I never upgraded from the first generation iPad to the second. I thought the second generation was more of a generation 1.5. But I was sorely tempted by the upcoming 3G iPad. Indeed, the improved cameras and retina display were what swung it for me, and yesterday I received my shiny new gadget. These are my first observations.First, that retina display. It's astounding. But not so much for photographs as for text. Where on my 1G iPad I had to do quite a bit of zooming to read fine print, the text is spectacularly sharp and clear. And when I return to my MacBook display, it seems pretty poor by comparison ( but not so my very old Sony Vaio Ubuntu laptop, which has tiny pixels).Second, the cameras. Friends tell me that the images captured are significantly better. Frankly, using the iPad as a camera is likely to be something of a minority activity (for me at least), but it makes it possible to use FaceTime.Third, the battery. The iFixit guys show that the interior of the device is mostly filled with battery, about twice the capacity of the second generation model. It does seem to take longer to charge, but the extra battery capacity seems to be needed by the screen, so battery life isn't improved.Fourth, the 3G model seems much snappier than the 1G model.So far, happy with the upgrade from 1G to 3G.
As is now usual, Team Grumpy prepared intensively for the 48h prior to this event: a preparation which entails consumption of takeaway curry and Belgian beer. We woke on the morning of the event feeling surprisingly chipper considering the quantity of preparation, and were somewhat disappointed to see thick fog blanketing southern Wales. Fortunately the weather lifted, leaving clear sunny conditions with a light but rising wind.Team Grumpy performed pretty much as we expected: a good showing of 2-up technique with our overall speed hampered by inadequate training (illness and injury most recently). That being said, we kept up a pretty good pace over the first half of the event, which is held on a section of dual carriageway, and really only found the second half, which is on an older road with a pretty damaged road surface and quite a bit of climbing a bit challenging - it was here that we found the defects in our preparation exposed.We crossed the line in 1:01:25, fairly respectable we thought - until we saw the winners did a long 53! Our ride was enlivened by a puncture while warming up (Robert) and an unshipped chain at about 18 miles (Gerry), but was otherwise uneventful.
| 1 | K DAVIES & R PAYNE | BYNEA CC PORTH & DISTRICT | 00:53:42 |
| 2 | J LEWIS & H PRICE | PORT TALBOT WHS | 00:55:10 |
| 3 | W BEVAN & J PILE | ROSS ON WYE CC VC SEVALE | 00:56:39 |
| 4 | J ASPEL & N CRAIG | FORZA CC | 00:56:53 |
| 5 | R HICKS & C WALLACE | PORT TALBOT WHS MERTHYR CC | 00:58:09 |
| 6 | B PHILLIPS & M PHILLIPS | BYNEA CC | 00:58:55 |
| 7 | C JONES & K JONES | M & D / KINETICA | 00:59:05 |
| 8 | R AICHELER & J PRITCHARD | CASTLE BIKES PORT TALBOT WHS | 00:59:56 |
| 9 | G GILES & I REES | PONTYPOOL RCC | 01:00:09 |
| 10 | S BENT & A MEAR | LUDLOW CC | 01:00:18 |
| 11 | C MATTHEWS & R WHITE | FORZA CC | 01:00:27 |
| 12 | J FRANKLIN & D GOUGH | SWANSEA WHS | 01:00:49 |
| 13 | M PORTLOCK & M WILLIAMS | VC L’ESCARGOT | 01:01:11 |
| 14 | G ORAM & R SAUNDERS | BYNEA CC NORTH BUCKS RC | 01:01:25 |
Andrew Lansley continued his push for the NHS bill (which many view as the latest Tory effort to take down the NHS) with another secret hospital visit this week. Here's a video of him being heckled through the corridors of the Royal Free Hospital.[youtube IBZMTWk1OgI]
Last year, when bemused physicists reported the apparent discovery of faster than light neutrinos, a shock wave ran through the news media, despite professional physicists the world over pointing out that it was almost certainly a technical cockup (ISTR the original experimenters suggested such). In the bizarre world of creationism, the potential upset to such a well-entrenched scientific theory as Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity was seen as evidence that the whole edifice of evolutionary biology was teetering on the brink. Here for example is a brief piece by David Klinghoffer at the oddly named Evolution News and Views (which is a mouthpiece for Intelligent Design creationism) - "Another One Bites the Dust?". Here, Klinghoffer makes a very brief point:
If you think Darwin's theory of evolution is as secure as Einstein's theory of special relativity, well...maybe you're right. [followed by a slightly longer quotation from The Guardian]
Since the judgement was sent down (finally) on Alberto Contador's clenbuterol case, quite a few stories have emerged detailing commentators' views on the matter. The other day the Pez Cycling news website featured a comment article with which I pretty much agree (The Contador Case: What's Missing)
In the welter of knee jerk reactions to judge/condemn Contador and/or criticize the UCI, the real issues of this situation are being missed [...]The author does, I think make valid points about whether Contador's guilt has been established beyond reasonable doubt, and adds to this the oddly variable sanctions following clenbuterol positives that have been applied to athletes in a variety of sports (see for example this case of youth footballers in Mexico).I would add my often-stated position that any system where a positive result can be returned for any level level of a proscribed substance, even where the level is below the sensitivity required of a testing lab must necessarily be unfair as whether a sample comes up positive becomes a lottery depending on which lab the sample was sent to for analysis. This is an issue that will return again and again.
Cyclingnews.com today reports that yet again Alberto Contador has had a delay in the announcement by CAS of a verdict in his astonishingly long-running doping affair (Contador Verdict Expected Today | Cyclingnews.com). I cannot believe the ineptitude of all concerned in handling this case, and I'm surprised Contador can maintain his equanimity.My own view is that the regulatory structures around clenbuterol testing are such that for individuals with vanishingly small amounts of clenbuterol in their system, guilt or innocence becomes something of a lottery, depending on which testing lab the sample were sent to - any clenbuterol is enough for guilt, even where the amount found is lower than the sensitivity required of a testing lab.In the mean time, all those blood-doping athletes who were customers of Dr Fuentes (and for one reason or another escaped immediate action) carry on regardless.Update: The announcement is on the CAS web page. Apparently the decision will be handed down on 6th February. Maybe. Or maybe not. The CAS announcement concludes:
A confirmation as to the date and time of the publication of the decision will be given by the CAS at the end of this week.
In reponse to the latest crawling from a Student Union over the recent Jesus and Mo fracas, and indeed the recent example of intimidation at an event featuring a dicussion of sharia law and women's rights:
Velonews reports that CAS is to delay the announcement on their verdict on Jan Ullrich's involvement in the Operacion Puerto blood doping ring. (CAS to delay Ullrich verdict)
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) notified the 1997 Tour de France winner yesterday that it has extended the deadline for its final ruling until February 10, 2012.
Road.cc reports that Alberto Contador clenbuterol case decision delayed till the end of January. This is insane. How long will it take to resolve this situation? And will a decision that has been delayed for so long really be justice?For some time now I've been concerned about how clenbuterol levels are set for testing labs, and how this could end up be a lottery depending on which testing lab samples are sent to.I have posted several times on the Contador case.
Way back in late November, Apple announced that some first generation iPod Nano models had defective batteries that represented a hazard, and that they had instituted a replacement programme. Visiting the website revealed that mine was one of those to be replaced. My Nano hadn't really been used much since I got an iPod Touch (now replaced with a Cowon X7), but I requested the return package, and in due course posted the iPod off to Apple.Much discussion ensued as to what the device would be replaced with. Some web sources implied Apple were replacing the defective units with refurbished first generation devices, other that the replacement units would be more recent models.My replacement was delivered yesterday, and I can confirm that Apple have replaced my 1st gen 2Gb Nano (left) with a 6th gen 8Gb Nano (right).I've not really kept up with the evolution of iPods, and frankly I'm astonished by this little device. And it is little. At first sight it seems little bigger than the sync cable plug. Despite its size, it still has a battery capable of [up to] 24h music playback (according to Apple) and an accelerometer so tracks can be changed by shaking it. It has a number of apps installed including a clock, meaning it can be used as a watch if it's clipped to a strap. It has a radio, which uses the headphone cable as an aerial. There's no navigation dial, but the touch screen is pretty intuitive and easy to use (in fact after years of iPod Touch and iPad use, I don't find the iPod classic control dial particularly easy).All in all, I'm rather pleased. Even though this is another device that uses iTunes.Update: I was curious as to how Apple managed to shoehorn all this stuff inside such a small case. iFixit has an interesting iPod Nano 6th Generation Teardown.
Cyclingnews.com reports Valv. (Piti) is back in the pro peloton after serving his ban for involvement in the Fuentes Affair (Valverde: I Didn’t Do Anything Wrong | Cyclingnews.com). But professing innocence. Interesting given the match between his DNA and the DNA in the Valv. (Piti) blood bags recovered during Operacion Puerto.
A blood sample taken on the rest day of the 2008 Tour de France in Italy would ultimately prove to be Valverde’s undoing, albeit after a lengthy legal process. In 2009, the Italian Olympic Committee banned Valverde from competition in Italy after matching his DNA to blood bags seized in Operacion Puerto. On May 31, 2010, CAS finally upheld appeals from the UCI and WADA to have his ban extended worldwide, four years after Fuentes was first arrested.
New Year's Day turned out to be surprisingly warm, which came as something of a relief to me, just emerging from a major cold that had laid me low from taking any exercise since the middle of December. The cyclists who congregated outside the NBRC clubroom as notified via the club website seemed to me to be rather crocked on the whole - many had been suffering from colds, and Lindz had had a rather nasty prang involving a pedestrian and significant muscular damage to his leg. Also of note was the complete lack of timekeepers and pushers-off. Shortly after 9.30, we decided they must have gone straight to the start area of the event, so we all pushed off down there.Fortunately, we did have a start team (Tony and Bryan), and we all signed on. We were warned about a diesel spill at the first roundabout; in actual fact something appeared to have travelled the entire course slopping diesel all over the place (the smell of diesel was strong, even in the strong wind) and most riders took the event quite gingerly.It had been so long since my last time trial (which I think may have been the Duo Normand back in September) that I quite forgot to check my gears before starting: I therefore ended up starting in the small ring, and then wasting significant time trying to persuade the chain up onto the big ring after I'd started. We had a significant head wind on the outward section, even after turning onto the dual carriageway section, where there was enough crosswind to make my front H3 rather twitchy at times. Fortunately, things got a bit easier once round the turn. I had been nervously eyeing up my HR, and occasionally felt it prudent to ease back when it reached higher levels.Back off the dual carriageway, and I tried to take maximal advantage of the descent (somewhat thwarted by the road diesel) with the tail wind. I crossed the line in 24:37, which I felt was quite good given the conditions and my recent bout of ill-health. It was also enough to take the win. Just in case, I had taken note of Team Grumpy rules #1 ("Remember to make your excuses before the race, not after. Otherwise it will just sound pathetic". - specifically noting the first ride with the Pro Disc wheel and my recent illness) and #5 ("Never train or race with a bad cough - it will destroy your entire season." - if I'd still had that racking cough, I would certainly not have raced).Results are at the NBRC website.
Frankly, I have little interest in the overblown spectacle that the modern Olympics has become. I will of course try and watch the cycling events on the TV, but otherwise it leaves me rather cold. Over at road.cc, I see the headline Ninety-two-year-old who helped bring women's cycling to Olympics to carry London 2012 torch. An interesting headline, so I popped over to read the article. It turns out that the 92-year old is none other than Eileen Gray. Oddly, the article is written as though the author hadn't heard of Eileen Gray before! Indeed, I noticed the omission of her name from the article title, which relegated her to the description "ninety-two-year-old".For what it's worth, I'm delighted at this news. Gray was particularly important in the development of international women's cycling, and this is a deserved honour. Here's an interview at the British Cycling website.
New Statesman - Richard Dawkins to guest-edit the New Statesman Christmas issue
In a 100-page special issue, the evolutionary biologist and bestselling author Richard Dawkins brings together some of the world's leading scientists, thinkers and writers.
Ove the last few years, I've dabbled in Facebook, but frankly never really wanted to share all the trivia of my life with others, and nor did I want to know the trivia of other peoples' lives. Periodically, Facebook seemed to make changes to the privacy settings of the system, and therefore my account, and I have been getting increasingly annoyed at having to delve into what's frankly quite an arcane settings system to rectify the situation.So after news reports of what seemed to me to be a rather intrusive set of changes to the way Facebook streams trivia and tittle-tattle between users, I decided to suspend my Facebook account. In part this decision stemmed from the stories about Facebook's cookies tracking users' web activity in a way that was rather difficult to close down. I chose to suspend rather than delete my account because I thought that perhaps I would want to return to the fold, and read updates on peoples' lives, their travails, and above all their bonkers Facebook games. Well, perhaps not the latter.It's been over a month now, and I've not missed Facebook at all. But. I notice that some web companies such as Spotify now require a Facebook account to register. This is no big deal to me, my music listening habits aren't really going to benefit from Spotify membership - while I think I've increasingly embraced the digital music era, the way I think of and listen to my music collection is somewhat rooted in a vinyl LP mindset.However, during my daily perambulations round the internet I follow a good many links, many of these to news sites where the comments are often of interest. In general, I tend not to leave comments of my own (unless it's a subject I'm particularly interested in), but I often like to see what the regular readers of the site have to say. Some sites I've visited recently have required readers to have a Facebook login - not only to post comments, but in some cases to read comments.This is a little sad, I think. It's assuming all internet users are going to buy into the loss of privacy that the Facebook mindset leads to.(The links to Facebook on this site currently point to a page saying "This content is currently unavailable" - if and when I finally knock my Facebook account on the head, those links will go).
The New Humanist magazine reports that Nadine Dorries has won their 2011 Bad Faith award by a landslide (Bad Faith Award 2011: it's Dorries by a landslide). As New Humanist says:
It's been a fascinating race for the award this year, as for the first time in its five-year history one of the candidates took note of the fact that they had been nominated and began a campaign to ensure they emerged victorious. As many of you already know, Dorries, who was nominated on account of her twin attempts to change the law on abortion counselling and introduce abstinence-based sex education for girls, noticed she was in the running shortly after we opened the poll, and published a post on her infamous blog ("70 per cent fiction and 30 per cent fact") stating that "it's scary to think how many people out there hold such extreme views dressed up as acceptable in an online glossy magazine".
This week, Cyclingnews provided an update of the much-delayed CAS hearing on Alberto Contador's doping 'positive' (Contador Doping Verdict Expected In January | Cyclingnews.com). More delay in finishing with this bizarre case:
Alberto Contador’s fate should be announced in January, according to AP, who reported Monday that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) would reach a verdict in the first month of 2012.I've blogged here before on this extraordinary case. Way back during the 2010 Tour de France, one of Contador's samples revealed traces of clenbuterol. Strangely, the levels detected were below the levels at which a testing laboratory is required to be able to detect. This seemed to me to be something anomalous, as a rider with such low levels in his system could be found positive or negative, depending on which testing laboratory his sample was sent to. Wikipedia reports the issues around the positive test thus:
The UCI issued a statement reporting that the concentration was 50 picograms per millilitre, and that this was 400 times below the minimum standards of detection capability required by WADA, and that further scientific investigation would be required. Contador was provisionally suspended from competition, although this had no short-term effect as he had already finished his racing programme for the 2010 season. Contador had been informed of the results over a month earlier, on 24 August. Later the amount discovered was clarified as 40 times below the minimum standards, rather than the 400 times originally reported by the UCI. Contador's scientific adviser claimed that he would have needed 180 times the amount detected to gain any benefit in his performance.The muddying of the issues around the level of clenbuterol certainly confused the issue. But the main thrust of the investigation seems to revolve around the allegation that a blood transfusion may have been administered. My concerns here relate to whether justice can be served when the legal procedures are so drawn out. I'm not taking a stance on his guilt or innocence, but rather whether it is appropriate to call a positive for such low levels of clenbuterol, and whether a doping case to be resolved. Contador was involved in the Operacion Puerto scandal, though was exonerated by the investigation. But the whole fiasco around the Fuentes doping ring seems to have resulted in very few convictions against cyclists and athletes from other sports (particularly athletes from other sports). Strangely, many (if not all) of the allegations linking riders to blood bags could have been resolved by DNA testing. DNA testing was used to clobber Jan Ullrich and (I think) Alejandro Valverde, but it seems contrary to justice to single out only a few of the accused for this treatment.All this seems to signal a desperate need for improved and coordinated international efforts to combat sports doping.
The infamous pepper-spraying of protestors at UC Davis has gone a bit viral it seems. Here's a video of the cop casually spraying peaceful protestors. This isn't some harmless spray. On the Scoville scale of chilli heat, where the pretty damned hot habenero chilli scores around 350,000 Scoville units, these sprays deliver a whopping 2,000,000 to 5,300,000 Scoville units. It's not trivial.Anyway, some rather wonderful photoshop images are doing the rounds. Here's a favourite:
