How do you log rides? - Page 3

01-06-2007, 06:44 PM

In article <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
Patrick Lamb <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> writes:
> On Wed, 3 Jan 2007 21:07:28 -0800, [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (Tom Keats)
> wrote:
>>In article <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
>> Patrick Lamb <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> writes:
>>> What's important
>>> enough to log -- time, distance, ride profile, max/min speed or pulse
>>> -- and why do you log it?
>>
>>When I had the cycloputer, it seemed a shame to
>>just toss all those numbers into the bit bucket.
>>Might as well save 'em. And I liked to record
>>things I noticed, impressions and experiences
>>during my rides.
>
> When I was going through my desk calendar, the impressions and
> experiences I remembered seemed like the most important (and
> ephemeral, and intangible) things in there. Well, maybe second most,
> behind the mileage...

I'm saving up for a reasonably priced camera.
Maybe a nice, no-frills 35mm SLR + zoom/telephoto +
filters, etc.

>>> What do you do with it when you're done?
>>
>>There's the rub. Not much. That's partly why I don't
>>bother any more.
>
> You've gone more minimalist than I've been able to, at least so far.
^^^^^^^^^^

I prefer "essentialist" :-)

> I did like remembering the rides; even the one where I turned into a
> 20 mph headwind, at 20 F, and almost stopped. That one, at least, is
> good for stories.

If you had a camera, you could've taken a snap of the
icycles hanging from your rear derailer :-)

For a time, I tried making notes of all the intersections
with cyclist push-button traffic lights. That evolved into
making notes of the best/worst intersections in general,
taking into consideration such things as traffic volume and
sight lines. But I've gotten to know my way around by memory,
like a good cabbie.

I've lived & ridden in the same city pretty much all my life,
so one might think it's a lead pipe cinch for me to know all
the routes. But it's constantly evolving and and changing,
as the City installs new facilities and reconfigures streets.

One self-inflicted challenge I particularly enjoy is not so much
about speed or time per se, but to figure out as-the-crow-flies
routes that cut diagonally across the street-layout grid, often
using shortcuts through parks, parking lots, etc. The speed &
time thing then just naturally falls into place. I just can't
restrict myself to just riding on arterials, or side streets,
or bike lanes, or MUPs. If it's there and it's useful -- I'll
use it. I guess I'm an essentialist-advantagist.

So it's really not enough to just figure out a good route
once and for all, and then habitually keep using it. One
has to keep one's eyes & mind open, and occasionally re-explore
the already-explored. What's an odious route today could very
well become a beauty tomorrow. I used to make digital notes
about such changes and improvements. Now I make mental notes,
and that's good enough for me. Besides, when I'm awheel, I
don't have access to my home computer system. But it's all
"up here" (usually).

I dunno -- maybe there's something Anal Retentive about going
to quantative numerical extremes of making preserved museum
specimens out of past rides? Maybe a bike ride has a Spirit
that really needs to be let go and released, instead of clung-to
or caged in an atrophying database or spreadsheet. If someone
needs to experience a ride, a fresh one does the trick.

cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

01-06-2007, 07:06 PM

In article <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
Patrick Lamb <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> writes:
>
> I spend too much time thinking up interesting things to calculate or
> plot, and too little time riding.

If you're into computer programming -- get out of it
while you can. If not -- don't get into it. It's a
soul-sucking, Hawkingesque black hole that'll divert
you from Life, like the quest for profit did to
Ebenezer Scrooge.

Screw determinants/matrices! Screw graphs & charts,
and quadratic equations and trigonometry and vectors
and limits!

Let other people willingly burn themselves out over
that falderall.

Life is more to be lived, than thought about.

Dare to eat a peach (although sometimes I prefer
to use a knife & fork, myself.)

cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

01-07-2007, 06:01 PM

"Doc O'Leary" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]-sjc.supernews.net...
> In article <63Enh.143$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
> "GaryG" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
>
> > "Doc O'Leary" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
> >
news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]-sjc.supernews.net...
> > > In article <oUjnh.2276$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
> > > "GaryG" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
> > >
> > > > For those who are interested, you can download a free, fully
functional,
> > > > 30-day trial version of CycliStats from the website
> > >
> > > Doesn't function at all for me. Next time, at least say it's
> > > Windows-only.
> >
> > The system requirements are listed on the download page.
>
> I saw. I would just have liked some indication of that in your post so
> I wouldn't have to bother going to a site that is useless to me.

Sorry I cost a couple of clicks out of your life.

>
> > What's your OS? Newer Macs are capable of running Windows apps, and I
have
> > several customers who are running the program that way..
>
> While Apple hardware can run Windows, Mac OS X cannot run your app as
> far as I know. I really hope you're not suggesting that your program is
> so awesome that to buy it people should also pay even more for a ****ty
> OS and reboot every time they run it.

Depending on the emulator, rebooting's not necessary. As for the
"awesomeness" of CycliStats, the Mac users' I've talked to have agreed that
it's a really nice piece of software (better than anything available for the
Mac OS according to the folks I've talked to).

As for paying even more for Windows - I suspect the Mac users who are
running CycliStats didn't purchase a Windows emulator just for CycliStats.
Most likely, they've chosen to have Windows available on their Macs in order
to take advantage of some of the thousands of useful, easy-to-use programs
that are available on Windows (and now, finally, available for the Mac).

FWIW, I would love to provide a Mac version of CycliStats, but the program
is a part-time labor of love, and I just don't have the time to dedicate to
such a small market segment (especially now that the Windows-on-Mac option
is becoming available, and PC's have gotten so cheap). I have a full-time
job, a girlfriend, and a bike to ride, so finding the time to do a Mac port
is just not in the cards (when I researched it a few years ago, I estimated
that it would be at least 1000 hours of work).

> I haven't tried Wine, so maybe
> Linux can do it better; mention it if that is the case. Regardless, all
> I was asking was for some actual technical details in the middle of the
> marketing.

Oh...Linux. <irony mode=on>Well, on that platform you should easily be able
to find one of the many free open source alternatives.<irony mode=off>

Seriously, I have no idea whether or not CycliStats would run under Wine.
Based on what I've heard about the stability of Windows programs running
under Wine, I would not be optimistic...but it might be worth a shot.

~_-*
....G/ \G
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
CycliStats - Software for Cyclists

> --
> My personal UDP list: 127.0.0.1, 4ax.com, buzzardnews.com,
googlegroups.com,
> heapnode.com, localhost, x-privat.org

01-07-2007, 06:25 PM

In article <Pqioh.154$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
"GaryG" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> writes:

>> I haven't tried Wine, so maybe
>> Linux can do it better; mention it if that is the case. Regardless, all
>> I was asking was for some actual technical details in the middle of the
>> marketing.
>
> Oh...Linux. <irony mode=on>Well, on that platform you should easily be able
> to find one of the many free open source alternatives.<irony mode=off>

With OSS and some artistic Vertical Development using available
tools, one doesn't need to install a prefabricated application.

cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

01-07-2007, 09:14 PM

"Tom Keats" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:tidsne.hcs.ln@bud.garden.local...
> In article <Pqioh.154$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
> "GaryG" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> writes:
>
> >> I haven't tried Wine, so maybe
> >> Linux can do it better; mention it if that is the case. Regardless,
all
> >> I was asking was for some actual technical details in the middle of the
> >> marketing.
> >
> > Oh...Linux. <irony mode=on>Well, on that platform you should easily be
able
> > to find one of the many free open source alternatives.<irony mode=off>
>
> With OSS and some artistic Vertical Development using available
> tools, one doesn't need to install a prefabricated application.

You've left out one important required component - Time.

By way of comparison, with a few seeds and some simple tools, I could grow
all of my family's grain and vegetables. But, most of us value our time
enough to pay others for the things that we find useful, and that can save
us time to pursue other interests (like, bike riding).

~_-*
....G/ \G
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
CycliStats - Software for Cyclists

>
>
> cheers,
> Tom
>
> --
> Nothing is safe from me.
> Above address is just a spam midden.
> I'm really at: tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

01-08-2007, 01:29 AM

Excellent point Tom.....looking forward to new experiences not bound by
the past.
Overall, my rides improved after chucking the bike computer and doing
more exploring, searching out fun roads and trails, usually away from
designated bike paths and lanes; on road, off road, anywhere. Heck,
even smiling and talking with people. Don't want to know how much
farther the ride is, or even look forward to the end. The computer
turned me into a hammerhead with blinders on; now I'm just a part-time
hammerhead. Knowing overall time at the end of a century is
interesting, but doesn't really serve to improve the quality of the
ride.

>
> I've lived & ridden in the same city pretty much all my life,
> so one might think it's a lead pipe cinch for me to know all
> the routes. But it's constantly evolving and and changing,
> as the City installs new facilities and reconfigures streets.
>
> One self-inflicted challenge I particularly enjoy is not so much
> about speed or time per se, but to figure out as-the-crow-flies
> routes that cut diagonally across the street-layout grid, often
> using shortcuts through parks, parking lots, etc. The speed &
> time thing then just naturally falls into place. I just can't
> restrict myself to just riding on arterials, or side streets,
> or bike lanes, or MUPs. If it's there and it's useful -- I'll
> use it. I guess I'm an essentialist-advantagist.
>
> So it's really not enough to just figure out a good route
> once and for all, and then habitually keep using it. One
> has to keep one's eyes & mind open, and occasionally re-explore
> the already-explored. What's an odious route today could very
> well become a beauty tomorrow. I used to make digital notes
> about such changes and improvements. Now I make mental notes,
> and that's good enough for me. Besides, when I'm awheel, I
> don't have access to my home computer system. But it's all
> "up here" (usually).
>
> I dunno -- maybe there's something Anal Retentive about going
> to quantative numerical extremes of making preserved museum
> specimens out of past rides? Maybe a bike ride has a Spirit
> that really needs to be let go and released, instead of clung-to
> or caged in an atrophying database or spreadsheet. If someone
> needs to experience a ride, a fresh one does the trick.
>
>
> cheers,
> Tom
>
>
>
> --
> Nothing is safe from me.
> Above address is just a spam midden.
> I'm really at: tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

01-08-2007, 01:01 PM

In article <Pqioh.154$eI.49@newsfe05.lga>,
"GaryG" <sorrynoemail@NOSPAMX.com> wrote:

> Sorry I cost a couple of clicks out of your life.

Sorry my lesson in customer service and marketing is being lost on you.

> Depending on the emulator, rebooting's not necessary. As for the
> "awesomeness" of CycliStats, the Mac users' I've talked to have agreed that
> it's a really nice piece of software (better than anything available for the
> Mac OS according to the folks I've talked to).

So you're saying that you *only* want me to give you $50 for your
software if I'm first willing to give $200 to MS and $80 to Parallels?
Look I wasn't asking you to insanely justify spending money, I was
simply asking that you put the least little bit about platform support
when you post.

> Oh...Linux. <irony mode=on>Well, on that platform you should easily be able
> to find one of the many free open source alternatives.<irony mode=off>

I believe you meant to use the sarcasm tag, but what *is* ironic is that
you call your effort a labor of love and yet deride open source instead
of releasing your program that way. Going that route would be a
reasonable answer to not spending thousands of hours of further effort
yourself. Since you're charging $50, it seems reasonable to consider
your efforts more of a business and, as such, it doesn't seem too much
for me to say that listing platform support should be a basic part of
your pitch.

> Seriously, I have no idea whether or not CycliStats would run under Wine.
> Based on what I've heard about the stability of Windows programs running
> under Wine, I would not be optimistic...but it might be worth a shot.

Personally, I'm not optimistic about the stability of Windows programs
running under *Windows*. Thanks for the perfect setup on that joke!
Seriously, you need to stress less about this. Your response should
have just been a simple "Good point. I'll add that next time."

--
My personal UDP list: 127.0.0.1, 4ax.com, buzzardnews.com, googlegroups.com,
heapnode.com, localhost, x-privat.org

01-10-2007, 06:22 PM

In article <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] says...
>
>
> So how do you keep track of your rides? (Do you?) What's important
> enough to log -- time, distance, ride profile, max/min speed or pulse
> -- and why do you log it? What do you do with it when you're done?

I used to keep a paper log book, but I've switched to a spreadsheet this year
(with my 2006 data pulled in for reference/motivation). Just daily mileage,
with automatic computing of monthly and yearly totals on the fly. I suppose if
a really notable incident occurred (getting hit, dying, etc.) I'd note that
somewhere in an open cell.

I also grab the .gpx files that my handheld GPS units generates as it auto-
saves my tracks while riding. I can pull these up in Garmin MapSource or Google
Earth later on to see where I rode on a given day (or to share the routes with
friends).

--

__o Kristian Zoerhoff
_'\(,_ [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
(_)/ (_)

01-11-2007, 10:17 PM

On Wed, 03 Jan 2007 22:28:57 -0600, Patrick Lamb wrote:
>
> So how do you keep track of your rides? (Do you?) What's important
> enough to log -- time, distance, ride profile, max/min speed or pulse
> -- and why do you log it? What do you do with it when you're done?

I wrote a collection of Perl scripts that store ride data in a relational
database and turn it into nifty tables and graphs:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

I also use my GPS to collect tracks of novel routes, and I hang onto those
to see where I've been.

Yes, I'm a big nerd.

Reid

01-12-2007, 11:33 AM

Reid Priedhorsky wrote:

> On Wed, 03 Jan 2007 22:28:57 -0600, Patrick Lamb wrote:
>>
>> So how do you keep track of your rides? (Do you?) What's important
>> enough to log -- time, distance, ride profile, max/min speed or pulse
>> -- and why do you log it? What do you do with it when you're done?
>
> I wrote a collection of Perl scripts that store ride data in a relational
> database and turn it into nifty tables and graphs:
>
> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>
> I also use my GPS to collect tracks of novel routes, and I hang onto those
> to see where I've been.
>
> Yes, I'm a big nerd.

>
> Reid
Looks nice. Care to share the scripts?