"People will buy anything that is one to a customer." - Sinclair Lewis

We have plenty of jacked up trucks around here but none of them done quite like this. (click to enlarge and see the Bubba Truck Lift Kit.)

I was on the bike shortly after 5 a.m.. Told myself, "It's been 10 days since you rode, so take it easy." I was about a mile out when I caught my mind saying, "It's been 10 days since you rode, so let's make this count." Tonight I'm saying, "It had been 10 days since I rode and I'm an idiot."
Did you know that muscles in the small of your the back are key to brisk riding?

I've rec'd two explanations of the "6% grade" sign. Both used words like geometry and ratio. One even said something about a Pythongorem Theory or some such nonsense. In other words, it has to do with math, and is, therefore, associated with the dark arts.
The bottom line appears to be that the higher the number the steeper the hill. Our experience driving to Denver and back teaches me that going down a hill of 6% or higher means an xB can maintain a speed of 75 mph even with a moderate headwind. A hill of 4% means the xB may still have to downshift.
If I could find an 8% grade I might have to use the brakes.

Did you read about the riots in NW China? The Han, the ethnic group that makes up the vast majority of Chinese citizens, are deeply resented by the minorities that live in the distant provinces. Over recent decades the govt. has moved vast numbers of Han into these provinces in order to exert control. It's the same tactic they've used in Tibet. But the Tibetans haven't expressed their anger like Uyghurs, an ethnic minority that is primarily Muslim.
Don't expect this to come to anything, though. Tienanmen Square demonstrated the govt.'s ability to shut down a nascent revolution in their capital. A couple of days of violence in an outlying province stands no chance.

Lance Armstrong is 37 years old and has been retired for three and a half years. Tonight he's in third place overall in the Tour de France. They've only completed three stages. In two days they head into the mountains, stages more suited to young legs. But Armstrong has always done well on those climbs. This will be interesting.
You can watch it on VS TV if you get that channel.

Anybody know how to play an .WMV on a Mac?

I know this is a short post tonight but I really don't have anything else in my head. I do, however, have work to get done.
I promise profundity tomorrow night.