dots and spaces

from the rooftops

Some of the more observant of you have noticed that this site responds to a new address - you can now find dots and spaces at the usual typepad address and now at the new sparkly www.dotsandspaces.co.uk. This is because I now have a hosting package where I can play around with a few website ideas, host my portfolio at www.giantparty.net and sort out my email.

The last couple of years have been a huge learning experience in terms of the web and I now feel very confident building sites using html and css (old skool), and now cms packages such as joomla and drupal, and specialist blogging tools like wordpress and typepad (which is what has driven this little site since February 2004). There is plenty of advice out there to support these web tools and if you have a problem, or need a little fix, you can be sure someone out there has already beaten you to it.

If you think that you'd like a blog then drop me a line. I've already set up a few sites for various people who use their blogs to do everything from keep in touch with friends, talk about important issues, sell their wares, rap about life or just put up some pictures. It can look professional or low-fi, personal or minimalist - you choose. Remember, the revolution will not be televised...it will be blogged.

widgets

Just in case anyone fancies it - my blog is now a widget that you can get here. I don't really know the point of it yet, but as with all these things it just takes a little time.

Cadence

This is the first video I've included, yay - thought you might like to see what crazy people can do on their bicycles.

I found this whilst searching for more cool bike clobber - check out cadence clothing who make really lovely stuff, who I came to from one of the many links at cranked magazine, which is another american bike publication. Does anyone do this sort of thing in the UK?

Right, tomorrow I'll start my own cool bike clothing company - anyone got any ideas?

I have to note that at my age, I shouldn't wear some of the dayglow new rave stuff that many couriers wear, I mean I would look ridiculous - I would cause a pileup. But, you know, other than rapha, which isn't the same and anyway, for rich blokes with the readies, where does someone on a more realistic buget go? I did find some nice vintage stuff on ebay, but there's not much new stuff.

Anyway, enjoy the film.

r.e:load your cycle bag

Always on the look out for cycling things of beauty, I've been meaning to post about reload messenger bags for quite a while. The standard of embroidery is amazing. These bags, for couriers, commuters and street cyclists (I think the fixie crowd have it here) are full of creativity - I think I would get through a load of designs before I could choose one for a reloaded bag, and if it all gets too much there is some custom stock to look through.

I was sad and dissapointed to hear of Ivan Basso's no show at the Giro although nothing surprises me anymore. He has left his short lived tenure at Discovery and now waits to see what action will be taken following his admission that he was involved in Operation Pueto. I'm fed up with them all now, and for the first time in ages I'm thinking a lifetime ban would be the only thing that would get drugs cheats out of cycling.

Oh, and keep an eye on Nicole Cooke, the most talented cyclist out there - a true champ she has already opened up a lead in the world classification and with a great team behind her looks a strong bet to defend her title. She is a superstar.

...and I know I haven't been out much since the arrival of little emil but I ordered new schwalbe tyres and new cleats for my shoes. I want to try taking the bike home from work at least once a month, maybe even once a fortnight - you know I don't like promising things here on dots and spaces - someone will always hold me to it...but I'll give it a go.