great event. Yes, it's too bad that Reno events are falling on a Wednesday. But it's still a great way to kick off the event. I'll be there.

A Gallery of Photos from Bike to Work Day

Not something you see every day. Especially if you're in a car.




Breakfast!


On the road....


Rise and shine!


Virginia Lake at sunrise.


What happened to my bike route?


Fill 'er up! Something I haven't had to do as much lately.


Self portrait.


My free cup of coffee from Moxie Java.

Sunday Morning Music - Talk Talk

I think it speaks to the strength of a song when even Gwen Stefani and No Doubt can't manage to ruin it. Dig the great bass line! Something ND buried in their version.

Bike Photo of the Day

Wednesday Night Pick Me Up - 10,000 Maniacs

Yet another gorgeous melody to help me through the week.

Bike to Work Day, Week, Month?

It seems everyday my email is full of Bike to Work articles spanning the nation. I know I ought to be posting about them...passing them along...saving them. But I just haven't been that into it this year. Perhaps I'll share an exciting project that has been consuming a lot of my time recently in a later post.

Right now I'm just quietly riding to work, doing my own thing, racking up my miles for my own Bike to Work Challenge. Yet I thought I should at least mention the Reno Bike Project Pancake Feed this Friday. I won't be making it. It's not early enough and it's out of my way anyway. However, I will be enjoying an early free coffee from Moxie Java as I head in to work.

Summer is almost here

A new flower from my garden taken with my new camera. Ahh...three weeks until the semester is over.

Paris Bike System and a Nice Photo

There's a nice little write-up here about the new Paris bike system. And, what's not to love about the photo above. Three generations on a bike. All from Copenhagen Cycle Chic.

Sunday Morning Music - Johnny Dowd

I own three of Johnny Dowd's albums and it's something of a mystery why I don't own more because each of them is a fantastic listen. When an artist is described like this you know something interesting is going on:

"Willie Nelson turned into Mr. Hyde, he'd be Johnny Dowd. Backwoods Gothic tales of love, death, and a perverse God arrive with a twang and a junkyard clatter, reaching for laughs that grow uneasy."
—Jon Pareles-NY Times


Here is a live clip of Johnny in action. I wish I could find a clip of my favorite of his albums, Picture's from Life's Other Side.

Finally - A (sort of) pro bicycle commercial!

Ok, it's really a car commercial. But at least Volvo isn't making fun of bicyclists.

Bike to Work Challenge - Update

I officially broke the 500 mile barrier yesterday. I'm sitting at 507 miles. A lot of miles left but I'm still on pace to hit 1000. Here's hoping I don't get the cold that's going around school and the weather stays decent.

Instead of another lame biking self-portrait here's a photo of a much more pleasing looking cyclist.

Wednesday Night Pick Me Up - Lou Reed

Actually, I'm not sure if this really qualifies as a "pick me up" given the context. But it's such a pretty song...

Glitter and Doom - Tom Waits announces summer tour

Not too many dates to choose from but if you want to see one of the best living songwriters around this is your chance. More details here.

Self Portrait

Reflecting Pool

20 Days in May - 1000 Mile Bike to Work Challenge

Sometimes a picture says it all. This is from my daily bike commute.


I suppose I knew it would come to this. It looks like I'm going to have to ride nearly every day this month to reach my goal. Over the last month or so I've been fairly consistent in commuting by bike (the official kickoff of my 1000 mile bike to work challenge was here). That's not to say I wasn't riding to school earlier in the year. Just not as consistently. So far I'm over 400 miles toward my goal of 1000 miles of bike commuting before the end of the school year. Alas, that leaves me with 20 days in May plus a few days in early June to knock out the rest of these miles.

No small task but I'm confident I can do it.

Sunday Morning Music - XTC

Three periods of one of my favorite bands ever. In a just world XTC would be a household name held up as rock and roll gods. They (or somebody) had an unfortunate habit of picking their less interesting songs for singles. Below are a couple of notable exceptions.

Making Plans For Nigel...



...Dear God...



...and a rare studio version of Dear Madam Barnum!

Wednesday Night Pick Me Up - Sufjan Stevens

Two versions of one of the prettiest songs ever.

Grosse Point Blank 2?

I wish...but this is about as close as we're going to get. GPB is one of my favorite films of all time. It's probably not fair to call the new John Cusack project, War, Inc., the sequel to GPB but the vibe is unmistakable from the trailer. Not to mention that it has a number of the same actors in it. Unfortunately, early word on War, Inc. is that it isn't that great. That's not going to stop me from seeing it. A "sub-par" John Cusack produced (and co-written) film is still likely to be better than most of the crap at your local cineplex. For a different type of Cusack film check out, Max.

A side-by-side comparison of GPB and War, Inc.:

A Bike For Every Occasion

Except for today...

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

This is my little plug for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. The best film I saw last year is available on DVD today. I tend to shy away from films about "handicapped" characters figuring that they are all too often bloated attempts to attract Oscar attention but the subject of this film is so deftly handled. It's an extraordinary film with images that still haunt me today, months after I saw it in the theater.

The performances of the three main French women who take care of the protagonist are raw and honest and something you don't often see in cinema these days. You get a bit of a sense of this from the trailer below. Bonus: the film features some well-chosen Tom Waits songs.

Stupidest Bike Lane Part 2

A fellow "BOB" pointed out that Slate.com has a follow up to their stupidest bike lane piece from last month. I posted about the original here.

It is even better than the Part 1 video.

Sunday Morning Music - The Dandy Warhols

I was rewatching the pilot episode of Veronica Mars, a tv show I was lucky enough to catch when it first aired. At first glance not something you'd think I would be interested in but I'm a sucker for anything noirish not to mention that had some of the best writing going. Long story short...VM turned out to be one of the best TV shows of the last decade. Why do I always end up falling in love with series that get canceled? Case in point, the previously posted about, Wonderfalls. Ah well, Kristen Bell has gone on to other...things. I won't say better because it will take a lot to top VM and Heroes hasn't really done it for me. I'm tempted to see that film that she's in by that guy...Judd (you know the one that likes to make movies with really unattractive men hooking up with the hottest women in Hollywood) Apatow. To see her most shocking role watch her in Deadwood as a con artist. Reefer Madness is fun as well.

This is neither here nor there I suppose. It's just my convoluted way of introducing this week's Sunday Morning Music selection. VM was smart enough to pick "We Used To Be Friends" as the theme song. A good Dandies song to be sure. I'm a big fan of the band but my favorite album of theirs has to be Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia. It captures the feel of my college days in a way that no other album does.

The Art of the Mixed Tape

My brother-in-law sent the site muxtap.com my way and I've been obsessing about the fine are of creating a good mixed tape. I've got plenty of playlists on my iPod but it never seems like the care and craft are there in those music mixes. "Back in my day" ...a good mix of music on a cassette tape took TIME. Lots of it! You had to think really carefully about the order and progression and the meaning of the songs and if you didn't you had to go back and start over. Thus is the nature of linear format on a cassette tape.

But the muxtape site has somehow made me focus a bit more on piecing together a new collection. Here is my first attempt. It is a total 80s retro mix (technically Split Enz is from 1979) and there are bands on that list that are remarkably uncool...but they are fun. Life's too short to not have fun (or maybe it's too short to sit around making mixed tapes for people). You decide.

Speaking of mixed tapes. For the best examination of the art of mixed tapes one must view the film, High Fidelity. Here, for your pleasure, is one of the better scenes from that great film. [For the record...I like Belle and Sebastian]

Celebrating the Best Bike City in the USA

Democracy Now had a nice spot on Portland, Oregon's status as the number one bicycle city in the country. [The bike portion of the show is about 45 minutes in]. When the Mayor touts the livability of the city and bike activists note that there has been no better investment in the city calling it a "multi-modal" system that works. Well, clearly they are doing something right. For more check out Bike Portland.

Wednesday Pick Me Up - Wreckless Eric

I've been wondering how many people went out and bought a guitar after seeing the film, Stranger Than Fiction. I was half convinced myself and I have no musical ability whatsoever. Then again, if it gives a guy a shot at snagging someone as beautiful as Maggie Gyllenhaal....

Stranger Than Fiction is one of those films that I think of as a mini masterpiece. It hits every mark that it means to. If there is one thing that it is hurt by it is that the actors in it are so well-known. They all do an admirable job with the material (I particularly like Dustin Hoffman) but I think that the audience expectations (or maybe the critics?) were messed with by seeing Will Ferrell in this film. That's not the actors' fault. I hope that ten years from now this film is as appreciated as it deserves. Maybe, like Office Space and the Big Lebowski, it will find its audience in coming years on dvd.

Above is the now famous scene from the film and below a performance from Wreckless Eric himself.

Velocouture anyone?

It's hard not to love seeing real people cycling in urban areas with stylish clothes. one day I'll be this natty. One day...

Free Speech...You Gotta Love It!

It's hard not to believe that people are just idiots when you read stories like this.

Excerpt:

Pastor Roger Byrd said that he just wanted to get people thinking when he put a new message on the sign at the Jonesville Church of God.

It reads: "Obama, Osama, humm, are they brothers?"

Byrd said that the message wasn't meant to be racial or political.

"It's simply to cause people to realize and to see what possibly could happen if we were to get someone in there that does not believe in Jesus Christ," he said.

When asked if he believes that Barack Obama is Muslim, Byrd said, "I don't know.” “See it asks a question: Are they brothers? In other words, is he Muslim? I don't know. He says he's not. I hope he's not. But I don't know. And it's just something to try to stir people's minds. It was never intended to hurt feelings or to offend anybody."

It's times like these that I try to remember Noam Chomsky's quote about free speech from "Manufacturing Consent":

"You are either for free speech or your not. There is no in between." [I'm paraphrasing] Much as I might hate the ignorant and hateful words of Pastor Roger Byrd, he certainly has the right to say them. And, we're a better country for it. Though I can't help but ask, what kind of a religious leader knowingly spreads lies about another person?

18 Ways to Know That You Have Bicycle Culture

Numbers 1 and 18 are my favorites.