The trains in Zurich are very bicycle friendly
Friday, June 17, 2005
Monday, June 13, 2005
Sunday, June 12, 2005
The Long Emergency, James Howard Kunstler
Even if you believed everything he writes in this book, his strident tone may very well put you off, espcially if you've seen the speaker in person. He makes lots of assertions without backing them up (though you can probably back them up yourself trough appropriate research), and doesn't really offer any interesting or creative solutions. You're better off reading Peak Oil, or Hubbert's Peak.
Even if you believed everything he writes in this book, his strident tone may very well put you off, espcially if you've seen the speaker in person. He makes lots of assertions without backing them up (though you can probably back them up yourself trough appropriate research), and doesn't really offer any interesting or creative solutions. You're better off reading Peak Oil, or Hubbert's Peak.
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Another day, anothe stoker
I took Christine out for a ride on the tandem yesterday. She loved it. I remember how nice it was when I first went for a ride on a good bike, and I'm sure she had a similar experience. It's always a delight to share cycling with others, and I'm beginning to realize that tandeming is one of the best ways to introduce cycling to non-cyclists: it's non-threatening, it's liberating (the other person doesn't have to steer or brake or watch for traffic), and the fact that you're a good mechanic means that the stoker also never worries about mechanicals.
I took Christine out for a ride on the tandem yesterday. She loved it. I remember how nice it was when I first went for a ride on a good bike, and I'm sure she had a similar experience. It's always a delight to share cycling with others, and I'm beginning to realize that tandeming is one of the best ways to introduce cycling to non-cyclists: it's non-threatening, it's liberating (the other person doesn't have to steer or brake or watch for traffic), and the fact that you're a good mechanic means that the stoker also never worries about mechanicals.
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
The Wall-Street Journal on Class Mobility
Although Americans still think of their land as a place of exceptional opportunity -- in contrast to class-bound Europe -- the evidence suggests otherwise. And scholars have, over the past decade, come to see America as a less mobile society than they once believed.
Although Americans still think of their land as a place of exceptional opportunity -- in contrast to class-bound Europe -- the evidence suggests otherwise. And scholars have, over the past decade, come to see America as a less mobile society than they once believed.
Monday, June 06, 2005
Vanguard Re-opens energy fund
It was closed in 2004 because too many people wanted in. It'll probably close again in the future. If you missed it last time, here's another chance.
It was closed in 2004 because too many people wanted in. It'll probably close again in the future. If you missed it last time, here's another chance.
Friday, June 03, 2005
The Time Traveler's Wife, Audrey Niffenbegger.
"Okay," I say, "let's see. The choices we're working with here are a block universe, where past, present and future all coexist simultaneously and everything has already happened; chaos, where anything can happen and nothing can be predicted because we can't know all the variables; and a Christian universe in which God made everything and it's all here for a purpose but we have free will anyway. Right?"
Clare wiggles her toes at me. "I guess."
"And what do you vote for?"
Clare is silent. Her pragmatism and her romantic feelings about Jesus and Mary are, at thirteen, almost equally balaned. A year ago she would have said God without hesitationl In ten years she will vote for determinism, and ten years after that Clare will believe that the universe is arbitrary, that if God exists he does not hear our prayers, that cause and effect are inescapable and brutal, but meaningless.
Niffenbegger is not a great writer, but she is a great plotter. This is one of those books you have to read twice, the first time to understand the layout, and the second time to pick up all the references that were dropped the first time --- passages in Henry/Clare's lives that didn't make sense the first time round because you were getting it out of order.
Highly recommended!
"Okay," I say, "let's see. The choices we're working with here are a block universe, where past, present and future all coexist simultaneously and everything has already happened; chaos, where anything can happen and nothing can be predicted because we can't know all the variables; and a Christian universe in which God made everything and it's all here for a purpose but we have free will anyway. Right?"
Clare wiggles her toes at me. "I guess."
"And what do you vote for?"
Clare is silent. Her pragmatism and her romantic feelings about Jesus and Mary are, at thirteen, almost equally balaned. A year ago she would have said God without hesitationl In ten years she will vote for determinism, and ten years after that Clare will believe that the universe is arbitrary, that if God exists he does not hear our prayers, that cause and effect are inescapable and brutal, but meaningless.
Niffenbegger is not a great writer, but she is a great plotter. This is one of those books you have to read twice, the first time to understand the layout, and the second time to pick up all the references that were dropped the first time --- passages in Henry/Clare's lives that didn't make sense the first time round because you were getting it out of order.
Highly recommended!
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Idlewild, by Nick Sagan
Yes, he's the son of that famous astronomer. A decent book, a bit disjoint, and while it has a few interesting idea, is a bit staid. An obvious first novel.
They're gone now, off chasing a better tomorrow. I told them I wouldn't actively oppose them. It's a truce.
I'm alone with my thoughts.
I said I had nothing left... but that's not true.
Even with a shattered memory, I still have hindsight. With perfect clarity, I can see what made me the way I am. I can't see forward, but I can see the path back.
Yes, he's the son of that famous astronomer. A decent book, a bit disjoint, and while it has a few interesting idea, is a bit staid. An obvious first novel.
They're gone now, off chasing a better tomorrow. I told them I wouldn't actively oppose them. It's a truce.
I'm alone with my thoughts.
I said I had nothing left... but that's not true.
Even with a shattered memory, I still have hindsight. With perfect clarity, I can see what made me the way I am. I can't see forward, but I can see the path back.
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