Archive for the In the News Category

Photoblog - Boston / Head of the Charles Regatta

October 29, 2006 by admin.

All that I know about rowing is that these people get up at wee hours of the morning to go out on the water in the chilly fall weather. Always seemed crazy to me. But what do I know? I like to go fight rush hour traffic on two wheels.Anyway, there has always been something elegant and maybe a bit romantic about this sport. Ya gotta admire these people… So I enjoy this autumn spectacle from the shore on my two wheels.

I love the Charles River. I used to commute to work along its banks some years ago, and it is just great for enjoying the scenery while getting some exercise. I regret that I don’t get into the city often enough to enjoy it much these days.

On another note, I missed out on the record-setting jack-o-lantern festival put on by the Life Is Good folks. I guess I should read the newspaper in the morning, not the evening… Anyway, by the time I showed up the next day, all the gourds were sitting in dumpsters, waiting to be taken away to the compost heap.

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How can a VW cost $100,000? and other interesting blurbs

October 8, 2006 by admin.

Did you ever wonder why Volkswagen Phaeton costs up to $100,000? Check out the factory where they assemble them:
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1837641

And speaking of impressive facilities, check out these 10 seeeeeriously cool workplaces. It’s enough to make me want to look for a new job…
http://positivesharing.com/2006/10/10-seeeeeriously-cool-workplaces

Living in a litigious society:
http://www.glumbert.com/media/consent

When I lived in Indiana, and the thunderstorms would keep me awake at night, I’d set the camera up on a tripod and take pictures through the patio doorway. That’s how I managed to get pics like this:
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In Memory of 9/11 - Ground Zero

September 11, 2006 by admin.

I’ve visited New York City a number of times in the past few years.  People still go about their daily business - this is New York, after all - but there is a huge void there.  The World Trade Center complex was a landmark from which you could get your bearings no matter where you stood.  Now its absence marks the loss of 3000 souls.  May they rest in peace.

View of post-9/11 Manhattan from Jersey City - August 25, 2002
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In Memory of 9/11

September 11, 2006 by admin.

I was fortunate to have had an opportunity to spend some time in New York City during the summer of 2001.  In June I attended a trade show and award ceremony, and spent a full day seeing the city before heading back to visit family in Boston and then I flew home via Washington.

And in September I visited family in Boston again, and then visited friends in New Jersey.  I dropped my friend Preston off at Newark Airport, and then drove back to Boston, where I caught my flight back to Indy.

Two days later, terrorists departed from those same airports.

Five years later, some of the shock, sadness and anger have dissipated - for me, at least.  Yet for many the losses that day had a far greater impact.  My deepest sympathies to all who lost friends and family on that day and in the wars since.  And we all pray for the safety of Charles and all his comrades deployed overseas.

~ Lee

Battery Park - June 5, 2001

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Boston Globe - Cycling editorial

August 30, 2006 by admin.

I’ve biked over 12,000 miles on the streets of Boston, Cambridge, Somerville and Milton, and it has often been an adventure…

People have cut me off in traffic - but you expect that in Boston.  I’ve had people throw drinks at me.  Did they think I was dehydrated?  I don’t think so.  People occasionally shout things, too.  Usually something about ‘get off the road’, but sometimes it’s hard to tell ’cause voices don’t carry well over the road noise, distance and speed differences.  When I had long hair, guys would hoot and holler at me.  That was weird…  I’ve also crashed into a car door.  I should have gotten stitches for that one…  Have you ever wiped out in traffic in the middle of a rotary in the rain?  Scary.  Wiped out on garbage slime?  Eeeew.  Run a red light across four lanes of traffic without a clear view?  Stupid.  There’s more, but you get the idea…

Cambridge, as always, is pretty progressive.  They have many bike lanes, which makes biking there better.  But in Boston, you have to fend for yourself.  It can be tough.  My (proverbial) hat is off to those who commute or courier in the city.  I’m too lazy for that now… Read the rest of this entry »

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Cool Tech - Extreme Cycling

August 30, 2006 by admin.

Here is a story about guys engineering sleek but impractical designs to push the boundaries of biking to the very limits of technology and human endurance…

This Is a Bike. Trust Us. - And you won’t believe how fast it goes or how much the guy inside is suffering
By Preston Lerner, Los Angeles Times, August 27, 2006 


Rob English and most of the other luminaries of HPV racing are braving the broiling desert heat in Casa Grande to assault another world record, this one in the so-called Hour, the most hallowed mark in cycling lore. (Ian Logan / For The Times)

Barely visible against the vast asphalt expanse of the Nissan test track, a white speck emerges from the soft light of the Arizona dawn. As it approaches, it takes shape as what might be a miniature submarine, or maybe a giant suppository on wheels. Crammed within the tiny, fully enclosed, artfully streamlined body is a world-class cyclist who’s reclining like guy on a Barcalounger as he pedals furiously enough to make his bike the world’s fastest sweatbox. He rockets past with a whoosh, and I suddenly understand why his ride is called a human powered vehicle, or HPV, rather than just a bicycle.

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This week on the bike & New York Times article on nutrition

August 25, 2006 by admin.

Okay, this week I managed to go biking three times.  On Sunday I went up and down the Charles River [links one, two, three] (and ruined a tire and tube on innumerable tree roots, potholes, sewer grates, and skidding to avoid a car running a red light).  Thursday I rode leisurely with the guys from work, and on Wednesday I rode with the guys from Landry’s bike shop.  Their so-called intermediate group somehow joined their fast group, and they dropped me like a rock even though I was averaging over 18 mph at the time.  I had to take a shortcut to catch up with them…

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Editorial Cartoons

August 19, 2006 by admin.

http://www.gocomics.com/jeffdanziger/

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Boundaries of Sox Nation

August 19, 2006 by admin.

After the traumatic experience of ‘86, I tend to keep the Sox at a bit of emotional distance [It could be argued that I do that all too often in life].   But sometimes that helps, especially when the Damn Yankees pound the Sox like they did last night.

Anyway, as a map geek and a not-exactly-rabid Sox fan, I found this article in the New York Times to be interesting…

Where Do Rivals Draw the Line?
By JOHN BRANCH, The New York Times, August 18, 2006

THE CITY of New Britain, near the geographical center of Connecticut and the midpoint between New York City and Boston, is home to the Rock Cats, the Minnesota Twins’ Class AA affiliate in the Eastern League. But the Twins do not have much of a fan base in New Britain. As is the case across much of the state, there is a debate in New Britain about which is the more popular team, the Red Sox or the Yankees. Read the rest of this entry »

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