Design your own bike online for free

February 22, 2010 in Cycling, Triathlon | No comments

I haven’t had a chance to tool around with this yet but once I have a little free time I am all over it! If you use the tool, let me know how it works!

Anyone who likes bicycles has at some point probably fantasized about it – getting their own one-of-a-kind custom-made bike. There are oodles of independent frame-builders out there who will gladly accommodate such fantasies, but their services generally don’t come cheap. Building a high-end bicycle from scratch definitely requires a lot of skill, and even designing one isn’t something that just anyone can do… or is it? BikeCAD, a free online applet, guides users through designing their own road, mountain, tandem or recumbent bike. They can then take their finished design to a builder, or even attempt to build the thing themselves.

via BikeCAD lets you design your dream bicycle online, for free.

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Hawaiian Twitter time trial challenge: Armstrong and Leito impromptu on the Queen’s K

February 21, 2010 in Cycling, Triathlon | No comments

How cool is this…You are randomly riding your bike in Hawaii (OK, not so random because you are Lance Armstrong) and you pass one of the top Ironman triathlete’s in the world, Chris Leito, and then via Twitter you have a  fun, friendly time trial race the next day. Man, I try not be envious but color me green on this one–how nice would it be not just to be riding in Hawaii (or anywhere for that matter right now–DC still buried in snow!) but also have an impromptu race of that caliber. As you can see in the short quote from the Bike Rumor post these guys were clocking close to 35mph!!!  check out the video below as well.

Lance Armstrong issued a time trial challenge to Ironman triathlete Chris Lieto, and they duked it out on the Queen Kamehameha highway in Hawaii. Watch the video, and here’s the answer to the question we know you’ll have: 56km/h = 34.8mph.

Here’s the Twitter smack talk recap:

ARMSTRONG: Just passed @chrislieto going the other way. He was hammerin. Hey Chris, a little TT showdown on the Queen K tomorrow? You, me, and whoever.

LIETO: @lancearmstrong see u on the Queen-K! Will have to be after 8am cause I have to swim first. Flying out mid day. Give me a call.

LIETO: Swim at A Bay at 7am. See u there

ARMSTRONG: @chrislieto now that would require clearance from @johanbruyneel which I know we won’t get!

ARMSTRONG: Start times 4today. @lancearmstrong @ 9:30, @chrislieto @ 9:31. Others every min. Honor system! No starting ur clock late/stopping it early!

LIETO: Official time for @chrislieto is 18:44. Thanks @lancearmstrong think his time was 18:35 for a great TT.

via Bikerumor | All The Best Cycling News, Tech, Rumors and Reviews!.

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2010 race season begins in 2 weeks–here is a map of our run

February 15, 2010 in Running, Training, Triathlon | 1 comment

2010 race season begins on February 27th at the Cowtown Marathon in Fort Worth TX. Sara and I will be running the half. It has been hard to keep our running consistent due to the barrage of snow recently–not to mention the lack of longer runs. Below is our running route. Nicest thing about this map is the 13.1 miles are already plotted, much easier than trying to find new ways to add the mileage up in my usual mapping system, walkjogrun.

I am going to use this race as a test and tune up prep for the National half (notice the cycling jersey on one of the featured runners in the main pic–ha!) on March 20 (local people, I hope you’ll come root us on in DC). Texas family & friends–I will be watching the crowd and looking for you with the eye of the tiger–and am hoping to see you all there!

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Bike tour to benefit non-profit focused on ending poverty housing

February 15, 2010 in Cycling | No comments

Ride from Niagara Falls to New Orleans, June 18- August 8 to help raise funds and awareness to end poverty housing–benefit is for the Fuller Center.

“Chris Cosby leads a group of cyclists through the 115 degree heat of southern California on the Fuller Center Bicycle Adventure, 2008?. Photo submitted by Katherine Fuller.

The Fuller Center is a non-profit organization who’s goal is to end poverty housing. Their Bicycle Adventures help to raise money and awareness of the need for adequate shelter for all people worldwide. This year’s ride is from Niagara Falls to New Orleans, June 18th through August 8th. Click here for more information and to register for this event.

via Bikerumor | All The Best Cycling News, Tech, Rumors and Reviews!.

About the Fuller Center:

The Fuller Center for Housing is a non-profit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry dedicated to eliminating poverty housing worldwide. By forming partnerships with local organizations, The Fuller Center provides the structure, guidance and support that communities need to build and repair homes for the impoverished among them. Read the Fuller Center’s Mission Statement and Foundational Principles.

The Fuller Center was started in spring of 2005 by Millard Fuller and his wife Linda, who co-founded Habitat for Humanity in 1976. Fuller set out to expand his missionary vision by returning to his roots at Koinonia Farm, a cooperative community dedicated to peace and service in rural southwest Georgia. A new mission statement was issued at Koinonia – also the birthplace of Habitat – dedicating The Fuller Center as a Christ-centered, faith-driven organization witnessing the love of God by providing opportunities for families to have a simple, decent place to live.

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So, you think you’re a “tough guy’?

February 15, 2010 in Running, awesome | 1 comment

Over Christmas my brother told me about a race in the UK called the Tough Guy Challenge, which involves some pretty crazy obstacles such as, live wires, freezing lakes, fields of flaming hay and crawling through abandoned sewer lines. I intend to keep my training focused on getting to an Iron Man but have told my brother this is something I would do, if he does as well, at some point–just hope to not break anything.

Check out the video!

Drop a comment if you know of any races like this in the states.

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Five User Experience Trends to watch–Gene Smith on Nform

February 13, 2010 in Tech | No comments

Very insightful post full of great links and resources, please read!

Today I’m sharing five trends I’ll be watching over the coming year (and beyond) along with some thoughts about how they might change our industry. And even if I’m wrong about some of these, I’ll be interested to see where they go.

  1. Services as Software (usability testing is noted)
  2. User Experience Analytics
  3. Content Strategy
  4. Return of the Mobile Web
  5. A Real Experience Economy

via Five User Experience Trends I’ll be Watching in 2010 / nForm / Blog.

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From Mashable–Best New Mashups: Social Graphing, Realtime Emotions and a Virtual Assistant

February 13, 2010 in Tech | No comments

worth a quick read…

The mashups included below all clarify mountains of information. Using APIs, they gather the data and show it to the user in a way that makes sense. In one case, it’s a bar chart of emotions expressed over Twitter and other realtime search engines. Another takes your LinkedIn connections and displays them graphically. The other brings a handful of APIs to your iPhone, responding to your voice.

via Best New Mashups: Social Graphing, Realtime Emotions and a Virtual Assistant.

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2010 Spring Thaw at St Michaels, MD | Potomac Pedalers Touring Club

February 10, 2010 in Cycling | No comments

Looks like a nice season starter ride on the Eastern Shore of MD, sponsored by the Potomac Peddlers Club Touring Club (yes, it’s a very obvious Drupal site) but pulled off for efficient functionality.

I’ll be keeping an eye on other rides they offer this year.

PPTC will host a repeat performance and partner with Eastern Tandem Rally to show off wonderful Eastern Shore cycling. Meet cyclists from throughout the East Coast. Four days of riding: no hills, sparse traffic, wide shoulders.

Roads near the water afford splendid scenery among world class environmental ecosystems.

Enjoy the famous ferry ride to Historic Oxford, MD for lunch and exploratory cycling.

What’s included?

  • Thursday and Friday ice cream social welcome party -wine and cheese – Friday lunch at Old Salty on Hooper Island
  • Sumptuous and healthy Saturday lunch and dinner in St Michaels
  • Maps – cue sheets – Saturday night entertainment – Mechanical assistance – AM Yoga
  • Lodging – on your own, with special rates at the host motel (hurry-this fills up fast)
  • Free unlimited continental breakfast with new additions including Belgian waffles

2010 Spring Thaw at St Michaels, MD | Potomac Pedalers Touring Club.

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A real pro fit, 3d mapping of TT position

February 9, 2010 in Cycling | No comments

Armstrong made several 3-D scans of his form on his TT bike which will presumably be analyzed by his team in what seems like a never ending quest to shave valuable seconds off time trials. The scans will give engineers a complete 3-D rendering of Armstrong’s body and bike, which will allow them to send the scan through various aerodynamic models to determine the optimum time trial position.

via Bikerumor | All The Best Cycling News, Tech, Rumors and Reviews!.

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Tower Skins Modernise Ugly Buildings, Generate Energy and Collect Rain Water – Gizmodo

February 9, 2010 in Energy, Environment, Tech | No comments

Interesting approach to turning older buildings green without total gut and rehab. I’d like to see a proof of concept production building. regardless of the initial buzz for or against, it is a good idea and shows some of the more creative concepts begin generated at the moment.

Architectural company LAVA believes ugly buildings should have a shot at happiness, with these tower skins acting like a “transparent cocoon” made from mesh textile, capable of being lit up in the evening for maximum attention. They'd supposedly generate energy with the addition of photovoltaic cells, collect rain water and improve ventilation for the buildings.

via Tower Skins Modernise Ugly Buildings, Generate Energy and Collect Rain Water – Lava tower skins – Gizmodo.

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