No game again today too many people out of town with no internet

Once again I’m unable to play Shadowrun because other people have lives outside of RPG and Urban Fantasy. They are with friends and/or family out of town and are not connected to the internets. Also I face a conundrum as MS has offered me a free upgrade to Windows 11 on this over 4 year old machine and I don’t know if I should accept it. The offer is sitting on the bar under the workspace along with the battery status bar and Weatherbug, if you have a computer and not reading this on a phone you know what I’m talking about. The conundrum is: this computer is running fine with 10 and I really don’t want to mess it up, but there are things that could be done in 11 that can’t be done in 10.

Still unable to get anything done on the Sprint-T, but the concept of using drillium on the front axle leaves open the possibility of making holes. I have already determined the best way of doing this with the tools I have at hand or within easy purchase. First I need to mark one side of the axle with a centerline of the tube, then a centerline for the axle then mark an area for the axle brackets that has to remain solid (no holes) then mark every 1.5″ for holes, then drill pilot holes through the tube using the drill press to make the holes through the tube of the axle perpendicular, then use a step drill to get them to 0.75″ diameter. Shouldn’t take more than 3 days including set up and cleanup.

In completely unrelated news I finally figured out how to use the airfry setting on the new stove we got last year. Using this we got crispy brown french fries earlier last week after getting slightly soggy fries from the same bag before. I take my victories where I get them. And this time it was in the form of french fries that came out of the oven crispy and brown without being overcooked.

Veering to another topic, I have an opening for a live-in girlfriend. Mrs. the Poet has decided since she can’t fulfill my physical needs I should be allowed to have someone who will in the house. The position comes with a bed and a bedroom, kitchen and laundry privileges, and free WiFi. Duties will include hugs and kisses and regular naked time as the woman desires but at least once a month. Note that I won’t force the issue on naked time, but it will be a requirement for living rent-free. Not forcing the issue on naked time is what got me to this state in the first place. If you have a work-from-home job and want to relocate to a gentler but unpredictable climate the weather in Texas is usually mild, February’s deep freeze was an exception. Note that this is a female-only offer, I’m not that bi.

Advertisement

When it’s day but your body says it’s time to sleep

Basically I’m time-shifted about 12 hours now, I fall asleep at noon and wake up about 1830-1900 just in time for dinner for breakfast. Then I do stuff for a while so that I’m spending at least a little quality time with my wife before she goes to bed and I go to work, even when I don’t have any actual “work” pending. Last night I did some work on the cats’ water dish/fountain so that the water in the pool area was also filtered. As configured from the factory the water is picked up from the back pool and forced through the filter to the top of the tower where it trickles back down the front of the tower and immediately goes into the back pool. This leaves all the dirty water untouched in the front pool which is where the cats have to drink from, only they won’t because it’s a little nasty and never gets cleaned.

So, what I’m doing is redirecting the water from the filter out into the front pool in order to set up a current that takes the water in the front pool into the filter so it all gets cleaned. Or at least mostly cleaned. I doubt I can configure the fountain to clean all the water but I’m hopeful that this will get it clean enough that the cats will stop drinking out of the dishwater and toilet, both of which disturb the person who bought the expensive cat fountain because he (not me) spent a hefty sum to buy the fountain only to have the cats turn up their noses at it after a few days of operation. The modification will have the negative side effect of making a splashy noise as the water spills out into the front pool from a height (if you can call less than 6″ a “height”) instead of clinging to the front of the filter tower and going right back into the rear pool and filters.

And since I have to wait several hours for this water-based adhesive to dry before I run water over it, and because today is Seniors Free day (and not Seniors in HS) and I have passed as a senior citizen for almost21 years now, I’m going to go to the fair and have some badunhealthy fried food and see stuff, and then come back and see how the cat fountain works. I’m hoping just getting the water away from the intake for the filter gets enough of the front pool cleaned out and I don’t have to build the extension that dumps the water at the far end of the front pool and sets up a current to get all of the front pool through the filter, but I’m prepared to do the full thing and build the extension that gets the clean water all the way to the front of the fountain.

See you after the Fair!

I really need to be doing something

Seriously, something, anything, that results in some physical object I can show as a result of my labors. I’m getting close to having the bits and pieces to make the Mini Sprint-T, but I need to know where a few more things go on the real thing before I can make the model. And I realize that one of the purposes of building the Mini is to help in visualizing where $#!+ goes on the full size version, but I still have to have a clue about what I’m doing with that before I can make a scale version. I have the LS engine, albeit the LS7 instead of the LM7 that I will probably be using but in ¹/₂₅ scale the only visible difference would be the intake manifold.

And this is the LS7 engine.

And in that picture of the crate LS7 you can see where I’m going to hang the bracket for the alternator, off the three threaded holes right in front of the engine mounting bracket. Still don’t know where I’m going to put the tension bracket, but there’s still time for that. But it is also easy to see that the truck engine in the top picture has a much taller intake than the 7 liter Corvette crate engine in the bottom picture. This gives the two engines comparable low-RPM torque below 4000 RPM in spite of the displacement difference as this is the RPM range the truck engine is designed and tuned for while the Corvette engine is intended to make its rated 505 HP around 6000 RPM. So, really for the application I’m building for the truck engine with the tiny turbochargers I linked to a few posts back is superior to the sports car engine with 1.7 liters more displacement in having more power where I need it. And it’s $14000 cheaper than the sports car engine, WOO! More power where I need power, and cheaper to boot, screw you expensive prestige engine. Also the as-installed truck engine is going to be pretty much stripped down as much as the bottom picture with the alternator hanging off the passenger side of the engine and some kind of electric water pump and that’s it.

But since they don’t make resin replicas of truck engines and they do make replicas of the Corvette engine, for the purposes of the Mini Sprint-T I’ll make do with the Corvette engine, and throw a cover over the intake manifold that will simulate the extra height of the truck manifold. Sorry for thinking out loud through the keyboard again, but sometimes it helps to put my thoughts into a tangible form.

It’s just a dinky piece of brass that’s keeping me off the bike now

All I need to ride my bike now is to pump up the tires. All I need to pump up the tires is a small brass adapter that lets a Schrader pump fit a presta valve stem. All I need to get the presta adapter is to be able to walk the two miles to get to and from DART.

That’s it. All that is keeping me off my bike is the two miles separating origin from destination before/after using transit. And that I can barely get from the front door to the mailbox at the moment. Just walking to the kitchen from my office is A Pain. I’m not doing a “poor, pitiful me” here. I’m angry. What I’m angry about is the fact that a trip to the store is a 2 mile walk or more pretty much wherever I’m going, because this entire town is built around everyone driving everywhere in a car, for everything, and transit is kinda stuck wherever it will fit, not where it’s needed.

Now don’t get me wrong, there is some retail about 0.6 miles (1 km) from the house as the worm flies. There’s a Dollar General at that distance and also a C-Store slash gas station going a different route right next to a laundromat and donut shop, and about 0.8 miles to 2 more C-Stores/Gas Stations, a Family Dollar, and a couple of restaurants. But the round trip is still over a mile to anything. And that’s bad. Especially if the trip was to buy something heavy or bulky. That’s one reason why I have kept my ALICE ruck in good condition in case I need to grocery shopping and there’s nobody available to haul the stuff back while I can’t use Francis/es.

On to the Other Subject, the hot rod and talking to the computer after I do a Dr. Frankenstein and swap it out of the minivan and into the hot rod, where it will lose its mind. I did some googling and found there are many devices that will connect a cell phone to the computer to read and clear the codes and software that I can load to change the fuel/spark maps. I will need to add the SD card to my phone to load the software because it is a monster app, but that’s tons cheaper than the dedicated reader/writer hardware at the parts store. This part of the project just started looking a lot more do-able than it did at the beginning of the week. Now whether I’m going to be able to tell the computer just once that it is in a 1500 pound hot rod instead of a 3900 pound minivan, or if I will have to do that every time I have to start the car is a question yet to be answered. But the existence of the hardware and software at a price in my budget makes me feel better about the project.

I mean, 15 years ago whodathunkit? Connecting your phone to your car to fix the car? It would have been science fiction. But today it’s just hooking one computer to another computer to fix things that are controlled by the one computer. The facts that one computer is sometimes your phone and the other computer runs your car are incidental.

So, a rant about walkability and transit, and looking at the DIY wonder of diagnosing and repairing your car by using your cell phone. Lot of ground between those two subjects.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Unkillable

OK here are the pictures before and after

Before I go for my walk today I’m going to make a quick post with the pictures of how the steering arms fit after a little filing on the register bits. This first pic is the one I did last night after finishing my walk. Note that the bits fit flat against the machined spots they are supposed to fit flat against on both sides now.

And this is the one I didn’t do yet. Notice that the peg part of the arm sits on top of the machined hole in the spindle. There is only a few thousandths of an inch interference there but it is enough to make the part unusable without modification.

The difference is about 3 hours of work, 2 of actual filing and another hour of letting my hand rest so I could control the file better. I have to admit the ravages of age are catching up to me. I used to be able to rough shape bike fenders by pinching them with my fingers, now I have to take frequent breaks just lightly using hand tools. And this is the fun bit for me, the tedious fiddly bits that nobody will see unless they know where to look and what to look for.

Now that that’s done I’m going to get dressed for outside and go for my walk. My books on how to control the EFI on the donor engine came today so I have reading materials that have to be read soon, and the bike pump is due in tomorrow so I can cover more territory out hunting check-ins on my phone game, and get exercise without killing my foot.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Unkillable

Finally got some money, and the Feed

The check came in this morning, so I’ll be out running around paying bills and making deposits and stuff tomorrow instead of going with Mrs. the Poet to shop for groceries. There won’t be a big difference for the blog, just for my selection of salty snacks. I think I might have to give up meditation to get my BP up high enough to make the grade for the new test med, because cutting my current meds in half doesn’t quite do it, and eating salty snacks doesn’t do it either. I’m barely at 110/80 now.

Up first, wait, what?!?

Another cow caught stealing a bicycle…… pic.twitter.com/7gtONxicdn

— classicretro (@classicretro) March 30, 2016

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

And closer to home.

Crews Finally Add Last Block of 2-Way Protected Bike Lane in Downtown Houston pic.twitter.com/DyjHLsSstv

— StreetsblogTexas (@StreetsblogTex) March 30, 2016

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Downtown bike lanes draw new brewery, new bollards on Vineland and a new LA Bike Fest video

Unknown mode of wreck in MN. Bicycle rider killed by car in Sartell and Bicyclist Struck, Killed In Sartell As of this posting all I know is there was a cyclist hit by an unknown vehicle and possibly left for dead making this a possible probable hit-and-run.

Victim blaming in the Great White North. Cyclists share responsibility for accidents More blaming the victim for not wearing the GITDCS that drivers seem to think every cyclist should wear 24/7 when riding. Instead of you know, actually looking more than 20 feet in front of the vehicle.

Right hook in far West Canuckistan. Cyclist dies in collision with truck in Victoria’s Chinatown and Cyclist, 73, struck and killed in downtown Victoria I zoomed in on the picture of the crime scene and the only truck visible was a COE with good forward and side vision. So, aside from using the standard protocols posted in the links at the top of the page what could be done to prevent this wreck? They were already using the delivery vehicle with the best outward vision, the cyclist was wearing clothing that made her visible, what else could be done? EDIT: As I was getting ready to move from the first link to the next link the page updated with a much better picture of the crime scene showing the actual delivery vehicle having a conventional cab that is blind to a large area in front and to the right where the cyclist was hit. So going back to the question, replacing the delivery vehicle with a COE flat van and a glass door to the right would be a massive help.

Speaking of the devil, here’s an article from Jolly Olde on just that kind of vehicle, this one in a trash hauler. Pioneering lorries with panoramic view hit the streets in bid to save cyclists’ lives

Also from the UK is this factoid from the trial of a killer driver. Janina Gehlau: Lorry driver ‘should have seen cyclist for up to five seconds’ before fatal collision The cyclist was using the infrastructure as designed, the driver of the weapon vehicle should have been looking in the direction he was planning on driving before actually proceeding through that space, I believe the colloquial phrasing is “Looked where he was going”.

This is an aspect of UK jurisprudence that I would dearly love to see here in the US. Cyclist injured in fall from bike due to road ‘hazard’ awarded damages after suing council for ‘negligence’ Injured or incur property damage because of crappy infrastructure? Sue the government body responsible for it not being crappy.

Now this just sucks. Man pushes cyclist off BMX and rides off on it I try not to wish harm to another human being, really I do, but this guy needs to get hit by an HGV turning left at a stop light since this is over in Jolly Olde where they drive on the wrong side of the road.

Another rider in Oz hits a parked car? Qld rider killed after hitting parked car Seriously this is two this week.

More on the 73 YO driver that killed a cyclist in Oz. Hit-and-run driver charged over WA cyclist

Back in the US, SF infrastructure! TWIN PEAKS FOR EVERYONE OK let me get this out or I’m going to explode: “That’s one fine cuppa coffee” .

And how do you get bike parking? How Portland’s oldest Buddhist temple got better bike parking Sometimes you have to DIY.

And here it is not even midnight and I’m outta links, Gigi is going to be so happy.

Billed @€0.02, Opus

Sleep deprivation is a &(%$&, and the Feed

I signed off last night about 0500 after finishing the writing part shortly after 0430. Yes it takes me about 25-30 minutes to proof spelling and links and tag after I finish the creative part. And then it usually takes a minimum of an hour to shut the brain down so I can sleep, usually closer to two hours. I was wakened slightly after noon by a loud vehicle (I’m assuming it was a garbage truck) and Mrs. the Poet yelling at “bad cats” and quit fighting to get back to sleep about 1400 and checked the mail. I’m still bleary-eyed as I type this at 1700.

And I’m watching the Sprint Cup practice when this commercial for Marathon gas comes on with the jingle about a “full tank of Freedom”. “Freedumb” indeed. 😛

Speaking of Sprint Cup, some of the drivers are some of us. NASCAR drivers pedal from St. Augustine for bike safety Four hour ride, so about 100km away from the track. I’m betting that lap around the track lasted a lot longer than the 45-47 seconds it took during final practice today…

Ted was a bit busy today with all the news coming at him. Morning Links: Temple City shoots down safe streets on Las Tunas; ridiculous and sublime new bike offerings

Part 2 of Daily Ted. Formerly homeless man dies five weeks after Yorba Linda collision

And an incredible Part 3. Fontana bike rider killed in early morning collision; no details available Poor Ted, this is what happens when you have lots of subscriptions to local media sites, you get to report the bad news quicker.

Still in CA. BART Struggles to Balance Current Needs with Vision for Future BART gets people off the streets in S.F. making a huge impact on bike and pedestrian safety. So this might not seem to be a bike link, but it’s totally a bike link.

Up in America’s Copenhagen, DIY DOT to the rescue! Bike lane in danger? Cone power to the rescue! Riders replace the cones when they get knocked over, unlike plastic bollards that require equipment and chemicals most cyclists don’t carry on their bikes.

Also from Portland, someone said something Really Stoopid. GOP candidate promises to end gridlock forever by adding a lane to each freeway There are no words for how Stoopid this is. This guy has literally never heard of Induced Demand until this article posted and someone emailed him a link on the subject.

And crap infrastructure is never so bad that it can’t be made worse, even in Portland. City proposes shifting future downtown bikeway from Alder to Taylor/Salmon Changing a direct, mostly flat route to one that adds about a mile to the total trip and completely routes the cyclist away from retail and other commercial destinations.

FloriDUH! strikes again. Bicyclist injured in Charlotte hit-and-run crash I’m sorry, but what do you call it when a driver swerves into an occupied bike lane, hits a cyclist, and then leaves the scene without stopping? Aside from attempted murder or assault with a deadly weapon that is.

Continuing on the “Stoopid driver” theme for the moment. NYPD: Cyclist fatally struck by car, driver arrested Driver impaired by drugs, not mentioned if they were medication or recreational drugs. But still “Stoopid” either way. More Allegedly Stoned Driver Charged With Manslaughter After Fatally Striking Staten Island Cyclist The later link says the driver was on pot at the time of the wreck.

And infrastructure news from NYC that will flat-out floor you. It did me. Astoria Will Get Three Protected Bike Lanes Despite Local Drivers’ Objections Yep, bike lanes in spite of driver’s complaints, because too many people were getting killed or injured. and to the idiot that said “at some point traffic calming becomes traffic impeding.” boo, hoo, hoo. You were extremely lucky your death machines were not banned outright, because that was on the table.

Good infrastructure news from IA. Bicycle safe passing bill clears Iowa Senate committee This is the most radical concept in bicycle safety that I have seen in a long time. “Change lanes to pass”, like you would a car or tractor or combine. Radical, I tell you.

A mandatory helmet bill in VA is killed in committee. Why bicycling advocates are happy legislators killed a helmet bill Combined with the studies that show that mandatory helmets don’t actually decrease the rate of head injury, just move it to a different part of the head that isn’t covered by the helmet or by impacts that exceed the survival envelope of the helmet.

Crap infrastructure in VT. A VICIOUS CIRCLE? STATE WANTS SAFER ROTARY IN BRATTLEBORO Note the comment that all the problems are caused by bicycles. SMH.

From Jolly Olde, really they are calling this a hit-and-run and not assault with a deadly weapon or attempted murder? Cyclist left seriously injured after hit-and-run following row with driver Motor vehicles are the only weapon that an obvious assault would be called an “accident”

And this cyclist has a case for police negligence as they refused to take a report for his wreck that smashed his bike. Cyclist feels he’s had a rough ride despite lucky escape in road smash The bike was rendered unridable, that makes this a reportable wreck under UK laws. Both vehicles were not able to leave the scene under their own power, that raises the wreck to reportable status.

And I am finishing up too late for Gigi to even read it before she loses her internet at 0300 my time. I mean it’s almost 0300 right now and I haven’t even proofed, much less tagged.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and the Feed

This will be the last post of 2015, and I have to say that I’m slightly surprised at having survived this year as a blog and as a blogger. There were car wrecks and tornadoes, food poisoning, muggings and other mayhem, and none of it actually touched yr fthfl srvnt author. It all kind of swirled around me so that I could see it and report on it, but not have to suffer through it. Another bit of evidence that I’m a character in a story reporting back on what I see and feel as others live the story. I really need a better writer for my sex scenes…

Up first, the driver who killed a MD cyclist was violating two traffic laws to cause the wreck. ‘It’s Just So Unreal’: 19-Year-Old Cyclist Dies After Crash With SUV The two laws? Failing to obey a traffic control, and not stopping for a car stopped in front of a crosswalk. The cyclist had no chance to avoid this wreck as his view of the weapon vehicle was obstructed by the car that was following the law.

A NYS resident doesn’t have to leave the house to get above the legal limit for BAC. NY Woman Beats DWI Charge Because Her Body Is A Brewery This is an actual medical condition that I have been aware of for at least 25 years because I read about it before I moved to TX back in 1989, and again some time during the “Aughties”. So, rare, but not unheard of.

Cop hit cyclist in the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike. Cyclist, Patrol Car Collide In Miami Gardens Cop claimed to have the green light when the cyclist “pulled out in front of him”. The geometry of the wreck indicates the cyclist was in the intersection for several seconds before the patrol car got there, meaning this could have been a stale green crossing where the cyclist had the right of way over the cop car. But since the comments have been closed for the article the only place you will see that is in this blog.

A WV cyclist is blamed for getting right hooked. Keyser man injured in bike/van crash at Memorial Bridge Nothing more I can say about this.

CT LEO are asking the public’s help in finding a cyclist’s killer. Shelton PD Seeks Help Finding Hit-and-Run Driver Who Killed A Cyclist

DiYDoT in action in Portland. Activists use traffic cones to improve safety of bike lane along new Orange Line MAX Yay DiYDoT! Doing what the regular DoT can’t or won’t do to make streets safer.

Lastly, did anyone order a box of kittens?

And that’s it for 2015. Here’s hoping 2016 is at least a little better.

Billed @$0.02, Opus the Poet

One last day of batching it, and the Feed

Yes, Mrs. the Poet returns from her leaf-peeping expedition mid-day tomorrow, so I can quit with the frozen pizza and Ramen (not on the same days) for dinner. I’m making a pot of beans and rice for tonight so that there will be food available for dinner tomorrow that Mrs. the Poet doesn’t have to cook, and she likes my beans.

Up first more on the cyclist hit from behind riding on the shoulder, apparently by a drunk driver. Bicyclist from Orange struck and killed on Highway 12, alcohol suspected as a factor and ORANGE MAN KILLED IN BICYCLE/AUTO CRASH I don’t think I need to expound on how much I hate drunk drivers, I think drunks that kill need to be chained to the steering wheel of their car as the car gets run through a car shredder.

A cyclist is hit in MD. 82-year-old cyclist critically injured after hit by vehicle Part of the problem is mis-assigned priority between the bike facility and the road. The bike path feels like a limited-access highway for bikes, and riders expect the same kind of accommodations as limited-access highways get, not stopping at every side-street and back alley. That said until such changes are made, stop at the stop signs.

Justice delayed for a cyclist killed by a drunk driver in GA. Two years later, family still seeking justice for cyclist’s death Give him a fair trial and a decent hanging, or in his case put him back behind the wheel of that Mustang for one last ride through the car shredder.

Our Daily Ted part 1. Morning Links: gofundme for HB bike victim, bike lane and salmon cyclist signs in Santa Ana, and more CicLAvia

And Daily Ted part 2. Breaking News: Bike rider dies following wrong way collision in Boyle Heights last week

Another cyclist killed in America’s Paradise. Lahaina Man Succumbs to Injuries in Deadly “eBike” Crash Wrecks like this are one of the reasons why cyclists need to get out of the gutter and take the lane, where they belong as vehicles, and where drivers can see them and not run into them. This kind of wreck is unusual, but not unforeseen.

The DIY DOT is out in force in NYC. Will These Flowers & Cones Keep Brooklyn Cyclists Safe? You know what will absolutely keep cyclists and pedestrians safe in NYC? Mandatory confiscation of any vehicle that hits a cyclist or pedestrian until it can be checked for mechanical defects. Put one mechanic on the job, without any help, and forbid him to work more than a 40 hour week, which will result in a backlog of vehicles needing to be checked meaning people will have to wait for weeks or even months to get their vehicles back, and drivers will stop hitting cyclists and pedestrians, I guarantee it.

And I seriously can’t believe this guy. Man with sleep disorder who killed cyclist ‘shouldn’t have been on road’ and North Shields cyclist ‘hit and killed by sleep apnoea sufferer who had been warned not to drive’ This is kinda like the taxi driver who had an epileptic seizure and killed 4 people in NYC. If you know you have a medical condition that could cause you to no longer be in control of your vehicle without warning, don’t fucking drive! As far as I am concerned this was murder, pure and simple.

Not bicycles in this wreck, but cyclists played a part in the aftermath as one started first aid and another directed traffic around the wreck victim and the motorcycles. Moment passers-by rush to help injured motorcyclist after two ‘speeding’ motorbikes crash in south London Notice how the woman wearing the orange jersey secures her bike and then goes to work controlling the victim’s bleeding?

Some infrastructure news from Jolly Olde. Andrew Gilligan: detractors of cycling programme will be embarrassed once they see benefits Motor vehicles are already slightly in the minority because of economic pressures, so why continue to give them priority when it comes time to hand out the infrastructure funding?

Someone needs to tell The Age that stringing a rope across a trail isn’t a “prank”, it is an act of terrorism against trail users. Boy has neck slashed by rope while riding his bicycle

Notice that the onus is on cyclists being “visible” not on drivers looking out the windshield and not hitting cyclists? How cyclists and drivers can share the road safely Blinking lights and reflectors are of no use if the operator of the murder machine is not looking out to see where said murder machine is going.

You can improve your transportation and urban design vocabulary the way I did by reading thousands of articles on the subject (boooo-rrrring!) or you could play this game a few times. How a Not-Entirely-Polite Card Game Is Changing Urban Planning

Are you buying what you think you’re buying? BUY ORIGINAL PERFORMANCE AND SAFETY! CAMPAGNOLO AGAINST FORGERY IN DEFENSE OF SAFETY How to spot forged Campy products.

And last links, there is a pretty good (power and reliability and cheap) fuel-cell powered e-bike available. We Shouldn’t Be Afraid of Hydrogen Fuel — The H2 Electric Bike Is Proof and Linde AG: Linde’s hydrogen-powered bike shows new way towards electro-mobility (news with additional features) The biggest advantage of this system is the 5-6 minute refuel from empty, the biggest drawback to date is the total lack of hydrogen refueling stations in the US.

And I’m done for today.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

I was social again today, and the Feed

I went out this afternoon with one of the members of the kinky D&D group for another recon on costume supplies. We found remaindered fabrics and a sewing pattern for a costume she liked, but the cost for the pattern alone was more than the cash on hand. So we put everything back for better days, and slunk off with our tails between our legs. Not one of my good days.

Up first is Our Daily Ted. Any links that may be shared are a result of converging sources, not because I copied Ted. Morning Links: New El Monte Bike Hub opens, let CD4’s David Ryu know what you think, and sexist socks at Interbike I admit I had to follow the link to the sock story.

I have to say I don’t think this would ever happen in the US. Police say sorry for ‘not wholly satisfactory’ probe I mean really, US police apologizing? Ain’t gonna happen.

Now we get to see how much the vaunted reputation of Canadians for politeness is deserved. Move Over! The main benefit of the law is that it provides a nearly unshakable reflection of blame from the cyclist to the driver. All that’s required of the cyclist is complying with light and reflector laws, any hit from behind is now solidly the fault of the driver.

I think this is probably a casual correlation to cars becoming safer for the occupants rather than formerly drunk rivers switching to weed and staying home. Since Colorado legalized marijuana, highway fatalities are way down

I’m sure this would have been hilarious as a scene from a Hollywood RomCom, but IRL this would have been terrifying. CYCLIST KILLED, ANOTHER HURT WHEN BOAT BREAKS FREE FROM TRUCK ON STATEN ISLAND Edit to add, The proofreading program tried to correct STATEN to SATAN. One thing that bugs me is they aren’t even willing to say the trailer wasn’t properly secured when the trailer is in a different lane than the towing vehicle. Seriously? More Bicyclist Killed, Another Seriously Injured When Boat Slips Loose From SUV

Speaking of RomComs, how about this video of a BMX street rider for Nike riding in NYC? Watch This Pro BMX Rider Terrify All Of NYC There is a few seconds of the rider doing a nose manual on the hood of a taxi parked in a sidewalk, I would have liked a lot more of riding over cars blocking bike lanes. And seriously could you not tell this was staged?

Even when you are doing everything right as a cyclist, it just takes one driver with a case of the dumbshits to ruin your life. Artist injured in bicycle crash talks about recovery, dangers And because of the destructive power of motor vehicles, it doesn’t even take a real bad case of the dumbshits, because even a momentary lapse of concentration on the part of the driver can leave a greasy stain where the cyclist used to be riding.

Drivers ignoring the bike lane? Buy them flowers. Boston Cyclist Crowdfunds for Tactical Urbanism “Tactical Urbanism” is another phrase for calling out the DIY DOT.

Another article on the study that found that drivers see “Share the Road” as “Bicycles Get Outta the Way”. A Simple Change to Road Signs Could Help Cyclists and Drivers Finally Get Along You think they could have found a better picture of a “cyclist” than a HD screen grab from the video for “Motherfucking Bike”?

Make the bike smarter and you can make the kiosks really stupid, or do away with them altogether. Portland Will Get “Smart Bikes” in 2016

Is your town trying to kill you? The government is trying to make walking American again

And now we are done for the day, because there ain’t no more links. Today’s post was about half the size of yesterday’s by word count.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet