Ryan & Amanda Keefer's Personal Site: Cycling, Family, Tech, Music, Software & Game Reviews, etc.
// June 23rd, 2008 // No Comments » // Sports Stuff, UNC-CH
This would have been cool to see in person. The former UNC players team included Jawad Williams, Jackie Manuel, Melvin Scott, and Jerry Stackhouse. Wish we could have been there to check it out!
// June 22nd, 2008 // No Comments » // Cycling
Down under, looks like they are trying some new road markings at intersections that allow cyclists to queue up at the front of the line. Drivers are fined if they queue up within those boundaries, but the article’s description of where this area is sounds kind of strange. I can see this increase visibility of the cyclists, but at the same time I can see how it could make it for dangerous for the cyclists if I understand correctly where this zone is.
Critics See Red as Laws Hand Bikes Pole Position
Edit: Here’s a video on how to use the 60 bike boxes in New York city.
// June 21st, 2008 // No Comments » // TiVo Bytes
Man, this is a really good read for all us TiVo fanatics out there. TiVo spent a lot of time on their remote’s design, ergonomics, button layout, etc. and it shows. Hell, the TiVo peanut remote has won awards. Anyway, check out this article for some in-depth TiVo history for their little IR remote.
Story of a Peanut: The TiVo Remote’s Untold Past, Present and Future
// June 20th, 2008 // No Comments » // Cycling
If I had a dime for every time a non-cyclist asked about the whole shaved legs, deal. The article below does a good job of breaking it down, though I proudly do shave the arms too, and if you want to go with the excuse of bandaging road rash, my worse road rash has always been on the arms – elbow area to be specific.
I’ll go with tradition and making you feel faster. Like any sport, there’s a fair amount of superstition and deep-routed tradition. Cycling is no different. In cycling, like any type of racing, the difference between win and loss can be measured in grams. Many cyclists at every level – enthusiast, racer and pro alike obsess about the weight of components down to the gram. Carbon fiber and titanium are are materials of choice (though I still swear by my sleek thin-tubed steel frame race bike).
// June 19th, 2008 // No Comments » // Cycling, General Posts, Personal Crap
So while I’ve been consistently bike commuting, I’ve had a lull in my race schedule and even my training a bit. Last race I did was back on Memorial Day. OK, I guess I’m not that far out, but I’ve had teammates that have done 4 and 5 races since then. Between work, family, weddings, traveling, it’s been really tough to schedule races.
There’s a criterium Sunday in Greensboro, NC, but I’ll be in no shape with this weekend’s wedding festivities and friends from out of town around. Oh well, plenty of more races.
// June 18th, 2008 // No Comments » // Cycling
This is all over the cycling mailing lists I’m on. Hopefully, other states will be close behind (including North Carolina). Below is basically a repost of an email on the Gyros mailing list. I don’t think they’ll mind me reposting it and educating fellow cyclists of the laws and/or the potential laws advocating bicycle safety.
The South Carolina general assembly has passed a bicycling safety law, signed by the governor on June 10, 2008. There is presently some interest in similar legislation in North Carolina as well. Highlights of the SC Bicycling Safety Law include:
Harassment of cyclists law – any motorist who harasses a bicyclist by honking or throwing something at them could face jail time:
Section 56-5-3445. It is unlawful to harass, taunt, or maliciously throw an object at or in the direction of any person riding a bicycle. A person who violates the provisions of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not less than two hundred fifty dollars or imprisoned not more than thirty days, or both.
Minimum passing width between motor vehicles – motorists must leave safe operating distance when overtaking a cyclist. The new requirement would mean that if a motorist strikes a bicyclist, that would strongly indicate the motorist was not keeping a safe distance and therefore was breaking the law. This will give a needed legal tool to prosecute motorists who hit bicyclists.
It is now illegal for cars to park/block bike lanes and motorists must now yield to cyclists in bike lanes
For a more complete picture of the entire law go here:
http://www.pccsc.net/advocacy.htm
// June 18th, 2008 // No Comments » // Cycling, Personal Crap
Thanks to Commute by Bike for this – it’s a calculator letting you know how much money you’re saving based on utilizing your bike for your work commute over your car/truck/SUV. Based on the numbers I put in, with gas at $4.00 a gallon:
Daily Savings: $3.33
Weekly Savings: $10.00
Yearly Total: $520.00
That’s only going to be more advantageous as gas continues to rise in cost.
// June 17th, 2008 // No Comments » // Health & Fitness, Personal Crap
So Amanda gave us all a bit of a scare today. Unbeknown to me, in the middle of the night last night, Amanda was struggling with a bout of vertigo and general dizziness, and it was in full effect this morning. She described it like being drunk – room spinning, objects being visually out of shape or doubled, tripled or quadrupled!
We don’t have a family doctor right now, but were hoping to get into one near the house, but the only one in the practice who was accepting new patients, doesn’t have an opening until July! They referred us to an urgent care. Amanda slept for 45 minutes and felt better when she awoke, but quickly spun down back into queasiness.
We ended up at an urgent care facility where we did a lot of waiting, and ultimately left without having any real answers. They said her vertigo didn’t fall into the normal symptoms of standard vertigo and they wanted us to go to the emergency room. Amanda opted out of that – instead getting some lunch and then getting over the counter sinus medication and Dramamine. She slept the rest of the day away and ultimately is feeling better tonight – even making it through “The Bucket List” tonight. Hopefully a full night’s rest will bring her back to normal, but we still don’t have any real answers of what caused it.
We’re hoping it’s come and gone and stays gone.
As coincidence would have it, the Orlando Sentinal had an article of Vertigo today:
WebMD had information overload on vertigo, but still no real answers.
// June 16th, 2008 // No Comments » // Sports Stuff, UNC-CH
Carolina basketball fans worldwide had fingers, toes and whatever else crossed. Today was the day where we found out one way the other of whether a trio of players would return for another season at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, or make the leap to the NBA. Lucky for Tar Heels everywhere, Ty Lawson, Danny Green and Wayne Ellington will be back this year. Let’s hope their return will bring a great season and hope it doesn’t blow up like it did this year against Kansas.
Let’s also hope that Lawson can keep from behind the wheel and away from the alcohol.
// June 15th, 2008 // 1 Comment » // Friends, Personal Crap
So despite stressing and bit and worrying about everything and everyone showing up for John’s bachelor party last night, everything went off without a hitch. I think everyone had a good time, especially John, which is all that really matters.
I wanted the whole night to be a bit of a nostalgic trip from days past, back to our times at UNC, and time immediately after school so everything was focused around Chapel Hill.
John, Bill and I started at the DSI Comedy Theater in Carrboro for an improv comedy shows, along the lines of the ones John and I used to frequent on Franklin Street back in the day. It was pretty good and amusing, though as can be expected with improv, some of the bits worked better than others. I need to get Amanda and maybe some others out to a show in the coming months. Being a fan of “Whose Line Is it Anyway,” I think she’d enjoy it a bunch. Maybe Bret and Tina would enjoy as well.
After the comedy show, we heading down to Carolina Brewery for a few beers and some dinner. Two other guys joined up with us there and we had a good time eating and drinking. One of the other guys that joined up with us was JC, who brought a long a nice set of Energizer Bunny foam ears that John wore from then till the end of the night. They were a big hit and got John plenty of attention everywhere we went on Franklin Street.
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