The Harsh Couch - 2016.02.02 Mother Farquhar

#1

A family with the wrong members in control; that, perhaps, is as near as one can come to describing England in one phrase. - George Orwell

This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at http://theharshcouch.com/thc/2016-02-02/
#2

when cycling becomes a motorsport

also, before there were drone eagles, there were drone drones…
http://www.leoaffairs.com/news/japanese-police-taking-down-rogue-drones-with-new-drone/

because, you know, when drones go “rogue” there can be only one response: KILL IT!!

personally, in this new arms race between eagles and drones, my money is on the drones getting smarter, better armed, and flying higher, faster than the eagles can…

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#3

Another article I found about ‘mechanical doping’ pointed me to the Vivax Assist, a hidden motor solution that is commercially available …

http://www.vivax-assist.com/en/produkte/vivax-assist-4-0/vivax-assist_4-0.php

You’ll have to answer to Dr Gob on The Drones vs The Eagles … although in any battle between Naughties Australian Garage Rock and 70s Classic Rock, I would definitely be backing The Eagles (even without Glenn Frey).

#4

the beauty of a “Copenhagen Wheel” type solution is that it is fully self contained - battery and all - requiring no modification of your bike, beyond swapping out a wheel…

this may make it less “hidden” if you intend to try to “cheat” with one, but it may end being more acceptable to ordinary cyclists - and once a technology becomes acceptable, it becomes normal, and once it becomes normal it is no longer looked at as some artificial enhancement, but just an ordinary piece of your kit - like gears and adjustable handlebars

or disc wheels

the fact they allow consumers to connect their smart phone (or watch) to track progress and even track the bike itself in the event it is stolen, will go a long way toward making it a “must have” for many…