Title says it all.
(bah, hamburg…)
Archive for December, 2008
There may be stupider things then chasing a dog down the street barefoot when it’s -7 with a -30 windchill. With your fly open. If there are, I haven’t done them.
The dog was finally corralled an hour or so later. Thanks to Tim for dog taxi service, the UPS driver for being a dick and Renae for not killing me. Special thanks to Carrie the mystery woman for snagging the dog and calling Renae while I was looking for it in the park.
[UPDATED: fixed links, added more stuffage, firmed up the style a bit, mixed personal pronouns]
Want to support this site by laying gifts on it’s writer? Want to know what to get the geek in your life? Late as always, we present the FFEJWORLD holiday wish list.
In a break from our usual more practical bent we present actual gifty typ items. Buckaroo Banzai memorabilia. The Guardian call it one of the 1000 most important movies of all time. I call it one of the best things that happened in 1984. Just Don’t Call It A Cult Film, damnit. Used copies of the tie in paperback still go for big bucks, I wish I still had mine. Yes, I had several of the much coveted original run shirts and patches, which took me years to hunt down. The Team Banzai and Banzai Institute shirts, pins and patches are my favorites, followed by the Yoyodyne ones. prices 8-20 bucks, contact me for sizes. More BB info here.
Next up The Bianchi/Gregory UM22r backpack. Scroll down the page past the 2 small packs till you get to the UM22r. Possibly the best large backpack ever made in America. By all the tests I’ve read it was the most ergonomic and best balancing of the COTS (consumer off the shelf) packs that were tested for the Marines ILBE (improved load bearing equipment). It seemed it flunked the trials because of it’s inability to easily carry a mortar tube or round. Which wouldn’t effect my usage, it’s almost perfect (I really prefer a panel loading Kifaru Navigator, but who has that kind of money?). And you know how nerds like the underdog. What does all that mean? It’s unbelievably adjustable to your form, rock solid, slightly heavy, hyper comfortable really large capacity backpack, the perfect replacement for my lashed up MOLLEII rig. It rocks, It’s made in America, it’s sturdier then you are, and at $119 it’s a bloody steal. On closeout, these are the last of them, I’ll gladly take any color they have left. Gregory charges 3-6 times this amount for it’s less sturdy current models…
2.5″ laptop hard drives. Every geek I know needs these, I need a few 
Newegg has this 160 gig Hitachi, this Western Digital 120 gig or this Seagate 120 gig for $60 each.
PowerBook RAM, Crucial PC2700 SODIMMs, 26 bucks from Newegg, free shipping! Or $13 from Amazon. These are getting harder to find, since the machines that need them are pushing 6-8 years. I need 2…
5.11 Clothing. Nerds need pockets. Nerds sweat. Nerds have no fashion sense, or ia seriously warped one. All of which is why I love their Neru collared hidden placket H.R.T. shirt in black for $20. Or their Tactical Rain Pants. But as twisted as my fashion sense is, I love their loose crew in green or woodland for practical reasons-this is an insanely good deal in technical wicking clothing. The pattern, the way the shoulders and sleeves are joined, the flat seams, it’s just a brilliant design. All closeouts…
STABILicers Ice Cleats. Cheaper then crampons (a lot cheaper, look at these discount prices). Keeps you from falling on icy sidewalks with a 55 lb. pack on your back.
Power. What nerd doesn’t secretly desire it? What nerd isn’t desperate for it. What nerd isn’t always forgetting to charge his cellphone when he does find enough outlets? Ahem, I know one. I depend too heavily on my iGo AA battery powered emergency charger these days, since I tend to lose or destroy the wall wart charger for the phone. The iGo won’t take rechargeable batteries, which is hard on my wallet and the environment. This Iogear battery charger is only $10, charges a variety of phones and USB mini devices as well, and is it self rechargeable. This MacAlly charger is more robust, better rated, stores more power for those late nights at the bus stop but costs 20 clams more. It needs external cables or adapters to connect to your phone, the Iogear comes with a set. Like this Zip-Linq adapter kit. Those will also work off my laptop, so I might not need the battery pack
With great power comes great responsibility. Like keeping the rechargeable batteries that litter your pack together so they actually get used (you don’t want to know how many times I’ve only been able to find part of a rechargeable set for the camera). This is where battery cases or holders come in. They keep it together so you can actually use your great power and at $1 or $2 or they’re dirt cheap. And alway get them in pairs, so you can keep your dead ones separate from your charged ones.
I really am, shitloads of email and phone calls have poured in.. Thank you all very much. I’m going to consolidate the questions and answers here.
Yes, I’ve fallen since I last wrote about it. Twice. Yes, I realize that’s significant and indicative of other things. The editorial we is working on it 
BUT. The weather in Chicago has been atrocious, with warm temps before the freezing rain and sleet that morphs into 4 inches of snow. The overall Depression is affecting people and businesses-they’re not shoveling well or in a timely way. They’re not compensating for the ice in anyway. And I’m watching people who weigh a lot less then me fall.
I’m not an idiot people. I realize that buying a backpack won’t make me lighter on my feet, more agile, or make ice piercing spikes grow out of my boots. It will alleviate some back pain, remove pressure from a cyst or two, improve my balance a bit and make it much easier to get up after a fall. it will also remove a constant source of adjustment and concern and streamline my profile.
(And You All Know You Can Comment On The Blog And Don’t Have To Waste Cycles Phoning And Emailing Me, Don’t You?)
The “smaller” backpack I’m looking for has to be bigger then 20″ x 13.75″ x 4.5″. That’s the size of the main chamber of my now rare Timbuk2 Commute XL messenger bag. It also has to smaller and easier to rig and and adjust then a MOLLE II rig. Yes, I could trim out some of the things I carry. Notebook size hard drives take up much much less space then a double-up CD wallet full of installable goodness. It adds significant costs to my non-existant bottom line.
Yes, I’m looking at 1000d Cordura PALS encrusted military packs.
Yes, I’m aware of the Kelty Redwing 3100. It’s relatively affordable, but relatively flimsy. They’re made of 200D ripstop and 420d Kodra (I’m not certain all the Redwing models are made the same though-Travellors seem to have less Kodra). Listen, I destroy more load carrying devices before most people have their morning coffee. Vests, bags and packs shred and rip when they see me coming, you don’t want to know what the buckles and snaps do. Leaving alone the flimsy ripstop, Kodra is a Cordura knock off, which I have no experience with. Monday I ran in to one in the wild, the owner was quite happy with it, so it’s not off the list entirely.
No, none of what I’m looking at will show up on the Holiday Wish List. Prices are too fluid, and frankly, I want to get my hands on something fast. There will be a replacement for the 55 lb pack on the list, my Dreampack™, one of the best full size backpacks ever made in America.
I’ve got this problem. My best, most protective laptop carrying bag, the old 1st gen Timbuk2 Commute XL is killing my back. I’m getting cysts where the strap bites into my neck and chest. It’s also a balancing nightmare when I’m out in the ice and snow, and you might have noticed I’ve taken a few nasty falls lately. The 55 lb. pack carries the XL well, is an actual backpack, doesn’t bite my neck as much and carries much more. But it usually weighs 55 lbs., it doesn’t balance as well as a more modern pack, it’s huge and bulky, and if I fall with it I’m screwed.
I’ve looked into stability systems, from add on ice teeth for my boots to trekking poles and staffs. The ice teeth look like they add more problems then they solve, and the poles/staffs don’t look much better then my cane.
I guess I need another backpack. Some sort of happy medium between the XL and the 55 lb. pack. I have to carry enough stuff to get the job done and live, and still not fall over. The problem is the even remotely affordable packs aren’t big enough. Sigh.
Techcrunch is reporting that Google is selling unlocked G1 phones to developers. Unlocked SIMs and firmware, no need for a T-Mobile activation. The cost is $25 to register as an android developer and $399 for the phone. Comes with a different battery cover. This isn’t meant for users, since you can easily brick the phone since it’ll load unsigned firmware. But for the nerds like me, especially ones who really only want a smarter phone and wi-fi equipped PDA rather then a 2G/3G equipped browser, this is the straw that breaks Nokia’s back. The new Nokia n97 hit the streets this week, and it’s going for about $700 unlocked-plus it’s 3G won’t work in North America.
Remind me to do a post on the history of the smartphone and ubiquitous computing…
So here’s the long version with all the left out details. Earlier this week it snowed. Fine, it’s winter in the midwest, it does that. Tuesday evening I’m heading to the cafe after a service call, along a stretch of newer highly angled sidewalk that wasn’t properly cleared. Boom, I go down on my knee. I didn’t have the 55 lb. pack with me or I’d probably still be laying there. The messenger bag did swing around front, making regaining footing awkward. Oddly, a woman stopped her car and tried to help me. I told her I was fine, she was wearing heals and might have weighed as much as my left leg. Didn’t want her to fall and break something. Mild pain and stiffness. Got lodging that night and checked the knee. It was red, no bruise.
Jump cut to Wednesday. Freezing rain and sleet in the evening, followed by light dusting of snow and dropping temps. I went down twice that night, all on same knee. Didn’t rip my pants in any of these falls. By the time I got on the El platform I was limping and could feel blood running down my leg. Meanwhile the paramedics are carting off a guy who was mugged on the platform. I tried caging a gauze pad off of one of the paramedics, got the single dirtiest look I’ve ever gotten from anyone I wasn’t asking out on a date. Limped back to where I was staying, patched knee and went to sleep.
Thursday I woke up with pain and bled through bandages. Cleaned everything up. That’s when I realized I had injured the knee that I’d accidentally tattooed with track cinders to pass the NY State Board of Regents Physical Education test freshman year in high school. Same damn spot I had landed on 3 times during the test. Prevailed upon my host to let me stay an additional day, I didn’t want to over night in zero weather. Pain, stiffness, swelling and a diet high in non-steroidal anti-inflammatories.
Ordinarily I wouldn’t grouse about something so minor. But joint injuries hurt more, especially when your morbidly obese, the wound is constantly reopened and re-injured. And the second and third time I went down I was terrified, high traffic areas, middle of the street, cars approaching. Ok, that and it preys on the fear of not being able to move I got from the back injury. One more reason to lose weight, if ever I needed another.
Did I mention how I pride myself on not falling in the winter and what a crashing blow it is to dump 3 times in one week? Or how I couldn’t sleep last night for dwelling on what would have happened had I been wearing the 55 lb. pack, especially when I was crossing Wentworth?
Meanwhile this morning I made it to camp without falling, bleeding has stopped and the pain and stiffness is down. But I’m beginning to think I should either dig out my cane, or get a mountaineer/hikers walking stick.
UPDATED
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- the new fixture
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- Chris and Alicia
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- post turkey table
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- Dick Castle
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- Richie sleeping
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- Dean shows up
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- Anson and Roxy
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- Cameron (partially framed)
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- Me and your Cousins
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- Richie and painting
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- Mary and Jo
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- Richie in repose?
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- Mary
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- table two days post turkey
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- One of Richies new paintings
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- Another Richie painting
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- Annie and her BF
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- Robin and Nick
In defense of my photos, I was fixing computers the moment I walked in the door. When I wasn’t fixing computers I was eating. Once or twice I slept, when people weren’t fluffing the pillows I was sleeping on. Or running up and down stairs. Most of these were taken Friday and Saturday, in between fixing computers, cleaning gutters, installing new kitchen hardware, and fetching tools for the light fixture installation. I left out the caulking. Yes, there were people under 30 there, look closely. See, there they are! I apologize to Robin, Annie, Cameron, Nick, Jane, Freddie, Danny, and Kirsten for low documentation. Kirsten actually moved faster then the autofocus in my camera could react (except when she crashed on the couch, that’s her behind me). I’ll just stick in an older photo of Robin and Nick.
I’m really pissed the photos of Danny playing trombone didn’t come out.
