Must doing something right - 60+ MPG so far today :)

Twin passion flowers today :)

A story in a photo on a sidewalk in the early morning

A real summer morning :)

Have a great day everyone :)

Most notable OSCon swag: set of OSU Open Source lab coasters and a magnet to signify that I Like something on my fridge

Saw some cool cars at the Portland Art Museum

The Allure of the Automobile brought sixteen incredible one of a kind cars to the museum, and every Saturday the park blocks are filled with hundreds more on a different theme each week. Next Saturday is BMWs and Mercedes! Search Cars in the Park for more info.

I really enjoyed the streamlining on the blue Alfa Romeo :)

See the full gallery on Posterous

Colorful sunset reflecting off of glass buildings downtown

It was a good time to walk to the store :)

On Bicycle Accidents At Freeway Off-ramps: Personal Experience & A Controversial Solution

I was involved in a painful yet survivable bicycle accident on Friday at NW Couch and 14th Avenue. The driver was brand new to the area and pulled out in front of me from the stop sign. I was travelling so fast down the hill I couldn't slow down fast enough and struck the car door pretty hard with my shoulder. I'll be ok, nothing is broken, luckily enough, but I have had to take a couple days off. 

My accident is not the first or last bike accident to have happened on 14th Avenue. Tracy Sparling's ghost bike was on the corner for years, and the enhanced bike markings the city put in served to remind us the danger of that intersection. Yet I rode down 14th Avenue to get to work every day. As I recouperate at home, thinking about my experience, and the near-misses, miscommunications and actual accidents I see all the time in various intersections like that around town, I'm becoming more and more committed to the idea that there are more roads in Portland that should be clearly marked "dangerous for cyclists."

And not because I'm a totalitarian car fanatic, but for our cyclist's own safety. If a cyclist knows what he or she is doing, and can merge with traffic in the car lane, I feel like they have every right to be anywhere they want to be. But accidents happen all the time, and they are bound to increase as we freely give tourists a bike and a helmet for $25 a day and say "have fun!" I appreiciate the signage and mapping the city has done to help encourage cyclists to stick to safe routes, but I feel it could be taken one step further than the green boxes and bike paths. Why?

Freeways bring people from all over, and many of those drivers are unaccustomed to the amount of bicycles on the road we have here.  

It's a fact we cannot change.

I know I'll take a different route to work from now on. Once Couch has a stop light that was timed to the one on Burnside, I will take 14th again. Until then, even though there is an ample bike lane with tons of markings, I deem that road dangerous for cyclists.

 

Another impressive feat of cargo hauling

This time it was three guys from New Zealand, their suitcases and an obnoxiously tall, at least 4 foot tall cardboard box. They were skeptical at first but the Prius made it happen, we got everything in comfortably and they remarked on how much room the two still had in the back seat. I felt so victorious I asked to take their photo :) try fitting all that in a Crown Vic! :D

See the full gallery on Posterous

Keeping the cab clean in an ecological way: microfiber cloth

If you are my friend on Foursquare you will know I am a fan of carwashes. Portland's rainy streets kick up a lot of dirty water most of the year and I find myself going through the car wash almost every shift. Eco-friendly washes like Washman and Radio Cab's carwash limit the impact by only using a few gallons, but in the summer there is an even better way to keep the car shiny and clean: microfiber cloth.

You can find it at any auto supply, hardware, and even most grocery stores. It has a clingy texture, like miniature soft Velcro. The cloth picks up dust in one swipe, both inside and out of the vehicle. No cleaning products required!

Here's what I do on dry days with a slightly dingy cab to make it shine.

I start on the inside of the windshield. If the thin film of condensation buildup is giving me trouble I breathe on it like I'm cleaning my glasses and the cloth picks it right up.

Once I've done the windows, I use the same cloth to dust the interior.

Then I clean the outside windows in the same way. If there are any spots on the window, I get part of the cloth wet, use that to pick up the spot, then use the dry part to shine it.

After the windows, still using the same cloth, I wipe the dust off of the rest of the car and put the dirty cloth in my bag to take home and wash.

So in about 5 mins, at the train station queue or the hotel stand or anywhere I want to be, with a bit of effort and one cloth I'm rolling bright and shiny again :)

Lol what r u looking at

Meier and Frank warehouse reconstruction is looking good so far...got a healthy bank of windows done and a lot of the exterior flaws are patched up

It is gorgeous out here!

Destiny fulfilled: delicious caprese salad entirely from Oregon's bounty.

Updated website makes hailing a Jaxicab even easier

That's right! I finally put the page together, check it out at http://jaxicab.posterous.com/pages/get-a-jaxicab

More flash will be added, some photos and more tour details, eventually, but the basics are up there :D

I'd like to hear what anyone thinks about it. If only these crickets would die down ;)

 

Clear bright skies over Portland today :)

The first passion flower bloomed today :)

Local strawberry lemonade with soda water and a splash of ginger vinegar

June 11th - The Juice Was Worth the Squeeze

Great Groupon to start the cycling season

$25 for $50 Worth of Cycling Gear and Accessories at Western Bikeworks

http://www.groupon.com/deals/western-bike-works-portland

The roses at my apartment are beginning to bloom

Passionflower is planted, should take over the balcony by summer ;)

Luggage for a family of four fits entirely in the trunk

Clockwise from back left: one extra large suitcase on its side, one large suitcase also on its side, one huge carry on standing, one regular carry on, one backpack, and I added another backpack and a valise on top.

When I pulled up to the house, the family tried to send me away because they thought I would never fit all their luggage. I promised it would fit and they did, sitting comfortably in the passenger area, car seat and all, no luggage in laps or anything :) if I was a car dealer I think I could have sealed a sale by the time we went got to the airport :D

Best un-utilized building in the area

I was told this beautiful Gothic building was the offices of Pacific Gas Company originally. Same guy said it was one solid concrete pour! Hard to imagine. More fun to imagine this as a venue you get to off the river :)

Idle wanderings led me to a nice surprise at Melt Sandwiches

I walked into Melt not having any idea what to expect. Right next to coffeetime on 21st, this space has been many things, last I think it was a soup and smoothie shop. But I walked in and it looked utterly different. Super stylish, good music, friendly service, interesting and tasty menu, and the modest size is a welcome change from the other neighborhood establishments. Great place to share a conversation, a beer and a little table with a friend or two.

The photos show my house-pickles veggies, HUB Lager and tasty parmesan fries. Yummy!

See the full gallery on Posterous

Lovely evening in the South Park blocks

After taking this photo I took the same shot for someone visiting Portland to work at OHSU. His name is Mocket like they say market in Boston and he came all the way from South Africa. I'm glad it wasn't rainy the one evening he could walk around :) in fact it was awesome.

Funny stencil seen on a truck a few weeks ago

The perfect amount of "unexpected"

Could probably fit another one...

Blue sky with a fluffy glaze of clouds

Beautiful sunrise today!

Jaxicab's Appraisel of the Prius as a Taxi

After the first couple weeks of driving the Prius as a taxi, both Xopher
and I agree that there is no going back from a hybrid; the design is
perfect for driving, perfect for taxi service. You can say a lot of good things about the car, but let's face it; the
real appeal is in how it affects the bottom line. So check this out:
Taxis do a lot of city driving and the Prius gets 50+ mpg city or
highway. If all goes well and we can drive this car 200,000 miles, we
should experience an incredible amount of fuel savings. For instance,
over that many miles, at $3.95 a gallon, our Prius will be $36,800 LESS
expensive to fuel than the car we retired, all the while generating the
same income! Win!

Besides winning at the pumps, the Prius has other benefits:

- The regenerative braking system is basically the electric motor
running backwards. That not only means you can slow down without
friction, (no need to replace brake pads etc) you even generate
electricity. Wow. - Most frequently I am driving alone, or have a single passenger; now I
feel much more efficient than before because the vehicle matches my
load.
- I've driven some big, tall people already. One guy sat in the front,
must have been 7 foot, 300+ pounds with his 5 inches of spiky hair, but
he fit, got the seatbelt on and everything. I don't think the car could
have handled anyone else, and we were both glad he was alone, but our
fleet has some huge vans that would be more ideal for extremely tall
customers. Those Scion xB's have a lot of headroom too...anyway the
Prius can handle the other 90% of taxi business perfectly :)
- The hatchback allows more flexibility in cargo space. I can put the
seats down and have room for a bike in the back and the rider in the
front. I've even lugged a vintage dining room table and two chairs to a
storage space! Couldn't ever do that with a standard sedan. - Taxi drivers get paid to idle. In a Prius, I am still paid the waiting
time without wasting gas.
- It is so quiet! Passengers appreciate the quiet as well.
- Being smaller and shorter with a better turning radius, the car is
much more navigable and extremely easy to park. - The joystick (yep, I'm calling the gear shifter a joystick) is a
futuristic trackball-like device on a control panel, making the driving
experience feel more like operating a moving computer than driving a
car. - The built-in Ecodriving meter is responsive and informative, making
gas saving easy. The statistics make it a game to try and stay in
electric drive and get the best efficiency. Not a bad thing to be
encouraged to do but easy to ignore if I just want to get somewhere
quickly :)

The list can continue, and when I think of more I'll add them :)

Overall it is stylish, comfortable and has been getting really good
reception from all age groups and demographics, even people who have
previously avoided hybrids for "political" reasons but like it and seem
shocked I tell them it is a hybrid. Quite a few people have said they
began to consider purchasing one of their own during the ride :)

My friend James Kelly from LivingTheGreen.tv shot a video with me and
the new taxi, I get to see the finished product tomorrow! I'll post a
link as soon as I can :D We took some high quality photos as well that I
am excited to share, stay tuned :)

Jackson Cafazzo

New Leaves on Couch

It was a quiet stoplight, me in the Prius with a Nissan Leaf in front and beside me :)

Blooms spreading in Laurelhurst

For Mawuli Ware who's photo got me inspired to take a shot too :)

The blooms spread along the bush like it is catching on fire :) neat :)

Spring snow and a spontaneous apple

See the full gallery on Posterous

The Rhoadies are beginning to bloom :)

See the full gallery on Posterous

Computer, meter, radio et al fits nicely in the new cab

As if the panel expanded to offer more functionality, the computer and meter fit smartly into the Prius dash.

It is here!

Today is my first shift in the new 106, Radio Cab's first hybrid vehicle :) It looks great, very promising! I'll be posting my reactions and impressions here :)

Almost done with the changeover!!

Bouquet for the Nines

Getting closer!!

The toplight, meter and computer is mounted already! Cheers to Wade and Jaak in the meter shop! Looks like a little more wiring, installing the printer etc., and we will have it on the road :D

See the full gallery on Posterous

The decals are done!!

Still need a toplight, a computer and a meter, but it sure looks good!

See the full gallery on Posterous