Monthly Archives: December 2013

Cycling

Urban cycling: cars vs. bikes

I was hit by a car the other day while riding back into the city after an afternoon on the bike. An old lady pulled out from a side-road on the left onto the main road I was on, not thinking to check for traffic to her right. Thankfully I saw what was coming and wasn’t hurt by the collision, but for the rest of the day I was quite shaken. I’ve had a few encounters with cars in the three years I’ve been cycling, but this was my first physical contact, and I won’t forget the feeling of oh-crap-I’m-going-to-hit-that-car.

A useful and instructive warning for cyclists. Image: Warrington Cycle Campaign

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Miscellaneous

Writing liberates the mind

I discovered a nice website called Medium the other day (having been sent a distressing piece on the decline of antibiotics), and started browsing for interesting reading. One of the articles I came across encouraged readers not to read, but to write.

The author argues that today’s Internet is so focused on consumption that there’s no need for creativity any more, which I find kind of sad. I’ve always believed in learning through explanation and discourse (partly why I enjoy teaching), so the author’s suggestion is appealing.

So this is what I’m going to do: write a blog article every week or two, and see where things go.

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