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About TwoWheelJunction, changes and other notes...
As the long time readers here probably recall, Two Wheel Junction started life as my little project to consolidate motorcycle news. I would still like it otto be that, but it had a couple of problems from the get go. One was that as both editor and code monkey, my time was often split between the two details. It did not help that I chose to implement it in a language and toolset that was new to me, and I was doing all of this in a fairly small window of time since it was not just a side project, it was one of three side projects. In hindsight, I see that the vision as it was, was never going to be fulfilled.
Over the last couple of years, I have come back to the original site idea a couple of times, and I while I really want to make it happen, time and the platform I originally created it in have created hurdles that I just haven't been willing to overcome. Oddly, work has come to the rescue.
Recently, I have had a project land in my lap that plays heavily into the direction I want to go with TWJ technically. This is great because it gives me an excuse to merge hobby and work into one. Because of that I am rebuilding the technology that powers Two Wheel Junction. The question of how does this impact this blog?
For the moment, it doesn't (directly). But eventually this blog will move into the mainline Two Wheel Junction site and be powered by the same dynamic content engine that will power the site itself. You can see the prototype at work over at the not safe for work Daily Image page. That page is powered by the new engine. Though the look and feel has yet to be completed, it was a fun way to test some of the concepts I wanted to apply. Hopefully the above link won't offend, I like the female form, so sue me.
Anyway, the long term goals are still the same, but for the first time in a couple of years, the technology being used to power the site should not be a limiting factor. Unfortunately, time will still be a limiter. Nothing will change that for a while.
The indirect impact however is that there may be occasional site outages while I rework bits and pieces. They should be short (as in no more than a few minutes at a time) but they will occur (and have been occurring) off and on for the coming months.
Battling the Heat
Sometimes the weather itself conspires to make riding with less than optimal gear about as unattractive as possible. Living in the city affectionately known as 'Hotlanta', we understand heat and humidity. The last few weeks have seen temps in the 90's. That really is not that bad, but when the humidity is a matching 90%, it can get really uncomfortable to ride while wearing full gear.
This is something that I can completely understand, and unfortunately, I find that even as safety oriented as I am, there are times when I make the less than safe choice. I do so in full awareness of the risk I am taking.
There has long been a phrase that applies here: Sweat washes off, road rash doesn't. The problem is that while this is true, dehydration and heatstroke are very real issues.
In riding a good bit lately, I find that as the heat goes up, I need to stop often for water and the occasional salty snack. Together this helps prevent problems, but there is the other issue. Safety Gear adds layers and heat. So finding gear that breathes well is something that we have to do.
The longer I ride, the more I find myself collecting multiple sets of gear. Winter gear, Spring/Fall Gear, Summer Gear, Rain Gear and other knick knacks. This falls into the hidden costs category. In the end, it is worth it. But it is worth noting, that even choices in helmets play into this. Though I have a couple of dark helmets, in the summer, it is white or silver with a lot of venting.
For a cheap but lots of airflow full face, I like the GMax G68s (in solid white).
Time Off & Exiting the Comfort Zone
Because of work demands, I take occasional unexpected breaks from blogging about the scooter. This one has been longer than usual. In fairness, I am going to share a little about what is going on.
If you follow any of my other work, you already know that I have been experimenting with the Apple iPad as a potential replacement for carrying a laptop computer. That experiment is working well, with a handful of exceptions. The most notable exception for the moment is my blogs. For years I have used desktop software for my blogs. The primary reason is that I find them easier to use and manage. The problem is that as I have divorced from my laptop, I have given up some of the flexibility of using said desktop software. At the moment, I do not have a good solution.
Oddly, even that really hasn't been the biggest issue at hand. The biggest issue has been the insanity that is work.
Never in my professional life have I seen the convergence of so many things crammed into one three month period. We are moving, hiring, merging another company into ours, have a major development project wrapping up, another starting up, have seen existing support demands skyrocket and we have our annual trade show/convention in the middle of it all. It probably doesn't look like that much until you consider that we are a 5 person company.
Needless to say, busy does not begin to cover it.
Through all of this, I find that I still love the ride, but all of my riding is for a purpose, and none is for pure recreation. I miss the recreational riding, but I think riding for a purpose is making me a better rider, because it forces me to ride roads and routes I would not otherwise take. They take me out of my 'comfort' zone.
You see I find the discomfort to be a motivating factor. Riding a road that make me uncomfortable makes me more aware of risk factors. Looking for new static threats that haven't been categorized in the repeated rides on them, all while maintaining the normal awareness of the mutable threats on the road.
Those two terms are something that I use to categorize the types of threats. Static threats are the ones that are always present and do not change. These are the general 'lay of the land' if you will. Road fixtures, hills, blind curves and features that are more or less permanent. These are categorized and become part of the fabric of the ride.
The mutable threats are the ones that are constantly changing. This is the traffic, the people in the cars, animals, kids, weather and pedestrian threats that must be reevaluated every minute of every ride.
Anyways, back to the comfort zone. In the comfort zone are the roads where I have spent enough time on them that I know most of the static threats at a subconscious level, and have a general feel for where the highest concentration of mutable threats lie. You know the roads, those where complacency is most likely to set in. I do try to avoid it, but it can happen even when you are trying to prevent it.
Most people do not like to stray from their comfort zone, and to a certain degree, I would be most people. When it comes to riding though, breaking the comfort zone helps me improve the skillset. It forces me to keep the brain in full 'ON' and helps me prevent slipping into 'AUTO' (pilot).
Teaching a new driver
Earlier this week, I spent a couple of hours visiting with an old friend that I used to race autocross with. As we were chatting the subject of the newest driver in my house came up. We chatted about teaching her to drive for a bit, before moving on to other topics, but it sparked a thought process that I spent the next two days gnawing on.
Here I am, teaching a new driver what it means to drive, but have I really thought about everything I do when driving and riding? The short answer is no. Until that conversation, I really hadn't taken the time to break it down.
So I decided to break down what I do into words. Bear in mind, that I am not a highly trained driver or rider. I've taken the BRC. I've taken a couple of defensive driving classes when I was younger. I've taken a couple race driving clinics. That pretty much covers it. The rest I either learned from my older brother who largely taught me to ride and drive both, or learned by experience. As an exercise, documenting what I do is interesting, because there are things that I've been doing so much that until I stood back and paid attention, I did not even think about them.
(A) Approaching the vehicle
As I approach the vehicle to commence a ride or drive, I am visually scanning the the vehicle and the surroundings for potential safety issues, like nails in the tires, low air pressure in the tires, slick or obstacles in the immediate area of the vehicle.
(B) Beginning the drive
Before starting the vehicle the pre-flight check happens. Check and adjust the mirrors. Fasten all the safety equipment (seat belts, helmets etc). Adjust the driving position. Perform a last visual scan of the controls and immediate area before ignition.
(C) Commencing the drive
Start the vehicle, listen for any potential audible cues of potential problems, visual scan of the area and engage the transmission.
(D) Drive
This is the hard part, because it encompasses so many things, and the steering, throttle and brakes make up such a tiny part of the whole that it is borderline laughable. That realization is one that makes me realize the disservice we do new drivers by not putting them in gokarts and such at a young age, so these actions are second nature before we put them on the roads.
(E) Examine the Environment
While driving, this is the most important aspect of what we do. It is something we cannot do while talking on the phone, playing with the stereo or applying makeup. The entire time we are in the driver's seat, the driver must be constantly examining the environment around them. There are three purposes to this examination. First is path assessment, eg, where are you going. Second is threat assessment, eg, what could potentially impact where you are going. Third is emergency planning, eg, where can you go / what can you do if a threat impacts your path.
Path Assessment is really the easy part of the three, but if this is all you do, it becomes tunnel vision of staying between the lines and not seeing anything else. This is the typical behavior of distracted driver. They are are so focused on maintaing their path, that they cannot address the other parts of the equation.
Threat Assessment is the beginning of defensive driving, and deserves an entire book an strategies all to itself. In my own case, threat assessment starts with the eyes, ears and body. The eyes are constantly moving, scanning in a consistent pattern. Long range path assessment, left side at range, left side near proximity, left rear view mirror, left blind spot (headcheck), right blind spot (headcheck), right rear view mirror, right side near proximity, right side at range, long range path assessment, rear view if available, repeat. Two things to keep in mind, the peripheral vision is always at work filling in the gaps, but keeping the head on swivel means that the eyes are constantly taking in and cataloging as many threats as possible. The entire time the ears are listening for warning signs like revving engines, vibrating tires on passing cars, sirens, children, animals, etc.
All of this leads to the last part, the truly defensive part of Defensive Driving: Emergency Planning. It all starts with one question: if threat <insert catalogued threat> does <insert threatening action> where/what is my best course of action to a safe conclusion. Knowing the answer ( and having the skill to execute on, or foresight to simply prepare and prevent the situation ) to the above question is the difference drivers that arrive at a destination telling about the harrowing drive and escapes and the ones that arrive at the destination happy and having experienced none of those moments.
Dealing with threats is a three fold process itself. First, you have to identify the threats, then you have to address them either by waiting for them to become an issue and then dealing with them, or by my preferred method, diffusing the threat before it becomes an issue.
Removing yourself from the threat equation is, in my experience, the single greatest tool we have in our arsenal of safe driving weapons. Liberal usage is my motto. If you have are consistently identifying threats, you can consistently diffuse most before they elevate into conflicts.
Let's take as example:
The 'left turner' is easily the most common incident. We always hear about how the left turner didn't see the threat. This is a two way street ( no pun intended ). The left turner didn't see the oncoming vehicle, but the oncoming vehicle has an equal obligation and opportunity to prevent the problem, by simply slowing and providing the left turner a clear space to make their turn.
If you are the left turner, could you have avoided the risk by simply traveling to a better or safer place to turn. Perhaps even pre-planning your route to avoid a known dangerous left turn? I do this last on a daily basis. The shortest route from work to home involves an intersection with a limited visibility left turn from a moderately busy 2 lane road onto a heavily traveled 2 lane road with a 45mph speed limit (normally travelled at 55-60) followed by an immediate right turn less than 250ft from the left turn. Rather than risk that intersection, I generally use a slightly longer (about .5 miles) route.
None of this can happen, if you, as the driver are not constantly looking for and understanding the threats to your safety all while managing the act of driving the vehicle.
Now to try and get a 15 year old girl with no mechanical aptitude and a myopic view of how things are to grasp this. I think I need some aspirin now.
Spring is here! (I wish)
As I said a couple of weeks ago, I have gotten back into the groove of riding most days. While I enjoy the ride, some conditions make it easier to enjoy than others. Cold is fine. Cold and Sunny is great. Cold and windy, not so much. Cold and rainy is manageable, but this whole cold and snowy thing? that is a completely different flavor.
I live in the south, you know 'Hotlanta' and all that. There is only one problem. It is not Hot. It isn't even warm. Yesterday, the commute was 24 degrees, winds gusting over 30 mph, overcast, with snow flurries blowing around. Oh and then there is me being a dumbass and rocking the underarmour cold gear pants with draggin jeans a turtle neck and sweater under the armored jacket. I didn't even think about picking up the over pants or balaclava. You can bet I was thinking about that bad choice by the time I got to the office.
It is pretty rare for me to really grumble about the weather, it is what it is, but last Saturday and Sunday it was like spring, with temps in the mid 60's. I spent both days out in the yard, trimming trees and bushes, throwing a Nerf football with the kids and getting the pool prepped for spring. To have snow flurries blowing in your face a couple of days later is just cruel.
It also raises an important issue though. Riding when cold and undergeared is dangerous. It introduces an additional distraction, and diminished control. The cold induces shivering and as the body temperature goes down, so do reaction times. So while I made a bad decision in the morning, I made sure that on the way home I added the appropriate layers. In this instance, I put on my winter rain gear as an additional layer (I carry rain gear all the time on the bike). While it was not an ideal solution, it reduced the impact of the wind and the snow flurries upon the body temperature to a point where the rest of the gear could maintain the body heat.
But, yeah, I will honestly say that I will be glad to see these sub-30 degree days retreat into a memory for a few months.
On a technical / site note, my old comment provider has shut it's doors. I have moved the comments on the site to a new provider, but I am not sure how the import of the old comments into the new provider is going to work out. If you don't see any comments on older posts that is why. I am working to restore them ASAP.
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