Paris' Bike Rental System A Global Revolution for City Cycling?

(from BikesBelong)

In July 2007, a short-term bike rental program called Vélib debuted in Paris. Designed and created by outdoor advertising giant JCDecaux, the program includes 20,600 rental bikes at 1,451 stations throughout the city, providing an inexpensive, convenient way for people to use bikes for short trips.

The response has been amazing. Parisians and visitors alike are using the bikes in huge numbers, racking up 11 million trips by November 2007. A bike rental is free for the first 30 minutes, approximately $1.50 for the next half hour, and incrementally more expensive for longer periods. This tiered price structure makes the bikes appealing for short-term trips but discourages users from keeping them overnight, ensuring a ready supply throughout the city.

The Paris program has revolutionized bicycling in the city. As word spreads of its success—and of other programs in Lyon, Barcelona, Vienna, and Berlin—cities worldwide are taking notice. Portland, Oregon; San Francisco, California; Washington, D.C.; and Chicago, Illinois, are just a few of the U.S. cities expressing interest in creating similar programs.

To help spread the word, Bikes Belong created a short video about the Paris program. Check it out to see the bike system in action and learn more about how it works.

Bikes Belong Vélib Video: approximately 4:49

Bikes Belong presents: Velib from Bikes Belong Coalition on Vimeo

Read these articles to learn more about how Vélib is inspiring cities worldwide.

New York Times: Finding Liberté on Two Wheels

Economist: Vive la Vélorution!

BusinessWeek: Paris Bike Rental Scheme Goes Global

AFP Wire: European-Style Bike-Sharing Programs Head to U.S.

test of the ScribeD firefox plugin

This is a test of BlogD.  No problem.

Includes zemanta

Write to a Google Spreadsheet from a Python script

Write to a Google Spreadsheet from a Python script: "Write to a Google Spreadsheet from a Python script

Suppose you want to write to a Google Spreadsheet from a Python script. Here’s an example spreadsheet that you might want to update from a script:"


#!/usr/bin/python

import time
import gdata.spreadsheet.service

email = 'youraccount@gmail.com'
password = 'yourpassword'
weight = '180'
# Find this value in the url with 'key=XXX' and copy XXX below
spreadsheet_key = 'pRoiw3us3wh1FyEip46wYtW'
# All spreadsheets have worksheets. I think worksheet #1 by default always
# has a value of 'od6'
worksheet_id = 'od6'

spr_client = gdata.spreadsheet.service.SpreadsheetsService()
spr_client.email = email
spr_client.password = password
spr_client.source = 'Example Spreadsheet Writing Application'
spr_client.ProgrammaticLogin()

# Prepare the dictionary to write
dict = {}
dict['date'] = time.strftime(’%m/%d/%Y’)
dict['time'] = time.strftime(’%H:%M:%S’)
dict['weight'] = weight
print dict

entry = spr_client.InsertRow(dict, spreadsheet_key, worksheet_id)
if isinstance(entry, gdata.spreadsheet.SpreadsheetsList):
print “Insert row succeeded.”
else:
print “Insert row failed.”

That’s it. Run the script to append a new row to the current spreadsheet. By the way, if you make a chart from the spreadsheet data, you can right-click on the chart, select “Publish chart…” from the menu, and get a snippet of HTML to copy/paste that will embed the chart on a web page. It will look like this:

That’s a live image served up by Google, and when the spreadsheet gets new data, the image should update too.

Rochester's ARTWalk 2: Growing in every direction | Daily Record (Rochester, NY) | Find Articles at BNET

Rochester's ARTWalk 2: Growing in every direction |

The City of Rochester will use designated federal stimulus funds to extend ARTWalk in every direction and improve University Avenue, Mayor Robert J. Duffy announced late last week.

The permanent urban art trail connects arts centers and public spaces in Rochester's Neighborhood of the Arts.

ARTWalk was one of 59 projects statewide to receive some of $81 million in federal money designated for non-traditional transportation. Roch-ester received $3,839,000.

...

The project plans also include extended sections of artistic sidewalk trails along University Avenue to the west, and on Goodman Street; a raised pedestrian crosswalk along North Goodman to create a safe connection between the art trail and Village Gate; a new artistic bus shelter for RTS buses at College Avenue and Goodman Street.

...

A pedestrian welcome plaza at the corner of University and North Goodman on the Memorial Art Gallery grounds will offer seating, lighting, iconic public art and interpretive elements, the city announced.

...

Since ARTWalk began in 2000, neighborhood housing prices in- creased by 30 percent, and crime has dropped, according to the city.

quirky home | learn_more

quirky home | learn_more

quirky is a social product development company. Your product ideas come in, our community works on them, we sell your product worldwide, and 30¢ of every dollar brought in gets distributed amongst you and the product's influencers.

• 

  You have a product idea... Go ahead, drop the $99 and post your [non-electronic product] idea on quirky...

• 

  Our quirky community takes it from there. ... If you get them on your side, they’ll vote your product in, make you that week’s winner, and it’s onto...

• 

  This is where the professionals get involved. So turn over the reigns to our top guns of industrial design and mechanical engineering. They take your idea, create a 2D sketch of it, kick that baby into 3D, and come up with a shelf-ready photorealistic image, complete with packaging...

• 

  And the whole time, the community’s still got your back. ... Everyone gets to weigh in on everything - your product’s design, name, packaging, color scheme, kitchen sink, etc.l...

• 

  Yep, sell it. Virtually at first - based on your product’s price point, we’ll determine just how many units we need to pre-sell before we can really go the distance. Our community’s been on your side all along, surely they want what you’ve created with their help...and then they’ll tell 10 people...and they’ll tell 10 people...and they’ll...

• 

  Once your number’s up...it’s on. Plants will manufacture, trucks will be loaded, truckers will pop Vivarin, products will be delivered, and eventually...you’ll find yourself walking down the street one day, minding your own business, possibly thinking up your next great scheme, when...seemingly out of nowhere...you spot someone rocking the product *you* (ahem - with a little quirky help) invented.

• 

  he deal is this: 30¢ of every dollar your product earna friendly split between you, the ideator, and your band of merry influencers. Of course you’ll be the top earner - we’re not Marxists here - These funds will be available within a few minutes of our daily report, and accessible via our quirky-issued kluster debit card, which can be used at ATMs worldwide. Boom!

Serve.gov | Getting Started | Public Lands Stewardship: Tips: Public Lands Stewardship

Serve.gov | Getting Started | Public Lands Stewardship: Tips: Public Lands Stewardship

• Prevent water erosion and other natural damage
• Water is a trail’s worst enemy. Storms can wash out trails and sever tree limbs, blocking a trail or making it unsafe for hikers. Even normal levels of rainfall can cause erosion and have long term effects on a trail.
• In 2007, The United States Forest Service published the Trail Construction and Maintenance Notebook. is a beginner’s manual for building or maintaining a sustainable trail. At a minimum, all trail construction or maintenance volunteers should review the Forest Service Notebook before participating in a trail project.

• Get local guidance
• Some local trail groups may provide volunteers additional training tailored for their geography or climate conditions. If there are no groups in your area, more in-depth training is available through non-governmental organizations. The Professional Trail Builders Association For a more hands-on experience, the International Mountain Bicycling Association travels the country conducting Trail-building Schools.

www.athenaaktipis.com - C. Athena Aktipis

www.athenaaktipis.com - C. Athena Aktipis: "C. Athena Aktipis

Cooperation, Cognition and Agent-Based Modeling

How do individuals navigate the complex problems associated with social living? What kinds of cognitive and behavioral systems underlie decisions to cooperate with others or to leave a group? My work has investigated these questions through evolutionary agent-based simulations, focusing especially on simple rules underlying cooperation and social movement such as the Walk Away strategy.

News

May 12, 2009: Athena Aktipis's interactive learning tools are featured in David Sloan Wilson's blog at the Huffington Post. Wilson says: 'Athena's teaching method gives students a visceral feel for the generality of multilevel selection... William D. Hamilton, the legendary founder of inclusive fitness theory (dubbed kin selection by John Maynard Smith), required several years and lots of math to reach the same conclusion.'"

The Limits of Control - Happy Days Blog - NYTimes.co

The Limits of Control - Happy Days Blog - NYTimes.com

Studies show that people feel more confident they’ll win at dice if they toss the dice themselves than if others toss them [2], and that they are likely to bet more money if they make their wager before the dice are tossed than afterward (where the outcome has been concealed)[3]. They’ll value a lottery ticket more if they can choose it than if it is given to them at random[4]. And in a well-known 1975 study in which Yale University students were asked to predict the results of coin tosses, a significant number of presumably intelligent Yalies believed their performance could improve through practice, and would have been hampered if they’d been distracted.[5] In each of these situations, the subjects knew that the enterprises in which they were engaged were unpredictable and beyond their control. When questioned, for example, none of the lottery players said they believed that being allowed to choose their card influenced their probability of winning. Yet on a deep, subconscious level they must have felt it did, because they behaved as if it did.

This is a test of blog.gears

This is a test

Grow Straight Bamboo

Grow Straight Bamboo
Originally uploaded by Jon Schull

Vertical farming meets bamboo bike building (and other applications that need REALLY straight bamboo).


The most difficult part of building the frame was to find quality bamboo rods. It took me much more time than the building itself. I visited several dealers in near surroundings and I tried to find appropriate rods of the necessary diameters from huge amount of bamboo. Finally I found a few rods I wanted, but frankly said, next time I build such a frame, I'll rather grow my own bamboo or fly to Asia for it. -- BME - Brano Meres

electric motorcycles and scooters

electric motorcycles and scooters


the rider
the rider is an electric trike designed by israili designer elisha wetherhorn. the super-light design is collapsible and boasts a small electric motor that can power the bike up to 15kph for around 4 hours. The aluminum frame of the trike keeps it light, weighing only 14 kg. the design even manages to squeeze in regenerative braking to keep its 24 volt battery powered up on a trip. the unique two-wheeled back allows the rider to carve turns, giving the trike optimal stability.

Trik.E : 3-Wheeled Single Seater Vehicle by Eric Stoddard | Future Technology

Trik.E : 3-Wheeled Single Seater Vehicle by Eric Stoddard | Future Technology

BME - Brano Meres

BME - Brano Meres

The most difficult part of building the frame was to find quality bamboo rods. It took me much more time than the building itself. I visited several dealers in near surroundings and I tried to find appropriate rods of the necessary diameters from huge amount of bamboo. Finally I found a few rods I wanted, but frankly said, next time I build such a frame, I'll rather grow my own bamboo or fly to Asia for it.

Concept Design: ubicycle | CONTINUUM

Concept Design: ubicycle | CONTINUUM

02. ubicycle > ubicycle Public Bicycle Service System The Ubicycle service is composed of three primary elements. First, is an easy access key card that can be charged with funds for any kind of public transportation, including trains and buses. Smart chips not only identify the user of the bike, but also allows unlocking of the rack and bicycle. The cards will employ RFID technology, adding greater convenience by speeding up checkout and authentication processes. The modular racking station allows easy installation and efficient use of space. 14 bicycles racked on these stations occupy the same amount of space as a parking space for one car. Solar power will help run these stations on a day-to-day basis, providing energy for the key reader and locking mechanisms.

CSI on google Maps

View RIT Center for Student Innovation in a larger map

YouTube - RIT on TV News: 3-Innovation Center Art

YouTube - RIT on TV News: 3-Innovation Center Art

Nancy Gong discusses here glass mural in the Innovation Center.
"You have to ask questions in order to find the answer."

High Line Bleachers

IMG_0770.JPG
Originally uploaded by Jon Schull

Elecric Mountainboard

Electric Mountainboard
Hmm, Mountainboards.



Electric Mountain Board - More cool how to projects

Related

48V Electric Flat Tracker by Radioactive_Legos

How to take apart an electric scooter for electric parts. by ljfa321

Electric Vehicles (guide) by PKM

Gas to Electric GoCart Conversion - 150cc 2 seater gocart. by nicholast

SpokePOV: LED Bike Wheel Images by ladyada

How to build a 96-Volt Electric Motorcycle by Kentucky-bum

Get Out And Get Biking (or Scootering, etc.)... An Experiment In Alternative Transportation by Gjdj3

Mike's Recumbent Trike Links

Mike's Recumbent Trike Links

	Welcome to the weird, wonderful world of
	Recumbent Trikes A survey of 3-wheelers from around the world, past and present

TADPOLES PG.1

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DELTAS

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Fallbrook Technologies

Fallbrook Technologies:
The NuVinci transmission uses a set of rotating and tilting balls positioned between the input and output components of a transmission that tilt to vary the speed of the transmission.

Tilting the balls changes their contact diameters and varies the speed ratio. As a result, the NuVinci CVP offers seamless and continuous transition to any ratio within its range, thus maximizing overall powertrain efficiency, with no jarring or shocks from the shifting process, and improving acceleration, performance and overall vehicle efficiency over conventional transmissions.