The 100 Best of CycleDog for 2008

That's not "one hundred." It's one-zero-zero. Remember, I'm an electronics uber-geek, so that's a binary number. You know, like 101110001110. I could have written the date as 7D8 in hex or 3730 in octal, but that would only be confusing. Well, I thought it was funny. Maybe I'm the only one.

I couldn't subject you to one hundred CycleDog posts. Frankly, I didn't even want to do a list of ten because we're inundated with "10 Best" lists at the turn of the year. I rebelled in disgust when one of the television shows did a Best of Britney series. And in all seriousness, it's a little humbling to review a year's worth of posts only to discover there's little of substance to be found.

So here's my one-zero list, the four posts or themes that I like best out of all of 2008.

Number 001

Riding to Work in 2020

This post speculated about bicycle commuting in the future and how our changing circumstances would alter our vehicles and expectations.

Number 010

Paradigm Shift and the Tulsa Tough

The series of posts on the Tulsa Tough began with this one. The Tough represents an opportunity for volunteerism, bicycling advocacy and education, and some excellent racing and touring. But the central idea of this post follows.

"I experienced a paradigm shift at this meeting. It's always a little bit disconcerting when it happens, but this was nearly a revelation. The sponsors and supporters for the Tulsa Tough are Saint Francis Hospital and the Sports Commission, as well as the area hotel and restaurant association, and many others. That's hardly a revelation. But the idea that hit me, 'gobsmacked' as the Brits would say, is that the Tulsa area has arrived as a cycling city. There's a tsunami of cycling consciousness that joins government, businesses, and individuals, highlighting this city as a cycling mecca. You may think that's an overstatement, yet it's undoubtedly true. We are no longer struggling toward a goal. We've attained it. Sure, there's much more to do, but this was an enormous hurdle to overcome."

We already have a bicycling friendly city, regardless of the League's endorsement. Cyclists already know that Tulsa is a good place to ride. We just need to broadcast that fact.

Number 011

Zero Water Update

The original Zero Water story still accumulates lots of hits. I can only assume it's from people trying to get background information. So it was natural to do a follow-up, and since I'm constitutionally susceptible to snide, twisted humor, I couldn't avoid taking some potshots.

Number 100

This Just In...

This was the beginning to the "Wally for Vice-Prisident" series, a story still in search of an ending. Yes, I have one in mind and it's presently only an outline. Give it time. Let me say that I really like Wally, as he represents some aspects of my own character and he incorporates some that I do not have. He's earnest, well-meaning, and a bit of a con-man at times. I could only wish to be a con-man as I do not lie convincingly.

There you have it! My 100 Best of CycleDog list. Happy New Year!

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