tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507743132058788086.post8926510106795470564..comments2023-06-01T02:31:51.198-05:00Comments on Bike Omaha: What is Bike Omaha reading?Biker Bob/Runner Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322922006756215840noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507743132058788086.post-77762202689321170302009-11-01T00:08:00.695-05:002009-11-01T00:08:00.695-05:00"Bicycle Diaries" by David Byrne formerl..."Bicycle Diaries" by David Byrne formerly of Talking Heads. I read the Intro in Barnes & Noble tonight and bought the book. He's been using a bike since the early 80's to get around different cities.<br /><br />Some quotes from Intro:<br />By the late 80's I'd discovered folding bikes, and as my work and curiosity took me to various parts of the world, I usually took one along. That same sense of liberation I experienced in New York recurred as I pedaled around many of the world's principal cities. I felt more connected to the life on the streets than I would have inside a car or in some form of public transport ... (1,2)<br /><br />This point of view -- faster than a walk, slower than a train, often slightly higher than a person -- became my panoramic window on much of the world over the last thirty years -- and still is. (2)<br /><br />Cities, it occurred to me, are physical manifestations of our deepest beliefs and our often unconscious thoughts, not so much as individuals, but as the social animals we are. A cognitive scientist need only look at what we have made -- the hives we have created -- to know what we think and what we believe to be important, as well as how we structure those thoughts and beliefs. (2)<br /><br />Each chapter in this book focuses on a different city ... (3)<br /><br />I myself find that the physical sensation of self-powered transport coupled with the feeling of self-control endemic to this two wheeled situation is nicely empowering and reassuring, even if temporary, and it is enough to center me for the rest of the day.<br />It sounds like some form of meditation, and in a way it is. (4)<br /><br />Contents:<br />Intro<br />American Cities<br /><br />Most U.S. cities are not very bike-friendly. They're not very pedestrian-friendly either. In most of these cities one could say that the machines have won. Lives, city planning, budgets, and time are all focused around the automobile. It's long-term unsustainable and short-term lousy living. (7)<br /><br />Berlin<br />Istanbul<br />Buenos Aires<br />Manila<br />Sydney<br />London<br />San Francisco<br />New York<br />Epilogue: The Future of Getting Around<br />Appendix<br />Additional New York City Bike Rack Designs by David Byrne<br /><br />I think this book will reveal how<br />riding bikes improves more than your physical well being, it changes your world view.dalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13715808669075015981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507743132058788086.post-39890399131254805722009-10-27T23:01:49.539-05:002009-10-27T23:01:49.539-05:00I bought it last week on Amazon and just got it. C...I bought it last week on Amazon and just got it. Can't wait to dig in!Kurt Goetzingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02297035265988353030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507743132058788086.post-76831823842747025552009-10-27T17:21:58.869-05:002009-10-27T17:21:58.869-05:00That USA Today article was extremely poor journali...That USA Today article was extremely poor journalism. However, even with all the cyclist hate-speech showing up in the comments, the pro-cyclist comments were usually spot on and very calm and rational. Plus, they seem to be the only comments that were getting any recommendations from other readers.Biker Bob/Runner Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09322922006756215840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507743132058788086.post-1817360524375144652009-10-27T14:38:45.706-05:002009-10-27T14:38:45.706-05:00Thoughts:
This may be the first time I agree with...Thoughts:<br /><br />This may be the first time I agree with Newt Gringrich.<br /><br />I'm so miffed with the USA Today article. Miffed at the title, miffed at the content, miffed that the author is their automobile writer. Grrr. I should stop now.<br /><br />I love Jeff Mapes!AOJuleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01857625199126312113noreply@blogger.com