Feather Angle

I have a track record of being something of a maverick in my views. I am very much a "who says ...?" kind of person. I have long advocated that beginner paddlers should start paddling with unfeathered paddles. My view has been pooh-pooh'ed by many of the local mouths including those in the canoeing industry - with only one exception who was prepared to listen to the logic - kudos Stan.

I started paddling when paddles were feathered at 90 degrees. That was it. I felt that feather angles required too much 'wrist language' to consistently get the proper blade angle in the water, especially in rough water paddling. In those days many of us made our own paddles. So I started experimenting with feather angles, starting with my wild water racing paddle. I ended up with using around a 45 degree feather angle. Really radical for those days but I wasn't ready to challenge the root orthodoxy of feathered paddles.

Life happened and I hardly paddled for years. I came back to paddling considerably older with older joints and a mind more willing challenge orthodoxy. I bought a new paddle with the then accepted feather of around 70 degrees. I chafed at the need to make the big feather flick turn and I started experimenting with feather angles again. This time I was prepared to push the experimentation further and I had become a keen observer of paddling technique. And so I started paddling with no feather. Around ten years later and I am still paddling with unfeathered paddles. And the mouths have a lot to say. Only none of them have been able to give a persuasive reason for forcing beginners to paddle with feathered paddles.

So why do they persist and why do emotions rise when the orthodoxy is questioned or challenged?

Read this article for some thoughts on why people persist with often patently dumb things.

So today, with some slack time on my hands at work, I was trolling the web, idly following a paddling train of thought and looking at the track records of paddlers when I branched into wing paddles and came upon this article by Greg Barton. For those of you don't know Greg Barton is a multiple Olympic and world championship kayak sprint gold medalist and owner of Epic Kayaks one of the world's major paddle manufacturers.

Here is a direct quote from Greg's article:

To feather or not to feather? There are many people with strong feelings on both sides of this subject. The following are reasons why you may want to consider using an unfeathered paddle.

   For beginners, it is easier to learn with an unfeathered paddle.

   Unfeathered paddles do not require wrist rotation and put less strain on the wrist.

   Unfeathered paddles do not "dive" or "fly up" in the wind.

   While an unfeathered paddle is initially easier to use, most people can quickly adapt to a feathered paddle.

He must be a pretty smart guy as he is saying exactly what I have been saying for years.

So, if you're using feathered paddles, especially if you're a recreational, novice or intermediate paddler, it's probably a good idea to get an adjuster for your paddle shaft and start playing with your feather angle. And for anyone introducing a newcomer to paddling please make sure they start with an unfeathered paddle.

Democratic Tyranny

The Government of the absolute majority instead of the Government of the people is but the Government of the strongest interests; and when not efficiently checked, it is the most tyrannical and oppressive that can be devised.
~ John C. Calhoun ~

Linux Community vs. Canonical

In polite terms there is an intense discussion going on between many people in the wider Linux community and Canonical and hence Ubuntu.

On the one hand many members of the community are claiming that Canonical is acting against the ethos of the FOSS community while Canonical claims to be making vital progress in ensuring widespread acceptance and thus continued viability of Linux.

I have long maintained that for any FOSS 'product' to be viable in the general market there has to be a sustainable underlying business model.

I admire hugely the volunteerism that is the lifeblood of the FOSS movement. Personal satisfaction in doing good and innovative work doesn't pay the rent, buy food or send kids to school. Every volunteer gets to a point, no matter how passionate and dedicated they are to whatever FOSS activity they are involved in, where they have to make some kind of living. If that living is not directly related their FOSS activity they have to deal with a conflict of interest.

The surest way to resolve that conflict of interest is to create a sustainable business around the FOSS activity. Which is exactly what Mark Shuttleworth has been doing with Canonical.

I think one of the major factors in the conflict with Canonical is a misplaced puritanical culture that wants to keep FOSS as some kind of underground movement where it is evil to make a living from FOSS activities. Does Linus live on thin air? Certainly not. He would not be able to continue his role without revenue streams. I can guarantee you that his income is mostly if not totally related to FOSS activities. Does that make him evil and unacceptable to the FOSS community?

Another factor is potentially ego or pride because a particular FOSS piece is not used in Ubuntu, for example GNOME. I think that some people who are heavily invested in GNOME find it hard to accept that GNOME is not used. Don't attack Canonical; look at the pros and cons of GNOME vs. UNITY especially in consideration of the market where Ubuntu is gaining acceptance. Canonical made a business decision and like any business have to live with the consequences of the decision. Considering the growing penetration of Ubuntu the decision can't be all bad.

My bottom line point is that Canonical looks like being sucessful at the absolutley essential challenge of building a sustainable business model that does not compromise the principles of FOSS. Kudos to them.

Alvin Lee and Big Red

I was 15 years old when the movie "Woodstock" came to South Africa. There was something in me yearning for something I just wasn't hearing in the popular music that was on the radio of that time. Here and there I heard bits that tugged at my innards.

Then I went to see Woodstock ... my ears nearly popped out of my head when Alvin Lee and Ten Years After played I'm Goin Home.

He has remained one of my favourite players. His Big Red 335 became an iconic instrument for me. I love the Gibbo 335 sound and have an Ibanez repro of a 335. Ever since then I have had a semi-acoustic heart.

I was saddened to hear that Alvin Lee died two days ago, apparently from complications after a routine surgical procedure.

Another great goes to the great stage in the sky. We're gonna miss you Alvin.

Click here to see that Woodstock performance.

Go, Angie, Go

Now here is a bit of good news.

The basic education department has assured parliament that the delay (that they assured us never was) in getting textbooks to all Limpopo schools will be resolved by this Friday.

You go, Angie, go. (Read that however you please.)

Take Heed All Who Would Rule or Govern

The object of government in peace and in war is not the glory of rulers or of races, but the happiness of the common man.

 ~ William Beveridge ~

Kayak Flat Water Technique - Stroke Phases

It has been some time since I presented anything relating to one of my passions ... coaching kayak technique. So here goes ...

There are four phases to each paddle stroke. This is not anything radical and is consistent with the approach that I have seen quite a few people advocate with one change of emphasis.

I will discuss each of the four phases in more detail in later posts. To start, the four phases are:

- Start Position
This correlates with what is often spoken of as the recovery or airwork and is commonly expressed as the last of the four phases. I very consciously place this as the first phase because I believe it is vital in establishing the effectiveness of the stroke. As such I want paddlers to be conscious of starting the stroke well and that is why I speak of it as the "Start Position". I relate the Start Position to the backswing in golf. If you have a lousy backswing you're going to have a lousy swing. If you have a lousy Start Position you're going to have a lousy stroke. A good Start Position does not guarantee a good stroke but a lousy Start Position pretty much ensures a lousy stroke.

- Catch
They key here is getting the paddle in the water to take best advantage of what the paddle is designed to do. It is vital is to get the paddle "locked" in the water to set up an optimal Power phase.

- Power
Here is where the paddler takes advantage of the biomechanical set up established in the Start Position together with the optimal "paddle lock" established by the Catch to project the boat forward.

- Exit
This phase is undervalued by most paddlers. The value of a good Exit is not in propulsion but is in conserving energy, retaining momentum and not interfering with the paddler's balance. A good Exit is key in lifting stroke rate without losing stroke effectiveness and efficiency.

Puh ... leeeeeaaaaase !!!!!

One of the items on the news this morning was about the security arrrangements around the State of the Nation address. How many police officers and soldiers would be deployed in Cape Town, in the and around the parliamentary precinct and even in the suburbs.

For what?

In my view it is simply to feed Jake's puffed up self importance; if there is such a security presence he must be a really important guy. From long before he was president he was renowned for his coterie of 'protectors' and this has become a common practice with so many of our puffed up politicians. Get real and get down to some real work for the good of the country instead of feeding your egos.

I would love to see the threat assessment for this evening and whether it bears any correlation with the security deployment.

What If ....

What if the moon is made of green cheese? What if Jacob Zuma is really being unjustly pursued over the arms deal? What if Helen Zille is really a white supremacist?

What If allows us to explore possibilities and help us make choices between those possibilities. What If gives us freedom to explore. Exploring through What If can somesometimes help us better understand What Is. So I choose to ask What If in some different contexts to explore various things and maybe identify some ways we can make positive differences in our beloved South Africa.

So I will start exploring a What If right now ...

What if our government leadership were to fall under a different remunuration model? What if a significant portion of their total salary package was payable only on achievement of all of a set certain objectives, measurements, KPAs?

I know there is discussion on the effectiveness or otherwise of using KPAs. Let's for the purposes of this What If assume that KPAs are viable and take this What If further.

What if everyone holding a significant position in government was to receive a significant portion, say at least half their total salary package only on achieving all of their KPAs? Let them receive half their total salary package for continuing business as normal, simply for pitching up at work. Now I am sure there are some that would find even that challenging. We need only think of Winnie's woeful parliamentary attendance record.

I am suggesting that from the president down through cabinet ministers, members of parliament, through directors general, provincial premieres, mayors, city managers, heads of departments, and so on be assigned no more than five measurableKPAs.

Let us start witht he president. As the head of government what could be measured that would have a positive impact on the state of our nation.

 Hmmmmm ....

I would start with holding the president responsible for ensuring that every government department and every province obtains a clean audit every year. This means that if just one department fails to get a clean audit Jake loses half of his total remuneration package. Hands up anyone who thinks that won't have a positive impact on South Africa.

That's a totally objective, measurable and non-political objective. I can't imagine anyone in their right mind not wanting financial accountability in government.

Take a moment and imagine in your mind's eye Jake hassling and harrassing his cabinet ministers to ensure that every cent is accounted for. What a pleasure .... Then he'd be an action man.

For Whom the Toll Tolls?

So much said about tolling. With COSATU about to launch more anti toll action today I express some of my thoughts on the GFIP project and the associated tolling.

I need to start by saying that I am not inherently opposed to the concept of tolling. It embodies the principle of "user pays" thus providing a direct connection between the provision of a service or facility with the payment for that service or facility. The principle fits neatly into homogeneous societies where the capacity to pay and the need to use are similar for the entire population.

Things get more complicated in a hugely unequal society like South Africa where there are huge gaps between the haves, the barely haves and the have nots. The haves and the rest can claim equal need of the tolled roads. Their capacity to pay is hugely different and so their relative costs are vastly different. This difference supports that arguments of people like COSATU who say tolling is hugely discrimatory against the poor. I have to agree.

Before I look at other objections to tolling I want to explore things from a different persepctive. For this purpose let's start by assuming that tolling is an appropriate and equitable model for providing necessary infrastructure. Let's also assume that all the work that was done should have been done and the roads that are tolled should be tolled.

First question I want asked: Are we paying a fair price for the work that was done? In other words were the costs for the work appropriate and not inflated through industry collusion or to cover kickbacks and other perverse transactions.

The government and its agencies is, or should be, responsible to provide citizens of South Africa the best quality infrastructure at the best possible price.

This leads to the second question: Will the money to pay for the improvements be collected as efficiently as possible? In other words is the absolute minumum overhead cost incurred in collecting the money to pay for the roads.

In a nutshell:

- Did the responsible authorities exercise the necessary diligence to ensure that the appropriate infrastructure of the necessary quality was provided at the best possible cost?
- Did the responsible authorities exercise the necessary diligence to ensure that the most effective and efficient method was selected in order to recover the costs with the minimum impact on the citizens of South Africa?

Victor Ntoni (1947 - 2013) RIP

  
I was a youngster and just starting at university when I first heard Victor Ntoni. I grew up a fairly typical lower middle class white kid. I was sheltered from much of the reality of South Africa.

1974 and a very few "non-white" students obtained permission to study at "white" universities. I was fortunate to make friends who exposed me to a different music. I had yearned for some kind of music other than the standard pop fare of the times.

As a youngster I remember being entranced by the sound of pennywhistles, which could be heard occasionally in the city around where my grandfather worked. I was awed by the sight and sounds of gang labourers singing and working in unison. Towards the end of my high school I was introduced to Cream and began my lifelong love of blues. Then at university I was exposed to jazz and "African jazz".

Victor's bass was a recurring voice in this new music I came to love and I am sure the beauthy of his playing contributed to my love for the whole gamut of African music. I think one of the key things his playing did for me was to bridge the gap between my "white" ear and the wonderfully visceral spectrum of music from the whole of Africa.

Thank you Victor. From the bottom of my heart and on behalf of the many, many other lives you touched for the good.

22 January 2013 - Sprint Session Cancelled

My apologies for the Sprint session on 22nd January as I will not be able to be there for the session due to work commitments.

Action Man Inaction

Just the other day Cyril Ramaphosa was telling us how Zuma is the "action man" for South Africa who will lead South Africa into prosperity. I understand his words were along the lines of "The time for talking is over. We want action, and action man Jacob Zuma will ensure that this country moves forward."

Thank you Cyril, old buddy, for those reassuring words. I find myself wanting to take comfort from those words ....

But ...

Considering it is 13 months since Judge Willem Heath resigned as head of the Special Investigating Unit and Action Man Jake has yet to appoint his successor I find myself responding to Cyril's words with cynicism.

But hold on ... while we're speaking of crime fighting and especially corruption, one of the SIU's areas of specific concern, wasn't the dismantling of the Scorpions done under Jake's watch.

So maybe Jake is an action man ... Now all we need to do is find the actions that have moved this country forward.

Oh Susan, Susan, Susan .....

Mines minister Susan Shubangu spoke today with intensity and vehemence. She expressed anger and outrage at the announcement by Anglo American Platinum that it is considering significant cuts to its operations.

Hearing a cabinet minister speaking with such vehemence was a refreshing  experience. We are so used to deadly pronouncements that are more concerned with demonstrating allegiance to Jacob "Action Man" Zuma.

She expresses disgust at actions that put many people's livelihood at risk. I believe it is commendable that government ministers should be deeply concerned about the livelihood of South Africans. 

I'm not writing this to engage in a discussion regarding the merits or otherwise of minister Shabangu's position. The question that I hope she gets to hear and answer is where was this commendable anger when the Aurora debacle was unfolding. Months went by while workers were simply not paid and it appears that the mine was simply stripped of assets.

Today minister Shabangu was very vocal about the responsibility of mining companies towards their employees. Where was she while Aurora showed callous disregard for their employees.

Hmmmm ....

I wonder if it had anything to do with Action Man Jake's nephew Khulubuse Zuma and Nelson Mandela's grandson Zondwa Mandela being directors of the mine .........