I'm a lasagna boy!

Scalpel salami

Anything but pedestrian.

Bless Santiago Calatrava for working on commission for pedestrian bridges. Despite how long an architect's rise to prominence can take, Calatrava has undertaken two of the more beautiful pedestrian bridges (one in Bilbao, and a new one in Redding).

Four syllables, or five?

Ever wonder about the physics behind traffic signal sensors? The sensors measure changes in inductance, but that still leaves a lot of issues, like ferrous vs. conductive, and contributions of frame vs. wheels.

If you've got aluminum rims, your frame material doesn't matter, because they operate at high frequencies, where the key component is a conductive piece of metal -- not carbon fibre, you weight weenie -- that allows an induced eddy current (e.g. closed loop). Rims get closer to the wires than the frame, align the wheel with one of the wires, so the maximum number of magnetic flux lines pass through your rim. If the sensor is a figure-8 pattern, the middle wire is twice as sensitive as the edge wires.

California has codes designed to address the engineering of cyclists in intersections.

Isaac Asimov wrote an excellent short story called "Unique is where you find it" about a problem posed to an eager young chemist by his antagonistic professor. There, I've spoiled the story for you.

On the origin of cities

Having heard that this year's National Spelling Bee winner took the prize with autochthonous, I wondered where I might stumble upon that word. The answer: on the first page of the Introduction to Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898 -- the year that Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island, and The Bronx united as boroughs of New York City. This 1100-page volume, the first in the self-billed definitive history of the city, has a table of contents that runs to ten pages.

Once you have a city, you have to decorate it:

Image a city where graffiti wasn't illegal, a city where everybody could draw wherever they liked. Where very street was awash with a million colours and little phrases. Where standing at a bus stop was never boring. A city that felt like a living breathing thing which belonged to everybody, not just the estate agents and barons of big business. Imagine a city like that a stop leaning against the wall - its wet.

When pigs fly, they won't need bridges

From Chuck Shepherd's The News of The Weird:

... two proposed, marginally useful bridges for the state that will eventually cost taxpayers more than $2.2 billion. One, almost as big as the Golden Gate bridge, would connect Ketchikan (pop. 7,800) with a 50-resident island and the town's modest airport (and would replace a five-minute ferry boat ride), and the other, a two-mile-long span, would connect Anchorage, according to the Times, to "a port that has a single regular tenant and almost no homes or businesses."

Houston's new Metro hits the spot

An article in the New York Times discusses the poor integration of Houston's new light-rail into the street. Car drivers keep colliding with the light-rail cars, which build up speed over the long flat stretches bedtween stops in Houston. (San Francisco's MUNI does not have this problem, as it stops as frequently as twice each block above-ground, and rarely achieves speeds greater than 11 kph. I write in kph because it's a bigger number than the mph, which seems impossibly slow: 9 mph.)
The article does not mention that a recent surface extension of Barcelona's TMB light-rail had similar problems; not does it explore why other cities, such as Sacramento, have successful (and relatively accident-free) surface-grade light rail.
Happily, the article quotes Metro officials as saying:

there are other reasons to build a train on street grade. It is more accessible and easier to use, and it fosters what Houston lacks: street-level development and pedestrian culture.

Houston Finds Some Pain in Car-Rail Coexistence

June 25, 2004
By SHAILA K. DEWAN
HOUSTON, June 18 - For a quarter-century, the debate over
whether Houston should have a light rail system pitted a
vision of environmentally friendly mass transit against the
fossil-fueled love affair between Houstonians and their
cars.

Last year, when Houston finally got a rail line, the
culture clash became physical. Since testing began in
November, the silvery electric-powered train, which slides
north and south along the street on a 7.5-mile route, has
collided with more than 40 cars.

The accidents have marred what was to be a moment of
rejuvenation for the city. The opening of the rail line was
timed to coincide with a major spruce-up of downtown,
complete with a fountain that flanks the tracks and sends
water leaping high into the air each time a train
approaches.

So far, 15 motorists have driven into the fountain.

None
of the train-versus-car accidents have been fatal, and more
than half have simply been fender benders, according to the
Metropolitan Transit Authority's statistics.

Still, experts say that while it is hard to compare light
rail lines - each has its own length and configuration -
Houston's accident rate is extraordinarily high.
Sacramento, by comparison, where that part of the light
rail line that shares the street is about the same length
as Houston's line, has had just four collisions this year.

The situation has quickly become part of Houston lore. At
an annual sand castle competition this month, no fewer than
11 entries depicted trains and crashed cars, with titles
like "Metrozilla" and "Weapons of Mass Destruction."

And residents are keeping score.

"I was No. 6,'' said
Joseph D. Kittrell, a 64-year-old hairdresser who suffered
a couple of broken ribs and whose Nissan truck was totaled
when he turned left over the tracks while a train was
coming. Mr. Kittrell, given a ticket for an illegal turn,
said the signage was confusing.

"I wrote the mayor, I wrote The Houston Chronicle," he
said. "I feel like I've been had by the city, and I don't
think it's fair."

The train, which opened for business on Jan. 1, carries
passengers from the new Reliant Park football stadium north
through the Texas Medical Center complex, the museum
district and downtown, where it cruises down the center of
Main Street, past the baseball stadium, to the University
of Houston's downtown campus. It is intended to be the
spine of a much larger system to come, which voters
approved by referendum in early November.

That was before they knew what it would be like to share
their streets with a 99,000-pound train that travels at 40
miles an hour and is separated from cars only by little
bumps known as traffic buttons. Many people now question
the wisdom of the transit agency's decision to wedge the
train into the streetscape instead of above or below
ground, an option that could have increased costs tenfold.

Officials of the transit agency, known as Metro, do not
come right out and say so, but their explanations for the
accidents boil down to this: Houstonians are bad drivers.
All the collisions, they say, can be attributed to driver
error: illegal turns, failure to yield and disregard of
signals.

There is plenty of support for that argument. The accident
rate in greater Houston, train or no train, is well over
double the national average, and it is particularly bad at
the medical center. Last year the police issued 8,000
traffic citations along what has become the train's route.

"Unfortunately we lead the state in every conceivable type
of crash," said Ned Levine, the transportation program
coordinator for the Houston-Galveston Area Council, the
region's planning group .

Thirty-nine percent of serious accidents here are caused by
speeding, compared with 13 percent nationally, Dr. Levine
said, adding, "I would call that aggressive driving.''

But the transportation agency's efforts to defend itself
have not gone over well. "It's not just the media," said
Frank J. Wilson, who became chief executive of Metro two
months ago. "It's the general perception, people in the
street, elected officials. They say: 'What's wrong with
Metro? Why is it blaming these motorists?' As if it's a
God-given right in Houston to run red lights."

It did not help matters that the first driver to collide
with the train was a local television reporter.

To be fair to Houston drivers, they have had to master six
new and complex traffic signs, including an icon that shows
a train track, over which is superimposed a left-turn
arrow, over which is a circle with a slash through it. The
signs are symbols only, without words like "warning."

At the medical center, the train's path doubles as a
left-turn lane. At other points, driveways exit right onto
the tracks. In Mr. Kittrell's case, the traffic lights were
green, but centered above them was a new signal forbidding
a left turn.

"I said, 'Well, who's going to look up there when there's
two green lights?' " he recalls telling the police.

Metro has since moved no-turn signals to make them more
visible.

Some drivers complain that the train comes without the
typical warnings.

"Are you from America?" Benny Delgadillo Sr. said
indignantly. "I'm from America, 49 years. Here, you're
taught as a kid that flashing lights, arms come down -
train's coming."

Mr. Delgadillo admits, however, that he should not have
turned left where he did, off Main Street. He made a common
mistake: he and the train in the lane to his left were
traveling in the same direction, so he did not see it when
he made the turn.

"It's just even by the grace of God that I should be
talking to you now, it hit me that hard," he said.

Metro has made numerous adjustments: changing and moving
signs, adding flashing lights and more flashing lights. In
February, it commissioned the Texas Transportation
Institute, at Texas A&M University, to do an independent
study. The study concluded that the route met national
traffic standards, but suggested 161 "enhancements," many
involving signals and their timing.

Since the agency began adopting those changes, the rate of
accidents has been declining, and transit experts say it
will continue to drop as Houston and the train grow
accustomed to each other.

For now, safety engineers have determined that trains and
cars are too hostile to even share an intersection. In the
most accident-prone part of the route, red lights halt cars
from all directions when a train is passing through, a
signal pattern called "pre-emptive red."

Though Metro strongly disagrees, some drivers point to the
improvements as evidence that the city was at first
negligent.

Maria Lewis-Sterling, a 46-year-old nurse, says her car was
not even moving when its license plate was torn off by a
passing train. Her car was protruding into the roadway,
though, and she was charged $450 for damage to the train.
Her accident was the first of six at one intersection,
which has since been given two rail crossing signs.

Ms. Lewis-Sterling said she had no hard feelings, and even
rode the train to work this week. "Just give me my $450
back,'' she said, "and admit that you didn't do a perfect
job.''

Metro's ridership is averaging 24,000 on weekdays and
continues to increase. Now, in part because of continuing
concern over the accidents, its board has asked the agency
to re-examine the planned routes for the light rail
expansion.

But besides cost considerations, Metro officials say, there
are other reasons to build a train on street grade. It is
more accessible and easier to use, and it fosters what
Houston lacks: street-level development and pedestrian
culture.

"I'm trying to decide what the balance is: safety versus
accessibility, ease of mobility versus changing culture,"
said Mr. Wilson, Metro's chief. "Some people would say, 'If
you do it again, would you do it the same way?' My guess is
that after a lot of deliberation and hammering, we probably
would."

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/25/national/25rail.html

Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company

Can't take the N train?

In San Francisco, some MUNI stops have absolutely no indication of where to board to catch which train in which direction.
I was getting off the inbound J at Church and Duboce, and heard a grandmotherly woman with a young kid in tow ask the driver where to catch the N; he said, "There, across the street." A moment later, the J had turned away and the woman was standing on the corner, confused.
Platforms on either side of the street beckoned; one read "N, J lines outbound"; at the far end of another, a ragged sign read "Proof-of-Purchase line." But no clear signs, no direction indicators, nothing.

Take the (automatic) L train

The MTA will automate the L train.
Reminiscent of the Alcatel / MUNI fiasco. BART and DC's trains have been automatically-controlled since their inception.

Next Stop for the Subway, a Fully Automated Future
By MICHAEL LUO

The subway of the future was rumbling back and forth on the Canarsie line in Brooklyn the other day. Not sleek or silent, it seemed no different from any other train. But its innards set it apart, making it groundbreaking for a transit agency long dogged by a Luddite image.

After several years of installation work and testing, New York City Transit is finally close to unveiling its first computer-controlled train line. A rollout of the $287 million system will begin in October and continue through next spring on an overhauled L line. At first, train operators will remain in control, but when the computer-based system becomes fully operational, probably sometime in May, trains will essentially drive themselves from station to station in fully automatic mode.

The spacing of trains, their speeds and when they start and stop will be entirely controlled by a complicated system of onboard and remote computers that communicate with each other via radio signals. Operators will continue to ride in the front cab in case of emergency, but their only job will be to push a button in front of them periodically to alert the rail control center that they are paying attention.

And if all goes according to plan, in a few decades hence, all New York City subway trains will run in the same way, without human help.

"This is a revolution," said Nabil N. Ghaly, chief signal engineer for the transit authority.

Although the system's benefits mainly center on being able to run more trains at higher speeds, the most important advancement will be in safety, supporters said.

"The whole idea is to eliminate human error," said Joe Bauer, a train operator instructor who has been helping test the new system.

More than a decade ago, a subway train with a drunken motorman aboard barreled through a railroad switch in Union Square and derailed, killing five people and pushing transit officials to begin exploring options for automating their aging system.

Automated trains are by no means new. In San Francisco, Bay Area Rapid Transit trains have been completely automated since the 1970's. And New York City had a fully automated train between Grand Central and Times Square for two years in the early 1960's. More recently, driverless, computer-controlled train lines have emerged in Paris, London, Vancouver, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and elsewhere. The New York City subway, however, continues to depend on the same antiquated system of signal lights, caution flags and speed limits.

"We are seriously behind," Mr. Ghaly said.

The current system dates to the late 19th century. Tracks are divided into blocks, usually about 600 feet long, energized by an electrical current. When a train runs over a block, it interrupts the current and triggers a signal light behind it indicating that that section of track is occupied. Trains following behind will be stopped by a red light. The problem is, it is impossible to know where exactly the train is within a block of track, so it has to be assumed when coordinating traffic flow that the train is at the beginning of a block. If engineers want to run more trains through a stretch of track, more signals have to be installed, but this is possible only up to a certain point. Right now, the least amount of space between signals is about every 300 feet, except in special instances, like curves.

Another drawback of the system is that if a signal is broken, which happens from time to time, the transit authority depends on train operators following guidelines that say they can travel no faster than 10 miles per hour.

"When a signal fails, we are really depending on the rule book," Mr. Ghaly said.

If workers are doing track repairs, the transit authority also relies on train operators obeying flagmen and instructions to slow down. And the signal system only works in one direction. If a train needs to back up because of an emergency, all the trains behind it have to be cleared.

In the new system, each train on a line will have two onboard computers (one is a backup) and an electronic reader strapped to its belly. The readers are designed to pick up signals from radio transponders placed every 600 feet along the tracks. The transponders will give trains the information they need to track their locations and speeds.

Each onboard computer will in turn communicate by radio waves with computers set up in spots along the track. These track-side computers will be doing the main work of traffic regulation. The trains' onboard computers will then set down proper speeds. Meanwhile, a main computer at the new rail control center, being built in Manhattan, will monitor everything and issue commands when needed.

In October, the system will begin operating in "shadow" mode on the L line, with train operators still completely in control while engineers make sure the software is working properly. Later, over gradually lengthening segments, the computer system will begin issuing commands to the train operator about speed and travel distances, but the operator will still apply the throttle. If the train operator ignores directions from the computer console inside the cab, the computer system will take over and halt the train.

Finally, in May or June of next year, the line will move to fully automatic mode, in which the train operator will simply sit back and watch while the train moves from station to station on its own.

The new system will allow the transit authority to squeeze 20 percent more trains onto its tracks, running 30 to 31 trains per hour on a typical line instead of 26, and permit the trains to operate at higher speeds, meaning less waiting time and shorter rides for passengers. Stations will also have computer displays that will offer passengers real-time information about when the next train will arrive.

But some outside the transit authority have raised questions about whether having computers control trains is safe in New York City, given the system's age and complexity and all that can happen on the tracks.

"No subway system is like New York City's subway system," said Councilman John C. Liu, chairman of the City Council's Transportation Committee, who wants to hold hearings this fall on the system.

"Before you start having robots run our subways, I'd like to see them get the P.A. system up and running," he said. "Let's get the P.A. system working on all the subway cars and platforms. Let's get the lighting fixed on all the platforms. Let's get the MetroCard machines working fully, all the time. Get the basic stuff done first before you go into this Buck Rogers mode."

Much controversy has centered on whether the transit authority will eliminate conductors on the new trains, leaving them with only one crew member, because train operators, who no longer have to worry about running their trains, can open and close the doors, which conductors now do. Transit officials say they are still evaluating. But union officials have been issuing warnings, saying that in a time of terrorism fears, more crew members are needed on trains, not less. They point out that packed trains in rush hours can have more than 2,500 passengers. In an emergency, one crew member, located at the front of the train, would have trouble.

"It's important to be at the technology curve, but it has to be sensible," said Roger Toussaint, president of Local 100 of the Transport Workers Union.

The questions about safety frustrate those close to the project, who point out that the technology has proven itself in other cities. The project is being led by Siemens Transportation Systems Inc., the company that brought Paris the driverless Meteor Metro line, which opened in 1998. Engineers concede, however, the New York's system brings its own set of challenges. Stephane Bois, a software consultant on the project, said the biggest difficulty has been figuring out how to overlay the new system over the old, while making sure both still work.

Despite the criticism and obstacles, transit officials are moving forward with plans to convert the No. 7 line beginning in 2007 to the same computer-based system and then the F line in Brooklyn in 2009. Eventually, transit officials hope the entire system will be converted, although that could take decades.

As for the matter of making public address announcements actually understandable, they say they are still working on that.

Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company

Cock-eyed and painless

How many ways are there to spell Viagra?

The lowest order of insect is the litterbug.

While I was cycling down Polk past City Hall, a black Jetta was in the lane next to me. The passenger wound down the window and chucked a crumped up -- cigarette pack? parking ticket? something associated with being moral turpitude, surely -- which bounced against me. I told the man, who was inches -- inches! -- away from me, that he was inconsiderate, and he replied, "I didn't see you there." I suggested that he was inconsiderate not just of me, but of the streets, and he looked blank. I put it plainly: "You shouldn't litter, and you shouldn't throw things at people." He became angry. Traffic in the bicycle lane was moving faster than autos, and I pulled ahead.

The place of salt

The place-name wich indicates a place where salt was made.
The citation states that it is merely a variation of wick.
Mark Kurlansky suggests this definition in his unsatisfying book
Cod.

A world in which MUNI is on schedule.

Riding MUNI and staring distractedly out the window, I imagined the multiverse, that in some orthogonal world the driver had sped up and whizzed past these buildings (are they there in the other world?) a little faster, we'd hit a different sequence of lights.
... or that the buildings were slightly taller, the light hadn't distracted the driver, causing him to slow down. Or that the buildings were painted a different colour; that the cars hadn't changed lanes, forcing the trolley to slow down; that I had caught a MUNI driven by an auto-pilot; that MUNI had precedence over autos; usw.

Walking home, I found a copy of Michael Crichton's "Timeline", a novel with quantum mechanics as its trope.

Always a Siren, steering you to ship-wreck

Caltrain's much-heralded "Baby Bullet" service made its début last week:

Caltrain spokeswoman Rita Haskin, described the Baby Bullet's premiere as perfect except that the commuter railroad had to turn away a couple of dozen bicyclists after the bike storage areas, which have half the capacity of normal trains, quickly filled.

"We had room for all the bicyclists but not for their bikes,'' she said. "But for commuters ... we think their expectations were met.''

Today, I arrived on the platform a full fifteen minutes before the train, but already a line of 12 cyclists had gathered. One was trying to arrange a queue to board the train -- only 16 cyclists per! -- and others, like me, disorganisedly waited on the platform. Ten days after services started, Caltrain shows no indication of improving service: mobs milled about the platform, but the handicapped ("mini-high") ramp impeded the flow of traffic from the platform entrance to the ticket-vending machines. And the impromptu queue of cyclists blocked the entire area between the platform entrance and the passenger area.

The train arrived; the conductor hopped down from the train, announced "We have space for ten bikes," and a mad rush ensued. I stood back and watched as some cyclists ducked in one door while the conductor was trying to count bikes at the other entrance; when he walked down to help a wheelchair-bound passenger board, yet more cyclists leaped on.
(And why, despite having new rolling stock and new platforms, platforms specially made for wheelchairs, do conductors need to intervene and help passengers board from the handicapped ramps?)

Caltrain's sanctimonious press release shifts the blame for the rush to cyclists:

Some cyclists did not seem to be aware of the bike capacity on Bullet trains and were not able to board these trains. Initially, we also had a problem when the Baby Bullet equipment was used in non-Bullet service during the commute and some waiting cyclists had to be turned away. Caltrain’s operations staff reallocated equipment so we can be assured of having at least 32 bike spaces in non-Bullet peak service.

Caltrain held public hearings and conducted extensive surveys in preparation for this train's launch; surely they knew that demand would be heavy?

Two things about this Caltrain project impress me favourably: that it was completed on time, and that it was undertaken at all. I hope that Caltrain reëvaluates the level of service on the Baby Bullet, and is able to accomodate its ridership.

In order to meet the demanding growth within the state, we need to focus on massive public-transit infrastructure and not encourage the use of inefficient private transit.

Palo Alto town fathers are stolidly considering high-speed rail across the Dumbarton, the stinkiest of bridges (the Golden Gate is the most beautiful, the Bay Bridge the most aggravating, the Richmond-San Rafael the most under-construction, the Carquinez the most industrial, and the Al Zampa the most engineered. The San Mateo isn't a bridge, it's a causeway, a causeway for alarm if you ask me).

The Transbay Terminal has received final approval from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, and requests for complete funding are underway, even though the railroad alignment and right-of-way are under dispute.

Music: "There There" by Radiohead.

It works on two levels!

Cutting remarks from dullards.
... and speaking of which, how about them bicycle-mounted sidewalk-printing dot-matrix printers?

I know why the MUNI trains lock up

After an exhilarating morning cycle -- the breeze was delicious against the warm sunlight -- I took the train home this evening.

The Embarcadero Shuttle was in full effect, minus the ticket machines (2 of 3 on the platform were out of order; 1 was cheerlessly rebooting).

Can you bounce with me?

Listening to "Tusk" from the album Greatest Hits (European) by Fleetwood Mac. On the bus to work this morning, I patiently waded through the 700-odd songs by The Fall that turned up on the iPod. "Big New Prinz" is probably the best song ever, and it has what, two notes on the bass riff?
Dug out my CD of Otomo Yoshihide's dynamic trio with David Moss and John King, and I'm bumping that against the Jay-Z Unplugged CD.

With forked tongues

Irregardless, speaking more than one language keeps your brain sharp.

Sudden organ

I forgot my iPod in its cosy dock this morning, but remembered the "Radio" feature in iTunes; imagine my joy (and surprise) when I tuned in a station described as "Vintage Punk Rock" to hear the kick-off of The Fall's "Rowche Rumble."
I got an addiction like a hole in the ass: note to self: go home and listen to 4 tunna brix EP.

Good for the dIeT

A trade publication ran a story on story on Iceland's drive to bring fiber to all 65,000 residences in the capital, Reykjavik. Wonder if this means that GarageBand files will transfer easily amongst the budding indie-rock bands.

A short-term effect?

Reading the Vintage Book of Amnesia, edited by Jonathan Lethem (whose Motherless Brooklyn I loved; unhappily, I haven't enjoyed any of this other books, excepting the fantastical, short, and tortuous The Shape We're In).

Aside from the beautiful "Nightmare" by Shirley Jackson and the whopping six-page story by Donald Bartheleme, many of the stories disappoint me, including Lethem's own contribution. An essay by neurologist Oliver Sacks discusses the physioloigical underpinnings of amnesia while describing the sad case of "The Last Hippie."

The ships are getting restless

Perusing The Outlaw Sea and thinking of .

Clock-watching

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (Wireless Flash) -- The official organization that organizes food eating contests will unveil a wall of big eaters later today (Jun. 10) on Coney Island in New York.

The 50-foot by 70-foot Hot Dog Eating Wall of Fame will showcase heavy hitters Mike "the Scholar" DeVito, Ed "the Animal" Krachie, Takeru Kobayashi, Krazy Kevin Lipsitz and Hungry Charles Hardy, who are all winners of the International Hot Dog Eating Contest which takes place every July 4.

The wall will also include a clock which will count down the days, hours and minutes until the next hot dog eating contest.

International Federation of Competitive Eaters President Rich Shea says, "The Football Hall of Fame is in Canton, Ohio, and the Basketball Hall of Fame is in Springfield, Mass. I have never heard of a Super Bowl being played in Canton or a Championship Series being played in Springfield."

But the new wall will sit on the location where the Hot Dog Eating Championship takes place. He calls the new wall, "The Mount Rushmore of competitive eating."

The psycho zeta buckdown.

The twin prime conjecture and the Riemann hypothesis have long remained two of the long-standing conundrums in number theory.
And now they are solvéd? And the latter for a pretty purse?

De Branges is perhaps best known for solving another trenchant problem in mathematics, the Bieberbach conjecture, about 20 years ago.

Something I hope to understand in a few days

Took in a screening of Lars von Trier's latest, The Five Obstructions. This pits the idiosyncratic Danish director against Jørgen Leth, whom he cudgels into directing short films. Each film is a permutation of Leth's early short, The Perfect Human, with constraints imposed by Trier.

Permutation of music, film, and painting intrigues me: as Mark E. Smith records many versions of the same song, changing the pace, wording, instrumentation (Slang King#2), so did Michelangelo sculpt many slaves, so did El Greco paint many gentlemen of quality.

bus (+big)(+blue)

This morning I took the Big Blue Bus. Really. It is big and blue (and a bus). And (excuse me while I search for the ¢ key) only 75¢.

... and on the bus I thought about adding Geotags to this blog, and got lost in looking at USGS pictures of San Francisco.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch:

Caltrain spokeswoman Rita Haskin, described the Baby Bullet's premiere as perfect except that the commuter railroad had to turn away a couple of dozen bicyclists after the bike storage areas, which have half the capacity of normal trains, quickly filled.

"We had room for all the bicyclists but not for their bikes,'' she said. "But for commuters ... we think their expectations were met.''

A deep-fried love affair

I had a burger and fried pickles for lunch today. Typically a southern specialty, I've previously enjoyed them at State Fairs.

Elvis came across these in pickles at roadhouses outside Memphis; fried pickles are the perfect accompaniment to beer. They are believed to have been invented at the Hollywood, a roadhouse originally in Hollywood, Mississippi.

Arresting axe-murderers means bad news for woodcutters

Dr Gridlock fulminates against sidewalk-riding cyclists:

But according to [Advocacy for Respect for Cyclists] spokespeople, ticketing cyclists for breaking the law is only a "deterrent to cycling."

But it seems that many readers lump all cyclists into a category that is stereotypical: the flame-breathing bike courier who rides like a kamikaze pilot.

What about law-abiding cyclists who follow the rules, such as reader Ian More?

He writes: "I find that when I obey the traffic laws that I get quite a bit of abuse from fellow cyclists. There have been a couple of incidents where I stopped for a stop sign and was run into by another cyclist.

"My philosophy is to gain respect on the road by following the rules of the road."

By JEFF GRAY
Monday, June 7, 2004 - Page A13

Readers have a lot to say about cyclists.

And almost none of it is good.

"I've had my fill of the bleatings of these self-righteous, holier-than-thou cyclists, and particularly when it comes to bike lanes," Murray Wright writes in response to last week's column about cars parked in bike lanes.

"I walk two kilometres to work every day, and part of it is along College Street.

"I regularly encounter people riding on the sidewalk and there are bike lanes on both sides of the street, for crying out loud.

"There are inconsiderate pedestrians, motorists and cyclists, but according to the cyclists it's always somebody else who's in the wrong, never them."

Christine O'Connell writes: "Since the activists want bike lanes for themselves, why do we have to tolerate them riding on the sidewalks?

"They think they own the sidewalk.

"They wanted rights to ride on the streets with special lanes, so use them."

Certainly, cyclists riding on sidewalks are a pedestrian hazard in downtown Toronto.

Police say the practice is a major cause of accidents involving bikes.

Drivers watching for much slower pedestrians crossing the road are not expecting a bike to zip across a side street from a sidewalk.

And pedestrian-bike collisions can be bad as car accidents.

It is illegal to ride bikes with wheels more than 61 centimetres (24 inches) high on a sidewalk.

The fine for doing so is $90.

But as they do with some other traffic bylaws, police tend to enforce the bike rules only during blitzes in their efforts to get the message across.

Some cycling activists, such as those in the group Advocacy for Respect for Cyclists, reject that approach.

In its recent Bicycling in Toronto report card, issued at the end of the city's Bike Week, ARC called for an end to the annual Cycle Right campaign by police, which is to start today.

Police say they plan to ticket drivers and cyclists who break the rules during the two-week blitz.

But according to ARC spokespeople, ticketing cyclists for breaking the law is only a "deterrent to cycling."

Of acts police deem "aggressive riding," such as riding on the sidewalk, blowing through stoplights or zipping the wrong way up one-way streets, ARC says: "There is nothing inherent in these ways of riding that makes them aggressive.

"In many cases they are the best, safest choice a cyclist may have."

ARC and the police have a bit of history: The group says the police presence for its regular Critical Mass rides is excessive.

(Police say they are only enforcing the law.)

Only a tiny minority of cyclists are members of groups such as ARC.

But it seems that many readers lump all cyclists into a category that is stereotypical: the flame-breathing bike courier who rides like a kamikaze pilot.

What about law-abiding cyclists who follow the rules, such as reader Ian More?

He writes: "I find that when I obey the traffic laws that I get quite a bit of abuse from fellow cyclists. There have been a couple of incidents where I stopped for a stop sign and was run into by another cyclist.

"My philosophy is to gain respect on the road by following the rules of the road."

Dr. Gridlock, who plans to ride regularly again soon, agrees.

'til the fat lady sings

Took in a performance of Master Class at the Odyssey Theatre with Nico and Anna last night.

Saw McNally's play with Anar a few years ago; Patti LuPone played the Callas role. The last professionally-staged opera I saw was with Nico: Die Zaüberflöte, a story I love, in San Francisco.

We are getting soft ...

I often hear the question: "Why only a front brake?" when I'm riding a fixed-gear. Font of wisdom Sheldon Brown, of course, has the answer:

You really should have a front brake. A front brake, all by itself, will stop a bicycle as fast as it is possible to stop. This is true because when you are applying the front brake to the maximum, there is no weight on the rear wheel, so it has no traction.

One of the wonderful things about fixed-gear riding is that the direct feel you get for rear-wheel traction teaches you exactly how hard you can apply the front brake without quite lifting the wheel off of the ground.

This is a very valuable lesson for any cyclist who likes to go fast; it could save your life.

There is really no need for a rear brake on a fixed-gear bicycle. By applying back-pressure on the pedals, you can supply all the braking that the rear wheel really needs. In fact, it is fairly easy to lock up the rear wheel and make it skid, unless you are running a rather high gear.

Some fixed-gear fans make a point of not using their brake except in an emergency. I am not sure that this is a good idea. Heavy duty resisting is widely reputed to be bad for your legs, and to be counterproductive for building up muscles and coordination for forward pedaling.

2 Are Hurt in Bizarre Motorcycle Collision

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2 Are Hurt in Bizarre Motorcycle Collision
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A Costa Mesa officer and another rider are knocked onto other bikes, police say.

By David Haldane
Times Staff Writer

June 2 2004

In an accident reminiscent of an action-movie sequence, a Costa Mesa police officer and another man were injured Monday when their motorcycles collided, causing a game of "musical cycle seats" on the San Diego Freeway, authorities said.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-cycle2jun02,1,7833246.story

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-cycle2jun02,1,7833246.story
ORANGE COUNTY
2 Are Hurt in Bizarre Motorcycle Collision
A Costa Mesa officer and another rider are knocked onto other bikes, police say.
By David Haldane
Times Staff Writer

June 2, 2004

In an accident reminiscent of an action-movie sequence, a Costa Mesa police officer and another man were injured Monday when their motorcycles collided, causing a game of "musical cycle seats" on the San Diego Freeway, authorities said.

"This is definitely one of the most unique accidents I've ever seen," Lt. John FitzPatrick, a spokesman for the Costa Mesa Police Department, said of the 10 p.m. collision that knocked Officer Dennis Dickens, 39, off his seat and Javier Gasga, 33, onto it for a quarter of a mile.

"It was like a Hollywood stunt," FitzPatrick said.

Both men were taken to Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo and were reported in serious condition.

According to FitzPatrick, the accident occurred in the southbound carpool lane just north of Jamboree Road, where Dickens and fellow motorcycle officer Tony Yannizzi were traveling about 65 mph as they rode home from work side by side. A third cycle driven by Gasga and traveling more than 100 mph, FitzPatrick said, roared up behind the officers and struck Dickens' bike in the rear.

The impact, FitzPatrick said, threw Dickens off his motorcycle and onto Yannizzi's, where he was able to hang on for about five seconds before losing his grip and somersaulting along the asphalt for more than 40 yards. At the same time, FitzPatrick said, Gasga — who police believe had been drinking — was thrown from his bike onto Dickens', which continued for about a quarter-mile before crashing onto the pavement.

"He was just kind of spread-eagled on top of it," FitzPatrick said.

Eventually Yannizzi, who was not injured, was able to stop and pull the two men out of the path of oncoming traffic. Dickens suffered a cracked pelvis and multiple abrasions requiring surgery, while Gasga sustained a collapsed lung.

Gasga was arrested by the California Highway Patrol on suspicion of felony driving under the influence, FitzPatrick said.

If you want other stories on this topic, search the Archives at latimes.com/archives.

Article licensing and reprint options

Copyright 2004 Los Angeles Times

So dangerous

After months of hearing about Danger Mouse's Grey Album, I finally got copy onto my iPod. Bumpin', perhaps unfair use (of Jay-Z's Black Album and of the Beatles' White Album), but bumpin'. And what's the bottom line?

Gilbert O’Sullivan’s 1991 lawsuit against Biz Markie for the uncleared use of 20 seconds from O’Sullivan’s "Alone Again (Naturally)" was a major turning point in the evolution of hip-hop. Markie lost the case; the judge told him, verbatim, "Thou shalt not steal." With that, the era of carefree sampling was over. Sample-heavy albums in the vein of Public Enemy’s It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back or the Beastie Boys’ Paul’s Boutique became impossibly expensive and difficult to release. Many artists continued to sample but retreated into using more and more obscure source material.

MIx First and Separate LAter?

separate faeces from urine; produce energy and reduce wastewater usage

http://www.holon.se/folke/kurs/Distans/Ekofys/Recirk/Eng/mifsla_en.shtml

http://www.wost-man-ecology.se/clearvac_duo.

From one coast to another.

While I've been belly-aching about the new CalTrain rolling stock for some time, the West Coast is trumped by the East: The Long Island Rail Road's new cars are "a total failure":

Now, though, railroad officials are admitting that one minor miscalculation has snagged their dream of design perfection on the railroad cars of the future.

The flaw? An armrest measuring four-tenths of an inch too long.

Four-tenths of an inch might seem like a picayune matter in an 85-foot train car. Or, to a hand that would otherwise dangle from a longer-than-average forearm, it might seem like a godsend. But to the owners of countless pants, pockets and raincoats that have been torn on the armrests, four-tenths of an inch is a measure of frustration.