tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58137242010-03-04T11:16:08.809-06:00The personal blog of Robbie LLoyd HalvorsonRobbie Halvorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05661230183419391335noreply@blogger.comBlogger141125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5813724.post-23506287279674091152009-08-31T21:26:00.007-05:002009-09-01T14:07:19.479-05:00

Last weekend Linda, as she often is, was watching a bad movie called Babylon AD starring Vin Diesel. Not to be confused with the excellent TV series Babylon 5. I found myself watching it with her when suddenly I noticed a prop that the evil Doctor was using while trying to read Diesel's mind. The shape of it looked awfully familiar to me. A few beats later in the scene and, sure enough, it's an

Robbie Halvorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05661230183419391335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5813724.post-19990534251772770462009-02-26T21:25:00.002-06:002009-02-26T21:32:06.447-06:00

If you are following this blog, all 2 of you, then I apologize for the lack of attention. Since discoverying Facebook and Twitter I've found those technologies far easier and quicker to use then Blogging. I'm not sure what I will do with the blog but I don't see a log of current news being posted here but maybe I'll put up race reports. In the meantime, find me on Facebook or to a lesser extent

Robbie Halvorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05661230183419391335noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5813724.post-62308801386654619182008-12-16T20:59:00.008-06:002008-12-16T21:35:01.334-06:00

Time again to find ways to stay on the bike indoors. The guys at work head to Now Sport at noon for some spinning. Now Sport has a nice new area set up for spinning and they very generously let us come over and use it all winter. They also have a trainer attached to a computer for doing virtual rides on a computer. I usually don't bother because I can do it at night at home just as easily.

Robbie Halvorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05661230183419391335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5813724.post-6577964947253043392008-11-13T21:08:00.012-06:002008-12-01T15:52:01.172-06:00

Boston Scientific sponsors Gopher sports which is great. As a part of that sponsorship they get a certain amount of advertising at events. Last month I was asked by HR if I might be interesting in creating animation for use at the Gopher football games at the Metrodome. Hell yeah!This is a still from the animation. Click on it to see the full resolution version. Be ready to scroll!Right off I hit

Robbie Halvorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05661230183419391335noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5813724.post-55440260653075975282008-10-29T22:28:00.005-05:002008-11-12T11:10:51.005-06:00

On this planet, unlike this planet, the inhabitants have made a clearing for cyclocross racing.This was made in Photoshop from a whole bunch of shots at the Afton Alps Cyclocross race. Normal photos can be found on Flickr.

Robbie Halvorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05661230183419391335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5813724.post-33244275102661993522008-10-26T10:51:00.008-05:002008-10-26T17:47:19.449-05:00

I've been out to a couple bike races taking photos. I have photos from the Ham Lake Cyclocross race here, and yesterdays Afton Alps race here.It occurred to me as I processed through yesterdays photos that I often end up with a really nice shot of someones dog. I don't know these dogs or their owners.My photo tip to take away from this is that; even if you are somewhere to specially shoot subject

Robbie Halvorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05661230183419391335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5813724.post-65665212677542584802008-10-20T21:21:00.004-05:002008-11-12T11:12:45.886-06:00

My good friends and neighbors Hal Propp and his son Connor invited me along to a Sioux hockey game in Mankato. Hal is a UND alum like me. The Mavericks have a really good team this year and had already beaten UND on Friday night. The Sioux looked a bit sloppy to start with but came alive in the 3rd period to win 4-3. Winning goal was scored with only 8 seconds on the clock. Ended up being a fun

Robbie Halvorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05661230183419391335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5813724.post-65285925232332936162008-10-20T13:15:00.006-05:002008-10-20T13:42:28.579-05:00

A nice shot from a Milwaukee photographer covering the race a few weeks back. Still waiting for the digital copy I ordered 2 weeks ago. Maybe me posting a hacked screen snap will draw his attention.There are a few things that make it a great photo; The dynamic angle of the body as I'm about to turn is almost perfect. The dark defocused background really makes me and the bike standout. No

Robbie Halvorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05661230183419391335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5813724.post-78968931977986624372008-10-14T21:11:00.006-05:002008-10-15T08:51:50.825-05:00

During the week I try to get out for a ride with the guys at work. Around 11:30 a random bunch of people get together for a 20-22 mile ride through the northern suburbs of St Paul. We gather in the parking lot after changing into our gear in the company locker rooms. It's usually a very strong group and it's always fun. Some of us have been riding together at noon for years. Today we had a larger

Robbie Halvorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05661230183419391335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5813724.post-81562157886368678382008-09-28T17:19:00.004-05:002008-10-02T21:34:10.031-05:00

I bought a new road bike!Some time this Summer I decided that I was going to buy a new bike next year. I figured that gave me 6 to 9 months to look around and make some decisions on what I wanted.The issue was accelerated for me when the right shifter on my Bianchi seized up. The mechanic told me it was a replace, not repair. Not good news but seeing as it was Fall and I would probably ride my

Robbie Halvorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05661230183419391335noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5813724.post-88704233184383653672008-09-28T13:22:00.005-05:002008-09-28T17:18:39.710-05:00

This duathlon was in Oseola, WS about 35 miles from home along the Minnesota Wisconsin board. I really beautiful area with rolling hills. Nice to look at, not so nice it bike on - more on that later. The distances were 3 mile run, 22 mile bike, 1 mile run. Usually the runs are the same distance but the longer bike followed by a quick run would be good for me.I had to get up at 5:30am to get there

Robbie Halvorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05661230183419391335noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5813724.post-8207026754504655472008-09-22T22:04:00.004-05:002008-09-22T22:49:21.962-05:00

Finally, a race other then just time trialing. This is the exact same coarse I've done several times including last Spring. It was a beautiful Fall morning for a race. As I racked my bike in the transition area I noticed that the transition area was about half the size as in the spring. I guess a lot of people were done with multisport racing for the year. I'm just starting!The race started out

Robbie Halvorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05661230183419391335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5813724.post-27192474125056990082008-09-11T19:11:00.010-05:002008-09-11T20:11:39.020-05:00

photo taken by Clifton Hull.The final Withrow time trail of the year was a good one. I recorded my best time ever on the course (30:51) but also my fastest ever average speed in any race - 26.11 mph!The last race was also the largest of the year. Almost 90 riders. My result was good enough for 5th place which I was more then happy with considering the company of the 4 ahead of me. The

Robbie Halvorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05661230183419391335noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5813724.post-48068074857174962412008-08-27T21:18:00.003-05:002008-08-27T21:30:47.628-05:00

My one and only nephew, Mathew, was named to the Farmington All-star team. I made sure to get to the game. It started out looking like a blow out by the other team. Something like 8-0 after the 2nd inning. It was painful. But then Farmington started to come back and they were holding on defensively. Truth be told I was not convinced. But I'll be damned if in the last inning, as the sun was

Robbie Halvorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05661230183419391335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5813724.post-9236734669916694092008-08-21T15:36:00.006-05:002008-08-21T18:07:01.234-05:00

The best time to make your escape from stormtroopers is when someone asks to take their pictures. They can't resist hamming it up for the camera. Simply bust free of their grip and sock them with a upper cross. Works every time.More stormtroopers photos and other pics from Siggraph are on Flicker. Siggraph is the big annual conference for all things computer graphics. On Thursday night they had a

Robbie Halvorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05661230183419391335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5813724.post-80103730940326097802008-08-06T21:51:00.003-05:002008-08-06T22:12:32.364-05:00

The Science Museum of Minnesota is hosting an exhibit of props and costumes from the Lucasfilm's archives. Linda and I took in the exhibit on a early Saturday morning in the hopes of avoiding the crowds. It worked. They add some displays about real robots, etc.. to rationalize the inclusion in a science museum. Whatever - its Star Wars!My favorites were from the orginal 3 movies. Sure I have a 30

Robbie Halvorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05661230183419391335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5813724.post-19735260521887011772008-07-27T21:40:00.006-05:002008-07-27T22:10:11.776-05:00

Sorry, I'm talking about flowers!Linda has done a great job this year whipping the yard back into shape after 2 years of minimal effort while she was in grad school. It's really paying off with all sorts of blooms. I don't always know the names of them. As the sun sets in the evening we get a great shot of the golden hour of which I've been trying to take advantage. The light hits the flowers

Robbie Halvorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05661230183419391335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5813724.post-54266614837996897892008-07-22T21:29:00.008-05:002008-07-22T22:38:52.248-05:00

Since my last race report in May I've done 5 time trials. 4 on the 13.4 mile loop of Withrow and 1 7 mile TT at Black Dog in Egan. My last comment was how my first TT of the year was at that point already faster then any in 2007 and that I hoped it would bode well for 2008. I was right.So far I've had a great Summer of racing. At almost every TT I've been able to better the last time. I finally

Robbie Halvorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05661230183419391335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5813724.post-77389187479558677682008-07-14T22:14:00.001-05:002008-07-14T22:14:05.843-05:00

summer2008-15Originally uploaded by robbiehalvorsonDog days of Summer have set in. It's getting hot in Minnesota and Sammy here has the right idea. Sammy is my Sister Dawn's pet beagle. We spent the 4th of July with her family as well as our folks.

Robbie Halvorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05661230183419391335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5813724.post-91767529437736988282008-05-24T12:34:00.003-05:002008-05-24T13:19:03.450-05:00

In the spring of 1987 I was itching to get out my windsurf so on a warmish afternoon I launched my rig on the English Coulee that winds through the campus of the University of North Dakota.. I've always wondered what motivated them to used the term coulee and not the more obvious creek. There was just barely enough wind to move along a short stretch of the creek, but it didn't matter really. It

Robbie Halvorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05661230183419391335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5813724.post-68308785561303769432008-05-19T21:16:00.007-05:002008-05-19T22:03:43.020-05:00

For a long time I've been meaning to go through some very old boxes. As my wife can attest to, I'm a pack rat. I could argue that I'm nostalgic and a collector - but Linda is probably more right then I am. As I go through these boxes I plan to photograph and share some of my favorite things or those with stories. We'll call it The Historical Blog Archive of Robbie's Crap. Or simply Historical

Robbie Halvorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05661230183419391335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5813724.post-64930830010257605632008-05-11T21:02:00.011-05:002008-05-12T09:29:16.046-05:00

Early on Sunday morning I headed to Now Sports to attend a clinic sponsored by the triathlon team I joined. The subject was a talk about bike positioning and how to be aerodynamic. What I didn't know ahead of time was that it would be led by one of the world authorities on the subject, Steve Hed. That name won't mean anything to most people but you might have heard of his most famous customer and

Robbie Halvorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05661230183419391335noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5813724.post-44718816027756570132008-05-11T20:28:00.004-05:002008-05-12T07:14:31.195-05:00

Last Fall I competed on this very same course in the Fall Classic Duathlon. This year the race was bigger and the competition was faster.This Spring I joined the Now Sports triathlon team. Some of my teammates were also in the race so we all racked our bikes together and hung out. In the past I was usually at races alone so having buddies to talk with was really nice. It makes the waiting around

Robbie Halvorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05661230183419391335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5813724.post-19498554128749166302008-05-06T13:57:00.001-05:002008-05-09T14:16:41.305-05:00

I attended the first cycling race of the year. It's the same once a month race that I've done for the last few Summers. It was postponed a day due to rain on Tuesday night. But Wednesday was really nice with a favorable northwest wind. That direction helps push us through some of the rolling hills on the course.I usually rest the day of the race but because it had been delayed, I hadn't been on

Robbie Halvorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05661230183419391335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5813724.post-73649118328698549642008-04-27T21:50:00.001-05:002008-05-05T07:33:42.968-05:00

Once again this is the first race of the year. I was going to race in a duathlon but decided to run the Get in Gear instead at the last minute. Unlike previous years I wasn't looking at the race as any kind of fitness indicator for the spring. I just wanted to run a race I really enjoy.Or I should say usually enjoy. Saturday morning turned out to be cold and snowy of all things! The wind was also

Robbie Halvorsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05661230183419391335noreply@blogger.com0