Reinventing the Door

This novel variation on the common door comes from Austrian artist Klemmens Torggler.  Thanks to Twisted Sifter (again) for the link.

Here's another one made from 10mm plate steel.

Very cool.

The New Era

It's often said that we live in changing times and that the pace of technology and social revolutions seem to be almost exponential.  Since the beginning of the millennium we have seen 9/11, the birth of the Euro, YouTube, Facebook, Wikipedia, Twitter, the Asian tsunami, the Japan earthquake, 3D printing and drone strikes.  But is our era really any different from the past or do we just look at it through our own myopic viewpoint?

The French have the term fin de siecle (literally end of the century) to describe the turn of the previous century but also the political and cultural changes that were happening at that time.

The Scream, Edvard Munch, 1893

Many 'isms' apply to this period: rationalism, materialism, surrealism, positivism, pessimism, social Darwinism and nationalism, which led to the upheavals of the First World War, which in turn led to fascism and the Second World War.  

HG Wells wrote The Time Machine in 1895, in which the protagonist travels to the distant future to learn what becomes of humanity and witnesses a dying earth.  The irony for me is that if I had a time machine, top of my list of destinations would be to head right back to where he came from: the late Victorian era and the turn of the twentieth century.

Here are some random fascinating events that were happening around this time:

The Eiffel Tower was completed in 1889.  It was the tallest building in France until 2004 with the completion of the Millau Viaduct, which I have previously blogged about here and referred to in this blog here.

Wikipedia

New Zealand became the first country in the world to give women the vote in 1893.

Kate Sheppard, 1905

In London, the first proper 'Tube' railway was opened in 1890.  It ran from the City of London to Stockwell (about 5km), under the Thames.

London Underground

By the time of the death of Queen Victoria in 1901, London's population had reached 6.6 million and it has not varied greatly since then.  In 1801 it was less than a million, making the fin de siecle a time of great change, for Londoners at least.

Small Medium Large

One of the nice things about growing your own, or even making your own, is the variety that comes with things that are not sorted into a narrow classification of what is 'normal' or 'optimal'.

 

The big egg is a double yolk special from our largest Austalorp, who has since decided to hot foot it back to her friends next door.

Why Do Cyclists Run Red Lights?

Auckland Transport recently announced the results of a traffic survey of selected intersections around the city (reported here by RNZ National and others), with the surprising result that about two thirds of red light runners were cyclists, despite them making up only a small proportion of road users.  The methodology used in the survey came under some criticism from Cycle Action Auckland and others, and there were the usual vitriolic comments from both sides of the pro/anti cycling sandpit.

I am, however, more interested in the reasons why so many cyclists feel the need to break the law.  I haven't commuted by bike for many years (I now work from home) but I have previously done so in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.  In the UK, I was much younger, and much more gung-ho on my daily 10km commute through London.  I dodged u-turning cabs, squeezed between double decker buses and yes, I went through the occasional red light when it was safe.

Back living in Auckland, I was surprised at how much more hostile and unobservant motor traffic was but if anything the desire to run red lights on my commute was even stronger.  Here are my thoughts on why.

1. Unlike in London, it is quite common to be the only 'vehicle' waiting at the traffic lights in your direction.  Bikes are not usually big enough to activate the inductance loop in the road, so you could theoretically stand there forever, or at least until a car comes along to trigger your phase.
2. Intersections are often tight, congested places.  A two lane road becomes four or more lanes to accommodate queueing cars.  It is an intimidating place to wait while engines rev behind you.  Contrary to popular belief, most cyclists don't want to hold up traffic, not least because doing so risks being pushed off your bike by impatient motorists, so the sooner you can get clear of an intersection the better.
3. Cycling is physical.  That momentum you lose when you stop has to be recovered again.  This is not an excuse, just a statement of fact.  If vehicle drivers had to do a couple of chin-ups at every intersection they stopped at I wonder how many would be tempted to run the light? 
4. Bikes are not vehicles, despite what the Road Code might say.  Cyclists have much better awareness of their immediate environment than motor vehicles - better hearing, less obstructed view and fewer distractions.  Cyclists have much more in common with pedestrians than with cars and trucks, however I didn't see jaywalking pedestrians included in the survey.
5. If you ride your bike through an intersection during the pedestrian phase then you are technically running a red light.  Provided that you don't endanger or frighten pedestrians what is the harm?  You are clearing the intersection so you don't hold up cars so it is a win for all.

Cyclists inhabit a peculiar world on the fringes of two modes.  Drivers say 'Move over or get off the road, you don't belong here'.  Pedestrians say 'The footpaths are for walking, you don't belong here.'  It's hardly surprising that cyclists want to dodge and dive their way from place to place, taking whatever opportunities arise.  Considering cycling is the most efficient form of transport it is surprising that we treat it in this way.

Wood Carving Hyperrealism

Believe it or not, this is a block of carved pine.

This is by wood carver / artist Randall Rosenthal who posted photos of the carving process on woodworking forum Sawmill Creek.  Thanks to Twisted Sifter for the link.  Here is a photo of the carving process - this one is a slightly different work.

Another example of hyperrealism using wood carving:

This one by Tom Eckert.  Yes, also made entirely of wood and then painted.

Christmas Construction Project No. 2

The other project for the holiday season was to help a friend build his new shed.

Despite looking like a giant Meccano set it has been far from a bolt-together job, but it has been very satisfying to see it take shape.

The long hot summer days have been sweltering though.  I have a new respect for people who work outside for a living.

Christmas Construction Project No. 1

The first construction project for this Christmas holiday break was a mobile chicken run or 'chicken tractor' for our four new hens, recently obtained from our neighbours.

The separate but adjacent coop is an internet ordered kitset which I have put on to a home made mobile base.  The wheels come from a cheap hand truck and seem to handle the uneven ground pretty well.

The chicken run is still awaiting some suitable wheels, and also some modifications to make it easier to get to the feed trough.  Once finished, we will be able to move the hens around free range style without them being picked off by circling hawks or harassed by cats or possums.  

One other complication is that three out of four of the hens seem to be off the lay so at this stage they are just well fed pets.

Making the Great Walks Really Great

As covered previously, our recent tramp around Lake Waikaremoana lived up to the Great Walk title, but was slightly let down by not so great huts.  People we spoke to on the hike had similar stories: no water on the Tongariro Northern Circuit, no firewood (the only way to warm the huts), poor maintenance etc.  This is despite many huts being booked out for weeks or months.

Here is my solution to the above and other issues:

Create a 'Deputy Warden' system of volunteer backpackers and students to undertake basic tasks at the huts year round - checking hut tickets, cutting firewood, sweeping floors, basic maintenance etc.  They would get free accommodation and food provided.  Would backpackers and students be willing to volunteer to do this?  Thousands of people worldwide do WWOOFing and similar volunteer work for an experience like this.  A mandatory training course would enable qualified deputies go from area to area experiencing NZ's beautiful scenery on a minimal budget and with some great stories to take home.


Create similar volunteer groups to undertake weed and pest control during the off-season.  School tramping groups should at least have to do a half day of work to teach the students about invasive species and ecology.

Build small (approx 10m2) 4-6 bed pre-fabricated sleep-out style huts which can be transported by road, boat or helicopter to immediately supplement the existing overbooked accommodation.  These would be available at a higher rate than the dorm beds and could be booked by families or groups wanting privacy and a good night's sleep.  They could be equipped with solar lighting and secure doors, but cooking would still be done in the main building for the communal experience and atmosphere of the traditional hut.

Photo by Eric Martinot

Hold architectural competitions to design new landmark viewing platforms and footbridges to create discrete but memorable photo opportunities for people to take home and for journalists to feature in travel articles.

Roost Treehouse by Antony Gibbons Design

As a structural engineer I also couldn't help but notice that all of the smoke alarms had been removed from the Lake Waikaremoana huts, presumably because of false alarms from the wood burners and food cookers.

Surely this is a major safety issue with everyone bringing their own cooking equipment into the huts (no burners are provided).

This, coupled with somewhat meaningless 'box ticking' signage for exit routes from large single room dormitories highlights a disconnect between Building Code compliance and reality.

Lake Waikaremoana, Great Walk!

While the malls were heaving with zombie shoppers just before Christmas we escaped to the remote Te Urewera National Park to tramp for four days around Lake Waikaremoana.  As with the other NZ Great Walks, the scenery was spectacular.

The track climbs up the Panekiri Range then descends back down to lake level to follow the western shoreline.

What was perhaps less than spectacular was the condition of the Department of Conservation (DOC) huts along the way.  We were told that there are now no hut wardens until Boxing Day meaning there was nobody to check to see whether we had paid the $32 per night fee, or to keep the huts in some semblance of order - no firewood or toilet paper, unswept floors and filthy toilets.

The nine "Great Walks" showcase New Zealand's spectacular environment to the world, but I think the experience of noisy 30 bunk dormitories and dirty facilities may be putting many people off the great outdoors, tourists and New Zealanders alike.  

I certainly don't blame DOC for this.  They struggle with insufficient funds and shrinking budgets, but I think there is room for improvement in a way that would benefit DOC, tourists, Kiwi trampers and the environment and I will cover this in a separate post.

Back on the Air

December has been quiet on the blogging front.  I was preoccupied with the final conclusion of a very stressful three year long battle which I am happy to say is now over.  I hope to be back to posting more regularly from now.