Monday, December 6, 2010

Random Acts of Lego Kindness and Other Good Things

I don't know about the rest of you, but I've had a case of the holiday blues lately. I know, I know, cry me a river. I have no right to feel down about anything because I am truly blessed in all of the most important things. I'm writing about feeling low, though, because I am feeling decidedly better now. Yesterday was a really great day for lots of reasons:


Winter Arrived in London Ontario:






My bikes shared a brief moment together as they passed the torch and commiserated over carrying my big butt to work and back every day. Summer has been safely stored in the shed, and Mutant Winter has taken her spot in the porch lockup. Highway (the Trek 520 build), on the other hand, is living in the basement like some weird freeloading aunt who is hoping for some attention over the winter months. We shall see.

Mrs. Rantwick and I went out to do some top secret Christmas stuff yesterday morning. When we arrived home,we found this awaiting us in our bedroom:



It almost made me cry.

Please note that I will not tolerate any suggestion that this message is some kind of self-serving effort to curry favour during this time of intense focus on children's desires. This was the creation of Rantwick Jr., the same kid that created the Grumbear.

I saw a Grumbear on a family hike once.


He is a giving and genuinely loving person who, at least right now, simply doesn't think that way. Suggest any different in the comments and I will send the Grumbear your way, and believe me, you don't want to mess with him:


Later we went to a kids Christmas party at my work, where I was once again reminded of how good people can be. Tons of people volunteer to make it a truly great thing for the kids, with free food, carnival games, a bouncy castle and a really great Santa Claus (you rock, Larry) sporting a real great white beard among other nice things. People from work (some of whom one would never suspect) do all kinds of work to make it happen and I just show up, have a great time with my kids and go home happy. If any of you are reading this, thanks so very much. You put on what must be the best kids Christmas party in town, bar none, and I really appreciate it.


By the time you read this, I am hoping to have enjoyed a fully blissed-out MUP ride through powder (London doesn't plow most of the paths) coming in to work. If so, expect more good vibes from this direction soon.

Yer Decidedly "Up" Pal,
R A N T W I C K

PS - If you're new here and were expecting a rant, sorry. I chose my name only to discover I don't often fit it very well. I do get a little ticked sometimes, but in general I'm more on the positive side. I still like my name though, so, tough.

Friday, December 3, 2010

If You Were Riding the Bicycle #4 - Sidewalk Temptations

99.7% of the time, I don't ride on the sidewalk. I've got a couple of video clips, one from the summer and one from last week sometime...


When I review those clips, I find myself a little confused. Why am content to wait with the rest of the vehicles in one instance and not in another? I think the main reason is that in the first case I would have had to commit to staying on the sidewalk for quite a while because traffic was backed up, while in the second case it was more of a quick "ride around that garbage truck" kind of thing. In the first clip I was headed home from work near the end of my ride, but in the second I was going to work and near the beginning of it, so maybe the potential for lateness played a part too.

I don't believe that taking to the sidewalk is the right choice at any time, yet once in a long while I will do it anyway. When, if ever, does the temptation to ride on the sidewalk overcome you? Would you hit the sidewalk in order to overtake slow or stopped traffic?


What would you do if you were riding the bicycle?

R A N T W I C K

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

The Most High Tech Shoe Drying System Ever

I am fortunate in that I work with technology and have access to the latest in wet cycling shoe drying systems.

Among several choices I have most recently been favouring the HP 10642 G2 rack with dual HP Proliant DL380 G5 servers, although pretty much any servers will do since they all make heat and include good fans to move it away. In terms of heat generation, the more servers in the rack the better. These particular servers take up 2 rack units (or one shoe width) and the cable management cages at the back can be converted into to the optional shoe drying compartment very easily. Let's look at some pictures of this super efficient shoe drying marvel!


Here's the front view:



As is often the case, the real magic happens behind the scenes. Here's a view of the rack from the back:


My apologies... "cable management cage things" should read "Ambidextrous snap-on cable management arm and quick release levers". Sorry. Anyway, here's how it works:



See? I get to work with some pretty advanced shoe-drying equipment.
I do not recommend infiltrating the computer rooms at your workplace and doing something like this on your own. Somebody will probably flip out on you. Ask somebody who is allowed access and is familiar with how it all works, however, and they may well be happy to help you out. Server racks are also ideal for drying wet clothing, but I have always found soaked shoes to be the bigger challenge.





Yer Pal, R A N T W I C K


PS - If you are thinking, "Holy Nerd!" at this moment, might I direct you to the source of my footprint graphic, a web site from a local Comp Sci professor named Stephen M. Watt from the University of Western Ontario?

I have no doubt whatsoever that this dude operates on an intellectual level well above, um, mine. I can also state with some confidence that he is a bigger nerd than I am. A bigger, more successful, smarter nerd that I envy, but a bigger nerd nonetheless.

PPS - I did not take Comp Sci at any time during my academic endeavours and I discovered this local guy's page while simply searching for images of footprints. Go and figger!