Cycling UK Forum

Biospace wrote: ↑21 Apr 2023, 12:28pmorthodox medicine.

How would define unorthodox medicine?

irc wrote: ↑15 Apr 2023, 5:31pmWhy take a chance on an untested expensive heat pump system involving replacing all radiators with larger ones…?

“Untested” is perhaps unfair and it is surely not necessarily the case that all radiators need replacing?

I have a second bike I can put Marathon Winter Studs on. I tend nowadays only to put one on the front since that’s by far the most important for safety.

Unusually, commuting in the recent “cold” spell, I persevered with my unequipped normal road bike but I walked the short distance over the one severely icy section at the bottom of a steep, un-gritted, valley river crossing.

Most of the roads I use are gritted but that by no means guarantees they are safe - I’ve had a few unexpected slips, so in general I recommend studded tyres.

Bmblbzzz wrote: ↑20 Jan 2023, 11:16pm Anyway:

"The move from a structuralist account…
…of the rearticulation of power."

Professor Judith Butler

So what does it mean?

I can't precisely say, because I'm not a student of either structuralism or Althusserian theory. If I was or you were, we'd be the sort of people that sentence is aimed at and we'd understand it. But I'll have a go anyway, because I like a linguistic challenge!
There is a view that relations between people and groups in society are fairly uniform, and that this uniformity is due to capital. This view is outdated. The more modern view is that society is a hegemony, that is, power is concentrated in one group. Relations within society in this model are constantly changing, being broken and remade. The move from the old view to the modern view has made it important to consider the limited lifespan of these relations. In the modern view, social structures can no longer be thought of as theoretical and settled. Instead, they are full of changing possibilities due to the constantly changing social relations we mentioned a couple of sentences ago. Now, please read the Wikipedia page for Althusser.

ChatGPT offers this:
People used to think that money and power were distributed in similar ways throughout society, but now they think that power relations can change and be reorganized in different ways. This change in thinking also made people consider how time affects these power structures and it moved away from a theory that saw society as a whole to one that focuses on specific and changeable ways power is used.

Even when provided with parking bays, the temptation is sometimes too great:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/tdvjnBMXddfCAcV97?g_st=im

Small 3 bed end terrace (1960)
2021 / 2022 usage:
Gas 8447 / 5854 kWh
Electricity 2038 / 1833 kWh
No car.

The drop in gas usage will be partly down to turning the thermostat down by 1 degree last winter and wearing an extra layer, and also adding more insulation in the loft.

PH wrote: ↑12 Dec 2022, 8:22pm

PedallingSquares wrote: ↑12 Dec 2022, 5:51pm Thermostat currently set at 22° but will be set to 25° if this cold spell continues!

Why? If your thermostat is working properly what difference does the external temperature make. Doesn't the heating compensate by staying on longer? If not, what's the purpose of a thermostat?

The colder the outside, the greater the temperature gradients inside so it’s not as irrational as often implied to turn up the thermostat in colder weather. There are a lot of complicating factors including where the thermostat is positioned and how well balanced the heating sources are.

Personally, I’m more likely to turn the thermostat down in the coldest weather to save energy.

Cugel wrote: ↑9 Dec 2022, 9:22pm

cycle tramp wrote: ↑9 Dec 2022, 7:51pm .....should I try and use both sides of the toilet paper in an attempt to prevent world deforestation?

Get a bidet. It might be a Frenchy idea but a good squoit of your ejector is a lot cleaner than using them paper muck spreaders!

I installed a hose next to my loo to do the same job.

I have a friend who expresses a dislike for cyclists, partly (he claims) because he believes they make his job (recycling collector) more difficult, but there’s definitely something else going on. He seems to associate cycling with a social class - educated, liberal a bit lefty and green - that he is antagonistic towards, I think because he has an inferiority complex (I would never suggest that to him). It may be partly my fault .

KieranC wrote: ↑27 Aug 2022, 1:13amI generally just don’t enjoy the type of body movements when you walk, if that makes sense. Becomes tiring rather quick, even if I have done the same route once every week or two for multiple years.

I do a few multi-day treks each year. I find walking quickly becomes tiring when the scenery is dull so I can understand this.

Bmblbzzz wrote: ↑21 Aug 2022, 9:14am And on the secondary question of thanking drivers for waiting, I generally do. It's not an act of subservience, most drivers do it too.

I guess if you’re someone who gives thanks generally you might be annoyed by someone who doesn’t.

Perhaps my attitude is partly shaped by my experience being limited to cycling only, and probably also partly a personality trait. I do thank people for waiting behind parked cars and the like - I will consider doing the same at chicanes, even though many drivers are only reluctantly giving way.

horizon wrote: ↑19 Aug 2022, 10:08pm

Phileas wrote: ↑19 Aug 2022, 7:47pm *This is just a mini rant really. As a cycle commuter of over 27 years experience I’m used to motorist silliness

I guessed that was your basic attitude and I think it's the right one - just get over it, as they say, and we do.

But these priority chicanes are an interesting case in point. I certainly assert my right to go through and what I quite like doing is waving my thanks to the waiting motorist as I pass them. I don't need to but it's a nice way of expressing thanks for their respect of cyclists' rights. In fact, most of the time the cars do pull up IME.

My lack of acknowledgment may indeed be an aggravating factor but showing gratitude in that particular situation (i.e. when there’s a give way line) seems almost grovelling. I wonder, do motorists (I don’t drive) generally give thanks for that?

And I admit that probably more than half of drivers do give way.

This is a chicane I negotiate during my commute:
https://goo.gl/maps/jmGhsH1kh7rtLjCp7

On my way home, heading south, I have priority which I generally claim by riding in primary position (except when north-heading drivers pre-empt me) and I occasionally get abuse for my assertiveness (e.g. this Wednesday).

Obviously trying to intimidate other road users is unlawful but is there any justification for frustration on the part of drivers who clearly think the give way rule doesn’t apply to cyclists?*



*This is just a mini rant really. As a cycle commuter of over 27 years experience I’m used to motorist silliness

I said bell only but my commuting bike is currently lacking a bell so at the moment I just tend to hope pedestrians notice me somehow.

When it comes to physics, I far prefer Jim Al Khalili to the other usual suspect (whom I find unwatchable).

Having said that, I find very few science programs on tv watchable anyway. It’s much easier to do history and not talk down to a well informed audience, even though they still often do.