fridrix del sud

EZ veggies

2011-05-29T03:10:00.000-07:00

A good rule of thumb is, if it tastes like s***, it's easy to grow: http://www.mnn.com/your-home/organic-farming-gardening/stories/easy-vegetables-to-grow?hpt=Sbin

Old school bike lamp

2011-05-11T00:26:00.000-07:00

Before LEDs, heck before Xenon bulbs: http://www.jpeterman.com/Vintage-Collectibles/Bicycle-Lamp

Wood speed record attempt

2011-04-29T10:15:00.000-07:00

From Wired UK: http://www.wired.com/http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifautopia/2011/04/bike-built-of-wood-could-set-speed-record/

Save Our Cyclists (The Independent)

2011-04-20T07:27:00.000-07:00

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/save-our-cyclishttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifts-clamour-for-flood-of-avoidable-road-deaths-to-be-stemmed-2268135.html

Critical piece on U.K. cycling safety. I'd like to be able to look over all the 30 pages of comments so far.

Aquaponics and the Evolution of Fresh | The Aquaponic Source

2011-04-16T19:46:00.000-07:00

Aquaponics and the Evolution of Fresh | The Aquaponic Source

Would you wear wood?

2011-04-10T09:07:00.000-07:00

Wood/would/watch/crotch there's possibilities for wordplay or tongue twister here.

WeWOOD

RR EV

2011-04-04T11:10:00.000-07:00

Electric Rolls-Royce via Wired magazine: http://www.wired.com/autopia/2011/04/rolls-royce-102-ex-phantom-electric

Training wheels

2011-03-13T18:11:00.000-07:00

Incredible photo of bicycles as wartime training tool. From Life magazine's excellent gallery of RAF pics: http://www.life.com/image/first/in-gallery/36332/world-war-ii-in-praise-of-the-raf#index/11

Awesome microhouses

2011-02-25T07:09:00.000-08:00

From NYT: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/24/garden/24tiny.html.

Waimoku III

2011-02-02T00:20:00.000-08:00

Barbicambarus simmonsi: New giant crayfish species discovered, and it's really big

2011-01-20T17:33:00.000-08:00

Barbicambarus simmonsi: New giant crayfish species discovered, and it's really big

I think this is really my crayfish that ran away during a rainstorm a couple years ago.

AeroGarden 3 update

2011-01-20T04:05:00.001-08:00

They're crap; don't buy one. Long story short: the air pumps wear out and can't be replaced, short of hijacking some aquarium equipment.

California's dim bulbs

2011-01-20T03:57:00.000-08:00

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704259704576033890595565026.html

I've always thought banning incandescent bulbs was a stupid policy.

Hornets buzz with solar power

2010-12-10T05:29:00.000-08:00

This is huge: http://news.discovery.com/tech/hornet-has-natural-solar-cells-in-its-body.html.

Another "commuter biking more popular" story

2010-12-02T04:14:00.000-08:00

http://www.mnn.com/eco-biz/sustainable-business-practices/blogs/biking-to-work-is-becoming-popular?hpt=Sbin

Electric-bike hackers

2010-11-12T07:13:00.000-08:00

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/11/12/electric.bike.hackers/index.html

2010-09-20T05:47:00.001-07:00

Finally a pedal-powered phone

2010-06-03T06:46:00.000-07:00

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/06/nokia-announces-bike-powered-phone-charger/ - From Wired

Turning gardening upside down

2010-05-20T15:14:00.000-07:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/20/garden/20tomato.html

It seems like the AeroGarden plugs would be a handy way to get these started, just stick em in a hole at the bottom.

Mushrooms a growth industry

2010-04-16T07:49:00.000-07:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/15/garden/15mushrooms.html?src=me&ref=general

Carnivorous Plants Could Yield Life-Saving Drugs : Discovery News

2010-02-28T09:17:00.001-08:00

Carnivorous Plants Could Yield Life-Saving Drugs : Discovery News

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Spring is in the ground

2010-02-10T03:54:00.000-08:00

I was surprised that all my discarded coriander seeds are now sprouting outdoors. Also my venus flytrap is putting forth a bud.

Moofin' it

2009-12-13T06:53:00.000-08:00

In the Sundance Catalog, a nouveau-retro Euro city bike: http://www.sundancecatalog.com/PRODUCT/For+the+Home/Living/49934.html Features solar-powered LEDs. Also details like chainguard and fenders. Single speed, coaster brake.

Christmas tree--huggers

2009-12-12T12:36:00.000-08:00

Renting a tree, sounds like a great idea: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2009/11/for-eco-friendly-christmas-rent-a-live-potted-tree/1

Electric motorcycles: a cautionary tale

2009-12-01T04:42:00.000-08:00

From Wired: http://www.wired.com/autopia/2009/11/the-short-strange-trip-of-nathan-abbott-a-cautionary-tale/

Giving thanks . . .

2009-11-30T05:10:00.001-08:00

Lots to be thankful for on the urban permaculture front. A couple of those bean sprouts have actually emerged from the soil! Also, I was able to sprout some purple basil in an AG3 using a tea bag as a medium. Curious to see what the longterm results will be.

Oh the big news, I finally bought some test leads and merged Aerogarden with aquarium. It seems to be holding steady after a week. The main question is, why?

On the not-so-thankful front, the crayfish seems to be eating the basil roots. Which is ironic, considering that herb might join him in a sauté pan one day.

Updates

2009-11-23T06:15:00.001-08:00

Jeremiah (my crayfish) moulted again. He looks a lot more intimidating now.

I am moving closer to merging the aquarium and the Aerogarden. In fact I have two AG's parked next to it. All I need is some more tubing or alligator clips. The fact that the aquarium's own pump stopped working adds urgency to the project.

Outside, my onion is going nuts. It's still in the 50s 'F here so I haven't had to move the plants in yet. But when I do I might do a Florida room type thing with all the Aerogardens together. I need to restock them all.

AeroGarden Minis on sale

2009-11-14T02:25:00.002-08:00

First-generation AeroGarden 3's on sale at the online outlet. A steal, and should be useful to just about anyone who likes plants, cooking, or light.

Zucchini sprouted

2009-11-13T14:23:00.000-08:00

Getting it to do anything this late in the year will be a challenge.

Repatriated lizard

2009-11-12T17:29:00.000-08:00

I repatriated him outside . . . where the bugs are. Hi Dasha lol.

Mudbug moulting

2009-11-12T08:18:00.000-08:00

He's come out of his shell and become more reclusive at the same time.

I got the cilantro to sprout!

2009-11-11T11:02:00.000-08:00

Cilantro is notoriously hard. The only other time I've got it to go was actually via aquaponics! This time I put all my remaining seeds in an AeroGarden3 and cleaned everything with ozonated water via the Tersano Lotus. After a week some mold started to appear anyway. I cleaned it up with some more Tersano juice and a couple of days later . . . voilà! Since I started with so many seeds (about 18) I might have enough to get two AG3's going . . . supplying me with tasty cilantro for my Mexican and Oriental dishes throughout the winter.

I got a crayfish in my tank

2009-11-08T11:08:00.000-08:00

I noticed they had crayfish at the pet store so I picked one up for 99 cents + tax. Since I am worried about them eating the snails I got the meekest, mildest one. In fact this guy looked like he was about to get beaten up if he stayed there another night. There were some really aggressive looking fellows in there, reaching up and trying to catch the fish swimming by. This one has super tiny claws and was trying to hide in a corner. I unsuccessfully tried to scan him on my scanner; he must have thought he was being abducted by aliens.

I get lizards on my bike

2009-11-08T11:04:00.000-08:00

I have caught this guy coming inside to sleep on my bikes twice. Apparently the tubes remind him of branches.

I get spiders on my Jeep

2009-11-08T10:57:00.000-08:00

As I have been spending more time outside I have been paying more attention to the spiders I see. I appreciate, even admire them now. I see a metaphor in their patient, elegant work for the things I have to do to succeed. This spiderweb has stayed on my Jeep for more than a week, even though I have been driving around.

LA: Can't we just get along?

2009-11-04T07:32:00.000-08:00

From LA Times: http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-biking2-2009nov02,0,2055848.story

I'm not a vehicularist. I believe in as much separation as possible. But there are times to be assertive. It's hard to explain.

Quarry

2009-11-02T04:06:00.000-08:00

I've been curious to see what my venus flytrap caught after I left it outside for a while. After a couple weeks it's opened up and I can see it was mostly mosquitos.

Tersano Professional

2009-11-02T03:29:00.000-08:00

I was checking out Tersano's Professional website. Looks like they also have a version for making buckets of the stuff. Seems like a no-brainer for people who do a lot of cleaning. I wonder if you can use it in pools.

Plenty of peppers

2009-11-01T17:52:00.001-08:00

I have four or five peppers on the sole survivor of the half-dozen plants I got off Fleabay last year. They included a "mystery" plant in my order so I'm not totally sure this is a poblano. And the onions have sprouted up again after the heat of the summer has passed.

Cheating

2009-10-31T13:55:00.000-07:00

Will bean sprouts do anything in an AeroGarden? We're about to find out. I'm starting with lentils. They are still alive after one day.

At a snail's place

2009-10-31T13:49:00.001-07:00

I went down for a walk by the river as I am wont to do as I pass by the place when returning to town. I noticed dozens of snails just above the waterline on the rocks so I scooped some up for my aquarium, which only has plants in it now. I took them home in an abandoned bait container which also had an earthworm in it which I put in one of my pots outside. Hey, free worm and snails. Everybody seemed to survive the trip home and they are active and moving about. I'm really thrilled to be the custodian of these beautiful creatures now.

Next I'm going to check at bait shops to see if they have any live crayfish.

Holy crap, Tersano's gone MLM on us

2009-10-28T07:50:00.000-07:00

Tersano is starting a multilevel marketing program: MyTersano.com. I'm seriously interested, as I am a fan. But I'm no Billy Mayes.

EV-maker Fisker buying GM plant

2009-10-27T08:10:00.001-07:00

From CNET: Fisker buying a GM plant in Delaware.

Is this ironic? That GM threw away its pole position in EVs (think "Who Killed the Electric Car?") and instead focused on ridiculous SUVs, such as the Hummer brand they just sold to the Chinese? (That wasn't meant to rhyme.)

Unfortunately, the project is doomed to failure, because the car is ugly. Why did they turn to Buick for design inspiration? EV-buyers want something high-design looking, like a Prius or Honda Element. Am I right? Also, why call the family model a Nina? That is too girly for something that is designed to shelter and protect.

Atlanta aquaponics

2009-10-27T07:22:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Treehugger I see there is an aquaponics supplier in Hotlanta: Sustainable Design Group.

Their system uses fish, but I think crayfish would be better, as they are scavengers. They are also eminently cookable and possibly more profitable?

Before I dived in I'd need to learn more about the microbial and food-safety implications of all of this. It could be much safer, though, than dragging dead seafood hundreds of miles from the sea, per SOP in most restaurants.

I do not like the recycled white barrels they used in one of their installations. I'd rather see more agrarian-looking vessels. Of course this stuff gets expensive very quickly. This is a potential new market for potters . . .

I am excited to see some work in the aquaponics arena. It seems like such an obvious idea. And so sustainable, even the algae has the potential for being harvested for biodiesel.

SEO triumph

2009-10-27T06:51:00.000-07:00

If you google "Aerogarden" and "aquaponics," this blog is the #2 result! And Red Icculus is #3!

Of course, to do that you have to know what aquaponics is, and be wondering if you can do it with an AeroGarden! I must have at least three or four readers.

Nevertheless I feel like an (accidental) SEO genius. I think Barrack Obama, Megan Fox, Snoopy, Madonna, Sting, Elvis Pressley, Theodore Roosevelt, Kings of Leon, Death Cab for Cutie, Billy Mays, the Beatles, Balloon Boy, Katie Couric, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, the LOLcats, Miley Cyrus, Twilight, Adam Sandler, and Oprah Winfrey would be proud!

Aquaponics dry run

2009-10-24T08:14:00.000-07:00

Well I replaced the basin on an AeroGarden 3 with a glass bowl I found at World Market for $8. With some extra tubing I was able to plop the air stone into the bowl and theorhetically create a habitable environment. I couldn't get peas to sprout in the thing, though, probably because my growing medium was a just couple of old corks. After a couple weeks I pulled the plugs; the dried up useless old peas were starting to get moldy. On the plus side, there was no algae in the bowl, and it looked pretty cool.

Solar shingles

2009-10-09T06:34:00.000-07:00

http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/07/dow-unveils-solar-shingles/?em

To save power, Bangladesh bans suits and ties | csmonitor.com

2009-09-10T07:40:00.001-07:00

To save power, Bangladesh bans suits and ties | csmonitor.com

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El poblano

2009-08-10T04:54:00.000-07:00

I guess it's time to pick this guy.

Scoot Coupe

2009-08-05T17:58:00.000-07:00

http://features.csmonitor.com/innovation/2009/08/05/scoot-coupe-enchants-shoppers-frustrates-lawmakers/

It's idiotic to ban these due to overcrowded roadways---people will just drive something else.

WWII Orkin bike

2009-05-23T15:50:00.000-07:00

An Orkin man serving the Fort Benning area used a bicycle to keep going in spite of wartime gasoline rationing. It was bright red. The smaller front wheel allows for a large front basket. From Margaret O. Kirk, The Making of the World's Best Pest Control Company (Rollins, 2005).

Happy with Tersano again

2009-05-23T12:02:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to report the replacement Lotus sanitizer that Tersano sent me is working after two months . . . It is such a neat technology and I am very happy to have it back online. The rainwater smell is very nice in itself. I am still figuring out ways to use it; it is such a paradigm-shifter.

Dumpster bike 2

2009-05-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

Not the best picture . . . recovered a bike from a Dumpster near the tennis courts. Apparently the local pro chucked it due to the rusty drivetrain. But nothing looks bent on it and there are hardly even any scratches. Check out the silver handlebar tape and retro shifters. I haven't checked it out thoroughly; it seems to be some kind of iron Bianchi from the 1980s or 1990s. Interestingly, all the bikes that life sends my way appear in shades of silver.

Green a.m.; Black Bike

2009-05-01T15:19:00.000-07:00

Compare to my earlier "Gray a.m." What I see in the morning these days on the Black Bike, which I am renaming "Bête Noir" as a nod to its urban sophistication.

Salad days

2009-05-01T15:05:00.000-07:00

Not much to report. I still have a few leftover projects that seem to carry on of their own accord.

I am pleasantly surprized by the onions out back. After many attempts, they finally took hold and are now growing most vigorously. It is so nice to have green onions at one's disposal. I also got a nice snow pea plant going, but its pod are almost woody. Maybe I should pick them earlier.

I lost some purple plants, the sweet potato :( and the little ornamental peppers. But a couple of the poblano plants survived, just from being kept next to the window inside. They are in a big pot now; can I expect big things?

I have a couple of plants thriving in the aquarium. One is a prayer plant from a cutting I got from work. The other kind is doing so well it actually bloomed, though it doesn't get any direct sun.

The AeroGardens are all growing some type of lettuce. Only the AeroGarden classic has had any sign of spider mites so far. I will have to watch that as temperatures increase. I also planted some leftover herb pods but only a couple of them germinated successfully. The mighty basil I had going for 18 months is now just a dried out twig.

Success

2009-03-07T09:33:00.000-08:00

I am now firmly established in the habit of riding my 2.3 miles to and from work each day via electric bike. It is such a joy. I am pleased to report the overhaul has been a great success. It rides so smooth now and it is just so much fun. After six months, the routes I take in and out have been refined so that I am usually physically separated from any traffic, and I have figured out how to cross the intersections in a harmonious fashion. In fact, it feels safer to me than driving a truck in the midst of all the snarling vehicles. The warming weather (trees are already starting to bloom here and the high is supposed to be 78'F today) and lengthening daylight make it that much nicer. The ideal commute, at a cost of $1 per month.

Reelights

2009-02-15T22:55:00.001-08:00

I am reely excited to have gotten a set of Reelights. These are Danish bike lights that run without batteries. Instead they use induction energy from magnets mounted on the spokes.

It is fairly advanced technology. There are a couple of practical features that make them attractive to me. The kind I got flash only while the bike is in motion. Because they are mounted on the hubs, they extend the light profile beyond the battery-powered lights mounted on handlebars or saddlebag.

The front wheel hub on my electric bike is too big to allow for even their extended version bracket, so I got the basic set (SL100). The front light is going on my trail bike to provide emergency get-home-past-sundown light and perhaps to provide a visual warning to hikers. The back light goes on Black Bike.

Serenery

2009-02-15T22:48:00.000-08:00

Some scenery from a bike ride home.

Gray a.m.

2009-02-11T16:10:00.000-08:00

Bike book idea

2009-02-11T00:44:00.001-08:00

Think I have a pretty good idea for a book: "Bike Culture: Great Minds and the Bicycles, Boneshakers, and Penny Farthings That Propelled Them." The image above, apparently from the California Institute of Technology, is Albert Einstein riding a bike in Santa Barbara. I have also seen Ernest Hemingway on a war bike in Italy c. 1917. I'd like to develop the stories beyond the images.

Einstein is said to have meditated on his Theory of Relativity while cycling. "Life is like riding a bicycle," he wrote to his son Eduard. "To keep your balance you must keep moving" (Walter Isaacson, Einstein: His Life and Universe, Simon & Schuster, 2007).

Hemingway developed a passion for bicycle racing while in France. The sport also found its way into his metaphors: "Writing a novel is like a six-day bicycle race . . ." he told Mary Harrington of the New York Post in 1946. "Only it goes on two years."

Dinosaur industries?

2009-02-08T20:44:00.000-08:00

Remember when Bush was handing out tax incentives for people to drive bigger, heavier cars? I'm referring to the tax write-off businesses could get on small trucks---in practice, often SUVs.

Eight years of that, and the U.S. auto industry still can't make a profit. Perhaps they should simply scrap it and start from scratch. Electric sports-car maker Tesla is reportedly following more of a computer-industry paradigm. And the likes of Cirrus and Eclipse have revolutionized the once moribund general aviation industry by similarly throwing away the established playbook.

India can put cars on the road for $1500 each. How much longer can U.S. citizens compete in the world economy if they're paying ten times that for transportation, as well as for housing and probably food too. There's a reason everything is made in China now.

Days are getting longer

2009-02-07T04:26:00.000-08:00

The days are getting longer, and my plants can tell. I have an ornamental sweet potato parked next to an AeroGarden and it is going nuts, sending new shoots skyward.

The salad greens seed pod I transfered to that AeroGarden is doing well, although the light is on the tallest setting due to the 1 year, 2 month old basil plants in there, which are trying to go to seed now.

My home aquaponics setup is down, as I needed the microphone stand for a recording project.

I have a couple of green beans plants going, enough to enhance a bowl of ramen every week or so.

These plants still look like crap: lemon tree (virtually no leaves), poblano pepper plants (which never did anything), and a florist-assembled multi-tropical planter is starting to go to pot after a couple of years. Also, my little ornamental pepper plants that I've kept going maybe three years are starting to look dessicated.

I have a Christmas cactus that is doing well next to the AG, but no blooms. Maybe it needs plant food.

Vege-Tables

2009-02-07T04:22:00.000-08:00

I do think the Tersano Lotus helps keep vegetables fresher longer. This has been my experience with some broccoli and celery I processed, dried, and dumped in the fridge's veggie drawers (which I also sanitized).

Joy

2009-02-06T15:48:00.000-08:00

Although the leaky tire hasn't been resolved, at least in the back, I took a leap of faith and rode Black Bike to work today. I'm glad I did!

The temperatures were in the mid-20s'F this morning, about my cutoff for cold weather (gloves being the weak link in my thermal armor). It was due to get warmer, and a beautiful, clear day.

I think it had been two months since I was riding the electric bike to work on a regular basis. This was its big debut after the Overhaul.

I'm pleased to say, it went great. Everything worked well. It was so incredibly SMOOOTH. I seem to be getting more range out of the batteries too.

So, it's been a fairly inconvenient process, full of inconveniences. But so satisfying when everything comes into place. Again, a successful 2.3 mile round trip using less than five cents' worth of fuel.

I'd ridden my unpowered bike a couple of times this month, opting not to when it was too cold or wet. I appreciated the electric assist on The Hill. I arrived relatively unruffled and not sweaty.

Did I mention the bike looks great? I am more delighted than ever to be back in the saddle.

Continued chaos and disappointment

2009-02-05T16:15:00.000-08:00

Long story short: the front tire on Black Bike spontaneously mended. Now the rear tire has a slow leak for some reason. I didn't even ride it anywheres. I suspect maybe the valves are disjointed or something.

The Tersano cartridges I got on eBay didn't work. They were apparently all expired. The little indicator was green, indicating they were expired. Apparently they can expire without you even using them. Fortunately, the merchant refunded my money instantly; I suspect she found them on clearance and didn't know what she was getting into.

I ordered some replacements from Amazon, hoping they of all people will sell enough to keep fresh stock. I'm also picking up a six-pack of the AeroGarden 3 salad greens, thinking I should be able to grow that stuff now that it's cooler and I have some neem oil.

Back in the saddle?

2009-01-31T13:13:00.000-08:00

Well I reinflated the electric bike tire. I'm hoping that the sealant inside the tube will work its magic once I get it rolling again. It is virtually 100 percent complete; the only issue right now is that slow leak.

On another green-living front, my new Tersano Lotus is out of commission. It is not broken, but needs a new cartridge. It does not seem to work without the filter. Amazingly, it only took me a month to go through the first one. I have ordered a few at a price of about $4 each. I was really surprised I used it up so fast, but I have been using it often.

In some good news, a couple of my AeroGarden Mini (f/k/a AeroGarden 3) green beans have become productive denizens of this happy eco-shelter again. And a couple of cilantro and baby greens pods I started in my aquarium seem to be doing well in their new homes. And the outside herbs and peas are doing well.

It should be a pretty good year as far as the clean life goes. I won't have to buy things like terra-cotta pots again. With the sanitizer I should have more success making my own AeroGarden pods.

I am looking for a good AeroGarden medium. I have started things with green florists' stuff but I am leery . . . it is probably leaching chemicals or something. Cotton balls get moldy. Maybe I should just get some official AG plugs.

There is a hydroponics store in town but I haven't visited it yet. Their literature looks suspiciously psychedelic. Also, I should have checked the Targets after the holidays to see if any of their AeroGarden stuff was on clearance yet.

Black Bike :(

2009-01-30T03:17:00.000-08:00

Replaced the front tube . . . this one is flat too . . . not as fast a leak . . . yet still my spirits are deflated . . . bloody Black Bike.

Other than that, it's about ready to go. I battened down the front cable with a super large Lizard Skin I chopped in half. It looks OK. Hopefully should stay intact.

How long has this dumb bike been offline? Since mid December? Sheesh. Really not looking forward to replacing another tube.

Rode Greybike

2009-01-26T14:59:00.000-08:00

Rode the big gray bike to work today. In spite of the faintest, unexpected drizzle, which thankfully cleared up.

I got a bit overwarm on the big mother of a hill on the way in and had to stop and pack my overlarge parka into my rack bag (which is gray, like the tires). But other than that it was a decent little 2.3 mile trip.

Riding home was actually fun. It is mostly downhill, so I coasted a lot. After slogging around on battery-laden Black Bike for so long, I was surprized at how light and responsive Greybike is. I was really flying (but not up That Awful Hill). I continually refine my route, and found some main streets that were fairly deserted even in the heart of rush hour.

Electric bike 97% complete

2009-01-24T02:01:00.000-08:00

I investigated the flat tire problem and found a fingernail-sized cut on the valve stem.

I bought a Lizard Skins chainstay protector for purely vanity/cosmetics reasons. However it gave me the idea of using one as a cabling organizer/protector for the wiring up front. I just ordered the super jumbo size, hoping it will be big enough.

The bike is looking pretty sharp. I haven't put the folding baskets back on it because they seem so heavy. With one severely bent rack and a broken rear spoke in the past year, I am wondering if adding groceries to the heavy batteries is just too much to ask. Maybe I should use it just for personal transport.

Failed yet again

2009-01-16T18:06:00.000-08:00

Almost every time I trust my local bike shop (LBS), I am disappointed.

Brought the black bike in to get the front wheel trued after my clumsy re-spoking. Just knew they would screw something up.

I'm assuming they got the wheel trued OK. I don't know for sure because, now I have a flat tire. It went flat within two hours.

I'm just glad I didn't try to ride it home. What if I had had a blowout barrelling down the main drag in traffic?

I don't know why the tire is flat. I noticed the valve cap was missing in the store, but I didn't suspect this. What kind of jive-ass fix are they putting on it that it will go flat in two hours?

In all fairness, it's hard to work on a wheel when you can't really disassemble all the wired in stuff from my Wilderness computer brain, etc. It's also way heavy.

I don't know what's going on in the wheel, why it's flat. I'm too tired to check. I called to let them know. They said bring it in. I don't want to waste any more time, or risk any more damage. I hope they didn't fuck up my schweet new Schwalbe tires.

Bottom line: your LBS probably hasn't seen an electric bike before, and probably won't do such a great job. Possibly safer to do your own for maintenance, even basic bike stuff.

Tersano Lotus really works

2008-12-30T17:11:00.000-08:00

Hey, I got a Tersano Lotus for Christmas. It does all it says. These should be as ubiquitous as vacuum cleaners. It will really come in handy with my various projects.

Also, I finally got some neem oil to try to keep spider mites offa my succulent aerogreens.

Finally, it's been one year since I got my AeroGarden. The basil is still going, stems as thick as tree branches.

Electric bike overhaul 95% complete

2008-12-28T16:18:00.000-08:00

Well the black bike is about back on the boulevard. The overhaul is 95 percent complete; I would just like to do something to tidy up the cabling up front.

I took it out for a very short spin today but had trouble with the next rack. I think that has been corrected now. It rode very well until the rack tumbled off, sending the battery-laden rear back crashing to the ground behind it. Tore up a zipper and a strap, unfortunately. . . something else to potentially replace.

After I got the right length spokes---180mm for my 2006 vintage 406 model Crystalyte wheelhub---the wheel turned out to be not as bad as I expected it to be. It was a bit tedious, but I think I have got the thing trued up pretty well, just by tightening up spokes where the wheel was rubbing against the brakes. I don't think the rim is perfectly round any more, though.

The whole spoke replacement thing was a good experience. I think I understand wheels better now, and feel that much more affinity with the cog and chain set. The black spokes look nice contrasted with the giant silver wheel hub. Hopefully they will last. At 14 gauge, they are finer than not just the ones that came with the hub, but the spokes on my rear wheel too.

The new tires also look great. They are huge! Some big baloony type from Schwalbe (Big Apple). They look like motorcycle tires. I have them at full pressure, 60 psi, to lessen rolling resistance. Like I said, the bike rode really well today. The reflective stripes on the tires look snazzy with the bike's black and silver theme.

I feel a certain sense of accomplishment. I'm not sure exactly what to do with the loose cables up front, the Office Max approach or the AutoZone approach. Probably the latter would be better for wear and tear and weather issues. I'm not sure exactly what to get, at least just a sleeve to protect the main cable, and maybe some Velcro ties. If I had more skills I would get some kind of weatherproof project box to house the computer.

Electric bike overhaul

2008-12-06T15:23:00.000-08:00

Well the good news is I was able to replace the throttle successfully, even though the one I got online came with the wrong connectors.

I have discovered other problems, so the electric bike is in the midst of a major overhaul. While looking at the front wheel, pondering whether to upgrade the spokes (one is broken), I noticed the hand-me-down tire is beginning to burst at the seams! This could have led to an ugly accident, if it blew in traffic.

I just ordered some new Schwalbe Big Apple tires (they're said to have some ballooning suspension feature, and my bike has no cushioning whatsoever right now), some new DT-Swiss spokes (in black!) in 191mm length and 14 gauge (based on hours of Internet research; originally the Crystalyte hub probably came with 12 or 13 gauge spokes but of a lower quality manufacture). I also threw in some bottle cages and bolts for good measure.

Combine this with the rack I just replaced, and you can see this little beauty has been an expensive proposition. I'm also starting to think about new batteries. In fact, I am really starting to doubt it's been cheaper than driving this past year. The main financial savings is in the capital cost, but I've probably exceeded $1,000 in total expenditures on it so far. Still, it is easy to drop a grand on a single car repair.

It is a good time of year for the bike to take a little vacation. I might still bring out my conventional mountain bike. Gas is cheap and I am lazy, however.

Thanksgiving of sorts

2008-11-27T05:09:00.001-08:00

Well. It's Thanksgiving and I'm stuck at home alone with a cold.

Also, my e-bike is grounded. I suspect the throttle. I hope it's just the throttle. I have opened up the controller and didn't see anything obviously awry. Next step is to find a voltimeter to test that throttle. Fortunately I found some technical advice online. I don't know any repair shops within 500 miles though (perhaps that could be a good business niche).

Sigh. On the plus side, my redneck fake-AeroGarden-in-an-aquarium is doing surprizingly well. I've even gotten a lot of cilantro to sprout! And there is a snow pea in there that is going nuts. I've strapped the aquarium's fluorescent light to a microphone boom stand.

AeroGarden Antics LadyBug

2008-11-14T20:08:00.000-08:00

I'll just let the picture do the talking for this new product.

Squirrelling in progress

2008-11-01T07:43:00.000-07:00

A stupid squirrel keeps digging up my snow peas... some of them have sprouted though.

Gratuitous electric bike pic

2008-10-27T16:53:00.001-07:00

I don't think the folks at Practical Pedal will mind if I share this picture with you; it's for an ad for some grocery panniers in their "Bigg Amazing Catalog." It might even send them some business.

Upon close inspection you might notice it's an electric bike, with the motor in the rear hub. I wonder why they put all the weight in the back like that. Perhaps it helps get traction in the Montana snow. Something tells me it would be easy to do wheelies on that thing.

The opposite would be a front hub motor with something like a Cetma rack up front. I've never seen that particular configuration. They should have a grocery-hauling-in-the-snow contest to compare the two.

AG6 Sighting ( ( o ) )

2008-10-27T16:15:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, I saw an AeroGarden "SpaceSaver 6" display in a mass market retail department store. Can you guess which one? Rhymes with "zhay." That's right---Target!

They had a display on an aisle end, replete with silk plants for illustration purposes. They had a few different seed pod kits (cherry tomatoes, Italian herbs, etc.) and a lot of paraphrenalia like the AG scissors and the herb mixer.

The SpaceSaver 6 was selling for $150. I would have taken a picture but I was too self-conscious.

Daily Dump

2008-10-26T12:32:00.000-07:00

Daily Dump is not what you might think. It's a compost-products company in Bangalore, India.

Their big thing is stacking terra cotta pots. Innovations include the rat-proof lid.

This is simular to what I've been trying to do with giant flowerpots on my deck. It's a great idea, but I worry about the possibility of mold, with the pots being enclosed like that.

Catching up

2008-10-20T07:08:00.000-07:00

Well the situation at the fuel pumps has settled down, but I have not been driving much lately. The Jeep is attracting cobwebs.

The weather has been so nice I have been biking in to work in the mornings. We just had a cold snap, so I had to pull out some of my SLC-proven Cold Weather Biking Gear: Specialized biking gloves, a fleece jacket (allegedly wind resistant), and some reflective 180s ear muffs. The last item was surprizingly relevant today; it was windy and wet (low last night wsa 38'F), but at least my ears weren't cold.

It was a beautiful ride. The wind was driving the mist off the canal, like a big magical boiling pot. Just much colder.

Scary oil situation

2008-09-27T03:56:00.000-07:00

Last night I drove past six gas stations before I found one with any gas to sell... very scary. Odd how unorganized the fuel supply is more than a week after a couple of relatively minor hurricanes.

I am well insulated against such crises. I can ride my bike or walk to work if necessary. Most of the people in my office live 20 miles or more away. I wonder if they'd be able to work from home in times of crisis.

I considered buying a locking gas cap last night, too. Major civil disorder was on the horizon, with people starting to queue up at the pump. What if this were winter and there was no heating oil? My survivalist/permaculture inclinations are validated.

Trying Out the CaféPress

2008-09-27T03:40:00.000-07:00

My latest online scheme involves CaféPress. I found this site when I was looking for a lion rampant t-shirt to use as my tennis team's uniform. I found a pretty cool one, too. For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, CaféPress is a print-on-demand shop: they don't make the stuff until someone actually buys it.

I have a few pictures of my own so I have put some of them up there in my own store, hoping to snag a sale some day. If you have the notion, check out my "storefront": cafepress.com/fridrix

I have basically two categories right now: some USC Gamecock merch based on a design I scribbled myself many years ago in college, and notecards based on my nature pics (as above).

I have not actually sold any stuff to third parties yet, but I have bought some cards for testing purposes and as gifts. I also had the gamecock printed on a coffee cup and long-sleeve t-shirt. It all looks pretty damn good. They also get the stuff to you surprizingly fast... freakishly fast, even. The main drawback: it's not cheap.

Urban Bikes

2008-09-23T15:38:00.000-07:00

We've had some nice cool, dry weather recently and it's got me biking to work regularly. With repetition I have refined my route considerably, esp. on the inbound leg.

I pass egrets in the mornings as I pedal along a canal. I have managed to cut the steepest hill out of the picture by turning left into a lightly traveled residential area near the Governor's Mansion.

On the way home, I generally follow the traffic lights. I do stay on the sidewalk if the roads are crowded. Basically I am following the free space. The only time I am assertive is when a light turns green and I am in the pedestrian walk, then I go in front of the cars.

I see several other bikers every day. There is one girl in particular that rides a bike with a basket past my office. Trek is playing to the commuter segment of the market with its "Urban Bikes." The models are named after cities; I wonder if Specialized had that idea first with their Langsters. They offer decent refinements like fenders and racks but the frames are aluminum, which I hear is a rough ride.

I am glad to be riding more regularly, even if it's not very far. It is so much more fun than driving. It makes more sense than ever with the hurricane-inspired gas shortages lately. There are still some stations out of fuel in Atlanta. After two years though, the batteries on my e-bike seem noticeably less efficient. It's still enough to get me to work and back, but yet another of many bike costs lately. Even so, it doesn't compare to paying near $50 to fill up every time. Last time I bought gas, a couple of weeks ago, it was $4.29.

Wasp in mint

2008-09-16T18:56:00.000-07:00

No it's not a new recipe... whilst at my parents a few weeks ago I noticed the flowering mint was attracting a surprizing variety of wasps. . . here's one. (The picture's not upside down, he is. No he didn't sting me. . . but I was close enough to be nervous.)

Hemingway's War Bike

2008-09-15T14:33:00.000-07:00

Saw an interesting photo today, a bicycle Ernest Hemingway rode while in Italy, around 1918 I suppose. It was configured to carry a rifle along the top tube.

Baby lizards

2008-09-02T16:56:00.000-07:00

There were a couple of baby lizards on my porch this morning. One was brown and the other was green. How cute is that? They were much more shy than their presumèd parents.

The river was angry and swollen

2008-08-28T17:48:00.000-07:00

Another day biking to work. I ditched the Riverwalk this time in favor of a lesser used street.

The way in was otherwise routine but during lunch my bike showed further evidence of falling apart. The cover came off one of my tail lights and I ended up losing one of the AAA batteries (I need to secure them with a rubber band or something). On the way home my left Grip Shift somehow separated so that I only had the lowest gear up front.

It was amusing to think that I was down to one derailleur, and one brake. I had a skinnier wheel in the back from my mountain bike and the brake was too loose to grip it. Why the wheel swap? I just got the spoke repaired on the original one---$20 right there. Me and my redundant systems. If it got dark I would be relying on just a single tail light too.

The general feeling I got was of substandard readiness, if not pending collapse. I swapped the rear rack with the one on my other mountain bike, but even that doesn't seem heavy duty enough for the 30 pounds of lead-acid batteries. The newest thing on the bike is the seat, and it's not really all that comfortable. I'd like to redo everything so it is all aviation grade.

The river on the way home was brown and swollen from all the recent rain. It seemed kind of cranky.

End of passive aquaponics experiment

2008-08-24T14:06:00.000-07:00

I just shut down the passive aquaponics experiment I had on my porch. This was basically a cheap styrofoam cooler stocked with some guppies and some AeroGarden plants floating on top.

The main reason I took it in was the cooler, the kind you get when you buy steaks by mail order, was beginning to leak too much.

Amazingly, the little experiment worked pretty well. The fish survived a couple of months with no motorized filter even though it got to up to 111'F out there. I got a little bit of basil out of the deal and my chives even came back from the dead (both of these originally planted last Christmas).

The fish are now chilling in a small aquarium and most of the plants are back in the original AeroGarden.

I do believe the concept works on a small scale. If I were to do it again, I would get a real cooler with a drain on the bottom for waste purposes. I would have to figure out some way to put in the seed pods, probably just cut holes out of the top with a template. That should make a very efficient---and portable---little garden.

Spider mites again :(

2008-08-21T20:35:00.000-07:00

Spider mites have again proved the downfall of a promising AeroGarden. This time it was my cherry tomatoes. I did not get a single fruit off of them. They look like crap so I'm chucking em in the compost pile. I was unable to grow a single tomato this year by any method.

I suspect it's still getting too hot in my little side room, although I tried to keep the ceiling fan running. Maybe my squalid apartment is just infested, which wouldn't surprize me, as it's home to almost every other kind of bug.

I do have a few healthy plants like the pobablano and the squash... just not a lot of fruit action. One of my lemons is turning ripe though, after several months. I should get a half dozen in all.

I'm a real bike commuter now

2008-08-09T04:32:00.000-07:00

It's hard to be a real bike commuter when you work at home. Now I've taken a real job a bikeable distance away: about three miles, part of it along a river walk.

There is a short but incredibly steep incline involved. I actually rode my bike to the job interview yesterday and arrived in reasonably presentable condition thanks to the electric drive. I carried a blazer in my back basket. Temperature was only in the mid-80s.

Of course, the lifestyle is not always a walk in the park. I have to ride next to a canal where an alligator is known to live. I am more concerned about maintenance issues right now. That broken spoke presents a thorny issue, one that may require the services of my local bike shop. In general, my electrified entry-level mountain bike is showing the strain of hard, fast riding under a heavy payload of lead-acid batteries.

On the plus side, I have some nice scenery in my daily life now. This will get me out of the house more. And the repair issues give me an excuse to have two bikes.

They noticed I rode a bike yesterday but didn't mention it until after they offered me the job. Apparently they don't hate bikes/bikers. Maybe it is the cool thing to do now.

Late summer bikin'

2008-08-05T18:19:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe fall is just around the corner. It is so green down by the river. The green of Ireland or Hawaii. That's how green it is.

It's still been getting hot as heck lately, 98'F today. My patio plants are holding on though. I harvested some aquaponic herbs and a couple of little ornamental peppers lately. My remaining poblanos are looking good, but they'd be happier in bigger pots.

I have been biking more and even pedaled to a tennis tournament. After playing two hard matches it was quite a slog riding it back home. Fortunately I found two new pedestrian bridges near the university that cut out two busy street crossings. Still, the ol' e-bike has not been performing too well. I must have forgot to charge it because the low battery light was on when I left and it was completely dead on the way back.

I found part of the problem today: a broken spoke. This put the wheel out of true and made it rub against the breaks. These cheap bikes are high maintenance. I also had a staple in the tire, giving it a slow leak, which is the only reason I was even looking at it. I am also trying to bolster the lame rack in the back, but there is still a wobble.

Quote du jour

2008-07-31T14:17:00.000-07:00

"When the Republican governor of the reddest state in the union is promoting bicycling as a preferred mode of transportation, you know people are paying attention to the price signals."---Keith Batholomew, U. of U., on the State of Utah's bike-to-work program, in Jim Carey's "The Real Question: Should Oil Be Cheap?" Business Week, August 4, 2008, pp. 54--59.

Any day on a bicycle

2008-07-30T13:24:00.000-07:00

It has oft been said, any day that involves riding a bike is a good day. I was reminded of that after I opted for the electric bike when I had to mail something and go to the bank. The motor took the edge off the 94'F degree weather, but I was pedaling the whole way for the fun of it. It made me feel invigorated.

I think my batteries are crapping out though; the low charge light came on even though I only went a couple of miles. I'd like to upgrade to something better than lead-acid but that's a matter of a few hundred dollars. This is not the only thing that's crapping out on the bike. The left grip shift seems to be separating. And the cargo rack is buckling from the 30-pound weight of the batteries.

Still, it's usable, and it's fun. I have been bundling my errands into my Jeep rides to tennis matches so I haven't been out on it a while. Tennis and biking is a whol other entry though...

Blueberries

2008-07-28T20:28:00.000-07:00

Fresh blueberries, blueberry pie, blueberry pancakes, blueberry-as-sports-recovery-drink-substitute, blueberry and beef soup...

Novak mows down pedestrian, gets $50 ticket

2008-07-24T03:50:00.000-07:00

Visit to George Washington Trauma Center...$50,000.
Failure to yield to a pedestrian...$50.
Star-struck cops... priceless.
http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0708/537957.html

MSNBC blames the cyclists

2008-07-22T08:59:00.000-07:00

The problem is all the cyclists... says MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25695376/?GT1=43001

Shortcut

2008-07-01T16:34:00.001-07:00

A much-awaited link in the Riverwalk has been opened, allowing me to bike along the canal on the way to the post office. Saved me 1.5 miles of baking sidewalk and traffic.

I SOLD SOME BLUEBERRIES

2008-06-30T19:18:00.000-07:00

I was going to share some with the cutie at the coffeeshop... she insisted on giving me $4... I'M RICH!!!

Summer storms

2008-06-28T17:39:00.000-07:00

Like a t-storm sweeping across the plains, is the pace of change with my plant projects.

The spider mites are kicking my ass inside, at least in the AeroGardens. My regular houseplants have not been much affected. I have also had a very hard time sprouting peas in the AGs. I think the cause for all of this is that it's too hot and dry inside. I shall have to keep more ventilation going since those lights get hot.

I finally got some containers, so I was able to transplant them outside (in as much shade as possible). These are made of compressed rice husks and things and are meant to eventually decay. Saw them at World Market. Inside the pots I'm using 1/3 potting soil, 1/3 homegrown compost (it's rich and ready), and a topping of clay pellets. I planted the plants along with their AeroGarden/AG3 pods. Mental note: water the hell out of this stuff. It's been raining a lot so it should be a good time to get them outdoors.

Out of three AeroGardens, the only things I have planted now are two little, slow-growing tomato plants and one pea plant. ALL the other peas either rotted or got covered in spider mites. My two green beans are in pots outside now, since they are too big for the AGs and hopefully that will get some kind of balance on the spider mites. The AeroGardens have really disappointed of late... two of them are unplugged. Like I said, it could be the heat; it is probably mid-80'F's where they are during the day. Still, I expected more from the AG3.

On the plus side, right now I have no plants with spider mites inside. My little aquaponic experiment is looking good outside... even my chives are coming back and the six-month-old basil plant is reaching for the sky. Also, my hops plant is looking much better outside! It has branched out like I thought it would.

Status at summer solstice

2008-06-22T16:47:00.001-07:00

I'm sorry I have been derelict in reporting on all my various ecogronomic projects. Here is an attempt to bring things current. Overall, I have had mixed success. The sum output has been much less than I expected, but there are some positive developments.

I have so many things going on I don't know where to begin. At last count I had three dozen individual plants indoors alone. Plus an equivalent on my patio.

In general the AeroGardens have not produced as expected. I have been able to get seedlings pretty easily in most cases, but getting real plants with real fruits has been elusive. I'm sure a good deal of this was from my relentless moving plants around, trying them in bottles or outside, etc. Still, I was disappointed by some kits, like the Cherry Tomato. I have only got one big plant out of it. It's important to note that I did have that bowl outside. It also grew a giant zuccini, but it lost its blossoms too.

I was disappointed by a couple of the kits. My Aerogarden 3's Green Bean kit (out of three seed pods) produced two leggy plants that got so tall I moved them to an AeroGarden Classic. Also, the Baby Greens are gone, daddy, gone. They don't like to be above 78'F and I think my air conditioner may have dried them out. They ended up getting covered with some kind of little red plant mites.

So, the theme for the last couple of months has been disappointment, be it self-induced or not. To have four AeroGardens going and an empty salad bowl is a little discouraging, and I have spent around $50 on seed kits alone. My little cherry tomato plant looks like shit. It had some blooms but it lost them. I dumped out all the old water and started anew in an attempt to revive. Right now it is parked in a Classic AeroGarden with just the two leggy Green Bean AG3 refugees. My last remaining hops plant is hanging on, beginning to branch out, but it's still just a sad little diseased looking twig. The little coffee plant I got on eBay has some leaves but it is an unhealthy yellowy shade of green. These last two, parked outside.

My pride and joy is my little lemon tree. I think I got this thing started earlier than the rest. It has about eight fruits on it and they are larger than limes. Also, one of my several poblano pepper plants is looking like something after I moved it to get a lot more shade during the day. It has been so hard getting stuff going on that baking (115'F) patio, but the lemon tree is full sun all day. The key is, use oversized pots and get stuff established early in the season.

My aquaponics experiment is going, though I downsized it. Now it's basically a styrofoam cooler with a raft on top holding some AeroGarden refugees. The basil is alive, after all the abuse it's been through in the past six months (I planted it around Christmas).

I also have a purple basil in the window in a vase, and a cutting from it is finally establishing itself in a pot on the patio.