R.I.P. Luc "Spooch"

Rest in peace, you crazy french bastard
x

The Bicycle Formerly Known As Sikness

Needs a different name.

I rode up to (OK, I rode halfway up and then did 1 stop on the train) "The Posh Bit" and back today after work and somehow I am not dead! Not due to traffic (that, I am managing) but because I have assumed that a fixie is all work, and no fun....how wrong I was. Hills are a bitch, there's no denying, but they end eventually and when they do...you can go back down them....as fast as fuck!

I am planning on cycling to work tomorrow. Unless there's major rainage, I will assume my normal routine, but instead of walking to the bus...I will ride:

THE STEED!

Huzzah!

Finally. With a bit of luck and a fair wind, I'll be booking a business trip to Beriut for November...RAAAAAaaaaarRR!!1!one!

Several Thousand Words

Distant

Near

Village

Builder

Dancer

Mistakes make learn

I got home from work and decided it would be nice to cycle to the nearby station, grab a train up "The Posh Bit" and have a couple of pints with a few mates...On the way to aforementioned station I bumped into an ex-girlfriend. Turns out, she's now married to a Nigerian and trying to import him....from what I remember, that is THE biggest "fuck you" she could ever giver her mum.

Anyway. So a train pulls into the station and I duly board it with "Da Sikness", I'm too engrossed in Ian McDonald to look out the window, but as we are about to pull into the station I realise I am not in Kansas any more...oh no. I have got a train that pretty much takes me back to work.

Shit.

Well, at least I went with the bike option. I duly decide to follow people on cycle paths....It turns out to be a relatively decent ride! I overtook several fatties on mountain bikes, though I'll freely admit that the relatively small rise before the insane drop down into The 'Hood was a royal pain in the arse.

I would not like to try it on Mrs Apron.

I should have started CardioTrainer on the G2, but going by the call log (17:20 - The Berber : "Oh shit I got the wrong train") and looking for my keys once home (17:37 on the phone), I think that is fucking impressive.

Not the fact I did the journey in 17 minutes, but that there is a journey whereby I could get home from work in about 40 minutes!

On the other hand, the journey to work in the morning would be almost all uphill, though generally shallow, I fear it like a bitch.

That said, someone brought a bike on the work bus this morning. And if they can do that with a 21 speed MTB then I feel more than justified doing the same with a fixie (though not with Mrs Apron, that shit's too pimped!)

Check!

• PSU & Mobo loaded into chassis and wired up : Check!
• CD/RW & DVD/RW packed with requisite cables : Check!
• Possibly broken graphics card + cables packed : Check!
• Extraneous cables of power and connectivity packed : Check!
• WiFi card, Bluetooth dongley-thing, LiveCD packed : Check!
• Notes on what to talk about or "an agenda" : Fuck that!
• Oh yeah, 2 or 3 hard-drives of dubious provenance & functionality : Check!
• Anti-static wrist straps : ppffffhh...Check!
• Ooh, wait....RAM!!! Yep, couple of sticks of 512Mb and a 1Gb : Check!

Additionally, I had an early offer of a completely working AMD 1.1Ghz based system with a monitor (CRT, but...meh...), which should be there for the evening and will be taken away (by me) to be tarted up for round 2: "Who Needs Micro$oft?...or Apple?".

The plan (such as I have one) is to complete putting all my bits in my chassis and booting to LiveCD (Jackalope FTW!)...the plan has contingency, in that it may just degenerate into poking around at "bits" until it's all broken and I boot the donated system to rapturous applause.

Ironically it seems the best way to get a "free PC" is to ask www.justfortheloveofit.org or (as I did) answer "yeah, I know how to do that" when asked "can you build a PC for free?". Sunday morning I woke up (voluntarily at 5am I'll have you know!) to 1 email offering enough parts for about 6 computers and another of 6 WHOLE PCs with "some" RAM extra....jeebuz!

In addition to all this charitable hoohaw, I've been tweaking/implementing further whatsits with Dr Roboto...seriously, I've rarely been so captivated by a project and enamoured with a simple cardboard box. I will post some work-in-progress photos soon, but for the moment it's all pretty much mocked up with tape etc, though Flo does love trying it on and using the voice-changer. I have solved the "keeping it on the head" and "fuck me, it's gonna be hot in here" problems (in theory so far) with judicious use of second-hand camping equipment and some hardware from the local asian supermarket.

Which reminds me...forgot this photo yesterday...

Mode = Panic

Tuesday is looming. I could (if needed) have 12 free computers!!

All I did was ask!

Yesterday I picked up a parcel from Easton at 8, some gaffa tape from the hardware shop on the way back and then some cladding from "Geo. Jones" round the corner...fixed up some bits on Dr Roboto and then cleaned until heading out on the bike with Flo for an afternoon " sightseeing". She fell asleep at 4:30 and stayed that way until 6am Sunday morning.

Today? Today we went to the zoo....

I am so tired you get these in reverse (curse you blogspot uploader!!)

What is this woodlouse doing dad? He's squishy!

Long grass in my garden

Jelly at the zoo! "Take a picture of my jelly dad it's sooo delicious!"

Music comes on over tannoy: "I will run and dance for these people!"

"Why is the train not coming?"

Microfame

Just been asked to do a local radio interview next week about building PCs for free/cheap and FOSS...yay me! But more importantly, yay for justfortheloveofit.org, freeskilling, FOSS and the fucking awesome community I live in!

Will be recorded early next week. I'll let you know when it's broadcast (internet stream/cast will be available) so you can listen to my dulcet tones ranting...

Obsession...for geeks! [updated]

I has a one.

So. I was on ebay today buying a humane spider catcher for Rosie (7 quid delivered BTW!)...as you do.

"I wonder what fixie's are on here?", I thought to myself. Tappity-tappity-tap....
"£1100 for a bike?....WTF?...wait, what's this?"

Short story short. I've bought another fixie.

I will not turn this one into a retro, child-carrying, basket-adorned, fairground*. It's a bit more "proper", with a rear-brake (and so road-legal) and everything and weighs 1/2 as much as Mrs Apron when fully laden...Here, have a look!


Correct picture now shown...

I shall, however, start using this one (it's already shipped!!) as the "daily" bike and reserve Mrs Apron for Flo...and special occasions.

In other news, I'm working on "Doctor Roboto", my costume for next months microrave. So far it features:

• Voice changer
• Internal ultra-bright white LED lighting
  
• Mirrored eyes

In progress:

• Tube & "Gun" for the Brainwave Transmission Weapon
• Sound responsive laser light show projected upwards!
  
• Rubber surround for neck/shoulders
• External "spotlights"
  

To do:

• Head/chinstrap attachments for security while "dancing"
• Lights, bolts, vents/grills and that....prettying it up.
• Silver fabric neck tube to cover scrawny human neck
  

I seriously hope I can make something that lives up to my expectations...

* Actually, the crazy lights are removable from Mrs Apron, so they might go on from time to time....I have a huge bag of zip-ties I got from somewhere...

Hand pumped!

POV! Here's some hand to the wheel action...

I am expecting some kind of drive-by any day now. That or hauled over by the cops for driving a fairground ride...This shit is too gangsta for a skinny white ginger guy...especially if I really do end up gluing my bike helmet into the "Professor Roboto" costume. More on that later...FOOLISH HOOMANS!!!

Cardiocrepuscular!

Am working on a plugin so I can bore you with my "angry ginger exercise stats" in some kind of automatic style...but for now...I love the fixie!

Currently, I'm working to a minimum of ~2 miles per day with a minimum average speed of ~4mph and a top sprint speed of ~28mph...I'm aiming for >30mph on the flat (probably on the run from Barton Hill to home) with a vain hope of getting clocked by a safety speed traffic-enforcement camera.

Also. Am seriously considering a true fixie racer...I mean, why complicate things with gears and that?

I'll get my permaculture hat and coat.

Stator vs Rotor

Yesterday featured a 5 mile hill-laden cycle-ride in the morning. It almost killed me. By which I mean, remember to eat before expending calories!!

The farm fair in the afternoon was pretty cool though. We definitely arrived at about the right time (2 hours in) because when I left with Esmae in tow and Flo 'pon shoulders at half 5 it was MENTAL!

In the morning, we got our attitude on...


...and we went to the park...


Where Flo demonstrated her new "grown up girl" skill...

The queue we saw (to get into the fair) was at least as mental as the queue (that went, literally, round the block!) for the Banksy exhibition at 10am this morning. We commented upon it as we dined upon smoked salmon, eggs, toast, jam, coffee & frothy milk, and bacon....then...

...Then we went to Blaise Castle park.

In other news, I am making a new costume in preparation for the next 8bit MicroRave (more on that later)....Professor Robot-Head will be in the house!

Hatitude

Sprung

Flowers, Beetroot, Beans, Potatoes....Herbs

Purple Sprouting thingamee

Radicchio, Radichio, Radishyo!

Garlic. Roquette, brocolli & leeks

ALE!