Month: October 2015

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Building A 2-Wheeled Urban Assault Vehicle: Part 1

As I’ve written about many times, cycling is a great way to get fit and be practical at the same time. The toughest part will be getting your human-powered Urban Assault Vehicle ready for action. But fear not! We aren’t going into uncharted territory. In fact, I’m going to show you just how easy it can be to build the Ultimate Pavement Bomber, on a budget.

Start With A Bike

Do you already own a bike? Good. You’re better off than most people. Chances are you’ve got one of these three types of bikes:

  • Mountain Bike – fat/knobby tires, flat handlebar, possibly suspension fork and frame
  • Hybrid – skinny tires, flat handlebar, usually a suspension fork
  • Cruiser – fat tires, swept back bars, usually 1 speed (not always)

Any one of them can be pressed into service, with a few tweaks. If you already own a drop-bar road bike, then you’re pretty much there. Hybrids are awesome for shorter trips (less than 20 miles) because the upright riding position is good for visibility in traffic, but longer rides can be hard when you’ve only got one position to put your hands in.

Let’s assume the bike is in decent working shape: brakes and gears are adjusted and working, no loose hardware, and the bike is roughly the right size for you. If you have one of these rare unicorns, consider yourself blessed. If your bike needs work, then spend some time on Youtube learning how to adjust it, or bring it to a bike shop and have them do it for you (I recommend learning it yourself, for obvious reasons). Once your bike is in good working condition, it’s time to make its conversion to the dark side complete!
Continue reading “Building A 2-Wheeled Urban Assault Vehicle: Part 1”

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Life In Perspective

Sometimes life just clips along, and we merrily go through it, paying no mind to anything. We’re the happy center of our own universe, and nothing matters except what’s immediately in front of us.

And then there are days where you come face to face with the reaper, and you realize you’re just a single breath away from eternity.

This past week, a guy at work died of cancer. He only knew about it 2 months before he succumbed to it. I’ve known other people who were diagnosed with and died of cancer within 2 weeks. Two Weeks.

So what’s the point of it all, if we’re just dust? If we’re such insignificant specks in the flotsam of the universe, why do we even bother? Continue reading “Life In Perspective”

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Gear Review: Axiom Journey Rack

If you’ve ever tried riding somewhere with a heavy backpack, you can appreciate the practicality of having a rear rack to carry stuff.

When I built my bike years ago, I used cheap second-hand racks made of steel, and all of them broke under regular commuting use. So I went about finding a proper replacement, and stumbled upon the Axiom Journey rear rack.

The rack itself is made of welded aluminum tubing. It’s surprisingly light for how strong it is, as it’s rated for 150 pounds and only weighs 1.5 pounds! Believe me when I say this thing is beefy. The most I’ve carried on it is about 80 pounds…. one of my kids rode sitting on it with no problems. I’ll just say my rear wheel would probably blow spokes before the rack breaks. Continue reading “Gear Review: Axiom Journey Rack”

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Mental Toughness

As we’ve touched on previously, the ability to be fit and strong really comes down to a mental struggle. Everybody wants to be fit, right? But it’s work. And not everybody wants to work. So how do you become fit if you’re reluctant to work? How do you become strong if you’re… weak?

Well, that’s the problem, isn’t it? We live in an age where the hardest thing we overcome is whether we want White Mocha or Pumpkin Spice lattes.

How can you expect to succeed in a heroic effort if you have nothing to fight for? Sure, going to the gym is hard, physically, but its not exactly life-threatening. And doing aerobics or riding your bike to work isn’t going to earn you a Purple Heart.

There can be external motivations, but they’re fleeting and easily forgotten. The real motivation, your intrinsic reason for doing it, is because you want to be that hero. You have to crave being that strong person. Because if you don’t want it… you’ll find any excuse not to be that person. Continue reading “Mental Toughness”

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Being Grounded In A Subversive World

sub•vert (səb-vûrtˈ)

  • v. To destroy completely; ruin: “schemes to subvert the liberties of a great community” (Alexander Hamilton).
  • v. To undermine the character, morals, or allegiance of; corrupt.
  • v. To overthrow completely.

Whether we like it or not, we live in a world filled with subversion. Everywhere we go, people want to undermine common sense in order to warp reality to fit their own ends.

Specifically, I’m talking about definition #2: “To undermine the character, morals, or allegiance of; corrupt.”

You have to understand that in order for morals and character to be undermined, there have to be morals and character there to begin with. You can’t subvert or corrupt something that doesn’t exist. Continue reading “Being Grounded In A Subversive World”

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Pre-November Preview

Things have been steadily moving forward with my current novel project. I’m getting the outline to the point where it almost writes itself, which is exactly where it needs to be.

This is the time where I decide if I want to officially try to “win” at NaNoWriMo this year. I’m of course thinking about how all the horrible fanfic and chick-lit authors will swarm the NaNo boards and discussions, talking about stuff I’m not the least bit interested in. I don’t have to participate, of course, but that takes some of the fun out of it.

I am noticing that more and more writers are foregoing the whole “story” idea and just writing mush. As I’ve written previously, I have issues with contrived stories that lack focus… I ought to know, I wrote one! Continue reading “Pre-November Preview”

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Book Review: Monster Hunter International

I finally had the chance to read through Monster Hunter International by Larry Correia. In a nutshell, the book is a fun read, and I’d recommend it. But that’s not really a review, so I’m going to give it the proper treatment it deserves.

As the first book in a series, MHI is about Owen Zastava Pitt; a simple corporate accountant who ends up shoving his boss out of a 14th floor window. But that’s because his boss was a werewolf. After nearly being mauled to death, Pitt wakes up in the hospital with lots of scars, and a job offer from a shady character.

I generally judge a book or film on how well the writer achieves their goal, and how entertaining the journey was to get there. Now, with a name like “Monster Hunter International” I had a pretty good idea of where the story was going to go. And since I’m cool with blowing monsters to bits, I’m willing to overlook a few things here and there if the story is fun. Continue reading “Book Review: Monster Hunter International”

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30 Days Without Coffee

Well, that’s not entirely true. I did have coffee. It was just decaf.

Yeah, yeah, I know. That’s not “real coffee.” But when you’ve been drinking a whole pot of dark roast a day, you kind of get into the habit.

I quit caffeine cold turkey for a few reasons. I wanted to sleep better, and I wanted to feel better when I wasn’t sleeping. Excessive amounts of caffeine and sugar can cause what’s called Adrenal Fatigue. That’s when your adrenal glands are so overworked, you always feel exhausted.

So far, I’ve slept much better. For a week or so, I’d get a small headache every time I walked by the coffee machine at work! But those are fading, and I find I’m not as awake in the mornings, but also not as tired in the afternoons.

It’s also helped lower my blood pressure, which I didn’t really think was that high, but for someone of my size (I’m a skinny dude- there, I said it) it was still high.

I’ll post updates on how this is going over time. For now, I’m just getting used to sleep working the way it’s supposed to.

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What Drives Me To Write

With all the thinking I’ve been doing on how to write, I haven’t covered much about why I write. And while I am still hammering through plots and characters, every now and then I have to remind myself why I’m sitting with my laptop, pouring time and energy into something intangible.

I came to a realization last night, after reading and watching some excellent seminars on plot and originality. I realized that it’s okay for me to pour myself into the book’s main character. There’s nothing wrong with using my own experiences if it makes for a more convincing story.

This not only gives me some freedom in not having to worry about making the “perfect” character, it allows me to write what I know. If I write a character that has had hip surgery, I know how to write that. I know what it feels like, I know how to describe it. If my character plays the guitar, I know how to describe that, I know what that feels like. And that’s not a bad thing. Continue reading “What Drives Me To Write”

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Geek Fitness Blogs

I’m intrigued by so-called “Geek Fitness” blogs. Technically, I guess I’d fit into that category, but not entirely. Off the top of my head, I can think of at least three geek-oriented fitness blogs that have started and failed (gone silent) in the last year or so.

I think the major reason they’ve failed is that they don’t have enough content to really make it as fitness blogs, and not enough geeky stuff to keep people’s interests.

As much success as I’ve had with being a physically fit nerd, there’s only so much new information I can post. And I’m also pretty frugal, so I won’t be doing tons of reviews on expensive fitness toys. I mean, have you seen the price of cycling power meters?? Yes, I have an exciting weight loss story, but I haven’t really needed to start anything new. I’m still just riding my bike, and watching what I eat, like when I started five years ago.

The key to a regular fitness routine is: find something that works for you. Something you enjoy doing. Things like: Continue reading “Geek Fitness Blogs”