Retro-grouch or just obsolete

I started writing here in 2005 that will be sixteen years by the end of this year. That is a long time and a lot of material, a lot of subjects covered.

The reason I started writing here was simple, I had gathered a lot of knowledge over the years spent building bicycle frames. I felt I needed to share that knowledge. There must be millions of people like me all over the world, doing something or other, and along the way figured out how to do that something a certain way.

This knowledge is often not written down and when these people are gone, that knowledge will be gone also. I felt this was a damn shame because knowledge passed on from one generation to the next is how humankind got from chasing their food with a stick, to where we are today.

However, the thing I find alarming is that our knowledge today is growing at such a rate, that old information becomes outdated at a faster rate. We are producing products that are almost obsolete by the time they are shipped from the factory to the store.

The other thing concerns me is, does anyone really care about what I or anyone else did forty or fifty years ago, when most people are not interested in what was done last year, or even six months ago? I am talking here from a bicycle industry standpoint.

I know my regular readers will say they are interested, and I believe most genuinely are, otherwise they would not keep on coming back. But is the knowledge gathered here only of value from an entertainment standpoint?

Most of those who visit here and learn something about bicycles are no different from bird watchers, people who grow roses, brew beer, or collect stamps. Part of the enjoyment of engaging in a hobby is becoming an expert in that particular subject.

This blog gets around 1,500 to 2,000 hits a day from all over the world, most of these hits come from search engines. Type in any question about bicycles and chances are I have written about it at some time or other, and that article will pop up in a search.

Many hits come from forums where people are discussing some aspect or other of the bicycle, sooner or later someone will post a link to an article I have written. Then the term “Retro-grouch” will pop up, and I wonder, “Is that how people really see me?”

I left the bike business in 1993 so naturally stuff I write about pre-dates that, but does that make me a retro-grouch? To me a retro-grouch is someone stuck in the past that will not move forward. When I was in the bike business, I always questioned the status quo, and often went against what everyone else was doing.

The robots that drive the search engines will only pick up my blog if I keep writing new stuff. At some point I will become too old, too tired, or simply run out of stuff to write about.

When I stop writing, within a year this blog will disappear from the search engines. Publishing in book form is no better, there are so many books published each year that most only reach a limited audience, and who remembers a book that was published last year?

I think the point I am trying to make is that when I started writing here I did so because I thought what I had to offer had some value. I still believe that is true, it is just my reasons for thinking so has changed.

What do you think? Does the speed of advancement in today’s technological environment make knowledge obsolete at a faster rate?

     To Share click "Share Article" below 

Irony

Roger Daltrey, lead singer and one of the founding members of “The Who” recently drew attention when he spoke about the current “Woke” generation, and suggesting they are making the World a miserable place to live in.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not criticizing Roger Daltrey or co-member of the Who, Pete Townsend.  Their music has brought joy to millions for the last fifty years, and the world would be a poorer place without their songs.

And please don’t criticize me for even daring to mention it, I’ve paid my dues and built a few good bike frames over the years. Allow me to add my two cents.

I do find Roger D’s comment a little ironic as the Who had their first hit with “My Generation,” speaking of their generation of the 1960s and basically telling the older generation of that time, not to put them down. The Who then went on to have another huge hit with "Won't get fooled again.” The lyrics go.

We'll be fighting in the streets
With our children at our feet
And the morals that they worship will be gone
And the men who spurred us on
Sit in judgement of all wrong
They decide, and the shotgun sings the song.

To me this sounds exactly like the current situation, with fighting in the streets, lead by those “Who sit in judgement of all wrong.” Then the chorus implies that it really doesn’t matter who is in charge, nothing changes, and everything stays the same.

I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again.

The next verse continues with the sentiment, “Nothing Changes.”

The change, it had to come
We knew it all along
We were liberated from the fold, that's all
And the world looks just the same
And history ain't changed
'Cause the banners, they are flown in the next war.

I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again, no, no

I'll move myself and my family aside
If we happen to be left half alive
I'll get all my papers and smile at the sky
Though I know that the hypnotized never lie.

“The hypnotized never lie.” There’s a quote to mull over.

There's nothing in the streets
Looks any different to me
And the slogans are replaced, by-the-bye
And the parting on the left
Is now parting on the right
And the beards have all grown longer overnight

I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again
Don't get fooled again, no, no

Yeah
Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss. 

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. This time last year there was different President in the Whitehouse, and I sat here writing my blog, just as I am doing today. Because I remain neutral, my life remains the same. 

In my view Roger Daltrey is a little off when he says “The Woke generation is making the world a miserable place to live in.” Not my life, not in the place where I live. I was young once, believe it or not. “We wanted so much to be different than the previous generations.”

We wore the fashions of the day, so we all looked the same. We had the same musical tastes, we did everything our friends did, we wanted above all to fit in. Our cry was, “We want to change the world,” our motive was to remain popular. It was all about me and look at me. 

No different than the current generation. The big difference is today we have the Internet and Social Media, everyone has a voice and whatever trends on Facebook and Twitter ends up in the news, so it is non-stop, in your face.

The phrase, “Stay Woke” meaning Stay awake, or be aware, was first coined by black writers and musicians, and came into popular use by the African American community, as a slogan for the “Black Lives Matter” movement. 

What happened next is best described by writer Franklin Sinner. @NovaFrankly who also wrote about irony on Twitter last September: 

Ironic, Black folk made “Woke” to represent awakening from evil centuries old racist conditioning, now look. Y’all highjacked and twisted it into some hollow caricature, devoid of all meaning, that you ridicule and fight over it just like everything else we create.

Man sincerely, Fuck all y’all.

This brought a comment from none other than John Cleese. (British Monty Python star.)

A lot of woke behaviors seem to me posturing; striking attitudes that allow them to experience the lovely, warm glow of moral superiority, while justifying their own aggression by using denial-and-projection.

So, you see it really is a case of nothing changes, you just pick up your guitar and play, just like yesterday. Nothing changes because nothing ever really gets done, and if by chance next week there is a young people's revolution in Russia, (Just for example.) there will be some new Hashtag trending on Facebook and Twitter as everyone rushes to fix that injustice.

Here is excellent reading on the meaning, history and evolution of Woke.

    To Share click "Share Article" below

What advice would I give a young artist today?

I recently watched a Bill Maher video where he talked about the issue that back in the 1990s someone had the brilliant idea that one should not just reward excellence but give everyone a trophy just for participating. In addition to this kids were told they could be anything they desired, simply by wishing it were so.

The result is we have a generation of young people who all want to be celebrities and cannot understand why they are not. Yes, one must believe in themselves and their ability to achieve success, but it takes time, often years of practice and repetition, and only then if one has something called “Talent”.

Life is a journey, and the journey means more than the destination. You don’t climb a mountain and say, “Damn this is hard work, but it will be worth it when I get to the top and see that wonderful view,” What if you took a cable-car or a helicopter to the summit. You would have the exact same view, but there would be no sense of achievement in getting there.

Likewise, you don’t say, “Damn this is hard work but when I become a star or a celebrity, then I’ll be happy.” Happiness is a choice; it does not require fame or fortune. There are poor people who are happy, and rich people who are miserable. Life is a journey, happiness is the means of travel, not the destination.

Don’t say, I am miserable because I have no friends. No, you have no friends because you are miserable. No one wants to be around miserable people. Be happy without friends, and friends will be drawn to you. If your happiness is reliant on the approval of others, you leave your self open to be controlled by others. How can you be happy without friends, well smile for a start, fake it? People will soon begin to wonder what you have to smile about.

Get in touch with your inner self. What is that? Remember when you were 5,6 or 7? The thoughts you had, was that not the same person that does the thinking now? Even though you look different in the mirror. That is your inner self. It is that which never changes throughout your entire life.

While you are at it, get in touch with Nature. For there is but one creative source, and artists are merely the vehicle through which art appears. The Native American called it “Hand Magic.” The Great Spirt guiding the artist’s hand as he made the pottery or wove a blanket. Everything in Nature is beautiful, if the artist is connected to Nature through their inner self, he or she will create beautiful art. It doesn’t matter if it is painting or sculpture, creative writing or songwriting, singing or acting. It is all art.

All art forms have a craft side. Tried and true ways of doing something. These can be learned from books, classes or even YouTube videos. Once you learn the craft, it depends on practice, repetition, and in the end Talent. Talent I believe is that connection with Nature, the Great Spirit. Some are born with it and often don’t even know it. Others have to find it, but it is there to be found.  

    To Share click "Share Article" below

Point of View

If there is one thing I learned building bicycle frames, it is that no two people are alike.

If you could assemble a hundred people, all the exact same height, and then further separate into groups made up of those with similar leg length.

You would find within those groups, the thigh, lower leg and foot measurements would all vary.

Even within the same race, people have different facial features, complexions, hair color, etc. When you consider all peoples, the variations are infinite. An individual’s finger prints are unique, and now we know that DNA is too.

Most people accept these differences and seldom question why. Therefore, it really should be no surprise that people’s opinions will vary even more infinitely than our physical differences.

What are opinions but a collection of thoughts, based on our individual beliefs and experiences? Sometimes called a “Point of View,” meaning literally, the world as one individual sees it from where they stand.

No two individuals can have the same view if they stand in different places. 

In spite of this we sometimes argue and fight defending our point of view, or try to impose our opinions on others.

We accept every other difference in the human species, why do we expect the thought pattern of others to be in line with ours? We are each a free thinking spirit, and I can’t think of anything more random that a person's thoughts.

Could it be because our opinions are the yardstick by which we view and evaluate the world? It is how we judge situations and other people. Our opinions have been formed largely by our life experiences, our parents, teachers and other pivotal people in our lives.

Our opinions can change over time with changing circumstances, if we find a better one we change it. However, at any given time our opinion is the best it can be. We just can’t understand why anyone would have a different opinion, after all, ours is the best.

It is not the difference of opinion that is wrong, it is the failure to see that the other’s view point is from an entirely different place.

It is the single most cause of conflict between individuals, co-workers, friends, and families. On a larger scale, it is the basic reason nations assemble armies and go to war with each other.

I have found that defending one’s point of view is just a huge waste of time and energy. It achieves little. Rarely does either side move any closer to the other’s way of thinking. Often it drives the two sides further apart

Instead I find it more constructive and fruitful to listen to the other’s opinion. Another’s estimation is often difficult to understand and may even arouse aversion.

But by the simple act of listening, I can better understand the other's point of view without the obligation that it has to become my point of view. I may not necessarily agree, but I may see the position he is standing that gives him that view.

Blindness is not always the inability to see, it is ofttimes caused by refusing to step out of the darkness. Just my point of view.

First posted April 2012

    To Share click "Share Article" below

The Golden Age

There is a period in recent history known as the Golden Age of Cycling, during the late 1940s after WWII and into the 1950s.

In countries like Italy, France, Belgium and Switzerland, professional cyclists were the super stars of their day.

It is the period that the Eroica event celibrates, and tries to recapture.

It was the era when I started cycling, and I remember what a joy it was to ride a bike in England back then. In the UK there was a lot less motorized traffic, and people were in less of a hurry.

We could always ride two abreast anywhere, and it was unlikely there was opposing traffic when a car needed to pass a couple of cyclists, or even a bunch of twenty or more.

There was no honking of car horns or screaming abuse, most people had grown up riding a bike to school, or probably their first job was delivering groceries on a bike, so they could relate. There was coexistence on the roads.

It has occurred to me recently that this era was not just the Golden Age of Cycling, but it was the Golden Age, period.

For a few brief years there was peace and prosperity, the world economy was booming as everyone rebuilt after the war. There were plenty of hard manual labor jobs available, where a person could work physically hard. Jobs for people of all levels of education.

Over the years life has become easier and easier, but easy does not necessarily go hand in hand with the quality of life.

Have we reached a point where our quality of life is now at a standstill or even in reverse?

At one point in ancient history people had to chase animals with a stick in order to eat and survive, life was extremely hard and there was much suffering.

The problem as I see it is that it took tens of thousands, if not millions of years to get from killing animals with a stick, to tying a rock on the end of the stick to make a simple tool.

Now in just the last two or three hundred years, technology has exploded and continues to develop at an ever increasing and alarming rate of speed.

Meanwhile our DNA, our bodies have not caught up with technology. We are still programmed to chase animals with a stick. We no longer have to work physically hard in order to eat, the result is we exercise too little, and eat too much.

Our children are unable to follow their basic instinct, and are constantly told, "Don't run." Watch any baby animal at play and it involves chasing each other, training for later life when they are either chasing or running away from other animals.

When I was a child our games too consisted of chasing each other, I remember I pretty much ran everywhere, two miles to school and back. Running was effortless, it seemed my feet hardly touched the ground. 

I loved to climb trees, sitting at the top of an eighty foot tree, looking out over the canopy of a wooded area, is an experience I will never forget. Squirrels and birds would come and sit close to me. I cannot remember the last time I witnessed a kid in a tree.

It is a shame children and young adults cannot experience adventure. When I was fourteen I went touring on my bike with a school friend. We rode all over England, we slept in a tent, or stayed at Youth Hostels for very little money.

Maybe the reason video games are so popular is because it satisfies a need for adventure, along with a primitive instinct to chase something.

The problem is only virtual adventure, all in the mind and there is no physical effort associated with it. Real adventure prepares one for the real world. It involves physical activity, and interaction with real people.

One answer for a young person would be to take a job like construction work that is hard physical labor, or take up a sport so the exercise and training has an end purpose.

The problem is some are so stressed working to maintain a “comfortable” life style, they just want to relax after a hard day at the office, and this can lead a sedentary lifestyle.

If we are honest, we don’t work hard anymore, not physically hard that is. Our minds work hard, multitasking, trying to cram a million things into our day. We rush here, we rush there. We end each day mentally exhausted, rather than physically exhausted.

Physical exhaustion means sleeping soundly at the end of the day, whereas, mental exhaustion means stress and the likelihood of being unable to sleep.

Governments are not going to change things for us, it is up to each individual to decide on his/her own lifestyle. “Less is more” is a worn out cliché I know, but learning to live simply on less, rather than trying to make more, is worth considering.

Question: Given that the Corona Virus has placd many people's life on hold, what are your plans for the future? What are you doing to make your life better? Not necessarily more prosperous, or easier, but a better quality of life.

    To Share click "Share Article" below