how cold am i?

ah...the information i've been looking for. ripped straight from the environment canada website, i bring you windchill calculation. now i'll know exactly how cold i get...i mean feel...

i'll be putting up a post on my new gloves sometime tomorrow.

If you know the temperature outside, you can estimate the wind speed by observing the movement of trees and flags, and then find the wind chill on the second chart.

Wind Speed

WIND SPEED (km/h)	WHAT TO LOOK FOR
10	Wind felt on face; leaves rustle; wind vanes begin to move.
20	Leaves & small twigs constantly moving; small flags extended.
30	Dust, leaves, & loose paper lifted; large flags flap; small tree branches move.
40	Small trees begin to sway; large flags extend and flap.
50	Larger tree branches moving; whistling heard in power lines; large flags extend and flap more wildly.
60	Whole trees moving; resistance felt in walking against wind; large flags extend fully and flap only at the end

Wind Chill Index

Temperature (°C) Wind Speed (km/h)	0	-5	-10	-15	-20	-25	-30	-35	-40	-45
10	-3	-9	-15	-21	-27	-33	-39	-45	-51	-57
20	-5	-12	-18	-24	-31	-37	-43	-49	-56	-62
30	-7	-13	-20	-26	-33	-39	-46	-52	-59	-65
40	-7	-14	-21	-27	-34	-41	-48	-54	-61	-68
50	-8	-15	-22	-29	-35	-42	-49	-56	-63	-70
60	-9	-16	-23	-30	-37	-43	-50	-57	-64	-71

Notes regarding wind chill

1. For a given combination of temperature and wind speed, the wind chill index corresponds roughly to the temperature that one would feel in a very light wind. For example, a temperature of -25°C and a wind speed of 20 km/h give a wind chill index of -37. This means that, with a wind of 20 km/h and a temperature of -25°C, one would feel as if it were -37°C in a very light wind.

2. Wind chill does not affect objects and does not lower the actual temperature. It only describe how a human being would feel in the wind at the ambient temperature.

3. The wind chill index does not take into account the effect of sunshine. Bright sunshine may reduce the effect of wind chill (make it feel warmer) by 6 to 10 units.

video on the go

for those of you interested in video recording while riding, Archos has just the thing for you.

it records in MPEG-4 and is supposedly in DVD quality (meaning 640x480). it features a built in microphone and remote, the ability to do slow motion and can capture without an extra light source. looks like you will have to mix it up with their 604 media player as well though. the player is already out and runs around 350 USD. the camera should be released this winter for approximately 150 USD.

it's a little on the pricey side, but the media player has a lot of nice features, including a 30GB hard drive. oh and you can get a wireless version of the 604 as well.

remembrance day

in honour of those that have served our country and still do

we remember

-2 c / 28 f

alright, i need to invest in a new pair of gloves. especially if i'm going to keep riding for as long as i can. this mornings commute was more then a little chilly and by the time i got to work i couldn't feel my hands. see, that can cause a problem as i really really need my hands in order to pilot my bike.

i have to say though, it certainly was an invigorating ride. it also kept me on my toes. with the below freezing temperatures, a lot of the water left on the roads was frozen. nothing too drastic, but definitely something you want to avoid when on two wheels.

it was good to see that i wasn't alone though. i saw three other bikes on my morning ride and they all looked as chilly as i did. nice to know there are a few other hardy souls out there.

stay safe, stay warm... ;)

chilly

there is something to be said for the cooler temperatures in the morning. at least it wakes me up for work.

this morning was a balmy 4 degrees celsius (39.2F) with a windchill of -2 degrees celsius (28.4F). so yeah, i was a little chilly...lol. it will soon be time to switch back to the full face helmet. as it stands, i have to wear a mask with my shorty on. it's ok though, i look like a bad ass with my rising sun bandana covering my face...lol.

things are going great though. Selene is handling the chilly weather fantastically and we were actually able to go for a nice long ride a few days ago. speaking of that ride, i saw a wonderful site while puttering through the streets of a local residential district. i was behind a school bus and having to stop whenever it did. after one of the many stops, i noticed a motorcycle getting ready to come out onto the main street. instantly i noticed that it wasn't very steady and i thought, "new rider." sure enough, the bike pulled shakily onto the street and the feet came unsteadily up to the pegs. i avoided doing the wave, so as not to make her pull a hand off the bars, and just gave her a nod. well, didn't she take her hand off anyway and give me a big old wave along with a huge smile! i gotta tell ya, that made my day. she looked so happy to be out on her bike.

plans are already in the works to get my old kawasaki road worthy and ready for joey next year. on the list: tires, chain, sprockets, paint and general engine work. she hasn't been running for some time and i'm sure it's going to quite a job to get it her working like she used to. still, it will be a great site to see joey doing her first unsteady start. it will be even better to have her riding ahead of me. oh, she will be taking a safety course. no worries there. it's pricey up here though. looking at around 3-4 hundred dollars. oh well, small price for good instruction.