Rollin' through the boneyard

Time to get back on the subject of bikes. Today's photo was taken as I rode through a cemetery near my house a few days ago. When I saw the nice shadow being cast across the snow, I turned around and made a couple of passes to shoot pictures.

If you haven't voted for your favorite bike blog, hurry on over to Cyclelicious and throw in your two cents' worth. I learned about the survey on Gwadzilla's blog, which is one of three I nominated for recognition. His series of photos of D.C.-area cyclists is one of the most interesting things I've seen any blogger doing recently. If you haven't been checking them out, click yerself over there and give 'em a look.

One of the coolest things in the bike industry over the past couple of years has been the BikeTown program sponsored by Bicycling Magazine and the manufacturers that have provided bicycles to help people start riding. Now they're expanding it to Botswana, where a bike can truly make a difference. The folks at Kona are even developing a bike designed to meet the specific needs of cyclists there. You can check out the development of the AfricaBike online.

In a place with few paved roads and little transportation infrastructure, a bike can change a life. A worker with Secure the Future told Bicycling's editor that giving a bike to the average African is like giving a helicopter to an average American. (Only with a lot less crash-related carnage, I'm sure.)

This blog gets a few hits from Colorado so, in the interest of bike advocacy I want to pass along a link for anyone who lives and/or rides there. A new State Patrol policy would ban some of the biggest bike events in the state, and could threaten smaller ones. If that's your turf and you haven't yet heard about it, read up. Thanks to Drunk Cyclist for spreading the word.

That reminds me, I'll try to start adding those little "NSFW" warnings on links that might not be safe if you're reading at work. I don't think I've linked to anything all that edgy, but my bike buddy Sue has balked at a couple of unexpected destinations. Then again, she said she liked this blog because it allows her to keep up with me without seeing me, so maybe I should lead her down some troubling paths just to see what happens.

For those who read and cared about yesterday's post regarding the Grateful Dead and file sharing of live shows, there's good news. It turns out there is disagreement within the Dead organization and the shows recorded by fans are again available for open sharing. Those made from soundboard tapes are not, which is unfortunate, but at least there's room for discussion now. Major thanks to Phil Lesh and John Barlow for keeping the vision alive and standing up for the culture they helped create.

Lesh said it well in this interview: "We are musicians not businessmen and have made good and bad decisions on our journey. We do love and care about our community as you helped us make the music. We could not have made this kind of music without you."

I'm disappointed in some of his friends and bandmates, but Phil proved the old bumper sticker right: "Lesh is More"

Thanks for droppin' in. Have a kick-ass weekend.