A Titanium Y-Frame Built for Two
Bike building might once have been a rather, uh, pedestrian industry, but not anymore. At the Southern California Bicycle Expo, which will be held Friday through Sunday at the Los Angeles Convention Center, there will be enough exotic innovations on display to make any technophile proud.
Most manufacturers are expected to have concept bikes that showcase a variety of technologically advanced features, from titanium and carbon fiber materials to new dual-suspension systems and Y-shaped frames. One maker may be displaying a radically new electronically controlled shock-absorption system.
Other expo highlights include one-of-a-kind bikes, the Schwinn freestyle team, international trials competitions, the finals of the Top Cycling Challenge and bicycle safety rodeos.
For more information, call (818) 878-0800 or point your browser to https://www.bikeshow.com
Web Meeting: The sixth International World Wide Web Conference is being held today through Friday at the Santa Clara Convention Center. Four days of presentations and panel discussions on topics ranging from content to standards and protocols will culminate with a talk on the short history of the Web by Tim Berners-Lee, its inventor and now director of the World Wide Web Consortium. For more information, go to https://www6conf.slac.stanford.edu/
CYBERSPACE
Still not sure who to vote for? Didn’t even know elections were coming up? To get the lowdown on issues and candidates for the April 8 Los Angeles elections, head to https://www.ci.la.ca.us/dept/ELECTION/index.htm. You don’t have to go much further to find out about Mayor Richard Riordan. Check out https://www.ci.la.ca.us/dept/MAYOR/index.htm for a look at his biography, what he’s done in office and a photo gallery. For information about his opponent, Tom Hayden, point your browser to https://www.sen.ca.gov/htbin/senatorprofile/23, where you’ll find his biography, bills he authored as a state senator and a list of his committee memberships.
* The California Poppy Festival in Lancaster starts Saturday. For an overview of the festival as well as admission and entertainment info, point your browser to https://city.lancaster.ca.us/poppyfestival2.htm
* For up-to-date news on Friday’s launch of the space shuttle Columbia, go to https://shuttle.nasa.gov. The site has information about the shuttle’s daily activities, preflight pictures and future launch dates. There also are links to shuttle-related sites.
* With all the hubbub about the Higher Source, Hale-Bopp has taken a backseat in the headlines. For all sorts of comet trivia, check out https://www.theworks.com/users/bdrennon/comet.htm
* For information about hepatitis, a hot topic since contaminated strawberries were served in local schools, turn to Getting Hip on Hep at https://www.hep-help.com. Untreated, hepatitis can lead to severe liver disease. Visit the site to learn about risk factors for the virus, how to get tested and what kinds of treatment are available.
* Take a bicycle trip to the Dead Sea at https://www.discovery.com/area/specials/deadsea/deadsea1.html. Adventurer Jim Malusa is keeping a daily journal of his “Journey to the Center of the Earth.”
* The National Assn. for the Exchange of Industrial Resources is a nonprofit group that collects donations of new and quality merchandise from corporations, then distributes the goods to schools and nonprofit organizations around the country. For information about how you can help, go to https://www.misslink.net/naeir/naeir.htm
* The School of Architecture at Cal Poly Pomona has set up a virtual design center at https://www.csupomona.edu/env/vdsathens. You can also visit students’ desks to see what they’re up to.
* If you’re planning a trip to the nation’s capital, the National Gallery of Art (https://www.nga.gov) is online with info about exhibits.
Site suggestions can be sent to cutting.edge@latimes.com
