I know the principles are quite different, but at some point the thing must control speed either by a rheostat or a pot [potentiometer]. That is the location I want to tap into it. The parts are mass produced, I feel that I only have to find one that works on the correct voltage. I’ll worry about the speeds later, since anything digital is adjustable. The existing switch goes from way too slow to way too fast so I’m pretty flexible on the results.
The cancer guy came around today with a beautiful six-speed bicycle. I took if for a shot around the block. In high gear I can easily get up to 25 mph. That, of course, is an estimate. My usual speed seems to be around 12 mph but the point is that I can already do that indefinitely, I do not get winded. I am blazing past other bike riders. If I had not already got my bike, and if the six-speed was not such a faggy color, I would have spent the $50. Another misleading aspect of the design is the size, it looks like a small bicycle. Yet the handlebars are all the way up to my chest and my feet are at least nine inches off the ground as it is set up. I do like the no crossbar which does not really serve any purpose for me except making it harder to get on the bike when I have a tall load strapped on the back. (You have to swing your leg up over the crossbar.)
Linux. It defaulted itself back to all the settings I changed y’day. Not good, as it has a tendency to log on as an administrator despite the warnings plastered all over the thing that this is a bad idea. A guy came in today to ask about building a series of computers. These computers are to be sold on credit to low income people. I smell a government incentive and Fred saw my ears perk up. As a matter of fact, yes, I do know one hell of a lot about discounting receivables – it was the only graduate course I ever got 100% in.
Between customers, I had time to look at a GMAT sample. General Management Aptitute Test. I have no intention of telling Barry, or any college, where I went to high school, so it means taking this test. It is not a tough test, but it is full of pitfalls. The questions are often worded ambiguously. I can see that might be a good management test but the test states there are no trick questions. Duh.
I can’t find Andrea’s phone number and I want to go bike riding with her. I did go riding myself and got a new toy. A bicycle speedometer circa 2006, made by Schwinn which I did not know is in Coral Gables. The earlier info I received was correct, the speedometer works on the principle of a tiny magnet on the spokes that rotates past a sensor. The doodad has 12 functions although some of them are pretty obscure. It does have a few that would be difficult without good software, such as average speed during actual time traveled. I’d earlier wondered about this. Yes, the clock stops when you do and starts again once you get moving. You get average speed while you were moving, not average speed in total [which would include any stops you made].
My estimates were pretty accurate, especially distance. My maximum is 13.3 MPH and my overall average is 10.4 MPH, roughly twice what is normal according to the exercise material I’ve read so far. I was a little over on my distance, what I guessed was a half mile was .466. However, these Schwinn people still need their heads examined a little. They give settings for different sizes of wheel rims, but don’t have complete listings for different sizes of tires on those rims. Mine appears to be an ATB 26”x2 (650B), which is merely the closest match to what is written on the sidewall of my tires. Close is not a standard in the computer age, Schwinn-types. My tire says 26x2.125, meaning the odometer could be out by six miles on every hundred.
It is still better than nothing and a marvel considering it cost just $10.88 and made in America. What a joke that our industrial plant is reduced to building bicycle speedometers. There was even a model that measures your caloried burned. I didn’t go there. What I will do is keep a log of my travels. I do not expect any big improvements in speed as I ride identically to what I did when I was around 8 years old.
I’ve been practicing my bass lines to the MP3. One that is giving me problems is Johnny Cash’s “Walk The Line”. It doesn’t follow any known country pattern and in fact, makes mistakes from some points of view. That would be Johnny Cash, alright. That new version of “Counting Flowers On The Wall” is also catchy. My most perfect bass tune to date is still “Last Train to Clarksville”, a non-sensical Monkees hit. That is the tune I brought down the house playing at the Sports Pavilion in, what, 1988? Seriously, I had people cheering in the aisles, “Bassman! Bassman!”. What a time that was, and just twenty years ago. Anyway, listen to the bass line closely and you will hear some syncopations that aren’t apparent at first.
What is with this MS piece of shit [word processor]? I misspelled “synchopations” and it accepted it. So I ran the spellchecker manually and it still took it. I hauled out the Big Dictionary. The word originated in 1532 meaning to leave out a syllable from the middle of a word and taking on the musical definiton in 1597. The misspelling is not in the custom dictionary and it does not auto-suggest the correct version as optioned. Maybe MS uses the same temp labor outfit as Schwinn.
[Author's note 2024: this post was originally all-text, now livened up with a photo from 2006. It's the Whitney display of American art. This post is an early example of many themes this blog returns to over the years.]
