Dr Ferrari's Camper Van (off-topic discussion)

Is it normal for wiggle to create a tracking number waaay before they ship an order?

Interesting idea.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/how-congress-shapes-your-commute/2011/10/19/gIQA7GHOxL_blog.html?wprss=ezra-klein

Even our daily sojourns to the office are affected by the twists and turns in the U.S. tax code. If you drive to work, your employer can cover up to $230 per month in parking costs tax-free. And in recent years, if you take mass transit, your employer has also been able to reimburse you, tax-free, for up to $230. This latter program was part of the 2009 stimulus bill, and one Businessweek survey found that, when companies do offer it, many workers really do shift to public transportation.

It’s clear why the parking subsidy is popular — transportation is already the second-largest household expense and the vast majority of American workers drive alone to work. But, as UCLA’s Donald Shoup has detailed at great length , there are real costs to offering “free” parking. It’s a market distortion that leads to more driving than would otherwise be the case. Until recently, workers who drove got a bigger benefit than those who rode the bus. People who bike to work get an even smaller subsidy.

An alternative approach, introduced as a bill earlier this year by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), would try to smooth out some of these distortions. His bill would cap the benefit for parking and transit at $200 per month. It would increase the benefit for biking (to $40 per month) and “van-pooling.” But here’s the big innovation: Blumenauer’s bill would require any employer that offers the parking benefit to allow workers to take cash instead.

It would have been nice cash for me in a previous job, but it probably also would have persuaded a few people to leave the car at home and pocket the cash. At least, I think my employer back then rented car spaces from the business park, since they had the company's name painted on them.

Do employers generally pay out for parking in a business park, and even so, is it included immutably in the rent? That is, is there an assumption of what percentage of employees will need parking and that's the only way they calculate how much to charge the occupant of a unit on the business park?

EDIT: I realise that this article is about US taxing practice, but I'm just wondering whether there would be any room in Ireland to turn benefits enjoyed by car-driving employees into cash so that they can be transferred to non-car driving employees.

Thermal trousers? Lined bib tights ftw.
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/dhb-pace-roubaix-padded-bib-tight/

These will keep the cold out down to -5. After that you might need some leggings over them.

CramCycle wrote: »

Get tights or leg warmers, will do the job nicely, around 30 to 40 euro for a decent pair.

Thanks CramCycle. Would bicycle shops be the best place to visit for such things, or is it more of an outdoor shop-type purchase (eg. The Great Outdoors, Portwest, etc.)

Crow92 wrote: »

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=69299

I just don't have a clue how something could cost so much for a light! :eek:

Don't complain, there's 20% off, how would you feel if you were the poor fool who'd bought one at €1042 ?
I imagine it must be so bright it turns night into day or something......

Crow92 wrote: »

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=69299

I just don't have a clue how something could cost so much for a light! :eek:

Even with that light there is a non-linear relationship between power input and light output (77 lm/W at 24W vs 240 lm/W at 1W). This is due to the fact that LEDs get less efficient as they get warmer, so cooling design is very important, and there isn't much competition for 24W bicycle lights.

Since it claims to do 240 lumens for 63 hours, it might be quite useful if you want to cycle in darkness for 63 hours without stopping.

For instance, what about if you're working on the LHC and the power goes off. You realise that you've dropped your radio somewhere in the 27km tunnel but have to cycle really slowly to avoid hitting any delicate equipment. Then you'd want a Lupine Betty.

Assuming an annual supply of Lumens......

Raam wrote: »

Lumen, you're in there.

Apparently so. I'd imagine one Lumen is enough to kindle the darkest of habits.

Speaking at the BFI London Film Festival, the 51-year-old said: "It's finally happening - I ran into Bono in Toronto and he's as much of a bike nut as I am.

What kind of bike nut is he/they? Motorbike or bicycle? Just can't see Bono in lycra, then again I didn't think I could imagine Alan Sugar in Lycra either!

CianRyan wrote: »

Is that a flat six?
Jesus.

technically its an inline 6

prefer this though

You buy a service plan for 24.99 and they'll service and do all maintenance for a year for free. Obviously you'll need to pay for the cables (3.89 i think) and what not if required.

I played a wedding a few months ago, and in the run-up I recorded some backing tracks for the singer to practise against at home. Then recently I thought I might as well make some use of these backing tracks. So I did some multitracking with Audacity.

This is quite nice, I think.
http://www.dermotryan.ie/music/microphone_recordings/ave_maria.mp3

(I took advantage of the multitracking to play block chords in harmonics over the backing towards the end. Quite a nice effect.)

Only noticed the other day when the missus was riding it that the wheels on the bike I bought from Cian have a reflective strip running right around the tyre. It's an absolutely brilliant idea- it was really noticeable. All tyres should have this as standard.

http://www.google.ie/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=schwalbe+marathon+plus&gs_sm=s&gs_upl=0l0l0l3610l0l0l0l0l0l0l0l0ll0l0&biw=1680&bih=963&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi