Posts by John Armstrong
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Hard News: When "common sense" isn't, in reply to Ben Gracewood,
here's a sped-up version of my commute home to Te Atatu
Jesus that was nerve-wracking at high speed! It's a miracle that anyone survives biking anywhere other than their own back yard.
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Hard News: When "common sense" isn't, in reply to Richard Wain,
helmets don't stop death. You hit the road or a car with your head, you're fucked.
Na. I hit a car side on (my fault, riding on footpath past driveways), went over the bonnet and landed on my head. Even with a helmet, I cut my eyebrow open and was out for a couple of seconds. Without a helmet, very probably worse. I doubt that mine doing its job was a statistical anomaly.
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Hard News: When "common sense" isn't, in reply to JackElder,
Yep, as you say, it's a minor pain. I'll happily concede that. But, so what? So is getting sweaty on the way to work, finding a place to lock the bike up in town, locking and unlocking, headwinds, slow leaks etc etc. If we are honest, there is lots about biking that is a minor pain. I am just surprised that for some people putting on a vest seems to represent some kind of line in the sand beyond which biking is no longer viable.
Again, not arguing for compulsion, just pointing out what looks like a wee imbalance between the actual level of inconvenience and the response to it.
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Hard News: When "common sense" isn't, in reply to Sacha,
I understand while helmets are good for individual cyclists who do crash, collectively they affect vehicle driver behaviour in a way that increases crashes.
I would be interested to look at the evidence for that.
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Hard News: When "common sense" isn't, in reply to BenWilson,
Video or it didn't happen.
I can do it in 6 if I hurry!
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Hard News: When "common sense" isn't, in reply to JackElder,
You can force all children to be wrapped in bubble wrap (or kevlar?) every time they’re outside
Again, this seems to imply that velcroing a vest on before taking off is grossly impractical, complex, and time-consuming. I just checked: it takes me about 8 seconds to put my vest on, including fishing it out of my bag.
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Hard News: When "common sense" isn't, in reply to Russell Brown,
That would be highly impractical.
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dressing like a Christmas tree. It’s times like these I really, really get close to defaulting to driving
Really? I am in no way arguing for compulsory hi-vis gear but I do find this kind of resistance to the very idea of wearing it surprising. It really isn't that inconvenient. Again, as someone who was probably saved from some serious injuries by a helmet a few years ago, taking what are actually not very onerous precautions is - dare I say it - just common-sense.
Edit: The second comment quoted above is not Russell's.
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Hard News: Friday Music (on a Thursday):…, in reply to JacksonP,
Beck covering Bowie's 'Sound and Vision'
Wow is right. It's not often that you feel proud to be human. That is just wonderful.
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Hard News: Music: In before Christmas, in reply to Ian Dalziel,
The cyclic nature of it all, makes me wonder about the connections, coincidences and holographic distribution of concepts at all levels (and that's just before breakfast)
Can I just say, Ian, that you come across as the most interesting bloke? And, I suspect, a more than useful ally for doing cryptic crosswords.
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Hard News: Music: In before Christmas, in reply to Russell Brown,
there are a few dozen of us who convene every time Bill plays in Auckland, and we're all convinced he's a bloody genius.
About four years ago I was the only person who turned up to see Bill and band (can't recall if it was the Bilders proper) play at Ward Lane Tavern in Hamilton. When it was clear that no-one else was coming I went over to him and let him know that I wouldn't blame him if he would rather not play. He just told me that he enjoyed playing, actually, and basically spent the next hour soaking me, and only me, in glorious warm waves of sparkly dark. At the end he came over and gave me a signed copy of his novel. I strolled home feeling pretty happy with life.