I'm a lasagna boy!

In which I exit with an octopus.

Down at the Ferry Building, we saw Matthew making up all sorts of creatures (and hats, and flowers, and mediaeval weaponry) from ballons and a hand-pump. He bit off the ends of balloons, twisted lengths of the brightly-coloured plastic into odd shapes, and charmed the young 'uns, all while keeping the crowd of onlookers entertained with his patter. Asked by one of the crowd, "Where'd you learn to do this, kid?" he answered, without missing a twist, "Prison." He kept up his spiel while passers-by interrupted, and would occasionally ask somone waiting for a particularly elaborate hat, "Do you mind if I make a flower for the pretty girl?".
And then we saw naked cyclists, once, twice, three times. Part of World Naked Bike Day in protest of oil-something-or-'nother, not quite as appealing as the good sports at The Fixed-Gear Enthusiass, a nicely-done site that may not be safe for work.

The count

Today I went through one patch kit, two tyre irons, and four tubes, all within the first sixty miles. Riding with Birdsong, Rob, and Loops, I barely made the first two miles before I ran through some glass and punctured the front tyre. I replaced the tube -- which had not come off the rim in so long, it adhered to the tyre and had to be peeled out! -- and that promptly blew out from dry-rot around the valve. Birdsong a.k.a. "Bat out of hell" tossed me his spare, and we were on our way. Just as we saw the sun peeking through the heavy fog at San Bruno Mountain, I pulled over at the head of the Sawyer Camp Trail with a flat on the rear, a nice snakebite puncture. I used two self-adhesive patches, and we were off again. At the other end of the Sawyer Camp Trail, I got a second snakebite when we turned towards Cañada Road and road over some steel plates. I stopped at the head of Cañada Road and a generous roadie not only gave me a tube and loaned me a floor pump, but then gave me a second tube, saying, "You may need it." He pointed out that the second snakebite no doubt came from an under-inflated tyre: "You can't get up to 110 PSI with that thing," indicating my Zefal HPx. I tootled along merrily and caught up the gang cooling their heels outside Robert's, and we sped down Whiskey Hill Road (a misnomer if ever there was one: no hill, and definitely no whiskey!) to the Stanford Campus. On the other side of Palo Alto, just before crossing the freeway, I got another puncture in the rear tyre, and pulled over to change it. And a mile later, a thumb-tack or push-pin or something went neatly through into that tube. I walked the remaining mile in to the office, showered and changed, and collected my thoughts.
As I have intended to put new tyres on the Reparto Corse, I caught a lift with Vikram over to the Freewheel and got me some new 700x23 serfas, all-black, as dictated by the new chic. And I made it home under my own steam, hurrah. I still ca'n't believe I broke two tyre irons, but, then again, they were nylon.

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle, Part Two

San Francisco's Recycling program has broadened the variety of plastic containers it can process. The general recycling guidelines are part of the San Francisco Environment web site. I recently started using corn-based self-composting garbage bags, and part of their appeal is the exorbitant retail cost. It provokes me to reflect back down the supply chain: I think before throwing out anything, before composting items, and before recycling. Where did the item come from? How might I avoid throwing out similar items in the future? Might I reasonably reuse what I am about to discard? Might someone else? Where did this item come from, and how much packaging, fuel, and byproducts are associated with it?

... we are pleased to add plastic tubs and lids to the ever-increasing list of products we accept. Check beneath the tub or lid: if you see the numbers 2, 4 or 5 in what looks like a "recycle" symbol, then you can put it in your blue cart along with your other recyclables. These tubs and lids are the ones customarily used for yogurt, margarine, cottage cheese, sour cream, and other food products-just make sure you've eaten or composted any leftover food from the container.

The plastic tubs and lids go to a local manufacturer that makes a durable garden edging product called Bend-A-Board. Plastic items collected in San Francisco also get made into auto parts, carpeting, clothing, and of course into new plastic bottles. It's good to buy products made from recycled content because it allows us maintain a market for the recyclables we collect; it's not so good to use products that are not recyclable or compostable.

San Francisco: a clean city.

In which the grass is greener

Pittsburgh shows its progressive attitude: "We need to make transit equal with highways." quoth Mayor Tom Murphy.

The project will extend the light rail system from Steel Plaza to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and, through twin tunnels under the Allegheny River to the North Shore.

As part of the full-funding agreement, the agency must demonstrate its ability to operate and maintain the light-rail system for the next 30 years to get capital improvement funds -- not an easy task when the governor has been forced to transfer millions of dollars in highway money to forestall record fare increases and service cuts.

And meanwhile, The Chronicle's John King props up London (again):

Livingstone's speech here Friday concerned his 2003 imposition of a charge any time a car enters an eight-mile-square chunk of central London. As a result, 50,000 fewer cars now enter the city on a typical weekday. Many commuters instead ride the 3,000 new buses that make mass transit more enticing.

But this unabashed socialist also has used his office to help clusters of towers sprout in central London -- including a slender glass pyramid that will rise 1,000 feet smack next to London Bridge. That way you keep the financial service firms close by (the better to tax them with). You put a dent in London's estimated demand for 30,000 new housing units a year. You even cut down on traffic -- people can walk to work.

I have Sind.

Puns get in my sind:

peccavi (pe-KAH-vee) noun

An admission of guilt or sin.

[From Latin peccavi (I have sinned), from peccare (to err).]

The story goes that in 1843, after annexing the Indian province of Sind,
British General Sir Charles Napier sent home a one word telegram, "Peccavi"
implying "I have Sind." Although apocryphal, it's still a great story.

Marine trebuchet?

Given my new-found interest in anti-perspirant-based guided-starch-missile systems, one cannot be surprised that I found this news story about fishermen assailing Greenpeace activists with potatoes very, very interesting.

DIA baggage-handling automation

United Airlines will finally abandon the automated baggage-handling system that has plagued them for the past decade at Colorado's second-largest art collection Denver International Airport.

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER

Tuesday, June 7, 2005 · Last updated 6:24 p.m. PT
United abandoning automated baggage

By KIM NGUYEN
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

DENVER -- United Airlines is abandoning the automated baggage-handling system at Denver International Airport that became notorious for losing or tearing apart luggage.

After more than a decade of trouble with the equipment, the airline said Tuesday it will switch to a cheaper, more conventional manual system by the end of the year.

United will still have to pay $60 million a year under its lease contract for the automated system with the city, United spokesman Jeff Green said. The contract will last for approximately 25 years.

"It has never worked exactly how it was intended to do," Green said. "We are looking at all areas where we can cut back on costs in our operations in every airport where we operate."

The airline, which is trying to emerge from bankruptcy protection, expects to save about $1 million a month in operating costs.

The $250 million automated system was intended to be a cutting-edge model but turned into a major problem for DIA. The city, which owns the airport, spent an additional $100 million for construction and $341 million in interest to try to get it to work.

The automated system was an underground, computer-driven railroad network for moving baggage. But bags were misdelivered, luggage was chewed up and cars derailed and jammed tracks. The system was responsible for repeated delays in the opening of DIA, which began operating in 1995.

"They're finally admitting to reality," said airline analyst Raymond Neidl. "They wanted to make it work, but they just couldn't get it to work."

The automated system was built by BAE Automated Systems of Dallas. In 1996, United sued BAE, claiming the automated system "performed miserably." Earlier, BAE had sued United for withholding $17.5 million in final payments. Both sides reached a confidential settlement in 1997. BAE was sold to G&T Conveyor Co. in 2002.

Under the manual system, bags will be hauled to a sorting area, where handlers will load them onto carts and haul them to other planes or to baggage carousels.

United filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2002. The next year, United negotiated the $60 million annual lease agreement with the airport in bankruptcy court, Green said.

Asked if the airline would try to change the lease terms, he said: "That would be between DIA and United and it's not appropriate for me to comment publicly. We obviously have a desire to cut our costs."

In support of your Local Bike Shop

Against my better judgement, this evening I headed willy-nilly for the new branch of a Big Chain Bicycle Store (no pun intended). I should have known better! After talking to three completely disinterested clerks (one had me rifling through their parts bin looking for the chainring I needed), and spending half an hour doing nothing but cooling my heels while they ignored me, told me I needed to speak to a manager, that they needed to speak to their manager, that they had to help someone else, et cetera, I grabbed my bike, my wallet, and decided to wait and head to American or The Freewheel later this week. I had really wanted to change out the drivetrain on the Kogswell, from a 45x14 (88" effective) to a classy 42x16 (71"), but I learned me a lesson but good.
I rolled out of their parking lot and headed to Zeitgeist ("Warm beer, cold women") for a quart. On the way I viciously cut off a suit riding a Segway down 4th Street. I pulled up to Zeitgeist ("Leave drunk, or don't leave at all") and the bouncer waved me in. I settled down with a nice jug o' Racer 5 and caught up with Clint, whom I have not seen in years and years. Everything turned up roses.

Biciverano

Bike Summer hits Los Angeles this year. In 1999, San Francisco hosted Bikesummer loveliness.

Dry as a wishbone

Had mighty hopes to put down a pint or two of the best at the Wishbone with Aram and Liz bright an' early this morning, but to our dismay the waiter told us that they do not serve Bloody Marys until 10:30. And there we sat, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, at eight o'clock. I disconsolately tucked into the corn-flake-crusted french toast and thoughtfully reflected on the Eighteenth.
Not to worry: Aram and I made inroads into addressing the Bloody Mary situation after a brief walk back downtown.
And I should add that all of this happened around an early-morning visit to Millennium Park, which has the most stunning and creepy fountain. Like unto the Kabaa, were it come to Times Square. The drains at the edge of the fountain are gorgeous.