When she returned she explained to me that I had used special characters in the security answers, and the system allows me to do that. However, “I shouldn’t do that”, because it breaks things.

Just use subversive security questions like these:

Gfvk!Sm!z@RVOZP!O-=`

5hi,=xPQnmel}<'0Lgt6

m5:!oiwoeF9{S.G>twnO

RKD`W#,'2C;6V{C6VJ8p

@%4%{7\N?Y.QoJv`E[ 0

Your account will be so secure that nobody can log on.

This is a hand-me-down copy of Clan of the Cave Bear - an embodiment of both the argument for and the argument against e-books.

What once was a smell that brought me back to browsing libraries and used book store shelves for hours at a time with great delight in the information and stories filling the walls from floor to ceiling, has become a visceral stench of age and decay. Old books now smell musty and make my nose tickle. They are bulky and don’t hold up very well to the ages, a fact the copious amounts of packing tape holding the binding together are a testament to. And still, for an e-book to last as long as this book would likely be just short of a miracle. The companies over burden their books with copy protection and rights limiting software designed to lock you into a single device, although they claim it’s to protect the artists’ profits. What are the chances that Amazon and Barnes and Noble will be around in 25 years to support your digital purchases? This book has stood the test of time (and the ones surrounding it are still respectably aged when considering the life times of digital files).

Like so many geeks my age, I grew up watching Star Trek.  For my family it was a weekly tradition to catch new episodes as they aired and I remember being annoyed at football season (which often displaced episodes) and being downright pissed when George Bush (senior, not junior) interrupted the show with his boring speeches.  In retrospect this was far better than the later Bush who annoyed my simply by talking, but my younger mind didn’t understand those things.  Star Trek was an important part of my life, and I remember our weekly episodes with my father with as much fondness as our shopping trips and the rare chance to get dinner from the hot case at the deli they entailed.

Our family had the the entire Original Series on VHS and most of the Next Generation episodes as well.  Columbia House would ship them to us every so often and seeing that package in the mail was a definite high point for me.  I remember the cost of the subscription being an issue and I remember that it seemed important to continue even when we were living a modest lifestyle.  The franchise is embedded into my consciousness in a way that matches so few other things.

So from all of that, I should be identified as a trekker (trekkie, Star Trek enthusiast, take your pick), but I’m not.  The entire franchise produced an absurdly small amount of really good material for the amount of air time it earned.  The Next Generation and The Original Series both were full of boring lectures and poorly developed characters and plot holes the size of very large things.  The science was horrible and there was absolutely no continuity.  Despite the impact it had on my childhood, I don’t feel comfortable identifying with it.

Still, if you plop me in front of a The Next Generation episode I will watch it.  I’ll also know exactly which episode it is and everything about that episode within seconds.  I did have a communicator, tricorder, AND a uniform at one point.  Oh, and a tribble, although that was technically my dad’s.  I also follow Wil Wheaton’s blog and twitter.

So I don’t identify as a fan but I was compelled to watch this movie.  Even if the reviews had been universally horrible I would have watched it.

The scenes were Star Trek through and through with blatant nods to key elements from The Original Series down to a nice pan of the hull and the designation NCC-1701 (no bloody A, B, C, or D) painted across it.  The ship felt like the Enterprise as it would be if it were built today (ignoring NASA’s reliance on technology developed when the The Original Series was first aired), with bright large LCD displays and glass everywhere, without giving up the pipes and LEDs and switches that make it believable.

The characters were unmistakably younger versions of their Original Series counterparts to the point of being almost obnoxious about it.  Chekov’s accent was over the top and an obvious comedic gag, and, yes, we get it, Kirk was a hot-head.  Still, overall, the elements were there with characters like Bones and Sulu being spot on.  Kirk, especially, felt like Kirk with his various quirks showing through (like the way he sat when using the intercom).  The voice acting, thankfully, did not follow the famously Kirk style.  It was great to hear Majel Barrett in her role as the computer again.

So there was a lot of pandering, but that was expected.  A movie based on an institution this well ingrained can’t ignore the history of the franchise without significant backlash.  J. J. Abrams (and the writers, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman) got that exactly right.

It was a movie brilliantly done and it feels right.  It has moving drama (both my girlfriend and I shed tears for characters we barely knew just minutes in), awesome action, impressive fighting, and a pace that meant I didn’t feel bored once throughout the entire movie (a rarity for me).  They pull it off and you don’t even care that they kill off the entire future franchise and explain it all away with a time travel paradox.  Hey, that’s Star Trek, too.

So thank you to those who made it happen.  For tonight, at least, I am a Star Trek fan again.

We’re exacerbating the issue by having two access points in the house (third floor and second floor). There’s a chance one will even go on the first floor, although that’s yet to be decided. The two APs (Miss Piggy, which is really WPA2 / AES, not WEP) are backbone-linked with cat-5e (should be 6, but I forgot to pre-order from Monoprice.). They both are WRT-54GL routers running Tomat. Because they share the same SSID and security information my devices roam seamlessly between the two. It’s pretty damn cool.

Google just rolled out a new layout for Google Reader.  I like it overall, but the TOC uses a font that’s entirely too big for my tastes.  This is fixed with the following Stylish (a Firefox extension) CSS code:

@namespace url(http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml);

@-moz-document url-prefix(http://www.google.com/reader/), url-prefix(https://www.google.com/reader/) {
    .scroll-tree {
        font-size: 10px !important;
    }
}

In a move that will likely cause a ripple effect of ill-will towards them, replacement voicemail service CallWave, has decided to leave open (free) beta by giving all customers one day’s notice that their accounts would be canceled if not switched to a paid plan.

Here’s the email I received today, at 1700, on 15-Sept-2008. All emphasis is mine. Notice the date the service expires 16-Sept-2008 and the fact I received this email on 15-Sept-2008.

Thanks for trying our beta version of Voicemail-to-Text. To improve the quality of our Voicemail-To-Text service, CallWave is discontinuing the beta version you are currently using on September 16 and we are making available a new higher-quality service.

We need your help in this transition.
(1) To upgrade to the high-quality Voicemail-To-Text service, please do the following:
a) Log in to Callwave.com
b) Visit the Account page
c) Select “Change Service” d) Choose a package

(2) If you do not wish to upgrade your service, please follow the instructions below to stop having your voicemails “forward” to CallWave.

a) Please find your deactivation code(s) in the table below.
b) Dial the code(s) as you would a phone number
c) Press “Send” on your phone to dial that number.
d) Repeat steps b) and c) if there are multiple codes for your carrier

<Decactivation code table omitted>

NOTE: if are not upgrading, it is very important that you do step-2 above as soon as possible because after Tuesday, September 16th you will not receive any voicemails from CallWave.

Thanks again for participating in our CallWave Voicemail-to-Text Beta.

Sincerely,

The CallWave Team

Callwave never really gave me any indication (that I can remember) that the free service would be going away. Yes, they provided for-pay service for better translation but I had the impression that the free service wasn’t going away. Fine if they choose to stop service, but to only give one day’s notice is just a dick move.

This should be a real heads up for everyone who relies on a free beta service to take care of any essential services. This includes Gmail, which has lost mails in the past. Imagine if I actually relied on my voicemail and didn’t have a chance to switch things over (due to, say, travel or vacation).

The cheapest plan CallWave offers is now $4.95/month (with 0 free messages included), and with a move like this one I have no interest in giving them anything. Luckily other voicemail competitors are out there.

This seems to be a trend lately with Jott pulling a similar move (but a bit more reasonable) recently. Is this just another .com bubble of sorts? Are companies realizing that the cheap services over the web doesn’t scale so well when they go beyond purely virtual?

Update!

It seems CallWave realized how badly they screwed up. Here’s the updated email as of today around 1700 again:

Upgrade now…
And never miss a call again.

Yesterday we notified you that your Voicemail-to-Text service would be discontinued today. We apologize that this may have caused you some concern, and realize that this is not a sufficient amount of time for you to make a change to your account.

Therefore, we have extended the upgrade period to Monday,
September 22nd.

We also want to explain that if you choose not to upgrade, only the transcribed message feature in your service will change. You will still be able to access all of your voicemail through your existing account. Visual voicemail and your Message Center will continue to be accessible. However, you will no longer receive transcribed voicemail messages.

We appreciate your continued support, and look forward to providing you with high quality communication solutions.

Sincerely,
The CallWave Team

This seems to contradict their previous email, but at least they are only dropping the transcription if you don’t pay.

Too bad for them, as I’ve already switched to YouMail.

The back:

PET THE ELK.
FEED THE BEARS.
CLIMB ON THE ROCKS.
PASS ON THE DOUBLE LINE.
LOOK AT THE SCENERY, INSTEAD OF THE ROAD.
WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.

PECOS, NM EMTs

And the front:

The two bears, btw, are in front of an awesome coffee shop and cafe in the middle of nowhere, US, The Purple Fiddle.  Definitely worth checking out this large coffee shop with awesome food including a turkey dinner sandwich with all the fixings (turkey, gravey, cranberries, stuffing, mashed potatoes).

The decoration is eclectic at best including advertisements on a safe:

For refreshments they offer coffee and a good beer selection.

For entertainment they have live music every weekend night:

And a bit of a geeky humor:

They are also perfect for throwing at people.

As seen at my local Giant Foods.

The bags I chose were the Givi E360 bags. This was a hard choice as I didn’t want to choose a bag so small that it would be useless, but I also didn’t want to sacrifice width more than absolutely necessary.

• How difficult is the process?
  Not very. Future installations would take well under an hour.
• Is the stock plastic fender necessary?
  Yes. See below.
• How much weight will I be adding to my bike when the bags are not mounted?
  The brackets and bolts that remain on the bike weigh just under 4lbs.
• How much weight will I be adding to my bike when the bags are mounted?
  All told, shipping weight was 40lbs.  Not much of that was packing materials.
  
• How much width am I adding to my bike? How manageable will it be?
  About 18″ from the widest points without bags (the foot pegs) to the widest point with bags.
• How much will this affect handling?
  Still not sure.  The bike seems more floaty now, but I didn’t adjust pre-load.  I’ll have to evaluate this later.

If you have a 2nd generation SV650, then you can find a similar walkthrough on the SVRider forums.

The materials (minus the actual racks) are lined up first to make sure everything is present.

The brackets that come just for mounting the racks are very solid pieces of metal coated with a hard black paint.  They feel very sturdy and are probably significantly stronger than the rest of the system.  The failure will not come from these brackets.

The brackets included with the system:

• 2 top grab-rail mounts (straight black metal).
• 2 turn-signal relocation brackets (S shaped black metal)
• 1 license plate bracket (V-shaped black metal, connects bags to fender).
• 2 large rectangular metal brackets with three arms off of them - The bags mount to these.
• 2 passenger peg brackets (F shaped, mount to passenger foot pegs)

All necessary supporting hardware is included with the system.  All of the nuts are metric sizes and all of the nuts use hex bits.

The mounting hardware for these brackets included with the system is:

• Grab rail hardware:
  • 2 long bolts - these replace the stock grab rail bolts.
  • 2 short spacers - these go under the brackets to keep them off of the fairing plastic.
• License plate bracket hardware:
  • 2 long skinny bolts
  • 4 washers
  • 2 locking nuts
• Turn signal relocation hardware:
  • 2 big bolts
  • 2 big washers
  • 2 big nuts
  • 2 small bolts
  • 2 small washers
  • 2 small nuts
• Passenger foot peg bracket hardware:
  • 2 bolts - these replace the stock bolts

I did manage to partially translate into English using Google Translate, but the results were non-spectacular.

Luckily, the steps are not very difficult, especially if you do not insist on trying to use the turn-signal relocation brackets on the passenger grab-rail (this took the most of my time before I realized my mistake).

Step 1 - Install Passenger Foot Peg Brackets

This part is the easiest by far.

1) Remove the two bolts holding the passenger foot peg.

2) Install bracket with replacement bolts (slightly longer than the stock ones) and washers.  Proper order is <inside> > bolt > washer > bracket > bike > passenger peg > <outside>.

Be sure to use blue (removable) thread locker to make sure these bolts do not wiggle back out.

These are very obviously installed in one way only:

Both sides are exactly the same, excepting the muffler holding the right side in place.

Step 2 - Install the Grab-Rail Bracket

The passenger grab rail bracket is actually a lot easier to install than I originally thought. As I mentioned previously, I was trying to use the S shaped turn signal relocation bracket here, but you need to use the straight brackets. The diagrams provided by SW-MOTECH really could make this clearer.

Once you have the right parts and order, it’s just a matter of coordination of a bunch of parts that don’t want to line up properly.

The correct order of parts is:

> Bolt > Grab Rail > Bracket > Spacer > Rubber Grommet >

Use the long replacement bolts here.

Leave the bolts finger tight until you get the entire system mounted, as you may need to shift the brackets slightly.

Step 3 - License plate bracket

Unfortunately, the previous owner had chopped the bike’s fender to pieces for appearance reasons.  It was necessary to order a new fender, as part of the rack’s support system involves the rear fender.  There is a single bar which attaches to the license plate bracket portion of the fender.  The installation here is straightforward - just unbolt the license plate, and then remove the license plate bracket.  Install the long black metal bar behind the fender so that the final mounted installation is rear>license plate bracket>fender>side-rack bracket->inside.  Be sure to use the replacement bolts, washers, and locking nuts.  (The long skinny bolts).

I do not have the stock license plate bracket in these pictures, so the license plate is bolted directly to the bolts provided by SW-MOTECH.

Step 4 - Turn Signal Relocation

Not having the stock signals or stock fender, I didn’t need to do this step…

That means some left over parts:

(Stock bolts also “left over” pictured here as well)

Step 5 - Mount the Side Brackets

The final step is to mount the side-brackets on the mounting hardware. The long arm goes down and towards the front. The side-brackets always go on top or in front of the mounting tabs. The mounting screws thread through, with the small metal washers between the side-racks and the mounting tabs as so:

The first time you put the washers on, they will take a little force to get over the metal tabs.

You will need a screwdriver or coin to tighten the mounting screws.

Fully mounted:

Step 6 - SW-MOTECH to Givi Adapters

The Givi adapter kit is also straightforward, although the picture doesn’t quite match the actual hardware. Particularly, bolt holes aren’t labeled where they physically are:

The mounting hardware installed:

The key differences from the diagram involve the mounting of the rubber grommets. In the diagram they are shown as going into the far holes on the left and right sides - in reality they belong on the inside holes. Also, the plastic piece on the top should be mounted so that the notch is pointed downward.

Step 7 - Mount Luggage

The luggage mounts very easily. Make sure the key is unlocked, and slide the bottom part onto the two pegs. The top part clips right in with a light push.

The luggage are Givi E360 cases, also purchased from TwistedThrottle.com. Each case is supposed to hold 40L and can hold one large Shoei RF-1000 full sized helmet if you remove the document holder (which I see little use for anyway).

All Finished

Width Concerns

There’s no way around it, the E360 cases are wide. This definitely adds a lot of width to the bike, to the point I was initially concerned that it would be more of an annoyance than it helped. After a couple of days riding with the bike, I can safely say that the convenience factor is significant - and probably enough to overcome the extra width. An ideal situation would be to have support for a tail bag as well - and switch out the side racks for just one E360 on the tail when you don’t need all of the storage space.

In terms of hard numbers, here’s what I measured:

Stock bike at widest spot (foot pegs): 24″
Just the racks (no bags): 19″
E360 bags installed: 42″

So approximately 18″ extra width in the worst place possible - behind you. It’s a lot easier to evaluate if you’ll hit something if the front is wider.

Handling Concerns

As I mentioned at the top, the bike feels more floaty with these bags. I think that’s partly due to not adjusting the pre-load, which I will do and re-evaluate. The bike also seems more susceptible to cross winds, which makes plenty of sense (bigger surface area). There’s definitely more weight in the back (remember, 40lbs empty), so it’s much more prone to lifting the front wheel under hard acceleration. Otherwise, handling seems perfectly fine.

One huge benefit is I feel a lot less constricted than I did with the soft tail bag on the passenger seat. I can move around and the bag’s not constantly sliding into me. That’s a huge benefit for enjoying the ride.

It started with an instant message from Nick suggesting a deviation from the normal Friday night routine.  His suggestion of rock climbing took me aback a bit, but in retrospect I am not entirely sure why.  Like I mentioned before, rock climbing was something I’d never considered.  I only remember one time prior, when I was in my early teens, that I had been presented with the opportunity. On that earlier occasion I turned it down the offer much the same reason as Nick’s offer a year ago made me a little apprehensive.

Despite having been extremely active throughout most of my life, with typical diversions including running, long distance bicycling, backpacking, and hiking, I have never really thought of myself as very fit.  On both occasions where I was presented with opportunity to climb I was nervous that I would be unable to make it up the wall at all. Luckily I matured a good bit since the first time, and I decided to give it my best shot. It was only afterward that I realized most people do have issues making it to the top of the higher gym walls, and that I was in an exceptional state of fitness.  While most have trouble climbing the 40 foot wall on their first night, Nick and I did a number of times before leaving.

I agreed to join Nick that first night mostly on a lark.  I later learned that for him this was all part of his grand plan to climb Mount Rainier before he turned 30. Sadly, at almost 30 now he won’t be able to achieve his goal. He’s had two attempts at the mountain and has been thwarted twice due to dangerous weather. Despite not achieving what he set out to do from the start, I think he’s gained as much from climbing as I have. Still, he’s a mountaineer at heart, and the tall mountains sing his name. He’ll be back on Rainier again next year.

Although I am sure he would have continued climbing without me, I think we have both benefited greatly from the other’s influence.  We complement each other nicely with extremely compatible temperaments, strengths and weaknesses. Time and time again we have attacked problems that were just at the edge of our reach and, through mutual encouragement and coaching, conquered all. There is little that can withstand our united attack; if one of us succeeds on a problem, he is able to coach the other.  It just works. 

After only two classes we both realized that climbing was a hobby that we wanted to pursue. By the third class we had already spent hundreds of dollars at REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc.) purchasing gear: rope, helmets, climbing shoes, harnesses, chalk bags, carabiners, and ATCs (belay devices). We attended that third and final class with our gear in tow at a time when all of our classmates were still wearing rental gear and looking as if they weren’t sure if they should even bother attending. To call us gung-ho would be a significant understatement.

With knowledge gleaned from some books, internet sites, and a lot of consultation with anyone we could talk to about it, Nick and I went outdoors for the first time. This first expedition was a mere week after the third class, and we had been on indoor walls no more than a handful of times. Not really knowing better, we attacked one of the more ambitious local places for our first outdoor climb, with full 30m rock and limited anchor material. We weren’t reckless, but we certainly were excited. Our research paid off, partly due to some help we got from other climbers, and we survived with a lot of pictures to tell the tale.

Being outdoors has always been a source of solace for me. For a long time I went on frequent backpacking trips accompanied only by my thoughts. At other points in my life I sought the comfort of a long bike ride or a run through the woods. Rock climbing is just another outlet for that need, and one I’m enjoying every minute of.

Since that first day climbing, my life has changed significantly. I’ve lost a lot of weight, and I’ve grown a lot of muscle. I’ve gone from having issues with the lowest rated climbs in the gym to being able to climb routes with holds so small I scoffed at the thought of them being used as hand holds just 6 months ago. I’ve gone from the training wheels of placing anchors at the top of the route to carrying the rope up with me, shoving protection into whatever cracks I can find. I’ve done climbs so long we had to stop and rearrange things four times before getting to the top.

Most importantly, I’ve met some really great people and seen some awesome things. It’s been worth every minute.

From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
-Psalm 61:2

This post was meant to be about my recent climbing trips over the Fourth of July, but this came out instead. Until I get those up, here are a few teasers…

I picked mine up on a whim when I lost my regular ATC (Black Diamond XP).  The Guide feels very solid and I thought I might get around to using the extended capabilities eventually.  For a few dollars more, it was a no-brainer.

It was when I led my first trad climb that I realized how this thing really shines.  The auto-locking capability is awesome, and it only needs an extra carabiner to realize.  With this properly set up there’s no worry about having to hold tightly during cruxes or accidentally dropping the second due to fatigue or poor footing.  This also allows for a more flexible top belay, as the anchors can be back from the edge and you can stand closer to the edge and minimize rope drag (and better see the second).

Like my previous ATC (the XP), the variable friction modes of this work especially well for rappels on thin ropes.  The openings are a little bit tighter than the XP’s, so this device has a lot of friction on thicker (think gym) ropes.  For anything you’ll be dragging up behind you, however, the walls are very nicely spaced.

The only downsides I can see are the weight (it’s a bit heavier, but the extra weight is a minimal portion of the full rack) and that it’s hard to lower someone (the auto-lock is very aggressive).

Lowering IS possible, it’s just a lot trickier than with a normal non-locking ATC.  Black Diamond also has instructions for using the device in this manner:

All in all, this is the best accidental climbing purchase I’ve made yet.

The song is “Sea Lion” by Sage Francis. Enjoy:

I love the opening melody, but the song quickly goes from there as Francis starts speaking/singing. The man has a great sense of rhythm and can certainly keep up. The lyrics are full of metaphor and are worth at least few listens (and a read-through or two). The full YouTube pages for both of these videos contain the lyrics to the songs as well.

Paul “Sage” Francis (born November 2, 1977 in Miami, Florida) is a hip-hop artist based in Providence, Rhode Island. Sage Francis’ style blends a varying tone and delivery with subject matter that focuses on intricate sequences of widely varying imagery, metaphors, the occasional pun, absurdism, word play often times in the form of phonetic mix-ups and rhetorical excursions, and pop culture references, while including touchstones of traditional hip hop such as storytelling and self-promotion. -Wikipedia article on Sage Francis

This has everything I love about hip-hop. It’s the stories, the rhyming, the metaphor, and the visuals that have always appealed to me. Sadly, I got tired of the “bitches and hos” and money talk pretty early on and drifted away from the genre. It still has a lot of appeal, and artists like this renew my interest in the genre.

Unlike my last article on music found on this show, this artist’s works are quite available on the usual sources. Amazon is still my dealer of choice, and a couple of the albums have made it to my hard-drive already. Damn you, Amazon, for making high quality DRM-free MP3s so easy to obtain.

Here’s another great song to finish out:

Last week when the temperatures were soaring to the upper 90s I went for my semi-regular run at the local Sugarloaf Mountain. On the weekends Sugarloaf is home to an excessive number of otherwise exclusively urban explorers out looking to have a little fun in the wild unknown. During the week, however, it is a local treasure that I’m overjoyed to have been able to live near for the past year. This (relatively) small park is home to some awesome running trails, climbable rock, and a lot of wildlife. All within just about 10 minutes fun drive for me.

This last time, despite the heat, I decided to reenact an old fable. The contestants:

This was taken post-run. It was hot.

Sadly, I think my opponent won, but I can’t be entirely sure, as I saw him only after I finished.

These were all taken with my Canon SD870. I am having a really hard time getting it to focus on macro shots. The last picture, for example, is focused really well, just not on the object I want. I guess I should get a DSLR, but I don’t remember it being quite as difficult with my old SD800.

Still, these were some good shots of a very photogenic animal.

When life hands you a heart shaped hot-tub, missing champagne glasses, and a missing TV… Well, you adapt.

And how about a little mood lighting…

What, should we have given up our episodes of Bones?

At least now I have pictures to explain why I’m always carrying around computer speakers and a pair of coffee mugs.

In the car, the transportation is something you participate in. In the motorcycle, you are the vehicle. In the car turns and bumps jolt throw you around, but on the motorcycle you and the machine move as one over the bumps and through the turns as if you are a single entity. It’s easy to step outside and look at the entire endeavor as simple thrill-seeking, but it’s not as simple as that. It’s liberation, it’s power, and it’s wonderful. Riding a motorcycle through the countryside through the turns and hills, it must be like what a bird feels.

Commuting on a bike isn’t quite as nice as all of that, but it’s still a lot better than driving a car. Even in the oppressively hot summer, the drenching cold rain, the deluge of dusk-released bugs, and the occasional fear-inspiring lightening blasts, I’d rather be on the bike. That’s not to say there aren’t challenges…

Take, for example, transportation of items other than yourself. Space on my bike is very limited. This morning, I wanted bagels. I had to resort to desperate measures.

People are often offended by motorcyclists. The few bad apples are remembered, and so people resent all of us. Perhaps there’s a twinge of jealousy behind the resentment as well. This arrangement at least gives me an opportunity to spread good will. Maybe I will toss bagels at people who give me cross grumpy morning stares… I will NOT attempt to spread cream cheese, though - that would be unsafe.

I really need a better luggage situation. Laptop, clothes, climbing gear, and a five pound bag of rice stress the limits of that Nelson Rigg bag…

Yesterday I rode to lunch without anything on the back for the first time in a while. If you commute daily, unload sometime and just go have fun. It really is a different beast without the load. I don’t know how people enjoy riding with a backpack - especially the long distance - and especially in the twisties:

(thanks to Killboy.com for the picture)

I just feel so restricted like that.

The pictures are all from, I think, Cypresss Gardens (SWAMP), a place my mom and I visited on one of our many trips to Folly Beach, SC. I have many fond memories of going to the beach with her, and it’s a shame these are the only pictures that I know of. Neither of us is actually pictured, as I think we both felt about the same way about cameras.

I’m pretty sure the location where these were all taken is somewhere around here: Cypress Gardens Information

View Larger Map

I’ve included all of the pictures at full original resolution purely as an illustration of how far technology has come.

Obviously slow shutter speeds and sensors - my foot is a ghost despite the bright lights.

Look, a lizard!  I don’t think the camera had any sort of zoom, either.

I think that might actually be a snake going across the path.

Turtles?

There was an old cemetery on the grounds.

I think we hoped to actually read this again.  Information about the graveyard.

In a nutshell, I love the Canon SD series (”Digital ELPH“). They have small lenses and small sensors, but they can take some awesome pictures. They are small enough to be in your pocket at all times, so you end up taking a lot of shots with them that you’d never get with a bigger camera. Do they match up to a DSLR (or even a bigger “prosumer” camera)? Of course not, but they hold their own quite well.

Canon in general has had my support for quite a while for a variety of reasons. This is my fourth Canon digital camera (I’ve also owned an SD230 and Powershot S1), and I’m sticking with the company. Besides making good sensors and lenses, I am very happy that they also tend to use standard memory formats, unlike other companies.

On a side note, my mother’s Powershot S1 (my old camera) recently exhibited some odd behavior that was obviously due to sensor problems. It turns out Canon is well aware of this issue and is repairing/replacing all cameras affected by the problem free of charge (including shipping) out of warranty. For more details: http://www.imaging-resource.com/badccds.html. In my mom’s case, the S1 was replaced by an S5 free of charge. Thank you, Canon!

In short, the SD870is is the direct upgrade to the SD800is, but with a bigger screen (3″ vs. 2.5″). Canon’s SD line is confusing to follow, and the model numbers don’t necessarily make sense. Just because it has a bigger number doesn’t mean it’s a better camera. The SD800/SD870 both share the wider angle lens, which I’ve grown quite accustomed to. On the face the SD870 just seems like a minor upgrade (with the exception of the screen).

Initial impressions:

• The new 3″ screen is awesome. It’s huge, and it provides a LOT of detail. The colors look great. Losing the optical viewfinder is not even an issue, as it’s always been a weak viewfinder on the entire SD line. I don’t ever see people using viewfinders on this form-factor camera, so props to Canon for dropping it. The new screen is perfectly big enough for composing and reviewing your picture. Get a screen protector.
• The power button is larger and protrudes more. This is actually bad, as it allows for easier turning on of the camera in your pocket. This is probably the biggest weakness, and I wish Canon had not done this. The old design was perfect.
• The auto and manual modes have been consolidated to the same physical switch. Previously I was constantly switching modes pulling the camera out of my pocket. Now it stays in the same mode unless I change it manually (through the set button menu). This means switching from auto to digital macro is easier as well.
• Focusing and general responsiveness seems faster. Not much.
• Low light support seems better.
• The 8MP is probably useless. Less pictures on my 2GB card now.
• It feels a bit less sturdy than the SD800. Not flimsy, just not as much of a tank as before.
• I really like that the ISO being used, even when on “Auto” or “Hi” ISO mode, is displayed on the screen now. I don’t know that this helps at all, but I like seeing this info. The ISO chosen is now displayed in the review information as well. This used to only be show if you manually selected an ISO value. I don’t know if it’s recorded in the EXIF information.
• The battery meter is now always displayed instead of only when the power is low.
• ISO shift. If you turn it on and put it on the print button, the print button flashes blue if the ISO is too low for the lighting conditions. Press the print button, and it shifts the ISO up to the lowest value that’ll work. So 80 might become 120 or 250. You can also set it to “auto ISO shift”, and it always shifts it up. Not sure how the latter differs from “Auto” or “Hi”.
• The (previously absolutely useless) print button can be assigned functions now. Most useful function is screen blank, but there are a couple of others - for example, toggle the display overlay on and off.
• Reviewing mode is now a button you press on the front of the camera instead of an option on the mode switch. This is a great move in my mind, as previously I would consistently switch to review mode while pulling the camera out of my pocket.

The four-way pad has become a method for selecting the camera mode as well. If you roll your finger around the wing, the mode changes. It’s kind of like the ipod, only less sensitive, and I haven’t really decided if it’s a gimmick or not.

Canon still hasn’t fixed some issues that have bugged me - like the fact the camera forgets you’re in burst mode when you turn the camera off, but over all this is a good improvement. If they’d only left the power button alone, I’d have no real complaints about this upgrade to the SD800.

Sure, I can buy it from Amazon (and other stores), but as an import, at $25-$30, and only as a physical copy. I’ve tried to stop purchasing physical copies of music, and the fact that arbitrary limitations keep me from getting this CD at a reasonable price frustrates me. The label, for whatever reason, doesn’t want to sell this digitally, and so I’m forced to decide between not getting the music (ethically right), buying it as an import (it’s too expensive to justify), or resorting to other methods. I really do believe I should pay for the music I download (if for no reason other than to vote with my money), and I’ve all but stopped downloading music without without buying it (or it being released by the copyright holder), so it’s hard to decide what to do. If I feel strongly enough about supporting the artists and paying for the music I get, then the answer should be simple. Is music important enough to violate your own ethical code, or is it so important that to do so is deeply wrong? I am perfectly comfortable with sharing mix tapes, but downloading the whole album is acknowledging the worth of the music to you. If it’s worth something, why wouldn’t you want to help support the person who made it happen?

The song Pride is beautiful (although I’d drop the bit in the middle) and you should give it a listen. I anticipate hearing the rest of the album… somehow.

The tour started off with a two hour train ride to Limerick, on the western coast of Ireland. There we switched to the bus that drove us around for the majority of the day. The dark red light is our path for the day, with the trip starting off going the southern route and then returning by the northern route.

The first stop on the bus tour was at Bunratty Castle, which wasn’t really what I had previously thought of when I heard the word castle. It’s an impressive building, sure, but just not what I was expecting.

Although it’s not very big, it was complete with a dungeon, turrets, and beautiful stained glass windows. The majority of the adornments are authentic from the same time as the castle, but actually came from other castles. This includes the furniture and glass windows.

Outside the castle is a folk park designed to mimic the style of the time when the castle was in active use.

This features reconstructions of historical cottages and buildings, recreating the general feel of the 19th century with a period style village main street. Old tools, furniture and artefacts are displayed, with the village kept alive by some inhabited shops, an old home bakery and peat fires in cottages. –Wikipedia

This included thatched roofs, waterwheels, and a church.

Yes, that sticker is from the very pub I mentioned in a previous post - one of my favorite Irish pubs in the DC area!

The view outside the pub was awesome, even despite the bad weather:

The Cliffs of Moher were incredibly crowded, but were very impressive to see. Careful examination leads me to believe these would be very climbable, except for the lack of somewhere to stand at the bottom. With some proper traditional gear and a little gumption, these would prove to be an enjoyable climb.

The Irish, apparently, do not always follow directions. The paths past the “do not cross” signs were very well trampled. The guards also seemed to ignore the trespass.

After the cliffs the bus proceeded down some very narrow and very twisty roads. Quite a few times we had issues passing other traffic, including one very close incident with a huge excavator that prompted the entire bus to applaud when the driver made it through without incident.

After a little while on these roads we arrived at The Burren, a very barren part of the west coast of Ireland where large limestone fields dominate the landscape. We got a chance to see some of these, and they proved to be quite photogenic:

Our guide told us that a large variety of species end up growing in the cracks between the limestone, likely due to deposits left by the various birds. Plants that wouldn’t be normally found in Ireland can be found here, including some very nice flowers.

Our bus is off in the distance in this picture:

I spy rock climbers!

After that, it was more coastline driving and a few more scenic shots.

All in all, the rail tour was a lot of fun, but I probably won’t go for that sort of thing again. Rail Tours Ireland was nothing but professional, but I’m just not really suited for that type of adventure. I’m too independent when it comes to travel, and I’d rather not be directed everywhere. Schedules don’t belong on vacations, either, and we were definitely constrained by time the entire tour.

I ended up leaving my hotel at about 0600 on Saturday morning and didn’t return until 2200. I was lucky that the hotel was right beside the train station where the tour started and stopped, or my day would have been even longer. Next time I’ll rent a vehicle or get a cheap flight to somewhere else in Europe.

On Sunday I took a quick bus and walking tour of the city where I took a few more interesting pictures.

A busker making sand sculptures

Christmas decorations in May

The top of a double-decker tour bus

Sunday had awesome weather

I posed for the camera

As usual, the full set of pictures are available in my album for the trip.

Legend: Nick is in the blue shirt and I am in the orange.

When I say the weather was awesome, I mean it. Mid 70s, clear sky, nice breeze, few bugs. We couldn’t ask for a nicer first day of the season outside.

Great Falls Park is a a National Park split by the Potomac river and it extends on both the Maryland and Virginia sides of the river. Here Nick is surveying the route ahead. The rock you see in the picture is on the Maryland side and, despite looking pretty steep from this angle, is not that amazing for climbing. The river is significantly higher than it was last year, so we were a little worried about finding a good place to stand on the bottom.

Before shots

We start the abseil down, with Nick going first. There’s a path we can walk around, but it’s good to go this way when the water’s high. We also want to become as comfortable with doing so as possible on the small pitches as we might have to finish out long multi-pitch climbs with an abseil down.

And the climbing begins!

Vivian coming back down after successfully reaching the top

Random candid shot

Nick forgot his climbing shoes, and sneakers are almost useless for this sort of stuff, so barefoot it was. He did remarkably well, despite the obvious painful nature of such climbing:

I belayed Nick mostly, due to Vivian being much lighter than him. Although she can handle the weight difference, it does lift her off of the ground if either of us falls, which can be a little treacherous on the rock.

Towards the end of the day I started to get artistic

Who watches the watchers?

The last climb up was after it already started getting dark.

Finishing up

You must be this tall to ride this ride

Finally, the Great Falls of Great Falls Park

We finished it off with a few cold pints of beer at an awesome Irish Pub in Great Falls, VA.

As usual, the full set of pictures are available in the photo album for this trip.

Having access to GIS software well before Google Maps made public consumer mapping popular and prevalent, I got curious as to how closely the public maps provided by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) matched the physical layout of the tracks. Obviously the rail map provided by the service is fairly stylized. A full and clearer image of this map can be obtained by going to the WMATA Rail Map on their website. I’ve shrunk it here to hopefully fit under fair use and not get harassed for copyright infringement.

My first thought was that the outer stations seem to be a lot closer together than they are in actuality. I also wondered how much obfuscation was done for security reasons. The stations are all public knowledge, of course, but sometimes these things are hidden. The actual underground rail paths are still an unknown to me, of course, but I imagine those are public record as well.

I started by parsing out the addresses from the Station Listing on the website. Each station is in its own page and so I just pulled down all of the pages and parsed out the addresses. This gave me a listing of station “colors” and addresses.

Next I took the addresses and geocoded them using ESRI’s ArcMap product. ArcMap is a professional level GIS software package that offers data processing, mapping, and geocoding support. These days, the same functionality as I used ArcMap for could easily be found in free services available on the internet. Yahoo, for example, offers a free geocoding API that can easily be used to convert these addresses into real world coordinates. Google Maps, or OpenStreetMap are both free mapping interfaces.

Once I had geocoded all of the addresses I had a list of points that made up the station lines. With a little connecting (manually done, given the small number of points), I ended up with a vector map of the network.

Finally, I overlayed the vector data I had just generated on some base map data of the area that I had available from another project at work.

And, for reference, the map provided by WMATA follows.

This pretty much confirmed my suspicions. The WMATA map takes a lot of liberty with the Orange line (those stops west of Rosslyn are pretty far apart), but overall does try to give an indication of how far apart two stations on the same line are. It’s very difficult to produce an accurate map that is quickly legible and that also conveys the important information quickly. Most users of the metro system don’t care how far apart two stations are, so not as much emphasis is placed on preserving this information. All in all, I think they did a pretty good job.

I’m curious if the NYC subway preserves this information more effectively. Given the size of the railway railway transit system, the maps are larger and much more detailed, which allows for more accurate preservation of the true spatial information.

This weekend a friend of mine (Vivian) and I went on a backpacking trip. This was her first backpacking trip (although she’d been on long hiking trips many times before), and we got off to a bit of a late start on Saturday morning. Since we were a little pressed for time and not quite sure how much actual hiking she would be up for we decided to pick somewhere fairly easy and close. In the Northern Virginia area that pretty much always means a trip out to the Shenandoah National Park. There are plenty of other places to hike, but not quite so many that allow overnight camping.

Located less than two hours away from most of the Washington, D.C. area, the Shenandoah National Park is a very popular destination for people wanting to get a taste of the outdoors. Luckily, the weather was a bit on the chilly side (mid 40s-mid 30s over the weekend), so we didn’t encounter the usual horde of weekend warriors decked out in the latest in fashionable gear from The North Face. The park makes its money off of these people, sure, but it’s still nice when they stay home.

For this weekend’s trip we decided to go down to the Matthew’s Arm area (and not just because of the similarity to my name). This area boasts a great waterfall view (off of the Tuscarora Trail), some good elevation change, and a decent chance of finding a good camping spot. There are also plenty of trails in the area allowing us to tailor the length of our trip as we went.

The day started out with absolutely perfect weather and temperature, with just a splattering of clouds in the sky and just warm enough that we didn’t really need more than a layer or two to stay warm. Considering the forecast when we planned this trip was calling for cold and rainy the entire weekend, we couldn’t have asked for nicer conditions.

From the beginning of the trip it was readily apparent who would be carrying the majority of the load (my pack is on the right, and holds a full 50L more than hers).

Of course, the bag looks just right when she’s wearing it, so mine must be ridiculously over-sized:

The last time I was on this trail the water was in fairly short supply, but thankfully that wasn’t an issue this time. The waterfalls were all very active, and the river by our campsite was flowing quite nicely. This did mean a couple of water crossings, of course, but none that we couldn’t manage with a bit of careful stepping.

Spring is definitely just around the corner, and the trees and flowers are all starting to leaf and bloom. These little flowers were everywhere along the trail, and while I don’t know what they are called, they are very photogenic.

We managed to find a good place to camp somewhere in the middle of the land of a million rocks (the trail was filled with large rocks). This entire area was obviously within a flood area at one point in time (due to the rocks and general shape of the terrain), but that wasn’t a concern for this weekend.

As usual, my whisperlight handled the task of heating water for food.

As per NPS rules for wilderness camping (and as is just general good sense), our food was stored in a “bear bag” high above the ground in case any such creatures decided to come sniffing around.

Being in the middle of the woods doesn’t mean you can ignore proper hygiene!

Being in the middle of the woods also doesn’t mean you have to give up some comforts.

The weekend ended quite a bit colder and cloudier than it started, with the smell of wetness (rain? snow?) in the air. We were quite happy to make it back to the car when we did and as warm as we did.

A cloudy sky might have made the views a little darker, but this part of the country is still beautiful.

While a short trip, it was a lot of fun, and I think Vivian’s gotten bitten by the backpacking bug, so I imagine there will be more trips in the future.

The rest of the pictures are available in my photo gallery.

While packing for the last trip I went on (to Ramsey’s Draft, VA) I decided to end this cycle of forgetfulness and so I documented every item I packed (except for clothes). Now I’m finally putting that online.

• Backpack - I have an “old” Jansport Rockies 100 that has been with me for quite some time. It’s a large pack, which only encourages overpacking. Still, I can’t find any reason to replace it.
• Sleeping bag - temperature appropriate. I am currently rethinking my sleeping bags - for a long time I got by just fine with a 20F synthetic bag, but having recently purchased and absolutely loved my North Face Solar Flare -20F, I’m moving towards a range of down bags. For this trip I plan on purchasing the Mountain Hardware 32F Down bag.
• Sleeping pad - A sleeping pad serves for more than just comfort (rocks, uneven ground) by insulating you with air from the ground and thus reducing the amount of heat that leeches into the ground. Get at least a 3/4 length pad. Self-inflatable is best.
• Camp Stool - this is a purely comfort item, but everyone seems to love using mine when I bring it. Mine’s almost ten years old now, but REI sells a similar lightweight camp stool.
• Water filter - Obviously an essential. I have an old Sweetwater Microfilter from before MSR sold them (I think). Change the filters, and they last forever.
• Stove (and fuel) - MSR Whisperlite, as a fairly recent purchase. I have no complaints with this stove, although there might be better ones out there. Don’t forge t the fuel!
• Pot - Something to boil water in, at a minimum. For this MSR makes a perfectly serviceable Alpine Stowaway aluminium pot. One medium sized one does me fine for 2-3 people trips.
• Bowl, Cup, Utensils - For pure zen, go Alpine Bowl. It’s not fancy, but it’s light and works. An alternative are the squishy silicon bowls. Any spoon will do. Or just eat from the bag. No gourmet allowance here.
• Pack cover - get one that fits your bag, and keep it handy. Even waterproof backpacks leak.
• Utility rope - for hanging bear bags, etc. Consider a small pouch that can be tied to the rope to hold rocks for weight for throwing.
• Water/camp shoes - especially if there will be stream crossings. Flipflops or Solomon Amphibian water shoes. The latter are loved by me.
• Hat - not necessary, but can be nice. I have a floppy brimmed hat.
• Knife - Something simple is fine, but you never know when you’ll need one.
• Matches - Something to start a fire and light your stove.
• Flashlight & batteries - I’m a big fan of LED head lamps. Don’t forget the spare batteries.
• Pack towel - Something microfiber and small. From sweat to spills, these are handy.
• Tent - trip specific.
• Collapsible hiking poles - A lot of people don’t like these. I love them. I have three sets because I have forgotten them too many times and had to buy at the trail head.
• Water bottles - At a minimum I take 4L of water on every trip. I can always pour it out, but not always add to that. Take 6L (per person) if water will be scarce. I use a combination of Nalgene water bottles and Platypus water bags.
• Clothes - I almost left this one off… Appropriate clothing for the weather! If you pack synthetic or wool for everything, you won’t have to pack as much (sweat doesn’t render it unusable for multiple days). Proper clothing for the weather is a long discussion.
• Stuff sacks - Not just of the compressible variety. Waterproof stuff sacks come in handy. Everything gets wrapped in one (clothes for one, food for another). Also one can be used as a bear bag.
• Resealable bags - Traditionally I packed clothes in ziplock bags, but years of lack of problems with water getting all the way inside my waterproof stuff-sacks has made me more lazy about this.  The side-effect is that I never have bags to store trash in.  Every trip should have at least one resealable bag.

For gear reviews, I like this site: Backpack Gear Test.

For gear, I obviously like REI.

This doesn’t really qualify as “adventure” compared to a lot of the other reports, but it was still a lot of fun. I don’t have much to say, and the pictures are the best part of most ride reports. Hopefully someone’s work day is a little less boring because of this. :)

The plan was a two day trip from Washington, DC to… wherever I felt like stopping and back again. I ended up making it to about 50 miles south of Roanoke, VA.

All loaded up and ready to go.

She’s not “adventure”, but she tries. She might be ugly, but the beauty’s on the inside (even though some of it’s leaking out in various places). The Nelson Rigg bags worked wonderfully.

Mr. Garcia watched me pack and blessed the trip. It helped.

And I’m off!

I thought omniscient would mean you don’t need guidance?

I’ll stick with my Garmin.

Finally, scenery.

Looking far over the VA countryside. The parkway gets a lot twistier and has more elevation further south, but the view in VA is always beautiful.

Pictures never capture the real spirit of the experience

… still, you can’t see these and not want to be there.

The clouds were absolutely beautiful

The bugs didn’t want me to see them.

No pants?

Signs like these are usually reactionary. I wonder what the story is. Depending on gender, I’m not sure these rules need to be enforced.

Night time… Time to find a hotel.

Unfortunately, everything was sold out where I ended up. I finally found something… and it definitely qualified as adventure! Next time I’m taking the stuff I need to camp.

The night clerk gave me a discount and gave me a room where I could park “my scooter” outside the window. Thanks!

Sunday

On Sunday I took some back roads for a bit instead of getting back on the parkway right away. The fun stuff (to see) is definitely on the back roads, but so is the gravel on the roads.

The clouds were out again.

Deer suck, but imagine one of THESE running across your path.

I FOUND IT!

Built by ancients? Magical powers?

Whatever, it’s punny, and I like it. I’d almost consider going to see it…

Guess not. Maybe it’s wrong of me, but I laughed for a bit.

I followed this stream up for a while…

… and the pavement disappeared.

Single-sport? So? I’m not afraid of gravel!

This was going to be a self-portrait, but the grass got in the way, so I gave up. This turned out to be a cool shot anyway.

I found the parkway.

Gravel roads end sometimes… Sometimes they end right where you want to be. (Proper attitude means they always end where you want to be, I guess.)

The sky is visible again.

If you don’t give the road equal attention it will throw gravel at you.

If you look closely, you’ll see the inner beauty leaking out, just like I said.

Adventure riders! I had to stop.

The first I saw of the weekend, and then suddenly they were everywhere. This couple happened to be from close to where I grew up. We spoke of gravel, the mid-west, and the rumours about a F800GS…

They didn’t have an ADV sticker, but, then, neither do I.

Kissin’ Counsins

He barely paid us any attention. Probably didn’t recognize mine for what she is without the makeup on. Poor girl.

And I’m home…

Too tired to take any other pictures. It’s all boring from there on out. Lots of traffic and lots of interstate.

All in all, a really fun trip. No incidents, great weather, and fun roads.

This was originally posted by me in this thread
on cutting ex500 springs. I wanted to compensate for the lack of good pictures available on the
topic. There is a wealth of information on this subject in that thread and in others on that
board, so be sure to read up on everything.

The original post follows.

Necessary Parts / Tools

• fork oil - about 800ml, so get the liter bottle
• a gear puller for removing the plug
• a couple of feet of 3/4″ PVC pipe (you won’t use it all, but it’s best to have extra)
• something to cut the springs - I used a dremmel and a cutting wheel
• 6mm allen wrench to remove the handle bars
• 10mm socket/wrench to remove the drain plug (1st gen only)

Step 1 - Remove handlebars

Get rid of the two bolts pictured below. Pull the caps off first, of course.

Step 2 - Remove the cap on the shock

This is where the gear puller comes in handy. You could do this with a screw driver, but the gear puller is SO much easier. Thanks, FOG.

You’re pushing it down to get to the metal ring that holds the cap from popping out. Once the cap’s out of the way, remove the clip:

Step 3 - Remove the cap

Now that the clip’s out of the way, unscrew the puller. The spring will push the cap out:

Step 4 - Extract the spring

There’s a lot of it - 20.1875″ worth on my ‘93. The next generation has a bit shorter spring.

Step 5 - Remove the oil (drain, pour, or suck)

If you’re lucky enough to have a drain hole, use it. If not, follow FOG’s instructions (search) on putting your own drain plug in. Or suck the fluid out.

Step 6 - Cut the springs

Use the calculations from the thread on cutting ex500 springs (original spring length / new spring length X original spring rate = new spring rate) to figure out how much to cut. It’s easy enough to do again but hard to undo, so be conservative.

Step 7 - Cut the spacer

Again, read the rest of this thread (and the cutting spacers thread as well).

Step 8 - Refill with oil

Pour in the proper amount of oil. Read the rest of the thread and your service manual for the proper amounts.

Step 9 - Reassemble

Spring, washers, spacer, plug, and push it all back together. Put the clip back in.