Mark & Debbie Livingood
We are very pleased to announce that long time TCA member Mark Livingood has volunteered to join us as Doubletalk’s Technical Editor. Mark comes to us with a wealth of knowledge, stemming from 17 years of tandem cycling as well as an extensive web presence anchored by his many contributions to the Tandem@Hobbes listserver, the tandem forum at BikeForums.net and founding the Discussion Forum For Off-Road Tandem Enthusiasts, aka Double Forte. He also hosts TheTandemLink.com and offers commentary on tandems and the tandem lifestyle on The TandemGeek’s Blog. Mark will be authoring DoubleTalk posts as well as providing technical review of content submitted by others.
Please join us in welcoming Mark!
Last week I was asked if I’d be interested in assuming the role of Technical Editor. Hmmm. My natural inclination was to say no; there’s got to be someone far more qualified than I am to do that.
Really, I’m a hobbyist and amateur blogger not an engineer or someone who’s spent a lifetime making a career in the bicycle industry. I have some strong opinions about certain things — rightly or wrongly — but also accept that everyone else does too. So, at the end of the day I tend to rely on a few things to guide my advice:
– Facts: I love facts. I’ll take a fact over an opinion any day of the week
– Experience: I love experience. Experience can even trump facts when reality doesn’t match the design intent or execution / application of technology or equipment
– Happiness: You know, if someone is happy with what they have and how it works, that’s awesome. Who am I to tell them they’re wrong if they’re happy and not having any problems… unless they ask for suggestions on how they might even be happier.
After giving it about 24 hours to mull-over in my head, I agreed to take it on… at least for now.
Again, I think the TCA will eventually want to have someone in this role who has ready access to industry information and a day-in / day-out livelihood that’s tied to the bicycle industry. Hey, that’s who I’d like to have fact-checking me.
So, please bear with me as I step into new and unfamiliar territory. I will do my best to quickly move submittals that hit my editing queue to the blog with minimal “mucking around” and editorial comments.
Thanks Mark. We have enjoyed and respected your contributions over the years.
Trying to track down Mark Livingood in Georgia. I had dinner with him and his wife Debbie tonight and talked bikes for quite a while.