Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Saturday, May 13, 2006
planned obsolescence
A private taxi driver in Cuba, driving 200-250 miles
(300-400 km) a day, cannot do better than a mid-'50s Chevrolet sedan converted to diesel to cut his fuel costs.
The Chevy is the car that needs least overhauling, says Roberto Diaz. "A 1955 or 1956 Chevrolet is the most durable car. Some even have the original factory engine working."
"I never thought these cars could last so long, a whole lifetime," said taxi driver Reinaldo Armengot. "The makers must have made a mistake."
(300-400 km) a day, cannot do better than a mid-'50s Chevrolet sedan converted to diesel to cut his fuel costs.
The Chevy is the car that needs least overhauling, says Roberto Diaz. "A 1955 or 1956 Chevrolet is the most durable car. Some even have the original factory engine working."
"I never thought these cars could last so long, a whole lifetime," said taxi driver Reinaldo Armengot. "The makers must have made a mistake."
Thursday, May 11, 2006
BIKE GANGS!!?
"I have a video of the race of death as well, however we ended up living and my bike light came on. It was indeed a minor miracle. I may try and find it.
Our gang is called AE|BC. Algate East Bike Club. We're a bunch of bike riding toughs, present in NYC, London and of course Brisbane now."
'I am in a gang too.
"Zombie Bike Gang", and we are obviously cool, 'cos we are zombies.
Also: we aren't so much as a gang, as two girls with hoodies and bikes.'
links to some references to bike gangs:
bikegangone
toby barraud's text + pictures
toby barraud's pictures
http://theboltsandnuts.blogspot.com/
http://www.frankiefeverforever.com/huggies.html
tuff riding music >
where there's a will there's a whalebone - islands
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
thoughts
Everyone who has looked at the same area as me previously has seemed to spend their time on proving the viability of pedal powered vehicles, or tying to create products that fit current behaviour. I believe the answer to the problem does not lie there. I have to change behaviour, rather then adapt the technology to current behaviour.
However people are unwilling to change their behaviour, as seen by the short lived 20% increase in public transport usage when petrol first went over $1.30. As petrol remained at this price, people became used to it, and started moving back to their cars again.
So I plan to take as my model, the business plan of the ipod, and implement it in pedal powered transport.
The ipod started with a product that satisfied specific needs, and rendered other needs less important then they were previously. One important feature was that it was aesthetically appealing. The interesting thing is that they have managed to sustain the development over 5 years and in the foreseeable future the growth does not seem to show any signs of slowing. This is good because it goes against the trend for cool products to fall by the wayside. Also unlike many other products, ipods feature prominently in their users lives, like mobile phones and other high profile electronic products. These all required people to sacrifice certain things in exchange for other benefits. I would like to try to tap into people's reptilian instincts and emotions, and create a need or desire for environmentally friendly transport on a more base level. It is also important to ensure that it is a self-propagating and perpetuating culture that will survive for a long time.
tuff riding music - blood on our hands / Death From Above 1979
However people are unwilling to change their behaviour, as seen by the short lived 20% increase in public transport usage when petrol first went over $1.30. As petrol remained at this price, people became used to it, and started moving back to their cars again.
So I plan to take as my model, the business plan of the ipod, and implement it in pedal powered transport.
The ipod started with a product that satisfied specific needs, and rendered other needs less important then they were previously. One important feature was that it was aesthetically appealing. The interesting thing is that they have managed to sustain the development over 5 years and in the foreseeable future the growth does not seem to show any signs of slowing. This is good because it goes against the trend for cool products to fall by the wayside. Also unlike many other products, ipods feature prominently in their users lives, like mobile phones and other high profile electronic products. These all required people to sacrifice certain things in exchange for other benefits. I would like to try to tap into people's reptilian instincts and emotions, and create a need or desire for environmentally friendly transport on a more base level. It is also important to ensure that it is a self-propagating and perpetuating culture that will survive for a long time.
tuff riding music - blood on our hands / Death From Above 1979
messenger bags for couriers
wikipedia says the messenger bag (also called a courier bag) was originally used by telephone line repairers in the 1950's to carry their tools as they climbed up the poles. the distinctive feature that differentiates the messenger bag from other bags is it's one strap, worn diagonally over one shoulder and across the chest. this enables the bag to be swung to the front of the user without having to take it off, allowing for easier access while on the move.
companies that make messenger bags include
www.timbuk2.com
http://www.chromebags.com/
http://www.crumpler.com.au
http://www.manhattanportage.com
somehow these bags have become de rigeur for city living normal people, particularly in melbourne the crumpler brand, which is an australian company which is doing fairly well overseas. they recently ran a promotion in NYC where they exchanged beer for bags in their store. i guess they were trying to gain a foothold in the city, or create a brand image of themselves as hip and happening. anyway, i'm pretty cynical about that sort of advertising.
companies that make messenger bags include
www.timbuk2.com
http://www.chromebags.com/
http://www.crumpler.com.au
http://www.manhattanportage.com
somehow these bags have become de rigeur for city living normal people, particularly in melbourne the crumpler brand, which is an australian company which is doing fairly well overseas. they recently ran a promotion in NYC where they exchanged beer for bags in their store. i guess they were trying to gain a foothold in the city, or create a brand image of themselves as hip and happening. anyway, i'm pretty cynical about that sort of advertising.
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