Unfashionable

I ran across two bike ads recently that wanted to make sure that you were not mistaking their beautiful products for anything but sound technology. Both ads used the words "fashion" - as in, don't mistake it for that. It may be look great, but it's more than just eye candy.
This is as much about the advancement in materials, engineering and design of bikes as it is about convincing bike buyers that plunking down $3K or more for you next ride is worth every last ounce of technology put into it.

It is becoming harder to differentiate top quality products in our "designed" consumer culture. You see this a lot where you have two products that look similar, appear to made out of the same materials, but one cost much more than the other. Why? Design, R&D, testing, experience, testing, knowledge and more testing. This all cost money and the best brands do the most of all of these. They can afford the equipment and expertise it takes to produce something that will not only last, but perform.

The next time you contemplate buying a new bike, do some research of your own and find out who made it, how it was made and the type of craftsmanship that went into it. You might find the real thing or maybe just a facade. Unlike fashion, great design never goes out of style.

Dry Spell

Our weather has produced a snow spell, but I've noticed a dry spell in my writing for the last two months. There are more things to come on this site—updated branding to reflect business name, more writing, more photo projects, more portfolio work. Up, up and away...

Won't You Be My Neighbor

During the recent windstorm and mini crisis (see Powerless), I was impressed how our neighbors came together and helped each other.
The day after the storm, using our varied skills, talents and resources, our neighbors were able to help each other secure our homes, remove debris, provide electricity in various forms, pick up items for each other when shopping and the list goes on.

A few notable and thankful exception standout:

• One of our neighbors brought in their RV, which provided a temporary, central location for heated shelter, electricity, a cooking grill and good company. It was great, especially for some of our neighbors that were less prepared to deal with the situation.
• A second neighbor, unbeknownst to us, was searching for generators online. We got a call late Sunday evening that the Everett Home Depot had a new shipment and he had left to go secure three generators—one for his family, one for us and another neighbor. We drove up and brought them back for all of us. Excellent.
• A third neighbor helped wire all the generators to our homes and he was able to track down the correct plugs in order to connect them properly.

I am thankful to have such great neighbors who were prepared and even more grateful for their willingness to help get things done.

Powerless

On Dec 14th, around 7:30pm, the lights went out around the Puget Sound area. A major windstorm was on our doorstep and losing the power would be the beginning of a seven day adventure.
Usually when your power goes out, you reach for a flashlight, light a few candles, tell some stories and hope it doesn't last longer than a few hours. The winds, however, were just getting started. Throughout the night, the winds would get stronger and our house sounded like it was inside a wind tunnel. I couldn't sleep and stayed up looking out our window at a corridor of trees that, if knocked down, would hit surrounding homes including ours.

At 2:00am, Friday morning, a gust came through that bent trees northward all the while willing them to stay upright. It knocked down one of them and I heard it snap out of the ground and crash onto what I thought was the road above our home. The winds carried on for a few more hours and slowly died down through the remainder of the morning. I only managed a few hours of sleep that night. When I awoke, I learned the tree that crashed down earlier, fell into the middle of our neighbor's home and split the roof into two halves. The homeowner wasn't injured and got out unscathed. Wow.

The storm passed and left us and the region without power and lot of problems (see the Seattle Times photo gallery). After looking over our property, I thought everything looked okay except for a few downed branches and a broken fence latch. After further inspection, I discovered a branch about seven feet long that had penetrated our roof like a javelin (see December's photo #20). I climbed onto the roof and pulled out the branch that pushed a foot through the shingles, past the 3/4 inch plywood, into our attic. That's usually something you read about with tornadoes or hurricanes.

The power would stay off for another six days. We did have a gas water heater and stove that would allows us to at least take warm showers and heat our food. The nights would be cold with our only heat source coming from a gas fireplace that that put out enough heat to warm a dog house. While our weather is usually quite moderate, the temperature dropped below freezing each night which was enough to keep some of our refrigeratables outside for a few days.

During this time, we got to know our neighbors better, acquired a generator (thanks again to a neighbor) and by the following Monday, had our heater and lights running again. We were even able to wash a few loads of laundry (no dryer—takes too much power) and run the garbage disposal—pure luxury at this point.

Without power, one of the first things you notice is that it runs everything! We take it for granted and that without it, there isn't any light, heat, computers, internet, garage door opener, refrigeration, microwave and on and on. Our modern society comes to a halt with the requisite power to run it.

Thursday Morning, Dec 21st, we had a knock on our door from a neighbor. Power had been restored to our neighborhood. It was an early Christmas present that took no time to open. We also had to turn off and disconnect the generator before turning on the main switch to outside power so we wouldn't send power back to folks working on the lines.

This was a good test for us and the area. A lot of lessons will be learned from this. We are prepared as much as one can be for situations like this, but ultimately, we're powerless to the forces of Nature.

Dog, Gone

We've had Sam for sixteen years, but today, we had to say goodbye. He was our first feline and made it through two states, four homes and was truly loyal. Our pup—a cat that thought he was a dog, would meet us at the door, fetch, howl like a wolf and loved to go outside in any weather. We will miss him, but happy he can finally shed his tired, old body. RIP puppy dog.

Waterlogged

When it rains, it pours, and when it poured, we became an Island. On Nov 7th, all roads into and out of town were under water. The signs around town say, "Water Over Roadway", but they should have been labeled, "River Over Roadway". The road leading to the bridge in the photo is about six feet below the speed limit sign. To the right is normally a dry horse pasture, but now the Snoqualmie River runs through it, and overflows unimpeded throughout the valley.

Vote

We received our mail-in ballots a few days ago. It was a reminder that not only is voting a right, but an obligation.

Educate yourself on the issues and candidates, and go vote. No matter who or what you vote for or against, please vote.

November 7th. Mark your calendars. Vote!

Links:

http://www.metrokc.gov/elections/

http://www.votewashington.org/

http://www.hotsoup.com/

Recycle, Reuse, Remote

We recently replaced an older desktop computer with a new laptop for our business. This left us with an older machine that turned out to have enough performance to be used as secondary media system including a TV.
By combining an older PC (800 MHz), an unused 20 inch LCD monitor and an external TV tuner, I was able to eliminate a radio and a smaller TV with one computer, while adding wireless internet capabilities. I also added a new set of great sounding, but inexpensive 2.1 speakers that provide a warm, clear sound for streaming audio, video and CD playing.

I don't watch a lot of TV, but the PC used as a TV works surprisingly well. It views at 1280x1024 on any monitor supporting it and the tuner comes with an IR remote control that also lets you control other applications that use similar windows commands. On a faster computer, it would work even better as the old box just barely passes the minimum requirements. The tuner also includes software that gives your system DVR (or PVR) capabilities to record your favorite programs.

We put the system in our bedroom and are able to listen to CD's, the radio (over air or streaming), watch cable TV and get web access via a wireless connection. If you're ready to throw out your old system, you may be able to use it as "media" system and get a few more cycles out of it.

Bogus

I didn't even know it existed three years ago, but after riding the 2006 Bogus Basin Hill Climb last weekend, I know it awfully well.
Bogus Basin is a small ski resort located in Boise, Idaho. Each year, the race starts at the bottom of Bogus Basin Road and finishes close to the top. A friend of mine introduced me to this bike race in 2003 and I've been doing the annual event ever since (I skipped in 2005).

Cyclists tend to feed on a certain amount of pain and this 15.3 mile climb is no different. It starts steep, but after the first mile, there are a two down-hill sections which provide a bit of recovery if used well. The rest of the ride goes up a 5-7 percent grade until last mile or so where it levels off a bit. Lucky for us, the finish line stops a few miles short of the ski area due to legal restriction.

The first third of the road was re-paved recently with a "chip-seal" layer making the ride harsh. Several riders even had their tires ripped apart by it. It made all times a bit slower than other years, but I was happy with the final results.

The Intermountain region has a lot to offer cyclists looking for big mountains to climb (both on & off road). The next time you're in Boise, take the high road to Bogus Basin.

Elevation

It starts at 4,500 feet above sea level, ends at 8,000 feet and lasts only ten miles. The Snowbird Hill Climb is an annual race that tests a cyclist's leg and lung capacity.
I and a friend left Thursday for Salt Lake to race the Snowbird Hill Climb happening on Saturday. Although I grew up in the area and skied Snowbird many times, this would be the first time I would race a bike up Little Cottonwood canyon.

We arrived Thursday evening and Friday morning, I went for a "warm-up" ride up Emigration Canyon, a local favorite. I was also hoping it would help acclimatize my lungs to the thin air. While it wouldn't make a large difference, it helped me mentally to know that I could still ride the canyon and not feel like I needed an oxygen tank.

Saturday morning arrived and we drove to the Walgreen's parking lot below the mouth of the canyon where all the riders were doing some last minute registrations, getting their numbers and posturing with their shiny rides. There were almost 500 registrants in the race, both "citizen" and "categorized" riders.

The first three miles acted as warm-up, climbing the mostly gentle grade to the mouth of the canyon. Once we passed into the canyon, the large group of riders began scattering themselves along the race course. I was feeling good and kept a sustainable pace throughout the race, passing slower riders along the way. It proved to be a steep climb and got even steeper as we approached Tanner Flats. Once beyond the Flats, the finish line was in sight and I sprinted the last 50 yards with another rider to finish it in about 1hr:08min.

We had a lot of fun and enjoyed the race and will have a better idea next year on what to expect and hopefully improve our times. While not quite as fun as skiing down the mountain, racing up it was just as satisfying.

Note: once we finished, we picked up some lunch and went to the top of Tanner Flats to watch the sixth stage of the Tour of Utah and witness pro riders suffer through last climb of the stage and race.

Mellow Yellow

Floyd Landis, the soft-spoken guy from PA, is now the third U.S. rider to win the Tour de France. He pulled out the impossible on Stage 17 and recovered almost 8 minutes that he lost the previous day on Stage 16. He finished the job on Saturday's TT and made believers out of everyone (including Lance). Nice guys do finish first!

EDIT: On July 27th, the UCI confirmed there was an unusual level of Testosteron/Epitestosteron ratio in the test made on Floyd Landis after stage 17 of the Tour de France. If sample B comes back positive, we'll have a new winner of the TDF. No matter the final outcome, the damage has been done.

EDIT II: Sample B came back positive and Floyd has been dismissed by his team. It's over. This is a sad day for the sport and for U.S. cycling. There will be more days like this until the teams and athletes decide that doping isn't worth it.

Professional Help

We all need it. It's never cheap, but sometimes required. We think we can go it alone, but help is not too far away. In this DIY world, a "pro" may be all we really need.
This reminded me of a few things I've noticed recently within some circles. Being a professional at one thing doesn't mean your necessarily one in another. On some photography forums I frequent, I've noticed that while professional photography issues are discussed and photographers hope to get hired as a pro, they think nothing of designing their own website which many have never done before. I know that many have a good eye and may be capable of it, but it's not their focus. Why not hire a professional designer to show off your brilliant photography skills, not your lack of website design. Designers sometimes exhibit similar traits—we think we can design anything.

Amy and I were recently discussing whether or not to hire someone to help us landscape our backyard. It is hilly and terraced and would require moving a lot of hard-scape materials up and down a long hill. I figured this aspect of the job would've taken me several years alone. Wisely, we reviewed several bids to hire out the work and talked with friends and neighbors who had hired landscapers to do similar projects. We decided the best route would be to hire a professional who worked in our community allowing us to enjoy our backyard instead of doing what we probably could've never done in any amount of time (plug - hire our friends and you'll be happy you did).

In about a four weeks, they finished the job and still allowed us to do what we like—tending to plants, flowers and trees. It was the right decision and turned out even better than we had imagined.

While we often can't afford a project like this and do our share of DIY projects, this was money well spent. When it needs to be done right, hire a professional.

Life in One Day

I often get asked what I do for a living and it can get confusing because there are many persons involved at different levels producing what becomes the final product. That product can be seen by the entire world, but is sometimes only viewed by a room full of people.
There are many aspects of media design of which I do or have done. This includes:

Web Design: graphic layouts, navigation schemes, wire-frames, templates from original design, coding including(x)HTML, CSS, JavaScript and Flash. Installation of Perl/CGI applications (forums, small publishing systems like Movable Type) ecommerce solutions and other server-side, end-user tools is not uncommon.

Graphic Design: concept and creation of logos, taglines, layouts, typography, graphic application of brands and branding, posters and brochures.

Video Production/Editing: original filming, capture and editing of video, audio editing for video and promotional-type presentations (i.e. meeting introductions/kick-off's and company promotion).

Photography:
Photo shoots, products/portfolios, landscapes and events. Photos prepped for web, print and fine art photography including color correction, sharpness and saturation, cropping and desired effects beyond the original photo.

Promotion/Events:
This can often include all of the above when working on a presentation for an event and also includes checking final presentation on monitors and large screens, audio volume, seating/presentation arrangements for photos, lighting and more.

Training:
This comes in the form of training end-users on software, website use, feedback on mock-ups, tutorials and "how-to" sessions.

Finally, there's one other aspect which I'll discuss another time, and that is the "business" of design. This includes client-relations, communications, negotiations, contracts and learning how to listen.

Now that you know what I do, what do you do and more importantly, why?

Mom

High hopes, long-suffering, a work in progress, therapist, gardener, instructor, sower of seeds and a mom.

Happy Mothers Day, Mom. We are hundreds of miles away, but we're keeping you close today.

In a Nutshell

A person new to Design asked me where I get all my information and where I can find some trusted resources. Without listing every resource I've ever utilized, here's a short list of some individuals and sites I've come to virtually know and rely on for timely design, photo and technology information. Not in any particular order:

http://www.zeldman.com
http://www.digital-web.com/
http://www.underconsideration.com/speakup/
http://www.simplebits.com/
http://www.commarts.com/
http://www.howdesign.com/
http://www.meyerweb.com/
http://www.stopdesign.com/
http://www.alistapart.com/
http://www.anandtech.com/
http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/index.asp
http://www.fredmiranda.com/
http://www.lifehacker.com/

Thanks goes to those sites for helping creatives stay current.

Freeway Foibles and Follies

The observations seen by this writer are merely observation and shouldn't be read as behavior ascribed to the general driving public. Many of you are good drivers and I applaud it. I drive to work each day from Duvall to Seattle. Yes, it's not the ideal commute, but work requires it. Over many years of driving this commute, I've witnessed driving habits that are amusing, uninspiring and often hazardous.
Before continuing, I confess that I often err on the side of "offensive driving" versus "defensive", but is often more helpful than not knowing how to react at all when driving conditions are less than perfect and avoiding an accident.

What spawned this little treatise happened yesterday near an on-ramp at the end of Hwy. 520. A car in the right lane, next to a merge lane, drove out of his lane, back into the merge lane and proceeded to try to pass vehicles on the right shoulder trying to get around a large truck. What happened after that was even crazier. A car in front of the truck he was trying to pass, pulled onto the shoulder to block him and then the large truck eliminated the gap so not to let the car in car back in the lane. What resulted was the driver being blocked off the road and having to merge many vehicles back from where he started. I've seen people drift over into that merge lane before, but not trying to pass, but to block this type of driver behavior. Now I know why. This is typical of the Seattle style of driving enforcement I've seen on other occasions, but never quite like that.

To merge or not to merge. In Seattle, we do it like we're merging in the grocery aisle. No after you...no after you..., and so forth until we've completely stopped on the onramp. Sound crazy? This is a common occurrence on the mercer onramp going north on I-5. The Washington State Drivers Handbook states, "When you merge with traffic, signal and enter at the same speed that traffic is moving. High-speed roadways generally have ramps to give you time to build up your speed for merging into traffic." I've often been given the single digit hand gesture for doing just this. I'm not passing you on the merge, I'm trying to get up to speed to avoid stopping the flow of traffic (and in this case, it merges from the left to the right and must be done quickly in order to connect to the East-bound Hwy. 520).

I used to ride the bus to work years ago and did so for many years. High above on the bus, I'd see people talking on their cell phones, putting on make-up, shaving, reading books or papers, searching for items in their car (in the back seat) - often all at the same time.

I'm sure you also have stories (cell phones, left-hand lane dawdlers, passing just so you're one car ahead, etc.), but after witnessing the merge, re-merge incident, I thought I'd seen it all. Getting behind the wheel anymore is an adventure. Be safe, be alert.

Ipsoot Mountain - Out of Sight

I knew I'd be going up to Whistler with Amy the day after my birthday for her work "retreat". This was already going to be a good birthday present, but then she dropped the bomb—the snow bomb—heli-skiing.

Are you kidding? As in Warren Miller, Greg Stump, Matchstick? After watching years of this on the big screen, I would finally find out what it was like. What a gift!

I skied at Whistler all day Friday. Saturday morning, I left early and headed to the "hut" to meet my guide, crew and other skiers and boarders for the big day. "Coach" would take us through some safety training about transceivers, helicopters and what to expect. After going through the formalities, we loaded the bus and waited momentarily for word of our destination over the two-way radio..."Ipsoot", the voice said, and our guides cheered. They were thrilled because it hadn't been skiable due to snow, fog and low clouds earlier in the week.

We arrived at the heli-pad, waited for the helicopter to refuel and then we all climbed aboard. We were packaged like sardines in a can, but no one seemed to mind the cramped quarters, and who would, considering our destination.

This was my first time in a helicopter and I can say that it was quite a trip. We reached about 10K feet and flew over two mountains and then descended onto our first run. We unloaded, grouped in a circle with our heads down to avoid any hazards and then waited for our guide to give the thumbs up.

We all stood up, look around in awe for a moment taking it all in. It was still and quiet except for the faint echo of the helicopter swinging back down the mountain. The 360 degree view was incredible and enormous.

We geared up, laced our day-glow powder straps (to help find errant skis) and anxiously awaited first turns. Our guide started down and we watched him make the first series of "S" turns until he made it to the first stop. The first thing we were told is not to ski wide on the entire slope but "conserve it", so that others behind us can share in the fresh.

It was now my turn. Technically, it wasn't much different than anything else I'd skied. It wasn't even as deep or steep, but that wasn't the point—it was about quality, with a capital "Q". Linking multiple "S's" over a series of 4-6 thousand vertical feet at elevation was magical, a feeling of floating—addicting, as we'd soon find out.

We continued on, searching out other slopes on the mountain, each time laying down our signature. We ended our third run about 1 o'clock. They served us lunch and then the negotiations started. "Anyone want to do another run or two?", Coach said. Uh, yeah!

We had one official run left and we could add another run for a small fee. Seven of us agreed to do a fifth run on top of our last (and some even did a sixth, of course for another small fee). We finished lunch, packed up and flew back to the top of another pristine mountain. We all seemed to be skiing like it would be the last time, riding our way to the final lift home.

As the day closed, we boarded the helicopter, everyone with permanent grins, and got the final rush of the day. Our pilot flew to the top of the mountain we'd just descended, hovered for a few seconds, and then, without warning, dove down to the valley like a coaster off its tracks. Woohoo!

We arrived back at the hut and attended a "viewing party" with photos and video of our day. While watching it, my guide leaned over to me and said, "I'm sorry, but your ruined forever and there's only one cure—gotta keep coming back". I fear he may be right.

Trip note: most guided heli-skiing trips are safe and within the limits of the skiers. We didn't ski cliffs, chutes or other "dangerous" parts of the mountain—it's only done in the films.

Surface Treatment

This isn't a discussion about Formica^® or the latest in kitchen countertops, but what lies beneath appearances. Sean Kernan's column in the Jan/Feb 2006 issue of CA made me think of my own journey in the Design business and outside of it. Like many others, I didn't take the direct route.
I enjoy learning and getting involved with new things, not just for the sake of it, but actually learning what's going on inside of it and haveings ome knowledge of it. This also helps other aspects of my work keeping things fresh.

Early on, I was fortunate enough to have some patient individuals and mentors help me to see and learn and uncover the layers of designing and possibly myself. With learning comes experience (and the opposite is true). With Design, I finally found something I really enjoyed, that motivates me and helps pay the bills. As my experience and expertise grew, the more freedom I had to focus on developing the ideas behind the design and create something that was accessible, usable and worthy of the craft.

Recently, there has been some discussion on a few sites I frequent on whether one's passions can successfully be turned into one's career (and still eat). For some, the "magic" may be lost once the "work" starts. This hasn't happened yet, although there's been some challenging times and opportunities to grow.

The key is getting past the surface and digging just a little deeper to see what else it holds, to be more than a bystander. There may be nothing there and you'll move on, but you may discover more than what you were looking for and decide to stay for a while. I've only begun to dig and will continue to search and learn. As Socrates said, "And in knowing that you know nothing, that makes you the smartest of all".

Can I Play in the Snow?

When I was a little kid, I loved to be out in the snow. I also wanted everything I owned to be out in the snow. After learning how to ride a tricycle, the following winter I was on it in the snow. The bicycle? Yep, to the snow we went (that was little trickier). I was up skiing today (sixteen new inches of powder) and I was thinking about why I loved it so much—it started with the snow!
Snow has a certain quality about it. Go outside after a snowstorm, even a few inches, and you'll feel like you've stepped inside an underground parking lot (the ones with all the sound deadening material). It's quiet and mute and is cotton for the ears.

I found energy in the snow. I spent hours in the snow just to be out in it. I enjoyed walking to school as a child because it meant that in certain months, there would be snow to kick around, throw, make snowmen with and track in the house.

When I turned 13, I learned how to ski and found the best of all worlds - snow and freedom. Skiing, especially on deep powder days, provides a feeling not found anywhere else. If you've done your living right, it's effortless and may be the closets thing to floating on a layer of air.

I don't get to ski as much as I used to because of time, the cost and well, life. If I go 7 or 8 times, I'm happy. It's not as much as I'd like, but it's enough to get that "feeling" and to play in the snow.

First Chair

This never happens. I awoke a little earlier the other morning for a day of skiing at Stevens Pass. It was officially a holiday and school was also out, so I expected big crowds and riders who probably had the same idea. When I arrived at the mountain, I got what I least expected.
First chair - yes indeed. Not only that, I snagged second, first chair on the connecting lift to the backside of Stevens Pass. According to liftee and the latest reports, they had received four inches of new snow and over two feet in the last seven days, so I was ready to ride. Granted, it wasn't dry, fluffy, Utah powder, but it was colder than normal (it wasn't raining - hallelujah) and I was able to find freshies for several hours.

What does "first chair" get you? I've never been heli-skiing (yet), but it's probably the closest I'll come to having the entire Mill Valley to myself. I took the two lifts up and surveyed the entire backside with nary a person in sight. It was beautiful and serene and strangely quiet.

Of course, after about 30 minutes, I was sharing the mountain with hundreds of my closest friends, but the day went well and skiing was excellent.

On your next trip out, set the alarm an hour earlier to ski what you've been missing.