I'm having the usual hilariously good time bicycling. What strikes me as hilarious is the people who "feel sorry" for someone they assume is poor or otherwise unable to drive, and has to resort to the "lowly" bicycle. Meanwhile I'm tearing around getting twice as much done errand wise, with half the aggravation and in half the time, as anyone with a car, all with a huge grin to the beat of my favorite SKA and Reggae tunes by handlebar mini-speakered bike stereo. Since I am functionally deaf,* this helps those around me be aware a bicyclist is approaching or nearby, and this sound I broadcast gently has helped tremendously with my safety. I swear by the versatile and ultra-durable Sony Walkman WM-GX221. The delightful tunes it pumps into the air from its tiny but powerful speakers, all driven by a "play" button and two solar-charged AA batteries, adds a huge margin of safety as folks around me hear me present or approaching. I get my chores done safely and quickly, and I get tons of fun exercise and sun and fresh air, all at the same time. This particular Walkman can also easily be turned into recording from playing, to "accidentally" but legally tape conversations with police officers who "encourage bicycling" by attempting to prohibit it or viciously restrict it. It also is not very vulnerable to theft from a bike because audio tapes are "obsolete" and you can easily sabotage the appearance of the unit to make it look worthless or dysfunctional, when in fact it works great as a compact AM/FM stereo including cassette auto-off with dual stereo speakers and recording abilities. *By pressing the :"record" button, with a record-able tape set to "pause," the built-in microphone on this unit will also feed headphones so I can use this device as an assisted listening setup.
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By James DMake-it-home-safe MANTRA: When dealing with traffic, it's better to be patient than to become a patient; AND - A Sailboat is to a Polluting Cruise Ship what a bicycle is to a smokin' Hummer. I know bikes are beautiful but I’M not backing off until bikes are bountiful and bikers have greater strength in numbers. CategoriesArchives
February 2016
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