Dave's
Ragtime Boogie-Woogie Band
by Richard Ballantine,
Chairman IHPVA
The Human Power archive
is a gold mine of technical information. It also traces a record of remarkable human exploration and
innovation. Over the 25 years
spanned by the Human Power archives, IHPVA members have accomplished incredible feats. The
millennia-old dream of true human-powered
flight -- unassisted take-off, flight, and landing -- was
realized first with flights over
land, then with long distance flights over ocean waters. The
performance goal now is acrobatic flight. On land, the 65 mph barrier,
once scientifically proven to be the maximum
possible speed for a human-powered vehicle,
was exceeded long ago. HPV streamliners are now whispering at over 80 mph!
Who are the people doing
these things? How do they do them? Who
is not easy to say, because the people range from lone, barely in-there eccentrics to well-known, established university
professors and technical specialists, from
lusty hedonists to refined ascetics. The diversity is enormous. Nevertheless, there are some common characteristics,
which may be a clue as to the how.
• Most can think. This
ability is very useful if you are trying to figure something out. As the HPV designer John
Kingsbury once sagely remarked: "When all else fails -- think!"
• Many are well-informed,
and respect information and knowledge. Developing
new ideas involving, for example, dynamics such as prop cavitation or laminar flow, requires knowledge of these
subjects.
• Many are practical, and
can design, build, shape, and fix, often with consummate
expertise and skill. Direct hands-on involvement with innovative technology is a hallmark of the human power movement.
• Many are well-developed
individuals with substance and character, and often,
plenty of energy, too! This can make life interesting. When
strong-minded people rub each other the wrong
way, sparks can shower. Equally, people with distinct personalities and abilities are often
better able to appreciate each other, and
work effectively together.
• Many have a deep personal
involvement with human power, in work, play,
sport, or general living, or any combination thereof.
Human power enthusiasts are
smart, self-reliant, independent, and sometimes quirky;
qualities obviously good for innovation. As well, they care about
the quality of their lives. Here, there
is an important connection.
From the outset, the human
power movement has held a sense of moving in
the right direction, of being part of an evolution and change
good for everyone. This
feeling has tended to be a tacit understanding, not an active
topic. Quite sensibly, human
power advocates have focused on achieving practical performances. As a technical journal, Human
Power concentrates on qualities such as
objectivity, scholarship, empirical validity, and coherent analysis
and reasoning. This
pragmatic approach has worked very well. Human power in
various forms is becoming increasing
important in the scheme of things all around the world. Just as we learned practical means
for improving the performances of human-powered
vehicles and machines, we are developing objective understandings about the effects of human power
on society in general, and the quality
of our lives in particular. The commercial vitality of
municipalities, the effectiveness of
agriculture and the quality of the food we eat, the extent and content of social contacts, the patterns of
health and life spans – human power influences
all these and more.
The remarkable first 25
years of the human power movement are only a beginning. There is much more and better to come.
Conviction about the bright
future of human power has led a small group of enthusiasts to found the Human Power
Institute, usually called HuPI, the internet
acronym and handle. HuPI’s mission is to promote the
development and use of human power
through publishing and communications, especially electronic publishing.
The people in HuPI are a
microcosm of the human power movement: educated,
talented and accomplished, and thoroughly diverse in
temperaments! HuPI is widely
dispersed, so some members have never met face to face; communications skills are important and are
much-used. A deep commitment to human
power, in lifestyles and in work, has helped to give cohesion to their union and substance to their efforts.
The Human Power archive
began as a private project masterminded and financed by David Gordon Wilson. Others in
HuPI quickly volunteered to help, and
a chance remark about banjo playing led to nicknaming the team
"Dave's Band". In producing the Human
Power archive they have labored long and hard to run up a good tune. As matters have developed,
it is appearing on the HuPI label.
Will you welcome, please,
and give your thanks to:
David Gordon Wilson - Editor
of Human Power 1984 to 2002, author of Bicycling Science and
other books, professor of Mechanical Engineering emeritus at MIT. A godfather of the human power movement,
Dave organized the first modern design
contest for human powered vehicles in 1967.
Theo Schmidt - Associate
editor of Human Power 1989 to 2002 and editor 2002 to 2004. Vice-president Futurebike
Switzerland.
John Snyder - Biologist,
technician and resource manager for orbital communications
research projects. Artist and writer.
Elrey John Stephens -
Electronic whiz, designer, helped produce HPV News and Human
Power for several years. Tends the IHPVA's HPV mailserver list.
Brian Wilson - Director of
Online Services for HuPI, webmaster for HPVA and
IHPVA.
Richard Ballantine - Author
of Richard's 21st Century Bicycle Book and other books, publisher of cycling magazines and
environment-related books. Chairman
IHPVA, Chair British Human Power Club.
Thanks for your company and
enjoy the show!
May 19, 2004
