I am reading Jared Diamond's book Collapse. Dozens of societies across the world in recorded history have collapsed. One of the take away ideas thus far seems to be that he mentions people dying of war and starvation. Human lifespans are so short. We like to think of life as a growing process, and it is, but it is also a dying process as we move closer to the grave.
I talk about death more than most, because I feel it makes me appreciate life more. I have not died on a mountain yet. I haven't been killed by a car yet. I haven't been killed by a drunk driver. I am as healthy as can be without so many of the medical problems that plague others. I am so blessed.
Someday, the United States will no longer exist. Perhaps it will be 7,000 years, perhaps less. Someday, you and I will be dead. And tomorrow we will both be one day closer. If there is something to take away from this article it is: don't waste your time. You don't have very much in the first place.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Consumerism
I spent my Tuesday lunch break on the Trek Project One website building and pricing different bicycles. I have done that in the past, but this time I might actually buy something. As I consider buying a third bicycle, albeit far better than my other two, I feel a little evil. There are so many other things in the world I could spend my money on. Furthermore, I get excited by not spending money. I still don't have cable or Internet at my apartment. My preferred vehicle is a 1993 Toyota Previa with 270,000 miles on it.
It seems to me like a really nice bicycle is a waste while people around the world starve and die. I have a friend from college and he would say, "I never want to have any money." The meaning is that there are people in need who could use his money. It took me awhile to understand that, but it has made an impact on my life.
Related to the title, I overheard a conversation recently between two people complaining about the high price of insurance and taxes on "old" luxury cars, specifically the years 2002 and 2004. In some ways it was appalling and in more personal ways it was representative of my life and specifically buying a new bicycle.
Five months ago I was passing the year mark for unemployment. It is amazing how quickly the money seems to be changing me. Because now it is just a bicycle, that once I buy it I never have to pay more for it. Next year it's a car with gas, insurance, and taxes. Then it's a house. Then it's a pool in the backyard and a huge tv, a newer car, a second property, and an endless list of material junk.
On the other hand, my bicycle will contribute to dozens of peoples paycheck and employment, I will surely ride even more, and if regular use of my bicycles allows me to delay buying a car for a year or more, then it would be worth it. Plus Trek gives their frames a lifetime warranty, so basically this is a one time, until I either do Ironmans or am in my 40s, kind of purchase.
It seems to me like a really nice bicycle is a waste while people around the world starve and die. I have a friend from college and he would say, "I never want to have any money." The meaning is that there are people in need who could use his money. It took me awhile to understand that, but it has made an impact on my life.
Related to the title, I overheard a conversation recently between two people complaining about the high price of insurance and taxes on "old" luxury cars, specifically the years 2002 and 2004. In some ways it was appalling and in more personal ways it was representative of my life and specifically buying a new bicycle.
Five months ago I was passing the year mark for unemployment. It is amazing how quickly the money seems to be changing me. Because now it is just a bicycle, that once I buy it I never have to pay more for it. Next year it's a car with gas, insurance, and taxes. Then it's a house. Then it's a pool in the backyard and a huge tv, a newer car, a second property, and an endless list of material junk.
On the other hand, my bicycle will contribute to dozens of peoples paycheck and employment, I will surely ride even more, and if regular use of my bicycles allows me to delay buying a car for a year or more, then it would be worth it. Plus Trek gives their frames a lifetime warranty, so basically this is a one time, until I either do Ironmans or am in my 40s, kind of purchase.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
To Buy a New Bicycle
It may seem appalling or crazy that a month after buying a second bicycle I am talking about getting another one while I am still massively in debt and already have two that work (for the most part). I shall of course explain my thinking.
My road bicycle is a 1980s Miyata Professional with Shimano Dura-Ace crank and Campagnolo other components. I started riding it in high school after my dad traded a car for it when I was eight. In it's day it was the top of the line bike. My limited research years ago indicated that this particular model was ridden in the Olympics and Tour de France. It's hot stuff, but it's 22 pounds of unaerodynamic and flexible steel. People say it is not about the bike but I have been dropped going down hills and on moderate sprints by carbon bikes and I have to say, when seven locals drop me like I'm standing still and I'm a 2:34 marathoner, I feel I am at least in a little better shape than my bicycling performance shows.
I have been shopping for a top of the line road bicycle since at least the summer of 2007. I have put thousands of miles on my bike and I have no plans to ever get rid of it, but I want something that will allow me to go faster and in a race of some sort be competitive. Basically for the price of a used car I can get a brand new top of the line bicycle that has a frame that comes with a lifetime warranty. Let's see Ford do that.
So this isn't a whim, entirely. After four flats and a broken spoke in six days over maybe 120 miles I am a little frustrated. Secondly, no one drops me in an endurance sport that easily. I may be very aerobically strong, but I am not strong enough to keep up while on my 30 year old bike. Third, the whimsical part is that my uncle gave me a pair of aero bars last weekend, and I think they are the greatest thing. I plan on doing an Ironman or several when I get done with my more serious running and to be competitive you need a triathlon bike.
So as I browse the local offerings I see that about $2,500 gets a nice tri bike with most of the good features like carbon frame, internal cables, aero specific handle bars. However, on the road biking side you have to go up to about $3,200 to get the internal cables. I know it is just one ridiculous feature compared to the overall like frame material and choice of wheels, but I think it shoes the comparison between bicycles well. The problem is I already have a road bike, it just weights 22 pounds and is too flexible.
Then there is my general attitude of go big or switch hobbies which has a voice in my head telling me to shell out another $1,000 to get the next step up carbon frame, which I felt in the store and it is lighter. Because the truth is whatever I buy will thrill me on every ride, this summer. But what if next summer I get a little more serious and do more races and those 14 ounces of weights and extra flexibility slow me down noticeably compared to my competition. Then what do I do? Get another new bike?
Then there is the miser in my head which says thing like, 'if you save the $4,000 you could retire six months earlier or spend a month at the Trango Towers basecamp.' I have all sorts of loans and other financial goals that buying an expensive bike seems crazy. On the other hand, every year I am getting older. Now it means I am coming into my prime, but in 10-15 years I won't be getting faster. If there is ever a time to be using the best athletic equipment in my life it is now.
How is this going to play out? I don't know. I do know my current road bike is very nice and I enjoy it. My new cyclocross bike is great and I run errands on it probably four times per weeks or so, especially on the weekends. Finally, I am going for a test drive. Wednesday night the local bike shop is letting me take out a carbon mid grade (women's) bicycle for the weekly group ride. So we shall see how that goes.
I have not gotten around to writing about instant gratification versus delayed ultimate gratification yet, but any bike purchase at this point would fall into the instant category, which is often not the best category.
My road bicycle is a 1980s Miyata Professional with Shimano Dura-Ace crank and Campagnolo other components. I started riding it in high school after my dad traded a car for it when I was eight. In it's day it was the top of the line bike. My limited research years ago indicated that this particular model was ridden in the Olympics and Tour de France. It's hot stuff, but it's 22 pounds of unaerodynamic and flexible steel. People say it is not about the bike but I have been dropped going down hills and on moderate sprints by carbon bikes and I have to say, when seven locals drop me like I'm standing still and I'm a 2:34 marathoner, I feel I am at least in a little better shape than my bicycling performance shows.
I have been shopping for a top of the line road bicycle since at least the summer of 2007. I have put thousands of miles on my bike and I have no plans to ever get rid of it, but I want something that will allow me to go faster and in a race of some sort be competitive. Basically for the price of a used car I can get a brand new top of the line bicycle that has a frame that comes with a lifetime warranty. Let's see Ford do that.
So this isn't a whim, entirely. After four flats and a broken spoke in six days over maybe 120 miles I am a little frustrated. Secondly, no one drops me in an endurance sport that easily. I may be very aerobically strong, but I am not strong enough to keep up while on my 30 year old bike. Third, the whimsical part is that my uncle gave me a pair of aero bars last weekend, and I think they are the greatest thing. I plan on doing an Ironman or several when I get done with my more serious running and to be competitive you need a triathlon bike.
So as I browse the local offerings I see that about $2,500 gets a nice tri bike with most of the good features like carbon frame, internal cables, aero specific handle bars. However, on the road biking side you have to go up to about $3,200 to get the internal cables. I know it is just one ridiculous feature compared to the overall like frame material and choice of wheels, but I think it shoes the comparison between bicycles well. The problem is I already have a road bike, it just weights 22 pounds and is too flexible.
Then there is my general attitude of go big or switch hobbies which has a voice in my head telling me to shell out another $1,000 to get the next step up carbon frame, which I felt in the store and it is lighter. Because the truth is whatever I buy will thrill me on every ride, this summer. But what if next summer I get a little more serious and do more races and those 14 ounces of weights and extra flexibility slow me down noticeably compared to my competition. Then what do I do? Get another new bike?
Then there is the miser in my head which says thing like, 'if you save the $4,000 you could retire six months earlier or spend a month at the Trango Towers basecamp.' I have all sorts of loans and other financial goals that buying an expensive bike seems crazy. On the other hand, every year I am getting older. Now it means I am coming into my prime, but in 10-15 years I won't be getting faster. If there is ever a time to be using the best athletic equipment in my life it is now.
How is this going to play out? I don't know. I do know my current road bike is very nice and I enjoy it. My new cyclocross bike is great and I run errands on it probably four times per weeks or so, especially on the weekends. Finally, I am going for a test drive. Wednesday night the local bike shop is letting me take out a carbon mid grade (women's) bicycle for the weekly group ride. So we shall see how that goes.
I have not gotten around to writing about instant gratification versus delayed ultimate gratification yet, but any bike purchase at this point would fall into the instant category, which is often not the best category.
Monday, June 6, 2011
I Live in Iowa: Week 7
Another week making bank, paying bills and building aerobic endurance... my life. So I worked 42 hours although I had Monday off so I really only worked 34 hours in 4 days.
One of the projects that I have spent time on recently is pressure testing a new platic tank. This is new territory for my group and it involves a different set of skills. I am enjoying it very much. I got an A in plastics in college (always an accomplishment for me) and my professor thought I would be a plastics guy. In all this is an interesting area.
Something that I enjoy about engineering is not knowing the answer. I like to understand the physical phenomena and have a generally simplified way to mathematically express it. It is constantly problem solving. Without that mental component of problem solving in my life I feel unfulfilled.
I ran 23 miles of nice relaxed slow running. In fact, six of those miles were with another runner. Woohoo for training partners! My right root still had outside metarsal pain off and on but if it was too bad I didn't run on it. Knowing when to run and when not to run because of pain and soreness is a long and painful learning process. Knowing what I know now, I'm raising my kids barefoot and in low heel shoes (girls at formal events excepted).
In the bicycling world I went moderate his week and broke down. Seriously, I "broke" in some manner of speaking six times on the bike this week. Monday I hit some gravel on my road bike and had two flat tires at the same time. Tuesday, I hit a truck, he cut my off by taking a left turn and he braked and I couldn't stop fast enough. It scared him more than me! Wednesday, I went on a 35 miler with the local bicycles racers. I got a rear flat and then ten miles later another rear flat. Saturday, I broke a spoke on my bicycle while doing a brick workout with the local tri/runner guy. He's won more races than I so this might be a good step in the training group direction.
So I am thinking about dropping $3-4k on a bicycle. I have wanted that kind of bicycle more than half a decade and I suppose I can afford it, but at the cost of a student loan and perhaps year delay on Everest. I'm going to write a long and wordy post about buying a bicycle and how unemployment, an engineering salary, and my future plans as well as my former plans are affected by buying a bicycle. Okay, I know I read way too much into this but $4,000 for a bicycle is a huge commitment that I would like to make if it would not adversely affect my life in other areas, but I don't make that much money.
In other news I went out for dinner and drinks with two coworker friends. My social life is picking up. Plus I planted my garden this week.
One of the projects that I have spent time on recently is pressure testing a new platic tank. This is new territory for my group and it involves a different set of skills. I am enjoying it very much. I got an A in plastics in college (always an accomplishment for me) and my professor thought I would be a plastics guy. In all this is an interesting area.
Something that I enjoy about engineering is not knowing the answer. I like to understand the physical phenomena and have a generally simplified way to mathematically express it. It is constantly problem solving. Without that mental component of problem solving in my life I feel unfulfilled.
I ran 23 miles of nice relaxed slow running. In fact, six of those miles were with another runner. Woohoo for training partners! My right root still had outside metarsal pain off and on but if it was too bad I didn't run on it. Knowing when to run and when not to run because of pain and soreness is a long and painful learning process. Knowing what I know now, I'm raising my kids barefoot and in low heel shoes (girls at formal events excepted).
In the bicycling world I went moderate his week and broke down. Seriously, I "broke" in some manner of speaking six times on the bike this week. Monday I hit some gravel on my road bike and had two flat tires at the same time. Tuesday, I hit a truck, he cut my off by taking a left turn and he braked and I couldn't stop fast enough. It scared him more than me! Wednesday, I went on a 35 miler with the local bicycles racers. I got a rear flat and then ten miles later another rear flat. Saturday, I broke a spoke on my bicycle while doing a brick workout with the local tri/runner guy. He's won more races than I so this might be a good step in the training group direction.
So I am thinking about dropping $3-4k on a bicycle. I have wanted that kind of bicycle more than half a decade and I suppose I can afford it, but at the cost of a student loan and perhaps year delay on Everest. I'm going to write a long and wordy post about buying a bicycle and how unemployment, an engineering salary, and my future plans as well as my former plans are affected by buying a bicycle. Okay, I know I read way too much into this but $4,000 for a bicycle is a huge commitment that I would like to make if it would not adversely affect my life in other areas, but I don't make that much money.
In other news I went out for dinner and drinks with two coworker friends. My social life is picking up. Plus I planted my garden this week.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Green Bay Marathon Pictures
One of the disadvantages of not having friends watch me race is that I don't have a supply of pictures (like a picture every lap of the 10k, thank you Greg). Thus, I bought three pictures in this digital matting thing from the people who took pictures at Green Bay. In counter clockwise direction from the top left: that's me at mile 26ish, mile 22ish, and the 26.4 mile finish. I wore my WPI alumni singlet with a picture of a goat in case you can't quite see it.
Friday, June 3, 2011
My Hexagon Desk
Here in Dubuque we have hexagon shaped cubicles with five people to a hexagon, and a corner left open so that we can get in in the morning. Anyway, I have a pretty sweet set up, two 22 inch wide screens and a 4 core 8GB RAM computer even though I only run simulations through our 256 core 560GB RAM cluster.
People sometimes ask, "are you twice as productive with two screens?" The answer is obviously, "no", but if I am 5% more productive and that screen only costs 2% of my productivity then it's a good deal. The more important question is, "are you noticeably more productive?" The answer to that is, "yes". After using two screens one just seems so unproductive.
So that's my life 8-10 hours a day 4-5 days a week.
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| Screen Real-estate |
So that's my life 8-10 hours a day 4-5 days a week.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
My Single Speed Cyclocross Bicycle
After having this thing for more than a month I am finally getting around to talking about it and posting a picture.
There it is, in all of it's 49 cm glory. At first glance this looks like a road bike, but it has tires that are a wide 30-32 mm. That might sound small but I am used to the 20 mm tires on my road bike. It even has a skid plate around the chainring so that I can ride over rocks and stuff.
What makes a cyclocross bike different than a road bike is that the fork and rear supports are wider. That way mud can get caked on the tires and they will still spin. The brakes are also cantilever brakes which means they are attached to the both sides of the fork and rear supports instead of attached at one point above the tire. The brakes are also about twice as long as my road bike brakes so they have a lot of stopping power. The frame is aluminum and it is so light without all of the normal bicycling components that it accelerates well.
Well, that's about it. I bought it used on eBay for $500 including shipping, which I think is a fair price. I use it mostly around town because it is durable enough to handle going over curbs and other city obstacles like the occasional gravel alley. I even took it out to JFK park south of Dubuque and went "mountain" biking with a coworker. It handled it quite well, except with a single speed I could not bike up the steep hills. Aside from the single gear, this bike is capable enough to handle most mountain biking terrain that I would ever go on. Serious mountain biking is scary to me. It happens so fast that I prefer the single or double track trails without and big jumps.
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| Single Speed Cyclocross Bianchi San Jose |
What makes a cyclocross bike different than a road bike is that the fork and rear supports are wider. That way mud can get caked on the tires and they will still spin. The brakes are also cantilever brakes which means they are attached to the both sides of the fork and rear supports instead of attached at one point above the tire. The brakes are also about twice as long as my road bike brakes so they have a lot of stopping power. The frame is aluminum and it is so light without all of the normal bicycling components that it accelerates well.
Well, that's about it. I bought it used on eBay for $500 including shipping, which I think is a fair price. I use it mostly around town because it is durable enough to handle going over curbs and other city obstacles like the occasional gravel alley. I even took it out to JFK park south of Dubuque and went "mountain" biking with a coworker. It handled it quite well, except with a single speed I could not bike up the steep hills. Aside from the single gear, this bike is capable enough to handle most mountain biking terrain that I would ever go on. Serious mountain biking is scary to me. It happens so fast that I prefer the single or double track trails without and big jumps.
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