Although this Chibi Brunel is the highlight of the post for me, the rest of it is an interesting look at the use of proportion in the creator's own comic, and in others.
Looking back through some sketchbooks, I notice that I tend to draw figures 7 heads high, personally, which falls squarely in the category of dullard realism
Kitsune Noir's "Spacesuit of the Week" series goes retro future this week, with these illustrations from 1960.
Swifter, higher, stronger...up to a point? Or beyond? The limit of human performance
Today we revisit a topic that seems to run like carousel, popping up once every few months on the site - how much faster can human beings run? How close to a "ceiling" in performance are we?
PKBuilding From A Mukluk Frameset
November 29th 2010 |
6 Comments
This post is geared towards those individuals who are planning to build up a complete snowbike from a Mukluk frameset. The intent is to let you know what parts the Mukluk frame requires to get it rolling, and also to let you know what component options are available to you.
If you're lucky enough to be looking seriously at building a snow bike, here's some help for a build on Salsa's new "Mukluk" frame.
Poor old Badger. Mrs Badger is at her mother's, and she wants that carpet down, and those skirting boards up by the time she gets back. Is it any wonder the DIY Badger is stressed?This entry is a Bike Hacks Classic, originally posted by Apple computer honk, Brendon.
There are a TON of decent tutorials for building bike lights. But...how can I put this gently...they are not all equally attractive. If you showed me two lights side by side and they had equal performance, I'd choose the pretty one every time. That's probably why I'm writing this on a Mac. Ahem.
Anyway, here's a quick look at five of the finest looking homemade bike lights on the web today. This is an admittedly subjective list, so feel free to smack me around in the comments if you think I've overlooked the BEST. LIGHT. EVAR.
Bikehacks looks at 5 homebrew light setups - the article includes links to the original sources, should you fancy a go yourself...
"Anyone who rides a bike is a friend of mine."
-Gary Fisher
If you hang around the cycling fora, or twitter for long enough, someone will pop up with set of kit dos and don'ts, offered with varying degrees of seriousness.
The Ur-Text of these is, of course, the bafflingly restrictive "Rules of the Eurocyclist" - (I actually rather like that one, it seems to be a tax on credulity and elitism - I hope the originators of the rules get a kickback from the kit manufacturers). This happens at the other extreme of the sport/utility divide, with the "normalisers" insisting that those not riding steel roadsters, whilst wearing "normal"[2] clothes are making cycling less attractive, and less safe for everyone else.
There are things that matter to me in cycling. Are you a skilful rider? Can you look ahead and anticipate and read the road? Do you ride like an idiot around other road users? These are important things, because they affect your safety, and mine. To a lesser degree, I'm impressed by people that can repair their own/other people's bikes[3], build wheels, beat me up hills, outpace me on the flat - but not to the degree that I'm dismissive of those who can't. We all start somewhere, after all - and starting at all in our car centric, exercise is for gyms, society matters.
"Does your kit match" and "Does your bike cost more than mine" (it probably does), have never been things I've looked upon as denoting the worth of a fellow rider, or of particular import. It's an irrelevance, and thus something I find it hard to care about. "Sure, he can build a nice wheel, but good lord, he can't accessorise."
Round the world cyclist Al Humphreys once made the point that while kit was important, it shouldn't be important enough to stop you getting out there and having an adventure. And he did his tour on steel Rockhoppers, not expensive boutique tourers with spendy internally geared hubs. I'm not about to ride around the world, but you can bet I'm not missing a ride because the jersey I have to hand doesn't match my helmet either.
The quote at the head of this piece comes from an interview with Gary Fisher that I heard a while back, and there's a lot of truth in it. I dislike inconsiderate and unsafe cyclists, but beyond that I don't care if you look like you dressed in the dark from the bargain bin, or ride a £99 Apollo, at least you're riding.
[1] Actually, "I Don't Care, and I Don't Care if You Do", but that's not as close to an Aphex Twin album title.
[2] For values of "normal" that sometimes include stuff costing more than my dhb bike specific kit.
[3] If you can fettle internally geared hubs, I'm officially impressed.
I have to admit, it wouldn't occur to me to bury a pencil to see how biodegradable it was (not least because the dog would dig it up again). Still, you have to admire Dave's commitment to the scientific method here - this is the halfway point of his experiment.
Reader Rob from Melbourne, Australia contacted us recently with a great hack he came up with to move the true task from his steed to a table. He was kind enough to send along plenty of text with pictures to match. If anyone else has come up with their own stands, feel free to give us a shout out.
Read More at BikeHacks.comIt could just be me, but the idea of serious metal work (angle grinders, chopping up old frames) makes this a not so useful hack.
Having said that, my own truing stand is homebuilt (out of leftover bits from our kitchen cupboards) so maybe it's just a case of being happier with joinery than metalwork. Still, follow the link to see Rob's scrap bike truing stand. I particularly like his lateral truing indicators.
Like many amateur photographers, I've a healthy regard for the work of Henri Cartier-Bresson.
I've not seen these photos (posted by Copenhagenize) before, although I bikes did feature in HCB's work, e.g. http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrerabelo/70458366/
Read More at Soma Feed
Horrible story - Soma sorted Mike out with a new bike, but what is it with people? /sigh.
The second column in the series is How Long Does it Take To Look at a Painting?, in which he considers the time individuals devote to looking at a painting, from the cursory (the Louvre reports that people look at the Mona Lisa for an average of 15 seconds) to the kind of extended interaction with a painting that takes place over the course of a lifetime.
If you've had a bike for any amount of time, you'll know this already, of course - but if you're still using a cable lock, or know someone who does, have a read (or send them the article).
The folks behind iFixit have drafted a Self-Repair Manifesto that instills in consumers a sense of DIY zeal—not only to empower us but also to create less collective waste. To spread the word, they're giving away 1,500 free manifesto posters. Here's a look at the manifesto:
Read More at Good
I'm not sure whether all cyclists are inveterate bodgers and fettlers, but I certainly am.
I'm still slightly cross with myself for buying wheels that have proprietary spokes (although they are VERY nice wheels) as they can't be fixed up with bits I can pick up easily and cheaply.
There's a satisfaction in fixing things, and in extending their useful life. As bikes are, mechanically, generally fairly simple[1], they're ideal for this approach.
[1] Internally geared hubs exempted.
I love pictures like this - although I can never imagine loading my LHT up to this degree, there's something satisfying about seeing a tourer loaded up for some real adventure.
Have you heard about these Power Bands, or Power Balance bracelets? The claims by the manufacturer and at countless demos are that these bands improve balance, flexibility, endurance, and strength by employing holograms which send frequencies that somehow interact with your body’s frequencies or electric field or glaven or some other undefinable manifestation.
Yeah. You can imagine what I think about that. And if you can’t, I’ll be clear: that claim is complete nonsense. Literally, it makes no sense. Holograms don’t emit anything, frequency or otherwise; there’s no such thing as your body’s frequency; and there’s no way inside the laws of physics that a rubber band with a cheap plastic hologram in it can affect your body, unless a) you’re allergic to rubber, or 2) it hits you at meteoric velocities.
We clear? OK.
Read More at discover.com
They're not quite being sold with the University endorsement (as the article explains, it's the Athletic department of the institution that's being used to flog the woo) but I would be surprised if the packaging or advertising material makes that distinction clear. The article has a good debunking of the "science" behind the product, and is worth reading.
Also, I love skeptical hippo.
Spanish artist Fernando Vicente's artography (2) revisits this fusion of the descriptive and the symbolic, but expands the concept to its literal conclusion. Superimposing human and animal forms onto the countries and continents of a map, Vicente transforms familiar geographic contours into surprising new constructs. Maps become living creatures - although some ostensibly formerly living ones - and many of which have an ominous, unnerving quality. Maybe that's because of Vicente's predilection for slicing open his subjects, their exposed anatomy/geography investing them with the same morbid quality evident in Bodyworlds, the famous travelling exhibition of plastinated and dissected human bodies.
Read More at Strange Maps
GnatNew Product - Salsa Anything Cages
November 6th 2010 |
Our new Salsa Anything mini racks are now in stock. Look inside for more details on this unique product and for fitment details.
Read More at salsacycles.com
As the article goes on to say;
"As you can see from the pic above, this new cage is ideal for almost anything roundish and fairly light weight. I think the idea actually came from Kid Riemer zip tying his insulated Nalgene bottle carriers to his snow bike fork legs. Other bike nuts and adventurers were also doing this. After experiementing a bit we found out you could carry a lot of different things with this thing. "
Salsa are really innovative in their approach to this kind of thing - I've commented before on the nice, practical touches like the gentle curve in the beds of their racks (so a sleeping bag, tent or mat fits in nicely) and these seem to be an extension of the same philosophy. Great stuff for adventure cyclists.
The Monty roll-top messenger bag is designed for commuters. Dubbed a “small utility bag,” it features a rolltop cargo compartment, quick-access outboard pockets and two internal zippered pockets.
I have to say, for a small utility bag, that looks FREAKIN' HUGE to me.
Some nice features though - if carrying your stuff on you is your thing (I don't on long rides, but quite often do on errands) this could be right up your street.
Been meaning to do this for a while, but this is a list of the stuff I *try* to catch each episode, or stuff I've enjoyed that's on hiatus but worth subscribing to either for the back catalogue, or a possible new series.
The categories are a bit arbitrary (The Amateur Scientist would fit in Science and Skepticsm too, and Collings and Herrin might possibly fit in news) but do represent what I listen to them for.
Mostly.
Most of the links below go to title pages rather than the RSS itself - I thought this better, as a description for each 'cast would make this a very long post. I subscribe via RSS - I think most of the 'casts have an iTunes feed too, but I can't say for sure as I don't use iTunes.
All the feeds are free, and some have a "tip jar" system for you to donate to the creators if you like the content - others have subscriptions, and some will encourage you to pick up the authors' work or merchandise in other, paid media if you like what they're doing.
Comedy
Collins and Herring (6 Music Show)
Friday Night Comedy (Radio 4)
Richard Herring's As It Occurs To Me (NSFW - lots of bad language & adult themes)
The Amateur Scientist (NSFW - occasional bad language & adult themes)
The Collings and Herrin Podcast (NSFW - lots of bad language & adult themes)
You Look Nice Today (NSFW - occasional bad language & adult themes)
Cycling
Carrément Vélo (in French)
Cricket
Environmental
Other Factual (Documentaries, History &c)
Languages
Music & Film
News & Current Affairs
Newspod (Round up of the news of the day from the BBC)
Global News (Round up of the news of the day from the BBC World Service)
More or Less: Behind the Statistics
Science and Skepticsm
Dr. Karl and the Naked Scientists
The Skeptics' Guide To the Universe 5x5
The Skeptics' Guide To the Universe
Short Stories and Fiction
Cast Macabre (Short form horror)
Clarkesworld (Short form science fiction)
CrimeWAV (Short form crime and noir on the hardboiled edge of the genre)
Escape Pod (Short science fiction)
Podcastle (Short form fantasy)
Pseudopod (Short form horror)
Scott Sigler Audiobooks (Novel length serialised horror and science fiction, and Scott's reader feedback and interviews elsewhere. Definitely not for kids. The current serial is "Ancestor", but Scott's back catalogue is available too, including fan favourites like "Contagious" and "Earthcore")
Toothless (Novel length serialised horror - an interesting twist on the zombie genre so far - not for kids).
Underwood and Flinch (Mike Bennett's novel length serial tale of a vampire and his reluctant servant in modern day Spain - again, not for kids)
(Also worthy of mention is the MIGHTY podiobooks.com, which has more serialised audio fiction than you can shake several sticks at, and an excellent personalised subscription system).
It's worth noting that the biases of the Internet mean that much of this is horror, fantasy and science fiction - and lots of it is written specifically to be somewhat disturbing (it's horror, after all!). As I recall, Clarkesworld, Escape Pod & Podcastle will give a guidance rating with stories, so should be safe for those of a nervous disposition (as long as you pay attention to it).
Technology
Debating climate change can get exhausting, especially when so much of the science is settled. So Nigel Leck, a software developer, created a Twitter chatbot, AI_AGW, to do it for him.Via Treehugger
The Oxford English Dictionary has launched something very charming and playful: a campaign to save forgotten words from obsolescence.
Read More At GoodSeen at the Good Magazine blog, this campaign to save archaic words from obsolescense.
I saw this bike while perusing through my local Target. It caught my attention because it has some of the essentials that bike commuters love. Items such as fenders, gears, rack, upright position and a classy look.
After the Walmart Fixie, here's the Target commuter bike.
As the Bike Commuters article points out, the quality of the bits is going to be low, but probably better than some faux full suspension "Mountain Bike" at the same price point. And of course, you won't get a wet arse from having no mudguards, or have nowehere to carry your stuff...
It's not often I can make that claim, but this photograph of mine;
Is A WINNER. It's number one in Google searches for "Monkey 6880". Whilst this is undeniably a small category, I shall now claim to be an SEO EXPERT, social marketing guru, and all that other guff people decide they are on (what seems to me to be) slimmer justification than this.
If you're interested in the other pictures from this trip, they're here, along with some explanation of what I was doing in the engine shed.
The talented Mrs Monkey has a Festive Craft Fair (Fayre?) to do soon, so she's crocheting lots of Christmas themed things at the moment.
As for me, I'm wheelbuilding again, this time for Mrs Monkey's bike - hopefully I'll have the build finished by tonight.
Minneapolis importer honoured by the guild of Belgian Brewers - nice article, in which Hoff describes some of the things that make the Belgian tradition unique in the world of beer. And some new names to try, for me at least...
(If you're inspired, and in Cheshire, I recommend Sandbach's Beer Emporium http://www.thebeeremporium.com/ an excellent place to explore the brewing traditions of Belgium, among other countries....)
They're not sexy, but it's the time of year that the commuter's thoughts turn to mudguards, waterproofs, and other ways of keeping the rain & roadspray off you and the bike.
Full 'guards are good for this, but I've been thinking of some proper mudflaps to keep my feet, drivetrain, and the folk behind me drier for a little while. These, from Rainy Day Biking have the added advantage of giving your bike some extra visibility in the dark. Read the full test at Bike Commuters (link below the picture).
The record for the most distant object in the Universe ever seen has been smashed: a galaxy has been found at the staggering distance of 13.1 billion light years!
Here’s the Hubble image of this incredibly far-flung object:
Yeah, I know. Doesn’t look like much, does it? But oh, what it means…
That’s a galaxy, probably smaller and more compact than our Milky Way, but a galaxy. It’s so dim that the faintest star you can see with your unaided eye is 4 billion times brighter. Its distance is simply numbing; the Universe itself is only 13.7 billion years old, so the light from this object began its journey on its way to Earth just 600 million years after the Universe itself formed.
Wow.
Remember the line from the Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy about space being "really big"?
True Dat.
Interesting how something can change so much, and yet still be so recognisable. More at the Flowing Data link.
Overnight temperatures below freezing, and a lot of rain generally mean ideal elbow breaking conditions for the commuting cyclist.
I figured discretion was the better part of valour today, and so resolved last night that I'd ride the Brompton to work. I went to retrieve the bike from the cellar before turning in last night to find that it had a rear wheel puncture (due, I think, to Brompton's dreadful plastic rim tape, which had exposed a spoke nipple that had punctured the tube). Note for the To-Do list - replace this with some Velox tape.
Rear wheel removal on the Brompton is fairly complex, with the hub gear system and chain tensioner to deal with before you can even get to grips with the (frankly, absurdly tight) "Brompton Green" tyres themselves, and in to the punctured tube. Not the sort of thing you want to be doing just before bed, possibly, but infinitely better than before setting off for work. With some help from the internet, and my Schwalbe tyre levers (I mention these because every other lever I've used on Brompton Greens has snapped), the puncture was fixed and the bike ready for today's commute in about 30 minutes.
So, there's another milestone, my first Brompton rear wheel puncture repair. Stripping and servicing hub gears next. Or maybe not.
Resources:
The Definitive Brompton Tyre Change Manual
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohGa620P-pM - Brompton Rear Wheel Removal Video
Kinetics Guide to Brompton Maintenance
I should add that I didn't bother removing the part of the gear indicator chain closest to the hub (as the chap does in the video) - it's easy enough to remove the wheel & work on it without doing this. I didn't futz with the brakes either, as a deflated tyre will go past the pads pretty easily.
Peter de Sève’s delightfully whimsical, wonderfully styled and beautifully rendered illustrations have become familiar to readers of The New Yorker, for which he has done a number of memorable covers, and other publications like Newsweek, Time, Smithsonian and Atlantic Monthly.
Peter De Seve has wonderful art, and a nicely written blog - Lines and Colors has examples of, and links to, his work.
Maps are two parts truth, one part lie. They ignore one of the world’s three dimensions so they can squeeze the other two onto a flat surface. These projections mess up the shape and size of the area depicted. Distortions of this sort plague all maps, but are more noticeable on larger ones. Most of all, of course, on world maps.
Only available from SK Telecom in South Korea, at the moment, apparently.
10/15/2010
How big is the Chicago airport? So big that security patrols it by bike. Much cooler than patrol by Segway if you ask me.
Interesting piece on BikeHacks.com - Security Patrol by bike - makes a lot of sense to me.
Anyone else out there tired of talking about doping? How about taking a look at a few races contested by the type of rider who apparently never needs to dope? I’ve been out of town for the past two weeks, but am finally catching up on the late-season classics, and so (turning a blind eye to Danilo Hondo’s fairly significant role), here’s a How The Race Was Won on Paris-Tours 2010.
Cyclocosm's "How the Race Was Won" series is back with a review of Paris-Tours 2010.
These really are excellent - follow the links to Cosmo's blog, and to subscribe to his podcast via iTunes.
What You Need to Know About the Giro del Piemonte
by Chris... on Oct 14, 2010 2:00 AM EDT in News
First, it has a killer logo:
Beautiful foliage, grapevines, hilly terrain... and gruppo compatto.
More fascinating insight along these lines... on the flip!
It's a lovely logo indeed - good article on this upcoming race over at Podium Café - follow the link for more.
I'd be pleased to buy a beer or a glass of New World wine for Dr Chris Rissel from the University of Sydney. Or if I lived in an emerging bicycle culture where people named their bicycles, I'd call my 'ride' The Rissel.
First there was this from the good doctor and now this blipped onto our radar scope today:
Cycling versus the cyclist: the perceptive barriers putting off Sydney cyclists
Popular perceptions of cyclists can make or break our decision to take up the sport, says a recent study by the University of Sydney's Dr Chris Rissel and Michelle Daley of the Sydney South West Area Health Service."Nearly everyone was very positive about cycling and the health and pleasure associated with it.
"However, the actions of some people riding bicycles were sometimes seen as negative, and the lycra-clad image of cyclists put some people off because they didn't identify with it or thought it a turn-off."
Follow the link to read the whole thing.
I can't help feeling that this kind of thing is counter productive; if anything is "killing urban cycling" it's the limp approach to enforcing traffic law and punishing those (especially motorists) who break it. Ask people why they don't cycle, and the major reason tends to be safety, not the idea that they might have to wear funny clothes.
(For the record, you can cycle in pretty much anything if you take things easy - a definite option if you're able to use separate tracks/lanes. In my experience, taking things easy where those facilities don't exist is a recipe for close passes and intimidation from drivers).
Ecological Footprint Infographiti Rug by Toko.
Posted by Bobby Solomon • October 13, 2010 • Art & Design
Only a little over a month ago I posted about Toko, a design firm situated in Australia who I was really into because of the diversity of their work. I had to revisit them because of a new project called the Infographiti Rug, which is actually a data visualization in rug form. The colorful blobs you see are actually the ecological footprints of continents, the orange part being the world’s biocapicity. It’s sad that something so beautiful represents something so… bad. ...
Art in Flanders is an animation that serves as the introductory page for the Lukas image bank of digital reproductions of Flemish art.
0ct 2 long ramble + phots
October 2, 2010
We've discontinued things in the past, and will do it again, but there's always what I'd say is a good reason for doing it. The Rambouillet came out during a strong dollar and weaker yen period, and the Romulus that followed it did, too---but not quite as strong a dollar. It comes up a lot that somebody bemoans the passing of these bikes, but if we brought back the Romulus (which retailed for $1500 as a complete bike), it would cost $2300 now; and the RambOUiIllet would cost close to $3,000....and they both presented huge cash flow PROBLEMS to us, and so...we moved on, and now life is different here.
Grant at Rivendell is always interesting to read - favourite quote in this piece;
"But 8 now is so old and friction shifting so old and IT'S Fall 2010 and Shimano still produces them [8 speed barcons], and there has to be a reason that isn't apparent. Is somebody at Shimano guarding Shimano's Last Reasonable Shifter from extinction?"
A lot of folks have e-mailed asking about the new dyno hubs I've mentioned. I'm also told there was some rather silly speculation about them in various discussion forums (Due to time constraints I no longer read any forums). In any case I thought I'd say a bit more about them.
Velo Orange - new dynohubs & headlights. Worth reading in full, as if what Chris says is right, these sound excellent.
Posted via email from monkeyphoto's posterous
This, of course, should really be at the end - the moment at which we crossed the line, 80k after setting off from Queen's Park Longton at the end of this year's Stoke on Trent Challenge Tour Ride.
The Giant SCR2.0 As Fast CommuterRunning an old chain too long on the Surly LHT has buggered the middle chainring on its triple (to the extent that is slips alarmingly when standing to climb, or sprint - suddenly finding you have no power and a load of impatient Audi drivers behind you is not my idea of fun). Whilst I wait for a replacement 39t chainring, the Giant is doing commuting duty.
The saddlebag is my Carradice Lowsadde Longflap, held on with ViVa bag loops on the rails of the Fizik Aliante saddle. There's always been a bracket on the seat stay for a Smart Superflash, so that's just switched over from the LHT - the other rear light (Blackburn Mars 4.0) is in the light loop on the Carradice. My M520 SPDs were put on (it's a very stop/start commute, and the usual SPD-SL would get annoying). My Knog Bullfrog goes up front as a flashing light, and a Dealextreme "flood to throw" torch goes on as the front steady light. This bike has always had a set of wheels with 23mm tyres (Aksiums and GP4000, currently) and one with 25mm tyres (handbuilts, DRC ST17 Elegant II rims on Tiagra hubs[1], with Pro Race 2 tyres) so the latter went on for the commute.
Since buying the LHT, I made some changes to the SCR2.0 - a 130mm stem as opposed to 110mm, FSA Wing Alloy bars, a 31.8mm seat post - all of which makes this a less practical, more leisure oriented bike, in theory. The sort of bike the Yehuda tendency would scoff at. (To be honest, even the solid, steel framed LHT is on thin ice with the Yehudas, on account of its 30/39/50 and 14-25 gearing - as any fule kno, you can't haul load with that sort of setup).
I shouldn't really be surprised, as I commuted on this bike for a couple of years, but I enjoyed today's commute a lot - the Giant is a lot more responsive than the LHT (although it needs watching far more around potholes & other imperfections in the road). Dry days, maybe I should treat myself to a fast commute more often.
[1] A really nice set of wheels, built by Paul Green of Rick Green Cycles. Highly recommended.
The Surly Troll.3 weeks ago I was starting to wonder if I would ever get back on the bike.Hopefully his recovery will continue in this speedy fashion!
2 weeks ago I was cursing the fact that I couldn't ride over 5 miles.
Last week 10miles / hills seemed impossible.
Back when I still accounted myself a photographer, one of the joys of the hobby was taking expired film, and running it through an old camera.
It's a joy, because, as with film photography in general, you don't know quite what will emerge at the end. (As an aside, the uncertainty is slightly overstated, with "fresh" film, you can largely predict the way it handles colour and tone, although you can't instantly review all that and change what you do on the spot).
I once tore a film inside a Minolta A5 - then exposed it to light by opening the camera back, so I processed it in the wrong chemicals for practice, and some of the results were very pleasing. Although at the time, I'd fully expected to get a blank roll from it.
Even then, there were plug ins, and programs that would take a digital shot and ape the look of expired films, and clunky "toy" cameras. And of course now, we have the ironically titled "Hipstamatic" for iPhones, that seems to ape a sort of cross processed, Holga-esque idiom, whilst similarly missing the point as the photoshop "film look" plugins did.
If you like hipstamatic, why not pick up an old 35mm camera, and some cheap film and try the real thing? The results might surprise you.
Posts
All Comments
