Thursday, September 30, 2004
Now I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to prevent my bike (or parts of it) from getting stolen during my trip. I just thought of that now. One thing I've never done before when locking my bike is release the front wheel and lock it together with my rear wheel and the frame when I lock it to something. So that's one thing I'll start doing. (I used to just slip my lock through the frame and front wheel because my last bike's rear wheel wasn't quick-release - plus my old bike started to resemble a piece of crap.)
I like some of the suggestions on this page: http://www.dirtragmag.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-275.html. Especially this guy's: "Unhook your brakes when you leave. This will put your life at risk once or twice when you forget to hook them back up, but you'll remember after that. My opinion is that anybody who steals my bike deserves to get a Chevrolet enema when he can't stop at the next traffic light. I need that bike to live. Anybody that takes it deserves to die."
I think I'll cover it with duct tape too; not only will it make it look crappy, but it will also protect the paint. I just hope it doesn't create too much drag.
I like some of the suggestions on this page: http://www.dirtragmag.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-275.html. Especially this guy's: "Unhook your brakes when you leave. This will put your life at risk once or twice when you forget to hook them back up, but you'll remember after that. My opinion is that anybody who steals my bike deserves to get a Chevrolet enema when he can't stop at the next traffic light. I need that bike to live. Anybody that takes it deserves to die."
I think I'll cover it with duct tape too; not only will it make it look crappy, but it will also protect the paint. I just hope it doesn't create too much drag.
| [ 1 comment ] |
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
My bike is pretty well equipped now. Yesterday I rode to Horne Lake and camped there overnight. It was very nice there. I rode back today. I'll post pictures (I know I'm behind with those) as soon as I have a chance. I hope I'll be ready, physically, when I get to Munich. I have to ride from the airport to downtown Munich the first day there. I haven't been doing my pushups in ages, but I don't seem to be getting too weak either (not that I've been measuring).
Meta and Travis left a couple days ago. Meta's in Ontario, Travis is in Victoria. Just before she left, Meta cut my hair. She cut it quite a bit shorter in the back than I had in mind. So later I cut the front and now I have short hair again. It's probably good for riding a bike anyway.
Tomorrow my dad and I are driving to Gold River for the day. There are some nice mountains there, I hear. Also some deep caves.
Meta and Travis left a couple days ago. Meta's in Ontario, Travis is in Victoria. Just before she left, Meta cut my hair. She cut it quite a bit shorter in the back than I had in mind. So later I cut the front and now I have short hair again. It's probably good for riding a bike anyway.
Tomorrow my dad and I are driving to Gold River for the day. There are some nice mountains there, I hear. Also some deep caves.
| [ 4 comments ] |
Tuesday, September 21, 2004
I've shut off my instant messager because it's way too distracting at the moment. I've got to get Meta's site done real soon and figure out where I'm going to stay once I'm in Munich. Also got to figure out the pannier situation and how much I'm going to be able to take to Europe. And today my dad just arrived, so this evening was taken up by conversation. So I'm sorry if you'd like to chat with me but find that I'm offline; I know how unusual that can be. ;)
| [ 1 comment ] |
Sunday, September 19, 2004
So I've booked two flights: One from Vancouver to Toronto on Oct. 2, and one from Toronto to Munich on Oct. 5. Yesterday I noticed that the charter on Oct. 7 seemed to already be sold out, so I thought rather than risk losing the opportunity to save $350, I should book the similar charter that leaves on the 5th before it was gone. I didn't expect to leave this soon. I'm still preparing my bike; I may end up just buying panniers instead of making them, as I'm a bit rushed for time. I still want to bike to and camp at Horne Lake Caves with all my gear so I can get an idea of touring on a bike.
Now I'm investigating how I'll end up transporting my bike on the plane. Reading other people's experiences on BikeAccess.net, I'm leaning towards bagging it, since baggage handlers tend to treat anonymous cardboard boxes much more roughly than they do bagged items. Bags are sold at the airport for $5 each. I wonder if I could ride my bike all the way to the airport and bag it there. Hmm...
Now I'm investigating how I'll end up transporting my bike on the plane. Reading other people's experiences on BikeAccess.net, I'm leaning towards bagging it, since baggage handlers tend to treat anonymous cardboard boxes much more roughly than they do bagged items. Bags are sold at the airport for $5 each. I wonder if I could ride my bike all the way to the airport and bag it there. Hmm...
| [ 3 comments ] |
Saturday, September 18, 2004
There was a rage of thunder and lightning last night - rather unusual for here. This morning a layer of white stuff blankets the mountains. Maybe it's just thick hail? No, it looks like snow. How bittersweet it is that summer is over and I never got to go camping or canoeing.
That $203 flight I mentioned in my last entry is already gone. There's another one for $201 that leaves October 5th! I don't know what to do. It feels a bit soon, but I'd save over $350 (the next cheapest flight is $557). What should I do...?
That $203 flight I mentioned in my last entry is already gone. There's another one for $201 that leaves October 5th! I don't know what to do. It feels a bit soon, but I'd save over $350 (the next cheapest flight is $557). What should I do...?
| [ no comments ] |
Friday, September 17, 2004
It's amazing how much variation there is in the cost of flights. One-way tickets to European cities within a small area (Munich, Innsbruck, Salzburg, Vienna, Zurich) vary in price from $203 to about $3000, depending on the selected date and airline. The cheapest ones ($203) are from Air Transat, charters from Toronto to Munich on October 5 and 7. (I'd first fly to Toronto a few days before so I could get a few things out of storage there to take with me to Europe.) Flights to anywhere in Austria, however, are terribly expensive. I suppose they're not such popular destinations.
But maybe I won't be ready to leave that soon. I'm still getting my bike set up, adding fenders, a rack, a gel saddle cover, etc. I wonder whether I'd have enough time to construct my own panniers, as planned.
And I'm still doing Meta's website. There's really not much to see yet; my progress was somewhat hindered by Microsoft and Macromedia's quality software. But I'll give you the address anyway: http://corvusmae.open-eyes.org/. I predict that progress will quickly accelerate now.
But maybe I won't be ready to leave that soon. I'm still getting my bike set up, adding fenders, a rack, a gel saddle cover, etc. I wonder whether I'd have enough time to construct my own panniers, as planned.
And I'm still doing Meta's website. There's really not much to see yet; my progress was somewhat hindered by Microsoft and Macromedia's quality software. But I'll give you the address anyway: http://corvusmae.open-eyes.org/. I predict that progress will quickly accelerate now.
| [ no comments ] |
Monday, September 13, 2004
One thing I'd be sure to take with me to Europe would be my mountain bike. I think I'd want to use that primarily to get around. Then I'd have to fit all my belongings in a knapsack and bike packs. I wonder if I can make my own bike packs (why they're so expensive I don't know)...
Then I could just fly over to a big city in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland and stay in a hostel there for the first night. A couple towns that appeal to me so far are Berchtesgaden, Germany and Mariazell, Austria.
So the day after I arrive I could just ride in the direction of one of those towns, staying at cheap guesthouses or hostels on the way, until I got to my destination. Then I could stay in a cheap hostel there for a week or two. When I felt like a change, I'd just take another bicycle trip to another town, say, Appenzell, Switerzland.
I'm sure all the hills and mountains will make riding much slower than expected. But damn, it would be so much fun!
Anybody want to come with me?
| [ no comments ] |
Still working on Meta's website. Oh brother, is it ever taking me long. I can't help it. Fortunately, Meta's helping by creating the most beautiful collages in Gimp to place in the corners of pages. I hope to have something to show soon, so keep your pants on.
I want to go to Europe (as usual). Today I spent many hours looking into ways I could possibly stay there for an extended period. I don't really want to be a big tourist when I'm there. I'd rather just live somewhere, e.g. in a town in the Bavarian Alps, and do my work there (i.e., the kind of things I'm spending my time doing right now: designing Meta's website, developing the next version of my message board, and remotely doing odd computer jobs that Jon can get me in Canada ;). I've been getting too many European flashbacks to be able to stick around here very much longer, as beautiful as it is here (although I've still not even been able to really tour this area, sadly).
Ideally, I'd like to have a small, minimally furnished apartment to myself for, say, a month, where nobody would care what I was doing and I could live independently. Super-ideally, I'd have high-speed Internet access there too.
I was looking into many different options, though: WWOOFing, getting an IT job, vacation homes, homestays, farmstays, language exchanges, hostels, guesthouses, etc.
I decided that I don't want to have other work to occupy my time, not just yet. So getting an IT job and WWOOFing are out of the question for now. Vacation homes and most of those so-called "homestay" and "farmstay" programs are, for the most part, aimed for (rich) couples and families on vacation. Too fancy and expensive for me. I couldn't find any language exchanges that fit my needs, although I didn't explore that option very much.
So far, pricewise, staying in a hostel for a few weeks sounds like the way to go. For example, there's a hostel in Berchtesgaden, Bavaria that would charge 373.35 Euros for a 4-week stay starting October 1, breakfasts included. That's about $590.
But I'd have to share the room with three other people (whenever the place was busy, which might be the case come Oktoberfest). I wonder whether I'd be able to concentrate enough and have enough Internet access to do my work. Perhaps wireless LANs are popular enough now that I could find an open one somewhere in this mountain town. Or perhaps high-speed Internet isn't even available there yet.
Anyway, I'm still considering many options. I'd be very glad to hear people's suggestions if they have any experience with this kind of thing or know somebody who does.
I want to go to Europe (as usual). Today I spent many hours looking into ways I could possibly stay there for an extended period. I don't really want to be a big tourist when I'm there. I'd rather just live somewhere, e.g. in a town in the Bavarian Alps, and do my work there (i.e., the kind of things I'm spending my time doing right now: designing Meta's website, developing the next version of my message board, and remotely doing odd computer jobs that Jon can get me in Canada ;). I've been getting too many European flashbacks to be able to stick around here very much longer, as beautiful as it is here (although I've still not even been able to really tour this area, sadly).
Ideally, I'd like to have a small, minimally furnished apartment to myself for, say, a month, where nobody would care what I was doing and I could live independently. Super-ideally, I'd have high-speed Internet access there too.
I was looking into many different options, though: WWOOFing, getting an IT job, vacation homes, homestays, farmstays, language exchanges, hostels, guesthouses, etc.
I decided that I don't want to have other work to occupy my time, not just yet. So getting an IT job and WWOOFing are out of the question for now. Vacation homes and most of those so-called "homestay" and "farmstay" programs are, for the most part, aimed for (rich) couples and families on vacation. Too fancy and expensive for me. I couldn't find any language exchanges that fit my needs, although I didn't explore that option very much.
So far, pricewise, staying in a hostel for a few weeks sounds like the way to go. For example, there's a hostel in Berchtesgaden, Bavaria that would charge 373.35 Euros for a 4-week stay starting October 1, breakfasts included. That's about $590.
But I'd have to share the room with three other people (whenever the place was busy, which might be the case come Oktoberfest). I wonder whether I'd be able to concentrate enough and have enough Internet access to do my work. Perhaps wireless LANs are popular enough now that I could find an open one somewhere in this mountain town. Or perhaps high-speed Internet isn't even available there yet.
Anyway, I'm still considering many options. I'd be very glad to hear people's suggestions if they have any experience with this kind of thing or know somebody who does.
| [ 3 comments ] |
Wednesday, September 08, 2004
Yes, I haven't been posting in a while. I've been busy working on a website for Mae Hoepfner, aka. my sister. I think her latest songs are so good that I think she deserves nothing less than a "so good" website on which to display them. We'll see how it turns out. I keep getting caught up in the details.
The 3D modelling situation in Linux is still terribly amateurish and in many non-interlocking pieces. I spent days just trying to import a 2D vector drawing (made of complex polygons with holes and such) into Blender so I could shine beams of a spotlight through it. After many, many hours of trying this and that vector format, I finally found a way to get Blender to import the polygonal data. It took hours because absolutely none of Blender's many vector data import scripts work properly, and I don't care to investigate why (although each seems to fail for a different reason). In the end I had to use a trial version of AC3D for Linux to get the polygons in there. Sadly, that's as far as I could go. Blender doesn't seem to have any way of generating a 2D mesh from a set of polygons with holes (aka. triangulating). In fact, nor does AC3D; AC3D can only triangulate simple, non-overlapping polygons. Apparently, there are many free programs out there that can do very advanced triangulation on polygonal data, but after an hour or so I gave up looking for one that could read any of the most popular vector graphic formats and output to a format that Blender could understand. So I've concluded that the lack of interoperability in this area is just pathetic.
I was almost considering resorting to a pirated copy of Maya, since Maya is about a hundred times more capable than Blender in pretty much every area (sorry, Blender folks). I know I'd have pretty much no trouble achieving the effect I wanted in Maya. But it just seemed too wrong. Yes, I'm using a pirated copy of Flash MX 2004 for her website, but if I wanted to pay for it, I could. And I may very well end up doing that if Meta ends up getting some recognition from her site. But I don't want to be dependent on a piece of software that, if I wanted to use it legally, I simply wouldn't be able to justify the cost. It's unfortunate, because Maya is truly an amazing piece of software.
In the end, I decided to achieve a much less realistic but satisfactory effect in Flash MX (which is also largely a piece of crap, as you may have heard me whine before). We'll see how it all turns out. I think the address will eventually be http://maehoepfner.open-eyes.org, but that could change still. I'll post again when there's something to see there.
The 3D modelling situation in Linux is still terribly amateurish and in many non-interlocking pieces. I spent days just trying to import a 2D vector drawing (made of complex polygons with holes and such) into Blender so I could shine beams of a spotlight through it. After many, many hours of trying this and that vector format, I finally found a way to get Blender to import the polygonal data. It took hours because absolutely none of Blender's many vector data import scripts work properly, and I don't care to investigate why (although each seems to fail for a different reason). In the end I had to use a trial version of AC3D for Linux to get the polygons in there. Sadly, that's as far as I could go. Blender doesn't seem to have any way of generating a 2D mesh from a set of polygons with holes (aka. triangulating). In fact, nor does AC3D; AC3D can only triangulate simple, non-overlapping polygons. Apparently, there are many free programs out there that can do very advanced triangulation on polygonal data, but after an hour or so I gave up looking for one that could read any of the most popular vector graphic formats and output to a format that Blender could understand. So I've concluded that the lack of interoperability in this area is just pathetic.
I was almost considering resorting to a pirated copy of Maya, since Maya is about a hundred times more capable than Blender in pretty much every area (sorry, Blender folks). I know I'd have pretty much no trouble achieving the effect I wanted in Maya. But it just seemed too wrong. Yes, I'm using a pirated copy of Flash MX 2004 for her website, but if I wanted to pay for it, I could. And I may very well end up doing that if Meta ends up getting some recognition from her site. But I don't want to be dependent on a piece of software that, if I wanted to use it legally, I simply wouldn't be able to justify the cost. It's unfortunate, because Maya is truly an amazing piece of software.
In the end, I decided to achieve a much less realistic but satisfactory effect in Flash MX (which is also largely a piece of crap, as you may have heard me whine before). We'll see how it all turns out. I think the address will eventually be http://maehoepfner.open-eyes.org, but that could change still. I'll post again when there's something to see there.
| [ no comments ] |
Thursday, September 02, 2004
loft archives
