The week in links (08/11)

Who climbs with toil

Who climbs with toil, wheresoe’er
Shall find wings waiting there —Henry Charles Beeching, ‘Going down Hill on a Bicycle, A Boy’s Song’

perkins memorial drive

I think my left knee hurts too much. Besides, I want Pantani like wings for going up, not the more pedestrian wings we all find coming down. I climb because I must. 3500ft worth today. Why must I? Because it makes me stronger, and saws off my delusions. It gives me time to think until just going uphill is all there is…

I can’t or won’t push my knee hard enough to find my mental limits. I have other responsibilities. And If I go too far, they will be impacted. So I spin and then stand and well, I wouldn’t call it dance, but whatever. I do what I can. And if the steep pitches aren’t too long (there were several 15% or more grades today, short enough for me to conquer them) I can push over the top and feel the miles—the small successes that make up eventual victory. The hills may not yet be mine, but one day… I’ll find my wings.

Overall things went well today but because of busted water fountain I ran out of water again. This is beginning to form a pattern that I’m not enjoying, nor is Lisa despite her lack of complaining. I caught her at a less than stellar moment today, and so climbed two more hills before trying again and finding a better moment for a rescue. The inactive fountain formed part 1, part 2 was the day being more hotterer and more humider than forecasted (Why do I trust them at all?) Between the two… things got ugly again as I became more and more dehydrated. The one person I saw who might have been able to provide some water had a small toddler in tow. She had just coaxed her little one down three large stone steps, was carrying the 19 bags Mom’s seem to carry at that point in a child’s development and despite my growing certainty about my hydration did not have the heart to ask her to grab her kid and reverse the walk down the stairs, all those bags, ugh. Couldn’t do it. It sure makes for a slow trip home though.

That said, there’s nothing wrong with a climb that takes me to this:hudson river

I start at about 600ft, drop down all the way to the river and then climb up a shade over 1300ft and then back. The “down to go up” thing can be heartbreaking at times. But it is always achingly beautiful. Sadly, there are cool looking trails that have been closed for a long time that would be fun to bike. (And might eliminate some of the pointless ups and downs.)

I climb with toil, there is no doubt. Allez! (37miles, 3500ft of climbing, one less bottle of water than needed (maybe two)).

tree
bike resting under tree

self portait relaxin at the top

How to Support 5,000 Customers with No Support Staff

How to Support 5,000 Customers with No Support Staff:

It will probably surprise you to find out that we actually have no dedicated support personnel inside of New Relic! Each and every support request is handled by a development engineer who has full access to our entire source base, and the full authority to do whatever is necessary to make things right.

and

Until then, I think it’s great that our development engineers have responsibility not only for writing great software, but supporting it too. In the long run, I think it makes for happier customers and a better product.

[Makes sense to me… (Disclosure, we use the service…)]

The danger in relying on *sophisticated virtual design tools*

QUOTE: The danger in relying on [sophisticated virtual design tools] too much is that we can end up isolated from the physical world. In our quest to quickly make three-dimensional objects, we can miss out on the experience of making something that helps give us our first understandings of form and material, of the way a material behaves—’I press too hard here, and it breaks here’ and so on…It’s very hard to learn about materials academically, by reading about them or watching videos about them; the only way you truly understand a material is by making things with it.

—Jonathan Ive, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Design, discussing materials and the iPhone 4

[I mentioned this before. Living only in a digital, virtual world lacks balance and doesn’t engage senses that we’ve developed over lifetimes.]

Source: SIGNAL VS. NOISE

The week in links (08/02)

Laver’s Law of Fashion

Good stuff…

Laver’s Law of Fashion: James Laver was a museum curator for the Victoria and Albert Museum in London from the ‘30s through the ‘50s. He was also a fashion theorist and historian who conceived Laver’s Law — an attempt to make sense of the fashion trend lifecycle.

Here is Laver’s Law:

Indecent 10 years before its time
Shameless 5 years before its time
Outré (Daring) 1 year before its time
Smart Current Fashion
Dowdy 1 year after its time
Hideous 10 years after its time
Ridiculous 20 years after its time
Amusing 30 years after its time
Quaint 50 years after its time
Charming 70 years after its time
Romantic 100 years after its time
Beautiful 150 years after its time

Stanley Marcus, the former president of Neiman Marcus, recounts in his memoir Minding the Store how Laver’s Law was used by Neiman Marcus clothes buyers in the late 60’s. There was a heated internal debate on whether the trend for that next year would still be the mini skirt (which was the current fashion) or the longer midi skirt. Marcus asked Laver point blank if the mini skirt was dead. Laver told him that the mini skirt had at least another 2 years to go — against expert opinion at the time.

His forecast was right, the midi was a complete flop, many women continued to wear the miniskirt, and those who couldn’t or wouldn’t make up their minds went into the pants suit. Pants were bound to come, but the skirt-length controversy made pants acceptable at an accelerated rate.

The brilliance of this timeline is that it can be applied to nearly all creative mediums — not just fashion but also art, design, architecture, and even music. Smart, or Current Fashion, doesn’t have a particular time frame attached to it. Something can be smart for 1 year or a even few years.

Think back to some of the trendy things of the past and you’ll see how it applies: candy colored iMacs, Victorian wallpaper, Emigre fonts, Disco, Sears homes of the 1920’s, Preppy clothes, Atari video game box covers, and Braun products of the late-50’s early 60’s.

Hitting that sweet spot around Daring and Smart when you’re trying to design, create or sell something is crucial. There’s even a market for Dowdy too, right? Just look around at your local mall or shopping center. Just remember that in a few years it’ll start to look bad. In 10 years it’ll look REALLY bad. Then, after some time, it will be appreciated — or even revered — again. I take comfort that something like Comic Sans (theoretically) will have a shot at being beautiful in 100 years time.

[Consider what doesn’t fit this concept. I’m curious for counter examples.]
Source: SIGNAL VS. NOISE

Tour withdrawal

Tourmalet_finish_2010.png

What you still need to know is this. Before a dream is realized, the Soul of the World tests everything that was learned along the way. It does this not because it is evil, but so that we can, in addition to realizing our dreams, master the lessons we’ve learned as we move toward that dream. That’s the point at which most people give up. It’s the point at which, as we say in the language of the desert, one dies of thirst just when the palm trees have appeared on the horizon. Every search begins with beginner’s luck and every search ends with the victor being severely tested.

—Paulo Coelho, from The Alchemist

Billykirk: We must all remember it’s not just reaching our goals, no matter what they happen to be, but also what actions we used to attain them.

That said…

Our family moves on to the back half of the “summer” (not the season, but the school year defined break) now that the Tour is over. Watching the Tour is a family institution, possibly even a celebration ritual of our summer. If only we got the month off, it would be far easier to follow along. Yet, we make the time.

Which leads to what we’re trying to do now… such as clean up the house, move projects forward, some of us hope to visit friends, and I’m trying to think about the Philly Challenge. If you have a second… I’d appreciate a donation. I’ve got some cool swag to give away and any donation greater than $5 is eligible for a prize. (Multiples of 5 equal one entry per 5, so $25.00 gets you 5 entries…)

Tweets about the Livestrong, cancer, and Fat Cyclist communities are aggregated here.

Tour symmetries

“I think he’s trying,” says Eki, “to wear the yellow jersey.” Aren’t we all? But what this year’s Tour seemed to point out more than many others I’ve watched over the years is how you get there is more important to everyone.

It seemed like last year this lesson had begun to sink in. “It’s kind of cool to be the one up front pulling.” was heard to be said by Lance. Being the one up front pulling has rewards that last a lifetime. Just ask Big George.

Cycling has a benefit over many other sports besides its accessibility (anyone can ride). It can have style and it can lend you style. You can be the personification of a style, or your style can be a manifestation of who you are. Or both at various times. The long hours on the road can distill the essence of your being even as it instills new qualities as you explore your limits. It’s much like practicing a musical instrument. It inhabits you even as you illuminate it. (Nietzsche would be proud). This symmetry continues.

This year’s Tour also taught people manners and noblesse oblige. You do not need to wait, but you do not need to attack. There is a middle ground though it can be tough to find for some people. For some it seems to be black and white: “Everyone can attack when it is easy. You win races by attacking when it hurts, you attack when it is hard, when your legs are burning, when everyone else is breathing hard and you are suffering. That is when you attack.” Maybe, in its purest, noblest sense. But in reality people are scared and confused and they attack when an opportunity presents itself. That is human nature. But I love that so many people feel that the Tour isn’t just about raw human emotion, courage, and suffering, but also, and possibly more so about sportsmanship, elegance, and a profound respect for your competitors. And I hope that they act that way in their own lives.

The road humbles us all. The miles pile up and they write a story on our faces and bodies. The windy flats, the climbs, and the “lumpy” rollers. So often it feels like the road attacks us; climbs lurking around each curve like a terrorists bomb; never letting the ride relax into a painless cruise. They explode our lungs and hearts, remind us of our responsibilities, our limitations, and in the end, we seek them out to grind those edges off our lives.

This year Armstrong went out the way he came in: digging deep, enjoying the pain and riding, at times, like a champion. Love him, hate him or whatever, he will leave a chasm in the sport now that he’s done for good (I hope he doesn’t make a fool out of me here, but I think not). Maybe he can do more good just pulling for others now.

The next time you’re on the rivet, crosseyed, and attempting to fly up some hill, or launching your next move, things will be clearer because of this year’s Tour. Courage and defiance. Anger and revenge. Apology and remorse. All were present this year to encourage and teach us. The symmetry continues.

This year celebrated the 100 anniversary of the inclusion of the Pyrannees in the race. The scouts for the Tour famously reported the inclusion of Col du Tourmalet as “parfaitement praticable” (perfectly fair) while the riders found the Mountain climbs so difficult that “Vous êtes des assassins!” – ‘You are assassins’ spat Octave Lapize to onlookers and Tour officials as he struggled over the Col d’Aubisque in the 1910 Tour. It was also that year that a small concession was introduced for the first time by Degrange—la voiture-balai, the infamous broom-wagon to sweep up any riders unable to carry on. Without one, there is no need for the other.

The Tour will end shortly and someone will have won. And life will press on. The intensity of sporting events is that they distill life to simple rules and boundaries. The majesty is that we can carry the lessons with us into our lives and use what we’ve learned to make a difference in a way that truly matters. Riding a bike is a perfect metaphor. Find a balance, pull for others, then seek the yellow jersey.

Allez!

The week in links (07/19)