By Jeffrey the Barak. Towards the end of this ever-expanding article I have added edits dating to 2020, but the article was first published in 2015 under the original title “Half a Century of Scooting”. Edits are ongoing, so this article is like a blog in itself. 2015. I may have a few decades of…… Continue reading Six Decades of Scooting
The Basics of Riding a Kick Scooter
By Jeffrey the Barak. Not everyone can immediately step onto a kick scooter and know how to ride it. For some, it is a challenge, and this can be hard to understand if you scoot without thinking about it. But the experienced scooter rider who only uses certain techniques can be missing out on a…… Continue reading The Basics of Riding a Kick Scooter
Ped Number Five, The Return Of The KickPed
By Jeffrey the Barak. I’ve been through a lot of scooters over the decades, at least nineteen kick scooters and five electrics. I usually buy new scooters, but this month, as I found myself wanting a 5th Ped-style scooter, I determined that the last new one may have already been manufactured by the current owners…… Continue reading Ped Number Five, The Return Of The KickPed
Things to consider before you buy a scooter
By Jeffrey the Barak. Why is this article here? the-vu has been publishing articles about scooters for two decades, mostly written by myself. Lately, reviews and descriptions have been commonplace on YouTube and in many ways a YouTube video is a better way to get information about scooters and scooting. However, there are so many…… Continue reading Things to consider before you buy a scooter
Using a Pro Street Scooter for Sidewalk Cruising
By Jeffrey the Barak I recently gave up scooting electric. I suddenly felt that being out in the street with the traffic and riding at anywhere between 12 and 27 miles per hour (19 to 44 kilometers per hour) was too risky for a man my age. In fact on one of my last rides,…… Continue reading Using a Pro Street Scooter for Sidewalk Cruising
YouTube vs Blog
This magazine, started in 2000, has always published varied and interesting articles. At some point in the last two decades, it became a blog. It is a blog now. As the founder and publisher, I find that If I want to read about or otherwise consume information about a particular subject, I find myself doing…… Continue reading YouTube vs Blog
Jalousies, or louvered windows. The best way to clean them (Revised)
By Jeffrey the Barak. This is the third rewrite of this old article, because research is ongoing. I have hundreds of jalousie panes to clean at home. I live in Hawai’i where they are very popular, as they are good for allowing the trade winds keep the house cool. Cleaning these multiple panes of glass…… Continue reading Jalousies, or louvered windows. The best way to clean them (Revised)
Trim, Don’t Shave! Philips Norelco OneBlade, Face and Body
By Jeffrey the Barak. This is an independent customer/user review. No compensation, discount, reward or free-items were received by the writer. This inexpensive device can replace all razors, shavers, and trimmers and leave you comfortable. and non-irritated. It is so good that I was driven to share my impressions in this magazine review. This OneBlade…… Continue reading Trim, Don’t Shave! Philips Norelco OneBlade, Face and Body
The State of Scooting in 2019
By Jeffrey the Barak. From 2000 to today, almost two decades, this magazine, the-vu, has been dominated by articles about scooters. For most of those years it was hard to find anything written about scooters, and even harder to actually come across a person riding one. Scooters eventually entered the consciousness of most people during…… Continue reading The State of Scooting in 2019
Turbowheel Dart (Zero 9) Tire upgrade.
By Jeffrey the Barak. Conclusion: The new Zero tire is much better than the stock Hota tire, but installation on the rear wheel is very difficult. Now if you want to take the above, and leave, no problem, but here is the full article! eWheels introduced an upgraded tire and inner tube set that is…… Continue reading Turbowheel Dart (Zero 9) Tire upgrade.
That Hawai’ian trip, 82 million years ago
By Jeffrey the Barak. Let’s say you are hanging out near Hilo on the big island of Hawai’i and wondering what was going on in the neighborhood, oh let’s say, 82 million years ago. Well if you had a time machine and went back 82 million years or so, you might find yourself in a…… Continue reading That Hawai’ian trip, 82 million years ago
Turbowheel Dart (Zero 9) Electric scooter review
By Jeffrey the Barak. My fifth electric scooter, a Turbowheel Dart, is so far proving to have been a very good choice. The “Turbowheel Dart” is mostly the same as the “Falcon PEV Zero 9” and also the “Sonic 600w 48V”. Once an extremely rare and eccentric choice, an electric scooter today is something that…… Continue reading Turbowheel Dart (Zero 9) Electric scooter review
Stepping off the footboard
By Jeffrey the Barak. Yesterday I sold my Kickbike CruiseMax. I got a good price for it, and today I can say for the first time in many years, that there is not one single kick scooter in my stable. There is a car and an electric commuter scooter, but no kick scooter. So what?…… Continue reading Stepping off the footboard
Electric Scooters in 2019
By Jeffrey the Barak It is 2019 and that means I have been writing articles about electric scooters in the-vu for 19 years. A lot has changed since I was retiring my first electric scooter in 2000, and reviewing my second. Electric cars are now beginning their slow takeover of fuel cars, led by Tesla,…… Continue reading Electric Scooters in 2019
Have I already bought my last ever combustion engined car?
By Jeffrey the Barak. I have been writing about electric cars and electric scooters in the-vu for eighteen years. Most of my articles have been purged via my role as sole editor, because they were so laughably out of date. Gone are the days when I would have to search for anything electric in a…… Continue reading Have I already bought my last ever combustion engined car?
The Female artist who conquered the world
By Judy Nelson. Have you ever thought about the fact that female artists almost never reach the level of fame of their male counterparts? If you are asked to name a few famous artists, you may be likely to only be able to recall only men: such as Raphael, Gogh, Dali and so on. Nevertheless,…… Continue reading The Female artist who conquered the world
A Passion for Time
By Jeffrey the Barak. Time is a cruel bedfellow. It never goes backwards and we can only lose it. As it goes on, we get older and older, and eventually die. And yet how we love it so. We have defined it, reinvented it, measured it and subdivided it. I myself feel a great warmth…… Continue reading A Passion for Time
The Pali Notches formed naturally.
By Jeffrey the Barak. Look Ma’uka from Kailua and you will see upon the shoulder of Konahuinui, two very square looking notches in the ridge line. Approaching Kailua on the highest part of Pali Highway from Honolulu they appear huge and close up on the right, just before you dive down through the tunnels. It…… Continue reading The Pali Notches formed naturally.
Switching from mechanical analog, to quartz digital watches
By Jeffrey the Barak. I have been a quite an avid watch collector and flipper for some time, buying and selling my way through dozens of wildly different styles, (mostly Seiko), albeit with three periods of minimalist one-watch heaven. I have always preferred dive watches and big watches, and been a heavy user of the…… Continue reading Switching from mechanical analog, to quartz digital watches
The Various Types Of Non-Believers
By Jeffrey the Barak. The Anti-Theist Anti-Theists don’t just look away from religion and beliefs, they stand up and speak out about how such beliefs are false and wrong. They feel strongly enough about it to be impolite or confrontational, not out of hatred or intolerance, but out of the desire for truth and logic…… Continue reading The Various Types Of Non-Believers
Unimportant Subject Matter?
By Jeffrey the Barak. All writing is important, as are all subjects. One magazine or blog cannot solve the problems of the world. This is why the-vu expounds on subjects as diverse as drums, cars, scooters, abandoned highways and many other topics of specialized interest. Obviously, while we do this, there are criminals in charge…… Continue reading Unimportant Subject Matter?
Stop Damping Your Drums
By Jeffrey the Barak. Damping, otherwise known as muting or muffling. When finally realizing that each part of the drum kit is a musical instrument, the common practice of damping becomes unadvisable. How many drummers take thousands of dollars worth of craftsman made drums and detune them, put on double-ply heads, slap yards of duct…… Continue reading Stop Damping Your Drums
The great 2018 decluttering
By Jeffrey the Barak. Painful as it may be to take a writer’s hard work and unpublish it, after 18 years it was time to look at this ancient online magazine with eyes of steel. Many old articles have been unpublished, including many of my own. Most articles on the subject of health have gone,…… Continue reading The great 2018 decluttering
Ojo Commuter Scooter Review
By Jeffrey the Barak. If Dr. Seuss were to illustrate a motor scooter, it might get skinnier and taller, and the wheels might get smaller, and it would probably look a lot like this OJO. I bought the black one, from Best Buy who were selling these for a while. I think they no longer…… Continue reading Ojo Commuter Scooter Review
The Wheat-Free Vegan
By Jeffrey the Barak. Where’s the steak? I am currently able to announce that I am a “wheat-free vegan”. Does this mean that I am being trendy, or latching onto the latest health fad? Well yes, but that is not why I am a wheat-free vegan. I have selfish reasons for eating this way, and…… Continue reading The Wheat-Free Vegan
Lorna Brown, Skate of the Art
By Jeffrey the Barak. An artist is an artist, so it is not unusual to find someone who is known for one type of art, to be prolific in another, or another two or three. In this case, the same mind that creates art through movement of a human on ice, has also produced paintings, jewelry…… Continue reading Lorna Brown, Skate of the Art
Falling out of love with electronic drums
By Jeffrey the Barak. They were so good for while. What could be better? You make a tiny little sound in your apartment, and your headphones deliver a drum sound, as big as you like. any size drum, any amount of reverb, any tuning. A dream, yes? Well yes, but I have decided that they…… Continue reading Falling out of love with electronic drums
The Nimble Urban Cargo Scooter
By Jeffrey the Barak. I wrote briefly about the Nimble Cargo Scooter after trying one out at the Dwell on Design Show back in June 2014. It was a great concept that placed a heavy cargo in front of the handlebars of a scooter and employed a steering linkage to turn the distant front wheel. But…… Continue reading The Nimble Urban Cargo Scooter
The Bialetti Moka Pot and Cafe Bustelo
By Jeffrey the Barak. The Bialetti Moka Pot and Cafe Bustelo, an Italian and Cuban-American collaboration resulting in beautiful coffee. There are many ways to buy a cup of coffee, and also many ways to make a cup of coffee at home. One device that you will probably find in any Italian kitchen is an old,…… Continue reading The Bialetti Moka Pot and Cafe Bustelo
Roland Octapad SPD-30 as a mini-kit. A real drummer’s review
By Jeffrey the Barak. Wait a minute, it’s 2016. Why would someone write a review of an SPD-30 now, when it came out in 2010? Good question. Firstly it’s still the newest model, and secondly, I just bought one, for the following reason. I am now in a situation where having a big drum set…… Continue reading Roland Octapad SPD-30 as a mini-kit. A real drummer’s review
NAMM 2016 – A quest for a compact multipad drum kit
By Jeffrey the Barak. Having the opportunity this year to attend NAMM, that is the National Association of Music Merchants Incorporated, show, in Anaheim, California, I decided to take a very selective approach and set off on a quest for a professional-quality, tiny, electronic drum set, that can be played with sticks. The Show Briefly,…… Continue reading NAMM 2016 – A quest for a compact multipad drum kit
Sweetened Condensed Milk, Goodbye Old Friend
By Jeffrey the Barak. For the last thirty years or so, I have been slightly unwell. A constant pressure, bloating, inflammation. The ever present acid inside. I have taken pills and put up with it, and even become used to it except when it really flared up. I gave up wheat ten years ago and…… Continue reading Sweetened Condensed Milk, Goodbye Old Friend
Flykly Smart Ped Folding Kick-Assist Scooter
By Jeffrey the Barak. Scooters. I am obsessed with them. I have so far owned at least sixteen human-powered scooters and three electrics. The Flykly scooter is something altogether quite new. It seems to have checked many boxes from the wish lists of the scooter fanatic community, and in doing so will have an appeal…… Continue reading Flykly Smart Ped Folding Kick-Assist Scooter
Kickbike Cruise Max 20 Reviewed. Comfy all-day cruiser.
By Jeffrey the Barak. The Kickbike Cruise Max 20 is a special Kickbike model designed for easy all day cruising at a comfortable speed. It is not a racing scooter, although it can keep up with one, and can even sail past one when the road gets a bit bumpy. The combination of the very…… Continue reading Kickbike Cruise Max 20 Reviewed. Comfy all-day cruiser.
Why does my Cappuccino keep changing?
By Jeffrey the Barak. The Cappuccino, the favorite morning pick me up for Italians that evolved into any any time of day drink for the rest of the world, was originally a single shot of espresso, with about the same volume of steamed milk, and about the same volume of milk foam on top. It…… Continue reading Why does my Cappuccino keep changing?
America, it is time to get off your sore butt and ride a Kickbike
By Jeffrey the Barak. Some people love bicycles, but many cyclists have a love-hate relationship with them. The phrase Pain In The Butt is perfect for describing it. A soft saddle hurts your butt. A large saddle hurts your butt. A gel saddle is hard as a rock. A narrow leather racing saddle hurts a…… Continue reading America, it is time to get off your sore butt and ride a Kickbike
Personal Transportation Devices for the 21st Century
By Jeffrey the Barak. A personal transportation device can be anything that gets a person around town, without a car. It could be the common, world-changing, bicycle, but we all know about those machines. This article introduces a passion of mine, personal transportation devices that are not bicycles. In many of my scooter reviews and…… Continue reading Personal Transportation Devices for the 21st Century
The Four Pillars Method for Speaking More Clearly
By Sigmund Shonholtz. FOUR PILLARS METHOD© OF ACCENT MANAGEMENT. Learning another language as an adult is not easy. One of the most difficult aspects is learning how to pronounce words with sounds that you have never used in your native tongue. The FOUR PILLARS METHOD is intended to help with this daunting task by deconstructing…… Continue reading The Four Pillars Method for Speaking More Clearly
The new all-terrain commuter scooter
By Felix Dorling. “Scooters are for kids aren’t they?” I’ve received mixed responses since bringing my new scooter into the office but it doesn’t bother me one bit. My commute to work used to be a minefield of car dodging, maneuvering between buses and avoiding those pesky white vans but since I swapped my bike…… Continue reading The new all-terrain commuter scooter
Skujou, Electric Scooter startup in Hamburg
By Jeffrey the Barak. Recently in the-vu we reviewed the Zumaround Zum electric scooter and consequently we recently received a press release for a new German design, still in it’s capital crowdsourcing stage. The prototype Skujou Cruise looks great and the specs are excellent, so we introduce it here, although you cannot buy one just…… Continue reading Skujou, Electric Scooter startup in Hamburg
Zumaround Zum Electric Scooter Review
By Jeffrey the Barak. Edit: date 2019. This article was researched and written in 2015, shortly before the appearance of many fast electric scooters with full suspension and smaller tires. In this article we are coming from the perspective of rigid frames and large bicycle tires. This design approach is nearly extinct in 2019. But…… Continue reading Zumaround Zum Electric Scooter Review
The Hardwood Flooring Fake Warranty
By Jeffrey the Barak. When you buy a hardwood flooring, or engineered hardwood flooring system for your home, the flooring retailer will tell you with the tone of a stern and dire warning that in order for the warranty to be valid and effective on your floor, you have to glue it to the concrete…… Continue reading The Hardwood Flooring Fake Warranty
Finding My Roots Through DNA
By Jeffrey the Barak. How my knowledge of my ancestry suddenly jumped from the 19th Century to tens of thousands of years ago. A couple of months ago a friend told me she had used an online DNA testing service, 23andMe, to research her ancestry. The ancestral history of her DNA revealed some unknown ancient…… Continue reading Finding My Roots Through DNA
Genes, Gender, Generation and Geography
By Sigmund Shonholtz. GENES, GENDER, GENERATION, AND GEOGRAPHY… A coincidentalist’s perspective on Earthlinging. Every now and again, I have a conversation with someone that catches my attention and gets me wondering. As I see it, if a conversation is worth starting, it is worth investing in, because I never know where it will take me.…… Continue reading Genes, Gender, Generation and Geography
Freestyle Pro-Scooters without the tricks?
By Jeffrey the Barak. Just lately I have been finding that riding a scooter for a few miles is too tiring to be all the fun it should be, so I have taken to using a bicycle for these intermediate to long distances. Now with a bicycle being a machine, it will give you about…… Continue reading Freestyle Pro-Scooters without the tricks?