The Auto-FAQ: does anyone want it to be kept?

Richard Bates

On Sun, 02 Jan 2005 11:38:34 +0000, Simon Brooke
<simon@jasmine.org.uk> wrote:

>Subject says it all, really. Some months ago I put up an experimental
>Auto-FAQ for this group, here:
><URL:http://www.jasmine.org.uk:8180/urcautofaq/>
>
>It doesn't seem to be much used, which implies it isn't needed; and I am
>minded to delete it. Before I do, does anyone think it should be kept?
>Is it useful, and if not, what would be needed to make it useful?

I see that it is now being used since you have reminded us about it.

Is the intention to leave it permanently as a wiki, or will you at
some date in the future "seal" it into an uneditable form?


--
Amazon: "If you are interested in 'Asimov's I-Robot',
you may also be interested in 'Garfield - The Movie'.
... erm, how do they figure that one out?

Simon Brooke

in message <crtiru$ipk$1@pump1.york.ac.uk>, Arthur Clune
('ajc22@york.ac.uk') wrote:

> Simon Brooke <simon@jasmine.org.uk> wrote:
>
> : <URL:http://www.jasmine.org.uk:8180/urcautofaq/>
>
> On request (which I may have made before). How about putting it on a
> standard port (80 or 8080). Lots of people behind restrictive proxies
> won't be able to access it as it stands (e.g. all students here).

Done. Now available at <URL:http://www.jasmine.org.uk/urcautofaq/>

--
simon@jasmine.org.uk (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
Ring of great evil
Small one casts it into flame
Bringing rise of Men ;; gonzoron

Simon Brooke

in message <78r4u0d8h1nd46fpomvoo6lhb9udgbdsah@4ax.com>, Richard Bates
('usenet01@artybee.net') wrote:

> On Sun, 02 Jan 2005 11:38:34 +0000, Simon Brooke
> <simon@jasmine.org.uk> wrote:
>
>>Subject says it all, really. Some months ago I put up an experimental
>>Auto-FAQ for this group, here:
>><URL:http://www.jasmine.org.uk:8180/urcautofaq/>
>>
>>It doesn't seem to be much used, which implies it isn't needed; and I
>>am minded to delete it. Before I do, does anyone think it should be
>>kept? Is it useful, and if not, what would be needed to make it
>>useful?
>
> I see that it is now being used since you have reminded us about it.
>
> Is the intention to leave it permanently as a wiki, or will you at
> some date in the future "seal" it into an uneditable form?

It was my intention that at some stage it should be fossilised, but what
stage that is is very much up to the people who contribute and use the
thing.

--
simon@jasmine.org.uk (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; Human history becomes more and more a race between
;; education and catastrophe.
H.G. Wells, "The Outline of History"

Alan Braggins

Simon Brooke wrote:
>in message <78r4u0d8h1nd46fpomvoo6lhb9udgbdsah@4ax.com>, Richard Bates
>('usenet01@artybee.net') wrote:
>
>> Is the intention to leave it permanently as a wiki, or will you at
>> some date in the future "seal" it into an uneditable form?
>
>It was my intention that at some stage it should be fossilised, but what
>stage that is is very much up to the people who contribute and use the
>thing.

You could both freeze it into a conventional FAQ and keep a Wiki for
discussion of future revision of the FAQ.

Richard Bates

On Sun, 09 Jan 2005 23:17:55 +0000, Simon Brooke
<simon@jasmine.org.uk> wrote:

> If you don't agree with what someone else has written, feel free to change it.

Now this is where I'm having trouble. I contributed. Now I have come
to add to my entry, the wiki tells me I can't 'cos somebody else has
the lock?

Sorry, if I'm being daft!

ps here is the text that *would* have been under the heading of Cycle
Touring... if you would be so kind as to slot it in please?

.... actually, it's more of an essay!

*****

Cycle Touring is the perfect pace for exploring. It is faster than
walking, thus letting you cover a good distance, yet slower than any
motorised form of transport, which would have you zooming past the
scenery way too quickly to appreciate it.

Cycling, in short, is the happy compromise.

Cycle touring has many subsets:

1) Organised and supported rides, whereby a group of cyclists travel
together, have their luggage transported by vehicle, and have their
accomodation arranged for them. You will cover lots of ground, and
probably be guided through many popular tourist honeypots.

2) Supported, but organised by oneself. Benefits are as above but the
onus is on you to find and book your own accomodation. An idea for
this type of tour is to hire a minibus and each member of the group
spends a day driving.

3) Unsupported but reliant upon accomodation. This way, you do away
with the luggage carrying vehicle, and instead pack up your whole life
in panniers or a bike-trailer. You will need to find your own
accomodation (Bed and Breakfast, Youth Hostel, Bunkhouse, Hotel etc.)

4) Unsupported and Self Sufficient. This way of travelling is as (3)
but you also carry your own form of accomodation in the form of a tent
or "bivvy-bag". Your only reliance upon civilisation is to obtain
food/water (although you could even obtain water from natural sources
and purify it if necessary)

I find that a hybrid of (3) and (4) works very well for me. I carry a
tent but also make use of hostels and B&B accomodation.


What to Carry
=============

This list is not exhaustive, and in particular only mentions
cycle-specific items.

1) Repair Kit - How much you take depends upon how far away from
civilisation you will be, how far you are prepared to walk, how
mechanically competent you are, and how mechanically sound your cycle
is before you leave. A well maintained cycle is less likely to got
wrong at an inopportune moment.

A pretty much standard kit would include:

* Spare inner tube(s)
* Pump (A decent one!)
* Puncture repair kit
* Allen keys, spanners, or one of the many multi-tools available.
* Knowledge of how to use the above!

Additionally you may wish to carry:

* Spare spokes (of the correct sizes)
* Spoke key
* Short length of chain
* Cassette lockring remover
* Assorted nuts and bolts
* Knowledge of how to use the above!

If you are in for a really long trip:

* Spare tyre (Kevlar beaded tyres will fold up easiily)
* Spare gear and brake cables (long enough to fit the rear)
* Brake blocks
* Bulbs for you lights
* Knowledge of how to use the above!

Some cyclists hate multi-tools because they are more fiddly to use and
probably contain implements that are no use for your particular cycle.
They instead prefer to carry carefully chosen full size tools.

2) Food - Cycling is hard work. Carrying luggage makes it even harder.
Decide if you are happy to stop every so often to refuel your body, or
whether you prefer to eat on-the-move. Prepare your food accordingly -
Sandwiches are difficult to eat whilst cycling.

If you are eating on the go, choose food which is soft and small, and
take smaller bites to aid breathing!

My personal preference is to stop when I wish to eat.

3) Navigation

If you are exploring new ground then you may need a map. If you are
touring only on road then it is entirely possible to use only a small
pocket-sized atlas of the UK, and navigate by place name. This can be
fun but can also be frustrating as you find out how many signposts
giving directions assume you are in a car.

Ordnance Survey maps are published in many scales. The 1:25,000 series
is generally thought to be too detailed and small for touring cyclists
since they cover an area of only 20Km by 20Km. The 1:50,000 used to be
the most widely recommended. Recently, OS have published a series
entitled the "Road Series". At a scale of 1:250,000 the whole of the
UK is covered by just 8 maps. As an example of their versatility: A
standard Lands End to John O'Groats journey needs just 5 of these
maps, compared with the 20 or so 1:50,000 sheets needed.

This Road Series contains all the detail required by cyclists: All
major (A&B) roads are shown, and most minor roads are shown. Youth
hostels are listed, as are campsites, phone boxes, and contour lines
(at 60m intervals - sufficient for route planning/avoiding).

Security on Tour
================

When you sleep at night, your cycle is at risk. Youth Hostels nearly
always have a cycle shed but it is still advisable to lock your bike.
Not all sheds have fixtures for securing your cycle to.

Many camp sites also have Sheffield stands, however I prefer to keep
my bike close to me at night.

Careful selection of where you pitch your tent might provide a fence
or tree to which you can secure your bike. Failing that, the other
common solution is to use a long but substantial cable lock, with a
loop at each end. One end can be padlocked to your bike, and the other
end passed underneath the tent and secured to a heavy pannier, noisy
frying pan, or big toe. Or all three!

In reality, I have never had anything stolen from me in over 10 years.
I leave all but one of my panniers on the bike overnight, keeping only
my valuables bag inside.

Richard Bates 2005
--
Amazon: "If you are interested in 'Asimov's I-Robot',
you may also be interested in 'Garfield - The Movie'.
... erm, how do they figure that one out?

Simon Brooke

in message <2n98u0hath859ms94u34p8m8ln19q77tv6@4ax.com>, Richard Bates
('usenet01@artybee.net') wrote:

> On Sun, 09 Jan 2005 23:17:55 +0000, Simon Brooke
> <simon@jasmine.org.uk> wrote:
>
>> If you don't agree with what someone else has written, feel free to
>> change it.
>
> Now this is where I'm having trouble. I contributed. Now I have come
> to add to my entry, the wiki tells me I can't 'cos somebody else has
> the lock?
>
> Sorry, if I'm being daft!

It gets confused that way. If you spend too long typing into the form it
gives you this 'may be locked message'.

Two solutions:

(i) Prepare your article in something else (e.g. wordpad), then open the
form, copy and paste it in, and send it immediately. This works.

(ii) When you get the 'may be locked' message, simply click the 'back'
button on your browser, and then click the 'save' button on the form
again. This usually works.

> ps here is the text that *would* have been under the heading of Cycle
> Touring... if you would be so kind as to slot it in please?
>
> ... actually, it's more of an essay!

It's great! You (or someone else) seem to have posted it already.


--
simon@jasmine.org.uk (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

IMHO, there aren't enough committed Christians, but that's care
in the community for you. -- Ben Evans

Richard Bates

On Sat, 15 Jan 2005 11:48:56 +0000, Simon Brooke
<simon@jasmine.org.uk> wrote:

You (or someone else) seem to have posted it already.

I tried again the following day. No problem.

I'm going to do cycle luggage if nobody else has a burning desire to
do it....

--
Amazon: "If you are interested in 'Asimov's I-Robot',
you may also be interested in 'Garfield - The Movie'.
... erm, how do they figure that one out?

Richard Bates

On Sun, 02 Jan 2005 11:38:34 +0000, Simon Brooke
<simon@jasmine.org.uk> wrote:

>Subject says it all, really. Some months ago I put up an experimental
>Auto-FAQ for this group, here:
><URL:http://www.jasmine.org.uk:8180/urcautofaq/>
>
>It doesn't seem to be much used, which implies it isn't needed; and I am
>minded to delete it. Before I do, does anyone think it should be kept?
>Is it useful, and if not, what would be needed to make it useful?

Is it possible to create NewSubjects ? Can't think of what else needs
creating but I'm juts wondering ...

Also: CycleClothing seems to have subheadings Panniers Rucksack
Barbags Trailers, which presumably needs to be under CycleLuggage

Love and wikis from Rich x

--
Amazon: "If you are interested in 'Asimov's I-Robot',
you may also be interested in 'Garfield - The Movie'.
... erm, how do they figure that one out?

jonestl@breathe.com

I need a reminder monthly to the whereabouts of this faq.I even looked
for it recently and failed to find it .Perhaps that is why it is so
little visited.

TerryJ

Richard Bates

On Sat, 15 Jan 2005 15:39:59 +0000, Richard Bates
<usenet01@artybee.net> wrote:

>On Sat, 15 Jan 2005 11:48:56 +0000, Simon Brooke
><simon@jasmine.org.uk> wrote:
>
> You (or someone else) seem to have posted it already.
>
>I tried again the following day. No problem.
>
>I'm going to do cycle luggage if nobody else has a burning desire to
>do it....

Done, but would somebody knowledgeable about bikes/trikes which are
specifically designed for load carrying care to add to it (near the
bottom of the page).

Thanks.



--
Amazon: "If you are interested in 'Asimov's I-Robot',
you may also be interested in 'Garfield - The Movie'.
... erm, how do they figure that one out?

Simon Brooke

in message <h5giu0lsb7lekou56ihp7k6itj1hm47vi5@4ax.com>, Richard Bates
('usenet01@artybee.net') wrote:

> On Sun, 02 Jan 2005 11:38:34 +0000, Simon Brooke
> <simon@jasmine.org.uk> wrote:
>
>>Subject says it all, really. Some months ago I put up an experimental
>>Auto-FAQ for this group, here:
>><URL:http://www.jasmine.org.uk:8180/urcautofaq/>
>>
>>It doesn't seem to be much used, which implies it isn't needed; and I
>>am minded to delete it. Before I do, does anyone think it should be
>>kept? Is it useful, and if not, what would be needed to make it
>>useful?
>
> Is it possible to create NewSubjects ? Can't think of what else needs
> creating but I'm juts wondering ...

Yes. Just write any word withSillyEmbeddedCapitals and it will
automatically grow a question mark. Click on the question mark, and,
hey presto! there's a new topic

> Also: CycleClothing seems to have subheadings Panniers Rucksack
> Barbags Trailers, which presumably needs to be under CycleLuggage

Feel free to fix it.

--
simon@jasmine.org.uk (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
Iraq war: it's time for regime change...
... go now, Tony, while you can still go with dignity.
[update 18 months after this .sig was written: it's still relevant]

Simon Brooke

in message <1105807733.481448.138620@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com>,
jonestl@breathe.com ('jonestl@breathe.com') wrote:

> I need a reminder monthly to the whereabouts of this faq.I even looked
> for it recently and failed to find it .Perhaps that is why it is so
> little visited.

Ici: <URL:http://www.jasmine.org.uk/urcautofaq/>

--
simon@jasmine.org.uk (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

I shall continue to be an impossible person so long as those
who are now possible remain possible -- Michael Bakunin