Some US bike lanes are placed delightfully right in the “door zone”, so any cyclist using one of those is just a fool, because there is just no way an American driver is going to be that alert. Many bike lanes are a white stripe next to the curb, in which case, drivers will generally not hit bikes, but they will pass a bike, not noticing it, and turn across it into the store parking lot, resulting in the bike hitting the car because there is no time to react (this is called the “right hook”).
Thing is, in cities, cyclists learn the general traffic patterns and use the lower-traffic streets as much as possible. Bike lanes on many city arterials are irrelevant because cyclists do not use them. Roads in the countryside tend to be fairly manageable because the cyclists figure out how to use them. The worst areas are the suburbs, because they are laid out for automobile traffic (developments that have loops and culdesacs so arterial alternatives simply do not exist) and there are no bike lanes even where they would help.
Perhaps there could be some invention that would alleviate these problems.
Do it like the Dutch! I’ve driven cars (and bikes) all over the Netherlands, in big cities, in small towns, over country roads, and everywhere bike lanes are so well integrated into general traffic that every biker can feel safe. Of course the motorists have to cut back more often than in other countries, so I think the most important aspect is the acceptance of bike traffic by everyone. Yeah, you can be on a car road and have a bike lane crossing, with the bikes having right of way, but everybody expects it, so it works. It’s a combination of mentality and clever traffic planning.
The ones in my town, where they simply painted a white line in the road should be eliminated. All they achieve is that a car that would have waited to overtake the cyclist safely now feels entitled to roar past at 30mph with inches to spare. The ones allowing bikes to use pedestrian areas are useful for casual cyclists, however. Cycle lanes can work, but need to have some thought put into them.
I’d like a display built into the tops of prescription pill bottles. It would show the date/time it was last opened (top separated from the body). This would help with the “did I already take this?” question and also show evidence of theft. These are sometimes significant problems with elderly and caregivers, and would be a simple fix.
I realize there are other solutions such as pillpacks, but not all insurance covers this, also some regimens are so complex they don’t work well with the packs.
The gap between the fridge and the wall is a frequent place for his toys to end up; not a day goes by where I’m not getting the broom to retrieve a toy that he’s batted in there. So sometimes I wonder if his toy bounces in just the right way such that it ends up behind the fridge. This theory got reinforced yesterday. I heard him playing with one of his favorite balls in the kitchen. Then I see the cat exit the kitchen, sans toy. I go to the kitchen, expecting to find it in the usual place. Toy is nowhere to be found. I shined a light under the stove, and along both sides of the fridge. It doesn’t fit under the fridge. There’s no other place it could have possibly gone other than behind it.
Holy crap! A vehicular cyclist; I thought that I was the only one left on the planet. I live in Montreal which has thoroughly drunk the bike lane cool-aid. They also condone, if not teach, cyclists to pass motor vehicles on the right at intersections, instead of taking the lane. In Montreal there have been maybe three easily preventable and avoidable deaths caused by cyclists colliding with right-turning trucks.
In Melbourne.Aus, overtaking stationary cars on the inside is legal, unless they are indicating for a turn. I’ve seen an accident, but that was a normal bicycle/truck accident: the truck overtook, cut across in front of the bicycle, and didn’t stop after.
The pill dilemma has a low-tech solution. After taking a daily pill, set the bottle upside-down. At the end of the day, stand the bottles back upright.
Or you just fill one of those pill dispensers, with little bins for each day of the week. If today’s container is empty, you’ve already taken today’s dose.
When are they going to come up with some new car commercials? Every car commercial for the last 30 years has been identical: A car drives around on mountain roads with no other cars while the camera angle changes 3 times a second and hypothetical prices and interest rates appear on the screen. The cars all look the same too.
I thought of something the other day. I recently installed a new toilet in the guest bathroom. A few days later I initiated the new commode rather explosively. I cleaned the toilet as best as I could but didn’t have time for a thorough cleaning, I had something on the stove.
A few days later I returned to the new throne to give it a cleaning. Even with a big national brand toilet cleaners and a stiff brush, there were still spots that required a bit more effort. That is when my genius kicked in. Why isn’t there a toilet bowl wax that prevents stuff from sticking. A few weeks ago I found some bird poop splattered on my truck, a quick rinse with a hose and it was gone. About a month ago I had my truck waxed and I figured that’s why the bird dropping rinsed off so easy. The big question is, how many folks would take the time to wax their toilet?
I suspect that applying it properly would be an issue. For best results, the surface would likely need to be clean and dry, and not many people would really take the effort. But toilet manufacturers have models with smoother bowls for this reason. The default ceramic surface will be rough with lots of little crevices. The manufacturer can make the surface more glassy or apply a substance to make the bowl slicker so stuff doesn’t stick. But this adds cost, so it’s typically only in the more expensive models. If you’re getting a low-flow toilet, it’s a worthwhile upgrade. The lower water flow into the bowl means there’s less rinsing action with each flush, so stains are more likely.
Wasn’t there a frictionless toilet in Larry Niven’s Louis Wu stories somewhere? Maybe Beowulf Schaeffer. That’s what we need. Teflon or the newer equivalents?