Althouse: Soon we'll have bikes and shoes that buzz...

August 4, 2014

Soon we'll have bikes and shoes that buzz...

... to tell you when and which way to turn.

7 comments:

Ron said...: Expert system in a condom...that's what I'm waiting for... "2.65 degrees that way"; 8/4/14, 9:38 PM
MadisonMan said...: I'm not one to plan out a bike route in advance. Other than the start and end point and general knowledge of the possibilities, that's a great way to get from A to B. A bike or shoes that have to be pre-programmed for your route would be very tedious IMO.

Of course, I don't use a Garmin in the car either.; 8/5/14, 7:33 AM
Anonymous said...: Shoes that buzz?
I go to a barber shop where some of the barbers have anklets that buzz...at the probation department.; 8/5/14, 7:45 AM
Rusty said...: How to idiot proof directions. The only problem is that god keeps creating more resourceful idiots.; 8/5/14, 8:09 AM
Peter said...: A bicycle used for transportation should be lightweight and have low rolling resistance with an adequate range of gears for the environment in which it will be used, yet it should be tough enough to have a reasonable life expectancy when used daily on streets that may be in poor condition. Since it's used in traffic it should be visible to drivers, and permit the rider a good view of the road. To the extent possible, it should not be easy for thieves to detach stuff from it.

Cargo does not seem all that difficult: a rear rack with a pair of saddlebags and a backpack will enable the rider to haul lots of stuff (for example, you can haul your laundry to the laundromat by stuffing a duffle bag, clipping the bag into the rear rack, just let the rest of it hand out over the rear fender).

The electronic add-ons seem superfluous, and in any case will be obsoleted by something like Google Glass. The basic concept is backpacker-like: keep it simple and don't add any unnecessary weight. Is there really a demand for "bikes that buzz"? I doubt it.

Although I wouldn't be surprised to see electric-assist bicycles become popular if the public ever does take to bicycle commuting in a big way.

And it must be recognized that for practically everyone a bicycle is a fair-weather vehicle; it's not something you'll want to be on in either a summer thunderstorm or a winter blizzard. Like wind and solar energy, it's a supplement to existing transportation, not a replacement.; 8/5/14, 8:48 AM
southcentralpa said...: We didn't mention that the OFF switch was a costly add-on? Ooopsie...!; 8/5/14, 2:07 PM
Fred Drinkwater said...: Back when I was biking a lot, I almost never wanted to know where I was (unless I was heading for the Hellyer Velodrome).
My friend and I used to flip a coin from one to the other at each major intersection: Heads = left, tails = right, fumbled = ahead.; 8/5/14, 3:48 PM