The Blog

From Bike to Twike

2016-03-13T13:53:43+00:00

Just a few weeks ago I read an article about a study of real power consumption of electric cars. The efficiency largely depends not only on the mass, but as well on baterry temperature and average cruising speed. To make the long story short: A 2 ton electric vehicle is not green, which is no secret to anyone who did the math on the matter or tried to push that thing manually. Even the smaller electric cars do consume significantly more Energy in real life than measured in clinical environments. As an alternative, the article linked to the German Twike page - an 0.2 ton electric vehicle with pedals for two persons with a max speed of more than 50 mph and an average consumption of just 5 kWh per 100 km (without pedalling).

Intrigued by the concept, Kathrin and I went for an instruction course and test drive in Zurich, Switzerland. Thomas from bemoto.ch has half a dozen Twikes in his workshop. He'd introduce us how to operate the Twike, and take each of us out for a test ride. We'd ride a small street up and down a few times, and than cruise in the middle of Zurichs traffic madness.

Having accomplished that part, Kathrin and I drove in another Twike (with small wheels) to Greifensee and Züriberg in hope to get away from the commuter traffic. The later was somewhat an illusion, and the car drivers overtook us careless as if we were on bicycles, even though we rode some 40mph. However, our maneuvering skills improved hour by hour.

A short word on the concept: Unlike the ebikes, a Twike is accelerated by a two-stage push button on the steering (that is a liter like thing between the seats). To reduce speed, there is a recuperation push button underneath the accelerator. So one acutally just needs two fingers to operate the Twike. With the recuperation brakes, the battery is reloaded. That is, for 300 elevation feet downhill, the Twike gains an additional 3 miles range.The brake and acceleration buttons come with a cruise control feature. Give the fact that the Twike is in production since almost 20 years, it is an excellent engineering masterpiece with lots of modern features. Just a little wiggely and wobbely at times :-)

There is just enough room for the legs, and just enough room for small scale camping equipent. And thus - we are looking forward to use the Twike for a real mission soon - hopefully in less traffic :-)

Smart new world

2017-12-09T06:23:43+00:00

I'm happy with my job and my life. If Big data and AI really worked for the good of man (but for business), I would not be bombarded with career opportunities and stupid ads at all.

In primary school, we worked hard to master calculation. With the advent of electronic calculators, most of us lost this capability with the very brain regions declining. Similarilly, would we still find our way without GPS devices?

Following the bliss

2011-06-04T21:20:56+00:00

All those well intended advices
and the next destination consolidates
a new drive, on the same vehicle
less and less dead weight
The past is stuff for
white painted newspapers
And tomorow is just an excuse
for not living today

Traveller Blues

2011-03-02T08:41:35+00:00

Don't get lost
in the travellers blues
of loosing illusions
in the magic places
tethered by everydays
common oddities
The longer you stay
the more you understand
what's reality here

You thought you found a place
where romance was true
where you can feel home
Yet the fire burned fast
under the glowing sun
Remains unreached

The longer you stay
the more you are caught
in your own misgivings

There's always mountains to climb
far away, if you dare
There's songs to sing
and dreams behind
this cloudless horizon
if you roll on

The longer you stay
the more you might worry
until you roll on

Yet one day
you wish yourself back
back to this place
you ran away from
caught in misgivings
and illusions

Koh Ker

2010-12-28T23:00:00+00:00

A crazy dream of a single Emperor
weathered now, an amazing pile of rubble
in the shadow of mighty silver trees
What happend here, which force, which spirit
first imagined these palaces and pyramids and temples?
Which lunatic power made the crazy dream become real
and manifest here a millenium ago, in just 20 years?
A stone robot head - fallen - neither laughs nor to smiles
A tree with a burned out trunk yet green treetop
And that very spirit is omnipresent...

Kitties Heaven

2010-09-29T07:24:38+00:00

It was early in Summer this year. The old cat showed us her offspring for the first time. We knew she was pregnant before, yet she was hidding herself and the kitties after she gave birth for a couple of weeks. She was thin as skin when she reappeared. Luckily, everything went well. The cat and the kitties ate and ate and now I guess their are ready for the cold season. Two of the offspring went to good hands, and now there's Whitepaw and Zwergi left here with their mother and her last years offspring. When I have my smoke outside, the kitties would come back from the neighboring woods and coze my legs, begging for some food. Yet these kitties are freedom cats, not used to the inside of the house. They are curious though, especially the one with the four white paws. Yet as soon as the door closes behind Whitepaw, he gets lunatic, jumps at the door and meows. No matter hoiw hungry he was before, Whitepaw wouldn't even pay a single look at the offered milk inside. Definitly, he's favouring freedom over food. I'm still puzzled in the most positive way about their distinction. And sometimes I wish, man would be a little more distinctive on his own freedom and the choice of food too.

Magic Wood Part1

2010-07-03T05:10:04+00:00

Finally summer. A summer to enjoy. Faith led me back home to Thuringia, more precisely to one of the most beautiful spots close to the Rennsteig, a small valley with a creek flowing through tranquil old woods and rocks between the steep hills. May was cold and rainy, yet pleasant for hiking in the fresh Green. A week ago the fireflies have started to fly. They are around me when hiking or cycling at night. They'd sit down on my tent on the riverbank, or welcome me at the front door of the old mansion at the end of the town I'm dwelling in at the moment. During the week, the only sound you can hear here are birds. Lovely fairytale summer...

Faith has also led me back to Research - despite of attending ordinary programmers work with all the time constraints and management trouble I'm contemplating on algorithms and models for human sleep wake cycle and its parameters. My host provides me with loads of interesting books and ideas what areas to do more research in. The idea to stay here longer is tempting, promising... But still, the soul if eager to travel, the migratory bird wants to fly south again. Maybe when the fireflies have gone and the leaves turn gold and red :-)

Drop out - or be free...

2010-06-07T20:16:43+00:00

It was back in Summer 2009 when I decided to quit my job, sell my things and book a one way ticket to Japan, a country I always loved (and still do) for it's spirit and culture. People would call me a "Aussteiger", a drop-off. Which I'm not, I insisted. Just wanted to do what I wanted to do, rather than being ruled by someone else. And so I did not really look out for work over there, just kept cycling. Even though there was opportunities. After almost 4 months, faith or fortune or whatever brought me back to Germany.

Currently, there are many self-proclaimed drop-offs leaving Germany for all sorts of reasons. Mostly well educated, somewhat wealthy young people. Could they come back in case they do not succeed or like in their destinations? Isn't such "drop-off" philosophy actually even restricting?

Am I a failed drop-off? I don't think so - I'm just free. I'm just me. Still, I do what I want to do. Visit friends, cycle, do some research because I love to do these things. Double benefit - doing what's good for me and what's good for the people arround me. In the Japanese culture, there is a special word for such livestyle: "tabi". "Tabi bito", means people who travel without knowing wether nor when they return. In the 100% correct and organized Japanese society, such travelling people are regarded, not being taunted. Such people are guided as long as the follow their rhythm.

From my point of view, there is not such thing like "drop off", unless someone manages to go to a remote island or planet with no internet. There is no way to run away, neither from the society nor from the establishement. The only thing one can do - and should do - is clearly determining what one needs. Doing so, one can certainly reduce cost intensive dependencies which leads to fewer working hours and more freedom. Which - as well - changes society from upside down.

"For tomorrow will never come, I follow the sun." The Beatles

Ja, es war besser... (Herrmann Hesse)

2010-03-04T07:13:16+00:00

Ja, es war besser, selber zu steuern und dabei in Scherben zu gehen, als immer von einem andern gefahren und gelenkt zu werden.

Long lonely ride

2010-01-20T11:26:04+00:00

you've been driving on this course on and on
now you start to notice
all the unprogrammed features -
an indian shaman on the road
hitchhikers in trees,
long forgotten papetery of past rooms
you've been dwelling in
this is what you see in rock textures
suddenly your engine doesn't
sound like an old diesel anymore
it became a jet engine
white noise covers your senses and
you walk through an wide open door
without noticing it
dreamland comes so close
to this virtual reality
you get lost in dream
that used to be a simple thought
a second ago and crash
the longer you ride on this parcourt
your will to master that stupid game
descends

indian spirits and hitchikers in trees,
long forgotten wallpapers of past times
show up in the textures of this rock
you've passed so often
and once again you'll hear this girl
singing gently and you starve
for her warm soft lips
for her bright smile but...
her aeroplane takes off once again and
you're suddenly back in that vehicle
and you're off the track
you're supposed to keep
the windmills of your mind turn fast
until sunrise and
you realize this was only a rehearsal
just a piece of you that'd be hidden
well in your unconciousness
normally

rubberball dream

2010-01-20T11:24:46+00:00

suddenly the dance is over
big magic rubberballs would cut your hair
and smaller ones made of steel roll up stairs
raining down from storm scattered clouds

and you'd hide in some bamboo shelter
listening to some grey haired wife
where you find secret book
written by insane missionars

when the balls rain down,
you'd better hide
you'd better wake up
happy birthday my dear
i hope you feel better now

2046 - 100 hours later

2010-01-20T11:23:43+00:00

a shooting star and a granted wish
that was so wrong
just replayed a past scene
i'm happy now
i can't turn back the time
and you didn't talk to me
anymore

when you walk in the dark woods
in warm summer nights
if you 're lucky
you might see the fire flies
dancing

who does not resign
may hope to get his wish granted

Pink Floyd Sunday

2010-01-20T11:22:55+00:00

Brown star-sparkeling eyes smiled at you
in an unexpectedly marvelous night.
The misty coffeedrunken morning after explodes
in churchbells-ringing sunshine
and suddenly it all makes perfect nonsense.

Dali's biography painted on Pink Floyd sounds
8 miles high your mind's flying in the sky
your head's turning fast, balancing
with glas shoes on the tone step composition of
tommorrow nights music in stone garden memories.

Were these eyes just reflecting a hidden
fragment of the past?

13092007

2010-01-20T11:22:03+00:00

Ach, was sind wir ungebildet -
lassen uns verblöden mit Dingen,
die die Welt nicht braucht.

Nein, was sind wir rohe Klötze -
stopfen uns die Bäuche voll,
trinken bis es schmerzt,
und vertrödeln unsre Zeit.

Suchen tun wir doch was anderes,
irren umher sehnsüchtig und ohnmächtig.
Wohin nur verschwand der Zauber der Nacht?
Schau, die Taube auf dem Dach -
ach - zu spät und aus die Flamme.

Where are the hippies *** 28062009

2010-01-20T11:21:16+00:00

Where are the Hippies now
Where is the spirit of Love and Peace and Harmony
Where is my little fairy, the sweet
They are gone with the warm winds
To the Land of Om
that is allowed for the clear minded only,
for the fearless children of the sun
says the old drum
Between the stars
deep in the magic woods
there is a lake
where the fish is jumping
and the swans silently glide
where fairies and fireflies dance
all night