ajft

Sadly, although a GPS can tell where it is, it can't tell you where it is if you haven't got it... Stupidly I think I left mine lying on the ground next to the bike when I was leaving work one day this week. The usual routine is to walk outside, turn on the Edge, place the Edge on the top of the sign next to the bike, unlock the bike, put on my helmet and gloves, pick up the Edge and ride off. Since the Edge isn't at home, and isn't at work, and doesn't seem to be in any of my myriad pockets and bags, I'm assuming that I missed that vitally important second-last step and left it sitting on top of the sign outside building 28.

Annoyed that I haven't got it, but over the years it seemed to cause more headaches than it solved; eternally crap USB software, data that seemed to always be half held hostage by Garmin and/or Motionbased, dodgy hardware, faulty buttons, misleading warranty conditions. The amusing thing is that only last week I'd finally managed to convince Garmin that there was a problem with the timezones since they still don't cater for the new Australian daylight savings time!

March 23, 2006 to October 23, 2008, I'd only had it three days when I hit the first of many faults. Thirty-one months, $506.30, one replacement unit at ten months, a second replacement due at another ten months only I found that the warranty wouldn't cover me! I guess that's $16 per month for the fun of tracking most of my bike rides.

Anyway, if you happen to find a Garmin Edge 305 kicking around in a second-hand store or garage sale, serial #37465581, its mine and I guess I wouldn't mind it back.

Thread: last next

That loud 'Whhhooooooosh' sound was the clue-plane going past Monash.
The silence that followed was the sound of clues not arriving.

Bloody typical! Yesterday was “Ride to Work day” and I rode from home — Oakleigh — to Federation square then back to Monash and had a near perfect ride. Maybe it was all the publicity about the cyclist's death last month but everyone seemed to be pretty well behaved (which I always find a miracle on St Kilda rd, whether they're on bikes, on foot, or in cars). Had my coffee and roll and made it back for a slightly latish 9:20 start. Didn't really need a third breakfast at Wholefoods on campus!

This morning, back to the normal ride, straight along North road, carefully and legally not riding in the bus lane since its not yet 9:30am. Cars pass on the right, cars illegally pass on the left. Stopped at the lights at Clayton road with a car on my right and a turning car on my left, and a bus behind on the left. Bus driver calls out the window “Excuse me!” then proceeds to tell me over and over again that I am NOT allowed to ride on the road and MUST ride on the off-road path. “That is your path, over there, this is my lane.” I tried to point out that I was on the road, not in the bus lane and explain that bicycles are legally allowed on the road, she ain't having none of it, louder and louder she tells me I MUST get off the road.

Lights go green and off I go through the intersection, with a continuous, deafening and intimidating blast of the horn she came up behind me and unfortunately I finally got annoyed and gave her the finger, she sped past on my left and I raised my hand up and hit the mirror since it was only about 30cm from my head.

Followed her to Monash bus loop and as I walked up to the bus there were four or five passengers¹ having a huge argument with her loudly complaining about her attacking cyclists and what the hell was she on about. I took her photo and she started yelling that she had video showing that I was attacking her and “road-raging her bus.” Once again she tries shouting that I must use the off road path “it is law” (crap, closest law is VicRoads rule 247 which says you must use an ON-ROAD bicycle lane where provided unless it is impracticable to do so².)

Not Grendas, it was Eastrans this time, driver's name badge says Maryla, 8:45am or so, bus registration 5485-AO.

Happy f'kin birthday to me.

references: 1, 2, 3

1. Talking to one of the passengers later, she said the driver had been in a bad mood all morning and had shouted at her to "turn her music down" on her iPod. I hope she's in a better mood tomorrow, or Monday, or the next time she drives 10 tonne of bus past 100kg of cyclist.

2. there is no on-road bicycle lane so rule 247 does not apply, and anyway, the off-road path is unsuitable for commuting, and is downright dangerous where it crosses side roads and uses a footpath past a primary school that used to be illegal to ride on and that now crosses a McDonald's drive through! Yet another bike path built by VicRoads with the attitude of "get the cyclists off the road" that nobody ever seems to use because it is no use!

REVISITED: 2008-Nov-11: Following a written complaint to the bus company from the University transport office and the Monash University BUG we received a comprehensive apology.

The little paper seems to have a bit too much reliance on automatic spell checkers and too little reliance on human proof reading. Too many times they manage to put gibberish, nonsense or just plain inaccurate information in their RSS feeds, but get it mostly right in the online article. Today takes the cake — albeit somewhat tastelessly:

  Ballesteros brain tumour shock

> from Herald Sun

World News

SPANISH golf legend Seve Ballesteros, a five-time major winner, has been diagnosed with a brain.

Yep, that's all there is to the article, complete with the closing full-stop. Follow the link to the full article and you'll receive a more accurate write up.