cassondra’s posterous

My interest in cyclocross goes back awhile. So much so that for the past eight years Mike (the racer) and I (the dabbler + fan) have been making Autumn pilgrimages to the western side of our state and beyond to watch people ride, suffer and support one another in the incomparable Cross Crusade series. Thus, the news that Bend is hosting 2009 + 2010 Cyclocross Nationals (thanks again Visit Bend et al.) inspired an immediate call-to-action.

This event would have to be accompanied by an all-out community celebration of bike culture. So it was that I contacted Doug LaPlaca who had been contacted by Henry Abel and a co-conspiratorship began. What goes well with Cyclocross? Beer, Coffee, Belgian Waffles, Pommes Frites and Bob's Red Mill Hot Cereal. But beyond the obvious, we believe that the arts also go quite nicely. Henry and the Webcyclery crew expanded their film night vision and began imagining all the possibilities for the December event. Meanwhile I pursued the idea of a community bike art walk that would revel in the goodness and beauty of the bicycle. With the support of Sweet Pea Cole and Lynette Braillard as well as everyone included on the list below, Cross Culture: art + bike love was born.

On Friday, December 11 from 5-9 we are celebrating art + bike love with the participation of local businesses and Oregon artists:
Tracy Smith + Urban Beauty Bar
Lisa Pounders + Cowgirl Cash
Wade Beauchamp, Amy Castano + John Paul Designs
Hunter Dahlberg + Oxygen Tattoo & Art
PDX Cross, Gary Bonacker + tbd loft
Chris & Sweet Pea Cole + Ranch Records
Nikki Hoke + Thump Coffee
Brian Bulemore + Lone Pine
Alan Brandt + Bellatazza
Bridget McGinn, Jim Riswold + Hot Box Betty
Collective exhibit + PoetHouse
Kaycee Anseth-Townsend + Clutch
Byron Roe + Foot Zone
Sara McPherson + Volcano Vineyards
Alex Reisfar + Velvet Bend
Taliah Lempert + WebCyclery

Live music performances are planned at tbd Loft, PoetHouse, myc yoga, Volcano Vineyards and The Wine Shop with additional announcements on the way. Follow crossculture09 on twitter for the latest.

Photo by pdxcross, a phenomenal photography collective that includes the likes of Jamie Francis, Pamela Royal, Mike Davis, Deb Davis, Tim Labarge and Torsten Kjellstrand.

Download the 2009 Cyclocross Nationals Event Guide here

David Byrne is my favorite bike geek.

The musician, artist, advocate and author continues to find new inroads into the cycling world with a new book titled Bicycle Diaries; a city tour addressing Cities, Bicycles and the Future of Getting Around and advising on Bike Rides, an upcoming show at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum.

http://vimeo.com/channels/hd#6441176

30 bite-size presentations equals a feast of inspiration

I'm planning on attending Influx Curated in San Francisco on June 11. Ed Cotton has put together an impressive list of speakers such as Marieka van Der Poel, Paul Kim, Mark Barden, and Alex Madrigal and many more. The selected speakers have been asked to invite two friends and the list has now grown to 30 presenters including the likes of Jelly Helm and Doris Mitch. The format borrows from the ignite and pecha kucha 5 minute(ish) time-frame. Currently trying not to daydream about it.

Would love to see you there.

Idea sharing is so 21st century.

If you had five minutes on stage what would you say? What if you only got 20 slides and they rotated automatically after 15 seconds? Around the world geeks, techies and makers have been putting together Ignite nights to share their answers.

Ignite was started in Seattle in 2006 by Brady Forrest and Bre Pettis. Since then, cities such as Boulder, Seattle, Portland, Philadelphia and Sydney have organized free community events.

The second IgniteBend  is scheduled for June 4 at the Tower Theatre.

Presentation submissions are now being accepted. Submissions may be as simple as a brief written explanation of your idea on the ignite bend website or they could take the form of a video. We encourage you to be imaginative and hack the format.

Nine presentations will be decided by online vote and an informal meet-up open to everyone to be scheduled for late May.

All selected presenters will receive an exclusive handmade mug from our sponsor Mug Revolution. Ignite Bend will be webcast live and archived thanks to our sponsors and good friends at Pinnacle Media.

Presentations may also be selected for inclusion in the O' Reilly Ignite Show which highlights a different talk from Ignites around the world for weekly broadcast at their site.

Do you want to get involved but feel a little shy about taking stage? We are looking for additional help to make this FREE community event happen. You can get involved by becoming a volunteer, sponsor or simply spread the good word amongst your social circle.


photo by Buck Heim

Today's AdBite luncheon was on the topic of sustainability. The keynote speaker, Kiersten De West of Conscientious Innovation  talked about sustainability beyond the typical eco-aware label of green. De West discussed their CI Shift report, qualitative research that revealed that the majority of people define sustainability as having connection with friends, family and community.

This insight is in alignment with the Absolut Kindness  London campaign that asks us to imagine kindness as the new currency. The branded campaign extends their message by taking events to the streets. The details are being posted on their twitter page or you can track their kindness efforts with the hashtag #kindness.