Monthly Archives: May 2011

Brock appears on “A Jumps B Shoots”



Brock Dittus contributed an interview snippet to the A Jumps B Shoots podcast recorded at Wonder Northwest some weeks back – listen for him around the 31:00 mark or so discussing Nokia phones & the Snake game!

The episode we planned for this week ended up not being recorded because of everyone’s holiday weekend travel plans.  Look for a short audio update from Brock & Brandon sometime this week, with next week’s show continuing on schedule as anticipated!  A happy holiday to you all.


E027 – Meredith Stewart: Transit Misadventure



Our friend Meredith Stewart joins us to detail her first foray into long-distance transit travel and her induction into bicycle commuting.

We discuss: Sunday Parkways and our appearance on the local news, Lompoc’s 5th Quadrant, the Bicycle RV built by genius Brian that was often parked at the CityBikes Workers’ Co-Op, meeting Amos of Portland’s Bike Temple in person, we also saw Russ & Laura, Logan, Listener Evelyn, Jonathan Maus, and Rob Sadowsky, Brandon keeps Brock on track, Listener Katelynn reaches the beach and outhustles everyone else, Meredith’s bicycle conversion, Johnny Cash steals a car, bicycle route maps for Portland, endorphins and epiphanies, “cyclelogical”, Portland Afoot discount subscription with code “sprocket”, two dudes in a basement, donations, the epic bus journey, hood canal writing retreat, Brock has a bus fetish, 161 miles, C-TRAN’s new buses are plush, Burgerville serving beer and wine in Salmon Creek, beauty in the suburbs, CAP Shuttle, (“people should give them money”), 3 hour layover at a quirky coffee shop, smoking in the bus shelter, missing the bus, kindness and generosity on the way back, successful completion of the trip,EpicTransitJourneys.com, Rebels-By-Bus.net, PortlandAfoot.org, Brock’s transit options site, beer talk, pronunciation problems

Headlines
Northwest Wanderer: making electronics viable on a bicycle tour
Edible Cycles: inexpensive local electricity generator for your bicycle dyno hub

Drinks
Brandon shares the Fire Station 5 Fire Boat Amber with Brock.  Meredith quaffs 3 Wishes Red Wine.

Music
Lamppost Revival presents “Mr. Tinman” from their EP So Rises the Moon.

Fine Print
email us: thesprocketpodcast@gmail.com
twitter: @SprocketPodcast
phone in or SMS: 503-847-9774
web: http://thesprocketpodcast.com
music: Ryan J. Lane (intro & outro) & Hurtbird (headlines)


E026 – Michael Andersen: Portland Afoot



Michael Andersen, founder of local life newsmagazine Portland Afoot, joins us to discuss his fine publication, transit culture, and transportation politics.  And is also a fine, upstanding gentleman.  (and he’s giving a discount subscription to podcast listeners! enter the code “sprocket” when you subscribe)

We discuss:  Brandon goes to Tacoma, Brock goes to Wonder Northwest, the Star Wars Holiday Special, Muppet Star Wars, Space Ghost Coast-To-Coast, CodeForGood.net,thesprocketpodcast.com, Amos suggests Portland Cascadia Pedicabs, Blayne on Vancouver Island is getting a tandem, National Association of Rail Passengers, Jeff’s excited, Steve in Glasgow’s wee nocturnal cycle, Rate That Beer, “The Dutch Country” (AKA The Netherlands), Michael chooses the gong for his friend Alisa, Swan Island bus story, driver Dan Christensen, ATU, what the media does best, Microcosm Publishing, band name, worst day at the magazine, Eberhardt Press, Alexander & the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, bus people vs. bike people, Unified Field Theory of TriMet (which is actually a special case of his Unified Field Theory of Portland), articulated buses, open data policy & transit apps, texting TriMet at 27299, what makes transit worth its costs (have you heard about the Columbia River Crossing?), bike-curious, student ID bus pass program and its fate, discount subscription, beer talk.

Headlines
SF Gate via BikePortland: more and more people are wearing their office clothes on the bike commute
PathLessPedaled: 5 ways to be a bicycle-friendly business (Brock’s favorite? roll into the rooms)
Oregonian: Transit agency TriMet honors 3 generations of female bus operators for Mothers’ Day
Copenhagenize via BikePortland: nothing could be cuter than little girls riding tiny cargo bikes

Drinks
Brandon reprises the Miller High Life sans skanky pinup girl, Michael drinks the Fearless Brewing Company’s Scottish Ale, and Brock downs a Southern Oregon Brewing’sWoodshed Red.

Music
“Book of James” from the upcoming We Are Augustines project Rise Ye Sunken Ships.www.weareaugustines.com
Rise Ye Sunken Ships - We Are Augustines

Fine Print
email us: thesprocketpodcast@gmail.com
twitter: @SprocketPodcast
phone in or SMS: 503-847-9774
web: http://thesprocketpodcast.com
music: Ryan J. Lane (intro & outro) & Hurtbird (headlines)


E025 – PathLessPedaled: Big Adventure, Small Wheels



We are joined once again by Russ & Laura from PathLessPedaled.com to hear about their upcoming journey and its distinctive (and cute) hallmark: the Brompton folding bicycle!

We Discuss: double rainbows, thesprocketpodcast.com!, Ainsworth State Park, fanfares,Cycle Wild, Spirit of ‘77 indoor bike parking, new Hopworks Bike Bar, Portland’s streets not exploding with bikes, midwest valor, raingear can be cheap and easy to get, bikes & transit (LA does it best!), Brock is a human transit wiki, PedalNation fashion show, it’s episode 25!, Brompton folding bicycles and their mechanics, crazy hills on the Tillamook test run, trifold, TSA scanners and flying with your bicycle, full size bicycles are tough to put onto a train sometimes, California is awesome, Brompton cargo system, tote wheels, paring down the cargo, dongles, extension cable trumps solar panel, less is more, storing bikes under the tent flap, guys with big trucks, inspiring presentations, old school derailleurs, what’s coming next, the cause finds you, fundraising for the journey

Headlines
BikePortland: Local businesses in Portland offer bike locks for loan to forgetful cyclists;
I Love The Bus: Secret Message left on seat to encourage its unspecified recipient;
BikePortland: What’s the safest storage for your bike?  In a Spalding Building bank vault, of course!
Oregonian: Metro Discusses bicycle sharing program with Bigfish

Drinks
Russ chose the Dick’s Brewing’s Cream Stout, Laura drank Stone Brewing’s Smoked Porter, Brandon ironically swigged Miller High Life and Brock enjoyed Black Butte Porteronce again.

Music
“Lonely Heart” from Portland band Mnemonic Sounds off of their 2010 album Muscle Memories, suggested by listener Evelyn! Find them at http://mnemonicsounds.com
Muscle Memories - Mnemonic Sounds

Fine Print
email us: thesprocketpodcast@gmail.com
twitter: @SprocketPodcast
phone in or SMS: 503-847-9774
web: http://thesprocketpodcast.com
music: Ryan J. Lane (intro & outro) & Hurtbird (headlines)


E024 – Logan Smith & Tammy Strobel: RowdyKittens.com



A portrait shoot while on the road. Visit www.pathlesspedaled.com.

Tammy Strobel & Logan Smith from RowdyKittens.com, a website about “social change through simple living,” join us to talk about small houses, downsizing, and selling your car for good.  Also, Logan fills some of Brandon’s shoes in our esteemed co-host’s absence.

We discuss: Brandon’s out of town, Eugene marathon & the city’s qualities, Russ & Laura, Listener Alison calls in to tell her bicycling story, thanks Listener Michelle, EcoVelo has great bicycle photography, sketchy bicycle sales, acronyms, fanfare, downsizing story, Davis, gradual change, hoarders, donations are fun!, phone call to Brandon & his unusual train experience, Dee Williams & the small house video, finding a place to park one, food carts and tent cities like Dignity Village, Peak Moment TV, Pedalpalooza small house ride, lowering your overhead, Tammy’s ebooks: Simply Car-Free and Smalltopia, dating without cars, “why is there extra money in my account?”, paying off debt, bicycling is fun! (and you wait less), Dave Feucht on riding without a helmet, job security vs. personal responsibility, upcoming book deal, Tammy featured in the NY Times & the Today Show, origin of the name “RowdyKittens”

Bonus: We forgot to talk about this on-air but these two have a fascinating simple kitchen experiment going on right now.

Headlines
EcoVelo via Logan: Give yourself a raise by switching from auto to bicycle – as much as $4/hour!
Boston.com: U-lock company uses barcodes & social media to find stolen bikes;
Oregonian: Bike & Ride facility is sadly below capacity.  Maybe if they followed Seoul’s lead…;
BikePortland: Sign company shows that Business by bike doesn’t have to be hard!
BikePortland: walking and bicycling can actually thrive in the suburbs, given the right conditions;
Bike commute news
is a compact twitter news service

Drinks
Tammy & Logan drink Deschutes Brewery’s Black Butte Porter, and Brock samples theKona Brewing Company’s Aloha Series Wailua beer that neighbor Alison gave him.

Music
C.R. Avery out of Vancouver BC, “Motel” from his recent album release So It Goes
So It Goes - CR Avery 

Fine Print
email us: thesprocketpodcast@gmail.com
twitter: @SprocketPodcast
phone in or SMS: 503-847-9774
web: http://thesprocketpodcast.com
music: Ryan J. Lane (intro & outro) & Hurtbird (headlines)