Positive Thinking.

"Nothing is good or bad, that thinking made it so."
- Hamlet, Will Shakespeare

[snagged from a blog post I liked here]

Farah Fawcett.

No, this post is not about her, just poorly named. I wanted to ask the thousands of t.c readers for some help, at the risk of authoring my dumbest post ever - does anyone know how to use these faucets?


Yeah, it's the kind that has a hot and a cold "push-button". Sure, it's usually used in public restrooms and prevents people from leaving the water running (I don't know how many times I've done that at friend's places (?)). But, to me, this is like the sound of one hand clapping... or figuring out how to make one hand clap.

Isn't the washing of hands supposed to be a two-handed, thorough operation? Not one that you can skimp on and have a valid reason for poor results. "Yeah, that's e-coli, but I had one of those "push-button" faucets [shrug]". You can wet one hand at a time, then get some soap and make some suds, kind of, but then rinsing both hands at the same time is basically impossible with the millisecond of water that comes from each push. Maybe if you possess some kind of contortionist gene in your family, you're fine with these?

t.c readers, I implore you - if anyone has some quick tips for this kind of faucet, please share. Maybe this is now just the greenest, vintage faucet anyone's ever seen.

Results, Poll #17, Global Warming.

So, with the weather finally (knock on wood) turning warmer-ish, I thought I'd see how many of us think it's now a different climate than it was just a few years ago, or even since we were kids. I'm not sure the results are what I was expecting, but I chalk some of that up to the poll's language... maybe it was a little hard to understand the differences. Consequently, the responses were a little all over the place:

4 people (36%) chose "Yes, I'd say it's clear"
3 people (27%) chose "Yea, maybe a little"
2 people (18%) chose "No, I think it's more than "influenced and has been going on much longer"
2 people (18%) chose "No, I don't buy it at all"

11 total respondents sort of shot-gunned all over the choices. I'm not sure what we can say about the climate from the results, but the majority do think the greenhouse effect probably has some merit. Hard to argue with science... unless you're a climatologist... or just like to argue.

1 World, 2 Wheels.

If you've been too busy getting bombarded by ads for the new Indiana Jones movie, May is National Bike Month. In honor of that, I thought I'd throw some interesting info your way about the benefits of local cycling. It won't take long to read and you just might be moved to action (after you swallow the vurp that comes up from reading some of it).



Why Bike? For your health, for the world, for our future, for 2 miles or less. With the world facing skyrocketing obesity rates, escalating traffic congestion and the concerns of global climate change, the bicycle is an underutilized solution.

For your health
> The average person loses 13 lbs. their first year of commuting by bike.
> Just 3 hours of bicycling per week can reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke by 50%.
> A 140-pound cyclist burns 508 calories while pedaling 14 miles in an hour.

For the world
> The U.S. could save 462 million gallons of gasoline a year by increasing cycling from 1% to 1.5% of all trips.
> Each U.S. rush-hour auto commuter spends an average of 50 hours a year stuck in traffic.
> In 2003, cars idling in traffic wasted 5 billion gallons of fuel.

For our future
> In 1964 50% of kids rode to school and the obesity rate was 12%…in 2004, 3% rode to school and the obesity rate was 45%.
> Between 1960 and today the average weight of a 6-11 year old has increased 11 pounds.

For 2 miles or less
> 60% of the pollution created by automobile emissions happens in the first few minutes of operation, before pollution control devices can work effectively.
> 24% of all trips are made within a mile of the home, 40% of all trips are made within two miles of the home, and 50% of the working population commutes five miles or less to work.

If you'd like to read more or get the fancy version, all of this info was found at http://www.1world2wheels.org. This initiative and organization was started by the Trek Corp.

Business +

Yesterday was a unique and satisfying day in the life of a bike industry employee. A coworker and I drove through the WI farmland to Trek Bicycle Corporation.

Now, unless you've been mezmerized by American Idol for its entire run, you've probabaly heard of Trek or maybe a guy named Lance Armstrong or wore a yellow bracelet for a year or so? Lance won all of his Tour de France races aboard Trek bicycles. This publicity and legitimacy pushed the Trek brand even further along in the minds of consumers.

A dreary start to the day gave us some concern as we made our way further into Cheeseland, but about 5 miles from the office, the sun came out, finally. And as we stepped out of the car, we were pleased to see the temps had risen, the winds got light, and all was right for mountain biking. Why? Well...

... we did our business with good results, but also were able to ride on Trek's private off-road trails. These are leased from a local farmer and only for Trek employees and their guests. The trails were built in conjunction with the International Mountain Bike Association and lots of hard labor. They are smooth, flowing, and downright fun. Of course, they have some MTB "stunts" sprinkled in as well, but I have my hands full just by being off road. All this is part of the good stuff that has come from almost a decade of winning the tour (Trek won last year with a Spanish cyclist as well).

It's a great day when people in the bike business can get some work done and go on a lunch ride.

Results, Poll #16, Golden Shower.

For much of this week, the results were 100% "Yes" and only within the last 2-3 days of voting time did two votes sneak in for "No". This is also a pretty popular poll, I guess, with 17 people voting. The impetus for this poll goes back to a bunch of conversations with friends about doing this very thing. Many of these friends I've been roommates with, so we had a vested interest in how the question was answered.

15 people (88%) chose "Yes" - so I'm not the only one... though everyone should watch the Seinfeld episode about gym locker room shower peeing.
2 people (11%) chose "No" - shower saints... kidney martyrs... bladder gods. I salute you.

I'd say it is now clear and almost unanimous that people pee in the shower... maybe not everyday, but at least once in their life. Ahhhhhhh, relief.

Bridges, we don't need no stinking bridges!

This is one of the most unique features for bike riders that I've ever come across, in any city. And it happens to be right here in MKE. This bridge spans the Milwaukee River near the Water Street/Downtown area. On one end is a condo/nightlife neighborhood, near Brocach, with a sweet session spot for skateboarders and on the other end is the entrance to Lakefront Brewery (great weekly combo fish fry and brewery tour) and more condos, with a good connected path.

What's unique is that his bridge had been hung directly under the bridge used by automobiles. The bridge for the cars isn't too bad to cross, but the one below for bikes and pedestrians is much nicer... and, I suspect, a lot less lethal.

These kinds of features in any city make cycling more accessible and fun.