Vehicle for a Small Planet

“A cyclist can ride three-and-a-half miles on the calories found in an ear of corn. Bicycles consume less energy per passenger mile than any other form of transport, including walking. A ten-mile commute by bicycle requires 350 calories of energy, the amount in one bowl of rice. The same trip in the average American car uses 18,600 calories, or more than half a gallon of gasoline.”—Marcia D. Lowe, The Bicycle: Vehicle for a Small Planet (this quote was found here)

The following clip is only 47 seconds long and interesting enough to watch...but then again, as I've mentioned in previous posts, if you're reading this I'm most likely preaching to the choir.

Seafood and Vegetable Fried Rice

Here's some of the ingredients:

Onions, broccoli, green beans, carrots, zucchini (which, believe-it or-not, I still had in my fridge as one of the last garden vegetables picked). Also, garlic and ginger (not pictured).

Brown rice that was cooked in diluted chicken broth and spiked with Thai curry paste.


A plain egg omelet which was cut into julienne strips.

Sauteed tilapia, also crab meat (not pictured).


Once all the items were chopped (and the rice was cooked), the recipe was stir-fried in 5 minutes.

World's Most Fuel Efficient Engine

The only fuel this engine burns are a few calories...its only emission is a little sweat now and again. Not a hybrid...nothing to plug in...100% human powered. For short, urban distances, if you are a healthy adult, I see no reason why this is not only an option, but the first choice. To me it is way more satisfying than driving a mile or two in a motorized vehicle. The video clip is only 60 seconds long...I hope you find it inspiring.

Things That Can Be Carried On A Bike (#109)

A new axe.
A gallon of wood stain.

Things That Can Be Carried On A Bike (#108)

A plastic crate.
$24.41 in groceries.
$11.22 of Chinese takeout food.
A rented DVD.
A u-lock.

(The Question About) The Bill

This is an interesting short film that I borrowed from People Powered (thanks Andy!), but it was originally posted by the European Christian Environmental Network. It indirectly (more bluntly towards the end) asks some serious questions about our footprint on this earth. It is in German but it does have English subtitles...the dialog moves pretty quickly but I'm a slow reader and was able to keep up. Anyhow, I highly recommend you watch it...the last minute or so is nothing short of profound...it'll probably make you think (it did me).

Things That Can Be Carried On A Bike (#107)

A canvas bag (front rack).
A u-lock.
25 feet of rolled roofing material (that stuff is heavy!...50lbs, I'm guessing).
A paper bag containing a box containing a quart of sriracha sauce, a pint of cous cous, and a pint of curried chicken.

Now here's the irony...the Yuba is parked in front of my truck, which I haven't used in a few days.

Hawthorne Bicycles 1920

We need more advertisements like this today: bicycles for work and play. To learn more about Hawthorne Bicycles, click here.

Meditation Poll Results

Well, the meditation poll has ended...thank for all those who offered your vote. These were the results (the three largest categories voted):

20% say they meditate daily
33% say they meditate now-and-again
26% say they think it's voodoo

Urban (Un)Simplicity: Don't Try This at Home

Yup...this is a short clip of me on my morning commute...uh huh, sure. If you're interested in watching a bicycle stunt dude in an urban environment you'll find this 5 minute video entertaining...I certainly did. All I can think to say is: holy shite!

Crazy Vertical Indoor Racetrack Thing

Is it just me or does this look insane?

No helmets or padding. Fixed gears; no brakes (click the image for a larger view). Imagine if one would fall (they probably all would). Look at the guy in the rear riding high on the rim. How, I wonder, did they begin (to get enough centrifugal force to get vertical), and more importantly, how did they stop gracefully.

Sometimes It's The Darkness...

When I was a kid I loved the winter, and for the most part still do...I love the change of seasons and I still love the snow (for the first couple of months, anyhow). Living in Buffalo you have to enjoy the cold and snow or you'll have problems. We don't get as much snow as our reputation precedes (ever since the blizzard of 77 we've had this reputation, but many other cities, especially Syracuse, get far more snow each year). But what, I believe is what really gets me, what I have to get past is the darkness and greyness. With the advent of the winter months clouds blanket the region and the sun seems not to shine for weeks sometimes (the above shot was taken at 3:30 this afternoon), and with daylight savings it gets dark even earlier...it is pitch black by 5:30pm...soon it will be even earlier. I'll get over it...it's just that sometimes the grey and dark can get to me. But as I sit here at this moment, in the present, wood stove cooking away a few feet from me, full stomach, glass of wine at hand and loyal dogs at my feet, I have nothing to worry about. Everything is fine...it always is. Bring on the night.

Things That Can Be Carried On A Bike (#106)

Two pints of vegetable soup.

30 Gallons of Vegetable Soup

I rarely post pictures of food from my job (opposed to my home kitchen), but today I happened to have my camera at work and these vegetables were just too beautiful not to photograph.

Gerald Iversen on Living Simply

The below video is pretty interesting, nothing you probably haven't heard before, but interesting none-the-less...and worth the 8 minutes of your time. It's a short conversation with Gerald Iversen, National Coordinator of Alternatives for Simple Living (click here for the web site). I've read their web writings for years...pretty inspiring...but have not seen any video clips of them..Gerald Iversen seems like a rather down-to-earth guy. I have to say, though, that I found it really annoying at all the pop up ads that you have to keep clicking down...at one point he was stating that the avarage American views 16,000 commercials everyday and at the same time an ad popped up in front of him...I laughed out loud. Anyhow, it's a good clip...if you're into simplicity (which I'm assuming you are if you're reading this), you'll enjoy it.

Carrying Tires on a Bike

Seems a little ironic, doesn't it?...Carrying car tires on a bicycle. Just another example of Things That Can Be Carried On A Bike (and no, that is not me...I found this clip at CETMA Cargo...I do own one of their front racks). And yes, these tires could have been carried in a car trunk or in the back of a pickup truck, but it would not have been nearly as much fun. I own a vehicle and could easily carry everything I need to in it, but it (again) would not be as much fun...and the guy in this video sure looks like he's having a good time.

The Practical Pedal (pickup locations)

I dropped off the Practical Pedal in a few locations around town this evening. All the shop owners were more than glad to accept them, and people were picking them up right away...it's a nice addition to our local bicycle community. (If you'd like to read my original post about this magazine and how I came to have a bundle of them, click here). At any rate, here's where you can find them, at least for now.

Cafe 59 (on Allen and Franklin)
The Falafel Bar (Allen Street location)
Cafe Taza (Elmwood near Allen)
Campus Wheel Works
Spot Coffee (Elmwood Location)
The Lexington Co-op

Things That Can Be Carried On A Bike (#104 & #105)

Three plastic crates and one bundle of Practical Pedal Magazines ready to be delivered (on my way to do a little grocery shopping).

Three plastic crates of groceries on my way home.

(It's always interesting, and a little confusing to the cashier I think, when you tell them that you don't need plastic bags.)

Delaware Park

I love this photo (which was found here). It's a picture of Delaware Park in the city in which I live. The photo, I think, really captures what it's like in this region during the autumn months. Delaware Park, is one of the parks that was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted.

The Impossible Journey

This is an interesting 8 minute clip, and it correlates with my previous post. It's a short story of an artist named John Bonner who is attempting to commute from the North Shore (a Boston suburb) into Boston. The author does this with a sort of dry, tongue-in-cheek sort of way...it's rather entertaining. I originally found this clip at Commute By Bike; here's a link to John Bonner's Site.

The Impossible Journey from John Bonner on Vimeo.

(sub) Urban (non) Simplicity

A couple things. Firstly, I have no idea where this photo is from, but it could be a shot of any suburban street in America (I found the photo and the below cartoon here). And secondly, if you are a suburbanite reading this I mean you no disrespect (I spent my teen years in the suburbs), I just think that urban living makes a lot more sense (and I am more comfortable there). If you like suburban living that's your choice, I am not trying to tell you otherwise. But from a biker/walker/car-lite person, this is how I see it.

For whatever reason I've found myself in the suburbs for the past three days (and yes, I drove there. It's interesting how I found myself getting tense in traffic situations...on a bike this probably would not have happened. But alas, the suburbs are not conducive to biking...even if I was someone who rode distances (which I'm not) the suburbs are really anti-biking...pictures like the one above are all too common...it is a veritable death game to ride a bike in those conditions. To be a suburbanite is to be car-dependent (please, correct me if I'm wrong). This is the reason I found the below cartoon so interesting (and humorous).

And lastly, on one of my recent trips to the suburbs I was in a neighborhood that resembled the one below (that is actually a suburb of Toronto; the image was found here). As I was getting back in my vehicle I stood for a minute or two and looked around. I feel like such an alien in that environment...it doesn't seem real to me. As I stood there something felt really odd and I couldn't figure it out. All the pristine McMansions with their perfectly manicured lawns (click here), but something seemed a little off to me...then I got it: where were all the people? All those big prefab houses and all I saw were cars in the driveways, but no people. It was, quite frankly, a little creepy.

Things That Can Be Carried On A Bike (#103)

A really big pumpkin!

This is actually an old image from last year...but thought it appropriate considering today's date...Happy Halloween.

Things That Can Be Carried On A Bike (#102)

Four plastic crates full of groceries.

Codfish "Meatballs" in Tomato Sauce

If you are a regular reader of this blog you know that my diet is the opposite of a low carb diet...my diet contains a lot of bread, rice, pizza, and pasta (whole or multi-grains, mostly). At any rate I had pasta for dinner tonight (again!), and topped it with codfish "meatballs." I know this may sound a little odd at first, but they are really delicious (and healthy)...and I love the flavor of fish in tomato sauce. These can also be served over rice instead of pasta, and the flavors can be altered as well...they would, for example, be delicious with the addition of a little ginger and curry (in the meatballs and the sauce) and served over basmati rice. But tonight I had them with a traditional Italian-style tomato sauce over whole wheat rigatoni.

If you have a food processor these are so easy to make...the entire process took maybe five minutes (cleanup too longer than preparation), and cooking time was about twenty minutes...but that's the fun part. Anyhow here's how I made them:

Combine all of the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. I used two cod fillets, a clove of garlic, a couple eggs, some hot pepper and basil, a handful of breadcrumbs, and a few fennel seeds. Then run the food processor for a minute or two, or until it has a somewhat smooth consistency. Let the mixture rest for a couple minutes (while you wash the food processor) to allow the breadcrumbs to absorb moisture).

Then shape the meatballs and brown them in hot olive oil. Add your favorite tomato sauce (yes, tonight, believe-it-or-not I used a jarred sauce...I also added onion, garlic, peppers, fennel, and a little wine...and the flavor of the fish really really enhances it). Simmer them for a few minutes while you cook your pasta or rice...delicious!

NYS DMV (part two)

Well, there it is...the Yuba locked to a tree in front of the offices of the Department of Motor Vehicles. There are hundreds (maybe thousands) of brand new bike racks throughout the city (click here to see them), yet none in front of the DMV...I'd like to think that I am not the only person who uses a human powered vehicle to renew their license to drive a motorized one...thankfully there was a tree.

On the bright side...The person who took care of me was extremely pleasant and personable (not to mention efficient)...the entire interaction (including an eye exam and new photo) took no more than five minutes.