Archive: January 23, 2009

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winds of change

Friday,  01/23/09  08:34 AM

so be it

 

lust or love

Friday,  01/23/09  05:45 PM


This afternoon I tooled out to Camarillo Bike Company and test rode an Orbea Orca.  You know when you meet a new friend, sometimes it all seems easy, and you're surprised how comfortable you feel, and the awkwardness of a new relationship just melts away?  That's how it was for me.  This bike weighs 15lbs, it is stiff and solid, and it climbs like an elevator.  But it handles bumps and rough road easily and smoothly, and descends solidly and felt rock steady at 40mph.  After ten minutes I felt more comfortable than I've ever felt on any bike, including my nine-year-old Kestrel (on which I've put about 40,000 miles).  And ... well, it is beautiful, lithe curves and sensuous lines; pictures don't do it justice.  The kind of beauty you can't stop looking at :)  The one I rode had white trim, but afterward I went to the Orbea website and configured a custom order, I'm thinking I like the carbon gray color best.  (Although I must admit that blue is beautiful...)

The design and workmanship of this machine is impressive.  And did I mention it has a removable derailleur hanger on the dropout?  Now there's a good idea...

So even while I am in the middle of having my Kestrel repaired (recovering from my weird disaster), I'm strongly considering a new relationship.  Not sure yet if this is lust or love, but I'm enjoying it so far :)

 

Friday,  01/23/09  06:10 PM

Whew, a tough couple of days...  I continue to feel surrounded by bad news, and the walls are closing in.  I'm trying to stay positive but it has been tough.  What seems to work best is reaching out to friends (you know who you are :)  And of course riding.  And listening to music.  And reading.  And hugging my kids, and sharing a glass of wine with Shirley.  And ... and blogging!

So it wasn't just me?  Dave Winer asks Why was yesterday a Blue Thursday?  His answer: "For most of us it's no longer Yes We Can, it's Yes We Did.  It's not Change You Can Believe In, any more - instead The Change Happened Now Get Back To Your Life."  That might be the answer for many, but I don't think it explains me.  Still, it might explain the people around me, and their ripples might have spread... 

Bad news, cont.: GE profit down 46%.  Although they are making a profit, and paying a dividend.  So maybe that would count as good news in these times. 

One [potential] way to deal with bad news: Scott Adams asks where's my rewind button?  I've had this thought myself.  A pause button would be handy, too... 

VC David Hornik ponders whether VCs will continue to suspend disbelief.  His answer is yes, because they have to.  Interesting! 

Instapundit channels Margaret Thatcher: "The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money."  As he would say, heh.  Seems like we're on course to do just that, soon. 

Wow, check this out, from Slate: Human Nature: The Temptation of Totalitarian Birth Control.  "In a modern society, no government could really enforce a cap on family size, could it?  Sure it could."  Well, China can anyway, but could you consider that a "modern society"?  There is no democracy anywhere which could do this.  Yet. 

USA Today: Landis, free to compete, prepares for California comeback.  Woo hoo, I can't wait.  Lance says "Floyd is a friend of mine, he's a former teammate and he has a lot of fans.  I've heard that he's riding well.  From a sporting perspective he'll be strong there (California)."  The TOC stage up Mount Palomar will have some fireworks for sure. 

Check this out: Man kills wife for changing facebook status to single.  I just checked and mine wasn't set.  It is now.  To "married" :) 

Classic: Hymenomics.  [ via Althouse

I missed this; yesterday was January 22, 2009, which means it was the 25th anniversary of the Mac 1984 superbowl ad.  Wow.  I remember seeing that ad broadcast live!  Who even knew what it was about, it was so weird, so different

South Carolina Senator wants to ban profanity.  I'd say he's fucked, but that would be illegal. 

I've started a collection I call "beyond useless".  It contains things that not only have no value, but waste your time and hence have negative value.  Into this collection I place blog posts consisting of Tweets, and most especially blog posts about Tweets.  (Not sure about blog posts about blog posts about Tweets, because that would include this one, and I am hesitant to create a self-referential loop.  If there is a black pit on your screen instead of these words, you know what happened :)  A shining example would be any analysis of re-tweeting.  No links, and before you Google for it, remember, beyond useless.

 

 
 

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