@quixoticgeek@v.st avatar

quixoticgeek

@quixoticgeek@v.st

Geek, Dyke, Brewer, Rider of Bikes, Archer, Quixotic, Generally Curious, Mostly Harmless, she/her

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billyjoebowers, to random
@billyjoebowers@mastodon.online avatar

"I'm looking for a thing..."

Mastodon: "Have you tried building your own out of a cargo bike, a rasberry pi running linux, and Lego?"

quixoticgeek,
@quixoticgeek@v.st avatar

@billyjoebowers plus 50 people telling you which Linux to use...

jon, to random
@jon@gruene.social avatar

Welcome to today's thread - #CrossBorderRail South East Europe Day 08 08 Jun 2024 - Sarajevo - Mostar - Čapljina - Sarajevo

Crossing these borders:
Metković 🇭🇷 - Čapljina 🇧🇦

These borders on the borders map:
https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-all-the-borders_935041#12/43.0612/17.6640

Today's routes on the routes map:
https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-south-east-europe-v9-draft_1053482#9/43.4410/17.9158

quixoticgeek,
@quixoticgeek@v.st avatar

@jon is this similar to how the Ice L will be ?

quixoticgeek, to random
@quixoticgeek@v.st avatar

This phot outlines beautiful. If heartbreakingly, the law of unintended consequences.

Last summer the Dutch government introduced deposit returns for small plastic bottles and cans. A 500ml pet bottle is €0.15, and a can is €0.10. They used the justification of reducing litter this policy.

Reducing litter.

It hasn't worked. In fact it's made the problem worse. This isn't the fault of the idea of a deposit return system on small drinks containers. But in the implementation. Thread time. 1/n

quixoticgeek,
@quixoticgeek@v.st avatar

People aren't going to bother to take a bus if it runs only once and hour, and they can't use it to get home late. Or if it only goes to the city centre. Make it run frequently, make it go to places people want to go, and it will be used. Induced demand is real, Highway engineers have known about it for decades. But with public transport, it's like we stand by the river with a clipboard counting the swimmers.

12/n

quixoticgeek,
@quixoticgeek@v.st avatar

I ended up carrying that bottle for 160km on my bike and returning it with my other empties as part of a normal grocery shop. But most people won't do that. Further on that cycle trip, I bought a bottle of the same drink from the same brand of gas station in Germany. Drank it all, handed it back, and got 25c in coins. It was easy, it was quick. It worked as intended.

The system as it is in .NL needs to be changed such that all places selling bottles/cans with deposit, must accept returns.

6/n

quixoticgeek,
@quixoticgeek@v.st avatar

(This is compounded even more so by the fact that for many a heating system is a distress purchase, and they don't have the ability to make a planned and thought out purchase, but that's a different thread).

Public transport is another example. Many people would happily take public transport to work so they don't have to sit in traffic jams. But they aren't going to do so if it's more expensive. Takes longer, doesn't run frequently enough, or stops too early.

10/n

quixoticgeek,
@quixoticgeek@v.st avatar

To try and tie this thread up.

People generally want to do the right thing, but they won't if doing so is much more difficult than doing something else. So we need to design our systems and infrastructure to make it easy to do the right thing.

Just as Amanda Palmer in her excellent ted talk said (roughly paraphrased) "Don't ask how do we make people pay for music, ask how do we let them pay for music?".

Ask yourself how do we make it easy for people to do the right thing?

13/13

quixoticgeek, to random
@quixoticgeek@v.st avatar

Rather than banning phones for kids in school, why doesn't school include lessons in how to use a mobile phone... Stuff like "hold it to your ear, rather than in front of you like a very small empty drinks tray. And don't use the speaker functionality on public... etc...

quixoticgeek, to random
@quixoticgeek@v.st avatar

Walking back from Voting earlier I noticed this interesting contraption on the pavement.

The first thing I saw was the solar panel, so I initially wondered if it was an ebike charging station. I crossed the road to have a closer look.

It's not a charging station. I couldn't see any power outlets. So what is it?

It's another attempt by some designer to "innovate" in the bike parking space.

The intention is kinda sound. Dense bike storage in min space. What's not to like? Thread time

1/n

quixoticgeek, to random
@quixoticgeek@v.st avatar

Why is it so damn hard to find an M4 tap that can tap all the way to the bottom of a blind hole? :(

quixoticgeek, to random
@quixoticgeek@v.st avatar

Next week I leave my housemate in charge of my triffid collection, and head out for a couple of weeks of interrailing. I've planned the first half of the trip, crossing 7 borders with over a dozen trains in the first week.

But now I need to make the hardest decision of the trip planning.

Which books shall I take with me ?

quixoticgeek, to random
@quixoticgeek@v.st avatar

Horogist walks into the room late saying "What did you want to talk about?"
I look up. "Well it's about time"

quixoticgeek, to random
@quixoticgeek@v.st avatar

All riders finished in the time limit. I'm now home. Ooph that was a long day.

quixoticgeek, to random
@quixoticgeek@v.st avatar

Sat at the finish of the the 600km Audax we organised this weekend. Have 3 riders remaining to finish. They have 2 hours left until the time limit.

quixoticgeek, to random
@quixoticgeek@v.st avatar

Wtf France. Wtf.

quixoticgeek, to random
@quixoticgeek@v.st avatar

Two people just cycled past on 3 bikes...

quixoticgeek, to random
@quixoticgeek@v.st avatar

Why do I have a craving for cheese?

quixoticgeek, to random
@quixoticgeek@v.st avatar

I made a thing! Based on the designs of Chris of Clickspring, and Quinn of Blondihacks. One simple scribe. Solid brass body with a needle for the tip.

Learnt loads. Esp that I need better inserts for brass, the surface finish is... suboptimal. I may attack it with some emery paper later.

quixoticgeek, to random
@quixoticgeek@v.st avatar

Lots of people got off at Haarlem. So I can finally sit. And then another hoard got on so it's standing room only again. Sigh

quixoticgeek, to random
@quixoticgeek@v.st avatar

What a surprise. The train is standing room only

quixoticgeek, to random
@quixoticgeek@v.st avatar

NS is running half as many IC trains between Amsterdam and Leiden. And no sprinters. So of course the trains they are running are only 4 car VIRM. To maximise the fuck you to passengers...

quixoticgeek, to random
@quixoticgeek@v.st avatar

Got 4 hours sleep. Got up, cycled 2km. Waved off 20 riders at the start of a 600km bike ride. Cycled 2km home. Now back in bed. Gonna get another 3 hours sleep I think. Riders have 40 hours to complete the ride. So I don't have to be back at the finish until tomorrow. After a nap, I hear the workshop calling me.

quixoticgeek, to random
@quixoticgeek@v.st avatar

I just remembered I have sausages and bacon in the fridge. Guess what I'm having for dinner

quixoticgeek, to random
@quixoticgeek@v.st avatar

Getting out of bed would be so much easier if it wasn't for that Newton bloke...

quixoticgeek, to random
@quixoticgeek@v.st avatar

Solved the backpack problem. Got this black diamond pack. Was on sale, and pretty reasonably priced. Now I need to get a rain cover for it.

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