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Showing posts from July, 2010

Guided-self organization workshop

I'll be giving a talk at the GSO-3 workshop at Indiana University next september. More info at:  http://informatics.indiana.edu/larryy/gso3/ You can also assist and present, deadline for abstracts is August 16th. Registration is free, but space is limited.

Biking in bike-unfriendly cities

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I have been cycling as my main mean of transport for more than ten years. I've had the opportunity to bike in Mexico City (MX), St. Petersburg (RU), Sussex (UK), Brussels (BE), and Boston (MA, USA). I have a childseat for our 2.5 year old daughter, she loves it, and it is quite comfortable. I do not suggest biking to anybody, I just share my experience for people who have made a similar decision. Similarly, I would like to hear from other people's experience. Different places have different degrees of bike-friendliness, even in the same city, depending on several factors. In my experience, the order from best to worse is: UK, BE, USA, MX, RU. Actually, there seems to be a correlation with the number of bikers on the street. Cities with more bikers tend to be friendlier towards them, and friendlier cities tend to attract more bikers. Conclusion: promote biking to make your city bike-friendlier. Pros Speed . Studies from Mexico City and Paris have shown that biking leads to th