2MERRILL

BICYCLE PERFORMANCE

Bicycle performance is a very good read for experienced as well as novice bicyclists or those aspiring to be bicyclists. 

It's great to know that a 'bicycle' is the most efficient self-powered means of transportation, and in terms of the ratio of cargo weight a bicycle can carry to total weight, it is the most efficient means of cargo transportation.  Folks who live in North America and Europe will be amazed how bicycles are used in developing countries not only for commuter transport but also for cargo transport as well.

A performance on a bicycle would usually depend on the ability of the rider, which means, a strong rider on a conventional bicycle may be able to ride faster than another rider on a racing bicycle. However, if two riders are created equal the rider on the lighter bicycle with a better aerodynamic position will have a very distinct advantage.  Of course, if performance is considered "speed" then the gearing (mechanical advantage) will be advantageous. However, there are other considerations too, terrain.

It is simple as Simon to state that you can easily carry a lighter load on a flat surface or uphill.  Going uphill with a heavier bicycle requires more effort (huff-puff). If you can roll (like a bicycle wheel does) a heavier bicycle wins with increased momentum which rolls you down faster.  So the question of weight vs. power is a bit woolly here I think.  Most bicycle travels will have some uphill, flats and downhill so the mass x velocity theory may tells us that with hills and slopes the advantages of light vs. heavier bicycles may cancel out on speed performance, but definitely not on a measured time-trial on a set course - the lighter bike will be the clear winner.  In addition, what we now learn is that aerodynamic position is more important than weight as wind drag can really slow a rider down.

When it comes to performance of the every-day rider (one who is bicycling for the joy of cycling or for health and fitness considerations) you can base your bicycle performance on your goals - the MPH you average each week, or on the pounds shed off from bicycling.  There would be no need to pay extra money (by the thousands) to get a lighter bicycle that weighs a few pounds less, unless you are a professional cyclist aiming to get the best timing on a race.

But there is something else more spectacular about bicycling.  Bicycling takes you to the paths and trails in your backyard, just not far from home.  These backyard riding places may be a surprise waiting for you.  If you enjoy the beauty of nature and the open country, which some of you may have seen in your overseas travels, you may just not realize that you may find the same or better of it, right there in your backyard.  So bicycle performance does not necessarily mean speed, it can also mean how you are performing on a bicycle, like using it for health and recreation, commuting, or touring your neighborhood.  If you live in an apartment or small house and do not have space to park a bicycle, then you may want to seriously consider a folding bicycle.

 

LANGUAGE - WRITING AND SPEAKING

To put it mildly, with the expansion of the Internet and other electronic devices we are losing the edge on speaking or writing proper language.  Take a walk down New York City streets and you'll hear f&&k being used in almost every sentence by many a youngster or older person.  Asking someone to get aside is "f&&k off" or if the other party is angry "I'll beat the shit outta you, you motherf&&ker. One would think whatever happened to grammar and proper use of language.  If our grandparents wake up from the dead, they may immediately die again of shock.

In the old days, when were taught grammar and language skills in the classroom, we took it very seriously and applied this new found language into our daily lives.  While we could not have experience with botany, physics or other science subject after school, speaking and writing proper language (and courteous language) can be applied and experienced among family and friends with ease.  So why is it that today we have a different set of ideals and form in writing and speaking?

I think a lot of this has to do with standards.  In the old days, from the home and in the school, there was a standard set.  A standard for dress was the school uniform; there was a standard set in the household on how parents and children speak to each other; and there was the standards of conduct set at school as well.  These mannerisms nurtured into adulthood and carried to the work place, where there were standards for dress, conduct, writing and speaking as well. Work places do maintain their standards, and these standards weed the rude and language incompetent people out of the workplace, although some rough language may be tolerated in manual labor positions.

To get over the modern day improprieties in writing and speaking, perhaps, it is about time, that schools encompass a course on culture and decency.

Speaking of language, I now like to turn to another setting, and that is jargon.  I recall many a time in UNICEF, there was the call for jargon free writing and speaking. Well, if techies are talking to techies, they have an audience that understands their jargon.  But when the audience is not all technical, like in many meetings in UNICEF, one should aim for jargon free speech and writing. In this regard I want to introduce you to a wonderful woman, Chrissie Maher who has been a crusader for disambiguation of jargon.  If the bank tells Chrissie that she has a debit balance, she will ask that they say it in plain English, like "your owe us" rather than say debit balance. And Chrissie is absolutely right.  Debits and Credits are good use among accountants not for a bank customer!

I know for many years the UN has been talking (and doing) about harmonization. It is time to also talk about plain language communication.  I think it is better than than having a massive glossary of terms to use the plain language in text and in the glossary match the the equivalent jargon terms.

Reference: New Chapter in Lifelong Drive for Plain English, Wall Street Journal, 10/6/2009 Page A1, A20.

BOGUS THEORIES

The Management Myth - Why Experts Keeping Getting it Wrong by Matthew Stewart (Norton, 343 pages, $27.95) will be a good read and a good education for most staff at UNICEF.  Just like flawed jargon, there is also the management myth that everything in management theory really manages the organization to prosperity.  Bogus management theory are counterproductive in that it creates a whole lot of work and if the end result is that there is no increase in performance, it can be a counterproductive effort (extra effort that achieves nothing).

Like looking at a beautiful car and purchasing it without a test drive, it is the same as embarking on a big management task just because someone called it reengineering.  Similarly don't get carried away with beautiful charts and diagrams.  In striving for excellence, I would rather think of the way the Japanese work: thinking ahead, getting more with less effort (and this must be proved on a pilot basis first), and selecting the right people for the right jobs.

UNICEF staff in active status will not regret reading this book.