2007

May 30

Test rides - success!

My WildKat recumbent is so awesome! Comfortable, sleek, handles well, able to turn sharp, solid yet lightweight - what more could a girl ask for (thanks AZ - you're the best)! I can life the entire bike up with one arm and rest it on my shoulder while walking. HA! Disc brake needs some adjusting, but overall one helluva ride. It'll be a great bike for long rides this summer. Looking forward to working off some of that winter flab.

Brad's Delta Wolf trike is amazing too. Tight turning circle, responsive, stable, fast, and looks great. Attracted quite a few onlookers to park for awhile and watch us tour around.

Maybe this weekend we'll get out for a long ride and really treat our bikes and our bodies to a workout. I'm sure these are the best bikes we've ever had.

My Street Fox long wheel base recumbent was fairly heavy, but still good on long hauls. I can imagine that my WildKat will be amazing on long stretches. We hope to do some long rides this summer and fall in our region to test our bikes and our endurance. Maybe we'll meet up with some of you on the road some time.

It better not rain this week. I'm itching for some serious riding. Until then, I'll keep itching my mosquito bites. Thanks to the torrential rain yesterday, puddles have become breeding areas for the hungry insects. Welcome to summer!

May 29

Another weekend flies by

Hope it clears up since we want to take our WildKat recumbent and Delta Wolf trike to a scenic area and take some pictures. We were hoping to do that this past weekend, but it rained off an on and it was pretty cool, so no such luck. Tomorrow might be a good day for pics.

Volunteered for a day-long fundraising event in support of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada's local chapter, helped with a concrete pouring project and puttered around the house and yard. Couldn't do any gardening due to the weather, but managed to get a few things done.

On Saturday, Brad met up with a group of recumbent riders near our house, as one of the riders had problems with his chain. Brad was test riding his Delta Wolf and just happened to come across them, so he offered them the use of his tools and garage and within an hour, they were on their way again. You never know who you'll meet.

Met a family member who lived in western Canada for most of his adult life. First time I've ever met him in person. Very cool guy. He traveled around the world in his youth, very knowledgeable about alot of things. He and Brad struck up some interesting conversations, and he thought our bike and robot projects are pretty cool. Hope we meet up with him again.

I see the sun trying to break through the clouds. Maybe it will actually be a nice day after all. Reminds of a great quote that I found recently.

"I don't tolerate negativity in my life. I don't tolerate whiners. I can't be around people that are dumping (on others). The issues of boundaries are so important, so that you don't let invasive or negative people into your life."
-- Judy Collins, folk singer, social activist

Our sentiments exactly! Negative influences just try to drag you down. Rising above negativity makes you stronger and more determined than ever to follow your passion and reach your goals. Keep your chin up, stay happy, be healthy and be true to you. So, the next time someone tries to drag you into their world of misery, negativity, cynism, jealousy and criticism, recite the above quote either aloud or in your head and move forward in your life.

"A cynic is not merely one who reads bitter lessons from the past, he (she) is one who is prematurely disappointed in the future."
-- Sidney J. Harris, author

Hope the sun is shining wherever you are today.

May 23

Freak Bike Militia Cruise

This just in...next year we'll be there, Tony! Hope you all have a great time and it's a successful event. Kudos to the organizers for putting this cruise together and spreading the word. Can't wait to see some pics!

May 23

Chilly Weekend, Paint's Drying

Spent the weekend camping for the first time this "summer". It was pretty cold at night, well below 0°C. Nothing worse than trying to sleep with a cold nose and wearing a touque, thick socks and two layers of clothes to bed! Even with a heater in the trailer, it was pretty chilly. Saturday was windy and weird. Rain, then sunshine, then snow, then sunshine, then rain, then sunshine...then again, it's still only May so anything can happen.

Nothing like roasting marshmallows in your winter jacket, mitts and touque! Even the dog preferred to snuggle between us at night to stay warm in our Duct Tape Palace. Our poor tent trailer is showing her age and the only way we can fix her up is with an endless supply of Duct Tape. The more rips and tears in the fabric, the more Duct Tape we need! With Duct Tape, anything is possible!

The rest of the weekend was warmer, definitely not warm enough for swimming, though. I felt sorry for the folks in their tents. Must have been really cold for them, even if they did have a heater in their tent.

We survived, heck, we're Northerners. We still would have had a good time relaxing, no matter what the weather was like. The campground wasn't very busy which suited us just fine. We pretty much relaxed and took it easy, talked about our future plans, figure out priorities for this year, and so on.

It's funny that we have to get away for a weekend to actually discuss our plans. But, sometimes getting away from the phones, the daily demands and distractions is the only way to make progress. Some of the best bike and project designs are concocted around the campfire.

Basically, had meetings all weekend long by the fire, munching on Spitz, feeding chipmunks, strolling through the park and watching deer saunter through our site. Didn't see any bears, but did see a couple of porcupines, woodpeckers, squirrels, geese, loons and all kinds of colourful birds.

So, now that we're refreshed it's onward we go, getting our store finalized and hopefully launched within a week. It will be soon - I promise!

We're anxious to get it up and running so bear with us. Brad just finished painting his Delta Wolf trike. It's going to be an awesome ride. The plans will be available on the store soon. That's about all from this end. Ciao!

Long Weekend

It's +16°C, sunny and warm. The weather forecast looks good for the next few days, even up to +17°C!

I don't think it was quite this warm last spring, but we'll take it. Everything is so green, flowers popping up everywhere. Great biking weather, just have to get our bikes actually on the road now!

Summer is literally around the corner. Yay! We're taking a few days off to rest. Have a great weekend!

The Great Meatball Conspiracy

It's +22°C, sunny and warm.

I know what you're thinking - it's May 15, where's the new e-store!? Yeah, I hear ya. She's ready for launching, just awaiting the payment gateway setup, then we'll be testing for several days. So, next week looks more realistic. If you think you're anxious, put yourselves in our shoes! We've been working towards this for years, and we're so close.

Need a little patience...Just a little patience...Some more patience, yeah...(Guns 'n' Roses song playing in my head). Can't rush technology to get the job done properly. Every step has to implemented and tested before launch day. Hey, NASA has had its share of delays over the years.

This upcoming weekend is a long weekend for us. Monday the 22nd is Victoria Day.

For everyone else it means a day off work and school, for us it's just another day. We'll still be doing something work-related on that day anyway, but that's the life of an Atomic Zombie and Kat. Not complaining, though, just stating the facts. Wouldn't want to live any other way.

I guess you're wondering about the meatballs and pasta heading. This is typical for me. I want to do something that everyone else in the civilized world does, but for some reason, the simplest things turn out to be annoying, frustrating and complicated.

A week ago I decided to go to a local hall that was having a spaghetti supper and get some take-out in the afternoon. I normally go to another hall when they have their spaghetti dinner/take-out, but decided to try this one out for the first time. So, I told the woman at the door selling tickets that I wanted spaghetti and 10 meatballs. It was $7.50. While conversing with her friends and co-worker at the table, she handed me a ticket, and I entered the hall to wait in line with my pot (your bring your own container) with a dozen other people.

Then, a lady who was part of the group organizing the take-out, told some of us to go to another line to get meatballs and sauce. "Okey doke," I said and stood in that line for about 10 minutes. A lady counted 10 meatballs, put them in my pot, then another lady added about 1/2 cup of sauce into my pot (you read that right - one whopping HALF CUP of sauce). My mouth was watering as the Sauce Lady handed me my pot. A little cheap on the sauce, I thought. She actually measured it before pouring the sauce into my pot!

"Uh, where's the spaghetti?" I asked the Sauce Lady. "You go in that line," she said pointing toward the line that I had previously been in. Of course, there were alot more people in it now.

"But, I was already in that line and was told to come here for meatballs. You only have gnocchi here."

"You go to that line now for spaghetti," she said with a smile and proceeded to help another customer. Okay, so now I'm getting confused. Ever heard the term "spaghetti AND meatballs"? Why separate them in two lines? They go together like peanut butter and jam. Something wasn't quite right about this.

I took my pot of 10 meatballs and 1/2 cup of sauce and stood at the end of the line, you know, the one I was originally in, and waited another 10 minutes. I finally got to the front after chatting with a nice gentleman ahead of me and the spaghetti had run out. Another 7 minutes passed while they made a fresh batch. It's finally my turn!

Another lady asked me for my ticket. "I gave it to the lady over there," I said pointing to the Meatball Lady.

"Why did you give your ticket to her?" the Ticket Lady asked.

"Because she asked me for it. Someone told some of us to go there and get meatballs and the Meatball Lady took my ticket," I replied cheerfully. I was REALLY looking forward to getting some of that spaghetti.

"You're supposed to be in THIS line," the Ticket Lady stressed, guiding me out of the line so everyone else behind me could get their spaghetti.

I glanced into the kitchen on my right, and lo and behold, there were meatballs, and sauce and spaghetti! Huh? The Ticket Lady walked over to the Meatball Lady and rummaged through her pile of collected tickets, they mumbled something between them in their Mother Tongue language, and she returned to me with the collected tickets in hand.

"You don't have a ticket for spaghetti?" Ticket Lady announced to me and everyone else in the line. "You need a ticket."

"I only had one ticket. It was purple, I think. I paid $7.50"

"You need a ticket for spaghetti - it's yellow."

"She didn't give me a yellow ticket."

"Who?"

"The lady at the front, you know, the one selling the tickets. She gave me a purple ticket."

"That's just for meatballs."

"How much is the spaghetti then?"

"I don't know, you have to buy it at the front door."

"Do I get sauce with the spaghetti? There's not much here," I said tilting my pot toward her so she could see my 1/2 cup of sauce.

"If you want extra sauce, you buy extra sauce."

"Extra sauce? I hardly have any to begin with!"

"There's no sauce with the spaghetti. You have to buy extra sauce. Do you have a ticket for spaghetti?"

Suddenly, it dawned on me. THIS was the same lady who told us to go in the meatball line to begin with! Could there be a language barrier at play here, or some hidden agenda to reduce meatball exploitation? My head was swirling. What was this all about? Some strange conspiracy? Spaghetti with no sauce, no meatballs, but there they all were in front of my eyes, just feet from my reach, yet still out of my reach because of some elusive ticket?

"I told the woman at the front where I bought the ticket that I wanted spaghetti AND 10 meatballs. She gave me a ticket," I said, pronouncing each word clearly so that she would hear and understand every word.

"You need a ticket for spaghetti," Ticket Lady said impatiently. "You can't have spaghetti and 10 meatballs. You can only have spaghetti and 5 meatballs."

"But, now if I go and buy a ticket for spaghetti will you ACTUALLY give me spaghetti because I have 10 meatballs already, even though it's not allowed? If I wait in line again with my spaghetti ticket will I be told when I get to the front that I can't have spaghetti because I already have 10 meatballs?"

"It's okay. You can have spaghetti, but you need the ticket."

"And a bit more sauce?" I asked, just to clarify the fact that one needed a ticket for everything - meatballs, sauce and spaghetti - all separately. Actually, I was hoping that she would realize the absurdity of having to buy tickets for each individual item. How about one price for spaghetti, with sauce and 5 or 10 meatballs? Am I the only person in the universe who has ever asked for this? I guess so.

"You have to buy a ticket for sauce."

Oy vay! Apparently, there WAS some kind of 10 meatball embargo when it comes to this particular spaghetti dinner/take-out system. Even if one wants 10 meatballs and is willing to pay for 10, one cannot have 10 meatballs along with one's spaghetti, which seems to be elusive, too. I've heard of conserving electricity, gas and water, but conserving meatballs was a new one for me. Despite the wacky rules, I must have slipped through a meatball embargo loophole and WOULD be allowed to have spaghetti to merge with my contraband meatballs. The Take-Out gods were finally smiling down on me.

Note to self: contact Canadian Beef honchos to find out what's going on. Shortage of beef these days? Is the meatball shortage Canada-wide or just in our city?

"So, the woman at the front didn't listen to what I asked her, then? She's too busy socializing with her friends, rather than paying attention to her job," I said, raising my voice a bit since everyone in line could hear everything that SHE was saying to me. "Just so I'm clear, what did I pay $7.50 for?"

"You bought meatballs. Go buy a ticket for spaghetti and go to the end of this line," she said pointing to the line that I had just been in TWICE, then finally made my way to the front, carrying my pot of 10 meatballs and 1/2 cup of sauce. There were now a couple of dozen more people in that line.

"I've been in this line TWICE in the past half an hour! I don't have time to stand here again and wait for spaghetti just because the ticket lady at the front isn't paying attention. I paid $7.50 for 10 meatballs and half a cup of sauce! This is very weird," I said, shaking my head as I strolled toward the door and out into the main foyer where the original ticket lady was yakking it up with friends, not paying attention to the anxious customer wanting to buy a ticket. Lucky for her there was a line up of people wanting to buy tickets and I decided not to wait again!

After 30 minutes of waiting in line, being redirected to another line, told that I exceeded the allowable meatball limit, that spaghetti doesn't come with sauce and that spaghetti requires a special ticket, I left the building with my contraband booty and headed home. Why do some people have to make things so complicated? Such a simple concept - buying spaghetti with sauce and meatballs - turned into such a complicated scene.

Ticket Lady #1 and #2 had no sense of Customer Service. I don't believe that the customer is always right, but I do believe that mistakes happen and a little bit of common sense and courtesy go a long way to make a positive impression. Ticket Lady #2 could have said something like, "I'm sorry there was a mix-up. Go buy your spaghetti ticket and come see me since you've already been in line twice." Nope, guess that was too much to ask. Instead, my first time going to that event will be my last. I'll stick to the regular hall that I've been to for many years.

I made my own spaghetti, unthawed some of my own homemade spaghetti sauce (2 cups worth) and combined everything with the 10 meatballs (@ $.75 each) which tasted okay, but nothing to brag about. Was it worth the $7.50? Absolutely not, but it did give me something to blog about on an otherwise uneventful week. I can laugh about it now, but I was pretty disappointed about experiencing another example of poor Customer Service. Some people just choose not to care, and that's probably what bothers me the most. End of rant.

Progress

There's been alot going on with us lately, but mainly concerning our new e-store which is in the final stages of being launched. Hopefully, if all goes well this week, we'll be live on May 15. If not, well, we'll just keep plugging along until it's up. At the rate it's going, will be late May. Ugh!

Edited the final manuscript of 101 Spy Gadgets for the Evil Genius last week and sent it off. We are so impressed with the product. Can hardly wait until we get our copies. Apparently, the release date has changed to late June/early July, but will keep announcements as they become available.

Brad has been busy in the garage with several projects, including the Delta Wolf trike, my WildKat recumbent and another tandem. The flu slowed us down a bit last week, though. Nasty bug going around. Zapped our energy big time.

Of course, most of this week it will be raining so no luck riding my WildKat yet. Getting anxious to hit the pavement, just waiting for the weather to cooperate.

That's about it for now.

Atomic Zombie Extreme Machines web stats for April 2006

Don't worry, be happy

Another week is coming to an end and I'm at my wits' end with finicky shopping cart software, e-commerce hassles and people who don't listen! Technology can be so frustrating and impossible to understand. 

Just when I was about to start pulling my hair out again, thunder boomed, lightning crashed all around and rain poured down from a dark ominous cloud.

The dog cowered under my desk, looking up at me with a look of dread. Uh-oh, storm's moving in fast. "It's ok, Cujo. You'll be safe under the desk."

But, in minutes, it was all over, the sun came back and a rainbow filled the sky. 

Maybe it's time to pack it in for the day, take some time to smell the tulips and enjoy life a little more this week. Tomorrow is another day. Maybe it will be a less frustrating and annoying one.

Garage hacker - make your own lathe

I was in the garage over the weekend planning to spend a little time on my giant robot. Of course, the next stage required that two car axels get machined down to 1.375 inches at the ends to take a bearing and flange mount sprocket. 

I had this job quoted at $250 plus tax from a local machine shop (the axels are very hard to machine). What was a garage hacker to do? I would have to wait a month, and pay out $250 for the job. Hmmm....

I found some scrap wood, and made a cradle for the axel to sit in, then welded a bolt on the flange end so my drill could spin the works. The wood is greased up for low friction, and the drill is powered by 24 volts (2 car batteries) rather than 120 volts form the outlet - this made it turn at a nice 800 RPM. The trigger is locked in place to get the axel spinning...

http://www.atomiczombie.com/forum/support/12c1.jpg

With the axel turning, I slowly moved the grinder along the 3 inch section to be machined, using progressively smoother discs until I was using a worn out sanding disc. I would run two passes, then check the fit using the actual bearing. This process took about 15 minutes...

http://www.atomiczombie.com/forum/support/12c2.jpg

Once the bearing fit snug on the machined end, I decided to go all the way and cut my own 1/4 inch keyways as well. This was also done using my favorite tool and a worn down zip disc...

http://www.atomiczombie.com/forum/support/12c3.jpg

Well, wasn't I surprised when the machined axel including keyway was done! It looked just like the last set I paid to have done - perfect. Did I just get lucky? Well, after the second axel turned out just as good, I figured the 12 cent machine shop was a success...

http://www.atomiczombie.com/forum/support/12c4.jpg

Here is a shot of the partly complete drive system for "Megatron", the 800 pound autonomous robot...

http://www.atomiczombie.com/forum/support/12c5.jpg

Well there you have it, a lathe made from a drill and a chunk of scrap wood. I live for this kind of thing!

Cheers,
Brad

Puttering along

It's +16°C, sunny and warm. It's about time! 

Well, we're still working on the download service. Nothing ever seems to be easy when it comes to technology. Bear with us while we muddle through this to get it right. We'd rather do it right the first time.

Many steps to take before the final thing will be online, but we're not giving up. Still have a bit to do before it can be launched, so will keep you posted. If all goes well, we will have it fully functional soon. We're working with some professionals who know their stuff, so we're confident that all will be well, sooner rather than later.

No promises on an exact date, though. Have to do some web and e-store revisions. Just when we think we're ready to rock, another issue pops up so we're going to do it right the first time for a professional shopping cart and e-store.

The WildKat is ready for its first real test ride this weekend, once we finish the seat and put on some finishing touches. Now that the streets and trails are clear of snow, it's cruising time!

Got some awesome media coverage recently thanks to the SpinCycle at the Telus World of Science. Had our local TV station, Thunder Bay Television News, here last week and the story aired on April 7. A few local radio stations also aired a blurb late last week.

Check out Info & Media on this site to view the newscast or log onto www.tbtv.com to view the newscast - Custom bike builder gets exposure.

Then, our local daily newspaper, The Chronicle-Journal published a 3/4 page story and photo layout on April 10 and our weekly community newspaper, The Source, plans to publish something in tomorrow's newspaper. The media has always been interested in our weirdness. Maybe when the SpinCycle comes back to us in September we'll invite the media to try it out. Should be a good photo and video opportunity. 

Have a great long weekend, everybody! 

Atomic Zombie Extreme Machines web stats for March 2006

Banging head on desk!

Instant download will be coming soon - I promise!!

I am up to my ears in scripts, errors, and the usual computer mayhem. I hope the day when I can replace the keyboard with the angle grinder will come very soon.

The time it takes to get a "simple" script to function on a server is always double the time it takes to build a complete project in the garage - now this is scary considering I am actually a Network Engineer by trade, not a mechanic, or welder!

Ok, I am done venting now, and will get back to my Nerd duties. It's me and you Bill Gates, me and you!

SpinCycle video & send off

Uploaded a new video of the SpinCycle in Info & Media and other sites on the web. Original music and video editing by Brad, of course. It's now 1 am and we're still updating files and sites. Must get some sleep! New pics will be added to the Builder's Gallery soon. Time for a bit of snooze. Still have to do our day jobs in about 7 hours. G'night!

Update - 2 pm

We just sent the SpinCycle off to Calgary where she will spend over four months in the Big City. It's going to be a little scary for our little girl at first, but I'm sure she will adjust well to her new temporary home.

The dude at FedEx said our makeshift box and four rolls of duct tape will hold throughout the journey. She will arrive at the Telus World of Science on Thursday. Woo hoo! It's quite an honour to have one of our own bikes at that exhibit where the public can try it out for themselves. They'll have a blast!

Yes, we're working on the download service this week. Will have it up next Monday - PROMISE! 

Back to our regular jobs, you know, the ones that pay the bills. Oh, it snowed last night, a couple of inches. Good thing we took the video and pictures yesterday. 

• Four cardboard boxes (free)

• 2 rolls of packing tape ($1.00)

• 1 roll of duct tape ($1.50)

• 4 pieces of Styrofoam (free)

• 1 large piece of plastic (free)

• The look on the FedEx dude's face when we lugged it into the office to send it on a plane - PRICELESS!

SpinCycle reborn!

It's +5°C, but with the wind it feels like -7°C. Of course it's windy which made our video and photo shoot very interesting. Brad took the new SpinCycle out for its debut before she leaves for Calgary tomorrow for the Telus World of Science show May to September. 

SpinCycle is a wicked ride on smooth surfaces. You get a decent workout even riding it for only 20 minutes. I was freezing taking pics and vids, but Brad was actually working up a sweat. Will post some vids and more pics this week.

My Wild Kat recumbent is painted, the seat is almost done (thanks, Mom) and we'll be on the road later this week, as long as it doesn't snow again. Sunday it snowed for most of the day, but thankfully it didn't stay on the ground long. Awesome paint job, AZ! I'm lovin' it.

Next bike to be built is the Convoy. Brad's already started working on that. Will keep you in suspense until it's done. It's going to be another cool ride.

Will be getting the download service up in the next week or so. Stay tuned for more updates and insanity.

Saw an awesome documentary yesterday, "Metal: The Headbanger's Journey". Highly recommend you check it out. Metal: The Headbanger's Journey. You won't be disappointed. Well worth the $ you will pay to see it.