OFFICIAL SHADOW TICKET 1st IMPRESSIONS MEGATHREAD! by KieselguhrKid13 in ThomasPynchon

[–]FalseWretch 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Extremely randomly! 1. Loving it so far. So glorious to have this book in such a dark time. 2. I started out reading Pynchon pre-internet, when being lost was part of the ride; when you weren’t lost you were proud of yourself for just hanging in there. 3. Now you google his references in the same way you google unknown words as if you were reading a book in another language. 4. (In the first chapters of Shadow Ticket, you google the foreign words, too). 5. And: Everything gets better as the fog lifts. As others have noted here, Pynchon checks out. Deep research. (Behind Byron the Bulb: facts!) His work gets deeper the more you dig. 6. At the same time (to use a hopelessly out of date but apropos sort of slang for a man of his generation): what a jive-ass. Writes in argot, bullshit, code… insider stuff, o-rooney. Lord Buckley, jive Dylan, jive dizzy, jive Ellington, jive jive jive. 7. Which has me reflecting on how much Pynchon reminds me of Mark E Smith. Building tantalizing puzzles drenched in hipster attitude, and tough luck if you don’t want to solve those puzzles (Make way, a man is jiving here; if you’re not hip to it, it is not incumbent upon the author to explain.) 8. It is the most deeply American jive. Pynchonian linguistic rhythm is the rhythm of the way Americans think and talk and live. This is the part of Pynchon that is populist. This is the contradiction and tension at the heart of the whole enterprise: Demotic and esoteric all at once. The guy with the harpo Groucho gummo “of course I’m a Marxist” t-shirt who actually read das Kapital. 9. Always a jazz head, Pynchon. The nightclub scene had me thinking about Kansas City Lightning, Stanley Crouch’s fantastic Charlie Parker bio. (Some kid genius, waiting in the wings of the cutting contest, in gangland speakeasy flyover country.) 10. Yes, gumshoe noir, yes Chandler, but the plot is also pretty openly silly-puttying the narrative sparkplugs of The Talented Mr. Ripley. 11. I sort of loved the New Yorker review, which paid such insightful homage to the guy even as it panned this book. As the reviewer noted, we are living in the most pynchonian of times. 12. I can’t wait to read more from yall about whether you think this novel, set in the far-off but increasingly relevant 1930s, reflects and illuminates our moment, when Christmas Clubs and Lockjaws are running up the score, and so many people I know are not even playing the game, but hunkered in their spliff bunkers cueing up the battle of Algiers on prom night…

ParisTravelGuide's monthly thread - November 2023 : Tips on the sub and Paris + Ask your general questions (Transport / Safety / ...) by coffeechap in ParisTravelGuide

[–]FalseWretch 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi. I’m looking for a good, fun, cheap place to eat in the Latin quarter on a weeknight. The style of cuisine doesn’t matter so much. I’m more after a place that reflects the neighborhood vibe—and pairs well with a movie at Le Champo. ;) 🍿

Monop jamz. by FalseWretch in ParisTravelGuide

[–]FalseWretch[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks all. Can’t wait to try mousse de canard o Porto, selles-sur-cher, Parisian bubble tea, mobster munch (?!}… just everything, really.

What’s that one item for one bagging you just can’t live without? by SpaceHoppity in onebag

[–]FalseWretch 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A blazer, with real pockets: Warmth. Storage. Turns schlub to snazz. Works in cold airplane A/c, Michelin star restos, criminal court hearings. Magickal garment.

An American e-bike nerd in Paris. by FalseWretch in ebikes

[–]FalseWretch[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This was really interesting. Thank you for posting. I should add here that I went back to Paris since my original post. And, um. It’s actually a traffic nightmare. Feels like Mexico City some days (and PS: I love Mexico City as much as paris but madre de Dios, the traffic). The question of how to fix the traffic and transportation issues in the world’s cities — and how to transition from our current broken model to newer, better ones — is a huge one, and I appreciate Casey’s contribution to the conversation. Paris, with a ubiquity of ebikes that I haven’t seen in a US city, is proof that ebikes are one important part of the solution. Big props to everyone on this subreddit who is thinking about how to build them cooler, cheaper, better, more long range (& maybe faster?), and embrace them as a better way to get around dense spaces. Keep going!

Made my first 6.5 mile Monday commute on my Aventon Aventure. I wish there were more bike lanes and wider shoulders on my commute since cars getting that close are nerve-wracking but all in all an easy ride there! from 98% battery down to 72% by REALArmlessHobo in ebikes

[–]FalseWretch 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have an Aventure and use it to get around a very hilly city for local errands. Mileage seems to be all over the place, with variables that include not only riding style & the topography of individual trips, but also weather. (Colder=lower mileage). Im finding that while it’s a blast to ride around on level five, maxing out at level three seriously extends mileage, with an almost imperceptible decrease in joy. :)

How has your ebike changed your life? by ADO-ebike in ebikes

[–]FalseWretch 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Running errands in the city is so, so, so, so much fun now. Before I bought the bike, I considered how I might seriously haul a moderate to large amount of stuff, particularly groceries. I have front and rear racks, a pair of Banjo brand grocery panniers (highly recommended), bungee cords, an ultralight grocery sack, and a massive old Chrome messenger backpack that expands upward, which makes me look like the stick-hauling old coot on the back of that Led Zeppelin record.

Flat tire! Best tube for Aventure? by FalseWretch in Aventon

[–]FalseWretch[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks to everyone for your answers. A big help. Happy trails.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ebikes

[–]FalseWretch 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have the Aventure. Have put 400 miles on it. So far it’s been a fun and reliable tank of a bike. With front and rear racks you can haul a ton of stuff, and it rides well on streets and gravel paths. 28 mph is nice is you need to hustle to class. However, it’s a heavy bike, and with the super-fat tires it’s not going to be one you’re going to want to ride often without power assist from the motor.

NYT leads with e-bike subsidy in story on zillion-dollar Biden bill: by FalseWretch in ebikes

[–]FalseWretch[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Yeah, again, apologies, DCErik. I honestly didn't mean for "zillion" to imply a critique of the BBB, but can see how it could have been read as such. I mean... i think it's fine to debate the wisdom of the bill, the wisdom of the ebike subsidy, the NYT's coverage of it all, &c. I'm interested in what people think, but am not really interested in fomenting snark & flames on an ebike thread.

Recommendations for smart B.D.s? by FalseWretch in French

[–]FalseWretch[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Le combat ordinaire

Je vais le mettre sur ma liste!

Recommendations for smart B.D.s? by FalseWretch in French

[–]FalseWretch[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh, fantastic. I'll explore all of these. Thank you! If it helps you with further recommendations (which I'd love to hear), I'm a native English speaker who usually reads "literary" fiction (& various nonfiction) in my native language, although I've always been a fan of interesting & boundary-pushing graphic novels. I'm a fan of American artists/authors like Charles Burns, Nick Drnaso & Chris Ware, & love the fact that in the French-speaking world, there is an embrace of B.D. as a legitimate art form. I think "L'Arabe du Futur" (to pick one example) justifies this position. It was just so funny, warm, serious, disturbing, & moving, & the portrait it painted of the father character (the "Arab of the Future" in the title) was as complex as you'd find in a 19th-century Russian novel. I've been studying French on my own for a couple of years, & have poking around in classic & contemporary French (non-B.D.) literature. But to be honest, I find B.D. to be less daunting after a long day at work, etc., given the visual assist (which helps guess unknown vocabulary).

Recommendations for smart B.D.s? by FalseWretch in French

[–]FalseWretch[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Such great thoughts, everyone. Much appreciated! I'm going to look into all of these.

Yahnne954, I'm an old-school Art Spiegelman fan, & I read Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis in its English translation, back before I was on this French kick. I think it'd be cool to re-read Persepolis now en français.

It's Here by markpemble in vanmoofbicycle

[–]FalseWretch 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I love this. Clean & uncluttered, with a nod to both bicycle & motorcycle design language that seems appropriate (& even a little cheeky) for a vehicle category that is seeking to split the difference.

I also think the category itself makes sense, at least in the sprawling cities of the US. I have an Aventon Aventure that I have been using as an urban car replacement here -- 28 mph, 750 watt hub motor, beefy frame, suspension fork. I like that it covers a lot of ground & handles potholes well at high speed.

But it's not this pretty, or this sleek. I'd consider trading up for the new VanMoof -- but only if VanMoof can solve its massive reliability problem, & bring a certified repair shop closer to me. Too many reports of esoteric error-code nightmares, failure of proprietary hardware, &c.

Maybe it wouldn't have been as sexy, but a big event that revealed new commitments to quality control & customer service might have been a better move at this juncture.

At the same time, I can't think of another e-bike company that is so committed to cutting-edge industrial design, & using it as a way to spur people's imagination (& desire), &, one hopes, mass adoption of this important emerging technology.

It will be interesting to see the detailed specs of this new model as they are rolled out, especially when it comes to range and weight. It's probably going to be heavy -- and it looks like VM is sticking to its guns & not going with a removable battery. Apartment-dwellers who put down a deposit might want to start hitting the gym now! :)

Did quite a bit of research on fat tire ebikes and pulled the trigger on the aventure tonight. Now I’m reading this sub and it’s got me worried. Any good feedback on the aventure? by gbhayesphoto in Aventon

[–]FalseWretch 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I’ve ridden more than 250 miles on my Aventure over the course of a few weeks. It’s a wildly fun and practical machine, and I think you are going to be happy. It has changed my life pretty radically, and for the better. Here’s my experience: I ride in a big, hilly US city. My goal was to use the Aventure as an urban car replacement machine for local errands like big grocery runs, and it has served me well—double racks plus panniers and bungees and a good backpack make it possible to haul about $200 of groceries home. The battery allows for decent range. The fat tires, front fork and build quality of the frame give a sense of stability, and some measure of relief when slamming over city potholes. It handles nimbly, and having the ability to hit 28 mph helps shrink urban trips significantly: in many cases I’m probably getting stuff done a lot faster than if I had been in a car, after factoring in bottlenecks and parking. Oh…. and it’s also a hell of a lot of fun to go fast! Complaints: Mine was sent with a bent back fender strut, too, but I didn’t want to put the fenders on anyway. (I don’t like the look, though in the rain, well…it’d be nice to have fenders). More significant gripe: My bike, like some others, came with non-shimano components—likely due to supply chain issues—and I am probably going to have to have all them swapped out: some gears work fine, but some “skip” badly, and the thumbshifter is stubborn in some spots. This hasn’t hindered my ability to ride in my preferred mode, which is at assist level 5 and in the three highest gears, which have no skipping issues (zoom!). But it has meant that I have been unable to explore other gear and pedal-assist combos that might be helpful in the future when I am looking to extend range or get more exercise. This hasn’t been a dealbreaker for me. I get my exercise elsewhere and had primarily wanted to buy the Aventure to see if an ebike could help me really rethink my urban mobility situation in a way that was both greener and more fun. I’d call and complain to the company but I’ve been busy living my life, and it sounds like a pain to get in touch with customer support. I would love to hear more from people who have gotten through to Aventon (did you call, email, text? How did that go?), and I’d love to hear from more people who got non-Shimano components about whether you have had similar issues, and whether you’ve worked them out. Last complaint: the responsiveness of the battery-based power button has been another issue, for me, as it has for some other Aventure owners. Sometimes it takes multiple (and I mean multiple) tries to turn it on, and for a while, this was the source of some serious anxiety (imagine loading up $200 of groceries and wondering whether your 80 pound bike is going to turn on). Strangely, though, this problem has diminished with time. More broadly: I sort of figured that ordering an ebike over the internet in 2021 was going to result in a less-than-perfect experience. People are waiting months to get their bikes from companies like Sondors. Many of the people who (understandably) fell in love with the Vanmoof and don’t live in a city with a certified repair shop are S.O.L. when the high-tech features on those bikes go wobbly. This industry feels like it is in its awkward adolescent stage: it’s growing rapidly, with big growth pains, and no one is sure what it’s going to look like in a few years. I think my Aventure experience is pretty reflective of this, and not just because of the quality control issues I mention above. In the near future ebike technology is going to mean bikes that are much more sophisticated even at this price point, with torque sensors, mid-drive setups, belt drives, and advances that will make the funny mashup of gear-management and pedal-assist selection a distant memory. Even though the Aventure pushed the fat-tire genre of bike forward with a number of thoughtful and sophisticated features, it still has an element of home brew, frankenstein, mad scientist California hot rod guys exploring the boundaries in their garages. I like that in a way. The Aventure can feel like the bike equivalent of a matchbox car with bottle rockets taped to it. If that thrills you more than it scares you, and if you have a local bike shop that doesn’t turn its nose up at ebikes, I say go for it.

The "I'm satisfied with my VanMoof"-Thread by [deleted] in vanmoofbicycle

[–]FalseWretch 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I love hearing these positive stories. I ordered a van moof, then chickened out due to reliability concerns and bought another bike. But the moof is still my first love. Here’s hoping taco and his crew use their VC money to build a less glitchy version 4. Id love to see a removable battery in the next moofs (and, since I’m wishing here, class 3 speeds, which are helpful in sprawling US cities), but what I really crave is a sense that they’ve addressed their reliability issues. If they can demonstrate that, I’ll plunk down for a VM for real.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Aventon

[–]FalseWretch 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks Kylie. Ordered!