The first thing I noticed on my recent trip to California was the explosion of e-bikes. They zipped past me on a boardwalk along the ocean.
The number of e-bike sales are about double the number of electric car sales, despite a price in the thousands. But for $450, you can get a conversion kit such as the Clip, which will turn any old bike into an e-bike. You can even remove the "e" part of your e-bike when you go inside to prevent theft.
Here's how it works: When you engage the clip, a small roller transmits torque directly to your front tire, driving you forward without any need for complex sprockets or gears. This so-called "friction drive" is not new. It's been around since the early 1900s.
The first batch of the Clip is sold out, but the second can be pre-ordered from clip.bike. Go past the message saying it's shipping in 2022. The next page says it ships this spring. Other bike conversion kits include Swytch, Bafang and Rubbee X. Treehugger.com says the Rubbee X is the easiest to install.
On an e-bike, you'll still work your legs, but you'll get a big boost from "pedal assist." Many riders say they're biking more than they have in years.
What about safety? According to a study by law firm Gallivan, there are 115 injuries per million e-bike rides. That's more than the estimated 104 injuries per million motorcycle rides. It's also more than the 15 injuries per million ordinary bicycle rides or the eight injuries per million passenger car rides.
CURVY PRINTED HOUSES
We're all used to rectangular homes. But with 3D-printed houses, the walls can be any shape you want. Goodbye straight. Hello curves.
But as Buckminster Fuller's wife discovered in her dome, it's hard to hang pictures on a curved surface. Fortunately, the 100 homes now being printed by Icon, a nearly $2 billion Texas company, use curves only in the corners. They cost about $400,000 each. I love their modern look.
I wonder if the company's proprietary concrete blend is at all like the Romans' version. Their concrete structures have lasted over a thousand years. Modern concrete lasts only about 50. According to science.org, the Roman recipe combined volcanic ash, lime and seawater mixed with volcanic rocks. Gosh.
TRADING UP
A reader told me he replaced his iPhone 7 with an iPhone 8 to get wireless charging. "It will come in handy when I'm driving," he says. "Fiddling around trying to connect the iPhone is dangerous."
I saw an unlocked "renewed" iPhone 8 on Amazon for as low as $143, though the reader paid $193. "Renewed" means it's in excellent condition, fully functional and has been professionally inspected, tested and cleaned. Amazon also guarantees that the battery has a capacity of more than 80%, relative to a new one, and that the screen and body show no signs of cosmetic damage from a foot away.
The reader was glad he bought his renewed iPhone "unlocked," which meant it was easy to transfer to his current carrier, T-Mobile. But you can also unlock a locked phone. For example, if a phone is tied to AT&T, go to att.com/deviceunlock/ to set it free. For other carriers, look up their "bring your own device" guide.
DENTAL ROBOT
What if your dentist was a robot? OK, that's going too far. But how about a dental assistant?
There are a couple of dental offices near me that use Yomi, the world's only FDA-approved robotic dental assistant, for dental implants. The company website, at visitingfromspace.com, claims its robot makes smaller incisions and is less invasive, leading to a faster recovery and fewer appointments.
LEARNING TO CONCENTRATE
Thanks to the Forest app, I'm getting more productive. After I start it up, it ticks off the time in a big stopwatch on my phone for 25 minutes. But unlike similar apps, it doesn't stop me from using the phone in other ways: I'm on the honor system. I like that better. It's maddening to be thwarted when you have to multitask. But getting rewarded for concentrating -- even with cartoonish pine trees -- is just enough to stop me from goofing off. I love to see my virtual forest grow.
The Forest app comes in a free and a premium version. The pro version costs $3.49. In addition to other features, it plants real trees in Africa through the Trees for the Future nonprofit, which gets high marks from CharityNavigator. So far, they report to have planted 278 million trees. Check it out at forestapp.cc.
RUNNING OUT OF POWER
What if your phone's battery is low and there's no portable charger or wall outlet available? Turn down your screen brightness in Settings, turn on battery saver mode, turn off app notifications and possibly plug it into your laptop.
INTERNUT
IntelligenceSquared.com has replays of debates. I listened to "Is Elon Musk Killing Twitter?" Longtime journalist Kara Swisher argues yes, but adds that Twitter is also killing Musk. Financier Anthony Scaramucci says Twitter is still vital. He notes that people wrote off Tesla in 2008, but it came back. So could Twitter.
Joy Schwabach can be reached by email at joy.schwabach@gmail.com.