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experiments in local living

Experiments from user: jmm

Cycle more, use batteries less

A dynamo-powered front light for my bike means accumulating fewer batteries and avoiding the disposal-related conundra they bring. (That's right, conundra. I coined that word!)

I bought this light in Canada almost a year ago and have probably saved about 6 triple-A batteries as a result.

In my apartment, there are two spent AA batteries in the vicinity of my recycling bin. They drive my partner in crime insane. They occasionally make the trip down to the recycling area of my building, but of course there's nowhere to put them. Australia's battery-recycling programs are small at best, although there's now a fledgling service that will pick them up at your business.

But, like, why use batteries if you don't have to? Especially for something like bike lights, which, thanks to LEDs, don't require a lot of juice. And especially given that if you leave the batteries in something like a bike light, they slowly drain even when you're not using it, which is a needless waste. But who's going to bother popping them in and out of the housing before and after every ride?

The dynamo-powered light has three LEDs, which can run in flashing mode for an hour with about a minute of winding.

As a bonus, winding it makes a high pitched whining sound, which is great for annoying people in your office.

Discovering the 'hood on (running) feet

Inspired by Kate's experiment, I Google mapped the running route my co-conspirator and I took this past weekend from our apartment near Bondi Junction out to Watson's Bay.

The route

From this Google map.

We deliberately meandered so we could figure out more about our
neighbourhood – to which we moved pretty recently. This was a good move.

Our jogs have helped us discover all sorts of tiny parks and reserves all around our area, plus weird houses in cul-de-sacs, free discarded furniture and commercial districts to which we later return.

This time, we found what we think is the actual hill of Bellevue Hill.

We've been to Bondi Beach a zillion times, but never really noticed Bondi Seven Ways, a
crazy intersection of streets where the café-seated population seemed
composed of fewer posing surfers and backpackers. We ended up eating brunch there a couple of hours later.

Following this rather hefty run, we were tired. We had a nap.

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