Author Archives: Phill
How is THIS Better ??!
Meeting Point Rest Area, Littleborough
A while ago, I blogged about a fantastic little coffee stop that some enterprising guy had erected on a piece of crappy land alongside my beloved Rochdale Canal.
The last time I had a brew there, the chap was telling me about having to take a case to a planning tribunal, since somebody had complained about his portakabin not being in keeping with the local architectural specifications required for planning approval in that part of Littleborough.
Well, Guess What? The Moaning Buggers Won Again!
What is it with these Daily Mail reading, interfering idiots? I’m all in favour of pretty towns and villages, but can someone explain how the first picture below is an improvement on the second?
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- Closed. Meeting Point Rest Area.
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- Open. Meeting Point Rest Area.
Note how the sign says “Yard To Let“. So… thanks to the complaints of one or more people who would like to maintain the architectural splendour of Littleborough, an amenity for walkers, cyclists, kayakers and passers by has been shut down. It will, at some point, be replaced by a yard. Until then, it stands as a piece of wasteland protected by fences and containing a few piles of rocks, discarded pallets and (for now) a fork lift truck.
That’s progress, that is. Sheesh. Idiots. I hope they’re proud of what they’ve done.
Now I don’t have an incentive to get my 9 year-old stepdaughter on her bike, because the pull from this “Yard” up to Hollingworth Lake is hard work for her. A milkshake and a cookie from The Meeting Point was fantastic for her to recharge her batteries and break up the ride. Now she’s not interested.
I know that me with my 3 kids and other half are just one family. But we’re one family who have been negatively affected by these interfering, unhelpful people. What have they gained? I wouldn’t be so angry if there had been an improvement.
What Should Have Happened?
If the Meeting Point Rest Area was too ugly (which I dispute but I’ll let that go), then the owner should have been given a timescale to install a more permanent, more attractive Rest Area on the site. The “sledgehammer to crack a nut” approach that’s been used has created an ugly residue where once there was a potentially thriving little enterprise…
… and some happy canal users.
I hope these people regret what they’ve done. If you’re one of them, why not explain how you’ve benefited the local area? Please?
I Had A Dream …
Sometimes I love having diabetes.
There’s a mental twilight between sleeping and waking when your blood sugar is running very low. It’s a time when your internal alarm bells are ringing, when your body knows something’s wrong, but the primeval signals don’t work because your internal system’s messed up by the drugs you’re taking to keep your broken system ticking along.
Sometimes I love that time. I have the trippiest dreams 🙂
Did I tell you about my dream last night? No?
Well, I was involved in a revolution. I was blasting the Houses of Parliament with heavy artillery. I was on a rooftop overlooking the building, probably utilising an easily-defended vantage point on Westminster Abbey if I’m honest.
It was a dark, artificially-lit night and traffic was light. Weirdly, I don’t remember seeing Big Ben or I’m sure I’d remember what time it was. My weapon was glowing red at the muzzle, about ten feet in front of my position at the shielded trigger. I wasn’t using the sight, I was just strafing the building; yellow trails cutting through the cold London air as glass and brick jumped back towards the trail my bullets carved.
This scene faded… my internal feeling of satisfaction told me I’d achieved my aim.
Later, I was inside the main Chamber of the House, justifying my actions along with my co-conspirators. Oddly, the building seemed intact from the inside, with the familiar surroundings I’ve seen so many times on the news. I had a position on the right side of the House as you look towards the Speaker’s chair.
I was holding my own in the face of some fairly aggressive debate, but then the half-scouse, half-manc accent that identifies a resident of St Helens rose from the seats near the Speaker on my own side of the House.
It was Johnny Vegas. He was clearly blaming me for the whole revolution idea. I suspect he feared reprisals and was distancing himself in the event of an eventual failure.
I hate that Johnny Vegas.
I love trippy low-blood-sugar induced dreams though.
Footnote
I ate half an aero from my bedside drawer when I woke up, then showered and got on with the day. Nothing to see here folks, I’m ok. 🙂
Cycling GPS Trackers for Windows Mobile Reviewed
I didn’t go for a ride today. Again. This a Bad Thing (capital B, capital T). Instead, I thought I’d tell you about the parallel test I’ve been running on three Windows Mobile Cycling trackers.
The Windows Mobile Phone
I use an HTC HD2. I have a love/hate relationship with it. I love it when it’s working fine. I does loads of stuff. It’s even quite useful for speaking to people with, sometimes. I know, that’s unusual for a smartphone. I hate it when I have to rebuild it from scratch, which occurs once every 8 or 9 months. I’ve even written a little “rebuild the phone” note on my hard drive so I don’t forget what I need to restore. Still, that’s Windows for you…
SatSports, Endomondo and RunSat
SatSports was featured on Dragon’s Den a while ago, which led me to check the app out. It’s got a lot going for it. It does rely on you running an app on your PC to get the most from it, which enables you to compare your rides in quite a detailed way. Calories, routes, times, detailed tracking of time & pace – it’s an excellent app if you want to see all your rides in one pace, nicely tabulated. I also like the way it publishes to Google Earth from the app directly, showing your fastest, highest and lowest points alongside your start and finish times. Nice for the bloggers to screencap!
Socal networking links aren’t really supported from the app though, which is quite limiting for those of us who like to show off a bit.
I’d recommend this if you’re training and you’d like to see your progression because it’s a brilliant way to see similar rides sorted most recent first, showing how you’re progressing. The SatSports app is available for Windows Mobile and Android and costs about 6 Euros as I publish. Worth a punt.
Endomondo is becoming more and more popular. Several readers of this blog already use it. Its biggest advantages are the social networking links. Endomondo is capable of telling all your Facebook and Twitter friends when you’re going out and when you come back, telling them how far you went and how fast, as well as what you were doing (running, cycling etc). Links are published so your friends can visit the main Endomondo site, view your route and stats, then leave comments if they wish.
Unfortunately, the Windows Mobile Endomondo version isn’t nearly as good as the one they have for iPhone. It doesn’t take account, for example, of resting time. Now I don’t know about you, but I like to stop for a brew and a danish when I’m out for a ride. With Endomondo for Windows Mobile, my brew time is included in my ride time and therefore my average speed. This makes me look like a right old slowcoach! My average speeds are poor enough without adding brew and pee stops!
For this reason, I can’t recommend Endomondo for Windows Mobile. Not until that major oversight is fixed up, anyway 🙁
RunSat, Navmi, RunningFree Online
Call it what you will. This tracker has gone through a few iterations and I think it’s been bought by one or two different parties in its lifetime. Maybe that’s because it’s actually very good.
The app itself is downloadable as RunSat from Navmi.com. It’s a comprehensive app, giving a number of different views whilst you’re actually out. I use it on my handlebars (if you’ve seen my bar arrangement you’ll kow it’s quite crowded), where it shows me all sorts of route and riding information. By toggling the view you can see as much or as little as you want to. You can also turn the info off and the app will record your ride without distracting you.
You can also upload routes to your phone to show on the maps within the app, which download via GPRS as you ride (or whatever live internet connection you’ve got going on your phone). I’ve used this feature to upload a route which veered onto a bridleway in Royton which I wasn’t sure about – it worked perfectly.
Like Endomondo, RunSat automatically posts your ride to the internet when you finish. Your ride is posted to your (free) account on RunningFreeOnline, which is a great way to keep all your routes handy, whether running, walking or cycling. From within this site, you can set auto-posting to Facebook and/or Twitter. The posts can be edited too, so you can add hashtags for example. I have it post my rides with the #Feb100 and #20111k hashtags, which is nice.
Which Windows Mobile Cycle GPS Tacker Shall I Use?
Which Cycling Tracker Should I Use?
Well, I’ve used all three. Each has advantages and disadvantages. SatSports is great for serial training. Endomondo is simple to use and has a great membership website.
But for me, the Runsat app is superior. It tells me all I need to know whilst I’m actually riding, then it records comprehensive information on the RunningFreeOnline website when I get home. It posts to my favourite social media channels too. And the website can take information from a massive variety of other devices too.
So, my recommendation for Windows Mobile GPS Cycling Tracker goes to RunSat and RunningFreeOnline. Tell ’em Phill sent you!
What do you use?
Bucket List
Have you heard about Bucket Lists? They’re a list of the things you want to do before you kick the bucket. See? Going to see 127 Hours at the pictures last week sparked this off, partly because of the stunning scenery and partly because the movie rather starkly reminds you of your own fragile mortality.
Well, I’m a big fan of goal-setting for fun purposes, so I’ve been putting a bit of thought into my own Bucket List and I’d appreciate your input too.
My Bucket List
Keeping it simple, here’s my first stab at a list of things I want to do before I die.
Buy a Camper Van. Probably a VW T5 and get a spanking conversion. Kayaks on top, bikes on back.
White Water Rafting. Again. Actually, I’ve already booked this!
Pyrenees. The Tour De France coverage made me add this one. I’m sure I can’t ride the Cols, but I can take the Camper up them and coast down while my beloved drives to the bottom!
Riding in Utah. Just look at the MTB magazines. The place is gorgeous. I want to be seen rolling down those massive red rocks, I want to feel them and to see the orange sand on my tyres. I don’t want to get trapped in a ravine though.
Another One. But I’m not telling you what this one is. It’s kind of important and not for sharing.
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- A VW T5 Fun Camper
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- White Water Rafting. Again.
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- The Pyrenees
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- MTB in Utah
What’s on your list? If you’ve got any blogged Bucket Lists send me a link, let’s share them.