A short guide to scooter touring
Harvey Binder over at Midwest Scooter Enthusiast has a great post up on the basics of touring by Scooter. Yes, it can be done, and even done enjoyably. Heck, a day out on quiet country roads on a 150cc scooter just might turn into the most fun you've ever had with internal combustion engines...
So you've got yourself a decent scooter. Its been a reliable and fun way to get around. You've always wondered what it would be like to ride somewhere a little further away from home. Somewhere which would take a little planning in order to get there. You've got the touring bug.
No matter what cubic displacement your machine is, it can be done. You can have all the fun you're looking for with the machine you've already got. Its a matter of accepting the conditions of the situation. You have to begin somewhere and there's no better way than to just get out there and ride what you already have.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
The Mother of All DIY Links
The Mother of All DIY Links
Seriously, a HUGE page of links to DIY articles from Mother Earth News, that publishing institution that introduced your humble Dragon to such wonderful things as wind power, passive solar hot water heating, and composting. These links go to articles from January 1970 to the present. This my friends, is elementary, secondary, undergrad, and graduate learning in DIY, all on one extremely long HTML document.
Here's just a sample from back when the Dragon was chiselin' outta the shell with a chitinous egg-tooth:
Oil Story - November, 1971
Here's what Organic Merchants have to say about the process of refining oil, and what consumers should know about vegetable oil, and its nutrients.
Vinegar Is Vinegar - November, 1971
According to Beatrice Trum Hunter, there are many varieties of this easily-made, tangy, fermented liquid-and within rather wide limits-homemade vinegar can be just what you want it to be.
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee - November, 1971
Michael Blake on the Indian history of the American West. Dee Brown's book is the first detailed chronicle of the destruction of a people, its saga is so complete in its grisliness, its horrors of inhumanity, and its sweeping injustice.
The Countryside Print Shop - November, 1971
One notable sister journal of Mother is a friendly little magazine called COUNTRYSIDE published by Jerry Belanger up in Marshall, Wisconsin. Started in 1969 for the same reason of helping spread information on life styles that are more in harmony with the better interests of the planet on which we live.
The Braided Rug Go-Round - November, 1971
The most important ingredient of a braided rug- outside of your labor and love - is the recycled fabric from which it's made of.
Seriously, a HUGE page of links to DIY articles from Mother Earth News, that publishing institution that introduced your humble Dragon to such wonderful things as wind power, passive solar hot water heating, and composting. These links go to articles from January 1970 to the present. This my friends, is elementary, secondary, undergrad, and graduate learning in DIY, all on one extremely long HTML document.
Here's just a sample from back when the Dragon was chiselin' outta the shell with a chitinous egg-tooth:
Oil Story - November, 1971
Here's what Organic Merchants have to say about the process of refining oil, and what consumers should know about vegetable oil, and its nutrients.
Vinegar Is Vinegar - November, 1971
According to Beatrice Trum Hunter, there are many varieties of this easily-made, tangy, fermented liquid-and within rather wide limits-homemade vinegar can be just what you want it to be.
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee - November, 1971
Michael Blake on the Indian history of the American West. Dee Brown's book is the first detailed chronicle of the destruction of a people, its saga is so complete in its grisliness, its horrors of inhumanity, and its sweeping injustice.
The Countryside Print Shop - November, 1971
One notable sister journal of Mother is a friendly little magazine called COUNTRYSIDE published by Jerry Belanger up in Marshall, Wisconsin. Started in 1969 for the same reason of helping spread information on life styles that are more in harmony with the better interests of the planet on which we live.
The Braided Rug Go-Round - November, 1971
The most important ingredient of a braided rug- outside of your labor and love - is the recycled fabric from which it's made of.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Geeks in Space
Geeks in Space
Richard Branson, owner of Virgin Records, Virgin Airlines, Virgin Mobile, and the upcoming Virgin Galactic (offering zero-g space flight to the unwashed masses, at least the unwashed who can drop $200k on a two hour orbital jaunt) is looking to launch Stephen Hawking into the stratosphere. Obviously, a huge puplicity stunt disguised as an indulgence of the fancy of one the world's greatest minds, but amazingly cool none-the-less. Good luck to both of you, the Dragon hopes it works out. In a related matter, the Dragon will happily accept a +1 press pass on Virgin Galactic, in exchange for which he will write an extremely thorough and glowing review of the service... eh? Eh?
Hawking, 65, has said he hopes to travel on British businessman Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic service, which is scheduled to launch in 2009. The service will charge space tourists about $200,000for a two-hour suborbital trip some 87 miles above the Earth.
Branson was keen to help the scientist realize his dream of space flight, Virgin Galactic spokesman Stephen Attenborough said Monday.
"Richard is very determined that if we can possibly make this happen, then it should," Attenborough said.
Richard Branson, owner of Virgin Records, Virgin Airlines, Virgin Mobile, and the upcoming Virgin Galactic (offering zero-g space flight to the unwashed masses, at least the unwashed who can drop $200k on a two hour orbital jaunt) is looking to launch Stephen Hawking into the stratosphere. Obviously, a huge puplicity stunt disguised as an indulgence of the fancy of one the world's greatest minds, but amazingly cool none-the-less. Good luck to both of you, the Dragon hopes it works out. In a related matter, the Dragon will happily accept a +1 press pass on Virgin Galactic, in exchange for which he will write an extremely thorough and glowing review of the service... eh? Eh?
Hawking, 65, has said he hopes to travel on British businessman Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic service, which is scheduled to launch in 2009. The service will charge space tourists about $200,000for a two-hour suborbital trip some 87 miles above the Earth.
Branson was keen to help the scientist realize his dream of space flight, Virgin Galactic spokesman Stephen Attenborough said Monday.
"Richard is very determined that if we can possibly make this happen, then it should," Attenborough said.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
The Beaver Trilogy
Jes and I were listening to an old podcast of This American Life this evening, themed on reruns, and they talked about the Beaver Trilogy. I'd seen a link to this on Digg awhile back, but didn't have the full story, and didn't make it past the first segment on YouTube. But the story on This American Life was so compelling, that I had to find the whole thing again.
The Beaver Trilogy, for those of you who don't know, consists of three films, the first a combination of serendipitous filming and documentary of Groovin' Gary in 1979. The second two films are docudramas inspired by the first, but filmed years later by the same director, Trent Harris. The second stars a very young Sean Penn in 1981. The third stars an also very young Crispin Glover and was filmed in 1985.
The whole thing kinda reminds me of Napolean Dynamite, but much more existential.The fact that the director kept coming back to this same subject, that this experience was one he felt continuously drawn to, is really fascinating. There are elements of creativity as therapy, as well as Nietzche's concept of the Eternal Return. Actually, I find Napolean Dynamite a better source of one liner allusions than a film. But this work as a whole... this is a gem. If you have the patience to watch all these parts (which are linked in the correct order below) you should check out the podcast of This American Life, it's the one from 12/11/2006, # 226, and it's available for free in the podcast section of the itunes store.
But you know, the Dragon's got a soft spot in his scaly ol' heart, for quirky, good natured small town folks, who just really don't fit. Groovin' Gary, my glass is raised to you.
Beaver Trilogy (Beaver Kid) - pt 1
Beaver Trilogy (Beaver Kid) - pt 2
Beaver Trilogy (Beaver Kid) - pt 3
Beaver Trilogy (Beaver Kid) - pt 4
Beaver Trilogy (Beaver Kid 2) - pt 1
Beaver Trilogy (Beaver Kid 2) - pt 2
Beaver Trilogy (Beaver Kid 2) - pt 3
Beaver Trilogy (The Orkly Kid) - pt 1
Beaver Trilogy (The Orkly Kid) - pt 2
Beaver Trilogy (The Orkly Kid) - pt 3
Beaver Trilogy (The Orkly Kid) - pt 4
"Man, this town's enough to drive a guy nuts!"
The Beaver Trilogy, for those of you who don't know, consists of three films, the first a combination of serendipitous filming and documentary of Groovin' Gary in 1979. The second two films are docudramas inspired by the first, but filmed years later by the same director, Trent Harris. The second stars a very young Sean Penn in 1981. The third stars an also very young Crispin Glover and was filmed in 1985.
The whole thing kinda reminds me of Napolean Dynamite, but much more existential.The fact that the director kept coming back to this same subject, that this experience was one he felt continuously drawn to, is really fascinating. There are elements of creativity as therapy, as well as Nietzche's concept of the Eternal Return. Actually, I find Napolean Dynamite a better source of one liner allusions than a film. But this work as a whole... this is a gem. If you have the patience to watch all these parts (which are linked in the correct order below) you should check out the podcast of This American Life, it's the one from 12/11/2006, # 226, and it's available for free in the podcast section of the itunes store.
But you know, the Dragon's got a soft spot in his scaly ol' heart, for quirky, good natured small town folks, who just really don't fit. Groovin' Gary, my glass is raised to you.
Beaver Trilogy (Beaver Kid) - pt 1
Beaver Trilogy (Beaver Kid) - pt 2
Beaver Trilogy (Beaver Kid) - pt 3
Beaver Trilogy (Beaver Kid) - pt 4
Beaver Trilogy (Beaver Kid 2) - pt 1
Beaver Trilogy (Beaver Kid 2) - pt 2
Beaver Trilogy (Beaver Kid 2) - pt 3
Beaver Trilogy (The Orkly Kid) - pt 1
Beaver Trilogy (The Orkly Kid) - pt 2
Beaver Trilogy (The Orkly Kid) - pt 3
Beaver Trilogy (The Orkly Kid) - pt 4
"Man, this town's enough to drive a guy nuts!"
Friday, January 05, 2007
DIY envelopes
DIY Envelopes
Here's another great link from LifeHacker, a simple how-to on making your own envelopes. This has so many applications both practical and artistic.
Here's another great link from LifeHacker, a simple how-to on making your own envelopes. This has so many applications both practical and artistic.
The Usable Home
The Usable Home
I just ran across a link to this old LifeHacker post with some good hints on making your living space more "workable." Will definitely be thinking about these as we try to fit a small painting studio and small woodworking shop into our little love-nest.
Make task-based centers
As per this previous post on Lifehacker, place all the items you need to complete a task in an area sectioned off for that activity - like a computer repair center, a bill-paying center, a gift-wrapping center. Having all the tools at hand in a certain space helps you get the job done without having to work any harder.
I just ran across a link to this old LifeHacker post with some good hints on making your living space more "workable." Will definitely be thinking about these as we try to fit a small painting studio and small woodworking shop into our little love-nest.
Make task-based centers
As per this previous post on Lifehacker, place all the items you need to complete a task in an area sectioned off for that activity - like a computer repair center, a bill-paying center, a gift-wrapping center. Having all the tools at hand in a certain space helps you get the job done without having to work any harder.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
DIY Scooter Lap Apron
DIY Scooter Lap Apron
Don't know how I missed this before, but around this time last year Crystal over at Girlbike, had a post on making your own lap apron, and some other DIY customizations.
David sent me a photo of his winter scooter setup, which includes handlebar mitts, home-made lap apron, and scooter trailer. The handlebar mitts are Arctic Cat brand altered to fit his Honda Metropolitan: David made a hole for the Met mirrors with a pencil soldering iron in the ripstop nylon. Take off your mirrors, slip on the mitts, screw the mirrors back on through the hole and your hands will stay warm while riding.
Aha! So that's how you do it. I got a pair of those atv handlebar mitts last year, but couldn't figure out how to get them to work with the Venice's mirrors. That makes a lot of sense, I guess I 'll be trying it soon. Click the title link for the lap apron tips.
Don't know how I missed this before, but around this time last year Crystal over at Girlbike, had a post on making your own lap apron, and some other DIY customizations.
David sent me a photo of his winter scooter setup, which includes handlebar mitts, home-made lap apron, and scooter trailer. The handlebar mitts are Arctic Cat brand altered to fit his Honda Metropolitan: David made a hole for the Met mirrors with a pencil soldering iron in the ripstop nylon. Take off your mirrors, slip on the mitts, screw the mirrors back on through the hole and your hands will stay warm while riding.
Aha! So that's how you do it. I got a pair of those atv handlebar mitts last year, but couldn't figure out how to get them to work with the Venice's mirrors. That makes a lot of sense, I guess I 'll be trying it soon. Click the title link for the lap apron tips.
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