Wikipedia Meme

I have been tasked by Mr. Cruft to supply the following information based on what is provided in Wikipedia related to the date of my birth, May 7th.

Here are the instructions:
1. Go to Wikipedia.
2. In the Search box, type your birth month and day (but not year).
3. List three events that happened on your birthday.
4. List two important birthdays and one interesting death.
5. List any holidays
6. Post it.

May 7th – Three Events
1429 – Joan of Arc ends the Siege of Orléans, pulling an arrow from her own shoulder and returning wounded to lead the final charge. The victory marks a turning point in the Hundred Years’ War.
1847 – In Philadelphia, the American Medical Association (AMA) is founded.
1998 – Mercedes-Benz buys Chrysler for US$40 billion and forms DaimlerChrysler in the largest industrial merger in history.

May 7th – Two Births, One Death
(b)1968 – Traci Lords, American actress
(b)1975 – Nicole Sheridan, American porn star
(d)2006 – Lillian Gertrud Asplund, RMS Titanic survivor (b. 1907)

May 7th – Holidays
Russia – Radio Day (commemorating the work of Alexander Popov)
Bulgaria – Radio and Television Day (see above)

4 Things

It appears that my pal “chokersandwich” has called me out to declare 4 things of various categories, so here I goes.

Four jobs I’ve had:

1. Paper boy for the Daily News
2. Sailing Instructor
3.”Stackie” at the research library at UCLA
4. Corporate IT dude at Disney

Four movies I can watch over and over:

1. Napoleon Dynamite
2. A Christmas Story
3. This is Spinal Tap
4. Glengarry Glen Ross

Four places I’ve lived:

1. Helsinki, Finland
2. Ventura, California
3. Mar Vista, California
4. Northridge, California

Four TV shows I love:

1. Daily Show with Jon Stewart
2. House
3. The Office (either one)
4. American Idol (yes, I admit it)

Four highly regarded and recommended TV shows that I’ve never watched a single minute of:

1. Lost
2. Law and Order
3. CSI (Pick your flavor)
4. Pretty much any show on HBO

Four places I’ve vacationed:

1. Tahiti
2. Hawaii
3. Europe
4. Whidbey Island, Washington

Four of my favorite dishes:

1. In ‘n Out
2. spaghetti
3. a good steak
4. sushi

Four sites I visit daily:

1. google
2. Yahoo! News
3. Company internal portal
4. craigslist (okay maybe not daily, but quite a bit)

Four places I would rather be right now:

1. sailing
2. sleeping
3. Whistler, B.C. (never been there, but hear it’s nice)
4. Irish pub drinking beers and playin’ darts.

I believe it is now my duty to pass on the request to other to fill out their favorite fours. Since two of my blogging buddies have already gone, I’m afraid I am at a loss. So I will simply call on one person who desperately needs something new on his site.

VogelCam, the fate of the world rests in your hands.

New Bike

So I may need some help/opinions on what kind of bike I should get to replace the Klein. I’ve been looking at used bikes, but am not finding a great selection. Also, when I’ve purchased used bikes in the past, there was always something not quite right – like swapped parts didn’t fit or something. But you can definitely find some great deals if you don’t mind a few scratches and wear and tear. So I’m thinking of buying new this time. Given that, I don’t really have the $$ to buy an all Dura Ace equiped bike, or probably even Ultegra for that matter, so I’ve been looking at the Felt F75. The retail is about $1399.00, and it’s got a Shimano 105/Ultegra mix.
Now my local bike shop has a Specialized Sequoia Pro, with full Dura Ace that they say they will sell to me for about $1600, which would be a great deal but it is really considered a comfort bike. For non-cyclist, this means they have basically made the bike heavier by equiping with things like bigger tires, comfort seat, handle bars etc. It rides really nice, and I should probably get over the weight of the bike, (I should probably start with my belly), but I can’t get avoid the stigma of the comfort bike.. I’m also not sure about the geometry of the frame – I’m used to a more traditional frame like the on the Felt.
Here are my own personal tips for finding the right road bike:
1. Don’t pinch pennies – you’ll only end up frustrated. Get as much bike as you can, and then get your butt on the saddle and ride. Think of it as a gym membership, that you would actually use.
2. Buy something that is aesthetically pleasing to you. When you spend a lot of money on a bike, half of the enjoyment is pride of ownership. Heck, I know a lot of people that hang their bikes on the wall like art.
3. Make sure you buy from someone you trust, or take someone you trust with you. That way you won’t get sold into something not right for you, or the wrong size.
4. As much as the paint job may be cool, it’s all about the components. Complete bike prices are almost entirely dictated by the componentry – if you know what to look for, that is how you will find great deals. Example – $1600 for the Sequoia mentioned above is pretty darn good considering you’ll spend $1000 just for the Dura Ace components alone. Of course, the key is to find something you think looks cool AND has the match of components you want.
5. Always take the bike for a spin – isn’t that obvious? Make sure you go through all the gears, try the brakes etc. If you have probablems shifting, it might be a sign of poor assembly and a red flag regarding buying from that shop.
6. Don’t pay much attention to the saddle – easy to replace, and you probably will. But definitely don’t base your purchased decision on whether the seat is comfortable. Especially if you are not a regular rider – all saddles will feel uncomfortable.
7. Next to componentry, wheels are probably next most important, especially if you are a big guy like me. Make sure you get wheels that match your style of riding, and your size/weight. But be careful, you can easily spend over $1000 on the wheelset alone if you’re not careful. If you not an advanced rider, you probably won’t know the difference so just make sure you have sturdy enough wheels so they won’t go out of true frequently, requiring adjustment by yourself or your shop.
8. Check the quality of the assembly – that will usually tell a lot about the shop you are buying from. Most bikes are shipped in parts and assembled at the shop. I’ve heard of major probablems like shops installing the fork backwards, but it could be less obvious. You can usually tell by looking at little things like handle bar tape. My local bike shop does a very nice job, well put together. I went into a local REI a couple days ago, and the bikes looked terrible. If they can’t install handle bar tape correctly, what are they going to do with the bottom bracket?
9. Figure out what frame materials you want. These days you can get steel/alloy, aluminum, aluminum/carbon, all carbon, titanium, titanium/carbon (this appears to be very popular these days). These materials will often dictate the price of the bike. All Carbon is expensive to make but produces a comfortable and incredibly light bike. But because the frame is expensive, they usually pair it with a pricey gruppo, like Dura Ace. (Gruppo is what you call the entire set of components). Also, watch out for carbon, because everything is more expensive in carbon, and tends to wear out more quickly. If you are on a budget, Aluminum/carbon mix is probably what you’ll be looking at.
10. Last, but not least, be realisitc about what you can spend and how much you think you’ll be riding. If you are not already an avid road cyclist but looking to get into it, start with something modest, you won’t be able to tell the difference anyway.

If I had an unlimited budget, I think I’d buy this bike. Pre-owned this bike is about $5000. Yes, when the bikes are more expensive they use the term “pre-owned” instead of “used”.