@ruari@velocipederider.com

ruari

@ruari@velocipederider.com

I commute via :unicycle:, 🛴, "halfbike" or :penny_farthing: because they are great fun! But I love all types of cycles.

I also like minimalist tech: non-smartphones, old school digital watches, Slackware, Gemini/Gopher.

I feel very strongly that if you use a "free service" and enjoy it you should donate to its up keep.

He/him/his [cis ally 🏳️‍🌈]

P.S. I work for @Vivaldi

#cycling #unicycle #unicyclist #PennyFarthing #Halfbike #fedi22 #VivaldiBrowser searchable

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ruari, to random

On my way to fetch my cargobike following a service. The bike shop we use for these services is about 1 hour away by unicycle (assuming 16km/h or 10mph) but actually it is a nice little route. A lot of it is stuff like this or alongside the river.

Point of view of a rider as he moves along a gravel path with lots of trees and other greenery. The camera turns around slowly and shows a bearded man with a helmet. Then it pans down to show he is riding a unicycle.

ruari,

Cargobike achievement unlocked.

ruari,

@sarajw no not new. It was just in for a service and I was picking it up after that. I have owned it for a few years and had a different one before that.

Our little family is car free. Had a cargobike of some form for at least a decade and before that I was all about the bike trailers. Both for kids and goods. 😉

ruari, to random

It's 4.60 already!? This day is flying by.

#CasioCult #SensorWatch #DecimalTime #DecimalWatch #WristCheck

ruari, to random

Since I worked late on a security update to @Vivaldi, I'm having a late start today.

Ahhh… This is the life!

kev, to random
@kev@fosstodon.org avatar

@ruari every time I see your screen name, I think “there goes velociraptor”.

I can’t unsee is now, I’m sorry (but not really). 🦖

ruari,

@kev Ok I altered my display name. Better or worse? 🤪

ruari, to random

So many train tickets. So, so many train tickets. 🚆

I am booking our family holidays. Norway to the UK and a bunch of travelling around the UK.

This is the third such holiday where the vast majority of travel has been on trains.

ruari,

@42 I am not an expert but we are on to our third time doing this recently and actually, already there are so many little things I could probably say. I almost feel like I should write a blog post. Though no doubt others already have and done it better. I will rattle off a few things off the top of my head in no particular order

Firstly, you most likely know about it but

• Checkout https://www.seat61.com/ as it is awesome!

ruari,

@42

• Don't panic, delays/problems can usually be worked around (e.g. high speed rail operators often have agreements in place for delays).
• Keep journeys just a few hours (unless night train) to avoid boredom (this depends on you and your kids of course)
• Longer changes can be good allow you to refresh and maybe even see something of a town/city (even if only next to the station) and they are less stressful if there are delays or problems you need to fix

ruari,

@42

• Sometimes fewer changes are better even if technically longer (less points of failure due to delays and less stress moving between trains)
• Book seat reservations even if you are not required to, if you want to ensure you sit together (though they do lock you more to a given route)
• When planning a route (that I intend to stick to) I always book the train first and then hotels (the other way around and you risk discovering a train is full or expensive and cannot be booked)

ruari,

@42

• If your kids like that sort of a thing, occasional card games can be fun and cards are small to carry
• Good backpacks are normally easier for this kind of travel, since getting on and off and dealing with stairs and the like can be a hassle with a suitcase
• Pack light. If you can go "really minimal" the "Micro-scooter Luggage" and similar are awesome and I would override my previous backpack suggestion for them. My youngest has used a young kids equivalent

ruari,

@42

• Paying a little extra for flexibility might be worth it
• Make sure you have travel insurance or failing that, at least book with a credit card that has some level of insurance/protection built in
• If not using actual "Interrail" passes, try and book from fewer operators, e.g. I have used Deutsch Bahn for tickets from Denmark all the way to Belgium. Contacting a single company is easier in the event of problems

ruari,

@42

• Install the app of the local public transit operator you are travelling with, even if you do have interrail because the official app for that operator is more likely to have accurate information
• If you are not using actual Interrail I would still install the Interrail app anyway. It is rough around the edges but works as a nice route planner to give you and overview.

ruari,

@42

• If buying individual tickets, read up on discount schemes, e.g. in the UK a "Friends and Family Railcard" costs only £30 but you get third off most adult rail fares and 60% off kids for a year. You can often make your £30 back in a single trip!

ruari,

@42 Probably so many more but this is what you get for now.

By the way, I sort of talk a lot about problem mitigation but actually I have only had very minor issues and could always work them out. So yeah, do not read too much into that! 😉

ruari,

@42

• Services like https://stasher.com are pretty good if you need to leave your bags somewhere for a while while you look around a city that you do not have accomodation in (or even if you do have accomodation and need to leave them early)

ruari,

@lgsp I am always interested in such things. thanks will check it out properly when next at my computer!

@plactagonic

ruari, to random

If it was not for work I would likely not have noticed the Bing outage (they and Qwant, Escosia, DDG are Vivaldi partners).

Personally still using Kagi despite certain issues. It is not perfect but the current "least bad" option for me.

That said, if you want something truely indendent… @Mojeek

Not perfect either but certainly workable for many uses and they just seem like a cool bunch trying to make something special.

If we have more outages, at least give them a try! 👍

ruari,

I do wish @Mojeek offered a paid option (no ads at all), Kagi style. Even if they kept the ad option by default.

ruari, to random

I hate commuting in. It is so awful cruising along in the warm sun eating an ice cream as I coast through Oslo looking at the sites.

Poor me.

Hand holding a half eaten icecream. In the background is the road with a shadow from a wheel.

ruari,

I sometimes look at cars stuck in traffic as I ride past them, free as a bird and think about how they were tricked with adverts in strangely empty cities, showing the freedom they would get with their new box of metal.

They choose poorly, unicycle commutes are the true freedom. 😉

ruari,

"But Ruari", you might say, "that is all well and good on a sunny day. How happy are you unicycle commuting when it rains or it's cold?"

Actually, yeah I am still pretty happy to be honest. I would take my raining and winter unicycle commutes over a car journey any day!

Man riding a unicycle in the rain with an umbrella

ruari,

But I am sure this is fun too. 🤷

ruari,

A typical car comercial. In all shots of the car driving, there is not another single car around anywhere at all. Even in the city it is completely sterile. Like you are driving around in a dream/simulation or … perhaps after a zombie apocalypse? 🤔

How are these ads even legal. They are a total fucking lie. You are promised the freedom of driving around on empty roads at high speed but the reality will be traffic or frustration from the person who cut in front of you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUJGWT6xCao

ruari,

@ottaross I'm up for it!

But I say it should be written on the side of the car itself.

All the SUVs can have "potential child killer" written on them. That might ruin some of their popularity for the school run.

ruari,

@HyL Nice bike. Appears to be a "Standard High Wheels" model like my own.

@tty84 @Currens_felis

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