This is just a followup from an old post I made way back when regarding Mac users having their very own optimized versions of Firefox. It looks like that will continue with Firefox 3. There are Intel and G5 versions currently, with a G4 optimized version in the works.

Firefox 3 Optimized Builds for G5 / Intel

One of my dad’s favorite comedians of all time, George Carlin. I liked a lot of his stuff too, especially the earlier and middle part of his career, especially his sports-related stuff, though most know him for “Seven Words You Can Never Say On TV” and his battle with censorship.

Carling died of heart failure at 71 in Los Angeles.

Award-winning comedian George Carlin dies

This would have been cool to see in person. The former UNC players team included Jawad Williams, Jackie Manuel, Melvin Scott, and Jerry Stackhouse. Wish we could have been there to check it out!

UNC Basketball Current Players VS. Formers

Down under, looks like they are trying some new road markings at intersections that allow cyclists to queue up at the front of the line. Drivers are fined if they queue up within those boundaries, but the article’s description of where this area is sounds kind of strange. I can see this increase visibility of the cyclists, but at the same time I can see how it could make it for dangerous for the cyclists if I understand correctly where this zone is.

Critics See Red as Laws Hand Bikes Pole Position

Edit: Here’s a video on how to use the 60 bike boxes in New York city.

Man, this is a really good read for all us TiVo fanatics out there. TiVo spent a lot of time on their remote’s design, ergonomics, button layout, etc. and it shows. Hell, the TiVo peanut remote has won awards. Anyway, check out this article for some in-depth TiVo history for their little IR remote.

Story of a Peanut: The TiVo Remote’s Untold Past, Present and Future

If I had a dime for every time a non-cyclist asked about the whole shaved legs, deal. The article below does a good job of breaking it down, though I proudly do shave the arms too, and if you want to go with the excuse of bandaging road rash, my worse road rash has always been on the arms – elbow area to be specific.

I’ll go with tradition and making you feel faster. Like any sport, there’s a fair amount of superstition and deep-routed tradition. Cycling is no different. In cycling, like any type of racing, the difference between win and loss can be measured in grams. Many cyclists at every level – enthusiast, racer and pro alike obsess about the weight of components down to the gram. Carbon fiber and titanium are are materials of choice (though I still swear by my sleek thin-tubed steel frame race bike).

Why Do Cyclists Shave Their Legs Only

So while I’ve been consistently bike commuting, I’ve had a lull in my race schedule and even my training a bit. Last race I did was back on Memorial Day. OK, I guess I’m not that far out, but I’ve had teammates that have done 4 and 5 races since then. Between work, family, weddings, traveling, it’s been really tough to schedule races.

There’s a criterium Sunday in Greensboro, NC, but I’ll be in no shape with this weekend’s wedding festivities and friends from out of town around. Oh well, plenty of more races.

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This is all over the cycling mailing lists I’m on. Hopefully, other states will be close behind (including North Carolina). Below is basically a repost of an email on the Gyros mailing list. I don’t think they’ll mind me reposting it and educating fellow cyclists of the laws and/or the potential laws advocating bicycle safety.

The South Carolina general assembly has passed a bicycling safety law, signed by the governor on June 10, 2008. There is presently some interest in similar legislation in North Carolina as well. Highlights of the SC Bicycling Safety Law include:

Harassment of cyclists law – any motorist who harasses a bicyclist by honking or throwing something at them could face jail time:

Section 56-5-3445. It is unlawful to harass, taunt, or maliciously throw an object at or in the direction of any person riding a bicycle. A person who violates the provisions of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not less than two hundred fifty dollars or imprisoned not more than thirty days, or both.

Minimum passing width between motor vehicles – motorists must leave safe operating distance when overtaking a cyclist. The new requirement would mean that if a motorist strikes a bicyclist, that would strongly indicate the motorist was not keeping a safe distance and therefore was breaking the law. This will give a needed legal tool to prosecute motorists who hit bicyclists.

It is now illegal for cars to park/block bike lanes and motorists must now yield to cyclists in bike lanes

For a more complete picture of the entire law go here:
http://www.pccsc.net/advocacy.htm