digitalmouse's site

New ride! (update)

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 22:49:24 +0000

Finally had a chance to get the windscreen and top installed, and not a moment too soon - local weather turned wet the following day.

From Nomad Wildcat

Found some Coraplast panels in black for the sides, so now I'm all set for the winter...as soon as I figure out which headlights to use! :)

Several people in Copenhagen have already commented that it reminds them of Japanese Bullet Trains:

response to 'New Ride' commets

Mon, 04 Jul 2011 13:18:57 +0000

Responding to the mis-informed who posted commentary in my last blog entry:

#4 Hulio-G:
@U.S. Heh, I suppose you'd be the butt of jokes. But deep down everyone would love to try one of these at least once in their life.

I run across U.S. tourists coming to Copenhagen *almost daily* during the summer months (as well as the many Americans who live here), and they all express admiration and curiosity about velomobiles and recumbent trikes. The words 'cool', 'neat', 'awesome', and 'where can i get one?' are often in their commentary. They come away from the experience educated and enlightened, and with my business card (I give guided tours in velomobiles/recumbent trikes).

In the winter people from all over the world express a bit of jealousy as I go by, all warm and dry as they have to deal with the rain or snow.

Ok a few teenagers giggle or laugh when I'm cycling past, but it's always mixed with shouts of "cool bike!" or "cool sofa-cycle" ('sofa-cykel' is a common Danish term for recumbent bike).

#3 Duelmaster409:
If you saw someone riding around in one of these in the US, they'd be immediately kicked into a metal rehabilitation center for being so weird. Not that this is weird, it actually looks kind of fun!

Using your twisted logic, people smoking cigarettes should be 'kicked into a mental rehab center' since it's been proven for decades that smoking causes cancer more often than not. It's weird to willingly start a habit that is known kill to thousands of people a year. You have to be mentally unstable to do it.

Cycling in a velomobile is *different*, not weird - and certainly no weirder than using computers, which was relegated to being 'weird', 'nerdy', and limited usage when they first came out. Now you can't swing a stick without hitting something computerized.

Jul 3, 2011 7:04PM
#2 EmpirezTeam:
I still think this is the most awkward form of transportation I've ever seen. You don't ever see stuff like that in U.S.

If 'awkward' means cycling in comfort, greater speed, and larger cargo capacity all year 'round, then I will prefer 'awkward' any time.

The later part of the statement is quite funny, as it is a completely false statement. Velomobiles are a growing market in the US, from as far back as 2003 at least, possibly even farther.

Owners and Dealers of velomobiles are spread across the continental US and Canada. Here is a partial list of links showing that velomobiles are alive and growing in popularity and use:

The North American Velomobilist Website: http://www.velomobiles.net/
VelomobileUSA, LLC. - Stateside manufacturer of the Alleweder Velomobile, Texas dealer for the Quest Velomobile: http://www.velomobileusa.com/
Roll Over America: Coast-to-coast tour by velomobile: http://www.rolloveramerica.eu/
Many velomobile events around the world yearly, half of which are held in the US: http://www.velomobiling.com/events
International Human Powered Vehicle Association, which often include velomobiles and recumbents in several of their US events: http://www.ihpva.org/events.htm
The velomobile section at 'bentrideronline is very active, mostly by North American and Northern European members: http://www.bentrideronline.com/messageboard/ forumdisplay.php?f=15
One of the members of the 'bentrideronline forum recently created a 'North American Velonaut' map, marking where many of the velomobile riders are located: http://www.zeemaps.com/map?group=171479

So, in fact, you *do* see stuff like that in the U.S. and many other parts of the world too.

Expensive? Sure. But the price is well worth it at around $5000-6000 USD. Savings on your auto insurance, fuel, repairs, and monthly payments can easily repay the investment in less than 1 year in most cases.

When you think about the money that can be saved by commuting in a velomobile and doing it in such a healthy style, its hard to see a downside.

A few other links for informational/educational improvement:
Why ride a velomobile? http://www.bluevelo.com/Page_2.html
Amazing Bikes: Velomobiles http://www.velovision.com/showStory.php?storynum=1165

And yes, there are a few two-person velomobiles out there. It's a new market, but one that will gain in momentum over time.

You may now remove your foot from your mouth! :)

New ride!

Sun, 03 Jul 2011 14:42:58 +0000

For those keeping score, in May of 2011 I attempted a cycle tour from Utrecht, Holland to Penzance, UK and back. I did complete it, although not as much as I hoped for (took a train for part of the trip), and details of that tour will have to wait for another post, another day.

*But* the tour did give me lots of insight into what a lengthy tour like that will do to me both in body and mind, as well as point out all the little problems that the prototype Wildcat fairing had.

With that info in mind, I set out to build a 'next-generation' version of the Wildcat fairing and here it is, fitted to the *same* Steintrike Nomad. I present the Nomad Wildcat!

From Nomad Wildcat

Here is the prototype for comparison:

From Copenhagen to Cornwall

Still have the orange top and windscreen to attach, and in the coming weeks i'll fabricate side panels to keep out the coming fall rain and winter snow, but at least you get to see how it's coming along.

It's certainly faster than the prototype, with the covered front wheels somewhat improving aerodynamics. My normal travel time from the Leitra velomobile shop to home (25km) was 1 hour and 20 minutes on average. With the new fairing (and without the top or windscreen) my time dropped to 1 hour 7 minutes! And this is a route that has rolling terrain on one half, and traffic intersections every kilometer on the other half (lots of stop-n-go). A colleague speculates that with the windscreen and top cover, my time over the same route should drop below one hour with the same energy effort.

May 2011 recumbent cycle tour begins!

Fri, 06 May 2011 08:44:49 +0000

An update for my ever changing route. At this point I will leave Copenhagen on May 9th to take the City Night Line train to Utrecht, Netherlands. From there I will cycle thru Antwerp, Belgium, then along the coast to Dunkerque, France and cross the English Channel by ferry to Dover, UK.

From Dover I will mostly follow a combination of main roads, regional cycle routes, and large sections of national cycle routes along the coast heading west - whatever keeps me from doing too many hill climbs. Projected arrival in the Cornwall/Penzance region: May 15th.

You should be able to check out my position when I stop each night (local GMT time) from the two maps located on the right side of my blog at http://thedigitalmouse.blogspot.com. Near bigger cities and towns with wifi access, I'll post blog entries here and update my position more accurately.

If you live anywhere along the way, look for this vehicle and wave!

From the Nomad Wildcat album

Current projected tour route looks something like this:

Utrecht-to-Dunkerque ~300 km (~186 miles)
IFRAME: http://maps.google.com/ maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Utrecht,+The+Netherlands&a mp;daddr=51.32628,4.35257+to:51.32768,3.20348+to:Unknown+roa d&hl=en&geocode=FR7VGgMdofdNACk3LdM5Q2_GRzHpSq8ZTPzI 1g%3BFUgtDwMdOmpCACkfUX71vgvERzGCK7n4fdJRgg%3BFcAyDwMdmOEwAC mr3ES4vqnERzFd4tDHgL-Ycg%3BFeqACgMdlHIhAA&mra=ls&via =1,2&dirflg=w&doflg=ptk&sll=51.539502,3.779297&am p;sspn=2.032869,5.817261&ie=UTF8&ll=51.542919,3.7792 97&spn=3.41665,3.845215&z=7&output=embed
View Larger Map

Dover-to-Corwall ~608 km (~378 miles)
IFRAME: http://maps.google.com/ maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Dover,+United+Kingdom& daddr=50.7715,0.27381+to:50.78848,-0.66683+to:50.89117,-1.32 257+to:50.723,-1.90732+to:50.73358,-2.78455+to:50.35305,-3.9 2766+to:50.36459,-4.3303+to:50.36116,-4.45629+to:50.34117,-4 .65186+to:A30&hl=en&geocode=FWktDAMdoQEUACn_MjNV0aTeR zFRSNdah1x4Mg%3BFSy2BgMdki0EAClZeEjpV3HfRzEBLZ2yLa4OEw%3BFYD 4BgMdMtP1_ymp_0WTOKx1SDErbYAx8F6HQQ%3BFaKJCAMdttHr_ykfEmo6xn F0SDHRiYytLa4OEw%3BFbj4BQMdiOXi_ylfhnSFoKFzSDHAoHutLa4OEw%3B FQwiBgMd2oLV_ykhqbqXnGRySDHDTdpUMHOAVA%3BFZpTAAMdlBHE_ykFdjb aD-ZsSDHAy02yLa4OEw%3BFa6AAAMdxOy9_yk_ULsmpJBsSDFxq9dOQfQQEw %3BFUhzAAMdngC8_ymR7kX0FZxsSDFxENhOQfQQEw%3BFTIlAAMdrAS5_ynv5 bFkH2RrSDFk_GCmPx3g9A%3BFRjz-wIdeAKp_w&mra=dpe&mrsp= 2&sz=10&via=1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9&dirflg=w&sll=5 0.838034,-0.163422&sspn=0.516012,1.454315&ie=UTF8&am p;ll=51.138001,-1.82373&spn=6.895566,9.865723&z=6&am p;output=embed
View Larger Map

Total distance covered: ~908 kilometers / ~564 miles

Now these are not the 'actual' routes, just something I whipped in Google Maps to give me an overview of the land. But they are pretty close to the preferred route. I will most likely chose nearby main roads that offer straighter or faster routing. You get the general idea.

Wouldn't it be cool if this were possible?

Wed, 29 Dec 2010 21:21:15 +0000

BYOND on Android! :)

actually this is a Chinese import to Sweden, called a Kendo M7 (7" Android tablet computer) running MochaVNC connected over wifi to my DELL Ubuntu 10.10 laptop which was running TinyXP in VirtualBox.

with the coming BYOND Flash client, this may very well be a good platform for some types of BYOND gaming via Android devices.

Trike Adventure! success continues

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 07:11:07 +0000

Success with the first recumbent trike tour of Fall 2010 (3rd tour of the year)! Slowly, but surely, people are learning that recumbent trike touring is *far* more comfortable and enjoyable than the standard 'upright' bike! What are *you* waiting for?

(blatant plug) http://trikeadventure.terapad.com

On the road again!

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:54:21 +0000

That's right, boys and girls! The digitalmouse is on the loose again, this time on a cycle tour from Copenhagen, Denmark to a little village south of Utrecht, Netherlands, called Wijk bij Duurstede. I was invited to attend the first Dutch recumbent trike expo in the area on May 9th by the organizer, and I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to help him promote recumbent trikes! We also get front row seats (by sitting on our trikes) as the Giro cycle race goes by, and we will be visiting a variety of local sights in an area rich in Viking and Dutch culture. The organizer has also promised to get everyone drunk at some point during the 2-3 day event. :)

So on Sunday morning (May 2) I will leave Copenhagen and head south/south-west towards the Netherlands. Trip distance: about 490 miles, or 788 km. I typically do about 100-150 km per day, so I should arrive in about 6-7 days. My return trip will take me back to Copenhagen via Amsterdam and along the coastline of Netherlands and Germany, so will be a bit longer: 655 miles, or about 1,055 km. 8-9 days for that ride, but atleast it follows flatter terrain. Total trip distance: about 1,145 miles / 1843 km. In about 2.5 weeks.

For those who wish to follow my adventures, visit my blog every other day or so to see if I fell into a canal, or ran another nun over (link below).

Currently there is a blog entry that shows my projected route in both directions. At the top of the right column of my blog, you will find a map titled "Where is Jimm now?" Every time I stop for a toilet break or for food/drink - roughly every 3-4 hours - and when I stop for the night, I will update my position via the GPS on my mobile phone.

Useful web links:
Travel journal: http://thedigitalmouse.blogspot.com
Larger "where is Jimm now?" map:
http://www.google.com/latitude/apps/badge/ api?user=6184880156105163047&type=iframe&maptype=roadmap
My outgoing route: http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=ysrhgowywwnwzwxu
My return route: http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=raqyoywcusruynpz

See you in a few weeks! :)

--------------------------------------------------
website: Trike Adventure! http://trikeadventure.terapad.com

Yay! More nominees for the 2010 BYOND Idiots award

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 17:26:17 +0000

[13:38:09] @Canada: Brandonb3 has joined Maztekia
[13:38:22] Brandonb3: soo
[13:38:23] Jp: 'Ello, person
[13:38:37] Brandonb3: wats this supposed 2 be about
[13:38:44] Brandonb3: [code]
[13:38:51] Jp: It's a chatroom
[13:38:53] Brandonb3: AH
[13:39:02] Brandonb3: thats gay
[13:39:04] @Canada: Brandonb3 has quit Maztekia

Another fine example of cluelessness that fills the genepool of the current gaming generation. They wouldn't know 'gay' if it smacked them in the face with an obvious phallic symbol.

Interesting sign in Copenhagen main train station

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:35:10 +0000

Danes have vivid imaginations when making signs. Notice where the door handle is in the photo below:

text reads: "Be careful not block train doors when they close. A little care. Much better trip."

i'm hoping to get a cute girl to go grab the handle for me, so i can make a caption "he has a reason to be happy in this train station". :)

(*update*: have two girls already volunteering. will post a new photo at the earliest opportunity)

Video about cycling in Copenhagen - Danish version

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:27:07 +0000

Here's a little something a group of my students at the Copenhagen School of Design and Technology put together.

From Daisy Reedtz, one of the students in the group: "The video is a school project with the theme 'passion'. We had to choose our own angle/approach to the theme and link it to a capital. We wanted to illustrate what made Copenhagen different from other capitals, and cykling was the obvious choice. The video is a imaginary part of the local news for copenhagen and surroundings."

I'm the guy on the recumbent trike, if you didn't know! :-P

Note: This video is in Danish- I'll re-post a version with English subtitles next week.