.| UrbanNerd |.

So there I was having a nice ride into work on a nice mild winter’s day this morning and here is whats going through my mind:

“Aww look at that, the busload of school kids in front of me are waving at me. Aren’t they cute. Yeah they dig my bike. HaHa what a great morning, I just love commuting on my.. AIIIEEEE” (BAM CRASH)

I go right down into a pot hole that I KNEW was there, but I was just not paying enough attention to avoid it in time. So I managed somehow to not go down (this was a serious pothole), but my muffler was knocked out & now my bike is extremely loud. I rode it the rest of the way to work so there does not seem to be any other mechanical problems with it. But it definately needs at least a new muffler. I have Scooters Originali coming to get my bike later today and I should have it back by tomorrow unless they find something seriously wrong with it.

As I have mentioned, it is my birthday this weekend, and despite my now advanced age (33) I am still as interested in games as I was when I was younger. Slashdot found a piece in Guardian Gamesblog addressing exactly that issue. So are game companies starting to develop or market to just the older crowd? Will there be games just for older age groups soon?

The Guardian Gamesblog has an interesting piece wondering outloud about the greying of the gaming population. Both the people who make the games and the people who play the games are increasingly older, far from the targetted 15-year-old male in typical gaming marketing. From the article: “Not only does this [marketing] policy cost the industry over 50% of its potential market on gender terms alone, but in a few years time, it’s also going to cut out a huge audience on the age side of things too. I wonder, are forward-thinking publishers already having brain-storming sessions in order to address the challenge of the grey gamer? Wired.com ran an article this week on how the ageing population in Japan is bringing about some major cultural changes. Have Namco, Nintendo, Capcom and Konami et al caught the zeitgeist?“

Sad story of a delivery man using a scooter to do his job. He was nearly killed by this DWI. The initial report had said he was killed, now they are saying he is in critical condition. I hope he is able to recover.

A Chinese food deliveryman was critically injured last night when his motor scooter was hit by an alleged drunk driver in the Maspeth section of Queens, police said.

The accident occurred around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at 69th Street and the corner of an eastbound service road off the Long Island Expressway.

The 31-year-old deliveryman, believed to work at Lucky Restaurant, was taken to Elmhurst Hospital.

The driver, 58-year-old John Kieldlowski, was charged with D.W.I. and was arrested at the scene, police said.

The deliveryman’s name was not released.

An investigation is ongoing.

Story Link
Other outlets covering the story

Okay, so they use Geek instead of Nerd, but still it’s relevant, from Slashdot:

ZDNet has a feature on The Essence of Geek, which looks at the rise of the geek (and the fact that everyone’s turning into one), in the years post .com boom.” From the article: “For a few years, an interest in computers and technology became inextricable linked with wealth and power — geek became chic. Technology companies suddenly became the focus of the kind of attention that had been reserved for the music or fashion industries. In the UK TV makers even went so far as to create a hip series, Attachments, based around the antics of a tech start-up.

Yeah, I know I have been quiet for a few days, I get like that sometimes. My new consulting gig is keeping me busy, and who the heck knew that buying a house meant so many nights & weekends doing renovations?

Anyway I will be covering the NYC Motorcycle Show for Vespaway.com this weekend. Also, I am doing a lot of planning with the New York Scooter Club for the big NYC Scooter BlockParty event that will happen June 10 & 11. Stay tuned for more info on this event, it will be a blast!

By the way, while I am rambling, it IS my birthday this weekend! I will be 33 years old as of the 22nd. Happy Birthday to me… this year is shaping up to be a very good year indeed.

From Bloomberg.com, it looks like sales of scooters & other two wheelers are big in Asia. Perhaps Bajaj will widen their markets in the US scooter market as well?:

Jan. 12 (Bloomberg) — Hero Honda Motors Ltd. and Bajaj Auto Ltd., India’s two biggest motorcycle makers, may say third- quarter profits gained as rising wages helped sales of models such as Discover and Splendor during festive months.

Hero Honda, India’s largest motorcycle maker, may report its third quarterly profit growth, with net income rising 16 percent to 2.5 billion rupees ($56 million), a median estimate of 14 analysts polled by Bloomberg showed. Profit at Bajaj, the country’s second-biggest maker of two-wheeled vehicles, probably rose for the fifth quarter, increasing 53 percent to 2.8 billion rupees, according to a poll of 15 analysts.

Motorcycle makers are becoming more profitable in India as economic growth created jobs in Asia’s fourth-biggest economy. Sales in the quarter were also bolstered by holiday shopping, with Diwali, India’s most important religious festival, taking place on Nov. 1.

Specifically designed for both motorcycle and scooter helmets, the system features a wind-resistant microphone that provides clear wireless audio communications while riding at speeds of up to 75 mph. The BTA II included in the scala-rider combo version enables users with standard, non-Bluetooth phones to enjoy the safe and hands-free advantages of wireless communication, including voice-controlled handling of incoming and outgoing calls. The inconspicuous Cardo BTA II is the world’s smallest universal Bluetooth adapter and functions with virtually any standard mobile phone.

More about their product here

It acts like a 50cc two-stroke scooter in every respect but that of emissions – instead of producing mass hydrocarbons, it produces water. One of the most interesting new transportion initiatives in years, the German Aqwon is not what you’d expect – instead of being powered by electricity derived from a hydrogen fuel cell, the Aqwon burns hydrogen as its fuel.

Read the rest here

The drivetrain features a new, Honda-developed combined CVT (continuously variable transmission ­ just like the Suzuki 650) and shaft drive. In issue 4, we tested the Benelli Adiva a fully-enclosed scooter with a convertible roof which folds away when the sun shines and can be clipped back in place within a few seconds for when the rain comes. Honda has taken this concept and gone one better ­ it has a electric-powered roof, operated by a single switch. The control console includes a digital speedometer, a satellite navigation system, and a monitor display of the rear view using sonar.

The Elysium is only a concept machine, but Honda has a way of turning its concept machines into showroom models!

Read the rest here

January 6, 2006 Volkswagen dropped a bombshell of significant magnitude in the automotive market overnight by showing a new three wheeled vehicle concept machine which it has billed as a crossover between sports car and motorcycle. That the mighty Volkswagen company should consider such a vehicle is surprising, but in an unprecedented move for any major manufacturer and a concept machine, the company has specified a price, indicating that the extreme performance and economy of the three wheeler could be delivered to market for under US$17,000 and inviting consumer response to the concept. Considering that the three wheel, two seater will deliver supercar performance while offering access to the carpool lane and delivering 46 mpg (5.2 l/100 km), we suspect the public response might be positive.

Read the rest here