ACME Miscellany

[bobb]

Yeah, I'm vibed with that. The site isn't finished yet, so there's no rush....

[jiberjaber]

Forward planning and wild thinking..... I've got leave to burn, finding gaps between this RRtY (some of us are pretending we are not doing) is a challenge but I feel the need to get some riding in, perhaps with a means to an end..... last year I did the Southern Coasts & Castles which was nice but sustrans quality route so a lot of COR...

I've got a long week trip to Germany planned in for September and was considering some French action in July but ferry issues have sunk that one (no space left on the one the group I was going to ride with left) which leaves a gap in the later weeks of July.  I haven't succumb to tents yet, so it would be the usual credit card approach to touring...

A couple of thoughts I've been thinking of are a ride to my parents from Essex to Teesside.... which opens up some options.... one of them (which I am not sure about at the moment) would be to use the LEL2017 route, but it feels a bit awkward as it might either remove the surprise (if I were going to do it)...   

Alternatively would be my usual approach to scour and steal with pride bits from other audax's en-route to to get me there.  I guess there's only so many routes to York!  I was also thinking about cramming in a 200km DIY en route potentially (first or second day perhaps) which might solve calendar issues...

Other alternatives could be out West somewhere, and potentially some circular route to get my to Guildford in August...

Happy to hear suggestions..... probably something around 500km / 300 miles or so ......

[Oscar's dad]

Ride to California?  It would be about 400k.

[Tomsk]

Route 1 to Teeside? Via North York Moors & Rosedale Chimney 

A route further west would be better than a lot of Fenland though: Rutland, Leics, Notts, S Yorks etc.

[Oaky]

If you wanted closer to 400 miles... Chelmsford->California->Boston->New York->Washington.  (You'd have to ride back a bit to get to Teeside, though.

Comes down to 300 if you don't go to California.

[Oscar's dad]

If you wanted closer to 400 miles... Chelmsford->California->Boston->New York->Washington.  (You'd have to ride back a bit to get to Teeside, though.

Comes down to 300 if you don't go to California.

I'd route to the east after NY so you can go over the Lincolnshire Wolds and past the Beaumont transmitter which is the highest man-made structure in the EU.  Then you can go over the Humber Bridge 

[jiberjaber]

I fancy the Humber Bridge...   

The TX has been shortened in recent years, so no longer the tallest, they lopped 20m or so off it in 2009

[Oaky]

If you wanted closer to 400 miles... Chelmsford->California->Boston->New York->Washington.  (You'd have to ride back a bit to get to Teeside, though.

Comes down to 300 if you don't go to California.

I'd route to the east after NY so you can go over the Lincolnshire Wolds and past the Beaumont transmitter which is the highest man-made structure in the EU.  Then you can go over the Humber Bridge 

Hadn't looked at the actual route, it's just whatever google thought on "cycling" mode, to get a ball park for the distance between the "controls".

[bobb]

I rode to Edinburgh in 2011. I passed through Teeside on the way. My idea was to roughly follow NCN1, but leave it at any point it got ridiculous or the signs ran out. It worked pretty well. I didn't have any maps or even a plan, I just headed north!

From memory, before Teeside I camped at (or rather near) Wisbech, Market Rasen, Bridlington, Hinderwell... Then obvioulsy places further north. I got lost badly in Middlesbrough and swore a lot 

[tippers_kiwi]

on the SSL thing I am in the camp of thinking we should just go for it from the start.

If required I am happy to sponsor the £24 for the first year and then see where we are.

[jiberjaber]

I rode to Edinburgh in 2011. I passed through Teeside on the way. My idea was to roughly follow NCN1, but leave it at any point it got ridiculous or the signs ran out. It worked pretty well. I didn't have any maps or even a plan, I just headed north!

From memory, before Teeside I camped at (or rather near) Wisbech, Market Rasen, Bridlington, Hinderwell... Then obvioulsy places further north. I got lost badly in Middlesbrough and swore a lot 

Swearing a lot - you'd fit right in with the natives lol

[huggy]

[Global CFO interruption]
It is noted that a number of individuals are happy to chip in with various levels of help in time and money, especially while we get ACME off the ground.  I am conscious of committing to ongoing recurring costs should we ever become less fortunate in good will in the future, although I'm not suggesting we would.
I think we should do things 'properly' if we can but it also has to be sustainable year on year.
[/end of interruption]

On the subject of website SSL, how much personal information do we need to cache? Anything confidential could be linked to other cloud services such as Google Docs or similar and use PayPal for handling financials. 
On the subject of fixed IP address, apart from the convenience of a fixed IP being able to be documented, is (free) Dynamic DNS also an option?
Just putting those up for comment and to be shot down. 

[Oscar's dad]

Wot the Global CFO said. It's all very well doing it properly but it has to be sustainable. If it ain't reasonably sustainable then we should question whether we should be doing it at all.

[bobb]

[Global CFO interruption]
It is noted that a number of individuals are happy to chip in with various levels of help in time and money, especially while we get ACME off the ground.  I am conscious of committing to ongoing recurring costs should we ever become less fortunate in good will in the future, although I'm not suggesting we would.
I think we should do things 'properly' if we can but it also has to be sustainable year on year.
[/end of interruption]

On the subject of website SSL, how much personal information do we need to cache? Anything confidential could be linked to other cloud services such as Google Docs or similar and use PayPal for handling financials. 
On the subject of fixed IP address, apart from the convenience of a fixed IP being able to be documented, is (free) Dynamic DNS also an option?
Just putting those up for comment and to be shot down. 

Well, the user name and password of anyone logging into the site for a start! This may seem trivial (and perhaps it is) but if you are asking for a user name and password, you are asking for confidential information. Passing those around the interwebs in plain text is a security and privacy risk. The likelyhood of someone trying to sniff out ACME user names and passwords? Probably somewhere close to zero, but it's the principle. That's why yacf runs under SSL. Other information might be names and phone numbers etc...

As for the IP - it's not about it being fixed or dynamic, it's about it being dedicated. ie no other website will share that IP. This is necessary if securing the site with SSL.

Hope that helps, Global CFO!

[Oaky]

I was going to suggest fixing the username/password thing by using  OAuth 2.0 and only supporting the use of external credentials supported by that (Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Microsoft, ...) and NOT supporting any kind of local login.  The problem with that is that you always have some folks who won't countenance having any of those accounts who would then be excluded. (I'm not sure I see that as an issue, myself, mind).

I'd still lean towards SSL, though, even if the password handling was outsourced to one of the online authentication services, but it would probably depend on having an annual funding drive... (perhaps we need one of those thermometers they use for church roof fundraising progress meters).

[bobb]

I was going to suggest fixing the username/password thing by using  OAuth 2.0 and only supporting the use of external credentials supported by that (Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Microsoft, ...) and NOT supporting any kind of local login.

Although I've done that before, it was a massive pain in the arse and not something I really want to do. It also sends out a strange message to users IMO...

Edit: Further to that, if you don't exchange the OAuth token via SSL you've kind of defeated the purpose of it!

[Oaky]

I was going to suggest fixing the username/password thing by using  OAuth 2.0 and only supporting the use of external credentials supported by that (Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Microsoft, ...) and NOT supporting any kind of local login.

Although I've done that before, it was a massive pain in the arse and not something I really want to do. It also sends out a strange message to users IMO...

Edit: Further to that, if you don't exchange the OAuth token via SSL you've kind of defeated the purpose of it!

Ah OK.  My understanding of it is limited (to the extent that I played with using Google auth within a toy web app), but I thought that the token transfer is between the ACME server and the Auth provider and is via a GET using the SSL of the Auth provider, not the ACME site.  i.e. not between the user and the ACME site.  I could be wrong (probably am!).

[bobb]

You might be right actually. The code could be sent in plain text and in exchange you receive the token from the provider's SSL. But anyway...............

Let's not worry about it at the moment!

[Oaky]

You might be right actually. The code could be sent in plain text and in exchange you receive the token from the provider's SSL. But anyway...............

Let's not worry about it at the moment!

 

[huggy]

After the proverbial hat was passed round at the start of the Witham Cycling led ride last evening the WC/ACME funds have been somewhat boosted.  If it still stands or not, with tippers' offer of specific donation for SSL the decision over fixed IP and SSL certificate can be transitioned to a technical one rather than the finances poking their oar in.

[tippers_kiwi]

hmmm, I don't want to rock the boat but I am a little confused now. So we got funds from Witham Cycling folk (which I guess was towards the Cycling UK fees) as WC will be using that insurance so it is good some of the cover comes from there. But with boosted coffers do we still needs someone to cover that £24? If we are going to do a website for ACME is that not money well spent? I guess we need the tech folk (or just Bobb) to decide.

I am happy to sponsor the £24 but if we have some cash available I am also happy that 'club' funds get spent on that.

Also, can I just check that other than coming under the same Cycling UK thing Witham Cycling and ACME will be completely separate right?

Is it worth us all having a discussion about all this next Wednesday? As I think there are various ideas about what ACME will actually be and I think it is worth us all agreeing (or not) but at least knowing what the full plan is.

From my perspective (and after a discussion with Oaky last night on the way home, rudely interrupted by a suicidal Carradice  ) we kind of agreed that we both like the idea of a very loose structure with no need for AGM's and the like. For me that more rigid club structure is why I have no intention of joining any of the other clubs in the area.....I just wanna ride me bike

[Oscar's dad]

Great minds tipper, great minds.  Hang fire for the moment, huggy and I have been chatting about stuff recently and we also have a potential mystery benefactor.  Expect an update in the next few days.

[tippers_kiwi]

  Sweet as!

[bobb]

Exciting! 

[Oscar's dad]

Tomsk and I are having a little chat.