I wanna be delusional for Christmas!

"for janis" by sheeshoo on Flickr

I'm watching the New Orleans Saints and New York Giants on Monday Night Football, and I find that my lust for a shiny new car under a huge red bow is increasing faster than the point count. Apparently, Lexus would have us believe that car payments and insurance premiums are the perfect Christmas gift. They may not be wrong. I can think of a couple of people I'd like to give one of these cars to over the holidays, provided I could stick them with the payments.

As for myself, I don't have to worry about finding a new car in the driveway on Christmas morning. It seems I ate the last of the left over black olives, a despicable act that I carried out without asking permission of She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed. I didn't know when I married her that she's Italian by way of Ireland, which makes for occasional unpredictable displays of short temper. Squared.

I did have the temerity to ask for a new bike. It didn't go well.

ISO bracketing with the Olympus Pen

John Neel has an interesting piece on Pixiq about using the ISO bracketing feature in the Olympus Pen cameras. I'm using an E-PL2 and learning something new almost every time it's in my hands.

Neel pointed out that unlike many other digital cameras, the Pen can take a single RAW image, then automatically make three JPEGs with as much as 1 stop of over and under exposure. Assuming the original is properly exposed, the three images can be combined for a high dynamic range photo, or the RAW files can be processed for an even wider exposure latitude. One big advantage is that this process can be used for action shots unlike some other exposure bracketing methods since it relies on a single shot, not consecutive ones.

Now, that Camaro Z28 up above is an HDR image from a single RAW file. Believe me, the car is pretty ratty and the photo makes it look better than it is. I made one JPEG that was 3 stops over exposed in order to get some shadow detail. The under exposure was just one stop. I tried to keep it looking natural rather than cartoonish.


This is a DC-10 that's being stripped at Tulsa International. I worked on DC-10 avionics for years but never managed to ride on one. Chances are I never will. This image is cartoonish, and shows what happens when being overly-enthusiastic while playing with the HDR sliders. Still, I like it for the stark look of an airliner on its way to the graveyard.

I haven't forgotten my old rangefinder cameras, though I'll admit to using the Olympus Pen almost exclusively for a while. But I just finished running a roll through the Konica Auto S2, and started another one in the Canon Canonet. Also, I was surprised to find there's a roll in the Nikon N6006, so it went back into my camera bag to be used in the following couple of weeks. The Konica photos should be ready tomorrow.

Apache Street

Apache Street east of Tulsa is where old cars go to die. It's a treasure trove of rusting old heaps, lined on both sides with wrecking yards. Most of the cars are fairly recent, but some few are the ones I'd like to photograph. One problem exists, and that's the presence of some very large, very long-toothed dogs that prowl the lots. I did not get out of the car anywhere near them!

I'm going to go down there some Saturday to talk with the lot owners. Maybe I can get some photos.

Op-ed: The Oklahoma Bike Summit

Here's what I wrote yesterday about the Oklahoma Bike Summit:

Andy Clarke, president of the League of American Bicyclists, addressed the meeting after lunch. Clarke is an engaging speaker and covered a wide range of bicycling-related topics. He spoke of Copenhagen, where the average number of commuting cyclists would be considered a huge turnout for any North American tour. Clarke brought out the 'safety in numbers' argument, which seems to indicate that increasing numbers of bicyclists do not lead to a proportional increase in bicycle crashes. He said, “We need complete systems, not just infrastructure.” That includes promotion, marketing, and education.

Clarke was concerned over the possible loss of transportation enhancement funds due to the political wrangling in Washington. He strongly advised those present to contact their senators and congressmen. “It's all about showing up,” he said, referring to the political adage that policy is set by those who make an effort to attend meetings.

When asked about the Reed Bates case in which a cyclist was arrested and jailed for riding on a public roadway, Clarke said, “His case was a disaster waiting to happen. It would not have set a precedent. He was not a sympathetic character.” Clarke defended the League's record regarding challenges to cyclist's rights by saying, “We have been involved in a number of such cases over the last several years.”

There was much more, of course, and most of it was omitted for the sake of brevity. I'll say this for Clarke, he's an excellent speaker. He pushed all the usual buttons: Copenhagen, safety in numbers, 'normal' cyclists, trip distances, bike sharing, and a statistic saying that a single traffic fatality has a $6 million cost. Clarke is concerned over the possible loss of transportation enhancement funds in the coming fiscal year, and like other cycling insiders, he seems to be concerned about demographics.

Demographics cut to the heart of cycling advocacy. Bikes Belong has a demographics report on the website detailing many items of interest to cyclists. The bar graph showing the age distribution of survey respondents caught my eye. It indicates that the average age of an 'enthusiast' cyclist is in the mid-forties. Now, please remember that this is a self-selected survey, so the results should not be regarded as representative of the entire population of cyclists, but the last census put the median age at about 37, well under the supposed average age of cyclists. Experienced bike riders are an aging population, and since they're the League's membership, the clock is ticking on an eventual downturn.

In the 1990s, the Amateur Radio Relay League surveyed their members and found that the average age was in the mid-fifties. ARRL pushed for some changes, eliminating Morse code entirely, simplifying the license structure, and updating the technical aspects of their testing to more modern standards in an effort to attract a younger crowd. Should LAB consider similar changes, and if so, what changes should they make?

There are huge, untapped demographics that go largely unnoticed by most of organized cycling; the poor who use bikes for basic transportation, and those young bike riders in their teens and twenties who comprise fully half of all bicyclists. Among the experienced cyclists, roughly half ride for transportation if only occasionally, but the bulk of their rides are for fitness and recreation.

Grist had this to say:“Contrary to popular convention, the biggest share of bicyclists isn't yuppies, it's low income people. In fact, the lowest-earning quarter of Americans make nearly one-third of all bike trips.”

Clarke obliquely touched on this when he said that he wanted cyclists to be 'normal' in the sense that they don't need to ride in dedicated cycling clothing for short trips. Meanwhile, those low income cyclists are already riding – to work and back – in ordinary street clothes. They don't have much disposable income, meaning that they won't consider spending money to join an organization unless it provides some tangible benefits. At present, LAB doesn't do that for existing members, so enormous changes would be demanded if the organization wants to tap this demographic.

Seventy percent of the respondents to Bikes Belong were happy or somewhat happy with existing facilities. The message is that the loss of transportation enhancement money would not have a great impact for them. It would seem natural that LAB would pivot on this and push their education program because it teaches cyclists how to use all streets safely, not just those with bike lanes. Education has been the red-headed step child at LAB for quite some time. It would be a heartening change to see it given greater emphasis.

Andy Clarke addressing the summit.

Oklahoma had its first bike summit over the weekend at the Chesapeake Boathouse in Oklahoma City. The Oklahoma Bicycling Coalition organized the event.

Lon Haldeman, famed ultra-cyclist and the operator of the PacTours bicycle touring company, talked on the history and allure of historic Route 66 through Oklahoma. This state has more remaining miles of the original road alignments than any other state, drawing tourists from all over the world. This historic highway had tourist amenities roughly 20 miles apart along its length, a perfect distance for bicycle tourists. Additionally, other states have concluded that bicycling tourists spend as much as their motoring counterparts, yet they spend in a more confined area.

When asked, “What can communities do to attract cyclists?” Haldeman replied that two things help greatly: roadways free of drainage grates that cause diversion falls, and adequate signage to inform and direct cyclists along city streets. He mentioned that much of the signage for both historic Route 66 and cyclists has been vandalized or removed, and suggested pavement markings as an alternative.

Ginny Sullivan talked about the Adventure Cycling Association whose 44,000 members make it the largest national cycling organization. She said that the goal is to inspire bike travel. With hundreds of volunteers, maps, extensive social media contacts, and a website, Adventure Cycling is trying to attract a younger crowd as the present demographic is aging. One new idea involves bike overnights, simple out and back bike tours that begin and end at home. Sullivan spoke extensively on the economic impact of bike touring, both from the standpoint of a touring cyclist and those communities hoping to attract tourism dollars. Bicycle tourists spend $100 per day on average, and they do so in a relatively small area.

Joy Hancock, the new director of Oklahoma's Freewheel, shared her thoughts about the annual cross-state tour. As yet, no economic study has been done on the tour's impact in the small towns where it makes overnight stops, but she believes it contributes about $25,000 in each community. The first seminar that will detail the 2012 route will be held January 10^th.

Sandy Pantlik, director of travel promotion for the Oklahoma Tourism Department, talked about the Scenic Byways program, bike trails, and the travelok.com website. She noted that the state had bicycling maps at one time, but they are no longer in print. Oklahoma attracts $6.2 billion in tourism spending each year, and bicycling would add to that total. Like Lon Haldeman, she also spoke on the state's close ties with Route 66 and its history. Oklahoma plans to develop Route 66 as a bicycle route, but as yet funding is not available.

The Oklahoma Bicycle Coalition conducted a brief meeting over the lunch break, introducing a bylaw change would allow for new initiatives to be proposed by two or more members and voted on in any meeting. The bylaw change passed unanimously.

Andy Clarke, president of the League of American Bicyclists, addressed the meeting after lunch. Clarke is an engaging speaker and covered a wide range of bicycling-related topics. He spoke of Copenhagen, where the average number of commuting cyclists would be considered a huge turnout for any North American tour. Clarke brought out the 'safety in numbers' argument, which seems to indicate that increasing numbers of bicyclists do not lead to a proportional increase in bicycle crashes. He said, “We need complete systems, not just infrastructure.” That includes promotion, marketing, and education.

Clarke was concerned over the possible loss of transportation enhancement funds due to the political wrangling in Washington. He strongly advised those present to contact their senators and congressmen. “It's all about showing up,” he said, referring to the political adage that policy is set by those who make an effort to attend meetings.

When asked about the Reed Bates case in which a cyclist was arrested and jailed for riding on a public roadway, Clarke said, “His case was a disaster waiting to happen. It would not have set a precedent. He was not a sympathetic character.” Clarke defended the League's record regarding challenges to cyclist's rights by saying, “We have been involved in a number of such cases over the last several years.”

This is the text that appears on the Examiner, along with that photo up at the top. Believe me, that huge, back-lit window gave me fits. It overpowered the anti-reflective coatings in both my Olympus lenses, leading to numerous ghost images. I took some photos with the 50 year old Konica Auto S2 also, and it will be interesting to see how they look.

This piece is straight reportage. I'll write an op-ed with my views on the summit in the next couple of days.

Spot the guy on a bike

There's a guy on a bike - I really hesitate to call him a cyclist - and he's hiding somewhere in this photo. Look closely and you'll notice him at the base of that light pole on the far side of the intersection. Sure enough, he's riding on the sidewalk in dark clothing, and to add a bit of excitement, he's riding against traffic. What are the chances he'll be seen by any turning motorists? Click on the photo for a larger version.