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Archive for category Sustainable Living

Farmer’s Market, Zucchini Bread & Playground Fireworks [Sustainability Saturdays]

Jul 5

Posted by Aaron in Sustainable Living | No Comments

Mark and I had a lot of fun last time when we went berry picking on our bike ride. I’m hoping this becomes more of a regular thing; it’s a lot of fun to go leisurely biking around town.

Image courtesy Google Maps (2009)

Image courtesy Google Maps (2009)

This past Saturday (July 4), Mark’s plan of action was to go to the farmer’s market on North “A” between 6th and 7th street.

It’s pretty informal — a bunch of local farmer’s bring some of their latest crops to a public parking lot, and sell their vegetables for cash. Pretty cheaply too!

I knew that they did this on Tuesdays, but apparently some of them also come down on Saturdays too!

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Biking, Blackberries, and Pancakes [Sustainability Saturdays]

Jun 27

Posted by Aaron in Sustainable Living | 4 Comments

sulandlena_onbakfietsThis morning, my friend Mark stopped by to see if Sullivan and I were interested in going on a bike ride.

Mark has a really cool Dutch cargo bike called a “Bakfiets“, it’s like a normal bike except it has a wheel-barrow-sized cargo bay up front. It has a bunch of other nice amenities as well, including handcuff lock, internal-gears, and head/tail lights. They’re kind of pricey and a bit difficult to get used to, but definitely handy to have!

One of the nice features in the Bakfiets is that the cargo area has seatbelts built for children. We strapped Sullivan into the cargo area, right next to Lena (Mark’s daughter), and grabbed a plastic container for collecting blackberries (the fruit, not the PDA). Read the rest of this entry »

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Live-by-wire

Oct 24

Posted by Aaron in Musings, Sustainable Living | 2 Comments

A while back, there was a show on the Speed channel about Formula-1 (F-1) racing. Formula-1 racing is that kind where they use the crazy looking uber-efficient cars, with the huge spoilers, extra intakes, big tires, etc. It’s what the movie “Days of Thunder” was about.

In this particular show, the show’s host, a stock-car racer (think NASCAR), was chatting with an F-1 racer. The host was allowed to take an F-1 car out on the track and do a few laps. They did a video analysis of the run afterwards, and the F-1 racer noted that the host could have saved a few tenths of a second if he had taken a few of the turns a bit tighter.

Now if you have ever taken a sharp turn a little too tightly, you’ve no doubt felt your inertia mix with centripetal force to give you the sensation that you’re being pushed to the outside of the curve (sort of like riding the Teacups in Disney World). We’re programmed to interpret that feedback as “careful there! You’re taking it a little fast!”

Apparently, in F-1 racing, the cars have internal computers that handle transferring the power to the wheels in such a way that you can take sharp curves VERY tightly, in order to maintain as much speed as possible as you round the bends. (That’s partly what the spoilers are for, as well — keep the rear tires pressed to the ground for maximum traction on curves). The host was instructed that he needs to “trust the car” and let it handle the curves.

Trusting the technology instead of our instincts. This just all feels so unnatural to me, and I can just feel my instincts throwing up all kinds of yellow flags about it.

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Biking: Getting a bike lock, and grocery shopping

Oct 12

Posted by Aaron in Sustainable Living | 1 Comment

I got a flat last week. Rear-tire. I think it was actually a relapse of a previous pinch-flat — the patch may have just not been enough. 

So I swung by Ike’s Bikes (who are AWESOME), and they replaced my tube, repaired the kickstand (it was loose), and equalize the pressure on my tires to 85 psi (comfort? who needs it!).

While I was there, I had remembered that I had been meaning to pick up a bike lock. I frequently have to run errands around town to pick something up here or there, and everytime I go out I always wish that I had a lock so I could take my bike. Not that Richmond is terribly crime-ridden — but I’m just looking to protect my $450 investment from a grab-n-dash hoodlum. Read the rest of this entry »

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I am a Velocipede Commuter

Aug 8

Posted by Aaron in Sustainable Living | 8 Comments

There it is.

Last Sunday, my family and I were in Indianapolis at my brother-in-laws house for a house-warming BBQ. We made it a point to stop by the Indy Bike Garage.
Let me first say that BG Indy is *AMAZING*. Their selection is pretty decent but their customer service is OUTSTANDING. (With a capital “Y” for “Yes it is.”) Granted, it took them 15 minutes to get around to helping us (they were super busy) but when they finally did, they were extremely helpful. I highly recommend them.

Anyways.

So I bought the bike. And I’ve commuted to and from work every day this week. 6 miles each way, mostly uphill (even the way back — it’s a little easier, but still quite a few uphills). It takes me about 30-35 minutes each way.

Some things I’ve noticed about biking, having done it for a week: Read the rest of this entry »

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