It was a tough ride this morning cause of the wind and the work they're doing on the bike paths downtown. They cut off one way around the construction around the World Trade Center, so you have to backtrack and go ride among the pedestrians, which is always fun (not). And the wind, whooo what an effect.

It is beautifully sunny and when the wind died down, it was absolutely gorgeous. But there wasn't much of that.

It was an awkard slow ride today. Still getting back to it.

Here's the map and the stats.

 4/17/2011; 12:02:42 PM.   .

I was talking with a Republican friend the other day. I didn't ask how can you be a Republican these days -- but he volunteered that the parties didn't seem very different, and being neither a Democrat or a Republican, I agreed. They're actors reading from a script written by a very bad playwright. The Democrats will make noises like they disagree with dismantling Medicare, and of course it won't be dismantled quite the way Rep Ryan and the rest of the House Republicans want it to be. There will be a "compromise." We will be told it's the best we can do. And once again, not too far down the road, trillions in debt will be taken on to buy the bankers out of the next crisis caused by their leveraging our economy. They get to bet using our wealth as collateral. And we're told that in return we have to be poor and in pain in our last years. Compromise. And they get a tax cut so they can keep more of their bonuses. Heh. Isn't that special.

Some kind of compromise.

There was a brilliant tweet from Ruth Conniff about her very brave and eloquent husband: "Getting off plane in DC, saw Paul Ryan. Husbnd went up smiling, Intro'd self: 'I'm gonna do everything I can to get you unelected.'"

All right! Where do I sign up for some of that. We must make an example of Ryan. The pundits may like him, but how could any citizen. Brrr.

I would work for a Republican who was trying to get rid of Ryan because he knows what the consequences would be from his plan, or even a compromise based on his plan. A Republican who loved his party and country enough to put an end to this nonsense, that would be a Republican I would give money to, campaign for. If Ryan's district is so totally Republican, fine -- elect a Republican. But one who works for the citizens of the 1st District, not for Mr. Potter and Mr. Burns.

We have the tools to unelect Ryan and the others who voted that we should spend our old age poor and sick. We only have to decide to use them. If we don't draw the line here, where will we draw it?

 4/17/2011; 9:11:41 AM.   .

Had a phone talk yesterday with Scoble, about lots of things, including the Color app for the iPhone. He paid a lot of attention to it, because they raised so much money and came out the gate so strong. Then he told me what they could have done that would have stood a much better chance of working. It's a brilliant idea, one worth sharing (with his permission, and full credit).

What if they gave you a piece of software that, when you took a picture on your iPhone, the picture would automatically show up on your iPad or Android phone? That would be pretty cool? No wires, no Bluetooth, no configuration. Since you're logged in under the same name on all these devices, the only permission they would need is a preference that says "share photos with all my devices."

That would get a fair number of people to install the app.

Then, later -- introduce the feature they came out the gate with -- share with other Color users who are within 30 feet (or 40 or 20).

Chicken and egg problem solved. (Which is what bootstraps are all about.)

See, that's why I talk to Scoble. The guy comes up with ideas.

 4/17/2011; 8:32:43 AM.   .