Here’s my review of the Kindle Fire. Keep in mind, I’ve been an iOS user from the start and my experience using Android is limited. If you haven’t used a tablet and don’t own an iOS device, the Kindle Fire might be for you. It’s a great value at $199 and is perfect for consuming media; including TV and movies, via NetFlix and Hulu; books and music, via the Amazon store. If you’re used an iPad or iOS device, you may not be happy with some of the minor rough edges of the Kindle Fire.

Kindle Fire unboxing

Kindle Fire configuration screen

Pros of the Kindle Fire

• Amazon UI eliminates some complexities of Android operating system.
• The price – $199.
• Good quality hardware.
• All books, music, and apps purchased from Amazon are instantly available.
• Super simple configuration. When you turn it on, it knows who you are.

Cons of the Kindle Fire

• 7-inch form factor is cramped. After a few days, I’m still quicker using the iPhone keyboard.
• The spacebar is tiny and offset to the left, you really notice this in portrait mode.
• Web browser crashes too often.
• Lack of hardware home button and volume controls.
• Limited device configuration, this is likely an advantage for first-time users.
• Limited app store selection. No Facebook or Twitter app yet, but popular apps such as Pulse News, Netflix, Hulu.
• Lack of sync options for non-cloud apps/files.

Kindle Fire lock screen

Tiny Spacebar on the Kindle Fire

When you grow up you tend to get told that the world is the way it is and your life is just to live your life inside the world. Try not to bash into the walls too much, try to have a nice family life, have fun, save a little money.

That’s a very limited life. Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact, and that is that everything around you that you call life was made up by people no smarter than you. And you can change it, you can influence it. You can build your own things that other people can use.

The minute that you understand that you can poke life and actually something will, you know if you push in, something will pop out the other side, that you can change it, you can mold it. That’s maybe the most important thing. Shake off this erroneous notion that life is there and you’re just going to live in it, versus embrace it, change it, improve it, make your mark upon it. I think that’s very important and however you learn that, once you learn it, you’ll want to change life and make it better.

Once you learn that, you will never be the same again.

-Steve Jobs

Over the past few months, I’ve scoured the internet and visited nearly every local bike shop, sometimes more than once shopping for my first road bike. After a long search and several test rides, I was overwhelmed by  more brands, models, and component sets than I ever imagined possible.

Initially, I was looking at the Raleigh Revenio 3.0, Felt Z85, and the Giant Defy 1, but after visiting River Market Cyclery and test riding a Cannondale CAAD10 5, I was sold on the Cannondale brand.

After a bit more searching, I found a 2010 Cannondale CAAD9 4 at Leawood Bicycles that was just my size. Since it was a 2010, it was also on sale for a great price. I went home, slept on it, and the next day made up my mind.

The CAAD9 is the predecessor to the CAAD10 and was last Cannondale bicycle to be handmade in the United States. I also liked the CAAD9 4, because it was equipped with a full SRAM Rival groupset, including a carbon crank.

I bought the bike on August 6. As of today, August 23, I’ve put just over 100 miles on it. It’s a great, responsive ride, though I’m still getting used to the firmer, smaller road saddle. I definitely don’t leave home without my biking shorts on. The CAAD9 has more of a racing geometry, so I’m taking it in today to have the stem flipped, so the my riding position will be a little more relaxed and comfortable.

• Photos of my Cannondale CAAD9 4

After putting more than 500 miles on my Northrock SC7 hybrid bike, I’m shopping for my first road bike. I’d like to keep the price under $1,500, and am aiming for a decent gruppo (or groupset), such as the Shimano 105.

The search is overwhelming. There are so many different manufacturers, brands, models, frames, forks, prices, local bike shops, etc. At this point I’ve narrowed the choices down to the Raleigh Revenio 3.0, the Felt Z85, or the Giant Defy 1. Please share any thoughts or suggestions to help with the decision.

Photos of Raleigh Revenio 3.0, Felt Z85, and Giant Defy 1

(click each photo to enlarge)

Specs of Raleigh Revenio 3.0, Felt Z85, and Giant Defy 1

Map of Thursday night Brookside group bike ride in Kansas City. I rode the shorter route, because the heat index in Kansas City yesterday was near 100 degrees.

On Sunday, May 22, some friends and I participated in Kansas City’s Tour de Brew 30-mile ride. This is my second organized ride and my longest consecutive ride by 10-miles. View route GPS.

The ride started and finished at Knuckleheads Saloon, in the Northeast Industrial District of Kansas City. Knuckleheads is definitely unique. It lives up to the images one would conjure up thinking about a saloon in the 1940′s.

We started off on the 30-mile ride at 9:00 am and returned just after 12:30 pm. We looped through downtown, the Crossroads District, midtown and the Plaza, before making our first stop for a mini-gelato at SPIN! Pizza. We refilled quickly and were on our way south through some beautiful Plaza and Brookside neighborhoods. We rode on to Family Bicycles at 74th and Wornall where we made another pit stop, before turning around to finish the route back.

Seasoned cyclists are a courteous bunch. It’s common for someone to yell out, “car back,” when they notice a car approaching from behind. When approaching a stop sign, they yell “clear right, clear left,” to signal nearby cyclists it’s safe to proceed through the intersection.

I enjoyed getting to see parts of the city that I wouldn’t have otherwise explored. Cycling is an experience like no other, you get a feel for neighborhoods, people, places, and best of all fresh air. Next time you’re thinking of buying a home, bike the neighborhood for a more intimate perspective of the people, places, and things.

Other riders blog about 2011 Kansas City Tour de Brew

• First Annual Tour de Brew – thedirtieduckie.com
• 2011 Tour de Brew Photos - Aaron Dougherty Photography

Roger’s 50th Birthday T-shirt, designed by Zack

My great friend, Roger celebrated his 50th birthday in October this year. Our birthday gift to Roger was a weekend surprise party with twenty-five of his friends in Chicago, Illinois.

Most of the group at Roscoes on Friday afternoon.

Roger thought only five of us were coming. We met with Roger at the hotel, then went to Roscoes (a neighborhood bar). Everyone else formed a long line on the street, then walked into Roscoes for the big surprise.

Roger’s reaction is captured in the video below. He falls to the floor before we reached him with the camera. Yes, he was indeed surprised.

The group at dinner on Saturday night.

July 28 through August 2, a group of twelve friends traveled from Kansas City to Puerto Vallarta for my friend Mike’s 30th Birthday.

Highlights from the trip

The penthouse

We stayed at Vallarta Shores overlooking the beach, just south of Blue Chairs. The place was beautiful with a huge open-air common living space and deluxe kitchen. Each penthouse also had a private pool and three bedrooms, all with private baths. Amenities included wifi, TV’s in each room, mini-stereos with iPod hook-ups, daily maid service, and our very own private chef, Carlos.

A day on the mighty Pacific Ocean

On Saturday morning, we met up with Captain Ernesto Alfano and his beautiful and very friendly wife of ADA Sailing. We did a private day cruise on the Pacific Ocean, just to the south of Puerto Vallarta along the Mexico coast. We stopped for several hours to snorkel and swim in the sparkling turquoise waters, just south of Le Kliff.

Friends, new and old

While I knew a handful of the twelve Kansas City guys well, it was good to spend time with old friends, and get to know a few others better. I also had the opportunity to meet a long-time social networking pal Dan, who happened to be in Puerto Vallarta on an overlapping vacation. The group also made a new friend, Felipe, a friendly traveler from Toronto, who joined us for many of our activities.

Photos from the trip

Group shot

The group on the beach at sunset

Small group at La Noche for drinks.

Condo, decorated for Mike’s 30th Birthday

Mike, Birthday waltz

All aboard the ADA, destination Banderas Bay

Turquoise waters of Pacific Ocean near Puerto Vallarta

My Review of Northrock SC7 Men’s Comfort Bike

Specifications of the Northrock SC7

• Lightweight Aluminum Frame
• RST Sofi T Fork – High Impact Absorption
• Shimano M191 Crank & Altus Drivetrain (21-speed)
• TEKTRO Linear Brakes
• SRAM MRX 3.0 Twist Shifters with PROMAX Levers
• VELO Plush Comfort Saddle & Ergonomic Grips
• Kenda 700C Tires
• Alloy Rims with 14G Stainless Steel Spokes
• Quick Release Wheels & Adjustable Seat Post

Pros

Lightweight, solid bike with a comfortable, smooth ride. I am 6’3″ 200lbs and the Northrock SC7 fits me nicely.

Seat height adjusts with ease using quick-release lever on seat post.  The brakes work like a dream. Shimano Crank, Drivetrain and Tektro Brakes are some of the best components around. I wasn’t familiar with the Northrock brand, but the frame has a lifetime warranty. The Northrock SC7 was $259.99 at our local Costco, so the price is definitely a pro. A hybrid bike with similar components is several hundred more at local shops. Costco’s generous return policy is also a pro.

Cons

The pedals on the Northrock SC7 are plastic and feel a bit cheap.

The seat moves slightly from side to side when biking. The SRAM MRX twist shifters are listed as a feature, but I worry they won’t last as long as a convention shifting mechanism. Many experts say any bike purchased from a retail outlet should have a tune-up from a bike shop right away. This could could easily add $50-$75 to the cost of the bike. I’m no expert, but the Northrock SC7 rides and shifts smoothly, so I think I’ll skip the tune-up. Be sure to physically inspect the bike for damage from customer mishandling prior to purchase.

Photos – View all

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