Lady cyclist killed in Davis involving juvenile on ebike...on the bike path.

[Chargeride]

The constant cheering in that vid feels added on.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

The constant cheering in that vid feels added on.

Sounds and looks real to me.

 

[Catalyzt]

I truly believe a movement will start to back away from the internet, by their own admission the tech is bad for children, and now its bad for adults.
I didnt have it for forty years of my life and those were the best days Ive lived, I doom scroll constantly, tracked monitored, listened to, brainwashed by algorithms, an endless electronic leash that I have now been conditioned to be terrified of losing.
WTF has happened to us?

Privacy on the Internet has been non-existent for decades. Browser cookies were invented in 1994. Google, Facebook/Meta, Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft all have databases on you even you don't have an account on their systems. If you think they don't already know your birthdate, where you live, and what your hobbies are, you are kidding yourself.

I'm not sure I even exist? . . . View attachment 207846

For a while I was so paranoid that I didn't even put people in Google Contacts.

Now? I'm even more paranoid... so I do enter all new contacts into Google, but I name each one "Potential Spam."

That will show them!

* * * * *

Charge, my hat is off to you for owning your online addictions. It's easier to make excuses, healthier not to, IMHO!

* * * * *

I am slowly backing away, trying to get offline generally and winding down my 'relationships' with the most egregious businesses that game prices through algorithms and sell all my information, but it's a long, slow process. Easing up on Amazon, though Prime will be hard to beat. We watched a few DVDs recently, and my God, they just looked so, so much better than the crap we stream! (We have really slow service that is way too expensive, and I refuse to pay for more bandwidth.)

I really avoid using my phone for photos, too... which means I use my real cameras more, and I'm now collecting older, used point-and-shoots... a Samsung WB350 for the beach, and I just picked up a Sony RX100 for riding, though I'm sure there will be times I go out with the R100 or XA5 bumping along on my belt.

Yeah, sure, everyone can be tracked. Do I really care if Google has my photos? It probably doesn't matter that much, but... I think they're a nasty company.

It's worth doing just out of spite.

 

[RunForTheHills]

Well, you have to do whatever makes you comfortable. The government has a lot more information about you and they are a lot more likely to use that information against you. The sick thing is that the government can also subpoena private companies for your information if they are coming for you. You have to weigh the positives against the negatives.

Cyber security breaches happen every day and most don't get reported. And government agencies are a lot more vulnerable to these breaches than Amazon or Meta. Budget limitations and bureaucracy limit the limit the cyber security measures many critical government agencies have implemented. In short, your information is also on the darkweb. Don't cuss out your bank for requiring multi-factor authentication. It's a pain, but the best way to thwart these crooks.

You can try to turn back the clock, keep your money under a mattress, stay off the Internet, and cut up all your credit cards. But there are cameras on every neighbor's doorbell and a GPS and camera in every mobile phone. Good luck with that!

 

[Gionnirocket]

My GPS is Off by default. It only gets turned on when I'm using a navigation app and that is rare. All personal advertising permissions are disabled.
No one is under the radar but again I see no reason to flash my transponder.

 

[Chargeride]

Well theyve just announced with glee a full rollout of facial recognition cameras in every corner of Britain and today are boasting that AI has found 400 police officers with worrying behaviour.
Ford has just applied for a patent for facial recognition cameras that scan your face against police databases everytime you get in the car.

I loaded the first mass spyware on digital telephone exchanges back in the late 90s and was met with the same head in sand..if youre not doing anything bad...response back then when I aired concern for our future.

What happens when they run AI on our browsing histories, what parameters has it been programmed to colerate?
What connections will be made?
Pol pot checked peoples hands, their accents and their education.

Anyway Ive had my monthly rant.. bikes charged, creaky bolts greased, thorns in tyres checked for leaks.
Going out on the bike, tomorrow Im going out, out on the bike.

 

[stompandgo]

I have a passport with Global Entry. The Feds know all about me. It is what it is.

 

[6zfshdb]

Back on topic, the Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer issued the following statement in a press release regarding a recent e-bike accident:

"Parents who buy their child an E-motorcycle and let them ride them illegally or help modify e-Bikes to transform them into E-motorcycles are handing their children a loaded weapon - and those parents are going to be prosecuted. That is not a threat. That is a promise. This 81-year-old man survived flying combat missions in Vietnam protecting freedom and now he is clinging to life because a mother refused to parent her child and he was run over in the street by a vehicle that should have never been on the road. There is absolutely no reason that an unlicensed, untrained child with no concept of the rules of the road should be riding a motorcycle that can go up to nearly 60 miles per hour next to cars on a public street and think that by some miracle they are going to be safe. The state Legislature has made it virtually impossible for prosecutors to hold juveniles accountable for committing serious crimes, and the only way to stop the carnage E-Bikes and E-motorcycles are causing across Orange County is to hold parents accountable for the crimes they allow their children to commit."

OC mother charged after teen son critically injures 81-year-old in e-motorcycle crash

Prosecutors say the woman was previously warned about letting her 14-year-old son illegally ride the e-motorcycle before the veteran and beloved substitute teacher was critically hurt in the crash.

abc7.com

I find it encouraging that law enforcement is now looking at parents as part of the problem.

 

[stompandgo]

This is the way.

 

[Cycologist]

Another recent trend I noticed is that most walkers and joggers now wearing headphones.
I'm talking about those big, over-the-ear headphones that probably block out all external sounds. When you're on an active bike trail, this is not safe.

Just the other day, I was approaching a jogger and rang my bell like I always do, but suddenly she decided to do a blind U-turn, without looking and moved directly into my path. Fortunately, I was able to swerve out of the way. This has happened many times to me, but I always expect the unexpected when approaching pedestrians, so I'm ready, just in case.

But imagine if it wasn't me, but one of those young, inexperienced kids on an electric motorcycle doing 30 mph.
They don't signal, they don't slow down and they ride recklessly. It would be a catastrophe.

 

[Tars Tarkas]

Any opinions on bone conducting ear phones?

 

[DaveMatthews]

Any opinions on bone conducting ear phones?

Must admit I have no experience with them.
That said I value full on hearing of my riding environment. Birds, crunchy gravel, human sounds, cars especially, everything. As much as I LOVE music, I feel the need and desire to stay as aware as I can...

 

[Tars Tarkas]

Must admit I have no experience with them.
That said I value full on hearing of my riding environment. Birds, crunchy gravel, human sounds, cars especially, everything. As much as I LOVE music, I feel the need and desire to stay as aware as I can...

That's me too but it seems like there's a good use case for them for all types of people on paths/trails who insist they need to be listening to music or talking on the phone.

 

[DaveMatthews]

That's me too but it seems like there's a good use case for them for all types of people on paths/trails who insist they need to be listening to music or talking on the phone.

Yup, I get it.
And make no mistake, I've only tried some Samsung Buds a couple of times so my experience/situation is no relation to anyone else's.
Didn't matter fiddling around with wind suppression and/or various functions it was too distracting "for me".
Curious though about the bone induction so I'm hoping someone with experience weighs in for both our sake.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Any opinions on bone conducting ear phones?

Big fan of bone conduction earphones (BCEs). I'm lucky to have some very low-traffic "safe havens" near home where it's reasonable to ride to music with BCEs at low volume. Plenty of ambient sound audibility. Otherwise never listen on the bike.

I also wear my BCEs when I'm expecting an important call that I'll have to take on the bike. They guarantee that I'll hear the phone ring, and when safe, they allow me to take the call without stopping.

The one risk BCEs don't address: At 77, music can definitely divide my attention. Podcasts and news programs can be even more distracting. That's where the safe havens and common sense come in.

My Shokx OpenRun Pro BCEs are so light and comfortable that I usually forget I have them on. Also comfortable in bed.

 

[DaveMatthews]

Big fan of bone conduction earphones (BCEs). I'm lucky to have some very low-traffic "safe havens" near home where it's reasonable to ride to music with BCEs at low volume. Plenty of ambient sound audibility. Otherwise never listen on the bike.

I also wear my BCEs when I'm expecting an important call that I'll have to take on the bike. They guarantee that I'll hear the phone ring, and when safe, they allow me to take the call without stopping.

The one risk BCEs don't address: At 77, music can definitely divide my attention. Podcasts and news programs can be even more distracting. That's where the safe havens and common sense come in.

My Shokx OpenRun Pro BCEs are so light and comfortable that I usually forget I have them on. Also comfortable in bed.

And there it is...
Cheers for that. I know you use music as occasional motivation for cadence, and that sounds very cool. So far that's been internal for me (different bike and all).
But still intrigued...

 

[DaveMatthews]

Hmmm... BCE... Looks like my use of the term Induction was poor conduct...

Shut up Dave...

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

And there it is...
Cheers for that. I know you use music as occasional motivation for cadence, and that sounds very cool. So far that's been internal for me (different bike and all).
But still intrigued...

I think you'd enjoy them — and not just on the bike. Sound quality's surprisingly good.

I also like to get more exercise out of dog walks by stepping in time to carefully chosen music. With BCEs at even moderate volume, I can do that and still enjoy the sounds of nature.

And since my wife still thinks I can't hear her when I have them on, I also end up wearing them a lot around the house.
;^}

 

[DaveMatthews]

I think you'd enjoy them — and not just on the bike. Sound quality's surprisingly good.

I also like to get more exercise out of dog walks by stepping in time to carefully chosen music. With BCEs at even moderate volume, I can do that and still enjoy the sounds of nature.

And since my wife still thinks I can't hear her when I have them on, I also end up wearing them a lot around the house.
;^}

Understood.
I shall do some research...
And... if and when I ride down to your house I shall remember to wear them there...

 

[Tars Tarkas]

I've been wanting to try them so I just ordered a pair. I guess we'll see!