zen.org Communal Weblog

This weekend I watched a beautiful dance making its own music and moving in perfect harmony. All of it happened in a clean and healthy green park in Ireland with the rich blue of Dublin Bay as its backdrop. Our four year-old son P was one of the performers proudly sitting astride his bicycle.

We gave it to him for his birthday last month. He’d been using a tricycle for a long time, but really enjoyed a “grown-up” bike (with training wheels) when we were in the US. It seemed to make sense for him to have something similar in Ireland, since he’d pretty much lost interest in using his ever-shrinking tricycle. He’d ridden on it a few times, but not for very long.

About a week ago he took a turn on the corner too sharply and fell off. Despite my efforts, he refused to get back on and instead chose to push the bike for the rest of the time. I didn’t know what to expect.

On Saturday we spent a good two hours over in the park. It gave me lots of free exercise trying to keep up and let P increase his confidence as a bike-rider. Plenty of other kids around the park with bicycles made him feel driven to take part. While he insisted he only wanted to push his bike around, soon enough he was again willing to sit on the seat and pedal himself along.

P caught sight of one boy near his own age on a bike quite like his: flame red, same tires, same training wheels. Turning around, P made a point of riding by him a couple of times. Rider #2 did the same sort of exercise, driving in a wide loop along the different walking areas to reach a common point. On a third pass, P (now Rider #1) used a thumb to make his bicycle bell ring out: brrrring, brrrring. His compatriot quickly responded with his own: brrrring. Both boys got silly grins on their faces as they spread further apart.

They raced around the park for a good hour like this, but none of the movements were truly random. Instead, they took the form of an intricately coordinated exercise using a pattern of signals and movements they both understood (but, as I will only continue to learn as he grows older, I could only begin to grasp it).

At one point they rode next to each other down one of the wider paths. I immediately had a flashback to when I was about 10 years old. John Starkey and I were Ponch and Jon from the television show, CHiPs, racing our bikes up and down the “old road”, a stretch of aging tarmac through our really small Maine town. I still hold those memories with great fondness, and can’t wait to see P have the same sort of fun with friends he’s still yet to meet.

The two professional bicyclists did a wide circle together around one of the larger water fountains, followed by a perfectly executed merge of paths on the other side. Separating down other paths, each looking back with curiosity as though asking, Where are you going? As they swung around to head up a path, some sort of signal was exchanged. The agreement was to park by a small step that goes up onto a raised bit of grass. Each dismounted and began to check his gears, make sure chains were tight, and check the tires for air.

Satisfied their pit-stop was a success, they mounted their hogs and continued the journey across the park. I expected them to call out to each other over the noise of their engines in a new version of Easy Rider. Away they went, their bikes not too far away for me to hear periodic laughter and calls of vroom, vroom.

Finally, the performance had to finish. P’s new friend went back to the dad who’d also been in the background, waiting patiently on a bench and watching the exchange. With a comfortable nod and smile across the distance, the other father and I acknowledged our small role in what our children had just completed.

As he saw his playmate leaving, P looked a little disappointed that the fun was over. But it didn’t stop him—we were there for another half-hour before finally going home ourselves.

When we’d parked his bike back at our house and were inside taking off our jackets, I asked P if he enjoyed all of his biking today.

“Yup!” he shot right back, his beautiful eyes glowing brightly. “And Dad, thanks for giving me the bike for my birthday. I really like it!”

It’s time to walk away from that dirty bus station bathroom. Leave the pimp behind.

Brilliant.

Thanks Feithy.

[tags]Mediagirl, Feith, politics[/tags]

Karlin Lillington, a tech writer based in Dublin and one of the best in Ireland, wrote an article in the Irish Times about the crappy way the EU rushed through the data retention scheme and how ultimately embarassing it is for all of us. Luckily, since the IT is a pay site, Karlin posted it to her blog as well. Good on ya. Someone that the gov might actually listen to, considering they’re not listening to the average Joe on this one.

I always like the concept of USENET, Gnutellia, Podcasts, et alia. No central control. Even if the creators, corporate backers, et alia, should go away they will still continue. Look at those chumps that liked NeXT, BeOS, et alia, *puff*, they are gone. If Mr. Torvold, Mr. Stallman, et alia, fell into one of Mr. Dunderbeck’s machine GNU/Linux would still go on.

So, I missed an Internet cultural revolution. Online communities of people I’ve never met with easy to use interfaces (sorry USENET). I’ve had a few online acquaintance but they have all faded out after a time. I skipped things like Frapper, MySpace, et alia, as they have central control. I was listening to a Podcast the other day, and the announcer asked me to put myself on his Frapper map. *click*, *click*…*type*, *type*, a little pin over Yardley, PA, USA (er Morrisville, PA, stupid shared Zip Code) with my name on it was now there.

I day or so later Frapper sent me email, The following members have joined since you last checked .... A few hours after that username from location would like to be your friend. “Lemonade? I made it just for you!” Was this friend I cry in the dark for help? A lonely soul grasping at the last vestiges of hope to a stranger who listened to the same Podcast? No, it was some band trying to promote themselves. I guess they got the email The following members have joined since you last checked\nSven Heinicke. Plus, when I visit my Frapper account it tells me “Currently you do not have any friends.” Now I’m depressed, perhaps on my last vestiges of hope and should reach out to strangers who listen to the same Podcast as I. Perhaps I should start a band?

Well, I haven’t tried to remove my Frapper account yet, and the band did have some cool songs on there MySpace page. I’m considering making this band my friend. That way I will not be reminded that I “do not have any friends.” Sigh.

I apologize in advance.

I get a pretty steady supply of suggested links for The Kids on the Web, a collection of Web pages I started back in 1995 (10 years ago, my goodness I can’t handle some of these realizations). Not all of the email is constructive. Some is just plain silly. For example, today I was asked to link to a site where my “kids” could “Explore a worldwide directory of MBA programs and business schools that includes admission tips, scholarship links, and glossary of terms.” MBA? The Master of Business Administration degree doesn’t seem to really be in line with more than 99% of what my site is offering.

I wrote back with the simple question, “What age group of children do you believe would find these of interest? ” The response was one of the most entertaining yet.

Dear my friend.
well they can find about 12 age.
I would like to exchange link with you.
please let me know if you are agree.

Since I’ve yet to meet a 12 year-old with a focus on getting their MBA, I wrote back with the brief response, “No thank you.”

I’ve been using GNU Emacs built from CVS at work. About once a month I update the files and rebuild. Today I rebuilt it, first time since 2005-11-30, and space no longer does file name completion, tab does. When I think about it this is a better idea, but I’ve been hitting space since Widener, when Gopher was popular.

My Dad quit smoking, after pneumonia and a week of almost never getting out of bed because felt like crap. I guess I can switch from space to tab.

Over on
waiterrant.net there’s a checklist, from a waiter, on how to order wine without looking like an idiot (well, he used a different word, but you get the drift).

Well put, almost all of it. I always thought you were supposed to smell the cork tho….someone correct me?

P’s decided daddy-long legs spiders are okay. He asked me to keep him company in the bathroom because of a spider in the corner. When we got there, I explained they’re like Grampy Spiders who are just fishing for bugs.

He looked me right in the eye. “Does it have a fishing rod?”

I told him the web was like a bunch of fishing poles all out waiting for bugs to show up. He nodded in agreement as he put further thought to the brilliance of this approach, and continued back into the dining room to play. At the time, I wondered if he’d use the bathroom by himself next time now that he knows old Grampy’s not the swiftest.

About half an hour later, he got up and went back to the bathroom, peed, flushed, and came back into the room. Not a word spoken.

I hope this sort of thing sticks…

I’d like to get a new one. I don’t like the Motorola interface, really. I do like Nokia’s, but I haven’t played around with many other phones. I can get an upgrade from Vodafone now…

I was looking at the Nokia 6820 (aka E70). I like to text, but I like querty more :-). A good camera is helpful. MP3 option…eh. No biggie for me. Sync’ing with OSX would be good (but I have to research more on that). I don’t want a PIM, cause I have a Filofax that I love.

What are your favorite phones? Why? Help me out here!!

Elana