Biking = Being Healthy & Fit

Posted on November 13, 2015November 22, 2015 by PN2K Team

To combat the pressure-cooker/’drinking from a firehose‘ academic environment that is MIT, the Division of Student Life organized an event at the Zesiger Athletics Center for organizations and student groups dedicated to improving the quality of life at MIT. Groups that you could find included DAPER, MIT Medlinks, Student Activities Office, and more. There were tables that had free alcohol screening, 30-min massages, and therapy dogs. Everyone had free things to give away, and if you collected x number of signatures from every table, you earned a free “I love MIT” t-shirt. Of course, your very own PN2K bike safety officers were there as well, as part of what we do is help spread the message that biking makes you happy and brings you into a wonderful, supportive, and positive community!

Here is our bike safety officer, Will, present at the table for our event from 2-5 PM and sharing information about our events, upcoming meeting, and facts to keep you safe on your bike. He’s on campus, and he regularly helps out people with random bike issues. Got a question? Will’s your guy!

Thank you students for dropping by and signing up with us. We had lots of interest from you guys about our next bike safety event and November General Body Meeting – remember:

Friday, 11/20 at 6-7 PM in 1-132, come and meet members of the PN2K community! Learn more about hanging out with us, cycling, and doing something fun for your community.

Bike Trivia! 2015

Posted on November 8, 2015November 22, 2015 by PN2K Team

We told you we’d have bike safety trivia questions.

This past Sunday, we held our November bike safety event (indoors!) from 2-5 PM at the MIT Z-Center. In addition, we had our free power-washing outside, free bike safety check-ups and repairs by Bike Boom, bike registrations, free food, music, and a really great community of cyclists who were super upbeat!

Some changes we made to this event: 1) BIKE TRIVIA! From feedback, we realized that people did not like standing and waiting in line – so we thought, why not peer-educate?? So educate we did. In a previous blog, you’ll notice the chalkboard was covered with bike safety questions prepared as a team effort. Will Reyes, our Bike Safety Officer, prepared the final Q&A sheet and some handy tips that were distributed at the first table you saw walking in. 2) We implemented Will’s new indoor layout, completely different from what we had last year, which meant everyone could simply park their bikes and then mingle, eat, even dance. 3) We had glow-in-the-dark PN2K wristbands for everyone who answered five questions correctly plus raffle tickets for a pair of free bike lights – Thank you Jay Morgan, our newest volunteer, for totally owning your volunteer role on the first day!

Beyond Will and Jay, a huge shout-out also to Dingfang who interacted with every single person who walked in, helping them sign up with PN2K and taking their credit card payments when they wanted helmets/bike lights/membership/T-shirts, etc. She is truly agile and adept! Yaoming was Mr. Muscle-Man as he helped with all the heavy-lifting of boxes from home base to the event, plus all the photography to come, so the memories can live on! Mad props to Ari from Bike Boom for being awesome and come out to help on your day off (!!!) Thanks to Roy for taking care of some really poor conditioned bikes (one bike had an upside down fork) that were bought at the MIT auction (folks, saving money in the short-term is not always cost-effective!) Thanks to a really great dude called Raul who has single-handedly helped make our bike kids’ video a reality (by singing What Does the Tanuki Say — It’s for the kids!) and Rebecca from Xtecher for capturing all this on film. James, thank you also for being a hero for this young lady who had a trouble finding the hole in her tire – creative solutions: use soap and find the bubble! (For those who don’t know, James is also helping to make information on where bikes are stolen a thing – watch this space on our website under “Cyclists’ Corner” as this is further developed)

Till next time, Keep Calm & Pedal On!

Upcoming dates:
Friday, 11/13: MIT convoy bike ride to Boston Bike Party’s Dreams Vs. Nightmares. RSVP Here. Leaving MIT W20 @ 6:45 PM.
Frida, 11/20: Our big November GBM – come out and meet other PN2K members (6-7 PM in building 1-132)

Full photo album can be found by clicking here.

Fall Foliage in Waltham (bike ride!)

Posted on November 7, 2015November 22, 2015 by PN2K Team

I cannot easily describe the bliss that ensues from jumping into a huge pile of very crunchy leaves on a wondrously beautiful fall afternoon. Maybe this photo captures it, I’m not sure. And when your leaf-group is later joined by a mother of two toddlers (yes, she did jump in with us after failing to persuade her toddlers to do so), you feel the immense joy of letting go of worries and just playing and becoming one with nature. The journeys that these bike rides take us on.

Photo background story: For our regular readers, you’ll notice that in our Oct 25 post (titled “Fall Foliage + Bikes”) there is a majestic fall-coloured tree in the background. Today we passed by the same area and to our utmost sadness found that all the leaves were gone and the tree with its many branches looked very dead. I almost grieved. Then I mentioned how fun it would be to jump in a huge pile of leaves and the rest of was history. Left to right: Lucie, Ye, Jane.

To the blackboards!

Posted on November 6, 2015November 22, 2015 by PN2K Team

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What’s all that on the board? Oh just a bit of bike trivia questions to keep you guys safe on the roads.

This Friday, our team and officers gathered together because we care about you. We care that you’re not standing in line for an hour with nothing to do during our bike event repair lines when you could be learning useful, life-saving tips on how to be a safe cyclist. This is a typical meeting – we introduce ourselves, share some fun mini-stories, have some munchies, and then address the feedback we get to make our events more productive and PN2K more pertinent to you.

See you this Sunday, 2-5 PM at MIT Z-Center for some BIKE TRIVIA! (there will be prizes) and see you Friday, November 20 from 6-7 PM (in building 1-132 at MIT) for our big November General Body Meeting – a great time to meet more PN2K members.

“We’re going live in 3…2…1….”

Posted on November 4, 2015January 29, 2017 by PN2K Team

This Wednesday, we had the pleasure of meeting Melanie Morris from Bay State Biking News while PN2K was invited to be featured on SCATV live from 9:00-9:30 PM. During our phone conversation, I spoke with Melanie, who I could even tell over the phone, was enthusiastic and super warm and inviting. Dingfang and Yaoming wanted to film the entire experience. I was surprised at how supportive their crew was to us, offering Dingfang and Yaoming help with setting up their video equipment.

Below is where part of the behind-the-scenes magic happens. The clock reads 20:39:59, and we were rolling and live by 21:00:00! It was pretty cool too to meet the other person who was interviewed, Kevin Porter, also deemed “Boston’s Deadliest Messenger.” If you missed it, stay tuned for a video clip in the future to learn more about PN2K. A humongous shout-out to Melanie for inviting us to her show and in general, for just being such an incredibly supportive role model cyclist! (Look at her in her jersey – this lady has cycled thousands of miles!) Thank you Melanie for having us!

Click to watch a slideshow of this live broadcast. (photo by Dingfang Zhou& Yaoming Duan)

: Ye Yao(right), co-director of PN2K and Melanie Morris(left), host of Bay State Biking News.

: Ye Yao(right), co-director of PN2K.

: Ye Yao(right), co-director of PN2K and Melanie Morris(left), host of Bay State Biking News.

: Live broad cast control room. photo

: Melanie Morris, host of Bay State Biking News.

: Ye Yao, co-director of PN2K.

: From left to right: Yaoming Duan, Dingfang Zhou, Ye Yao, Melanie Morris

: Ye Yao(right), co-director of PN2K and Melanie Morris(left), host of Bay State Biking News. Ye just gave a PN2K wrist band as a gift to Melanie.

: Melanie Morris, host of Bay State Biking News is wearing a PN2K wrist band.

: Kevin Porter(left), also deemed “Boston’s Deadliest Messenger and Melanie Morris(right), host of Bay State Biking News

: Ye Yao, co-director of PN2K, Melanie Morris, host of Bay State Biking News

Halloween Hangover Salem bike ride

Posted on November 1, 2015November 22, 2015 by PN2K Team

This is the "before" of our bike ride to Salem, MA - officially called "Halloween Hangover Ride" organized by MassBike. How did we get here? Felix saw me post something on our PN2K - Community fb page about going to Salem and next thing I know, it's October 31st and I'm being coaxed into a 30-40 mile bike ride even by Jane despite cycling injury woes and an ensuing cold. The cycling trip was beautiful, with the change in season apparent in the falling autumn leaves.

Finally we arrive in Salem, MA -- It was a really great group. While most of the cyclists went to the local pizza shop, I wandered around to grab my most current addition (swami bowl from Life Alive) and went inside some stores to look at the witchcraft and wizardry. Then we all gathered for the obligatory photo with the Bewitched Samantha statue.

Thanks MassBike for the organization - thankful for good company, my wonderful bike, music, and the everlasting fall foliage.

Halloween Bike Ride 2015

Posted on October 31, 2015January 19, 2017 by PN2K Team

Once at Copley Square, we were blown away by the array of costumes and the creative genius that sparked some insane ideas. (I wonder how much wind resistance they put up with?)

Those who came last year might recall the 700+ cyclists that rode out in the streets and the wild battles between a few motorists and cyclists that followed (traffic was not obeyed as streets were inundated with bikes). This year, Boston Bike Party organized the masses, and they followed a strict code. Click here to read about how we rode (also a great resource for people organizing random, large groups of bikers in suburban areas).

Thanks BBP for a wonderful time! Join our upcoming events:

PN2K presents "Bike Trivia" on Sunday, Nov 8 @ 2-5 PM: For those needing free minor bike repairs, pressure-washing, bike safety tips, or some free food, music, and good company, come have fun and test your bike trivia knowledge at the MIT Johnson Z-Center (front lobby) in Building W35. Free admission. We have helmets for $20 donations, bike lights for $15, memberships for $25, and sign-ups for shirts for $40.

Boston Bike Party presents "Sleep Tight" on Friday, Nov 13 @ 6:45 PM: Don't ride alone! Roll out with us in your costume from MIT to Copley Square for a ride around town.

Keep Calm & Pedal On!

“Don’t Forget Me”

Posted on October 28, 2015November 22, 2015 by PN2K Team

11903896_10154158384378642_3861488295910772140_n We were recently contacted by an artist from New York who has compiled a 148 page book depicting photographs of ghost bikes from over 50 cities, like the ghost bike on Mass Ave & Vassar St, set up in memory of our dear friend Phyo. Seeing the compilation of ghost bikes like this has the same effect as teaching kids about littering through visualization: “Throw one can to the ground; you see no difference – but how about we look over here where we have 1000 cans piled up high. You see how much we are destroying the earth?” It’s powerful visualisation. Here is Ms Barnes’ story:

Photographer Genea Barnes releases Don’t Forget Me, an art book memorializing Ghost Bikes

Brooklyn, October 21, 2015 – Photographer Genea Barnes is releasing an art book featuring her Ghost Bike art. Ghost Bikes are bicycles that have been painted white and placed near a location where a cyclist was killed. Barnes has traveled to over 50 cities photographing these bikes. The book has two parts. The first part chronicles her travels with journals and snapshots of the bikes. The second part displays Barnes’s memorial art: Ghost Bike images, and photo montages that combines the Ghost Bike images with studio-shot models to represent fallen cyclists. The book is 10.25in x 10.25in x 0.75in, and is 143 pages.

Each year, the US sees more than 600 bicyclist fatalities, and more than 50,000 bicyclists report injuries. Ghost Bikes symbolize the need for drivers and cyclists to be more aware of their surroundings. Barnes lives in Brooklyn, New York and is from San Francisco, CA.

“I started photographing Ghost Bikes because you can pass a memorial hundreds of times and eventually forget what it represents,” said Barnes. Over time, many Ghost Bikes have been removed. ”I hope this project and my book will help raise awareness, and enable the memorials and their sentiment live on.”

In 2010, San Francisco Bay Guardian readers voted Barnes best emerging artist. She has exhibited her photography in world class art hubs like New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Milan. Her current projects explore death, decay, and facets of what is left behind.

Genea Barnes Brooklyn, New York (917) 789-3875
http://geneabarnes.com/blog/book/
http://geneabarnes.com/blog/presskit/
geneabarnes@geneabarnes.com
http://geneabarnes.com

Fall Foliage + Bikes

Posted on October 25, 2015January 19, 2017 by PN2K Team

Sunday bike adventures, continued! Jane and I went on the Fall Foliage Musical Mystery Ride (organized by Commonwheels Bicycle Coop and led by Peter Cheung and other volunteers from the biking community). Some of the colors were bright and bold enough to make your heart sing.

The ride went out to Waltham, MA. We visited the Charles Museum of Industry & Innovation where I saw some sleek tandem bikes. There were three musical stops, an eclectic sort of bands, and musical revelries. The third stop was on top of an abandoned bridge that we didn’t know we weren’t allowed on (until the cops came at the end and threatened arresting anyone who went on again). Jane and I had growling stomachs by the end, and decided to finish off the evening with a stop at Harvard Clover Food Labs – We can’t wait until the Halloween Bike Ride this coming Saturday!

Chief Jedi

Got helmets (year 2)

Posted on October 24, 2015November 22, 2015 by PN2K Team

In celebration of Family Day weekend, we were invited out to table at the MIT family activities fair this Saturday morning/afternoon from 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM. MIT really knows how to put on a show - I was expecting a simple line of tables - I went in and saw decorations, a popcorn machine, and a balloon man. While discussing PN2K semantics with a parent who was attracted by the helmets set up at our table, Mr. Balloon Man came over with this elaborately architectured balloon structure of an alien riding a bike. I was impressed.

The event proceeded to go by very smoothly (compared to our bike events) though there were times when a queue began to form and people started vying for attention. In general, parents loved the concept of donating to a nonprofit organization for a $20 helmet. One of the most exciting moments (besides the surprise gift from Mr. Balloon-Man) was seeing a mother who had dropped by our event LAST year. I had remembered her holding two helmets in her hand, but she was concerned about packing her luggage. The meeting went like this:

Me: I remember you!
Her: I remember you! I remember I had trouble last year because I could not pack the helmets, but then I realized that this is for a good cause and I should do whatever it takes. So I am going to buy today.

I remembered last year she had the red and blue one in her hand -- she was surprised I remembered. Anyway, she ended up getting them both. Thank you for your support and keeping safe!

Simultaneously, behind her was another important person who, as he says "on this fateful day, one year ago" was pulled into the scene that was PN2K when we met -- Will! Excitedly, I got to meet his parents again - and such a warm hello his father and mother both gave. Absolutely lovely folks, I think, and what a great son.

The person beside me was doing honey-research, so in between the mini-dance performances on the side, watching families take photos with TIM the Beaver (I missed it, sadly), and the chaos of families interested in learning more about PN2K, I tried some honey samples from the actual honey-combs.

Inventory was horrendous, I won't lie. As a starting non-profit, you have to figure out ways to make sure the quantity of helmets you order match up with the money you bring back. This seems straight-forward, but then you take into consideration the following:

people don't always have cash, so you need credit/debit options and multiple ways of accepting payment (e.g., online via PN2K.org);
helmet quantities are kept in my current office (room) and in the MIT COOP storage
when people are purchasing helmets, you have to make sure we have adequate quantities beforehand
you realize that after the event, you need to recount and make sure you know (1) the # of helmets sold (2) the amount of cash you have in your hand + the money paid online + the money paid through other means (e.g., card-swiper) matches the # of helmets sold (3) whether everything is documented correctly
helmets ordered via PN2K.org instantly deducts inventory count of helmets in the backend, but you need to manually deduct inventory in the backend for helmets paid by cash
people don't just want to buy helmets -- they are also interested in buying bike lights. (And thus, you fulfill their wishes and tell them you will get them lights because, hey, bike safety)

It was a solid 2-3 hours re-modifying the google excel spreadsheet and writing out steps for the next time we have to do this (Nov 8, bike event!) There are still a few things to do, like write up Thank You Donor Receipts and deliver those bike lights that were paid for today.

I then visited Anthony - the MIT COOP was definitely busier than usual with all the parents. I think he has a great mind for logistics (his response: "well I have to be good at logistics" while looking around crazily and slashing through numbers and notes on his pen-pad). I gave him the balloon. He needed it more than me.

Anthony, our star MIT COOP-er, with the loving alien-on-a-bike balloon in one hand, an MIT sweatshirt for an awaiting customer in the other, and a cell phone smashed between his ear and shoulder (customer 2, presumably). Thank you, Anthony for the work you do 🙂

Result -- Total: 10 helmets sold, 2 bike lights set, 2 x $20 donations (from dads who were empathetic) and more people who said they would follow up online/by email.

Thank you to Elena Byrne, Asst. Director of Student/Alumni Relations, and their organizing committee for inviting us to this fabulous event! Thank you MIT COOP and especially Anthony for partnering with us to make all these families happy. And importantly, thank you all the people of the tech world who create such fascinating technology that we can use to facilitate multi-tiered transactions. I have happy news: the inventory count was solid.

Keep Calm & Pedal On,

Chief Jedi

Costumes + Pad Thai

Posted on October 23, 2015January 19, 2017 by PN2K Team

In preparation for the Boston Halloween Bike Ride next Saturday, our crew thought we'd hit up some shops around town for costumes. An unsuspecting cyclist, Xin, joined us. He's a new-comer to this area and had some interesting comments while cycling. For instance:

While riding up the BU bridge on the bike lane: "Oh, this is the bike lane. It's very small." (I didn't get the feeling he believed it was safe. But we survived.)

While riding along Commonwealth Ave's bike lane along the parked cars and teaching him to bike nearer to the traffic (a bit away from the deathly door zone): "Yes, I was wondering how to avoid the cars opening their doors"

We also went over a few basic things, like crossing subway tracks at a perpendicular fashion and slowing down as a means to increase safety.

Our group ended up all around town, from charity shops to REI and larger department stores. We tried on some wacky costumes, and in the end, decided that we could probably be more creative making some of our own. The best part of the thing might have been the Pad Thai at the end (Rod Dee) and curry. Never miss a chance at team-building!

Har Har, Mateys! Pirates, Babies, Bikes

Posted on October 16, 2015February 28, 2016 by PN2K Team

We're just kidding. No babies were kidnapped or harmed in the making of this event. However, at our event last Friday, "Pirates on Wheels!" from 2-5 PM at the MIT Student Center, there were more kids than usual - it's like we told the stork we were developing our youth kids bike safety education program and all of a sudden they arranged this huge delivery. Mommies and daddies of the world: if you need a bedtime story for your two-year old, swing by and grab one of our Bike Safety & Me kids books, absolutely free. Take a picture and place it on the inside of the back cover, just like so (see Yaoming's iPhone photo to the right. We give him major creative points for thinking of this).

Our excellent organizing team with Dingfang, Yaoming, Will, and Tian also helped to run the show -- Dingfang helped checked in everyone who came on our registration iPad. PN2K had Planet Bike lights that were sold for a subsidized $15/set. This time, our helmet orders were purchased through our online system (PN2K helmets click here), as well as our high-viz T-shirts, which were half off with a purchase of PN2K membership. (Learn more by visiting the links under "Keep Calm & Shop On" in the footer section of PN2K.org). We were also glad to welcome back some familiar faces (Mr. Goldmann from our SidPac culture coffee hour video), and meet new ones.

Upcoming dates - check our calendar under "Events" but here's a preview:

Meeting: Fri, 10/16 @ 6-7 PM in 1-132
Come for a study break, enjoy snacks, and meet the MIT PN2K community. Learn about our next events and join as a prospective officer, join a committee, volunteer, come on a bike ride.
Bike Ride Social: Fri, 10/23: Details TBA (determined at our Fri 10/16 meeting. Check back later). *Update: We will be meeting and leaving the MIT Student Center at 5:00 PM to go Goodwill hunting for Halloween costumes and local shops (REI? etc.) for winter cycling gear like ski gloves, beanies, etc. to keep warm. See you there!

Bike Ride: Sat, 10/31 @ 6:30 PM at the MIT Student Center front steps -- MIT convoy to Copley Square for the annual Boston Halloween Bike Ride!

Next bike event: Sun, 11/8 @ 2-5 PM in the MIT Johnson Lobby (Z Center Building W35) *Please note the venue change.

Keep Calm & Pedal On!

(Back: Nick, John, Kwinsi, Ye, Roy, Ari. Front: Dingfang, Tian, Yaoming, Will)

Thank you, Bike Boom, for being awesome and making some really messed-up bikes safer. These guys are great - they're also in Davis Square (check them out here). If you need more serious repairs, we'd recommend purchasing one of our PN2K memberships ($25 online, $10 for students offline) and then you'll have the 50% of $70 complete tune-ups anytime in the year when you visit Bike Boom as well as other benefits.

And now, for your viewing pleasure (and to satiate your recommended dose of daily cuteness):

Check out the full event album on Facebook. All photo creds to Dingfang Zhou and Yaoming Duan

Cornucopia, rain, and bikes

Posted on October 12, 2015November 22, 2015 by PN2K Team

Every 2nd Friday of the month, Boston Bike Party holds these large parties - on bikes! Organizers and volunteers plan a ride around town - so if you have no plans on a Friday evening, you have a bike, and the weather's great, you have NO EXCUSE not to join us. How about when it's drenching (like this past Friday)? To be fair, the rain let off by the time the ride started (thank goodness!) Personally speaking (and I hope this helps others), I don't have fenders on my bike - and because I love the lightweight look and feel of my bike, I haven't seriously thought to install them. Thus, the huge stripe of cold wet rain and mud that ran along my back afterwards. Oh well. Embrace, accept, and then you can properly enjoy splashing through puddles.

For the first time since summer, the bike ride reverted to Winter Mode, meaning volunteers helped to control traffic at intersections in order to keep the group safe and together. The music was an eclectic compilation of sorts - But when songs like "Lean on Me" and other familiar pop songs came on, it was hard not to bounce around to the beat of the music. It was just really awesome, surrounded by bikers in costumes, doing wheelies, playing drums, and ringing cowbells - overall a really positive and vibrant feel.

The rain did nothing to abate Yaoming and Dingfang's enthusiasm to capture some highlights (click here for full album photos)

So, how to join? It's easy: if you've never been and want to cycle with us to Copley Square, meet us at the MIT Student Center front steps (either 6:45 PM or 7:15 PM - check with Boston Bike Party's website and follow along on our Facebook community page as we announce updates from the PN2K side). Don't forget the Boston Halloween Bike Ride on October 31, which was my official first large group ride - it was a BLAST. Keep on the lookout for more news.

*Note to newbie cyclists wondering how to keep dry while cycling: find a store that sells legitimate camping gear for weatherproof items.

(Pre-event) Bike like a Pirate!

Posted on October 11, 2015November 22, 2015 by PN2K Team

Are you biking like a Pirate? If not, perhaps you should be!

We hope to see everyone again at our event, Pirates on Wheels, this afternoon at the MIT Student Center Steps.

A few things to keep in mind:

The bike repair line might close up to an hour early to make sure we wrap up on time.
The bike pressure-washer area will NOT be between the MIT Z Center and Student Center, as before. Due to construction, the area is temporarily moved to the area just outside the entrance to the MIT Z Center building (W35) on the side where the bike rack stands. It's a 30 second walk away from where we normally are. You should see orange cones and a rope lining off that area -- You can take your bike directly there first and then join us in line.
It seems chilly out there - bundle up!

Please see our event page for more info: https://www.facebook.com/events/197562660575721/
MIT event calendar: http://events.mit.edu/event.html?id=16473207

Keep Calm & Pedal On,

PN2K organizing committee

Pre-BBP with MIT PN2K details

Posted on October 9, 2015January 19, 2017 by PN2K Team

We will be meeting outside the MIT Student Center Front Steps (exact address: 84 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139) this evening at 6:45 PM (ready to leave at 6:50 PM) from MIT and heading over to Copley Square, Boston.

If this is the first time you are joining us, we're excited to have you! Here are a few tips to keep safe and warm:

Bring your own bike (make sure it's safe aka no flat tires or dead brakes), helmet, bike lights, and bike lock
Bring a bottle of water to stay hydrated (or coffee/tea in a thermo)
Bundle up! Dress in layers, wear gloves if you have them! (they are a good investment)

If you don't have helmets or bike lights, we have them for $20 and $15, respectively. Contact us ASAP to coordinate.

Keep Calm, Pedal On, advocate for cycle-tracks, and ride predictably!

“The British are coming!”

Posted on October 4, 2015January 19, 2017 by Ye

This Sunday morning, we went along the Minuteman Bikeway. Historically, this route is a close approximation of the route that Paul Revere took on his famous ride on April 18, 1775 to warn John Hancock and Sam Adams that the British were coming (marching from Boston to Lexington).

Sometimes I forget that we're in New England and surrounded by places of historical significance. Then I see historic markings and trace them back in memory to all those history textbooks I poured over in high school. So if you want to explore, jump on a bike and get out there-- especially as we enjoy the last few weeks/months of nice weather in Boston before the winter storms!

Cycling along the path and back, I saw so many families and kids biking - It was fair to say that the number of kids I saw today was more than the combined total number of kids I've seen from all my years of living near central Cambridge/Boston. Wouldn't it be nice if this sort of path stretched all along Mass Ave and had drop offs at each location (like a Subway station express, but for bikes!) -- long, smooth, and contiguous.

So where did we go for food? We biked to Izzy's where they had the most aromatic facility, with mozzarella and tomato basil sandwiches. Amazing. I biked home and for the first time ever tried Life Alive's Swami bowl. Another fascinating treat.

Keep Calm & Pedal On!

Directing Samurai visits Boston

Posted on September 28, 2015January 19, 2017 by Ye

Meet Directing Samurai. She is one of the spunkiest people I know, and I'm very fortunate to call her co-director at the PN2K foundation. She brings the enthusiasm and creativity to so many of our ideas, as well as the impetus to take chances and move our foundation forward. This weekend, she visited Boston/Cambridge and met our entire MIT PN2K team in person. I was so excited to finally present Directing Samurai's PN2K shirt to her (you can see that the photos radiate the same excitement). She also geared up with the elbow, knee, wrist guards that we will be selling for $20 on our website and at our events, and after she realized she was overdosed on hype and no longer jet-lagged, we decided to go shopping for some surprise appreciation gifts for the team. How did we get to our destination point? We biked.

So here you see Carmel on a Hubway bike, sporting our black PN2K multisport helmet, looking super chill. (Like this helmet? We're selling a limited number here)

After meeting with everyone, we did some video shooting for our kids bike safety event - Before Carmel arrived, we were online and video chatting about ideas for a kids bike safety video. What we came up with is a hoot... Neither of us are cut out to "sing" the lyrics to our song on camera, so if you or someone you know wants to be a PN2K video star, shoot us an email. However, we did get some nice footage to show basic safety instructions for kids, like looking both ways before crossing the street, how to lock up a bike (safely! and with a U-lock), signaling, wearing your helmet, bike lights, safety gear, etc.

Finally we went out for food with the team. What you see above is a little something we encountered after crossing the Harvard Bridge along Mass Ave (which, by the way, was ridden with congested traffic and vehicles in bike lanes by motorists who were clearly not following the letter or spirit of the law). While locking up our bikes, I noticed two things: (1) cars were cutting across the bike lane in the intersection, even as greenly painted as it was (2) there was a huge cone lying unused, neglected, and clearly abandoned beside me. I took up the cone, placed it at the intersection (the cyclist there at the time looked really confused; I guess cyclists aren't used to being cared or looked out for!), and stood back and admired the spectacle. It was amazing. Dingfang noticed first the immediate effect that one single cone placed at the intersection created - all of a sudden, cars and buses steered clear of that bike lane (or rather, that cone!) It makes sense right? During driving tests and all during practice, you're trained to not knock over a cone -- but never to avoid driving in a bike lane. Well, no one ever said the DMV was perfect and fair to all road users.

All in all, a grand time was had by all. We did a mini-photo shoot before Carmel left, and Dingfang and Yaoming even took time off Sunday afternoon to interview Carmel before she left. That will go down in my books as one of the most fun, effective, and productive weekends to date.

Keep Calm & Pedal On!

A tribute to our STEAM education programs

Posted on September 22, 2015January 19, 2017 by PN2K Team

Tribute

As PN2K moves towards bike safety educational initiatives and programs, we find ourselves moving away from some programs that have been instrumental in our foundational development and will move towards impact in the broader bicycle safety field to align with our greater mission of ensuring that all cyclists, including kids and their families, stay safe on the roads. We have exciting plans underway and have secured funding from the MIT Office of Government and Community Relations for 300 kids' bike safety books and will be starting work with MIT's Daycare Facilities to develop our kids bike safety educational sessions.

Once upon a time...

...in 2014, we kicked off our collaboration with MIT Amphibious Achievement to inspire high school students to pursue their dreams through STEAM-education, hands-on workshops (STEAM represents "science, technology, education, arts, math"). The structure of these exciting on-site visits to local companies and start-ups for Achievers was created by PN2K as a means to inspire students to pursue higher education and introduce them to potential career paths.

Guest speakers inspire students with personal stories of how college shaped their career paths and life journeys. A large chunk of time is dedicated to experiential learning (hands-on building and “learning by doing” activities), followed by a quick debrief.

The four workshops PN2K hosted:

Accidental Sunday morning Hub on Wheels

Posted on September 20, 2015January 19, 2017 by Ye

Weekend morning bike rides are purportedly the best - You've been working hard all week in the office or in school, and you wanted to ooze every single minute out of this weekend and reclaim the time that is yours. Perhaps Saturday went in a flourish and now you're left in a mild state of panic, wondering if Sunday will be stolen from beneath you as well. Long bike rides take care of that, I'll tell you. At least, this Sunday morning Jane and I decided to meet at 8:30 AM and trek out to bike along the Emerald Necklace. It was almost difficult because I'd been going to bed around 2 or 3 AM repeatedly each night before, but I resolved to kick my circadian rhythm back into gear. The sun glowed brightly that morning and as we got to the start of the Emerald Necklace trail, we saw large herds of cyclists pass by. Anyone who knows me knows I have the attention span of a mouse --- and that fun, cool things will hold my attention captive. So I couldn't take my eyes off the endless swarms of cyclists.

Jane: Alright, let's go!
Ye: Wait, more cyclists... more cyclists! Where are all these cyclists coming from?
Jane: Hm.. not sure. (Let's go?)
Ye: Maybe it's a race. <still looking at the cyclists> Wow... there's so many of them.

It was as if I thought the longer I stared, the closer I'd get to the answer of where they were all coming from, and what they were all doing. But alas, my duty towards my friend beckoned and we started pedaling along. Not long after, the trail we followed became super rocky, and as we looked on google maps and saw the cyclists were following the same path we were...

Long story short, we ended up cycling with them. We got to Jamaica Pond, where I remembered cyclists weren't welcome, so decided to jump in with the patrolled crowd. Technically, we weren't supposed to be there, but technically we were going in the same direction as well. It wasn't like our presence was causing harm (*initiate defensive thinking-mode*), and the greater the numbers, the safer we, as cyclists are, right?

It was great fun. We ended up skipping off later and finding a place to eat (salmon, fried plantains, and empanadas). Whatever other work that could be done, whatever other concerns, everything was washed away during my this bike adventure. It's almost like a mini-traveling addiction - similar feelings must arise from the same source: feelings of curiosity, independence, exploration, discovery of new places, surprise, delight, and an animation of senses in a short period of time. Jane and I finally parted knowing that we will be back for more on another weekend morning -- and we hope that more people who want to join will not fear coming with us on our leisurely bike rides. The best time to start is always now.

MIT PN2K goes to BOSTON with BBP (it’s a social science)

Posted on September 12, 2015April 23, 2018 by PN2K Team

Have you ever met someone new and thereafter began to see his/her face everywhere all of a sudden? It's like working on bike safety - the more you dabble in this field, the more bikes you begin to see everywhere: on advertisements, commercials about relaxing, vacations, childhood memories, etc. Bikes somehow become omnipresent.

And you wonder how did you miss all this before?

When you see brain and cognitive science studies on attention, you begin to realize our limitations on perception. I've sat through classes (taught by Professor Aude Olivia - brilliant lecturer, highly recommended) where we watched an image for 30 seconds. At the end, we're asked to note the things that had changed. (What? Things changed? WHEN?) You then learn that the image had transposed into another: a person disappeared in photo 2, a banner gained stripes, colors changed, a lamp post moved, a building morphed! And you didn't notice a thing. It's humbling - And it's fascinating. As it turns out, we're all slaves to our brains and "nothing gets past you" isn't true.

Selective attention tests demonstrate that at any point, your perception of the world is based upon what your brain selectively decides to process; the perception is an amalgamation of still, selectively-processed snap-shots in time. How does the brain decide what to process? Various factors, one of which is familiarity. The more familiar a face is to you, the more it will stand out against others.

Now let's think about this in the context of bike safety: drivers will stop at red signs, obey standard red-yellow-green traffic lights, and look for green directional signs with arrows on highways. What cue triggers them to recognize a cyclist? To be honest, cyclists don't have much going on for them that would make them stand out; and that's why many of them wear bright green safety vests (scientifically the color that is most noticeable). That is why PN2K sells bright safety green t-shirts and bike lights for cyclists. You want to stay safe on the roads that lack proper bike infrastructure? STAND OUT. Have bike lights. Make motorists see you - if their minds cannot process your presence, they cannot react in time to dodge you or give you enough space.

The point of the above is not meant to persuade you to further investigate into the nuances of our brains (as interesting of a field as it is); it's so you can begin to relate, scientifically, to the fact that people's attentions are divided up, simply because there is an overwhelming amount of information to process in the world -- and this is a reason why accidents happen. The accident is never intended! (thus the term "accident") and not everyone is a demonic driver out to get you. In fact, some cyclists are also drivers! Keep that in mind when they honk in support of bike parties.

When cyclists are few, drivers might not be trained to notice cyclists; but when you put together 2 or 3 cyclists, their presence becomes more pronounced, as does their safety. As more and more cyclists become regular road users to the point where the numbers cannot be ignored, cycling will become safer as drivers become more aware of their presence.

But what can you do now? Well, you can participate in advocacy groups, you can give cyclists loud horns and bells, make them do unusual tricks that capture attention (wheelies; unusually tall bikes; naked cyclists), raise hell, threaten to TP parliament -- or you can throw 500+ cyclists together in one large massive un-ignorable group and shout "BOSTON BIKE PARRRR-TY!"

I learned last autumn that some things can increase your safety more than helmets: (1) bike lights (2) more cyclists out on the road. The latter is pretty important, and BBP does an awesome job organizing and leading 500+ people from point A to point B. And that's why PN2K wants to help. We want YOU getting out there as well, no matter if you're a freshman, international student, temp transfer, a grad student who just learned how to ride a bike -- come out and join our bike convoy! Our convoys (bike groups) will leave from the MIT Student Center to and head to Copley Square at 6:45 PM* every second Friday of the month (*7:20 PM during the summer; please refer to our Events page calendar to be sure). Besides the fact that it's incredibly fun and empowering to bike alongside 500 other friendly cyclists in solidarity, learning a lesson about 'strength in numbers' is something you can acknowledge but not truly understand until you ride in a crowd where to your left and to your right, all you see are cyclists and more cyclists. Beyond that, it's also worthwhile to know the 3-4 people biking with you from PN2K who will welcome you happily and become your cycling family.

Biking = Being Healthy & Fit

Bike Trivia! 2015

Fall Foliage in Waltham (bike ride!)

To the blackboards!

“We’re going live in 3…2…1….”

Halloween Hangover Salem bike ride

Halloween Bike Ride 2015

“Don’t Forget Me”

Fall Foliage + Bikes

Got helmets (year 2)

Costumes + Pad Thai

Har Har, Mateys! Pirates, Babies, Bikes

Cornucopia, rain, and bikes

(Pre-event) Bike like a Pirate!

Pre-BBP with MIT PN2K details

“The British are coming!”

Directing Samurai visits Boston

A tribute to our STEAM education programs

Laser-cutting

Rocket-launching

Flying Airplanes

Glass-blowing

Accidental Sunday morning Hub on Wheels

MIT PN2K goes to BOSTON with BBP (it’s a social science)