Are you exploring any possibilities for creating fuel for a return trip while on Mars? There is at least one study for the possibility, most likely more. If you're planning on the trip being a one-way mission, why not at least experiment with the idea for future Mars missions? And if it works, you get a ride home, and you've made some pretty hefty contributions to space travel.

What I meant by that is my iPod is completely static, I can only add or remove music when I'm connected to a computer. So far, what I've seen with Spotify is that I can make 'playlists' on the go with music that I find, and then download those to my phone right away. So if I find a song I like, I can look up similar artists, and download some of those artists songs, all without a computer. It's a pretty slick idea, and relatively well implemented, IMO.

For the most part, I agree with you. I've kept my huge iPod classic for that very reason, so I can have something other than the radio to listen to in my car. Very recently, I started a trial with Spotify premium on my phone, which allows me to cache some music (up to 3,000ish songs) locally on my phone, so I don't cut into data with streaming. Tentatively, I'm kinda excited about it, mostly because it's much more fluid than my iPod, and I can change what is on my device pretty easily.

That said, the cynic in me is just waiting for that model to crash and burn due to conflict with the RIAA and such. I love streaming, but permanent ownership isn't going anywhere, I think.

I ride a mountain bike, too, but I would much rather ride a road bike through city streets. The gear ratios on mountain bikes are suited more for climbing steeper grades and rougher terrain, not for commuting effectively. And, unless the roads you ride on are completely littered with potholes, there are fairly easy to avoid. If you aren't paying enough attention to watch out for holes in the ground, you're lucky you aren't running into parked cars, too.