Fri, 23 Jun 2006
Everybody’s a Journalist…
Slashdot loves me!
If only there weren’t a Karma Cap…
Today, for the first time, I’ve had a story submission accepted by
Slashdot! (One of four showing, all since last autumn…
The story:
“Dueling Network Neutrality Commentary on NPR
“cube farmer writes ” National Public Radio Wednesday featured a commentary by telecom representative Scott Cleland in opposition to Network Neutrality legislation, and Thursday Craig Newmark, the Craig behind craigslist, countered that Network Neutrality is essential for consumers. Who made the stronger case?””
Look for it on the front page soon…
posted at: 18:46 | permanent link to this entrySun, 18 Jun 2006
Crash!
How I learned to love helmets
I’m mostly healed up from my cycling accident; no broken bones, although I certainly cracked my head a good one, my sacrum got a good whacking, and my right knee has a perfectly-formed arc of puncture wounds from the chainring.
Normally, I wear a helmet whle riding. However, on the Friday evening in question, the family had gone ahead without me. I donned my gloves, sweatband, and helmet; mounted up; and followed after. When I caught up, I noticed that Thomas wasn’t wearing *his* helmet. When we stopped, I pointed this out to Jan, and suggested we do a helmet swap so that everyone would have a helmet most closely fitting his or her head.
Reasoning that having three wheels would make me more stable, and that, being closest to the ground, I would suffer the least injury in a crash, I was the designated bare-headed rider. This, unfortunately, proved to be a bad choice.
I was about two hundred yards from the house, ahead of everyone else, and moving about 25 mph when I stupidly applied pressure to only one of my front brakes. The right front brake locked; the cycle swivled around the axle in an amazing demonstration of precession and inertia, flipped, and dumped me unceremoniously onto the pavement.
I don’t think I was unconscious for more than a second or two, although
I have no recollection of actually flipping onto my back. When I
discovered myself lying on the concrete, I first checked that all of my
limbs were still attached and that I could feel my fingers and toes. I
lay there a moment, wondering how far back Jan and the kids were (they
don’t generally get up to 25 mph…, whether I could stand up without
doing myself further injury, and whether I *wanted* to stand up. A
minute or two passed as I lay there, also wondering whether any of the
neighbors had seen the incident (apparently not, for which I am on the
one hand grateful and on the other concerned — what if I had been
riding solo and been more seriously injured?), and whether I would be
run over if I simply stayed where I was until help arrived.
Deciding, finally, that I could move, I struggled to my feet a moment or two before Jan caught up with me. Stooped there as she rode up, I straightened out my cycle and contemplated riding the rest of the way home.
Jan, of course, asked whether I was okay, and if I needed assistance. I briefly explained what had happened, declared my intention of riding home, and noticed for the first time the abrasions and punctures on my knee where the chainring had scraped and then cut me as we rotated about. “Great,” I said, “now I’m going to go into shock.”
Fortunately, my prediction failed to come true as Jan held the cycle steady for me, I mounted up, and rode home. Between Bryan providing me with ice and Jan bandaging my knee, I received adequate first aid.
Naturally, I remained convalescent all day Saturday; however, I did attend church with the family on Sunday and returned to work Monday.
Overall, I was fortunate not to have suffered more grievous harm; but I am also much more keenly aware of the benefits of a helmet.
posted at: 20:41 | permanent link to this entry
Marc Elliot Hall St. Peters, Missouri
Page created: 21 January 2002
Page modified: 31 December 2009
