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I am a INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR and never forget that!!!!
I pick and choose what i do and do not do for money. Read On
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trade secrets
from cupid couriers site
April 1st, 2010
At the end of a workday a few weeks ago Sean (a.k.a. Pumpkin) and I were having a drink at the “office” (a.k.a. a certain downtown bar). We got to talking about how over the years at Cupid we’ve had certain deliveries that involve some creative routing. Maybe you have to cut across a gravel lot then jump off your bike and carry it across some railroad tracks; or perhaps there's a subtle pathway that cuts out a block or two. These trade secrets have always been part of being a good messenger but it’s probably fair to say that at Cupid we’ve refined the art of routefinding. Messengers can be notoriously stingy about giving away their secrets but working collectively we have an interest in sharing knowledge because it lets the whole team work more effectively. Rev. Jim scouted out a shortcut to one of our destinations that involved following a dirt road for about a mile. I gave it try and refined it when I discovered a faint “bummy path” out of the corner of my eye that went through a little tunnel and cut out even more distance. I have my doubts about whether this way saves any time but it has the satisfaction of being more direct and more creative.
Recently Google has added a bike routing feature to it’s mapping service. I think this is a great idea. The best bike route is rarely the same as the best car route. The promotional video you can find online actually features San Francisco’s famous “wiggle”- the popular bike route that connects the East side of the City to the West through the Lower Haight. However after playing with it I feel that I’m well qualified to say that it often performs poorly in giving you the best ways to get around in these parts. It’s good start though and it does keep you off the truly scary streets.
Software is no match for a resourceful cyclist but it should improve as users give feedback. Being a stingy courier though I don’t intend to give away my hard earned intellectual property that quickly. I’ll give y’all some freebies though. Good routefinding is more about your methods than just rote knowledge. Google got the first part right; don’t think like a car(especially one with a GPS). One Way, Do Not Enter and Dead End are more like suggestions if you’re on a bicycle. Try not to go up a hill just to find out that your destination is down the other side; try skirting around. And don’t be afraid to trust your gut and try a shortcut. You might discover something cool or learn a lesson. We once had a frequent destination in Alameda. I learned I could save over 2 miles by riding to a “Dead End” and hoisting my bike over a 6 ft fence. It took me a few months of this before I learned that it was much easier to go to my right 100 yrds and ride down a sidewalk. -tim
"ok, so go in the basement entrance, walk through the first rows of cubicles to the staircase. go up one floor. last door on your left, go inside. there is a unmarked bin on the left past the first desk. take all the inter office mail on the right side of the bin. got that???"
April 1st, 2010
At the end of a workday a few weeks ago Sean (a.k.a. Pumpkin) and I were having a drink at the “office” (a.k.a. a certain downtown bar). We got to talking about how over the years at Cupid we’ve had certain deliveries that involve some creative routing. Maybe you have to cut across a gravel lot then jump off your bike and carry it across some railroad tracks; or perhaps there's a subtle pathway that cuts out a block or two. These trade secrets have always been part of being a good messenger but it’s probably fair to say that at Cupid we’ve refined the art of routefinding. Messengers can be notoriously stingy about giving away their secrets but working collectively we have an interest in sharing knowledge because it lets the whole team work more effectively. Rev. Jim scouted out a shortcut to one of our destinations that involved following a dirt road for about a mile. I gave it try and refined it when I discovered a faint “bummy path” out of the corner of my eye that went through a little tunnel and cut out even more distance. I have my doubts about whether this way saves any time but it has the satisfaction of being more direct and more creative.
Recently Google has added a bike routing feature to it’s mapping service. I think this is a great idea. The best bike route is rarely the same as the best car route. The promotional video you can find online actually features San Francisco’s famous “wiggle”- the popular bike route that connects the East side of the City to the West through the Lower Haight. However after playing with it I feel that I’m well qualified to say that it often performs poorly in giving you the best ways to get around in these parts. It’s good start though and it does keep you off the truly scary streets.
Software is no match for a resourceful cyclist but it should improve as users give feedback. Being a stingy courier though I don’t intend to give away my hard earned intellectual property that quickly. I’ll give y’all some freebies though. Good routefinding is more about your methods than just rote knowledge. Google got the first part right; don’t think like a car(especially one with a GPS). One Way, Do Not Enter and Dead End are more like suggestions if you’re on a bicycle. Try not to go up a hill just to find out that your destination is down the other side; try skirting around. And don’t be afraid to trust your gut and try a shortcut. You might discover something cool or learn a lesson. We once had a frequent destination in Alameda. I learned I could save over 2 miles by riding to a “Dead End” and hoisting my bike over a 6 ft fence. It took me a few months of this before I learned that it was much easier to go to my right 100 yrds and ride down a sidewalk. -tim
"ok, so go in the basement entrance, walk through the first rows of cubicles to the staircase. go up one floor. last door on your left, go inside. there is a unmarked bin on the left past the first desk. take all the inter office mail on the right side of the bin. got that???"
4/4/10
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