tonygoodson

Things I like

I thought I’d do a recap on things I like right now, instead of the slight blogging bias towards whinging, complaining and ranting! It’s easy to write about the things I like, I just look out across my table/desk and see what’s lying around and closest to me;

Podcasts – I’m loving listening to Adam Carolla, Fighting Talk, Danny Baker, Sportsweek, 606 Football Phone-in, TWiT, Jonathan Ross, Desert Island Discs, and where has Christian O’Connell gone?

Audio Books – WoW!  Audible audio books, the two I’ve listened to recently are fantastic, The Outliers read by Malcolm Gladwell, and A Short History of Nearly Everything, by Bill Bryson, which I’m certainly getting my money’s worth on that audio book!

iPhone – Yes, easy to use, this is my first phone which gives me web and email access, some of the apps, audio books, maps,  access to everything

Keyboard – 15 bucks for a Microsoft keyboard.  Excellent.

Sansa Clip – My portable, cycling, walking, on the train, mp3 podcast player.  Excellent.

My Job – Loving the job.  Not easy on some days, but it’s something I can really get my teeth into.

Piano – My 6 year old son has cleaned me out of every simple piano duet I know, in less than 2 months.  Playing piano duets with your kids, a dream come true!

Using old stuff – I’ve resurrected my old Samsung LCD screen, it’s nearly 9 years old but going strong, as a second screen for my netbook.

Cheapo Copy Aftershave – The alcohol works a treat inside my shoes!!

And finally, Ergonomic Cycling HandleBar Grips!!  I can’t explain how much better my riding position is, being able to rest the palms of my hands on these grips.

“When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I’m feeling sad, I simply remember my favourite things, and then I don’t feel so bad!!”

2009 Purchases of the year!

Just got a Sansa Clip+ 4GB mp3 player via eBay, and it set me thinking what my favourite purchases of 2009 are.  I’m not a big consumer of goods, not a big shopper, brick or online, so there’s not much to choose from.  I tend to choose well, and hence my goods last a long time, if I use them!

1. Hush Puppies – Zinc classic formal shoes

You wouldn’t think there would be a pair of formal shoes I’d actually look forward to wearing.  Given that I’m on my feet, training groups a lot, I thought I’d treat myself and spend a bit more. Well worth it.  Comfortable, “Extra Wide”, “Bounce Technology”.

2. Apple iPhone 3GS

So, I claim I’m not a typical consumer!  Well I am with this one.  Never fallen for the Apple hype, but I have to say, the iPhone is fantastic.  Easy to use, beautiful usability, great as a phone, and of course the Apps.

pUniverse – See the stars as you move around the night sky, find the planets.

AlarmT Lite – Alarm Clock which enables me to wake to my MP3s

Games – FreeCell, Sudoku, Action Blox, Touch4, Labyrinth 3D, Racer Free

tramTracker and Metlink for Melbourne transport

Getting Things Done – Notes, Google Apps (inc Gmail), Guitar Tuner, Laptop Cafe, Evernote, Note Taker (finger write), iThoughts (MindMaps)

3. Sansa Clip+ MP3 player

See, I don’t fall for the Apple hype.  I’m sure iPods are fantastic, but are they value for money?  I reckon the Sansa Clip+ is the best player, depending on how you use an MP3 player.  It’s small and it clips on!  If you cycle, walk around a lot, and go on public transport, it fantastic.  Also the Clip+ has more sound options than the Clip.  Volume/Equalizer adjustments, Audio Book options for double play speed, and micro SD slot for an extra 16GB.

4. Audible Audio Books

I’ve been an Audible user since 2006 for the Ricky Gervais podcasts, but only recently started listening to audio books.  My first book was Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which was a bit dire as a book, but I persisted, and Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers read by Malcolm Gladwell, is unbelievably good.  Just listened to some other Ricky Gervais podcasts and more to come.  I was crying with laughter.  And currently listening to Scott Adams’ (Dilbert) God’s Debris.

Just one product I wouldn’t buy again, the Dell Mini Netbook, on the Vodafone plan.  The keyboard is too small to enjoy using and they’ve moved the apostrophe ‘ key and made the right hand shift key smaller, which makes it a pain in the arse to try typing with.  It’s still a good data plan, but would I buy this netbook again?  I don’t think so.  I’ve seen better netbook keyboards.

What have I done this year to save the planet?

Not much! We’re using one car, to save money, as much as to save the planet.  I use less water in the shower when it’s summer, but use the shower to warm me up when I’m chilled to the bone.  I don’t police the rest of the family on their water and energy use, and I’m not religious about unplugging all those electric chargers, or powering off all items on standby.  I sometimes leave my laptop on when I go out (but I do switch it off at night).  I could survive at near freezing temperatures in the house, but it seems the rest of the family can’t!  Our biggest sin, is keeping our old refrigerator working, having bought a new refrigerator 2 year ago.  Oops.

My greatest achievement this year was to organise a tour for a group of people of the CH2 building in Melbourne.  It was the first 6 Green Star rated building in Australia, and an inspiration to what is possible in sustainability. Designed by Mick Pearce.  I highly recommend a visit and tour of the building, if they’re still doing the tours.  At least I’m inspiring others, when not being a leading example of sustainability!

I love being on my bike, and using public transport.  The bike lanes of Melbourne could be improved and grown, sometimes at very little cost.  There is massive demand and growth for cycling.  Public transport in Melbourne….don’t get me started!  That’s another blog entry.  We who use and want to use public transport more and more, want to see improvement. 

We understand that there are only so many trains you can fit on the network at peak times but surely there can be some big innovation at low cost.  I’ll give you an innovation.  If you’re going to pack us into the trains, then please can we have some more handles and straps to hang on to!  Surely, seat layout, and standing safety can be improved, even with the current trains.  Me thinks that the public transport price rise, is straight 101 economics to reduce demand by putting prices up and making more money in the process.

We all say we want better public transport, but this government won’t pay for it.  Why aren’t tramlines extended beyond their current endpoint?  Just another thought.

So what is my green commitment for 2009.  More cycling, less water in the shower on cold days, and I’d like to a few seminars that encourage change and sustainability in the corporate world, especially at the grass roots.

The Secret of Sporting Success

I've followed and played sport all my life, and I'm fascinated by what makes individual and team success in sport, and can that translate to other walks of life.  An amazing article today on the BBC website, may hold the key. How GB Cycling Went from Tragic to Magic

So when BC's new performance director Peter Keen stood up at the sport's annual conference a year later and said he wanted to make Britain the world's top Olympic cycling nation, many in the room wondered where they had found this guy. Such ambition and enthusiasm. It was all so, well, un-British.

Fast forward a decade, the sport is the jewel in our Olympic crown and the envy of the cycling world. It's very, very good and it knows it. Such confidence and success. It was all so, well, un-British.

Ever wondered why Britain has had no Grand Slam success in tennis.  Why England is now the worst performing major football team now that Spain has won something?  Now we know.  It's a combination of investment and attitude, picking the right players and coaches.  Group success even if it's individual performances, feeding off each other.

I always go to Borg, Edberg, Wilander.  Ovett, Coe, Cram.  One freak comes along, and starts a dynasty.  Not by direct copying but by being in the presence of these guys and training with them, and believing you can do it.  It's not about setting up centres of excellence, if you fill them with the wrong people.  It's about being in the presence of greatness and some of it rubbing off.  So what's going on in Spain!!  What a year they've had, football, cycling, tennis.  Where has that magic come from, and can it be reproduced?  Is it luck, a chance happening, or is there something in the Spanish air, a self-belief?

My Cycling Accident

I just used up one of my lives.  A big accident on my bike.  Cycling down a hill, probably at least 20km/h, and whilst in the bike/parking lane, a driver opens their door on me, as I'm level with the car.  BANG!  I hit the fully opened door full on and bent the door almost off the hinges.

I go flying over my bike, hitting my left arm and collar bone on the bike as I sail through the air.  Hit the road, thank God, in the parking lane and not on the road.

I lie there, the crowd gathers, 3 girls from the car, the cyclist who was behind me, and another guy.  I stay down, I feel ok, nothing really hurting, but of course, the pain will set in later.

The driver is shocked, my shock is setting in later, my back feels a bit compacted. I've grazed my knee, bruising on my inside left upper arm, grazing across both left and right collar bone.

The car door is a write-off, my front forks are a write-off, the wheel is a bit buckled, the brakes are damaged, the handlebars are bent off centre from the force, but seem ok when put back.   It seem the door and my front forks have taken most of the blast, and I landed to my left in bike/parking lane.  Very very lucky.

Walked a bit, rode the bike on the footpath with the twisted handlebars, bent fork, wobbly wheel, and damaged front brakes.

Now recovering and feeling sorry for myself.

Cycling - The Good

I'm passionate about cycling right now.  Good weather, so I'm doing more and more, even whizzing into the city for meetings, where I don't need to wear a suit.  And I've found the bike path that goes unbroken from Port Melbourne into Melbourne, which means I'll tend to ride along the bay from Brighton to Port Melbourne, and then cut into the city.  Nice.

Also did Amy's Ride with Daryl Cook on Sunday, 65km circuit from Geelong along to Ocean Grove and then back round.  Absolutely beautiful view along the sea, and the ride was easier on the legs than I thought it would be, except at about 50km the cyclists from the 120km circuit overtook us, which meant they were 60km ahead of us!!  We had stopped for a coffee earlier, so that's our excuse.  In fact, I'd cycled 20km at sunrise to meet Daryl at Westgate Bridge, and of course I forced him to drop me off at Westgate Bridge after Amy's Ride, so I could cycle back and brag about the 100km I cycled in the day.  If it's not windy, I can cycle most things, but the final 20km were murder, into a strong wind.

Of course all this cycling enthusiasm means I've put the bags on the back of my bike to carry my laptop, so I don't get so hot, and uncomfortable carrying my stuff on a rucksack. It doesn't look as cool though!!

And just to keep the obsession up, I've got a bike computer to track my speed and distance, as well as my cadence, which is the beat rate at which I'm cycling.  A year ago, I dropped down to a lower front gear so that I'd increase my cadence.  The higher level cyclists tend to have a higher cadence.  You tend to be able to go further with less injuries on a high cadence.  This has been all the rage for a few years, because Lance Armstrong is known for having a high cadence average of 120 per minute.  To my joy, my cadence seems to be at about 100 on the whole, but let me tell you something, you can push it to 110 in short bursts, but you try even to get 120 per minute.  How the hell did he keep that up!!

And the bad news.  I'm sitting in a cafe in Middle Park.  Yes, you guessed it, another puncture!!  The count is now, no punctures in 10 years, and 6 punctures in less than a year.   What the hell is going on.  It might just be that the tyres that were replaced after 10 years were better at resisting punctures, or I'm cycling more, but I just don't get it.  I'm paranoid now, and perhaps it's time to learn to repair my own punctures.  I haven't needed to learn, until the last year, but just for peace of mind.

And finally, more good news.  Cycled 20km yesterday back to the doctors, and my blood pressure is down, so that's good. Oh, and I've cycled so much recently, I've run out of podcasts to listen to!!  I've caught up with my backlog, and I'm now wondering what the hell to listen to.

Teenager Scoots to Shop

Yippee!  Scott Adams (Dilbert) recently asked What's Your Permanent Age? What age do you think of yourself as, or like to be?  Without hesitation, my age is 15!!  All my musical references are about that time, my strong football (Man United) memories are based at that time.  My greatest sporting achievement was at that age, and of course my girl obsessions were at that age.

So it's gratifying to explain to the guy on checkout at Dick Smith today, why I'm walking around with a scooter in my hand.  "Are you riding that?"  Yep!!  I bought it for the kids (ME!) to keep up with them when they're cycling.  So I thought I'd give it a real go and scooter to Dick Smith in Carnegie, which is about a 3km round trip.

Fun Fun Fun!

Tram Lines and Bikes

When I first arrived in Melbourne, over 5 years ago, Elliot drove me to my first Carlton game ("The Greatest Footy team ever") who from my perspective over the last 5 years are The Worst Footy team ever.  I digress.  Another thing he said was, "Over time, you will come to detest the trams!"  This was speaking as a Melbourne driver.  And how very true that is.

When you first move to Melbourne or visit, the trams are a pleasant novelty.  As a gas guzzling driver, they are the enemy!  I digress.

What I didn't realise is that trams are the greater enemy of The Cyclist. And that includes me.  Or more to the point, Tram Lines are the greatest enemy of cyclist.

A few hours ago, near to the site of my one and only adult bike crash, and just past its 4th anniversary, 9/12/2002, I had another crash.  A big one!  Almost identical to the first crash of 4 years ago. Same road, almost same spot. Tram Lines.  This time it was at quiet high speed, coming down Glenhuntly Road, nothing behind me (except another cyclist), nothing in front of me, "Ah, I'll cross the tram lines to get to the petrol station to pump up the tyres."  I moved, the bike didn't.  Leaning to turn right my weight was committed, my bike wasn't, it was in the tram line.  Too late, I went flying, big wipe-out along the road, at speed, bouncing along the road.  Ouch!  Well actually not ouch.  It didn't hurt at all, until I noticed my knee caked in blood, my arm, my shoulder, my hip.

It's like a slow motion thing isn't it.  You're fully aware of what's happening as well.  My bike took the full force on it's side, then so did I,  right hip, knee, shoulder, and left arm which came across.  I got up almost immediately, picked the bike up and got off the road.

The cyclist behind me stopped.  My witness to the speed of my crash.  I told him I was ok.  He didn't think I was, because he saw the speed.  I assured him I was ok.  Thank you for stopping whoever you are.

And then the pain and shock set in.  Amazing isn't it.  The first 5 mins you're ok, and then you realise what's happened.  My knee was the most obvious bit, cut and bleeding, but over the hours, it's my shoulder that's really hurting.  It's amazing how well we're built to take a fall, all in the right places, most of the impact was just below my hip, on the soft bit, so nothing damaged except a big bruise.

When will I ever learn.   On tram lines, I usually slow down, jump the line, or make damn sure I twist my bike to be more at an angle to tram line, but not this time. 

Oh well, time to get back on my bike!  And I love trams, when I'm on one!

Tyre Punctures - Man gets it repaired

Somedays you just want to say what's on your mind.
Today I punctured a tyre on my bike!!  I lead an exciting life.
Well for me this was exciting, because I've had the bike for 10 years, a mountain bike with slick road tyres, and to my amazement both tyres have lasted this long, to the point where our chemistry teacher in 4th year used to warn us about white-walled tyres disintegrating from free-radicals, and I've been looking at my white walled tyres for years, wondering when they would.  Today.  Actually, it was a nail right in the middle of the back tyre.

Called the wife, and started walking home.  Got half way home, when she picked me up, just before a bike shop.  Stopped at the bike shop, and though busy, offered to put the tyres on there and then.  So credit to Gran Prix Bicycles.  Picked up the wheels/tyres later, and can't wait to try them tomorrow.  It's like when you clean the car out and put it through a car wash, somehow the car goes faster!!

(And many times I go look for a photo to illustrate something, I keep finding Aussies.  And yet again, the picture is courtesy of My Connected Community, and Yippee, it tells me how to repair a puncture.)