I'll Be There

Trailer for Coyote vs. Acme

Opens August 28th.

Fat Tire Musings

Following up on an earlier test ride of a friend's fat tire bike, I've done some looking around at these weird beasts of burden.  With no real mountain biking nearby but plenty of bikeable beaches, one might make sense.  First question: 4.8" wide tires, or will 3.8" tires suffice?  It took a few searches, but this forum discussion at Mountain Bike Review sums it up nicely: you can get by with 4", but when the tide's in and you can't ride down on the hard damp sand, something in the 5" range is the way to go.  

Next up, can I get by with a cheap big-box store-grade bike for $500, or do I have to shell out 5x bucks for the real deal?  I mean, sure, for something I'm going to ride all the time it's a no-brainer.  On the other hand, if it's  something I'm going to take on the beach a half-dozen times a year, maybe cheap is the way to go.  Hopefully "cheap but serviceable" and not "cheap disposable junk."  Here's a video comparison close to what would be my options.  Unfortunately they've both gone up about 25% in price since that video was made, but that is the way things go these days.

Other significant considerations are how much would I actually use the thing, and do I already have a bike that can do the job well enough?  Looking around, I was able to identify eight nearby areas where a fat bike would be useful, of which perhaps half are terrain where nothing else will serve.  So maybe that's justification enough.  Maybe.  Frankly, I need to do some exploring when the weather cools.

And finally, where to keep the thing?  I live upstairs in a fairly small place, and hauling 35 lbs+ of steel each way while tripping over an idle bike when it's not in use, well, it's just not all that appealing.  But it could be, given good enough reason.

Will mull on this one some more, and with data from some exploratory trips once the weather cools.  Not a decision to be made lightly.  Still though, the idea of doing some more beach-centric yet still hardcore biking has a lot going for it.

The View Up 6th Street

Just a nice sunset afterglow, seen from near the foot of the main pier at The Hole.

And yeah, the colors really were that vivid.

Short day on the Gulf today.  The snappers were small-ish but legal, caught 3/4 of limit before winds picked up.  Lots of long, moderately low swells off of TS Bertha, in the 3' range.  Here's the view from a data buoy somewhat to the SE of where we fished.  Taken at sunset this evening, you can still see the effects of the long slow swells which have subsided down to 2'.

The discontinuities between the images are caused by the swells.  You ought to see this view in a hurricane; in a Cat 5 it begins to resemble a Weierstrauss function.

With that, I Am Tired.  Good night!

A Decent Little Power Bank, With a Few Limitations

A few weeks ago FCEM purchased a few of these small 200w Powkey power banks (Amazon link, $80), and I was asked to evaluate one for possible ham radio use.  My overall impression is that it's a pretty good unit, but it is slightly dated and decidedly sub-optimal for ham field use.  Read on, but first let's get the TLDR out of the way.

Pros: Intuitive operation.  All-in-one unit.  4-LED "gas gauge."  Sine wave AC output.  Easy solar.

Cons: "12vdc" outlet is only 11.5vdc.  USB-A only outlets.  AC inverter puts out some radio interference.

Maybe/Maybe Not: Is 200 W maximum output and 146 W-H total enough for your application?

OK, now let's unpack the TLDR.  Intuitive operation, sure.  On/off switch then AC on/off switch, then plug in whatever you're using.  Be sure to take it out of the fitted foam-lined case though first, because there's a vent on each side.  That's easy.  Sine wave AC output is what you want, because that's also the kind of current that comes from home wall sockets.  (Earlier, cheaper power inverters put out "modified sine waves," a sort of stair-step approximation that could damage many devices.  Not recommended.)

It's easy to interface with solar, and in fact I'd recommend buying the combo pack with a 60 watt solar panel for $135 total (link).  Just plug it in, and in good sun it should fully recharge a spent bank in about 4 hours (if the quoted numbers are right).  Of course, you still can and should recharge the bank from a wall socket before heading out.

Now for the downsides.  First and foremost is the 11.5vdc problem, with a 10 amp maximum output current at that.   Some 12vdc devices are OK with this, many aren't.  You can step it up with a boost converter (link, $30), but (a) that's $30 more you have to spend, and (b) you now lose the all-in-one convenience factor.  Oh yeah, and (c) you've got to wire plugs on this extra unit, for whatever plugging you're planning.  But it is doable.  Finally, that 10 amp limit means that you won't be running full-power on any radios – 115 watts input maximum, which translates to about 25 watts RF power out.  So QRP, sure, and a legal-limit CB will do fine, but for typical ham base or mobile units you'll have to dial back the power.

Next up, the USB-A problem.  OK, it only has USB-A ports.  Plug your phone's USB-C charger into one of the two AC ports just like you would at home and rock on.  Don't want to give up an AC socket?  Bring along an AC power strip and you'll have as many ports as you like.  But that's... one... more... thing.

Now, how bad is the problem with the inverter putting out radio frequency interference?  In my testing, an AM radio was unusable in about a 10 foot range around the device, while broadcast FM was unaffected.  It's not bad, but it is something to be aware of, especially if you're thinking of two-way radios.  Again, not bad, but it is there and it is a consideration.

Now for the maybe/maybe nots.  With only 200 watts output, you're not going to run a 1200 watt coffee maker or your kitchen refrigerator on this thing.  Could run the coffee grinder though, and then make your coffee on a camp stove.  And it will run many, many other useful things: a household LED floor lamp (10 watts), maybe a small TV (check its specs), a Dremel tool to sharpen a chainsaw, those sorts of low-draw things.  As for its total energy (146 watt-hours), you could run a couple of lamps all evening and charge a couple of phones (about 15 watt-hours) overnight.  A floor box fan pulls 40 watts on low, so only about 3+ hours there.  Of course, when the power's flowing in from the sun during the daytime and once the battery's charged, it's all free energy until sundown.  Just know the limits and do the math: 200 watts maximum output, 146 watt-hours total, in any combo you like.

Bottom line is this is a pretty nice little plug-and-play unit, with a few hiccups in its design: namely the USB-A only and 11.5vdc output issues.  Paired with its solar panel, it will keep a few lights on, the phones charged, and the coffee beans ground on a car camping trip or after a hurricane, all at a price that won't break the bank.  If any of the cons really bug you – or you just want something with better build quality or a name you recognize – there are lots of other options out there.

Tropical Slop

Three days of stuck-inside rain from TS Bertha:

Well, can't complain too much.  It's moving on west and probably won't develop much farther:

Though, I was heading out on a bike ride when Yet Another small rain band hit.  Meh, again, can't complain too much about this particular storm.

He's a Cat, They Do That

Peter, leaping from the hood of my Mustang:

I'm guessing he has something like this on his tiny little mind:

Cats.  Bizarre as they can be, it's still way better than having rats around the place.

Moved the Old Gravel Bike

After 15 years of riding and over 10 months of casually trying to sell the thing, a friend bought my old Specialized Tricross last weekend.  Here's my favorite picture of it, and some links to relevant blog posts.  Here, have some theme music.

First ever coffeeneuring stop, at the Mockingbird in 2017

• A Nasty Surprise
• To the East End of St. George
• At the Bethel Trails
• A 2020 coffeeneuring interlude (with a nice picture)
• Waiting for Hurricane Zeta
• New pedals! (now rebuilt and transplanted to the Straggler)
• New wheel!
• Parting glamor pic, all freshly washed up and ready to move on.

It's good to see the bike go to a friend who'll both ride and appreciate it.

Re-Reading Ringworld

You know how it goes.  Or you should – in which case you should remedy this deficiency ASAP.  In any case, here's a graphic from Larry Niven's site, and encouragement to re-read it yourself.

Sometimes, you've just got to get there fast.

More on the Over-Biking Trend

The trails got smoother and the bikes got burlier.  Something has to give. over at Singletracks mag.  A little long and ramble-ish, but the problems with bike bloat are real.  Most bike customers have absolutely no use for what in a previous decade would have been considered a downhill race bike.  My 2024 thoughts on this matter.

And now in 2026, you can add an electric motor.

FWIW, it's not all that different in the computer industry:

Think I'll venture forth on my rigid chromoly under-bike now, before this fine July day heats up.  There are few things worth doing that you can't do with a bike like that and a PDP-11.

Crashlander: Some Things Are Better Left Untold

I just finished reading Larry Niven's short story collection Crashlander, a compilation of his

Known Space tales centering on ace star pilot Beowulf Shaeffer.  The collection serves as a sort of biography of one of the main characters in Niven's future history series, and knits these stand-alone shorts together with brief bridge chapters.  It also adds a new (well, 1994) Shaeffer short story, Procrustes, and somewhat ambiguously wraps it all up with a "happily ever after – maybe" epilogue, which is frustrating in and of itself.

The original set of stories dating from the 60's and 70's are all great.  The new short story is not, and neither are the bridge chapters.  The older stories are sleek tales, where Shaeffer figures out the key puzzle piece and with a narrow margin moves on in one piece himself.  Procrustes and its surrounding bridge stories are more of a wheels-within-wheels slog of tale, with several unsavory characters that a smart guy like the Shaeffer of the earlier stories would have automatically avoided.  Not worth the small price of the new collection, not worth the reading time.

All of the good stuff can be found in the earlier collections Neutron Star and Tales of Known Space, along with many other excellent short stories Niven produced in the same era.  Give Crashlander a pass, buy and read those two other collections.  Then use your leftover time to read (or re-read) Protector.

Deep Thought for Today

 

First though, a nap.  Then coffee.  Whisky... somewhat later, if at all.

More, later in the week.  These two weeks have been... special.

Bike Wisdom

Busy day today, so here's this morning's dose of bike lore from 2011: 

Some Answers to Just About Any Bike Forum Post I've Read

Heh, remember forums?  (fora? never took Latin)  So much more civilized than today's antisocial media platforms, all optimized for engagement (read: what we used to call flame wars).

Look, that's about all I got for today.  Broke a spoke on the Straggler yesterday; finished the ride and then Kevin had it all fixed before noon (Skunk Monkeys, 41 Market St., Apalach; recommended).  One silver spoke on a wheel of black spokes, the bike is beginning to show some lived-in character.  The new clothes washer will be here shortly today, and brother do I ever have a pile of shorts and jerseys to wash.  Life is good.

Graphic?  Oh OK, here's one sort of relating to bikes, broken spokes, and dental implants.

Well, maybe be a little stupid.  At least, enough to have some fun.

"Strategic Visioning" Meeting Results

Last month I sat on a 20-ish citizen panel to hammer out directions Apalachicola should be taking.  Results were presented at this Tuesday's City Commission meeting, and are also included in the agenda packet – a 24 MB beast, perhaps not to be downloaded lightly.  Anyway, results start on page 4.  If you dare.

Overall a success, but with a meeting name like that it sounds like there'd be psychedelics in the coffee pot.  Now that would have been interesting.  (not that I'm advocating...)  Who names these things?

Thoughts on In-Town Fencing

Stockade fencing discussed over at Jim Kunstler's substack, under his "Eyesore of the Month" column.

Speaking of which, that column is a hoot nearly every month.  Here's the permalink.  Anyway, it's one for the P&Z-interested people to consider.

Test Rode a Moonlander Fat Bike

A friend with one a size or two too large for me let me take his out for a spin around the neighborhood gravel, and damn but it was fun.  It's one of the 1.0 series, not the newer 2.0's, so none of the newer stuff.  In its essentials, it's probably closer to Surly's current Ice Cream Truck: derailleur gearing, 4.8" tires, somewhat normal geometry.  Anyway, here's a pic from the web site:

It was a crazy blast to take on some neighborhood dirt.  One alleyway filled with roller bearing pea gravel that always is a pain in the butt rode about as well as the paved streets.  I didn't have any deep sand to sample, but the pea gravel was enough.  On pavement, the big tires sound like a B-24 bomber, that's kind of cool.  Though for the price on the tires, I don't think I'd take it on pavement any more than absolutely necessary.  On rough descents and ascents, it just... rode.  Keep on pedaling, and it keeps going.  I shudder to think though about something harsh enough to stop it, because that stop's probably going to hurt.  In the meantime though, keep pedaling and the ride is good!

So, am I going to run out and get one?  Eh, it's kind of a specialty tool.  Definitely not an actual current model Moonlander.  At over $4k, I wouldn't get enough use of it to be worth it.  Maybe an Ice Cream Truck at about half the price.  Surly's lower-priced Wednesday option rides on 3.8" tires, and I'm not sure that would give the full-on fat tire float on sand that I'm looking for.  Right now though, I'm not going to sweat it.  I've got a couple of other bikes to move first (got to make room), and the weather's too hot to grind down the beach right now anyway.  Will revisit in the fall.

And on this 5th of July, Please Remember...

And with that, I am back to activities with out-of-town relatives.  See y'all later in the week.

All The Memes

If you're finding yourself short on Independence Day memes, According to Hoyt has them all.

Happy Independence day!  America Two Fif-TEE!  Yeah!

Though there are some corners of the U.S. I prefer over others, there's no place else I'd rather be.

3rd of July Fire & Fireworks

First, a fire at The Hole.  Details at The Times, plus one picture:

Then later in the evening, something a bit more fun, a bit more controlled:

Yeah, we do the fireworks on the 3rd here, with other towns in the area doing them on other days.  It spreads the fun around.  I think tonight is St. George Island's turn.

A Very Interesting Step Toward Synthetic Life

For the First Time, a Cell Built From Scratch Grows and Divides

No, it is not life.  But it is an interesting conglomeration that pulls together a bunch of previous research into a neat bundle, and makes one of the main features of a living cell sort of work when it is spoon-fed some complicated key ingredients.  From the article:

“I wasn’t allowing myself to believe it for a while,” she said. “It was like, ‘Holy shit, did I actually make a dividing cell?’ … At some point, you’ve been checking enough that [you think], ‘OK, now it’s real.’”

and:

“The modern cell is like a Dreamliner,” Adamala said, referring to the Boeing 787 airplane. “We built a Wright flyer… the first bike frame with wings that flies 100 feet.”

Pretty amazing.

And no, it's not going to get away and take over the world.  Real life would rip it to shreds and chow down on the innards within milliseconds.

Big Stupid Fun, and Mostly Harmless

• K0NR (aka Bob) writes about the Brass Knuckle Gang at his blog, including a link to the BKG website.
• Singletracks online mag weighs in on what is probably the first production Ti-framed 32" wheel bike, and they can't quite decide what it is.  Gravel?  Mountain bike?  Likely fun either way.

Neither one is my thing, but hey, it's good to see people out there Doing Unusual Stuff.

Monday, Monday...

First up, call the clothes washer repair guy.  No, on second thought, make that second.

Yeesh.

Sorry Man, It's a Motor Scooter. Or Maybe a Motorcycle.

In the news this week, Gov. DeSantis vetoed an e-bike regulation bill.  I have to side with the Gov. on this one, because that bill seemed to be a morass of unenforceable namby-pamby minutia.  Here's a simpler solution.  On road:

If it's got a motor, it's either a motor scooter or, above 746W / 1HP, a motorcycle.  Apply existing laws accordingly.

Yeah, that's right, I said it, I mean it.  Below I'll paste a list of relevant news links and an AI summary of FL motor scooter laws.  But first, what should be done off-road?  Here's what:

With a broad medical exemption (requiring a physician's determination followed by a visit to your local DMV or county tax office for a durable license card & license plate), no e-bikes off-road on public bicycle trails.

Harsh?  Nah.  You weren't dogged by a couple of yo-yos in the 2023 Santos Fat Tire Fest Epic 50.  They weren't pedaling at all, but had the boom box cranked to 11, yacking above the din the whole time.  I finally took an extended coffee break and flagged them by, just to get some peace.  At the trailhead they were snapping selfies with their finisher medals and generally acting like they'd accomplished something.

OK, rant over.  Here are the promised links and the AI summary of FL scooter rules:

• My previous thoughts on the matter off-road (includes much discussion about needed & reasonable medical exemptions) and a short follow-up.
• DeSantis rejects e-bike bill
• A description of the bill (with TLDR summary at the top)
• South Florida's e-bike boom (blood! scars! Darwinian selection of tweenagers!)
• E-bike vs. e-moto (at SingleTracks; mostly off-road applicable)

Are you confused at all as to whether these are actual bicycles suitable for 11 year olds?  If so, consult your friendly biologist specializing in natural selection today.  Yes, it's brutal to discuss children's lives so bluntly, but that's the parents' choice, not yours or mine.

Now for the AI cut-and-paste summary of existing Florida law:

Florida distinguishes between motorized scooters (no seat/saddle, stand-up style), motor scooters/mopeds (with seat), and motorcycles based on engine size and specs.

Key Categories and Rules (as of recent statutes)

• Mopeds / Motor scooters ≤50cc (with seat/saddle, ≤2 brake horsepower, ≤30 mph on level ground):
  • License: Valid Class E driver's license (regular car license); no motorcycle endorsement needed. Minimum age typically 16.
  • Registration: Required in most cases (as a moped).
  • Helmet: Not required for riders 16+ (but required under 16). Eye protection often recommended or required.
  • Other: Cannot operate on interstates or certain high-speed roads. Must follow traffic laws. Insurance not required (but recommended).
• Motor scooters >50cc: Classified as motorcycles.
  • License: Class E license + motorcycle endorsement (or motorcycle-only license) required.
  • Registration/Title: Required.
  • Helmet: Required if under 21, or if over 21 without qualifying insurance ($10,000 medical benefits coverage). All riders need eye protection. Under-16 rules are stricter.
  • Insurance: Not strictly required by state law for mopeds/scooters but highly advised (liability coverage recommended).

General Rules

• All riders must obey traffic laws, signals, and have lights/reflectors where applicable.
• Passengers: Limited; specific rules apply (e.g., proper seating).
• Local ordinances: Cities/counties may have additional restrictions (e.g., on sidewalks, speeds, or rental scooters).
• Electric versions often fall under similar categories depending on power/speed.

Laws can be nuanced by exact vehicle specs and may change—check the official FLHSMV site or Florida Statutes (e.g., Chapters 316, 320, 322) for your specific scooter, and verify with local authorities. Always wear protective gear for safety regardless of legal minimums.

Rant off, and now I'm off to catch a mullet for supper.

Ma & Pa Osprey say "Hi!"

Osprey nest at the Hole, taken from a passing car on the river bridge.  Cool pic, not much after that.

BBC Mid-Winter Broadcast Results

Well I was going to post this yesterday.  However, I was attacked by a fiend with a torque wrench and a laser, who made off with nearly $600.  Yes, that's right, I had a dental appointment to have a crown re-attached to its implant.  And I was damed glad to get that emergency appointment too, I might add.  Mostly painless.  So... on with the post.  Blog post that is, not the dental kind.

As noted and described two days ago, Sunday just before 5:30pm EDT I drove down to Lafayette Park in Apalach and within minutes had a sort of half-assed inverted-V random wire antenna up (no, I didn't follow my own advice and string it vertically; I was rushed by the start time, and this was good enough) and plugged into my Tecsun PL-660 shortwave receiver (see inset – actual action picture).  Then... I listened.

Propagation condition numbers are on the left; click to embiggen.  Here's the short and sweet SINPO (signal, interference, noise, propagation, overall; each on a 1–5 scale):

9460 / 31m band Woofferton (UK):  nothing heard

9510 / 31m band Ascension I. (S. Atlantic): 35422 – very wavery signal, barely usable

12070 / 2m band Woofferton (again, UK):  35433 – not bad, not great, but perfectly useable; best of the bunch

Most of the half-hour transmission consisted of families sending well-wishes, interspersed with short musical clips.  It concluded with a short clip from the Bangles' version of Hazy Shade of Winter, and then ... silence and static.

As a small technical note for the non-technical, notice those frequencies.  They're about ten times higher than typical AM broadcast band frequencies – think of WWL at 870 kHz or WLCY at 1380 – and wavelengths go as the reciprocal of frequency, i.e., the waves will be about ten times shorter.  Hence, shortwave.  There you go.  So why do they travel so much farther than say regular broadcast AM or FM?  Short answer, just as different colors of light will refract differently in glass, different frequencies of radio waves will refract differently in Earth's ionosphere, high up in the atmosphere at the fringes of space.

So what was the point of all this trip, gear, and analysis?  Because it was there, and it was fun.  Oh, and pretty easy too – total prep time, maybe 10 minutes; set-up, maybe 5.  And oddly for Florida this time of year, no bugs.

Summer Solstice... Already?

Yeah, right now, 4:24 am EDT.  Guess we're in high summer now.  Well, you probably missed the exact moment, being at awful-oh-24, but you can still get in on the BBC's midwinter transmission to Antartica from 5:30 pm – 6:00 pm EDT this afternoon.  That's 21:30 – 22:00 UTC if you're confounded by EDT.  Here are the frequencies;

• 9460 kHz (Woofferton)
• 9510 kHz (Ascension – always wanted to visit that place, might get there yet)
• 12070 kHz (Woofferton)

More details can be found over at The SWLing Post, including after-action reports and recordings eventually now up over at another post at the SWLing Post.  ps: Decent reception here on the northern Gulf. I'll have something interesting up tomorrow.

Definitely not summer solstice weather in Florida

Tick Tick Tick – but no Tock

Short and sweet, How to Remove a Tick Safely and Avoid Lyme Disease at Outside magazine.

It's very short so read the whole thing.  However, just in case, here's a refresher:

• Get it off ASAP, preferably with tweezers grabbing the head.  Don't delay for a trip to the ER!
• SNAP A PICTURE of it.  Hadn't thought of this one, but it'll help if follow-up treatment is needed.
• Wash the bite with soap & water, hand sanitizer, or similar.  Whatever you've got.

There are a few more twists and turns at the article, so go read that, but those are the basics.  I'll add two more:

• Always carry suitable tick tweezers when in the outdoors.  Way better than fingers, but if that's all you've got, get the bug off ASAP with your fingers.
• Take some form of B vitamin before heading into the woods.  Pill or a B-heavy energy drink will do.  Ticks, along with many other bugs, don't seem to like the smell.

Sorry, no pictures here.  That may come as some minor relief.

Return of the (dramatic music please) Steamroller

Surly is bringing back a limited run of their Steamroller fixie bike.  Frameset only, $699.  Drops on June 23rd at 9am CDT.  Take note of that and get your order in, because there may be a (small) run on this re-introduced classic.  Personally, my running will be more of "away" than "toward," but that's OK, you do you.  I have the greatest respect for fixie riders, but it's just not my thing.  Even the fans of fixies think the whole niche is stupid.

Here are some links: at Surly, news at Bike Radar, an old review.  Not quite sure where to order one; left as an exercise for the student, you'll figure it out.

Right now though, I'm fighting a bad jones for a fat bike.  With the relative lack of trails here in FL, having something to navigate beach sand is beginning to show its appeal.  More than anything else, it's a lack of a place to keep it that's holding me back.

And Here We Go...

TS Arthur.  Not expected to greatly affect us – or anyone else, for that matter.  Still, it is the first named storm.

source: weathernerds

"Though we don't anticipate any significant turbulence, the captain requests that you leave your seatbelt buckled."

Our Counter-Cyclical Ways

Article at The Times: Local tourism defies state decline

It's not long, so no TLDR needed.

It's always been a thing here, and I have it on good authority that bucking widespread economic trends goes back at least to the Great Depression of the 1930s.

I'd Watch It

Too bad it's not for real.  Meh, I'll be on my bike.

Take Care of Your Own Neighborhood... Dogs

Florida Woman Mauled to Death by Dogs that Had Allegedly Terrorized Neighborhood, Owner Charged in Killing

First, go read the whole thing.

OK, we all know that some individual dogs are just plain mean, and some breeds are generally more inclined so than others.  The woman who owned these dogs wasn't properly fencing them, and evidently not properly training them either.  But what ticks me off is that other neighbors had previously been attacked, but refused to cooperate with law enforcement to counter this threat.  Look people, this is Florida.  Call the cops if you can, or pepper spray or shoot the damn dog if there isn't time.  The main thing is to break the immediate assault then to get the continuing threat off the street.

A couple of years ago while riding my gravel bike I was jumped by a pit bull.  For his trouble, he ended up with a face full of pepper spray.  From then on he was always fenced, and when he'd see me passing he'd lay down turn his head as if to hide, so I guess the pepper spray counted as a form of "training."  But the part that bugs me?  I later learned that the same dog had been previously terrorizing neighbors, and they'd done nothing.  What's more, this was adjacent to a school.  What if that same dog had decided to eat up one of the kids who'd stepped out the back door?  Yes, the responsibility is on the owner, but there's also a degree of responsibility for those neighbors who'd previously turned their heads.

Anyway, returning to the case in the news item above, because of the owner's negligence and a neighbor's reluctance, a woman is dead.  Don't be that neighbor, and don't shove the problem off on someone else.  Deal with the dog problem as it comes around.  A dead 50-yo is bad enough, but you really don't want a dead kid on your conscience.

ps: 10 Internet Points if you can ID the semi-famous photo in the figure.

And So It Begins

Won't turn into anything, but on the other hand it's not nothing.  Stay tuned.

Movie Review: A Scanner Darkly

I finally got around to this one last night, and kind of liked it, kind of didn't.  The funny thing is, though I like the point of Philip K. Dicks' works, I seldom enjoy his mode of storytelling.  It's a twenty year old movie at this point, so I'll let Wikipedia tell you as much of the plot as you care to read.  I will say though, it is beautifully made and acted, and all the plot loose ends are wrapped up by the finish, and of course and as usual, I agree with the societal commentary PKD was making.  The rotoscoped animation over the live action was a lot of fun to watch as well, and it really worked with many of the plot elements, especially with the "scramble suits."  It's just that a lot of the movie made my skin crawl (yeah, check that opening scene!) for no real payoff.

Three out of Five Stars, and that's knocked down one star from what would be four if I liked PKD's storytelling manner better.  You may care for his style though, so add that one star back in if that's case.  So... conditionally recommended.

Re-Read for the Nth Time: Protector by Larry Niven

After last week's slog-fest, I had to clear my mind with some actual science fiction, and Larry Niven's 1973 novel Protector is always a good choice.  You can find others' plot summaries and spoilers elsewhere, but here's why it's so good.  In a scant 217 pages it tells one hell of a story, but the first 100 pages cover:

• humanity's status on Earth in 2125
• humanity's status in the asteroid belt as well
• a glimpse into the friendly but slightly strained interplanetary politics of the era
• an alien first contact story
• everything you need to know about the aliens' motives and their unusual life-cycle
• how this all ties into one big package
• and finally, several tidbits to link the story into Niven's larger future history universe.

And that's just the first half of the book.  There are many more thrills, chills, and chase scenes in the second half, before the ride comes to a graceful halt with the gas tank nearly empty and all four tires smoking.

You see, this is how a good science fiction author does it.  None of it is forced or rushed, and Niven never, ever resorts to the tired "Well professor, tell us how it all happened" trope.  The whole book is just one big cavalcade of interesting ideas strung together with believable characters and competent prose.

Four point five out of Five Stars,  Recommended.

On This First Day of Hurricane Season

Got new flashlight batteries?  Rotated your gas?  Canned food that you won't mind eating for a few day?  Backup drinking water options covered?  Got FRS walkie-talkies (local option, cheap serviceable option)?  Got an AM/FM radio (good & local, really amazing good, total nerd-out options)?  No?  Then get the hell on the stick.

When the chips (and the internet) are down, you can get the news from WOYS 106.5 FM.  When the chips are really down, try WHBO 1040 AM (Tampa) daytime, WWL 870 AM (New Orleans) day or night, or WSB 750 AM (Atlanta) nighttime.  If the storm is so big it shuts all four of those down, sorry man, not much I can do to help.

If phone service is down, FRS is your easy, license-free option for talking around the neighborhood.  (You did set aside an extra one for the widow lady next door, right?  Good.)  Don't believe the range numbers on the box, marketing departments lie.  Around here, figure on a half-mile on channels 1–7 and 15–22, or a quarter-mile on channels 8–14.  Why?  Because those blocks channels are limited to 2 and 1/2 watts respectively.  If that's not enough info, go over to wikipedia and read up..

Also, if the power goes out, use battery camping lanterns rather than candles or oil lamps.  Last thing you want is to start a house fire when everything else is going wrong.

Hope for a Comparatively Mild Hurricane Season

No guarantees, ever, but overall conditions seem unfavorable for Atlantic basin hurricanes this year.

We shall see.  Hurricane season starts tomorrow.

Mountain Bikers & Insurance

Mostly this is a problem for the pros, but it can be for the rest of us as well.  Article at Singletracks.

Also note, there's a world of difference between the people doing exhibition downhill stuff like the Red Bull Rampage and people like me doing what is best described as hiking on wheels.  However, I don't think that any insurance company can discern between these activities; I know that some of my family certainly can't.

As a side note, I see that BCBS has dumped their Live Fearless advertising campaign of a decade ago.

Book Mention: Recursion by Blake Crouch

Going from a recommendation by Andy Weir to a fan who's read Project Hail Mary 58 times (!, and yeah, that is kind of strange), I picked up a copy of Recursion, and expected science fiction.  However, the core technology of the story – a memory enhancing device that turns out to induce time travel – I just didn't buy into.  I mean, how could a single person's subjective experience warp objective reality for the rest of us?  "Oh, but you see, it's technology-enhanced, so it's more intense."  Well, some psychotic patients have pretty intense visions too, but they don't get to re-define reality on a whim either.  No, I'm not having any of the premise here.  Calling this book science fiction makes zero sense.  It's more of "a science-flavored substance" fiction, to recycle a phrase from hack TV comedy writing.

As a side note, this book might have worked if Crouch had skipped the sci-fi angle altogether and just used a woo-woo meditation method one of the characters discovers, say, deep in the Himalayas or on late-night paranormal talk radio.  Yeah, that would have been much better than bothering with force-wedging matters into sci-fi.

So, why did I bother finishing?  First off, a recommendation from Andy Weir is hard to ignore.  Secondly, and this may have a lot to do with Weir's high regards for this book, the page-to-page writing really is top-notch.  Definitely a pleasurable read, in its own "look at my skilled wordsmithing" way.  However and returning to my previous themes, this is ultimately a hollow shell of a book.

Two out of Five Stars, but only for the writing that kept the story rolling and the skill required for keeping timelines sorted out.  Not recommended.  In fact, this one exposure is enough to put me off of Blake Crouch's books altogether.

ps: If you want a real sci-fi story about time travel that results in tragedy, timeline patches, and various resulting nosebleeds, just go watch the classic movie Primer.  It has a much better treatment of time travel, explores the same themes, and won't waste your time on beautiful, empty prose.  In fact, thinking back on it, Crouch just might have borrowed the whole time-shock-nosebleed thing from Primer.  That one is a little, well, too on the nose to be otherwise.

More on E-Bikes

Article at CNN: What ER doctors, prosecutors, and parents want you to know about e-bikes

As is usual with these sorts of mainstream articles, it's kind of fear-up-y.  Even so, worth the read.

About all the content I can add is that brain damage to an unprotected skull starts a little below 15 mph, and your brain doesn't care if that's your 15 mph, the car's 15 mph, or 15 mph from your 7 foot fall.  A helmet more or less doubles your head's crashworthiness, but don't count on too much even there because things like neckbones can start breaking too.  (And then it's hello motorized wheelchair for your new e-mobility.)  See previous discussion of bike helmets.

E-bikes have their place off-road, as I've discussed previously (tldr: for a few medical reasons, or for very specific race training purposes).  What's more, they have a place on-road as cargo bikes (example 1, example 2).  Commuting?  Nah, can't really see the need.  If you can't do the distance, you likely don't have the skill set to navigate the traffic.  Get a bike and build both endurance and skill, together, and then start bike commuting.

Look man, these things are motorcycles.  What kind of moron turns a tweenager loose to ride a motorcycle in traffic?

Good Night, and Good Luck

CBS News Radio signs off, forever, in about a half-hour.  End of an era.  Two stories & Wiki link:

• At (where else?) CBS
• At NPR
• Wikipedia

Hrm.  This feels so... wrong.  Almost like watching a Roman road get dug up to be re-used as fill dirt for a strip mall.

ps: The final few minutes recording with a corresponding stills slideshow over at youtube.

In My Former Professional Life

However, not by choice, and certainly not for fun.  These awkward units are always an easy route to unforced errors.

<permalink to xkcd>  click through for mouse-over bonus punchline

That New Chain Feel, Part 2

Last week, the gravel bike; this week the mountain bike.  Surprisingly, the cassette's still running strong now on a fourth chain.  Usually they only last for three, and that third one can be dodgy.  What's more, the latest third chain lasted for eight hundred miles.  I tell you, I had my doubts about 12-speed drivetrains initially, but wow they are tough.  For comparison, back in the day an 8-speed chain would last right at three hundred miles, and a cassette nine hundred.

BTW & note to future self, the previous chain was a SRAM GX and the new chain is the slightly less expensive NX.  It'll be interesting to see if it holds up as well.

Onward.  I've got miles to ride this morning.

Hurricane Season Kick-Off Recap

And today's event (mentioned previously) went pretty well.  Perfect weather, blue skies, and an enthusiastic crew putting it on all made it come together.  At the radio tent, we had HF & VHF/UHF radios, field-worthy antennas, and solar power.  Here are some pics:

Yaesu FT-450D HF & FT-7250D VHF/UHF radios, along with solar controller and a few other do-dads

leftmost: VHF/UHF vertical; two other poles: HF W3EDP antenna

60 watt solar panel; easy up, easy down

As usual, there was a good bit more interest in the solar than in the radios.  That's OK, emergency preparedness info got passed along in all ways at hand.

Hurricane Season Kick-Off

Details on poster below.  For more info, check at the Franklin County Emergency Management site.

Hey!  That's it's Saturday!  If you're going, don't forget!

Ah, That New Chain Feel

When the gravel bike's transmission starts treating shifter input as a suggestion for eventual action rather than as an immediate command, that's an indicator that it's time for a new chain.  A quick check with a chain stretch gauge confirmed it – not in the red zone yet, but edging onto it – and the change went smoothly.  No need to swap the cassette or chainrings yet, not if you change out a chain in time.  Usually get about three chains to the rest of the drivetrain components, before those need swaps too.  One down, two to go.  And yes, I do keep a log book of these things, because keeping track of multiple bikes would be impossible  otherwise.

The ride today was noticeably more snappy.  Funny how these little wear items creep up on you.

It's Getting Better

My last couple of months:

As spring winds down and (finally!) a few rains have come, it's getting better.  I've been living on zirtec, claritin, and flonase (spelllings... who cares; made up words anyway), but that's winding down too.

Last Friday's Historical Cemetery Tour

Lightly attended, but it was a good test-run for future events.  In a repeat of a tour two years ago, I stood at my great-grandfather's grave and told his story.  Here's a pic a friend snapped of me after it was over, while I was walking home in a very light rain.  As usual, embiggen for full effect.

And yes, I edited out the glaring red gas station sign as well as the two safety yellow crosswalk signs.  Unneeded distractions.

Blogging's been light of late, but not a lot worth mentioning going on.  Re-reading the X-15 engineering test flights portion of Always Another Dawn, and enjoying the fine cool spring weather.

Crossed My Desk this Morning

Yeah, movies have been kind of crappy for the better part of the past decade.  Here's hoping for a brighter future.  However, I suspect we'll just get some meaningless AI-generated slop with dancing rock piles, and the Hollywood execs will remain as baffled as ever.