March 2009 Archives

Today, over at Bike Forums, I received the following message from a new forum member:

how ya doin? bike noob here. interested in finding someone close by that knows some good places to ride. know anyone interested in some laid back riding?

I considered not replying to the question simply because the questioner used the so-called word noob (plus the writer didn't bother to mention where he or she lives).

I'm not a Grammer Nazi; anyone who has read this site before knows I make my share of mistakes. But at least I try to use standard English.

What is it about forums that seemingly invites users to unload word fragments and other common gibberish on the innocent public? "Words" such as srsly, prolly, 'cuz, r, u, and dunno. Not to mention the rampant non-use of capitalization.

Google Language Tools should add an "Internet Forums" option to its translation box so you can convert some of this stuff to English.

I assume some of this usage is an extension of the texting culture; people are simply too lazy to type out words.

Whatever the case, it annoys me.

Tennessee is facing its highest unemployment rate in decades and a budget shortfall of billions of dollars. So what pressing role has the legislature taken up during this crisis?

According to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, a House subcommittee has assumed the role of fashion police:

House Bill 2099 would make it a Class C misdemeanor for any person to knowingly wear pants below the waistline, in a public place, exposing underwear or bare buttocks.

Punishment:

First citation: $200 fine and 40 hours of community service work.

Second: $500 and 80 hours.

Third: $750 and 120 hours.

Fourth and subsequent citations: $1,000 and 160 hours.

Even in the best of times it would be hard to justify the legislature wasting time on this kind of thing. To do so under our present circumstances is simply ridiculous.

Every once in a while I reflect on the Movable Type platform, primarily when I want to change something on this site.

The software works well enough, but it seems I end up banging my head against the desk every time I want to modify anything. Why? Because I have the hardest time figuring out how to do it.

I don't think it's because I'm computer illiterate (though I mostly am). It's primarily because they don't do a very good job of providing instructions. Or if they do, they're difficult to find.

The latest example: a couple days ago it came to my attention that it would be neat to add the Action Streams feature to my blog, since I do things on Twitter and Facebook. It took me at least an hour to figure out if I needed to install that plug in, or if it was already included in the Movable Type version I have installed. Then it took me more time and Googling to find where the set up page is where you help Movable Type find what feeds you want. But apparently the default Facebook stream doesn't work properly, so I'm messing around with yet another plug in to fix that.

If I ever get that much sorted out, I've got to find how to fit in in the sidebar template. (Currently you can see that it's messed up).

I don't understand widgets, or computer code, but I can usually follow step-by-step instructions. If only I could find some.

As someone who frequently rides the roads, I'm interested in driver's attitude toward cyclists. After all, I'm continually at the mercy of the next vehicle coming up behind me.

And thus I read Ms. Newman's thoughtful letter published in the Knoxville News Sentinel: "Citizen's Voice: Cyclists need to find some wider roads." Ms. Newman argues that cyclists should keep off her secondary roads and stick to roads that have a wide shoulder.

I agree with Ms. Newman's premise, that in an ideal world cyclists should ride somewhere other than in traffic lanes. But in the real world that's simply not realistic.

Ms. Newman suggests riding on emergency lanes along highways. That's obviously an alternative to secondary roads, but not a satisfactory one.

First, It severely limits where you can ride. There simply aren't many roads like this in the area. Road builders seemingly didn't even contemplate non-vehicular traffic until the 1990s. Who wants to drive several miles across town just to ride the same stretch of highway all the time? Furthermore, such lanes aren't well maintained and are frequently littered with glass shards and other hazards which can puncture bike tires. Even with a wide side lane, it's not very pleasant riding a bike when you are continually being blown by with vehicles traveling at 50 or 60 mph. Finally, it's worth noting that a cyclist was recently been killed along this supposedly "safe" alternative.

The fact is that if cyclists are going to be out on the roads in East Tennessee, they're going to have to share traffic lanes with vehicles. Drivers and cyclists must coexist.

For cyclists, that means obeying traffic laws, not doing any crazy stunts, and not riding two or three abreast in high-traffic areas. For motorists, that means heeding Ms. Newman's advice to "be kind, slow down and keep an eye out for our friends on the bicycles."