Category Archives: Downsizing

E069 – Matt Picio on Peak Oil

March 19, 2012Alternate Fuels, Bicycling, Communication, Downsizing, Gardening, Housing, Kitchen, Technology, Walkingsprocketpodcast

Matt Picio rejoins the show to discuss the Peak Oil hypothesis/phenomenon with Brandon.

Youtube Video Series: Albert Bartlett on the Exponential Function
Recommended Reading: The Long Descent by John Michael Greer, The Long Emergency by James Howard Kunstler, Reinventing Collapse by Dmitry Orlov

Also: the man (not a woman, as we had thought) undertaking a bicycle tour while eating at a budget below the poverty line.

Also: Humanity on Wheels: An Evening of Mass Transit Tales! This Tuesday, March 20 at 7:30pm at The Jack London Bar, 529 SW 4th Ave in Portland OR

Headlines
Treehugger via Carl: the “Mamachari” from Japan offers mothers a compact kid-carrying solution

Mailbag
JohnnyK in FL: “Welcome back Brock it sounds like you had a wonderful time on the other side of the pond. What is it about trains that brings out the 5 year old in us. Anyway I am taking the good Dr.’s advise and I am slowing the F!@k down. I think this is why turtles live so long. I want to be a turtle.” Also he found an explanation of old school shaving similar to that of Amos Hunter.

Carl in CA: “I am pissed! While riding through the many parking lots of the Tustin Market Place, I was pulled over on my bike by a mall cop. Why you ask? I had no shirt on! I was heading to REI and as always would put my shirt on before I entered the store. But I was outside in a huge parking lot…” He also wonders when and where he entered a communist country.

Chris in Arcata: “Are you familiar with kinetic sculpture racing? These are hand built pedal powered machines with crazy engineering, and often crazy art. Often machines have multiple peddlers with costumes, bribes, poems, etc… We peddle on street, sand, mud, water. I’m a well known racer within the community, though I’m taking a break from being an actual racer this year. Last our team was first in speed, and I think we got a engineering award…. This race was born in Humboldt county, California. This race is memorial weekend starting in Arcata… Other locations that do this race [are] Baltimore, Australia, Port Townsend, Corvallis (Da Vinci days), Klamath Falls, and perhaps others… peaceful peddling from Arcata.”

Darren from Australia: “just a quick email to let you know about my cycle touring blog, www.cycletourer.blogspot.com. I’m spending the year travelling to various parts around the globe for one mega cycle adventure. I’ve just completed a little over 7 weeks on New Zealand’s south island cycling with some amazing people from around the globe… It’s amazing how many people have commented on the podcast stickers on my bike so I’m hoping to have converted many cycle tourists to the dark side… I was hoping to catch up with Russ and Laura of The Path Less Pedaled as Laura created a custom head badge for my Surly, but alas, we unfortunately did not cross paths.” His next stops are London, Cornwall, Ireland, France, Switzerland, Germany, & Denmark for an estimated 10,000km on the cycle computer before the tour ends.

Fine Print
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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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E060 – Matt Picio: Cast Iron Cyclist

January 17, 2012Bicycling, Downsizing, Touring, Transitsprocketpodcast

We’re pleased to have Matt Picio, founder of Cycle Wild and also known as the Cast Iron Cyclist, joining us to discuss people camping out by bike and his fantastic cross-country bicycle tour.

Headlines
from Logan: Pedal-powered Shanty Boat is a mobile place to live
from Jeremy in AL: handcrafted wooden bikes made from felled city trees
Taking The Lane: the Conservative case for bicycling might surprise you
PathLessPedaled: Russ gets beaten by an angry motorist in NZ, but he’s OK
Oregonian: Boring Station under construction for a paved end to the Springwater Corridor

Mailbag
Ethan from Pedal Power: “I hope all is well. This might be a bit too “fred” for you folks but if you care to promote our Pedal Power jersey sale we’d appreciate it. The artwork is done by Kathleen King, a great artist whose done some other work for me. All proceeds will be used to help save the earth.”

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E057 – Pedal Powered Family

December 25, 2011Bicycling, Downsizing, Family, Technology, Touring, Train Travel, Transit, Travelsprocketpodcast

A Happy Christmas to all, and to all another great archived interview. The Pedal Powered Family consisting of Reuben, Heidi, Eden, and Harper have been on the road now for some time, giving their children a unique opportunity to discover the world while taking hold of a personal dream themselves.

With them we discuss British Columbia, warmshowers.org, the route (and their progress on a map here), website and blog, Voodoo Doughnuts, their bikes & setup (including a genius DIY sun/rain cover), their Portland visit, interruptions, employment – being self employed and leveraging an extended leave of absence, email, facebook & twitter, traveling with kids and listening to their schedules, less time working hard & going fast, routine is good, heading south into Mexico & South America, then to the east coast, other modes of transport: rental car & train, simple living: finance & reducing expenses, minimalizing

Brock & Brandon discuss their own holiday traditions, what counts as a Northwestern state, TriMet free rides on New Year’s Eve before the interview. Also Brandon suggests sharing Brock’s Xmas Mixtape.

Mailbag
JohnnyK sends his comment to E54, as does Logan.

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E056 – Jena Robinson

December 19, 2011Bicycling, Communication, Downsizing, Gardening, Kitchensprocketpodcast

This week we talk to old friend Jena Robinson, who currently lives in the Nashville, Tennessee region, about her work with food reclamation and helping to meet needs. We discuss: Nashville Greenlands, the Lents neighborhood of Tennessee, a work cooperative arrangement, dumpster diving, Nashville Food Project, garden management, meal delivery, working yourself out of business, primitivism leanings, accounting for non-financial costs, ethnic diversity in the community, etc.

While trying to connect with Jena, we weren’t sure if we’d connect with her and in a panic invited our wives to sit down with microphones and BS a bit. It REALLY is a little rambly, due to the hosts’ ill-preparedness, and not to be ascribed to our wives. Topics include bicycling accidents, coffee overnighters, new helmets, etc.

We also discuss regional Pacific Northwest accents, and also historical ones a la Daniel Day-Lewis. And Brock is looking to have coffee or beer with Boston area listeners in the last two weeks of December.

Mailbag
Street Books is hosting a book drive. By this week it’s already happened but you can check their wish list and make donations here.

Logan sends us an article on the Oregon Trail game from Dave Knows Portland!

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E052 – From The Tiny House!

November 22, 2011Bicycling, Communication, Downsizing, Housing, Kitchen, Technology, Transit, Travelsprocketpodcast

We recorded our first episode away from home today at the RowdyKittens tiny house! Logan and Tammy were nice enough to invite us in after we passively floated the idea via podcast, and so we set up a plethora of wires and instruments in their roomy miniature dwelling. We were also joined by their friends Heather (of Mile73.com) & Dave (of TriMet Diaries and DaveKnows.org) who contributed to the conversations on tiny house life and low/cheap cell phone life (Heather’s in-depth examination of iPhone thrift is here). All told, a lovely time was had by all!

Technical Note: the laptop we took over for recording was missing our usual recording software and I ended up downloading a freeware option on the spur of the moment to capture our show. Since I’m not as familiar with the secondary option, I ended up mixing some of the test audio with the actual show audio; it turned out to be a little too confusing to listen to, but if you REALLY want to wade your ears through that cacophony because you love the show that much, get in touch and I’ll see what I can do. Apologies, and thanks for listening! – Brock

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E045 – Lillian Karabaic

October 3, 2011Bicycling, Cargo, Communication, Downsizing, Housing, Transit, Travel, Walkingsprocketpodcast

We engage in a lively discussion of bicycles and transit in everyday life with Lillian Karabaic, producer of the Portland Afoot Podcast and, as her card states, “bicycle advocate, photographer, and transportation wonk.”

We discuss: Brandon’s back!, Orcas Island, bike trailer crash, tallbikes and chunk 666, the Portland Afoot podcast, cycle wild, the carfree cities conference in Guadalajara (referenced in her latest podcast), world naked bike ride, and other things.

Headlines
Taking The Lane: Elly Blue briefly describes a rural bike community in California
BikePortland: new senic bikeways approved by Oregon State Parks
Bicycling Magazine via Ethan: is a cargo bike the coolest bike ever made? probably so.
BikePortland: Rejuiced Bikes makes incredible special function bicycles out of scrap
BikePortland: Best e-bike ever? The IDEO/Rock Lobster Oregon Manifest entry

Mailbag
donation from Blayne in BC: “You should be able to buy a 24 of PBR for that I imagine.”

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E035 – Raw Vegan Fixie Tour

July 19, 2011Bicycling, Communication, Downsizing, Kitchen, Touring, Travel, Vegansprocketpodcast

Adrian “The Vegan Cow” Stingaciu & Deanna Adams talk to us about their incredible Raw Vegan Fixie Tour!

We discuss: Ride the Divide, Surly’s Pugsley, snow riding, listener Carl in “Animalheim,”We Are Augustines, Super Vegan Cow & animal totem race identity, post-college experiences and the Ride Across America, 29 day trip to Costa Rica on a vegan diet, on the tail of Ride the Divide, travel in pairs for security and photography, no cargo, only raw foods to step up the challenge, no food drops, raw foods & nuts along the way, tapping into body fat, “dude, you look really bad,” sleeping in ditches and bus stops, relentless mosquitoes in the desert, “gassing myself out,” scary encounters while stealth camping,federales, confessions of traveling with a raw vegan, drinking Monster, “the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” breakdowns and pear cores, drug cartel worries, one set of clothes and no laundry, epilepsy, trouble with Montezuma’s revenge, American stomachs can’t handle bacteria, getting home after huge rainstorms, bicycles on slick surfaces and deep shoulders, deadlines, 700cm vs. 26in. wheels and tires, toll roads in Mexico, listen to theMexican Radio, Tyson Chicken plant and factory farming problems, Pacific NW nuclear plants, Deanna’s favorite beer

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E028 – Memorial Day

June 1, 2011Communication, Downsizing, Technology, Travelsprocketpodcast

This week’s episode is short and sweet since that darned holiday weekend made us change our plans. We are, however, well rested and plan to bring you the next scheduled show without incident. Look for Ryan J. Lane’s interview in an upcoming episode to be announced sometime later in the summer. In the mean time, we discussed our weekends, long-winded wedding toasts, Washington State’s San Juan Islands, ditching your cell phone with RowdyKittens.com, etc.

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E025 – PathLessPedaled: Big Adventure, Small Wheels

May 9, 2011Bicycling, Downsizing, Touring, Transit, Travelsprocketpodcast

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

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E024 – Logan Smith & Tammy Strobel: RowdyKittens.com

May 2, 2011Bicycling, Downsizing, Housingsprocketpodcast

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

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The Sprocket Podcast

simplifying the good life

Category Archives: Downsizing

E069 – Matt Picio on Peak Oil

E060 – Matt Picio: Cast Iron Cyclist

E057 – Pedal Powered Family

E056 – Jena Robinson

E052 – From The Tiny House!

E045 – Lillian Karabaic

E035 – Raw Vegan Fixie Tour

E028 – Memorial Day

E025 – PathLessPedaled: Big Adventure, Small Wheels

E024 – Logan Smith & Tammy Strobel: RowdyKittens.com