We took Uberbike out on her maiden voyage this evening in search of ice cream. Apart from some wobbling on startup and an occasional wander brought on by her top-heavy orientation, the bike and new seat did very well. Finn seemed to enjoy her vantage point from the rear, and tolerated her new helmet better than I’d hoped. Plus, there was ice cream!
I’m working on an information architecture document here at work, and streaming live footage of the BP oil pipe at the bottom of the gulf. Currently there are two ROVs hovering over the fresh cut in the top of the pipe, and one of them is using a sawblade to (I guess) dress the cut before they do whatever is happening next.
I take my hat off not to BP, but to the incredibly skilled workers and operators who are piloting million-dollar machines by remote control five thousand feet below the surface of the ocean to fix a problem that never should have happened in the first place. They make it look easy.
ready to roll
From Craigslist, I give you a $10 Fisher-Price children’s bike seat, rated for 40 lbs. and installed on the tandem in less than 15 minutes. I may need to make a longer bracket for the seatpost stay, because it seems like the geometry of the bike is pushing the seat forward a bit close to the back of the rear seat, but that shouldn’t be too much of a problem. It’s got a three-point harness but nothing for the feet—some of the other models I’ve seen have straps in the footwells, which seems like it might be a good idea. The seller has another one which I may go back and pick up for my mountain bike.
I don’t live in Baltimore City anymore, but I think the idea of a vacant building tax for properties that are owned but abandoned is fantastic, and long overdue.
There is no heatwave that can stand up to a bowl of fresh guacamole, a cold Corona, and a tub of cool water to play in. Mama will post pictures today, hopefully.