Winter reading list

[gerv]

Despite this thread being not longer a sticky, it is a wonderful resource. Perhaps we can bump it occasionally.

[gerv]

Here's a bump.

It's almost winter and if you haven't read it yet, Carfree Cities by JH Crawford features an approach to cars you don't often see in LCF. Instead of discussing how to deal with car, Crawford's book deals them completely out of the picture.

Using a couple of models like the city of Venice, he describes a design for a city that would permit cars only on the periphery of the city. The rest of the city is comprised of modular, walkable areas with high-speed rail in the core. Heavy industries and gasoline powered vehicles rest on the very edges of the each module. Even streets are made for walking.... even cyclists are forced to yield.

Having spent some time in Italian cities, where cars are often pushed to edges or forced to travel at very slow speed, I share some of his vision of cities being more livable, noise-free and fun.

[gerv]

Annual bump.

Anyone reading any new titles this winter?

I see Bill McKibben has a new book: Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet

[wahoonc]

I am re-reading House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne, we visited the house that is featured earlier this year. I am also reading Around the World on a Bicycle by Thomas Stevens.

I have several books on my wish list for Christmas and birthday, so we shall see what comes of that.

Also a bit OT, just picked up a new Park Tool TS2.2 wheel truing stand so I probably will be reading The Bicycle Wheel by Jobst Brandt...

Aaron

[rutibegga]

BUMP

Not bike-related, but I'm currently reading 'The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle' by Haruki Murakami. About 120 pages in. Really strange and compelling, so far.

[Artkansas]

My current title is "Treasure Island" by Robert Louis Stevenson. "15 men on the dead man's chest... yo ho ho and a bottle of rum."

My next one should be "Empire of illusion : the end of literacy and the triumph of spectacle" by Chris Hedges.

They're both about pirates.

[wahoonc]

Here it is winter again...freakin' 13.5*F at my house in NC this morning (that is 25* below normal!) so what are you reading today?

I have a couple of cook books out and deciding what to make for Christmas Dinner

Aaron

[Artkansas]

I'm celebrating Buddha's Enlightenment Day, December 8, reading the Dhammapada.

[Roody]

I'm celebrating Buddha's Enlightenment Day, December 8, reading the Dhammapada.

I read a couple books about the Buddha in the last year. Now I've put a copy of Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac on hold at my library. This is a book I loved when when I was very young, I'm wondering how it holds up for a (supposedly) more mature person.

[cycleobsidian]

Has anyone read "Carjacked"?
This book will make some people rethink their relationship not only with their car, but with the entire economic and physical infrastructure that has built up around it.

I haven't looked at car accidents (or health care) the same way since.

Yvie

[Artkansas]

Well, for my birthday, I just got "Bike Snob: Systematically & Mercilessly Realigning the World of Cycling". The first page I opened to was a harangue about recumbent cyclists, which did not increase its favor in my eyes. Time will tell.

And I got "The Lost Cyclist" by David V. Herlihy. An interesting historical book about Frank Lenz's attempt to go around the world on an early safety bike, and the attempt by William Sachtleben to locate him after he disappears on the final leg of his trip.

I'm just a few chapters in, but already there has been an interesting and extremely detailed mile by mile account of a 100 mile race on Ordinaries where Lenz came in third.

[Ekdog]

Well, for my birthday, I just got "Bike Snob: Systematically & Mercilessly Realigning the World of Cycling". The first page I opened to was a harangue about recumbent cyclists, which did not increase its favor in my eyes. Time will tell.

And I got "The Lost Cyclist" by David V. Herlihy. An interesting historical book about Frank Lenz's attempt to go around the world on an early safety bike, and the attempt by William Sachtleben to locate him after he disappears on the final leg of his trip.

I'm just a few chapters in, but already there has been an interesting and extremely detailed mile by mile account of a 100 mile race on Ordinaries where Lenz came in third.

I'm reading "The Lost Cyclist", too. One nice feature is the photographs, many of them taken by Lenz himself with a big, heavy camera he carried on his back.

The inflatable tires he used were a novelty at the time. It sounds like they were better than many of the ones we ride on today: he rode from the East Coast to the West Coast and only had four flats.

I'd like to read more about the cycling boom of the late nineteenth century. If anyone has any recommendations...

[no motor?]

Well, for my birthday, I just got "Bike Snob: Systematically & Mercilessly Realigning the World of Cycling". The first page I opened to was a harangue about recumbent cyclists, which did not increase its favor in my eyes. Time will tell.

That's supposed to be good, let us know what you think after you read more of it.

Lat couple of books I've read were "Now and Zen" (a retracing of Pirsig's journey in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance), Lila (it was much better rereading it after it first came out, especially after the first book) and then a collection of 3 F. Scott Fitzgerald novels.

[Artkansas]

I'm reading "The Lost Cyclist", too. One nice feature is the photographs, many of them taken by Lenz himself with a big, heavy camera he carried on his back.

The inflatable tires he used were a novelty at the time.

It's an interesting picture of cycling then, in the midst of a major change from Ordinaries with solid tires to safety bikes with inflatable ones. I like how you can see how at first the safety bikes were regarded as slow and for losers only, real men rode a wheel! Then, just a few years later, the safety bike is becoming the standards and those still clinging to the ordinary are seen as throwbacks.

How about all the banquets those bicycling clubs had back then. I suspect there was a level of activity among them that we haven't seen in our lifetimes.

Also interesting was the missionary in China whom Lenz met, who in the 19th Century was predicting China's rise as a super power.

[gerv]

I visited my friendly local library today and picked up two books that might interest some on LCF


The Great Disruption by Paul Gilding - from the description

It's time to stop just worrying about climate change, says Paul Gilding. We need instead to brace for impact because global crisis is no longer avoidable. This Great Disruption started in 2008, with spiking food and oil prices and dramatic ecological changes, such as the melting ice caps. It is not simply about fossil fuels and carbon footprints. We have come to the end of Economic Growth, Version 1.0, a world economy based on consumption and waste, where we lived beyond the means of our planet's ecosystems and resources.

Who's Your City by Richard Florida

Globalization is not flattening the world; on the contrary, the world is spiky. Place is becoming more relevant to the global economy and our individual lives. The choice of where to live, therefore, is not an arbitrary one. It is arguably the most important decision we make, as important as choosing a spouse or a career. In fact, place exerts powerful influence over the jobs and careers we have access to, the people we meet and our “mating markets” and our ability to lead happy and fulfilled lives.
Who’s Your City provides the first ever-rankings of cities by life-stage, rating the best places for singles, young families and empty-nesters. And it grounds its new ideas and data to provide an essential guide for the more than 40 million Americans of who move each year on how to choose where to live, and what those choices mean for their lives, happiness and communities.

Ok... I'm just quoting from the dust jacket, but... these both sound like fodder for quiet winter nights.

[Roody]

Who's Your City by Richard Florida



Ok... I'm just quoting from the dust jacket, but... these both sound like fodder for quiet winter nights.

I read the book by Florida. He has some good ideas, but IMO doesn't do a great job of backing the ideas up with facts. He's required reading for every mayor and city planner in Michigan. He's like a god to them, I think.

[Robert C]

Here's a bump.

It's almost winter and if you haven't read it yet, Carfree Cities by JH Crawford features an approach to cars you don't often see in LCF. Instead of discussing how to deal with car, Crawford's book deals them completely out of the picture.

Using a couple of models like the city of Venice, he describes a design for a city that would permit cars only on the periphery of the city. The rest of the city is comprised of modular, walkable areas with high-speed rail in the core. Heavy industries and gasoline powered vehicles rest on the very edges of the each module. Even streets are made for walking.... even cyclists are forced to yield.

Having spent some time in Italian cities, where cars are often pushed to edges or forced to travel at very slow speed, I share some of his vision of cities being more livable, noise-free and fun.

Seeing as this thread somehow got bumped. First, I am reading Steve Jobs. However, I do have a question about how one thing, that I have experience with, is handled in truly car free cities. What about repairmen?

Everyone demands repairmen to travel at the speed of light and to have, with them, any possible part, no matter how large, expensive, or obscure. Yet, at the same time, no one wants those unsightly vans in their parking lot. How do the car free cities deal with the realities of private (meaning non-municipal, as they are generally exempt from the laws) mechanical service?

[Artkansas]

Right now, I am reading Pedaling Revolution: how cyclists are changing American cities by Jeff Mapes. I'm not that far in, but it's comforting to see what I have experienced being confirmed. He discusses disparate places including Amsterdam, Davis, Portland and New York as well as the political movement created by cyclists urban bike culture, safety and health. He ends with reuniting bikes and kids.

[gerv]

Seeing as this thread somehow got bumped. First, I am reading Steve Jobs. However, I do have a question about how one thing, that I have experience with, is handled in truly car free cities. What about repairmen?

Everyone demands repairmen to travel at the speed of light and to have, with them, any possible part, no matter how large, expensive, or obscure. Yet, at the same time, no one wants those unsightly vans in their parking lot. How do the car free cities deal with the realities of private (meaning non-municipal, as they are generally exempt from the laws) mechanical service?

Well... a couple of issues. First of all, I don't actually know of any truly carfree cities, so this question is obviously a "what-if".

Second issue is that you live in China and I in North America. My experience in North America is that often huge repair trucks show up in the driveway, the repair guy investigates the issue and then has to head off to the depot to get the part. A good example is a plumbing repair. I mean the plumber might get lucky and have the part, but quite often not. I had a garage door guy show up last year. He actually had the part however, cause apparently there aren't that many manufacturers or the parts are all standardized.

Also in North America, there is a fierce "do-it-yourself" culture where the owner needs to make a dozen car trips to Lowe's, buying and returning parts, until the exact match is found. This could be accommodated by bicycles... for small parts anyway.

So what happens in China?

[wahoonc]

Seeing as this thread somehow got bumped. First, I am reading Steve Jobs. However, I do have a question about how one thing, that I have experience with, is handled in truly car free cities. What about repairmen?

Everyone demands repairmen to travel at the speed of light and to have, with them, any possible part, no matter how large, expensive, or obscure. Yet, at the same time, no one wants those unsightly vans in their parking lot. How do the car free cities deal with the realities of private (meaning non-municipal, as they are generally exempt from the laws) mechanical service?

Can't find the blog post, but in Amsterdam, NL some of the repairmen travel via Baksfiet. The one company that was highlight has someone on a baksfiet with the basic small parts and experience make the first call, if they can fix it on the spot they do so, if not they call in the required parts which are either delivered by bike, or in the case of larger items, delivered by truck. This would take some serious planning and logistics as well as the ability to trouble shoot over the phone. FWIW I do a lot of repairs for family and friends, the biggest challenge is finding out from the A) what model and brand they have, and B) WTH to actually get the parts. Unfortunately the days of a handful of repair parts fitting more than a single model are all but gone...As and example, my mom's water heater was dribbling out of the pressure relief valve, not normally an issue, but in this case hers was a gas fired high efficiency unit, I got on the phone first, then had to go to 3 different parts houses to get the exact model that was required. Only one was with in biking distance of her house. IMHO if they had a proper catalog and parts listing as well as some clue as to what they actually have in inventory it would have greatly simplified the whole process. But this is the way business is done in this day and age. Manufacturers don't help either by constantly churning parts in the search of profit margins.

Aaron

[Roody]

Right now, I am reading Pedaling Revolution: how cyclists are changing American cities by Jeff Mapes. I'm not that far in, but it's comforting to see what I have experienced being confirmed. He discusses disparate places including Amsterdam, Davis, Portland and New York as well as the political movement created by cyclists urban bike culture, safety and health. He ends with reuniting bikes and kids.

I'm going to have to read that one. The tie-in between bikes and kids is interesting. The cycling movement in the Netherlands started because people were concerned about kids being killed by cars. Also, Enrique Penalosa has said that he started the traffic reforms in Bogota because he wanted children to be healthier, happier and safer.

Politically, this is a good point for advocates to make. Who wants to sy they are against safety for little children?

[Robert C]

Second issue is that you live in China and I in North America. My experience in North America is that often huge repair trucks show up in the driveway, the repair guy investigates the issue and then has to head off to the depot to get the part. A good example is a plumbing repair. I mean the plumber might get lucky and have the part, but quite often not. I had a garage door guy show up last year. He actually had the part however, cause apparently there aren't that many manufacturers or the parts are all standardized.

Also in North America, there is a fierce "do-it-yourself" culture where the owner needs to make a dozen car trips to Lowe's, buying and returning parts, until the exact match is found. This could be accommodated by bicycles... for small parts anyway.

So what happens in China?

First off, my experience as a repairman was in the US. I worked as a copier repairman for over ten years. As an employee of a large corporation that was obsessed with metrics, one of the things that I, and others were scored on (It was a list of over 20 items; so, really the score had more to do with fate than the individual) was the ability to "fix" the problem on the first call. This meant that we needed to pack a tremendous array of parts.

If you ever look out the window when your copier tech is there, you will notice that, generally, he is driving a hatchback of some sort and it is loaded to the gills with parts. Where I was we tended to drive Pick-ups and small vans because the company did not want to stock any parts in the local sales office; and, it is such a specialized field that there is no parts house or "depot."

I would often load my bicycle in my van for two reasons. The first was to get in come after-work riding in whatever strange place I happened to be when I finished my last call. The other was more work related. There was often no parking near the business (some business clearly stated "no service vehicles" in their parking lot; no matter the problem, they were always low priority. Sometimes there really was just no parking close) I would then ride my bicycle from my van to the business. Many days worked out that I was able to park my van in a central place and ride to my calls using it as a "mobile-base."

This was not too common as many cities limit how long one can park; so, no matter if I was done with the job or not I would go for a drive every couple of hours. However, some cities had a residential area (unlimited parking) close enough to the city core. Other cities would provide a parking pass to contractors that allowed us to stay in the same parking place all day (so long as it was in a lot and not on the street). One town revoked those permits because too many people complained about repairmen having special privileges (the ability to do ones job without stopping constantly, walking back to the van and leaving one parking place to go and hunt for another was seen as a privilege).

Here in China it is quite different. A repairman arrives on a motorcycle (with surprisingly few, and ill suited, tools, leading to shockingly poor workmanship), parks anywhere he wants (everyone parks anywhere they want, yes, it is chaos), and tries to fix the problem with a plastic shopping bag. In America duct tape, or electricians tape (depending on the trade) is the universal part; here it is the plastic shopping bag. The difference here is that the plastic bag really is the only part in his bag. Assuming that a plastic bag will not fix it, the repairman will get on his phone and call for a part, then another repairman will bring it over on his motorcycle. They will then argue for an inordinately long time on wither it is the right part and how to install it.

Because they did not bring the right tools they will install the part in some haphazard manner and it won't work right. It is true, it will be working better than it was when you called them; but it still isn't right. They will then tell you that is the best that can be done because it (whatever the thing they are working on) is old. They will then ride off. (If they really cannot proceed with the tools they have they will call a third repairman and he will bring it. He will also bring a cutting torch. It doesn't matter what the problem is, he will bring a cutting torch)

It is odd, there is no DIY culture in China. There just is no pride in having knowledge outside of one’s field. Most people here do not know how to repair a bike tire; however, there are repairmen all over, siting by the side of the road waiting for someone to need some minor repair. Trouble shooting over the phone is impossible (I have watched this one) because the office workers feel that it is beneath their station to "repair" the machine. That is what they have called the repairman to do.
It is an extremely specialized culture people do not take pride in having generalized skills and knowledge. I am not trying to do a “Culture slam” here; instead I am trying to answer your question. There is a greater acceptance for things just not working here; so, if the machine is down for a week, while the repair man gets the part; that is just the way it is. There is greater tolerance for things not working right. The attitude is that nothing works right, that is just the way it is.




***************************************************
Back to the topic at hand, I am still reading "Steve Jobs" (it is only getting a couple of hours a day) I was really expecting a worshipful whitewash; instead it has turned ot to be surprisingly good. He clearly likes Jobs; but, he is honest that Jobs was a deeply flawed person who get extremely lucky.

[gerv]

your description of China is priceless. I really like that third repairman!!

Luckily in North America we have a DIY culture where you can ruin your own work yourself, without having to rely on a technician to ruin it.

Luckily we also have good quality duct tape. Probably made in China

[Roody]

Seeing as this thread somehow got bumped. First, I am reading Steve Jobs. However, I do have a question about how one thing, that I have experience with, is handled in truly car free cities. What about repairmen?

Everyone demands repairmen to travel at the speed of light and to have, with them, any possible part, no matter how large, expensive, or obscure. Yet, at the same time, no one wants those unsightly vans in their parking lot. How do the car free cities deal with the realities of private (meaning non-municipal, as they are generally exempt from the laws) mechanical service?

From Crawford's web site:

Other human-powered vehicles would be used as advantageous, including large-wheeled tricycles (for the elderly), push carts, bicycle rickshaws, etc. Small cart-sized battery-powered vehicles are permitted where their use is essential; there would come to be quite a few of these, but they would not dominate the streetscape because they are quiet and slow.

[Roody]

First off, my experience as a repairman was in the US. I worked as a copier repairman for over ten years. As an employee of a large corporation that was obsessed with metrics, one of the things that I, and others were scored on (It was a list of over 20 items; so, really the score had more to do with fate than the individual) was the ability to "fix" the problem on the first call. This meant that we needed to pack a tremendous array of parts.

If you ever look out the window when your copier tech is there, you will notice that, generally, he is driving a hatchback of some sort and it is loaded to the gills with parts. Where I was we tended to drive Pick-ups and small vans because the company did not want to stock any parts in the local sales office; and, it is such a specialized field that there is no parts house or "depot."

I would often load my bicycle in my van for two reasons. The first was to get in come after-work riding in whatever strange place I happened to be when I finished my last call. The other was more work related. There was often no parking near the business (some business clearly stated "no service vehicles" in their parking lot; no matter the problem, they were always low priority. Sometimes there really was just no parking close) I would then ride my bicycle from my van to the business. Many days worked out that I was able to park my van in a central place and ride to my calls using it as a "mobile-base."

This was not too common as many cities limit how long one can park; so, no matter if I was done with the job or not I would go for a drive every couple of hours. However, some cities had a residential area (unlimited parking) close enough to the city core. Other cities would provide a parking pass to contractors that allowed us to stay in the same parking place all day (so long as it was in a lot and not on the street). One town revoked those permits because too many people complained about repairmen having special privileges (the ability to do ones job without stopping constantly, walking back to the van and leaving one parking place to go and hunt for another was seen as a privilege).

Here in China it is quite different. A repairman arrives on a motorcycle (with surprisingly few, and ill suited, tools, leading to shockingly poor workmanship), parks anywhere he wants (everyone parks anywhere they want, yes, it is chaos), and tries to fix the problem with a plastic shopping bag. In America duct tape, or electricians tape (depending on the trade) is the universal part; here it is the plastic shopping bag. The difference here is that the plastic bag really is the only part in his bag. Assuming that a plastic bag will not fix it, the repairman will get on his phone and call for a part, then another repairman will bring it over on his motorcycle. They will then argue for an inordinately long time on wither it is the right part and how to install it.

Because they did not bring the right tools they will install the part in some haphazard manner and it won't work right. It is true, it will be working better than it was when you called them; but it still isn't right. They will then tell you that is the best that can be done because it (whatever the thing they are working on) is old. They will then ride off. (If they really cannot proceed with the tools they have they will call a third repairman and he will bring it. He will also bring a cutting torch. It doesn't matter what the problem is, he will bring a cutting torch)

It is odd, there is no DIY culture in China. There just is no pride in having knowledge outside of one’s field. Most people here do not know how to repair a bike tire; however, there are repairmen all over, siting by the side of the road waiting for someone to need some minor repair. Trouble shooting over the phone is impossible (I have watched this one) because the office workers feel that it is beneath their station to "repair" the machine. That is what they have called the repairman to do.
It is an extremely specialized culture people do not take pride in having generalized skills and knowledge. I am not trying to do a “Culture slam” here; instead I am trying to answer your question. There is a greater acceptance for things just not working here; so, if the machine is down for a week, while the repair man gets the part; that is just the way it is. There is greater tolerance for things not working right. The attitude is that nothing works right, that is just the way it is.




***************************************************
Back to the topic at hand, I am still reading "Steve Jobs" (it is only getting a couple of hours a day) I was really expecting a worshipful whitewash; instead it has turned ot to be surprisingly good. He clearly likes Jobs; but, he is honest that Jobs was a deeply flawed person who get extremely lucky.

Very interesting observations about both cultures. You should write a book yourself!