Gut the South
Yea, verily, I say, gut the south. May they lose their industrial jobs due to poor education and lack of healthcare. May they lose their call center jobs to India due to outsourcing and lack of protection for workers. Unto their 7th generation, may they lose their health to global warming and air pollution. For their sins in electing George W. Bush, for their idiocy in supporting the Republicans, may they and their kin suffer for the next hundred years the way the slaves they once held suffered.
What made Toyota so sensitive to labor quality issues? Maybe we should discount remarks from the president of the Toronto-based Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association, who claimed that the educational level in the Southern United States was so low that trainers for Japanese plants in Alabama had to use "pictorials" to teach some illiterate workers how to use high-tech equipment.
But there are other reports, some coming from state officials, that confirm his basic point: Japanese auto companies opening plants in the Southern U.S. have been unfavorably surprised by the work force's poor level of training.
There's some bitter irony here for Alabama's governor. Just two years ago voters overwhelmingly rejected his plea for an increase in the state's rock-bottom taxes on the affluent, so that he could afford to improve the state's low-quality education system. Opponents of the tax hike convinced voters that it would cost the state jobs.
But education is only one reason Toyota chose Ontario. Canada's other big selling point is its national health insurance system, which saves auto manufacturers large sums in benefit payments compared with their costs in the United States.
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Saturday, July 23, 2005
I was right, I was absolutely right!
During our tour of the Alps, Mike & I had a discussion about why French women are so thin. I theorized that it's the smoking that depresses the appetite and make them so skinny. Lo and behold, today's New York Times has an article about precisely this pheonomenon:
Experts blame factors ranging from urban sprawl to junk-food-laden diets for the increase in the number of Americans who are obese - defined as having a body mass index of over 30.
But smoking, or the decline of smoking, may also play a role. Nicotine is a stimulant, which means that smokers burn calories faster. And it's an appetite suppressant, which means that smokers eat less. Consider "French Women Don't Get Fat," the best selling book. Some critics said that the real reason chic Parisian women stayed trim while gorging themselves on croissants was that they smoked more than their American counterparts.
Indeed, conventional wisdom, soundly rooted in the personal experience of millions of former smokers and in several studies, has long held that short-term weight gain is the price to be paid for quitting smoking. But economists are increasingly applying their tools to measure the way monetary incentives, or disincentives, affect all sorts of human behavior - and hence the ability of government policy to alter it. And they've been wondering whether high cigarette taxes, which are intended to encourage people to quit smoking, may have the unintended effect of redirecting them from one form of unhealthy behavior to another....
...Over all, they found that "each 10 percent increase in the real price of cigarettes produces a 2 percent increase in the number of obese people, other things being equal."
During our tour of the Alps, Mike & I had a discussion about why French women are so thin. I theorized that it's the smoking that depresses the appetite and make them so skinny. Lo and behold, today's New York Times has an article about precisely this pheonomenon:
Experts blame factors ranging from urban sprawl to junk-food-laden diets for the increase in the number of Americans who are obese - defined as having a body mass index of over 30.
But smoking, or the decline of smoking, may also play a role. Nicotine is a stimulant, which means that smokers burn calories faster. And it's an appetite suppressant, which means that smokers eat less. Consider "French Women Don't Get Fat," the best selling book. Some critics said that the real reason chic Parisian women stayed trim while gorging themselves on croissants was that they smoked more than their American counterparts.
Indeed, conventional wisdom, soundly rooted in the personal experience of millions of former smokers and in several studies, has long held that short-term weight gain is the price to be paid for quitting smoking. But economists are increasingly applying their tools to measure the way monetary incentives, or disincentives, affect all sorts of human behavior - and hence the ability of government policy to alter it. And they've been wondering whether high cigarette taxes, which are intended to encourage people to quit smoking, may have the unintended effect of redirecting them from one form of unhealthy behavior to another....
...Over all, they found that "each 10 percent increase in the real price of cigarettes produces a 2 percent increase in the number of obese people, other things being equal."
Friday, July 22, 2005
I'll stop complaining about how expensive bikes are
I took my car in for a 75,000 mile service today. It needed new spark plugs, a new distributor cap, new plug wires, new transaxle fluid, new transaxle fluid filter, an oil change, an oil change filter. Worse, the intake manifold had to be removed to get at the spark plugs, so that cost me extra in labor. I was not happy at the $800 charge at the end, but what can I do? New cars cost a lot more.
The $200 I'm paying for a new Phil Wood rear hub (which will last well over 25 years) now seems really cheap by comparison. The Fuji Team SL doesn't seem too expensive, either.
And gas? Pah! They need to double the price of gas.
I took my car in for a 75,000 mile service today. It needed new spark plugs, a new distributor cap, new plug wires, new transaxle fluid, new transaxle fluid filter, an oil change, an oil change filter. Worse, the intake manifold had to be removed to get at the spark plugs, so that cost me extra in labor. I was not happy at the $800 charge at the end, but what can I do? New cars cost a lot more.
The $200 I'm paying for a new Phil Wood rear hub (which will last well over 25 years) now seems really cheap by comparison. The Fuji Team SL doesn't seem too expensive, either.
And gas? Pah! They need to double the price of gas.
A disaster in the making
With those credits to his name, there's no way V for Vendetta's going to be a decent movie. Sigh.
With those credits to his name, there's no way V for Vendetta's going to be a decent movie. Sigh.
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Why I will never be an electrician
I bought a Shimano generator hub, built a wheel around it (Torrelli Master rims, Wheelsmith DB15 spokes, 36 holes). I then bought Lumotec light from John Bayley, cut off the spade connectors, and wired them to the lights. Or rather, I first connected them to the wrong lights! They were wired to the secondary instead of the primary. OK, no problem, I wired them to the primary. The lights worked great on the truing stand, but failed to light when I attached them to the bike. Later investigation showed that if I touched the dynashoe attachment to the truing stand, the light would fail as well, indicating an insulation problem. (Or so I thought)
Well, I tried every insulation trick I could think of: I tried electrical tape, I tried paint, I tried electrical tape and paint. Nothing worked. Actually, paint worked for all of 3 seconds, and then when I tightened down the bolt, it stopped working again. I gave up, and posted onto the Rivendell mailing list that I was selling this because I just couldn't solve the insulation problems.
Alex Wetmore asked me if I had tried swapping the wires. I tried it and indeed, that was the problem all along. That was it! So now I'm happy... All I need to do is to tape up the exposed wires and I'm set!
I bought a Shimano generator hub, built a wheel around it (Torrelli Master rims, Wheelsmith DB15 spokes, 36 holes). I then bought Lumotec light from John Bayley, cut off the spade connectors, and wired them to the lights. Or rather, I first connected them to the wrong lights! They were wired to the secondary instead of the primary. OK, no problem, I wired them to the primary. The lights worked great on the truing stand, but failed to light when I attached them to the bike. Later investigation showed that if I touched the dynashoe attachment to the truing stand, the light would fail as well, indicating an insulation problem. (Or so I thought)
Well, I tried every insulation trick I could think of: I tried electrical tape, I tried paint, I tried electrical tape and paint. Nothing worked. Actually, paint worked for all of 3 seconds, and then when I tightened down the bolt, it stopped working again. I gave up, and posted onto the Rivendell mailing list that I was selling this because I just couldn't solve the insulation problems.
Alex Wetmore asked me if I had tried swapping the wires. I tried it and indeed, that was the problem all along. That was it! So now I'm happy... All I need to do is to tape up the exposed wires and I'm set!
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Bottom bracket creak?
For the last few rides, there as been an extremely annoying creak coming from the bottom bracket of my Fuji Team SL. Try as I might, I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. In frustration, I took it to the bike doctor to see if he could diagnose the problem. Well, he traced it to the quick release on the rear wheel, of all things! So he gave me an old quick release and so far, the problem seems to have completely gone away. Amazing, just amazing.
For the last few rides, there as been an extremely annoying creak coming from the bottom bracket of my Fuji Team SL. Try as I might, I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. In frustration, I took it to the bike doctor to see if he could diagnose the problem. Well, he traced it to the quick release on the rear wheel, of all things! So he gave me an old quick release and so far, the problem seems to have completely gone away. Amazing, just amazing.
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
No more SD500
It got smashed on the sailing trip, so now I am once again a film man! To be honest, it's a relief not to have a digital camera. One feels obliged to carry that darn thing around all the time, since it costs nothing to shoot. A film camera forces more deliberation, and that's always better if you want better pictures, as opposed to just more pictures.
It got smashed on the sailing trip, so now I am once again a film man! To be honest, it's a relief not to have a digital camera. One feels obliged to carry that darn thing around all the time, since it costs nothing to shoot. A film camera forces more deliberation, and that's always better if you want better pictures, as opposed to just more pictures.
Monday, July 18, 2005
Sunday, July 17, 2005
10 speed chains are evil
Why use chains that require connecting pins? Buy an SRAM with the power link instead. No chain tool for assembly means you don't risk making mistakes even professional mechanics make and ruining your ride. For touring cyclists it is even more imperative that your parts be reliable, and hence I recommend 8-speeds and 8-speed chains.
Why use chains that require connecting pins? Buy an SRAM with the power link instead. No chain tool for assembly means you don't risk making mistakes even professional mechanics make and ruining your ride. For touring cyclists it is even more imperative that your parts be reliable, and hence I recommend 8-speeds and 8-speed chains.
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Initial Tour of the Alps Proposal
(Originally sent Oct 30th, 2004)
Ever since Lisa & I did our Tour of the Alps in 2003, I've wanted to
go back and do more riding there. Since Lisa is in school and can't do
any long tours I've determined that I'll have to do it on my single in
2005, which will open up possibilities for longer days and more
cycling. If you're interested in joining me on such a tour, read on!
The basic idea is to start around the second or third week of June
(when most of the passes open) in Google's Zurich office. I'm thinking
to spend about a week or so riding the French Alps and riding the
classic climbs of the Tour de France as well as many of the more
interesting ones that have been charted by the British OCD
(http://www.ocd.org.uk/) in their French Alps guide. While we'll visit
many classic Tour de France climbs this is NOT a "follow Le Tour"
ride. My intention is to get into the French Alps early and be out of
France by the time the Tour visits the Alps. I don't really want to
deal with the traffic and crowds.
I'd also like to revisit many of the classic Swiss passes that so
captivated me last year --- Sustens pass, Oberalp pass, Nufenen pass,
and St. Gottard pass. This will take another 5 days to a week or so.
Then with the remaining time, we may visit the Austrian Alps, which
are very pretty as well and significantly cheaper. I've found that on
a 21 day tour, if you plan about 14 days, you'll have room for
unexpected events (such as a fantastic B&B that makes you want to stay
an extra day) and weather while still having the flexibility to do
extra exploring if that moves you.
I'm expecting to ride about 60-80 miles a day. (Lisa & I managed 45
miles a day and 3800' of climbing a day on a tandem, so on a single I
expect to be able to put in another 20 miles a day and another 2000'
of climb) If you've done a century with about 6000-8000' of climb
before this should be no problem --- I'm a fairly slow rider. Costs
would be around $75 a day a person for double-occupancy, depending on
the level of accomodations you want and how much/where you eat, and
whether you take any trains. (Trains were by far the most expensive
part of our trip, so I'd really like to avoid that as much as
possible, especially in France, since French trains aren't very cycle
friendly --- and if we succeed then the costs might be reduced, but
the Euro has also gone up since our visit in 2003, so it'll probably
be a wash) There'll be no SAG support (those tours cost $200 a day
minimum), so expect to fix your own flats. Accomodations wil be found
as we go (no reservation until we hit the ground in Switzerland,
except for the first day's accomodations), so if you're the kind of
person who can't deal with adventure or uncertainty, don't even
consider coming along --- my experience in 2003 was that we always
found some place to stay, even though there were two days (both
weekend days) when we had to backtrack a bit before we found
accomodations. I know enough French and German to get rooms, etc.
If you've read this far and are still interested, e-mail me. I have
maps, extensive information from the OCD and pointers to web-sites,
and a (non-digital) slide show of our 2003 trip so you can see what
it's like. You'll have a say in where the trip goes, of course. I have
a maximum group size of 4 in mind (including myself) but won't be
disappointed if nobody else wants to come along. Plane tickets are
cheapest around December/January, so if you wait until the last minute
to buy those, you may not be able to get them or you may find them
prohibitively expensive (hence I'm planning the trip now).
Oh, if you want to read my description of our tour from 2003, the URL
is http://www.geocities.com/piawandlisa/trip2003.html)
(Originally sent Oct 30th, 2004)
Ever since Lisa & I did our Tour of the Alps in 2003, I've wanted to
go back and do more riding there. Since Lisa is in school and can't do
any long tours I've determined that I'll have to do it on my single in
2005, which will open up possibilities for longer days and more
cycling. If you're interested in joining me on such a tour, read on!
The basic idea is to start around the second or third week of June
(when most of the passes open) in Google's Zurich office. I'm thinking
to spend about a week or so riding the French Alps and riding the
classic climbs of the Tour de France as well as many of the more
interesting ones that have been charted by the British OCD
(http://www.ocd.org.uk/) in their French Alps guide. While we'll visit
many classic Tour de France climbs this is NOT a "follow Le Tour"
ride. My intention is to get into the French Alps early and be out of
France by the time the Tour visits the Alps. I don't really want to
deal with the traffic and crowds.
I'd also like to revisit many of the classic Swiss passes that so
captivated me last year --- Sustens pass, Oberalp pass, Nufenen pass,
and St. Gottard pass. This will take another 5 days to a week or so.
Then with the remaining time, we may visit the Austrian Alps, which
are very pretty as well and significantly cheaper. I've found that on
a 21 day tour, if you plan about 14 days, you'll have room for
unexpected events (such as a fantastic B&B that makes you want to stay
an extra day) and weather while still having the flexibility to do
extra exploring if that moves you.
I'm expecting to ride about 60-80 miles a day. (Lisa & I managed 45
miles a day and 3800' of climbing a day on a tandem, so on a single I
expect to be able to put in another 20 miles a day and another 2000'
of climb) If you've done a century with about 6000-8000' of climb
before this should be no problem --- I'm a fairly slow rider. Costs
would be around $75 a day a person for double-occupancy, depending on
the level of accomodations you want and how much/where you eat, and
whether you take any trains. (Trains were by far the most expensive
part of our trip, so I'd really like to avoid that as much as
possible, especially in France, since French trains aren't very cycle
friendly --- and if we succeed then the costs might be reduced, but
the Euro has also gone up since our visit in 2003, so it'll probably
be a wash) There'll be no SAG support (those tours cost $200 a day
minimum), so expect to fix your own flats. Accomodations wil be found
as we go (no reservation until we hit the ground in Switzerland,
except for the first day's accomodations), so if you're the kind of
person who can't deal with adventure or uncertainty, don't even
consider coming along --- my experience in 2003 was that we always
found some place to stay, even though there were two days (both
weekend days) when we had to backtrack a bit before we found
accomodations. I know enough French and German to get rooms, etc.
If you've read this far and are still interested, e-mail me. I have
maps, extensive information from the OCD and pointers to web-sites,
and a (non-digital) slide show of our 2003 trip so you can see what
it's like. You'll have a say in where the trip goes, of course. I have
a maximum group size of 4 in mind (including myself) but won't be
disappointed if nobody else wants to come along. Plane tickets are
cheapest around December/January, so if you wait until the last minute
to buy those, you may not be able to get them or you may find them
prohibitively expensive (hence I'm planning the trip now).
Oh, if you want to read my description of our tour from 2003, the URL
is http://www.geocities.com/piawandlisa/trip2003.html)
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Tour of the Alps photos
Mike Samuel, Steve Purcell & I did a 3 week tour of the French & Swiss
Alps, and the photos are now up at:
http://www.mikesamuel.com/alps2005/photos/
A full trip report on my side is forthcoming (I just got back on
Monday, so it'll take awhile), but Mike's writeup is available at:
http://www.mikesamuel.com/alps2005/
We had a fabulous time!
Mike Samuel, Steve Purcell & I did a 3 week tour of the French & Swiss
Alps, and the photos are now up at:
http://www.mikesamuel.com/alps2005/photos/
A full trip report on my side is forthcoming (I just got back on
Monday, so it'll take awhile), but Mike's writeup is available at:
http://www.mikesamuel.com/alps2005/
We had a fabulous time!
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