Wednesday, June 28, 2017
A Brief Wednesday Dispatch
I know this is real tin foil helmet stuff, but I suspect there may be a relationship between irresponsible motor vehicle operation:
And hurting people with your car:
This occurred yesterday, and you can read all about it on the Bike Forecast.
Disasters aside, yesterday was a lovely day to be on a bicycle:
So I headed downtown, where the NYPD had my customary reserved parking space waiting for me:
I then went about my business secure in the knowledge that these apiarists would dispatch a swarm of bees to sting any would-be bike thieves:
Presumably this was a presentation by the New York City Beekeepers Association:
But I didn't bother to watch because I've got enough going on in my life without having to grapple with the concept of Bee Freds.
Indeed, the deplorable state of my bicycles reflects just how busy I am. Consider the bicycle I was riding yesterday--the iconic Ironic Orange Julius Bike--whose rear hub currently looks like this:
This is probably because: 1) I have not used the fixie side of the hub since like 2008; and B) prior to yesterday I hadn't ridden the bike since my "epic" post-snowstorm citywide bike lane survey back in March, after which I put the bike away without so much as a cursory wipe-down:
Indeed, the bike was in such a sorry state yesterday morning that instead of lubing the chain I simply threw it away and installed a new one--and by "new" I mean I went to my drawer full of chains and picked one more or less at random. What's mildly concerning about this Drawer of Mystery is that I can no longer remember why I relegated most of those chains to it in the first place, so who knows what manner of defects they may be hiding. Similarly daunting is Tube Mountain, which is made of tubes I've set aside for patching, and which at this point would require at least five years in solitary confinement to repair completely.
I suspect if said it before but I will say it again: while some dream of exotic bike vacations, I would give almost anything for a week of uninterrupted bike maintenance during which I could perform badly-needed overhauls on all of my bicycles.
Pending that, I only service or replace parts when they stop working, which means riding the Ironic Orange Julius Bike in particular keeps me in a thrilling state of suspense.
Moving on, yesterday I touched upon the sorry state of American professional men's cycling, and as we head into the Tour de France this VeloNews story underscores just how sorry it is:
Two rookies and a GC hunter is the threadbare American presence in the 2017 Tour de France.
Matching a two-decade low from two years ago, only three American riders will race in cycling’s marquee event. It’s even worse for Canada, with zero representation.
In your face, Canada!
All three — Taylor Phinney, Nathan Brown, and Andrew Talansky — wear Cannondale-Drapac colors.
But only one of them wears headphones that zorch his brain.
Alas, if we're to be totally honest, who among us does not long for the heady days of America's doped-up supersquad?
I mean these riders are still doping anyway, so why the hell shouldn't America be the best at it?
Yes, apart from the fact that Alberto Contador is still being supported by a team of EPO-addled domestiques it truly is a new clean era in professional cycling.
Honestly the only thing surprising about any of this is that the Tour de France is only three days away.
It snuck up on me like that rusty drivetrain.
At this point I'm really going to have to scramble not to pay attention to it.
from Bike Snob NYC http://ift.tt/2smx3AJ
This occurred yesterday, and you can read all about it on the Bike Forecast.
Disasters aside, yesterday was a lovely day to be on a bicycle:
So I headed downtown, where the NYPD had my customary reserved parking space waiting for me:
I then went about my business secure in the knowledge that these apiarists would dispatch a swarm of bees to sting any would-be bike thieves:
Presumably this was a presentation by the New York City Beekeepers Association:
But I didn't bother to watch because I've got enough going on in my life without having to grapple with the concept of Bee Freds.
Indeed, the deplorable state of my bicycles reflects just how busy I am. Consider the bicycle I was riding yesterday--the iconic Ironic Orange Julius Bike--whose rear hub currently looks like this:
This is probably because: 1) I have not used the fixie side of the hub since like 2008; and B) prior to yesterday I hadn't ridden the bike since my "epic" post-snowstorm citywide bike lane survey back in March, after which I put the bike away without so much as a cursory wipe-down:
Indeed, the bike was in such a sorry state yesterday morning that instead of lubing the chain I simply threw it away and installed a new one--and by "new" I mean I went to my drawer full of chains and picked one more or less at random. What's mildly concerning about this Drawer of Mystery is that I can no longer remember why I relegated most of those chains to it in the first place, so who knows what manner of defects they may be hiding. Similarly daunting is Tube Mountain, which is made of tubes I've set aside for patching, and which at this point would require at least five years in solitary confinement to repair completely.
I suspect if said it before but I will say it again: while some dream of exotic bike vacations, I would give almost anything for a week of uninterrupted bike maintenance during which I could perform badly-needed overhauls on all of my bicycles.
Pending that, I only service or replace parts when they stop working, which means riding the Ironic Orange Julius Bike in particular keeps me in a thrilling state of suspense.
Moving on, yesterday I touched upon the sorry state of American professional men's cycling, and as we head into the Tour de France this VeloNews story underscores just how sorry it is:
Two rookies and a GC hunter is the threadbare American presence in the 2017 Tour de France.
Matching a two-decade low from two years ago, only three American riders will race in cycling’s marquee event. It’s even worse for Canada, with zero representation.
In your face, Canada!
All three — Taylor Phinney, Nathan Brown, and Andrew Talansky — wear Cannondale-Drapac colors.
But only one of them wears headphones that zorch his brain.
Alas, if we're to be totally honest, who among us does not long for the heady days of America's doped-up supersquad?
I mean these riders are still doping anyway, so why the hell shouldn't America be the best at it?
Yes, apart from the fact that Alberto Contador is still being supported by a team of EPO-addled domestiques it truly is a new clean era in professional cycling.
Honestly the only thing surprising about any of this is that the Tour de France is only three days away.
It snuck up on me like that rusty drivetrain.
At this point I'm really going to have to scramble not to pay attention to it.
from Bike Snob NYC http://ift.tt/2smx3AJ
Time-lapse Video Showing Conservation of Tangut Documents
The Tangut documents are part of the Stein collection that is held at the British Library. They were recovered by Aurel Stein in 1914, during his Third Expedition to Central Asia (1913–1916). From the moment they were unearthed from the ancient city of Kharakhoto, a major centre of the Tangut State of Xia located in the Gobi Desert right inside the present-day Chinese border with Mongolia, these important items have remained untreated. This has made their study impossible. Conservator Vania Assis is in charge of repairing and stabilising the documents, which have survived in a fragmentary state, in the aim of eventually digitising them as part of the International Dunhuang Project. This task is a time-consuming process, where all fragments need to be humidified to unfold all their existing layers. However, in order for this to happen, all the sand from excavation needs to be removed beforehand, or else it would sink into the paper fibres and permanently obscure the text. Only once cleaned can the fragments be flattened and repaired, using small Japanese paper tabs to stop disintegration. So far, more than 1500 items have been conserved, and many are already housed in spot welded polyester sleeves, ready to be digitised. Hopefully, making these items accessible will help unfold more secrets about the Tangut Empire which only existed from 1038 to 1227.
from Collection Care blog http://ift.tt/2ui8DcV
from Collection Care blog http://ift.tt/2ui8DcV
US Senior Open Winners and History
As far as Majors go, the US Senior Open is a mere babe in arms. First played in 1980, it’s administered by the US Golf Association (USGA). Both the Champions Tour and European Seniors Tour recognize it as a major.
As with the Champions Tour, the US Senior Open’s foundation coincided with Arnold Palmer “aging out” of the regular PGA Tour. The initial age restriction was 55, and at Winged Foot, a who’s who of older golfers playe, including Lew Worsham, Julius Boros, Ed Furgol, Jack Fleck and “Terrible” Tommy Bolt. That first event was won by Argentina’s Roberto De Vicenzo; Palmer won the second.
The following year, the minimum age was lowered to 50, which is the professional standard for the senior tours.
Currently, Allen Doyle is the oldest winner, having won the 2006 Championship just two weeks before his 58th birthday.
Interestingly, players can use a cart if they have a medical exemption.
A complete list of winners follows:
| Year | Champion | Country | Venue | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Gene Sauers | United States | Scioto Country Club | 277 (-3) |
| 2015 | Jeff Maggert | United States | Del Paso Country Club | 270 (−10) |
| 2014 | Colin Montgomerie | Scotland | Oak Tree National | 279 (−5) |
| 2013 | Kenny Perry | United States | Omaha Country Club | 267 (−13) |
| 2012 | Roger Chapman | England | Indianwood Golf and Country Club | 270 (−10) |
| 2011 | Olin Browne | United States | Inverness Club | 269 (−15) |
| 2010 | Bernhard Langer | Germany | Sahalee Country Club | 272 (−8) |
| 2009 | Fred Funk | United States | Crooked Stick Golf Club | 268 (−20) |
| 2008 | Eduardo Romero | Argentina | Broadmoor Golf Club | 274 (−6) |
| 2007 | Brad Bryant | United States | Whistling Straits, Straits Course | 282 (−6) |
| 2006 | Allen Doyle (2) | United States | Prairie Dunes Golf Club | 272 (−8) |
| 2005 | Allen Doyle | United States | NCR Country Club, South Course | 274 (−10) |
| 2004 | Peter Jacobsen | United States | Bellerive Country Club | 272 (−12) |
| 2003 | Bruce Lietzke | United States | Inverness Club | 207 (−6) |
| 2002 | Don Pooley | United States | Caves Valley Golf Club | 274 (−10) |
| 2001 | Bruce Fleisher | United States | Salem Country Club | 280 (E) |
| 2000 | Hale Irwin (2) | United States | Saucon Valley Country Club, Old Course | 267 (−17) |
| 1999 | Dave Eichelberger | United States | Des Moines Golf and Country Club | 281 (−7) |
| 1998 | Hale Irwin | United States | Riviera Country Club | 285 (+1) |
| 1997 | Graham Marsh | Australia | Olympia Fields Country Club | 280 (E) |
| 1996 | Dave Stockton | United States | Canterbury Golf Club | 277 (−11) |
| 1995 | Tom Weiskopf | United States | Congressional Country Club, Blue Course | 275 (−13) |
| 1994 | Simon Hobday | South Africa | Pinehurst Resort, No. 2 Course | 274 (−10) |
| 1993 | Jack Nicklaus (2) | United States | Cherry Hills Country Club | 278 (−6) |
| 1992 | Larry Laoretti | United States | Saucon Valley Country Club, Old Course | 275 (−9) |
| 1991 | Jack Nicklaus | United States | Oakland Hills Country Club, South Course | 282 (+2) |
| 1990 | Lee Trevino | United States | Ridgewood Country Club | 275 (−13) |
| 1989 | Orville Moody | United States | Laurel Valley Golf Club | 279 (−9) |
| 1988 | Gary Player (2) | South Africa | Medinah Country Club, Course No. 3 | 288 (E) |
| 1987 | Gary Player | South Africa | Brooklawn Country Club | 270 (−14) |
| 1986 | Dale Douglass | United States | Scioto Country Club | 279 (−9) |
| 1985 | Miller Barber (3) | United States | Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course | 285 (−3) |
| 1984 | Miller Barber (2) | United States | Oak Hill Country Club, East Course | 286 (−2) |
| 1983 | Billy Casper | United States | Hazeltine National Golf Club | 288 (+4) |
| 1982 | Miller Barber | United States | Portland Golf Club | 282 (−2) |
| 1981 | Arnold Palmer | United States | Oakland Hills Country Club, South Course | 289 (+9) |
| 1980 | Roberto De Vicenzo | Argentina | Winged Foot Golf Club, East Course | 285 (+1) |
The post US Senior Open Winners and History appeared first on GolfBlogger Golf Blog.
from GolfBlogger Golf Blog http://ift.tt/2tkF3Xd
Patriotic Golf Umbrella
Patriotic Golf Umbrella
You can be a patriot even when it rains with this Patriotic Golf Umbrella
The post Patriotic Golf Umbrella appeared first on GolfBlogger Golf Blog.
from GolfBlogger Golf Blog http://ift.tt/2slouWQ
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
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