Andy's words » Environment

Penumbra of Climbing

andy — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 17:16:06 +0000

On Saturday I did Terrible Two and with that completed California Triple Crown Stage Race.

Here is a recap:

Mulholland Double ~ 208 miles, 16,470+ feet of climbing
Devil Mountain Double ~ 206 miles, 18,600+ feet of climbing
Terrible Two ~ 200 miles, 16,480+ feet of climbing

It was totally awesome; I recommend to everybody.

As for the individual doubles I did so far, here are my comments:

Solvang Double ~ great first double. It is relatively mild and the scenery is great.
Davis Double ~ looking at the profile it would seem easy, but it is really hard because of 100+F all day. Make sure to start early, get those flat miles in as quickly as possible and have insulated water bottles.
Mt. Tam Double ~ lots of climbing, but you do it early in the ride. I recommend this one to everybody.
Knoxville Double ~ shares a lot of roads with Davis Double. When I did it it was not nearly as hot and it was still hardly bearable.
Mulholland Double ~ absolutely mind blowing scenery. It is a lot of climbing with one of the longest climb towards the end.
Devil Mountain Double ~ unlike Mulholland, which has relatively mild climbs, this one is in your face climbing. Just when you recover from one climb, there comes the next one. The toughest climb is Sierra road at 160 miles. And to hit you again, there is another climb at 200 miles.
Terrible Two ~ pretty nice scenery of Napa and Sonoma. That said, Sonoma county has in my opinion the worse roads in the area. Be prepared for some serious potholes, gravel, non-paved roads, etc.

From organization stand point, anything organized by cycling clubs is best. Knoxville Double and Devil Mountain Double trump everything else. Their organizers go above and beyond. Mt Tam, Terrible Two, and Davis come close behind. Lots of quality doubles, for example Mt Tam and Terrible Two, will have valet bike service at the rest stop. This way you can go grab some food, while they take care of your water bottles and your bike. Solvang and Mulholland on the other hand are organized by Planet Ultra, which for some reason has some serious organizational problems. They do rides on awesome roads, but they do beginner mistakes, such as forgetting water, running out of food, no sunscreen, etc.

But hey, go out and ride!

Abate the Animal Suffering

andy — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 03:00:28 +0000

Happy World Vegan Day 2009!

Let’s Gainsay the Food Establishment

andy — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 21:07:34 +0000

I would prefer people would go vegan, but this is a great first step. Go Meatless on Mondays:

If we all just commit to one day a week without eating meat, the effect will be great over the course of the year:

Our greenhouse gas emission reductions equal US switching from a car with average fuel efficiency (that’s about 22 mpg for the entire fleet) to a high efficiency car such as the Toyota Prius (50 mpg).

We will save about 1 ton of water, enough to fill up the bathtub 22 times per week

If everyone in the US did this, we’d collectively save about 12 billion gallons of gasoline

(from TreeHugger)

While you are checking out the Meatless Monday website, make sure to check their recipes, such as Zesty Carribean Banana Muffins.

Hidebound Politicians

andy — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 22:17:45 +0000

There are several politicians in the world that are just so boxed in their private universe that whatever they do is somehow justified. A typical examples are US politicians that support the coal industry. As a consumer of electricity in US, I am part of the problem. However, short of not using electricity and protest, there is not much I can do. These politicians, on the other hand, do have power to make the change. But they seem to refuse to do that. Cynic in me would consider this to be caused by the politicians being payed by the evil-doers, but I sure hope that the reason is that the politicians are just not informed. How could anybody sacrifice the parks, the rivers, the drinking water, the air, and so on and be complacent in destroying the world for their children and their children’s children.

To make my point even stronger, watch this video and consider these politicians.

Talks About Wanton Subjects

andy — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 23:32:26 +0000

I listened to several great talks lately. Here are some of my favorite speakers.

Spending Time Alfresco

andy — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 06:44:29 +0000

As it stands, I have only two more months left to complete this year’s goal of a century a month. Last couple of months, I did everything from trying to challenge myself on Santa Cruz mountains, finishing my fastest century on Waves to Wine, go on unsupported century around Mt Hamilton, and finally did an unsupported almost double century in Napa. I wonder what I will do in November and December.

So, since there is two months left before the new year, I am asking you to help me find a more challenging goal for the next year. Here are some suggestions:

6 double centuries
24 centuries
12 unsupported centuries
Century on a unicycle
…

Well, let me know.

Exalt the Vegetarians

andy — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 01:11:33 +0000

Happy World Vegetarian Day!!

Go VEGAN!

Undulate the Impact

andy — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 18:57:52 +0000

Torrid Greenland

andy — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 21:51:28 +0000

Watch in “real-time” the ice melting.

Well, I guess there is going to be more water for everybody.

Fatuous Rules

andy — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 21:01:53 +0000

Since I moved to California, I have been biking to work and around town. I still have a car, but since I hardly use it, it is on a good way out. Currently it is used as a garage for my road bike. Not the most effective use of a car, but hey, at least I don’t drive it.

I have a funny story that happened a while ago, but I finally happened to remember it again. One day I am parking my bike into my car and there is a note on my car. The note said that since my car was abandoned, it will be towed away. I had to explain them that my car is fairly new, fully registered, on a dedicated parking spot, has the tag of the apartment building, etc and I just don’t use it that often, since I bike to work. They responded by saying that if I go to vacation I should let them know. Explaining that I did not go to vacation did not help a whole lot. Eventually the person told me that since the car has so much dust on it, they could not see the apartment building tag. This was of course complete lie, since you could see the tag without any problem. So, finally they pretty much told me that I have to use my car at least once a week.

So much for the green environment.

After this incident I checked my lease agreement for the apartment and they actually spell out that you have to move car at least once every five days. What is wrong with this picture? I pay for that parking spot. My car is completely legal, I have all the papers, registration, insurance etc. Why do I have to move it? Anybody?

Provenance of Good Products

andy — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 18:28:01 +0000

I usually do not like to advertise companies, but I really like these guys. Everybody, meet Alchemy Goods. This company makes all sorts of practical accessories made from recycled bike parts. I recently purchased their wallets and they are great. They are soft, smooth, they do not slide around, and they are environmentally friendly, since they are made from recycled materials.

The AG’s products may or may not be 100% vegan, since some tires and tubes include animal products to make them run cooler. But, considering that most alternatives are made from leather, they are significantly better. Also, since they are recycled, they are much better for the environment.

Egregious Statement

andy — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 23:09:54 +0000

My favorite politician did it again. She managed to prove one more time that either there is no intelligent design, or the designer wanted to make its subject not intelligent. I mean, seriously… Just watch her video:

I guess she is trying to make the whole thing sound like some kind of communist country, but really beside the “government jobs” part it actually sounds really good. I would much rather take public transportation. I would much rather live in the city.

However, let’s play with her statement a little bit. My favorite politician seem to be in favor of Americans being uneducated, moving to the suburban isolation, live in the giant single family monstrosities, and take ASSUVs to their army contractor and oil jobs. Oh, how happy the world would be.

Spoony Attitude Towards the World

andy — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:45:12 +0000

The following videos really made my day. Thank you Amy for letting me know. Also, thank you Matt for making them. The put tears in my eyes.

Don’t forget the 2005 and 2006 editions.

These videos are just another proof that the world is a really happy and pretty place. Let’s work together to keep it that way.

Insensate Elections

andy — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 16:34:08 +0000

As you are probably aware if you live in US there will be some minor elections this fall. There are several interesting propositions on those elections. Here are some that I have a strong opinion about:

Proposition 1: Build a high speed train between the San Francisco and Los Angeles area. The major opposition falls into three major camps. There are people who say that since California cannot pay for education and health care, why spend money on this. Second argument is that it would never really be complete and it is a waste of money. Finally, the third argument is that it would have a huge environmental impact. Since I am not a finance person, I will ignore the first two. I assume somebody did the math. The only thing to add is that the money will be saved by people not having to drive or fly there. Also, since less people would drive, there would be substantial positive impact on the environment.

Proposition 2: This one has to do with the ethical treatment of farm animals. Though I don’t agree with people abusing farm animals in any way especially not for food production, I think baby steps can help sometimes. That said, baby steps when they really do something, not like a recent PETA fiasco with the Canadian KFC, where now PETA is promoting KFC. But hey, opposition says that the cost of eggs will go up. That is a good thing, isn’t it. So, I would say opposition to any animal cruelty is a great thing. Especially when it involves words such as “Go Vegan!“.

Proposition 4: Requires parents to be notified and consent to the abortion on a minor. Though in general I agree that the parents should be involved with the life of their children, unnecessary delaying potentially harmful pregnancy on a minor can be extremely serious. In addition this law would increase the underground abortion sites which are generally extremely unsafe, unsanitary and dangerous, compared to the abortion in the proper medical setting. Finally, I see this proposition to be a stepping stone towards making abortion illegal.

Proposition 8: Constitutional amendment with text “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” To quote a famous philosopher Wanda Sykes: “if you don’t believe in same sex marriage, then don’t marry somebody of the same sex.” But in general the message that people should get into their thick head is that this one does not affect them at all! Environment, diet, exercise, financial decisions, etc.. will all affect them, but letting same sex people to marry will not. For more information, check out Let California Ring. Also, check out the arguments against same sex marriage.

Let’s all work together to make this world a happy place. Let’s not bicker about who can associate with who, who has a right to live and who does not, who has access to prosperity and who does not. We are here together and let’s work together to make everybody’s life happy. That includes your life, my life, cats lives, chickens lives, and even lives of people that you do not agree with. And finally, let’s make the lives of our children happy, buy not destroying the environment they will be forced to live in, but protect our precious planet for our children, cats children, chickens children, and anybody else they will share it with.

Extol the World of the Future

andy — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 14:31:23 +0000

Choices you make affect everybody. Remember that.

(from A Life Connected)

Melange of Numbers

andy — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 22:25:44 +0000

Another cool graph from TreeHugger:

Vituperation About Transportation

andy — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:58:55 +0000

I was reading TreeHugger today and I saw this graph that pretty much explains why the public transportation in US sucks so much:

That said, the good thing is that when gas is a bit more expensive, there will be some really nice bike lanes all over the US.

Supernumerary Bad Vegetable

andy — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:26:23 +0000

Another vegetable on the long and growing list of evil vegetables. This time it is:

Jalapeno

Thank nature the peppers, habaneros, and cilantro are still ok, so we can at least make the green salsa.

So, how about this, let’s stop the salmonella by not using animal products.

So, go Vegan!!

Indigent Brains

andy — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:56:39 +0000

My weekend was super great. I had an awesome time riding on Saturday, great San Francisco Pride Parade on Sunday, and then today on my morning ride to work, I listened to Democracy Now!, and I heard this:

“…administration has placed a nearly two-year moratorium on the construction of new solar energy projects on public land. The Bureau of Land Management says it needs until the spring of 2010 to study the environmental impact the solar projects will have on land in Arizona, Nevada, California and other western states…”
(From Democracy Now 6/30/2008)

Are people out of their mind? I mean seriously!!! Solar energy environmentally questionable? What is next, CFL bulbs are bad for the environment? Hybrid cars are worse than hummers? Cycling is not environmentally friendly? Did somebody just switched my reality with the twilight zone?

I need a reassurance that I am still on the right planet!

Defenestrate the Logic

andy — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:15:07 +0000

Stop staring at the bottom bracket and read the sticker!
(Thanks to San Francisco Bicycle Coalition)