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Nov. 11th, 2009 | 05:49 pm


11-05-09_1751.jpeg
Originally uploaded by Steven Vance

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Monthly Carnage: Hit & run in Pilsen is among 5 pedestrian deaths in past 30 days

Nov. 9th, 2009 | 08:34 pm


Monthly Carnage: Hit & run in Pilsen is among 5 pedestrian deaths in past 30 days
Originally uploaded by Steven Vance

Martha was killed by a driver in a purple 4-door sedan for which police are still searching. If you have any information, please call police at 911, or The Martha Gonzalez Memorial Committee at 312-203-4986. There's a reward for information that leads to the conviction of the driver.

Pedestrian fatalities in the past 30 days:
-Martha Gonzalez, Tuesday, October 13th, 1700 S Halsted Street. Driver at large.
-Larry Nelson, Saturday, October 17th, 1100 S Cicero Avenue. Driver at large.
-Kim Brown (pregnant), 50 N Kostner Avenue (her child was delivered via Caesarean section but died). Driver (James Cox) arrested and charged with aggravated driving under the influence.
-Rachel Gilliam, Sunday, November 1st, 4300 N Lincoln Avenue. Driver at large.

Pedestrian injuries recently:
-Three teenagers (most likely UIC students), Saturday, September 26th, 1220 S Halsted Street (right across from James Stukel Towers dormitory). Driver at large.

Please read what Tom Vanderbilt is writing about jaywalking on Slate.

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Fwd:

Nov. 6th, 2009 | 09:03 pm


Fwd:
Originally uploaded by Steven Vance

I can transport all of these groceries on a single bike.

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Me and light rail go together

Nov. 4th, 2009 | 12:32 am


Me and light rail go together
Originally uploaded by Steven Vance

Did you ever see this photo of me and a big train?
It rocks.

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Me outside Dutch Bike on Armitage

Oct. 27th, 2009 | 11:48 pm


Me outside Dutch Bike on Armitage
Originally uploaded by Steven Vance

I'm touching my favorite bike in the world, a WorkCycles Fr8.

My helmet and jacket look to be colored from the same dye.

I like this picture.

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Raleigh Rush Hour

Oct. 26th, 2009 | 11:26 pm


Raleigh Rush Hour
Originally uploaded by Steven Vance

This bike looks gorgeous.
Do I really want to sell it?

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I was the original Facebook

Oct. 24th, 2009 | 11:44 pm

I'm still copying thousands of photos from a CD-ROM backup to my computer. The photos are from between 3 and 8 years ago. I realize that I was the original Facebook for my high school and hometown. I didn't even take half these photos. I collected photos from other people's cameras, or I would lend my camera to people and they would take photos and I would collect them at the end. My goal was to eventually put them all online.

I'm researching good sites to which I will upload all of these photos. I want all Batavians to have access and to be able to edit the photos with the names of people featured in the photos, as well as a relevant caption (because someone else took the photo).

For example, I have a hundred photos from a girl's prom. A girl I was marginally friends with.

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Distinguished Judges

Oct. 21st, 2009 | 10:41 pm


Distinguished Judges
Originally uploaded by mindfrieze

I planned, setup, then executed an enjoyable, successful, and delicious cookie competition at work.

It was just judged by a long-time baker, the Deputy Commissioner of CDOT, the Pedestrian Program Coordinator, and my boss (representing the Bike Program), a foodie.

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UIC crime alert

Oct. 13th, 2009 | 05:40 pm

On October 12, sometime between 10:00 and 10:30 a.m., a male UIC student was the victim of an off-campus armed robbery and aggravated kidnapping at the Walgreen's parking lot at 1200 S. Canal St.

The student was walking toward his vehicle when a man told him he had scratched his car. As the victim walked closer to examine his car, the offender displayed a handgun and ordered the victim into the car. The offender took the victim to several ATMs, where he forced him to withdraw money, and then to the Target store at Roosevelt and Clark, where he forced the victim to purchase several items.

The offender and victim returned to the Walgreen's parking lot and the victim was ordered out of his own car by the offender, who ordered the victim to follow him to the White Castle at Roosevelt and Western driving a second car.  The victim entered the second car but drove instead to 1250 S. Halsted St. and called Chicago Police.

The victim was not injured during this offense.  The second car, which had been reported stolen, was recovered.  The student's vehicle remains missing and was entered into the law enforcement database.

The offender is described as a black male, 30-45 years old, 5-8 and 200 pounds, bald but with facial hair, and wearing a black jacket and blue jeans.

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Marathoners

Oct. 12th, 2009 | 04:17 pm


Marathoners
Originally uploaded by Steven Vance

Nike posted a printed list of the names of all the 35,000 people who ran the Chicago 2009 Marathon yesterday, including Jason Saavedra's.

While I was locking my bike at the bike rack here, a lady asked me to take her photo with this sign in the background. I asked her what was happening. She told me, and I asked if she ran. She said she did, and I said that was cool. She couldn't have been more excited about me asking about this sign, asking her if she ran, and saying it was cool that she ran. Oh, and I guess she was excited she ran a freakin' marathon :)

At Niketown on North Michigan Avenue.

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Gay friendly first aid cream?

Sep. 22nd, 2009 | 12:57 pm


Gay friendly first aid cream?
Originally uploaded by Steven Vance

Someone uses Facebook to try and sell me gay friendly first aid cream from Europe.
WTF is that?

Someone please help me understand this.

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Burj Dubai

Sep. 19th, 2009 | 09:30 am


Burj Dubai
Originally uploaded by CruisAir

Just wow.

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My rental bike

Sep. 7th, 2009 | 10:47 pm


My rental bike
Originally uploaded by stevevance

I took a trip alone to Minneapolis, Minnesota on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, to celebrate Labor Day, go trainspotting, and bicycling.

This is the first of many posts I'll make from the trip.

I rented my bike from Midtown Bike Center on the Midtown Greenway in the Midtown neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

I locked it up outside the Franklin Avenue light rail station, which I boarded and traveled to the Mall of America and back here. I picked up the bike and rode around some more.

I reluctantly enjoyed the bike - the Center had only this bike remaining for someone my size. I felt very uncomfortable riding it, but not as uncomfortable as I feel on my own Raleigh Rush Hour. After arriving home Monday night, I jumped on my Nishiki cargo/party bike and felt right at home, on a comfortable seat at a comfortable height with handlebars coming towards me instead of me leaning towards them.

Oh, check out those sweet Kryptonite combination cable locks. They had a dumb combination. I asked for a u-lock, but they denied me that and instead gave me a second cable lock. All this for a bike for which I paid a $540 refundable deposit. Ugh. Thankfully, no one stole it, I returned it Monday morning, and my 24-hour rental cost only $46.

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Results of my GPS logger

Sep. 3rd, 2009 | 05:00 pm


Results of my GPS logger
Originally uploaded by stevevance

I wanted to ride around the city on my bike with a GPS device that would track my every move.

As you can see in the picture, my results tell me something interesting: skyscrapers block GPS transmission.

I returned the device.

Someone in Toronto had a more successful outcome.

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Model 7b

Aug. 29th, 2009 | 10:38 pm


Model 7b
Originally uploaded by stevevance

I want to be a model.
Should I include this photo in my application?

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Food update

Aug. 26th, 2009 | 03:47 pm

So I've been doing a pretty good job of eating foods without high fructose corn syrup, except for the foods at restaurants.

The biggest problem I'm having is obtaining locally a low-price grape jam. The national name brands, Smuckers and Welch's, both load their jams with the HFCS garbage. I live over 6 miles from the nearest Trader Joe's. I work about 1.5 miles from the one downtown, but I still don't manage to visit either one. I know they sell a grape jam sans HFCS, but about $1 more per jar.

I kind of gave up candy after my 4 dentist appointments in the past 60 days. Candy/sugar is basically the cause of all of these visits. I had a root canal and one cavity filling so far. My wisdom teeth need to be removed soon because they have cavities. I think all of my molars now have fillings - isn't that nice?

I haven't bought any new candy since I finished my Reese's Peanut Butter Cups package 5 days ago. This doesn't mean I've given up sugar, but candy. It's also a money thing: I want a $2100 bike ($2230 after taxes).

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Please note this when cycling in Netherlands

Aug. 23rd, 2009 | 11:12 pm

The following guide on wearing helmets and lycra/spandex while cycling in the Netherlands is written by four Dutch lesbian women (they use that description).

From: http://willothewisp.org/?page_id=18 via http://www.copenhagenize.com/2009/08/reading-on-bicycles.html.
-----

Bike Helmets & Lycra

This is extremely important; do NOT wear a helmet. Three types of people wear a helmet on a bike in Holland;

The English.
North Americans.
The mentally afflicted.
The English and Americans wear helmets because in their worlds common sense no longer rules and people must be safe from their own actions at all times. Also it is a well known fact that when Americans fall off a bike they fall on their heads, why this should be we do not know. God gave us each an ass, in fact he appears to have given many Americans more than one ass each and yet they do not use them, you have to wonder why. On the rare occasion a Dutchman comes off their bike we fall on our well padded behinds (and it’s ALWAYS the fault of a German motorist).

The only time you need to wear lycra when riding a bicycle is when you are a speed rider at a velodrome or riding in the Tour de France, there is not any other occasion when lycra and bicycles should be mixed together.

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A WorkCycles FR8

Aug. 17th, 2009 | 03:48 pm


A WorkCycles FR8
Originally uploaded by stevevance

I test rode this bike yesterday (Saturday) at Dutch Bike Chicago on Armitage in Lincoln Park, Chicago.

I love this bike. I like it better than the bakfiets and Transport, two other bikes from this store I've test ridden. It's more comfortable to ride, and easier to ride. The other two are wobbly at the start - this one isn't (I think this might have a little to do with the handlebars). It costs a lot, too.

I want to also test ride the Secret Service. I'm waiting for them to build it.

This was definitely the highlight of my day. I came straight here after helping my sister move to a new apartment (that story is pretty perfect, too; it couldn't have gone better).

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This photo is gonna blow up

Jul. 30th, 2009 | 10:48 pm


P073009PS-0451
Originally uploaded by The Official White House Photostream

President Barack Obama, Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Sergeant James Crowley toast at the start of their meeting in the Rose Garden of the White House, July 30, 2009.
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

This photo is gonna be the biggest charade of the week for the president. His bad.

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Bakfiet bakauto

Jul. 28th, 2009 | 08:01 pm


IMG_1122
Originally uploaded by stephanschier

Do bakfiets and enormous SUVs belong together?
Read the discussion. You decide.

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