It would not be at all strange if history came to the conclusion that the perfection of the bicycle was the greatest incident of the nineteenth century.
Apparently they are putting in some new bikes lanes on 85th street. There are some markings along the edge of the road that indicate where the stripes are to be located, etc. I followed the route for about ten blocks, and found a different symbol painted freehand at every block.
I can just imagine the tortured look on some poor city employee's face as he tried, time and again to recreate the mysterious geometry of the bicycle on pavement, with a spray can in one hand and a smoke in the other. The guy probably hasn't ridden a bicycle in over ten years, and certainly never thought he would be judged on his artistic talents after tenth grade. Sorry buddy. You can see where he gives up and starts thinking about lunch.
These are some of my favorites:
Not bad:
I’ve always found the concept of "The Greater Good" to be flawed in that the greater good ultimately requires the superiority of goodness in a society over that of it’s members. Ayn Rand would define this same flaw by saying that the good of some takes precedence of the good of others, with those others forced to become scape goats for the greater good itself. That said, I think it’s time Critical Mass sacrifice itself for the greater good of cycling.
I like the idea of clever civil disobedience: Finding ways to inspire others while vilifying injustice. It’s the American way after all, and I think Critical Mass had this in mind at its inception—inspiration through an uproarious challenge of the status quo. And despite the hard truth that anarchy will always fail, Critical Mass has held on for some time as a leaderless, mostly positive agent for bicycle awareness at any cost.
I found this on YouTube. I now realize that everything I have been saying about bike commuting has been a waste of time. This sums it up right here. This is the real reason. Done - once you get over the notion that it's a balls-eye-view anyway.
Oh, and listen to the music if you can, it's nice.
Progress continues late into the night! A pile of lumber and some plexi-glass which now resides in my garage will soon be converted into a finely-crafted sign fixture to house the artwork seen above. This is the latest not-quite-final map illustration and layout overview (still subject to change).
Look for the final map (hopefully) installed at the Colonnade Park grand opening party this Saturday (Sept 13, 2008) - and bring your bike!
