Single Serving Coffee - Best You've Ever Had...

Coffee - considered by many the quintessential caffeine delivery system in the world. Those luscious little beans have been cultivated on every continent except Antarctica. However, many people don't like coffee due to some of the bitter compounds present in the brew.

Compounds such as chlorogenic acids, trigonelline, furfuryl alcohol, and even caffeine itself lend bitter flavors to a pot of fresh coffee. Fans of the drink have been trying for centuries to find the best way to extract all the flavor and aroma from coffee, while extracting only a balanced amount of bitterness.

Aerobie, the folks that make those wonderful flying rings, created a way to brew a single cup of the most flavorful and yet least bitter coffee you've ever tasted. Coffee snobs around the world have enjoyed the Aeropress coffee maker, and have compared the brew it makes to brews made with $6000 Clover coffee machines, all for the reasonable price of $25.99!

Via [ThinkGeek]

Go slow in life, kill time with a cup of coffee!

Designed by Hong Kong based design studio Chilli Chilly, these gun mugs feature a porcelain base, a gold or platinum plated trigger, and what appears to be a mock "safety" switch on the side.

Great for that morning cup of coffee at work. There is nothing better for taking your career to the next level than letting everyone in the office know you like guns and getting jacked up on caffeine. Available soon (currently sold out) for around $16

[Product Page via Cribcandy]

Strobe Light Bicycle Vest

With summer right around the corner, it's time to get back on that bicycle you swore that you'd ride every day and get into some semblance of shape. Unless you live in the Arctic Circle, however, the sun will set and you'll quickly find yourself bicycling at night with nary a stranger able to see you. That is, unless you choose to don something like the Stridelite.

The folks at Bright Night USA have designed both the Stridelite and the Cyclite, cycling jackets not only with the typical reflective stripes and bright colors, but feature an integrated strobe light of sorts, letting passersby know that, "Hey, I'm ridin' here!" The jackets come in both hard and soft shell designs, and will set you back somewhere in the neighborhood of $150-$190. Perhaps a little on the pricey side, but it's still probably better than waking up on your neighbors lawn because some careless motorist knocked you over.

Stridelite + Cyclite [Bright Night USA via OhGizmo!]

trioBike Does a Three-Way...

Here's a versatile conveyance called the trioBike that can function as either a bicycle alone, a stroller, or a combination of the two. You can drop your kids off at day care, leave the stroller there and ride your bicycle away.
We were completely sold on this idea until we discovered that the complete system with bike and stroller together costs 2065 Euros, or a jaw-gaping $3,259. Ouch.

Product Page [trioBike A/S]

Cy.Fi Speaker, a Wireless iPod Dock for Your Bike...

If you want to wake up the neighbors and bother everyone with your music while you ride your bike, the cy.fi wireless iPod dock is the bike speaker for you. Working with the old-school iPod nano (and probably working with any iPod with a dock connector), it's a wireless speaker, and no, it's not using Bluetooth. It's using the Kleer Audio transmission that claims to be 10 times more energy efficient than Bluetooth.

The Cy.Fi speaker is about the size of a deck of cards and mounts on your handlebars. It spreads its stereo sound to let to the left and right, and makes it so you don't have to wear earphones that might obscure important noises of impending danger. Get more speakers, and one iPod can broadcast its signal to everyone in your riding group.

The company says the Cy.Fi's transmission is 100% lossless, sent from your iPod tucked safely away in your pocket. You can also control volume and skip tracks right from the speaker.

Available sometime in 2008, it'll cost you $149. [Cy.Fi]

Tong City bike hides your components, brightens the night ...

This Tong City Bike design is unique in two distinct aspects: first of all, all of its components are housed in the body, keeping the gears and chain hidden away and protected, not to mention your pantlegs protected.

It easily opens up for maintenance while staying hidden away while you ride. The body also has a mobile safe built in for holding stuff like your phone and wallet while you ride, which is a nice touch.

It also has lights built in all along the body, letting you stay extra-visible at night. The light's colors can be changed and customized to your liking.

It'll make you much more visible than if you just had a simple light on the front, which could make a huge difference in safety for people biking at night.

Via Yanko Design

Giant Twist Freedom DX lets you slack off while getting some exercise

Biking is a fine way to get exercise while enjoying the great outdoors, but there's nothing worse than pedaling miles from home, then realizing that you're going to have to pedal all the way back too.

While it looks like a standard cruiser style bike, the Twist Freedom DX from Taiwanese bike manufacturer Giant, hides a 250 W DC motor, that can propel the bike up to 75 miles. A selector on the handlebars lets you choose how much human power you want provide, then the electric motor delivers the rest.

Just the thing you want when you're miles from home and it's getting dark.

It will be available in May for about $2000.

Popular Mechanics

Hindsight bicycle digital rear-view mirror

Only for the geekiest (or most paranoid): the HindSight is composed of a small camera that attaches to the handlebar or the seat post and lets the bicycler see what’s coming behind him or her. If you wonder, the manufacturer says that the system is “unaffected” by (normal?) road vibrations.

At the moment, there is no commercial product, but it is said that “a working prototype is available upon request” on the Manufacturer’s website (Cerevellum)

Do you want to spread your 'cycling' message to others? Try HokeySpokes!...

Bike riders looking to announce their thoughts to the world will really like these. (We are know for letting others know how we feel, don't we? LOL)

I saw these years ago, and just thought about them again, so I thought I might as well write a post about HokeySpokes. I am trying to order a few tonight, and I will let you know if they are still available and will write a review of these ASAP...

Are you like me and have one of those 'killer hills' that you hate to climb?

Hilly cities normally have a low share of cycling. How come that Trondheim, the third largest city of Norway, has the highest share of cycling compared to all the other Norwegian cities? I think this may be one of the main reasons:

One of the most important infrastructure elements is the bicycle lift Trampe. Since the opening in 1993, it's pushed more than 220,000 cyclist up the very steep hill BBrubakken in the historical heritage part of the city center.

There is no doubt that Trampe has inspired students as well as other people living in Trondheim to take to their bicycles. In a user survey, 41% of the lift users claim they're using the bicycle more often due to the installation of Trampe.

Do you want to leave your 'unique' mark on the road?

Bicycle company Nirve offers several 'Cruiser' bike tires with patterns in the tread, including pinwheels, flames, and Japan's beloved anthropomorphism, Hello Kitty.

Too bad they don't make any road cycling tires, I think the 'Devil's Tail Flames" would look good on my bike....

They' run $9.99-$29.99

Catalog Page [Nirve.com]

Very Sweet Wooden Bike, Great Design

I can’t help being struck by the sight of what looks like a handcrafted wooden art piece rolling along the road on two bicycle wheels. Not just any two bicycle wheels, either—these are Xentis Kappa carbon fiber... Waldmeister Bikes, of Germany,, manufactures wooden frames and fits the components on. So far they only make one model. The frame is made of multiple layers of beech wood, glued together and pressed under high pressure, then shaped to the right dimensions. Without a seat tube, and being made of soft wood, the frame acts as its own suspension.

The design also won a 2008 red dot award: product design

Coffee Printer makes your cup of joe a beautiful thing

Could I have some artwork with that cappuccino?" Not exactly something you hear at Starbucks a lot, but if this coffee-printer technology goes mainstream, who know? Wait, a coffee printer? Yep, Oleskiy Pikalo woke up one day with a hankerin' for some fancy designs on his latte, so he bought a used Philips 8155 x-y flatbed plotter and modified it to shoot out edible ink. The result is a machine that can draw surprisingly detailed art on your cup of joe — and put creative baristas everywhere to shame.
It's doubtful any Starbucks outside of Florence would install one of these suckers, if only for the reason it'll add at least 2 minutes to your order. Still, on a slow Sunday afternoon I'd wait the extra time for novelty's sake. Though I'd feel guilty for drinking it.


Via Architectradure, via Hacked Gadgets

Java Trivia...

Here are some more interesting facts that you may or may not yet know about coffee. Some things to think about over your next cup of Joe:

• Along with peanut butter and beer, coffee is on the top ten list of “most recognizable odors.”


• Arabian Wine is the name by which coffee was first known in Europe.


• Some green coffee beans are stored for years before roasting. Some experts believe that certain beans, when stored properly, improves with age


• Coffee was advertised a medicine in the 1600’s in England. It was advertised in 1657 as a cue for gout, scurvy and other illnesses. From the University of California comes a scientific report to gladden any coffee lover’s heart. They found that the steam rising from a cup of coffee contains an equal amount of anti-oxidants as that found in three oranges. These antioxidants help prevent cancer and heart disease being heterocyclic compounds.

Turn-signal jacket gives cyclists direction

While I am usually not the first one to point out how dorky someone's clothes look, especially cyclists, but this LED jacket, designed by Leah Buechley, qualifies as the exception. The lights on the back of it are arranged in arrow patterns — a great way for cyclists to let cars and bikes behind them know if they're turning. As long as the controls are easy to use, it should be great, though it might be bad if they're easy to accidentally trigger… no one wants to see the bicycle equivalent of the forever-blinking turn signal.
Once you're indoors, the jacket has multiple uses — from directing people to the men's room to letting them know how you plan to vote in November. And, of course, making you look dorky, but hey of it keeps you from getting tagged bya car, I think it is a great idea. I might even figure out how to get one for myself...

Via DVICE

Coffeenatic: Social Network for Coffeeholics

With social networks skyrocketing in popularity today, why would it still be a surprise to come across one that is made especially for coffee lovers? It makes sense – to get together with people with the same interest as you do.

So what is Coffeenatic all about? What can you expect from a social network? That’s what you get from Coffeenatic. Of course, everything there revolves around coffee so you can expect to get an added does of caffeine as you browse through their pages. One can opt to merely read and browse without having to sign up but I think it would be better to join the fray if you have something to say and you want to interact with fellow coffee lovers.

Via Brewed Coffee

One very sweet 'folding' recumbent...

Whether you love cycling long distances for pleasure, commute to work, or race around for your thrill, recumbent bikes are meant to give you the freedom of comfort and choice. Owning a recumbent bike that’s not just comfortable but also looks classy and sophisticated is a matter of pride.

Take a look at the HP Velotechnik’s Scorpion fx, the foldable recumbent bike designed for long distance cyclists. The job of folding and unfolding this bike can be done is 60 seconds flat and you don’t need to be technical expert to do that. The suspended rear rack is a is a rigid construction made from ½” alloy tubing, designed to withstand the high lateral forces when cornering on a trike and can bear 50 kg luggage. The BodyLink seat and plush suspension ensures a comfortable ride. Since the seats can be adjusted, the one-size-fits-all saying holds good with the Scorpion. HP Velotechnik’s reliable No-Squat Design assures fast acceleration without unwanted suspension pogo. The finish is phosphated and powder-coated in red to make heads turn as you zip past through them.

The thrill of riding Scorpion fx can be all yours for $3090.

Get some fresh air in the pedal-powered Surrey Stretch Limousine

Looking for a cool-looking open-air vehicle to drive around your loved ones or guests?

Take a look at the Surrey Stretch Limousine, the newest Surrey designed for nine adults and two kids. The classy red and white buggy is sure to give you and your guests a good work out as you pedal around the nieghborhood and get some sunshine and have some fun. If you are adventurous enough, you could even take it around the town on the weekends when the roads are traffic-free or rent it out too if you want to earn a couple of dollars.

The Surrey Stretch Limousine can get you that fresh air for a cool $5,195.

Would you spend $3,800 for a Home Coffee Roaster?

For the coffee-lover who prefers to roast their coffee at home this Coffee Roaster from Diedrich Manufacturing is particularly made for home use.

The coffee roaster features precise bean and heat temperature controls, time, temperature and multiple air flow controls, and continuous roasting with a single roast capacity of 1 pound of coffee beans and the maximum hourly roast output of 4 lbs.

Diedrich calls it a personal roasting machine for the passionate coffee consumer and with a whopping $3,800 price tag it surely is meant for the strictly rich coffee-addicts. Personally, I would rather invest that kind of money in a new bicycle.

via Appliancist

Say it ain't so Floyd...

Floyd Landis will make his final appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in New York next week in an effort to regain the 2006 Tour de France title he lost because of a positive doping test.

The hearing that begins March 19 is expected to last six days.

Landis went to CAS, world sport's highest appeal body, after losing a public hearing by the American Arbitration Association last year. That panel upheld the results of a laboratory test that indicated Landis used synthetic testosterone during a comeback win in the 17th stage of the 2006 Tour.

Landis went on to win the title in Paris but was later stripped of his yellow jersey.

The 32-year-old rider from Pennsylvania has been fighting an expensive legal action to regain his title and reputation. He is banned from cycling by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency until the end of January 2009.

Landis submitted appeal papers to CAS last November in which he stated that "to wrongly strip a champion of his victory due to a flawed test is much worse than to have an athlete cheat his way to victory." Landis claims the French testing laboratory made mistakes and returned a false positive test on his sample.

The CAS hearing, likely to be conducted at a Manhattan law firm, represents the last chance for Landis to clear his name.

Is the regenerative electric bicycle 'green' or another excuse to be lazy?

Thanks to the brilliant minds at Sanyo there is now a product that challenges two of the biggest competing movements out there: fitness and being 'green' with the regenerative lithium-ion bicycle. Just introduced for the Japanese market is this electric bicycle from Sanyo. I've seen electric bikes before that are a bit of a crossover between traditional bikes and mopeds, but this opens up a whole new bag of chips.

The bike has a regenerative braking system. It operates like a traditional electric-assist bike, but when brakes are applying a motor uses the dispensed energy to recharge its lithium-ion battery.

Via Green Car Congress

This just seems like a two steps forward and one step backwards type of an upgrade. Overall, the bike has maximized its green capabilities, so putting a regenerative braking system on one is a bit overkill. And it may increases laziness on the rider's part.

The system extends the distance the bicycle can travel on one charge to 50 km from 35 km for existing models.

Squeezing the left brake lever on the handle turns a 250 W motor on the front wheel into a power generator that charges the 4.0Ah-25.9V lithium-ion battery.

The bike can be put in a mode in which electric assistance is not used on level ground and the brakes are automatically applied, with regen, when going down a slope.

The lithium-ion battery is 760 grams lighter than the conventional nickel-hydrogen batteries used for such bikes. Sanyo is targeting sales of 10,000 units of this bike per year. In 2007, more than 280,000 electric bikes were sold in Japan; a 106% increase over the prior year.

Not sure what the weight of the bike will be, but you can bet that it is not light...

Coffee @ National Geographic

If you know me or have read this blog some, you will know that I love coffee. Another thing that you may not know about me is this – I like reading the occasional National Geographic. I suppose growing up reading the magazine just left an imprint in me that I can never get rid off. So anyway, when I discovered National Geographic’s feature on coffee, I was more than intrigued.

Obviously, I will not share everything in their feature here in this post, so I just picked out some of the most interesting information that I found. You can read the rest of the feature for yourself.

Ever heard of Kaldi? He’s the legendary Ethiopian goatherder who supposedly discovered coffee. Kaldi, the story goes, noticed his herd dancing from one coffee shrub to another, grazing on the cherry-red berries containing the beans. He copped a few himself and was soon frolicking with his flock – thanks to the caffeine, I suppose.

How about Baba Budan? He is credited with the feat of smuggling fertile coffee beans out of Mecca. Supposedly, he strapped the beans to his belly and introduced coffee to European colonies.

The 10 Worst Company URLs...

This is just too good not to share. I came across this story on Independent Sources, and I just had to post it. I won’t link to all the websites, though, but you can certainly copy and paste them into your browser if you really want to.
These companies obviously registered their domain names without actually looking to see what alternate meanings could be found in the letters. Take a look:
1. A site called ‘Who Represents‘ where you can find the name of the agent that represents a celebrity. Their domain name… wait for it… iswww.whorepresents.com
2. Experts Exchange, a knowledge base where programmers can exchange advice and views atwww.expertsexchange.com
3. Looking for a pen? Look no further than Pen Island atwww.penisland.net
4. Need a therapist? Try Therapist Finder atwww.therapistfinder.com
5. Then of course, there’s the Italian Power Generator company…www.powergenitalia.com
6. And now, we have the Mole Station Native Nursery, based in New South Wales:www.molestationnursery.com
7. If you’re looking for computer software, there’s alwayswww.ipanywhere.com
8. Welcome to the First Cumming Methodist Church. Their website iswww.cummingfirst.com
9. Then, of course, there’s these brainless art designers, and their whacky website:www.speedofart.com
10. Want to holiday in Lake Tahoe? Try their brochure website atwww.gotahoe.com
If you’ve seen another one that is equally bad, please do share it in the comment section!

Anyone up for a classic Criterium style bike race?

Sunday, May 04, 2008

My 1st 'semi-serious' Criterium?

This ride will will help members of the United States military who have sustained Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) during their service to our country. Funds raised at the race will go to the Raisin Hope Foundation, established to help individuals who have suffered TBI by providing critical funds for research and medical care facilities.

The day will begin at 0700 with the Crystal Ride (the “Peoples Ride”) which will offer a 12.5 kilometer course open to both serious and casual amateur cyclists. Bronze, Silver and Gold Medals will be awarded for those who can complete 2, 4 or 8 laps within the 3.5 hour window that the course will be open for the ride. 8 laps will equate to a metric century (100 km).

Click here to register for the Crystal Ride.

Are you a CEO? Do you have $6000 to drop on a cycling weekend

Hosted by George Hincapie

NOTE: NEW DATE, NOV 6-9, 2008!
From November 6-9, 2008 CEOs will have the opportunity to experience an extraordinary weekend of cycling, hosted by Team High Road member George Hincapie from his home in Greenville, SC. George will have just finished the summer Tours, and this will allow a rare glimpse into how one of the world's top professional cyclists lives and trains. Plus, participants will have the chance to spend the weekend training alongside CEOs that share common passions for business and cycling.

Does Biking Give you a Smile, If not then this is the bike for you...

Spreading smiles has now got an all new meaning with the brand new uber bling, retro styled Joyrider. Well, spreading smileys instead of smiles will be more apt. That is exactly what designer Moritz Waldemeyer’s newest creation, the Joyrider aims to do. The trendy designer has taken the boring bicycle and given a subtle input to make it a must have machine which might end up spawning a cult following and creating an all new fashion trend. The Joyrider’s wheel spokes light up into two cute smiley’s as the rider pedals the bicycle creating a cool looking orange halo, smiley on each rotating wheel.

Here is how it happens. A couple of electronic microchips attached to the bicycle calculate the speed of the wheel and send signals to the glowing LED’s in such a way that the smiley appears stationary as the wheel keeps rotating. This not-so-complicated electronic trickery ensures that the components are rugged enough to withstand the daily grind a bicycle might have to go through. No, it cannot withstand mountain biking though and guess what, this cycle was auctioned off for a cool £2000 at an ICA gala fundraiser.

Talk about expensive spokelights. The designer hopes to make this design popular so that many more people would take to cycling and save the environment and themselves. Though the price for the joyrider hasn’t yet be announced, i don’t expect you to break the bank to get your hands on one, considering the popularizing and environment aspect the designer is so keen on. So, the next time you want to get around the block, hop on to a joyrider, you may just end up charming quite a few with your smileys while saving the earth and yourself too.

via UberGizmo / MakeZine

The hand-made carbon fiber bike

Now this is an impressive DIY project. This amazing-looking bike, dubbed the C-Thru Road Frame, is completely homemade and built using carbon fiber, making it not only a cool looking bike but also a really light and efficient one.

Taking over 300 hours to complete, the bike is hand-built from carbon fiber rods connected with epoxy resin. Unsurprisingly, Brano Meres, the builder of this impressive bike, is an engineer, hence the bridge-inspired construction.

Want one? It'll take you a few years of engineering school and then 300 work hours. Sorry, pal.
Project Page, via GadgetLab

Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee: Is it the best there is?

When talking about the best kinds of coffee in the world, it would be inevitable that Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee would be mentioned. This is because it has become one of the most sought after kinds of coffee in the world. What exactly is Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee?

It is a kind of coffee grown in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica, hence its name. The most interesting aspect of this kind of coffee is the fact that it lacks a bitter taste and has a very mild flavor. Of course, there are people who do not appreciate this aspect but there are always those who enjoy coffee with this flavor.

Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee is grown in the eastern part of Jamaica, 5,500 feet above sea level. Of course, coffee is grown for local production in this area as well. However, the Jamaican Coffee Board, recognizing the importance of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee to their economy, has laid down certain restrictions for the exportation of their coffee. In fact, according to the Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee site:

The Jamaican Coffee Board reserves GRADE 1 beans for export only as a green, unroasted coffee. The higher the grade number, the bigger the bean size. This dictates any roasted coffee coming directly from Jamaica is usually a mix of Grade 1, 2 and even 3. The Board refers to this mix as “Triage”. If you seek the finest Blue Mountain Coffee, insist only on Grade 1 beans.

How much should you expect to pay for this coffee? It depends on where you get it but do expect to pay about $30 for 16 oz of whole roasted beans.

Rain, Wind, and more Wind...

I guess Virginia can have some bad weather too, but nothing like Oklahoma's 'Tornado Alley' or Tucson's 'monsoons'

Electricity & Dish Network is flaky or is down, but Internet is UP!

Ever wonder what people in the country did before there was electricity? Not Much heheh

My definition of wind...

I love my Bicycle, and She loves me...
But neither of us is stupid...
When the winds blow as fiercly as they did here earlier in the week, She stays put...

wind

noun

A natural movement or current of air: air, blast, blow1, breeze, gust, zephyr. Archaic gale. See breath/breathlessness.

Handpresso: Espresso on the Go

This handheld bikepump-type espresso maker is just plain cool. From the site:
Handpresso is at the core of the NOMADIC ESPRESSO. Simple, light, elegant and compact, it works without electricity. It has all the basic qualities to make a premium quality coffee anywhere. Handpresso Wild prepares a tasty espresso with a perfect crema. An outstanding quality obtained by a high-pressure extraction, a patented Handpresso system. “ A fine and smooth crema, subtle aromas, a structured body, a lengthy finish: a “vintage” coffee!”

The next time you're touring through 'where ever', you can pack your crema as well.

A computer in a coffee mug? Uh, I think not....

While I can certainly appreciate the out-of-the-box thinking that went into designing this coffee mug/computer hybrid, I think a bit more practical thinking would have helped it. I mean, come on, could you imagine this thing ever getting made?

First of all, why would you want a computer on your coffee mug? It wouldn't be all that convenient, and when you weren't drinking your coffee you'd need to carry a bulky mug around. Also, the curved surface would make reading anything extremely annoying. And do you really thing hot liquid is the best thing to put inside a little computer? Nice work on the creativity, but let's be a bit more realistic next time, shall we? Thanks.

Via Yanko Design

Order coffee directly from your iPhone?!

Soon, thanks to Apple's deal with Starbucks for free access to WiFi at their stores, ordering overpriced coffee will be easier than ever. There'll be no more of that undesirable "interacting with fellow humans" that mars any good transaction, thank heavens.

That's because you'll be able to order and pay for your drinks directly from your iPhone or iPod Touch using the fancy new Starbucks program. You can choose exactly what you want in your drink, be it just a normal coffee or some horrible half-caf soy mocha teacchino or whatever it is they sell there. At long last, your dreams of ordering coffee from your phone will be realized. Thanks, Apple!

Mark Bean, via Book of Joe

Fold! Do Not Spindle or Mutilate

I love the concept of folding bikes. Because they remove one of the arguments about taking up cycling; “I don’t have any room for a bicycle.” Here is a folding bike concept to would make short work of that excuse, were it ever to transition into a real world commercial product.

Gregor Dauth, a student at the Coburg University of Applied Sciences in Germany has worked with Cube bikes to develop his Urban Street Concept Bike. Gregor reckons you can fold up his full size bike to fit in a Smart car. Continue folding it like the blades of a Swiss Army Knife and he says the frame willl fit into a rucksack. See more pics by following the link to Cube Bikes below.
::Cube Urban Street Concept Bike

Gregor has also integrated front lights into the brake levers, added an integrated dynamo in that front wheel hub turns on lights automatically in darkness, and included an integrated rear and stop light in the seat post.

The concept site is only in German, though the video found there does have a translation, and the schematics are pretty obvious. However from the information offered it is hard to judge just how structurally sound the unfolded bike would be. But it does exhibit very clever thinking none-the-less. I’d like to see Cube bikes turn Gregor’s vision into a reality.

see also—Some ride ready folding bikes:
BuyGreen Large Wheel Folding Bikes
BuyGreen Small Wheel Folding Bikes

Some other full size folder concepts:

Swivel Head
Cannondale Jacknife

And the weird:

'Folding Bike Wheel
Folding Bike Helmet

Could your favorite cup of coffee soon cost $5?

Bean counters take note: coffee at 10-year high

From Bloomberg News
February 29, 2008

The price of coffee surged Thursday, hitting its highest level in a decade, as continuing weakness in the dollar kept many commodity markets in rally mode.Coffee futures for May delivery rose 3.4 cents, or 2.1%, to $1.675 a pound in New York. Earlier in the day, the beans traded at $1.68, the highest price for a most actively traded contract since February 1998. Coffee is up 41% in the last year.

The slide in the dollar has been lifting nearly all commodities, including oil, gold, corn and soybeans, all of which touched record highs Thursday. A UBS-Bloomberg commodity index also hit a record, rising as much as 1.8%.The dollar marked another in a string of lows against the euro Thursday, and an index of the dollar's value against six major currencies also hit a record low, prompting investors to buy commodities as an inflation hedge."

All the crude oil available is being vacuumed up by investors, in part because interest rates are low and there's no alternative to commodities that looks very good," said Tim Evans, an analyst at Citigroup Global Markets Inc.

Much of coffee's rise has been driven by speculation rather than supply and demand of the physical commodity, analysts said.Coffee is now "a playground" for investment funds, Nestor Osorio, executive director of the London-based International Coffee Organization, told Bloomberg Television.

The good news for coffee drinkers is that rain in Brazil, the biggest producer of coffee, has increased since October, when dry weather spurred concern the crop might shrink.

AP Interview: Bruyneel criticizes 'unfair treatment' of Astana

AP Interview: Bruyneel criticizes 'unfair treatment' of Astana
The Associated Press

Published: March 1, 2008

PARIS: When Alberto Contador won last year's Tour de France for Discovery and Levi Leipheimer finished on the podium, team manager Johan Bruyneel was confident he had the right foundations to dominate cycling.
One season on, and Bruyneel's Astana team is banned from France's top races by the Amaury Sports Organization. Next weekend's Paris-Nice and the Tour in July will start without Contador — the defending champion in both races.

Read More Here...

Does any driver ever notice this 'sign of the times'?

Sensible and accurate critique of “Share the Road”

http://urbanvelo.org/share-the-road-is-this-a-positive-message-for-cycling/

“The sign’s literal meaning is: Caution! You might encounter a person riding a bicycle on this road…This sign inadvertently reinforces the idea that bicycling is dangerous and thereby discourages people who do not currently bike on the streets from ever doing so….To many motorists it means: Cars have the right of way. Bikes have to move over and let me pass. Bikes are supposed to share the road. In fact, I have heard of several instances in which, after a car/bike crash, the motorist proclaimed: “He didn’t get out of my way! He wasn’t sharing the road!””

Read on

The author does bring up the good point that the Share the Road campaign isn’t easily interpreted and may not even be aligned with the message cycling advocates want to portray.

A Serious Alternative - Seriously Eco-Logical Bicycle

Bamboo bikes for the masses

Craig Calfee hopes to prove that one person with one idea can make a difference in some of the poorest corners of the planet. The maker of some of the most exclusive and sought after carbon-fiber bikes on the market, Calfee plans to use his knowledge to teach Africans how to build themselves bamboo cargo bikes....

Calfee Design Bamboo Bikes

SERIOUS ALTERNATIVE: If you are considering buying a carbon or titanium frame, then read more about the re-discovered properties of bamboo. more...

HIGH PERFORMANCE: finished frames weigh around 1.8kgs (4lbs) with good stiffness. more...
AMAZING RIDE: bamboo bikes are not only stunning to look at, they are super smooth to ride. more...

ECO LOGICAL: the fastest growing plant growing on earth. With minimal treatment, bamboo is ready to be used for bicycle manufacture. Compare this with the alternatives. more...

AWARDS: Calfee Design bamboo bikes have won awards for Best Road Bike, Best Off-Road Bike and Peoples' Choice Award at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show.

If it looks good, it must taste good....

Found a nice blog, with some 'yummy' content... Good either before or after your ride, some of these will lighten the heart and might make your more desirable to the opposite sex....

Cookie Artist - http://cookieartist.blogspot.com/

Only a mug of coffee would make it better...