Mach's blog has some rather candid and insider commentary on life in the peloton. Cool stuff.

Let me say first that I think it's ethically wrong to pass another person's words as your own. FourthEstate seems to be confused as to what constitutes as ghost writing, copyright infringement and plagiarism. There are clear boundaries between all of these concepts which I will not take the time to explain here. On the other hand, copyright and intellectual property laws are changing rapidly in ways that are difficult to comprehend so I can see where the confusion lies--in the past 10 years everything is upside down almost directly because of digital information. IMO, I think writers, artists and creators should be able to grant rights however they choose via creative commons, etc. I don't think the world is as cut and dry now as it was pre-digital. Information bends towards freedom, but the law exists to protect the value of an idea. Both are necessary. It's an eternal struggle.

Hi there—your storyline has potential, but as of right now the first article reads like you added one or two token sentences with the word Sacramento so that it would tenuously relate to the community—and then you plugged your personal business. Nice. I’d like to hear more about your experiences with people and how organization seems like a simple concept at first, but often leads to complex psychological issues. Why do you think people are so attached to their cluttered spaces? Why is it so easy for people to cling to their possessions when they are intellectually aware that their space is not a productive one? What is the best excuse you’ve heard by someone who is having a hard time committing to your program? Tell us about the hardest client you’ve ever had and why. Have you ever been hired by someone to de-clutter their parent’s home and were you welcomed into the situation or were you seen as a taskmaster? There’s a great story here somewhere, please tell it.

As much as I love fixed gear bikes, I hate what they’ve become. In one sense, Raoul is right—fixie bikes are about a simpler, cheaper, lighter, faster form of transportation with fewer moving parts. In this sense they are about reusing otherwise forgotten bikes, advocating for city bike lanes, getting exercise, and forwarding a pro-environment anti-car world view. If this is how you ride your fixie, awesome. In another sense, they have become a commoditized symbol of counter culture repackaged and sold as hipsterism to rich white kids who don’t know any better. In other words, if you are not already a hipster, stop trying. If you buy a $599 fixie at your local bike shop, wear tight ankle jeans, smoke ironically, have a dragon tattoo, bike on the wrong side of the road, run stop signs, wear a scarf, participate in critical mass or break your collar bone to fit in, you are NOT COOL. You are dangerous in the sense that you don’t know how to ride a bike and are unaware of what you are trying to be. In conclusion, I occasionally enjoy bikes.

I like the sharks good. I like stories about UFOs more.