the show was

Several twitterers immediately helped out by telling me the name of the programme. It was BBC1's Bang Goes the Theory - The Human Power Station. (Thanks @carboncoach @bigbuzzard @dc325 and @bridgetmck.)

The programme was broadcast 3 December 2009. In the documentary, one family, the Collinses (pic), didn't know it but they had their electrics supplied to them by a team of cyclists on exercise bikes in a warehouse. The Independent review describes the state of the cyclists:

As the day wore on, they dropped like flies: faces red, foreheads sweaty, eyes rolling, they yelled discouragement each time anyone got near a switch. more ...

life cycle

Last night someone told me about a great-sounding programme that had been on TV a couple of weeks ago, where a family moved into a house, but what they didn't know was that the electrics in the house were supplied by pedal power.

Out of sight, a team of cyclists provided all the energy the family required. When someone turned on a light or opened the fridge door or switched on the kettle, the TV audience could see exactly how many cyclists it took to meet that extra demand. The best bit, apparently, came when the wife put a cold chicken in the oven.

Anyone see this programme or know what it was called? more ...

some good news to start 2009

'It's like that moment in The Graduate when someone pulls Benjamin to one side and whispers "Plastics!" in his ear.' Lord Stern tells Today's guest editor Jarvis Cocker that the investment in technological progress is one reason for optimism (Obama is another).

'Solar towers in the desert — as expressive of our aspirations as medieval cathedrals once were.' Ian McEwan looks forward to the aesthetic and scientific development of solar energy.

'Something spectacular happened in a small corner of the world': Bangladesh elects a democratic government.

The Independent gives 20 reasons to take up cycling. Reason 12, it's cool; reason 16, it's a thrill; reason 20, it's good for the soul. more ...

on his bike

Great post from No Impact Man. An open letter to NY State Senator Jeff Klein, who yesterday called me a f---ing assh-le after nearly hitting me with his Mercedes. more ...