Focus

So, I was walking with a co-worker tonight and she asked about races and so on.
I mentioned the 340, and then had to explain what I was doing.

I had to wonder if everyone understands.  So, I am writing this in the hope that it clarifies my purpose.  If you have it already, then I guess you should skip this and check out Community Channel on Youtube.

She asked, "So what makes your boat different?"

That is tough.
There are pedal-powered boats out there.  You could buy one right now.  But mine is different, and it is different for a reason.  In a word, I would say my boat is different because of regulation.  Sanctioned races in boating are very much like sanctioned races in cycling: there are classes which govern what equipment can be used.  As a result, many areas where efficiency could be improved or innovations could be found, are discarded to maintain purity.

I don't want to get into a debate over the merits of this.  I agree with both sides of the argument, but it must be conceded that innovation suffers when industry is driven by the regulations set by official race governance.  Look into Obree or the history of recumbent bicycles for proof.  Nascar is a perfect example.  And what it all means is that the previous attempts at making a better design have been stifled through lack of funds or misdirection.  The entities which could develop a better, faster machine were not going to waste resources on an endeavor which would not yield official titles.

The 340 is different.  It's open and makes no distinction beyond the basic method: it has to be human powered and you will be classed by propulsion (solo, tandem, team, sex, and pedal).  The overall winner is still the overall winner.  And, at the end of the day, this is the longest non-stop river race in the world.

Let's be clear: there is no sense of national fame for the winner.  Most people don't know this race exists.  I, however, am not compelled by sales of models of my boat.  I am not in the business of selling boats.  I am in the business of solving problems.  And I think that the lack of innovation in pedal powered water craft is a problem.

Now, I am not the smartest guy on the planet.  I have my moments, and I am smarter than average, but I didn't invent anything for this boat.  Everything I am doing has already been used.  The innovation is that the technology has not been applied this way.  That is what makes the whole thing new.  Innovation is not the process of invention, but rather the application of what is known in a way which is new.  My boat design is a conglomeration of bicycles, air craft, old automobiles, racing hulls, and basic mechanisms which Newton refined.

What I hope for is not so much a patent as the creative application and combination of what is already there.  If my theories are correct- and I haven't done the math- and my body is properly conditioned, I will get my proof.  Not so much a prototype as a proof of concept.  Victory will mean an advancement in what is possible, and a validation of everyone who tinkers over problems which will net no profit.  And that, to me, is of infinite value.

Clear?

I'm still here

It's been a little while, but I have been working.

As I write this, the clock reads 97:12:30:57...... 56.....55.... you get the idea.  The deadline approaches and I still don't have a boat.  But, I do have materials and some drawings and some tools.  Most importantly, I have a month with no races to eat up my time.

Here are some of the preliminary drawings (some of you think I haven't been working at all).  I am not going to explain them or anything, so don't get excited.

That may not seem like much, but contained within a few lines are all the dimensions of what I am making.  Some of the lines are just place holders, but most of them have meaning.  It's a sort of step in my process.

So, let's say you're building something, or going to, but it's got a bunch of parts and you don't know what they are or where they are going.  Remember this is not a kit you bought online.  This isn't IKEA.  This is a thing that you can see in your head and it may not exist just yet.  So, how do you go about it?

I start with a drawing.  Sketches and so on.  But it will eventually find it's way into a fairly accurate drawing.  I am using Graphite at the moment, but I used to do it by hand.  Sometimes I draw with paper and a knife.  Doesn't really matter.  What you are after are the parts, so you have to start making something.

The process is that you start with your given.  In this case, I knew the drive shaft size and I could guess at a diameter for the whole thing.  I put those down.  Then I started building parts.  As I went, relationships between parts emerged.  Dimensions had to be decided.  The more I did, the less there were to figure out.  And so, tomorrow night, I will be done with this drawing, and I will separate all the parts out.  Then print, and I have a blueprint.   I may have made a mistake in the theory, but the math will hold up and everything will fit.

I'm off to the house now, but I will post images of what I build.

where my time goes

Just wanted to share this for those of you interested in what I am up to when I am not reporting progress (or avoiding progress).  Check it out here.

I am moving ahead and as always I will add some updates soon.  I had a good meeting with Scott Padiak in which he showed my the flaws in my thinking (which is what is leading to my building block).  Also I have been spending time with a certain young lady who gets quite a bit of my time.... no explanation offered.

More soon.
Carry on.

something different

I am doing a run in June and have decided to try to help out the St. Jude charity.  I would appreciate your support, and if you can donate, do so here.  Just type in Andrew Bates and they will appreciate anything you can give.

As you were.

Now for something completely different...

http://www.recumbents.com/wisil/racing2004/rockford/hydrobowl2004.htm

The latest in traning

I have been a bad blogger.  If I could, I would smack my nose with a rolled up newspaper.  I keep promising pictures of my hull development, and I keep posting about running.  I will change this, but not right now.

So, I just read another book.

Born to Run  by Christopher McDougall.  It's pretty amazing.  For runners, I think you can't live without it.  For every other athlete: it will expand the way you think about your body.  If you just like really good books: outstanding read.  In short, everyone, but this.  It's really good.
End of book report.

This is a story that has to do with learning from nature and traditional ways and questioning technology.  In boats, this is not as big an issue.  The boat -canoe's specifically -are very old.  We have been making floating vessels for a long time and we have been refining them.  Pretty much every culture has a form of human powered boat.  But, running has gone in a different way.  In running, we invented the shoe and then the running shoe.  But the running shoe is really a new thing by comparison.  And really, it is still in an early stage.  If this book is to be believed (and I do, though I want to look into it) the running shoe we think of is probably hurting us more than helping.  The traditional runners are faster and win more.  In many ways, we are re-discovering what we used to know.  To do this, we are looking at people who have maintained the traditional ways.  You probably want to ask, so I will just say: so what?

Well, I am testing a new footwear to test how our footwear has changed our strides.  Many of you know that I have run three marathons, and I pay for it often.  After my last marathon, which was more than two years ago, I have had almost constant pain in my left ankle.  Stopping running didn't help, so I am trying a new shoe based on an old way to correct whatever I messed up.

These weird little babies are an attempt to get better while not hurting myself.  And it got me to thinking.

I was at the gym tonight after being told not to run in these shoes right away (I have had them since lunch) and I ran a couple of miles.  They worked.  I ran differently.  Maybe not faster, but my ankle doesn't hurt really, and my back is fine (it went out for the first time I can remember the day after my last half marathon).  And as I was trying to run naturally and not think about my feet, I started thinking about how boats are really the same as they have always been.
The canoe is still a canoe.  Sure, materials have changed and we use them for recreation or sport rather than survival, but they look like canoes.  The later development of things like surfski boats are remarkable similar to dugouts of the south pacific, complete with outriggers.  Paddles are still paddles.
So, we are in touch with the heritage.  And our studies of human bodies have given us a wealth of understanding.  And from this (plus a quick two miles) I am feeling a renewed vigor toward my boat.

Think about this: the largest muscle groups are in the legs.  We were meant to propel ourselves with our legs.  Why should it make any difference if it's on land or in water?  I mean, the bike works pretty good, right.

Stay tuned.  I have a 5K this weekend and I really want to test these shoes in a race.

Into the sunset

So much has happened since the last post.  Let me catch you up.

First, the race.  I ran pretty well, finishing the thirteen-point-one miles in two hours and eighteen minutes.  I came in eight minutes behind the Meers-Cat, which is too bad since now I have to buy him dinner at Simone's.  I also threw up during the race, which is a new experience.  I told an avid runner about this, and she said, "That's good."  I am not going to disagree, but I would rather not make it a habit.  It wasn't the most enjoyable thing to have happen.

Moving on. 


I am going to have a full-time job.  Starting February first, I am no longer the cowboy of industrial design.  As it turns out, I am going to be a design associate for Gravitytank.  I have been contracting with them for around two years now and have found my way into the team as a full member.  This is excellent news.
Obviously I will have steady income.  And insurance (it's been almost three years since I had any insurance).  So, now my projects like Fenrir will have a budget.  That should help though it's also got to come at the cost of time (money is, after all, a symbol of our time which we trade for other things: time is money which is why we never seem to have them both simultaneously).
Secondly, I will be doing all sorts of good work which will push me to excel at my own tasks, but also learn and practice new disciplines.  That is priceless.  It is what I wanted.  Not just the job.  I never really wanted a job, I wanted to work at something that made me fulfilled.  Design does that for me.  And part of that fulfillment is that I don't know everything.  I like that there are challenges and new ideas out there and that I can experience discovery.

I am very pleased.