Category Archives: Communication

E128 – Cory Poole & Billy Meiners: NW Skate Coalition

May 6, 2013Advocacy, Cargo, Communication, Skateboarding, The Law, Touring, Transit, Walkingsprocketpodcast

Cory Poole & Billy Meiners from the NW Skate Coalition join us to talk skateboarding in Portland. It’s not just a hobby, although it is fun – it’s also a great way to get around town that meshes well with the city’s streets and transit network. Since they are two of the nicest guys in the business, we’re happy to share our conversation with them here! Check out pdxdownhill.com and skatefriendlypdx.com for more details if you’re intrigued, as well as some long distance skate touring from the guys atlongboardtramp.com.

Dr. Brandon Rhodes rejoins for an episode to cover for Aaron who had to work this week during showtime. Brock discusses the Portland Afoot region-wide game he participated in and the release of their new mobile app.

Headlines
BikePortland: Portland Farmers Market introduces the Produce Pedaler

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Marcus donates and writes in about a potential visit to Portland. We recommend a few spots to eat:
Horse Brass Pub
Cackalacks cart
The Big Egg
The Country Cat

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)

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E127 – Films, Camping, & Underpants

April 29, 2013Advocacy, Bicycling, Camping, Communication, The Law, Touring, Travelsprocketpodcast

Brock & Aaron recap a few days of fun at Filmed By Bike, camping by bicycle in the Tillamook State Forest, and the Pedalpalooza Mashup Ride during some good weather.

Headlines

NPR via Tyson: Bike built to acheive 100 miles per hour

psfk via BikePortland: the bike-in cafe is here!

BikePortland: a group of Londoners are riding across the US to study urban design

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Dan from MN on bicycles in the Walking Dead.

Logan shares the STOOPIDTALL Bike from LA’s Ciclavia event. (It also madeBikePortland)

Emily Finch’s perspective on Aaron’s lack of clothing, sent by Zed.

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E126 – Dan Kauffman & Zed Bailey: Open Bike

April 21, 2013Advocacy, Alternate Fuels, Bicycling, Communication, Doin' It, History, Technologysprocketpodcast

Zed Bailey & Dan Kauffman are the driving force behind Open Bike Night,CrankMyChain Cycle TV, and a host of creative projects and activism around the city of Portland. We drink and talk about a host of topics, including Pedalpalooza, Einstein and the Theory of Relativity, cycling in SLC, Rev. Phil, Zoobombing, the Magical Midnight Mystery Ride, and “doing it better.” Dan even plays a few original songs for us.

Zed mentions a song from Enter The Haggis: “Gasoline”

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John from Hawaii adds some input to Aaron’s planning for his trip to the islands.

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E125 – Ayleen Crotty: Filmed By Bike 11!

April 15, 2013Advocacy, Bicycling, Communication, History, Mountain Biking, Technology, Travelsprocketpodcast

album selections: Aaron has Stevie Wonder, Brock has The Who, and Ayleen has Floyd Cramer

Ayleen Crotty is at the helm of the fabulous Filmed By Bike festival, in its 11th year running. We chat about this year’s festival, the bike confessional project which will be similar to NPR’s StoryCorps, the historic Clinton Street Theater, connections to iconic personality Rev. Phil, the surprising role Vancouver BC’s bike culture played in that of Portland OR, and the happy intersection of the film festival with NW Documentary.

Brock & Aaron also discuss bicycling adventures along North Portland’s Willamette River shores and its associated pirate cove, and the history and development of the Midnight Mystery Ride.

Headlines

Gizmodo via Brandon: why this smartphone is better as a dumbphone

BikePortland via Miles: new bike clothing boutique opens in Portland

Salon.com via Miles: Saudi Arabia lifts ban on women bicycling

Mail

Tim in DC addresses the difficulties of transporting one’s bicycle by airline.

Phoebe from Boston made a donation to WalkBoston in honor of Brock’s recent walk to work.

Tito shares his amusement and implores Brock to visit Missoula again.

Dan from MN chuckled at Brock’s reference to stealing land from First Nations – he’s studying Federal Indian Law for his future career.

Patrick from Davis CA wrote: “Cool episode, 12 miles does not seem far away but if your only choice is to walk it would take a major portion of your day to get from point A to B. ”

Steve in WY writes on gluten intolerance, and he also mentions that studded tires don’t last as long as he’d like them to; regarding difficult turns while using them, we may be able to attribute that to rutted snow or ice.

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E124 – Dan Christensen: Walkin’

April 8, 2013Bicycling, Communication, Housing, Kitchen, Mountain Biking, Transit, Travel, Walkingsprocketpodcast

Dan Christensen returns to discuss his significant gains in healthful eating and walking to work, as well as add his always hilarious commentary on our own stories.

Dan recommends the book Wheat Belly if you’re curious about the diet issues we discussed today.

Brock & Aaron also discuss Brock’s trip to the south, airlines and driving cars, not taking paved shoulders for granted, Recycled America’s presentation at Velo Cult, eating roadkill, and more.

Headlines
Bicycling.com: The Pedal Powered Pope
US Forest Service: Mt Hood freeway corridor gets federal grant for bus service

And stuff we didn’t get to:

Streetsblog via Steph: the federal gov’t wants to bribe you to drive to work
Clean Technica via Miles: tax code won’t reward you for riding a bike
Gizmodo via Brandon: why this smartphone is better as a dumbphone
BikePortland via Miles: new bike clothing boutique opens in Portland

Mail
Jack comments on twitter on civil discourse and Sim City’s urban planning educational benefits.

A voicemail from Jeremy about Chicago.

Rory from Kalamazoo loves Bolt Bus and might move to Portland someday!

Phoebe from Boston comments on unexpected bike crashes, Meeky Blizzard’s poise, and sexism on transit.

Martina writes in to address Steve’s “women in the cycling industry” questions at more length – read the full text of her responses here.

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E123 – Deanna Adams: Setbacks & Adventures

March 30, 2013Bicycling, Camping, Communication, Downsizing, Family, Touring, Travel, Walkingsprocketpodcast

Deanna Adams is a cycle touring adventurer who we spoke to earlier in our show’s history about her minimalist vegan fixie tour through Mexico. After some additional adventures in Europe, she encountered some health challenges and had to postpone plans for a worldwide tour in the works while dealing with those; we speak about her struggle to enjoy life at home and the lessons learned while waiting it out.

We reference This American Life’s “Self-Improvement Kick” episode which contains the story of Daryl Watson, who aspired to be the next “peace pilgrim.”

Deanna also mentions learning to fuse plastic to create new inexpensive gear out of discarded grocery bags.

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E122 – Alison Wiley: Diamond-Cut Life

March 24, 2013Advocacy, Bicycling, Car Sharing, Communication, Downsizing, Family, Housing, Kitchen, Simpler Living, Transit, Travelsprocketpodcast

Alison Wiley writes about simpler living in its many forms through her website, diamondcutlife.org, tackling the many challenging yet rewarding aspects of “chiseling our focus down to what really matters.” We chat with her about her philosophy of life, work for the state in transportation, food and energy approaches, and her new book,Revelle: A Novel.

If you’re in Portland, drop by Rain OR Shine Cafe on SE 60th & Division on Thursday, March 28 at 6:30 for a reading from Alison’s novel!

Brock & Aaron also discuss Hillstomp’s concert last weekend & his crowd management experience, as well as Brock’s trip to Bend.

Headlines
Urban Adventure League: Ultra-Moderate Touring!

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We get some iTunes reviews, Nick shares a song inspired by Hing Kong’s MTR underground transport system, and Jack tweets us regarding a recently observed irony.

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E121 – Transit Is Relative

March 18, 2013Advocacy, Bicycling, Car Sharing, Communication, Family, Technology, Transit, Travel, Walkingsprocketpodcast

Michael Andersen is the force behind the Portland Afoot, the city’s quintessential magazine on commuting and low-car life. Doctor Jeff is a psychologist who once had a commute by transit of four hours a day and still propagates a highly entertaining twitter feed. Together, we attempt to better understand how we deal with our automobile-dependent relatives and friends when we come for a visit, but not before we discuss hangovers, bike mishaps, and movies. Then we assure ourselves of the security of Michael’s bicycle and describe our drinks, which leads to a shared commiseration on the disappearance of the classic drive-in restaurant. Shit gets real when we turn to economic theory and find out who is or isn’t a Marxist, but we have a good laugh about how old we are while diving straight into the future of driverless vehicles (like in Vancouver, BC). Then, finally: family relationships.

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E120 – Meeky Blizzard, Freeway Slayer

March 11, 2013Advocacy, Bicycling, Building, Communication, History, The Lawsprocketpodcast

Meeky Blizzard is responsible for leading the charge against an ugly freeway that was poised to be built through pristine farmland two decades back. She partnered with citizens and 1000 Friends of Oregon to help give a voice to sensible alternatives, which sounds remarkably similar to an issue Portland area residents face today. We talk with her about the story and her perspectives on transportation and activism.

Dr. Jeff & Michael Andersen joined us to tape next week’s episode, so they sat in on this week’s taping as well! Look for their discussion on our relatives and their perceptions of transit next week.

Headlines
Seattle Bike Blog: Washington politician Ed Orcutt claims bicyclists exhale pollution

Rep. Orcutt did recognize that his statements were absurd.

BikePortland: Highlights from the National Women’s Bicycling Forum

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Steve in WY comments on our Women & The Cycling Industry feature, and Rigel clears up the Qualcomm question.