Categories: all aviation Building a Biplane bicycle gadgets misc motorcycle theater
Sun, 28 Sep 2008
Wow! SketchFest was freaky. Good. And busy. And crazy.
But while I was there, I took some pictures, in particular this one:
That's our lovely Josh Knisely, SketchFest PR/video/web man extraordinnaire, and Cory Nealy, of The Cory and Doug Show. It was a great picture, and I wanted to get it up where people could see it.
The other picture I took that I really liked on the tiny screen of my camera was this one, of Angel Yau, who brought her solo show to the fest:
Then there was this picture of Ivy Lindsey and Brett Butler from Slow Children Crossing ("Possibly the most beautiful sketch comedy group this year," I opined around 1:30 this morning):
How about this lovely shot of Josh, Cory, and Val Bush, who's the Managing Director of SketchFest?
If you'd like to sort through the eleventy quadzillion pictures I took during SketchFest, please peruse Ye Olde Gallerie. As I find time, I'll be sorting through and pulling out some good ones to put up on my Flickr account. You know, like I've put up all those Alaska pictures I promised. Right.
Posted at 21:23 permanent link category: /theater
Tue, 23 Sep 2008
Oh yeah, cables wear out, don't they...
I've been having shifting weirdness on the commuter bike for the last couple of weeks, and today I finally had time to deal with it. I'd lubricated the cable a few days ago, which seemed to help, but didn't totally solve the problem.
When I lubed the cable, I noticed that right where it entered the shifter, I could see a couple of loose strands. It looked like time to replace the cable, so I picked up a new one (along with replacements for the other three cables) a few days ago.
Once I finally figured out how to replace the cable (it being distinctly non-obvious), I gave it a tug. It kind of came out, but didn't really want to slide out like it should, so I pulled a little harder. Ah-hah! It moved a bit, and i discovered that I was holding something that looked more like a wire brush than a control cable. I ended up having to cut the head off the cable: it just wouldn't slide through due to the frayed end.
So, yeah. Looks like 3400 miles is way too long to leave a shifter cable. Note to self: replace that cable again around 5500 miles...
Posted at 13:56 permanent link category: /bicycle
Ok, maybe it's still a bit early for a wrap-up, but you get the idea.
I successfully trailered my load down to the International District today, chugging slowly up the hill on the sidewalks of 5th Avenue. It took a lot longer than the trip normally takes, because even going downhill, I was so paranoid about going too fast.
When the speed gets up, it's all fine, until the bike hits a bump. Then, things move uncomfortably, and I find myself wondering what's going to bend or break. Still, there's no evidence of actual bending going on, so I may be getting too close to paranoia.
The bike's brakes are clearly up to the task, but I'd still be happier if the trailer had brakes. Unfortunately, that's something which is going to take a fair amount of engineering, so it won't be happening for several months yet. The biggest potential issue is that as long as the trailer is brakeless, the possibility of jack-knifing it in a quick stop is there. It would truly suck to avoid slamming the bike into the car that just pulled out, only to be catapulted off the seat and into the side of the car. Perhaps you can see why I've been taking it slow.
The load I was carrying, about 90 lbs, is towards the upper limit of what I ultimately want to carry, I think. I'm sure the system is physically capable of carrying about double that, but it would just be too great a percentage of the overall vehicle's weight. I think the trailer will be much more comfortable in the 30-50 pound range. I'll probably call 120 the hard upper limit, which makes it 150 lbs total, or about 1/2 the weight of myself plus the Xtracycle.
Overall, I'm very pleased with the trailer. It's working exactly as I expected it would, although certain practical matters (such as the 15 mph speed limit) didn't really sink in until I started it trundling down the road. Score one for self-sufficiency on a bicycle.
Posted at 00:08 permanent link category: /bicycle
Mon, 22 Sep 2008
I made it as far as work with the trailer, without any problems to speak of. I tried to keep the speed under 15 MPH, and was mostly successful (the computer recorded a max of 19.8 MPH, so I broke my self-imposed speed limit at some point).
The tongue is clearly too heavily loaded, but that's just a matter of shifting things around a little bit. The biggest indication was a wallowing feeling when going over bumps, which I think came from the tongue pressing too heavily on the rear of the Xtracycle frame.
The only other indication of trouble was going down the hill on Fremont Ave: I had to ride the brakes the whole way down to keep from going too fast, and the front brake was making an intermittent noise like I might have warped the disc. Certainly a distinct possibility, although it didn't seem to continue after the bottom of the hill, so perhaps it didn't set in a warp.
I took the promised posterity/insurance pictures (click for the gallery):
Posted at 10:22 permanent link category: /bicycle
Sun, 21 Sep 2008
In preparation for SketchFest this year, I've gathered together all the stuff I think I'll need: MD decks, microphones, video camera, tripod, etc. I put it all in a neat stack in the front room, and appraised what I had.
"That's a lot of stuff," I thought to myself. By special request, I'm bringing a fogger as well. Wondering if I could actually take all this stuff on my fancy new bike trailer, I decided a weighing must be in order. I grabbed the scale from the bathroom, and recorded some numbers:
| MiniDisc decks | 36 lbs |
| Tripod and videotapes | 9.5 lbs |
| Big box full o' stuff | 31 lbs |
| Fogger | 15.5 lbs |
| Total weight: | 92 lbs |
|---|
Yow. And of course, that doesn't count the tie-downs or the tarp which is feverishly suggested by the rain pounding outside the window even now.
I also, just out of curiosity, weighed the trailer itself: 31.5 lbs, including the side stakes and all the hitch hardware. I think I'd better take this trip slowly. Uphill, that won't be an issue (I'll be going plenty slow, with an extra 130 lbs holding me back), but the trick will be to keep slow in mind heading down the big hill into Fremont. If I have to stop that freight train, it ain't gonna be quick.
I'll definitely take some pictures of the load for posterity, and possibly for insurance reasons.
Posted at 23:03 permanent link category: /bicycle
Fri, 19 Sep 2008
This year for Halloween, I'll be attenting a party with the theme, "Gods and Monsters." No strict interpretation, just take those words and run.
So, this set me thinking along the lines of, "Who can I dress up as who is reasonably human (ie, no extrvagant make-up or costume required), monstrous, and somewhat identifiable?" I thought about it for a while, and after dismissing a lot of choices, settled on Jack the Ripper.
Now, Jack the Ripper was not a nice fellow (if it was one fellow). This is the theoretical person responsible for a set of the most grisly murders in London, from the late 1880s to the early 1890s. He killed a bunch of prostitutes in a very bloody way, complete with missing organs and all. I won't go into details, you can look them up if you're interested.
In preparation for my role, I've started growing out different facial hair than normal: a Van Dyke beard and much longer sideburns than normal. This makes what I think is a pretty striking difference from how I normally look (with a little, close-cropped goatee). It's not too far along, but already I feel like I look very different.
I've only looked noticeably different for about a week, but in that time, I've seen innumerable people who I normally see. Some of these people, I would have expected, would notice and comment on the difference in my appearance. I'm sure this is partly a vanity thing, but that's not where I'm going with this. I have, thus far, had two people actually comment.
During this time, I've also explained my costume choice to a number of people (maybe 5-7). Their reaction, almost universally, has been, "Cool!" or "Hey, neat!" Until today, that is.
I told Laura, one of the servers at Blue C Sushi, who I've known for the entire 3 years she's worked there, about it, and she immediately got this repulsed look on her face. "Finally!" I said, "you're the first person to react like that!"
I had noticed (being aware of the really terrible things Jack did) with some small amount of wonder that people seemed so positive about it as a costume choice. I was waiting for someone to stop and say, "Wait, wasn't he a horrible rapist and killer?" And really, I was amazed it took so long.
In part, I wonder if this doesn't delve much deeper, to the roots of Halloween -- embracing the horror of the world, to effectively "cheapen" it so it's not so terrifying any more. Either that, or the horror of Jack the Ripper has passed into a kind of past-age reverence which equally elevates Sherlock Holmes or Tiny Tim, despite their negative aspects (Sherlock Holmes was an anti-social know-it-all who took cocaine and morphine any time the doldrums between cases hit; Tiny Tim was disfigured in a way practically unknown in first-world countries today).
Whatever pop psychology I may apply to it, it's very interesting to observe the reactions of people to my choice.
Posted at 13:25 permanent link category: /misc
Thu, 18 Sep 2008
Finally, the tomatoes are starting to look interesting:
My tiny, tiny garden is finally being productive!
Posted at 11:46 permanent link category: /misc
Sat, 13 Sep 2008
I spent the afternoon getting the side-stakes set up, and getting the anti-skid stuff attached. It's done. Now I just need a load and a destination!
Posted at 21:03 permanent link category: /bicycle
I screwed the plywood deck down to the frame today:
Click on the picture for a little gallery of finished-trailer pictures.
Of course, it may never be done, but here's the list of things I'm pretty sure I have yet to do:
- Cut side-posts and lace up with rope or netting or something
- Rework the tail-light mount so the trailer can stand on its tail without smashing the light
- Staple on anti-skid matting to keep loads from sliding
I've also got a better trailer-side hitch design in mind, but I'm not going to worry about that for a little bit yet. It'll be easy enough to build when I get around to it.
So, for the moment, the trailer's done! Unfortunately, that leaves me without a pressing project for the day, and thus, I sit here wondering what I'm going to do with myself... sigh.
Posted at 15:42 permanent link category: /bicycle
Fri, 12 Sep 2008
I was invited out to a production of In The Sawtooths last night, a play about a trio of friends from Boise. It was a good show, but apparently no one has discovered this yet: the audience was sparse.
You can find details on their page. I recommend it. Go enjoy local theater. Runs until the 20th of September, so you don't have long.
Posted at 16:53 permanent link category: /theater
Thu, 11 Sep 2008
Out of curiosity, I found myself checking out how much power a bicyclist exerts in different conditions. I then ran across this page, which includes the source code for a program to determine power (among many other things) given a set of conditions.
After playing around with it (and assuming the program's accurate), it looks like for normal riding, I cruise in the 150-200 watt range, going up to 300W for fast cruising. Sprinting (such as keeping up with traffic between lights when there's no bike lane), I get as high as 500W. Neat! One horsepower is 745W, so when I'm sprinting like that, I'm actually working at a fairly significant fraction of a horsepower. I had no idea humans could put out that much power.
Posted at 11:42 permanent link category: /bicycle
Hey look, a picture of a mess!
I found myself awake early today, so I headed over to the hardware store and picked up some approximately OD green spraypaint. I came back and sprayed down the trailer frame (using essentially the entire can -- damn overspray!):
I should have taken the picture before I brought all the stuff back in to clutter up the background. In any case, it's getting closer, and I found a good source for a 2x4' piece of plywood: Olson lumber will sell me a 3/8" sheet of AC plywood for $6 and change. Sold!
After I pick that up, all I have to do is paint it and get it fastened down. The trailer should be complete in the next week or so (it's hard to say for sure, since I'm suddenly involved with not one but two theatrical productions, so free time is at a premium).
Posted at 08:42 permanent link category: /bicycle
Tue, 09 Sep 2008
I just pulled my second ripe tomato off the vine. This time, it was a "Health Kick" tomato. Don't ask me what that's supposed to mean.
The flavor was pretty good, relatively strong (compared to store-bought on-the-vine tomatoes), and in the middle between sweet and tart. The texture was slightly more mealy than one of the on-the-vines, but not objectionably so. It was much less wet: if an on-the-vine tomato from the store is wet, this was merely damp. Not dry, but it also didn't leave the cuttingboard looking like I'd dumped a cup of water on it.
It wasn't a dramatic improvement over the store-bought tomatoes I've had recently, but it wasn't bad. And, hey, I grew it!
Posted at 22:43 permanent link category: /misc
I headed up to Jesse's house last night to put the finishing touches on the trailer. We attached a short tubing stub to the back for mounting a blinkenlight, and I drilled the mounting holes for the trailer-side hitch. That was actually pretty interesting, since I just set up the drill press on the ground, and rolled the tongue onto the table.
I took a bunch of pictures, from different angles (click for the gallery):
And after standing around admiring my new creation, it was time to put the rubber on the road, and see what happened.
Not bad, all told. I had to stop several times to check bolts and tighten the 8mm bolt I was temporarily using as a hitch pin, but other than that, there were no technical problems. I was able to hit my normal speeds, although there was clearly more weight involved in the situation. Stopping didn't prove to be a big deal, but it probably won't be until the first time I try to load a couple hundred pounds back there.
I didn't have my wave washers with me, so the wheels shuttled side-to-side a little (the stub axles are cut a little bit long to allow the wave washers). That was the only noise as I rolled along -- once I get the wave washers on there, I think the trailer will be about as quiet as the bike.
I measured across the axles and across my handlebars, and decided that if I allowed 3" on each end of my handlebars, that was a fairly accurate gauge of how wide the trailer is. The bollards that protect the bike trails I was on (through Shoreline) were plenty wide enough, although I'm a little concerned about the bollards on the Burke-Gilman trail in Fremont. That could be a little bit tricky, and will warrant a careful passage the first time.
Now I just have to figure out my deck material and get it attached, and it'll be functionally complete. I've already got the frame primed, and I think if I can locate some OD green spraypaint, it's going to be army-colored. The Swiss cargo trailer on the Cargo Bike Ride was very inspiring.
Hooray new trailer!
Posted at 07:09 permanent link category: /bicycle
Sun, 07 Sep 2008
Jesse and I got together today, and put the final touches on the trailer. It now sports all of its structural members (ie, the final diagonal on the tongue), as well as a full assortment of wall supports and tie-down hoops. We got the axle holes drilled (which was very difficult to do free-hand, but there wasn't a better way available) and the wheels installed.
I even (very carefully) sat down on the crossbar just aft of the axles. I eased my whole weight onto the trailer, and it held just fine. Jesse said it didn't really deflect, either. That's a fantastic sign, since that means that the trailer is almost certainly capable of supporting 200 lbs (I'm 230 in street clothes). I was mostly on the one crossbar, and normal loads will be spread across many points via the plywood decking.
Unfortunately, I didn't have a camera with me, so I didn't get any pictures, but I'll take some pictures once I get the trailer home. I also didn't have my trailer-side hitch done, so I couldn't bring it back.
That, however, is what I spent my evening doing. I just got back inside from some quality time with the mill, where I came up with the trailer-side hitch fixture:
It will be mounted with the right side, the "fork," forward. That fork goes around the circular ball joint in the bike-side hitch, and a pin drops through the holes, keeping it all together. I hope I can find a pin that fits, since the fittings are metric. If not, I guess I can just make one. For a sense of scale, the whole thing is 1/2 inch wide and about 3 and 1/4 inch long.
I'm really enjoying the ability to make my own thingies out of metal. This whole metalworking thing was definitely a good idea. I certainly wouldn't have embarked upon this project if I hadn't gotten the lathe, and I wouldn't be able to finish it if I didn't have the mill (this hitch was made entirely on the mill).
Posted at 22:54 permanent link category: /bicycle
Sat, 06 Sep 2008
Johnny was a chemist,
But Johnny is no more;
What Johnny thought was H2O
Was H2SO4
Posted at 17:18 permanent link category: /misc
I brought my trailer-making materials up to Jesse's house last night, and we got started on the project. I figured we'd get as far as getting the pieces cut, and maybe tacking a few welds -- after all, we didn't start until 9 pm.
However, the process just flew! By the time the last tungsten welding tip had been contaminated (the limiting factor for the night), the clock read past midnight, and the trailer frame was almost completed. Voila:
I decided to add the diagonals to the tongue yesterday, for added strength and stiffness. As you can see, there's only one diagonal left to attach. Not bad for 3 hours of work!
Of course, there's still a bunch of stuff to do. We still have tie-down hoops, side-wall supports and axle reinforcements to attach, as well as axle holes to drill, and primer to apply. I have to design and build the trailer-side hitch -- I'm going to make it in such a way that it will be trivial to switch to a new hitch that incorporates surge brakes. That's a separate (but really interesting) design challenge, which I'll work on once the trailer's all functional.
It looks like (if I can do the trailer-side hitch in time, which is pretty questionable) the trailer could be rolling by tomorrow night. That would be fantastic, although I'm not going to be disappointed if it isn't true.
Posted at 10:15 permanent link category: /bicycle
Fri, 05 Sep 2008
I don't have the trailer built yet, but I needed to figure out a hitching system that would work without weakening the Xtracycle frame, or getting in the way of storing the bike on its tail (which I do to save space, with the front wheel in a hook on the wall).
Inspired by Val at the Cargo Bike Ride (which I now recall I haven't mentioned, but I took pictures, and they're here), I decided the best way was to slide a bar inside the rear cross piece of the Xtracycle frame. He suggested just putting the hitch on one side of the bar, saying that asymmetrical stress wouldn't cause a problem. However, my brain recoils from loading anything asymmetrically if there's any other way. So, I came up with this:
The round bar slides inside the cross piece, and the square bar bolts into that. It's not quite done yet, as I need to cut some relief into the back of the square bar so it either matches the curve of the cross piece, or at least bears on its upper and lower edges rather than on the center -- it's currently a flat face against the cross piece, and isn't very stable up-and-down.
But in the next week or so (hopefully before SketchFest eats my life, to be followed closely by Necronomicon at Open Circle), I'm hoping to get the trailer largely done. I have the major pieces I need, except for some plywood for the deck, and that'll be a piece of cake to pick up... once I have a cargo trailer, that is.
(For the complete gallery of trailer hitch pics, go here.)
Posted at 16:06 permanent link category: /bicycle
I thought some of my half-dozen readers might enjoy seeing the post-crash pictures of the leather riding suit I was wearing. This, my friends (to quote a certain geriatric contender-for-office) is exactly why you wear your riding gear each and every time you go out:
Note that if I weren't wearing this suit, I would now be sitting in a hospital awaiting skin grafts over 30-40% of my body. Riding gear good!
Posted at 10:11 permanent link category: /motorcycle
Thu, 04 Sep 2008
For the last day or two, I've been waking up to the sonorous strains of high-powered wheed-whackers, starting up at the stroke of 8. This morning, it finally occurred to me that they were coming from behind my house, and that the thing behind my house was the drainage ditch, but more importantly, blackberries.
The blackberry bushes between my house and the next one east have been present for the entire time I've owned the house, and have gotten absolutely deadly in the last few years: this year, one got so aggressive that it put a huge, thick tendril 10 feet up in the air, and into the pear tree in my back yard. I cut back the odd tentacle snaking out over, through or under the fence, but I had no clue how to deal with the mass.
I had considered calling the city; I'd thought about hiring goats; I'd pondered Rambo-esque scenarios with me wielding a flamethrower. Somehow, it was never a high enough priority to actually pursue any course of action.
Imagine my delight when I peeked out the window this morning to see sun streaming through my fence, rather than blackberry vines! I hailed one of the guys wielding a weed-whacker, and asked him if he was from the City. Yes, replied he, and went on to explain that the job had been "lost in the shuffle." I was so elated it didn't even occur to me to think that the "shuffle" had lasted over 8 years now. I confirmed who I'd call if it became an issue again (the City's main call-center, who would route the work order to them in the Drainage department). I thanked him profusely and came back inside for my camera:
Posted at 08:46 permanent link category: /misc
Categories: all aviation Building a Biplane bicycle gadgets misc motorcycle theater