Somehow an edit went awry. Thanks for noticing. Fixed.

I live in the part of Florida (Manatee & Sarasota counties) that has the highest bicycle accident rate in the state. The bikes rarely cause accidents - crappy drivers do, and we've got a load of them around here.

Because of this, combined with poor balance and general weakness since my 2010 heart attacks, I don't ride on the main roads but stick to side streets around my home that have low speed limits.

Sometimes I think it would be nice to have a powered bike so I could keep up with traffic better but then I remember that I have a car. So I'll probably do a 6-speed or 7-speed trike as my next cycle-type transport device. And it probably won't have an electric assist unless one pops up really cheap on Craigslist. And even then, probably not. I need more exercise.

Got me. My 1996 Jeep Cherokee cost me less than an electric hipster bike -- and I don't think I've ever paid more than $150 for a bike in my whole life. I've got maybe $125 in my current (highly customized) bike, including lights and a pretty good lock.

Adds weight and complexity, for one thing.

I have an upright "old people's" trike and because you sit lower on it than on a standard bike, it has a flag. The flag is pretty much standard equipment for Florida old people's trikes.

This morning I was sitting out on my front porch and an old lady (mid 70s, I'd say) zoomed down the street on an electric trike. Dead quiet, fast as most cars go in our quiet little trailer park. 20 mph at least. Her hair was flying out behind her, and her flags (the real Kool Kids have 2 flags on their trikes) were bent aft at maybe a 30 degree angle.

I can go that fast on my 7-speed low-rider beach cruiser bike (which I made out of used stuff, pretty much), but my cruising speed in more like 8 - 10 mph.

So I'm selling my old trike, then I'm going to look for a new (or at least newer) one that I will motorize. Or maybe I'll just figure out a dual-front wheel setup for my lowrider bike. Hmmm....

Whoops - I wrote the above comment without logging in. That makes me a cowardly anon, doesn't it? :)

Here you go: http://tv.slashdot.org/video/?...

Our transcriptionist was running late today, but the transcription is now posted. Thanks for noticing.

A lot of people don't seem to have picked up on the fact that the NPR Labs emergency device picks up both radio broadcasts and satellite transmissions. That means it will work even when the power is out and the cellular towers stop working.

After Hurricane Charlie in Florida my wife and I drove from Orlando to Bradenton via side roads, and there was no cellular service and half the radio stations were off the air. And even if the cell towers work, the systems get overloaded during emergencies because everybody's Aunt Mabel calls to check on Barnaby, Suzanne, and Little Emil, so you're better off with an emergency radio than a cell phone.

Old Sailor's Motto: "Prepare for the worst days and the good days will take care of themselves."
       

My first wife was a Minnesota farmgirl who said, "Prairie Home Companion? If I wanted to hear people like that I would have stayed on the farm instead of leaving."

Thanks for noticing. Corrected.

I'm not Obi Wan. Really.

I totally agree with you, and I have asked management over and over to make the (I believe minor) code changes that would allow Slashdot to display HTML5 videos.

I consider "render it how they like" the equivalent of freedom to choose your own clock face and size rather than the time the clock displays.

Isn't spellcheck fun? I forgot to turn it off.

Thanks for noticing.