Packing Panniers for Bike touring.

Leaving for Portsmouth in a couple of hours for the 700 mile cycle to Santander in Northern Spain, and just finished packing the panniers, pumped the tyres up, fitted a front mudguard (back one doesn fit!), and took the bike for a spin round the block. It feels really wobbly with the front panniers, very strange to ride and quite a lot of flex in the frame and wheels - think I'll  have to take it easy on the mountain down hills this time and keep a careful eye on the road surfaces. eek!

This is how I have packed my Panniers. I've packed according to task, this time, to try and avoid unpacking the whole bike during the day at every food stop. I've packed all things for food prep and eating in the front panniers and all overnight stuff in the rear panniers. Any quick access during the day (rain jacket, fleece etc.) will be in a dry bag strapped to the rear rack. Ive got one other dry bag spare just for food en route.

Rear Pannier #1 ( Clothes - Overnight access only)
padded shorts x 2
underpants (for off bike)
water proof socks x 1
socks x 2
Casual shorts x 2
t-shirts x 4
long sleeve merino base layer (chilly days)
short sleeve merino base layer (chilly nights)
long trousers (off bike- ferry crossings)
shirt(off bike)
plimsoles  x1 (much lighter than trainers)
Flip flops (may not need these by the look of the weather forecast)
Toiletries (tooth brush / paste /deodorant/ soap, razors)
phone charger and continental adaptor (charging phone at campsites)

Rear Pannier #2 (campsite access only)
Tent (Robens Voyager 2 man)
sleeping mat (blow up type)
Sleeping bag (3 season)
ground sheet (on rack)
Rolled up dry bag for food.(on rack)

Front Pannier #1 (Cooking and food prep only)
Stove x 2
pans x4
condiments (olive oil, detergent,salt,washing up liquid)
lighters

Front Pannier #2  (Cooking and food prep only)
kettle
plates
cups
gas cannister X 3
Rubbish bags

2 x dry bags bungeed to rear rack:

dry bag  #1 (rolled up on rack until needed)
Food en route only

dry bag  #2 (quick access during day)
towel
fleece x 1
high vis cycling jacket
rain mac
cycling gillet
Down Jacket (cold mornings/evenings and overnight ferry)

Handlebar bag
small first aid  kit
compass
insect repelent
hand wipes
Box of Tissues
warm gloves (thinsulate)
cable ties
spare nuts an bolts (small food bag)
Swiss army knife (thanks David)
head torch and spare batteries
baseball cap
Bike tools (alen keys, spoke key, small pliers, chain link tool,puncture repair kit )
video camera (Flip utltra)

Not sure how much the whole lot weighs but its going to take a little getting used to the bike wobble.

Cycle Touring on Mavic Askium Race wheels... mmm...

update: 09.10.11:

Well I've recently returned from another fully loaded continental cycle tour. This time with 4 panniers to keep the bike more balanced. I had about 20k on the back and about 10k up front. I rode over some very rough roads and hit more than one pot hole. My Mavic Askiums are, to my continued surprise, still in mint condition. The shimano hubs are still good, and I havn't yet, after over 2000 miles fully loaded cycle touring, need to tighten any spokes or make any adjutments. What can I say except, yes, it is possible to cycle tour on these wheels.

any questions?

original post:


Having trawled the internet looking for some information about how strong the wheels on my bike are, I still cant find what I need to know. The chap in the bike shop says they are strong wheels, and they 'should' be ok for my next cycle tour, but could present trouble if they break - which they 'shouldn't'.

The wheels on my touring bike are not typical 32 ,38 or 48 spoked super strong touring wheels. My Mavic Askium wheels are fairly skinny racing wheels with only 20 aero dynamically shaped [flat] spokes.

When I cycled through France in May, I was carrying roughly 15 to 20 kg on the back of my bike, and only a bar bag up front with no more than 3 kg inside. Although the back wheel did visibly flex whenever I leaned the bike over (against a tree or wall), I got back in one piece with no drama at all, despite hitting a couple of potholes en route.

The question now, is do I tour again on these somewhat unsuitable (and possibly weakened) wheels, or shall I buy super strong touring wheels with standard spokes? (Having 'standard' spokes is an advantage because most bike shops around the word stock them.)

Well, I cant really afford to splash out on new wheels now, and I set off in just over a week, so I am going to tour again on the same wheels complete with special speedy spokes.Worst case scenario? I get a cracked rim or spoke break when I am 50 miles away from the nearest bike shop, and it's raining hard. A broken spoke with these wheels will undoubtedly mean a buckled wheel too. My only option in that case will be to try and fix it. Never had to fix a wheel before so hope that doesn't happen.

Surely, I can't be the only person fool enough to cycle tour on wheels designed for racing?

Cycle route from St Malo to Santander

I'll be setting of with good friend and seasoned explorer, Emma, on 7th Spetember, aiming to arrive at Santander in northern Spain 13 days later in time to catch the 24hour ferry back to Portsmouth. W'ell be camping on route and hoping for strong tailwinds to help us up the 200 miles of hills in Spain. Here is the planned route:


View Larger Map

Life is short

Remember as a child, how the summers used to last forever, and how far away next year always seemed? Remember waking up feeling free and excited about the day ahead with a sense of optimism that maybe you can only get when you are young - when so much is unfamiliar and responsibility is something your parents have.

And now, all grown-up, how the years fly ever more speedily by and how my childish naive optimism has become charred by responsibility and consequences; and the freedom that I think I still have is actually chained up like a wild dog frothing at the mouth. These grown-up days are filled up with routines, clocks, facts and cynicism. I see the same things over and over, hear the same sounds day after day and every smell is so familiar, I don't even notice.

Maybe life isn't too short - it just seems like it is because the daily tastes, sounds, sights and smells don't really change much from day to day. 

So where to next?

Thinking about where to go next - just me,my bike and my video camera that is.

I like the idea of cycling through multiple countries so first thoughts were about flying somewhere far flung and exploring different cultures. But, then I thought about cycling over a mountain range. Turns out, in Europe we have one of those so I think I might be able to come up with a viable route where I can cycle across 6 countries and a mountain range in 14 days without even getting on a plane .

A route like this would take me over Lake Geneva and Mont Cenis (6827 ft). Too ambitious? maybe, but only one way to find out I suppose. Not decided yet, but this is a definite contender... At this point I think starting last week in August would be realistic since the high mountain passes might not be accessible until late summer when all the snow has melted.


View Larger Map

However, the reason I want to challenge myself like this, isn't just physical - in fact the physical challenge isn't really all that important. I want to go on the kind of cycling journey that takes me away from my comfort zone and further away from the things I know.

I think the idea of cycling over the Alps, just doesn't scare me enough - yes the physical challenge would be immense, but there would be no cultural hurdles, no real sense of venturing into an unknown and all in all, just a bit too predictable.

My coast to coast France trip taught me that the hardest thing to deal with was being alone. Every other challenge I faced was minor really. And you have a lot more time to feel lonely when you don't have enough practical things to occupy your mind with; so the best way to deal with that is to find bigger practical challenges along the way. Cycling through countries with alien traditions, language, culture and politics would surely be more unpredictable and maybe just a little bit more scary.

So, thinking like that, I am now looking at alternative routes - maybe the Adriatic coast - Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia. Maybe through Turkey to Georgia. Just don't know yet although just booked time off work this wee to do it, starting last week in august, so better come up with a firm plan soon.

I think I need to do some wild stealth camping too.

Video of my coast to coast tour in France

France coast to coast - Debrief

I have been thinking about a solo cycling adventure for quite a long time but I suppose never quite had enough courage to actually do one until recently. I think the timing was just down to the state of my 10 year relationship with Jessica and the uneasy sense that it was coming to an end. Although the thing that has always appealed to me about the idea of solo distance cycling has been exploration and meeting different people every day. Beyond that I think the idea of life on the road just seems less scary than the prospect of living out the rest of my life in front of a TV or computer.


I wanted this trip to teach me something about myself - to maybe show me how I might be able to take on the rest of my life - to see how much independence I could really deal with, but mainly I wanted to come back with a different perspective and be more prepared to adventure in future. Maybe that's quite a lot to expect from a 2 week 700 mile solo bike tour, but I'm not completely disappointed.

The most important parts of the trip, were the small challenges I faced along the way - these were the things that were going to help me get what I wanted. If I had carefully planned every aspect of this short tour, how you do when you go on holiday, it would have been a lot easier - I wouldn't then have a had to wrestle with the basics every day ( food, water,where to sleep), I wouldn't have got lost and I could have allowed myself a couple more days so I didn't  have to ride every day. So I left some things to chance and denied myself a few little home comforts.

I did not use gps to navigate - map and compass only.
I did not talk to anyone on the phone.
I did not plan where I would sleep each night - subsequently many camp-sites I arrived at were closed.
I did not allow myself any days off to rest and wash clothes.

This is about as difficult as I could make what in essence was a sunny stroll through France on 2 wheels - but its a start.

As it turned out, those 'basic' challenges were not the things that I found hard. Energy and hydration did require more daily effort than I'm used to, but loneliness is a problem that worries me for future solo tours.

This is what Al Humphreys (solo round the word cyclist) says about loneliness on the road:

"But also riding alone was ideal- it is much harder: you stand or fall by your own decisions, qualities and shortcomings, and people are much more receptive and welcoming to a lone traveller. It was very hard being alone- the hardest part of the journey - but very rewarding in the end."

So maybe I will find the courage to do some more challenging tours, perhaps longer, further afield solo trips so that I can learn to cope better. TV is a great for making you feel like you're not alone but TV's are usually heavy and need a lot of electricity - speaking of which reminds me that I must find a larger solar panel re-charger for my next journey - the powermonkey was great but needs at least 2 full days of continental sun to be able to fully charge an iphone - luckily I had lots of sun.

I met some really nice people on the trip and made new friends - this is probably the main benefit of cycling solo. I spoke lots of French, some Italian and got a lot fitter. I do feel mentally stronger somehow, perhaps more optimistic about my future and what I am capable of. But most importantly I think, this trip reminded me how important friends and family are - how important other people are - especially the ones we take for granted. I'll try and make more time for them in future. Jessica did announce the end of our relationship  a day or so after I got back, it wasn't a surprise, but somehow the trip has helped me deal with it and I'm ok.

I'll post some video of the trip shortly and more photos, maybe an itinerary too - just in case you are inspired to have a go yourself!

Follow me through France!

My very good friend Dave (Buddahmagnet) has rigged up a website that shows exactly where I am on my cycle trek on an interactive map, as soon as I send a voice message (Audioboo) from my phone.

So, instead of just sending tweets I will be doing my best to post audio boos to help chart my progress each day, and for anyone who is interested....this new website will allow anyone to see where I am, listen to my daily comments, see the pictures I have taken on route, and also, if you're not too shy, record your own voice message to me or send me a picture. Pretty cool huh! - provided my phone doesnt run out of battery and I dont cap out my roaming charges of course.

Take a look for yourself - here is the website: http://leonine.heroku.com/

let me know what you think too.

Ready to Roll!

I spent most of bank holiday Monday rigging up my bike with panniers and all the clothes and camping gear I'll need for my 700 mile coast to coast tour. (pics below)

I leave in less than 2 weeks so better get a shift on as I still need to sort out a few things- not least, how I am going to get back since I need to dismantle my bike and put it in a bike bag before getting on the tgv train at Montpelier. I've found a bike shop there that is only a few miles from the train station so hopefully they will be kind enough to help me sort that out. (Assuming of course that I will make it to the south coast in 13 days!).

I suppose the biggest hazards to not getting to Montpelier in time to catch the train back will be getting lost and/or health/injury problems or bike problems that I cant fix when I'm miles from anywhere. All part of the fun though! 

I still need to highlight my route completely on all 9 large scale maps and mark on all the camp sites along the way using my newly acquired  Michelin camping guide which is too heavy to take with me. I also need to get larger scale maps of the small towns I'll be camping in so I can actually find the camp sites without using gps.

I took the bike out for a decent spin this evening just to see how she rides with all the extra weight. Not bad! obviously slower up the hills and more leg work needed to get going, but on the flats and downhill, pretty good. I think the Brooks B17 champion saddle is starting to break in (my poor arse) with only 500 miles on the clock so with any luck, by the time Im half way down France Ill be fully in the comfort zone - althouth I may have sore legs by then.

Preparing for my channel to the Mediterranean cycle tour

Having really enjoyed my first 130 mile coast to coast cycle tour with friends from Ilfracome to Plymouth a couple weeks ago [watch video], I am now busy preparing for my next, slightly longer, solo coast to coast ride from the English Channel to the Mediterranean. This time I've decided to camp rather than stay in comfy B&B's, mainly because I haven't ever been camping and I'd like to give it a go, but also because I think it will make for a better overall experience.

Here is my route, starting on a channel beach near Caen and finishing on a Mediterranean beach just south of Montpellier - I'm not going to pin point every camp site or even try and predict where I will stop each night, but at an average of 50 miles a day I should be able to make it in 13 days (or less if I can knock out 70 or 80 miles a day in northern France (before it gets too hilly).

My journey goes through Milau (just south of point 'L' on the map below) - cant wait to see the record breaking Viaduct there!


View Larger Map

Went to look at the camping gear I'll be taking with me today. Including my tent, sleeping bag an panniers (unloaded) Im only adding about 4.5 kg of weight to my bike. Figure I'll need to carry at least a couple litres of water on the climbing days around the Tarn region and Languedoc so I need to try and save grams where I can. Amazed to be able to get a 2 man tent for £200 that weighs less than 1.3kg. If i can wash my clothes each night at the campsites, I shouldn't need to take too much clobber either. I will publish my Itenerary as soon as I've sorted it out.

I leave on Saturday 14th May.
If you fancy joining me,  Ill see you at Portsmouth docks about midday on 14th - dont be late!
Alternately, if you happen to be on the med at Avenue de la Méditerranée/D137 near Valras Plage (near Agde) on 27th May, Ill see you there.

Kodak Playsport vs Flip ultra video camera

Both of these cameras are sold as 'just point and shoot' cameras. That is what matters out in the field. When something unexpected happens you get the camera out quick and hit record.

I've been using Flip ultra (Ist generation) for a couple years now - mainly for mountain biking in the surrey hills and beyond. About 8 months ago I invested in a new Kodak Playsport HD video camera - an upgrade if you like. The playsport appealed to me because it looked smaller and nicer, and it had more options, as well as a bigger screen for playback. The waterproof thing was a bonus really but not something I would use (unless I dropped it in a puddle).

I've used them both for a while now- holding the camera while cycling along one handed, I can conclusively say that my next camera will be the new Flip ultra HD - effectively the HD equivalent of my Flip ultra.

So what's wrong with the Playsport?
Both cameras are really very good at what they do, but the playsport falls down for three entirely practical reasons:

1. Activating while on the move
I keep the camera in a waist bag while I am riding and that gives me quick and easy access to it at any moment. Once I get my hands on it, all I need to do is turn it on and hit record. the playsports unnecessarily slick design is smooth, thin and small - because of that its more difficult to grab quickly and get facing the right way in an action situation when you don't always have both hands free. Getting my thumb to the on button is more difficult too. Its in roughly the same place as the Flip's, but because the Playsport is thinner, its harder to turn in my one free hand - not impossible, just more fiddly and that means it takes me longer to activate it while on the move. An Action camera thats too fiddly for an action situation? Or maybe it was designed for people who like the idea of action recording but spend more time on the sofa with it admiring all the software settings?

2. Browsing and playback
The playsport requires me to access the playback mode before choosing which video to select to playback from thumnails of each. sounds ok, but having got used to the Flip way - much quicker. The Flip does this with one button 'press' then its playing already. The Flip has less options to play with on the sofa, but so much more practical to be quick in the Action situation. The playsport does give you more options for configuring the camera settings and some people like that, but this is why its slower. I didnt appreciate how good the Flip way is until I used the playsport on the move.

3. Connection to computer (to download video for editing)
This is more of a hardware issue. The Playsport comes with a lead that you plug in to charge it. The connection into the unit is rubbish. It works but its not very robust. I have to lie the camera down while charging otherwise the connection stops working. Just a poor design really and very frustrating. Maybe they could improve it by making the lead snap in to the connector socket so you know its in properly.

Whats wrong with the Flip?
Not much. It has virtually no options compared to the Playsport but it's supremely easy and convenient (one handed) to use while on the move. Its very quick to browse and review what you have recorded too - Hundreds of configuration options are only good if you like playing with yourself on the sofa.
I do wish the Flip had a removable SD card like the playsport. - more of a nice to have though. My older non HD Flip has quite small review screen too - another reason why the playsport appealed to me initially.

This isnt a detailed review on spec, as you've noticed by now - spec is for sofa posers. Big buttons and a non-slip brick shaped case that fits in my hand might not look as pretty - but function over form - any day. The new Flip ultra HD has a bigger review screen too. Just the job.

I recorded this video with my Flip ultra (non HD)
And I recorded this video with my Playsport in HD
And this video has clips from both my Flip and Playsport (can you spot the difference?)

Spec and features (posing now)

Zoom on the Flip is pointless, its better on the playsport but not quick or smooth enough for me. But you cant really expect decent optical zoom for less than 100 squid.

more soon....

update: 28.01.12
I'm now using the VEho Muvi HD10  - my review here: http://gavinleone.blogspot.com/2012/01/veho-muvi-hd10-handsfree-minicam-review.html

Eating insects

Apparently I am in the minority because I dont eat insects.

Something like 80% of the worlds population eats insects as part of their daily diet.

The thought of tucking into a beetle or moth or locust disgusts me, yet I heartily enjoy eating sea insects like shrimp, prawns, crab etc.

How can I undo the cultural conditioning my brain has been subject to so that I might be able to enjoy land insects in the future without being sick?

mmm... food for thought, no?

Steel frame bike vs Carbon frame bike

Well , after a few months waiting, my new steel framed audax/touring bike has arrived complete with Brooks B17 saddle and leather bar tape. Retro - all I need now is a tweed jacket right?

Ive only done about 30 miles on it so far but what a huge difference to my full carbon racer. Let me explain.

I have been riding a carbon race bike, so the real question is how does it ride compared to my full carbon racer?


Well, the steel ride is a lot smoother over uneven road surfaces - it seems to absorb the bumps rather than skip over them. The stiffer and lighter carbon bike would tend to jump and hop over bumpy surfaces making the ride uncomfortable by comparison. This means that the tryes stay in contact with the tarmac for longer on the heavier steel frame.

The steel forks put more weight up front too, which makes it a lot less twitchy than the carbon and so it feels better in the corners - safer  smoother.

Speed?
The one thing I dont get with the steel bike is the immediate response when I put my foot down. The carbon would fly from a standing start ,but needed more effort to maintain speed on the flat. This is one thing I really like about the heavier steel frame - momentum and coasting on flat or downhill.
On the steel bike I am definitely faster on the flats and downhill. Going uphill on the steel is.....different... it is slower going up than the carbon because its heavier, but at the same its less jerky  and Im more comfortable to I am happier settling into my rhythm on the long steep climbs.

Conclusion
I dont race bikes but I do like to go fast - who doesnt? I will gladly sacrifice one or two miles per hour average speed in favour of a smoother, more comfortable more enjoyable ride. Cycling for me is about having fun  - sometimes fast, sometimes slow admiring the views. I need my bike to help me out, not fight me when I want to go slow.

My next ride is a 100+ mile run from Ilfracombe to Plymouth - will have more to say about steel and the brooks saddle after that, as well as some video of the ride.
Steel is real.

The EightTypes of Intelligence

Anyone who  has done an IQ test and come off badly shouldn't feel too upset. The modern IQ test isn't that modern really, and doesn't tell you how intelligent you are in a complete sense - not according to Dr Howard Garener anyway.


Dr Gardener's 8 types are more than just a broad recognition of EQ though , here is a brief summary of each type:

1. Spatial
- the ability to visualize with the mind's eye. Careers which suit those with this type of intelligence include artists, designers and architects. A spatial person is also good with puzzles.
2. Linguistic - how good you are at reading, writing, telling stories and memorizing words along with dates
3. Logical-mathematical - if you're good at mathematics, chess, computer programming and other logical or numerical activities (this is like traditional IQ)
4. Bodily-kinaesthetic -  if you are well coordinated and good at physical activities such as sports or dance
5. Musical - if you are musical and have sensitivity to rhythm, pitch, meter, tone, melody or timbre
6. Interpersonal - how well you empathize with others and relate to people
7. Intrapersonal - this is how good you are at understanding yourself and predicting your emotional responses
8. Naturalistic - your ability to contemplate phenomena or questions beyond sensory data, such as the infinite and infinitesimal

makes me feel better anyway. p

I tried doing an IQ test a few years ago, I didn't finish because I got bored with it. Maybe I could have done well,maybe not, but I generally feel that I can only do well if I am stimulated by the subject matter, so to carry on trying while un stimulated was pointless. Speed chess is fun - slow chess is not. 

more reading here (if yer stimulated enough!): http://www.thomasarmstrong.com/multiple_intelligences.php 

Libya - at war again!

Here we go again - fumbling into another war with absolutely no idea how we will get out even if we do come up with a way to measure our expected success or failure.

I find it really difficult to support this action when all I hear from government officials and mainstream commentators is that 'this is right and proper' as if we have some god given moral high ground.
We lost the moral high ground the moment we started selling weapons to the same authoritarian regimes we are punishing for using them now.

Ok, so what if we do nothing and let the civil war play out by iteslf?
Well, then its a far off civil war just like any of the countless others that are going on around the globe at any time. Yes, thousands of innocent people get killed but that is not why we went to war again yesterday, so we can't in good conscience use that as justification.

If we cared so much about the oppression and subsequent slaughtering of innocent civilians in these places, then why have we been sponsoring the same dictators who have been carrying out these atrocities for decades?

How can we even use the excuse that we have to 'stand up for democracy and the rights of oppressed citizens anywhere who seek it'? Are we standing up for democracy when we sell weapons to middle eastern dictators?

I think Edwyn Collins has the answer with regard to our middle eastern policy: Rip it up and Start Again.

I persuaded eBay to back down - #WIN

This is an update from my Greedy eBay post a couple of weeks ago.

I got another bill from ebay last night. £23.50!

Just to be clear - I haven't sold anything on ebay - ever. I do not have any active items. I tried to sell a couple of things last month (for which they already charged me over £20) but they didnt sell and I didnt re-post them because eBay are greedy thieving pirates and need a slap.

Ho can they possibly justify charging me for NOT using their service? Will I get another bill next month?

I tried to close my account down last night and remove my credit card, but they want to  keep it until I have paid my bills. BILLS? FOR WHAT?!!

Going to phone them now and SHOUT at them A LOT. Will update here after..

8.59am update: its  and I am in a call queue to eBay support. The american robot tells me that my call will be answered in 19 minutes - in the meantime I have to listen to them remind me me how great they are! FFS! ....

09.38am after a good telephone rant that lasted 20 minutes, they have agreed to cancel the £23.50 charge - and I only had to speak to 2 monkeys! I argued on strictly moral and ethical grounds with no legal footing whatsoever.


a small win for me, but a big win for the little fish.

 rational footnote:
Technically, eBay were within their rights to charge me (for a relist that didnt sell), but I judge eBay as I judge any person on the basis of morality an ethical behaviour. eBay's terms and conditions are morally and ethically akin to theft in my book. Being a business shouldn't give anyone the justification ignore what's morally right.

James Lovelock - right or wrong?

James Lovelock says that before this century is over billions of us will die and the few breeding pairs of people that survive will be in the Arctic where the climate remains tolerable. 


That is an extreme view so why would anyone believe it? James Lovelock also warns us that we have to make radical changes quickly to the way we live if we are to avoid disaster.


The very words 'radical' and 'extreme' are inherently negative and make ridiculous anything to which they are applied. What if someone very clever and learned stands up and tells us the world is nigh, tomorrow - ha!  we'd just label them cracky and sip on something moderate to reassure ourselves.


But then why should anyone believe mainstream opinion just because its moderate?


Well, on the one hand we have moderate environmental commentary from people like George Manbiot, Richard Black and Jeremy Legget - on the other hand we have Dr Lovelock and Dr Andrew Weaver (video).

If we all believed Lovelock there'd surely be social chaos. But mainstream environmental views that are never extreme or radical, make me feel like im getting cooled down, spoon fed porridge.

Perhps this is because the vast majority of mainstream environmental commentary comes from scientists, reporters and commentators who all have careers. That means that they are all beholden to the positions they maintain and their own credibility, without which they surely wouldn't get to put their kids through private school.

We just dont get extreme or radical views and opinions in the mainstream - not from serious credible commentators.

What matters then, is that James Lovelock has never had to moderate his views for mainstream consumption because his living has never depended on it.  (He abandoned the mainstream scientific community in the 1964 to work independently).

And from his own work came radical truths:

He was the one who told us that CFC gases were destroying our ozone layer. He proved it through invention and experimentation. He wasn't the only biochemist around, but he was the only one who stood back far enough to see the big picture.

He was the one who told NASA in the late 60's that was no life on mars because the planets atmosphere was near equilibrium.

He awarned us to the effects of burning fossil fuels 20 years before anyone seriously talked about global warming. I dont think anyone can really deny that he was right on with that prediction, but back then, mainstream science thought he was a crackpot.

Winston Churchill had a pretty hard time convincing people that Germany was going to invade Poland before they eventually did in 1942. He had access to information that gave him special knowledge and vision, but there was no appetite for doom and gloom and they did not heed his warning.

James Lovelock says that nuclear is the only way we can save ourselves. This has obviously enraged the renewable energy industry and given lots of lazy climate change deniers a good excuse not to care about the planet. He thinks we simply dont have the ability to act quickly enough.

Many experts in renewable energy calculate that we could get 100% of our energy from renewable[green] sources[wind, solar, tidal etc.] by 2020. But what about NIMBY's and legislation and local planning regulators and local community objections to planning applications? These are surely the democratic constructs that would slow us down.

Assuming that we [humans] need to make some radical changes to overt catastrophe, the main barrier is probably modern democracy and capitalism - neither of which allow for radical change on the scale necessary. During the second world war we put democracy on hold and let someone outspoken[Churchill] take charge to make the difficult decisions for our own survival.

I guess what we could do with is a pill that makes everyone desire windmills in their garden and immediately boycott fossil fuels - either that or another world war which would permit our leaders to take radical action and get away with telling us its for our own good in the long run.

Milk - why are we still pasteurising it?

I was listening to a discussion about milk on radio 4 recently. They were talking to Ron Schmid** author of (The Untold Story of Raw Milk) and somebody from Cravendale dairy. They talked about how milk is produced today and debated the whys and wherefores of the pasteurisation process.


The main debate was about whether or not we still need to subject natural milk to pasteurisation  - the age old heating up process that kills all the germs that (apparently) only get there from dirty unhygienic production practises that haven't changed much for a hundred years. 


Pasteurization originally came about to control disease conditions resulting from urban dairies springing up in the late 1800s and early 1900s to supply milk to the growing population. It became law to Pasteurise milk in the UK sometime around 1950 (sketchy date) I think.


Seems to me that when health officials  decided that pasteurization was the perfect solution to eliminate the problem of contamination, they inadvertently gave dairies license to continue their unsafe and unsanitary milk production practices. Doh!


More and more health experts today say we should be drinking raw milk from healthy, grass fed animals and this milk should be transported and stored hygienically. 


But today cows are[still] treated very badly. They are fed Heavy grain diets that change the composition of the milk and hinder its ability to protect itself, they live in unsanitary, unhygienic  and (often) dark conditions. Is it any wonder that governments say raw milk will make you poorly. Seems to me that if we improve conditions for the cows (give them pasture, sunshine, fresh air and clean water), and feed them on natural foods (grass, hay etc) and stop the dairies using hazardous substances like chemical pesticides and antibiotics, we might be able to return to natural un-tampered quality milk full of nutrients, good fats, and good bacteria.


I suppose as long as we can heat treat the milk and kill all the germs we put in it, the dairy and farming industries aren't going to spend loads of money they havent got cleaning up the joint.


Ill just have to find a small holding organic dairy and milk the cow myself. eek.

a good fact resource here: http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/index.html

**

Ron Schmid, ND, naturopathic physician, writer, teacher, and farmer, has prescribed raw milk for his patients for nearly 25 years. Dr. Schmid is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the National College of Naturopathic Medicine and has taught at all four of America’s naturopathic medical schools. He’s the former Clinic Director and Chief Medical Officer at the University of Bridgeport College of Naturopathic Medicine, and the author of Traditional Foods Are Your Best Medicine.

Self delusion

Having just watched this video about the power of placebo (thanks @mikepearce), it got me thinking (again) about how susceptible we [humans] are to self delusion. To be deluded is to have a fixed belief in something that is not true that is resistant to reason - in other words, having blind faith in something for which there is no evidence, and moreover, for which there is lots of factual evidence to the contrary.

Makes me wonder how self-deluded I am. I don't think I am (of course), but then how would I know? I mean I don't think I have many 'fixed' beliefs, which, I like to think is a scientific perceptive - (today I have evidence that this is true, but tomorrow controvertible evidence may come to light to belie this truth) - and so I should always be ready to disbelieve anything.

Self confidence = self delusion?
Suppose you are a confident person instilled with self belief. You know how it goes, 'believe in yourself and anything is possible'.

My guess is that I am self deluded to some degree, or at least, I must have been in the past. Ill have to give this some thought to try and figure out some examples - later!.


For most of us self delusion probably serves a self beneficial purpose, but whenever I watch talent shows on TV and see so many exposed souls utterly convinced they have talent, when they really haven't, I question that.
At least their delusion has given them hope and purpose on their journey through life - at least  until the point at which the delusion is eventually publicly shattered in front of millions - but its the journey that matters, right?

Derren Brown's techniques also illustrate just how very easy it is to induce self delusion, using only the power of suggestion.
Maybe without self delusion we would all be very depressed, forced to live with the grim realities of our existence?

.. this is interesting: http://www.scienceofscams.com/

Carbon nanotubes - why they are so cool!

A Carbon Nanotube (CNT) is  50,000 times narrower than a human hair. It is 200 times stronger than steel, light as air and more flexible than rubber. It is transparent, conducts electricity, retains its properties in temperatures cooler than liquid nitrogen or hotter than the melting point of iron, and is highly impermeable - not even helium gas can get through it. 


Nanotubes are made out of graphene. "Graphene (a thin sheet of carbon atoms) is the strongest material ever measured ... it would take an elephant, balanced on a pencil, to break through a sheet of graphene the thickness of cling film" [1]
Nanotubes are being tested for use in so many spheres from sporting equipment to medicine to military defence so I've been trying to gather together all the very coolest things about CNT's.

Here is my list so far:

GREEDY eBay

First off - WTF! - and no I didnt read the small print.

So having never used eBay before until a couple weeks ago, I posted a couple of items for sale. They haven't sold yet, but greedy eBay have already billed me over £20.00!

OK, so maybe I assumed a level of fairness and morality that probably has no place at all in business, but still, I expected that they would only take their commissions when I actually sell the items - that fair right?

Its not the £20 that rubs me, its the sheer shisting greed of Ebay.

Just about everyone in the developed world* uses eBay as far as I can tell, surely they can make enough profit** from sellers not to have to charge those who's items don't actually sell? I mean its not as if they have to actually walk across the shop floor and pin my hastily scribbled advert to a public noticeboard in their shop window, burning calories from the physical effort and expending mental energy concentrating on not stabbing themselves in the eye with the drawing pin

I wouldn't mind if they were more blatant about it, you know, with an <H1> tag wrapped around the phrase "GREAT DEALS - we'll take your money even if you get nothing back!" - but come on! - who reads the small print these days! - agree to Ts and C's? sure, I trust you, you're successful so you can't be conning people! :p

I know, I know, expect nothing, assume nothing... blah blah ... sure, but where's the fun in that square boy!

bah! unscrupulous poo bags.

* well,  nearly... (233 million worldwide users they rekon) http://pages.ebay.co.uk/aboutebay/thecompany/companyoverview.html
** Ebays net profits are even bigger than Amazons and second only to Googles according to online trading statistics analysis.
source: http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/EBay_(EBAY)/Data/Net_Income/2010/Q1

A 'Star Trek' Future - whats possible?

How can anyone not get a little excited about the possibility of having a replicator in the kitchen, or travelling at warp speed, or having a holodeck in your house?

The more I find out about whats going on in science around the world, the more I start to see how these things will be possible, some of them, if I'm lucky within my lifetime.

I only have to think about some of the scientific breakthroughs using carbon nano tubes and the possibilities they offer to get very excited - but today as I was reading about advances in 3D Printing* (3DP), my thoughts diverted unavoidably to the possibilities of having a Star Trek style replicator at home, at least to replicate inorganic objects made of plastics, carbon fiber, titanium and so on.

Although 3d printing has been around for about 10 years, up to now using mainly thermoplastics to create one-off  prototype objects for manufacturing purposes, whats exciting is the increase in the type of materials that 3d printers can use today and the variety of stuff that can been replicated[3DP]. heres a list of materials that 3DP printers (Replicators!) can use today:

Who am I?

This is a question that I have breifly wrestled with every few years or so, as I try to keep a check on how I am changing as I grow older. I suppose its true to say, I know my weaknesses now but thats about all I know for sure about myself. All my personality and behavioural traits seem to be in constant flux, so, change my mind, I often do.

Hippocrates would have categorized me as either Sanguine, Choleric, Phlegmatic or Melancholic where as ancient philosophers and astrologers would have me as either Fire, Air, Water or Earth.

Today we have much more scientific approaches that allow for more of the complexities of the human temperament.

I took a Myers-Briggs psychometric personality test recently to find out how accurate modern methods of categorisation are and found out that I am an ENFP, which apparently means:
Extraverted (E) 50% Introverted (I) 50%
Intuitive (N) 73% Sensing (S) 27%
Feeling (F) 55% Thinking (T) 45%
Perceiving (P) 55% Judging (J) 45%


So then I googled 'ENFP' and read a few profiles of 'ENFP' personality types. Very interesting and seemingly accurate for the most part. I quite like the idea that ENFP's are rare, and '.. account for about 2–8% of the population' and can be referred to as 'Champions'[Keirney] but I do wonder, since this profile is base on questions about myself that only I answered, how accurate it reads for people who actually know me -  for example, wouldn't my work colleagues describe me differently than a family member, who would describe me differently again from close friends?

 Ive taken a couple of sentences from one of the 'ENFP' profiles I read which I think are pretty accurate: 

1. ENFP's are basically happy people. They may become unhappy when they are confined to strict schedules or mundane tasks. Consequently, ENFPs work best in situations where they have a lot of flexibility, and where they can work with people and ideas. Many go into business for themselves. They have the ability to be quite productive with little supervision, as long as they are excited about what they're doing.
2. They have a strong need to be independent, and resist being controlled or labelled. They need to maintain control over themselves, but they do not believe in controlling others. Their dislike of dependence and suppression extends to others as well as to themselves.
3. Because ENFPs live in the world of exciting possibilities, the details of everyday life are seen as trivial drudgery. They place no importance on detailed, maintenance-type tasks, and will frequently remain oblivious to these types of concerns. When they do have to perform these tasks, they do not enjoy themselves. This is a challenging area of life for most ENFPs, and can be frustrating for ENFP's family members.
4. With a dramatic flair, they share their experiences with others, hoping to reveal some universal truth or win others over in support of a cause. Attuned to possibilities, Champions scan their environment, probing the emotions, needs, and motivations of others. This sensitivity sometimes conflicts with their intense drive for personal authenticity. Spontaneous and personable, they attract others to their company (Kiersey description)

I suppose what I would like to be able to do, is write a short single sentence that sums me up perfectly. I have done it before on CVs for job purposes but that kind of description is only focused on positive traits related to one situation.

whats the point? - you  might say!

I think its about the every-man quest to find lasting happiness in life - how better to find it than to understand oneself better and be able to engineer my everyday surroundings so that I am inspired and stimulated. No more apathy, no more boredom.

I quite like the idea of looking for jobs that suit ENFP types perfectly - maybe that's the way to go.

- The quotes are mainly from here: http://www.personalitypage.com/ENFP.html

- Here is the wiki entry for an ENFP type person: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ENFP

- All about the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers-Briggs_Type_Indicator

- Keirsey description of the Champion' http://keirsey.com/4temps/champion.asp

Vertical Farms, Hydroponics, Fire Fighting, Stupidity and Dinosaurs

The world’s population is expected to increase to 9.1 billion by 2050, according to the UN. Feeding all those people will mean increasing food production by 70%, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation. But aren't we running our of space to grow food?

Scary stuff, but for every new problem we have clever scientists and visionaries looking for solutions.
Here are two potential solutions I found out about recently, to our impending food shortage:  Vertical Farms and Urban Hydroponics. Very cool stuff ind...... (agh! nearly typed 'indeed' !).

Vertical Farms grow food organically with no chemical herbicides, pesticides, or  fertilizers so if this replaces the intensive agricultural practices, the sooner the better.

Stupid bloody 'fire-fighting' humans. Yes, fire fighting - if you look at the management and future success of humanity as a business man would, you would say that we have been managing ourselves by fire-fighting, that is, dealing with problems as they come along rather than see them coming from afar and making sure we avoid them in the first place - fatal for any business in the long run. Populations got bigger, we needed to increase food production, e viola, the solution to that fire: intensive farming - genius! we put that fire out didnt we!? yes but what about the population fire? I suppose we will deal with that when its burning down the front door.

Urban Hydroponics - ..... well, this is what Peter Head, global leader of planning and sustainable development at Arup (a British engineering firm) says about it: “I wouldn't be at all surprised if we saw large retailers with greenhouses on their roofs growing produce for sale in the shop" 


So I guess that just leaves the meat, dairy and wheat side of things - maybe if all the industrially farmed land we currently use for growing veg, can be passed back to small holding farmers, maybe we start heading in a more sustainable direction? too simple. The issues are surely complicated, but doesn't it make sense that, instead of fighting  fires if we can make sustainable decisions before the fires start, and act more quickly (like we did during the war when things were desperate), perhaps we wont get so many fires burning in the first place.


Humans are undoubtedly ingenious and very good at solving problems in a short term way, but not so good it seems at organizing ourselves so that the cleverest people in our societies are the ones who make strategic decisions for the rest of us.Whats that Alexander Pope saying?  'A little knowledge is a dangerous thing' . When you think how much knowledge we[humanity] have yet to discover about our planet and universe, I'd say what we have right now is 'a little knowledge'. And a little knowledge in the hands of people who think they are clever than they really are...? I mean, why did the dinosaurs last so long? what did they know? Well obviously, they didn't exterminate themselves cos they were dumb, oh yes, that makes sense doesnt it! 

Stupid is as stupid does! 
So if it turns out [looking back] that humanity only lasts one tenth as long as the dinosaurs did because we exterminate ourselves by consuming every earthly resource and build on every last inch of land mass to accommodate our enormously successful proliferation, on paper at least you would have to surmise that as a species, the humans must have been dumber than the dinosaurs, n'es pa? We have been around now for what, about half a million years, probably less (or 20 minutes if you are a creationist), I cant really see us beating 165 million years anytime soon. 


Run Forest run!!!


Good Video about Urban Hydroponics here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqcBCcSLDlo
Juicy article VF and UH  here:  http://www.economist.com/node/17647627

Virgin Media - pile of shit broadband

So I am paying for an 8mb connection and I get less than half a megabite download?! why? because Virgin tossing broadband is consistently shit. Even more shit in the evenings and at weekends of course, when other people are using it too. Well, its ok during the day though,  so thats good - when Im at freeking work you twatting shisters!  

Really pisses me off that I have to waste my time  and more money by phoning Virgin only to talk to some twat with a script and a bastard calm voice for 20 minutes and to be told that its my fault for using the internet at the wrong time of day.

Why the Fkk should I have to call to tell them they are steeling my money? dont they know that?! Grrrrr!

Makes me mad it does  -  give me my money back you thieving wankers!

I Am a Vandal

What did the Vandals do? They sacked Rome - they ruined it.

So, I am a vandal because most of the things I do every day lead, indirectly to vandalism on my behalf. Vandalism isn't bad on its own - its only bad when the thing being vandalized is very important.

Every time I drive anywhere, eat packaged food, turn the lights on, watch tv or even spend money in a chain store, I unintentionally and indirectly vandalize the thing that gave me my life and allows it to continue.

This very important thing that I vandalize every day, on which (ironically) I have a free ride for as long as I am alive is an amazing self-sustaining organic planet. This planet doesn't need me to survive - I need it. Yet I vandalize it and for so long I didn't think about it because the damage I do mostly gets washed or blown away or buried underground far away from me where I cant smell, see or touch it.

I don't need to bleat on about climate change, overfishing, sea acidification, or C02 emissions or the giant pacific garbage patch or any of the other media guilt trips out there, its much simpler than that for me.
I can breathe air because earths delicate eco systems are still producing it for me. I can drink fresh water because sea is still healthy enough to make rain happen.

It doesnt matter whether all our vandalism to the eco-system will be enough to kill us all off -  thats not the point at all. Its just plain stupid to try hack away at the hand that feeds me. Earth is the hand that feeds me, so am I wise to vandalize it?

This isn't about God, or morals or being green even, its just about human stupidity and the unfortunate false sense of security that we get from living far away from any real danger here in our developed country. I can sometimes see the danger way off in TV land or youtube land, but then I can forget it and sleep in a warm bed and everything is fine in the morning when I will make a cup of tea with fresh, clean water that comes out of my tap, before flushing another bucket full of fresh drinking water down the toilet to wash away my crap (well some of it anyway!). 

Never mind, tomorrow is a new, clean day.

Vandalisation: The ruthless destruction or spoiling of anything beautiful or venerable

Devjolly - A new dictionary word?

I have often used the word devjolly to describe things at work - It just seems to fit so many circumstances that I have tried to define it as a new term - here is the rough draft:  
  ----------------------------------------------------------

Devjolly
–noun
In a programming context... 
 

1. Developers having fun.
2. The act of employing development techniques or tools unnecessarily, simply for their own sake, during the writing or extending of an application.

Its taken me 4 hours just to change the list ordering in a sodding html drop down. This whole app is a shafting devjolly! 

-Adj

1. Describing code that is written at the whim of the developer who would have typically employed the latest coding techniques, tools and methodology without due consideration of the eventual commercial impact of doing so.
2. Coding techniques, tools and methodology that are employed, merely to satisfy a desire to learn, or to produce code that will impress confuse or confound peers, serving to elevate the authors own  peer group status. 
3. A 'devjollied' application would typically lock in unnecessary external dependencies and contain overly complex code that requires increased development time for anyone but the original author, to enhance or bug fix it.

–verb (used without object)
1.  Your having a  f****** devjolly!
 ---------------------------------------------------------- 

Middle Age and Happiness

I read this Economist report recently about middle age and happiness from which I quote  "People are least happy in their 40s and early 50s." Well I'm 43 now, and over the last few years I have had cause to reflect on my own state of happiness, or lack thereof. I'm not blue all the time, mainly during the week I suppose, when I'm work-tired  - although I do struggle with purpose most of the time and they say that if you don't have any achievable goals in sight... blah blah.

When I think back a bit, i'm sure I have always had goals or achievable ambitions, through my 20s and mid 30s. i dont remember ever having long term goals though, so maybe, having achieved all my modest goals, I've simply ran out? Doh!

bah, maybe I shouldnt read so much crap? according to this graph, I've got another 7 years of misery at least before I start climbing out of the U-Bend!!


fuck!

heres the report (safe to read if you're over 50 i guess)
(http://www.economist.com/node/17722567)