@div class=prose
@a class=movie href=/m/freikometer.avi
@img class=freikometer height=200 src=/i/freikometer.gif width=267 
@/a
@h3 Fried-o-whatsit?
@p
That's "Freikometer", and it adds a lot of fun to bike encouragement
programs.  Freiker's success is due to fantatical dedication to data.
Like many other bike programs, we started with punch cards.  The next
year we used barcodes and scanners.  2006-2007 is the year of the Freikometer:
an automatic device that counts riders and uploads the data securely to
freiker.org.  It's solar powered so you can put it right near the
bike racks at your school.
@/p
@p
The Freikometer is currently under test at several
@a href=http://www.bvsd.org Boulder Valley School District
schools.  The freikometers survived a very harsh winter -- for the
most part.  We're glad the winter is over, and they are operating very well in
our wet but warm spring.  We will be upgrading all Freikometers in the summer
of 2007 to operate better in extreme cold. We will be expanding outside the
Boulder area; it's a matter of time to prove out the technology, which so far
is going well.
@/p
@p
The best way to understand how the Freikometer works is to see it in
action.  
@a href=/m/freikometer.avi View the movie (5mb).
@/p
@h3
Freiker Doubles Ridership!
@img class=graph height=268 src=/i/freiker-weather.png width=342 
@/h3
@p
Twice as many kids are riding to
@a href=http://schools.bvsd.org/crestview Crest View Elementary
than were riding two years ago.  Why?  iPods.  It's that simple. Kids who
ride to Crest View (and other area schools) receive an iPod if they
ride their bikes 90% of the time to school.  At Crest View, that
means Freikers must ride 160 times this year.  Last year we gave out
50 iPods and about 10 digital cameras to hard-working Freikers at
Crest View, Foothill Elementary, and Horizons K-8.  We gave out lots of
other prizes, too.  Yet, the cost of the program is only about
$5,000 per school.  Isn't it worth
@a href=/hm/donate 10% of the price of a new Lexus
to improve our environment by encouraging more kids to get on their
bikes more often?
@/p
@p
Freikers do not compete against each other for prizes.  There is no
best in class, school, or otherwise.  Every kid wins if they try.
Ride to school once, and you're a Freiker.  Ride to school the whole
week, and you are entered in a drawing to win
the 
@a href=/hm/prizes Green Gear
 and $10.
That's an achievable goal for any kid, and it's the first step
towards a healthier, more self-reliant, more alert student.
@/p
@/div